XO'MagickMoon'OX
A/N: Have I yet mentioned how fucking awesome you guys are? If not, I'm mentioning it now: Y.o.U ... g.U.y.S ... a.R.e ... F.u.C.k.I.n.G ... a.W.e.S.o.M.e! -glomps you all- I'm glad you're all enjoying the story. Hope you continue to enjoy it. And if anyone has any suggestions for anything, I'd be happy to take them. Now, on with the story.
000
000
"RIKU! For the last time, SHUT UP!" Kairi all but screeched as the credits began to role.
Riku huffed. "Sorry! But, it's just that these are the kinds of movies that give vampires a bad name," he scoffed.
"Then why don't you clear some things up for us?" Naminé suggested.
Riku leaned back against the bottom of the couch. He and Sora were sitting on the floor, Kairi reclining in a nearby beanbag chair, and Naminé sprawled out above Sora and Riku. "Like what?" Riku asked.
"Can vampires die?"
"Well, yes and no."
Kairi lifted a skeptical eyebrow. "What about the crosses and the garlic and the stakes…?"
Riku waved his hand as if to wave away the question. "Pure myth, for the most part. Crosses and garlic have no effect on vampires. Stakes, those are a different story. If you stab a vampire through the heart with a stake, it'll do damage. If it's a regular stake, it will cause this…disease, of sorts, called Regression. Basically, what happens is the vampire will regress back to his carnal roots and lose all sense of self and virtue. He will start…feeding on humans, and he'll be overly sensitive to the light, and all that. You see, vampires, just like humans, have evolved over time."
This was news. "Evolved?" Sora echoed, intrigued by this discovery.
"Yes." Riku nodded. "You see, the vampires that are portrayed through Hollywood, the monsters that you know vampires to be, are what vampires really used to be like when they first came into existence… Well, sort of. If you take away all of the cinematic tweaking, you basically have a primeval vampire. Monsters. Like I said, they fed on humans, were very sensitive to sunlight and so only came out at night, had no sense of virtue or moral, and acted purely on instinct. Over time, vampires evolved into what we are today."
"So, you don't feed on humans?" Kairi asked.
Riku shook his head. "As I explained to Sora," he passed the brunet a sidelong glance, "it's against our ethics to bite humans. We feed mostly on livestock, which are unaffected by our bite."
"So, what happens to a vampire who's…taken with Regression?" Naminé wondered.
"Usually, they're executed, in order to protect the humans and other vampires. A vampire taken with Regression can be very dangerous to not only mortals, but his kin, as well. But," Riku continued, "there are certain means of killing a vampire immediately through impaling their heart with a stake. You see, there's a particular clan of humans called Vampire Hunters. They have consecrated tools that they use to hunt vampires. If a Hunter uses his stake on a vampire, it will kill the vampire instantly."
Sora frowned. There was something wrong, the feeling of treading on thin ice. The look in Riku's eyes as he spoke about the Hunters… Though his voice gave nothing away, Sora could tell that inside he was struggling with something. Something bad. The slightest skewed movement and the ice would crack.
Trying to disperse the tension, Sora wrapped his arms around Riku's neck and nuzzled the crook of his shoulder affectionately. He immediately felt every muscle in Riku's body unwind, the moment of unease passing, much to the brunet's relief.
Kairi checked the time, which read: 12:43 a.m. As if on cue, Naminé yawned loudly. "I think it's time to sleep," the blonde murmured, and Kairi nodded in agreement.
Forcing herself keep her tone even, Kairi asked, "Is Riku staying?"
Riku glanced at Sora. "If Sora wants me to—"
"Yes!" Sora jumped at the opportunity.
Kairi sighed. "Okay, but you two have to…behave."
Riku gave Kairi a two-fingered salute. "Yes ma'm," he deadpanned with false sincerity. Sora chuckled at that. The group stood from their positions, and Sora shut off the TV. Together, they moved towards Sora's room, where Naminé and Kairi's sleeping bags were already laid out beside Sora's bed.
Riku surveyed the room. "So…where am I sleeping?"
Sora averted his gaze, blushing. "Um…well…my bed is big enough for two…"
Kairi snorted. "Like that'll keep Riku from crawling all over you. Might as well have a single bed."
Sora's blush deepened. Riku grinned and reached out, caressing Sora's cheek. "Don't worry; I won't bite."
"I don't think that's what he's worried about," Kairi mumbled.
Riku sighed, glowering at the redhead. "What is it exactly that you have against me?" he demanded.
Kairi ignored him, grabbing her pajamas that were folded up on top of her sleeping bag. Naminé did the same, and they left the room to change. Sora closed the door behind him and retrieved his own pajamas. Turning to Riku, his blush returned twofold. "Um… Could you step out…for a minute?" he asked meekly.
