'I didn't know what love was until i met you.'
There was great strength in the arms that wove around him from behind despite the slimness of their build. Malik kept his own arms folded and instead of turning into the embrace he remained set in this obstinate stance. Although there wasn’t anyone to witness them standing in close proximity any onlooker would have doubtlessly misconstrued their interaction and thought it tense. Maybe even hostile.
The truth was that Malik allowed next to no one this close to his back. Even if he was glowering over his shoulder, even if he was curt with his words, there was vulnerability here.
❛ You’ve got a funny way of showing it. ❜
Not that Malik had room to talk; he knew very little about love beyond the familial spectrum. Even then his experiences were considerably warped by years of isolation and violent abuse. He knew that Seto wasn’t that much better off (troubled at the hands of a father that should have protected him and worse). They were a case of the blind leading the blind and as a result whatever bond they’d formed was constantly rearranged, torn down and rebuilt.
How they had come together at all was a mystery.
A MIRACLE? OR A DISASTER.
It depended on who you asked.
He wanted to hold onto what they’d built and fought for. The number of times they’d hurt each other just to get this far was becoming too long to list. At the same time he found himself pressing anxious fingertips into his own arms, concerned this fight would be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
❛ How many times do we have to argue about the same thing? You should have called me. ❜