This house is no longer a home

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:23 am

"But why would the war start sooner if I was captured? That wouldn't make a difference in the real reason for the war..." William lay in the bed, pondering what Mike had meant. It didn't make any sense to him. Why would it bring the war to start sooner?

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:29 am

Mike shook his head. "You're right - it would make no difference in the motive. But obviously, if I want you back, I'll have some vampire asses to kick. They might not appreciate, if you know what I mean."

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:32 am

William glared back down to Mike. "But why woul you want me back? I'm not the most worthy of people. I'm lucky I'm still alive right now, and that's saying something," he said quietly as he ran his fingers through his dark brown hair.

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:37 am

"Because you're my friend!" Mike nearly shouted. "We've known eachother for years. I really love you - in a 'buddy' kind of way - even though you have a knack for getting in trouble." Even though you're one of them. "Besides, 217 years is too young to die."

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:42 am

William gave a somewhat sad smile as he looked down at his feet through the covers. He didn't like the whole 'buddy' love, but he was glad that Mike still wanted him around. He was beginning to think that Mike was the only one who wanted him alive. He let out a small chuckle. "You know, if we were normal guys, that statement would make no sense whatsoever."

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:46 am

Mike shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I'm not really immortal. That's kind of lame - I survive bullets but I could die of a cold. I age normally." He smiled. "I'll be growing old and you'll still be playing in bands."

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:48 am

"Does that mean I can go around calling you grandpa?" William laughed and smiled. It had been the first time in a long time that he could actually manage to do either without it being sad or out of nervousness.

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 7:53 am

Mike laughed. "Yeah, actually you'll have to. I don't want to be the creepy old dude hanging around young boys, thank you." He was silent for a moment. "How did it happen? I mean...you being a vampire and all."

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 8:01 am

William's smile suddenly faded into nothing more than a calm facial expression. "It happened when I was five," he began. "I was walking down a street with my parents.We kept walking down several of the streets. I can still remember the laughter and the smiles. We were enjoying ourselves when suddenly a heard of vampires closed in on us. We were cornered in a dead end street. My mother and my father were able to run down an alley way, but I couldn't hear their shouting over the hissing of the vampires. I remember standing there, holding completely still until one of the younger vampires came down and bit at my throat. It was Ryland. You see, he was next in line to become the clan leader, so at the age of 50, he had to come and choose a young human to become his mate when he inherited the position of clan leader. I was bound to him for eternity that night. I never heard from my parents again. I was forced to live with the clan, except for when we were on tour. I was used only for the purposes of giving the clan member's whatever pleased them and for recruiting more vampires for our clan. And that's how I've been living for the past two hundred years," William finished as he gave a small, sad smile.

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 8:08 am

"Wow." Mike didn't know quite what to say. He wondered how come he had never seen it coming. He hadn't realized what had been behind the glances William and Ryland kept exchanging. "You should have told me." He wanted to add, I could have taken you away, but didn't. The phrase had simply popped up in his head; it was stupid.

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 8:10 am

"Yeah," William said quietly. "I learned very quickly that no means of suicide would work." He stared away from Mike and looked back out the window, just to make sure that no one else was outside of the building. He felt a cold shiver run down his spine as he looked up at the moon.

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 8:16 am

Mike silently got up and sat on the bed with William. He couldn't imagine half of the things his friend had gone through. He thought about how painful it would be to be haunted by his own memories for two hundred years. If William hadn't been somewhat immortal, he would have killed himself by now. He could have lost him - or worse, I might not even have met him, ever. He couldn't resist taking William in his arms one more time, this time slowly breathing in his hair to remember what it felt like, what it smelled like, how William was.

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 8:26 am

William was a little surprised to be pulled back into Mike's arms.He allowed himself to be held by his friend. It was silent. He liked this moment. If anything, it would be one of the only good memories he would ever have. All of the others haunted him; drove him to thoughts of things like suicide. Nothing had ever worked. He had hated being a vampire. No matter how much any author had glorified the term in a book, being a vampire had always been a sad existance for William. He moved his arm carefully to look upon his right wrist. He slowly pulled up the long sleeve and stared down at his pale flesh, marked with several streaks of red. They were from the other night. After what he had been through with Ryland, he couldn't take it anymore. He tried to end it again. But he was immortal. He couldn't die. He stared down at the cuts, his breathing becoming rigid as he sat there in Mike's arms.

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 8:33 am

Mike let go of William and laughed nervously. "Sorry about that. I'll stop. I'm just - I'm really glad you're here right now, that's all. Sorry for having you so close to me all the time. You probably..." You probably don't want to be close to anyone after what happened with Ryland. "Yeah, you know. Just don't attempt anything now, okay? I don't want to see you harm yourself. You and I are the same - we feel pain but we can't die. Don't think you're alone in this."

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 8:37 am

William nodded. "It's fine. I'm okay with being close to people who actually care. It makes me feel safer," he said as he covered his wrist again. "I'll try not to attempt anything. The only reason I did was because I wanted this all to end. But it won't. No matter what I try...." William looked up at Mike, and then back down at the sheets.

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 8:47 am

Mike took William's hand. "Hey. It'll end soon, once the war is over. You know what? Once we get rid of them, I'll promise you anything you want. Okay? When we'll be free, I'll do what you want - I'll take you around the world, or I'll buy you something really crazy and expensive, or...you choose. Would you like that? Anything that makes you happy." I want to make sure your eternal life is worth something.

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 8:51 am

William looked up at Mike with a small smile on his face. "Thanks, but no thanks. I already have what makes me happy," he said quietly as he looked down at their hands together. He smiled weakly again, then looked back up at Mike.

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 8:55 am

Mike grinned. "Doesn't take much to make you happy." I was expecting something horribly extravagant I could never afford. "Butcher is there for you, too."

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:00 am

It takes a lot to make me happy. You're just the one person who fits that bill. "Yeah, I know," William said as he smiled up at Mike. "You know what? It's nice to see you smile. I like it," William said as he stared up at the guitarist.

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:03 am

Mike blushed a little, not being used to compliments of the sort. It felt a bit awkward to be told this by William - he didn't seem the kind of guy who'd say stuff like that - but it was nice. "Both of us should smile more often, I guess."

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:07 am

"That should be easier for me to do now," William said with a sigh. He was so glad to be away from his clan's house. "Thanks for taking me in, Mike. I appreciate it." William stared up at Mike yet again. "You don't know just how much you saved me from."

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:14 am

Mike scratched his head and smiled shyly. "Well, it has a lot to do with you being drunk and me wanting to keep an eye on you," he admitted. "Not that I don't like having you here. I do. I mean, I offered you to stay, right? Yeah. Congratulations on being the first person to stay here beside me."

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:20 am

"Congratulations to me for being the first drunk person you invited here out of pity." William grinned. He liked it here. It was the cloest place he'd ever had to an actual home. He felt safe and wanted here.

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:30 am

Mike was relieved to see William wasn't taking it so bad. "I'm glad I'm not alone and I'm glad it's you." He sat on the edge of the bed, ready to get up. "I'll let you get some rest now."

Subject: Re: This house is no longer a home Tue Aug 07, 2007 9:32 am

"I'm glad it's you, too," William said as he leaned over to give the guitarist one final hug. After only a moment, the embrace ended, and William layed back down on the bed and pulled the covers up over his legs.

» The sun no longer sees
» House of Leopards
» Not home but it will do
» ...And home is nowhere
» Lost, you can never go home...