A Daemon and His Work

"One hundred percent okay." Samael responded confidently, trying to make her smile. "As promised. Those three won't be coming after us any time soon, however. Lysander and Janie might die when the sun comes up anyways, how badly I hurt them." He smiled, although inside he was shameful. He had vowed never to use that destructive power combined from vampire and Daemon blood. Every time he did so, it always left him feeling like he was losing a part of the good in him, and he didn't like it. He would feel...evil. "The whole thing's a story for the ages," He said, lowering his voice once inside, "but I'll tell you it later, when you've recovered." With one hand, he opened the basement door, his vampire vision allowing him to see in the near-pitch black darkness. Gingerly, he set her on the bed, taking off the makeshift bandage. Digging through his bag again, he found a half-used roll of bandage, and wrapped it around her neck, much in the same fashion he did with his sleeve, then wrapping more around the wound in her back, stopping the bleeding. "You'll be fine." He said in the darkness, hoping his smile showed through his voice.
 
Yuuki nodded and smiled a bit, happy that Samael had kept his promise to her. She wondered what he meant about the sun, then realized that those old vampire stories might be true. Did they really turn to ash or something? She wasn't sure, and she didn't quite dare ask in case he laughed at her. Something to ponder later, she figured. She laid on the bed and allowed him to bandage her up, slightly disconcerted that he could see so well in the dark when she was practically blind. The tiny window in the corner only let in a little moonlight, just enough to almost see his silhouette.


"I know I will," she replied simply, then hesitated. Never before had she had a problem with darkness of any sort, or fears of the monsters under her bed. Now, however.. She realized that she was scared to sleep. Shifting anxiously, she bit her lower lip and tried to ignore the problem for a few minutes before she just couldn't. "Um.. Samael? Could you.. maybe.. lay with me for a little while?" she asked slowly, her voice quiet since she figured he'd just wave her off and say no.
 
"Of course." Samael said warmly, in a voice as quiet as hers. Carefully, he lay next to her, gently shutting his eyes, not sleeping, but not fully awake, either. She was so cold, an after-effect of Jun's attack earlier. He hoped his body temperature was enough to warm her. Internally, he fought himself, trying to lie to himself that the real reason he had gone into "power-mode" was because he had felt that she would die, and his Contract bound him. But the real reason was he was developing feelings for this human girl. He know he shouldn't, it would only complicate things, give the vampires more ammunition against him, but it was the truth, and part of his Contract was to say the truth, nothing but the truth. His brow crinkles slightly at this argument within himself, a light scowl on his lips.
 
Surprised and relieved as he agreed, she remained perfectly still as he got on the bed with her. She didn't want to squirm and make things difficult, but he was soon settled in beside her. The warm from his body was like a furnace compared to her cold self, and she slid her icy fingers in her sweater to keep from shivering. She wiggled down under the blanket - laying part of it on him too, of course, since she knew that it got very cold in the basement at night. In seconds she was yawning, exhausted in every sense of the word. She closed her eyes and nestled close against Samael without really thinking about it, seeking warmth and comfort on an instictive level. Soon she had drifted into a light sleep, getting into an amusing dream about anime.
 
For a second after Yuuki nestled close to him, Samael stiffened, never having been touched in such a way, but he soon decided he liked it. When he was sure she was asleep, he whispered into the night, "I do believe I like her." He closed his eyes again, realizing how tired his attack had made him. He slept with his arms folded across his chest, ready to get into action at a moment's notice, at the sound of anything moving that wasn't right beside him. A light smile danced on his lips, the normal lines between his eyebrows gone as he relaxed. As he fell into sleep's embrace, he willed himself not to have the night terrors that happened nearly every night, lest he disturb her. And, his prayers were answered, and for the first time in several years, he slept without fear of anything.
 
Yuuki slept free of nightmares, which was unexpected considering the day she had. She didn't stir in the least until several hours later, around midmorning. Stretching a bit, she got up carefully, hoping not to wake Samael. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, she trudged over to her dresser and pulled open the drawer, pulling out fresh clothes. She toddled up the stairs and wandered into the bathroom, coming out several minutes later freshly showered and dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a white shirt. Leaving her bloodstained sweater behind to soak in the sink, she stretched and touched her neck tentatively. She had taken off the bandages, but it felt oddly tender. Hopefully that would fade soon.
 
