William Holloway

I'm a devil in disguise

There was an ache in William's very soul as Sebastian stepped away from him, taking a place that William himself had never seen before. The Duke was wholly used to a social order from centuries ago, where Sebastian would have stayed at his side rather than leaving him. Desperately, William wanted to wrap his fingers around Sebastian's wrist and draw him to his side, to stake a claim of that loyalty that had been his first. And yet William remained frozen in place, determined to be as utterly polite as possible to the Italian King, if only because he couldn't imagine a world in which he didn't have Sebastian's friendship. And surely this politeness to his husband, as painful as it might be, was a requirement for that. So William remained cordial, his frame dipping into the courtly bow that the situation demanded, even if there was a part of him that wanted to lose that politeness, that composure, and destroy anything that stood in the path of everything he wanted. That instinct so surely brought on by the forced years of using his power and the madness that gripped at the Hunter's mind and threatened to rip him apart.

It was his surname - or at least, what had been his surname - that forced William's spine to straighten and his mind to refocus on the situation at hand. Even if insanity gripped at his composure and raged a battle within his own head, his body knew what to do. It knew the spine straight posture, the smiles, the polite words that would be offered to his dear friend's husband. And even despite the trained way that William's body performed, there was an iciness to the King's tone as he spoke. There was a boyish smile that tugged on William's features as he attempted to break down that ice, his words hopeful that only the best of his personality had been conveyed between the married couple. Oh, the stories that could have been shared of transgressions from their past! But it was not Dorian who answered him, but rather Sebastian, insisting that it had only been the very best of their encounters that had been shared with his lover. The warm smile that fell upon Sebastian's lips was quickly mirrored on William's face, that simple gesture enough to ease a fraction of that anxiety that gripped at his heart. Maybe, just maybe, this would all be okay. It was that optimistism that prompted William's reply, that he was looking forward to getting to know the Italian King, even if there was a part of him that was sure them getting to know each other wouldn't be a good idea. The fae, it seemed, had the same apprehension, given the tight lipped smile that he offered him.

How quickly he was to be dismissed, it seemed. Dorian's attention focused entirely on Sebastian, while William stood silently, his gaze sliding between the pair. William flinched at the mention of his own kidnapping, and yet remained entirely grateful that Sebastian did not elaborate on the reason for it. It was already abundantly clear how little Dorian thought of him, and he was sure that his own madness would only harm his prospects further. "I just escaped, and I came straight here." William offered quietly. He flexed his fingers, testing with that small gesture that he still had control of his own body. He wasn't bound, wasn't in a cell, wasn't prisoner. He was safe, at least for now. Still, the Englishman looked around the room, noting the window, the door, and the lack of personnel that would hold him here. Those means of escape so desperately needed to the man whose very sanity seemed to be barely hanging on.

Despite his focus appearing anywhere but on the conversation at hand, the Duke was very much aware of Sebastian's explanation for offering him a job. As much as he hated to admit that he needed that financial security as much as the physical security, Sebastian was hardly wrong in his assessment of the situation at hand. The safety that had been promised William was already soothing. After all, the feat to get inside to see Sebastian for William himself had proved the security that he, too, would be protected by! And being personally near Sebastian for his job... it was the best he could ask for after two centuries of hell. It was, for the first time since that fateful December night, a glimpse at real happiness for the Hunter. A chance to start over, have a real life, and have his friend back. And maybe have a real, true, stable place to call home. It was better than what he'd believed he would ever get again, and maybe, just maybe, he would finally start to heal from wounds that cut deep two centuries ago.

Truthfully, William was not aware of the prolonged silence that existed within the fae until that silence was broken, those words causing William's gaze to snap sharply back to the Italian King with a look of utter shock. The words were ones you used upon a stray dog, a pest, a bother. Certainly not a best friend. William's lips parted to speak, though the words never came to his mind, yet alone his lips. The silvery gaze of the Fae King caused William to remain silent, watching in horror as the man laid down conditions to the job that he certainly did not agree to. To be outside the gates lacked the protection he craved, and it lacked the pleasure of seeing Sebastian every day. With a simple sentence, all that hope for a normal life seemed ripped out from under him, with the simple promise that he would have to give up access to his best friend and his perceived safety in one fell swoop.

Somehow, William managed to keep his features emotionless as the Italian King's attention turned fully on him. His fingers flexed, his palms itching for the electric feeling that accompanied the use of his power, and yet he didn't call upon that psychic energy. If Sebastian had not been in the room, perhaps there would have been no hesitation to use them on the cruel fae. But his best friend's safety was, and had always been, his top priority. How he wanted to look at Sebastian, to see the comfort of his features, and yet he didn't dare break that eye contact from the monarch, listening to all the ways that he might be banned from ever having a moment alone with the one person in his life that he could not stand to lose. He'd lost so much already in his long life. His parents. Georgiana. James and Sebastian, once. Vhalla. His title, his home, his country. His very sanity. He could not lose Sebastian, not again. The very idea of it stripped any of that anger from the Hunter, replacing it with a dread and despair that was all consuming.

William wanted to argue. He wanted to fight with the Fae King and inform him that he would not agree to those terms. He wanted to destroy anything that might dare keep him from having the life he wanted alongside his closest companion. And yet, even exhausted, weak, and half mad, even he could see that there was very little good that would come from that. In a fight between William and Dorian, William might have had a physical upper hand. But if Sebastian had to choose between the two men, the Duke was well aware that that was a fight that he would lose. There was a choice to be made here. Dorian seemed to have made his: to bar the Hunter from Sebastian's life in every way possible. William could have made one, too: to accept the terms and the limited involvement in Sebastian's life. But, as far as William was concerned, it was Sebastian who would have to make the choice that mattered.

"I don't accept the terms as you present them, Dorian."

William's reply was calm, his words no longer affording the Monarch with the social graces that were required. Dorian was certainly not his King, and he owed Italy nothing. Frankly, he was sure that after this conversation, his ties to Italy would be entirely severed. For a long moment, he eyed the fae, refusing to back down as one of his subjects. But then, his gaze slid to the other man in the room, to the one that mattered. It was Sebastian who would hold all the power, as far as Will was concerned. It was Sebastian's word that would be final for this situation. Sebastian's word that would likely break Will entirely.

"You asked me to be your personal bodyguard, which was a position I was wholly ready and willing to accept," William's tone was level, even if he could feel his hands trembling. Weakly, he gestured to Dorian, though his eyes did not break contact with Sebastian. "He is your husband and your king, and I will not ask you to choose between the two of us. But he's not my king. He wants this and is commanding this, but it is not his word that I follow, Sebastian. I promised that I'd never leave you. I swore loyalty to you. So I have to ask." His voice broke slightly, revealing the lack of confidence that William felt about this whole situation. "Do you want that, Sebastian? Is that what you want me to do? If that is my life now, I think I deserve to at least hear it from you."