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“The skies in Dahlia don’t look quite like this, do they?” Lovely hummed as they pointed upwards at the sky. “It’s like someone doubled the number of stars and cranked up the brightness by ten times.” They threaded their hands together and used their palms to cradle their head, mindful of the uneven ground that was hidden beneath the checkered throw blanket beneath their body. “I could look at a sky like this all day.” They scoffed a bit, the simple error in their speech a stark reminder of how different their life had become after their recent turning. “I mean, all night.”
“I could look at something else all night,” Vincent Solaire answered, shimmying a bit closer to his partner. “Something even prettier than a cloudless night here on the outskirts of Dahlia’s forests.” He flipped onto his side and blew away a stray leaf that had embedded itself into their shirt. Vincent gazed into Lovely’s now-black eyes. “I’ll give you three guess as to what I’m talking about. Or rather, whom.”
Lovely tapped on their chin like they were deep in thought. “Hmmm… Who could that possibly be?” They let out a playful laugh. “Gosh, I wonder... Can I have a hint?”
Vincent wrapped an arm around Lovely’s waist and pulled them a little closer. “Sure can,” he grinned before kissing them passionately. When their lips met, Vincent could’ve sworn that Lovely was still an electro-energetic. Their tongue was somehow still warm inside his mouth, an inviting presence that welcomed him, teased him, and showed him a love he had never let himself dream about when he was human, let alone post-turning. He felt their hand wander along his back, gently landing on the space between his shoulders and rubbing small circles into the spot that sent a jolt of electricity down Vincent’s spine. “Lovely,” he groaned, leaning into them a little harder, not bothering to temper his strength now that Lovely was a vampire, too. “Is this enough of a hint for you?”
“You’re such a flirt,” Lovely groaned when they pulled away from Vincent, patting his chest. “There will be time for that later.” Vincent watched hungrily as they pushed up to their elbows to let Vincent sit up. “If we start making out now, we’ll miss the meteor show!”
“Fine, my love, fine,” Vincent harrumphed. As he forced himself to ignore the burning desire he felt for Lovely, Vincent stretched out his foot and hooked his ankle around the handle of the small cooler he brought. “As long as we're just waiting, I think I’ll grab something to drink. What can I get you?” he offered as he retrieved the cooler, taking it in his hand and dragging it up to his chest. “We got all kinds of sodas, a few wine coolers, hard seltzer, plain water…” He sifted through the bag. “And of course, blood bags, in case we get hungry.”
Lovely fought hard not to crinkle their nose at the idea of drinking from the blood bag. They knew that it was necessary for their survival and, to be fair, they never once faulted or felt disgust when Vincent drank from them. They appreciated how well Vincent adapted to his new life and frankly, was thankful that he did, because it was in part what led him to them.
But they were struggling with the blood bags lately, more than they were letting on.
What scared them was that over the last few weeks, when they drank from the blood bags, they never felt as satiated as they had shortly after their turning. They were moving into the phase of the bloodlust where they craved to feed from a live human. Vincent had told them over and over again that when they began to notice and to develop those cravings to let him know so he could arrange for a consensual feeding from a volunteer at one of D.U.M.P.’s vampiric live-donation events.
But Lovely hadn't said a word about that.
Lovely was scared. At least drinking blood out of a blood bag preserved a little bit of cognitive dissonance. They could pretend they were drinking something else, anything else. They could pretend that life was still at least somewhat normal. That they didn’t die that awful day at the hands of a life-stealing shade. That Vincent hadn’t had to assume the role of maker without so much as a warning. That they hadn’t lost the electro-powers they worked so hard to master, trading them in for a vampiric magical core that had its perks but still required more training, more education, more assimilation before they felt at home in their own body again.
And most of all, Lovely had found that a diet of blood bags only could let them forget that they had been turned into something they barely recognized. They didn’t want to say anything of the sort to Vincent because they didn’t want him to think that’s how they saw him. Because it wasn’t. At all. They knew in their heart that Vincent was a warm, kind, goofy man who stole their heart and fiercely protected it for all he was worth, vampire or not. He consumed blood out of necessity. It was neither a measure of his humanity, indicative of his personality, nor a sign of monstrosity.
