Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Poprockz]

Damien silently fished into his pocket and took out his keys, unlocking the door and stepping inside. Avoiding Cora’s eyes, he put his bag down near the door and walked toward the bathroom. Stopping for a moment, he looked at Sabastian. “If you touch her while I’m showering, I swear to god I’ll make you wish you were dead.”

Crossing his arms, Sabastian frowned, “one, I’m already there, buddy. And two, she’s not my type.”

He gave the blond-haired man a hard stare for a moment before heading into the bathroom. He simply leaned on the sink for a moment, looking down into it before looking in the mirror. What was he supposed to do? He wanted Cora more than anything, but maybe that was just him being selfish like his mother had said.

Outside the bathroom, Sabastian headed toward the kitchen and saw the handcuffs on the bed. An eyebrow raised and he glanced at Cora before smirking to himself and looking for food in the kitchen.

 

[Drobabes]

She made her way inside the cabin and simply sat on the couch. It felt like a lifetime since the last time she had been here, and memories came flooding back, giving her a pleasent, albeit temporary, reprieve from the thoughts swirling around in her head. She had just been about to open Bowie's container and let him out for a moment when Damien warned their new companion not to touch her. She wanted to ask him if that was necessary, but after what had just happened, she realized she didn't know anything about the people who had worked for him. Maybe he was right in warning him, although, she didn't feel threatened by Sabastion. If anything, he had the same air about him as Damien did-hard, and a bit serious, but at the same time she felt safe in his presence.

Her eyes looked up just in time to see the look he had given her, and confusion settled in her own as she turned to watch him go into the kitchen. It isn't until she turns her gaze back and sees the handcuffs on the bed that she lets out a small hiss. Her cheeks turn bright red, and she sits Bowie down on the couch cushions while she gets up and tosses a pillow over the cuffs to hide them from plain view. She wished she knew where he kept the key so that she could just take them off and toss them in the ches-

Oh god, the chest!

She looks over her shoulder, making sure Sabastion is busy in the kitchen, then she scurries over to make sure Damien didn't leave anything out. Once she had that done and her mind was a bit more at ease, she settles herself back on the couch. She grabs the Tylenol and shakes one out into her hand, tossing it into her mouth and swallowing it down without any water. Then, finally, she unlatches Bowie's container.

Immediately she hears a quick, rhythmic, rattle from inside the container.

"Bowie?"

She knew what that sound was-bull snakes, when feeling threatened, had a habit of vibrating the tips of their tails against the ground to try and imitate rattle snakes and ward off predators. They could also hiss very loudly, with more volume than normal snakes, by using the small straw like tube in their mouths that allowed them to breathe while consuming prey. She knew he was capable of it, but she had never actually witnessed him be angry in his life except for a little hiss here and there when he was getting fed. It made a pit form in her stomach as she remembered he hadn't been acting himself, and suddenly she was terrified of losing him too.

She quickly unlatches the lid all the way and sets it aside, then she stares at him. He was in a defensive posture, but he wasn't hissing yet. That was, until she brought her hand close to him.

Suddenly he was up in a striking position with his mouth open wide, and he let out such a loud hiss that it could be heard all through the cabin.

"What the hell is the matter with you?"

She didn't want to reach for him, for fear of getting a nasty bite, but she was very worried. What she failed to realize, however, was the dried blood from Margaret still on her hands and arms.

 

[Poprockz]

Sabastian had been looking through the cabinets to find something edible when he stumbled on the booze. He paused and sighed, taking a couple bottles down and hoping they could spend the night so he wouldn't have to be drunk in the backseat of the car. He could hear Cora moving about behind him, but didn't think much of it. It was really weird, both she and Damien smelled really good to him, although the scent of Margaret lingered which definitely added a sour note. Maybe his sense of smell was just enhanced. Not that the smell would make him do anything, but it felt a bit odd to him.

Suddenly, he heard the loud hiss and turned, his eyes wide as he sprinted over to her and saw the snake poised.

"What the fuck?!" He didn't think, simply acted. Reaching out, he grabbed her by the waist and easily lifted her up the back and over, setting her on her feet again. Even though he was shorter than her and didn't look like working out was a pastime of his with his lean body, it would seem as an infected he had received a bit of a boost in that department.

