Archive of Our Own ^beta

He raised his eyes from the cold soil, his sight landing on the man passing by his house. He rode his trusty horse, with his bags hanging from it's back, and even from a distance, Ororon could hear his set of syringes clinking as the animal trotted over the uneven ground. The sun had set not long ago, but with the help of the faulty street lamps, installed by the residents of the town long before either of them was born, he could see the beads of sweat forming on his forehead, damp hair sticking to his neck, and the dirt staining his clothes. Not an uncommon sight, as Ifa worked hard, and he worked a lot. Disheveled appearance could be seen on the daily from a hardworking man like him, but it didn't make the view any less pleasant.

What a sight, it was. Looking at Ifa's strong arms pulling the reins, his legs flexing with each guiding movement, how Ifa ignored Ororon's gaze as he passed, unbothered by the stare, his back muscles well defined by his shirt sticking to his skin due to sweat. Ororon would be stuck in a trance, completely dazed by the man until he walked out of Ororon's field of vision, if his daydream hadn't been interrupted by the man's horse rearing, frightened, taking both him and Ifa by surprise.

Ifa, the ever so experienced rider, safely got off the horse's back with one smooth motion, putting his muddied boots back on the ground to try and calm his horse. Ororon's legs moved on their own, he walked over to the man, and leaned back on the wooden fence that surrounded his home, his brain trying to think of the most appropriate thing to say. He was deciding between 'are you okay?' and 'did you get hurt?' when Ifa himself broke the silence.

"Fancy seeing you here, Ororon." He said, holding his horse's face gently. The horse, just like it got frightened in a second, calmed down in the next, like the only reason for his behavior was to give Ororon a chance to talk to Ifa. 'Thank you, Mr. Horse' Ororon thought.

"Well, I'm always here. It's my house." Ororon answered, Ifa rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah… I know. We just don't bump into each other often." Ifa fixed the crooked saddle on his horse's back, readying to go back. Ororon grumbled something about not leaving the house much during the day, or about his disdain for human interaction — Ifa didn't quite catch what he said, exactly, but he figured he knew Ororon well enough to guess his reasoning.

In reality, Ifa knew little about Ororon. If asked, he'd answer the same way anyone else in their little town would — he'd say that Ororon was just like his grandma. That's to say, he's a recluse, rarely seen, but much talked about.

He remembers that his friends used to talk, back when they were still young, about the old witch that lives in the very house he stands in front of, one of the first residents of their town, yet looking no older than twenty-five. They'd whisper made-up stories about the terrible curses she could put them under if they did so much as stepping a foot into her property. The kids spread their stories, the adults reprimanded them over it, yet they held their kids hands with stronger grips in the rare occasions Granny Itzli was seen outside.

Ororon had tons of rumors about him spread around, too. After all, lack of information induces people to rumor, and all that was known about Ororon was that, at maybe seven or eight years old, he appeared in their little town, taken under Citlali's wing, calling himself her grandson. Citlali had no children, let alone grandchildren — until that moment, that is —, so who in the world was that kid?

The locals had little time to get to know him, since he became a shut-in like his grandma a few months after arriving. For a week or two, he went to the same school as Ifa — well, the same school as all other kids too, as there is only one school in their town —, he was a sickly looking boy, as pale as he is nowadays, wearing a big sunhat and long sleeves, even in the hottest days, skinny as a twig and way too short for a kid his age — despite keeping his paleness, he bulked up quite a lot as he got older, now he was even a little taller than Ifa, with stronger arms, too.

He was a weird child, sure, not bad by any means, but his generally awkward demeanor and who his caregiver was gave the adults a lot to talk about, and their kids followed suit soon after. Ororon stopped going to school after a while, stirring rumors that Citlali finally got tired of him and turned him into a frog (debunked a day or two later, when Ororon was seen buying candy with some pocket money his granny gave him, then marching home happily with his pockets full with taffies and caramels).

With that, Ifa and Ororon's interactions were limited. Ifa visited Ororon from time to time, when he noticed the sickly boy didn't go to the market to buy seeds in the day he usually did or when he Citlali showed up at his family's farm asking for medical supplies, he figured that was when he could tell Ororon's illness flared up again, so he visited because no one should feel alone while recovering. He didn't know what illness Ororon was dealing with, since in his short visits he did little but to sit by Ororon's bed, listen to Ororon's feverish chatter, and hold his hand when he reached out for it. While the small visits never got them to truly know each other, it did gain him Citlali's favor, she wished him well one time while he left her house, what hopefully means she wouldn't be cursing him in the foreseeable future.

Ifa went quiet for too long, Ororon fidgeted nervously wondering if Ifa had noticed he was staring at his behind earlier. "Well, I guess it's sort of a good thing we haven't been seeing each other much. Means you've been healthy." Ifa said, fixing his hat.

"Granny said she wouldn't coddle me anymore if I got myself sick again. I've been more careful since." Ororon sighed. Ifa chuckles at the thought of an adult man being taken care of by his granny when he gets sick, but it does seem on brand for Ororon.

"Well then, if you're starting to take care of your health more, then maybe it's time you start getting some sun every once in a while. It would be good for you." Ifa says, wittily as he usually does, but Ororon can notice the care in his voice when he shares his advices. Ifa looking out for him makes his heart skip a beat, even if the man hasn't caught on to the fact that being in the sun for too long is usually what does a number on his health yet.

