Whispers in the Dark, a Romance fanfic

A/N: Alright...first off. Anyone who is readin Fabricated Bliss, I AM WORKING ON IT! I SWEAR! Just got delayed, and then school started and I got busy. And for those asking, 'Well, If you're so busy then what is this bullshit!?" It is an assignment from my Creative Writing class, which is why it got written first over a new chapter in FB. Grades/School first darlings .

Anyway, we were basically free to write what we wanted for this, so I cranked out a condensed and mostly school friendly telling of one of my vampire's, loves. It saddens me that I couldn't put more into it, but there are some time constraints on school assignments. Obviously...and sadly, there is a lack of physical relations since it was, in fact, for school. I'm just glad my teacher didnt mind male/male pairings XP. So yesh, I leave you to imagine the sexual aspect of the relationship...I know I did XP Anyway, hope you enjoy ^^ (oh warning now, the rating is their for the drugs and implications...besides, the thoughts and themes are M rated in my opinion..and i wrote it dammit XP )

I’ll never wake up without an overdose of you

-Comatose, by Skillet.

Jaden gently lifted Charlie’s head and shoulders and rested them on his lap. The faint scent of blood and drugs in the air made his fangs prick at his lower lip as he softly smoothed Charlie’s hair. It shouldn’t have been this way. Things should have been different for them. He was so pale; the light tan of his skin seemed to have disappeared, leaving Charlie nearly as white as Jaden. He should’ve been there to stop what was happening. He should’ve been able to save Charlie.

--Two Years Earlier--

Jaden burrowed down beneath the covers, hiding from the morning light slanting through a space in the window blinds. The sun might not do him any harm, but it was just as annoying to him as to any other person who woke too early on a Saturday morning. He was still half asleep, but he was fairly certain that he wasn’t in his own bed; he had heavy black curtains to deal with the sun in his room. His body tensed as he caught the faint scent of dried blood. It wasn’t very much, maybe a little stain; but it was enough to cause concern.

He was in a strange room, in a strange bed, and he could smell blood. Jaden groaned, his chest tightened, if he had drained someone he didn’t know what he’d do. He hadn’t drained a human in so long, and he didn’t want to break that fast now. But the smell was definitely human. Another small wave of dread rolled through his body before he realized he could hear a heart beat. The sound simultaneously calmed and concerned him.

Jaden shifted to look over the edge of the covers and to the other side of the wide bed. He was glad to see the man lying beside him was still breathing and looked very much alive; the lightly tanned skin of his upper torso contrasting pleasantly against the pale sheets. He looked over his nicely sculpted face and the shaggy mess of chocolate brown hair that fell over his eyes. Jaden quickly understood how he had ended up in the bed in the first place as he looked over the man. He groaned softly again as his eyes fell on the dried crust of blood on, and around, a set of punctures in the curve of the brunet’s shoulder, and the small stain on the pillow where it had trickled his down his neck in the night.

The brunet, he thought he remembered the name Cyril passing his lips at some point, was alive; but that posed a problem in itself. If Cyril had died, he would’ve had guilt and a body to deal with. He could handle those things; he’d had centuries of practice. However, Cyril hadn’t died, which meant he would have to explain biting him and drinking his blood. This was the reason he’d quit humans in the first place. Jaden had never been able to entirely get over the guilt of killing a human, and it was against the rules to bite a human and leave them knowing about vampires. So the choice had been either murder or vegetarianism. Animal blood didn’t taste as good, but Jaden preferred it over a guilty conscience; even if most of the coven laughed at him for it.

He sighed, he probably could’ve gotten away with it if he had remembered to lick the bite mark when he’d finished. The wound would’ve healed over within moments and he could’ve convinced Cyril he had dreamed the rest if he remembered anything when he woke. Jaden knew the only reason he was dealing with the situation in the first place probably had something to do with alcohol. However, he’d waited too long by this point, so he wouldn’t be able to heal the bite anyway. Jaden started considering what he would do when Cyril woke and started flinging accusations and, more than likely, fear-fueled threats at him. He was about to just leave, and hope Cyril let it go without starting all kinds of rumors, when the brunet started moving.

