The shift was the longest one Anri had ever worked. At least that’s how it felt. But…working felt weird now. Things didn’t seem as important now that he had survived nearly being sacrificed in a strange demon-summoning ceremony. Everything seemed mundane now. Well, work and normal stuff kind of everything. It was still a little hard to admit, even to himself, but things with Seth were pretty fantastic.

Speaking of which, worry over both Seth and Simone had been driving him to distraction, as Ginger would attest tonight. He had broken more glasses today than he probably had broken combined for the rest of the year. Oh, and the entire container of prepared lemons he had spilled all over the floor. Ginger made him reprep the whole bar by himself for that. He was probably the least graceful vampire to ever live, and his agitation only served to make it worse.

All of that, and Seth still hadn’t stopped by tonight, which just amped up his worry. No texts, no calls, no visit. Jealousy had been simmering on a low burner all day, ever since he learned about Lance. Seth hadn’t sent any other intense emotions since the that morning, but it didn’t matter. Anri was perched on knife’s edge nonetheless.

“Anri!” Ginger, aka Red, hissed in his ear. Her nickname had come from the neon red tint to her hair, but tonight it was was flaxy blonde, pulled back in a tight ponytail. The contrast of her blonde-blonde hair against her dark ebony features was even more dramatic in the dim red lighting at Kintsugi.

Ginger wore a tight fitting black shirt with a low neckline that plunged dangerously into her cleavage. She was a little more shapely than Anri tended to go for, but he couldn’t deny she was attractive. Her tips would attest to that, as well. She was confident and it showed.

He rolled his eyes, sipping water from a cup he kept under the bar. “What?”

“I saw that. Don’t get lost in thought, help me out. If you didn’t notice, we’re busy tonight. You can pine over your beau later,” she chided as she replaced bottles of liquor on the back wall.

Anri nearly snorted out his drink. “Beau! What beau?”

Ginger rolled her eyes hard enough to flip her golden ponytail. “You know, cute boy, taller than you, dark hair, lip ring. The one you’ve been sighing over all night. That one,” she said, pointedly looked down at her fingernails. They were the color of gold coins, and they looked long and sharp.

“I have no idea who you are talking about…” Anri hedged. She harrumphed, flicking her fingernails in his direction. “How do you pick up anything with nails that long?” he wondered aloud, intentionally changing the subject. They hung at least half an inch over her fingertips.

“Anri!” she barked. “Skill. Now, back to work!” she chided over her shoulder, sidling down the bar to attend to a straggling customer. Anri coughed to hide his snicker and she shot him a dirty look.

He spent another hour, which felt closer to ten, mixing drinks and chatting mindlessly with the last few customers. Ginger spent that time working as well, but without the chatting. She wasn’t much for small talk, though it didn’t seem to affect her tips any. It might have helped that her generous cleavage was on display, a small golden rosary dangling in between her bosoms.

It was near closing time when Anri got his first text from Seth since he started working. Sry, hijacked by Lance. Miss you. See you tomorrow?

Anri’s jealousy went from simmer to rolling boil. He hated this ‘Lance’ fellow more and more. Honestly!? He hadn’t seen Seth since Thursday. Four days ago! And now he wouldn’t see him for even longer, because of Lance. And now that school was starting…they would see each other even less because of their alternate schedules. Goddamn Lance…

Another text from Seth. I’m sry. I know I said I’d stop by. I promise I will tomorrow. Don’t be jealous. I’m only gay for you. 😉

Anri rolled his eyes, smiling despite his jealousy. He tried to cool off with deep, calming breaths, but all he could think about was Lance. Instead he closed the connection with Seth down just a little more. He didn’t want Seth to feel this much of his jealousy. How shameful. It was only a teeny bit more, he probably wouldn’t even notice. And he wouldn’t know about Anri’s raging jealousy or how lame and dependant he was already becoming.  

He took a few more breaths before he responded. He started to type something in, then erased it all. It took him four tries before he finally decided on Gnite Seth. It wasn’t safe for him to write more, each of his texts had been more angsty and jealous than the previous. The last one he deleted had been downright petty.

