Jesus, guys! I cannot believe how successful the first chapter has been! You were all very kind and sweet and I thank each and one of you who reviewed and put this fiction in their favorites. I'm really, really happy, you have no idea! So this is the second chapter, I am going to start working on the third one really soon so don't you worry, my darlings! I will do my best not to keep you hanging for too long ;)

Enjoy!

Chapter 2.

Anders had waited for that God forsaken text, yet two days after that night at the pub his phone had only been bombed with useless calls, most of them from Mike, which he didn't feel like answering.

For two nights in a row he had gone to the same pub, but Mitchell never walked through the door. He was definitely starting not only to feel like a stalker, he was actually becoming one.

He felt like he was going insane, and he knew that he should have probably talked to his relatives about all that, but he could already imagine them laughing their arses off at him.

Most of all, he was still trying to figure out why the brunet was shielded from his powers and what had freaked him out so badly, that night, that made him run away from the pub like he did.

That was seriously odd.

Dawn was staring at him, he could feel her eyes burning on him but he didn't look up at her.

"You really need to get up from that couch and go to the meeting with out new client." she sighed frustrated, she was sick of watching him lay on the sofa as if he was about to die or something.

"Who, the cookie guy?" Anders let his eyes drop shut, his voice lazily finding its way out of his lips.

"Yeah, Mr Davies." Dawn rolled her eyes, how could he be so uninterested in his own business?

"Yeah, whatever. I need a drink, I think I'll hit a bar." he sat up and pressed his hands on the couch to lever himself up.

"Anders, you're going to lose everything, I am not joking." she glared at him "We barely have any clients left, after you've been smart enough to shut down the company for a month, and now that you-" she widened her eyes when she saw her boss pulling the front door open "Anders!" she yelled, then buried her face in her hands with a groan.

Anders had no choice but to meet up with Olaf and Mike, even though he would have gladly avoided seeing their faces.

When he arrived at the bar the only person to be seen was the oracle, slouching on a chair as he sucked in long drags of weed.

"Anders! My gay grandson! Come here, hug me!" he grinned widely "No homo, of course."

The blond immediately turned on his heels and left the bar, slamming the door behind his back in the process. He was about to storm back to his SUV when he bumped into his brother Mike "Shit!"

"I've been calling you for two fucking days! Was it so hard to pick up the fucking phone?" his brother barked.

"What for? Being called the gayest god in the Norse Pantheon?" Anders glared at him "I've been busy rooting as many chicks I could take, phone calls distract you from shagging, you know?" he tried to walk past him, but Mike grabbed him by his arm.
Olaf came out of the bar at the same moment, the butt of the joint being flicked away as soon as he stepped on the sidewalk. "You're pretty fucking touchy, eh?"

"You would be too if everyone called you a fag and you couldn't use your powers on just one person! It's driving me nuts!" Anders groaned, throwing his head back.

Mike frowned "So you met him again..."

"Yeah, I did." the blond folded his arms across his chest.

"Okay, privacy." his brother and grandfather dragged him back into the bar and Mike actually locked the door.

"Oh, so it has a key, after all!" Anders teased as he walked behind the bar to fetch a bottle of scotch, Olaf was already pouring himself a glass of vodka.

"I think we need you a little more sober than usual, grandpa." Anders arched a brow at the oracle.

"Balls." Olaf rolled his eyes and poured the vodka back into the bottle, spilling some all over the counter as he did so.

Mike shook his head "So... You met mystery man-" he started, but he was quickly cut off by Anders.

"Mitchell."

"Oh, good, we have a name." his brother narrowed his eyes at him "Wait a minute, you actually remembered his name?"

Even Anders had to admit to himself that that was quite rare, he usually couldn't remember names yet the name Mitchell was branded into his brain.

"Woah, I think it's a sign!" Olaf sniggered and the other two gods stared at him "What?" he scowled.

"A sign like... A prophecy sign? An omen?" Mike flared his nostrils.

"Oh no, I don't like being involved in prophecies." Anders sighed and rolled his eyes as he bent over the counter, forehead pressed against the wooden surface.

"Be not alarmed! I am not sure yet, but..." Olaf smirked "Don't you get it? I mean, this guy is clearly shielded by your powers, this means that if he falls for you it would be because of you, not your powers." Olaf arched a brow, the smirk from before developing into a grin as he nodded.

"Well that is challenging, I mean... How many times have you pulled someone without your powers?" Mike was both impressed and intrigued by his grandfather's explanation, plus he couldn't wait to piss his brother off.

The blond straightened himself back up and glared at his relatives "Fuck the pair of you." he spat and downed a big gulp of scotch, making a face when he felt it burning down his throat and stomach.

