Disclaimer: I do not know the BSB nor do I claim to know their orientation. The following is a work of fiction! All under 18 are advised not to continue reading as this story contains content of an adult nature (M/M situations).
We slept like we were all drunk, sprawled on the ground without any will to move. Even Nick, who kept on mumbling and moaning in his sleep eventually drifted off. And we definitely needed the sleep because for the next week, we roamed the country non-stop, never once pausing to rethink our plans.
Actually, I didn't think we had any plans. We just worked off of our curiosity, our speed hastened by our desire to cure Nick of this curse that Vincent had placed on him. At times, he looked very lucid, talking to me about the present, telling me that his muscles were aching and that he was tired. But 99% of the time, he had such a distant look to him. His eyes were either filled with fear or sadness. He talked to himself more often as well, wondering why people were chasing him down some tunnel.
But the most intriguing part of his soliloquys were when he spoke of his 'father'. It was difficult to follow because I didn't know if he spoke from his false memories or if he was speaking of the one who took part in creating his current body.
But he would look into Kevin's eyes really deeply and call Kevin his 'father'. Funny, although I didn't think that Kevin found that amusing. Aj, rather, laughed his head off. And Nick would continue to stare into Kevin's eyes until Kevin got really nervous.
Two days ago, we actually had an interesting revelation. "Father," Nick would whisper as he always did when he looked into Kevin's eyes. His voice was gentle, his eyes melancholic. "Sooner or later, they will find and destroy us. These walls won't conceal us for long. They will find us." Nick's lips quivered ever so slightly.
And Kevin played off of Nick's false memories, just to see where he could go with it. "But we're safe here," Kevin whispered back, gazing into Nick's eyes just as intently, making me blush from envy. I tried hard to brush the feelings off.
Nick shook his head. "We won't make it. They're getting closer. They'll find us and destroy our remains, and the empire that we have created will crumble." Nick reached out to place his hand on Kevin's shoulder near his neck. It was a purely loving and chaste gesture, but my body swelled with jealousy. I once again brushed off the feeling.
And then . . . Kevin made a brilliant statement, bringing us one step closer to the truth. "But we have Vincent to help us."
Nick's eyes suddenly looked keener. He noticeably flinched when he heard Vincent's name being mentioned. Then, he pulled his hand back and cautiously placed it on his own neck, as if feeling for an invisible scar. "Vincent won't help us," Nick answered, hurt. "He won't help us without any gain. He had abandoned us a long time ago."
Kevin was quick with his thinking and responded, "What did he do to you?" Kevin's hands lightly brushed against Nick's neck, pointing at Nick's invisible scar. By now, Nick's lips were trembling and his eyes started to water.
Then, Nick looked down towards the ground. "He told me that he loved me . . . so I . . . I was flattered. I let him . . . feel me up . . . and then I couldn't stop him . . . the feelings were so overwhelming. I . . . We made love." Nick's eyes showed guilt and shame. "Father, please don't be angry with me."
Me, Aj and Kevin were all dumbstruck by Nick's confession, albeit all the things he said were not of his own real memories. It couldn't be.
Kevin smiled at Nick. He looked worried, but I think he too believed the memories were not real for Nick. "I'm never angry. You're young. Sometimes, impulsivity works against you."
Nick had a shy smile on his face. But within minutes, he started shivering. "It's so cold in here." It almost seemed as if he and his 'father' were trapped in some sort of chamber.
Kevin simply pulled Nick to him and said, "Rest for now. The cold will go away." But as he said that, he looked up into the clear blue sky.
Nick's words were starting to seem less creepy to me, for some reason. He appeared harmless enough, just walking around with these images in his head. He never acted on them. He only recited them.
But today, things took another turn. We were about a hundred miles from Sangria, in a vast forest. Only a few more days of this restless trek before we reach our destination, and I was beginning to get excited. Soon, we will find answers!
However, to my shock, Nick started to see me as the Vincent from his false memories.
He came up to me while I was resting under a tree, completely exhausted. Without warning, he sat down next to me, his legs touching mine and he placed his hand seductively on my lap. He moved so that he was kneeling between my legs, his face to mine. Then, he smiled less than innocently. Nothing prepared me for the few words that were about to come out of those lush lips.
"Let's make out again Vincent," Nick urged with a huge smile on his face. "I loved it my first time. You were so good."
I keeled over from shock and resentment. Someone actually found Vincent to be a good lover? Before I had the chance, Nick moved closer so that our chests were rubbed against one another. My swollen hardness was pressed against his abdomen in anticipation. I felt kind of bad, taking advantage of him like that so I pushed him back.
"No," I responded firmly.
