He wanted to scream, 'what's that?', but he knew better. If his Master caught him outside, then he might as well sign his own death warrant. However, that didn't stop him from being curious about the article. Maybe he'd sneak it from the trash later?
Surely no one had found out he was human? He had been extremely careful, so that meant that the human from the article had to be someone else!
Excited by the prospect, he climbed the neighbors fence and struggled back onto the roof so he could return to his room.
That day, Luke tossed and turned in bed as he grew more and more curious about whether or not there were more humans out there. He had always assumed he was the last, but even then, Luke knew he had to of come from somewhere.
He wondered what a world full of humans would be like. What kinds of foods would they eat? What would they do for fun?
Luke knew that at one point in history, humans walked the earth as commonly as Vampires did. No one knew what happened to them after that though. It was assumed that they had died off from simply being too weak. It was also suggested that they may have been over hunted for their blood, but another possibility that Luke entertained was that they may have gone into hiding.
Whatever the case, he suddenly felt compelled to learn more. Going to a library would be optimal, but then he'd have to find a way to sneak passed not only his Master, but also Archibald and Maximillia who were located just outside his home now.
He recalled that Nicholas had his own extensive library. Considering who he was, the Archduke might have better, more informative books than a public library. Furthermore, If he decided to go there then he'd only have his Master to sneak passed.
Making up his mind, Luke began plotting his next escape, and his opportunity arrived only a few days later.
Frederick had some urgent business to take care of in town, which meant he'd have to leave Luke home alone for a while. The human almost immediately put on his disguise and ran to the window to watch his Master leave. As soon as the man was out of sight, he waited another half hour, then climbed out onto the roof.
This time as he lowered himself down, his fingers couldn't keep their grip and he fell harder than intended. The impact caused pain to shoot up to his knees and he had to kneel down for a moment as he waited for it to pass. When it did, he noticed a slight sting on his hand and looked down to find that he had a small cut on his thumb.
Everything went white as he realized the potential consequences of this injury. If any of his neighbors smelled his blood, he'd be found out for sure. Luckily he had his emergency kit.
It was a small box that was the size of his palm. It had a few bandages and scented ointment that was easy to apply in a pinch. It was, once again, only intended for when the two of them were traveling between territories, so there wasn't much in it. Luke still opted to keep it in his pocket whenever he snuck out, just in case something like this happened.
Making sure no one was nearby, he hurriedly treated the injury. He had gotten cuts like these before and learned that the overwhelming smell of the ointment blocked the scent of his blood quite efficiently. Once he was finished treating his thumb, he put the box back in his pocket and made his way towards the Mini.
As usual, Archibald was waiting, though instead of standing by the car he was actually sitting in it with a book. Luke knocked on the window to draw his attention.
"Is everything alright Master Luke?" Archibald asked.
"Yeah. Um...Do you think I can visit Nicholas today?"
"Of course." The servant smiled, unlocking the doors and letting the human get in. "Master Nicholas will be beyond pleased to see you again. He's been on edge ever since I told him you wouldn't be able to come for a while."
"Sorry."
"Don't be. I made sure he understood that you were in a complicated situation." Archibald assured him, then drove off.
The drive was nice and calming, and he felt somewhat giddy, but when he arrived his excitement died the instant Maximillia approached him in full armor. Her face was a blank slate as she bowed to Luke nonchalantly. "Welcome. Master Nicholas is in his study. Please come this way."
Luke wrung his hands as his eyes flit from the servant to the knight. He wanted to ask that Archibald escort him instead, but didn't want to be too obvious and was ultimately forced to follow her when Archibald was drawn away to attend to some other business.
The human kept his eyes averted as they walked and nearly jumped out of his skin when the woman spoke.
"I hope you're here to discuss what we talked about." She muttered.
Unable to give a proper reply, he just nodded and continued to follow until they were finally at the study.
"Master Luke is here to see you." Her voice boomed as she stood in solute outside the room.
A moment later, Nicholas flung open the doors with a huge grin on his face. "Luke! I'm so glad you've ret-" He cut himself off mid-sentence as he noticed the human's hacked hair. He stared, then stepped up and ran a hand along the uneven tufts. "What on earth happened to you?"
Luke had completely forgotten about the hack job and faltered with his answer. He knew how bad it would sound if he flat out told the guy that his Master made him do it, so he instead shifted his feet and shrugged. "Nothing."
"Nothing?" Nicholas repeated quietly. "This doesn't look like 'nothing' to me."
"It's just...Nothing."
