#saturnalia event

[reibu-b]

day 7 - first snow

[fenicenera83]

Saturnalia event Day 1: Frost -> Frost Doll/Claudia

[herbeloved82]

Unexpected Gifts

Written with @complicitsacrilege here is a little gift for the first day of the Saturnalia event.

Once again the winter solstice came close, like every year, and like every year Marius was caught by surprise. For creatures like them the flowing of time could be meaningless, and yet, sometimes it became the only thing they could focus on. 

With winter the memories also came back, of a time long gone, that only a few people at court remembered. Saturnalia, the days of Saturn, the Old Wandering, heritage of a culture that was already old when Rome rose to power. 

A fond smile turned the corners of his mouth, and even if it was normal now to see him happy, it still felt strange to Marius himself to show his emotions so openly. 

He, the one who had always been the mentor, the teacher and the anchor, was now learning not to keep his emotions bottled. He had promised his beloved that he wouldn’t hide things from him, and even if it was a work in progress that sometimes Marius failed, he was doing his best to keep his word. 

Thinking about his beloved, Marius remembered another tradition that was related to Saturn. Small gifts would be exchanged during the festivities, usually sweets for the youngest and worshiping statues for the adults who would take them to the temple. 

He remembered his father and his siblings’ happiness when the holiday approached. The whole house would be in ferment the whole time. The children would jump around, too excited to even sleep, and the adults would work tirelessly to make sure that everything would be ready. 

Marius never had children, but he doted on his nephews and nieces, spoiling them with gifts that had his siblings roll his eyes. 

They will be insufferable, Marius. He could still hear his older brother’s voice, but even when he was scolding him, the fondness in his voice was unmistakable. Only after he had lost them Marius realized that his brother wasn’t only fond of his own children, but also of that brother so different from them and yet accepted in the family like he had always belonged. 

Without wasting time, but still aware of how leaving without an explanation would look, Marius rushed back to their rooms and caught his beloved contemplating his new wardrobe, picking item after item, to match the shades and fabrics. 

He kissed Armand’s unruly curls with affection and whispered to him a few words; “I need to leave for a bit, but I will be back before the meeting, so please, try not to kill our prince before I come back.” 

The devious angel turned in his arms and looked at Marius, puzzled. “Does that mean I can kill him after you come back?” 

“No, you horrible minx. We both know you love him, in your very peculiar way.” 

Marius stole another kiss before he moved towards the balcony. 

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t, and please, wait for me.” He said before disappearing into the night. 

***  

Marius wasn’t fond of Ireland, for many reasons. The worst thing that happened to him there was to meet Mael, and he still had to recover from that. Traumatized for life by the barbarian drunk he had learned to stand, just for Lestat’s sake. 

So no, he wasn’t fond of the land or the people, but he also knew when he needed them, and now he needed a druid and their magic for the gift he had in mind. 

“You are a long way from home, Vampire.” 

“I am, and yet I’m not, for my dark life began here.” 

The old woman who appeared in front of him was dressed in white and had her long, grey hair in a braid softly laying on her right shoulder. She looked ageless and wise, and the wrinkles on her face only added to her charm. 

Marius thought he would have loved to paint her, making her immortal on his canvas so that he could always remember her. 

“And what are you looking for in the place that saw your rebirth?” She asked and her voice was now softer, like she saw in his soul that he wasn’t a menace to her and her people, but a man looking for guidance and help.   

“I seek your help, for a gift.” Marius answered, a trace of amusement in his voice. Oh they could read each other, even without invading each other’s mind. 

“For the celebration of a holiday that means nothing to us?” 

“But that meant a lot for me, before I was turned.” 

“We have something in common, Vampire. We too have old traditions we still follow. They root us to his land and our history, so that we won’t be forgotten.” 

She sounded like Hypatia and Sappho. Like Marie Curie and Florence Nightingale. She sounded like every woman who had things to teach, who had fought against society and was defeated, only to be remembered forever by the future generations.  

“What is it that you need our help with?” She asked but when Marius took from his pocket a silver blade, like those used to harvest mistletoe she took a step back, alarmed. 

“Fear not, for I won’t hurt you. I just need the blade for something else.” Then he proceeded to cut himself, right where his heart laid, protected by his flesh. 

She hissed when the blood didn’t stop flowing as it would be supposed to. 

“You are ancient. Why aren’t you healing?” 

Instead of answering, Marius gave her a ring he kept on a golden chain around his neck. It was old looking, but when her fingers touched the gold, she knew it was an heirloom that had belonged to him when he was human. 

“I need your magic to seal my blood to this ring, for my gift…” 

“Is one that comes from the heart, for the one you love above everything else.” She finished for him. 

*** 

In their rooms his beloved was pacing like a caged lion. Marius had promised he would be back before the meeting, and yet, he wasn’t there. 

He will come back. He told himself, but it was hard to listen to logic when fear clouded his mind. It was easier to retreat back into old habits that helped him to keep his heart protected for so long. 

