potassiumboron

~I'm drinking coffee on a trampoline~
Original poster
MYTHICAL MEMBER
Posting Speed
  1. Multiple posts per day
  2. 1-3 posts per day
  3. One post per day
Online Availability
3pm - 1am (GMT / BST)
Writing Levels
  1. Beginner
  2. Elementary
  3. Intermediate
  4. Adept
  5. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Female
  3. Nonbinary
  4. Transgender
  5. No Preferences
Genres
Monsters, supernatural, fantasy, romance, criminality, slice-of-life (modern or set in past, usually with some twists)
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In all his years of existence, Dorian had never been subject to this sort of horror.

He had spent years, decades really, being subjected to the occasional visit from some curious human who, during their forest walk, had come across his grand home and mistaking it for an abandoned, empty home ripe for exploring. In those instances, all he had to do was hide in one of the many rooms and make a few bashes and crashes to scare them off. It worked like a charm.

Granted, Dorian wanted to meet these people. He had spent years of his adult life becoming unashamedly curious in them - the only people he had been around in his life were his parents, and they died a long time ago, so who could really blame him for wanting a little contact? Especially with these weird modern folk with their funny styles and amusing expressions.

Of course, he was also aware that this was nigh-on impossible. He couldn't get close to anyone, too many questions would be asked, and if he did -somehow- become friends with these people, how would he explain his need to disappear once or twice a month? There was also the fear that, if he did leave his home to venture into the city after new friends, that he would just kill them on those very nights of the month where he wasn't... quite himself.

No, it was much wiser to stay in his house, observing and refraining from intervening.

However, today was... unlike any other he had encountered, meaning he had no idea how to really handle it.

He had fallen asleep in his bedroom and had failed to hear a group of humans not just enter his home, but make themselves comfortable in the grand hall. He remained blissfully unaware of anything until hearing the dance music blast aware from downstairs and the drunken laughs and chatters of a good few dozen teenagers partying aware in his home. That was when he awoke and frightfully peered out his window at a few gathered teenagers smoking, while the party continued inside. Cars had been parked everywhere, ruining the array of flowers he had recently planted - that pissed him off no end, and if not for his nervousness, he would have been overcome by rage and been furious with these inconsiderate assholes.

One such 'inconsiderate asshole' was Ezra, who, downstairs in one of the two living rooms, was drunkenly examining the old photographs lining the fireplace, all of Dorian's parents. Thankfully, neither his mother or father had decided to photograph their son - as much as they loved him, they would never invite an outside photographer and make their son known to the world.

"All this shit is ancient," blabbed the teenager after a moment, pulling his lips from the beer bottle as he cast his critical eye over the vases. "Like, nobody's lived here in decades, dude. It could be worth a fucking fortune, y'know? There ain't any modern shit here. No TVs, no radios... This place doesn't even have wi-fi, I've checked. Hey, we should put it all in the boot my car, Leo, before anyone else realises it's pretty valuable, yeah?"
 
"Why would I? They're not important. Seriously, they'd all be good as firewood, at most." Came Leo's dismissive response as he passed by, red plastic cup in hand. He did stop to eye the photos, though, with a thin brow raised. "How old do you think these are? They probably would be better off in, like, the museum down the street. Wouldn't that be sweet? Donating some old-timey photos under the guise of us being 'good little kids'? It would be fucking hilarious. Look, we can figure out what to do with them after the party, how about that?" He cooed teasingly, before offering the other a hard push.

"Jeez, you two clearly don't get how cool this place is! It's like taking a step back in time, you know? L-Like, imagine these two just enjoying some proper tea and buiscits by the fireplace. How cool would that be?" Came Veronica's fascinated babbles. She had checked out most of the downstairs, and only broke one plate in her drunken staggering. Despite her being pretty wasted, she still expressed her usual adoration towards history, as was evident by her wide eyes.

"You look like a baby in a candy store. I'm gonna check out the upstairs, alright? Don't, like, break anything. I know this place is probably abandoned or something, but there could be ghosts, you know? They could haunt you 'til the end of your days!" He moaned, his fingers wiggling for emphasis, only to burst out into a loud snort. "Yo, Ezra, can you keep these idiots under control? That's a stupid question, I know you can. Just make sure no one, like, kills anyone." He ordered sternly, even with his drunken slurr.

