3. Chapter 3 (1/1)

and the final bit. hope you guys don't mind the a

upt shift in character focus. enjoy!

disclaimer: not mine, never mine.

when the threat had passed and the shapeshifter was nothing more than a rock in the lake that apparently existed in the dracula blood mirror – bertrand had never heard of such a thing, but he couldn't exactly enter the mirror and find out – vlad had given malik a long, searching look before turning on his heel and marching off with barely a muttered threat."no more trouble or i'll dust you myself."

malik didn't look like he was going to cause any trouble; he simply stood, staring at the mirror, until bertrand touched his elbow to get his attention."can we talk in private?" he nodded weakly, a thousand miles removed from the cocky street-fang bertrand was used to bantering with in class, and the older vampire decided that despite the relative privacy of the mirror room, it would be a good idea to relocate. malik's room was nearest, so he took the boy by the arm and led him there, unresisting."what do you want to talk about?" it was a dull monotone, as if he was just following a script, and though bertrand had meant to say something like i'm sorry or you'll be alright or even i'm here for you, he found himself gathering the boy carefully into a hug instead.

malik stiffened, every muscle tensing as he caught up with the situation... and then he was slamming bertrand backwards against a wall, pinning him there. bertrand let him; he wasn't holding a stake, he didn't have any of vlad's creepier powers, and he doubted the boy would win in a fight if it came down to it. let him work his anger out, if that was what it took."if i'm going to lose everything today, i might as well get this out there. i couldn't stand the thought of mum killing you because i... i really fancy you, ok? and ingrid's already told me you've got a thing for vlad, but i can't help it-""i had a thing for vlad a year ago, malik. and then he made it clear he wasn't interested, and i got over it. i didn't think i would, but i did."

malik let him go, stepping back, running his hands roughly through his hair."so you're saying i'll get-""and then this gorgeous, funny guy who didn't act like he was better than me and didn't let me get away with anything got into a fight with some slayers." he stepped forward and carefully untangled malik's hands from his own hair, holding them gently between them. "and the more i got to know him, the more i liked him. must be the motorbike, everyone loves a biker." malik frowned, confused."who?" but his gaze settled on bertrand's hands, still firmly clutching his, and then snapped up to his face, as if he hardly dared to hope. "me?""you," bertrand confirmed. "but you've had a hell of a day, you probably shouldn't be making deci-"

he never finished his sentence as malik pinned him to the wall again and crushed their lips together, trying to press his body as close to bertrand's as he could without actually propelling them through the wall."this ok?" he managed at last, when he could

ing himself to

eak the kiss."oh, yes." and bertrand pulled him right back in.