A/N: Some OOC, your milage may vary. There will be lemons later. Very lemony lemons. ;)
There are vampire components, come on, everything is better with vampires!
The relationship between vampires and humans in this fic is a very good one. Like in real life with different races, there are those who don't care, and those who are racist, prejudiced, and those who are accepting of anyone regardless of color or nationality. Vampires are generally looked upon to be just another race that laugh, cry, and bleed like everyone else, though they are a minority in this AU, and do face prejudices and stereotypes, like everyone else.
There are a lot of American references in this one. =O I have fallen from purity into AU AU.
Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight (or any of the mentioned Meru Puri elements), it all belongs to the ever amazing Matsuri Hino. I also do not own the song "Lucifer's Angel". It belongs to The Rasmus. I don't own any Starbucks stuff either.
"ღ*~+~*ღ"
There were three F's in the modeling industry; Fabulous, Fierce, and _______.
Fill in the blank, the other models did. Fabulous and fierce were what the camera was looking for, the third, however, was something that was different from model to model. Some used the term Full-Frontal, others said Flawless, some even said Friendly while many used more sophisticated adjectives. Whatever the third word was usually described their modeling style and or personality.
As for Kaname Kuran, whenever someone asked him what his third F was, he would joke around, giving different answers each time, depending on his mood. He used an array of words, Flirty, Flamboyant, Flagrant... Whatever his word was, it worked, for him to be one of the most successful models in the modern industry.
This life provided him with everything he had ever wanted, everything he could ever want. Despite his parents' protests, he had gone out into the world without a single thing to his name, nothing to even hint at his rich heritage, and turned his good looks and fashion sense into a career. It paid for everything, his Penthouse Suite in uptown Astale, his iPhone, the cherry red Lamborghini sitting in a valet parking spot in the lot below and whatever else he wanted.
-BZZT!-
-Fly Away, Fly Away-
-From the Torch of Blame-
-They Hunt You-
-Lucifer's Angels-
-Never Lived, You Never Died-
-Your Life has been Denied-
-They Call You-
-Lucifer's Angel-
His cell buzzed, Lauri singing in a tenor tone as the device vibrated on his slept-in bedsheets, waking the prince from his slumber. Rolling over, he blinked sleepily at the neon blue numbers of an LED clock sitting on his nightstand. He rubbed at his eye gently, careful not to pull at the skin, lest he wanted premature wrinkling. Who the hell was calling him at ten thirty-seven in the morning on a Wednesday? Everyone should have known that he didn't start work until at least one on these days, so why was this poor, brave soul risking their job by angering him?
"Crap, what now?"
With a resigned sigh, he answered the phone before it could continue to rape his arm with its lewd vibrations.
"Hello?"
"Hello? Is this Kaname Kuran?"
Dear God, he hated it when people got his name wrong, especially when they sounded so cool and confident about it.
"Listen here, if you're going to be calling my cell, my personal number, asking for me, then you should at least learn how to pronounce my name correctly. It's not, 'Ka-na-me,' it's 'Ka-namé.' Pronounce the damn 'e' like you would in 'café.' And it's Kuran as in Koohrahn." he snapped, sitting up from beneath his sheets.
"Y-yes sir, m-m-my apologies,"
Her voice seemed to lose all of his confidence, a personal pet peeve of his whenever he came across someone spineless. It meant he would have to drop his model attitude in order to complete the booking of a shoot. Even if he was the most in-demand model in the industry, there were some times he would have to drop the ice queen act and be gracious, to charm the panties off of the agents so they wouldn't feel too intimidated to invite him back.
"My apologies, miss," he said in a voice smooth as silk, a complete one-eighty from his scathing tone earlier. "I have just been positively busy with my spread in Razaludé over the last few days and just found a moment to lie don, but no matter, what is it that I can do for you?"
"N-no problem. Haha, um, gosh, I'm so sorry to bother you, but I'm calling on behalf of Knight Modeling, they've finished your new clothing line, even changed the name at your request from Nine Orchids to Nine Orchards. We'd like you to come over around noon today and pick out the models you want to work with."
Kaname laughed silently to himself as her voice became smooth and seductive as well, for what she lacked in spine she had in guts, a small reprimand, even though they would probably disappear without a supporting backbone.
"Ahh, wonderful!" he said warmly. "And might I ask who is calling so that I may speak with you at a later date?"
"Ruka Souen, fellow model and agent for Knight Modeling."
