Crimson Shadows - 2. Chapter 2

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Soft laughter filled its prison, childish, sweet, even as fingers danced over the top of the box. Time was flying faster and faster around him, plucking at its outfit and skin, at its eyes and hair. Time whispered of what was happening below, promising that it would be free soon, it would be free to do what it wanted, to go where it wanted to go. It laughed again, the sweet sound dancing in its ears.

For so long the mean one had kept it in its box, never opening it, never letting the light touch its body. That made it sad, wanting to pout and whine, but knowing that it wouldn’t be hurt. It had been locked up so long it had lost its gender, not knowing if it was a female or a male.

Or was it both?

Or neither?

It could remember its past, remember how it was possibly a he, how it had loved and been loved so long ago. But after that, things just got so very fuzzy, hazy. It could remember little girls with loving hands and squealing voices. It could remember being taken cared of, of being loved and passed on from family member to family member.

It could also remember the first time it had killed. Such a simple accident had turned into something it liked oh so much.

It hadn’t meant to be found moving around the house. It hadn’t meant to go stiff in the middle of the stairs. It hadn’t meant to trip the little girl that had been its owner for so long, sending her tumbling down them with a rather interesting sound of bones cracking and breaking.

Ever since then, all those years ago, it liked to kill. It was so sweet, dancing over its tongue.

But then the mean one locked him up just as it was about to set into motion its plans for the bitch Alexandria. The whore had mocked it, called it a child’s toy that no one wanted any more, an antique that held no value.

It giggled again as it caressed the top of its velvet lined coffin, listening to time once more.

The mean one was dead and the child was in charge! And soon it would be free and allowed to continue its plan.

The plan just needed to be changed a touch.

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Humming quietly as he woke, body stretching and relaxing, Markus smiled around a purr as Lien pressed a kiss to his shoulder. Sitting up on his elbows, the younger of the two men had to enjoy the sight of his lover as he pulled on his discarded jeans up and over the swell of his ass, which had a rather interesting hickey sitting high on it.

“I think I took a piece of your ass off last night,” Markus drawled, eyes meandering up his lovers back very slowly.

“You took most of the skin off of my back to,” Lien teased, watching his lover blush ever so slightly.

“Yeah, apparently I did.” Eyeing the red welts that stood out amongst the golden skin of his lovers back, Markus shook his head and slid out of the bed, tossing the blankets out of his way. Lien hummed happily at the free show that he was getting, nibbling a corner of his mouth as the slimmer man gathered fresh clothes from his dresser and closet.

Shifting on his feet, the Native American followed after the younger male, eyes happily taking in the rather elegant movements.

“Did you ever take dancing?” Lien suddenly asked, making Markus blink and look at him with large surprised eyes.

“No. Yoga and Tai-Chi since I was rather little actually since I used to have some serious balance problems when I was younger,” he finally replied, laughing lightly. “I need to start cleaning out my fathers’ bedroom. I’m lucky in the fact that the others were cleaned out when my siblings moved out.”

Padding into the bathroom, he flipped the shower on, and stretched slowly once more, rather enjoying the pleasant soreness that was left over from the night before. Smiling as he remembered the activities that had happened to create that soreness, he turned to his lover as the man started to speak again as he stood at the door.

“I can help with that. Your father liked me well enough when I met him,” Lien offered, getting a blinding smile from his lover as the man stepped into the shower.

“That would be nice, really,” Markus replied, the smile continuing to dance over his lips. “Since technically you aren’t immediate blood family, they really can’t complain about you pitching in to help me clean out the house. What are we gonna eat through? I don’t think we have anything for breakfast running around at the moment. Marana hasn’t come over with food in the last couple of days, having spent most of it at the funeral parlor and with the caters for the after funeral gathering.”

“I came over last night with a lot of tacos, both soft shell and hard. They’re in the refrigerator, just waiting for us,” Lien answered, pushing away from the door way as Markus started to wash his body. “I’ll go heat them up and meet you in your dads’ room. And, yes, they are homemade to. Sound good to you?”

“Yeah,” came the happy reply. Pausing for a moment, the older man shivered a bit before heading out of the bedroom, looking around the hallway. Shaking his head as he stopped at the top of the stairs, he headed down them, musing to himself about what he was feeling. Markus had told him about the way he had felt like he had been watched last night, and now he was feeling it now. His rather interesting lover was right; it was off putting and creepy.

