Whylight

38.

By the time that Paul finally arrived at the Beating Heart there were already people milling inside it's doors. It was early enough in the night yet, but just about late enough in the evening it seemed for the vampires to come out to play and Paul slipped inside as quietly as he possibly could. 

He didn't want anyone to notice him, he just needed Chris.

Fortunately for Paul he managed to spot Chris quickly enough. The goth boy was standing behind the bar and talking to Ricky, the two looking up as Paul approached and Chris's eyebrows shot up while Ricky blinked before his face split into a wide grin.

"Paul!" he said brightly. "Long time no see man, how are you?"

"I'm good," Paul said quickly. He felt guilty for not wanting to stick around and chat however he knew that if he didn't hurry up he would surely become nervous and back out of his idea, his eyes meeting Chris's who thankfully seemed to sense something in his gaze and he mumbled something to Ricky before gesturing for Paul to follow him into a back room.

As soon as he did, Paul locked the door and rounded on Chris who arched his eyebrow even further.

"Is everything all right darling--" he began however Paul shook his head to silence him.

"I need you to turn me," he blurted out and Chris's eyes shot open, so wide that he looked quite comical. In a different scenario Paul would have definitely laughed at him, but the nerves that were gnawing away at his stomach were making him feel quite sick and it was all that Paul could do to prevent himself from bursting into tears.

"You-- no," Chris said eventually. "Of all the stupid things, Paul. I am not doing that."

"You don't understand Chris, I need you to!" Paul pleaded and Chris set his jaw.

"No," he said firmly.

"Then I'll ask Ricky."

"Oh for the love of- why do you want me to turn you!?"

"Because, I need to kill my dad!"

Looking startled, Chris opened his mouth to speak however Paul cut across him. He explained about Phoebe and how she had shown up at the den, retelling Chris everything that his younger sister had told him until Chris finally shut his mouth and sighed.

"Is there no other way of going about this?" he asked deflatedly and Paul shook his head.

"Please?" 

"Mm, fine. I'll do it. But only on the account that I can go with you, freshly turned often tend to run a little rampant," Chris said and Paul was about to protest but something about the look in Chris's eyes told him that he had no room for bargaining and so he nodded instead.

"Fine," he said. "You can come with me."

"Very well. Come here."

Moving over towards Chris, Paul sat himself on the edge of a table and desperately willed his hands to stop trembling as the vampire reached out and gently brushed his hair aside, leaning in closer so that Paul almost expected Chris's breath to tickle at his neck but of course, that didn't happen. Vampires didn't breathe.

"Are you sure about this darling?" Chris mumbled, ghosting his fangs over Paul's neck and causing the boy to shiver.

"I'm sure," he said softly. "I have to Chris."

"You don't have to do anything Paul.." Chris said, so quietly that Paul almost didn't hear him and he opened his mouth however let out a gasp as Chris suddenly dug his fangs into his neck, gulping down his blood until Paul began to feel quite dizzy and he grabbed onto the vampire, Chris grabbing Paul's chin gently and biting into his own wrist before carefully trickling the blood down Paul's throat. 

He mumbled to Paul soothingly as the boy began to whimper, a sharp pain shooting through his jaw and up into his gums. Paul could hear his blood pounding in his ears until it gradually seemed to ebb away and his grip on Chris began to slacken, his heart rate slowing down and Chris's concerned face wafted above him, shifting in and out of focus. Paul let out a weak giggle.

"I always said you were a heart stopper," he said in a slurred tone and Chris let out a startled noise, grabbing onto Paul just as the room seemed to tilt full-kilter and his vision went black.