Once offering the two a wide grin, he offered a quick raise of the vodka in his cup before peering up the stairs. Taking his time, he did slip a bit trying to climb up the worn-down steps, though it was mostly due to the alcohol. On a normal day, he could stroll up his home's stairs in a matter of seconds with ease. When he finally reached the top of the stairs, he crinkled his nose at the musty stench. He knew old homes were like this. Hell, his house smelled just as ancient when his parents first aqcuired it, but that didn't mean he found it any more pleasant.

"Fuck, guys! It's totally clean up here!" Leo called from the stairs, before taking in more of the painting and photos that lined the walls. For a house that was centuries old, he'd commend it for it's cleanliness. Granted, if he was sober, his first thought would be suspicion rather than praise. "Dude, check out this bathroom. It's one of those claw-foot ones! I always wanted one of these."
 
Now, Dorian had been freaked out, but at least comfortable enough knowing that the teenagers were all downstairs. They had no reason to head up beyond the ancient, creaking staircase -at least, not in his mind- so he flopped back onto his bed and decided that he would just wait it out, perhaps go as far as to have another nap. That was how certain he was that nobody would come upstairs.

So, when he heard not just the approaching footsteps but the drunken slurs of Leo, he shot up from his bed in genuine panic. Never in all his years of existing had he been this close to a human before, or felt the surge of panic course through him. One option he had was to kill him, but that wasn't at all the favoured preference. He could explain to him who and what he was, go through his whole family history... but even he wasn't that naive.

So that just left the option of pretending he was part of this party; one of the teenagers who had wandered upstairs out of curiosity. He didn't appear much older than Leo, which would help him out in the lie... but there were clear downsides. He wasn't well acquainted with modern terms and slang, and he definitely didn't dress like a modern man. He hoped that they would just think him quirky and old-fashioned, to save suspicion... though they were hardly going to accuse him of being some immortal being born in the 1800s, were they?

Bracing himself, it didn't take much psyching up for him to wander out into the long corridor. He had wanted to face humans for years, and this was a genuine opportunity to. Maybe he wasn't thinking straight, and staying hidden would have been best, but he had never been the best at decision-making.

Feigning surprise rather well once locking eyes with Leo, he fell silent instantly as he observed a human up close for the first time. He was overcome by a lot of things, but the one thing that stood out was just how handsome he found this boy to be. He had seen and been attracted to other humans over the years, but none had had this effect on him. Nobody had made his chest tighten, or made him feel hot-headed. Regardless of how disastrous his decision to leave his bedroom could turn out to be, seeing Leo more than made up for it.

"...I... made my way upstairs, I thought I heard a noise," he spoke quietly in his upperclass English accent. After all, he was technically a Lord, after his father died, so he was going to be stereotypically posh in his accent. "...There isn't really... anything up here, I have checked..."
 
Taking in the mysterious man fully, his first expression was that of critique, though he couldn't keep the critical expression for long once noticing just how odd the clothing was. Offering a crooked grin instead, he patted Dorian on the back rather hard, though his drunken chuckles were a good enough indicator that it was far from hostile.

"Dude, I've never seen you 'round before, but I'm living for this getup. Is it a reference to something? I'm pretty sure no one's offering a 'proper ballroom waltz' downstairs. I commend it, though. It's like that guy who wore a stupid banana suit last month." Leo cooed, until noticing the other was far too sober. Glancing down at his own cup of vodka, his brain made the connection to offer the liquid over.

"Jeez, dude. I'm not against checking out this place, but you don't go to a party to take in the artwork. This isn't a museum. Come on down, for fuck's sake. You're acting as if this is the first party you've ever been to!" He yelled over the suddenly louder music, knowing all too well that Ezra most likely turned up the already pulsing music.
 
It was fair to say that he understood very little of the other's slurs. It was bad enough that he was so disconnected with the modern world, but it was made more challenging when this boy was clearly drunk. Observing the cup that had been thrust into his hand, and curiously pursing his lips at the strong alcohol smell of the vodka, he managed a smile at the offer of heading downstairs. He wanted to spend some time with this boy, try and decipher why he felt so strongly about him... but he wasn't sure how well he would cope in a room of teenagers. He would not only have to act like them to avoid sticking out, but he would have to bite back his anger. This was his home, after all, and he detested the fact it was being overrun by these idiots.

