Tokyo (Open Thread)

[kiegan]

Kiegan jerked in surprise when he felt Nathaniel lean against him. He had heard the boy approach but had been uncertain of the boy’s intentions. The touch had been unexpected. What followed was even more unexpected. He could both hear and feel his mate undressing. The soft touch of cloth slid against his leg when the clothes Nathaniel wore fell to the ground. This knowledge brought a tinge of red to his cheeks. Chewing softly on his lower lip he refrained from commenting.

He relaxed slightly when Nathaniel moved back over to the bed, no longer feeling the overwhelming need to fight his instincts that had come to the fore with Nathaniel seeming willing to be close to him only to be surprised a second time when the boy returned, this time to stand in front of him and embrace him. Kiegan returned the warm embrace, happily savoring the feel of his little mate in his arms. He too was glad he would be able to be with his mate as his first time and that he would also be Nathaniel’s first. This knowledge left a warm feeling inside of him.

“I guess we should leave finding out till later then.” Kiegan’s cheeks were a rather becoming shade of pink, had it not been clashing with his bright hair that is. He swallowed nervously, sighing softly. Wrapping Nathaniel beck up in the blankets, he scooped him up once more. Settling Nathaniel back into his arms, Kiegan once more headed out the hotel, still on the receiving end of some rather strange looks.

“Don’t they care about the cuts?” Kiegan asked suddenly, once they were some distance away from the hotel. “It could get dangerous. That and you really shouldn’t have the need to cut yourself in the first place. It’s not something you can just ignore you know.” Kiegan frowned in puzzlement, chewing softly on his lower lip. “Right.” He came to a decision. “You say you do it when left alone. How about, every time you feel lonely enough to try and cut, you come over and keep me company so I won’t pine away either?” Kiegan hoped with all his heart that his mate would come, so he could comfort him and fill in the little space in his life that was so obviously lacking if the boy felt the need to hurt himself.

[Deleted]

Nathaniel wasn’t sure what sort of reaction he was expecting from Kiegan or why he had done that. He had never let anyone look at him without clothes on before and even though the man hadn’t seen him, Nathaniel was still thinking about it. In the locker room, he had always been the person who got dressed in the bathroom stall. No one commented about it since no one really noticed he was there, but Nathaniel was actually very self-conscious about his body. He couldn’t even undress when he went to the doctor’s office! It was odd that he felt so comfortable with Kiegan. In fact, he wasn’t freaking out over the fact that the man had probably seen him without clothes when he had changed his clothes. Had it been anyone else, he would have confronted the person about it and yelled using some colorful language. He couldn’t see himself doing that to Kiegan, though. He didn’t think he could just yell at him and say mean things. It would hurt too much to see how he’d react.

As he was carried away, Nathaniel felt the slightest bit of color rise to his cheeks. He enjoyed this, but he’d never admit it. It was nice to have his mate fuss over him and even though he had never liked attention before, he found himself craving Kiegan’s. He wanted to be the person Kiegan was always thinking about. He wanted to be the one that dominated the man’s heart. It sounded so selfish, but that’s what he wanted. There was no way he was telling the man that, though. He was going to keep these feelings to himself until he felt he was ready to tell Kiegan. He was scared at the same time. He didn’t want to be mocked because of what he felt and he didn’t want others to know about his inner turmoil. He wasn’t ready yet. He didn’t think so. Nathaniel tilted his head so that he was looking into Kiegan’s eyes.

“My cuts…are none of their concern…” the brunette stated simply. “They know about them…but they refuse to acknowledge they exist.”

What he was trying to say was that they didn’t think he had a problem and Nathaniel hadn’t thought so until he met Kiegan. He had thought it was normal for him to feel this way. He thought he was just meant to always have these feelings. It had never occurred to him that it really wasn’t his fault until Kiegan made him think that way. Wasn’t he just meant to suffer? Why were Kiegan’s words so convincing?

“Can I really visit you…?” The boy asked quietly. “Will you promise to be there always?”

He wanted a guarantee that the other was telling the truth. He needed to know that no matter what, Kiegan would always be there. He knew it was impossible for Kiegan to always be there 24/7, but he wanted the other to promise him this anyway. Maybe it was just to make himself feel better, or just because he wanted to hear those words, but he wanted Kiegan to promise him this.

