When Darkness Falls, Chapter 2
Banner by the_last_shadow
Beta by mrstotten
Chapter 1
“As far as I can tell, Roman has a few loyal followers and he is more than serious about going public,” Ben reported, standing in front of Brian’s desk like the good soldier that he was. Brian didn’t particularly like Ben. It wasn’t that he disliked him, he was just generally indifferent to him. But Mikey loved him completely therefore Brian, more often than not, put up with him. Even though he wasn’t part of Brian’s family, he was loyal to Brian. Ben had come to Pittsburgh, looking for Brian and the “alternative” lifestyle that Brian advertised. A safe haven, where killing indiscriminately wasn’t the only option for you. It had taken Ben a few minutes and one look at Mikey to give him another reason to stay and not much longer for him to fall in love with him, hard. But Mikey had still been holding onto Brian at that point, trailing after him like a lost puppy. Brian had known that he would never be able to give Mikey what he wanted, what he needed so he had pushed them together and before long Mikey had begun to see Ben for what he was, loyal, loving and strong, a far better bet than Brian.
“Did Roman know you were there?”
“Probably, you know Roman, Brian, he has spies everywhere, loyal little soldiers, humans as well, he even has werewolves working with him.”
“Really?” Brian tried to sound interested, shocked even, but at the mention of werewolves his mind went to Justin, his full lips, his pulse thudding under Brian’s fingers, the jealousy he had felt when he smelled Ethan on him.
“Speaking of werewolves...” Ben said. Brian raised an eyebrow at him.
“Speaking of nothing Ben, you forget yourself.” He replied, picking up his pen, pretending to work. Ben leaned forward, his hands on the edge of Brian’s desk.
“You forget I’m not part of your family, I don’t owe you anything.” He said and Brian stood, took the same stance.
“But Mikey is part of my family Ben. And I’m asking for nothing except for you to keep your opinions to yourself,” Brian replied and Ben nodded once. Ben may have been bigger, stronger when he was alive than Brian had been, but Brian was older, had honed his skills, his speed and strength. Brian would always be older and stronger than Ben.
“And I’m Mikey’s family Brian. He’s worried,” Ben said, sitting down in the chair in front of the desk.
“He’s got nothing to worry about,” Brian sighed. Ben himself raised an eyebrow then.
“Doesn’t he?” Ben asked. “I wasn’t here the last time Brian, but from what Mikey has told me...” Brian snapped suddenly, snarling as he reached forward and hauled Ben over the desk by the front of his shirt. Ben bristled, snarling back instinctively.
“You know nothing about what happened the last time. Nothing.” Brian growled and Ben restrained himself covering his fangs, he nodded again and Brian let him go.
“You better get it together before Roman comes, you know how he uses weaknesses.” Ben said as he walked towards the door.
“I don’t have any weaknesses.” Brian countered. Ben just nodded once, closing the door behind him.
~*~
1780
Brian was dying. He could feel himself bleeding out. Blood seeping from his wound onto the ground, mingling with his friend’s blood, his brother’s blood. So many people he knew and loved, dead and gone.
This bloody war, this ‘fight for freedom’. What freedom? The freedom to die slowly, alone, with nothing left to carry on fighting for. Brian closed his eyes against the bright sunshine streaming through the leaves of the tree above him, closed his ears against the sounds of people dying around him.
“Such a pretty face.” The voice was quiet, dark, fingers tracing over Brian’s bruised cheek and Brian opened his eyes, stared straight into the dark eyes staring down at him. “Such a waste.”
Brian tried to shake off the fingers, the cold skin against his own but they stayed, pressed a little harder into the bruise under Brian’s eye. “Doesn’t have to be a waste though...Brian.” Through the haze Brian dimly wondered how the man, whoever he was, knew his name, but it didn’t matter. Not when he leaned down, ran his nose up the side of Brain’s neck. Brian felt his weakening pulse jump as fingers wrapped around his wrist, pressed his arm into the damp ground beneath him.