Well, besides Leo. He didn't mind that he was here, obviously.

"I... well, I have been downstairs, of course. I came in with you all, a while back for this... party," he continued, forcing a little vodka past his lips and managing -somehow- to keep the smile. He wanted to spit it out, grimace at its burning aftertaste, but he miraculously pulled it off without too much disgust showing on his expression. Instead, he straightened his back and pushed his broad shoulders back to stand at his full height, having decided that he would take the opportunity to head down and interact with humans. What other chance would he have? Sure, he had been around humans when he killed them, but he didn't remember that much, and he preferred not to dwell on the activities he took part in when there was a full moon.

"I'll gladly come back down, have some more of... this drink," he vaguely smiled, making a move for the stairs, though stopped to gesture Leo to head down before him with a gentlemanly nod. He knew his manners, even if he hadn't... really ever had the chance to use them with people before now. "I don't go to many parties, granted, but... this one is superb, I assure you. One of the best I've had the pleasure of attending."
 
"You're really sticking to that act, huh?" He replied with a snort and a raised brow, though didn't give it much thought as he hurried down the stairs haphazardly. For all he knew, as stated, Dorian's overly formal speech and composure was just some elaborate plan, and who was he to be a party-pooper. Once at the bottom of the stairs, he motioned the stranger down as he fiddled with his scarf in his free hand. Once the other was down, he took the man's hand in his and led him to the one living room, where the alcohol was scattered about.

Snatching another cup, he browsed the assortment of drinks before choosing some Jack Daniel's and, deciding to play along with the 'joke', offered to hold out his pinkie before tossing back the alcohol.

"So, what's yer name?" He cooed drunkenly, while leaning against the couch that already had three people laying on it, all three making out with one another. "I'm Leo. What school do you go to?"
 
It didn't take much to make Dorian smile right now, but holding hands with the teenager definitely helped. If he needed anything to back up his initial feelings, then having his hand held gave him all the confirmation he needed. It brought back that fluttery feeling in his stomach, and the heat across his cheeks, so that was a sure sign that he was meant to meet this 'Leo' fellow.

He wanted to chatter along with him and take full advantage of their closeness, but he was admittedly distracted by the graphic scenes downstairs of humans drinking their own weight in alcohol, smoking god-knows-what, or making out-- and on his antique furniture, of all places! The sight of that wasn't too shocking. He had seen a couple kiss in the woods once or twice, and while he hadn't watched any further (even in his naivety, he knew it was a private thing), he had seen enough to be unaffected by the sight now. However, he did grimace just a little nonetheless. It just felt like a massive slap to the face, seeing his home be defiled and disrespected so casually like this...

"Leo... That's a wonderful name," he nodded, perching at the edge of the armchair once spotting that the person sat in it was unconscious and snoring loudly. "I'm Dorian-- I'm homeschooled, but... well, I am looking to join the nearby school, actually. My mother's decided it's time I join the education system. Better late than never, I suppose..."

"Who the fuck's this? Looks like a right tosser, don't he?" came Ezra's grumpy mutters as he sidled up to the two, frowning instantly once taking in the sight of the oddly dressed stranger. He wasn't the most sociable of people, which was why he only had two friends, but he took a great dislike to good-looking people. He saw them as competition, obstacles in the way of him getting together with Veronica, which he had wanted now since he was 12. Of course, his first concern was her wandering over and falling head over heels for this guy. Hell, it only took a glance around to see that Dorian was gathering a little attention - not just for his weird old-fashioned style, but for his looks, and like hell was Ezra prepared to compete with someone who looked like they'd wandered off a runway.

"Listen, mate, fuck off so I can chat with my friend, yeah? See that chick over there, with the blonde hair? Her name's Tee, she's eyeing you up. You're well in there so scoot along."

