Chapter Text
Seeking and feeding on humans, then losing them while cutting off all ties, was both repetitious and tiresome. After rinsing and repeating those actions for years, it drained a lot of Deon's energy to do anything else.
So, Deon was going to take a nap in his coffin for a few months.
Every fiber of Deon's body would not let him do anything otherwise, seeking out the coziness of his enclosed space. He mustered the remaining energy in him to prop his knee next to the coffin, his body about ready to give out, yet holding on strong as he was determined not to let anything stop him. Not even his butler, Remember.
That was until a sound that oddly resembled one of a stomach grumbling came from the unopened coffin.
"..."
He wasn't expecting his plans to fail so soon.
Deon swiftly opened the lid to see wide green eyes gazing back at him through the dimly lit room.
The vampire hadn't felt any body heat or living presence when he entered his room a few minutes ago, so how and—more importantly, why—did this guy end up inside his sleeping chamber?
Deon wasn't present at home often, but it's not like others weren't watching it when he was gone. No one should've gotten in, especially not when Remember was in charge.
'Am I hallucinating?' That was the only explanation for the other being here.
Deon blinked his eyes once, then twice, and even rubbed them for good measure, expecting to see nothing when he opened them. However, the sight remained unchanged.
As if mimicking him, the trespasser also blinked twice and rubbed his eyes. The delayed response was oddly cute as if there was a genuine curiosity in his movements.
Deon observed the man before him using the tiny bit of light coming through the closed curtains. His gaze moved along the other's sharp jawline before taking in his soft, masculine features. Though, with his clueless and innocent expression, the man looked more adorable than handsome.
Sadly, Deon's unabashed staring got cut short as his aching body screamed at him to get some rest. Instead of being seen as cute, the man was now seen as an obstacle, keeping him from having his beauty sleep.
"Excuse me...?" Deon didn't know why he was being polite when he wasn't the one trespassing, but he was too tired to care. At this point, any method is a good method.
There was no response as the man stared as if there was not a single thought between his eyes.
Deon would question more, like, 'Who are you, and why are you in my bed?' but the look of the empty stare made Deon feel as if he wouldn't be able to understand or be able to respond.
Blood-red eyes narrowed as he took more of the man in. Previously distracted by his beauty, he only now noticed the lack of light in his green eyes and unnaturally ashy skin that vaguely smelled like dirt.
'To think that a zombie would actually visit...'
Living near a cemetery, Remember had told Deon about the chances of getting a surprise visitor. He had brushed the comment aside then, not expecting it to happen.
He regretted not being able to remember the helpful advice his butler told him back then.
The vampire sighed. He'll figure something out.
Deon extended a hand, offering to help him up. "Can you go? You're in my bed."
To his relief, the zombie seemed to understand the gesture as he placed his palm onto his offered hand. However, when Deon tried to pull him up, he didn't budge, feeling like a boulder stuck in place—making Deon almost let a chain of curse words out as he stumbled into the coffin and onto the zombie's chest.
"You..."
Deon held back his anger, calming himself down, remembering that the creature before him was a zombie who didn't know better. It was like getting unnecessarily angry at a baby for crying. Instead, Deon settled on glaring holes into his blank expression.
The dull eyes, now uncomfortably close to his face, slowly widened as they became full of awe and wonder. The ashy hand that wasn't holding onto Deon's reached out and poked the pale cheek in front of him.
"Hey," Deon weakly said, having no energy to put up a fight.
The zombie switched from poking him with his index finger to cupping his hand around Deon's cheek, brushing it slowly, making Deon's skin tingle a little from the cold yet affectionate touch.
Deon directed a raised eyebrow at the other before seeing the blank expression smoothly change into something brighter, the corners of his lips quirking up as his eyes relaxed into something more affectionate.
The incredibly soft and gentle smile surprised Deon, making him wonder if he was actually alive as the place under his touch heated up; it didn't help that Deon's eyes started playing games with him as the mellow green eyes briefly shined with a tinge of warmth.
Before he knew it, their noses began to brush against each other when they were a few inches apart moments before.
Deon flinched back, abruptly stopping his body from getting closer than he already was. It scared him how easily he almost got swept up by the mood.
He couldn't be more grateful that the zombie before him couldn't breathe, or else their breaths mingling into each other would have made him feel more heady than he already felt.
The zombie blinked, tilting his head with the little smile still on his face, taking Deon out of his thoughts.
'Damn it.' Deon lowered his face into the surprisingly broad chest to avoid looking at the disarming smile, taking deep breaths to calm down his nerves.
The hand moved to caress the top of his head, not giving the vampire a break.
Deon could already tell that this zombie was going to be more than a handful to deal with.