Chapter 42
Previously:
It’s very nearly an ‘eep’ from Radu because, yes, he had been so focused on Quincy, on dealing with his own fears, that he forgot about Master Lancaster.
“I did not mean as such right this instant, my apologies.”
Starting to laugh, Quincy grins at Arthur.
“He is right. That’s a long discussion and it’s not completely dark out yet, I’d like my vampire at optimum performance for something this important. Did I hear John say earlier we have plans for a family outing?” Turning to Radu, he smiles. “Can you go outside in daylight?”
“It is not my favourite activity but-” Oh, to the netherworld with the knot of instantaneous confusion and embarrassment, Radu’s drac is bouncing at daring to feel like this, “-as long as you hold my hand, I shall persevere.”
~
“It’s really overcast again,” Arthur offers with a glance at the windows. “And it’s going to get dark soon, so yes, if we want to get our walk in, we should do that soon. Does it being cloudy make any difference?” he asks Radu, genuinely curious.
~
“My quarrel with the sun is more metaphysical, I am afraid, so it makes little difference to my powers,” Radu explains, feels immediately more steady with this kind of topic. “Although it does help with avoiding to look ridiculous from squinting too much. Vampire eyes are light sensitive.”
~
Arthur, for his part, also feels much more comfortable discussing something less personal- and getting to learn new things, as well. He finds himself chuckling at Radu’s formulation of his ‘quarrel with the sun’, then asks: “So if I meet some excessively squinting person… or someone wearing sunglasses on a grey day, I should check them for food aversion?”
~
“I would reprimand you for prejudice towards blind people, but offering them a meal is a gentle enough test. And seeing that you are aware of this weakness, my thanks for not having used it against me.”
Standing, making sure to keep Quincy’s hand gently in his, Radu inquires: “This outing I hope does not include horses. They are not fond of vampires, and during the day I am restricted to this shape.”
~
“I’m sure you could pretend not to be bothered by the food with the best of them,” Arthur says. “But since you’re not being antagonistic, I don’t see a reason to be mean like that. Uh, I don’t know how Mariam has it planned- but our horses would be okay, they’re fae horses.”
It occurs to Arthur to wonder whether that means they could be used for spying on them in any way…
“But I asked her for a walk, so I don’t think they’ll be involved,” he adds.
~
“An afternoon stroll in this bleak English countryside it is, then.”
Radu barely spoke the words when Quincy snorts and thankfully only pretend-smacks at him with a grin.
“I take that as a promise to take me on sunset strolls in nicer places in the future.”
For a moment, Radu blinks, flustered again, before he exhales, inhales and tries his hardest to put on the grin Virág always liked.
“May I offer an evening stroll through bustling jewels of culture and the arts? You let me into your mind, I believe I have rather the ability to fulfil most wishes.”
It would appear that was the right formulation, his dearest Quincy is going pliant and purring right where they hold hands.
“Let’s get to it, the sooner we get all these to-dos done with, the sooner we can get my wife and then both of you can spoil me!”
~
Arthur certainly wouldn’t call the area around here a jewel of culture and the arts, but… he likes it. It’s so much… greener and softer than London. So he’ll take even the January bleakness of it. Quincy’s words, though, make him think about what Darcy might say on coming back and finding him being Quincy’s boyfriend, and the thought makes him blush.
“…I’ll go find Mariam and see what the plan is,” he offers.
“No, you don’t, because now both of you are playing the blushing game with me. I can figure Radu out, but what set you off this time?” Taking one long step over, Quincy grabs his hand, then chuckles. “There, boyfriend on one side, my beautiful drac on the other. Get along, you two. There’s enough of me for both of you. Arthur, talk, we can find Mariam together.”
Radu clears his throat and points. “She is that way.”
Of course, that only makes Arthur blush more. “…Just wondering what Darcy is going to say to coming back and me being your boyfriend…”
“I would assume compliment you on your taste being better than hers on first choices.”
The moment Radu said it, Quincy squeals in a bright giggle.
“I knew my beautiful drac had some social teeth! And he’s right, please, this is my wife we’re talking about here. She’ll be proud and probably not know how to tell you and be very sincere in being happy for us.”
