Mais elle était du monde où les plus belles choses/ Ont le pire destin / Et rose, elle a vécu ce que vivent les roses/ L'espace d'un matin." (Malherbe, Consolation à Monsieur du Périer)*

Akhenaton was running so fast, it was hard to even keep up with him. Fortunately, they didn't have to run for a long time, for they were close to the Institute already.

Although they weren't saying anything, Fayez could feel the anxiety radiating off his new roomate. Fortunately for both of them, the run was making him a little breathless, preventing him from asking questions that would have surely make the prefect even more on edge.

As they started climbing up the stairs leading to the corridor where their room was, Fayez tripped on his own foot and would have cracked his skull open, hadn't been Akhenaton quick enough to catch him by the elbow.

"For God's sake, how many times will I have to save your clumsy ass, newbie?" Akhenaton grumbled in a non too kind voice that perfectly matched his words.

Without sparing the prefect a single glance, Fayez wordlessly tore his arm off Akhenaton's grip, much to the latter's dismay. Thankfully, the prefect chose not to comment on that, but Fayez knew that it would give the brunette some material for ulterior thinking.

As if the prefect wondering how on Hell Fayez got the burn on his stomach wasn't enough already.

Don't act like you care, stupid Ake Fayez thought, although he had no intent of showing how hurt he still felt by the prefect's previous coldness toward him.

They eventually arrived in front of the three - no, four - men's bedroom, and Akhenaton dashed into the room, not bothering to knock on the door first, liked he owned the goddamn place.

He then stood motionless in the corridor, and Fayez had to go past him to see what he was looking at.

The sight was unnerving. Zephyr was laying on the bed, looking smaller than usual under the heavy blanket. His face was ghostly, his skin was much paler than usual, and there were deep purple circles under his eyes.

The vampire gave the two newcomers an exhausted smile, and that's when Fayez knew for sure that something was wrong with the most easy-going of his new roomates.

Sure, Zephyr was a bit more closed-off than one could be lead to believe, given his charming manners. Still, Fayez had never seen him give someone a fake smile. If he wasn't feeling like it, the prefect simply didn't smile. He never tried to cover up a lack of sleep or motivation.

And yet, it was now obvious to the three other men that the blondie was putting up a front, in order not to worry them any further.

Except, it had, of course, the opposite effect of what was intended. Akhenaton was currently shaking with nerves, and Ashur didn't appear to be doing much better, biting his lower lip to the point where it was bleeding.

"What's wrong, Zeph?" Fayez asked timidly, as he couldn't tear off his worry gaze from the slender man curling on the king-size bed.

"It's nothing, he's just a little tired" Akhenaton declared in a crisp voice. "You should just leave, Fayez. Zephyr needs to rest."

"It's my room too, now! Why should I be the one to leave?" Fayez protested, earning him a raised eyebrow from Akhenaton, as if the latter was saying "You're really asking me that?"

Ashur threw his lover a disapproving glare, before turning to Zephyr, his expression softening.

"Actually", he said in a calm voice, although the tension in his shoulders suggested that he was feeling anything but calm. "I think Zephyr is old enough to decide who should stay and who should leave while he's resting."

"Thank you, Ash" Zephyr said, giving his lover a grateful smile, while Akhenaton was pouting in the background - something so unlike him, it almost made Fayez laugh. "Give me a kiss" he commanded in a cute way, and Ashur and Akhenaton immediatly complied, giving him each a peck on his cheek.

"Bossy" Ashur whispered, as Akhenaton was shaking his head in a rather fond expression.

"That's why you guys love me so much" Zephyr claimed, before adding "Now, please leave."

Akhenaton seemed like he wanted to argue, but Ashur took his stubborn lover by the arm, and half dragged him half carried him toward the entrance door.

Fayez was about to leave as well, when Zephyr stopped him with a raised hand.

"Wait, Fayez. Not you. Please, stay with me."

"What?" Fayez and Akhenaton exclaimed at the same time.

