Chapter Text
Guren didn’t even know anymore why he had bought the kid.
Oh, Yuu was lovely, no doubt. He had a wonderful bodyshape, one that would have had the potential to grow into a slender, tall young man had he not been deprived of basic nutrition his entire life, stunting his growth and making him unusually petite for his age. Those expressive eyes, wide and the color of emeralds and his creamy pale skin and dark chocolate hair. Guren supposed in a different world, a different time, there might have been songs about his beauty.
His spirit.
The brat couldn’t suck cock for shit.
Guren sighed, stroking his hand idly through the soft, messy hair as a pleasantly wet mouth ineffectively suckled away between his legs, more oft than not with teeth catching on his skin. He shifted, almost uncomfortable.
He had bought Yuu from an orphanage a few weeks ago. The 14-year-old hadn’t been cheap, it had been dumb luck no one had snatched him up before - so he had thought. Now he had a renitent little brat on his hands that was stubborn, quick to rile in anger, sulky, and quite frankly no use. He wasn’t in it to show Yuu off, after all; all he wanted was some pleasure with no questions asked when he came home from work. That was too much to ask in return for a warm home apparently.
Yuu could sense the others frustration, even as he hung from his thighs and licked and sucked mindlessly at his hardness. Every correction that was hissed at him was ignored, the boy had no interest really in improving his cock sucking skills just to help the asshole get off faster. Granted, it would result in a less sore jaw for Yuu if he got him to finish up quickly, but the boy’s body had a numb, warm buzz and the pain he would later feel wasn’t in the forefront of his mind.
Guren thought because he had brought him home from the orphanage that he was entitled to things. That he could tell Yuu what to do and Yuu would just comply. It was like he expected the boy to fawn all over him and fall into his lap and onto his cock.
Yuu didn’t give a damn if he had a “home” now, it meant nothing to him. He was just fine at the orphanage and this place was not his home.
He was only here between the others legs because he’d had no choice. If it were up to him, he’d be back where he used to be.
But he felt too much like his mind was drifting and his body was floating to object or fight with him. At least if he made the other cum he’d leave him alone for a while.
“God, you’re useless,” Guren hissed, frustrated beyond belief with the way the brat was acting. Granted, he had slipped him a bit of a drug with dinner just to make him a little sweeter, but Yuu was acting thoroughly sluggish and not as enthusiastic as Guren had expected.
Honestly, he’d have more fun with his own hands, but that would give the brat a sense of superiority that Guren could not afford to let him have. He grasped the soft jaw, cupping under his chin, and pried his mouth open wider. “Look at me,” he directed him, taking his cock with his other hand and stroked it firmly, trying to concentrate on the sight of Yuu’s wide open mouth and pink tongue hovering just around the thick head.
The sight of those eyes undid him; he laid thick ropes onto the boy’s tongue and, when Yuu jerked away, against his lips and chin with a groan.
Yuu wiped at his face with a snarl, fist collecting cum that he wiped on the leg of Guren’s pants. He narrowed his eyes and glared up at the older male, nails scraping against the floor.
He wanted to attack him, punch him in his stupid face for the way he treated him, like he was just something to be used.
“I’m not useless, I just don’t like you,” the boy snapped, his arms too heavy to hurl at the other.
“Maybe if you weren’t such an asshole you wouldn’t have to buy someone to suck your dick.”
Yuu looked up at him, challenging him. He didn’t even care anymore. Guren hated him. It wasn’t as though one more nasty comment was going to make any difference. His life was already fucked. Hell, his legs felt so funny he couldn’t even get up and walk away. Or run.
The tall man glared down at him, hand tightening on his face.“You little brat,” he snarled back at Yuu, low and Angry. “Keep being defiant like that and I’ll sell you to the vampire capital, see if you like being sucked dry.”
He hauled the boy up by his collar and all but tossed him into the armchair he had just vacated, watching him sag into the cushion like a ragdoll even though he was bristling. Maybe he had given him a bit too much, that wasn’t desirable. Guren didn’t want a drug addict on his hands. “You will clean that up before you go to bed.” He pointed at the droplets of cum drying on the ground.
