Crimson Ties Part 4
Falling back onto his re-made bed, Duo laughed. "All that worrying for nothing," he smirked as he closed his eyes and folded his arms behind his head.
There was a part of him that was a little disappointed at himself that he did not apply at least a little effort in adjusting to his scenario more. Would it really have been that devastating to run into an Infected in a normal social environment?
Quatre had made a lot of good points and pointed out a lot of flaws in Maxwell's content to loathe a whole race of creatures that were not all involved in the death of his parents. But such a change in his personality would have to happen slowly and on his own time.
For the time being, Duo was pretty convinced that today was just not the day that he was ready to begin that process.
A light knocking broke the braided teenager from his thoughts and he blinked his violet eyes open. Pushing himself off his bed, he moved for the door and turned the knob as he smiled, "Did you forget to take your key, Quat-"
The rest of whatever else he was about to say stuck in his constricting throat when he pulled the door open and found himself staring into a pair of piercing cobalt eyes...
Eyes that were rimmed with flecks of gold that only belonged to a Vampire.
And the pale-skinned owner of those eyes was every bit as striking. The same height and seemingly the same age as Duo, the young man had an unruly fall of short, dark chocolate-colored hair and a body lean with muscle that anyone would take notice of with the deep blue T-shirt and tight jeans that he wore.
In that brief moment that Duo's mind reeled, the visitor seemed equally taken aback as he blinked his widened blue eyes.
Everything in Maxwell should have been screaming to get away from the Infected. And yet... there was an unexplainable sense of safety that came from the presence of the Infected and his blue eyes.
Suddenly, he was more terrified than he had ever been in his life at that realization.
Clearing his throat, the Vampire smiled, "Duo?"
His heart racing at the sound of his name coming from his visitor's deep voice that sent a chill down his spine, the braided teenager swallowed roughly and nodded. It was only then that he noticed he had yet to blink his growing eyes and made a forceful effort to close his eyelids for a second.
The small grin on his lips growing, the handsome Infected held up a green notebook and said, "Professor G noticed that you dropped this at the end of class. Normally, I wouldn't be as forward as to use the campus directory to make an uninvited stop like this, but I promised him that I would make sure you got it back. I hope you don't mind my intrusion."
Finally breaking from whatever spell he had fallen under, Duo blinked a couple of times a bit more effortlessly and shook his head, "Oh, it's alright."
Much to his relief, his voice came out steady and sure regardless of how strangely off-balance he felt. Reaching for his book, he actually smiled, "Um, thanks for the trouble..."
"Heero," the Vampire smirked. Handing the notebook back to its owner, he reassured, "And no trouble. My shift at the library ended when the professor stopped by."
Only vaguely aware that he had taken hold of his missing notebook, Maxwell swallowed roughly once again as he continued to stare at the other boy... no, Infected, he mentally chided himself. There was nothing mortal about this Heero that made him a 'boy' anymore.
Still... it was laboring to look beyond that detail.
Where was the rage? What happened to the fear? Why did those things seem like such a distant memory as he stood there only inches away from a creature that he would have cursed under his breath and done everything he could to get away from?
The moment was suddenly broken when a familiar voice called, "Heero? Well, this is a pleasant surprise." Their backs stiffening, Duo and the strange visitor snapped their heads to watch as Quatre walked up towards them.
And there was no denying just how pleasantly surprised the blonde was to see his roommate and the Vampire standing together by the wide grin on his face. Raising an eyebrow at his braided friend with an amused smirk, he turned to the librarian and nodded firmly, "I see that you've met my roommate, Duo."
"Just returning a book that he'd left behind in his rush to escape from class, Quatre," Heero replied, his small smile returning.
That break in having those cobalt eyes on him gave Duo the chance to shake off whatever it was that had made him forget himself. And the unbridled rage was slowly returning as his hands balled into fists while he fought to keep from outright glaring at the Infected.
In a near growl, Maxwell stated, "Yea, well, like I said, thanks." Wanting nothing more than to make sure that those eyes that were turning back towards him didn't catch him up in their spell again, he slammed the door closed on his unwanted visitor.
