athosing | iv.

[ The movements Rafa makes are literally part of the playbook of every hideous porn Ronan has ever made him watch. They're seductive and it makes something prickle at the back of his neck. Adam doesn't know what to do with someone looking at him like that. ]

I don't play games. [ He keeps his gaze very heavily trained just beyond Rafa's shoulder so that he's looking at him but not. ] You're not human, I get that. And you clearly want me to know what you actually are. So just stop being a dick about it and say it. [ This isn't Twilight, Rafa. ] Because I haven't got time for this.

[ Rafa laughs quite suddenly at that. No time. As if time is ever an issue. Humans are precious about that, too. It would be so easy for it never to matter, and they don’t even know it. He leans back. ]

It is not a game. You are so new to this, aren’t you?

[ His smile widens. ]

The magic in you is raw. I barely caught the scent at first. It should tell you all that you need to know about me, but it does not. You really don’t know, even now. I wonder if you will even believe me.

[ Suspension of disbelief can be a problem with humans – although, generally, Rafa finds that it makes them easier to feed on, so he doesn’t mind. He holds up his hand, and ticks facts off on his fingers. ]

I am strong. I am fast. I am cold enough for you to feel it when I am near, and I frighten you even when I am still and calm. You had to invite me in. Do you truly not know? [ One eyebrow arches up. Really, Adam? ] If I drink from you, will you know then? Or must I spell it out regardless?

[ Cabeswater knows. Cabeswater's been whispering it into his thoughts from the minute he got close enough to Rafa for them to feel it. But Adam ... well, if it weren't for Gansey tugging him into his desperate and wonderful world, he'd still be a creature of disbelief. ]

So you're a B-movie villain. [ Adam says it in a drawl, even more Henrietta in that moment but he needs his nonchalance right now. His crossed arms tighten a little, muscles tense. He knows what it all adds up to, he does. But it seems so ridiculous. More ridiculous than dead Kings and boys who can bring ravens from their dreams, more ridiculous than psychics and sacrificing yourself to a forest. It's fairytales and he won't say it, refuses to. ]

All of this seems a lot to get out of a joyriding charge.

[ Rafa laughs again, and this time gets back off the bed. He’s seen the movies the humans made of his kind. Some of them strike quite close to the mark. Others aren’t remotely close to what vampires are really like. None of them have everything right, but there’s enough. Enough that the most ordinary of humans should have an idea of what a vampire is, even if they don’t believe they’re real.

Someone like Adam, who is already touched by the supernatural, should know better. Rafa approaches him slowly, stalking his mouse. ]

It was a faerie. I told you, but you did not believe. That is the problem, Adam. You will not believe.

[ He moves faster than the eye could track to grab Adam’s hand, and lift it in a gentle grip. That grip is as firm as iron. Rafa’s body is slight and lithe, but even what muscles he has are not flexed. There’s nothing natural about his strength. Adam’s skin is impossibly warm to the touch, and he feels the blood moving through it. He’s close to the pulse point here, but he’s very careful not to touch it. That would be too much. ]

If you don’t believe what you see and hear, then believe what you feel.

[ He turns over his own wrist, and presses Adam’s fingers against it. Rafa has no heartbeat. The blood in his system is moved by another force, one that has little to do with the physical world. His heart has not beat in centuries. ]

Or what you don’t feel.

[ His eyes lift again. ]

Now do you believe?

[ His heart skips a beat, his fingers flex into a fist, his muscles tensed to pull away and yet -- he can't. This isn't like the times his father has grabbed him, Adam could move then, try and make himself smaller, no this is ... wrong. Rafa's fingers are like a vice and Adam has no choice but to do as he wants.

Part of him feels like scratching at the other boy's arm with his fingernails just to prove he isn't weak, that he won't be made to be again, but then his senses catch up. No pulse under icy skin. His face drains of heat, leaving the freckles stark against the bridge of his nose and his cheeks. ] So what? [ Lifting his head, his touch retreating once more into the fist he keeps making. ] You think you're the first dead person I've talked to?

At least Noah's more polite. [ But Rafa's ... not a ghost. ] Let go.

[ Adam’s heart speaks in a language all its own, independent of the boy’s voice. Hearts will do that. Hearts never lie. Rafa can hear the skip in the beat. Then he hears it rushing, as it drains blood away from the surface of the skin. That’s a pity. But it has a nice effect on those freckles. Rafa is minded to touch them, and would if Adam were less repelled by him.

