(no subject)

[thenorthman]

Eric was not having a good day.

He'd noticed that there had been some money missing from the Diamond accounts; someone was stealing from him (and had been stealing from Clarke before that). Someone was going to have to answer for that, and pouring over the books to figure it out (who could he trust with this?) might have given him a headache, if vampires had been prone to them.

And obviously, this had to come up the night he was supposed to meet Kersen's oh so interesting human. Eric had closed the books and pushed them aside when they were shown into his office, and shoved all of that aside to focus on their conversation. Michael Corella worked for Cesare Borgia, and that was a connection worth cultivating.

Things had been going well when someone opened the door to his office without knocking. Jamie - one of his managers - looked surprised to find three pairs of eyes on him, and stopped in the doorway. "I was looking for..." He trailed off, but his eyes had strayed to the books on Eric's desk, before snapping back to Eric. "I'll leave you to your meeting."

"No," Eric said, strolling over to the door to invite the other vampire in with a gesture. "Come in." Jamie had worked for Clarke, too, and Eric closed the door behind him. "Kersen. Do you remember that list of staff you gave me when I took over? The ones I might be able to keep on? Jamie was on it, right?"

Comments

[kersen]

Kersen closed his eyes, and finally let himself relax again against Michael. "You should never have gotten involved with a vampire," he murmured.

[trustearned]

"I didn't get involved with a vampire," Michael answered in a murmur, mimicking Kersen's phrasing. "I got involved with you."

[kersen]

That pulled a little smile to Kersen's lips, though it also made him think of his recent interaction with Felix.

"Well it's nice that you're able to... look past it," he said. "Even though it's caused a lot of trouble for you."

[trustearned]

Michael didn't tend to think of such things as 'nice'. It was just what it was, and he stroked his fingers through Kersen's hair, the puncture wounds on his other wrist dripping a little blood on his thigh.

[kersen]

Without thinking, Kersen dragged a finger onto his thigh to wipe up the blood, and sucked it into his mouth. "Recently someone I'd been flirting with told me he realized he couldn't sleep with me because I'm a vampire," Kersen said dryly. "Something about not being human. Like it's, I don't know, icky, that I'm dead."

[trustearned]

"You're not dead," Michael answered simply. He was alive in all the ways that mattered. A lack of pulse didn't change that.

[kersen]

"I'm glad you feel so strongly about that," Kersen said with a little smile. "I'm just sorry to have complicated your life. I'm sure Cesare was already doing enough of that before I came along. And now you probably just don't sleep at all."

[trustearned]

"Feelings always make things complicated," Michael answered, although he wished they didn't. That was why he let himself grow any so rarely, and never went looking for anything like this.

[kersen]

"That I won't apologize for," Kersen said quietly.

[trustearned]

"You shouldn't apologise for anything," Michael replied after a brief pause. "I'm here because I want to be."

[kersen]

"... because feelings," Kersen prodded gently. But then he smiled a little and added, "You don't have to talk about it. I just... it's good to know, is all."

[trustearned]

Michael only replied with a noncommittal sound. That was how much he wanted to talk about it.

[kersen]

Kersen wanted to sigh in response to that, but managed to hold himself back.

"If... when..." he corrected himself hastily, "I come back from this, I'm going to celebrate by spending twenty four hours in bed with you. Maybe I can even convince you to not answer the phone even if it's Cesare?"

[trustearned]

That was a fucking useless correction, as far as Michael was concerned. But he wasn't going to address it.

Especially given what else he clearly had to address.

He paused, and then told Kersen, "You know I can't do that."

[kersen]

Kersen blinked at him, surprised. He hadn't really meant the request seriously. But he also hadn't expected such a serious response.

"What, you're not allowed to have your own life?" he asked, though he sounded more confused than irritated. (He felt a little of both.)

[trustearned]

"My work is my life," Michael answered, his tone still carefully neutral. And he didn't talk about his work.

[kersen]

Okay, that irritated Kersen a little. "I thought there was some room for me in it, at least."

[trustearned]

Michael sat up at that, dislodging Kersen. Still, there was no sign of anger as he looked at Kersen, and then replied, "I never hid the way I was from you."

If Kersen couldn't live with that, Michael would walk.

Feelings made things complicated, but he would always strive to keep them as simple as possible, despite that.

[kersen]

"No," said Kersen softly. "You didn't." He put a hand lightly on Michael's shoulder. "And I haven't asked more of you. At least... not very much, I think."

[trustearned]

Michael remained silent at that, although he looked at Kersen expectantly, waiting for him to get to what he was actually saying.

[kersen]

But all Kersen said was, "Nevermind," and leaned in to kiss him. "Will you stay the night?"

[trustearned]

Michael held his gaze for a beat, then answered, "I'll have to go early in the morning." It wasn't a no; it was more often the case than not, and it had never stopped him before.

He wasn't going to push to know what Kersen wouldn't say. He still left it open for him to.

[kersen]

"Go whenever you like," Kersen murmured. "Just stay here with me now." And he leaned against him again.

Now was not the time to have some talk about their relationship. He didn't want to do that because he might die, or something.

After... well. Maybe then. But for right now he just wanted someone to hold him.

[trustearned]

Michael wrapped an arm around Kersen and leaned back against the headboard, taking him with him. His wrist was still stinging as it oh so slowly scarred.