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It was quiet out there, the only sound the breaking of the waves on the cliffs beneath him and his steps on the gravel.
He was dragging his feet by now, tired after the long walk.
His legs were weak as he walked down the creaking stairs, his steps uncertain as he sighed, relieved.
He was there at last. Home.
~
'Strange.' Michael thought as he entered. He remembered the place to be much darker, but even though the fires were out, tonight Michael seemed able to see his surroundings without too much trouble.
A sound distracted him, a low mocking chuckling.
As he looked up to where the noise came from, he saw three familiar silhouettes floating above him, their yellow eyes glowing as they stared down at him.
Michael smiled, happy to see them. "Hey, boys!" He greeted them.
"Hello, Michael." David's tone was menacing as he spoke, and it threw Michael off. Was there something wrong?
David flew down towards him, and a shiver ran through Michael's spine as he noticed David's fangs, but he stood his ground, determined not to show them his irrational fear.
Floating in front of him, David stepped down onto the ground and came closer to him.
'I don't need to be afraid. David is my friend, he wouldn't hurt me...' Michael reminded himself over and over, repeating it like a mantra and hoping he'd soon be able to believe it.
He could feel David's breath on his face as the blond spoke. "What do you think you're doing here?"
The situation reminded him of that first night he met them, on the boardwalk.
They had been intimidating at first, and Michael had been afraid, but he knew he had no reason to be tonight.
He had gotten to know them, had spent long nights talking and joking with them, listening to the radio and riding together.
They were friends, and Michael knew he didn't need to be scared anymore. If they had wanted to kill him he would have been dead long ago.
So Michael didn't answer, instead glanced back up at Paul and Marko. There was a shine in their yellow eyes, like an internal joke he was missing in on, and that's when he realized it.
'They're just messing with me.'
Marko was the one to break it in the end. He couldn't contain his laughter anymore, and it gave them all away, Paul following soon after.
"Really, Marko? Not even a minute." David protested with a disapproving glance.
"I'm sorry Davey," He managed to say in between chuckles. "but c'mon, he wasn't even buying it!"
"You're bastards, you know that? All of you." Michael said as he started chuckling, Marko's laugh too contagious to resist, and soon David gave in too.
"Welcome back, we missed you buddy." David told him with a friendly pat on the back. His eyes were back to normal now, and his voice didn't sound nearly as menacing.
"So. What brings you here, Mikey?" Paul asked with a smile, gliding down and landing in front of him.
Michael sighed, suddenly brought back to reality. "Well, guys... I was thinking, I- I'm here to stay..." He confessed. "If you're cool with that." He added, suddenly more anxious than he'd been when he thought they were about to attack him.
"Fuck yeah, finally!" Marko exclaimed, suddenly behind him patting his back.
"You sure you can stand it?" They all knew what David was talking about, and the blonds all turned to look at Michael, concerned.
"I'm ready this time." He assured them. "It was just a lot to take in."
"You know you'll have to see it again, right?" There was just a hint of worry in Paul's voice as he spoke, and it showed in his eyes too.
"Yeah." Michael nodded with a smile, happy to see how much Paul worried and cared for him.
"And you'll be fine with it?" Marko asked, reminding just how shocked Michael had looked the night after he witnessed the slaughter.
"Yes." Michael had spent a lot of time thinking about it, wondering what mattered the most to him between his morality and his love. But now he had made his choice, and wasn't about to change his mind.
"Great!" Paul exclaimed, relieved.
"He's in his room." Marko told him, finally answering the unasked question that had been bothering Michael since he stepped in. "Go get him. We'll give you some privacy." He added, winking at Michael.
Michael smiled and nodded, then turned around heading to Dwayne's room.
"And Michael?" He stopped and turned around at David's voice. "Yeah?"
"Welcome home, brother." The blonds smiled at him, and Michael felt all the weight and importance of that word.
"Thanks, David." He smiled back, then finally walked up to Dwayne's room.
He had waited enough for this moment.