NOTES:
I'm terrible. And there's a little explanation here and a bigger one at the bottom.
You know, I was going to update on Valentine's Day for you guys, but then my laptop got a virus, so I had to get it fixed. And then our Internet router decided to die, we got it working for approximately twenty minutes and it is currently dead while I'm typing this.
Now that the router's up and running, I can update!
Chapter Sixteen – Come Here
Sho returned to work five days later after being thoroughly pampered by Kei and returned to full health. Kurisu had called the day before to ask when Sho would be back in and luckily he had picked up the phone and not Kei; the blonde was still slightly furious at Kurisu. She had also mentioned that she wanted to know what had happened to cause his collapse.
That is to say: Sho was expecting Kurisu waiting for him the next morning.
And sure enough, when Sho entered his office the next morning, Kurisu was sitting in his chair, her legs resting on his desk as her heels clicked together. "Good morning, sunshine," Sho said with a grin. Kurisu just shook her head.
"What the hell happened to you that caused you to collapse five days ago?" she shot at him immediately as he approached his desk. "You were fine when you left…or so I thought."
"It just…kind of hit me when I sat down behind the wheel," Sho confessed.
"Yes, what a safe driver," she muttered under her breath, earning a glare from the male vampire. "But what caused it?" The brunette sighed, a slight blush painting his cheeks.
"I haven't fed in a while even with the blood from the blood bank," he said, sitting down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. "And you had me watch you perform a surgery…the open body with the pumping blood…it was overwhelming. I think it just caught up with me and my body couldn't recover quickly enough. Kei had to use up most of our supply to nurse me back to health."
It's dark in here, visions are flashing into my head
As I reminisce my reoccurring dreams and you said:
"I see." Kurisu said no more, although her clacking heels were perforating the silence.
"I promise it won't happen again," Sho assured.
"Did you tell that to Kei?" she asked, eyes narrowing. It was obvious that she was still a little hurt by the blonde's actions.
"I did, but he still thinks that you overworked me," Sho said in a small voice. "I'll make sure he comes around, Kurisu."
"All right," Kurisu said, letting her legs fall off of Sho's desk. "I'll go easier on you or whatever. Just let Kei know so he stops hating me." Sho's head shot up at these words.
"He doesn't hate you!" he protested. "He just doesn't care for you at the moment, that's all." Kurisu simply smiled at Sho and stood up.
"I'll take your word for it," she said with a bit of a wink.
"I'm falling, falling for you babe
My feelings are getting stronger
Before Sho even opened the front door that night, he could hear barking from inside. Thinking that something was wrong with Belle, the brunette rushed inside and was surprised by the sight.
Kei was in the family room, lying on his stomach on the floor with a bag of doggie treats on the coffee table next to him out of Belle's reach. Belle was lying in front of him, tail wagging happily as she panted, her eyes never leaving the bone-shaped treat between Kei's fingers. Sho watched Kei's eyes flicker over to him and a smile form on his lover's face.
"Sho-chan, watch!" Kei said, holding the treat a bit higher. Intrigued, Sho moved into the family room and stood behind Belle, watching. The blonde pointed a finger at Belle, who was now standing. "Sit," he commanded. Belle cocked her head to the side in momentary confusion, but after a second or two, she sat down with her eyes locked on Kei. "Shake." The blonde held out his hand and the puppy set her paw on top of his palm.
"Good girl," Kei said. "One more…roll over!" Belle stared at him. The vampire moved the doggie treat in a circle and the dog rolled over, barking happily as Kei held out the treat for her to take. "Perfect, Belle."
"Amazing," Sho agreed as he kneeled down next to Kei and pat Belle on the head. "Is this what you've been doing all day, love?"
"For most of the afternoon, yes," Kei said as he sat up, the brunette's arms pulling him close.
"Mmm, well, I've never seen you so commanding," Sho murmured, lips molding against Kei's for a long moment.
"Would you like to?" Kei asked breathlessly as his arms snaked around Sho's neck. "Baby?" The brunette let out a low whimper and that was all Kei needed. He crashed his lips against his lover's and pulled the brunette close, his tongue slipping deeply into Sho's mouth. The younger moaned and kissed back with equal fervor, both of them forgetting about Belle. The dog had trotted over to the coffee table and was attempting to knock down the box of treats.
After several minutes, the lovers pulled away, both flushed and breathless. "I don't think that was enough," Sho said in a rush, leaning forward again. But Kei pressed a finger to Sho's lips and gave him a reassuring smile.