Out in the hallway, Heero blinked in surprise at the sealed off room. "Was it something that I said?" he frowned.
Sighing, Quatre's shoulders drooped and he shook his head, "No. I wouldn't worry about it. Duo's probably just had a rough first day of classes."
As much as he did not like lying to anyone, especially his friends, he was not about to expose his roommate's hate of Vampires. He needed to step back and allow Maxwell the chance to adapt on his own when he was ready.
Biting his lip, Winner leaned close to the librarian and confided in a whisper, "I have not been able to get very far with the tests that I am running on that blood you found. The genetics have proven to be more challenging to break down than anticipated. As soon as I have anything to go on, you'll be the first to know."
"My family and I appreciate your assistance," Heero responded just as quietly. "The sooner we have some answers, the better for everyone." Staring back at the closed door, he said, "I have some things I need to attend to back home, so I should go. I'll see you around, Quatre." That said, he straightened himself and headed down the hall.
Watching his friend walk off, the blonde adjusted the strap of his backpack and silently mulled over the work that still lay ahead of him. The corner of his lips curled up and he turned to open the door to his room. Stepping inside, he found Duo with his back to him as he stood to peer out the large window.
Not even hearing his roommate enter, the braided teenager was focused on watching Heero step out of the dormitory into the bright, sunny outdoors. Hands in his pocket, the Infected walked pointedly to the red mountain bike secured at the rack that Maxwell recognized as the same he had seen parked at the library many times over the days of his stay on campus.
Pulling the bicycle free, the Vampire gracefully climbed onto the seat and pedaled off at a leisurely pace. His head turning to keep his violet eyes on Heero until he disappeared along the tree-flanked road leading out to the rest of the world, Duo felt that strange sense of security slip away with him.
"You handled that better than I thought you would," Quatre smirked, laughing when his roommate let out a startled cry and spun back to see him standing there. Tilting his head, he put on an innocent look and snickered, "I'm sorry. Did you not hear me come in?"
The braided teenager's eyes narrowed as he huffed, "Very funny, Quat. And the only reason I didn't kick that damned Infected out of here before you showed up was because he caught me by surprise when he just showed up."
Again, not a lie... just not the whole truth, either.
Humming an affirmative, Winner made sure to turn his head away so that his smug grin was hidden. "Well, at any rate, you actually had a bit of a conversation with a Vampire and the world didn't come to an end," he commented, allowing his amusement to carry in his voice.
"If it'd lasted any longer, it would have," Duo snorted as he set the notebook that he had been holding onto back on his desk.
Dragging the chair to his desk out, he took a seat and folded his arms as he turned towards his roommate. "So when were you going to tell me that you were friends with Heero? You two were out in the hallway talking for quite a bit," he asked, keeping his tone calm.
With a shrug, Quatre lowered his backpack and replied simply, "When I thought that you could handle it. It wasn't exactly something that I wanted to announce, given how much you can't stand Vampires." Losing some of his nerve, he bit his lip and frowned, "I hope that you won't think me less of a friend."
Had the information come any day sooner, it may have. But after truly coming to like the Arab and appreciating his analogical way of looking at things, Duo smiled, "No. I don't. And I'm sorry for potentially making things awkward if you really like the guy."
Sighing in relief, Winner grinned, "Well, as I said, Heero is harmless. For most of my freshman year, he was about the only creature willing to talk to me, since I stayed at the library so often to avoid interacting with the other students here. I've even been to his family's cluster of homes not far from here. They're all very kind."
Taken aback by how a pack of Infected would so willingly befriend a human without the intent to claim him as a Companion, Duo blinked his violet eyes in shock.
He'd always had the impression that their kind thought themselves better than humans, interacting with them only when necessary.
...But then again, he never really stepped far beyond the Maxwell Church to really be around any Vampires, himself. Perhaps if he hadn't secluded himself in such a way his opinion of them would not have been as harsh as it was for most of his life.
