Hair, white as freshly fallen snow, tiered across his forehead and almost completely covered one eye. His wings, a smoky gray, were folded in toward his back, but arched out just enough to feather out the open window. He knew the boy would be alright, but he felt like watching him sleep just a bit longer. There was just something so calming about how he slept. So peacefully, as if everything were right with the world in that moment, and it made Vlad's heart ache quite badly. The boy had been through abuse, the loss of a lover, and so much betrayal, and yet here he slept- his legs and arms going every which way- so peacefully.
The angel peered over at him, his gaze gentle, before letting his wings take to full length. He had to get back to Destovi. He'd take these almost haunting thoughts away. He always had. A last glance and the orange eyed angel was soaring on his way back home. The stars were clearer than he'd expected, very bright against the darkness set behind them- and the air... It was chilly, almost giving him goosebumps. Streets seemed almost empty when you learned to overlook the occasional mugging, the people with hookers in the back of their car and where the poor little old bum set up camp. Vlad might have been occupied with his thoughts of how putrid and sad humans were if he weren't already a little... preoccupied. Absently, while observing the stars and such again, he let his hand come to rest against his stomach. The realization of such an action didn't set in, even as he flitted over to the front door of his and Destovi's home. Sure, he could have just apparated, but he rather liked the flight back. Especially late at night; he got the chance to silently converse with the memories of friends past, "Dear, I'm home." The angel's voice was meek as it always had been, and Destovi, as he'd expected, was up- waiting for him or otherwise- with a book cracked open in his lap and a cup of orangy-brown liquid he knew was tea on the small table near the arm of the couch where Des was so comfortably settled. The man could be so predictable at times, it was almost humorous.
"You were gone awfully late. Everything alright?" Des didn't look away from his book as he spoke. He almost never did, so the angel hardly even noticed.
"No," Vlad frowned, dropping his hand at last, making his way over and letting his wings disappear against his back so that he could plop down on the couch next to Destovi, who in turn, reached out an arm and wrapped it lightly around Vlad's shoulders, "I really worry about Gage."
Des nodded his understanding and placed this sort of bookmark in between the pages of his book, closing it and setting it aside before reaching for his no-longer-steaming tea. He took a quick sip, set the cup back down and then he nodded again, "From what you've told me, Vlad, he's a strong boy. There's no need to worry."
"Church is strong, Destovi, and I still worry about him."
"But he's our son. There's a difference. A mother is constantly worrying about their children."
Vlad didn't speak at first, choosing instead to close his eyes and snuggle closer into Destovi. The man was right. Gage was a strong boy. Maybe that was why everything was alright when he slept. Because he had to be so strong, so unwavering, so independent during the day- He was sort of like some kind of hero in a way. And every hero needs a moment's peace in order to stay strong- to stay sane. And maybe all of this was all of the reasoning this angel needed, "What do you think of marriage, Destovi?" Vlad could almost swear he'd asked this before, but he wasn't all too sure, then again, but it kept coming to mind.
It looked as if his lover were actually thinking about it, meaning he hadn't asked before- which was a good thing. Asking something more than once tended to make the person you were asking upset. He'd learned that one the same way he was sure everyone else had. Only.. Most likely at a later age, being that he'd been with God for such a long time- and angels. Angels that never got irritated at all, so him asking over and over never meant much of anyth- "I don't think it's such a big deal." Not a big deal? Vlad opened his eyes, but didn't look up at Destovi. He just stared at the man's hands as he was sure Destovi most likely was. How could it not be a big deal? It was the bond of eternity- Something that made every angel coo. Something that tied two souls- so to speak, not literally- Unfortunately, "I do not need marriage to tell me that I am going to spend the rest of my life with someone." Vlad made some kind of face, his eyes narrowing a little as he looked to the side of the room farthest away from Destovi. How could he dislike- or not want something so- Oh. Right. And there was this small chuckle, "You disagree?"
He hadn't meant for his voice to come out so whiny, but it did, "Yes. Of course I disagree."
