Work Text:
Doppo arrived home from work, just about ready to collapse from exhaustion. He took off his shoes, preemptively letting himself slump down onto the floor of the entryway on his own.
Some kind of light, peppy music was echoing throughout the apartment, along with the sound and smell of something sizzling in a pan, buttery and warm. Doppo closed his eyes and felt his stomach grumble in anticipation of food— that he ironically didn’t have the energy to go eat.
Not a heartbeat later, he opened his eyes, to be met instantly with a pair of golden ones staring down at him. They were slightly reflective behind the gold, like a cat’s; more than once Doppo had stumbled through the apartment in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom only to see a pair of glowing eyes floating in the darkness. Hifumi always says he doesn’t turn on the lights because he doesn’t want to disturb Doppo when he’s asleep, since he can see fine without them anyway. Regardless of why, it still scares the hell out of him every time.
“Doppo-chin, how many times do I have to tell you not to start sleeping on the floor? It’s bad for your back, you know!” Hifumi chided, an expressive pout on his face. “You’re also supposed to say ‘I’m home!’ when you get back,” Hifumi kneeled down and poked Doppo on the cheek.
“You knew I was here anyway,” Doppo muttered, too tired to fight back any harder.
“Well, yeah, I could smell you when you got here. But then I don’t get to say ‘welcome home, Doppo-chin!’”
“...Do I really smell that bad?” Doppo asked, self-conscious. He sweated nervously all day at work, so it made sense that he would stink, but it was embarrassing. Hifumi used a lot of fancy products with nice scents, things that Doppo didn’t have the energy to figure out how to use properly.
“No, it’s a good smell,” Hifumi said, smiling and bending down closer, “it’s just what you smell like. Doppo-scented.”
“I’m not sure being described like a candle is any better…”
Hifumi giggled.
“Alright, but if they made Doppo-scented candles I would buy alllllll of them. Now get up so you can come eat! I’m starting to get hungry.”
Doppo groaned in complaint as he did so, but stood and followed Hifumi to the kitchen. Regardless of how lacking in appetite he felt or how little he cared about feeding himself, he couldn’t let Hifumi go hungry. He was indebted to him in so many ways, so it was really the least he could do. The last time Hifumi got really hungry it was a pretty big mess, too.
Hifumi had been a vampire for several years now; he worked at the host club overnight, when the sun wouldn’t damage his fragile skin. He and Doppo had worked out a system of their own over time, where Hifumi could get enough blood to keep himself sated without hurting Doppo in the process. Small, regular portions, with enough time in between for Doppo’s body to recuperate. Hifumi made sure to cook meals with plenty of iron, and Jakurai occasionally managed to find “extra” bags of blood in the hospital for emergencies. Doppo had firmly decided that he would never ask about those.
“I made you omurice today, Doppo-chin,” Hifumi beamed at him, taking a seat at the table opposite each other.
“Ah, thank you,” Doppo said, his body jolting to attention as the hunger finally reached his brain. He grabbed a spoon and started to eat, taking note of the way that Hifumi doodled hearts over the top of the omelette in ketchup. It was deliciously fluffy and salty, and Doppo paused to tell Hifumi.
“It’s really good,” he said.
“Aww, I’m glad! I know how much you like omurice.” Hifumi rested his chin in his palms, smiling absentmindedly.
“Doesn’t it get boring just… watching me eat like this?” Doppo asked.
Hifumi shook his head.
“I like cooking for you! And knowing that you like the things I make for you. And sometimes when you’re really sleepy, you almost fall asleep while eating dinner. It’s so cute.”
“That’s not cute, that’s embarrassing,” Doppo said.
“I think it’s cute,” Hifumi argued.
Doppo rolled his eyes and kept eating, ignoring the way Hifumi kept his gaze on him, unwavering. By the time that Doppo was picking up stray grains of rice, Doppo felt comfortably full and warm— and Hifumi looked hungry .
He would never say it, of course. He always waited for Doppo to be ready to offer it. But it had been a few days, and Doppo knew all of Hifumi’s expressions far too well. It was the same look that Hifumi gave Doppo at all of the birthday parties he had when they were children, where Hifumi would stare and wait for Doppo to take the first bite of his birthday cake before finally starting to eat it himself.
Doppo pushed his chair back, unable to beat Hifumi in speed as he stole the plate away to stash in the sink. Doppo sighed at his enthusiasm and took his suit-jacket off instead, loosening his tie and heading over to Hifumi’s bedroom. Hifumi came in a few moments later, holding a glass of water and setting it aside.
Doppo unbuttoned his shirt, tossing it aside before flopping down on the bed. He was initially opposed to the idea of doing this shirtless, due to a blend of embarrassment, shyness, and self-consciousness, but the inconvenience of getting blood on his clothes that took Hifumi forever to get out made him change his mind.
Hifumi climbed into the bed after him, pressing against Doppo’s back and nuzzling his face into his neck. Hifumi made a little happy noise, one that made Doppo’s face heat up.
“You’re so warm,” Hifumi murmured into Doppo’s hair, hands wandering across Doppo’s arms and chest.
“You’re just always cold,” Doppo told him. Sometimes it was startling to have one of Hifumi’s hands suddenly touch his skin, an unexpected shock of cold. But most times, like this, it felt nice. Doppo often associated warmth with discomfort; a nervous sweat, the way his face became hot when he was embarrassed, a too crowded train. Hifumi was cool, like a breeze when it was sweltering outside.
