The Passion of the Christman
Chapter 33
By BH90210
The demon roared but did not push Christian off. Despite the wolf prince being a capable fighter, there was little doubt that through the tough hide of scales, spines, and bone the lycanthrope hardly did any damage to the beast with his own claws and sharp teeth. Despite his young age and having the supernatural strength of the full moon, it appeared the giant monstrosity had the upper hand in the fight.
Instead, he dug his claws into the demon's tough exterior, ensuring he got a lock around its right leg as the unholy beast roared in pain while his partner waited to the side to make his move. Turning to Sherman, the vampire royal, who too bore his fangs and hissed at the hell monster, readied the sacred dagger in his hand.
"The beast cannot be bested!" Christian shouted. "Sherman, here's your chance! Drive the blade into the demon's heart!"
Sherman nodded in agreement. With the power of the Nosferatu blessed within his body, the vampire prince rushed at the creature. The hell beast roared again, distracted by the assault by Christian, allowing his ally to make his move. Raising the ancient knife high, he vaulted into the air, focused the point of the blade on the monster's chest and sank it fully until the hilt protruded from its soon to be deteriorating organ.
It shrieked in pain, kicking Christian off causing him to collide against Sherman. The pair toppled to the side of the hill as they got their bearings and scrambled up to finally see the demon explode into a ball of fire.
Flames shot out everywhere, igniting the dry branches and leaves nearby. Soon a portion of the woods began to be engulfed in flames.
"Grab the dagger!" Sherman suggested.
Christian nodded. Through the darkness of the night sky, he somersaulted over several dead logs until he came across the burnt ash of the remains of the now vanquished hell monster. Scanning the pile of blackened debris, he located the ancient knife and he rushed back to where Sherman was standing. From the distance, he could hear the sirens of emergency crews of police, ambulances, and fire trucks racing toward this area of the woods that now had been set ablaze.
"Hurry!" Sherman warned. "There is a secluded cave nearby we can hideout for the night until the humans leave!"
"But the fire…" Christian protested. "Shouldn't we help extinguish it?"
Sherman exhaled. "And risk exposure to the supernatural world? No, the humans can deal with the blaze." He extended his hand to the wolf prince. "You coming?"
Christian nodded, accepted it and together the pair disappeared into the woods.
Hours later, the sounds of sirens vanished. Sitting in front of a makeshift fire they made inside the dark cavern, the two supernatural monarchs looked at one another. Vampire prince, Sherman Daniels, and Christian Codex, the werewolf royal of his pack. Both their blue eyes gazed at one another. Enemies. Rivals. Reluctant allies. Sherman laughed.
"What's so funny?" Christian asked accusingly.
Sherman shook his head. "This. Who knew that two enemy tribes would unite to bring down a demon spawn from hell?"
Christian had to admit he was right. Their clans had been at war for centuries, as they were with other supernatural tribes from witches to the fae; not to mention their disdain for humankind. The fact that he, a lycanthrope royal, worked to bring down a monster from hell with a vampire even surprised him.
He sighed. "You know doesn't change anything. The ancient war will continue, and no peace will ever happen even when the last demon is gone."
"True," said Sherman standing up. "But for now, let's just enjoy this moment." Slowly, he approached him, pulled Christian up by the arms until they were face to face.
The wolf prince could feel his breath tickle his face. He looked away, pain and torture filling his sky-blue eyes. "We can't do this anymore, Sherman."
"Do what?" The vampire royal whispered. His tongue licked Christian's cheek.
"Seeing each other in secret," Christian answered. "Our kingdoms are supernatural enemies. We'll only influence our subjects to despise one another even further."
Sherman grinned wickedly and licked his lips. "Then I suggest, we enjoy this moment." He grabbed his face until their mouths connected. Lips, teeth, and tongues tasted every inch within their kiss.
It had been so long since they touched each other and now they could no longer wait. Gripping Christian's t-shirt, Sherman lifted it off revealing the werewolf boy's fit body and flat abdomen. In appreciation, the vampire bent down and left a trail of kisses across Christian's chest and stomach before he felt himself pushed away to see his lover kneeling and unbuckling the belt buckle of his pants.
Soon, Sherman felt Christian's hand sliding inside his trousers until he found his…
"Oh my God, I loved you on Restless Lives!"
