"Anwyll!"

"Blaine!" I exclaimed, then burst into giggles when he lifted me above his head and then swung me down into his arms. "That was fun!"

Blaine chuckled and nuzzled my cheeks, playfully sucking and nipping on them. "Happy to be of service, cutie. I love hearing your cute giggles."

I blushed and pecked his lips, then Blaine initiated a deeper kiss. The taste of smoke on his tongue was a little off-putting, but I knew Blaine was doing his utmost best to quit smoking for his own health. And, according to Damon, Blaine had eased off his cigarettes by quite a few every day.

It had already been almost two weeks since Blaine had his trauma erased and since Damon had his corresponding memories removed, so things had gotten better and both of them had become a bit healthier (in a lot of ways).

"Shit," murmured Blaine, cuddling my form against his left side. "Why are you so damn adorable and irresistible?"

I giggled and hugged him tighter, burrowing my nose into his super luxurious sweater. It was so soft and cozy. Blaine pressed kisses to the left side of my head and gently rocked me, which had my form slowly turning into goo in his arms. But Blaine kept my body firmly in place.

"Anwyll," murmured Blaine, nosing my head. "How about a rocking chair?"

"Mmkay," I responded tiredly, then a rocking chair appeared in the middle of Blaine's immaculate room.

My Emerged incubus immediately settled into the chair, then situated me so that I was on my right side with my head against his left shoulder and my legs resting on top of his own. Blaine curled his arms tightly around my hips and shoulders, then he smiled and pressed his lips to my forehead.

"I'd like to tell you a story, Anwyll." he began softly, then took a deep breath and let it out. "A story that involves a little boy, a little girl, one mom and dad, and a dog."

"A pooch?" I asked with a big grin, which made Blaine chuckle.

"Yes, a big and fluffy white pooch. He was so soft and his fur was very thick, making him look like an oversized cotton ball with legs and a face."

"Ooh," I whispered, continuing to smile. "Was he friendly?"

"Yeah, he was very friendly." murmured Blaine, rubbing my back.

The rocking chair's movements were putting me in a somewhat sleepy state and it was clearly relaxing to Blaine as well.

"When the kids were quite young, the family of four moved from a peaceful rural town to a big city with a cold climate, then adopted the fluffy dog. The little boy and his slightly older sister loved the dog so much. They would help feed him, brush his fur, and play with him before taking a nap on the floor with the dog. Their parents were amused but pleased."

"I can imagine." I smiled, tucking my head against his shoulder again and clutching onto his knit sweater.

Blaine moved his head to press his lips to my forehead, hugging my form tighter against himself. "Yes, the family of four loved their new addition and took the dog everywhere they could. One seemingly normal day, while at the park, the little boy noticed his dog was missing after he finished riding the slide down. Normally his dog would be at the bottom waiting for him. He called out for his sister to help him find the dog, but she was nowhere in sight either."

My blood ran cold. "W-were there other people at the park?"

"Yes, more than a few parents with their children, many older people with younger siblings, and just college-aged and high school-aged people were hanging around the park. So the little boy went around asking other kids and their parents if they had seen his sister and or his dog."

I rubbed my cheek on Blaine's shoulder. His tension eased again as his left hand's fingers pushed into my hair. The sensation of his cool fingers rubbing my scalp was really soothing. I slowly rubbed his chest with my right hand and that made Blaine chuckle.

"I know what you're doing, cutie."

I hummed. "And what am I doing?"

"You are trying to keep me calm."

"Is it working?"

Blaine snorted, but it sounded to me like he was smiling rather than sneering at me. That was proven by his response: "Yeah, it's definitely working, my cute wolf."

He kissed my head again and I nuzzled his jawline, then pressed my lips to his chin. Blaine cooed and kissed my temple, then tilted his head back. The continued slow movements of the rocking chair were calming us down again.

"The other people were troubled by the news of the little boy's sister and their dog going missing, so the boy gave his mother's number to another mother and kept searching while that woman called the boy's mother. While looking around the park, the little boy noticed a ribbon on the ground that looked an awful lot like his sister's ribbon. It was lemon-yellow with white ducks on it since his sister loved ducks almost as much as she loved the family dog.

"The little boy picked it up and looked around, calling more earnestly for his older sister. When he called for their dog again, he heard barking and ran towards the sound. His sister emerged from the shrubbery behind a public restroom. The little boy was stunned by her appearance. It was clear she had been crying, her skin and clothes were smeared with mud, and she was shaking uncontrollably. They both heard growling and barking, then a grunt and a sharp whine. Those latter sounds made the boy's sister flinch.

