late but always good // Icarus

[CHARLIE GABRIEL VALDEZ]

These last few months had a lot of adjustment for Charlie. He had taken his time letting his family know what had happened to him. But one thing that he made clear was that he couldn't allow himself to be around his family until he was completely adjusted, saying that the time would ever come. This was something that he had to work through in his own time. Holidays quickly approached though. There were problems with that. How was Charlie supposed to spend the holidays if not with his family. He looked to his best friend, Icarus for guidance who gratefully welcomed him to his house for holiday. Charlie had to visit with his siblings and his mother, maybe even see his never there father.

Charlie had promised himself to avoid his family though. In fact he sent Icarus with the presents to his mother's home for his sisters so they could have a good Christmas. Now he laid across Icarus' bed reading one of his books for school. What was he going to do? How was he going to survive without a family?

A mopey Charlie wasn't exactly the best Charlie to have around but one thing that had made this holiday better was his surprise for Icarus. When Charlie had asked Icarus to go give his family their Christmas presents Charlie had asked him to pick up a box from under his living room bed as well as a few books. Inside one of the books was a small hollowed hole that had a portion of his savings in it. This gave him any money he'd need for a while. And then the rest was hidden under Anne's bed in her bedroom.

After he retrieved his money he went out to Muggle London shortly after the sun set to buy his best friend a something special. He hadn't been able to previously but Icarus deserved something special. He found the cutest little tuxedo kitten that at a local shelter had. He smiled when he wrapped the kitten up to his chest to keep it warm before he took made his way to St. Mungo's. He needed more blood to get him through for a bit. He would visit again before he went back to Hogwarts. Maybe it would jut be easier if he left the school. He could get a job now with just his O.W.L. scores.

When he had gotten back he very carefully hid the little kitten and waited for some alone time with Icarus. He was going to wait for his now. And he was going to focus on his book while he did so. After which he'd go eat in private in the bathroom so Icarus didn't have to see such a thing. The avoidance from the first time was bad enough. He stoned out his face so his smirk wouldn't give anything away. He was excited to see his best friend's reaction to the kitten.

Words: 493
Tagged: ICARUS ALAWN LUGUBELENUS
Notes: Hope it's a good start

[ICARUS ALAWN LUGUBELENUS]

To think a few months ago Icarus had never given much thought to having a vampire directly involved in his life, but now he had two. It had been a lot for the teenager to wrap his head around. If he was perfectly honest he was still doing his best to come to terms with it. But he was determined to find a way to come to terms with it, he had to after all, he wasn't leaving Charlie to deal with this alone - and Xochilt, well he wasn't letting her handle it alone either, no matter how many times she told him to go away.

Still so new to being a vampire Icarus had known it could have been more than devastating for Charlie to go home. He had prepared himself to stay at the castle for the holiday if Charlie declined his offer to spend the holiday with him and his dad. Icarus of course was a little more than overjoyed when Charlie agreed, they needed to get away from the castle. It was not easy explaining to his father how what happened to Charlie, in fact there was a lot that Icarus had left out not really knowing just how to explain the events that had transpired at the dance. What fun it would be to one day explain that the girl he was in love with had actually been the one who bit Charlie. Thinking about it too hard tended to give Icarus a headache.

Once they had found themselves in the Lugubelenus' home it hadn't taken long to settle in. This was hardly the holiday that Icarus had assumed they would be having when the year started but even though circumstances were far from ideal Icarus still found himself glad knowing Charlie was going to be there. Maybe life was weighing down on them like a ton of bricks, and maybe it seemed like things were not going to get better ever, but they had each other and that was more than some.

With time sleep had come easier to Icarus, the nightmares lingered but he had grown accustom to them - just like the ones of his mother. Having Charlie there though Icarus actually found himself sleeping easier, maybe he was an idiot with messed up instincts because who sleeps better when there is a creature that thrives off blood barely across the room? But Charlie wasn't some bloody thirsty monster, he was Charlie. Well, maybe he was sort of blood thirsty. It didn't matter though, having him there Icarus didn't have to worry, no one was going to hurt Charlie here and Charlie wasn't going to hurt anyone. Not that Icarus thought Charlie would ever hurt anyone, except maybe Drew - though Drew had it coming and there were few things that Icarus wanted more than to see Drew suffer for what he had caused.