"I expected as much." And it was quiet. They didn't really talk long when he came home late, and idly Vlad let his hands fold over his stomach as he closed his eyes again. Yep. He was going to fall asleep here.. Well, he might have if it wasn't for the painful lurch of his stomach. The angel opened his eyes again, almost tiredly, though he really wasn't too exhausted. It must have just been his imagination, though he could... Hm? He sat up and felt his forehead. He was sweating just slightly, the hair that had been hanging in his face now slightly sticking against his forehead... they weren't even in the same room as before. Vlad must have actually fallen asleep and just not realized it. But... He really hadn't been tired when he'd closed his eyes... The white haired male pulled off the covers quite quickly and adjusted himself to where his legs were hanging over the edge of the bed, just swaying there in the cool of the room, helping to calm his rushing nerves and dry the dampening sweat. It was almost as if the temperature in the room elicited a cough from deep in his throat, his hand just barely smacking over his lips in time to catch the loud noise before he actually made it, and his stomach lurched again- and not one of those small tugs that made him feel a little queasy, but one of those that made the back of his tongue go numb and it was all too clear what was going to happen. Stupid flu-thing. He knew he hadn't been feeling well. Not for the past week, but it hadn't been this bad. Just a little pain here and there, and Vlad climbed slowly from the bed, not removing his hand as he ripped open the door and ran down the stairs. This was definitely one of those times he wished for a bathroom that wasn't seventy miles away.
Vlad tugged his hair back as best he could before dropping to his knees, lifting the toilet seat and puking. He almost wondered, once he' stopped and was able to take a breath before the second hard tug, what he was sick with. What was making him ill? He would have thought about it a little longer if he didn't catch sight of himself after he was finished. What the.. Had Destovi taken off his shirt while he was sleeping? He made a face as he stood and flushed the toilet, making his way over to the medicine cabinet where the toothpaste and his toothbrush were. Vlad made his way, brushing his teeth oh-so-merrily, trying his hardest to get the taste out and spitting out all the actual evidence. His hand clamped over his mouth with water to remove the toothpaste from around his lips when he caught sight of something in the mirror. What the hell...? It moved from view as he looked straight at it. Who was...?
Slowly he let his hand fall, finishing it's swipe across his face, "Who's there?" he whispered, making his way out into the living room. He hadn't meant for it to come out like it did. In fact, he meant for it to come out something fierce, but he'd never been good at it. He'd doubt anyone was after they'd puked and were half asleep. He began to walk from the bathroom, only then realizing he hadn't even turned on the light when he'd gone in, "D-" He froze in the middle of the hall when he caught the energy. It wasn't anyone he knew. It was too dark. It was too- Vlad looked into the darkened living room, all around him and when he saw nothing- though he still felt it- he turned back to the hallway, "Ah!"
"Vlad, what are you doing?" Destovi asked calmly, quietly as he made his way out of the shadows of the hallway.
"I- Destovi, something's here." Vlad turned away and looked about the room again. He didn't see anything, but he could feel it. It was like that damn thing was right there. Like it was right... behind... He jumped forward and turned back at Des, "Who are you?" The man blinked at him, his folded arms sliding apart just a bit as he studied- or what seemed like- Vlad.
"Well, since you called me by name, I'm assuming we can get past that, right?" He watched Vlad backing away slowly, his wings just barely beginning to form a sort of misty outline behind him, and he almost missed the boy reaching for one of the knifes on the counter, "Vlad," The angel held out the knife toward Destovi with indecisive eyes, his hand shaking, "Hey, calm down." He chanced the few steps forward and grabbed Vlad's wrist, though not fiercely, strongly enough to keep him from stabbing him to death. And he let the boy's hand drop, loosely wrapping his arms about his waist.