They didn’t know why, but as they found themselves moving into this new phase of the bloodlust, Lovely simply couldn’t show themselves the same grace. And they couldn’t risk Vincent ever thinking they saw him as anything less than human.
So they kept their feelings inside, hoping they could simply deny them and live off blood bags for eternity.
That plan had been going well for a while. But not anymore.
“My love?” Vincent repeated, snapping the newborn vampire out of their thoughts.
“Uhh, sorry,” Lovely apologized. “Just trying to decide what I want,” they said after a moment, expertly maneuvering their inability to lie directly to Vincent. “Diet coke, please.” If using the blood bag stimulated their hunger for live-feeding, Lovely rationalized to themselves, maybe avoiding blood for as long as possible would help them avoid the issue entirely tonight. The last thing they wanted to do was spoil their and Vincent’s date night with the headaches, mood swings, cramps, and other unpleasant symptoms the bloodlust caused them.
Some bloodlust symptoms were deeply unpleasant. For Lovely and everyone around them.
Nonplussed, Vincent yanked a diet coke from the cooler and popped the top. “Ahh, canned in an Arizona factory," he said haughtily, handing them the soda. "And a 2022?! Oh, what a splendid year for the diet coke crop. You can really taste how all the notes of the artificial flavorings mingle together."
Lovely swished the liquid around like they were at a wine tasting event. They sniffed the can, nearly overwhelmed by how strongly and sharply the metallic can gave off a smell that mixed with the cola and took a sip. “Ah, yes, indeed,” they replied, drawing out the vowels. “A very good year for carbonation.”
Vincent rifled through the pockets of his shorts to locate a metal straw. He expertly punctured the blood bag with the tip and began to drink greedily. “There’s plenty when you want it,” he reminded them softly, knowing it had been longer than he expected since Lovely had fed. Like a responsible maker-not-maker, as Vincent often referred to himself, he kept tabs on when and how much blood Lovely consumed as they worked through their bloodlust, but even with a careful eye, Vincent felt at a loss. He had never had a progeny before, so everything was new to him. Moreover, as everyone in the Clan told him as they frequently impart well-meaning, though trite, advice, bloodlusts weren’t universal. Every vampire’s experience of the bloodlust was a different experience, so it wasn’t as if Vincent could know when exactly Lovely would need to feed, how many units they would take, and when to the date they would need to move from blood bags to live feedings. It was all guesswork, so Vincent did his best to notice their consumption habits, support them as best he could, and find a way to be the maker and partner Lovely needed him to be.
“I’m good, thanks.” Lovely waved away his offer quickly, a tight smile across their closed lips.
They were relieved when an owl called out and the “hoo hoo hoo” echoed through the clearing because the sound distracted Vincent enough to drop the subject of their blood consumption. They knew sooner or later, Vincent might get suspicious, but the last thing they wanted to do was ruin their night with vampiric culture lessons. Tonight, they just wanted to watch the meteors, be with Vincent, and forget about everything else.
“Looks like even the animals are going to watch the meteor shower,” Vincent commented.
“I’m sure the owls will have a good spot to look from in the trees,” Lovely added. “This is such a comfy place we found, but look." They pointed towards the right. “Our view is blocked by that group of trees over there. I know we’ve got superhuman vision and all, but we can’t look through the treetops.” They frowned.
Vincent’s eyeline followed where Lovely pointed. “You’re right, my love,” he noted. “Damn, I didn’t even notice when we set everything out.” His brow furrowed as he stood. “How about if I can find a better spot for us?” He stretched his back and shoulders.
Lovely gave Vincent a skeptical look. “I don’t think we have time for that before the meteors shower. This is good, Vincent. I…”They sat up and grabbed at the hem of Vincnet’s shirt to ask him to sit back down beside them. “I’m sorry I said anything.”
“No, no, no,” Vincent assured them. “I’m glad you did. Only the best for my Lovely,” he winked. “As for time, I won’t be gone long. Superspeed, remember?” In a flash, Vincent was gone and Lovely was alone.
