ℒove at First Bite ≫ One Direction/Vampire (AU)

thirty six // protected

- Gabry -

I was running upstairs before my mom could even say another word. Both of my parents called after me but I continued moving, skipping stairs as I rushed down the hallway and slammed my door shut, locking it behind me. My back immediately hit the wood of my door, me staring straight into the darkness of my room. 

Lily. Her name was Lily. 

Everything was now clicking into place. The dreams, the woman, the people demanding on finding something. It was all so clear now.

That woman was my mother. She was like me. Or more like I was like her. 

"You'll never find her. She's safe now." Those were Lily's dying words. 

You'll never find her. The darkness. Chosen One. 

The darkness had found Lily, her suicide a prevention on finding something.

That something was me. 

*~*

I didn't bother going downstairs at all. The Christmas tree and the tradition of opening one gift gone. It was almost midnight now, and I was assuming that my parents were asleep. Neither of them had come to my room, which I was thankful for. I wasn't sure if I wanted to talk to them. How was I even going to face them tomorrow? 

God what mess was I in? 

Curled up in my bed, the final hint of sleep slowly overcoming me was when I heard the tap at my window. I didn't flinch or move when I heard the window open and somebody step into the room.

" 'ello?" Niall called out. I didn't turn around, but he must have saw me in my bed. "Oh, sorry. Are you asleep?" 

"No, it's okay. You're okay." I replied. Sitting up I twisted and saw him, standing in a plain t shirt and pants that would make somebody freezing in this type of weather if they were human. He also held something small in his hands. 

"What's that?" I asked, looking down at it. It was a box. A small taped wrapped box, the paper the color of baby blue. 

"Oh," Niall started. He looked down as if he forgot he had it in his hands. "It's a present. You know, 'cus it's Christmas."

"Niall, you really didn't need--"

"No, it's Christmas you deserved something." He said, twirling the box in his hands, a small smile playing on his lips. He looked up at me closer, his smile fading. "Hey, what's wrong?" 

Great. My cover was blown. 

"Nothing, I'm fine. Just exhausted from Christmas decorating and stuff." I said, adding a fake yawn to show him that I was alright. He didn't seem to buy it but he dropped the topic. Instead he moved closer to me and stood next to my bed, handing out the box in front of him. 

"Here." He simply said.

I hesitated, looking at the box. Looking back to him I made eye contact, him still waiting for me to grab it. After a split second I reached out and grasped it, my fingertips touching his.

"How did you even get this?" I asked, twirling the box in my hands.

He put his hands in his pockets and shuffled in place. "I talked to Louis and he helped me out. Said he had something to give to you too but he wanted to wait till tomorrow." 

Giving a small laugh I found the slip to open the box. Looking up at Niall he nodded at me to continue. Ripping the paper off it revealed a black box the size of my palm. I crumbled the paper and tossed it on my floor, slipping the top off of the box. Inside was a beautiful silver bracelet, it glistening in the faint lights that shone in my room. No charms where attached to it, but it was beautiful anyway.

"Oh, Niall, I love it." I exclaimed, taking the bracelet out of the box and holding it. I didn't take my eyes off the chain but I could tell that he was pleased with himself. 

I unhitched the chain, putting it on my wrist and clipping it together. It fit perfectly, cool metal against the inner pale of my wrist. Before I even thought about it I was standing up from my bed and hugging Niall, my arms wrapped around his neck, chin on his shoulder. He hesitated but he soon hugged me back, not as tight but I didn't care.

"Thank you so much. I love it a lot." 

"I was hoping you would." He said, laughing nervously as I stood back from him. 

"I thought you said you guys weren't going to celebrate Christmas?" 

"Yeah, well, I still wanted to get you something. I mean we're friends right?" He said. 

I looked into his eyes, him staring directly back at me. His irises were dark, unusually dark, but still a faint blue. He must be hungry, I thought. I knew how dangerous vampires were when they were hungry, especially newborns from what Louis had told me. But standing here with him, my arms around his neck and his hands on my waist I knew one thing. That I wasn't scared. In fact I felt safer then I've ever been. 

Protected. I felt protected  and safe for the first time in the past month since everything had happened. 

I even felt protected as I found myself leaning closer, our eyes never looking away from each other. His hands gripped my waist tighter, a little bit too tight but I wasn't pushing him off. Instead I leaned closer, our foreheads now touching. When his lips touched mine I expected to feel warmth, but instead I was hit with the thin ice that inhabited his body. I didn't even realize that he was cold, he was dead. Well undead, but he was still flesh and I was still holding onto his neck and I could feel his hands on my waist, pulling me closer to him as our lips moved.

My eyes were closed, and they remained that way when I moved back to breathe. He trailed after me, but as soon as I opened my mouth to breathe he back off. He obviously had no need to take a breather.

It was silent after that, the icy feeling of his lips on mine fading with each second going by. He let go of my waist as soon as I took a step back, unwrapping my arms from around his neck. 

"That was. . . cool." Niall hushed, his voice barely a whisper. 

"Yeah." I replied, opening my eyes and looking back at him "That was." 

His eyes were even darker now, if possible then before. But he was still here. He hadn't bolted off, hadn't pushed me off. That's when I realized that I kissed him first. In all the times that I imagined my first kiss I wouldn't of guessed that I would be the first to make the move. 

I just made the first move. I just had my first kiss, with a boy I barely knew. I've only knew him for a month. He didn't know me, I hardly knew him. We don't know each other that well, but I feel like I've been through more stuff with him this past year then my whole lifetime alone. What was happening?

"I didn't get you a present." I blurted out, anything to change the subject. I could already feel my face turning red and my heartbeat speed up. Could he hear my heart beating faster? Oh god that was even making me more nervous.

"I'm pretty sure that was a good enough gift for me." Niall said, him smirking that sly innocent smile he always did. "It was good by the way."

"What?"

"The kiss. It was good." 

"Oh." I found myself saying. I looked down and played with the silver bracelet he had given to me. "Well, thanks?" I continued, though it sounded more like a question.

Niall gulped visibly and put his hands in his pockets. "I should, um, I should get back. Let you get some sleep for tomorrow." 

For the past few minutes I completely forgot that it was Christmas. Kissing him had cleared my mind completely. My parents and Lily being completely wiped from my memory, my mind a clean slate. But everything was coming back to me at a rapid pace, the sadness and empty feeling slowly settling next to the butterflies in my stomach. 

"Yeah, I'll see you around then?" I asked, unsure of how to continue the conversation without making it anymore awkward. 

Niall nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that." And then he walked over to the window, looking at me one final time before he disappeared behind the curtains and into the winter night.