Walking into the kitchen, the Native grabbed the large container and pulled it open, smiling at the smaller Ziploc containers that filled it, all of them having something different in them. Pulling out the meat, he turned and shoved it into the microwave, letting it heat up as he pulled out the shells and tortillas to put on a plate to heat them up to once the meat was done. Containers of chopped tomato, lettuce, shredded cheese and sour cream spiced with taco seasoning found their way onto a tray as the microwave dinged, telling him the meat was ready to be put onto the tray to.

Pulling the meat out, sliding the tortillas and shells in next so he could stir the meat together, making sure it was all heated just right. Soon everything was on the tray along with a couple of sodas and cups of ice. Leaving the kitchen and heading up the stairs, he continued to ignore the feeling of being watched, not wanting to dive into the urge to look over his shoulder, knowing he wouldn’t find anything.

Shaking his head as he walked over to the master bedroom, he found his lover already stripping his fathers’ bed, a pile of already stripped pillows sitting nearby with smaller decorative pillows adding to the pile. Shifting the tray in his hands, he cleared his throat, making Markus jump and spin around before pouting and pulling out his ear buds from his ears, putting the little devices near their companion I-Pod. Stopping his music, the slimmer male waved a hand towards some chairs that sat around a small table near the window, hand pressed to his chest over his heart.

“Nice set up,” Lien complimented, shifting the tray again and moving to the table. Markus smiled and nodded, sitting down with the other man, legs crossing as he relaxed into the rather comfortable chair.

“Oh yes, very nice set up. Dad once told me that it was mom who made all of the renovations to this place, restoring it to its original state,” Markus replied, watching at Lien put the tacos together in easy movements, knowing just how they both enjoyed it. Taking his own plate from his lover, he picked up one of the hard shells and bit into it, Lien moving to pour the soda for them. “I have to do the same to a few of the rooms, get rid of the modern day wanna be stuff that my siblings used when they turned them into their own.”

“Sounds like you have your moms need to restore and renew, or so it seems from what your dad told me about her,” the older male drawled, getting a snicker from his companion around his taco. “So, we clean the room out, do most of the laundry and then?” he asked, biting into his own taco, curious about what Markus was planning to do.

“We start on cleaning out the attic and clear out the furniture so we can hopefully figure out what to keep and what to sell or give to the other family members,” Markus replied, shrugging before easily finishing off his first taco. Wiping his mouth, he finished off the others, the two falling into an easy quiet as they ate breakfast before he collected the dishes together and putting them onto the tray before standing up again. “We’ll let this stay here before we move it down to the kitchen when we drag the laundry down.”

“Sounds good,” Lien replied, finishing his own food and standing up with the other man. Together, the two started to strip the bed, taking all of the bed sheets, blankets and the dust skirt before rolling them up with the pillow cases and blankets. Once the bed was stripped, the taller male used the furniture polish on the head and base board of the frame while Markus took care of spraying the bed down with first a bottle of diluted bleach and then with a furniture deodorizer.

Looking at each other, Markus eyed his lover, even as the man walked over to the TV stand and flipped it onto a music station. He narrowed his eyes at the smirk he was getting from the other man, moving around the bed before yelping as the bigger man ran around to him before physically picking him up and tossing him onto the bed, where he bounced up and down a few times.

“Lien! You jerk!” Markus got out, laughing as his lover jumped on after him, tugging him close with a smirk.

“Yep, that’s me,” the Native agreed, nodding his head and looking rather smug as he trapped his lover under his body. Markus huffed and settled back onto the bed, idly kicking his legs back and forth from where they sat over the edge. “So, lunch? What do you want to do about that?” Lien asked, getting a rather smug look from the trapped man under him.

“You think with your dick and your stomach, I swear,” Markus huffed, rolling his eyes before pushing his lover off, making the man drop to the bed next to him. “Maria should be here soon. If we ask nicely enough, maybe she’ll make us something,” he replied, sitting up and sliding off the bed just as the sound of a door slammed below. “Speak of the woman.” Moving out of the room, he looked down the stair well and smiled at the salt and pepper head in his sight.

“Come down here and help me!” she called out the moment she saw him standing there. She was a tiny woman, hair pulled back into a bun that she had always worn around them. Jeans and a tank top was the usual work outfit, and had been for all of the years that she had worked for their family.

