"Did this ever happen with-"
"Don't ever fucking mention his name," Basil growled menacingly at Joanne.
Joanne swallowed dryly in fear but kept her composure.
"I was just going to ask if this ever happened with your first beloved," Joanne tried to speak steadily but her voice wavered.
"Shit, sorry Joanne," Basil sighed. "No, this never happened with him. I was with him for decades but this never happened."
"Did your blood smell like his?" Joanne asked.
"No, not even that," Basil dropped his head onto his hands. "I don't know what's happening. I could smell him everywhere and it's strong. Even now, I want to go back to him and I'm just fighting the urge."
"Edford's looking through the ancient books right now. We need to find out what's happened before you lose control," Joanne sighed this time.
"I don't want to hurt him," Basil muttered under his breath.
"I know, Basil, but until we know what's happening we can't really do anything. Let's see how he'll react this time when he wakes up and then we'll figure out what we can do since it seems like you two can't also be away from each other," Joanne said.
"Yeah, about that. His bite wounds really did heal."
"What? We're in deeper shit than we thought then," Joanne gasped when an idea popped up in her head. "We should check on Ash's family. His background or lineage or whatever the fuck we could find about him."
"What for?" voiced Ash, suddenly appearing in the living room. "Basil," Ash said in relief and went straight to Basil's arms.
Basil wrapped his arms around Ash as he melted against him. He was relieved that Ash wasn't running away like the first time but instead was seeking him out.
"You smell really good," Ash muttered against his chest. "Like a bunch of berries," Ash said before taking a deep inhale.
Basil and Joanne exchanged confused looks. Basil had never worn fruit-scented perfumes and the smell of berries is something that he could compare to Ash's scent.
"You okay Ash?" Joanne asked.
"Yeah, why?" Ash replied after reluctantly pulling away from Basil.
"Nothing. I'll leave you two alone," Joanne said, leaving a warning look toward Basil before leaving.
"You feeling okay, Ash," Basil asked as he caressed his cheek.
A faint blush appeared on Ash's cheeks and his scent hit Basil tenfold. He had to clench his fist tightly to keep himself grounded.
"Y-yeah," Ash stuttered before burying his face against Basil's chest once again.
"Ash we need to talk," Basil said as he gently pushed Ash off of his chest.
Ash looked at him, trying to observe his face. Ash felt like he did something wrong to elicit this kind of reaction from Basil. Was he not good enough? Will Basil replace him? Will he terminate the contract all of a sudden? Basil saw the fear in Ash's eyes.
"I'm not going to fire you if that's what you're thinking," he reassured.
"Are you sure?" Ash asked with a hint of doubt in his voice.
"Yes, I'm sure."
Ash relaxed a little but Basil could see that he was still tense.
"Do you remember what happened?" Basil asked.
"Why are you asking that? Did you fuck me so hard that you're expecting me to forget?" Ash teased.
"No, not because of that," Basil replied in a serious tone.
Ash's face fell in worry once again.
"Do you remember what happened after?" Basil asked.
"We fell asleep after, right? At least I think I did," Ash replied.
"What else do you remember?"
"We talked a bit," Ash paused. "You have a biting kink or something but oddly enough you didn't leave any marks."
"What else?" Basil pushed.
"Why are you interrogating me? Are you going to hire someone else to fulfill your sexual needs?" he asked.
"No, no. I'm not hiring someone else," Basil shook his head.
"Then why do you keep asking me?" Ash asked as he looked into Basil's eyes and when he did, memories flashed back in his mind.
Ash took a few steps away from Basil as images of his bright red eyes came in waves in his memories. The first time his eyes turned red and when his eyes turned red after their lovemaking, if he even call it that. Ash felt confused. He didn't feel scared. Not like he did the first time. He recalled Basil telling him that he was a vampire. It was so absurd Ash had a hard time believing it.
"Your eyes, they turned red or something," Ash muttered.
"Are you scared of me?" Basil asked as he took a step toward Ahsh.
"No, oddly enough no," Ash said. "Are you really a vampire?"
"Yes."
Ash reacted in a way that Basil was not expecting him to. Ash was doubling over in laughter at how incredulous that sounded.
"You're fucking with me, right?" Ash asked, still not believing Basil.
A part of him knows that it was true. It would explain how his eyes could even turn that color but somehow it was still hard for Ash to believe.
"I'm not," Basil replied.
"So that's why you hired me! Fuck, I knew this shit was too good to be true. Now I'm a fucking blood bag for you," Ash spat.
Basil felt pained by the accusation despite the truth behind it but Ash was different. When he first saw him he knew he would be perfect for him but the universe apparently has other plans. There must be a reason why Basil felt a pull toward Ash from the very start.
"No, you're not just a blood bag. I don't need to feed every day. I told you that remember?" Basil asked, trying to reassure Ash.
Ash wanted to be mad, disgusted, appalled even, but he couldn't feel any of those. Ash felt like he wasn't reacting like a normal human being would so he felt like overcompensating but when he saw the pain and worry in Basil's eyes, he backed down. Maybe he could hear an explanation for whatever the fuck has been happening.
"Why do you need my blood?" Ash asked.
"It keeps me from going feral," Basil replied.
"Feral?"
"Yes, feral. If I go on to have no blood intake for too long, I'd turn into an animal bloodthirsty for blood."
Ash took a deep breath as he tried to come up with another question.
"Do your eyes turn blood red every time? 'Cause it's kind of creepy," Ash awkwardly chuckled.
"No, never. Not until I drank your blood," Basila answered seriously.
Ash seriously didn't know how to respond.
"You know what, let's forget about this. Fuck, I've never had a proper home in decades, food being served three times a day. Fuck I've never even had a bed in years so whatever it is that you need from me, my blood or whatever, fine you can get it. Just- I don't know. Don't make me leave," Ash's last words almost sounded like a plea.
"Ash," Basil took his hands in his. "There's a reason for this, I promise once I know everything I will tell you. I won't treat you any less."
Ash felt his whole body shiver as soon as their hands touched. Basil didn't show it but he felt it too. Ash looked up in Basil's eyes once again but this time, his eyes swirled with small specks of gold. He was mesmerized. He had never seen something this beautiful before.
"Basil," Ash whispered. "Your eyes."
His brows knit in confusion. He hasn't drank blood from Ash again. Why would his eyes be red again?
"They're like sprinkled with gold glitters," Ash said, still in awe.
"Ash-"
Before he could even start his sentence, Ash's lips were on his. Ash felt as if he was on fire and Basil was the only one who could put it out. Ash's kiss was aggressive. His arms were wrapped around Basil's neck, pulling him down to his level. Basil didn't fight back. He wanted Ash as much as he wanted him. Ash has awakened something inside him. A deep desire that he wasn't sure would ever be quenched.