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Blood and Coffee Chapter 18

((click here to read on ao3!!!!))

You’re Dave Strider, but you honestly wish you weren’t right now. You’re still trying to make sense of what just happened, but you think you might be in shock. Caliborn is gone, you know that much. You don’t know how, but you know Jake saved you all. And you know Jake is dead.

John is wailing beside you. He’s on his knees, covering his face and wiping at his eyes with angry swipes of his hands. He glares at Dirk periodically, and then at you for not letting him attack Dirk.

Dirk is in the same spot, arms limp at his sides.

Nothing is left of Jake. You can’t even smell him anymore.

You take a few deep breaths and then force yourself to calm. You can’t stay here. It’s early in the morning, and the sun is bearing down on you all.

“We need to get out of here,” you say, but no one even acknowledges you. “Guys, c'mon, we need to get out of the sun.”

Dirk’s head tilts slightly towards you, and then he lifts his gloved hands and removes his hood, letting the sun burn him.

“Fuck!” You tackle him, forcing his hands down and covering his stupid head with the hood again. “You idiot! What are you—!”

“Jake…” Dirk says so softly you almost miss it.

“Jake wouldn’t want you to off yourself, and you know it.”

Keep reading

[lateniteslacker]

Blood and Coffee Chapter 17: A Little Too Late

Yes, I understand the irony of this chapter’s title.  I’m posting this very VERY late.  But hey!  Here’s a chapter!  

Link to chapter on AO3 here!

Your name is John Egbert, and you are very confused.

You’re currently sitting in the waiting room at the hospital.  It’s evening, and Dave is by your side.  He’s on his phone doing something, and you guess you’re pretending to watch whatever is on the TV hanging on the wall, but you really aren’t.

Dave thinks you’re just worried about your grandma’s surgery.  You are worried about her, but that’s not the entire problem.

You are so very confused.

You know you love Dave. You came to that little epiphany not too long ago.  While it was really shocking to admit to yourself that you’re in love with a guy, especially one who happens to be a vampire, you’ve come to terms with it. You’ve let yourself get over that little problem where you didn’t want to be labeled as a “homosexual.” You also weren’t really sure how you felt about dating a self-proclaimed demon.  

Deciding to date him was a big step, if you do say so yourself.  Now, you couldn’t be happier or more proud that Dave is your boyfriend. You still have to tell your dad about Dave, but that can come later.

Dave’s proven to be a pretty cool boyfriend.  He came to the hospital with you for your grandma’s heart surgery earlier today, even though it was broad daylight.  And after beating up some demons earlier tonight, he rushed here to cool his heels in the waiting room with you now.  He’s been nothing but supportive through this entire ordeal.  You aren’t confused about Dave at all.

You’re confused about Jake.

You’ve always loved Jake. He’s your cousin, and you cared about him and admired him all growing up. He was older than you, bigger than you, and he knew how to get in and out of way more trouble than you.  Jake took you camping when you were little.  You both got lost tromping through trails in the woods, and together you fought off imaginary “monsters” and made up spooky stories by the campfire at night.

Jake has always been good to you.  You’ve loved him as your cousin your entire life.

But now, you’re very confused.

Now, you think you might love him as more than that.

There’s something inside you, begging you, pleading with you, to run back to Jake.  To get into his arms, and kiss him, and love him.  To let Jake have you in salacious ways.

It begs you to let Jake have your blood.  To let Jake have your soul.

The thought terrifies you, but at the same time, you want it so badly.  You almost want it more than you want Dave to have your soul.

Wait.  You want Dave to have your soul?

The tiny voice inside you begs you again.  It pleads with you to give your soul to Dave.  To let Dave take care of you, because he’s proven himself right?  He’s a good boyfriend.  He’ll take care of you no matter what happens.  You need him.  

You need him to have your soul.

The thought is so loud in your mind that you actually gasp out loud.  Instantly, Dave shifts his hand over the hospital chair railing, grabbing your hand and squeezing lightly.  “You ok, Babe?”

“Yeah,” you hastily murmur, clutching his hand tightly.

Dave turns to you, noticing that you’re very high strung.  “You said this is the best hospital in the area, right?  Your Grandma’s in good hands.  Besides, I’ve heard stories about the infamous Jade Harley. She won’t go down without a fight.”

“Yeah,” you murmur again. You lean into Dave, resting the side of your head against his shoulder.  It’s awkward with the arm rests of the hospital chairs between you, but you make it work.  

Still, you hate this place. You wrinkle your nose at the smell of hospital disinfectant in your nostrils. You close your eyes to the fluorescent lights and the sickly hospital green walls.  You wish more than anything that you could be somewhere else.  

You wish you were in bed with Jake.

Again, you gasp, your eyes flying open.  Why? Why do these thoughts keep invading your mind?!  

You turn to the TV, watching the stupid talk show that’s playing.  You try to focus on it, on the uncomfortable fake smiles that they have for the camera as they show you how to cook something you’ll never be able to make.

For a little while, you’re able to lose yourself in the mundanity of the show.  You try your hardest to watch as they go through the steps of cooking, watching their hands move over the ingredients and around the kitchen until it becomes a blur.  You realize suddenly that you aren’t watching the show anymore at all.  That you haven’t been for the past five minutes, and that you’re instead staring raptly at a commercial for some car, not absorbing it any more than you absorbed the show.

Your mind is on Jake again. You want him to touch you.  You want him to have you.

You feel Dave’s other arm come around you, pulling you a little closer to him. The sudden motion brings you back into this moment. Dave cares about you.  He knows how important your grandma is to you, and he’s here to support you.

Instantly, your thoughts shift back to Dave, feeling a strong magnetic pull towards your boyfriend. You want him to have your soul. You want it more than anything.

But Dave  doesn’t know the terrible thoughts flying through your mind right now. The powerful urges that are telling you to let Dave have your soul, right here in the hospital waiting room.

“Dave—!” you whimper softly.

Finally, Dave seems to understand that this is about more than just your grandma.  “You ok, Babe?” he asks quietly.

Silently, you shake your head, not trusting your voice right now.  You can already imagine the pitch of the tone that would drag over the sound of your words.  You know how embarrassing it would be to moan and beg for Dave, but you don’t trust yourself not to.

Dave seems to understand at least some of what you’re trying to convey, even without your words.  His lips are tipped into a frown, a rare public show of emotion that is more telling than anything he could say.  It looks like there is a lot he would like to say, but his words never reach your ears.

Eventually, he looks into your eyes and says, “she’ll have to stay the night anyway.  If you need to go, we can see her in the morning.”

You love your grandma. You love her so much.  But you find yourself nodding, and a second later, Dave is helping you up.  You let Dave gently lead you out of the waiting room and back to his car.  He starts driving you back to his place, and you shake your head.

You still don’t trust your voice, and when you hear it outloud, you nearly wince at the tremble to your voice.  But you can’t stop yourself from asking, “can we go see Jake?”

“Again?” Dave sighs. “Dude, he’s fine. We just saw him last night.  He was more than fine.”

“I’m worried about him,” you murmur.  It’s not exactly a lie.  You are worried about him.  But something is pushing you to go to him.  You have to see Jake. You need to see Jake.

And then, like flipping a switch, it changes again, just like it has this entire confusing night. You need Dave.  You need Dave to have you.  To have your blood. To have your soul.

The whine is quiet in your ears but loud in your heart.  You don’t think you’ve ever been more terrified or confused.  

“Hey, seriously are you ok?” Dave asks again.  He sounds worried.  You don’t want him to be worried about you. “You’re starting to freak me out a little.”

“N-no.  I mean, yeah.  Let’s just go back to your place, ok?  We can see Jake tomorrow,” you murmur.  

“Ok, if you’re sure,” Dave agrees, though you can tell he’s still worried.

You’re silent the rest of the drive back to Dave’s place, but your soul never ceases to be in turmoil. By the time you get back, the urges are swimming in your head, and you swear you hear something screaming at you from inside you, begging you to let Dave have your blood and soul.  

Dave knows you’re not ok. He pulls you into his secluded basement home and sits you on the couch.  He kneels in front of you, taking your hands in his own. You feel like you’re burning up, and his cool hands feel wonderful encompassing your own.  He looks at you, and though his gaze is hidden behind those sunglasses, you can see his brows furrowing.  “Hey, tell me what’s going on.  I know you didn’t want to talk in the hospital, but it’s just us here now. You know you can tell me anything.”

You hesitate for approximately one second before spilling, “I don’t know what it is, but something’s wrong.  This… this attraction to Jake?  I’ve never felt that before.  I was kissing him earlier. Kissing him because I wanted to kiss him.  Don’t give me that look, Dave, I wasn’t trying to cheat on you!  Something was pulling me to him.  And now, it’s doing it again.  It… it wants me to be with Jake.  Or.  Or be with you.”

Dave’s expressions range from shock, to anger, and back to shock again.  “What do you mean, be with me?” he asks carefully.

“I don’t really know?” you murmur, but you know that isn’t true. You know exactly what this thing inside you is telling you to do.  It’s telling you to let Dave bite you. To let him ravish you.  To let him have your soul.

To let Dave kill you.

You shudder.  This isn’t what you wanted at all.  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Dave.  I want you to kiss me.  To bite me.  And umm, other things.”

“Other things?” he presses.

“You know, other things!” You say, sighing exasperatedly. “Like have sex.  And bond.  I think.”

You see Dave tense a little bit when you mention bonding.  The word seems to kindle some kind of flame inside him.  You see him physically wince a little bit as he presses that back down.

“Babe, I want those things too, but if you feel like something’s wrong...” Dave trails off, shaking his head. “I don’t want to be one of your mistakes.”

“You’re not a mistake. You’re not,” you say quickly, squeezing his hand.  You gesture between the two of you. “This isn’t a mistake.  We aren’t a mistake. And someday, I want to have full sex with you. I don’t know how to feel about the bonding thing, but maybe someday I might want that too.  But right now I feel so… so wrong. I feel like my thoughts aren’t my own. That something inside me is screaming at me and telling me to do these things—these crazy things—that I would have never done before.  It wants them all at once. It wants you, and Jake, and—”

Dave sits silently, watching you as you spill your heart out to him.

“I’m scared, Dave,” you finally say, feeling lame as you say it. It’s not cool to be scared of things. Dave is so cool. You bet he’s never scared of anything.

“Shit, John, I don’t know what to tell you,” he says, sighing. You see him close his eyes behind his sunglasses as he bows his head down, squeezing your hands in his own. “I think my stance on us is pretty clear.  I’d bond with you in an instant, if that’s what you wanted.  But I know it’s a lot to ask for. You’re a human, and I can’t exactly relate.  If you feel like you want this because something’s wrong with you, I won’t take advantage of that.  Of you. I’m not about that lifestyle.”

“Dave, oh my god, you’re making this so much worse!” you squirm in place on the couch.  “I’m not some preteen that’s looking at porn for the first time.”

“Yeah, but to me you kind of are?” Dave says.  You wait for him to follow that up with some ironic bullshit or to make that into some kind of joke.  

He doesn’t.

Instantly, your thoughts of bonding are swept to the side.  The chill of your ire has calmed the incessant voice inside your soul, to the point where you’re able to level a cold glare at him and demand, “What?”

Dave swallows, looking uncomfortable.  He glances to the side as he murmurs, “I’m older than you, John.  A lot older. And my kind, vampires, we see the world through a really different lens than humans.”

“Then by all means, please, explain this magical vampire lens,” you say, your tone still cold.

“John please, don’t be pissed like that.  This is hard for me too,” he sighs, collecting his thoughts before continuing. “I told you, for vampires bonding is the best thing ever.  If you find your mate, you bond.  End of story.  There is no ‘watching porn phase’ or ‘boyfriends’ or ‘marriage’ or any of that.  If you find your mate at fifteen, that’s it. You bond.  You have sex and share each other’s souls.  And that’s it. You’re mated for life.”

You’re silent, swallowing as you try to make sense of what Dave is telling you.  You always suspected that you were both fundamentally very different, but to hear your suspicions confirmed, from Dave’s very lips, strikes you still and silent in your seat.

“I don’t even remember living in Derse, but I know all of that shit because it’s ingrained in me just because of what I am.  It’s been there since I was born.  I didn’t have to think about any of this.  I knew the first time we met that you were my soulmate. I’ve wanted to bond with you since that very first night,” He pauses, and you see him inhale a somewhat shaky breath that you know he doesn’t truly need, for the sole purpose of continuing to speak.  “Waiting to bond doesn’t exist for vampires.  It goes against everything in my instincts to just sit here with you and not bond with you.  You get that?”

Your eyes begin to tear up as you listen to him talk.  You never considered how hard any of this must be for Dave.  You can see now exactly what you’re doing to him.  

You’re hurting him.

You never meant to hurt him. You remember when you met clearly too, as if it was only yesterday.  You remember seeing him come in the coffee shop, and being instantly drawn to him. You didn’t know why, but you didn’t want him to leave.  You wanted to keep Dave with you, even if you were lame and only watched videos on your phone.  

You thought there was something special about him then, something different, but even when you learned he was a vampire, you still didn’t want to let him go.  You knew that things would be challenging between the two of you, but you were willing to work through that for Dave.

You knew it would be difficult for both of you, but you never expected this.  You didn’t know Dave was hurting this whole time, fighting back his instincts for you.  You find that again, you don’t trust your voice, but you can’t stop yourself from making a pitiful sound somewhere between a whine and a sob that speaks volumes for the emotion in your soul.

“Fuck, John I… shit, don’t cry.  I love you. I’d do anything to be with you.  I wanna have sex with you, and bite you, bond with you, and share souls with you.  It’s just— holding all of that back isn’t easy,” he says in a rush, like he has to get the words out as quickly as he can, has to try to reassure you of something.  He hesitates on uncertainty for a second before continuing, “it’s really hard.  I have to think about it all the time or I know I’ll just instinctively do it, and I don’t want to hurt you.  And seeing you sitting here in my house crying and telling me you want to bond with me but you don’t is so—”

Dave’s words seem to finally fail him, and he heaves a sigh.  “I don’t know what you want John.  But whatever you want, whatever you decide, I’ll go with it.  Even if… even if it means—”

Your boyfriend is a wreck. A complete and total wreck, and you know you are too.  Rather than letting him continue to ramble himself into a deeper hole, you do him the favor of cutting him off.  Quickly, you lean in, pressing your lips to his.  You still feel his lips moving a little, caught on the last of the words that were ready to leave his mouth, before they settle into the shape of your own.

Dave said a lot.  A lot that you weren’t expecting him to say. Now that he’s finally blessedly silent, you have a second to process everything.  You realize that it’s impossible to process it all, just as it’s impossible for you to be a vampire and to know what he’s feeling.  But despite all the heavy emotions you’re both sharing, one small piece of clarity drifts to the surface.  You lean back from him, so you can address him as calmly as possible.

“Everything you just said,” you murmur, making a circular motion with your hand.  “Sex, biting, bonding, soul sharing.  All of that.”

Dave looks at you expectantly and says, “what about it?”

“I think,” you murmur, frowning as you listen to that terrifying voice inside you again.  “I think that’s what this thing inside me wants too.  Whatever it is.  It’s telling me to give you my soul.  And you know what?  I think… I think I want that too.”

Dave is silent, but you know his eyes are wide behind his sunglasses.  You see his hands trembling at his sides, his fingers curling into themselves as he visibly fights to restrain himself.  “Babe…” he finally manages to say, his voice harsh in the back of his throat.  “Please don’t toy with me.  If you wanna bond, I wanna bond.  But don’t say it and take it away.  I can’t promise I can keep holding myself back.  I’m… I’ll do it one of these times.”

“Very soon, Dave,” you reassure him, a soft smile on your face.  You reach out and touch the back of his hand with your own, curling your fingers around his hand to steady his trembling.  “I promise.  There’s just a thing or two I need to take care of first.”

That seems to reassure him. You watch as Dave manages to pull himself away from that ledge. The tremors beneath your hand stop, and a few seconds later, he heaves a sigh and leans into you.  “It’s been a long night.  You’re probably tired, aren’t you?  Want me to take you home?”

You shake your head, cuddling back into him. “I’d rather stay here with you.”  You smile as you feel Dave wrap his arms around you. Then you laugh as Dave lifts you up and carries you to his bed, shoes and all. You don’t argue with him though, and after kicking off your shoes, you’re content to simply lay by his side.

For the first time in a while, you feel at peace.

*             *             *

Your peace is interrupted by the sound of your alarm going off.  It’s early in the morning, and though it’s technically not your shift this morning, you promised Jake that you would help him.  You yawn, frowning as you find it difficult to stretch your arms. Dave has his gangly limbs wrapped around your body like an octopus, and while you’re sorely tempted to just turn off your alarm and stay with him, you know you can’t.

It’s with regret that you slowly wiggle out of his embrace.  When he groans at you, you kiss him on the forehead.  “Come meet me in the coffee shop when you wake up, ok? It’s going to be a long and boring shift.”  

