Love

                                    

                                          
Neither of the two officers standing there seem very impressed. One stands slightly behind the other, looking hesitant as if this isn't her business to deal with. The one who shouted at us is fuming, looking irritated at my stubbornness. He rolls his eyes. "Then you can sit there for a long time, stupid boy. That thing holding your hand, it's dangerous. It's not human. You were in the hospital for 6 days because of it."
Each word he says brings a fresh wave of anger crashing over me, making me want to punch his lights out. The way he calls Simon a thing, it makes the fury burn at its hottest. But I force myself to stay somewhat calm, for Simon. "What's he been doing all this time? Has he been acting like a monster? Has he been trying to attack you?"
The officer frowns in frustration, looking confused. He opens and closes his mouth several times before he finally speaks. "Well, no, it-" He groans angrily. "Just... For fuck's sake, just because it's not attacking us doesn't mean it might not be forming a sneaky little plan. It'll probably jump out and attack you as soon as we open the door."
My grip on Simon's hand tightens, trying to force myself not to jump on top of him. The officer behind him is quietly walking away. I force my voice to stay steady. "Stop calling him it like he's some thing. He's not a thing, and he doesn't deserve to be locked up in here. And I'm going to-"
"Stay there and hold hands until we free your boyfriend, yeah. Good luck with that. What's your name, anyways? Don't think your parents will be happy to hear about your little protest."
"Wilhelm. Prince Wilhelm."
I have to hold in a laugh when I see the look of horror on his face as he mutters the word prince. He didn't even recognise me, he thought I was just some random kid. He looks thoroughly panicked and nods frantically. "Okay, great... Yeah... Go sit there in your little revolution, I'm getting your parents... Oh shit..." He scurries off, leaving me alone with Simon. I can't help but let out a little giggle, thinking of how panicked that officer was.
Simon sags down, dragging me with him so both of us are sitting on the cold floor on opposite sides of the bars. There's still a look of fear in his eyes and I give his hand a reassuring squeeze. He turns his head to look at me. "Are we really going to sit there and wait for him to get your parents?"
"Yeah." I say confidently. "If that's what it takes for people to listen to me- ...to us. Then I'll sit here with you for as long as it takes."
He smiles sadly at me, his eyes full of guilt. A beat of silence passes before he speaks softly, "I'm sorry, Wille..." He avoids my gaze, as if he's afraid.
"For what?" I ask stupidly.
"Everything." He says in a small voice. "If only I had realized you were getting weak, then-"
"No, Simon. It's not your fault. And I'm fine now." I sigh, letting the silence fall over us again.
I feel the soft brush of Simon's fingers on my neck, running over the bite mark. His touch is gentle, but also eager. Like he wants to explore, but he's afraid of hurting me. I keep my head still to let him run his fingers over the skin of my neck. His touch sends a pleasant shiver through me, and I almost close my eyes.
"What was it like for you? This past week?" He keeps stroking my neck as he speaks.
"I slept a lot." I answer. "I was so worried when I first woke up. They told me you were locked up and..." I cut myself off, the memories stirring unpleasant feelings in the pit of my stomach. "I tried to make them understand... I told my parents to let you go back home, that otherwise I'd... I'd try to hurt myself, hit my head against the bed frame..."
Simon stops his movements, his fingers hovering over my skin. His eyes have widened slightly in shock. I keep talking, silently wishing he'd keep tracing patterns on my neck with his fingers. His touch is soothing to me. "She said she would, but she'd lock you up again if I misbehaved. So I did as I was told until they let me go. Then I went to your house... And you weren't there... And Sara... She told me... You were never freed... They weren't allowed to see you... She said... They threatened to kill you..." I have to stop talking for a moment to swallow the lump in my throat, trying to erase the image of a dead Simon from my mind. "So I came here... And... That's it, I guess."
He has continued gently stroking my neck, but slower, with less confidence. He stays quiet for a moment before he speaks. "I was really scared, Wille... After you fainted, you just kept bleeding. I tried to stop the blood, I didn't know what else to do. Then Henry walked in, he thought I attacked you. He looked at the bite mark, and my mouth... I hadn't even thought about cleaning my face... He knew right away what I am... He ran off and came back with the principal, and someone took you away... Then... Police... Multiple... One of them was that guy from earlier... They took me here..."
He stops talking, stopping his movements on my neck and pulling his hand back to his side. His other hand is still holding mine, but his grip is weaker. There's a pain in his eyes that I haven't seen before, a fear and sadness. My heart aches painfully for him, wishing I could take it all away. He takes a moment before continuing.
"They threw me in here... Every now and then one of them would check on me. They threw me dead animals each day and told me to get the blood out of there myself. Most of them are scared of me, but..." He stops again, dropping his gaze to his knees. The next few words that come out of his mouth seem like an incredible effort to speak. "That guy... Whenever it was his turn to check on me... He... He'd come into the cell and just... Kick me... Over and over again... And he'd laugh at me if I started crying..." 
I feel like I'm being ripped in two, picturing Simon writhing on the floor, a shoe slamming into him over and over again. I let out an embarrassing, choked sob, and quickly turn it into a cough. A burning rage fills me, and all I want to do is murder this man. I want to make him pay for hurting Simon like this, for bringing tears to his eyes and making his hand tremble in mine. I want to pull Simon against me and hold him, keep him safe. But the bars keep him away from me. I want to scream and cry until this mess fixes itself.
When a tear rolls down Simon's cheek, the need to protect him becomes intensely overwhelming. The words spill out of my mouth before I can think properly, but I mean them. It's like they've been stirring beneath the surface and only now do they burst up and show. "I love you."
He turns his head to look at me, looking fragile. His mouth hangs open in surprise, unshed tears clinging to his eyelashes. The pain in his expression is slowly ebbing away, making place for affection and joy. His lips twist into a small smile, and he presses his face against the bars. His voice comes out in a soft whisper, filled with emotion. "I love you too..."