Fragrance Of Tomorrow | AU / Cw

James had gotten a habit of visiting the local coffee shop downtown, so of course he had ventured down there once again. He hadn´t been there for almost months, as his mother Cecilie, had made him go to all kinds of events with the D'Combe family, or well some of them. He hadn´t seen anything to Tailless, since school had stopped, in their early beginnings of being sixteen, and now they were all seventeen, both the best age but also the worst, as it was kind of a panic state, half teenager and half adult. Stepping into the big places now, the lane of adulthood. He sighed, as he walked into the cosy little starbucks, as he found his laptop, set it up, and ordered himself an ice cold latte, as he stretched back a little. He wouldn´t get full of the drink, but he could still taste it. It wasn´t as good as blood, but it was okay.
The streets outside the window, was decorated with pride flags, even inside, there were some sparks of it, here and there in the decor.

He sat and worked on an entry to the nerby university, as he leaned back a little, before finding his phone, as he scrolled instagram, before posting a picture of his laptop with the coffee standing next, and some papers scattered on the table. There were only one other person inside the store, besides him and the barista. He sighed, as he posted it, always with his tag. Mr.King. His own little spin on his name, as he saw himself like a king, but was only a prince to the crown in his family and french vampiric society. He leaned forward once again, as he got up from his seat, before he walked over to order a new coffee, as he had finished his own two hours ago.

It had been nice to get away for a while. School had finished and he had graduated with satisfactory results - at least compared to his brother, who naturally had gotten all top-scores. Nathaniel, who had grown quite much since his awkward 16-year old state, now stood about two meters tall; wearing the usual jeans, sneakers, t-shirt and leatherjacket. Despite being his brother’s identical twin, Nathaniel looked more like his father; his eyes were dark as night, as well as his hair being white as snow. To those that didn’t know him, he might have looked like he was stuck in an awkward phase, with that hair, yet it was completely natural. He had only just returned, which would be sort of obvious as he had a duffel bag hanging on one shoulder. What would his mother say to is return? Perhaps she would even threaten him with sending him off to bootcamp or something…

He entered the Starbucks and walked up to the barista with a calm smile on his lips. He had yet to notice his acquaintance sitting by his laptop, until he got up himself to go order yet another beverage. Nathaniel finished up ordering and paid the barista in full; leaving the same amount in tip as the total of the purchase. He then stepped aside to allow James to order whatever he needed. He pulled out his phone, as it started buzzing vigorously. With a sigh, he placed the phone to his ear. ‘’Yes? No, I only just arrived… I know, but I-… Pardon. I see. I will see to it as soon as possible. Thank you, Nerobel.’’ He said, in a somewhat low voice, before he hung up on the phone; the barista standing ready with his cappuchino. ‘’I’m going to have to ask you to put it in a takeaway cup instead, miss…’’ he said to the barista, slightly apologetic.

James had not noticed Nathaniel at all, as he was normally used to the little awkward kind of guy, but the hair made him look slightly in his direction, or that was until it was his turn, and he stepped forward so he could order, with the posh french accent, so easily spoken with a deep almost husky tone to his voice, as he ordered and waited for his. When the barista was done with the other customer´s order, she immidiately got James ready, before he turned, only just to hear the miss, as he crashed into the guy, as he had completely forgotten all about him, being in his own little world. Before he knew of it, he stood there in his soaked hoodie, with an half empty cup, as he looked up to the fucking idiot, that had stood in his path.

The autumn colored eyes, looked up towards the tower of a guy, before a harsh tone slithered across his tongue, as his plump lips helped deliver the poisonous words. " What the hell!. How about you watch yourself idi-Tailless? ". He tilted his head a little, as he looked up at the guy, not that far from his height, but still.. there where definitely a clear difference in their height.. Nathaniel being the tall one this year. He looked a little stunned, before he looked down at his own clothing, as he sighed, before he pushed past him, as he said " Great, now i will have to go back and change ".

He walked over to his table, as he started to pack his things, before he pulled the hoodie over his head, leaving his back exposed for brief moment, as he placed it down besides him, as he packed the papers, still with some coffee stains to his white collar, of the dressshirt. He sighed, as he looked over towards Nathaniel, with a piercing gaze, almost like he was sticking daggers into the back of the guy already, which he were, just mentally.

It was first when he felt someone - or rather something - bump into him that he looked straight at the guy he had known since they were little kids; James. James, that leech. Cold as ice and hard as stone, as Nathaniel could confirm as he felt their bodies shortly press up against each other. The autumn eyes and the slithering harsh tone was nothing new to the void-eyed human, as he looked down at James with a confused expression. ‘’Wow… Still using that nickname, huh?’’ Nathaniel sighed at the pale-skinned moron.
Nathaniel wasn’t the one to apologize, since he had not been in the way on purpose. Instead, James seemed to insist on that hard attitude of a posh idiot, leaving Nathaniel feeling like the dingus for even existing. To be honest, it had always been this way. James and Ellery had it great together - real pals - while Nathaniel had been the odd one out for not being magical in any way, shape or form. He was a human; no powers to make a statement with.
He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t think of anything to say without it either sounding stupid, mean or way to nice for the vampire. After all, they weren’t even friends. The barista looked shortly at Nathaniel as she handed him his cup of coffee. ‘’Thank you. I’m sorry for the mess.’’ He then said, fishing out some change from his pocket to put into the tip jar as a miniscule compensation for the time and effort she now would face to clean up after the crash. He looked shortly at James, as he reveal his back for a tiny moment before he stood in a dress shirt and with a snarky attitude looked directly at Nathaniel with a look that even could make the worse basilisk green with envy. ‘’I… Never mind. I’ll see you around or something.’’ He then said, before he moved towards the door leading out to the street. What was he supposed to do? Offer him his jacket? No, that would be ridiculous.

James almost ran out of the shop, as he took a firm grip at the jacket of Nathaniel´s, as he said " Your jacket. Lend it to me, it´s the least you can do ". He wasn´t going to let go, and Tailless better believe it, when he asked so nicely, that if he didn´t take it off and hand it over at his own fucking accord, then he would force it off the shoulders of him and take it, if he had too. He had a very pressing meeting, and he couldn´t just show up, wearing a stained collar dressshirt, with no jacket or anything. If Tailless had given him the jacket, he would take it on his shoulder´s, without sending him a gaze like he wanted to murder him, if NOT given by own choice, he would just grip Nathaniel´s arm, hold him, while taking it off, as he would get it on before Nathaniel could do anything, as he would just turn and walk back to get his stuff, as he would toss the hoodie towards him, as he said " Here, you can have it. Just, dont be a freak about it ".

