Okay, so a few things first. I know Zero purple/amethyst eyes. He has blue eyes in this universe. I haven't decided the reason yet. He's also human, as is everybody else except Kaname and Yuuki, who are 'normal' vampires. Vampires are less common as are hunters, which Cross and Yagari are not. The first two chapters are mostly groundwork to progress the rest of the story sensibly. I'm not the greatest at pacing. I'm actually surprised the chapter came out in Kaname's POV, since Zero's actually my favorite character.
I said slow build but in this case it only applies to... uh, certain aspects of their relationship. Also, the title doesn't actually have anything to do with Zero being awesome in the kitchen. Check my profile for more info.
I should also mention that I haven't actually been to college so if the logistics are off in a certain area then feel free to correct me. The classrooms are like the ones in VK, only rounder. Reviews and criticism are welcome; enjoy.
Ugh, does she ever close those windows?
Classes had started almost two weeks ago. It was only the fourth day he'd sat in this particular room squinting at his lit teacher, trying not to let his crankiness from lack of sleep and exposure to sunlight seep into his behaviour; so far it was a losing battle. He hadn't been able to sleep after he got off work the night before, his body too used to resting during the day.
Kaname slouched wearily against the desk, stifling a yawn behind his hand, glaring sideways at the sunlight pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows on the far side of the classroom. He was sitting closer to the right side of the room, a corner of the long table bathed in its glow a few inches from him. He'd narrowly avoided it, though the person directly to his left was not so lucky. Any doubts he might have had about not being a morning person had been thoroughly squashed, being that it was ten a.m. on a Thursday morning and he was so tired his eyelids felt like they were trying to stick together every time he blinked.
Only a hundred more days to go… he thought wryly, trying to focus on what the professor was going on about. He was only taking three classes, two of which he'd managed to get the night schedules for. However there had been no available night classes for literature, a prerequisite for his major of choice, so he'd reluctantly gone with the next available class. Takuma had half convinced him that a change of pace would be good for him; He was very much regretting listening to his best friend.
After a few minutes of trying to follow the lecture, he deemed it unimportant and continued muttering to himself about infernal education systems, unaware that he was voicing parts of his thoughts aloud.
Kaname's thoughts were suddenly jarred to a halt as a sweet aroma wafted over him, a quiet voice sounding to his left.
"Coffee?"
The brunette blinked, realizing he was completely slouched against the desk. Dragging himself back enough to scrutinize the source of the voice. The person in question wasn't looking at him, the silver-haired male to his left not giving any sign that he was anything but focused on the lecture, and for a moment Kaname thought he was hearing things until he looked down. He had a half-empty cup of coffee slid toward him across the table, the lid in his other hand. What.. oh. Kaname determined that he appeared to be offering him the rest of his caffeinated beverage. He couldn't be sure of the student's name as he'd been half asleep when he'd showed up to class each day so far. Eying the proffered the pale drink a moment, he graciously accepted it, uttering an appreciative sound as he gulped the drink down in large mouthfuls. The name had come to him by the time he'd set the empty cup down.
Noticing that the corner of the man's mouth was curved slightly into a smirk, he suppressed the urge to glare at the cup. "Thank you… Kiryu-san," he said quietly.
He gave a curt nod. "Zero is fine," he responded.
Kaname let his eyes drift over to his classmate, taking in the simple white v-neck, slim-fitting light blue jeans and the gray running shoes. "...Zero-kun, then." Bringing his eyes back up, he lingered on the thin leather cord encircling his pale neck, a round metal locket resting between his collarbones. After a few seconds he noticed Zero was hiding his mouth behind his hands, crystal blue eyes twinkling with mirth as he met his gaze. Kaname felt his cheeks warm as he realized that not only was he staring, he'd been caught in the act by the object of his scrutiny.
Guess the coffee did it's job, he thought in embarrassment. Tucking a wayward lock of hair behind his ear, Kaname turned forward again to look down at the professor and doing his level best to tuning back in to the topic of discussion.
Finally, he thought, as the students started filing out at the back of the room four hours later. Closing his notebook and sliding his pencil into the metal spiral, Kaname stood leisurely. He had been half hoping to talk to Zero after class, but when he'd looked up the male was already halfway to the door before anyone else had even stood. Deciding not to pay it too much attention, and firmly reminding himself that he was not disappointed that he hadn't gotten a chance to invite him to the library, Kaname shrugged to himself and waited until the room was mostly empty to make his exit, taking his notebook as well as the cup and lid with him to dispose of on the way out.
Wandering out of the school building, the pale brunette turned and headed for the library absently like it was an old habit. Takuma got out an hour later then he did, so he took advantage of the time to get started on his assignments. This was only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Takuma's class on both days as well as the one in between. It was their only class that overlapped, so they'd decided to work in the library for a while before leaving to go back to their shared apartment for lunch, wherein the blond would drop him off at work before driving back to the campus for his next class.