This woke Liam Dunbar up. He shut off the screen of his phone and stared at the girl cosplaying in a magical schoolgirl anime outfit that he was not familiar with.
"Um, thanks," he replied, snapping out of his trance, and returning to his job. The fangirl shoved a black and white glossy of his face to which he autographed his photo and handed it back to her. "I'm glad you liked the show." He said politely.
The fangirl clapped her hands ecstatically. "Are you kidding? I had the biggest teen crush on your character Galen. That soap opera was my life! The storyline where your character was kidnapped by an extremist religious terrorist organization and then held you for ransom while your rich family tried to get you back while battling drug dealers and inbred serial killer hillbillies? That deserved a daytime award!"
Her remark was cringeworthy and laughable but sadly true. Being part of a popular long running daytime soap opera meant doing outrageous plotlines where his character was put through the ringer from being a drug addict, alcoholic, a crime lord, a comatose patient and hostage victim several times. Still, he would not trade the acting experience for anything,
The fangirl giggled as she flipped a tendril of her wig hair at him. "You know," she purred. "I would love to show my appreciation for your talent sometime." She pulled a piece of paper hidden inside her schoolgirl cleavage and slid it toward him across the table. "This is my number. I'm staying at a hotel near the con. Call me when you're free." She grinned.
Liam's blue eyes turned to nervous fear. Not wanting to be rude, he went to accept the paper before a hand slammed down covering and blocking access to it. He turned to see his childhood ex and BFF, Hayden Romero, grabbing the offending article and toss it back at the cosplay girl.
"Sorry, bitch," Hayden snarled. "He's taken!"
Cosplay girl's mouth dropped. She clutched her cleavage, appalled that someone just cockblocked her. "And you are?"
"Name's Hayden," Liam's friend stated aggressively. "He's with me. Maybe you might remember me from the four years I played the villainous teen bitch, Moira, on Restless Lives? Well, I'm one in real life too!" She waved a hand at her. "Bye Felicia! Oh, and if you are really that thirsty, might I suggest you take your nasty ass to the autographed section of the con. The Z-List geriatric actors there are taking applications for sugar babies!"
"Bitch!" Cosplay girl hissed.
"Proud of it, ho!" Hayden smirked flipping the fangirl the bird.
Has-been! The cosplay girl's last words echoed as she immediately disappeared among the crowds of con fans at the convention center. Hayden rolled her eyes and took her seat back behind her booth chair.
"You sure told her," Kira Yukimura snicked as she reapplied lip gloss to her mouth while staring into her compact. Now 30, the Japanese Korean American actress saw her career taking off after being a struggling reality show teen model contestant on the seventh season of American Runway hosted by former supermodel, Styla Stanks. Though she came in sixth place, a talent manager saw Kira on the show, snatched her up, and transformed her career into being a successful recording artist, actress, and brand ambassador in Asia.
Hayden fixed her dark curls. "Someone had to. Some of these fans are getting too stalkery and don't know the meaning of boundaries."
"I'm sure that wasn't her intention," noted Liam. "She seemed nice."
"Nice?" His other best friend, Mason Hewitt, sat next to him inside the booth. "Bruh, you're so naïve, Liam!" Mason laughed. "That girl wanted to get inside your pants. Girls like that want to build some clout by fucking a celebrity."
Even at twenty-five, the African American stuntman knew how the world work, especially in Hollywood. From being an in-demand stunt person of color, Mason was fortunate enough to build a resume stunting in blockbuster films like Pantherman, The Transforming Go-Go Bots, and The Furious Fast Ones. Currently, he appears as actor Vernon Boyd's stunt double on the popular teen supernatural show, Beacon Hills. Vernon Boyd plays the royal werewolf general which requires Mason to do many high-flying wireworks and fighting choreography as his character. A feat that he was always pumped up to do.
Hayden clucked her tongue. "Liam, you really can't be that gullible. That girl reeked of star-fucking. Even I could see it a mile away from the cheaply made poor excuse for Halloween cosplay costume. Plus, her wig was fucked up and shedding."