"No! You don't get it! There could be an actual purpose for this! Maybe he really has a reason for stepping into your life, maybe he is part of the bigger picture!" Olaf insisted, trying to be as convincing as possible.

"I thought we already agreed that he's not a god." Anders frowned, sipping from his glass.

"But he certainly is something else..." the oracle raised his brows "I should, you know... Sniff him."

Anders bursted out laughing "Who's the gay god, now?"

Olaf glared at him "Seriously, I might find out what race he belongs to if I smell him."

The blond blinked as he stared at his grandfather "This is exactly why I told you that I needed you to be sober."

Mike rolled his eyes "Why are you so stupid? It's actually possible to do so."

"Yeah?" Anders glanced at his brothers with raised eyebrows "Then what do I smell like? What does Bragi smell like?" he teased and set the empty glass into the sink before resting his hands on his hips.

"Like cock." Olaf answered quickly right before his vision blacked out and he fell off the stool backwards.

"Christ, Anders! You asshole!" Mike rushed to tend to their grandfather.

"Fucking sick of all these smart-ass answers." Anders muttered as he massaged his aching knuckles. "I'll see you again whenever you two are done with your stupid innuendos." that being said he left the bar, furious.

–

Mitchell should have texted him, he knew it, but after what had happened at the pub he thought that it still wasn't safe for him to get that close to anyone, not yet. He had focused on more important things such as changing his mobile phone plan, dealing with the opening of a bank account and the most difficult tasks: finding a job and a flat.

It was a real pain, for a vampire, having to roam the city in the sunlight.

He had to shield his skin from the burning rays with jackets, hats and shades, but at least having to go out took his mind off of other things.

He couldn't bring himself to stop thinking about the possibility of Herrick showing up in Auckland to drag him back to their nest and use him as a murder-machine; the hunger that could start tormenting him if he let his guard down around humans; the random flashbacks of all the innocent people he had killed to feed, because he could clearly remember the confusion on their faces at first, as they couldn't understand what was exactly going to happen, then the utter horror and terror when they realized that they were about to die; And then him, Anders, and the fact that he would never have wanted to see the same fear in his pale blue eyes.

He was sitting in a McDonald's, sipping on a watered cola as he stared down at Anders' business card, still struggling with the want to text him and the fear of possibly attacking him.

"What the hell." he shook his head and pulled his mobile out of his pocket, he dialed Anders' number and saved it.

Mitchell chewed nervously on the straw before actually finding the courage to open a new text and starting to type:

'Still alive,

bet you know how girls feel when you never call them the morning after, now.

Mitchell'

He smirked at his own text and put the phone down on the table. He pulled a blue sharpie and a newspaper out of his backpack, skipped all the news and focused on the last few pages where all the job ads were. He uncapped the sharpie with his teeth, brows furrowing as he carefully scanned the offers. His idea was to find a low-profile job, one that wouldn't draw too much attention on him, that didn't involve too much contact with people and of course something that would keep him away from the sunlight.

Suddenly his phone vibrated and he jumped in his seat slightly, not expecting the sudden noise.

Mitchell bit his lower lip as he proceeded to read Anders' reply.

'Boy, you know me too well. I'm gonna pick you up right now no matter where you are.'

As straight forward as he could be.

Mitchell hadn't seen that coming.

The vampire felt a familiar quiver in the pit of his stomach, but he forced himself to believe that it was only the bad coke he had been drinking.

'Can't do, job hunting. Maybe some other time.'

He hesitated for a moment, but then pressed send.

Mitchell sucked in a deep breath and then went back to the ads, hoping that Anders wouldn't answer too quickly.

Bartender: definitely a no-no, no matter how much he liked to deal with booze.
Baby sitter: yeah right.
Dog sitter: still better than dealing with humans, but that would actually mean going out in the sunlight.
Baker: if only he knew how to knead bread.

The phone vibrated again.

'Do you know the actual meaning of "no matter what"? Where the hell are you?'

"You impatient fuck." Mitchell grinned and shook his head.

'McDonald's the one on Queen Street'

The brunet still thought that it was a bad idea, but he just couldn't help himself. He was lonely, after all, and also bored out of his mind. He only went back to the ads because he needed to do something while he waited for a reply from Anders. His eyes dropped on a job offer as a cleaner in the local hospital, it was both low-profile and sunlight free.

"Score." he circled the ad with the sharpie and then went to finish off his now lukewarm, watered coke.

Anders didn't text back.

–

Mitchell had texted him, he even had a hard time believing that it was actually him, so he had to stare at the message for several moments before he finally replied to it.