Ororon silently offered his hand to help Ifa get back on his horse, even if he knew he didn't need the help, and Ifa silently accepted. "Will do." Ororon lied, he felt like Ifa knew he wasn't being honest too.

Before Ifa could go back on his way home, Ororon remembered what he first wanted to say when he saw Ifa a few moments ago. He cleared his throat, Ifa looked back at him. "By the way, you look good today, Ifa." he spoke, then patted himself on the back for his successful, suave attempt at flirting.

Ifa stumbled over his words, awkwardly trying to fix his clothes and clean some of the sweat off his face, he didn't expect Ororon to comment on how much of a mess he looked like. "Ha, ha. Very funny." he said, sounding mildly peeved. "You bastard…" he murmured embarrassed, before pulling on the reins and leaving with his horse.

'Did I say something wrong?' Ororon thought, frowning.

Ororon stared out his room's window, watching the view of his small town slowly wrapping up their days, one by one the lights of each house turning off and their residents going to sleep. The lasts lamps to turn off were usually his own and, standing not very far, on the second floor of one of the few fancier houses the town had, the light coming from Ifa's room.

Ifa had the tendency of staying up until the late hours of the night, the reasons for it were unknown to Ororon, but his habit could be easily proven by the dark circles under Ifa's eyes, a feature he had since he was eleven or so. Ororon was a creature of the night, so, naturally, he was also usually the only other person awake at those hours. Even though he didn't use his time wisely, preferring to look out his window into the little light in the distance than go out hunting in the most advantageous hours of the day. Not that he needed to hunt, as he had an almost hot meal on the table every night for after he finished his work on the farm, cooked (or re-heated) by his granny. It was more than he could ask for, really — he re-payed the favor by preparing a meal for after she woke up, nutritious and healthy, so she could have energy for the whole day to come, but not too heavy, so it wouldn't upset her hangover affected body.

He watched as the last lamp dimmed out, leaving him and Ifa all alone again. He thinks it's the only reason he keeps his little habit, to keep that moment of solitude between him and his first (and only) friend. For some hours now, they'll be the only ones in this old town, the only ones awake and looking up at the dark sky above. Ororon wished he knew what Ifa was thinking about, and he hoped he thought about Ororon just like Ororon thought of him.

It was hopeful thinking, at best. Ororon wasn't delusional, not completely, at least, and he knew him and Ifa were far from being close, but it was closer than Ororon had ever gotten to anyone — except Granny, of course. For years he kept his desire to approach him, to run up to him when he passed by his house, to hold his hand and pull him to a hug, then to grab his jaw and tilt it just the right way, to scrape his sharp teeth on Ifa's neck, and then… Well, what can he say? He kept it hidden for a reason.

Granny pulled his ear once when he was a teenager, telling his to stop looking at Ifa like he was a piece of meat. Ororon rolled his eyes, because that wasn't what he was doing at all. He felt a little too strongly about Ifa, sure, but it's not like that…

Ifa was gentle and caring, and in Ororon's opinion, more than anyone actually deserved. There wasn't a single soul in this town that wouldn't sing praises for Ifa if given the chance, be it the old ladies that grab Ifa by the arm whenever he's close by to help them repair any old thing in their houses, the middle aged men trying to set Ifa up on a date with their daughters, or the little kids that climb on his back and beg him for help on their homework. Ifa helped the local church in their charity events, he helped people get their grocery shopping done when they were short in time, he sat by his window at the beginning of every day and played his old guitar to the morning birds before grabbing his hat and going out to work, returning late at night with his the dark circles under his eyes deeper than they were the day before.

Most of his work was little favors he did to people, and in the end he was paid with a couple pats on the back, a few additional cards in his mailbox on his birthday, and one more favor he would be asked to do tomorrow. Ororon himself has been a beneficiary of his help, as has everyone else, and he could see the genuine care Ifa showed him. Naturally, he wanted to repay Ifa's affections, but he had not a lot more than a small patch of ground for his vegetables and maybe some crumpled dollar bills to his name. He figured that the best way he could repay Ifa for his affections was caring for him in return.

Every month Ororon would pick the best vegetables in his crop and leave it by Ifa's door, hoping he would make good use of them and have a good meal, he never left a note to go with them, so he doubted Ifa knew who the sender was, if he did, Ifa would've already shown up at his door asking if Ororon needed any help, eager to repay debts he never had in the first place. That's just how he is.

He wished he could do more, like give Ifa a hand with treating the animals during the day, then at night rub his back to help alleviate the stress, but they weren't close enough for that, at least not yet. For now, all he could do is admire Ifa from a distance.

He'd figure something out, eventually.

Ifa has been awake for far longer than he usually did, Ororon noticed. Ifa usually woke up around an hour before the sunrise, so, in a couple hours at most, and he hasn't even gone to bed yet.

Ororon was also awake, but his day usually began way after the sun hit its highest spot, so he didn't have to worry about himself. He worried too much about Ifa, however. The last thing he should go through was tiring himself out before the day even started, because Ifa certainly won't skip a day of work.