The Archduke frowned, then gestured for Maximillia to leave them. She gave one last look at the human, then backed away. Once they were alone, Nicholas put an arm around the human and drew him further into the study, guiding him to a guest chair as he closed the doors behind them.
"Tell me what happened, and before you try to tell me it's 'nothing' again, I'll have you know that I'm aware of the fight between you and your Master."
"How?"
"Archibald told me."
"Oh...." Luke mumbled. "I um...I've kind of been sneaking out. He caught me last time and now I'm in trouble."
"Was cutting your hair part of the punishment?"
Luke hesitated, then nodded slowly.
"Do you want me to talk to him?"
"No!" He nearly flew out of his seat. "It's fine! It's just hair!"
"Alright, I get it, please calm down." Nicholas patted his shoulder. "I'll drop the issue since it upsets you so much, but at least let me get someone to properly trim it for you."
Luke resisted at first, but eventually let the man push him back down into the chair. It was then that the Vampire took notice of the band-aid. "What is that?"
"Hmm? Oh. Oh! Uh, nothing." The human quickly fisted his hand, hiding his thumb from view.
"Again with this 'nothing' business?" Nicholas pouted, then grabbed Luke's wrist and examined it. "Don't you trust me at all?"
"I do." Luke replied, then blushed as his senses became focused on the Archduke's touch.
"Then can I see?"
This was not a good situation to be in. Vampires had supernatural healing, but here was Luke with a minor injury that had yet to so much as scab. Nicholas was bound to notice how strange that was. He decided it would be best to say 'no', but when he looked up, the words died on his tongue.
It was written all over the Vampire's face how much he wanted Luke to trust him. It was kind of adorable, almost like a puppy looking back at him. A big, intimidating puppy.
Before he could help it, Luke found himself nodding in consent and unfolded his fist. The Archduke smiled and examined the band-aid curiously. He didn't say a word as he traced his finger along the inside of Luke's palm, and the human once more felt shivers.
"Doesn't the peppermint bother you?" He asked, realizing that the ointment's scent would be overwhelming for most Vampires.
A mischievous glint seemed to shine in Nicholas's eyes as he leaned in closer. "I've actually grown quite fond of it."
"Really?"
"Really really." The Archduke replied, then kissed Luke's hand.
Luke sucked in a sharp breath, not knowing why he was suddenly getting excited, yet watched intently as the man left another kiss.
When the Archduke licked his lips, Luke felt his own begin to tingle. He quickly forgot what he was there to do and was consumed with hopes that the Archduke would redirect his kisses.
"Luke..." Nicholas spoke softly as he trailed his lips along the human's palm, then slowly crept closer until their faces were almost touching. "Is this alright?"
A little too eagerly, the human nodded, and Nicholas finally pressed their lips together.
Luke relished the contact and closed his eyes so he could focus on it. Then he felt the Archduke's fingers move from his hand, up his arm, then down his chest.
Unsure if he was supposed to do the same, Luke simply continued to kiss Nicholas clumsily. The more he felt the man touch him, the hotter his body became and soon a strange knot began to form in his stomach. It wound tighter and tighter the lower the Archduke's hand dipped, then the hand stopped to rest on his hip.
Nicholas smiled playfully as he brought his other hand around to cup Luke's chin. "Open your mouth a bit more." He instructed.
The human obeyed and Nicholas prepared for a more passionate kiss, yet just before making contact, he pulled back. Luke realized that the man was staring at his teeth oddly, causing him to clamp his mouth shut.
"Hmmm..." The Vampire said as he traced his thumb along Luke's bottom lip thoughtfully. "I thought you were enjoying this, but maybe I was wrong?"
Luke noticed that Nicholas's fangs had extended and his heart practically stopped in response.
"Are....Are you hungry?" Luke asked.
Nicholas grinned devilishly. "In a way, but I'd rather wait till you're ready. So how about we get some food for now?"
Luke still had that strange knot in his stomach, and for some reason his pants were a little uncomfortable. Ignoring these things, he returned his focus to his original goal. "Er, sure, but first I was wondering if I could user your library? I was hoping to find something on...Humans?"
"Humans?" Nicholas laughed. "You saw that article in the newspaper, didn't you?"
"I'm just curious." Luke explained, relieved that the man had come up with his own explanation.
"As a matter of fact I do have a few books on them, though most are in French or German."
"That's okay." Luke lied, secretly hoping there would be some in either English or Latin.
"Good. Then afterwards we can have a proper meal." The Vampire suggested as he released the human and made his way to the door.
Luke took a second to calm himself before following close behind.
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