A/N: Hello again everyone! Back again with another chapter!
Before we get started, I would like to thank everyone that read last chapter! I would also like to give a huge thank you to winterschild11, RainbowDiamonds, Guest, and Side1ways for reviewing!
I hope you all enjoy!
Monday, September 5, 2018
"I'm telling you, I didn't put it there." James said, using his fork to point at the old book sitting on the kitchen counter, right where it was supposed to have been all along.
They'd both spotted it last night just before going to bed. James knew he hadn't put it there, and Dak swore it wasn't him. They were at an impasse.
"Really? Are you sure?" Dak asked, eyeing him warily as though any second James was going to grin and say 'Gotcha!'
He wasn't, because he hadn't touched the book. At all, in fact. He hadn't laid so much as one finger on it. "Positive." The leftover spaghetti bolognese he'd cooked earlier sat in the pan on the table between them. James was stuffed, but he gestured at the half-full pan. "Want any more?"
Dak shook his head, then pushed his chair back and patted his stomach. "I'm stuffed."
Stifling a yawn, James stood and started to clear the table, scooping the leftovers into a tupperware box.
Dak loaded the dishes and pans into the dishwasher, laughing as James had to stop what he was doing and yawn again. "Those nine-year-olds kicking your ass already?"
"Fuck off." He said, flicking Dak on the ear as he passed him. "I'm always exhausted the first week back after the summer break. I'd like to see you cope with tons of kids."
Dak mock shuddered. "Nope. I like the fact my patients can't talk. I wish some of the owners were the same, but you can't have everything."
James put the leftovers to the side to cool down and leaned back against the counter. "How's it going, by the way? You haven't said much about it."
Dak stood, shut the dishwasher door, and turned it on. "It's been pretty good, honestly. I've had the odd snarky comment about being newly qualified and 'I hope you know what you're doing.' But the animal side of it, I love." He bent down to stroke a curled-up Sam, asleep in his brand new bed.
Dak had taken to bringing him into whichever room they were in.
"You're going to spoil him." James was already crouching down to join him in the petting even as he said the words.
Sam purred in his sleep and Dak grinned. "Yep." He shamelessly replied.
"So, how do you feel about a drink and an episode of The Walking Dead?"
Dak looked up at him. "Where did we get up to?"
"They've just got to Terminus, I think." James stood, stretched, and grimaced at the crack of his spine. "So, how about it?"
"Yeah, sounds good."
James got two glasses out of the cupboard before grabbing a kitchen towel. Might as well clean up real quick. He reached to move the book out of the way at the same time as Dak reached for it, muttering. "Let me move that first."
James had one end, Dak the other. A tingle shot up James' arm and he let the book go. Dak did exactly the same. It landed on the counter with a loud thump.
"What the hell?!" James gasped.
Dak's head snapped up to meet his gaze. "You felt that?"
"Yeah."
Sam grumbled, a sort of hiss-growl sound, but a quick glance showed he was still fast asleep.
They looked back down at the book, and then Dak nudged the edge of it with a finger, sliding it slightly towards James.
"I don't want it." James slid it back towards Dak, then grinned at him. How ridiculous were they? "Oh, for fuck's sake. It's just a book." He grabbed it up off the counter, silently relieved when nothing happened. "And an empty one at-"
The book suddenly fell open, and the rest of the words died on James' tongue.
"What the fuck?" Dak leaned closer to him, and they stared down at the once-blank pages now covered in writing. The neat, elegant script covered page after page as James gingerly thumbed through them, fully expecting the words to disappear again any second.
"Um..." James had no idea what to say. Each new entry was marked with a date. If they believed what they were seeing, then this was Isaac Knight's diary. From almost two hundred years ago.
James swallowed, torn between sitting down to read and getting rid of it. He settled for closing it and placing it back on the kitchen worktop. It sat there looking unobtrusive, but neither of them could tear their gaze away. James blinked a couple of times, still trying to process the last few minutes.
"Whisky?" Dak clapped him on the shoulder, and James muttered a yes.
He was desperately in need of a shot of whisky right then because Dak was absolutely right.
What. The. Fuck?
James slumped down into a chair, vaguely aware of the sounds of Dak moving around behind him. James purposely avoided looking over at the diary, but it was as though he felt its presence in the room, almost calling out for him to pick it up and read.
"Here." In front of him, Dak slid a tumbler half-full of amber liquid. James raised an eyebrow at the amount, but Dak shrugged. "I was tempted to pour a full glass."