Arthur’s blush isn’t going anywhere and he ducks his head at this… approval? He’s not sure what it is, but… it makes him feel embarrassed and pleased at the same time. But… “Well, I’m looking forward to it… even if I’m going to be embarrassed,” he adds ruefully.
~
“It appears blushing and being embarrassed is what we do,” Radu offers with a smile at Master Lancaster, leaning forward slightly to be able to look past Quincy, as he’s long learned that people, especially humans, find it unnerving when he doesn’t pretend his eyes are an important sense. No matter that his mind tells him more accurately about people’s location and mood as well as that centuries of marriage to Cansu have desensitised him to the need for eye contact.
Cansu… The memory makes him sigh, but only for a moment, because again, the merest shimmer of discomfort brings Quincy’s drac close. This is what he can hope for already, once their… oh, he’ll not get over this blushing any time soon… their blood bond is finished, how sensitive and in tune with him will Quincy be? Maybe he’ll be able to hold off the howling.
Master Lancaster, meanwhile, chuckles at his comment. “I have to say, that’s a strange thing for me to have in common with a social mastermind vampire…”
Is he… Is he really…? Irmentrud would mock him if he didn’t, Cansu would cross her arms at him and just give him that face when he knows he is being silly and doesn’t want to admit to it… and it’s been so long since he did that, it was before… before him, Stefan, he is not afraid of the name, he refuses to be afraid of a name, even of the memory. Not when there is a woman like Virág that he can help save, not when there is a… drac like Irmentrud and Cansu together standing at his side right now.
So he forces himself, fights back the rising fear, and grins. “Like any other man, my social graces abandon me when I find myself in the presence of one so beloved and dear as Quincy.”
Master Lancaster slants a look at Quincy at those words. “I don’t know, your social graces seem well in evidence…”
~
“They better be, if you insist on both no casualness and holding on to your issues.”
Quincy knows he looks downright smug, and why shouldn’t he? He knew, of course, you don’t let a voivode waltz into your mind when you didn’t feel the crush radiate off him before. That undercurrent to his emotions that was perfectly impossible to overlook in the bite. But if Radu can say something like that, then, well, he deserves a reward as much as a tease.
“And should they really abandon you, don’t worry, your drac has them when it touches mine.”
~
Arthur’s not sure whether what Quincy is saying counts as flirting, and whether maybe he should be embarrassed by that again, but his words spark a memory and his curiosity.
“…Why did you say something about… uh, casualness being dangerous or something?” he asks Radu, curious what he meant by that.
~
Already a bit on edge from Quincy’s comment about holding on to his issues, Radu ends up whimpering, fingers growing tight on Quincy’s as he whispers: “Because if it is not marriage, then it might be what happened to me.”
~
“Oh,” Arthur says- he’s not sure what Radu means- it’s not like being married protected Darcy from things going badly… or other people he can think of in his old neighbourhood. But Radu is obviously upset again, and so he doesn’t ask any further, since he doesn’t want to make it worse.
~
The lack of questions doesn’t help. Radu thought he’d be saying things to lure people to his side, use pity and empathy so they would let him at Darcy, but what is any of that good for? She is not here and any story he could tell, what could it gain him? He already gained more than he could ever dream of. Still, in having the feeling of Quincy’s drac lives the memory of not having his wives. The pain that brings only reignites other pain, so he goes on in a whimper:
“Because he may trust the wrong person and he may get hurt and I do not want him to hurt. Do not want him to know the feeling of utter helplessness, of betrayal, of pain and self-hate. I sold myself once; I was naive and sweet once. I got rejected for it by the person I did it for. The second time I did not even get the chance to sacrifice myself for him again, no, he sold me. And he made the contract…
“All I can hope for is that Quincy always makes his own contracts. That is my insistence, that he has at least some power. It is not perfect protection, but it is more than I ever had.”
~
That, Quincy hadn’t known, and he stares at Radu and swallows, swallows again because his heart is hammering.
Power. Protection. Radu’s insistence is… for him?
