Disney Storybits 66

PLEASE READ THE DESCRIPTION BEFORE READING THIS STORYBIT!

It was getting colder outside, Michael noticed. Not bad enough that he needed to wear thicker clothing yet, but the temperature had definitely dropped. He had noticed it by the very first step he had taken outside that day, as today his chores contained attending to the church gardens. He had stopped walking when he was outside, letting the cool air breeze by him. It was very refreshing, and felt good to go through his fur. It reminded him of the touch of a certain girl…

He then shook his head hard, trying to get rid of that particular thought. Grumbling, he began moving towards the gardens. She was really getting to him, wasn't she? Despite all of the prayers he did every night, she was still in his head in pleasant ways. He stopped before the rose bushes, and decided that maybe he should do penance for this latest thought of her. He was a man of the cloth, and thoughts of women - especially this kind of woman – would only lead to trouble. He put aside his small box of gardening tools, and got down on his knees, hands together.

However, before he could utter a single Latin word, he heard the crunch of grass behind him. He hesitated, and then glanced behind him, already knowing what to expect. Under the shade of the church's only tree, she sat there, red eyes piercing right into him. There she sat, his worst temptation, his only friend, the monstrosity that threatened his mortal soul – a little girl with love and adoration in her eyes.

At first glance, one might not have guessed Minerva – Minnie, she would always insist – was not a monster. Your attention would have been too drawn to the long locks of hair, to her petite face that always held a smile, and to her outfits that spoke of the rich. Today's dress was a dark red, almost matching her eyes, with tight stitches and hints of lace. She had kicked off her shoes and socks, creating an air of playfulness. For all first glances, she looked like a little girl what wanted nothing more than to play with her crush.

Yet if one looked long enough, things would start looking strange. Things like tiny fangs poking out from behind her lips, unnaturally sharp and misplaced. The color of her eyes was not a faint red of flowers, but of freshly spilled blood, which was what her breath smelt of when one was close enough. Then there was the matter of just how and when she appeared without making a sound until she wanted to be noticed. She never truly appeared until she desired to be seen, and not a single second beforehand.

Their eyes met, and she quickly thrust her arms out, smiling wide. It was clear what she wanted, but Mickey stayed in place. He swallowed, and looked away, resuming his stance of prayer. "I can't play taday, go home." He doubted she would listen, but it was worth a try.

His doubts were correct, as she waved her arms up and down, insistent. "I just got here, and you're already sending me home? Can't you hold me for a little while? Oh, please?"

Such whining was typical of her and very childlike, and Mickey had to struggle to remind himself this was not a child. It was clear he couldn't concentrate enough for proper prayer, so he stood up. "I have ta do chores, can't ya see? I gotta water the plants, and then check for bugs, and then…" he had turned to face her, but it didn't appear that any of his words were getting to her, as she kept waving her arms. He grumbled again, wondering what kind of parents raised such a brat. But he really shouldn't have thought in such terms, he reprimanded himself. The idea of her having parents could humanize her, and Minnie was definitely not a human.

"Fine." He took off the blue rosary around his neck. "Just for a quick second, and then ya gotta get out of here." He gently placed it aside the gardening tools, and walked toward her, holding his arms out. "And I mean it this time. No biting, no games, ya gotta go. Do ya have any idea what'd happen if the Father found out about ya, Minerva?"

"Call me Minnie." She chirped, ignoring his warning as usual. "And can't I have one itty bitty bite, Mickey?"

"Michael." He said sternly despite knowing it would go ignored. If he started using these nicknames she invented for them, it would mean submission to her, and he had already done that quite enough, thank you. He bent down to scoop her into his arms, and her own arms quickly wrapped around him, tight and cold. Her touch was always unnaturally cold, without a pulse or a trace of heat. It used to be that whenever he touched her, he would shiver at her temperature. At this point, he had gotten used to it, which disturbed him.

He did not mean for this embrace to last long, as he just wanted to satiate her and then demand her to go. But the same thing happened that always happened, that he just could not will himself to let her go. He was terrified of her and of what she was, and knew full well that this friendship could lead him down a dark path. Heaven forgive him, though, for his grasp on her tightened, and he could not bear to release her. Her perfume today was rose tinted, no doubt she knew full well what his chores would be this day, and he inhaled it as naturally as fresh air.

She kissed his cheek, and snuggled in comfortably to his neck. "I love you." She giggled, giving her feet a little kick as she was held.

