Author's Note: Thank you Saperia! You are officially my first reviewer, ever, so I'm really glad you like this! here's the update, brought as requested, as soon as humanly possible. Well as much as humanly possible when one doesn't have severe ADHD and isn't being distracted by Victorian ball gowns and Star Trek. Also thank you to BlueStar1937! I'm sure you will find that all your questions will be answered in this chapter. As a warning to anyone else who is actually reading this, Hiroki decides to unleash the full force of his colorful vocabulary on poor Nowaki. Viewer discretion is advised.
Disclaimer: Hmm…I seem to have forgotten this in the last chapter. I'm sure that everyone is already aware though, but I shall state it anyways. I DO NOT OWN!
As soon as they stepped into the second story hallway of the run-down apartment building, Hiroki realized Nowaki was heading with a purpose towards one of the doors; a sudden realization came over him and with it a feeling of panic. Quick as lightning, he placed both his hands against the solid mass of Nowaki's side and pushed himself away. He stumbled backwards for a second, before catching himself against the dirty beige wall. Nowaki's hand shot out on reflex to catch him, but on seeing that it wasn't needed, he let the outstretched arm fall back to his side.
"Hirosan, are you alright?" A worried expression formed on his face. Hiroki chose to ignore the sharp pain in his chest that the look triggered, "Did I hurt you."
"No Brat! It's just…I…um…" Hiroki eyed the door the two had been heading to with a suspicious and worried look. "I feel like walking on my own now. You go on ahead."
"Are you sure Hirosan, you don't look like you can walk very well." He offered out his hand so that Hiroki could once again resume leaning on it, only to have it painfully slapped away by the angry brunette.
"I'm fine! Don't question me dumbass!"
A wounded expression replaced the worried one on Nowaki's face, but was quickly hidden by a somewhat strained smile. Hiroki saw this, but chose to ignore it, along with the second stab of guilt it had produced.
"Yes Hirosan,"
"Stop calling me that!" Nowaki turned away to hide his mischievous smile, and headed towards the door, pulling out his keys. Honestly, Hirosan was just getting cuter and cuter the longer Nowaki stared at him.
"Yes Hirosan."
"Shut up!"
With a click the door swung open and Nowaki stepped in. But Hiroki didn't move. He remained there, leaning against the wall, staring at the door with a look of fright clouding his wide amber eyes. With no one watching, he didn't bother to hide the fearful look and it became obvious that something about the door way disturbed him greatly. Finally, with a shaky breath he pushed himself upright and squared his shoulder. The frightened look was replaced with one of grim determination as he half limped, half hopped towards the gaping doorway. He was infinitely glad that no one was watching him now; he would never live down the shame of being seen in such a humiliating state.
Just before he reached his goal though he stopped and stood there teetering, attempting to balance on one foot. He didn't advance and go into the apartment. He just stood there, as if something were holding him back. Eventually Nowaki reappeared in the door way. He looked confused and more than a little worried.
"Are you going to come in Hirosan?"
"Yeah. I'm coming. Just leave me alone." The words were spoken in the all familiar growl, but they seemed to be lacking a few degrees of their former poison. His eyes kept darting towards the hallway behind him, and then back to the door, then back to looking over his shoulder. A low, desperate whimper escaped his throat, barely audible to human ears. But Nowaki heard it. His worried look became more pronounced and as Hiroki was looking cautiously as the empty hallway, the tall man reached out and laid a hand on Hiroki's boney shoulder. The little man jumped and was about to swat away the offending appendage when Nowaki spoke.
"It's alright Hirosan. You can come inside."
The effect of his words was immediate. The stiff shoulders dropped and Nowaki felt as if Hiroki's whole body had deflated. The hand that was raised to swat away Nowaki's touch dropped down to its owner's side. Slowly, all the while leaning into the taller man's warmth, Hiroki hobbled into the small apartment.
And small it was. Almost immediately after stepping into it, Hiroki was overcome by a sense of acute claustrophobia. It was one room, containing a miniature kitchenette, a single futon, a table, and one solitary chair. There was one other doorway, and through it Hiroki could see a bathroom, barely bigger than a hall closet. In fact, Hiroki thought cynically, he had seen bigger utility closets.
"This is your apartment?"
"Yup. I know it's not much, but if you would sit down, I'll go get the first aid kit, and we can do something about that sprain of yours." Nowaki pulled out the chair from beneath the table, then, much to Hiroki's chagrin, returned to pick up the smaller man, and carried him over to the piece of furniture.
"Put me down asshole!"
"Yes Hirosan."
Gently the fuming man was placed down onto the wooden chair. Nowaki pondered with mild amusement, overshadowed with the bitter taste of worry, at how light and easy to carry the little man was. He found that it actually took effort to put the brunette down, and not just hug his lithe frame to his chest forever. Once again he was overcome with how easily Hiroki seemed to fit in his arms. Like two pieces of the same jigsaw puzzle. Like they had been made from the same mold then cut apart.