“How did...?” He asked, his voice cracking, throat dry and the man quietened him, pressed a finger to his lips.
“You’re beautiful Brian, be beautiful forever, live forever Brian. Live forever with me.” Brian couldn’t answer as a hand covered his mouth, sealing his scream in as teeth pierced his neck.
~*~
1876
”I get the feeling that you are not happy Brian,” Roman’s fingers ran down Brian’s arm, pressing over where his pulse would have been if he were still alive. Brian shuddered lightly. “Haven’t I given you everything?” He asked and Brian nodded, Roman’s hand around his throat squeezed gently. Roman leaned forward, his lips brushing over Brian’s. Brian felt his body respond, arching up in Roman’s, pressing closer. Roman’s hand around his throat loosened, slipping downwards, fingers trailing over Brian’s chest.
“I am happy,” Brian said and Roman smirked. His fangs sliding out as he leaned forward and pressed them down, piercing the skin over Brian’s heart. Brian let his head fall back and hit the wall, his hands carding through Roman’s dark hair. This was what he lived for now, the feel of Roman’s hands on him, the feel of Roman’s teeth piercing him, Roman drinking from him. It made him feel alive, blood pulsing round his veins, skin humming. Roman pulled away, stood tall and looked down at Brian, pressing on his shoulders gently as his fingers dug in. Brian sank to his knees.
“That’s my boy,” Roman purred. “My pretty boy.”
~*~
1903
“You hate me. I get that.” Roman said, looking bored as he inspected something under his nail. Brian growled low in his throat and Roman looked at him, eyes dark and dangerous.
“I don’t hate you,” Brian replied and Roman raised an eyebrow. “I despise you.”
“Semantics my dear boy,” Roman said, going back to picking at his nails.
“You did this to me.” Brian was practically shouting, his hands gesturing at the blood that clung to his skin from his latest kill. “And you can never undo it. You didn’t ask me if I wanted this life, if I wanted you. You never asked, you just took.”
“And you are alive because of it,” Roman stated cooly, standing up, walking around the desk and cupping Brian’s face in his cold hands. His fingers curling into Brian’s hair.
“This is not alive Roman,” Brian retorted.
Roman sighed and let him go, running a hand through his own hair.
“Oh Brian, I’m getting bored of the same arguments. If you want to go, go. I guarantee you wont get far before you realise how wrapped up in me your life is,” He said as he came back. Stopping in front of him, he pulled Brian in and kissed him hard. Brian felt himself respond, arms winding around Roman and pulling him closer. “And even if I could give back what I took from you, I wouldn’t. You are meant to be this way Brian, you will always be young and you will always be beautiful.” Roman muttered into Brian’s neck, just before he sank his teeth into Brian’s skin.
~*~
1998
“Finish it Brian,” Roman growled, staring down at Brian with anger, a trail of blood running down his chin. Brian growled, crouching over the human that had served as Roman’s latest meal.
“No.” Brian replied, pressing his hand into the wound on the guys neck. The guy whimpered, shifted slightly in Brian’s arms and Brian wound his fingers into his hair, calmed him with touches, muttered words. Roman’s hand enclosed around his hand and Brian found himself standing, looking up into Roman’s dark eyes.
“What happened to you?” He asked and Brian shook his head, wrenched himself free, putting distance between them. Physical distance because no matter how far away from him he was, Brian could still feel him. Like an invisible thread tethering Brian to him, to this world he was supposed to have left long ago. Roman was so far under his skin, like an infection, making him sick and shaky.
“I’m not like you anymore Roman,” Brian said, watching as Roman flinched slightly, eyes narrowing in anger after the initial hurt.
“You better get like me again because I’m leaving,” Roman replied casually all signs of his earlier anger and hurt gone.
