Author Topic: Quiet Night In  (Read 12061 times)

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Offline Existentially Odd

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Quiet Night In
« on: March 16, 2013, 12:36:35 AM »
(Continued from Rivals for Affection)

David continued to hold Bill's hand as he drove, having reached an uneasy truce with himself as they went.  He'd decided that just because Bill couldn't accept him completely didn't mean they were doomed; a great deal of the mortal's denial might just be jealousy and that was fair enough.  He would give it some time and see, believing everything might well resolve itself quite naturally.

Of course, the thing that made this a bitter pill to swallow was Cain, and the other mortal was still swirling in his thoughts even as he tried to push him away and focus on Bill alone.  Cain had always been completely accepting of his nature, to the point where he'd even conceded that he'd understand if David got carried away with one of the donors, rather than getting jealous.  He tried telling himself that that could have gone sour after they'd been together this many weeks too, and that it wasn't worth mentally harping on as a better fit for him... but his brain wouldn't let it go so easily.

He was happy with Bill, he loved the human and still found him to be a wonderful person.  It was just... Bill's naivete was beginning to feel a little cloying, making Cain's relaxed attitude all the more appealing.  It wasn't fair to compare completely different human beings though, he told himself, so he spent the rest of the drive - if Bill didn't say anything to change the situation - in silent war with himself, coming to terms with it all.

When they pulled into the driveway of his townehouse, he clicked the garage opener and waited for the door to roll up, driving in when he was able and parking beside his bike.  He didn't rush to open Bill's door as he once had, for he was still somewhat preoccupied, but he got out and waited at the back of the car for Bill, looking out at the estate unseeingly, his expression shuttered.

Offline Annalas

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Re: Quiet Night In
« Reply #1 on: March 26, 2013, 10:51:03 AM »
Bill held onto David's hand happily throughout the rest of the car ride, completely fine with skipping the movie and moving towards something else instead. Despite his small tiff (or whatever it was) with David, he was already feeling better. He had a lead on his brother, after all; not only that, but David couldn't be too upset if he had suggested sex.

He hadn't intended for David to take his words as an invitation to sex, as he would have been perfectly fine with curling up on the couch beside the vampire. Who was he, though, to turn down sex when it was clearly offered?

Once the car had turned off, Bill unbuckled his seatbelt and got out, closing the door behind him. He paused briefly, expecting David to come around to his side, but the vampire merely waited for him at the back of the car. Even Bill, for all of his obliviousness, was beginning to see that David wasn't in the greatest mood, and it was probably his fault.

"We don't have to," Bill brought up conversationally, walking to join David. "If you'd rather just watch a movie or something, we can."

He wasn't quite sure what the matter was, since David seemed perfectly content holding his hand in the car. What had changed in the small space of time between David letting go of Bill's hand and now?

Offline Existentially Odd

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Re: Quiet Night In
« Reply #2 on: March 27, 2013, 11:13:52 AM »
David frowned at Bill, somewhat confused about what he was talking about.  With his brain swirling around, flipping between thinking about Bill and Cain, telling himself not to think about Cain and doing it anyway, his expression was as addled as his mind was.  In fact, he'd left his phone in the car but hadn't yet realised as he focussed on walking out of the garage with Bill, hitting the button on his keys to start the door rolling down behind them as they strolled towards and up the few porch stairs.

"Let's just start with that then," he decided, smiling at his boyfriend as his preoccupied thoughts caught up.  He'd made a joke about sex, that was right, but there were movies talked about first and now.  Bill was either in the same sort of strange mood as he was or he was picking up on David's vibes and reacting accordingly.  They both needed some time to settle and cuddling on the couch sounded like an excellent idea.  "I've downloaded some new releases, lots I want to see, so we can pick one of them," he offered, getting his key ready to unlock the door and looking affectionately at his loved one.

Offline Annalas

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Re: Quiet Night In
« Reply #3 on: April 11, 2013, 08:45:58 PM »
Bill was most definitely beginning to pick up on David's strange mood, and while he felt a bit of disappointment that David didn't want to just go for it like they had planned, he didn't say anything. He was perfectly fine with just a movie, he just wanted more. He smiled at his lover as he stood behind him, a hand latching onto David in an almost needy gesture. He really hated being around someone that was upset, and while David didn't physically show it, Bill was beginning to pick up on the fact that he wasn't the happiest at the moment.