Jaden cursed softly under his breath and began to silently slide out from beneath the covers, his bare feet touching the ground without a sound. He listened carefully to Cyril’s breathing, waiting for any change that would signal that he was actually awake. Just as he found his pants and pulled them on, he heard the shift in breathing accompanied by the soft popping of bones as Cyril stretched. Jaden sighed and buttoned his pants as he heard the soft gasp from behind him. He turned around to find a pair of bright, hazel, eyes watching him thoughtfully.

Jaden absently added those eyes to the list of things that had gotten him into this position. He couldn’t find any of the tension he’d expected in Cyril’s body; but that just meant that he didn’t remember being bitten. Then again, maybe he did; Jaden flinched imperceptibly as Cyril raised his hand to the bite on his neck and winced a little as some of the blood cracked away from the holes. Cyril would start yelling any time now.

“Well, that’s a little surprising.” Cyril smiled crookedly as he studied the dried flakes of blood on his fingertips. Cyril’s reaction caught Jaden off guard and all he could do was stare oddly at the brunet; it only seemed to make Cyril grin wider.

“So I would’ve just assumed you had a weird fetish; except I saw your teeth get longer.” He smiled. “Oh, and your eyes turned black. The few fetishists I’ve known didn’t exactly have those little tricks up their sleeves. So are you real then?” Cyril continued to grin at him, but there was a strong light of curiosity in his eyes.

“Am I real?” Jaden continued to stare a moment, then answered without thinking. “Of course I’m real. How else would I be trying to sneak out of here right now if I weren’t real?”

“I don’t know. But I think you should stop sneaking out now so I can talk to you.” Cyril laughed softly.

Jaden stood, still a little dumbfounded, at the foot of the bed; still staring at the sleep tousled brunet. The human seemed to believe what Jaden was; but he couldn’t possibly understand it. Anytime someone woke up after being fed on, there was always fear and outrage. Not crooked smiles and an invitation to talk.

“You do realize I bit you, right?” Jaden asked, tipping his head inquisitively at Cyril. “I mean, I fed off of you. Are you really so sure I should stay and chat?” He knew he wasn’t going to do anything to Cyril, but Cyril couldn’t know that.

“Obviously you ‘fed off me’. But you didn’t kill me, and you’re trying to run off now.” He chuckled. “I don’t think I have anything to worry about. Now come back here; it’s not everyday I get to meet a vampire.”

Jaden hesitated only a moment; he supposed the man had a point. If he was going to hurt him he would have already. So maybe Cyril was thinking straight. Either way, if Cyril really didn’t have a problem, it would be nice to have someone to talk to. He answered the expected questions about what he was and eventually a few more everyday questions about the things he liked. After the initial surprise finally wore off, Jaden realized he was enjoying himself; and that he was hoping Cyril wouldn’t make him leave afterwards.

--18 Months Earlier--

Jaden smiled softly to himself as he made his way up to Charlie’s apartment. Cyril had explained on that first night, that his father had wanted to name him Charlie, but his mother had said no because Charlie Black sounded like Charlie Brown’s idiot cousin. Apparently she preferred Cyril and that’s what he got. Cyril, on the other hand, thought that was a weird name and asked everyone to call him Charlie.

Jaden chuckled a little, he personally preferred calling him Cyril; but it irritated Charlie so he only did it occasionally. He slipped a key from his pocket when he reached the apartment door and quietly slipped inside. The apartment was decent; a good size and surprisingly well taken care of for it being the home of a 23-year-old who lived alone. Well, mostly alone; Jaden was over frequently.

He paused as he caught an odd scent on the air. He’d smelled it around the apartment and Charlie before, but it had been weaker; this scent was stronger, fresher. He slowly poked through the apartment for the source, pausing when he got to the bathroom. The door was half-open and he could see Charlie inside. He was sitting on the edge of the bathtub in his jeans; a belt was tight around his upper arm as he drew something from a bottle cap into hypodermic needle. Jaden immediately recognized the scent with that image to accompany it; the realization confirmed as Charlie seamlessly slipped the needle into the curve of his arm and depressed the plunger.

