World of Night

And So We Meet Again


"Craig? Craig!" David tried to support Craig's jerking head as much as he could, slapping the other man's cheek gently. "Oh fuck!" Craig's head had almost slipped off his knees.
"Craig?" He asked again, his fingers searching for a pulse. The other man's eyes had stopped their rapid movement and Craig's head slowly stopped jerking as his breathing evened out. Why had he not woken yet? Everything indicated that Craig's vision was over.

"Craig!" David pulled the other man into his arms, leaning back against the dusty wall of the small alley. "You are supposed to wake up now, you know," he whispered. Craig's skin under his fingers was incredibly warm and scratchy, almost feverish in its slightly papery texture. "You're beginning to scare me." David added, hugging Craig even closer. "And you know how I get when I'm really scared."

David sighed, closing his eyes and concentrating on Craig. Soon he felt a familiar warmth pulsing in his fingertips. He smiled. He sensed only a deep exhaustion in Craig but no serious injuries or any permanent damage. Craig's consciousness, however, was still completely closed off. Slowly he concentrated on what little he could reach of Craig's mind, sending a small pulse of energy to the other man.
He immediately felt a slight drain on his energy.

Frowning he stopped, his breath coming in short, gasps. "I sweat Craig if you don't wake up I'll find a way to kick your consciousness to hell and back and I promise you I'll find a way to make it hurt as much as possible."

"That bad, huh?" A rough voice suddenly croaked against his cheek.

"Craig!" David grinned, squeezing the other man close, "You really had me worried!"

"Dave!" Craig panted, weakly pushing against David's shoulders. "Can't... breathe..."

"Oh, sorry..." David reluctantly let go of his friend, smiling somewhat sheepishly as he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. "Are you feeling better?"

"I.." Craig frowned, "Think so. Oh my god!" He sat up, almost colliding with David's forehead. "We have to do something!"

"Craig!" David jumped up. "Wait! Don't you dare run out on me like that!"

"Sorry... sorry..." Craig shook his head, slowing down a bit. "We need help."

"What for?" David grabbed Craig's shoulder, pulling the other man back. "Please talk to me!"

"We've got to find Karl and Harry. Sean and Viggo as well," he added after a while.

"But why?"

"Now!" Craig was already on the move again, walking into the direction of the Town Hall as fast as he could without actually running. "Marton and Dom are in danger. They'll die if we don't hurry."

"Marton? Die?" David sprinted after Craig, trying to stop his friend again. "What did you see? Tell me!"

"I'll tell you when I tell the others." Craig shook David's hands off, walking on determinedly, "It will save me the trouble of saying everything twice."

"But..." David threw his hands into the air, shaking his head, "Craig for fuck's sake tell me!"

"Come on!" Craig yelled over his shoulder, already rounding another corner. "We've got to find them!"

"Fuck!" David glared back at an obviously offended mother and her child, before running after Craig again. He had to know where Marton was. And if he was alright.


~***~


"Ooh..." Jed's head shot up as he sniffed the air, surveying the drab houses around him, "Something very yummy." He licked his lips, jumping down into one of the darkened backyard. "Where are you my pretty?"

He smiled, laughing soundlessly as his eyes finally found what he had been looking for. A woman, tears staining the dirt on her blood-smeared face as she pleaded with the man above her, pleaded for her life. Jed knew that she would die. Knew that the man would not stop at pressing her against the wall. He sensed that the man wold at least choke her, maybe even run his knife through her slender, ill-used body.

He inhaled deeply, his grin remaining frozen on his lips as he screamed, honed his call on the blonde woman. Her green eyes widened even more as she whimpered helplessly against the hand on her throat.
A prostitute's pain. Even sweeter by all the pain she remembered, by the recollection of what earlier customers had done to her, of what she had allowed them to do to her. Neither of them noticed him as he sneaked up on them, almost lovingly trailing a finger along the woman's cheekbones. Sometimes temporary invisibility was more than useful. Her death would be a delicate appetizer for Csokas' suffering.

The man bucked up, thrust into the struggling body beneath him with an almost pained grunt spilling from his lips. He jerked, riding out his orgasm on short pants, sweat dripping of his forehead. His fingers clawed into her skin, tightened even more around her throat with every orgasmic jerk.

