Night World, Pre Huntress; around the time they were transforming from best friends to worst enemies, I'd say 13 and 14. POV of Morgead and Jezebel, third person. Rated T.
"But he looks delicious." Jez said, astonished that Morgead would deny her the most drool-worthy snack she has ever seen.
"I don't care. His blood smells...wrong." Moregead said, wrinkling his nose at the chemic-als running through the boy's blood.
"It's just meds!" Jez exclaimed, exasperated. The crazy ones were the best, despite the drugs running through their yummy veins. No one would beleive them if they talked, so they didn't need to use up energy making them forget. And they gave in pretty easy. And their minds, oh Gods their minds! Non-sense stories and wonderful delusions, the best entertain-ment one could have!
"You know how you get when you drink that stuff." Morgead said, referring to the time when she drank a drunk junkie's blood. She had felt the affects of the drugs and alcohol as if she herself had ingested it. She had run around all day, drunken and giggling, telling people she was a vampire. She had loved the expression of a man who overheard her say it so she had spread the word, wanting to recaive that bewildered stare. None had taken her seriou-sly, but it could have gotten her in major trouble if Morgead hadn't stopped her.
"You know what?" Jez snapped, impatient. "I think we should go hunting separately from now on. I'll hunt with Raven. Or we can start hunting as a gang."
Morgead stared, but quickly recovered to looking like he didn't care. "Why?" he said, using all his effort to sound annoyed insted of hurt.
Jez's exasperation enhanced. "There's no point any more! We used to have fun. Now, we just annoy each other. It should be a gang thing, instead of an... us thing."
There is no us anymore, Jez thought. Just me...and you.
Jez didn't know why the distiction made her want to cry, so she ignored the feeling.
"Um. Yeah. Okay." Morgead sounded stunned, which made Jez smile a little. But only a little.
" But for now, I'm gonna eat that vermin, and you're not going to stop me." Jez said firmly. Morgead may be leader, but he didn't control what Jez ate.
"Fine." Morgead said flatly, mind still on the fact that she was going to share another of their things with the gang. It had been Morgead's idea to create a gang, but he hadn't known that she would want to do everything with them. He had thought that it would still be the two of them against the world, with some back-up. But now Jez was closer to the rest of them then to him. She shared all the games they used to play with them. Games that had been their's. No longer special.
Jez was a bit worried that he had went down without a fight, but soon forgot as the boy stumbled passed her, down the alley they were in.
Jez followed.*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X*X
Jez giggled as Morgead scooped her into his arms.
"Weeeee!" she yelled, as if she were on a roller-coaster, not being picked up three feet of the ground.
"Shuddup." Morgead snapped, annoyed that he had relented. Look where it got him.
Jez's joyous smile faded, turning into a mask of concern. " Why are you mad, Morgy?" she asked, eyes round. He began running easily, with vampire speed.
"'Cause you're annoying." he grumbled.
Her eyes grew even rounder. He hated that innocent look in them. Jezebel Redfern was not innocent.
"I'm sorry."
"You should be."
"Well, I am."
"Good."
They were silent after that, until they reached Morgead's house. He hopped up the stairs, and shifted Jez so he could open the door. Once inside he dropped her mercilessly onto the wood floor.
"Get out." he said flatly.
"Whaaa?" Jez moaned, confused. But he was alreay walking upstairs.
Jez sat up, rubbing her head. She hadn't been in Morgead's house in a while. It had gotten messy. Like rotting-food-and-unknown-species-of-bugs messy.
Jez guessed it's been a long time since anyone cared enough to clean it. HIs mom has been gone for a while, and Morgead was too young to be responsible for the cleanliness of a whole house.
Jez was yanked out of her thoughts as her mind processed the fact that her hand was wet. She removed it from her head to see her pale finger tips covered in red.
Oh, he needed to pay.
Jez stood up. Fell back down. Stood again, stabilizing herself on the nearest wall, leaving a bloody hand print. When the world stopped spinning she looked up, and found herself looking at a picture with two identical emerald eyes. Morgead and his mother. Her drunk and him miserable, tiny as he was. Even in pictures, where you could fool anyone into thinking it was a normal family, you could she the fabric of a pained family unthreading, a world of despair drowning out the only beauty of the picture: his eyes.
Jez stumbled to the stairs. She tried going up them, one at a time, but couldn't do it. She ended up crawling up them, on hand and knees. Once she reached the top, she hastily climbed to her feet. She ran to his door, barely stopping herself from falling.
She threw the door open, not flinching when it slammed on the wall.
Morgead, lying on his bed (above the covers), snapped his head toward her before he quickly sat up.
"What the hell, Jezebel? I told you to leave!" he raged.
Jez was going to yell at him, for dropping her, telling her what to do, using her full name. She had really planned to. But all that came out was a broken, "Why do you hate me?" before Jezebel Redfern, in all her pride and glory, burst into tears and slid down the doorframe to the floor.
Morgead had no idea what to do.
