Blood. Lust. (2/6)
Oct. 6th, 2017 06:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
learashiPairing: Sakumoto
Genre: Vampire AU, fantasy, drama, romance
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Arashi or its members – this is a work of fiction.
Warning: This chapter contains mention of bullying and physical abuse in the past.
Summary:Jun is the youngest son of a Royal House of vampires. Sho is only son of a rival Royal House. In order to maintain a peaceful status quo the Vampire Council decrees that the Royal Houses mate their sons with each other. After a humiliating incident in the past Jun wants nothing more than to stay as far away from Sho as possible and is determined to deny the match. Will Sho be able to win Jun’s love and more importantly does he even want to?
Previously: Chapter 1
“Do I look alright?” Sho asked as he twisted and turned in front of the full length mirror.
“I didn’t know that vampires could see their reflection.” Aiba peered curiously over Sho's shoulder.
“Only with these special mirrors.” Sho pressed a button on the side of the frame to demonstrate his point. His image instantly vanished, leaving an amazed looking Aiba as the only person visible in the glass.
“It must have been really hard in the old days,” Aiba said. “I mean, how would you know if your hair looked good or if there was a piece of spinach stuck between your teeth? Oops, I guess in those days they wouldn’t have been eating many vegetables anyway.”
Fortunately Sho was too preoccupied to take in much of what Aiba was saying; he was too busy worrying about his choice of clothes for his first meeting with Prince Jun. He still burned with shame at his behaviour on their last meeting so many years ago and longed to make things right between them.
With Aiba’s assistance he had chosen to wear a white collarless long sleeved shirt, with the sleeves rolled up for a more casual look. On top of this he had decided on a black vest with a grey edge along the front where it buttoned. He was also wearing light blue distressed jeans with slashes on the knees.
“I don’t want to look to formal or too casual.” Sho switched the mirror on once more and returned to spinning restlessly around in front of it.
Although he was almost forty in human years, Sho looked as if he was barely in his early twenties. He took one final glance at Jun’s portrait and stroked his finger over the prominent cheekbones. Jun’s eyes were large and beautiful, looking wistfully into the distance, set in the smooth-skinned face that matched that of a young man who looked barely of age.
“You look perfect.” Aiba tried to sound as reassuring as he could, but he was almost as nervous as his employer. He respected Sho and appreciated the way that he treated him with such respect and kindness, and he hoped that things would work out for him on this important first meeting.
++++
“You’re really going to go through with this meeting and be okay?” Satoshi asked. He had encouraged Jun to think about accepting the proposed mating, but the thought of him being tied by blood to a man who had caused him nothing but pain made him feel slightly sick whenever he thought about it.
“I want to know if he remembers me and remembers what he did,” Jun said, frowning a little as he adjusted the collar of his dark purple silk shirt. He had pushed the sleeves up past his elbows, and the deep vee in the front showed off his long neck and collarbones. “I want to know if he can look me in the eye.”
“You aren’t planning to do anything bad to him are you?” Satoshi was worried that Jun might get himself into trouble with not only their parents but also the Vampire Council.
“It all depends on his response when I ask him why he was so cruel to a little boy who was brave enough to offer him his heart.”
“Jun…” Satoshi tried to get closer to Jun, worried by the slight tremor of his voice.
“I have to go now,” Jun said, skilfully avoiding Satoshi’s eyes and sweeping from the room.
++++
The meeting was to take place on neutral territory under the watchful eye of Nino, acting as the Vampire Council’s representative. To ensure privacy, the entire restaurant had been booked for just the two of them, even though they would use only one of the private dining rooms. Nino was relieved that once he was reasonably sure that they weren’t going to kill each other, he would be able to retreat to a discreet distance. Satoshi had made him promise to be extra careful to look out for Jun, but as far as he was concerned he was old enough to be able to look after himself. This didn’t mean however, that he wouldn’t still find a discreet way to warn Prince Sakurai that he would hurt him if he did anything untoward to his best friend’s brother.
Sho arrived first, blinking nervously at the sight of Nino perched on a chair, dressed in his customary black, apart from his bright red running shoes.
“Your Royal Highness,” Nino said smoothly as he rose to his feet and bowed formally in Sho’s direction.
“Ninomiya-san? Why are you here, I thought I was meeting with Prince Matsumoto in private?”
“The Vampire Council wants to be sure that this meeting goes smoothly. We recognise that an arranged mating in modern times is something out of the ordinary, and perhaps hard for you to come to terms with. The Council couldn’t stand by and ignore the troubles between your territories any longer. It is hoped that this union will bring about a change for the better for all the inhabitants of your lands, both human and vampire.” Nino knew that he sounded like a stuffed shirt but he was only obeying the Council’s strict instructions and now that was done, he felt free to add his own words when the opening arose.
