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Having a vampire for a boyfriend was… interesting to say the very least. It certainly wasn’t anything Aether was expecting when Xiao had first admitted to what he was a month into their relationship. Though he really hadn’t been expecting his boyfriend to admit that he was a vampire either, but that's besides his point.
What Aether had initially thought a relationship with a vampire would be like, turned out to be the complete opposite of what he imagined in his head. At first, when Aether thought about the word vampire, he pictured a tall, pale man, with dark hair, and red eyes— not to mention the razor sharp fangs protruding from his gums, but he figured that was a given.
While Xiao did encompass some of these traits, such as the dark black hair and pale skin, his eyes were a beautiful shade of honey gold. They sparkled almost like the sun, so brilliantly bright. Also— not to mention, Xiao was short, a little shorter than Aether . The fact never failed to make him giggle under his breath. As for the fangs, they only ever protruded from his gums whenever he was hungry— or got a little too emotional, which rarely ever happened.
In his head, Aether imagined vampires to be intimidating and scary. But Xiao was anything but.
“Aether,”
Said boy glanced over at the sound of his boyfriend’s voice, smiling softly when their eyes met.
“Yes?” He replied, snuggling further under the blanket they were sharing. Aether had offhandedly suggested they go on a movie marathon, and Xiao was anything but reluctant, helping him prepare snacks and grab blankets from their bedroom.
“I’m… hungry.” Came Xiao’s stunted reply. Aether’s eyes widened a fraction when he noticed the vampire’s fangs poking out from under his top lip.
“Wah, so soon! You just fed last week!” Aether frowned, suddenly worried about his boyfriends constant appetite. “Is it normal for you to be hungry again?”
Xiao didn’t answer at first, instead grabbing Aether by his hips and pulling him onto his lap, spreading his legs so that Aether was sitting comfortably in between his boyfriend’s thighs.
Aether, never fully getting used to how affectionate Xiao could be at the most random times, flushed a bright red starting at his hairline and ending at the base of his neck.
“A-Ah, Xiao?”
Strong arms wrapped around his midsection, pushing his back flushed up against the boy’s toned chest. Aether’s shoulders tensed, his hands coming up to rest on Xiao’s forearms, not knowing where else to keep them.
“I have to feed every week, remember?” Xiao muttered against the shell of his ear, then moved down to nose at the quickening pulse located on his neck.
“O-Oh, yeah, that’s right!” Aether gulped, reaching for his braid resting at the base of his neck and pulling it over his shoulder. “Is this okay?”
Xiao hummed. “It’s perfect.” Aether’s cheeks flared at his mumbled words. Xiao never tended to use flattery in any way, shape, or form. So whenever he said things like that, he always meant them sincerely, and it never failed to make Aether unbelievably flustered.
Cold fingers tugged at the collar of his sweater, pulling the fabric halfway off his shoulders, causing a shudder to wrack his body at the sudden temperature drop.
Xiao pecked his neck where he had previously fed from, the healing puncture holes evidently scattered all across his neck.
“I’m going to bite you now.” Was the only warning he got before Xiao took action.
Aether’s eyes bulged at the familiar sharp pain pulsing from his neck and down to his shoulder as Xiao clamped down on his pulse and sucked harshly. He let out a whimper of discomfort, blindly reaching for one of Xiao’s hands and squeezing onto it tightly when he managed to find it.
Aether never minded Xiao feeding off of his blood, but that didn't mean he wasn’t subjected to the pain that came along with it. No matter how many times he fed from him, the pain never seemed to ease up.
Xiao detached himself from his neck, gently licking at the leftover blood the small holes trickled out. Aether melted into the vampire’s chest, weak and tired from the sudden blood loss and pain, the grip he had on Xiao’s hand had slackened significantly.
“How do you feel?” The vampire asked in an uncharacteristically soft voice. Aether smiled, despite himself. Xiao always became so gentle after he fed, it made Aether’s insides feel warm with affection.
