*Disclaimer*- I know I said I wasn't going to put anymore warnings on my shit because I didn't have to, I'm putting one for this story. This fic at some points may be extremely offensive to some people, if the occult, human sacrifice, cannabalism, etc. offend you, you may not want to read this story as these elements will be prevalent within the story.
One last thing! Due to alot of occult terminology within this story some chapters will have a glossary of terms at the end of the chapter to help you better understand.
So yeah, on to the story:
Title: Change of Skin
Pairing: Till/Christoph,Richard/Paul, Multiple
Rating: XXX, highest fucking rating possible
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Dark, Kink, Romance(?), Mystery
Summary: Christoph is a young man from a prominent family with a history deeply shrouded in mystery. After his mother’s death he left home and assumed a new identity, not wanting to be found by his father and forced to take his place in the family business. One night he and his friend decide to go out for some fun and spot two ethereal men at a table, one of the men takes in extreme interest in Christoph; despite Christoph’s stand-offish nature. Eventually becoming friends, Christoph discovers this man isn’t all that he appears to be and knows more about Christoph’s past, that he himself even knows. This is a tale of a man’s decent into the decadent life of the elite and the dark embrace of the occult.
[Chapter One: Naïve]
Christoph just finished applying the last of his eyeliner as Paul impatiently burst through the bathroom door “Are you almost done? You’ve been in here for over 30 minutes, we’re going to be late!.” Paul admonished. Rolling his ice blue eyes Christoph responded “Don’t you know how to fucking knock? What if I had been taking a piss? Also, it’s no fun being early to a club, so calm the hell down we’re not gonna miss anything.” Turning back to smudge his make-up some so it was less uniform Christoph heard his overzealous room-mate huff exasperatedly and stomp back in to the living room, probably to pout.
Once he felt satisfied with his look, he adjusted his mesh shirt so one shoulder was slightly more exposed and made sure his tight black jeans we’re low enough on his slender hips. Nodding at his reflection in the mirror Christoph then went to go let Paul know he was ready to depart.
The two men made their way down the sidewalk, ignoring the stares of the ‘mundane’ as they passed them by. A few blocks later they had finally arrived at their destination, club Ein as it was known to locals, it’s full name is ‘Ein Sof*’, a strange name that few who attended understood. After paying the fee to enter, the two males mingled in various places within the club, taking in the dark décor of the building. Currently they were both lounging on a plush wine colored couch in one of the lounges; Christoph was staring at a very fascinating painting on the wall depicting a double-headed serpent wrapped around two humans in a lush forest. What caught his attention is that the focus of the painting wasn’t Adam and Eve like it normally was, in this painting the artist made it so the serpent was the main focal point. Wondering why such a random painting such as that was hung in a place decorated with so many dark elements, he barely registered Paul’s hand waving in front of his face.
“Are you fucking serious?” Paul said irritated. “What? What did I do wrong?” Christoph asked sounding confused. “You’ve been staring at that painting for the past five minutes like a zombie. It’s things like this, that cause you to still be a virgin. I mean who the hell goes to a club just to stare a painting?” Paul continued on his diatribe, but Christoph just tuned his high strung friend out, instead standing and deciding to go back to where the dance floor was.
Walking slowly to wait for Paul to catch up with him he stood in the entrance to where the bar and dance floor was located. Finally reaching where Christoph was standing Paul asked “What’s wrong with you tonight? You seem kind of out of it.” He said sounding concerned. Turning to Paul and putting a hand on his shoulder, Christoph replied “Nothing’s wrong with me Paul. I feel alright, there’s nothing to worry about, ok?” Nodding, but not completely buying Christoph’s words, Paul opened his mouth to speak again after something caught his eye. “Hey, Christoph, is that who I think it is?” “Who are you talking about?” He questioned. Nodding his head in their direction, he simply replied “Them.”
