“What are you doing here?”
“What an awful way to greet a friend. Didn't you miss me?” He smirked.
I silently glared at him. As angry as I was, my body was trembling in fear. I clenched my fist to control myself. I can't let Zaros find Nikolas in such a weakened state.
“You have guts showing your face again.”
“You have guts stealing my boyfriend.”
I scoffed. “He broke up with you!”
He seethed through bared teeth, his eyes livid. His hand swiftly grabbed my throat. I clawed at his hand to stop him, but he was insanely strong.
His eyes lit up. “Let's see how your precious Nik will react when he sees you're a vampire.”
I thrashed my legs to push him away, but he wasn’t budging. I forced a scream out of my mouth as I could feel his nails piercing my skin. I glowered into his golden eyes as his sinister grin grew with every failed attempt I made to remove his hand. He pulled the collar of my clothing to reveal my shoulder. I felt his breath on my skin, sending chills throughout my body. My eyes welled up in tears as I started to lose consciousness.
Suddenly, something flew out of the corner of my eye and pierced his eye. The tension around my neck released and I collapsed onto the floor. Zaros’s agonizing screams could be heard across the hall. The vampire rolled around the floor trying to remove the harpy feather from his eye socket. I internally thanked Niles for saving my life.
The door shot wide open to reveal a panicked Ryunosuke. He ran to my aid and supported my body as I stood up. His face was twisted with a menacing expression as he stared down at Zaros.
He pointed at Zaros with his hand, a bright red glowing aura surrounding us. “Haven't you learned your lesson the first time, asshole?”
Zaros couldn’t hear Ryunosuke as he was wailing in pain. The poison from the feather coursed through the veins on his face and neck while his body convulsed violently. I turned my head to look away at such an awful sight.
The wizard mumbled for several seconds as he waved his wand above the vampire. My entire vision was enveloped in scarlet before I shut my eyes. When I opened my eyes, the vampire was nowhere to be seen.
“Thank you, Ryu,” I whispered weakly before falling unconscious.
-
“Ryunosuke.”
“That’s my name.”
Nikolas shook his head as he stood beside the wizard. “Were you able to figure it out?”
Ryunosuke sighed, playing with his graduation certificate capsule. “Yes, but it’s a long process. I’ve been researching how to cultivate the flower.”
“Flower?”
“Yes, it requires special conditions and takes at least one year before fully blooms.” Ryunosuke exhaled. “The things that I do for you...”
“I’m ever grateful to you.” Nikolas nodded in agreement. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” Ryunosuke looked up at him and faintly smiled laced with contentment. “I’m doing this for Akio’s happiness.”
Nikolas hummed in agreement. “I know.”
“Can I talk to Ryunosuke privately?” Nikolas and Ryunosuke turned and saw Sen.
Nikolas gave him and the wizard a nod before walking away to leave the two of them alone.
.
.
.
“A flower is not immortal, but its beauty is everlasting. Its petals whisper beauty even as it fades and falls.” My father let go of the flower as its petals fell off the bud.
“Father,” I uttered. “I plan on turning myself.”
My father widened his eyes in unbelief. “Impossible.”
“My friend has found a way to turn me into a human. He's a wizard.”
“Have you told your siblings?”
“I plan to after Akio leaves the castle.”
“You know what happened to your mother…” He muttered sternly.
“Yes, but this will be different.”
My father turned away. He always does that when he's conflicted. “You're old enough to make your own decisions.”
I let out a slight breath of relief. It meant he didn't entirely disagree with the idea.
“You'll forever be an Ardelean.”
He meant to say that with compassion, but I knew his underlying message: don't do anything that will tarnish the Ardelean name.
I nodded and stood up from my seat. I said a customary Vampirish greeting and began to take my leave.
-
The distant cries echoed in Nikolas’s ears. His eyelids felt heavy. His entire body felt heavy, too weak to move. When he finally came to his senses, he was unsure where he was. He knew he was in someone’s home as he noticed he was in someone's room. He saw a desk next to a closet of clothes, a shelf covered in sports medals, and a dresser with a graduation diploma lying on top of it. However, the first thing his eyes laid upon was a pink floof. He slowly lifted his hand and touched it.
“Nik!” Akio cried.
“...Am I alive?”
The boy pulled him into his embrace and started weeping. “Yes! You’re alive! You’ve been out for days.”
Nikolas let go of Akio and noticed that his hands weren’t cold. “I’m… human.” He bit down and his tongue grazed his front teeth.
“It worked! Ryunosuke, it worked!” Akio wiped his tears and continued to sob in Nikolas’s chest.
The wizard stormed into the room. Ryunosuke let out a sigh of relief, pushing up his lens.
