"Alastor.." A barely audible whisper escaped his lips while he grasped his boy immediately in a tight embrace and closed his eyes as tightly as the hug itself was.
"Alex.." Alastor buried his face in Alex's shoulder while whimpering and clutching the back of his t-shirt. "Alex, you came.." His body was drenched in sweat from the suffocating heat and lack of oxygen.
Tears rolled down their cheeks as they held eachother tighter and whispered in unison.
"You made it.."
Alex sniffled and chuckled lightly while wiping Alastor's tears with his thumbs, then kissed his forehead before whispering, "We made it.."
Alastor hugged Alex one more time as if the strength of the hug could shield them from the world.
Then he placed his hands on Alex's cheeks while kissing him deeply with his parted lips, his tongue almost begging to enter Alex's mouth, "Mmph.."
The urgent and intense kiss made Alex's eyes widen a little before his fingers tangled in his hair and he returned the kiss.
Alastor's tongue was exploring his mouth but he could feel Alastor's trembling hands on his cheeks and the desperation behind the kiss- a mix of relief, fear, and something else he hadn't anticipated.
"Al…" he whispered, gently pulling back, his hands coming to rest on the boy's cheeks.
Then he looked down at Alastor, concern in his gaze. He could see the way Alastor's cheeks were still flushed, his eyes half-lidded, his cat ears twitching and a strange heat radiating from him.
Alastor, seeming a little dazed, breathed heavily, struggling to steady himself. His gaze was intense, filled with an unmistakable longing that made Alex's heart race. "Alex.." He leaned in again while panting, his eyes on the other boy's lips. "I need more.. please.."
"Al, you-" He got cut off by another kiss.
"Ah.." Alastor pulled Alex closer by his t-shirt, kissing him eagerly. "More.."
Even though he liked this intimacy, he broke the kiss while panting and held Alastor's hands in his, "Al, you.. you are burning up.."
"Well, he is in heat afterall.."
Aiden, who was leaning against the trunk of the willow tree, stepped into view, a smirk playing on his lips. His piercing gaze was lingering on the entwined figures of Alex and Alastor.
Alex held Alastor closer and tighter against his chest, glaring at the vampire, "Shut up and get lost, dammit!"
Aiden chuckled, his demeanor was surprisingly relaxed. "It's quite the heartwarming scene you've got here. A little reunion, a little drama… you know I can't resist a good show. But you know what being in 'heat' means for Alastor, right?"
"Shut up.." Alastor held onto Alex, burying his face against his shoulder because he didn't want to face the vampire again. And since he was in heat, he had to resist the urge to lick or kiss Alex's neck.
Aiden crouched down to them, his smirk widening. "Oh, come now. Can't a vampire enjoy a little melodrama? Besides.." he added, tilting his head slightly, "it's not every day I get tricked by a human and get to witness love triumphing over.. whatever that was."
Alex rubbed Alastor's back, his eyes blazing with protectiveness. "This isn't a game, Aiden.. You shouldn't toy with others' and their feelings for your own entertainment.."
Aiden's expression shifted momentarily, his eyes glinting with mischief, "A game? Hardly. This is more like an invitation to dance, isn't it? Two lovesick fools wrapped up in each other while the world burns around them."
"Stop it, Aiden.." Alastor whimpered against Alex's shoulder in heat, his hands clutching on Alex's t-shirt. "What..what did I even do to deserve this from you..?"
Aiden feigned a usual sigh.
"Deserve? Alice, this isn't about what you deserve. It's about the thrill of watching how far people are willing to go for love. And you indeed are a fascinating player in this little story."
"Story, my ass.." He hiccuped, biting his bottom lip to not let his heat ruin his demeanor. "Y-You promised you'd let me go once I escaped that shitty mansion of yours.."
This time his smirk faltered.. "I did keep my promise for two years, Alice. But my mind always wandered back to you- those memories of how you were so submissive and obedient but would always come back to me, crying and helpless."
Alex's jaw clenched and he was about to snap but Aiden raised his hand as a 'stop' and continued.
His voice was taking on a more serious and menacing tone. "What we had, Alice.. that wasn't just some contract or deal. I thought you'd understand that by now. Even if you hate me, that depth- it doesn't just disappear."
Alastor's grip tightened around Alex's hand and he desperately kept biting down on his bottom lip, "You never gave me a choice, Aiden.. You.. You trapped me, fed off my fears, and called it a connection.. That's not love. And it never will be."
Aiden's expression shifted, a shadow crossing his face, but he quickly masked it with his usual smirk. "Call it whatever you like, but you can't deny that some part of you needed me, Alice. You were so quick to submit, so eager for someone to tell you who you were."
Alastor was already trembling due to his heat and the vampire's words were pissing him off.
Then Alex kept an arm around him and barked at Aiden through his words.
"Alastor knows who he is now. And he knows what he deserves!"
He then added while narrowing his eyes and gritting his teeth in anger, "And it's not you.."
Aiden's smirk dropped completely, his eyes narrowing. "Be careful, Alex.. People like you don't get happy endings so easily."
