31- In the Light of Day.

Quayleigh closed the apartment door and set the deadbolt as she leaned against it, sighing, "That was fucking ridiculous."

"You know he's panicking right now, don't know?" Tau asked as he stood up.

Pulling the eye patch from her face, she turned and walked towards him. "Hopefully, he's doing that in his car." She smiled as she reached up and placed her hand against his cheek. "He'll calm down, in time. It's going to take at least a few minutes for him to rationalize out what he was just told."

"And then what? Why would you trust him with this?"

"Considering that no one from Magic Enforcement has come to bust down the door yet, he seems capable of keeping his word. Not that much time has actually passed. Still, this wasn't about trust. Even if he told the world about what he thinks he saw, no one will believe him. He also has too much to lose to do something so stupid, and once he settles down, he's going to realize that it's for the best that he keeps this all to himself."

"If this wasn't about trust, why tell him?" he questioned, his fingers extending out, wrapping around the back of her head, and intertwining with her hair as he pulled her closer.

Tossing the eyepatch to the coffee table, she leaned into his palm, pressing her hands to his chest, wanting to feel the motion of his breath as she gazed up at him.

"Because he needed a reasonable excuse as to why I'm not afraid. And shy of telling him the truth, this should stop him from further unscheduled interruptions."

"He has feelings for you."

"He thinks he has feelings, but it's an attraction to my tragedy. I have a story, and he wants to know the details of how it all happened. Once he has the answers, that curiosity will wane. I'm the weekend pet project for his hero complex to be indulged by. He wants to make up for the failings of others; to give me a reason to still believe in the system he idolizes. He views me as broken, and he wishes to fix me. Either way, none of it matters. How he feels is irrelevant, especially when I'm with you."

"He said, if I loved you, I would take you far away from here."

Quayleigh slowly shook her head before resting it upon his shoulder. "Loving someone isn't only about protecting them. It's about listening to what they want, supporting their decisions, and staying with them when they need you most. It's about compromising and giving as much as you take. If I was truly in danger here, if you insisted that we leave, I would go. I would do that, for you. I would work with you to find the best solution, because I love you, Tau. My desires and wants should never always take precedence or priority over yours. You can't let me be the selfish one all the time."

"But you aren't in danger. You know that, right?" he asked in a cautious tone as she straightened herself up.

"I do. Last night was a mistake you apologized for. I was scared because I didn't know what was happening. All I knew was that my eye hurt, and that the thing in your hands was responsible."

"Is it still causing you pain?"

"No, oddly enough it only seems to ache when I try to keep it shut for too long. I was lucky I kept that eyepatch in the bathroom. And I'm glad I get to see you in the light. Even though your image has faded. You asked me, if I would still want to be with you. Will you believe me now when I tell you that to me, you're divine, and the only thing that would make this better, would be having you here, not stuck in this borrowed body?"

She let her eyes drift shut as he leaned closer, her heart swelling as he gently pressed his lips to the scarred lid of the eye, he found so beautiful. The tender, soft, and loving nature lingered as he kissed her temple, and enveloped her in the warmth of his embrace. His entire being gave off a nervous quake as he rubbed his cheek against her, nuzzling her in a strange, yet affectionate way.

"Let me take you back to bed," he whispered.

Turning her head, she kissed at his cheek, "Will you stay with me this time?"

"Yes…" he barely managed to reply before she silenced him with a kiss.

She felt him tense, and then melt as the shock faded. Even as his body reacted, he didn't panic, pull back, or push away. Rather he indulged in the moment, kissing her back with equal measure; a slow, deeply personal affection, one that seeps in, warming you from the inside. A passion that lingers, like smoldering coals, waiting for the fuel to ignite. There was a longing, a deeply held desire that would wait, daring not to rush. Even as their lips parted, Tau smiled contently. This was no fleeting bliss, for there was no desperation to be found in his eyes. His hands had ceased their quaking, and held her with confidence, as if they finally understood that to them, she would always return.

Stepping from his arms, she moved to her bed, unzipping the hoodie as she walked. Taking it off, she tossed it onto the couch before pulling off her shorts and adding them to the pile.

Knowing that when she woke, chances were, she would no longer be able to see Tauluthet as he truly was, she closed her human eye as he turned to face her, wanting to focus on nothing but him.

"I want to memorize all of you, while I still can," she said as she once more examined the heavy nature of his features. The sturdy jaw, the angle of his teeth, the color of his eyes and the way they stared at her. How he carried his shoulders, back with a sense of pride, and how his tail swayed, when he moved. Taking in all of what she saw and couldn't have seen when it was dark. Motioning for him to draw closer, until she could pass her hand through what she could see. The gaping hole, that was the left side of his chest, revealed all of what was inside; the pointed ends of his ribs and the organs they protected, dried and unused, rotting with the passage of time. And below, covered by short, wispy, white fur, his belly, contoured to the muscles beneath, fully intact through to his lower thighs where thick bands of ancient leathery looking material intertwined with a grey, loose woven cloth, bound his flesh to what remained. His visible muscles appeared darkened and dried, tendons and ligaments yellowed with a heavy patina, more vibrant than the bones they were connected to. "A buffalo. That's what your fur reminds me of. At first, I thought it would more like the wool of a sheep, but in the light, I can see the ringlets, and it grows around you like a buffalo's coat in the winter. I can't image how warm and cozy it must be."

"I'm afraid I don't know. I've never been aware of the temperature before, and I've always worn a shroud," he replied, his ears falling back as he tilted his muzzle down and looked away. "Not being able to hide my rot from you…, it has me feeling strangely… exposed. There is only one other who has ever seen the extent of my decay; a Yioaleu that stays near the western shore, closest to my favorite pool. She's the one who made the shroud I wear, and the bands that stop my skin from peeling away."

"Do you miss her?"

"I'll see her again, along with everyone else. Right now, all that matters to me, is the time I can spend here with you," he said as he reached out and took her hand.

"Then let's do our best to make every moment count." Giving his hand a squeeze, she let it go and took a hold on the bottom of her shirt. "Fuck being afraid." Taking a quick breath in, she lifted it, pulling it up over her head, discarding it to the couch with the rest of her previous attire. "Tauluthet, these are my scars. I want you to see me as I really am."

"Exquisite. Even more beautiful that you appeared in the green," he remarked, stepping closer. Lifting his hand, she closed her eyes, mentally preparing to feel his hand against her chest, only to feel the comforting caress against her cheek. "Come now, crawl under the covers."

Kissing the palm of his hand she turned around and did as he suggested making herself comfortable on her bed as she watched him strip down to his boxers. Moving around to the other side, he crawled in behind her.

"Rest while you can," he uttered as he wrapped himself around her.

"I plan on it. Alarms set for one thirty. If you happen to turn it off, could you please make certain that I'm awake first?"

"I will, my Quayleigh," he whispered setting a trail of soft kisses down the length of her shoulder before snuggling against the back of her head.

Wrapping her hand around his, she intertwined their fingers pulling them closer to her chest as she smiled, her heart burning, radiating like the summer sun, to the sound of her name being claimed by his voice.

This was everything she had ever wanted. The reaper of her heart's desires and wildest imagination, accepting her as she was. He had seen her scars. She had shown him the worst of what she hid and Tauluthet had not rejected her but made her his instead.