After the little fight with Olaf and Mikkel, Anders had gone back to his office, soothing Dawn's anger as soon as he had walked back into the room. He knew that all hell was going to break loose now that he had stood up from his chair and put on his jacket all over again.

"Lunch break, Dawn, you are free to go, too. Don't wait for me later, though, I'm busy." he said quickly, leaving the office before his assistant could actually say something.

When he got into his SUV to pick up Mitchell on Queen St, the whole thing about the brunet being a part of the bigger picture in the godly world started buzzing in his head.

What if Mitchell was a Celtic god?

He was Irish, after all, and maybe there were reincarnations of every possible Pantheon walking the earth, and the Johnsons just weren't aware of it – well, no wonders with an oracle like Olaf -. The idea seemed legit and he was definitely going to tell his grandfather about it, maybe with a drink in their hands and smoking some weed as an apology for the punch – even if he didn't regret it at all -, or maybe he was just going to try and take Mitchell to the bar and let the others take a look.

He was still lost in his thoughts when he realized that he had driven past the McDonald's, so he stopped the car abruptly and nearly caused a pile-up. People cussed at him loudly from their cars and he just flipped them off before pulling into a free parking spot.

He walked a few feet back to where the fast-food was and pushed the glass door open to get in.

He furrowed his eyebrows as his eyes adjusted to the lack of bright sunlight, he quickly scanned the room and grinned when he spotted Mitchell sitting alone into the farthest corner, he seemed to be quite absorbed in his reading.

Anders stalked up to him and placed his hand over the back of the only free chair by the brunet's table. "Is this seat free?"

Mitchell looked at him, a frown darkening his face and making him look dangerous until he recognized the blond. "Shit, it's you!" the brunet widened his eyes, bursting out laughing "I thought some random guy wanted to sit with me." he explained with that goofy smile of his that made Anders want to pin him up against the nearest wall.

"Nope, it's your favorite PR." he cracked into a grin.

"Because you're the only one I know." Mitchell teased, catching his own tongue between his white teeth.

"Oh, you heart-breaker." Anders shook his head, but he had to admit – as much as he hated it when Mikkel was right – that flirting completely without being able to use his powers was way more intriguing.

Mitchell sniggered "You're standing there because you're waiting to get any taller?" he scrunched up his face "You might wanna take a seat, I hardly see that happening." the vampire really, really loved to tease him.

"Gee, thanks. If you want me to leave just say the word." Anders rolled his eyes but still he didn't sit down.

The brunet shook his head "No, it's okay, you can stay." he bit his lower lip.

"Alright, but we're leaving here. I take it you didn't eat anything, yet?" the blond gestured towards the cup sitting on the table next to the open newspaper.

"Nope, just needed a refreshment." Mitchell shrugged then narrowed his eyes "I am not eating lunch in your bed, though." he failed to bite back a smirk as he said so.

Anders scoffed "But I'd love to lick ice-cream right off your chest. You're no fun."

The brunet made a face, even if he did feel a bothersome heat rushing down his lower stomach "I have a hairy chest, though, do you think it's a good idea?"

The blond smirked "Do I take it as a yes?"

Mitchell laughed softly and shook his head, right before he let his chin drop over his chest and a few curls bounced over his forehead "Nope, it's still a no." he raised his gaze on him, his eyes big, bright and irresistible.

As Anders stared at him his jaw dropped slightly, whatever the brunet was doing with his eyes the blond was nearly completely sure that it was a godly power. Mitchell was probably some sort of god of persuasion, pretty much like he was, well like Bragi. But if he really was the Celtic god of persuasion, would it be really possible for them to co-exist, or just interact like they were doing?

"W-whatever." Anders shrugged "Let's just go eat something, it's on me." he tried one of his most charming smiles on him, and when he saw the other guy snigger and look away he perked up, proud that it still worked even without using his real powers.

Mitchell folded the newspaper more times than it was actually necessary and shoved it inside his backpack along with the sharpie, stood up and threw the strap over his shoulder.

The blond had already grabbed the empty cup to bin it on their way out.

"I was gonna... Throw it away, myself." the vampire furrowed his brows and remembered to at least put on his shades.

"Saved you the stress of recycling." Anders looked back at him with a smirk and led him to his SUV.

Mitchell huffed amused and rolled his eyes, he was starting to like the fact that being around the PR didn't allow him to stop smiling. He stopped abruptly in front of the car, though, eyes widening behind dark lenses when he realized that he needed to get into it with the risk of Anders finding out that he didn't have a reflection.

"You came by car?" his voice broke a little.