Looking to where Paul had indicated, Christoph saw two good looking well-dressed men at a table with women and men fawning over them. Still not understanding, Christoph said “What about them?” Making a sound of disbelief Paul explained “Those two men are the sons of two very prominent families.” Upon seeing Christoph shrug his shoulders and the information, he decided to elaborate more “The one on the left, Richard, is the son of a coal baron, and the other one is his cousin Till, he’s the son of the top arms manufacturer for the military in Germany and he supposedly is the one who owns this club. There’s also a rumor that both of them were born of nobility, I don’t know how true that is though.”
Absorbing the information Christoph simply replied “Interesting…I guess.” Throwing his hands in the air at that statement, Paul responded “I don’t know what to do with you! Do you at least think they are hot?!” Blushing hotly and looking at the floor, Christoph quietly answered “Yes, they are attractive.” He said unsure, still having trouble coming to terms with his sexuality. Seeing the downtrodden look on his friend’s face, Paul placed and arm around Christoph and led him to the bar for a drink.
Ordering two shots for the both of them, they downed them quickly and began to hold light conversation as the waited for the effects of the alcohol to kick in. Grabbing Christoph by his mesh shirt, Paul pulled him down to his level to whisper in his ear “Hey, there’s a really gorgeous guy staring at me across the bar, I think I’m gonna go chat him up. Do you mind if I leave you here?” Shaking his head, he replied “No, go ahead I was going to go dance for a bit, meet me back at those couches later alright?”
After promising to meet back up in the lounge room, Christoph made his way down to the dance floor. He made his way through the throng of people, finding a not so populated spot and began to move himself to the beat of the music. Closing his eyes, and swaying his hips to the ultra-heavy beat of the industrial music, he blocked everything out around him, pushing away all negative thoughts and just let the music direct his body. Feeling eyes staring keenly upon his form, he cracked his eyes open to see one of the men Paul pointed out earlier gazing directly at him. Meeting his eyes in challenge while still swaying his body to the beat, he then turned swiftly, breaking eye contact with the gawking stranger, missing the slow smirk the crept upon the man’s face.
The song soon ended and Christoph began to scan the room for his friend’s presence, spotting him at the table with the two affluent males chatting away excitedly with the one with spiked hair. Sighing to himself, he walked over to where Paul was and stood off to the side, hoping Paul would notice him and he wouldn’t have to get any closer. Cheering his luck in his mind, Paul finally noticed him and waved him over to where he was, now cursing his luck at probably having to converse with potential snobs he begrudgingly walked over to where his comrade was.
Standing awkwardly before the men and their group of what seemed like lackeys, he waited for Paul to finish conversing, before he spoke. “Are you ready to go Paul?” He questioned. Paul looked at him like he had two heads and opened his mouth to reply, but was beat to the punch by the larger of the rich snobs “But it’s still so early.” The spiked haired man purred out. At that statement Paul responded teasingly “Don’t mind him, he’s a bit of a stiff, I’m still working on getting him out of his shell.” The table burst into light laughter at the statement, Christoph narrowed his eyes at Paul cataloguing that barb for revenge at a later date. It wasn’t that Christoph was ‘stiff’ per say, but since they entered the club, he’s had an odd feeling, and that painting in the lounge didn’t help and now these people put a final nail in his intuition coffin.
Watching them as the interacted with those around them, the two men seemed otherworldly, moving too gracefully to seem normal, especially the larger male. Most males of that stature don’t move with an ounce of fluidity that this man does, it was very off putting. Christoph felt that there was something just not ‘right’ with these men, but he seemed to be the only one picking up on this. Looking at their faces, they seemed surreal, their skin was impeccable, looking as if they had been sculpted out of the finest marble. But the feature that caught him the most were their eyes, their eyes seemed to change color and the irises didn’t maintain their normal oval shape. Shaking his head of those thoughts, thinking that perhaps it was a trick of the lights, he heard Paul speak again “Where are my manners? Christoph? This here is Richard and Till.” Richard nodded his greeting and gave a heart stopping smile, and the quiet man to his right named Till stuck out his hand in greeting waiting for Christoph to take it.
Realizing that the man was waiting shake his hand, he quickly took it and wrapped his fingers around Till’s hand noticing how smooth and cool the skin of his hand was. The men exchanged a firm handshake and quiet salutation and the rest of the group fell into conversation once more. “Would you like to sit?” Till asked motioning to the empty space next to him.
