Aiden's fingers trace the injury he inflicted himself just hours ago. It has stopped bleeding after the cold shower he took ,and now he's applying ointment over it to make it heal a little faster.
He focuses his attention on his left hand. There are a couple of purple bruises on his skin. Since those will be impossible to hide, he must find a good excuse if anyone asks. Even though Graham easily believed him the last time he lied about a wound, he doesn't think he can rely on blaming it on his clumsiness in the kitchen again; he's a professional chef after all.
A heavy sigh escapes his parted lips as he looks up at the mirror in front of him.
His green eyes scan his athletic body, starting on his neck with small, circular scars on both sides. Then, they go down slowly over the reflection of his exposed skin, stopping briefly on every injury on his toned chest. Though most of them have healed completely, they're easy to identify under the dim light of his bathroom.
Aiden chuckles to himself when his gaze stops on the first injury he ever received while killing a vampire.
The mark is on his right shoulder, right over the clavicle.
That fight was messy to say the least.
Even though he had already met someone who informed him about the weaknesses of a vampire, he lacked the experience of facing one eye to eye.
He was fortunate to fight against a newly transformed creature that time.
He wouldn't have survived otherwise.
Feeling that long scar with his fingertips always makes him smile. It's like reliving those moments when he was younger, when he felt as if he could easily get rid of all the monsters that threaten humanity in the shadows.
Now, 4 years later, he's more convinced that this duty of killing vampires will never end. He made the promise, nevertheless, of killing every vampire that crosses his path until his very last breath.
Why did he make this pledge that can only be fulfilled when he dies?
The answer lies on the necklace he wears everywhere but keeps hidden underneath his clothes.
His smile fades as he puts on the piece of jewelry. The pendant in the shape of a full moon serves as a portal to the worst memory registered in his mind.
Aiden was just an 8-year-old helping his mom to bake some cookies that they would eat later with his father. What was supposed to be a wholesome moment, unfortunately turned into a very gruesome memory.
Selie Millers was a kind young woman who would offer her helping hand even if that put her in danger. This treat would be later mimicked by her only son without him noticing.
Another characteristic Aiden inherited from his mother is her passion for cooking. They would spend hours in the kitchen trying out different combinations of flavors.
Actually, that is what they were doing when tragedy visited their home.
Aiden's hands were sticky after he had been decorating the cookies with his favorite sour candy.
Selie smiled at him with adoration before telling him to go to the bathroom to wash his hands while she cleaned the table.
The kid exited the kitchen happily, trying his best to quickly come back to have a bite of his creation. Unfortunately, he would never have the opportunity to taste those cookies.
When he came back from the bathroom, he witnessed a scene no child should ever see. Ms. Millers was standing in the middle of the kitchen, her eyes filled with fear as a creature pierced her neck with its sharp fangs.
Aiden couldn't move a muscle at the sight of his mother dying. It was until the creature had sucked all her blood that the child started to react and felt warm tears sliding over his cheeks.
The pair of red eyes met his green ones for a couple of seconds, enough time for him to realize that the monster he was facing was no other than Selie's little sister.
His aunt had killed his mom and he hadn't done anything about it.
"Aiden, come here. I won't hurt you", the vampire muttered, her eyes slowly turning back to their original color: green.
That was when his survival instinct kicked in.
Being fearful that he would face the same fate as his mother, he ran away.
While he was gone, the killer took the opportunity to escape with her sister's corpse. By doing so, she ensured that the existence of vampires would remain a secret.
What she didn't notice is that he left behind Selie's favorite necklace: a full moon that glows in the dark.
Aiden shakes his head slightly, not wanting to remember how no one believed him when he described what he saw as a kid. It was painful enough to lose the person he loved the most, yet the situation felt worse because not even his father took his side during the investigation.
But to be honest, who could easily accept that an inhuman creature killed the love of your life?
Blake Millers preferred to think that his wife had disappeared instead, keeping alive the hope of finding her, even when his son tried to convince him that she was gone forever.
As a result, he wasted the rest of his life with the false idea that he would find her someday.
This is how Aiden's obsession with vampires began. This is why he promised to never stop hunting them until he dies.
It had never mattered to him the consequences of the path he chose. Not until now that his life isn't the only thing he's putting in danger.
