My eyes blinked against the soft light streaming in through the window as whatever remained of the dream swirled away, disappearing into the air as if it had never existed in the first place. My limbs felt light, unused, and just now aware of the world around me. I was about to close my eyes and drift back into the sleep clawing at my body, when my gaze landed on something that purged the world of terror and fear and anger and sorrow.

A hand clasped firmly in mine, just in front of my face.

I risked a glance over my shoulder, holding my breath in case it had all been a dream and what I saw now was an illusion, a cruel trick to top off everything else.

But, no.

He was there.

My breath caught in my throat as I watched him as discreetly as I could, wishing that I didn't have my back turned to him. One hand was intertwined with mine, an unspoken promise lingering in the back of my head, and with the other, he was stroking a small, hummingbird-looking creature sitting in front of him. A book hovered in front of his face all on its own, and a pair of chattering birds were dragging a comb through his untidy morning-hair. The gray light of the morning sky outside danced across his face, warming his features and highlighting the soft smile he wore.

I wanted to grasp this moment forever and never let go. To clasp it all together and bottle it up. To have this until the rest of time and never have to worry about a single thing ever again.

I watched him for as long as I was able to before giving into temptation and sliding my arms around his waist and pressing my face against his back in one fluid movement.

He jumped in surprise at once, his entire body freezing up.

"Thomas?" I asked softly, for any louder would have shattered the moment completely. "Thomas, it's just me."

"Sorry," he whispered, and his body relaxed against mine. "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry; I shouldn't have—"

"Hey, it's alright," I whispered, kissing the warm skin of his neck. I waited until he was fully relaxed, resting his body against mine before I dared to speak again. "Whatcha reading, my dear?"

Thomas made a soft noise of amusement in the back of his throat. "My dear?" he repeated. "That's cute." A pause. "You're cute."

"I'm adorable." I drew my fingers across his waist with one hand and let my other slip down to his thigh. In addition to the swarm of butterflies fluttering in the air around us and crawling up our skin, my stomach tingled as though hundreds flapped around in there. "And stop avoiding my question."

"I'm not avoiding anything." He hummed a soft song for a long moment, his back vibrating as he did so. I kissed his bare skin lightly, grinning at the way the warmth bombarded my senses. Finally, he sighed and showed me the cover of the book.

"Alice in Wonderland?" I asked, reading the title. "Ooh, illustrations by Salvador Dalí? I didn't know we had the funds for something like that."

Thomas laughed. He had a beautiful laugh, one that sounded like silver and the sweet trill of a songbird greeting the rising moon. And stars, I had forgotten just how that laugh made my knees go weak, and I had forgotten just how much I wanted to be the person who earned that delightful sound.

"What in the world are you even talking about?" he asked, swatting away the birds still intent on brushing his hair.

"I don't know. I think I'm a little loopy."

Thomas sighed and returned to reading. I pressed my mouth against his shoulder. He tensed against me, and it didn't take much time to deduce that suddenly, there were things a bit more important than his book.

I slowly worked my lips up the slender rise to his neck, finding great delight in the way he shifted, trying to ignore me and keep his attention focused on the book. I kept working as slow as I could despite the high kissing him inspired swirling through my veins, never satisfying, never enough. But as much as I hated it, it would be far more rewarding to wait. I had a lot of time to make up for, anyway.

"Thomas," I whispered against his skin, trying to coax a reaction from him, but it wasn't until I began sucking against the spot where his neck met his shoulder did he finally give in.

"C'mon Lexi," he hissed. "You know that's not fair."

"Oh?" I paused just long enough to ask before pressing my mouth against it once more. Once that pretty little moan escaped from his lips did I shift, moving so that his body was underneath mine and I was working against his throat and chin and eventually, his mouth.

"I missed you," I whispered, staring down into those gray eyes of his. The pupils were stretched, shaped into those that belonged to a dragon. A swath of inky black scales dotted the other side of his neck, and the second I brushed my fingers against them, he jerked away.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"Please don't apologize," I returned, bringing my fingers up to his face. His gaze softened as he leaned into my hand. "Fuck, you're gorgeous."

And there it was. That wonderful smile that gleamed like the moon in the middle of its ocean of midnight, able to beat back the darkness and carve a whole other world into the sky.

"You would know," he said. "Being as utterly beautiful as you are." He frowned then. "Sorry, that was really dumb. I've never been good at flirting."

I brought my lips against his again, one hand against his cheek and using my other arm to prop myself up. Thomas moaned softly and dragged me closer, unable to get enough. I straddled his legs, deepened the kiss, did everything I could to make the moment last. There was nothing in the world that mattered more to me than him, nothing in the world that I craved more than the feeling of his body pressing against mine. He smelled so sweet, too. Just as I remember it: the world after it rains. The calm and the peace and everything that comes with it. I threaded a hand through his hair and pulled away just long enough to catch my breath, then continued once more. If this never ended, I couldn't be happier.