[kiegan]

Kiegan's hands tensed as he fought to keep in his anger at Nathaniel's words. What loving parents, in their right minds could possibly ignore something such as one of their children hurting themselves? It wasn’t right. The more he heard about Nathaniel’s parents, the more he wished he had just snatched his little mate and gone home with the tour group when they had left. He knew that if he had, his mate probably would not have been too impressed with him but his heart ached at the thought that he was taking his precious little bundle and handing it back to the parents that seemed so ignorant of basic compassion as to even ignore grievous bodily harm. Harm that was a rather clearly indicative of other forms of neglect. He hated to think what could have driven his little mate to such measure but intended to find out.

He chewed at his lip, his mind racing for alternatives. He knew he couldn't just keep his little mate. Not yet, anyway. Maybe when he was older, but by then he hoped to be gone, back to Zerca with his little mate. As much as he hated to admit it to himself, for the time being, he saw no alternative but to return his little mate home and give him a place to go on those days when he could get free of the home that seemed to be so hollow in Kiegan’s opinion.

"Of course you can visit! Though to be realistic I can’t promise to always be there." Kiegan pointed out. "Don't get me wrong." He continued hastily. "It’s just that, assuming I get a job, which I will need if I am to support myself and at a later stage you, I may be occupied with that at a time you would choose to come. If such should occur, you are welcome to come visit me where I work, as long as that doesn't bother you, that is." Kiegan added shyly. "Other than that... " Kiegan gave Nathaniel a cheeky grin accompanied by a wink. "Know that I will never be too far from you."

[Deleted]

Nathaniel felt Kiegan tense and thought that maybe it would have been better to not say anything to the man. His parents weren’t that bad…they were just… Nathaniel’s parents had done the very best they could. It was easy for them to connect with his siblings since they were all ‘perfect.’ Nathaniel was the one they couldn’t understand. Nathaniel wasn’t good at anything and he never showed interest in the things his siblings liked. When they found out about the cutting, they had no idea what to do, so they did what they always did, ignored the problem existed. It was the same method they had used with Nathaniel. Since they couldn’t do anything about him, they chose to pretend he wasn’t there instead. Maybe he should have tried harder, but it seemed like no matter what he did, he couldn’t get their attention. Maybe he had wanted them to know about the cutting so they would give him attention. Maybe… Either way, he hadn’t gotten attention at all. In fact, he had been ignored even more.

He couldn’t remember when the cutting had started or why he had started. All he knew was that when he made himself bleed, the wounds from the inside hurt less. So he had continued and the cuts had gotten bigger and bigger. Little cuts no longer did the trick, so he had to make himself bleed even more. When he had gotten caught, he had been afraid they would make him stop. He had been standing in front of a mirror with a razor and had forgotten to lock the door. His eyes had been red and puffy from crying and there had been blood dripping down his wrist. His brown hair had been a mess and his clothes had been rumpled and wrinkly. His mother had been the one to catch him. They had stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before she silently closed the door.

Nathaniel hadn’t known whether to be disappointed or relieved; they hadn’t talked about the incident since then. It had been over a year ago. He was sure his father knew, but no one was to speak of it. There was a silent agreement among everyone of the house that no one was to mention such things. They were all perfect and had no problems. That was the way it should be. There were from the Murasaki house, they had to be perfect. Nathaniel had thought things were fine. He had though it was okay to do the things he did, but he had been wrong. Kiegan had told him it was wrong and he wanted to stop now, but it’d be hard. Kiegan made him see that maybe things weren’t as fine as he had thought they were. Maybe…things needed to change…

“I’ll visit…” muttered Nathaniel. “…and I know you won’t always be there… I’d like to see were you work…when you get a job…”

Nathaniel actually gave the man a smile when he heard the last comment. He liked the sound of that. He never wanted to be too far away from Kiegan. It was easier to stop the cutting when the other was around. If Kiegan hadn’t been with him, he would have a lot more scars on his arms right now. He wanted to be with this person forever. Nathaniel felt a little better, but his mood soon dropped when he saw the house up ahead. It was his house…his home. It was easily the biggest house on the block. Several cars were parked in the driveway and it resembled a small mansion more than anything else. This wasn’t the only house they owned, but it was his father’s favorite, though it wasn’t as big as their other houses. This is where their father had grown up.