Jaden growled softly, almost hurt, as he watched him pull the needle free and start cleaning things up. He suddenly started trying to figure out how long this had been happening. How long ago had he noticed the scent and ignored it? How long had Charlie been tricking him? This made it clear why Charlie set certain time for him to come over; why he wasn’t supposed to drop in whenever he wanted. It also explained the faint, heady way his blood tasted.

“Ch-Charlie….” He called softly after walking to the living room.

“Jaden?” He could hear the surprise and the slight concern in his voice when Charlie answered before appearing in the doorway. “What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted to see you, Charlie.” Jaden answered quietly. “I… I guess maybe I shouldn’t have come though.” He added softly as his eyes fell on the puncture in his arm.

“No, you shouldn’t have.” Charlie sounded irritated as he spoke. “So what are you going to do now?” The odd tone of his voice caught Jaden off guard.

“What do you mean?” Jaden looked up from his arm to his face.

“I mean, you just caught me shooting up. Are you going to let it go or are you going to leave me?” Charlie said flatly, though his words were slurring a little as the drugs kicked in.

“I’m not leaving you, Charlie…” Jaden said softly as he went to slip his arms around him in a tight embrace.

Charlie hooked one arm around his waist and held him, catching him in kiss. Jaden hummed softly against his lips and closed his eyes. He ignored the scent of the drugs running through Charlie’s veins; though he couldn’t help but wonder how he had overlooked it so easily the past few months. It didn’t really matter now though, he’d just have to find a way to make him stop. The drugs wouldn’t hurt him any, but Charlie was human; and humans could only take so much of that stuff before it started to ruin them.

--12 Months Earlier--

Jaden groaned softly as he woke, shifting a little under the weight on his body. He cracked his eyes open, safe from the morning light thanks to new, heavy black curtains, and looked down to see a head of messy brown hair resting on his pale stomach. Charlie was lying on top of him and almost completely under the covers; one strong arm curled around his waist and the other reaching out, fingers twined with Jaden’s. Jaden smiled sweetly and gently ran his fingers through Charlie’s hair.

His smile faltered slightly as his eyes traveled from their joined hands and up Charlie’s arm to slightly pink wound in the curve of his arm. His nose picked up the smell in Charlie’s blood again. Even though he knew Charlie wasn’t doing as well with quitting as he liked him to believe, he was glad he was trying. Though it wasn’t enough, his blood still tasted as strongly of drugs as it always had.

Jaden looked back to the soft hair on his stomach as Charlie started moving. He smiled when hazel eyes turned up to meet his green.

“Morning.” Charlie smiled sleepily back at him.

“Hey…” He answered quietly, still stroking his hair; his eyes still watching him thoughtfully.

“That’s not the right answer; what’s up?” Charlie arched an eyebrow and squeezed his hand gently.

“I want you to stop.” Jaden said flatly as he flicked his eyes to Charlie’s arm to make his point.

“Jay, I thought I told you, I’m trying.” Charlie frowned slightly and nuzzled Jaden’s stomach.

“I know you are, Charlie. I know. But you aren’t really getting any better.” He sighed softly and lifted Charlie’s wrist to his mouth, his fangs extending to prick his skin. “You still taste the same...” He added after he licked the small drops of blood from his wrist.

“What do you expect me to do, Jay?” Charlie asked, irritation lacing through his voice. “Just drop it, cold turkey, because some bloodsucking immortal tells me to? Just because your kind can’t change, you want to force me to?

“No, it has nothing to do with that Charlie.” Jaden frowned softly. “You’re right that I’m immortal and your drugs don’t hurt me, and that is why I want you to stop. Because you are mortal; they’ll kill you. Your mortality will take you from me soon enough without you helping it along…” Jaden’s frown deepened as he acknowledged his fear of losing Charlie.

