Notes:
I’m so so sorry this chapter took so damn long lol. I promise the next chapter is going to be more lighthearted and fun and come way sooner! I estimate there’s about 4 chapters left in the story.
After having just a minor, tiny breakdown from seeing the drama on Twitter, Draluc convinced himself to finish his meal and then go back home.
He took the two remaining blood vials with him, and then headed out the hotel door.
It was early in the morning; too late for any of the night life to be open, and too early for the regular daytime buzz to start.
Draluc strolled through the quiet streets, thinking about his next move. Nobody else was walking around, and an eerie fog had settled, giving the city an abandoned look.
I’m sure Ronaldo will just brush this off as the fans being too excitable. It has nothing to do with him anyways.
Draluc imagined the hunter’s reaction, and chuckled. Now that he wasn’t starving and had a moment to relax, he realized there was nothing to be worried about at all.
Ronaldo had probably just huffed at how Draluc was getting all the attention for simply existing in town, and rolled his eyes about how wrong people were about the relationship between the two.
Everything would be just fine, he just had to brush it off in a similar fashion until they both forgot about this.
Smiling at the thought, he arrived in front of their main office door.
He took a deep breath, and then opened the door slowly. Nobody was in the office area, so he walked into the living room.
He found Ronaldo curled up on the couch, cuddling John. Draluc couldn’t help feeling fondness well up inside him, and went to get a blanket for the two. They had clearly stayed up most of the night playing games and eating junk food, leaving a mess of pizza crumbs everywhere.
He would chastise them for that later.
He retrieved a blanket from the closet, and approached the couch. Draluc gently laid the blanket over the two, and tucked John in. Once he got closer, he noticed the tear tracks on Ronaldo’s face.
Draluc brushed Ronaldo’s bangs out of the way to get a better look. The hunter had a prevalent scowl even in his sleep, and didn’t seem to be getting much rest.
Don’t tell me that little “scandal” upset him that much?
The vampire sighed. Normally he wouldn’t have minded rubbing his popularity in the hunter’s face, but nothing about this situation was normal. Now was not the time to add gasoline to the fire and try to address the issue.
He glanced at the window. John had remembered to draw the curtains when he went to bed, but he could tell the sun was just barely rising.
Draluc decided to get a headstart on making breakfast, something a little more lavish than he would make. He walked into the kitchen, and started quietly prepping ingredients.
Ronaldo, scowling in his sleep, heard the familiar sounds of the kitchen and relaxed, drifting off further into his dreams…
+++
Ronaldo woke up with a start, and checked his phone immediately. It was late in the morning, almost noon, and he still hadn’t received any messages from Draluc. He noticed that John had gotten up before him, and rose from the couch, peering over the back.
The coffin was securely closed, as it usually was during the day. Draluc had come back.
Ronaldo sighed, relieved that the vampire had come home. He had been half-worried that maybe the Draluc would have realized his long lost love for his childhood friend, and had already made the decision to move out, packing his bags during the night.
He wouldn’t have the chance to talk to the idiot until it was evening, but Ronaldo knew that he was getting absolutely nothing done today anyways.
He got up from the couch fully, and spotted food on the dining table. Normally Draluc made something quick and nutritious for both him and John, insisting that they keep a normal meal schedule.
But today was different, as everything had been in the past 2 days. On the table was an elegant full course meal, complete with scrambled eggs, a flatbread pastry dish with veggies in it, sliced bread, and an assortment of spreads. He had even set out some cut fruit in a cup.
As far as Ronaldo knew, Draluc only went to this level of effort when there was something he really wanted, or when he was in a really good mood.
His heart sank. There was no explanation other than the obvious one. He didn’t want to hear it, but Draluc would probably announce his intention to leave soon enough. He sat down at the table and grabbed the cutlery. Ronaldo carefully cut into the pastry and took a bite.
A wonderful assortment of flavors burst into his mouth, mixed in ways he wasn’t familiar with. It was probably a dish from Draluc’s home country. Whatever it was, he could feel the blissful nostalgia in each bite.
