Akiro’s Point of ViewI let a few days pass before I decided to finally talk with my grandparents about Heli. Grandmother had an attack when she got so mad at Heli. I didn’t want to make it worse so I decided to talk to them when she’s in good condition already.It wasn’t that critical, but I didn’t want to take risks, so it took me almost three days before I approached them in their room. We haven’t been on good terms since that day, especially after the last words I told Heli, but they still made sure to take care of me even though it’s me who needed to make it up to them.I took a deep breath once I stopped in front of their room before knocking on the door. I didn’t wait for a response; I just slowly opened it and took a peek first before entering. Grandma was busy folding their clothes while grandpa was reading a newspaper. I know they noticed me but neither of them made a move to acknowledge my presence. So I cleared my throat to get their attention, but there was still no resp
Heli’s Point of ViewWaiting for Akiro to come to me first was a bigger torture than my parents banning me from leaving my room for a month. At least, there was a limit to my punishment from my parents. But I have no idea when I will stop waiting for Akiro so we can finally talk things out. I’m restraining myself from entering their house because I am respecting my mate’s wish for him to settle things with his grandparents first. So no matter how much I wanted to barge inside their house and find out what was happening, I restrained myself from doing so.Even if it means waiting endlessly and losing so much time. It’s because I found hope in Akiro’s last words to me. He believed me. He wants to talk to me as well. He wants to know me. I have a hunch that he could feel a connection between us. He could also feel the pull! And that’s what motivates me even more. He couldn’t forget me— he couldn’t resist me. Which means our connection has finally shown and he could feel it!If we get
Akiro’s Point of ViewHeli looks pretty... mad.His lips were pursed into a thin line, his thick eyebrows knitted together, his eyes turned dark and colder as he looked at me, confused. His jaw clenched.Why does he look so attractive when he’s mad? His sharp features make him look more dangerous, but it didn’t faze me at all. In fact, I’m extremely enraptured by it. So far, I only see him laughing, grinning, and with a blank expression. My mind was quite fuzzy when he cornered me in the club’s restroom, so his image back then was kind of blurry. He was mad then, but I couldn’t remember how he looked.So right now, I’m soaking all of it before he gets seriously mad.“What do you mean?” he asked.“I won’t come with you to your world, Heli,” I repeated. “I will stay here because my only family is here. I won’t leave my grandparents alone. They have no one else to take care of them. We need each other.”“How about me? My family? They live in another world, Akiro.”“You can always visit t
Heli’s Point of View“They knew all along! Can you believe it? And they didn’t even bother telling me! I’ve tried so hard not to let them know because I was afraid they’d be mad or disappointed! It turns out they weren’t saying anything because they wanted me to tell them first! They didn’t want to pressure me! How does that make sense?”My lips curled into a lazy grin as I watched my mate rant about how his grandparents didn’t tell him they knew about him being ‘gay’. It’s amusing to see him like this, because he seemed comfortable in my presence.Every day, I follow him wherever he goes— except to his house. It’s the one place I’ve reminded myself to keep off-limits. Akiro is still not aware of how I managed to appear every time he called for me or asked himself where I was. I can’t tell him about the invisible stone lest I want him to get mad at me.At this crucial point in my life, I can’t let a fight happen between us anymore. As much as possible, I want things to go as smoothly
Akiro’s Point of View“Akiro!”I stopped on my track when a familiar voice called me. I spun around to find the source of the voice only to see a petite figure running in my direction.“Zyra,” I smiled at her. “It’s nice to see you again. You’ve been too busy with your dance, huh?”Her cheeks flushed a rosy pink as she tucked a strand of hair that was covering her face. “Yup. The prize for the competition is way too high for us to just chill. Besides, there will be incentives in our other major subjects if we win.”“That’s good to hear. I hope you really win. I’ve seen all your posts when you have practice. You guys are working hard.”“Y-you saw it?” she asked, eyes widening in surprise.I rubbed my nape, feeling embarrassed. Do they really think I don’t use social media? I’m always late when it comes to news, gossip and trends because I don’t use my phone that much aside from checking for updates on our class group chat or when I can’t sleep, so I just scroll through my newsfeed to m
Heli’s Point of ViewWill I receive a punishment from our Royal Highness if I freeze this club along with the people inside? Of course, except my mate. I won’t kill them, I will just freeze them so they will stop pulling Akiro everywhere and hand him different kinds of drinks.He’s obviously tipsy right now, but he still seems to know what’s happening around him and what he’s actually doing. So he was trying to push past the people that were trying to dance with him— including that girl he danced with weeks ago. There was a collective groan and sighs of disappointment when Akiro left the dance floor, but he paid them no mind.He went straight to their table and took the shot that his friend gave him. He drank it at once before excusing himself away from his friends. Knowing where he was heading, I followed him.I could feel my anger flaring up when a girl pushed Akiro inside the men’s restroom. The sound of a click confirmed my thoughts that the girl had a plan on my mate. I snarled b
Akiro’s Point of ViewI groaned in frustration. I really should have made Heli buy a phone for himself, so I could text or call him whenever I wanted! He said I could call him anytime and he'd be right here immediately, but I’ve been calling him here inside my room for the past thirty minutes and not even a shadow of him can be seen.After a few more minutes of trying, I eventually gave up. Instead of waiting for him to arrive, I picked up my jacket and wallet and went out of the house. I have my own savings from the few side-jobs I did to support my studies. I’ll buy Heli a second-hand phone so I can communicate with him anytime.I locked the gate of our house because my grandparents weren’t home. Once I ensured it was fine, I spun on my heels to leave.Only to bump at the person standing so closely behind me. I didn’t bother looking at who it was; I just smacked his arms. He muttered a low ‘oh’ which made me glare at him.“I’ve been calling you for half an hour! Why didn’t you come?