Jed sighed, soaking up the pain she was going through, channeling her anguish into himself. Nothing could ever taste better than the excruciating pain of a violent death. Her skin was already taking on a bluish, somewhat violent hue. Ecstasy and power flooded through Jed as her eyes finally glazed over and broke.
She had turned away from her killer during her ordeal and her now lifeless eyes seemed to be fixed on Jed. It almost seemed as though she had sensed him somehow. It was truly astonishing how perceptive humans became when they were forced to stare into the ugly face of death. Jed tasted the air again, sniffing till he finally sensed Csokas again.

For just a moment he considered killing the murderer himself. He sighed, knowing that he could not afford to lose too much time, no matter how starved he was. Reluctantly, but stronger than he had been for a very long time he jumped up, propelling himself into the air and back onto the roofs. Time to get to his next victim. Which he unfortunately was not allowed to kill.


~***~


Viggo groaned, frowning up into the darkness around him. His mind felt completely numb. He tried to roll over, tried to get away from the hands holding him down but they were following him, kept reaching for him and holding him in place.

"No..." He tried to protest bit his lips refused to properly form the sounds. "Let me go..."

The hands were back on his shoulders, shaking him gently. He could hear voices now as well. Low, insistent voices, which refused to go away no matter how much he tried to ignore them, to ban them from his mind.
"Viggo? Wake up." One of the voices kept repeating, asking him again and again. He knew that the voice was familiar, that he should trust it, should respond to it. Only a low moan passed his parched lips as he tried to will his vocal cords to work.

"Viggo, damn it"" The voice was even more insistent, more urgent now. "You can't do this to me! Not now!"

Hands on his cheeks and chest were the last thing he noticed before drifting back into unconsciousness.


~***~


"They're still not here." Harry grumbled, giving Karl a withering glare.

"I noticed." Karl replied dryly, only a slight twitch of his lips betraying his amusement. "But it's not my fault. You're quite the captain obvious, aren't you?" He added after a while.

"Bastard."

"Sorry." Karl chuckled. Harry's growls and glares were missing their usual venom. "My parents were rather married at the time I was conceived and born."

"Hrmpf." Harry stuffed his hands into the pocket of his jeans, stalking up and down in front of the Town Hall again. "What if something happened to them?"
Harry turned back to Karl, all the pent-up agitation leaving his body in one long, suffering sigh. "Craig wanted to attend the meeting. Something must have kept them."

"I know." Karl shook his head, sitting down on one of the nearby rocks that marked the square in front of the hall. "But I also know that Craig and Dave are more than capable of taking care of themselves."

"But..."

"Harry, please." Karl forced himself not to sound too impatient. "It's not even been ten minutes since the council ended. Give them some time. Maybe we just didn't see them."

"But the Town Hall's almost empty!" Harry's arms were waving wildly at the still-opened doors and the slow but steady trickle of people leaving. "We should have seen them by now!"

"Harry." Karl shook his head again, running both hands through his tousled hair. "You should trust Craig."

"I know." Harry grumbled towering over Karl. "But I want to know that Craig's safe and I want to know it now!"

"Karl? Karl Urban?"

Both men turned as one as someone suddenly addressed them from behind. Both of them also fixed the newcomers with matching glares and frowns of suspicion. Karl's frown deepened as he narrowed his eyes at the two newcomers on front of him.
He immediately dismissed the tall, twitchy one with the curly hair and the somewhat elfin looks.
Absolutely not his type and he was sure that they had never spoken to each other, He also seemed to be spoken for if the other man's protective stance was anything to go by.

Something kept nagging at his memory, some little recollection of meeting at least the other one before. Tall, blond and handsome. He cocked his head, raising an appreciative eyebrow and giving Harry a questioning glance. Well-built as well.

Harry just shrugged, still not giving any indication whether he knew what was happening. How typical. Karl sighed, turning his attention back to tall, blond and handsome and tall, twitchy and curly. He frowned again, scrutinizing them once more.