"And I don't want Belle getting the treats," Kei said lamely…
So why don't you stay with me for a little longer...
Come here boy, come here boy yeah
Later that week, Sho arrived home that night to a darkened, silent house. Knowing Kei was probably asleep or simply waiting for him in their bedroom, he slowly headed down the hallway and pushed the closed door open. He let out a soft gasp at the sight before his eyes. Kei was curled up under the covers as he usually was whenever Sho got home. But what threw the brunette was that Kei had laid Sho's pillow parallel to him (as though it was Sho there and not simply a pillow) and he was cuddled against the side of it where he had draped one of Sho's pajama shirts so it was like he was curled up with his lover.
"Oh angel," Sho breathed, a wave of sympathy washing over him as he watched the vampire sleep, noticing dried tear stains on his shirt. "Kei…" The image was so sad, so moving…Sho desperately wanted to pounce on the bed, wake his lover up, and kiss him until they lost the sense of time. But something in his brain stopped him; this was Kei in his most vulnerable state. He doubted that the blonde wanted Sho to see him like this.
As quietly as he could, Sho headed to the dresser and changed into a pair of pajama pants and a baggy t-shirt. He then went over to the bed and kneeled down next to it. Slowly, he began to pull at the pillow; it worked for a few moments until Kei whimpered in his sleep and pulled the pillow back against him. This, of course, made Sho laugh quietly. He decided on another tactic.
Sho climbed onto the bed after he had pulled back the covers and traced a hand down one of Kei's arms; he heard his lover whimper at the touch. "Kei-chan," he murmured as he pulled the pillow and shirt out of Kei's grip, tossed the shirt to the floor, and put the pillow back where it belonged. He laid down parallel to Kei and pulled the covers over them as he wrapped Kei's arms around his neck and pulled the vampire close.
"Goodnight," Sho whispered, his lips pressing against Kei's softly. The vampire kissed back in his sleep, his whimpering louder than before. "I love you, too," Sho replied in an amused tone.
I know that my face is only too familiar to your sleep
I can see it in your eyes and I can tell by your body heat
Why are you taking so long?
You need me to come and find you, honey?
Sho was awakened the next morning by a quiet gasp from Kei. Blinking several times, he managed to wake up enough to see Kei's shocked expression. "Good morning, angel," he said to the blonde. When the vampire could do nothing but stare, Sho continued, "I figured I would surprise you into speechlessness, but I didn't expect it to be this bad."
"But…what about…?" Kei attempted to ask. Sho cocked his head to the side, pretending to be ignorant.
"What about what, Kei-chan?"
Kei let out a sigh and ran a hand through his disheveled hair, wondering if Sho had seen how he always fell asleep without the vampire. But normally, he would have woken up and moved it all back before Sho arrived home. He must have been too tired to remember that he had put the shirt away and straightened the pillow. "Nothing," Kei said finally, smiling at Sho. "You just…disoriented me for a minute." Sho grinned, his teeth gleaming.
"I have been known to do that…"
The blonde snorted and coiled his arms around Sho's neck, resting his head against Sho's chest. "How much longer do you have until you need to start getting ready?" he asked quietly.
"A few minutes," the brunette replied. "I'll be home for dinner tonight, okay?"
"Okay." Kei nuzzled his nose into the crook of Sho's neck and let out a soft sigh of contentment…
You know I'm no stranger in your dreams...
Oh and I'm craving, I'm howling, I'm begging, I'm pleading
You're mine tonight, oh yeah
As Kei turned on the oven and sat down on the counter to finally take a break from cooking, the doorbell rang. Not expecting company (besides Sho, but the vampire wasn't due back for several more hours), Kei approached the front door hesitantly, but opened it nonetheless. "Sho-chan!" he said happily, surprised to see his lover standing on their doorstep, resting an arm against the frame of the door with a bouquet of roses in his other arm.
"I heard through one of my very reliable sources that a certain someone was in need of some company tonight," Sho began in a sultry voice.
"And what reliable source might this be, may I ask?" Kei asked, eyeing the flowers, although his gaze moved to Sho's temptingly seductive body; he was garbed in a pair of dark, tight jeans and a white button-up shirt with the first few buttons undone, exposing his tanned chest; the silver necklace glittering around his neck made him look almost like a model. His hair was messed up in such a way that it looked perfect and suited his outfit. Obviously he had taken a change of clothes to work because he had not been dressed like that when he had left.
