My Beloved Shadow

** I don\'t know how I did it but I managed to get two chapters up in one day. I will warn you, this chapter has about twice the amount of pages as the last one. But I am certain you\'ll all like it. Don\'t forget, for this one I\'ll need some reviews before I write up another chapter. **


Michael isn’t certain what to think about Nick and his sudden change, but he likes it. He had sensed something, after all, last night that had led to him to mark Nick. Michael had never had anyone stand up to him like Nick is, they had all fell trembling in fear.
He’s lived a long time, seen a lot of things. Michael, which is not his true name, has been a slave, a warrior, the man behind the scenes to a great war. He has even killed his king, his own father. Few things frighten him, and even if they do he does not falter to keep moving forward.
Michael wraps an arm around Nick’s waist and steps into the shadows, taking them to his own bedroom, halfway across town. He had ideals of what he wanted to do with, and to, Nick but his words echo in Michael’s mind.
“Upon my life, I give thee this oath. No harm to thee shall come from me and mine.”
He says softly, almost a whisper, as they stand in the room. Nick catches only a portion of it but can feel the meaning behind the words. Did Michael just swear he wouldn’t hurt Nick? Nick wanted to ask him about it but knew it wouldn’t be a good idea, instead he asked Michael about something he feels is safer.
“How did you do that? Walk through the shadows?”
“Shadow Dancing? I’m not really certain how to explain it, I’ve done it since I was a child.”
“It’s beautiful, inside the shadows.”
Michael tilts his head curiously. “Both Jason and Norris are terrified of it. Yet you say it is beautiful?”
Nick looks away, feeling a slight flush to his cheeks. The mention of the other two brought back memories he wanted to forget.
“I don’t know why, but it is beautiful inside. The way the lights sparkle and wink…”
Michael places a hand on either side of Nick’s face and forces him to look up at him.
“It’s very rare for one who isn’t apart of my race to truly see what lays in the shadows. Those who pass through that are not my people see only darkness.”
Michael kisses him, not giving him a chance to reply. Michael finds himself thinking about Nick again. With this new revelation he can’t help but wonder if Nick is truly human. Has he, then, found himself a mate that could be more than what he is now?
They end up on the bed, all thoughts of talking gone, replaced by need and desire. Nick is less hesitant tonight, reacting as if he were Michael’s true lover, not someone forced into his bed against his will.
(I’m moving through this quick, less detail. I want to get to the more essential plot areas.)
Later they lay in each other’s arms, sated. Michael watches Nick as he lays next to him, his mind once again going over a thousand thoughts. Nick refuses to think anything.
“Will you go out with me after school tomorrow?”
Startled, Nick turns to look at Michael. He wants to say no, to tell Michael he can do whatever he wants after school, alone. But he can tell Michael is trying to be nice.
“What about Jason and Norris?”
“They’re being ignored for a few days. It’s punishment for Jason but Norris gets to tag along.”
“How is that punishment?”
Nick isn’t certain why he asked because he doesn’t think it such a good question under the circumstances. But Michael merely laughs and draws Nick closer.
“Just wait till tomorrow and watch what they do. They desired me long before I took them and that desire has only intensified. The two of them are like little puppy dogs. You kick them and they just come back for more.”
Nick shivers, more from fear than cold, the way Michael spoke of the two makes him wonder about him again. One minute he is nice, the next he’s cruel. What kind of man, or creature, is he that he can change so drastically in the blink of an eye?
Michael starts to kiss his neck and he moans, trying to push him away.
“We have school tomorrow and, I don’t know about you, but I require more than a couple hours of sleep.”
Michael smiles, “One more time, then you can sleep.”
Nick sighs but nods his head. One more time, then he had to get to bed and sleep.


