forum is this what you wanted?//o/o closed

Started February 27, 2019 by @_sleeby_rat_

tune

James pulled his hand back almost immediately when Arthur flinched, that twinge in his heart only growing stronger. "It's alright, Arthur. It's alright," he tried to soothe softly

Arthur was tense, "It's not ok…" he said, his voice quavering… "I'm the one that hurt them…"

"And that is inevitable in the case of family. If I had a dime for every time I had hurt my family, I'd be rich. It's okay," James tried to soothe

"You wouldn't understand…" said Arthur fimally manging to look up at him, his eyes clouded. "I didn't just hurt them… I tried to kill them…. I hunted them…"

"And did you do it out of cold blood, or was it involuntary? There is a distinct difference," James said, resisting the urge to snap at Arthur, tell him he understood more than he knew

"I… I was being controlled….." he said sadly…. his voice barely audible.

“Then it is absolutely not your fault. It is only your fault if you actively hurt them. On purpose,” James said, voice soft but firm

Arthur sighed, knowing he was right. "It still doesn't change the fact that there's a rift…. one that may never heal…"

"Well, if they're your family, they'll understand it wasn't your fault," James insisted. "If I never forgave my brother for the stupid shit he did, I would have thrown him out myself when we were younger. But I didn't, because he was family."

"Yeah… but.. my brother…. Every time I look at him I see fear….." Arthur's voice was quiet, "They fear me…… and the one person I wanted to protect the most…… can barely bring himself to trust me……"

"Do they know you were mind controlled? That you're yourself now?" James asked. But even as he spoke, he wasn't sure himself that Arthur was…well, himself

"Yeah… but it doesn't change the fact that the first they ever saw of me was the first time…." he trailed off, "It doesn't change the fact that seeing me meant danger for them for over a decade…."

"Did you ever apologize? Did you ever go to them and explain what happened?" James asked, raising a brow now as he spoke

"They know… they're the ones that saved me…." he said quietly… "but… it doesn't change the fact that I hurt them….."

"Do they talk to you anymore? Or have you just resigned yourself to staying away from them?" James asked. In the back of his mind he wanted this kid to just stop with the negativity since it was so irrational, but he'd put up with it for now

Arthur wasn't sure how to answer that. "I… I left… I needed time… to figure out how to actually live….." he whispered, tense, and upset.

James felt a little bit of sympathy for him now from the way Arthur seemed so upset. "Hey, it's okay. You don't need to talk about it anymore if you don't want to," he tried to soothe

Arthur nodded, pressing back waves of guilt and fear. he pulled his hood further down, hiding most of his face.
Why did I tell him so much? I know he's an Alpha…. but I'm not affiliated to any pack!

"Hey, hey, it's alright," James soothed, gently reaching across the table again, resting a hand on his arm gently again. "You're alright."

Arthur still didn't say anything, though he managed to look up at James, his eyes shadowed with guilt.

James sighed softly after a moment. "Come on. We're going back to the forest, and you can get some rest there," he said gently as he stood

Arthur still didn't respond, but he followed James silently out the door. Making it out onto the street he couldn't help but relax a little.

(chillax my dude lmao)

James wrapped an arm around Arthur's shoulders as they walked back towards the forest, holding his still half-finished food and drink

(Sorry… I was stressing out over stuff and needed a serious distraction… except nothing was alive at that moment…. I'm sorry if my constant bumping bugs you…)
Arthur instinctively melted into James side, not really thinking about it as they walked. He carefully shoved away old memories, forcing them away from himself in an attempt to stay calm.

(it's all good, I'm just busy w school)

James seemed proud of Arthur when he leaned into him, and he gently rubbed his shoulder and arm as a sort of reward for relaxing a little

Arthur blinked when he realized what he'd done, but didn't pull away. He relaxed a little more at James touch, no reason, it was just comforting.

James led them back towards the forest, still keeping that comforting hold on Arthur. He felt oddly…protective of him, as if he were one of his own

Arthur kept pace, still not wanting to say anything, relaxing completely in James grip. Why is he…. why would… there were a million questions running through his mind as he kept a careful eye on the Alpha's every move.