8: Silver

"And then I put the dude on his back and rode the life out of him!" the pressed patent blonde basic bitch declared loudly, bragging about her sexual conquests for the world to hear. "Fucked him so good he squirted and came his brains out!"

"Oh my Goddddd, Sis!" One of the other basic bitches blocking half the sidewalk squealed. "Your pussy game must be, like, soooooo~ good!"

The first bitch thumbed her nose cockily, "Heh, you know me, Sis. I got that WAP. My pussy so tight it'll drive a boy insane!"

Adam and Ruby kept their heads down as they slipped past the terminally loud group of basic bitches. Adam especially didn't want to be noticed. He knew with his new and improved body, those girls would be all over him, trying to invite him to a Sorority party to feed him drinks and date-rape him.

"Ugh," Adam groaned in disgust once they gained some distance. "Sorority girls… I don't know how Frat boys put up with them… Thank God you're nothing like that, Rubes."

"Y-Yeah," Ruby's reply was somewhat dejected and low-energy. "I'm probably not as pretty as them though… I feel like girls like that get all the boys…"

Adam scoffed, "Hardly. It only seems that way because they're always bragging about their sexual conquests. All they think and talk about is sex so obviously it seems like they have more of it. But you're way prettier than them, Ruby. It isn't even a contest."

Adam's compliment brought a small smile to Ruby's face and she hummed in acknowledgment. He'd been doing that all day. Probably just to raise her confidence, Ruby thought. There was no way he could really mean them… right?

Around them, darkness had fallen over the town of Hallow. The streets were lit by streetlights and bustling storefronts. The sounds of activity and music filled the cooling night air. Classes started properly tomorrow but that didn't stop people from partying.

Adam and Ruby had spent the day exploring the campus and once evening hit, branched out into the rest of the town. Mostly they were just using the act of walking around as an excuse to talk and get to know each other again.

Adam was about as relaxed as he could be. More relaxed than he had been in a long time. Ruby was back in his life and he got to spend the day with her, his favorite person in the world. His concerns about his Shadow fell into the background completely as he simply enjoyed a day that wouldn't have been out of place before high school.

Ruby wasn't as relaxed but she was still having a good time. As they walked around, Ruby found herself having to stake her claim on Adam more than once. These dumb sluts just couldn't keep their eyes off of him! It was like he was catnip and all these bitches were in heat! She was so flustered and on guard that she couldn't even get her metaphors straight!

She wasn't normally this crass either but after a day of seeing random girls eyefuck her hubby-… her bestfriend! Yeah, her bestfriend… Anyway, Ruby was on edge. She'd had to practically hiss at some of the more persistent girls. And somehow Adam seemed ignorant of his popularity!

He wasn't but it was just too cute to watch the normally cinnamon-roll-esque Ruby play the protective girlfriend card. So he didn't say anything and just watched as Ruby shot down basic bitch after basic bitch for him. Besides, it wasn't like Ruby was in any danger of being cucked by these boring-ass girls. Adam, a Man of Culture, only had eyes for the Gothest of Goth girls, of course.

In that respect, Ruby's only competition worth mentioning from today was the mysterious kuudere girl from this morning who declared herself Adam's soulmate. From what Inky told him, Adam had to assume she was in a similar situation. She had a Shadow in her soul, one related to Adam's Shadow in some way.

That was probably why she believed she was Adam's soulmate. And maybe she was right. Maybe the connection between their Shadows extended to them as well. Adam just didn't know enough yet to make a judgment.

Adam hadn't seen her again today but he had the strangest sensation that he was being watched. Multiple sensations actually. It was as if three separate parties were watching him without him realizing it.

One of the sensations triggered every time he walked past a shadow. Another was almost constantly active as a low-level prickling sensation on the back of his neck. And the last was like he was missing a fraction of a second of time every couple of minutes. It was strange. It was distracting. And Adam was trying to do what he did best in this situation: ignore his problems.

It was something he had plenty of practice with. All his life, he had been ignoring how broken he felt. Since he was diagnosed — mistakenly as he was coming to figure out — with depression, he'd been ignoring the symptoms as best he could. And since Ruby moved out of his life before high school, he'd been ignoring everyone else but his parents.

It hadn't failed him so far and Adam was planning on riding that wave as long as he could. His decision regarding Inky was basically made already anyway. He was just prolonging things to be petty. Resisting Inky's credible promise of power, control, and anything else he could ever want just wasn't possible for someone who felt like he had nothing like Adam.

