Heirot

Vlad held her arm tight to his side and led her to their bed, like it or not. "If you're bored, I will just have to entertain you while you rest," he sighed as he guided her into the sheets. In truth, he felt an overwhelming desire to linger at her side incessantly until the child was born. He sat on the mattress next to her and stroked his thumb along the line of her shoulder. "Ours... Actually ours," he purred in disbelief.

Tenele smiled and curled in next to her husband, snuggling into his form. Atul stood a little uneasily at the foot of the bed, shifting back and forth from one foot to the other. It was clear he wanted to talk about something, but also didn't seem willing to interrupt them.

"We should celebrate," he muttered, as if the thought suddenly occurred to him. "I should take you out for a drink Vlad. Isn't that what men do when they find out their going to be fathers?"

Vlad grinned wildly at the idea. The thought of drinking with his friend and lover like human companions amused and appealed to him. "I'd like that. After lying-down time," he smirked, holding an arm out for Atul to come in with them.

Atul smiled and shed his shoes. He crawled across the bed and settled in next to Vlad, allowing the vampire to have his wife all to himself, while he got to hog him. He pressed a kiss to Vlad's neck, slinking an arm around his waist between where Tenele's body pressed up against Vlad. "Does lying down time take long?" he murmured to Vlad, restlessness in his voice.

Tenele smiled at Atul's excitement.

Vlad curled his arm around Atul's shoulderblades, pleased by the feel of the king flush against his side. A wash of possessive pleasure made him pull the man a little tighter into his neck. It was nice to have them on each arm. His.

"It could take long. Depends on the nature of the lying down, I suppose. Some types do take longer than others," he whispered against Atul's hair.

Atul's breath drew heavy as he pondered Vlad's words. He had many guesses as to what the vampire was implying, but was afraid to make them just yet. He smirked and nipped at Vlad's lips. "Ah," he sighed. "I see." His finger tips trailed across Vlad's clothed stomach and over his side. He then reached out and took Tenele's chin gently. "What do you think, beautiful?"

"Hmm?" Tenele asked curiously. She'd been in her own little world while Vlad spoke to Atul. Tenele had spent the better part of the last few days trying not to get excited over nothing, and now that she had a reason, her mind was going rampant.

"I said I was going to bring your husband home thoroughly trashed, naked, and completely unaware of where the world stops and where it begins," Atul laughed. "Is that okay?"

"Sure," she laughed, pressing a kiss to Vlad's cheek. "As long as you do, in fact, bring him home."

Vlad raised an eyebrow incredulously. "Oh, we'll just see who ends up trashed, won't we? Don't underestimate my metabolism."

Atul laughed. "Okay, so you might be bringing me home naked and oblivious," he agreed. "But, it will be a fun night."

Tenele laughed. "So, the two of you go gallivanting off for fun and I get to stay home on bed rest. You both better come home naked then, just to make up for it." She squeezed her arm around Vlad tighter. "Its only fair."

Vlad smiled at her. "Only when intoxicated could I imagine denying such a request," he teased. "We will be back. Stalker, she isn't to leave her room," he commanded his hound. The vammpire turned toward Atul and rolled on top of him on his way to the edge of the bed. He pressed his hips firmly against Atul's "accidentally" as he rolled out of the bed. "Well then, lead the way. Someplace with wide enough streets to stagger properly," he gloated.

Atul laughed. He rolled and gave Tenele a quick tender kiss on the cheek before hopping out of bed. He drew on his boots, and stole a cloak from their wardrobe. He couldn't walk around outside the palace without some means to keep people from flocking to them. The point was to be... slightly inconspicuous.

He clapped his hand on Vlad's shoulder. "I know just the place!"

After bidding farewell to Tenele, Atul led Vlad to a tavern about half way from the palace walls to the docks. It was a rambunctious place with very low lighting, lots of laughter, and a few open seats at the bar. Atul took a seat. "Tender! I want your strongest ale for my friend here, and double it."

The man across the bar was a stout looking figure with a bald head. He made up for his lack of hair in his beard, which curled across his chest almost reaching his naval. "Well, I haven't seen you around here in a long time," the man muttered, his rosy cheeks tugging up with a smile. "And never expected to see him." He nodded to Vlad. "First, are we drinking to forget or to remember?" He began pour Vlad and Atul drinks.

"I'll be remembering. He'll be lucky if he knows his own name," Vlad scoffed. He dropped gracefully into the chair next to Atul's and embraced the mug that was slid over to him. "To mothers," he proposed, holding the vessel out toward Atul's.

Atul grinned as he took his mug and clonked it against Vlad's. "And fathers!" he announced cheerfully. Atul put the mug to his lips and chugged. When he was done he sat the empty mug down with a hard thud. "Another!"

Vlad raised his brows and cast an appraising look at the king. "You realize you're challenging ME to a drinking contest, right? I can chug 8 pints in under a minute." He showed the man a fanged smirk. Nonetheless, he set down his mug and gestured for the bartender to match Atul's pace.

Something clicked in Vlad's chest as he gazed into the amber liquid. "This is really happening," he murmured, the disbelief bright in his eyes. "I never imagined in a thousand years, Atul... This is still beyond what I can grasp. To have her as my wife was impossible and strange, but this... to really have this... I couldn't have possibly-" he broke off, blinking at the liquid. He was babbling, and didn't care much. His crimson eyes shifted to Atul's. "I don't know if you'll ever understand what you've given me," he murmured.

Him, express gratitude? There were those back in Ighten who'd have fainted on the spot at the sight.

Atul smiled warmly at his friend, drinking from his new mug. He didn't know what to say in response to him, so he kept drinking. Finally, when it was finished, the king set it down and reached out. He grasped Vlad's shoulder and shook him gently. "You deserve every bit of happiness you get." Atul took up his third drink in less than ten minutes. He stood up. "A toast! To my best friend." He motioned to Vlad. "He found out today that he's going to be a father!"

"WOOOHHHH!" The room erupted and the men raised their mugs into the air.

Vlad watched Atul's antics with amusement. He wasn't used to seeing the serious-minded king so rambunctious. Moreover, he'd never been called anyone's best friend before. He wanted to stand up with him and proclaim the other half of the child's proud lineage, but he was still sober enough to know better. It stunned him a little to realize he wasn't sure he could acknowledge Atul in this little celebration.

Especially when the man was being so adorably rowdy. It made the vampire want to bend him back and kiss him, which of course wasn't a good plan for inside the tavern. How to flirt with the man he cared about in front of dozens of his own citizens? Vlad knew how to keep a secret, of course, but tonight he wanted to celebrate. He was in no mood for self restraint.

"A round for the team," he announced with a sharp smirk, taking in the room with a quick glide of his arm. The bartender gleefully obliged.