He had thought he knew his way around the mall by now, but Lorcan was beginning to believe that knowing the way around it was a skill no one could truly have. He should have just settled for a gift in the shops near Charlotte's house, even if Second wouldn't like it as much.
And now he could feel everyone's stares as he walked through the halls of the mall; the mall wasn't as busy as it had been the last time, and he knew he stood out with his height, dark clothes, and, as Charlotte and Juniper had both put it, his "mysterious, dangerous boy allure".
Lorcan didn't want to be alluring. He didn't want to stand out. He just wanted to blend in and go about his shopping so he could get home and sleep - shopping in a seemingly endless place like this was tiring.
He let out a yawn, coming to a stop in front of the Hot Topic as he tried to figure out where to go to next.
Ciaran's attention began to wander as Ethan led the way through the crowded mall. Why his son had to visit this mall, in this small town when they were just in New York, he'd never know, or understand. As long as his son was happy.
"Dad, c'mon!"
And, of course, his son saying that when they barely looked two years apart would get them both weird looks. Ciaran very nearly cringed, but he was a several-thousand-year-old vampire and he did not cringe. He did, however, send whoever dared look at him or his son wrong a death glare over the top of his sunglasses. Which he was still wearing, even though they were inside. The mall was bright and the light was giving him a migraine. He had a legitimate reason to wear them!
"Ethan," he said with a sigh. "Remind me, again, why we had to come here when we could have ordered it online?"
Ethan stopped short and spun towards him, throwing his hands up. "Because this was the only store that had it in stock!" he exclaimed, spinning back around and making a beeline for Hot Topic and the tall, lanky boy standing out front wearing mostly black. "And they, for some stupid reason, won't do online orders!"
Ciaran groaned and followed after his son, glancing at the lanky boy hovering outside as they passed. He had to do a double-take, and lost Ethan inside the store in the process. The lanky boy standing beside him, yawning, had fangs and the air of an immortal who wasn't quite sure what they were doing and who wasn't used to the modern world.
He stopped a couple steps from the store entrance and turned around, frowning at the boy. He wasn't even looking at Ciaran, and was instead staring past him into Hot Topic with a pinched expression. Ciaran peered over the top of his sunglasses at him as the boy yawned again, showing off his fangs again.
"You," Ciaran said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"With friends like you, who needs a medical license?" - Paimon, Aether's Heart
“It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.” - Grace Hopper.
He had admittedly been dazing off while he took a break outside of the store, but hearing the voice from nearby made him turn his attention back to the mall. He looked over at the man beside him; he was just barely older than Lorcan, but something about the way he spoke and held himself made him think of Kartiel.
"Hello," he managed to get out, fighting back the urge to yawn. He really needed to focus on the man who seemed to have taken offense to him - Lorcan didn't have the slightest idea why. Maybe he had taken his spot?
He felt frozen in place as the man looked up at him. He had been given many looks since he left Charlotte's house, but this was definitely the worst.
Ciaran studied the kid thoughtfully. He definitely didn't feel like a kid, or very young at all, to be honest. His gaze narrowed and then shifted his weight from one hip to the over before flashing his fangs at him.
"Feeling a little lost, are we?"
"With friends like you, who needs a medical license?" - Paimon, Aether's Heart
“It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.” - Grace Hopper.
Getting a sinking feeling in his gut, Lorcan shook his head. "I'm actually right where I'm supposed to be," he said. He gave the man a smile - showing off his own fangs, though not intentionally. It was just something he couldn't avoid.
Then he made the wise move of heading into the Hot Topic, trying not to rush until he was out of view. But he was so busy checking behind him that he didn't bother to check in front, and he ended up walking right into a boy in one of the aisles.
"I'm sorry," he started to apologize, only to falter when he saw just how much the boy looked like the man he had just left outside.
Ciaran turned to stare after him with a frown. Well, that wasn't the type of reaction he'd been expecting. He sighed and followed after both his son and the strange vampire. If there was a vampire around that he didn't know, then he'd really rather not have them near his son.
* * *
Ethan turned towards the boy apologising to him and paused, blinking dumbly at the strange vampire beside him. "Oh, hi... Uh, don't worry about it," he said, and gestured vaguely around the aisle. "It's kind of narrow, so I wouldn't be surprised if people kept bumping into...each...other..."
He trailed off with a frown when the guy just stared at him, mouth hanging open. And that's when he spotted the fangs and smiled brightly.
"Ohhh, you're like me!" he gushed, even as the guy tried to edge around him. "Or, well, I suppose...half like me... hmm... Have you seen my dad? He'd totally want to talk to you--"
"Ethan." Ethan glanced past the guy to see his dad striding down the aisle towards them. "Stop rambling. It's not appropriate."