He looked up and down at the more manly version of tailless, leaving him feeling a little.. weird about looking at him, as he said " Word of advice tailless. With that attitude, you will never survive the real world. Better grow up fast ". As he walked over towards his bike, as he wasn´t one that was much for being picked up. He took the bag over his shoulder´s, as he looked over towards him, before giving him a fake smile, as he drove past him on his bike, but with enough distance, so he couldn´t do anything to him, out of spite, hopefully.
He continued to bike all the way home, before he placed the bike, as he walked inside and said " Mom, i´m home! ". Cecilie looked from the kitchen, as she almost instantly noticed the jacket. " What on earth is it that you are wearing?, James ". James smiled gently, as he said " It´s a gift mom, from Nathaniel ". He then walked upstairs, as he took off the jacket, shortly getting a sniff of the scent of Nathaniel´s, as he wrinkled his nose a little, before he hanged it on the back of his door, as he took off the shirt of his, before switching to another.

He went to the meeting he was suppose to go to, as he got into the university of Sorbonne, best university in Paris. He took his bike home, ate dinner with his mother, as always, not like savage, drinking straight from the vein, it wasnt something he did. After dinner and some time, he finally got ready for a party with some of the new university students, as it was almost like a secret get together, which was why he climbed out the window, as he took his bike , shortly looked up towards the house covered in the night, as he could see some shimmering light coming from one of the rooms inside the house, probably Nathaniel´s. He didn´t believe that Ellery would be up now, and as he remembered, Nathaniel used to have a room in there, out to the road.

He thought for a second, of he should yell something, as he could see the window being a little ajar, but he didn´t. Instead he turned his gaze away with a huff, before he paddled away, as he finally reached the building where the party was at. It was an abandoned old factory, cleaned out and made for party spots for the young and reckless in Paris/France. Normally he didn´t come these places, but a cute guy had asked if he weren´t coming, so of course he was. He was wearing a black tshirt underneath the leather jacket of Nathaniel´s and some ripped black jeans. He smiled, as he walked inside, before walking over to the crowd he knew, before he stood and engaged in a conversation.

He looked somewhat confused at James as he felt the firm grip on the arm of the jacket. The request was not even remotely polite, and to be quite frank - Nathaniel had no clue to why the vampire wanted a worn-out leather jacket in the first place. It would be too big for him and probably not offer him any warmth as it wouldn’t sit snug on his torso. Yet, Nathaniel had learned a long time ago that he was better off not bothering to confront James on his behavior. It was futile. ‘’Of course,’’ he then said, as he couldn’t be bothered to do anything else. He maneuvered out of the jacket and handed it to James. What seemed to confuse the void-eyed human even more, however, was the fact that James then tossed the coffee-stained hoodie to him with the offer to keep it. ‘’Wha-‘’ he just said, before he had gotten a hoodie thrown in his hands. Then, the so-called advice was thrown at him as well. He just stood there for a moment Before he had any chance to say anything, James had left, and Nathaniel stood with the stained hoodie and his coffee. The barista looked directly at Nathaniel, only to see him chuckle slightly impressed by the vampire’s way of handling things, before he left the coffee shop and began his walk back home. His parents - who didn’t even know he was to arrive home today - would hopefully not see his sudden return as an act of impoliteness.

Back at the house, Elaine had received a call from Cecilie. The call had rendered her utterly speechless, since she had heard nothing from her son for months, and all of a sudden, he was giving out jackets to her friend’s kid!? Nathaniel was supposed to be in Edinburgh, studying! What was he doing home!? ‘’Gerard!’’ she called, only for her husband to emerge from the doorway leading in to his office. ‘’Yes dear?’’ he asked, looking at his fuming wife. ‘’You need to have a talk with your son! He has given Cecilie’s kid a jacket! Did you know that!? Do you know what that means!?’’ she screeched, making Gerard look at her with a hopeless gleam in his eyes. ‘’Elaine, it’s OUR son, first of all. second of all, no - I don’t know what that means. Please enlighten me.’’ The father said, calmly. ‘’It means he is gay, Gerard!’’ she spewed at her husband. ‘’He is a freak! I should have known! I should have shipped him to bootcamp, but no! You insisted on sending him to Edinburg to study with his cousins! See what that did!?’’ she spewed, before she placed the back of her hand on her forehead. ‘’I need to go lie down. Fix this!’’ she then said, before she disappeared up the stairs to the master bedroom.

Nathaniel entered the house with little time to even breath before his father - a slightly older version of himself, only with ravenblack hair instead - stopped him. ‘’The office. Now.’’ He simply said, before he dragged Nathaniel with him to the office and slammed the door shut behind them. ‘’What have you done this time!?’’ his father sighed, rubbing his forehead. Nathaniel looked utterly confused at his father. ‘’I just-‘’, ‘’you just what!? You turn up here, unannounced, and tries to act like nothing is wrong!? Is this why you returned with no warning?! Is this why you wouldn’t stay with your cousins!?’’ the father snarled at his son as he tore the hoodie from his grip. ‘’I will not tolerate this nonsense! I will not have my son to be gay! It is unacceptable!’’
Nathaniel had been through a proper lashing more than once, but this.. He felt so lost, standing there, looking at the floor beneath his feet as his father scolded him. all until he heard the word ‘gay’. Here, he looked up at his father, both surprised and confused. ‘’What?’’ he asked; his voice brittle as it could be. ‘’You have been sharing clothes with Cecilie’s boy. She called your mother. You’ll be sent off to bootcamp on Monday.’’ His father said and tossed the hoodie back in Nathaniel’s face. ‘’Now, get out of my sight.’’ His father then said, only for Nathaniel to turn away and leave the office. Nerobel - his only friend in the household - stood there, looking at him. ‘’He finally found out, huh?’’ Nerobel asked, only for Nathaniel to grab Nerobel by the throat. ‘’Found out what?! I spilled coffee on James’ shirt and offered him to lend my fucking jacket. Leave me alone. You’re no better than the rest of these tattletales.’’ He snarled, before Nathaniel walked up to his room, shut the door and sat down on his bed. He felt like he was about to pass out, so he opened the window. Why would James say anything that could be understood as them having a fling? James despised Nathaniel. It made no sense. Ellery, although he surely had heard all of it, made no effort in making sure his brother was okay.