The whisky did its job, taking the edge off the panic threatening to overwhelm him any moment. Another couple of swallows and James wasn't as freaked out as he had been. "It was definitely blank yesterday, right?" He asked as he took another sip. "I mean, we didn't imagine that?"
Dak coughed a little and put down his near-empty glass hard on the table. He must have knocked it back in one go, and was already reaching for the bottle to pour another.
"Don't you have to work tomorrow?" As much as James wanted to get trashed, he couldn't go into school reeking of whisky fumes.
"Not until eleven." Dak frowned down at his glass as though it was the problem. "And no, we didn't imagine it. That book was empty when we found it in the cellar."
Just the mention of the cellar sent a shiver down James' spine. "Then how?"
"No fucking clue."
Several minutes passed with neither of them speaking. James racked his brain, seeking some plausible explanation for what had just happened, but nothing came to mind. There must be a valid reason, though. He just needed to find it and set both their minds at rest.
The alcohol added to his full feeling from earlier, and he yawned again, his jaw cracking. As they sat there at the table, adrenaline left James' body, and he wanted nothing more than to go to bed even if it was only-he glanced at the kitchen clock-nine thirty. "I'm exhausted. Think I'm just going to head upstairs."
Dak hummed in agreement. "Yeah, me too. I've got some stuff I want to read up on before tomorrow." He gestured to the diary. "What about that?"
"What about it?" James stared at the book, then back at Dak.
"Aren't you curious as to what's written in it?"
"Obviously. But I'm not taking that thing upstairs with me." Just the thought of having it in his bedroom while he slept made him uneasy, although the urge to open it was only getting stronger and stronger the longer they sat there. The whole thing unnerved him, the mix of emotions setting him on edge. Maybe sleep wouldn't come so easily after all.
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Dak shifted in his seat, he looked as out of sorts as James felt. "I really want to know what he wrote about, but…"
"But all of this is creepy as fuck." James finished for him.
"Exactly."
"It's been down there for years. I think it'll be good staying here for one night." Stifling another yawn as he stood, James wondered if they should tell anyone about it. If the diary really was that old, then it was probably of historical interest. He'd only told Kendall so far. Shit. He should probably tell Kendall the blank book wasn't so blank anymore.
They left Isaac's diary where it was. Dak tried to joke about it disappearing again, but neither of them laughed. In the end they closed the kitchen door, taking Sam with them, and headed upstairs.
James waited until he was in bed to text Kendall.
Hey. So… something weird happened tonight. Isaac's diary is now full of writing. -J
He deleted the message, then typed it out again. But he didn't hit Send. Kendall was going to think he was crazy. But he hadn't freaked out the other night, and-Oh God. James huddled under the quilt as he recalled Kendall's words.
Maybe the fucking house is haunted?
After telling himself again that he was being ridiculous, he took a deep breath, tapped Send, and put the phone down.
Staring at the ceiling, he tried to think rationally. Surely, if the house was haunted by evil spirits, he'd feel something… well, evil. Okay, the book thing was freaky. Aside from the words magically appearing, the unease that followed was more because of the pull he felt when he looked at it, even though he knew reading it at night in his bedroom was a monumentally bad idea if he wanted to sleep at all.
But he didn't get an evil vibe from the house. Even the incident in the sunroom hadn't felt evil, just… sad. Heart-wrenchingly sad.
His phone buzzed, making him jump. "Fuck's sake." He muttered to himself as his heart raced.
He thumbed the message open and snorted.
WTF? -K
Yep, that was pretty much what he and Dak thought too.
He was halfway through typing out a reply when he thought Fuck it and called him instead. Whatever that was downstairs wasn't something he could properly explain in a text message.
Kendall picked up right away. "What the hell?"
"Hello to you too." James said, smiling despite agreeing with him wholeheartedly.
Kendall huffed. "Sorry." It came out muffled, and James pictured him running a hand over his face. "Hello. Now, what the fuck do you mean the diary has writing in it?"
Sighing, James settled back into his pillows and told Kendall what had happened. At this point there was no need to leave anything out. He'd already said the crazy part.
"And you're absolutely sure it was blank before?"
James counted to ten in his head so he didn't snap or say something sarcastic. It was a reasonable question, considering. But his silence obviously said enough because Kendall went on.
"Shit, sorry. That was a stupid question. It's just...what the hell?"
"Funny, that's pretty much what we'd said."
