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 Posted: Sun Oct 11, 2015 12:33 pm
48 Hours
It had taken two days for Salem to ever so slightly wonder if what he’d done was actually the wrong thing. Well, of course it was the wrong thing. He had ruined this guys life. Striped him clean from everything he’d known, just because Salem had been possessed with the urge to make Rannoch his. Rannoch was his mind you. But that was besides the point. Rannoch had always belonged to Caledonia. Even if he wasn’t exactly Caledonia anymore. Then again… Rannoch wasn’t exactly Rannoch anymore now was he?
Also, beside the point.
But Salem had carried him home. A man just two inches shorter then he was, bundled in his arms, curled up like a small kitten. Salem had originally tried to carry him on his back but after a few near incidents where his companion nearly ate the pavement, he decided it was just easier to carry him like that. He kept trying to get the listless form to talk to him, all while he made the trek home. Though Salem soon realized that the man didn’t have much to say. Or rather, anything to talk about. Quite literally. The man in his arms would just make small noises every time he was jostled about a little too roughly or just curl his fingers into the fabric of Salem’s clothes. Both, if the man had drifted off to sleep in the time it took Salem to get home.
They’d made it back to Salem’s place in the nick of time because just as he had managed to slam the door shut with his back, which earned him a pathetic whine from the man who since woken up and was now trying to claw his way up Salem’s shoulders for some leverage, did the pair hear what sounded like thunder, followed quickly by a loud clap indicating lightning. Great. Well at least the pair weren’t wet. That was a bonus, he guessed. His partner however, didn’t seem at all thrilled with the notion of a thunderstorm going on outside. Another clap sounded and his nails dug into Salem’s back as the man buried his face in a mix of Salem’s hair, neck and collar. Okay, so apparently the guy didn’t like storms.
So Salem bee lined for his room, depositing the half conscious man in the center of the bed before heading off to find any possible excuse for a blanket he might have owned. Just in case. He wasn’t sure how it would be for this guy, but after his own forceful corruption, Salem had had a chill he couldn’t shake for a few days. With his luck though? This guy could end up feeling like he’d been dumped in hell and couldn’t cool down fast enough.
Like he said though. That had been two days ago. He should have been showing some signs of getting back on the mend by now, right? Salem had learned quite a bit about his new… friend, in these two days though.
What had happened first was this guy had decided that, at some ungodly hour in the morning mine you, his name was now Caerwyn Hesperos, despite not remembering what his name was in the first place. Salem decided to chalk that one the cold medicine he’d given the guy, Caerwyn, the night before. The name stuck however. So Salem rolled with it. However, it wasn’t only the name that he rambled off. Caer also decided that Salem needed a history lesson on the history bricks. That’s right. Bricks. But not just any bricks as Salem found out. Oh no. Not cement bricks. Not fired. Good old fashioned mud bricks. Yep. As in Egypt’s pyramids. For the better part of a half hour, Salem contemplated murdering the Negaverse’s newest recruit. Caer apparently liked to spit out random tidbits of knowledge for no reason. The best part is that they never flowed from one thing to another smoothly. They were all random. Salem sighed heavily. Guess the memory wipe wasn’t as widespread as he’d thought it was. Caer had proceeded to wake him up with needless facts at least once every night so far. Sometimes more.
Second, he’d learned that apparently, this guy was a cuddler. Not that Salem had a problem with this mind you, he could use it to his advantage down the road, he was just surprised by it. Pleasantly might he add, so he let Caer do as he pleased if he could manage it. Most of it had been when Salem had to move him, or help him sit up so he could drink something. Eating often resulted in Caer sitting in Salem’s lap or hanging off his arm. But anytime Caer tried to latch on to Salem of his own intent, it would go in vain unless the taller man made it easier for him. But most attempts quickly died down in favor for sleeping. Salem wouldn’t argue this logic.
He’d also learned that Caer couldn’t seem to stand for long period periods of time. This had been learned after helping him into the shower so he could clean off. Salem had been out of the room exactly five minutes before he’d heard a loud noise from the bathroom. Upon rushing in, he had found Caer there, slumped against the side of the tub. After a quick inspection, Salem had decided that Caer didn’t seem to have any bumps or bruising on his head, but he still wouldn’t let the man drift off to sleep as he began helping him clean himself up. This had also reinforced the fact that Caer was clingy and needy. The green haired man had tried to both, climb out of the tub and into Salem’s lap, and drag Salem into the tub. Caer would later settle for using Salem’s shoulder as a pillow. Though the man quickly became agitated when Salem tried to take it out of it’s updo. Caer growled, swatting at Salem’s hands weakly. He collected it, draping it across the shoulder farthest away from Salem, as if by doing so would mean that the other wouldn’t touch it. Like that would work. Salem’s solution was to stand up and just aim the head of the shower straight at Caer’s head. It earned him an agitated shriek and one hell of a glare but Salem eventually won out and was able to wash Caer’s hair.