The house was a light blue with a black roof. It looked well-kept and there was much activity inside the home. The lights were all on and different people could be seen inside. Some windows had the curtains drawn while others were covered, so it was hard to tell who was in which room. Nathaniel’s grip on the man tightened. He gripped the other’s shirt so fiercely that his knuckles were turning white. The house looked pretty modern, which was expected since it had just been remodeled. The plants surrounding he home varied and all looked beautiful, though Nathaniel knew it was because of the gardener, no matter what his mother claimed. He didn’t want to go in there. That place wasn’t home. He wanted to scream at Kiegan to run away, but he stayed silent. He wouldn’t yell or run away, he’d fight. This was a battle and he refused to lose.

[kiegan]

Kiegan smiled in relief at the boy. It seemed Nathaniel understood, which was a relief in itself. He had been so afraid the boy would misunderstand his intentions and take his comment the wrong way. Nathaniel seemed like he needed a stable influence in his life and Kiegan was rather desperate to provide such, only logically, life wasn’t always as simple as we would like it to be and Kiegan wanted Nathaniel to understand that. Kiegan would do his best to stay as close to his mate at all times, the bond he felt to the boy demanded such. However, he understood that the culture of this backward planet varied from his own and if he were to win his mate over he needed to respect that.

He hoped that by the time they mated they would be on Zerca, however, as once that occurred the two would practically be inseparable. He had seen the effects thereof on his brother and was only now beginning to understand them. He supposed it was true that some things required to be experienced in order to be understood. He already was loath to be parted from his little mate and the two of them hadn’t even bonded yet. He could see that waiting for his little mate to come of age was going to be a cruel torture in itself and was rather disgruntled that he had to experience such… Fighting his nature to just claim the boy and make him forever his was going to be extremely challenging.

He desperately hoped his mate felt at least a small measure of this urge to constantly be near him hopefully ensuring many visitations. He hoped he would be able to get a job for the period of time he would be stuck here so that he could feed his rather malnourished mate and ensure to his well being. He knew he was going to do his best and fight hard to keep Nathaniel safe and happy. Kiegan frowned at the house ahead, instinctively knowing what it signified and not liking it one single bit. He subconsciously growled, a rather vicious snarl of warning, his bright hair actually beginning to stand on end, arms tightening around his own precious burden as if to protect it from the world. Staring ahead in animosity his eyes took on an inner glow. His growl and the animosity therein deepened as Nathaniel’s grip upon him tightened; his tiny mate’s unease flowing freely into him and serving to antagonize him further. The appearance did nothing to reassure him. Well he knew the deceptiveness of an outward shell and the secrets such could hide.

Kiegan fought the suddenly irresistible impulse to grab his mate and run, run to the ends of the earth and savagely rip apart anyone daring to even attempt to come near to his mate. Body tense, breath forced into a controlled pattern, Kiegan approached the front door warily, as if it were a viper about to sink its poisonous fangs into him and rang the bell, holding his breath in dread as he waited for a response, Nathaniel still carefully cradled in his arms.

[Deleted]

Nathaniel had been started when the door in front of him was flung open. He had expected the maid to be at the door, but instead, he saw his mother. That was a first. In all his years, he had never seen his mother open the door. Mrs. Murasaki wasn’t the type of woman that answered doors. She went to parties and did a lot of shopping, but she did not answer doors. Just by looking at her you could see she was someone important. Her clothes looked fine and expensive while her ears and neck were adorned with glittering jewels. The resemblance between the woman and Nathaniel was obvious. They both shared the same brown hair and blue eyes, but while Nathaniel’s eyes were more like sapphires, his mother’s were more of a sky blue. The woman had a panicked expression and when she saw the person in Kiegan’s arms, she burst into tears. A man appeared behind her in the doorway. He looked nothing like the young Murasaki child.

He was very tall, taller than Kiegan even, and had short black hair. He didn’t seem as fazed by the situation as his wife. In fact, he didn’t really have an expression on his face at all. He just watched as his wife cried and glanced at his son a few times. In the windows, the curtains were drawn as Nathaniel’s siblings peered through the windows. Unlike Nathaniel, they took off after their father. They had black hair and dark eyes. The ages ranged from child to child, but they all looked younger than Kiegan. All were watching the scene intently as though it were amusing more than anything else. Nathaniel slid out of his mate’s arms and stared at his mother blankly as she continued to cry. He made no attempt to console her and his expression was blank. Even as she reached forward and shook his violently by his shoulders, he made no attempt to do anything. He just stood there with a blank expression and never said a word.

“Why do you do bad things?!” She screamed. “Do you want me to hate you?! Is that it?! Is that why you do bad things?! Stop being bad!”