Yuu’s lips twisted into a frown and he slumped into the chair, struggling to wrap his own heavy arms around his body. Threatening to sell him to the vampires was a low blow, something that made even more anger brew in the boy’s gut. It was bad enough being used for sex, but now Guren was threatening to have him further dehumanized, to the point of being treated like cattle.
They had lied to him at the orphanage. Told him they were all family. Said one day someone would come and adopt him and he would have a new home and a new family. Yuu had never believed any of it and bitterly thought about how right he was. Guren hadn’t wanted a son, he’d wanted a…
“Why did you get me?” Yuu called to him, eyes full and wet, the drugs taking a strong hold on him. “You didn’t want a son or a family, you don’t want to be my father, why did you go there?”
Guren stopped and looked back. The boy looked pitiful; his eyes were glassy, he was greyish pale. He sighed and walked back over, squatting down, taking his chin though much more gently this time. “No, I don’t want to be your father. What I thought I bought was a pet; I didn’t do my research about you and that is my fault.”
He stroked messy bangs back, feeling unusually tender suddenly towards this little thing. “You frustrate me so damned much when you won’t listen or make an effort.”
Tears dripped down Yuu’s cheeks when he shut his eyes. He didn’t attempt to move away from Guren’s gentle touch, though he didn’t enjoy it it, either.
“I don’t want to be a pet,” he choked out, his body curling up tighter around itself. “They promised me a family. I thought… I thought you wanted to be my father.”
He opened his eyes and tried to focus on Guren, his face crumpling. “I’m not an animal!”
“They lied,” Guren sighed softly. He could relate to how Yuu felt, at least a little bit… His own family hadn’t been what he had wanted either. “This isn’t working out at all. I’m sorry.” He petted the soft cheek. “I can’t promise you a family, but I can give you to someone other than me. Maybe you’ll have more luck there.”
The orphanage surely wouldn’t take him back; they frowned upon that quite harshly. Lucky he hadn’t told anyone yet that he had acquired the kid. No one would know if he gave him to someone else. Scooping the boy up, he carried him to Yuu’s bed and lay him down, tucking him in. “Sleep. Tomorrow’s another day.”
Yuu watched the man walk away, his lip trembling. So that was it; he was just going to sell him to someone else. He had barely even lasted ten days with Guren. He didn’t want to be there with the man, but he knew wherever he would be going wouldn’t be an improvement.
He pulled the blanket over his head, body wracked with sobs. There was something very, very wrong with him. He was sure of that now. His father had hated him, his mother had thought he was so terrible she’d killed herself, the orphanage was so desperate to get rid of him that they sold him to someone whose intent had been to use him for sex and now even that man was looking to unload him onto someone else. Even someone that only wanted to use him for his body thought he was worthless.
He’d had a shred of hope when he first saw Guren, when they told him the man wanted to bring him home. He’d never believed he’d have a family or anyone would want him, but then there he had been. Standing there unlike anything Yuu had expected or had been prepared for.
And he had run to him. He’d wrapped his arms around his waist and hugged him. He clung to him and broke down and cried.
But the man hadn’t hugged him back. He hadn’t wanted to be his father. He wasn’t going to pretend that he brought him home to try and raise him and love him.
It was obvious to Yuu that he wasn’t worthy of any of it. Everyone else had seemed to know it. It was about time he realized it, too.
They left the very next morning right after breakfast; Guren had been very nice to him ever since he woke up, which was disconcerting and really out of character for the tall man. They sat in the car next to each other quietly; Guren didn’t attempt to make conversation.
The place he drove the boy to was a large market set in stone, a permanent one that catered to all kinds of needs. Guren helped him from the car and kept a hand on his shoulder as they walked into the market as if Yuu may bolt at any moment; he even bought the boy some candy.
Something was definitely up.
