Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 7

them into tight balls that were so tangled he couldn't make any sense of them. He barely felt the hands leave his skin but he felt the touch return and he wanted Chase to go on. On and on and on and never stop. Wanted to say it out loud without even a thought of how far from his usual manners that would've been. But he missed his shot, because those hands left and Chase stood up and he took a few steps before standing in front of Ty. "You wanna get up?"
    "No." Not thinking, clearly not thinking. Not looking either because his head was still hanging and he had to fight to get his eyes open. But once he did, and it seemed to take forever before that moment was there, everything looked too bright, too clear. All the edges too sharp and detailed. They didn't fit the world he felt boiling inside his head. One filled with stuffed emptiness and blurred images that weren't even real.
    "You okay?" Chase asked and brushed his hand against Ty's hair. He shivered with that one touch alone and was close to closing his eyes again but instead he looked up. Up at the man who had put him there. Just the first time and not even forcing but telling him to do it and he had. And now he was still there and Ty wasn't sure if the floor was the only place Chase had put him into.
    "Ty?"
    He was looking at everything with eyes that were not his. Through understanding that didn't fit his. No terror, though. Just a feeling of insecurity that really wasn't his to feel.
    The hand came back, under his chin now and tilting his head up and though it was done gently, as if Chase was afraid Ty might fall to pieces if handled too roughly, Ty's eyes fluttered again, something buzzing inside his head like the machine he hadn't heard in ages. No question, just a firm look and Ty found himself sinking into that gaze. Deeper and deeper, all over again. But all of him this time, nothing left where it really was.
    "I need you to do something for me, Ty."
    Anything. I'll do anything.
    "I need you to stand up and sit on the table." Chase's expression softened, if only a little, when Ty frowned and was about to argue. "Everything's okay, but your skin is ice cold, and you're a little confused right now and I don't want you to freak out within the next fifteen minutes so get up now and sit on the table, okay?"
    Chase's voice was oddly gentle, and the odd tone made Ty feel strangely at ease. And he didn't even realize he was close to pulled up from the floor though he did feel his feet a little wobbly when he finally managed to stand up. Chase reached for a sweater he'd thrown on his stool while Ty sat on the edge of the table and then Chase stood in front of Ty with a fully satisfied grin on his face. "Let me help put this on you."
    "I don't –"
    "Not negotiable. Hands up," Chase interrupted. Ty was rushing out of whatever haze he'd been in, but he did realize his skin was ice cold and he was tired too. And though he wanted to argue and he no longer felt clearly as hazed as he had a moment ago, he lifted his hands, allowing Chase to pretty much clothe him like a little child. And the sweater, black like everything else he'd seen Chase wear, smelled just like the man himself; musky and dark, a little spicy. And though Ty had thought they were almost the same size, the sweater felt like a pool of thick fabric around him. But it was warm. "Will you drink if I bring you a glass of water?"
    "Are you actually asking for my opinion?" Ty muttered and looked at Chase. The man smiled and his smile did funny things to Ty's insides. Made them quiver and chant words like 'gorgeous' and 'perfect'. "Yes. But really I'm just trying to be polite. You'll drink it anyways, even if I have to force it down your throat."
    Ty tried to grunt but he ended up nodding instead, still a little feeble and he was somehow breathless too, though he hadn't done anything. Chase got him a glass of water, and Ty couldn't follow his movements though he never even left the room. The sink was in the corner of the room as was the small cabinet with a scattered collection of dishes. And while Ty's fingers managed to wrap around the glass and he even managed to hold it without dropping it, Chase positioned himself next to Ty, astride the table, so that Ty was almost cradled between his thighs. And almost became fully when Chase brushed Ty's hair off his face and he dwelled on that touch, following it until he was close to pressing himself against the man. And Chase didn't leave his hair or his skin or any