He had gotten a text, telling him about this exclusive party at an abandoned factory. He could just go around the back and get in; no questions asked. It was just what he needed; something to drink to let out steam. He stood up, stretched and pulled off the t-shirt; standing in naked torso and jeans for a moment as he enjoyed the cool night air on his skin. He looked out the window, and for a brief moment he thought he saw James - but he didn’t manage to get a good look at him before he was gone. Then, he pulled on a clean t-shirt and reached for one of his other hoodies, when he noticed James’ hoodie on the floor. He picked it up and instinctively tried to breath in the scent. He closed his eyes for a moment before tossing the hoodie onto his office chair and grabbed one of his clean hoodies. What freak smelled another man’s hoodie!? He left the house through the front door, as he didn’t bother to hide the fact he was leaving. Nobody cared anyway. He began to walk, only to arrive at the party a little later. He entered, no problems there. No one seemed to mind him being there at least. He grabbed a beer and looked around; most likely looking for someone to hook up with to forget the fact that his family thought he was gay and wanted to ship him off to a bootcamp… That idiot James… Had this been his plan all along?! To finally get rid of Nathaniel. It sure seemed like it. He took a huge chug of his beer, almost aggressively, as he tried to forget the fact that all of this had happened just because of a cup of spilled coffee.

He could have sworn he had seen Nathaniel standing near the window, with nothing on, or well it looked like that from down where he had stood. He drowned the image in his memory, with another shot of tequila, as he licked his lips, before smiling towards the guy that had spoken to him earlier. Oliver or something like it. He leaned in, before he took a soft grip around the fabric of the collar of the guy, as he kissed his lips not tenderly, but with such care, before he pushed him up against the nearest wall, not caring if anybody saw them, before he left the poor guy almost breathless, as he walked away from him with a smile. He didn´t know the damage he had put poor little Tailless through, but he probably wouldn´t care more even if he had known.

He walked through the crowd, as he suddenly found himself standing, side by side with Tailless, as he looked at him, and how he aggressively chugged the beer, before he laughed a little, as he commented on it. " Woooh, easy there Tailless, you should really hold back a little, might end up vomiting on someone and then it would be two strikes in a row, with liquid war ". He laughed, as he ordered two more tequila shots, before Oliver joined in, as Oliver laid his arm around James waist, before James leaned against him, as he kissed his neck.

Oliver looked over towards Nathaniel as he gave a short nod towards him, before asking James. " Who´s that ". James smirked a little, as he said " Nobody ". He moved his lips up against Oliver´s, as he captured them in a heated kiss, before he let go, leaving Oliver´s cheeks red, and the guy short of breath, as James handed him the shot´s glass, before he clinked the shot´s glasses against each other, as he took the shot, and placed it on the counter once again, still with his back towards Nathaniel, as Oliver said " So Nobody. How do you know James? ". James sighed, as he captured Oliver´s chin, before saying " Stop talking to him, he´s a loser. Probably a virgin also, as i said. A nobody ".

He sighed, as he kissed Oliver´s lips once again, before someone called the guy, as he said " Excuse me, i will be right back ". James followed him with his eyes narrowed, before he turned to look at Nathaniel, as he ran a hand through the dark brown locks, before he turned the autumn brown eyes towards Nathaniel, as he looked up at him. " Why is it, that people always seem to run, whenever you are around?. Must be your smell, ON you of course.. as this jacket still reeks of you ". He laughed, as he crossed his eyes a little, before he placed himself on the stool behind him, giving him a little more to his height, as he looked at Nathaniel. " I didn´t know you were even applying for Sorbonne, or are you perhaps.. a party crasher? ". He shortly let his gaze explore Nathaniel from head to toe, and back up again, as he smiled a little, before licking his lips.

Nathaniel had nothing to do there, except maybe hooking up. Now, he saw James standing there; his tongue down some poor guys throat. The sight made him both nauseous and intrigued, which resulted in him turning a quarter of the way and focusing on something else; mainly chucking beer to numb the feeling of… of what? Being a disappointment? He should have been used to that by now. Moments later, none other than James stood next to him and cautioned him about not drinking too much or he would vomit on someone. ‘’Nice jacket,’’ Nathaniel simply said, knowing that he wasn’t going to get it back, although it had been one of his more priced possessions.
The dude James had been salivating on moments before now joined them, only for Nathaniel to back away a couple of steps. It all felt too close to comfort, and in that moment he regretted even considering joining the party. James answered he question about who Nathaniel was, which oddly enough felt like a punch in the gut. He shook his head slightly before he noticed them kissing even more. It was getting to a point where Nathaniel really considered leaven them alone. ‘’Geez, thanks.’’ He just said, as James had insulted him not once, but twice. He emptied the last of his beer, with the intend of leaving the party as soon as he had the chance. He had tried to forget about today -about the scent of the moron’s hoodie and about that fact that he was to be sent away. With James there, he had no chance for forgetting anything.
He was about to leave, when James looked back at him.; insulting him for the way he smelled as well. There was nothing for Nathaniel to do or say. Any attempt to talk back would simply lead to James insulting him even more, like it had always been. ‘’Don’t worry. You get Sorbonne all to yourself.’’ Nathaniel said, somewhat cold in his tone, before he moved passed James. ‘’Have a nice one..’’ he sighed before he began walking. All of a sudden, it felt more appealing to be at home; locked in his room, than listening to that arrogant prick poking fun at him for no reason at all. He moved passed the guy James had been hooking up with, only to look at him and wondering what the hell James found attractive in that guy. He quickly managed to think about something else; mainly why he even bothered to wonder such stupid things to begin with, as he walked through the crowd, to leave the party.

James raised his brow a little, as he followed Nathaniel with his eyes, before he shaked his head, as he wouldn´t even try to find out what or why the guy never stood up for himself. The smart remarks sure, but the always just ended up leaving, making him a little pissed actually. He took his beer, as he got it, before he looked around once again, to see where Oliver had gone, as he wanted to get at least something good out of the whole ordeal, but as he looked around, he could also see trouble, as some dudes took a hold in Nathaniel, as he narrowed his eyes to follow the conversation. One of the dude´s took a strong hold in Nathaniel´s arm, as he said " Hey. You don´t belong here, do you ". Another guy followed suit, as he also took a hold of Nathaniel, both demons.. he could see and smell that from here.. the aggressiveness.. and how they had approached the whole situation, also he had been near them earlier, and there where no doubt in his mind.. totally demons.