Liam covered his mouth to laugh. He could count on his twenty-five-year-old female bestie to make him giggle. Ever since they entered the industry together as kid actors and became represented by the same agency, M&M Inc, the pair had supported each other throughout their careers. Starting out as child stars on the Cinemascope Kids Network, which lasted two years, the duo transitioned into more serious roles when they were cast as troubled teens in the long running soap Restless Lives.
They practically grew up together, matured, even briefly dated in their teen years before Liam discovered his attraction to men and confessed his true feelings to Hayden. To no surprise, she became his biggest ally and supporter to the point that she appointed herself as his honorary beard and wing woman. A still common practice in the entertainment industry that required their LGBT actors to stay in the closet for the sake of their careers. Though, he wished at times that she did not.
Now trapped together at the Los Angeles Con Fest International, or the LACFI, a pop culture convention that promoted all things comic books, film, television, toys, art, and anime, the quartet were there to promote their upcoming sci-fi comedy movie, Invader Busters, that was being released in the fall on the streaming service, Interflix.
A stoner, slacker comedy, Invader Busters deals with a group of hapless teenagers and college students who reluctantly must repel an alien invasion in their hometown. Already, the reviews had been favorable and early buzz of the film has generated some interest. However, the production company had sent the actors and their lead stunt person to the con to promote the movie. Though it seemed they have not garnered that many attendees to their booth within the last few days.
Kira groaned and rubbed her temple. "Thank God, tomorrow is the last day of this. I don't understand why the company didn't want to spring for a speaking forum to promote the film."
Hayden scoffed. "Because the damn production company is cheap as fuck! I know we were working on a low budget but they're not doing much to promote this project." The Latina actress was correct especially when it came to Hollywood productions. She had been around the block a long time to know how bureaucratic Tinseltown was. She decided to change the subject. "Let's talk about something more positive. I could use some good news right now." She turned to Kira. "When are you shooting the sequel to Asian Bling?"
"They're in preproduction right now," Kira answered. "I fly out in five months to shoot my first scenes in Bali."
"Bali?" Liam's blue eyes shot up. "Cool!" He had to admit he was a bit jealous. He never got the roles that required him to work internationally.
Asian Bling became a monumental film for the Asian community. Based on a popular comedy book trilogy, Asian Bling dealt with a crazy, rich Asian family and their dysfunctional issues. Kira played the airheaded, middle sister Enid and the success of the first film demonstrated to Hollywood that cultural movies and films with minorities can be successful in America.
"And you, Mason?" Kira asked their companion. "Doesn't Pantherman 2 start shooting soon?"
"Next year," he corrected. "The producers are still trying to secure permits to shoot on location in Africa. The deal is almost finalized. Plus, I am too busy with Beacon Hills anyway. The production schedule is long."
Hayden then focused on herself. "Guess what, guys?"
"You came out as a lesbian!" Liam joked.
Hayden scowled. She playfully hit him on the shoulder. "Shut up! You wish!" She rolled her eyes. "No. Lydia, our agent, just confirmed I got the role of the Theodora, the Wicked Witch of the West, in the touring company of the musical Oz, The Great and Powerful!"
Kira squealed in glee and went to hug her. "Oh my God! That's the lead part! I love that show and you get to be strapped up in a harness and belt the big musical numbers! Awesome!"
Liam embraced her too. "You deserve it, Hayden. Congrats."
"Thanks," his BFF giggled. "I guess those years of recording music for Cinemascope Kids finally paid off. I'm can finally call myself a musical theatre actor!"
"As you should," Liam added. "You always had the musical talent. Me, I always hated when Cinemascope Kids made me sing in stuff, not realizing I'm tone deaf. They finally got the picture and put in me the chorus whenever they had us to do cast recordings. Thank God, that's all over with."
Mason whipped out his phone and began scrolling. "What cast recordings were you on, Liam? I might just order off Amasmile Online!"
Embarrassed, Liam reached for his friend's phone before his own slipped out his pocket and clattered on to their booth's autograph table. Hayden quickly picked it up, turned on the screen, and slid it to input his passcode.
"What's this?"
Her eyes skimmed through the naughty story on his screen. Horrified, Liam attempted to grab it from her hands, but dodged his attempt.
"Don't read that!" Liam protested.