Defying his instincts to just leave, Christoph took a seat next to Till and began to look anywhere but at the other occupants of the table. Feeling eyes on him again, he looked up to see Till staring unabashedly, staring directly back into his eyes he saw a dashing smile slither on to Till’s face. Wanting to know what was funny, Christoph snapped out “What are you smiling at?” “You.” Till simply.
Growling frustratedly, Christoph replied “Obviously. But why are you smiling at me?” Till rested his chin in the palm of his hand and looked directly into Christoph eyes “Because, so many people in my life never look me in my eyes, so it’s a rare…treat to have someone bold enough to look me in the eyes.” Crossing his arms over his chest, Christoph responded “Well not everyone is automatically submissive to those with heaps of cash, some of us don’t care about people with worthless paper.” He declared. A rumbling laughter filled the air and Till spoke again “I like you…” “Christoph.” He supplied. “Yes, I like you Christoph.” Till said looking at him as if were staring into the very depths of his soul and Christoph swore he saw something flash behind Till’s eyes.
“You are very outspoken, people like yourself are few and far between, it’s quite the pleasure to be in your company.” Till praised. Christopher flushed a nice shade of red at the compliment he received and muttered an unsure ‘thank you’. Ten more minutes of conversation passed, and Christoph really felt that it was time to go. Standing up to leave, he felt the Till’s strong hand grip his arm in a firm, but gentle manner “Wait, I really enjoyed speaking with you, is there any way I could have your number?” He inquired. Though thoroughly liking the attentions of the alluring man, this is exactly what Christoph feared would occur. Looking across the table at Till, he swallowed the lump in his throat and went against his better judgment. “Sure.” Christoph then proceeded to give Till the digits to reach him at and then said his good-byes to the other occupants of the table, and pretty much dragged Paul out of the club.
“What the hell is your problem tonight, Christoph!?” Paul shouted once they were outside. “ My problem is that you were in there acting all ‘buddy-buddy’ with people you hardly know, telling them not just your private business, but mine too. Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to speak to strangers, yet alone share your information with them?” Christoph retorted. “Then why did you give Till the phone number to our apartment, if you care so much about our privacy? Explain that to me!” Paul countered.
Looking down at the cracked pavement and asked himself the same question, why did he give his number after all of the weird feelings he’s had during the night. He then remembered that when Till asked him for his number, he had felt this pull, this compulsion to please Till when he had looked into his eyes. Pleasing others, especially strangers, was not normal for Christoph so he decided to save that train of thought for review later. “Well?” Paul intoned impatiently. “Honestly, I don’t know, I just felt compelled to do so.” He said matter-of-factly. “Look Paul, I’m sorry for the way I was acting earlier, those guys just gave me some really weird vibes.” Christoph apologized.
Smiling sheepishly Paul pushed the other male playfully “It’s alright, man. At least you can get laid now, and maybe you won’t be so uptight!” Rolling his eyes Christoph stalked off, walking in the direction of home, forcing the smaller man to jog a bit to catch up.
Once in the confines of their cozy apartment, Christoph kicked off his boots and made a bee-line straight for his bed room, intent on resting his mind. Divesting himself of his garb, he jumped into bed and shut his eyes; he drifted off after a while though a strange dream played behind the lids of his eyes.
{Christoph’s Dream}
He was in his bed, lying upon it looking around the room which looked as if it had been ransacked by an animal. His possessions were strewn all across the room, his posters were shredded from the wall looking as if something had clawed at them. There were also strange symbols drawn on various places on the wall in what looked like drying blood. He heard a rustling off to his side and jumped in fright when he saw his mother standing before him with blood coming from her eyes, mouth and out of her ears. Staring in disbelief and abject fear, Christoph opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when his ‘mother’ raised her hand to stop him.
“You must stay away from him, he is profane. Fall into his grasp, you will be lost to the light. Repent now before he draws you in!”