Riku smirked, moving to stand behind Sora. "I have a better idea." He gripped Sora's wrists and leaned away, sinking down onto the edge of the bed and pulling the brunet with him.
"R-Riku!" Sora squeaked.
"Shhhh…" the other crooned, laying back, forcing Sora flush against him. "Just relax."
Sora swallowed audibly, but nodded nonetheless. With Riku's hand on the back of his head, guiding him, their lips met. The kiss began slowly, almost shyly (on Sora's part, at least), and quickly gained speed, like a log being consumed by fire. The flames began to devour the wood until they were all-consuming, omnipotent, so engrossing that they melted the surroundings and plunged everything into a nothingness of bliss. Riku parted his lips invitingly, coaxing Sora into taking the initiative, and slowly, hesitantly, Sora slipped his tongue into Riku's mouth. Riku whined in rapture, Sora's timidity so endearing that it made the vampire's stomach loop-de-loop like a roller coaster. It was nostalgic, this ecstasy that only Sora could bring him, and for a moment Riku felt like he was in the castle, fifteen hundred years ago, on Sora's feather mattress in his cold, stone room, with the fire of sunset spilling across the windowsill.
And, just like he used to do fifteen hundred years ago, Sora pulled away first, drinking in much-needed air. Riku smiled softly, licking his lips and running his fingers through Sora's hair. Sora rested his head on Riku's chest, which rose and fell with the silver-haired boy's soft breathing. The brunet ran his fingers beneath Riku's shirt, feeling the tattoo below his navel. Lust. Riku shivered.
"St-Stop that…" he more pleaded than demanded.
Sora didn't listen. His hand reached for Riku's right wrist, pulling it towards him and studying the marking. Gluttony. "Show me another one," Sora whispered.
"You can find it," Riku teasingly replied. "Just…look around."
Instead of the search Riku had anticipated, Sora's fingers brushed up the back of Riku's neck and quickly located another tattoo. He brushed the sheer, silver locks away and uncovered the marking. "Invidia…" he breathed, the Latin rolling gracefully off of his tongue.
Riku started, sitting up ever so slightly. "What?"
"Hm?"
"What did you say?" Riku asked earnestly.
Sora frowned. "I…didn't say anything. What does this one mean?" he wondered, brushing his fingers over the tattoo.
Riku shook his head. Had he just imagined that? It was rather unlikely, after all, that Sora would not only know the meaning of the tattoo without Riku telling him, but would also be able to say its name in Latin. "Uh… It means 'Envy'."
Sora nodded. "Oh." He smirked then, or produced something that was as close to a smirk as Sora could get. Which frightened Riku, because he knew this almost-smirk of Sora's that was always the preface of something impish. Sora leaned over Riku and whispered, "Is this just as sensitive as the others?" Without waiting for an answer, he pressed a kiss to the marking.
Riku whimpered. "Sora…" he warned lightly.
Sora ignored him and grazed the branded skin with his teeth, followed shortly after by his tongue. A heady moan tumbled from Riku's lips, and he hastily, albeit grudgingly, shoved Sora away. "Don't," he said, his breath coming in shorter gasps. "If you keep that up, not even the hounds of Hell could keep me from having my way with you."
Sora just grinned. "How do you know that that's not my aim?"
Riku opened his mouth to respond, but found himself speechless. It didn't matter anyway, because just then there was a knock at the door. "Sora? Riku?" It was Naminé.
"You'd better not be doing anything to Sora!" came Kairi's voice.
"I'm not doing anything that he doesn't want me to do!" Riku replied, the smirk in his voice obvious.
The door swung open then and Kairi stormed in. She was very much relieved to find that both still had all of their clothes on, but also disconcerted to find that Sora hadn't changed into his pajamas. Which meant that the time they'd been alone had been spent on something…else. She sighed. "Sora, go change!"
Sora nodded and gathered his clothes, rushing out of the room.
Huffing exasperatedly, Kairi muttered, "I'm not going to make it through the evening."
"Not with all of the noise Sora'll be making," Riku said.
Kairi glared at the vampire and threw a pillow at his head, which Riku smoothly caught. "Try anything and Vampire Hunters will be the least of your worries!"
000
"Hn…Leon…" Cloud fisted the other's brown hair as Leon ravished his neck…with his lips and tongue, of course, no teeth involved. Cloud stumbled backwards, finding his feet leading him down the hallway. Leon moved back up to kiss the blonde's succulent lips, slipping his tongue into Cloud's mouth. Cloud whimpered appreciatively, wrapping his arms around Leon's neck. His mind was in a fog, his heart pounding, pumping his boiling blood through his veins and making him dizzy. He wasn't aware of much else except the feeling of Leon's lips branding him with searing kisses.