"I'm sorry," he said, wincing as he watched the anxiously pleased and excited expression vanish from the blond man's face, "Should I know you?"

"You don't remember?" The man asked, hurt briefly flashing across his face. "I know it's been a long time and I was sure you were dead, but..."

"Wait," Karl held up a hand, noticing Harry's increasing interest with a pang of displeasure, "You said dead... do I know you," he frowned again, a deep line creasing his forehead, "From before? I mean before New Zealand was..."

The long-remembered pain in the man's eyes was all the answer he needed. Tall, twitchy and curly inched closer to the blond stranger, gently laying a supportive hand onto his arm. Karl looked up as he sensed Harry tense beside him. For some reason the other man's suspicion seemed to have raised a few notches again.

"I'm sorry." Karl repeated with a small, but nevertheless bitter smile. "A lot of memories are quite hazy." He shrugged. "I think I know you but I don't remember your name."

"Eric." The blond man said, holding out his hand to Karl, "Eric Banadinovich. We met a few days before everything ended but never saw each other after they started to evacuate."

Karl eyed the hand in front of him as though it was something dangerous, a poisonous snake just waiting to bury its fangs in his skin. "I still don't remember. I've forgotten almost all about my last days in New Zealand." He looked up, completely stunned as Harry squeezed his shoulder in support. How strange.

"Well," Eric raked his fingers through his hair, giving Karl another shaky smile and wrapping an arm around the man at his side. "I've tried to forget as much as I could as well. Oh, and this is Orlando." He added, giving tall, twitchy and curly a besotted smile.

Karl forced himself to give the other man at least a friendly nod. Orlando. Even the name sounded twitchy.

"And who is your," Eric paused, nodding at Harry, "Partner?"

"Oh... um, that's Harry." Karl stuttered, "He's not my partner, he's a friend. A friend's--- friend, to be exact."

"I see."

"We were waiting for someone." Harry supplied helpfully.

"Did you attend the meeting as well?" Eric asked, pulling Orlando a little bit closer. "Did you hear anything about what exactly happened to Sean? You know him personally, don't you?"

"Yes." Karl heard the suspicion creep back into his voice as well. "Why?"

"We're just curious." Orlando interjected, nudging Eric with his elbow, "We had hoped to meet someone who may have heard from two other friends of ours. Dominic and Marton."

"Dominic and Marton?" Karl growled, jumping to his feet, "What do you know of them?"

"We met them." Orlando shuffled even closer to Eric, frowning.

"So I gathered." Karl quipped, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "What do you know of them?"

"Just ignore him," Harry gave Eric and Orlando a grin, stepping between them and Karl, "He's a bit touchy on the subject because they sort of ran away on his watch."

"You let them run away?" Orlando asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "You don't seem like the type to go against orders."

"No!" Karl all but yelled. "I didn't! But I should have had the watched by better guardians."

"Oh." Eric shuffled his feet, his hand splayed possessively over Orlando's hip. "Maybe... would you like to go for a drink? I know a nice pub nearby."

"No, thank you." Harry said cooly, "We'd rather wait for our friends."

"Of course." Eric nodded, "Another time perhaps?"

"Perhaps." Karl echoed weakly, stepping aside to let Eric and Orlando pass. "I'm sure we'll meet again.!
Eric nodded, gently steering Orlando away.

"Karl?" Harry was squeezing his shoulder again. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." Karl shook his head, as if to clear it from a daze, "I just hate it when the past comes back to bite my ass." He sighed, leaning into Harry's touch. "I really hate it."


~***~


Marton groaned, instinctively burrowing closer to the wonderful warmth he was curled up against. He frowned, still caught halfway between sleep and awareness. The warmth was moving. That was not supposed to happen. Slowly he followed the warmth, deeply inhaling the strange yet somehow familiar scent surrounding him.
"Hum." He hummed softly, running his fingers over the denim-clad thigh his head was resting on. Nice.

"You know," a sarcastic voice suddenly told him, "I'd really kick your ass to hell and back for touching me like that if you were awake."

"Hrum?" Marton mumbled again, turning onto his back and finally opening his eyes. He frowned as he met a stormy, grey gaze. "Dom?"