Confusion made itself known on Christoph’s face, he shakily said “I don’t understand-who are you speaking of?” Gliding forward and grasping Christoph’s face with her ice cold hands, causing him to gasp at the sensation. “He who walks in the skin of man! He who calls darkness upon this plane! Do not let him bring you into temptation, lest you be pulled down into the void with him! All who walk in darkness want to possess light.” She became more frantic as Christoph didn’t seem to grasp the urgency of her message. “Who is he, who are you talking about?” Christoph asked confoundedly. “Them, the Gregori, the Ein Sof, the-“ Her voice was cut off and her throat looked as though someone had their hand around her though, though no being could be seen. His mother struggled and choked and then crumbled into a pile of ashes and was whisked away by some unseen force.
{End Dream}
Bolting upright in bed, Christoph looked around his room expecting to see the disturbing sight that he saw within his dream but found that it was in the same state it was when he fell asleep. Calming down significantly he pondered where the hell that dream came from, he hadn’t dreamed at all since is mother died. Reaching into the nightstand next to his bed, he pulled out a small velveteen bag and poured its contents into his hand. Holding the intricate rosary, he ran his hand over it lovingly, remembering how his mother used to always wear it when she felt bothered by something. Sighing to himself, he slipped the rosary over his head and lay back down on the bed quickly drifting off. When he fell asleep, he missed out on seeing the rosary flash a bright white light that was then snuffed out by a dark red light that dispersed from his chest like a noxious smoke.
Glossary:
*Ein Sof- The term ‘Ein Sof’ is of Kabbalistic origin, it refers to God prior to his self-manifestation in the production of any spiritual realm. It may be translated as ‘no end’ , ‘unending’, or ‘infinite”; but for this story the term will have a darker connotation and mean “The Limitless Ones”
[Chapter 2: Shiver]
*Three Weeks Later*
Sighing in frustration and bursting through the doors of his meager job at the music store, Christoph stalked out of building and down the sidewalk. Cursing his asshole boss for cutting his hours, but then remembering he’d stashed away some money for a situation like this he cooled down a bit and slowed his pace. Surprised at how fast he had walked in his anger, Christoph realized that he was in front of that old temple that was but a few blocks from his apartment. Coming to a stop, he stared at the architecture of the building as he’d always wondered what kind of temple this was for since it was lacking all the normal features of a regular place of worship. Christoph took in the classic style of the building, noting how it had no windows and had a few symbols on the outside that looked as if they came from ancient Egypt. There was also a stained glass eye within a pyramid above the frame of the entrance of the building, Christoph shuddered a bit at the odd feeling that symbol stirred up within him. The more he looked at the beautiful glass the more he felt…familiar with that image as if he’d seen it somewhere before.
Just as he shook off the eerie feelings, he heard someone come through the door of the temple and he decided to move on, not want to seem like he was snooping. Two males in black suits began to descend the steps of the temple, Christoph kept his head down as they came closer to him. “Alright we’ll meet up again soon.” Christoph heard a smooth voice say. Continuing on and not paying attention to where he was going he ran into what felt like a brick wall and began to fall backwards, but was stopped by a gentle yet firm grip upon his arm pulling him to his feet. “Thank Y-“ Christoph began, but stopped as soon as he realized who stood before him. “So we meet again, Christoph.” Till said with a charming smile.
“Y-yes, I suppose we do.” Christoph said timidly, looking at the cracked ground. “I meant to call you, but I’ve been quite busy and I lost your number. It must’ve been in the stars for us to meet again, no?” Till said amiably. Feeling the heat rise into his cheeks, Christoph replied nodding “It must be.” “How about to make up for my failure to keep in contact like I promised, I will take you to dinner tonight?” Till questioned.
“I’m not too sure about that, I’m not dressed-“ Christoph said not exactly feeling comfortable with someone paying for him. Grasping Christoph’s hand ,Till replied with his best ‘wounded puppy’ look in place. “Your attire is not a problem; we don’t have to go to a formal place to eat. Please come out with me, I beg of you.” Not able to resist Till’s charms and going against his better judgment, Christoph agreed to attend dinner with Till.