Despite the memories of his past flooding in his mind, Alex remained unfazed, his voice unwavering. "And who the fuck are you to decide that? No one has any fucking right to decide what ending they will get in life! But you are just a manipulative asshole! And Alastor's happiness is in his own hands!"
"Splendid speech. Splendid." The vampire gave a humorless clap, eyes glancing at the feline boy. His usual smirk was replaced by a cold and serious demeanor as he spoke, "But now.. you've only reminded me of something I've been planning to test for quite some time.."
"Don't you fucking dare.." Alex whispered underneath his breath while his heart skipped a beat in anxiety and a sense of protection for Alastor.
"Very well.." The vampire raised his red-auratic hand and summoned a small, ornate vial in mid-air. Inside it was a shimmering, black liquid; a serum he had been working on over the past few years.
"Don't try any more games, asshole!" Alex snapped but Aiden's expression turned more and more serious, his eyes narrowing in contemplation.
"Perhaps I've had enough fun.." he murmured, glancing at Alex, "Now it's time for the real test."
"What?!" Alastor's eyes widened.
Aiden slowly stood back up and his eyes flashed red as he spoke, "You were so obedient, so vulnerable, so submissive and almost "perfect" for me, Alice.. For the past 2 years I couldn't help but imagine that.. you would be someone who mirrors me;
"You-"
Cutting off Alex in mid-sentence, the vampire continued, "You, Alice, can be the one who could be shaped into my image, not just in terms of power and loyalty, but also in terms of essence."
Alastor gulped. He had to focus on the current situation but his heat was making his mind wander to more things. "No.."
Then Aiden, in one swift, predatory move, pushed Alex aside and grabbed Alastor by his hair, pulling him close.
"ALASTOR! NO!!" Just before Alex was about to surge forward, Aiden flexed his fingers, and from the shadows surrounding him, formed shadowy, clawed arms that were black as night and writhing with a sinister life of their own. They lunged toward Alex before he could react, wrapping around him in a breath-hitching grasp.
Aiden barely spared him a glance and pinned both of Alastor's wrists behind his back with one hand.
"Aide-" Alastor was not allowed to finish his sentence as Aiden shoved two of his fingers in his mouth with the other hand, gripping his wrists tighter with his dominant hand.
"AIDEN, STOP!!" Alex screamed while struggling against the shadowy arms, his voice raw with rage and helplessness.
"You won't let me help you this time with your heat, hm?" Aiden whispered against Alastor's cat ear that twitched but he whimpered while trying to turn his head away. Drool trialing down his jaw. "Hngh!" He then bit down on the vampire's fingers harshly enough to make it bleed but the vampire didn't even flinch.
"Stop fighting back, it's useless.." He murmured against Alastor's ear while his fingers explored his mouth and played around his tongue, making him whimper and shake his head vigorously.
"AIDEN! STOP!! PLEASE!" Alex thrashed, but the shadowy arms held him back, their inky, ethereal grip tightening around his limbs and torso, keeping him pinned in place. Then another shadowy claw wrapped around his mouth.
"Mmph!" Now he was unable to speak nor move. Tears threatened to roll down his cheeks but he kept trying to fight back.
Pushing himself against the shadowy arms, he tried to surge forward, only for the arms to tighten around him.
"Ngh.. Al..!" Alastor's voice was muffled by the vampire's fingers, his eyes filled with tears. His breathing was heavy and he was starting to tremble.
Aiden pulled his fingers out of Alastor's drooling mouth and gripped his jaw with a dangerous look in his eyes.
And before Alastor could catch another breath, Aiden forced his mouth open and poured the vial's serum into his mouth. Then he covered his mouth forcefully, making the feline boy gulp down the serum.
Alex, with wide and teary eyes, screamed against the shadowy claw though it was barely heard...
As the serum went down Alastor's throat, Aiden let him fall on the ground on his knees.
Silence crept around them and the shadowy arms that were holding Alex finally faded away.
"Al!" Alex stumbled the first few steps before running over to Alastor. Kneeling down, he shook him by his shoulders. "Alastor!"
But Alastor didn't move, didn't respond and just kept his head low. His shoulders didn't rise and fall with his breath anymore.
Alex's heart clenched painfully in his chest.
With a shaky breath, Alex reached out to touch Alastor's head, "Hey, you hear me, right? I'm right here, I-"
But as Alastor slowly raised his head, Alex froze.
The face looking back at him was undeniably Alastor's, but the eyes and expressions... they weren't.
The vibrant golden and purple hues of Alastor's heterochromic eyes had dulled, now gleaming with an unnatural red glow. His pupils had sharpened to narrow slits, eerily cat-like, giving him a haunting, almost feral intensity and his body.. completely cold and pale. His expression was unreadable, there wasn't the warmth Alex remembered.
Alex took a shaky breath and placed his hands on Alastor's cheeks, his heart was racing. "Al.. "
But the moment he touched him, a piercing chill crept down his spine, and Alastor finally spoke.
"Alex…"
The voice was wrong- cold, hollow, with a strange, dark echo, like a whisper in the dark. It sounded as if it came from somewhere distant, somewhere unreachable..
"Run away.."