Yuu couldn’t figure out Guren’s sudden change in attitude. Since he had gotten him from the orphanage he hadn’t brought him out of his house, not even telling a soul he had him let alone allowing anyone to see him. It was strange and combined with how unusally kind he was being to him, Yuu felt a tremendous amount of unease as they walked through the market.
Even though he was grateful for the candy, his stomach was so nervous he merely stuffed it into his pocket for later. As much as Guren smiled at him and talked to him in a pleasant tone, the firm grip he had on Yuu’s shoulder told the boy that something wasn’t quite right.
“Here, sit down here,” the man told him, setting him down in a small cubicle that were rowed along one path, with space enough for one person to sit. At least the front was open; it wasn’t a cage. “Stay here, I need to talk to that man.” Said it and was gone quick as a flash; Yuu was left in his little cubicle, at least it was in the shade. Many people that were walking by gave him curious looks, some more obvious than the others.
Yuu glanced around, losing sight of Guren quickly in the crowd of people. He sunk back, his eyes widening and his stomach somersaulting. He had absolutely no idea where he was, he was far from his new home, his old home, the orphanage. It was a city he had never been to and fear began to creep into his veins.
“S-sir?” He called out, cupping his hand over his mouth after he had said the word. How could he call the man such a thing? Did he even want him to come back?
He started to cry, hiding his mouth and nose with his hand, avoiding eye contact with the people that stared.
Mika had patrolled the market for hours now…he was thirsty, cranky and much too hot in the white uniform cloak he had to wear. As this market belonged to the city that was basically run by the vampire community, there needed to be guards here; this week, he’d drawn the short stick.
The tall blond slowly walked among the stands, blue eyes glancing left and right impassively when they landed on the skin market boxes…there were few young ones in there this time of day, business would pick up during the evening hours, but one of them caught his eye.
He stepped close to the crying child and went to one knee to be level with him, reaching out to touch the dark hair with a gloved hand. “Hey,” Mika murmured gently, rubbing the messy locks lightly. “What’s wrong?” He couldn’t see a handler anywhere that seemed to belong to the child…abandoning young pets was an offense that he would have to follow up on.
Yuu opened his eyes and rubbed away tears to focus on Mika. He looked official, like he was military of some kind based on his uniform. Probably someone very important and high ranking judging by how detailed and ornate it was.
“I… I think I was left here,” Yuu said with a sniffle, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. The wheels in his head began turning quickly. This just might be his lucky day. The military would make sure he went to a new orphanage, one that wouldn’t do something crooked like send him away with someone that wanted him for selfish purposes. He wouldn’t have to go back to that man, either.
“I don’t think he’s coming back for me,” he said quietly, staring into the blond’s large blue eyes. “He said I’m useless and he doesn’t want me anymore. If you could just… please, I was in an orphanage before he got me and if I could just go to a different one, if you could just help me sir, please.”
His eyes widened and filled with fresh tears. “I promise I’m not as bad as everyone thinks I am.”
The boy was adorable; even crying and disheveled, Mika couldn’t deny the kid’s beauty. He rose and picked them boy up, settling him into one arm as if he didn't weigh a thing. “What’s your name, little one?” he asked, watching wide green eyes spill over with fresh tears. With a sigh, he took a handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed the cherubic cheeks. “There, don’t cry. It’ll be alright.”
Mika had no idea if it would be, honestly… Protocol dictated him to find the person that had left the boy here, give him a firm reprimand and give the little pet back. He never really had stood on protocol though and at least the person had left the little one in the market instead of by the side of the road. Or drowned him, he had seen people do that before as well.
He rubbed the boy’s back lightly. “Are you sure they are not just talking to a vendor, or some potential buyers?”
Yuu shook his head, grabbing onto the man’s white uniform with one tight fist, the other wiping at his eyes. “No,” he said brokenly. “He hates me. Last night he told me he was going to get rid of me. I knew something was strange when he brought me here, he’d never brought me out of the house before. But, he just took off. He said I’m completely useless.”
The boy dropped his head, long bangs hanging over his eyes. “He probably knows that no one else would want me or buy me from him. No one wants me. This isn’t the first time I’ve been gotten rid of.”