"The Passion of the Christman!" Hayden declared in front of everyone. "Written by user BH90210! An erotic gay M slash M story involving characters, Christian Codex and Sherman Daniels, of the television show, Beacon Hills!" Her eyes rapidly scanned the screen as started laughed. "Oh man! There's plenty of gay swordplay going on here!" She turned to her humiliated best friend. "Liam, you dirty minded horndog, you!"
Liam finally got his phone from her and scowled. "Look, what I read is nobody's business! I like fanfiction, so sue me! He stared at Hayden. "Besides, how did you get access to my security pin on my phone?"
Hayden clucked on her tongue. "Your passcode is always your birthyear. You never change it. Seriously, Liam, you need to get a better security system." Shaking her head, she shrugged. "Relax, if you want to read dirty fanfiction, that is entirely up to you. It's a free country." She threw up her hands. "No judgments here."
Mason stepped in. "Chill, Liam. I think fanfics are great. It helps generate interest into a show and even displays how much fans appreciate the work the actors, writers, and creators are doing. It's flattering." Then he paused. "Well, maybe not so much for the actors."
"What do you mean?" Liam asked, curious over his remark.
"Listen, man," Mason pointed out. "Beacon Hills is the number one teen show right now on UPN and that is why it's on its finishing its fourth season. The guys that play Sherman and Christian? They're the heartthrobs of the show and originally were marketed for the female audience. Eventually, the LGBTAIQ community embraced the homoeroticism between the two leads and got on board later. This whole Christman shipping thing…"
"What do you mean by Christman thing? What is shipping?" Hayden asked Mason, totally confused.
"Shipping is when two popular characters from a movie or tv show demonstrate perfect chemistry that fans of the medium wish the two become a couple in a canon storyline," corrected Kira, adding more lip gloss to her mouth. "Take the two male characters from Beacon Hills, Christian and Sherman. Even though they aren't gay on the show, fans are clamoring to see them as a gay couple to the point they are combining their names into one like real life celebrities."
"It's like Brangelina or Bennifer," added Liam.
"Or putting Katniss and Peeta together to form Peenis!" All eyes stared at her in surprise. She shrugged. "What? I read and subscribe to fanfiction too like on NotePad, , and . They're fun and creative! You got to give the authors props with coming up with something different!"
"Exactly," Mason continued. "Anyway, the Christman thing was a response from the community to wish for the two male characters, Christian and Sherman, to be a real pairing on the show. The fandom is asking for it but the actors and even the creators are downplaying the requests."
Kira jumped in. "Hence, they have all these Christman fan writes popping up in the community in response to add their version of canon to the story. Personally, I'm not a Beacon Hills fans but even I have heard of this popular fanfic, The Passion of the Christman. It's all over the fandom portals and garnering millions of readers responding to this story. Too bad this BH90210 doesn't cash in and write dirty fanfics using fake characters and names like what L. E. Jaymes does for her book, Blue Levels of Color."
Hayden scoffed and snickered. "Blue Levels of Color? You mean that raunchy BDSM mommy porn book that is based on the stupid, teen vampire book series, Glittering Fangs? God, that was fucking atrocious!"
"Precisely," Kira said nonchalantly while checking her nails. "But that God-awful novel made millions and now is being optioned for a film."
"Who are they going to cast?" Her friend asked in a groan. "Pornstars?"
"Maybe, the two hot leads of Beacon Hills," giggled Kira sarcastically. "Though I wouldn't mind seeing Sherman and Christian getting it on. The Passion of the Christman is one hot story!"
Not one to be out of the loop, Hayden took out her phone and began searching for The Passion of the Christman online. Sure enough, a whole list popped up and she clicked on one of the links. Her finger scrolled to the comments section.
"Oh man," she noted. "The comments are mixed, and some are brutal." She began to read it off.
Extenzzz
This story is so hawt! I want Christman to happen!
Apollo131313
Sherman and Christian are the hottest couple ever! Christman 4-Ever!
skaterboisee
Ohhh! I want these 2 to wreck my bussy!
Tygra Tygra
Quit with the gay shit! Sherman and Christian are straight! Stop forcing your own agenda!
christyfeels
I'm not homophobic but the Bible says homosexuality is a sin! These two characters are committing an immoral act! Leviticus 18:22. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman, it is an abomination.