They would've been fine alone with their thoughts. But unfortunately for everyone, an unempowered human wandered into their line of enhanced vision. They were wandering along a narrow path in the forest, haphazardly looking from the ground to the sky. Normally, Lovely would've wondered what they were looking for. Or whether they could help them find their way. Or at the very least, they would just ignore the stranger and let them figure things out for themselves.
But tonight, Lovely was hungry. Starving.
“Just ignore them,” they harshly scolded to themselves in a whisper. “Just… Just…” They pinched their eyes shut, trying to will their brain to think of something, anything other than the desperate need to feed that threatened to overtake their mind. Lovely felt the harsh surge of the bloodlust well up in their stomach and flood their every sense.
Before they knew what hit them, they found themselves face to face with a terrified unempowered human who gasped and squeaked, quaking with fear. “You’re… you’re… you’re…” they stuttered helplessly. “No, please! Please don’t hurt me!”
Lost in hunger, Lovely launched towards the unempowered human’s arm, looking to get their mouth on their bicep. Before they could, however, a strong pair of arms clamped down tightly against their waist and pinned their arms to their sides.
Lovely shrieked in agony and frustration, the pain of fangs resounding along their gumline. They barely recognized the cry as their own as they fought against whatever was restraining them.
“Relax and freeze,” Vincent ordered calmly to the hysterical human. Vincent’s eyes flickered from silver to black as he enacted the trance. He barely gave the human a second glance, using all of his strength to keep Lovely contained.
Just like that, the unempowered human stopped trembling and crying. A small, dazed smile plastered across their face. They remained frozen in place, looking like they did not have a care in the world.
“Let me go!” Lovely wailed, trying to instinctively summon electro magic from their new threads that simply couldn’t oblige their request to conjure the lightning that had previously lent their strength. “I… I need…” They began to claw at Vincent, bringing up little bits of his skin as they tried to escape.
“My love, my love, my love!” Vincent called in their ear, knowing that he had to break through the echoing roar of their bloodlust. As their maker, Vincent was equipped to perform such a feat, though his decision to relinquish his ability to invoke them made it more difficult than it should have been. “You’ve got to stop, Lovely! Please! Not like this!”
“Get off!” Lovely growled. “Let me go! I need to feed. I’m starving! Starving!”
When Lovely didn’t stop their chaotic, feral frenzy, Vincent made the decision to bring them down to the ground. He heaved them both so they toppled over and he scrambled on top of their flailing body. “Lovely, come back to me!” he ordered, a pang of guilt cutting through his chest.
Lovely could feel their fangs cut through their gums, searching in vain to bite down on something. Ripples of white-hot pain shot through their mouth and looped up into their skull. “So hungry…” they mumbled, rocking back and forth to wiggle out of Vincent’s strong grip. “It hurts. Everywhere, all over…” Tears pooled on the rims of their eyes as their muscles shook from the exhaustion of fighting back against Vincent. “Vincent? Blood, I need blood. It hurts, please…” The bloodlust-desperation they would have said they were done with weeks ago resurfaced tenfold. Their wail was a measure of their utter despair. “Please help?”
“I’m right here, Lovely,” Vincent assured them. Their turmoil broke his heart. “Everything’s going to be alright now. Just stay with me.” Without letting up pressure for a single second, he bent his head low and kissed them on the forehead.
Lovely whimpered as they started to come back to themselves. Despite the agony that still blossomed through their body, they were starting to realize that springing up on an unsuspecting, unempowered human without even trancing them first was not at all the safe, ethical way to feed. It certainly wasn’t a safe way to feed from a live person for the first time. How could they have been so quick to give into their instincts like that? And after everything they had endured after Adam’s cruel torture? Suddenly, a sinking thought made Lovely’s blood turn cold and curdle.
Were they a monster?
“Vincent,” they panted, willing their body to stop resisting Vincent’s hold. “‘I can’t… I need… M’sorry… Make it stop!”
Vincent quickly hushed them. “Just get through this flare up, and I promise, I’ll let you feed. But not like this. We can’t let your body think you need to work yourself into a frenzy every time you need to feed.” Even as Lovely relaxed, his legs tightened around the outsides of their thighs, just in case they made a break for it. When Vincent was convinced Lovely was going to stay put, he swept his hand through their hair, noting the sudden sweat that had broken out in beads along their forehead. “You’ll get through this. It’ll pass, my love.”
