Chapter 8

~o~

When it was time for Alfred's check-in with Dr. Negrescu, Alfred and Arthur went to his office together hand in hand. Alfred was nervous coming there with Arthur, since he burned with a thousand questions for the mysterious Romanian. However, the author felt entitled to come since he did bring Alfred to the doctor's attention. Alfred couldn't fault him that.

Alfred was slowly getting used to being out in the daylight, so they came to Columbia University at dusk. Small doses, Arthur had said. Small doses. The vampire sucked in a breath that he desperately needed as they came up to the doctor's office door. It was strange to need it now, even though he'd always breathed out of habit.

Arthur touched his arm, giving him an encouraging smile. "It's alright," he murmured, pressing a kiss to Alfred's temple. "Come on. Let's go in." Having been here before, the author felt perfectly comfortable in knocking and letting themselves in. "Vlad," he called out, coming over to greet the man behind the desk. "You should have said hello at the party. I didn't realize you were going to be there."

Alfred peeked into the office, watching the doctor smile at Arthur as if they were old friends. "You uere quite busy. I did not uant to disturb you." Then the Romanian's red eyes flicked to the doorway. "Ah, Alfred Jones. I had uondered if you uould come." He waved the vampire closer. "Come, come. Let me look at you."

Slowly, Alfred stepped into the room. Both men gave him warm smiles as he came closer, welcoming him in their company. "So, any ill effects since you've been treated?" Dr. Negrescu asked lightly, his red eyes studiously raking Alfred's person.

"N-no," Alfred replied, squaring his shoulders back. Now that his euphoria had dimmed, several inconvenient facts lay on the forefront of his mind. First, that Dr. Negrescu was a something. Probably not a vampire, but not what Ivan was either. Second, that he managed to force Alfred's body to do his bidding. Third, that he somehow knew Alfred's name, although neither he nor Arthur ever told him. Fourth... Those red eyes were just creepy.

"May I?" Dr. Negrescu asked, pulling out a stethoscope.

Nice of him to ask now. "Sure," Alfred replied, unsure of how to refuse in front of Arthur. He let the Romanian go through the motions of a normal check up. Maybe it was a normal check up. He had no idea. He'd never seen a modern doctor before. What mattered was his heart kept on beating. It was the thing that kept his reanimated body going. "All good?"

"All good," Dr. Negrescu smiled at him. "It seems you are perfectly healthy, Alfred Jones." He turned his attention to them both. "I suggest zat he come back for routine check ups. Perhaps we can start on a monfly basis, fen see uere ue go from fere. Fair?"

"I think that's fair," Arthur answered on Alfred's behalf as he wrapped an arm around the vampire's slender shoulders. "I'll make time and-"

"Ah, fese are rather sensitive check ups," Dr. Negrescu interrupted before Arthur could formulate any future plans. "And tedious. It may be better if Alfred Jones comes alone..."

Arthur's bright eyes shuttered at that, his brow knitting into a frown. His hold on Alfred tightened. A warm flutter went through Alfred at his boyfriend's protectiveness. "I can assure you it's not a problem, if you're worried about scheduling. I work from home. I can make myself available for whatever time is convenient."

Alfred glanced over at the Romanian. Although his expression remained in a friendly neutral, something flickered behind those red eyes. A thread of fear went through the vampire, reminded once again of Dr. Negrescu's less than normal nature. Chewing his lower lip, Alfred squeezed Arthur's forearm. "Arthur, it's okay," he whispered in the author's ear. "I don't mind coming on my own."

"Are you sure?" Arthur asked in just as hushed a voice.

"Yeah, and it's..." Alfred let his cheeks color and his eyes duck shyly away, "it's sort of embarrassing..." He didn't care what he implied. He just didn't want Arthur there. If it was just the pair of them, it would keep Arthur safe, as well as give Alfred the chance to get some answers out of the Romanian doctor.

Arthur blushed in response. "Very well. Say no more. I trust you," he said and gave the vampire a quick peck on the cheek. He turned back to Dr. Negrescu. "Vlad, I'll leave Alfred in your hands then. You've more than helped him already, so you will always have my gratitude." He reached into his inner coat sleeve and brought out a nondescript, white envelope. "Here is a small token of my thanks."

Alfred's eyebrows shot up. However, the Romanian took the envelope and glanced inside. "Fis is too much, Arthur," he said, holding the envelope back. "It was my pleasure. After all, I am a doctor."