But it eventually did with a knock on the door. I hissed and pressed my lips against his ear. "Ignore it," I whispered, biting down gently against the soft shell.

"Thomas?"

He looked up at me, grinning knowingly, then placed his hands on my chest and pushed me a little farther away. I rolled my eyes but refused to complain.

"Hey, James," Thomas said softly. "What's up?"

"Can I come in?" A desperate note laced his tone as he spoke, something that surprised me a little.

"Uh, maybe not right now."

"Oh." James paused for a long second. "Well, can you come downstairs? I—well, we—want to see you."

"I intend to keep him in here forever," I said.

Thomas laughed. "We'll be down in a few minutes, alright?"

"Okay, uh, great." Once again, a long moment passed. Then quietly, James added, "I love you, Thomas."

Thomas smiled softly. "I love you too."

The sound of retreating footsteps slowly faded as I glanced down at the boy underneath me. I kissed him once more, just because I could, and slipped away from him. Thomas watched me for a few moments, before a frown tugged at his lips.

"What's wrong?"

His hand drifted forwards, pressing against my side, right where the fresh scar now held a place against my skin. "Does it hurt?" he asked, suddenly resigned.

"Not really," I said, withdrawing his hand from the scar and squeezing it tightly in my own. "It wasn't your fault, you know. I don't blame you." I tried to laugh, but Thomas's gaze didn't once flicker from it. "If anything, it makes me cooler, now."

"Yeah, sorry."

I risked a glance at his chest, knowing what I would see and still somehow feeling as though somebody had dumped ice cold water over my head when I saw it. Hesitantly, I pressed my other hand against his stomach, right where the scar tissue blossomed like a flower. Black tendrils twisted through his skin, erupting from the wound. "This is where—"

"I was stabbed the first time, yeah," he whispered, filling in the words before my voice cracked. He drew his legs underneath him, fidgeting a little.

I let my hand drift upwards to his chest, right over his heart. Thomas's breath caught in his throat, and although he didn't exactly wince away, I could tell he wanted to.

"Did it hurt?" I whispered, letting my hand fall to my side.

"It still kinda does." His fingers slid up to where the patch of scales grew against his skin. "But it's going to be okay." Thomas reached his other hand out to me, but I pulled him into a long hug, burying my head into the crook of his neck. A second more, and he slid his arms around me.

"I'm not hiding from you anymore," he promised. "And I'm not leaving, either."

I was silent for a minute, listening to his heartbeat, and something else. The sound of rain pattering against glass. My eyes flickered over to the window, and sure enough, streaks of water raced down the surface. I smiled but said nothing, clinging to him as tightly as I could, breathing in every last thing about him.

Finally, after what could not have been enough time, he slid away from me. "Now come on," he said with a grin. "The others will kill us if we aren't downstairs."

I watched him as he drew himself up and hurried over to the vanity, the thousands of birds in the room suddenly brought to life at his movements. I pulled my legs up to my chest, content to just be there with him.

But he cast a glance over his shoulder at me, smile fading. "Why don't you head downstairs? I...I just have a few more things to take care of."

"Thomas—"

"I'll be down in five minutes. Just trust me."

"Okay." I drew myself up and quickly threw on the clothes we had abandoned the night before. I returned to Thomas's side and wrapped my arms around him for a brief moment, kissing his bare back. "I love you."

"Yes, well, most people do."

I smiled. "Oh, whatever."

No part of me wanted to leave him, but I managed to do so anyway, closing the door softy behind me at his request. My hand felt awkward without his own embraced with it, and as I descended the staircase slowly, my mind wandered with all the things I could be saying to him right now. I never wanted to leave his side again.

"Where's Thomas?" Aaron asked as I dropped into my chair, frowning.

"And, of course," Hercules added, "Good morning, Alexander."

"Thanks, I'm totally not an afterthought or anything."

"Oh, shut up!" Aaron hissed, rolling his eyes. He softened. "Where is he?"

"Upstairs. He had some things to take care of."

"Should I check in on him?" James asked, rising, but Washington shook his head.

"Believe it or not, but Thomas'll manage just fine without adult supervision for a minute or two."

"Well, I don't know about that," added Lafayette, kicking his feet onto the table much to Peggy's disdain as she poked him with her fork.

"I think Thomas deserves some credit."

"You're kidding," said Philip. "He's worse than I am. And I'm an actual child."

