Claiming Humanity

By DragonMage

Chapter 4

Duo woke up the next morning with a slight headache. He moaned and slowly sat up so that the world didn't end up spinning 360 degrees on him. He slowly got out of bed and made his way over to his bathroom. There, he splashed his face full of water and sighed as he leaned against the sink. He looked up in the mirror and grimaced at what he saw.

He had shadows under his eyes that were a blood shot. He was pale and looked really haggard. His braid was totally screwed and he was afraid he was going to spend most of the morning battling evil tangles and messes in the nest he usually called hair.

He unbraided his hair and combed it out with his fingers as it fell down to his thighs. Then he stripped out of his T-shirt and boxers and got into the shower. He turned on the hot water, then the cold water before turning the shower on. He waited until he was steaming hot, then he got underneath the spray of water and took a long shower.

Washing his body and hair quite thoroughly, Duo felt the lingering affects of drinking just a little bit of alcohol wear off. He knew he still needed to have at least one tablet of aspirin but he wasn't going to walk around the house with a drum in his head today.

He rinsed his hair out one last time before getting out of the shower. He dressed in a loose Go to Hell T-shirt with torn jeans and stumbled downstairs. He searched the cabinets for some aspirin and swallowed one dry. He sighed and leaned against the counter as he tried to get a hold on his head. Everything was just a little brighter to him.

"Duo."

Duo looked up and saw his mother standing at the doorway of the kitchen.

"'Morning, Mom," he mumbled, raising his hand.

"Where were you last night?" Helen asked shakily.

"At a club, Mom," Duo answered truthfully. He really couldn't lie to his mother because no matter what he still loved her with all his heart.

"A club?" Helen whispered in shock. "What were you doing at a club? Are you having a hang over right now?"

"I wanted to relax, and yes I do have a hang over," Duo muttered as he walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. "But it'll go away so don't you worry about me."

"Duo, how can I not worry when everything seems to be going down for you and you don't care," Helen said, shaking her head as she walked over to her son. "Your counselor called yesterday telling me that you're failing half of your classes. Did you know that?"

"Of course I know! That's why I'm off the basketball team, Mom," Duo shouted. He really didn't want a lecture from his mom right now. His head was pounding and he had strange experience last night that he really wanted to forget. Although, part of him wanted to see that Chinese boy again another wanted to forget he ever saw him.

"What's wrong with you?" Helen demanded. "Why are you suddenly failing all your classes, getting kicked off the basketball team? Duo, tell me what's wrong!"

"Do you want to know what's wrong? What's wrong is that you and Dad are splitting. Did you ever think about how it would affect me?" Duo demanded as he stood up quickly. "I love you both so much but you're leaving each other. Who will I live with? Who will I visit on the weekends?"

"Duo, don't think about that. We're still working it out. But I'll have custody of you and you'll visit your father on the weekends," Helen said, reaching out and holding her son's hand. "I know you don't like this, I really do. But your father and me don't get along anymore. We would have hurt each other badly if we stayed together any longer."

"Why can't you work it out?" Duo demanded hoarsely.

"We tried, Duo, we really did. But it just didn't work," Helen explained sadly. "Please, understand. We both love you very, very much but that same love doesn't go for us."

"I hate all of this," Duo whispered as tears slipped down his face.

Helen pulled her son into her arms and held him. "Please, Duo, try hard to keep your grades up. Join basketball again next season. Don't give up just because we're giving up on our marriage. You're a bright and handsome young man who's destined to succeed in life. Don't throw it all away like this."

Duo took a deep breath and nodded against his mother's shoulder. "All right, I'll try."

"Thank you, Duo." Helen closed her eyes and hugged her son tightly before releasing him and taking a step back. "I have to go to work. Then I'm going back to court to settle all of this once and for all. Spend some time with Quatre and live life like a normal teenager. Sleep over if you want to. Just don't go out to any more clubs. I was so afraid when you came home last night drunk."

"I wasn't drunk, Mom, just tipsy," Duo muttered defensively.

"Sure you were," Helen said with a small trace of a smile.

~*~

Wufei stood across the street from Duo's home. Night had fell a few minutes ago and he had been up and out of his coffin before Zechs or Treize could even utter a word to him. He said a quick good-bye to his fathers before leaving the house and going to Duo's. Both of his fathers would know what he was doing and they were okay with it. Besides, he had a feeling that they were going to have some fun with each other while he was gone.

