Friday,

December 21, 2012

12: 00 PM

Three months later

"Kane! You can't just–" Valli attempts to keep his expression scolding as he shouts towards the backyard, the laughter in his throat undoing the work. The weather was chilly, light flurries of snow had layered the hard ground. The wind chill brings him to rub his upper arms, making a mental note to grab thicker blankets and jackets for them. The river is still raging, calmer, and smoother, yet the murky water is cold and numbing.

The animals are closed up in the barn, protected from the wind and nippy chill of winter with heaters and a fan to cycle the warm air about. Valli covered the garden with a tarp, pouting as his produce froze over in the colder nights.

Kane is tossing useless junk into the burning flames at the bonfire on the river bank. Old clothes too torn and bloodied to be donated, sinister tomes and books, or possibly possessed dolls given to them from a concerned Reverend down the road at the only church in ten miles. The man hollers back toward the back porch, teeth sparkling in the glint of the fire on his grin. "The fuck I can't! Shits useless to us, might as well keep warm!"

He grabs two rotted wood planks and tosses them on top to further his point. The flame sizzles and sparks float as the dangerous licks instantly engulf the wood. Valli shakes his head, rolling his eyes as the small (haunted) baby doll shyly and fearfully given to him by a small girl is thrown over his boyfriend's broad shoulder into the holy fire. Valli had scheduled a trade-off at the market, exchanging the produce for items people thought were evil or needed to get rid of. It's much easier to gain trust when you keep your word of free food and encourage people to spend more next time to keep Valli in business. Upon Kane's sighting of the junk pile – as he called it –, he had instantly hobbled to the circle pit to light the holy fire, grumbling about the junk and fucking cheap ass people – who needed a jet seat for a toilet only to give it away? Into the fire, it flies.

Sunny had laughed, hands raised in surrender before she took off on a grocery run for some peace (and to sip from the new stash of alcohol she bought). The Huntress has officially moved to Louisiana, controlling the phones for her Hunters and Vallis when the Safehouse Owner is otherwise preoccupied. She adores this setting, the house, and the view outside the kitchen windows and on the porch. There are moments where she misses her old, worn, and lived-in wooden cabin in the middle of the mountains. The air is clearer up there, down in this little swamped valley it's heavier than she was expecting with the moist air from the marshes and swamplands. However, she likes the subtle changes to the atmosphere. It keeps her in the moment, reminds her to breathe deeply, and notes her body and surroundings. That she's alive.

The only thing she needs to get used to is the longer trips into town. Up on her mountain, there was a small town with a grocery store halfway up – only three hours down the steep slope. Down here, Valli had warned her of the five-hour trip, or more – depending on road status – to the store. She had sighed deeply, regrettably, at that small warning. Yet, shockingly, she finds she enjoys the ride as well. Simply bask in the open road and the grassy, moist, and soggy land around her. The radio plays background noise and the woman can... breathe in the wet air.

She's been leaving the men alone for longer the past few months, silently offering them the privacy she knows Kane will need soon. While circumstances have kept her nephew preoccupied, he is a red-blooded man with a handsome partner — she refuses to be in the house when he realizes he feels good enough to take their relationship to a more physical level. Sunny knows good and well how active Kane's sexual appetite is, from his teenage years to now he has always ended up with one-night stands in whatever back-water small-town motel he stayed in for a hunt. William laughed it off, boys will be boys and while Sunny knew she couldn't stop her nephew from breaking hearts – she made certain she gave him the talk of protection without knives or guns. She kept him packed with condoms and little boxes of plan B's (just in case) and warned him to be extra careful. The last thing she wanted was for her boy to become a father so young or unknowingly, or to catch a disease accidentally.

Kane listened, it was one of the only orders he obeyed willingly and with such care. He understood how serious it was, and took precautions with each person – man and woman – he brought to his rooms before he met Valli. He has never, not after his first time, forgotten to use a condom or forgone one. Always keep it wrapped, Sunny said and so he did. Sometimes he even doubled up on them, paranoid the first one would break. It didn't feel great, but he wasn't after the feeling – he just wanted the release of stress. Sunny is proud of how cautious Kane is, one of the only men she knows that is almost too careful.

However, with this said, she is confident Kane will forget - forgo, being overly cautious with Valli. Not only does he know for a fact his boyfriend is clean of sexual sicknesses – Valli hasn't had sex in over six years – but with time on their side now, with no monsters to interrupt, Kane could take his sweet time and draw things out in ways he hadn't been comfortable with during one nighters with strangers. Yes, she refuses to be in the house, near the house, when this realization comes to him.

