Pairing(s): Cassidy/Nicholas Nicholas/Human girl Teresa/Cassidy
Rating: Mature for MALE X MALE -- IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS.

A/N:This story starts off kind of in the middle, therefore, it might be a bit confusing later on.. Starts off at the end of Chapter 8
I'm still trying to figure out how things work -.-

Happy Birthday Snowlia! You're now considered an "adult".

By the time that Cassidy and Teresa had gotten back to their safe house, Marina had fallen asleep. Cassidy had carried the little Seer all the way from the subways when they noticed that she was drifting off. Of course, no one could blame her; her previous living conditions couldn't have been the best for her health.

Very gently the older boy laid Marina down in her own bed, still fast asleep. He turned around to face Teresa and not wanting to risk waking the younger girl, he whispered to her, "Do you think she'll get a good night's rest?"

Contemplating her answer, Teresa looked down at Mar. "That vision she had really shook her up. I would hope that she'd sleep better." The older girl crossed her arms over her chest and meekly glanced over at Cassidy, who was lightly ruffling the Seer's hair. "Listen Cass," she started, "I didn't mean to snap at you, back at the cemetery when we were with Teacher...It's just that I-"

Cassidy cut her off by holding up his hand. "No, it's alright," he said, lowering his palm. "You don't have to apologize." He turned away from her and repositioned his glasses. "Would you mind changing Mar into something more comfortable? I'm going back out."

Rese turned quickly around as Cassidy walked towards the door. "You're going out again? But it's almost two o'clock!"

"I know," said Cassidy, completely unfazed. "I'll be back before six."

"Where could you possibly go?" Teresa demanded.

With a kind smile Cassidy replied, "On a walk."

A loud and shrill ring cut through the silence, inducing a mass exodus of students pouring from their classrooms. Nicholas was casually leaning against a staircase handrail while his girlfriend sat on its steps, her face amazed at the Night Students as they passed by.

"So," Nic said, turning to the human girl. "What do you think about the school?"

Anxiously the girl turned to him, her face still glowing. "I love it," she said cheerfully. "To think that all the stories are real! This is just so cool."

From his place on the stairs, Nicholas made an approving sound and had a prideful look of contentment on his face. "Wait until you see the rest!"

Absent-mindedly, he looked at a nearby clock and stiffened. "Uh, don't you think we should be getting you home? It's kinda getting late, for humans anyway."

"Oh," the girl said distracted. She also glanced up at the clock and studied it for a short while. "I guess you're right." The human girl stood up and got off of the stairs. "Can we do this again? There's still more that I'd like to see."

"Sure, sure," Nicholas said anxiously and pulled his girlfriend behind him. "I'll take you home, just to make sure you get there alright."

"Thank you Nic, you're so kind," she said still being dragged behind the vampire.

"Right, any gentleman would see a lady safely home." Nic placed a hand on the girl's back and gently pushed her out of the school, hurrying to get her home.

Carefully Cassidy studied the ground. As far away as it seemed, his friends were attacked only a handful of hours ago. It was still hard to believe that whoever this girl might be was able to render Terrance and Noh defenseless. He wanted to go look for her just as bad as Teresa wanted, but he knew that they wouldn't be a match for someone who defeated the two without them struggling. Still not finding any more clues, Cassidy heaved a heavy sigh and left the small area.

Instead of leaving the cemetery, Cassidy walked back to where he and his group had run into Nicholas and his human girlfriend. As Cassidy approached the tree he marveled at how tall and sturdy the old tree was. He could only begin to guess at what sort of events it had witnessed in its lifetime.

Cassidy sat himself at the tree's base and stared up into the night sky. How vast and endless it seemed. Sometimes it unsettled him thinking about how small he really was compared to all the stars out there and how insignificant he would be if he was anywhere else but where he was now. Of course, being a Hunter gave meaning to his life. It was one of the things he was good at, what with his ability to perceive things faster and at a higher rate than most people.

