HEY, LOOK. IT'S A STORY.
Rating: T
Pairing: None at the moment
Summary: Introducing our lovely main character, Ivan Braginsky and some vague accounts about his immortal life before he sits down for the first time in front of a computer. Francis, you're too nosy.
WHAT IS THIS? IT'S A COMPUTER, IVAN. - PROLOGUE
Ivan sometimes found it a wonder that this was all real. Sometimes he wondered how he could have once been one of them. They were jubilant and their love for that strange, disjointed, and gasping music of these modern times gave him a a quiet expression to which he donned often when he was thinking. Alfred thought it a hoot to startle him out his thoughts. He thought it silly that an immortal such as himself would scare so easily. He teased and he laughed until he became bored and wandered away off to do whatever it was that he liked to do. That boy was more trouble than he was worth, but Ivan could still not hate him or dislike him. After all, he did make him and turned him into one of his own. Just as he did to others, but Ivan wasn't willing to give his blood so easily. When he was younger he was foolish and often times frightened to the point he couldn't speak of he would babble. Francis would call it one of his more human points, but that did nothing for Ivan since he wasn't human and he would never return to be so.
Francis Bonnefoy was well - his mortal friend.
The only mortal allowed himself to have as company that knew his secret spare the a handful of others. Alfred was still as reckless as ever which had eventually led Ivan and Francis to meet. Ivan was long convinced decades ago that Alfred may be a bit insane and he always has been after the death of his twin brother. He had never lost his hold on those memories and even before Mathew had died, Alfred was already showing signs of madness. After long years spent together roaming among humans with occasional companions, Alfred and Ivan separated when Ivan left Alfred with an old one to calm his heart and gather what sanity he had left. Ivan was afraid that he would turn out to be like to be like his sisters.
But, as not to stray from Francis, Ivan had many pleasant conversations with the mortal man. His smile was a comfort to him and his kindness knew no bounds as far as Ivan had seen, but that curiosity of his. Oh, it was just insatiable. Francis often liked to drag Ivan off to art galleries where they stood discussing about these artworks and if Ivan had ever met any old and famous artists. Francis loved prodding him for details of his past. He liked hearing Ivan recount events from the past, but Ivan was always so vague about them that Francis liked to prod even more. Ivan was as unmoving as a mountain on the subject. He wouldn't discuss about how he became immortal - this nonliving creature he is now. Nor did he ever mention anything about his human life before immortality and the dark gift.
Once though, Ivan had let a stray thought slip from him while they were on the subject of Russia's history which brought Francis to be unbearably curious.
"It reminds me of Peter the Great," Ivan said. "He was a strange man."
"What was that?" Francis asked, peering at him closely, wondering if he would continue perhaps, or to try to press his luck. Ivan decided to humor him. "He liked to travel and do things a tsar would mostly not do. Shipbuilding and dentistry. He spent a while in the low countries." This was all old news. As seen in textbooks and an average student's AP Euro lectures. Francis pressed on, eyes flickering up at Ivan to see his expression as he busied himself by spreading jam on a biscuit. Ivan kept his gaze to the morning paper spread before him on his side of the table. They were having breakfast - or - Francis was just having breakfast. Ivan did not need to dine on such foods. "Did you know him?"
"Yes." Ivan knew Francis was smiling before he even knew it. He couldn't help the quiet smile he hid from the Frenchman behind the paper. "What was he like?" Francis asked, taking a bite of the warm biscuit. Ivan set the paper down. Francis smelled like the sweet pastries he baked in the mornings and afternoons at his bakery. It smelled delicious, but Ivan wasn't thinking about the pastries anymore. He caught Francis' eyes with his and trailed his eyes down his lips and lingered at his neck before looking away with a lazy yawn. Francis has followed his eyes.
"He was strange." Ivan replied firmly and stood up. He left the room with Francis flushed pink with some slight embarrassment. Ivan wouldn't feed from him. Now, after several weeks later, Francis closed his bakery for the week and packed his belongings. He told Ivan he was leaving on a business trip and wouldn't be back until Monday. Today was Thursday. This was the first time in a these peaceful several months that Ivan was to be left alone on his own. Though he might have felt some slight loneliness at the thought he still smiled and bid the blonde man farewell at the door before closing it shut and locking it.
Alfred wasn't there. Then again, he wasn't usually there anyway anymore. He was being reckless and ruthless again Ivan suspected, but sighed at the thought of having to clean after the man's messes. Ivan climbed the stairs to the second floor. The wooden floorboards beneath his bare feet was cold and he sought out warmth in Francis' room. The room had a pleasant view of the street from its balcony that Ivan loved gazing out of so much at dawn and dusk. Beneath its windows, there the narrow streets of Spanish town houses could be seen stretching far into the rest of the city. He quickly lit the fireplace and stood back to admire the glowing flames that flickered and danced. The brought spots to swarm in the eyes and he turned away. It was to bright for him to stare into for too long.
Beep.
Ivan blinked. At first Ivan didn't know what he was staring at until he realized it was a laptop. A silly thing Francis must have left on before he left. Ivan in truth wasn't very good with electronics, but he knew enough to work them and play around with them to get how they worked. Stepping cautiously toward the creature, Ivan peered at it doubtfully, his eyes squinted. He took a seat in the chair of the desk and jiggled the wireless mouse. Light appeared back on the screen and Francis' desktop was staring at him. He frowned. His background was a very clear, and high quality picture of Francis' giant white cat. She seemed to be posing as well as glaring at Ivan. Shaking his head he moved the mouse, the action clearly a bit foreign to him but not unpleasant.
It was about nine now and the stars were out in the dark night. Ivan would have been stargazing but instead he sat the laptop, staring into the white screen. With a word document up, Ivan felt his hands slide across the keys. He began to write his story.
Author's Note: Truth be told, I only had wanted to write something silly and light, but I ended up with this. I found a writing prompt I liked and since I was in a bit of a writer's block, I thought to try it out like this. The prompt was to switch characters from a story you like to another story and write about it.
So I decided, well, why not The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. This is purely for fun and my own entertainment, but I hope you guys will like it. Though I switched up the characters, I'm changing the plot line and the story to differ from the Vampire Chronicles though there might be some great changes since I don't want my story to be following the Vampire Chronicles every step of the way. I plan on making the story quite long with many adventures.
If you like it, then I'm glad.
-Scottie