Chapter Text
The next morning Nunew woke slowly, gently rubbing his nose against the warm chest he was buried against. A smile appearing on his face, he inhaled his favorite scent in the world. The arm slung around his waist tightened, a low chuckle followed. “Morning, love,” came the dark sleepy rumble from above.
Zee was overflowing with love for the man in his arms, pulling him even closer, he gently carded his hands through the wild bedhead. “Mmm…hia…” Nunew yawned, giggling still sleep drunk. The sun was peeking out from behind the closed curtains, bathing them in soft warm light. Zee decided right there and then that he wanted more than anything thousands of mornings like this. He wanted to wake up with Nunew in his arms for the rest of his life, and if that bitch, he gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to react otherwise, not to tense his body, as not to alert his still blissfully relaxed Nu, was the reason this dream came true sooner than planned, it was her loss and his gain.
But sadly reality came back into focus for Nunew as well, he stiffened as he fully remembered yesterday’s confessions. Biting his lip and forcing his head even closer towards Zees chest, grabbing onto his sleepshirt as his thoughts began to spiral. “Shh, no, none of that darling. You don´t have to worry,” Zee gently lifted his head from his hiding place, meeting his eyes, caressing his cheek, protectiveness, and pure devotion in every gesture.
“I promised you yesterday, you will never have to go near her again. I will protect you from now on,” his expression fierce, leaving no room for doubt. Still, Nunew could not let hope in.
“Hia…she is my mother,” he choked a little at the title, not wanting to call her that any longer, but having to acknowledge facts, “I live with her…I can´t avoid her, and you can´t always be there…” His voice was thin, eyes downcast. Zee sat up, lifting Nunew up and closer in the same movement. Blinking rapidly at the sudden change of elevation, he ended up straddling his hia´s lap. “Huh…hia?”
Nunew quieted, eyes wide as Zee cupped his face in his big hands, seemingly trying to find reassurance and courage in their close proximity, only to touch their foreheads for a moment, nuzzling his nose. Then with a small unsure smile, he proposed: “Move in with me?” Nunew could only stare, mouth falling open into a small o. Zee forced himself not to fidget, waiting.Finally the smaller seemed to unfreeze, tears welling up in his eyes, as he slowly started to shake his head, hands flying to his mouth.
“H-hia…,” he hickuped. “Nu…,” at a loss for what to do, Zee hastily rubbed his shaking back, trying to sooth. “You don´t have to…if…” But before he could say one more word, Nunew shook his head even more rapidly, one hand leaving his mouth to stop Zee from adding anything more.
“No…no…I…yes,” Nunew had to take a big gulp of air, capturing one of Zee´s big hands in his, planting a quick kiss. “Yes, yes, please…I want to.” A brilliant smile finally making it past the tears, shining through the tumble of emotions running amok inside him. Zee answered with a smile just as beautifully bright.
“You want to?” he needed to clarify again, a big weightlifting from his chest, he didn´t think Nunew would say no, not when it meant escaping that bitch, but…something in him had still expected to be rejected.
“Yes! Yes! I want to move in with you!” Giggling followed, as Nunew started to happily wiggle around on his lap. Zee quickly sitting up a bit further, while shifting his Nu downwards, otherwise things would quickly become much, much harder for him. Literally.
Nunew totally oblivious to the effect of his actions, continued to surge forward to place gentle kisses everywhere he could reach, making Zee laugh as well. Awaking the playful side of his hia, who immediately answered by tickling the squirming bundle on his lap. Eliciting squealing carefree laughter. Nunew darted away, throwing himself to the side, protecting his stomach from the invading fingers, trying and failing to launch a counterattack, he was lost in his laughter.
“St-op…sto…,” another bout of laughter, now different kinds of tears were streaming down his face.
“Peace! I…,” he giggled, capturing one tickling hand in two of his, tucking his face in Zee´s stomach. “I give up!” He surrendered, smiling brightly. Zee chuckled, but obediently stopped, pulling Nunew´s still wiggling body closer again, carding his hands through his locks. His heart light.
They simply enjoyed the moment, until a few minutes later, Nunew propped himself up again, face one more serious as he moved to face his hia. Still holding onto his big hand, he frowned. “If you are only doing this because of…her…you…,” he gulped, shaking his head, when Zee wanted to interrupt, he needed to get this out, “I…I don’t want to be a burden to you. I don´t want to force you into anything…this…,” he lowered his head, long lashes shadowing his eyes.
“Nunew, love…you could never be a burden to me, I love you.”
He took a steadying breath, saying those three words, still took quite a bit of courage from him. In return Nunew showed him a wobbly smile, placing Zee´s hand against his small chest, letting him feel his rapid heartbeat, so much love shining in those brown eyes, such a small gesture, but it felt like a lighthouse in the dark for Zee. He felt like a planet revolving around his ever there, ever steadying sun. Zee could always let himself fall with Nunew, his emotions would always be cradled carefully within soft hands and then tucked safe into a much too big a heart for such a small person.
