Theron picked his head up and looked around as he heard a yelp. Not being able to figure our where the sound came from, he continued on, though a bit more slowly in case he saw anything unordinary. Checking the time, he decided to take a quick detour to a cafe a few blocks from his work to grab a quick breakfast. He sat by the window and pulled out the book he had been reading beforehand, fully enthralled by the story by the time a waitress came by torn asked his order. He decided on a pumpkin muffin with dark hot chocolate no whip cream, a typical breakfast for Theron though it wasn’t much. He went back to reading after the order was taken, resting his head on his hand and growing comfortable in his chair as he disappeared from the world for a while
Kaseki had walked out of the park and towards a bunch of buildings. He spotted a cafe and looked in through the window adjacent from where the stranger was seated, wishing he had the money to go in- so he just stared for a bit and then shoved his hands in his pockets, walking away. "If only I'd listened to him then… Maybe I'd be able to go in there," he mumbled to himself, speedwalking at this point. He hadn't noticed the stranger from the previous night in the cafe and took a few deep breaths as he walked past more and more buildings. "Nnn…" he groaned, and suddenly bit his arm as he kept walking, trying to suppress any urges he could possibly get in an area like the one he was in. He didn't bite down hard enough to draw any blood, but he still bit down hard enough to cause himself a minor amount of pain. "Eck- I forgot how weird it is to do that," he said after pulling back, wiping his mouth in case he had accidentally drawn blood.
Theron picked his head up once his order came in, catching a glimpse out the window, almost immediately recognizing the man staring at him. He saw when he started walking away, half expecting them to go inside, disappointed when he didn’t. He stood slowly, trying to decide if he should go after them. Last time he did that he got on a full cardio work out, he wasn’t really in the mood to do that again. He glanced down at his breakfast and smiled softly. lets hope you don’t drink blood, vampire. He ordered one more muffin, sticking to classic blueberry and a hot chocolate before he jogged back outside, scanning the area for the white haired man. He walked in the direction he last saw him go in and searched the area, hopping he hadn’t gone far.
Kaseki was now sitting under a tree, pulling out the book he had been reading. "If only… Oh well, might as well not think about that. It wouldn't help my mood out anyway," he mumbled as he flipped to the page he left off on, scanning the page. He used one hand to hold the book, the other to feel the arm he had previously bitten. He still wanted to make sure no blood was drawn, and when he discovered that no blood was drawn, he let out a sigh of relief. "Phew…" he exhaled, putting the book down and taking off his jacket, revealing bandages covering his upper arms. "That's better… I was starting to overheat," he said aloud, not directed at anyone but himself. He put the jacket aside and stretched, then grabbed the book and continued reading.
Theron eventually made it back to the park. At this point he didn’t really care if he was late for work, his worries over the man he seemed to keep running into was more concerning than his job at the moment. He asked a few people very awkwardly if they’d seen a white haired man run past. Some gave him off looks and never responded, others gave him vague directions but nothing of help. He eventually just started wandering around the park, his eyes scanning the trees and fields until they settled on a black blotch against a large oak. He tilted his head and slowly walked up the figure, a sigh of relief escaping him when he recognized the white hair. He stopped a few feet away, seeing that the man’s now exposed arms were covered in bandages, whether that was a fashion choice or those were injuries, Theron couldn’t tell but they did make his heart race a bit faster, initially thinking that they were wounds. He bit his lip in thought, knowing that he probably let seemed very stalkerish now. He shook off the thought and waved a hand in greeting, trying to catch the man’s attention without startling him too bad.
Kaseki looked up from his book and spotted the stranger, his eyes slightly widening. He wasn't scared or anything, he just didn't know what to say. He waved back at them, smiling nervously. He quickly put his jacket back on to hide the bandages, since he didn't want to make the other worry too much than they probably already do. He was still silent, and he quickly looked back down at the book, beginning to sweat a little. He wiped away the sweat with his jacket sleeve and didn't make any further eye contact with the stranger, nor did he say anything that would bring attention to him. He just kept quickly scanning the pages of his book, making excuses for himself so he didn't have to say or do anything other than read the book.