When he awoke, the now-familiar shape of Yuuki's body was gone from his side. He sat straight up, panicking for a second before he could hear her moving about upstairs. He rubbed a crusty dust-like substance from the corners of his eyes, a new thing for him, never having slept long enough for it to build up. Yawning, he staggered up the stairs, finding Yuuki in the kitchen. "Good..." He trailed off, struggling to find the word, that one that happens after you wake up...Yes! That's what it was, "...morning!" He chuckled slightly, smiling.
 
After a few moments she had decided to make breakfast, so she set about making some toast and scrambled eggs. It was nearly done when Samael emerged from the basement, and she smiled at him with the spatula in her hand.


"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" she asked quietly, sliding the finished food onto plates. She set one on the table with a fork and gestured to him to start eating, then filled a second one for herself. On a third plate she just put a couple pieces of toast, knowing her mother likely wouldn't even eat those. "I'll be right back," she assured him, taking the plate in to her mother's bedroom and sitting on the edge of the bed to gently rouse the older woman.
 
"Yes, I did," Samael said, returning her smile, but making sure to be just as quiet. Sitting down at the table, as Yuuki left the room, he marveled at the fork, not knowing what it was for. It could be a weapon, he mused, but it wasn't sharp enough. Surely a hairbrush, maybe, but it was too flimsy to be of any good use. Pondering this, some of it aloud, he had a habit of talking to himself, he took a piece of the toast, its smell enticing him. Taking a bite of it, he leapt of the chair, nearly shouting. It has done something to his tongue! He told Yuuki the exact same thing when she returned, not knowing whether to panic or to get medicine or what.
 
Yuuki propped up several pillows and sat her mother up against them, easily able to move the frail woman around. The worst part about it was that her mother just looked at her with these wide, sad eyes that told Yuuki just how sorrowful she was that she had become a burden to her own daughter at such a young age. She didn't mind, though. All she did was smile and kiss her mother on the forehead, feeding her breakfast - or, as much as would be eaten. A few bites, nothing more. Her mother had fallen asleep again, so Yuuki walked back out and shut the bedroom door.


When she got into the kitchen and was met with a panicked Samael, she just blinked and tried to understand what he was talking about. After a moment she realized he was talking about the toast, but she was still confused. Had he burned his tongue? She touched the edge of the crust curiously, but by now it was barely even warm.


"What are you talking about?" she finally asked, bewildered.
 
"It-it felt--it felt wonderful, yes, but freaky, like my whole tongue was reacting to it--" He stopped, running his hands through his hair. "What was that?" He finally asked, panting slightly. It was unlike anything he had tasted, like an explosion upon his mouth. Warily, he sat down again, still torn between calling a doctor and eating the rest of it. He eventually decided upon the latter, taking another bite of the food and moaning low in his throat at the taste, closing his eyes. "This is a strange yet amazing sensation, Yuuki." He told her, smiling.
 
"I believe you're referring to the fact that it tastes good," Yuuki guessed, laughing a bit. She shook her head a little and gave him another piece of toast, this time with a little jelly on it just to see how he reacted. "If you freak out that much over a little toast, I can't wait to see what happens when you have something that's actually really good," she said, watching him with a smile. She leaned back against the counter and munched her own toast, then glanced at the clock. Gasping, she realized that she was running late. She set aside the half-eaten toast and pulled on a spare jacket.


"I've got to go to the cafe to work for the day, we need more money. Please stay here with my mother and make sure she doesn't die today," she said seriously, then gave him a quick hug and ran out the door. She ran down the sidewalk, all the while wondering why she had hugged him. Habit, she supposed, from hugging her mother goodbye. Shrugging it off, she skidded into the cafe and made a breathless excuse as she tied on her waitress apron.
 
Smiling, Samael gratefully took the slice of bread with a purple-ish substance on it. Taking a bite, he gasped, nearly choking himself. As she ran out the door, he followed her to the screen, calling after her, "You still haven't told me what this is for!" waving the fork in the air, still feeling her body next to his when she hugged him. Then, making a noise somewhere between a sigh and a chuckle, he sat down at the table, resting his chin in his hands, a light smile playing on his lips.
 