Yuu felt his heart seize up and new tears well up in his eyes when he thought of living alone on the streets and how scary it would be. He had no money, shelter or way to protect himself. He could find himself in a potentially dire situation very quickly. Heaven knows he could already be in one, had the first person to approach him not been military.
“I don’t want to be alone out here. Please, if you just take me to a different orphanage, I promise I’ll be so good. I’ll make them want to keep me,” he promised, lifting his head up and looking at the older male with large, pleading eyes.
Mika frowned a little. The child was laying it on rather thick; he didn’t believe the man that had owned him would just take off. The boy’s beauty alone would have gotten him a pretty penny here. He turned his head when the boy grasped him and leaned closer, about to reply when something hit him; the boy smelled delicious.
Now he had had delicious blood before; Mika didn’t usually care if what he drank was high quality or something special. He had been alive for a long time and everything looked, tasted, smelled the same after a while. But this…his pupils narrowed fragmentally and he dipped his head to the boy’s neck a little further, inhaling. His fangs throbbed in reply. Mika swallowed. “If you’re sure, little one,” he murmured, already moving away from the boxes with the boy in his arms.
“What’s your name?, he asked the boy again, making sure to keep his fangs firmly hidden behind his lips.
Yuu relaxed just slightly in the man’s arms; being taken away from the busy marketplace and hopefully toward a new group home for orphaned children would be a relief and an improvement on his situation - both now and prior to him being dumped here. He’d actually preferred the orphanage to even living with his parents.
“My name is Yuichiro Hyakuya,” he told the man, his tears beginning to slow as he was carried away. “But, I like to be called Yuu.” He tilted his head and looked over the tall blond. He was very handsome and nicely dressed. He appeared to be someone very important.
“What’s your name? Are you a captain or something?” He asked, wiping his nose with the back of his hand one last time, little body no longer convulsing with sobs. “Your uniform is really cool.”
“Hyakuya…?” Now wasn’t that surprising. That was Mika’s last name, too. He shifted the child a little to hold him more comfortably. “My name is Mika.” He gave him the abbreviated version right away; Mikaela was laced with too many bad memories for him. “It’s nice to meet you, Yuu.”
God, he smelled incredible. It took all his will power not just to take a sip right then and there.
Yuu blushed slightly. It wasn’t his real last name and he had hoped the man hadn’t noticed it, but by his reaction it seemed he recognized where Yuu, and so many other children, had gotten it from. He didn’t want the man to think he was a liar, but Yuu had come to feel it was more his name than the one he had been given at birth.
He noticed the man, Mika, hadn’t answered his other questions and he bit into his lip. Was he being rude or inappropriate by asking? It was genuine curiosity and he had even complimented his nice uniform. Were you not supposed to ask military officers their rank? Or had he insulted him? Was he higher ranked than a captain?
“It’s nice to meet you, too, sir,” Yuu said quietly. “Are you taking me to an orphanage or… do you have to take me to the base first?”
“Base?” Mika noticed he hadn’t answered the boy’s questions at all, too deep in thought about that familiar last name. He gave the pretty child a small smile. “I’m not military, little one.”
They were quite far from the boxes now, nearing the edge of the large market. Mika’s shift was over soon, anyway. “I keep the queen’s peace.”
That was one way of saying it…it was what Mika preferred to think, anyway. When he wasn’t set to patrolling the markets…which was a punishment anyway, he was sure of it with how dull it was…he was stationed at the castle mostly. Very rarely, he got to go squash a rebellion and there hadn’t been any wars for years, so, yes, life was a little boring right now.
The way he told Yuu what he was doing was ambiguous…but the humans didn’t have a queen, so it was obvious what he was.
“Th-the queen? You work for the queen?” Yuu’s eyes widened and his face went pale, the weight of the others words hitting him hard. His body stiffened up and he dropped his fist from Mika’s shirt, then pushed back against it, trying to move himself away.
