After two weeks of blissful stalking Nathan returned to the mansion. It was breakfast and they were already having their blood of the day and nobody prepared anything for him because they didn't think he would return. "Oh and the prodigal son makes a return." Brian gestured to him as he walked in. It was like he was an announcer announcing a great man walking on the red carpet. Theo joined in by standing up and clapping his hands enthusiastically with a great grin. Nathan didn't mind them and sat next to Alexi. "How did it go?" Alexi shot him the question sucking the last drop from the bloodbag with his legs crossed and no change in his face whatsoever.
"I know where he lives." Nathan relaxed his face with a sense of satisfaction and bliss clearly showing. "You got some!" Theo exclaimed. He belonged to the Air element so he was sensitive to the difference in smells, plus he was royalty so it was pretty much effective. It wasn't like wolves who could smell each other, it was a lucky guess that came with his element in smelling people and right now even though it was faint, there was a different smell from Nathan than his usual one. "Your nose is a blessing." Nathan calmy answered. He wasn't going to hide it from them, he wasn't even embarrassing Lee in front of them or bragging about it. He knew where Lee stood about him and with Lee's attitude it actually might never happen again but he was going to gain his trust and make him his. Alexi however immediately coughed greatly shocked by the news, "he let you....?" He wasn't going to finish that sentence, "why is that surprising?" Brian asked him. "I- I'm not surprised, just wondering." He stammered but immediately covered it up with his coolness. "Okay." Brian didn't pay any mind to him.
"So did you rock his world or did he rock your world?" Theo asked, he wanted the details and he had a lot more questions but Nathan knowing him immediately stood up and said, "I'm going to shower and head to the council and recieve my punishment for missing my drill." He went off to his room, he wasn't even going to wait for breakfast. He had dissappeared for two weeks and the council couldn't reach him. As an heir in training for next in line to the throne they couldn't tolerate that behavior from him, so he needed to be punished. This was not the time for him to act arrogant, even Kings and Queens were not allowed to act arrogant much less him who was just a prince.
The punishment was whipping for half the time he dissappeared which was a excatly a week. He was tied up in a room that allowed the peak of the sun to reflect through a magnifying glass and he was whipped with a very loose, very wet whip. Vampires were not allergic to the sun but at it's brightest it irritated their eyes, that was all hence the magnifying glass which burned the skin, as for the wet whip- he was a prince from the water element and if you wanted to hurt him get a weapon wet and it would hurt him like nobodys business.
He spent the next week healing and was given another week for a break but after that he would be required to answer drills, and as soon as his body could walk without looking weak he showed up at Lee's house holding a cheese filled pizza and a box of 4L juice.
"You don't give up do you?" Lee asked seeing him at his door. "I wanted to see you, I'm sick and seeing you is the best medicine." He grinned from ear to ear.
"I'll let you in because you bought food."
"I'll take it." He pushed his way in and Lee shook his head.
"I gave you my numbers so why didn't you just call?" Lee asked him as he made himself comfortable on his couch, the one that Lee usually sits on. He was hoping Lee would take a seat next to him but he didn't instead he sat at the one facing his and said nothing.
"I told you, I'm sick. Therefore I need to see you so that I can heal quickly." He wasn't actually lying, seeing one's mate when sick was a sure way to heal but it was slow if you're just looking at them. You needed to also get intimate with them in order to heal faster but Nathan knew that was out of the question.
"Plus if I called I wouldn't get to buy you food." He smiled that sweet smile that always made Lee without a doubt feel like he was about to gag. "But you can call for the food to be delivered to me since you know my address." He didn't even smile, he was actually being serious. "You really don't want to see me that much.?" He played the seduced and broken-hearted male protagonist and without batting an eye Lee answered with a clear, "yes."
Speechless, that was Nathan, he initially thought that after their sex at least Lee would develop some sympathy for him but it was like it got sucked right out. He didn't have any, he wasn't even going to pretend to have some. "Fine next time I'll just order the food and not show up."
"I'll love you forever for that." When he said the word 'love' Nathan didn't care about how the word was used in that sentence all he heard was 'love you' and everything else was opaque in his ears. He blushed, for a pale person with a hint of blue blush that was not a good look on him.