Since Charlie had to be confided to the dark Icarus ran errands for him including a trip to Wales to tend to Charlie's family for the holiday. Icarus had come to adore Charlie's family over the years but this trip had felt especially difficult. He wished Charlie could have been there, but it was for the good of everyone that reunion wait. Along with Charlie's gift's Icarus had gotten his sister's a few of his own, including more sweets than they needed.He wanted to promise that they would see their brother soon but he knew that it would be wrong to get their hopes up. He was a sorry replacement for his best friend, but Icarus tried his best.

Having spent the better half of the day in Wales Icarus took some time for himself needing to find a gift for his father and Charlie. There also was the matter of needing to go to St. Mungo's. Knowing now two people in his life relied on blood to keep from murdering those around them Icarus had decided he needed to help contribute to the blood supply that was kept. No doubt Charlie was going to need a few more bottles to keep him through the holiday. An hour and a blood replenishing potion later Icarus left the hospital, a few bottles of blood buried deep in his bag - someone else's of course, something seemed wrong about offering his own blood to his best friend no matter how sweet a sentiment. Selling it for a few bottles though, that Icarus could do.

Icarus' last stop was meant to be somewhat of surprise. Since his dad was working the late shift Icarus and Charlie were left to fend for themselves for food. So a quick trip into the muggle world again and Icarus was returning with a small feast of McDonald's. With a small crack Icarus apprated into his room after venturing back into the wizarding world. His arms were filled with white and red sacks that smelled strongly of cooked beef and deep fried potatoes and his face held a grin of self satisfaction. "Charlie, tonight we eat like kings." He declared as he looked around his room to find a place to empty his arms. Spotting his desk that was relatively empty Icarus walked over and dropped the McDonald's and shopping bags onto it.

Rummaging around Icarus began looking for the bag that had the blood he had gotten for Charlie along with the one that held his gift, "Sorry I left you all day, needed to get out and get something for Da, and lost track of time. I thought about going to the store and getting something to make for dinner but decided hey it's been a rough school year we deserve some McDonald's didn't figure you woul-" Icarus paused and looked around. "What was that? Did you hear that?" Was he going crazy? Icarus could have swore he heard a meow but there'd never been a cat living in the house before. He listened again waiting to see if he heard it, "That! You heard that, right?" He said when he heard the sound again. That had to be a cat, it had to be. Icarus had started to look around the room moving from place to place and looking under and around every object there was, if there was a cat in the house he was going to find it.

words: 1055
tag: CHARLIE GABRIEL VALDEZ
ooc: its prefect ♥

[CHARLIE GABRIEL VALDEZ]

Charlie had been glad to have Icarus as a best friend, a brother one could even say. Icarus was a special person that everyone deserved to have in their lives. He was the friend who would protect you in a fight. A friend who would forget your birthday only to remember it the very last moment and throw the best birthday you could have. Icarus was just a person that Charlie would be devastated if he ever lost. Icarus was the person that Charlie wanted there for as long as he could have them. Maybe in another life they would have been romantic partners, or even actual brothers, but in this life they were meant to be best friends, the inseparable type of best friends.

Charlie had eaten a quick bottle of blood before his friend came home. He really hated seeing Icarus' reaction to the life sustaining meal that Charlie now had to eat. Maybe if they had left him lying there in the Forbidden Forest they would just have good memories. They wouldn't have to worry about their friend only living in the shadows. Instead Charlie was meant to sit by while his friends grew up and lived lives of their own. The D'Eath's had children, did that mean he could as well? Charlie really wasn't sure what to do with his life.

When the crack came ringing his now sensitive ears he looked up at his friend with a bit of a cringe. He chuckled as his friend held red and white sacks of food. There was no smell that compared to that of McDonald's fast food. A chuckle came from Charlie's mouth as he looked at his friend. He gave a slight shake of his food as his friend grinned in satisfaction before telling him that they would eat like kings.”I think we may need to hold an intervention for you,” he said moving slightly up from the bed. The only kings they would be eating like tonight would be those that didn't have self control. Charlie was okay with this. But maybe somewhere inside him he regretted ever taking Icarus to McDonald's. It may have been better to let his friend never learn of the joy of occasionally eating such fattening food. ”Or we're going to need to teach you that McDonald's is only good in small portions,” he said eyeballing the bags that his friend but down on his partial clean desk.

