Amadeus Lazarus (sanguinemagic) wrote in nybynightic, @ 2021-06-28 04:26:00 |
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He may have been dressed down in a tank top and lounge pants—all those pesky buttons gone for now—but he had been working on casting a spell. The same spell that was such a dirty secret of the Tremere, known mainly by only the elders of the clan, that had been changed around to keep the Malakavian Primogen awake so that she could kill the Ventrue Primogen. The spell that Amadeus had figured out how to twist and change himself once he had realized what had been done.
Once he was done working the spell on himself, he got up and moved towards the Malakavian whom he didn’t bother to hide any of his—or the clan Tremere’s—secrets from. “I know it’s a total hardship to ask you to do this,” it was clear from his tone and facial expression that he teased, “but I need you to bite me and drink.”
Liam, personally, hadn’t bothered with a shirt. Or getting dressed, for that matter. He looked up at Amadeus from where he was still half-sprawled and bare-chested on the bed, the sheets falling away to reveal firm pecs and abdominals that Liam unashamedly paraded in front of Amadeus even in the best of times. He had the wherewithal to raise an eyebrow at the request however, sensing the undercurrent of excitement under that veneer of confidence that Amadeus always wore.
With Amadeus, it was always the things he didn’t say that mattered the most.
So Liam grabbed hold of Amadeus’ wrist and tugged--firmly enough that Amadeus would fall back into bed with him if he didn’t stand his ground. Which was exactly where he belonged, in Liam’s opinion. “Be careful what you ask for,” Liam returned, voice equally flirtatious and dark with promise, a deep baritone against the shell of Amadeus’ ear. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Liam wasn’t wrong on the being careful what you wished for front because they both knew exactly what his biting Amadeus would do to the Tremere. Or rather more like what kind of reaction it would get. Which would be playing with fire when his lover was already making him almost forget what he was up to at the moment. “There’s probably lots of things I’m not telling you,” Amadeus pointed out as he allowed Liam to pull him closer. “And if I spent most of my time explaining what I was doing, I’d never get anything done would I?”
The smirk he gave Liam was cheeky and had it been anyone else Amadeus would have just left it at that while expecting them to do as he said. Which he did still consider doing but he knew going down that road would just lead him to getting completely distracted and his spell going to waste.
“I need you to drink from me so that the spell I worked will transfer with it. It’s the only way to work it on another Kindred.” Which was always a leap of faith to ask of anyone when the person whose blood was in question was a Tremere considering the things they could do to their. Unless you trusted the one in question, it was always best to think twice before biting one. Not that Liam had to worry where Amadeus was considered.
It wasn’t enough to get rid of all the misgivings Liam had. And for a Malkavian, it was certainly the wiser thing to have far more suspicion than not. But given that this was Amadeus. Well, there was only ever one Kindred that Liam had given into instinct before his intellect. Admittedly, it hadn’t been the smartest thing to do, considering where it had gotten them for the better part of a few centuries, give or take.
But since they were here now. Liam was still inclined to give the Tremere the benefit of the doubt.
That elegant eyebrow still raised to convey his skepticism on Amadeus’ plans though, Liam nonetheless reached for that same arm he had targeted earlier, tugging a pale wrist closer. It was as much a strategic move as anything. Too close, and Liam wasn’t sure he had the control to be able to pull back when it mattered.
Giving Amadeus one last look of indentured patience, he sank his fang into the edge of that soft, pale flesh, drawing with it, the most exquisite taste of liquid ambrosia.
Amadeus couldn't help the soft sigh that passed his lips as Liam bit and drank. Nor could he help the way he shifted closer. Space between them at the moment was a good idea but it was a hard thing to remember all things considered.
Fingers came up and carded through Liam’s hair as he drank. Once he finished, Amadeus brought his mouth to his and kissed him, that taste of his own blood lingering.
"Now that I don't have to worry about the pesky sun making us sleep I want to show you something." He tugged on Liam’s hand to encourage him to get up out of the bed. "You don’t even have to put clothes on." Amadeus' tone was teasing but the look in his eyes as they roamed over the other man’s body said just how much he appreciated the flesh on display.
Drunk on the taste of Amadeus, drunk on the power coursing through his veins, it took longer than normal for Liam to respond to the touch and the fingers carding through his hair. He could sense, in every smallest way, the presence of Amadeus by his side, the very essence and vibrant energy. But he was also getting so much more. The power and the memories, the centuries of history that had coalesced in the few mouthfuls of blood. Liam’s pupils were wide--blown open like the floodgates of sensory stimuli.
He found his way to Amadeus in the end, focusing on that handsome face he had imagined for so long, hated and loved in equal measure.