He smiled as he watched Duo leave his house with his things tucked underneath his arm. He had read the mortal's mind and found out that he was going to go to Quatre's home to sleep over.

The whole thing was absolutely wonderful. He could easily lure Duo out of the house and spend the night with his new toy before taking him back home and dropping him off before sunrise. They would have so much fun together.

Wufei slid into the shadows and easily followed Duo from behind as the American boy walked down the dark streets, whistling some strange tune as he thought about what he and Quatre could do while he was sleeping over. It was so easy and delightful to read Duo's innocent thoughts all the while knowing that beneath those happy thoughts lay the dark ones that had attracted Wufei in the first place.

When Duo reached the house Wufei stayed in the shadows and watched as the door opened and the sweet blonde stood there, smiling brightly as he invited Duo inside.

After the door closed, Wufei stepped out of the shadows and walked the perimeter of the house before he found the window of the room where Quatre and Duo would be sleeping in.

Wufei looked around the place before he bent down just a bit and leaped up to a strong tree limb near the window of the room. He balanced himself easily and sat down on the limb, one leg dangling over and watched as the room flooded with artificial light as the two young teenager boys walked into the room talking jokingly with each other.

~*~

"So, what do you want to watch?" Quatre asked as he showed Duo his cabinet filled video case.

"I don't know. What about a vampire flick?" Duo asked as he dropped himself down on Quatre's bed.

"Vampires? All right," Quatre said, nodding as he pulled out an old vampire movie and popped it into the VCR. He walked back over to where Duo had made himself comfortable and sat down as well. Then he picked up the remote and pressed Play.

"Which one is this one?" Duo asked as he grabbed a pillow and hugged it close.

"Dracula," Quatre said, flashing Duo a smile.

"Count Dracula, eh?" Duo looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hey, Quatre, do you believe in vampires?"

Quatre blinked, then laughed. "Duo, vampires aren't real."

"Do you really think so? What about that woman they found in the back of the club we went to last night?" Duo asked. He had been very unnerved when he read in the paper about the death. It wasn't just the death that freaked him out, it was the fact that the death happened right after he met that strange Chinese boy. He knew there was something really wrong with that boy and his friends but he just couldn't put his finger on what.

"She died of a drug overdose, Duo," Quatre said reasonably.

"Really? I heard from Heero that the woman didn't have a single drop of blood in her," Duo said quietly. "And you know Heero's dad works on the force and he knows everything."

"Duo, that's impossible," Quatre said, shaking his head.

"What about those two guys you were dancing with at the club last night?" Duo asked.

Quatre turned a brilliant shade of red. Oh, he had remembered that. He had never been so embarrassed in his life before! Gods, did he really allow himself to dance and be touched by those men? Obviously since he remembered most of it.

"Look, Duo, just because those guys were gay doesn't mean anything," he said, still blushing. "They aren't vampires. Vampires don't exist."

"How do you know?" Duo challenged.

"Because, it's impossible for anyone to be immortal. Besides, what proof do we have?" Quatre asked.

Duo was silent.

"See? Unless we have proof we can't say that vampires actually exist," Quatre said, shrugging. "Come on, let's watch the movie."

"All right," Duo sighed.

~*~

Wufei was smiling broadly after listening in on the conversation between Duo and Quatre. So, he thought, Quatre doesn't believe in vampires and Duo has an idea. How wonderful.

He sat out there for a few hours while the two watched the movie of that cheap Dracula imitation of vampires and then later on play video games. He loved watching them be normal. He would have loved this time if he had been born into it. But instead the Fates had born him in the times of old China and then had him made into a vampire. Thank the Fates. He loved being a vampire and wouldn't give it up for anything. He loved the power that was always running through his body, the hunt, and the feed. The whole experience of being a vampire was wonderful. Some vampires actually hated being a vampire and would have given up anything to be human again, sentimental fools who were never cut out to be a vampire. Him, on the other hand, would never give up his immortality.

When the two finally decided to turn in, Wufei was ready. He read their minds and waited until the blonde was deep asleep before he actually made his move.