The taste of ashes awoke in his mouth, and he was ready to listen to the voice that told him to leave and never look back, when he heard a thud coming from the balcony, too loud to be Marius, right? 

But when he looked, there he was, unsteady on his feet, like he was hurt, and in that moment he forgot everything about running away to rush to his side. 

“What happened?” He asked as he grabbed Marius and dragged him into their room. “Are you hurt?” 

However, when Marius didn’t answer but smiled, confusion and rage took charge of his actions. 

“Why are you smiling,” Armand demanded, his worry turning to a pout almost immediately. “The meeting is beginning and you said you would be back.”

“And here I am, you cruel monster, but would you mind terribly if we skip the meeting, just this once?”

Just as quickly as it had appeared, Armand’s pout disappeared, and he narrowed his eyes, “You know I never mind an excuse to skip council meetings, but tell me, Master, what has happened to you?”

“Nothing really. I just wish to celebrate with you. It is the first day of Saturnalia, after all, and I want to share it with you.” 

The court would still be there in a few nights, but this moment Marius wanted it to be just for them. 

“I’m aware of the holiday, yes - but what does that have to do with anything? You’ve never wanted to celebrate before.” Armand’s suspicion was clear, even without the mind gift between them, Marius didn’t need it to hear it in his beloved’s tone, yet there was a brightness in his eyes that hadn’t been there for some time.

“There was never time before, my love. But now, no one is after us, and we are free to show each other love. So I thought we could celebrate this year, the world that goes upside down, where the Masters become slaves and the slaves are suddenly Master. Where gifts are exchanged and the old God would look upon the world with a fondness that nowadays is lost, protecting everyone for another year.” 

There was a mischievous glint in Armand’s eye, but it was gone as soon as he wrapped his arms around Marius’ waist, moving in close, “Tell me more,” Armand grinned up at Marius, worry seemingly forgotten, “You never did tell me much about the old gods that you never believed in.”

Marius smiled, indulgent. “He was a God who had lost everything. His family cast him away when he became too much, too old, too expendable. He came to Earth to bring gifts of harvest and life. He was the promise of spring after winter, and yet he wandered into cities in winter, dressed in rugs, looking for a warm place to sleep and some food to consume, in exchange of the stories he had learned in his long life.” Marius said, with a gentle voice, without even realizing he had slipped into speaking Latin. 

“I never saw him as a God, but as the whole of humanity itself, too old already, and yet waiting to be renewed.” 

Armand hummed, pursing his lips for a moment, “That sounds like someone I might know,” his mischievous smile was back as he went up onto tip toe for a kiss.

“Are you calling me old?” Marius blew on Armand’s lips before stealing another kiss. “Then see if I give you the present I picked for you.” 

“Well,” Armand started, dropping back down onto flat feet, “maybe not old - not as old as Seth, anyway. And would it help if I told you that I have something for you too?”

Marius looked at him, surprised and intrigued. 

“You have something for me, for Saturnalia?” 

No one had given him anything since he last saw his family, and he felt his heart grow bigger with all the tenderness he felt for his beloved. 

“I might have a little something,” Armand replied slowly, swaying a little on his feet.

“Well, I guess now we’ll have to decide who will give his gift first.” Marius concluded with mirth shining in his eyes. 

“You were the one to say you have a gift first,” Armand hinted, trailing a hand up Marius’ back, “Or are you simply gifting me with your presence during the holiday?”

Marius looked at him, pensive, his head on a side. “And wouldn’t that be a gift on its own? My whole attention, for days, with no one else coming between us?” 

Armand huffed, “Perhaps that is my gift to you also, Master. I won’t be hunting down any rogue fledglings anytime soon, so you’ll have me all to yourself.” But after a pause, he added, “Very well. If I’m to be your Master for the holiday, then it’s only right that I give my slave his gift first.”

He pressed a kiss to Marius’ collarbone, hesitating for just a moment as a look of mild concern flashed across his expression, but then he was gone, darting away into their coffin room where he had evidently hidden his gift. 

He came back seconds later with a large, rectangular object wrapped in fine cloth held carefully in his hands. Armand didn’t meet Marius’ gaze straight away, nor did he offer the gift immediately, but finally, he looked up. There was a vulnerability in his eyes that Marius hadn’t seen since Armand was a boy, and then he was wordlessly holding out the wrapped object.

Marius didn’t have words to express his emotions now. He would be Armand’s slave for as long as he wanted, was it the holidays or more. In many ways Armand had owned him, or at least his heart, since the first day they met, and Marius had never taken it back. 

Slowly, as in fear of ruining the moment and shattering the precious balance between them, Marius lowered his head and took the offered gift like he would have taken the most delicate manuscript ever written by human’s hand. That was how much respect he had for the gift that came from Armand. 

With attention he slowly showed what was hidden, revealing to the world a beautifully painted ikon that had Marius himself as subject. From the wooden support Marius stared at himself. God to Man, Immortal to Immortal, Saint to Sinner. 