"Well you know, my white horses are a little sick, so I left them napping back at my apartment. One sleeps on the couch, the other on my bed. So I had to settle for the SUV, today." Anders smiled politely at him, but when he saw the brunet flaring his nostrils and gritting his teeth he spread his arms "What? You thought I was gonna walk all the way here? I was at work!"

Mitchell sighed "Don't you know any good restaurants that we could reach just... By walking?" he shrugged, he was starting to sound a little more confident but he really was freaking out.

"Mitchell, what's the problem? Do you get carsick or something?" Anders scowled, starting to worry about that peculiar behavior. Even if his eyes were hidden by his sunglasses, the rest of the brunet's expression was the same as two nights before.

Something clicked into Anders' brain, though, and he raised his eyebrows, concern written all over his features. "Or did you have a bad experience in a car?" the blond thought that maybe the poor guy had been raped or something.

Mitchell furrowed his brows at first "What?!" then he realized that maybe playing along with that assumption would save him from having to get in the SUV "U-uh, yeah." he cleared his throat and nodded.

Anders frowned "I am so sorry, Mitch. I really am." he huffed and rubbed his forehead "Let's uh... Let's see what we can find around here, eh?" he pushed his car keys back into his pocket and started walking down the sidewalk with the brunet.

"Thank you." Mitchell smiled softly as he followed him.

He felt really bad all of a sudden for lying and making him feel like an idiot, but it was for the best. Anders wasn't ready to know the truth and maybe he was never going to find it out, if Mitchell decided not to let him in.

They walked quietly side by side for a while, until Anders glanced at him for a moment "Sorry about two nights ago, then. I must have scared you off, I didn't mean to." it was the first time for him to be actually dealing with someone who had been raped, so he felt very uneasy.

Mitchell glanced at him and felt even more horrible for making him feel bad "Oh no, please don't be sorry. It isn't your fault." he frowned and placed his hand on Anders' arm "It's okay." he gave it a light squeeze.

The blond cocked a brow "Okay? You ran like the devil and didn't text me for two days." he shrugged "Hard to think that it is actually okay."

The brunet shook his head "Don't think about it at all, I am a weird, weird person. Weirder than you think. And it's 'cause of my weirdness that I ran away." he tried to reassure him with a soft smile and a nod.

"Alright..." Anders smiled as well.

In that moment he would have wanted to tell him that he could never be as weird as someone who was born in a family of human incarnations of the Norse Gods who were on a quest to fulfill a prophecy. Then he looked down at his own arm and noticed that Mitchell was still holding onto it.

The brunet realized it, too, and quickly moved his hand away, shoving it down his pocket.

It took them another short while to find a restaurant, and when they did Mitchell kindly asked for a table far from the window, Anders didn't say anything about that and he didn't even find it odd.

They had a good time stuffing their stomachs full, talking about their favorite movies, books and music. They found out they had some passions in common, too, like the general hate for stupid vampires movies and books, the love for good old films, the passion for Depeche Mode and the fact that they mostly – and pretty much only – liked the things that people nowadays claim to be vintage.

"They're classics, I mean... I'll never get tired of watching The Munsters!" Mitchell's eyes beamed as he spoke.

Anders sipped his red wine and chuckled "The Munsters, eh? Suits you, goth boy."

"Oh, shut up!" Mitchell sniggered and ate the last spoonful of his chocolate cake.

"I do agree with you, though. Like nothing's going to be better than listening to AC/DC on full blast, no matter how many times the neighbors ask you to turn down your damn music." he smirked.

Mitchell laughed and then nodded "Yes! Never truer words have been spoken." he smiled and pursed his lips, sucking some chocolate off the lower one.

Anders sighed, setting his elbow on the table and resting his chin on the heel of his hand "We should really go back to my apartment and shag our brains out to the tune of Master and Servant, y'know?"

Mitchell's jaw slacked as he listened to him, the familiar heat from before started burning all over again. "Cute." he raised his brows and nodded, a smirk curling his lips.

"I'm serious. And I've had such a boner since you've started speaking about your passions with that accent of yours." Anders went on, the whole rape thing being completely erased from his memory as his brain had been relocated between his legs.

"Do you seriously get laid by being so graphic and blunt?" the brunet scowled and narrowed his eyes.

The blond shrugged "Yeah, it usually does work." he finished off his glass of Pinot and mentally cursed at his powers for being so damn scarce.

"Maybe one day it'll work on me, too." the vampire tossed casually as he poured himself a glass of water.

The PR scoffed "You're gonna be the death of me." he shook his head as he watched the gentle movements of Mitchell's throat as he drank.

