I posted this story nearly five years ago, when I was arguably still a kid. I based Raymond off of the 2004 style of Gerard Way, and I was obsessed with vampires. I was having a queer identity crisis.
Since then I've kind of seen this story as an embarrassment, something that I didn't expect to blow up the way it did. I feel like I need to give it, and you, some kind of closure.
I feel like I've come so far since five years ago in my writing that you all deserved a nice little epilogue. Hope you enjoy.
"Are you sure?"
Isaac giggled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Yes."
Raymond reached out and cupped Isaac's face in his freezing hands. "Love. Are you sure?"
"Ray." Issac leaned his forehead against Raymond's, and both of them closed their eyes. "I'm absolutely sure."
"I don't want to hurt you. It's going to be painful."
"It'll be worth it. I don't want to go through the pain of getting older, slowly dying while you stay the same. I can't think about it, babe."
It had been ten years since Isaac and Raymond had first met, and the two of them had since moved to a modest cottage outside of London. They were madly, deeply in love. They were married, not legally, but in every other sense of the word. They'd had a little gathering in their home with James and Andy, as well as some of Isaac's family members. James had popped champagne and cheered loud enough to make everyone around him flinch.
They'd gotten used to all of Raymond's needs— they'd discovered that red meat was often enough to satisfy his cravings for blood. He took iron pills. The best part, however, was Isaac's job: he was a nurse now, and twice a year the office would have a mass blood drive. Isaac would allow Raymond to sneak his way in and steal a bag, charming those who stood in his way. That bag would last for many months.
Raymond had gained weight, his sickly body now healthy and pink, and he was able to shed his nocturnal habits in favor of being awake when Isaac was. Dreary England typically hid the sun, but when it finally decided to shine, copious amounts of sunscreen helped with that.
Things weren't entirely perfect, though. Isaac, now nearing thirty, had finally started to realize the implications of their romance. Things were going to continue this way forever, with Isaac aging further and further while Raymond stayed the same age. He didn't like to think about being an old man, romantically involved with a man who looked decades younger than him. He didn't want the pain of old age, or the inevitable dread of death.
They could do this. They could make enough money to move around, get to new places where no one would be suspicious of their age. No one would see that they always stayed the same. They could get their documents easily changed.
Raymond was more hesitant than he was. "I just..I don't want you to regret it, and then you resent me," he said, running his thumb along Isaac's cheek. "What would we do if we had to go separate ways?"
"Ray, there are ways for us to die. We aren't entirely invincible. If I really want to die, I can."
"I don't like that kind of talk. Don't do that, baby." His brow furrowed.
"I'm just reassuring you."
"It's going to hurt, baby. It's really going to hurt."
"I know, and I won't blame you for it, okay? You'll be right here, I know it." Isaac brushed a light kiss across his lips. "I trust you."
"As long as you are absolutely certain—"
"I want you to turn me into a vampire, Raymond Bennett." The words seemed so silly as they hung in the air between them, like something out of a fantasy novel. "I want to be a vampire like you."
Raymond sighed. "Okay, darling. Okay."
He shifted then, standing up from the bed and taking Isaac's hand. "This could make a mess. Come in the bathroom."
They sat Isaac in the shower, ready for blood to spill down into the drain. He caught Raymond admiring his body every once in a while, making him blush.
"I'm gonna do the arm. Less painful, and easier to cover." Raymond had kept on his T-shirt and boxers, his once-greasy hair now voluminous. He'd gotten it cut shorter a few years ago, and he loved it. He kept it that way now.
So much of Raymond's misery was his own doing. It was him punishing himself simply for existing. But things were better now.
"It's going to hurt," he reiterated for the millionth time. "If you have to faint, then please faint. I'd rather have you not experience this."
"You're building it up so much..." Isaac didn't want to say the words I'm scared, since Raymond would immediately refuse to do this.
"Okay, sorry. Sorry. I'll get it over with." He lifted Isaac's left arm up, holding it in front of him. As Raymond prepared himself, random questions began to float through his head— would he be as pale as Raymond? Or would things be different because he was Mexican? He was pretty white-passing, but would he be even whiter now? Would his face change? Would—
Raymond bit.
His teeth sank into Isaac's soft flesh, and for a long moment Isaac felt no pain. There was an odd, medicinal feeling, like a cold medicine seeping up his veins in an IV. It was almost fascinating.
