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When Toni woke up he felt different, he didn't look different, not in the appearance and not in the personality; he still the same old Toni, with blond hair and with a potato face; but he felt different; he was different, on the inside. He was not afraid anymore, not afraid of life; Toni was not afraid of anything now.
"We should go." He felt James' lips on his skin, so welcome and inviting; James was under Toni's body, his head resting on Toni’s chest that was with his hand panting the other boy's hair; Toni could smell his scent as well as he could feel his breath and hear his heart beat.
They were at a cheap hotel in somewhere around the Europe, where they were looking for a dangerous demon whose is terrorizing the local people. James came with him, not that he is really good at killing, on the contrary, but he helps Toni on searching, not that Toni couldn't do that on his own, but he likes James company and he likes James; he likes James under him, on top of him and on wherever else.
Toni would never even imagine he was a vampire slayer, not even that he would be friends with Iker Casillas, or that Iker Casillas was a vampire slayer as well. One day he was at school doing biology test and two weeks later he woke up with a strange thing on his belly called courage. And he was with James. Before that, James was his best friend; of course they both knew they had feelings for each other, but it is so hard to find the words we need, when we need; it was better just slow it down.
"I wish I could stay in this bed with you forever, is that bad?" Toni asked, placing his hand on James' cheek. James smiled. "It's not bad at all." He came close and kissed Toni on the lips, slowly and wet. The two of them stayed at this exactly position until they realized that it was really time to go and save the world.
"Damn," James said nervously, with binoculars on his hands; he was even shaking a little, if Toni wasn't wrong. "He's really big Toni, I thing we are gonna need help, do you think it's okay if we call Iker? Oh shit he's dead, I forgot, no we can't call him...then we should call Cristiano, he still alive, isn't him?"
Toni shook his head. "No, we're not going to call anyone. And Iker came back to life, don't you remember? Luka brought him back with a spell.'' James nodded nervously. ''We can do this, really. I'm a slayer." Toni said at last, although he didn't really know if they'll be able to do this by themselves, but Toni would die trying, that's for sure. "Let's go."
James followed him, still shaking, and now Toni is sure that he's really shaking. The demon was indeed ugly, with white skin; his face was green and he had horns, or whatever was the thing on his head; Toni wasn't sure if it was skin exactly. He was big but Toni wasn't scared of his height, James on the other hand was shaking like a leaf on the wind. Toni was wearing a black jacket, with a stake inside it just in case he finds a vampire anywhere, and he was with a gun in a hand and with another one on his other hand; James was holding a stake, because he didn't like guns.
Dusk was falling, the wind was blowing, the streets were empty; no one dare to go outside at night on these days anymore. It happened as fast as when the wind goes through your ears at the autumn. Toni and James were going to where the demon usually goes to rest, when they were caught by surprise by it. It attacked Toni first, pulling him far from James, and then the creature came back to James, whose were screaming loud at Toni, forgetting that he has a stake and that he has strength and that he can beat this demon.
Toni got up, running to where they were, shooting on the back of the demon, but it didn't even reacted; so Toni took his stake and came close to him. "Leave him alone, he has nothing to do with it." Toni said harshly. He tried not to sound scared, but his voice failed him. The creature turned around to face Toni. "Is love what I see? Uh, that's beautiful, but it will end tragic." He putted his hands on James' neck and started to hang him, with a smile in his face. "This is his fault, sweetheart."
"Get away from him!" Toni pushed him away from James with effort and came close at him with his stake and jumped to where the demon had fallen, standing over him, beating him, punching him on the face with all his strength. "You do know I can't die, don't you?"
Toni smirked. "I do." Toni cut both hands of the demon, he screamed loud and tried to get out of Toni's weight but he was weak now and it had a weird substance falling off of the place his hands were.
"You're going to regret it, little slayer." He screamed. "I'm going to curse you I swear." Toni laughed, "Ohhh of course you'll curse me, I'm so afraid." He said it sarcastically, although he actually was shaking a bit.
"You'll remember everything, but he?" He pointed at James, whose was awake looking at them, probably trying to understand what they were saying. "He won't remember anything."
After that, he faded away, and Toni came running to where James were laid on the slushy ground. "You're okay? Come on, you need to go to a hospital." James shrugged. "No, I'm fine." Toni helped him on getting up, and they went in the direction that they had left the car they had rented.