"G-get..." Vlad looked over Destovi's shoulder and at a mirror where he could just barely see this shadow behind him. A shadow that gave him a menacing gaze and disappeared and it made Vlad shake, "Destovi, there was something here. There was something here and it was going to.. It was gonna-..." The angel let his wings dissipate before shoving at Destovi, breaking away from him to run back for the bathroom. This time he was sure he was puking out of fear- it was the only explanation. He'd never felt something so gruesome- not even from that 'Narco' character, and he wasn't someone Vlad was too interested in ever seeing more than he might have to. His eyes closed tight as he held his stomach with both hands. He could feel that Destovi followed him- the man was now kneeling beside him, rubbing at his back, but silent as possible. He hadn't seen it. He didn't feel the terrible power. He could understand- and of course he wasn't going to believe him, of all things, It was so late in the morning, a 'logical' explanation would be something like "You were dreaming before you went downstairs for whatever reason and that dream had just hit you once you were alone." or something- And it was almost as if Vlad were irritating himself as he moved away from the toilet once again- reaching for the toothbrush and toothpaste, repeating what he had as he had before, "Destovi," He whispered after wiping his mouth a dozen times, now clenching at the sink with the other man there watching him as he began to cry, "Destovi, there was something here.."
An arm wound around his waist then, pulling him close against a familiar chest, "...Let's go back and lay down, Vlad. Things'll be better once you've had some rest."
He wanted to protest, wanted to shove away and demand that Destovi believe him, but the man was right. As the angel stood there wanting to argue he felt his eyelids getting heavy and he almost didn't believe what had happened had actually happened for a moment. So he just nodded and clung to the arm around him, holding it to keep it around him as they walked back to the bedroom and laid next to each other in the bed. Yeah.. After some sleep. Right.. But.. His orange eyes watched Destovi's chest as it rose and fell. He wasn't asleep yet, they'd just laid down.. And Vlad was restless. He wasn't thinking about what had just happened downstairs, but.. Well.. He let out a small sigh and trailed fingers over the other man's stomach as it, again, rose and fell. Sure, his eyelids were heavy, but it was as if his body itself didn't want sleep. The angel moved one of his legs on top of Des' waist, nestling his foot in between the man's knees as he snuggled himself closer, resting his head on his chest and wrapping his arm across his stomach as the other stay tucked away, "I love you." He muttered softly. Destovi turned his head a bit to look at him, and instead of speaking, simply pressed a kiss to the top of his head.
...
That.
Vlad curved in more toward him and tilted his head up more to look the man in the face, and with a small gasp of air, he spoke. Just barely, "Destovi.."
And the man in question let out a bit of air, "I love you, too."
No, no, no. He hadn't meant- Well.. Vlad shook his head a bit as his eyes became almost heavy again, and he pulled away then, sliding is leg from over Des' waist and his arm from around him so that he could face away and curl up. Maybe it was a good idea that he slept.. He was getting silly ideas.. Ideas like laying with Destovi again. Tonight. In the middle of the dark.. While they were both tired.. He jumped a bit when a hand came to rest on the rise of his hip, "..Sorry." He whispered lazily, curving to fit against Vlad's back and such as he closed his eyes.
"No need to apologize.."
"You're upset."
"I am not."
"Well then why are you turned away like this?"
Vlad looked down to his stomach and up just a bit to his hip where his lover's hand had come to rest, "Because.. I'm not angry." Destovi kissed what part of Vlad he could and started to unwind from him when Vlad grabbed his hand and pulled him closer, "Don't move away.. I like when you're holding me like this.." A few minutes passed, his eyes were closed so that he could fall asleep, but he wasn't falling. He was just laying there with his eyes shut awaiting what by this time he didn't think was going to happen, "I'm sorry, Des. I'm really not upset, I just don't feel like myself."
"What do you mean..?" His eyes were also closed, his face pressed to the back to the back of Vlad's neck.
The angel thought a minute, not too sure how to tell Des what he meant. He meant that the blood rushing through his veins was a bit faster. That every touch seemed to entice him in ways he would never admit he liked. That he was tired but couldn't sleep. As if.. Vlad slowly pushed himself to where he was sitting up before turning over to face his lover and laying back down. He could have said all of those things, but none of them fell from his lips. Instead, he wound his arms around Destovi's shoulders and leaned up to kiss him, his eyes closing as they had earlier.