He rolled his eyes, as he placed the beer on the counter, before he jumped down from the stool, as he walked past people, only to see the guys starting to drag Nathaniel out with them, as a third person joined in, pushing Nathaniel in the back. When they got out, if they did, then one would immidiately hold him over the mouth, bend him a little back, as another would soon find way to his stomach with a punch, while the two guys held him in a strong grib.

Demons against a mere human, it was obviously who would win. James hurried past people, as Oliver stopped him. He turned, as he said " not now!. I don´t have time okay, just.. fucking let me be Oliver ". His tone was harsh and his eyes almost like fire, as he turned once again, before hurring outside, only to find them beating up Nathaniel, if he hadn´t gotten free from their grips. If not, he would run over to them and smack the first demon down, before he would take one after the other, as they would all lay on the ground, unconcious, as he would turn towards Nathaniel with a stern look on his face, before saying " WHY THE FUCK DID YOU COME!. You dont belong here! ".

Everything went too fast for Nathaniel to understand what had happened. He had been on his way to leave the party, when he had been stopped by two guys. As the forced him with them, a third guy followed suit an pushed him from the back. ‘’What the hell?!’’ he snarled, but he had little to say as he was escorted outside and received a punch right in the gut. He managed to groan loudly, grind his teeth as he spat up blood; directly onto one of the idiot’s shoes. He had tried to pull himself free from their grips, but it had not been successful. He received yet another punch - this time to his face - splitting his lower lip in two in a vertical busted lip on the right side of his mouth. Blood trickled freely, as groaned from the pain once more. As soon as James had helped him free, he felt the stern look hit him and the lashing words whipping him. ‘’I came because of you.’’ He simply said, wiping the blood from his busted lip in the sleeve of his hoodie. ‘’Thank you for reminding me.’’ He said, straightening up only to feel the sharp pain in his stomach from the punch he had just received. He looked shortly at James. ‘’Go back to your friend J… Leave me alone.’’ He then said as he started walking past him, only to spit blood directly at one of the passed-out demons faces.
Great… now he had to explain why he looked like crap tomorrow. He should never had left the house in the first place. Wherever James was, trouble was to follow, he had found.

James looked shocked, as he heard Nathaniel´s words. He had lashed him with the harsh tone and the stern gaze, as he had felt scared in the moment, he had noticed the guys drag him outside, scared for Nathaniel´s safety, as he stood there, now looking at a bloodied and beaten up Nathaniel. He sighed, as he held his hand against his face, before he tried to calm himself by the sweet scent of blood, laying thick around them, as he said " What are you talking about.. ". James followed him with his eyes, as he said " Wait ". He hurried to his side, as he said " At least let me follow you home, idiot ". He scoffed, as he walked side by side with him, even if he didn´t want it. He could feel the hunger tickling underneath the surface, how he wanted to grab Nathaniel and just push him up against the nearest thing.. but he didn´t... instead he walked at his side, with some distance between them, as he shifted sidewalk, so he wasn´t so close to him, as he rubbed his neck a little, while his fangs started to glide forward. It was torture, and the words still hang in the air between them.. ' i came because of you '. * Why did he say that? *.

He looked over towards him, as he rolled his eyes, before he walked over to him once again, as he leaned against his body, forcing his arm over his shoulders, as he started to walk, while holding around Nathaniel´s waist with his, squeezing his hand against his side, as he held the other one firmly placed to his shoulder, hand in hand, as he just walked with him, trying to support him as much as he could, before he looked at Nathaniel, as he stopped and pressed him against a wall, as he let his own fangs bite into the flesh of his own lips, before they started to bleed inside of his mouth, as he leaned forward, letting one arm glide around the waist of Nathaniel, and pushing him forcefully against his own body, as the other placed itself at the neck of him, pressing his lips against his, as he opened his mouth, to let some of his blood glide inside, to heal him, but also.. maybe because he couldn´t help it.. he wanted to taste Nathaniel.. as he had fantasied so much about, even if he was only human.. there where something salty to his blood, something sweet, a perfect mix. He loved it. He praised himself lucky, that he was stronger than Nathaniel, so he could just force the hold, force his tongue against the lips, if he didn´t want to open his mouth and welcome him, in a bloody kiss..
When he was done, he broke it off pretty quickly, as he said " So your wounds will heal. Don´t want your family suddenly asking too many questions ".

He wanted to punch his face it, that exact moment he asked what Nathaniel was talking about. He wanted to tell him that he was being sent away because of James and his selfish actions, but instead he simply chose to go home. He didn’t want to cause trouble, but James seemed to have other plans. He shook his head as James decided to follow him home. Why bother? It didn’t matter if he got beaten up - if not by strangers then by his father. It was the usual treatment.
He kept his distance - of course, because of the blood. For a moment, he felt somewhat pleased about the fact that James felt the need to be keep a distance. It meant that Nathaniel had a chance of being left alone for a moment.
The moment was brief, however, as James decided to help him walk all up a sudden. He placed an arm around Nathaniel’s hip, supporting him. ‘’What are you do-‘’ he asked, but he got interrupted when they stopped up and James forced him up against a wall. The forceful interaction made Nathaniel groan, as James pressed them together, making Nathaniel feel the sharp pain in his abdomen once more. ‘’No. No. no, no, no, no!’’ he said, at first calm but as James decided to press their lips together, his objection increased its speed and drowned into silence as their lips interlocked. He tried to tear himself free from James’ grip, but he had no strength to match the vampire. James broke off the kiss soon after, leaving Nathaniel breathing heavily as he tried to figure out what to say or do. He was panicking. He grinded his teeth, clearly upset. He looked straight at James. He wiped his lips off with the sleeve of the hoodie once more. ‘’Watch out… Wouldn’t want my stench all over you.’’ He then said, fighting internally not to just allow himself to actually get angry at the vampire and tell him a piece of mind. Instead, he shook his head. ‘’Leave me alone, James. I’m not in the mood for your games, how ever messed up they might be.’’ he said; his heart pounding hard in his chest as he felt himself getting upset. Not angry or mad, just... Upset. Sad, frustrated and confused.