I laughed at it all, unable to stop myself. But my eyes found Angelica, who was sitting silently, staring at the empty chair next to her, and the sharp pang of that awful reminder flooded my senses.

There were too many empty spaces at the table.

"Well," Washington said, clearing his throat to silence the chatter. "Why don't we eat and begin with the plans?" At the blank stares he received, he rolled his eyes. "The plans for what we do now?"

I piled a few eggs onto my plate, but refused to touch them until Thomas was sitting across from me. I let my hand fall to my side as I listened to Washington, my fingers twitching as they longed to wrap around something more tangible.

Soon, I found myself tapping my foot against the ground, staring at the doorway. But he was nowhere to be found.

"Alexander?" Lafayette asked, interrupting Washington. "Is something wrong?"

"I knew I shouldn't have let him be by himself," I hissed, running my hand through my hair. "It's been twenty minutes. He should be here by now."

"I am here."

I jumped at the sudden nearness of his voice, but my eyes found him leaning against the back wall, peering at me in confusion.

"How long have you been there?" I demanded, warmth spiraling in my face.

Thomas smiled. "About twenty minutes."

"Well, you wanna come and sit?" Aaron asked pointedly, nodding to the empty chair to the right of him. "Or do you wanna stand there like a creeper?"

"Huh? Oh! Right." He frowned, eyes lingering on the chair for a second longer. "Sit. Sorry, I forgot."

"It's okay, Thomas," Washington said easily. "You do whatever makes you feel comfortable."

Thomas crossed the room and sat down in his usual chair slowly. He straightened his back, unable to relax even amongst his friends. But the second he caught my eye, he smiled, and loosened just a little.

"What are you wearing?" James asked, grabbing his arm and hoisting it up.

Thomas shrugged. "I'm trying something new." His face flushed a little as he set a hand in his hair. "I'm, uh, I'm actually thinking about cutting my hair."

"No!" I exclaimed, surprising even myself. I bit down on my lip as all eyes turned to me. "Please don't change it. I love your hair."

Thomas laughed, and thank Divinity. I missed his laugh, and I missed him.

James set his hand on Thomas's arm. "You should eat something."

"Oh, I don't eat anymore," he returned, brushing it off as if it meant nothing.

"Wait, what? What do you mean, you don't eat anymore?" Aaron demanded, poking him with his elbow. He ripped the words right out of my mouth.

"Oh." Thomas shrugged. "I just don't need to anymore. I get all the nutrients I need in my morning injection."

"I'm sorry, you're what?" Washington asked, a worried smile overcoming his features.

Thomas went still. "Oh," he said softy. "That's right. I forgot you guys didn't know about that. Well, I—"

"The King used to give him an injection every morning," Angelica interrupted, not looking up once. Her fingers wrapped tightly around the fork and knife she held. "It helps you control the monster inside of you, doesn't it?"

Thomas flinched at the word but said nothing in retaliation. "Yeah, basically," he said, dropping his head. "It allows me to ignore it for a little while, I guess." He seemed to fumble with the words. "And it gives me more control for when they expect me to, well, you know. Change."

"Well you don't have to do that anymore," Aaron said with a brisk shake of his head.

"Oh," Thomas said quietly, looking anywhere but at us. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"So this injection," I said, quick to change the subject. "What's it made out of?"

"Oh, well the basic building blocks of food," he said, his eyes lighting up in that adorable way they did whenever he was explaining something he was passionate about. I leaned my head against my hand and listened, enthralled on every word he spoke. "Carbohydrates in their most basic form. Proteins to keep me nourished."

"And that works? You can live off of that?" Philip asked, worry lacing his tone.

"Well, it works for me. And of course, there are other things," he said, his face flushing even more. "Like, well, opioids. You know. To keep me from Changing."

"Opioids?" I repeated. "What kind?"

"That's not important."

"Heroin?"

"Alexander!" He groaned, shaking his head. And before I could continue to bother him, he turned to Washington. "Can we get back to what you were talking about?"

Washington smiled and leaned forward, continuing on for the better part of an hour. I turned all my attention to him, placated by the presence right across the table from me. I rested my foot against his, just eager for that touch between the two of us.

A sharp jab of pain pulled me away from him after the minutes began to drag on. Belletra's beak slammed into my hand once more, and I let out a hiss. Instead of continuing, however, she inclined her small head to Thomas, and I gasped.

"What? What's wrong?" Aaron demanded.

"Look at him!"

Thomas's head was resting against his arms, which were resting against the table. His eyes were closed, and his body was still. I don't know how to explain it, but there was something so peaceful, something so fucking adorable.

"He's so cute."

"Alexander—" Peggy began, no doubt about to tell me off, but Washington waved his hand.