Ethan deflated. "Sorry, dad," he mumbled and scuffed a foot across the floor. "Sorry... I'll try not to."
"With friends like you, who needs a medical license?" - Paimon, Aether's Heart
“It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.” - Grace Hopper.
If he hadn't been worried before, he was worried now. He was starting to think that this wasn't just a case of someone taking offense to his appearance - though he had figured that out the moment he saw the man's fangs.
"I'm sorry for bothering you," he apologized, ducking his head down as he tried to make his way around the boy. He reminded him of Second - they had the same energy, and an almost eerily similar personality. But while that might have made Lorcan feel more comfortable around the boy, it was the presence of his apparent father that made him want to get away.
"You're not bothering us," Ethan said, pouting. He didn't look at Ciaran and instead kept his gaze on the kid. "Please don't go." Then Ethan turned to glare at him and Ciaran raised an eyebrow. "Stow the dark freaking aura, Dad. You're scaring him."
"Really, Ethan?" he asked and stopped short of the pair. "I'm scaring him?" He snorted and turned his attention the strange vampire again. "You." The boy flinched. "Yes, you. Who's your sire?"
"With friends like you, who needs a medical license?" - Paimon, Aether's Heart
“It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.” - Grace Hopper.
He had heard the phrasing before, but never in a conversation like this. It took him a moment to realize that the man probably meant who had made him the way that he was. Part of him hoped that he didn't mean it in an unfamiliar way, and that he was asking it as another contracted.
He looked back at the man.
And, in that moment, he saw Hero slipping into the shop.
He had known that he was planning on coming to the mall at some point for the same reason that Lorcan was, but he hadn't expected to actually run into him. Maybe it was fate, or just luck, but the god he had contracted with was right there - dressed in sunglasses, a black leather jacket, plain t-shirt, jeans and sneakers.
He pointed at his best friend.
"He is," he said.
Hearing Lorcan's voice, Hero turned his attention away from the display in the front of the store. Lorcan could almost feel the magic radiating off of him as he made his way over to where Lorcan was - sensing that his friend was in trouble, he came to a stop and looked right at the man.
Ciaran followed the boy's finger and frowned at the man that turned and came towards them. He was wearing sunglasses, much like Ciaran himself was. Interesting... What did he want with Lorcan? Wait. Lorcan? He glanced towards the lanky boy. Was that Lorcan?
"I like to meet any and all immortals I'm unfamiliar with," he said and casually leaned against the shelving beside him as the man joined them. This one felt much stronger--and older--than 'Lorcan' did. "And I know pretty much all of them. So I'm unfamiliar with you two."
"Dad," Ethan groaned from behind the pair and Ciaran ignored him. "Dad, please."
"With friends like you, who needs a medical license?" - Paimon, Aether's Heart
“It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.” - Grace Hopper.
"Lorcan's not immortal," Hero said, crossing his arms. He glanced back at his best friend - faltering again when he made eye contact. He had to have seen how mortified Lorcan looked, and how he was closing his mouth to hide his fangs.
"...They really aren't like me, then," Lorcan muttered, hiding his fangs behind his mouth with his hand.
"What do you mean?" Hero asked. To a stranger, the tone would have sounded angry and demanding, but it was just Hero getting worried. "Why would they be like you, and why aren't they?"
He removed his hand from his mouth and pointed at his fangs.
Hero slowly turned to look at the man and boy with wide eyes.
Ciaran blinked and raised his eyebrows. "Not like you, hm?" he asked, catching a glimpse of Ethan blurring out of sight only to reappear next to him. He hoped no one saw that. "The fangs...the aura... You're not vampires?"
"With friends like you, who needs a medical license?" - Paimon, Aether's Heart
“It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.” - Grace Hopper.
"Dad just likes to pry," Ethan said and Ciaran shot him a dark look. His son just grinned at him. "He can't help it. It's like a Thing with older vamps."
"Ethan," he said sternly, but his son just ignored him and kept talking.
"He might look like he's my brother but he's really, really not! He's my dad!" Ethan bounced up and down on his heels. "He's also really, really old and grumpy and and and--"
"Ethan," he hissed and his son looked at him. "Enough."
Ethan deflated again. "Sorry, Father."
"Thank you," he said and cleared his throat, turning to face the two not-vampires. "My apologies. You both have that 'old vampire experiencing the modern world for the first time' vibe, and I was... misreading the situation." He grimaced and slid the sunglasses off. "I'm sorry for bothering you."
"Dad..." Ciaran turned to glance at his son, and found him frowning down at his phone. "Nich's not answering my messages."
"With friends like you, who needs a medical license?" - Paimon, Aether's Heart
“It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.” - Grace Hopper.
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