Chapter Text
The fight with his blood brother nearly cost him his soul and heart.
With his head buried between his hands he could only glower more at his thoughtless actions.
This house.
These memories.
They haunt him everyday and night.
How could he possibly face his brother the way he is now.
“Camille, are you ok?”
Breaking him out of his self deprecating thoughts was the soft voice of his only trusted friend.
The Endministrator.
“I-I'm fine.”
“Just know, I am here for you. The good and the bad.”
Then with an outstretched hand directed at him, all Camille could do was stare.
This man has been with him through thick and thin and he still reaches out towards him.
With all unintentional attitude he’s been giving the Endmin, he’s still surprised he stuck around.
The Endministrator's fingers remained patiently extended toward him, accompanied by that small, almost awkward smile he always seemed to wear whenever silence lingered too long between them.
It should have been an ordinary gesture.
A simple offer to help him stand.
Instead, it unraveled something deep inside Camille's chest.
Trust.
Not obligation.
Not pity.
Unbridled Trust.
His pulse echoed loudly in his ears, each heartbeat stronger than the last. He had spent years believing that part of himself had died alongside the people who died in this place he once called home.
Yet here it was again.
Fragile.
Terrifying.
Alive.
Drawing a slow breath, Camille reached forward.
Cold leather gloves met soft warm hands.
The Endministrator tightened his grip, preparing to pull him upright.
But Camille pulled first.
Caught off guard, the Endministrator stumbled forward with a quiet sound of surprise before landing squarely against Camille. His knees settled instinctively on either side of the vampire's hips to stop himself from falling completely, one hand still firmly clasped around Camille's.
For a heartbeat neither of them moved.
The Warmth.
That was the first thing Camille noticed.
The Endministrator radiated warmth like sunlight trapped beneath winter clothing, seeping through layers of fabric until it reached skin that had long forgotten what comfort felt like.
His heart faltered.
Far too close.
Camille slowly lifted his gaze.
A pair of aqua-green eyes searched the familiar black mask.
Always the mask.
Always that barrier.
If only he could see the man hidden behind it.
"Camille?" the Endministrator asked softly, concern replacing surprise.
"Did your arm start hurting again?"
His voice was gentle.
Earnest.
It made Camille's chest ache.
Before he could stop himself, he leaned forward until his forehead rested lightly against the Endministrator's chest.
Listening to the beat of his heart.
Strong.
Steady.
The rhythmic beat beneath layers of clothing filled the silence between them.
He closed his eyes.
When had it been so long since he'd listened to another person's heartbeat?
"Camille...?"
Carefully, almost hesitantly, the Endministrator wrapped both arms around his shoulders.
The embrace wasn't forceful.
It was cautious.
An invitation.
A shiver raced the length of Camille's spine.
His fingers tightened instinctively around the man's jacket.
He didn't want this moment to end.
“Endmin, what colour are your eyes?”
The question hung strangely in the air.
“My…eyes?” He replied.
Camille nodded.
“I've been trying to imagine the colour of your eyes.”
With no response Camille continues his confession.
“I may not understand the reasons you wear the mask” his voice softens.
“-but for my own selfish desires, I want to see your eyes.”
At last, he lifts his head.
Confusion was settled across the Endministrators face, though there was no trace of discomfort.
Only curiosity.
Slowly Camille unravels a hand from the other man's waist.
If he didn't act now.
If he hesitated.
He didn't know if he would ever find the courage to do this again.
His gloved hand rose between them before coming to rest on the Endmin's lower jaw.
Warm.
That was the only way he could describe this man in his entirety in this exact moment.
He was warmth incarnate.
To his surprise the Endministrator leaned further into the palm of his hand.
As though the gesture was the most natural thing in the world.
That little movement broke what little composure Camille had left.
The words escaped before he could stop them.
One after another.
“I wanted to gaze upon you.” Camille admitted.
“-To etch your face into memory, to bask in the trust you've shown me, like standing beneath the warmth of the sun.”
Each confession baring his blood to the man who saved him from further destruction.
And the Endmin never interrupted.
Patient.
Always patient with him.
But Camille was not.
Camille let out an unsteady breath.
“I know, you may not understand what I'm trying to say.”
His voice falters.
“Truthfully, I don't understand these feelings myself…”
Then Silence settled between them.
Neither man moved.
Camille could feel the Endministrators soft breathing hitting his face.
That unmistakable warmth.
His fingers curled slightly on the other's face.
Then the vampire whispered to himself.
Like a prayer.
“If I must…”
He leaned forward until their breaths started to intermingle.
“...I will beg for your forgiveness later.”
Then he closed the gap.
Their lips met with a gentle brush.
The Endministrator froze.
Surprise widened his eyes, but yet he didn't move.
His hands remained on Camille's back, curling unconsciously at the fabric of his jacket.
Then he leaned further into the kiss.
Neither man wanted this moment to end.
Camille's heart was pounding, almost to the point he swore he could hear his own blood rushing in his ears.
Even now.
Even after pushing the boundaries.
The Endministrator hadn't pulled away.
Carefully, Camille raised a gloved hand and traced the outline of the mask.
Not to remove it.
But to feel the face hidden beneath it.
The face that smiled at him.
To the eyes that saw him for who he was.
The one who trusted him.
The Endministrator.