A/N: Hello lovely people! Please enjoy this draft. I'll fix it ASAP. Hope you're all doing well and had a wonderful Halloween 🖤
Chapter 6.
The next day Louis woke to Holly shaking his arm and a rapid knock on the door of their compartment.
He mumbled something along the lines of being awake and stumbled to the door.
A disgruntled ticket inspector tipped his hat. "Tickets, Sir?"
Louis fumbled through his pockets and the man looked over his shoulder, eyes widening. "Is that...we don't allow no red-ones in here!"
That woke Louis real fast. Holly was sitting very still by the window, head bowed and shoulders hunched. Louis' jaw tightened.
"He isn't harming anyone and we have tickets." Louis presented them, but the inspector shook his head, backing out of the compartment. His eyes were hard.
"This is a respectable place! Wait here." The man stormed off and Louis stared blankly at the empty doorway a moment, almost too shocked to feel anger.
"What the hell." He shook his head and locked the door, looking back at the Sai-ran. "Can you believe this?"
Holly lifted his head at that, small face expressionless. "Can you not?" He asked quietly.
"But you're just sitting there! How can he-"
There was a second knock on the door and Louis unlocked it quickly, squaring his shoulders. Holly hadn't done a damn thing wrong and Louis wasn't about to let anyone drag them out easy.
A second inspector was present, older and broader than the first, and he held an air of authority that Louis felt the minute they locked eyes.
"You see?" The first one waved his hand at Holly, lip curled in distaste. "He ain't even collared!"
Louis' chest heated with anger and his fists clenched.
"Why would he need a collar? He's not a damn dog!" He exclaimed and stepped forward.
The taller inspector stepped smoothly in front of his colleague and stared Louis down. "I'll handle this, Tomas. You see to the rest of the carriage." The man said firmly and threw a glance towards the passageway, where an audience was no doubt gathering.
Tomas seemed reluctant to back down, but the second officer was clearly in charge and he shut the door without waiting for a reply.
"Tickets." The man held out a large hand and Louis handed them over.
"I spent half my savings on 'em. The clerk robbed me blind." He said and forced down his temper as the inspector examined their tickets. Turning them over critically. "We're just traveling to Katepel. We don't want no trouble and my companion can't be in third. Just look at the size of him."
The man looked at Holly, bushy brows drawing together. His expression was more wary than sympathetic. "Can't judge a man by his looks."
Louis was tempted to point out the hypocrisy in that statement, but didn't. He could feel the man's indecision. Maybe it didn't sit right with him to toss out paying customers, regardless of their race. Louis stuffed his hands in his pockets and relaxed his stance.
"I've travelled with him. I know him. He's a good man." Louis said and the man's frown deepened.
"We have another passenger in first traveling with three red-ones." The inspector finally said. "But they're collared and declawed. I'll let you travel as far as Perion and then I want you off the train."
Louis felt the heat return to his cheeks, but he held onto calm with an effort. "How far is Perion?" He asked.
"Far away from home, aren't you?" The man looked Louis up and down. "How did a lad like you get mixed up with the likes of him?" He shook his head and cut Louis off before he had a chance to answer.
"We reach Perion in two days." He clipped the tickets and handed them back. "Keep him out of view of the other passengers or I'm pulling the brake."
The man turned away, opened the door, and squeezed his burly frame through the gap. And then the boys were alone again.
"God." Louis scrubbed at his face in frustration. He suddenly felt very young and very naive. A new and unpleasant feeling. "I'm sorry, Hol."
"It's alright." Holly's voice sounded strange, choked, and Louis turned to look at him.
The Sai-ran was staring at his hands in his lap and running a careful fingertip over the sharp point of a nail that was only just starting to show. "If I could leave now, I would."
Louis thought about the wealthy passenger in first class and his declawed slaves. Had Holly's nails been filed? Pulled?
His blood ran cold and he locked the door quickly. He knelt and reached for the Sai-ran's hands. They were even warmer than usual and trembling.
