3. Travis Phoebe (ManxMan)

•Travis 18.

He pushed me and I growled, pulling him with me, I wrapped my arms around his waist refusing to let him go. I did that once. I wouldn't do it again.

My eyes opened slowly as he seemed to stop resisting and we held eyes, he searched mine and frowned.

"Let go."

"No."

"Travis, you need to unhand me."

"I need to keep you close."

"This is counter productive."

"You just keep quiet and let me kiss you and we can be pretty productive." Raphael's lips parted and I watched as colour flooded his cheeks and smiled. "Beautiful."

"Shut up." I chuckled as he pouted and pushed at my shoulder. I eased my hold but gripped his shirt and he looked away. "Why are you here?"

"I'm claiming the man I love."

"I think you missed him, because I know that isn't me."

"I'm talking about you Raphael, who happens to be in my arms at this moment."

"No." His brows furrowed angrily and I frowned.

"Why not?"

"Three years." He blinked and finally met my eye. "It takes you three years to say this to me?"

"It would've been sooner had you not ran off."

"You rejected me." I pursed my lips then.

"I didn't know any better." Raphael pushed me and I let go then.

"Why now? Why should I even consider you now?" I felt a sting as he spoke. He didn't say to take me back but instead to consider, suggesting what could I tell him to make him even think about me like that.

"You're my mate."

He was silent, his lips parted and then he chuckled shaking his head.

"So, ultimately, the only reason you're here is because you have to be?"

"Ra-"

"The fact that you need the bond to even take a look in my direction seriously, I must admit that stings, Travis, more than you could ever know."

"That's not what this mean, Raph. You misunderstood me."

His eyes fluttered in what I could only see as mild irritation, tilting his head.

"When I said no, I said it because I've seen the bond for what it is." I pursed my lips. "A mating bond shouldn't be disregarded for how disruptive it can be, how controlling it is."

"What do you mean?"

"I wanted to come to you, with every fibre of me, I wanted to say yes, even if it was just for a little while, even if I wasn't gonna be your forever."

"Why couldn't you have told me that then? How come you never said?"

"Because I understood what that meant. I could see how in the end I would suffer more out of the both of us because I'd be pulled in two different directions, one for you, the love I gained through time and effortless effort and the other, an inborn need to have them in order to survive."

"I didn't know you saw it that way."

"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd find a way to convince me otherwise and it scared the shit out of me knowing I'd listen."

We were silent for a moment.

"Doesn't change how your here now, because of the same disruptive bond."

"Don't you see it yet? This was the ultimate outcome, had you been someone else, I'd be here with them and still thinking of you, as I've thought of you since the day you disappeared."

"It makes sense that you wanted me back then, though, if you recognise a mate in me now, then even before this, the attraction you felt was all for this..."

"Raph-"

"We can't ignore that either, ignore that you rejected me even in the midst of not knowing and just being instinctual."

I blinked then, calculating in my head his words and dissecting his meaning as he stared at the ground.

"You don't want me, Travis. You never have. I'm just a being your forced to stand."

"How could you say that?"

"How could I not? That's what you've been saying, isn't it? You rejected me when you didn't know what I meant to you and now you're here, because you anticipated the need which would over power you. You're here against your will... something I never wanted for you."

There was a flicker of guilt in his eyes then and I hesitated as I understood the meaning of it.

"You... you knew, didn't you?" My words were hushed and hurt. He looked away. "Why... why didn't you say anything?"

"I wasn't sure! Besides you justified a mate you had yet to know as a means to push me away. I'm undesirable, I get that, even my parents were quick to be rid of me."

I took a few strides towards him and grabbed his face, his eyes wide and staring into me and my heart ached.

"Are you rejecting me right now?"

"I could never-" he gasped at the sparks running through our body and took my wrists, pulling my hands off his face to stare at them and swallowed. "-I just don't see how you can want me now, when before you hated the thought."

He pulled away, "Raphael!" I yelled as he tried to walk away from me feeling misunderstood and lost, I panicked then with his back to me and stumbled, I allowed myself to fall forward in my aim to pursue him and gave a shout.

"Travis!" He gasped, suddenly beside me and I blinked wide eyed, the worry flashing in his eyes, the bags under them, I frowned and whimpered, I reached for my leg then and did the only thing I could think of.

"It's broken." I told him holding my ankle. His eyes widened and he held me. I enjoyed the moment we touch, feeling the electric conduction of our touch even through our clothing, the comfort it brought was nostalgic.

Raphael carried me towards the couch and set me down gently, he vanished, returning with a pack of ice.

"We should get you to a doctor."

"You can doctor me."I offered a pout and he looked up at me with a frown.

"I'm afraid I'm out of practice, what with being immortal and hea-" his eyes narrowed then and he tilted his head sighing and folding his arms over his chest. "Nice try."

I smirked and gave a moan of pain.

"It really hurts."

"For a moment I forgot your not only a wolf but a caster."

"I'm also human, I hurt." I pointed with a pout.

"If your gonna be stubborn about a fake injury fine, have it your way, but I won't forget what I told you."

I sighed and looked away from him pouting.

"I can't live without you."

He paused and I caught sight of his heated cheeks.

"Now that you're infront of me, letting you go isn't something I'm going to allow myself to do." I felt my stomach turn and I swung my legs over the couch and stood. I was so close to him, his scent entrapped me his shoulder against my chest. "If you won't have me as your mate, then I'll just stick around until you can't actually chose how you'll have me."

He turned, brows furrowed and confused.

"What?" I grinned raising my hand to brush his hair.

"I'll see you around, sexy stuff."

A/N
Written: 12 May 2019