Escape is Only Temporary [boyxboy]

Chapter I

"I want to run. To do what I always do, have always done, for the last five years of my life. Escape, flee into the shadows. But this time, I stand my ground. I'm tired of running." ~Marie Lu, Prodigy.

~Saturday 14th May 2016~

"And there are no negative side effects?" Humans. Constantly worrying. No matter how many times Shepherd had to repeat himself, no matter the warnings and instructions and words, humans just continued to pester him. That morning it happened to be an older man, around his fifties, that wanted something to 'spice it up' in the bedroom. Thankfully, Shepherd had been in business long enough to stifle his laughter about the situation.

Humans cared so much about sex, yet they knew nothing of what they were really doing. Creating energy, forming bonds, connecting in ways they would never understand. They cared about the short-term fix, getting their rocks off, when it was so much more than that. Shepherd could talk about sex all day, and never mention a single word that a human would associate with the act. He was on a higher plane of understanding, he always had been and always would be. The perks of growing up as a more advanced being.

"There's always a chance, sir," Shepherd tried to keep his voice level, not wanting the man to realise just how bored he was with this conversation, "there could be some nausea or headaches in the aftermath, however, it shouldn't be too serious. If you've been honest with me about your previous medical history and drug use then nothing should go wrong. This should be tailored to you personally," Shepherd pushed the little bottle toward the man across the counter, seeing him pale ever so slightly when their hands came close to touching. It was normal for people, humans, to be afraid of Shepherd. He had been born into a world where creatures like himself, any creature more than human, didn't hide away. It was their earth too, they were there first, and they no longer wished to be repressed by slinking away within shadows. Many were happy with that decision. Vampires and werewolves integrated easily with society. They could. They were able to hide the reality of their creed. Shepherd didn't have that option.

Shepherd had been born a warlock, and that meant life was just a little more difficult for him. Especially due to his skin colour. Some warlocks had it easier, they were born ivory. Pure white flesh that made them look clean and ethereal. Shepherd wasn't blessed with that luck. Instead, his skin presented as black. Coal. Obsidian. Soot. He had heard all of the comparisons. Personally, he adored his skin tone. He thought there was nothing wrong with it. The only problem happened to be the humans. They couldn't even live peacefully with darker-skinned beings of their own creed, there was no hope for them accepting someone like him. Shepherd had learnt a long time ago to anticipate the prejudice.

"How long are... How long does it..." Shepherd gritted his teeth, despising just how long it could take humans to get anything across. They got flustered easily, stumbling over their words, rather than just saying what they needed to. Luckily, Shepherd had learnt patience a long time ago too, he wouldn't be in business if he hadn't.

"How long will your erection last?" Shepherd prompted, resting his hands on the counter when the man nodded, flushing red, "how long does it normally last?" Shepherd glanced to his right, at the chair he had been sitting at before. He wanted to finish the dreamcatcher he was working on. It was a particularly complex one, for the son of an elf that he knew whose night terrors were causing chaos. It had been a busy day, hence why he hadn't managed to get very far with it. If the human would finish with his blundering, Shepherd might finally be able to get somewhere.

"Well- I- it-" Shepherd should have expected the man to grow defensive. No matter whether he was coming to a warlock for help with his evident erectile dysfunction or not, he was still unwilling to let go of that pesky little pride that he pushed out along with his chest. Another reason that Shepherd hated humans, they cared too much about foolish little things like how long their cocks stayed hard, or how big their breasts were. There was so much more to life, humans only just began to skim the surface in their brief time on the planet. Maybe, in that sense, Shepherd pitied them.