John always knew he was spoiled; only he didn't usually recognize it. He usually didn't see how other people lived due to Jake's strict rule on staying indoors at all times. Even at night when the moon seemed to be screaming at John to leave the constricting walls of the mansion; unfortunately he would be in deep trouble if he should leave. however, he did manage to slip out of the threshold, out of Jake's watchful eye; one cool spring night. It had to have been three years ago, back when he was smaller, thirteen? Fourteen?
Either way, it was a pitch black night, and the night sky devoid of the moon's pale glow. John could feel the thrill of the new scents, sights and sounds, adrenaline begin to course through his veins, making his heart pound and his senses sharpen, everything suddenly so much more vivid.
His stomach growled and a new scent began to drift to his nose lazily, taunting him with a seductive purr. John felt his mouth begin to water as he turned his eyes to the road that curled down to the gate; the entrance to the manor. At the gate stood what appeared to be a woman, with long dark locks that cascaded over her shoulders and curled near her hips. Her eyes were a stunning green as she scribbled down a few things on a notepad, looking up only to study a violet flower just within the confines of the gate.
She smelled of greenery and blossoms, the creamy white of her skin was tantalizing as John ran his tongue over his lips. It was impossible to tell if he had been this hungry before, but now all he could focus on was the hollowness below his ribs. The darkness was pierced by the light that shone through his eyes, a brilliant red that only flickered with his occasionally blink.
The grass was silent as his feet smothered it with every carefully planned step, each stride filled with deliberateness, the swiftness that only the greatest predator known to man could hold. The distance between himself and the gate shrank pathetically as he danced his way there, the scent of the woman growing stronger with every step.
To be honest John wasn't very sure what he was doing; only knowing that something was urging him to. Something deep in his gut was pushing each step he took, like magnets connecting himself and the woman; the only soul on the desolate street.
The eraser of the pencil rested against her lips as she studied the flower through her large, round glasses. A few more steps and John was already reaching a hand out to the gate, silently lifting the latch. His breath was curling around his lips, the bitter spring air frigid and icy around him.
His stomach growled viciously, hunger gnawing away at his insides as he lifted the latch to the top position. Something inside of him seemed to take over, like a fog descending over his vision as her scent continued to swirl around him. It was a welcome sensation, as he began to loose control of his movements, moving the gate open and taking a step out as though it weren't his first time doing so. It was like as though it were some sort of habitual ritual to leave his prison of a mansion; to advance out of the manor towards a woman with raven hair, porcelain skin illuminated so elegantly by the streetlamp looming over her.
Her emerald eyes were torn from the flower and turned to the gate suddenly. The woman clutched her notebook to her chest, glancing around at the place where John once stood, the gate swinging open eerily. With a stiff gulp she stood, taking a shaky step back and quickly turning and walking hurriedly away.
John however, was trapped against a nearby tree, shrouded by shadows and staring into a pair of narrowed green eyes, filled to the brim with untamed rage.
"John. What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" Jake growled, his voice was normally so deep and warm around him. But now it was only cold, full of venom and spitting at him so close to the red eyed boy.
"I-I..." John stammered a few different times, trying to conjure up an excuse for exiting the mansion despite Jake's explicit instructions never to. The fog seemed thicker than ever, no matter how much he wanted it to just leave. But now; it was more determined than ever as his stomach growled again.
Jake was saying something now, the streetlamp's rays didn't touch either of them here, however, John could still easily depict the curve of his neck. He was a lean man, muscles tight on his body, covered in smooth sun kissed skin. The lightweight jacket he wore was loose, leaving his neck totally exposed save for the thick cord necklace, clad with four large animal teeth. Somewhere in John's gut he felt something pushing him towards his protector, the musky scent of him already swirling around him. The smell was strong at the proximity, overwhelmingly earthly; reminiscent of the forest or petrichor.
His tongue swiped across his lips as Jake continued to say something, but everything was muffled and blurred as he leaned forward. The feel of his firm neck under John's lips was so wonderful he felt something in back of his throat rumble in appreciation. His tongue pushed out and moved against his neck quickly, wetting the skin under his mouth.
