InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "You're too good to be true!!!!"

Schuldig (sweetlikehoney) wrote in labyrinth_rpg,
@ 2009-05-05 23:16:00

Entry tags:

armand, complete, day eight, schuldig

Who: Schuldig and Armand
Where: Starting out in their room, could move to the church later
When: Evening, Day 8
What: Christmas evening! Schuldig gets a kitten!
Rating: God, you all know these two by now. PG-13 at least.
Status: Complete

So, Christmas. Schuldig's day had started out quite pleasantly, really. He'd slept in, woke up to snow and holiday decorations, wrote a journal entry, and then bundled up to go outside. After warm breakfast at the cafe, he made his way down to the library and picked up maps of the Earth and the first three books of the Vampire Chronicles, and then made his way back to the amusement park, where he found a catch in his plan. Juniper wasn't there. The telepath waited, starting Interview with the Vampire, and after a little while (which was longer than he meant, this Louis had an enchanting way with words) he searched out for her mentally. Only to realize she, and Edward, were gone.

He hadn't gotten close enough to either of them to be anything close to heartbroken, and a small part of him was glad, even though he knew there was no reason to think like that. Edward and Armand had been at some sort of peace, as had he and Juniper. But it still felt like a relief. He'd have to tell Armand, if he didn't figure it out on his own. That would be interesting. And so Schuldig spent the rest of his afternoon somewhat bored - going on rides, reading and writing more, although he was disappointed that there was no Armand yet, only Louis and the infamous Lestat. He even skipped ahead to see just how long he'd have to wait until Armand came in. Not that it mattered. He wanted to know everything he could about Armand's world and those in it.

When Armand answered his journal entry, the redhead started to head home. Just outside his door, he got stopped by a goblin, who gave him a rather...wiggly, stocking. Blinking, Schuldig peeked in, only to see two bright yellow eyes look up at him, and then, a fuzzy head pop out. Well, fuck. Apparently he had a kitten. He looked around for the goblin, but he'd already fled, happy to get rid of the package. A little bell tinkled and brought Schu's attention to the name tag on her collar. 'Tiger'.

Quickly, he opened the door to his apartment, eyes wide. "Angel!" Why yes, there was a note of panic to his voice. "We have a problem!"

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vagabond_child
2009-05-06 01:29 am UTC (link)

Armand's day had been considerably shorter. He'd slept through most of it, blissfully unaware of anything going on around him. Just after sunset, when most of the colors had faded from the sky, he rose. It was a good thing that he very carefully lifted the lid aside, because something had been placed on top of it. He eyed it, more curious than wary, and approached. Black and red, yes, but most definitely a stocking.

It didn't take long at all to empty it. There were only two things, after all. The first brought a smile to his face. A small, hard, and yet delicate shape filled his hand perfectly. When he opened it, bright red and gold shone up from his palm. Tears came to his eyes, which he blinked back without even thinking about it. "It can't be..." But there was no doubt about it. It was the very egg that his mother had given him when he'd visited her after being turned to a vampire. The last gift of either of his parents, and the last time he saw any member of his mortal family again.

After that, surely nothing could be so heart wrenching? Almost numb, he set the egg aside, but very, very carefully, on a side table. Then, he reached for the stocking once more, tipped it over, and out fell... his eyes got very, very large, and before he knew what he did, he opened his mouth and screamed. It was a sound too loud, to terrifying, to be made by a mortal throat. Finally, it died down, and for a second, he couldn't hear. He'd deafened himself. When he could hear once more, it was only to listen to himself babble over and over again, "Dear, sweet God, not made by my hands, not made by human hands..." and other variations on the same theme.

He had only barely calmed from this, and was sitting in a stupor, with the icon of the Madonna and Child sitting in his numb, loose grasp, when the door opened. Armand turned without much interest, only to find himself face to face with an incredibly tiny cat. He looked at it, his eyes almost dead, but he jumped when the adorable thing hissed at him, arched its back, and danced away from him. "I don't blame you, catkin. I would leave myself, too, if I could. You're right to be scared. I'm scared."