Somehow, they wound up in Cloud's bedroom. Cloud fell back on the bed, Leon landing gracefully on top of him. Leon placed a kiss on his forehead, moving down his nose back to his lips. He whispered, "You're so beautiful."
Cloud blushed at that. He'd been with women before, he'd had girlfriends, and sure, they'd complimented him frequently, using a number of endearing adjectives to describe him, but "beautiful" had never been one of them, and they'd never been spoken with as much emotion as Leon had spoken with, almost as if his very heart had been unraveled and the threads of it woven into his voice. He'd never been with another man, he'd never imagined himself being with another man, and he'd never anticipated being with another man feeling this right.
So, maybe Leon wasn't just "another man". He was a vampire, and his lover from a past life to boot. If this love was strong enough to survive across the span of fifteen hundred years, then maybe gender didn't matter.
"Gender never matters," Leon growled, parting for a moment.
Cloud jumped, forgetting for a fleeting moment that Leon could read minds. "I-I'm sorry… It's just…"
"It's just the ignorant mindset of man."
Cloud flinched at Leon's acerbic tone. "I'm sorry…"
"Stop apologizing, dammit." Leon recaptured the blonde's lips in another fierce kiss. Cloud melted into it, reaching up to push Leon's jacket off of his shoulders. Leon obligingly slipped his arms out of the garment, throwing it off to the side, revealing his tight, black shirt that left little to the imagination. Not that Cloud would have to be imagining for much longer. And away went the shirt.
Cloud had never once considered the sight of a half-naked male arousing. And yet here he was, desperately reining in his desire in order to keep from salivating over Leon. Said brunet was presently straddling Cloud's waist, staring down at him with argentate eyes darkened to a iron-like gray. Cloud was feeling hot and bothered and too horny for his own good. But Leon was sitting still, just staring at him. "Y-You're…not stopping now…are you?" Cloud asked.
"Are you sure you want this?"
Cloud thought for a fleeting moment before he nodded.
Leon leaned down and kissed the blonde softly, slowly, sensuously lapping at Cloud's lips with his tongue, holding each side of his face. Cloud whimpered at the sheer emotion that bled, unhindered by wanton lust, through the kiss, making his muscles fall lax against the mattress, suddenly weak. But it was a wonderful sort of weak, a sort of weak that felt so good that it almost filled Cloud with an ethereal sort of strength. Beneath all of that pleasant sensation, however, he felt a stab of something cold: guilt.
Leon pulled back, his eyes meeting Cloud's squarely. Then, he whispered, "Do you love me?"
Cloud bit his lip. The icy stab of guilt began to frost the rest of his body. "…"
"Cloud, answer me."
"No, I…I'm not in love with you."
Leon smiled wistfully, nodding. "I knew this was all moving too fast."
"But…Leon…" Cloud was uncomfortable, still hot and aroused and desperate for relief. And though he wasn't in love with Leon, he was definitely in lust with him.
Leon sat up, rolling off of the blonde and standing. "I won't do this, not if it won't mean anything to you."
Cloud propped himself up on his elbow, facing Leon as the brunet stooped to pick up his shirt and jacket. He opened his mouth to speak, but found he had nothing to say.
"I won't…make the same mistake twice," Leon murmured.
"…Leon…"
"If we did this, Cloud," Leon turned to face the blonde, "you'd sorely regret it in the morning."
And with that, Leon disappeared.
000
"Sora…" Riku whispered. Kairi and Naminé had fallen asleep a little while ago, and Sora was beginning to doze off. Riku and Sora were laying on their sides, facing each other, and though Sora's eyes were closed, Riku was enjoying simply watching his beloved.
"Hmmm?" Sora yawned, opening his eyes blearily.
Riku smiled tenderly, stroking the brunet's moonlight-kissed cheek. The room was dusted with the blue of the night, shadows stretching in the wake of the light filtering through the bedroom window. And Sora looked breathtakingly ethereal, like an Elven prince. And Riku would know, too; he'd met an Elven prince once. And that prince's beauty paled in comparison to Sora's, which was saying something, because elves were known for their otherworldly beauty. But no, Sora was the most beautiful creature in Riku's eyes.
"Riku?"
Oh, right, he was staring. Riku shook his head. He leaned over and pressed his lips to Sora's, pulling back not but a moment later. Sora smiled sleepily. He rolled onto his back and draped his forearm over his eyes, murmuring, "Let us stay here in this secluded place/ Made beautiful by love's endearing grace/ Love is enough."
"Hm? That's not your poetry, is it?"
