The next few months were strange, to say the least. Sabre was jumpier and physically sensitive, whenever he was touched he would flinch or just pull away. He wasn’t himself and Roman could notice that immediately. Sabre had also become more protective and observant whenever they were outside as if he was looking around for something or someone.

“Papa? Are you alright?” Landon tugged on his sleeve. “You’re always distracted now and it worries us, especially Landon,” Roman said and held one of his hands gently. “Yeah, I’m alright just been a little distracted lately sorry…” Sabre turned back to the window. “I just keep thinking I see someone..” He mumbled squinting. Sabre looked out the window as well to try and see what Sabre could’ve been looking at.

The cars? No, that was normal. The normal pedestrians walking up and down the street? No…that was normal as well. Sabre could see him better than anyone. There his ex-fiance was, standing behind a tree with his body peeking slightly out to the side staring right back at Sabre. Sabre growled lowly at him and turned away drinking his milkshake slowly. Roman looked back at Sabre and decided to not ask any more about it.

The car ride to another store was very quiet. Sabre just kept seeming distracted while Roman was driving. Roman was deep in thought wondering what did Sabre keep staring at. It wasn’t until they parked that Roman turned only to see Alek staring him down. Sabre growled again while Roman looked at Sabre. “Is that what you’ve been distracted by this whole time..?” He asked softly. Sabre’s piercing glare turned to Roman, it softened almost immediately.

“Yes…I didn’t want to make you worried but I’m guessing it already did.” He said softly while “Roman leaned against Sabre’s chest and gripped onto his shirt tightly. “What’re we gonna do…what if he’ll get us.” He asked softly, his voice shaky as hundreds of panicked thoughts came into his mind. Landon unbuckled himself from his seat and climbed over. Sabre wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and Landon. “I won’t let him get you. I won’t let him harm you two..” He kissed Roman’s cheek softly.

Sabre turned to look at Alek and saw he was still there. He opened his car door and got out slowly only to gasp when he felt something sharp enter his stomach. He looked and saw Nick grinning while holding a knife which he had been stabbed with. “SABRE!” Roman cried and covered Landon’s eyes while Sabre had coughed up blood slightly which he had caught in his hands.

There I go again… Sabre thought to himself and he grinned slightly expecting to fall out of consciousness. But…he didn’t. He stood there for a good minute, Nick had stopped grinned and looked confused. “What the hell-” he was interrupted when Sabre had punched him with a sledgehammer blow which had knocked him about 3 feet away.

“Nick! Sabre what the hell!” Alek screamed pulling out a gun. Sabre had grabbed the knife from his stomach and threw it at Alek hitting him in the shoulder which had made Alek scream and drop the gun while he had fallen to his knees trembling. Nick groaned lowly and got up slowly, feeling dizzy from the hit he had gotten. He froze when he saw Sabre standing over him. He whimpered when Sabre picked him up from the scruff of his shirt.

“Ever come near me, my son, or my boyfriend again. I’ll put you both in a medically induced coma. You understand me?” Sabre said in a cold low voice, Nick froze hearing that tone and nodded quickly. “Good.” Sabre let go of his shirt and Nick scrambled to his feet and ran to Alek. Sabre scoffed and then looked at Roman who was in the car with Landon still in his arms. He was paralyzed in fear.

Roman snapped out of it and got out of the car going to Sabre and put his hands on Sabre’s cheeks. “Hun! Your bleeding oh my god! C’mon get in the car I’ll bandage you, I thought they were gonna kill you.. And I-...and-” Roman couldn’t get a single sentence out as he broke down in tears leaning his head against Sabre’s chest. Sabre frowned and hugged his lover close. Roman hugged not caring about the blood at the moment.

---

  They’d gotten home safely and Landon ran to his room due to him being fearful. Sabre was wrapped up but the whole time Sabre kept pleading with Roman not to touch the other bandages. Roman had complied but that only made him more curious about what was under it. It was just more cuts and scars, right? Nothing to be worried about it.

It didn’t take long for Sabre to doze off and completely pass out. Roman had been laying in his arms for a while and then sat up slightly. He reached his hand out to touch the bandages but retracted quickly. What am I doing? He told me not to, I should respect his wishes…But I need to know what he’s hiding from me. Roman thought and then slowly and carefully he unwrapped the bandages.

He barely got to an eighth of the bandages and then he pulled away quickly nearly gagging getting to the edge of Sabre’s ribs. Is that..? He….No. No, it can’t be. It can’t be it’s not true. It’s not real it can’t be! How is he even alive!? Roman panicked and woke up Sabre shaking his shoulder violently.

“Roman.. What are you-” He froze realizing some of his bandages were removed. He turned to Roman. “We’re going to the hospital. Right now.” Roman said seriously and then grabbed every other bandage on Sabre’s body that he can reach and pulled them off. He gagged yet again, all that bone, muscle, organ…was all visible. He quickly grabbed one of Sabre’s cloaks and threw it on him to hide his body.

He dragged Sabre to the car and got him in, he got into the driver’s seat and began driving to the hospital. “Roman I-” “You’ve been sick with some kind of disease…haven’t you..?” Roman spoke softly while some tears fell down his cheeks. “Why didn’t you tell me…” Sabre felt terrible for not telling Roman about what was under the bandages. But he feared for the worse and decided to just nod. “I’m sorry hun…” Sabre said quietly and turned his head away in shame.

Roman sighed softly. “Just please tell me next time.” “I promise I will.” That was the word spoken to each other while they got to the hospital. As soon as Sabre showed his open body the doctors had rushed him away leaving Roman to wait in the waiting room.

---

Sabre had been diagnosed with the most severe case of Necrotizing fasciitis that the doctors had ever seen. They said it was a miracle he had even survived. The doctors put him in a medically induced coma while they performed numerous graft surgeries on him. Days turned to weeks…turned to months. But through it, all Roman sat there in the medical room with Sabre. Waited for him to recover and get better.

The doctors soon woke him up from his coma but he still had to stay in the hospital. Roman had never been more relieved and happy to see Sabre in his life. He was hugging Sabre as best he could and just staying as close as he could to his lover. He couldn’t be any happier that Sabre was alright now. Sabre was happy as well to see his lover again. He didn’t like staying asleep for long and being put to sleep in a coma form was terrifying to him.

When he finally had permission from the doctors to put pressure on his arms he pulled Roman onto the hospital bed’s ledge and hugged him close keeping Roman in his embrace. It’s not like Roman minded, he leaned into his lover’s arms embracing the warmth.