(>_> Keeping his innocence for now, thank you.)
~ ~ ~ ~
-IN PROGRESS-
The angel peered over at him, his gaze gentle, before letting his wings take to full length. He had to get back to Destovi. He'd take these almost haunting thoughts away. He always had. A last glance and the orange eyed angel was soaring on his way back home. The stars were clearer than he'd expected, very bright against the darkness set behind them- and the air... It was chilly, almost giving him goosebumps. Streets seemed almost empty when you learned to overlook the occasional mugging, the people with hookers in the back of their car and where the poor little old bum set up camp. Vlad might have been occupied with his thoughts of how putrid and sad humans were if he weren't already a little... preoccupied. Absently, while observing the stars and such again, he let his hand come to rest against his stomach. The realization of such an action didn't set in, even as he flitted over to the front door of his and Destovi's home. Sure, he could have just apparated, but he rather liked the flight back. Especially late at night; he got the chance to silently converse with the memories of friends past, "Dear, I'm home." The angel's voice was meek as it always had been, and Destovi, as he'd expected, was up- waiting for him or otherwise- with a book cracked open in his lap and a cup of orangy-brown liquid he knew was tea on the small table near the arm of the couch where Des was so comfortably settled. The man could be so predictable at times, it was almost humorous.
"You were gone awfully late. Everything alright?" Des didn't look away from his book as he spoke. He almost never did, so the angel hardly even noticed.
"No," Vlad frowned, dropping his hand at last, making his way over and letting his wings disappear against his back so that he could plop down on the couch next to Destovi, who in turn, reached out an arm and wrapped it lightly around Vlad's shoulders, "I really worry about Gage."
Des nodded his understanding and placed this sort of bookmark in between the pages of his book, closing it and setting it aside before reaching for his no-longer-steaming tea. He took a quick sip, set the cup back down and then he nodded again, "From what you've told me, Vlad, he's a strong boy. There's no need to worry."
"Church is strong, Destovi, and I still worry about him."
"But he's our son. There's a difference. A mother is constantly worrying about their children."
Vlad didn't speak at first, choosing instead to close his eyes and snuggle closer into Destovi. The man was right. Gage was a strong boy. Maybe that was why everything was alright when he slept. Because he had to be so strong, so unwavering, so independent during the day- He was sort of like some kind of hero in a way. And every hero needs a moment's peace in order to stay strong- to stay sane. And maybe all of this was all of the reasoning this angel needed, "What do you think of marriage, Destovi?" Vlad could almost swear he'd asked this before, but he wasn't all too sure, then again, but it kept coming to mind.
It looked as if his lover were actually thinking about it, meaning he hadn't asked before- which was a good thing. Asking something more than once tended to make the person you were asking upset. He'd learned that one the same way he was sure everyone else had. Only.. Most likely at a later age, being that he'd been with God for such a long time- and angels. Angels that never got irritated at all, so him asking over and over never meant much of anyth- "I don't think it's such a big deal." Not a big deal? Vlad opened his eyes, but didn't look up at Destovi. He just stared at the man's hands as he was sure Destovi most likely was. How could it not be a big deal? It was the bond of eternity- Something that made every angel coo. Something that tied two souls- so to speak, not literally- Unfortunately, "I do not need marriage to tell me that I am going to spend the rest of my life with someone." Vlad made some kind of face, his eyes narrowing a little as he looked to the side of the room farthest away from Destovi. How could he dislike- or not want something so- Oh. Right. And there was this small chuckle, "You disagree?"
He hadn't meant for his voice to come out so whiny, but it did, "Yes. Of course I disagree."