He didn’t answer. Words were abstract. Instead, he fixated on the man himself, licking his lips. And as Amadeus beckoned, so Liam went, unhurriedly and without care for the fact that he was dressed in nothing but simple black boxers.
The large windows that filled most every room in Amadeus' apartment lacked curtains or anything else covering them. They didn’t need to when the whole place was warded—including wards to protect against the sun. So as Amadeus lead the way into the living room and the pink hues of sunrise were filtering in they didn't have to worry about them being harmful.
"Let me know if it's too much."
To be able to be awake and see the sun—it wasn’t something every Kindred could handle.
Not that the sun was a problem for much longer. The moon was moving in front of it, the sky turning hues of orange and red as the sun started to disappear behind it. As Amadeus stood with his arms wrapped around Liam's waist, the sky grew darker and soon the sun was eclipsed by moon with only a ring of fiery light left to be seen around it.
How long had it been since he had felt this sort of warmth against his skin? The first touch of the sun’s rays against it felt like an inexplicable burn--a touch so familiar and yet so foreign in the same breath. A sensation he had not come across in centuries. And yet, so unforgettable.
And now, something he knew once more, thanks to Amadeus.
The pupils of Liam’s eyes had widened, giving it a lighter shade almost, blown by simple wonder and amazement. Words felt paltry, in the face of re-experiencing the life of the living. So he settled for taking Amadeus’ hand in his own, tugging the man close to him and wrapping his arms around the Tremere, wordlessly expressing the sheer overwhelming flood of emotions that coursed through him in this moment.
And he was so glad that in this very moment, Amadeus was the one standing by his side, sharing in the sanctity of it.
“Thank you.” Even though it was about so much more. Those two words were so terribly inadequate. But for now, they would have to do.
As he was pulled in closer, Amadeus placed a kiss on Liam’s collar bone in response to those two words. His magic could do terrifying things that most wouldn’t even begin to consider doing. It could also do wondrous things though such as this. He had worked long and hard to master the wards that allowed them to stand here now, something he had taken advantage of before, but now realized how worth it all of it was.
Centuries of mastering the secrets of magic locked within the blood, anything that was within his power to give Liam he would, And he knew that things like this were worth more then any gift of pretty trinkets.
Amadeus placed his hand on Liam’s chest where if they had been alive—or even younger kindred—his heart would have beat. But young kindred they were not, their hearts so long cold and dead that it wasn’t even worth the amount of effort or blood to force them to beat once more. Yet as cold and dead as their hearts were they still worked in other ways.
“Do you remember the stories about the Red String of Fate?”
It was a concept that had its origins in ancient chinese beliefs. Some called it a superstition, others termed it more tradition. Either way, it was an idea that the Kine had that two individuals were bound together by a red string that determined romantic attachment. The absence of which meant that you could never stay together for long and the presence of which meant that no matter where you were, you were eventually drawn together, fated to meet. It played with the concept of destiny.
But what was fate and destiny when your existence was for an eternity?
Liam turned to look at Amadeus, searching those eyes for some kind of sign as to where the Tremere was going with this. “You mean the stories the Kine used to excuse themselves for their own failings?” That if their relationship didn’t work, it wasn’t through a lack of effort on both parties’ parts. But some unknown entity as nebulous as ‘fate’ and ‘destiny’.
Amadeus just stared at Liam for a moment. Finally he rolled his eyes and gave an exaggerated sigh. “Leave it to you to focus on the negative bits and completely ruin where I was going with this.” He made sure he gave Liam his most put out look that he could. Which was quite the look. Most Kindred their age were known to be pretty reserved while Amadeus was rather animated and expressive as he ever had been.
“Come on. You don’t think that there’s at least a bit to be said for the whole ideal of it? That we’re not somehow tied together and couldn’t help being pulled back together?” After all this time apart and having been only hours from each other for so long. Amadeus had to wonder what would have happened if he had never made that phone call.
That look of righteous indignation, more than anything else that Amadeus was saying, was what made Liam smile. It wasn't something that he hadn't entertained before, all those years ago, in a different time, a different dynasty. But that was a time when he still believed in a greater power, life of dedication to a greater purpose. All of that, completely destroyed, in the matter of a single night as he lay out to ruin, life bleeding away from him.
He turned, arms going around Amadeus and wrapping that shorter frame within, giving the Tremere nowhere to run. Not that Amadeus would. Not anymore at least. "I don't believe in fate. You know that," he told the sulking Tremere. "But I suppose there's something to be said for finding you again." Even if Liam rather attributed that to his own tenacity and sheer pig-headed stubbornness in never having given up on the search rather than some unseen, unknown entity. "Whatever you want to call it: fate or destiny or the red string." As long as it meant that Amadeus was here again in his arms, Liam wasn't fussed about the terminology.
