Twigs and brush crunched under bare feet as Sabas prowled the dark forest, illuminated only by strips of moonlight. Everything seemed calm, insects chirping, leaves rustling, all in its place. He allowed himself a private smile, stepping over a fallen log as he carried on his aimless way.

Didi tugged his shirt down as the nearest teen yanked it, not believing that he wasn't a girl. They chortled and rumbled amongst themselves, their speech too slurred for Didi to make out clearly.

Sabas's smile slipped away as his sensitive ears pricked with the noise from somewhere nearby. He hadn't heard it before, but as he neared the disturbance's provenance, he became more and more suspicious. It definitely wasn't his imagination. He looked at the gray piebald kitten at his feet, putting his finger to his lips and whispering, "Shh.." The kitten gave an understanding twitch of her ears. Sabas soon came across a little congregation of strangers, some of them seeming to be ganging up on one. "What's going on here?" he asked lightly.

One of the less inebriated boys turned and flipped Sabas off. "None of your business." His cronies laughed stupidly, if they noticed.

Sabas's gray eye twitched irritably. "I strongly doubt that." The kitten was hissing at the strangers, her small size somewhat demeaning the intended threatening effect. Sabas raised his fingers at one of the boys and murmured something under his breath. Immediately the targeted boy's hair caught on fire. Sabas tried to pretend that that was exactly the spell he'd been going for.

One of the boys pointed and started laughing, the others following suit. The unfortunate kid with the flaming hair screamed like a girl and started batting at it. Didi slipped away from his captor, who was too busy laughing to notice, and sneaked over to Sabas.

Sabas watched his destruction unfold, inwardly cackling. It may not have been what he'd intended to do, but it was just as (if not more) effective. He looked at the boy who came up beside him, and immediately the kitten began nuzzling the stranger's leg, purring.

Didi smiled, dimples appearing in his cheeks. He reached out and attached himself to Sabas's arm, careful of the cat. "Thank you." His voice was soft, and sort of hard to hear over the screaming and laughing.

Sabas trusted his kitten's judgment well enough, and smiled amicably, allowing Didi to take his arm. "No problem." He glanced back at the idiots, beginning to draw away from the scene. "They look like they're having fun," he said dismissively, "we should leave them be."

Didi let Sabas lead them away, unnoticed by the others. The boy whose hair had caught on fire eventually put it out, but the others continued to mock him. Didi bit his lip and looked up at Sabas again. "How can I repay you?"

Sabas shrugged one shoulder, and his kitten danced around their feet as they walked. "What do you have to offer?" He wasn't exactly sure if he wanted repayment for helping this boy; he didn't know exactly what had been going on, and on top of that he'd cast the wrong spell in his rescue! He glanced at the moonlight through the trees, appreciative of the quiet that returned as they got farther and farther from the others.

Didi pouted slightly as Sabas seemed utterly unaffected by his charm. He tugged his low-riding pants up a bit and tried again. "I have a lot of things to offer..." Didi twisted his body slightly, voice low and suggestive.

Sabas passed Didi a sideways glance, lifting an eyebrow and inwardly smirking, outwardly composed. "Do you, now?" His kitten mewled. "I'm Sabas, by the way. And this is Trini." He nudged his kitten with his foot as she darted in front of them, and Trini tumbled into the brush, meowing indignantly.

Didi smiled again, soft hair feathering around his face. "My name is Etzel, but you can call me Didi."

"Okay, Didi." Sabas tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear as the wind tugged it away from his face. His hair was long, reaching the middle of his back, and black, shimmering blue in the moonlight. "I don't have a nickname that I know of."

Didi licked his full lower lip. "Maybe I could give you one." The forest around them was deepening as they walked, moonlight slipping through the dead branches. No colors could be made out on Didi, without the red light of sun.

Sabas's inner smirk reflected a little in his expression. He watched Didi's tongue as it made an appearance, then returned his focus to Didi's eyes when it disappeared again. His gaze moved between Didi and the path intermittingly, so as not to trip and make a fool of himself. He could very well see something like that happening. "You could. And what would it be?"

Didi purred, noticing the path of Sabas's eyes and smiling again. "I don't know yet... Nicknames are very important things."