At Vincent’s soft words, the tension seeped out of Lovely’s body. “When?” they asked, the first tear dripping down their cheek. “When will it be over? When will I have my life back?” They flipped their cheek to the side, as if to hide away from Vincent.
Vincent nudged the side of their neck so that their gaze settled back onto him. “I don’t know,” he said, cursing his inability to lie. Vincent let his thumb linger on a spot he knew he used to lock onto as he fed from them. “But I know that it will.” It would be months before they were up to any sort of vampire-on-vampire feeding, and while Vincent sometimes caught himself missing the taste and feel of their blood, he was too grateful that they had allowed him to turn them so that he could continue having them in his eternal life.
That day, he had promised them forever. And Vincent Solaire was a man of his word.
“I’m going to let you up now,” he told them slowly. “Are you okay?”
Lovely nodded. “Y-yes,” they sighed, wishing the ground would swallow them whole.
As soon as Vincent withdrew his weight, Lovely launched into his arms and held even tighter. “I’m so sorry,” they cried into his chest. “I couldn't help it. I could’ve hurt them. Killed them! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”
“Shh, it’s okay,” Vincent consoled, rubbing a large circle into their back with his palm. “You’re okay. It’s not your fault, Little One.” He covered their cheek in soft, chaste kisses. “You’re being so strong through all this. A moment of weakness is expected. And normal! I’m sorry you have to endure the hellish part of the bloodlust.”
Pulling away from him, Lovely swiped at their puffy eyes. “It is, though. It is my fault. I’ve been craving live feedings, and I didn’t say anything because I was nervous. Even though I know it’s stupid to be nervous!” They hunched closer to Vincent. “Every vampire does it. I know that. It’s ethical. It’s necessary. It’s how your Clan, err, our Clan… It’s how our Clan survives. I drink from the bags just fine. It’s not that different. Why can’t I get over this?” They let their chin rest in the crook of Vincent’s neck. “I’m sorry.”
“What? My love, no, no,” Vincent crooned. “You don’t have a thing to be sorry for. You’re right that every vampire feeds from people to survive, Lovely.” He tipped his head so that his temple met the crown of their head. “But every vampire also has to make that adjustment over a period of time. We understand how awful and disorienting the bloodlust can be. One minute, you’re starving and will do anything for a drop of blood. The next, you’re nearly vomiting at the thought. It’s okay, Lovely. It’s normal.”
Lovely faltered at Vincent’s kindness and warmth. “Really?” they hiccupped.
“Really,” Vincent replied.
“I… I get nervous sometimes,” they explained. At that moment, Lovely didn’t know what was more difficult: being caught in the throes of the bloodlust or unabashedly unburdening themselves for Vincent. Trusting someone as deeply and completely as they trusted Vincent still felt new and scary, even after all these years together. After all, it wasn't all that long ago that trust was a luxury they couldn't afford. "I worry that if I struggle with all the…” They fidgeted with their hands, trying to find a phrase that could soften the harshness of what they were describing. “New stuff, you know what I mean? The new stuff that comes with being a vampire.”
Vincent nodded rapidly to show that he knew exactly what Lovely meant by the deceptively tepid phrase.
“I got it in my head that if I showed any hesitation towards the new stuff, that you’d think I was resisting a vampiric way or life, or worse." They sniffed. “That I was resisting you. And even if I didn’t lie to you about it, I worked around the truth when I spoke with you to keep it secret.” Lovely collapsed into Vincent and looped their arms around his neck. “But I’m not resisting you or your way of life, okay? I’m not! I promise, I’m not. Please don’t think that, Vincent. Please, please, please,” they half-chanted, half-cried.
Vincent let himself be pulled close, taking the opportunity to breathe deeply so that Lovely’s scent surrounded him. “Oh, Lovely,” he answered, the gentle lilt of his voice matching the slight rocking motion he used to keep his partner calm. “You don’t have to worry about that at all, my love. Never. You don’t need to regulate yourself and your own emotions for my sake.” He swiped his index finger along the curve of their ribs. “What you’re going through is so difficult. It’s visceral and raw. A complete overhaul of your biology and magic-physiology. You can’t force yourself to bury it all inside yourself. To ignore them like that.” He planted a kiss at their hairline. “The only way you’re going to get past this is to let yourself feel it, my love. And feel it all. No vampire would ever fault you for that, or interpret your feelings as offensive. Least of all, me.”
