The silence was killing her. She wanted to hear him telling stories, joking, tell her how much he loved her, so she could tell him that she loved him too, without a doubt.
Mavis clung to his shirt, sitting modestly on his lap sideways, taking in on his very presence, even the faint traces of his personal scent. She hated that he would have to leave to go ahead with her father's insane idea. That this might be the last time he would hold her, and that she could cuddle close to him. She willed herself to stretch the moment as much as she could, but when she felt him shift slightly under her, she knew her time was up, and there was nothing else she could do about it.
"I have to go, Mavis" he remarked, barely above a whisper, and directly into her ear. The soft caress of his breathing against the side of her face made it more difficult to let go. She clung just a bit tighter to him, burying her face in his chest, trying to maybe guilt-trip him into staying a little longer. He cupped the opposite side of her face and brought her gaze upon his own, looking into her misty blue eyes and wiping a stray tear from them. Feeling guilty for causing her so much distress, he softly pressed his lips to hers, the lingering kiss transmitting more emotion than they could ever do with words. Their very souls were laid bare for the other, even as they pulled back to catch their breaths. Kevin ran his thumb lightly against the smooth skin of her cheek, pressing a light kiss to her temple.
"Wait for me?" he asked, almost sounding like he was pleading to her. He didn't need to, Mavis had waited her whole life for the right person, a couple of days for him to return (because he had promised he'd return, and she would hold him to that) made no difference. She nodded affirmatively into his chest, while he gently lifted her bridal-style, warily setting her feet back on solid ground. Still, Mavis wouldn't let go, still holding her arms around his neck. Being creative, he began swaying with her, in a sort of slow dance, to the rhythm of his humming of a simple but sweet melody. The couple locked eyes and simply lost themselves in the love they felt for the other, sealing their commitment to one another with another sweet lingering kiss, during which they didn't lose the rhythm of their impromptu dancing. Kevin knew his father had been wrong. He hadn't loved Mavis just for a few weeks. He'd begun loving her long ago, his absence only widening the feeling over the years, giving him hope in his lonely travels. There was no way to describe the devastation he had felt when he had heard that she had zinged, and that she would be forever committed to someone else in heart, mind, and soul.
And here he was now, with her holding on to him to keep him from going away. Not in a million years would he have dared to imagine himself in such a situation.
"Please be careful, come back safe" was the only thing she would ask from him before letting him go, watching as he went out her door. Barely containing a sniffle, Mavis sat back at the edge of her bed and noticed that Kevin had left a jacket behind. It wasn't a terribly fashionable one, nor was it particularly thick, she would probably walk past it if she saw it on a mall or clothing store. But this one was special not for its looks, but for its owner. As the vampiress picked it up; almost unconsciously she brought to her nose, finding in it very faint traces of his scent, the one she had been losing herself into for the last few minutes. The one she was afraid she wouldn't be able to lose herself into if anything went wrong.
"Are you ready for this?" Dracula remarked as casually and inconspicuously as he was able to, sitting a couple of stools away from Kevin at the bar.
"As ready as I'll ever be for all of this" Kevin simply replied, gulping down his drink in one go.
"You cover your part of the arrangement and I do mine. If you screw up there's no second chance, so get it right the first time" Garret flatly told the redhead, leaving the lobby for the forest where his role in Dracula's plan would take place.
Oh, boy, this is going to be interesting.
Kevin had to sell the illusion that he knew nothing of what the twerp was up to, so he had to, reluctantly, take what he saw coming from the metaphorical mile away. The rib punch landed cleanly, making him wince and grit his teeth. Before another one landed, he spun in his seat, using one arm to block the attack and the other to deliver an uppercut that sent the human flying back a good amount of feet. The redhead tried to make a comeback by kneeing the Horseman in the midsection, but the daze from the first attack made for a weak move, and Kevin simply countered by using his forearm as cover and headbutting Jonathan in the chin. By this time the monsters in the bar had distanced themselves from the fighting men, who quickly took their affair to the lobby. Blocking another attempt at a punch, Kevin landed three quick strikes to the human's chest, knocking the wind out of him, before swiveling him around and sending him right into one of the columns.