Red tears formed in his blue eyes, for the ikon spoke to his heart and he never saw anything more beautiful than the proof that Armand was taking back one of his passions, taken from him by human cruelty first, and blind fanaticism after. 

“This - this is beautiful, my love.” He said as emotions choked him and his voice sounded shaking and weaker than it ever was. 

Armand’s expression showed open vulnerability now, and even he had the beginnings of tears staining the whites of his eyes pink. “I painted it while you were gone. I –” he stopped, seemingly unable to continue, but then, “I had hoped it would bring you home.”

“I will always come back to you, wherever I am, my love, I will always come back to you. This is my vow, spoken under Saturn’s all knowing eyes. A promise I will keep until my last day on the Earth.” Marius said, his tears free to fall. 

Both vulnerable, both hurt and trusting, it was the first time that they had been this close. Not even before they had crossed this line, and now even more, the choice Marius made felt right. 

“As you humble servant, let me give you my gift, my Lord, my Beloved.” 

Without hesitation, he took the ring that still felt warm in his hand, for the magic that was used would always maintain the love Marius felt for Armand, burning like the fire that celebrated the Gods all over the world. 

His hand shook when he presented the ring to Armand, waiting for his reaction. 

When Armand took the ring, his expression was almost unreadable, but as he ran his thumb over the ruby studded gold, his brows drew together and he examined it more closely. “It’s beautiful, Master… but is this,” he paused, bringing the ring to his nose. “Is this your blood,” he asked, turning his attention back to Marius.

“From the heart that was always yours, and that will be yours until you decide otherwise.” 

At the risk of the painting, Armand stepped closer, hugging Marius tightly enough to crush any human, and he could feel one of his hands shift at his back as he slipped the ring onto one of his fingers. “Thank you, Master. Thank you for coming back to me.”

Red stains appeared on Marius’ shirt under Armand’s cheek, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He had Armand back in his arms, where he belonged all along, what more was there to want?

[deromanuscoven]

De Romanus coven Event - SATURNALIA DAY 3

❆Day 3 - December 22 -> Prompts:

❆Princeps! a world in reverse

❆Sacrifice to the goddess Ops

❆The great banquet

[complicitsacrilege]

We wrote a little something for Day 1 of the @deromanuscoven Saturnalia event and we hope you enjoy!

Unexpected Gifts

by @herbeloved82 and I!

[the-vc-group-chat]

For @shittyravencarcosa, pampering us all with gifts in this @deromanuscoven event, some post canon Armand/Marius looking out for each other.

[ihaventcomeupwthanameforaheroyet]

Little lonely Armand, hoping for something good to happen:

...

(I swear I had something happier in mind when I started to prepare the background but sometimes my hands have a mind of their own. Oops.)

[thedemonconnie]

Happy Saturnalia! Ya filthy Humans!

Bring back the drunken traditions of this holiday!

[queerquaintrelle]

A very vampirey de Romanus coven holiday 1: Saturnalia...

@deromanuscoven

Prefacing this by saying anything I say is not a moral statement on anyone else, merely an observation I have come to on my own. Shout out to @monstersinthecosmos, @shittyravencarcosa, @somevagrantchild & @covenofthearticulate who are all lovely. In any case, to the point, I think it is fascinating the way Lestat and Marius act as both foils and mirrors of each other. Both blonde and allegorically a.ssaulted into vampirism and repeating their respective cycles of violence, vs, Lestat is an anti-hero, doomed to fail and get back up like a Shakespearian comic hero for eternity, as opposed to Marius, who is a scholar, always endeavouring to do better, but failing simply by being a vampire/product of a time predating the 18th century. It is fascinating, and whilst I am personally not the biggest Marius fan ever, there's so much that can be said about Rice's universe and character building, and to Rice's credit, she excelled at it.

How the Romans observed Saturnalia: Getty Villa.

My Saturnalia playlist.

[bitter-limelight]

“I had this same one when I was little!” Crowed Daniel with excited delight as he picked up one of the tin horses lined up on top of a glass cabinet, alongside soldiers, carts, and canons. He smiled as he felt the little toy in his hand, remembering the shelf he kept his on, in front of a collage of western pictures he had cut out of magazines.

Marius beside him laughed gently, picking up a tiny soldier. “Very nice,” he appraised, setting it back down in exactly the same spot he had plucked it from. “Did you have this many?”

“Almost! My grandfather bought them for me when I was 6, the Christmas after they found me playing dress up in Mom's house coat, the one with the feathers? I guess they thought it would straighten me out if I had more soldiers and cowboys to play with. Obviously not very effective.”

Daniel looked around this space, in awe of how deep this store ran. Marius had taken him, an evening trip during one of their visits to New York. They had stayed the night before in a little cabin far away from the urban height of the city the night before, and were making an adventure of exploring this town now. As a mortal Daniel hadn't cared much for winter, but now as a vampire he loved it. It was dark by 5 pm, so they were awake in time to see movies, hunt among the crowds, pop into the smaller shops usually long closed by sundown in the summertime.

