Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Poprockz]

Damien watched them leave, almost wishing he could follow Cora into the bathroom and "help" her put on her costume- his specialty was really in removing clothes, though. He was looking forward to seeing Cora all dressed up, especially since he thought he saw purple extensions in her hands as well. Once they were gone, he simply sat there and looked at the instruments.

When Vin asked about his lack of interest regarding the costumes, he looked over to him and shrugged. "I'm not going to be onstage, so I don't see why I would wear one."

However, when he mentioned Cora finding it attractive, he raised his eyebrow, looking as though he was considering it. He did very much want Cora to continue to find him attractive, especially since part of him worried about their spark eventually fading. To him, he felt like all he had going for him was his looks and his cooking ability, so keeping himself visually appealing to her was definitely a priority.

Jesse caught the wink and smiled to herself, adding, "yeah, dude. She'd probably find it pretty fucking hot."

Damien crossed his arms, now finding his eyes drifting to the box as he wondered if it would really please her. "I... Well, I don't even know what I would wear. I haven't worn a Halloween costume since I was eight years old. Wouldn't I look weird just standing in the crowd in a costume?"

Jesse paused her face-art and put down the brush she was using before wiping her hands on her pants and digging through the box. She cast a look at him every now and then and pulled out some items.

"Okay. Final results of stuff that would fit you. We've got a classic seductive vampire costume, a sexy devil costume, or a king costume complete with a somewhat convincing crown." She grinned at Damien then Vin.

Damien shook his head, "I still think I would look ridiculous."

The girl rolled her eyes, picked up the outfits and went over to Damien. To his surprise, she put the clothes in his arms, dragged him over to the closet, turned on the light in there, led him in, and closed the door. "Just try one of them on. If it looks stupid, you can always take it back off."

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After arriving at the bathroom, Sabastian chose one of the bigger stalls and started to undress, letting his shirt and pants drop into a pile on the floor. At the cabin he had been forced to grab a pair of Damien's underwear, which had felt a bit awkward at the time despite not really having had a choice about it. They were a pair of dark blue boxer briefs, admittedly a style he actually liked.

He dressed up in the black skinny jeans, white undershirt and flowy white overshirt, putting on a white fingerless glove on the hand with the short sleeve. The belt was damn cool in his opinion, and really brought the look together. He then did his business in the stall and walked out to wash his hands next to her as she combed her hair.

At the mention of loosing the blessed elixir, he gasped over-dramatically and then giggled, "oh no! I suppose we'll definitely have to do that." His eyes went to her get-up and he grinned. "Looking hot by the way, Cora. If I was into chicks I'd be all over you." He hadn't explicitly admitted to any of them that he played for the other team, but he felt like he and Cora had become friends and felt comfortable casually mentioning it. Sabsatian didn't want it to be a big deal, popping open the eyeliner and hesitating. He hadn't applied make-up before, so he wasn't quite sure where to start.

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[Drobabes]

"Naw you won't look weird," Vin said.

"If anything, it will look like you're with the band, and when you're with Cora later it will stand out more that she's your's."

He let out a hard laugh, having, mostly, gotten over the little stunt he pulled in the woods and wanting to make a little jab at it. He then watched with amusement as Jesse drug him to the closet, curious of which outfit he was going to pick. It probably wouldn't matter, Cora would probably love whatever he decided to put on.

___ ___

"Why thank you, you're not lookin too bad yourself. Me and Damien are going to have to keep an eye on you tonight and make sure no one kidnaps you."

She smiled at him, then turned back to the mirror. After she had the hair extensions adjusted just right, she turned around a few times to look at herself from each angle.

Even though it was just a Halloween outfit, the clothes were sturdy and nice, and she really liked the way they made her look-like some bad ass motorcyclist or punk rocker. With a small laugh, she supposed that's what she was going to be tonight.

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She checked her pockets, making sure she hadn't lost the cover up that Dave had given them, and she stuffed it back in deep so it wouldn't drop out. Once she was ready, she left the bathroom to wait outside for Sabastian. Tommy was waiting outside the door, and when he saw her exit, he put his sunglasses on then held his arms up in the air a bit.

"How do I look?"

Cora, getting a huge grin on her face, took a stance and pointed her arm at him and excitedly shouted, "Kung Fury!"

Tommy got a huge smile on his face and jumped up in the air, pumping his fists a bit as he came back down.

"Yes! That's what I'm talking about!"

He then matched her own stance, pointing back at her.

"You are a queen! Oh man, I was so worried no one was going to get it!"

She laughed and walked up to him, giving him a hard fist bump. Once they were all ready and Sabastian was done, Tommy led them back to the music room.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien cringed just a little bit as Vin made that comment. While part of him really liked the idea of her almost being marked as his, he recognized that Vin was referring to his overprotectiveness and possessiveness. He probably deserved that little jab, having literally threatened the man's life. To Damien, Cora simply was a matter of life or death. His jealousy and need to keep her close wasn't something he had quite figured out how to deal with. He imagined that for most men they comforted themselves by thinking that if this one didn't work out, that they would find someone else better. This wasn't the case here. Cora was the first and the last and needed to be protected.

