Til Death

29. Blake

BLAKE

Standing in front of the mirror, Blake loosened his tie for the hundredth time. He had refused to get ready for the Gala with Daniel, declaring that he could get on fine without him and Michael's help. Blake had other options, but everyone was driving him crazy with Damien's smug look that things weren't going well, Adrian trying to get Blake to see things from Daniel's side and their parents for dismissing it as a nothing-fight just like they did when they kids.

What was the most aggravating was Ignacio's disappearance ever since Blake found out about the reincarnation scheme... Blake's first thought every time he saw Daniel was to tell him about the dreams and their shared past, but then he remembered all the terrible things he said and Blake would shut his mouth.

Daniel wasn't listening to reason.

So, he'd never understand something so unreasonable.

There was a knock on the door and Blake peered at it suspiciously. "Who is it?"

"It's Michael and I come in peace."

With a sigh, Blake told him, "Come in."

Alone, Michael stepped inside and he must've had a keen sense because he walked right up to Blake and started fixing his tie. Blake tried evading him, but the vampire assistant wasn't having it. "I'm not a little kid," Blake mumbled.

"You and his highness are both children to me. I'm fifty-four years old."

Blake gaped at the blonde that had always looked the same age as him. Maybe even younger!

"You've never asked." Michael flattened his tie and examined the rest of Blake's dress, fiddling with things here and there. "I'm going to ask that you listen to me."

"Michael-" Blake was ready to sigh and reject him, but the stern look in Michael's face shut him up.

"I hope you'll listen to me because I like to think I've always carried the best intentions for you," he explained, cutting holes into Blake's resolve because he believed in Michael more than most people. Michael said, "I didn't know you two when you were younger, but from what I've heard you two weren't the best of friends."

"You heard right," Blake admitted.

"I can assume you had lots of fights back then and never resolved them. But you're older now, so you two must learned how to resolve your fights and make peace."

"I don't want to fight with him."

"I know."

"I still love him," Blake thought he might need to reassure Michael, hating to think he might believe otherwise. "But I love Adrian too."

"Don't worry so much. You boys will work this out," Michael insisted, squeezing his shoulders. The way he said it almost made Blake believe it... but not quite. A horrible feeling still made his stomach acids squirm.

"Daniel doesn't want my forgiveness."

"I won't speak for the Prince. I won't pretend to know what he's thinking, but I know he loathes fighting with you just as much as you do."

A knock on the door broke the boys apart as they looked over to Ignacio peeking inside. Squeamishly, the demon made a tiny wave. "Hello, hello. I hope this isn't a bad time," Ignacio announced as he waltzed inside wearing a green velvet suit that paired well with his warm brown skin but was a stark difference to his white hair that was styled nicer than usual. He still rocked the long pearl earring dangling right over his shoulder.

"Where have you been?" Blake gawked.

"I'll leave you guys to talk," Michael said, but he hesitated, giving Ignacio a once over, then two or three more times. "Why are you so dressed up? We were given the night off."