White Wolf Fan Fiction Presents:
~With You Till the End and Beyond~
A How I Met Your Mother Collection
Title: With You Till the End and Beyond
Pairing(s): Barney/Alekai; Marshall/Lily and mentions of past Ted/Robin
Fandom(s): How I Met Your Mother
Disclaimer: I do not own How I Met Your Mother or its characters; however, I do own Alekai and anyone else not mentioned in the show.
A/N: The following belongs to the Vampire-verse story I'd written for my 'Dude, Rainbows are so... Gay!' Color Collection. The following stories are also not connected in any way and are written randomly; stories that are connected will say so in the summary.
-0-
Words: 4,105
Rating: T+
Warnings: Yaoi, hurt/comfort, and angst.
Summary: Alekai's parents are coming to visit; he's terrified and Barney is there to save the day, quite literally.
"Oh man... oh man..." Alekai whimpered, pacing the floor of Barney's living room. He closed his eyes tightly, running his hands constantly through his hair, not needing to see as he knew the place by heart now. "This is not happening..." he continued to mutter, purposefully evading his phone, which sat innocently on the coffee table not even three feet from him.
He was vaguely aware of the running water in the shower, where his lover was currently, leaving him to panic over what he'd only just found out himself. It was just a single text, but it sent Alekai's entire mind reeling and he wasn't even aware his fangs were out from the brief moment of anger that flashed through him.
He made a mad dash to his phone after only another second of thinking and he read the text over and over to make sure he wasn't imagining things.
'Hey, Alekai! Your dad and I are flying to New Yorktoday for some business, hope you don't mind if we pop by just to say hello. We haven't seen you since you left all those years ago and we'd like to catch up with you. We'll be there around noontomorrow. Hope you don't get into too much trouble until then, love you!' - Message received from 'Mother' at 8:04 A.M, on Thursday.
"Fuck!" He cursed, throwing his phone down again after re-checking that it was in fact nine in the morning on Friday; a day after his parents sent him the message.
"Your fangs are out, babe," Alekai let out a sharp gasp, turning around sharply when he heard the voice; his wide eyes closed when he saw Barney and a sigh escaped him, his fangs retracting automatically.
"Sorry..." he mumbled and opened his eyes to see Barney smirking at him, and Alekai blushed a little when he noticed Barney was shirtless, a towel around his neck. "Um... feel better?" He asked in a pathetic attempt to fill the silence that fell and Barney chuckled, nodding his head as he walked over to Alekai.
"Much," he replied, leaning down to kiss the blonde. "What's wrong?" Barney pulled back to ask, referring back to the 'fang' comment and Alekai frowned, looking away and instead focused on looking at the carpeted floor below them.
"...it's nothing... not really anyway..." he sighed softly and Barney raised an eyebrow in question, waiting patiently for the other to continue. "Um..." Alekai gulped and fidgeted slightly, "my... parents... are coming over to visit."
Barney couldn't help the slight shock that he felt, his eyes widening only a little, before he smirked; curiosity replacing the shock. "Hm, you know, this is the first time you've mentioned them since you came to New York."
Alekai turned a mellow glare towards the other, nearly tearing away from the 'hug'. "That's because we haven't spoken since I left home," he bit out, his fangs baring again as he seethed in anger once more, running his hands through his hair in more panic. "This is a nightmare," he groaned and Barney gave a fond smile, reaching out and he tugged Alekai back into a hug, kissing the top of his head and running his own fingers through the blonde's hair, smoothing it out and he barely noticed a soft purr from the younger man.
"Come on, babe, it can't be that bad," he cooed and Alekai scoffed, though he didn't pull away and instead wrapped his arms around Barney as he buried his head in the other's chest. When he spoke, Barney shivered slightly as he felt Alekai's warm breath puff against his skin.
"My mother is the meanest vampire you'll ever meet, Barney..." he said and Barney chuckled.
"Well, even so, I plan to leave a very good impression on them when they come here. We'll make them dinner and have a nice long, peaceful conversation with them. How does that sound?" He asked softly and Alekai tensed, sucking in a sharp breath, worrying Barney just a little. "Love...?" He frowned when Alekai pulled away from him, shaking his head sharply.
