33Put simply, a lot is changing in this story. Originally, I was going to follow a role-play using these characters, but not only was the role-play never finished, the posts were deleted. I wasn't that satisfied with it in the first place. I've changed some characters, changed my mind about a lot of things, etc. Hopefully with the changes, I'll be able to write more chapters (and sooner).
Something very big that I've changed (story-wise; still need to correct the chapter), the whole psycho-Will thing didn't happen. While that was true to the role-play, I think it was a little too out there and I'll be removing it or replacing it with something else fairly soon. Also, something else I'll need to fix, will be Will's whole rape scene in the first chapter. Not really necessary, I guess, so I'll probably be removing that, too.
Anyway, hope you enjoy the (drastically) revamped chapter five.
Warnings for this chapter include Vincent's usual angsting, adult situations, and what I'd like to think is considered gore. Also, kind of short. Oh well.
First time around, I thought, "Oh, I don't need the spell check. I did well enough!" Boy, was I wrong. Typos, typos everywhere. So now they're mostly fixed...
A Rose by Any Other Name Still Has Thorns
"It has been four years since it all happened. Since Venatio made me what I am... Since I killed my Will. Four years since I fled the city, stowing away in a dark car on a freight train. It brought me here, though after four years, I'm still not completely sure where 'here' is.
"I came into the care of another vampire, a large, elegant man by the name of Aimé de L'épine. He was much more...stuck up than Venatio could have ever been, but there was something about him, some air about him that made me feel calm and not mind him so much.
"I'm not really sure why he decided to take me in. Perhaps he was astounded by my lack of powers, my lack of abilities. That seemed to be the most likely reason. I'm likely his pet project, to see if he can make a decent blood sucker out of me yet. I'm giving him a hard time, though. After Will, I've refused to let myself even think of feeding from another human. I managed to sate myself by feeding from rats and stray animals I've found in the alley ways. More recently, though, I've been buying pig and cow blood from butcher shops. Aimé insists that the animal blood will only satisfy me for so long before I go after people, but as long as I warm the blood up first, it really isn't that bad. I've actually started experimenting with it, adding assorted spices to give it more flavor. Aimé laughs at me for this...but at least I'm not hurting people."
"It's time that we select a coffin for you," Aimé announced one day. He had just finished feeding not long ago; Vincent could tell, because the older vampire's cheeks looked pink and warm. It was times like these that Vincent longed to kiss him, for he couldn't take his eyes off of his full, pink lips, so warm and inviting.
"Vincent," Aimé said firmly.
Vincent jerked a little and tore his eyes away from Aimé's lips, eyes wide. "Y-yes, Aimé?" he stammered. His pale face had just the slightest tinge of pink to it; he had long ago realized his attraction for the man, but he had made a promise to both himself and Will that there would never be another.
"I said that we need to select a coffin for you," Aimé repeated calmly. "I have shared mine for far too long. It is cramped and you are certainly old enough to sleep by yourself."
Vincent nodded a little and sipped at the mug of blood, trying not to look too upset by this news. Aimé had embraced him, almost like a lover, in their sleep for the past four years. He had rested his head on the vampire's broad chest, letting the peaceful, dreamless sleep take him. He had felt safe and warm... But now he would be alone. He feared facing the dark, cramped coffin alone. He feared waking up and not being able to get out. Most of all, though, he feared the dreams of Will he knew would come.
That was all he ever heard on the matter. Aimé had left the house shortly after their discussion and hadn't returned until less than an hour before dawn, bearing Vincent's new coffin in his arms. It wasn't as grand as his own, Vincent noticed, but it enough. Without saying a word to the younger vampire, Aimé carried the coffin down into the basement. Vincent followed him and watched as he set the coffin beside his own, sliding back the lid to reveal the wine-colored interior. Aimé straightened up and turned to face him, smirking a little.
"Is it to your liking?" he asked.
Vincent nodded a little. "Yes," he murmured. "Thank you, Aimé."
"Good," the other vampire replied, clasping his hands behind his back. "Rest well today. Tomorrow night, we're going out." Then, turning, he strode from the room, returning upstairs; he was an older and more powerful vampire than Vincent and would not need the darkness of a coffin until dawn broke.
Vincent, already feeling weary, crawled into his new coffin and pulled the lid up until the coffin was soundly closed.
"Going out"? What could Aimé mean? Where could they possibly go? Would Aimé try to force him to feed on a human again? These were the things that Vincent wondered until sleep captured him.
"Vinceeent..."
A low groan. Short nails, clawing at his back. A pleasant warmth building in his loins. Short gasps, hot breath on his ears and neck.
"Oh, Will," he heard himself moan.
Suddenly, a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest. A cracking, then ripping sound. Warmth, wetness. More pain. He forced his eyes open to see an evil-looking Will sitting on him, holding his still-beating heart in his now-clawed hand. Grinning darkly, Will opened his mouth to reveal fangs, then sank them into the heart, ripping out a large bite. Intense, burning pain. And yet...
He watched as his own blood gushed out of his heart, dripping down Will's face, forming patterns on his pale, bare torso. Some had dripped onto his own chest, and he moaned softly as Will bent down to lick it off. Will then sat up and brought his long fingers to his mouth, coating them in Vincent's blood before he reached down to stroke himself. Vincent watched with glazed eyes, both disgusted and yet more aroused than he'd ever been before in his life.
"What are you doing?" Vincent gasped, in both pain and pleasure, as Will took another bite of his heart, beginning to stroke himself again as he rocked his hips against Vincent's. Vincent's hips bucked upward, and he hissed a little as he felt himself sink further into Will. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, Will was no longer holding his heart. Maybe he had returned it to his chest...? Both of them were still covered in Vincent's blood, though, and Will now leaned over the other man. His blonde hair obscured his face as he rode Vincent, gripping the other man's shoulders as Vincent gasped. Will leaned lower still, licking Vincent's neck slowly as the other man tried to pull him back down onto his cock.
"What are you doing?" Vincent choked out again. This time, Will answered him.
"You killed me once, Vincent, love," Will purred into Vincent's ear, stroking the other man's chest with his bloodstained fingers. "I'm only returning the favor." Then there was a sharp pain in Vincent's neck and all was dark.
Vincent's eyes snapped open and he rolled onto his side, panting. As the tears of blood began to fall, he wasn't sure which hurt more: his cock or his heart.
Hm. I scribbled this out in my pre-calculus class when I should have been doing something other than writing semi-vampire smut. I attempted to go back and make it longer, but I just liked it too much as it was.
Things to expect will be a rewritten tenth chapter of Asa, which will hopefully lead to chapter eleven. I did have chapter eleven typed, honest, but I just hated it so much. So I'm trying again. Something else to expect is a series of 'A Rose' drabbles. I'll probably call it 'Waltz of Roses' or something along those lines, since, so far, all but one have dealt with a dance of some sort. It might have to be a little bit, though, because they would take place later in the story and would spoil some things. If you guys are interested enough, though, I'll go ahead and stick up the first two or three.
Sorry for taking so long with updates, I guess. I'd like to be able to promise that I could get a chapter of something out every week, or at least every other week, but I've got other things in my life, now. Not to mention the fact that, while I still enjoy writing, I'm not enjoying it as much as I used to.
But, yeah. You know the drill. If you read, please review. It's nice to know that people actually read this stuff, you know.