#fourshadow

Chapter 41 - I want to touch your...

—-

“Do you ever think about Bram Stoker?”

Dark leaned right, furiously mashing buttons on his controller. His avatar stepped back to avoid Shadows' next attack but was caught in the combo. His avatar was thrown into the air and had his head ripped off. Match over. “Fucking fucker fuck-! What are you talking about? Who the hell is Bram Stoker?”

Shadow sighed disappointedly. “C’mon man. Aren’t you old guys supposed to be all cultured and shit? What have you been doing for the last few centuries? Other than not setting up a stock portfolio.”

“Can you get off my back about that already?”

“You’re a million years old and you work for minimum wage, dude. There’s living in your parents basement until you're forty, and then there's whatever you’re doing.”

The character select menu opened up and Dark quickly switched to someone else. That other one was useless. He’d pick someone with a shit ton of fire power this time. He needs to take Shadows head off. The little shit has been getting a bit too smug recently. “I’ve been busy. Mostly trying to survive. Drinking myself to undeath. A few crusades. You know, the usual.”

Shadow clicked his tongue. “And yet you don’t know the father of all erotic vampire lore.”

Dark pried his eyes off the screen to stare at the younger vampire. “What?”

“Bram Stoker wrote Dracula, you uncultured heathen.” Shadow rolled his eyes at Dark’s confusion. “How did you not know that? This is like a Hylian not knowing about Hylia. Or a basic bitch not knowing about pumpkin spice lattes-”

“What the hell are you talking about? Erotic vampire lore? What?”

“Think about it,” Shadow started, eyes glowing in the darkness of his apartment. “Stoker wrote the original broody, sexy vampire, right? Rich guy in a castle with hot vampire babes and a ‘take you passionately’ attitude? All the forebringers of modern cliches. His work inspired future film adaptations that have dark, alluring men pulling unsuspecting victims into their thrall. He took vampires from some ugly monsters in dark alleys into gracious counts with depth and sex appeal.”

“And your point is…?” Dark turned his head back to the game. While he listened to Shadows horrible reasoning his on-screen counterpart met his bloody demise.

Shadow grinned mischievously. “I’m saying that you owe him big time. You do know that the only reason you’re getting laid these days is because of him, right?”

“I’d ask you to elaborate but I really don’t want you to.”

“Well you know how Twi is into the whole vampire thing, right?”

“Yes I do. And I regret telling you about that every single day,” Dark sighed.

Shadow stuck his tongue out. “Right, well. Why do you think he’s into it?”

Dark side eyed his friend. He's not happy about the way Shadow smiles like a shark smelling blood. “Don’t-”

“Because of decades of sexy vampire lore - because of Bram Stoker! He’s the daddy of sexy vampires. He’s your daddy.”

“Stop talking to me.” Dark groans. “Stop talking in general holy shit. I’m going to kill you-”

Shadow giggles like the insane demon he is. He sits up fully, barely paying attention to the TV but still managing to kill Dark’s avatar with ease. “Don't get upset now. I’m just pointing out a fact.”

Dark cursed as his character was ripped in half brutally. Fatality. “Fuck this game! Piece of shit-! And I’m not the only vampire here, asshole. Whatever messed up logic you’re applying to me can be said for your bleeder, too.”

Shadow rolls his eyes. “Oh, please. Rain doesn’t care about that stuff. He does it because despite whatever he might say, I’m his favorite person. He’d feed me no matter what. But you, unlike me, have no redeeming qualities. So your only chance at getting some is to be someone's personal spank bank fantasy.”

Dark cracked his knuckles. Fuck doing this virtually. “You know what? I’m going to rip your head off.”

Shadow smirked. “If you think that’ll shut me up then you’re in for a surprise.”

———

-and after that Shadows dismembered head offers to get tickets to a showing of the original Dracula at a local theatre for twark because he’s an asshole who takes the bit all the way to the bank

LMTCOY Four is asexual. Whenever I write him in this story is when handfuls of apologetic complaints and the occasional death threat show up in my inbox. It's super fun and makes writing him so rewarding for me. /sarcasm

It was a drizzly day in November when Shadow decided to say it.

“Rain,” he began, licking his lips. “I think I’m in love with you.” 

He wasn’t sure why he picked today. Maybe it was the fact that it was the first time they’d actually had some peace and quiet in ages. Maybe it was that Four was in a relatively good mood. Maybe he was just bored. But whatever the reason, now he was stuck here, blood pounding in his ears. 

            Four was working on some new project with lots of moving parts while Shadow lay upside down on the couch, doomscrolling. He chewed on his lip, uncharacteristically nervous.

Four stopped what he was working on, sending Shadow’s heart rate through the roof.

“Nevermind, forget I said-” he started to say.

Four turned to face him with a small smile. “Took you long enough,” he said, shaking his head, and promptly turned back around.

            “I- wait, h-hold on,” Shadow stuttered, confused as he sat upright on the couch. “What does that mean?”

            Four sighed. “It took you six months, Shadow.”

            “Six months? I’ve known you for at least 3 years, Rain.”

            “…May?”

            “Oh. May.”

            Four returned to his project, leaving them both in silence. The worst he had imagined was Four rejecting him, not…whatever this was. After a few moments, Shadow finally spoke up.

            “I’m over here pouring out my heart, Rain. Are you gonna say something, or…?” He asked, cringing at how awkward he was. Why was he smooth at literally everything else but this?

            Four spun around in his chair until he was directly facing Shadow. “Shadow. Look at me,” Four insisted. “We were practically dating already. Literally half the people we know think we are. I just figured you never wanted to put a label on it. What the hell do you think we’ve been doing?”

            “I- I don’t know!” Shadow replied. “It could’ve been a friends with benefits situation?” He offered up lamely.

            “Look me in the eye and tell me you believe I would’ve done a friends with benefits situation with you.”

            Shadow couldn’t.

            “Well, I…I just wasn’t sure you would feel the same way,” he admitted.

            “We saw a movie and hung out at the pier last week.”

            “It could’ve just been a friendship thing-” Shadow protested.

            “I took you out to dinner yesterday. There were candles and everything.”

            “Still-”

            “We live together. We share a bed.”

            Shadow didn’t try to protest anymore.

            “Hylia you’re an idiot,” Four chuckled after a minute. “You’re lucky I love you.” 

            Shadow smiled, relieved to hear the words. “So, uh,” he asked. “Are we dating?”

            “Oh my goddesses. I fucking swear Shadow yes we are dating. Unless you’re going to back out on me now…?”

            He shook his head. “No! Of course not.”

            Four smiled. “Good,” he breathed, closing the distance between them and pressing their lips together until Shadow melted into his arms.

did i write this in 45 minutes on my phone at 11 pm? yes. is it unedited? yes. is it bad? probably. but i love them

-not rodent anon not miniscrew anon but a secret third thing

I absolutely love waking up to well-written snippets in my askbox.