Silence again, and James wondered what was running through Kendall's mind.
"Have you read it?"
"Fuck no. We were too busy freaking out. Sam hissed in his sleep, Dak wouldn't take it with him, and there's no way I'm reading that in bed."
Kendall sighed. "Yeah, I can understand that. Can I read it? When I come over on Wednesday, I mean?"
"Of course." Isaac was Kendall's ancestor, after all.
"Um… any chance I could come tomorrow instead?"
The hint of desperation in Kendall's voice made James feel a little guilty. But while he appreciated how excited Kendall must be to get a look at it, James already had plans.
"I can't. I have a meeting after school, and then we're all going out for dinner. Sort of a welcome-back-to-school thing." He couldn't get out of the meal, and besides, it was just an old book.
He thought of the book on Kendall's bedside table and sat up with a jolt. Witches. Jesus Christ. Anything could be in that book!
He was almost tempted to go down and get it, but he still didn't think he could sleep with it in his room, especially if it was full of spells and witchcraft. Who knew what sort of things they got up to in those days? James shuddered and tried to think of something else. He didn't want his dreams to be full of anything like that.
Rustling on the line sounded like bedsheets moving, and a couple of inappropriate thoughts popped into James' head, a welcome relief from the weirdness. He grabbed onto them with both hands. "Are you in bed?"
Imagining a half-naked Kendall was so much better as dream fodder.
"What?" More rustling, and then "Yeah."
James bit his lip. It probably wasn't the time, and he doubted Kendall's mind had switched to sex like his own suddenly had, but fuck it, he needed to wind down and relax. "Are you naked?"
The couple of seconds it took for Kendall to answer felt like an hour. James held his breath, hoping Kendall wouldn't laugh at him or hang up.
"Just a second." Whatever Kendall was doing, he must have put the phone down because his voice seemed far away. "There"-much clearer-"I am now."
"Oh." James swallowed down the sudden lump in his throat, his heart beat a little faster. Maybe Kendall had made the same leap as him. James wanted to flirt a little, not for one minute thinking they'd actually do anything. Dirty talk wasn't something he did a lot of, and he was probably crap at it.
"What about you?" Kendall's soft voice caressed the shell of James' ear, eliciting a shiver that ran down his spine to the tips of his toes. "Are you naked?"
James lifted the covers and glanced down at his saggy grey boxers that had seen better days. They might be comfy, but they needed to go. The risk of Kendall seeing him in them wasn't one worth taking. With a quick shimmy of his hips, the boxers were off and thrown unceremoniously towards the floor. "Yeah."
James lifted his knees, feet flat to the bed, and got comfy. He wanted to say something sexy or flirty, something to make himself sound fun and worth pursuing. He'd had his fair share of hook-ups in college, but now he wanted someone more permanent, and he really liked Kendall so far.
The wind chose that moment to pick up and push the closest tree's branches against his window. They barely touched the glass, but James startled, apparently still on edge from before. So what he actually said was "Oh fuck, tonight has been so weird, I'm too worked up to sleep." Shit, that's so not sexy. "I'm sorry. I should go."
"No, don't." Kendall soothed.
God, that voice went straight to his cock, perking it right up. James reached under the covers and started to stroke himself.
"Tell me what you need." Kendall said.
The wind swirled outside, but James closed his eyes and blocked it out. "I need you to take my mind off everything."
"I can do that."
With the phone pressed next to his ear, James heard the sound of a bottle being opened. A soft moan in his ear had his mind filling in the blanks. "Have you got lube?"
"Yeah." Kendall's breath hitched. "I want my cock all wet, so I can imagine it's your mouth wrapped around it instead of my hand."
James licked his lips, remembering the taste of Kendall on his tongue. "I want to do that again."
"Me too."
For a second, James heard nothing but the soft slap of skin against skin. His cock lay against his stomach, hard and aching, and he was reaching over to his bedside drawer without even thinking about it.
"Are you touching yourself, James?"
"Getting stuff." He muttered, fumbling to open the drawer.
"Good. Make your dick as wet as mine. Picture my lips around the head and watch as I sink down ever so slowly until you hit the back of my throat. I want you to use me, make me choke on it."
James whimpered, the image as clear as day, and he wanted it so bad. The bottle of lube slipped from his grasp in his haste to get it open one-handed, and he scrambled to pick it up before loads spilled out. How could Kendall string whole sentences together when James could barely get a word out?
