Guardian Angel

Chapter 7-02

Chapter 7-02

No. The issue was nothing at all physical. Far from it. It was more in favour of the wounds that still wept through Lucien's soul. He'd noticed it on their very first date. Every other time after too. His insecurities were like a venom that poisoned him into place. There had been times where Lucien had gotten carried away during a conversation, talking so passionately that his stutter had vanished and his eyes had lit up like the night sky on the fourth of July, only for it to be doused as he coached himself back into silence upon realising.

It was the apologies over minor things, like clumsiness, which then set off a domino effect of him being even more uncoordinated as panic set in.

It was that self doubt, that inability to hold faith in his actions and choices, that had solidified his choice to wait. It wasn't easy. There was a forked-tongue beast that lived inside him, one that wanted to do such dirty, but such pleasurable things to Lucien, but he reigned it in. But he didn't. Couldn't. Not yet.

Not when the other factor trumped the previous issues by a tenfold: Lucien had no idea of his own boundaries. So eager to please, if Angel told him to jump, he would have been frogging it before the words even left his mouth. He wouldn't have even stopped to ask how high; he would have just kept jumping higher and higher, hoping that he'd eventually get it right.

With anybody else, it would have been too high a job. He didn't indulge in emotional relationships. Sure, he had the obligation as a Dominate to make sure his Subs all-round well-being was being catered too, which often included their emotional welfare, but he didn't integrate himself into their lives in a way that made him responsible for maintaining their emotional care. He'd always made it clear from the start, and would always cut ties before it had a chance to get serious or complicated if a sub couldn't accept that or grew feelings later on.

But Lucien wasn't a sub. Hell, what he was, it was as far away from the b**m scene as it could get. It should have put him off. It should have had him shooting Ronan down flat and refusing to budge.

But he'd caved and he wondered if he'd been a bit hasty in that conclusion. Lucien was a good boy. Such a very good boy, but behind it, Angel knew the signs of a bad boy. He knew there was more to him. A side of filth that left Angel with the urge to make the boy sin. But only for him. Just for him.

"Daddy?"

Angel froze. He'd settled into the bed. He'd lay against the stack of feathered pillows, propping himself up so he wasn't fully horizontal, and he'd been staring up at the ceiling. The sound had startled him. Eyes rolling to the side, an eyebrow sliding up, he watched as the orange creature struggled into a sitting position.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

The pokie-creature blinked stupidly. Those emeralds for eyes fluttered, those teasing lips parted. "Gotta catch 'em all," he said at last before dropping back down. On Angel's chest.

He stiffened at the impact, momentarily at a loss as Lucien shuffled closer, curling into him, wrapping his arms around him, but eventually he exhaled and gently set one arm against the man's back, patting it softly.

Daddy.

Another stark difference between his previous relations. He'd been called Daddy before, but never in the same context as he knew it meant to Lucien. He'd been called it in the heat of the moment, or because it had been a specific subs personal preference, but not like this.

Lucien, like Ronan, was an age regressor. He knew what that meant. What it entitled. He'd dealt with Ronan in those moods far too much to claim ignorance, but he'd never considered being a Caregiver before.

Funny how that worked, huh?

"Daddy?" Lucien mumbled again. "I lostey my ninja."

"Shhh," Angel hushed, brushing his fingers through the fluffy halo of darkened strands. " We'll find him. Back to sleep, puppy."

And like the obedient little pup he was, within seconds, Lucien's breathing evened out once more.

...

The relationship he shared with dawn was a tricky one. There had been times in his life where watching the sun break through the thicket of darkness had been a blessing, and others where it had presented itself as a soul-crushing drag.

This morning, as the first inklings of light filtered in through the open double doors, along with the high-octane drovel of noise as the city hit its peak, the streets being hit by the early risers, he found himself at peace with the coming day.

And if he was going to be honest with himself, it had everything to do with the man beside him.

It was early, only a few minutes past six, if the blinking red figures on the bedside alarm were anything to go by, but Lucien was awake, the riveting jade of his eyes alert as he lay on his back, his phone torch on whilst he used his fingers to make finger puppets against the ceiling.

He was oblivious to Angel's gaze. He'd been so focused on making a bunny that he was unaware of the way he'd been watching him for the last ten minutes. It could have been the innocence, or maybe it was just the calming effect Lucien had on him in general, but for a moment, he'd contemplated just lying there. Just the two of them. Stuck in the moment forever.

Considering only yesterday he had an objection to sharing a bed, it was one helluva turnaround.

"Good morning, puppy," he breathed when he could put it off no longer. With a soft squeak, Lucien dropped the phone on his face.

"Sorry," he was quick to apologize, bolting upright. His hand cupped his cheek in alarm, and heat rose to the other as a blush rose up in greeting.

Angel couldn't help but think of how pretty the colour pink looked on him.

"Not sorry," Angel grunted with a yawn, arms stretching as he struggled to sit up. He took his face in his hand, tilting his head to the side and inspecting for any damage. There was none. Or nothing he could see over the force of the blush. But he kissed it better just to be safe. "Just say good morning back. Nothing to be sorry for."

Lucien did as he was told.

They didn't get up right away. They'd spent the night talking. Spent the hours trying to get to know each other. It was new territory for both of them, he suspected, but he couldn't trust Lucien to be honest about his limits if he was still too uncomfortable or too unsure to speak up if he needed to. So it was a necessary evil.

Although, the more they spoke, the less of an evil it became. Angel found himself enjoying the way Lucien's stutter levelled out when he told him all about his pika-things, or whatever the hell they were. He told him about his elder brother, Joel, and how every Halloween they'd dressed as pirates and would loot other kids' candy. Especially their sister's.