Nick looked at me worriedly. "Why not?" he asked, confused.
I grabbed his face, slightly agitated. "Look at me, Nick. I'm not Vincent! I'm Brian. You know, the silly vampire who you've shared a room with the past six or seven years! Your partner in crime when it comes to pranks. Don't you see me for who I am?"
I was getting rather worked up, but I couldn't take it any longer. I couldn't let Nick keep sinking into this hole that Vincent had dug for him. I gazed at Nick feeling pretty lousy when his big eyes started to water. He looked so youthful . . . so vibrant.
"But you said that you loved me!" Nick asked, confused.
I gripped his shoulders and shook him gently. "I do love you Nick, but I want us to be more than just lust. I mean, I would do anything for you to be with me every minute of the day, for us to be a couple! I mean it. I love you. But you don't recognize me at all. I'm not Vincent. I'm Brian."
I thought my little speech had cleared his head a little because his eyes looked pensive and thoughtful. He turned to the side, his eyes focused on a tree, but I could tell he was thinking really hard about something. "Brian . . . " Nick whispered to himself.
Then he turned his head to face me once more. "Brian . . . " he whispered again, his eyes looking deeply into mine. "That's a cute name." He smiled gently, but he didn't look like he recognized me one bit. "What does it mean?"
I shook my head. "It doesn't mean anything, Nick. It's just what people call me."
"Why are you calling me Nick?" he asked, upset.
"That's your name," I answered more upset than him.
He looked at me defiantly. "My name is not Nick. It's Nickolas!" He pushed himself back violently, but I held onto his arms and pulled him close to me.
"My fault," I murmured into his ears. "Sorry, Nickolas."
I knew I shouldn't have done that. I knew that Nick's body was truly being possessed by these false memories, but I couldn't help it. I didn't want him to run away from me. Not now, when we were probably very close to finding out the truth!
I pulled NIck's face into mine and started to french kiss him longingly. He made no move to stop me, but rather, he responded very quickly, opening his mouth to mine. We kissed deeply for about five minutes, never once breaking for air. My arms were firmly placed on his back, pulling him even closer while he had sat on my lap, shoving his body into mine.
I knew he wasn't the Nick I knew. I knew the inside package belonged to somebody else, and for a while, I didn't know if I were in love with Nick or in love with his body. I just knew that I needed to feel him inside out, to access his flesh. I could feel the soft skin of his back, chest and arms on my palms. It was exhilarating and passionate.
Finally, Nick pulled back and smiled. "Father doesn't have to know about this. I'll keep it a secret."
I nodded eagerly while he pointed to a patch of grass on the ground. Within seconds, we lay on the ground, our hands trying to remove each other's garments. He had no problem with mine, but I couldn't get his gold pants off. They clung to him desperately, as if willing me not to access his more intimate areas. All the while, Nick was moaning in ecstasy, thinking that I was just playing with him.
He smiled and groaned under my constant attempts to pull his pants off. Sweat started to trickle down his forehead as he kept on calling my name. "Brian . . . Brian . . . " His voice was sultry, sensuous, making my attempts to remove his clothing more desperate. But the harder I tried, the less successful I became.
"Nick . . . I can't pull it off," I finally said defeatedly.
"Nickolas!" he said, perturbed. He now placed his hands over his own pants and tried to pull. To his dismay, they wouldn't come off. We tried for twenty minutes, until the sexual tension in the air had dissipated.
Finally, Nick gave up and pouted unhappily. I couldn't say that I was better off. I still had proof of my raging hormones visible to his eye. He took notice finally and realized that I needed some relief so he began to kiss me hard on the lips and worked his way down. He was . . . incredible. I climaxed slowly, but ecstatically and fell onto him, exhausted.
We went to sleep, entangled in each other's arms . . . until Aj and Kevin found us that way an hour later. Both looked pretty shocked at our compromising positions, especially at mine. Nick actually looked half decent.
He slept right through while Aj and Kevin plucked me from my supine position and pulled me over to a nearby bush.
"What the f---?" Aj whispered loudly.
Kevin shoved Aj back. "Aje, stop the cussing." Kevin then stared into my eyes. "Brian . . . Nick is confused now. Wouldn't it be better to think things through before doing the kid?"
I shoved Kevin back spitefully. "You think I didn't try? He was throwing himself at me?" I knew I was being rather selfish, making excuses to rationalize my behavior, but I couldn't help the way I was drawn into him. I threw my hands up in the air, the frustration all coming back to me.
I looked towards Kevin and Aj once again. "We're losing him! Don't you see that? He's not our Nick! He's from some other dimension, some other period in time. And we don't have a clue as to what the hell is going on. I don't want to lose him, not after all the things that we did to save him!"