Anri finished up work and walked home, jealousy still burning hot in his chest, forcing him to shut their connection a little bit more. Walking quickly, he dreamed up horrible ways in which the faceless Lance might ‘disappear’. It helped a little.

All of the lights in the apartment were on when he came in. Simone must have already been asleep, though, her bedroom door was closed. He slipped through the apartment as quiet as he could, turning off the lights.

“Hey, Anni,” Simone said sleepily from behind him. His heart jumped into his throat, startled by her cat-like silent approach. Leaning against his door, she looked exhausted, wearing a pair of sweatpants and a camisole, her hair hanging loosely draped over her shoulder in a dirty blond tangle.

“Hey, Simone. Did I wake you? Sorry.” He pulled the ponytail holder from his hair and his scalp tingled as it spread out. He tucked the elastic band into his pants pocket, scratching the other hand through his hair.

“Nah, I can’t sleep. Leave the lights on, please?”

“Ah, sure?” he replied as a question. “Everything okay?”

Instead of answering him, she changed the subject. “How was work?” Dark circles under her eyes told Anri all he needed to know about how her day went.

She knew how to manipulate him. “Horrible,” he whined, wincing at his own whininess. He just couldn’t stop himself. “Seth didn’t come, he was too busy with Lance. I…I’m super jealous. It’s so…stupid,” Anri admitted, berating himself.

SImone chuckled. Her laugh sounded as exhausted as she looked.

“Seriously, Simone, are you okay?” She looked away, not meeting his eyes. “Look at me. What’s wrong?” He wasn’t going to let her distract him again.

She stood there, leaning heavily against the doorframe without acknowledging his question. Anri was getting ready to ask again when she looked over her shoulder, down the all towards the kitchen. “You, you seriously can’t see her?” she whispered, barely a breath. If he wasn’t vampire he wouldn’t have heard her.

“See who? Simone, you’re scaring me.” Anri grabbed her arm. Her eyes were still on the kitchen.

“I wasn’t gonna tell you. Since you can’t see her. I thought…no, it’s probably all in my head. There’s…I’m sorry. I…” A tear slid down her cheek and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. “I’m just going crazy. You’re crazy sister. Every family has to have one, right?” Another tear fell in a parallel track from her other eye. She wiped that one, too, snuffling.

“Simone, I don’t think you’re crazy. I think some serious shit happened, and we are all still trying to cope with it,” Anri said gently. “Do you see her now? Whoever you are talking about?”

“She-she’s in the k-k-kitchen. The same girl. A-a g-g-ghost girl. The same one that talked to Raum. She just sits there and watches. All the t-t-time,” she stuttered said between sobs.

Anri pulled her into his arms and her crying became worse. “Anri, I h-h-hate being af-f-fraid in m-m-my own home.”

He held her, rubbing her back and saying nothing. She pushed him away after a minute, wiping both of her eyes with the backs of her hands. Anri walked into his room and grabbed a box of tissues off of her bookshelf, handing it to her.

“Danks,” she said stuffily. She blew her nose and wiped her face. Now the dark circles were now red and puffy from crying.

“Simone, you look like hell,” he teased gently.

She attempted to smile but it never reached her eyes. Anri frowned.

She threw her tissues in a small can by the door and stepped out in the hall. “She’s there,” Simone pointed down the hall. “Come on,” she motioned to him, stepping out of the doorway towards the kitchen. She pointed again, this time at the countertop next to her big shiny silver fridge while flipping the light back on with her other hand. “Standing next to the fridge. She moves if I get to close. That’s it. Other than that, she just stands there and watches. I’ve tried talking to her, tried ignoring her…she never leaves. You really…you really can’t see her?”

Anri walked over to the spot Simone pointed at, but he didn’t see anything out of the normal. “Right here?” He waved his hand through the air in front of him.

“She moved. She always moves if you get too close. She’s across the room now. That sounds so lame, but it’s true, I swear it. She’s watching me, Anni. She didn’t even look at you,” Simone whimpered.

He raked his hands through his hair, nails scratching at his scalp. “Do you want to go someplace else to sleep? You look super tired. Maybe a hotel? This is the same ghost that spoke to Raum?”

“No, I’m not leaving. But, yea, she never left after he did.” Simone wiped her face again, though no new tears had fallen. Her puffy red eyes looked painful.