John could feel Jake's body tense under him, quickly beginning to reel back. But before he could go out of reach he shot a hand out, gripping his shoulder tightly and pulling him back flush against him.
"Please don't go, Jake!" John whimpered, looking up at him with glowing red eyes. He pushed against him a bit, batting his lashes some and running his other hand down Jake's chest. "I don't wanna be alone..."
His glare remained stern as he cringed against John's claws sinking slowly into Jake's shoulder. "John." He hissed back at him, moving a hand to grip John's wrist tightly, "we must go inside immediately." The rumble of his voice made his Adams apple bounce enticingly, John's stomach growling again loudly.
A bitter squall tousled Jake's hair suddenly, the dark locks whisking all around on his head. Yet he didn't flinch, still leveling John's flirty gaze with a glare. He pushed John's wrist against the tree, the bark scratching his fine, pale skin. The boy frowned and let his lip quiver a bit, "J-jake...?"
The emerald eyed man grimaced and quickly tossed John's other hand off, grabbing his wrist and began to haul him along behind him towards the mansion. "I told you time and time again, never to leave the house." He tugged him up the trail to the towering doors of the mansion.
The manor was titanic, however eerie and mysterious with the windows dark and ominous. The wood of the door was dark and old, some places rotting and the metal of the handles rusting at the edges. As Jake pushed the door open, its hinged screamed in protest but opened up to the main room, the chandelier that hung, like a corpse on a noose, was unlit and dusty. Cobwebs were common in the house, covering the stairway and every corner like a finely set decoration. The furniture was antique, mostly molding and housing dozens of spiders of varying sizes and carnivorous tendencies.
Jake dragged John up the stairs the wound up to the second floor, pushed off to the side of the wide room. The plush carpet of the stairs cushioned the clunk of the larger man's boots against the steps. "I've told you, never to leave." He growled out again, John's 'high' was beginning to fade, leaving him slightly numb as Jake tugged him along. The buzz was still humming softly in his veins, but it was growing cold. It was as though his consciousness was beginning to turn on once more. "It's dangerous out there, John."
The familiar doorway of John's bed chambers were soon looming over them as Jake pulled the boy into the room, pausing when they had reached the middle of the lavishly furnished room. The curtains shrouding the window on the far side were swaying softly with discreet breeze, seeping in from some unknown place. Clouds, almost black as the vacant street below, were smeared across the sky by a careless hand; pushed like paint onto the midnight horizon. The gardens surrounding the mansion were disarray and wild; vines climbed the side of the house like needy hands outstretched to an unperturbed god. The grass shone with a glaze of frost, still and dead in contrast with the trees, swaying gaily in the bitter wind.
A sigh slipped off of Jake's lips as he released his death grip on John's wrists. "Don't scare me like that, ok?" The boy nodded as Jake shook his head, a smile playing on his lips. "I don't mean to be the wet blanket; but you mustn't go out." A dark hand moved up, the thin bands around his wrist jostled as he tangled his fingers in John's tangled heap of hair. "You're a very special chap, alright?" His chuckle was warm and his breath was smelled sweet, like berries with only a hint of crisp mint.
John nodded, leaning his head against Jake's palm, enjoying the warmth against his scalp. To be honest, it felt as though it were moments like these; the warm, fugacious moments he stole in the mansion with Jake; were truly all he had to live for. John had been cooped up for as long as he could remember; nothing but dusty nick-nacks and bats for company. He could vividly recall the loneliness that consumed him over the years, the hollowness that cut into his chest and hollowed him out. Nothing but a miserable shell of a boy, playing with ragged dolls already betraying their rotting stitches.
Sometimes he could remember when his dad was with him, when the mansion wasn't covered with a fine blanket of dust and grime. Back when he could skip into the kitchen and find his father with a few select servants hustling around the kitchen joyously. The sweet, sugary scent of cake or other confectionary wonders would tickle John's nose. His father's face would light up in delight when John would plunk away on the keys of the piano, successfully playing a melody they had been rehearsing for weeks. Of course his laugh was one sound John could never forget, the warm, echoing sound whenever one of his pranks went precisely according to plan. And when he died, leaving John with no one; he could feel himself sinking, shriveling back from life. The servants left soon after, leaving only empty rooms and sweeping expanses of hallways.