"And doctors are paid for their services. I must insist," the author replied, refusing to take the envelope back. "After all, you are continuing to see Alfred, are you not? I must compensate you for your time."

Weird. Alfred half expected the Romanian to use his weird power. He looked unhappy enough about this. However, the man only shrugged and placed the envelope inside his desk. "Uell, fank you, Arthur." He turned a smile over to Alfred. "I fink you are alright to leave for now. I uill see you in a month. Enjoy all zat life has to offer you."

"Thanks...?" Alfred said with a raised eyebrow. They quickly made their goodbyes and soon the pair of them were striding down the steps of the university building. "Hey Arthur, what was in the envelope?" he asked suddenly.

"Twenty thousand dollars," Arthur replied lightly, as though it were spare change.

Alfred froze in his tracks. "What?!" he cried in horror. "Arthur, what were you thinking?!"

The Brit halted on the bottom step and turned back to face the vampire with a positively evil smile. It sent a faint tremble down Alfred's spine. "Much as I do trust him, did you really think I would leave you defenseless in another person's hands?" Arthur asked coolly. "Especially when you're getting your medical attention in such a shady manner? It's a check. Now there's a paper trail."

Something akin to awe bloomed in Alfred's chest. He grinned at his boyfriend and hopped down the rest of the way to the bottom step, wrapping his arm around the Brit's. "Remind me never to get on your bad side," he laughed. "Now, do you want to go out to eat?"

"Whoa, hold it," Arthur cried out in mock-indignation as they headed back to the station. "Didn't I drop enough money for you today?"

~o~

A month flew by in the blink of an eye. Arthur acclimated back to the day-schedule easily and he was working on getting Alfred suited to those hours as well. There was more than enough to keep Alfred's attention as they explored the city anew, when it was bright and vibrant. They went on picnics in Central Park, went boating in Montauk, drank coffee in sidewalk cafes, went to the zoo, attended outdoor concerts, and so much more. It seemed like Arthur wanted to cram as many daytime experiences into Alfred as quickly as he possibly could.

Alfred was nearly overwhelmed every day in the best possible way. All the sights, the smells, the food. God, the food was to die for. He wasn't just experiencing the city in the daylight, but he was experiencing it reborn. Humans just felt so much more about everything. It almost made him cry to think about everything he'd missed in all his centuries. He never wanted to think about that dark time ever again.

However, suddenly it was time for his first "check-up." Alfred came back to Columbia, his stomach churning with nerves. He stood for a long moment outside of Dr. Negrescu's door, wondering if he was going to be able to walk out of there again. Even with the insurance that Arthur's money provided, Alfred didn't think it would cause the Romanian all that much trouble to give the vampire a world of hurt.

His eyes went down to the smooth black bracelet around his wrist. He still couldn't figure out what the doctor's end game could possibly be. Unless he was really genuine about not wanting Alfred to burn to a crisp. Which would be nice of him. Alfred supposed that was a possibility. He just didn't know anything about the guy.

Arthur knows nothing about you, he reminded himself. Doesn't stop him from loving you. Still, lately he'd been thinking of staging an accident for his Estonian-bound identity. It was getting too complicated keeping it up and he felt guilty for deceiving Arthur like that. The only thing that stopped him was knowing he'd feel even guiltier for breaking Arthur's heart.

This isn't the time, he sighed, knowing he was stalling. He probably looked like a bit of an idiot standing outside in the hall like this.

The door suddenly swung open, revealing the Romanian. "Yes, you look like an idiot," he said amiably, then waved the vampire to enter. "Now come in. You've been quite distracting." Alfred paled, but followed him in and closed the door behind him.

"Guess that answers the question about the mind-reading," Alfred muttered. He stood at the door, folding his arms over his chest. "So, what exactly are you and why do you want to help me?" Dr. Negrescu ignored him, heading over to his instruments by his desk. "Dr. Negrescu, did you hear me?"

"Alfred Jones, do call me Vlad. Ze title is awkuard," the Romanian replied lightly. "Now sit and hold out your hand."

Alfred had no intention of doing so. However, he found his body moving once again of its own accord. He planted into a chair, his bangled hand held out to the doctor's mercy. Dr. Negrescu casually tugged on the cords of the blinds and the vampire suddenly found himself basking in the light of the setting sun.

