The Lucky One

[Kenneth Branagh]

"I'm not jealous," Ken insisted, because it was true that he couldn't be jealous of someone he didn't know existed for sure. Maybe people didn't take Niall too seriously, but they all took Ken seriously. In fact, they wanted it from him--love. And he couldn't give any of them what they wanted because he was already in love, and that love was as true as the greens of Ireland's hills. Maybe part of him resisted the idea of loving someone other than Niall, too.

He did feel better, however, at the reassurance. So there wasn't anyone. Niall was only teasing because that was what Niall did... and Ken took him seriously because that was what Ken did. It was the same when they were children, and so it was now. Except that there was more than doing someone's homework for a week, or chores, on the line.

After a little moment, Ken smiled. "I haven't anyone either," he confessed--not much of one, though, because Niall probably already knew that. Or did he? He didn't appear worried, at any rate. "I always wanted us to be together, you know," he said softly. "Forever." Circumstances and poor judgment forced them apart but now he was making the choice to stay with Ken and arguably, they were in a much more dire predicament than when they were children.

[Niall Gallagher]

"Alright, alright." Not jealous. Just... jealous. Niall thought that's what it was because of the seriousness; he needed to know if Niall had a special somebody and if he did, wouldn't he be jealous? Wasn't that the word? Or was it really something else? Disappointment? Devastation? Imagine that: somebody being devastated over Niall for once. It seemed like it was always-always-always the other way around.

"I love you," Niall said, lying on his back in the hotel bed while Tomas opened his soft white robe. Once he heard the words, though, Tomas' hands stopped and he scrutinized Niall.

"Don't say shit like that, Niall."

"Why? I do. I love you."

"You're ruining the mood."

Niall fell silent. Tomas got what he wanted but the entire time, Niall's heart was elsewhere. With Tomas' callous words, the affection had tapered off and now all that was left was that emptiness. Back again. Again. And again. Tomas left when he thought Niall was sleeping and Niall cried, feeling like the crumpled up used condom on the floor.

"I think... I thought we would be," Niall said wistfully. They never said it. Never had the chance to. To say the words my boyfriend. They never got to be themselves in public back then. Niall slipped a lot, though. People usually just assumed Niall was an affectionate person--and he was--but there were those who stared into their souls and Ken never seemed to like that.

[Kenneth Branagh]

Maybe we will be.

Ken didn't give voice to the hopeful thought, as if by simply uttering it, he would forever ruin it. Their love was pure once. It was born out of friendship and it had so many years to take root and to spread. Ken missed those days sometimes, despite living in constant fear of discovery. Some days he only wanted to be young again, without so much regret weighing on his shoulders.

He didn't ask if Niall still loved him. Niall wanted him and Niall needed him, this Ken already knew, but love was a different thing altogether. Ken's own feelings had only deepened in the time that they had been apart, but he was no longer sure about... anything where it came to Niall. That made him anxious, too, though he tried hard not to show it.

Slowly, Ken pulled back and away, out of the clasp of his arms. He took Niall's hand again and resumed walking back to the shabby flat that was now home.

"You should go home and have a hot shower," Ken said, no longer willing to spill his feelings out onto the sidewalk for strangers to step all over. "I can go and buy the stove by myself." Niall still wasn't feeling well and Ken didn't want to drag him around while he did some simple errands. It seemed better for Niall to rest first, and Ken would be home before he knew it.

[Niall Gallagher]

Ken didn't say that they would be. Somewhat of a disappointment, but Ken was still there. Best friends. Was that all they would be now? Ken probably didn't want to be with some... junkie, that was the problem, wasn't it? That was why he had to clean Niall up. So he could be with him again. Niall wasn't sure what he thought of that but it wasn't entirely positive. It made him feel lesser than, like he wasn't enough the way he was. But then, the drugs weren't the way he was, were they?