“Would you like something to drink while you’re waiting?” Nino asked solicitously, gesturing to the array of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks on display, including a chilled decanter of synthetic blood.
“I’ll fix it myself,” Sho said. Something about Ninomiya’s gaze was making him uncomfortable. He poured some of the blood into a stemmed glass and added a generous shot of vodka, hoping that the blend of nourishment and alcohol would steady his nerves.
A moment later their keen hearing picked up the sound of someone arriving at the front entrance. Sho instinctively smoothed his clothes and ran his fingers through his hair. Nino moved from his seat, prepared to blend into the darkness in the corner of the room as soon as Jun arrived, but he spoke quietly to Sho as he passed by.
“Prince Jun is my friend, and more importantly he is the only brother of my best friend in the world, who is a man I would happily die for. If you do anything to hurt him in any way…you won’t even hear me coming.” Nino smiled in a way that made Sho’s blood freeze in his veins as he blithely showed off his ugly sneakers.
++++
Jun slipped off his jacket as he entered the room; his nerves were making him feel warmer then he would have liked. The last thing he wanted was to appear vulnerable in front of Sho. What he hadn't expected was Sho looking equally nervous and on edge. The sight of Nino silently slinking into the corner soon gave Jun the explanation for his proposed mate’s nerves. Even though Nino was Satoshi’s best friend, and sort of a friend of his by default, he was still deeply scary at the most unexpected of times; he wouldn't be an employee of the Council if he wasn't.
“Play nicely together you two,” Nino said as he poured himself a drink. “Don't make me have to come over there.”
In the intervening years since school, Sho had lost the bleached hair and the piercing in his ear, but had lost none of his looks. His body was strong, with muscular arms and a thick neck with a tempting visible vein running down the side. Jun’s breath caught at the sight, as all of his old feelings came rushing back and made his heart beat faster. But there was no way that he was going to allow himself to fall into Sho’s arms so easily.
“Crown Prince Sakurai-senpai,” Jun said, bowing his head.
“Must we be so formal Jun-kun?” Sho asked, sounding hurt at Jun’s tone. Jun was even more alluring than his portrait, and the rapid beating of his heart and shallow breathing strongly hinted that Jun found him just as attractive.
“That's Prince Matsumoto to you,” Jun replied with a glare.
Sho flinched inwardly at Jun’s cold tone, but didn't allow a flicker of emotion to show on his face as he turned to the array of drinks. “May I bring you a drink?”
Jun looked as if he wished to refuse, but eventually nodded stiffly. “A red wine. Please.” The ‘please’ came out almost as an afterthought, as if Jun was remembering his childhood lessons in etiquette.
When Sho handed him the glass their fingers touched briefly, making Jun jerk back as if burnt, before scowling at him with even more ferocity.
“Do you not object to this sham of a mating?” Jun wasn't going to waste any more time on false niceties.
“Jun-kun, I am as shocked as you, but we've always known that as members of our respective Royal Houses that we might not have any choice in our selection of mate,” Sho said calmly.
“But doesn't it pain you to know that you're expected to bond with someone that you hate?” Jun hadn't meant to say the words, had wanted to remain cool, not giving anything away, but the close proximity of Sho was stirring up all of his old feelings.
“Hate? Why do you think that I hate you?”
Jun laughed bitterly. “I guess you didn't even notice me enough to warrant hate. After all, to you I was just a skinny little insect who only deserved your contempt.”
Sho felt his whole body go hot as shame filled his every pore. “I'm sorry.”
“Don't you think that twenty years afterwards is a bit too late for an apology?” As much as Jun tried, he had never really been able to put the bullying which had been ignited by that incident, behind him. No matter how many people told him he was a good person, he never quite believed them. His hand trembled, spilling a little of his wine over the rim of his glass.
Sho instinctively moved towards Jun, causing Jun to flinch backwards. Immediately there was a loud hiss from the corner of the room where a pair of golden eyes glowed a warning.
“But I did apologise,” Sho protested. “It was you who didn't answer.”
“Don't lie to me.” Jun spat, anger making his voice louder than he’d intended. Did Sho think he was a naive fool?
“I figured that I must have embarrassed you so…”
“Embarrassed? You figured that I was embarrassed?”