"N-no... no, they can't... you can't..." he stumbled over his words and pure terror coursed through his veins. "Barney..." he whispered, looking up when Barney tried to comfort him, "they don't even know I'm gay, let alone that I have a boyfriend..."
"Look, love, it'll be fine." Barney gave Alekai an encouraging smile, putting away his phone. "I just texted everyone and told them what's up. They'll be joining us with dinner, so you don't feel so strange around your parents, alright?" Alekai couldn't help the relieved smile he sent back to Barney, though he was still tense.
"But... what are we going to do about dinner? We... we don't have anything here, do we?" Alekai asked, frowning as he knew his parents wouldn't want their first visit with their son in years to be over a meal at some restaurant, no matter how fancy said restaurant was.
"Just leave that to me, okay, babe?" Alekai frowned, but he gave a reluctant nod before Barney sat down next to him, pulling him into his lap and the human placed a light kiss to Alekai's shoulder; they had a few minutes to relax, anyway, and Barney was going to use those few minutes as well as he could while he could.
By the time everything was nearly ready, Alekai was a nervous wreck and not even Lily could calm him down at this point. Which is saying a lot.
"No, no... no, no, no..." Alekai whimpered, shaking his head sharply. "You guys really don't understand...!" He whined, desperate to get his point across. "They're not like us... they don't... they can't..." he winced sharply and Robin sighed, placing her hands on Alekai's shoulders before hissing at him, stern, her fangs out in frustration.
"Come on, spit it out already, Alek!" She groaned and he stiffened, closing his eyes.
"My parents..." he began slowly, just a tad bit frightened of Robin when she gets like this, "don't like... people..." he said, kind of vague and he winced again when Marshall questioned his words.
"Do you mean they're anti-social or something?" He asked and Alekai whimpered.
"If only that was it..." he opened his eyes, frowning, looking at his friends, purposely avoiding his lover's gaze when Barney entered the room from the kitchen, his hands holding a small washrag which he used to dry them. "No... they..." he sighed and lowered his head, ashamed, deciding to just get it out already, "They hate humans..." he muttered and before anyone could say anything, he continued. "They're old fashioned, and they believe in a society where vampire's rule over humans, seeing them as weak and pathetic; as prey for the predators. When they feed... they don't feed on animals or artificial packets like I used to... they find any human they can get their hands on and..." he shook with this last part, "and... they... they drain them dry..." he hissed out.
He heard Lily and Ted's horrified gasps and flinched when he, barely, heard Marshall clamp a hand over his mouth. Robin stared at him in shock and Barney... he had an unreadable expression on his face, one Alekai couldn't get light on no matter how hard he tried; not that he tried hard anyway, unable to hold his lover's gaze for more than a second.
"And you're worried they'll go after us?" Barney said, finally and Alekai heard the underlying 'after me?' that was hidden in his words.
Alekai nodded though, sighing and he ran his hands over his face and through his hair again. "Y-yeah." He kept his head lowered when he heard footsteps coming towards him and Robin.
"They're your parents, though, Alekai, and we're your friends..." Robin said, a little uneasy, though she clearly had no reason to worry, being a fellow vampire and all.
"That wouldn't matter to them... not to my mother, anyway..." Alekai said bitterly before gasping as he felt a rough hand on his shoulder, pulling him away from Robin and towards the other person. He looked up, suddenly frightened as he stared into Barney's eyes. "B-Barney..." He whispered, his mouth suddenly going dry.
"You shouldn't worry." Barney said, sharp and deep and stern, and Alekai's eyes widen just a little, going completely silent. "Do you know why?" Alekai frowned and shook his head, "Because you're here to protect us... both you and Robin." Barney's voice got soft then and Alekai wanted to look away, away from the eyes that bore into his soul, but before he could do anything, Barney leaned down and kissed him.
And just like that, the mood was suddenly brighter. At least... until the doorbell rang.
Alekai's breath quickened and he feared he would end up having a panic attack, though he mustered up enough courage to open the door just as all his friends stood, awaiting the disaster that was inevitably going to happen. "M-Mother... Father..." he squeaked out, clearing his throat when he did, looking at the two tall vampires that now stood in the entrance of the home.