Assisting Christoph into his 1950’s era white Mercedes , Till slid into the driver’s seat, turned the ignition and set off to their destination. The two sat in comfortable silence, well Till was comfortable, Christoph, on the other hand was hyper-sensitive to his surroundings. He noticed how Till’s muscles bulged as he gripped the steering wheel, and the heavy sensuous cinnamon scent that wafted from his body, and his large hulking frame that reminded him of the Teutonic heroes of myth that he read about as a child. Stamping down his admiration of Till’s physique, Christoph focused on the scenery passing by him; determined not to fall subject to this man’s enticement.
Finally arriving at the restaurant, Till opened the door for Christoph and the two were led to a table. Till ordered some red wine for the both of them and told Christoph to pick whatever he wanted from the menu. The two men finally placed their orders and Till struck up light conversation with Christoph as they waited on their food. “So how old are you Christoph?” Till asked. “I’m eighteen but I’ll be nineteen soon enough , why? Is there a problem?” Christoph said defensively. Laughing at Christoph’s brazenness, Till replied “No, I’m just making conversation; these are normal questions that people ask.” Feeling a bit embarrassed at his hasty behavior, Christoph softly apologized. “You can ask me questions if you like.” Till said soothingly. Perking up at hearing this, Christoph immediately blurted out “What is that temple for that you came out of earlier?”
A shadow passed over Till’s face and his eyes seemed to flash a bit, he responded “That’s something I can’t currently reveal to you, perhaps if we become closer I can disclose some information about what it is I do there.” The look on his face lightened a bit, “Perhaps I could use that as incentive to get you to spend more time with me.” Till teased. Christoph smiled a bit at this statement, agreeing in his mind that he had to know what went on in that building, and that we would spend time with Till to find out.
Before they knew it their food was brought out and served and the two began to eat, occasionally pausing to talk about likes and dislikes and some of their background. Looking over at Till’s plate, Christoph took in how raw a bloody the steak was; the outside looked as if it had been barely braised. Till then took a bite of the steak and a little bit of the blood dribbled down his chin, capturing Christoph’s eyes. Till then sensuously licked the blood from his chin as he looked mesmerizingly into Christoph’s eyes, causing a jolt of something to run down the other man’s spine. Breaking the trance that Till’s eyes had him in, Christoph focused back on the food on his plate. Feeling bold again, Christoph fired out another question “So is it true that you own Club Ein?”
“Actually, I do own it. I know I probably don’t seem like the type, but I do love that kind of music and it was also a great investment.” Till explained. “What does the name mean? It’s such an odd name.” Christoph mused. Chuckling at the other males inquisitiveness, Till explained the origin of the name. “The name Ein Soph, comes from the name for what they call extra-dimensional beings in the Kabbalah. It means the “Limitless Ones.” Christoph soaked in the information, feeling as if there were more to it that what he was letting on and wondering where else he'd heard that name recently.
Changing the subject, Till asked “Do you live with your family, or are you on your own?” Face falling a bit at the mention of family, he answered “I’m on my own, I stay with my friend Paul,that you met. I haven’t spoken to my family in a while; they don’t know where I am.” Christoph finished quietly, not understanding why he was divulging this information to someone he doesn’t know well. “I’m sorry to hear that, I’ve always felt like family was always very important aspect of a person’s life.” Till said solemnly.
The two finished up their dinner, paid and departed the restaurant for Christoph’s apartment. When the antique car pulled up in front of Christoph’s humble flat, Till helped Christoph out of the car just as he had earlier. Holding Christoph’s arm in his as they approached the door to the building Till spoke again “I really enjoyed my time with you this evening, I would really like to do this again.” “I enjoyed myself too, w-would you like my number?” Christoph asked unsure. A brilliant smile illuminated Till’s face and he replied “Yes, gladly.” Christoph gave his number, and Till tapped it into his cell phone that he managed to have on hand this time and then pulled Christoph in to a heated kiss.
