(For the February Prompt Exchange Challenge)
Prompt: "Happy Birthday!"
~ 1897 ~
"Happy birthday, mate!" Spike yelled, much louder than was necessary. He bumped up against Angelus, who shoved him away.
The sun had set at least two hours ago, but the park was still hosting a number of people meandering through the trails. A few pockets of folks looked around for the source of the noise.
"Stop it, Spike," Angelus hissed, in no mood for Spike's antics. Today was an anniversary of sorts, and he was with the people he was closest to in the world, Darla, and though sometimes he hesitated to admit it, Drusilla and Spike. It wasn't love he felt for them, he wasn't capable of that. But there was still a bond, one that ran deep. Still, he didn't want to celebrate with them, or at all. The boredom that had settled into Angelus' bones after all these years did not cry out for festivities. Marking the passage of time when it was endless seemed futile.
Angelus felt an emptiness that lingered inside him, something that was only temporarily assuaged by the thrill of the hunt. Perhaps that's what made him so brutal - the constant need to stave off the aching reminder that something was missing. He shook his head, trying to make the thoughts fall from his ears. His musings were far too existential for a night with a cool summer breeze and plenty of perfect little distractions pumping with fresh, warm blood. He hooked an arm around Darla's waist, pulling her in as Spike continued to make stupid comments that made Angelus' skin itch.
Darla ran her tongue along the edge of her bottom lip, as if she were a snake smelling the air. She could feel Angelus' restlessness, Spike's rebellious energy, and Drusilla, well Dru was absolutely insane. Her emotions ranged from devastation to pure giddiness. Darla wasn't sure which she preferred. On her free side, felt Drusilla's body tense with excitement. The women's arms looped together, and Dru squeezed Darla closer to her, so Darla was split between her and Angelus.
Dru hummed a soft melody with no end. Darla's patience for Spike and Drusilla was shorter than Angelus'. But tonight, she didn't mind them. She just wanted to see how the evening would play out. A week ago, the four of them were fleeing from a mob of villagers who had finally caught on to who was victimizing them. Tonight, they were strolling the streets of an English park with nothing to fear but the sunlight. Darla tuned into Spike's chatter at Angelus.
"What? You should be proud of your age, mate! Not everyone makes it as far as you. Certainly no humans, and not many vampires. Plus, hey, look - no wrinkles," Spike said, walking back over to his grandsire and outlining his face with an index finger. The blond man narrowed his eyes and leaned in closer to inspect Angelus' features. "Well, barely any," he corrected himself.
"Cut it out, Spike," Angelus growled, smacking Spike's hand away.
"Make me," Spike replied softly, stepping closer to Angelus until their noses were not even a full inch from touching.
Drusilla's incessant little song was finally silenced as she gasped scandalously. "Ooh, are our boys going to fight?" she whispered to Darla with a giddy hop that made her heels clack and clatter on the cobblestone path.
Darla patted Dru on the arm in a decidedly condescending manner that, of course, Drusilla did not even notice. "Or fuck. I'm not entirely sure at this point," Darla said with a roll of her eyes.
"Mm. Happy birthday indeed," Dru giggled. The four of them turned down a less populated path that was draped with a canopy of tree branches that blocked out much of the moonlight.
"Remind me. How old are you now?" Spike asked, his walk more of a swagger as he intentionally bumped up against Angelus.
"One hundred and seventy," Angelus answered tersely.
Spike clapped, slowly and loudly, a piercing sound in the otherwise quiet evening. "Alright, well, that certainly merits a spot of celebration. Wouldn't you agree, luv?" Spike asked, reaching across and grabbing Drusilla by her free arm. Dru unwound the other arm she had laced around Darla's and ran to press her body against Spike. The two of them shared an identical devilish grin, illuminated by the pockets of moonlight that filtered through the leaves overhead. Angelus and Darla looked on at their younger counterparts.
Spike and Drusilla ran up ahead on the path, pushing through a couple that had been strolling along, holding hands through gloved fingers. The woman who had been pushed aside gasped as she nearly tripped, while her gentleman companion ran to her and remarked on the uncivilized behavior.
"Spike's right, you know," Darla murmured into Angelus' ear. "You deserve to celebrate. You deserve a treat."
"Well, I can't say no to you," Angelus said with the hint of a smile turning up one corner of his mouth.
"Good, dear boy," Darla said, caressing Angelus' chin before walking ahead of him and putting herself between the two humans that Spike and Dru had collided with. "Excuse me," she said to them. "I couldn't help but notice how incredibly rude those people just were to you. I wanted to ask if you were alright. It looks like they nearly knocked you down, my dear."
The woman smiled appreciatively, opening her mouth to reply, but she was cut off before she could speak. "Alright, no need to play with our food," Angelus called to Darla.
"Oh, please. The foreplay's your favorite part," Darla replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. Looks of concern and confusion mingled on the human couple's faces. Angelus smirked and came up to press himself against the woman. Perplexed concern quickly transformed into terror as Angelus' face morphed from that of a handsome man to a foul monster with contorted flesh, yellow eyes, and sharp fangs. The woman screamed as he viciously grabbed hold of her neck, baring it and sinking his teeth into her soft flesh. Darla's face morphed in a similar grotesque fashion and she quickly mimicked Angelus' actions upon the man.
Darla and Angelus drank in sync, the warmth of the fresh blood filling them as it was emptied from their victims. Darla lifted her head, licking her reddened lips and smiling. "Happy birthday, darling," she said.
With a dripping grin, Angelus cast aside the young lady. She fell with a thud onto the cobblestones. Angelus stepped over her and snaked his arm around Darla's waist again, pulling her in swiftly. She dropped the man she had been clutching. He crumpled at their feet, landing limply over the woman.
"It's not the anniversary of my birth," Angelus said, brushing his lips against Darla's. "This marks the day of my rebirth. The day you chose me for eternal life."
"Who knew you were so pensive," Darla mused with the hint of a condescending smirk playing on her delicate features.
"There's a time for chaos and a time for reflection," Angelus said, his tone laced with a faux indignant formality.
"I chose you for eternal life because you were absolute chaos. A brutal hurricane," Darla said.
"Chaos can't last forever. I still think you made a good choice with me, don't you?" Angelus said.
"Absolutely," Darla agreed, draping an arm around his shoulder.
Angelus grinned and slammed his mouth to hers. The flesh of their lips and the sharp enamel of their teeth clashed. They broke apart after a few moments. "Let's catch up with the children, shall we?" Angelus suggested, nodding his head in the direction that Spike and Drusilla had run off in.
"I suppose so," Darla said. Angelus offered his hand to her. She took it and the two of them stepped over the bodies, former homes to fragile lives that had been stripped away in minutes.
"A brutal hurricane, eh?" Angelus turned the words over. The two of them continued on the path until Spike and Drusilla were visible up ahead again. "And what would you label those two?"
"A shit storm," Darla answered without hesitation.
Angelus laughed, a full sound that drew the younger vampires back to him.
"What's so funny?" Spike asked.
"I'm just enjoying my birthday," Angelus said with a smile. And he meant it.