Ororon was going to check on Ifa, just to see if the reason he's awake can be helped in any way. He opened his window, feeling the cold breeze hit his face, he let his body grow lighter, smaller, and… Well, fuzzier. Adjusting to his newly transformed bat-like body, he flapped his wings awkwardly, trying to balance his body in the air, getting used to the lower vision this form grants him. Thankfully, the single light in the distance would guide him to Ifa.

Ororon didn't transform into a bat often, mainly because there was no good reason for him to do so, most of the time, and because his granny warned him that no one in the town should see him do it. She told him about the myths they had of the monster with characteristics way too similar to his own condition. The beast she told him about, the blood-sucking, sunlight avoidant, shape-shifting creature, shared one too many similarities with Ororon, which is why she decisively said he should hide any and all things that could cause panic in that little town.

As far as he was aware, he wasn't a vampire, not exactly… Citlali did call him one, when she first let the small boy into her home, but Ororon can't agree with that description entirely. In his granny's old TV he watched all the movies he could about it, and each time he finished another one, more convinced he was that he couldn't be called a vampire. For starters, he had a perfectly visible reflection, be it on mirrors, water, their metal silverware… He checked it, his image could be reflected on all of it; he was completely immune to holy water, he even checked by sneaking in the town's church to put his hand on a bowl of holy water once, his skin seemed unaffected; he could consume garlic without any problems, though cinnamon did make his tongue a bit numb, but he never saw any vampires be weak to cinnamon. All things considered, he wasn't a vampire — even if the sun made him sick, and he had a taste for blood every once in a while, or if he could turn into a bat.

He approached Ifa's house in a few minutes, and with his blurry vision he could see a figure through the window that vaguely looked like Ifa. Now, he just had to be sneaky and make sure Ifa didn't see him. He flied closer to the window, trying to figure out what exactly Ifa was doing, but his eyes couldn't make out a thing, so he got a little closer…

Ifa jumped out of his chair, dropping the medical records he was sorting through on the table, startled by whatever just crashed with his window. He opened his window, looking around to see if there were any injured birds around, just to find a little animal curled up on one of the flower pots he keeps outside his window.

The critter looked like it could be a bat, maybe a squirrel, balled up protectively on itself, trying to hide the best it could. Ifa's heart clenched seeing the poor little thing, frightened, slightly shivering from the cold, and worst of all, possibly hurt. He couldn't stop himself from trying to help the poor animal, before he even realized he had put on his anti-bites gloves and reached out to the small animal.

Ororon felt Ifa's hands envelop him, holding his wings against his body, and bringing him inside his warm room. Ifa quickly wrapped the small bat with the first towel he could find, it was a little damp, Ororon wondered if it was the one Ifa used to shower. Ororon's leg was pressed uncomfortably against his body, aching with a pointed pain from the moment he crashed with the glass. Ifa pushed his face with one of his fingers, trying to identify any wounds the little bat could have.

He pushed Ororon's mouth open, pressing his gloved thumb in one of his fangs. "Hmm… One of your fangs is a little chipped, but all seems fine overall…" Ifa whispered. Even if he couldn't see Ifa all too well, he could hear him better than ever, so he was pleased. "I'm going to check your wings now. But don't try and bite me, alright, bro?" Ororon offered a low grunt in response, Ifa giggled lightly.

Ifa unwrapped a part of the towel from his body, his focus immediately shifting from his wing to the bat's leg. It was scratched and a bit swollen, didn't seem too serious, but it probably hurt a bit. Ororon curled his leg feeling a stinging pain, struggling to move with Ifa holding him. Ifa pressed his thumb on Ororon's forehead, petting him lightly, "Poor thing. I'm sorry my room's light confused you, little guy. I'll get a cold pack for you, it'll help with the pain."

Ifa held the cold pack against Ororon's leg, numbing the pain from the scratch. Ororon liked the way Ifa's warm hands and his rough leather of his gloves pressed against his whole body, in a way, it was comforting, though a part of his brain squirmed from thinking how weird it was for Ifa to be treating Ororon as one of his patients, but that part was muffled when put against the part of his brain that leaped in joy for being this close to Ifa.

"Are you purring, little guy?" Ifa laughed, one of his thumbs resting against Ororon's chest, "You must be feeling better.", the bat quickly broke off of his trance, realizing Ifa was right, he was indeed purring, he shook himself out of Ifa's hand.

"Don't be embarrassed. It's fine." Ororon almost crashed into Ifa's window again when trying to fly off his room, but he noticed the sun rising in the distance. Ifa noticed it too, his eyes went wide as he quickly put his medical records back into his drawer and grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt, about to start getting ready for this new day of work. Ororon looks at Ifa, seeing how his tired eyes unfocused while he tried to button up his shirt, his disheveled hair, the way he moves around trying to shake off his weariness…

Ororon's ears dropped, realizing that he distracted Ifa from getting his work done, and consequently, stopped him from sleeping. It felt terrible knowing that he helped making Ifa's day more difficult, especially when the only reason he came here was to help make it easier. He took from Ifa again, and gave nothing back, as he usually did. He hoped Ifa would forgive him if he knew, but he also sort of dreads that he knows Ifa would forgive him in an instant.

He needs to find a way to make up for it quickly, but first he needs to deal with this terrible feeling that is making his chest hurt and his mind heavier. He can barely think straight, he can barely keep himself on the air, his heart beats too loud and it disturbs his echolocation. He barely minds the rising sun hitting his face and making his skin sting or the migraine its causing him.