Give Me Your Proud
Oh great! Another Hollywood story of homosexual propaganda!
MrsWhittmore
Look, I like your story but it's so unlike the characters of Beacon Hills. It's so out of character. Sad to break it to you but the characters are heterosexual, assuming anything otherwise is not canon and will not happen in the show. I suggest selecting another fandom that is truer to the type of fanfiction you want to write. Please leave Beacon Hills alone.
facemaskandsad
Dammnit! Christian and Sherman get more action than I do! My life sucks!
azureicon790
Anyone here have any slash pics of these two? Message me!
OrbizTrout
GAY PORN! GAY PORN! GAY PORN! GAY PORN!
Hayden was nearly rolling on the floor after reading these comments. The trio had to pull back up as she clutched her stomach in laughter.
"Damn," she guffawed. "These people are such losers. It's a fucking made-up story! Some of these posters need to get a life!"
Kira added something to else. "Still, it's a fanfic that has everyone talking about it. The Passion of the Christman already has ten million readers compared to other Christman fandoms. Obviously, this BH90210 is doing something right."
Hayden wiped the laughing tears from her eyes. "Yeah, it's triggering tons of attention and I'm sure the rest of commenters are just jelly that this story exists. So, suck it to all of them!"
Deciding to change to subject, Mason addressed Liam. "In an hour, the con is hosting the Beacon Hills forum. I'm going to go and support the cast and crew. Want to come?"
Liam hesitated. "But we still have a few more hours manning Invader Busters for the day. We can't just leave our spot."
"Just go, fanboy!" Hayden insisted. She looked around at their sorry booth table. "Kira and I can handle the booth for a few hours. It's not we like we're attracting any crowds to our movie." Then she winked at her best friend. "Plus, you get to meet your real-life crushes, Sherman and Christian!" She teased.
Mason nodded. "Yeah, I know Issac and Theo. They're cool guys. I'll introduce you."
"But won't the auditorium be packed?" Liam questioned. "The popular ones always are."
"We've got reserved seats in the front," Mason explained. "No worries, Liam."
"See," Hayden pushed. "All taken care of." She shoved her best friend toward the stuntman. "Go to the forum, daydream about your Christman fantasy, and do reckless things that I want to hear about later!" She laughed. "Don't come back here until I see Liam doing the walk of shame!"
Kira giggled. "And practice safe sex!" She added for a laugh.
Blushing, Liam ran off as into the crowd with Mason following. The stuntman gave a thumbs up to the girls before chasing after his young guest.
Both girls grinned in wicked satisfaction.
Backstage in the auditorium, the featured cast and crew readied themselves half an hour before going on to discuss and promote their hit supernatural television show, Beacon Hills. Taking place in a fictional northern California seaside town, a group of human monster hunters move into a seemingly quiet, location only to discover an ancient century war taking place between mythical beings and creatures such as werewolves, vampires, witches, and fairies.
With his blue eyes, dark hair, and chiseled good looks, twenty-five-year-old Theo Raeken attempted to get in contact with his agent, Allison Argent, of the Argent Entertainment Corporation. As the Hollywood offspring of the late rock musician, Deucalion Raeken, and former supermodel, Jennifer Blake, Theo had been a child actor appearing in over a hundred television commercials before becoming a kid star om the Andersen-Grimm Network. His children's show, The Extra Terrestrials, a sitcom about a family of refugee aliens from outer space ran for four seasons making him an in-demand "it boy" of the time. Now trying to transition into more significant adult roles made it impossible for him to be taken seriously in this business.
"Allison!" Theo exclaimed on his cell. "Good I caught you. Any word about having a meeting for the Freedom Champions upcoming film?"
The Freedom Champions was a popular comic book property by Mard-Cavel Studios that showcased a team of superhero crimefighters in crime ridden fictional city of Millennium. Every actor in Hollywood wanted a role in the production.
Theo heard a sigh from the other end. "I'm sorry, Theo," she began. "But the producers are going to pass on you auditioning for them."
He swallowed hard before responding. "But why? I'd be perfect for the Atlantean part, I'm athletic, know how to swim and can bring some depth to the role."
"I know," Allison continued. "But the studio thinks you're not bankable enough."
