Zane made a purring sound as Gene stroked his head, occasionally scratching behind one of his twitching wolf ears.
"Who's a good boy?" Gene asked, rolling Zane onto his stomach.
"I'm the best boy!" Zane announced, his wolf tail wagging.
Gene grinned, his gums flashing and showing his teeth. He snuck his hand up Zane's hoodie, attacking his belly with it. Zane burst out laughing, grabbing his hoodie and pulling it down. Gene felt an idea forming in his head, and he purposely bumped his hand into Zane's claws, a small cut opening.
"Ow!" Gene cried, pulling his hand back and inspecting the cut.
"I-I'm sorry!" Zane apologized, sitting up. "Did I hurt you?"
"Yes, actually." He said, showing him the cut.
"O-Oh... I'm sorry..." He apologized again, his Werewolf ears flattening against his head. "Please don't be angry..."
"Angry? Why would I be angry?" He asked, before remembering what Ein had done to him. "Oh, ZuZu..."
Zane looked away, his tail dropping as he tried to push the memories away. It wasn't right. Zane was supposed to feel absolutely nothing for no one, and for the most he did feel nothing, even for family. But ever since he had dated Ein... he couldn't keep himself together. He hated himself for that. His emotions being out like that made him feel weak, insecure, and exposed to the world around him.
Gene wrapped his arms around his Werewolf boyfriend, pulling him closer for a hug. He knew how much Ein had hurt him during their relationship, and not just emotionally whenever he got caught with someone else. He had needed stitches on his lower back because of that bastard... Zane sometimes still flinched whenever someone was noticeably upset around him, fearing that they would hit him. Gene was just thankful to all six of the Divines that they had gotten Zane out of there in time, or else he would've ended up like... like...
"He can't hurt you anymore, Zane." Gene reassured him, stroking the back of his head in a soothing manner.
"But what if I end up like... like D-D-D..." Zane started, but ended in stutters as he met Gene's eyes.
"Oh, ZuZu... baby, you'll never end up like Daniel did..." He sighed, touching their foreheads together. "I promise."
Zane relaxed a bit, the tension in his body decreasing. He welcomed the embrace, closing his eye and calming his breathing. He trusted Gene, so he would believe would his boyfriend said. Of course, part of him still feared that he was trusting him all too easily, but most of him was willing to trust him.
Gene, on the other hand, found himself journeying through old memories. These were memories he had buried in the back of his mind, hoping every day that he would be able to forget and it wouldn't matter. But he couldn't just let them go completely. Not only were they his memories, but they were also reminders to make sure Gene never turned out like Ein did.
"What if I do, and I hurt you..?" He asked softly, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Zane, look at me in the eyes." Gene said, firmly but calmly.
Zane lifted his head up to meet the eyes of his lover. The broken, single eye of Zane met the two calm ones of Gene. The two stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, remembering how much they meant to each other. Zane still didn't understand what Gene saw in him, but Gene knew exactly why he loved Zane so much.
"You're kind and caring underneath all those layers of bottled up feelings and that stone wall you built around your heart." Gene told him, cupping his cheek in one hand. "You know too much about suffering and pain to inflict it on others."
"H-Huh..?" Zane asked slowly, blinking.
"You can be stubborn sometimes, and you're not always willing to see the other side. You can't change who you are just for someone else." He went on, scratching behind his ear again.
"What are you saying?" He asked, tilting his head.
"Zane..." He sighed, taking a deep breath afterwards. "You're not perfect."
"W-What!?" He cried, looking at him in disbelief. "B-But you said that I was!..."
"You're imperfect for not being perfect, but you're perfect for being imperfect." He told him, and held in his laughs as Zane gave a confused whine.
"I don't get it..." He pouted, crossing his arms.
"People think perfection is being a flawless person who can meet everyone's expectations and needs, with no hatred and only purity." He explained, nuzzling his cheek. "But you wanna know what I think?"
"What do you think perfection means?" He asked, now actually wondering.
"I think perfection means being who you truly are, flaws and everything. Not being filled with purity, but still good at heart, somewhere. Having your own opinions and thoughts, but being able to share them and listen to others. Not being able to change yourself to meet everyone's expectations and dreams, but still doing what you can to help them." He explained, smiling at him.
"And you wanna know something else?" Gene asked, holding Zane's chin up.
"What?" Zane asked, tilting his head.
"I think you're one of the most perfect people in the world." He said, touching their foreheads again.
"Oh... oh, Gene, you big dolt..." He sighed, his cheeks turning red at his comment. "I'm far from being perfect."
"None of us want you to be 'perfect', Zane." He told him, kissing him. "We just want you to be you."
Zane nodded, resting his head against Gene's shoulder. He smiled softly, letting the slow strokes of Gene's hand against his head and back calm him. He hummed into the crook of his neck, wrapping his arms around him.
Gene leaned back on the couch, stroking Zane's head and back. He loved everything about him, even if he was turned into a Werewolf by a Forever Potion. He would still love him, human or not, even if it killed him. He wanted Zane to go every second knowing that, but he couldn't just force him to remember things.
"Zane?" He asked, looking at the Werewolf's face when he got no response.
His eye was closed, his breathing soft and in sync with each breath. He was resting against Gene as though he were the most comfortable pillow in the world, and that was how Gene saw Zane's belly. A soft pillow of warmth that he could rest his head on.
"Guess it'll be an early night for us, huh?" Gene whispered to him, carrying him to their bedroom. "Yeah, you had a long day today, didn't you?"
Meanwhile, outside of an open window in the living room, a pink haired Meif'wa female and black haired Werewolf female were fangirling over the moment they just saw.