You don’t bother telling him that it’s technically Jake’s shift.  You know that fact alone would be enough to pull your boyfriend out of the bed and follow you to the shop.  Dave doesn’t trust you with Jake, just like Dirk doesn’t trust you with Jake.  

Honestly, you don’t trust yourself with Jake.  But you don’t have much of a choice.  Jake is sick and hurt, and you aren’t going to let him face all of this alone.

You slip on your shoes, which are still conveniently next to the bed where you left them. You take a few minutes to wash up in Dave’s bathroom before you decide you’re ready and head outside.

The walk to the coffee shop only takes a few minutes.  It’s early in the morning, and the sun has barely crested over the horizon, but you know that it promises to be a beautiful sunny day outside.  It’s possibly the clearest sky you have seen in a long time.  You’re definitely glad you didn’t drag Dave along with you. He would be absolutely miserable.

When you reach the coffee shop, you sense before you walk in that something is wrong.  You hurry through the door and find Jake struggling to open the shop.  He’s literally leaning against the counter, drooling next to the cash register while he stubbornly clings to a cleaning rag.

You sigh and come behind the counter, grasping Jake around his torso and heaving him over to the darkened corner of the shop.  

“Noooo….” Jake protests as you carry him away. “I’ve....got to open… the shop.”

“I can open the shop,” you promise him.  “You need to sleep and get better.”

You frown as you reach the corner of the shop and find it empty.  “Where’s Dirk?” you ask.  Not that you mind his absence.  Dirk has been nothing but hostile towards you the last few days, and knowing that you won’t have to deal with him is a bit of a relief.

“He’s tired,” Jake murmurs, curling into the beanbag as soon as you drop him there.  “Had to…. Go out ten times last night.”

You arch an eyebrow, trying to parse the meaning of Jake’s words. “Go out ten times?”

“To feed,” he continues, his voice heavy with the promise of sleep soon. “I was… so thirsty.  Still so thirsty…”

And in that split second, you feel the shift in yourself.  That voice inside you begins screaming to let Jake have your blood and soul.

You swallow, feeling yourself instinctively drawn to Jake.  You’re kneeling by his side before you even think about it.  “Let me feed you,” you hear yourself saying as you lean down, ready to pull his face to your neck.

Jake whimpers, and it’s a sound that goes straight to your heart.  His voice is quiet, almost a whisper when he speaks, but his tone is hurried and harsh as he pleads, “No!”

When Jake looks up at you, there are tears in his green eyes.  He pushes you away with the feeble strength that is left in his arm and he says, “I’ve already hurt you enough.  I know if I feed from you… I’ll kill you.  I can’t.”

You feel the chilly grip of fear reach into your chest, constricting your breathing and pulling all the air from your lungs.  “You won’t hurt me, Jake,” you argue, even though you know he’s probably right.  The last few times Jake has fed from you, it’s left you dizzy, feeling sapped of your strength.  If he’s saying that he might kill you, he probably means it.

To say Jake looks sad is an understatement.  Jake looks fucking miserable.  

You think suddenly of all the times it was just you and him growing up.  All the times Jake took you out camping, hiking, and fishing.  All the movies you watched together late into the night until your grandma would come knocking on the door telling you to turn the TV off and go to sleep.  All the hours you spent together laughing and taking in the sun without a care in the world.

It’s almost as if Jake pulls the thoughts from your mind.  He makes a sound between a wince and a gasp, and tears actually do spill from his eyes this time.  “John… my baby cousin…” he says, almost like he’s saying the words to himself and not to you.  

You wonder suddenly how close Jake is to death.  You haven’t missed the sickly bleached white hue to his skin, the dark purple bruising under his eyes, the lack of vitality that your cousin always had in abundance. You grasp his hand and say, “I’m here, Jake.”

“I’ve already hurt you so much. I’ve hurt everyone,” he says, his voice barely audible even in the quiet of the empty store.  “…call Dirk. Please.  Please call Dirk before—”

Jake’s frail voice ceases in his throat, his words turning into a small, pitiful sound of pain.

Though you would normally bristle at the idea of calling Dirk, the way Jake pleads with you to call him, and that horrible pained sound still lingering in his throat, has you reaching for the phone in your pocket before you can think twice about it. Dave put Dirk’s number in your phone a while ago, as insurance in case you were in trouble and he wasn’t nearby. He explained that Dirk might hate you but wouldn’t kill you.  It wasn’t exactly reassuring, and you’ve never once tried to contact him.

But now, you find yourself selecting his number from the list of your contacts.  Jake is in trouble.  Somehow you know Jake needs Dirk.

Jake might be dying.

Your stomach clenches at the thought, and that voice inside you rips through your soul with crystal clear certainty.

Jake is dying.  Jake is dying, and his last request is Dirk.  He wants Dirk.  

You’re about to hit the call button when the chime rings at the front door, signaling that someone has walked in.  You must have accidentally left the door unlocked when you walked in.  

“I’m sorry, we don’t open for another fifteen minutes,” you say loudly enough for your voice to carry to the front door.  When you glance towards the front door, you inhale sharply, your breath caught in your throat.

It’s Caliborn.  

Instinctively, you draw Jake closer to yourself, putting your own body between Caliborn and Jake. “You need to leave,” you tell him, the resolve in your voice shocking even yourself.  You don’t care at all if you get fired from this job for being inhospitable towards a customer.  You don’t care if you get hurt protecting Jake from this demon, whatever he is.

“Leave?” Caliborn repeats the word, an expression between gloating pleasure and a sneer is painted across his face.  “Why should I leave?  I just got here.  I think I’ll stay.”

Now that you’re looking for it, you can clearly see all the tells that Caliborn isn’t human.  The way he holds himself doesn’t seem human at all. The skin is stretched too tight over his body, like a balloon ready to burst.  He moves as if his joints are being forced into the wrong angle and direction. You don’t miss the way the man’s inhumanly vivid eyes change color, however slowly it may be.  They were brown when he walked into the store, and now they glow bright red.

Your fingers tighten around the phone in your hands, and you suddenly remember that you have Dirk’s phone number pulled up on the screen.  You don’t need to look at your phone to guide your thumb to the call button, letting the phone silently ring.  

You pray that Dirk picks up the call. You have never wanted to see Dave’s asshole of a brother more than you do right now.  

“Leave us alone!” you demand again, seeing that your words are doing nothing to slow the demon’s deliberate steps in your direction.  

Your attention is focused on the monster headed your direction, and you stop hearing the dial tone of your phone.  You stop being aware of anything except a cold feeling of dread inside you.

You’re afraid.  You’re really, truly, afraid.

Caliborn could kill you. Caliborn probably will kill you.

You feel frozen in place as he approaches in what feels like slow-motion, and you wonder suddenly if you have done everything you could have with your life.  

You think about Dave. You love him.  You really truly love him.  

And it was stupid, so stupid, not to bond with him when you had the chance. You can sense it now that your death is near.

You want Dave more than anything.  You want everything that comes with him.  Whether it’s marriage, or bonding, or even death itself; if it’s by Dave’s hands, you want it.

But it’s too late to realize all of that now, isn’t it?  

The cold terrified feeling envelops you as Caliborn reaches for you and Jake.

When the monster seizes you both, you finally scream until something heavy hits your head, knocking away your consciousness.

Your phone clatters to the ground, forgotten.

 *             *             *

 You’re suddenly Dirk Strider, and you are less than pleased to be roused from your sleep so early in the morning.  You’re very tempted to ignore that phone call and go back to sleep.  You would, too, except that you notice that Jake’s side of the bed is empty.

A quick sense tells you he’s not in your house anymore, and you groan, because you know that means he went to work.  He went to work even though he was so thirsty you had to go out hunting for blood ten times last night to feed him.  Despite all of that, you’re pretty sure the only reason he fell asleep was because he was fucking exhausted and not because he was actually satiated.

You know he can’t possibly be feeling well right now, yet somehow, he dragged himself to work this morning.  And he left you behind.

You’re not sure what hurts you more, knowing that Jake is in such bad shape, or knowing that Jake chose to leave you behind.

It’s annoying.  The whole stupid world is annoying this early in the morning.

And that damn phone is still ringing.

You growl loudly with the frustration of it all before you pick up the phone and look to see who is calling you.  You scowl as the caller ID neutrally informs you of your caller’s identity.

John Egbert.

Fucking great.

Even though you’re sorely tempted to dismiss the call, you pick it up and growl, “What?”

The tiresome conversation you’re prepared for is immediately thrown from your mind when you hear the other end of the line.

You hear John’s breathing, tense and fast, like he’s afraid.  He doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, and then you hear him shout, “Leave us alone!”  Though you wouldn’t be shocked to hear him tell you that, the sound is all wrong.  The phone must be far away from his mouth, and you get the feeling he’s not talking to you.

John’s terrified breathing continues a few seconds more, and you hear the sound of footsteps approaching him.  John screams, his voice becoming muffled and then suddenly stopping.

Then a loud clattering sound accosts your ears, and you guess John dropped the phone on the floor.

And then you hear it.

A quiet whimper that you would recognize anywhere.

It’s Jake.  Your Jake.

Jake’s in pain.

Instantly, rage floods your body.  You almost miss the sound of the doorbell jingling inside the coffee shop, captured by John’s phone call, which you suspect won’t do you any good anymore.

It takes you less than five seconds to rise from your bed and throw on your shoes.  You’re already wearing the clothes you wore last night, since you were too exhausted to change before falling into the bed beside Jake after he fed from you.

You grimace a little, feeling a little weaker than you normally would be.  Usually you feed after Jake drinks from you, but last night you were too tired to go out again.  You’re definitely going to need backup today.

Your fingers are already dialing Dave’s number as you run up the stairs. You hear it ring a couple times while you throw on your day cloak and grab your sword.  Dave answers as you run out the door. You’ll be faster on your feet than you would be in your car, even if it is more hazardous for you.

“The fuck is so important that you’re calling at 6 in the morning?” Dave asks crossly.

Normally, you would delight in tormenting him, but today there is no time for that. “Jake and John are in trouble.  Find me.”

You trust Dave to do exactly as you instruct, and you hang up before he responds.  Slipping the phone in your pocket is an afterthought, because your attention is focused on the world around you. You start following your bond, which guides you to Jake as if there were a large neon sign pointing the way.

Everything is so damned bright. You aren’t usually up this early. Even when you go to the coffee shop with Jake, you’re sleeping in the corner of the store most of the day.  You aren’t used to being awake, much less functional, this early in the morning. You’re sure Dave isn’t either.

The bright rays of the sun begin beating on your cloak, which protects you from bursting into flames but doesn’t stop the energy from being sapped out of your body.  The weakness starts clinging to your bones, which are already feebler than they should be from not replenishing your blood after last night.  Your instincts are screaming at you to feed, but you don’t have time to stop and hunt.

Jake is hurting.  Jake is in trouble.  You feel his pain through your bond, feel him burning almost as if it were your own skin that’s burning.  Twice, you check your arms to make sure you are fully covered, and you are. It’s definitely Jake’s pain you’re feeling.

The thought makes your teeth clench as anger rises higher inside you.  You know that nobody in their right mind would fuck with Jake, especially knowing that they will face your wrath for doing so.  There’s only one person who would have the gall to do so. One demon, to be precise.

Dave catches up to you, joining you as you tear down the streets.  “What happened to them?” he demands, and you can hear the worry in his voice.

“Caliborn,” you say with certainty.  It’s the only option that makes any sense.  “He’s got both of them.  We’ll have to be careful and take him down together.”

“I fucking hate hostage situations, especially when it’s my boyfriend on the line,” Dave grumbles.

“Your boyfriend and my mate,” you clarify, your tone lowering to a deep growl.  You won’t let Caliborn live for this.  But as you think of killing him and sending him back to Derse, another thought crosses your mind.  “You just killed Caliborn.  He shouldn’t be back yet.”

“Yeah, but he is,” Dave says.  “Who knows what he’s done in Derse or who he’s bribed to come back sooner?  Even if we kill him today, he’ll probably be back again next week. I don’t know about you, but I’m never letting John out of my sight again.  I don’t know why you didn’t keep a closer eye on Jake.”

“I tried to, but he—” you growl, but then you stop. You’ve just passed through the gateway to the graveyard, and you sense that Jake is close by.  That means Caliborn is close by.  “Split up.”

Dave instantly darts away from your side, circling around the graveyard.  Even though Caliborn knows Dave exists now, you’re certain this tactic will work better than both of you attacking from the same direction.

You continue racing forward, desperate to get to your mate.  Of course, Caliborn knows you are coming. He’s already looking in your direction as you approach with your sword drawn.  You snarl as you take in the situation.

Caliborn is standing in front of a large mausoleum in the center of the graveyard, holding Jake in a choke-hold around the neck.  John is lying unconscious on the ground beside him. It’s clear that John isn’t the one Caliborn came for.  

“D-irk…!” Jake manages to choke out weakly, his voice barely a whisper.  There is hardly any fight left in your beautiful mate.  The light in his emerald eyes is faint at most. Jake hangs nearly limply from Caliborn’s hold, as if the demon is the only thing keeping him upright.  His skin is reddened where the sun has touched him, on the uncovered parts of his hands and his face.  There is blood dripping down Jake’s neck, staining his shirt.

Caliborn must have bitten him.  That fucking demon has tried to lay claim on Jake again!  

You growl in instinctive fury.  Jake is YOUR mate!  Caliborn can’t have him.

You know better than to attack him head-on.  You know this is definitely a trap, but you don’t have any choice.  At the very least, if you can distract Caliborn, Dave may have a chance to kill Caliborn.  Even if you die, Dave will survive, and he can save Jake and John.

Caliborn is grinning at you in a way that promises pain.  Sure enough, as soon as you step close enough, Caliborn moves in a blur of speed.  He throws Jake to the side and lunges at you, thrusting his clawed hand through your cloak and into your body.  

You grunt in pain as your abdomen instantly lights up with fire.

“You’re a little slow today. Aren’t you?” Caliborn jeers, his eyes glowing bright red as his true form stretches and shifts beneath the human skin he is wearing.  “This bright sunny day is so nice.  It’s a perfect day.  Perfect for anyone.  Except a vampire.”

You groan as he twists his hand inside you, and you feel the razor sharp edge of his claws shredding you apart from inside.  You try to attack him with your sword, but your movements are slowed both by the daylight and your blood-loss.  It’s distressingly easy for Caliborn to pick the sword from your hand and throw it down to the ground.

The pain is terrible, but you know you’ll only have to put up with it for a little bit longer.  Any second now—

Suddenly, Caliborn reaches his other hand behind him, smacking Dave out of the air as he jumps down from the mausoleum roof. Dave had been ready to strike with his own sword, but instead, the force of the blow sends him crashing into the stone structure he just jumped from.  Your hopes sink as you see that Dave has been knocked unconscious beside John.

“You think I would forget your little brother? You really are stupid,” Caliborn taunts.  “I have looked forward to today. I get to kill two Striders.”

“No! Leave them alone!” Jake screams.  You glance over at him, and your heart is immediately filled with anger and pain.  Jake is lying bleeding on the ground, propping himself up with a bloody hand so he can face you.  His eyes are trained to Caliborn as he continues, “You can have me! I’ll go with you!! I’ll do whatever the bloody hell you want, but leave everyone else alone!!!”

Leave Dirk alone!  I’d do anything for him.  Anything.

You hear Jake’s voice through your bond, and it burns you worse than the sun itself.

Jake is your everything. Jake is the one you would do anything for. And you hate the fact that there’s nothing you can do right now.  Nothing but let him down.

But you suppose that you can do one thing.  You focus on your link and think to him clearly, “Baby, Caliborn isn’t going to stop.  If Dave and I die, we’ll go to Derse, but you… you might actually die. And so will John.  Fuck I hate John, but I don’t want the little asshole to die.  Take John and get out of here.  I’ll come back for you, I promise.  I just need you to survive.”

Jake gasps, his eyes filling with tears. Clearly he heard your message.  He looks at you this time as he shakes his head.  “I can’t do that, Dirk.  But there’s one thing I can do.”

You don’t like the way that sounds.  You really don’t like the way that sounds.

“Yes, you can be my good little cumslut,” Caliborn sneers, not even bothering to look over at Jake. “There’s nothing else you can do.”

“I… I used to believe that,” Jake says, his voice shaky as he slowly picks himself up to his feet. He nearly collapses again, but he manages to lean on the mausoleum for support and stay upright. “But Dirk believed in me more than anyone else ever has.  He showed me that I’m not just your stupid little whore.  I’m Dirk’s. And he’s mine.  And that’s more than enough reason to do this.”

You freeze as Jake somehow takes a step away from the stone structure.  His eyes fix on you, and you instantly feel something tight coiling around you.  “Step away from him, Dirk.”