Running a hand over his face, he nodded. Yeah. A hot shower. Bath, whatever. He definitely could use some cleaning up. And it would just feel better on his tired face and his aching body. He eyed Ken for a moment but didn't beg him to stay. If he left Niall alone, that meant... Niall was alone. Which meant he could search for what Ken had discarded. It had to be somewhere in the apartment, he just knew it! And if he didn't take too much, Ken would never know the difference. Hah!

"Yeah," he said finally, "I could use a bath."

Niall wasn't really one for showers. He liked soaking in the tub and if he could, he would probably stay there indefinitely. Although that had nearly killed him a couple of times. Best not to share that information with Ken or he'd probably ban him from baths. Niall swung his arm a few times like a child.

"I need my key, though. You have it."

[Kenneth Branagh]

Ken couldn't help but feel that this discussion had ended on a highly disappointing note. Then again, what did he expect? Things wouldn't go back to the way they once were simply because they held hands in the street and kissed once. The kiss was a little bittersweet in light of that thought.

He fumbled around in his pocket for the key and gave it to Niall. "Lock the door while I'm gone. Don't open it for anyone but me, all right?" Hopefully no one would come to visit while Ken was gone. He eyed the building as they came upon it and while he hated the thought of leaving Niall alone, it had to be done. He would just have to be quick.

Ken left Niall at the door, making sure that he was inside and that he heard the lock click before he left. It would be a very quick trip. Stove, pan, some food. Twenty minutes at most.

But he didn't see the door to 3A open after he left, and he didn't see the woman who emerged from inside the apartment, heading straight for Niall's door.

[Niall Gallagher]

Disappointment reigned as Niall was walked to the door with his key. He glanced up, but Ken waited for him to enter the apartment so there was no tiptoeing somewhere else to beg for a little extra prystal or something. Suppressing the urge to sigh, he entered the quiet flat and made sure to lock the door LOUDLY and POINTEDLY for Ken, who still seemed to be lurking nearby. Once it seemed like he finally left, Niall threw his arms into the air.

"Now where did he hide youuu~?" he sang as he started to pull open drawers, flitting from one to the next. The apartment, as mentioned, was small. There wasn't a whole lot in the way of furniture which also meant the hiding places were sparse as well. Growing somewhat frustrated, he made a beeline for the bathroom, which was the last place he saw Ken before he made his announcement. To save time, he turned the hot water on and let it run--just in case his not-boyfriend showed up and wondered what he was doing, not taking his promised bath.

But he was really raking through the bathroom cupboards and finding... nothing. A whole lot of nothing. Throwing his hands up in defeat this time, he crouched in front of the sink, his face resting against the cupboard door. Well, damn. Ken was thorough, wasn't he? Again, some things just never changed.

Then he felt it seize him. The call~ of a siren. Or, really, a vampire. But a lot of the creatures of the night had these powers--the power to lure people into their traps. He felt it before he heard it but just as surely as he had known last night, he felt her presence and recognized it before the confident tap on the door. Niall swallowed hard, remaining crouched for a moment. But the ITCH it was so unbearable.

He dragged himself up to the sink, ignored his somewhat haggard appearance, and made for the door. He didn't even bother checking the peephole. But he did slide the chain across the door. You know, just in case.

"JC," he said, as though she were an old friend he hadn't seen since... two days ago. "You gotta get out of here."

[JC]

Fresh blood. Ah, nothing could surpass the excitement of a new face--especially a new human face. JC sensed that something was awry when Niall failed to answer the door for her last night, despite multiple knocks. JC generally didn't go to such lengths to procure a meal--she had boys ready and waiting and oh-so-willing for her bite.

But through the door, she had heard the beat of two hearts. One beat very fast and very hard. There was fear, too, and some other dominant emotion that she couldn't quite grasp. But more to the point--Niall had ignored her for someone else and JC just needed to know who. Then, when she saw him walking away from Niall's door just now...

Just because she was a classy lady didn't mean that she was above peeping through peepholes.