This one was an antique store, Marius said, but Daniel had marveled first at its size and layout. A three story split level style house has been converted into this space, further divided out into cubbies, corners and little books. Every inch of existing space was used to show wares, and even some space that didn't quite exist, with folding screens and paper barriers being used to create false walls. Here could be a corner showing dinnerware in stacks on buffet tops and carts, then right beside it racks of dresses and doilies. Just walking around was an adventure, and Daniel liked the music playing softly overhead, singing along quietly to a tinny version of Miracle out of Nowhere.

It was 1998, and Daniel was doing very, very good. That's what Marius said at least, on the regular, and it's what Daniel believed. He knew that sometimes he got lost, either for real or just in his own head, but not anymore. He was painting with Marius some nights in their home in Norway, beautiful if messy pieces with rich, touchable textures, all taught by Marius' hand. Sometimes too much by his hand, as Daniel would mutter about his critiques and go paint on something he shouldn't instead. But not here; he would behave here in a shop, and behave very well.

Hand in hand he and Marius walked, Daniel pulling him around a corner to see a Christmas display in a center booth, the highlight of which was a tree. A large, artificial tree bedecked in a mess of silver strand tinsel off each branch.

“Oh man, I remember that stuff. Mom hates it!” Said Daniel as he ran his fingertips over the thin strips, the sparkle of it attractive to him even if it was cheap. “We would fight over who got to put it on every year, and it kept falling all month. Mom said it was gonna ruin her sweeper but she bought more every year!” At his side, Marius listened, and Daniel liked that he listened. Curious after a moment though as he looked at the tree Daniel asked, “is it Christmas?”

“It's December 12th, 1998,” he answered, sounding very matter of fact as though he always had this information on the forefront of his mind, ready to speak. “So very near Christmas yes.”

Daniel thought on this, and frowned. “But we just hunted for shells on the beach,” he protested. “And lit a fire? At low tide?”

Marius' face was ever calm as he told Daniel, “that was in June, my love. Six months ago.”

Daniel didn't like this answer because eir made no sense. He wanted to call Marius a liar but that made even less sense; Marius was kind, and very honest with him. He's never caught him in a lie, and Daniel was quite good about detective deception. So he just sighed, and shrugged, and wandered. Past the Christmas displays he went, down the cluttered makeshift aisles, the floorboards old and freaking underneath his Converse sneakers. Parasols hung from the ceiling along with red lanterns, a folding table held a turn of the century Singer. Then a large cabinet caught his eye, a huge, handsome thing, made of oak, tall as he was. Each door was carved in thick, beautiful designs, inlaid with scrolling geometric metal.

“1922!” He whistled, looking over his shoulder to Marius. “Art nevouz! Isn't it beautiful?”

“It is,” his companion agreed, admiring the piece himself. “Excellent condition. This could be lovely in your room for holding your paints and extra parts, Daniel.”

Daniel was taken with the idea, having such a pretty antique for his things, the sort of thing he might have seen in his grandmother's house, but then Marius opened the doors to check the hinges, and Daniel found himself confused. Inside more items were kept, specifically a set of dishes, beige ones, rimmed in green, with orange, green and brown flowers set into the center.

“Oh…we had these,” he said with hesitation, picking up a small plate. “Only…” only these one's were worn in some spots, the glaze chipping away. Only these had some rougher edges, a hairline crack in one. But he remembered them new when his mother bought them, when he was in high school, and eating inunerable family dinners on them, awkward and stilted conversation. Hardly anything to have good memories about but it made him feel strange all the same.

“...why are these here?” He asked Marius, holding the plate up and looking to him with trust.

Marius let out a slow breath and took the plate, looking it over as though it would help him parse out an answer. “Because Daniel, they're over 30 years old now. That's vintage, more or less. Same with the vinyl records in boxes and the phonographs, same with the pillbox hats and pearls. People like things that are…I think the term they're using now is retro?”

“But this isn't retro!” Daniel protested. “This is just…this is just our stuff. We used this-”

“In the sixties, yes. And it's 1998 now, Daniel.” He handed the plate back to his young one, and Daniel knew he was meant to put it away, but he just held to it, then looked around, seeing all the items that Marius has mentioned. Record players and 8 tracks tapes alongside the housecoats his great aunt would wear, photographs in sepia and black and white, posters from Woodstock.

“...when did this happen?” Asked Daniel, and Marius wrapped his arm around his shoulders, finally easing the plate from his clutch.

“Sometime between now and then. Somewhere along the way they stopped speaking Latin, and then stopped knowing Rome as a place and knew it only as archeology. It happens slowly, slowly, and then all at once.” He kissed Daniels temple, and Daniel found himself leaning in to him, feeling wholly unsteady now. “But you, Daniel, you will never wear or fade or crack. You'll be vibrant and alive forever, now, with our blood. Do you understand?”

