WARNING: I updated two parts of chapter 25 in rapid succession. Just double check to make sure you didn't miss the second, or else next chapter you'll be like "WTFARBLIZED?!"
Requiem of Time: Chapter Twenty-Six - Crowley
"Welcome to Berlin, my sir and lady."
Crowley barely gave the greeter a sharp nod, tugging his now wife behind him rather forcibly. And good that he did, as Eliade's blood red eyes strayed dangerously on the man. Her blood lust was rising again, and so was his. Cursed reflections of each other, they were, for entirely different reasons.
Crowley's Innocence was currently activated, his fangs prominent and gold eyes unsettling, white spike of hair flipped back. The scent of Eliade's blood hung in his nose like forbidden fruit, and his grip on her hand was painfully tight. Her returning grip was just as hard, both barely restrained from a coming blood bath. Both were monsters.
The rain affected the baron and baroness little, their unnatural senses making them predators in this kind of weather. The clapping thunder was suiting. Nails dug into Crowley's hand hard enough to draw blood, and he ducked into an alley with her.
Gold eyes bore into crimson once he lifted them from her exposed neck. Both faces were locked in fierce expressions, yet despite their looks his voice came soft, "Can you hold on much longer?"
The nails dug deeper into his hand, yet with the burning need inside him for her blood it was easy to ignore. Her scowl deepened, but suddenly she lurched forward and gave him a rather primal kiss. Pulling back, she wiped the blood from her lip with her tongue. "Get a room first; then we'll feed."
Crowley's own tongue touched his fangs, savoring the crimson taint on them of her blood. Infinitely more intoxicating than alcohol; next to that, even the finest wine was no better than water. Fingers laced with hers, he fled the alley into the pouring rain again; his strong, guiding hand prevented her from straying towards possible kills.
The first inn he came across, the two barged in and he made straight for the desk. A man was exiting the back room at the sound of the door, but he gave a jerk when he caught sight of Crowley. Lightning flashed in the background, emphasizing his dark looks. Crowley brushed past him, tugging Eliade away when she slowed to face the innkeeper.
Crowley made his way behind the desk, grabbed a random key from the wall, and was already heading towards the stairs. Can't stop. Too dangerous. Too desperate.
"H-Hey! You can't just-" the innkeeper's following shout trailed off as Crowley slammed a thick gold coin on the desk in passing, and then the baron was swooping up the stairs, cape reminiscent of a bat.
The number on the key matched a door, and Crowley unlocked and entered it in a flood motion, managing to not break a stride. This was not the first time they had done something similar. By the time the door was closed behind them, both Crowley's and Eliade's arms were shaking with how much force they were exerting on the other's hand. Droplets of blood followed that union.
The two flew apart immediately, Crowley to gather self-control, Eliade to ridding herself of the unnecessary. Jewelry and wet hand purse were deposited on the bed in one moment, and her elegant crimson dress followed it, leaving her in a black, silk under garb that was nearly indecent. Nearly. And then she was out the door, dressed like that.
Crowley sighed as he collapsed into a chair, idly licking the blood from his hand. He hated this, but it was necessary for survival. Once his hand was cleaned and his thirst still great, his nose set to work. Rain beat against the small, square window, and he opened it to get a better fix on the outside.
The scents of several Akuma filled his nose, including his precious Eliade. He jumped out, and then was on his way to the closest.
He hated this, but it was necessary. He needed the blood of Akuma, she needed the deaths of humans. They were monsters, though they tried to make the best of it.
Crowley found his first target in a group of friends, the only one not laughing rambunctiously as they swaggered down a road, probably from a bar. It was late, after all. Past dark. The time when monsters came out. Descending from the roof of a building with his billowing coat, he landed on his target.
The men shouted and yelped in German when Crowley attacked, but they were stunned when Crowley hissed loudly and bit into the man's neck. The sweet blood of an Akuma filled his mouth, and he fed greedily. The man's friends - at least the man the Akuma was disguised as's friends - ran fearfully, screaming about "Der Vampir!"
Soon, the Akuma ran dry, but Crowley was not yet satisfied. So with blood still dripping down his lip, he fled into the rainy night, looking for more victims.
****
It was late at night, or early morning depending on how one looked at it, when Eliade finally returned. Crowley was in bed, waiting for her, having returned not too long before she did. At moments like this, usually blood could be found dripping down her hands, splattered upon her visage, but this time the rain had washed her clean. Her already skimpy clothing clung even tighter too her as well with its wetness.
