Vinny didn't realize when the exhaustion finally overtook him.
His body was trembling faintly—part from fatigue, part from the emotional storm still twisting inside him—but Matthew's arms were warm, steady, unmovable around him. The moment Matthew had pulled him close, wrapping him tightly as if he could shield him from every nightmare, Vinny's breathing had slowed… little by little. His cheek rested against Matthew's chest, listening to the quiet thrum of a heartbeat that didn't match the violence in Matthew's soul.
And slowly… he drifted.
Matthew didn't move when Vinny fell asleep. Not even a centimeter.
He kept him in his lap, arms locked around him, chin resting lightly against the top of Vinny's soft hair. His fingers, which usually carried tension sharp enough to cut, stroked the back of Vinny's head with surprising gentleness.
Only when Vinny's breathing evened out did Matthew let out the breath he had been holding.
"…finally," he whispered in a voice that only the sleeping boy could hear.
Vinny's eyelashes fluttered, but he didn't wake. He curled instinctively closer, almost seeking Matthew's warmth in his sleep. That tiny unconscious movement shattered Matthew's composure more than Vinny's resistance ever had.
The room was silent—too silent. Only the sound of the chains still locked around Vinny's wrists and ankles interrupted the soft hush.
Matthew's eyes dropped to them.
For the first time in hours, he actually looked at the restraints. Really looked.
And what he saw made something inside him snap.
The metal had rubbed Vinny's skin raw. The delicate skin around his wrists was chafed red, irritated, some parts almost bruised. The ankles were worse—the position Vinny had slept in earlier must have pressed against the cuffs, digging deeper with every shift of his body.
Matthew swallowed hard, the back of his throat tight.
He hadn't noticed.
He should have, but he hadn't.
Vinny deserved better—
No.
Vinny deserved him, and he had failed to protect him from even something so simple.
His fingers slowly reached for Vinny's wrist, turning his hand gently to examine the angry marks. Vinny mumbled softly at the touch, brows knitting for a moment, but he didn't wake.
Matthew's jaw clenched.
"This… hurts you." His voice cracked, so quietly he almost didn't hear it himself. "I let it hurt you."
The idea alone was enough to send rage burning through his veins—rage not at Vinny, not at the chains…
At himself.
He slipped one arm under Vinny's body, supporting his weight, and with the other hand he reached up to the chain's lock fixed above the headboard. He hesitated for only a second—long enough to process that this was dangerous, irrational, something he'd refused to do for days.
Then he clicked it open without another thought.
The first restraint fell away.
The chain clinked softly against the headboard.
Vinny stirred again, his body light in Matthew's hold. Matthew guided the freed wrist down gently, kissing the irritated skin with the softest breath.
The second wrist came next.
Then the ankles.
Each time the locks snapped open, something inside Matthew loosened and twisted painfully at the same time. Each metal cuff clattered to the bed like pieces of guilt he'd finally stopped dragging behind him.
When the last one dropped away, Vinny suddenly shifted, instinctively curling into Matthew's chest as if the absence of restraint gave his body permission to move freely.
Matthew froze.
He hadn't expected that.
His heart dropped and soared all at once.
Vinny… clung to him. Even without chains.
The realization hit him like lightning.
He's staying in my arms… because he wants to. Even asleep… he reaches for me.
His breath trembled.
He adjusted Vinny carefully onto his lap again, supporting his back, guiding his head to rest against his shoulder. He reached for Vinny's left wrist first, lifting it delicately.
The mark was red—too red.
Matthew bent down without hesitation, pressing a long, slow kiss on the irritated skin. His lips lingered there, the way someone would kiss a wound on their own heart.
He whispered against the skin:
"I'm sorry."
He moved to the other wrist.
Another kiss. Another breath of apology.
His thumbs brushed gently over the sensitive areas, almost memorizing the shape of every mark the metal had left.
Vinny sighed softly in his sleep, his body melting more into Matthew's chest.
Matthew's heart twisted until he thought it might tear open.
He kissed the inside of Vinny's wrist again, slower this time, then pressed his cheek against the back of Vinny's hand.
"You didn't deserve this," he murmured. "You didn't deserve anything that hurt you."
His voice was deep, shaken—raw in a way even anger had never made it.
"But I still kept you chained… because I was afraid."
His fingers traced the marks lightly, worshipfully.
"I didn't want to lose you."
A trembling inhale.
"But I ended up hurting you instead."
He swallowed, throat tight.
"No more."
He slid Vinny's ankles gently onto his lap and examined the red, irritated skin there too. His breath hitched again—these were worse. He bent his head, kissing the marks slowly, over and over, like a vow etched in tenderness.
His hands cradled Vinny's ankle as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
"I'll take care of you," he whispered.
"Even when you hate me."
"Even when you fear me."
"…even when you push me away."
His voice dropped to a softer, almost broken whisper.
"I don't need chains to keep you anymore."
He leaned in closer, forehead pressing gently against Vinny's shin, fingers sliding carefully down the side of his leg.
"You're mine because you choose to stay… even when you don't realize it."
Vinny mumbled something in his sleep. The sound was soft, fragile—almost like a plea. His fingers instinctively curled around Matthew's shirt, gripping it with a sleepy desperation that made Matthew go absolutely still.
Then Vinny whispered, half-conscious:
"…don't go…"
Matthew's breath stopped.
His arms moved instantly, tightening around Vinny protectively, possessively, lovingly—everything at once.
"I'm not going anywhere," he breathed. "Never."
He lifted Vinny again, settling him more securely against his chest, supporting his head so it rested near the curve of Matthew's neck. He wrapped both arms around him, locking him in the safest cage he could offer—himself.
Vinny relaxed completely, as if he'd been waiting only for that.
Matthew exhaled a shaky breath, closing his eyes.
This boy…
This boy could destroy him without ever lifting a finger.
He brushed Vinny's cheek with the back of his hand, tracing the soft skin.
"I love you."
The words slipped out, soft but undeniable.
"I love you more than my sanity, more than freedom, more than the world."
He let the truth fall freely, because Vinny was asleep and would never hear it—or so he thought.
"You're everything I can't lose," he murmured, resting his cheek against Vinny's hair. "And everything I've ever wanted."
His fingers slid down Vinny's back, caressing gently through the fabric.
"I'll protect you… even from myself if I have to."
His voice trembled.
"I can't undo what I've done… but I can hold you like this. And I will."
He pressed another kiss on Vinny's hair.
Vinny didn't wake, but he nuzzled closer, breathing softly against Matthew's neck as if completely trusting him.
Matthew closed his eyes again, tightening his hold until their bodies molded together like they were two pieces meant to fit.
The chains lay discarded on the bed behind them, silent reminders of the line Matthew had finally crossed in the opposite direction—not dominance, not control…
But surrender.
For the first time, he had given something up for Vinny's sake.
And he didn't regret it.
Not even a little.
He kissed Vinny's temple one last time, whispering into his skin like it was a prayer:
"You're safe now."
"You're free."
"But you're still mine."
"…because I love you too much to let you go."
Vinny's breathing softened, deepened, sinking fully into sleep.
Matthew held him through the entire night.
And for the first time… he didn't need chains to keep him close.