He hadn't voiced his inevitable decision for fear of things suddenly becoming more real than he could handle. He didn't know what the Cult that kidnapped him was up to. He didn't know what their intentions were for him and his new Shadow. He didn't know what other dangers lurked in the dark.

At the moment, Adam had only one semi-concrete ally: his own Shadow. Inky was on his side because there was no other choice. They were one, merged into something greater than just Adam could ever be. Adam's goals were Inky's and vice versa.

From the little information Inky had shared with him about the other Shadow in play, Adam might be able to call the mysterious kuudere girl an ally as well. He couldn't be sure just yet though.

And Ruby… Ruby was more than an ally. He trusted her more than he trusted himself. But Adam just couldn't justify dragging her into the supernatural side of the world. She was so innocent and pure and Adam couldn't put her in danger like that.

Adam knew danger was coming. He could practically sense it on the horizon. Some grand plot was building behind the scenes and Adam's abduction and changes were just the opening act…

Still, for tonight, life was simple. Adam didn't have to worry about Cults or crazy supernatural phenomena. He could just explore and experience Hallow's nightlife from a distance. Neither he nor Ruby wanted to get too close to the heart of it all but they did walk past Sorority Row as they were headed back to campus.

It was still early, not even midnight, and the parties were already in full swing. Houses on either side of the street bounced with bodies, music, and energy. Sorority girls strutted their stuff like mating birds on the lawns in front of house parties. They did keg stands and played drinking games, sometimes managing to lure boys into their lewd clutches through charisma, beauty, or sheer persistence.

Adam and Ruby mostly kept their heads down as they walked down Sorority Row. They didn't want to attract attention, so with a little help from Adam's Shadow and Ruby's witchy silver eyes, they didn't. Neither of them was aware that they were doing the same thing with different supernatural means.

Eventually, they made it to the end of the street nearest to campus. They both breathed subtle sighs of relief. Even with Adam's changes and Ruby's inheritance, walking past that many estrogen-fueled drunk Sorority girls was nerve-wracking. They were still just a handsome boy and a petite girl, easy targets for packs of women with bad intentions.

"Haaa… This really isn't our scene, is it?" Adam mused with a sigh.

Ruby chuckled somewhat awkwardly, "H-Haha, no, it isn't… Are you sure you don't want to give it a try though? We're in college now after all… I don't want you to hold yourself back because of me or anything…"

Adam rolled his eyes, "I'm sure, Rubes. Leave the partying to the 'cool' boys. I've got everything I need right here…"

As he said that, he put an arm around Ruby and pulled her much smaller frame into his side. Ruby 'eeped' quietly but didn't resist his touch. She practically melted against his body, bubbling with happiness on the inside but still clueless to the fact that Adam's touch was more than merely friendly.

"S-Same," Ruby stuttered. "Well… some cookies might be nice as well… And maybe a gun magazine…? Yeah, a day at the range with cookies and my bestfriend… That's everything I need…"

Ruby said the last bit with a dreamy sigh, lost in her own little world as Adam smirked down at her with fond amusement, "I'm so glad to have you in my life again, Rubes."

She turned to look up at her with a beaming smile on her face that lit up even Adam's Shadow. It was pure and wholesome and quintessentially Ruby. Her eyes sparkled with joy and Adam fell in love all over again.

"Yeah, okay…" Inky whispered in the back of Adam's soul. "I can see why you like this girl so much. She's worth protecting."

Adam scoffed internally, "As if that was ever a question."

A soft moan and a vague sense of unease suddenly drew Adam's attention to the entrance of a nearby park, "Did you hear that?"

Ruby cocked her head cutely, "Hear what?"

"I guess I must have been imagining-… there it was again! It almost sounds like someone's getting…?" Adam slowly drifted toward the noise and the source of the feeling.

Ruby hesitantly followed him, "M-Maybe we shouldn't…? They probably don't want to be disturbed…"

"Just a peek," Adam said. "I'm curious."

Following the sound took them a little ways off the path that ran through the park. It got louder as they approached a small grove of trees that offered a bit of privacy. Adam was pretty confident he knew what it was at this point. The moans were clear and there was a soft sucking sound that accompanied them. Still, he couldn't resist taking a little peek through the trees.

As his head passed the leaves and branches, Adam could make out a small clearing. In the center of that clearing, there were two bodies. One of the bodies was male, lying on his back, and the obvious source of the moaning.