“Well, then I think this ghost must belong to him. Doesn’t that mean he’ll be back for it? If not, we can move. I’ll help you move if you want. How long has it been? At least a week, right?” He cocked his head, counting back the days.

“Nine days, Anni. She has been here for nine days,” Simone sobbed.

“Does she stay in the kitchen?” he asked, contemplative.

“Yea, always in the kitchen. I would have died by now if she followed me around.” Simone whined.

Looking around, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He shook his head. “Sorry, I can’t see her. But!” he held up his hand, stopping her before she could interject, “I believe you. I do. I don’t think you’re crazy. Do you want me to stay up with you? Until you fall asleep?” he asked, deeply concerned.

She sighed, which turned into a huge yawn. “No, I’m so….I’m so tired, Anni. I think I’ll be able to sleep now since you’re here.” She turned and walked to her room. Anri followed her.

“Get some rest, Simone. I’ll be here. Just call if you need me,” he tried to sound reassuring.

“Anni, you’re nicer than you used to be. I’m-” she yawned again, “I’m glad you met Seth.”

“Go to sleep Simone. I…I’m glad I met him, too. Even if he did spend all day with Lance. Goodnight, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite,” he said, repeating their nightly saying to their mother from when they were children. Simone smiled weakly at him and he tiptoed up and kissed her on her cheek. She nodded once and slipped quietly into her room, shutting her door behind her.

Watching the door for another moment more, he listened for sounds of Simone. When we was sure she was in bed, he retreated back to his own room, turning all the lights back on for her. It for her, definitely not because she had successfully creeped him out, too.

He undressed for bed, tired after a long shift, and a long day spent stressing and worrying about the two most important, and annoying, people in his life. He stripped down to his underwear and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. Anri thought about turning on the light next to the bed and switching off the main light but then decided against it.

Okay, he had to admit it to himself, his sister had him creeped out, too, with the talk of the spectral guest she claimed inhabited their kitchen. She had to be seeing things, right?

Guilt flooded his chest at his judgement of his sister, especially after he had just told her that he believed her. He shouldn’t be so dismissive about it, not after all they had been through, but…he couldn’t see it. Was this PTSD? Was she was just tired and stressed? Or maybe…maybe the demon Raum did something to her… His scalp burned from raking his hands through his hair so many times today. What would he do about Simone?

They could talk about it more tomorrow. She looked so tired, if she was asleep, he’d let her sleep. And, he’d give her the benefit of the doubt. Raum was an asshole, it probably was his ghost, and his fault. Grabbing his laptop, he jumped into bed with the lights still on, sliding under the covers.

His back against the headboard, he opened his laptop in an attempt to distract himself from the everything, the stray jealously from the unknown Lance, and the disturbing thought of  Simone’s new ghostly houseguest. Seth would laugh at him, a vampire being afraid of a ghost. Still, it made him jumpy. Everyone knew little ghost girls nearly maxed out the scale of creepiness.

Feeling stupid and jealous, he realized he still had the connection to Seth partially closed. No, he admitted, mostly clamped down. He hadn’t intended to shut it so much, though! The thought of fully reopening the connection was instantly rejected. Seth didn’t need to know exactly how jealous he was, or how petty. Sighing, he pulling up some vamp conspiracy reddit feed at random to distract himself.

The back of Anri’s neck tingled, and he was sure that he was not alone. Fear blossomed in his gut. He had to force himself to look up, panic growing that he it would be Simone’s dead girl, standing in the door.

Nothing. But, he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone, or something, was in the room with him. He shivered and tried to disregard that line of thinking.

He resumed his internet lurking as a means of distraction, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. He stared at the computer screen, words unread, sneaking peeks around the room without trying to feel too ridiculous. Goddamn Simone’s ghost. He was never going to be able to sleep now.

Anri tried hard to focus on the internet’s offerings. He really did. His mind wandered, when he wasn’t jumping at shadows, to Seth. Of course, once he started thinking of him he couldn’t stop. Jealousy burned as he sulked over all the time he didn’t get to spend time with Seth.