"I want to speak with Faye in private. Be a good boy Ake and close the door behind you, will you?" Zephyr said in a sweet, if not slightlty mocking voice.

Akhenaton grumbled something under his breath, making Fayez winced when he recognized a few colorful curse words. He eventually, albeit reluctantly, closed the door behind him, leaving Fayez and Zephyr alone in the suddenly too spatious room.

Zephyr was the less intimidating prefect of the three, yet Fayez suddenly felt very awkward, as the silence between them stretched out. He wanted to know what was wrong with the blondie, although he was dreading the answer.

Yet, at the same time, he was afraid Zephyr would accuse him of being nosy, and order him to leave the room as well. It made him feel a bit special, being allowed by Zeph to remain at his sides, and he didn't want to miss the opportunity to spend some quality time with the blond angel.

"You can ask me anything you want, you know that, Faye? I'm not as sensitive as my grumpy lover." Zephyr eventually said in a soft voice, motionning for the other vampire to come closer to the bed.

"He hates me." Fayez couldn't help but say, as he obediently took a sit at the edge of the huge bed. "It doesn't matter, because I hate him too" he added, with such a lack of conviction that it made the other man snort.

"Enough with that. You know very well that Ake doesn't hate you. On the contrary, I'm pretty sure he would give an arm to keep you safe. The guy is just not very good at showing his feelings."

Fayez nodded, unconvinced by Zephyr's words but not wanting to argue with the obviously tired man, especially not when there were much more pressing issues to discuss.

"He's a great guy." Zephyr added, looking at Fayez with a stern expression, as if he knew that his new roomate was still doubting him. "Ashur is awesome too. It just takes time to know him, but I am positive that you guys will bond very quickly."

"What about you?" Fayez suddenly asked, as his anxiety peaked at the prefect's reassurances. "Won't you bond with me as well? I thought you - well, that you kinda liked me."

Zephyr smiled, but it was a tight-lips smile, which conveyed so much sadness that Fayez would have preferred a less flaterring expression.

Everything but seeing Zephyr in pain.

"We will bond as well, don't you worry. We've already bonded, in a sense. Only..."

He paused, as if considering the best way to soften his upcoming declaration.

"Only...?" Fayez pressed him, as the blondie seemed lost again in his thoughts.

He didn't want to seem like he was pushing, but all this tension was getting unbearable. He needed to know.

"Only, I've been feeling unwell for a while, as Akhenaton put it."

"And by unwell, you mean ...?"

Their eyes met again, and Fayez could read the question that Zephyr was silently asking. Do you really want to know the truth, even if the truth will prevent you from sleeping for many nights to come? Even if the truth might make you look as depressed and exhausted as my other two lovers?

Fayez nodded, and Zephyr motionned for him to come even closer. When there were a mere centimeters left between them, the smaller vampire took his hand in his, and pressed it. A soft, wordless reassurance that Fayez's presence was not only wanted, but indeed much needed.

"I'm dying." he said simply.

"You're kiding me." Fayez automatically replied, but his body tensed in dread, because he had known something was wrong, but he hadn't thought it could have been that bad.

"Can you lie next to me? Under the covers? This bed is too big for me to be sleeping in it alone." Zephyr said in a small voice, and Fayez complied, a bit startled at the thought that he might not know the other vampire very well, but he was already willing to do pretty much anything to lessen his burden.

They were now laying close to each other, not quite touching, but close enough to feel the other warmth and unique fragence.

Fayez wanted to reach out for Zephyr, but he didn't know how. Even the non-sexual gestures seemed difficult. He lacked a sense of spontaneity, of thoughtlessness. He couldn't do the most simple things without first giving it some deep thinking.

That's why he felt like the rest of his stay at the ISB would be a succession of missed opportunities and unfathomable regrets.

Instead of giving wordless comfort to the other man, just like he longed to do, he asked him, in a voice as soft and steady as he could muster:

"How could you be dying? You're a supernatural creature. It's very rare for supernatural creatures to die, outside of battle."