Sabas nodded his agreement, his expression going serious for a moment, in a mocking manner. He adjusted his arm so that it was mutually linked with Didi's rather than just being held captive. "Indeed, they are. How did you get Didi from Etzel?"

Didi continued holding Sabas's arm with his other hand as well. He pursed his lips and smiled. "It's a secret."

"Hm, is it? I'll just need to use my powers of persuasion to get it out of you, then. I'm a very curious person, you'll find." Trini pounced on a dead leaf, imperiously batting another out of her path.

Didi bit his lip again, still smiling. "Oh yeah?"

Sabas nodded, unconsciously wetting his lips. To his credit, the air was kind of dry that night. Kind of. They were weaving smoothly between closely knit trees now, and up ahead the wood just seemed to get thicker.

Didi pressed closer to Sabas, his chest against the other's arm. "And how are you going to do that?"

"You might find out soon enough. I don't want to reveal all of my secrets too quickly now, we just met after all." Sabas's pink lips quirked into a half-smile, almost-smirk.

Didi's eyes sparkled, but he lowered his head demurely. "True... but if you always wait you can miss the best things."

"Well, you know," Sabas murmured, dropping his voice a little and leaning his mouth closer to Didi's ear as if to compensate for the loss of sound, "it's possible that I don't always wait. I can be very impatient, too. Sometimes, depending."

Didi shivered delightfully, turning his face up so they were close enough to feel each other’s breath. "Only sometimes?"

"Like I said," Sabas replied, glancing away briefly and then back at Didi, "it depends. Some things I just can't stand to wait for."

Didi licked his lips slowly. "Like what?"

"Hmm, I can think of one thing right now." Sabas leaned in the rest of the way and kissed Didi, pausing their progress through the forest. Trini rubbed up against Didi's legs again and purred.

Didi slid his arms around Sabas's neck and opened his mouth eagerly, licking at Sabas's lips.

Sabas leaned into Didi, sliding his tongue into Didi's mouth. Trini bounded wisely out of the way as Sabas pushed Didi into a nearby tree, holding his waist and tilting his head.

Didi moaned, sucking on Sabas's tongue and hooking one of his legs up on Sabas's hip.

Sabas ran his hand down Didi's leg, slender fingers hooking under his knee. He meshed their mouths even more intimately, in whatever way possible, his breath beginning to run short as the kiss carried on.

One of Didi's hands ran down Sabas's back, pressing him as close as they could get. His other hand tangled in Sabas's long hair, urging him closer still.

Sabas sighed, licking the inside of Didi's mouth a final time before pulling away, placing a parting kiss on Didi's lips. Trini mewled, rubbing up against Sabas's legs now, and Sabas worked to catch his breath.

Didi kissed down to Sabas's neck, not giving him time to recover before he sunk his fangs into Sabas's throat, two pinpricks of pain that quickly morphed into pleasure as Didi sucked hard and moaned.

Sabas gasped and his head reeled at the sudden pleasurable onslaught. He leaned into Didi and did his best not to moan, breathing quickly and shallowly, and whispered Didi's name.

Didi moaned louder, wrapping both of his legs around Sabas and holding him tightly. He tried to make it last, but there was only so much to be taken without damage. With a final suck he let go of Sabas's neck and started licking the wound.

Sabas closed his eyes and leaned further into Didi, panting heavily. He began the process of regaining his breath over again, seeing that the first attempt had been so abruptly thwarted. His fingers curled weakly around Didi's shoulders, and Trini was suspiciously absent.

Didi nuzzled Sabas's throat and purred, rubbing his hands over Sabas’s back and lowering one of his legs so they didn't fall over.

Sabas sighed, strength starting to return to his body. He pushed off of Didi and tried his best to look angry. He was angry, somewhere in his being, though right now it was rather subdued by remnant ripples of pleasure and the daze that had taken hold of his mind. "A little warning next time would be nice."

Didi smiled, slow and sated. "I didn't hear you complaining."

Sabas's face tightened slightly, just shy of frowning. He took a step away from Didi and called for his kitten, who came trotting out of the darkness, looking at Didi with wondrous round eyes. Sabas picked her up and held her to his chest, stroking her head. She purred and pushed into his touch. "A warning would still be nice," he reiterated, a little more tersely.

