The morning light painted the room in soft gold.
Pete stirred awake first, arms still wrapped around the warm bundle that was Mek. He didn't want to move—just breathe him in, stay wrapped in this safety bubble a little longer.
Mek mumbled something sleepy against his chest. "You're warm…"
Pete grinned, voice rough with sleep. "You're clingy."
"You like it."
"I do."
Silence again. Fingers tracing lazy patterns on skin. Legs tangled. Hearts matching tempo.
"I feel safe," Mek whispered.
Pete pressed a kiss to his forehead. "You are."
And maybe that's why…
Mek started to talk.
---
FLASHBACK: Two Years Ago
Mek was seventeen.
The streets were cold that night. The alley darker than usual. And the man who cornered him smelled like whiskey and smoke.
"You think you're special?" the man slurred, pushing Mek against the brick wall. "You think anyone's coming to save you?"
Mek didn't cry. Not anymore.
He just stared past the man, beyond the streetlight, beyond the world.
"Touch me," he whispered. "And I'll kill you."
The man laughed.
Mek pulled a knife.
He didn't kill him. But he wanted to.
And that night, when he went home—bruised, bloodied, shaking—his mother didn't even ask.
Just turned up the TV.
---
FLASHBACK: One Year Ago
Khaos.
The first person who touched him gently. Who looked at him like he mattered.
Until he didn't.
Until the affection turned into possessiveness. Control. "You're nothing without me," Khaos would say. "No one else would want you."
Mek believed it. For a while.
Until he left. Alone. With a single bag. And no idea where he was going.
---
Back to Present
Mek stared at the ceiling, tears slipping silently from the corners of his eyes.
Pete watched him quietly, thumb brushing away the tears without a word.
"I wasn't always this broken," Mek whispered.
"You're not broken," Pete said.
"I am."
Pete leaned down, pressing their foreheads together. "Then I'll hold every piece until you're ready to put them back."
Mek shut his eyes tight. "You'll get tired."
Pete kissed the corner of his mouth. "Never."
A breath. A pause.
Then Mek did something he'd never done before—
He placed Pete's hand over his chest. Right where his heart lived.
And he whispered, "Stay."
Pete didn't need to promise this time.
He just did.