"Ruka, hm? That rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it?" he said with the lilt of a smirk. "Why don't you come by the shoot and let me have a look at you, possibly try to get you in with the Nine Orchards crowd. It's going to be the next big thing you know, but first, brunch maybe? If it's not too much trouble that is..."
It would pay for him to be nice to an agent, it would mean more money and fame for the both of them if things went over well.
"Uh, ut, nn"
Kaname smirked in amusement at her satisfied choking noises as she tried to voice a response.
"Too much trouble? I underst-"
"No! Of course not! No trouble at all, I would love to go to brunch with you! Let me just tell my superiors-"
"Ah ah, why don't you just meet me downtown at...
He pulled the phone away from his ear, tapping on the Google Maps application to type in the word 'Café', bookmarking the first decent place that came up.
"PePuri Café, say, thirty-minutes? Our little secret." he whispered the last part, sealing the deal.
"PePuri Café, thirty minutes, I'll see you then."
She sounded so close to imploding.
"See you then. Oh, and, wear some of the new line when you come over, my treat, I want to see you cloaked in nothing but my designs. Ta ta for now, love." he purred, hanging up as soon as he finished.
Kaname tossed his phone back onto the bed, all applications clearing once it went inactive, showing off his wallpaper.
The shot was taken in the Bahamas on a beach with pink sand and blueish, emerald waters with white capped foam that kissed the shoreline. There wasn't a cloud in the azure sky, the contrasting figure in the foreground attracting more attention than the scenery.
A young man was in the middle of sitting up along the gently sloping trunk of a palm tree, its leaves dashing sunlight over him, draping, casting a light, protective shadow over his creamy colored skin. He wore an open, ivory button-up Daemonya shirt with raspberry pinstripes, the right half worn properly, the left pooling around his elbow, the arm supporting his quest for uprightness against the light, rugged bark. The open shirt revealed his lightly toned chest and abdomen, dipping, leading down to where a faded pair of lavender, damaged jeans hung dangerously low on his hips, exposing the cuts of his pelvis, flirting with the top his closely shaved lower hairline.
One leg was curled around a piece of nearby driftwood, the other bent, nearly meeting with an elbow. His raspberry colored flip flops hung from the tips of his rabbit toes, enabling the view of a circle with horns on its inner heel, the official stamp of the Daemonya brand.
But it wasn't his clothes or the scenery that made this shot so impeccable. No, rather it was how Kaname sat, body half turned towards the camera, a hand in mid-action, running through his wet, brunette hair which was darkened by the volume of water in it. His lips were slightly parted, sienna eyes dazed but aware as they focused on the camera, like he had just woken from a nap. They held a sort of shine, a sort of lust-filled stare that one would have after awaking from a night in paradise with a lover...
That was what made the picture sell. The photographer himself even called it 'dripping sex'. Though it was rather cold at seventeen degrees Celsius, approximately sixty-three degrees Fahrenheit, and smelled of salt and windy surf, Kaname didn't show it, the true mark of a professional model. It was taken back in January, but would be used for the spring season of the current year. Seeing as it was now March, the Daemonya ad would soon be running. The three most popular colors for the season? Lavender, ivory and raspberry of course.
Kaname stretched, arching his back as he slipped his silk bedsheets from his nude form, wandering to the bathroom, passing a collection of various shots of himself for the upcoming season. A quick shower and a touch of makeup would be all he needed from there before he went to choose a spring outfit from his vast wardrobe. Season coordination was a given at all times of the year, unless there was a preseason photo shoot.
Ew, perhaps he would flatiron his hair too.
Looking into the mirror, Kaname tousled his messy brunette mop, making poses this way and that, running his fingers down his lanky form, over his sharp hipbones and softly defined abdomen. He was beginning to regret that traditional, red bean paste takiyaki he treated himself to last night. It wasn't that he was worried about getting fat, his metabolism was much too high for that, but with that in his system, he would be feeling sluggish for at least half the day. Soon he would be sitting in some Café, probably consuming God knows how much sugar was in those drinks and pastries.
With a sigh, his fingers slipped south, stroking himself as he prepared the water and stepped into the shower for a nice, long, luxurious wash.
"ღ*~+~*ღ"
"Fuck!"
A silver haired youth ran around his small apartment in downtown Astale, cursing himself for relying on his hunk of junk alarm clock and not setting his cell phone to wake him up instead. Now he was going to be late for work!
Grabbing a bite of toast between his canines, Zero snatched his house keys from the kitchen table, a lite coat, and his fully charged cell from the bathroom before locking up, pinching and nicking a finger in the process. He flew down three flights of stairs before rushing out onto the immensely noisy, busy streets, sprinting for almost four city blocks to his work, PePuri Café. He would put in a few hours there before heading down to the Knight Modeling building for his audition.
