The Black Saint is My StalkerCh105 - Who said you have to be alone?

Edited by dreamandwonder

Han Li held his breath. A part of him wanted to reject, to shout, to push away the presence that closed in on him. hYWdc4

Graham’s ungloved hand traced his cheek, tentatively testing reaction. Han Li’s eyes trained to the ground, his breath bated and his heart seemingly stilled. An electric tingling could be felt from Graham’s skin against his, inciting memories better left buried. Unable to control the mess of emotions in the depths of his stomach, Han Li closed his eyes and grimaced with dread.

Graham remained silent.

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The dire nature of the situation had suspended. Small embers of guilt rose in the saint’s heart as he looked down on Han Li. Pursed lips, knitted brows. His cheeks were slightly flushed. This brat came all the way to Britia for what?

For Graham’s unfeeling words and cold approach. Would kindness have served any better? Unlikely. Lnr4Qk

But Graham Astley was a person with centuries yet of experience. Heartbreak, disappointment, anguish and resentment too; all such emotions directed his way were fleeting and inconsequential things. And Han Li…

Han Li was just another number on the long equation.

No matter how much the boy batted his pretty lashes, or acted cutely, or spoke those weird, funny words. None of those things would amount to anything. Even being Han Ruyan’s son, Graham’s feelings toward the kid could not make up for the centuries he spent with the Immortal of Star Mirror Lake. And compared to Aoibhinn—well.

Graham’s affection would only end up being fleeting over the long drags of hundreds of years.

These feelings were but silly, little, inconsequential things.

There was a time that Graham would have believed so with utter conviction.

But he…

There was no time to ruminate. Emotions were better left at the door. cgozwS

Without warning, his hand grabbed the back of Han Li’s neck, roughly jerking him forward. A small yelp left the kids lips, balance broken. He crashed into Graham’s solid chest. No second was wasted, all Graham had to do was grab a handful of Han Li’s hair and yanked down, causing him to crane his neck.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Han Li gasped and that was the opening that the saint needed. Their lips crashed and Han Li flinched, whimpered against Graham’s tongue. That strange sharpness welled in the saint’s heart, the guilt grew and cut through all his other sorrows and anxieties.

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“Mnngh…!” When he meant to push the saint away, his fingers curled into dark fabric, bringing him closer.

Too much, too fast. Allowing such a volume of divine power directly into his body was nauseating. Han Li realized then that Graham wasn’t holding back. He also realized that all the other times, Graham had, in fact, held back.

Wet lashes tickled Graham’s cheek. Han Li’s vision turned blurry and dark, his sharp night vision retracting with the rest of his demonic strengths. Suddenly he felt so weak that he could no longer stand.

Suddenly he felt so weak that he couldn’t remain conscious. And then he fell limp in Graham’s hold. KvMhL

The next time he woke he was soft sheets that smelled of foreign detergent, alien and uncomfortable.

Warm lights blared down on him and his mouth felt oddly parched. An ugly burnt orange wallpaper greeted him, and the ceiling was an unfriendly shade of white. A tiny hotel room. The night outside was still dark. He couldn’t tell if what he saw was light pollution, or twilight creeping up the horizon.

Chrysanthemum Garden.

The mattress was a little hard for him. It moved, shifting from added weight. An unopened water bottle was shoved in his face. “Here.”

Graham, out of his jacket and gear appeared deceptively domestic. Black t-shirt and dark grey sweatpants. His curly hair was a little damp, the towel that rested over his shoulder was telling. And those dark eyes of his were equally as alluring as they were cold. The scabs and bruises on the sides of the saint’s lips gave him a little more bad-boy appeal but none of that deterred his attractiveness. LDge78

Han Li gulped, feeling like an utter fool. Quickly, he averted his gaze, cheeks flushed. His body, sore, creaked with pain as he pulled himself up to a seated position. With a muted, “thanks,” he took the water bottle from Graham’s hand and downed the whole thing in five seconds flat.

An uncomfortable silence settled between them.

“Where are we?”

“7 Somerset Street. West part of the city.” a7Wtwx

“Kind of a low grade hotel for you, Grams.”

“I’m trying to remain discreet.”

“…Right.”

Silence again. ELT GC

The ugly rage in Han Li’s heart abated, replaced with gloomy defeat. He didn’t know what to feel and subsequently, he had no idea what the fuck to say. All he knew was that he was a whole damn fool. Forget a clown, he might as well have been the whole fucking circus. Graham didn’t need to play him because he fucking played himself.

Stupid. Dumb as fuck.

He should never have cared so much about Graham to begin with. He should never have fallen so deep.

