vampire

13
 

When he entered the library the next night, Vincent found Yazoo sitting in his usual spot, quietly looking at ‘his’ book, that was resting on his lap.
 

A plate of cookies was placed on the small ebony table in front of him.
 

“Good evening to you,” the boy greeted without looking up from the pages. Somehow he had come to sense the man´s presence sometimes, since Vincent never made a sound that indicated his arrival.
 

“Good evening,” the vampire replied, wondering how long it had taken his protegé to say this phrase without slipping up into his slang.
 

“I made sum cookies,” he informed the man absent-mindedly. Vincent´s gaze moved over to the round sweets of different shape and burnt brims, saying “I see,” and reaching for his book as he sat down with crossed legs.
 

“Ya can hav one if ya want,” Yazoo offered, eyes glued to the pages.
 

Vincent stiffened. “Thank you,” he then said, opening his book.
 

He flicked through the handwritten pages, as he felt the weighty gaze of the boy upon him and looked up again quizzically.
 

Slight disappointment was evident on Yazoo´s face, but Vincent choose to ignore it.
 

“So, how was your day?”
 

“Fine. Da cleric came ta tell Miss Aeris dat I´m all clear now an´she was like really happy an´then we made cookies.” He emphasized the last word, and expectantly looked at Vincent from behind his bangs, but the vampire cleverly pretended to be distracted, only giving an approving “Mh mh.”
 

“I dunno what ya did ta him, but da cleric was like friggin´out when I came ta da kitchn an´told Miss Aeris dat he was really busy now an dat I ain´t hav ta come even ta da mass,” the boy continued, looking gleeful and having a slightly sadistic smile on his lips.
 

“I am afraid I do not know what you are referring to.” Vincent remarked, fliping another page, eyes following the line of words.
 

“Yeah, sure,” the boy smirked, observing Vincent creeping deeper into his collar as was his habit when he was uneasy. The vampire didn´t feel much better, when a small hand pushed the plate of cookies a little forward into his direction.
 

“I am not hungry right now, thank you,” the vampire said dimissively. Just why was the boy so obsessed with his cookies?! Aeris had told him that Yazoo had revealed to be a sucker for sweets so he should be happy to have them all to himself, shouldn´t he?
 

And then it dawned on him. Of course, Yazoo liked sweets. And thus he wanted to share them only with people he deemed worthy of his appreciation. Offering cookies was the boy´s complicated way of telling the vampire that he had decided to no longer hold a grudge. It was a peace treaty.
 

Now, this was one hell of a problem.
 

Because for one thing, Vincent didn´t really want Yazoo to get too attached to him (nor wanted to get too attached to the little human either).
 

And second: he could, as a matter of fact, not ingest anything other than human blood.
 

Sighing, the vampire looked up, choosing his next words carefully “I thank you for offering them, though. I appreciate your efforts.”
 

“It ain´t like I made’em all for ya or sumthin´” came the impassible reply, followed by a soft crunching sound.
 

Chewing his lower lip a little, Vincent finally sighed inwardly and hesitantly reached for the plate, at once feeling the expectant gaze of a tensed Yazoo following his actions.
 

Gloved fingers enclosed around what seemed the smallest cookie to the vampires eyes.
 

He then guided the problem to his mouth and nibbled at one corner, making an approving face and hoping that the boy wouldn´t notice the crumbs falling into his collar instead of wandering into his mouth.

“Delicious.”
 

Yazoo´s tensed shoulders relaxed, but otherwise he looked like he didn´t care at all what Vincent thought about his first attempt on baking something.
 

Thinking that he had to offer something in return, and trying to distract from the not eaten cookie, Vincent quietly asked “Shall we read something?”
 

Inwardly he hoped that Yazoo would chose something other than THAT book, because by now the vampire knew the tremendous tale of knight Siegfried and princess Beatrice inside out.
 

The boy had entirely others plans anyway, though.
 

“Naa, can read it maself,” Yazoo rejected.
 

“Oh?” Vincent said, amused. Apparently he wasn´t the only one who could recite the entire story in his sleep. “How about you reading out for me then?”
 

Yazoo looked up at him a little stunned, but after a thoughtful moment he nodded. “A´right.”