It made Louis want to wrap Holly tight in his arms. To shield him from all the horrors of the world and show him only the good parts. "No one's going to touch you alright? You're safe here."
Holly looked down at him, green eyes shadowed, but a faint smile touched his thin lips. "You don't know that."
Louis frowned and smoothed his thumbs over the delicate tendons on the backs of Holly's hands. "That inspector didn't want to alarm anyone. He just wants us quiet and gone."
The Sai-ran watched him in silence, small face full of doubt, but he didn't pull his hands away.
Louis wasn't keen on leaving Holly alone after that. But they had to eat.
He left for the dining car and took a moment to watch the passengers sitting at white linen tables. He'd travelled on the train a few times back home, but never long enough to warrant a meal and certainly never on second class. This was something else.
The tables were decked with silverware and vases of flowers that clinked and rattled slightly with the motion of the train. The well-dressed men and women were served coffee, bread, poached eggs, sautéed potatoes, bacon and fresh fruit.
He hoped one day he could dine with Holly at a table like that, without anyone harassing them for it.
Louis caught the eye of a server in white uniform and signaled for two plates. The man smiled and indicated a table next to a sunlit window. Louis moved closer and explained that he needed the meals to-go.
The server's expression smoothed to a polite mask and Louis could guess the ticket inspector had already alerted the rest of the staff that a Sai-ran was onboard.
He grabbed two plates piled with food and nearly ran into a girl in the doorway.
"Excuse you!" She exclaimed and scowled up at him. She wore a floral hat and her brown hair was arranged in two braids.
"Sorry, miss." Louis was a practiced server himself and he tilted his plates safely away from her skirts and gave her his best grin. "It's a tight fit in here."
"Oh." The girl stared up at him and a delicate flush touched her pale cheeks. Her eyes were large and dark and she had a pretty doll mouth. "What's your haste?"
"My companion isn't built for travel, any little motion makes him nauseous, and now I'm playing nursemaid." He lied swiftly and smiled ruefully, edging past her. She placed a dainty gloved hand on his arm.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you. I'm always a bit grumpy before breakfast." She smiled and tilted her head a fraction. "Would you like a hand with some coffee? Or tea perhaps?"
"That's awful kind, miss, but-"
"Madeline. I'm Madeline Peru." She interrupted.
"Maddy, haven't you fetched us a table yet?" An older woman in a blue gown appeared and her dark eyes lit up at the sight of Louis. "Who's this young man?"
"Louis Brown, m'am." Louis inclined his head. "Don't mean to be rude, but I've got a delivery to make."
The woman's smile went instantly and she waved her hand in dismissal. Louis was only too happy to be released and he hurried past them. Normally he'd love a chat, but not today.
"He's not staff." He heard Madeline whisper to her mother, as he passed an older man in a grey suit. Mr. Peru, no doubt.
Back in their compartment, Holly accepted the food eagerly. No matter how bad his nightmares, or how frightened he got, he always had a healthy appetite.
It was no wonder, when he was still so thin. Louis had once rescued a starved kitten off the streets and even as an adult it still growled possessively over its plate.
Louis went back to fetch coffee and he was relieved to see Madeline was sitting with her parents at a table; too preoccupied to notice him.
The eggs were creamy and the bacon was crisp and salty. The bread was cold, but fresh.
"They hired a good chef." Louis said appreciatively and cleaned the last bits of jam off his plate with a chunk of bread.
"Mmh." Holly agreed, red cheeks bulging with food, as he reached for his coffee. Drinking fast, even though it must be scalding.
"Careful you don't burn yourself. You won't taste anything after that." Louis warned gently and brushed the crumbs off his hands.
"It doesn't burn me." Holly mumbled and downed his cup, slender throat moving in a way that made Lou's blood pump south and he had to look away.
They spent the day chatting quietly after that. It was mostly one-sided, with Holly preferring to listen. But Louis loved to talk, so it worked out fine.
Inevitably, Holly felt the call of nature. Visiting the facilities at the end of the carriage was out of the question - so Louis stole a vase from the dining car, to use as a chamberpot, and emptied it out the window.