Brian suddenly felt cold, even colder than normal as Roman shrugged and turned back to the whimpering man dying on the floor between them. Brian watched carefully as Roman leaned down, pressed two fingers to the gaping wound on the man’s neck and lifted them to his mouth.
“What?” Brian asked, trying to ignore the blood lust that the sight in front of him brought to the fore.
Roman closed his eyes in bliss for a second, tongue darting out and licking between his fingers. Brian felt lust skitter up his spine at the same time as a deep feeling of dread pooled in his stomach.
“The Pitts,” Roman replied. “It’s yours now.” He said taking a step towards Brian. Brian stayed still this time, felt his body warm up as the scent of blood and Roman filled his nostrils.
“Where are you going?” Brian couldn’t help the slightly waver in his voice and Roman’s eyes got even darker.
“Chicago,” he replied, causing the dread in Brian’s belly to get heavier as Roman took another step forward, lifting his hand to Brian’s arm, sliding his fingers down Brian’s skin. He left a slight smear of blood on his arm and Brian blinked at it, before lifting his eyes to Roman’s.
“You got the North?” Brian asked, although he knew the question didn’t really need answering. Roman cocked his head at Brian’s question but nodded. before replying.
“I got the North.”
“And you would leave me?” Brian asked. No matter what Brian felt for Roman, no matter how much he resented him for taking his life, for not letting him die on that battle field all those years ago, Roman was his maker, his Sire, and that was a bond that almost nothing could break.
“Of all the people I turned Brian, you are my favourite, no matter how much you resent me for it.” Roman was in front of him now, close enough that Brian could feel his skim humming, the buzz from a recent kill still in their veins.
“I…” Roman leaned forward, pressing his hands to the wall behind Brian, caging him in, nosed up the side of Brian’s neck, causing the words to die in Brian’s throat.
“One day, you will turn someone and they will hate you for it,” Roman whispered, his voice soft as a lover caress. “Then, and only then, will you know how I feel when you look at me.”
Roman pulled away slightly, just enough to press his mouth to Brian’s in a hard, almost punishing kiss. Brian responded immediately, arching upwards and wrapping a leg around Roman’s, tasting the blood in his kisses.
“Roman…” the name slipped out just as Roman sunk his teeth into Brian’s neck.
“Remember Brian? Remember how it was, how you couldn’t get enough of me, how you would beg me to fuck you while our kills died slowly next to us? Remember?” Roman lifted his head, snaking a hand into Brian’s pants and curling his fingers around his cock. A trail of Brian’s blood ran down his chin and Brian leaned forward, licked it off Roman’s skin as Roman twisted his hand almost viciously.
“Yes…fuck yes,” Brian cursed as he came, hips jerking into Roman’s hand. Roman smirked, his teeth stained red and Brian wondered how he would manage, who he would be, without Roman, how he would manage without having Roman to hate. Without having Roman to love.
~*~
Brian lowered his sunglasses over his eyes as he walked down the fire escape at the back of Babylon, stepping outside, blinking against the morning sun as a wave of warmth hit him. He loved early mornings, when the night gave way to the day, and highlighted the intricate dance between sun and moon. He especially loved the new dawn after full moons. There was something fresh about them, like the world had started over, a new cycle beginning.
He had felt Justin turn last night, felt him pace the alley way behind the club for the last two hours of the night. Brian didn’t know what that meant, why Justin had been drawn to the club, his basest animal instincts drawing him to Brian, but he couldn’t admit that he felt a slight thrill at the thought that maybe he was buried as deep under the kids skin as he appeared to be under Brian’s.
He stopped at the sight that greeted him at the bottom of the stairs. Justin was curled into a ball behind one of the dumpsters, skin streaked with dirt, a dusting of gold hairs danced up his legs and Brian resisted the urge to run his fingers over them, to see how long it would take to wake him with soft touch, cool fingers wrapped around his cock. Brian shook himself, cleared his throat loudly. Justin shifted, fingers twitching as he grasped onto clarity, eyes fluttering open and focusing on Brian almost immediately.