The man, Jonathon James, had light colored hair and green eyes like Alekai's own. He was also in a very expensive black suit and Alekai made a small joke inside his head how his father's tastes matched his boyfriend's almost exactly. His expression, though, bordered on formal and fond, when he laid eyes on his son.
The woman, Veronica James, who was a little shorter than the man, had dark colored hair, tied in a long ponytail, and vivid blue eyes with darker red specks than her son and husband; a constant reminder to Alekai that she's drank more blood from humans than either of them have. She wore a beautiful blue dress that went a little passed her knees and knee-high leather boots.
"Alekai, darling! It's so good to see you again!" She cooed, smiling and Alekai tensed when her gaze flicked to his friends before landing back on him. "Well, aren't you going to invite us in?" She teased, flashing her fangs at the old cliché, and Alekai let out a weary chuckle, standing aside and letting them both in; his smile was a little more genuine to his father, who smiled back at him, ruffling his hair fondly.
"Hey kiddo, it's been a while." He said, in a voice that was soft but held a certain authority to it.
Alekai let out a relived sigh and nodded, hugging his father when he was allowed. "Yeah, it has, Father, hasn't it?" He replied before turning to his mother when she spoke.
"My, how thoughtful of you, Alekai," she purred and Alekai tensed again, fear coursing through him, "you brought us some snacks."
"Now, love, don't be like that," Jonathon started and then sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose when she shifted over to Barney, who stood straight and tense, his gaze never leaving hers.
"And aren't you a handsome one?" She smirked, her fangs very visible and Alekai felt his chest tighten. "Yes, you're the perfect little snack, aren't you?" Alek growled low in his throat, and his eyes narrowed sharply, his fangs coming out and his hands clenched, when he saw his mother touch Barney's cheek, running her fingers down to his throat. He snapped when he saw a hint of fear in his lover's eyes and he jumped between them before anyone could even blink.
"Don't touch him...!" He growled darkly, shocking most everyone in the room, aside from Robin, Barney, and his father.
"Alekai, what in the world has gotten into you?" Veronica chided and Alekai's glare only darkened, continuing to growl, causing his mother to back away a few steps, never having seen her son like this before. Even Barney was a little surprised now from the sheer possessiveness in the blonde's tense state.
"You can't have them! You can't have him...!" He seethed, still tense, though his tone became a little less dark and he stopped growling at her. "They're my friends and I won't let you touch them, you got it?" It wasn't really a question, but she nodded anyway, more than surprised.
"Alright, kid, you have our word." He sent a very grateful smile to his father before sighing, relaxing further, still extremely tense.
"Um... now... Mother, Father... these are my friends, Ted, Lily, Marshall, Robin, and... and Barney..." his tone became a little shaky when he said Barney's name, though he didn't dare look up into his lover's eyes, afraid what he would see. "Guys... this is my mother, Veronica, and my father, Jonathon." He finished the introductions and added in a slightly smaller voice. "Mother, Father... my friends are going to be joining us for... for dinner..."
"Delightful," Veronica stated, though the cheer in her voice was clearly faked and Alekai barely held in the wince from her tone.
The dinner consisted of ham, mashed potatoes, sweet corn, green beans, rolls and butter, macaroni, and only the finest wine that Barney could buy. It all smelled incredible and it tasted even more so.
The talk at the table was tense, but it flowed nicely; of course it helped having several people eating with you, instead of only three or four.
"So tell us, darling, where do you work now?" Veronica asked and Alekai felt a small sense of both fear and pride well up in him when she asked this.
"Uh, I work in a children's museum. I uh... I manage the exhibits and take care of new employees, showing them the ropes and how everything works in the museum." He explained, sounding very proud of it and he caught a smile on Barney's face when he did and couldn't help but blush a little.
"Is that right?" Jonathon smirked, sipping some of the wine. "I always did remember you going on and on about history and whatnot, almost figured you'd go for a teacher instead. I'm proud of you, though, son, you've come a long way since you were just a pup." He chuckled and Alekai's blush only darkened, a little embarrassed.
"Well, I did want to be a teacher, but then decided I'd rather not deal with hormonal teenagers all day." He chose not to add that he basically dealt with that all the time from Barney, figuring it wouldn't make for very good conversation.