So here she was, at Niall's door again. JC was fond of Niall. He was always up for a good time and he was very reliable in that sense. A smile slowly unfolded across her lips as she tapped a long, red nail against the door.

"Why do I need to get out of here, Niall?" Her voice was dripping with honey. "Are you waiting for that handsome young man to come back? You should introduce me to your new friend, darling. Maybe we'll all get along."

[Niall Gallagher]

"What handsome young man?" he asked, innocent as could be, although it was obvious by the way JC looked at him and the tone of her voice that she knew he was harboring a handsome new face in his apartment. There was no reason for her to think he was hiding a hunter so she probably just thought he was a new boy toy for her to play with, like... depressingly, pretty much anybody he tried to bring back home to have to himself. Unfortunately, JC was both good-looking and seductive and she didn't have to lift much of a finger to have any number of Niall's lovers wrapped around her pinky.

"Listen," he said, pointing at her through the narrow gap between the door and the wall, knowing all too well that JC could shove the door straight toff the hinges if she wanted to. He stared at her, gathering up all of his six feet to be as imposing and authoritative as possible. "That one's just... for... that one's mine, all right?"

Already weird, right? Shit. He winced inwardly. By saying something stupid like that, he was pretty sure that he just made Ken that much more desirable to her. 1. Niall wasn't really picky about sharing. 2. Niall had never referred to anybody as 'mine' because he wasn't really a proprietary type of guy. 3. And now JC was going to have a go at him and die in the process. (For some reason, it just didn't cross Niall's mind that MAYBE Ken could be overpowered--Ken was Ken. JC was JC.)

Niall sighed and rolled his shoulders before resting his face against the doorjamb (dangerous) and trying to figure out how to shoo JC away without outright saying You're going after a hunter, dear--it's bad news bears! He bit his lower lip and toed the bottom of the old door.

"Believe me, JC, I wish I could say more but you gotta go. He's going to be back soon and you shouldn't be here when he is."

[JC]

Well, well, well. Little Niall had finally found someone to call his.

On the other side of the door, JC laughed a full, throaty, amused laugh. Sweet little lamb. Curly-haired angel. Blood as sweet as nectar when he was stuffed full of Prystal. Delectable.

"Oh darling, don't tell me you're serious." JC leaned against the side of the door and peered through the narrow gap at Niall's bloodshot eyes. Or, really, eye. Her tone changed to one full of sympathy. "You look tired, dear. Had a rough night?" Mm... one wouldn't have thought that such a handsome young man would be that rough, but appearances could be deceiving. Maybe Niall's new man had peculiar tastes.

"Do you need a little pick me up?"

There was more than one way to skin a cat. JC didn't need Niall's cooperation to gain his cooperation and dear, dear... she was so interested in Niall's new man now.

[Niall Gallagher]

"Why doesn't anybody ever think I'm serious?" he asked himself mostly. Why couldn't he be serious about somebody? History dictated that he tried to be serious with a lot of his lovers, they just weren't serious back. Or they thought Niall was playing with them because for some reason, nobody found Niall Gallagher to be capable of being serious. Seriously! Sometimes it was quite annoying!

"No!" He raised his good hand to his face, wondering just how awful he looked. "Just hungover, too much of the bloody fairy, that's all."

She probably heard that shouting from last night and thought it was something else, though. Niall almost laughed at the thought of JC thinking a guy like Ken could give him a rough night. Was that where she was heading? Yes, yes. Niall could read it in the way she looked at him, that smile, the light in her eyes.

But the mention of a pick me up... Niall looked behind him for some reason, half expecting Ken to be standing there with a Stern Face. He wasn't of course. Throwing himself at the gap in the door, he said, "Oh god, yes! What do you have?"

[JC]

"Mmm, poor baby." Through the crack in the door, JC ran a finger along the side of Niall's cheek. Silly thing. Why was he guarding the door like that? He had already invited JC inside, so she had free reign. She could have popped it off its hinges but that required effort--and JC didn't make an effort for just anybody.