He dashed through his rooms window, flopping in the his bed and going back to his regular body. The muscles in his back hurt after staying in his bat form for too long, his skin was hot all over, unbearably so, and his head throbbed too much for him to think about anything. He couldn't even say if it was because of guilt or because he was out in the sun for about ten minutes (probably the latter).

Ororon just needed to close his eyes, sleep for a day or two, then give Ifa a huge basket of his vegetables and fruits to clear up his mind, even if he knew it was barely enough to repay Ifa. There was just so little Ororon could do, and thinking about how little space he occupied in Ifa's life made his head hurt more.

He sensed his room's door opening, and his Granny said something to him, he doesn't remember what, exactly, only that she got moderately annoyed at his dismissiveness. He dozed off soon after.

Citlali shook him awake a few minutes — or maybe a couple hours, he couldn't tell — later, she made sure he was wide awake to hear her, this time around. "I'm going to leave the house for some time. So, you'll be alone." Ororon hummed affirmatively, turning in bed readying to go back to sleep. "I haven't finished, you brat!" She pulled on his ear, making Ororon look at her again. "One of my chickens is acting weird, so I called a vet."

Ororon's eyes shot wide open, his face went redder than it already was. "Ifa. I called Ifa, yeah. And I need you to open the door and let him in." Citlali said, Ororon opened his mouth to protest, but Citlali shut him up. "And since you're feeling bad too, maybe have him stay for a bit to give you company."

He swore he heard Citlali murmur a 'you're welcome' while a small grin appeared it her face, the room fell silent right after. "Well, I take my leave now. Don't forget Ifa is coming."

"Wait, granny…" his head was still spinning too much for him to be able to form a coherent thought, "What's the chicken that's sick? What's wrong with it?" is what he said when he realized there was no fighting back Granny's scheme.

"Uh… Well… It's… The brown one. The one that laid the most eggs the past week. Yeah." She lied, already stepping out the door. "She's been… Making a weird noise. Have Ifa check that out after offering him some tea, alright?" She dashed out of the room before Ororon could say anything about it.

He would have to face Ifa much sooner than he wanted to, and he didn't even have enough vegetables to give him yet. He ran to the living room, his heart too unquiet to take a nap, he'd just sit on the couch until Ifa arrived. He paced from the living room to the kitchen, wondering if he should cut some fruit for Ifa in advance, then he went back to the living room thinking if Ifa would even stay after finding out there were no sick chickens for him to treat. He even went to their chicken coop to check for any chickens acting weirdly, he found none.

Ororon spent a good couple of hours pacing around his house before Ifa arrived, and even with all his thinking and wondering, he was still as nervous as he was before. Ifa knocks in the door a few times, Ororon lets him in silently. "Hey, Ororon. Is Citlali home?" he says.

"No. You seem tired."

"You always have something to say about how I look, huh?" Ifa laughed, rubbing his eyes like he was trying to scrub his eye bags off. "I am tired. I had a late night appointment last night, y'know how it is."

Ororon didn't answer, just nodded slightly, Ifa huffed. "Didn't sleep a wink. But it doesn't matter, so what's the chicken I need to check on?" Ifa's comment pricked through his heart a little, but he knew it was true…

"She got better, not making any weird noises anymore." He said, Ifa gave him a confused look.

"What? Citlali called me like the chicken was about to die!"

"She got better, so don't worry. Uh, do you want some tea?" He said while guiding the confused man towards the kitchen. "You already made the trip here, so maybe you should just stay for a while…" Ororon reasoned while putting some water to boil.

"Are you feeling alright, Ororon?" Ifa asked, out of the blue, Ororon's eyes shifted nervously. "I've noticed your face is way too red, and you're not talking like you usually do. Your voice sounds like, I don't know, nervous."

Ifa put the back of his hand on Ororon's forehead, an uneasy expression forming when he felt his boiling hot skin against his hand. "Citlali is not here either, is she grabbing medicine for you?"

Ifa shifted his back to his usual caring self immediately, fretting over Ororon while he was just trying to serve Ifa a cup of tea. "Ifa, it's not that..."

"It is that, though. Were you too embarrassed to call me, so Citlali did it for you?"

"No, no… I'd say you're in a worse state than I am, Ifa. Let me just get you some tea..!" Ifa shook his head, rolling his eyes like he did when Ororon said stupid things when his thoughts were too affected by fever. He brushed Ororon's worry off with an 'I'm fine, it's part of the job'.

He laughed at Ororon's pouty face, he wrapped his arm around Ororon's shoulders and tried leading him back to the living room. "You're so stubborn, jeez! I don't know how Citlali let you grow up to be like this." Ifa quipped, laughing like he wasn't the one making this much more difficult than it needs to be.

Ororon copied Ifa's gesture, wrapping his arm around the man's shoulder, but instead trying to drag them back to the kitchen. "You're stubborn. Just let me take care of you already." Ororon was laughing too, he wanted to seem serious so Ifa would stop messing with him, but he couldn't help it.

It was quite ridiculous seeing two grown adults with their arms wrapped around each other, playing tug of war to see to which place of the house they'd be dragged to while bantering like little kids. It took a while for them to realize that, however.