None of that meant that Maxwell was still about to forget what had happened to him. And forgiveness remained far off.
Looking back to the window, the braided teenager did have to admit that he was growing interested in knowing more. "I'm not used to seeing them walking about in daylight," he commented. "There's still a lot about their kind that I don't really know."
Quatre hurried to sit on the edge of his bed and began in his rushed excitement, "Well, tell me what you do know and I can fill in the rest with what information I have."
Drawing a deep breath, Duo started at the beginning, "I know that they originated in the days of Queen Elizabeth I. Tuberculosis, or consumption, was breaking out throughout the world and a few doctors working with scientists thought that they had come up with a cure that actually mutated inside of the poor citizens that they tested it on."
"That's right," his roommate nodded. "There were only a handful of them at the time and the changes that took place scared the scientists enough that they attempted to kill what they ended up creating. When they were nearly wiped out, the Original clan ran off and hid in the terrain to only come out at night and feed the only way that their bodies craved. For years, they were only myths amongst humans and stories were woven around them."
Maxwell raised a finger to break in, "But their skin was sensitive to light in the beginning to the point of them dissolving, right?"
Smirking, Quatre answered, "Yes, that's correct. But like all living creatures, their bodies continued to evolve. And in their turning humans into them, by infecting them with their tainted DNA through biting them, there are countless variations in the strains that have taken hold. They can have anything from scaly skin to lizard-like eyes and so on. As the lineage goes down the line from the Originals, the change possibilities are almost endless."
"Now many people don't realize that Vampires actually bleed, even when every other system in their bodies no longer works," Winner practically beamed. "Their blood can feed the Vampire that they turned and visa versa to be just as nourishing as human blood, if not more so."
Duo shifted in his seat as he leaned closer to his friend, unable to hide his intrigue.
Shrugging, the blonde went on, "But, there were many who did not necessarily want to be forever tied to just their own. So, it was discovered that a human can be the one to drink their blood without having it turn them since the taint comes on only if a person is bitten. At that realization, the Companion notion came about."
Duo knew the rest...
For those many without a Companion, the yearly Harvest was also agreed upon when the pact between the two races was created.
To keep their race from dying out, the Vampires made it a ritual for dying humans to come to them for a peaceful and painless end... offering all of their blood over to be stored for the better of the Infected that would slowly wither away without.
Happy for a solution to their suffering, scores of disease and cancer-ridden people would go to die. Between the Harvest and other ways that the Infected were allowed to obtain a bank of human blood, there would never be a shortage come the time of the next purge.
All of those facts were ones that Duo did not need to have explained beyond what he already knew. Luckily, Quatre was a good enough friend that he never broached the subject.
Throwing his hands in the air, the Arab laughed, "Even with all that we know now of Vampires, there are endless possibilities to what they are today as well as what they will continue to become! For a geneticist like myself, there is nothing more fascinating in the world than their kind!"
Much as he wanted to not care to learn anything about that race, Maxwell was not about to deny that his own curiosity was piquing in leaning more. Frustrated by that, he shook his braided head and rose from his chair to clear his thoughts.
Glancing at his alarm clock, he suggested, "We better get to dinner so that we get the good stuff while it's fresh. The last thing I need on top of everything else today would be to get sick from cafeteria food."
Quatre smirked at the convenient change of subject and got to his feet to follow his friend from their room.
* * * * * *
Heero slowed his bike as he approached his grand, three-story home. Pulling into the garage as it opened to him, he slipped from the seat and leaned his cycle against the wall beside the black BMW that remained parked as it had been for the last couple of weeks.
On his way past the sleek car, the Vampire ran his hand over its cool frame with a deep frown as he worried silently over its drivers. Days had gone by since he'd heard anything from them. While that was nothing out of the ordinary under the circumstances, he couldn't help his concern.
It was always the same whenever she was gone, the empty hole that he felt without their presence. The loss was felt throughout the whole family.
They would be thrilled to hear of his discovery. And if there were ever a time he could have used their advice... especially hers.
