Transcendence Chapter 9
#9 of Jason Wolfe: Transcendence
**Chapter 9: We Are Equal
Skyview Apartments, Apartment 6**
Naught... A world of endless white and R3's personal Reality.
It was in Naught that the Empty Throne sat. At the centre of a massive, cylindrical chamber lined with a multitude of differently shaped and designed thrones was a single, white altar. It was plain and certainly nothing overly impressive about it but it was the Empty Throne... The seat of the most powerful No One in existence...
EX the Existent.
As R3 sat in his own throne, regarding the empty altar before him, he also gazed into the turmoil that Jason Wolfe was undergoing. This was the pivotal point in his plan. All existence hinged on the next few moments in Jason's life.
Not just the existence of Enria.
All existence.
EX...
A burst of fierce energies erupted from right beside him and a seemingly unobtrusive handgun was levelled at his head.
"I cannot believe you would do this to him!" D8 the Derelict cried. "Were you so eager to prove me wrong that you would destroy his life so!?"
"High praise from the being who would destroy him completely," R3 answered, unimpressed.
"There is a difference between destruction and suffering, R3!"
"Indeed there is. From destruction one finds it hard to rise from the ashes. When one suffers, one develops calluses from the damage, becomes stronger."
"You have no right to dictate what is right and wrong in his life! You are depriving him of choice!"
R3 turned away, smirking. "The choice is there while it may not be so obvious."
"You would have him kill the man he loves!?"
R3's smirk grew into a grin. "Are you advocating his love for Brett?"
The Derelict froze. It was no secret that D8's stance against Jason was more than just a position against Jason's existence. The lifestyle of F6's son was as much a topic of illogical hatred in D8 as anything else though he insisted it was not. It amused R3 to no end how many of the No Ones, despite insisting they were mortals, had the biggest god-complexes in existence.
R3 knew he was mortal. It was a fact. He could die just like anyone else... and even yearned for the end of his story. However, he knew when his story as R3 ended, he'd go back to being plain old Jacob Reaper and exchange his book with the one he loved. The only time that would happen, however, was if and when everyone in existence obtained their books. When everyone in existence earned the right to rule their worlds for themselves and EX no longer hand to bind all existence together.
That day when he and EX would be together again...
He relished the fact that, sometimes he would be wrong. He learned from the experience. He was still writing his story even when he had his own book in his hands. Like Jason initially, he was filling his book with other people's stories. He was letting them write the story for him as he played the side-character. Their mistakes were his as well and while he could guide and teach, sometimes, people just weren't receptive.
Existence was no longer about him... but he was still part of existence.
He looked forward to the day when D8 would learn the true meaning of mortality.
"I advocate nothing," D8 snarled, lowering his handgun, Desolation. "But you have no right cornering Jason into this position."
"I cornered no one. It was Jason's choices that led him here. Likewise, it was Brett's choice to allow Envy into his heart."
"So what will occur should Jason kill Brett then!"
R3 frowned grimly. "Existence will unravel and all with perish."
****
"No... You can't be..." Jason begged. His voice was shaking and it felt like there was a cold dagger buried into his heart. "This is some kind of cruel joke... Take off those contact lenses... Please..."
Brett sniggered and licked the tip of Jason's nose. "Sorry, Jason. Your fiancé is a Malefactor Host."
No...!
His mind was overloading but his heart was bleeding too profusely for the flames to take hold. Images of himself stabbing Brett filled his mind. History played back in his head... He was fighting on Reprieve again but this time, it was Brett who was dying in his arms and not Connor... Again... He felt angry at R3 for initiating this entire mess...
... but he was just overcome with so much sadness... so much fear...
"Why...?"
Brett straightened, shrugging absently, a grin on his face. "Oh, I don't know... At first it didn't work. Your boyfriend was too good to feel any true envy. But then you started beating down his door over and over again with your sexual escapades, how could he not feel jealous? First you slept with that David fellow. Then you go ahead and sleep with your dad not two days later. Then you go and get so overcome with lust that you rip his ass open with Warren... It would take a saint to resist all that.
"And Brett Sykes is no saint."
Wait a second...
Jason realised that this Malefactor hadn't completely taken over Brett! It was just like the Fear Malefactor with Kevin!
Brett was still in there!
"Fight it Brett!" he shouted, leaping to his feet. "This isn't you! You fell once but that's okay because I'll be here to catch you!"
"It's no use," the Malefactor laughed. "After he saw you getting raped by Lust, the jealousy just took over." The dark creature's grin grew broader and he inclined his head to the side. "And you want to know why he let me into his heart?"
"No!" Jason snapped, clenching his fists. "I'm not listening to anything you have to say!"
"Brett Sykes let me, Envy, into his heart because all he wanted was for you to see him like you look at your father and Connor. With deep, genuine love. The many times you've rejected and bounced back to him have become so ridiculously numerous. After all this, he began feeling like the rebound guy and all he wants is to be the guy."
Shaking from head to toe, Jason growled but was unable to form a rebuttal.
Because Envy was right... He had assumed Brett was perfect... but as Dominic had said, no one was perfect and perfection is a flaw. He was stupid to assume his escapades weren't hurting Brett... His mate had even admitted it... He had been hurt... and he got jealous...