Following Ezra's gaze curiously, and noticing said girl's eyes on him -along with two or three other girls she was giggling with-, Dorian turned away again with a faint frown. He wasn't used to talking to humans -at least not when he could remember- but he didn't expect to be targeted and insulted this soon on. "...I was having quite a... comfortable conversation, actually. A-And do watch your language. My mother said that vagabonds that swear like that ought to wash their mouths out with soap... Besides, I've done nothing to warrant that outburst, other than have a.... 'chat' with Leo."
 
"Oh, calm down, will you?" Scolded Leo, who went as far as to lightly kick Ezra's legs. Not hard enough for the other to stumble, even in his drunken state, but hard enough to emphasis his point. "Why don't you go grab Veronica, take her to a closet, and just offer a solid snog? I mean, fuck. Not every man that wanders into a room wants to have sex with her! Look, I'm three seconds away from grabbing her and just forcing you two together, understand?"

And, the threat was pretty serious. He wanted to talk to this mysterious stranger, after all. Like, when else would you just see some random man in a full wool suit with such a proper vocabulary at a high school party? Not only that, but it was clear that his homeschooling must have totally fucked with his social skills and, while he was absolute trash when he was sober, he would insist he was the most sociable piece of shit in all of town. Too bad he usually forgot how 'sociable' he could be once coming through the next day.

Grabbing Veronica, who was once again observing the antiques scattered about with a cup of gin and coke, she squealed in distress when tugged on by her sweater's neck. Stumbling forward, the girl locked her eyes on Dorian with her own sudden interest. In her eyes, she was being the history fiend she was and simply observing the sight... when, in reality, she was leaning just a bit too heavily on Dorian for support, and practically unintelligible.
 
All Dorian really wanted to do was talk to Leo, that much was obvious. The moment he saw him, he had that instant connection; an immediate feeling that he ought to be in this boy's company. It didn't help that he was apparently friends with someone who wanted to provoke a fight, and another girl who was leaning up against him. The latter did seem harmless enough, though, at least compared to Ezra who was glaring at him as though looks could kill.

He was, unfortunately, far too naive to really realise Ezra's feelings for the girl. If he was, and if he understood the words that had just been exchanged, he would have peeled her away from him and made his excuses to just talk to Leo. Because he didn't understand, though, he ended up perpetuating Ezra's anger by shooting Veronica a polite smile and extending his hand for a handshake.

"I'm Dorian. I... I've just met Leo. I've just met everyone, in fact. I'm... let's say I'm new to the area," he continued, hoping that was sufficient enough a lie to cover for himself. It at least covered up for his lack of knowledge for the area, assuming he left his house and did take a look around the city. It was looking far more likely now he had met Leo - he was willing to head on out and go as far as to join this school, after all.

The one thing he immediately liked about Veronica, though, was the clearly fascinated looks she gave his home. He was oblivious to the looks he received, predictably, but picked up on the ones she had for the antiques and wooden framing. "...Do you like it? I think it's all beautiful, myself. It was hand built, you know. The house. I... know its history."

"Even though you just moved to the area? The first thing you do is to study some abandoned shithole in the middle of the woods? You don't think of going shopping for proper clothes, but you come and study this place? You're actually nuts, aren't 'ya?"

"...I like Victorian architecture," responded Dorian, his cheeks having grown red in both embarrassment, and fear that his lies were unravelling. It was only Ezra who seemed to pick up on the odd details, but that was probably because he wasn't as drunk as the others - he still had a slither of soberness in him to allow for proper analysis. Besides, he didn't like Dorian too much, so of course he was going to second think every word that the handsome man came out with.
 
"Yeah! I want to be a history major when I graduate," she explaimed the best she could, despite the fact her mouth felt like cotton. Completely oblivious to Ezra's feelings, she offered to lead the man to one of the shelves filled with books. Pointing out The largest one, she tried to carefully grab it, but ultimately dropped it in her attempt.

Immediately, Veronica began to cry. In her mind, she had just ruined a part of history! The book was old (obviously) and the fabric of the spine tore just a tad, but it was enough to feel as if she just set someone's house on fire. Granted, she would probably cry if a cat had walked past her, and gushed how it needed a home and that she was going to take it.

Meanwhile, Leo stayed planted on the couch, and went as far as to lay on top of the pre-existing pile of teens making out underneath him. He himself had gotten to the point where he began to feel tired, and he knew no one brought any solid cocaine, so was left to simply become childishly grumpy.