James looked a little confused, as the guy clearly had sent mixed signals, or where they really all inside his head?, as he looked at him, not really knowing how to react to this strong reacting. " Nath. Chill.. its just a fucking kiss, not a love decleration. Dont lose your head, i just helped you heal the injuries, idiot ". He rolled his eyes once more, as he had, had enough of this guy. He always ran whenever he was near, always fleeting the scene. He could hear how his heart was beating in his chest, not knowing if it was because he was upset or angry or if it had been from the kiss. " Better watch that mouth of yours, or im gonna shut it up once more ". He turned, as he shrugged before saying, " but fine with me, if you REALLY want to be left alone, i will just start ignoring you, like you never existed, easy " he shrugged once more, before he turned around on his heels as he started to walk home. They had to go the same way anyways, but all the trip back.. he would just ignore Nathaniel.. as he longed for his own bed.. as he was frustrated. Here he was, trying to be nice, and then the idiot actually panicked and also said he should leave. * Tsk.. asshole *.

Of course James didn’t understand - how could he, if Nathaniel didn’t even try to explain to him why he reacted in such a way. ‘’Why are you trying to act nice then? It just makes everything worse.’’ Nathaniel said, not looking at James. Admitting something like that was… not pleasant. He closed his eyes, trying to figure out if he should tell James what had happened after his parents had heard from the vampire’s mother. No, he wouldn’t even care, surely. There was no need to say something about it.
‘’Watch my mouth? You should consider following your own advice sometimes,’’ he said, wiping his lips once more. He wasn’t going to explain - James would mock him for the result of his parents thinking he was gay, which he couldn’t handle right now. ‘’I guess it is real easy pretending someone doesn’t exist when they aren’t there…’’ Nathaniel then sighed as he started walking a few meters behind James, as they lived on the same street; making it hard to go home without using the same route. Once in a while, he would stop up to regain the distance between them, or to breath in deeply as his chest ached from the punch he had received earlier. ‘’I’m sorry for offending you.’’ He then said, knowing that James could hear it. He still kept his distance, looking towards the sky once in a while to wonder if the stars would be the same as the one he would look at once he arrived at that stupid bootcamp.

James stopped up, as he heard Nathaniel suddenly apologizing to him?. He could not believe it at first, no, him, never.. but it was true. He stopped up, as he turned to look at him, before he raised his brow, as he said " You are still not getting your jacket, just so you know ". He sighed, as he walked towards him, faster if Nathaniel took a step back, if not, he would just approach him in a calm pace, as he would stop in front of him, only an arms length away, as he said " why where you even there to begin with?, and what did you mean by because of me?, since you freaked over a simple kiss ". He smirked, as he took a step closer, before he grabbed his wrist, as he looked at Nathaniel, before saying " Are you perhaps into me? ". He licked his lips shortly with a grin over his face, as he pulled Nathaniel closer once again, letting the other arm glide around the waist, as he held him in a tight locked grip, before leaning forward as his fangs started to glide forward. " Actually.. you smell quite delicious... ". He pressed his nose against the neck of him, as he said " And you dont look as bad as when you were in highschool.. maybe it actually did some good to send you to England. Remember me to thank your parents ". He would grib Nathaniel's free hand, if he tried to push him away, as he would kiss the neck of him, as he wouls once again push him gently against the nearest wall, as he would smile over his lips before sinking his teeth into the skin of his, unable go control himself. As he would taste him, while pressing his body against his, as he would take each hand in a grib, entangle their fingers before pressing them against the wall, as he would ehisper against the skin. " You taste so good Nathaniel ".

‘’I don’t want it back. That thing has been nothing but trouble.’’ He said, but James just walked over to Nathaniel, looking at him with a smirk on his lips.
‘’You ask all the wrong questions, J…’’ he sighed, as he had little to no means to answer the questions. He could easily tell the vampire that he had been in need of a drink and a shag since he had been forced to face the fact that his parents wanted nothing more to do with him. The next question made him avoid the vampire’s gaze. He wasn’t able to explain.

It all once more seemed to go too fast, since James licked his lips shortly before he pulled Nathaniel closer once more, holding him in a tight grip while his fangs appeared. Nathaniel felt James’ nose against his neck; making him clench his jaw once more. ‘’Funny… Weren’t you the one asking if I was into you? Sounds like it might be the other way around, J.’’ he mumbled, trying to make his thoughts wander as he already knew what was about to happen. Once more, he was forced up against the wall, before he felt his fangs glide into his skin, making him grind his teeth. Their fingers entangled, making Nathaniel wonder if this was the usual procedure for James whenever he decided to go for a late-night snack. ‘’Shut up…’’ he mumbled quietly, feeling slightly lightheaded, as James continued his little feast.

He smiled against the soft skin, as he let his tongue out between his full lips, before letting it glide over the wounds he had nade. " They suit you so well ". He pressed his lips gently towards them, just enough to make the bleeding stop, as he caressed the neck once more with his nose, aa he took in his smell. He slowly lifted his knee, as he said " Oh yeah?. Cat lost his tongue? ". He chuckled, as he leaned forward once more to catch Nathaniel's lips. He had always thought that he wa somewhat cute, but now.. after the change, clearly.. he had become quite handsome.

He didnt know if he should stop or continue, but for now he was just running on pure instinct, as he kissed Nathaniel's sweet tasty delicious blood stained lips, as he stopped the kiss for a moment, before he whispered " I can make you feel real good, you just have to ask. Say it Nathaniel, say you want me ". He once again placed a kiss on his lips, a sweet and fleeting kiss. He wasnt fucking with his mind right now, as he actually wanted to feel him, hear him.. touch him.. skin against skin.

He wasn’t sure what had happened. He wasn’t sure he had even told him what the issue was - did he even know what the issue was himself? No… He swallowed hard, as he heard the chuckle form the vampire, asking if the cat had gotten his tongue. What should he answer to such a question? James had to be intoxicated - there was no way in hell that he wanted this as well!
Yet another kiss made him sigh against the vampire’s lips. It felt good, but wrong at the same time. They had always been feuding, so why now? Why did he want this all of a sudden? The whisper made him swallow har once more, as he knew that if he did as James said, there would be no way of denying that he had found a man attractive enough to sleep with him.
‘’Stop messing with me, J.’’ he then said, as he pulled away slightly. ‘’I don’t want this. I don’t want any of this. What happened to ignoring me and pretending I never existed? Why do you have to make this even harder for me?’’ he asked, not looking at James as he felt horrible for ruining whatever little moment they had shared. In truth, it was a selfish act of his. Nathaniel denied both of them pleasure, only because Nathaniel wasn’t able to keep the connection with James. He feared falling for an immortal vampire, only to be sent away and having the risk of returning to James being with someone else. He wasn’t sure he would be able to accept that - so it was better to keep it all at a distance. Of course, his body didn’t agree, as his member had already decided that the offer of James toying with him sounded quite intriguing, and hardened slightly. Nathaniel decided to ignore that however.