Theron frowned a little, knowing that he probably freaked the man out. He knew he was being weird, but he couldn’t back down without an explanation now. He cleared his throat bit and waved the bag with the muffin in it. “Uhm, I saw you earlier at the cafe. I noticed you didn’t go in so I thought you were interested. In the food! Not me! The food! So I uh, bought a muffin and some chocolate in case you wanted any and couldn’t get some, not saying that you’re incapable of getting them yourself of course! But just a gesture since yesterday was a bit awkward…” he trailed off slightly and looked away for a moment. “I’ll just go so you can enjoy these without me rambling. Glad you like the book.” He smiled softly, seeing the the other had gotten quite a lot done since yesterday. He set the food down a few feet away from the man and turned to leave. “What’s your favorite part so far?” He blurted our, knowing he said he’d leave but not being able to resist the urge to ask and turning back to them.
Kaseki accepted the offer and was about to go back to reading when the question was asked out of nowhere. "I…I don't really know, there's a lot of parts that I like so far…" he said, his usually quiet voice gaining some extra volume. He seemed sad that they were going to leave, and he immediately broke eye contact with them. He fumbled with the strings on his jacket and mumbled something to himself. He seemed to be in dire need of a friend, or maybe just someone to share a connection with, since he felt like he had previously messed up his chances with having a friend after running away like he did. He went silent right away, not wanting to sound weird by asking them to stay. He must've already given the stranger a bad impression of himself by running away like a maniac last night, so he didn't wanna accidentally do anything too drastic than he already has.
Theron smiled softly, debating whether to make an attempt to make it to work relatively on time or to stay with the white haired man. He decided to stay, not really worried if he missed a day of work. He sat a few feet away, laying his violin case beside him. “Uhm, do you mind if I stay a while? Of course I understand if you prefer to be alone at the moment, without some stranger bothering you.” He lowered his gaze and played with the grass, not wanting to bother him if all he wanted to do was Be alone. “Are you alright,” he whispered softly after a few moments of silence. “I get it if you want to alone and stuff but…are you safe?”
Kaseki looked over at the stranger and kept his nervous smile. "I would like that… But if you have to go, I won't mind…" he said, but it was a clear lie. He really wanted someone to talk to, but he didn't wanna be a burden either. He bit his lower lip, which caused his fangs to show again, but at this point, he didn't care. He needed to suppress the urge to bite something. "And yes, I'm safe. You don't have to worry about me," he replied to the stranger's question, then asked a question of his own. "By the way… what's your name?"
He visibly sighed in relief and offered a small smile of his own. “I’ll stay as long as you want me to.” He replied, noticing the fangs with a bit of surprise, never in a million years wouldn’t he have guessed his nickname would have been accurate. He peeked up slightly and blushed, forgetting that he had never asked a name or given his own.
“Oh! My name is Theron.” He replied softly. “What about you?”
Kaseki seemed happy that Theron was going to stay, and it kind of showed. He eventually went blank again but was still sweating. He once again wiped the sweat away with his jacket sleeve and replied to the question, "I'm Kaseki… It's nice to finally meet you…" He immediately bit his lower lip again. "Nnn…" he groaned under his breath, hoping that this will be enough to help hold himself back. He soon stopped biting his lower lip and looked back at his book. He started to once again frantically scan the pages, hoping to stall just enough to where he could find something to talk about.
“It’s nice to finally meet you as well.” He gently nudged the bag with the muffin in it towards Kaseki, assuming that he was hungry. He watched him for a moment longer before unpacking his violin again and beginning to softly play, seeing that kaseki had grown quiet again. He truly didn’t want to make him uncomfortable by just rambling so he figured playing music would help sooth the obvious tension. He started off with a softer song, sounding more like a lullaby than what he had previously played. Theron shut his eyes as he played, enjoying the softer, slower paced piece.