In a flash Jun was on Sho, flinging his full body weight against his chest and knocking him off his feet, straddling his body and pinning him to the floor. A growl came from deep in Jun’s chest as his fangs slid down. Angry, deep purple eyes flashed at Sho as Jun gave him a look that could kill. All of the humiliation and torment of his school days propelled him to want to inflict pain on Sho so that he could know what it was like to suffer.
“Jun. Stop.” Nino ordered in a calm voice. “I can't allow this, no matter how much he might deserve it.”
Sho breathed deeply, deliberately calming himself, quashing the instinct to fight back.
“I loved you. I know I was only a stupid little boy, but to me that love was real and precious. You could have humoured me or let me down gently, but instead you treated me like I was nothing, as if I was worth nothing,” Jun’s nails were digging into the tender skin of Sho’s neck and making it hard for him to breathe. “And because you treated me like that the others, your pack of followers, decided that they could treat me that way too.”
“Jun. Please.” Nino crouched down placed his hand on Jun’s clenched fingers, loosening his grip on Sho’s neck.
Jun released his hold on Sho, sliding off him before crawling away from him and curling himself into a protective ball, remembering those torturous days that he had never spoken to anyone about fully, not even Satoshi. If they'd just contented themselves with treating him like nothing then he could have coped. But they had decided that it was more fun to hurt, to cause pain, to hit and to kick and to bite and to touch him in places...places where it wouldn't show.
Nino turned on Sho, drawing himself up to his full height as he placed himself protectively in front of Jun. “You have five seconds to explain yourself before I act. And by my calculations you have about five minutes before Satoshi gets here. There's no way he can miss the way Jun is feeling right now. Not that there will be much of you left by then, but I will try and save him a piece.”
“I didn't know. I honestly didn't know.” Sho’s voice was raw as he imagined Jun’s suffering after he left the school.
“You expect me to believe that?” Nino said with contempt.
“That Valentine's Day was the day my mother decided she was leaving my father and taking my sister and I with her. I was in a daze. I realized later that night what I'd done but it was too late. I was bundled in a car and taken away as soon as I stepped out of the school gates. My mother basically went into hiding with us and I was cut off from contacting anyone.”
“So we're supposed to feel sorry for you? What's your excuse for later?”
“The only person I managed to get in touch with was my friend Yokoyama. His mother was Mother's closest friend. On White Day I gave him a gift for you Jun, and he promised to deliver it and tell you how to pass a message to me. I never heard from you, so I figured that I'd lost my chance. Only in the last six months have my parents reconciled and my mother and I returned to live with Father. Back then I guessed that you had forgotten me and moved on, but it seems I was wrong.”
Before Jun could answer the door crashed open and an enraged Satoshi lunged at Sho; obviously Nino’s calculations had been a little off.
++++
“Don't! Don't hurt him!” Jun shakily climbed to his feet and attempted to pull the two men apart. All he managed to do though, was to somehow get smacked in the face by Satoshi’s flying elbow which connected sharply with his cheek, knocking him to the floor in a daze.
The fighting ceased instantly as both men moved to help him, but Nino was quicker. He scooped Jun onto his lap and yelled at them to get out. “If you want to continue trying to kill each other do it somewhere else, not in front of Jun.”
When neither of them moved Nino hissed, “I mean it. Get out. Now!”
With mutual looks of loathing the two older vampires left the room, no longer physically fighting but just as angry as before.
“I heard what you told Jun, and just because you have an excuse for what you did, doesn't mean I'm any happier about this situation.” Satoshi narrowed his eyes as he looked at Sho with contempt. “If you hurt Jun in any way I will take it out of your hide.”
“I intend to do my best to preserve the peace between our kingdoms. Both Jun and I owe it to our subjects to at least try and see if the arrangement might possibly succeed. You have my word that I will do nothing untoward to him.” Sho replied stiffly.
Satoshi wondered whether Sho’s overly formal words were, in their own subtle way, intended to taunt him. He was tempted to continue the argument, but out of respect for Jun, who was already struggling emotionally, he settled on baring his fangs in Sho’s direction, receiving a rumbling growl and a glare in return.
Now that their positions were completely clear, Sho walked down the corridor in search of a bathroom to splash some water on his face, while Satoshi planted himself firmly in front of the door as if standing guard.
++++
“How many fingers am I holding up?” Nino asked waving his hand in front of Jun’s face.
Jun muttered muzzily and pushed Nino’s hand away as he slowly sat up.
“I'm fine,” Jun finally said, rubbing his cheek.
“So what do you want to do now? Under the circumstances I might be able to get the Council to change its mind.”
“He wasn't lying,” Jun said softly.
“You believe him?” Nino asked incredulously.