He doesn’t even think before his eyes brim red and he pushes his drac with everything he has at Radu, kisses his snout where he can’t kiss Radu. Yes, yes, he wants that blood bond so badly right now, he wants Radu so badly? And now he finds himself blushing, he’s not sure why, but he holds on tightly to Radu’s hand and tighter with his drac to Radu’s drac, shelter for him, with all the power that he hands him. His voivode. His so strong and so hurt voivode. His vampire, his… fiancé?
Yes, please?
~
Arthur wonders who Radu is talking about. That sultan from way back when? But the way he puts it… he sold himself and got rejected by the person he did it for- that kind of doesn’t sound like it’s the same person. And the sultan didn’t appear to have rejected Radu, so if that’s what they’re talking about, he’d be more likely the one Radu sold himself to, but not the one he sold himself for…
Which, of course, leads him to the suspicion that maybe Radu is talking about… Vlad?
Damnit, he wants to know what this entire mess is actually about! He needs to know! But he’s not going to prod Radu when he’s looking so… miserable. So instead, he scowls.
“Then that person you sold yourself for is an idiot and didn’t deserve it and you’re a good person for making sure you’re not like that.”
He nods decidedly.
~
“He has taken everything from me, myself and my love included.” Radu blinks some tears away, then starts chuckling, harder, harder before he looks at Quincy.
“But maybe I finally found the best way to take something, someone, of his. Tactics run through his veins, taking something from him cannot hurt him, only his plans.
“Enough of his plans. Enough of hate. He can have it all to himself but I will take what I want. Only if it is granted freely, of course, căldură mea.”
~
“It was last night to your drac, it was this morning to you. Yes, Moonshine. Yes, my blood, my mind, my drac. Yes, I do.”
Quincy really doesn’t think he should find those wolf eyes this attractive, but there is such a raw emotional power in looking at a drac directly, so much power and emotions at his fingertips, at the tip of his fangs, and right in the middle of a cackling revenge declaration, Radu still makes sure to give him control, oh, the man is irresistible!
~
Arthur, meanwhile, sighs- he’d feel like he’s lying if he didn’t say something now. Even if Radu’s probably not in the right state of mind to hear it.
“If we’re talking about a certain vampire you’re related to, he’s sorry and he knows he’s the one at fault and if there’s any hate on his side, it’s self-hate.”
No, definitely not in the right state of mind, because Radu scoffs, and looks at him with those wolf-golden eyes, bares his teeth as he says:
“The same way he was sorry when he killed my wives? The same way he was sorry that I had not made myself a man sooner when he sold me to be raped again because it was my fault that he even did it? The same way he was sorry for being my brother when I sold myself to be raped by Mehmed so he would not torture him? He can choke on his being sorry and his lies!”
“I don’t know,” Arthur answers honestly, scowls. “He wouldn’t tell me what actually happened. And frankly, I’m sick of being stuck between his rock wall and your fireball without knowing what’s really going on. I just know that at some point before whatever happened twenty years ago, he realized he was wrong, and that it was his fault. And from the way he was looking and talking, near-suicidally so. And obviously it’s your right to be mad at him anyway, and to stay that way. But since he said if he talked to you, uh…” Arthur concentrates to try and remember Vlad’s words, “his words turn to poison in his mouth, or something like that, I said I’d tell you he’s sorry. Because personally, this feud has cost me enough, so I’d prefer you’d have it under the right conceptions. And both of you don’t want to hurt us, so you have that much in common and we can stop wasting energy on threats that don’t exist and instead focus on those that do.”
“Oh, he realised some time before nineteen years ago? Funny way of showing his remorse by killing my wives! His words do not turn to poison, he is poison! And I have drunk from it for so long that I could not even notice it anymore, did not begrudge being forever in his shadow. He is being remembered as a hero to our country, he was Principe, he has his wife back, and I… and I… what about me? All I get is being used, ridiculed, forgotten, feared!”
~
That’s enough, Quincy lets go of Arthur’s hand, shoves him behind himself just in case, then steps in front of Radu.
In front of that raging fire, yes, fireball indeed, and he likes that fire. It makes him feel secure in knowing that he’ll never be cold, never be fae, so he wants all that fire for himself! He slowly but resolutely puts his hands on both sides of Radu’s face and locks his eyes with his, visualises his drac jumping from his eyes into Radu’s soul.
