Both Alike in Dignity

A/N: Sorry for the late chapter! Feeling a lot better now and just got a job, yay! Unfortunately, that meant I was absolutely knackered yesterday and didn't get the chapter up (that seems to be happening a lot lately - sorry). I guess I'll just have to get used to working again. Yay for money, though. xD Anyway, enjoy the chapter. I really appreciate any comments I get, so leave one and make my day. ;D

Word Count (overall): 26293
Word Count (this chapter): 1534
Updates: Tuesdays and Fridays

Chapter Fourteen


The privacy of the shower was a welcome relief. Sebastian braced his hands against the wall and lowered his head into the hot stream of water, taking deep breaths. What had happened in that alley couldn't happen again. He didn't even know how... but fuck, he'd wanted it. He'd wanted Jasper's hands on his skin, and he'd asked for it. There was no ambiguity about it. He thought of Jasper, alone in the next room, no doubt easing some of his own tension. The mental image alone was enough to make him shiver. He was so fucked.

It didn't take him long to wash the evidence of the encounter from his skin. He got rid of the stink of sex and replaced it with something musky and male that Jasper had provided. It was pleasant enough, but for a brief second, he caught himself missing the smell of Jasper on his skin.

Sebastian lingered in the shower longer than he needed to, but the last thing he wanted was to walk in to Jasper... doing things to himself. Eventually, when his fingertips were in danger of wrinkling, he shut off the shower and got dressed into a new change of clothing. This time, a white shirt and black pants. Things he felt far more comfortable in.

When he entered the motel room, there was no sign that Jasper had done anything at all – the werewolf was propped up against the headboard of one of the beds, reading some trashy-looking detective novel. Sebastian frowned at his own assumptions, then squared his shoulders. Maybe he could just ignore Jasper.

“I need to talk to you about something, remember?” Jasper asked, not looking up from his book. He was stretched out across the bed, all long, lean legs. Casual sexuality.

Sebastian found himself watching the other male. “Can it wait?” he asked, looking away. He re-made his own bed, despite the fact that it was already impeccable. Logically, he knew that Jasper probably wanted to talk about the upcoming full moon. He was still afraid that the other would try and bring up what had just happened. What if Jasper wanted to talk about feelings, or something stupid like that? The werewolf was exactly the type that would try to make a quick handjob in an alley mean something. That was the last thing Sebastian wanted.

“No, it can't. It waited until we found a motel, and it waited until you had a damn shower, so no, it can't fucking wait any more,” Jasper said, folding the top corner of a page on his book down and closing it. He set it on the bedside table and swung his legs around, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“I'm busy,” Sebastian said, despite the fact that the bed had now been made and he was standing there doing absolutely nothing. He grabbed their bag and emptied it out onto his bed, organising shit that had already been organised. He started packing the bag again. He was going to pack the bag like it had never been packed before.

“No, you're not, you're just trying very hard to look it,” Jasper said, rolling his eyes. He stood up and approached Sebastian from behind, placing his large hands on the other male's shoulders. Like this, the height difference between them was obvious – Jasper was much, much taller.

Sebastian felt dwarfed. He swallowed, stilling. Jasper's hands were warm, even through his shirt. He took in a deep breath. “I don't want to talk about it,” he said.

“I know,” Jasper said, drawing his hands slowly down Sebastian's back. “We don't have to. But I do need to talk to you about the full moon tomorrow.”

The hands did nothing to help Sebastian relax. If anything, he tensed up further. His breath came too quickly, every muscle in Sebastian's back following the movement of Jasper's hand. He didn't shrug him away. Sebastian didn't even move. “Okay,” he said, “what about it?”

“You know what happens on full moon?” Jasper asked, sliding his hands back up again. He started to knead slowly at Sebastian's tense shoulders, his large hands powerful and confident.

Against his better judgement, Sebastian found himself relaxing. That felt... nice. His shoulders dropped a little, his breathing evening out slightly. “Yes,” he answered. “I mean, I know... you have to be locked away, right? Not in control? That you'll just...”

