Chapter Text
Neil’s mind stumbled back to consciousness sometime later, still before the sun had split the horizon and brought daylight upon them. His head was supported by a soft pillow, much nicer than the shitty motels in which he often woke with blood staining his shirt. Instead, he was lying on Andrew’s bed, the faint scent of washing powder mixed with earth of the forest and a hint of cigarette smoke.
To describe him as awake would be an exaggeration. Given he could barely crack his eyes open, he was unconvinced he could make any of his limbs move, even if he had the mental energy to try. If someone wanted to kill him now, he wouldn’t have been able to defend himself.
But he didn’t have to, not when he was here.
He exhaled slowly and Andrew’s eyes flicked over to him, his blonde hair falling about his head, longer than it had been when they’d first met. Neil wanted to run his hand through it and draw Andrew into a kiss.
Andrew was sitting on the edge of the bed, far enough away that the depression he made in the mattress didn’t shift Neil when he moved. He was trying to drip feed a blood bag into Neil’s mouth, the slightly stale blood dripping down his tongue and into his mouth, or occasionally spilling onto his lips and running down his chin. When that happened, Andrew extended a finger, quickly running it across Neil’s skin, and licking the blood off it. It wasn’t an efficient way of feeding, but it was better than nothing.
‘This would be much easier if you could go hunt, rabbit,’ Andrew said as he wiped Neil’s chest with a towel, cleaning up any blood that had dried on his face.
‘Sor—.’
‘Don’t apologise. At least you’re still alive.’
‘How bad was it?’ Neil slurred, horrified at his own weakness.
‘It’s only been a couple of hours. I’ve been trying to get you to drink the whole time, but this isn’t really the most best way of doing it,’ Andrew’s hand ran through Neil’s hair and he pushed his head into Andrew’s touch, desperate to feel that he was there.
‘Should I do something else. You can go if you want,’ Neil offered, despite dreading Andrew leaving.
‘If I wanted to go anywhere, I would.’
Andrew hadn’t answered his question properly, so Neil tried again, returning to their little game.
‘Truth for a truth, what would make this easier.’
Andrew’s hand froze in Neil’s hair, and he stopped breathing again.
‘You could feed from me. I’ve had plenty to drink, and I didn’t get injured.’
‘I can’t ask you to do that, it’s dangerous. I’ll get better.’
‘Will you?’
Neil didn’t know, but he wouldn’t sacrifice Andrew, even if he wouldn’t make it. Andrew must have sensed his reticence, because he spoke once more.
‘I trust you not to kill me. You’ve done this before.’ Andrew brushed his hand across Neil’s forehead. ‘Yes or no.’
Neil looked up and Andrew’s eyes and knew that they were both willing to put their lives in each other’s hands. Neither of them would do wrong by each other, neither of them needed to worry about the other betraying or misunderstanding them, for once in their lives.
‘Yes. It’s always a yes.’
Andrew slowly rested his left wrist over Neil’s mouth, the soft skin and lightly pulsing vein brushing his lips. Andrew ran his fingers through the short curled hairs at the nape of Neil’s neck and rested his hand there, bracing him against his arm.
Neil kept his eyes fixed on Andrew’s as he drove his fangs into his vein, the skin splitting around his canines as he bit into the flesh. His lips fixed on Andrew’s skin and he couldn’t help but savour the taste of Andrew’s blood, of the iron and life that ran in his veins and kept him alive, a flavour that he’d never experienced before, but wanted to taste every day for the rest of his immortal life. He nearly moaned at the sensation, quashing it to a satisfied hum, which had Andrew watching his eyes more closely than they’d ever been studied before.
He sucked gently, the blood finally allowing his languor to fade, his vision to focus, and the clouds in his mind to dissipate. He closed his eyes, sensing Andrew’s heart pumping the blood, forcing it through his reanimated arteries and into Neil’s mouth. Andrew’s hand was on his neck, cold but comfortable, supporting his head and holding him in place against his arm.
It was better than any animal he’d ever drunk from, any human he’d bitten in the corner of a club or in the alley out the back of some bar, pressing them against the wall as he drained them of blood, leaving them to stumble home and deal with one hell of a hangover. He wanted to stay there forever, but he wouldn’t kill Andrew. Not when he could do this again someday. Not when Andrew had trusted him to stop.
He pulled his lips away from Andrew’s arm, licking the wound closed as he settled back into the pillow.
‘Kiss me.’
Andrew leant forward, pressing him gently against the mattress. Neil was now strong enough move underneath him, but Andrew pushed him back down, refusing to let him move.
‘If you must move, you can put your hands in my hair.’
Neil obeyed instantly, drawing his hands up into Andrew’s hair and letting him taste the remainder of his own blood which coated Neil’s mouth.
‘Feed from me,’ Neil said, panting, when Andrew pulled back from him for a second.
‘When you’re better. Then we can do whatever we want. Forever.’
Neil smiled, and he saw Andrew smile back before he closed his eyes again. Andrew settled down in the bed next to him, wrapping his arms around Neil as they prepared to spend the day resting away from the world.
Neil was finally free of his father, and he finally had someone with whom he might share eternity.