As His World Changed (MxM)

Chapter 6

Niel couldn't breathe. His head was spinning. The things he was hearing felt ridiculous, absurd, and untrue. Questions swarmed his mind. What Niel questioned the most was if reality was real. He started to question life itself. Niel's mind wandered through life's most difficult questions, questions he rather avoided. He never wanted to think of these questions. Niel liked to see things in black and white. Everything was easier that way.

But now. Now he couldn't see things as clearly as before. Everything went blurry and Niel entered a grey area which was a place he didn't want to be at.

"I-I don't understand... What does it mean to be one's mate?" Niel asked just above a whisper.

Atlas readjusted himself on the chair as he mirrored Niel's hushed voice. "Humans use the term soulmate as well, right?"

Niel nodded his head.

"Well, the way you use its term comes close to our definition as well."

"S-so you mean that we a-are... l-lovers?" Niel asked hesitantly.

Atlas couldn't help but let a grin settle on his lips and chuckled at the youngster's innocence. "Yes, you could say we are mostly lovers, but friends as well and companions. But as I said earlier, we form a unity, two halves to form one. We complete each other."

Niel didn't hear Atlas' last words. He stopped listening after 'lovers'.

Niel wasn't gay. He wasn't sinful. He went to Sunday school, to church every Sunday, prayed for every meal he ate, for every game he played. His mother taught him well. Niel couldn't disappoint his mother as well.

Camilla was the kindest person Niel knew. It was because of her Niel had a serious attitude towards Christianity. His classmates, teammates, and peers weren't as interested as their parents were. It was understandable as they were still young and some concepts religion talks about are too big, too complicated to grasp at such a young age.

Niel couldn't understand everything either, but he tried. He never fully knew why he thought he believed in God. Niel didn't even understand why he said he was a Christian. He felt such a disconnect with the religion when he was younger. He never wanted to go to church. But one big fight with his mother changed everything.

Camilla had sat her boy down and tried to explain to the then fourteen-year-old why Christianity was so important to her. How Christianity helped her. Niel saw how sincere his mother was and how broken she looked when Niel once confessed how he couldn't believe in God.

That heartbroken look from Camilla was a pivotal moment in Niel's life. The teenage boy tried from that time on to try harder. Maybe he did it out of guilt, but mostly to make his mother proud.

Niel never forgot the warming smile Camilla gave her son every time when he asked questions about the Bible after Sunday school. It was hard for Niel to follow her interpretations, however, he always kept on listening as a child did to a fairy tale.

But now, after so many years of trying to believe in God, it was overthrown in minutes by a dude claiming to be a dog.

"I think I am going to be sick," Niel announced before running to the joined bathroom, throwing the insides of his stomach into the toilet. His injury forgotten.

Atlas came to his rescue, crouching down, holding a wet towel in his hands for Niel to use. But the teenage boy didn't accept the help. "Don't touch me." He managed to say between his hurls.

Three words. Three words pained the werewolf more than any silver bullet would ever do.

Both men needed space. Atlas remained seated away from Niel who was trying to gain control back over his stomach. Once he was done, he sat next to the porcelain bowl. Again Atlas tried to offer the towel and to his surprise Niel took it from him, wiping his mouth.