Kaseki grabbed the bag, carefully picking it up and placing it on his lap. He opened it up and pulled out the muffin, eating it almost right away. He seemed pretty hungry, for sure. He also seemed to not realize how skinny he was compared to others his age, but at this point, he didn't really care either way. He was just glad that somebody was finally willing to talk to him. As he was eating, he heard a violin begin to play and quickly glanced over at Theron, then looked away again. He kept a straight face, and he wasn't sweating like he was before. A few drops of sweat formed on his face now and then, but he wiped them off with his jacket sleeve almost immediately. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down, then finished off the muffin. "Lunari…" he mumbled, shooting another quick glance at Theron, supposedly directing what he mumbled towards the other.
Theron continued to play as the other are, a small smile on his lips. His eyes flickered opened when Kaseki spoke he stopped playing for a moment and tilted his head “Lunari?” He repeated softly with a tilt of his head. It sounded familiar to him but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He smiled softly when he saw that the muffin was completely gone and offered him the rest of his pumpkin ones. “Don’t worry, I’ll get more later.” He reassured, also nudging the cup of hot chocolate towards him while he took a sip of his own
Kaseki began to sweat again, realizing he said that aloud. "I- I mean- Uh—" he kept stammering for a good minute, then calmed down. When the pumpkin muffins were offered to him, he looked at them occasionally but didn't actually eat them. He laughed nervously then averted his eyes back to… well, whatever he could look at that could give him an excuse not to make eye contact. He kept mumbling to himself, making sure only he himself could hear the mumbling. He suddenly brought up 'Lunari' again as he mumbled to himself, and he began scratching at his legs. "Nnn…"
A true this point, Theron thought the mumbling was a normal thing for Kaseki. He was still concerned about him, seeing that he didn’t really eat much of Thebes breakfast and the fact that he seemed extremely uncomfortable in the heat, though he wondered why he didn’t just take off the jacket. Theron went back to softly playing his violent, falling into a rhythm of sorts after a few moments.
He glanced back up when he saw that Kaseki was scratching his leg roughly. He reached out and gently put his hand on top of Kaseki’s not wanting him to start bleeding due to the excessive scratching. “Hey,” he shut and opened his mouth, looking for anything to say that would distract him. He glanced around a bit, not being able to meet his eyes. His gaze settled on the book he had bought. “Tell me what you’ve read so far.” He urged gently, keeping his voice down so only Kaseki could hear. “You’ve gotten pretty far into it since last night.” He noted with amusement. “If love to hear your thoughts on it.”
Kaseki continued scratching until Theron placed a hand over his, causing his face to turn a faint shade of red, but he managed to shake it off. "Well…" he began, then went on about what he's read up to now and how he really liked the way the book was written, especially with the horror aspects that he's seen so far. He now seemed extremely calm, no more scratching or mumbling or anything. He basically seemed like a regular person- minus the white hair, fangs, and all that. He actually seemed…happy. He was already happy, but now it was showing in a way that it hadn't before the book was brought up. He even had a bit of a smile on his face, not that Kaseki really noticed, of course. He seemed to show a special interest in the horror aspects of not just the book in question, but he also seemed to know a lot about how other authors write particular horror stories, or how some authors just slide hints of the horror genre itself into their books. It seemed like not only an interest of his, it almost came off as an obsession. After a few minutes of rambling, he finally took a deep breath and went quiet, letting the other add to the pretty much one-sided conversation.
Theron smiled softly, glad to have finally found a topic Kaseki enjoyed. His hand remained on Kaseki’s as he spoke, hoping it didn’t bother him. He was amused and very surprised at how much Kaseki knew about horror, not only talking about the book but also about the horror genre in general. Theron himself had never really been into horror, having not really found many books that had interested him other the one Kaseki had, but he did appreciate the genes for what it was. He glanced up when Kaseki grew quiet having would have loved to hear him happily talk about anything for hours on end.
“You talk about horror like I talk about romance. I’ve never really gotten into horror, save for that book and a few others.” He explained sheepishly. “Any recommendations? Preferably something less gruesome for now, just until I build up enough courage to actually get through a violent death or something.”