They sat on the floor between the kitchen and the living room, panting, their laugher slowly dying down, still undecided on who would be taking care of the other. Ororon tried to argue about Ifa being clearly on a worse condition again, but Ifa shut him down pretty fast.

"You seem so tired after that, Ifa. Like you haven't slept at all today."

"You're sweating so much, Ororon. Almost like you've got a fever."

"…"

Ororon dropped his head down, groaning while Ifa laughed. He scooted over to sit next to Ororon, placing his hand on top of his head. "Just let me make you some tea and then you can take a nap. After that I promise to work super fast so I can go home and rest like you oh-so-want me to, alright, bro?"

He pushed Ifa's hand away from his head, "Not alright. You're not the type to hurry to get work done so you can rest. I can't believe you're lying to me." he said. Ifa placed his hand on top of Ororon's head again and ruffled his hair to show his annoyance.

They argued for a bit more, though their argument was just repetitions of Ifa saying 'You don't know that' and Ororon replying with 'Yes I do'.

"How much time do you have until your next patient?" Ororon asked after their fruitless discussion ended.

"Hm… About an hour, maybe. So we better wrap this up soon so I can take care of you and still be on time for the next appointment." Ororon lightly swatted Ifa's arm, annoyed. Ifa still found it very amusing.

"This is getting nowhere. Why don't we just nap together?" Ororon suggested.

"The heck are you on about, bro?" Ifa chuckled like Ororon said something so outrageous he couldn't possibly be serious.

"We're both tired, and we both want each other to rest, so…"

"You gotta be joking. We can't— I'm not…" Ifa stopped mid sentence when Ororon groaned, way more annoyed than the times before. He sighed, what would be so weird about a guy crashing at his friend's place when he needed to? It didn't need to be anything more than that.

"Yeah, whatever. Sure, let's sleep together— Uh, I mean, nap together. Just for half an hour, alright?" It was weird seeing how Ororon lit up almost instantly. His eyes shined with glee, he smiled brightly while he pulled Ifa to his room — Ifa noticed one of his canines was a little chipped. Crazy coincidence, he guesses.

Ororon's room was pitch black, darker even than the rest of the house, with thick blackout curtains covering the single small window, not a single sunbeam creeping in. Ifa was pulled through the room by Ororon, that navigated in that dark mess like he could see in the dark, while Ifa stepped on a couple of magazines scattered through the floor and bumped his hip on a drawer on the way to his bed. Ororon apologized for it, whispered something saying he forgot Ifa couldn't see anything in the dark, and lit up a single candle on top of the drawer.

Ororon's bed was big enough for them to comfortably sleep in while putting some respectable distance between them, but it didn't stop Ifa from feeling weird about lying in bed with another guy by candlelight. He wasn't sure why he was being so weird about it, he knew the guy for ages, and they were friends, there was nothing else to it.

He rested his bed in Ororon's pillow, he closed his eyes, but he couldn't sleep. He felt Ororon staring at the back of his head. "Ororon?" he whispered, checking to see if he hadn't dozed off yet.

"Yeah?" he whispered back.

"Oh, nothing… Why is your room so dark?" He asked, Ororon laughed softly. "Too much light makes my head hurt and irritates my skin." He explained, Ifa hummed in understanding.

"Is that why you don't go out much?" Ifa asked, turning to look at Ororon. He chuckled, "When we were younger, kids used to say it was because you were a vampire. Kids can be so creative, huh… And pretty mean."

Ifa laughed sweetly, pitying the young, alone boy, and consoling the older, not as alone Ororon. Ifa saw Ororon shifting in place, then moving out of his part of the bed, entering the personal space Ifa had set mentally. He loomed over Ifa, staring at him with his bright different colored eyes, one of the reason's the rumors spread like wildfire back in the day, he opened his mouth slightly, only enough for the tip of his canines to appear, one chipped blunt, the other as sharp as ever. Maybe too sharp.

Ororon had changed his mind. The kind, gentle man deserved to know, he wanted him to know. Maybe Ifa could never understand it, but just knowing and accepting it would be enough. If he knew, Ororon could approach him without the uncertainty, he could help Ifa in the ways he can, he could hide from one less person, and they could be together after all these years. Ifa's white lashes fluttered with nervousness, staring up at him. Looking at him like this made thinking harder.

"It's not like that." Ororon whispered, lowering his head, keeping himself way too close to Ifa's neck, way too close to his face. "People always say I am different, that's true, but I'm not evil. It's just the way I am, and I can't change." Ifa didn't move, he let Ororon get his teeth closer to his jaw, he raised his head instinctively, his heart beating fast. "I can't help it, Ifa."

Ifa doesn't say a word, he barely moves. "Just stay with me, Ifa, is all I ask. Let's be together, please?" He notices how nervous Ifa is, how red his face is and he hears how loud his heartbeat is. Hearing a confession like his must be frightening, to say the least, but he didn't scream at him, or got up and left, so Ororon took it as him saying he just needs some time to think about it, even if he didn't actually say anything. He got out of Ifa's personal space, giving him more space to breathe and think about it.

"Ororon…" Ifa gasped for air, he was holding his breath involuntarily before. "I need to go." He said, pushing away the bit of hope Ororon had. He got up from the bed and rushed out the door, his next appointment wasn't scheduled to start soon, but he needed to get out of there. He bumped on Ororon's drawer again, the candle fell down and lit off, Ifa didn't have time to apologize. He ran out of the house, he didn't stop running when he got outside.