“I could see it in his eyes,” Jun said. As much as it pained him, he knew that it was the truth.
++++
“Satoshi, let him back in,” Nino said nodding in Sho’s direction.
Satoshi was barring the door, eyes a blazing blue and fangs bared.
Sho’s eyes glowed an angry red in response as he tried to gain entry.
“Why should I?” Satoshi snarled.
“Because I want to talk to him.” Jun said from behind Nino. “Alone.”
“If you think that I will allow that…”
“it’s not a matter of allowing anything. I'm an adult and capable of making my own decisions,” Jun replied.
“I felt your pain and he was the cause.”
“He wasn't, not directly. I was remembering something from the past.” Jun said. “I’ll be fine. Even he wouldn't be stupid enough to try anything with both you and Nino nearby.”
Satoshi’s eyes gradually dimmed and he relaxed his hands, unclenching his fists as he retracted his fangs. “We’ll be just outside the door if you need anything.”
“Or need us to punch someone,” Nino added.
++++
Jun handed Sho some ice to place on the red marks that his nails had left on his neck and gestured for him to sit down.
“You sent me a gift?”
“Yes, and I included my contact details along with my apology.” Sho was confused. His friend Yokoyama had told him that he’d personally handed the gift to Jun. “If I'd known what they were doing I would have found a way to return and help you.”
“And now here we are twenty years later and you're back, just when the Council decides we are to be mated. How very disappointed you must be,” Jun hissed. He believed Sho but it didn't mean that he liked him. “I know I am.”
“It isn't what I wanted for myself,” Sho said, running his fingers over the marks on his neck. Jun was so very different from the starry-eyed boy who followed him around like a puppy, seeking his approval. “But I think we should try and make the best of it.”
“And by that you mean?”
“Perhaps we should go out on a date.”
“A date? Are you kidding me?”
“I think that's a wonderful idea,” Nino called out from the other side of the door.
Jun sighed; this whole vampires having heightened senses thing could be a real pain sometimes.
Satoshi growled loudly before his voice was muffled as if a hand was clapped over his mouth.
“I think that there are things that we need to talk about,” Sho said. “In private,“ he added loudly for the benefit of their audience outside the door.
"I'm not sure..." Jun took a sip of his drink, stalling for time as he tried to control his scattered thoughts and whirling emotions.
"Just a quiet dinner somewhere discreet, where we might discuss how to handle this situation. I mean you no harm; I never have, Jun. I can't bear to think of the pain that I put you through, and only seek to make amends," Sho's words slipped from his lips in silken strings as he stared intently into Jun's eyes, his voice low and as smooth as molasses.
Against his better judgement Jun found himself agreeing, calmed by Sho’s darkly reassuring gaze and persuasive words.
++++
Sho swept into his apartment just before the sun crept over the horizon; after leaving the meeting with Jun he’d driven around aimlessly before parking and calling his friend Yokoyama. Or to be more precise, as of an hour ago, his ex friend Yokoyama. It turned out that Jun had never received Sho’s message or gift, which meant that for the last twenty years he had believed the worst. No wonder Jun hated him so much.
Yokoyama had tried to justify his actions, claiming that he'd done it for Sho’s own good. Despite denying that he’d known anything about the bullying, he’d tried to convince Sho that after he rejected Jun’s confession the younger boy had turned into a slut, pleasuring any and all who asked. It had taken all of Sho’s willpower to stop himself from immediately driving to Kyoto and ripping Yokoyama’s throat out. Instead he had instantly broken off their thirty year friendship, and told his former friend that he never wanted to hear from him or see him again, warning him that he wouldn't be able to control himself if they ever met.
Persuading Jun to meet with him again, in private this time, had been easier than he’d expected. It shamed him to think that he had used more than a little of his hypnotic powers on Jun, but it pleased him at the same time. It seemed that Jun still had an emotional attachment to him or else it would have been much harder to place him under his influence.
Sho knew that Jun would be angry when he eventually worked out what he had done, but all he needed was a chance; a chance to make things right between them and to make amends for his past mistakes.
++++
Jun felt oddly calm as he made sure that the blinds in his room were firmly closed. Satoshi had nagged at him for the entire duration of their ride home, but the words had seemed to come at him from a great distance.
When he closed his eyes he could still see Sho’s eyes, so dark as to be almost black, with a tiny red spark flickering in their depths. His voice had been so deep and reassuring as he made arrangements for their next meeting. It had been impossible to deny him anything, impossible to refuse his invitation.
Impossible because he'd been hypnotized?
“Sho you bastard!” Jun contemplated cancelling the date, but perhaps it would be more satisfying to go anyway and make Sho pay for his trick in person.