Daniel nodded, though he only understood a little. “If it's Christmas then I have presents to buy,” he said into Marius' shoulder, and he was glad Marius didn't press him to name who he could possibly need to buy for. He just let Daniel set the tone of their day, and followed his lead.

[fenicenera83]

Saturnalia Event Day 3

Prompt:String Lights -> HumanAU/Marius/Daniel

HumanAU set in the present day, where Marius is a very famous and beloved painter, but shy and reserved, and Daniel an enterprising and outgoing reporter. Daniel comes into contact with Marius' works, thanks to his work, something inside him changes forever. Those paintings seem to speak directly to his soul, they seem to tell his story, and somehow they help Daniel determinedly follow a path of personal healing. Daniel's determination and stubbornness, determined to want to thank the creator of those paintings in person, lead him to insist on meeting the introverted painter at any cost. Marius driven by exasperation, finally accepts the reporter's invitation for a meeting, little could he know that he would meet that day, under the string lights of a night near Christmas, the love of his life. After that night Marius and Daniel were never again separated in love and happiness. Every year, on the same day they had first met, they return to that small restaurant under the string lights to celebrate their immense love.

[herbeloved82]

Art and Confessions in the Shadow of a Fireplace

Day 2 Prompt, even if late

In a windowless room the only source of light came from the lighted fireplace where aromatic woods burned for hours now, filling the air with their scent. Outside winter was awake and covering the lands with snow and ice. Its reign had begun and no one, not even the blood drinkers could ignore its power. 

However, inside, the fireplace casted its orange and red light on the most beautiful piece of art that nature ever created. On the carpet a young man on his knees, his body trapped in ropes the same color of blood and passion. 

The ropes began from the middle of his chest to create the first diamond shape. His white skin an evident contrast against their deep color. Between them his nipples were already hard and red, begging for attention that no one gave. 

Then the red lines of rope spread like ink all over his body. His arms are tied behind his back and the long lines run along his spine to wrap itself around his swan-like neck. His head is thrown back, so that long auburn curls fall on a cascade around him, like a halo. He’s a fallen angel made only for pleasure and to tempt humanity. 

His exposed throat carries fast healing marks left behind by hungry lips and sharp fangs. His half closed eyes, unfocused and veiled, are filled with lust and yet his red mouth doesn’t beg for more. He knows better than that. He knows that as long as he behaves he will have everything he craves and more. 

His breath, just barely labored, echoes like thunder in the stillness of the room, a testament of how worked up he is, but it is his hard cock, proudly standing between his parted legs, that is the center and fulcrum of all the attention behind the intricate work of ropes and skin. 

Like the rest of him his balls are caged by the firm constriction of the ropes, but the soft material didn’t touch his cock. “You look so beautiful like this.” A silky voice whispered and the young man moaned as a soft blush crept  over his cheeks. 

Such a beautiful and unexpected reaction to the simplest truth.  

“Stay still for me, Armand.” The same voice said again and this time Armand exhaled the air trapped in his lungs in a vain attempt to control himself. 

“Master.” He said between clenched teeth, fighting the need to add more, to beg. Not now, he thought. It is too soon. 

“You can stay still a little longer, my love. Can’t you?”

The man waited for a small nod of the beloved head before he went back to impress such beauty on a canvas. Even Aphrodite herself would be jealous of Armand, and he knew that. “I - I can, Master.” Armand spat the words out of his mouth like they burned. It was hard, so hard to keep focus on his position and stillness, even after centuries spent training himself to never show emotions, but when Marius was around, Armand would always lose control. He would lose himself. That was what scared him so much when they met again, to lose himself in Marius again, to lose what he had built to keep himself safe. 

Now Armand had learned that he could be his true self with Marius, he could allow himself to show vulnerability, to fall even, and Marius would be there to catch him, to shield him from everything and everyone so that he could simply be. 

“I know you can, my love. You are so good for me.” 

So good. Armand had never been good for anyone. He had been a tool, a weapon used to terrify Paris. A ruler over his coven. He had been useful sometimes. With Louis, to offer him shelter when he couldn’t be with the one he really loved. He had offered a way to rest, and Louis had grabbed it, but back he only offered a part of himself when Armand craved everything. He had been a soldier in the war against Akasha and even a Master to Daniel, but good, that he never was, not for anyone. 

Only Marius could undo him with just a word, for good really sounded like Marius was telling him he was enough. Enough to stay, enough to be loved like he craved. Armand whimpered, a loud and acute sound, and tears of blood stained the corners of his eyes with their presence. 

“Armand?” Marius called. “Is everything okay?” It was just a simple question, and yet Armand felt his voice shake with shame and rage when he answered, knowing he couldn’t lie to Marius, not in this scenario. 

“Amadeo.” He whispered. Only to say it aloud just a second later.  

Marius dropped the brush and in a moment he was near Armand, on his knees so that he could look him in the eyes. Never before he heard Armand’s safeword during a scene.  

His hands loomed over the ropes, ready to slash them to free Armand, but the moment his cold skin brushed against the central knots, Armand panicked even more and tried to scoot away from Marius. 

