"Don't-Don't touch me,"
In which Noah Harden despised being touched and is dragged in front of three thrones. Noah took one look at those blinking red eyes and was certain he'd made a mistake in vacationing in Volterra. That is, until he realised th...
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NOAH LAUGHED OUT LOUD AT WHAT CAIUS HAD SAID, it was a full belly laugh that left him completely breathless and Caius laughed along with him. The likes of such laugh, he had never experienced before. Raven's bar had served up a beautiful meal and intoxicated Caius slightly on liquor-laced blood. Noah hadn't thought that having a designated driver would be an issue with a vampire but it seemed to be and he was grateful he hadn't touched a drop of wine. They walked hand-in-hand through the streets, heading back in the direction of the parking lot and the sleek car ready to shuttle them home. At least a drunk Caius wouldn't complain about his tendency to speed.
They were only a few minutes away from their car when a voice called from behind them in the distance. Noah didn't recognise the voice, nor could he make out the words but his instinctive reaction was to turn his head. Caius grabbed him by the wrist before he could turn too far and Noah instantly froze at the touch on his sleeve. The vampire had an icy cool expression, as though they had not just been joking. In the darkening alleyway, three men were approaching them hollering different Italian words that Noah didn't recognise-- but seeing Caius' face made him wonder if he'd have wanted to know anyway. They were gaining on them now that they had stopped moving and Noah felt his anxiety peak as he watched them approach-- he did not want them to come any closer, even though he was not at risk of them hurting him. What if they touched him?
When they were a few feet away, they stopped with taunting smirks and Noah glanced up at Caius again-- wondering what he was thinking.
"Kill them," Noah encouraged, looking between the men. When was the last time Caius had drank from the vein? Noah was no longer even disgusted with him at such thoughts-- he'd long since accepted that he was a monster. Caius may have been a different type of monster but the facts remained the same. They were a perfect match.
The vampire didn't need to be asked twice and Caius could scarcely see him as he vanished from his side, nor did he hear the men scream as they were grabbed from the street. He heard nothing until their bodies splashed into the canal and Caius was back at his side, sipping liquor out of a flask. The vampire stopped some feet away and just stared at Noah in the now-empty street. If he hadn't seen the men or told Caius to dispose of them-- he wouldn't have even realised anything had happened.
Caius was waiting in silence for Noah to say something, to reassure him that he wasn't a monster. Once, Caius had watched Noah drain the life source out of a woman and now Noah had seen Caius murder three men. Neither mattered. They were monsters but they were in love.
Noah closed the gap in three long strides, backing Caius into a brick wall but he did not pause, scooping the king's wrists and pinning them above his head, his flask clinking onto the cobblestones and skidding away, splashing rose gold into the gutter. Noah slammed their lips together none-too-gently, tasting the strong liquor on Caius' tongue and only deepening their kiss. Caius lapped it up greedily, hungry for this uncommon attention. For the longest of moments, the deadly human and the immortal vampire engaged in a passionate kiss in the dark alleyway before Noah pulled back for a breath and shot Caius a wink.