"Brett is better than that!"
"Oh he is," Envy sniggered. "Even now, he's fighting me with everything he's got but it's no use." The Malefactor shook his head. "Because I've taken root and even if I fall ever so slightly, I'll just come back. I'm part of him now."
"I'm not going to lose Brett!"
Envy's grin grew broader. "Oh, I know. That's why I'm going to offer you an out."
...
"What are you talking about?" Jason asked warily.
Envy slid Brett's large, muscular frame onto the bed. "Give me some of your light."
Jason staggered. "What?"
The Malefactor's grin remained in place, a dark mockery of Brett's genuine, bright smile. "It's simple. Though you may not see it yourself, you are a shining light in this world. A being who has overcome adversity and come out stronger, better, for it. Occasionally you may falter but your light shines brighter for it."
Genesis was still resting on the bed. Jason knew he couldn't kill Brett... He didn't want to lose another man he loved. But he would still feel better if he was armed.
"You're jealous of my 'light'?" he asked.
"Do I look like the kind that wants to be 'redeemed'?" Envy replied. He quickly raised Brett's hand, barring all replies. "Don't answer that. R3 may have some 'divine plan' to save even we Malefactors or our hosts but not everyone wants to be 'saved'." Envy snorted. "No, I want your light to tip the balance between darkness and light."
Jason forgot about his attempt to snatch Genesis and regarded Envy. "What exactly do you want from me?"
Envy grinned, stalked over to Jason, pressing Brett's hard, muscular body against his. Brett's lips levelled with Jason's ear, the contact and proximity of the Malefactor making Jason's skin crawl.
"Lay with me."
Alarm bells erupted around Jason's brain. "What!?" he cried, leaping back. "Are you insane!?"
Envy's grin returned. "Those are my terms, Jason Wolfe. Either you lay with me here and now and from that union, I shall take your light from you. You will not be thrust into the darkness as Lust had intended but you will certainly not be as bright as you had been. You will recover, rest assured. Your ability to bounce back is uncanny.
"Once I have your light, I will leave your mate permanently. I cannot guarantee that the darkness unlocked within him will be curbed but one does not touch a Malefactor and escape unscathed anyway. From your light and my darkness, I will create an entity that is a perfect amalgamation of the two. A being of the grey."
Jason staggered further back and tripped over the bed, falling back onto the precum-soaked sheets from Lust's earlier assault. Envy - inhabiting Brett's body - crawled over to him, those massive, muscular arms resting on either side of his head as the Rottweiler loomed over him.
"That child will be the deciding factor between the light and the darkness," Envy said, Brett's peppery breath wafting into Jason's nostrils. "Of course, under my tutelage, it will always favour the darkness."
His mind reeled.
A child of the grey! Not light or darkness... but true grey!
He wants me to have sex with him - with Brett - so he can make this child and he'll leave Brett as part of the deal...
"W - Why...?"
Envy leaned closer, nuzzling him as Brett used to. Part of him was revolted at the contact, insulted that the Malefactor would use Brett to seduce him. The other part was heartbroken at the choice he would have to make.
"Think about it," Envy whispered softly. "There shall always be a fight between light and darkness. However, light will always prevail. Why? Because no matter how deep the darkness gets, it cannot consume the light unless the light falters. The stronger the light becomes, the more darkness it pushes back. But between the two is grey, a barrier, a wall that dictates the territory of both.
"A child of that very same grey will have the power to constrict the light no matter how brightly it shines because you cannot shine through grey."
And thus the choice set before him.
Give Envy a weapon to effectively doom all Enria in exchange for Brett...
... or kill Brett and save the world...
He shut his eyes, feeling tears welling up. A shudder ran down his spine as Envy leaned over and licked those tears away. "The choice is yours, Jason Wolfe. Will you sacrifice that which you love again for the world? Have you not sacrificed enough? Where is your happy ending? In this world of darkness, do you not at least deserve one person you will always cling onto...?"
I... I just don't know...
He tried to look to his subconscious but couldn't reach them... The pain in his heart was too overwhelming that all he could think of was Brett... Struggling against the darkness of Envy, trying to break free...
"Why...?" he stammered as Envy slowly angled Brett's muzzle towards him, their lips touching slightly. "Why would Brett let you in...?"
"Simple temptation," Envy snickered slowly reaching towards Brett's shirt and slipping it off his head. There was Brett's chest, just as Jason remembered it... He was repulsed thinking at the creature that possessed it... but also yearning for the person trapped in that darkness. "All I offered was that you would finally see him in true love.
"This will prove it, Jason Wolfe. If you love him, truly love him like all those you have bedded before... then you will save him. If not... Well, he and I shall both suffer the consequences. He doesn't deserve to live in a world where the man he would give the world for doesn't love him back."
"That's... That's not fair." Yet as he spoke, Envy had leant in again and gently, passionately, kissing him. It felt just like the way Brett and he used to kiss. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't convince himself that this was Brett.
Envy pulled away for a moment, reaching down to Brett's pants and slowly pulling them past his knees. Jason felt Brett's thick, nine-inch cock press up against his own and he let out a soft whimper knowing that he had made his choice.