"Why do you gotta ruin everything, Ez? The guy is cute, and now you've gone and made him uncomfortable! Can't you just relax~? If anyone here was going to snatch Veronica from you, it would have been me by now." He teased, while struggling to sit back and take the other in.
 
"I ain't ruining anything. You're just way too wasted to see how weird this all fucking is, that's all. Sure, maybe I'm intimidated by him. The guy's... it ain't natural to look that good. He doesn't even have, like, spots or blemishes or whatever," continued Ezra, his genuine attempt of staying somewhat sober ending the moment he grabbed a nearby cup of vodka and, after adding a good half-a-can of Red Bull, downed it in three gulps. He wanted to maintain some elements of being sober, because this was the night he decided to set aside and tell Veronica how he felt-- and if he was somewhat sober, she couldn't accuse him of drunkenly joking and teasing. That had been the plan, until that weirdo grabbed her attention to discuss history with her - something Ezra couldn't really do.

"I don't mean to be an ass, y'know? I just find it weird," he shrugged as he flopped back on the armchair, forcing himself to keep his eyes locked forward, and not towards Veronica and Dorian. "...You aren't going to do anything with him, are 'ya? I mean, not to sound like a dick, but I'm your best friend. I'd rather you hang with me and let Tee get her claws in him. You know she will, she's got new boyfriends every week."
 
"Maybe I will. Like you said, he's handsome." He cooed, while being anything but subtle as he slowly took in Dorian from afar. "He's practically perfect, Ezra. Why wouldn't I want to take a bite of that? Ooh, and imagine what he looks like under that whole formal attire~. I bet he's mighty thick."

As he spoke, there was definitely some clear teasing, but he was fully serious in his observations, especially the more his friend babbled on. Folding his legs properly, he tried to pretend that he wasn't somewhat flustered.

"Look, let Veronica nerd out. There isn't anything wrong to talk about your passion with someone. I'm sure she would love to gush about the American Civil War with you. Just relax and have fun, and maybe take my advice?"
 
Grimacing to himself -not at all subtly- at the talk of the stranger he had taken an instant dislike to, Era really had no choice but shut up and get another drink. He wanted to enjoy himself and chill out before he had to go home (which he never really wanted to do, given the inevitable row that would ensue), and to do that, he needed to push the thoughts of Veronica from his mind. At least, while she was chatting to Dorian.

"Yeah," he shrugged quietly, deciding not to offer anything more in response. He knew he couldn't have a serious conversation with his best friend while he was drunk. It was easier to shrug and let the topic dwindle off.

"We should come here more often, y'know? This place. It's pretty rad. Like I said, we could make a fucking fortune from the things in 'ere."
 
"Yeah, I guess..." he grumbled, his eyes closing from the alcohol. "We should check this place out when we're not fucked, huh? Ooh, wouldn't one of them look good in my place?" He cooed, before watching a couple practically eat one another's face. Getting tired, he wandered to Veronica's side and rather rudely pushed her to the side, and immediately linked arms.

"Hey, you hungry? You looked like it. I'd love to treat you some good McDonald's, hm?" He cooed, while entwining their hands casually. "Maybe we could go and check out the rest of the house, hm? Are the beds good~?"
 
This may be his first real interaction with a human, but it came naturally as far as Veronica was concerned. He realised she was drunk -he had often seen his mother and father drunk the few days after a full moon, using alcohol as a coping method- but it hadn't impacted how easily it was to connect to her. Hell, he was rather proud of himself. They were centuries apart in age, he was completely naive to the modern world, in the most part, but they had found subjects to connect on, which mostly consisted of him explaining the decor and going into the history of the ornate vases.

When Leo came bounding along, his brief moment of feeling comfortable quickly ended. He definitely wanted to talk to Leo after feeling the spark between him and the human, but he... well, he didn't really think there'd be physical contact like this. In his world, holding hands with someone was an extremely romantic and loving act - it wasn't a casual thing. Maybe he was wrong, now times and expectations had clearly changed and altered.