"I know." He replied in a quiet tone, not looking at her face. Of course he knew, she told him every single time they met, even when they first met. He had given up on trying understanding why she did, despite her ability to list several reasons why. If you asked him why, he would say monsters couldn't love, so it didn't make sense. If you knew him, his real reasoning would be he couldn't fathom how such a beautiful girl would want someone like him – a lowly orphan belonging to the church without a penny to his name. Admitting that would be madness. "Ya say that all the time."

"I mean it all the time." She drew her icy fingers along his neck, admiring it. "And one day, you and I will be married so we'll be saying it all the time." He rolled his eyes to her delusions, deciding not to point out he had never said he loved her. She didn't mind, and then without warning, pressed her lips right up to his neck.

He jerked, knowing what immediately would come after that action. "H-Hey! I said no biting! Minerva!" But it was too late, and her fangs had already sunken in. He was so startled by how sudden it was that his feet stumbled, and he landed backwards in the rose bushes. Groaning in pain, he could feel thorns poking him here and there. They were actually more painful than the teeth in his neck which, again to his disturbance, he had grown accustomed to. Lecturing her now would do no good, and he would have to wait until she had her fill.

To his fortune these drinks never lasted too long, and soon enough she was sitting in his lap, her sharp teeth now painted. Seeing his pout, she gave the smile of a Cheshire cat. "What? I can't help it if your blood is so yummy. It's your own fault, Mickey." She poked his nose, giggling again. "And it's how I show my love."

"Ya know…" He raised a hand to rub at the sore spot on his neck. "Most people show their love through a kiss." He didn't realize the implications of what he said until it was too late, and her mouth was on top of his. He could taste his own blood from her, and he froze in place. It wasn't that this was their first kiss, for she was always ready to shower him with them whether he wanted them or not. Something much deeper was scaring him to death.

He was falling in love with her, and that scared him more than the vampire lavishing him.

~*~

During the first week of Mickey adjusting to his new home, he found that he did not hunger. He could eat and drink, but his body never held a physical need to. He merely did it whenever Minnie wanted to, and since his transformation, he had been compliant to her every desire. By the end of that week, however, hunger did finally develop in him, but it was not a hunger he understood. It was not just an ache in his belly, but he ached in his head, in his limbs, and soon it reached all over his body. It made him sluggish and irritable, yet he would not ask for a meal or for any help. He didn't even realize it was hunger until Minnie noticed.

Mickey had been sitting in the former master's chair, listening to the rain hitting the windows. The living room was gigantic, perhaps five times bigger than the room he had lived in when he was a man of God. Minnie was at the bookshelves, trying to decide what to read with her betrothed. She finally settled on one bounced in tight green, and flounced to her lover in a merry skip. She stopped right in front of him, and blinked at his appearance. "Darling… are you hungry?"

His eyes lifted to meet hers, and he thought about the aches annoying his body. "… I guess so."

"Why didn't you say anything?" She moved to sit in his lap. "It's about time we got you used to your new meals." She placed her book in her lap, and began to roll up one of her sleeves. "The best places to bite are on the neck and the wrist… it flows so easily."

He looked down at her wrist, and frowned at once. "… I don't understand." When she raised her eyebrows in thought, he continued, gently touching her wrist with his fingers. "Why would I bite ya?"

"For practice, darling." She tenderly stroked his cheek, trying to soften him to the idea. "You're new to the bite. If we practiced on a live one already, you might tear his throat out or rip off his arm." She giggled at the sheer image. Perhaps even just a month ago, Mickey would have paled at the delight she was taking. Now, however, Mickey's mind has become so twisted that he merely nodded in some agreement. He had learned by now that the aim of vampiric drinks was not to take life, as it would cause too much suspicion wherever they lived.

Still, the thought of biting her left a bitter taste in his mouth, and his expression said so. During his time as a mortal, every time she had taken a bite on him it had been painful, and the last thing he wanted to do was inflict pain on her. His face scrunched up, and he leaned back in his chair. "No."

She persisted, though, and pressed her arm to his mouth. "I had my fill this morning, so there's plenty to spare. Eat up."

"No." he repeated, and his tone became firmer. He gripped the arm rests, and looked away from her. "I'll do it another way." He would not look at her, even as Minnie tried to press her wrist up to his cheek, poking at him over and over. "I said no."