Satisfied that Hiroki was as comfortable as possible; Nowaki wheeled around and went into the bathroom. The apartment was so small that it only took two of his long strides to bring him into the compact space.
Within a minute he had re-emerged bearing a well-stocked first aid kit. He breathed a sigh of relief to see Hiroki still seated, arms crossed and faced turned away towards the only window in the apartment. As soon as he had taken his eyes off him, Nowaki had been seized with the fear that the man would run away. As if there were any way the man could run on such a serious sprain. The smile retuned to the giants face as he internally laughed at himself for being so silly. Hiroki turned away from the reflective window to face him, and with him came the lethal looking scowl.
"What are you smiling about?"
"Nothing Hirosan. Give me your ankle so that I can wrap it up." Hiroki turned away, grumbling about being ordered around by a brat, but offered up his ankle none the less. Nowaki lowered himself to one knee, and gently rolled up the torn pant leg. Then, with even more care, he untied and slipped off the battered sneaker. For a second his eyes lingered on the shoe, contemplating its retro design, before looking up to inspect the ankle. He emitted a low whistle.
"Wow, it's really swollen. I'm sorry Hirosan, but this might hurt."
"Just stop ogling it like a moron, and do and get it over with already."
Nowaki smiled at the brunette's obvious attempt at bravado and after cleaning the scrapes he found there with an alcohol swab, he gently but firmly bound the swollen ankle with sterile bandages.
"There Hirosan. I'm done. Do you want some pain relievers? I think I have some acetaminophen in a cabinet somewhere."
They won't work on someone like me." Hiroki had only meant to say this to himself, but Nowaki, as it had previously been proven, very sensitive ears. He looked up, puzzled. Figuring he had heard wrong, he asked Hiroki to repeat.
"What was that Hirosan?" Hiroki glared down at him.
"None of your business. If you're finally done, then let me go!" Silently, Nowaki released the injured foot, but retained his puzzled expression as he stood up. He decided against asking again though, and instead, changed the subject.
"I was planning on making stir fry for dinner. Do you like shrimp?" at these words, Hiroki's face went a deathly pale.
"I said I wasn't hungry dickhead!"
"Are you sure Hirosan?" Nowaki was in the kitchen now, setting vegetables on a cutting board and taking out a knife from a side drawer. "You're so skinny though. It's not good to starve yourself." Hiroki began to sputter indignantly.
"Who said anything about starving myself?! I said I wasn't hungry!" Nowaki's doctor instincts were beginning to kick in though, and he was determined to help his patient. He began to advance with a purpose. He wanted to look the small man in the eye and tell him to eat. Creating eye contact was an effective technique he often used with his patients and it was the only way he could think to convince him since reasoning obviously not worrying. Hiroki scowled, and straightened his back. He would not back down without a fight.
"I'm a doctor Hirosan. And I say that you are obviously suffering from severe malnutrition. Please, eat something."
"No asshole! Now leave me alone!"
"Hirosan, you have to eat! You need food!" Nowaki leaned toward the smaller man, forgetting the knife that was still clutched in his outstretched hands. "Please Hirosan."
"No! No means No!"
"Hirosan please!" With both hands, Nowaki reached out and grabbed Hiroki's slender arms, as if to shake him until he complied.
"Let me go asshole!" Hiroki began to thrash about in the giants grip. Nowaki only gripped the small man harder. But Hiroki was stronger than he looked and Nowaki couldn't keep him still. He tried to hold him but at the same time he struggled to hold the knife in the same hand. It what then that he felt the handle slip.
There was a sharp intake of breath.
Warm liquid splattered onto Hiroki's cheek.
Amber eyes dilated.
Crimson seeped out from between the fingers Nowaki had pressed to his arm.
"Nowaki…" Hiroki's voice was no more than a whisper as he gazed wide eyed at the blood.
"It's alright Hirosan. Just a scratch." Nowaki looked up from his injury to reassure the other man. And he gasped as his eyes fell upon the other's eyes. "Burning amber." They seemed to glow, the pupils no more than pinpricks in the burning flames. Burning flames directed at his arm. Unwavering they stared hungrily at the wound.
"…Nowaki…" Slowly the man leaned forward inch by inch, never tearing his penetrating gaze from the scarlet soaked fingers of the hand Nowaki had clasped over the cut.
"…Hirosan? Are you ok?" Gradually, his pale lips parted and Nowaki gasped once more as his eyes caught the flash of light reflecting off a pearly white fang. A red tongue peaked out from between the razor sharp incisors. Nowaki realized he had stopped breathing as the tongue came in contact with the first of the round droplets which had found their way out. The touch of the muscle was surprisingly cool, making Nowaki release a sharp breath.
"Hirosan!" At the sound of the exclamation, the brunette shot back and in a blink, was pressed against the far wall. "Hirosan…are you a-"
"Shut up!" The small frame pressed itself into the shadows filling the far corner, but the burning glow of his eyes shown clearly through the dark.
