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Once upon a time, there stood a castle, ruled over by a frightening vampire lord. For many, many years, he ruled alone, walking the corridors of his home with a loneliness that could not be soothed.
Then, one day, a knight clad in white and gold showed up on the vampire lord’s doorstep, his armor bloodied and his face sad and tired. Wounded and sick, the knight collapsed in the vampire lord’s presence.
For many days, the knight did not wake, lying on the divide between life and death.
The vampire lord watched over the knight the entire time, studying the curves and angles of his beautiful face and the way that his pale blonde hair framed it. Angelic seemed to be the only word suitable to describe the knight and the vampire lord could not help but wonder what color eyes laid beneath his pale eyelids and what sorts of words would come from his pretty lips.
Miraculously, the knight recovered from his injuries, though he remained sickly.
The first time blue eyes met red, it was as if time stopped. From that point forward, the knight remained by the vampire lord’s side, never speaking of the life he had left behind or of what had led him here to this very strange castle.
It was as if new life had been breathed into the castle, as if the knight had brought with him everything that the vampire lord had been lacking in his life.
The knight’s intelligent wit kept the vampire lord on his toes, and they went back and forth frequently with banter that hid secret meanings only the two of them could decipher. It was really no secret that they had grown to hold feelings for each other.
One day, everything changed.
The knight returned home to the vampire lord’s castle after a trip into the village in the valley below the castle, treasures tucked into the saddlebag, which held the emblem that belonged to the vampire lord.
He found the gates that were normally closed and locked tight sprung wide open, as if someone had been in a hurry to go in or out. Smoke rose up from the highest tower and the knight found that rubble littered the castle gardens.
The knight dropped down from his horse, snatching an elixir he had bought in the village earlier that day. He unstoppered it and gulped it down.
A witch had brewed it up for him with the promise that it would keep his illness at bay in a time of greatest need. The knight had not expected to need it so soon, but judging by the enormous claw marks dug deep in the castle walls, there was a dragon nearby.
He need to secure the vampire lord’s safety above all, and so the knight darted into the castle, headed right towards the throne room, his sword already drawn and at the ready in case something else had come along with the dragon.
Rubble blocked off his path, but the knight climbed right over it, his breathing harsh and pained. There was only so much the elixir could do for him, but it was enough.
He pushed through the heavy wooden doors and into the throne room, where he came face to face with the enormous dragon, vampire lord clutched between its mighty claws.
Dark wings fanned out behind it as orange flames erupted from its dangerous jaws, along with the scent of rotting and charred flesh.
The knight beneath the flames and charged for the dragon, taking care to keep an eye on its monstrous claws and their grip on his lord. It truly was a task that only a hero could accomplish, but he was not a hero.
In fact, he was the opposite. An emperor overthrown and tossed to the side when his kingdom fell, he had not even been able to remain the ruler of his land. He was no hero, and so he was sure that this would be an impossible task even for his own bloodstained hands.
The flames faded away, and the dragon bared its yellowed fangs in a ferocious snarl. It tightened its grip around the vampire lord and lowered its massive head towards the knight aggressively.
Jaws bared wide open, the dragon followed after the knight with the intention of swallowing him whole.
“...Tenshouin-kun…” The vampire lord spoke, although his mouth didn’t move. The knight could not figure out how on earth he could be speaking without moving his mouth, but he also had other things to worry about.
He could feel the dragon’s warm breath on the back of his neck as it drew closer. He dropped to his knees and rolled beneath it, sharp fangs barely missing him.
Already, he was weakening, the elixir not able to do much for his sickly body. He didn’t have a chance, but he still had to try.
“...are you dreaming?” He heard the vampire lord’s voice again, this time sounding distant and out of place in this setting. His laughter rang out softly, as if far away, and the knight couldn’t help but stop to listen, even as the dragon went to swallow him up.
Eichi’s eyes snapped open sharply and he tried to blink away the sleepiness that threatened to drag him back to his dream. He could feel Rei’s warm breath on the back of his neck and his hand, which was placed over his racing heart.
“Nng...Sakuma-san…?” He spoke softly, trying to calm his racing heart before it burst. He slowly rolled over to look at Rei, his very own vampire. “Ah, I suppose it was just a dream, then.”
“Mm, and what sort of dream were you having?” Rei asked softly, his red eyes flickering towards Eichi’s lips briefly, as if he were contemplating something.
“A dragon tried to eat me.” Eichi yawned slowly, rubbing at his eyes. He was calming down now, although the dream stuck in his mind.
A soft trill of laughter escaped Rei’s lips at the absurdity of Eichi’s words. “An interesting dream for an emperor such as yourself. And why on earth would a dragon want to eat you?” There was a teasing lilt to his voice. “You’re so thin and sickly, and not very tasty if I must say.”
“That’s not what you were saying last night.” Eichi retorted, his fingers rising up to touch the tiny scabs along his throat, where Rei had bit him the night before. A smirk crossed his lips for a fraction of a second.
“Oh my, you’re bringing that up, are you? You were the only one available to me at the time. I only said such things to keep you placated.” Rei shifted closer, reaching out to brush his fingers across Eichi’s lips ever so lightly, and then down to the two puncture marks that he had left on Eichi’s smooth skin.