Zephyr didn't respond straight away. Instead, he slowly turned around, so that he was now facing the bigger man. He rose his hand, and delicately touched Fayez's face - his plump lips, small nose, soft cheeks and rather thick eyebrows.

"You don't seem to know much about our world, Fayez my dear, and I'm afraid your ignorance will cause you to be hurt many times."

"I've learned many things since I've arrived at the Institute" Fayez protested vehemently, but Zephyr only smiled, as if he knew that Fayez was just trying to conceal under the veil of false indignation how embarassed this new intimacy made him feel.

"That's true." Zephyr replied with an indulgent smile. "Still, what you previously said was uncorrect. Unfortunately, there are many ways for supernatural creatures to be killed. You must have started to realize that, as you've been to a few burial ceremonies already since your arrival at the ISB."

"That's true, but as far as I can tell, you haven't been hurt during a mission, Zeph! How could you be dying?" Fayez asked, in an almost desperate voice.

This time, he carefully raised his arm, and shyly touched the blond hair of the other vampire, making the latter closed his eyes, a delighted expression on his baby face. He remained motionless for so long that Fayez started beliving that he must have fallen asleep.

"Sorry" Zephyr eventually said with a yawn. "The medications I took half an hour ago plus the calming effect of your hand combing through my hair is making me even more sleepy."

"Oh, crap. Should I stop?"

"No, please!" Zephyr hurriedly answered. "Don't stop!"

Fayez chuckled and started stroking Zephyr's arm with his other hand. He felt a bit inadequate, but Zephyr seemed to liked it, if the content smile on his face was of any indication.

"I got poisoned, a long time ago." Zephyr eventually explained, his eyes still closed."The headmaster managed to took the poison out, mostly anyway, but my blood is still contaminated. Since that time, I've always known that I would eventually die from it one day. Seems like this day might be coming earlier than I expected."

"But what kind of person would be so monstruous to dare poison someone as kind and considerate as you?" Fayez wondered out loud, an incredulous expression on his face, as he instinctively brought the prefect so close to him, that their chests were now touching.

"You won't like the answer, Faye."

"Try me."

"It was a human."

Silence. Fayez looked at Zephyr, who had opened his eyes, and was looking straight back at him, a serious expression on his face.

"What? That's impossible? Only supernatural creatures would do something as monstruous as that! Humans are harmless creatures, unable and unwilling to do us any wrong."

Fayez had almost screamed his answer, making Zephyr winced. He gently patted his roomate on the head, before putting his forefinger on his lips.

"Sorry" Fayez said apologetically.

"That's okay." Zephyr replied, looking like he was having more and more difficulties to focus on the conversation. "There are so many things you don't know yet, and I know it's difficult for you as well to adapt our world."

"What else do I have to know?" Fayez asked, but Zephyr turned around, and mumbled something in the pillow.

"What?" Fayez asked again.

"I said, can you cuddle me while I sleep? I feel like I won't be able to stay awake much longer."

Fayez smiled as he put his arms around his cute roomate, inhaling the sweet scent of his shampoo.

"What else do I have to know?" he tried again, as it seemed like he only had a few seconds left before Zephyr fell asleep.

"That you're ... our mate." Zephyr whispered.

Wait, what?

Mate?

Mate as in 'friend' in autralian?

"I want to be more than your mate, Zeph." he whispered against his sleeping's roomate ear. " And I don't want you to die. Anything but that. I would rather be the one who dies."

After a few minutes, Zephyr's breathing started to slow down, but Fayez never left his sides, as if he was hoping, by his mere presence, to be able to protect the vampire against Death itself.

This couldn't be true, he thought, but his mind was already filled by this horrible news, and he tried his hardest to keep his mouth tightly shut, so that he wouldn't wake Zephyr with any useless and loud sobs.

Zephyr can't be dying. Not him. I won't allow it.

I have to do something about it.

** Translation of the poem:

But she was of this world, where the most beautiful things

have the worst fate;

and, a rose, she lived as roses lived

the space of a morning.