The king costume seemed like it would make him look like a douche, and the devil costume was a bit ridiculous. Truly, the vampire costume was the safest option. He undressed and put on the costume, not having a mirror to look into, but hoping he didn't look foolish. Hesitantly, he opened the closet door and stepped out, straightening his vest a bit. Despite being a costume, he brought quite a bit of elegance to it, an air of aristocracy about him as he made his way over to the chair he was sitting in previously. He sat down and crossed his legs, waiting for the rest of them to get back.

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Sabastian made a very wide grin, "kidnap me? I'd be more afraid of how many broken bones they'd have when I'm done kicking their ass. Honestly, the day I'm kidnapped is the day I dress up in a ballgown and a curly wig." He laughed and then leaned forward, holding the eyeliner steady, but having trouble applying it.

He didn't say anything as Cora left, assuming she'd wait around till he was done. Looking around, he shifted his eyepatch and looked with his violet eye, finally being able to apply it without too much difficulty. It was nice to use his eye again and he sighed for a moment, looking into the mirror with his mis-matched eyes. While the violet eye was actually quite beautiful, he wished it wasn't his. He put the patch back down and admired his handy-work. The black eyeliner really made his blue eye pop, and he found himself very pleased at the image.

The blonde man came out just as they fist-bumped, raising an eyebrow. What it was about, he didn't know. Would he ask about it? Nope.

He followed them back into the music room, shutting the door behind him and seeing Damien in his vampire outfit. Although, what really drew his gaze was the just-completed skull painted on Vin's face. He looked super sick, and he couldn't help but want to simply stare at the handsome man. With great willpower, he looked away and focused on Damien as his anchor.

 

[Drobabes]

Vin gave Damien a once over as he came out, then a friendly smile.

"You look good man."

And he did. He was just tall enough to pull the outfit off, and combined with his lightly colored eyes and more pale skin, he could easily intimidate someone if he wanted to. Delvin imagined he would be getting a lot of looks later when it got dark.

When Jesse finished up, Vin grabbed himself a little prop mirror from of the boxes to check himself out. The girl had done a fantastic job, and he gave her a grin of appreciation. Now, the only thing that was missing was...

He went digging through a few of the boxes, finding some string and similarly colored feathers to the hat. Once he had them, he tied a few long feathers on either side of his belt, so that he had feathers hanging from each side of his hips. He figured later when he took his shirt off, it would make the outfit just that much more intimidatin-

His eyes went wide when he turned around and saw Sabastian. The lightly colored clothes, his tight jeans, the little gloves, and the way the eyeliner made the blue pop; it was all almost too much. Delvin felt almost starstruck. In a way, he was, and for once he was glad that the little man turned his gaze away first because Vin couldn't find a single thing to say.

Cora poked her head in the door, not quite having decided to come in yet. She looked Vin up and down then smiled approvingly.

"Jesse did an excellent job, you look awesome."

Then her eyes turned over to Damien, her jaw literally dropped open just a little bit. She recovered quickly and shut her mouth, but she had to swallow before she could speak.

"Holy shit that's hot."

Wait, had she just said that in front of everyone? Must have been the booze. Even so, a small blush painted her cheeks as she finally came inside, almost feeling a little underdressed around the three hansen men.

She couldn't stop staring at Damien, though. Even though it was a fake outfit, there was something about the way he carried himself in it. Perhaps because he had come from a very wealthy family, it lent a certain amount of believability to the costume, as if he actually was a royal lord.

 

[Poprockz]

Jesse also looked over at Damien and nodded, pleased with his choice. "Oh yeah, that definitely works for you.

Damien smiled at their compliments, hoping that they were being genuine and not setting him up for some joke later. When Sabastian came traipsing into the room, he raised his eyebrows at his outfit. He certainly did look really good in it, making himself look like some kind of idol or something. His eyes went to Vin for a moment to see his reaction and saw him basically staring wide-eyed.

"Wow, you look really good Sabastian. You definitely look like a performer with that make-up and outfit." He stood up and looked at the door expectantly, waiting for Cora to come in as well.

Sabastian was pleased with the compliment, grinning happily. He wondered whether Vin liked the outfit, looking back at him. Damn, that voodoo outfit made him look so good, he could feel himself start to get aroused. He looked away again and blushed, trying to think of other things to calm himself down. This was supposed to be a night to drink, get wasted, party hard, and get over him. He was making that very difficult for Sabastian with his sexiness. However, the look Vin had looked shocked almost, and he wondered what the man was thinking.

When Cora popped part-way into the room, Damien's steely eyes went to her like she was a magnet and he was a heart-shaped scrap of metal. His heart beat more quickly in excitement as he saw those purple extensions, thinking to himself how utterly enticing they made her look. However, when she looked at him in shock and said out loud how hot she found him, he looked as though someone had told him that he had been given the most prestigious award.

