Turn Of Events

Novus awoke later once the sun had fully set. He blinked once then yawned. "Mmm..." Novus mumbled, snuggling in closer to Blaine. He winced, slightly sore.

Blaine awoke slowly. He kissed the top of Novus's head softly. "You're awake before me for once little one..." He chuckled slightly.

Novus purred, nuzzling the base of Blaine's neck. "Yes, amazing huh..." he commented, then fidgeted a little. Novus frowned, thinking, but did not actually announce that tonight was their last. His fingertips played at Blaine's chest some.

Blaine didn't need reminding. His hand took Novus's gently. His eyes misted with tears that he refused to let fall. He hated weaknesses like that. He didn't hate love. His belief was that love made one more powerful than hate. He knew that. He would indeed miss Novus.

"...Blaine...Blaine, don't be so sad..." Novus said, glancing up at his lover. "It makes me sad," he confided. "I'll be back before you know it...don't cry..." he told Blaine, the words had been mostly directed at himself. Black tears were already staining Novus's cheeks as he hid his face in Blaine's neck again.

Blaine smelt the salt in his tears. It tipped him over the edge. His arms tightened around Novus and he doubled over, holding his sobs in, contenting himself with silent tears. He couldn't shake this feeling that handing Novus over to the Prince was a horrible idea.

"No," Novus began, in between quiet sobs. "It's best...we can't go on living with me not knowing how to defend myself. They won't leave us be," Novus explained, trying to be reasurring for the both of them. "Don't cry..."

Blaine couldn't stop. It was too powerful of an emotion for him. It'd had been far too long since he'd felt this hopeless. There was nothing he could do to stop the Prince from taking Novus. He couldn't resist. The only thing he could do was sit back and watch as the Prince took his only love away from him.

Novus remained in his arms for a good long while, before he fidgeted again and looked up at Blaine. "...I am hungry..." he mentioned, then hiccupped. The sound was small, and had a slight squeak to it.

Blaine laughed and wiped away his tears. "Well... I guess we should go to the Prince now... I'm hungry myself." He didn't want to move just yet. He gazed into Novus's eyes slowly beginning to lose himself in their depths.

Novus's eyes returned the gaze, not even blinking. His eyes did seem almost bottomless...looking into them, one would get the feeling of standing on the edge of a very deep canyon whose bottom was not visible. Standing on the edge, with a brisk wind blowing and nudging at your back.

Blaine's eyes were much in the same fashion. Although, instead of a canyon, his eyes gave the impression of standing on a tundra whose horizon stretched out for miles. Looking into Novus's eyes, Blaine had the sudden desire to just fall deep into those eyes and never come back out.

Novus suddenly looked away. If Blaine fell into his eyes, he would most likely never return. Novus got up and out of bed and located his clothes. He glanced back at Blaine as he put them back on. "I bet the Prince has only the best for his guests..." he geussed, smiling slightly.

When Novus broke the eye contact, Blaine literally had to shake his head to clear his mind. He was about to toss himself over a cliff... There was no coming back from that. He too rose from bed and began dressing himself. "I bet. I wouldn't know though. I've never had the pleasure of dining with the Prince before," he replied honestly.

"Oh really?" Novus asked, tilting his head. He finished dressing, and helped Blaine button up his shirt. His petite fingers worked slower than they could have, but Novus took his time with it on purpose.

Blaine just watched him. He really was dreading having to leave Novus here with the Prince. His heart, normally still, was suddenly pounding. He couldn't control it anymore. His pulse throbbed and his head pounded. His pulse had been dead for so long it caused an overpowering headache now. Blaine dug the heels of his hands into his temples trying to ease the pain.

Novus stopped what he was doing and looked up at Blaine. The noise of Blaine's heart pounded even in Novus's ears. "Blaine, are you alright...?" he inquired, looking quite concerned. Could vampires have heart attacks? Novus didn't think so, but now he wasn't sure.

Blaine nodded. "Yeah... Just a major headache... Food should help," he replied, trying to ease Novus's concern for him a little. Vampires were supposed to be almost completely perfect, save for their weakness, like fire, sunlight and stakes. They didn't have a heartbeat for a reason. They weren't alive. Neither were they dead which kept them from getting the same illnesses as humans did. Blaine hadn't had a headache since he was human. Much less a heartbeat. Slowly, color returned to his skin, making him appear human again as his newly beating heart pumped restored blood through his body. It was now that Blaine found he couldn't go without breathing for more than a few seconds. He had no clue what was happening to him.