The force, whatever it is, wraps around your bones, and you feel yourself grasping Caliborn by the wrist, pulling yourself off his claws, and freeing your body from him.  You fall to the ground in a heap as the blood gushes from your abdomen.  You’re pinned in place by that same force, unable to move as Jake walks step by step in your direction.

You want to help Jake. You want him to stop doing this, whatever it is, but you can’t. All you can do is lay and watch, cradling your bleeding wound.  You watch as Jake finishes his slow approach and touches Caliborn’s arm.

Instantly, a bright white light blooms from Jake’s hand.  You see Jake wince in pain, and you feel the searing burn of holy course through your bond.  

None of that seems to hold a candle to Caliborn’s pain.  The demon screams, shedding his human skin instantly for the larger, more repulsive, demonic form you are more familiar with.  He dislodges his jaw as he tips his head to the sky, screaming an unholy honking sound that echoes deafeningly across the silence of the surrounding graves.

The sound is enough to rouse Dave and John from their forced slumber, but you barely notice them. Your eyes are trained to Jake, who now has both his hands on Caliborn, his mouth forming words of an ancient language you recognize but don’t understand.  Your mate is clearly in pain, but through the pain, you see his overwhelming sadness.

The light grows larger and larger, surrounding Caliborn’s entire body.   Then, as suddenly as it appeared, it vanishes.

Caliborn is gone. Nothing is in his place.  There’s no body that the mortal realm would leave behind.  Nor is there the usual dust which would signify his death and return to Derse. Instead, the faint stinking remains of holy befoul the air for a few lingering seconds, before the breeze wafts them away.  

“Dirk…” Jake murmurs as he reaches for you, his hands blackened to charcoal as if they were roasted in a fire.  A second later, he falls forward.

Finally, whatever gripped you before and forced you to stay put releases its hold.  You’re free to scramble quickly forward and catch Jake as he falls.  Your eyes widen as the motion pushes your hood off your head, and the sunlight begins to burn your skin.  Jake is quick to reach for your hood, pulling it safely back over your head.  

Jake’s hands crumble into dust when he lets go.

“Jake!” You hear your own voice in your ears, not even aware you’re talking as you hold your mate, the edge of hysteria beginning to creep up on you. “Jake, Baby, tell me what happened. Tell me. Tell me and I’ll fix this.  I’ll—I’ll fix you.”  

Again you look at his arms, his hands now completely dissolved into dust.  An ugly black serpentine marking begins to wind up Jake’s arms, leaving his skin brittle beneath.  A horrible feeling begins to blossom inside you, the terrible possibilities opening your fears wide and leaving you completely devastated.

“I looked through Gramma’s ancient spell books.  I taught myself that spell… after what Caliborn had done,” Jake finally confesses, his voice barely a whisper.  “I never wanted to use it, because… because it was cruel.  But he… gave me no choice.  He threatened you.”

“What did it do?  How do I undo this?!” You demand, a sob nearly leaving your throat as you see the markings begin to wind further down Jake’s body.

“Oh Dirk… don’t do anything,” Jake releases a short breath of air, which you suspect may be his weakened attempt at a laugh. “The spell… it was… a special teleportation spell.  It sent Caliborn to Prospit… instead of Derse.”

Suddenly, you understand why you sensed so much holy in the air.  It was bleeding through from the other end of Jake’s spell.  You glance at Jake’s body, now nearly completely covered in black markings and missing his hands, and you know the holy did this to him. You know that even if he drinks you dry right now, Jake is too weak to survive.  After being exposed to this much holy, he’ll die.

Your mate is going to die.

And it’s going to be a slow and terribly painful death.

“Do you… understand now, Dirk?” Jake asks, his gaze never once leaving yours. “Caliborn… will be trapped there forever.  He won’t come back.  He’ll… never bother you again.”

“Us.  He’ll never bother us again.  Both of us,” you insist.

Again Jake gives you that small pitiful laugh and shakes his head, “Dirk… you’re so smart… It’s… one of the things I love… and hate about you.  You know… what has to happen.”

Jake appears to be struggling more to speak, and you watch with terror as the black markings wind around his neck and up to his face.  “Baby… baby no…”

“Please Dirk, do it,” Jake pleads quietly. “Kill me.”

You’re shaking your head, barely aware that you’re moving or talking as you say, “you can’t ask me to do that.  I can’t do that.”

“Yes, yes you can,” Jake’s eyes fill with tears, which fall down his cheeks as he blinks.  “It has to be you, Dirk.  Please… please let me die by your hand… than by Caliborn’s bite… or the sun and this holy magic.”

Your teeth clench, and your hands fist into the tattered remnants of Jake’s clothing.  You can’t do this.  You can’t.

But you have to.  You can’t let Jake die like this.

Besides, something inside you is begging you to bite him, to kill him.  You’ve fought off the instinct since you bonded with Jake, but now you don’t think you can fight it any longer.

The need is too strong. With Jake literally dying in your arms, your instincts scream at you to bite him, to kill him.

You don’t know how you could want something so cruel.  You never did understand it, and you still don’t.  You love Jake more than anything.  You want to keep him by your side and protect him forever.

But you also want to kill him.  And you find that with him dying already in your arms, begging you to kill him, you can’t ignore your instincts any longer.

“I love you, Baby,” you tell him, your eyes never leaving his. “I’ll always love you.  Always mine.”

“I’ll always love you too,” Jake replies, his voice barely audible.  When he inclines his head slightly towards you, you don’t hesitate to kiss him gently, lovingly.

The kiss isn’t long enough. It can’t possibly be long enough.

Jake is pulling away, and giving you a look, his expression eerily at peace. “Always yours,” he vows quietly, his voice barely a whisper.  Slowly, he tilts his head a little, as much as he is able with his waning strength, and bares his neck to you.

You steal one last kiss, again far too short, before you’re ducking down and biting him.

Jake’s blood is wonderful and rich on your tongue.  You haven’t allowed yourself to drink from him in a long time, since he’s been so weak, and you didn’t trust yourself not to take too much from him.  Now, you remember exactly why you didn’t let yourself do this.

You drink from him. And drink.  And drink.

You can’t stop, even if you wanted to.  You feel Jake tense in your arms, his body tightening as it clings to the last remnants of life.

Jake’s pulse grows slower and fainter.

Eventually, it stops.

Still, you continue to drink, until you sense it happen.

You know exactly when Jake dies, because his half of the bond goes quiet and dark.

Jake has disappeared. You can’t feel him anymore.

Finally, you look up and see that the light has completely extinguished from his eyes.  You are about to respectfully draw his eyelids shut when you see his body turning to dust in your arms.

It happens quickly. In seconds, all that remains of your mate is a pile of dust on your clothing and on the ground.

There’s wetness on your cheeks.  They’re tears, you think.  And inside there’s an emptiness where Jake’s bond once filled you with life.

“You KILLED HIM!!!!” you hear John scream, but you don’t even bother turning around to face him.  You would let him beat you to death right now, and you don’t think you would even notice.  

But John doesn’t beat you to death.  You hear the vague sounds of a scuffle behind you, and Dave is saying something, probably restraining John, but you aren’t really listening.

You never wanted this. You only wanted to share everything you had with Jake.  You never wanted to kill him.

You were determined to find a way to keep him alive.  But it’s too late for that now.

Now that Jake is gone, you can’t register anything anymore.  Not anguish or pain.  Not even your own tears.

Jake is gone forever.

You’re broken and alone.

[lateniteslacker]

Do you have an ao3 where you post stories as well?

I do in fact have one! My AO3 name is the same, Lateniteslacker. I believe the link is here: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LateNiteSlacker/

[lateniteslacker]

Are you and Sachi going to continue Blood and Coffee?

Hello there! Yes, the plan is still to continue Blood and Coffee. Sachi and I actually talk about these characters almost on a daily basis, but life has made it difficult to find time to write the story itself. Sorry for the long wait! I hope to have the next chapter done sometime in the next month!

[lateniteslacker]

A Twist of Fate - Chapter 5

Over time, you’ve learned a few things about Dave.  

You’ve learned that he likes sleeping in late and that he hates mornings.  He respects Bro, but he loathes him with a passion.  

Dave enjoys kissing you, but he loves staring at your butt.

You catch him staring again when you bend over to harvest some sweet raspberries from the bushes. You smirk at him and offhandedly comment, “you know, we could probably be done by now if you worked instead of stared.”

“Who says I’m staring?” he counters, hastily plucking a couple berries and dropping them into his basket.  You honestly think it takes longer when Dave helps you, but you couldn’t care less. Having him around more than makes up for your lost time.

“I do!” you exclaim, laughing when he tries to act innocent.  “You might wear those sunglasses all the time, but I can still see what direction you’re looking.”

Caught, he sighs dejectedly, “caught by the Eggbuns, what will I do?”

“You’ll finish harvesting your share,” you tell him, trying to sound serious.  It almost works until he quietly drops his basket on the ground.

Instantly you’re suspicious. Your suspicion only grows as he takes your basket and paces it gently on the ground.  Extremely suspicious, you barely have time to say a word before he’s on you. “Dav—!!”

In a flash, he’s tackled you to the dusty ground, making a mess of both your clothes.  You yelp, but end up laughing, unable to stay mad as he kisses you.  Your kisses turn to laughter as his fingers slide beneath your shirt, tickling your abdomen and making your skin prickle with goosebumps.

Dave’s tongue tastes like the sweet berries he’s been picking, and his platinum blonde hair smells soft like the sun.  His fingertips are gentle, unfairly so as they brush along your sides, making more goosebumps rise beneath them.  

You want to push him off, but you don’t at the same time.  Being close to Dave like this is a gift you treasure.  His warm sunny smile, that you so rarely see, graces his lips as he tickles the ever-loving fuck out of you.

There are tears in your eyes from laughter.  Dave is merciless, and you both love and hate him in this moment.

It’s at this moment, with his body pressed against yours, pushing you down into the grass beneath you, that it happens.  The light waves of desire slowly start to trickle through your body.  It’s a warm sensation that blooms at the surface of your skin when he touches you.  The feeling travels through you, pooling down lower in a wonderful way.

This is the feeling of love, you think.  This wonderful, hot, pleasurable feeling. This desperate need for Dave.  

You crave him.  You need more of Dave.  All of Dave.

You gasp lightly, knowing in this moment exactly what has happened.  It’s the thing your grandmother warned you of, not long ago. The thing you have been waiting for your entire life.

You know without a doubt that the incubus inside you has awoken.  

It’s a desperate creature, ravenous for its first taste of your boyfriend.  It’s survived on scraps from your grandmother’s familial love for all these years, but now it’s aware that there’s more out there.  It knows there’s another, far more delicious, method of sustenance.  It’s one you will enjoy far more than a warm hug and a loving peck on the cheek from your grandmother.

Dave Strider will be the most satisfying and tastiest meal that you’ve ever had.

You pull him down into a kiss, your tongue licking along his lips, prodding inside to curl and slide along his.  Your pull at his tongue and his soul at the same time.  Dave groans and presses you down further into the dirt, his body so hot against yours.

Like pulling taffy, you pull at his soul, feeling the lovely warm sweet strands between your fingers. His soul is vibrant and blindingly bright, hot like scalded milk, and far more delicious than any jam or jelly you have ever made.

Dave stops tasting like raspberries and begins tasting like something completely different. Something you’ve never tasted before, but something you’re already addicted to.

Dave tastes like Dave. Like his soul.  His beautiful soul that he wants to give all to you.

“I say, it’s quite a lovely afternoon, isn’t it?”

You hear yourself growl as Dave is plucked easily away from you by none other than your dick of a cousin, Jake.  You had conveniently forgotten that he was visiting, until now.  You glare daggers at him as he pulls a stunned looking Dave away from you and up onto his feet.  

“Jake, what the fuck do you want?” You demand, your voice sounding different than it ever has before.  It’s more coarse, more primal.  It’s laced with frustration and anger that you’ve never felt towards your cousin.

Jake doesn’t appear to be surprised or bothered at all.  On the contrary, he easily pulls you to your feet and into a hug.  And in that moment, you feel a sudden bright blast of his green soul energy, hitting your chest like a cannon.  It completely fills the incubus inside you until you’re nearly sick with the overload of energy.

You’re stunned.  A second later, he releases you and you stumble backwards.  It takes a few more seconds for your head to clear to the point where you realize what just happened.

You were eating Dave’s soul. You were killing him, and Jake stopped you.

“Jake—” you manage to say, your voice a hushed whisper.  There’s terror in your eyes as you glance from Jake over to Dave, who still looks a little bit stunned.

“I thought that might do the trick,” Jake says, winking at you. “Guess it’s a good thing I decided to visit you.  You’ve have lazed about on the ground all day!”

“Y-yeah.  Thanks, Jake,” you murmur.  You look past him to Dave, who finally appears to be coming out of it.  You walk over to him and pull him into a hug.  You want to apologize, but you know you can’t.  Dave has no idea what you are, and you can’t tell him what happened without giving yourself away.

“Jake, you’d better have a damn good reason for bothering us,” Dave says, casting an annoyed glance at your cousin.  Clearly he doesn’t know what just happened.

“As a matter of fact, I do!” Jake says, turning about and facing you both.  There’s a cheeky grin on his face that has you more than suspicious. “It’s time to pay a visit to your Bro.”

[lateniteslacker]

A Twist of Fate: Chapter 4

The next day, Dave stands in the center of your living room with his arms crossed. He gives you a look that tells you he’s clearly unhappy with the situation.  “Who is this guy, and why is he here?”

“This is my cousin Jake!” you tell him, giving him a sunny smile that seems to disarm him a little bit. “He’s going to be visiting me for a while. Be nice, Dave.”

“Delightful to meet your acquaintance, good sir!” Jake says, holding out his hand.

Dave arches an eyebrow at him.  “Your cousin? Is he from the other side of the world or something?”

Jake freezes, glancing at you with uncertainty.  You can tell he’s worried that he isn’t fitting in well.  Truthfully, he’s less than stellar at it, but you know Jake will get better.  You have to help him.

You roll your eyes at Dave and say, “yes he’s made a long trip to be here.  So be friendly!” You get behind Dave and push his back, forcing him to step forward a couple times.

Reluctantly, Dave shakes Jake’s hand, still clearly annoyed with Jake’s presence.  “Thought it was just gonna be you and me.  You don’t see me dragging Bro along everywhere.”

“Please, don’t even,” you brush his threat off. “Bro would cramp your style so hard.”

“And Jake isn’t?” Dave counters.

“Meeting your Bro would be simply smashing!” Jake exclaims, earning himself another incredulous look from Dave.  

You don’t think you’ve ever seen Dave show so much disgust.  “Bro is—ugh no.  He’s horrible. Nobody should meet him. Ever.”

“I think—” Jake begins.

Jake stops talking when you kick his foot.

“Dave!  Shoosh!” you laugh, pushing him over to the kitchen to distract him.  “Help me with lunch.”

“I can help!” Jake pipes in. “I’d be delighted to help!”

You take Jake by the arm and guide him towards the front room. “Jake, you just had a long journey. Relax.  Let us handle it.”

When you return to the kitchen, Dave immediately pulls you close and presses you back against the wall by the stove.  The wind leaves your chest as he presses loving needy kisses to your lips. You press your hand against his chest, curling your fingers into his shirt and pulling him closer, so you can feel more of him, kiss him deeper.

Dave’s hands slide along the small of your back to your hips.  Your breath hitches for a moment when his hands glide down to caress your butt. Dave usually isn’t this forward, not that you can say you mind.

You love Dave.  You love kissing him.  You love his hands on your body.

You think suddenly back to the conversation you had yesterday with your grandma.  Your incubus urges will start coming out soon. You think of her talking about intercourse.

Instantly, you no longer feel any such urges.

You smile into Dave’s kiss and lightly press on his chest, pushing him away.  “My cousin is here,” you remind him softly.  

“Yeah he is,” Dave grumbles back, reluctantly stepping away. “Why is he here again?”

“He came to visit me!” you laugh softly at him, picking up the bread and beginning to slice it. “Don’t be such an ass!”

“But I’m so good at it,” he complains.  Despite his grumbling, he helps you out by selecting a couple of your jellies for lunch. You aren’t surprised to see apple cinnamon, Dave’s favorite of your jams.  He’s also selected blackberry, which you think will complement breakfast nicely.

Even though you technically don’t need to eat, you still enjoy making lunch for Dave.  You would make breakfast for him too, but he’s never up early enough. Dave usually chooses to sleep in until noon, which isn’t shocking considering he’s often up late into the night.

It’s become a routine by now.  Dave typically comes knocking at your door sometime shortly after noon, and together you make lunch.  He helps you carry your jams to the market for sale.  You and he both relax together for a couple hours, selling your jams. Your jams typically sell well, which is all the better.  It helps you maintain the illusion of being part of the town.  It helps you buy food to make Dave for lunch and dinner, and it helps you fit in.  It gives you something to talk about and a reason to mingle with people in the market.