The abject terror the boy felt was worse than any panic he had ever experienced, even worse than when Guren had first unzipped his pants in front of him. This was a vampire, he could kill him in an instant - in fact that was likely exactly what he was planning - and Yuu had willingly gone along with him and left the safety of the crowds.
He had been foolish, thinking those humans milling about were more dangerous than the man in the pristine uniform that had picked him up from the box.
“You can put me down now!” Yuu exclaimed, trying desperately to wiggle from Mika’s grasp. “I think I was wrong, I think my Master is going to come back for me. I… I was just telling stories. He wasn’t really leaving me. He just went to get me a snack. He’s… he’s going to be looking for me… I need to go right now.”
Mika quirked a brow when the boy went stiff against him where he had clung to him before. When Yuu began flailing and pushing at him, one of those little hands almost hit him right in the face.
Stopping at the edge of the market, he shifted the boy to hold him at the waist, little legs kicking futilely in the air, holding him at arms length to keep from being hit or kicked. “Calm down,” he told him firmly. He didn’t believe a word the boy said now. Yuu had seemed to be exaggerating about his story before, but now he seemed frantic with fear to get away from him…because Mika was a vampire. It confirmed his belief that Yuu came from a ‘free’ city.
“No one was calling your name. No one stopped us. If you were abandoned, it’s my duty to find you a suitable place to stay.” He could understand the boy’s panic, he really could… But he wouldn’t abandon the child in a market full of possible predators. Honestly, Mika was probably the safest option Yuu had in the blond’s opinion. He wasn’t really interested in murder, after all. Though the struggles did intensify the boy’s delicious scent…and Yuu was behaving like prey, which appealed to all of Mika’s predatory senses.
“I am not going to hurt you. I promise.”
“I wasn’t abandoned,” Yuu insisted, trying to twist in Mika’s arms and look over his shoulder, desperate now to catch a glimpse of Guren. He would promise him the world now if he’d just get him away from the vampire. “I made it all up! You have to let me go, you’re stealing me!”
He hit his fisted palms into Mika’s chest, frantic now, whimpering at his inability to move away, get his feet on the ground or escape. The vampire’s grip on his was too strong, his body was rock solid beneath his pounding hands.
“I don’t want to go with you,” he howled, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head. He was absolutely terrified, little body beginning to quiver involuntarily even as he tried to fight and escape. Why had Guren left him that way? He was completely alone, with no protection, not even a prayer of survival. He’d let him get taken by a vampire, he’d left him to die.
“Please just leave me here, don’t take me to the other vampires, please!” Fresh tears began to fall from the boy’s eyes again, little pink lip trembling, his shoulders hunching up as the utter fear of where he may be taken now enveloped him.
“Okay, I believe that is enough.” Mika frowned at the frantic little thing; honestly, he had no idea how to deal with that. This was outright panic. He really didn’t mean the child any harm. “Look, shh, be quiet, little one. It’s okay. I’m not taking you to other vampires and I will not hurt you, alright?”
He lifted the boy a little so he could duck his head and try to catch his eyes. “Please stop crying. Let’s look for your master, come on, we’ll make another round over the market and see if we can find him, okay?”
Mika carefully squatted, sinking to one knee until Yuu’s feet touched the warm ground; he kept a grip on his waist though so the kid wouldn’t flee from him. That coupled with his scent would be enough to bring out the monster in the tall blond, he had to be careful. “See? I’m not stealing you. Please don’t run off. There are less than wholesome people here that would jump at the chance to sell you to a brothel. Calm down.” He rubbed his thumbs along the heaving little ribcage, trying to pet him as much as he could without letting him go.
Yuu stood frozen, trapped in his hideous web of lies. Guren wasn’t looking for him, he knew that. If they did find him - by some miracle, he’d tell the vampire to go ahead and keep him. He was shaking violently, his teeth clenched shut and tears rolling down his cheeks.
Maybe if he promised to try, if he swore he would be a good pet, maybe Guren would give him another chance. Sucking his dick would be better than being sucked dry by a vampire and dying.