Genre: Vampire AU, fantasy, drama, romance
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Arashi or its members – this is a work of fiction.
Warning: This chapter contains mention of bullying and physical abuse in the past.
Summary:Jun is the youngest son of a Royal House of vampires. Sho is only son of a rival Royal House. In order to maintain a peaceful status quo the Vampire Council decrees that the Royal Houses mate their sons with each other. After a humiliating incident in the past Jun wants nothing more than to stay as far away from Sho as possible and is determined to deny the match. Will Sho be able to win Jun’s love and more importantly does he even want to?
Previously: Chapter 1
“Do I look alright?” Sho asked as he twisted and turned in front of the full length mirror.
“I didn’t know that vampires could see their reflection.” Aiba peered curiously over Sho's shoulder.
“Only with these special mirrors.” Sho pressed a button on the side of the frame to demonstrate his point. His image instantly vanished, leaving an amazed looking Aiba as the only person visible in the glass.
“It must have been really hard in the old days,” Aiba said. “I mean, how would you know if your hair looked good or if there was a piece of spinach stuck between your teeth? Oops, I guess in those days they wouldn’t have been eating many vegetables anyway.”
Fortunately Sho was too preoccupied to take in much of what Aiba was saying; he was too busy worrying about his choice of clothes for his first meeting with Prince Jun. He still burned with shame at his behaviour on their last meeting so many years ago and longed to make things right between them.
With Aiba’s assistance he had chosen to wear a white collarless long sleeved shirt, with the sleeves rolled up for a more casual look. On top of this he had decided on a black vest with a grey edge along the front where it buttoned. He was also wearing light blue distressed jeans with slashes on the knees.
“I don’t want to look to formal or too casual.” Sho switched the mirror on once more and returned to spinning restlessly around in front of it.
Although he was almost forty in human years, Sho looked as if he was barely in his early twenties. He took one final glance at Jun’s portrait and stroked his finger over the prominent cheekbones. Jun’s eyes were large and beautiful, looking wistfully into the distance, set in the smooth-skinned face that matched that of a young man who looked barely of age.
“You look perfect.” Aiba tried to sound as reassuring as he could, but he was almost as nervous as his employer. He respected Sho and appreciated the way that he treated him with such respect and kindness, and he hoped that things would work out for him on this important first meeting.
++++
“You’re really going to go through with this meeting and be okay?” Satoshi asked. He had encouraged Jun to think about accepting the proposed mating, but the thought of him being tied by blood to a man who had caused him nothing but pain made him feel slightly sick whenever he thought about it.
“I want to know if he remembers me and remembers what he did,” Jun said, frowning a little as he adjusted the collar of his dark purple silk shirt. He had pushed the sleeves up past his elbows, and the deep vee in the front showed off his long neck and collarbones. “I want to know if he can look me in the eye.”
“You aren’t planning to do anything bad to him are you?” Satoshi was worried that Jun might get himself into trouble with not only their parents but also the Vampire Council.
“It all depends on his response when I ask him why he was so cruel to a little boy who was brave enough to offer him his heart.”
“Jun…” Satoshi tried to get closer to Jun, worried by the slight tremor of his voice.
“I have to go now,” Jun said, skilfully avoiding Satoshi’s eyes and sweeping from the room.
++++
The meeting was to take place on neutral territory under the watchful eye of Nino, acting as the Vampire Council’s representative. To ensure privacy, the entire restaurant had been booked for just the two of them, even though they would use only one of the private dining rooms. Nino was relieved that once he was reasonably sure that they weren’t going to kill each other, he would be able to retreat to a discreet distance. Satoshi had made him promise to be extra careful to look out for Jun, but as far as he was concerned he was old enough to be able to look after himself. This didn’t mean however, that he wouldn’t still find a discreet way to warn Prince Sakurai that he would hurt him if he did anything untoward to his best friend’s brother.
Sho arrived first, blinking nervously at the sight of Nino perched on a chair, dressed in his customary black, apart from his bright red running shoes.
“Your Royal Highness,” Nino said smoothly as he rose to his feet and bowed formally in Sho’s direction.
“Ninomiya-san? Why are you here, I thought I was meeting with Prince Matsumoto in private?”
“The Vampire Council wants to be sure that this meeting goes smoothly. We recognise that an arranged mating in modern times is something out of the ordinary, and perhaps hard for you to come to terms with. The Council couldn’t stand by and ignore the troubles between your territories any longer. It is hoped that this union will bring about a change for the better for all the inhabitants of your lands, both human and vampire.” Nino knew that he sounded like a stuffed shirt but he was only obeying the Council’s strict instructions and now that was done, he felt free to add his own words when the opening arose.