"You may not," Sho replied with a smirk. "But this reliable source did mention your attachment to roses…" He pushed himself off of the doorframe, handing the bouquet to Kei, who took it gratefully, and taking one of the long-stemmed flowers. "Without thorns, of course."
"Of course," the blonde echoed as Sho dragged the flower down Kei's cheek and over his lips, tracing all of the features of his face.
"May I come in for, ah, perhaps a bite to eat?" he asked with an underlying tone that implied something more.
"Should I let you in…?" Kei asked, more so to himself rather than Sho, but the brunette simply smiled.
"Well, if you're like me and I know I am—" he began, but Kei's laughter interrupted him.
"Get in here, Sho." Was all he said. Sho grinned and stepped inside, watching Kei close the door.
Oh and I'm waiting, I'm dying, I'm wanting and I'm needing
To show you the slut I am
Where I'll be touching and holding, caressing and giving you
Every fantasy , yeah
"Mmm…it didn't take too much to make it inside your house…" Sho commented, smiling wickedly as Kei took several steps towards him provocatively. "But how much does it take to get into your pants, I wonder…" he murmured.
"I wouldn't think it takes too much after everything you've done," Kei told him, tossing the bouquet of roses over his shoulder as Sho's arms wrapped around his waist and their mouths melded together as they both tried to devour the other, their moans unbridled.
"L-love you," Kei managed to gasp as they made their way to the floor without breaking the sensuous kiss. Sho simply growled, pressing the kiss deeper and letting the older vampire roll on top of him. Kei bent Sho's arms and pinned the vampire's wrists down on either side of the floor next to his head.
"Oh, Kei-chan…" Sho moaned as Kei broke the kiss and sucked hard at his neck, making Sho's hips rotate upward involuntarily, their clothed arousals pressing hard against each other.
"Is this what you had in mind for a bite to eat?" Kei asked, fangs dragging along the side of Sho's neck, over the faint scar that resembled where he had first bitten Sho.
"S-something like this, y-yes," he choked out. "Although I didn't expect you to throw the roses and then have us making out on them." Kei pulled away from Sho's neck to glance underneath the young vampire.
"Oops," he said, laughing. He let go of Sho's wrists, resting his head on Sho's chest.
I've got you dreaming and lusting, I'm burning and praying
For more of this ecstasy
Come here boy, come here boy yeah
"So I guess it does take a lot to get into your pants," Sho commented, earning a sigh from Kei.
"Shut up, Sho-chan, before I kick you out."
"As if you'd dare!" he shot back.
"Mmm…" Kei murmured, placing a soft kiss on the K pendant of Sho's necklace. "Well, let's move so I can salvage what remains of the roses…" The older vampire stood up, helping Sho stand up and move away from the mess of flowers on the floor. "It was a cute gesture anyway, love." He looked at Sho, who was smiling at him cutely.
"You're welcome," he replied, leaning forward and giving Kei a quick kiss. "I swear I'll be around more often, Kei." Kei blinked at the sudden change in topics. "I know you've been too lonely here and Belle-chan isn't enough of a comfort."
"Sho—" Kei tried to protest, but the brunette was down on one knee, holding Kei's left hand to his lips.
"So right now, I'm promising you that I will be home more often and I won't let Meredith kidnap me or anything like that," Sho finished, speaking against the wedding ring on Kei's finger. "I'll keep you company, just like I used to." Kei smiled lovingly and tugged at Sho's hands, forcing the vampire to stand up again.
"You don't have to promise me anything," he murmured, leaning upwards to press his lips to Sho's softly, reassuringly. "Just let me know that you'll always be here whenever I need you."
"Always," Sho repeated in a breath against Kei's lips, pulling him close for another kiss…
You know I'm no stranger in your dreams...
I'm a terrible procrastinator and haven't thought about fanfiction in three months. I'm really sorry, but I think, sadly, I'm outgrowing this stage of writing. Of course, I'm going to finish this fic. And I secretly have been writing an epilogue, which I don't know if I'll post it after this one or not (since I do have a sequel planned out, but I'm never in the mood to write). But I apologize for the lack of updates and the probably really random scenes thrown in to make up this chapter.
I have twenty-five days left of classes. That's weird. And then I'm graduating. That's even weirder. I also wish it wasn't snowing outside right now. Oh. And the lyrics are Come Here Boy by Imogen Heap.
Reviews are appreciated even though I definitely don't deserve them for being a terrible updater all of a sudden (like, remember when I used to update once every three weeks back in the good ol' days?)