All is Fair in War and Dragon Scales (UNREVISED)

A Nest of Vipers Pt. 5

King's office door gets thrown open before it shuts closed with a loud bang.

Nile flinches from where he sits on the couch. His nerves are frayed, already knowing what's about to happen. The headmaster and him are bonded after all. At even the slightest hint of King feeling nervous, Nile wanted to rush down there and comfort him. But the mage told him to stay put, so he did.

Nile's hands shake as he slowly sets down his book, listening to one of the strongest mages in history wheeze just out of his sight. "King."

"I'm fine," the mage snaps, still not showing himself to his soulmate who sits there obediently.

King's always known at some point, he had to set aside his fears and come out of hiding. Nile made sure to tell him that everything would fine leading up to this point. But now that the fateful day as come, it was thrown in King's face that he really did just show himself. And all the reassurance Nile has given him through these past months have gone out the window.

Soon, feeling to suffocated in the entryway, King finally walks into his office, Nile standing.

"Sit back down," the mage commands, ignoring his soulmate and walking quickly to his desk.

The headmaster stands there, facing away from Nile and trying to calm down his breathing. Lavender waddles into the room to see what is going on, stopping at the sight of her masters flushed face and shaking hands.

Nile slowly comes up to the mage, trying not to startle him and walking up next to him. "Can I at least comfort you? As your soulmate?"

King doesn't respond, just staring at the desk and Nile tilts his head, still extremely concerned. "Can I touch you?"

The mage subtly shakes his head and his soulmate nods. "Okay. Then I won't."

Recently, new information has come to light. Horrible information that has already broken Nile's heart even more than it already was.

When the two lovers actually sat down and talked through their feelings and worries, talking about how to make the relationship better for both parties, King finally told him one of his biggest secrets.

What happened at St. Ives's place years ago, when King went searching for information on the boys, was extremely traumatic for the mage.

King has devoted himself so deeply into saving others, that knowing things before they happen is something he really worked on. He wanted to know everything and anything so he was ready to defend those he cares about. He didn't care how he got that information, as long as he got it.

St. Ives is known for liking pretty things. King has kept himself in his prime age for years, therefore the mage is known to be like a fine jade.

St. Ives knew how badly King valued information, so the cruel bastard took advantage if that and made him do whatever he wanted.

The lashes on the mages back are not going to be able to heal. Ever. Physically and mentally. King was so disgusted by himself that he had his hair grow out long to cover them up whenever he got undressed. And when he was dressed, he covered himself in many layers of clothing. Some days, he really hated being touched.

Nile didn't know about any of this until after they both apologized to one another. If the younger boy felt guilty for what he did years ago, he feels like absolute trash now. King did what he did so his people and students could live without fear. Nile did what he did out of anger and jealous rage.

"How about we both sit down. I'll get you some tea and we can watch the sunset together. When you calm down, we can talk and eat some desserts. Okay? Does that sound nice?"