"...There isn't anything upstairs of much interest," he quickly explained, while pushing a hand through his hair. He didn't want to come across like a bore, but he couldn't exactly go traipsing upstairs and show Leo the bedrooms he had kept clean and his own bedroom he lived in. However drunk the teenager was, he wasn't oblivious-- and Dorian couldn't lie himself out of something like that. "What's... this McDonald's place? It sounds intriguing, so... so maybe we can go," he instead grinned, having decided that he would face heading out of his home if it meant concealing the truth. He had to leave the woods at some point, especially if he wanted to keep up this connection with Leo. Sure, perhaps he was a little obsessed with the teenager, but his mother and father had often talked about the instant spark they had when they first met, how it was love at first sight. Dorian, for all his lacking knowledge, at least knew that this was a similar situation, even if it was all one-sided at the moment.
 
Looking over at Ezra, he waved the other off with another crooked grin. Even over the loud music, he had no problem calling out to his best friend.

"Yo! I'm gon' bring this gentleman to get some food! I'll be back in, like, an hour~!" He called, before carefully leading Dorian through the crowd. "We'll get you some greasy trash in ya."
 
"...Right. I'm not... great outdoors, so if I... become quiet, it's not at all a reflection on you. I'm a hermit, that's what my mother says. She says she's never met someone who spends so much time in their bedroom," he laughed, finding it surprisingly refreshing to talk about his mother in the present tense. Pretending she was alive wasn't the easiest thing to do, but it made him forget that she was dead, even if only for a second or two. In those few, precious seconds, he tricked himself into thinking his mother was alive and he was just some normal teenager. Reality inevitably kicked in straight away and brought him back down to earth, but the few rare seconds were... enjoyable.

Breathing out into the cold night air, smiling at how cooled down he was once out of the hot house, he snuck a glance up at the half-moon in the sky. He hated the sight of the moon, for obvious reasons, which was why he looked away immediately and offered Leo's hand a brave squeeze. He may have just met him, but he believed this weird, blunt human was... well, his soulmate. Of course he was going to bravely attempt affection with him, however slight and quiet it was.
 
"You're a hermit? I've never heard of a hermit going to a party. I guess you're not a hermit anymore, eh?" He commented, somehow still understandable despite his drunken slurs. "I'm gonna make sure everyone knows who you are, then. I mean, you're my friend now, right? That means you get to hang out with me~!"

As he somewhat aimlessly wandered out of the woods, his eyes squinted from the 'bright' streetlights. He didn't need to look far for the fast food restaurant, thankfully, and wandered into the joint with snorts and giggles.

"I mean, the 'hermit' thing makes sense. You've never even heard of a massive industry? God, I wish was you."
 
It took everything he had not to voice his genuine amazement. It was something everybody took for granted and were hardly amazed by, but for a man who had lived for decades in the woods without any real introduction to modern times, the sight of the brightly lit fast food place, and the vast array of colours around, was enough to bring him to sudden silence. He would never have entered alone, especially not when spotting how busy it was even for this time of night, but he trusted Leo. He only met him ten minutes ago, but, with the connection he thought they had, he trusted him with his life.

"...It's very warm," he eventually murmured, taking a nervous seat at one of the tables and, after examining a packet of salt with a faint frown, did suddenly become very aware of his clothes. At home, in the dimly lit living room, he didn't really get all that self-conscious, having been unable to make out the sorts of clothes the teenagers wore. Now, in the brightly lit McDonald's, he was more than aware that he stood out like a sore thumb.

"I... don't really like modern fashion," continued Dorian, his long line of lies and excuses proceeding. "I... well, prefer this sort of thing, really. Smart clothing, old-fashioned and gentlemanly, as my father would say..."
 
"You look dashing, for a reenactment." He replied bluntly, before rummaging through his wallet and tugging out the appropriate money. Assuming the other was completely oblivious to the food, he decided to simply order for him and trudged in line impatiently. With his foot tapping anxiously, he offered a quick and flirty wink towards the other.

With the greasy food in hand, eventually, he wandered back to the seat and sat next to Dorian, taking by his own time to really eye the man up. Now that they were in better light, he couldn't deny just how perfect the man was. Not a single freckle or birthmark anywhere, which admittedly made him a tad jealous.

"Hm... Try a bite. I got us some burgers and fries, nothing too special. Trust me, if you want some proper dining, I could cook it up." He insisted, with food stuffed into his mouth.