unfortunate the blind of this beasts eyes of the grievances his darling boy has endured to take them back. he yearns so passionately, feverishly, so intensely that they would let the flames of hell lick up his body and become enraptured in the layers of lucifer's domain.

" oh, i am no phantom. i did heed your warning but i needed to see your face to ease the worry. " not at all worried by the threatening shot to the skull. shoulders are lax whilst releasing a deep, and relaxing just a centimeter more. eventually he will come around: he knows. he hopes. he dreams.

he doesn't budge.

then a laugh escaped, momentarily amused by such a claim. the exclamations don't startle them, doesn't push them away, instead want to pull in closer, enraptured by his darling boy. " don't tell me you truly believe that. i never took you for a fool, my dear — " just as you didn't take me to be too stubborn. " — it gives those that cannot protect themselves an ease rest, much like the garlic cloves and the cross that hangs over the mantle. even their gods can't protect them... however, you already knew that. " he lets the silence sit before continuing. " i can come in at any time i wish but i don't, out of respect; still, to comfort you, i will play along. "

i know you will seek me out again. and i will be here, waiting, just like you've waited for me all these years.

" so... " he tries again, giving him that sweet sincere smile that's only reserved for him when they're both alone with one another, " may i come in — " a pause: an expected look and voice quietening down with a tone that's almost sounds... regretful. even guilty somber can nest itself in a vampires conscious. " my heart? i miss you terribly. "

that pale skin , scattered memories remember it being flushed with color when he held their face in his hands , bathed in the light of a blood moon . my dear , my heart , it has the demon folding an arm behind his back to hide the trembling of his hand , the other squeezing nonexistent life out of the door handle . the stone of his implant eye feels heavy in his skull and the scar of cassius' clawed touch burns against his skin . the vampire's mark , his scent , his proclaimed love — it burdens sylus with the sting of poison . lips pursed again , they swallow , and hard , as if to accept the flow of both toxin and defeat down his throat . oh , i am no phantom . sylus curses the way it soothes the pounding in his chest , reassures him , even , that his life still has purpose .

as long as you walk the earth , i still have purpose .

being cassius' darling boy is a curse that sylus wears like a lead coat , every step like dragging his feet through sand , just to get closer to him . just to catch up to lace fingers and caress face once more — why didn't you tell me it was so lonely without you ?

still , to comfort you —

nothing about pale skin and fanged smile brings sylus comfort . i am no phantom . then why does their skin prickle as a warning of an omen approaching ? " i'm hopeful . . . " he finally speaks into the small space that keeps his teeth from grinding . " if not garlic or crosses or even holy water coursing down your throat , i was hopeful that something , anything — " could save you , bring you back to me . " would repel you , but you're determined to cloak in shadow , no matter where it takes you , cassius . " brow furrows , but that name tastes sweet , tongue layered in accent then sugar . cautiously , sylus steps aside , granting entry into his home , a picture of velvet scented with wolf's bane and dimly lit by candles . " call my bluff . " the absence of a formal invite hangs heavily as his one dark pupil points down .

i miss you terribly .

how cruel . too simply miss cassius is an understatement . to spend three hundred years underwater , clinging onto cassius beneath the ice as a final breath , it felt closer to the truth . the lingering hope slowly leaving his chest , the years of suffering bite and burn and claw , hands plunging into soil wishing they were curling around the arch of back , pulling cassius into him with hands that fit beautifully into the dips of their hips . to be missed terribly by cassius , so casually , affection dropped on his front porch in the dead of night , oh , how it makes him a fool . cassius' honeyed words be damned , the warmth in sylus' chest burns hot enough to double him over into something pathetic , something yearning , something waiting to be swept off of its feet .

he waits for the vampire to enter , to make a fool out of tradition and superstition , to further pull the demon into the seal of their requiem — a quiet remembrance of soft touches and loving holds shared in wisteria casted shadows . brow softens at the thought , then twist again as the smell of blood passes him . fool .

their annoyance surges at the same time as the characteristic flush. it never fails; he utters three words to them, and that colours them crimson to the ear - tips. apron to be tied in a clean knot, as though he wasn't wandering in here, and keeping smile on their lips — tinged pink in tenderness, tasting slight of sweetness from strawberries in the lipstick flavouring — as they head straight towards him. "of course it isn't." it is as kind as a thorn, pressed into his palm. true thorn comes in the soft whack of the back of the tray to his freshly - aproned hips. "nothing is ever your fault."

