Reap the Earth at Which you Stand [boyxboy]

Chapter XXVIII

~Sunday 31st December 2017~

Dakota was so beautiful whilst he slept. Undeniably, astoundingly beautiful. His eyelids fluttered, lashes whispering against one another as he dreamt, lips twitching as he spoke a thousand words that Vasile would never get to hear. He was having a pleasant dream, Vasile could tell by the peaceful expression on his face, brows furrowed ever so slightly, even an occasional smile making an attempt to stake claim on his lips. Just beautiful.

The heat from his body comforted Vasile as they laid together in a tangle of limbs and bedsheets, warm and quiet, content with one another's company. They never needed anyone else, they never needed anything else either, just one another. That was how Vasile liked it, the simplicity of only his Kept and himself. Silent. Happy. He hoped Dakota felt the same way, he always seemed cheerful enough when they laid together in the living room, or out on the balcony. It was Vasile's heaven, and he had finally been allowed to enter.

Vasile peered down at the boy clinging to his side when he felt him shift against him, moving closer than before, nuzzling against the man's chest. There was a slight grimace lingering just beneath the simple expression, yet not enough to truly worry Vasile. Dakota would wake if the pain was too much, even if he wouldn't mention it to Vasile, he would wake no matter what. He couldn't deny the agony during his sleep, he could only manage to conceal it when he was conscious.

The bandage around Dakota's thigh still looked to be wrapped tightly enough that there was little chance of it falling off. Thankfully, the compression had stemmed the bleeding, and it would have stimulated the boy's healing. Vasile thought about checking the wound whilst the boy was still asleep, however, he didn't want to disturb him. Fatigue would only worsen his healing abilities, and his mood for that fact.

Kalvin had assured Vasile after Dakota's therapy session that the bites on the boy didn't need stitching, and that they were clean enough to just be bandaged whilst he healed. Granted, there had been a lot of shouting that day, and some serious arguments between Dakota and Vasile, the man still trusted Kalvin, he seemed like a good man. Human or not, he did have experience in healing, and he was the best that Vasile had to offer in that moment.

"Stop looking at them," Dakota murmured drowsily, eyes remaining closed whilst he settled a hand on Vasile's stomach, "they won't go away if you glare at them," Vasile caught his bottom lip between his teeth, unable to stop thinking about that hand so close to his navel. He debated asking Dakota to move it, or encouraging him to lower it, however, decided on simply ignoring it in the end. The more logical side of his brain told him that the two didn't have time to get into any intimate act such as that, despite how much he wanted to.

"Do they hurt?" Vasile didn't like to be reminded that Dakota was still trapped in the cycle of agony Grant had forced him into. Any time he returned home, he was faced with the possibilities of being coaxed into hunting and, no matter whether he was active enough to participate or not, Dakota was always in danger. Whether he chose to hurt others to save himself, or allowed them mercy, he sustained injuries. Vasile detested that.

"Not really," Dakota moved his leg subtly, testing the waters, "maybe a little, I've had worse," Vasile frowned, not liking the idea of that. He knew his temper was the reason Dakota had attempted to hide the injuries from him, and there was more than enough guilt there, however, he couldn't help it. He couldn't just sit there and accept that Dakota had a constant risk hanging over his head, not when he knew there was a relatively simple solution. Although, that was a slight underestimation.

He was lucky to have even caught Dakota's injuries, since the boy had done such a good job of hiding them. It had only been when Mylo had decided to seat himself in Dakota's lap that the boy had given up on his ruse, cursing loudly and shoving his brother onto the floor. Of course, Mylo wasn't hurt, not physically anyway, although Akos wasn't pleased with the situation. Vasile had taken Dakota to their room then, demanding he tell him what was going on.