Kaseki stayed quiet for a bit, thinking about what to say. "Hmm… there's a lot of good stuff to start with, and I've read a lot of horror novels so I wouldn't really know where to begin either way," he said, laughing nervously again. He still seemed very happy, probably because he found someone who is willing to listen to him ramble on about his love for horror-based books. He suddenly bit down hard on his lower lip but stopped right after. He inhaled through his teeth then took another deep breath. He smiled again, and it was clearer than the softer one he had before. "Most horror novels usually do what you mentioned; start off small then gradually build up. Usually, I just skim through the beginning parts and really pay attention to the more gruesome parts, so I can study how certain writers fit their styles into their novels, specifically the ones that are centered around horror… Sorry if I'm rambling again, I just…" he added, trailing off near the end of his sentence.
“No! Please don’t apologies!” Theron squeezes Kaseki’s hand gently and offered his own smile. “Believe me, if I had anyone to talk to about my interests the way you talk about horror, I’d ramble on for days.” He glanced down at their touching hands, his cheeks heating slightly but he didn’t pull away. “Please continue, if you'd like of course. I find this truly fascinating. Both the love and passion you have for the horror genre and the immense knowledge you seem to have about it.” He said, glancing up gazing to the other man’seyes
Kaseki felt another red tinge flush across his face, but he didn't mind it. "I- Well, I'm glad you can handle my rambling, to say the least… most people usually get annoyed when I ramble on about this kind of stuff- It's… different, in all honesty-" he said, his smile returning after previously becoming a frown. He didn't seem to mind his hand being grasped or the eye contact currently being made anymore, he just seemed… Excited, for the most part. He didn't show it too much, but it still showed. After a moment of silence between the two of them, Kaseki began to go off on another tangent about all of the horror books he's read, how certain writers only use horror as a one-time thing for a book unlike other authors like Stephen King and others, and how specific authors combine horror with other genres to gain further interest from their readers; hook, line, and sinker. He continued talking about this topic for a long time, maybe half an hour or even more. He genuinely seemed obsessive over certain details about writing styles used for horror books, what kind of situations characters in horror novels are put into, etc. It was clear that studying these kinds of things was a pastime he had, and that he took it very seriously. He soon began talking about how he dislikes when people use actual monsters as a villain in some horror stories, and that he enjoys seeing an actual person be the one wreaking havoc in horror novels. He then explained that seeing a human bring damage to other humans in a gruesome way shows people that not every person is perfect- That everyone has a flaw, whether they like it or not.
Theron happily sat through the entire hour as Kaseki continued on his tangent on horror, liking that he didn’t shy away from the more controversial arguments made. He agreed that monsters were no longer young he traditional swamp monster or Dracula, instead now they were seemingly normal people that had twisted minds. It both intrigued him and horrified him how a person could somehow turn into a murderer in less than a day, or just due to a situation. He also liked when Kaseki mentioned that everyone had flaws, despite being seen as genuinely good. He couldn’t defiantly attest to that statement, having been with people that had seemed decent and then suddenly show their true colors after a few months of being together. He himself couldn’t say he was perfect but he tried to be genuine with everyone he met, or at least tried to show that he wasn’t hiding anything. He gently took his hand back from Kaseki’s, not minding the contact but also not wanting to make the other uncomfortable
Kaseki kept talking for another hour, then finally paused, supposedly to once again let Theron add to the conversation. He didn't wanna come off as self-centered, and he felt the best way to prevent that was by letting the other add their views in like before. Not only that, but his throat was becoming dry since he had talked so much for a long period of time. He eagerly waited for Theron to share his thoughts, excited that he was finally having an actual conversation, one where Kaseki doesn't accidentally scare someone off not just with his appearance but his obsession with the horror genre. He seemed glad that for once, he didn't scare someone away just by being himself; the chances of this ever happening we pretty low before now, but now he felt like he had a shot at making a friend: someone who is willing to sit and listen to him ramble, someone who cares enough to follow him around when he tried pushing that help away for a while. This showed, not just through facial expressions but with his body language and the fact that he didn't seem so nervous or even standoff-ish too.
Theron smiled and nodded “I agree! It’s interesting to see how these people who could well possibly among us be so mentally detached that they have the ability to kill in cold blood. Some going as far as torturing for pure delight. I especially like it when they leave the reveal until the end, making us like the murderer run whatever and even doubt the good guys until the end.” He added on, sort of incoherently but still understandable. “One thing I can’t stand though is when they have a victim love the abuser or murderer even after the author clearly shows that they’re not good as a partner. It kind of annoys me how the protagonist insists that the other can’t be good when clearly shown over and over again that they’ve done some messed up stuff.” He glanced up and blushed “uh, sorry, that was kind of off topic.”
