The Return | Cricky

Chapter XXXIV: Tenshi River

"The Tenshi River itself is very clean. That's because the minerals it runs over absorbs dark magic, purifying the water. It has negative effects on most people, but on a demon lord..." He trailed off, allowing me to fill in the blanks.

I guess that's not much different than how humans become ill without sunlight, yet vampires thrive in utter darkness. Our souls feed off of that which harms the innocent. I think it's good for the universe. Those who walk in the light may think us to be like a plague, but I see us as equalizers.

Perhaps all of our travel caused Ricky's energy to become imbalanced. I'm sure, at the end of the day, this boils down to depression brought on by facing his past abuser. I'd like to try to think there's something else, though. That way I could actually help him. All these years, all this experience, I've never figured out exactly what to do when a partner falls into the pit of mental agony. Some get angry if you try to help. Others will accept the love you're trying to show them, but you know deep down it's not really making them feel better. Maybe, just maybe, we're the only ones that can truly save ourselves from that kind of pain.

I don't know. I don't have all the answers. While I waited for Ash and Yuu to get back, I went searching through the castle to figure out where those trunks were that Ryan mentioned. I can't believe Ricky hasn't touched them, but then again, I guess I never realized he hadn't. Eventually, I located them in a storage area beneath the staircase. Of course, last place I checked. Luckily, I found the liquor bottle far easier. There's a lot of shit in here. We really should go through it, maybe send some damn thank you notes to some of these people.

There was a ribbon wrapped around the bottle, sealed with a wax stamp. I wonder if that's the seal of the maker of the liquor, or the demon lord who gifted him the bottle. It looked to be the letters "DW" in some fancy text. Who am I to say that's really even English? Might just look like it.

Vinny brought me a few roses he'd clipped from the garden, as Ryan had told him to do. He seems to really enjoy his job as the groundskeeper, which surprised me. I thought he'd be insulted, going from a warrior to a gardener. On the contrary, he was delighted to have a purpose in life beyond being his brother's shadow. But, I get the feeling he's the type of person that could find a way to be happy no matter what he's doing.

—

Ricky's room was dark, the shades drawn completely closed. It was night anyways, but he wouldn't even allow in the moonlight. He hasn't moved from his bed ever since we got back. I'd check on him to make sure he was still breathing. Other than that, I didn't want to bother him. I leaned over his bedside, gently brushing his beautiful hair out of his face and kissing his forehead.

"Hey, baby." I spoke just above a whisper, "I've got a surprise for you."

"I'm not in the mood." He muttered.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter." I replied, "C'mon."

Before I came in, I already had a feeling this is how things would go. I pulled him out of his sheets as delicately as I could, tossing him over my shoulder. He whined, slamming his hand against my back. "Damn it, Chris. I said no!"

"I know you're not in the mood, but just bear with me." I said.

He only groaned in response. Good thing he's too tired to fight back, because he definitely could overpower me if he wanted to. I brought him across the hall to his bathroom, setting him down in front of me. Ricky glared up at me angrily. I simply turned him around, revealing all the effort I'd gone to in order to make him feel better.

His bathroom, just like everything else in the castle, was luxurious. The tub was essentially a giant black basin. Behind it, the windows looked out on our breathtaking view. I lit any candles I could get my hands on. The hot steam rose off the of the water's surface, fresh rose petals floating around in a bath of blood red salt and maroon liquor. It turns out gräslig is similar to spiced whiskey, and thus the room smelled of cinnamon.

"Trying to tell me I stink?" Ricky joked.

"Well, you haven't taken a bath since we got home, and vampires do have very sensitive noses." I brought my hands around his waist, pressing my chest to his back. "I just want to make you feel better. That's all."

He fell silence for a minute. Ricky stood there, watching the spirals of steam twirl across the bath's surface like little ballerinas. The candles danced in the reflection of his icy eyes. "The water's too hot for you to join me, but please stay."

Stay. That's such a powerful word. Just as much as love. I placed a kiss upon the back of his neck, answering, "As you wish."

Ricky rid himself of the little clothes remaining on his body. I removed my jacket and opened the buttons on my shirt to prevent myself from getting too hot. There was a vanity on the left wall, of which I retrieved a chair from so that I could sit beside the tub. Ricky moaned lowly as he relaxed into the water. He let his head slip under, wetting his hair. As he reemerged, his took a revitalizing breath.

For some reason, I'm not sure why, the first day we met popped into my head. Back then, he painted himself as power personified. He intimidated me with the hellish flames he wielded and the intense conviction in his eyes. That man would've rather died than let a stranger see him for the weak and broken person he was inside. I guess I'm not a stranger anymore.

I reached over his chest and placed my hand on his scar. He jumped slightly, looking at me like a scared puppy. "It's okay." I whispered, "Tell me something. Why does it upset you so much? Is it because it's a disfigurement? Or is it because of the reason you have it?"

"Both, I guess. There's other reasons, too. Sometimes it reminds me of..." He sighed, "Devin. He was the one that used to serve me, and the one who attacked Kuza. He used to tell me that he liked my scar. No matter what he said, it didn't make me feel better about it. I've been thinking about him a lot lately. I don't know why."

"Were you and him an item?" I asked.

"I don't know what we were. We slept together, but it just wasn't the same." Ricky placed his hand over mine, of which remained resting on his chest. His skin against mine, it felt so amazing. I loved to feel his heartbeat. "He was always possessive, even of the things he didn't want. Now that other people have seen you, seen us together, it's only a matter of time before word gets around to him. He'll be mad."

"Demon lord or not, a jealous ex doesn't concern me."

Ricky replied, "Hm, honestly, if he ever meets you and he doesn't realize who you are, he'd try to sleep with you. He's a whore. I don't have any room to talk, though. I didn't put any effort forth to restrain myself for several years. That's changed now."

"What changed?"

He switched his position, leaning over the edge of the bath to bring our faces together. "You know what changed." Ricky pressed our lips together. He was so warm from the water, I felt like I was going to melt. I dealt with the discomfort because I was just happy to witness a little life in him. When he pulled back, though, I could still see it written all over his face. He was in agony. Yet, he still looked so fucking gorgeous.

"I-" Shit. My words were getting caught up in my throat. I placed my hands on either side of his face, holding my precious beauty. "Ricky, I love you."

—

a/n

aye, send your predictions/opinions on whether or not Ricky should say it back <3