Knowing he was undead and that a bite certainly wouldn't kill him, he approached the snake cautiously. "I'm going to put it back in its cage. Don't worry if it bites me, I'll be fine." It was odd, the snake smelled funny too. A different scent, but somewhat similar to Cora and Damien.

Damien hadn't heard the hiss, the shower having turned on at the same time, stepping in and washing himself to get all the blood and sweat off his body. His mother's death had splattered blood on him too, and he couldn't help but think of her as the water turned purple down the drain.

 

[Drobabes]

Bowie hadn't striked at her, only gave her his warning. She was just about to try to reach for him again when she suddenly felt hands on her waist and then she was in the air, letting out a startled yelp. She was a few inches taller than the man and yet he lifted her as if she weighed nothing more than an empty bowl.

"I'm going to put it back in its cage."

"What do you mean put him back in his cage? He's already in his cage!"

Her voice was panicked as she ran around to the other side of the couch, getting ready to snatch Bowie away from the man if she had to. He was only a nine pound snake, and it's not like she had never been bitten by a snake before. His bite would certainly hurt, but it wouldn't do anything lasting damage.

"Don't you...he's very old! If you hurt him, I'll...I'll get Damien!"

She seemed to trip on her words in her panic. Normally this would be a simple matter of just grabbing Bowie, even if he bit her, and putting the lid back on his tote. However, by the strength Sabastion had just displayed, she was terrified that with one slip of his hand, perhaps not knowing his strength, he would accidentally crush him

Bowie, on the other hand, seemed to have calmed down significantly after Cora was pulled away from him, and his jaw closed. His head turns towards Sabastion as he begins to crawl out of the container and towards the man, as if he wants to climb up on him, or perhaps get away from Cora.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien paused in the shower with shampoo sliding down his neck from his hair. He thought he had heard something, but now there was nothing over the sound of the shower. The man felt uneasy, but continued to shower, albeit at an increased speed.

Sabastian blinked in confusion and furrowed his brows. He saved her from the snake- it was about to bite her and here she was telling him off for it. Admittedly, he hadn't really been thinking when he said he was going to put it back in its cage. what he meant was close the lid so it couldn't get out, but he wasn't able to be more succinct in the moment.

"Are you fucking crazy?! he almost bit you. I'm not going to hurt the snake, I'm just going to make sure he goes back in the goddamn bag." The blond man hissed at her, a bit offended that she would ignore that he was trying to help her.

Although, he hesitated. His hands rested against the arm of the couch as he looked at Cora standing at the opposite end, the snake starting to slither out. He didn't want to piss off Damien and get thrown out of the cabin, especially since he hadn't gotten a chance to drink himself stupid and possibly into the realm of alcohol poisoning. Sabastian gritted his teeth as he looked at her, wondering how best to proceed, not noticing the snake moving a bit closer.

 

[Drobabes]

"He's a nine pound animal, what do you think he's going to take my hand off?"

She crosses her arms over her chest, trying to calm herself down from her, albeit, slightly irrational panic. She was too busy meeting Sabastion's anger with her own to notice Bowie getting closer to him as well.

"Look, it's not like his bite can really hurt me."

She sighed heavily, bringing her hands up to her face to rub it and push her hair back with her fingers.

"It's just... It's been a long fucking day, ok? He hasn't been acting normal, and now you go picking me up like I weigh less than a feather, and I just don't want you to accidentally hurt him or something if you don't know your own strength yet."

She let her hands drop down in frustration, and she takes a step forward, planning on getting the snake herself. However, this seems to panic Bowie, as he suddenly moves faster and crawls up the man's arm and over his shoulder, seemingly trying to find an entrance in his clothes to hide under.

"Oh. Oh shit! Here, hold still, I'll get him."

She makes her way over to Sabastion quickly, and Bowie lets out another loud hiss. He doesn't make a move to bite the man though.

 

[Poprockz]

"I don't know what kind of snake he is- it's not like snakes are the norm in most households. He could be poisonous or some shit!" He retorted, shooting her a glare.

