Chapter 12

Morinaga watched, amused, as Tatsumi picked up one piece of clothing then let it fall on the bed again to favor another that ended up the same way. He knew that the human wouldn't like any of the things he picked for him to choose from but he wanted to see his pet in those clothes. Since he didn't know how long he could make the human stay until his brother put his foot down and made Tatsumi return home, he wanted to use every moment of the time that they had left.

The vampire was starting to think of visiting Tatsumi in the human world when he returned there, but in order to do so and not spook the human too much he needed to treat Sou-chan a bit more considerately. For some vampires that might have been a problem but luckily Tetsuhiro Morinaga had a kind nature in general. He doubted that Tatsumi would agree with him but that was only because the human hadn't met any other vampires. His kind weren't the most lovable beings alive. Some percentage of the population was more like Morinaga but those vampires were in the minority. All vampires were reasonable and very intelligent so generally they knew what to do to climb to the top and stay there. Killing mindlessly and abusing their power wasn't in their day to day activities. That would get them nowhere. That simple truth made Morinaga think very hard about how far he should go in pushing Tatsumi.

He watched Sou-chan hesitate and saw that the human was getting more and more annoyed with the outfits. He wasn't anywhere near breaking so Morinaga didn't think he was pushing too hard. Their little tumble in his bed not so long ago had pushed Tatsumi to his limits but it hadn't broken him. His spirit was as strong as it always was and the sight of such a strong willed human was making Morinaga hard. He didn't think that acting on his lust would warm Tatsumi's feelings towards him, so instead he concentrated on the human's antics with his choices of dress. It didn't help much in quelling Morinaga's lust but it certainly served to amuse him. He knew better than to show it, though. When Souichi started mumbling curses and his heartbeat accelerated, the vampire knew that he might need to help the human a bit. He didn't want Tatsumi to get too pissed, just slightly to make the fire in him show in his eyes.

The vampire shivered thinking of that burning gaze and wished it directed at him out of passion. 'A goal worthy of achieving.'

"Can't make up your mind, Souichi?" Morinaga asked, watching the human fume silently, his cheeks turning that lovely red color.

He heard Tatsumi curse under his breath a bit longer before turning his attention to the vampire.

"There's nothing to choose from," he answered tightly.

Morinaga saw how taut the human's body was and knew that covering his ears might be a very good idea. He just barely controlled that urge.

"I picked out five different sets of garments for you. You have plenty to choose from," Morinaga reasoned.

"I don't want to wear any of these stupid things!" Tatsumi actually stomped his foot.

'He's so amusing. Adorable. And so strong.' The vampire was sure Tatsumi wanted to yell at him but held back. 'He has more self control than I thought. He's really something else.'

"I wanted to be nice and give you a choice so that you could decide what to wear, and you're wrinkling up your nose and rebuffing my good will," Morinaga shook his head in exasperation, which made Tatsumi's cheeks flush even more.

"Proper clothes should cover a person's skin as much as possible and these… rags' purpose is clearly to expose as much skin as possible. They will make me feel as if I'm naked!" Sou-chan stressed, pulling on his hair out of sheer frustration. His skin was flushed, taking on a very tempting color and giving the vampire a feast for the eyes.

'My little pet strolling around naked. Oh, the horror,' Morinaga grinned.

"I told you already. Either you wear one of these or you'll really be naked," Morinaga shrugged.

He wouldn't mind leaving all that skin bare. It would make it so much easier for him to just grab Tatsumi and do all those wicked things to him without having to rip clothes from his body. To be totally truthful, he had picked out only the most sexy outfits for the human. Those five outfits laid out on the bed right now were the ones that Morinaga wanted to see Tatsumi wear the most.

"Isn't there anything more…" Souichi gripped his hair in frustration again and groaned, clearly not happy with Morinaga's choices of garments for him. "Look, can I see what else is in that closet?" he asked, looking at the vampire.

"No." Morinaga watched Tatsumi, curious as to what the human would do now that he was denied any other wardrobe choices.

"And why the hell not?" Tatsumi yelled with frustration and anger. His eyes watched Morinaga intently as if trying to influence the vampire to do what Tatsumi wanted.

Clearly Morinaga's refusal spiked the human's anger quite strongly. 'He's so beautiful like that. How the hell am I going to let him go?' Morinaga thought.

