Chapter Text
Adam sunk down into the soft grass that seemed to reach up and cradle him to a gentle rest. He flung a hand over his eyes and sighed contentedly. He had never in his life felt this feeling of security and contentment, as if he was exactly where he was meant to be and doing exactly what he wanted to do, what he was destined to do. He could feel the forest sing in his veins as if it were the only thing sustaining him. When he had first stumbled on the forest it had legitimately sustained him, the fruit had appeared from nowhere just as his stomach hungered for something. The branches of the large weeping willow limbs had sagged low like a blanket on the colder nights. The grass has grown around his body to hold him. He’d come from a place where people weren’t to be trusted and he never had enough currency to buy the love he craved, even in the smallest measure.
Here in the forest, love seemed to be given, it was what filled Adam’s depleted form with life more and more, from the absolute depth of nothing. He hadn’t been able to return the endless affection the plants had offered him, and yet they continued to lavish him with it, mending him from the inside out. He had no idea how much time had passed from when he had arrived to now, and it didn’t really matter because now he felt strong enough to return the unconditional love and protection of the forest with his own. He attended to the needs the forest whispered in his veins instead of his ears, he made the slightest adjustments to the energy, not knowing why only to see months later the sprouts of another beautiful plant begin to grow. He dug into the ground with his hands, to help the babies grow and breathe. He took from one section of the forest, and spread or replanted in another, ensuring the perfect balance in all areas, and he would carry water from one end of the forest to another if required, without protest to make sure his family, his home was thriving.
Adam wanted nothing more for the rest of his life, he was happy to be a servant to the forest and in return have the unconditional love and gratitude of the forest in return. Adam huffed at that, he could lie well when needed, but he didn’t make a habit of lying to himself. There was one thing he yearned for. A person that he had only seen once, for the briefest of moments, but had instantly made his heart race. His body straightened and the song of the forest roared through every part of him, setting him on fire. Tall with dark curls, he’d ached to touch him, even without seeing his face.
It wasn’t his intention, but the reeds had leaned in towards the naked man in the river, the roots at the bottom of the water had started to wind their way up his long legs, and Adam had wanted nothing more than to pull him closer before he knew what he was doing. The man had startled with an explosive laugh and Adam had broken the connection with the plants instantly and turned his eyes away, breaking contact. He fled into the forest to his well-hidden home, heart still racing and his ears consumed with that laugh. He’d made a concerted effort to avoid any human life in the forest from that point on, he hadn’t been ready to see him again, even if he had, he didn’t know what he wanted from him, or what he would be willing to give up for him, so it was best to ignore him.
There was a screech of a bird above his head, and Adam smiled, the wildlife in his forest were placid, exotic and overly friendly. The animals filled the forest with movement more akin to that of a human, it took the edge of the solitude of his life. He heard a rustle to his left, and thought nothing of it, until a sword sliced through the thickets that hide him from the world He felt like someone had punched him in the stomach, as he stared in horror as a human burst through the greenery. Dressed in a black cloak, with a high and heavy cowl and that obscured his face, Adam dropped his gaze very slowly to the sword, sticking out in front of the human, his eyes travelled the length of the sword as he became hyper-focused on the point of it. With silence screaming around him Adam moved just a little placing both hands palm down on the ground.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” The voice demanded.
Adam didn’t look up while still staring at the point of the sword, “I live here.”
“Like hell!”
Adam was angry, he was scared in his forest and he hated the shift. He’d never felt afraid in this place. He continued to keep his head directed at the point of the sword so the man wouldn’t see his eyes go white, as he called on the forest to come to his aid, he could feel the forest like an extension of himself. The trees swung their limbs to knock the intruder off his feet, and the vines curled around his body tethering him to the ground. The sword continued to stand out from the man, untouched by the vines, Adam wouldn’t risk their harm, now that he was contained. Adam came back into himself, keeping one hand against the earth, as he turned to take in the full shape of the human.
Adam couldn’t stand, so all he could see was the long male form, legs clad in tight leather breeches, a cloak fanned out over the man's head, some flashes of something dark against the skin there. “This is my home. If you touch a single living thing here, I’ll tighten these vines around your neck until you die. You need some respect when you enter this place, and you’ll give it or I’ll take it.”
The man tried to thrash against the vines and then finally gave up with a sigh of resignation. “What the fuck…?”