He wasn't in the right mind to ride his horse that day, much less to drive his car, so he was walking to his all his clients houses. He ran in the general direction of his next appointment until his lungs ran out of air and his legs hurt too much to keep going, his lack of exercise and sleep were showing at that moment. He stopped when he couldn't see Ororon's house anymore, standing by the side of the street and wheezing for air.

His throat hurt too much, his legs, and his lungs, his chest and his head… It was too much. Just the thought of what Ororon said made his head throb.

"Ifa!" Someone shouted behind him, thankfully it wasn't Ororon. "Ifa, I saw you running like crazy just now. What's up with you?" Mutota asked, grabbing Ifa by the shoulder and forcing him to sit down, then handing him a water bottle. Mutota was one of his family's friend since way before Ifa was born, basically the only one that Ifa could seek for a shoulder to lean on, at least since his parents died.

"I—" Ifa tried to talk, but Mutota interrupted, telling him to catch his breath before talking.

"You were at that boy's house… What's his name again?" He asked, patting Ifa's back. "…Ororon." Ifa answered between hard breaths. Mutota pulled his ear slightly.

"Shush, don't talk." Mutota shut him up again. "Ororon's house, yeah. Did he do something to prompt your running?" Ifa shook his head, because he would rather Mutota didn't know. Mutota hummed, Ifa knew he wasn't completely convinced.

"That's good. Don't get me wrong, I know Ororon never did anything wrong, but I can't say I know him very well either. All I can say is we all know he's a tad queer." Mutota chuckled, "In every sense of the word."

Ifa shifted uncomfortably, he didn't feel like approaching that topic again. "Though it doesn't make him all bad, I guess." Mutota shrugged.

"I guess he can't help it." Ifa said, Mutota nodded without giving the topic much thought. Ifa thought about it a little too much, he ran his hands through his hair, 'I can't help it either.' was what he kept repeating in the back of his mind.

Mutota chuckled lightly, "Well, if it wasn't for that fairy creeping you out, then what was it?"

Ifa's vision blurred, his stomach turned. Today hadn't been easy on him at all. "Don't call him that, Mutota…" Ifa let out a strained laugh, the man by his side laughed too. "I'm not feeling well, that's all." He said.

"Ororon is nice, y'know. He even offered to let me sleep in his couch if I wasn't feeling well." Ifa lied, barely able to stay awake, but still worrying over defending Ororon's dignity. He bets Ororon himself doesn't care much about it, but Ifa still cares about him, and hearing people slandering him like that made him feel bad.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry for assuming the worse. I'm aware you have a soft spot for that guy, for whatever reason." He said, offering Ifa some help to get back on his feet. "Tell me who your next appointments are and I'll call them to say you aren't coming. I'll ask some people to cover for you today, alright? You know there's no point in arguing with me, so don't say a word." Mutota said, throwing Ifa's bag over his horse's back.

"You need to be healthy for the festival, you know that. I've seen with my own eyes how many people are counting on you." He said, Ifa nodded.

In a couple of days, they would have their annual festival — the one time of the year people from other cities would visit their town, be it to buy good food, farm animals, or have a taste of their bucolic, charming lifestyle, maybe even stir up a fantasy of retiring and living in a rural area that would lead to them buying some land years from now. Ifa cared little for their motives, all he knew is that it was the most profitable time for the local residents, and that he should help.

"I didn't forget." Ifa said. He shouldn't let his internal complicated thoughts affect others, so he would forget all about it, he decided.

Ororon navigated through the crowd of people, the scalding hot sun in the sky being blocked off only by a hat and long sleeves, he held his hat strings tightly so it wouldn't fall off his head if someone bumped on him. The sun was sure to set in a couple of hours, making the festival safer for him to attend, but he felt he should be there early.

Not because he cared for the festivities, he never did, him and granny usually stayed home during those days, playing board games and complaining of the noisy visitors, but because he knew Ifa would be there, he always was.

Ifa hadn't reached out after sprinting out of Ororon's house, and Ororon was still waiting for an answer. Granny told him that was because Ifa wanted nothing to do with him, that it was a rejection, but how could she be so sure? Ifa hadn't said anything at all, he didn't say 'yes', but he also didn't say 'no'; it was open ended, so he would look for Ifa and ask him in person if he's decided or if he just needs more time to think.

Ororon dreaded his decision, as being pushed around by a crowd of people was anything but fun, he wondered if he should ask Ifa why he participated every year. Despite the outrageous number of people in the festival, he found Ifa pretty easily. Both because Ifa would always be the first person he would notice in any place he went to, no matter how many people where there, and because he was usually behind the stalls, being assigned tasks to do or offering help. Ororon simply sat near a stall filled with countless baskets of fruits and waited until Ifa inevitably showed up.

Not very long after, Ifa passed behind the stall, carrying a tall pile of egg cartons over to a food stall nearby. The lady taking care of the fruit stall called for him, Ifa nodded as he took her request. He quickly delivered the egg cartons, then set on to do his next task, Ororon went after him.

Ifa stopped by a small truck and started picking the boxes from the trunk, piling them up on the floor. Ororon stood behind him, waiting for him to finish up whatever he was doing. When he did, he closed the car trunk and turned around, slightly jumping back in surprise when he saw Ororon.

