A/N: 02.03.20

New update 🤫 btw, chapter 10 will.be available on Patreon in a few hours hour! You can click the link in my bio for early March updates~

For quotes & pics of cute boys, you can follow me on instagram: @letsgohomehidee

Would any of you be interested in reading my books if I drew them into webcomics/webtoons? 🤔

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The next day, Noah and Micka ate breakfast at the school cafeteria. Each table had Bordeaux-red clothes hung over them and baskets of warm bread, baked goods, freshly squeezed juice and ripe fruit.

They stared at the buffet of food in shock, wondering if they had just walked into a 5 star hotel's morning buffet and immediately started stuffing their faces, shoving scrambled eggs and steaming sausages into their mouths.

"Oh my god, how are these eggs so SOFT?!" moaned Micka.

"I'm in heaven," whispered Noah, his eyes closed and feeling more blessed than other.

“Did you two starve yourselves?” asked a voice.

Astrid sat at their table, watching them wolf down their breakfast.

“Yo, pass me the salt,” said Micka with his mouth full. Astrid narrowed her eyes and he blinked blankly. "Why are you glaring at me like that?"

"I'm hoping that you'll spontaneously combust," she grumbled, handing him the salt shaker. She then shifted her gaze towards Noah who flinched.

"Please don't make me explode."

She rolled her eyes. "What happened yesterday?”

“Yesterday?”

“Why did you come to class with Aleksei?”

Noah coughed when he heard the name, choking on the sausage that he was eating. He quickly poured himself a cup of juice to help it go down.

“His name is Aleksei?” asked Noah in a croaky voice.

“No, his name is Obama," snorted Astrid. "Of course it's Aleksei!"

"As in Aleksei Griffon? Aleksei the duck?"

Micka couldn't help but laugh. Astrid ignored him.

"He's even worse than Nyx," she mumbled. "But he works as Nyx’s right arm and Roman his left. The three of them are the most dangerous ones out there."

"I thought Nyx was the leader?" Said Micka.

"He is."

"So why does Aleksei and Roman work for him and not with him?"

Astrid didn't have time to explain their entire history, so she said,

“Long story short, the three of them are from royal blood. They aren't gang leaders, they're kings. And each ruler owns their own territory. Right now, we're on Aleksei's land. Well, no, we're on Nyx's land now. Aleksei handed his throne to Nyx centuries ago."

"Why did he do that?" Asked Noah.

"I don't know, I still haven't found out. Whatever the reason, I'm glad that he did."

"Why?"

The expression on Astrid's face darkened. "Because when he was ruler, there was nothing but chaos. I've scrapped up old books and scrolls from a long time ago. The number of humans who have been mysteriously kidnapped, murdered and injured were at its peak. All of it on Aleksei's land," she muttered. "He's probably the worst one out of the three. He's not a vampire, he a cold-blooded murderer."

"What about Roman? Didn't he want power too?" Asked Micka.

"Not particularly. He's the youngest son in his family so his status is more of a prince than a king. He has an older brother ruling a different land, which is why he doesn't have to deal with big responsibilities. The only responsibility he has is to serve Nyx."

"And not his brother's land?"

"Aleksei's family and Roman's have had a close relationship and they've always been close allies. Roman's family signed an allegiance with Aleksei's to avoid eventual wars with them and to maintain their friendship, but ever since Aleksei handed his thrown to Nyx, Roman has had to serve the new king in order to keep peace between the vampires on his territory and Nyx's," explained Astrid. She noticed Noah and Micka whose lips were parted, trying to understand and follow everything she was saying.

Astrid then focused her eyes on Noah. "So yes, Aleksei is a duck and a very powerful one, which is why I'm surprised that he didn’t kill you.”

Micka laughed again, nudging Noah in the rib. “She just called one of the strongest kings a duck.”

“I will throw this pie at your face if you do not zip it,” threatened Astrid, and Micka quickly closed his mouth.

“Maybe he wasn't in the mood to kill someone?”

Astrid shook her head.

“Nyx tries to get rid of transfer students because he knows that the FBI is trying to get some evidence on him, which is why I'm surprised that Alek didn’t kill you on the spot, or that Roman didn’t kill you overnight.”

“Wait, you knew that I’d be targeted and you didn’t tell me?!” cried Noah, hearing about this for the first time.

“Well, you didn’t die,” she pointed out. She then looked towards Micka. “And unfortunately, nor did you.”

The cafeteria doors opened and Aleksei, Roman, and Issa walked in. Everyone turned towards them. It was like one of those movie scenes where the cool kids stepped into a room in slow-motion, wind coming from who knows where blowing into their hair; captivating everyone’s attention.

Everyone in Bran Prep knew who they were. Perhaps not as vampires, but as the most popular students in school. Aleksei's and Roman's beauty was mesmerizing to everyone, but it wasn't only just that that made them popular. In an institution where intelligence was most highly valued, they were ranked the smartest.

They sat down at their usual table, the only one decorated in golden clothes and also the largest one in the cafeteria.

“Are they-”

Astrid put her hand over Micka’s mouth and took out her phone, creating a group chat with Noah and Micka before telling them to check their screens.

: They have extremely good ears. Keep it down.

: Which one is Aleksei and which one is Roman?

: The dark-haired one is Aleksei and the one with silver hair is Roman.

: The little guy who walked in with them is Issa. He’s human, but he gets along with the vamps.

: He knows about them?

: Probably more than I do.

: Then why don’t we ask him for information?

Astrid’s eyes widened and she quickly typed onto her screen.