Placing the book closer to his face and making a concentrated impression, he started ‘reading’:
 

“Om –n-ce upa-on… a… tin-ma…time… Once upon a time-”
 

He didn´t get any farther, as the soft tud of the cookie hitting the floor cut him off. Frowning, he graced the vampire with a displeased gander, for he was trying his best here and found it very impolite to be interrupted!
 

“Did you… actually read this?” the vampire inquired, bending down to collect his broken cookie.
 

“Hn,” Yazoo said with an air of implicitness.
 

“I see,” Vincent only replied, laying the sweetness on the plate and searching for one of the books from the shack nearby, holding it towards the boy. “Read the third sentence of the second page.”
 

“…Ta-ha-a-e…y h-a-b..d…b…d ta-o go… They had to go-”
 

Amazed, Vincent followed the youth stammering his way through the sentence. He made him read out another sentence from an entirely different book until he was convinced that Yazoo just hadn´t by any chance recited a sentence he had heard before.
 

After that he let him go back to his own book and listened to the familiar course of action being hacked into tiny bits of letters and vocals.
 

Eventually, after the first half of the story, the boy gave up, exhausted and his mouth feeling dry, letting the book sink down into his lap.

“I need sumthin ta drink” he announced and slipped from his seat, placing the book carefully on the chair and rushed to the kitchen.

When he came back, a white-yellow, but blank sheet of paper was waiting for him on the table, as well as a recording pen in a small inkhorn.

Vincent motioned the curios boy to sit down and take the writing item and with unshaking patience ordered him to start writing what he dictated.
 

XxxXxxx
 

From that evening onwards, Vincent started teaching the boy various things.
 

Not only did Yazoo learn reading and writing, he also was lectured about history, latin, philosophies and mathematics. With astonishement and satisfaction, Vincent watched his pupil absorbing his knowledge like a dried sponge, with quiet interest and a swift wit. But what surprised him most was not Yazoo´s superiour intelligence and patience but also that teaching the boy his experiences and knowledge made the vampire feel some strange sort of satisfaction.
 

It was like a part of him was living on in another form. Furthermore he was actually looking forward to their evening lessons and had not failed even one night to come to his house. Before he had only occasionally visited his estates, restlessly roaming the nights and not feeling quite at home anywhere, but this time…
 

Shaking his head to clear it from this strange thoughts, Vincent pressed down the handle of the door and entered the room. As the days became shorter, nearing winter, he had risen earlier from his coffin and had already taken his meal, so he was not too surprised to have not found Yazoo by his usual spot in the library.
 

He sensed him in what was now ‘his’ room and had decided to take a look at what Yazoo was doing before their lessons. But whatever he had thought the boy might do, he certainly hadn´t expected to find him like… this.
 

Stopping in the door way, the vampire blinked, briefly asking himself if he was in the right house.
 

Because there on the floor with a book in his lap was sitting a human in a gorgeous dress.
 

Upon noticing the silver hair Vincent knew of course that it was Yazoo, but the transformation was so… unexpected.
 

The boy´s long hair was arranged in an updo, pinned with two beautiful golden and jeweled hairpins. Some rebellious strands had gone loose and framed the androgynous face and curling into his white, long neck.
 

He had been put in a green dress embroided with a silver flower pattern that matched his eyes and hair, and left his shoulders free.
 

Because of his sitting position on the floor, the full skirt of the dress had ridden up, leading the view automatically to his long white legs and small, bare feet.
 

Finally noticing the other man´s startled presence, Yazoo looked up from his book, head tilted in question, as if it was perfectly normal for him to be dressed up for a prom, and as the female counterpart as that. Well, maybe it was, Vincent had no idea, but he felt like he had to voice his confusion though, stating dryly “You are wearing a dress.”
 

The boy looked down at himself disinterestedly, as if he had only noticed now, and then let his stoic gaze wander back to his teacher. “Hn. And?”
 

“Why are you wearing a dress?” Frowning, Vincent crossed his arms over his chest.
 

“Cake,” Yazoo answered in a manner as if this would explain everything, eyes glued back to his book.
 

“…Cake,” the vampire echoed, lifting an eyebrow.
 

“Hn,” his pupil nodded unfazed, “Aeris said that she had planed a coffee party but that Miss Shera suddenly had become ill and couldn´t come so if I dressed up and we play instead, she said I would get cake.” A small smile graced his lips at the thought of the delicious cream tart.
 