His friend had begun to rummage through some of the shopping bags to find one that Charlie could already smell. He stood up and walked over to the desk as his friend went on about the things he'd done today. ”Sorry I left you all day, needed to get out and get something for Da, and lost track of time. I thought about going to the store and getting something to make for dinner but decided hey it's been a rough school year we deserve some McDonald's didn't figure you woul-” His friend paused for a moment and Charlie knew exactly what Icarus had heard but he was careful to pretend that he hadn't heard anything. He found the bag that Icarus was looking for. ”You got me more of my guilty pleasure,” he stated. ”What was that? Did you hear that?” He waited with Icarus to see if the cat would meow again. And when it did his friend said it. ”That! You heard that, right?” ”I heard rummaging through bags, the car horn about a block away honking at something, and a few other things, what do you think you're hearing?' he asked. He definitely wasn't going to pretend that he heard the cat as his friend went to moving around every object. ”Come on Icarus, you're going crazy, come eat, before this delicious food goes cold,” he said. He now wished he had put a silencing charm on Icarus' closet but he hadn't and now he could just have some fun letting his friend thinking he was going slightly crazy. This would be quite interesting and quite hilarious at the same time. It was too bad that Charlie couldn't break down laughing right there at that moment.

Words: 699
Tagged: ICARUS ALAWN LUGUBELENUS
Notes: Absolutely perfect!

[ICARUS ALAWN LUGUBELENUS]

Icarus had gone a little overboard on his ordering, he later would blame his over excitement getting the best of him, and of course the want to surprise Charlie even if his main consumption these days was blood. So when Charlie suggested they might need to throw him an intervention Icarus had to laugh. "I'd say it's not necessarily, but we really might." Or at least they would if he went out looking for the fast food more than twice a year. It was the holiday though and they could live a little.

Icarus found himself dropping to the ground to look under his bed as he tried to pinpoint where the meowing was coming from all the while hearing Charlie deny hearing it. Popping up from the ground Icarus eyed his best friend, "How - how are you not hearing it?" His face in complete disbelief. "There's a cat - somewhere. See! There it is again, you can't - how -" Icarus felt like a fish as he tried to get his words out, so much for bloody vampire hearing, Charlie couldn't even hear those sweet little mews. Icarus just shook his head and crawled under the bed. No cat, but still meowing. Scooting back out Icarus pulled his shirt down as he stood up and looked around the room. "You can hear a car from miles away but you cannot hear a cat that is clear in this house - I don't...I can't -" Icarus stopped and turned too look at his closet door.

He waited, his breath held as he bit at his lip his eyes locked on the door. Any moment. Any moment. Another mew and Icarus might as well have launched himself at the door - it was a wonder that he didn't fall flat on his face by tripping on his own feet as he rushed over to it pulling the door open. Dropping down to his knees Icarus crawled into the closet his hand out stretched towards the little ball of fluff. His fingers grazed softly over the kitten's head a few times before he received a little head bump from the fluff ball. The sounds that came from Icarus' mouth were the furthest from being manly, reaching out he scooped the kitten up and held it to his chest as he backed out of the closet and seated himself on the floor.

Fingers running over the velvety fur of the little tuxedo kitten Icarus looked up to his friend, his face ecstatic as he was piecing together just how a kitten might have found itself locked in his closet, "Charlie -" Icarus couldn't find his words he could only manage a laugh and a huge grin. Charlie knew him all too well, and really he wouldn't have had it any other way. It took a few moments to try and gather himself, he still was holding the kitten close to his chest and stealing little nuzzles every other moment, "You did this, for me?" Maybe he shouldn't have sounded so surprised because, this was Charlie who Icarus knew would always go out of his way to do something nice for someone else. But that didn't make this any less of a gesture, not at all. He couldn't have asked for a better friend, a better brother, a better Charlie.

words: 550
tag: CHARLIE GABRIEL VALDEZ
ooc: ♥

[CHARLIE GABRIEL VALDEZ]

Icarus was a good friend, the best of friends, the best of family. The McDonalds was a thoughtful gesture. It was something that they had shared together during their holidays. It was awesome to have something here. When Charlie had mentioned the intervention his friend actually agreed. ”You eat anymore and we definitely will have too,” he said.