" it's tuesday ? " fuck . where the hell had the time gone ? lost to the wave of video game levels , point counters and earning extra lives . however , none of those extra lives could save him from the ominously cheerful smile and cat eyes staring him down . still , he makes an attempt to recover quickly , fanning malara with the empty tray to blow the loose strands of hair out of their face . " of course it's tuesday . " said as if it were something painfully obvious , tongue sucking against his teeth . " finally , something we can agree on . nothing is ever my fault . i just don't have to go around with that ' holier than thou ' act to be proven innocent . "

drink tray tucked under his arm , he punches his hands into his pockets and gives an exaggerated roll of heterochromatic eyes , black bleeding into gray . " . . . fine . table nine , whatever . " uncharacteristic of him to submit so easily , but considering his serial tardiness and malara constantly covering for his ass , well , maybe he's getting off easy . " remember , this was your idea . if you see me throwing this tray like kung lao's bladed hat , don't play dumb . " the rest whispered under his breath . " i fucking hate table nine , damn angel . " he seems determined to be on the receiving end of more punishment , judging by the ways his lips seem to flap his way into a harsher sentence . eyes flash to the commotion erupting from the direction of table nine , energetic and loud before the clock had even hit eight thirty . " the last thing they need is fucking coffee . " shoulders deflate as he throws his head back with an aggravated yet silent sigh .

wait . no . don't move .

is actually is a bit hard to believe kieran goes out of his way for them. the disbelief doesn't exist due to insecurity, no, but birdie doesn't believe they've given him a reason. sure, they'd met by happenstance. sure, they'd provided a helping hand when they could have just ignored it. but it was just in birdie's name ; extend a hand, forward or beyond, so to speak. something engrained into their very bones. nothing special, nothing selective. nothing could change birdie's mind about that except — fingers snagging his wrist bring a pause. metaphorically and physically. he keeps talking. steps forward, coaxing birdie back until shoulders rest to a wall. looks at him with a confused expression, eyes darting to glance towards the fingers and up to the arm. something forms of their tongue and, well, kieran explains it without being asked. ' no one's ever given me anything before. '

mouth hangs open with suspended words which are lost to a deep inhale. finger to chin, eyes having little elsewhere to look except at kieran's face. isn't sure how to react to that motion, brows knitting despite having the same look about them. eyes tracing every visible part of his face ; heavy bang down to the peek of creeping neck tattoos. ah, there's that feeling. permeating dread from the whole of kieran's presence. heavy, deeply rooted like a tree. maybe even ancient. it'd be enough to make birdie tremble if not ... for the bracelet. dampens it. makes it chewable. ( or maybe they're just getting used to it. ) doesn't mean their fingers don't twitch in their limpness at his side. tongue pokes at the corner of their mouth, eyes cast downward. " no- no i think you've covered it, really. "

they don't look up again and don't really have a chance to since kieran's presenting something in his palm. freed from a leather pocket, a red bracelet threated in a way similar to arrows. doesn't have a single hint of charge to it ; dreadful or light. " friendship bracelet— " puff of a laughter, almost nervous, " that's not what i gave you. " has to correct him, a nippy little impulse. " it's suppose to help you, even a little bit, with your ... poltergeist issues. ward off the bad— vibes, so to speak. "

a lighthearted motion with an even more lighthearted smile , the kind that lifts both corners of his mouth , dimples popping . to birdie's offered wrist , kieran presses a thumb into their pulse , rubs in a few affectionate circles against the rhythm of their beating heart . you really didn't have to . " neither did you . " a reply dripping in matter - of - fact . " but you did and i like it . i'm not in the habit of owing people . maybe this isn't that . less debt and more mutual kindness . " he shakes his head , birdie's wrist still in hand . " see , i got the feeling that you were a good person . i was really just trying to help , not to make anything out of balance . it's nice , being around you and your energy . is it stupid to say i'm a little jealous ? " am i a fool to wonder why you're drawn to me too ? the thought passes with a dark shadow casted upon even darker eyes , black bangs brushed back with the stubborn , singular streak of white falling back into place quicker than a second's past .

he's slowly lifting that finger off of their palm to layer the woven red thread of the bracelet against birdie's skin — skin that he now knows to be soft . shoulder's roll back as he fastens it to their wrist with the slide of thread locking it in place . the puff of laughter is endearing , has him foolishly thinking of hearing it again in heavy lidded bliss . " are you really going to try to tell me that absolutely no friendship went into crafting this for me ? and here i thought your affection was the true protection . " never the fool , he knows how their bracelets differ , the chill of something otherworldly absent from his shoulders . what are you doing ? fingers linger against and even press into birdie's bracelet clad wrist , soon releasing it with the tease of interlocked digits .

the huffed thank you makes his pierced brow raise briefly , intrigued . teeth gently chew into his cheek to stop a smile from revealing all of the cards in his hand . " maybe not so thankless after all . not a job either . " you're strange . it has him blinking as a laugh bubbles out of him , hidden behind the back of his hand . " ha , you think we're pretty even , i just think you're pretty , in general . " don't be a fool . he ignores the nagging voice of his conscience , screaming out from within , telling him to avoid complications . bearhold , too , will be somewhere he'd have to leave in the past , but the blue talisman on his wrist weighs him down , pulls him under the water of a soft boy with ocean eyes . he's throwing caution away only for a moment , but it's still long enough to cause static when his fingers finally leave birdie's .