Groaning inwardly, the vampire shook his head a little, bemoaning the fact that his brilliant student was virtually corrupt to the core. He´d probably have sold his own granny for a bag of cookies.
 

Pinching the bridge of his nose to massage away the upcoming headache, Vincent had to admit that the dress did indeed suit the boy, making him look so very fragile and delicate, providing him with an innocent beauty that was very alluring and…
 

Something deep inside of him stired, and the vampire pressed his full lips together briefly.
 

“Get your normal clothes on,” he then barked, looking very cold suddenly and making Yazoo look up in surprise.
 

“I will be waiting for you in the library,” the vampire added curtly, and a little less icy, face hidden behind the shadow of his collar and eyes fathomless. He then turned on his heels and with quick steps left the room and his student, who wondered if he had done something wrong.
 

As soon asYazoo and his confusing attire had been replaced by the bleached walls, the vampire relaxed somewhat, and decided with a frown to search for his maid. Usually he was very pleased with her work, but this was going a little too far. As it seemed, Yazoo apparently hadn´t minded the little cross dressing and taken it with his usual phlegmatic attitude.
 

But still… Vincent just did not like it. It did make him feel things he´d rather keep buried deep inside of him.
 

Entering the kitchen, which still smelled of the recent dinner, he found his maid busy with cleaning the cooking utensils. A small, half eaten cake was innocently sitting on the thick wooden table.
 

Vincent cleared his throat softly to announce his arrival, but she jumped at the noise nontheless, clutching a hand to her heart and sending him a mildy accusing but lenient glance. No matter how long Aeris had been working for the vampire, his silent sneaking would still take her off-guard every so often.
 

“Good evening, Mister Valentine,” she smiled though, straightening out her apron and waiting for his greetings. The vampire nodded at her, mumbling his own “Good evening,” but remaining silent otherwise.
 

Aeris sighed. Living with two not very talkative people in one household sure had made her a patient and intuitive person.
 

“You are very early today,” she tried, her head tilted a little.
 

“Yes,” the cloaked man affirmed.
 

“So… Are you not giving lessons tonight? Or is there something I can help you with, maybe?”
 

“Well, actually… there is something I would like to request.” The vampire crept deeper into his collar.
 

“Oh, of course, I´m glad to assist you with everything I can,” she gaily beamed at him, making it even harder for the man to reprimand her.
 

“I was at Yazoo´s room just now and I had to wonder about his… unusual attire,” he admitted, observing his maid with red eyes.
 

“Oh,” she made, smiling proudly. “It suits him, doesn´t it?”
 

“… Well. Yes…But I think he should rather wear something that matches his gender,” Vincent suggested politely, though his voice made clear the silent order carried within.
 

“Oh, of course,” Aeris agreed, casting her eyes downwards and then sighing. Her face took on a slightly thoughtful and worried expression as she sighed again and then bowed her head.
 

“I´m sorry if his get up bothered you, I did not mean any offence. It´s just…”
 

She fumbled with the brim of her apron nervously, but then it burst out of her. “You see, I think it is amazing how you two get along and how caught up Yazoo is in his studies, really there is no minute when I do not catch him with his nose stuck into a book.”
 

She laughed at the image flaring up in her mind, but got serious almost instantly again, explaining “But sometimes I think he might be a bit lonely…He´s always staying at home, learning and reading, and I thought maybe he needs some change and fun once in a while. Maybe he should go out and play with other children his age more often… I mean he is still a child and life will get all serious for him soon enough.” she finished, looking at her master uncertainly.
 

“I see,” Vincent said, looking adamant but thoughtful. Finally he seemed to come to a conclusion, calmly announcing “I do understand your concerns. I thank you for pointing this problem out to me. Please feel free to initiate whatever you think might help him to socialise with other humans his age.”
 

With this he nodded his parting and went off to the library to continue his studies, leaving a happy and instantly sheming maid behind.
 

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Xyleel: Nee, nach noch ner Vergewaltigungsszene war mir auch nicht XD Aber ich hatte es mal vorsichtshalber 'adult'- ge-rated, bei Kapitel 4 oder so hatten die das automatisch gemacht, obwohl da eigentlich nix großartig war... Naja, sicher ist sicher :) Vampir-action wird es noch en masse geben, aber erst ein kleines bisschen später.