“You’re right,” they admitted. “I’ve been trying to ignore the shift in feeding phase, hoping it would just go away. All I succeeded in doing was intensifying it.”
Vincent sighed. “I won’t lie to you. Well, I can’t lie to you anymore,” he corrected to add a bit of levity. “The bloodlust is fucking horrific to experience. You know that. You’ve felt it. But, you’re strong. You are the strongest person I’ve ever met. You can get through this, my love. I know you can. You're still you, even if it takes time for your body to adjust to how you show up in it.”
Lovely was silently grateful to know that William had invoked Vincent to take away his ability to lie to them. It was a great comfort for them to know that Vincent truly and wholly believed in their ability to overcome the bloodlust and reclaim their new life.
“Besides,” Vincent added sheepishly. “I should’ve been more attentive and noticed how your appetite dipped recently. I should’ve encouraged you to try feeding or at least schedule a time, so you wouldn’t have to get to a point where you would spring up on some unempowered person and risk covert.” Vincent nuzzled his face into the nape of their neck. "That's what a good maker would do. I'm sorry I failed you, Lovely."
“Failed?” Lovely echoed incredulously. “Vincent, you didn’t fail me." They were taken back by Vincent’s confession, but not thoroughly surprised. Despite his playboy reputation, Vincent had proven time and time again he had a big heart and a protective streak that would rival even an alpha shifter. “Not at all. Don’t you know that you save me every day? And I’m not just talking about when I was taken, or turning me during the Inversion. Every day, Vincent,” they emphasized. “When you watch a movie with me and fall asleep. When you rub my shoulders when I’m driving for a while. When you smile at me. When you accept my love without conditions. Every day." They kissed him deeply to add weight to their words.
“I love you so much,” Vincent groaned through their kiss. He tipped forward, guiding Lovely to the ground as their bodies sealed together.
As Vincent moved his hand up their torso, his fingertips accidentally grazed against what felt like denim. Vincent flicked his eyes to the side, suddenly remembering that the tranced unempowered human was still obeying his command and stood there like a dazed and relaxed statue.
“Oh, shit!” He reluctantly scrambled off of Lovely. “The human!” Vincent cried.
Lovely quickly forced themselves to their feet. “I totally forgot!” They looked at the stranger. “Are they okay?”
“Perfectly fine,” Vincent smiled. “They could stay like that for hours.” He raised an eyebrow. “In fact, if you’re still hungry…” He gestured towards the human. “I know most people usually use volunteer donors first, but, it’s kind of romantic, don’t you think? You and me, feeding together under a meteor shower…”
Lovely almost rejected Vincent’s offer. That was their instinct, to push away their own desires in an effort to come across as amiable, or at the very least, convenient. Not a liability. They didn’t want to give anyone the chance to find a reason to leave them behind.
But Vincent was different. He always had been. And he always would be.
“I know that it’s daunting, but I’m right here to talk you through it,” he offered. It was a rare moment that Vincent took on the regality everyone expected of him as the Clan King’s progeny. “I won’t leave you to do this alone. Never.”
“Okay,” Lovely agreed, already feeling their hunger return. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“Good, good,” Vincent said. “Thank you, for trusting me to help with this.” He took their hand and kissed the back of it. “Now, I’ve already tranced them. We can go over trancing some other time. Did your fangs drop?”
Lovely tracked their tongue along their gums and found the sharper set of teeth had returned. “Mhmm,” they reported.
“Excellent,” Vincent praised. “Now, when you get close to their skin, you’ll find that you’re magically drawn to a vein. That’ll be the best spot to puncture.”
Lovely followed Vincent’s instructions, leaning into the almost-magnetic pull they felt towards the human’s jugular. “Here,” they pointed, pulling down their collar a bit to expose the skin. “I feel it. Right here.”
“You’re doing really good, Lovely,” Vincent smiled. “Now, slowly and gently, you’re going to angle your top fangs to sink in right there.”