Charlie stayed quiet and stared at Jaden for a moment. Jaden knew the brunet had never really considered that he would eventually die while Jaden went on living. Nor, apparently, had he realized just how badly Jaden would miss him when that day came.

“You know, vampire-” Charlie pulled himself farther up Jaden’s body and tipped his chin up to kiss him. “-If I didn’t know better, I’d think you loved me.”

“Maybe I do.” Jaden murmured softly, closing his eyes for another soft kiss.

“Then I suppose I might love you too, Jaden.” Charlie whispered to him. “So I guess I’ll try harder.”

Jaden slipped his arms around Charlie’s neck and kissed him again before nuzzling the side of his neck. He closed his eyes and hummed softly, the sound almost a purr as Charlie held him. He just prayed that Charlie meant what he said.

--6 Months Earlier--

Jaden growled under his breath when he woke up alone and to the scent of heroin being heated coming from the desk in the corner. He propped himself up on his forearms and glared at Charlie’s back as he flexed his fist to bring a vein to the surface of his belt-bound arm. He was glaring, but his chest ached at the sight. Things hadn’t gotten any better at all. If anything, they were much worse than they’d been.

“That stuff can kill you, you know?” Jaden said quietly as Charlie drew the liquid poison into his needle.

“So can vampires.” Charlie said flatly as he slid the needle into his vein without pause and depressed the plunger. “But I use one of those too, don’t I?” He sighed softly as he started putting his things away.

“That’s not the same thing, and you know it.” Jaden murmured, a little hurt, as Charlie slid back into the bed.

“No; but I’m just as likely to quit one as I am the other.” Charlie said, and then jumped a little as Jaden grabbed his arm.

Jaden didn’t say anything before he sank his fangs into Charlie’s arm, right over the place he’d just shot up. He sighed softly as his blood rushed over his tongue and took a long pull from the abused vein. He almost choked at the stronger concentration of drugs that flowed into his mouth and down his throat. He flinched slightly when Charlie tugged at his hair and pulled his arm from his mouth.

“What are you doing?” Charlie hissed at him.

“I’m taking some of it away.” Jaden said firmly. “Every time I catch you doing this, I’m draining some back out. Eventually I’ll take it all, and then you’ll be better.”

“Won’t that make you a junkie too?” Charlie asked.

“Yeah, I’ll probably get hooked on it if I take it out of you like that instead of just getting little spikes of it like I have since we met.” Jaden answered without missing a beat. “But I’m not going to start getting my own, and once I wean you off of it, I won’t have it anymore either.”

Charlie growled a little under his breath and glared at Jaden, but Jaden didn’t flinch. If this is what it took to get Charlie to quit, so be it, he would do it. Charlie eventually gave up glaring at him and laid down with him, pulling him into his arms in resignation. Jaden wasn’t going to let him kill himself anymore. He loved him too much to just sit back and watch that happen.

--3 Months Earlier--

Jaden hummed absently to himself as he and Charlie lay sprawled, side by side, across the bed, staring at the ceiling. His eyes were half closed, and there was a small trickle of Charlie’s blood in the corner of his mouth. He had a tiny smile on his face as he laced his fingers with Charlie’s. His limbs felt heavy and his breath came in slow pulls; his skin was flushed in delicious warmth.

He felt Charlie squeeze his hand, and something in the back of his mind screamed at him. He rolled his head a little; it was a familiar, annoying, buzz that always came when he felt to heavy to really shake it away. Its warning only registered on the lowest levels of his mind: He wasn’t saving Charlie anymore. He knew he should probably be listening to the little voice, but he just couldn’t bring himself to care. What could really be so bad about this feeling?

Jaden managed to roll over to curl up against Charlie’s side and nuzzle his chest. He laughed softly as he felt Charlie’s arm curl heavily around him.

“I love you, Charlie.” His words drawled out lazily as he pressed closer into Charlie’s side.

“Love you too, vampire.” Charlie’s answer came just as slowly and his head swayed a little on his shoulders as he raised it to kiss the top of Jaden’s head before flopping back onto the bed.