Sabastian was stirred from his lustful thoughts and turned to Cora to give her the most shit-eating grin- no words needed to be said.

Damian watched excitedly as she came fully into the room, her punk rock outfit so damn attractive he felt like she took his breath away. He looked her up and down, drinking in every inch of her, wishing he had a camera to take a picture. If the two of them were alone at that moment, he would already be fucking her against the door, holding up her legs on either side of his hips as he expressed his carnal inclinations. His steely eyes looked hungrily at her as he almost glided to her. His hand went to her hair and he lifted a strand of it while examining the purple ends, his gaze going back to her as he said, "you look so sexy as a punk-rocker. I honestly can't say how turned on I am right now." He said the last part in a low-quiet voice so only she would hear.

 

[Drobabes]

Vin needed to do something, anything, besides standing there staring at him like a teenage girl meeting her celebrity crush. He clears his throat and tries to put on that more cheerful demeanor, looking around at everyone and trying to focus on what they had all dressed up for.

"Ok," he says, clapping his hands together.

"So, music. What's on the list?"

His gaze goes over to Jesse, albeit reluctantly, and it was about that time that Tommy walked in and looked everyone over.

"Aaah sheeiit," he said.

"You guys look fucking rad! Dude, Vin!"

He ran over to the bigger man, excited to hang out with him.

"Dude you have to sing a cover of Zombie tonight, everyone will go nuts!"

Meanwhile, over near the door, Cora was so caught up in the way Damien was hovering over her that she could barely breathe. Her eyes look up at him through her lashes, and she smiled softly. A sudden flood of deja-vu hit her hard, and she remembered the first time he had ever kissed her. He had boxed her in with those big hands and his eyes had stared down at her so intensely; so full of need. She hadn't been willing to admit it at the time, not to herself, but she had wanted so badly to tell him 'take me, I'm yours. I'll always be yours'. But now, by fate or maybe just luck, she was his.

She didn't say anything right away, but she places her hand on the collar of his vest as she looks up at him, praying he would never stop looking at her like that. When at last she finds the power to breathe, she lets her hand down slowly and walks away from him just a little ways and hands Sabastian her phone.

"Pick a couple songs out for us? And get me Natalie Kills Wonderland. I'm going to go ask Dave if he can make me up another drink since I left mine."

She gave him a little wink, knowing it would probably be the only way she could sneak Sabastian some more booze without the bartender cutting him off, and then she took Damien by the hand.

"Tommy Tour Guide seems busy, so you'll have to be my body guard."

She would get a drink. Later. Right now, she needed a minute of privacy.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien almost didn't want to let her go, finding the close proximity to her to be intoxicating. To be fair, it was probably better that way though as there was no telling how long he could resist not kissing her deeply and embarrassing her in front of the rest of them. However, he watched her as she went a little ways away from him, seeing her hand off her phone with her music. As soon as he learned what she was wanting to do, he smirked and gladly followed after her with his hand in hers.

"Oh, I'm more than happy to defend that body with my life." He chuckled, walking out and closing the door behind them. Damien wondered where she would take them. Unfortunately, he didn't think there was anywhere really private. After all, the men and women's bathrooms would be each occupied by at least one other person at a time. He hadn't been there when Tommy had mentioned the women's bathroom being vacant.

Sabastian had accepted her phone, grinning and nodding. He could definitely do with more booze. As some kind of semi-zombie creature, his metabolism was actually pretty fast so he would need more booze to get smashed. The blonde man watched them slip out of the room before shifting a bit. Now it was just him and the band now, plus Vin. He suddenly felt a bit out of place, surrounded by people he didn't really know. However, he was here to get some music put in for them, and that he would do.

The shaggy-haired guy who would introduce himself as Bernard came over with a pen and paper, writing some of the songs that Sabastian would pick out on the phone. While he was doing this, he was avoiding looking at Vin, not wanting to make things awkward between them and not wanting to encourage the stirrings in his pants. Honestly, the thought of Vin pinning him down and taking him made his mouth water and his body tingle. God he hoped Cora would be back soon- he needed another drink.

 

[Drobabes]

Vin looked over his shoulder as he heard Cora's soft voice mentioning more booze, but he caught the way she had grabbed Damien's hand. With a little chuckle he shook his head, turning back to Tommy. He knew those two wouldn't be back for at least another half hour, if that.

"Alright, I can do that no problem. You going to play anything?"

"Yea, I'm going to sing the metal part in Jonathon Young's cover of Eifel Blue."

___ ___

Cora didn't waste any time, leading him straight to the bathrooms that Tommy had shown them. The building was pretty big for a bathroom, with six separate stalls besides the urinals, but it was clean, and most importantly, private. When they got there, she let go of his hand and walked in casually, beckoning to him to follow. She didn't think that anyone would have cared what they were up to, but even if they did, it was a unisex bathroom. They could just pass it off as them both needing to go.

Someone did care, however. He stood in the shadow of a building, avoiding the more relentless heat of the summer sun as he smoked a cigarette and looked down at a small photo in his hand. A photo of Cora leaving her apartment with a bunch of gear, and Damien and Daphne by her side.