Normally James would have already dumped the person and moved on, as he stood there, feeling like he was guided down a path, one he himself wasnt even very much for, as he felt Nathaniel harden a little against his own member, that had reacted well on the tender yet animalistic kiss, as he had savored every little taste to him. He sighed against his lips, as he said with a low annoyed tone " Why do you have to make it so hard.. have you ever thought abput why i tease you. Maybe you should grow a spine and actually stand up for yourself, get angry, do SOMETHING, instead of always just taking everyones bullshit! ". He let go of Nathaniels hans as he slammed his fist into the wall next to Nathaniel's head, as he growled lowly, before saying " I could turn you.. right here, right now.. and then nobody could EVER say anything to you.. you would be powerful, everything could be yours for the taking.. eternal life.. ". He sighed, as he turned away from him, as he said " Forget it. Go home Tailless. I wont ever touch you again, i promise ". He sighed as he stepped a little back, while still looking at him.

He then turned and started walking as he looked to the side towards Nathaniel's home, as he had stopped for a moment.. before he just looked back at Nathaniel, as he remembered the feeling against his leg. He sighed, as he stretched a little before saying loud enough for the mortal to hear. " You can stay at my place.. if you want ". He meant as in he could sleep over. He knew from the blood that Nathaniel was intoxicated, and he also knew his parents well enough, that they would probably give him hell or it, if they noticed.. he waited to hear his answer, as he started to walk home after a little while, with or without Nathaniel.

‘’You want me to do something? Fine!’’ Nathaniel said, looking straight at James. ‘’Whatever you said to your mother clearly ruffled my parents’ feathers, okay!? I hadn’t even entered my own front door before my father gave me hell for being gay, all because of you having my jacket! They are sending me away, only because of YOU! You’ve tormented me, mocked me, belittled me! And all of a sudden, you try this!? What the hell is wrong with you? Why would I ever consider being with someone like you, when all you have ever done to me has been out of spite!? It has been what, thirty minutes, since you introduced me as a nobody, called me a loser and a virgin, and told me I reeked.’’ He said, looking straight into the vampire’s eyes.
‘’Go ahead and turn me, if that is what you want. You seem to have little care for how anyone else feels anyways.’’ Nathaniel then said, the fire in his voice clearly dying out as he had said what needed to be said. ‘’I’m not taking everyone’s bullshit, by the way… You’re the only one who has ever had the gall to treat me like trash and still expected me to allow something as intimate as this to happen.’’ He said, shaking his head. He wasn’t going home. He didn’t care to. his home was nothing but a glass-castle waiting to collapse. He couldn’t stand being there - so when James turned to offer Nathaniel to sleep at his place, the void-eyed human looked at James with disbelief in his eyes. ‘’How delightful it may sound to have a stinking human sleeping on your floor, I might have to pass. I have some miles to walk before the sun sets.’’ He said, looking at the direction they came from. ‘’Sleep tight James. And thanks for the help back there.’’ He then said, as he started to walk back the way they came from, unless James stopped him.

James had looked rather shocked, when Nathaniel had gone off on him like that. He had never seen it coming, not in a million years, since Tailless had always just let him push him around, but now he was actually standing face to face with a pissed off Tailless, or more like Nathaniel, showing his guts, saying no to him and actually for the first time ever.. saying something to him, instead of just playing nice and ignoring all the hurt. He listened to everything, as he knew he deserved it and more. Suddenly the words hit him. Sending him away?. He looked at him with a raised brow. He had stopped by Nathaniel´s home, after the cosmic slapdown, but only to find out and hear from the guy, that he was not going to take his offer and not even that, but he also noticed him turning, as he wasn´t apparently going home. He looked at him.. thought for a moment to walk after him, but he was done running after the guy.

He sighed, as he walked all the way home, only to find himself laying in his bed, looking up into the ceiling, as he sighed. The next day he walked down to his mother, before explaining the situation to her, saying that she must had misunderstood him, as he had accidentally spilled something down himself and Nathaniel had lended him the jacket, as he had met him on the way. His mother looked quite shocked, before narrowing her eyes, as he looked down a little, before he felt a hard slap over his cheek. He looked down, as he felt the blood in his mouth. His mother said that she had exspected better from him, before he nodded, as she said he was to return the jacket and not only that, but he also was to apologize and say that it was a misunderstanding. He nodded, as he walked all the way towards their home, as he had freshned himself up.

He walked up to the door, as he sighed, before ringing the bell, as he waited, with the jacket on his arm, as he hoped Nathaniel had gone home, or at least hadn´t run into any problems, as he stood there, before hearing someone open the door, as he said " I would love to talk to Mrs D'Combe.. if she is home ". He was still sleepy, but he still looked polished, and in a fine black dressshirt, and matching black pants, and the hair was styled back, as he looked around for a moment, waiting to explain the situation.

When he saw Elaine, he gave a short bow, before he said " I heard my mother had called you yesterday. I just wanted to clear any misunderstandings. I accidentally spilled some coffee the day before, and ran into Nathaniel, that was so nice, as to lend me his jacket, since i had a meeting to go to, and then he was so kind as to take my hoodie back, so i could fetch it. I was rather embarassed about the whole thing, so i don´t know if he has informed you about the situation, as he probably could see it was effecting me, so i will just say thanks for the loan and i hope to see you all tonight at the opera ". He placed the jacket folded beautifully on the nearest table, as he gave a bow and turned, before walking to the door, as he wanted to get home as fast as he could. This wasnt normally him, but this was the least he owned Nathaniel.. after years of torment.

Of course James didn't even bother to reply. This was all some sick and twisted game to him, surely!
As James didn't stop Nathaniel from walking away, then he pntinued walking until he ended up back at the same party, with the same idiotic demons. It wasn't until the sun was about to rise, that he decided to return home - sporting several bruises, cuts and a blackened eye. Nerobel was the one helping the void-eyed human up to bed, followed by cleaning the trail of blood that had followed Nathaniel home.