If Ronaldo had any tears left to cry, the waterworks might have started up again. But the well was empty and dry. But his heart rose just a bit, resolved.
If he really, truly loved Draluc, then he had to let him go. He couldn’t stand in the way of his happiness.
+++
Draluc awoke in the evening, slightly exhausted from staying up late making breakfast. He grabbed his phone from underneath his pillow to check for messages.
Mihai: [Hey! While I’m here, let’s go do some sightseeing! Which places should we visit?]
Underneath Mihai’s message, a deluge of links to the official Yokohama tourism site were posted. The man was definitely scheming, but the vampire didn’t know what his friend’s plan was, especially after all of that buzz yesterday. Being seen together in public again would be sure to cause further misunderstandings and mayhem online for the Ronasen fans and Ronaldo.
But perhaps it didn’t factor at all into his plans, Mihai probably just wanted to really go tour the area after coming such a long way out.
Draluc smiled, and texted him back. He would play this cool, and it seemed like a fun distraction. Surely Ronaldo wouldn’t begrudge him a couple days off from work (he wasn’t even a hunter anyways) when his childhood friend was in town.
After finishing the texts, he lifted the lid off the coffin and climbed out.
John was sitting on the couch, reading a book. After hearing his master wake, he excitedly climbed the couch, and “nuu”-ed good evening.
“John, how was it last night?”
“Nu-nu-nu” John replied, shaking his head with his arms crossed.
“That bad!? He was super upset about MIhai?” Draluc frowned. He glanced briefly at the table.
It was pristine as usual, the dishes washed and put away. The hunter had definitely eaten his morning meal.
“At least he ate breakfast. That’s somewhat of a good sign?” How was he supposed to tell him about his plans for the next couple days if the hunter was in such a bad mood? He was definitely going to be dusted at least a few times by Ronaldo’s hands today.
Draluc went to the bath to get washed and dressed in his regular attire, and then paced around the apartment. The hunter wasn’t anywhere to be found, so he was probably out on assignment.
After getting bored of simply waiting, Draluc took out his QSQ and sat on one of the couches in the office area. John followed and was cuddled up to him on the couch, reading his book.
Sure enough, not even 15 minutes had passed when Ronaldo had returned.
“I’m home!” Ronaldo said out of sheer habit, not really expecting a response.
“W-Welcome back” Draluc responded, struggling to keep a normal, casual expression on his face. Seeing Ronaldo in the flesh thoroughly brought back the embarrassment from the twitter posts last night, so he decided to smile through the awkwardness.
Ronaldo took one look at Draluc, and could see that the vampire looked considerably healthier and happier since the last time he had seen him. He nodded at his companion before making his way to his desk to get started on some official reports to the Guild.
He was definitely being ignored. Ronaldo didn’t even talk about his day, or complain about whatever small time extermination he was sent to do. Normally the man was full of grievances that he needed to air towards Draluc, but he didn’t say a single thing. He didn’t even mention the breakfast that Draluc had worked so hard at making in the morning.
Even if the hunter had a gorilla brain, he usually managed a “Thanks” or some comment about how good the food was (it was always amazing, and Draluc was sure he had outdone himself this morning).
He pouted, but like John had said, Ronaldo was not in a good mood today at all.
He approached Ronaldo’s desk quietly.
“Ronaldo-kun.”
The hunter braced himself. He gathered his courage before looking Draluc in the eye, using sheer willpower not to fall apart at the seams.
“Yeah?”
“John and I are going to be busy for the next couple nights. Mihai asked me to take him sightseeing around Yokohama.”
It wasn’t the worst case scenario he was imagining, but still, Ronaldo’s voice wavered. “Al~right, have fun!…”
Draluc kept staring at him to see his reaction, but Ronaldo broke eye-contact. “There isn’t any urgent work that needs you, don’t worry about it.”
Sighing, Draluc walked back to the couch and picked up his QSQ before making his way into the living area.
“That’s good then! I’ll make sure to get you some souvenirs.”