“If one can’t rely on fate or destiny or an invisible red string, then maybe you should invest in a gps chip to keep track of me,” Amadeus teased, though one wouldn’t be needed. There’d be no more running. The arms around him now were the ones he was meant to be in. He had always known that, just the same as Liam did. Amadeus had learned his lesson in making foolish choices. At least when it came to making them on his own.
That pout turned to a different look completely as he slid his arms over Liam’s shoulders and wrapped a hand around the back of his neck. “I’ve seen too much lately to not at least give it the benefit of the doubt that there’s not something to it.” And given the things they knew were possible, it was hard for the Tremere to dismiss anything as not being possible. Then Amadeus’ lips twitched into a smirk. “How about serendipity? Shall we just call it that,” he asked before pulling Liam down into a kiss.
A kiss Liam didn't hesitate to return; lips parting, meeting Amadeus in an open-mouthed, hungry response. Even after all these years, here was the one taste Liam would never tire of.
Serendipity. That was a good one. But it wasn't all that Liam had in mind. "I don't need a GPS. Wherever you are, whatever you do, I will find you." To anyone else, it would have been a threat. And even for Liam, he probably intended for it to sound like that. But given hindsight and their history, what the both of them knew they had been through, how long they had waited to get to this place together again, there was an element of emotional attachment to the statement that even Liam couldn't deny.
He gave Amadeus a last, lingering peck on the lips. "Just know that." Sounding smug and pleased with himself.
Amadeus looked into that handsome, smug face for a moment as if he was considering the whole thing. “I make it so you can stay awake and see the sun and I get threats of being chased down. Keep wooing a guy with things like that and I may just end up proposing blood marriage.”
It was because of the Tremere’s ability to pull off things such as those that Liam didn’t have to worry about Amadeus going anywhere. Not because he was any wiser and as such wouldn’t do things that may go badly but because he was more powerful than he had been back then. Now when he pissed someone off he had the fire power to take them on directly,
Which was his reason for not running now. He’d burn the whole city down to get to the SI before it came to that.
Liam's answer was a short laugh. A genuine sound of delight that none had heard from the Malkavian for a very, very long time. Anyone else and Liam would have snapped back at them, snark for snark. But from Amadeus, Liam found the entire thing… almost cute. It definitely amused him. And who cares if it was just a biased opinion. Certainly not the two parties involved.
But as much as he was amused, that last bit did eventually catch up with him. Blood marriage wasn't something to be taken lightly. And Liam looked at the Tremere's face as he tried to gauge what Amadeus truly meant. "Wait, you're not serious?" His hands tightened instinctively around Amadeus for a moment. Was this why the Tremere had brought up that talk about the red string of fate? Because he was intending to create something of the sort for them.
That reaction caused Amadeus to raise an eyebrow as he silently searched the Malkavian’s eyes for a moment. Blood marriage wasn’t something to be taken lightly. It was more than what marriage among the Kine could ever be. It was why it was so rarely done anymore except by those who thought they could find political gain in doing so. While Amadeus may play the game, even he thought going through a blood marriage for that reason was a bit much.But there were other reasons to do so. Better reasons.
“I’m feeling that it’s a good thing the whole sunrise and fiery ring eclipse thing wasn’t all just some set up to ask you that,” the Tremere pointed out while keeping his face schooled and completely closed off for once as he continued to look at Liam. Serious or not, he wasn’t sure how he felt about the reaction his lover was having at the mention of it.
It was at this point that the little pieces started to come together. The sunrise. The questions. All to lead up to this. And Liam hadn't been able to see it coming at all. It was like being hit from the back by a truck. He never saw it coming. And now he was wondering if he should have.
But who would have thought that this was something the two of them would entertain? Certainly not the Ling and Jiang of the past. But perhaps, just perhaps, they could be now the Liam and Amadeus of the present.
His expression probably revealed a hint of how gobsmacked he felt. But his tone even more so. "I never really thought about anything else beyond finding you." It was the truth, if nothing else. Because so much of Liam's existence came down to the defining moments centred around Amadeus. Whether he wanted to admit it or not. That time before the met Amadeus. Then that time after Amadeus left. And now, when he had found the Kindred again. He hadn't known what exactly he was going to find when he left Boston on a hunch to come to New York, hadn't been able to think that far, or that clearly. Only that he had to come. Couldn't stay away even if he tried.
For once Amadeus was quiet. Speechless even. It wasn’t that he didn’t have words. Oh there were plenty of them brewing in his mind but he held them back. It was one part not knowing which words were the right ones to use given Liam’s reaction and one part being afraid if they weren’t the right words the damage that could be caused. Ending up in this sticky of a situation had not been his intention at all.