"Um, Jez. What? Just...What?"
Jez, still sobbing, choked out, "What did I do?" before her sobs became to uncontrolable to speak.
Morgead didn't do comforting. He created a family to comfort him, though unknowingly. He had helped Jez deal with the loss of her parents, but that was years ago, and it hadn't even been immediately. The open wounds were closed by the time her met her, he just helped her forget the scar it left.
"Jez. Jez. You didn't do anything, Jez. Nothing. I don't hate you. You're my best friend!" he stumbled over his own words. They weren't lies, exactly, just not as true as they used to be.
Jez's sobs increase. Ah, hell she had heard his thought. Gods damn it.
Morgead got up and walked to her. He started saying meaningless words of comfort, in a tone he could only assume was soothing, when something came over him. The sight of her face, her beautiful silvery eyes swollen from tears, her perfectly sculpted lower lip trembling, pale luminecent face flushed, was more then he could take. His words became urgent pleas, his tone a begging cry, his speech turned into a ramble.
A ramble that ended with the words, "Dammit, Jez, I love you, you idiot!"
Her chocking sobs subsided. "Promise?" she begged quietly, her voice childlike, still trembling.
Morgead's sigh sounded more like a shakey sob. "Of course, Jez."
Jez stopped crying completely, but continued to tremble. "I miss you."
"I'm right here, Jez. I'm alway here."
"I miss Us." she restated, beginning to cry again. Her head dipped, her gaze falling to the floor.
Morgead placed his hands on the sides of her face, forcing her to look up at her. "You are seriously high, Jez." he said softly, earning a laugh. Morgead put his arms around her and she let her head rest on his shoulder. Then, on impulse, she scurried into his lap. He buried his face in her wild red hair. She snuggled closer. He let her. "Don't give up on Us just yet. 'Cause I never will." he murmured, voice muffled by downy-soft hair.
He loved the feel of her in his arms. He could hold her for an eternity without his arms getting tired.
She loved being held. She could sleep in his arms for an eternity.
They loved each other. They promised each other then. They promised that they would be togeather an eternity.
Her legs were too weak to carry her, so Morgead did. He placed her on his bed gently, tucking her in. He climbed in on the other side, pulling her to him. She let her head rest on his chest and put an arm around him. Morgead shited so he could stroke her hair. He smiled at the sight of her in his bed, hair scatter all over it. It made him forget that the springs dug into his back, that the AC had stopped running, that he had no family.
None of it mattered. Because he had Jez.
But why do I stay here? he thought.
And was shocked to hear Jez say it out loud.
"Why do you stay here?" Her voice was soft, cautious, like she was worried he'd yell at her. His hand, still stroking her hair, froze.
"Where else would I go?"
"You could get an apartment. Compell someone to rent it to you despite your age."
He was silent for a moment. Then said, "No memories."
"What?"
"There's momories here. No family, but a memory of one. No love, but the memory of it. If I left, what would I have?"
Me, Jez thought. She didn't dare say it to him though.
"You could create more. With your new family. WIth me."
Morgead pondered that. "Would you...would you visit me? Out side of gang meetings?" his voice almost trembled.
Jez lifted her head slowly. She scooted up higher, propping herself up with her elbow. She put her face right above his, her hair falling on both sides of his head. He stared at her with those emerald eyes, and she lowered her head. Her soft lips met his. It was a slow kiss, but ended all too quick.
"Is that a yes?"
Always sarcastic.
She grinned at him, lowering herself back into his arms. She nuzzled her face in his shoulder in elation. Morgead smiled the most real smile he has smiled in years.
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Jez woke in Morgeads arms.
She had no idea how she got there.
"Whaaa?" she moaned, sitting up. Morgead stirred and lifted his head. He smiled but it quickly faded at her expression.
"What?" Morgead asked.
"What am I doing here?" she snapped, looking down at him with feirce all-silver eyes.
Morgead smiled a very small, worried smile. "Well. You were sleeping. What I want to know is why you're up there." he replied, spreading his arms like she was supposed to climb into them. Gross.
"Uck." she scoffed before smacking him in the back of the head.
His smile vanished. What was wrong with her? Then he realized...Even vampires have hangover.
"You...don't...remember?" he asked, keeping the hurt from his voice.
"Remember what?" then it hit her. Only not it, something, but not it.
"Oh, yeah." se said grimly. "Go ahead and say it."
"Say what?"
"You told me so." she said through her teeth. "I shouldn't have ate the nut. Trust me, I'm paying for it." she added, finger tips going to her temples.
After a moment of stunned silence she asked, "I didn't do anything totally stupid did I?"
"Nothing too bad." he said cooly.
"A'ight. Then I'm leaving. Buh bye!" she said, already rushing for the door.
Morgead waited until the front door slammed, then laid back, breathless.
Then he cried.
He did move out.
She never visited him.
He created new memories.
All of hurt, loneliness, and loss.
He forgot the feel of love and family.
The gang wasn't close to enough, without her.