"Can we watch that one action flick?" he continued the conversation, referring to one of the new releases he had mentioned wanting to see before. He thought David had downloaded it, but he wasn't quite sure.

Offline Existentially Odd

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Re: Quiet Night In
« Reply #4 on: April 22, 2013, 11:33:24 PM »
"Absolutely," David agreed smoothly, and led them into the apartment.  He dropped his keys on the kitchen bench as he passed it, heading for the bedroom.  Once he got in there, he turned on a bedside lamp for Bill's benefit, undoing the half-buttoned shirt he was wearing.  Walking to the closet, he kicked off his shoes and stripped down to his boxer briefs and white singlet.  It was only as he squeezed his pants pockets before dropping them into the hamper that he realised he'd left his phone in the car.

He wasn't entirely sure what he needed his phone for but the idea that he could get to it without Bill seeing

him text Cain to check he was alright and ask why?  Why wasn't he good enough for him anymore?  Was there any way to make this better?

was exciting.  He went to where Bill was and loosely grasped him around the waist, kissing his warm forehead gently.  "Hey.  I left my phone in the car, I'll just go out and get it.  Can you start the server up, the T.V. on and get the movie ready while I'm gone?" he smiled, waiting for Bill's agreement before he left.  If he walked out casually with his keys and pulled the front door closed behind him (never mind that he was wandering out into the front yard in his underwear and a singlet that didn't reach down far enough to hide the fact that he was wearing said underwear) Bill might not hear when the slow garage door went up.  If he was quick at his task (but acted like he'd taken his time), he might just gain enough alone time to send a text.

The question was, what did he say?  Did he even really want to communicate with Cain when it had been made abundantly clear that the mortal was doing his best to move on (as he should)?  Perhaps he was better off forgetting it?

Offline Annalas

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Re: Quiet Night In
« Reply #5 on: December 18, 2013, 01:04:25 AM »
Bill nodded his agreement to David before walking over to get the tv set up. It was amazing how quickly he had learned to work the electronic systems in David's house, and he wondered if it was really a good thing that he was moving in. He couldn't stay with his father, though. His father was a grown man and needed to learn to take care of himself. Besides, David's apartment was in a much nicer area, and in general was far nicer than the apartment he shared with his father.

He brought up the action movie on the screen before setting the controllor down and going to get himself a glass of water. There was a lemon in the fridge, thanks to a grocery trip a few days ago. He pulled it out, grabbing a knife from the drawer to cut it. The lemon flavored the water enough for him to ignore the chemical flavor that came from tap water.

Bill allowed his thoughts to roam as he waited for David to return. He felt as though he and David had left things unresolved, and it nagged at him. The fact was, David was going to go to the club again and he would eventually meant Cain again. Had David wanted to get away from Cain only because Bill was there? That seemed likely, since he had so quickly rushed to Cain's aid. On the other hand, Bill needed to trust David, and he did. If David had broken things off with Cain, then Bill had to believe that he wouldn't go running back to him.

A sharp sting brought him back to himself, and Bill realized once more that he was holding a knife. He had managed to nick himself with the sharp blade, which in and of itself wasn't bad. The lemon juice, however, inflamed the small cut, making him grit his teeth as he washed the knife and held is finger under the water. He needed to get Cain out of his mind entirely and stop doubting David. He lived with the vampire, after all. What moer could he ask for?

Bill placed the knife on the dishrack, putting pressure on his finger for a few seconds so that it would close up. It truly was nothing, and he did not even require a bandage. It still stung, though. With a small sigh, he grabbed a slice of lemon and squeezed the juice into the glass of water. Once some of the acidic drops sprouted from the lemon, he dropped it into the water and set about putting the rest of the lemon in a ziploc bag and cleaning the cutting board. He had a habit of cleaning up after himself from when he lived with his father, and though David was probably a bit more relaxed about cleaning, Bill didn't want to push his luck.

Offline Existentially Odd

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Re: Quiet Night In
« Reply #6 on: December 21, 2013, 08:00:16 PM »
Once he was sure he was out of Bill's sight, David slid under the slow-moving garage roller door and got to the car in a blink.  The phone was in his hand in next to no time, with a text message to Cain on the screen waiting for his input.  The cursor blinked tauntingly at him as he did his best to wade through the tangle of emotions clogged up inside him and think about what he would say.  What he should say was absolutely nothing - he should be heading back inside with his phone and putting it on to charge, rather than contemplating communicating with his ex lover.  He needed to resolve his awkward feelings with Bill, tend to his relationship as any dedicated lover would.

