"Well... I guess I should be going now," Elliot says. He looks around, just to make sure Johnny isn't still loitering in the area. "It's late, and you must be tired, especially after all of that. Try to get some rest."
You purse your lips. Right. It is late, and there's no doubt that you're exhausted. You were worn-out well before Johnny even showed up. Drinking until the point of passing out tends to have that effect on people.
But despite your fatigue, you still don't say goodnight.
Instead, you step closer to Elliot and timidly grab him by his sleeve.
"Um," you mumble, a bit embarrassed. "You might not even be up for it right now... but if you wanted to, I wouldn't mind giving you some of my blood. Before you leave for the night."
Within scarcely a few seconds, Elliot's cheeks are bright red.
"R-Right now?" he affirms, unable to believe what he's hearing. "Um. I-I definitely want to, but are you sure you're feeling okay? You shouldn't push yourself. A lot has happened tonight..."
"I know. But it's fine. And besides," you add, chuckling weakly, "having an extra bit of money on hand would definitely help. I never know what that asshole will pull next. He might swing by again completely unexpectedly."
Elliot gulps. Of course, he already knew that he would be drinking your blood eventually, but for it to be happening right now...
He's so nervous he doesn't even know what to do with himself.
"Come on," you gesture, grabbing him by the hand. You smile as you lead him towards the building. "We can't exactly do this outside, after all."
Elliot gulps yet again.
You pull him into the building, completely unaware that he's in the middle of a strenuous mental battle with none other than himself. You pull out the keys to your apartment, briefly pause because you know your living situation isn't exactly something to be proud of, and after taking a deep breath, you unlock the door.
"Go ahead. Make yourself at home. I apologize in advance for how cramped the place is."
Elliot hesitantly steps inside. Granted, the apartment is small. Teeny-tiny, as a matter of fact. But he's hardly the type to mock another person's financial situation, especially not now that he knows what you're dealing with.
It must be hard. Every single day must be torture for you. The fact that after pushing yourself relentlessly, time and time again, a place like this is all you're able to afford...
Truly, it breaks his heart.
You take off your coat and hang it up, then stretch your arms and let out a sigh. "Man. It's nice to be home. Even if it's a little shithole like this."
"You've made it look nice," Elliot insists. "The way you've decorated it, I mean. You've made it your own."
"Is that so?" you muse.
"Yes," he nods. After a few moments, he blushes. "Oh, um... sorry. I hope that didn't come across as patronizing. I really meant what I said."
"Haha. I know, don't worry. You don't seem like the type to make fun of others." You throw your bag off to the side, then sit down on the couch and pat the spot next to you. "Come sit," you offer. "Is it okay with you if we do it here? If not, I can try to find someplace else."
"Do it?" Elliot blinks. He's confused at first, but then realization flashes through his eyes. "O-Oh! You mean, while I... y-yes. Here's fine. It's great."
He sits down abruptly, and based on how he can hardly bear to look you in the eye, you get the sense that he must be feeling awfully nervous.
A smile rises to your lips. How adorable. Normally, the person getting their blood sucked should be the nervous one, but here, the roles have been reversed. He must not have ever done this before. You suppose you'll be his first. Erm, not in a dirty way, though.
You place your hand on top of his and give it a gentle squeeze. "I'm ready whenever you are," you encourage. "But if you don't feel comfortable doing this now, we can always try again another time. Just let me know."
"N-No," Elliot swallows. "I want to do it now. And like you said, the sooner you get the money, the better. I want to help you out however I can. I think I just need... a few more moments to prepare myself. I don't want to hurt you."
Your chest tightens, and all of a sudden, your heart is beating really fast.
To think that he's expressing so much concern for you, when normally, most vampires would be jumping at the opportunity to sink their fangs into a human's neck. It's pure instinct, after all. Quite literally what they were born to do.
But here he is, faced with what is possibly the greatest temptation of his life, and he's still putting your needs above his own.
There's no doubt about it.
Him and Felix couldn't be any more different.
"...okay." Elliot takes one final, deep breath, then looks over at you hesitantly. "I think... I'm ready. But I'm really sorry if I'm bad at this. I promise I'll stop the moment you tell me to if it hurts too much."
"I'll be fine," you reassure. "It wouldn't be the first time someone's drank my blood."
"Ah. Right."
It's only for a moment, but a shadow sweeps across Elliot's face.