" you could at least call me eccentric . something to make it sting a little less . " he huffs with pretend outrage , slipping a finger between birdie's wrist and the new addition dangling from it . " that's not very friendly of you . " another release of skin ship that feels too quick . " by the way , you have to keep it on until it falls off . " a shrug . " it's not hexed or anything . it's just bad luck to cut them off . " the distance finds itself between them again as he backs up , breathes out with a stretch of his arms . " plus it's something to remember me by . " smooth off the tongue and accompanied by a wink as the stroll continues . he turns his head to glance over his shoulder , " you're falling behind . need me to hold your hand so you don't get lost ? "

the irony isn't lost upon the drifter as he twists his hips on the rotating barstool , smirk worn on his lips . with him , came the chill of otherworldly presence , chrysanthemum scented death worn like a cologne . kieran rests his forearms on the bar , bites down on the toothpick fixed between his teeth as he limply fidgets with his hat and rose - tinted glasses . australian accent heavy on his tongue , he leans in with a curious question . " actual poison not of the table , huh ? i'm out . " a playful shrug . " whiskey is fine . a challenge for you ? i know my way around a whiskey bottle . try to show me something new — and good , of course ? "

who : open ! ( 0 / 3 )

there is one thing birdie was definitely not and that's forgetful. in fact, memory was as much of a curse as the visions of memories not yet crossed. therefore ... they know they weren't informed of kieran's waiting presence. they a puzzled expression and lets gaze trace the disappearance of the switch to pocket. " what are you talking about ? you ... definitely did not. " it isn't accusatory. just more confusion. still, birdie did feel the teensiest, tiniest streak of guilt around the idea of making him 'lose'. not enough to apologize, however.

" but, yeah, i'm headed home. " and now they're left with the choice. they could keep walking and leave it at that. i'm headed home. and simply just do that. leave kieran at their post where they'd waited for them. yet, they're not doing that. " and it looks like you're coming along. " admittance of defeat ; agreeing to the plan that definitely wasn't made with birdie. arms cross over their chest and they shift in place for a moment and like a magnetic draw glance down at the bracelet. thread, a sky-ish blue and ironically fitted well around a tattooed wrist. remembers gesturing for kieran's wrist and clasping it there. 'protection. from the candlesticks with a vendetta' they'd said. the little imprinted talisman following every movement. it deafens ( slightly, ever so slightly ) the edge kieran put birdie on. fleeting quirk of a smile.

he isn't a person of great reliability , nor should he be trusted with the specifics of an itinerary , not even the one that he thought up , but so obviously failed to voice . heavily lidded eyes angle back down to birdie , then close with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders . they're not forgetful , thus it's removed from the database . " it's not that i don't have nothin' better to do . " raising a hand , he counts off his fingers . " i could be working , you know , making money . or working my other thing , making money . freelancing , for money . . . " the hand drops to his side with a tilt of his head , searching for something in birdie's expression . " walking you home was something a wanted to do instead , so , that makes it the best thing i could be doing . it's a low - paying , and apparently thankless , job . " with his head tilting down , he smirks to himself , keeping up with birdie's pace as the rubber soles of his doc martens scrape against the sidewalk from him dragging his feet .

" really , is it hard to believe that people — that i just want to spend some time with you ? " spoken low and honey - sweet . " you're a mystery — " ironic , and maybe not entirely true . " to me . " slightly better . " you had just met me , saved me from a flying candle stick and thought to make something to protect me . it has me thinking — hey , slow down . " his fingers wrap around the other's wrist to stop them in their tracks . " long day ? you're in such a rush to get home . . . " one step after the other closes the distance , forcing the fortune teller literally and figuratively against a wall . forearm resting above birdie's head , they're close enough for kieran to feel the scent of citrus circle around him . looking down at their lips , he parts his own to finish his thought . " it has me thinking , no one's ever really given me anything before . "

his hand lets go of birdie's wrist to instead lift to press an index finger into the underside of their chin , raising their face . " and i wanted to thank you for that . so i'm walking you home , making sure you get there safe and , if you let me , i'm going to walk you home tomorrow too . . . so , " voice lowers to a whisper . " are still curious . . . or does that about cover it ? " the shadow casted over his eyes by his bangs hints that there's something hidden behind that smirk that he gives as he backs up to let birdie breathe , fishing about in his pocket . a red fishtail bracelet emerges , presented in his open palm with a kinder smile that he also wears in his eyes . " it's only fair , yeah ? since you gave me a friendship bracelet first . i hate to see a one - sided relationship . "