"…Vampire." The voice was small, no more than a breath, but the impact it had on the little man was enormous. Before Nowaki knew what had happening he found himself slammed against the wall by a pale hand pressing up against his neck.
"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!" the fires were burning even brighter and the fangs even longer as Hiroki's whole body became consumed with rage.
"…Hirosan…" Nowaki's voice was no more than a croak as he struggled to pull air into his lungs. With a strength that was too much to possibly be possessed by such a small frame, Hiroki press harder against the tall man's wind pipe.
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! YOU DUMBASS! WHY DID YOU…? Why did you…" Hiroki's voice was far too loud for such a narrow chest, and as his question trailed off into silence, Nowaki counted himself lucky he still had his ear drums. He drew in another rasping breath, hoping that the pressure would soon be lifted. His vision was fading to black around the edges, but as his brain filled with fog he was still able to register the shining liquid filling the eyes of his attacker.
"…Hirosan….please…" His voice was so quiet now, Nowaki thought that he had only said it in his mind, but he must have managed to rasp out the request because without warning the pressure was gone and he was falling to the floor. His knees connected with the cheap hardwood, sending a jolt of pain running through his body, and clearing his clouded mind. He managed to bring out his arms in front of him, catching himself before his face connected with the floor. Vaguely he registered that he had almost fallen on the thin frame of the vampire, and he couldn't stop the rush of gratitude that sweep through him when he realized how narrowly he had avoided hurting the other. Now though he was straddling the creature's lithe body, his hands placed on either side of the brunette's head and his face inches away from the wet tears that coated his flushed cheeks. Hiroki had squeezed his eyes shut, and gritted his teeth, as if waiting for some imaginary blow.
Nowaki's chest heaved as he breathed the sweet air of life back into his starving lungs. He turned his face away so as to not cough on the other, and as he turned back his eyes connected and locked with those below him. For a second, all he could do was stare into those amber depths, before a low growling voice snapped him back to reality.
"So what now? The knife is right there. Cut off my head. Go on. Do it! Do a favor for both of us!" Nowaki flinched at the mental image projected by those words.
"…do you want me to cut off your head Hirosan?" There was no reply, and Nowaki suppressed a gasp as he looked once again into the amber and realized, yes, the vampire beneath him did indeed want to die.
"Hirosan, you don't-"
"Just do it! Come on! I'm going to eat you if you don't! I'm a vampire you asshole, out to drink your blood!"
"No you aren't." Once again, Hiroki's reaction to Nowaki's words were instantaneous as he shot up, crashing their foreheads together in his attempt to get into an upright position. Nowaki sat back on his knees and moaned clutching his temple. Hiroki scrambled back to what he deemed a safe distance before he began to shout.
"Just what the fuck you mean I'm not?! I'm a fucking vampire! I've got a fucking pair of fangs! Are you fucking blind?!" Nowaki looked at him and smiled when he saw how cute the smaller one was with the angry flush tinting his pale cheeks.
"No Hirosan, I mean, I don't think you're going to drink my blood." Hiroki just stared at him, jaw dropped and a flabbergasted expression on his face. "I really don't think you will. After all, if that was what you wanted, you would have done it as soon as we were alone. Also, aren't I the one who had to practically force you into my apartment? If you had really wanted to hurt me, you would have agreed to come from the beginning. Anyways," Here the giant began to crawl forwards. The vampire shrank back, but didn't struggle when Nowaki placed his warm palm against his powder smooth cheek. The taller one began to wipe away the thin trails of tears as he relished the velvety soft feel of the others skin. The small vampire gazed at him in confusing and anger, but also in those eyes, Nowaki detected a deep, head shattering loneliness, and once again his chest began to feel tight but this time for an entirely different reason. He continued. "I can see it in your eyes. You're too kind Hirosan. You don't want to kill me." Hiroki turned his head, freeing himself from the other's touch.
"Me? Kind? I'm a vampire. I snap the necks of you puny little humans without a second thought. I've been drinking your blood and killing your kind for over five hundred years!" He turned his face back to Nowaki and glared at him. The fires had returned, but Nowaki realized that they were nowhere near as fierce as a few moments ago. The loneliness he had observed was bleeding through, making his heart tighten painfully. "I am the farthest thing from kind on this planet!"
"No Hirosan…That's not true." And before the other could detect what was happening and pull away, Nowaki wrapped strong arms around his slender body and drew him to chest in a tight hug.
"…N-Nowa-"
A sharp knock sounded at the door to the small room and slowly, with an ominous creak, the door that Nowaki could have sworn he had latched, swung fully open. Hiroki shot out his arms when he saw the silhouette lounging against the door frame. Nowaki only stared in confusing as his cerulean blue eyes met those of amethyst.
"Akihiko!"
"Hello Hiroki." The toothy smirk that stretched across the strangers face did nothing to hide the two razor sharp fangs that glinted maliciously in the light.