He musters up a smile before you can think too hard about it. Then, while blushing profusely, he shifts closer to you on the couch. It's clear that he's not quite sure what to do with his hands, because he repositions himself near twenty times, and you can't help but chuckle at the sight of him scrambling.
"Here," you say, pulling him closer.
He lets out a nervous little yelp as you guide one of his arms around your waist, then you plaster yourself up against his side. You pull down the top of your shirt, exposing your neck and shoulder in one fell sweep. Elliot swallows, and you can't tell if it's because of the thought of your blood, or if it's because he's seeing so much of your skin for the first time.
You suppose the details don't really matter at this point, because based on how transfixed he looks, it's obvious he won't be turning back.
"I can really do it?" Elliot asks. You can feel his hand shaking as he holds you close. "I-If you're sure it's alright, then I'm going to do it, okay?"
You smile gently and nod. "Yeah. It's okay. Go ahead."
His lips slowly inch closer to your neck. The warmth of his breath hits your skin, and instinctively, you shudder.
The next thing you feel is that sharp, all-too familiar sensation, and you grit your teeth, forcing yourself to endure the initial few seconds of pain, which are undeniably the worst.
You often make it a point not to look while a vampire is drinking your blood, but when you hear the little gasp Elliot lets out, you find yourself glancing towards him, and your gaze briefly meets his.
Sure enough, his cheeks are still flushed red, but you notice that his eyes seem much less alert. In fact, they've glazed over, almost as if he's in some sort of trance. Despite his prior embarrassment, his instincts have clearly taken over, and you watch as he takes slow, steady gulps of your blood.
Truth be told, the sight is both fascinating and horrifying. You never stopped to think what kind of expressions vampires make while they're drinking their fill.
It's almost as if he's trapped in a long, blissful dream.
Elliot squeezes you a bit tighter, suckling from your neck even more eagerly than before. He's never gotten to drink blood like this before. The laws surrounding vampires are so stringent, after all, and few vampires have ever bitten a human directly. Most vampires moved to the city for this very reason. To have the chance to be closer to humans.
Not long ago, Elliot would've said he hated this city. And to some extent, he still does. The discrimination is one thing, but he'd gotten used to living purely amongst other vampires. It's what feels the most natural to him, and for any person-human or vampire alike-such a massive change can take a lot of time to get used to.
But Elliot feels differently now, because if he hadn't moved to the city...
He never would've gotten to meet you.
A soft, unintentional moan leaves his lips as more blood trickles down his throat. He can hardly believe how amazing it tastes. Never in a million years could he have imagined it would taste like this. It's a completely different experience from drinking out of a blood pack. Here, your blood is still warm as it enters his mouth, and it hasn't lost its fragrance after being sealed in a bag for god-knows how long.
But best of all is the fact that he can hold your body up against his own, and he can feel your heart beating close to his chest.
Elliot wouldn't trade this feeling for the whole world. As a vampire, this is what feels the most natural to him. This is the way it's supposed to be. And he's not sure if it's the fact it's his first time drinking from the source, or if your blood is simply that exquisite, but he swears he could get drunk off it.
And yet, even though he craves more, he knows he should stop.
So, he does.
"Huh?"
You blink in confusion as he tears his lips away from your neck and quickly wipes his mouth. No doubt you were expecting him to keep going for longer. He'd barely gotten started, after all.
"What's wrong?" you ask. "You didn't take much at all. I still feel totally fine, so you can keep going for a while longer if you'd like."
Elliot shakes his head. Now that he's snapped out of it, he's remarkably self-conscious about what he's just done. His eyes trail over the small bite wound on your neck, and he swallows thickly at the realization that his fangs were the ones to leave that mark.
"I-I'm done," he insists. "This is plenty. I didn't need very much blood right now in the first place. It was more so for the experience... and I'm really grateful that you let me try. Here. Let me wipe your neck down for you."
He grabs a napkin off the table and carefully pats the area, making sure not to apply too much pressure. You don't wince or show any signs of discomfort, so he supposes he must be doing something right. Still. Being this close to you right now... it kind of feels dangerous. And not in the sense that he'll lose control and try drinking more of your blood.
For some reason, ever since he got a taste of you, his heart can't stop racing. He finds himself having strange thoughts, and his eyes...
His eyes keep coming back to your lips.
Elliot glances away in a hurry. For the remainder of the time he spends cleaning your bite wound, he stares pointedly at the ground, refusing to look at you.
"Th-There," Elliot stammers. He applies a bandage to the sore spot and smiles shyly. "Are you feeling alright? I didn't hurt you too much, did I?"
