Humans Alone (G/T)

Chapter Sixteen

Michael watched Heath closely through the bars of his own cell, able to clearly see how betrayed the Masonin felt. It was plain by the look on his face. While Michael too felt a little betrayed, he couldn't deny the fact he'd felt Donnie was dangerous the whole time he's been with this now broken family. 

"He was all I had," Heath muttered, keeping his eyes fixed on the stone floor he sat upon. "I raised him. I-I thought I...I could change his mind about you humans. And now it has gone and possibly signed your death warrant."

Never in a million years would Heath have thought the boy would do something as vile as try and kill every human with his own group. Even the High Council itself had taken humans in for questioning and even though they could never believe a word the frightened beings said, they never killed them on sight like the Pegasus. 

His gut twisted and churned with the betrayal that he felt.

Michael's own heart ached at how depressed his large friend seemed, and he reached his arm through the bars in an attempt to reach him. "Heath? None of this is your fault. You were a great father, I could see that in just the little bit of time I've known you."

The corner of Heath's lips twitched into a sad yet thankful smile as he looked at the smaller beings hand reaching through the bars. Taking his own hand, he grasped Michael's and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sure you were an amazing father too, Michael." 

He looked at the hand that was three sizes smaller than his own, taking his large thumb and brushing over the knuckles. He couldn't tell if they were bruised or just dirty. Then, the masonin laid his hand flat and placed Michael's overtop just to get a better idea just how small a human child might be to him. He'd seen them, but he never once got close. 

Trying to picture what Michael's own little girl had looked like was tough, but he could easily see a smiling face and bright blue eyes that matched her fathers. He inhaled sharply as pain shot through his midsection which made him drop Michael's hand and put both on his still healing bullet wound. 

Glad to have at least gotten a small smile, Michael was ready to pull his hand back when Heath grabbed it. He felt his heart rate quicken, his breath hitching in his throat. The large thumb delicately touched his dirt covered knuckles which only made his heart beat faster. As soon as it was there, the hand was gone and Michael's nervousness faded into worry. "Heath? You're in pain."

"Oh, am I?" The Masonin grunted through clenched teeth, taking deep breaths through his nose and out his mouth to try and ignore the discomfort his injury forced upon him. "Sorry about my tone, but ow!" 

Wishing he could squirm through the bars, Michael had to watch helplessly as Heath suffered in the cell next to him. He couldn't just watch. He can't. "You, guard dude!" He threw a small stone in the man in front of the cells, cringing in fear when his dark-colored eyes turned toward him with an annoyed glint. "H-Heath needs to be taken care of." 

For a brief moment, the human's voice had been confident but when the other Masonin faced him, Heath heard the confidence be replaced with an obvious fear. He silently shook his head, feeling that Michael was going through too much trouble for him despite his own problems.

The guard eyed Heath for only a few moments before he unlocked the cell door. "You're Donnie's father anyway. He doesn't want you stuck here, or dead. Just him." The dark eyes turned again to look at Michael.

Heath didn't want to leave Michael in here by himself with an unknown being.  Michael was still terrified of him too. He didn't show it too much or say anything, but he could see in those small blue eyes the fear the human still harbored. "Just give me some water and bandages and move him into my cell. He'll take care of it. He's a good man, despite what other Masonin's would say."

Turning his eyes to look at Michael, he stayed right where he was seated on the stone floor. He could have sworn he saw the human's cheeks turn a soft shade of red before he looked the other direction. The cell door was open. If Heath had been at his full strength, he might have tried to fight the guard and get Michael out of there, but he knew he couldn't. Not with a bullet wound.

Michael, upon hearing the Masonin's words looked over at him with a confused expression. Heath had a chance to get out, to avoid being kept in a cell. But he was choosing to stay? The confusion was immediately replaced with pure fear when the guard opened his own cell door and gripped his bandaged arm.

He yanked him to his feet with such a force, and the way he was squeezing the still healing wolf bite made Michael's arm throb in excruciating pain. He didn't speak a word however until the other Masonin practically threw him into the cell with Heath, slamming the iron door shut with a loud bang.

Michael fell into Heath, and his friend's large arms encircled him almost in a protective manner. He attempted to convince himself that this was surely his imagination and stepped close to the giant more for security than anything until the watchful eyes of the guard were no longer on them.

Heath could feel Michael trembling against him, and pressed the smaller being closer to his own body in an attempt to calm him. "Michael, I don't care if I have to lay down my own life, I won't let them hurt an innocent person because of their own twisted thoughts." With extreme gentility, Heath returned to sitting on the stone ground and lifted Michael onto his lap to keep the human close. 

He doesn't understand why he would feel so protective of a human like this, nor why the human didn't fight his embrace. He surely wasn't expecting it when Michael buried his face into his chest, curling into himself on his lap. Heath still didn't speak a word and wrapped his arms securely around Michael's trembling body. 

Not even a few seconds later a female Masonin rushed through the creaky door, looking into the cell dead at heath and Michael before returning her gaze to the tall guard. Her brown curls hung messily around her arms and face, and her soft hazel eyes were wide in an almost panic. "Donnie has asked for the human and his father."

Heath felt the body against him tense and used one of his large hands to push Michael's hair from his face as the same feeling washed over him. The feeling he wanted to protect him, keep him out of harm's way. "Why does my son want to see us?" He calmly asked, wincing as one of Michal's elbows dug into the wound on his stomach. But again, Heath didn't utter a word about it to the human, knowing how easily frightened he became around 'giants' he didn't know or ones he feared. 

"That's for us to know and you to find out." The female muttered with a bitter distaste in her voice when addressing Heath, and faced with the cell with displeasure clear on her tan face. 

"Heath?" Michael's voice said in a whisper too soft for the others to hear. 

Heath stood, ignoring the searing pain it caused him and cradled the shaking human carefully in his arms. "Fine. But I'll carry him. And if any of you touch him I won't hesitate to break every bone in your miserable fingers." Sure, he couldn't really fight, but maybe the two didn't know that. And by the looks on their faces, they didn't. Good. 

Once the iron door was open, Heath followed the female with the guard behind them but didn't dare to let his arms loosen around Michael. He feared if he let his firm grip go, another Masonin wouldn't hesitate to try and take him from him. 

Michael attempted to shift in Heath's arm, and despite the fear coursing through his body he was busy trying not to hurt Heath's injury the best he could. But his hands had fistfuls of the larger male's shirt, having the same worry as Heath. If he were to let go, a less than kind giant might steal him away. 

He listened in utter silence as shoes tapped the stone floor around him. All he could do was await whatever cruelty Donnie had planned for them. 

I said I'd get this out a few days ago so I tried to make it a little longer than the other chapters to apologize. Enjoy!