"Because I want to see you in one of these outfits," he answered sternly, not leaving any room for further discussion. Morinaga knew that he wasn't gaining any points by such behavior but he just couldn't give in. He never in his life had encountered such a stubborn man as Souichi Tatsumi and didn't even know if it was a bad thing or not. He himself was a very stubborn person and he knew that if he wanted to have the upper hand he couldn't give in, not yet anyway. Not before Souichi capitulated a bit more than he had already.

"But-" The human wanted to argue further.

"No buts! Just pick something out," Morinaga encouraged.

Tatsumi growled and crossed his arms over his chest, clearly not happy with Morinaga and the whole situation he was in.

"I won't wear skirts," he stated firmly, glaring at Morinaga from under his glasses.

"There's only one actual skirt there. The rest are trousers."

"But they-" Tatsumi wanted to argue again.

"I told you no more buts!" Morinaga growled.

The human flinched a bit and Morinaga regretted using such harsh tone with him. He wasn't a very patient person, but losing his head in any way with Tatsumi would lead only to disaster. He needed to stay calm and focused and listen to Tatsumi as much as possible. It made his life a lot more difficult but also a lot more interesting as well.

'I can't complain really. I love challenges.'

"It really looks like you need some help in choosing, so I'm gonna help you and you will wear one of these outfits." Morinaga saw that Tatsumi was about to say something so he added quickly, "Or you'll go without any clothes." That efficiently shut Souichi up. 'For the moment anyway.'

The vampire picked up the very short, slick, and shiny black skirt. It would have fit Souichi so nicely, clinging to his lower belly, back and buttocks and exposing most of his delicious legs for Morinaga's hungry eyes. True, there wasn't any underwear available for the skirt but the length of it was enough to cover Souichi's manhood. He hadn't had much hope that Souichi would actually pick this one, but a man could always hope, right?

Along with the skirt came some matching gloves that covered the whole wrist and were cut from the same material the skirt was made from. They were fingerless, so the person wearing them wouldn't get too hot but still made sure they looked fancy. There were also boots and a top. The boots were slightly heeled with the heel broad enough for anyone to handle walking in. They were laced and high enough to reach right under the knee. Tatsumi would have been as tall as Morinaga with them on. The top was also slick and shiny and looked like just a strip of material tied at the back, but after a more thoughtful examination it turned into a very neatly designed corset that would just cover his chest and bind tightly in the back.

Morinaga salivated just a little bit thinking about how gorgeous his human would have looked in this gear. 'Too bad he's so opposed to the skirt.'

"You really don't want to wear this?" He had to try. Maybe a miracle would happen and Sou-chan would actually agree to wearing these things.

The human gave him a look that clearly stated what Souichi thought of that question.

Morinaga shrugged. "It was worth trying," he grinned at Tatsumi, whose cheeks pinked. Morinaga wasn't really sure if it was from embarrassment or anger but he wasn't really interested in the answer so he let it go. For now.

"You don't want to wear this outfit so you have only four more to choose from. It should be easier now, right?" 'One down, four to go. I'm really very curious what he'll choose in the end.'

"Those are not clothes I'd want to wear in any circumstances. Any single one of them," Tatsumi hissed out. He was glaring at the garments laid out for him as if willing them to catch fire and stop insulting him with their presence.

"Why not? They're not that bad." Morinaga knew he was pushing but he also couldn't understand the human either. 'He comes from a world that doesn't really think about modesty much anymore but he acts as if I'm showing him something taboo.'

Sure, he could use his power and read the thoughts that were swimming in Tatsumi's head right under the surface, but that would have been too easy. It also wouldn't further his case and warm Sou-chan towards him so using only his abilities to read a person's body language had to be enough for the vampire right now.

"Not that bad? Not that bad? Then look at this!" Tatsumi grabbed one of the longer pair of pants and shook it in front of Morinaga's nose.

"Aww… they're not that bad. I'd really like to see you in them," Morinaga winked.

"Over my dead body," said Sou-chan vehemently, throwing the pants back on the bed.

"We don't really want you dead, do we?" asked Morinaga, amused. He hadn't meant anything by that but perhaps he had used the wrong words because the human paled.

"Of course not!" Tatsumi said clearly shocked, his eyes open wide. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights, but to Morinaga's surprise, he pulled himself together very quickly. "But I won't wear those stupid pants," he grumbled.