***************


Nick slept pleasantly that night, though he slept curled up. He’s still afraid of Michael and no amount of oaths will change that. Even if Michael says he won’t hurt him, he still can hurt Jason, or Norris, or someone else. Nick wants to make certain that Michael can’t hurt anyone, but at the same time he knows that he cannot stop him from doing something that seems like second nature to Michael.
When he got up his grandfather gave him a lecture for leaving a half full cup on the counter all night. At the sight of the cup Nick has to work hard to keep the blush from showing. Today he gets himself out of the house quicker than he has in a long time. Better that then to be reminded a little longer about the kiss that night with the float.
He walks to school, living only a couple blocks away. That’s another thing he hates about living with his grandparents. They live in the city. With his parents he had lived far enough out of the city that they’d actually had a backyard. Here it’s just a patch of green and that’s it.
At school it doesn’t take Nick long to see what Michael had meant about Jason and Norris. They followed him around the halls like start struck idiots. They kept trying to get him to talk to them, but he pretended he didn’t even see them. Michael passed by Nick at one point and winks at him.
Nick had all ready ran it through his grandparents, about him going out with the ‘guy’s from the team’ after school. They heard ‘guy’s’ and thought nothing more of it. After school he meets up with Michael on the side walk in front of school. Jason and Norris are standing off to the side.
Michael smiles when Nick walks up and draws him close, kissing Nick softly. Jason and Norris start to move closer but Michael turns and gives them a dark look.
“Go home and stay in your rooms the rest of the night.”
They bow their heads and move away. Nick closes his eyes and looks away, the moment ruined, at least for now.
“So, what do you want to do?”
Nick asks as they start to move down the sidewalk. Michael smiles as he releases his hold on Nick.
“I thought we could buy a pizza and rent a couple movies. We can snuggle up on the couch while we watch, and maybe do a few other things.”
Pizza and a movie, almost like a real date. Nick has never been on a date before…
The movie rental place is one of those small town shops that has a silly name, one that’s not worth mentioning. They ordered their pizza when they got to the rental store, then spent the next twenty minutes, while their pizza cooked, to look at movies.
Finally they pick two, Michael chose Blade Trinity and Nick chose Hellboy. Nick had wanted to see that movie ever since he’d seen a trailer on it while his grandparents had been watching Wheel of Fortune. Of course, they would never allow such a movie in their house.
A two day rental paid for, they walk the next block over and pick up their pizza.
“Do you live close enough to walk, Michael?”
Nick asks as they walk out of Pizza Inn.
“A little further then I’d like to walk. So we’ll take the easiest route.”
Nick smiles, letting Michael wrap an arm around him as they step into the shadows in the alley beside Pizza Inn. They slip through the shadows, appearing in Michael’s living room.
“Why don’t you get the first movie ready while I set everything up to eat. We can watch yours first.”
Nick looks around the room as he places the dvd cases on top of the tv, opening the one to his and placing it in the dvd player. The room, like the bedroom, has no pictures. The walls are off white, so is the ceiling and the short cut carpet. The only furniture in the room is the couch, which is pastel floral, one of those things that gets donated because no one really wants it. A simple coffee table sits in front of the couch, nothing decorates it. And the tv, on it’s little stand, sits in front of the coffee table, directly down the center of the couch.
Michael comes in as Nick sits down on the couch, remote control in hand. Michael sets the pizza box on the coffee table, one large, and two plates. He also sits down two cups filled with Mountain Dew.
Nick starts the movie and puts a few slices of pizza on his plate and sits down to watch the movie. Michael does the same. By the end of the movie the pizza is gone and they’re snuggled up. Nick gets up and takes the dvd out, Michael takes out the trash and comes back as Nick starts up his movie.
Michael sits on the couch first, laying against the arm of the couch, his legs stretched out. Nick looks at him curiously but doesn’t say anything, moving to sit on the floor, but Michael stops him and motions to his lap.
Nick shakes his head but sits down on Michael’s lap, slipping off his shoes as he does so. He lays the length of Michael, his head resting against Michael’s chest. Not long after the movie starts Nick falls asleep, leaving Michael to watch him instead of the movie.
Nick wakes up as the end credits flash across the tv screen. He yawns and stretches, then snuggles up closer to Michael.
“I missed the whole movie, didn’t I?”
Michael chuckles, “That’s all right. Vampire movies never fail to amuse me. They can never seem to get the facts right.”
“Are you a vampire?”
Nick looks up at Michael, gauging his response. Michael laughs at Nick’s question and tousles his hair.
“No. Your not going to get the information that easily. I’ve known vampires in my life, enough to count me as something close to an expert on them.”
“Oh.” Nick closes his eyes and Michael wraps his arms around Nick.
“Why are we here, doing this? I can’t seem to understand how we went from me not wanting anything to do with you because you hurt me, to us doing something almost like a date.”
“It has been a date, meili. Do you remember the mark from the other night?”
Michael asks, moving his hand to rest a finger on Nick’s neck, at the spot where he had marked him.
“Yes, I believe I remember. What about it.”
“For my people it’s not simply a mark of ownership, it’s our way of asking another to marry us.”
Nick suddenly sits up straight, his eyes wide and staring at Michael.
“Wh-what? We’re, uh, engaged?”
Michael smiles and leans forward to grab at Nicks arm and pull him back into his lap. Nick doesn’t put up a fight, he’s a little numb at the moment.
“It’s nothing permanent as of yet. You have to mark me before we’re married. But, because it’s how my people are, we have to choose who will be the dominate partner.”
Well, Nick knew who that would be, Michael of course. Though Nick doesn’t plan on marking Michael.
No, it’s bad enough that they’re a ‘couple’ now, and that they’re engaged. But to actually be married to Michael…

**
*gasps in shock* They\'re engaged?! Wow. *grins*
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