Maybe today there would be news from them.
It was with that hope that Heero hit the side panel to have the garage door close as he moved into the house. Making his way through luxurious kitchen that was never used, he headed for the main living room.
Midi was at work cleaning, again. Her back to the other Vampire, the brunette had her shoulder-length hair pulled back in a high ponytail, the lithe beauty hummed a cheery tune as she ran the feather duster in her hand over the filled book shelves against the far wall.
Cleaning and humming. Two things that she did when she was trying to keep her mind occupied.
"I'm not fretting, if you're making assumptions, cousin," her airy voice announced when her song came to an abrupt halt. Peering over her shoulder, her gold-flecked brown eyes did their best to carry the smile that was forced on her pale, oval-shaped face.
Heero chuckled, "Of course not.' Sitting down onto one of the plush couches, he lost his smile as he commented, "I take it that there still hasn't been word, then?"
Shoulders slumping, Midi brushed back a wisp of hair that had fallen against the side of her face. "No," she replied. Quickly straightening herself, she held her head up and stated, "But that doesn't mean that we need to worry. They are perfectly capable of handling themselves, as they have proven countless times before."
The corner of Yuy's mouth curled in a smirk in knowing that her words were as much for her own sake as they were for his. Just the fact that his cousin could not mention their names was proof enough that she was having a hard time with their being away.
But then Midi was like that with all of them- ever the mother of the joint clans even if she was technically the same age going by the time when she was turned.
Walking up to the other Vampire, the brunette smiled and kissed his cheek in her usual greeting. "At any rate," she sighed, "how was your day, dear?"
"Any dangerous book thieves that you needed to take down?" another voice asked, the smirk on his mouth carrying over in his tone. Stepping into the living room, Heero's 'adopted cousin' nodded firmly when the brilliant green eye what was not covered by the fall of his thick bangs fell on him.
Snorting, Yuy replied, "Actually, Trowa, I had a much more exciting day than I am sure you could have possibly had working on cars."
The tall Latin Infected crossed over to Midi to kiss her lips soundly. Glowing, his wife leaned into the touch before turn turned to face their friend. "Oh?" Barton asked, raising the eyebrow that was in plain sight. "And what happened today?"
Slowly leaning towards the couple, Heero smirked, "I found him."
* * * * * *
Later that evening, lost to the realm of dreams, Quatre slept soundly in his bed. Tucked tightly under his thick blankets, he sighed quietly. Unbeknownst to him, rest was not coming as easily to his roommate.
With his head pillowed on his folded arms as he lay on his back in his on bed, Duo stared up at the ceiling of their darkened room.
Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he thought of the unexpected events that had unfolded. Never before when he woke up that morning did he think that he would have come face-to-face with the very Vampire that he thought he had successfully avoided.
Heero.
Those haunting, cobalt and gold-flecked eyes of his.
What was it about them that he just couldn't get out of his head? Even when he should have been sleeping, all that Maxwell could do was remember every little detail about a creature of which only hours before he would have wanted nothing to do with.
Quietly rising from his bed, the braided teenager threw on his discarded t-shirt and walked towards the large window. Pulling back the curtains, he sat in the sill and leaned his back against the wall. His eyes adjusted to the moonlight as they fell on the road leading through the trees... the last place he had seen Heero.
Running a hand through his bangs, Duo whispered, "Why can't I stop thinking about you?"
Over and over, he thought of how his name had sounded coming from the Vampire's mouth in that deep timbre. And every time, the memory sent a shiver through him. It was an overwhelming thing, this strange thing that he could only describe as longing.
He was being bewitched... he was convinced of it. Somehow, the Infected was manipulating Maxwell's mind with the charms that came to those of his kind.
For his sanity, Duo forced the anger back. He thought of his hatred by bringing back the night of his parents' deaths. Fists clenching and teeth gnashing, he could feel his face burning with the heat of his rising blood pressure.
This was going to stop. He was going to end whatever this was before it went any further.
He was going to the library the first chance he had.
TBC...
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