“M-my master went that way,” he said truthfully, pointing in the direction of a row of fruit stands. Guren was probably long gone now, but there was still a chance that perhaps he had gotten distracted and if they caught up with him, Yuu could beg him to take him back.
He turned his head and looked at the vampire, directly into his eyes for the first time since he had learned what he was. He really didn’t look unkind, but he supposed that was part of the danger of vampires. They were predators, after all.
“Alright, let’s see if we can find him.” Mika rose and offered the boy his hand to take instead, keeping a close eye on him in case he would still bolt.
They went back into the market, which was still as crowded as it had been earlier, his coat flapping around the child that walked next to him. “What does your master look like?”
Yuu hesitantly took Mika’s hand, his small hand disappearing inside of the older male’s. In the time he had been with Guren, the man hadn’t even held his hand or done anything of that nature. Yuu was fairly certain this was more of an act to keep him on a leash than a symbol of support, but it was better than being carried off and gave him a small feeling of control.
“He’s um…” Yuu started, uncertain how to even begin to explain his likely former master. “He’s tall. And he’s got dark brown hair. He was wearing a black shirt and his name is Guren.” The boy paused and frowned. “I don’t know his last name.”
Mika thought the boy would probably see better when riding in his arms, but he wouldn’t suggest that again until he was sure Yuu had calmed down sufficiently. Unfortunately, most men here had dark hair and were rather tall. And wearing black. He sighed softly.
“Did he tell you he would be back?” Maybe it would be best if they went back to the boxes. “Are you thirsty?” he asked the boy suddenly, looking down again. Mika didn’t know how long the boy had been alone in the sun. And he had cried a lot. He must be dehydrated.
Yuu looked at the Mika with surprise, not expecting a question like that from a vampire. “Yes,” he said quietly, “I’m a little thirsty.” All of the crying and gasping had left his throat dry and uncomfortable. Though it was the least of his worries now that he had been abandoned by Guren and was at the mercy of a vampire.
“He… he didn’t exactly say anything about when he would be back,” Yuu said truthfully, though he knew he was in deep with all of his lies now. “I really don’t know. It could be a while. I can wait for him on my own.”
“Well, I’m not leaving you alone in this place, so we’ll wait together I suppose,” Mika said firmly, leading the boy over to the next stand and bought him a fruit juice in a cup complete with straw and a top so he wouldn’t spill it. “Here you go. Slowly, or you’ll be sick.” Humans were so curiously frail creatures after all.
They wandered back to the boxes slowly, Mika again having taken the child’s hand, keeping an eye out for the man Yuu had described. Someone matching that description was actually near the boxes, talking to someone, face set in a deep frown. “Is that him?”
Yuu had been so busy drinking his fruit juice he hadn’t even noticed Guren until Mika pointed him out to him. The small boy gasped and smiled with relief, tugging on Mika’s hand and pulling him toward the dark haired man. “Yes! Yes it is, that’s my master!”
Yuu’s voice gave away his genuine surprise that Guren was there, that he had come back to the boxes after all. He had been wrong about everything. And in spite of how awful it had been with Guren, Yuu knew now that things would have been a lot worse if his fears had been reality and Guren had truly abandoned him here in the market. He was beyond lucky that the vampire had been willing to turn back; Yuu thought that was probably a one in a million act of decency - especially from a vampire.
He called out to Guren, waving his free arm wildly, not having been happier to see the man since the first day they had met.
Mika followed, being tugged along by the small hand in his. He noticed that the darkhaired man kept his frown when he looked at the small boy…not exactly the kind of reaction one would associate with finding someone that was lost.
The boy’s master took two quick steps towards them, bristling with anger, and only Mika’s quick snatching up the child into his arms saved Yuu from being smacked across the face with unnecessary violence. “Where the hell have you run off to,” the man snarled, reaching for the boy; only registering the other man when Mika spoke, voice low and dark. “That will be enough.” He shifted Yuu so the boy was shielded by his body, clinging to his side under this cloak.