--Last Night--

Jaden rested with his head in Charlie’s lap as he watched him cook up the drugs. He sat up slightly and tangled his fingers in his brown hair to pull him down into a sloppy kiss. He released him after a moment to rest on his lap again. His eyes lazily followed Charlie’s hands as he tied off and shot up; he waited just long enough for Charlie to put everything back onto the bed-side table before pulling his arm down to drain his share of the shot.

He sighed softly as the taste washed over his tongue; almost purring as Charlie’s fingers combed softly through his shaggy blond hair. Jaden released his arm and relaxed back against Charlie’s lap, the effects already starting to melt through his system. The little voice was nothing more than a weak cry now, buried beneath his own desire for the drugs.

Charlie shifted under him and moved them both so that they could stretch out on the bed. Jaden laughed softly when the brunet leaned over him and kissed him lazily. He lifted his arms to pull Charlie down onto him as they kissed.

Jaden moaned as he woke, his head hurt and his mouth was dry. It took him a few minutes to register that Charlie wasn’t as close as he ought to be, but then his head cleared a little and he glanced around. The brunet was still in bed, he was just farther to one side, and half slumped off of it.

Jaden laughed a little and grabbed Charlie’s arm to pull him back up onto the bed. He frowned as he noticed how cool his skin felt. His frown deepened when he realized how labored his breathing was. He looked to the nightstand and his heart sank as he realized the morning hit was gone. Charlie must’ve taken it by himself. The side of Jaden that had grown addicted shrieked with outrage, but the side that loved Charlie wailed in mourning.

He gently lifted Charlie’s head and shoulders and rested them on his lap. The faint scent of blood and drugs in the air made his fangs prick at his lower lip as he softly smoothed Charlie’s hair. It shouldn’t have been this way. Things should have been different for them. He was so pale; the light tan of his skin seemed to have disappeared, leaving Charlie nearly as white as Jaden. He should’ve been there to stop what was happening. He should’ve been able to save Charlie.

His chest constricted as he heard Charlie’s heart fluttering weekly in his chest. It was already too late for a hospital; he hadn’t woken up fast enough. He wanted to curse Charlie for being so stupid. The only reason he ever needed to use a dose that size was because he was compensating for what Jaden took. So much for just him was a death wish. But he couldn’t blame him; it was his fault that Charlie used so much.

Jaden pushed down the urge to turn him. He could, he could drain him and feed him his own blood. He could save him still, make him immortal. They could stay together that way. He bit his own lip harshly. He couldn’t do it though. The coven wouldn’t be happy with a reckless decision like that, and they might try to kill Charlie anyway. Besides, Charlie deserved to decide something like that for himself and he was too far gone now.

He pressed his lips to Charlie’s forehead as he rocked him in his arms. He mourned how short two years was in the life of an immortal, and how carelessly he had wasted that time. He couldn’t say it wasn’t fair, not when it was his own fault. It was his own fault he was living such a life, and his own fault that his happiness was slipping away by the second.

He cried when he felt Charlie’s body go limp in his arms. When his labored breathing slowed to a stop and his heart relented in its strangled fluttering. Jaden let out a long, keening, cry and buried his face in his hair. He continued to rock his body in his arms and whisper endless apologies and pleadings for forgiveness that were only lost on the heavy silence of the dark room.

A/N:

TT-TT I love my Jaden, and it saddens me that he went through all that. There was a lot of little things that happened that make it even sadder to me, but as I said, time constraints forced them out. Anyway, the way I skipped through time like that was a mix of covering the events in a general timeframe so that I could cover some main events; and me just toying with the plot device of flash through to key moments. I'd kind of like to know what you all think of that. I doubt I'll write that way very much, and I'm aware this needs work...But I just wants some feedback T_T. XP

Anyway, as I said at the top, Hope you enjoyed! Reveiws/ConCrit are always well loved, and I tend to reply to everything XP. (and again I AM WORKING ON FB!!!)

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