Kaseki nodded while listening to Theron's thoughts on the subject. "And don't mind being off-topic there, I actually completely agree with you- When a victim loves the person victimizing them, I personally think it takes away from the fear factor because the victim is willing to go through any sort of pain for the person victimizing them. That leaves a lot of holes in the plot as well as the stories behind the characters as well. It also kind of subtracts any chemistry the victim in the story could have with other characters in the same story, not only because they already love someone else but also because people will think the victim is crazy enough to love the person causing so much pain in their life," he said in response to the previous statement, with a more in-thought kind of look replacing the smile on his face. It seems Kaseki is a bit in tune with some romance aspects of horror stories, which could be a blessing or a curse, depending on how it's taken. He had begun staring at the ground, apparently thinking really hard about what to say next. "Witing flaws like that make a story fall apart if you really think about it. With those sorts of relationships, the remaining plot holes slowly begin sinking in on themselves and just bring the entire story crashing down with it, don't you think?" he asked, making eye contact with Theron again. His pale grayish-green eyes seemed to have lit up while he was talking, probably because he feels very strongly about subjects like the ones they were discussing and enjoys sharing his opinion as well as hearing it from another person's view.
“My thoughts exactly! It’s just an unpleasant reading experience, I can’t imagine how it isn’t for the writer! It just makes everyone uncomfortable. You as the read know that this specific character has literally no business being with the other character other than to be a victim of whatever they’re doing. Then the author decided was to romantics that? It’s almost s if they’re making us dislike the protagonist just so when something bad happens to them it’s almost satisfyingly to watch them get hurt. Honestly it’s something that astonishes me sometimes when reading.” He laughed and shook his head. He flicked his gaze up to Kaseki’s, meeting his eyes with his warmer brown ones. “This whole hour has just proved that we understand books more than actual people, didn’t it?” He teased gently, putting the violin back int he case but not leaving Just yet
Kaseki carefully listened to what Theron said, and chuckled at the question, nodding in response to it. For Kaseki, this was probably the most fun he's ever had in a long time since others always thought he was weird; although he did know exactly why. The fangs, the messy white hair, his condition, everything: he supposed he did come off as weird or even crazy, but knowing someone cared enough to follow him when he ran, was able to put up with his shenanigans, and was willing to listen to him ramble about books was enough to tell him that he wasn't so odd after all. He smiled now, his usual shyness slowly drifting off, and it could be seen through the way he talked, moved, etc. Everything he said or did was suddenly filled with confidence, but not the arrogant kind. Kaseki's confidence seemed like the kind someone gains after having a prolonged amount of low self-esteem. It was a joyful kind of confidence, which also seemed to help his mood. He mumbled something to himself, and it was barely loud enough to hear. He had asked himself a question and also answered it: "What did I do to deserve all this? It's unclear… Maybe it's…" Soon enough, Kaseki trailed back off into his mumbling, however, these weren't crazed like the last ones were. He seemed to just be talking to himself in a calm way, trying to figure out how to answer his own question.
Theron smiled softly, seeing that Kaseki was slowly relaxing around him. He hadn’t really had many friends growing up, despite him trying his best to be polite. He had gained more once he had moved out Igbo his hometown and had gone to college, though it wasn’t clear by the night before that they weren’t always his cup of tea, especially when they went out partying. He liked this type of friendship, one where he felt comfortable enough to express his passion and and just be himself without having to think twice about how dorky he sounded.
When Kaseki has started mumbling again, Theron just attributed this to one of his many quirks. He didn’t mind at all, though, finding that the talking to oneself always brought out The best ideas, no matter where one was. He let kaseki slip into husband own little world for now, occasionally glancing up to make sure he was scratching at himself again or he wasn’t going hysterical. He wasn’t too sure what he’d do if Kaseki started freaking out but he promised he wouldn’t leave him If that ever happen, assuming that they’d meet again.