Guren took one look at the blond man; a height with his, and in regalia that clearly marked him as a vampire guard. He blanched, eyes flicking between Yuu and the man. “What, now…do you want him? Fine. Have him. I’m not taking him home. It’s either you or that one.” He pointed over his shoulder at the heavyset man he had talked to, who was watching the darkhaired child with obvious interest.
Yuu clung to Mika’s side after barely missing a crack across his face, peering over at Guren, crestfallen. Had Mika let go of his hand when he saw Guren, he would have run to him and latched onto him just as he had the day they met. It was what he’d wanted to do. But, Guren really hadn’t come back for him. He’d gone to find someone else to take him.
“I was gonna be good now,” Yuu shouted suddenly at the man, bright green eyes filling again with angry, disappointed tears. “I thought you abandoned me! You left me here and disappeared for a really long time!” He held onto Mika a bit more tightly, rage quaking through his tiny body. “I went with Mika because I thought I was alone and I was scared, but he brought me back to look for you because I begged him to, because I was hoping I’d find you and would give me a another chance to be what you wanted!”
Yuu turned and pressed his face into Mika’s shirt, a heavy sob making him buck against the blond’s body. Guren was going to hit him and sell him. Maybe he was better off being vampire food and ending it all tonight. Being with a human would just prolong his misery.
“I can’t write you up for abandonment,” Mika told the man coldly, holding the boy to him; honestly, making the little one so miserable was downright cruel. And people thought he was the monster. “But I won’t give him back to you either. Leave.”
He rubbed his hand up and down Yuu’s side and back soothingly, cradling him close, glaring at the man with his cold blue eyes. Guren snarled, chancing another look at the sobbing child…and decided it was too much trouble. He turned and stalked away, not once turning back.
Mika growled before turning back to the boy clinging to him. “You’re better off that way,” he murmured at him gently. “I’ll take you home with me until we found a place for you. Alright?”
Yuu wasn’t sure what to say. The last thing in the world he thought he’d ever agree to would be going home with a vampire, even if it did appear to be the best option he had before him. He knew that to Mika, he was food, and the vampire’s seemingly kind and helpful behavior could disappear rapidly once he was alone with him in his home.
Still, the heavyset man lingered, his eyes fixed on Yuu - and it didn’t go unnoticed by the boy. If he told Mika no, and Mika accepted that answer, someone else was going to pick him right up and take him home. Someone that might not even care enough to put on a pretense of kindness.
Someone that might hit him like Guren.
Yuu nodded, turning his head away from the other man watching them and hiding his face in Mika’s shirt. No matter what he had agreed to, he felt as though he couldn’t regret his decision. He knew what saying no would mean for him.
Mika rubbed the back of the boy’s head and gave the man a glower until the human turned away, hesitantly. He had apparently been promised the boy, judging from the disappointed expression on his face; maybe hoping Mika would set him down and he could snatch him up without paying for him. Mika didn’t think so.
He carried the boy away slowly. The little one was still trembling, but Mika couldn’t figure out if he was sad or angry; the man that had owned him surely hadn’t shown him any kindness. He was aware Yuu was deathly afraid of him from the moment he had realized a vampire had taken him from his box. “Let’s pick up some food for you,” he murmured down at the child, Yuu still hiding his face in his shirt. He could feel his shirt become a little damp - so he was still crying. “What would you like to eat? I’m sure you’re hungry.” He could give the boy water to drink, but Yuu would need something more substantial so he wouldn’t be hungry. Maybe some bread….he eyed the next baker stand and approached it. “Here, pick something.”
Yuu rolled his face against the vampire’s wet shirt so he could look where he was pointing, keeping his forehead pressed against the older male. He appreciated the kindness, even if the vampire was doing it for selfish reasons. Yuu had been through a lot of terrible days in his life and this was just another to add to the list, but that Mika was at least attempting to soften the blow a little was appreciated. Even though he knew he was now vampire food.
“Can I have one of those?” Yuu asked, pointing to the cinnamon rolls. If he was going to be sucked dry tonight, he might as well go for something that had sugar and some flavor to enjoy for his last meal.