Sora shook his head. "Nah. I'm not that good."
"I want to hear it sometime." Riku snuggled closer to the brunet, whispering in his ear, "I used to love to sit and listen to you read your poetry. You wrote a few poems for me."
Sora let his arm fall to the side of him. Though it was difficult to tell, Riku could see that he was blushing. "Really…"
"You wrote one for me, didn't you." It wasn't a question.
Sora nodded numbly. "Um…yeah…but I didn't write it down. It's in my head."
"Can I hear it?"
"Ah…well…it's not very good…and, well…I don't think it's quite finished yet—"
Riku placed a finger on Sora's lips. "It doesn't matter. I want to hear it."
Sora fingered the hem of the sheet, still blushing cutely. "Well, it's not really for you as much as it is about you. I thought of it last week, after I met you again at the pumpkin patch." He took a deep breath, readying himself, before he began to speak, his soft voice filling the empty air around them.
"There
was a day
When
I looked out over the ocean
And
saw it staring back at me,
With
a fire I'd never known
Angels
were able to possess.
Idealistic,
perfect, beautiful
Beyond
compare.
But
not an angel.
Can
a demon grow wings?
And
wear a halo to match?
Can
a demon adorn
A
white robe, and glow
With
the light of the stars?
Can
a demon be an angel?"
Riku toyed with a spike of Sora's cinnamon hair, entranced by his recitation. He was silent for a moment after Sora finished, his words still dancing around his ears. There was a bare trace of a smile on his lips, and he whispered, "Do you want the answer to that question?"
Sora rolled onto his side and met Riku's enticing gaze with his own. "No. Not yet."
Riku nodded, closing the small distance between their faces and pressing his lips to Sora's, musing, I don't think I have the answer, anyway.
"Hey, Riku," Sora said after they separated.
"Yeah?"
"Does this make us…boyfriends?"
Riku blinked. "I…suppose. We never used that term…way back when. We were just 'lovers'."
"So, are we boyfriends?"
"…Yes."
Sora smiled, snuggling into Riku's arms. "I've never had a boyfriend before."
Riku chuckled. "Did you ever plan on having one?"
"Not really, no. But I think I like it. Do you think we could…go on an actual date, sometime?"
The vampire stroked Sora's chestnut locks, kissing his forehead. "Sure. How about Friday?"
"All right. Will I see you before then?"
"You can count on it."
"Good. I like seeing you." Sora yawned, nestling his head into the crook of Riku's neck.
"I think you should go to sleep."
"I…think so…too…" Slowly, Sora began to doze off. Riku felt the brunet's body unwind, his muscles relaxing as sleep overtook him. Silence settled into the room.
And then, Riku felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He detangled himself from Sora, sitting up and glancing around. He spotted a pair of scarlet eyes highlighted by the moonlight, watching him from a shadowed corner. He scowled. "What are you doing here, Valentine?"
Vincent stepped out of the darkness, the faint glow from the window accenting his darkly beautiful features, glancing off his raven hair. "I've brought someone to see you."
From the shadows from whence Vincent had just departed stepped another, one whom had been hidden more thoroughly. This presence disturbed Riku further. "What do you want, Lulu?"
"I wanted to check up on you," she answered coyly.
Riku rubbed his eyes, then glanced at the digital clock on Sora's nightstand. "Are you kidding me? Now? It's one in the morning. And how did you know I was here, dammit!"
"You let your guard down," Vincent answered. "I sensed you easily."
Riku bristled, noticing for the first time that his barriers were absent, the mental barriers he used to mask his distinguishing aura from others. He hastily built them back up, then made sure to glare holes into the heads of his intruders. It was too bad he couldn't literally glare holes into their heads; he would've gladly done so. "So, what do you want?"
"You're not forgetting your goal, are you?" Lulu wondered, brushing a lock of raven hair over her shoulder.
Riku's eyes flashed dangerously. "No, I'm not. Don't worry about it. Just get the hell out of here."
Lulu raised her hand in defense. "Fine, fine. Just…don't lose sight of your purpose, Riku." Vincent grabbed the woman's hand. Before they departed, she said, "Remember, it's only a spell."
As they faded into the surrounding shadows, Riku choked back a sudden sob threatening to escape his throat. Those few words had cut deeper than he'd thought possible.
Or, perhaps it wasn't the words themselves, but…the truth behind them.
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A/N: That one line of poetry was from the poem Love is Enough by Ella Wheeler Wilcox. The other poem, Sora's poem, was my own crappy original poetry. Ehehe, so yeah, I figured just writing some original poetry for "Sora's" poetry would make his amateur-ish-ness seem more realistic. Anyway, review, please!
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