It was a long day for the cafe. Most of the college kids were out of classes for the summer, so they came in with large groups and placed messy orders, then stuck around for hours just to talk. There were so many people and so much to do and remember that Yuuki barely noticed how quickly the hours were flying by or how many tips she was picking up. She glanced up at the clock and was stunned to realize that they were only open for another hour. The sun was just starting to set and the rush had greatly slowed. She took another couple of customers, waved to them as they left, and helped lock up. Cleaning didn't take long, and soon she was walking back up the sidewalk home.


She kept getting that weird feeling as though she was being watched, but every time she looked around or glanced back, there was never anybody there. After a few times, she sighed and realized she was just being paranoid after what had happened the night before. Soon she was back home, without anything having happened on the walk. How silly she was sometimes.


"Samael?" she called out softly once inside.
 
Hearing Yuuki come in, Samael pulled himself from his thoughts, still sitting in the exact same position as he had the whole day. "I'm over here." He told her. "Have a nice day at 'the cafe?'" He asked, not knowing what it was. Standing up, he went to the doorway, greeting her. "I made sure your mother didn't die." Smiling, he asked her about her day, discretely questioning if anything unusual had happened. He hadn't noticed the time going by: the whole day he had lost himself in the thoughts of what had happened last night, how weak he had been, how he had been unable to protect Yuuki. He sighed softly, following her further into the house.
 
"It was a good day in the sense that it went by quickly. We had a lot of customers, and I have enough money that we should be okay for a few days and can go get better groceries soon. Everything was pretty normal and easy," she said, shrugging a bit as she wandered down to the basement and lit the candles that surrounded the room so that she could still see. She avoided telling him about the walk home, knowing that it had been nothing and that she shouldn't get him anxious for nothing. "What about you? What did you do with your day?"
 
Samael smiled. "It was fine. I sat at the table, then wandered off into my thoughts, then realized what I was supposed to be doing, and stopped. And then," He paused for dramatic effect, "I sat at the table." He chuckled, following her into the basement. "Overall, it was a pretty productive day." He finished, not being serious. He leaned against the basement wall, watching her light the candles. "Thank you for asking. No one's ever done that before." His smile grows wider, as he gently closes his eyes.
 
Yuuki finished lighting the candles and waved the match out, setting it aside in a bowl filled with used matches instead of tossing it in the trash. She looked around at the soft golden light filling the room and nodded, satisfied. As she listened to Samael, she blinked and started laughing a bit.


"Did you really sit at the table all day? How silly. You could have gone for a walk or something if you wanted to. Keep yourself occupied, you aren't a prisoner here, you know," she said, pulling open one of her dresser drawers and pulling out some pajamas. "Would you like some pajamas for later? I have some pants that might fit you," she offered, setting hers aside and looking up at him with a smile.
 
Samael blinked in confusion. Then he said, "Yes, that would be lovely." He smiled, the shadows cast by the candles sending a dramatic look on his face. Moving forwards, he stood just behind her, looking over her shoulder discretely. He had never been given anything in his life. He had always had to take or ask for anything, nothing was ever given to him with such good intentions. "Thank you." He said, incredulous that he had forgotten.
 
"Why do you look so surprised? I'm not going to make you run around naked or in the same clothes that you wear every day, silly," Yuuki said, shaking her head with a smile as she pulled open a different drawer. She found a pair of plain green pajama pants that had always been long on her and a bit big around the waist. They might still be short on him, but it'd be better than nothing. She rummaged around until she found a big white tshirt too, and added both to the pile on top of the dresser after she shut the drawer.


"There. We can go find you some clothes tomorrow too since I assume you don't have any more with you. And we can wash the ones that you're already wearing so that you can wear them again," she went on, nodding to herself. It was late but she wasn't all that tired, but at the same time she knew that if she didn't sleep now, she'd be moody tomorrow. "I'm going to go upstairs and check on Mom. I'll change in the bathroom while I'm up there. You can change down here if you want. Just toss your dirty clothes anywhere and we'll take care of them tomorrow," she said, picking up her pajamas and giving him a quick smile before going upstairs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back