R3... If you truly have a plan for everything...
... I'm trusting that you'll see some way out of this...
Jason wrapped his arms gently around Brett's large, muscular body, feeling the same mounds and hard bumps of his mate's muscles. Tears were rolling down his cheeks as he wrapped his lips around Envy's, apologising to high heaven in his heart and mind. It felt like Brett... but it wasn't his mate. Envy's kisses and touches were full of passion... but empty at the same time.
While his loins began burning for release, it was purely biological. There was no lust there... no love. When Envy ran Brett's hands over Jason's nipples, the sensations were there but they were so tainted by corruption that the waves of ecstasy faded into a bleak, consuming emptiness. It didn't seem like Envy cared either.
All he wanted was Jason's seed... his 'light'.
Slowly, the Malefactor in his mate's body turned to the side, rolling off Jason's chest and turning his back to Jason. Envy wasted no time spearing himself onto Jason's cock, Brett's warm insides wrapping around the wolf's sensitive member.
There was no gasp from the Malefactor and the vicious grin on his face said it all...
Brett was just a tool.
Jason whimpered and let Envy do all the work, slipping up and down his cock and bringing him closer and closer to release. The Malefactor guided Brett's hands around to Jason's rear, squeezing it tightly and pulling the two of them closer with every thrust. Envy was moaning lustfully, still grinning from ear to ear.
"What's the matter, Jason?" Envy taunted, one hand on Brett's large member and stroking it with every word. "Isn't this what you've always craved? Brett to be yours and only yours? To finally know that he isn't so perfect and that you're about the same?"
"Shut up!" Jason growled through his tears, seizing Envy's hips and holding him in place.
"Ha!" Envy threw back Brett's head and wiggled those hips in Jason's grip, massaging Jason's member, the sensations pumping more and more blood into Jason's cock.
This time, Jason didn't let the hormones get the better of him but he urged his cock into release nonetheless.
He just wanted this to end...
... but he was suddenly not so sure what he would say to Brett...
As Envy resumed his thrusts, intertwining their legs, Jason wondered if he could ever see Brett the same again...
He had fallen in love with Brett because the Rottweiler was perfect... So understanding, so pristine... so pure... To discover that he wasn't...
Again, he was struck by the irony that someone he thought was infallible didn't turn out to be so flawless... and that he himself was undergoing the very same transformation in the eyes of the public.
Perfection was a flaw...
He let out a sobbing groan and Envy grinded hard into his groin, jostling his balls with Brett's tight ass. His hard pecs were rubbed against Brett's massive, muscular back, his sensitive nipples running over that short, dark brown fur and over those countless mounds of muscle. He felt Brett's stub of a tail press against his abs, whimpering as every memory of that beautiful, sculpted, muscular body was tainted by this foul creature that his mate had let into his heart...
... and that was the crux of his sorrow...
Brett had let Envy in... Ultimately, he had wanted this to happen... Maybe not intentionally... He just wanted Jason to show him the same love that Connor and Dan received. His envy placed the balance of the entire world at stake...
It's not too late... Genesis is right there...
... I could just...
Jason shut his eyes as he felt his knot forming, Envy pressing hard against it and coaxing not only more blood into Jason's member but also more cum. The precum spilling from Brett's cock was getting thicker and thicker, the scent of their arousal mixing together and forming a familiar yet terribly different concoction of their standing as mates.
R3's words came back to haunt him.
'I always give people a choice. I play a part in their realities, yes. I manipulate, I guide, I alter fate and destiny but everyone will always have the choice to follow me or not.'
This is my fault... I chose not to follow R3... I erred...
If I had just called Dan and Chris that night, Brett would never have let Envy in...
I'm sorry...
With a loud plop, his knot shoved hard into Brett's ass and Envy increased his pumping, practically bouncing on Jason's rock-hard abs and moaning feverishly with every bounce.
I'm sorry everyone...
He grit his teeth as his climax pooled at the tip of his cock, holding it back with all his might.
I'm sorry that I was so stupid... so immature...
He threw back his head and let out an anguished cry as his seed spilled into Brett's ass. Envy let out a triumphant shout as Brett's cock jerked and shot out streams of hot, sticky seed into the air. At the same time, darkness spilled from Brett's body, throwing itself at the window and smashing right through the glass like a tornado of pure inky, shadow.
As exhaustion from the climax and his own tears overcame him, Jason saw a small globule of light contained within the torrent of darkness as it disappeared out the window. His cry died in his throat and he slumped into the bed, knotted to Brett...
... who he realised was also sobbing.
He wanted to touch him... but...
... he just couldn't...
It's my fault...
... but at the same time... It isn't...
Brett let Envy in... I know he's not perfect but... he still let it in...
"Jason..." Brett sobbed. "I'm so sorry... I just... I just..."
I should say something...
But there was nothing to say... He had driven Brett into the darkness... but ultimately, it had been Brett who opened that door and probably just ended the world.
"Jason... Please... Say something..."
...
"Jason...?"
...
"I'm sorry, Jason..."
****
The Malefactors had won!
In Envy's hands lay not only the end of Enria but the end of the No Ones themselves!
