The smell of the salt on the sea and the breeze in his hair would never cease to soothe Demetrius. He’d prefer to be out on the water, but looking out at the ocean while the sun slowly sank beyond the horizon was good enough for now. It was a rare occasion they got to stay somewhere that wasn’t a cheap motel, and he was taking full advantage of the view the deck of the beach house provided. So what if the owners didn’t know they were there?
The soft creak of the wood alerted the vampire to Theo’s presence, and he turned his head slightly in acknowledgement as his friend approached to lean on the rail beside him. All was quiet for a long moment, the two of them enjoying the peace.
A small puff of an almost-laugh escaped Theo. “Neither can I. There never seems to be time…”
Demetrius’ eyes darkened as his fist clenched on the bannister. None of them should have to miss something as simple as watching a sunset. It seemed every moment of their lives were spent searching for clues, running to chase, only to find more carnage, more damage they’d been unable to prevent. But there was no one else who could fight this, no one else who even knew what was happening. They were the only ones who could put a stop to the war to come, and they’d do anything to make sure it never came to pass. They’d never be thanked for it, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t about earning gratitude or respect. It was to protect people from suffering the same fate that had happened to him, to his friends. No one deserved to not have a home.
A hand on his shoulder broke Demetrius from his thoughts, and he looked up to see Theo giving him a warm, albeit small smile. “We’ll have that time someday.”
Demetrius snorted. “How do you know?”
“I just do.”
He wanted to snort again, but chose to just look away again. Improbable though they were, Theo’s confident words to make a small smile crook on his lips. It was nice to think they’d have a home someday. Maybe somewhere just like this, by the sea, where he could watch the sunset on the ocean every night. Maybe something he couldn’t imagine yet, but would feel like home all the same. Eventually, he reached up to grip the hand on his shoulder, and squeezed Theo’s hand gratefully. “I hope you’re right.”
They stood in companionable silence a while longer as the sun descended, until they were left in the grey-blue light of evening, the darkness not hindering either of their sights. Inside, he could hear Leah and Krista speaking softly to one another, laughing over some joke he couldn’t quite make out. It almost felt like home, and briefly he thought to himself that anywhere with them would be good enough. But…no. They deserved a place to come back to, a place where they all could feel safe. They were family, and that mattered, but they’d wandered for too long.
He’d find them a home if it was the last thing he did.
At last, Demetrius sighed and decided that he’d wallowed in the melancholy for too long, and he was quite sick of it. So he threw his arm around Theo’s waist and leaned heavily against him, sighing dramatically. “Such a romantic setting. If I didn’t know any better Theo, I’d say you were trying to seduce me.”
Theo snorted and reached up to tug at the black tail of his hair. “I wouldn’t have to try this hard.”
Demetrius scoffed loudly and pushed himself away from the grinning werewolf. “Excuse me? I’ll have you know I’m not easily won, freckles. I need to be romanced.”
Theo turned to lean back against the rail, hands in his pockets. “I’ll keep that in mind. What’ll it be then? Candlelit dinner? Red wine that isn’t actually wine?”
The vampire rolled his eyes, chuckling. “How unimaginative. Sorry darling, I’m afraid you’re just not up to my standards.” Out of a glass, really.
A shrug was Theo’s only response, still smiling. “Drat. All that work for nothing.”
They chuckled together, both looking to the house when the voices of Leah and Krista briefly rose over some playful argument they were having. Demetrius’ heart clenched again at the thought of such a thing being normal, and he could feel Theo’s concerned eyes on him. Just as he’d opened his mouth to assure him that he was fine, he was suddenly enveloped in a hug, the werewolf’s lanky arms wrapped around him.
At first, he couldn’t quite respond, arms hanging limply at his side. This sort of wordless comfort wasn’t something he often indulged in, even as physically affectionate as he was. He tried hard not to let show how much this journey they were on affected him, but clearly he hadn’t done as well as he’d thought. After a moment, he slowly raised his arms to embrace Theo as well, then clutched at his back when his friend only tightened his hold. No words needed to be said, Theo understanding entirely. Deep down, Demetrius was fairly certain they all felt this way.
Home may be where the heart was, but all of theirs were broken.