His face softened into a more grumpy look when she admitted to being worried about the snake. He had to admit, it wasn't as though he really had a chance to test out his strength yet. When she had come for him, he had struggled each time, but she had always found a way to overpower him before she took him to the bed to milk him for her eggs. It was possible that under stress he might exert more force than necessary. Still, he hadn't broken her ribs or anything when he lifted her up or anything.

When the snake panics and slithers onto his body, he freezes, looking at the snake as it makes its way around his shoulder. He wasn't used to being around snakes, but "Bowie" as she called him did smell comforting for some reason now that he was up close.

The hiss the snake gives her makes Sabastian confused. Wasn't this supposed to be her snake? Did snakes even like people? His eyes went to the snake and he growled, "who told you you could climb up onto me?" His hand reached toward the snake and stopped. The serpent had cocked its head at him in a way that almost seemed cute. He pursed his lips and glared. "Fine," he grumbled, crossing his arms. "He can stay on my shoulders till he calms down. You should take a shower, Cora. You smell like shit."

 

[Drobabes]

"You should take a shower...You smell like shit."

Cora stopped mid-stride and gave him the most flabbergasted look.

"Excuse me?!"

She knew it was hot and she was likely sweating, but she had put on deodorant that morning, and besides, how could he even smell her from where he was at? Was he just saying that to be a dick?

Her shocked expression dropped as suddenly she was pissed again.

"Okay, one, most snakes are not venomous asshole, infact that's pretty rare, and two, do you think I would have been so stupid as to just be holding a venomous snake on my lap and opened the lid without a hook? And why don't you take a shower yourself, I'm sure you don't smell like daisies and roses yourself."

Her teeth were clenched hard as she stood, watching her snake practically run from her touch. Something about it made her angrier than it should have, as she had a sudden and irrational fear of being abandoned by the animal. First with Daphne, and now this rude little man, Bowie was picking someone else over her.

"You know what, no, give me my snake back."

She held her hand out towards him, making the snake constrict slightly and begin to tap it's tail rapidly against his arm, another hiss issuing from it's mouth.

 

[Poprockz]

He put his hands up mockingly for a second. "Well excuuuse me, miss snake expert. I should have considered that when moving you out of the way from the angry snake. And I don't know if you're stupid enough for that or not, I JUST met you! You're not making a super good case for yourself, though!" It occurred to him that the last part of that might have been a little childish, but he couldn't help it. The woman was acting all condescending toward him and he couldn't stand to be talked down to.

When she tried to advance, he took several steps back from her as he met her glare with equal intensity, almost protectively putting his hands up. "I may not smell like daisies, but at least I don't have that bitch's blood on me. It makes you stink. Damien too. God, I was almost gagging the entire ride over."

At that moment, Damien opened the bathroom door with his hair tusseled and wet, a towel wrapped around his waist as per normal. His steely grey eyes looked confused as he paused, looking back between Cora with an angry and desperate look on her face, to Sabastian with a grumpy indignant look, Bowie wrapped around the man's shoulders. He didn't know what was going on, but it didn't seem like they were getting along.

Sabastian looked at his barely-clothed form and his cheeks went pink as he frowned. "God, do you like walking around naked?! Put some goddamn clothes on, Damien." He huffed, stomping off to the kitchen.

Damien looked a bit surprised, his eyes going to Cora as if to ask what in the world was going on.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora was quickly building up to telling this man off right when he put his hands up, almost as if he was trying to protect Bowie from her. It made her take pause, and what he said next left her shocked. Her scowl drops and her jaw hangs open just the tiniest amount, then her eyes go down to her hands.

She did have blood on her. She had blood, both purple and red, all, over, her.

Her eyes felt wet suddenly, and not wanting Sabastion to see, she turns on her heels and stomps towards the bathroom after roughly snatching up her change of clothes.

"I need a shower" she growls, all but shoving Damien out of the door so she can shut it with a little too much force. Once she was inside, she quickly stripped and hopped in, not bothering to try and get the water warm. Right then, a cold shower sounded more than right.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien stumbled to the side, his hand going to his towel to keep it in place as he looked back at the bathroom with a bewildered expression. What the hell was going on? He walked into the kitchen after Sabastian, a suspicious look on his face. "What happened with Cora?"