Another thing was that Caer was having issues keeping any solid food down. This however, was luckily and easily remedied by simply having Caer drink broth. However, it wasn’t till after Salem had gone through various foods and soups that he’d figured this out. He had to do this, mind you, while trying to keep Caer propped up in his chair. Though at some point the darker skinned man had crawled into a corner and was propping himself up against the cabinets. Whatever. It worked for Salem. The broth wasn’t much, and at first it almost seemed Caer wouldn’t be able to keep that down, but at least it was something in his stomach. At least it was warm. Which brought Salem to the last thing he’d learned.
As it turned out, Caerwyn couldn’t seem to shake the feeling of being cold. Hell. It was almost like he’d gotten sick as a result from the corruption. Salem did have to wonder. Was that possible?
What was he saying. It probably was, given everything else he’d seen.
Caer was piled under and impressive number of blankets, and all he seemed to do was shiver and shake harder. The shower had done wonders for a bit, but it didn’t last long. Salem really couldn’t understand it. Was it the blankets? Were they not thick enough? Was it… just whatever corruption was just making it’s way through Caer? Two toned eyes flickered over Caer’s form for a moment. What if it was Caer? What if there was something wrong with him? They wouldn’t know it now because of the corruption right? The green haired man cursed loudly, which earned him a stir from the semi conscious form.
“Salem…” Caer mumbled, his hand just barely ghosting over the sheets of the bed and over to where Salem’s own hand rested. Salem let him take it, gently rubbing his thumb against Caer’s skin. Caer sighed, his eyes closing once more. A good thing about Caer being touchy feely, was that the physical contact seemed to relax him, and help ease him through whatever he was feeling at the time. However, Salem could still feel Caer’s fingers shaking. He was still cold, despite everything Salem had tried. Well… Salem had tried everything but letting Caer leech his own body heat.
Well now there was an idea.
With a sigh, Salem released Caer’s hand and climbed onto the bed. The dip in the mattress was met with a small noise as Caer opened his eyes again, slowly letting them adjust before his gaze shifted to Salem. The longer haired man said nothing. He simply brushed his house mates arm to the side, shifted the blankets to the side for a moment before he could get under them himself.
If Caer was cold… maybe he couldn’t generate enough body heat to make a difference, despite the blankets. Maybe Salem could change that. Not that this wasn’t even remotely awkward, despite any clinginess in the last few hours or the bathroom scene. Caer didn’t seem to mind though. Spindly arms found their way around Salem’s chest, and he could feel them digging into the fabric of his shirt. Hell, Salem was also pretty sure Caer had just tangled their legs together too. Whatever. Salem shifted only slightly, moving to tuck his hand under his head. Or at least that’s what he would have done, had Caer not taken the chance to hide his face in Salem’s neck and collar when he moved. Caer breathed in deeply before sighing slowly, murmuring Salem’s name quietly. Salem didn’t move for a minute, almost as if he was unsure of exactly what to do. Finally though, he settled for draping an arm over Caer’s waist, holding him close.
Despite the last few days though, Caer seemed to be adjusting okay. Or, as okay as an amnesiac could be. They had talked about everything, briefly. The negaverse. Who they now were. What that meant for the two of them. When Caer had asked where he would be staying, Salem shrugged, saying they would figure that out later. Caer would be staying there of course. Because, once again Rannoch belonged to him. Which now meant that Caer belonged to him.
Caer mumbled something unintelligible against Salem’s throat and the taller man had to roll his eyes slightly before pulling back just the slightest bit. Salem’s fingers had just barely brushed the edges of the black metal framework that rested on Caer’s face when the man squirmed, wriggling his body just enough so he was able to shove his face into the pillow above Salem’s arm with an indignant whine and a huff. “Caer, take off your glasses.” Another huff came and the man made no attempt to move.
Ah well. If Caer wanted to play that way…
Salem shove the covers off himself, and detangled as best he could as he rolled towards the other side of the bed. A quick rustle of fabric and a series of creaking noises, indicated that Salem had settled down and now had no intention of moving. Caer made a curious noise, turning his head to peak at Salem. “Salem.” He croaked. “Saaaal’m.” An arm stretched out, and fingers brushed against the expanse of Salem’s back. Ghosting over skin before dropping into his hair. The corner of his lip twitched upwards as he felt the subtle tug on his hair. Salem listened, unmoving as Caer’s fingers scraped across the bed sheets and began playing with the strands of bright green hair. Still, Salem made no signs that he would move. Caer whined lightly at first, the noise growing in volume as time passed. Again he reached over, trying to shake the taller man and get his attention. “Saleeeeeem.” Caer cried.