"I expected as much." And it was quiet. They didn't really talk long when he came home late, and idly Vlad let his hands fold over his stomach as he closed his eyes again. Yep. He was going to fall asleep here.. Well, he might have if it wasn't for the painful lurch of his stomach. The angel opened his eyes again, almost tiredly, though he really wasn't too exhausted. It must have just been his imagination, though he could... Hm? He sat up and felt his forehead. He was sweating just slightly, the hair that had been hanging in his face now slightly sticking against his forehead... they weren't even in the same room as before. Vlad must have actually fallen asleep and just not realized it. But... He really hadn't been tired when he'd closed his eyes... The white haired male pulled off the covers quite quickly and adjusted himself to where his legs were hanging over the edge of the bed, just swaying there in the cool of the room, helping to calm his rushing nerves and dry the dampening sweat. It was almost as if the temperature in the room elicited a cough from deep in his throat, his hand just barely smacking over his lips in time to catch the loud noise before he actually made it, and his stomach lurched again- and not one of those small tugs that made him feel a little queasy, but one of those that made the back of his tongue go numb and it was all too clear what was going to happen. Stupid flu-thing. He knew he hadn't been feeling well. Not for the past week, but it hadn't been this bad. Just a little pain here and there, and Vlad climbed slowly from the bed, not removing his hand as he ripped open the door and ran down the stairs. This was definitely one of those times he wished for a bathroom that wasn't seventy miles away.
Vlad tugged his hair back as best he could before dropping to his knees, lifting the toilet seat and puking. He almost wondered, once he' stopped and was able to take a breath before the second hard tug, what he was sick with. What was making him ill? He would have thought about it a little longer if he didn't catch sight of himself after he was finished. What the.. Had Destovi taken off his shirt while he was sleeping? He made a face as he stood and flushed the toilet, making his way over to the medicine cabinet where the toothpaste and his toothbrush were. Vlad made his way, brushing his teeth oh-so-merrily, trying his hardest to get the taste out and spitting out all the actual evidence. His hand clamped over his mouth with water to remove the toothpaste from around his lips when he caught sight of something in the mirror. What the hell...? It moved from view as he looked straight at it. Who was...?
Slowly he let his hand fall, finishing it's swipe across his face, "Who's there?" he whispered, making his way out into the living room. He hadn't meant for it to come out like it did. In fact, he meant for it to come out something fierce, but he'd never been good at it. He'd doubt anyone was after they'd puked and were half asleep. He began to walk from the bathroom, only then realizing he hadn't even turned on the light when he'd gone in, "D-" He froze in the middle of the hall when he caught the energy. It wasn't anyone he knew. It was too dark. It was too- Vlad looked into the darkened living room, all around him and when he saw nothing- though he still felt it- he turned back to the hallway, "Ah!"
"Vlad, what are you doing?" Destovi asked calmly, quietly as he made his way out of the shadows of the hallway.
"I- Destovi, something's here." Vlad turned away and looked about the room again. He didn't see anything, but he could feel it. It was like that damn thing was right there. Like it was right... behind... He jumped forward and turned back at Des, "Who are you?" The man blinked at him, his folded arms sliding apart just a bit as he studied- or what seemed like- Vlad.
"Well, since you called me by name, I'm assuming we can get past that, right?" He watched Vlad backing away slowly, his wings just barely beginning to form a sort of misty outline behind him, and he almost missed the boy reaching for one of the knifes on the counter, "Vlad," The angel held out the knife toward Destovi with indecisive eyes, his hand shaking, "Hey, calm down." He chanced the few steps forward and grabbed Vlad's wrist, though not fiercely, strongly enough to keep him from stabbing him to death. And he let the boy's hand drop, loosely wrapping his arms about his waist.