“Would you like something to drink while you’re waiting?” Nino asked solicitously, gesturing to the array of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks on display, including a chilled decanter of synthetic blood.
“I’ll fix it myself,” Sho said. Something about Ninomiya’s gaze was making him uncomfortable. He poured some of the blood into a stemmed glass and added a generous shot of vodka, hoping that the blend of nourishment and alcohol would steady his nerves.
A moment later their keen hearing picked up the sound of someone arriving at the front entrance. Sho instinctively smoothed his clothes and ran his fingers through his hair. Nino moved from his seat, prepared to blend into the darkness in the corner of the room as soon as Jun arrived, but he spoke quietly to Sho as he passed by.
“Prince Jun is my friend, and more importantly he is the only brother of my best friend in the world, who is a man I would happily die for. If you do anything to hurt him in any way…you won’t even hear me coming.” Nino smiled in a way that made Sho’s blood freeze in his veins as he blithely showed off his ugly sneakers.
++++
Jun slipped off his jacket as he entered the room; his nerves were making him feel warmer then he would have liked. The last thing he wanted was to appear vulnerable in front of Sho. What he hadn't expected was Sho looking equally nervous and on edge. The sight of Nino silently slinking into the corner soon gave Jun the explanation for his proposed mate’s nerves. Even though Nino was Satoshi’s best friend, and sort of a friend of his by default, he was still deeply scary at the most unexpected of times; he wouldn't be an employee of the Council if he wasn't.
“Play nicely together you two,” Nino said as he poured himself a drink. “Don't make me have to come over there.”
In the intervening years since school, Sho had lost the bleached hair and the piercing in his ear, but had lost none of his looks. His body was strong, with muscular arms and a thick neck with a tempting visible vein running down the side. Jun’s breath caught at the sight, as all of his old feelings came rushing back and made his heart beat faster. But there was no way that he was going to allow himself to fall into Sho’s arms so easily.
“Crown Prince Sakurai-senpai,” Jun said, bowing his head.
“Must we be so formal Jun-kun?” Sho asked, sounding hurt at Jun’s tone. Jun was even more alluring than his portrait, and the rapid beating of his heart and shallow breathing strongly hinted that Jun found him just as attractive.
“That's Prince Matsumoto to you,” Jun replied with a glare.
Sho flinched inwardly at Jun’s cold tone, but didn't allow a flicker of emotion to show on his face as he turned to the array of drinks. “May I bring you a drink?”
Jun looked as if he wished to refuse, but eventually nodded stiffly. “A red wine. Please.” The ‘please’ came out almost as an afterthought, as if Jun was remembering his childhood lessons in etiquette.
When Sho handed him the glass their fingers touched briefly, making Jun jerk back as if burnt, before scowling at him with even more ferocity.
“Do you not object to this sham of a mating?” Jun wasn't going to waste any more time on false niceties.
“Jun-kun, I am as shocked as you, but we've always known that as members of our respective Royal Houses that we might not have any choice in our selection of mate,” Sho said calmly.
“But doesn't it pain you to know that you're expected to bond with someone that you hate?” Jun hadn't meant to say the words, had wanted to remain cool, not giving anything away, but the close proximity of Sho was stirring up all of his old feelings.
“Hate? Why do you think that I hate you?”
Jun laughed bitterly. “I guess you didn't even notice me enough to warrant hate. After all, to you I was just a skinny little insect who only deserved your contempt.”
Sho felt his whole body go hot as shame filled his every pore. “I'm sorry.”
“Don't you think that twenty years afterwards is a bit too late for an apology?” As much as Jun tried, he had never really been able to put the bullying which had been ignited by that incident, behind him. No matter how many people told him he was a good person, he never quite believed them. His hand trembled, spilling a little of his wine over the rim of his glass.
Sho instinctively moved towards Jun, causing Jun to flinch backwards. Immediately there was a loud hiss from the corner of the room where a pair of golden eyes glowed a warning.
“But I did apologise,” Sho protested. “It was you who didn't answer.”
“Don't lie to me.” Jun spat, anger making his voice louder than he’d intended. Did Sho think he was a naive fool?
“I figured that I must have embarrassed you so…”
“Embarrassed? You figured that I was embarrassed?”
In a flash Jun was on Sho, flinging his full body weight against his chest and knocking him off his feet, straddling his body and pinning him to the floor. A growl came from deep in Jun’s chest as his fangs slid down. Angry, deep purple eyes flashed at Sho as Jun gave him a look that could kill. All of the humiliation and torment of his school days propelled him to want to inflict pain on Sho so that he could know what it was like to suffer.
