0.4 [Could you be the devil?]
The clock reads half-passed two in the morning and the jar of rose petals is still clenched in his arms, glowing beautifully in its blue in the darkness. Adam's eyes flutter open slowly at the soft change in lighting. It takes a moment for them to adjust, but when he sees the glittery shine of the petals nestled in the grass, he feels his heart kick wildly in his chest.
Breath is lost to him as he sits up quickly, his head swimming at the sudden shift. Groaning quietly, he rubs at his eyes as he sets the jar down on the side table next to his bed, swinging his legs off of the edge and to the floor. Blindly, he shifts through the dark for his shoes before locating them, shoving his feet into them. He doesn't bother with trying to undo the knots and re-lacing them. He doesn't have time. He's not sure how long the petals have been glowing, but if they are it means the man might be there in the woods again. And if he is, Adam has a lot of questions for him.
Glancing around, Adam makes out the soft shape of his jacket in the dark, grabbing it off of the back of his chair and tugging it on over his shoulders. He zips it up half-way, snatching up a small messenger bag. Slinging it over one shoulder, Adam shuffles over to the jar of rose petals, grabbing it gently and slipping it into his bag. Buckling the top flap shut, Adam glances at the clock on his night stand again. It's only been five minutes.
Quietly he makes his way to the door, unlocking it and opening it slowly, slipping out into the dim hallway. Closing the door, he locks it tight before pocketing his keys and making his way down the hall to the stairwell. His footsteps are light and quick, and he feels like a silent shadow as he passes the doors of his neighbors, slipping through the door to the stairwell.
Racing down the flights of stairs, Adam can feel his heart beating in his chest, double the beat of the bag tapping against the back of his thigh. There's a drum going off in his head that he's running to, the bass-drum being pounded against as he pushes open the lobby door. He cuts through, breathing lightly and taking a quick note that there is no one up and about at two in the morning. For this he is thankful.
Pushing out into the courtyard just outside of the dormitory doors, Adam can feel the weight of the moon shining down upon him. A soft and cold breeze kicks through the trees and ruffles his hair as he jogs at a decent pace across the bike paths and lawn on the campus, hurrying towards the soccer fields. His thoughts are racing with images of gold eyes and the need to know who this strange man is that had laid upon a bed of glowing roses. But the more Adam thinks about it as he runs the more he wonders if maybe he's running back to the woods is to make sure that the man is real and this isn't all in his head.
He really does have to wonder, though, about whether or not this is real or just in his head. Because if it is all in his head, then why does he have the jar of roses? Why does he have the ever present memory of that man's touch against his face? The way those eyes penetrated not just his own but deep into his soul? Why does he have this need to go rushing out into the woods…?
'You're rushing into the woods because you're secretly going crazy. Think about this, Adam. You're running to look for a blond with crazy web tattoos because he was naked in a pile of roses and thorns. And… well… Not to mention, he was beautiful.' Shaking his head a little, Adam lets out a breath as he treks up the soft slope and into the throng of trees and dirt. His eyes search and scan for the traces of glitter and blue, for the roses, the petals and the thorns.
Just like the night before, his breath plumes in front of his face from the chill in the air. Thankfully, his jacket is keeping out most of the cold but it's still nipping at his face and making him shiver just a little. Clutching the strap of his bag, Adam hurries deeper into the woods, trying to remember how far out he really went to find the circle of trees where the blond had been. Did he walk far or was it short, and closer to the edge?
'Have you lost your mind, Adam? Truly, have you?' Gritting his teeth, Adam rests against the trunk of a tree to catch his breath. He glances down at the ground, seeing the dark of the dirt before shifting his gaze to his bag. He unbuckles the top flap before reaching in and grabbing the jar. Pulling it into his hands, Adam stares down at the flower petals. They're still glowing, and a little brighter than they had been before.
Lifting his head, Adam glances around through the forest again, gnawing on his bottom lip a little. The glass of the jar is cold in his palms, but that doesn't really concern him. What concerns him is that he can't be losing his mind because the petals are fucking glowing and he's starting to feel that tug that he felt the night before.
"Alright… Alright, fine… Where are you?" Adam whispers to himself, clutching the jar of petals in his hand as he starts to walk again, walking deeper into the dark of the trees and the dirt. "I can feel you… Where are you..?" He's not really sure what he's saying. The words are sort of tumbling from his mouth before he can really stop himself. He takes another step forward, seeing the slightest slope again. His heart gives a kick and he races to it.
He has to scramble up the side, his fingers clawing through the dirt as he goes. He's panting a little and holding the jar so close against his chest he's sure he's going to force it through his jacket and into his very being. He manages to reach the top and stares into the opening of trees.
From where he's standing, there's a thin trail of rose petals, glowing a soft glittery blue that light the way to the bed of roses within the trees. Eyes wide, Adam takes a small step forward, taking note to the way the thorns shine with the traces of glow, looking less ominous now than they had the night before.