Mavis had run upon hearing the commotion, obviously not having been told about the specifics of how the plan was to be set up in motion, so when she found both men exchanging punches and kicks, her first instinct was to rush towards them and break up the fight. Before the idea came fully into fruition in her mind, her father stopped her, flashing her a knowing look, and convincing her to remain in position and let things flow their curse.
The redhead had managed to string a series of hits on Kevin, and in the process acquired a length of piping seemingly out of nowhere. Aiming for Kevin's ribcage, he swung around the pipe with all the force he could muster, connecting with his intended target. The damage was minimal, but painful nonetheless, delaying his actions. The pipe was about to land downwards on his own head, which merited a quick block and grab with one of his hand, pulling the pipe towards him and liberating the human from it, swinging it with momentum and aimed at Johnathan's leg, sending it into the air and making him fall right on his ass to the carpet. During the human's attempt to get on his feet, the young monster delivered a kick to the torso, sending the body flying through the lobby's revolving door and into the stone path leading up to the stairs. While Kevin went through the door himself, Johnathan charged forward, not unlike a raging bull, trying to pin his opponent down. Kevin held his ground, pushing forward himself and targeting the redhead's ribcage and exposed kidneys. With one foot, he sent the human stumbling back, and with a vicious jump forward Kevin scored another strike straight to his opponent's cheek. The jump wasn't meant to multiply the force of the blow, but to close the gap quicker, which gave him the advantage by way of experience in street fighting. He now put a knee to good use by using it to kick the air out of the redhead, then sweeping with his other leg at the human's feet. He almost got him on headlock too, but the twerp was quick, wriggling out of the grip, and getting back in the fight by aiming for Kevin's throat. Their audience had moved outside along with the show, the only ones realizing the seal of energy forming around the combatants. Kevin realized to, just a tad too late to properly prepare for it.
This is gonna hurt like hell…
The black magic kicked in, traversing Kevin's body and making him feel like his blood had turned into molten metal in the blink of an eye. Along with it, patches of blisters began to appear along his physique, bringing him to his knees from the pain. He gritted his teeth, trying to keep the scream he felt in his throat from coming out. He knew Mavis was watching, and he didn't want her to be afraid. Either way, he failed, as the unholy scream escaped from him, and the seal's brightness intensified before fading almost instantly, with the thud of Kevin hitting the floor coming as soon as the blinding magic disappeared. For a few seconds the world stood still and silent, nobody making a single sound or move until Mavis hesitantly walked to the fallen form of her lover. Dropping to her own knees, an expression of full shock in her face, the tinniest gasp could be heard as she held him into her arms and realized something that chilled her to the core.
"D-dad… h-he's not breathing… H-he's not breathing! Help! S-somebody do something! ANYBODY!" Mavis became hysterical rather quick, shaking Kevin's body in hopes of getting him awake, getting him to just breathe again, all while repeating the same pleas for help in varying order. After getting over the shock of what he was seeing, the Count moved as quickly as he could, hugging Mavis close to him to try and get her to calm down a little, using his magic at the same time to order Hotel staff to get a now-frozen Kevin to the Infirmary. She was shaking now, sobbing uncontrollably at the fact that she had just felt the life of the one she loved slip through her fingers, needing the guidance of her father to go back into the Hotel.
Dracula had made a mistake, a miscalculation. It was only a matter of time before she calmed down and started aiming accusations at him. Only a matter of time.
"Huh, it worked. I've got to say, I had my doubts…"
"Of course you did, you have no idea about the kind of power I hold, kid. Now, about our agreement…"
"Yes, yes, here it is! Thank you for your help…"
"Whatever, now, if you would be so kind as to stop following me, that would be nice."
Garrett had sped up to the infirmary, arriving to watch as the medical staff rushed all over the place trying to actually do something. Dracula was there, too, using all of his energy trying to keep the boy frozen and, thus, alive.