Theo's mouth dropped. "Not bankable? But I'm one of the leads of a hit television show! My last comedy, Frat Boy Rush, was number one at the box office for two weeks! It made a hundred million!"
"Yeah," Allison agreed. "But they want someone that can pull two hundred million or more at the theater. The fact is they're not going to see you so for the Freedom Champions so there is no point in probing into the situation further. There will be other parts coming your way. You just have to be patient."
"Fine," Theo gritted his teeth. "I understand. Thanks, Allison." He said quickly, pressing the end call button on his phone.
Noticing his costar frustrated, the thirty-year-old Issac Lahey crossed over to him. "Everything okay, mate?" His British accent in full display unlike his America dialect that he plays as the vampire royal, Sherman Daniels, on the show.
"No," Theo stared at the ceiling. "I just lost out on a big role and the producers won't even want to give me a chance to audition."
Issac squeezed his shoulder. "Mate, one thing I've learned in this industry is that producers can be wankers. Don't let these arseholes ruin your day. You're talented and the right part will come along when it's your time. Right now, this role wasn't it. Be grateful for the blessings that you have like this show and the fans outside waiting to see you."
Theo exhaled. "You right, Issac. I can always count on you to talk me down from the ledge."
"Hey guys," interrupted their costar Malia Tate, who plays the witch Hennie Shellen on the show. "Did you read the latest The Passion of the Christman? It's even raunchier than the last post." She raised her phone.
The young actor playing the werewolf prince, Christian Codex, rubbed his temples. He hated that ridiculous fanfiction that paired him up with Issac. Don't people have better things to do than writing disgusting stories about real life people? Ever since, this fan write took off, Theo had been bombarded by crazy loons who want to discuss it with him. It's bad enough that readers fantasized about his characters having sex but the idea that fans daydreamed about the mechanics of intercourse with the same gender was just ludicrous. He just wanted it to all go away.
"I really don't want to see or hear about it, Malia." He declared to his costar. "It's gross and obscene."
"What is?" Malia giggled. "Gay sex? It's just as natural as straight sex. You should feel flattered that they're writing and talking about you."
"I don't!" Theo snapped. "Now can we drop it?"
Malia raised her hands up to surrender. "Okay, okay. It was just joke. Chill, Raeken."
At this point, Issac decided to step in. "Theo is dealing with stuff. Sorry, Malia, right now is not the right time…"
"Oh, look it's Mason!" Malia directed their attention to the back of the room as their stunt person entered the auditorium escorted by a young, handsome gentleman with dark blond hair. Theo immediately noticed Liam from his striking blue eyes and slender, swimmer's build in simple, long sleeved baseball t-shirt and fitted jeans that complimented his youthful frame, but he pushed his fascination to his earlier disappointment as the show's stuntman attempted to address his coworkers.
"Hey guys," he greeted them. "There is a huge crowd outside in line. Glad my friend and I got here in just in time." He began to introduce them. "Malia, Issac, this is my friend, Liam. He's also an actor too…" Liam began to extend his hand out to shake when Malia gasped.
"Wait!" Malia exclaimed. "You're Galen Pembroke from Restless Lives! I love that soap!"
"Guilty," Liam said shyly almost blushing. "But that was years ago. I've since graduated and have done other projects."
Issac took his hand and shook it firmly. "Good to meet you, mate." Liam could not believe it. First, that his favorite lead, Sherman Daniels was here in the flesh. And second, that the actor was British. Upon hearing Issac Lahey speak caused him to almost melt on the spot.
"And this is Theo Raeken," Mason directed his friend toward the other brooding actor in the room. Liam was most excited to meet the wolf prince himself. The real Christian Codex was even more handsome and mysterious in person. He offered his hand to shake his.
"I'm a big fan of the show…" he began.
"Sorry," Theo scowled, dismissing his effort. "I can't right now. I got to get ready for our forum." He turned his back as a confused Malia and Issac followed him toward the edge of the stage.
"Wow," Liam remarked, taken aback by the wolf prince's remark. "That was rude."
"Tell me about it," Mason agreed with a cluck of his tongue. "What crawled up his ass and died?"
Liam shrugged.
"Whatever," Mason replied dismissive of Theo's behavior. "Let's take our seats at the front."