Morinaga sighed in relief. If his stupid words had damaged the fragile connection he had managed to establish during Souichi's bath he would have been very annoyed with himself. Although he doubted that he would have been as annoyed as Tatsumi with the prospect of wearing those pants. Personally, Morinaga thought that they were great and he wouldn't mind wearing them once in a while to seduce his lover, but since he didn't plan on getting too involved with anyone he didn't think he would have the opportunity.

He looked at the pants and picked them up from the bed where Sou-chan had just tossed them and examined them. The light rose pants were see-through and the material very light. Sequins sewn at the waist made the pants glitter. Morinaga was sure that if Souichi wore those pants he wouldn't be able to stop staring at the human's delicious ass. The pant legs were open on the outside from hip to ankle where they were bound tightly to the leg. There were sequins down at the ankle too. The top covered the chest and shoulders and was bound at the back. It was also covered with sequins. The material at the front was cut like a triangle with the tip pointing towards the belly button. On the sides were tassels that had the same sequins on the ends as everywhere else. The sleeves began in the middle of the arm and ended by the wrist, again with sequins at each cuff. The material was very loose although it was tightly bound on both ends so it wouldn't slip off. When the arm was down the sleeve covered half the hand.

A bit disappointed by Tatsumi's refusal of this outfit, Morinaga shrugged and started gathering everything that came with the pants. There was more clothing to choose from after all.

"So I'll take this outfit, too. Now you have only three left," he lifted an eyebrow at the pouting human. Tatsumi looked adorable and it took every ounce of self control that Morinaga possessed not to pounce on him right at that moment.

'If it's going to be like that with all the remaining outfits he won't have anything left to wear,' Morinaga mused. Then he got an idea. 'If he's going to say no to everything I show him then he will have to wear the last outfit. Why hadn't I thought of that earlier?' The vampire grinned wickedly in his head.

"How about this one?" Morinaga pointed at one of the remaining three outfits.

This time it were white genie pants overlaid with triangular folds of fabric forming ruffles that were edged with gold trim and tipped with tiny bells. The ruffles started just below the waistband, the bells attached to the free corner falling at about mid thigh, the folds they made cascading down the legs and anchored into the tight cuffs at the ankles. The pants were also tight fitting in the hips and had sequins and golden thread at the waist. Golden gloves made of thread with the same small bells attached were also available with this outfit. They left the fingers uncovered and reached a little above the wrists. They looked like slave bracelets in Morinaga's opinion, but he thought that keeping this opinion to himself was the wisest move. This ensemble, just like the previous one, had light slippers as shoes. The chest was left bare and that compensated for the opaque material of the pants.

There was one more item in this set. A nice collar made also of gold thread with sequins and bells just like the pants and gloves. The vampire felt his arousal spike at the mere thought of Tatsumi in that collar. The whole set looked very nice and Morinaga mildly hoped that Sou-chan would agree to wearing it.

"Where's the shirt? Or a top or anything else to go with those pants?" Sou-chan asked, grumbling and looking at the dress askew.

"There isn't one," Morinaga said simply, happily. "The weather here's quite hot and the castle is designed in a way that makes wearing such light clothes not a bother. If you didn't notice before, it's nice and warm in here," Morinaga's eyes shone with mirth and mischief. "You don't need a shirt," he winked.

"You have one," Tatsumi pointed.

"I need it for official business," Morinaga shrugged. Yes, he was fully clothed but only because as the brother of a ruling Vampire Lord he had his own duties that he couldn't attend to dressed in a manner that he would prefer. His clothes were a symbol of his status. They weren't anything as fancy as his brother's clothes, but they didn't leave any doubt that he wasn't a person to mess with. He wasn't wearing a shirt, only a short tunic and fitted pants, but apparently Tatsumi was envious of his wardrobe.

"Well, I need one, too!" the human demanded.

"No, you don't," Morinaga said and removed the recently rejected outfit. "You look better without anything covering your chest and those lovely nipples," Morinaga leered. His hands were itching to touch them, to pinch and roll and make the human gasp and moan and beg for more.

The human consciously covered his chest with his arms and Morinaga saw that he was on the verge of lashing out. Somehow he managed to restrain himself and that remarkable self control made Morinaga admire the human.

