#erasethiscurse

                         "Valen—? No, no. This was just a random present...!"

     IF ANYTHING, KOU wanted to avoid having the other reciprocate with a gift of his own. The youth wanted nothing but to see the vampire with new, clean clothes. He wanted to see his sly smile and his reddened cheeks and a slither of happiness. He wanted to see the other in something that he himself had picked out. And sure, it was mostly due to the holiday, but he needn't have anything in return. When Ramsey turned around, though, it was a different story. Staring into ( reflected ) irises, seeing warmth and adoration ( and perhaps a hint of p a i n ), the vessel couldn't resist the sudden request. With softness only given to the one before him, Kou set his forehead against pale skin, giving a short nod.

          Oceans had yet to frost. Despite the winter air, every bite of wind forcing him to shiver, the ice along the water was minimal. They'd seen it at some point, crossing through a mountain that led to the ocean. The deck leading out to sea had been small, though, and not as west as they wanted to go       so they continued to drive, trees burying their car beneath each dawning day, repeatedly finding places to hide once the sun began to creep over the earth's edge. The decision of their departing destination was difficult, especially when Kou refused to believe they'd actually be crossing any sea. Everyday, the demon silently buzzed with excitement       the idea of a surrounding ocean, as the vessel and vampire could hardly keep their own in water, was both thrilling and humorous to the entity. 

          The growing anticipation only left him with constant headaches. Each time Ramsey turned to look elsewhere, he'd feel the veins around one eye tighten. A black hue would appear each time the demon got riled up, eager to see what awaited the pair. Kou had managed to hide the thumping pain of his temples and the reappearance of that demonic pool of darkness, but the amount of times it happened was beginning to increase. Similarly, they still held the constant threat of the vampire's hunger, which the vessel had only recently begun to remember. With each lingering conflict, he was fearful of what the ocean had in store for them       Migraine in process, the street was becoming fuzzy for his meager eyes. Trees hissed at him with venom, urging him to sleep at the wheel; and he wondered ( with a heavy, nervous heart ) just how far their stop was.

ച ℜ √v^√v^√v^———     all the traditions and celebrations that a human held throughout the years of their life were seemingly countless. if it wasn’t for the obnoxious bangs that burst into a spectrum of sparkles during the summer, it was then pastel painted eggs laid out in backyards of their homes. he considered all the events petty and unnecessary; there was no need to do these annual festivities. there was no need to have ceremonies every time a specific date on the calendar rolled by due to some historical triumph         to always acknowledge & honor the dead or past seemed like a waste of time when there could be so much done for the future.                                          but his point of view gradually began to shift. 

    it happened on the day he hadn’t done anything to celebrate for the youth’s birthday. he didn’t quite understand the meaning. everyone is born & at some point, everyone dies. no one bothered to pause to celebrate the day he was brought into the world. and now, he wouldn’t rejoice it for the life of him; as his existence was merely a curse and all he ever was able to conjure in the end was death & misfortune. there had only been two beings in all of his existence that appreciated him for who he was, desiring him to be near. one of them continued to be by his side         and if it were anyone in the WORLD that he would give his all for, it had to be HIM.

    and so today was not like any other time in his life. it had only been a few nights since they had gotten back on the road again. shops were scarce, cities even scarcer. they had a few pit stops at any place that they could & Ramsey was well aware of the oncoming holiday. the seasons had drastically changed, after they had left the valley, it seemed as if they had missed the downfall of snow which now blanketed all the terrain and roads (making driving a task that was best handed over to Kou after nearly running over a sika). the larger hint was that people spoke about & the decorations lit up every place they traveled to with civilization. 

    it was morning now, the vampire had gotten little to no sleep & the sun was radiant as ever. finding places to sleep had been the worst but the night before they had found an abandoned warehouse at the edge of a town. it was to Ramsey’s luck. as he now had a present poorly wrapped, sitting on the hood of the car. within, the adolescent would find himself a brilliant red scarf, with twisted strands hanging off on either end. bundled within the warm fabric were hand-crafted paintbrushes. one might have wondered where he had been escaping to every night that they took a pit-stop longer than an hour. three jars of the primary paint colors & a thick booklet with paper specifically for painting. lastly, there was a box filled with an assortment of chocolates.

    honestly, the vampire didn’t know what to get or where to begin which wound up with him getting anything that reminded him of the blond. a sigh left the pureblood’s lips as he remained laying next to the present, hands folded behind his head as he stared up at the cracks in the high ceiling.

     He practically sniffed it out. Despite the lack of holiday-talk, Kou had been anything but calm these last few days. The winter spirit rang through his skin, body tingling as each day got closer and closer. The holiday of presents and peppermint and Santa; snow and comfort and joy. Of course, the vessel had never been excited before. Every year prior to this one, he was only bitter towards the caring holiday. Spending it alone was humorous for the demon, and the boy only found himself drowning and drowning until the twenty-fifth was over.

     This year was different. Someone was with him. Someone had become so incredibly important, eventually growing to become the one thing he couldn’t stand to be without. And for once, he had something to give. Their circumstances didn’t matter on a day like Christmas, where people dedicated their time to ‘ spreading the spirit ’. No one was hunting them down. Things were peaceful and quiet, and he would happily dwell in their one day of silent bliss. He didn’t care if Ramsey despised something so festival. Didn’t care if the vampire had refused to celebrate. Kou was absolutely dedicated to doing something.

     And upon waking up, it seemed he didn’t have to worry. Eyes blinked open, feeling the warmth of the car       such a grand difference from the frost outside. He yawned and attempted to roll over ( though his position wouldn’t allow himself to ), only to remember the day. Hues opened again, checking his surroundings in sudden panic. He focused on Ramsey’s form, which appeared outside the van’s window, figure slung over the hood. Confusion rung from him but he shuffled out of the vehicle. Feet practically tripped on his way out of the car, anticipation not allowing him to pause. He had caught sight of something, and the surprise had left him buzzing. When he rounded to the other side, hands pressed into the hood beside Ramsey’s legs, bouncing as he eyed the present. ”Is it for me?” he asked, eyes ablaze, though he knew the answer. There was no one else here beside the two. 

     Fingers worked fast upon Ramsey’s reply, accepting the gift as his own. Fingers were slightly shaky, though he didn’t know why. It was the first time he’d received something in so long, and his chest was beginning to thump with that familiar feeling. A longing… an affection he couldn’t push aside. It hit him as he was unwrapping. That Ramsey… grumpy and unwilling Ramsey… had participated in the holiday. For him? He wasn’t sure. But it didn’t really matter as eyes began to trail his presents, paintbrushes and paint making his heart burst. His stomach practically growled with the sight of the chocolates. And as soon as he spotted the scarf, fingers were running through it, quickly wrapping it around his neck. He said nothing, silent the whole time as he eyed the objects, feeling the cloth line in his skin. The thoughtfulness clogged his throat, preventing him from speaking. A hand reached up, the back of it absently rubbing at his eye, before he turned back to the other.

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