“Morning Sunshine,” Brian breezed laughing when Justin groaned slightly. “Still not used to the turn hey?” Brian asked holding a hand out to him. Justin glared at it for a second before standing up on his own, seemingly completely unaware of his own nakedness. Brian’s gaze flicked down his body and he felt the air shift as Justin seemed to notice his lack of clothes, the sudden shift from irritation to embarrassment and defence as Justin crossed his arms over his chest.
Brian threw the long coat he had grabbed from the club at him, smirking slightly as he turned away and listened to Justin pulling the coat over his arms.
“Thanks.” He heard Justin mutter and Brian nodded once.
“You want coffee?” Brian asked. Justin raised an eyebrow.
“I thought you only drank blood,” he replied confused.
Brian laughed and wrapped a hand around Justin’s elbow, pulling him towards the street.
“Shows how much you know pet.”
Justin bristled at the nickname Brian had taken to calling him, and he wrapped the coat tighter around him. Brian let his arm go and shoved his hands into his pockets.
“What are you doing up? I mean, shouldn’t you be, I dunno, hanging from the rafters right now?” Justin asked and Brian raised an eyebrow at him, pushing his tongue into his cheek.
“I take it you’ve seen Lost Boys one too many times,” Brian replied and Justin ducked his head, a slight blush spreading across his cheeks. Brian resisted the urge to run his fingers over the pink skin and signalled to the left as they got to the main street. “We can, obviously, go out during the day. We don’t burst into flames. We eat, we drink.” Justin frowned slightly, confusion clear on his face. “Not everything is that black and white, Pet, you can’t believe every urban legend. Remember that.” Brian stopped outside the diner, pushed open the door and gestured for Justin to go inside. Justin looked down at his coat, lack of shoes, mud streaked legs and grimaced. Brian pushed him inside gently.
“I can assure you, Debbie has seen worse.”
“Debbie?” Justin asked as Debbie emerged from the kitchen, scowl on her face and hands on her hips.
“Where the hell have you been you little shit?” She demanded and Brian smiled, feeling the heat of Justin’s curious gaze on him as he did so.
“Working Deb,” he replied, letting Debbie pull him into a hard embrace. Debbie had been around for a long time, protecting “her boys” in a way that made Brian feel almost human again. She hugged them, berated them, smacked them round the head when they went too far. Mikey outright adored her and as such, Brian kept her safe from all the other monsters in the Pitts. She was human, mostly, but there was definitely something almost otherworldly about her. Something that Brian still couldn’t put his finger on no matter how much he asked her. She would just smile enigmatically, put a plate of something deep fried in front of him and pat his cheek gently.
Debbie raised an eyebrow, opened her mouth to berate him more but caught sight of Justin. Her anger melted and she pulled Justin in for a hug too.
“Oh honey. Bad night? Right,” She said, pushing Justin into a booth and grabbing the coffee pot from the counter. “Drink that,” She ordered.
“Pancakes with extra bacon.” She screamed into the kitchen and Justin winced.
“I’m fine thanks,” Justin tried and Debbie silenced him with a look. Brian watched amused as Justin clamped his mouth shut.
“Trust me baby, you’ll feel better after it,” she replied.
“I wouldn’t argue with her if I were you,” Brian said and Justin silently nodded as he sipped at his coffee.
“Why are you doing this?” Justin asked. Brian regarded him for a moment, taking in the confused look, the way his bottom lip was caught between his teeth, the streak of dirt across his cheekbone.
“You interest me,” Brian stated simply. It was the easiest way to describe it, when Brian himself didn’t realise why he felt drawn to him, why he hadn’t been able to rest that evening, had just paced his office, as he felt Justin pace the alley way, why he felt the sudden urge to fuck Justin awake in said alley way.