Envy, grinning from ear to ear, leapt joyfully through the rain just outside of Jason Wolfe's apartment as he clutched the child in his hands. Currently, it was shapeless. Just a blob of grey in his arms. However, when it did take shape, it would be the weapon the Malefactors could use to douse all light in the world and kill the No Ones!
Once the child matured within the next few days, Envy would find it a host and that host would wreak untold havoc upon the world! All light would fade against the power of this part Malefactor, part mortal and part No One!
"Hello Envy."
The Malefactor froze.
Standing a few feet from her was R3 in his full armoured form. In the No One's hands was the most powerful weapon in all existence, the one weapon capable of destroying entire realities at a whim... Realmbreaker. A shapeless weapon that appeared like scintillating light erupting from R3's hands.
At first, Envy was about to run and protect the child... Then he remembered...
"You cannot touch me, R3," he snickered. "I have immunity! This does not concern you! Your little excuse that everything in a reality concerns you is weak and you know it! You should never have interfered against Sloth!"
"Like I told Sloth, I didn't interfere," R3 answered. "I just happen to be in the right place at the right time."
"And I suppose that if your weapon happens to kill me and the child, then you would be absolved of blame as well?" Envy smirked. "You are not the kind of man to be so devious, R3."
The No One inclined his head to the side, the rain rolling off his helm. "Really? Then I suppose you'd be surprised to know that I won't be killing the child."
That did surprise Envy. "Oh? And why not?"
"Because the child is exactly the reason I've done what I've done."
...
That was not a good sign.
"What...?"
"You were correct in your assumption that a creature of both light and dark would make a being capable of tipping the balance between the two sides. However, what you fail to realise is that light is made up of all colours and the addition of darkness splits the light into those colours, adding diversity and growth into existence. The child is not an entity of grey, Envy. The child is the only creature ever to be born into true colour."
Envy pulled the child protectively away from R3. "And you wish to saturate him in your light?"
"As you would attempt to dim him in your darkness." R3 shook his head. "And know this, Envy, I am not a creature of light. I am not an entity of darkness nor am I walker of the colour." He raised his hand towards Envy. "I am a No One. I cannot be defined by a single shade, hue or tint I am more complex than that just like every mortal.
"That child deserves to exist as every mortal does and in doing so, will ensure the existence of every mortal. Should you corrupt him, you will not exist."
Envy took in those words and his eyes widened, regarding the blob in his hands. "No... It cannot be..." His eyes darted back to R3. "Is this -?"
THWACK!
The Malefactor gagged as a bolt of dazzling light shot through his chest and his entire existence unravelled before his eyes. His entire body became encased in dazzling, white light that slowly dissipated into the air in the shape of arcane runes and letters. R3 caught the child before Envy hit the ground.
"You... You planned this!" Envy accused as his entire figure began to fade into the array of letters and runes.
"Yes. Yes I did. You played your part perfectly, Envy. Now we all get to exist."
"Stop!" the Malefactor cried, pulling the fabrics of existence together just to form the words. "Is that EX the Existent!?"
R3 chuckled and turned his back to the Malefactor.
"I think I'll leave you guessing." With his free hand, he pulled out a jet-black book and waved it absently. "See you next time, Envy."
****
A chilly breeze woke him and Jason immediately sat up.
The bed was empty.
Memories of the previous night flooded his mind and he instantly broke into tears again. Part of him had expected not to wake up at all... To have died in his sleep as the world was consumed in darkness because of his decision to save Brett in favour of the world.
But here he was... still alive...
... and with a massive wound in his heart.
He sniffed loudly and wiped the tears away with his forearm. In the process, he noted there was a folded piece of paper sitting on his bedside table with a familiar piece of jewellery sitting beside it. Quickly, he snatched it up and opened the letter. The handwriting was a hasty scrawl, filled with emotion and splotched with tears.
Jason,
There's nothing I can say or do to make up for what I did. All I wanted was for you to love me the same way you loved Connor and Dan. I was an idiot to think that you didn't. Now I made you choose me over the world and forced you into a situation you would rather not have been put into.
That said, I can no longer claim to be your mate... and I don't want a claim to your heart anymore. I don't deserve it. I know we've had our differences. I know you've thought that you didn't deserve me but you always did. I love you more than anything else in the world. Of that I was sure. I knew you were still healing from when Connor died and still figuring things out. I still grew impatient and jealous... and everything spiralled out of control.
I let my envy get the better of me and I became delusional.
You deserve better, Jason.
So I'm giving this back. I just hope that you'll remember me for what I was instead of what I became.
Goodbye
Brett Sykes.
Something about the letter struck him... as almost... Suicidal. He couldn't think of Brett electrocuting himself in the bathtub or slicing his own wrists but given the circumstances...
No!
Jason shot to his feet and scrambled to put some clothes on. He sped out of the door and leapt into his car. There was a vague thought that Jen and Robin hadn't returned and there were about twenty messages on the answering machine but he ignored them all.
He was on the streets a moment later driving at high speeds... but...
... driving where?
He slowed down slightly.
Where was he going?
Were he and Brett meant to be with each other when they were all caught up in lies and mistakes? He had offered up the world for Brett... and Brett had risked the world to be with him. Surely that was a sign...?