"Maybe we should all take a break for the next few days." His eyes fell to the snoozing Thomas, and the hint of a smile quirked at his face. Just a hint, though, mind you.

I quickly expressed my gratitude and teleported to the couch in the next room, Thomas resting again my body. I dragged my fingers through his hair, unable to contain the grin that had broken free. He was so soft and gentle and I wish I could have spent every last moment like this, with him in my arms.

As the others began to play a game of cards in the other room, I lost myself to Thomas's rhythmic breathing.

~•~

"Thomas!" I called, panic lacing my voice. "Thomas, where are you?"

"He isn't in the castle, that's for sure," said James, appearing next to me.

"Dammit! What am I going to do?"

"Relax, first of all. I can look for him on Avionerra, if you think that'll help."

"Would you? I'll check Earth." I ran my fingers through my hair, hardly waiting before closing my eyes and summoning the energy around me. I had never tried inter-dimensional teleportation before, but I didn't have the time to care. All that mattered was finding Thomas before he did something stupid.

He promised.

When I opened my eyes, I was in the center of the place I thought I had left behind forever, and the feelings it inspired struck me in the chest like a sword wound.

I was about to cup my hands around my mouth and called his name one more time, when a sound from the bathroom completely caught me off guard.

Sobbing.

I hurried over and slammed open the door. "Thomas!" I whispered breathlessly when I found him on the floor, back propped against the wall. He looked up at me as I entered, and even in the darkness that completely dominated the room, I could see the ghostly smile imprinted on his face and the tracks of tears racing down his cheeks. I rushed over to him immediately, even before the metallic smell of blood filled my senses.

"Shit," I hissed, feeling the wetness soaking through his shirt. "Shit, you're bleeding really badly."

"Hey," he managed out. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"You're not fine. What happened?" I demanded as I ripped off his shirt and pressed my hands against the wounds to stifle the blood flow. "Is this from last night? You didn't see Angelica? Dammit, Thomas, I'll get her now."

"No!" he exclaimed, grabbing onto my hands and pushing them away from his chest, but he held on tightly. "Don't!" And softer, he whispered, "She'll cast Somnusa. I can't leave you again. I'm fine. I promise."

I dried away his tears. "C'mon. Let's get you to the couch." I closed my eyes and let the energy surge around us, only letting go once I felt the springy surface of the couch underneath my fingers.

Thomas's breathing grew shallow as he struggled to stay with me. "I'm going to be okay, I promise." He gasped, as if merely speaking hurt him. "You don't have to worry about me."

"Of course I worry about you," I hissed. Though I already felt really drained, I allowed what remained of my energy to surge through him, finding the wounds to stop the bleeding. He gasped, falling against the arm of the couch.

I took one of his hands, covered in the sludgy black blood running through his veins. "Talk to me."

Thomas opened his mouth, but the tears overwhelmed him, and he began to sob. Like a dam breaking, he let everything out all at once. I softened and pulled him closer to me, letting out a sigh. "Breathe, my dear."

"I'm sorry," he choked out. "I'm s-so sorry. I thought that—that I could f-fix it, that I c-could fix every—everything, but I—"

"Shh," I said, wiping his tears away with my thumb. "You're being incredibly silly. None of this is your fault."

"I killed her, Alexander."

I faltered, listening as he cried. "Hey," I said, tilting his chin up. "Thomas, I don't blame you for this, okay?" I kissed the corners of his eyes, expelling the tears. "Everything's going to be alright."

I dragged my fingers along his back, his face buried in my chest. But soon, his crying slowed down, and although his body still shook, I felt him relax against me.

"You alright?" I whispered as he pulled away.

He nodded, staring at the couch between us. "I'm sorry, Alexander. I never wanted any of this to happen. I just... I just wanted to protect you."

I took his face in my hands. "It's over, Thomas. You don't have to worry about protecting me ever again." I set my forehead against his, feeling his warm breath against my skin. "I still love you, after everything that's happened."

"I love you too," he whispered, as though lending any more volume behind the words would break both of us.

I waited until he had returned to the Thomas I was used to. Strong and brave and incredible. "You want to watch a movie or something."

"I'd like that," he said, leaning his head against my body. I combed my fingers through his hair. "Hey, Alex?" he whispered as I fetched the remote gathering dust on the side table.

"Yes?"

"I don't know what my future holds," he said, carefully. "But I do know that I want you to be apart of it."

I smiled, kissing his forehead. "I'd like that."

I turned on the TV, but instead of watching or listening, every ounce of my attention was given to my Thomas, his arms wrapped around one of mine, his body so close that he left nothing between us.

And finally, there was nothing left to come in between us.

The End