(Fixed mistakes - Re-Upload.)
Author's Note: I usually write fiction in Spanish only, but thanks to an especial someone, I have been doing stuff in English too, and last week I came up with this. I have to say that English is not my first language, so there might be grammar mistakes like misspelling of words or in full sentences. I apologize for it, I'm trying to write in English as I do in Spanish, and someday I will. Therefore, be nice with me when reviewing and don't start complaining in "how bad this it's written" and such, because if you don't like how is it written, then I will kindly ask you to stop reading the story wherever you are and close the window or hit the back button in your browser of choice. Thank you.
IF YOU DON'T READ THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT, I WILL NOT TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY IF YOU WENT DIRECTLY TO READ THE STORY.
About the story and other important things (MUST READ): as stated in the summary, this is a fan fiction with Shonen-ai/Yaoi situations, meaning that this is a story based on MalexMale situations that implicates not only two boys flirting or slight touching in private areas, but also having sex. I do not want flames, rants or anything about the matter in the reviews. Those who ignore this will be ignored too, as seeing how much time they wasted to tell someone who isn't interested in listening their opinion in something they don't like.
I'm done now, so, sit and enjoy the story.
1
It's been a week since Lucian left, and Aaron only knew about him thanks to Nero, who came every day to tell him that the arrogant dark swordsman was alright, and didn't need anything. Aaron, since his partner left, sat on the window in his room in the Inn and watched the sunset, thinking why Lucian would leave like that, not even bothering to tell him where he was going. Of course, it was like him leaving suddenly and not telling anyone. Lucian was like that, not liking others to dig into his life. But Aaron wanted to dig and know more about him, his likes, his dislikes. Things like that, so every time he would look up to him, he would say "that's Lucian", and not the vampire hunter he has been labeled for too long. He wanted to become friends with the swordsman, but it seemed like he didn't want Aaron's friendship back.
It was already late at night. The sun had set long time ago, and Aaron found himself admiring Lucian's jacket, the only thing he left behind in the Inn, that was hanging from the wardrobe's door. It was clean but still smelled like the swordsman. It helped to the young one to not feel so alone, asides from Toasty and the other four Terrennials that were doing everything to keep him occupied in easy task so he wouldn't think too much in Lucian. It was the shadow silhouette of Nero what interrupted Aaron's though about Lucian.
"Good night, Aaron.", said the winged cat, resting on his lap. Toasty appeared in mid air, smiling. "Toasty. How are you doing?", asked to the young gunslinger, who sighed.
"I miss him.", answered looking at the jacket. "I know that with him is silence and all, but at last I could feel his presence, and now that he is gone, I feel really alone. When is he coming back?"
"Lucian needs to be away for another week.", explained Nero. He dropped his ears at the sight of the sad face of Aaron. "I'm sorry I bring such bad news to you."
"Is ok.", his face showed a sad smile. "If Lucian needs more time, I will wait for him to come back when he is ready."
"Isn't there a possibility that Aaron visits Lucian?", said Toasty. That might light up Aaron's sad mood.
At the suggestion, the young one opened his eyes wide and looked at the cat, hoping that there was a chance to go and see Lucian. Nero thought for a few moments.
"I don't know. I will have to ask him if he feels like receiving visits, but since is you, I think he will not decline. But you know how bitchy is his mood so, no guaranties.", replied the cat.
Aaron smiled widely and hugged the dark Terrennial, thanking him. He let him go, and watched as Nero vanished in the shadows to return to his partner's side. The young one sighed, this time happily, and stood up. Toasty followed him at the wardrobe's door, watching him took down the jacket and put it around his shoulders. He stuck his arms in the sleeves and noticed how big it was for him. But it was warm. Aaron felt like he was besides Lucian once more and didn't feel so alone when he went to bed to get some sleep.
The next morning was cloudy and the dark sky threatens with rain anytime. The soft winds howled between the woods and the silent city of Acuna. Aaron stirred, rolling on his side. The tail of the jacket tangled up in his legs but he didn't notice it until he stood up, falling on the floor with a loud noise. Toasty woke up and laughed at the scene, hearing the young one curse about it. Just then, the light Terrennial noticed how tall Aaron got in those four years that had already passed since the defeat of the Immortal Polidori. The young one once reached Lucian's chest and now, Toasty saw how he could possibly surpass the swordsman's height in no time. Lucian will definitively not like that.
"Today starts the waxing gibbous phase.", mumbled Aaron, seeing a calendar.
Toasty blinked.
"Sorry, I was not listening. What did you say?"