But...
... The reason I fell in love with Brett was because he wasn't the person I slept with last night...
Even if the Envy Malefactor had taken control of Brett... there was a part of the Rottweiler in there. That was Brett's darkness amplified... There was some merit in knowing that that Malefactor hadn't been as strong as the others... but it was certainly more devious and ultimately damned the rest of the world...
Is Brett still the same man I fell in love with?
Suddenly, he found himself down Century Street... Something compelled him to park the car right next to the beach and walk over to the low wall that barricaded the sands from the road. He gazed out into the ocean, watching as the grey light of dawn was broken by the fiery reds, warming oranges and beautiful pinks of the rising sun.
He thought about the Brett he had loved... The person that never really existed... An understanding, kind and gentle person that would never force him into a situation he didn't want... Well, at least not unless he was consenting. All the time they had spent together... was now marred with lies. It felt like ever memory he had of the Rottweiler was now tainted by the green of envy.
Did Brett first latch onto me because he was jealous of me and Connor...?
Was he hoping to eventually prove himself better than Connor?
All those times he said he forgave me... Was he just pining for my affection all the more because of his jealousy?
Brett had sunk low to become a porn star just to prove himself to Jason, to become better than Connor. He had gotten his revenge on David for sleeping with Jason by blackmailing the jaguar. Was he planning something just as terrible with Dan?
Jason didn't want to think of Brett like that but...
... he couldn't help it.
The Malefactor had been in there...
He sat down on the wall, feeling his tears roll down his cheeks soaked cheeks, his fur unable to absorb any of it. There wasn't anger in his heart... There was just all-consuming emptiness. Like someone had taken an enormous shovel and hollowed out the very core of his being.
I really thought me and Brett would live happily ever after...
... but I guess not...
The odd scent of hot chocolate filled his nostrils, overpowering the saltiness of his tears. He glanced down next to his right thigh were a mug filled to the brim with frothy hot chocolate sat with two marshmallows melting in the brew. The marshmallows were conveniently shaped like two pieces of a heart slowly drifting apart. A familiar figure sat down beside him.
"Sam...?" he croaked, unaware just how bad his voice sounded.
The black and gold wolf smiled at him cheerily. "Heya!"
This situation felt reminiscent of the first time he had really connected with Brett. He and Connor had run through a rough patch and he had sought solace in Brett.
I don't want that again.
"Listen, kid," he muttered, turning away, "I'm not feeling particularly chatty right now."
"Sure, no problem," Sam replied, swinging his legs absently, bobbing his head from left to right. "I'll just talk then."
"No, look -"
"Break-ups are hard," Sam interrupted, smiling brightly, innocently. It was unlike Brett's smile that was warm and welcome. This smile was so... childish, almost naive. "When people break-up with someone close to them, they feel like there's this huge gap in their chests. They cry and sob about it for what seems like forever. Sometimes they move on. Sometimes they don't. But you know what makes relationships great?"
"Please, I'd love to know," Jason growled bitterly. "My track record hasn't exactly been enlightening."
My first boyfriend died and now my fiancé turns out to be the host of an aspect of evil...
Sam's smile evolved into a grin. "Every person is flawed. Not just physically but also mentally. No one is perfect. Not even the gods! Every person is made up of a light" - he held up his right hand, palm up - "and a dark." He held up his left hand, also palm up. "But when two people come together... BAM!"
He clapped his hands together, making Jason start a little.
"The darkness of one person evens out the light of another just as the light of that other brightens their partner's darkness. In essence, they all mingle and merge into one." Sam grinned at him. "And you wanna know what it makes?"
"Grey?" Jason asked with a bitter edge.
Sam frowned at him. "Huh? No, I think you're thinking of 'white' and 'black'. You mix those two and they make grey. Light and Dark are different."
Jason sat up, suddenly curious. "Huh?"
"Light is the presence of all colours while darkness is the absence of all colours," the gold and black wolf replied. "Unless we're talking about paint and then it's totally the other way around... But again, you don't have 'light paint' or 'dark paint', really. You have 'white' and 'black'." Sam shook his head, waving absently. "Anyway, what I'm getting at is that when the light and dark of two people come together and even each other out, they make colour."
Colour...?
Jason recalled all of R3's words about how there had to be colour in the world... Not a world of grey but a world of colour...
"How...?"
"Well, the darkness splits the light," Sam answered, lifting a finger and grinning. "When the light splits, it forms different colours! Just like what a prism does! Except different." The young wolf frowned. "I guess it's like your filtering out a sort of colour in the light. So if say we take out just the green, yellow or purples in the light, you'll be left with something else!"
The wolf brightened again. "And when that happens, life really gets exciting!" Sam was bouncing on the low wall excitedly. "Because the two people exist for each other instead of just themselves." He stopped bouncing and smiled innocently at Jason. "There are times when two people meet and they think they'll even each other out but they don't. They start thinking about the time and effort they 'wasted' together and start getting all depressed.
"But what everyone should remember is that we're not perfect. There's no such thing as a 'perfect fit'. At least not initially. We don't have a perfect balance of light and dark and those balances aren't set in stone. We can adjust, change." Sam turned towards the sunrise, grinning broadly. "Relationships are all about change. We'll meet people out there that seem perfect for us but when we realise that they aren't, we shouldn't just stop there. We can change for them and they can change for us especially when they're worth it."
