A/N: thanks to danceofgold for keeping up and sticking with me. Enjoy!
Chapter 4: Payback's a bitch! Part 1
Zobek before leaving gave them Gabriel's journal and went on his way. Mathias pocketed the book and the group, excluding Soma, Arikado and Yoko, who remained in the Belmont home, returned to the Shrine. Arikado watched them as they disappeared down the road before returning to his beloved. He wasn't far; he was in kitchen, munching on pickles.
"Don't expect me to kiss you with pickles on your breath." Arikado teased. Soma looked at him and stuck out his tongue.
"Sorry I forgot the breath mints." He said. "But do you think Gabriel will come back?"
"Highly unlikely," Arikado said. "Father severed the head but he didn't absorb his soul."
"Isn't that what makes a vampire?"
"A vampire is a soul trapped within the shell for all eternity." Arikado said. "Bound to the Earth by a motive…Gabriel didn't want it….it's remarkable how he became a creature of the night."
"Could it be because he had darkness within him?"
"There are many possibilities." Arikado said. "But now, we have to look to a battle which can rattle the very center of all."
"This is strange." Soma said as he munched on another pickle. "Why is this happening now?" Arikado looked at his beloved and for the first time in a long time, he didn't have an answer.
"It would be best if we went to the library. Maybe there's an answer."
"Ok," Soma sighed as he picked up the pickle jar. Arikado looked at him and shook his head.
"Put them away." He said. "I don't think Julius would appreciate you dripping pickle juice all over the place."
Nope I wouldn't…
"You guys…..suck!" Soma whined. "Fine but if I get hungry I'm eating a book."
Um….take something that doesn't drip Soma….
With a satisfied smirk Soma looked around the cupboards and all and eyes brightened. Chocolate covered cherries….He picked up the box and happily munched away. Arikado blinked at that and glared at the whip.
What? Julius' voice asked. Hey, I told him something that DID NOT drip. Don't blame me for his choice.
"Great, I definitely can't kiss him now."
Why not?
"Chocolate and pickles…."
Oh yea, Julius said. BAD combination…It could be worse….
"How much worse can it get?"
Chocolate dipped sardines….The dhmphir shuddered at that and prayed that would NOT happen….
"Adrian,"
"Yes my angel,"
"Would you be a dear and bring me some sardines and chocolate sauce?" Soma asked from the library. Arikado glared at the whip that was coiled on the table.
"You just had to mention that?"
I didn't think he'd want that! With a heavy sigh, Arikado obliged and wished Julius had a body….
Why?
"So I can kick your ass." Arikado muttered. He growled as he heard Julius' laugh trailing after him.
"So according to the news reports there have been disturbances all throughout downtown Japan for the past two weeks." Yoko said as they scanned the newspaper articles on Arikado's laptop. "But they have been categorized as freaks of nature."
"That's their cover story." Arikado said. "Courtesy of the agency…."
"But the agency's dealing with this?" Soma asked as he dipped another sardine into the chocolate sauce, the action caused the usually unshakeable dhmphir to shudder in disgust.
Why couldn't it be strawberries? His mind complained. Instead I get fish!
"Oh!" Soma cried out holding his stomach. "Ok I think I've over done it with the sardines….excuse me!" With that, he ran off to find the bathroom. Yoko caught a whiff of Soma as he ran by.
"Whew, someone was heavy with the fish!"
"He better make sure he brushes his teeth and bathe real well," Arikado called. "because I did not marry a fish!" They heard the bathroom door slam angrily and Arikado gulped. Oh, I am so paying for this…
That evening, as the trio returned to the Shrine, Arikado was nervous because of the glares and silence treatments his beloved gave him was worse than anything in his father's castle. He hated to see his beloved angel upset with him. He wished he could take back what he said in the library but he couldn't.
Mathias saw the couple and just from one look at Soma, knew that someone was in deep trouble.
"Adrian, what happened?"
"I told him he better make sure his brushed his teeth and bathe real well because I didn't marry a fish." Arikado said, looking down. Mathias looked at his son and shook his head.
"Craving huh?"
"Yes."
"Well, your mother's wasn't that good either."
"What's worse than sardines dipped in chocolate sauce?"
"Octopus and syrup…" Mathias said, looking a little green. Both Cronqvist/Tepes men shuddered at that. They both had it bad!
"So what did you tell Mother?"
"Almost the same thing you told Soma."
"What happened?"
"Your mother didn't get angry," Mathias said as he sat down and opened his book. "She got even. If I was in your situation, which I was once, I'd sleep with one eye open." Adrian nodded and went to report to the agency
Later on that evening, Soma cleared the table, still giving Arikado the silent treatment. He didn't show anger; instead, he smirked and went on his way. Arikado looked at his father who had the decency to look away as if to say: Sorry my son but you're on your own. Arikado sighed and decided to go up to their room and retire, believing that the situation would cool down. As he reached their bedroom, he was hit with a pungent smell. He slowly opened the door, fearing the worst. He looked around, finding not a thing out of place. Ah, it must've been my imagination. He chuckled to himself and pulled the top cover off their bed.
"SOMA!" He screamed, the smell of sardines overpowering his scent of smell. There in their bed, were about twenty opened cans of sardines on his side of the bed! He was about to say something when he felt his beloved's presence from behind.
"Payback's a bitch, isn't it?" Soma asked his husband, with a smirk. "Now you can enjoy sleeping with the fish!" With that, he slammed the door, leaving Arikado alone with an empty bedroom and whole lot of smelly fish!
Oh dear, our favorite dhmphir's up to his neck in fishies. Will he ever get out of this fishy situation and beg for forgivness? Review to find out.