This went on for another few minutes before Salem was almost, almost sure that Caerwyn was about to start crying before he finally spoke. “Glasses.” Was the only thing he said however, as he extended one hand behind his back, waiting for the object. Caer puffed out his cheeks for a moment before sniffling and finally pulling them off and placing them in Salem’s hand.
Setting them on the bedside table, Salem finally turned back around to face Caer. He’d gotten as far as rolling onto his back before Caer shoved his way in and plastered himself back against the taller man’s side. Lighter blue green hair mixed with true green as Caerwyn buried his face into Salem’s chest, legs once again tangling. Okay. Salem supposed he could let Caer have this. He was ‘sick’ after all. “Don’t think I’m rewarding you for your bad behavior.” Salem said quietly. “You would have broken them if you had fallen asleep with them on. I’m not going to go through this every time Caerwyn.” All he received was a nod, as his bed mate wriggled an arm under his shoulder and made, what Salem assumed to be anyway, an attempt at a hug. With a roll of the eyes, Salem once again pulled the covers back over them, rearranging them enough so that Caer was warm and covered enough.
Caer’s fingers twitched against his chest as his arm moved back around the man’s waist. “Go to sleep now.” Came the order though, for once, Caerwyn seemed to be one step ahead of him this time. His eyes had once again closed. A small nuzzle at his collarbone, and a hand wrapping around his own waist was all the response Salem needed to know that Caer was on board with this plan, one hundred percent.
His companion was out not long after that, while Salem remained awake. Occasionally, Caer’s body would twitch, or jolt as if a small tremor had torn through him, leaving Salem to gently rub at his side or back to help ease whatever dreams were plaguing him.
Perhaps this wasn’t such a bad thing after all, he thought. Caer seemed completely devoted to him, despite the fact that Salem had just striped him of his life as he knew it. It seemed like he would hang on to every word Salem told him, do whatever the man told him. Caer’s body shook again, and Salem just pulled him closer, Caer stilled soon afterwards. Yeah… Salem could definitely make this work to his advantage. Caer was his after all. He would do as told. Or else he would face punishment. Though… Salem figured they wouldn’t have to worry too much about that.
However, if Caer woke him up one more time spinning some needless history lesson about who the ******** knew what. Salem was going to kick his a** to the couch for sure. Sick or not. He was not going to go through this every night god damn it.
[WC: 2544]
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Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2015 7:26 pm
One Month Later
It had been little over a month since the night of the corruption. One month since Salem had brought Caerwyn home. Aside from getting sick for the first few days, there had been no signs for Salem to think that Caer wouldn’t adapt easily to the new life he had.
At least, that was what he originally thought.
Salem had gotten his new ward a few books. Nothing special mind you. Just a few history books and things of that nature. Salem remembered that, before the corruption, the Page had said he taught students. Salem figured that maybe reading up on a few things might put Caer at ease, and help relax him. Caer took to reading like fish to a water, and Salem was more than content to let him read. It was suppose to be something to help him cope and adjust. It just worked a little too well.
As it turned out, Caer had started reading up on other things too. Namely the Negaverse. The problem here, was that it usually left Caerwyn an emotional mess. While Salem knew that Caerwyn wasn’t mad at him, and held no ill will or grudge against him- (It was quite the opposite really.) he knew that Caer was still trying to come to terms with the fact he had a life before this.
Occasionally Salem would find him in the living room late at night. Asleep, surrounded by a sea of books left open while others formed small stacks. Other times, Salem would have to physically remove the book from Caerwyn’s hands. It was soon after the first time this had to happen that a ‘No books in bed’ rule was quickly added to the bedroom.
It was one of these times however, that had landed Salem in his current position.
Salem had been out taking care of some errands around the city. He’d only been gone a few hours really, but it was enough time to do the damage needed. He’d found Caer right where he left him. Surrounded by books and left to his thoughts. However, when Caer looked up at him, Salem knew it was time to call it quits. Tears streamed down Caerwyn’s face, staining his cheeks. Gently, Salem pulled the book from lifeless fingers. Caer did little to fight it, only hiccuping as he tried to fight back the sobs that were becoming steadily louder. The glasses had already disappeared from Caer’s face, tossed to the side and resting beside some book.
Salem gently tugged at the man’s arm, guiding him up and over to the couch. Caer waited till Salem had seated himself before climbing on to him. Despite his size, Caer was fairly light. Salem wondered if perhaps he was underweight.. but that was something that could easily be fixed with a little bit of time and patience. Caer hiccuped as he pressed his face into Salem’s chest, the rest of his body settling between Salem’s legs. Once Caer had settled though, it seemed like that was enough to break whatever was holding him back. He cried loud and hard, clinging to Salem with every fiber of his being. Salem’s hand’s worked at Caer’s hair, undoing it before settling one in the small of his back. Other, rested against seafoam hair where he gently stroked at it.