Didi's eyebrows twitched but he kept smiling pleasantly. "Who said there would be a next time?" He slipped forward from the tree, running his hand up Sabas's chest. "Though you are a tasty..." he licked Saba's cheek, "...witch." With a last pat to the shoulder and a smile, Didi slid around him and started walking away.

Sabas watched him leave for a moment, then shook his head and hurried to catch up to Didi. Trini leapt down from his arms as he took Didi's shoulder, turning him around and kissing him again, briefly. "You don't want a next time?" He lifted an eyebrow, backing Didi into another tree. There were plenty around, ever handy.

Didi put his hands on Sabas's chest, his face neutral. "Why should I stay?"

Sabas looked blank for a moment. "Because... why not? You never know what new relationships may bring. It makes life a little more exciting." Trini mewled, sitting at Didi's feet and nuzzling his calf with her head.

"Mhmm... Is that all?" Didi licked his fangs absently, though they had gone down in size.

Sabas's brow evened. "Well, there's that, and maybe..." he crossed his arms over his chest, "maybe I want you to stay." He stuck his chin out, looking down his nose at Didi.

Didi's mouth slowly curved into a smile. He pinched Sabas's cheek. "You're so cute!"

Sabas's eye twitched, and he batted Didi's hand away. "Cut it out!" Trini mewled happily, bounding between them.

Didi slipped his arms around Sabas's neck again and moved closer. "Make me."

Sabas smirked and linked his own arms around Didi's waist, leaning down and pressing his mouth to the vampire's.

Didi smiled into the kiss, letting Sabas lead this time. The faintest lightening of the forest could be seen, if one chose to look, as the night slowly gave over to morning.

Sabas slid his hands down Didi's waist, licking at his lips and tilting his head.

Didi opened his mouth, curling his fingers in Sabas's hair.

Sabas made an appreciative noise and began to re-explore Didi's mouth with his tongue, more slowly and sensuously than last time. His cloak caught on the breeze and twined around their legs, and Trini batted at a tassel on the end of it with her paws.

Didi hummed softly, rubbing the nape of Sabas's neck.

The kiss dragged on for a long moment, in which Sabas lost track of time, but was soon forced away for air. He pressed his forehead to Didi's, and more light was creeping into the sky, brightening it to a dark blue. It glowed through the cracks in the canopy.

Didi was content to stand there for a while, eyes half closed. A bird started singing somewhere in the distance.

Sabas turned his head away from Didi's and looked up through the trees at the sky, gray eyes thoughtful. The deep blue seemed reflected profoundly in the silver of his irises, despite the fact that the slices of sky were scant. "So what were those boys doing, anyway?" he asked suddenly. "When I found you."

Didi rested his head against Sabas's shoulder. "Being drunk and stupid."

"I see." Sabas ran his fingers through the feathery fluff of Didi's hair. "Alcohol is an evil thing."

Didi kissed Sabas's neck. "It has its uses. Foul taste, though."

"Yes. It stings; I don't like it. It's an acquired taste I see no point in acquiring." Sabas automatically tilted his head to the side a little, and his eyes caught Trini's gaze. She looked at him, seemingly pointedly, and he stuck his tongue out at her. She flicked her tail. "You've had it before, I take it?"

Didi licked slowly at Sabas's bared throat. "Mhmm..."

"How? I mean, not that I know much about vampires per se, but wouldn't that be bad for you?" Sabas petted the nape of Didi's neck with both hands.

Didi bit lightly but didn't break flesh, licking the mark afterwards. "I didn't drink it straight... but we can drink other liquids."

"Mmm," was all Sabas had to respond with. He took Didi's hands and began to walk back the way they'd come, and with Didi no longer at his neck, he was able to say, "You'll have to tell me more. Where were you planning on going?"

Didi let Sabas lead him along, blinking sleepily. "I wasn't going anywhere specific, but I do need to get home now."

"Where's that?" Sabas saw up ahead that the trees were starting to thin again, which would make navigating much easier. "I need to get home, too."

"Not telling." Didi stopped them and gave Sabas a soft kiss. "Run along home now."

Sabas nodded, committing Didi's aural signature to memory in hopes of finding him again soon. He turned on his heel, Trini giving Didi a parting nuzzle before bounding off after her master, and soon they'd both disappeared into the woods.

Didi smiled, watching them go, and then he, too, was gone.