Chapter 28

After class, they parted for the day, both returning home to prepare for what would be their first official date as a couple. There was a cultural festival being held in Chinatown tonight that Caleb felt would be perfect for their first true outing together. When he pitched the idea to Akane, she was simply over the moon, and since then, the two had been planning meticulously for this very evening.

Caleb was currently in the process of getting ready, a bit of product for his hair, a tasteful cologne that wasn't too overwhelming, and his evening outfit. Though Akane had already told him in advance that she would be wearing a yukata, and he was under no such obligation to dress traditionally. He felt far more comfortable going to a fair in tasteful street clothes.

This had less to do with his personal insecurities as much as he simply did not wish to stand out or draw more attention to himself than he knew he was bound to already. And a gaijin wearing expensive clothing to a cultural festival was far less likely to stick out like a sore thumb than one who was wearing a Jinbei. So for tonight's outing, he chose a pair of faded designer jeans, chinos, and a gray turtleneck, over which he wore a black peacoat he inherited from his father.

Once he was ready, Caleb took a moment to check himself out in the mirror. It never failed any time he was dressed decently, and he simply had to take a moment to admire the gorgeous stud staring back at him.

"You are about to knock her dead, my friend," he spoke to himself in a smooth, assured voice.

Having fed his ego long enough, Caleb exited his room and descended the glass spiral stairs to the parlor below. His mother was dressed up in a black cocktail dress over which she was wearing a mink coat. Much like him, she was standing in front of a mirror admiring herself whilst fastening two ruby teardrop earrings to her lobes.

"Who is the Queen?" she quietly said to herself. "You are the Queen."

He rolled his eyes, suppressing a chuckle as he murmured to himself. "I get it from Dad, she says."

"That you, Caleb?" she called back to him, still checking herself out in the mirror. "It's getting to be about that time. You might wanna hurry and change."

"Way ahead of you, Mom," he assured. "So what's got you dressed up?"

"You're not the only one with a date tonight," Angelika explained.

Don't ask how old he is. Don't ask how old he is. Don't ask how old he is. Don't ask how old he is.

"So, how old is he?" Fuck!

She laughed, already knowing where his mind was at. "You can relax. It's just Mr. Fujimi. He invited me out to drinks shortly after that debacle of a survey, and I figure this is the least I can do for the man given I had to scramble his brain twice in one night."

"How admirable of you," he responded dryly when a thought occurred to him. "Hold on. Isn't he married?"

"He is," she answered candidly. "Your point being?"

Caleb groaned wearily. "Nothing. Forget I asked."

"Listen, I'll probably be out all night. So you kids can come back here after the festival if you want. Just be sure...to...."

It was as she finally pried her eyes away from the mirror and looked at her son for the first time that her voice trailed off. Caleb scratched the back of his head awkwardly and looked away.

"Well...what do you think? I figured now was as good a time as any to break it out."

She placed a hand up to her lips, a sentimental smile forming on her face.

"It needs a bit of tailoring," Caleb continued, running his hand along his father's coat. "But it seems to finally fit my shoulders."

His mother continued to just stare at him, a hand up to her lips, that same warm look in her eyes.

"Everything okay?" he finally asked.

She nodded. "Sorry, it's just...for a moment there, I thought I was looking at your father."

He smiled in understanding. His mother, meanwhile, took a breath and began furiously fanning her eyes.

"Okay, we're not doing this right now, Angelika. No, ma'am," she insisted before very carefully wiping the tears from her eyes with the backs of her pointer fingers. "Now, do you have everything you need tonight, sweetie?"

He nodded assuredly. "I've got the hairclip you suggested in a box on the kitchen counter. The one with the lavender rose?"

"Excellent," she responded approvingly before sighing in a slightly depressed tone. "Alright...now I know you don't want to have this talk, but...."

"Oh boy, here we go," he responded uncomfortably.

"Caleb, this is important," his mother lectured sternly. "You're seventeen; she's sixteen. We both know that hormones are going to become a factor in tonight's planned events. Whether you like it or not, it needs to be addressed."

"You know you could just push toothpicks under my nails," Caleb insisted. "It would only be a little less tortuous than this."

She just rolled her eyes at that, not even dignifying it with a response. "Listen, if you both end up back here tonight, and..." Angelika was choosing her words delicately for the sake of her overdramatic son. "...hormones start to beget what they will...."

He grumbled obtusely, really not wanting to have this conversation.

"You have got. To be. Careful," she insisted, the severity of her tone driving home the seriousness of her words. "An accident doesn't mean the same thing for you as it would other teenagers. The Incubus curse is as much your burden as the Succubus curse is mine. A pregnancy wouldn't just cause problems, and it would kill her."

"We could always just use vitae pills if that happens," he offered.

Angelika narrowed her eyes at him sternly, unable to tell if he was being serious or just goading her again. "You have genuine feelings for this girl, don't you?"

He sighed and nodded. "I do."

"Then trust me when I say that that would be about the least kind thing you could possibly do to her. Raw vitae is a drug to the unblessed. One so potent and addictive that nothing else can ever compare again. It's not meant for loving relationships, and it's meant to create slaves. You'd be ruining her life forever."

His stubborn frown slowly softened into a look of understanding. He finally sighed and nodded.

"Yes, Ma'am. I understand. It won't come to that. I won't let it." Caleb turned away, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "I'm not even sure if we're...ready for that yet."

Angelika chuckled at her son and shook her head. "Sweetie, you're never fully ready. Not completely anyway." She pointed to the end table in the corner of the room. "If things start to get heated, and you know good and well what I mean by that, I left them for you in the end drawer over there. Be sure you use one if and when it should get to that point."

He looked over at the drawer before finally relenting. "I will. Thank you, Mom."

She finally smiled at him again before checking the time. "Alright, I need to go. You kids have fun."

Angelika kissed her son on the cheek before making her way to the elevator.

"Oh, one last thing." She turned back around, her voice serious again. "It goes without saying that you should keep an eye out. After the stunt you pulled last week, I wouldn't be surprised if our mutual enemies tried to make a move."

He turned serious as well before nodding in understanding. "They can try. They'll fail, but they can try."

She smiled at him again approvingly. "I'm proud of you, sweet son. I mean that. Have fun on your date tonight."

With those words, she left. Caleb walked over to the drawer in question and slid it open. Sure enough, there had to be at least fifteen condoms his mother had stashed away behind a magazine for them. The thing that bothered him wasn't even just how many she seemed to keep in the house.

The thing that really bothered him was the fact they all appeared to be in different sizes. He quickly shut the drawer and headed for the elevator.

"We're not going there, Caleb. Not tonight."