"Not at all," you reassure. "You were being really slow and gentle. I appreciate you making the effort. I also feel like I'm starting to get used to this by now. I'm not as much of a wimp as I was at the start."
You must be referring to the other vampires you've done this with before.
Elliot isn't sure why, but he's not too fond of hearing about them.
"Um... here you go," he says, pulling out a generous sum of cash and handing it to you. "Thank you again for letting me do this, [Name]. I... liked it a lot. I can understand why certain vampires would choose to pay a lot to be let into that program. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, but it's unlike anything I've ever had before."
You're glad that he enjoyed the experience, but you can't even comment on the fact, because your eyes are too busy bulging at the amount he just handed you.
"This," you blink, "you're really giving me all of this?"
Elliot tilts his head. "Why not? Isn't this what we agreed on? You let me drink your blood and I give you money in return, right?"
"Well, yes, but I wasn't expecting you to pay me this much. We technically never even agreed on an exact amount, and I figured we were about to negotiate, but..."
You can't believe what you're seeing. It's a lot more than what you get by selling your blood through the program, and he barely even took any blood from you. Is this really alright? You hope he doesn't think you're trying to exploit him. The last thing you want is to take advantage of a friend's kindness.
"Elliot, I-"
"Please accept it," he insists. "The whole point of me doing this is so that I can help you, while also getting something in return. I'm okay with money for the time being, so I'd like to lend you a hand like this from time to time. At the very least, it feels like a fair exchange to me."
Money. God, how badly you need money. How badly you've always needed money.
You would be a fool to refuse, so of course, you're not going to, but there's that familiar pang of guilt that comes with accepting someone's generosity, especially when it doesn't feel like you've done very much to earn it.
They say you can't put a price on a person's life, but... if you're selling the very thing that keeps you alive in the first place, then perhaps you can.
Either way, it doesn't matter.
You will gratefully accept.
"Thank you, Elliot," you breathe, taking the money and even bowing your head in appreciation. "You're so kind to me. I know this is way more than I'm worth, but it means a lot. Everything you've done tonight has been amazing. I really feel like I can count on you. And that's not something I'm able to say about most people."
Elliot's blush deepens. "I-It's nothing," he reassures, but hearing you praise him makes his chest feel all light and fluttery. He pauses for a moment, and once again, he finds his gaze flitting back to your lips. He even leans closer out of sheer instinct.
Then, he stands up abruptly.
"I should be going now!" he blurts. "B-But thank you again for having me, and I hope you can get a good night's sleep!"
You're not exactly sure what's come over him, but he practically books it out of your apartment, without so much as looking back. Perhaps he was tired. Or perhaps, considering his timid nature, the somewhat intimate act you were just involved in has finally taken its toll.
You suppose the exact reason doesn't really matter. In any case, you're tired, and you need to get some sleep, or you'll be dead on your feet for work tomorrow.
Still. For a moment back there, it kind of looked like he was about to kiss you.
Were you imagining it?
...
You have an appointment with Xavier today, and since Elliot hardly took any of your blood, you're feeling in pretty good shape. Perhaps, if you're lucky, Xavier will call you back again soon. God knows you need all the money you can get, now that Johnny's starting to show up whenever he pleases.
As always, you pass through the automatic doors at the building's entrance and make your way to the front desk so you can check in. You've done this a handful of times by now, so your feet carry you towards the reception through sheer muscle memory.
Unfortunately, unlike all the previous instances, today's check-in won't be going off without a hitch.
"...sir, I said no! We don't give out our donors' private information! All of this was included in your contract!"
You barely make it a few steps before you freeze in place.
It's that goddamn bastard again. Felix.
"[Name] is the only one I want," you can hear him insist. "I can't have anyone else's blood but hers! Please, can't you make some sort of exception? I just need to speak to her in person once, and then I'm sure I can convince her to take me back as a client! Or-you can just go ahead and assign me to her again, can't you? That way, we can-"
He stops, because as your shitty luck would have it, a vampire's senses are remarkably acute, and he must have heard the involuntarily gasp you just let out.
Felix turns towards you, and immediately, a smile spreads across his lips.
"[Name]!" he beams. He rushes over to you, much to your dismay, and as he grasps your hands in his, you're not sure what else to do but stand there, absolutely petrified.
Felix, of course, is none the wiser as to how ridiculously uncomfortable you are.
