Blood Ties

Dante felt almost guilty for bringing the sight to the other's attention, grimacing at the fact Rembrandt hadn't had any idea. Clearly the connection between the family and the villagers was a broken one if Amelia had to sneak around with the local man to avoid her family, but Dante wasn't going to bring trouble. He was happy to forget he had witnessed the kiss and romantic make out session if it avoided drama. He was only here for another day -or so he thought- so he'd keep his lips zipped shut and stay out of it all.

"...Ah, yeah. Show me that, that'd be great," he quickly smiled, desperate to gloss over the tense moment as he hurried behind him. "Hey, I have some stuff in my bag I can show you, yeah? I got some things from Spain and France; little tourist items, really. You can have the miniature figure of the Eiffel Tower if you want it? I've got no use for it, I just thought it was cute to be honest."
 
Moving quickly out of the room, he looked around warily out of fear for his sister. His family was quiet, sure... but they were incredibly observant. His father could say nothing but everyone knew. It was always the body language and that was scarier than being yelled at.

“Oh, that would be nice! How small? I could put the little thing on my windowsill and see it every time I wake. It would never be the real thing, of course. I wish I could have seen it being built,” he whispered, sighing dreamily at the idea.
 
"It's pretty small, but it's really cute. Glows in the dark, too. I don't mind giving it to you, yeah? As a little gift for being so nice to me," he grinned, offering the smaller boy a playful nudge to emphasise his point. He was aware that he was being flirty, but he had nothing against that. Rembrandt was cute, so if he wanted to flirt a little, was there really a problem? He was hardly going to jump into bed with him, so a little flirtation seemed more or less harmless. Besides, Rembrandt was his type; it was hard not to flirt with him.

"So, you don't have a little romance going on, then? That's good. I can compliment you without worrying about someone getting mad about it," he winked, leaning against the doorway to the other's bedroom, observing the space with inevitable approval. "If I was here longer than a day, I'd totally ask you out on a date or something, you're really cute, Rembrandt. Anyone ever told you that?"
 
Bashfully snorting and giggling at the comment, he decided to use making his bed an excuse to face away, hiding his smile as he meticulously folded over a corner. Of course he had heard it before but it had been so long ago that it meant as much to him as hearing it for the first time.

“A-Ah, yes, it is,” he admitted quietly, continuing to adjust his things. He eventually did turn to face the other, his hands nervously entwined behind his back. He was proud of his room, if being the most decorated out of his family as the walls held things from past guests including countless books, a large map of Europe that he had pinned to the ceiling and plenty of stuffed animals that he noted many travelers kept for comfort. They were all neatly resting atop his dresser in perfect condition despite some being nearly 100 years old.

“I would love for you to stay another night,” he admitted as he took a few steps closer. “You’re very handsome, Dante, I’m... honored to have someone of such exquisite individuality and passion have a wandering eye for me rather than, say, my sisters,” he continued. “If they knew, they’d be jealous.”
 
"Your sisters are pretty, I'm sure they're all lovely, but they're... not my type? I don't really go for women, Rembrandt. Not my thing," he pointed out with a casual grin, the other becoming more cuter to him when he started to blush that profusely and stammer a little. It was adorable -he didn't think that could be denied- and he was happy to say so, though he stopped himself; he didn't really want to make him uncomfortable, not when they were having a nice conversation.

That said, he was thankful for Amelia's presence, knowing he didn't have to answer the question about his stay. He had no intentions of staying longer than a day, but communicating that across to him might have become awkward and tense, so he welcomed Amelia into the room with a wide, thankful smile.

"You two look awfully close. Are you blushing, Remmie?" The lively girl grinned, plucking her little brother's cheek with a light laugh. Her own cheeks were currently pink from her own romantic moment in the garden, which she had arrived to inform her brother about. She would talk to her sisters too, but whenever something like this happened for her, Rembrandt would be the first to be told. It was no secret that she felt closest to him out of all her siblings, after all. "You won't believe what I just did, I have to tell you-- but we need to be quiet about it because Daddy might really get mad with me if he knew. You know Morgan, that lovely villager who delivers us items from the shop? I... well, he has a crush on me. It's so hard to believe, but he does, and he said he wants to take me to the pub in the village tonight; there's a quaint folk band playing and he said he'd like to dance with me. Isn't that so romantic~?"
 
