Patrick woke up whining softly for blood. He was like a child with the look he gave Pete, and his pouted lip.
"I'm so hungry..." He whined, pawing at the air like a puppy. "Pete, can I please eat? Or drink? It's so hungry..."
Pete only nodded, afraid of what he was going to ask of Patrick. As he stood to walk through the main room next to the tunnel Patrick was still chained in, so many thoughts pushed through his mind.
What if Patrick wouldn't accept the proposition?
What if he did, and something went wrong?
What of Patrick couldn't be fully saved?..
Pete shook his head as he grabbed a bloodbag for Patrick. The only way to know was going to be trying it out. It was better than nothing... Right?
When Pete made it back into the tunnel, Patrick looked up with wide eyes. He reached out, as much as he could with the chains around his wrists, with grabby hands and snatched the bag from Pete's hands. He bit into it, immediately letting his eyes flutter shut as he drained the red liquid.
"Patrick..." Pete slowly sat down across from the other vampire, listening to his soft moans from his meal. "I need to talk to you about something..."
Patrick opened his eyes, only when the bag hanging from his fangs was drained, and tilted his head at Pete. "What is it?" He asked, softly, pulling the bag away from his small fangs.
Pete squinted at Patrick's fangs. They seemed to have shrunk back since the monster had been held at bay. It made sense, with how animalistic it made him, but it was still strange to Pete.
"Pete?" Patrick called out, drawing Pete's eyes to connect with his.
"I'm worried about you." Pete said, getting a feeling of relief from the normality of Patrick's blue eyes.
Patrick tilted his head in the other direction, "I don't know how I can help..." He reached out, extending a hand as much as he could for Pete to take. "It's powerful like nothing I've ever known..."
Pete bit his lip as he took Patrick's hand. He didn't want to ask it of the poor creature in front of him. Patrick had just been through so much... Who was Pete to ask even more of him?
"I want to help best your monster." Pete said, looking down from Patrick's eyes.
Consequently, he didn't see Patrick's eyes grow wide. "Is it possible?" He asked in a soft voice, "I could barely do it, and I was fighting myself in my head."
"It would require something like that again." Pete said, squeezing Patrick's hand. "If you can reject Tyler's venom... If you can replace his venom with mine..."
"A venom transfusion?" Patrick asked as a look of confusion crossed over his face.
Pete nodded, still avoiding looking at Patrick's eyes. "Of sorts... But, not that simple."
Patrick placed his hand on top of the one that was holding onto Pete's. The older creature finally looked up at him, earning a smile on Patrick's still confused face. "Explain it me, then."
"It's a survival of the fittest type thing." Pete replied almost instantly, "You would feed on my venom and against Tyler's, they would fight for dominance inside of you."
"... Would it hurt?" Patrick asked after a moment of sitting in silence.
Pete hesitated before nodding. "It would, and it's dangerous." He admitted in a hushed tone. "There's a chance the conflicting venoms could kill you."
Patrick looked down at his hands. His eyebrows furrowed and he shook his head. "What's the point?" He asked, "What's the point, when I'll still have to live with this... This thing inside of me." He looked back up at Pete's eyes. "Your venom can't take away my monster. It is, and always will be mine."
Patrick could see Pete contemplating a comeback in his head. His eyes seemed to wiggle in place, slightly, with his silence. Patrick took that moment to gaze at his eyes undisturbed.
Pete's eyes seemed to be the only good thing about being this way. Patrick could finally look at them without their hypnotic effect. He could see the swirls of color, as well as the strange spark of life behind them. Even with his monster striking away at the weak wall in his head, at least he had Pete's eyes.
"It can help." Pete finally replied, "Tyler inhanced it, somehow, but with a change in venom, it will be different."
"It will be deadly too." Patrick said, "Is it worth the risk for a hunch?"
Patrick may have been trying to fight it, but he was beginning to see a brighter side to Pete's plan. If he was destroyed, so would his monster. It wouldn't be able to hurt anyone in his small family if Pete's venom was fatal... He could save everyone from himself.
That only left the darker side. Death.
Patrick wasn't afraid of death, seeing as he had done it to become a vampire, but this time there was no coming back. He wouldn't see Pete, Dallon, Brendon, or Ryan ever again. He would simply be gone. Just a part of the atmosphere or wherever dead things go... Could he really leave that?..
"I just want you to be safe, without the constant fear of breaking." Pete squeezed Patrick's hand again, "Your monster is so far embedded in you, we have no idea of what else to do for a more permanent solution."
Patrick looked down at their hands. These other creatures cared so much about him... But he could break at any moment. The thin wall could crack and release the beast that Patrick had barely been able to keep at bay. As much as they wanted him safe, he wanted them safer.
"Are you sure?" Patrick asked. It was a question only partially to Pete, not that the older creature realized.
"Please." Pete pleaded, "I care about you, so much..."
Patrick let his eyes trail up to Pete's, slowly. He was taking in small bits of him, just in case. "Yes." He nodded, "As soon as possible."