John waited, waited for someone to take him away, take him to wherever he was set to go. That was really all he could remember; waiting for someone, and only able to bit his lip and pretend it was ok when no one came. It truly only lasted a little over a week, possibly a bit longer; but it felt like an eternity. Every minute was unbearable, every hour was taxing; every day was driving him into madness.
It just didn't make any sense to the young boy; he didn't know much about what happened to orphaned children, but he was sure people helped them. What about him? Was he not included in the number of qualified children? He was sure his father had died; he did attend the funeral after all. John could remember the day he sat in his bedroom, tears falling numbly down his cheeks; already sure the world had deemed him worthless. He could recall the sound of the door being pushed open and a man standing there; an older teen with tousled raven hair and glowing green eyes. His clothes were simple and his words were soft as he told me in a warm, calming voice that he was going to take care of him now.
And take care of John he did; Jake had been a caring guardian for John for close to five years now; even as the boy eggs onto his sixteenth birthday he was still with him. Over the years Jake had explained he was a close friend to John's family and felt indebted to his father to take care of him. It was a generous act on the teen's part of course, to give up so much time for the young boy. Honestly John was never quite sure why he did it; why he insisted he was so special. The only thing he could think of as abnormal would be his eating habits; but Jake always reassured him it was perfectly fine.
He was always like that it seemed, caring for the boy no matter the circumstances; even though he could be a bit airheaded from time to time. John couldn't count the times that Jake had forgotten whether or not he had fed him and even himself on occasion. But he was company nonetheless; somewhat dopey company complete with a silly accent.
But there was something so much more summery about him than the stray cats that wandered the streets, stopping by John if he held out a piece of food for them. It was so much more intimate an embrace than one shared with a shrewd animal, wriggling and hissing at his touch. Jake only smiled, accepting all the curious prods and tugs at his clothes; to that day he still put up with the boy's silly antics, whether it be a childish prank or a sudden urge to snuggle up on his lap. It was as though he couldn't resist spoiling John, no matter how old he got or how silly the request was.
"Tell me, are you feeling peckish?" The man's voice drew John from his thoughts. The boy nodded, his stomach rumbling again and making him smile a bit. "I'll go get you something to sip on, alright?"
John smiled and nodded as Jake leaned in to plant a light kiss on his forehead. Then he strode out of the room easily, leaving a small trail of his scent in his wake. It was the little things; clear vision in the dark, his keen nose, the way his eyes seemed to glow, his somewhat protruding k-9s, and especially how John could make animalistic sounds such as growling or purring; it made him frown. It made him grow upset with himself; Jake did none of those things after all and he always seemed like a model normal person.
With a sigh John shuffled to his bed and sat down, the mattress sinking under him as he stared down at his pale hand. Even his skin tone bothered him; the sickly pale color it was, and how in the dark it seemed to glow against the darkness. He had labeled himself long ago as a freak; but sometimes he couldn't help but glower on how well the word fit him.
Just as he sighed and flopped back to lay; sprawled out on the jacquard, navy blue duvet; he heard Jake's voice from the kitchen. It wasn't loud of course; he definitely wasn't addressing John anyway. The crimson eyed boy raised a curious eyebrow, trying to listen a bit closer. His hearing was impeccable, of course, but it definitely wasn't as well tuned as his vision or scent capabilities.
Jake's words were smooth; normal enough, but they seemed...accented? Not his usually silly accent that made John giggle sometimes; it was something just more...predatory. Something about it made his stomach do a flip; he didn't like it. Who was Jake talking to? Why was he talking like that; that was just...weird.
The bed creaked a bit as the boy pushed himself up; tip toeing to the doorway and trying to listen in on his conversation.
"...can't!" Jake seemed to laugh a bit, even his laugh was a bit different; so much more husky. "I have to watch John, but perhaps tomorrow..." His voice dropped too low for him to hear again, making him pout a bit in frustration.