"That waxing gibbous phase starts tonight.", repeated as he walked to the wardrobe to pick up clean clothes. He took off the jacket and left it on the messy bed as he went to the bathroom to take a shower. Toasty followed him. "Will Ernest go into hunting?", asked as he lifted his shirt and tossed it on the floor.
"Possibly not, since is too risky.", answered Toasty. "You know how aggressive vampires turn into this kind of nights. Even if he goes, he will obligate you to stay at the Inn."
Aaron groaned.
"I'm not twelve anymore. I'm already sixteen and can take care of myself pretty well.", replied as he stepped naked into the shower. He closed the white curtain and opened the hot and cold water, regulating its temperature to find the perfect warm water. "And Ernest knows it."
"And you know how overprotective he is from you. He will not let you go outside this week."
"Oh, but if I was with Lucian he would."
"Of course he would. He knows that Lucian will not let anything happen to you."
"He doesn't seem to care a lot about me, though.", said Aaron taking the soap and a sponge.
"Well...", Toasty floated to the toilet and sat on the tank. "Lucian is not exactly a person that can say how he feels or how he feels towards the others easily. His actions say more than his words, and he seems to keep it that way."
The Terrennial heard the boy sigh.
"Sometimes I wish he could look at me and say that he cares about me, as I do about him."
"Oh, he definitely will, but in time.", assured Toasty smiling.
"It's so frustrating!", exclaimed, soaping his body with the sponge. "We have been together for four years and he never said to me that he cared! How much longer I will have to wait to hear him say that?"
"You know that patient is a virtue."
"And you know that I am not the most patient person on the world."
Toasty laughed.
"When it comes to Lucian, no, you aren't."
He saw the boy stop his actions. Seconds later, Aaron stuck his head from the curtain.
"What do you mean with that?"
"Well, you admire Lucian in some many ways.", started the sunflower. "But sometimes it seems that you would like to have more than a mere friendship with him."
"Bullshit!", exclaimed as he turned back to his shower. He finally washed all his body with the soap and proceeded to clean it. "I don't admire him that much."
"At your own eyes, but to the eyes of the others, it looks like that. Are you sure you haven't fallen in love with him?"
"Of course not!!", yelled the teen. Toasty couldn't see it, but he knew that Aaron was blushing deeply. Perhaps not at the thought of being together in an intimate way with the swordsman, but at the simple idea of being in love. The Terrennial whispered how good was to be in love. "What did you say?"
"Nothing, nothing, just thinking to myself in loud voice.", replied Toasty. "So, what do you plan to do today? The day isn't that bright or sunny like yesterday. It's really cloudy and I think is going to rain."
"I don't know but I really want to get out of the Inn. Being locked a week inside is not helping me in waiting up for Lucian."
And he brought the subject back even when Toasty wanted to avoid it. Toasty grinned. Aaron definitely was a lot like his father, specially the obstinate part.
Aaron stepped outside the shower, dripping water from his body. He grabbed a towel and dried his hair first, and then he proceeded to dry his body. Once in the room again, he got dressed thinking where he could go. Perhaps to the library? Reading could help him to kill the time until the night comes and with it, the presence of Nero that would bring Lucian's answer about yesterday. And if Lucian didn't want him to go, he was going anyways. It couldn't be that he stayed away for a week and he, inside the Inn worrying about the swordsman. His visit will be payback for not telling Aaron where he was going. That seemed to be a perfect plan.
Once ready, he took the jacket and put it on, trying not to trip with the tail. The customers in the bar looked at him with weird eyes, thinking why he would put on a jacket bigger than his body. Aaron gave the keys of his room to the owner and stepped outside. Toasty was right. The day was gray and gloomy, ready to rain, but that didn't stop him from going to Acuna's library.
At the first wind blow, Aaron closed the jacket and stuck his hands in the pockets, feeling the haunch of his solar gun, the Knight, firmly locked on the belt around his hips. Looking up, he noticed the trees moving forward at the winds direction. The leaves making soft sounds when brushing to each other, the grass making a rain sound that fooled him several times and the silent Acuna brought him memories of his first encounter with both Viscounts in the middle of the principal street of Thirteen Street. Back then, he was still an apprentice, not knowing how it felt to fight against a strong opponent. When both spotted them, he froze in fear. He didn't know how to react. What should he do? They were vampires, but their Casket Armor reflected sunlight, the energy that his gun used to harm them. Just in time, Ernest and Kay showed up and made him run away to save his life when dealing with both vampires. After knocking out the dark Goat Quimera that guarded the entrance to Thirteen Street, he and Bea went to an Inn to rest with the other gunslinger that survived to the attack of their hideout, and that's when Aaron met Lucian.