"Now, Alfred Jones," the Romanian said lightly, returning to his side. "Let me be perfectly clear. I hold no hostility against you and I uish you no harm. However," His fingers gently brushed over the bracelet, playing with the clasp, "if you question me..."

The vampire stopped breathing, feeling the heat of the sun beginning to sting his flesh. "No... no, wait..." he begged, trying to squirm his way back out of the light. His blue eyes snapped up to the Romanian's face, dread pooling in him like poison.

The doctor smiled amiably at him, his finger still poised dangerously close to freeing the black band from his wrist. "Fis is our arrangement, Alfred Jones. You come here every month so I can monitor you. You do not ask questions. If not, I take away ze bracelet. And if you do not come I uill find you. Are ue understood?"

Alfred panted for breath, his eyes fixed on the delicate silver clasp that was keeping him from burning into a cinder. Even as he felt sheer terror making his heart feel like it would beat out of his chest, he demanded, "You swear that Arthur won't get hurt?"

The Romanian seemed to consider for a long moment whether or not he would punish Alfred for the question, much less answer it. However, after a heart-stopping minute, he put the clasp back and then gave the vampire a smile. "Oh Alfred Jones. I like Arthur. I have no reason to see him get hurt, you can rest assured. Now sit up and let me examine you."

This didn't come as a compulsion this time. It didn't need to. Alfred tugged off his shirt and let the doctor look him over, the man occasionally jotting little notes down in a green leather-bound book. The vampire wondered if he was some sort of experiment. If Dr. Negrescu, Vlad, just needed him as a guinea pig.

Vlad didn't enlighten him. He merely gestured for Alfred to put his shirt back on. "Now you may go," he said, waving for the vampire to leave. "See you next month."

Alfred fled from there like a bat out of hell.

When he got back home, he superglued the bracelet shut.

~o~

Arthur decided that the very best thing from Alfred's change was waking up in bed with him in the morning. His boyfriend couldn't quite seem to shake the habit of sleeping during the day and was always the last to awaken. It gave Arthur plenty of time to wake Alfred up for him.

Ignoring the soft snores, though they were adorable, his eyes cast their gaze over the luminescent skin that was finally beginning to darken with sunlight. He pressed a line of kisses from the nape of the slim neck, weaving a trail along the boy's shoulder blades, to the small of his back. Alfred groaned softly, his body slightly shifting under the attention.

"Not yet..." Arthur purred, running his fingers through the soft blond hair. He nipped Alfred's ear, sucking on his earlobe. Now Alfred was definitely squirming, whining in his sleep. He slid his hand down between the boy's legs. The member responded to his fingers immediately, coaxed into stiffening.

Alfred awoke with a sharp intake of breath. The sun disoriented him, taking him a second longer to realize what the author was doing. "Umf, Arthur... What the hell..." he whined, gasping when Arthur gave him a squeeze. "Goddammit, Arthur. You're freaking evil."

The Brit smirked. "Don't worry, love. I'll work this timidness out of you soon enough," he promised, as Alfred squirmed underneath his fingers. "All it takes is a little practice."

"Are you kidding-," Alfred snapped at him. He gasped sharply, his entire body arching up. "Oh my God..." he hissed, his cheeks flushed in pleasure, "Fucking- Goddammit~! Will you get done already! Stop teasing me~!"

"As you wish," Arthur replied lightly, jerking his hand faster to finish the boy off. With a faint cry, Alfred came in his hand, his entire body tensing before he fell bonelessly back into the bed. Arthur casually wiped his hand off with a tissue and then slipped up to spoon against Alfred's back. "Admit it, you enjoyed that didn't you..." he purred in smug satisfaction.

"You're evil," Alfred muttered darkly against his pillow. "EVIL."

~o~

The vampire peeked over the edge of the bed like a lion on the prowl, grinning viciously as he looked at Arthur's prone, sleeping form basking in the morning light. He readied himself, rolling his shoulders as he crouched down onto the floor. He licked his lips, his eyes fixated on his prey.

Then his body sprung into action, pouncing onto the author and shocking him out of his sleep. "Arthur! Beach! I want to go to the beach!" he called out cheerfully, his voice booming into Arthur's ear.

A stream of free flowing curses were quick to follow, as well as rough-housing, torn sheets, and maybe a few headlocks.

The pair of them ended up at the beach anyway.