And what was up with Lance, touching their connection? Anger and jealousy were twin flames in his chest. At least while he was busy being angry and jealous, he wasn’t afraid of the hypothetical ghost. Well, not as afraid. Anri sulked harder.

Something caught his attention and his nostrils flared. He was sure he smelled Seth. Not just the residual smell that Seth left in his room after he left, but Seth in the flesh.

Seth here, in Anri’s room tonight? That was just as unlikely as Simone’s ghost. Anri sighed and rubbed his eyes. The light overhead was harsh this late but…he couldn’t turn it off. He knew why Simone asked to keep all the lights on now. Why was everything so much more serious and scary in the dark? Seth would laugh at him for sure.

Feeling restless and sick of himself, Anri closed his laptop and put it away. Only hesitating for a minute, he forced himself to get out of bed. He flicked the switch for the overhead light, instantly plunging the room into darkness, a small nightlight kicking on in the corner of the room. He exhaled a breath he had been holding, feeling foolish, but also afraid. He launched himself towards his bed.

Hands shot out from behind him, wrapping around his shoulders, pulling him back roughly. His heart shot to his throat as he fell backwards, his body going stiff, too shocked to react.

“Shhh…Anri, it’s me,” Seth said quickly into his ear. Seth’s smell surrounded him, his arms encircling and supporting Anri’s wooden frame from behind.

“Shit, Seth. You scared the crap out of me,” Anri hissed, his heart beating violently against his ribs. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get use to your teleportation skill.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Seth pulled him closer. He pushed his face into Anri’s hair, then used his chin to push it away from Anri’s neck. Instinctively, he found himself leaning into his Wren. Seth nuzzled against his neck, rubbing his face against it until his lips met skin through his loose hair. Seth kissed his neck, his lips a welcome weight resting just above Anri’s pulse.

God, it was pathetic how much he had missed Seth. With Seth’s heat against him he felt steady and calm. Complete. Seth’s kisses melted away his jealousy until it was just a tiny worry on the horizon. Those kisses became more intense as he sucked a little at the end of each kiss. His arms slid down his naked torso, trapping Anri’s arms against his sides. Fully captured, he relaxed into his Wren, closing his eyes and leaning his head to expose more of his neck.

“Missed you,” Seth mumbled between kisses. He used his chin to push Anri’s head over in the other direction and began the process again on the other side. Seth’s manhood pressed into the cleavage of his butt and he felt the blood rush straight to his lower regions to match. Seth ground into him suggestively and he leaned back into it, enjoying the feel of Seth’s member between his cheeks.

Seth squeezed him tightly against his chest. His arms crisscrossed over Anri’s chest, hands wrapped around Anri’s shoulders, pulling him in tightly. His kisses started to get more aggressive as he alternated nibbling between the suckling kisses.

“Mmm…Seth…”

Seth stopped kissing and nuzzled his neck. “You cut down our connection, Anri,” Seth chided in a stern whisper.

His face grew hot. Suddenly, for the first time since he was home, he was glad it was dark.

“Anri…why’d you throttle our bond?” Seth’s voice was firm and quiet. His lover’s hands pulled him in even closer, almost painfully so. His teeth grazed Anri’s neck and he trembled. “Anri?”

“I…” Anri began. He shivered in Seth’s arms, though he was not cold. “Um…” He couldn’t bring himself to admit he had been jealous, too prideful to let Seth feel just how needy and dependent he really was.

Seth nipped at Anri’s earlobe, catching it in his teeth. Ever so slowly Seth bit down harder, holding the fleshy lobe between his teeth. He bit down just a tiny bit harder, grinding it between his teeth, a threat and a promise.

Anri whined, he couldn’t help himself. “I was jealous,” he spit out. “I was jealous of Lance. I didn’t want you to know how lame I am.”

Seth bit down on his ear again, just a little harder until it stung. He flinched but didn’t jerk away. “Oh, Anri,” Seth said, letting his earlobe slip from his lips. “I’d tell you that I don’t think you’re lame, but I don’t think you’d listen. Instead,” he planted kisses between his words from Anri’s ear down to his collarbone, “Instead, I’ll just tell you that’s the sexiest thing I’ve heard all day.”

“You think it’s sexy that I was jealous?” he asked incredulously.