Sabastian gave him an exasperated look and rolled his eyes as he turned and leaned back against the counter, "honestly, I don't know why she got so angry. She was taking out the snake and it was going to bite her so I picked her up and over the back of the couch. I was about to put the lid on the thing when she started arguing with me about the snake and about how it's not venemous and she didn't want me touching it. She thought I was going to hurt him. The fucking nerve!" He shook his head and glanced at the snake, now burrowing into the collar of his shirt. It tickled a bit, but he didn't mind.

"Anyway, I told her she needed to shower because she really stunk, and then she got all offended." Sabastien shrugged, obviously thinking he was in the right.

Damien got really close to him and put his arms on either side of the man on the counters, his face inches from the blond's. "Listen to me, Sabastian. I love her, and I don't give a damn whether you think she smells bad. We've just lost a friend of ours, and you're not helping by insulting her. I'm watching you, and if I think for one moment that she doesn't want you here anymore, I will kick you out. If you really hurt her physically, or even just her feelings, I will cut you up into little purple pieces. I don't have patience for that kind of shit right now." His voice was low and serious, his steely eyes assuring that every word was a promise.

Sabastian squirmed, his cheeks going a bit more pink as Damien came so close to him. He didn't like the fact that the towel could fall down at any moment and that his bare chest was almost pressing against him. He looked away with an awkward expression and then furrowed his brow. "Okay, fine. For fuck's sake..."

The other man nodded and straightened up, going to the closet to grab some clothes for himself.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora stood under the water, her eyes closed and her hands on her hips. She's was already regretting the way she had acted with the man. He probably really was afraid of the snake hurting her, if he honestly didn't know anything about snakes. In hindsight, she had been the one that started that little fight. More than that though, it was just everything.

She felt responsible for what had happened to Daphne. She had let her anger get the better of her, which in turn caused Margaret to punish Daphne for her poor choice. She had told the women to get the axe, instead of untying her, and it had led to her death. Truthfully, there hadn't been enough time to untie her, but her guilt wouldn't let her remember that. And then there was what happened to Damien. That disgusting monster had raped him, and if he hadn't been so convinced that she needed that medicine, none of it would have happened.

She leans forward to rest her forehead against the tile, and then she turns to the right to cool her burning cheek.

"Such a juicy pussy."

Her lungs suck in air as she gasps, turning around so fast that she almost trips on the slick floor. Her hands go back to hold the wall as she backs up to it, and her eyes dart all around the shower.

There was nothing there.

Suddenly the water felt too cold, so she cranks the heat up high and pours some soap in her hand, beginning to vigorously scrub herself clean, and she doesn't dare to close her eyes until she is done with her shower.

___ ___ ___

When she steps out, she makes quick work of drying herself off and changing. She then leaves the bathroom, the towel still hanging off her shoulders, and she looks around for Sabastion.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien looked up from a chair when she exited the bathroom, loving how her wet hair made her look. She was beautiful, and way too good for him. Were this not the apocalypse, he didn't think he would stand a chance. He stood up and walked over to her, taking her hand and leading her back to the chair. He sat down and pulled her onto his lap, his arms around her waist.

The other man had a heaping sandwich on his plate with a mountain of chips on the side as he sat on the couch. He was eating as though he hadn't had any food for a very long time, closing his eyes and chewing, savoring what seemed like a pretty mundane sandwich. Bowie had successfully infiltrated his shirt, but seemed to want a breath of fresh air. His head and a couple inches of his body had wiggled between two of Sabastian's shirt buttons, the snake simply hovering there with his tongue flicking out occasionally. It almost looked as though the milky serpent was watching the man eat.

The pointed look Sabastian got was lost on him as he sighed from another bite, prompting Damien to clear his throat. "I think Sabastian has something he would like to say to you." His eyes almost burned into the other man as Sabastian gulped and set the sandwich down.

"I'm sorry for being a dick. I thought I was helping, but got pissed off somewhere along the way." He mumbled, fiddling with a chip on his plate.

"And...?" Damien said sternly.

"I'm sorry for saying that you smelled like shit... even though you did."

"Sabastian..." Damien hissed, tensing under Cora.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora smiled softly at him as he took her hand, but as he led her to the chair and then made her sit down in his lap, she couldn't help but squirm a little, a blush coming to her face. It was a little bit too intimate an act with someone she barely knew sitting right across from them.

