by Jet Lupin
Shige waded across the tub, the water stopping right at the damp thicket of coarse hair between his legs. Phil let his eyes be drawn to it for a second. But when Shige slipped, Phil snapped to attention. Shige caught himself, but Phil had already gotten up to help steady him. “Are you OK?”
Shige could have stood on his own. Instead he slipped further into Phil’s arms. He fit so soundly, was so warm. Phil could have let go, but he didn’t. It had been so long—too long—since they were this close, let alone naked together. He didn’t want to give it up, and neither did Shige.
“Better now.” He nuzzled Phil’s throat, nipped him. He did it with his blunt teeth, but memories of when he’d bitten Phil sprang to mind, making his skin tingle for a different reason.
His breath was ripe with the scent of sake. But, the bottle wasn’t very big, and there was more than a cup’s worth left.
Phil guided them down to the seat. Shige clung to him, tucking himself up under Phil’s arm.
“I didn’t realize vampires could get drunk.”
“If I want to do more than taste it, there are ways. Tonight I did.” Shige drew little circles on Phil’s chest. “I thought I’d never get to do this again, to touch you like this. I wanted to so bad, but I don’t deserve it.” He averted his eyes, shrank in on himself. Shige started to pull his hand back, but Phil covered it with his.
“You’re difficult and stubborn and proud, but the Shige I know deserves good things.”
“What about who I was before this Shige? I wasn’t… I did terrible things.”
“Are you still that person?” Shige didn’t respond, but he didn’t have to. “You’re not even the person you were when we met. And, trust me, if you were a garbage person, I wouldn’t be here.”
Shige stared up at him, saying nothing. For a second Phil was afraid he’d fallen asleep with his eyes open. Then Shige kissed him. A real one, not the lukewarm affection he’d dealt with until now. He turned into it, wrapping Shige in his arms. Shige smoothed his hand across the fuzz on Phil’s belly until it met the cloth lying in his lap. Phil sucked in a breath when Shige gripped him. After so long without being touched, it was all Phil could think about.
Shige climbed into his lap. He loved the way those powerful thighs boxed him in. Shige wasted no time grinding down on Phil, goading him on. But, not yet. Phil lifted him out of the water, and sat him on the lip of the tub. Phil wasn’t sure what had gotten into him other than a few milliliters of sake, but he liked it.
“What do I get?” Phil’s belly flipped. He didn’t usually take on such a dominant role with another man. There had only been Marcus who knew what he wanted, how he wanted it, and all Phil had to do was follow his lead. He’d gone along with it, thinking it fine since Marcus had been more experienced. It hadn’t always been great, but it was never like this.
Being with Shige reminded him that he didn’t have to settle. He’d brought Phil back to his senses.
“What do you get?” Even tipsy, Shige managed to sound incredulous. “To fuck me.” He ran his nails over Phil’s shoulders. “What else do you want? You got me to apologize, now you want me to beg?”
“No, not beg, but you can work for it a little.” Phil’s words were braver than he felt. Part of him hoped Shige wouldn’t remember this part tomorrow.
Phil didn’t get to give him any more instructions. Shige took control long enough to get Phil under him, sitting on the lip of the tub, his back against the cold stone wall. He wrapped Phil’s fingers around his cock and squeezed.
“I know you want me. I want you. No more games.” He was so determined, hunger in his eyes. His cock was heavy in Phil’s hand. He could have just taken what he wanted. Instead, he waited.
Phil climbed out of the water and got Shige back on his lap. Shige leaned over him, and sank down on Phil’s length. Every inch he gained made Phil’s toes curl.
Shige went slow at first as he got used to having Phil inside him after so many months away. Shige’s skin was so warm from the bath. It even smelled different, and not from the soap or the water. His whole scent changed. Was this how it had been when he was human?
Phil squeezed Shige’s legs, his ass, losing himself in every bit of his lover.
He shifted, levering his hips out of the water. Shige moaned, his arms tightening around Phil’s shoulders. “Never again. Never stay away from me like that again.” Phil was talking out of his head, wasn’t sure what he was saying, but Shige went along with it.