“Armand?” He asked again, his voice soothing even if full of worries. 

When Armand looked at him again he saw confusion in his bright eyes and bit down at the supple flesh of his lip.  Usually during scenes he wasn’t supposed to talk if not to answer Marius’ direct questions, however he didn’t know if he could use so little words now. 

“Can I talk, Master? Can we talk?” 

The worry inside Marius morphed into something else and he hardened his expression while nodding his head yes. It was clear Armand needed his Master now, he needed everything that Marius was to him. 

Armand looked at him, his eyes searching Marius’ very soul for something, anything that would tell him his lover was upset, but when he only read acceptance in his eyes, he dared to ask for one more thing. 

“I - I would like to keep the harness. I need this to be,” but then words died on his lips. He was still learning to ask for what he needed. 

“Do you need this to still be a scene, my love?” Marius wasn’t sure about this. Armand had, after all, called for his safeword and it was his duty to end the scene, however he sensed there was something more going on, and he needed to know what it was. In a leap of faith Marius decided to have faith in their relationship and in Armand knowing what he needed, so when Armand said yes, Marius agreed with a quick and yet deep nod of his head. 

Then Marius got up, re-establishing his dominating role with that simple gesture. He waited for Armand to find his balance again and glanced at the stains on his perfect skin. Armand looked able to calm down in the offered silence, but even when he stopped shuffling, he didn’t raise his eyes from the ground. 

Slowly Marius saw the tension slide away from his body as Armand sunk deeper in the right mindset. 

“Tell me what happened.” While the words were simple and they could have been spoken in any other contest, they had a deeper meaning and a demanding nature to them that would have been absent if Armand wasn’t still on his knees. 

Armand took a deep breath, even if he didn’t need it, and answered the question with all the honesty he could muster. The time of lies and misunderstanding between them was over and now only the truth had the right to stay. 

“I was never good for others. I was never enough for them to stay.” Armand admitted and there was a longing in his voice, so deep that Marius saw all over again the boy he had saved from the brothels and couldn’t remember what love was. 

“You taught me that. I thought I had learned my lesson when you didn’t come back for me.” 

The scent of blood filled Marius’ nostrils as his heart broke under the excruciating pain of the truth Armand was claiming. He didn’t need to see the red trails on Armand’s face to know he was crying.  

“But then I learned that you never stopped to watch over me even when I didn’t know, and I have told myself I hated you for that. It was easier to hate you when the only one I really hated was myself, for betraying your teaching, for accepting what Santino turned me into.” 

Marius felt the acidic taste of regrets burning his throat and mouth, like fire it exploded inside him and brought him close to tears but this wasn’t about him. This was about Armand and it was his duty to make him the whole focus of Marius’ attention. His own needs had to wait, above all when he knew he deserved this pain for his actions had been monstrous no matter why he did what he did.

“I was left behind so many times. Every time I loved, I had lost the person I needed, and I couldn’t come back to you, for you are the only one who can destroy me. Your rejection would be enough to end my life. When you realize I’m not who you want and you will walk away, you will take my life with you.” 

Blood flooded in Marius’ mouth when he bit his tongue. What good were words when it was actions that Armand needed to believe Marius would stay? And yet he wanted to throw himself at Armand’s feet, at his mercy, and tell him time and time again that he would never leave again. How could he when he himself barely survived to be separated from the one he so deeply loved? 

Armand was breathing hard through tears, trying in vain to calm himself and suppress the too many emotions he had bottled inside his soul for so long, but there wasn’t turning back now, the dem broke and his words were like a flooding river. They would purge his soul of all the pain he could never vent and finally leave him free from the burden he carried alone way too long, but in the meantime his whole body shook and Marius didn’t want anything more than to go to him and take him into his arms, where he belonged. 

“Earlier - earlier you said I was good for you, and for a moment you made me believe that I will be enough for you, that you will stay.” 

Armand’s last words echoed in the silent room and everything stilled. The pain was so deep it cut through Marius’ heart like not even claws could. It was a miasma that, like amber, trapped them in a timeless bubble of misery. 

“I will stay.” Marius said in the end, breaking the spell that subdued them. “I will always stay and I won’t ask you to believe me now, Armand, but I will show you, this, us, is forever for me.” 

For Marius had tried once already to live without him, and he wasn’t proud to admit that he failed miserably. Now he knew what his priority was, what it was always supposed to be, and he would live until his last moment honoring the second chance they were given against all odds. 

“You won’t.” Armand said, his voice just a whisper that Marius only caught because of his supernatural senses. 

“The moment you realize I’m not who you love, the moment you will understand what I did, you will leave me behind and I will be no more.” 

“What is the unforgivable sin you think you committed, what’s so monstrous in your eyes that you think I couldn’t forgive?”

Marius needed to know what was terrifying Armand. He for sure knew that Marius was well aware of his action in the centuries they were separated, and he couldn’t think about a single thing that Armand did he didn’t already forget, for forgiveness wasn’t his to give.