"The little boy ran towards the sound and found his formerly white dog with muddy bootprints over its body and blood smeared around its mouth. The dog was still alive but very injured, so the little boy went back to his sister and grabbed her hand. She yanked it back and held it to her chest, biting back her sobs. And so the little boy realized something really bad had happened to his sister, too. He grabbed her wrist and pulled his sobbing sister back to the playground. His mother, having been taking a business call earlier, now hurried over. The little boy tried to explain and he was eventually able to breathe a sigh of relief once his dog was carried to the car with his sister."

My fingers were curled in Blaine's sweater, but my entire body felt stiff. "Wh-what happened after that day?"

Blaine slowly breathed out, moving the rocking chair again. He began to explain, "Things changed after that day. The little girl refused to come out of her room to play with her younger brother, but the dog was allowed inside her room. The little boy was puzzled and frustrated, but he was scared of seeing that terrified expression on her face again, so he left her alone.

"As years passed, it became harder for the boy to talk with his older sister. She had become mute and refused to say a word, even though she spent time with her brother. The boy didn't mind; he was just happy to have his sister at his side again. But his curiosity had grown alongside his fear. Just as much as he wanted to know what happened, he couldn't bring himself to ask the question. Their dog was older now too, but he still stayed close to the boy's sister for comfort and support.

"The boy still loved his family, but a crack had appeared in the foundation and it had widened over the years. Their parents were arguing more and that made the siblings grow a bit closer for moral support. On the day of their parents' informal split, the boy's sister took him into her room and sat him in front of her. The boy watched his sister plop down and curl her arms around her knees. He asked if she was okay and if she needed anything."

Blaine's voice had started to shake and my eyes were starting to burn.

"S-she told her brother that she wanted a hug, then the boy gave it to her. He heard her sobs and felt her arms curl around his shoulders and waist. He had never seen his sister hug anyone after that horrible day, but his heart ached for some reason he couldn't explain. And then he knew why when she began to tell him what happened that day."

I bit my lower lip when I heard his choked inhale and breathy shudder afterwards. I hugged Blaine tighter, squeezing my eyes shut and refusing to let a tear fall.

"Anger welled up in the boy. He wanted to find the monster and kill it. He wanted to turn back time. He wanted to be the one to take her place. But that was impossible, so he was angry, frustrated, and heartbroken. Unable to handle the dark emotions inside him, the boy left his sister with words of familial love on his lips. He ran away—away from the house of torment and his tormented sister.

"He ran all the way to the empty park and began to scream profanities, cursing the monster that'd ruined his sister and their family. He screamed and cried, tearing at his hair and scratching his skin until he bled. More than anything, he wanted to be the one that monster had ruined, so he could have killed the monster in her place. And," paused Blaine, moving to wipe his tears, "the boy got his wish granted, but not in the way he'd wanted."

I continued to let my tears fall. Blaine heaved another breath, his voice so choked with emotion that it made me amazed at his tenacity to keep his voice steady.

"The monster feasted on the boy and the boy used the last of his strength to slam a rock against the monster's head. He continued to slam the rock down until there was no more life left. The boy, with no strength in his legs because of the pain, crawled out of the bushes where a young woman found him. The police were called and the boy was taken to the hospital. And when he arrived there, he saw his parents already there with a familiar figure on a still gurney. His heart leaped to his throat when he saw his sister's pale face because her heart did not beat once."

"B-Blaine," I whimpered, barely able to bite back my sobs. "B-Blaine—!"

"Ssh," he shushed, holding me close as he curled over his knees. He pressed my back against his legs, his form trembling against mine. "It's okay, Anwyll. It's okay." he whispered fiercely, although it sounded like he was talking to himself.

Blaine continued his story: "It was all for naught. The boy had slain the monster, but the monster inside his sister killed her first. And now that she was gone, the boy came to the conclusion that it was his fault she had died. He believed she must have thought he had ran away because of how dirtied she'd believed she had become, but the boy had only been desperate to save her. But he should have tried to save her from herself in the first place. And then it was too late. Too late to change things and too late to start over.

"As the boy grew older, he hated himself for his stupidity and naivety. He hated who he had been and hated who he'd become. His parents had officially divorced less than a year after the boy's truth came to light. Neither parent wanted custody of a murderer, even though the one that was murdered had raped both of their children. It made the boy wonder if he and his sister had ever truly been loved.

"In foster care, he began to smoke cigarettes to numb his mental and emotional pain. His dreams were nightmares and every night he would wake up screaming. He was passed from home to home, but every person was too scared of a murderer. One night, the nightmare was different. The boy had taken charge of the monster and had manipulated it, using strange powers and stealing its life. When the boy awakened, he noticed his body was different. He had claws, fangs, wings, crimson irises, and a long spade-tipped tail." murmured Blaine, his fingers tightening over the curve of my waist and shoulders.