“Dante and I saw you in the drawing room. You need to be more careful of where you make your little escapes, Amelia!” He whispered, quickly closing the door. Peeking through the keyhole, he offered a small smile nonetheless. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to that boy, you know that. Please be careful next time? If I could see you from the drawing room, imagine what will happen if daddy had noticed as well,” he urged... though did raise his brows slowly.

“That being said... perhaps we should go and see this ‘folk’ band or what-have-you,” Rembrandt slowly began, his eyes drifting towards Dante. “Oh, we’ll certainly will be punished if found but it would be worth it, yes?”
 
"Nothing can happen to him, Remmie. There's an agreement," she reminded with a faint smile, alluding to the long agreement between the family and the villagers; the latter were exempt from harm in return for their silence. To Amelia, that all but ensured her boyfriend's safety, though, just to prevent her father from getting mad at her, she was happy to sneak about. After all, she doubted Morgan's family would be happy if he opened up about who he had a crush on either. Her family were seen as monsters; they were hardly ideal in the eyes of the villagers.

"Oh, you both should come! I... Well, Rembrandt and I never leave the home usually, so it's an adventure for us both. We can drink beer and dance, it'll be super! Of course, they don't really know what we look like down in the village so we should be safe from unwanted attention... Oh, this is super! I'd love you to really talk to Morgan, Rembrandt. He's travelled to London lots of times. He has this marvellous piercing in his nose, I didn't even know people could get that done," she babbled, her hands clasped against her chest and her cheeks reddening in her clear fascination with the young man. "...He said to meet him at the gates of the property at 8pm tonight. Mummy and Daddy are in bed by then, so... we should be able to sneak out without them noticing."
 
“This is so exciting!” He whispered eagerly with a wide grin. “We’ll have dinner first and head into town when mummy and daddy are asleep, as you said. We have cloaks, right? They’re clean? We mustn’t look too out of place, they will notice us if we don’t. I feel like some devious spy. You’d like to come too, right, Dante?”

Turning to the other, Rembrandt saw this as his first real ‘adventure’ much like the ones he had read over his life. It was really only a trek down the hill but it still would be the farthest he had ever gone outside their home.
 
Dante had genuinely planned to head into the village anyway, wanting to experience what it was like to be in a traditional pub. He wanted to take pictures of the scenery, especially of the river and the cute bridge over it, the scene looking like something he'd find on the back of a postcard. He didn't mind doing that alone, because he always found he left places having built up connections with locals that took his mind off the fact he was by himself, but being beside Rembrandt was something he would look forward to. It was seemingly just as new an experience for him, and, somewhat eager to get the boy out into the world to experience something outside the four walls of his home, he nodded quickly to confirm his intentions.

"Oh, yeah, I'm down for it," he beamed, nodding again for emphasis. "It'll be awesome, y'know? I haven't really had a chance to sit down and have a drink yet, it'd be neat to see what the locals are like, have a beer or two. Yeah, let's do that."

"Yeah? Awesome," smiled Amelia, deliberately repeating the word after hearing Dante use it frequently. It wasn't usually in her vocabulary, but she liked how it sounded and, considering she needed to learn how to fit in amongst the locals for a night, using words Dante did would help evade attention. "Oh, I'll wear my favourite dress, and my lovely fur jacket. Daddy went hunting and he caught a fox once and made me this awesome coat~! I'm sure Morgan will like it on me."
 
“Awesome,” Rembrandt quickly replied with a nod, cheeks rosy from both excitement and overstimulation of it all. He was an eager person naturally but it was never put towards something as exciting as this was. Clapping his hands, he moved to rummage through his dresser.

“Oh, you have to help me pick something cute!” He gushed towards his sister. “You can pick it out if you’d like, Dante. I want you to make sure I look proper and you’re so cultured, yes? You know what would be appropriate,” He babbled.
 
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"You're only going to the pub, you don't need to dress up in fine clothing. Just wear something comfortable. I'm sure you can make something look like high fashion, no matter what it is," he complimented, though it didn't stop him from stepping forward to examine the contents of the closet curiously. He wasn't surprised by what he found - what would have surprised him would have been to see some modern ripped jeans or some sweatpants.