“Hurt anyone I come across?” Jasper asked. He rubbed slow circles into the back of Sebastian's neck with his thumbs. “Yeah, that's about right. It's not me. And it's very, very aggressive.”

Letting out a soft groan, Sebastian tipped his head forward slightly, giving Jasper better access. Some part of him screamed that this wasn't okay, but it felt good. For once, he just wanted to feel good without having to examine it and cross-examine it. It didn't have to mean anything. None of it had to mean anything. “Okay, so what do we do?” he asked.

“Well, that's the problem,” Jasper said. He moved closer, running a hand up through Sebastian's dark hair, raking his fingernails gently over the other man's sensitive scalp. “That's what the pack is for. It's there for... family and protection. Where there's a pack, there's a safe, secure place to change. Soundproofed. Locked away. No chance of escape.”

Sebastian let out a breath, trying to focus on the problem rather than the panic-inducing intimacy. He closed his eyes. “And you don't have any of that now,” he said. Jasper would need somewhere safe and secluded. It would be a disaster if anyone heard him. “I suppose chaining you up somewhere isn't really an option?” he asked.

“No, it's not,” Jasper said, his hands stilling for a brief second. When Sebastian made an unconscious noise of protest, Jasper smiled and kept going, sliding his thumbs down either side of Sebastian's spine. “I'm too strong. I'll break them.”

“Yeah,” Sebastian breathed, arching his back slowly. “I know.” He frowned at the bedroom wall, trying to think. Jasper's hands were very distracting. “If I knew the city...” But no, he didn't know the damn city. And dropping Jasper off in the middle of nowhere was too much of a risk. He didn't know how much ground a werewolf could cover in a night, but he was betting that it wasn't anything to laugh at. “Industrial sections would be our best bet. Big, abandoned warehouses, either boarded or locked up. Not too likely to have too many people around.” It was still a risk.

Jasper slid his hands lower slowly. He untucked Sebastian's shirt with a few quick pulls, then slid his hands up underneath, feeling smooth, slightly cool skin. “Sounds like an option, if we can find anywhere,” he murmured,leaning down. He nuzzled into Sebastian's neck, inhaling slowly. “Love the way you smell.”

Sebastian stiffened. Too much. His hands clenched. He took in a few steadying breaths and then forced himself to relax again. He'd let Jasper come this far, it didn't matter, it didn't mean anything. It would be fine. “Well, sitting around and talking about it isn't going to find somewhere any faster,” he said, a little more bitingly than he had intended.

“Mmm.” Jasper shifted, then let out a low, frustrated growl. “Take off your shirt,” he mumbled, his voice hot and husky in Sebastian's ear.

“No,” Sebastian said, and that was it. Every muscle in his body tensed up, undoing all the work that Jasper had put into relaxing him. “Look, we'll just... go look. We'll go out and look. Right now. It'll be fine.” He bit his tongue before he started rambling. He had already embarrassed himself enough. “We should get started,” he said, his voice ringing with a confidence that he didn't feel.

Jasper paused, then disengaged himself from Sebastian slowly. He smoothed the back of the vampire's shirt down and took a step back. “Sorry,” he said, “didn't mean to push.”

The way that Jasper just retreated, no arguments, no pressure, surprised Sebastian as much as the apology did. He took a moment to compose himself and turned around, eyeing Jasper slowly, looking for a hint of what the other was trying to do. What was Jasper up to?

“It's okay,” Sebastian said, when his scrutiny turned up nothing but sincerity. He ran his hand through his hair a few times, tidying it up where Jasper had mussed it. It was still damp.

“Ready?” Jasper asked, holding the door open. He cut a dark figure, silhouetted by the light of the room, the inky darkness of night behind him.

Sebastian stared, his breath catching in his throat. Jasper was almost painfully beautiful, and Sebastian wanted. He wanted. His mind flew back to those precious, stolen moments against the wall, how it had felt, how good Jasper had made him feel, how the other's blood had tasted, and he wanted. Fuck. He was so screwed.

“I'm coming.”