"Forget it," Tatsumi spat at Morinaga and returned his attention to the remaining attire.

The vampire saw him freeze when he noticed what was left for him to choose from.

"I won't wear these, either."

"Fine by me," Tetsuhiro chuckled. He saw the moment when Sou-chan realized what would happen now that he had refused these outfits.

'Now it'll be entertaining.'

'I want to wake up! Please, anybody, wake me up! This is a nightmare!'

Souichi stared at the last two remaining garments, both of them unacceptable. The three that Morinaga was right now putting back in the wardrobe were even more unacceptable, but he felt less sure now than he had felt when all of the outfits were laid out for him. Souichi looked at one of his worst nightmares lying on the bed and shuddered. He couldn't even touch the thing.

A metal plate at the front and a metal belt at the back, tied together at both sides with leather straps. There was material there between the two pieces and it seemed to be a very fancy looking thong. His ass would have been exposed for all to see if not for a strip of brown material coming down from the belt. There was also material at the front covering the groin but that wasn't much of a comfort. He would have had his legs totally exposed almost the same way as the second outfit if he wore that thing.

'Not gonna happen.' Not to mention that this set didn't have a top either, only some arm bracelets, a collar and some stupid looking shoes that came almost to the middle of the calf. All of it was brown, the metal unpolished but also shining in some weird way. Souichi didn't really want to think of how he would look in this outfit. He was also very against finding it out.

That left only one outfit and that one wasn't much better than all the other ones. Souichi winced. He didn't want to go naked and it looked like he would need to wear that rag even against his will. Luckily for Souichi it was the most covering outfit, although he would have preferred it if it was a lot thicker. The material wasn't as see-through as one of the other outfits that Morinaga had put out for him but it also wasn't as thick as those white pants with those stupid bells. The color was not that bad either. He wasn't opposed to blue. His jeans were blue, after all.

'Wait a minute!'

"I want to wear my own clothes! Where are the things I was wearing when you brought me here? I want my jeans and shirt!" Souichi whirled and was now facing the vampire, ready to fight him for his own clothes.

Morinaga looked at him blankly for a moment then leaned his back on the closet door and crossed his hands over his chest in a casual manner.

"Sorry, but that's not possible. I got rid of your clothes."

"What?" Souichi yelled. He took a step forward, forgetting for the moment that he was not dealing with a human but a dangerous vampire.

"I didn't like them much," Morinaga shrugged. The entire time he looked straight and calmly into Souichi's eyes.

"But I liked them! I want them back!" Souichi nearly whined. He really did like those jeans and if Morinaga was telling the truth then Souichi would not be the happiest person alive.

"Although I have my magic I can't undo the damage. I ripped them off of you together with your shirt, if you would remember, and my servants just threw them away while cleaning my room," Morinaga explained patiently.

"You have got to be shitting me!" Souichi pulled his hair with his hands while mumbling curses under his breath. He chose to ignore Morinaga for a moment although the vampire didn't let himself be ignored for long.

"I have provided other garments for you, haven't I? You don't need to despair so much, do you now?" the vampire asked.

Souichi glared at Morinaga but didn't say anything. He suspected that further bickering with the vampire wouldn't get him anywhere. Ignoring the annoying vampire for the time being, Souichi concentrated on the only reasonable piece of clothing available to wear. It looked like he would wear two colors, blue and gold. The blue material was a bit thicker than the gold one. Souichi sighed and looked at Morinaga again.

"Did you make your pick, Sou-chan?" Morinaga asked, not giving Souichi time to speak.

"Don't call me that, stupid vampire," Souichi mumbled under his breath. He suspected that Morinaga had heard him if the chuckle was anything to go by, but even then the vampire didn't move one bit from his place against the wardrobe door.

"I'll take that as a yes," Morinaga chuckled again.

Souichi took the outfit that he wouldn't be wearing and threw it at the vampire, who caught it and swiftly put it back into the wardrobe. Then he moved from his spot and Souichi backed up a few steps, suddenly nervous of the vampire's next move.

'Don't tell me he'll want to help me dress…'

"I'll give you a moment to dress. When you're ready, come down," he said moving to the stairs and slowly descending to the lower floor. "There will be something to eat waiting for you when you do."

Souichi just stared. The vampire had managed to surprise and confuse him again.