“And you always smell so good,” Hifumi whispered, a shiver running up Doppo’s spine as his breath tickled the sensitive hairs at the back of his neck.
“Sensei says it’s because I’m type O,” Doppo commented.
“Nooo, it’s because you’re Doppo,” Hifumi whined, squeezing him closer. Doppo laughed a little at Hifumi’s insistence.
“Alright, sure,” Doppo relented, tugging at Hifumi’s arms to get him to let go. “I’m ready.”
Hifumi wiggled away from Doppo and the two of them sat up, getting into a better position. Hifumi climbed onto Doppo’s lap, knees on either side of Doppo’s hips, wedging them together like puzzle pieces. He immediately plunged his face back into Doppo’s neck, just breathing in deeply.
“Do I really smell that good to you?” Doppo asked.
“Mhmm! You smell happy,” Hifumi said.
“Wait, you can smell that?”
Hifumi giggled below his ear.
“Sort of? You smell different when you’re really stressed. When your heart’s beating really fast. I can tell. I like it better when you’re like this.”
“I guess that’s… practical,” Doppo said.
Hifumi finally pulled himself away from his neck, lightly tilting Doppo’s face into a better angle to kiss him. Doppo let Hifumi lead, his kisses becoming more desperate the longer it went on. Hifumi parted from Doppo, trailing light kisses down his jaw to return to his original position. He mouthed at Doppo’s neck, slowly adding hints of teeth, scraping gently against his skin.
“I’m gonna do it now, okay?” Hifumi checked for confirmation, bringing a hand up to brace the back of Doppo’s head.
“Okay,” he said, letting his eyes slide shut. He started doing this as a favor for Hifumi, but Doppo found rather quickly that he enjoyed the experience as well. Jakurai would probably have something fancy and scientific to say about it, because of endorphins or adrenaline or anti-coagulants. But Doppo liked the feeling of giving himself up to Hifumi, to let Hifumi dictate the actions of his body for however long he pleased. When Hifumi tugged at his hair to expose the fluid line of his arteries, he followed the directions without thought, easing comfortably into Hifumi’s grip. Maybe he just had terrible survival instincts, to bare himself this way. But he always knew that he could trust Hifumi not to kill him. Not that he had many qualms about dying, or Hifumi tearing through him— but if Doppo kicked the bucket, Hifumi would have to find someone else to provide meals for him. And he didn’t want to put Hifumi through something like that.
Hifumi kissed Doppo one more time, a final warning before sinking his teeth in. No matter how far in advance he was expecting it, Doppo couldn’t figure out how to stop himself from flinching yet. The initial pierce of fangs through skin was sharp, pain spiking through his shoulders down his arms. Doppo clutched uselessly at Hifumi’s clothes, his breath hitching. He felt hot where Hifumi’s mouth touched him, felt his heart pulsing. Hifumi pulled his fangs out, starting to lap at the puncture where red started beading up.
They’d opted to have Hifumi bite at the base of the neck rather than at the jugular. The blood didn’t flow as well, but it meant they wouldn’t have to worry about Hifumi accidentally hitting too deep. The process took longer this way, but neither of them minded that. It was also much easier for Doppo to hide under the collar of his button-up.
Hifumi continued to drink for what could have been seconds, minutes, maybe an hour. Once the initial shock faded, the feeling quickly dissolved into something much more comfortable. Doppo got lost in the sensation, his head going fuzzy, like he was floating. He felt light, tingly, sinking into Hifumi’s embrace and the wet press of his mouth against his skin.
He distantly registered being laid back until his head touched the pillows, Hifumi on top of him like a weighted blanket. He faded in and out of his own body, as if he were falling asleep.
Slowly, the world trickled back into focus, settling back into place. Doppo cracked open his eyes and saw Hifumi’s staring straight back at him.
“Welcome back,” Hifumi smiled, brushing Doppo’s bangs back to press a kiss to his forehead.
Doppo made a noise in his throat, feeling too blissed out to bother with words. Hifumi leaned over, grabbing a small box and opening it. He took out a band-aid and unwrapped it dutifully, peeling back the thin paper to reveal the adhesive. He stuck it onto Doppo’s neck, looking pleased with himself. Next, he retrieved the glass of water, coaxing Doppo upwards to drink some.
“How do you feel?” Hifumi asked.
“Good,” he mumbled. “Sleepy.”
“Good, let’s sleep, then,” Hifumi said, kissing him on the nose and letting Doppo lay back down.
Hifumi likely wouldn’t be sleeping; even when he doesn’t have to go to work, his body is accustomed to being awake during the night. But he snuggled up next to Doppo, happy and content and warm. He would stay there until Doppo fell asleep, petting his hair and quietly rambling on about nothing. On nights that they did this, Doppo always falls asleep more easily than he’s ever been able to, even when he takes those sleeping pills Jakurai prescribed for him. In the morning, Doppo would have a breakfast ready and iron supplements waiting for him on the table. He might be even more tired than he usually is, and his neck might be a little sore, but those were small sacrifices to pay for both of them to be comfortable like this. Doppo let himself focus only on the feeling of Hifumi’s hands carding through his hair, the sound of his breathing, and their hearts beating with his blood, soothing him until he drifted off.