They moved together until Shige reached his peak, and then he wanted more. Phil was eager to give that to him. They didn’t have much time together before they had to part, but they spent that night making each moment count.
Chapter 5
PHIL
The smell of breakfast brought Phil around. Shige snored on the futon next to him, the covers drawn up over his face.
Last night had started rough, but they ended in a good place. A bonus was now he knew vampires could get drunk, but that led to another question: Did they also get hangovers? Phil had a touch of one himself, but even without it, Shige was down for the count.
Phil collected breakfast from just inside the door and went to the windows to eat it. Sliding the curtain aside let light pour over Phil and his little corner of the room. When Shige didn’t budge, unbothered by the sudden introduction of light, Phil opened it more.
The garden outside was lush and green with trees and plants he couldn’t identify. Most of the leaves were still in place, the whole area likely kept warm by the hot spring. Birds leapt from branch to branch overhead as Phil listened to the sound of rushing water nearby. This was so peaceful, too peaceful for Phil to be comfortable living here. Given enough time, he would miss the noise intrinsic to a city. Not the endless bustle of a big city like Tokyo, no. Something much, much smaller. Like Redor—it was the perfect size for him. There was always something going on in some part of town, but it was just as easy to find a quiet spot away from it all.
In this moment of calm, all the things that had been put off last night came back. His mind drifted to thoughts of home; what was Hugo up to? Probably sleeping… Did he miss Phil?
He knew who did miss him: his mom and Jerome. Nearly a whole day in the country, and he hadn’t sent one text yet. They could assume he was having fun, but the Jerome he knew would already be on alert. Phil fished his phone out of his jacket pocket. Yes! They had Wi-Fi! And no password. He supposed they wouldn’t need one way out here. Who was there to secure it from? He wasn’t going to question how they managed to even have internet. He connected and didn’t look back.
His phone vibrated so much with the flood of messages he hadn't received, it skittered across the floor. Jerome, Mom, his coworker Yolanda had texted him, too. You’re finally getting your shit together and taking care of you. I’m proud. She was more right than she knew.
There was even a message from Marcus…
The last time they’d seen each other was the night Phil had met Shige. Another man in his orbit had catalyzed Marcus into lifting his moratorium on interacting with Phil, though, not for the better. He messaged sporadically over the last seven months and Phil had deleted each one. His finger hovered over delete, but he waited. He would hate read it after he replied to Jerome and his mom.
Hey guys. All is well. Had some trouble with the hotel, but everything’s good now. Gonna do some sightseeing today. I’ll send pictures soon.
He really would have to go out and take some photos before they headed back. This trip was way too busy. One day he’d come back as a proper tourist and do it right. No more worries about his powers or mysterious threats. Him and… would Shige be there?
Finished with his meal, he turned his attention back to the garden, absorbing its beauty, until a short, stooped figure dressed in gray entered. The long pole of a hoe rested on its shoulder, a basket was under their other arm. The figured turned, revealing the wrinkle lined face of an elderly woman.
She walked to a spot that to him seeme
d arbitrary and set the basket down. She used the hoe to break up the dirt beneath her with astounding dexterity for how old she looked. He watched her work at a steady pace until Kaoru’s familiar silhouette came into view. Somehow, he was even better looking with the sunlight shining on the jet black parts of his hair. He went to the woman’s side. They spoke briefly. Then, Kaoru headed straight for where Phil perched in the window.
He gestured for Phil to move towards the bathroom. He didn’t know what good it would do, but he walked over, clutching the robe around himself.
Click! A panel opened, revealing a door between the window and the bathroom. The door swung inward until Kaoru’s unpleasant expression was on full display. Annoyance etched every feature of his perfect face into hard lines. “Chiyo-sama wants to meet you. Make yourself presentable.”
Phil wasn’t into being talked down to first thing in the morning, but he’d go. The person he’d most wanted to meet was right there. No way was he going to waste time.