In the early evening, Dave will often have dinner with you, but he always leaves shortly before nightfall. He says it’s because Bro will get upset, but you know the truth.  You know he leaves to hunt your kind.

Truthfully, it terrifies you.  Were you not so in love with him, you would be frightened by him.  But Dave still doesn’t know what you are, and you intend to keep it that way.  You won’t lose Dave for anything.  You certainly won’t lose him because you happen to be a demon.

The thoughts run through your head as you both prepare lunch.  It isn’t until the three of you sit down to eat, and Jake glances curiously at the utensils you provided, that you realize Jake may not know very much about eating human food.  You curse your lack of foresight and quickly snatch a piece of toast you prepared, taking the knife and quickly dipping it into your jar of blackberry jam.  You spread it on the toast, letting Jake watch you first, before handing the jar to him.

Jake mimics you remarkably well, spreading the jam on the toast as if he’s done it his whole life. “So Dave,” Jake begins to talk with an inflection in his tone that you can easily tell is him trying his hardest to sound casual. “What do you do?”

“What do I do?” Dave repeats, taking a big bite of his apple jam toast.  “Dude, I’m a kid.  I run around. I get in trouble.”

“Sounds like John,” Jake says offhandedly, a bit more naturally than you expected.

You snicker quietly and admit, “Yeah, we play a lot of pranks. But come on! They’re just asking for it!”

“They are,” Dave agrees.

“Have you ever pranked your Bro?” Jake asks.  There’s a serious, almost deadly hint to his voice that terrifies you.  You know where this is going to go, and you have to stop it now.

Dave has also turned white as a ghost.

“No, but Bro has pranked Dave a lot,” you explain, gently petting Dave’s arm. “It’s ok, Dave.  The puppets can’t hurt you now.”

“They’ll haunt my soul forever, John,” Dave says.  “I don’t think you understand the depths of his obsession with them.  My home isn’t safe.  Your home isn’t safe. No place is safe.”

“He’s never come here before,” you wave off Dave’s words and give him a sweet little kiss on the cheek. “You’re safe here.”

“Maybe we should try pranking him instead, eh?” Jake suggests with a glint to his eye.

“Jake, you suck at pranking people,” you point out.

It’s true.  Jake does.

Jake’s about to say something, when you kick him under the table again, a little harder this time.

Somehow, Jake keeps his mouth shut.

You know it won’t last long.

It doesn’t.

“Tomorrow,” Jake says, a manic grin on his face.  “Tomorrow we will prank your Bro!”

Dave somehow turns even paler.

You know that the countdown has started.  You have less than 24 hours to convince Jake that this is a terrible idea.

You really hope you can.

[lateniteslacker]

A Twist of Fate: Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As you lay on your bed in Derse, you hear a telltale knock at your door.  Instantly, your face lights with a smile.  “Come in!”

The door busts open, and you don’t even have to look to know who has just walked into your room. “Good heavens, John Egbert, whatever are you doing lazing about in bed?!  You’ll waste the whole evening away!”

You grin as a familiar head of wild dark hair and vivid green eyes appears upside down from above you. “Do you have a better idea, Jake?”

Jake English, your cousin and the crown prince of Derse, looks at you as if he’s insulted.  “A better idea?  A better idea?! My word, John, you must have lost your marbles!  I have a million better ideas!”

You allow Jake to pull you out of bed.  You know you would never hear the end of it from Jake if you lounged around in bed all night.

Jake can be quite insistent. You follow him out of the castle and off on another of his “adventures.”  This evening, he seems keen on exploring the caves to the northeast of the capital.

Though it’s all new and exciting to you, you know that Jake has seen it a million times.  At first glance, nobody would ever know, but Jake is over 1,000 years older than you.  He still carries the same enthusiasm for the world, and he takes every new encounter with the same bright eyed happiness.  But even though you are far younger than him, you’re very perceptive.

Jake English is bored.

He’s terribly bored, and he hangs out with you every night trying to recapture some of the same naïve wonder for the world that he had when he was your age, so long ago. You’re happy to indulge him, since Jake’s adventures are always exciting.  He does know the best places to adventure, after all.

Jake brings you into the secluded inner sanctum of the caves, to a cavern that is lit solely by the glowing purple crystals Derse is known for. In these caverns, the crystals light the way, humming to a low frequency that you have come to associate with Derse.  Your grandmother had a large majority of the mountains mined for their luminescent crystals, and she used them to build the cities with a never-ending light source that exist today.

Once you’re alone deep in the cave, Jake finally turns to you.  Jake takes your hand and gives you a look that is far more serious any he has ever managed before.  “John, dear cousin, I have something to tell you.  It’s something that I need you to keep secret from our grandmother.”

“That you’re bored?” you hazard a guess.

Jake laughs. “Terribly!  But that isn’t what I was going to say. John, you can keep a secret, right?”

You sit on one of the large glowing crystals, relaxing back as you say, “you know I can.”

“Good,” Jake says, his bright green eyes falling on you.  His expression is again far more solemn than you have ever seen. Honestly, it’s starting to throw you off.  “So can I, which is why I haven’t told anybody about your Dave.”

Instantly, your blood turns to ice.  

“Jake, you can’t—” you stammer, not sure what you’re going to say, only that you know you have to stop whatever Jake is going to do before he does it.  Your grandma can’t know about Dave.  Nobody can know about Dave.

Before you can say anything else, Jake sits beside you and swoops you up into his arms.  You feel his love in his embrace.  The depth of his care for you.  The honesty of his words.  “John, I would never tell a soul.  I can see how important he is to you.”

“Jake,” you murmur, clutching him back fearfully. “What do you want?”

“John, you have a natural innate ability that I’ve never seen in any other demon,” Jake begins. “You integrate beautifully, perfectly, with the humans.  Even with Gramma’s charm, I’ve never been able to do what you do.”

He pauses, and the tension only mounts within you.  If what Jake has to say is even bigger than you falling in love with Dave Strider, you know it must be terrible.

“I need you to take me with you to the human realm.  I need you to help me fit in, and then introduce me to him,” Jake says.

“To Dave?” you ask.

“No,” Jake shakes his head. “To Dirk.  His brother.”

At this, you shuffle back, looking at Jake with wide eyes.  “Jake, that’s suicide.  I’ve never even met him.  Dave’s brother has killed more demons than any who came before him.  He’s a lethal killing machine! He’s—”

“I know,” Jake interrupts you, fishing into one of his pockets.  He holds out his hand.  A small light blue stone rests in the center of his palm.  “That’s why I intend to use this on him.”

“What is it?” You ask hesitantly, not certain you want to know the answer.

“I’m not completely certain,” Jake admits, scratching the back of his head with slight embarrassment. “But Gramma mentioned it once.  I overheard her speaking to her most trusted advisers about Dirk Strider.  The situation has grown grave, and he must be stopped soon.  She said the mission would be dangerous, but using the magic in this stone might be the only way to stop Dirk.”

“Dangerous?” you repeat, your brow furrowing.  “Jake, how dangerous?”

“I don’t know,” he admits again.  “But John, you must believe me when I say I know this is my calling in life.  That this is what I was born to do. This is what the last millennium of my life has been leading up to.  Dirk Strider has killed so many of our kind, and it is my duty as crown prince to stop him.”

Both of you are silent for a while.  For a few long moments, the only sound between you is the gentle humming of the luminescent crystals.

“You’re doing it because you’re bored and Dirk’s hot, aren’t you?” you finally say.

Jake’s brows lift and his eyes widen.  Then, he starts laughing, softly at first, and then so much that tears come to his eyes. “Dearest John, you truly do know me better than any other!  So, will you help me?”

You smile softly and sadly at him.  Somehow, you know this isn’t going to end well for your cousin.  But you also know that there’s nothing you can do to stop him. “All right.  I’ll help.”

[lateniteslacker]

A Twist of Fate: Chapter 2

Note: Chapter 2 on AO3 here! 

Once you’re certain you’re alone in your house, you stealthily make your way to the back room. You open the door to the pantry where you store your extra jams and then close and lock the door behind you. Alone in the safety of the jam closet, you take out your grandma’s charm and rub your thumb across the jewel.

Instantly, a bright blue portal to Derse springs up in front of you.  You step through and smile at the familiar surroundings.

You’re back in your room at your grandma’s castle in Derse.  She gave you more than just a charm to help you blend in.  She gave you a portable escape route to Derse, in case you ran into any Striders.

If only she knew.

You make your way through the castle, waving at all the people who still think you live here. You’re a fantastic showman, and everyone believes that you’re in classes all day.  They think you’re learning about magic, and diplomacy, and how to rule Derse.

Only your Grandma knows you aren’t.

When you reach the throne room, where you know she will be waiting for you, you immediately know that today is going to be a little different than the rest.

Your grandmother, Jade Harley, is already standing by the door waiting for you, her arms folded.  Her green eyes peer at you in an owlish sort of way from behind her thick glasses, and you know you’re in trouble.  As soon as you walk through the door, she pinches your ear and drags you off to one of the side rooms, “what have I told you, young man?” She demands.

“Ahh!!! Grandma!!!” you wail, following her with your head bent awkwardly, your ear trapped at the mercy of her fingers.  You watch as the guards in the room eye you sympathetically while you’re dragged away.

Once you get into the private drawing room that branches off her throne room, she closes the door behind you. Finally, in the quiet safety of this room, she pulls you into a hug. She feeds you warmth and compassion, just like she has every day of your life since your parents passed away.

The incubus inside you is quickly sated, just like it is every day.  Because, even though you’re an incubus, you’ve never fed any other way.

You’re an incubus, but you’re a virgin.  

“You have a boyfriend, don’t you?” your grandma asks knowingly.

You tense in her arms. Does she know about Dave?  You had been so careful to hide your tracks, to never let any demons see you two together. “I—”

“It’s all right,” she murmurs.  “I’ve known for quite some time that you prefer boys. Honestly, I’m not sure who you thought you were fooling saying otherwise.”

Does she know?  You aren’t sure.  You decide to stay quiet.

“Jonathan, I can tell you are embarrassed, but this is all part of life,” she sighs.  She gently pushes you by the shoulders, holding you out at arm’s length so she can face you squarely.  “You’re my baby boy, and I’ll love you and feed you no matter what. I’ll take care of you till you’re 2,702 like me!  But I know you’re a growing incubus.  You’ll have— urges soon.”

You groan, even though you feel weirdly relieved.  You’re pretty sure Jade doesn’t know about Dave.  But you’re also pretty sure she wants to give you a birds and the bees talk, and you really don’t want that. “Gramma, please no!”

“Don’t you Gramma no me!” she says, looking at you sternly.  “I know you have a boyfriend because I’ve never seen you so happy in your life.  Whoever he is, he’s a very lucky man.  I hope he takes good care of you, and if he doesn’t, you can tell him he’ll face your grandmother’s wrath!”

“He kind of thinks you’re dead?” you murmur.

She looks at you with shock, “what?!”

“He’s—” You hesitate. You don’t want to hide anything from your grandma, but you know you can’t tell her about Dave either.  You settle for something in between.  “He’s human, gramma.  He doesn’t know I’m a demon.  I made up a story about my past, and he thinks you’re dead.  He thinks that’s why I wear your charm.”

Your grandma’s eyes run through a giant rainbow spectrum of feelings.  You see tears well in her eyes as she pulls you into a tight hug.  “Oh Jonathan, my baby— not you too.”

Your mind is full of questions, none of which your grandmother bothers to answer.  The only clue she gives you is a hushed murmur, “I guess it runs in the family.”

“What?” you attempt to ask her, but she doesn’t explain any more.

When Jade pulls away, you see a grim determination in her eyes.  “I had hoped this would be a simple talk about your incubus side, but it seems it will be more complicated.”

Your expression drops again. You had thought she forgot about that birds and the bees talk. “Gramma no!!!”

“Gramma yes!” she shouts back at you.  She draws you over to a dresser that she had always kept conspicuously locked.  She pulls a key out of her pocket and unlocks it, pulling out unusual looking charms.  “If he’s human, you can easily kill him the first time you have intercourse.”

You groan. “Intercourse?  Gramma stoooop! This is so embarrassing!”

“I will not stop!” she insists.  She holds out an inconspicuous looking grey rock and places it in your hands.

Immediately, you feel a crippling weakness cling to your bones, and you nearly collapse to the ground. You look with horror at the stone and rasp, “what is this?!”

“This is what it feels like to be human,” she says, folding her arms and clearly holding back a smirk as you struggle to stay standing.  “This is the difference between you and your human boyfriend.  I want you to know that.  This is a lesson that if you aren’t extremely careful, you will kill him.  I’m surprised you haven’t already killed him with your kisses.”

“I haven’t taken any energy from him,” you admit.  “I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt him.”

She sighs and takes the stone away from you.  Instantly, you feel your strength return.  “You won’t hurt him if you’re careful.  Humans are fragile, but I’ve seen several demon and human unions work out fine, so long as the demon is careful.  And if you aren’t capable of being careful, I’ll make you wear this one around your neck too,” she says, holding out the grey stone menacingly.

Instantly, you back away from the stone.  “Ok, ok, I’ll be careful.  Geez. And here I thought you were going to give me a lecture about lube and condoms.”

Jade snorts, “hardly! You won’t catch any human illnesses, and your body is more than suited for any method of intercourse you prefer.”

You groan again.  “Do you have to keep calling it intercourse?” you ask weakly.

“Would you prefer I called it something else?” she asks.

“No,” you sigh. “Look, I’ll be safe, ok? Can I go now? Please?”

Your grandma eyes you, as if judging you.  She probably is.  Finally, she takes the stone and places it in a cloth satchel.  She hands it to you and says, “keep this close by.  If you feel yourself losing control, all you need to do is touch it.”

You hold the satchel out at arms length, eyeing it warily.  “Ok.  Am I free now?”

“You’re free now,” she acquiesces.  She leans forward and kisses the crown of your head.  “Please be safe, Jonathan.  I love you.”

“Love you too, Gramma,” you murmur, hugging her and then hurrying away from the throne room.

You collapse into your bed back in your Derse bedroom, eyeing the empty air where you could very easily manifest another portal back to your home in the human realm.  The realm where you could see Dave, if you wanted to.

You know that Dave must be working now.  He and Bro are probably out there, killing demons.  Killing people who could be your friends.  You don’t have many friends in Derse, but you do keep close tabs on them, making sure they don’t come anywhere near the town where you live.  If Dave were to kill any of them…

You swallow.  It’s a thought you’ve had before.  

You don’t know what you would do.  

You think instead back to your Grandma’s talk.  Uncomfortable though it was, she had a lot of good information, and she really made you wonder about your family.

Did your parents like humans too?  Did your grandma?  

You think about Dave. About ‘intercourse.’

Instantly, your cheeks flush with embarrassment.  You’re also embarrassed that you just thought of sex like that.  Dave has never once mentioned it or suggested it.  But you wonder how long it will be before he does.

You wonder how long it will be before the “incubus instincts” your grandma mentioned start to really hit you. You wonder if you’ll ever do something you regret to Dave.

You finger the grey stone inside the cloth, where it’s safely unable to work its magic on you. The stone scares you a little, but you know why your grandma gave it to you.

The stone’s purpose is to protect Dave.  To protect him from you.  

You swallow and clutch the stone tighter.  No. You won’t let it come to that.  

If it ever did, you wouldn’t need the stone.  You wouldn’t need it because—

The image suddenly comes to your mind again.  Dave’s sword, plunged in your chest.  Your blood, covering your hands and his.

Startled, you drop the stone onto the floor, listening to it hit the ground with a loud thud.  Your heart is beating wildly in your chest. The vision feels so real.  So incredibly real.

You swallow again, shaking your head to yourself.  You won’t let it happen.

You won’t let your incubus side ever get the better of you like that.  You won’t ever provoke the demon hunter in Dave.  

Your love is special. Together, you will defy fate.

[lateniteslacker]

A Twist of Fate

Note: Several people requested a longer version of the fic I wrote a while ago featuring incubus!Jake/Demon-Hunter!Dirk. Everyone wanted to know what happened between John and Dave. Right now, this story is about them, but Dirk/Jake will be coming soon!

The original story featuring Dirk/Jake can be found here!

Your grandma always warned you about the Striders.

From a young age, you were cautioned.  She instilled in you fear of them.  Fear of the prestigious family of demon hunters.  The Strider family lineage has brought death and ruin to so many of your kind. It doesn’t matter if the demons are benevolent or malicious. The Striders strike without difference or hesitance.

In Derse, there isn’t a single demon who doesn’t know the family and fear them.

At least, that’s what your grandma thinks.

You are John Egbert, and you know that there is nothing to fear.  Your grandmother is Jade Harley, the queen of Derse.  You aren’t nearly as old or as powerful as her, but you can hold your own in a fight.  

You know the Striders are only human, just like any other.