But he had no intention of doing that.  Cain was still in his heart and heavy on his thoughts and despite the pain he was courting, he needed to make contact with him just one more time.  To say he was sorry, to ask for forgiveness, to beg for some time, to... he didn't really know what to say or how best to put it succinctly, but he was as aware of every second passing like he was aware of hairs prickling on his skin.  He didn't have time to weigh the consequences if he wanted to keep this from Bill, he had to accept that it was something he had to do and just do it.  His fingers flew over the letters and he sent a swift and partly thought-out missive.

'I'm sorry you think painful reminders are appropriate, I don't.  I miss you, I miss what we had.  Hope you're okay, you deserve to be treated like a prince xoxo'

Once it was done, he exited out of the messages section, closed everything down and sauntered out of the garage.  He paused to lock the car once he was back in the cool night air, his gaze flicking around the neighbourhood as he listened to the chirp of the alarm setting followed by the familiar rumble of the garage door starting to come back down (almost as soon as it had reached its apex, so quickly had he acted).  Funnily enough, the neighbours had arrived home while he was in the garage and they were just getting out of their car while he stood there in his underwear locking his vehicle up.  He wasn't really paying them much attention but there was something about the guy that got out of the passenger's side that had him looking twice.

They weren't that far away and his eyesight was supernatural, but still, he doubted what he was seeing.  It didn't make any sense and his brain stuttered as it tried to rationalise and explain what he was looking at.  Instinct drew him closer to the couple, the cold grass crackling beneath his bare feet as he walked, frowning and staring.  His approach was likely faster than it felt to David, for both the men stopped and looked warily at him instead of heading inside immediately, and he got a good look at both of their faces.  That convinced him that he wasn't imagining it, but how could that be?

"Bill?" he called out, addressing the passenger without any real conviction in his voice.  The guy looked almost exactly like his boyfriend.  As soon as it was out of his mouth though, he realised his mistake and a certain photo he'd viewed a few weeks ago swam into his memory, correcting him.  "Wait, no, Thomas?" he asked instead.  Could that be the case?  All this time with his lover prattling on about searching for his long-lost brother and the guy was living right next door the whole time?  What were the odds on that shit?  He'd have said it was completly impossible, if it were't for the fact he was staring at his love's replica randomly standing right in front of him at that very moment.

Offline Annalas

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Re: Quiet Night In
« Reply #7 on: December 22, 2013, 03:20:02 AM »
It had been a fun night. Georg had ducked out of going to Venture once again, instead taking Thomas on a tour of the art gallery. After that had closed, they had gone over to one of Georg’s friend’s place for a small party. There had been video games, mostly, with a side of refreshments.

Thomas had long since gotten over his squeamishness at Georg’s feeding habits, especially when he saw that the victims actually liked it—a bit too much in his opinion, but he could relate as to why. There had been girls at the party, provided by the host. Thomas had been the only human there aside from the girls, but no one seemed to mind very much. He was Georg’s, after all…and he had the distinct impression that the others thought that Georg would eventually change him.

He had to admit, the topic had come up from time to time, but Thomas had always been hesitant to agree, and Georg had not forced the issue. It wasn’t that Thomas did not want what his lover had—power, immortality, the potential to amass great wealth—but he wanted to do things with his life first. He wanted to finish college, mainly. Get a job. Be normal, instead of some poverty-stricken man that had to care for a family before he had turned eighteen. He wanted to party and have fun, to be able to walk in the sunlight for a bit longer.

Georg also seemed a bit hesitant to turn him, perhaps because of the falling out he had had with his sire. He had told Thomas that it was supposed to be a drunken one night stand, but he had, mostly likely in his inebriation, perhaps before he had truly gotten that drunk, agreed to be turned. He had woken up with a boyfriend, suddenly. While Thomas and Georg had been dating for three years, now, Thomas had only known about his boyfriend’s true species for about a year. He was still finding things out, working things through in his mind. Was this what he really wanted to become? He already knew that the answer was yes. Georg had saved him from the life he had led, was helping to put him through college. Regardless of whether they continued dating or not, Thomas knew that he wanted to have what Georg had, eventually.