He rushed into the Café owned by his parents, the scent of black coffee, sweet cream and scones attacking him all at once.
"Zero! Sweetie!" his mother exclaimed when she saw his red-faced, panting form appear behind the counter. "I told you that if you're late it would be fine, I know how you like to sleep in. Won't you move back in with us? It's not the same without you here."
"Look who decided to show his face!"
Before Zero knew it he felt a tackle hug knock him into the back counter. A few customers stared, some with disturbed looks, the regulars with warmhearted smiles, amused with the normal family antics.
"I hope you had a great three day weekend, because we're going to work you to the bone today!" Ichiru growled, rumpling Zero's hair.
"Okay okay, get off of me!" he laughed, halfheartedly shoving his twin off of him. "Sorry mom, but you know I want to make it big on my own."
"We know that sweetheart, but you should at least let us pay you more than minimum wage, that dingy apartment of yours isn't a place you should be living in."
"Mom, I like my dingy apartment, I pay for the rent myself, it's all that I can afford, but I've earned it all." Zero said, removing his coat and tying an apron on over his polo shirt. "If I get a contract with Knight Modeling today then I'll move into a better part of town."
"Honey, I wish you wouldn't try to go into that particular agency, there are quite a few vampires there, not that there's anything wrong with that, but you'll have to have a high tolerance for pain and rejection, plus I hear there's a pureblood working for them. You do not want to upset one of them or they could change you like that." she snapped her fingers to demonstrate the time limit.
"Mom!" Zero's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You're too young to be like that in today's world, there's nothing wrong with vampires."
"I know this but, well, you know we come from a long line of hunters. Old habits die hard. I've told you the tales about apprenticing with your great grandfather haven't I?"
"Only about a thousand times." Ichiru cut in with an eye-roll, pouring a cup of coffee for himself. "I'm going on break, Zero, man the front will you?"
"Sure thing."
Zero watched Ichiru as he disappeared up the staircase in the back, retreating to the family loft. He knew that his twin had felt dejected since he had moved out, but it wasn't like they were never going to see each other again. He had even asked Ichiru if he wanted to come with him, but the weaker twin had gotten upset, saying that if he wanted to go exposed into the world so badly that he could do it himself.
"He's just hurt, give him time."
The comforting weight of his mother's hand graced his shoulder. Zero nodded with a sigh, painting a small smile of greeting for the next customers - a couple that walked in, looking like they had just stepped out of a spring catalog, the very epitome of fashion. He walked over to the table with a pair of clean, laminated menus.
As he got an up-close look at the couple, he realized just how gorgeous they were.
"Oh, hello." the woman greeted as he came up, painted lips curving into a smirk.
Her caramel colored eyes were lined, lashes thickened with mascara. She was beautiful, with her very lady-like grace.
"Welcome to PePuri Café, can I get you anything to drink?" Zero asked breathlessly.
"Well we didn't come here just to sit and chat." the brunette man scoffed.
"You'd be surprised at the amount of people who stay to do that aft-"
Zero handed out the menus without another word, literally gawking at the smartass, soundlessly choking on the retort he was working his way up to.
His feathered mahogany hair fanned out against the right side of his face. The cut for his bangs curved softly in a downward arc across the other half of his face, brushing against his cheekbone, partially hiding one of his aloof sienna eyes as they scrutinized Zero. One shaped brow arching as he waited for Zero to finish his staring.
Now was the time that he finally understood why so many people got that odd, emo haircut. Its uneven edges could be styles every which way, which was what Zero was seriously considering to do to the rude patron, who ran a hand through the lengthy, volumized back of his hair.
"You like, yes? Tell you what, if your service is excellent and the food is perfect, then I'll give you my stylist's business card, not that you can afford him, but it'll give you something to dream about." his lips barely moved, but the words came out clearly.
The woman laughed gently as his ears reddened, this bastard was really asking for it, wasn't he? He figured that he would keep his comments to himself. Judging from their regal air, they were probably a couple of vampires, or maybe wannabe vamps. It was fine though. He could see that the man was wearing Daemonya clothing that hadn't even come out in stores yet, and an expensive looking brand that he had never before seen, so he could tell they had money. They had probably just walked in out of curiosity. If he served them well, they would probably leave him some sort of a tip, whether out of pity or to show off he didn't care. It wasn't like he would be seeing either of them again, since the rich type didn't hang around the shop for long.