"...You should wear that t-shirt that guest left behind once. The one with all those shiny bits on. That's a lovely shirt, and it's modern, isn't it? It's what people usually wear, it'd help you fit in," offered Amelia as she pushed forward to collect the shirt herself, holding it up against her brother with her head tilted, eventually nodding in approval. "Wear this and those green plaid trousers Mummy made for you, they'll look wonderful together, I think. All your clothes are nice, Remmie. No matter what you wear, we'll have a lovely time. It'll be fun~"

As fun as Amelia was certain it would be, the fear she had when leaving the house later that night was almost insurmountable. In fact, she hesitated on the doorstep and almost refused to leave, knowing the anger from her parents would be unbearable if they found out. Not only was she leaving the house and interacting with the villagers, but she was interested in (and dating) a local; someone who knew what she was and wouldn't just disappear in a month or two from her life. Eventually, she pushed through with the plan, and any fear she did have disappeared when she met up with the man patiently waiting for her.

"Oh, this is... I feel so adventurous! Gosh, I've never done anything like this!" She grinned, adjusting her fur coat to protect her from the harsh wind that had started. She knew she had probably gotten too dressed up, but this was her first time outside her home on a date. She wanted to look her best for it, having gone as far as to put on a little makeup she had kept from visiting tourists over the months. This was her only real opportunity to wear it, after all. "You know my brother, Rembrandt, don't you, Morgan? This is Dante, he's a guest at our home for tonight. This is... well, it's almost like a double-date, isn't it? How exciting~"
 
“Ah, yeah. I’ve seen Rembrandt in the window sometimes,” Morgan replied with a cheeky smile, peering down at Rembrandt curiously. He should have been terrified of the brother and sister and he also should have been wary about Dante but he was already a bit drunk, having waited patiently for them. “I’m goin’ to be honest with you, I wasn’t expecting you to show up. I know how strict your family is, yeah?” He continued before moving to offer Amelia a kiss on her forehead affectionately. As he got close, Rembrandt grew surprisingly quiet.

He was wrapped tightly in his cloak, taking in the bar in a mix of curious and absolutely terrified, his hands gripping Dante’s right as he warily approached. Amelia seemed to be much more eager and Rembrandt immediately regret it, his cheeks pale.

“Is... I... what am I suppose to do?” He questioned to Dante, seemingly frozen as he locked his eyes on the bar. “Should I... get a drink? I brought coins, I’m sure I can purchase a quick pint for us to share...”

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"Hey, don't be so nervous, yeah? I'll buy us the first drink, we can share it. This isn't some scary thing - and if it is, just realise I'm right here with 'ya. This is supposed to be fun, Rem. Not scary," he reminded, moving to carefully wrap an arm around his shoulders to guide him in towards the pub, and to emphasise the fact he was supporting him. He hadn't realised how daunting this was for Rembrandt, and rather than wave off his worries, he chose instead to recognise them and try and help him through it.

"This is cute, hm? We can watch the folk band, have a beer. This is exactly how I thought this would be," he grinned, eyeing the cute interior and the cosy atmosphere of the pub with genuine delight, settling himself down at a table. "Just breathe, this is fine. We'll have fun, that's why we came, right?"

"...Don't back out on me now, Remmie. This is... it's fun!" Amelia insisted, sitting herself down after placing an order for a glass of wine. "Isn't Morgan wonderful, though? He's so quirky, I think that's awesome. And Dante's lovely, so you have good company too. Gosh, imagine how jealous our sisters are going to be when we tell them, they'll be furious."
 
"We aren't going to tell the others," Rembrandt replied quickly as he tried to balance himself on the stool, wobbling a tad at the new sensation. Just little things like that were a bit startling to him but that didn't mean they weren't at least a little fun. Sure, he was incredibly anxious but that didn't mean he regretted coming. In fact, it was nice to try and get over that fear.

"No, we're keeping our mouths shut. You know how big of snitches they are," the youngest reminded, watching as the large beer was set in front of them. He had alcohol before but it was always wine, he immediately furrowed his brow at the disgusting color. It was no merlot, to say the least, but he dove right in... by taking a small sip. "Ah... it's.... unique...."
 
"Don't force yourself to drink it. It's... not to everybody's taste," began Dante with a wide grin, opting to order the other a small glass of wine. As amusing as it would be to watch him sip at the beer and pull discontented faces, he also just wanted them to enjoy the experience, and he figured that Rembrandt might just enjoy it a lot more if he had a drink he could sip at without grimacing. That said, he soon found himself grimacing instead, the effects of his breakfast finally kicking in... not that he realised that it had been tampered with specifically to produce this effect in him.