"Blaine..." Novus said after a few moments of studying his master carefully. "...you need to stop that before we go see the Prince, I think," the young one suggested. He rested the palm of one hand over Blaine's beating heart. His hand was cold. Blood did not pump through Novus's veins, and he did not draw breath. "If you can't stop it by yourself, I will help you."

Blaine sat on the edge of the bed, near Novus while he tried his hardest to keep his heart from beating. After a few minutes he gave up. "I don't know what this is about, but it's not funny anymore." Come to think of it, it wasn't funny to him in the first place. He looked up at Novus helplessly. "I guess try and see what happens, little one. I can't guarantee that I won't die. I must admit, my thirst for blood has dropped off a considerable amount..."

This time, Novus studied Blaine long and hard. "Are you...it's like, you're becoming human again," his voice carried mixed emotions. Wonder...that it might be possible such a thing could happen, and maybe...jealousy? "Maybe we should see what the Prince has to say about this?" Novus suggested, even though before he had thought it wasn't a good idea. He just wasn't sure...he had never heard of anything like this happen before.

Blaine looked up at him. "I still have my fangs though...." He felt his canines with his tongue. ...He didn't feel much there. "Right? I have to have them... Right? They're there right?????" Blaine asked frantically of Novus. He was slipping into panic mode.

"Shh shhh...." Novus hushed, wrapping his arms around Blaine and running his fingers through his hair. "I'm sure you'll be fine...come, we must see the Prince. He will know how to help, don't you think?? Isn't he really really old?? Maybe he's seen this before and he knows how to fix it..." Novus suggested, planting a soft, brief kiss on Blaine's forhead.

Blaine shook his head and stood. He held Novus tightly in his arms. He willed himself to calm, as hard as it was. A few seconds later, the heartbeat gradually began to slow. Blaine noticed this and, without letting go of Novus, he said, "I think I was just panicking a little too much, my little one. Let's wait a while longer before we go to see the Prince. See what happens."

Novus tilted his head and his eyebrows knitted. "Oh? Alright. Mm...I guess he won't get mad, will he?" Novus commented. He brushed the slight feeling of hunger aside, ignoring the sensation for now.

Blaine shook his head and let go of Novus. The color was receeding from his face now. "I don't think he will. If he does... something would be wrong with him." Blaine chuckled. "It wouldn't surprise me any. If something was wrong with him, that is."

"Oh? Is there something wrong with him often?" Novus inquired, blinking. He leaned towards Blaine, his hands on Blaine's knees. His eyes studied Blaine's face, and he drew a few small breaths through a slightly open mouth to take in his master's scent. Blaine was returning back to "normal." This comforted Novus. Even if somehow Blaine could become like a normal human again, the prospect frightened Novus. Maybe because he would be more tempted to eat Blaine to the point of no return if Blaine was more human-like. Or maybe because, if Blaine was more human-like, Novus wanted to be too...but he knew he couldn't.

Blaine sighed. "I honestly don't know if there is something wrong with the Prince. I just... I don't know why exactly, but I don't ..." Very softly, almost too softly to hear, he continues, whispering directly in Novus's ear. "I don't trust the Prince at all, little one." He remained there, ghosting a faint breath across Novus's ear. He licked it slightly before pulling back. ~Ha...~ he thought to himself. ~Guess I'm back to normal now.~

Novus blinked, nodding slightly. "Mm...I see," he said, then continued. "I thought as much. Well, I will have to trust him. I have no other choice anyways," Novus said, but offered a smile. He shivered slightly, and his shoulders scrunched upwards as Blaine licked his ear.

Blaine chuckles softly and stands back up. "Well... I guess the sooner you begin your training with the Prince.. the sooner I can have you back.." He looks at Novus, trying not to give into his emotions again. He tried to keep the sadness from his eyes.

Novus nodded, excited to get started, but sad he had to leave Blaine so soon. "Yes, I suppose you're right," he commented. "Lead the way."

Blaine nodded at him and slung his arm around Novus's shoulders. He kissed Novus's temple once out in the hallway. He followed the Prince's scent, trying to find him, unsure of where to go. He followed the strongest of the Prince's scents, believing it to be the most recent.