"Have you made any progress?" he asked, finally making it to the opposite side of the bed from Dracula's.
"No, he is still fading. Do something quickly, I can't have him dying on me!"
"Okay, there's something I can do, but I'll need you to let go of him. For real" Garrett's face was the living image of determination, even though he wasn't sure if what he was about to do would work.
"If you fail, he'll die. Mavis won't forgive me for that"
"I know, but you need to trust me, otherwise nothing else will work, and he'll die anyway."
The Count was torn between both options, but he couldn't take his sweet time, retiring his magic and allowing the kid to go limp. At the same time, Garrett began an incantation that Dracula did not recognize, another seal of energy enveloping everyone near and over the bed. There was no fancy shimmering this time, and the seal was gone almost as soon as it appeared, which left room for so much doubt…
"Did it work?"
Mavis had paced around her room for about 20 minutes, after which she had just sat in a corner. She wanted to believe that Kevin would be fine, that he had just had a slight side effect, or that she had been too nervous and jittery to properly identify if he was indeed doing well.
But at the same time, the feeling she got, that of his life slipping away with every passing second… that wasn't a dream. She had been scared then, and she was terrified right now. Her undead heart was fired up, beating non-stop at machine-gun rate, a natural response to the fear, uncertainty, and hopelessness that overwhelmed her. She didn't know when she had started to bawl and sob so loudly, but the sheer emotion of the moment had brought Mavis to her emotional knees and made her feel so vulnerable in a way she hadn't felt since she had ended with Johnathan. In this fragile state, she couldn't really hear the light knock on her door until it became a hammering noise.
"W-who is it?!" she managed, sounding irate more than anything.
"Mavis, it's me…" her blood ran hotter as soon as she heard her father's voice, calling at her from the other side of the door. He had promised Kevin would be fine. He told her he would keep Kevin safe throughout this stupid plan of theirs.
"Go away! You promised me he'll be safe, you lied to me!" her anger was speaking for her, and it showed. If her father dared to come into her room…
"Mavis… it's alright…"
She knew that voice…
She had been afraid of never hearing it again.
It couldn't be.
The vampiress warily opened the door, and came face to face with Kevin. Barely standing, leaning against her father, and clearly winded by as little effort as walking required. But he was alive. He could walk. Smile at her despite the pain he was feeling. Flashing those adorable eyes at her. In one fluid motion Mavis threw the door open and enveloped him in a hug that threatened to stop his heart again.
"Mav-…. Can't…. breath" he wasn't joking, breathing under her embrace was nigh impossible, and he really needed the oxygen right now.
"Sorry…" she muttered, still holding him close, laughing out of sheer nervousness and relief to see him up. Dracula gently ushered them inside, willing nobody to see that Kevin was still alive, lest the plan be ruined and his sacrifice rendered useless.
"Don't you ever scare me again like that, you inconsiderate idiot!" Dracula's daughter told to her lover, helping him lie on her bed and getting him as comfortable as possible.
"Sorry for that. I didn't expect Garrett to dislike me this much" he had the gall to joke, earning a light slap in the shoulder that made him wince and Mavis chuckle despite the situation.
From the closed door, Dracula just silently watched as his daughter returned to her calmer self. Dotting after Kevin and settling for the coming responsibility of caring after him; she seemed unfazed by what such things would entail, and how hard it would potentially be to watch and care the young man back into shape. Or maybe she knew, but the relief and love she was feeling were enough to convince her she could do it. There was no denying, whatever the reason, at times like this she was the living image of her mother. Misting himself out of the room to give them their privacy, the only other question in his mind was if Kevin understood how lucky he was to have someone like the Count's daughter by his side.
Dracula had a good feeling that the kid was aware of such fact…
So, I'm working a bit of overtime to get these to you before I have to go back to college. Hopefully they are to your satisfaction, and don't worry, I'll tackle this one until it's done, then I'll move to 'No Second Thoguhts' and give it the same treatment. Please leave a Review, constructive criticism is always welcome and helps shape up the stories. See ya next update.