"G-get..." Vlad looked over Destovi's shoulder and at a mirror where he could just barely see this shadow behind him. A shadow that gave him a menacing gaze and disappeared and it made Vlad shake, "Destovi, there was something here. There was something here and it was going to.. It was gonna-..." The angel let his wings dissipate before shoving at Destovi, breaking away from him to run back for the bathroom. This time he was sure he was puking out of fear- it was the only explanation. He'd never felt something so gruesome- not even from that 'Narco' character, and he wasn't someone Vlad was too interested in ever seeing more than he might have to. His eyes closed tight as he held his stomach with both hands. He could feel that Destovi followed him- the man was now kneeling beside him, rubbing at his back, but silent as possible. He hadn't seen it. He didn't feel the terrible power. He could understand- and of course he wasn't going to believe him, of all things, It was so late in the morning, a 'logical' explanation would be something like "You were dreaming before you went downstairs for whatever reason and that dream had just hit you once you were alone." or something- And it was almost as if Vlad were irritating himself as he moved away from the toilet once again- reaching for the toothbrush and toothpaste, repeating what he had as he had before, "Destovi," He whispered after wiping his mouth a dozen times, now clenching at the sink with the other man there watching him as he began to cry, "Destovi, there was something here.."
An arm wound around his waist then, pulling him close against a familiar chest, "...Let's go back and lay down, Vlad. Things'll be better once you've had some rest."
He wanted to protest, wanted to shove away and demand that Destovi believe him, but the man was right. As the angel stood there wanting to argue he felt his eyelids getting heavy and he almost didn't believe what had happened had actually happened for a moment. So he just nodded and clung to the arm around him, holding it to keep it around him as they walked back to the bedroom and laid next to each other in the bed. Yeah.. After some sleep. Right.. But.. His orange eyes watched Destovi's chest as it rose and fell. He wasn't asleep yet, they'd just laid down.. And Vlad was restless. He wasn't thinking about what had just happened downstairs, but.. Well.. He let out a small sigh and trailed fingers over the other man's stomach as it, again, rose and fell. Sure, his eyelids were heavy, but it was as if his body itself didn't want sleep. The angel moved one of his legs on top of Des' waist, nestling his foot in between the man's knees as he snuggled himself closer, resting his head on his chest and wrapping his arm across his stomach as the other stay tucked away, "I love you." He muttered softly. Destovi turned his head a bit to look at him, and instead of speaking, simply pressed a kiss to the top of his head.
...
That.
Vlad curved in more toward him and tilted his head up more to look the man in the face, and with a small gasp of air, he spoke. Just barely, "Destovi.."
And the man in question let out a bit of air, "I love you, too."
No, no, no. He hadn't meant- Well.. Vlad shook his head a bit as his eyes became almost heavy again, and he pulled away then, sliding is leg from over Des' waist and his arm from around him so that he could face away and curl up. Maybe it was a good idea that he slept.. He was getting silly ideas.. Ideas like laying with Destovi again. Tonight. In the middle of the dark.. While they were both tired.. He jumped a bit when a hand came to rest on the rise of his hip, "..Sorry." He whispered lazily, curving to fit against Vlad's back and such as he closed his eyes.
"No need to apologize.."
"You're upset."
"I am not."
"Well then why are you turned away like this?"
Vlad looked down to his stomach and up just a bit to his hip where his lover's hand had come to rest, "Because.. I'm not angry." Destovi kissed what part of Vlad he could and started to unwind from him when Vlad grabbed his hand and pulled him closer, "Don't move away.. I like when you're holding me like this.." A few minutes passed, his eyes were closed so that he could fall asleep, but he wasn't falling. He was just laying there with his eyes shut awaiting what by this time he didn't think was going to happen, "I'm sorry, Des. I'm really not upset, I just don't feel like myself."
"What do you mean..?" His eyes were also closed, his face pressed to the back to the back of Vlad's neck.
The angel thought a minute, not too sure how to tell Des what he meant. He meant that the blood rushing through his veins was a bit faster. That every touch seemed to entice him in ways he would never admit he liked. That he was tired but couldn't sleep. As if.. Vlad slowly pushed himself to where he was sitting up before turning over to face his lover and laying back down. He could have said all of those things, but none of them fell from his lips. Instead, he wound his arms around Destovi's shoulders and leaned up to kiss him, his eyes closing as they had earlier.
(>_> Keeping his innocence for now, thank you.)
~ ~ ~ ~
-IN PROGRESS-