Stunned at first by the feeling of Till’s soft lips pressing demandingly into his, Christoph’s instincts kicked in and soon he was returning the kiss full force. The heat and craving he felt was intoxicating, he felt as if he was being drowned in syrup and he loved every second of it. His conscious suddenly kicking back in full force, Christoph wrenched himself away, flushing and backing up toward the door. “I-I shouldn’t have- I’m sorry it’s a bit too- I’ve never been kissed.” He stuttered as he hung his head in embarrassment. Smiling endearingly, Till approached Christoph and pinned him to the wall and kissed him again, this time earning a startled moan from the innocent man. “It’s an honor to be you first kiss, and I’d like to be your first in other aspects too.” Till purred into the shell of Christoph’s ear causing him to squirm in his grasp. “I-I’ve got to get inside.” Christoph said bashfully. “I’ll see you later, ok?”
“Yes, most definitely.” Till nodded in agreement. “Good night.” Till intoned sexily. “Good night.” Christoph choked out as hastily made his inside. Walking up the few steps to the second floor, where his flat was, he took out his keys hand shaking and turned the lock and entered the home. Slamming the door shut, and leaning his back on it and his chest heaving; Christoph began to question where did his integrity go. Why was he opening up so easily to someone he barely knew? Why was he breaking his own self -imposed rules that have kept him free thus far? And just why the fuck did he feel so compelled to do things to please Till? The man was like a drug, he lowered his inhibitions and left him open to attack in the form of people getting close to him and that's just what Christoph wanted to avoid.
Pushing himself off of the door and locking it, he noticed Paul’s small form curled up on the couch snoring. The petite man probably fell asleep waiting up for him, speaking of which, how late was it if Paul was asleep already? Normally the man stayed up pretty late, but he could hear his light snoring from the couch signaling that he was in fact asleep. Making his way to his room, he glanced at the clock hanging on his wall and it read 1.00 in the morning. Balking in shock at how much time had passed in between him storming out of work and coming home, Christoph stripped himself of his clothing and plopped down on the bed; intent on falling asleep as soon as possible so he wouldn’t think on the enigma that was Till.
Noticing Christoph had finally fallen asleep; an opaque entity materialized in his room and morphed itself into a more solid form and approached where he lay upon the bed. The entity’s crimson eyes flashed at the sight of Christoph’s youthful body, the creature then reached its black hand out and placed a clawed finger on the center of the male’s head. The spot underneath the being’s finger glowed scarlet and a disembodied voice could be heard whispering. “Remember Christoph…Remember.”
{Flashback}
A young Christoph of about three was tied face down to a cold stone slab in a windowless room that was dimly lit by a few candles scattered about the room. Christoph couldn’t see for his eyes were bound by a soft length of cloth, but he could still hear, and he heard the whispers of men and the distinct rustling of fabric and smelt the burning of heady incense. He felt a body come close to him and the light noise of the room was silenced. “Tonight we bring this young boy into the rites of our ancestors, our customs are a dying breed and we must seek to keep them afloat.” Sounds of agreement were murmured about the room, and the speaker continued. “So with this boy here we initiate the next generation into the ceremonies of our forefathers. Now let us begin with the dedication ceremony.”
A strange language was heard being chanting around the room and the other inhabitants began chanting in rhythm with the leader, and then something warm and wet was smeared on the part of Christoph’s back where his heart was located. The chanting grew louder and became distorted and Christoph began to feel drowsy. It felt as though something was pressing down on him, trying to force its way into his body and into his very being. He also felt as if he were being swallowed, pulled into molasses, but it was a warm comforting feeling. The chanting rose to a fever pitch and now Christoph’s small body was arched oddly off of the stone slab and he could feel the wetness of the substance on his back absorb into his body and become painfully hot. And just as the burning sensation and the feeling of pressure appeared, it ended abruptly as did the chanting of the men. Christoph’s body fell back onto the stone altar and he immediately passed out.
Author's Comment: So what did you think? Interesting? Or no? I think these two chapters turned out quite well, especially since their purpose is to lay the groundwork for all the sleazy, crazy shit that occurs in later chapters, As always your words mean a lot so let me know what you think! P.S.: Insignificant Other shall return tomorrow if I don't have a shitload of stuff to do! - N.D