With Sunny gone in Kane's truck, she leaves the men to play with the fire. Valli had made breakfast this morning, filled Kane's plate to the max the glass plate could hold, and watched in amazement – as he had been since his eyesight returned – as the man shoveled the food into his mouth by the spoonful. He was used to hearing the man eat and found it comedic but Valli just couldn't help himself from staring when Kane ate. The man isn't eating, he merely shoves food into his jaw and swallows. It's impressive to the younger man. Whenever an empty spot reveals the porcelain of the plate, he quickly adds more to keep it full. Kane doesn't mention Valli's newfound interest in observing him eat, he takes what is given, (and added) because it's delicious and he thinks it's adorable.

Valli is still adapting to his eyesight. Everything is so new yet... precisely as he remembered from years ago. From the porch of the house to the old red barn, and the carport. The inside is like walking into the past. The pictures of his family, the furniture and layout; and even the soap in the downstairs bathroom are the same.

After Kane settled on the couch the day he was discharged, was the first time he paid attention as he walked in. Arms heavy with the new blankets Sunny brought from her cabin, he swung the front screen door open and suddenly stopped in his tracks. The blankets fell, scattered, and unfolded on the floor. Sunny had poked her head around the corner, both she and Kane startled by the sharp, wet gasp that sounded from the front door. Behind her, Kane propped himself up with a grim expression, uncaring of the dull pain. The man was too worried over Valli to pay his sore and broken body any mind.

The moment Valli stepped into the house, it was like he entered six years ago. From the scents of the cinnamon sugar candle his mother adored, the shiny hardwood floors, and the dusted patterned rugs Addy insisted on. The framed pictures on the walls of his parents and their long-gone family friends ached his heart. He had spent a long moment simply staring at the last photo he took with his parents, Addy had it printed and framed. His mother grinned widely, her slim arms wrapped tightly around his waist while his father curled a heavy arm over his shoulder with a matching grin. He had almost forgotten how beautiful his mother was, and how happy his father was when he was with his family. Gabriella had tossed her long lovely chestnut hair into a ponytail, the red flannel she took from Steven drowned her in fabric, the sleeves over her thin hands. The sun makes her olive complexion glow and highlights her hair sing.

Steven was tall, he and Valli were the same height and this fact always made Gabriella tease and whine about her son being taller than her. The man was thick, with both muscle and a healthy layer of body fat. Valli could say, his father was a thinner and slightly shorter version of Kane – without the attitude and dislike of other humans. He thinks they – Steven and Kane – would get along. It would take his father a bit of time, but he'd warm up once he saw how the Hunter made Valli overjoyed; how he was taken care of. Gabriella would be ecstatic; simply happy her son found love in the Hunter Life as she had with her husband.

The mere sight of the picture hung in the entrance of his home, was enough to bring out an unexpected flood of overwhelmed emotions. Brown eyes welled in abrupt tears, and his lung capacity was limited to tight, short shallow breaths as he attempted to calm himself before a breakdown could erupt. He clamped his eyelids shut, and a hand snapped over his dry mouth, determined not to worry Kane and Sunny in the next room – unaware the Huntress was prepared to step in as she silently watched, sympathy and worry coloring her features.

Valli knew Kane could read him the moment he stepped back into the living room, a strained tiny smile on his face and pink flushed eyes. The man didn't comment on it, just gripped his wrist and pulled to sit him down on the ottoman Valli had placed near Kane's head earlier. Only after Sunny reluctantly went to bed, did the injured man encourage Valli to let his emotions loose, and that's exactly what he did. Grateful for the man, who let him sob into his shoulder and cling to him like a scared child.

It got easier, slowly. While his eyes trick him often, and his senses seem to be hijacked; he surprisingly pays no more attention to his sight. He distracts himself. Pushes the lingering thought of the choice he has to the back of his mind; keep the newfound sight or return to being blind. Instead, he tries to focus on Kane and Sunny. It is not an easy choice to make, it is not one he will make until everything settles down. Until Kane is healed, completely.

The wounds have healed, scarred and viscous, but healed. They pull at Kane's sensitive insides sometimes, yet they don't reopen and the scar tissue is hard, and dense due to the extent of the damage. Uneven lines of dry scarred tissue flow over his torso; from the top rib to his pelvis look like lightning bolts had struck him. The textured flesh reveals the path the creature's claw made when they spliced him open, evident and ragged.