Not wanting to dwell on that thought any longer, the Hunter stood back up and crouched at the front of the tree, looking for a very specific spot. At last he was able to find it when he came across a part of the ground that been overturned. It didn't take long for him to dig up what he was looking for; Cassidy pulled out a box from the hole and wiped off the excess dust.

Many times had Cassidy seen the box's owner burry the container and then retrieve it sometime later. Many times had he seen another party retrieve the box and placed it back the following night. And every time, Cassidy couldn't help but feel the pain of a remorseful jealousy.

Very carefully, Cassidy opened the box and pulled out a letter. He read the contents slowly trying to grasp what kind of feelings the author might have had when the letter was written. The note itself was a reply to a previous letter and had mention about a meeting, for the second time.

Cassidy's stomach churned with an all too familiar feeling of disgust. He had to hold back the urge to crumple the paper into a ball and toss it away. As Cassidy placed the letter back in the box, he heard footsteps slowly approaching.

Just as he sat the lid back on the box, the footsteps abruptly stopped and a gasp sounded. Looking up, Cassidy saw Nicholas standing before him, his mouth hanging open and sheer terror was pasted on his face.

"You didn't read those, did you?" the vampire asked nervously and pointed a shaky finger at the box.

"Of course I did," Cassidy replied rather frankly. "What else would I do with them?" He repositioned his glasses and placed the box back in its hole.

Nic continued to stand speechless, staring down at Cassidy. When he found his voice again all he could choke out was, "I uh... I can... It's not..." the vampire gave up explaining and a defeated look appeared on his face.

"I know; I understand," Cassidy said with a sigh. He patted the earth beside him and Nicholas obediently sat down next to him. "I see that you've changed your shirt," Cass said, changing the subject in hopes of lessoning the awkwardness between the two.

Despite the switch, Nicholas still fidgeted with the hem of his shirt as he talked. "Ah, yeah. I had some extra time, so I thought I'd clean up a bit. I just didn't expect you to be here so soon..." Nic trailed off and looked down at his hands. "I heard what happened to your friends, are you alright?"

Cassidy ran a hand through his hair. "Apparently, they had their time taken from them. Right now, we're looking for some way to get it back."

"You don't look like you're worried much," Nic stated cautiously.

"There's not much I can do," Cass said grimly, tilting his head up to the sky. "Being mournful won't help find a cure. Everything dies eventually."

For a while, Nicholas sat in silence. He was having a hard time trying to think of something to say to Cassidy. The vampire didn't have much experience in comforting others, much less another male. Eventually he gave up trying to console Cassidy and said, "Even if there wasn't anything that you could do, shouldn't you still be there with them?"

"If anything, I'm a man of my word," Cassidy replied casually, making a guilty look appear on Nic's face. "It is unfortunate what happened to them, but I keep my promises, no matter what."

"I'm sorry," Nic said suddenly. "It's just that it's kind of hard. I mean, you being a Hunter and I'm a Vampire. Not to mention that we both happen to be male… It's not just one, but it's two things to get used to…" Again Nicholas trailed off and avoided looking at the other male.

"Would you like to stop?" Cassidy asked softly, setting his gaze unto the vampire.

"No!" shouted Nicholas immediately as he turned to face Cassidy. Seeing the Hunter looking at him and noticing how sudden he had responded, Nic quickly glanced away embarrassed.

Cassidy leaned over to the other boy and reached out his hand. He placed his index finger under Nicholas's chin and secured a grip by placing his thumb just below the vampire's bottom lip. Gently Cassidy turned Nic's face back to his and placed his own lips on Nicholas's.

Caught slightly off guard, Nic started to move away, but reason was quickly abandoned and instincts took over. Nicholas leaned into Cassidy, kissing him back and sliding his eyes close.

Just as swiftly as it began, Cassidy ended the kiss and pulled away. Unconsciously, Nicholas followed the retreating Cassidy. Catching himself, Nicholas's eyes fluttered opened and glanced awkwardly up at the hunter.

Cassidy smirked at the vampire. "It looks like your body agrees with your mind."

Again Nicholas adverted his gaze. "Don't be stupid," he muttered under his breath.