Flicking the ashes to the ground, he pocketed the photo and brought a radio up to his mouth.

"She's here. The guy is with her, should I take him out?"

There was a moment of silence before the radio clicked and let out a small beep.

"Not yet, it'll draw too much attention. Let Robbie prove himself."

"Understood."

The man finished his cigarette, then went inside.

Cora walked all the way to the end of the bathroom, gently pushing open each stall door as she did. Once they had reached the last one, she playfully grabbed Damien and pulled him in. As soon as she had the door locked, she turned around and leaned against it, letting the look in her eyes speak for her.

Sabastian's just gonna have to deal with it.

 

[Poprockz]

Sabastian settled onto one of the chairs, using Cora's phone to play games she had already uploaded. He needed something to keep him occupied until they got back to prevent things from getting too awkward. Yawning, he realized he felt a bit tired. There was a throw blanket over the couch, so he grabbed it and pulled it over himself, leaning his head back and closing his eye. His breathing became softer and before he knew it, he was carried away by soft slumber, a little nap to recharge him for the rest of the day and night to come.

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Damien followed her to the bathrooms, surprise that she chose the regular ones rather than the closed-off women's bathroom. Although, it brought a little smile to his face that she didn't care if someone walked into the bathroom and heard them doing naughty things. He was completely unaware of the man watching them, focused as he was on Cora. It didn't even occur to him that someone might be after her, especially during the zombie outbreak.

He watched as she checked for other people, personally happy that no one else seemed to be in there. His lust was such that he would have done it anyway with Cora's blessing, even if there was someone inside, but he preferred the privacy. When she pulled him in, his heart beat fast in excitement, his cock straining against his pants.

The look she gave him was hot, and he could barely contain himself as he slowly sauntered forward, putting his hands on her hips. He leaned over and kissed her, pressing his lips to hers hungrily. His hands slowly slid up her sides and moved to her breasts pushing her body back against the door as he pressed against her. His hands kneaded her lustfully, his palms moving over her nipples as he fondled her.

Pulling away for a moment, he panted, "if we start this, I don't know if I'll be able to stop if anyone comes in." His steely eyes searched hers, the man barely holding on against the desire that pumped through his veins.

 

[Drobabes]

Her eyes only left his so that she could look over that handsome costume once more, loving how regal it made him look. She never really got the appeal of clothed sex until now.

Her arms wrapped around his neck as he leaned in for a kiss, and she let her hand rest against the back of his neck, stroking him gently. She loved the way he pushed her against the door, his hands on her as if he just couldn't contain himself. It made her moan into his hungry lips and grind her hips against his own, letting him know what he was doing to her. When he broke the kiss she was a little breathless and it took her a moment to answer.

"Well..." she said softly, bringing a hand around to caress his face.

"We'll just have to be very quiet. Think of it as practice; can't have any zombies hearing us doing the nasty" she giggled.

She brought her lips back to his then, closing her eyes and melting into his touch. Everything about him was making her heart beat so fast, his smell, his lips, the small noises he made as he took her. She loved the way he felt under her own hands as well, his toned muscles still being felt through the fabric, and his soft hair as she ran her fingers up the back of his head...

Cora paused in her actions, feeling what felt like a scab under his hair. Her eyes opened for a moment, and she broke away panting heavily, her cheeks flushed as she looked up at him. She didn't look too worried, but she definitely had a bit of a questioning look on her face.

"Did you get hurt?"

 

[Poprockz]

When she answered, he chuckled, "we definitely don't want them to hear that. They might get envious." He reveled in the feeling of having her lips back upon him then, those soft passionate lips. One of his hands started to drift lower on her abdomen, reaching the front of her pants and popping her button loose. He was just starting to lower the zipper when he felt her fingers in his hair and felt her pull back from him. He was a bit confused until he heard the question.

He drew back a bit further, looking a bit worried and hesitant. If he told her what had happened between himself and Vin, it had the potential of making her quite upset with him. It would expose him as the selfish, jealous man he was. He wanted her badly, but if he put it off and told her later, she might feel betrayed and taken advantage of. The question of whether he should lie to her or not drifted through his brain, but as he looked into those hazel eyes, he knew he had to answer truthfully.

The man was silent for a few seconds before answering. "Yes. It happened back when we were camping. Vin woke me up to take the next shift and I went to use the restroom first. When I came back, I heard you moaning and sounding a bit distressed. He was crouched next to you, and I assumed he touched you."

Damien let go of her breasts and took a step back, turning and looking away from her as he continued. "To be perfectly honest, I had been jealous of him the entire day. He seemed to be able to make you laugh, catch your attention, and it was like you had so much in common. It made me feel like maybe you chose me because I was the only choice there was. Now that he was there, I didn't see how I could compete. I think that clouded my judgement when I saw him next to you. In any case, I asked him to come out to the woods with me. I threatened him, told him in no uncertain terms that I would kill him if he touched you again."