Heli’s Point of ViewDamn fucking shit.Akiro: I’ll just eat lunch, then I’ll talk to you again, okay? Akiro: In the meantime, you should practice your typing skills. It takes you three business days to finish a single sentence hahaha.I frowned at what Akiro said. Three business days? What was that supposed to mean?I replied with a simple ‘okay’ even if I didn’t completely understand what he meant, then I proceeded to practice typing on the phone just like what Akiro said. I decided not to follow him to the cafeteria so I wouldn’t be distracted by looking at him and listening to their conversation.There were a lot of students around the bench where I’m currently seated. I was inside Akiro’s class earlier, secretly chatting with him. In all honesty, I’m grateful he thought of this idea. I enjoyed chatting with him and watching his reaction. Though I do feel bad that he’s not focusing his attention on the lecture, he didn’t seem to mind.It was half an hour later that I received a m
Third Person’s Point of ViewAkiro smiled as he continued staring at his sleeping mate. They’re cuddled in their bed with Heli’s arms wrapped tightly around Akiro’s waist. He couldn’t pull away because the vampire’s hold was tight even while sleeping, so he was left with no choice but to remain lying down on Heli’s arms.And Akiro is absolutely not complaining. It’s been a while since he stared at Heli’s face, and it felt like he'd forgotten some of the vampire’s features. So right now, all he did was to commit every detail of Heli’s face to his memory all over again.Akiro was so preoccupied that he failed to notice that Heli cracked an eye open and immediately caught his mate staring intently at him. There was the look of— dare he say— fondness and admiration in Akiro’s eyes that made Heli’s heart flutter.He took advantage of his mate’s obliviousness. He shamelessly stared back, enjoying the sight of Akiro’s morning look that he had been secretly cataloguing inside his mind. Even w
Third Person’s Point of View“Work, huh?” Hendrix grinned at his youngest brother, who was sitting on the couch across from him, and was actually pouting as he glared at nowhere. But if anyone pointed it out, Heli would deny it and freeze their mouths until Heli decided to take pity on them.“Can you believe that? I can provide him with everything he needs and wants if he just tells me what it is, and then he can live comfortably. But no, he wants to work,” Heli said, disbelief clear in his voice. “He’s an independent man, Heli. He’s not used to just sitting idly in the corner while someone serves him everything on a silver platter. He wants to be able to stand on his own without relying on anyone,” Hadrien’s mate— Thaia— softly said.“Unlike the rest of us who had a similar lifestyle in our human lives and here, it’s quite easy to adjust. But for Akiro, who’s different from us in every possible way, it will be hard for him, and he might have more demands to make before he fully adju
Third Person’s Point of View“You didn’t tell me the Emporium is for elite vampires! How am I supposed to pay for all of these?” Akiro whined upon seeing the prices of all the clothes and pants he picked, as well as the knitting materials and the newspapers he picked for his grandparents.Heli frowned at him. “You don’t need to pay for anything, Akiro, so you don’t have to worry about the price.”“But how about those knitting materials and newspapers I took for grandma and grandpa? This costs a lot!”“Like I said: you don’t have to worry about the price. We’re a royal family, Aki. Money is not a problem for us.”Akiro looked away, pouting. He doesn’t like that he’d owe Heli such a large amount of money, but it’s not like he has a choice. He has no money. He doesn’t have work where he can earn—An idea formed in his mind. He turned to face his mate, his expression giddy. “I’ll find a job!”Heli raised an eyebrow at him. “What?”“I’ll find a job so that I can save money, and then I can
Third Person’s Point of View“FUCK! AKIRO!”Heli extended his arms forward, reaching towards his mate who was getting pushed away by the crowd of vampires trying to get near the youngest prince. Akiro’s face dissolved into panic, his arms flailing around in an attempt to reach Heli’s hand. But with all the stronger vampires pushing him away, he wasn’t able to even touch the tip of Heli’s fingers.“Heli!” Akiro exclaimed, his heart beating frantically as their distance grew farther from each other.He could hear the prince yelling profanities and his name, but he couldn’t see him anymore from the crowd of taller vampires obscuring his view of the raging prince. It made him nervous not only because he was surrounded by vampires he didn’t know, but also because he was sure Heli might throw a fit if he got seriously injured by the stampede.Heli would surely blame himself if he saw Akiro get hurt, and Akiro would like to avoid that if possible. It wasn’t the vampire’s fault after all. He