“Shh…” Came the soft murmur. “It’s alright. No one’s mad at you for any of this.” His tone was gentle, almost if he was talking to a little kid. “It’s not your fault.” He said, feeling Caer’s fingers curl into his shirt. “You don’t have to cry. Everything’s okay. I promise.
This went on for a few rather long moments. Caer doing nothing but sobbing, and the occasional hiccup. Salem whispering sweet things to him, stroking his hair softly and holding him close. Eventually the sobs died down to quiet breathes that hitched and caught every now and then. Salem was pretty sure Caer had cried himself to sleep, but he wasn’t about to risk shifting to find out. At least, not just yet. So he laid there on the couch, Caer pressed against him and continued to stroke the other man’s hair.
No. No one would be mad at Caer for what he did. Salem would make sure of that. Caer was only where he was because of Salem’s involvement. The family Caer left behind mattered little to Salem. When he was still Carmine, he had never really mentioned them. But then again, Salem had never given him the chance. No. The biggest obstacle in all of this would be Eden. Eden had been there the night he’d met the then, Rannoch. The young page was likely to be pissed with the current turn of events. Just as she had when Caledonite had corrupted.
As if that particular incident had been his doing.
Salem snorted loudly at the thought, causing Caer to stir and make a small noise. A hand came up to gently brush at Caer’s cheek, wiping away tear stains as another soft ‘shh’ was whispered. Caer nuzzled his face against Salem, one of his arms sliding up to rest against the taller man’s shoulder, as both his wrapped around Caer’s, keeping him in place. So he had been asleep. Just as well, Salem wasn’t sure just how long Caer had been at this. If it had been the whole time he was gone, Caer could probably use the reprieve.
Something would eventually have to be done about her. The young page that felt it was her duty to try and save those of her fold that were lost to them. If she kept at it like she was, Eden was bound to attract the attention of some of the Negaverse’s more… jagged elite. And as of right now, that was not something Salem was willing to chance. If anything was going to be done about her he would be the one doing it. Not some half baked twit. For now though, he would tend to the needs of the one who needed him most right now. Even if that someone was fast asleep.
[WC: 1025]
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Posted: Sun May 06, 2018 9:34 pm
Salem sighed to himself, so as not to disturb the sleeping form close by. For to long had they sat by the wayside doing nothing. It was true that Caer was teaching at the Romano's School, keeping up appearances and tabs on potential new allies and recruits.
But what did he have to show for anything?
Nothing. Salem was lucky no one had called his a** out about that. Scraping by doing the bare minimum was not how he had expected to be doing things.
"Damn it." He growled, slamming his fist onto the armrest of the couch. He stiffened instantly as Caer startled against his leg with a confused noise. "Shhh.." He soothed, running his fingers through Caer's hair, easing the man back down. To say it had gotten long would be an understatement. It was already long when Salem had corrupted him, but now. Now, at times, Salem would say it reminded him more of...
Salem's fingers paused in his ministrations. That's right... He still had that issue to deal with. His gaze flickered sown to the sleeping man against him. He had to wonder what his thoughts on that particular issue would be. If he would be for or against it. He wondered if his ward even knew the girl.
It didn't matter. Caer would come to accept those changes, just as he had come to accept his own changes. As would she. It wouldn't be much, but perhaps it would be just enough for Laurelite to forgive his ignorance and lack of involvement. He'd already done it once. He could do it again.
She wouldn't be as easy to get close to as Caer had been. Fluke's like that don't happen a second time. As it was, he wondered how well it would work. The first time they had met, had left a lot to be desired. However, if she was anything like Eden...
Salem snarled, quiet this time, as to not disturb Caer again. That was an issue that had to be handled as well. The difference there was her name hadn't come up in a while. Perhaps the young Squire was dead. Or maybe she'd simply given up her powered life. She hadn't been involved in any corruptions... Salem had at least kept that much of an eye on things..
Perhaps he could use that against her? He could potentially find out where Eden had gone, and learned more about the brat... Two birds with one stone. Even if she didn't know about Eden, he'd track her down. One way or another.
He'd get what he wanted. He already did it once. He could do it again, as many times as he wanted.
His gaze flickered down towards Caer again. "Wake up." He said softly, giving a gentle tug on his hair. "Caer. I have something I need to take care of. If you're good, you might even get to help me with it as a reward." Salem offered. "Come. I'm done wasting time. I have work to do."
WC: 505
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