"I'm so glad to see you," he sighs. "Everyone here's been giving me such a hard time. I told them we just had a little disagreement, and all we needed was to speak face to face again and sort the details out, but they refuse to listen. Oh. And don't worry," he says, leaning closer to whisper in your ear, "I'll still pay you double, even if we go through the company. There aren't any cameras in the room, so I can just slip you the extra money and you can tuck it away once we're done with our session, right? That way you won't have to be afraid. Everyone wins."
Everyone wins? Is this guy actually serious right now?
You push away from him in a hurry, breathing shakily. He's an absolute fucking lunatic. It's bad enough that he's called you countless times on several different numbers, all of which you've since blocked, but now he's even showing up here and demanding to meet with you? Does he have no shame whatsoever?
"I told you I didn't want to see you again," you grit out. You're trying to keep your voice steady, but you can't help how much it trembles. This guy scares you. He doesn't know how to hold back, and if you hadn't managed to get away from him last time, he could very well have killed you.
Felix's shoulders slump, and he actually has the nerve to give you the puppy-eyes look.
"It was an accident," he insists. "I've learned my lesson, and I know better now. It'll never happen again. Why would I want to hurt you, [Name]? Meeting you was one of the best things that ever happened to me, if not the best. Please don't be scared. I'll prove to you that I can fix this."
"I never said you wanted to hurt me, but you can't be trusted to control yourself," you grimace. "And that's plenty dangerous already. So, please, for the love of god, stay the fuck away from me. I'm not going to ask again."
You hope that with those final, scathing words, he'll finally get it through that thick skull of his, but much to your horror, he doesn't.
Instead, he grabs you and pulls you into his arms.
"I'm sorry," Felix breathes. "I'm really, really sorry. But I'm a man of my word. I learn from my mistakes, and I don't think you realize how much I regret what happened. All I'm asking for is a second chance. Everyone deserves second chances, right? It's going to be okay, [Name]. I promise."
He's squeezing you so hard that there's barely any room to breathe, and you whimper, already on the verge of a breakdown.
This is fucking terrifying. Knowing that you're locked in his iron-clad grip, with no hope of ever overcoming his strength...
It feels like a death sentence.
"Sir, I told you time and time again to stop!"
The receptionist rushes over to try and help you. She doesn't dare to reach out and touch Felix herself, though. There's no way she would ever willingly put herself in the middle of all this. You can see it in her eyes, clear as day.
She, too, is terrified.
"I-I've already called security," she stammers weakly, face progressively turning pale. "If you don't leave immediately, we'll be contacting the police next! Clients who don't respect the terms of the contract and invade the donors' personal space are absolutely not permitted in this program. You need to leave!"
Felix's grip on you loosens, just for a moment, and you take the opportunity to slip out from under his arms, nearly tripping over your own feet in the process.
You back away from him, cowering behind the receptionist, and praying that security really is on their way.
Although when faced with a vampire, you're not even sure if they'll be able to put up much of a fight.
If Felix really wanted to, he could overpower everyone here and take your blood by force. In fact, he could pick you up in his arms right now and whisk you away. You're not sure how far he would make it, although vampires surpass humans in terms of speed as well, but you're confident that he could have his way with you well before the police manage to arrest him.
You're shaking all over. The receptionist is too, and without even realizing it, the two of you link hands, so afraid that you're both on the verge of passing out.
Felix can do a great number of things if he so chooses to. And even though he will inevitably face the consequences for it, a man like him, who doesn't know how to control his impulses, probably doesn't know how to control his anger either.
He might just lose his shit altogether and kill anyone who stands in his way.
"...huh." Felix blinks slowly, and as fate would have it, he doesn't look like someone who's about to go on a killing spree. He appears to be holding himself together-just barely.
"Y-You need to leave," the receptionist stammers again. Scarcely a few moments after she's uttered the words, several men in uniforms arrive. They must be security, and although they don't carry firearms, they're probably equipped with batons, and a stun gun or two. Those should at least deal some damage against a vampire, right?
...god, you really hope so.
"Relax," Felix mutters. "I'm leaving. I didn't realize I was so unwelcome here. Aren't I supposed to be the customer?"
He shoves his hands into his pockets, looking remarkably bitter, like a spoiled brat who's used to always getting their way.
But at least he's leaving. He's finally leaving.
Although not before he stops to give you a long, cold glare.
"I guess this is goodbye," he says, pressing his lips together sourly. "I really thought... we could work things out. What a disappointment."
A few moments later, he steps out of the building, and right then and there, you collapse to your knees.