You blend in perfectly with the humans.  You have long since learned to hide your demonic characteristics.  Your ears soften and round with a simple spell, hidden behind your wild black hair even if you forget your enchantment. With the help of glasses, your demonically blue eyes pale a few shades to a vibrant (but human) blue.  

Even without your tricks, your grandmother’s magical charm protects you from the human’s eyes.  As long as you wear it, no human, not even the infamous Striders, will sense that you are a demon.

Once you reached the tender but capable age of 13, you stopped worrying about her rules.  You visited the human realm whenever you pleased, day or night.  You’ve never been anything but carefree as you walk through the marketplace of the town closest to the Derse portal near your home.  

You spoke with the humans and easily befriended them.  You took residence in a friendly elderly man’s home.  You helped care for him until he passed away naturally from old age a few months later.  You almost cried when they read his will.  Though he bestowed all his money to his family, he gave his home to you.

With the help of the villagers, you fixed up the simple house.  You lived with them and worked beside them.

And now, at the very capable age of 16, you think you may have fallen in love with one of them.

Human and demon unions are extremely uncommon, but they aren’t unheard of.  You’ve heard stories of several demons that chose to mate with humans and lived very happy lives.  The final outcomes were sometimes wonderful and sometimes deadly.  

You aren’t really concerned with which outcome you happen to face.  Either way, you will live your life happily with your boyfriend, knowing that you chose to live by your own rules.  

You love him, and you know he loves you.

There’s only one small problem.

Your boyfriend is Dave Strider.

“Egbert, when are you gonna introduce me to your family?  You know it’s not serious until you meet the fam,” Dave says, lounging on the couch in your front room, his gangly limbs spread all over.  One arm is curled behind his head, and the other is clutching his chest in a very overdramatic way.  

“My family’s a bunch of weirdos.  You’re better off not knowing them,” you respond cheekily.  

“I knew you weren’t serious about me.  Don’t even care enough to introduce me to your mom and dad.  I’m gonna expire over here, forever a lonely bachelor.  Never meeting his boyfriend’s family, never getting married.  Alone forever.  You want me to die a miserable death alone?”

You laugh and press your palm firmly against Dave’s mouth. “Shut up, Dave! You know that’s not true!”

He makes an “oof” sound as you jump on top of him, smiling and eyeing him playfully.  “Even if my family doesn’t agree to give me away in marriage, I’ll never leave you.  Ok?”

Dave makes an exaggerated gesture of rolling his eyes, but eventually he nods.  Slowly, you uncover his mouth and quickly replace your lips over his.  You do it to shut him up, but you also do it because you just want to kiss him.

Kissing Dave, you’ve found, is one of your favorite things.  Your lips glide along each other’s gently, and when you feel his tongue slide along your lower lip, begging silent permission, you part your lips, allowing him deeper into your mouth.  

Your teeth are short and blunt, human sized because you’ve willed them to be.  You know you taste like apple cinnamon and yeast, from the bread and jam you ate this morning.  You don’t really have to eat, but you don’t want Dave to know that.

After all, he thinks you’re a human.

Dave Strider, the infamous demon hunter, has no idea he’s dating a demon.

You’re still not perfect at reading thoughts, but you catch glimpses every now and then.  All you see in Dave’s mind is how much he loves you. He thinks you’re just a dorky guy who makes sweet jams and jellies.  He thinks it’s coincidence that you happen to live in this town, closest to the demonic realm.  He thinks he’s lucky he found you here, so he can continue to work and date you at the same time.

Dave thinks you don’t know about his job.  About the demons he kills at night.

You do.  And if your family knew you were dating him—in love with him—they would be appalled.

There’s a reason your family can never meet your boyfriend.  Your parents passed on long ago in a tragic accident, leaving you in the care of your grandmother when you were only five.  You don’t remember much about it, or about them, actually.  You know your dad could bake a mean cake. And your mom could never refuse a piece.

You remember that they loved you.  Though you don’t remember much about them, you miss them.

You wish that they could meet Dave.  Surely, they would understand that what you have with Dave is true love.  That it transcends humans and demons.   Or, in this case, demon hunters and demons.

Your grandma will not understand.  Jade Harley is fearsome in her might, and stubborn in her ways.  If she knew you were dating a Strider, you’re certain she would keep you on a magical leash for at least several decades.  Long enough for Dave to die before you could see him again.

Your grandma can never know.

“What’re you thinking about, Egbert?” Dave says, tapping your forehead.  “Your head’s all scrunched up like there’s too many thoughts going on at the same time in there.”

You can’t exactly tell him all that about your family, so instead you think of something else. “You really want to stay with me forever?” You ask him quietly, smiling shyly at him in a way that you know always gets to him.

It works like a charm. You see the responding light flush on Dave’s cheeks.  “Yeah, I guess that’d be cool.  We’ve been dating a while already, and you seem all right.  We could get married, you could move into my place, we could have a couple kids, and live the dream. It’d be pretty sweet.”

“Eww, move in with your brother?  No thanks,” you scrunch your nose, ignoring the fact that you could never have kids. Not that you would want them.  

Dave lives with his older brother.  “Bro,” is apparently what Dave calls him.  You’ve only seen him a few times, when you went to Dave’s house for one reason or another.  You’ve never even shared more than a passing ‘hello,’ but for some reason he sets you on edge.

Something about Bro being the most infamous demon hunter in the land.  It makes your stomach uneasy, to the point where you can’t eat your sweet jellies.

“Hey, I’ve got a sister too. She’s pretty cool,” Dave points out.

You laugh and kiss him again.  “You know I don’t swing that way, Dave.”

Dave grins at you and says, “thought I’d offer.”

Dave’s sister, Rose, is also a formidable hunter.  Luckily, she doesn’t live anywhere nearby.  She’s long moved out with her girlfriend.  The two fell off the face of the map some time ago, and you never have to deal with them.

Dave himself is nothing to sneeze at.  He’s skilled with a sword, and you know he’s taken down more than a few demons already. You wish there was a way to make him stop, but you honestly can’t think of a way to ask him.  Not without jeopardizing your relationship.  

If Dave were to find out you’re a demon, you have no idea what would happen.  

Would Dave kill you? Would he tell his scary older brother and make him kill you?  

A bright and vivid image suddenly comes to your mind.  It’s loud and sharp in its clarity.

You see Dave, with his katana plunged through your chest.  

It feels so real, so plausible.  It terrifies you.  The thought sends shivers up your spine.  

Reflexively, you touch the charm your grandma gave you.  It’s kept you safe and hidden for years already.  You know it will keep you safe many more.  Her magic is the kind that lasts for centuries.

Dave notices and murmurs, “how come you always wear that one?  I got you a pretty cool one too.”

“I like yours!  I wear it sometimes!” You quickly stammer in response.

“I never see you wear it,” Dave says, and though you don’t see the pout on his lips, you hear it in his voice.

“I do! I just like this one too!” you insist.  Then, your expression softens.  You pull your lower lip between your teeth, eyeing Dave in that adorably vulnerable way that you know he always falls for.  Quietly, you tell him, “It was my grandmother’s.”

Dave falls for it. You sense him feeling sorry for you. Dave feels sorry for the grandma that he doesn’t know is very much still alive and the powerful queen of the demon kingdom.  

In his thoughts, you see Dave reaching for you, taking you in his arms. You see him cradling you, and comforting you.  You see him shushing you, and rubbing your back gently, comfortingly.  

You almost reach for him, wanting to feel his arms around you, comforting you even though you don’t need it.

In real life, Dave doesn’t move from the couch. Instead, he says, “I’ll let you off the hook this time. But if I get you any other jewelry, you’d better wear it,” he says.

Other jewelry?  

Before you can ask, he sits up, pulling you up with him.  He glances out the window, and you see that it’s almost dark.  “I’d better go.  You know how Bro gets if I’m not home before dark,” he says, using his age old excuse.

You want him to stay. You really do.  But, just like Dave has responsibilities, you do too. While his involve killing demons, yours involve feeding yourself.

You are a growing incubus, after all.  

When Dave leaves, you kiss him sweetly and shut the door behind him.  You listen to his footsteps pick up as he hurries away.

The image comes to your mind again, of Dave with his katana.  You feel the cold hard metal plunged in your chest. You see your blood cascading down your body and down his blade, covering you both as you die by his hands.

It’s so real.  It’s almost like a terrible memory.

You shake your head.  You don’t know what this is, but it won’t happen. What you and Dave have together is special.  He’ll never hurt you like that.  He won’t.

As you head back into your house, you convince yourself of that fact.

And yet, some small part of you can’t help wondering if this is all already woven in your fate.  Is this something that happened already?  Is this a vision of what is to come?

You have no answers, and the one person you could possibly ask, you can’t.  Your grandma would never understand.

You try to ignore it, but all night the troubling thoughts linger in your mind.

[lateniteslacker]

Blood and Coffee - Chapter 16: An Hourglass, Out of Sand

Chapter 16, written by the lovely @sachigram can be found on AO3 here!

It is wonderful.  Go read it!  =)

In other news, we still exist!  I bought a house, transferred jobs, and have pondered many many MANY life decisions.  There is a lot going on, and there hasn’t been much space for writing in between.  But, I intend to change that soon.

I want to start a series of ficlets which work together to make larger stories, rather than my old way of updating.  I love Update Thursdays.  I love them dearly.  But I will try to write little bits, piece by piece, and update more frequently.

I say this as I offer an update on a Thursday.  Yes, I see the irony.

Anyway, my work may not be as fully polished, but I want to start getting my writing out there again.  Please be patient with me!

Oh, fics such as Blood and Coffee will not be affected by this new updating system. I’ll still continue to write nice, long, polished chapters.  And yes, these will likely still Update on Thursday. 

[lateniteslacker]

Blood and Coffee Chapter 15: To Love a Vampire

Full chapter on AO3 here!

You’re a sheep.  A big fat fluffy sheep.  You are Dirk Strider, and you’re prancing in a giant field of honey-golden wheat, zero fucks given because this is pretty fucking sweet.  The wind picks up, ruffling your sheepy wool and bending the wheat to its will.  Jake is on your back, and you are blissfully, blissfully, happy.

But suddenly, Jake isn’t there anymore.  You turn around, looking around the field in confusion. 

What happened?  Where did Jake go?

The field of wheat disappears, and the coffee shop where Jake works appears around you.

And then you see it.

Jake is kissing John.

You’re suddenly not a sheep anymore.  You’re very much a vampire, and you’re extremely pissed.

The growl builds in your throat before you can stop to think about it. You’re still half-way in between sleep and wakefulness.  You don’t take the time to realize that there are blackout curtains on the store windows now. You don’t process that it’s still morning and that the store is open.  You don’t care that there are still customers in the shop.

Your mate is kissing someone else.

In a flash of speed, you’re beside Jake and John, tearing your mate away from the human.

“The fuck do you think you’re doing?!” you growl at John.

Dave, little shit that he is, doesn’t seem to realize what’s wrong.  He actually growls back at you a little and says, “they’re havin’ a moment! Fuck, Dirk, what’s your problem?!”

“My problem is that—” you break off, suddenly realizing exactly where you’re standing.  You finally notice that there are several pairs of very human eyes on you.  With your little outburst, you’ve commanded the attention of everyone in the shop, whether you wanted it or not.

You force the growl out of your voice and say, “Jake is my boyfriend and John is your boyfriend.  And after what happened yesterday, you should care more about shit like this happening.”

“Awww snap!” someone who sounds suspiciously like Cronus says from the crowd.

You growl a little at the crowd and pull Jake to the back of the store, knowing that Dave and John will follow. You are about to throw open the door to the back alley when your vampire senses tell you it’s still bright daylight outside.  You growl at the door and then pull Jake into a tiny storeroom in the back where they keep all the extra supplies.

You’ve heard Dave talk reverently about the storeroom in the past.  You’ve never actually gone inside the room, but Dave has texted you on several occasions with stories of his favorite place in the coffee shop.  

It’s nice and dark in here. No windows and only one door.  He can come here when he wants to be alone with John.  He also comes here to cry.

You’re pretty sure Dave was kidding about the last one, but you’re gonna make that little shit want to cry if he doesn’t see the fucking light soon.

The four of you cram into the small room and you shut the door from prying human eyes and ears. You can see perfectly fine, but John looks a little uncomfortable in the pitch darkness.  Jake reaches out to comfort his cousin and you growl again, pulling Jake’s arm away.

Dave is the one to actually pull the cord for the single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, allowing John to see too.  “Chill the fuck out, Dirk!  You’re scarin’ John.”

“Good.  John should be scared.  All of us should be, because this fuckin’ shit isn’t normal,” you growl lowly, gesturing to Jake and John.

Dave growls back at you, “shit’s not normal?  Try lookin’ in the mirror. You’re the one not helpin’ your mate with his own transformation. He’s changin’ and you can’t seem to wrap your fuckin’ giant egotistical brain around that.”

“If you were so worried about that, you’d keep John away from him and not just watch them make out,” you snarl back.  “This isn’t your own personal porn channel. This is your mate. If you really cared about him, you’d keep him from tryin’ to bond with MY mate.”

“Bond?” The word seems to throw Dave for a loop.  

Nobody else would likely be able to tell, but you can read your brother easily.  He gets silent for a moment, and then his expression darkens into one of anger.  You know instantly that he’s talked about bonding with John before.  You also know that the talk must not have gone well.  

If you weren’t so pissed off about this Jake and John situation, you might actually feel pity for the kid.

Predictably, there’s venom in Dave’s voice as he roars back, “Who said anythin’ about bondin’?! Jake’s the one who can’t control himself!  He’s no better than all those demons we kill every night.  Maybe we should add him to the list?”

You don’t even think before decking Dave in the face.  You watch him slam back into the wall, several bags of coffee beans falling off the shelves on top of him. “Don’t you fuckin’ dare think of hurtin’ my mate!  It’s not my fault you don’t have the guts to bond with John.  If your mate doesn’t want you, that’s your own problem.”

“Not the coffee beans!!” Jake cries.

You don’t know what you were expecting Jake to say, but it certainly wasn’t that.  You can only watch as Jake makes a dive for the falling beans, saving several bags before they hit the floor and break open.

Jake does it so quickly. Inhumanly quickly.

Then Jake turns an angry glare at you and pushes you towards the door.  “Stop it, Dirk!  If you wreck our supplies we’ll run out of coffee and fall down off the top 10 coffee shops on TripAdvisor!”

Jake rescues several more bags of coffee beans from on top of Dave and then throws your brother towards the door.  Dave crashes hard into you, and you almost fall through the door from the force of Jake’s throw. An inhumanly strong throw.

Jake looks at you with a very irate glare and points towards the door.  “You Striders take your funny business elsewhere!  I’m the manager here, and I won’t allow you to wreck my store!”

You’re shocked that your mate doesn’t want you by his side, but when you feel him through your bond, you can tell that he does.  He very much wants you to stay.  But he’s conflicted right now.  

Very conflicted.

“John, help me clean this mess,” Jake says.  He points towards the door and talks to you and Dave like he’s talking to little children. “Striders, go back to your corner.”

Now it’s your turn to be conflicted.  You don’t want to upset your mate, but you sure as hell aren’t going to leave him alone with John in a room that Dave’s told you is perfect for making out. You’re about to tell them that when Dave punches you again.  Not hard enough to throw you into the wall and destroy any more of the room, but hard enough to hurt.

“That’s for earlier,” he growls.  But even though his punch was directed at you, his eyes are on Jake and John.  You know Dave doesn’t feel any more comfortable leaving than you do.

Jake looks positively flustered and grumbles, “fine! Then why don’t you two clean up this mess while John and I get back to the store!”

Before you have a chance to argue, Jake has taken John by the hand and pulled him out of the little store room, leaving you and Dave to a mess of coffee beans on the floor.

 *             *             *

 You’re suddenly John Egbert, and you’re being pulled out of the storeroom by Jake, leaving two very bewildered vampires behind.  “Striders, I swear!” Jake huffs.

“Jake, are you all right?” you ask him quietly, pulling him aside in the hallway before you head back out into the main area of the shop.

“I’m fine, John.  I just have to sort out the inventory and make note of which coffee beans to restock,” Jake says.  He glances at the storeroom and then pulls the door shut on the Striders.  

Then he turns to you. Like flipping a switch, the expression behind his eyes changes.  You see him go from the feisty manager of the coffee shop to suddenly a very confused changing vampire.  His brows and lips quiver, and the look in his eyes becomes almost painfully unguarded. Very softly, he murmurs, “John…”

With one word and a glance, you feel like you’ve suddenly been swooped up off your feet.  It’s as if a giant bird has grabbed you by your shoulders and is carrying you off into the night.  Your head and body feel light.  The world around you seems to fade away into nothingness.  

The only thing you can see is Jake.

Jake’s so beautiful.

Jake is your entire world.

