<span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">Asa hadn't been home for five minutes and Carter had already gotten himself into trouble. He had expected sulking and otherwise insolent behavior with him being late yet again to the boy's History and Language lessons. What the vampire had not expected was to find a trembling, wheezing Carter, his skin clammy and turning a startling shade. "Out of the way, give him some room!" Asa ordered the panic-strickened staff, as he crouched down to scoop the trembling male into his arms. He was cold to the touch, lacking any of the warmth Asa so longed to feel. <br/>
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Stupid, stupid boy.<br/>
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Ah, but that was the crux of it. Carter had long since passed from being an unruly child to an unruly adult, and Asa was running out of ways to keep him out of trouble. Not that he'd had much success when Carter was younger. Get a child, they said. It'll be easy, they said. <br/>
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Asa took Carter to his bedroom, one that rarely saw much use, but it was Asa's all the same; the staff only allowed entry to keep the room dust-free and habitable. Lying Carter on the bed, Asa retreated to the door and called out to the staff to not disturb them, locking the door for good measure. He didn't trust that one of them wouldn't barge in to make sure the Young Master was still alive. <br/>
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Kicking off his shoes and shrugging out of the heavy overcoat he hadn't a chance to discard until now. He climbed onto the bed, checking the other's pulse, a light alarming flutter against his fingertips. The signs were all there and yet the vampire refused to succumb to the fear that clutched at his still heart, which gave a sudden painful skip beat. Pulling Carter against his chest, he rolled up his sleeves, as he spoke, "Stay awake, Carter." He wouldn't lose him like this. He simply would not. "Do you hear me, boy? Do. Not. Sleep." The pain of his elongated fangs ripping into his arm barely registered, and he pressed the now bleeding wound against Carter's deathly blue lips, "Come on. Drink."<br/>
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It was slow going, or at least felt that way, before Carter finally responded and Asa eyes fluttered close with a relief so intense it was nearly palpable. And in that same breath, the anger that had been kept at bay with worry lashed to the forefront of his consciousness. It was only years of having mastered the worst of his temper that kept him from lashing out at the boy. He was aware that part of the anger was the fear of almost losing Carter. Though he didn't have much time to ponder on it when Carter finally regained awareness, pushing his arm away. <br/>
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And now Asa was wary for a whole other reason.<br/>
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All these years, he'd been so careful. Never letting on to Carter, what he was, and was not. Even the staff remained blissfully ignorant of the monster within their midst. And in all honesty, Asa had hoped for at least another decade before he was forced to have this particular conversation with Carter; this wasn't how he wanted the other to find out about him. But Carter hadn't given him much choice in the matter, had he?<br/>
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Asa stared down at the other, into those watery eyes one push away from tears. The shock, confusion, the questions, all there. Though nothing showed of his own thoughts or feelings on the matter. It was clear that Carter was waiting for some sort of reaction, but Asa wouldn't give him one. <br/>
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He kept silent, simply watching the other. It didn't take Carter long to be the first to speak.<br/>
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"What is there to say?" Asa replied after a weighted moment, "That you're a stupid boy, Carter? Spoiled rotten, naive, selfish." The vampire's voice, usual a velvety timber, now dark and encroaching like a rising storm. "Though I suppose I'm partly to blame for that." <br/>
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He took hold of Carter's cheeks--once again warm to the touch--turning his head, forcing his gaze up to meet Asa's blue-brown mismatched eyes. "Are you satisfied with your childish antics?" Asa squeezed the other's cheeks, hard. "Was your quest to punish me, worth all this?"</span>