Standing in the center of the roses is the blond. And he looks just as he did the night before when Adam first saw him. The translucent flesh of his body is clothed with a silk robe that is the same blue as the glow of the roses. The faint light from beneath him makes his skin shine, shadows deep within his cheekbones and along his neck. His hair is draped over the right side of his head, the glimmer of his piercings catching Adam's attention.
The robe hangs off of his shoulders, flowing down to his fingertips and toes like water has been poured over him and solidified into this gorgeous perfection. Adam sucks in a breath as his eyes shift from head to toe and back up to the blond's burnt gold ones. For a moment he forgets to breathe, forgets to think or blink. The man's eyes are hard and fierce, burning into his very being and with a raised hand and the beckoning of a long, painted finger, Adam is drawn forward against his will towards the man.
'Wait… Wait, stop. Feet, stop, what are you doing?' Adam shouts at himself, unable to tear his gaze away from the man before him. He can't stop his feet. He can't seem to stop himself from doing anything but thinking and screaming in his head. And yet, all the while, he can't see a reason why he wants to stop from moving closer.
With each step forward, Adam quickly realizes that the blond is just a few inches shorter than he is. But the difference in height does nothing for Adam. He still feels small and inferior compared to this creature in front of him with the tattooed face and translucent skin. The blond's hand turns and he faces his palm towards Adam, making him stop just a few steps away, his tennis shoes enveloped by the roses.
'Oh, God… God, I can't breathe. I can't move and I can't breathe and he looks so fucking beautiful, oh my God…' Adam thinks to himself, staring hard at the blond. Those damned burnt orange and gold eyes are gazing deep into his body and soul, searing through his mind and making him tremble.
Tilting his head to the side, the blond glances down at the jar in Adam's hands before reaching out. His fingers slide over the back of Adam's hand, cool and smooth just as they had been on his face the night before. Adam shivers visibly, letting out a gasp as the blond's fingers slide between his and pass by, curling around the glass. The jar is taken from his hold and he watches with wide and unblinking eyes as the blond stares at it and the roses therein, something of an amused smile crossing his thick and full pale lips.
Adam is frozen as he watches the blond uncap the jar slowly, kneeling down into the roses and scooping petals inside. The blond seals it shut again before standing and holding it out to Adam, the faintest traces of a smirk on his lips. He shifts his attention from the blond's face down to his hands where the jar rests, full of glowing rose petals and shimmering glitter. Slowly, he reaches out and takes it back, his hands brushing the blond's. Another shiver rolls down his spine as he looks up again.
"Who are you?" Adam asks, his voice soft and curious. The blond's eyes betray no notion of whether or not he understands Adam. His arms drop back to his sides and the slight smirk stays on his lips. But his eyes are calm and cool, neither understanding nor perplexed. Adam bites his lip and swallows the lump in his throat.
"My name… Is Adam.." he overemphasizes the words, motioning to himself and watching as the blond's left dark brown eyebrow lifts just a notch, curving in a neat arc. "W-what's your name?" Adam asks again, reaching out a little to the blond.
All in one moment the blond's soft face twists into a snarl, baring perfect white teeth. He shies away a little, clenching his hands into more claw-like shapes as he hisses softly at Adam, his eyes swirling dark and nearly red. Adam gasps, taking a voluntary step back. The first step he's been able to take for himself since laying eyes upon his blond. His heart races in his chest as the blond male hisses again, the raspiness of his voice sending chills down Adam's spine.
"Wait-wait! I'm not going to hurt you! Please, please calm down…" Adam begs, taking another step away, his feet kicking up a few rose petals. The tension in the blond's shoulders starts to ease away but his snarl remains. Adam swallows the lump in his throat, keeping his eyes on the blond as he shifts the jar of roses into his bag, buckling it shut and strapping it tight across his back. "I won't hurt you. I promise…"
The blond's mouth closes, but the tight and angry lines of his eyebrows and the frown on his lips tells Adam that if he takes a step closer he's going to be torn to shreds. Shaking, Adam takes another step away, his eyes shifting back and forth between the creature's, watching as the pools of reddish gold start to swirl back to their normal burnt orange. His heart is racing, his mind telling him to run.
"I'll-I'll go.. I'll leave… D-do you want me to leave?" Adam asks, unsure if the blond could even understand him. But he's not really thinking about that. He's thinking about the fastest way he can get out of the forest.
The blond straightens up, his nostrils flaring as he gestures wild and angry with his arm, a motion that Adam recognizes all too well as an angered man ushering the lower scum of the earth away like a master to a servant. Adam takes a breath and whips around, pushing through the dirt and roses as he runs faster than he's ever run before, the chill of the blond's anger still pulsing in his head.