The boy smiled at the memory. He could remember Lucian's angry expression when Bea asked him for help to look up for Ernest and Kay. He didn't want Aaron to go, but the boy managed to convince him that he would only accompany the swordman just because he also needed to get rid of both vampires and save his comrades. And the idea of having a solar gunslinger with him wasn't that bad and so, Lucian accepted that Aaron went with him. Now, he noticed how well he spent that time besides the swordsman, especially after Polidori's defeat. They went to the Vambery Tower after receiving news of Alice saying that someone was reviving the dead bodies of the fallen vampires under the Duke's control. And that someone was no other than Polidori and once again, they both went side by side, fighting against the monsters guarding each floor of the Vambery until they run into Polidori's image and defeated him at last. The surprise came when they reached the roof and found not only Perrault, but also the once dead Duke Dumas, standing before them. Aaron flinched when he felt Lucian's rage grow at quick pace. Dumas noticed it and said that he was leaving and will only return when they both grew more powerful to have a rematch. After that, the Duke and his Terrennial disappeared in the air.
From that, it passed four years without notices of him and Perrault, or any other vampire in town. Lucian trained day and night, hoping to defeat Dumas for once and all and accomplish his revenge of Trinity, his former teacher, and Ella. Aaron didn't exactly know who was she, but for the little that Ernest told him, it was a very important and close person to Lucian when he was once the most powerful gunslinger called Sartana. Aaron still wanted to know about his past, but Lucian did not want to talk about it and he didn't know if it was because it hurts him, or the dark powers that Nero transmitted to him when both fused erased some of Lucian's memories, forgetting bits of it.
Sometimes, Aaron felt like the swordsman didn't trust him at all. Why was that? Was because he was Trinity's son and that made Lucian remember his past that wanted to avenge and forget for once? Was because he was still a young and inexpert gunslinger? Or because Lucian saw himself when he was at Trinity's side, fighting against the vampires and against the Lord of Destruction, before Dumas took the opportunity to kill not only that vampire, but also Trinity and taking as hostage and future food Ella? Trinity gave his life to save Sartana, and part of Perrault slipped from her and bonded to Sartana, successfully saving him, but once Sartana woke up and found his closest person to him dead, he couldn't bear it and changed completely, accepting the dark and vampiric powers that the dark Terrennial offered him in tribute of Trinity's life. It was that? Was that Lucian really didn't want to talk about it to Aaron because of how similar his life was, comparing it with Trinity's son?
Was because Lucian didn't want to lose him like he did with Trinity and Ella?
Maybe the swordsman really did care like Toasty said, but Aaron wasn't convince at all. If he cared then, why he was still silent about talking about himself? About his life? His past? Perhaps he made him uncomfortable and that prevented Lucian from talking. Was that the reason behind his runaway?
Aaron noticed that he walked past the library and stepped back. He came in, unbuttoning his jacket when the wind stopped blowing inside the building. There weren't many humans inside neither vampires reading. The only ones in were him and the employers. He walked in, looking up at the high ceiling. The library had a very gothic style, with columns and ornaments around the huge room. The red carpet muffled his steps, while the lights hanging from the ceiling illuminated everything in sight. Without telling the employers that he was going to read, Aaron went to the first bookshelf he reached and started reading the group of books that were there. Since no one was of his taste, he moved to the second line, and the third, fourth. Until he found a really old book talking about vampire's behavior upon each moon phase. Intrigued, he took it from the shelf and opened it, finding the pages too yellow and smelly. The book was really old to have the pages in that kind of yellow.
Aaron picked a quiet place to sit, far away from the main entrance were the wind couldn't find him to play with his brown, spiky bangs or loose clothes. He turned on the lamp and sat, opening the book and reaching the first page written in an ancient language that he still managed to understand. Looking up, he noticed a big clock above the receptionist. It was early, about a quarter to eleven. He could read until noon, eat and then come again to keep reading until the moon showed on the dark sky of the night.
The first chapter talked about new moon phase. Most vampires were more closed to other of their own race, humans and other creatures or slaves. They would not talk but sleep more than the usual, rest. They would be inactive even during the night, preferring to stay in a quiet, silent place rather than being in loudly crowds trying to find their next prey. Most cases were like this, but some vampires weren't affected by this phase and didn't have these symptoms. They would, though, feel more lazy and with a tendency to rest and sleep a lot.
Aaron blinked, remembering that Lucian on those nights seemed to feel rather sleepy. He wouldn't do much, but being lazy all day, lying down on the bed just resting or simply looking at the ceiling, something that amused Aaron to no end. When he wanted to pick up an arguing with him, Lucian often grumbled and didn't reply to the boy, turning around and simply ignoring Aaron, something that the young one didn't like at all. After trying to pick him up, eventually giving up, noticing that Lucian, then, would come after him to annoy the boy a bit before going to bed once more. That was what Aaron really hated about that strange mood that the half vampire often had.