“I killed him. I killed the one you loved.” Armand said with resignation, like a man who knew once the truth was out, nothing would change his destiny of loneliness and annihilation. 

“Who? Who do you think I loved more than I love you?” Marius was confused. Of those he had loved no one had been dearer to his heart than Armand. Not even Pandora who he had loved tenderly for millennia, the last remaining piece of a past long gone that they had lived together. 

“Amadeo.” He spat with rage. “I killed your beloved Amadeo and in his stead only I remain.” Armand admitted at the end and then, like a puppet whose strings were cut, he fell on the ground and curled on himself. He wished the ground would open under him and swallow him whole. He couldn’t stay and see the disgust on Marius’ face, so he didn’t dare to look. 

Marius lowered himself to the ground once again, his red robe pooled around him like a lake of blood. Gently he lifted Armand from the ground and put him on his lap, then, with the ultimate care, he used his fingers to wipe away the tears from his eyes. 

“You are the most precious of all creatures to me, dear one.” He began, hands stroking every inch of his skin he could reach, giving Armand the comfort he so desperately needed, while taking comfort in the touch just as much himself. 

“There will never be another for me, but you.” He admitted aloud. He had lived longer than many and loved deeply, but now he knew his heart would always rest with the one in his arms, his one and only for as long as he lived.

Only now, when they finally found their way back to each other, Marius fully understood Seth and Fareed. Luckier than many, they knew since the beginning they could never be separated, for one was nothing without the other. 

“There is nothing to forgive, my love. You live in fear of something that doesn’t exist.” 

Armand moved in his arms, curling up again, making himself smaller and trying to hide his face in Marius’ stomach, deep into the softness of his robe. 

“How can you say this?” He muffled against the velvet, the cloth padded down his words. 

“Do you know how I always refer to you in private, when no one else is around and I think about you?” 

Armand shook his head. No, he didn’t know. He never dared to hope that Marius would think about him after they met again. He couldn’t handle the rejection or the hope. 

“I call you my Amadeo. You were always my Amadeo and always will be.” 

Armand stilled in his arms, ready to bolt. 

“Not because I discharge what you endured. I don’t belittle your pain and what you have to do to survive. I will never forgive myself for the pain you went through alone and I would never dare to deny it.” He explained. His voice was full of thousands of emotions and Marius didn’t even try to tone them down. 

“Then why?” Armand asked, unsure he really wanted to hear the truth. 

“Because for me you will always be the one I fall in love with. It doesn’t matter how much you changed, my love for you never diminished, if possible it grew stronger and deeper with the passing time.” 

“How can you say this?” 

Armand needed to know. He needed to dig and expose the truth to it bare bones, only then he would be able to trust that Marius wasn’t tricking him. 

“Because it is the truth. You are him and he’s you. You are one of the many forms my Amadeo took. You are the soldier who fought to survive, you are the painter who craves to learn, the man who needs to know and consume everything around him. You are my fledgling and Daniel’s Master. You are a friend and an advisor. You are all of this and more as Amadeo was and is, but above all, you are the man I love unconditionally.” 

This time, when Armand moved, Marius wasn’t ready for his actions, for he could never predict what his lover would do. They tumbled on the floor as Armand didn’t have his agility with his arms secured behind his back and yet he managed to push Marius so hard he was now lying on the floor, Armand awkwardly straddling him. 

“Prove it. Prove it to me.” He demanded and Marius couldn’t deny him anything, not after the words spoken between them. 

Marius turned his neck, offering him the delicate skin, beneath which his veins pulsed with blood, and when Armand bit him his whole body felt on fire and at peace at the same time. Marius didn’t hide his moans. He didn’t hide anything from Armand. 

At every sip memories unlocked for Armand, thoughts that were secrets to anyone else. Armand discovered through the blood how Marius saw him, what he thought when he was the only focus of his mind. He felt emotions that his Master never shared with anyone else, protecting Armand and the memories of their time together like they were Marius’ most precious possession. 

Everything was given to him and Armand became drunk on Marius’ blood, on the feeling of the love his lover really held for him, for blood could never lie. 

“Master.” He mumbled against Marius’ neck, the blood dripping from his sharp fangs. “Master, I need you.” It could have been the sluggish nonsense of someone inebriated out of their minds, but Marius knew better. 

This was bloodlust and need, all wrapped in his Armand’s beautiful package. It didn’t take long for Marius to tip them over, so that Armand was the one lying on the carpet, his beautiful body exposed to Marius’ hungry eyes.

Marius towered over him for a few moments, just the time to keep devouring Armand with his eyes, stunning in his harness, and to get rid of his robe before he covered Armand with his larger frame, hiding him from sight in case any jealous God was watching. 

The kiss that descended on Armand’s mouth was desperate, full of a hunger that Marius could barely contain now. Marius’ lips were demanding and allowed Armand no other choice but surrender. His mouth still tasted like Marius’ blood and he savored himself in his lover, adding more blood as sharp fangs pierced delicate skin. 