“I should go, thanks for the coffee.” Justin stood, placing his hands on the table and lifting himself upwards.
“Go where?” Brian asked with a sneer. “Back to the pack that left you to fend for yourself last night?” Justin sighed, his expression closing down at the mention of the pack.
“They’re my family now Brian.” Justin sounded angry, yet resigned at the same time.
“Sit down,” Brian ground the words out, feeling Justin’s whole body vibrating with the need to ignore the command. But he sighed, sat down and crossed his arms over his chest. “If they really were your family, they would be doing this right now. They wouldn’t have let you pace outside my club for the last two hours of the night.” Justin’s eyes went wide at that.
“How did you...” he began. Debbie placed a plate piled high with pancakes in front of his face, grinning from ear to ear and Justin obviously couldn’t help but smile back, flashing a grin at her as he picked up his fork, Brian ignored the warmth spreading through his stomach at Justin’s sunshine grin. He smiled gently at her himself as she patted Justin’s shoulder and went to hug the next stray that walked through the door.
“I felt you,” Brian said when Debbie was out of earshot and Justin stopped, cocked his head to the side. “Question is, why were you there Justin?” Justin looked down at his hands, there was dirt under his nails, a few scratches on his fingers and Brian leaned forward slightly, running his own fingers over them. Justin jumped, pulled his hands away and tucked them under the table.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “I just...I felt I had to go there.” Brian was almost startled by his honesty. From the moment he had met the kid he had been surprised, surprised by the way he had tried to stand up to Brian, by the way he was never far from Brian’s thoughts, by the way he was willing to admit that he was drawn to Brian the same way Brian was drawn to him.
“Why?” Brian asked and Justin’s look shifted from helpless and confused to angry.
“Christ I don’t know...” Brian raised an eyebrow again, he had almost been wanting him to admit that he felt him back, that he wasted hours thinking about Brian’s hands on him, how Brian would taste. “And don’t look at me like that, I’m as confused about this,” Justin gestured between them, “as you are.”
“Thing is, Pet, I’m not confused.” Brian reached under the table, wrapped his hands around Justin’s. Justin’s expression didn’t change but he opened his hands slightly, shivered gently as Brian ran his fingers down Justin’s wrist and over his palm. “Intrigued perhaps but not confused.” Brian curled his fingers, ran his nails lightly over Justin’s wrist, felt his pulse jump under his touch. Justin pulled away sharply, banging both their hands on the underside of the table and Brian smirked as Justin hastily stood up, rubbing at his wrist as if to rid himself of the memory of Brian’s touch.
“I’ve...gotta go.” He muttered, hugging the coat around him like a protective ward, one meant to stop Brian getting in. Brian could only smirk again in his direction as Justin fled, nearly tripping out of the door in his hurry to leave.
“Hey, where are your manners?” Debbie shouted and Justin stopped, turned in the doorway, his knuckles white around the jamb. “I don’t care if you spent the night as a wolf, this morning you’re a human, act like one.” Justin looked like he was going to throw up, but when no one batted an eyelash at Debbie’s comment he swallowed hard, flicked a brief look at Brian.
“Thanks for breakfast.” He croaked out and Debbie grinned, nodded, pleased at herself.
“You’re welcome honey.” She said as she sat down in front of Brian. The bell rang, a small tinkling sound, as it shut and Debbie raised an eyebrow at Brian, her hands folded together in front of her as she sat and waited.
Brian just sipped at his coffee, staring her straight in the eye. She was the only human he knew that could do that, stare at Brian and not feel uncomfortable, or compelled to do something. Apart from Justin, who had flashes of defiance every now and then which made him all the more intriguing to Brian.
“Mikey told me there might be a problem,” She said eventually when Brian had made it clear he wasn’t going to say anything. Brian sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Mikey needs to mind his own business,” he replied, holding his mug out. Debbie filled it up from the coffee pot she’d left on the end of the table, reaching for it without looking.