"Oh, this wine is absolutely divine, darling," Veronica licked her lips, her tongue going over her fangs and she seemed pleased when it caused some of his friends to squirm, mainly Marshall though. Alekai huffed slightly and shrugged to what she said.
"It's alright... I'm not really a wine kind of person... that's all Barney, um... actually, he's the one that made this food." He chirped and Veronica looked a little shocked while Jonathon merely smirked wider, enjoying the look on his wife's face. She never did deal well with humans being equal to vampires.
"Yes, well, thank you... Barney." She said, a little sharp and Barney only nodded, not bothering with answering her, infuriating her further.
Jonathon decided to change the subject before she ended up hurting someone and he turned his entire attention back to Alekai, "So, Alek, do you have a girlfriend yet?" In an instant, Alekai both tensed and nearly choked on his ham. He panicked and lifted his gaze to his father, eyes a little wide.
"W-what!?" He squeaked and Jonathon laughed.
"Oh come on, don't tell me you don't!" His laughter was loud and nearly contagious, as his friends started joining in with little chuckles, though fortunately, Barney stayed quiet. Unfortunately, Barney's attention was focused solely on him. "At least tell me you've gotten laid." Alekai's face bloomed red from the tips of his ears to his neck in one second flat and he coughed, dropping his fork entirely.
"Father!" He shouted and his friends really did laugh at him this time.
"Well, boy?" Jonathon grinned sharply and Alek whimpered, shrinking in his seat, hoping the floor would open up and swallow him whole and end this embarrassment.
"Yeah Alekai," Ted said, teasingly and Alekai growled, kicking him under the table, ignoring his shout of 'ow'.
"I-I really don't see how that's appropriate conversation material for this table... especially with my friends around." He strained and Jonathon laughed again.
"Just catching up, kid, that's all. Nothing to be ashamed of, I'm sure." He prodded and Alekai closed his eyes tightly.
"Oh? Is it possible that you and the lovely miss Robin are-"
"NO!" Alekai nearly exploded, blushing even darker at his outburst. "No! God no...! Robin and I are... we're just friends!" He shivered a little in show and only barely managed a grin when Robin shot him a mock-hurt look, though he could see she was fighting to keep a grin off her face too.
"Alekai..." Barney whispered, placing a hand on his from under the table and Alekai looked down at his plate, closing his eyes for a moment or two.
It was only a few minutes of silence later when Alekai sighed and looked at his friends, nodding his head slightly, a weary frown on his face.
"Um... thanks for the dinner... Barney." Ted said, catching the hint first and he stood up, grabbing his plate. "We'll be leaving now," he shot a look to the other three and they nodded too, muttering their thanks and whatnot, putting their plates in the sink before leaving with a small goodbye to Alekai and Barney.
"Mother... Father..." Alekai started, earning their confused attention. "I... I have something I have to tell you... and... I've been meaning to tell you for a while..." he glanced up slightly at his parents and they both looked at him and he was about to continue until he saw his mother turn to Barney, who still sat at the table beside Alekai.
"Well, go on then, I do believe our son said he wanted to talk to us," she said, curt and sharp, and it was clear she was very pissed at him. Barney only frowned until she added, "privately," and he made to stand up.
Alekai panicked, beginning to hyperventilate now and he shot his hand out to grab Barney's arm, though he refused to meet his gaze. "Stay." He pleaded, barely getting the word out in between his gasps for breath, and Barney nearly felt his heart break from the sound of his voice and the general look of him, so small and frightened and he couldn't help but grab Alekai's hand in his own, reaching out with his free hand and rubbing circles on his back, kneeling beside his lover as he tried to calm him down.
"Alekai?" His father's voice reached his ears and his head shot up, suddenly aware of everything and he gulped, feeling ten times more scared than he'd ever been; it was worse knowing that at least one of his parents was going to go ballistic with the news he was going to tell them. And he hoped to whatever god out there that it wasn't going to be his father.
"I... I need to tell you guy's something that I... I probably should've told you years ago..." he squeaked out, trying to keep his voice steady, but failing so bad. He was a little comforted, knowing his lover was with him, sitting right beside him, and wasn't going anywhere. "I... I'm g-gay..." he closed his eyes immediately upon saying this and he tried blurting out the rest of his sentence, but didn't get very far when his mother's sickeningly sweet voice filled his ears.