John pushed out of his room, his footsteps light as air as he crept down the stairs, pushing around the banister and towards the kitchen. The door to it was half open; a beam of light fell out of it, sprawling out on the checkered floor. He crept silently towards it, pressing his back flush to the wall as he listened intently. "Well I was entertaining the idea of it..." Jake's voice practically purred, his shadow was drawn out towards the door, outstretched towards the door. With careful steps, he peered inside, still against the wall though, stealthily glaring in at the mirror hung on the wall, giving him a view of Jake's left side. Just enough of him to note how he was leaning against the counter, one hand holding his cell phone to his ear and his mouth curled in a coy smirk. "Come now, love, I still have to tend to my little birdie here." He paused for a moment then laughed lowly, almost sultry. "Fine, fine, six o clock sharp, I won't be late." It was almost as if he forgot the recipient of the call couldn't see him, as his left eye had quickly fallen into a wink. Surreptitiously John pulled back to lean against the wall again, gulping a bit.
Something in his stomach was fluttering a bit, but at the same time something was upset, churning slowly. He bit his lip, listening closely as Jake hung up and locked his phone again, slipping it into his pocket.
With clumsy movements John stumbled back to the staircase, his stealth draining for his body as his stomach became heavier. It was as though someone was filling his gut with mercury, sloshing around and pulling him towards each of the stairs as he tried to ascend them. Its weight burdened him, making each of his steps labored, pushing himself upward was much greater a chore than ever before. His pace was sluggish and desultory, his mind still whirling with what he had heard. Something was clogging his throat now; perhaps the mercury had pushed up within him, just to choke him? John wasn't sure, all he knew was that he wanted nothing more than to deny it all; Jake was still his protector. If anything it was nothing more than a misunderstanding, perhaps some sort of mondegreen on his part.
His bed was a welcome sight as he flopped down onto the duvet, crawling up to settle amongst the luxurious pillows and curl into a ball. For a moment he sat, letting the words Jake had murmured into the phone push around in his head, his smirk still stinging his eyes and the tone still biting at his ears. John's lip quivered, he felt like a little boy again, alone and naïve. Yet he knew his protector was only down the stairs and inside the kitchen, still prepping him a meal. But he couldn't help it as his teeth began to pinch on the sensitive, plump flesh of his lower lip. The feeling of betrayal was consuming him like a disease ravaging his body. Jake wasn't really...seeing someone, was he? It didn't make any sense to him, why would he be so concerned over this? After all, Jake was almost a brotherly figure, a simple caretaker. Yet John couldn't help but find himself hoping more than anything, should it turn out that it is something...romantic—the thought made him shudder—that it was only a dalliance.
"John?" Jake peered into the room, his eyes bright as ever as he smiled at him, John's bottle in hand. "I got you your favourite kind." His grin grew as he sat down beside him, looking over the boy, curled like an infant in its mother's arms. The younger party said nothing, forbearance evident in his expression, yet his sapphire eyes pushed into a glare. As per usual, his caregiver was oblivious to the source of the child's frustration and quipped, "Now, now, what's gotten your feathers bristled?"
John's mouth contorted into a pout, unable to keep up his prior stony expression with Jake's smile so warm and bright. He huffed a bit and puffed out his cheeks as he sat up quickly to swipe the bottle from Jake's hands. "Nothing." He grumbled, sitting back to push the familiar rubber tip to his lip, beginning to guzzle down the warm, thick liquid inside.
On an average day, John would have whined and fussed over having to feed from a bottle designed for infants. But on that particular evening, he didn't feel like having a small quarrel with his protector over the trivial issue that was the way he was fed. To be honest, he didn't feel like talking with Jake much at all, which was really saying something considering he was the only soul he ever spoke with. Not counting the children that knocked on the door on a dare, most of which ran away screaming should he answer the door. It was odd, in John's mind that was, he didn't think there was anything to be afraid of at the mansion. Perhaps the spiders, the ones that jumped and hopped like madmen gave even John the willies at times. But he doubted they had noticed them yet, as most of the spiders resided behind the refrigerator. Another thought was that they were afraid of him; the raven haired boy in the grey, oversized sweatshirt, a black spades symbol sewn onto the front, its sleeves and sides covered in lint balls and a few red splotches. He had always been told by Jake that his azure eyes were to be coveted, from the way they shone, vibrant and glimmering; to the way they changed to red. John left it as a mystery never to be understood.