Jake’s emerald eyes captivate you.  His pink lips look so soft and inviting.  Before you even think about it, you’re leaning forward into his warmth, tasting those lips with your tongue.  You run your tongue along Jake’s lips until he allows you inside his mouth.  The back of your neck prickles with anticipation as you feel those sharp incisor teeth growing longer inside Jake’s mouth.

Your body doesn’t feel like your own anymore.  Your body is Jake’s.  

Your soul is Jake’s.

“Bite me, Jake,” you hear yourself whispering to him.  “Take me…”

You feel the wet warmth of his lips on your neck, his tongue licking you, as if to mark you as his. And just when you feel the sharp edges of his teeth on your skin, you’re being yanked away.

You whine softly as you’re snatched away from Jake.  You’re drifting and suddenly you’re nobody’s.  Desperately, you reach for Jake, wanting him and needing him.

“Babe no,” someone else says, pulling you farther away from Jake.  “You’re not his, John.”

“Jake… Jake!!” you cry, reaching for him.

You sense the person holding you hesitate for a second.  

And then all you see are beautiful, captivating red eyes.  

“Mine,” you hear him murmur. “You’re mine, John.”

“Yours…” You whisper, reaching for him.

“Sleep.”

 *             *             *

 You’re Dirk Strider again, and you’re tired of this shit.  You quickly pull Jake to your neck, moaning softly when he immediately bites into you.  Jake didn’t even hesitate this time.  He was ready for blood.  You’re glad that you and Dave stopped them when you did.

“Hey Asshole,” Dave says, drawing your attention to him.  You see him holding a deeply sleeping John in his arms.  “Jake’s out of control.  I had to put John to sleep, so the store’s your problem now.”

Without another word, Dave throws his day cloak over his head and whisks John away.  The bell above the coffee shop door jingles, and you know that you’re on your own for the rest of the day.

Dealing with the coffee shop is annoying.  It’s almost annoying enough to make you forget how much of your blood Jake is drinking. Almost.

You feel yourself getting a little light-headed, and you gently pull Jake away.  Jake whines softly, an instinctive whimper from the back of his throat.  He swallows the last bit of your blood in his mouth and looks at you with desperate pleading eyes.  “Pet please… still so thirsty.”

How could you possibly say no?

How could you even think he isn’t trying to change into a vampire?

Your body feels light and heavy at the same time. A giddy feeling rushes into your stomach, but one of dread also fills you too.  You’re not sure how it’s possible, but there’s no denying the truth.

Jake’s changing.  He’s really truly changing.  Jake’s trying to become a vampire like you.

You only hope his body will last long enough to make the change.

Suddenly, you’re terrified. Terrified that if you don’t get his body exactly what it needs that he’ll die.  He’ll truly die.  Your only mate will be gone forever.

You nod quickly to him, eager to give his changing body whatever it needs.  You caress his cheek with your thumb and kiss him lovingly. His skin is cool beneath your fingertips, but still warmer than your own.  When you pull back, you tell him, “I’ll give you all you need, but first I have to feed, Baby.  Think you can handle being at this store by yourself till I’m back?”

You watch, somewhat amazed and relieved as the wanton expression on Jake’s face changes into one of fierce determination.  “Dirk Strider, this is my store.  What makes you think I’m suddenly incapable of making a few lattes?”

A short breathy laugh leaves your lips and you can’t help kissing him again.  Fuck, you love this man so much.  “Then I’ll leave you to it.  Call me if you need anything.  Call me with your soul, it’ll be faster.”

“I…” Jake murmurs. His words trail off and his expression changes to one of mild confusion as he seems to contemplate your words. “I never thought about doing that. I’m not quite sure I’m capable of making soul calls.”

You can’t help rolling your eyes at him from behind your shades.  “You’ve done it before.  A lot. Trust me, you’ll be able to.”

You kiss him again, then pull your day cloak snugly over you.  You fight your instincts to stay inside as you lay a gloved hand on the back door and walk out into the blaring sunlight.

When you get outside, you’re much more disoriented than you thought you would be.  Daylight saps your strength, and the sun is fierce and bright overhead today.  Your shades are in place and your cloak is wrapped as snugly around you as it can be. Without it, you’re certain you would be incinerated in a heartbeat on a hot sunny day like today.  Even with your cloak, you feel the uncomfortable burn at your cheeks from indirect sunlight.  You usually sleep away the day in the safety of your basement for a reason.

But Jake needs blood. You have to feed for him. Otherwise he might attack other humans.

Or worse, he might die.

With that grim thought in mind, you find a nice darkened alley in the city and begin the long process of calling humans to you and feeding.  You call several humans over, feed just enough that they won’t notice the blood loss, lick their wounds closed, and erase their memory of the event.

It’s harder than usual. Much much harder.  You do this all the time, but for some reason it’s much more difficult now.  Your soul feels exhausted.  It isn’t until several humans in that you begin to realize it might not just be the sun causing you to feel this way.

It might be Jake. Jake’s human soul is terrified of this change and resisting it.  Jake’s human body isn’t strong enough to house the soul of a vampire.

Jake’s human body is dying on him.

Before you are completely sated, you find yourself running back to the coffee shop.  You wince as you get burned on the cheek a couple times from bright sunlight reflecting off mirrors and other surfaces.  It’s all small compared to your panic.

You have to see Jake. You have to make sure he’s ok.

You burst through the door to the store, ready to scoop your dying mate up off the floor.

Jake merely looks over at you with mild perplexion as he hands a dark chocolate mint frappe to a customer.  When you make your way behind the counter to him, he asks you, “Dirk, are you quite all right?”

“Was so worried about you, Baby,” you tell him, your voice cracking a little and betraying your concern.  You pull him into a kiss and then glance around the store.  Nobody seems to be waiting for him.  You quickly pull him back into that little storeroom and shut the door behind you.

Jake gasps when you throw back your hood.  His fingers trace the tender burnt flesh of your cheek, and his expression changes into one of sorrow as he says, “you got burnt.  Pet, you got burnt for me.”

“Doesn’t matter, Baby. Had to know you were safe,” you murmur, letting him trace your skin.  You feather your fingers through his hair as Jake leans in and licks your burnt skin gently.  You sigh softly, feeling better as Jake licks you.  A soft moan escapes your lips as his tongue moves down the line of your jaw and to your neck.

“Can I?” he asks softly. You can sense his restraint waning through your bond. Even as he pleads with you, you feel the sharpness of his teeth on your skin.  You want to feel those teeth in your neck, drinking your blood.

You growl softly in response, not saying anything as your grasp tightens a little in his hair. Without any hesitation, you press his head forward with your hand, making his teeth pierce your skin.

Jake’s hands wind up the sides of your body and up to your scalp. His fingers dig into your hair, mussing your precious hairstyle as he drinks his fill from you.

You feel it healing him, strengthening him.  His body feels more stable with your blood in his veins supporting him.  Even his soul feels more at ease.  You sense that he doesn’t really want to pull away when he does, but he gives you guilty look.  “Sorry. I wanted to keep going, but it’s hurting you.”

Is it?  You didn’t even realize it, because you were so wrapped up in the feeling of Jake drinking from you.  But now that his teeth aren’t in your skin anymore, and his warm wet lips aren’t on your neck, you can feel that your body is weak again.  He’s taken more from you than you planned, and you’ll have to go feed more.  

But you can’t worry about yourself right now.  You’ve got to worry about your mate.  Jake’s the one changing.  Jake’s the one dying.  “You feelin’ better?” you ask him.

Jake smiles at you, kissing you lovingly, “better than better.  Your blood is the best thing for me.  I love you.”

You feel a rumbling in your chest and realize that you’re purring softly for him, so happy and satisfied to hear him say that.  You pull him to your chest, feeling the warmth of his body against yours.  You couldn’t possibly be happier that Jake is yours.

Eventually, he pulls away and murmurs, “the bell jingled.  Customers will be waiting for me.  I have to go.”

You watch him open the door and head outside, fixing his hair and readjusting his apron as he goes out to greet the customers.

It isn’t until you are reaching for the string for the lightbulb that you realize it.

The light was off the whole time.  Jake didn’t have any trouble seeing you.

His change might be more imminent than you thought.

You only hope that Jake’s human body will last.  

 *             *             *

 You’re suddenly John Egbert. At least you think you are.  

It’s hard to remember anything, including who or where you are, when you’re staring into those vivid red eyes.  Finally, you piece together that you are, in fact, John Egbert.  You’re a human and you’re staring into your vampire boyfriend’s crimson eyes.

“Dave?” you finally ask. Dave slides his shades back on his face as you shift in the bed.  You glance blearily around and realize that you’re in Dave’s bedroom, laying beneath the covers in his bed.  You rub some of the sleep from your eyes and murmur, “what time is it?”

“Ten PM,” you hear him respond.  

“PM?” you ask, furrowing your brow.  Finally, you sit up and look at him.  “Are you sure you don’t mean ten AM?”

“No, it’s nighttime,” he responds, looking away from you.  His face is beyond expressionless, as always, but for some reason you think he sounds a little guilty.  He turns as you shift over and lay a hand on his shoulder.

“Tell me what you’re thinking.  You know I’m shit at reading you,” you murmur.

Dave looks at you and doesn’t say anything.  With his eyes hidden behind those dark sunglasses, he’s even harder to read than before.  Slowly, you reach for them and lift them off his face.  Dave tenses but allows you to do it.

“Tell me what happened,” you urge him quietly.  “The last thing I remember is the coffee shop.  We talked to Jake, and for some reason, some coffee beans fell in the back. What happened after that?”

Dave visibly tenses more when you mention Jake.  Without the protection of his shades, you see the pain in his eyes. He looks away from you.

You’re growing impatient. Dave needs to do some talking right now. “Dave, tell me.  What happened?”

“You tried to get Jake to bond with you,” he finally responds.  Slowly, he tears his eyes away from the floor and looks at you. “Jake’s not even a full vampire yet, and you wanted him to bond with you.”

Your breath stills and your eyes widen.  “I… what?!” You sit back, not believing what you’re hearing.  “No. No way!  I don’t want anything to do with bonding! There’s no way I told him that!”

Dave can’t hide the visible wound you drive into his soul when you tell him you don’t want anything to do with bonding.  He physically withdraws back from you.  His red eyes look more than hurt.  If you look closely enough, you think he might start… crying?

Quickly, Dave swipes his shades back from your hands and puts them on.  “Anyway, you didn’t bond with him.  Dirk and I stopped that.  I was actually just waiting for you to wake up. That’s why I’m still here. Had to make sure you didn’t sleep your pretty little self into a coma or something. Not like I routinely influence people or anything.  But it’s nighttime now and there’s demon’s to kill, so I’ve gotta go for a while.”

Dave turns to leave, and for a few seconds you’re stunned by his words.  It takes a few moments to piece together the meaning behind his verbal diarrhea, but eventually you do.

Dave influenced you to stop you from bonding with Jake.  And he’s deeply hurt about it.

Without thinking, you reach out and grab his arm, pulling him back.  You know he’s way stronger than you, and he could pull out of your weak human grasp if he wanted to.  

But he doesn’t.

Dave just stands there as you turn him around to face you again.  You can tell that behind that practiced mask of stoicism he’s hurt.  

“Please don’t run away,” you tell him softly.

Dave doesn’t say anything for a second, but finally he sighs, “I’m not runnin’ away.  This is kinda my house.  I— we can talk about it later.  I’ve gotta kill some demons and—”

“Please. Don’t go, Dave. Let Dirk handle the demons tonight,” you tell him, your voice a quiet whisper. You need Dave here right now. Need him to not be so upset with you.

You need it because he’s your mate.  Because something deep inside you knows that he is yours.  Yours to take care of and love.  Yours to calm and protect.

You can’t have him upset with you.  Not like this.

Dave hesitates.  He glances between you and the stairway up to his front door.  But in the end, he sighs a defeated, “ok.”  

You watch him pull out his phone and send a quick text, probably to Dirk.  Then he puts the phone away and looks back up at you.

Dave stares at you from behind his shades.  

You stare back at him.

You wonder what’s going on inside his head.  

Dave’s probably wondering the same about you.

The silence reaches the point where one of you should have said something by now, but neither of you do.

You stand staring at each other for so long that it’s well past the awkward pause phase.

The silence stretches so long that it moves on to the point where it’s almost funny.  

Unable to help yourself, you crack a small smile.  It could be your imagination, but you think you see the corner of Dave’s lips quirk a little too.

Slowly, you reach out and pull those ridiculous shades off him again.

He lets you do it. You think you’re probably the only person who has that privilege.  The thought that Dave trusts you so much fills you with warmth.

The warmth in your chest spreads as you’re again captivated by his beautiful red eyes.  You can tell just by looking into his eyes that Dave is completely in love with you.  He’s upset about this bonding business and irritated by your confusion.  

But Dave loves you so much he could never leave you.

Something about that gives you solace and the confidence you need to lean in for a light kiss.

Dave responds immediately, his lips gently moving against yours.  His hands wind their way around your hips, pulling your body closer to his as your lips move along each others.  He traps your lower lip between his, nipping very gently, not nearly hard enough to draw blood. Dave hungrily licks inside your mouth as if he’s desperate to taste you.

Vampires, you have found, are quick to cut to the chase.  

You moan into the kiss, your body falling easily against his.  Your hands wind up above his shoulders, looping around his neck and drawing him in even deeper.  Both of you are craving each other, starving for the intimacy that you know will make this better.

You’re so caught up in kissing Dave that you barely register him pulling you back towards the bed. You hardly even think about the fact that you very well might have sex with Dave soon.  

You, the boy who was so concerned with butt-touching.  A manly handshake was the most physical contact you ever thought you’d have with another guy.

You know what happens after this point.  After two people in love have a disagreement.  After all the kissing and gentle fondling.  After you make it onto the bed, other things will happen. Things you’ve only read about or watched late at night on your computer alone in your room.

Except that now you’re not alone.  You aren’t sitting by yourself in the darkness of your room, holding back your cries of pleasure with the back of your hand so your dad won’t hear you. You won’t have to sneak into the bathroom to flush away your embarrassing cum-filled tissues and silently pray that your dad won’t ever catch onto what you’ve been doing.

Here, in Dave’s basement home, there’s nobody to hear you.  You’re alone with Dave, your vampire boyfriend, who is currently eyeing you in a way that makes warmth immediately pool down below your stomach.

Dave lays you down on the bedsheets with a finesse that should make you wonder how many times he’s done this.  But he’s smooth, and somehow you’re not even concerned with that little detail.  You love everything about him, and if he’s done this before, you don’t care.

You’re vaguely aware of his hands on you, sliding underneath your shirt to touch your skin with his slender and slightly chilled fingers.  Dave’s always been just a touch colder than you.  It’s not enough that you ever feel uncomfortable or cold from his touch, but it’s just cool enough that you notice.  Dave’s fingers trail up the hint of your abdominal muscles, reaching up to trace your collar bone, and you inhale a sharp breath.

Dave’s fingers toy with the dips around your neck for a bit, as if he’s getting lost in the ridges of your collarbones, the tendons winding up your neck, and the pulse thrumming through your veins.  It’s long enough to make you wonder what he’s thinking about.  

Who are you kidding. Your boyfriend is a vampire.  You know what he’s thinking about.

But before you can even breathe a word of it to him, Dave has forced himself to move on.  You think he makes a small regretful sound as he winds his fingers up past your neck.  As his fingers dig into your hair, his nails raking along your scalp, a tiny soft whine leaves the back of your throat, like a plea for more.

Dave doesn’t miss a beat as he settles down on top of you, kissing you silly and giving your body the attention its been craving.  You feel his dick against yours, more than a little hard.  You’d be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t want him.

“Ahhnnn….” You moan softly as he dips his hips, grinding your dicks lightly together beneath your clothes. Immediately, you flush in embarrassment and draw the back of your hand up to your mouth to stifle yourself from making any more shameful sounds.

Dave immediately pulls your hand away.   “Don’t do that.”

Your cheeks go red with flustered embarrassment.  You’ve never known anything other than biting back your moans.

“I wanna hear you make those sounds for me,” Dave says.  You’re acutely aware of his eyes on you, never leaving your face, as he dips his hips and slowly draws your clothed dicks against each other again.  A satisfied little smirk crosses his lips as you fail to hold back another long moan, this one a little louder than the last.  

“Dave, I—” you whine softly as he grinds you together again.  You feel frantic now, like he’s taking away the last bit of control you have over yourself.  Your neck and face and cheeks are burning hot, and you don’t know if you can bring yourself to say the next words.  It takes you a couple seconds, but reluctantly you stammer them out. “—I’ll get loud.  Really loud.”

In response, Dave purposefully grinds you together even harder, drawing a sharp loud cry from you. This time, there is no mistaking Dave’s grin.  “I wanna hear you come for me.”