“Ah, is that so?” Eichi’s lips creased into a pout, and he rolled over, turned away from Rei. “I suppose I’ll just leave then, if that’s the case.”
Rei’s arms wrapped tightly around him, securing him in place. “Mm...I don’t think so. I’m not quite done with you yet.” Eichi shivered at the sound of Rei’s voice so close to his ear. His fangs nicked at Eichi’s throat, just below the puncture marks from the night before. “Perhaps, I’ll mark you up so that everyone knows that you’re mine.”
His voice was like a purr, and Eichi could not help but lean back against Rei. “Awfully bold words from the damsel in distress.” He laughed softly, still refusing to look at Rei.
“Excuse me, if anyone’s a damsel in distress, it’s you.” Rei retorted, leaving another faint bite mark behind on Eichi’s throat.
“Are you quite sure about that? I was the one who rescued you from your coffin when it mysteriously locked itself on you.” Eichi rolled over again and poked at Rei’s bottom lip.
“Hm, yes, it mysteriously locked on me. It didn’t have anything to do with a certain student council president who thought it might be fun to lock me in my own coffin at all, did it?” Rei’s smirk was more of a smile now.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about at all. I would never do anything like that.” Past actions were very real proof that Eichi was lying.
“And I suppose you would deny throwing a tantrum when I told you that you couldn’t join me in my coffin, wouldn’t you?” Rei’s fingers traced across Eichi’s face, stopping at the corner of his mouth.
“I did no such thing. I merely expressed my disappointment at not being allowed to join you. I know I would fit in there with you just fine.” Eichi huffed, biting Rei’s wandering finger gently. He let go immediately, his smirk returning. “Payback.”
“Is that a confession?” Rei asked, pulling his finger away in favor of leaning his face so close that their noses touched.
“Oh no, I would never confess to such a thing. I would never do something like you claim.” Eichi fluttered his eyes, pasting an innocent expression across his face. “Why would I ever-”
Rei interrupted him by pressing his lips against Eichi’s harshly. It was the easiest way to keep Eichi from starting a monologue. He pulled away a moment later, dragging one fang across Eichi’s lip.
“Now, that was very uncalled for, Sakuma-san.” Eichi stuck his lower lip out in a pout, face faintly pink. “I expect an apology.”
“Oh, so you’re the one that’s owed an apology, are you? I think it’s you that should apologize.” Rei leaned close again and gently bit Eichi’s lip, pulling away only when Eichi went to speak.
“And why would I ever have to apologize?” Eichi gazed into Rei’s eyes, something more than usual in his gaze.
“You have to apologize for teasing me so much. It’s becoming so very hard to resist you.” Rei slid his hand away from Eichi’s face, instead resting it on his hip ever so gently. “I may just have to gobble you up.”
“Mm...you’re particularly energetic this morning, aren’t you?” Eichi spoke softly, his voice silky and smooth. “Go ahead and try, then.”
It was a challenge that Rei, strangely enough, could not back down from. His red eyes seemed to glow faintly, love and lust burning within them at the same time. He pressed his lips harshly against Eichi’s again.
Eichi wrapped one arm around Rei’s waist, shifting just slightly.
Apparently, that was enough to send them both crashing over the side of the bed, Eichi dragging Rei down with him. They landed with a thump on the cold ground, Rei landing halfway on top of Eichi, who had taken the entire brunt of the fall.
It took Eichi a moment to compose himself and catch his breath. The landing, though not terrible, had knocked the breath out of him and his back ached faintly. It didn’t help that Rei was lying right on top of him.
“Not that I mind the contact, but would you please get off of me so I can breathe?” Eichi coughed, pushing at Rei, who had seemed to make himself comfortable.
“I’m quite comfortable right here.” Half-lidded red eyes gazed down at Eichi, a teasing spark within them. “I think I’ll just stay put. Besides...I have perfect access to something.” He lowered his face close to Eichi’s and then abruptly changed course and went for his throat instead, dragging his fangs along his bare skin.
Eichi’s breath caught in his throat, but instead of giving in, he pushed Rei away enough so that he could sit up. “As much as I don’t mind what you’re doing, I’d like to be able to breathe.”
“Ah, very well. I suppose we can finish this later. You must be hungry.” Rei shifted away from Eichi and rose to his feet. He reached down and helped Eichi stand.
“Only for you.” Eichi purred, a shiver running down his spine when a cool breeze brushed across Eichi from the open window.
Rei grabbed a blanket from his bed and wrapped it around Eichi’s shoulders, a smirk on his face. “Come along.” He placed his hand on Eichi’s back and pushed him towards the door.
“Are you finally going to spoil me?” Eichi leaned in to Rei’s touch, unable to wipe the smirk off his face.
“I spoil you every day.” Rei guided Eichi into the kitchen and sat him down in a chair. He turned away to take a look at what they had to eat.
“Not nearly enough.” Eichi teased, although he didn’t quite mean it. It was true; Rei really did spoil him.
It held a certain sort of bliss for him, and he could not help but wish for this to last forever. Either way, he would enjoy their time together for as long as it lasted. He supposed he couldn’t really ask for more, after all.
It was like a dream, and he was happy.