I tucked my nose against his neck and breathed deeply of his scent, still clutching onto Blaine as tightly as I could with my meager human strength. Blaine was appreciative of the gentle affection, so he sat back in the rocking chair and silently exhaled.

"He thought he was crazy, so he asked his foster parents if they could see anything different about him. The boy thought he was terminally insane, but he could pull his wings until they hurt and his tail moved according to his emotions. He couldn't control it. But soon enough, his foster family was terrified of the boy and kicked him out.

"He wandered for several days and happened to meet a tall man with emerald-green eyes and golden hair. The boy was told that the man had created a home for people like him and that there were other kids there that could eventually become my family—a real family.

"The boy was skeptical, but he had nowhere else to go and no reason for him not to stay. There was no point in living anymore and he would rather kill himself than live through physical torture by a psycho. But the boy soon realized that the man was far more different than he could have ever realized. And the kids at that home were damaged just like he had been. So the boy stayed and learned what he was and that he could put away his incubus characteristics. But he couldn't make his shame and anger disappear, rather he bottled it up for the sake of the angel for whom he'd fallen." finished Blaine, calmly petting my head.

"So he did," I said softly, leaning back on his lap to cup his cheeks.

Blaine's green and brown eyes were reddened and still filled with unshed tears. My lips lifted in a gentle smile that made something resonate in Blaine's heart. He let his tears fall again.

"It wasn't your fault, Blaine. You don't know what she had planned, if anything at all." I murmured, swiping my thumbs over his cheeks. "You didn't and still don't deserve the pain and anguish you've experienced."

Blaine didn't respond to those words. He closed his eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. "Our dog, Snowball, had stayed with my sister and was with her in her final moments. I wish he'd tried to stop her more earnestly, even though I know he'd tried his best because there had been little marks from his teeth on her hands and arms. I don't know how many times I wished to start over and be at her side—to have stopped her from taking her life."

"You might not have been able to stop her."

"She needed me, Anwyll. She needed me to tell her that everything would be okay. She needed me to stay by her side. But I ran away to do nothing but suffer the same fate!" he shouted, glaring at me.

I kept my grip on his face as I moved to kneel over his lap. "It was not the same fate, Blaine. You are here with me now as proof of that fact. You were desperate to help your sister, but you were a child too, Blaine. You didn't know what to do. None of this is your fault, Blaine. You're a victim too, but you're also a survivor."

He tried to shake his head, but I used a bit of my dragon strength to keep him in place. Blaine glared at me, but he wasn't exactly mad at me. He was just frustrated.

"Let me smoke." he growled, glowering at the floor to his left.

"No," I responded, pressing my lips to his forehead. "You're staying here with me."

"Anwyll," he whispered, not lifting his gaze to mine. "Please—!"

"Blaine, why are you now avoiding my gaze?"

He tensed. "I-I don't know."

I kissed his forehead again and murmured, "Look at me. Look at me, Blaine."

I sat back and waited patiently for Blaine to lift his gaze. When he did, his green and brown eyes flicked over my form, lastly landing on my face. I smiled and thumbed his cheeks again.

"What do you see, Blaine?"

He took a few deep breaths, calming himself down while he studied me. My tail swished behind me and his smile flickered into existence. I giggled and his smile brightened a bit more.

"I see a person who loves me—all of me—and accepts me despite my past."

"Anything else?"

Blaine pulled me closer and pressed his face against my chest. "I see a person who makes me feel genuinely loved and happy, who takes care of me, empathizes with me and for me, and can see and say the things I could never allow myself to see or admit." he said into my chest, so his voice was muffled, but I could hear him very well.

"I feel your heartbeat and hear your breaths. I've seen and experienced your love for me and for others, and now I know it more than ever that what you say is what you see in me. Even if I hate myself now, I know you will help me in that journey of understanding what you've seen in me and learning to accept what you have." he finished quietly, almost purring when I pushed my fingers through his loose black curls.

"Even if you hate yourself, Blaine, I love you. Damon loves you, too. We will help you throughout this journey of yours, but if you ever need us to step back for a breather, just let us know. But when you really need us, we'll be there for you." I stated firmly, hugging him tightly.

I promised myself I would be there for him after the incident with Matteo. I was naive and distracted then, but I was now more focused on helping my beloveds get to a good, healthy mental and emotional place.

Blaine chuckled quietly, his warm laughter making me smile. My tail wagged behind me, which Blaine noticed, and then I kissed his crown.

"That sounds like a deal, cutie-pie." he whispered, rubbing his face on my chest. "I love you, Anwyll."

"I love you too, Blaine." I replied, burrowing my nose into his hair. He squeezed me tighter in response.