Jason felt his jaw drop open slightly...
Brett's been changing for me all this time...
... and I've been taking steps to change for him...
"Anyway," Sam said with a shrug. "That's enough about me rambling." The oddly coloured wolf grinned at Jason. "I just came out here because I recognised you and you looked down. Thought you might need some hot chocolate to set your mind at ease."
Chocolate... Heh... Brett's little obsession...
He smiled at the thought. "How'd you get so smart?"
"Me? Smart?" Sam laughed, shaking his head. "Nah. I'm stupid." He tapped the side of his head for emphasis. "When my two dads passed on, I was sent to the orphanage and they couldn't be bothered sending me to school. Been making my way through life as much as I can ever since!"
Jason jumped back in horror. "What!?"
"What?" Sam replied innocently. "I thought I told you I had two dads. Well, not initially. I mean, I had to be born, right? But my adoptive parents passed away."
"Not that," Jason said. "You're all alone now?"
"Still under the orphanage technically," the wolf replied, rolling his eyes. "They're just so cheap that they can't be bothered putting me up for house and home so they kicked me out but keep my papers since they're not allowed to legally kick me out until I hit eighteen."
"That doesn't seem fair..."
"The world hardly is," Sam answered, turning towards the rising sun. "Reality sucks. But the best thing we can do is make it better."
...
Yeah...
Jason reached for the mug of hot chocolate.
"Whoops!" Sam suddenly exclaimed, swiping up the mug. "Sorry! That's mine!" He pulled out another mug from his other side. "This one's yours."
Jason regarded the cup... and noted that the marshmallow heart was merged as one.
He couldn't help but smile.
Talk about an epiphany...
"I gotta go," he announced, leaping off the wall and bolting for his car.
"That's two-fifty by the way!" Sam called after him.
****
It was a significant place for them.
The place where Brett gave Jason some life-changing advice... and where Brett had proposed.
A cliff edge high in the mountains surrounding Newroads that overlooked the glistening city. In what had to be a Newroads first, there wasn't a cloud in the sky as the sun rose from the other side of the horizon and cast a glimmering shine upon the entire city.
Like all the times Jason had been here before, the sight took his breath away.
And it wasn't just because Brett was standing at the edge of the cliff, gazing down at the jagged rocks several hundred feet below.
"You are such a drama queen."
Brett flinched and turned around, his jaw open slightly. "Jase!?"
Jason smiled faintly and tossed the engagement ring in his hand into the air, catching it deftly. "Come on. A letter? That's the best you can come up with? Couldn't you at least say it to my face? On top of being a jealous bastard, you're also a coward."
His Rottweiler winced and ducked his head. "Jase... I'm sorry..."
He stepped closer to Brett, emerging from the thick underbrush with one hand in his pocket. "Yeah, so am I. Three years, Brett. Four if you count the time we knew each other before Connor died. We've been together that long and not once you told me how you really felt."
Turning away, Brett said, "I know... You've always been honest with me, Jason... That was Number 1 on my list. You always told me eventually how you felt. I kept believing I could hide things forever..."
Jason smiled faintly. "Oh yeah that list... You know I finished it, right?"
"I don't think it applies now..."
"Still wanna hear it before you take the coward's way out and throw yourself off that cliff?"
Brett didn't respond.
"Would you prefer it if I pushed you?" Jason asked.
Brett's eyes snapped up but those expressive, brown orbs flicked away almost instantly. "Jase..."
"Number 1," Jason announced, taking a step towards his Rottweiler. "You are always so understanding. Despite my neurosis and possible insanity, all the crazy stuff I get up to not to mention my overactive libido, you always understand."
"But I really didn't -"
Jason took another step forward. "Number 2: you're the light of my life, Brett. No matter how dark it gets, you always shine for me and pull me from that darkness."
"That doesn't apply now..."
"Number 3," he persisted, taking yet another step. A slight grin crossed his face. "You're so goddamn witty that, even if I feel like your mocking me, you always make me smile. Like that time you and me were driving Warren to Jen's house. All those double-entendre you mentioned. 'He loves pumping', if I remember correctly."
There was a slight twitch in Brett's lips.
"Number 4: You're always supporting of me. Whatever I do, you're there right by my side. When we went to the warehouse and after Warren, you were there to hold my hand and help me."
"Remember how that turned out..." Brett murmured bitterly but Jason stepped closer, tossing the ring once more into the air. Brett's eyes followed it.
"Number 5: You're self-sacrificing. I'm not calling you selfless. But you understand more than most that to get what you want, you have to sacrifice something. Your stint as a porn star and even the thing with Envy is proof."
"That doesn't mean anything especially when the result is bad..."
"Number 6," Jason said, ignoring Brett completely. They were now about five feet away. "You're sensible Brett."
Brett shook his head. "How is letting an aspect of evil into your heart 'sensible'? You're just making these up!"
"You're sensible because you saw that there really wasn't any other way to knock some sense into me. Short of going on a killing spree and flicking out a Flaming Frying Pan of Doom against me, this was really the only way to force me to grow up fast. I'm not saying that I liked the experience but it was exactly the wake-up call I needed."