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, not wanting to look at her for fear of what he might see. "To put it bluntly, the man gave me a few choice words and knocked some sense into me; the man is much faster than he looks." Damien noticed that the toilet actually had a toilet seat. He put that down and sat down on it, hands clasped as he rested his forehead on them.

"So that's what happened." He hadn't added the bit about his apology as he didn't think it would really change anything. Any man could be apologetic after he did something stupid.

 

[Drobabes]

She watched his face as he seemed to be hesitating, and she wondered if it had something to do with Delvin being angry with him the night before. Sure enough, he confirmed her suspicions.

Cora simply listened quietly as he explained, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for him to finish. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the exact details of what he meant by 'knocked some sense' into him, but she knew that if all he had to show for threatening the big man was a scab on the back of his scalp, then Vin had held back. She knew what Damien was capable of, and if Vin had been faster than him, then she knew that Vin could have easily, easily, beat the shit out of him. It scared her, violence like that, but she was grateful that the man hadn't.

"So that's why you were apologizing..."

Her voice wavered a little as she looked down at the ground, even just the thought of fighting making her quiver slightly.

"I didn't mean to spy on you, but I couldn't go back to sleep. Vin had said you would be back in a minute, and when you didn't come back right away, I got nervous."

She tried to clear her throat a bit. She felt nervous and scared, and she knew it was partly just because of her own bad experiences, but it was also what he had said. He was scared that she would just leave him when something better came along, and that hurt in a way, but more than that, she was a bit scared to open up and tell him just how much she actually loved him. She was scared it was too much, and that he might feel suffocated if he truly knew. However, if she said nothing, then he would continue to have those doubts and worries.

"I'm proud of you...for apologizing, and for being honest with me. Not everyone can step up and take responsibility for themselves when they've done something wrong, or even admit that they could be in the wrong. I do like Vin, Damien, but...he's not you.

"I've been...really homesick. And upset. And every day has been a struggle not to just lay down on the ground and give up. I don't feel comfortable around people very often, but that's nothing new. I was like that before the world went to shit. I feel comfortable around Vin because he's comfortable around us. He's easy to talk to, and it was nice to hear he played guitar because it was something familiar. It was something from home, because me and my brother and Sarah would always go out and sing kareoke. It made me kind of, forget for a few minutes, if that makes sense?"

She finally looked at him then, and her eyes were a little misty. She couldn't seem to hold his gaze long either, however, and soon enough she looks away.

"Damien you're... different to me. I've never felt this way with anyone before, besides my family, but that's different."

She came over to him then, and she sat down on her knees. Still looking down, she took his hands in hers and placed one over her wrist.

"You forced me to do things that first time, but even when you were forcing me, you had my safety at the forefront of your mind. You never once hurt me, not really hurt me, and when I was scared you didn't push. You went slow and held me the whole way through, and when you did that, I was able to get past that fear and realize that things could be better."

She forces herself to swallow again, suddenly feeling a lump in her throat and trying to fight off tears. When she spoke again, she was quiet.

"When I came back from Washington, I was ready to put a bullet through my head. I didn't want to live anymore because I felt like the last good thing I had left in my life, the last thing that I hadn't lost, had been ripped out of my hands. And then I saw you... sitting there on my couch. You were alive, and you weren't hurt, and suddenly I couldn't do it. I lost my nerve."

Her fingers trace over his gently, and she moves her hands to rest in his palms. She sniffs a little and tries to continue without her voice wobbling too much.

"You were the first man to ever tell me that they loved me. Hell, you were the first guy that even implied that they wanted to stay with me. Up until you, everyone always left. They said I was cold, but, until you, Damien, I didn't even know I could love someone. And I'm sure it's not healthy, but fuck...I love you more than anything baby. If something ever happened to you, I don't know if I could keep going."

A few tears fell down her cheeks despite her best efforts not to cry, and she watched in silence as they landed on her skin. She was too scared to look up, too scared that the intensity of what she felt was too much and that he would push her away.

 

[Poprockz]

"So that's why you were apologizing..."

He had looked up at her, his eyes widened just as she looked down. The thought of her having heard even a little of what happened made his stomach churn and he was afraid of what she would say next. However, when she mentioned him apologizing, he was surprised by how soft her voice was.

Throughout the rest of her speech, he was silent as he listened intently. The things she was saying were honest and heart-felt, her sweet eyes likely to spill over at any moment. A lump formed in his throat, but no matter how he tried to swallow or blink his eyes, he couldn't help his own eyes from watering. His chest felt tight and it felt as though she was pulling a thread in him, soon to make him unravel.

Damien believed her when she said that once she lost her brother, she was willing at that point to give up. It pained him to hear, thinking of what might have happened if he had showed up at a later time, only to find her dead. That such a wonderful person would be pushed to such despair made his heart ache.

He reached down and tipped her chin up so he could look at her face, that lovely face. Tears ran down his own face as slipped off the toilet and crouched in front of her. His hands went to her waist and he helped her up onto her feet before sitting back down and pulling her into his lap. His warm arms went around her and held her against his chest as he let his tears stream.