"That would be great, what can I start you off with?"
"I'll have a short Mocha Valencia, just the drink, no whipped cream." the woman said in the same, still lipped fashion.
"A venti Mocha, oh, and, bleed in it for me, will you?" he sneered.
Zero had no idea if he was kidding, but he seriously considered doing it. As he walked away, he could see the man yawn from the corner of his eye, long fangs protruding from his mouth. One or two of the other customers stilled before blinking and melting back into conversation.
In a few minutes Zero had the Mocha Valencia ready and another customer's order. His mother, who was making the man's Mocha, requested another few seconds as she disappeared up into the loft to fetch Ichiru for the brunch rush.
He delivered the pastries and drinks to some regulars, balancing trays and plates with skill before dropping off the single drink to the vampire table.
"Sorry, it'll be a few more seconds on that regular Mocha, we're a little short-handed at the moment." Zero apologized with a small bow. "Is there anything else that you would like?"
"I'd like my venti Mocha, but it seems like you couldn't even do that." he looked down his nose at Zero, the corner of his mouth pulling into a lopsided frown.
"Nothing else for me thank you, this is lovely, by the way."
The silver haired teen gave her a grateful look.
"Thank you very much miss." he smiled before disappearing to retrieve the man's finished drink.
Zero took the steaming cup to the back and located a knife, cutting into his already nicked finger, letting his life's blood trickle down into the cup. He dipped the blade in and stirred, the color changing from chocolate to a sienna, like the man's eyes. After rinsing and sealing the cut with a liquid bandage and a normal one, he brought the steaming cup straight to the table, setting it down with a graceful bow.
"I apologize for the wait, and, as a token of my sincerest apologies, your drinks are free of charge."
The brunette man's nostrils flared, as did the woman's, both of their brows shooting up at the same time. He picked up the cup gingerly, sniffing the rim before bringing it to his lips. His eyelids drooped as he drained the cup, suckling on the rim shamelessly. A light blush tinged his cheeks as he cast a sidelong glance at the teen.
He sent a silent signal to the woman, the both of them rising from their seats. The man reached into his pocket and retrieved his wallet, taking out random bills and a business card.
"This should be more than enough for the drinks and a generous tip." he said, stuffing them into Zero's apron, hand lightly brushing his thigh and member.
Zero's face turned red as he headed to the restroom.
"ღ*~+~*ღ"
Kaname had opted to wear the outfit he had on in his wallpaper, buttoned up mind you, but with an open collar. He met with Ruka at the Café within the allotted time, early enough to scrutinize her as they first met.
The woman had a full hourglass figure, adorned with a white, form fitting tube top with lace trim and a ribbon that wove through the front, tying into a small, raspberry colored bow. Beneath the flap of lace was a small v-shaped cut out, giving a teasing view of her breasts, which he wondered if they were fake. A matching clutch bag hung from her arm on a thin strap. Her cuffed Bermuda shorts had a plaid design of a white background and raspberry colored stripes, a similar small bow tying the sides of the cuff together in place of a button. Her heels matched the outfit and lace of the tube top, a ribbon weaving there too.
She ran a single finger through her bangs, along the dirty blond locks on either side of her head, smoothing them all the way back to where they kept the rest of her wavy hair in place.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Ruka Souen, please, take care of me." she smiled, fangs glinting in the sunlight.
All in all, Kaname was a genius, and she was a perfect candidate to model with him. It was a shame that they called her type 'plus sized'. She had a very thin waist, rather, she was well gifted.
"It's my pleasure," he bowed, plucking up her thin wrist to kiss her hand. "Let's go."
They entered the Café, adoring the rich barrage of scents it had to offer.
"I want something with orange." Ruka muttered, careful to keep her lips close and her words enunciated.
There wasn't a single vampire in the store, and a pare of intimidatingly gorgeous ones might have scared quite a few people, so most had learned to speak in a tight lipped manner for such occasions.
"Order whatever you like, it's on me."
Though Kaname knew he had to charm people, he wished he would get to do it to more men than he had to with women. With the sort of industry he worked in, you'd think there was an endless supply of gay, at the very least bisexual men like him. But alas, he was always either too intimidating, of too much in a difficult position to find a male lover. He'd had to make do with females for far too long, and he was hellbent on picking a cute guy with a nice body to apprentice under him, which he meant both figuratively, and literally.
"Welcome to PePuri Café, can I get you anything to drink?"