“Jun. Stop.” Nino ordered in a calm voice. “I can't allow this, no matter how much he might deserve it.”
Sho breathed deeply, deliberately calming himself, quashing the instinct to fight back.
“I loved you. I know I was only a stupid little boy, but to me that love was real and precious. You could have humoured me or let me down gently, but instead you treated me like I was nothing, as if I was worth nothing,” Jun’s nails were digging into the tender skin of Sho’s neck and making it hard for him to breathe. “And because you treated me like that the others, your pack of followers, decided that they could treat me that way too.”
“Jun. Please.” Nino crouched down placed his hand on Jun’s clenched fingers, loosening his grip on Sho’s neck.
Jun released his hold on Sho, sliding off him before crawling away from him and curling himself into a protective ball, remembering those torturous days that he had never spoken to anyone about fully, not even Satoshi. If they'd just contented themselves with treating him like nothing then he could have coped. But they had decided that it was more fun to hurt, to cause pain, to hit and to kick and to bite and to touch him in places...places where it wouldn't show.
Nino turned on Sho, drawing himself up to his full height as he placed himself protectively in front of Jun. “You have five seconds to explain yourself before I act. And by my calculations you have about five minutes before Satoshi gets here. There's no way he can miss the way Jun is feeling right now. Not that there will be much of you left by then, but I will try and save him a piece.”
“I didn't know. I honestly didn't know.” Sho’s voice was raw as he imagined Jun’s suffering after he left the school.
“You expect me to believe that?” Nino said with contempt.
“That Valentine's Day was the day my mother decided she was leaving my father and taking my sister and I with her. I was in a daze. I realized later that night what I'd done but it was too late. I was bundled in a car and taken away as soon as I stepped out of the school gates. My mother basically went into hiding with us and I was cut off from contacting anyone.”
“So we're supposed to feel sorry for you? What's your excuse for later?”
“The only person I managed to get in touch with was my friend Yokoyama. His mother was Mother's closest friend. On White Day I gave him a gift for you Jun, and he promised to deliver it and tell you how to pass a message to me. I never heard from you, so I figured that I'd lost my chance. Only in the last six months have my parents reconciled and my mother and I returned to live with Father. Back then I guessed that you had forgotten me and moved on, but it seems I was wrong.”
Before Jun could answer the door crashed open and an enraged Satoshi lunged at Sho; obviously Nino’s calculations had been a little off.
++++
“Don't! Don't hurt him!” Jun shakily climbed to his feet and attempted to pull the two men apart. All he managed to do though, was to somehow get smacked in the face by Satoshi’s flying elbow which connected sharply with his cheek, knocking him to the floor in a daze.
The fighting ceased instantly as both men moved to help him, but Nino was quicker. He scooped Jun onto his lap and yelled at them to get out. “If you want to continue trying to kill each other do it somewhere else, not in front of Jun.”
When neither of them moved Nino hissed, “I mean it. Get out. Now!”
With mutual looks of loathing the two older vampires left the room, no longer physically fighting but just as angry as before.
“I heard what you told Jun, and just because you have an excuse for what you did, doesn't mean I'm any happier about this situation.” Satoshi narrowed his eyes as he looked at Sho with contempt. “If you hurt Jun in any way I will take it out of your hide.”
“I intend to do my best to preserve the peace between our kingdoms. Both Jun and I owe it to our subjects to at least try and see if the arrangement might possibly succeed. You have my word that I will do nothing untoward to him.” Sho replied stiffly.
Satoshi wondered whether Sho’s overly formal words were, in their own subtle way, intended to taunt him. He was tempted to continue the argument, but out of respect for Jun, who was already struggling emotionally, he settled on baring his fangs in Sho’s direction, receiving a rumbling growl and a glare in return.
Now that their positions were completely clear, Sho walked down the corridor in search of a bathroom to splash some water on his face, while Satoshi planted himself firmly in front of the door as if standing guard.
++++
“How many fingers am I holding up?” Nino asked waving his hand in front of Jun’s face.
Jun muttered muzzily and pushed Nino’s hand away as he slowly sat up.
“I'm fine,” Jun finally said, rubbing his cheek.
“So what do you want to do now? Under the circumstances I might be able to get the Council to change its mind.”
“He wasn't lying,” Jun said softly.
“You believe him?” Nino asked incredulously.
“I could see it in his eyes,” Jun said. As much as it pained him, he knew that it was the truth.