"A-Are you alright?!"
The receptionist fusses over you for a while, and so do the security guards. You try to stand up several times, but it feels like your legs have jellified. You really thought that you were done ever seeing that bastard again. The fact that he went to such lengths... it's just horrifying.
"We're so sorry this happened," the receptionist mumbles sympathetically as she pats your back. "It must have been frightening. None of our clients have ever overstepped their bounds like this before. But don't worry. He's going to be blacklisted from the program, so you'll never have to see him again."
You nod weakly. If Felix wanted to do something truly vile, now probably would've been the moment to do it. He seemed resigned as he walked out of the building. Like he'd given up on you.
You desperately hope the bastard's finally given up.
"That was a lot... so it's alright if you'd like to go home for the day," the receptionist encourages. "We'll explain it to your client and say that you aren't feeling well. I'm sure he'll understand."
Truthfully, that entire interaction must have shaved years off your life, and you are kind of itching to just call it a day and jump into bed, but you want the money after taking the trip to come all this way, and you would also feel bad about disappointing Xavier. If he feels dissatisfied, there's always the chance that he might drop you for someone else.
"I'm fine," you insist. Right. The threat has been dealt with anyways. The hard part is over. Meeting with Xavier has never been a problem, in any case.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I came here for a reason, and I'd like to get the job done. So, it's alright. I'm ready to head to the meeting room."
Everyone looks a bit doubtful, but they decide to honor your request, and after waiting for a few minutes, someone escorts you to the room, like always.
You open the door without even hesitating, and Xavier is already inside. He stands up from his seat the moment he sees you, and unless you're mistaken, it kind of looks like his expression has brightened up a bit.
You strain a smile. No need to let what happened earlier affect you. It's already in the past. You're here to do business with Xavier. Nothing more, nothing less-
Ah.
Fucking hell.
You're crying.
"[Name]...?"
Xavier is clearly caught off guard, and honestly, you can't blame him. You barely took two steps before bursting into tears.
"S-Sorry," you sob, trying to wipe your eyes before more tears can fall. Needless to say, it doesn't work.
"Are you alright?" he asks breathlessly. He steps closer to you, and at first, he hesitates. He must be worried he'll make you even more uncomfortable. His expression clearly tells you that he's conflicted, and he's not quite sure what to do.
But eventually, he wraps his arms around you.
"If this is unpleasant, just say the word, and I'll stop," he mumbles.
You furiously shake your head, choking back more sobs. It turns out that running into Felix scared you even more than you realized. You've been trying to put on a brave face, but remembering the way he forcibly held you down and gorged himself on your blood, to seemingly no end...
No one can fault you for getting a bit emotional, right?
"What happened?" Xavier asks. Unlike when Felix held you, this man's embrace is gentle, and comforting. He slowly places a hand on your head and smooths your hair down. "You're so shaken up. It must be something serious. I might not be able to help, but I'm willing to listen, if you'd like to get it off your chest."
A small hiccup leaves your lips. You're blubbering like a helpless fool, and although it brings you immense shame, you just can't seem to stop.
"I-I ran into someone earlier," you confess. "That client I mentioned before... the one that I chose to stop seeing. He showed up here, demanding that I keep meeting with him. And I guess... it just scared me. He kept on refusing to take no for an answer. I was worried that... he might finally snap."
Xavier shakes his head. "That's horrible. Such disgusting, shameless behavior. I know I can't even begin to apologize for what he's done to you, but I promise not all of us abuse our power to get what we want."
"I know that." You smile weakly, burying your face in between his neck and shoulder. "Sorry for c-crying like this. I didn't mean to waste your time or make you coddle me. I know you've probably got places to be. I'm sorry for not being able to hold it together."
"There's no reason for you to be sorry. Take all the time you need. I'll wait," he reassures.
Even though you feel guilty about unloading your baggage on someone who's barely an acquaintance, something about Xavier's calm, genuine demeanor puts you at ease. It's only for a few moments, but you allow yourself to go through all the emotions, whether it be anger, fear, or sadness.
The whole while, Xavier holds you close. Your body is so warm, especially when compared to his, which always runs cold. He threads his fingers through your hair in an attempt to calm you down, and the longer he spends embracing you, the more aware he becomes of his own feelings.
He suddenly realizes that he doesn't like hearing that someone upset you. It makes his heart clench uncomfortably, to the point that he doesn't quite feel like himself.
Is it... normal to get this angry on someone else's behalf?