Reeling in his messy emotions and stupid broken heart, Han Li took two deep breaths and told himself to be casual, feign normalcy. “So…Who’s Aoibhinn?” NzYajB

Fuck, no, wrong question. Just the sound of her name was enough to make Han Li cringe. He pointedly kept his gaze to the ugly burnt orange wallpaper and prayed that Graham wouldn’t look over to make out his expression.

“Aoibhinn was—“ Graham began. Only to sigh. He rose from his spot on the mattress and padded over to the sink that rested at the hotel entrance. The room was so small, it was hardly big enough for the single queen size bed that it housed. “Hm. She is my wife.”

“Your wife,” Han Li echoed. He was feeling all sorts of ways. But— fuck. No, he couldn’t let those feelings get in the way anymore.

He braved his anxiety and glanced over his shoulder, catching Graham tossing the towel on the countertop before sauntering to the mini-fridge. His t-shirt didn’t fit around his chest and biceps very well and Han Li was trying his best to focus on something else. Fuck it. Han Li spat out, “Your wife tried to blow up the Edelstein Pillar. And you were there too—“ r6v8Ic

“I know, Han Li,” the Saint of Eternity snapped, using the same sharp tone he had back in the alleyway, promptly shutting Han Li up.

The kid was like a deer caught in headlights, eyes wind, jaw tense. And Graham sighed again, turning his attention back to the fridge to retrieve a drink. A beer for himself and…

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Han Li grimaced at the orange juice placed in his lap. “I’m not a kid.”

Graham ignored him, sitting back down on the mattress, on the same side that Han Li sat, except there was a good arm’s length between them. “I haven’t seen Aoibhinn in…over a thousand years. Her soul is— it’s damaged. She is not herself. The real Aoibhinn would not commit such crimes.” He emphasized the word ‘real’ hoping that if he said it enough, he might believe in it. rFHol

No matter how much he glared at the offensive bottle of orange juice in his lap, it didn’t do anything to quell Han Li’s beating heart. He couldn’t resist peeking from the corner of his eyes, spotting Graham’s complicated expression.

Han Li felt a pang in his chest and prayed that it wasn’t jealousy. “…So what are you going to do?”

Graham’s stoic countenance broke into a grimace. “Aoibhinn is my sun. I care for none other more than I care for her. Even after the passing of ages this…has not changed.” There was hesitation in his voice, but too subtle for Han Li to pick up on.

Han Li tensed. “Then—“ PxTA2M

“…But I will deal with her if I must. This…is my responsibility and mine alone.”

“Uh. I mean, I wouldn’t say that,” Han Li muttered gloomily.

Graham’s chuckle was bitter. “Always causing trouble, aren’t you?” He reached over, but before he had the chance to ruffle Han Li’s fluffy black hair, the youngster pulled away.

Awkwardly, he let his hand drop. Another sigh. The Saint of Eternity was rather expressive tonight. “Is your team assembled by the RTU? If that’s the case then I could possibly—“ 2i08pc

“It’s not about that,” Han Li cut in quickly.

Since when has it ever been about legalities or missions or anything really? Han Li didn’t give a shit about his stupid mission. He didn’t give a shit about his shitty teammates either. Except for maybe Valtteri who was amiable at best.

And as much as he cared about the Edelstein Pillar, mostly because he was sane and didn’t want to see the world in shambles, that was hardly the reason why Han Li found himself in Lyrchester in the first place.

“Look, I get it. She’s your wife. Your wife is batshit crazy. And also a thousand years old or some shit,” Han Li could feel his anxiety spike, but he ignored it. Braved it. He looked up, locked eyes with dark pupils. “And maybe you have to ‘deal with her’ or whatever the hell that even means. But I’m right here, aren’t I? Who said you have to be alone? If you’re sad or some shit, just say it. If you’re having a hard time, people will help.” hEFiot

A dark brow raised at his rambling and Han Li suddenly felt the fool. He shrank, regretting the blabber that left his lips. Graham, being as boomer as he was, likely knew something as simple as that. It was likely that he didn’t want Han Li to be ‘there for him’ or ‘help’ no matter how much Han Li wanted to.

But instead of rejection, what Han Li got was a subtle smile. The kind that reached all the way to Graham’s eyes. One what wasn’t a smirk. “Thank you,” the Saint of Eternity said and Han Li wondered if somehow, he had managed to fuck up again.

Just as quickly as it came, Graham’s smile fell. “Hide,” he commanded.

A gentle knock came at the door. UI4lmq

Author: REEeeeee quickly throwing this up before I run to work >__<; will respond to your lovely comments probably at lunch time ahhhh!

Short NSFW ficlet, Hungry by Clozed!

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