“He’s cute,” Debbie announced and Brian sighed again, absent-mindedly stirring his coffee. Yeah, the kid was cute, almost too cute. Brian hadn’t really thought about much else since he appeared in Babylon, but he really didn’t need Debbie and her insight right now to remind him of the fact.
“Now Deb, I know you have a thing for Mikey, but he’s with Ben and I really think you need to stop trying to get us together.” He replied with a grin and Debbie frowned as she picked up Justin’s fork and pointed it at Brian.
“I meant the kid.” She said. “Got a real smile, like sunshine.” There was an almost dreamy tone in her voice and Brian knew she was mentally bringing another stray into her fold. Debbie fell in love with kids easily, she had with Brian and Mikey, and Emmett too, never wary of the fact that could have ripped her throat out had they wanted to, none of them had ever thought about it. It was just another way that Debbie was indefinable.
“Yeah I know.” Brian admitted, running his hand through his hair. Debbie gave him a sympathetic smile before standing up and pulling Justin’s plate towards her. She seemed to stop midway through, a thoughtful expression on her face.
“I hear Roman’s coming to town,” she said and Brian raised an eyebrow.
“How do you hear these things?” He asked and Debbie shrugged, lifting her tray and planting it on her hip.
“I have ears everywhere Brian. What are you going to do with him?”
“Roman?” Brian tried, only to be rewarded with a slap to the back of the head. Debbie was quite literally the only person in Pittsburgh who would dare to do that and Brian couldn’t help the smile he gave her as she glared down at him.
“The kid, Brian. Stop avoiding the subject.” She pointed her pen at him in a warning and suddenly Brian felt the defensiveness rising up in him. Justin was no one else’s business. What Brian felt for him was for Brian to know about and no one else. Brian wasn’t even sure himself, hadn’t worked up the energy to sit and think about, to work out why this kid had managed to get under his skin so quickly. Especially considering he belonged to Ethan Gold.
“He’s nothing to do with me Deb. He’s Ethan’s.” Brian shrugged, going for nonchalant. Debbie could read through his false bravado in a second though, she had always been able to no matter how hard he tried to keep things from her.
“Horseshit. I may be old Brian, but I’m not stupid, or blind. Think I didn’t see the way he looked at you? And anyway, maybe you should take something from Ethan, even the score.” She added with a slightly evil grin. Brian stood, pulling out a few bills from his pocket and throwing them on the table, anger in his veins at the mention of Ethan and every memory he dredged up in Brian.
“It’s not a game Deb, it was never a game.”
~*~
Justin knew he should have gone straight back to the Pack. He could feel them, could sense the unrest from Ethan, but instead of making him run back, it made him stop, press his hand into the wall of the alleyway beside the diner, hard brick beneath his palm as his breath hitched and his mind raced.
Brian.
It was all that seemed to be in his mind at the moment, Brian’s cool touch, his dark eyes that held promise and danger, the way he seemed genuinely concerned about Justin but brushed it off like he wasn’t. The pain that was in his eyes when he haltingly bought up the other kid. The kid that Justin had been yearning to ask Ethan about. Something had always stopped him though, stopped the words dead in his throat.
And Brian came back into his mind at the thought of dead things.
He knew it was stupid, he was playing with fire. But he couldn’t get the feeling of Brian pressed up behind him out of his mind, the images of Brian fucking him, the ones that he knew Brian had put in his head, kept churning over and over. Ethan knew it, growled whenever Justin thought about it, and made Justin forget by reminding him who, what he was now.
Thing is Pet, I’m not confused.
Justin curled his fingers into the brick, relishing in the slight pain as he tried to erase Brian’s voice from his mind, the way his fingers felt with Brian’s wrapped around his own, stroking over his pulse and the almost hungry look in Brian’s dark eyes. Justin shook his head, clearing it as he pushed himself off the wall and down the back alleys. Back to the Pack.
Chapter 3
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