with the face of an angel;

Takao looked on warily as Laurent went back to properly part ways with the women, he expected them to exchange contact information but he also just wish that it didn’t happen. If only he could allow the women to see for themselves what kind of beast they’d allowed themselves to be so intimate with. With a condemnatory roll of his eyes; basically all he was capable of as to not seem like he was a mad man raving on about the existence of vampires– he waited contemptuously for the other to come back over.

As the women strolled along, and Laurent was left solely in the company of Takao– who almost immediately shifted his attitude towards the other. His face no longer held an indifferent stillness, he’d allowed his lips to frown and his brows to furrow. He didn’t want there to be any sign at him actually enjoying himself, not in the presence of someone that he was completely disgusted by. How depraved. He thought as the other passed him by languidly, giving him a slight tap on the shoulder. Even physical contact was enough to make him physically sick, how would he even maintain his appetite with such a person sitting directly across from him? Still, he’d already agreed to this, there was no backing out of it now and he couldn’t deny that he was practically starving at this point. He moved to follow the vampire towards the restaurant entrance.

He walked through the opened door and looked immediately for a seat that wouldn’t have them in the center of the room. A corner booth, was what he had his eyes set out for. He paid no attention to the decor or any of the general splendor to be found in the area’s furnishings. Which was a shame since the place had been decorated quite nicely in shades of red and black. Usually he would’ve been taking it all in to gauge how the food would taste, but now he was just concerned with satisfying his hunger, not his taste buds. He’d scarf this whole meal down if it meant getting home faster, getting away from Laurent faster. 

“That corner booth over there is fine,” he said hurriedly, putting his body into motion before even completing the statement. He made his way over to the area he’d sought out, it was basically empty, probably because it had the worst view of the streets and was probably a likely place to have employees forget about you. Anything to lessen the stomachache he would feel from watching Laurent interact with people as if he was an actual person.

He sat down, on the side of the booth that faced the entire room, leaving the other to Laurent. Settling down a bit, they were greeted and offered menus, which he took, giving a polite thanks and promptly delving right into it. Fixing his eyes so hard on the writing that he was having trouble actually focusing his eyes, but he also didn’t want to look up and invite the other into conversation. Don’t talk to me, let me eat in peace. He thought helplessly.  

How peculiar that of all the seats available to them in such a lovely restaurant, Takao would choose the one with the worst view of its entirety. Unlike the other, Laurent took his time to reach the other’s seat of choice, taking in all of their surroundings, the decor, and the people. Of course it didn’t compare to the often lavish establishments that he found himself in, but it certainly had a nice homey feeling that he could not help but be drawn to. If anything, it was places like this where he would find perhaps the most interesting of people, or so he had learned over the years.

Once he reached the booth, he easily slid into the side left for him, no less the one that left him with only a view of his companion and the wall behind him. Not that this mattered to him. He was here for Takao, not anyone else. If anything this just made it easier for him to engage the other. Laurent offered the waitress that came soon after a pleasant smile and took his own menu for himself. He only ever ordered if he wanted to keep up appearances with the person he was with, but since Takao already knew of his nature, there was no need for such a thing. He only quickly browsed the menu out of sheer curiosity, and also as a distraction to keep himself at least for the moment from commenting on the human’s thoughts.

After some time, however, he closed the menu and set it aside, watching Takao for a few moments before deciding to disappoint him and strike up a conversation. 

“Let me just say this now. There’s no limit on what you decide to order. So if I were you, I’d get whatever you wish, since it’s not a problem for me. There seemed to be plenty of dishes that I believe would be appealing to you.” He began to idly look at the condiments and other utensils left for the disposal of the customer.

It didn’t come as surprising that Laurent was able to maintain this effervescent disposition, for Takao was now acquainted with his duplicitousness. He was a snake, and snakes were good at quietly maneuvering through and around situations with little effort whilst cloaking themselves from uncareful eyes. His attention shifted briefly to the women he’d just been speaking to, all of whom were unaware that this man probably viewed them as his next meal. The mere thought of someone so lackadaisically interacting with people with the hidden intentions of murdering them sent another wave of discomfort through his body.

“Yes, very unexpected.” He practically mumbled in response. Seeing a man who at any moment could kill him with very little effort for the third time in how short a period? Not to mention the vampire knew exactly where he would lay his head to rest every night? Thoughts he still was coming to gripes with were resurfacing as he realized that running into him on the streets was only to be expected as well. If Laurent was right, and it had been fate bringing them together, Takao must’ve racked up quite the fair share of bad karma lately. Perhaps when he went home he’d make a list reevaluating his life up to this point, and figure out how to turn fate back in his favor.