Aj remained quiet. Only Kevin spoke, or at least tried to allay my concerns. "I know you're scared. Me and Aj love him, too. We're so near Sangria. The answers are at our fingertips. Tomorrow. If we travel by night really quickly, I think we can make it to Sangria by tomorrow night."
I sighed. "Sorry," I mumbled. "You know, sexual tension is hard to fight."
"Ya think?" Aj commented weirdly.
I turned to face Aj who looked rather flustered, as if he said something wrong. Which he did, in my opinion.
Kevin sighed. "Stop being so jealous, Brian. If you're in love with him, you might as well get used to the idea that other people want him, too."
I gaped, but before I could say anything, Kevin walked over to where Nick lay and gently shook him. "Nickolas," Kevin called out.
Nick moaned before opening his eyes. "What?"
"We're getting ready to head back to Sangria," Kevin responded confidently.
"I don't wanna go home," Nick muttered.
Odd. Why did Nick call Sangria his home? Kevin looked at me and Aj alarmingly. Then he looked to Nick. "We've got to go back to Sangria. We need some answers."
"But they're waiting for us, father!" Nick said worriedly, his eyes now big and wide. "They're going to kill us soon. We're too much of a threat to them. They'll kill us before we have the chance to run."
"They won't kill us!" Kevin replied harshly.
Nick pushed himself away from Kevin. "I'd rather they did than try to use my body in other ways!" Nick responded sharply. "I've seen the way they looked at me last night. I'm as good as fodder for their entertainment!"
Aj looked at me incredulously. Nick's memories were slowly tying themselves together. Sangria must have had an explosive history. And my curiosity was getting piqued. It was actually exciting to be back in Sangria.
Kevin pulled Nick up quickly. "We're going. No buts!"
Nick pulled away defiantly. "Since when did you become so mean, Kevin?"
Me and Aj froze. Since when did Nick remember Kevin's name?
Kevin, on the other hand, was very baffled and upset by Nick calling him mean? His face flushed ten shades of red, and I thought it was rather amusing. Kevin stiffly walked away from Nick, obviously very upset about being called mean.
Slowly, me and Aj were alongside Nick and convinced him to start moving again. We had to pass through the forest, two meadows a few lush hills . . . and still we had a ways to go to reach Sangria.
Reluctantly, Nick agreed and we set off for the last part of our endless search for the truth.
I expected a big ugly welcome the moment we stepped beyond the gates of Sangria the next night. I expected screams of hatred or maybe even curious vampires peaking out of their windows to behold the sight of Nick and marvel at his beauty. I expected a luminous city and the sounds of revelry and drunken vampires about the streets.
But I was unprepared for the deathly silence of an abandoned city. The streets were littered with rubble and garbage. The city was aglow with lights but no movement save the breezes that brushed past the lampposts. I stood shocked.
Aj held onto me for comfort while Kevin placed an arm around Nick's shoulders, trying to balanced himself. I looked to Nick, whose eyes had widened in recognition. He pushed Kevin's arm aside and scanned the city, as if recognizing every inch of it. After a few minutes of bewilderment, Nick suddenly bursted towards the palace, crying madly although I couldn't understand his words. The only word I could make out was "father".
Me, Kevin and Aj followed Nick desperately into the palace. We were amazed at the way he moved through the hallways and the passageways. He moved as if he had always lived there. He moved as if he knew exactly where every brick was placed, where every door was located. He even knew all the secret passageways, which shocked us even more.
Nick's feet were as agile as ever, darting obstacles without a second glance. I tripped three times, but not as bad as Kevin and Aj, who both tripped at least a dozen times. We did manage to follow Nick though. Or rather, he slowed down for us. He finally stopped in front of a wall in one of the diners of the palace. He walked up and placed a hand on one of the bricks, and part of the wall disappeared to form an opening.
Me, Kevin and Aj were all dumb and mute from the entire event. We mindlessly followed Nick down the dark passageway, wondering whether we made a mistake coming back here. The passage seemed endless, and when we were about to pass out from shear exhaustion, Nick stopped. Beyond the passage was a deadend . . . a room with a bed. And on the bed lay the remains of something or someone.
Nick slowly approached the rubble and cried out in sadness. "Father?" Nick's voice wavered. He touched the remains longingly. "I'm sorry!" Nick said dejectedly. "I'm sorry!" He kneeled beside the bed and stared at the dusty remains.
Kevin walked up to Nick and placed a hand on his shoulder. Slowly, he too kneeled down and hugged Nick tightly from the back. "He knows you're sorry!"
Nick shook his head. "I never told him . . . until now. I never had the chance."