"But I could've damned the world!" Brett shouted.
"Number 7," Jason persisted. Only four feet away now. "You're passionate. You don't do anything half-assed. You committed to this relationship and regardless of what happened, you braced yourself and held on tightly. You threw everything - your entire being - into this thing between us. Even after I kept sleeping around, you never faltered.
"Which brings me to Number 8." Three feet away and he tossed the ring once more into the air. Brett just watched it soar. "You're determined. You held on and never gave up. You waited for three years to propose, you put yourself through terrible things just to prove yourself to me."
One more step and they were two feet away. "And that also means you're brave, Number 9, by the way. You were willing to embrace the darkness just to be with me if that was what it took. You even risked your life to save the world during Descent."
One last step... and they were practically nose to nose. Before Brett could take that step back into oblivion from shock, he wrapped his arms around his Rottweiler's waist and pulled them together, pressing his nose against Brett's.
"And Number 10..." Jason whispered, slowly pulling Brett away from the ledge. He pressed his lips against his Rottweiler's... and tilted his head to the side. Gently, he raised his hand to cup the back of Brett's neck, pulling them closer together. Brett's lips peeled open and he could feel his Rottweiler sobbing as they shared the kiss.
Jason prised himself from the loving kiss, pressing his nose once more against Brett's.
"You're my mate."
Brett blinked in surprise. "R - Really? Even after all that's happened...? Y - You still want me to be your mate?"
Jason took a step back and tossed the ring once more into the air. Once he caught it, he bent down on one knee and held it up in front of Brett, smiling.
"A really insightful teenager managed to convince me that we aren't perfect for one another, Brett. We've got our flaws. You're overly jealous, like to bottle things up and hide your worries from the world and I'm a neurotic, over-reacting, mental idiot with a hyperactive libido. But, we'll have eternity to even out each other's light and darkness.
"Even if the world ends tomorrow, today or in the next minute, there's no other person I'd rather spend the last few moments of my life with. So... Brett... Will you marry me?"
Brett was completely speechless, his muzzle open from shock and the kiss. His eyes were watery and wavering. It looked like he was about to hit himself.
"J - Jason... I -"
"Yes or no," Jason insisted, his heart pounding in his chest.
Brett just broke into a grin and flung his arms around Jason's neck. "Yes! Of course yes!"
Their lips once more meshed together and Jason let Brett's weight push him onto the grass. That rift he had felt earlier yesterday when Brett had gotten out of the hospital was gone. Now they stood in front of each other as true mates...
... but that wasn't enough.
He wanted them to stand beside one another.
Slowly, he reached up under Brett's shirt, running his hands over those same muscles and through that same fur. It wasn't Envy's fur or muscles and it certainly wasn't Brett's either.
It was his Brett's.
Jason broke the kiss just to press his muzzle against Brett's cheek, licking the tears there, his hands easing his mate's shirt over those massive muscles and peeling it off over those features that he would keep forever in his heart. He turned and kissed Brett's ears, feeling his mate's erection building in those constricting shorts.
A soft, growling sound rose from his chest and he felt the answering growl in Brett's throat as he turned and kissed those beautiful, muscular cords that laced his mate's neck. Reaching down, he looped his fingers around Brett's shorts and pulled them free, slowly slipping them over those thick, iron-like thighs and freeing the bobbing, pink member that was dripping with need and love.
Just as a little tease, he flicked Brett's wagging nub of a tail and his mate shuddered in his arms.
Brett's hands looped around Jason's pants, slowly unbuckling them as he ran his tongue over Jason's shoulders, tracing the muscles there until he buried his muzzle under Jason's armpit, taking a long whiff of the scent there. His Rottweiler pulled his muzzle over his pecs and stopped over his nipples, suckling at the flesh nubs there through the cloth.
Jason moaned softly as Brett pulled his pants off, freeing his cock and their members pressing against one another.
"Jason..."
Quickly, Jason pulled away from Brett, the two of them squatting in front of each other, Brett appearing a little surprised. He took a deep breath, staring into Brett's confused eyes. The chilly morning left them wanting more for each other's embrace and there was nothing more that Jason wanted than to be with his mate.
But...
Okay... I... I'm ready for this...
"No Brett..." he whispered. "Not this time..."
His Rottweiler whimpered slightly. "Oh... I understand..."
Jason shook his head and turned around, resting on all fours. "No... You don't." Slowly he lifted his tail. "I want you Brett... From this point on... We're equals."
Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Brett's jaw drop in horror. "Wh - What!? Y- You're serious!? B - But... Not even Connor -"
"I know..." Jason replied, smiling at his mate. "But I never loved Connor like I loved you."
"Oh my..." Brett shook his head. "Have you ever...?"
"Nope."
He saw the worry in Brett's eyes, saw the shock... but also the undeniable sense of love. Slowly, his mate positioned himself over him, those massive, muscular arms wrapping around his defined torso, their muzzles hovering beside one another. Jason tilted his head to the side and kissed Brett as he felt his mate's thick, throbbing cock press against his virgin hole.
For a second, he was struck by panic.