“Tired.” He muttered honestly, sluggishly twisting his body until he was fully facing Xiao, seated comfortably on his thighs, before collapsing forward into his chest, wrapping his arms around his broad shoulders and nuzzling into the crook of his neck.
Usually, Xiao wasn’t too keen on physical affection, for the sole reason that he was afraid he might hurt Aether if they attempted to do more than hand holding and cuddling at the same time. It was only ever after he fed that Xiao allowed them to get as close as possible, and Aether absolutely took advantage of that.
They stayed in the shared embrace for a long moment, the only sound that could be heard was their synchronized breathing. Meanwhile, Aether preened under the affection and attention he was receiving. It was his favorite part about feeding. One of Xiao’s hands had tangled itself into the roots of his hair, massaging his scalp, and almost lulling him to sleep in the process.
“Ah, your neck’s still bleeding.” Xiao muttered, distaste coating his words as he clicked his tongue. Aether sat back on the man’s thighs, curiously lifting up a hand to his neck, and pulling away to find his fingers stained a crimson red. A chilly hand abruptly wrapped around his wrist, his fingertips softly pressing up against Xiao’s lips before the vampire parted his mouth open and slipped Aether’s fingers into the warmth of his mouth.
Aether all but choked on a surprised gasp, instinctively attempting to pull his hand away, though will little success. Xiao held onto him with an iron grip, somehow continuously staring right at Aether’s face as he — frankly quite lewdly — sucked the blood right off of his fingers. Aether, overwhelmed and flustered, directed his attention to a spot over the vampire’s shoulder, unable to maintain eye contact for even a second.
“I’ll go get you some bandaids.” Xiao hummed impassively, after letting go of Aether’s wrist. He shakily slid off the vampire’s lap and back onto the couch, taking in the view of Xiao’s back muscles rippling underneath his shirt as he walked into the bathroom, presumably looking for the first aid kit.
Aether stared down at the corner of his neck where the throbbing pain was most prominent. The bite mark was bright red, and leaking a small stream of blood. The surrounding skin appeared puffy and swollen, it would most likely bruise in the next couple of days. Aether pouted to himself, no more collarless clothes . Not unless he wanted to explain the nature of his boyfriend and their relationship… which he didn’t.
Xiao materialized back at his side, though this time with bandaids and pain medication in hand. “I’m sorry… it looks worse than other times.” He apologized, taking in Aether’s pouting face and ghosting the tips of his cold fingers over the bite marks.
Aether’s face twisted into a grimace at the touch. The skin was tender and sensitive, not taking well to the temperature change.
Xiao clicked his tongue and quickly began peeling a bandaid from it’s wrapper, leaning in close to Aether’s neck and gently pressing it against the puncture wound.
“That should stop the bleeding.” The vampire muttered, brushing his thumb against the skin underneath the bandaid.
Aether’s eyelashes fluttered at the intimacy of the moment. “Thank you.” He whispered softly, reaching up to cup Xiao’s face in his hands, stroking underneath his tired eyes with his thumbs.
A faint blush colors over the bridge of his nose, so faint Aether swore he had imagined it. The sight made him suppress a string of loud giggles. Cute.
“It’s my fault you’re bleeding in the first place. Don’t thank me.” Xiao grumbled, subtly putting distance between him and Aether.
“Well, maybe I’m thanking you for being the best boyfriend ever.” Aether huffed, crawling right back into his rightful spot on Xiao’s lap, sitting back on his thighs and wearing a determined frown on his face.
The two held each other’s glares for a split second, before Aether snorted under his breath, unable to hold in his laughter any longer. Xiao scoffed at him with a roll of his eyes, though Aether could see a hint of a smile playing at the corner of his lips. Xiao’s smiles were rare, hardly ever making an appearance unless Xiao wasn’t forcing himself to maintain a scowl.
It made him happy… to be able to see Xiao at ease.
At ease with him.
Somehow, it felt like Xiao’s smile was for him… and only him. Aether was selfish.
Because secretly, he hoped it was.