After pouring out enough to get his palm all slick, James grabbed his cock with a sigh of relief. It might be his own hand, but with Kendall's words filling his head, it felt fantastic. "So good." He whispered.
"Next time we can do it together. I want to feel your mouth around me while I suck you."
Oh God. James tightened his grip, the easy up-and-down rhythm of his hand pulled the pleasure from deep inside him, but he needed more. "Tell me." He muttered, not exactly making sense, but too far gone to concentrate.
"I'm going to… swallow your come… take it all." Kendall spoke between stuttered breaths, and James hung on every sound he made, every choked-off word. "Want to push my… oh fuck… my fingers into your ass and-"
James didn't hear the rest. The phone tumbled to the side as he jammed his fist into his mouth and arched off the bed. His stifled cry filled the room as he came over his stomach and chest.
Fucking hell.
James had had actual sex that hadn't been that good.
Laying there with his eyes closed as he caught his breath, his mind blissfully blank. He stayed like that for a minute or so, then he heard Kendall's tinny voice next to his ear. "Oh shit."
Wiping his hand on the bottom sheet, he then turned onto his side and scooped up the phone. "Hey, sorry."
Kendall's laughter made him smile. "I thought you'd fallen asleep on me."
"No, just recovering." He grabbed a couple of tissues from the box by his bed and wiped at the mess. "You came too, right? I don't want to be the asshole who finished and left you hanging."
More laughter. "Oh yeah, I came. You might not have heard me, but I'm pretty sure Katie did. I was loud."
James felt a mix of proud and smug, even though Kendall had pretty much done all the talking. He was too sleepy and sated to feel embarrassed about his lack of contribution. "Good."
"I'm not sure she'll agree, but that was worth putting up with her complaints tomorrow."
"Mm-hmm." James yawned, and his eyes slipped shut.
"You sound exhausted, so go to sleep. Night, James."
"Night."
He had enough presence of mind to turn off his phone before sleep took him.
XxX
Dak wandered into the kitchen the following morning, with a huge knowing smile. "Sleep well?"
James froze for a second before he put his head in his hands and groaned as everything connected. "I left my door open, didn't I?"
"Yep."
"Ugh." At the back of his mind, he'd known there was something he'd forgotten. "Sorry." He flushed, remembering, and wondered just how much Dak had heard.
As if reading his mind, Dak's grin widened. "I only caught the finale."
James' shoulders sagged in slight relief. Not totally mortifying, then.
"But Kendall must have a wicked silver tongue, judging by how hard you came."
"What the-?" James spluttered, but Dak held his hands up.
"Sam followed me out to the bathroom and he ran into your room. I caught an eyeful as I slipped in to get him."
God, kill me now. This was far more embarrassment than he could handle before school.
Dak ruffled his hair as he passed to start a pot of coffee. "Calm down. It's not like it's anything I haven't seen before."
"That was different. And also years ago." James glared at him, but Dak ignored him and casually made two cups of coffee as if seeing James jack off to phone sex was an everyday occurrence. His indifference made it easier for James to shrug it off, which was probably what Dak intended, and he finally relaxed enough to finish his breakfast. "Speaking of Sam…" He pushed his plate away and took the coffee Dak offered with a smile of thanks. "...where is the little monster?"
Glancing under the table revealed no ball of black fur that James was starting to get used to.
"Upstairs in his bed. He was still asleep when I came down, so I left him."
"Can he cope with the stairs yet?"
Dak rolled his eyes. "Yes, he's about nine weeks old now. But I'm going back up in a minute anyway."
"Are you taking him into work again?" James asked before taking a sip of coffee and checking his phone to make sure he was okay for time. Looking at his phone made him think of last night, and he felt his blush returning.
If Dak noticed, he didn't comment. "Yep. I'll probably keep taking him until he's a little bigger. I don't want to leave him here on his own all day."
"So spoiled."
"Yep."
Neither of them mentioned the diary. It sat in the same place on the kitchen counter, like the freaky old leather elephant in the room, studiously avoided and ignored. But what James couldn't ignore was the pull he still felt towards the book that felt like it was growing stronger and stronger...
Done! So, it looks like the blank book isn't so blank anymore, and it also seems to have an effect on James. We got a bit of James and Dak interaction this chapter, along with a bit of Kames!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter, as well as if you happened to have a favorite part/moment!
The next chapter will be up on Monday, so you won't have to wait too long for that. :)
Until then!
-Epically Obsessed