“Yes, Maria,” Markus laughed, waving a hand to Lien who had followed behind him and bounded down the stairs. Taking one of the bags in her arms, he headed to the kitchen with her while Lien went outside to gather more of the grocery bags. “How are you, Maria?” Markus asked, getting a sad smile from her.

“I’m doing well, little one. How about you? Are you doing well?” she asked, starting to put things away with the younger man.

“Yes. I had time to mourn before dad did die, so it’s more bittersweet right now then anything,” he told her, shrugging his shoulders before nibbling on his bottom lip as he put away the apples. Lien came in with a few more bags before dropping them off and heading out again. “Lien helps of course. He came over every time he was free from work or didn’t have to babysitting, usually after you left for the day, even occasionally when he was babysitting. He’s a sweet heart and I do care for him, might even love him after all this.”

“Sounds like a healthy relationship for you. Better then the last idiot,” Maria said, sniffing in disdain at the thought of Markus’ last boyfriend as said male rolled his eyes and put some more apples away, giving them a look.

“Yeah, Lien is a lot better for me then Kinder. And I still don’t think that was the name his mama gave him.” Markus huffed before holding up the third bag of apples, this time golden ones. “What the fuck is up with all the apples?” he asked, sounding a bit bewildered as Maria laughed and took the bag from him with a wink.

“I plan on making some of your favorite dishes, nino,” Maria replied, stashing the apples away along with several packets of extra large tortillas that Markus knew came from a little hole in the wall Mexican place that made them fresh everyday to be bought.

“Oh? Are you making those apple enchiladas?” he asked, perking up as Lien came in with several more bags.

“Yes. Along with some other dishes that you like. Leave me to cook,” Maria said as Lien put the bags down on the counter and started to unpack them, stashing things away for the moment.

“We actually just stripped and flipped the bed. We’re about to go through the drawers and closet to clear out the clothing and do laundry if I’m thinking right,” he said, kissing Maria on the cheek, getting a giggle from the older woman. “If I wasn’t fantastically happy with Markus and gayer then the rainbow, I would date someone like you. You’re a wonderful woman and a fabulous cook,” he teased, getting swatted at by the blushing woman. Markus laughed softly and hugged Maria, dropping his own kiss to her cheek with a sweet smile.

“He’s right you know,” he teased, watching her roll her eyes before huffing softly. “It’s true. You cook so well I’m surprised that I’m not 300 pounds and waddling around,” he said, laughing as Lien picked him up and moved his arms up and down in a weight press with a contemplating expression.

“Nope. Kinda light weight actually. Maria, we need to fatten this one up a bit. Before to long it’ll get painful to hold his hips properly,” Lien said, his voice teasing and light as Markus turned red and smacked at the other mans chest.

“There is no reason for her to know where you grip me, in the bedroom or outside of it!” he yelped, getting a booming laugh from his lover as he was hugged close. Maria laughed just a brightly and waved one of the paper kitchen fans before her face.

“I’ve come to enjoy hearing about two men and their personal activities. It’s a lot of fun,” she teased, making Markus groan and go limp in his boyfriends’ arms. “In this day and age, you got to find a little fun in something,” she teased before continuing to put things away. Lien laughed again and put the smaller man down on the ground, dodging his swats with a practiced ease, all the time smiling brightly.

“Let me go get the dishes from breakfast and the bed sheets and stuff. We can get those started as we go through the laundry, closets and drawers,” the bigger male suggested, kissing Markus on the nose before running up the stairs with a smile on his face. Rolling his eyes, the red head turned towards the laundry room just off the kitchen and opened the door. Pausing as he shivered slightly, he shook his head and flipped the light on, finding a pile of clothes in the basket.

“Looks like dad forgot to tell me that he had some laundry here already when he had his heart attack,” he muttered, shaking his head. Picking up the basket, he shifted through it and put several articles into a large sink next to the washer and dryer to soak out the stink. “Damn, what did he do during his last week here?” he asked, looking at a bright green splotch on one shirt. Scrapping at it, he muttered a soft curse and grabbed the bottle of specialized stain remover, pouring it onto the spot and tossing it into the sink. Finishing with the separating as Lien came in, Markus looked up and looked at his boyfriend with a curious look. “What took you so long?”

“Some how, the damn tray was shoved under the bed and I have no idea how. I know we left it on the table when we came down,” was the reply as Lien dropped the laundry down into the now mostly empty basket. “I walked in and it wasn’t where we had left it. Why I don’t know. I was lucky that it was under the bed instead of somewhere else when I looked. We might not have found it before the sour cream curdled on us.” Shaking his head, he opened the washer as Markus frowned in thought.

