Little Boy Belmont (Richter x Olrox)

Chapter Three: Nightly Stroll

The moon is full and bright as Richter and Olrox walk outside in the forest. Crickets chirp somewhere in the thicket, the sound somewhat calming Belmont. It turns out Olrox had carried Richter all the way up to the room the Aztec currently resides in.

Knowing that the Aztec definitely slept in that very same bed that Richter woke up on is enough to get his feelings conflicted. Belmont is alarmed that the scent of lavender alone is more than enough to send his heart racing.
Whether that be from fear or something else, he isn't certain yet.

Part of him is still mad at Olrox for all of the nightmares and trauma, but another part of him oddly craves Olrox's attention. The two sides clash in his mind hard enough that it gives him a headache. He sighs and pauses by the lake they both met at.

He stares into the water, looking down at his tired reflection. Olrox hovers over his shoulder, already following him like a second shadow, just as he promised. Olrox doesn't seem like the kind of person to take deals lightly, from what Richter has figured.

"I thought this would help me calm down, but..." Richter trails off, tears of frustration in his eyes. "It's not working."
The reality of his situation slams into him like a ton of bricks. A teardrop distorts their shared reflection, then another, and another.

Weeping into his hands, Richter falls to his knees, almost getting his pants wet from being so close to the water.
Olrox watches Richter cry, feeling his lips twitch. Part of him oddly aches for the Belmont. Fate almost seems to be laughing in his face.

Seeing his bonded person so...defenseless makes him want to protect Richter more. Slowly, he places his hand on Belmont's shoulder. In his defense, Richter doesn't flinch away. Sniffing, Richter looks up at the vampire. The young Belmont looks exhausted, Olrox can see how bloodshot his eyes are.

Such pretty blue eyes that don't deserve to look so sad. Olrox sighs and kneels down as well.
"Holding it in won't do you any good. Let it out," he murmurs. It feels strange giving advice to his dead enemy's son, but fate is funny like that sometimes. He never thought he'd need the help of a Belmont.

Slowly, Richter calms down. Sighing, Olrox stands and tries to remove his hand from Belmont's shoulder. He's stopped when Richter's pale hand touches his. He looks down in surprise.
"Stay," Richter whispers, head lowered and turned away. Glancing at Richter's reflection, Olrox catches a glimpse of the hunter's blushing face. The Aztec looks away, giving Richter some dignity.

Belmont's hand on top of his is warm and calloused from years of using his weapons. He can practically feel the waves of loneliness and genuine depression rolling off of Richter without having to smell it. So Olrox stays, listening to the crickets making noise.

He could easily slip out of Richter's grasp, it wouldn't be hard at all. But part of him doesn't want to. This stubborn, lonely Belmont reminds him so much of his past lover more than he can openly admit.
****
They make it back to Olrox's room as morning approaches. Richter watches the sun rising as Olrox hangs back in the shadows. The ancient Aztec notices that the silver Belmont crest on Richter's back shines a little bit in the light.

It reminds Olrox of the stars vaguely. It's strange how fast his opinion on Belmont is changing so quickly. Richter doesn't notice this, he's too sidetracked looking down at the street full of people now.
"If you're going to protect me, even during the bright days like this," he turns to Olrox, the sunlight making him look like your standard hero, "how can you accomplish that?"

Both men could not be more opposite, one in the light, the other in shadow. Even in the darker parts of the room, Olrox's eyes glow a little.
"As stated before, I'll stick to the dark places. That, or I'll be in your shadow."
Richter looks alarmed at this.
"In my shadow?"
"If it's bright enough, and you can cast a long enough shadow, I can blend in. I won't be able to walk next to you, but behind you. We'll still be able to talk, but you'd have to keep your voice low enough so you don't sound like a mad man," Olrox explains, a slight smile on his lips.

Richter laughs, then covers his mouth, hiding his burning cheeks. Did he seriously just laugh? Was Olrox attempting to..tell a joke?
Luckily for him, Olrox doesn't mention it.
The Aztec smiles a little, not admitting that he looks relieved to see Richter showing another emotion besides sadness, fear, or anger.