When his need to devour his lover was barely satiated, Marius helped Armand on his side, his long fingers probing against his opening, at first just brushing over his the delicate skin as his mouth kept pampering Armand’s body and shoulders with gentle kisses all over his flawless flesh. 

Slowly Marius prepared him, making sure not to cause pain with his claws. He marveled all over again as Armand’s body relaxed under him. 

“Please. Please stop torturing me.” Armand begged and Marius smiled against his neck. 

“Am I, my love?” Even his voice sounded deeper, stained with passion. 

“You are so cruel, the cruelest.” 

Then Armand couldn’t keep going for his words morphed into a scream of pure pleasure as Marius slid inside him, his body accommodating around his girth. Marius didn’t stop until every inch of him was inside Armand, and yet Armand needed more. 

Until dawn they made love, in the privacy of their room. Not even the call of the sun was strong enough to keep them from each other, so deep their need was. 

Only the heaviness of their limbs told them that soon they would be dead to the world, trapped in the sleep that plagued their kind, and once again Armand surprised Marius. 

“Stay. Stay inside me.” 

Marius wrapped himself around Armand’s body, offering him shelter in his arms, and as one they slept. 

Only the unfinished portrait would watch over their sleep, a silent witness to their renewed bond. As the fire died in the fireplace and darkness engulfed them, they slept aware that the other would stay, now and forever. 

END                           

[deromanuscoven]

❆𝓦𝓮𝓵𝓬𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓢𝓪𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓷𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓪'𝓼 𝓭𝓮 𝓡𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓾𝓼 𝓒𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓷 𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓽❆

˚❅*ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇɢɪɴ ᴏɴ ᴅᴇᴄᴇᴍʙᴇʀ 𝟷𝟼 ᴀɴᴅ ᴇɴᴅ ᴏɴ ᴅᴇᴄᴇᴍʙᴇʀ 𝟸𝟸 ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪɴᴛᴇʀ sᴏʟsᴛɪᴄᴇ.

˚❅*ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʀsᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴇxᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ɢɪғᴛs ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴀ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴍɪɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ʜᴏᴡ ɪᴍᴘᴏʀᴛᴀɴᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ɢɪғᴛ ᴏғ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅsʜɪᴘ ɪs

🎁We will give three prompts for each day of the week. All kinds of work are accepted, fanart, fanfiction, aesthetics, poetry, moddboard, etc…

The only rule is respect and love for Anne Rice's characters.

🧦We give a preview of the prompts so that those who want to participate will have time to create their own work on the prompts they want to tackle.You can choose one prompts or tackle more than one the choice is yours!

✨DAY 1 - Saturnalia✨DAY 1 - Frost✨DAY 1 - Holly & Ivy

✨DAY 2 -Fireside✨DAY 2- Sleigh✨DAY 2 - Holiday

✨DAY 3 - Hot cider and bourbon✨DAY 3- Wreath✨DAY 3 - String lights

✨DAY 4 - Wishlist✨DAY 4- Ornament✨DAY 4 - Candle

✨DAY 5 -Frostbite ✨DAY 4- Mistletoe✨DAY 4 -Winter wonderland

✨DAY 6 - Flannel and pine ✨DAY 5-Fur ✨DAY 5 -Gift wrap

✨DAY 7 - Longest night ✨DAY 7 -Hymn ✨DAY 7 - First snow

🎁A Special thanks to @immortalsarcasm,@the-apostates-martyr

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for writing the beautiful prompts for the event!

Thank you to all who will participate. See you soon!

[questioningyourbehavior]

shout out to whoever this is. this fandom needs to be rid of this toxic bigotry fandom policing.

You're welcome. I agree whole heartedly. This fandom is ripe with fence sitters who allow toxic people to go unchecked because they're afraid of upsetting their friends. I'm not afraid to do that. If I see toxic behavior, I'll call it out as many times as need be. I'll repost this as many times as needed.

Flushing out toxic members of this community who display anti behavior, bigoted behavior and toxic lateral violence is key to making this place better. Bullies who have no fear that their actions have consequences will continue to be a bullies if left unchecked. Bullies only respond to humiliation, so here it is.

Let that be known to all members of this fandom. If you want to be cruel to other people and bully them for no reason other than you're a bully who hates women, I'll let everyone know. They can have the spotlight since they want attention so badly.

[the-vc-group-chat]

A gift for @the-apostates-martyr that's really nothing more complicated than Daniel and Marius just understanding one another. Part of the Saturnalia @deromanuscoven event.

[local-queer-classicist]

Now that the semester has ended, I’ll be going over the completely detail-less itinerary of a wedding that’s in two days 5 hours from my house in an attempt to plan every step so I don’t get overwhelmed because of the autism thing while also trying to figure out if there’s enough buffer time on the ends of the event that I can get away with safely binding the whole time without needing to take up half my bag to bring a backup bra to the venue because of the trans thing. Pray for me, people in my phone.