~o~

Alfred had no idea why he was so hungry all the time. Still, he didn't see all that much reason to deprive himself, trying everything and anything under the sun. After all, he was catching up on the hundreds of years worth of meals he missed. Arthur joked(?) that Alfred was going to eat them out of house and home, but he spoiled Alfred anyway by getting him anything that he wanted.

It didn't take him long to figure out that hamburgers were his favorite thing ever.

"What on earth are you doing?" Arthur asked incredulously as he came into the kitchen at lunchtime. The vampire (though could he really call himself that anymore?) answered with a food-stuffed mouth that made the author wrinkle his nose in disgust. "Swallow. Then talk," he said, going to the stove to make himself some tea.

Alfred did, then gestured to the variety of different burgers that were spread out over the kitchen table. They ranged from McDonald's, to Burger King, Jack in the Box, Shake Shack, White Castle and various others the Brit clearly didn't recognize. "I'm trying them all out to see which one I like best." He took another bite of his Big Mac. "I fink I 'ike 'is one beft," he said, chewing around another bite.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "...Alfred, did Vlad mention if weight gain was one of the side effects of your treatment?"

The vampire swallowed his mouthful down. "No." He paused. "...Why?"

Arthur glanced down at the little muffintop that Alfred was beginning to develop and took a sip of tea. "No reason~" he said lightly, smirking as Alfred self-consciously wrapped an arm around his waist. He sidled past and patted Alfred on the shoulder. "You enjoy your lunch, dear boy. I need to get back to work." He hummed a little diddy to himself as he left that sounded suspiciously like the oompa-loompa song.

Alfred looked to his Big Mac, then to his waist. Okay, maybe he could lay off the burgers.

His stomach growled hungrily.

...Or gym. Maybe gym would work.

~o~

The sound of Alfred's pealing laughter brought the author's eyes up from his laptop. His lips quirked into a smile as he saw Alfred and Antonio speaking animatedly to one another on top of the sunlit picnic blanket. It turned out that Alfred spoke Spanish. Who knew?

It was another one of their excursions to Central Park, since it was such a bright and sunny day. Arthur was falling behind on his writing, so he'd brought his laptop along to work, trusting that Antonio would keep Alfredo-Alfred entertained. The pair of them hit it off surprisingly well. Then again, it was difficult not to get along with Antonio.

Arthur took a mental break, allowing himself to admire the change that had come over his boyfriend. He was significantly tanner for one, his skin taking on a warm glow especially when he was out basking in the sun. He tanned even better than Arthur, who had to start taking to applying sunscreen and staying in the shade to keep from turning lobster red.

The irony was not lost on the author.

More importantly, Alfred looked healthier, more like his own age. He was no longer the emaciated little ghost that crept around in the basement. Now he'd put on some much needed weight ...and then some. Honestly, Arthur didn't care about that, much as he enjoyed teasing his sweet boy for it. His skin was warm and clear, his hair now had a soft sheen, and his eyes...

Arthur smiled. Most importantly, Alfred was happy. His eyes were bright. His smiles came easy and his laughter just as much. No one would ever think that the bubbly, cheerful and loud boy had ever been shy or stammering. Once he was put out into the sun, he thrived like a field of wildflowers in the heat of summer.

Sensing the author's eyes on him, Alfred turned and waved to him. "¡Arturo! ¿Quieren un helado?" At Arthur's blank expression, the boy corrected himself. "Ice cream! Do you want some?"

The Brit waved a dismissive hand. "No, thank you. You go on and enjoy it."

Alfred promptly did so, jumping up from the blanket and dashing off barefoot through the grass to the ice cream vendor. Left alone, Antonio picked himself up and strode over to sit beside the author underneath the shade of the tall tree. "So~" he said, his voice teasing, "¿Dis is whho finally makes de great rogue Arturo Kirkland mend hhees waild ways?" The Brit reddened, about to protest when Antonio cut him off. "Ah, I deed not say it was a bad thing. It is just surprising hhow love can change a man. It is wonderful..."

There was something strangely wistful in that tone of voice... Arthur raised an eyebrow. "And you have your eye on someone...?" he hazarded a guess. Antonio let out a depressed sigh. "...Or not?"

Another heavy sigh. "Oh, si. But it is taking sooo looong for hheem to realize that hhe is in love with me..." Arthur was ready to sigh himself and made himself ready to listen to the Spaniard's dramatic lamentations.