“I’ll be right out.”
Kaoru sucked his teeth. “Don’t make her wait. I don’t have all day to translate for you.” He flapped his hand towards the bottom of the door. “Put on those shoes when you’re ready. Do it quick.”
“You—”
Over Kaoru’s shoulder, Phil locked eyes with the woman. She was watching them. Phil bit down on his retort. “Fine. I’m coming.” So that was Chiyo…
Strange. Chiyo was standing right there, so close and yet, Phil got nothing from her. No static, no emotions, no thoughts. It was almost like she wasn’t there or that she wasn’t human. Shige had said she was, but he’d have to see for himself.
He was glad he’d brought sweats along. He had no idea of what to expect, so he’d brought some clothes to cover every eventuality. The only thing he was missing was a swimsuit.
The shoes Kaoru pointed out were too small. His heels hung off the back. He walked on his toes, but every so often his feet slipped off. It wasn’t long before mud caked his heels. He took them off and carried them the rest of the way.
Chiyo watched them approach, posture relaxed, sharp eyes sweeping over them. Phil started to bow, but, unsure if the gesture was appropriate or overkill, he stopped and settled for a half nod.
“Ohayo gozaimasu, Chiyo-san.”
“Manuke, she’s above your station. Sama or dono. Not san,” Kaoru corrected.
“It’s all unnecessary, young man.” That voice, dry and crackling with age, could only have belonged to Chiyo, except she spoke in fluent English.
Her mouth hadn’t moved either.
Kaoru didn’t react to what she’d said. Was Phil losing his mind?
Phil learned months ago that if something seemed too outrageous to be real, in Shige’s world, it was real.
You can hear me? Phil formed the question in his head. Keeping the words from leaving his mouth was surprisingly hard.
As clear as you hear me.
Why can’t I sense you when you’re standing right in front of me?
Chiyo smiled, her eyes bright. Because I didn’t want you to. I could sense you as soon as I woke up this morning.
Kaoru snorted, reminding Phil of his presence. Chiyo had taken the forefront, a gentle, yet resilient existence brushing against his mind. “He looks like a frog,” he mumbled. The words weren’t English, yet Phil understood them. Shock overshadowed his anger at the insult.
“Are you two just going to look at each other?” Kaoru was addressing Phil now. “Don’t you have anything to say?”
“It’s fine,” Chiyo said aloud. “You can go.” She waved him away like she was shooing a child. Kaoru shot her a lesser version of his annoyed look, but did as she asked. Phil understood that too, but she hadn’t said any of it in English.
Phil waited until Kaoru was out of earshot before he shifted closer. “How can I understand what you’re saying?”
Chiyo chuckled, patted his shoulder. “You have a lot to learn. You figured out how to respond. At least we’re not starting from scratch.” She bent and picked up a pair of sweet potatoes from the overturned earth. She brushed them off and dropped them in her basket. “Come along.”
Further into the garden, they stopped at a manmade pond teeming with koi. The fish bobbed at the surface, begging for a meal. Nearby the bones of an old fire turned to ash sat inside a hole, surrounded by a circle of stones. Two low benches sat on opposite sides of the pit. Chiyo traded the basket for a broom made of bound branches. She swept the bigger pieces of trash out of the circle and under the brush.
“If you walk on this way,” she pointed through a gap in the trees at the back of their little clearing, “you’ll find a wood pile. Bring back six pieces. No more, no less.”
The roots and rocks hurt his feet, and he had to duck to avoid branches hitting him in the face. Mud squished between his toes with each step, but the trek was short at least.
When he returned, Chiyo sat on one of the benches, brushing dirt off a plump sweet potato.
“That was faster than I thought. Big fellows like you tend to move slow. Purposeful they like to call it.” Amusement filtered through their mental link. She showed him an exaggerated image of how he looked to her, like a bear in his sweats, huge and awkward. “But I’m being rude. Here, trade with me.” She took the wood and stacked it in the stone circle. She stuffed some kindling inside. While she did that, Phil rubbed the potatoes until no more dirt stuck to their skins. Once the flames had climbed the logs, Chiyo placed the potatoes close to the edge of the fire. She sat on the other bench, her arms stretched towards the flames.