Having been orphaned at a young age, his foster parent had given him hell over his nocturnal sleeping habits. He'd been in the system for less than a month before he'd been adopted by his friend's grandfather, a man by the name of Asato Ichijou who had been in close contact with his parents prior to their murder. Kaname had never liked him, and he did even less when he'd opted to adopt only him, separating him from his younger sister. He hadn't had much chance to contact her until he turned eighteen, in which his attempts became frequent but mostly unsuccessful. Eventually she'd stated gently but clearly that she did not wish to be reminded of the past. The message had been devastatingly clear: she didn't want him in her life.
His inverted sleep schedule wasn't the only issue, however. Aside from normal food, Kaname had another hunger that he could not ignore; a thirst for blood. Having been so young, his parents had personally provided him with it, usually once a week, understanding that it was not just his secret, but theirs as well. They were family of vampires. Even as young as she was, Yuuki knew it was not a secret she could freely disclose. It had been about a month after he'd started living in his new home that he'd 'fallen ill' and not left his room for a couple days. Takuma, concerned over his new friend, had sneaked into the room to find a starving Kaname in a cold sweat and curled up in the corner, eyes blazing and fangs elongated dangerously between his panting lips.
Ecstatic that this knowledge did not make the other boy afraid of him, he'd clung to him ever since, appeased that it was not something they were afraid to talk about. Even though he was only twenty-six, Takuma was the only person to know of his secret besides his sister, and they'd deduced that it gave him heightened senses and uncanny strength(despite his lack of exercise). From that feeding eighteen years ago the blond whom he'd come to consider a brother to him was the only one he drank from, taking care to only feed a max of two times a month. It had only been in recent years that he discovered his thirst had become easier to deny(as well as the revelation that he could not get drunk). No longer suffering the need of a growing boy, Kaname had grown into the body of an adult, only drinking when Takuma persisted out of concern for his health.
They'd both moved out of their guardian's home under the guise of college experience; they didn't actually apply for college right away, deciding it was time to have fun and spent the years travelling instead. Eventually deciding that college was the next adventure, they'd mapped out their interests and carefully picked a college that suited both of them. Digging into what funds they had left from both their parents, they rented an apartment and bought furniture as well as a vehicle and textbooks. Paying for college had been a scary thing, but they'd managed.
They didn't have much after that(thanks to their travelling and Asato's greedy ways), So they both got jobs, Takuma as a waiter at a restaurant and Kaname as at a little bookstore nearby. It wasn't the best pay, but it was a compromise of interest, salary, and location to their apartment. Kaname only worked evenings during the week; there was only two other employees to work daytime and weekends. The owner was a young playboy who only had it because it use to belong to his mom and it made good profit. He'd been thoroughly charmed by Kaname's looks and Takuma's sunny disposition, and the latter managed to talk him into hiring him while he'd been distracted by the brunette in question.
The restaurant Takuma served at was within walking distance, a lively place with a welcoming atmosphere and a specialty in desserts. The owner was a ditsy but friendly middle aged man who came in anywhere from once a week to once a month, with two chefs and four servers each shift, plus a bartender who served more caffeinated beverages then alcohol. Takuma had the night shift due to his daytime classes, and it was hell for both of them squeezing in sleep certain days of the week.
Kaname didn't realize he'd been drifting off until he was being shaken awake. The brunette jerked slightly, wide eyes darting around until they found Takuma's face, a merry twinkle in his eyes and mouth pulled into a grin. "Clerical studies that boring huh?" he teased lightly. Kaname blinked owlishly at him before glancing down at his watch.
It was half past three, which means his teacher had kept him late. He narrowed his eyes at his blond friend, mouth twitching into a smirk. "You're late. Teacher keeping you after class already? What'd you do now, Takuma?" He returned easily.
It was almost eleven by the time he'd managed to drag himself through the door of their apartment on the third floor of the building. It was small, a living room area to the right of the front door, filled with a dark lacquer table separating the wide tv against the wall from the modest loveseat with it's back to the rest of the room. Beige carpet turned to white tiles where the kitchenette resided on the far left, facing the sanded wood table tucked into the corner across from it. Around the corner was the bathroom door, at odds with one of the bedroom doors a few feet down the wall from the table.
Kaname headed for the other bedroom, bypassing the kitchen and walking wearily through the door right next to it. The room was relatively small, leaving little legroom around his small queen size bed. He didn't mind it, most of his belongings were crammed in the doorless closet anyway. Most of his clothes were hung up, his ever growing book collection carefully switched across the top shelf and his shoes lined up beneath on the floor. His socks, undergarments, and accessories were hidden away in the small three drawer dresser that sat between his bed and the closet, leaving a narrow L-shape of space in the left corner of the room next to the door.
The bed springs squeaked in protest as he threw himself on top of it, cheek mashed into the pillow as he lazily fought to kick his shoes off. He had six hours to sleep before he had to get up to get Takuma, and he did not want to waste another minute. Arguing with his jacket for a few seconds, Kaname rolled over to make sure the alarm sitting on his dresser was set before wriggling around halfheartedly to get all the way onto the mattress before letting sleep take him.