Concentrating into the book again, the young one kept reading the first chapter. There was a method to keep vampires in this state for a longer period of time, that consist in making a quiet, silent atmosphere where the vampire could relax and sleep all day without being disturbed. New moon phase was the only time where vampires are most vulnerable since they are unaware of the surroundings. It wasn't easy to hunt and kill them as most hunters would think. They would hide even underground to prevent being disturbed, making it difficult to localize them. Others would prefer resting on high trees, far away from hunters, infested castles with Boks and other creatures such like Clay and Rock Golems and skeletons. But the majority will go out and find a place near water to sleep, because the water's sound relaxed and lulled them to sleep.
Aaron though that, once Lucian returned, he could try one of those methods. He wanted to see how lazy the swordsman could get without getting him irritated. The water trick was interesting, thinking that he may go to the Old Culiacan's Aqueduct or near a lake somewhere, hoping that Lucian would not feel too lazy to accompany him. He giggled at the idea.
The next phase was the crescent. After being asleep for a few days, vampires will slowly awake and prepare themselves to go and look for their next prey. After sleeping and resting like that, their bodies needed fresh blood to start function again. They would hunt in the night, and keep their normal rhythm for the next moon phase, which was the first quarter. Upon the first moments of the waxing gibbous, vampires start to have a more aggressive conduct, especially male ones. Their bloodlust slowly disappears to be replaced with high amounts of hormones and pheromones in the air that will tell vampires who can be their potential mate. For the next days, they will try to seduce their mates and will notice if they are fertile enough to actually copulate with them, and stay with that mate until the ends of their days. This copulating happens during the first and last instants of full moon phase. During full moon, vampires succumb entirely to their sexual needs and become fully aggressive and possessive of their future mates, protecting them from other competitive vampires. They can be fully active all the phase and then, in the waning gibbous phase, they sleep all day to recuperate the strength they lost in the mating and start feeding once more, but with more hungry than usual, making the phase after the mate really dangerous, since vampires are still aggressive but not because of the pheromones or sexual needs, but rather because they are hungry. Last quarter and last crescent phases aren't special. Vampires keep their usual behavior that characteristic them so much until the next phase.
That resumes the book pretty much, and Aaron now understood more about vampires than before. He had a wrong idea of them since no one actually instructed into vampire activities, and though they were just like humans, but dead and drink blood. But with this, he noticed that they were not also humans. Being converted into a vampire meant also to awake a few primitive instincts asleep in modern humans, which were the ones that the book mentioned in the different phases of the moon. It meant not only become something else, but also remember how it was to be a beast, being controlled by the instinct of survival, mating, resting... He remembered Lucian and how he would feel each month with each moon phase. It looked like a menstrual cycle and it made Aaron laugh out loud at the though of Lucian having premenstrual symptoms, like being highly hysterical or highly sensitive, like most of the human women does.
He went to the receptionist and asked if he could borrow the book. After the man took his personal information, Aaron buttoned his jacket and walked outside the library, finding that the wind stopped blowing. It was still cold, but it wasn't that cold without the wind blowing. His stomach growled and started walking towards the nearest restaurant to sit and eat something. After eating, he could go for a short walk and then return to the Inn, have a nap and wait for Nero to come. Smiling at his plan, he kept walking until he reached a small bar, stepped inside and went directly to one of the single tables near the farthest wall in it. Not bothering in taking the jacket off, he sat, put the book asides and took the menu to read it, thinking what he would eat, not knowing it was already ten past three in the afternoon.
While waiting for the food to come, the waiter came and poured in a glass the water he asked, not really caring since he grabbed the book again and started to read. It was funny to find a section of things that would work on vampires such as different types of perfumes that had the same effects as a powerful aphrodisiac. The book was really complete in subjects related to vampirism that he never though of. When food came, he closed it and started eating, but the curiosity was stronger and, while eating, he read finding more and more interesting things.
When he finished, he asked for the bill, paid and left, book in hand, still reading. Now, he wasn't sure if he was going to take a nap because he was very absorbed in the book when he reached the Inn. Aaron asked for the keys, grabbed them and walked upstairs, opened the door and found no traces of Toasty. He closed the door, tossed the keys on the light table and flopped down on the bed, kicking his boots out and relaxing, opening the book once more to keep reading where he left.
