Chapter Text
The reflection of the moonlight off the waves hit the base of a lighthouse. Kristopher never paid much mind to it though, as he never really had the need for a lighthouse after all. He kicked off his sandals and shrugged off his jacket, revealing his well toned and physique. His trunks, plain white with a black trim complemented him pretty well, at least he liked to think that. His board, brown with a Yin-Yang on one end of it, laid on the ground beside him.
Kristopher surfed frequently and was more than knowledgeable on the subject. Not to say he was a bad man, but was cocky in his abilities more often than not. And tonight he had decided to go out, despite the waves already looking too rough, let alone the warnings in the forecast that morning.
Corbin peered out of the balcony of the lighthouse, over the edge of the cliff, down onto the beach. This was something he did often, as it was the only time he could get fresh air without committing suicide. But as he could only be out in the dead of night, he never spotted anything noteworthy. He never had company either, for the same reason. Corbin lived alone for centuries in that lighthouse. Abandoned by his parents in his early years, he learned to fend for and take care of himself. Not that he had to do much though, as Corbin was a vampire. He did not need food per se, instead living off the blood from the cattle at a nearby farm he frequented every few nights.
His whole world would change, though, as tonight, when he gazed longingly onto the shore, he saw a man, who had collapsed on the shore. His body was limp and pushed up against a large black stone. Corbin had never been put in a situation like this before. He wanted to save the man, but this also put him at risk of being discovered by a human, and possibly killed. His mind raced, his heart paced.
A quick, sharp swishing of the wind could be heard, and a bat flew out of the lighthouse. It flew over to the man’s body, landing just in front of his feet, and transforming back into Corbin. He looked at the man’s face, just as pale as his. He could only think of one thing to do, the only thing a courteous vampire such as himself could do.
The next morning, Kristopher awoke with a sharp gasp, followed by a series of intense coughs. He gazed around the room he was in, extremely outdated for 1998. Everything was colored with black, white, gray, and highlights of red. The dust and cobwebs made it feel even older. He felt it resembled a Victorian era castle, or something of the sort. He wasn’t exactly a history buff. The creaking of stairs interrupted his thoughts, and he turned to see a skinny and oddly pale man walking down them.
“Ah, you are finally awake. I was worried about you.”
“I… uh… I guess I am? The hell’s goin’ on here dude?”
Corbin approached Kristopher with a sense of urgency, but still managed to remain calm and composed. He did not want to scare a human. “You were lying on the shore last night. You looked… deceased.”
Kristopher remained calm as well, now with the realization that this man had saved his life. Oddly enough, he never really questioned the man’s paleness or the fact he looked like a live corpse. “Oh! Well, uh thanks for savin’ me man. I owe you one. You drink? I could cover ya’ some beers,” he reached into the pockets of his trunks instinctively. Nothing. “If I can find my damn wallet…”
“Oh, I do not really drink alcohol. Thank you, however, you do not need to gift me anything.”
“Rad, rad… so uhhh… where am I? If ya’ don’t mind me askin’.”
“Ah, you are in my tower. On the edge of the cliff. That is how I found you, as well. From the balcony on top.”
“Gnarly place ya’ got here man. Love the uh, haunted house vibe.”
“Thank you, my friend.” Corbin looked into Kristopher’s eyes. And there was something about the way Kristopher looked back into his, that made Corbin feel truly seen and appreciated. Suddenly, he felt his heartbeat quicken. He felt nauseous. His hands started to tremble slightly. He had never felt this way before. What was this feeling?
Kristopher stood up off the couch he was slouched on. “Name’s Kristopher, but you can just call me Kris,” he put his right hand out expecting a shake. “You?”
Corbin’s old soul did not know what to do with Kristopher’s hand. He awkwardly stretched his left hand out. “Ah, my name is Corbin. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Kristopher switched his hands to be able to properly shake Corbin’s. “Far out name ya’ got man. Your parents must’ve loved ya’ a lot.” This got a small chuckle from Corbin. “Now if I remember correctly, I’m pretty sure that I left my wallet and keys out on the shore. You wanna come with?”
Corbin’s eyes traced up and down Kris’s entire body. Something about the lack of a top and his build only made him more nervous. “I cannot. The sun is harmful to me. My sincerest apologies, Kris.”
“‘S’all good duder! You got an address or a number or something so we could hang some more?”
Corbin froze up. He was unsure of what any of these new words meant, but he was an honest man. “I… I am unsure of what you mean.”
“You don’t know what a phone number is, man?! Get with the times, haha. You’ve gotta be like from the 1600’s or somethin’!” Little did Kris know, that was actually the truth.
“I suppose so, ha."
“Well, I know my way around town. I’ll be back eventually, I owe you a solid, dude.”
“I shall see you again, then, Kris.” He waved, as Kris headed towards the front door.
“See ya later, dude!” Waiving with one hand, Kris opened the door with the other, causing Corbin to retreat up the stairs to avoid the sunlight that may come through the door. But he still managed to shout from the top of them;
“Goodbye… dude.” He added on awkwardly, wanting to act similar to Kris. Kris grinned and walked out of the door. Corbin felt warmth in his body for the first time in ages. He felt so happy and overjoyed, not just due to the fact he had made his first friend, ever…
But due to the fact that he was also in love.