~o~

The ice cream man had limited Alfred to a max of three scoops, which gave the vampire a damned hard time trying to figure out what exactly he wanted to get. Three customers passed and Alfred was still stuck deciding between peanut butter chocolate and pistachio.

"Arufredo-san?" a familiar voice called, making Alfred freeze faster than dry ice. He whipped around and to his horror found his old tenant, Honda Kiku, staring at him in wonder. The shorter Japanese man had gotten a little bit older since they last saw each other, though his face still had that ageless quality to it. The vampire's throat went dry. That was nothing compared to him.

"H-hi Kiku," Alfred said with a weak smile and a wave. "Wow, I didn't expect to see you here. Small world, huh?" Kiku was still staring at him. All Alfred could do was continue to babble out of nervousness. "Ah- I'm sorry I haven't been online as often. Things- ah, a lot of things came up. We should really do some more co-op games soon!"

Finally, the quiet Asian spoke up. "You're... outside," he said in what Alfred thought was astonishment.

The vampire blinked. Then he grinned. Of course that would be the thing Kiku noticed. He'd forgotten about that. Even though he'd only had access to the sun for a couple months now, his dark days seemed like a hazy nightmare. "Oh right! Duh," he said with a laugh. "Guess I didn't tell you about that. Look, I'm cured!" He held his bare arms out, showing off his tanned skin. "It's awesome!"

Kiku stared for a couple more seconds, looking Alfred up and down. "Hai... zat... zat is very arusome." He gave the vampire a tentative smile. "You rook very different, Arufredo-san. I arumost didn't recognize you. You rook good," Kiku added kindly, smiling wider when Alfred looked himself over in confusion.

"Um, thanks," the vampire replied, his smile turning shy at the compliment. He was slowly getting used to them. Even if he didn't think he looked all that different.

His friend gave him another considering look. "You should invite me to your next baathday paaty. How orudo are you now? Twenty-fivu? Twenty-six? You carry your age weru..."

A sharp chill ran down Alfred's spine. Apparently, he didn't change that much. "Ahahaha! Oh Kiku!" he said with a boisterous laugh to cover his nervousness, slapping his friend on the back. "You're such a flatterer!" Then he leaned in and stage-whispered into Kiku's ear. "Actually, if you could kinda keep that underwraps, I'd appreciate it. I don't know if you've heard, but I have a sugar daddy now. Soo... kinda want to keep him in the dark," he hissed, giving a significant nod in Arthur's direction.

Kiku glanced in that direction and his eyes went wide. "Aasaa Kaakurando!" he gasped. It took Alfred a second to realize he meant "Arthur Kirkland." Any thoughts on Alfred's looks were clearly forgotten as his friend pulled out a large camera from his messenger bag and hugged it shakily to his chest. "A-ano~ c-could I meet him?" he asked nervously, glancing pleadingly up at Alfred.

Oh boy. "Sure! Why not? I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Alfred replied cheerfully.

It was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

~o~

It was a morning like any other. The vampire awoke curled beside his lover in their shared bed, the room glowing with the morning sunlight. Alfred smiled, looking over Arthur's sleeping face. Warmth blossomed in his chest as he thought about how lucky he was to have this. To think, a year ago he had pretty much resigned himself to living forever alone in the dark. Now he had actual friends, a life outside, experiences he only dreamed of.

Most importantly, he had Arthur. He still didn't know how all this was supposed to work out. However, a future with Arthur was at least possible with the help of a single little bracelet.

His stomach growled, demanding attention. Sighing, Alfred leaned over to kiss Arthur on the cheek and went to make breakfast for both of them. He stepped out of bed and out into the light. Only for pain to sear all along his leg and make him scream.

Arthur jolted out of sleep instantly, his eyes wildly looking around to find Alfred curled up in bed and hiding away from the light. "Alfred. Alfred, love, what happened?!" he demanded, crawling over to his lover.

Shaking with pain, Alfred clutched tightly to his shins. They were both bright blistering red. Not as bad as his dark time, but it wasn't good. The author swore under his breath and ran over to the windows to snap the blinds shut. "Alfred, stay there," he said and ran downstairs to get the burn kit. When he got back up, he opened a jar of salve and applied the cool gel to the vampire's legs. It helped a little, even though it felt as though the burn had leeched all the way to Alfred's bones.

"We need to see Vlad," Arthur murmured, glancing briefly up at Alfred before he continued his work. "Maybe the treatment's wearing off. He will... He will know what to do. I'll give him a call. We'll see him tonight." He cupped the vampire's face and pressed a hard kiss to Alfred's lips. Then he went to find his phone.