As she screamed, Nathaniel’s father did nothing to try and stop her from shaking their son. Eventually, she stopped on her own and collapsed onto the ground. She never let go of Nathaniel’s shoulders, though.

“Nathaniel, where are your shoes?” The boy heard his father ask. “Where did you get those clothes? I am sure they don’t belong to you. I am also sure we have never met this man before.”

Nathaniel shrugged. It wouldn’t have mattered if he had had shoes on or not, they were ruined anyway. It seemed like his mother had finally noticed Kiegan and was now staring at him. Neither parent had ever seen the man before. Nathaniel’s siblings had all begun to stare at Kiegan also. All eyes were on him except for Nathaniel’s. The boy looked at his father straight in the eye and never once did he flinch or show any sort of emotion.

“I spent the night in a hotel room with him,” he stated simply, certain he had given his family the wrong impression.

His mother let go of his shoulders and fainted. The teenagers in the window became wide-eyed and started gossiping amongst each other. Nathaniel’s father simply stared at his son, who decided to stare back. It was like a duel of sorts and neither wanted to lose. You could practically see sparks flying because it seemed they were hoping the other would burst into flames or something.

[kiegan]

Kiegan blinked in surprise at the speed at which the door opened. He was also surprised to see Nathaniel's mother at the door, for he would know the woman anywhere. He could clearly see where Nathaniel inherited his features. He felt a little dwarfed by Nathaniel's parents, not being very tall himself. He could see that as deficient as Nathaniel's parents had turned out to be, what with ignoring the boys cutting and neglecting him to the degree that he felt the need to do so in order to gain attention, they, in their own strange manner, did in fact love the boy. That still did not make him feel any better though. He knew how much harm-misguided love could do to both the giver and the receiver thereof. He was still of the opinion that the family relations were unhealthy.

He had been as surprised as Nathaniel had been by the fact that his mate's mother had opened the door. He could clearly see that the family came from an upper class neighborhood, and having first hand experience with such, he knew this would not be the norm. His own parent, the life giver of the couple had come from such a family background, so Kiegan was no stranger to the etiquette. In fact, he was the most accomplished of the children in that environment, which considering his usual flighty, clumsy manner baffled his parents and siblings to no end. When in the company of such individuals, Kiegan was exceptionally well spoken and graceful, the sheer epitome of a well bred gentleman. It was a rather disconcerting sight to see and made others wonder at his usual disposition. It was often commented upon, that had he had the luxury of having his entire upbringing in such an environment, he would have been second to none. His parents however, had both opted for a more relaxed and normal lifestyle as they termed it and claimed to be happier for it. Kiegan believed them. He could hold his own in the politics of the rich but hated it with a passion, preferring the gentle laid back lifestyle he considered himself blessed with.

He slipped on a pleasant expression as he watched the reunion unfold before him, desperately fighting to hold in a vicious snarl when Nathaniel's mother shook him and accused him of being bad. That was the most difficult thing he had ever had to do in his life but he knew that attacking Nathaniel's parents would gain him nothing but separation from his mate and that was something he would not tolerate. He wasn't sure if he liked Nathaniel’s father. He could see the familiar blank expression on the man's face that one could see on several faces of the higher classes. The face that hid his true thoughts and character. Kiegan too had mastered the art. The art of closing off one's true self all for appearances sake. The rich, in his opinion, put far too much stake on appearance often to their own detriment, missing out on the more subtle pleasures of life. That was why his parents had decided to draw away from that lifestyle and settle on a more personal homely one leaving the family of the noble classes, for visitations only.

Kiegan quirked an eyebrow at Nathaniel's deliberate misdirection. Scooping the boy back up into his arms, he bowed smoothly. "Please sir, do not misconstrue my intentions. I merely found your son in a rather difficult predicament and decided it was my gentlemanly duty to assist him. I am no pedophile. Your son was severely ill and I merely took him to my room in order to ensure no harm comes to him. Due to rather extenuating circumstances I was only able to obtain your address today and knowing you would surely be concerned for your son's welfare, brought him home. Your son is a delightful young man and has kept me duly entertained. I am rather impressed at his honesty and forthrightness, which reflects rather well on your humble abode. I am a gentleman from a far off place and was feeling rather lonely and out of my depths in this wonderful country of yours. I consider finding your son and being able to assist him an honor and a privilege as it has helped ease my transition into unfamiliar surroundings. I consider myself fortunate to meet one of such obvious character so early in my stay here and would appreciate it if you would allow me to get to know and learn from your family." Kiegan said smoothly, in a rich clean accent.