It’s terribly unfair how alluring he is.  Dave has always easily captivated your interest with his looks and voice alone. It sends chills down your spine to hear him say he wants you.  Wants to hear these terrible things you’ve always hidden.

Even though you don’t respond, Dave seems to understand how badly you want it.  He works out a slow easy rhythm.  It’s almost languid, the way he rolls his hips against yours and pushes you into the bed.

Dave seems to know exactly how to draw those long unbridled moans out of you.  It terrifies you but also fills you with a sick delight to finally voice how good you feel.  You can’t stop the feeling in the back of your head that it’s wrong to be this loud.  That you shouldn’t be screaming already.

Fuck, are you screaming already?

“Ahhh-AAAHHHH!!!!” you cry, your head thrown back and your body pushing back hot and hard against his.

Yes, clearly you’re screaming already.  And Dave hasn’t even put his dick in you.  

Or… or you in him? You’re really not sure how that’s going to work.

It turns out you won’t even need to worry about that.  You’re pretty sure you’re both going to come without that extra bit of… of penetration?

“Ddddd…. Dave….. DAVE!!!” You’re not thinking right at all, and you don’t really care.  All you can focus on is Dave, giving you the sweetest pleasure. His body doesn’t seem cold at all anymore. It’s burning hot, and so are you.

The sounds you’re making could never even pass as words, even though you’re trying to speak. You’re trying to tell Dave how good he is, how good he feels.

You think you might at some point manage to scream out how much you love him before you come.

“That’s it,” Dave says, encouraging you with that last bit of needed pressure against your dick. “That’s what I wanted to hear.”

You feel your hot sticky cum spreading in your pants, and after the initial bliss wears off, it feels so embarrassing.  A shameful diffusion of wetness and heat.  You didn’t even have time to grab a Kleenex, and you just came in your pants.

But you find you can’t care about that at all, because a few seconds later, you feel the pulsing of Dave’s dick against your own.  You know he’s doing the same as he grips you tighter, his jaw clenched tightly as he breathes harshly against your neck.  You know he’s making a mess of his own underwear, and somehow you know he really doesn’t give a damn.

Your breaths begin to slow and even out, and you’re left acutely aware that something just happened between you and Dave.  Something that you think might be sex, but you’re really not sure.

How does—how does that even work?  You think that more was supposed to happen, but you can’t be completely sure.

All you know is that whatever happened was good.  Even if it did leave a mess in your pants.  

Dave is laying beside you now, cradled into your side.  It’s clear he has absolutely no intention of cleaning up, and with the heavy weight of his body on you, you don’t think you’ll have that option either.  You kind of want to, because you feel gross, but you kind of don’t want to move either.  So instead, you look at his face.  His alluring red eyes are on you, his gaze focused on yours.

No words are spoken between you. Behind his eyes, you know he’s silently pleading for things to be ok between you now.  And—and there’s something else.

A primal hunger. You’re not sure if it’s for your blood or for sex.  Maybe it’s for both.

But you find that you really don’t have the energy to discuss that with him right now.  You just slept away most of the day, but you’re ready to sleep again.  You shift a little bit, as much as his body draped across yours will allow.  Leaning in and kissing him is effortless and wonderful.

A small smile spreads across Dave’s lips. It causes happiness to bloom in your chest, a chain reaction of pleasant little bursts that travel from your chest all the way down to your fingers and toes.  When Dave kisses you back, you know that everything will be ok.

*             *             *

You wake up again, sometime later, still John Egbert.  You’re still a little sleepy, but you’ve been roused from your slumber by a very peculiar sensation.

Something’s tickling you. Something warm and nice.

You’re not awake enough to fully understand this.  A quiet disgruntled noise leaves your throat, and you try to scoot away from the thing that’s tickling you.

But you find that no matter how far you scoot, the tickling follows you.

You wake up a little bit more, enough to realize that it’s not really a ticklish sensation you’re feeling, but a sensitive and slightly pleasurable feeling.  The feeling happens to be on your neck.

That thought makes your breath catch.  Quickly, you find yourself very awake.  It only takes you a few seconds to confirm what’s really going on.

Dave is licking your neck.

You might be mistaken, but you’re pretty sure he’s still asleep.

Dave is sleep licking your neck.

You wonder if he wants to—no, you don’t even need to ask yourself that question.  You know what he wants.  It’s painfully obvious what he wants.

Dave wants your blood.

You knew your boyfriend was a vampire.  You knew that when you started dating him.  You knew that this day would come someday.

You honestly thought it would be sooner.  But Dave has always shown a remarkable amount of restraint.  He’s never once given any indication that he wanted to bite you, even though you assumed he must.

But now, while he’s asleep, it seems his vampire instincts are coming out.  Asleep, Dave doesn’t have the ability to hold them back.

When was the last time he ate?  You think he probably eats every day or so.  But you got him up early yesterday to go to the café.  And then he put you to sleep and brought you back here.  He said he watched you all day while you slept.  And then last night you had that fight and make up sex.

And then you both fell asleep.  And here you are, the next day already.

It’s been a few days since Dave has eaten.  You aren’t sure how long he can go without feeding, but given the licking at your neck, you suspect that Dave has reached his limit.

You shiver as you feel the gentle lick of Dave’s tongue along your neck.  He hasn’t bitten you yet.  You haven’t even felt the sharpness of his teeth on your skin yet.  The only thing you feel is the soft warm wet swipe of his tongue against your skin, as if he’s licking the most delicious popsicle he’s ever tasted.

You’re a little embarrassed to think about it, but you kind of like it.  You like that Dave wants you this much.  It makes you feel important in a peculiar but decidedly wonderful way. You’re important to Dave, and that’s important to you.

And fuck, he’s still licking your neck!

It sets in slowly, but eventually you start to feel guilty.  You feel bad that you’re seeing this side of him that he clearly tries to hide. You want him to show you his vampiric side because he wants to, not because he’s sleeping and can’t control himself.

Despite the guilt, you let him keep licking.  You lay beside him, taking in the warmth of his tongue on your neck for several minutes.

But suddenly, it’s more than just his tongue on your neck.  Dave makes a low, nearly predatory growl.  His motions change from tiny sweet licks to rougher and longer sweeps along your neck.

Suddenly, you feel the sharpness of his teeth raking against your skin.

You inhale a quick breath and hold it, suddenly on edge.  It’s not that you don’t want him to bite you.  But… you always thought it would be different?  Actually, you’re not sure what you thought.  It’s not really an idea you had entertained, but now you are entertaining it, and you don’t think you want it to be like this.  You’re not really sure what you want.  But you know you don’t want him to instinctively bite you while he’s sleeping.

You want Dave to be awake. You want it to mean something.

You have to wake him.

“Dave,” you murmur, pulling away from him gently.  He clings to you unconsciously, not letting you pull far away.  “Dave, hey, you’ve got to wake up.”

You fidget in his grasp, trying to free yourself a little from his affectionate embrace.  Dave really is so clingy when he’s asleep! Eventually, you maneuver your arm enough to poke him in the face.

Dave swats at your hand, a little pout on his lips.  Clearly he doesn’t want to wake up.

He’s extremely adorable when he’s sleeping.  You can’t help giggling and poking at his cheek again.

Finally, you see his eyes crack open, those beautiful red irises slowly focusing on you. “Mmm…. Morning.”

“Good morning,” you tell him, feeling relieved but also a little disappointed that he’s himself again. The gentle licking at your neck has stopped. The sharp teeth are hidden carefully inside Dave’s mouth, not visible anymore.   “Geez you sleep a lot.”

Something is a little off about Dave. Maybe it’s just that he’s waking up, but he doesn’t even have a witty retort for you.  Nothing about beauty rest, or anything.

You swallow a little bit, realizing what’s wrong with Dave.  You don’t miss it as his eyes flick over to your neck.  Without the safety of his dark shades, you can see that wine red gaze follow your adam’s apple as it bobs when you swallow.

“You were…” you trail off briefly, debating whether to tell him or not.  It doesn’t take you long to decide that yes, you have to tell him. The whole point of waking him up was so that this could mean something.  Whatever that something might be.  “…licking my neck last night.”

“I was?” Dave blinks sleepily at you.  “Must’ve been havin’ a good dream… maybe you were a sucker.”

You watch as he yawns and stretches.  Dave is good at hiding those teeth when he wants to. You don’t even catch a glimpse of them.  But you remember the way they felt on your neck.  The thought makes you feel a light flush rise to your cheeks. “I’m not your sucker!” You finally exclaim and roll your eyes at him.  

“Sunlight takes a lot outta me,” Dave admits. Finally, the typical banter you were expecting rolls off his tongue.  “Sleep is my lover, and this bed is my vessel.”

You realize from Dave’s response that it must be morning already.  Of course Dave would instinctively know something like that. You also realize that Jake is scheduled to work by himself at the coffee shop again.  You can’t let your poor sick cousin work alone.  “Look, I’ll make you coffee whenever you decide to come to the shop. I’m going early. Jake needs help, even if he won’t ask for it.”

Dave groans dramatically. “Nooooooo.  Stay here.  Stay here and SLEEP god what is it with you weirdos and not wantin’ to sleep it’s the best goddamn thing there is.”

“I agree, sleep is nice, but I have to help Jake out!” you insist, leaning in and booping his nose playfully.  “Besides. You wouldn’t want to sleep half your life away, would you?”

You slide closer to him, feeling the warmth of his body against yours. “It is warm in here with you though,” you murmur, loving how your bodies fit so easily next to each other.

Gingerly, you lean in and kiss him on the cheek, and then on the side of the mouth.  You eye him in a playful way and say, “I might be convinced to stay a little bit longer.”

At first, Dave makes a pleased sound, collecting you into his arms and nuzzling into you.  But his comfort is short-lived.  You watch as Dave shifts a little, pulling away from you and frowning as if he’s thinking about something.  It’s almost inaudible, but you hear it when he quietly mutters, “fuck…”

Dave’s expression changes slightly. His face is the same, but his eyes give everything away. Behind his vibrant red eyes, you see a slight panic.  Fear. He’s afraid of something.  

He’s afraid of biting you.

You pretend not to notice. “What is it, Dave?”

Again, you see that torn expression on Dave’s face.  He looks like he wants to kiss you back and also scream at the same time. Finally, he responds.  You would swear that his voice is a little more shaken as he says, “John, I need you to sit tight for maybe…. 20 minutes.  I’ve gotta go out.”

Dave leaves you in the bed as he suddenly gets up and rushes around the room, pulling clothes on.  You watch him first put on his shirt backwards, then swear a little before flipping it around.  Then he stumbles a little as he tries to slip on a sock while also reaching for his shades.

You snatch the shades away before Dave can get them.  You want to see the look in his eyes when you talk to him.  “You need to go out in the daytime?”

You know vampires don’t feed during the daytime.  They’re usually passed out all day for a reason.  If Dave’s rushing out to go eat, he’s either in really bad shape, or really afraid of something else.

Suddenly, a terrible thought comes to your mind.  What if Dave is finally fed up with you?  What if this isn’t about him needing blood?  

It’s irrational, and you know it is, but you get up, hug him to you tightly, and murmur, “don’t go yet. Stay with me a little bit longer?”

You feel Dave cringe a little.  You hear the sound of him taking a sharp breath that you know he doesn’t need.

What’s it going to be? Is he tired of you, or does he really need blood that badly?

Time passes.  You hold him and wait.

“John—fuck.” Eventually, he sighs out, “If I stay here, I’m going to bite you.  You don’t want that, alright?  I’ll be back.  I just… I have to go.”

Normal people would probably run for their lives at this point.  Normal people would at the very least let Dave go and do what he’s told you he has to do.

You’ve long ago decided that you’re not normal.  Rather than feeling gripping fear that should really be tearing through you right now, you feel relief.  

Dave still wants you. Dave didn’t make something up just so he could go.

He’s hungry, and he needs blood.

Well.

You have blood?

You’ve heard from Rose that a vampire’s bite isn’t bad.  Rose’s girlfriend Kanaya is a vampire.  Rose said it’s actually quite nice when Kanaya bites her.  You always thought that sounded scary before.  You didn’t see how Rose could let that happen, no matter how nice it felt.

And how could a bite feel nice?  You really don’t see how.  But now, standing next to Dave, you’re starting to wonder if that matters.  You wonder if you should let him bite you anyway. You get the feeling Dave wouldn’t hesitate too much to bite you.  He said himself that he would.

After all, Dave is your boyfriend.  You do trust him.

“You… you can control it, right?” you ask him quietly, gauging the waters.

“Huh?” Dave murmurs, looking very distracted.  “Yes, dude, I’m old enough. Not gonna hurt the people, just gotta have enough to help me last the day.  Swear I’ll be right back.”

You look into his eyes, and you can clearly see it now that you’re looking for it.  The red color burning in his irises is a slightly different color than last night.  It’s more vivid.  Somehow you doubt that Dave is lying about needing to feed.

“Dave,” you begin, your voice growing quieter.  “Do you think you might want to—”

Your voice trails off, because fuck, this is a lot harder to say than you thought it would be!  How do you just ask your vampire boyfriend to bite you?  

Oh shit.  You really do want it, don’t you?  You want him to bite you.  You want Dave to know how much you trust him.  You want to be a bigger part of his life than just a “human boyfriend.”

And you have plenty of blood to spare, right?  You know Dave wouldn’t hurt you.  

Your voice is quiet, barely audible, as you finish your sentence, “—bite me?”

Dave freezes.  It’s clear you’ve thrown him for a loop.  His hands still on your back, and his fingers grip your shirt a little as he debates your words.  “John… are you sure?  It’s… I mean it won’t hurt, but it’s a big step. And you don’t have to do this because you’re feeling guilty about anything.  You didn’t bond with Jake. We’re good.  And I’m fine the way things are. I’m perfectly cool going out and finding someone else to bite.”

You listen as Dave rambles on and on.  You hear him and kind of don’t hear him at the same time.  You could listen to Dave go on all day, but you know you don’t have all day.  From the way Dave’s eyeing you, his gaze flicking more and more towards your neck, you would guess you probably only have a few minutes at most.

Dave leans forward, his arms circling more around your lower back.  His hands rest on your hips, just shy of your butt.  It looks like it takes him some effort, but he pulls his gaze away from your neck.  

Dave’s eyes are an even more vivid red than they were just a minute ago.  You’re running out of time.  

“I want you to tell me you want this,” Dave says, the playfulness gone from his voice.  His tone is remarkably level as he speaks. He’s serious, but gentle.  You know he’s baring his soul to you.  “And if you mean it…. I’ll know.”

Dave’s red gaze is powerful and penetrating.  It’s so intense that you know his words are true.  You’re making a very big decision, possibly one of the biggest decisions in your life.  You know this isn’t as big as the bonding thing, but from the way Dave is looking at you, his eyes pleading and a little hopeful, you know that it’s important to him.

Maybe if you give this to him, he’ll understand?  You do love him. You care about him and find him crazy attractive.  And even though you’re not really sure you’re ready for bonding, you want to give him something that will show him your commitment to him. More than just the simple word “boyfriend.”

“Yeah,” you find yourself saying.  The words flow out of your lips without hesitation. “Yeah, I want this.”

“John…” Dave breathes out. Somehow, his gaze grows even more intense.  His brows knit as he seems to be debating something.  His eyes dart back down to your neck for a brief moment before he tears his gaze away, looking back into your eyes.  

You wonder what’s going through his mind.  You wonder if he can tell how excited and also nervous you are.  Can he feel the acceleration of your heartbeat?  Does he know how much he means to you?  

Does he know you would give anything for him?

The thought hits you suddenly, making you feel a little weak in the knees.  Thankfully, Dave’s already circled his arms tightly enough around your waist that you’re in no danger of falling.

There’s no time to think about that anymore, because Dave’s lips are on you.  Dave kisses you gently, more tender than his usual kisses.  He leaves a trail of wet heat behind as he begins kissing across your cheek, around the angle of your jaw, and down your neck.  When he reaches your neck, he kisses a little harder.  His tongue darts out and he licks your skin the same way he sleep-licked you not long ago.

Then he stops and draws a shaky breath.  He pulls away just enough to see into your eyes.  Without words, he seems to be asking your permission one last time.  

You’re quick to give it to him.  “Go ahead, Dave.”

The sharp prick of Dave’s teeth floods your senses almost as soon as the words leave your mouth.  You gasp as you feel his teeth sink into your neck.

Dave LIED about it not hurting!

But it doesn’t hurt that bad.  And actually…

Actually now…

Oh.

Oh.

“Mmmm….” You moan, holding Dave and leaning into him.  Rose was definitely downplaying when she said this felt nice.  

This feels way better than nice.  This feels…

“NNnnnn…. Dave….” You murmur quietly, your hands clenching the back of Dave’s shirt as he drinks from you. You feel closer to your vampire boyfriend than you’ve felt to anybody.  Ever.  It’s like letting Dave have a part of you that you haven’t given to anybody before. “Dave…”

Dave’s bite makes a pleasurable heat spread through your body.  It doesn’t shock you when it collects and pools just below your waist, but you do gasp again when your arousal brushes Dave’s thigh.  Everything seems so hyper-charged right now.