“Enough, Moonshine. I won’t allow it. There is only one man you are allowed to be this obsessed with: Me! I won’t hear a single word more from you about all the things he did to you. I will wipe him out of your mind and heart. I will share with my wife, but my father has no space in your heart. Out! Out! You are mine! I do not share and most definitely not with a man as weak as him. All you get is being loved and sheltered!”
~
Arthur feels his own emotions bubble- he isn’t even sure why. No, wait- he’s feeling frustrated, like he can’t ever fix anything- and of course he didn’t expect to fix a centuries-old feud just like that, and he meant it when he said Radu’s got every right to his anger… and it’s not just this, it’s everything these last few months. He feels like he’s trying and trying and trying as hard as he can and everything just gets worse– Darcy’s marriage and this vampire feud and the ritual and now she’s missing… right from his stupid, stupid idea to bring Gregory back, his efforts just don’t seem to mean anything.
~
For several long moments Radu is shuddering, mind turbulent with anger and fear and surprise. Part of him is worrying about his drac at being held like this… Trapped? But no, Quincy’s hands don’t feel like a prison. They are soft and warm and gentle.
And isn’t he so right? How many centuries has he obsessed over ripping himself out of Vlad’s shadow and instead, all it did was nail himself down to the man. He can’t and he won’t give up on his anger, it somehow feels important, but all these emotions… there is a fae who would love to have those emotions. Isn’t there? A fae he can’t wait to have closer to his drac.
Golden eyes closing slowly, Radu leans forward, focuses on the image of the drac his beloved Quincy is so insistently projecting, and puts his face on his shoulder, nuzzles in to his soft neck and allows himself to just stay there, to relish the fact that Quincy knows that holding him would be too much, to relish that he can have this much shelter out here, and lets his drac inhale the scent of his new haven.
~
Smiling down at Radu and having to really fight himself not to kiss his hair, Quincy turns his head, because it’s not as if he overlooked Arthur, not as if those thoughts might not just as well have been shouted out loud.
“I cannot hold both of you, but Arthur, honey, please, let me see to your emotions, too.”
~
Arthur lifts his head, blinks at him- hadn’t even realized he’d been staring at Quincy’s shoulders, had clenched his fists impotently.
“Oh,” he says, then has to clear his throat as his voice comes out rough. Also, his eyes are stinging.
“Uh, how, then?”
Maybe he could just lean against Quincy’s back, just for a moment… but that would get him probably way too close to Radu.
~
With a chuckle, because the situation is questionably hilarious, Quincy reaches a hand over and begins to stroke Arthur’s cheek, moves it up to massage his scalp.
“Give Moonshine a few more moments, then I’ll turn and hold you.”
That gets a slight grumble from Radu that has Quincy burst out laughing.
“You jealous drac, you, hush, I’m not leaving you and he is nowhere as close to my mind as you are. Ugh, Darcy is the one with the thing for being fought over, you two.”
Arthur leans his head into Quincy’s touch with a sigh, his eyes closing.
“‘M not fighting,” he mutters. “I’m sick of fighting. I want a holiday.”
Eyes still closed, words slightly muffled from being spoken against Quincy’s neck, Radu answers: “It would be my pleasure to take my… fiancé and his boyfriend on a short holiday. A weekend on the continent maybe?”
~
That makes Arthur open his eyes and look at him- or, well, the shock of white hair he can see- in astonishment.
“…You would?”
~
“I imagine căldură mea would enjoy Paris, or maybe Rome? Rome may suit you, Master Lancaster, for its history. Unless I could convince either of you of the merits of the cities closer to my country?” Radu’s tone is gentle, wondering himself, because this… he had forgotten how it feels to do something for a loved one, and tears sit at the edges of his eyes at how overwhelmed he is at how lovely and right it feels.
~
He isn’t the only one who decides this feels right. Quincy can all but see Radu’s drac wagging its tail at him. He’s making it so happy with letting Radu do something for him, and, well, how stupid would he be to say no to being spoiled by a rich, powerful voivode? Yes!