The tears started to fall from my eyes freely now. I felt this overwhelming melancholy wash over me as if I too felt Nick's loss. Aj looked at me strangely. "You okay, Bri?"
I shook my head. What was going on? Why was I feeling the sadness that Nick felt? Why could I touch his emotions and be drawn to them so tightly?
Before I had the chance to sort out my emotions, Nick lifted his gaze to suddenly look back at the way we came in. He stood up warily and Kevin, Aj and I all stiffened. Nick walked through the opening of the room and retraced his steps from where he came. We followed quietly, all disoriented and confused.
Nick now moved with a sense of calm purpose, each step calculated and quiet. He slowly left the secret passageway and we found ourselves back in the diner. Without another thought, he continued out through the diner, down the hall, until we went to the armaments room. All sorts of fascinating weapons lay strewn on the ground, but Nick paid no attention to anyone. He was focused on the wall. But this time, he wasn't looking at any secret openings to any passageways.
He was looking at a glass case, beautifully decorated with diamonds. The lighting was dim in the already dark room lined with gray bricks. Some gold lamps stood on the corners, but did nothing to illuminate what lay inside the glass case.
My body froze from the sight, as did Kevin's and Aj's. There in the glass case was a decadent body strapped to a pole. The hands lay tied above the head, the flesh nearly green from decay and mold. Yet somehow, the body looked well preserved and the golden blond hair remained immaculate just like the blond silky hair that Nick now had. I stared sickeningly into the glass case. As my eyes roamed downwards, I started noticing the cuts and bruises that lay on the chest and abdomen of the body.
My eyes roamed even lower to find the golden lining of the pants that looked like the exact same golden pants that Nick now wore on his warm, soft body. I gulped and took in a deep breath. I looked at Nick, whose eyes now shown of fear.
Kevin let out a soft cry of disgust. The body had been tortured and used and ultimately killed, yet the tortured body remained displayed in a glass case in the armaments room to be forever humiliated.
Nick walked up to the glass case and placed his hand on it, as if yearning for the body that used to belong to him. So now, his false memories had an identity. He placed a finger on the glass case and I heard a pop. Near where Nick's finger lay, the glass started to crack. Nick kept on staring at the crack until it widened and expanded to include the entire glass case. The glass shattered and fell to Nick's feet in a fantastical display.
The body that lay strapped tot he pole fell towards the ground, dissipating into dust, but not before I had a good look at the lavender eyes whose decayed eyelids had been torn off earlier. I gasped at the cruelty of the torturers. Nick jumped back and fell into Kevin who held onto him tightly. He started breathing raggedly, as if trying to digest the horrific images in his mind.
Nick started shaking frighteningly. "They killed my father. They raped and tortured me to death. How could they?"
I freaked out by Nick's words. "No, Nick. You're not him. That's what that body just proved. You're not that guy that they killed. You're different. You're only carrying his memories! You're not him, damn it!" I cried out in desperation. Oh please don't let Nick live by these memories, which weren't even his to start out with.
Kevin shook Nick abruptly. "Brian's right! You're not that body there. You're Nick. You've been raised by the Almans and then spent six years of your life with Backstreet. Look at me, Aje and Rok! We're your best buds. And Howie too, once we find him!"
I cried out as Kevin and Aj did. Yet, something still disturbed me. If those memories truly belonged to that body that was strapped to the wall, how come that body looked like a spitting image of Nick, from the lavender eyes, to the bright golden blond hair, to the well-defined muscular body, to the gold-laced pants that wrapped snuggly around his lower body?
I wanted to ask Nick, but to my horror, he suddenly collapsed. I didn't know what caused him to be unconscious, but kevin had to hold onto his limber body before he fell to the ground. Quickly, Kevin picked up Nick's legs and stared at me. I felt the slap of cold air against my face. I could feel Nick's emotions swarming around me. Nick had collapsed from the shock! Yet how did I know that?
I looked towards Kevin with a renewed confidence. "The lady in the shop! We must find her!"
Aj and Kevin nodded as we all filed out of the room. I led the way out of the palace, suddenly feeling very light and clear-headed. I felt my way back to where the lady that sold me the blood lived. I felt her presence, surprisingly enough. I knew she remained in Sangria. I led Kevin and Aj down the deserted streets to the farthest house on the main avenue. I led them into a dark, but warm shelter where a candle lighted up the one room I knew the woman to be in.
And once we stepped into the warm, dimly lit room, I saw the woman's face quite aged, as if she had lived through thousands of years.
"I had wondered when he would come home, my little boy!" she said softly as the tears slid down her face. She stood beside Kevin's towering form and swept her fingers over Nick's beautiful face.
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