Kane still has visits from the Physical Therapist, who checks up on how he is doing. The man can walk again, he has a small barely-there limp and he tires a little faster, but he is slowly returning to his peak. This is how he can pace around the roaring fire and basketball shoot items into the flames. A radio blares classic rock and metal from its speakers on the back porch, volume echoing throughout the house and the farm. Valli had been out back with the man, laughing at the fun Kane had at destroying junk. They planned on sitting around the fire, drinking whatever Sunny left behind, and fishing in the river. With a few of the outdoor chairs from the porch, a filled cooler, and snacks being prepared; it was the perfect evening.

There's a sense of contentment, of ... domestic life in ways neither man had experienced before. Valli had a relatively normal life before Sunny sent Kane to him, but never with this sense of love and – for lack of a better term, romantic relationship. Neither of them is traditionally romantic – Valli is certain of that. Yet to them, the very small things are signs of affection – a prepared cup of coffee, breakfast, even just giving each other a beer – and each little moment is so new and undiscovered territory it feels romantic. It throws him for a loop sometimes, when he stops to think about the battle they had in the Void, and how situations can change so dramatically in such a period.

It's even newer and odd for Kane for experience, yet the phantom tingle in his chest, whenever he catches himself or Valli silently caring for each other, is too good to push away from. No one has ever – besides Sunny – given him the openness and trust he needed. No one had ever touched him so gently and tenderly, or kissed his chest softly at night; hell, no one had the opportunity or want to stay with him. The rare times he partners with other Hunters, he feels no ounce of trust between them, and that is the most important thing in his life; how could he trust them with his life? Trust is the foundation of everything, especially in a relationship. Kane needs to trust whoever surrounds him with his life, and vice versa. If he is not trusted with someone's life, he removes himself from that situation. It's not worth any of the risk.

However, there is no doubt they have the other's back. Their lives are in more than good hands. This fact lets them relax, and let their guard down just slightly.

"Snacks are ready!" Valli shouts over the music, his hip pushes the back door closed, his hands full with containers of pie, cookies, chips, and dips, and a bag of candy; and a large comforter hangs on his arm. He's halfway down the path to the bonfire, eyes on his feet to watch for any possible ice when a gasp is torn from his throat as three of the containers in his arm are removed swiftly.

Kane snorts in his throat, a mischievous smile curved on his lips as he balances the containers in one hand and tosses his other around Valli's shoulders. "Let me get some of that for ya."

"Well, aren't you in a good mood today!" Valli laughs, his eyes smiling as he lets himself be guided to the cushioned chairs.

"It's a good day." This is all the reply he needs, nodding along his agreement. Kane sits the snacks on one of the chairs, plops into the other, and swings the slimmer man into his lap with one smooth tug. Valli yelps, startled but laughs freely as he carefully shifts into a comfortable position for them both. With an arm curled around his waist, and the man's head tucked into the crook of his neck, Valli relaxes, muscles going slack against Kane. He tosses the blanket over them, tucking the ends under Kane's thighs to cocoon them together. The hug of arms tightens around him, and there's a deep rumble against his throat as the hunter speaks. "Thanks for making the snacks."

"I'd take any excuse to bake something, no problem." He snorts, chuckling. "Besides, I like watching you eat so that's a motivation for cooking."

"Everything you make is fucking good. I won't let your hard work go to waste, either. That'd be rude as hell of me." The soft movement of Kane's thumb on his hip is soothing, lulling Valli to lay his head on the man's shoulder.

The younger man rubs the arm wrapped at his hip, a smile teasing his mouth. "Well, thanks for that. I appreciate it."

They are quiet. Each basks in the other's presence, the weight of Valli in his lap, and how Kane's thumb never ceased in Valli's hip in a soft, tender swipe. They stare into the flames of the fire, the licks of the embers glint in their eyes, and the glow flickers over their faces.

Valli's eyes slide over to observe Kane's features, head lulled to the side to look clearer. The highlights in his boyfriend's newly trimmed hair look like they are glowing, shadows pass and float over his peaceful expression. His shaved stubble is overcast by the flickering orange and red, creating an ominous yet lovely side view of the man.

It's a pleasurable sight he knows will be stuck in his head, a rare moment where Kane lets his guard down completely to allow himself to feel more than a Hunter.

Recalling how he forgot what his parents were like, their appearance, and memories – he knows this moment would've been impossible and limited in his memory if he were to go back to being blind. His mind would've made Kane a blurry-faced figure, his blond hair and those deep ocean eyes wouldn't be there, and how his lip twitched into a smile as he pretended to be unaware he was being stared at. Valli knew he'd forget this moment, this needed a break and time together, eventually. Maybe not all of it, but the most important parts would be gone and he can't handle that thought.

He can't have Kane disappearing, not like his parents did; that'd scare him to death.

Maybe I will... keep my sight. Just to keep watching him, memorize everything so I can't forget him.