~
“Um… all I know is London, and now here… So really, anywhere new would be great…” Arthur ventures- not sure whether this is going to be one of those things where you have great plans and dreams and they somehow never happen to work out, or whether going somewhere on the Continent for a holiday with Quincy and Radu, of all people, could actually happen…
~
“My own holdings are mostly concentrated in the eastern parts of Europe. It would be easy to spend a few days at one of those, or to be a guest at one of the lower-ranked members of House Draculesti. One close to Budapest or Bucharest so that my beloved drac can enjoy the higher aspects of culture that I know is what would lure him, perhaps?”
Finally lifting his head from Quincy’s shoulder, Radu’s eyes are no longer golden, he has to assume, given the way his perception has altered again. He can manage a smile at Arthur, although, yes, the jealousy is still gripping his gut and making him want to pull Quincy all to himself. But every time he does it, there’s that huff from Quincy’s drac, every time it nudges him in reprimand, and he cannot express how much that means to him. That complete lack of fear, that trust in him listening, is the entire reason he can do as much as he can without losing himself again, so he keeps smiling and forces himself to let go of Quincy.
Who, of course, he always reads him so well, notices and gives him a drac nuzzle as reward before turning to Arthur to pull him into his arms.
~
“Up to you, honey, as my fiancé…” Quincy’s voice trills at the word, he hadn’t said it because he didn’t want Radu to freak out, but now that his beautiful drac said it, he’ll not let go of it again, “as my fiancé said, I’m in it for the fashion and the nightlife!”
~
Arthur sighs, and decides since apparently his boyfriend is now Radu’s fiancé, he doesn’t need to be embarrassed- and also, he’s too tired to feel awkward- so tucks his head under Quincy’s chin and leans fully into him, lets himself be hugged.
“…Anywhere that’s safe and has some books sounds good to me. Oh, and maybe that’s warm? That would be nice, too.”
That addition has Radu chuckle.
“Then I believe we will have to agree on Rome. By your English sensibilities, my native country is a frozen landscape of terrors at this time of year. Which is a pity, because nothing in all of creation can rival the beauty of the Carpathians in their tranquil white gowns of snow.”
~
Hearing the tone in Radu’s voice, Quincy looks over from where he was putting gentle kisses on Arthur’s hair. Oh, but he loves that tone in people’s voices, and with Radu, that just means that he can stare the Divine directly in the face through the portals of his drac’s eyes.
“Rome for the weekend and then I’ll carry us to your mountains and you can treat me to the full aerial view.”
~
At first, Radu lights up at that- then realises that he’ll have to carry Quincy in his arms, and his cheeks go crimson. But, for once, more because of how flustered that thought makes him rather than from fear at the touch. After all, his… fiancé is trusting him to carry him safely over mountain tops, trusts in his wings and care to not hurt or drop him, and if he had a heartbeat, he knows it would be racing right now.
~
“Rome sounds good,” Arthur agrees, then looks up, a touch of wonder on his face as the thought fully takes hold. “I get to see the real Rome?”
~
“My apologies, I am afraid it is too short-term for me to work my contacts to find you a Roman as a tour guide. Vampires of that age are often somewhat reclusive and not easy to lure out from their private estates.”
Inclining his head at Master Lancaster, also in an unsuccessful attempt to hide his blush, Radu muses: “But I may be able to find a Medici’s servant who would be willing to take us. They would likely only be a few centuries old, but should still know many interesting facts about the city. Would that please you?”
What he doesn’t say out loud is his hope that giving Arthur a tour guide would mean he could potentially steal Quincy away to the dance floors and private parties and have him all to himself for at least some hours.
~
Arthur blinks some more. “That… would be way more amazing than anything I thought…” he admits. He’d been thinking in lines of seeing the actual places and ruins he’s only ever read about…
~
“Then I shall do my best to make the arrangements in time. It is, after all, already Wednesday.”
While Radu says it, Quincy smirks, not as if he didn’t notice the slight nudge to let go of Arthur again and get on with the day. He is utterly too amused at Radu’s jealousy and possessiveness, and if he didn’t know that he’s in control here he’d chafe hard at it, but as is, just one more thing to be smug about. After one more kiss to Arthur’s hair, he lets go of him, but keeps one of his hands in his, takes one of Radu’s, and declares they better get going to today’s family outing with that sudden time pressure.
~
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