“I heard you have questions for me.” She waved Phil on. “Let me hear them.”
The info blackout? Karou’s behavior? How she wound up here and her connection to Shige? There were many things he wanted to know!
“How did you learn to—” He stopped himself. He was speaking aloud.
“You’re fine. I can still understand.” Chiyo tapped her temple. “And I know what you want to ask. This is nothing. Every sensitive I’ve met can do this. You can hear people’s thoughts? You take them in. This is a similar technique, except I’m pushing my thoughts to you. It’s more work, but you’ll be able to do it yourself soon enough.
“Am I really the first sensitive you’ve met?”
“Is that so surprising?” Shige had said they were rare. Had that been another part of his ongoing misdirection?
“You adapted so quickly to me prodding at your mind. It surprised me. And not telling you more about me was completely my request. I wanted to see what kind of person you were from your pure reaction.”
“And?”
“You pass. Abby fails though. I had one request, and she chose to ignore it. She’s always been a troublemaker, that one.”
“Abby? Really?” She was so upright and focused. Phil couldn’t imagine her ever being a troublemaker.
“That’s a story for another time. Back to you, you must build up blocks to keep people out; otherwise anyone with the inclination can see what’s going on in there.” She put a crooked finger to her temple. “You broadcast strong.”
“Is that good?
Chiyo considered this as she turned the potatoes over with a stick. “For some things. Not everything. Everyone’s different, and you… you get more than thoughts when your power’s working right?”
“Yeah. Emotions. They used to affect me too. But since I’ve started taking in thoughts, that’s fallen away.”
“Your circumstances changed, so you have changed. You had this power since you were small? That was likely all you could process at the time. But your life’s changed a lot since then. Your power’s matured, for lack of a better word.
“Those who start off hearing thoughts without much effort often think they’re losing their minds. Sometimes well-meaning interventions make it worse. You’re pretty lucky.”
So Phil was lucky to have this power? Someone really did always have it worse, but that didn’t make him feel better about his own plight
. They were all in the shit soup together.
“C’mon.” Chiyo beckoned him like he was a cat she wanted to pet.
“C’mon, what?”
“I can tell there’s more you want to ask, so out with it. Let’s get as much out in the open now so you aren’t distracted when the real work begins.” Of course there were so many things. In the months leading up to this, Phil had formed a mental list. He couldn’t choose which concern was more distracting. Most of his issues could wait, except one.
“How do you become a sensitive?” Chiyo echoed his thoughts with a laugh. “You cut right to it, don’t you?”
“Sorry…?” He didn’t see what was wrong with that, but…
“You’ll be here awhile; I expected you to get around to that later. I know it took me some time to come to that question.” She rolled one of the potatoes away from the fire. Bits of the skin were charred black.
“So, the first thing required to be a sensitive is that you need to be born of vampire blood.”
Vampire… blood?
She couldn’t mean in the traditional sense… Their DNA had to be damaged or something. He imagined Hans and Abby would have a little one running around if it were possible. Or maybe they did...
“No, nothing like that.” Chiyo pulled the thought right out of his head. “We really must work on your ability to block. But let me ask a question now. It’s related to all this. Trust me. Why do you think vampires remain creatures of myth, and not the dominant species when you’ve seen yourself they aren’t struggling to survive?”
Was that true?
Phil hadn’t met any individuals who seemed like they were starving or destitute, but he hadn’t met many to begin with. No one in Nasu looked to be in distress, so they were obviously well fed.
A few possibilities came to mind. Preference? No. Government cover up? No. Alien travelers? That was ridiculous.
None of that was right. He couldn’t put his finger on why at first, then he realized Chiyo was guiding his answer. He felt one path was wrong until he went to another, a sensation akin to a vague sense of discomfort washing over him until he alighted on the answer. It was so simple!