The next coming week Nathan didn't visit Lee but he sent all sorts of food, texting him and asking him what he was in the mood for then ordering it for him. Lee initially didn't want this but Nathan insisted on it or he will deliver the food himself so Lee chose the former. The guilt wore away and he got used to having food randomly delivered to his door step, paid for by the mighty Nathan. He hadn't seen him for quite some while but Nathan would call sometimes to say 'good morning and good night' and sometimes he would text Lee random quotes about how much he misses him. In the three weeks that this was going on, Nathan showed up once and they had lunch together. He was going to ask for Lee to cook him something but when Lee showed him his empty cabinets and fridge, completely void of all food, telling him that he mostly ate out or he ate cooked food only when his best friend cooked for him. Nathan was shocked to say the least, he has never seen a human live like so, even those who can't cook would at least keep some cereal, or easy to cook meals but Lee had nothing. On that day Nathan suggested that they go out for lunch then seeing the state but Lee told him he was not going out with him. They ordered in and they had a peaceful lunch where Nathan continued to learn that it was not that Lee doesn't know how to buy groceries or cook, it's just that he doesn't want to.
Nathan left that day completely shocked and he still didn't understand why because Lee never went deep with it, he just said that he never got around to it and he was too lazy now to do it.
Another two weeks went by with them not seeing each other and Nathan made sure now that he at least sent two meals to Lee's house each day. Lee had gotten used to it that now he just waited for food to be delivered to his door.
A fateful day came and Nathan walked into Lee's house his hand full of goodies. There lots and lots of food, mostly just easy to make food and he brought recipe books for Lee to check how to use some ingredients to make some meals that would fit his taste. When he saw the food his eyes widened, "wh-what is th-this?" He asked his voice shaking. "Food. Your empty cabinets and fridge really made me uncomfortable so I had to do something about it." He smiled trying to touch Lee's cheek but he avoided his touch. "Uncomfortable?" Lee's voice hadn't stopped shaking but right now it was on the brink of collapse.
"Yes. Do you know for the past two weeks I couldn't sleep a wink after seeing it?" He was dumb when it came to reading Lee when it came to something that he thought would benefit him. He didn't hear the change in Lee's voice. "Take them away!" He commanded in a stern voice. He was shaking internally, his mind was going faster than he would like and all the memories he tried he had been suppressing were escaping one by one.
"Take them back are you kidding me?" He asked, "there's more in the car, Ill get them for you." He pointed outside. When Lee heard the word 'more' he was instantly triggered, with the strength he didn't know he had he picked up the groceries that Nathan had brought and started hitting him with them. He kept on picking them from the ground and throwing them at him. "More!!" He screamed without relenting. "Did I say I needed you to do this!?" Tears of anger were now streaming down his face and he hadn't stopped hitting Nathan with the food and Nathan was trying to block the food hence everything was creating a mess everywhere. "GET YOUR FOOD AND YOURSELF OUT OF MY HOUSE!!!" His strength was now exhausted and the anger that was fueling him was dissipating slowly but the feelings of sadness was now enshrouding him and his trauma was now peeking in. "Lee-" he tried to coax but he yelled, "SHUT UP!!"
Nothing was said after that for a moment as Lee was sobbing his heart out. Nathan could hear his unstable heartbeat and it was worrying him, he wanted to embrace him and comfort him but his clothes were a mess and he didn't want to trigger him again. "I was just trying to be a good friend...." in a low, gentle voice the words left his mouth. Truth be told he wasn't trying to be a friend, he has never tried to be Lee's friend but right now was not the time to be honest about his love for Lee. Lee stopped sobbing for a moment and said, "listen and listen carefully." He breathed in all the air surrounding them so that he can say what he wanted to say. "We are not friends! We are not lovers! We are nothing! I slept with you once and you turned out to be an obsessed stalker!" He yelled each and every sentence and it was like tiny wet needles in Nathan's heart. "And out of all the mistakes that I made in my life you're the one I wish I never made...." now that was not a needle. That was a full spear to Nathan's heart and he understood fully.
"Please get out of my house and my life." The tears of sadness were now wetting Lee's cheeks and it broke Nathan's heart. He wanted to apologize, he wanted to get on his knees and ask what he could do to make Lee feel better but in the persuit to make Lee his, he had been selfish enough and now it was time to stop. So he turned and left, it was breaking his heart to know that Lee was in that position because of him but he was not going to be selfish anymore.