Chapter 60

The air between them felt heavy as Chi slowly ate. He was not sure what had happened outside exactly but he knew that Tyson did not want him to ask about it by the way that he had been acting since. Sipping at his glass of wine he glanced over at Tyson. Even as the man ate everything about him felt beautiful in his eyes. It felt as if Chi could see flowers blooming just in Tyson's aura alone causing himself to blush faintly.

"Are you alright, little rabbit?" Tyson asked when he realized Chi was acting strangely.

"N-No.. I mean yes! Yes, I'm fine!" Chi almost couldn't understand himself what he was trying to say. It felt embarrassing that he could not speak properly to such a simple question.

What's wrong with me? Chi thought as he chugged down his wine more quickly trying to distract himself from how ridiculous he felt.

"Go easy on the wine. I wont be held responsible for you if you collapse later." Tyson scolded Chi as he could tell the man was a light weight. The thought of Chi collapsing from drinking too much was not something Tyson felt like being a witness to.

"I don't know what your talking about. I'm fine." Chi refused to accept the idea that the liquor was affecting him at all yet. It was the only thing comforting him because of how nervous he felt at the moment.

Tyson sighed as he got up and walked over to Chi. He could see the way Chi flinched when he got close and could only wonder what was running through the mans mind. Leaning down close to Chi's ear til his warm breath was brushing against the man's skin he began to whisper.

"Little rabbit, if you get all weak and helpless I can't guarantee what will become of you." Tyson's voice was deep and taunting. It was as if he was daring Chi to push himself further until he collapsed. He could see the deep blush across Chi's face as the words slowly sunk in.

Once Chi took in the words of Tyson he slowly pushed his glass away. Whether or not it was because he was afraid of what Tyson might do to him was something Tyson could not tell. His initial goal of getting Chi to stop drinking had been accomplished so he did not mind what reasoning worked in Chi's mind to stop. Patting the man on his back he could hear Chi sighing heavily as if he had been forced into surrendering.

"I'm not your responsibility, you know?" Chi muttered under his breath. He could not recall when Tyson had become responsible for taking care of him. It was like things had fallen into place naturally between them before he'd even realized it.

"I never said you were my responsibility in the slightest." Tyson said. Shattering even the slightest bit of relaxed mood that Chi had been feeling.

"That sounded.." Chi could not even think of what to say about the cold statement that Tyson had made to him. It felt as if Tyson had just slammed a wall in between them with his words. Was he putting up a random barrier by declaring that so bluntly?

Tyson could hear someone coming down the hallway as he watched the confused and hurt expression on Chi's face from what he had just told him. He did not want Chi getting the wrong idea though. Knocking on Tyson's bedroom door loudly to get his attention shattered all focus Tyson had in what he was talking about with Chi. The thought of being interrupted from his time alone to relax gave him a headache instantly. Though Chi held a look as if he had been saved from an awkward situation.

"Who is it?" Tyson called out with a darkened expression. If it had not been for Chi beside him he probably would have sent the man flying out of rage.

"It me, I need to speak with you about the prisoner." Zeal called out from the other side of the door. The tone of his voice was heavy as if he was worried about something.

"I'll talk to you later so for now just.. Head to bed." Tyson said as he opened the door and casually sent Chi out of the room. He could see Zeal standing there with a look of worry causing him to sigh.

Chi glanced between the both of them for a long moment before turning to walk away in silence. Clearly he was feeling upset and irritated at what he'd been told seconds ago. Tyson had never finished what he was going to tell him but from the words he had spoken it was enough to cause his chest to feel tight.

Little rabbit, I am not responsible for you nor shall I ever be. Even if I did want to be I could not take that responsibility onto my own shoulders. You may be just an innocent little rabbit but.. You hold so much strength within yourself that a day will come when you realize you're much more then you realize. The wolf that I am could never truly trap the little rabbit.. because that rabbit had long conquered the savage wolf before it realized.

Tyson sighed to himself as he watched Chi leave before turning to Zeal and glaring at him with a cold look in his eyes.

"What you need better be worth interrupting us." Tyson's icy aura in his manner felt like Zeal was going to be killed if it wasn't.

"It's about the prisoner, Nova. Him and his brother were sent by Zeref to go after Chi. I thought you should be informed of this news right away in case another attack on his life is taken into action." Zeal stated out everything as quickly as possible so that Tyson did not have time to falter in listening to him.

"He's targeting Chi now?" With the repeat of those words from Tyson's own tongue the air around them both fell into a dead silence. The expression on Tyson's face was dark to the point that Zeal was worried he would be slaughtered just merely for standing too close while everything sunk in to Tyson. That fear only lasted a moment before being erased completely, however as his expression was replaced by one of calm. Zeal could not understand what complicated emotions Tyson was going through to calm him down so quickly after finding out Chi had a target painted on his back.

"It'll be fine.. For now don't let him wander about without someone else around at all times. We're leaving here so we wont always have the castle bounds to ward off incoming threats to his life. Don't worry him further just do it in silent for now." Tyson gave his order to Zeal as calmly as he could. On the outside it looked as if Tyson was calm, but inside Tyson felt like a raging inferno.