A/N: (disclaimer: I do not own Legacy of Kain or its characters)

This is a series of one shots that is set in an alterate universe where the Elder God does not pull all the stings. The timeline's very skewed so young Kain'll be showing up in one of the later one shots. The series itself will have several different m/m pairings and possibly actual long story with a plot later on. If you enjoy the series, please comment your thoughts or give suggestions for a one shot you'd like to see.

Tired footsteps echoed through the empty hall of the stronghold barracks. Their red-headed owner trailed the fingers on his free hand along the stone walls, his other hand held his aching face. He blinked slowly as he realized his destination were not his chambers but that of his courter.

Zephon frowned softly despite the pain. He did not wish Rahab to see him in this condition, yet he could not seem to change his destination. He sometimes wished he was not so drawn to the other man for silent comfort.

Tonight had been his and the other inquisitor's night off, no battling vampires. Yet, he had spent his break getting smacked around by Turel. His old "companion" had not been happy that he had crawled off to someone new. Zephon just had not the strength to put up with Turel's abuse and had left him for Rahab, the one he actually had feelings for.

Zephon now found he was second guessing himself on whether it had been the right choice. He still suffered the same abuse but now he risked his love's safety as well. He and Rahab had only been together a few days now; there was still time to break it off and save Rahab the misery of Turel's wrath! … Rahab was only doing this for Zephon's benefit anyway, right?

The red-head found that idea of Rahab not actually loving him made his stomach hurt. He had to force the thoughts from his mind before he was sick on the floor, thinking about every little thing besides that little possibility. His mind drifted to happier thoughts: the tiny spark of a relationship he saw between his friends Malchiah and Dumah, letters of greeting from Raziel, and the strange little fish Zephon now had living in his quarters. It had been a gift from Rahab.

He swallowed tight as he stopped in front of Rahab's quarters. He moved his free hand to the dog collar wrapped tightly around his throat, a little symbol of ownership from Turel. The spell cast on it, stopped it from being removed. This was a little souvenir he wished to hide from his partner, he quickly covered it with the collar of his tunic before slowly opening the door.

Rahab sat at the desk next to his bed. He whispered the ancient words from the book in front of him, translating them into the modern tongue as he said them. This was a little hobby he had picked up and rather enjoyed it. It was a simple and pleasant way to spend his days off. Though, as of late, he had found that he had rather hoped to spend his day off with Zephon. Yet, he had seen very little of his partner the entire day.

He sighed and laid his writing quill down, raising his hand to rub his eyes tiredly. He was rather worried about Zephon, the younger man had seemed very jumpy the past couple days. He had known Zephon since he and the other inquisitors were just recruits, Zephon had been just as normal as the rest of them. Yet, over the past couple years; the red-head had started acting very strange. He was jumpy and flinched at loud noises sometimes, he was also very obedient.

Rahab groaned and closed his tired eyes; he didn't want to think about it anymore. A soft sigh escaped him as he leaned back in his chair. He didn't notice Zephon slip almost silently into his room and close the door. He did not notice until the more petite man climbed onto his lap, knees astride Rahab's hips.

Rahab blinked slowly and straightened up in his chair, looking down at his partner. He stiffened slightly as the red-head weakly wrapped his arms around Rahab's neck and pressed his nose to his throat; just resting there. Such contact was still unnerving but Rahab had to get used to it, so he forced his body to slowly relax.

He frowned slightly as he heard a sniffle escape Zephon, bringing a hand to timidly stoke the younger man's back. He was trying to help him relax and it seemed to be working, at least until Rahab's hand came up and brushed against something hidden under Zephon's tunic collar. He felt his companion flinch as he gently pulled the cloth down to reveal the dog collar. His eyes widened and his jaw clenched in shocked horror. The collar was so tight; he was surprised Zephon could breathe.

Zephon hid more of his face against Rahab's throat, tears pooling in his eyes; not sure how his partner would take the news. He expected angry reprimands and demands about the collar, waited for them. He did not expect for Rahab to simply cover the collar again and gently kiss his ear.

"Would you like to play checkers, Zephon?" Rahab asked softly, soothingly petting Zephon's spiky red hair. He could feel his partner's confusion and smiled slightly as he nodded, "Go get the board; I'll clean off the table." He raised Zephon's chin and gently wiped his eyes before unwrapping his arms. He watched the red-head sniffled slightly then slipped off his lap to fetch the game.

Rahab wished to ask about the collar but refused to. As a person that disliked talking, he knew that talking when emotional was even worse. Perhaps a few games of checkers would relax Zephon and he would explain what happened. Rahab was not in a hurry to know if the telling would harm his partner.

Zephon hummed softly as he played with the corner of Rahab's pillow, he was always allowed to use it when they shared a bed. The little act helped him relax as he watched the lamp's pale light flicker. He smiled as he felt the weight of Rahab's arm around him; he was the only person to know that Rahab loved to cuddle when he was asleep.

He always felt safe when sharing Rahab's bed. Though, they did not share a bed in a normal sense for partners. Acts of pleasure were a level of physical contact that Rahab was far from ready for, so therefore, were forbidden. Sleeping beside each other was for comfort and feelings of safety.

Zephon smiled at the horrific fanged fish Rahab kept in glass tanks around his room as he started to drift off. Zephon looked upon them as guardians watching over him as he slept. Turel was frightened of the fish, causing him to avoid Rahab's room. This created a safe haven for Zephon to rest easy in, getting to sleep beside his love only made the situation all the more enjoyable.