“I want you with me, always. I want to wake up next to you for the rest of my life, maybe others will say four months is to short an amount as a couple to move in together, but I want nothing more. The only difference is me asking you sooner, than I had allowed myself to.” Forcing himself to open up, he continued on.
“To be honest, if I had known, you would say yes, I would have asked you much earlier,” he grinned crookedly, feeling slightly silly. “Hia…” Nunew´s smile was so tender it made Zee´s heart nearly leap out of his chest.
“I love you so much, of course I would have said yes. I want to be close to you as well. I sleep so much better when you are close. I feel so safe next to you, you can´t imagine how much I love you…” With trembling lips Nunew placed kisses on the knuckles of the hand he was still cradling close.
“You will make me cry as well.” Zee nearly pouted, forcing himself to blink the tears back, pulling Nunew close into an all-consuming embrace, emotions overflowing, only to finally capture those tempting lips against his own. Ignoring the morning breath, both fully let themselves fall into the kiss, lips opening and tongues interweaving. A moan filled the room, closely followed by a deep rumble.
To say the least, they only made it out of the bed two hours later.
When they finally managed to get to the table to eat breakfast, Zee proposed: “Let´s drive to her house and get your stuff right away. She isn´t home right now, because of the trip right?” Nunew nodded, a knot in his stomach at the thought of going to that house, but at the same time he felt like flying when he imagined leaving and never returning after today. “Yes, let´s get it done. This way I´m finally free.” A grin escaped him, he wiggled in his seat. He had never let himself dream of escaping her clutches, long having resigned himself, it felt almost like a dream to really leave her behind.
“Will she allow me to leave that easily?” Dread building at the thought, she could somehow fight his move.
“You are 20, you are past the age of majority, she has no control over you any longer.” Nunew nodded, true true…he could do as he pleased. “You are no longer dependent on her, you will move in with me, have a new home and you are making money on your own as well, and for anything else we will find a solution together. Don´t worry.” Zee gently reassured, rubbing up and down his back. He nodded, calming himself down, leaning on his hia, feeling immeasurably safe and protected. He always had with his hia, Zee had always been different than anyone else, the only person he let himself truly rely on.
“Okay, okay…can we go right away? I want to get it over with.” With Nunew looking up from his lashes, pleading with a soft unsure voice, Zee could do nothing but immediately agree.
“Of course.” They quickly cleaned up their breakfast, changed clothes and off they were. Nunew grew more tense the closer they came to her house. Zee could beat himself up for never having noticed this, how could he never have questioned Nunew´s reluctance to go home? His dumb ego had simply interpreted this by Nunew wanting to stay with him longer and not even imagined the dragon his Nu had to face each time he was at that house. No longer.
Parking the car in a side street, a few empty boxes in their hands they braved the empty house. “We need to make sure to get your birth certificate and all your other documents,” Zee reminded.
“Check her study, I will get everything I want to bring from my room. I have to make sure to leave nothing important behind, I can just imagine her throwing the rest out the second she finds out I moved out.”
Having divided their tasks, they got to work. Most of Nunew´s clothes had already migrated to Zee anyway, not that he had many clothes to begin with, she had never spent much money on him, just enough to keep up the illusion of a doting mother. Therefore, it didn´t take him long to pack his meager possessions, bringing the full boxes down.
Meanwhile Zee had found the folder labeled Nunew and packed that as well, loading everything into the back of the car, while Nunew ended up standing in the living room, staring at the few photo albums decorating the shelves.
He hesitantly reached out; he had never been allowed to touch those. Oh how had wanted to, he barely had any pictures of his father. Tentatively he reached for the one album he had never dared, but always yearned to hold close, his birth and the first year of his life was documented in it. Somehow she had always known when he tried to sneak a peek, the punishments for disobeying her orders had been harsh. She had always hissed about how his filthy fingers were not allowed anywhere near her precious memories. As if it wasn’t his father as well…
He could barely remember him, he had died when he was still so young, only six. She had always resented him for being the one to survive the car crash, while her husband had died. Leaving her with an ungrateful brat, as she had always called him.
Gently running his finger over a photo of his father, holding his baby self, his guard was down, leaving him open and vulnerable. “What do you think you are doing?!” Nunew startled so badly he nearly let the album slip from his fingers, heart near freezing in his chest, before starting up again in a frantic rhythm.
He whirled around, panic setting in. She was right behind him, having come home without them noticing. Furious she ripped the album from his stiff hands. Followed by such a hard slap against his cheek, he stumbled back, tripping on the rug and crashing against the glass table as he landed on the ground. He barely bit back a pained shout, his arm pulsing, forcing tears into his eyes. His cheek on fire as he whimpered, frozen as he stared up at her crazed form.
“How many times do I have to teach you before you understand, you useless thing? Ha, I wish you had died that day as well, then at least I wouldn’t have been left with such an ungrateful whelp of a son.”
She advanced forward, dragging him closer by the collar of his shirt. Nunew could do nothing but go with the movement, the waves of pain coming from his arm and face making him dizzy. The pure terror she instilled in him, making him nearly hyperventilate.
