Eight years ago…
The first time Damien visited Harlan after the tragedy with Heather, it had been brief. An apology that didn't fix anything. But Damien kept returning, because of guilt.
It was night time, much like the first time he came to visit. Damien had walked up to Harlan's place. The door opened up, but it wasn't Harlan who greeted him. A small girl with wide eyes stood in the doorway, clutching her worn out teddy bear in her arms.
She couldn't have been more than nine or ten.
"Hello?" she said softly.
Damien crouched down to her level, dashing her a small smile. "Hi. What's your name?"
"I'm Kaylor. Are you a friend of Harlan's?"
"I'm... trying to be," Damien replied, feeling guilt even as he said it. "Is your brother home?"
Kaylor nodded. "Yeah, he's here. Do you wanna come inside?"
Damien hesitated. It was an unspoken rule—vampires couldn't enter a home unless invited. But the moment Kaylor uttered those words, Damien stepped over the threshold, and nothing happened. No searing pain, no flames engulfing his body. He was in.
Damien looked around, seeing the portraits adorned on the walls. He followed Kaylor down a narrow hallway. "Where's your brother?" he asked.
Kaylor pointed towards the far door. "In there."
Damien thanked her, and with a nod, he made his way to Harlan's bedroom.
The door was ajar, and as he listened keenly, he could hear sounds from inside. He paused, unsure of what he was hearing—groans, but not ones he could place. Was Harlan in pain? Or was it something else?
Curiosity got the better of him. Damien peered through the small opening and his eyes widened at the sight before him. Harlan was lying on his bed, completely naked except for a towel beneath him. He was masturbating with frustration as he struggled to reach climax. Harlan had no idea he was being watched.
Damien froze. His eyes lingered for a moment longer than they should have. He should have looked away, should have left. But something kept him rooted to the spot.
Harlan's head jerked up suddenly as his eyes locked onto Damien's through the small gap in the door. Shame, anger, and humiliation filled his face as he quickly grabbed the towel and wrapped it around his waist.
Then, the door was yanked open, and Harlan stood before Damien, furious.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" Harlan said. "How did you even get in? I thought vampires weren't supposed to survive entering uninvited."
Damien swallowed, trying to shake off the awkwardness. "Your sister let me in," he said calmly.
Harlan stepped closer. "And you thought it was okay to spy on me like some kind of freak?"
"I didn't mean to," Damien said quickly. "I came to check on you, Harlan. I made it my responsibility to—"
"I don't need you checking on me!" Harlan snapped, cutting him off. "How many times do I have to tell you that? I'm not some charity case for you to make yourself feel better about your brother killing my fucking girlfriend!"
Damien winced at the harshness of Harlan's words but held his ground. "I didn't come here to make myself feel better," he said softly. "I just—"
"You just what?" Harlan barked, stepping even closer. "You think I need you to come into my house and make things worse? You think you can fix anything?"
"I'm not trying to fix anything," Damien replied. "I just thought—"
""You thought what? You thought you could make it better?"
There was silence between them, and for a moment, Damien didn't know what to say because Harlan kept cutting him off. But there was something in the way Harlan was looking at him, something that wasn't just anger anymore.
Damien exhaled slowly, taking a step forward. "Maybe I can't make it better. Maybe I can't fix it. But I'm here now, and I'll always be."
Harlan's jaw clenched. "And what exactly do you think being here now and always is going to do?"
Damien hesitated. "I don't know. But it can help."
Harlan's brow furrowed, he was confused. "Help? What the hell are you talking about?"
Damien's gaze shifted down to the towel still wrapped loosely around Harlan's waist. "It can help you…with that."
Harlan shut his eyes for a split second, and for a long, agonizing moment, he said nothing. Then, slowly, he stepped back. "You're serious?"
Damien nodded with his eyes never leaving Harlan's. "I'm offering."
There was silence again. Until, slowly, almost reluctantly, Harlan dropped the towel from his waist, and his eyes dared Damien to move closer.
Damien moved closer and his hands slowly reached out to Harlan's cock. Harlan didn't stop him. As Damien's hand grazed Harlan's cock, the contact made Harlan moan softly, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he stepped forward, closing the distance between them.
His eyes remained locked on Damien's, wanting him to continue, and Damien did. His grip on Harlan's cock became firmer. Harlan's head fell back, with his eyes blinking shut as he let himself sink into the feeling.
Damien watched him carefully, noting how what he was doing eased Harlan. Then, Damien gasped as Harlan's hand reached out, grabbing onto his shoulder.
"Can you get on your knees for me?" There was desperation in Harlan's tone, and in his eyes. For the first time since Damien's unrequested visits, Harlan wasn't fighting him. He wasn't pushing him away, wasn't telling him to leave. He was allowing this moment, allowing Damien in.
Damien got on his knees, this was the first time both of them were ever engaging in this act. With Harlan's guidance, Damien took his cock into his mouth. Harlan's breathing grew more ragged, and Damien watched as he threw his head back, enjoying the moment. He could feel Harlan's body trembling slightly— Harlan was on the verge of cumming.
"Fuck!! Fuck Damien.." Harlan's body shuddered, with his grip tightening on Damien's head as he released everything onto Damien's face.
"Shit, I'm so fucking sorry." Harlan immediately apologized as he ran to his desk to get tissue for Damien.
Meanwhile, Damien didn't make much of this. He took the tissue and wiped the cum off his face. "It's fine."
For a few moments, there was nothing but the sound of their breathing. Damien gave Harlan a small nod, acknowledging what had just happened without needing to put it into words. He stepped back, giving Harlan space to regain his composure.
After a long pause, Harlan finally spoke. "I don't need you to keep coming back," he said.
Damien nodded again. "I know."
But the nights continued like this, despite what Harlan said. Damien kept coming back, always under the cover of darkness, slipping into Aunt Melina's house.
Each time they met, they fucked and Harlan told him he didn't need to return, and each time, Damien ignored him. Until Harlan fell deep.
But, it wasn't long before the secrecy of their meetings drew attention.
One night, after slipping out of Harlan's room and sneaking back into his father's mansion, Damien found his father, Juran Crimson, waiting for him. Juran stood by the fireplace in the grand hall. His posture was rigid, and his eyes burned with fury the moment he saw Damien.
"Where were you?" Juran said with a low voice.