The book talked about forms for treating different types of vampires, such like dealing with different types of human. There was a special chapter that talked about almost every type of vampire; the arrogant, the selfish, the sensible, the indifferent, the lustful, etc, and how to deal with them. Aaron found that Lucian's category was between the arrogant and indifferent, yet he found also a bit of him in the careless one. He sighed, knowing that Lucian will never be able to care about someone else like he did with Trinity and Ella. Aaron wanted to be cared, and perhaps loved, like those two people were in the past. And laughed at the though. He was fighting against two dead people! But, then again, who can fight against dead people? They always win, no matter what. Even then, Aaron would try his best to let Lucian see that he could trust again, more special in him, and there was nothing to fear of.
He found a section dedicated to half vampires, commonly called dhampirs, and got interested in it. Lucian was catalogued as a dhampir since he was human still, but the dark powers within him also granted the power of vampires, thus making him an incomplete vampire. Most dhampirs were not affected by moon phases, but it will only depend on how strong is their vampiric energy. If there were enough amounts in their bodies, then they would feel the effect of the phases as if they were full vampires, but it would vary from dhampir to dhampir. Sometimes, even if the power is high, the phases will not have any effect in them for long period of time. This period can vary from a few days to months and even years. It's not strange than a dhampir will suddenly feel the effects of the moon in a certain phase and then not have any symptoms in the others. The effect can also disappear out of the sudden, leaving no trail behind, and disappear for long period of times until the next reaction to the moon. Sometimes, dhampirs are more aggressive and possessive than most vampires, being these the most dangerous ones in the mating cycles. Since they don't have the need to feed from blood, the next phase in where they should recover by drinking blood, dhampirs only sleeps for a day straight.
Aaron thought of Lucian, again. The waxing gibbous phase will start that night. Could it be possible that the swordsman started to react towards the phases just now? That could be the main reason after his runaway and would also answer the negative in Lucian's upon seeing him that night, if Nero came with the 'no'. The young one snorted. Who would think that the arrogant and mean swordsman was just getting into his mating cycle? Now, he wanted to see him more and see if Lucian was alright.
"Oh, what are you reading?", asked the soft voice of Nero from the shadows. The cat materialized in front of Aaron, surprising him. "I'm sorry, I should've been more careful."
Aaron laughed.
"Don't worry. I'm used to it, anyways.", the winged cat rested on his chest, taking a look at the book. "I found it in Acuna's library and I have been reading it since then."
"Interesting.", answered Nero. "It's a very old edition, but the author was one of the best in vampirism. With this, you will fully understand vampires. Not even your father could explain what this book tells. You are lucky you found it."
"So..."
Nero sighed.
"He declined. He doesn't want you to come."
"I'm going to visit him anyways, and you know it.", Aaron put the book aside and stood up, grabbing Nero so he wouldn't fall from his chest.
"He is in a very tight situation.", tried to explain but the young one petted his head, hushing him.
"I came to the conclusion that Lucian is starting his own mating cycle, and I worry about other vampires that may come to where he is hiding to pick a fight.", said the boy, sitting and putting his boots on. "Please Nero, I beg you to lead me where Lucian is."
"I don't know if it's a good idea.", whispered softly. "Really, is not secure enough for you to go. Most vampires travels there to look up for mates and there have been fights already."
"With more reason I should go!", exclaimed the teen. Nero wished he bit his tongue before talking.
"Aaron, please! It's dangerous and Lucian will not like to have you injured because of him!", pleaded the cat, looking how the young boy picked up a bag to put some clothes in. He checked his solar gun and returned it to the belt. "What will Toasty say when he finds it out?"
"He never will since I'm leaving now.", answered in a serious tone Aaron. He opened the window and looked down. No one was there. He put a foot on the roof, then the other one. Stepping out, he walked glued to the wall. Nero went out too, worried about the teen's safety.
"Why are you so obstinate? Can't you see this could put your life in danger? That you could die?", the cat wasn't going to give up. Even if he leave right there, Aaron would look up the path on his own and that was more dangerous than him leading the correct path to the dhampir. "Lucian will not be happy if you die."
"Then tell him to start opening up to me so I don't worry that much about him. The more he closes the more stupid things I will do for him."
Nero sighed.
"Alright, I will lead you to him. Just a warning.", Aaron turned his head to look at the winged cat. "There is someone with him that you may not... like at all, but you must not do anything against that someone because is the only one that can help Lucian in this situation. Promise me you will not start shooting against him."
"I will not, don't worry."
Nero smiled. He glowed in a faint red light and a pitch, black path formed at Aaron's feet, slipping from it towards the ground. The teen looked at the cat that nodded, saying it was safe to step on it. Aaron put a foot on it, and then the other. The feeling was weird, because he knew he was walking on something, but at the same time, it felt like he was walking on the air. Once he reached the ground, the path disappeared. The young one buttoned up the jacket and followed the Terrennial through the woods. From time to time, both could hear roars and grunts from the furthest places. That was a signal to them to take another route to avoid the fighting vampires meters away from them.
