Little Boy Belmont (Richter x Olrox)

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Exotic Smells

Sleeping in a hammock below deck during the day is something Richter never thought he'd experience, but is relaxing nonetheless. He's grown accustomed to the rocking of the ship on the waves, despite the fact he vomited over the side of the ship three times in rapid succession.

Somehow, the taste of the heart he ate tastes worse coming back up. He had rinsed his mouth out with water and ended up in his hammock to try and rest off the seasickness. He passes out to the gently swaying of the hammock and the sound of the waves.
****
He feels warm, curled up in the fetal position, like when Ometeotl would cradle him after his birth. But he isn't a defenseless baby, not anymore. No, he's been tasked to be the first sun, giving light to the giants down below him, even though he could only form half a sun.

How long has he been up here? Even he doesn't know. Richter/Tēzcatlipōca looks down at the giants with curiosity, knowing that he and Olrox/Quetzalcoatl made them together. But without a moon, he stays stagnant in the sky, giving off vague heat. The giants have been doing sacrifices in his name, everything is as it should be.

He smiles when he sees Olrox/Quetzalcoatl coming towards him, then frowns. Something's wrong. Before he can speak, his younger brother brandishes a stone club like a weapon with tears in his eyes. The Serpent God strikes the Jaguar God hard enough that he falls out of the sky.

Richter/Tēzcatlipōca slams into the ocean hard enough to send waves crashing onto the land. Enraged, he turns into his jaguar form underwater and leaps out of the ocean, fur soaking wet. He summons his other jaguars and wreaks havoc on the land and its inhabitants, much to the horror of Olrox/Quetzalcoatl.
****
Belmont jolts awake in his hammock, hearing the footsteps above him as the crew wakes up since it's morning.
"Why do you keep showing me these visions of the past?" he whispers to the Aztec God.
"So you don't follow the same path I did," the Jaguar God murmurs in Richter's mind despite being on the other side of the planet.

Richter sighs and looks over to see Olrox asleep in his own hammock on the other side of the room. Knowing he can't go above the deck unless he wears the heavy cloak, Richter decides to stay below deck, thinking to himself.
He looks down to see his shirt had gotten twisted during his sleep, revealing the scars across his stomach.

Gently, he reaches down and touches them, the scars still pink and stand out a lot more against his black skin, but they don't hurt.
"Richter?" Olrox's groggy voice makes him look over. The Aztec sits up on his hammock, looking worried.
"Everything all right?"

Belmont nods. "Just thinking."
Olrox motions him to come over and lie next to him. Richter does so, the hammock large enough that they can both fit.
"Do the scars hurt?" Olrox asks softly, concern in his green eyes. He feels the Aztecs' hand gently rest on his stomach.
Richter shakes his head no.
"They don't hurt. I just...sometimes forget they're there," he admits.

Olrox remains silent for a moment. "When we get to Mexico and into the Pyramid of the Moon, I'll make you feel better, kiss every inch on your body, even the scars."
Richter blinks a few times, trying to process the fact that Olrox wants to see him naked.

"Olrox—" he stammers, pupils completely round as he becomes flustered. "Really, you don't have to..."
"Of course I do," the Aztec reasons with a smile. He enjoys teasing Richter just for the fun of it.

Belmont blinks in surprise when Olrox kisses his cheek, then his neck, going lower to kiss his collarbone. He doesn't realize he's purring until the Aztec laughs softly at the sound.
"Cute," Olrox smiles and weaves his fingers through the younger vampire's hair. Richter sighs and closes his eyes, falling asleep next to him.
****
The air is warmer above deck as they enter the Gulf of Mexico, the scents more exotic. Richter swears he can smell something spicy and sweet drifting in the wind from the mainland. He's surprised at how his chest tightens at the smell that shouldn't be familiar to him, but is.

"Chillies and cacao powder," he murmurs, leaning against the ship railing, his cloak and the ship's sails casting a long enough shadow that he's safe from the sun. He fiddles with the purple and red feathers Olrox had given him so long ago, the bright colors popping out more against his dark skin.

He feels the feathers between his fingers, wondering what he'll do with them.
"There you are," Olrox's voice murmurs against his ear as he feels the Aztecs' arms around his waist from behind. Richter smiles at the touch. "I was wondering where you had gone."
"You missed me already?" Richter muses. Olrox laughs, green eyes always glowing, even under his own hood.

"Can you smell that?" The older vampire smiles, fangs visible.
"You mean the smell that's making my nose hairs burn and eyes water?" Belmont teases, earning a playful growl from the Aztec. "Smells like home," Richter reasons.
Olrox hums in response.

He feels Olrox rest his chin against his own shoulder and hears him gasp a little in his ear.
"You kept them?" he murmurs, voice thick with emotion.
"What? These?" Richter holds up the feathers between his claws. "Of course I did. You gave them to me."
"I didn't think you'd actually keep them," Olrox murmurs, his arms wrapping a little tighter around Richter's waist.

"And I didn't think I could still surprise you," Belmont smiles back.
They watch the ship dock at the harbor, the scents of roasting chillies and some type of chocolate drink stronger here.
"Welcome home," Olrox murmurs against Richter's lips, then gently kissing him.