"Yes?" Dominic raised an eyebrow at the man on his lap, "Sorry to disappoint you since you were so obviously expecting someone else."

"Um." Marton slowly withdrew his hands from Dominic's knee and pushed himself into a sitting position. He looked around the non-descript hotel room, frowning as he noticed that it was already getting dark again.

"Very intelligent answer, Marton." Dominic grinned, stretching himself. "Don't worry, I wouldn't kick you too hard. After all I've sort of grown used to you."

Marton winced as he heard the smaller man's stiffened joints crack. It sounded more than painful.

"Now," Dominic started again, "Since you seem to have decided to let me go before all of my muscles cramp up, what do you suggest we do with the rest of the day?"

"No idea." Marton shrugged. "What time is it?"

"Not that late." Dominic rolled his head from side to side, moaning as the vertebrae popped back into place. "Not even after six I think." He drew his legs onto the mattress, curling them up beneath him.

"That sound," Marton whispered, suddenly wincing and staring at the floor, "I can't get that sound out of my head."

"Marton?" Dominic inched closer. "Please talk to me. What sound? You were talking about strange sounds when you fell asleep as well."

"I was?" Marton frowned at Dominic's hand, which now lay hot and heavy on his thigh. "Are you sure?"

"I know what I heard." Dominic tapped his fingers on Marton's jeans, "Now what about the sound?"

"I don't know." Marton shivered. "Is it cold in here?"

"Not really." Dominic frowned. "Are you cold?"

"No, I asked because it's too warm for me in here." Marton snapped, leaning back against the wall and pulling awkwardly at the blanket the two of them were sitting on. "Aren't you cold?"

"Not at all." Dominic shifted himself off the blanket, stretching again as Marton huddled into the warmth the worn fabric offered. "I think it's quite warm in here."

Marton shivered, pulling the blanket tighter around his shoulders and watching Dominic from drowsy eyes. "The sound's strange," he said finally, trembling once more, "It's almost like a scream but there's nothing human about it."

"Do you think it could be the Nighties again?"

"The Nighties?" Marton chuckled darkly, "You've said that before." He shook his head. "You make them sound like animated negligees or maybe a bloody rock band."

"Nah." Dominic grinned broadly, "More like a fucking pop band."

"Ugh." Marton's shiver worsened. "I don't want to imagine what kind of songs they'd sing."

"Nor do I." Dominic elbowed Marton tugging at the blanket. "So what do you think? Rock or pop?"

"Neither." Marton grimaced, pulling the blanket back with a scowl. "What about punk or some awful New Age stuff?" He lunged forward, once more trying to gain a secure hold on the blanket with a soft growl. Damn, when had Dom grown so many arms? It was almost impossible to fend him off. "That's my blanket!"

"No, no, wait!" Dom yelped, helplessly trying to fend off Marton's tickling fingers. "Careful! We'll..."

"Ouch!" Marton groggily rubbed his temple, "Fall off the bed, was that what you were trying to say?"

"Mmmm." Dominic stretched, grinning down at Marton. "You are very comfortable to land on."

"Glad to know that breaking my ribs makes you comfy." Marton tried to snark, his breath hitching as his gaze suddenly decided to glue itself to Dominic's lips. Oh damn. He was not supposed to lust after the one he was running away with. So close and full and kissable. He gulped, licking his lips. "You're getting heavy..."

"Heavy, hm?" Dominic's grin broadened even more as he ground his hips against Marton's, pressing them together. "And here I was thinking you were really happy to see me..."

"Dominic...." The name was nothing but a mix between a pained groan and an laboured plea on Marton's lips.

"Marton." A perfect, yet somehow more confident mimicry of Marton's tone, filled with a longing admission.

"Please..." Marton whispered quietly, his hands moving up to encircle Dominic's waist. "I... I want..." His fingers slipped under the waistband of Dom's jeans, tenderly stroking the warm skin. So much better than the denim.