++++
“Satoshi, let him back in,” Nino said nodding in Sho’s direction.
Satoshi was barring the door, eyes a blazing blue and fangs bared.
Sho’s eyes glowed an angry red in response as he tried to gain entry.
“Why should I?” Satoshi snarled.
“Because I want to talk to him.” Jun said from behind Nino. “Alone.”
“If you think that I will allow that…”
“it’s not a matter of allowing anything. I'm an adult and capable of making my own decisions,” Jun replied.
“I felt your pain and he was the cause.”
“He wasn't, not directly. I was remembering something from the past.” Jun said. “I’ll be fine. Even he wouldn't be stupid enough to try anything with both you and Nino nearby.”
Satoshi’s eyes gradually dimmed and he relaxed his hands, unclenching his fists as he retracted his fangs. “We’ll be just outside the door if you need anything.”
“Or need us to punch someone,” Nino added.
++++
Jun handed Sho some ice to place on the red marks that his nails had left on his neck and gestured for him to sit down.
“You sent me a gift?”
“Yes, and I included my contact details along with my apology.” Sho was confused. His friend Yokoyama had told him that he’d personally handed the gift to Jun. “If I'd known what they were doing I would have found a way to return and help you.”
“And now here we are twenty years later and you're back, just when the Council decides we are to be mated. How very disappointed you must be,” Jun hissed. He believed Sho but it didn't mean that he liked him. “I know I am.”
“It isn't what I wanted for myself,” Sho said, running his fingers over the marks on his neck. Jun was so very different from the starry-eyed boy who followed him around like a puppy, seeking his approval. “But I think we should try and make the best of it.”
“And by that you mean?”
“Perhaps we should go out on a date.”
“A date? Are you kidding me?”
“I think that's a wonderful idea,” Nino called out from the other side of the door.
Jun sighed; this whole vampires having heightened senses thing could be a real pain sometimes.
Satoshi growled loudly before his voice was muffled as if a hand was clapped over his mouth.
“I think that there are things that we need to talk about,” Sho said. “In private,“ he added loudly for the benefit of their audience outside the door.
"I'm not sure..." Jun took a sip of his drink, stalling for time as he tried to control his scattered thoughts and whirling emotions.
"Just a quiet dinner somewhere discreet, where we might discuss how to handle this situation. I mean you no harm; I never have, Jun. I can't bear to think of the pain that I put you through, and only seek to make amends," Sho's words slipped from his lips in silken strings as he stared intently into Jun's eyes, his voice low and as smooth as molasses.
Against his better judgement Jun found himself agreeing, calmed by Sho’s darkly reassuring gaze and persuasive words.
++++
Sho swept into his apartment just before the sun crept over the horizon; after leaving the meeting with Jun he’d driven around aimlessly before parking and calling his friend Yokoyama. Or to be more precise, as of an hour ago, his ex friend Yokoyama. It turned out that Jun had never received Sho’s message or gift, which meant that for the last twenty years he had believed the worst. No wonder Jun hated him so much.
Yokoyama had tried to justify his actions, claiming that he'd done it for Sho’s own good. Despite denying that he’d known anything about the bullying, he’d tried to convince Sho that after he rejected Jun’s confession the younger boy had turned into a slut, pleasuring any and all who asked. It had taken all of Sho’s willpower to stop himself from immediately driving to Kyoto and ripping Yokoyama’s throat out. Instead he had instantly broken off their thirty year friendship, and told his former friend that he never wanted to hear from him or see him again, warning him that he wouldn't be able to control himself if they ever met.
Persuading Jun to meet with him again, in private this time, had been easier than he’d expected. It shamed him to think that he had used more than a little of his hypnotic powers on Jun, but it pleased him at the same time. It seemed that Jun still had an emotional attachment to him or else it would have been much harder to place him under his influence.
Sho knew that Jun would be angry when he eventually worked out what he had done, but all he needed was a chance; a chance to make things right between them and to make amends for his past mistakes.
++++
Jun felt oddly calm as he made sure that the blinds in his room were firmly closed. Satoshi had nagged at him for the entire duration of their ride home, but the words had seemed to come at him from a great distance.
When he closed his eyes he could still see Sho’s eyes, so dark as to be almost black, with a tiny red spark flickering in their depths. His voice had been so deep and reassuring as he made arrangements for their next meeting. It had been impossible to deny him anything, impossible to refuse his invitation.
Impossible because he'd been hypnotized?
“Sho you bastard!” Jun contemplated cancelling the date, but perhaps it would be more satisfying to go anyway and make Sho pay for his trick in person.