Aiden exits his bathroom after making sure that all his fresh wounds are healing appropriately.
Then, he lies down on his bed and takes his phone between his hands.
It's almost time for Graham's daily call, which helps him clear his mind from those traumatic events quicker than usual.
Although he isn't sure how this habit started. He is glad that Larson is taking valuable time of his day to talk with him, even if their conversations can only be during the minutes when he's driving back home.
The device doesn't even ring once when he has already answered the incoming call.
"Hi, how are you?" Graham greets with a grin on his face. "You had never answered your phone this fast."
"Today was my day off, did you forget?" The chef replies with a giggle, putting the call on speaker and placing his device on the bed next to him.
"No, I didn't. I was actually hoping to see you for a bit. Unfortunately, I got busy."
"Oh, don't worry about it. Hearing your voice is more than enough."
Graham rolls his eyes at that response.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"One hundred percent?"
Aiden doubts for a little bit. He would love to meet Graham even for just a minute. However, he knows it's best to rest at this moment and keep his wounds hidden.
"Yes", he insists as convincingly as he can.
Larson purses his lips together. "I guess I'll have to change the plans I had for tomorrow, then."
"What are you talking about?" Aiden asks with a trace of panic in his voice. "I haven't agreed on anything."
"Are you rejecting me even before I've asked you out?"
"No. I mean, you know how exhausted I could be after my shift at the restaurant. One day isn't enough time to rest."
"I guess you're right", the older man replies while leaning his head to the side. "But at least let me tell you my plan for the night."
"Alright, I'll listen."
"Well, since we both leave work late at night, there aren't many options of what we can do, right?"
"Right. Go on."
"I took the time to investigate and it turns out that one of those few activities we can do is going to the movies."
Aiden feels a little more relaxed after hearing the idea. Going to a movie theater would mean that he doesn't necessarily need to worry about his wounds suddenly opening. Plus, the lack of lighting could help him hide the evident bruises on his hand.
"That sounds like fun."
"Is that a yes?"
"Let me think."
Graham shakes his head after taking a deep breath. He has wondered multiple times if Aiden will ever make him lose his patience, or if he could be the one to cause desperation in the youngest.
"We could always stay home, you know? Both in our own rooms, away from each other, only listening to our voices through cold speakers…"
"No, no. There's no need for that", Aiden clarifies. "I'd love to go to the movies with you, Graham."
"I'm happy to hear that because I've already bought the tickets. It would have been such a waste. What if someone really wanted those tickets?"
"As if anyone would like to go to the movies in the middle of the night", he says sarcastically, his eyes starting to close out of tiredness.
"Hey, you never know", Larson states with a chuckle. "I'll pick you up at Indigo."
"Fine", Aiden replies right before yawning.
"I'm sorry, I should have let you rest on your day off."
"I wouldn't have been able to rest if you hadn't called, if I'm honest."
"In that case, I should hang up so you can sleep."
"No." Aiden bites his lip, considering if he should say what's on his mind. Eventually, he decides to speak. "Is it too weird to stay on the call until I doze off?"
"It's not weird", the brown-eyed man replies after considering it for a while. "But what am I supposed to talk about in the meantime?"
A soft smile is drawn on Aiden's lips as he shifts on his bed to a more comfortable position, careful to not hurt himself in the process.
"Talk about anything. Or talk about nothing. As long as you're on the call, it doesn't matter."
Graham had never been in a situation like this before. That's why he feels a little awkward and decides to remain silent, too afraid to say something that could keep Aiden awake.
The quiet ambience is only interrupted by the gentle sounds of the streets full of cars. Instead of finding this irritable, though, Aiden falls into a deeper sleep.
When Graham arrives home, he doesn't know what to do next. His first idea is to say goodbye in a whisper, but he doesn't want to disturb his companion's dreams in any way.
Therefore, he decides to carefully take his phone with him to his room and sleep without ending the call.
It's funny that after all the things that have happened today, Aiden is more convinced that nothing can ever compare to the fulfillment that runs in his veins every time a vampire's heart is pierced with his dagger.
However, he's willing to give up on that feeling because at this moment in time there's nothing more important to him than Graham's happiness.