“I felt it. How jealous you were of Lance. Before you throttled our bond. I know how much you want me. I love how possessive you are. I love knowing that my heart is yours. That I belong to you.” Seth’s throaty whisper made it that much more intimate and intense. Again, Anri was glad that the lights were out.

Seth’s hands relaxed, sliding down his arms, making him whimper. “It’s embarrassing. I’m…I don’t want you to think I’m needy or clingy,” he said, barely a whisper. It was loud enough for Seth to hear, though. Seth buried his face in Anri’s hair and breathed deep.

“You aren’t needy. Your desire for me is such a turn-on. I don’t know why, but I can smell your arousal. I can smell how much you want me. You made me like this.” Seth breathed out in his hair, then nuzzled his face deeper, groaning. He rubbed himself between Anri’s cheeks as his hands travelled lower, uncrossing as they came to rest on Anri’s flat stomach, just above the waistband of his sweatpants. His thumbs hitched under the band and Anri gasped. “I’ve never wanted anyone like I want you, my sexy vampire.”

“I’m lame,” Anri insisted without much conviction. Seth’s thumbs were circling around the skin just under his waistband. His ability to focus on much else was waning by the moment.

“Not lame. Sexy. Amazing. Mine,” Seth breathed. His mouth was back over Anri’s neck again, and his teeth bit down without warning. Roughly. Just as quickly his teeth were replaced with his lips. The spot stung and Anri thought he could feel the teeth marks tingling in his skin. He knew that the marks would heal quickly and wished they would stay longer. He wanted Seth to mark him. To bite him harder and break the skin. To bleed him. God, he was embarrassing.

Fuck it. He could be embarrassed, or he could enjoy this. “Yours,” he agreed softly. He pressed himself further back into Seth’s arms, against the firm bulge pressing into his lower back.

“You’re still throttling our connection, Anri,” Seth said sternly. Anri trembled again but did nothing to change his hold on their bond.

Seth sighed, delivering a painful nip to Anri’s earlobe. “You’re so stubborn. Frustrating, but I like that about you, too.”

Anri bit his cheek to hide his moan, trembling, saying nothing. He whined wordlessly when Seth’s thumbs pulled away from the elastic waistband, dragging his hands up Anri’s torso. Seth lightly scraped his fingertips over his stomach and up to his chest, stopping on either side of the permanent bond mark. The matching reddish-brown braided rings on either of their chests where they were metaphysically connected together.

“I’ll show ya a neat trick I learned today. You wanna see it?” Seth licked the outside of his ear, starting at his jawline and tracing the curve of it with his tongue, his breath heavy in Anri’s ears. Seth’s fingers tickled and circled around the mark until his finger and thumbs joined together in a circle around the it. An electric shock sputtered through their connection and Anri’s breath caught as he went stockstill. Seth pulled his fingers away from Anri’s chest slowly.

There was a strange tugging sensation in his chest, and he watched as his bond uncoiled from the space inside him where it resided. Seth gently pulled, naturally unspooling it as he tugged it out of Anri’s chest. He squeaked and Seth laughed in his ear. “You see,” Seth said as he gently coaxed their bond from Anri’s body, “I know how to call our bond now. You can’t hide from me, my Anri.”

The bond glowed dimly in the dark room and he stared at it in fascination. The feeling of Seth pulling it out was strangely intimate. As it left his body, an empty space grew inside like a craving he couldn’t fill. Seth stopped pulling the cord, about half a foot of it glowing faintly in his hand. Seth’s hands felt charged, everywhere his fingers touched sparked and arced with strange magic, but not in an unpleasant way. It was different and unique, but nothing like when Lance had touched it. Seth touching it felt intimate in a way Anri couldn’t begin to describe, Lance’s touch had felt wrong, dangerous and vitriolic.

Seth ran his hand up and down the connection with a silky touch. “Here,” Seth said decisively. “This is where you cut yourself off from me.” Anri felt his fingers catch on a kink, the kink he had put into the cord. Seth stopped there, his fingers massaging the location. Anri could feel the kink as a physical thing, and apparently so could Seth.