But this is early days. With a smile, he releases the fist he’s holding, and shrugs his shoulders as if all of this is easy for him. As if every stuttering heartbeat is not a temptation, as if he doesn’t ache to sink his teeth into that freckle over the carotid artery. He’s thoughtful for a moment, and then he smiles wider, letting his teeth show. His fangs slide easily into place. The canines grow and retract again, usually by force of will – but, occasionally, because his need to feed is such that he can’t hold them back. It’s the former reason, now. ]

I think you needed the push. Who is Noah? Is that why I smell death here?

[ It’s not another vampire, he knows that much. It’s far more faint. ]

[ He can't help but watch. Part of him is horrified but the rest - well, Gansey's not the only one who can be fascinated by the otherness of the world. And while he hasn't said the word, he knows just what's standing inside of his apartment. He let him in. And he has no idea what to do now. ] He's my friend. [ It comes out dulled, with less anger, like for a moment his stubbornness has been short-circuited. ] He's a ghost.

[ As if he's sure Noah will turn up just because he's talking about him, Adam's gaze drifts over the room. Sometimes he does that, bringing with him a chill that permeates Adam's blankets, or glitter that falls into the cracks of his wood floor. But he's not here. It's just the two of them. ]

What are you doing here? [ Annoying Adam, surely. But there's a wider picture and he wants to be able to see it. ]

A ghost.

[ Rafa says it with interest, and his own eyes sweep the room. He moves to circle Adam, but for the first time, his attention is more on the room than the boy. ]

I have not known one before. Who knew that they could leave a scent? You would be very safe here.

[ He glances at Adam. ]

Most would avoid the scent of death, and vampires will avoid the Church as well.

[ It’s the first time he’s said the word. But since Adam is now openly talking about ghosts, perhaps that disbelief has finally been suspended. The question makes him turn again, and lift an eyebrow. ]

I told you. To replace the car, and to know you. Just because I am not human, does not mean all I do is lie to you.

I meant in Henrietta. [ He doesn't move when Rafa starts to circle him. He can't help feeling like a churchmouse though, so certain that his life is on the line. ] People don't just come here unless they're looking for something. [ Like Greenmantle. And if Rafa is here for Glendower than Adam will have to find a way to stop him. Men, he can deal with. Vampires, maybe not.

It's an easy enough change to spot, suspicion settling into the line of his spine and shoulders, the narrowing of his eyes as Rafa comes back to the front of him. ]

You and the faery. You must have had a reason.

[ Ah. Rafa pauses, at that, and glances at the boy. Some of Adam’s formality has returned, to the detriment of casual conversation. He stops at the desk and leans against it, trailing his fingers over the laptop. A moment later, his fingers dance over the keys, navigating to Google and making a fresh search. Rafa glances up to meet Adam’s eyes, and then drifts back to the computer. ]

We are at war.

[ Finally, the search comes through, and Rafa pulls up one of the pictures. He turns the laptop around for Adam to see. The scene is Mediterranean, showing a deep blue sea set against a sunny backdrop. ]

This is my home. It is called Messina, a port in North-East Sicily. The bay looks calm, but it is not. The fae have fought us there for centuries. It is a…flashpoint? A front line? And it is not the only one.

Recently another Door opened, one that was long closed. Some fae escaped, and fled, and since then I have hunted them. Something drew them here, I do not know what. But I can smell the magic here, the same magic that is on you, and I suspect that is what calls to them. It is likely why the faerie I found here was outside your home. I thought they sought the Church, to avoid me, but now I think it was you they came to find.

[ He watches Adam, waiting to see how he’ll react. Whether he will believe, or whether he will still seek to deny what is in front of him. ]

[ Now Adam is the one who has to lean in to see the screen. He's aware of the cold that seeps from Rafa, the unearthly feeling he produces, it keeps Adam's breath shallow and even as though he doesn't want to move too much. ] Kind of an unfortunate place for someone like you to come from though.