Though the pain was awful, worse was the dread that was welling up in the vampire. It was nauseating and terrifying, as though his stomach was slowly filling up with engine oil that would inevitably kill him. That expression was mirrored in Arthur's own eyes, as he looked to his lover while he spoke in urgent whispers over the phone.

Night couldn't come fast enough. The pair of them arrived at the professor's office in record time, where Vlad was waiting. It was the first time that Alfred saw the Romanian wearing an expression of concern, though he did wonder if it was purely for Arthur's benefit. They cut to the chase.

"Vlad, your treatment seems to be deteriorating," Arthur said and gestured to the bandages wrapped around Alfred's shins. "Is there anything that you can do? Could you do another dose of that, what did you call it, Panhetamine?"

"It is possible," Vlad allowed. "However, I need to take a closer look at him. Arthur uould you mind leaving the office?" The author looked over to Alfred, deferring to him. The vampire nodded shortly, even if he did want Arthur there. He wanted Arthur to know. He wished that he could tell Arthur everything.

But it was too late.

Once Arthur was safely outside, the Romanian turned to his patient. "Show me your hand," he ordered curtly, all sympathy gone. Right, so the concern was fake after all. Honestly, Alfred didn't care as long as the doctor put things right. He sat down in his chair and held the bracelet out for Vlad to inspect.

The Romanian slid his fingers over the sleek black band, tsking in disapproval when he saw Alfred's evidence of tampering in the form of superglue. However, he didn't say a word as he inspected the bracelet. "I uill need to heighten ze effects," he told the vampire. He went over to his desk and brought out a crimson rod from his top drawer.

The sight of it triggered something, something dark, something primal. It whispered to him in words that humans couldn't understand. It pulsed, beating like a heart, the red oozing down the Romanian's fingers. Alfred trembled, his cat-slit eyes fixed on the glowing red rod.

"What will that do?" he demanded, his words coming out in a hiss. He leaned forward, drawn to the strange artifact.

"No questions," Vlad replied, his own eyes seeming to pulse with the same red glow as the rod. It seemed strange for him to suddenly reinstitute their agreement after so many casual check-ups. But Alfred wanted that rod. "Uill you let me fix it or not?"

"Yes," the vampire blurted out quickly. He strained his clawed fingers. "Give it to me."

Vlad slapped his hand. "Behave," he muttered, touching the pulsing rod to the black band. The red bled into it along lines that were not visible to the naked eye. The bracelet heated, turning from cool stone to liquid fire. Alfred let out a faint whimper as he felt the heat flood through him. Not as bad as the first time. But bad.

The wave of heat passed. Alfred lay slumped uncomfortably in his seat, unable to keep himself up. Slowly, he pushed himself up, feeling his sweaty clothes drag along his clammy skin in the process. The rod disappeared off somewhere. Alfred was glad for it. He didn't care for how that evil thing made him feel. "Are we done?" he hissed, feeling his entire body aching as though he'd just been through a triathlon.

Vlad looked him over and then brought a small flashlight out of his desk. "Fis is a UV light," he told the vampire. "If it uorks, fen ue shall see..." And if it doesn't... the words hung silently in the air.

Swallowing down a wave of nausea, Alfred nodded. Vlad returned the gesture and then snapped the flashlight on over the vampire's skin, before Alfred had a chance to prepare himself. Nonetheless, he held his breath even when he didn't feel any sting from the little light.

"It uorked," Vlad assured him, placing the light on his desk and taking out that damned green notebook. "You may leave."

Unsettled by the complete abruptness and lack of answers, Alfred pushed himself up and quickly went to the door, where Arthur was waiting. When he shut the door behind him, he finally felt like he could breathe.

Arthur reached to him and Alfred let himself find solace in his lover's arms. "Is everything alright?" the Brit asked softly, brushing his fingers through Alfred's sweaty hair. The vampire answered with a faint nod. "Okay..." Arthur breathed, the relief palpable in his voice. "Let's get you back home, alright, love?" He angled their bodies towards the stairs to the lobby, though he didn't ever lessen his hold on his lover.

Alfred never felt so cared for. "Love you..." he murmured softly, his eyes tearing.

"I love you too, Alfred," Arthur whispered, pressing a warm kiss to his brow. "And I will always be here for you. I swear it..."