But then, a unique type of pain started to flourish inside of him. He felt his veins begin to burn, the venom searing the edges of them. His inner elbow, where Raymond had bitten him, throbbed with red hot pain. He felt like he'd been stabbed there, and he practically had.
His chest began to constrict. He felt his heart skip a beat, then two, then three. A raging pain spread across his breastbone. Someone was grabbing onto his heart and squeezing it, red pulsating muscle spilling out from between the fingers. His muscles began to tense, paralyzing him, and his body began to seize.
It wasn't long before he fainted. Raymond knew him well.
—————————————————————————
When he woke, his vision was fuzzy, and he was warm.
He was in their bed, a blanket draped over him. He still had goosebumps on his arms despite this, and he snuggled into the mattress. He felt fine, other than being a little weak. He could almost forget what happened.
At some point, his eyes closed once more, and when he opened them Raymond was there. He was kneeling by the bed, stroking Isaac's hair.
"Hey, baby." Raymond smiled softly. "How are you?"
Isaac swallowed to remedy his dry throat. "Tired. Weak. What happened?"
"You didn't miss much. You started seizing, and then you fainted. Once it was all over, I cleaned you up a little, and then I brought you here." His gaze shifted to the foot of the bed. "Frankie hasn't left you."
Isaac slowly lifted his head to see the tuxedo cat curled up at his feet. He smiled.
"Are you thirsty?"
"I just want water."
"Okay. If you get hungry, though, tell me— we need to get you acclimated at some point."
"Can you bring the mirror?" Isaac called after him. "I wanna see."
"Of course."
When he was gone, Isaac tried to fight off the fatigue. He propped himself up on another pillow, feeling taller. He examined his hands. They weren't that much paler than they had been before. Would it get worse later? Would the lack of blood—
Oh, God, he would have to taste blood. Drink it. Human food would do nothing to satisfy his hunger anymore. He could est human food— in fact, he still had to— but it wouldn't give him any energy. Without blood, he would slowly wither away.
Raymond returned with a glass of cool water and a small mirror. The water came with a catch: Raymond had brought him an iron pill. Isaac chugged the glass along with the pill, happy that water was still so satisfying. It tasted so sweet and refreshing. Newly vitalized, he took the mirror from Raymond and braced himself.
The most striking difference was his eyes. Normally a deep brown, they were now ringed with crimson. They didn't look real. His face was thinner, his jawline more chiseled and defined. He opened his mouth and gasped: two massive fangs replaced his canine teeth.
"Wow," was all he could think to say.
"I'll get you contacts, love. And I'll teach you how to retract those fangs soon." Raymond took the mirror from him. "For now, I want you to rest, okay? Nothing but laziness for you."
Isaac was still reeling from seeing his new self. "But— I— you.." He got a hold of himself. "Can you lay with me?"
Raymond immediately moved under the covers with him. He curled up next to Isaac, spooning him. The cat raised its head and glared at them.
"The hard part is over." Raymond kissed the crown of his head. "I'm so sorry. I wish it hadn't hurt you so badly.."
"It was the only way. And how we don't have to be scared anymore."
"Are you happy?"
"Very." Isaac grinned. He didn't have to think about that answer. "I'm like you now. We can be together forever now."
"We can travel the world."
"And live forever!"
Raymond laughed. "Now, remember, things aren't too different. Being a vampire simply shuts down your circulatory and cardiovascular systems. No blood in your body, and no heartbeat. You still need to eat, and you can still digest food. But you need blood. You need iron." Raymond turned stern. "You must not deny yourself these things, okay? Don't do what I did. I refused to eat any human food at all because I thought I didn't deserve it; I was slowly starving to death, Isaac. Don't follow in my footsteps."
"I'll do my best, love."
"Wear so much sunscreen when you go out. You'll burn much easier. The garlic thing is a myth. You don't really gain weight past your set point, so don't worry about that. A little goes a long way when it comes to blood."
Isaac turned towards him, laying his head on Raymond's chest. "I get it. Okay? I get it."
They lay in comfortable silence for a moment. Raymond rubbed his back.
"Oh," he said, "one more thing."
"Okay."
"I love you." Raymond kissed his forehead. "I love you for eternity."
Isaac beamed. If anything would bring his energy back, it would be that. He closed his eyes and draped an arm over Raymond.
"I love you, too."
Thank you, as always.