“And now you found me.” There was an unspoken ‘and now what’ that hung in the air silently after that statement. The Tremere searched those dark eyes and for the first time uncertainty filled his own. He ended up backtracking, not by physically pulling away—though he did stiffen a bit in Liam’s arms— but by closing off even more than he had with that carefully guard expression he held on his face. “Don’t worry about it. It was nothing.”
He couldn’t bring himself to say the words that no, he hadn’t been serious. That he hadn’t given it serious thought at least. But he could pretend to brush it off like he hadn’t been.
There was a sudden sense that he had that this was all going down rather badly. A downward spiral that had come from Liam not connecting the dots earlier. Especially when he felt Amadeus tense in his arms.
That was not how he wanted the night to go at all. His hands tightened around Amadeus--a sense that he was trying to scoop up water with bare hands pervaded him, watching it slip through his fingers with dismay. He made Amadeus look at him, stared back into the other Kindred's eyes. "No. It's not nothing. It's a huge thing. I just--" How could he put this in a way that wouldn't scare Amadeus off further? More than he already had? There were things in his life that Liam was unarguably good at. Conveying matters of emotional importance was not one of them.
His fingers tightened around Amadeus' arms, as if by doing so he could impress upon the other the truth of the words he was saying. Because Amadeus had to understand this. He had to. "There's only been you," he said finally. "From the time you came into my life. For centuries after. Even when I hated you for leaving. Even now. There's only been you. And there will always only ever be you." Liam's voice was quiet, but firm. Unwavering. There wasn't a single ounce of doubt or uncertainty in his voice. "You know that, don't you?"
Amadeus' hands had moved and had settled on Liam’s chest as he looked at him. Looking back into his eyes he could see how important his understanding was to the other and it caused the Tremere to relax in his hold because he did understand. It was the same way that Liam had always held his heart no matter how much Amadeus had foolishly tried to move past it but couldn't.
"I do know," Amadeus assured him. A large part of him wished he had realized it sooner so that there wouldn't have been all this wasted time between them but what was done was done. There was no spell for stepping back in time. No getting back the time lost to them. There was only the now and embracing what time they had left no matter how long or short it ended up being.
"Just as it will always be you." Amadeus couldn't help another sigh though. "Which is why I couldn't help but entertain certain ideas. We both know how I can get caught up in things and then take them too far at times." But knowing that they had and always would be it for each other was what had made him think of the red string. It was why something major seemed not so much to him. Not when it came to Liam.
Was it too much, given what they already knew about how much the other was a part of their own lives? Probably not. It was simply that a blood pact like that was, traditionally at least, always thought of as a huge thing for the Kindred. And Liam had certainly never entertained the idea with anyone else. Nor had he even seen a need to.
He watched Amadeus. With less of an urgency now that they had established that they weren’t about to leave one another anytime soon. He simply observed the other, trying to parse the motivations behind such a thought.
“If that’s what you want, then that’s what we’ll do,” Liam said. He said it lightly, without pressure. “I don’t need any bond or proof or string. I’m with you because here’s where I want to be.” He grasped Amadeus’ hand over his chest--his heart--perfectly illustrating his point. “But knowing that is of course different from a blood bond itself. I’ve never entertained the idea. But with you--” Liam looked at Amadeus, and gave the other a small smile, thumb running over the back of Amadeus’ palm. “Of course. A hundred, thousand times over, it’s a ‘yes’.”
Over the course of their relationship, more often than not Liam had always given into Amadeus. Which was the reason Amadeus hadn't pressed the issue because he wanted this to be something Liam decided he wanted as well and not because the Tremere had pushed for it.
At those words though, he studied Liam’s face and eyes. They settled this unknown need he had inside of him that even he really didn't understand. Whatever it was, it settled at Liam’s agreement and that smile. It caused one to finally return to Amadeus' face.
"Careful because you're agreeing to not only be tied to me but stuck with me as your husband for the rest of our endless nights." However many more they had. Just because they were eternal didn’t make them fully immortal. Amadeus had seen that first hand.
Before Liam could reply, Amadeus used his free hand to pull the Malkavian in for a kiss.
The kiss was a long, slow one. With a note of lingering sweetness, a stark contrast to what they were usually used to. It showed, perhaps, how far they had come from that angry mutually destructive relationship of the past.
Liam’s eyes were twinkling as they finally pulled apart again. “Weren’t you listening to me,” he asked, teasingly. “You’re already stuck with me. You just didn’t know it yet.”
Amadeus looked into those twinkling eyes that were so different from the hard angry ones that Liam had possessed when he had first found the Tremere again. They caused Amadeus’ own to do the same as he reached up and stroked his fingers over the other’s cheek. “Then I’m a luckier man than I knew.”
Lucky that Liam had never given up on him. Lucky that he had forgiven him. And finally, lucky because he’d get to spend the rest of his nights with the one he had always loved by his side.