They were climbing a mountain as Aaron noticed after a while. The trees were getting taller and taller, the plants didn't cover all the ground and some of them were already dry because of the weather up there. The moonlight illuminated the path for both travelers but the clouds were trying to cover it again, passing before the moon and hiding it for a few minutes.
"This is really far from Acuna or the other cities.", said Aaron when he could see the Dark Castle from there. It looked really small and black thanks to the darkness surrounding New Culiacan. "Where is this place?"
"It's a little cottage near the top of the mountain. It was the safest place for Lucian to be, since not many humans comes here.", explained Nero, looking back at the boy. "Besides, he can be as aggressive as he wants. No one will get hurt if he picks a fight with a random vampire that comes across the territory of the cottage."
Aaron smiled.
"I'm looking forwards to see Lucian fighting like the crazy vampire he is."
Nero laughed.
"Lucian is not a vampire. He is a dhampir, like you well know."
"Yes, but he sometimes acts more like a vampire than a dhampir or human. Haven't you noticed?"
The cat sighed.
"Just sometimes. I also hate the idea that he, slowly, is becoming the thing he hates the most, not being able to revert the effect. Even the eye patch can't prevent him to become a full vampire."
"He will become a full vampire when he goes into first hunting, and that will never happen.", assured Aaron.
"With you being around him, I don't know how that will be possible."
"I'm not going to lure him to drink my blood!!", yelled the boy, walking faster to catch up Nero's speed.
"Even like that, he will be attracted to drink it. Remember that you are still human.", the boy was about to talk when the cat interrupted him. "Like it or not, Lucian will become a vampire. What are you going to do, then? Will you kill him?"
"Not even in a million of years."
"And what if he asks you to kill him?"
"I will not grant his wish, because vampire or not, Lucian will be still being Lucian and that's what matters. I will take care of him, and I will protect him from the other gunslingers."
Nero stopped, not believing what Aaron said.
"I beg your pardon? You will protect him from Ernest and the others? What makes you think like that? Do you know that Lucian will not agree---"
"I give a fuck about what Lucian has to say about it!!", yelled the teen. "I am not going to betray him just because he is a dhampir, not even when he becomes a full vampire! He will be still my friend, my partner and I will protect him at any cost! If I have to give my life to save him, like my father did, I will."
The cat smiled.
"I knew you were the right one for him. Lucian kept saying that no one would ever like him how he was now, meaning that no one will look after him being half vampire, but you... You stand for him and help him to stand up if he falls.", Nero stopped. "It's nice to see that there're people that recognizes vampires as equals. I think friendship is the most valuable thing that a vampire can get from a human, and vice versa.", he pointed with one of his leg to a cottage hidden between tall trees. "There is the cottage. When I came to the Inn, Lucian was sleeping but now he should be awake."
Aaron felt excited. He was going to see Lucian! After a long time, he managed to come and see him. He made a single step and two huge blades came from nowhere. They were bloody red and in the shape of a crescent moon. The agile boy dodged them and took out his Knight, aiming to the enemy, ready to strike, but Nero calmed him down.
"Don't. He just felt the presence of an intruder and attacked.", the cat floated forwards. "Hey, is only Aaron and me!! You should be more careful!"
"Aaron, you said? Are you fucking insane?! Lucian will get mad at us because of letting him get in here!", answered a deep, angry male voice. Somehow, the voice was familiar to Aaron. The silhouette of a cloaked vampire came in sight, but it was still to dark to see his face. "Do you know how many problems the kid will give us? Lucian is so going to kick my ass again."
"Shut up Dumas, you agreed with this so don't complain.", said Nero.
"Dumas?", repeated Aaron. "You mean the Duke?"
"Of course he means the Duke! Who else, kid?", said the male voice again. The silhouette stepped outside the darkness and Aaron gasped at the sight of the two-horned vampire that long ago, was his and Lucian's main target. "Long time no see, Trinity's son."
"You have to be kidding me Nero!!", yelled Aaron . "Are you saying that Dumas is the one helping Lucian?"
"Who else? Other vampires would have killed Lucian at first sight and the only one that knew him perfectly fine was the Duke. Besides, Dumas is still weak after the regeneration of his body and can't fight for long period of times.", explained the cat.
"After four years?"
"After four, fucking long years.", added the Duke walking towards him. "Polidori's regeneration isn't that good, and is taking time to this body to heal up after that fight in the Vambery. Now, if you want to see your little boyfriend follow me, or the vampires that you heard earlier will come and eat you.", said Dumas spinning around and walking to the cottage.