He had never done this before.
Every time, he had always mounted and never been the one to mount...
... but for Brett...
Because they were the same...
Because neither of them was perfect... Neither of them was just 'light' or 'dark' anymore. They were a mix of both... and when they were together...
We make colour...
He pushed himself back into Brett, feeling his mate's hard torso muscles rub against the ridges of his own muscles across his back, their fur rubbing together. There was a brilliant, electricity that jumped between their heated bodies. It filled every fibre of his belonging. That sensation of just 'rightness' filled him again but it was supplemented by a sense of belonging and completeness.
"Ah..." he gasped as the tip of Brett's cock pressed into his ass. It was an alien sensation but completely welcome. Slowly, his mate pushed into him, filling him with a greater warmth than he had never felt before. The heat of their love radiated not only from their bodies pressed together but also from within him.
"Tell me if I hurt you..." Brett murmured, licking his neck.
He reached over his back, wrapping his arm around Brett's neck and pulling them into a kiss. For the briefest of moments, he pulled away and said, "I know you'd never hurt me on purpose." He grinned slyly and kissed his mate once more. "Unless I asked, that is."
Brett chuckled and pushed himself a little further into Jason who instinctively clenched his rock-hard abs and ass as he felt more and more of his mate in him. The sensation was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Hot, overwhelming pleasure was shooting up from deep inside him, forcing his cock to become painfully hard and drip copious amounts of precum.
Their lips locked passionately in an embrace of their love, Brett began slowly thrusting in and out, making Jason gasp more and more as his anal cavities were slowly eased open by his one true love.
There was no pain.
Just pleasure, love and Brett.
A moan escaped from his throat and travelled down his mate's muzzle as Brett's thrusts grew longer. More and more of his mate's cock was driving into his ass and every time it pulled out, he missed that volcanic touch of that throbbing, thick meat against his raw insides.
Brett's hand slipped down his abs, making him shudder at their touch.
He let out an even louder moan as his cock was gripped by his mate's hand, squeezing more and more precum out of him. His knees gave way and he toppled to his side, letting Brett continue humping him, pushing more and more of that nine-inch meat into his ass. Jason wrapped his now-free hand around Brett's and guided it across his throbbing member, his thickening precum coating both of them.
Brett's other hand reached under his shirt, navigating the mounds and valleys of his chest to find his right nipple - the more sensitive one - and gave it a loving twist. Jason never once lost his love for Brett. Unlike the other times when the sheer pleasure of sex and lust took over, he was not lost in the haze and was simply overcome by his love.
All he could think of was his mate.
Their tongues danced against one another, his curling around Brett's and sliding along the length in tandem with their strokes against his cock. Every breath he took was filled with Brett's scent of well-seasoned steak and his own aroma. Their legs twisted around each other as Brett's cock fully entered him and his mate's thrust grew more and more feverish in pace and in heat.
His body temperature was getting so high that the heat from their bodies condensed the moisture in the air. Their sweat and the clear dew from around them mingled with their fur. For a second, Jason opened his eyes and cast them over his mate's beautiful body.
The morning sun glistened against their bodies. Two, massive, muscular forms merged in love covered in tiny drops of moisture that reflected the light from the sun. As the warming rays washed over them, the light hit the tiny droplets and split the light into a dazzling array of colours. Their fur, perfectly dark, covered in the water, met the sun's brilliant, light rays and the result was colour.
He smiled and closed his eyes, losing himself once more in Brett as he felt his knot rapidly forming. He urged Brett further and further, grinding himself down into each of his mate's thrusts. There was a thick, blob of flesh forming in the base of Brett's cock and he knew his Rottweiler was close. Brett's moans were growing desperate as were his.
With one, massive thrust, Brett ploughed his knot right into Jason and the two were one.
Brett pulled away from their long kiss, throwing his head back and gasping rapidly as his thrusts matched their pounding heartbeat. Jason gave a shuddering moan as his entire being was rocked with each thrust, enjoying the togetherness that he and his mate shared. Brett... Inside of him... and with their hands wrapped around his cock, pumping and urging the final testament to their union to fruition.
The pressure in his cock became too much.
"B - B - B -Brett!" he cried. "I - I - AAAAAAAARGH!"
He threw his head back in a cry of triumph, not a feral, primal, lustful howl. A conscious announcement of his love for Brett Sykes. At the same time, he felt Brett give one last, powerful thrust into him and jerk violently, his mate's shout of love fusing with his and forming a harmony of their synthesis as a single entity and the colour they would bring to the world.
Hot, steaming, white strings of cum exploded from his cock, splattering all over his chest and the grass. He felt the same, volcanic seed shoot into his ass. That heat filled his entire being like Brett's cum was seeping into his every vein and artery, replacing his blood and infusing him with his mate's essence.
At last... they were one.
They were equals.
Brett collapsed behind him, completely tied. Those huge, muscular arms wrapped around him and despite the bitter cold of Newroads, they were perfectly warm in each other's embrace.
Not even the darkness could take this away from them.
Jason turned to his mate and kissed Brett lovingly. "I love you, Brett."
His Rottweiler smiled and held him tighter. "And I love you, Jason. From the bottom of my heart. I love you."