Kaname rolled his eyes, giving the waiter a careful once over. Semi-long, silver hair, lilac eyes that were made for spring fashion, subtle feminine features on his androgynous face that would make him workable for several different types of magazines, many of them closely matching his own work. Wow, he had to stop this. His scouting would commence in a few hours, not now, while his hormones were crazed and raring to go.
"Well we didn't come here to just sit and chat." he scoffed, sounding irritated.
There was something wrong with the kid, who stared in awe at him. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't be more than a year or so younger than himself, no doubt with less experience though. He arched a brow, absentmindedly ran a hand through his hair, waiting, waiting, speaking when the idiot wouldn't spit it out.
"You like, yes? Tell you what, if your service is excellent and the food is perfect, then I'll give you my stylist's business card, not that you can afford him, but it'll give you something to dream about." he couldn't help but tease.
Ruka gave him a knowing look, catching on to his haughty attempt at flirting. The idiot just smiled after a long moment.
"That would be great, what can I start you off with?"
"I'll have a short Mocha Valencia, just the drink, no whipped cream." Ruka said, licking her lips slightly, not in an attempt to flirt, but in hunger.
Kaname could tell that it had been a while since she had any blood, judging on how pale her complexion looked. Speaking of blood...
"A venti Mocha, oh, and, bleed in it for me, will you?"
A horror-stricken look ghosted across his face for a moment before he walked away. Kaname took this chance to yawn widely, revealing his fangs, immensely enjoying how he and a few other patrons stiffened in retreat.
"Bisexual?" Ruka asked, now treating him more like a girlfriend than a potential love interest.
Kaname was able to relax considerably after that comment, seeing as he probably wouldn't have to beat her away with a figurative baseball bat if she came to that understanding.
"Sort of." they both chuckled at the in between answer for the in between orientation. "You?"
"Straight, but I have a vast appreciation for the bodies of women, so then I guess you could say curious?"
"Well we don't know what we are, now, do we?"
Ice broken, they both laughed and chatted for the next few minutes until the idiot waiter came back with Ruka's drink, turning to address Kaname.
"Sorry, it'll be a few more seconds on that regular Mocha, we're a little short-handed at the moment." Zero apologized with a small bow. "Is there anything else that you would like?"
"I'd like my venti Mocha, but it seems like you couldn't even do that." he looked coyly at the waiter, the corner of his mouth pulling into a lopsided frown.
"Nothing else for me thank you, this is lovely, by the way."
The silver haired teen gave her a grateful look.
"Thank you very much miss." he smiled before disappearing.
"Kaname, you don't think he took your order seriously, do you?" Ruka asked with a smirk.
"Dunno. He did look like an idiot." he allowed.
"I apologize for the wait, and, as a token of my sincerest apologies, your drinks are free of charge." the waiter said as he came back with the drink a minute later, sinking into a bow.
Both he and Ruka were surprised to smell that the mocha was indeed laced with blood. Sneaking a peek at the waiter's smug expression dispelled the assumptions he had been making for the past ten minutes, as he indeed knew exactly what was going on.
It was a shame that he didn't know exactly what he was possibly getting himself into.
He picked up the cup gingerly, sniffing the rim before bringing it to his lips. His eyelids drooped as he upended the cup, suckling on the rim shamelessly. A light blush tinged his cheeks ad he cast a sidelong glance at the teen.
Kaname was on a no-blood diet, and now it had just been spoiled. His aggressive side would be rearing its ugly head soon, thanks to that guy. He had no idea whether he wanted to hit the guy or rape him.
He sent a silent signal to Ruka, the both of them rising from their seats. Kaname reached into his pocket and retrieved his wallet, taking out random bills and a business card. He decided to opt for the latter.
"This should be more than enough for the drinks and a generous tip." he said, stuffing them into the waiter's apron, hand groping against the teen's thigh and cock.
Damn he was a good size!
Kaname kept his laughter to himself as he watched the teen retreat into the back, placing a hand over a subtle bulge as he disappeared through the doorway.
"ღ*~+~*ღ"
A/N: I wonder if you guys remember how nice Zero used to be before he caused Touga to lose an eye, witnessed his parents' deaths, and watched as his brother betrayed him and ran off with the pureblood who sent his life to hell. I do, hence why he's somewhat nice here, sort of, since none of that ever happened. But rest assured, I can't make Zero be totally OOC. lol
I don't go to Starbucks, so I might have screwed few things up.
A lot of research went into this. o_O
In the Extras Section on my profile, there is a link to the picture I drew of Ruka in her outfit. I suck at drawing men, so I'll make Kaname's later.
Review: Tell me what you think? Reviews inspire me to write more. :D