Getting up from his clean neat bow that clearly spoke of noble heritage he nodded slightly in respect to Nathaniel's father. "Now, if you would kindly excuse me, I would like to get your son back into bed for he is just newly recovering from a rather severe fever."

[Deleted]

Nathaniel’s family wasn’t sure what to make of Kiegan. He was oddity to say the least. From his strange clothes to his ability to speak so formally, the red head had found a way to break into their perfect world. There were certain things that were expected of each family member and breaking such traditions was unthinkable. Even though these words were not said out loud, the hidden threat was still there. Each child in the household was expected to be great. Every child was expected to hold a certain talent and be seen as perfect through everyone’s eyes. They could do no wrong and were the type of children parents dreamed of. Even Nathaniel had to uphold expectations. He was the one that was supposed to fade into the background and gracefully accept the fact that he’d never be as good as his siblings in anything. Like his siblings, Nathaniel had to be a ‘good child,’ even though he wasn’t special in any way. There was never any calls home from schools or scolding from adults. They were ‘good children.’ The family functioned on lies because as much as the two parents denied it, deep down they knew their children weren’t so perfect.

Nathaniel knew of the things his siblings did, but never said anything. No one ever said anything and everything was always covered up. In this household of lies, everything had to always stay the same, perfect. The moment they had seen Kiegan, they knew that the web of lies they had created was started to untangle. Everyone knew Nathaniel did things to hurt himself. The signs were all there, everyone had just ignored them. But now, they knew it could no longer be kept a secret. Somehow, they knew this man knew too much. He had figured out that some things were just plain lies and that in reality, Nathaniel was not okay. A lot of things in this house hadn’t been okay for a very long time.

“It is a pleasure to meet you sir and I thank you for bringing my son home, but I can handle things now,” Nathaniel’s father stated simply. “There really is no need for you to trouble yourself any longer.”

He held out his arms to take the teenager from Kiegan. Nathaniel could tell his father wasn’t fond of Kiegan, no matter how polite he had been. Then again, his father liked very few people; his mother was no longer one of those people. Nathaniel knew his father was going to yell at him and say hurtful things. Perhaps it wasn’t the man’s intention to say such things, but when he heard the others words, he always broke down and cried. He waited until the other left, but he always cried. To make the water stop running down his cheeks, he made himself hurt somewhere else. That was usually when he started slashing his wrists open. His father wasn’t around often and it was rarer to get such a scolding, but it hurt a lot when he did. He had brought unwanted attention to himself and Nathaniel knew he’d be paying for it later.

Nathaniel’s grip on the older man tightened. He was afraid, not of his father, but of the man’s words. He didn’t even notice when his mother got off the floor and took a few deep breaths. It was unusual for her to get like this, but she had always been an emotional person during a crisis, though Nathaniel wouldn’t call this a crisis. She walked into the house and took a seat, trying to calm herself down. Nathaniel’s siblings were still pressed up against the windows, though they left to their rooms once their mother snapped at them. Sometimes, Nathaniel wished he could just disappear. It’d be better if he could. Maybe everyone would have been better off that way.

[kiegan]

Kiegan quirked his eyebrows. "Oh, believe me. It's certainly no trouble. In actual fact I would be eternally indebted to you if you would be so kind as to allow me to continue to look after your son. He reminds me of my younger brother, whom I haven't seen in ages and miss terribly. I miss being able to molly coddle and take care of someone." Kiegan made no move to give Nathaniel to his father, in fact doing quite the opposite and bringing the boy closer to him. Kiegan, too, could tell that the man disliked him, which he found to be rather unsurprising. The rich were prone to detest anyone who threatened their perfect little illusionary world, and it seemed that Nathaniel's father had identified him as a threat simply due to the fact that the man knew he knew too much about the household. This was in actual fact a double edged blade. On the one hand, it was causing the man to threaten him and attempt to drive him away, on the other if played right it could be used to ensure Nathaniel's freedom. Kiegan felt Nathaniel's grip tighten, knew what it meant and certainly didn't need the vague echo of Nathaniel's feelings to know that the boy was terrified of this man. Not necessarily on a physical level but certainly on an emotional one.

