Page 35 of Damian & Jun: Episodes 5-8
Damian needed them.
But he was there. And Damian wanted him.
Jun swallowed. He needed to figure out his place in this family.
Damian returned, followed by Richard, freshly showered and in clean sweats. Richard sat in the same place as before and motioned to Damian. Damian lay down between Richard’s legs. Jun helped Richard cover Damian up. He was shivering slightly despite what must have been a warm shower.
Émeric and Collin left quietly. Jun curled up on the floor by Damian’s head.
“It’s just a stupid dream,” Damian muttered. “You don’t have to stay up.”
Richard sighed and stroked Damian’s head. “The body doesn’t differentiate between experiencing a dream and experiencing the real thing, Pup.”
Damian growled, but the expression was entirely ruined by the way he melted against Richard’s leg and clung to him.
“May I?” Richard said.
Jun blinked. He only realized then that Richard’s hand was hovering above his shoulder.
“You…uh…yeah, okay.” Jun nodded.
Richard gifted him a smile and lowered his hand slowly, resting it carefully on Jun’s arm, then ghosting away.
Jun hesitantly touched one of Damian’s hands. Damian tangled their fingers together, pulling Jun closer so that he had to lean against Richard’s thigh.
Jun looked up, his eyes wide, toward Richard.
Richard nodded, his eyes soft.
Jun rested his head on Richard’s thigh and tangled both his hands with Damian’s, squeezing them.
“I thought the damned things were done,” Damian muttered. He was still shivering lightly now and then.
Jun stroked his fingers down the back of Damian’s hand.
Richard’s deep voice rumbled back. “You went back. It’s been a long time since you did.”
Damian snarled wearily. “They don’t control me anymore. They don’t matter!”
Jun pressed a kiss to Damian’s shoulder.
Richard continued stroking Damian’s head. “They don’t matter, but there are parts of you that remember when they did. When we see people we haven’t seen in a while or go back to a place where we were one version of ourselves, our old selves can be activated.”
“He was hitting Collin and throwing things at Jun.”
Who was this he Damian was talking about?
“You’ve never taken someone you wanted to protect back to the neighborhood. Who else more than him would represent a threat?”
Damian untangled his hands so he could make fists and pushed them into the couch as if he were punching it, his face buried against Richard’s belly.
Jun looked up at Richard. Is this safe?
The older dom appeared as cool and composed as he ever had. He let Damian vent his fear and rage, his hand never pausing in petting Damian. Slowly, he raised his hand and set it on Jun’s shoulder. He gave Jun a slow, steady look, then nodded. It’s all right.
Jun let out a sigh, slumped against the couch, and laid his cheek on Richard’s thigh as Damian’s went slack against the cushions, letting out a long huff.
“He killed Armada. In the dream, he killed her, and he was coming for the rest of us. And I couldn’t move. I couldn’t stop him. I was bleeding out, and I couldn’t stop him.”