"Cora... When I woke up and saw your note, I didn't know what was going on with the world, but at that point I intended to take my own life. I felt like you had given me something that I would never find again, and life didn't seem worth living now that I had been given a taste of something so sweet. Once I learned about what had happened, the question then became, 'where do I want to spend my last few days?' I went to your apartment with nothing but my pistol. I fully intended to bow out eventually once the food ran out. I... didn't have any place I would rather be."

The man offered a weak smile. "After all the things I've done in my lifetime, I've always felt like I didn't deserve happiness. When you came along, you were happiness to me. You were everything that would make the world feel right. I am constantly shocked by your kindness and your acceptance since I simply can't understand why you so readily give them to me. When I saw Vin, I saw a man more worthy of you."

He squeezed her tighter, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before continuing. "But I just can't let go, I want you too badly for that. I need you, and I can't live without you. I feel selfish with the way I want to never let you leave me. I love you, Cora. I love you more that I thought I could love another person. You are everything to me. Everything. Part of me says that you'd be better off with someone who could love you better, but I just can't stop needing you."

Damien rested his head against hers for a moment and sighed. "I don't want to be the steel cage that holds you, but I'm afraid you'll wake up someday and realize that you deserve more."

 

[Drobabes]

His hand under her chin made her look up. The look on his face was everything she needed in that moment but she still fought herself, fought against falling apart and sobbing like a little girl.

Letting him pull her onto his lap, she snuggled against his chest. Those arms around her felt so good, so right. She couldn't imagine ever feeling the same way with another, and the more he spoke of not deserving her, the more she felt as if she wasn't the one who deserved him. The strong, handsome man who would do anything for her. The man who would protect her, provide for her, be there when she cried or just needed him to touch her and let her know it was all still worth something.

He wasn't her brother. He wasn't her dad. He was just Damien; her Damien, and that's all she ever wanted him to be.

She turns her face into his chest and brings a hand up to grip his shoulder lightly. Trying, and mostly failing, she manages to get a few deep breaths in her lungs and let them out slowly. Finally she sniffs and answers.

"I don't like it. If you ever talk about killing yourself again, for no good reason, I'll...do something. And you won't like it."

Well that was lame, but maybe she could blame that on the alcohol too. Although, she wasn't even tipsy anymore. But he didn't know that.

"And you're not a cage. I told you, you woke me up. You helped me be better. No one else has been able to do that, so if you are a cage, then it's a cage built to protect. You're the only one I trust with the job, so don't ever lose the key."

Well, she definitely didn't feel in the mood anymore. That wasn't a bad thing, though. As she closed her eyes and moved her arm down to hug him, she felt as if just having him near her was enough. It felt almost as if something deeper was going on. Something that both comforted her and scared her to think about, but when she did dare to look, it was almost as if some higher power had a hand over them. If anything had happened any differently than it had, one, or both of them, would have ended their lives before they had even learned to live.

 

[Poprockz]

The way she had sniffed and almost scolded him for talking about opting out made him almost chuckle, a little smile on his face. She was so cute sometimes, it was hard to stay serious for him. "I won't. As long as you're around, I wouldn't dream of it."

He didn't say anything for a moment regarding her next comment. Honestly, if he was her cage, he wanted nothing more than to lock her in there and lose the key, effectively keeping her with him forever. However, he thought to himself that he might be taking the metaphor too far.

Damien smiled as she looked up at him, both of their faces wet with tears. He felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. They had both confessed their feelings and the best part of it was that she wanted him, that she loved him. She had already said so back at the apartment, but he felt like this was different. Cora was surrounded by men she could pursue, giving her the opportunity to tell him to go off to his cabin on his own. And yet she still chose him. The fact that she was making a conscious and deliberate choice to be his made his heart absolutely melt.

He had never been chosen, never been told that he was the one they wanted. Admittedly, he had never let anyone come close enough to decide whether they wanted to make that choice, but she had stared into his darkness and hadn't been phased. God, he loved her so much it almost hurt, and he hugged her back tightly.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I think maybe it would be better if we waited a bit for our lust-filled tryst in the bathroom. Right now I would love to take you, but I feel more like making love to you rather than having a lustful fuck, and I don't feel like a bathroom is the proper setting for that." He chuckled and kissed her forehead. "What do you think?"

 

[Drobabes]

She giggled a little as she wiped her eyes, then looked around.

"What?" she looked up at him.

"You don't want to make slow, sweet, love to me while someone comes in to take a dump in the stall right next to us, even though there's plenty of other empty ones?"

She laughed again, but started to stand up.

"I suppose Sabastians probably wondering where the hell I am with our drink. God, I'm glad I didn't put on any make-up, I would look like a raccoon right now."

