A soft sound caught Sho's attention, and he turned towards the door. He smiled as he saw it was Kei returning; he'd left without saying anything shortly after dusk. His eyes were still shimmery yellow-gold, rather than the more familiar soft green, but Sho met them easily nevertheless, as he always had.
Kei paused near the door, then turned and came towards Sho silently, lips slightly parted.
Sho's brows rose curiously, but he waited where he stood for Kei to reach him, if that was where he was heading. "Kei?" Sho asked, reaching out and gently brushing the backs of his fingers over Kei's shoulder as he came nearer.
Kei's mouth opened a little wider, and he took a deep, shuddering breath that sounded painful. Sho almost winced. He leaned a little closer. "Kei?" he said again, and-
"Why aren't you afraid of me?" Kei said roughly, grabbing Sho's arms. It didn't hurt, for all the suddenness of the movement, and the intensity of his tone. Kei had never once been carelessly rough with Sho; not as a child, not during training sessions, not when he had been too close while Kei was feeding, or when he was starving, and not now.
"I've never been afraid of you, Kei." Sho said softly. He shifted to pull his right arm free of Kei's hold - he released it instantly, and Sho sighed quietly, shaking his head. Sho pulled Kei closer, tucking Kei's head beneath his chin and holding his friend tight in a warm embrace.
"I don't-" Kei began roughly. "Why?" he asked, his voice a little broken.
Sho pressed his lips together firmly, holding Kei a little tighter as his only response, as though he could chase away the painful question. Kei's hair ruffled under his chin, and Kei shifted as though he would pull away from Sho's embrace.
Of course Sho knew he could, and easily - especially now, since he'd just returned from feeding - but he didn't, allowing Sho to dictate when he was ready to let go. Sho squeezed him a little tighter for a moment, not ready to let Kei walk away from him.
"I trust you, Kei." Sho said, slowly and very softly. "I always have. Why would I be afraid of you when. . ." he trailed off, shaking his head again, and slowly let his arms fall away from Kei's slender waist.
He didn't release Kei entirely, but he didn't resist when Kei moved to step away, either, tipping his head back to meet Sho's eyes.
Sho squeezed lightly at Kei's wrists, happy to see the familiar soft green of his eyes had returned. The brighter, surreal yellow-gold didn't frighten him - and he was happy to see it if only because it usually meant that Kei had fed, which was becoming rarer - but Sho loved Kei's true eyes.
"I don't know why." Kei whispered, lashes fluttering. "You shouldn't." he added a little louder, this time definitely intended for Sho to hear, and he scowled. "I'm-"
"I trust you." Sho repeated, interrupting. "I trust you because everything you have done since I was a child has told me to, Kei." he said firmly, hands sliding down to clasp Kei's own. "Because I know I can trust you. Always." He refused to let Kei pull away from him any further, keeping their eyes locked.
Originally written for a prompt from a challenge set; 'Eye'.