Seth squeezed it and the pressure of his fingers sent sparks of electricity straight to Anri’s legs and feet. They felt like macaroni beneath him and he swayed. His lover’s strong arm caught him, holding firmly with one hand while he used the other to massage the kink. He nuzzled Anri’s neck again while his fingers massaged the kink, relaxing it. Anri moaned, unable to stop himself. His erection strained against his underwear and he went up on his tiptoes, his whole body alight with the lightning coursing through his veins from Seth’s touch.

Seth laughed against his neck. “Don’t hide from me, Anri. I’m yours. Always. Your jealousy and possessiveness…” Seth growled against his neck. “Can’t you feel I’m the same?”

His fingers stopped massaging the cord and Anri felt the connection flare open, wider than before. Seth let the cord slip through his fingers and it receded back into Anri, filling the emptiness within him full of Seth’s essence.

Seth’s thumbs returned to his waistband and he shivered. The cord, no longer in Seth’s hands, faded out of existence as Seth’s hips rocked against his butt. Those clever hands, they hands dipped below the stretchy elastic band of Anri’s sweatpants and into his underpants. Seth growled again, deep in his throat, a sound that was possessive and demanding and needy all at once. His fingers found Anri’s swollen member and wrapped around it firmly.

Anri struggled against Seth’s hold, wiggling around to face him. Somehow Seth’s grip on his manhood didn’t falter. He stroked up once and Anri almost dropped to his knees. Steadying himself, he leaned up and captured Seth’s mouth with his own.

Stunned, Seth stepped back, his back against the wall. Anri kissed him needily, his tongue pushing into Seth’s mouth. Seth kissed him back with ferocity. Their connection, now fully open, reverberated their desire between them, amping up their need and lust.

Seth’s hand moved up and down his shaft, creating an overwhelming need for him to have Seth in his hands, too. His hands moved to Seth’s belt, but his frazzled mind couldn’t figure out how to undo the restraints. Mewling pathetically, and hating himself, he went to pull back his hand, but then Seth’s other hand was there, fumbling with the belt. Seth’s clever hands made easy work of his belt and pants, then shoved his cock into Anri’s hand.

As Anri grabbed his cock, Seth’s whole body went rigid, inhaling deeply. Anri’s self hatred flew out the window, replaced with the need to make Seth gasp and writhe. He wanted to surprise Seth, who always seemed to be in control, pushing him around by his emotions.

Smiling against Seth’s mouth, Anri began to stroke the his velvety shaft. He sucked in Seth’s lip ring and his cock jumped in Anri’s hand. Seth’s member was a solid, pleasant weight in his hand as he squeezed it firmly. His lover’s hand had been frozen in mid stroke, but as Anri’s hand clamped down, he began to move again. His hand rose up over the head of his cock, then slowly, slowly down the length of him. Seth kissed him hard, his hand matching pace.

They kissed and stroked each other, passion and desire arcing and building along their connection. Anri’s other hand wrapped around the back of Seth’s neck, pulling him down closer to his height. Seth’s other hand was tangled in Anri’s hair. There was nothing else in the world but the two of them.

“Hey, Anri, I was wondering if…” Simone said, opening the door.

Anri’s heart jumped into his throat for the second time since he had come home from work. With preternatural speed, he ripped himself apart from Seth, gasping and frustrated.

His sister stepped into the room, light spilling in from the hallway casting a long shadow around her form. He practically leaped to the bed, falling hard as he tried to adjust the painful swelling in his pants. Seth stayed against the wall, working hard to subtly tuck his engorged manhood away. Both of them were breathing heavy.

“Shit, Simone!” he exclaimed, breathily and frustrated. Seth shifted, seemingly unsure of what he should be doing.

It took a moment for the fatigued Simone, whose night vision was ruined by having all of the lights on, to realize what had been going on in the room before she had entered. She took a deep breath, scenting the air. Anri’s face burned with embarrassment and shame.

“Sethy’s here? Why is…Oh, my god. Oh shit. I didn’t realize…I’m just gonna…” Simone said, backing up out of the room. She closed the door behind her. “So sorry Sethy!” she called through the door.

“Knock, Simone. For god’s sake, knock,” Anri said tiredly.

Demonbound Chapter 2: How Many Crows in a Murder?

Demonbound Chapter 4: Midnight Dismemberment