From the Forbbiden Lovers meme, locked to slavic_sinner

[lionguard]

Mello's apartment was a familiar place to him, as near to his memory as his own, even if it had been weeks since he'd last come here. Since they'd been caught, since he'd been forced to keep away over threats from various family members, dire promises of charges or injury or worse, for the perversion they had perpetuated for more than three months

Comments

[slavic_sinner]

Coming home to an empty apartment was something he'd always been used to. He'd lived alone for years, ever since his mother had committed suicide when he was sixteen, since he'd run away from that disgusting pig who called himself a father barely two years later. And now, the only good that had ever come from that bastard was the man waiting in his living room. Mello almost dropped his groceries, staring openly, eyes immediately flickering to the bandages and then back up to his half-brother's face in grim understanding

[lionguard]

He wasn't sure what he had come here for. The understanding, the acknowledgement in Mello's eyes made him feel odd, feel like turning away from it, regretting coming here and dragging this man back into the mess between them. He should have stayed far away from him. They had managed it for a while and he had kept quiet and done his work, aware of his family's disgust with him, their awareness of what he was. But as long as his father made use of him, as long as they believed he would never speak to Mello again, they were both left alone. Until tonight, when his father's drunken rage had made him its target, as he'd known it inevitably would

[slavic_sinner]

Mello let his hand drop, watching Leon's back and no longer bothering to hide the pain in his eyes while the other was turned away. Leon was the only reason he'd stayed close even if he hated it here, the only reason he'd even gotten through the years he'd actually had to live with that monster. Leon was still his closest friend, the only one he felt he could be truly open with-- and it had nothing to do with 'family.'

Family wasn't really a pleasant concept for Mello. He wanted nothing to do with it, and Leon-- Leon was more than that. He didn't care that what he felt, what he wanted even at this moment, was supposed to be wrong. What did it fucking matter anyway, when the whole world was built on sin

[lionguard]

He shouldn't agree to stay the night. Agreeing felt like falling back into the spiral of something he couldn't control, the way he felt for this man like a monster inside him that might open up and swallow him whole, but knowing how wrong it was for both of them--beyond sin, beyond morality and into the simple matter of life and death--didn't make him capable of stopping. His chin tipped in a faint nod. There was no one on the street below but he felt watched regardless, the back of his neck prickling, and maybe it was just the lingering presence of horror, of violence. Coming so near to death at his own father's hands had turned the world upside down and he didn't know what to do, what to say, but doing what Mello wanted him to do seemed like a good start. "All right

[slavic_sinner]

He waited for an answer, afraid Leon would refuse, afraid he would be pushed away. The words came as a relief, and Mello nodded with a soft exhalation of breath, following Leon to the couch and helping him gently with his jacket, completely unaware of what Leon was remembering. He was too worried at the moment, too focused on the blood staining the bandages and the wound slowly revealed as they were peeled off. Mello's jaw hardened, the hand he'd set on Leon's knee for support tightening suddenly in his anger

[lionguard]

Leon turned his head to watch Mello's face as the wound was uncovered, to see the cold anger come into his eyes, as he'd known it would. "Don't," he murmured when Mello spat that he wanted to kill their father. He had no love for the man, but he respected his power, and entertaining thoughts of destroying him were useless; the best they could do was run, preserve their own lives somewhere far away from their family. He wanted to brush a kiss against Mello's mouth but the man pulled away before he could do more than think of it. His head turned to watch him until he was out of sight

[slavic_sinner]

He could see it in his eyes, in the paleness of Leon's face, even if he was trying to hide it. "You're not okay," Mello insisted, soft but firm, holding the cloth down mercilessly for the greater good. He knew it must sting like hell, but--

Mello leaned closer, kissing his cheek when he felt Leon's lips, trying to be reassuring more than sexual. It was his turn to take care of his brother, like Leon had done for him before, like he had tended to the wounds that had left those scars all over his face and body.

"You've lost a lot of blood, haven't you?" He pulled the disinfectant-soaked cloth away, reaching for rolls of fresh gauze, wrapping and taping it carefully. He was hardly a doctor, but he could do this much. Severe bloodloss, however, was something he couldn't deal with. Leon had been walking all right though, and he didn't seem in immediate danger of passing out. Mello pulled back enough to reach over and push Leon's hair out of his face, looking into his face.