The other body, a female, was straddling the man and keeping him trapped under her. Her lips were attached to the guy's neck and Adam could clearly hear her sucking something. The girl was dressed garishly and Adam couldn't describe her as anything other than a slut.

Admittedly, her body was voluptuous and appealing but her sense of style was too bright and slutty to truly capture Adam's attention. Her short hair was bleached blonde with colorful pink highlights running through it and her outfit was straight-up lewd. A full fishnet bodysuit 'covered' from the neck down to her high heels. Beneath that, she wore a leopard-print bikini and a pair of pink shorts so tiny that they couldn't even be called clothing.

As Adam examined the woman and her prey, Ruby gasped, having just come through the trees to see the scene in the clearing. The slutty woman's head whipped up, catching the moonlight perfectly. Adam saw glowing red eyes and a pair of fangs that glinted in the silver light.

Some leftover Human part of Adam wanted to freeze but thankfully his Shadow wouldn't let him. The slut hissed at them and Adam didn't stick around to find out what else she would do. He grabbed Ruby by her hand and dragged her away, quickly breaking into a run.

He heard branches snap behind him as the slutty monster abandoned her prey for fresh blood. Adam only spared one glance behind them, seeing her chasing after him and Ruby with an utterly unnerving grin on her face. Her fangs glinted, carrying more of an impact on Adam's psyche than simple teeth should have. The unnatural fear inspired by the sight of them was quickly squashed by his Shadow though.

"If that isn't a vampire, I'll suck my own dick!" Adam shouted as he and Ruby ran.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God, I'm so not ready for this!" Ruby panicked. "Think, Ruby, think! What did the book say about vampires?!"

"What book?!" Adam asked, confused but not willing to stop running for a second.

Ruby's shorter legs struggled to keep up with him. Cursing himself, Adam suddenly picked Ruby up so they could run faster. Ruby clung to the fabric of his shirt, still panicking and wracking her brain for something she could do in this situation.

"Mom's diary," She answered Adam's question without thinking.

Adam spent a valuable moment staring incredulously down at Ruby, "Why would your mom's diary have a way to deal with vampires in it?!"

Ruby didn't get a chance to reply. Adam's baffled hesitation cost them the slight lead they had on the vampire slut. With a burst of speed that couldn't be natural, the vampire shoved Adam from the side, sending him tumbling into an alley. Instincts kicked in, and Adam turned the tumble into a coordinated tuck-n-roll that keep Ruby safe if disorientated and had him land in a crouch facing the vampire.

As his mind reeled from his suddenly superhuman reflexes, Adam mused internally, "Huh… She's really not bad looking. Not my type but I can see how the gyaru vibe could be attractive to some people… Inky? Any help?!"

"Hmmm," Inky hummed, pretending to think about it. "Nah."

"Is this because I was being petty earlier?! 'Cause I'll take it all back! You're the best Shadow and I'm so glad we're merged or whatever! Now will you help me not die to the slutty vampire??"

Inky snorted, "Nah, but thanks for that. Good to hear you ain't that stubborn."

"C'mon, dude! Now you're the one being petty!"

"Relax, champ. You aren't in any danger. All she'll do is give you a free suck-job and drain a bit of vitality. There are worse first experiences with the supernatural… Like being kidnapped by a Cult… Heh…"

Obviously still salty from their earlier disagreement, Inky faded back into Adam's soul with his little 'joke', leaving Adam alone and scrambling for ideas. Sure, he wouldn't die but he still wasn't a fan of being sucked off in this way! The vampire slut stalked toward him, licking her lips and fangs with a tongue that was much too long. Adam was cornered…

"You're really pretty but you're not my type! Please don't suck me off!" Adam requested in a bid of barely-thinking desperation. "I'm saving myself for a Goth girl! Ruby in particular!"

The boldness of Adam's seemingly nonsensical request brought the gyaru vampire slut up short, "… Huh?"

Ruby squeaked in Adam's arms, finally distracted from her mental search for a solution, "W-W-What?!? M-Me?? Awawawawa~!"

No one got a chance to say anything else. Ruby blushed so red that it looked like she'd been burned. A strange sense of potential exploded out of Ruby with her embarrassed sputtering. Her eyes flashed and twin streams of silver poured out of them, bathing the alleyway and the vampire in power.

When the silver light faded, the vampire was left as a slutty, garish statue and Ruby was still completely flustered by Adam's words as if she hadn't even noticed her burst of power, "Wawawawawawaw~…"