He loves me, He loves me not

He loves me, He loves me not

“Do you love me like I love you, Promise?” 

Virion asks one day as the pair of boys hold each other. It wasn’t unlike them to snuggle and be generally close. Promise’s breath is hot on Virion’s breastbone as the tiefling moves his head to look up at the elf. He looks confused, frightened in a sense. Virion waits impatiently for an answer, moving his hand up to brush hair from the tiefling’s eyes.

“Of course I do,” Promise near-whispers, his voice sounding hurt. 

Virion shakes his head.

“You don’t, though. You love your brother more than you love me,” he notes, tucking the hair behind Promise’s ear. He notices the way Promise swallows audibly. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“It’s… a different form of love,” Promise tries, earning a scoff from his friend. 

The tiefling winces, his skin color shifting ever so slightly in hue. Of course, as his closest friend, Virion notices.

The elf lets out a loud sigh, untangling himself from Promise, to which the other protests with little effort. He moves to the edge of the couch, moving to reach into his bedside table. His hand slowly opens the drawer, the sound agonizingly loud and slow and screeching.

“It’s not. Even if it was different, you spend more time with him. It’s not fair,” Virion murmurs as the wood screeches. Promise’s breathing gets loud and fast. “I should be the most important person in your life, not him. I’m your only friend. He’s just your brother.”

A long sound, different from before, reaches Promise’s ears. Smooth metal across wood. His breath hitches.

“Virion, I-” 

“Shut up.”

Promise closes his mouth.

“I’m the only one who cares about you. You have nobody else but me.”

Promise stays quiet.

“Say it.”

Promise still stays quiet. Virion shifts to sit on Promise’s lap. The tiefling can now see the dagger in Virion’s grasp, involuntarily letting out a whimper. It makes Virion feel powerful to see the most beautiful man in the town struggle underneath him. So many could have Promise, but here he was, with him.

“Say it,” He repeats, his voice pleasant. He can feel Promise’s legs shift and tremble.

“I have nobody else but you,” Promise repeats, sounding breathless. His eyes meet Virion’s.

Virion is mesmerized by how frightened he can make this normally-strong man. It makes him smile.

“That’s right.”

Virion leans in close for a kiss, as he always does. Like every other time, Promise moves his head to the side. There is no blush on his face this time, Virion notes, just fear and discomfort.

“You’re not willing to prove you love me? Should I kill myself atop you with this knife right now?” Virion asks, his mouth close to Promise’s ear, which has now turned a brilliant blue. He hears a swallow. “Hm?”

Promise opens and closes his mouth, only a squeak coming out.

“Promise. Promise, do you want me to kill myself?” Virion is louder now. “I saw you talking with that idiot from the bakery? Is this why you won’t kiss me? Do you want me to suffer?”

Promise looks up at him as Virion pulls away, his eyes wide. 

“No,” he says, quiet and meek. It bothers Virion.

He pulls the knife closer to his chest, Promise’s arm quickly grabs it.

“If you won’t love me then what’s the point of living?” Virion near snarls, the knife inching closer to his bare chest. Promise shakes his head desperately, tears coming to his eyes. “You can’t even SPEAK TO ME WHEN I NEED YOU!”

The shouting frightens Promise. Virion spins the knife, bringing it down towards Promise’s eye.

He grabs Virion’s arms, typical. 

“What are you-?” Promise tries to ask, grunting with effort as Virion puts more pressure on the knife. It’s too close to his eye. They stay, shaking with effort, for minutes. Perhaps it’s only seconds, actually. 

Virion is stronger than Promise. Promise is nicer than Virion.

The elf’s arms slip, pushed up by Promise above his head. The blade slices into Promise’s skin, the eye untouched yet the brow above split in two. As soon as the skin starts to bleed, Promise’s skin and hair change hues sporadically. The tiefling whimpers underneath Virion, his arms now useless above his head and leaving him open.

“You’re nothing without me.”

Virion leans in, taking Promise’s first kiss.