The other continued talking when–

Friends. He almost felt the urge to correct the other, make it clear that their relationship (if that term itself was even appropriate) was far from friendly. To even thnk so was pure bullshit, and Laurent showing concern for his day was even more bullshit. But he quickly realized that by going inside to eat with him, the three women would probably live to see another day. If he could take advantage of that, then maybe these were the first steps to getting karma back on his side. He seemed to forget that one isn’t supposed to do a good thing for the sake of receiving good karma. Nevertheless:

“Fine, whatever.” He tried to seem as uninterested as possible, as to not hint to the other that he actually looked forward to dining with him. He listlessly gestured to the place he’d been eyeing earlier. “I was gonna eat here because they serve dessert with the dinner too.”

How foolishly noble this young man was, believing that a distraction from him would spare the women Laurent had been set on saving for later, and yet so unexpected from a human. Upon being selfish by nature, most would simply find the first opportunity to save themselves at the expense of strangers. Then again, it seemed Takao’s main motivation behind such a decision was purely to receive this “good karma”. Was that not selfish in and of itself? All of this brought so much amusement to the vampire that he had to resist the urge to break out into full blown laughter. He wasn’t about to let Takao know that he delved into his thoughts and was very much aware of his intentions. Instead, he maintained the same jovial attitude as before, his expression never once giving him away as he looked at the restaurant the other mentioned.

It appeared to be a quaint place, if inexpensive. Naturally, the aromas of the food wafting from the restaurant itself were unappetizing to him, but certainly it would do for Takao. Plus, it was probably popular, considering the fair amount of people dining in. 

“We can go here.” Laurent replied with some measure of approval, turning to face him once again. “If that is where you wish to go. But excuse me just a moment. I’m afraid I must say my goodbyes to the women I was just speaking to.”

He approached those women with just a few strides on his part and quickly expressed that while it was a pleasure to have met all three of them, he now had to part ways for he had just encountered an old friend of his that he hadn’t seen in months. Despite their initial protests, they eventually understood and began to leave, though not without making sure to exchange phone numbers with him. Clearly, they could not go without knowing there would be some way of speaking with him again. As he waved them off, Laurent realized that it was a pity, really. He had so been looking forward to his meal this early in the night, but he supposed it could wait. After all, there had been times in the past where he had gone on without his sustenance for far longer. 

He then turned back and walked towards Takao, patting his shoulder gently as he passed by him. It was meant to be taken as a sign for him to follow, seeing as Laurent was already making his way to the restaurant they’d agreed to going to. When he found himself at the front door, Laurent opened it enough for the other to walk in before him.

Here, there, everywhere had become the very long winded essence of Takao’s life on this particular day. Plucked out of his usual laid back and happy-go-lucky routine, he succumbed to tired legs and a back that vaguely ached with stress tacked on with each errand. 

Starting with a trip to his publisher, he dropped off another chapter manuscript for his manga, got scolded for his laziness for the umpteenth time, and managed to irritate his editor until she was beyond her wits end and was almost begging him to leave. Moving onto an event for his very same manga in which he spent a few hours speaking to fans and signing autographs, nothing out of the usual he actually quite enjoyed it. Next and finally… and worstly, he met up with his friend who needed help with her own manga. Her assistant was unavailable and he was ‘the absolute only other person she’d trust putting ink on her work’. It lasted longer than he’d anticipated, much longer. Especially since it resulted in a walking trip to a not-so-nearby art store to buy refills for her markers and new pens. Leaving him spent well before they even finished. 

Now, that his day had finally reached a point of unwinding and he was alone idly pacing down busy streets looking about at many of the establishments. Takao began to consider where exactly he’d find himself dining for the evening. For he could very well say that he’d earned it through his hard work, something he seldom exposed himself to. Through his scanning, eyes fell upon a place that advertised both dinner and dessert, which was practically music to his ears. His pace quickened as he set course for said restaurant. Believing that his day had been too long and tiring. With an opportunity this good, nothing could ruin the moment. Which must’ve been the universes’ signal to do exactly that. Because just before the restaurant, standing there, he saw an all too familiar face. 

Stopping dead in his tracks was a terrible idea in retrospect, since all it did was make him stand out amongst the crowd of moving people. His plan was to turn and make a get away as quickly as humanly possible. But he had barely pivoted when he’d accidentally made eye contact with him. Leaving him stuck in place knowing that even if he attempted to move, defeat was imminent. 

He had been taking a walk, partially to clear his mind from a full day of sleep and partially to spot out a potential victim, when one of the three of the women had dropped their wallet on their way out of a restaurant. Being the gentleman he was, he picked it up and handed it to her with a smile. She had thanked him, and they had been about to be on their way again, when one of them stopped again to ask Laurent a question. One thing led to another, and now they’d been standing there for a good twenty minutes, Laurent having successfully wrapped the three of them around his finger. 

They loved him, despite the fact the three were married and with children (a little something he’d gotten from a quick look into their minds). And it seemed that now he’d made all thoughts of their domestic life fade away with a simple display of his charm. When he caught the scent of someone very familiar to him, however, he turned his attention away and looked directly into the eyes of the person in question. His smile brightened once more, and he told the women to wait for him for just a moment before approaching Takao.

                            Down  the  [ l i n e]

                   I lost that part of me

                                   I’ve found home.                                  You’re my h o m e.