They were getting out of the car, having retired a bit early, when it happened. Thomas’s shoulders tensed when he heard his brother’s name, though he didn’t turn right then. There were plenty of Bills in the world, after all. It was when the man corrected himself that Thomas knew that this man had to know his brother. Had his old life caught up with him? No, surely this was just a fluke. The man might not even be talking to him.

Thomas turned, though, putting the other man in his view. It was their neighbor, dressed in a white singlet and boxers. He wasn’t quiet sure what the man was doing out here in boxers, but that did not seem to be the point right now. He could hear Georg walking around to the other side at a normal pace. They had never paid much attention to their neighbors, aside from keeping the noise down a bit for courtesy’s sake.

“That’s my name,” he answered guardedly, his eyes narrowing at the man. Human, vampire, or something else? He had never bothered to care, before. Still, with Georg at his side, he was a bit less afraid. Surely this man did not know his brother, though? They were in complete different parts of town!

Offline Existentially Odd

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Re: Quiet Night In
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2014, 01:50:48 PM »
"Thomas King, right?" David asked with a grin that began to spread slowly across his face.  It likely looked a little predatory, since he was fairly certain he'd found some prey that his lover had been hunting a long time.  He couldn't believe this fucker had been practically next door.  What were the odds?

Even as he listened to Bill's lookalike's answer, he glanced down at his phone, thumbing his way to calling Bill and lifting it to his ear as he looked back at his neighbour.  His focus was on Thomas, so all he was listening for was his call to be picked up and then he would say, "Get out here.  Now," before he hung up again immediately.  He also briefly eyed the other guy - he wished he could remember what Bill had said the vampire boyfriend's name was but right then he was happy just to keep him in his sights - wondering if there was going to be some sort of trouble coming from him.

There had to be a reason this pair had been dodging Bill all this time, right?  They likely wouldn't be too happy to be discovered now, at random, but David couldn't help that.  He could be ready for some sort of retaliation, though.

Offline Annalas

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Re: Quiet Night In
« Reply #9 on: August 10, 2014, 01:53:23 AM »
His heart pounded in his chest at the confirmation that his neighbor knew his name. He was sure that Georg could feel the pulsing of his veins increase, though his boyfriend didn’t say anything. Georg merely wrapped an arm around Thomas’s waist protectively as he came to stand beside him.

“We haven’t exactly been keeping our names a secret,” Georg spoke up. His eyes narrowed at the phone call. Multiple options ran through his head as he tried to figure out who the guy had called. Georg tried to keep a low profile, but he had a few people that were interested in tracking him down. This appeared to be about Thomas, though, which was even more worrying. His lover had left his old life behind. They didn’t need it catching back up to him now.

Thomas had stiffened at the phone call, his anxiety clearly showing on his face as well as in his posture. How did one react to something like this? Stay and see who it was, or bail before they had a chance to find out? Georg suspected that Thomas was ready to flee to the safety of their apartment. His lover had a penchant for running away from trouble, especially when it came to his old life. He hadn’t even contacted his brother when he had disappeared. Georg, however, thought the opposite. Running away hadn’t worked for him, and it wasn’t going to work for Thomas. Trying to tell Thomas that, however, usually resulted in an argument. He tightened his arm around his lover, squeezing gently.

Meanwhile, a beeping inside the house let Bill know that David was calling him.

Weird, he thought, wondering why the vampire would call him when he was just outside. The sharp order met his ears from across the phone line, instantly worrying him. What was wrong? The urgency in David’s voice overrode the trepidation he had concerning their relationship or David’s strange mood. For that matter, it actually added to his worry about the way David was acting.

“I’ll be right there,” he stammered, hanging up the phone as he walked out the front door. His glass of lemon water was still on the counter, but he could come back to it later. Once outside, he immediately focused on David, striding over to him rather quickly. His hands clutched David’s arm as he glanced at him questioningly.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his gaze following David’s. He stiffened, unable to believe his eyes. Thomas? Was that really his brother standing there? Had David orchestrated this entire thing for Bill? How had he found Thomas?

“Thomas,” he murmured, still clutching David’s arm. He continued to stare, unable to believe his eyes. “How…?”