They were monsters, but it was to survive.
The only reason he allowed her to go out dressed like that, as he always did, was because of exactly who it attracted. The wrong sort of men. The kind that trapped her in an alley, where the tables were soon reversed and she got her satisfaction. A sick form of justice, if you will. Whatever it took to survive.
As always, she simply removed the thin garment and slipped into bed with him, where his greater heat warmed her wet and cold body. On these nights they never united as man and wife, already sickly satisfied in their own despicable ways. Instead, they held each other close, drawing strength from the other.
One could see them as in the right - destroyer of Akuma, punisher of criminals - yet it never felt that way to either. Friends forever tormented at seeing a 'friend' sucked dry by a vampire; men - even those sort - who would never return to families because of choosing the wrong broad to gratify themselves with.
They were monsters.
But, as always, so long as Eliade was in his arms, everything seemed a tad better, even his curse of Innocence. Crowley held her close, taking in her scent with the desire for her blood now dimmed. Her head was against his chest, and he craned his neck to kiss her forehead. "Sweet dreams, Eliade."
"You too, Aleister," she muttered softly back.
So long as she never saw him as the monster he was, so long as she never despised him, he could deal with it. He could deal with this kind of life. After all, even without Eliade, it was away from that damnable war.
And as always, that drew his eyes to the window and his mind to his friends. All he could see was the thick downpour, with the occasional crack of lightning, but that feeling was still there. His friends needed him, somehow. He shared a deep connection with them - Allen, Lavi, Lenalee, Kanda, Miranda, and the others - and right now that connection was tugging on his mind like a beacon, urging him to return to them and the war.
Strange things and sensations had always come to him at odd times, like when he could sense Debito and Jasdero in the Ark so long ago, and this little urge was one of those. One he tried to ignore. He had yet to tell Eliade, but every day he resisted the faint call, it grew louder. He wanted out of that damn war, but he didn't know how much longer he could remain so.
The feeling called him to the far east, probably China. He could follow it right to them, he was sure. If he hit the roads the following day, he could maybe reach them by-
Crowley tore his eyes away from the window, and he shoved the urge back to the far recesses of his mind. He was out of the war between Exorcists and the Earl now. He was holding his current reason for living, now. She was his life, not the war. So long as he was with her, he was happy.
As usual, his dreams came as troubled.
****
It was late afternoon when the duo awoke the next day, and as always Eliade was already up, dressed, and had his clothes readily folded by the time he first opened his eyes. She offered him a small smile as she returned her hair to lady-like fashion, coiled in a bun of ringlets. Her crimson dress was wrinkled after drying of the rain, yet as usual she somehow had a new, just as gorgeous one ready and was wearing it. This one was a royal purple, and he was reminded of her days as a maid in his mansion.
Crowley smiled back at her, and he dressed in his prepared clothes in silence.
The rain had stopped, though the sky was still blanketed grey with clouds. It was a fine day to go out and check out the city. Kicking off in the industrial revolution, Berlin had apparently become the place to be for modernized fashion. In other words, Eliade wished to go shopping, and as always he was happy to oblige.
It would be another month before the monster in either of them reached that point again, so they had time to enjoy with each other before another nightly feeding 'binge.'
Clasping his black cloak, Crowley walked up to his wife and wrapped his arms around her from behind, softly suckling her neck. Her blood pulsed beneath his lips, yet the urge to drink was dim. She moaned softly, but refused to let them get carried away.
Laughing, she spun in arms and kissed him on the cheek. "None of that now, Aleister. First we must check out this rather splendid city. I saw a nice set of streets that we could go to when we entered last night." Then, her smile turned sly as she picked at the collar of his cloak. "But after… Well, we'll see."
Crowley couldn't wait.
And as the two departed, more properly paying for their room and upgrading to a nicer one, Crowley still felt that tugging to go to the east. To rejoin his friends. To rejoin the war. But how could he, when his whole world was the woman before him? Shaking his head, Crowley fixed another smile on his face, locked his arm with Eliade, and together the two set out to see what else the city had to offer besides a good 'meal.'
They were nothing but monsters, but at least they had each other.
AN: I don't know when Crowley was last mentioned, but I figured an update on his square of the universe was in order. Anyways, I know these last few chapters have been shorter, but the outline for them was written all within the first week the first chapter was posted, so there's nothing I can do about it.
Hope you enjoyed.