He continued to smile smoothly at Nathaniel's father, hiding behind the smile. He knew he was hiding his true self behind the smile. Nathaniel's father knew he was hiding behind that smile. And he knew that Nathaniel's father knew he was hiding behind that smile. Everyone in the environment did. It was common practice as each tried to maneuver the other so as to gain the best possible outcome to oneself. It was one of the reasons Kiegan was so happy his parents had left. He hated that environment with a passion. "I mean no harm, you know, dear sir." Kiegan continued on carefully. "I don't see any reason to call the 'police'" Kiegan carefully emphasized the word, hoping Nathaniel's father caught the rather smooth subtle threat, "when I only have your son's best interests at heart. You do realize that he needs time and peace in which to recover and there is nothing better for boy that to get out the house on occasion to visit friends. I always enjoy meeting new families of nobility and hearing their opinions. It makes for good healthy debate and the commoners do so have such... common... manners and ways of phrasing things, don't you think? It's so bad I would almost call it 'abuse'." Kiegan’s eyes sparkled with contained mischief. He had to admit, sometimes the game of the rich was not so bad… when one knew things the others considered a threat that is.

He carefully watched Nathaniel's father. "So you cannot even begin to imagine my relief when I stumbled upon someone who actually has some class. So... if you will excuse me." Nathaniel gracefully maneuvered his way past Nathaniel's father, already half way up the stairs before the man had even realized he had slipped past. "I would be putting your son to bed now, to ensure he gets the rest he deserves. I would greatly appreciate it if you could have someone bring up some warm food and drink for him. I'm sure you too have your son's best interests at heart, as every loving father does, right?" He winked cheekily at the man, gracefully making his way up the rest of the stairs and turning the corner. As soon as the wall hid him form view he summarily stumbled barely catching himself on the wall. He relaxed his facial features, sending Nathaniel's father a rather nasty scowl through wall, before softening them as he gazed at Nathaniel. He gave the boy a rather sheepish smile. "Mind telling me where you room is then, so I can get you to bed?" He enquired softly.

[Deleted]

Nathaniel had been interested greatly when Kiegan and his father had argued. Well, it wasn't really arguing, it was more like subtle threats being thrown at each other. He didn't know where Kiegan had learned to speak that way, but he was glad the man wasn't putt off by his father. Kiegan was getting under the older man's skin and it amused Nathaniel a little. His father wasn't the type of person that was annoyed easily. In fact, the man was an emotionless prick most of the time. Kiegan had royally pissed off his father. He had been right, his family hadn't known Kiegan for ten minutes and they already hated him.

Kiegan could take care of himself, though. Nathaniel was glad for this. His family wasn't nice a lot of the times and he hadn't wanted Kiegan to get hurt. The man was sensitive to say the least. His family was good at exploiting such things. They knew what to say to make you break down. Sometimes, he wished they'd all just disappear. Sometimes, he hated them a little. Of course, he never said anything. He hadn't really gotten in trouble before, but when he did, he became stubborn and hotheaded. He just had to fight back and make things worse. He couldn't control the urge to tick off his parents and usually, it worked because they got pissed.

He payed for it later, but during the moment, all he wanted to do was make them angry. He was glad Kiegan hadn't given him up to his parents. He hated to say this, but they were psychos and he was scared to go anywhere with them. Sometimes, he just wanted to run away. He hated living in this house. It didn't feel like home at all. This place was a prison and even his siblings weren't strong enough to break down its walls. Even though they were the ones that got attention, they still had to do anything their parents said. They had to forever be perfect and never screw up.

When he felt the other push past his parents, Nathaniel had smiled. He let the other carry him through the house without protest and wondered just how angry his parents would be once Kiegan left.

"My room is the last room on the left..." he muttered. "My father hates you and my mother thinks you're a sick pervert... I don't want to stay here. I hate it here."

[kiegan]

“I know.” Kiegan responded sadly to Nathaniel’s statement. “Believe me, I know. I don’t think it would be a good idea to just take you though would it?” Nathaniel asked not really having much hope for a positive answer in that regard. “You’re not legal yet, are you? And if I take you your parents will probably set the law on me. That certainly won’t get us anywhere now will it? If I could I would snatch you here and now only it will be at least a few months if not longer before another tour ship passes through. This isn’t a very popular planet you know. Considered to be very backwater. If your parents even try to hurt you let me know, I will be sure to report it as abuse. I will not stand for it, And know you are always welcome to come stay with me for a few days.”