“Of course.” Mika motioned for three rolls instead and the woman behind the stand hurried to comply. “Anything else? I don’t know when I’ll be out here next to bring more real food in.” He also didn’t know if or when he could find a suitable orphanage to take the boy; he had no idea how to care for a little human. Many of his peers had human pets, he needed to ask them what wad necessary for a human child to survive.
He kept his arm tight around the boy, fingers idly rubbing his side. Being an orphan, Mika was sure Yuu’s short little life hadn’t been sunshine, but today had probably been a low point.
Yuu never really had much of an opportunity to choose his own food. At the orphanage he ate what was given and before that when he lived with his parents he wasn’t asked for his input on meal planning. Mika was probably asking him because, as a vampire, he didn’t know what humans ate. Or did he? Yuu really had no idea. His primary education about vampires was to keep his distance and avoid going into areas that were into their control. Yuu had been successful at that until stupid Guren had come along and ruined his life even more.
“Um,” Yuu said quietly, giving a slight shrug and pointing at the baguettes. “Those are good.”
If Mika was set on buying him this much food, maybe he wasn’t planning to kill him or pass him along to another vampire that would tonight.
“Alright,” Mika nodded, getting some of those as well. The boy must be pretty confused by now. The thought made him smile faintly; confusion was better than crying by a long shot. He paid for the food and took the bag it was packed in, wandering towards the exit of the market.
“Do you need anything else?” he asked the child kindly, looking down where Yuu was still cuddled tightly against his chest. “Fruit?”
Yuu didn’t understand why the vampire had any interest in feeding him. He wondered if maybe Mika thought his blood would taste bad and wanted to make sure he ate well before he drained him. Yuu frowned deeply. It made sense. After all, from what he had been told, vampires only thought of humans a livestock.
Even still, Yuu was hungry and he knew this might be his last meal. He was nearly resigned to his fate now, knowing he had nothing better to run to. If nothing else, maybe this would be painful or violent like what a human that their hands on him would be.
“I like fruit,” he said softly, his muscles tense with stress and fear but his fight to pull away gone as he leaned against the vampire, clung to him, really. “All kinds. Apples, bananas, berries, pears. I’d eat any of it.”
So Mika found himself puttering all over the market, the bags on his one free arm piling up but not hindering his movement; vampires did have strength superior to mortals after all.
If his peers were to see him now, they’d probably mock him for being too softhearted.
Mika couldn’t find himself to care. Even though Yuu was tense, feeling the small warm body clinging to him felt…rather nice, actually.
Yuu thought it was strange, being carried around by a vampire milling about the market. Something so very ordinary, except for the fact that there was absolutely nothing ordinary about doing such a thing with a vampire. Still, it wouldn’t even be normal for Yuu to be doing this with a human, as no one had ever had any interest in carrying him about and asking him to select different foods.
No one in the market knew him and if it wasn’t for the oddity of a vampire buying so much human food, Yuu figured most of them would be mistaking him for Mika’s son. It was confusing, the way he held him close and bought him things. He knew Mika was only being protective of him because he was his next meal, but he was showing him more kindness and even affection than anyone else ever had. Just that thought made the boy’s heart hurt. It figured the only one that had ever treated him like he was worth anything was the one planning to eat him. At least Guren had been wrong; he wasn’t completely worthless.
Mika, in fact, was fussing up a storm internally. It was like finding a cute puppy in the street and having no clue what it needed, if he should get toys right away, if he could keep it, if he even wanted to. He turned back into the market twice after having left already because he had forgotten something that seemed important while receiving no suggestions from the boy without having to ask him. He hadn’t expected manners from an orphan, honestly.
Eventually he was sure he had everything for the boy to survive a few days…oh gods, what if he died for some reason…and he turned towards the entrance to the underground city of the vampire capital. He noticed Yuu pressed closer to him the deeper they got into the bowels of the earth; the city was hewn into stone mostly, a few large caverns dotted with huts and houses. Mika himself lived in a modest little house that had an upper floor merely for sleeping with two larger rooms below; once he had unlocked the door and closed it, he gently set the boy down.