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Jared was a wreck. His relationship with Darius was everything he didn't know he dreamed of. He felt emotions that had eluded him for over a year. But as great as that was, the biggest thing hitting his mind was guilt. Darius was very understanding. He never questioned his scars, even when he came home with new ones. He lightly touched the ones he acquired just this morning. He didn't want to hide this secret anymore. He wanted to tell Darius everything, despite his fear of Darius becoming freaked out and leaving him. If he couldn't talk to his partner, then his walls were built up worse than he had realized. The knock at the door startled him from his thoughts. He goes to the door and takes a deep breath to calm himself. "You can do this Jared. You can talk to him." He opens the door and Darius smiles his usual smile. "Hey Jared." he says warmly. He frowns when he sees Jared is trembling.
"Anxiety attack?" he moves in to hug him. Jared instantly went into full panic, but Darius kept his arms firmly around his to help him stay grounded. 10 minutes pass before Jared calms down. "S-sorry." he mumbles. Darius kisses his forehead. "You know better than that. No apologizing for your health." Jared can only nod his understanding. Darius takes him to the couch to sit. "What's going on in that head of yours goosie?" he asks gently. Swallowing his nerves, he sits up to face him. This is it. No going back. "I need to tell you something. I need to explain my scars and how I get them." he murmurs. Darius straightens himself as well. "You can talk to me. I'm sure it's a perfectly logical explanation." Jared frowns. "No. I'm afraid its not. I-the Enclosure is a group of scientists who study cryptids. And not only are they preferred to be studied in their natural habitats, I'm the one the Enclosure always sends out to investigate sightings."
Darius listens closely. "So, these scars are from cryptids who have attacked you?" Jared sighs and nods. "There's more. Sometimes the attacks are so severe, it kills me. Literally. But I always seem to come back. I can't die." Darius looks at him with concern. "I don't expect you to believe me. And I understand if you leave. But I had to tell you for my own peace of mind. I swear I'm not-" he's cut off by Darius's finger is pressed against his lips. Darius cups his cheek softly. "I always knew you were different. I could never figure it out, but from our first meeting, I could sense you were special. I'll never leave you. If anything, this is a great ability to ensure a long, happy life together." Jared is a mixture of confused and relieved. "How could my inability to die possibly be a good thing?"
Darius leans in for another forehead kiss. "Because I can savor the knowledge that we will never be separated until I die." Jared becomes anxious at that. "So I'm supposed to take comfort that I'll be the one losing my partner?" he says uneasy. Darius chuckles. "You will have lots of memories of our years together. And I forbid you from mourning forever or I'll haunt you myself." Jared can't help but laugh at that. "Maybe I'd love to have you haunt me. It'll be an interesting continuation of our relationship." Darius pulls him into a deep kiss. "See? You can find ways to be happy and still thrive even after tragedy." Grove wags his tail from the his bed in the corner of the living room. "C'mon. Let's go in the kitchen. I'll teach you how to make no bake cheesecake."