That night Holly watched the door unblinkingly. They were stretched out on their benches and Louis could just make out the gleam of the Sai-ran's eyes in the dark.
He missed Holly's body against him and neither of them would get any sleep this way.
He finally got up with a sigh and Holly said. "Don't."
But Louis was already pushing the Sai-ran's shoulders, shoving him easily and squeezing into the slight space behind him. The bench was narrow and one of Louis' feet had to brace against the floor.
"What if someone sees us?" Holly whispered, small body tense in Louis' arms.
"No one's breaking the door down." Louis murmured and guided Holly's head onto his shoulder. "And if they did they'd hardly stop to gawk at us."
"But..."
Louis tipped up Holly's chin and kissed his mouth. His red lips were a shock of heat, breath sweet and tongue slick. Louis ran his hand over the boy's narrow hip and pulled up his shirt to touch warm skin.
His heart was already beating fast and his cock was hard against the Sai-ran's trim little ass.
He wondered how it would feel, sliding inside Holly. Would it feel as hot and silky as his mouth? He knew it would be tight.
His hips jerked involuntary and a spark of pleasure made him groan. Holly shuddered and pulled away.
"No, Louis. Not here." Holly whispered, even though his breaths were unsteady and his hand was clamped on Louis' arm.
"Here's fine." Louis pulled Holly closer and ran his lips over the sharp curve of the boy's jaw. Holly turned away with a hiss of annoyance and Louis kissed down his neck, tonguing a fluttering pulse.
He was so pent up it was hard to hold back and not come right then. He hadn't had relief once since their journey started. Hadn't even been able to take care of it himself, when they were always so close.
"Louis stop." Holly squirmed, gasping when Louis ground his hips harder. He slipped a hand into Holly's pants and grasped a firm butt-cheek.
"Come on. I need..."
"No, you don't." The ice in Holly's voice cut clean through the fog and so did the painful grip in Louis' hair.
Holly tugged hard and Louis flinched, lifting his head. He couldn't make out the Sai-ran's expression in the dark, but he could feel Holly's quick breaths on his chin and the tremor in his body.
"You don't need this." Holly hissed and jerked away.
Louis felt a rush of cold dread and a voice in the back of his head whispered that something would be irreparably broken between them, if he didn't fix this quick. He caught Holly's thin waist.
"I'm sorry," He said urgently, "I'm sorry, Hol. Please lie down. I won't do anything."
Holly paused above him, knee on the bench between Louis' legs and a foot on the floor. Uncertain.
"You can trust me. Alright?" Louis' chest constricted and he tugged lightly, urging the Sai-ran down inch by inch, until their bodies touched again.
Louis sighed with relief and the tension unwound inside him. His cock was still achingly hard, but he would just have to live with that. He'd managed this long.
Holly growled softly against his shoulder - a hoarse little rumble like an angry cat - and it surprised a laugh out of Louis.
The Sai-ran had barely slept for three nights straight and he had to be exhausted. Louis stroked his soft green hair, feeling the wild strands curl and twist around his fingers.
After awhile he hummed a gentle tune his mother used to sing to him when he was just a babe. He couldn't remember the lyrics anymore.
Holly eventually relaxed and his face nuzzled into Lou's neck, finding the spot he liked best in sleep. Louis allowed his arms to tighten protectively then.
He could have used a little more shut-eye himself, but he kept his sore eyes open, until the watery light of dawn filtered past the curtains.
The next day started out peaceful. They ate breakfast and Louis borrowed a deck of cards, from a friendly passenger, and taught Holly the rules of Harvest; a game he'd played as a child (and good for a beginner).
But then there was knock on the door. The Sai-ran scrambled into a corner and Louis opened the door a crack. "Yes?"
There was a man standing there with red-blonde hair pulled back in a ribbon and gold buttons on his dark blue suit.
"Afternoon, Sir. I'm Mr. Dalive." He spoke in a soft and cultured voice. "I've heard word of a rare wine onboard."
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