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sweetlikehoney
2009-05-06 01:54 am UTC (link)

Schuldig frowned when he saw Armand, sitting there with the icon, but he was too shocked by the kitten for any question he might have had to pass his lips. He almost laughed, at the adorable sight of the little tabby hissing at Armand, and then running halfway up his leg. He picked the thing up by it's scruff, looking to his lover. "Tiger! That was mean." His face was comedically serious when he turned his gaze from the vampire, to the cat, and back. "I don't think it..." And then he lifted her up to check, shamelessly, "Sorry, she likes you."

But however nonchalant he was about the animal, he automatically brought her into his arms and started to cuddle and pet it as he made his way over to Armand, sitting next to him. Apparently purring didn't stop a cat from hissing, though. "Hey! That's enough. You two are just going to have to get along." He frowned, and then gave a curious glance to his angel. "You okay? I really have no idea what her problem is."

Leaning down, he picked up the piece of art, studying it for a moment. "Is this what you were talking about killing Jareth for? It's beautiful, but really..." Why would art be so upsetting? It was a good thing Schuldig hadn't heard the scream, or he might have wanted to kill Jareth himself.

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vagabond_child
2009-05-06 02:13 am UTC (link)

Armand's face was still blank, a clear sign of someone who was in shock. He felt like he was standing on a high cliff, looking down, and he was about to slip off. Still, his voice was calm enough. Maybe a little too calm, considering the scream that had left his lips a short time ago. "Of course she doesn't. She is natural, and I am not. She senses that." He looked at the cat for awhile, and finally, some expression made its way to his face. His full lips perked up in a smile when he saw how gently his lover treated the tiny animal.

"Lestat had a dog once." Slowly, he went back to normal, well, normal for him. But he shuddered once more and averted his eyes as Schuldig picked up the art. It wasn't that silly thing about holy artifacts hurting vampires that bothered him. Obviously, that didn't apply to him. But this one, well, it was special. He'd made it himself. Sort of. "The dog liked him, even though animals usually don't. Maybe this one, this... Tiger," He cast a slightly disbelieving look at his lover, "Just needs time to adjust to me."

As Schuldig spoke about the ikon, he looked away, looked toward the brightly painted red egg on the table. It calmed him, and the shuddering that he hadn't even realized he'd been doing subsided. "Yes. For this, I could kill him. Or perhaps thank him. I don't know. I thought it was gone." He hadn't cut his hair yet, and one hand raised to smooth a long strand of it behind his ear.

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sweetlikehoney
2009-05-06 04:02 pm UTC (link)

"Oh." The calmness in Armand's voice and emptiness in his eyes concerned Schuldig. Something was wrong, and he knew it, but he didn't know how to fix it. The smile helped, a bit, but he still couldn't help but worry. In typical Schuldig fashion, though, he managed to laugh it off, and lifting the kitten up to his face, he gave Armand a 'can we keep her?' look.

"Maybe she'll recognize a fellow hunter. Kindred spirits or something." And when she mewed at him, he set her down in his lap again. "Yes, Tiger. It was on her name tag. I think it fits, don't you? I can see her growing up to be a ferocious little tiger." But then his attention slipped back to the icon as he moved into Armand's mind to find out why it was so traumatizing.

He sighed at what he saw. It made quite a few puzzles fit together. And didn't make him all that more eager to go to the church. "I'd love to see more of your art." Silently and gently, he moved the icon out of sight. "Well, knowing it still exists is one thing. You don't have to think about it, and you certainly don't have to look at it. Tell me about the egg." Smiling, he lifted his hand to stroke Armand's long auburn locks. "Why do you usually cut this? So beautiful..."

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vagabond_child
2009-05-06 06:27 pm UTC (link)

As Schuldig set the kitten down, the vampire turned to him, rested his head on his shoulder, and cuddled close. The kitten, of course, hissed at him, but he just stared her down, and eventually she stalked away, tiny little tail straight in the air. Unconcerned, Armand simply held on tighter, and buried his face in his lover's shoulder. Clearly, all was not completely well with him.

Things greatly improved for him when the ikon disappeared, and the little shivers that had gone through him pretty much all died. Limply, he lay against Schuldig, clinging lightly to him, and his gaze went once more to the brightly-colored egg. Once more, he smiled, and his voice was more natural when he spoke.