"Do you need help?" Ororon said, pointing to the boxes, there where too many for him to carry on his own.

"No need, I'll just take half and then come back for the rest. You should go enjoy the festival." Ifa said, hurriedly. He didn't want face Ororon, not right now, not ever, but he was way too polite to be able to tell Ororon that.

His face was a bit red, he was sweating a lot, the dark circles under his eyes didn't look much better than they did when they last talked. Ororon picked up the boxes even if Ifa didn't want him to.

"I don't care for the festival. I wanted to talk to you, that's all." Ororon said, following Ifa as he tried to put some more distance between them.

"I can't talk today, I'm helping with the festival." Ifa sped his walk, Ororon followed suit so they could keep talking.

"Surely you'll take breaks, and I can wait."

Ifa dropped the wood boxes he was carrying with a loud thud, then turned to the stall owner when she began to thank him for his help. He barely looked at Ororon before he started walking to another stand, Ororon trailed after him.

"It won't take long, I promise." He held Ifa's wrist, he didn't pull it or squeezed it to force Ifa to stay, but Ifa stopped walking anyway. He sighed loudly, ran his hands through his hair and tried to catch his breath.

"I just don't know what you want, Ororon. There's nothing for us to talk about." Ifa looked around, wary of possible unwanted listeners to their conversations. "Let's go somewhere else. We can talk a little, but make it fast." Ororon brightened up when Ifa said it, pulling him without warning away from the crowded town.

They stopped by the bank of a small creek near the town's limits, alone, since the thin stream of water usually didn't catch the attention of local residents or the newly arrived visitors. They knew for sure that whatever they would talk about would be heard by only them and the small fish in the flowing water.

"Ifa, do you remember what I asked of you?" Ororon asked, Ifa nodded. The following silence extended for far too long, Ororon expected Ifa to break it, but he never did. "So, uh, did you think about it?"

"No, what's there to think about? We can't be together." He watched the disappointment fill Ororon's eyes, the way his lip quivered nervously, how he avoided Ifa's eyes. Ifa had to say it, but he felt terrible after saying it. "I know it's not your fault, but—"

"I promise I won't hurt you, Ifa. I never hurt anyone." Ororon's voice was shaking, even with him trying to hide it, he sniffled and tried to dry the few tears forming in his eyes. Ifa wanted to get closer, desperately, but he couldn't risk giving Ororon false hope.

"I know. It's just… We can't…" Ifa stumbled over his words, trying to get his thoughts in order. "I hope you the best, I really do, but we can't be… I can't be gay, Ororon. What would people think of me? God knows I care about you so much it hurts, but I can't—"

Ororon sniffed loudly, drying his eyes. In a weak voice, he muttered, "What does being gay have to do with it?"

"What? You're asking me out, right? Because you are gay, and I am… Well…" Ifa muttered.

"I'm asking you for us to be closer, even though I'm a vampire. Kind of a vampire, I guess." Ororon looked less sad then before, but Ifa went pale, trying to formulate a coherent response.

"I want us to be close so I can take care of you, since you're always taking care of others, but I don't think it would work if you didn't know about this part of me." Ororon continued, trying to clear Ifa's confusion. "Why did you think I was asking you out?"

Ifa stuttered a bit, trying to find the words to explain. "I don't know. You were just talking about how you were different and how you couldn't change… About how it didn't make you evil, and how you couldn't help it, and, well, I thought the same things before, I couldn't stop myself from assuming we were the same." He sighed, like a big weight was taken off his back.

"Geez, Ororon, you can't be saying stuff like that so cryptically. I really believed you were also…" Ifa laughed, drying some tears from his eyes. "I don't mind it, Ororon. We can still be friends, and as long as you keep my secret, I'll keep yours."

Ororon shook his head, "Ah, it's not like that. We are the same. I just always thought I had bigger fish to fry." He looked at the sky, seeing the sun almost setting, the moon already partially visible. "I've worried more about people thinking of me as a blood-thirsty monster than as a queer. Granny doesn't mind it."

Ororon took off his hat as the sun set completely, holding it close to his chest. "I can't say I never thought about us being together like that. I believed it could never happen, but if we're both gay, we could give it a try."

"I can't, Ororon."

"You keep saying that you can't, but never that you don't want to. What's stopping you?" Ifa shook his head, keeping his eyes away from Ororon's. "I can't, I can't, I told you I can't." He repeated, Ororon frowned. "What would they think of me? What if they don't trust me anymore, what if they think I'm a sexual deviant, or I'm a—"

"They don't have to know, do they? You're a big boy, Ifa. You don't have to report everything you do to them anymore."

Ifa wondered for how long they could keep it a secret, how long until everyone found out, he shivered at the thought of the kind greetings he got when he walked around town being replaced with cold stares and whispered rumors — but Ororon seemed to have dealt with it all, he doesn't seem too bothered, but Ifa and Ororon are very different people.

Ororon reached out to hold his hands, cold skin, his sharp nails slightly digging Ifa's palms. Made him want to run away back to the town, forget this conversation never happened, then turn his head the other way whenever he saw Ororon. He painfully raised his eyes to meet Ororon's, reassuring and caring, made him want to stay, maybe get a small farm in the outer parts of the town, lie about it to the prying farmers annoyed their trusted vet moved so far, maybe he could say something about starting to offer his services to the town over, and living far away helped him commute. Their little farm could have some animals, cows, chickens, horses, maybe some pigs, Ifa would take care of them, then a garden for Ororon to care for — Ifa couldn't think of the details for this part, he knew too little about agriculture for it.