Sounds of movement next to him brought Nic's attention back to Cassidy. "What are you-" Nicholas involuntarily stopped his question as he turned to find Cassidy suddenly in front of him.

Before the vampire could react in any other way, Cassidy closed the distance and kissed him on the lips a second time. Once more, Nicholas was lost within the sensation. Uncontrollably, Nic wrapped his arms around Cassidy's neck as the redhead leaned into him and wove his own hands into Nicholas's hair.

Tenderly Cassidy sucked on Nic's bottom lip and pulled it into his mouth, lightly nibbling on it. A small sound of enjoyment from Nicholas encouraged Cassidy to deepen the kiss. Carefully he coaxed Nicholas to open his mouth wider as Cassidy slipped his tongue into Nic's mouth. Gently probing with their tongues, the two explored the recesses of each other's mouths and found hidden pleasures that they had forgotten ever existed.

As the breathing patterns turned heavy, Cassidy untangled a hand from Nicholas's hair and slid it up underneath Nicholas's clean shirt. Overwhelmed with the sensation, Nicholas couldn't help but arch his back, withdrawing from the kiss and jerking backwards into the tree.

Taking advantage of the other boy's predicament, Cassidy used the opportunity to slide the rest of Nicholas's shirt off and tossed it aside. He turned back to the vampire who was still leaning against the tree and had an arm draped over his eyes while legs were partially spread out. To get his attention, Cassidy lightly ran his fingers up and down Nicholas's body.

By reflex, Nic swung his arm out as he jolted to sit up straight, almost hitting Cassidy if only the Hunter hadn't caught it. A mortified look briefly passed over Nicholas's face, but was quickly replaced by one of a soft passion.

Cassidy held onto Nicholas's forearm with a firm grip. Tenderly he turned the arm over and kissed the underside, smiling up at Nicholas as he did so. From there, he continued planting kisses the entire way down Nicholas's arm, getting closer and closer, despite the boy's protest. Eventually Cassidy reached Nicholas's shoulder, but that didn't faze him.

Just for a brief moment, Cassidy kissed Nicholas's lips and lightly pushed him back against the trunk. Cassidy placed a kiss on Nic's clavicle that protruded underneath his skin. He then sucked on the concealed bone, causing a shallow moan to escape from Nicholas's throat. Cassidy intertwined his fingers with Nic's as he continued to indulge himself on the collarbone.

Consumed with an over whelming passion, Nicholas slipped his eyes closed once again. With his free hand, the vampire knotted himself in Cassidy's flame colored hair. Nicholas lightly tugged at Cassidy's hair as he twitched and sighed in delight; low rumbles of pleasure sounded in his throat.

Satisfied with the response he was getting, Cassidy left Nicholas's clavicle, leaving a flushed spot from where he had sucked. The Hunter then moved his kisses to Nicholas's nipple, visiting another erogenous zone.

As Cassidy's lips closed around the sensitive area, Nicholas let out a cry of shock and arched his back, grinding his shoulders into the bark of the tree. Embarrassed about his loud reaction, Nicholas detangled his hand from Cassidy's hair and bit his forearm in hopes of muffling himself. While Cassidy's mouth was busy with one, his unrestrained hand came up to caress Nicholas's other nipple. Nicholas whimpered against his arm and shuddered at Cass's touch.

Cassidy lift his mouth from Nicholas's nipple and gave the other one last pinch. Amused, Cassidy silently watched the other boy squirm under his touch. "You seem to be enjoying yourself," he said to Nic as he chuckled to himself.

Nicholas glared at the redhead. "Like I have much of a choice," the vampire said, taking his redden arm down from his mouth. "It can't be—Ah!" Nicholas broke off his sentence as Cassidy petted him in a very sensitive area.

"It looks like this area here would also like some attention," Cassidy smirked at Nicholas, for the second time, as he ground his palm into the vampire's groin.

Freeing the hand that Cassidy still held in his grasp, Nicholas attempted to push Cassidy away from him with both of his arms. "Ah, no…" he managed to whimper out. His whole body trembled at the warmth that Cassidy's hand gave his nether region.