"Oh sweetie, you know that just can't be." She said and Alekai shot his head up, staring at his mother with an unreadable expression. "You're just confused and all, that's it. Once you find yourself a lovely little miss to settle down with you'll see."
"No! Mother! You're not listening!" He shouted, standing up all of a sudden, snapping and he glared darkly at her. "I'm gay! I like guys! And not only do I only like them they're the only one's I'll have... have sex with! So don't you dare try to tell me I'm confused because I damn well know what I want when I already have an incredibly boyfriend whom I love very much!" Strangely enough, only his mother and Barney seemed to be shocked by the outburst, while his father only smirked once more at him. But he paid no mind when he saw his mother stand up, her lips pulled back in a snarl and her fangs glinting in the light of the dining room.
"That is no way to talk to your mother, Alekai Tyler James," she seethed and then she froze all of a sudden, her eyes wide before they narrowed and she turned her dark glare towards Barney. "I knew it! I fucking knew it!" She hissed, baring her fangs and Alekai flinched back, eyes becoming wide now as well. "You're the one who's corrupted my son!"
Barney turned a calm expression to her own and frowned, "I'm sorry ma'am, but I haven't corrupted anyone." He said and Alekai would have made a smart-ass remark about it if he wasn't so damn scared.
"You filthy vile lying son of a bitch! You humans are all the same, I swear, and don't think I hadn't noticed that mark on your neck." She seethed and turned back towards Alekai then, seeming to switch gears all of a sudden. "Now I get why you were so possessive of that pathetic human when I barely even touched him. You're sick, Alekai James." Alekai flinched back hard, tears coming to his eyes and Jonathon chose that moment to stand up, grabbing his wife's arm.
"Veronica, that's enough." He said, an order and Veronica hissed at him, though she relented, glaring at the two before them.
When they made to leave, Alekai stayed where he was, not bothering to show them to the door now. He broke when she passed him, whispering darkly into his ear, "That little toy of yours won't last forever, you'll see. And when he's gone, don't you think about running on home, crying for us." She seethed, walking passed and out the door, with Jonathon in tow.
When the door closed, Alekai fell to the floor, tears falling freely. Barney got to the floor with him, pulling the smaller man into his arms and murmuring sweet nothings to him.
'Hey kiddo, I'm sorry about your mother. You know how she gets when she hasn't... fed... in a while. I love you, I hope you know that.' - Message received from 'Father' at 9:37 P.M.
Alekai sniffled, looking at his phone as he lay in bed with his lover, smiling a little when he saw the message.
'Yeah, I know... I love you too, Father.' He typed before adding a second message. 'Are you mad...?'
He dreaded the answer he would get, but was momentarily distracted when his lover leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Hey, babe, who're you texting?" Barney asked, soft and quiet.
"My father..." Alekai whispered, getting a text back.
'No, I'm not. But do you want to know a secret? I always knew you were different, but in a good way. And you know I love you know matter what.' - Message received from 'Father' at 9:40 P.M.
He smiled before getting another text from him.
'You picked a good man, I can tell. But you better tell that boy that if he ever hurts my little pup he's going to end up with a bullet in his dick.' - Message received from 'Father' at 9:41 P.M.
"What's he saying?" Barney pouted when Alekai laughed from the message he read and when he took his phone, reading the texts, he couldn't help but laugh a little as well. "Huh, duly noted, sir." He muttered, though it was really for no one. He then sighed and handed the phone back to Alekai, shifting so he could kiss him on the mouth. "You... you know I would never hurt you, right?" He asked and Alek smiled, nodding his head.
"Yeah, I know."
"Good... because I love you and I won't let anything happen to you. Alekai, love, I'm with you till the end and beyond," he said, only slightly teasing, but completely honest with his words and his feelings.
Alekai chuckled and only hummed in answer, hiding a yawn and Barney smiled, resting his forehead against Alekai's own as he watched the blonde send one last message.
'Thank you...'
Next story will be posted tomorrow if I remember to do so. *grins*
~The White Wolf, Zero