She listens as Damien pesters the poor man into apologizing to her, and that guilt comes bubbling back up again.

"Oh for-he's not a kid Damien, don't force him to apologise to me..." she mumbles, her voice barely above a whisper. The blush on her cheeks grows a little darker, and she leans forward so she can get up out of his lap, her hand leaving a warm trail down his leg as she leaves, heading for the kitchen.

She stops by the couch first though, almost smiling at Bowie's shenanigans and pleased that he was no longer hissing at her. Her eyes look down and meet Sabastion's gaze, momentarily entranced by the beautiful contrast between the two striking shades, then she clears her throat.

"I owe you an apology too. I kind of flipped out on you. That was really uncalled for, and I'm sorry."

With that done, she makes her way into the kitchen and gets too two tall glasses of water. She then brings them to the entrance of the living room and looks to Damien.

"Care to join me outside for a few minutes?"

The cabin, while spacious and cozy, didn't seem to offer much privacy. She wanted to talk with him, or at the very least, be near him without having to feel like she had to hide her more intimate touches. And she did want so badly to touch him, if he would let her.

 

[Poprockz]

Her squirming on his lap made his cock stir slightly and he had to shift a bit to avoid arousing himself further. He understood that Sabastian wasn't a child, but in some ways he could truly act like one sometimes. He hadn't thought that the man would apologize on his own, so he had certainly hounded him until he agreed to apologize while she was in the shower.

Sabastian seemed to appreciate her comment though, his face seeming a bit more open from her acknowledgement that he wasn't just some child that had to be put into the corner and then forced to say he was sorry. He even gave her a smile as she got up and headed for the kitchen, meeting her gaze as she apologizes back to him. The man was a bit surprised, but very pleased. He grinned and nodded. "Don't mention it. I can see why you love your snake so much- he's a cutie." Going back to his food, he took another bite of his sandwich, chewing with contentment.

When she returned with the waters, Damien stood up and nodded. "Okay, that'd be nice. I think Sabastian needs some privacy with his sandwich anyway." He gave her a little smirk before walking to the front door and holding it open for her. Since she hadn't been there for too long, and certainly not as an ordinary guest, it was likely that she hadn't noticed the fire pit to the back of the cabin. He gestured to one of the stone benches after wiping it off a bit. Sitting down on one side of it, he waited for her to sit down.

"What's on your mind?" Part of him hoped she didn't want to talk about things. He really wanted to just shove all of those painful things down and never speak of them again.

 

[Drobabes]

She couldn't help but smile a bit at the sandwich comment. He did seem to be getting a little more enjoyment from that food than was necessary.

She follows him out and sits the water down, then takes a seat next to him. For a long moment she just sits with her elbows propped on her knees, and her chin resting on her clasped hands as she stares out into the woods. She didn't know where to begin, or how to start the conversation. After a few more minutes of silence, she puts her hands down and turns her body towards him.

"Are you ok?"

It was simple question, but it was the best way she could put it. She couldn't just outright ask him about every little thing that happened, every word spoken, or how he was feeling about their friends death. They had only just met the women that morning, but at least for Cora, the death was still a hard pill to swallow. Everything else that had happened to her, she could have dealt with. It grossed her out in a freaky sort of way, but it wasn't like she couldn't recover from that. But he had been hurt, and she didn't know how to reach out to him about it.

 

[Poprockz]

He stiffened and grabbed a glass of water, taking a drink and sitting there for a few moments of silence. His own eyes stared into the empty firepit as though trying to find what to say. Damien didn't want to talk, but it sounded like she might be concerned about him.

"I'm... surviving. I've been through worse, and I'll get through this too. I wish we hadn't taken her." The man set the water down again and put his head in his hands and sighed. "She was afraid and didn't even want to go inside. I should have just made her stay in the car." His voice was thick with regret, his eyes closed as he sat beside her.

Her presence was comforting and he found himself glad that she had asked for some alone time for them. "What about you? How are you holding up?"

 

[Drobabes]

"I'm feeling kind of the same. I don't think...we should have gone in at all. Not just for a bottle of medicine that we could have raided from a store."

She turns back to staring out at the woods, her arms going around her knees to hug herself a bit as she draws her feet up under her.