"You want what?" Dominic almost purred, his breath hot against Marton's lips, almost close enough to kiss. "What do you want me to do?" He smiled, moving againt Marton once more. "Do you want me to kiss you? To touch you?" Marton's hands twitched on his skin. "Take you?" Dominic whispered, his voice dropping to a seductive drawl while his hands travelled over the front of Marton's shirt, lingering suggestively on every button.
"Or do you want me to give myself to you? To make you forget?"

"Yes." Marton moaned, arching into the caress.

"Yes to what Marton?" Dominic's tongue ghosted over Marton's lips, languidly savoring the other man's taste. "Yes to which of my suggestions?"

"All...." Marton gasped, bucking up in an attempt to reclaim Dominic's lips, "Yes to all of them... I want you in whatever way you'll let me have you..."

"All of them, hm?" Dominic finally allowed himself to be caught, chuckling against Marton's lips. "Seems you don't do things by halves."

"Never." Marton agreed, arms locking around Dominic, pressing their arousals together. Hr groaned as his jeans chafed uncomfortably over his hardened length. "I always try to take all I can."

"I think I like that philosophy." Dominic forced down a moan, waiting for a second to search Marton's eyes for any sign of doubt or regret.

Marton shivered under the intense gaze, pushing even the last trace of memories from his mind. Memories of holding David in exactly the same way. Memories of kissing David, loving him.

"Please." Marton's hand travelled up to Dominic'S back, caressing the warm flesh. Supple muscles and smooth skin moved under his fingertips in an enchanted dance of passion. "Kiss me."

Dominic smiled, slowly lowering his lips to Marton's. Marton moaned, bucking up against Dominic, lips sucking and nibbling on the other man's, numbed fingers fiddling with Dominic's zipper and his breathing reduced to kiss-shortened gasps. He growled in protest as Dominic tried to open his pants, entangling their hands and, for a moment, keeping them from successfully undressing each other.

"Dom..." Marton groaned as his hardened cock was assaulted by first cold air and then the heat of Dominic's arousal. Words were lost as the two moved against each other, hands tugging sluggishly at half-discarded shirts, their mouth seeking each other out again as soon as they had managed to get some air. Marton's hands moved on their own, clutching Dominic's hair and holding him in place.
The pleasure of friction ran through him, skidded over his skin and sent waves of pleasure through him. He could already feel the all too familiar tightening in his balls, could feel heat pooling between them as their cocks rubbed against each other, slickened by pre-come and desire.

With another gasp Marton bucked up against Dominic, spilling himself between them. Heat jerked onto his stomach and chest as Dominic followed him, eyes screwed shut and head thrown back in a silent scream of ecstasy.

"Sticky...." Marton complained in a low whisper, groggily wrapping his arms around Dominic.

"No, really?" Dominic's head was resting on Marton's chest, his hair tickling Marton's chin. "We could take a shower." He suggested with a yawn.

"Nrmpf." Marton protested, keeping Dominic in place. "Don't wanna move." He yawned, finally giving in to the urge. "I like you." He added sleepily after a while.

"Like you, too." Dominic answered. Marton smiled as he felt Dominic grin against his skin. Somehow this felt right. "Bed?" Dominic asked hopefully, wriggling till he found a more comfortable spot on Marton's chest.

"Later." Marton insisted, happily ignoring the fact that he was already losing feeling in his left arm. "Just wanna hold you right now."

"'Kay." Dominic was almost asleep before he managed to mumble his reply. Marton's smile just broadened.


~***~


"For fuck's sake Craig!" David gasped, bending over and resting his hands on his thighs as he tried to catch his breath. His chest was heaving erratically with every long, shaky breath. "Craig!" He yelled a bit weakly, leaning back against the nearest wall. He could not remember ever being more out of shape.

Craig had outrun him way too easily. "Dammit" He whispered, watching helplessly as he saw Craig's back disappear through a small door on the other side of the street. A dark chuckle spilled from his lips. All passers-by were giving him a wide berth, some casting half amused, half alarmed looks his way. Seemed like he was freaking people out again.

"I'll kill you if you go after Marton without me." He vowed breathlessly, slowly taking a few shaky steps onto the sandy pavement. "I swear to god, Craig, I will."

With another shake of his head he followed Craig through the back door of the Town Hall, praying that the knot of apprehension in his stomach was unwarranted.