As Vincent spoke, Lovely bit down. The soft squish sound reverberated in their highly sensitive ears.
“There you go, there you go,” Vincent grinned encouragingly. “Now feed, Little One. Feed.”
Lovely eagerly did as Vincent told them, sucking every drop of blood from the unempowered human. They licked their lips gratefully, feeling the rush of energy and satisfaction fill their with every swallow. The blood was warm, much warmer than when the liquid came from a thawed blood bag. The flavor was thick, almost cloying, but Lovely lapped up every bit of it. They glanced up at the unempowered human, nervous they would see fear or disgust. They didn’t. The trance had kept the human blissfully unaware of what was happening. It didn’t take long for them to feel full. Because the blood was from a live donor and they were just starting to enter this phase of the bloodlust, their stomach was not yet adjusted to needing a full unit.
“Getting full,” they murmured through mouthfuls, suddenly afraid to let their lips leave the human’s skin for fear that they would bleed out. “What do I do now?”
Even though Vincent was able to pick up on their mumbled question, he already anticipated they’d feel that way. “I’ll show you,” he assured them. “Go ahead and let up. I’m going to feed, too.” Vincent had watched carefully and knew that he could safely take more blood without harming the human.
Lovely moved aside. Before a drop of blood dripped, Vincent had his mouth latched onto the human and drank deeply. “As you move away from the wound, you channel healing magic through your fangs,” Vincent patiently explained.
Lovely leaned over to watch Vincent’s healing handiwork. They were in awe at how delicate a process it was to feed. Like a moving, breathing art form. It wasn’t at all the animalistic free-for-all they worried it was going to be.
“That’s why the first bite is so important,” Vincent noted. He knew how important this whole first feeding was. A successful, calm feeding set Lovely on a path of having a healthy attitude towards their vampiric nature. A stressful first feeding was a disaster for progeny, and fostered even more self-loathing and hesitancy to adapt to vampire culture. “You follow the same line as you heal, and by the time you break contact…” He pointed to the spot where they had been feeding. “Not a trace of a wound left.”
“Wow,” Lovely beamed.
“Something I like to do is even ask the person, while they're under the trance, if they feel okay. If they don’t, you’ll have to hang out and let them recuperate for a few more minutes before you release them.” Vincent turned to his victim. “Tell me how you feel,” he stoically commanded.
“I feel fine,” the unempowered human reported in a monotone.
“One satisfied customer,” Vincent joked. “Then I want you to forget everything that happened when you were with us tonight. Instead, you’ll think that you were walking in the forest, got lost, and eventually found your way back to your car. Once you arrive at your car, this trance will wear off and you’ll return to your normal self. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” the human confirmed.
“Good. Then please do that,” Vincent suggested.
Without another word, the human mindlessly obeyed Vincent and left the pair of vampires to the night.
“So, how was it?” Vincent asked. “You feel okay?”
“I feel better than okay,” Lovely answered, idly playing with the fabric of their jacket. Technically it was Vincent’s. It had been a gift to him from William, but over the last few years, the jacket found its way onto Lovely’s body more often than Vincent’s. “I feel full. Satisfied. Strong. Better than I have in weeks.” They weaved their fingers in between Vincent’s. “Thank you, Vincent. You are the best maker. And the best partner. I’m so lucky you’re here with me.”
“There’s nowhere I’d rather be, Lovely,” Vincent affirmed truthfully.
At that moment, a few sparks of brightness shot through the sky, one after another. “Look!” Lovely gasped, pointing to the sky. “The shower is starting!”
“I think we found our spot to watch.” Vincent guided Lovely to a seat on the ground. Their back came to his chest as they gazed at the sky and watched the meteors dance and sparkle before their eyes. It was like a private show, just for the pair.
“You know, most meteors disintegrate before they ever hit Earth’s surface,” Lovely noted quietly. “All that ferocity, burning brightly and intensely one moment and poof, gone the next.”
“Maybe they aren’t gone totally,” Vincent postulated. “They just turn into something new.”
It was like a quiet, little reprieve for both Vincent and Lovely. Everything was so different. Neither of them could deny that. But the fact that they were together and would always be together, especially now that they had forever.