"Although I guess, if we hadn't...something worse might have happened...

"Damien what the fuck were those things? Sabastion said they were eggs..."

She reached down and took a sip of her own water, a concerned look on her face. While she was deeply disturbed by what she had seen in that closet, something else was bugging her as well, and it was a lot harder to bring up.

"It wasn't true, you know. All that crap she said. She was manipulating you."

 

[Poprockz]

Damien was silent as she spoke, nodding at the part about something worse happening. If they hadn't gone, they wouldn't have saved Sabastian and who knew how long his mother would keep him there for her own perverted needs. Everyone else was dead, and yet he was alive. Infected, but alive. It didn't make sense to him why she had kept him essentially locked away when they were almost the same.

He shook his head and straightened up a bit with a disgusted look on his face. "I don't know what the fuck was going on with that. I think if we want to know more, we should ask Sabastian, but I'm not sure I really want to know... If they were eggs, then eggs for what? Zombie eggs? It just doesn't make sense."

Her next comment made him purse his lips, and he picked up his water again, looking down at it. "She's gone now, it doesn't matter." Damien dodged it, as he didn't want to talk about what she had said. Honestly, he was inclined to believe his mother about what she had said since he had heard the same thing his entire life and had no reason to believe otherwise. He loved Cora, but they had only known each other a week. She couldn't say for certain whether he was one way or another.

 

[Drobabes]

She had nodded when he mentioned maybe asking Sabastian more about it, and she thought to herself that she might at some point, when they were a little more secure. He was right, it didn't make any sense, but then again the way it had spread didn't make sense either. It was so fast.

"She's gone now, it doesn't matter."

Her face turns to him quickly, and then she looks away. For another long moment she was quiet, and then she puts her head between her knees and hides her face with her arms.

"It matters to me. You're not twisted. Broken maybe, but you're not...like that..."

Her back shakes a little, but she doesn't make a sound after saying those final words.

Don't cry again, goddamnit, stop it.

 

[Poprockz]

"Is that what you know, or is that what you're hoping?" Before she could react, her leg was grabbed and she was pulled so she was laying on her back on the bench with him standing over her. His hands grabbed her wrists and forced them over her head, grabbing and holding them with one hand to free up the other. His right hand went to her jaw and held her firmly but gently before he leaned in, his steely eyes dark and deep like two bottomless wells in the shade.

"How do you know who I am, Cora? You've only known me a week, during which I've kidnapped you, raped you, took you on a dangerous mission, and wasn't even able to save you or Daphne. I'm a selfish man, Cora. I've never done anything of value and have only taken with greed. Who's to say I couldn't kill you right now and leave you here behind the cabin. Hm? Aren't you fucking scared? Disappointed?"

He looked away from her for a moment before his grip loosened and his eyes fogged up. Damien leaned over and rested his forehead on her chest. "I couldn't even protect you." His muffled voice said as his shoulders started shaking. Her shirt was damp around where his face was now resting, his tears soaking into the fabric. He was crying again and he hated it. He hated that he was so powerless to prevent anything from happening.

 

[Drobabes]

She let out a breath as he pulled her down on the bench, and her tear soaked eyes went wide with surprise. As he captured her wrists and then held her gaze, a few drops spilled over, making small trails of moisture down to her hairline.

"How do you know who I am, Cora?...Aren't you fucking scared?"

How did she know who he was? How did she know he wouldn't hurt her?

Memories of the last week rolled through her mind. Every gentle touch, every doting little action, and patience with her when she was scared. Waking up in the middle of a nightmare to find him there, willing to save her even when she was technically his prisoner. Coming back home to find him alive and there, when she had needed someone the most, when he could have just as easily moved on and forgotten about her; gone back to doing whatever he had been doing before he met her. Her staring up into his hard eyes as she held Daphne, traumatized and shaking in her arms, and made the decision she couldn't.

Even now, as instead of yanking her down so hard on that bench that her head split open, he pulled firmly but with care. Instead of grabbing her wrists and squeezing them so hard that her hands went numb, and black and blue bruises formed bracelets of shame that would stick with her for weeks, he merely held her so she couldn't move-but nothing more. And instead of staring down into her soul and demanding something of her that she could never give, or searching for an excuse, any excuse, to hurt her, he simply asked.