"Tiger is a good name for a cat" He turned up his head so that he was looking at Schuldig, though he still kept his head on the human's shoulder. "The egg? My mother made it. When I went back home after Marius saved me, changed me, she gave this to me. I... lost it, when the bad vampires..." He shuddered once more. "I would like to go to church." He raised a pale hand to his hair, shrugged slightly. "It's easier to cut it short, and fits in better in the present age. It's habit, by now."

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sweetlikehoney
2009-05-16 10:49 am UTC (link)

For a moment, Schuldig let himself simply savour having Armand in his arms, running his hands through his lover's hair lightly. He was so beautiful, so broken, and it amazed him that still, after all these years and all these horrible events, he was so naive. But he was also amazed, maybe even more so, that even after all these years of evil, all these horrible deeds, he could possess something so fragile and beautiful, and yet, in the most strange but most simple way, dangerous.

"Bad vampires?" Schuldig chuckled softly, both at that thought and the little kitten's antics. "You're on the good side in your world?" His surprise wasn't insult or even disappointment. Simply curiosity and though he loathed to admit it, concern. He wanted to know what these 'bad vampires' had done.

"If you want to go to church, we can." And he smiled, kissing over Armand's hair and face and neck, and any of the pale skin that was available was claimed with little nips. In that moment, he saw Armand more as the boy he had when he'd first met him than any other. He realized, then, that his angel was both the innocent boy and the force of evil, and he thought it appropriate that this combination of all things would be the one he l...he stopped his thoughts right there, and in doing so brought himself out of them. "You shouldn't. I like it long. Let me brush it for you?"

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vagabond_child
2009-05-18 03:09 am UTC (link)

The motions of his lovers hands soothed the troubled vampire even further, and he rested more naturally against him. Those hands in his hair felt amazing, and he gave himself over to the caresses without the slightest hesitation. Was it smart to trust someone like Schuldig? Probably not, but then, he'd never been all that intelligent in choosing who to trust. And anyway, he loved him, and that made all the difference.

"Good side? No. Nothing so simple, I'm afraid." He thought about that for a long time. "How could I be on a good side? I survive by taking the life force of others and making it my own. But once upon a time, when I was newly made, and Marius had much to teach me, the evil ones came and tried to kill my maker. I thought they had. They burned his villa, and my egg was in there. I thought it was lost."

His gaze stayed on the egg, though his head rested on his lover comfortably. He could sense the shape of Schuldig's thoughts, and it made him chuckle softly. "No, my love, you have the wrong idea about me. I look much more innocent than I am." He turned his head up so his lips could press against the redhead's neck affectionately, and with the slight trace of hunger that always accompanied such a gesture. How could he be so close to such rich, powerful blood, and not want it? But he kept it reined in, for now. As for the thought that Schuldig had cut off, Armand's eyes widened, and he smiled, but he didn't say anything about it. Not now.

"Of course, if you wish, you may brush it." The vampire's pale fingers reached out to touch Schuldig's bright hair, and he looked thoughtful. "But you must let me brush yours, as well. So very beautiful."

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sweetlikehoney
2009-06-08 06:12 am UTC (link)

"And where did you go, after you thought he was gone?" Schuldig continued the conversation, partially out of selfish curiousity and partially because he did want to help Armand, and perhaps talking about such things would help. And he trusted that Armand would make it known if the subject was unwelcome, even if that meant just refusing to talk about it. His angel was strong willed, at least.

Eventually, Schuldig's hands stopped in his lover's hair. He smiled, pressing his lips to Armand's cheek softly when the vampire kissed his neck. However, unlike what he would have normally done, offered Armand the blood he wanted, he purposefully and meaningfully moved his neck away after that, placing a gentle finger to the boy's lips to silence him. He didn't want Armand to drink quite yet. He had plans that he would need the vampire at least a little bit hungry for. At the correction, the telepath chuckled, amused. "Let me think what I will and I'll let you think what you will."

Then, easily, he scooped Armand into his arms and brought him over to the bed. Once comfortable, with Armand's back against his chest as he sat against the headboard, he reached for the brush he kept on the bedside table. Soon, he was running it through Armand's hair in smooth, careful strokes, completely sensual. "And when we're done, we can go to the church, if you still want to."

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