The brunet choked on his water at those words, he started coughing violently and tried his best not to spit everywhere.

Anders frowned and leaned forward across the table "Are you okay?"

Mitchell stopped choking and nodded "F-fine! Sure! Just... Water went down the wrong way." he chuckled nervously.

If only Anders knew that he could seriously be the death of him he wouldn't be flirting and joking around with him like that.

"Alright..." Anders blinked but didn't question him any further "Wanna get outta here?"

Mitchell nodded "Sure, but I think I'll head back to the hotel, I gotta make some phone calls and shit." he explained with a roll of his eyes.

"I could keep you company?" Anders dared, a crooked smirk slowly stretching his lips.

Mitchell grinned "Shouldn't you be going back to your office?" he tilted his head slightly.

"I left my assistant in charge."

The vampire huffed, the blond seriously had an answer for everything "You're unbelievable."

"Oh, I know. So can I keep you company?" he insisted with the confidence that Mitchell liked so much.

"Anders... Not yet." he smiled softly and apologized with his eyes.

Anders let out a huge sigh and dropped his head in defeat "Can I see you tonight, at least?"

The brunet chuckled "Maybe tomorrow night." he nodded.

"Oh c'mon! Why keep me waiting until tomorrow?" the blond whined, sounding like a child.

"Because I'm a bad guy." and Mitchell wasn't entirely joking by saying that.

"So am I." Anders wriggled his brows and tentatively moved his hand to lay on top of Mitchell's. "C'mon, my brother owns a bar. We could go there."

The brunet looked down at Anders' hand over his and sucked in a shuddering breath. Self-control, he only needed to keep a hold of his emotions and instincts and everything would have been fine.

"I s'pose a night out won't hurt?" he arched a brow, even if he wasn't exactly convinced.

The blond scrunched his nose and grinned victorious "Yes!" he dared lacing his fingers with Mitchell's and leaned in across the table "I should pick you up, though. Wouldn't want you to wander around Auckland at night." he arched a brow.

The vampire couldn't help but smile and roll his eyes at Anders' enthusiasm, he still didn't think that it was the right thing to do but he accepted anyway.

He missed being around people, he missed having friends and he sure as hell missed the feeling of skin on skin, and the heat that Anders' hand was irradiating him with was incredible. He couldn't help but look down at their intertwined fingers and think that it couldn't be such a bad idea if it felt so bloody right.

"Pick me up?" the brunet sniggered "I'm not a princess, I can look out for myself." he assured him squeezing his fingers softly "Just tell me where and when and I'll be there."

Anders' lips automatically curled into a soft smile when he took in Mitchell's expression and the way he was squeezing his digits. He huffed and rolled his eyes at the brunet's words, though "Why do you have to be like this? It's easier if I just come pick you up!" he insisted.

Mitchell scoffed "Please, Anders? Just gimme some time." he shrugged "I told you I'm weird, that's how I am. Take it or leave it." he raised his brows.

The blond was once again defeated, he sighed and gave Mitchell's hand a quick squeeze before he let go of it "Fine, I'll text you the details after I sort some things out with my brothers." he had already pulled out his phone to text Mikkel and his wallet to pay the pill.

Mitchell scowled and blinked "Brothers?" he tilted his head "I thought you said brother. Are you introducing me to the family?" he teased biting his lower lip.

Anders' concentrated expression as he texted Mike cracked into a grin when he looked back at the brunet "Maybe." he went back to stare down at the screen as he typed.

"Will it be fancy dress night?" he sniggered as he cracked his fingers, he still didn't know if he should have been thrilled or worried about all that.

"You look hot no matter what you're wearing." he hit the send button, then glanced over at Mitchell "Hey, it's just some guys in a bar, it'll be fun!" he nudged him with his foot from under the table.

The vampire rolled his eyes "Stop it, flatterer. You just wanna show me around like a prize."

Anders scowled "How could you think that? I never would! I haven't even scored yet!"

They both laughed and Mitchell punched his shoulder softly before they stood up and reached the cashier before they left.

Once they were outside the brunet put his shades on and fixed his jacket, he was glad that the sun was already starting to dim.

Anders lit up a cigarette and licked his lips "I'll text you in an hour, tops. Unlike you." he grinned.

"Fuck you." Mitchell smirked.

"Is that an invitation?" Anders arched a brow.

"Laters, Anders." the brunet sniggered and turned on his heels as he made his way back to the hotel.

"See ya later." the blond smirked as he watched him leave, he took in a deep drag of smoke and then began to walk in the opposite direction, heading back to his SUV.

He was sure that that was going to be an interesting night.

To be continued...