[ He rolls with the punches, he always has. So while he's not said the words I was wrong, he's obviously moving little by little towards belief. A vampire from the Mediterranean though? That's got to suck. But then Rafa says what he says and Adam straightens up and takes a step back. He moves towards the small window without thinking, his fingers prying the blinds apart so he can look down into the street. To him, they can only be looking for one thing. ]

Not me. [ Him and not Ronan, so it's not the Greywarren they want. ] But something I represent. [ He turns back again, a new worry creasing his forehead. ] You could be making this all up.

[ Rafa’s feelings on Messina are mixed. He had never known happiness there, but that had not been because of the weather. Now, he does not live there. One of his armies continues the war, but his home is elsewhere, and he is keen for that war to stay confined. That is why he must hunt down those who escaped, and why the Door in Aureton must be closed again. He will not allow Aureton to become another Messina, and he will not allow the fae to spread further than they already have.

Still, he shrugs, and with a languid air, he moves back to the bed. ]

I could. Believe that if you wish. It is not your war. So long as they do not get what they came for, I do not care what you believe.

[ He’d not have mentioned any part of it if Adam had not asked. He thinks Nikolai would have disapproved of him saying anything at all, unless he planned to bring Adam into their fold.

And perhaps Nikolai would be right. He often was. Rafa is easily drawn in by fragile, vulnerable looks, and stubborn personalities, and apparently by freckled innocence as well. If he could, he would spend all his time flitting between persons of interest, exploring and seducing them and generally entertaining himself through them. Unfortunately, he still must work to stay alive. The war is not yet won. ]

Speak of yourself instead. I know you are not from here. I heard your accent change, when you were less coiled and more honest.

[ Definitely like owning a cat. Adam watches him for a moment, a clear argument working in behind his eyes. He thinks about forcing him out, locking the door, going to sleep. He thinks about all the studying he should be doing and the assignments that are piling up and how tomorrow he has to go straight to job number two after class and work into the small hours of the night. He thinks about all of this and yet he moves to where a small fridge is tucked away, pulling it open to find a soda. It's not difficult, he doesn't have much. Once he's grabbed it he moves back to the desk and his chair, powering down his laptop and sitting. ]

I'm from here. [ He doesn't sound upset and yet there's a flatness to his voice. ] Just not this part of here. [ Not where the rich live and love. He's from Henrietta's dusty edges. And he's angry at himself for letting that slip. But then again, nobody could walk into his apartment and not realise that Adam Parrish is nothing. ] I've lived in Henrietta my whole life.

[ Rafa makes himself comfortable again. His eyes close, and Adam’s scent floods him. His fangs have disappeared again. They’d only been there for show. Without them Rafa looks normal. Thanks to his Mediterranean origins, he doesn’t even look all that pale – though he would, if he were compared to an Italian mortal. His ankles have crossed again and his hands have returned to his stomach. He could be any other young man at rest. ]

Why did you move? This is a very strange place for a human to live. Churches are inhospitable even to your kind. It is odd.

[ As soon as he says this, he seems to catch himself and think about it, and he opens one eye again. ]

Not unpleasant. But odd, and lonely.

I had to. [ It was the only place he could afford. The only place that would be his and not belong to his father or to Gansey. ] This place is owned by the school. It's pretty big on the whole religion thing, the whole town is. And they let me rent it.

[ The dormitories would be better but he doesn't have a politician funding him. He doesn't have parents with more money than they need. ] It's quiet. It's good when I need to study. [ He doesn't need anyone around him, he doesn't need pity.

And then with a hint of irritation he speaks again. But whether it's at Rafa or himself is unclear. ] Why are you even interested?

[ Rafa laughs, and lets his eyes close again. This is comfortable. ]

Because I like you.

[ And because the fae were after you, he thinks. Because there’s probably a reason for that. Because you can’t be as normal as you seem, and because the hint of magic hanging off you is proof that you’re not. Because you might be a threat, if you ally with them, and he needs to know your mind.

And because there’s at least fourteen freckles on each cheek, and one on the carotid artery that wants him to bite it, and because Rafa never could keep his curiosity in check. Even when he ought to. ]

You are very angry. Afraid of me, I think, but angry with everything else. And perhaps somewhat angry with me. To hold so much anger in is bad for your heart, Adam. [ A little smile. ] It already beats faster just at the sight of me.

