"Have you come to kill me?"
The young child's gaze drew up towards the male who sat, clothed in white. The fair delicate features of his face thin against the poor, brittle bone. The sickening complexion of his skin a rather sickly gray. And yet despite the man's ghastly appearance, the child couldn't help but notice the way those dark long lashes swept across his cheek, the dull pink of his lip quivering ever so slightly. With each ragged breathe, his chest rose slowly, and with an exhausted sigh the thin arch of his brows drew together as a cough escaped those chapped lips. But instead of running, of shying away from the male, the boy crept close, perplexed by the dreadful sight that sat before him.
"Kill you?" A faint smile graced the male's lips as he listened to the boy, at the way his voice seemed to rise and fall with each delicate breathe. The blues of his eyes widening, seemingly vast like the ocean. And with a slight tilt of the head, he asked, "Why would I kill you?"
"Why?" His gaze drifted up towards the ceiling as he thought, the nibble tips of his fingers twitching rather anxiously. And with another sigh, he slowly drew his attention back towards his young companion who sat, looking to him with that same bewildered expression, "I've done a terrible thing, haven't I? And surely, this is my punishment. But who knew His angels were so young, and yet still so beautiful."
The child's voice rose considerably as he began to laugh, the sweet sound of innocence filling the room. And when he had finally calmed himself, the boy simply shook his head. The short blonde locks of his hair bouncing against the childlike features of his face, "I'm no angel."
"My, then what are you?"
"A monster."
For the first time the older male seemed to truly gaze upon his friend, at the way those short golden strands of hair seemed to shimmer as the sun's gentle rays cascaded in through an open window. The soft gentle blues of his eyes wide and curious as he took everything in. And against those round cheeks sat thin black lines which resembled whiskers, seeming to move along with every expression that he made, "You, a monster?" He chuckled quietly as he slowly extended his arm out towards the boy, his fingers gently lifting his chin as their eyes met once more, "You remind me of a prince, a young prince. And maybe I'll be the monster. It's only fair, right?"
"No." The blonde shook his head once more, his bottom lip protruding slightly as he began to pout, "You're too pretty to be a monster."
"To pretty?" His voice came in a hushed whisper as he thought this over, and though his expression grew rather worrisome he continued to smile at the boy, "No My Prince. This is the façade of a man facing his final days with the shred of dignity he has left and yet, has death always been so bittersweet?"
"Death?" He sat still for a moment, his eyes drawn towards the floor as he thought this over, the gears turning slowly as he came upon a brilliant idea, and with a childlike grin he grasped the male's cold fingers within his own, squeezing it gently within his palm, "You're the first person whose ever believed in me yaknow. You can't just die now."
"But my dear boy, that's how it is. Fate's always been so cruel."
The two gazed upon each other for a moment, and the blonde again looked to the male, at the way his chest rose compulsively, as if each rhythmic beating of the heart pounded against his chest. And yet, the boy found himself growing lost within the steady flow of blood as it ran against his veins, the muscle contracting against itself as it forcefully beat against the arteries, as if itself were aching of some incurable disease. And, when he closed his eyes, the child turned his focus to the constant rhythm of his own heart, at the sudden energy that ran to his fingertips, uniting the two together. Building static as it emitted a spark, and when the energy had all but left him, the prince slowly drew open his eyes, and focused on the male who sat rather confused.
The aching in his chest had suddenly ceased, and his breathing once so ragged had now labored. And when he looked once more to his own sickening flesh, his brows rose considerably as a tan complexion began to color his skin, "But h-how?" When he returned his attention back towards the boy, there was a smile on that face, one that filled the male with a certain content, a sense of fulfillment.
"I'm a monster remember?" He chuckled at this, turning from the male's bedside as he readied himself to leave, but before taking his departure out into the world, he turned once more and found himself smiling up at the man, "You're not a monster yaknow. And I doubt you'll ever be. Whatever wrong you've done, whatever punishment you think you deserve; I forgive you. Besides, your way to pretty to ever be considered a monster."
After he had gone, the male couldn't help but look to the entryway from whence he came. Thinking back to that boy, that child who had forgiven him, despite the pain he had inflicted and the lives taken. Despite that he had been given a second chance, an escape from life, by a child nonetheless. And whether he cared to admit or not, his life had been altered for the better, or perhaps, the worst.
"My prince." His voice rose softly among the silence as he pulled the IVs from his skin, and tossed the blankets from his bed, hoisting himself up in one go. And though he was unsure of where to go, the male flung open the window and placed the soles of his feet against its frame, balancing his weight upon the metal as he glanced out towards the town, and its vast amount of people. Some picketing signs, others shouting amongst the crowd. And from afar he could vaguely see those soft golden strands gleaming in the light.
"There he is!" Someone shouldered passed him as he shoved through the crowd, careful to avoid one's gaze, and as a woman screamed he looked towards the building once more as the people seemed to grow more rambunctious. Some pointing towards a window, at the raven haired male who crotched atop the sill, and with a gasp he watched as the male lurched forward, jumping from the room before disappearing altogether.
His daring escape.