ending the year doodling some Theron and Xileas!!! also drew Alistair and Karadormi (warcraft ocs, void elves actually) as chiss!! cause I love chiss!!! ngl may make Alistair into a cipher in xileas's run
It has taken quite some time for Tobias to recover from what he had gone through, but now things seems to be better; he even managed to finally engage in a relationship, something he’s been craving for so many years now but never had the courage to initiate. The same applied to Alistair though and Tobias was quite baffled when he discovered that he and his new boyfriend not only shared their taste in music or their love for homemade food, but also their asexuality. The fear of being accused of making things up was gone; he couldn't remember feeling this good in ages.
They have been a couple for almost a year now and for Tobias it has become a habit to spend the night at Alistair’s apartment; somehow he feels safe there, so much more than in his own home. Alistair knows about the kidnapping, he knows about his boyfriend’s trauma - but he never presses him to talk about it; if he wants to get something off his chest, Alistair is there to listen. If he doesn’t, he’s completely fine with just holding him in his arms until he feels better and starts smiling again.
Tobias never liked to be touched; with Alistair, it’s different though. He’s craving his closeness, the warmth of his body and the softness of his voice while he’s whispering sweet nothings into his ears. Humming a little tune while being lost in thought, he steps out of the shower and walks over to the bedroom, wrapping a vast towel around his hips, not noticing that Alistair is already sitting on the brink of his bed - well, their bed, actually - just about to remove his contacts. Realising that his boyfriend has entered the room, Alistair turns around, smiles at him - and freezes.
‘What’s the matter?’ Tobias asks anxiously as he notices that he is staring at him with wide eyes.
‘Darling, what’s that? On your hip?’
With a sigh, Tobias sits down on the bed, his back turned to Alistair, clinging to the towel in a desperate attempt to hide what’s already been revealed.
‘I’ll get your pyjamas..,’ the other man mumbles, heading for the wardrobe.
‘Do you want to see it?’ Tobias asks silently and Alistair pauses mid-motion.
‘Only if you really want to show me.’
Slowly, Tobias gets back to his feet and pushes down the towel, just a tiny bit, making the light pink symbol visible again.
‘He… branded you?’
'Yes.’
Alistair wants to look away; he doesn’t want to see the patch of skin with the two entwined letters on it, slightly raised and beautiful in a horrible way, but he keeps his eyes fixed on them. Tobias rarely talks about what happened and when he does, Alistair listens, no matter how cruel the things he learns about his boyfriend’s captivity. It’s the least he can do.
‘What does MT mean?’ he asks, his voice nothing more than a whisper.
‘Marcus Thibault. That’s his name. And this is the price I had to pay for staying alive.’
'I'm so sorry darling…'
Alistair moves closer and puts an arm around Tobias' shoulders, sitting down on the edge of the bed with him. Leaning against him and savouring the warmth of the other man’s body, Tobias closes his eyes.
‘Everytime I look into the mirror I see this mark. And even if I try not to, I always know it’s there. I can still feel it. And knowing what it means is just…’
With a faint sob he presses his face into the soft fabric of Alistair’s shirt.
‘It doesn’t mean anything, my love. He can’t hurt you ever again.’
‘But I will always have his initials on my body…’
‘Have you thought about getting a tattoo so you don’t have to see it all the time?’
Tobias shakes his head.
‘I wanted to, but I would still be able to feel the scars, even if they weren’t visible any longer. He’ll always own a part of me and there’s nothing I can do against it.’
‘Would you excuse me just a moment?’ Alistair asks hesitantly as he slowly gets up.
Tobias only looks at him while Alistair starts rummaging through his drawers to return a minute later, his right hand hidden behind his back.
‘He stole a part of your body and an even bigger part of your life… Let me give you a part of my life in exchange.’
A confused expression on his face, Tobias stares at the ring in Alistair’s hand.
Tagging: @colesphelps @devotchkas @foofygoldfish @statichvm @geronimo-11 @josephseeds-rosary @seedlingsinner @redroci @rumhqm @amistrio aaannd anyone else who wants to do it