"Lucian is not my boyfriend.", replied Aaron, following to the former Duke of New Culiacan. Nero followed too, sighing. That was going to be a hell of week.
The inside of the cottage was lighted up with candles instead of electrical energy. The wires that once provided the little house were gone, probably by the rat's work that loves to eat those kinds of things. It had a living-dining room, a kitchen, a bathroom and, surprisingly, three bedrooms. In the living there was a circular table with two chairs and a library full with books. Aaron supposed that Dumas lived there after he flew from Vambery, because the windows were all covered up with dark curtains to prevent the Sun to let in the cottage. The boy left the bag on the table, his eyes trying to adjust to the little light in the room.
The door at the right of the kitchen opened slowly. Dumas was now sitting on the couch, not really paying attention to the surroundings. He seemed tired and weaker than Aaron remembered him.
"What the fuck are you doing here?", came Lucian's voice from the doorway.
"Excuse me?", replied Aaron in a harsh tone that surprised not only to the dhampir, but also to the Terrennial and the vampire. "I have been fucking worried about you all this damn week and the only thing you have to tell me is 'what the fuck I'm doing here'?"
"I have told Nero that I didn't want you to come!!", yelled Lucian back, stepping out from his room. He stood in front of Aaron and the boy shuddered at the glowing red eye. Without the eye patch, it looked more fearsome than the first day he met him. But now that he was that close to Lucian, he could see that his other eye was starting to dye into a crimson color, too. What Nero said was true. Lucian was becoming a vampire regardless the eye patch that controlled his dark powers. "It's dangerous for you to be here!! That's the main reason I didn't want you to come!"
"Oh, because if it wasn't dangerous, would you have taken me? Of course not!! You always do this sort of things by yourself! And fuck! You even asked the help of the Duke, the very one you wanted to kill in first place!!", Lucian got hurt at those words but didn't reply. "You could have asked for my help, since I was the closest to you! But no! You preferred to humiliate yourself before coming to me!"
"I did not humiliated myself.", assured the dhamhir, cracking his fingers. He was getting irritated and the last thing he wanted to do was hurting Aaron.
"Yes you did! Who would ask for their enemy's helps when having friends that will give everything in them to help?! YOU!", yelled the boy.
"What do you know about me to come here and yell at me?!"
"I came here to fucking help you!! And how the fuck do you want me to know you if you don't open up to me?! You don't tell me your things, your worries, your problems!! You don't trust me!"
"I do!", the more they yelled, the more Lucian get hurt. "I do trust you! I just... I just..."
Aaron walked to him and hugged him tightly. The dhampir shuddered at the contact, but returned the warm and gentle gesture.
"You fear you will get hurt again, don't you?", whispered Aaron.
"I'm so sorry.", said the dhampir, petting his friend's head. "I'm not exactly good with words, I have never been. I'm terrible expressing my feelings or trying to tell my problems."
"Like I don't know that.", mumbled Aaron with a soft smile. Lucian saw it and smiled too, sighing.
"I'm sorry.", apologized again the dhampir.
"It's alright.", Aaron separated himself from Lucian and looked up. "Nero told me you had problems with your powers. How...", he took a deep breath, but Lucian knew what was about to ask. "How fast are you... well..."
"Unbelieve fast.", said Dumas from the couch. "I noticed that the more he fights against vampires, using his dark powers and letting himself go out of control, the faster the vampiric powers takes over his body.", he explained as he got up. He groaned when the room started to spin. He hated when his body felt dizzy. "The eye patch doesn't work anymore so we tossed it away. As far I know, there is nothing to stop the transformation. The Heaven Fruit will only stop it for a time, but as the powers increases, the method to prevent it will not work on Lucian anymore", he looked at Aaron and walked towards him. Dumas put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, but Lucian will become a vampire in a way or the other, and there is nothing you, me or even Sheridan can do. Once the curse has awaken, nothing can stop it.", Aaron jumped in surprise. He spun and saw Lucian's fist into the table. Not saying anything, he walked inside his room and closed the door softly. Dumas sat on the couch again while the boy sat on one of the chairs. "He hates to admit it, but he has been crying since Sheridan told him that. I have talked with him about this the first day he came to me, but didn't believe me."
"It's hard for him to realize that he is becoming the thing he hates the most.", whispered Aaron. Nero landed on his head, purring softly.
"You are strange, kid.", said amused Dumas. Aaron lifted his head and looked at the former Duke. "I was expecting cursing or even threat from you towards me, but here you are, all calm and silent, even talking with me, the one that killed your father and brought the curse to your friend. Why don't you try to take revenge for what I have done?"