<Duo, come out, Duo.> He waited for a moment before he continued his call for the beautiful boy. <Come and meet me out in the back yard, Duo. Wake up and come out, Duo.>

He smiled triumphantly as the braided boy pushed back his covers and climb out of the sleeping bag he had buried himself in. He watched as Duo walked over to the door and opened it before disappearing into the dark hall.

Wufei leaped silently out of the tree and walked around the house to the back where he would meet Duo. He stood there for a moment on the porch.

Then Duo appeared.

Wufei sighed softly as he stared at the beautiful creature before him. The long thick rope of chestnut hair, the intense violet eyes, that smooth white skin and those long, strong limbs. His cheeks were curved wonderfully, making him look like a little cherub with those kissable lips. The lights of the back porch illuminated his looks, making him look like an angel.

Slowly walking over to the amazing mortal, Wufei reached out and cupped Duo's soft cheek. He quickly cleared the boy's mind; he wanted Duo to be wide away and aware of what was going on.

Duo blinked when he suddenly felt the fog that had been warmly wrapped around him suddenly jerked away, leaving him cold and aware of what was going on.

"What the fu--" He stumbled back away from the Chinese boy, gasping and choking in shock. He opened his mouth to scream for help but the Chinese boy moved with impossible speed was immediately on him, clamping his cold hand over his mouth and holding him tight in a strong embrace.

Duo gasped as he felt himself crushed against the hard body of the Chinese boy.

Wufei leaned in and whispered softly in Duo's ear, his cold breath making the boy shiver. "You will not scream. If you scream I will kill you, do you understand? I will not have you screaming and waking the house."

Duo nodded jerkily as he felt his body suddenly flush at the intimate embrace he was being held in. He just wanted to shove the Chinese boy away from him and run back into the house but that was impossible. The Chinese boy was too strong.

Slowly, Wufei removed his hand from Duo's warm mouth and loosened up his hold on the mortal boy. He could have crushed Duo if he held him too hard.

"Who are you?" Duo hissed when he could speak.

"My name is Chang Wufei," he whispered.

"What the hell do you want with me?" Duo demanded.

Wufei smiled a cold smile and Duo felt his blood drain from his face. Wufei leaned in and brushed his lips along Duo's shell-like ear. "You'll find out eventually."

"Let me go," Duo said, struggling from Wufei's impossible hold.

"Oh no, I want to talk to you," Wufei murmured.

"About?"

"Everything," Wufei murmured as he looked down at the strong vein pumping blood through Duo's warm body. He hadn't fed yet and that vein of blood was so tempting. He leaned down and scraped his sharp teeth along the smooth skin. Maybe he could have just one little taste...

"What the fuck are you doing?" Duo all but shouted. He struggled again but Wufei just tightened his grip. "Hey! You're hurting me!"

"Then stop struggling," Wufei said nonchalantly as he kissed that warm vein. He trembled with hunger and need as he tried to fight the terrible need to rip open that vein and drain Duo of all his blood right there. But he refrained himself from doing so. He wanted to keep this mortal toy for a long time and he couldn't do that if he took him right away. No, he would wait until Duo was willing to give the blood.

Duo trembled as he felt Wufei's cold lips pressed against his neck. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the heat spreading through his body from that simple touch. What was wrong with him? This boy was trying to hurt him, keep him against his will. Why wasn't he fighting more? Instead, he felt himself slowly submit to Wufei. He wanted to fight but it was so hard. Wufei's arm around his waist tightened and he felt a scrap of teeth against his neck.

"What are you doing?" he whispered difficulty. He just wanted to melt and disappear into Wufei's embrace. Why? What was going on here? Why couldn't he control himself?

"Hmm...Do you know how warm you are?" Wufei whispered as he pulled back and stared hungrily into Duo's violet eyes. "So very, very warm."

"What is wrong with you?" Duo demanded as he clutched at the last bits of sanity he had.

Wufei smiled wickedly. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He then sighed and pressed his lips against the warm flesh one last time, savoring that sweet taste and the rich blood that laid only a few layers of cells away. He was hungry. He needed to feed before he decided to feed on Duo. "I need to go. But I'll be coming back tomorrow." He released Duo and disappeared.

Duo stood there stunned as he tried to grab a hold on his body's reaction to Wufei. Then he turned and stumbled back inside.

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