“Pl-please…”
“Oh, now you are begging huh?” She was just about to deliver another slap to his face when her hand was caught in a firm unrelenting grip.
“What the fuck is going on here?!” Zee was fuming. Having come back into the house via the side entrance, only to see his lover on the ground pain and terror in every pore, held by the collar in his mother’s grip. He had sprinted forward just fast enough to prevent another blow. She immediately let Nunew fall back down like a sack of potatoes, as she hastily turned around, trying, and failing to escape Zee´s bruising grip.
“No-nothing. You don´t have to worry, just…a misunderstanding…yes a misunderstanding, you must…,” she started rambling, trying to make herself small, turning her shoulders inward, and washing away all the ugly expressions she had showed before by replacing them with something pitiful. Playing the fraught, overworked mother. Zee let her wrist fall down with disgust, not wanting to touch her for a second longer.
He shoved her to the side, falling to his knees next to Nunew, carefully asserting the damage.
“Where does it hurt? Can you stand up?” His voice quivering with restrained anger, but also brimming with so much obvious concern and protectiveness. Nunew gave a shaky nod, letting Zee help him up from the floor, cradling his arm against his chest, huddling close to his hia. Chest still stuttering with too fast breaths, heart beating rapidly. Zee had not let the woman out of his sight for a second, keeping an eye on her, daring her to make another move. Almost begging her to give him a reason to lash out.
In the end Zee had to contend himself with merely glaring at the woman, who watched them with barely concealed disgust in her eyes. “Nunew will be moving in with me. You have no longer any say in his life. Should you ever try to come near him again, say or do anything to hurt him or damage his standing in any way, I will make your life living hell.” Zee´s voice was a dark rumble, Nunew had never heard him this furious, it was truly frightening. It was clearly getting to her, she was quivering, even as she tried to play nonchalant and dismiss them.
“He is no longer welcome here anyway! Take him! He was never anything more than a nasty burden anyway,” she scoffed, making her retreat, skittering out of the house. Not long after they could hear her car leave the driveway. The coward had run.
As soon as she was truly gone, Nunew´s legs gave away under him, nearly crashing back onto the floor had Zee not caught him and gently sat him down on the couch. “Nu…” He hastily sat down next to him, scanning him frantically for injuries. “Nu, love…where are you hurt? Should I take you to a hospital?”
His whole body shaking he bit back a whimper, throwing himself once more into Zee´s embrace. Nunew felt like those arms were the only thing holding him together, keeping him from completely falling apart and shattering into a thousand small pieces.
“Pl-please, leave…I want to leave…” His voice was so weak, Zee barely made the plea out. “Of course, have you packed everything you want to take?” Nunew nodded weakly against his chest, taking a deep breath, forcing himself to keep it together for a bit longer, he could break down, when they were back in Zee´s condo, not a second earlier. Gritting his teeth, he made to stand, reaching for the photo album she had discarded on the couch when Zee had caught her mid-slap.
At Zee´s questioning glance, he only shook his head, not able to talk lest he let out the scream lodged in his throat. Cradling the album to his chest, he picked up another one from the shelf, featuring his life till his sixth birthday. Looking around one last time, he shakily made his way towards the door. Zee immediately helping steady him, placing a protective hand on his lower back, making a move to carry the albums from him, but Nunew wouldn´t let him, pressing them close to his chest.
He left the house without another glance back, each step away from the cursed building another bit of weight seemed to leave him. He was in a daze. Zee carefully bundled him into the car, buckling him in, when he didn´t move to do anything more than stare out of the window with unseeing eyes. The drive to his condo was silent, Zee´s heart breaking with each glance he snuck towards his Nu, not knowing what to do to comfort him while driving. He gripped the steering wheel with a harsh unrelenting grip, tension drumming in his whole body. Finally they made it to the apartment, leaving the boxes behind in the car for now, Zee´s priority was his Nu, always.
Zee gently maneuvered him out of his shoes, and led him towards his couch, before pulling him into a near crushing embrace, not knowing what else to do, but letting him know he was there for him, the albums pinned between them. This seemed to finally break Nunew out his shock, and recognizing himself safe and home, Nunew let himself finally break down.
The rest of the day was spent cuddling on the couch, soothing words starting to heal a broken heart. Finally he was free, and Zee would never let anything hurt him again, not if he could at all prevent it. Luckily, the fall against the glass table had only left a big bruise, the slap more of the same, nothing requiring medical attention, which allowed them to hide themselves away inside their condo for the weekend, without anyone or anything disturbing them. They were together now, there was no obstacle they could not overcome. Of that they were both sure. No one and nothing would come between them.
We're falling even deeper
It's getting steeper
Dark days be bright again
Believe and we'll be stronger
Together greater
I'm ready to trust again
I'm ready to trust again
Believe and we'll be stronger
Together greater
We'll never fall again
Beginning of the end
I'm ready to trust again
Through the ups and downs
Will you help me from the ground? Yeah
You make me feel so right
'Cause I feel best with you being around