Only a few hours later, his father had dragged him out of bed and down to the office. Nathaniel wasn't wearing anything but a pair of sweatpants, which allowed anyone to see the massive bruises on his torso from the evening before. He reeked of alcohol and had some dried up blood on his chin and neck, which didn't make it any better for his father. Yelling ensued, making it clearly audible that the man was furious about the whole affair. More than once, Gerard demanded him to tell what he had been doing, and if he had been with James.
At the same time, James decided to pop over with the jacket; making things even worse. Nerobel opened the door, but Elaine told him to go away as she wanted to speak to James herself. Still, the yelling of Gerard could be heard. Elaine looked at James, soft as an angel. "thank you for telling me this. Of course, we will all be attending the opera tonight," she promised, before the door to the office slammed open and Nathaniel emerged, only to look straight at James; his eyes showing clearly that he was SO done with everything that had happened. He sighed, before he disappeared up the stairs...

Elaine looked shortly at James, before closing the door. Nerobel grabbed the jacket and walked up to Nathaniels room and placed it on his bed. Nathaniel looked out the window, ignoring Nerobel. On his desk were all of his clothes, ready to be packed. He grabbed the jacket, ready to toss it in the bin, before he placed it against his face and closed his eyes. "of all the things you have done to me... This is the worst." he sighed, before he placed the jacket in a pla k box and placed a lid on it. He wrote a simple note; 'I hope it'll reek of me forever'. He got dressed, washed his face and packed his clothes.
Then he took the box and left his room.

Then he grabbed his phone from his pocket. 'we need to talk. Please meet me at the Cafe. It won't take long.'. After that, he walked to the Starbucks. - box in hand - to hopefully meet up with James to get things cleared up.

James could hear everything with his exceptionel hearing, as he stood the same spot, while looking at Elaine, before giving a slight nod. He wanted to help Nathaniel, he wanted to raise his voice, but he also knew, that by doing so, he would only digg Nathaniel´s grave even deeper, than he had already done, so he said nothing, instead he just stood and talked, before he turned as when he just turned, he looked over towards Nathaniel, as he got out. He almost blushed, looking at a half state naked Nathaniel, but when he saw the bruises on him, the state he was in.. he looked at him with an most apologetic demenor. He wanted to reach out to him and apologize, wanted to go back in time and not leave him all alone that night, demand that he had gone home with him, to safety, but here he was.. smelling the alcohol on him, seeing the bruises, hearing his father yell at him. He parted his lips, before he heard the sigh coming from Nathaniel, as he turned and walked up the stairs.. leaving James alone once again, as he just stood there.. unable to do anything.

He sighed, as he looked down, before giving a short nod, as he walked out the door, before he walked the not so long walk home. When he came home, he took a bath, while trying to collect his own thoughts. He felt horrible.. like the worst he had ever felt. He didn´t know if the bruises had been Nathaniel´s father or from the attack the night before or what it had been.. but he knew it was his fault. If he hadn´t taken the jacket, if he hadn´t said the lie to his mother, none of this would have happened. He looked over towards his phone, as he heard a message go in, before he picked it up and dryed himself up, as he sent a thumbs up to Nathaniel, before he took on the clothing from before, as he almost ran out of the house, as his mother yelled that he should be back before the opera. He yelled back " Yes mom! ". He sighed, as he took his bike before peddling all the way to the cafe, as he parked and went inside.

He instantly noticed Nathaniel and the box he had with him, before he walked up to him, trying to figure out what to say or do.. but he felt like he had only confused Nathaniel even more.. by giving all kinds of signals from him, and maybe.. he.. no he made it worse by being nice, so if he was just an asshole, maybe Nathaniel would run away from his own family and not be sent home.
" What do you want Tailless ". He didn´t look at him when he said the words, with the normally harsh and spiteful tone to it, as he sat down across from him, at the table. He looked at him, as he said " What´s in the box?. My hoodie? ". He raised his brow, as he looked a little towards Nathaniel´s eyes, but not much, before he turned his gaze away from him again.
" I heard your father yell at you once again. If you keep letting people wander all over you, you might even turn into a girl, having no balls and all to stand up for yourself. Like a little boy ". He smirked.. but the words felt sour in his mouth, as he didn´t look at Nathaniel.. for the first time.. it actually hurted.. to be spiteful and mean towards him.

Nathaniel had known for quite some time that he had no choice, when it came to his parents making decisions for him. even with the apologetic demeanor, James looked like he had little interest in what happened to Nathaniel - which didn’t surprise him all that much, since he had been a torment of his all his life. With the slight parting of the vampire’s lips, Nathaniel sighed - simply because he knew that it was yet another insult that would dance of his tongue, which was why the void-eyed human decided to return to his chambers before the vampire had a chance to treat him with anymore disrespect.

…

As Nathaniel arrived at the café, he ordered a cappuccino and an iced latte - both to go. Why? Because, if anything, James could bring his coffee with him when he decided to leave Nathaniel alone in all of his self-pity. He sat down at a table that was rather secluded, providing some privacy for the void-eyed human as he tried to figure out what to say. He didn’t really have the chance to do so, however, as James all of a sudden stood there, asking what Nathaniel wanted. Nathaniel looked up at him, revealing the soap-eye he had received after returning to the party. His lip still had not healed right, and a new crook on the bridge of his nose stated that it had been broken that very night. ‘’I just wanted to give you this and thank you properly. That is what we are raised to do, after all.’’ Nathaniel said, as James then sat down across from Nathaniel. ‘’You’ll find out soon enough what’s in it.’’ He then said, somewhat confident in the fact that they had gotten past that spiteful way of spewing words at each other. He was wrong. James pointed out what he had heard, making Nathaniel clench his jaw.
‘’Sometimes I wonder why I even bother treating you with even an ounce of respect.’’ Nathaniel said, as he looked straight at James, clearly upset about the fact that James used his father against him. ‘’You’ll be getting your hoodie back in a day or so. Nerobel is in the middle of removing the coffee-stains and whatever stench that might be left in it from when I touched it. He’ll deliver it to you when he is satisfied with his work. You can keep this - I’m sure you have a better use for it than me.’’ He said, as he got up from his seat when his name was called to retrieve their coffee. He looked shortly at James, wondering why he even bothered to try. Then, he walked up to get the coffee, and returned only to place the iced latte in front of James. ‘’My father is no concern of yours, James. I can’t just reserve my body for you to be the only one to stomp on whenever you feel like it.’’ He said, before he looked at the cappuccino in his hand. He sighed. ‘’Take care, Vólkarian.’’ He then said, as he placed a hand on James’ shoulder, before he leaned in to whisper something in his ear; ‘’I came to the party last night because I thought it was the truth. Because I thought you were happy that I had given you something. I thought it meant something to you. I had forgotten that vampires ain’t nothing but heartless bastards that have little concern for other’s feelings. You won, James. I’m leaving - aren’t you happy? I’m getting the hell out of here, before you can push me over the fucking edge again.’’. With those words, he released the vampire’s shoulder and began to walk without leaving James any possibility to hinder him in leaving. As soon as he had left the café, he tossed the coffee he had in his hand in a bin, before he walked to endless-seeming way home to get his things before his ride to the airport would arrive, so he could leave for the camp two days early. Half an hour later, he had disappeared, leaving nothing of his belongings behind, except the jacket in the box.