Kiegan turned into the room, violet eyes immediately spotting the bed. He wandered over to the bed, drawing back the bedding. Removing the current blanket from around the boy, Kiegan slipped Nathaniel into the bed, covering him. Once that was done, he sat down beside the boy, brushing strands of hair out of his face. “I love you.” He stated softly. “Very much. Why must this be so complicated?” He lightly traced the outline of Nathaniel’s face, unable to help himself. Finally drawing his hand away he settled in to wait for the food. He intended to at least make sure the boy ate and fell asleep before he left though his heart was pleading for him to never leave.

[Deleted]

Nathaniel's room was a very organized place. Everything had a place and nothing was kept messy. Another thing about it, everything in the room was depressing and black. The sheets and blankets on the bed were black, as were his curtains. If you looked in his closet, you'd see baggy black clothes that went well with the various assortment of boots and sneakers. The floor was wood, so it was cold and glossy. There wasn't a light source except for the lamp next to the bed. The room itself screamed sadness. Just being in the place made people unhappy. It was what Nathaniel had chosen, though...

The boy looked over at the man next to him. He gave him a smile and wiggled out from under the covers. The boy crawled over to Kiegan and kissed him on the lips. It was only a brief second before the boy began to nuzzle the man's neck and occasionally let his lips touch the other's skin.

"That's right..." he said softly. "If you were to take me away, you'd go to jail for kidnapping and who knows what you might do to an innocent little boy like me. You'd be labeled as a pedophile and then where would we be?"

Even as he said this, Nathaniel was pushing against Kiegan's chest and making the other lay on the bed. He was climbing on top of him and straddling him with an innocent smile. The boy looked so innocent and pure, yet his actions were anything but that. It was odd to see him pull off such an angelic face while doing such devilish things.

[kiegan]

Kiegan growled deep n his throat, scowling at the boy. Nathaniel was not making it easy to fight his own instincts. In fact, the boy was making it downright near impossible. However, Kiegan was not to be defeated. He would not give up his morality. Not even for his mate and his mate's temptations, and they 'really' were temptations. It would be so simple to ravish the willing boy, especially as the key term in that sentence was 'willing'. Kiegan, used his superior strength and slight height advantage to displace the boy, tucking Nathaniel back in. "Don't." He reprimanded the boy softly. "Just don't. I am not a pedophile and you will not be playing me as one. It isn't fair. Not to you nor to me."

He shifted away from the boy, lest he try to put them in a compromising position once more. "You really should value yourself more than to throw yourself at me simply because you are trying to get back at your parents and deliberately cause a scene. I would like it too, if you valued me more but that is not a requirement at this point in time." He stated sadly, actually looking around the room in an attempt to avoid Nathaniel's gaze and hide his own guilt filled one. He had picked up on the way Nathaniel had worded things in an attempt to give his parents deliberate misconceptions and it had hurt but at the same time made him feel guilty that he could do so little for his so obviously hurting mate at the time. He felt horribly inadequate but as much as he wanted to give his mate everything he wanted he knew he could not give him this. Not when it would do more harm than good. He noticed the bleak atmosphere of the room, his heart breaking. He would have to do something about the horrible lonely air in the room, the thought distractedly. "I want to do this right. I want to treasure you, love you and take care of you. Not cause trouble that might require us to have to continually run."

He turned to face Nathaniel once more, his eyes sad. "There is not fun in that, you know. Contrary to what you might think there is no adventure either. Always hiding, never able to stop long enough to rest and how do you expect us to live if we can't stop long enough to earn some money to eat. I don't want to become a criminal and certainly don't want you bearing the consequences of leaping into something like this simply because you are hurting and want to somehow take it out on those hurting you. You'd only end up hurting yourself further, hurting me and making an already bad situation worse."

[Deleted]

"I am no child," glared Nathaniel. "Is that what you see me as?! Some kid you picked up off the street and feel responsible for?! I've been taking care of myself for a very long time! I never needed anyone before and I certainly don't need anyone to help me now! I AM NOT A CHILD!"

He didn't like the way Kiegan had put things. It made it seem like the man didn't want him because he had a young body. Was Kiegan not attracted to him at all? It made him angry to have Kiegan push him aside like that. This was frustrating. Kiegan tells him he likes his appearance, yet he does things that tell Nathaniel otherwise. What did he mean to Kiegan? Was he really his 'mate' like the man said, or was he someone Kiegan just wanted to babysit. It felt like he was never going to be an adult to Kiegan. Just because he was young, that did not make him a child. Why was it that Kiegan couldn't see that?