At the mention of drugs, however, Niall perked up considerably. JC's smile was Cheshire. She reached into the top of her dress and pulled a small packet from her bra. "Here you are, darling. Enjoy." The beautiful Prystal twinkled with the promise of a good time as she slipped it through the crack to him.

"Plenty more where that came from. Come see me if you need another little pick me up~"

He would. She knew he would. The amount in the bag was enough for a brief, tantalizing taste but not quite enough to last him through the day. JC blew him a kiss and turned away.

[Kenneth Branagh]

Stove... Portable stove... Camping stove... Ken looked through the entire store before he found it, tucked away in an obscure corner. Why the hell did they put this here? It was wedged in between a laundry basket and a stack of towels. Ken frowned as he grabbed it--probably the last one in the store--and with it under his arm, walked quickly to the register.

He knew that it was irrational and daft and... utterly daft, but he felt as if Niall would vanish again if he lost sight of him. Something in him was clawing to get out, a warning or a premonition or some kind of bad feeling stirring deep inside. Ken needed to be with Niall. After ten years apart, he never wanted to be away from Niall again. He wanted his hand to hold and his smile to make him feel warm and youthful again. He even wanted the--okay, less of the complaining. Much less of that.

And maybe one more kiss, like the one they shared outside. Ken couldn't believe that happened, but he was glad that it did. At least Niall felt something for him--enough to kiss him. It was a start--the start of hope, like the seed of friendship that bloomed into something beautiful between them so long ago.

It only took thirty minutes for him to get everything, and he was soon back at the flat with bags in both hands, juggling the stove under one arm. Knocking on Niall's door proved troublesome so he tapped it gently with his foot. "Niall? It's Ken."

He looked up and down the hallway. All quiet, but the hour was still early; he didn't expect most people to be up. His eyes slid to the adjacent doors--3A and 3C--and he listened for any sounds, but there were none. Ken frowned and kicked the door again, a little louder this time.

"Niall?" Was he still in the shower? Ken hoped not; he'd be a right old prune by now. A bath then? But he must have heard the knocking. Ken kicked the door full on when he heard something clattering inside, and then a good five seconds of silence.

"Niall! It's Ken! Niall? Open the door!"

[Niall Gallagher]

Yes, yes, yes. A little pick me up was just what the doctor ordered. Niall smiled as he hugged the drugs to his chest and then danced his way back into the bathroom. Good timing, too, because the water was getting to the point of no return. Reaching over, Niall strong armed the handle--sometimes, like the front door, it needed to be manhandled--and stopped the flow of water. Humming a sweet little ditty to himself, he tossed a bath bomb into the tub and then, looking around, checking outside the bathroom door, and around the little room that called itself an apartment, Niall made sure he was really alone. And then he sank down onto the toilet seat and slid the prystal under his tongue.

"Ahhh...." He closed his eyes and rolled his head back to take in the pleasure of prystal. Nothing quite like it in the whole world, it being magically infused. The queerest part was, it did something to Niall when he took it. It flecked his eyes with gold. Again, somebody else pointed it out to him and when he checked, he found it was true. Probably something to do with how he saw the world when he was high on prystal.

Letting out a delighted laugh, he stripped his clothes off and leapt into the bath, splashing hot water everywhere. It sloshed over the edge, too, since the water was maybe an inch or two from spilling over before he turned it off.

Sweet smelling, hot water covered him, silky and dreamy. Niall smiled widely as he leaned back and lifted his arms up.

He had no idea how long he bathed but eventually, he sank beneath the water and he was in that dream land that he loved so. He saw swirls of colors when he opened his eyes. His body floated upward. Slowly, his eyes closed and bubbles rose up. And then he breathed in. And in.