[ He makes a small scoffing noise at the admittance. People don't like Adam, not naturally. Gansey is the reason he even has any friends in the first place. Before him Adam was probably more ghost than Noah, just drifting in silence, the bruises that littered him enough of a warning sign to stay away. ]

Stop flattering yourself. [ Because he knows what Rafa is saying, he knows because he's seen the way his smile goes flirtation and he's seen the vampire look at him through lowered lashes and he's not an idiot. ] And what do you know about it? Not everyone around here can lead a charmed life. Not everyone gets it easy. Maybe I am angry, but maybe it's the one thing that keeps me going forward.

[ He feels as though he keeps being pushed into giving too much of himself away. Adam seems to twitch a little at the end of his outburst, regretful. So he opens his soda to busy himself and takes a long drink, not looking at him. ] You don't know me. You don't get to say what's good for me.

The heart does not lie.

[ Rafa lifts his shoulder. He can hear its speed, hear the changing rate. He can smell the fear when it comes, and even if he could not, he would see it in Adam’s body language along with his anger. The human body tells a story simply by living. By existing. Rafa is attuned to that.

And of course, he is also so much older than he seems. ]

You should not speak so rashly. [ He sits up a little straighter, opening his eyes fully. His arms loop around his knees, which oddly enough makes him look both younger, and far more serious than he did before. ] Do you think I have led an easy life? You assume much, for one who knows so little.

So do you. [ It's a quick retort delivered by the jut of a chin. If anyone were to look at them both now they'd see only teenage emotion. Not a vampire and a sacrifice. ] You can't come in here and assume things about me and then expect something different.

[ And Adam doesn't believe him anyway. A person who can give a car - like the one sitting outside - away on a whim doesn't know hardship. ]

Is this all just some prelude to you attacking me? Isn't that what you do? Because I'd rather that than a pissing contest.

Attacking you.

[ Rafa scoffs, and rolls his eyes. Aside from the fact that he'd said no harm would come to Adam, there would also be a lack of elegance in that. Adam is more afraid of than enticed by him, and he prefers the taste of lust to fear any day of the week. ]

If that was my aim I would not waste time talking. I am not hunting you. I am hunting faeries.

But if you are asking whether I feed on humans, then yes. [ He shrugs. ] Of course I do.

Of course you do. [ He sounds mocking but there's a wariness to his gaze. ]

So you killed the fairy, right? That's what you stole my car for. That's why it was a smouldering wreck. You don't need to be here. You can just tell the Craigslist guy that I'll be the one to pick it up. You can go.

[ Because there is a vampire lounging on his bed and Adam still hasn't figured out why. ]

I can.

[ Rafa smiles, sweetly, and then deliberately lounges back on the bed. His hands fold against his stomach and he stretches out his legs. ]

Yet if I did that, I would not know you better. I could not - how did you put it? Insert myself into your life?

[ His smile widens. ]

I told you, Adam. I like you. I have no desire to walk away.

Why?

[ He almost wants to throw up his hands in the air, to do something that shows his level of confusion. For a moment it's stronger than his anger, the crease in his face turning to that insteady of fury. Adam Parrish isn't wantable. He's not desirable. ]

I'm not interesting. I'm not funny. I'm not anyone.

[ Rafa hisses as though in pain, and holds up his hand. ]

Adam, please. I can feel the chip on your shoulder from here. I did not come to help you pity yourself.

[ He scoots forward on the bed, crossing his legs beneath him and smiling. ]

You are amusing. You are angry. You have so much stress under your skin that your heart will most likely give out before you turn thirty. You have fourteen freckles on that cheek. [ Pointing. ] And sixteen on that one, and another on your neck, and it is cute, and you do not know it.

And you have magic in your blood, yet you think you are nothing at all. [ His head tilts along with his smile, and his fangs show themselves again. Just a little. ] Does it make more sense to you now?

[ He can feel the heat in his face before he's able to do anything about it. It floods to the surface of his skin in a horrible and inappropriate blush. ]

I told you, the magic isn't me. [ It's the easiest thing to deal with in the face of all the rest. While he should refute the stress claim he knows he can't. He's so serious, so driven. But he thinks if anything's going to kill him it won't be something as mundane as that. And being called cute. Well, that's never happened before. ]

I'm just ... the storage box. [ He shrugs a little. He won't tell Rafa about Cabeswater, but he doesn't want him getting the wrong idea that Adam can do anything. ]

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