Once they got in the cheap hotel they were hosted, Toni and James started to pack their belongings to leave the city and go to meet with their friends for news and stuff. Toni was excited to see his friends again, they don't see each others for months now. "Ready to go?" Toni asked James, smiling at him; "Ready." James didn't smile back, Toni thought that maybe he was still afraid.
James is not coward, on the contrary, he is very brave; it just that he likes to be alive and he likes to live; he likes to live with Toni, he likes to be alive with Toni. He goes with Toni because he doesn't want to leave him alone, or with someone else, because if he dies, he will die with him, and vice versa; if they die, they will die together. Live together, die together, that's what James believes.
"I think you're better than me now." Iker said when he saw Toni opening the door of his house, their house now; everyone lives in Iker's house now. Toni smiled at him. "I don't think I will ever be."
"Well, better than me at least, you definitely won't." Cristiano came downstairs, smirking at Toni, who smirked back.
Toni hugged one by one, and when Marcelo and Luka, with his boyfriend Gareth came, he hugged them too. Toni loves moments like these, it feels good; warm and it feels home. Ancelotti then told them the news, the places they should go after the meeting, telling them to be safe and most of all: protect the people. Toni listened to all the news very carefully.
After that, he and James went to bed. "Good night, love." Said James, smiling at Toni and then the smile got out off his face and a face of fear came into it, like if he didn't know who Toni was. "James? You're okay?" But James didn't answer right away, it was like he was lost. Toni thought he may be having a seizure but he was very quiet for such. Toni putted his both hands on James' face, looking at his eyes very closely.
James pushed him away, with all strength he had, Toni didn't got very far but he felt the hit. "Who are you?" He asked with a surprise look in his face. Toni looked away. "Stop kidding like that James, it's not funny." He came close to James again on the bed and putted his hand on James' left arm.
"I'm not kidding." James said, pushing Toni's hand away, and then getting out of the bed, putting his shirt on. "Don't touch me again, you..." He breathes deep. "You pervert." Toni shook his head steric, remembering the thing that demon had told him, about the curse, and he wished he didn't have cut out its hands.
Luka tried with all his efforts to revert the curse, but nothing happened. James remembered some things for a while, but every time he smiles at Toni he forgets all about Toni all over again; everything disappears like tears in the rain. He knew who he was, he knew who his friends were, but he didn't knew Toni; Toni was nothing. It was like a funeral that never get to its end; people come; people come to put flowers on the graves; a priest pray for the dead ones; people cry; the dead ones stay dead.
Toni didn't even know what was sadness before this, he thought he knew, but he didn't. Sadness is when you feel the pain inside your heart and you can't smile, you can't speak, eat, sleep; you can't even breath, but you do it anyway, because you can't stop it either. Toni never complained about being a slayer, never; they gave him a life that he never chose, but he never complained. Not until now.
The first time they kissed was a rainy day, on the night Toni got his slayer powers; they were going to the center of The Hellmouth with the others do things like save the world and stuff. James was so afraid, even more afraid than Toni was, which was very much.
‘’We’re going to be fine James.’’ Toni stopped walking, and looked at James, who looked back at him. ‘’I promise.’’
‘’You can’t promise things you’re not sure you can do.’’ James smiled a little. ‘’But I know you’ll do your best, you always do.’’ He putted his right hand on Toni’s face, caressing it.
Toni waited. He really liked James, but he waited. Rain was falling down like the world was falling apart. Toni felt something in his heart and he felt the exactly same thing in his brain. It was the I want and the I can. So that’s what he did. Toni kissed James on the lips and James kissed him back; it was nice, beautiful and simple. Toni wanted James to be in his eyes; he wanted him to be in his heart.
He got himself together after crying for about a week and got to his new mission; Cristiano asked him if he want him to take James with him, but Toni said no, no he could go with James, there's no problem. No problem at all.
Toni loves him so much and he feels like he never showed it properly, he feels like he never told him; so when he whispers it on James' ear, the Colombian got slight surprise; Toni didn't wait for an answer, he knew he wouldn't get one, but deep inside he hoped his James answered that he loves him too.
For James, Toni wasn't nothing more than an acquaintance. But there are so much things worst than that, Toni knew it, he just couldn't see it right now. Right now, die would not be bad at all, and he’s not even being dramatic. Toni did not ask for his life to be like this, but it is, and he does his best.
He did his best.