"...Are you alright?" Amelia asked with fake concern. She liked Dante, but his sickness didn't bother her; she had seen hundreds of guests go through the same experience. It was necessary for them to feed; to weaken them enough to make them easy prey. His growing illness only meant that she could feed soon; that was only a positive for her. "Gosh, you aren't drunk already, are you~? Is beer that strong?"

"No, no, I'm fine - just tired, I think," smiled Dante quickly, forcing himself not to show how much pain he was suddenly in. "God, it's all the walking I've been doing, y'know? A drink and good company is just what I need, especially if I'm in the company of a cute guy - eh, Rembrandt~?"
 
Eagerly accepting the glass of wine, he took a much heartier drink with a soft hum in content. It was nowhere near as good as his usual but it was certainly more pleasant than the beer. The only time he ever really enjoyed beer was in the bread his mother had made, and that was always fantastic. Peering over to Dante, he also offered a halfhearted frown.

"Are you sure you want to stay? We can head back home-"

"Oi, let my mate here relax for a bit. Like you said, he's probably just a bit tired from the trip," Morgan cut off, a grin still on his lips as he took a hearty chug of his drink. He wasn't aware of what was happening exactly though he did know Dante's inevitable death sentence was approaching so why not offer the other a good final drink? "Maybe get some food in your stomach, yeah? Make sure you're all nice and full, wine always makes me ill when I don't eat."
 
"Nah, I'll be alright. I've travelled nonstop, you know? The drink will do me good, don't let me ruin the night because I'm feeling a bit shit. Ignore me, I'll be alright in a few minutes," laughed Dante, waving off the concerns easily and taking a gulp of his beer as insistence that he would be okay. He didn't really work out that the concern from the siblings was false; he found it cute, as evidenced by his flirty smile towards Rembrandt.

If there was ever a time to flirt with someone and hopefully get a kiss out of it, there was no better time than right now, when the boy was out of his house and away from the parents Dante assumed were rather strict on him.

"...How's the wine?" He asked curiously. "I'm not a fan of the stuff, it's not my thing. But I can tell you probably appreciate a good glass, you know? You're classy, Rem. It's adorable."
 
“Would you like to try?” He offered, daring to get a bit closer to offer the glass. Sure, Rembrandt was often flustered easily by compliments and those who found him cute but that didn’t mean he wasn’t one to notice flirting when given it. He was horrible at flirting himsel but he would try by wrapping an arm around Dante’s waist.

“Classy? I prefer ‘refined’,” he drawled, deepening his voice to mimick his father. If he kept his eyes on Dante alone, the loud noise of the pub wouldn’t be as terrifying. “I would rather spend time with you in some beaten tavern than spend another hour at home.”
 
"Oh, refined, is it? Now, why would a refined young man prefer to stay in a beaten-down pub, than in the luxury of his mansion home, hm?" He inquired curiously, albeit with a smile and a flirtatious tone to his voice just so the other didn't take the question too seriously. That was despite Dante's genuine curiosity, because it didn't make sense to him. Sure, he could understand that his parents were a little strict in terms of where their children could or could not go -as evidenced by them having to sneak out, despite being adults- but Rembrandt lived in opulent surroundings. He didn't think he'd rather be in a cramped old pub - but maybe the sense of adventure was what he liked the most, rather than the same mundane walls he had been in his whole life.

"...I don't care where we are, I'm just happy to have a cute guy holding me, yeah? Been a long time since I really had that," he shrugged, leaning in closer to press a testing kiss to his cheek. If he could sense the other wanted me, he would gladly go for it; if he sensed hesitation, he would back off. It was just a gentler way to test where Rembrandt was and how he felt, which then saved Dante from possibly embarrassing himself if he was rejected.
 
The kiss on the cheek only led to Rembrandt taking Dante’s cheek and pulling him into a passionate kiss. The whole night was so surreal and exciting that he had easily gotten caught up in the energy and, breaking his anxiety, he decided that he would kiss Dante as much as he wanted in public without fear.

He eventually pulled away, a soft exhale on his lips as his cheeks ignited. Despite being the one to take the lead, Rembrandt was left nervously giggling at his action, his hands moving to hold the human’s.