Thinking of make-up reminded her of what she had in her pocket, and for a few seconds she froze. Suddenly she got down really low and looked under the stall, looking for feet. Once she was sure that no one else had come into the bathroom, she turned to Damien and took his hand with the mark on it. In as low of a whisper as she could manage, she said,

"I don't know if you caught it earlier, but I'm pretty sure they aren't going to let you out of here if you have that mark."

Sure enough, some of the cover up had gotten rubbed off, so she takes the little tube out of her pocket and applies some more, making sure to coat it evenly and leave no sign of anything other than his regular skin.

"I don't know what's going on, but better safe than sorry."

 

[Poprockz]

He made an over-dramatic shudder. "Anything but that! I didn't make it through round 1 of the zombie apocalypse only to have some douche chose the stall right next to me." He grinned and stood up as well, reaching down and adjusting himself a bit so that his boner wasn't quite as obvious. While he was no longer in the mood as he had said, his body hadn't gotten the message yet.

"You'd be the sexiest damn raccoon I ever laid eyes on," Damien laughed.

A look of curiosity and then confusion was directed at her as she froze and then looked under the stalls. He cocked his head as she spoke and then his eyes widened. The bartender had certainly seemed to be acting strange, but he hadn't been able to quite put his finger on it. Now it made perfect sense as to why he would try to casually push for them to take foundation that was in his and Sabastian's shade rather than Cora's.

"I didn't pick up on all of it, but I see what you mean now. I would have thought that they would have immune people willing to donate blood and stuff if they were trying to find a cure. Why would they try to keep them from leaving?" In the back of his mind, he wondered if maybe there were darker things going on with the immune people. Perhaps tests on how to torture, interrogate, or kill them more effectively.

 

[Drobabes]

"I thought the same thing, but, I have no clue. It's probably not safe to talk here, though, so let's enjoy our stay and when we're back on the road we can talk more."

She was curious as well. She wanted to express her thoughts on why the infection had spread so quickly, and why every countries fail safe hadn't worked. A shudder went through her, suddenly thinking to herself that it felt just a little bigger than the human race itself.

She opened the stall door, looking around once more just to see if anyone was in there. No one was, so she felt comfortable leaving and leading them back to the bar. Just before she reached out for the door, she gave Damien a bit of a grin.

"Hey Damien~"

She tried to look as cute as possible, putting her arms behind her back and looking up at him through her lashes.

"Could you order a really strong drink for 'yourself'? Sabastian's body seems to burn it off a lot faster, but I know the bar man won't let him have more than he thinks is safe."

She then opened the door and spotted Dave as they walked in, and she did nothing to hide the guilty smile on her face.

"Daaaave," she whined, coming up to lean on the bar.

"I may or may not have lost my drink. In the cafeteria. I'm sorry" she pouted.

 

[Poprockz]

He nodded at her, recognizing that she might be correct in assuming that there may be a wire in the bathroom. That would be pretty messed up, but the military typically wasn't one to shy away from sacrificing things like privacy to keep things "safer." Damien followed her back to the bar, wondering why she hesitated.

When she turned those hazel eyes on him and gave him that cute little look, he didn't stand a chance. Unlike Dave, he was totally susceptible to her womanly charms, and he found himself unable to resist her request. Not that he would have anyway, though. Sabastian was an adult and could take care of himself. Besides, if he really did burn it off quickly, then he needed all the booze he could get. "Alright, but if he gets naked and runs through the crowd, that's on you." He grinned and stepped into the bar after her.

Dave crossed his arms, fighting off a smile as she leaned on the bar. "Did you really lose it, or did you drink it already? Or did that little blonde fiend suck down the rest of it?"

Damien stepped in and smiled, "actually, she really did lose it in the cafeteria. Vin and Tommy came to find us to talk about the band and all that, and we just forgot it on the table."

The bartender raised his eyebrow suspiciously and looked at each of them before sighing, "well, I do know that Tommy hangs out with the band a lot, so that sounds legitimate. Do you want the same thing? I'm pretty sure I remember how to make it." He paused and let himself smile then, pleased to see them drop by again.

Cora's steely-eyed companion cleared his throat, "actually, we'll have two of those. I took another sip or two in the cafeteria, and I think it actually grew on me. It's not my normal drink, but I feel like letting loose a bit might be good for me." He shrugged as though it didn't matter to him either way.

Dave looked a bit excited to see that he was thinking of loosening up. It was pretty obvious to most people that Damien was a generally reserved man in the public eye, so it seemed like a unique opportunity. With that, he started to get to work, whipping up two of the fruity drinks and depositing them into bottles.

 

[Drobabes]

She had laughed a little at his joke and responded with, "don't worry, I bet I can still run faster than him. I'll tackle him, full speed."

Cora watched silently as he made them their drinks, sneaking Damien little sweet smiles as he did so. While she would have loved to finished what they started in the bathroom, she was also feeling as if a weight had been lifted, and a sort of calm and warm comfort settled over her.

"Thank you Dave, I appreciate it. Are you going to come out and watch the performance here in a little bit? I think we're going to be starting soon."

