Lykn Nocturne (WilliamEst, NutHong)

Chapter 12

After that embarrassing dinner, Est went back to his room. He made sure to lock the door, and for a while he paced back and forth in the large bedroom, considering the possibility of running away. Not because he feared for his life, but to escape the overdramatic tendencies of that lunatic group. Realizing that maybe he could at least try to endure them a little longer, he decided to stay.

When it was time to sleep, Est lay on his bed. He kept his eyes shut and turned left and right a few times, desperately looking for a comfortable position that could make falling asleep easier. Nothing worked. He had slept so long that day after fainting, his body was now far too full of energy to let him rest.

He took off his clothes and got ready for a night swim, hoping it would tire him out. He put on a bathrobe and unlocked the door.

"Are you trying to seduce me? It's working," Nut said as soon as Est opened the door. He stood there in the corridor, arms crossed over his chest, his smirk always present, waiting to annoy someone, his mind always plotting new ways to disturb the peace of the manor.

"Nut, I must ask you to stop... all this is making me very uncomfortable," Est replied. Without waiting for an answer, he immediately started walking down the corridor, heading to the stairs. He did not look back, fearing that even a quick glance could be interpreted as an invitation to follow him. However, he did not hear footsteps, so Nut had probably understood that it wasn't wise to cross that line.

Est lingered a little longer in the corridor of the basement, staring at the half-closed door of the cellar. He could hear a few muffled noises and quickly guessed that it had to be Hong. His guess was right, but he did not dare open the door any further to find out. Instead, he went to the pool.

One lap, two laps, then three, four... nothing. He still felt as fresh as ever. With the water splashing around and his eyes mostly closed, Est felt like he was in a totally different world. He swam back and forth, his muscles tensing and relaxing in the same hypnotic rhythm, until he stopped after the tenth lap.

He swam to the side of the pool, an arm resting on the cold surface outside, his hand wiping water from his face.

"You're so hot..." Nut whispered, mere inches from Est's face.

The swimmer's eyes widened instantly. A scream of fear echoed through the room and possibly through the entire basement. He quickly pushed off the side wall of the pool, returning to the center, far enough from Nut to feel slightly safer.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to startle you," Nut said. He wasn't smirking. His tone wasn't sarcastic. He looked almost melancholic, sitting on the side of the pool, his finger tracing circles in the water as he offered Est nothing more than a sad smile.

"Why are you here?!" Est shouted. William had shown clear discontent when Nut had flirted with him. Maybe if he heard him screaming, he would come to his rescue. Maybe someone would intervene. However, nobody seemed to rush to him.

"I want to kiss you... I... I desperately want it. I'm sure that just one kiss will be enough for you to fall in love with me, but if it doesn't work, then I'll accept it and retreat with dignity. I beg of you... just one kiss is all I wish for."

Nut's attempt felt so bold that Est didn't find even the most banal words to interrupt him. By the time Nut had finished, he swam a little closer, though not close enough for the vampire to touch his face.

"Enough with the drama. You just want to add this to your list of flirt stories, don't you?"

"I understand your point of view... I admit I've done nothing to prevent you from getting such an image of me. To convince you, I shall offer you the truth about William's job offer."

"The truth? What are you talking about?" Est asked, confused.

"Only one way to find out."

A few minutes passed in complete silence until Est, reluctantly, got closer to Nut. He closed his eyes, his head shaking slightly as he felt Nut drawing nearer. Their lips touched, just slightly, before Nut immediately pulled back. The kiss was terrible. For the vampire, it felt like poison. He had used a leverage to get it, and he now regretted it with all that remained of his soul.

Right at that moment, the sound of fast footsteps caught their attention.

A.N. Sorry for the late update, I hope you like this chapter almost as much as I enjoyed writing it.