“I’m so glad you’re alive,” Akio whispered. Nikolas did his best to return the hug, but he started to feel light-headed. Akio began to panic. “Oh no, what’s wrong?”
Nikolas went into a coughing fit. “I think I need to drink or eat something…” He muttered.
“You’re human now, so you need to eat food for sustenance,” Ryunosuke said.
Akio grabbed a cup of water and let Nikolas drink all of its contents. After a few minutes, Nikolas surprisingly had enough energy to stand and walk. Once Nikolas finally gained his bearings, the trio met up with Sen and ate ramen.
This would be Nikolas’s first meal as a human. Nikolas placed a chopstick full of noodles into his mouth. His eyes widened as he swallowed his food. “It has flavor.”
Akio laughed as he watched his boyfriend eagerly eat his ramen. Nikolas still had an expressionless face, but now that he had more color to his face, he appeared alive. Nikolas glanced up from his bowl and saw Akio staring at him. Akio almost choked on his noodles as he stifled a laugh.
Nikolas drank all of the broth and placed it down with a clunk. “Can I have another one?”
Sen and Akio looked at him in shock, barely half of their bowl gone.
Ryunosuke narrowed his eyes. “I know I said meal is on me, but I didn't know how big your appetite would be. You should've gotten a larger size.”
“I'll have the largest size then.”
Akio smiled at Nikolas. He placed his hand on Nikolas's. Nikolas looked down and turned his hand upwards to hold his hand. Akio felt joy and relief from the new warmth of Nikolas's hand.
Sen humphed at Ryunosuke. “Can I get dumplings please?”
“No.”
“Pleaaase?” Sen wrapped his arms around the wizard's arm as Ryunosuke continued to eat his ramen. “I'll pay you back.”
“With money?” Ryunosuke questioned.
Sen rubbed the back of his head. “I don't have money on me right now.”
“Then no.”
Sen frowned. “I promise to pay you back.”
“Broke fools don't deserve food.”
Sen leaned his head on Ryunosuke's shoulder and grumbled. Ryunosuke put his arm around Sen's waist and continued to eat.
I'm glad that they're getting along well. Akio said to himself.
After Sen ordered his gyoza and Nikolas finished his second bowl of ramen, it was time for the boys to head home. The four of them stood outside of the ramen shop, ready to part ways.
All of a sudden, Ryunosuke posed a problem. “Nikolas, how are you going home?”
Nikolas blinked. “I'll fly to Transylvania.”
Ryunosuke pinched the bridge of his nose. Sen blankly stared at Nikolas.
“Nik,” Akio furrowed my brows in confusion. “You can't fly anymore.”
Nikolas covered his mouth with his hand. “You're right.”
“He can stay at my place for now,” Akio stated.
Ryunosuke sighed and muttered something along the lines of “imbecile” under his breath before nodding. Sen waved at Akio and Nikolas as he walked with Ryunosuke in the opposite direction.
Akio got his place right before university began, so that is where Nikolas would stay for now. Thankfully, Nikolas was capable of taking care of himself and knew how to live on his own as that's what he did his entire high school career. Now that he's no longer in high school like Akio, he's been working and attending the same university as Akio. Thanks to his intelligence, Nikolas managed to be in the same academic standing as Akio.
It was evident Nikolas still needed to adjust to his new body. Now that he’s no longer a vampire, the lack of sleep was finally hitting him. As soon as he entered Akio's apartment, he fell asleep on the couch. Akio struggled at first but managed to carry his boyfriend to his bed. He decided to let him sleep instead of waking him to wash himself up. Akio still couldn't believe that Nikolas was human now. Akio tucked him into bed and brushed his now blonde hair out of his eyes. Akio quietly stood up from the bed when something suddenly grabbed his wrist. Akio turned and saw a half-asleep Nikolas.
“Aki?” Akio sat back down on the bed, expecting his boyfriend's sleep-talk to be nonsense. “I've been waiting for this day to ask you to marry me.” He said with closed eyes.
Akio’s eyes widened in disbelief. He was about to respond when Nikolas let go of his wrist and continued to mumble in his sleep. Akio looked down at his hand and stared at the ring Nikolas gave him two years ago. He smiled to himself as he began to reminisce on all of the memories he made with Nikolas.
Akio placed a kiss on Nikolas’s forehead and quietly stood up. He walked towards the door and whispered, “Yes,” before turning off the lights and closing the bedroom door.
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdRuRAnOfm
THE END
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3wHdgTW3r
Thank you to everyone who has gotten this far in my story!
This was my first time uploading an entire original story instead of a fanfic online, so I was nervous and hesitant about it. I'm truly grateful for all of the comments I've received and the interactions I've had with everyone.
I'm planning to write another original story with a story plot I had from a few years ago, so I'm looking forward to that!
Thank you again for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!!
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