Third Person’s Point of View“Are you sure you don’t want to bring some knights with you?”Heli turned to his mate, who, in turn, shook his head in response to the Queen. “Heli’s with me, Your Majesty. We’ll be fine.”The Queen looked like she was about to protest and continue to insist, but a large hand rested on her shoulder, effectively stopping her from talking. She looked over her shoulders and met her husband’s ruby-red eyes that were telling her to let the children go. She sighed.“Fine,” the Queen finally relented, seeing that even the King agreed with the boys. She looked sharply at her youngest son. “Take care of your mate, Helios. Eyes on him. You know how the town is.”Helios scowled. “Of course, I will. You don’t have to remind me of that.”“I’m just making sure.”Helios just huffed, then he turned to his mate. “Come on.”Akiro bowed politely to the King and Queen, then he hugged his grandparents. “We won’t take long.”The Queen knows it would be Akiro’s first time to lea
Heli’s Point of ViewI sighed deeply when I saw the room was still empty after being inside the bathroom for nearly half an hour already. I plopped myself on my bed, staring at the door as if it would magically make my mate appear if I just stared hard enough.It was half an hour past the two hours he said, and he still hadn’t come back. I can’t help but feel restless about it. I’m aware I am being clingy, but can anyone blame me? My mate and I haven’t been on good terms for months, and I really missed just talking to him and enjoying his presence. It was a luxury I took for granted.Even though we talked already, it didn’t mean all our previous issues had been resolved. No. It would take more than one talk for us to resolve our issues and put it completely in the past. But right now, we’re alright, and I just want him beside me. When ten more minutes had passed, and he still didn’t return, I decided to go and check on him. But just as I stood up to get myself new clothes, the door o
Akiro’s Point of View“Listen, Aki. Don’t think this is your fault, alright? None of this is on you. I’m the very reason of your suffering, so it’s only right I do something for you,” Heli quickly began before I could even say something. “I... am selfish; I admit that. I know that. I couldn’t let you go even if I saw how much you’ve suffered from living here and away from your grandparents. So I thought of the only thing I can do to keep you here at the same time make you happy, and I don’t regret anything. All the risks that come with this decision? I wholeheartedly accepted it, and I had prepared myself for the worse. I admit that it made me nervous and afraid, not for myself but for my people. But when I saw you smile genuinely for the first time since I’ve brought you here, every doubt and fear in my heart disappeared instantly. Aki... it was worth it.”The sincerity in his eyes and voice made my chest hurt in a good way. It feels like his very soul was touching my heart. How can
Heli’s Point of ViewIt was worth it.It’s been a while since the last time I’ve seen Akiro’s genuine smile. His smile that holds so much joy to the point of being contagious...I wanted to slap myself for taking that away— for being the reason he slowly lost that beautiful smile of his that I loved. For being the reason why he withered to something I almost can’t recognise. It feels like a grave sin, taking the brightness out of Akiro’s life.So this plan that I collaborated with my parents, is worth it. Even if it means risking my life. That’s the least I could do. Besides, I trust our people here in the palace. They’ve been working here for longer than I’ve been living, maybe even longer than Hale’s life. I decided to go to the training room to blow off some steam. When I entered the room, I saw Hale practicing with the swords. He whirled around when I entered. And just as I was about to ask if I could join, he suddenly appeared in front of me, taking me by the collar of my vest a
Akiro’s Point of ViewI stared at the flowers spread out in the palace garden, admiring their beauty, then I zoned out once again.It’s been a frequent occurrence for the past weeks. I keep drifting in and out of life, as if someone’s pulling and pushing me to consciousness. I didn’t even know I was zoning out in the middle of a conversation. I just found out about it whenever any of my companions would shake me out of my thoughts.I feel bad whenever I unconsciously do it, but the others don't seem mad or offended. In fact, they even looked concerned, but I just kept brushing off their questions.Because really, what can I say that they don't know already? They know what I feel, but they can’t do anything about it, right? They can’t help me. Their false placation doesn’t help anymore in easing the pain in my chest. No reassurances that they will help me adjust to this life or that I have someone who still cares for me can make me feel better.Everyday, I feel like I’m withering away