"Doing it like this, when you are this weak...", Aaron smiled. "... it's not fun at all. I would win easily and taking this kind of advantage is not what Ernest or Lucian thought me."
"What will you do after Lucian becomes a vampire? Will you still hunt us down?"
"I honestly don't know, but I will protect him from other gunslingers.", answered Aaron. "I don't know what will Ernest think about this, but I don't care anymore. Lucian is now the most important person for me right now."
Dumas smirked.
"How will you prove that Lucian is that important to you?", dared the vampire.
"Do you really want me to shoot you?"
"Not now, it will ruin all the fun."
Aaron laughed and stood up, taking Nero off of his head and placing him on the table. He went to Lucian's room and knocked on the door, not receiving answer. He turned to look at Dumas, who shrugged. The boy opened the door, finding the dhamhir sitting on the edge of the window, looking outside. Aaron stepped inside, closing the door behind him and walked slowly towards Lucian. He was nervous. He didn't know what to expect from Lucian being affected by the moon's phase that night. The dhampir smiled at him when he turned around and told him to come. The young one did so, accepting the offer of his friend besides him. Aaron lifted himself up and sat on the window, in front of Lucian, and smiled warmly at him.
"My jacket is pretty big for you.", whispered the dhampir.
"I know.", answered Aaron, who hugged the jacket tighter. "It was the only thing that told me that I wasn't alone. Can you smell? It still has your scent."
Lucian smiled softly.
"You are such a wonder, Aaron."
"I am?"
"Maybe Nero told you, but I lost hopes at finding a person that would accept me how I am, rather to what I am. That's why in the beginning, four years ago, I was scared to answer your questions, because I feared that once I told you what I was, you would leave my side like many others did in the past before meeting you."
"And now you know that you can trust me."
"Very much.", answered the dhampir sighing. "I feel that I can trust my life to you without worrying that you will stab me on my back."
"I feel the same way, you know."
Lucian laughed.
"I never knew I would end up saying this but, you sounded so cute."
Aaron couldn't help it and blushed deeply, hiding inside the jacket. He jerked in surprise when he noticed how close Lucian was from him. His glowing, vampiric eye was looking at him directly and Aaron shivered. Without warning, the dhampir lowered his head and started nibbling at the teen's neck.
"Ah! Lucian, what are you doing?!", yelled in surprise at the strange but good feeling he was getting from the dhampir's action. Lucian changed his tactic and, instead of keep nibbling, he put on the soft skin hungry kisses and bites, feeling himself getting excited at the boy's scent. "Nng... Mmm... What..."
Aaron's question was cut with a soft moan. The dhampir's hand rushed to Aaron's sides and closed around his waist, lifting him up and sitting him on his lap without breaking or stop kissing the boy's neck. Lucian couldn't control himself, he just felt like doing it and now he rejected it. The simple scent of Aaron was enough to turn him on and he could already feel his groin going hard. His hands slipped under the teen's shirt feeling the softness of the skin. Aaron gasped and Lucian moaned on his neck.
The dhampir lifted his shirt and the boy fought against it but eventually he gave up, shuddering when the hot and wet tongue of his partner found one of his erected nipples, starting to play with it with his fangs, biting softly but hard enough to make Aaron moan at the electric sensations filling his body. He arched and Lucian took advantage to travel down with his tongue, reaching his naval and waist band of his pants. He was about to grab the zip and pull them down when Aaron pulled his hair.
"Ow, shit!! That hurt!!", yelled in pain the dhampir. "Let go of my hair!"
"Get your hands off of my pants, now.", said Aaron in a serious tone.
Lucian blushed in embarrassment and put his hands away, letting the boy get off of his lap and jump to the floor.
"Sorry.", apologized the dhampir, not being able to look up at Aaron after that.
"Don't worry, I already read about how vampire gets in the waxing gibbous moon phase.", answered the boy. "It was fun, but just not now, alright? You should rest."
"Are you saying that you enjoyed it?"
"Pretty much."
"Will you let me touch you in some more... private parts of your body?", asked Lucian, half closing his eyes. The scent was all over him. He was not going to be able to keep his hands away from Aaron's soft skin now.
"Always so impatient.", said the boy smirking and winking an eye to the dhampir.
"When it comes to you, yes, a lot."
Aaron laughed and flopped on the bed to get some rest. Lucian quickly went to bed with him too, letting the boy curl up in his arms. He smelled Aaron's scent and purred, tangling his legs with his partner.
"Do you mind...?", said Lucian.
"Not at all.", answered Aaron, hugging the dhampir's waist and drifting to sleep, hearing the soft and not so loud heart beats of his partner.