"Value myself more...?" Repeated Nathaniel.

He was shaking a little. What was that supposed to mean?! Kiegan made it sound like he thought so little of himself that he'd sleep with anyone. The way the guy talked, he sounded more like a counselor more than anything else. Nathaniel hated being analyzed. He hated it when people talked to him like he was some pathetic child. Kiegan didn't know everything about him! He had no right to say such things. It wasn't fair of him to talk about Nathaniel that way when he had no idea what he'd gone through.

"You don't know it all!" Yelled the brunette. "Just what the hell are you implying?! I'm not some whore that'll sleep with any guy! Everything I do doesn't revolve around my parents! Don't talk to me that way! You don't know anything about me, so you have no right to judge everything I do!"

The boy sat up and continued to glare at the man. He shoved Kiegan off his bed and slipped out from under the covers. He stood in front of the man with his arms crossed and a sour expression. He was not happy at all. The boy was furious and Nathaniel was a force to be reckoned with when he was pissed off. It was easy to see that the man's words had hit a nerve. Nathaniel had really been hurt by those words. It felt like Kiegan was putting him down and mocking him. If there was one thing he disliked, it was being made fun of. He hadn't liked the way Kiegan made himself sound superior. Age wasn't everything and just because Kiegan was older, that didn't mean he knew better than Nathaniel.

"They...wouldn't care..." whispered Nathaniel. "They didn't care when my sister was sleeping with her teacher or when my brother tried drugs. Everything we do, they turn a blind eye to. As long as no one finds out, then they won't care... This...isn't about them...and...you're stupid. Get out! Get out now! I hate you! I hate this house! I hate everyone!"

Nathaniel was crying again now. He was wiping away his tears with the sleeve of the shirt he was wearing, but the tears still fell to the ground. He had backed up into the wall and had slid down the the ground. He had pulled up his legs to his chest and wrapped his arms around himself. The boy had his face buried in his knees and wouldn't stop crying. No one came up, though. Even though the boy had been yelling and was now hysterically crying, no one came up to check up on him. Nathaniel had never felt more alone.

[kiegan]

Kiegan snarled viciously, hair literally bristling, small pieces coming out of his braid. He slammed the door shut, turning to face his young volatile mate with eyes quite literally glowing and fangs rather literally bared, having lost some of his self control. "Not a child you say?" He snarled. "Then bloody damn well act it. Stop trying to run away from life by cutting yourself. Stop treating me as if I'm a complete fool, as if I can't feel every emotion running through you. I never said you were a whore. But don't think I'm stupid enough not to have noticed what you pulled on your parents when we first got here. How you phrased what had happened in order to achieve more shock value. Your parents have done and are doing you a grievous wrong by neglecting you the way they have but that does not give you the right to play me like this! Call me stupid but no matter how you look at it, if I touch you and your parents wish to get rid of me, it will be easy. I’ll end up in PRISON! Just because I am bloody damn well fighting my instincts to ravish you every bloody instant I'm with you and trying to do this in such a way so as not to lose you does NOT mean I think you are a child, though I'm beginning to doubt my sanity about now!"

Kiegan was now stalking around the room in rather obvious agitation, hands clenched at his side as heated emotions amplified by Nathaniel's coursed through him. "Two wrongs don’t make a right." He continued through clenched teeth. "Just because your siblings do it, or your parents turn a blind eye to it will not make it RIGHT!" He whirled upon the boy, still glaring in heated anger. "Maybe you should consider that. Maybe you should consider that there are others that are hurt by your actions and not just you!" Kiegan was letting all his heated emotion take control, knowing it was the wrong thing to do but unable to stop himself.

Nathaniel had hurt him. Wounded him severely when he told he hated him and wanted him gone. Kiegan thought he was going to completely lose it. He never thought anything could hurt as much. He never thought such pain could exist. He felt as if he were torn apart. "If you want me gone that badly." Kiegan's voice had grown soft, while he stood trembling before his sobbing mate. "I guess I shall grant your wish and trouble you no further." That said, he turned and stormed out the room, down the stairs and out the house. He blindly walked down the street, unawares as to where he was going and frankly, uncaring as he took deep breaths and concentrated solely on breathing to ignore the sharp pain in his heart. Several pedestrians took one look at his still bared fangs and glowing eyes and fled.

(This is where Nathaniel cuts himself again I guess. Sorry couldn’t keep Kiegan in line.)