Stand by me.

Ajax turned around quickly, lest Rook see the ungodly shade of red he knew his face had just turned. "Uhm, well," he said, laughing nervously. "I..." he trailed off, unsure of what to say. He couldn't say 'I have no idea,' because that would be a lie, and Rook deserved better than that. He couldn't say 'I'm sure it's nothing to worry about,' because, the way things were going, it might actually be something to worry about. He certainly couldn't say 'I feel the same way when you're around,' because, well, he couldn't take that leap of faith.

Rook blinked in confusion. "Something wrong Ajax?" he asked innocently. "If you don't know I'm sure I can find someone who does- I already asked my best friend, she's a nurse and when I told her she laughed and said for a genius I was really stupid, so I know it isn't anything life threatening. She just said that I should talk to whoever made the feeling stronger when they were around." He shrugged lightly. "I just figured I would give it a try"

Ajax took a deep breath and let it out in a heavy sigh; he slowly sat down on the floor beside Rook, not entirely sure that his legs were going to hold him. He was completely floored by how utterly adorable Rook was. He didn't think he'd be able to resist the horrible temptation of confessing his feelings if Rook did just one more cute thing, but somehow he didn't have the strength of will to leave the situation.

Rook tilted his head. "You alright? You look really flushed" he stated "Want me to get you a glass of water?" He moved one of his legs then winced. "Still asleep" he mumbled, more to himself than to Ajax.

Ajax put up a hand to cover his face, embarrassed. His heart thundered in his chest, working under the strain of massive amounts of adrenaline to pump the 60 degree blood through his veins and arteries; all that adrenaline, with nothing to fight or flee from, lessened his inhibitions, increased the amount of dopamine in his brain; and, suddenly, his will gave out.

"Rook...?" he asked quietly. "Would you like me to explain why you feel that way?"

Rook looked to Ajax and nodded, his eyes wide, making him look even cuter and more innocent. "If you want to tell me" he stated quietly. "But if you don't you don't have to, I don't mind"

Ajax reached over and cupped Rook's cheek lightly in his hand, gazing at him adoringly. "That's the feeling commonly referred to as 'butterflies', Rook. There are only two reasons you would get them; either you're nervous, or you're in love." Having said that, he leaned in quickly and kissed Rook on the lips.

Rook blinked in surprise, but made no move to pull away. He waited until Ajax pulled away before trusting himself to not say something stupid. "So... I'm gay?" He asked with a little frown, totally unphased by being kissed. "Actually, I think this makes sense"

Ajax gave him a questioning look, still cupping Rook's face in his hands. "What ever do you mean, Rook?" he asked, curious.

"Well, I mean I was always a bit of a loner in high school and never really had an interest in girls." Rook admitted. "My Ex, Fleur, she approached me. She was -is- fucking drop dead gorgeous and she only had eyes for me." He fumbled to pull his wallet out of his pocket and opened it to show Ajax a picture, well actually it was two side by side, of a smoking brunette and a thicker orange haired woman. "The brunette is Fleur, just ignore the other girl. But Fleur is a model. A French Model. And she wanted me." he continued. "I know that every guy that saw her hanging on me was jealous as hell; I'm a geek, we don't usually get girls like her; but, I didn't feel anything."

Rook gave Ajax somewhat of a pained smile. "I just, I dunno, I kind of assumed by now that I was wired to be asexual or something" he admitted. "And, well, now I'm a little relieved to find out I'm not... Does that make me selfish?"

"Of course not, Rook. And I'm... pleased that you feel that way. It's been a very long time since I've had a relationship myself..." He bit his lip and looked rather guilty.

"Why?" Rook asked innocently "Were you treated badly? I would never treat you badly, I'm pretty sure I'm not capable of treating anyone badly." He paused, looking a little disappointed. "Its me isn't it? You don't like me like that do you?"

"No, no! I do, Rook! I think you're... You're amazing. You're so sweet, and cute, and talented, and kind... It's just that all of my previous relationships have ended badly; I wouldn't want anything to happen..." He looked down at his lap, troubled.

Now it was Rook's turn to gently cup Ajax's face in his hands to tilt his face up. "You don't have to worry about that" He smiled softly. "I'll stand by you for as long as you want me to." Then, feeling rather brave, he leaned forward and lightly kissed Ajax just as he'd been kissed before. "I'd trust you to keep my heart in one piece"

Ajax, regardless of who might walk in and catch them, wrapped his arms around Rook's neck and pulled him back for another kiss. His fingers tangled into the man's short, spiky hair, and he ran his tongue along Rook's lips, silently asking permission to deepen the kiss; when the technopath's lips parted slightly, he slid his tongue into his mouth. He was pleasantly surprised at how eagerly Rook responded, but stiffened nervously when the redhead's tongue grazed one of his fangs.

Rook made a small whine when Ajax stopped, paying no mind to the pointy tooth he'd brushed against. He had plenty of friends who had long canine teeth, also known as fangs, and he wasn't put off by it (in fact there was a scar on his elbow where one of said friends bit him when they were teens). He pulled back when Ajax didn't continue. "Did I do something wrong?" He pouted lightly

Ajax ran his tongue along his teeth and smiled nervously, blushing a bit. "N-no... I just thought you'd be, ah, put off by my fangs..."

"Why would I be?" Rook asked. "I trust you not to bite me. Plenty of my friends have fangs, granted yours may be the longest, but why would you having fangs bother me? Its a normal thing. Everybody has Canine teeth, some are just longer than others."

Ajax shook his head and looked seriously at Rook, deciding not to fool him any longer. "Rook, they aren't just canine teeth; they really are fangs. I'm, ah, a vampire. But I have no intention of biting you or anything, so you don't have to worry!" he finished in a rush.

Rook tilted his head. "Really?" he asked, unphased. "You don't look like a Vampire. The Vampire I know has red eyes and kinda slitted pupils. Are all vampires different or something?" He gently ran his hand down the side of Ajax's face. "So if you're a vampire, how old are you?"

Ajax shivered lightly at his touch and bit his lip. "Well, yes; we are all different. Vampires differ depending on what types of creatures they have genes from. I, myself, am part werewolf; I get it from my mother. And I'm, ah.... nearly eight hundred years old..." He blushed and looked down, unwilling to meet Rook's eyes. He didn't usually reveal his age until he'd known someone for quite a while; he was rather self-conscious about it.

"Huh. You're younger than Nosho." Rook mused with a small smile. "I was beginning to wonder why you had all this antique stuff just laying around." He tilted Ajax's face back up. "So, is everyone here... 'abnormal'?" he asked "Like not human, I mean"

Ajax nodded, greatly relieved by how well Rook was taking all of this. "Yes, that's right. And... who is Nosho, if you don't mind me asking," he said. Feeling rather emboldened, he slid his hands down Rook's chest and stomach, then rested them lightly on his hips.

"Well, its kind of hard to explain" Rook replied with a small frown. "Nosho is like the guardian angel, no that's not right... Nosho is like a mom to people like me, with gifts." He nodded, more satisfied with this answer. "He seeks us out and helps us control our gifts before they hurt others or draw unwanted attention to us. He's one of us too, but I'm not sure what he is. I've never asked." He wiggled his hips slightly.

"He sounds like a delightful person, Rook. I'd like to meet him sometime." Ajax tightened his grip on Rook's hips slightly and pulled him closer; he leaned in to lightly kiss the taller man's neck.