The brown eyes followed his friends movements around the room as he looked under things to see if he could find the meowing kitten. His friend was already going crazy. His friend's eyes full of disbelief he had asked him how he could not hear it. How? Because he was intentionally lying to his friend about not hearing a cat. ”There's a cat – somewhere. See! There it is a gain, you can't – how -” Charlie shrugged. ”Maybe you want it to be so bad that it's something you're hearing,” he told his friend. Vampire hearing was good, this was no secret. So the fact that his friend was hearing something that he pretended not to hear should have given the hint to Icarus to stop looking. ”You can hear a car from miles away but you cannot hear a cat that is clear in this house – I don't... I can't -” Charlie paused as his friend looked at the closet door.

He watched as his friend waited for another meow to know for sure that this was the room that held the kitten. There came the sound and his friend pulled the door wide open as he watched his friend crawl into the closet only to return with the black and white fluff of a kitten. He watched his friend run his fingers over the small ball of fur. It was when his friend spoke to him again, his name, a smile came across his face. ”You did this, for me?” Charlie grinned from ear to ear. ”You've been talking about cats forever, I thought you know, after what has happened so far, I thought my best friend deserved something he really wants, hope your dad doesn't get mad at me,” he said softly.

Charlie was happy to help his friend out. Well maybe not help, but he was happy to make Icarus a happy person. He was happy to make the boy who watched him lay on the ground near death, the boy who saved his life by bringing him to the hospital wing. Charlie owed his life to Icarus. Charlie could only owe his brother something so simple as a cat.

Words: 425
Tagged: ICARUS ALAWN LUGUBELENUS
Notes: Adorable!

[ICARUS ALAWN LUGUBELENUS]

Maybe Icarus would have believed Charlie that the mewing was just in his head, there was truth behind his words. Icarus had wanted a cat for years now, ever since he was a small boy and his mother had promised that if he did well on his O.W.L.S when he was at Hogwarts than they would get him a pet. Of course, she didn't live long enough to see his O.W.L.S marks and Icarus didn't have the heart to remind his father of his mother's promise, so he had gone with out a cat. Instead he was the guy who pet every single cat he came across in the school hoping to find one of them to be a stray that would some how become his, something that never happened.

But here he was now, with the little back and white kitten so perfectly marked in his hands, its fur so soft and warm against his skin, and it was all because of Charlie. After everything that had happened so far....Icarus had to clear his throat as he started to think back on the year, he set the kitten down on the floor - just for a moment - so he could stand up, but before he captured the kitten to give it even more affection Icarus walked up to his best friend and pulled him into a very tight hug. "You're the best, mate." Icarus tried to cover up the cracking of his voice, everything was still so fresh. Of course, when he told Charlie he was the best there was so much more he was meaning to say with his few words. Like how happy he was to still have him in his life, even if he was a little different. How he would still do anything for him. How he knew he would be lost with out him.

With anyone else the length of time that passed during the embrace might have seemed awkward, but Icarus and Charlie were well past awkward when it came to just about anything. Finally Icarus let his friend go, once he was sure he wasn't going to get overly emotional - something that was easy these days. "I surprised him with a vampire under our roof for Christmas, I think a little kitten will be a bit less of a shock." Not that his father had been mad about Charlie coming, no just a little shocked, or more than a little. Especially when he learned it was Charlie. It probably didn't help that Icarus had avoided answering all his questions about how it happened. But that was a conversation for another time, much like the conversation about how he was in love with a vampire.

Looking around Icarus spotted the wandering kitten that was headed on its own little adventure. Scooping it up he gave it a scratch under its' chin.
"So this little guy - or well, er, girl? Guy? It have a name? Or, gender? Any idea how to tell, I mean -" Icarus stopped, clearly puzzled on how one found out the gender of a cat, while being a cat lover he had hardly paid attention to if a cat was male of female, so how was he to know how to tell on a kitten? He looked to Charlie, hoping that his friend some how already knew.

words: 562
tag: CHARLIE GABRIEL VALDEZ
ooc: sorry I took so long!