Work Text:
“Kanae?”
The soft tone startles Kanae from his brooding where he sits beneath the low candlelight, consumed in his writing as he had been for the past few hours.
He’d been stewing his words in the dark Indian ink Aleksandr had procured him as a gift days earlier; unwilling to so much as make a single mistake and waste such a precious gift.
There’s the sound of fabric rustling in the darkness beyond the light, though noticeably there is a distinct lack of footfall or breathing.
Were it not for Kanae’s familiarity with such a presence, he’d have certainly heeded the way the hairs on his neck raised and found his gun, but instead his fingers merely twine more securely around his quill as he tilts his head to enquire, “Aleksandr. What brings you?”
A figure slowly emerges from the shadows, and Kanae’s words halt in his throat as he notices the deep crimson staining his blouse and the quiet droplets hitting the floor.
He stands from his chair, listening to the way the legs snarled against the stone unpleasantly at the sudden movement. Before he could work himself into a hurry, his guest merely raised a bloodied but pale hand, “Calm yourself Kanae, it is not my own.”
The Priest let out a breath, “What on earth happened?”
The man nears, his white lashes fluttering prettily and casting long shadows across his haunting features, “Simply laggards on the edge of town. They sprung the traps you set, so I went to investigate… there happened to be more than expected.”
“Did anyone get injured?”
Aleksandr's thin lips formed a smug grin, “Do you doubt me, little priest?”
Behind those lips, painted in a deathly complexion were two sharp fangs. A demon disguised as an angel, Kanae had come to learn, what with the pretty silver hair and handsome cloak… despite this, Aleksandr had proved to be himself the best of a bad bunch.
Perhaps with humans included, this demon proved to be purer- had Kanae’s sessions at the confession booth proved him countless times again the sin of humanity.
Aleksandrs servitude towards eradicating the maddened feral subspecies of his vampiric race kept him a dedicated and reliable ally; despite Kanae’s scepticism in the beginning.
Kanae now considered the vampire very fondly, though he liked to pin it on the usefulness of his skillset and his ability to set magical traps to protect his town… he knew it had grown to be far more.
He lifted a hand to brush away one of those sodden stained strands of silver hair and let himself relax against the desk, “You’ve been made a mess of..”
Aleksandr’s smile faded somewhat, his features settling into their usual placid gaze, though somewhat soft around the edges. Immortal or not, it seemed exhaustion chewed away at us all because a moment later Kanae saw the noticeable slump in the noble’s shoulders as he keened forwards to bump their heads together.
A habit of Aleksandr’s these days Kanae hadn’t been brave enough to question.
“Tired?”
“Mn…” the vampire responded in a soft grunt as his bloodied hands came to rest on either side of Kanae’s hips on the desk.
“I washed the linen in your coffin yesterday, I figured you’d come and visit this week,” Kanae murmured as he let his fingers slide back and behind their neck and into the ruffle of his cloak. “You’ve been busy lately…”
Aleksandr grumbled as he let his head slip down onto his shoulder, “Official business in the court.”
“Fascinating.”
“Don’t jest to my boredom,” Aleksandr complains as he draws away to scowl at him. It’s then Kanae realises he’s likely smeared blood all over his garments. And with a glance, he confirms his stole is now smeared with red, something that will likely cost him many hours of rigorous cleaning.
Sighing to himself he decides to let it go, when presented with a tired vampire it’s best not to get into petty squabbles. Instead, he embraces it and leans in to offer the vampire a brief and chaste kiss.
It tastes metallic; a flavour Kanae has recently grown used to. There's a sickly sweet undertone to it Kanae has come to peace with, though he feels he likes it more when he knows it's his own.
Aleksandr, normally so shy, seems to merely sink into it, letting his mouth fall open as Kanae lets the kiss grow deeper. He’s always been awfully careful with Kanae, far too nervous to make any first moves, but somehow so steady and sure of himself on the battlefield.
The contrast made for a funny thing, Kanae believes.
They part with a soft sound and Kanae gets to watch the way Aleksandr’s eyes flutter back open to look at him. The red of his iris is ignited into a bright crimson now, the slits of his pupils sharp and predatory, yet his expression is tender, soft like melting wax.
“I missed you,” Kanae says, letting his fingers twirl into the silver strands, “It’s been a long time since you visited…”
Lately, Aleksandr had been consumed in prestigious work in the east regarding something about trade routines and family business. It was all a bit too dizzying for Kanae to fully comprehend or care for, and Aleksandr never seemed to be in the mind to explain; thus left to stagnate in preference for more interesting conversation.
“It’s scarcely been a week…” Aleksandr muttered. But his tone is fond as he leans his body in closer, pinning Kanae’s own against the desk, “But I can understand your sentiment.”
Kanae laughs as he loops his arms more securely around them. This sort of banter was theirs was idiosyncratic. It cannot be helped.
“Did you- ” he incites Aleksandr’s imagination by leaning in to kiss his mouth again, softer this time, no lighter than a butterfly, “miss me?”
The vampire levels him with a wordless gaze and unexpectedly leans in to press a tender kiss to his brow, “Mn… maybe a touch.”
“Only a touch?”
“Only a touch…”