She was starting to feel a little nervous about it, and when Dave handed her the drink, she took a pretty big sip. She was excited, still, but at the same time, she was going to be up in front of a lot of people. Cora just hoped she didn't lose her nerve and freeze up while up there, making a fool of herself.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien had to admit that the image of Cora full-on tackling a naked Sabastian was hilarious.

While they waited for the booze-master to finish with their concoctions, he noticed that Cora kept smiling at him. Those sweet eyes looked up at him with affection and he felt himself smiling warmly back.

"No problem, lady," Dave replied, rinsing off the cups he had used. He paused and put the cups into the sink before drying off his hands and turning to them once more. "In a sense, yes. They've set up a bar at the party with which I'll be making drinks for people. So, I'm not really off-duty, but I'll be listening."

Cora's nervousness wasn't necessarily apparent to Damien, but that big drink she did made him wonder if she might be a bit anxious. Moving slightly, he snuggled up to her back and put his arms around her torso under her breasts, resting his chin on her head gently. He had no doubt that whatever happened, he would be her biggest fan.

Dave looked a bit confused for a moment before he grinned and snapped his finger in realization, "are you performing?! I don't think you mentioned that to me before. It would certainly explain why the two of you are so dressed up. A sexy punk rocker and a seductive vampire. If that's the case, then that's super exciting! I hope you have fun onstage. Don't feel too pressured to be perfect. These army people and the refugees really just need a night to let loose." A reassuring smile came to his face and he winked.

 

[Drobabes]

She didn't know how he managed to relax her so easily, but any time he put his arms around her like that, it was like popping a balloon. The anxiety just melted away and she leaned back against him, letting out a little sigh.

Dave's reaction made her laugh a bit, and she nodded.

"Yea, me and Sabastian and the big guy. Honestly though, I'm just nervous I'm going to get stage fright. I've never been up in front of a lot of people like that."

She took another another drink, this time keeping it to a sip. When she brought her drink down, she looked around the bar a bit, then smiled up at Damien.

"Alright, we should probably get back. Before they think we're up to something worse."

 

[Poprockz]

Dave nodded, “That’s understandable. I suppose all you can do is try your hand at it. I look forward to seeing it! I’m sure you and the blonde cutie will rock.” He grinned and was ushered over by another patron. He nodded at them as a goodbye and went to tend to the other man at the counter.

Damien grinned at her, “hmm...” He let his fingers drift down until the tips of his fingers brushed her skin right above her pants. “I wouldn’t mind letting their imaginations run wild... but I agree that we should probably head back.” The man leaned forward a bit and grabbed “his” drink from the counter before taking her free hand in his and casually walking out of the bar with her.

They walked back to the music room, opening it to find Sabastian still sound asleep on the chair. He was curled up a bit with the blanket tucked under his chin .

 

[Drobabes]

Vin had been sitting in a chair practicing for most of the time that they were gone. Tommy had been talking to him almost non-stop, and while he didn't mind it so much, he was glad the boy only needed an occasional 'oh yea?' and 'rad, man' to keep him going because he was much more interested in stealing glances at Sabastian. The stage outfit he had picked out made him look so fucking sexy, and Vin wanted that little outfit to be burned into his memory. He was almost tempted to draw a portrait of the man, to perhaps use it for a tattoo later, but he wasn't sure if that would be taking it too far in a way.

When the door opened, he turned his attention to it and gave them both an easy smile. He would have thought they would have been gone for a bit longer.

"Got another one, huh?"

He mock cringed at the fruity drinks and went back to softly strumming his guitar.

"What's that?" Tommy asked curiously, and Vin immediately gave him a look before shooting him down with a commanding tone.

"Not for you boy. If you want booze, I'll sneak you another beer later, but that stuff will knock you on your ass and leave you looking like a fool on stage."

Tommy looked to Vin with just a touch of hurt on his face, but the man knew he didn't need it. He could tell he hadn't partied much, and the first time to get smashed was not at a concert setting with a bunch of adults. While Tommy was legally an adult by law, he was still very immature, and Vin would hate to have to knock someone's front tooth out if they tried to take advantage of him, or have to finish a fight that the boy started.

Cora was a bit amused by the little exchange, finding it pretty cute that Vin cared about the young man in such a way. After Tommy looked away from the drink, she walked to Sabastian and leaned over, putting the drink somewhat close to his nose.

 

[Poprockz]

"Mhm. Only a cocktail of pure sugar and vodka would do." Damien responded, then watching Tommy get almost scolded. He was surprised that the man could whip up such a dominant energy at the drop of a hat, usually being such an easygoing guy.

When the large bottle of starburst-flavored alcohol drifted near, the response was a faster one.

"Mm..." Sabastian made a somewhat feminine noise, stirring slightly before he took a deep breath and let it out. His eyes popped open and he looked around wildly, trying to pinpoint the smell of booze. Unfortunately for him, his sudden movement caused him to lose his balance and fall over with a little "oof!", one of his legs wrapped up in the throw blanket.

He looked up with a mixture of surprise, hope, and confusion. "Is there booze?"