Minnie pouted, and tried to look him in the face, fidgeting all over his lap. "Why not? It's delicious! When you try it, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it before. Come now, open up…"

"I said no." Mickey's head whipped toward her, and now his teeth were bared, glaring harshly at his bride without meaning to. Ever since his transformations, many of his emotions had become hard and bitter, even to his own beloved. Yet she didn't flinch at the temper shown to her. Sometimes Mickey wondered if she ever been afraid of anything at all, including himself. He found himself a terrible terror sometimes, with this newfound strength, his moving shadow, and the shock of not seeing himself in reflective surfaces still chilled him. He thought himself a monster, and this hunger only encouraged it.

While Minnie lowered her arm, she still did not appear afraid, and after a moment's thought, understood his frustration. She smiled sweetly, and traced his lips with one finger. "Silly darling. It's not going to hurt me at all. It's different when you bite a vampire." She touched her wrist, making an imaginary line with her thumb. "The poison we exchange feels so good… and to drink something so warm and plentiful… oh, I simply can't describe it. You must try it." She looked at him, and he finally returned her gaze. "Don't you trust me?"

He did, more than he trusted himself. Though he was still reluctant to go through with this, he could not deny what she wanted. He lived to obey her now, and if she wanted him to bite her, he had no choice in the matter. With a suffering sigh, he held her wrist up to his mouth. After a cautious glance to her, he slowly opened his mouth. He still was unsure how to control the poison running in his fangs, or how much was enough to drink. This was why he took his time in baring his fangs, continuing to look back and forth between her waiting wrist and her patient face. Though he no longer needed air, he took a breath, and touched his teeth to her wrist.

He would have thought this task to be more difficult, but either his fangs were sharper than he realized, or her flesh was softer than he knew. Either way, his teeth nearly melted past the layers of fur and skin, and he could feel her shudder in his grasp. The one movement was almost enough to back him back up and refuse this entire lesson. He was just about to, when trickles of her blood began to slide on his tongue. All at once, his world changed once again, and he stopped in place as he tasted her.

This was… this was… Minnie had been right, this couldn't be described. It was beyond satisfying a hunger. It was hot and fluid and all consuming, and he had no idea how he could have lived without knowing this taste. Ecstasy, above ecstasy, he felt alive! He needed it, needed more, needed her. Without sensible control of it, he sunk his fangs in deeper, trying to draw out more. The flow became heavier, and it dribbled down the sides of his face.

His tongue began to dart about, trying to catch any he missed. If this was what it felt like for every drink, no wonder Minnie had enjoyed biting him so much. That reminded him of Minnie, and he struggled to focus his attention. He blinked hard as his mind fought this blissful fog, and he now realized Minnie had happily slumped against him, clinging to his shoulder, breathing his name heavily. Her call of his name was of sheerest pleasure, almost deeper than when they had spent passionate nights together in her bedroom. For half a second, he wondered if they could drink while in the midst of love-making, but told himself they should take such matters one step at a time.

He drank and drank and continued to drink, and wished he could have tasted her forever. Now that he was sure his lover was all right, he allowed his mind to be covered by his thirst. She was sweet, and fragrant, and he wanted every single last drop. He deserved to have it, his toxic mind urged, she belonged to him. It wasn't just the blood that was exciting him, it was Minnie's blood. His Minnie. His precious Minnie, all of this belonged to him. His Minnie, His Minnie, his his his.

Devour her, consume her, make sure nothing and no one else can have her, take everything from her and make it his, eat her, love her, love love love her…

The sound of his name from her voice reached him again, and this time because of its weariness. Though she was still shivering with glee, she was sounding exhausted, literally drained. How much had he taken from her? She said she had some to spare, but had he taken what she needed as well? Terrified at the implication of harming her, he began to pull his fangs back, though his body screamed at him to keep taking. When his mouth was gone from her body, he tried to see her face, pushing her hair away. "Minnie?" He was nearly whimpering, a glimmer of his old self awakened for this moment. "Minnie… No, no, I'm sorry…" He pressed his forehead to hers, apologizing over and over, the remaining humanity in him trying to cling to life.

As for Minnie, she sleepily gazed at him, and smiled the same as ever. "Excellent… for your first… darling." She gave him a small kiss on the lips, licking away the remains of her lifeforce. She rested her head on his shoulder, and held the old book close. "Just let me know… when you get hungry… again."

Mickey watched her, and his fright settled, the darkness clouding his ethics once more. Of course she was all right, he'd never harm her. They existed for each other. He carefully opened the book for her, and his face easily shifted back into its usual stoic look. He then read the words from the pages out loud, knowing she was too tired to do it herself. It was a fairy tale, beauty and the beast.

There was no irony here. They were both beasts.