Rather unexpectedly, Cassidy removed his hand from Nicholas's crotch. He then placed his lips onto Nic's open ones and kissed him deeply. Rather abruptly, he pulled away. Cassidy picked up the discarded shirt and tossed at Nicholas.

Heavy-lidded eyes regarded him questionably. "Aren't you gonna finish it?" Nicholas asked in a quite surprised voice.

"Actually," Cassidy said somberly as he stood up. "I'm not really in the mood."

Nicholas gave Cassidy a confused look and scrambled to stand up beside him. "But I thought that…"

"That I wanted to?" Cassidy turned his gaze back onto the vampire. "I did—I do, but what's the point if you can't recuperate these feelings that I have for you? No matter how much I want to, I'm not going to waste my energy if you're not putting in every effort." The Hunter ran a hand through his slightly disheveled hair and heaved a sigh. "As much as I want to, I can't keep up this game you seem to be playing."

The confusion on Nicholas's face deepened. "Game? I'm not playing a game…"

"Your intelligence surprises me sometimes," Cassidy said with a sad smile. "I'm talking about the human girl you've been seeing. How can you expect me to still be with you when you're chasing after her? I guess you really would date anything that still had a pulse…" he said, quoting what Teresa had said earlier that night.

Cassidy's words stung Nicholas as if he had actually been slapped. "But Cass, I'm still… You're not just going to leave me like this?" he said, indicating the bulge at his lower region. "I thought that you wanted to…" Nicholas's voice became softer as he spoke. "I wanted to," he barely whispered.

"I don't do this to get you off, Nic; I'm not playing around," Cassidy said agitatedly. "You only put in what's convenient for yourself; you hardly do anything just for me. And it hurts, Nic, it hurts." He turned his back unto the worried looking Nicholas. "So, while you're hurting me, I'll show you how much I really do care, but I'll hurt you, too. I won't finish what I started until you've come to terms with yourself and tell me how you really feel—no strings attached. I'll be waiting to hear your answer," with that, Cassidy started to walk off.

"Wait Cassidy," Nicholas cried out, "wait!" He made a small attempt to go after the Hunter, but gave up when he realized that Cassidy wasn't going to slow down. The vampire cursed under his breath and mentally kicked himself.

Nicholas really did want to be with Cassidy and he rather enjoyed the time they spent together, even if it was one-sided. If only he wasn't so fickle! If only he was ready to give himself entirely, to commit himself to two erroneous acts.

Sometimes it amazed Nicholas how Cassidy hardly seemed to care that their relationship was in the wrong. The night creatures were to fear and respect the Hunters, who weren't quite human, but not quite like the night creature either. Nicholas did respect Cassidy and dreaded crossing paths of any other Hunter. Many of the Hunters resented the creatures of the night; Nicholas knew this, so it often made him uncomfortable whenever Cassidy was around.

But if it didn't bother Cassidy, Nicholas was going to have to try even harder to get used to the notion. Even if it was embarrassing at times, Nicholas liked the way the Hunter made him feel and he certainly did not want to end up in the same state as he was now.

He will concur his fears; one step at a time.

---
A/N:
First, I want to apologize for how random this kind of was. What with the close relationship Nic and Cass seemed to have had. While I was working on this, I kept thinking of how they would have met, so that the story line would make more sense. All that thinking led me to plan another story (one possibly longer & with chapters) that I would love to make.

Second, somewhere along the way, Cassidy became OOC, angsty and extremely perverted, haaaaaa... oh well...

Third, forgive me for the rather abrupt ending. Cassidy's OOC-ness and perverted-ness can only go so far. That and I was running late on my dead-line...

Anyway, thanks for sticking to the end. I'm sure this surprised a good few of you, it being slash (does yaoi count for OEL mangas?) and all...but yeah, it's rated Mature since I didn't want anyone accidentally stumbling upon this.

This is my first time writing slash, so please let me know what you think. I have to wonder if anyone felt awkward reading about what was happening between the two as much as I did writing it XD.

Again, Happy Birthday Snowlia!