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Isaac had agreed to go with Afrem to Elysium, and now he was wishing they hadn't gone at all. Everything was too loud, too bright, with too many people, and everyone expected him to say something. He stiffened, grey eyes unfocused, his tan face almost pale enough to match the wall behind him. Someone was trying to talk to him, pulling on the sleeve of his black tuxedo jacket, but he didn't turn to answer the faint voice. "Hey, Isaac. I'm here, babe. Are you OK?" Afrem asked, with worry all over his pale face. Finally, realising who it was, the bigger man looked over at his partner. "It's OK, darling. Want to get out of here? We don't have anything else to do," Afrem gently took Isaac's big hand in his own, as the larger man nodded.
They walked out of the hotel ballroom, into the hallway, while Isaac was still unable to speak. "It's OK, you're OK, I got you. Let's go home," Afrem squeezed the taller man's hand, a slight blush on his pale face. Isaac merely stared forward as Afrem led him to the elevator, then down to the lobby, which was thankfully quieter, even if every sound except for Afrem's voice was physically painful to him. He walked stiffly, in contrast to his beloved's much smoother gait, on their way outside, then into a taxi to their house. The entirety of their journey was quiet, except for Afrem handling all the necessary talking to other people and soothing the bigger man.
At home, Isaac sat down on the black couch, not having bothered to get out of his shoes or coat, waiting for Afrem to join him. The smaller man took off his coat and black stiletto heeled shoes, then unbraided his long, black hair, purposefully messing it up slightly to give Isaac an excuse to fix it. While he was occupied, Cinnamon ran up to the older vampire, jumping into his lap on the couch, slowly blinking her green eyes and making bread on him. Isaac stroked her, smiling down at the calico cat, who purred and headbutted his hand. Maybe things would be OK after all, he thought, his mind slowly calming down.
Afrem joined Isaac on the couch, sweeping the skirt of his long dress beneath him. "Feeling better, babe?" he asked, wrapping an arm around the taller man's body. "A little, thanks," Isaac turned away from the cat for a moment, briefly meeting Afrem's grey eyes. "Good. I'm sorry I brought you into that, I didn't know how bad it would get," Afrem apologised. "I didn't know how bad it would be either, you're fine," Isaac petted Cinnamon absently as she loafed on his lap. "Anything I can do to make you feel better?" the shorter man rested his head on Isaac's shoulder.
"I think...maybe, if do your hair for you, that might help?" Isaac suggested, as Cinnamon rolled over for chin scritches. "Babe, you're trapped and it would be a shame to move her," Afrem pointed at the cat, who was happy to be petted. "Mmm, I know. She'll move when she's ready, look at her," the taller man smiled, as Cinnamon washed her front paws, then jumped down, wandering off to her tree. Afrem moved to Isaac's lap, handing over the hair tie he'd kept in his pocket. "Thank you for being here with me, ziskayt," Isaac gently hugged the shorter man against his body.
Afrem sighed contentedly while Isaac braided his hair, melting into the gentle touches on his neck and shoulders. "Always makes me feel better when I'm doing this with you," Isaac let go of the tension his body had been holding for most of the evening, his hands busy with his beloved's hair. "Good, babe. You're so sweet," Afrem leaned back, enjoying the warmth of the older vampire against him. He, too, had gained back his warmth, after getting to know Isaac and falling for the big man, who'd been full of surprises ever since they met.
When Isaac had tied off the braid, he kissed the smaller man's neck. "There you go, ziskayt. You're so pretty," he smiled, wrapping his arms around Afrem's slim body. "Aww, thank you. Come on, let's watch something silly and cuddle, you've had a rough night," Afrem moved back to his original position, then realised he'd sat on the remote, which he carefully fished out from underneath him. He handed the remote to Isaac, who put on the stoner-hours cartoon channel. They snuggled together, ending up with the bigger man lying on his side and Afrem on top of him as they watched the nonsensical show about creatures smacking each other with household objects. Cinnamon returned to the couch, lying on Afrem and making bread, further helping Isaac to feel more relaxed.