Ifa lowered his head again, Ororon's hand felt a little warmer than before. He never thought he would marry, and he never will, but he could get close to it, as close as someone like him could get. They wouldn't marry at the church, or even have a ceremony, they wouldn't go on honeymoon, or even take days off work, people wouldn't congratulate them, since they wouldn't even know — Citlali would know, he assumes. Ifa would like to tell Mutota, but he doesn't think he should. Thinking about it now, it would be lonely existence, had he not had Ororon.

It's too early to think of any of that, he should focus on the present, now. He realized he was silent for far too long, but Ororon still held his hand, waiting expectantly for his answer. Ifa's throat was dry, he had to force the words out of his mouth, "We can try, if you can keep a secret."

Ororon got closer, moving his hands to Ifa's waist, pulling him close. Ifa turned his head when Ororon's face got to close to him, hiding the embarrassment. "It'll be hard, you know. Keeping it hidden, I mean."

He hummed as he pulled Ifa's face closer to his again. "I know."

"And also —" Ifa said, pulling away again, reluctant to give in. "It won't be nice to date me. I work all the time, and I'm always tired..! It'll be hard for us to spend time together!"

"I know." Ororon rested his head on Ifa's shoulder, waiting for him to be ready to face him. "I'm ready to work for it."

Ifa laughed embarrassed, keeping their faces at a safe distance. Maybe he wasn't aware they were supposed to kiss now? Ororon understands, if he hadn't made a throughout research on the matter by reading all of Granny's countless books on the subject, he also wouldn't know.

"Ifa, we should kiss now." he informs, trying to bring his face closer.

Ifa stutters, trying to regain some of the distance, being stopped by Ororon's hands holding him by the waist. "Someone might see us."

"There's no one here, they're all at the festival."

"Ugh…" Ifa shook his head, "Make it quick, alright? Once where alone, we'll do it right."

Ororon didn't wait too long to kiss him, just a faint touch of lips before pulling away slightly. Ifa closed the gap between them again, breaking his own demand. One soft kiss, held just for a moment too long.

Ifa untangled Ororon's arms from around his waist, he lies on the floor, sighs like he's catching his breath. Ororon sits besides him, not too sure where to rest his hands — Granny's books would tell him to rest them in Ifa's thigh, but it doesn't feel right to do it now.

"I think I've been ignoring the glaring issue at hand." Ifa said after a moment of silence, "The heck do you mean you're a vampire, dude?"

Ororon laughed at Ifa's confused face, as well as how long it took for him to ask about it. "Just sort of."

Ifa sighed, jokingly irritated. "What does that mean?" he asks.

"Hm, I guess I share some of their characteristics, but not all." He answers, Ifa raises an eyebrow. "Sun hurts me, that's probably why I was always sick as a child. And I can turn into a bat— ah, maybe you already knew that."

"Huh? Why would I know?" Ifa asked, brows furrowing slightly, Ororon shortly laughed at his expression, because most people wouldn't describe Ifa as 'cute' in any occasions, but Ororon fails to think of one where the word didn't fit him.

"I visited you as a bat once. It wasn't long ago, Ifa, you should remember." He said, staring at Ifa's face until realization came to him. Ifa opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't think of anything worth saying, he just nodded. Ororon enjoyed seeing Ifa at a loss for words, embarrassed, slightly annoyed… It was so different from his usual behavior, and Ororon liked being privy to this side of him. Ororon also took his silence as a request for him to keep talking.

"I'm nocturnal, and naturally, I can see in the dark." Ifa hums in understanding, urging him to keep going. "I have a reflection, though. And I can eat garlic, and holy water can't kill me. I never tried a wooden stake through my heart, though..." Ifa laughs, Ororon isn't too sure why. "What else is there…" he pondered.

"Do you drink blood?" Ifa asked. Ororon flinched a bit at the question, but he knew Ifa didn't mean harm.

"I could. But you'll find out it's not nearly as nutritious as eating vegetables." he laughed, "I don't drink human blood, no." he concluded.

"Hm… What about animal blood?" Ifa's voice was still calm, not accusing or blaming, so Ororon kept talking.

"Sometimes, I guess, but not often." Ifa nodded, diverting his eyes to the river in front of them, relaxed. Ororon smiled slightly, then cleared his throat, keeping his eyes on Ifa to catch his reactions. "I just eat some mice that bother Granny's farm, sometimes."

Ifa's eyes went wide, his nose scrunched faintly and he got back of his feet quickly, Ororon laughed as he tried to stop Ifa from running off. He cleaned his mouth with the back of his hand, "You eat mice and kiss me with the same mouth? Dude, what the hell?!"

"Ifaa… I'm just joking, I promise!" He laughed watching Ifa struggle to get off his grip.

"You're not funny at all!" Ifa said, but Ororon could see him smiling. "Get off me, I need to go help with the festival!" He said with feigned annoyance.

"Say you're not mad at me first." Ororon said, strengthening his hold on Ifa's leg.

"No, let me go."

"Say it!!"