“That hasn’t happened in a long ass time. Not since I was like…16,” he finally said, shaking his head and handing over the clothes to start putting into the washer, at least the ones that didn’t need to presoak.

“What, things moving? What do you mean by that?” Lien asked, taking the clothes and putting them away. His eyes were glowing with curiosity, knowing his lover was probably going to tell him about his childhood, which really didn’t happen all that often, Markus preferring to focus on the future and present instead.

“Yeah. My family has always had things happen to them in some way; it’s been that way for generations,” Markus replied, snapping the pillow cases a few times and handing them over with an absent minded movement. “It really picked up about the time Alexandria was born and kept right on happening until mom died of her cancer,” he continued, voice a bit sad. Reaching out, Lien smiled gently and brushed a bit of red hair out of his lovers’ wonderful eyes, knowing that he had felt the loss of his mother the most out of all of the siblings.

“So what happened with everything?” he asked, trying to get the others mind off of the death of his mother. It looked as if it worked when dark blue eyes lightened back into the aqua blue that he enjoyed so much.

“Well, little things for the longest time. Like things would move from place to place, or disappear for days, even months a few times, at a time. Cold spots and the such, but nothing to worry about. Once or twice there were physical attacks, but that usually happened on those who weren’t really good for the family in some way,” he continued, waving a hand as he unraveled the blanket and set it aside. “One time it happened to this one guy who was dating Alexandria while she was in high school. I remember him sitting there, smoozing up to my mother and father, acting all polite and shit. I was sitting there, staring at him with a cold look, or so my mother told me later. I don’t really know why, but he didn’t feel all that good. Suddenly, the guy yelled out and jumped up, looking around the living room.”

“What happened to him?” Lien asked, hopping up onto the washer after shoving the dust skirt into it and closing the lid. He opened the detergent holder next to his leg and added a bit before adding the softener to the proper dispenser. Markus smiled and shook his head before hopping up onto the dryer, legs swinging beside his lover.

“He had been bitten and clawed. His side had this huge bloody wound on it while his back look like yours does after a long night of sex times five,” he snorted. “Found out later that the ass was cheating on Alexandria and just using her to get to her cash that she had gotten from our grandparents when they died. Mind you, when they did die, I was like 2. Anyways, she dumped him and became a bit more picky about who she dated. It happened like two more times after that, once to a girl Leon was dating and once to a guy that Edward was messing around with.”

“Damn. Sounds like the whatever it was is protective,” Lien hummed, getting a snort again from Markus as he shook his head. “No?”

“No. It’s more like it doesn’t like others playing in its sandbox. I have never once felt safe around what ever it is but it always feels muted when you can feel it,” Markus mused, eyes lost in thought again as Lien slipped off the washer.

“Well, for now, we’ll just have to let it stew in our thoughts. We have better things to do then bother with a ghost that hasn’t really popped up in years,” Lien hummed, dragging Markus off the dryer with a smirk. “Come on. Let’s go gather clothes and the such,” he hummed quietly, brushing his lips over Markus’ slowly, just a butterfly’s touch.

Smiling, the smaller man nodded and they headed up the stairs after pausing to watch Maria deftly peel the apples that she had bought, a small radio playing some ancient classic music.

“Eric Clampton, Maria? I never knew you were into such old music,” Markus teased as they walked past, getting a knife waved at them.

“I was raised on the older music, like I know you were, Markus,” she huffed, glaring the young man before smirking and shaking her head with a fond smile. “I know you listen to that Aqua group.”

“I only listen to it when I’m on a sugar high,” came the sniffed reply as Markus tugged his lover towards the stairs, making him laugh loudly. “Shush you,” he complained, nearly pouting at his lover before smiling and shaking his head, red hair falling about his face. Reaching out, Lien smiled in return and pushed the soft hair out of the other mans face gently, getting an even sweeter smile from the younger male.

“Come on. Let’s continue working on the bedroom while Maria cooks and fills this house with the scent of food,” he suggested, getting a nod and a bounce from Markus before he was tugged up the stairs and into the bedroom. Laughing loudly, the sound reaching Maria who smiled at the sound of happiness filling the house again, the Native swept the smaller body into his arms, ignoring the sounds of protest from his lover.