This brought them to a dining hall of sorts. The Prince was seated and already taking the first few bites of a meal when Blaine and Novus entered. "Ah, I apologize..." the Prince said, his voice carrying like the sound of soft windchimes. "I did not know when you two would be up, so I began dining already. Please, have a seat," the Prince invited, gesturing with a pale, slender hand at two chairs a little ways down the table from him. Akuji, the oriental incubus whom Blaine had ran into a few days ago glanced up at them from a chair nearer that of the Prince.

Blaine looked the incubus he would be siring over. He still wasn't sure how he felt about the whole deal. But... he had to make his Prince happy. He had to, or he would suffer the consequences. He knew he would.
He held out a chair for Novus to sit in, observing his formalities in front of the Prince. "Did you sleep well, my Prince?"

Novus nodded a thank you and sat quietly.
"I suppose," the Prince said, being vague on purpose. He avoided telling most people that he hadn't actually slept in approximately a thousand years or so. He took another bite of his meal...steak, or roast beef...something of the sort. And a tall glass of bloodwine. A waitress promptly brough Blaine and Novus their own glasses. "And of course you slept well, hm?" the Prince asked in return, even though he didn't actually care what the answer was.
Akuji ate in silence, but did steal glances at the other two. Who knew what was going through his mind...he kept his face stoic and his thoughts hidden.

Blaine nodded his own thanks to the waitress, offering a slight smile. "I slept well, as did Novus. Your room was quite ... suitable for us, my lord. I thank you." Blaine was uncomfortable, but refused to let it show. He kept his own thoughts hidden and his face just as stoic as Akuji.

The Prince nodded, and was silent for a moment, apparently thinking about something. "Has your brother given you any trouble besides the confrontation of last night?" the ancient Diabolzier inquired, red eyes studying Blaine from a beautiful, slender marble face. Novus glanced at Blaine, remembering the brief meeting in the alleyway.

Blaine looked at the glass of wine. "Oh." Apparently the brief meeting with Spike in the alleyway had completely slipped his mind. "Yes he has, actually, my lord. He decided to make his presence known the night we were on our way here.I had forgotten about it when we were promised Garet, my lord. I apologize."

The Prince waved that off with a few subtle waves of a hand. "Mm, that's quite alright," he told Blaine, setting his fork down. "I plan to leave you quite a few gaurds, to protect you and Akuji against Spike and others like him," the Prince announced, sparing a glance at the "young man" with the long, straight black hair. A glance, which was more than some others ever received. Akuji returned the glance, then turned his attention back down towards his plate.

Blaine did not miss the action. Questions Blaine kept hidden from others burned within his mind. All would be answered in time.
"My lord... When did you want me to depart with...." He left it there. He had not yet learned the incubus's name. If he had, he had already forgotten it.

"His name is Akuji Kurotenshi. And, I think it would be best if you left as soon as you've had something to eat," the Prince said rather bluntly. Novus blinked, then looked up as the waitress came by again to take their orders. Novus gave his, then studied his empty plate to keep from looking at the others.

Blaine looked up at her and ordered the bare minimum. He truly wasn't hungry at the present point. All this stress being put on him greatly curbed his appetite. He sighed and smiled softly at Novus, feeling the need to reassure the little one.

Novus felt Blaine's smile upon him and looked up. His deep ice-blue eyes caught Blaine's briefly, and he returned the smile. Meanwhile the Prince studied them silently, but intently. Face immobile, for a very brief moment the Prince realized that somewhere, very remotely within himself, he was jealous of the relationship Blaine and the young one had. Something like that could get one's heart moving again...and the Prince's heart had been immobile for a very, very long time now.
After the meal, and after their dishes had been cleared away(the Prince had barely eaten anything), the Prince stood with almost feral grace. Novus always seemed to forget how tall and graceful The Prince truly was. Novus studied the 6'5" Diabolizer with a curiousity/fascination that almost bordered on being rude. Today, the Prince's long, flawless golden hair was up in a set of eleborate pins, making the ends of his hair splay out like feathers. As for his clothing, it was the norm for him...long, silken flowing robes of an Asian and Irish influence that did well to conceal his form.
"You may have approximately half an hour to say goodbye," the Prince told Blaine and Novus both...again, rather bluntly. He and Akuji left the room, heading in the direction of the Prince's usual sitting room.

~~~~~
Akuji Kurotenshi belongs to my co-writer.