…

It had been a year. A year of hard work; a year of denial; a year of anger building up. Now, he was back, since the program had ended. He slowly allowed his index finger run over the long scar on his lip from when it had busted during the demon-beat-up he had endured a year prior.
He had walked from the bus station, about ten miles from their home, since no one had bothered to pick him up. He had given notice that he was to arrive, yet the house was empty and the locks changed. He sighed, only to look at the mailbox and see his name removed from the address. They had apparently kicked him out while he had been away. Wearing his uniform, since that was all the clothes he had left besides his formal attire, he looked around for a moment before he decided that he needed a coffee before he even considered what to do next. Therefor, he began the walk to the coffee shop once more - the shop where everything had been turned upside down a year ago.
He entered, wearing army boots, green cargo pants, a black t-shirt, dog-tags in a chain around his neck and the duffel bag in his hand. His snow white hair was now black as the night, styled in a buzz cut, with his cheeks covered in a five’o’clock shadow. The void-eyes seemed to be the only thing that had not changed, along with his height. He had bulked up a bit, mostly due to the forced training at the camp. He ordered a black coffee; his voice slightly more coarse and dark than when he had left.

When he had seen him at the stairs, he wanted to reach out to him, say sorry, say anything to make everything better.. but he couldn´t and he knew that very well. He had digged Nathaniel´s grave and if he didn´t hold his tongue, it would only get bigger. He hated himself for the words that had rolled over his tongue, the moment he had seen Nathaniel, but he didn´t quite know just how MUCH... he would actually hate himself so much more, later that day. He looked into the void in Nathaniel´s eyes.. he could clearly hear the hurt. * Good.. then he wont miss me or feel anything.. *. He looked shortly away from him, only to gain some courage, to keep the facade up, as he himself felt like vomiting, from the way he was treating Nathaniel. It wasn´t fair.. none of it was. From the first day he had met him, the cute looking boy.. wanting to just.. push him a little, see if he would bite, but then nothing.. the guy always been so good of him, always so respectful, making him angry, why he wouldn´t fight back... always he was screaming inside.. FIGHT BACK, say something.. ANTYHING!.

He followed Nathaniel with his eyes, before looking at the box. * What could it be then? *. He tilted his head a little, as he looked at the box, before letting his hand glide over it shortly, as he looked over towards Nathaniel, when he placed the iced latte in front of him. " How did you.. ". Oh, probably the scent on the hoodie maybe?. He chuckled a little, by the comment Nathaniel made, about him not being the only one that could stomp on his body, before his gaze grew soft for a moment, as he hurried to harden it once again. He looked at the cappuccino in his hand for a moment, before following him with his eyes, as he looked straight forward, when he passed him.. as he felt the hand on his shoulder, making him slightly blush, as he felt his body almost ache... before the words made him widen his eyes. He felt horrible.. he wanted to say something, but instead he held it in, as he felt a tear glide down his cheek, when he said the last words.. he didn´t turn, as he didn´t want Nathaniel to notice, before he hurried to remove the bloody tear, as he turned to follow him with gaze.

As he sat in the chair, he suddenly felt so empty, so abandoned. He looked down at the box, before he looked to the iced coffee, as he took a sip of it, before opening the box, only to see the jacket. He slowly pulled it out, before he ran his hands against the fabric.. as he felt tears glide down, as he hid them with his dress shirts black sleeve, before he got up, as he took the jacket underneath his arm, leaving the coffee only to step out.. to nothing. No Nathaniel to see no nothing. As he hurried home on his bike, he almost ran inside, as he said " Mom, i´m going over to Nathaniel ". His mother stopped him, as she said " Nathaniel is already.. wait, is that tears? ". James looked at her with a shocked expression, before he said " N-No.. " to both of the things, as he ran out the door, before he ran to D'Combe house, as he sudden noticed the car missing. He tried to clean up as much as he could, before the door got opened and he stood face to face with Nerobel.

" Nathaniel is he home? ". When he heard that he wasn´t.. that he had packed everything and was gone, he looked in shock, before he ran down to the road, as he found his phone, before calling a cap. When he got inside, he said to the nearest airport but when he finally came.. it was too late.. no Nathaniel.. not even getting called in the speaker helped.. He sat there, almost all night.. before someone came and asked if he needed them to call someone.. and that the airport was closed mostly and no more planes was going or coming for the next few hours. He sighed, as he got up and went home before he threw himself in the bed. It was all his fault.. he drove him to it.. he drove him away.. he hated himself, as he started to trash his room, before his mother came up to him, tried to calm him down, before he got house arrest, and then also a scolding. He cried all that night, as he kept the jacket on..

- One year later -

James had been to class almost all day, as he walked all the long way home. He could drive now, but he didn´t.. he just walked wherever he needed to be, and right now.. he could really use a coffee. He had gotten an awfull habit of buying himself a cappuccino, since the day Nathaniel had left. His hair was a little more soft in the color, a light brown with more curls than normal, and his chin was bearing no beard at all, as he looked younger almost and then not. He was wearing Nathaniel´s jacket, with a white dress shirt underneath, and some black pants and black italien leather shoes, as he slept in the corner of the cafe.. same place they had met that time. His laptop was open like normally, but he looked tired.. peaceful.. as he slept for himself.. almost cut out from all the rest, as something was put up in front of the corner, so only his leg was visible behind the cover.