You’re barely aware of what’s happening at all.  You think you might be grinding against his leg, feeling impossibly hard, but you aren’t sure.  All you feel is the warmth of Dave’s body next to yours, his arms around your waist, his lips on your neck.

And all too soon, it’s over.

A soft embarrassing whine leaves your lips as Dave licks your neck a couple times before pulling away. Dave chuckles at you and murmurs, “can’t get enough of me, huh?”

You shake your head no, and you’re honestly not sure if you mean it as a joke or not.  You want Dave to keep doing whatever he was doing.  It felt so nice.  It felt so right.

“Shh, calm down Eggbuns. That’s the bite talking, not you,” Dave says in a way that you think is supposed to be reassuring, but somehow it isn’t.  Dave sounds almost a little sad about it.  If you were in your right frame of mind right now, you might ask him about it.

It’s only after a few more seconds pass and you come back to yourself a little bit, that you realize one mortifying fact.  Yes, you were grinding on Dave’s leg.  You still kind of are.

You stop moving immediately, feeling even more flushed with embarrassment.  You look up into Dave’s eyes, worried that you’ll see disapproval, but instead, he looks slightly amused. “What….. what just happened?” you manage to stammer.

“You just fed me,” Dave responds, suspiciously simply.  

You narrow your eyes at him a little.  “No, not that.  What just happened?!” you demand, pointedly pressing your still impossibly hard dick against his leg again.

“Oh that.”

“Yeah, that.”

Dave glances aside for a second before looking back at you and admitting, “vampire bites might have a kind of sexual effect on humans.  Especially if we love them.”

You glare at him sharply, feeling offended, “you’ve been having sex with everyone you bite?!”  

It’s kind of petty, you know, but you’re still pissed!  Dave is your boyfriend.  Nobody else should be getting turned on and grinding on him but you!

Despite your clear anger, Dave laughs, “I’m not an incubus!  I don’t have sex with them.  They feel a little pleasure, but it’s not like this.”

When you continue to glare at him, he amends, “I mean, they feel a little?  Like it feels nice enough that they don’t run away while I’m feeding, but nobody’s ever done this before.” He says, gesturing to your dick.

Your dick, which you’ve started grinding on him.  Again.

Fuck, when did you lose this much control over yourself?  What is Dave doing to you?

“Let me take care of you?” Dave asks, his voice pleading.  When you don’t protest, he swoops you up into his arms and carries you back to the bed.  “You took care of me, I wanna repay the favor.”

You find that you can’t exactly protest when Dave deposits you onto the bed.  You watch him pull down your pants and boxers. You wince as you see the cum stain still on your boxers, but you can’t focus on that for long.

Dave’s tongue on your dick is very distracting.  

“Ahhhnnn….. mmmnn!!!” you moan as Dave begins licking you with a tongue that you suspect is far too experienced.  You start to ask him about that, but your words are lost as he takes your entire dick into his mouth and down his throat.

You come in an embarrassingly short few seconds, screaming for Dave in a way that makes you blush.

Dave, much to your horror, drinks down all of your cum.  He makes a show of licking your tip and then licking his lips.  “You really wanted me, didn’t you?”

“Shut up,” you protest weakly, pushing at him half-heartedly.  But when Dave pulls you closer, you’re quick to settle into his warm embrace.  It kind of occurs to you that this might have been sex.  If whatever happened earlier wasn’t sex, then maybe this was.  The thought is brief and fleeting, passing through your foggy brain quickly before you can dwell on it.

“Thought you were going to help Jake out this morning?” Dave chides you, lightly running his fingers along your arm.

“I am. Just… gimme a couple minutes,” you murmur, closing your eyes and resting your head against Dave’s shoulder.  Sleepily, you murmur, “if this is how all your bites are going to end, we need to do this more often.”

Dave’s hand stills on our bicep.  “How often?”

“I don’t want you feeding from anyone else,” you tell him, a yawn overtaking your last words.  “I’m... yours.”

You think Dave murmurs something back.  Something along the lines of being yours too, but you can’t be sure.  Your mind is too hazy from sleepiness and sex and Dave’s vampire bite.

You don’t mind being Dave’s. You quite like that idea.

You fall asleep to the pleasant thoughts of Dave being yours.

[lateniteslacker]

So cute!!! I’m in love!

“He made a horrible impression of me and you still bought it!”

From the most recent chapter (for now) of Blood and Coffee by: @lateniteslacker and @sachigram <3

This part really made me laugh xD

Keep up the good work girls, maybe some fans are not taking chapter 14 in a good way, but I’m sure everything is necessary for the plot and i’m always waiting for a new chapter ^^/

[lateniteslacker]

I love this!!! Such lovely artwork!!!

For the @johndaveweek 2017

Day1: Fanfic/Fanart Trade

Inspired on “Blood and Coffee” by sachi-sama and LateNiteSlacker

____

“Tonight was fun,” you tell him, still smiling at him as you lean back against the frame of your door.  You laugh a little as you feel the yellow salamander squish against the doorframe and your back, reminding you that it’s still in your hood.

“Yeah, it was,” Dave agrees. He steps a little closer, taking off the crocodile he’d had balanced on his head all night and stuffing it under his arm.  

“It’s been so long since I’ve gone out with anyone before,” you catch yourself and quickly stammer. “You know.  As friends.”

“Totally as friends,” Dave agrees.  You wish you could see behind his dark glasses, but you have no hope of looking past them at this time of night, even as he leans in a little closer.

“You’re… pretty good at games,” you murmur, not sure why you hesitated there. As if you were struggling to think of something to say to keep Dave here.  You don’t want him to leave.

“So are you,” he agrees again. He’s so close that you can feel the warmth from his body.  His leg is brushing against your leg, and he’s SO CLOSE to you.

You don’t want him to leave.  You don’t ever want him to leave.

You want him forever.

And suddenly, you’re leaning in the rest of the way.  You’re meeting his lips as they brush lightly against yours, making that perfect little sound lips make when they just barely meet.  

You’re kissing him.

You’re kissing Dave Strider.

[lateniteslacker]

Requiem of Trust

I’m posting it!  Castlevania is dear to my heart, and so too is this story.

I wrote this story seven years ago on a whim, long before I posted anything on AO3.  If you’re looking for a masterful work of art, turn around now.  What you’ll read in this story is nothing of the sort.

What you will find in this story is my deep love of the Castlevania games and its characters. It’s meant to be comical, fun, and hopefully endearing.  Yes, there is a plot, but it’s nothing you’ll need tissues for this time around.

As I mentioned, this story is old.  If you’ve read any of my other work, you’ll see how far I’ve come as a writer.  While I will be editing this to fix grammatical errors and a few outdated references, I don’t intend to change much of the story structure itself.  Since editing can take some time, there may be a few days in between each chapter posted.

With that said, please enjoy this trip with me into the past.  I hope you’ll love Requiem of Trust and its sequel Modern Problems!

The story is on AO3 here!

Chapter 1: Mind Your Manners

Modern Day.

He was the height of hip. The lead rockstar. The epitome of modern fashion.

Nothing was getting in Leon Belmont's way.

Nothing of course, except the barista at the local Starbucks.

"For the last time, I just want it plain!" Leon demanded.

"Do you mean plain coffee? Tea? Water?" The girl in the purposeless green visor asked.

"Just pick something from your silly chalk-board and make it!" Leon sighed in exasperation.

"Got it," the girl agreed, with far too much pep.  She punched a few things into the register and then quickly read off, "Skinny, mocha, light, decaf, double-blended, extra hot?"

Leon was at the point of pulling his hair out. "Just… anything!"

"Ok ok!" She rolled her eyes at him and muttered something that sounded like, "You need to chill."

Leon ignored her comment, because clearly she was the one who needed to chill.  He handed her cash, allowing her to keep the change, glad that the horrible exchange was finally over. Just as he almost had his beverage in hand, six horrible words echoed through the room.

"Do you want whip-cream with that?"

"AAAARRGH!" Leon grabbed the drink and marched out of the store.

Finally alone in the nighttime air, he paused to sigh in relief. He would never understand what his descendants saw in this place.

Suddenly, he was reminded of why he was even standing in front of this hellish cafe. He was here to meet someone inside.

Leon turned around, but shook his head, determined not to re-enter the store unless absolutely necessary. So, he settled for sitting on the wooden bench just outside.

He didn't have to wait long before a weight settled silently into the bench next to him. "Leon Belmont. It's been ages."

Technically, it had only been a week. But Leon allowed his somewhat delusional friend the mistake. "Joachim Armster, it's good to see you well, old friend."

"I'm not that old," Joachim scoffed. "I'll never understand your dislike of coffee cafes. What did you get this time?"

“I really couldn’t tell you,” Leon replied, ignoring the scoff and handing the whatever-drink to his friend.  As he turned to face him, he noticed the change in Joachim’s appearance.  

Joachim had taken to adding colors to his hair this decade, often choosing the most bizarre hues. Today it was purple.

He had also grown fond of the "hipster" fashion movement, wearing tight-fitting jeans that betrayed every slight movement and a light pink button down with the top half buttons unbuttoned in a characteristic way that said, "yeah, what do I care? Fuck you.  Fuck me."

Joachim had even tried the man-bun once a few days ago. It hadn’t ended well.

All in all, he blended in decently well, for a vampire. Joachim had long ago started clipping, filing, and painting his claw-like fingernails and adopting the clothing of the era. The only things that betrayed him now were his skin and his eyes, which were both a tad too pale and unnaturally ethereal.

While Leon admired the clothing he would never choose to wear, Joachim took a sip of the mystery drink, and made a disgusted face.

"You don't like it?" Leon asked. "I just told the girl to make anything."

"On the contrary, it's delicious." Joachim admitted, taking another sip. "It's you, Leon. Did you go thrifting again?"

"I… maybe…?" Leon said noncommittally.

"Leon, what have I told you about thrifting?! You can never hope to blend in with the times that way!" Joachim explained for the 100billionth time, exasperated.

"It’s just," Leon trailed off, thinking of something to say.  Eventually he insisted weakly, “you can’t beat the prices?”

Joachim turned to face Leon squarely.  He extended a delicate index finger and pointed out the atrocities in Leon’s wardrobe with a true fashionista’s merciless cruelty. "Leg warmers went out in the 80's, tye-dye bellbottoms in the 60's, striped felt shirts in the 70's, and… oh… the speckled fedora is so last year."

As he made the last comment, the vampire flicked Leon's prized fedora off his head, revealing his ratted blond hair. He could have sworn that Joachim almost cried. "Oh no! No no no! How could you do that to your hair?!!"

"It's fashionable?" Leon ventured.

"Hideous is more like it. Oh Leon Belmont, you had the hair of the GODS, and now you've given it up to punk fashion, the one fashion trend you absolutely should never follow!" Joachim cursed in an ancient language that Leon didn't exactly know and whined at his perfectly manicured fingernails. "If only I still had my old nails! I would tear your hair back into shape right now!"

Leon ducked as the vampire swiped at his hair anyway, placing the fedora back on his head. "All right! Fine! I'll brush it out tomorrow."

Joachim eyed him critically. "You had better. I wish I had seen you before tonight, we could have remedied this fashion disaster before…"

"My apologies, I appear to be late." The familiar ever-late voice sat on Leon's other side, his arrival taking both men by surprise.

"Not to worry," Leon assured him, "I'm glad you could make it, Alucard."

Alucard nodded to them both, politely reasserting, "I would prefer it if you referred to me as 'Arikado' when we are out in public."

Joachim blinked at him. "Why? It's not like we're in Japan. They're the only ones who really speak that way."

"True, people will probably just think you're trying too hard to be Gothic.  Or a weeaboo," Leon noted.

“A gothic weeaboo?” Joachim suggested.

“A gothic weeaboo,” Leon agreed, admiring the classy black suit Alucard chose to wear in public. Like Joachim, Alucard had decided to color his hair with the times, though typically he stayed to normal colors. Today it was black, completing his modern goth wardrobe.  

As a dhampire, Alucard had the good fortune of having many vampiric benefits from his father and immunity to the sun, a gift from his human mother. Despite said immunity, Alucard's skin was still frightfully pale.  

It was a pity.  Alucard would fit in remarkably well were it not for his skin and mesmerizingly piercing eyes.

Remembering who he had actually come here to meet, Leon questioned, "Did you bring the young one with you?"

Alucard nodded.

Leon looked around expectantly, but didn't see another soul in sight. "Where is he?"

"He's ordering something inside," Alucard finally said.

Knowing that Alucard was never much for words, Leon instead turned to Joachim, who appeared to be closely observing the tips of his hair. "I knew I shouldn't trust that discount brand. It's already washing out."

"But you're not even wet," Leon pointed out.

"I know!" Joachim snapped back.

Deciding that he really needed to evaluate the sanity of who he associated with better, Leon calmly sat and waited for the final member of their party to show.

Eventually, he emerged from the store, sipping his drink through a green straw. The youth wore faded flare jeans, only two unnecessary belts, a long-sleeved black turtleneck, and a white fur-collared trench coat, which he had draped casually over his shoulders.

Leon felt like reminding the boy that it was the middle of summer, but he didn't suppose that would matter to him. Instead, he offered his hand. "Soma Cruz, I presume? I've heard much about you. It's good to finally meet your acquaintance."

Like Joachim and Alucard, Soma appeared to be afflicted with terribly pale skin. His chin-length silver hair framed his face as he leaned down to take Leon's hand, and his cold grey eyes somehow seemed to hold more life to them than they should.

"No need to be so formal Mr…?" Soma said as he reached behind him without looking and grabbed a chair.  Easily, he swung it around the opposite way and straddled the seat, leaning forward on the backing of the metal chair.  During the entire chair flip, Soma continued to face them, his eyes never leaving Leon’s, and his lips never leaving his drink.

With talent like this, it was no wonder Soma had recently defeated Dracula.

"Leon Belmont, forget the Mr." Leon smiled at him, expecting the usual reaction when people in "the know" heard his full name.

Soma continued to sit in his chair sipping coffee. "Belmont? That's cool. I met Julius Belmont a while ago. Said he'd kill me if I became Dracula. You know him?"

"Both, I'm afraid, though it's been long since I've seen either." Leon admitted. He had meant to stop by for Julius's 30th birthday. He really had.

Soma grinned, "If I didn't win, you might be looking at Dracula right now."

At this, Alucard reached over and slapped Soma's hand without hesitation. "Don't speak of those things in public. It's terribly uncouth."

Soma rolled his eyes. "Yes, grandma, I'll make sure not to tell Leon-Fucking-Belmont that his great-great-great-great-great-great grandson beat my ass with his whip in MY fucking castle when I was ( temporarily) Dracula."

Leon sat aghast at the knowledge and language. Youth these days certainly were different.

Meanwhile, Joachim was grinning maniacally. "I like this one. Can I keep him?"

"No, Joachim, that's the caffeine and bloodlust talking," Leon sighed. "Just finish your coffee."

Joachim pouted, not denying either point, but muttered. "It's tea."

"So Leon, it's cool meeting you and all, but tell me, why'd you drag me out here?" Soma asked.

Not wasting time, Leon leaned in closer, glancing around them quickly to ensure that they wouldn't be overheard by anyone nearby. "Soma, for centuries now, I have helped my descendants defeat Dracula."

"That's cool, but ehh… wouldn't you be helping the other team by helping me?" Soma asked.

"I would be, if you didn't win," Leon said with a grim smile. He wondered how Soma would take his next sentence. "If you didn't win, I would be helping Julius defeat you right now."

Soma grinned at Alucard. "I like this guy, Allie. You don't fuck around with Leon-Fucking-Belmont!"

While Alucard grimaced in disapproval and Joachim dutifully drank his tea, Leon modestly replied, "thanks."

"So Leon, the day needs saving again, right? What've I gotta do this time?" Almost-but-not-quite-Dracula asked, biting his straw before taking another sip.

"I'm glad you asked." Really, Leon was.  Clearly, Soma was enthusiastic and ready to help.  Now that he knew Soma, he wasn't sure the rebellious teen would have cooperated otherwise. He leaned in closer, motioning for the other three to do the same. "Here's what we've got to do…"

LateNiteSlacker’s Notes:

Thank you for reading this far, and welcome to the first End-of-the-Chapter Trivia!  Feel free to challenge yourself to these questions. Comment with your answer if you like.  Don’t cheat and look online!  That spoils the fun. The real answer will be posted in the next chapter!

Chapter Trivia #1!

Should it be possible for these four to travel together? Why or why not?

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CASTLEVANIA will be back in 2018 with eight new episodes.  Since people have been asking. Pass it on.

I’m the writer and the co-producer.

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Dirkjake date :^)

☆ speedpaint

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Always.