Even as he tried his best to scare her, intimidate her, and make her run away, she still couldn't fear him. She still couldn't bring herself to hate him, or think he didn't deserve anything less than that basic human need for love, and acceptance.

"I couldn't even protect you."

She sat up, and then pulled him down to sit on the bench beside her. Once he was there, she forces him to lay his head in her lap, where she cradles him and rocks over him gently.

"Shh baby, shh..."

She didn't try to tell him it was okay, because it wasn't. But he didn't need to carry the guilt. Not alone, at least.

She pets his hair back and wipes his tears, and then she softly begins to hum and sing for him, not caring if Sabastian, or hell, anyone heard her. She had no words in that moment that could convey what she was feeling, but at least, she could sing for him...

https://youtu.be/MqigBTKHeTo

"...oh well, I guess, we're gonna pretend..."

 

[Poprockz]

Damien couldn't do anything to stop the tears, they just kept coming. It was like he was crying tears that had been fighting to leave him for years, not having gotten the chance to leave before. What was it about her that made him so emotional? He never cried like that since he was a child, not since Toby. But something about her made him feel safe, made him feel like maybe she wouldn't mind seeing him reduced to such an unmanly sight.

"Cora..." he sobbed quietly. Her name was the only thing he could say right then. He fought with guilt and shame; it should be him on the bench with her in his lap. He was supposed to be strong, to be a rock for her to come to when she cried. How was he supposed to do that when he was so easily overcome? God, he felt selfish for taking support that should be hers. But part of him wouldn't let him move from her lap. He needed to feel her touch and the warmth of her skin.

Unbeknownst to them, two pairs of eyes watched from one of the inside windows. He had climbed up and was holding himself there, having been drawn by the soft singing, Bowie poking out of his shirt and watching as well. Was that Damien on her lap? Mr. Ice Cold? And was he sobbing like a small child?" What the fuck was going on? Sabastian watched in bewilderment, not expecting to see such a sight. From what he had heard about him, he was a cold-hearted bastard who didn't speak to the staff unless he had to, even his parents attesting to the same thing. Although, in retrospect, they were monsters themselves.

He remembered walking by Damien's door once in the middle of the night and hearing sounds of splashing and struggling, not wanting to think about what was happening in there, he had simply ignored it and went back to his room. As he looked, something in his heart ached. He wished he had someone to hold him like that, but knew that might never happen in this new world. Sabastian slowly lowered himself down as the song ended, wiping a few tears from his own eyes before munching on some chips.

When she was done, Damien continued to cry until he was spent. Eventually he sat up and sniffed, looking into her eyes with gratitude and shame. "I'm sorry... I feel like I should be stronger for you since you must be having a hard time too. I just... feel so powerless." He reached out and pulled her against his chest, kissing her forehead. "Please forgive me."

 

[Drobabes]

Tears were spilling down her own face as he sat up, not having been able to stop herself. When he pulls her close, she kisses his neck and strokes his still damp hair, holding him close.

"There's nothing to forgive, Damien. You don't...you don't have to be strong all the time."

She holds him a little tighter, and then she leans back so she can meet his gaze, smiling as she wipes a few tears from his face.

"Even goblin kings have been known to cry," she chuckles weakly. She then moves back, her hand taking his and trying to gently pull him with her.

"Come here. Let's just, sit here for a minute. I think we need a bit of a rest."

 

[Poprockz]

A few more tears left his eyes as he chuckled softly. "How you turn my world, you precious thing." He was so grateful that she had embraced him after seeing him so weak and vulnerable. She was truly a kind-hearted girl with a beautiful soul.

"I think you're right." He smiled and wiped some of her tears as well before she started to pull him over. Damien willingly went with her, content to just be with the woman. God was he tired. He felt like he could sleep for days cuddled up against her warm body. Sabastian was going to have to take the couch if they didn't fall asleep outside in the warm heat of the sun.

When she held him, it was like part of him felt at peace. He wasn't used to being held like that, having never been that way from his mother within his memory. It felt like she could heal him with just the soft caress of her arms and the loving words from her lips. To think that someone could have such power over another was astounding, and he never wanted it to stop.