It's best if we don't get him involved.

Noah and Micka both looked up from their screens and glanced at each other, before both sending: Why?

Micka shifted his gaze towards Issa who took a sip of his hot chocolate and getting cream all over his upper lip when he pulled away from the cup. Issa didn’t even notice that he had a mustache until Roman reached over and wiped it off with a napkin. Issa looked surprised and giggled, before happily munching on his cereal.

: He looks like a completed. airhead. I bet I could beat him up easily.

: Yeah, but how are you going to beat up a vamp?

: What do you mean?

: If you mess with Issa, then you mess with Roman. Lay even a finger on the boy and Roman will snap your neck before you can even say your prayers.

Micka scowled at the text, but even he could tell a threat when he saw one and didn’t push any further. Noah turned his head towards their table and looked at Aleksei.

His deep, blue eyes were an entire ocean itself: beautiful, yet undeniably dangerous; eyes with dangerous beginnings and lost endings, every wave breathing with color. They were the brightest set of blue, but they felt so dark and empty. Noah wondered, despite Aleksei's flawless, pearl skin, why he looked so tired. As if his current beauty was only at half its real potential.

Everyone at his table was chatting and laughing, everyone except for Aleksei. He simply ran a hand through his dark hair, listening to the others. Or not even. Aleksei looked like he was in his own world, separate from the others.

Aleksei shifted his gaze towards Noah and in that brief moment, Noah felt like time had just stopped. He didn't know whether vampires had that power or not, but it felt like Aleksei did. Noah's heart began to race, his breath caught in his throat as he felt himself drowning in Aleksei's eyes. Roses and thorns blossomed inside his chest, a feeling that he had never felt before.

For a king said to be so vicious and cruel, all Noah could see in him were beautiful yet worn out eyes.

“You okay Noah?” asked Micka, bringing Noah back to reality. He looked away, not knowing where to settle his eyes anymore.

“Hm?"

“Are you okay?” repeated Micka skeptically.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, perfectly fine."

"Really? Because your face is turning really red. Do you have a fever or something?”

Micka reached over and put his hand over Noah’s forehead. “Huh, you don’t seem to have a fever. But dude, you’re blush-”

“I’m fine,” stuttered Noah, even more embarrassed. He knew that Aleksei probably didn't care enough to eavesdrop, but the sole fact that he could made him even more unsettled.

“We should hurry and finish eating, class is going to start soon."

***

“Babies,” announced their P.E teacher, Mr. Troy, who held a toy baby in his hands and showing the class. “This baby is the latest version programmed to act and behave like a real life baby. So technologically advanced, it is extremely sensitive to its surroundings and how it is treated."

Everyone in the classroom looked at the robot that looked like your average, Wal-Mart toy baby. Well, they looked just as creepy anyway. Mr. Troy had a basket full of babies beside him with wide, round eyes staring back at the students.

Noah shivered, quickly looking away.

“You must be extremely careful when handling these robots. That means if you throw the baby against a wall, it will cry. If you forget to feed the baby, it will cry. If you don’t change its diapers in time, it will cry. If you leave it on the floor to die, then-” the teacher put his hand over his earlobe and leaned forward.

“It will cry,” the class finished in perfect harmony.

“No. It won't, because it'd already be dead," snapped the teacher. "Think of these robots as real babies, not as objects. It will do

all of nature’s beauty meaning that it will eat, burp, and puke. There's a chip inside that will record all of the baby's emotions which I will collect at the end of the week. If it's sad, then your grade will go down. If it's happy, then your grade will go up," explained Mr. Troy. "Your next assignment is to take care of one of these babies for a week. Two students will pair up and act like a married couple. I know you students are still young, but I want you to experience the tough responsibilities and hardships of being a parent."

Everyone was both excited and nervous about their new assignment. They were used to studying and getting good grades, but they didn't know much about the practical field that put them in real life situations.

"Are there any questions?"

Astrid raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss. Calum?"

“Are we allowed to choose our partners?”

“I'm afraid not. I've already chosen your partners," he said, picking up a sheet of paper from his desk to show her.

“But sir, the assignment is supposed to put us in real life situations. Wouldn't it be fair and more realistic if the students got to choose their significant other?" Asked Astrid, putting out a good argument. "If you were the one who decided, it'd be more like forced marriage. And forced marriages are very outdated, not to mention, very controversial and sexist."

"Yes, I understand, but-"

Astrid faked a small gasp. "Mr. Troy, please don't tell me that you support forced marriages? There are poor, underaged girls who are forced to marry strangers because women are seen as objects and slaves, and not as independent individuals. Is that the message you're trying to spread through this assignment?"

The class stared at their teacher with curious eyes. Perplexed, Mr. Troy ran a hand through his hair. "Of course not."

"Great! Then we can choose our partners?" Beamed Astrid, innocently batting her lashes.

It seemed like Mr. Troy didn't have much of a choice.

"Yes, I suppose so," he grumbled, putting down the list that he spent hours working on.

“Perfect! Then I choose Micka to be my partner," she chirped happily.

“Wait, what?!” cried Micka, never having agreed on this.

“And Noah said that he’d like to marry Aleksei," Astrid added.

Noah snapped his head towards her, wide-eyed. “Wait, what?!”

But it was too late. Everyone, even Mr. Troy, turned towards him with surprised eyes, and Noah knew that among them, were Aleksei’s.

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Q/A: If you guys fell in love with a vampire, would you prefer turning him/her into human and live a "short" life together?

Or would you prefer turning yourself into a vampire and live for an eternity with them?