Collapsed World [MxM, Non-Con, Mpreg]

Part 22 [Julius]

Even though Julius felt like there was something important that Taj was keeping from him, Julius had no real desire to harm or to totally distrust the other male. On some level it was actually comforting to have him around even though his heart belonged to another, Taj still managed to keep him in good spirits most of the time even when Julius was feeling down or upset. Perhaps if he'd never had Iris to begin with, he could have really developed deep feelings for the halfling. Then again, if it weren't for Iris, Julius never would have become the person he was today, so it wouldn't have mattered either way. It was very rare for Avaens to be able to choose another mate if the first mate died. Though before the Corvines came, Avaens rarely ever died of anything other than old age or in rare cases of illness or accident, so for such a thing to take place, and for the surviving mate to actually survive the death and to actually have the heart to fall in love with another was extremely rare.

 

With the war, death and separation was much more common, but that didn't mean that Avaens who survived could recover their feelings enough to dedicate themselves to another.. but circumstances were still not in their favor. Perhaps things would change if they could finally expel the Corvines from their world, and perhaps those that had lost mates would actually be able to love again.

Julius had not been expecting Taj to say anything to give him hope that his lover might still be out there, mostly because Julius didn't think that Taj would be able to honestly be able to offer such hope with honesty. If it were anyone other than Julius' they might have been able to take Taj's words at face value as something to be taken as encouragement and hope, however Julius could still since the half lies and left out truths from Taj's words. He was used to that feeling from the boy by now, but something about him keeping information to himself, or whatever secrets he held onto while it might actually concern Iris woke up a rage inside of Julius that he normally only preserved for Corvine trash.

Without warning or explanation, Julius grabbed Taj by the throat and pushed him up against the wall, his cold sapphire eyes boring down into him as he held the smaller body firmly in place, unwilling to budge until he had the asnwers that he desired.

"If you truly care for me the way you seem to, then it is time that you reveal what you've been hiding from me for all these years. I grow weary of your constant lies. I am not nearly as ignorant as you think I am. When will you tell me it is you are hiding from me? Or shall I smother this serpent before it bends to strike at me?" Julius narrowed his eyes at the boy, anger welled up inside of him. Taj was just a little too sure that Julius was wrong about Iris being dead, something that set off all kinds of alarms in the Avaen leader's head. If there was a chance that Taj knew, or even thought that he might know something about Iris, Julius wasn't about to take any chances of letting Taj continue with even one more day of lying to him. Julius didn't wish Taj any harm, but in the end Iris was still more important to him, whether he was dead or alive, Julius would find him and avenge any wrongs done to him, that would always come first.