Panic overtook him even under the spell of prystal. His body automatically responded to drowning and his arms came up, hands scrabbling over the sides of the tub to pull himself up. Spluttering, coughing, and choking, he leaned against the side of the tub. Unable to breath through the water, he coughed some more, trying to get some air. His arm slammed across various items lined up along the tub and they went scattering. Niall slid out of the tub, slippery and slithery.

Finally, he was able to take in a breath of air--sweet, sweet air--and he inhaled deeply before letting it out on a watery laugh. His eyes had even teared up in the process and he laughed harder, hysterical.

And somewhere outside, he heard pounding. And...

Ken.

Shit, Ken. Niall pulled himself up with the help of the toilet, grabbing his robe and pulling it on as he stumbled out of the bathroom. Everything was still wildly colorful and swaying and he felt like a new pirate aboard a ship, trying to find his sea legs as he made his way to the front door. It felt like he bumped into everything he could possibly bump into on the way but the pounding was getting harder and he was having trouble deciphering--was it his heart or something else.

The door. He grasped at it and it took him a couple of attempts but he finally unlocked it and opened the door. Rubbing his eyes, he slid aside to give Ken room to come inside.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," he said, not aware of how many sorries were coming out. "I was just... in the bath." The pounding had stopped. He lowered his hand. "Was that you?" he asked. "Banging? The door?"

[Kenneth Branagh]

Clattering and bumping came from inside and Ken was on the verge of dropping everything to break in, when the door flew open and Niall appeared, dripping water, hair plastered to his skull. Ken stepped inside immediately without answering his questions and his quick eyes darted around. The windows were closed; no sign of forced entry. Door had been locked as he instructed Niall to do before he left.

One of his detectors was whirring, though. It sat in the corner, an old instrument that he had brought from Ireland more as a keepsake than as a functioning tool. Most of Ken's detectors were tuned to supernaturals that were commonly found in America. Different creatures populated different parts of the world; ones that were useful at home in Ireland were largely useless here. But that one, it whirred and whizzed and that baffled Ken.

Maybe it was broken. It was so old; one of his great-grandfather's detectors, as a matter of fact. Probably hadn't withstood the test of time.

Finally reassured that no one had been inside the apartment while he had been gone, Ken dropped off the bags and stove and then turned to Niall. He stopped in his tracks.

"...Niall..."

Niall's eyes weren't right. Ken loved his eyes and he knew them from every facet and angle. The way they changed colors from green to gray and back again was familiar. He recalled laying in the grass together, arms and legs wound about one another, and staring into Niall's eyes endlessly. Ken loved Niall's eyes as much as he loved every other part of him, from the top of his curly dark hair to the tips of his twinkle toes.

Niall's eyes now were flecked in gold; they almost glowed. Ken crossed the room and took hold of his arms, bringing him closer, peering at him. "Did someone come in while I was gone?" Maybe someone Niall invited in? Certain creatures imparted their magic on their victims long after they were gone. Witches' potions, incubi and succubi, and a vampire's bite. Ken's eyes flicked to Niall's throat but the bite marks didn't look renewed.

[Niall Gallagher]

"Yes?"

Ken was looking at him funny but Niall decided that it was him discovering that they were alone together once more. This time they were actually alone; maybe Ken would be more open to a kiss. So Niall smiled and started to hold his arms out for a hug. Except Ken grasped his arms and kept staring at him, pulling him in closer. Niall's smile grew. Just as he took in a breath and began to speak, Ken asked if somebody had been inside and his stare become more of a laser trying to see inside his soul. Niall tilted his head just slightly, a crack in his smile.

"What?" He laughed. "No. Nobody's been inside. I made sure everything was locked, even the... that little..." He made a motion as if he were chaining the door, unable to find the appropriate word for it at the moment. "You know, the other lock. All the locks were locked, Kenny. Nobody in here but us..."

Now he drew his arms up around Ken's shoulders, drawing him in even closer. Nobody the two of them. His fingers stroked the back of Ken's white blond hair before he leaned in for a kiss.