He pushed his thoughts away as the first drops of the ruby liquid curled onto his tongue. The taste wasn't as Jake described it, to John it wasn't metallic and bitter; quite the opposite actually. To him, the taste was almost creamy, sweet and rich, it swirled and lingered on his tongue leaving a dulcet taste on his lips. The thick crimson would slide down his throat with a graceful push, moving to settle comfortably within him. By the time he would have finished off any serving of it he would be lulled into a warm silence, swimming between consciousness and sleep.
With slow movements Jake pushed away the pillows, watching John continue sucking on the bottle. The caregiver arranged the cushions again once he was nestled in beside him, an arm over his back and a warm hand on his shoulder. As was the usual routine during John's feedings, Jake would be there to hold him in a warm embrace as his alertness would leak from him steadily.
It didn't take long for him to finish off the bottle, only a few traces of red still tingling to the corners of the cylinder. The blood was settling in his stomach, filling his body with warmth like no other; dulling his senses and egging him towards a halcyon sleep. Wrapped up in Jake's arms it was far more comfortable than anywhere he could possibly imagine; his belly full and his consciousness wavering, the smell of his protector filling his lungs with each slow breath. His eye lids felt heavy as the bottle was slipped from his grasp and set on the night stand, the hand returning only briefly to push his bangs from off his forehead.
John was never sure how Jake put up with him sometimes, a spoiled child he's forced to serve. Well, not even that, he could have very well left John and put him up for adoption. Then again, the older he got the more he began to realize it perhaps wasn't due to a deal with his father or silly family responsibilities; but due to the nature of the child. The older he got the more conscious he was of the destruction he could do had he been on his own, without Jake to watch over him and keep him out of trouble. It started back when he was thirteen, realizing just how much he was capable of, nearly biting his own protector. For being a sometimes airheaded man, Jake really was intelligent; at least he raised John to be a civilized teenager that didn't go around robbing people of vital bodily fluids.
Civilized not applying, of course, to the bubbling jealousy that John felt as his protector excused himself from the bed after tucking the blankets and pillows around the boy. He kissed his forehead sweetly and left the room curtly, sweeping out of the mansion, leaving eerie silence in his wake.
The blankets tucked tightly around John gave him no heat as he pushed his gaze down to the emerald jacquard bedspread. The clock read 5:45, it made his stomach churn as he pulled a pillow to his chest, clutching it tightly. Jake was the master of forgetting, an intelligent, undeniably attractive man, but a bumbling fool when it came to being on time. Whoever he was off to meet was extremely important; important enough to watch the clock so intently. Important enough to leave before John had even fallen completely asleep.
John wasn't terribly sure if vampires were supposed to grow this attached to their protectors. Yet even if it wasn't in his nature to, he couldn't deny the bubbling feeling of jealous that ripped at his stomach. Whoever Jake was meeting, was more important than even John.
He clutched the pillow tighter, feeling the loneliness begin to hollow him out as he fell into a fitful sleep.
The following week was slow, gloomy and dark as the clouds finally released the pent up rain they contained. It didn't cease falling, not during the day, not during the night; filling the streets and flooding the garden.
Yeah sorry I haven't been on here in forever. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this, I've been working on it for a while now. I apologize if the ending was a bit choppy or had some errors, my editor wasn't online to proofread that last part. Anyway, thank you for reading and I really appreciate reviews!
Disclaimer: I don't own Homestuck!
And to anyone who was following my previous series Hiding her Beauty, um, yeah sorry but that's discontinued Q~Q I'm super sorry, I fell out of the fandom and lost a good chunk of the chapter I was on.
