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“You’ll have to behave today.”
One of the biggest rules Keigo used to live by was that he should try to be nice to everyone. If someone said something rude to him at a bar, he would simply turn the other cheek and get on with his night. When someone had once smacked his shades off his face and broke them just to try and aggravate him, Keigo only talked his way out of it with a smile.
Pissing him off required a lot, but Touya Todoroki managed to do it in no time at all.
“Oh yeah? And why should I do that?”
Keigo didn’t blame him for the fact that he was there. Sure, the vampire had accepted him as a gift, but he wasn’t the one that grabbed Keigo off the street on the way back to his place from his part-time job. He did blame Touya for trying to fit him into the horribly stiff, mind-numbingly boring life of an aristocratic vampire, though.
“Because I’m tired of being nice,” Touya grumbled. He was fixing the cuff of his shirt for what Keigo assumed to be the thousandth time, fiddling with it as if there could be some perfect placement for something so small and inconsequential.
“Oh, so all of that dragging me along by the arm and calling me stupid and worthless was nice ?” Keigo spoke nonchalantly, leaning back against the leather seat of the way-too-expensive car. He hadn’t seen anything worth less than a handful of hundreds since he arrived in the Todoroki home, and their cars were no exception. The one they were in was extra fancy, seeing as they were on their way to some weird ball. He hadn’t listened to the plans for the night, so he only sort of knew where they were going.
Touya scoffed. “You’re a mere mortal that happens to also be my gift. I should be able to do and say as I please around you, and you should always listen to me, and yet you don’t. You’re lucky those things were all I did.”
Keigo raised a brow, grabbing the golden tie around his neck to loosen it while he spoke. “You know, you say I annoy you and that I’m such a burden to deal with, and yet you won’t let me leave or just kill me. What do you think I’m going to do, go out and blab to the world about vampires? I’m not wanting to leave here, then get chucked into some hospital for sounding insane. And I’m sure the fancy organization you vampires got can hide a body.”
“I haven’t let you go or killed you yet because that would be rude to the person who gifted you to me.” The vampire looked out the tinted window, and Keigo’s gaze followed. There was only his own reflection looking back at him. “You haven’t even given me your blood yet, so some gift you turned out to be.”
“Sounds to me like they’re the rude one, giving you such a horrible gift ‘n all.” They were no doubt getting close to their destination, yet another stuffy place where he would be expected to hang behind Touya and act like some mindless servant. “Look, we both know I’m not going to act the way you want me to at this… Where are we going again?”
A loud sigh came from Touya just as the car came to a stop. “A ball. It’s sort of a fundraiser. My father is a businessman that often gives to charities.” He looked so proud of himself, smug in a way that Keigo was more than happy to ruin for him.
“Doing good things just to look good doesn’t make the guy a saint,” he chuckled. “Anyway, I’m not going to be quietly following you around like a lost puppy. So, how about you treat me like an equal tonight? Just to see how that goes, hm? Who knows, maybe it could lead to you getting a snack from me.”
Touya turned to face him, ignoring the fact that they were parked and supposed to be getting out. “An equal?”
If there was one thing Keigo learned from his month or so with Touya, it was that the vampire had a thing for challenges. It was probably the real reason he had kept Keigo around for so long, and why he hadn't forced him to give blood yet.
“Yeah, y’know, just act like I’m some other rich, important person.” He gestured to his outfit, a pricey suit that fit him perfectly. "You dress me like one, and I know you're going to get bored at this anyway. Remember the last formal party your dad dragged you to? You and I sat at a table by ourselves in silence for pretty much the entire night. So how about tonight, we make it more interesting?"
The vampire hummed, once more looking out the window. Others were exiting their own rides, also dressed to the nines for the event.
"And if I do this, you'll finally bare your neck to me and let me drink as I please?"
Keigo made an unsure sound. "Maybe not, 'as you please', but if I feel like you've earned it, then yeah, I'll let you take a bite."
"If you feel like I've earned it?" Touya laughed, shaking his head. "Alright, fine. For tonight, you'll be my equal. Just remember, the others here that are vampires as well won't be doing the same. And I can't speak for my family. There's a good chance I’ll be the only one treating you nicely."
"Figured as much," Keigo shrugged. "I only hang around you during these things anyway, so that won't be an issue."
With a hum of agreement, Touya moved to get out of the car, Keigo not far behind him. As much as he didn't care for the vampire's presence, he cared less for the other rich snobs there. They had only been to three events together in his time there, but all three of them were filled with stares of disgust from humans and vampires alike. It was as if they could tell that Keigo didn't have any important title.
Inside the impressively large event hall, Keigo gawked at the priceless paintings, vases, and outfits on display. Each item had to be worth a number with more zeros than Keigo cared to think of.
“If you want to look like my equal, you’ll need to stop gawking at the walls and walk a little faster, birdie.” Touya had started to call him that from day one, when Keigo made a mumbled joke about becoming a caged bird when he was told of his new living arrangements.
“Right, none of you rich folk care about all of this pricey stuff, huh? You’ve all seen it and more a thousand times by the time you were able to walk.” He picked up the pace, weaving through the crowd with Touya right at his side.
“Exactly. So, if you want to look like you belong next to me and not behind me, then keep up.”
For what Keigo assumed to be about an hour, he and Touya made their way around the event, stopping to talk to whomever the vampire deemed important enough to take some of his time. Which didn’t end up being more than a handful of people, and Touya never stuck on one person for long. It had to be clear to everyone there that Touya didn’t actually care about any of it, but appearances had to be kept up by them all, and no one said anything about his lack of care for conversation.
Except Keigo. Every time they stepped away from someone, he would nudge the vampire’s arm with a smile.
“Looks like you’re playing pretend with everyone here tonight,” he laughed, following Touya away from the tall man, whose name was already forgotten by them both. “I know this is a charity thing, and you have to make it look like you care, but why not have us go and sit down like at the other events?”
Touya raised a brow at him. “I am pretending, just like you said. But this is something I would do if you were an equal that accompanied me to this event. This is the ‘interesting’ night you wanted, right?” A smug smile made its way onto the vampire's face as he spoke.
“Right, I guess it is,” Keigo hummed. So Touya was taking their challenge more seriously than he thought the man would. That act alone was the most amount of effort Touya had ever put into being nice, and it proved to Keigo that maybe, just maybe, he could make his time there liveable. And maybe even a little enjoyable.
Keigo hadn’t realized that the music softly playing in the background growing louder, not until Touya nudged his arm and gestured to the group of people dancing. None of them were moving in a way that he was used to, seeing as the only times Keigo had ever gone dancing were to clubs and places that required a lot less clothing.
“You know, it’s not uncommon that I’m asked to take a dance with others at these events. Most of them only want to talk to me about my father while we’re close, but-”
“Stop right there, pretty boy. Are you asking me to dance right now?” Keigo crossed his arms, raising a brow at the vampire. He has asked him to play nice, but he wasn’t expecting it to go this far.
“Do you not want to, Birdie?” he laughed. “As I said, I would do something like this with an equal. Though, I’m never the one to ask. So I must be playing nice, just like you wanted.”
Keigo hummed, looking the vampire up and down. Sure, Touya only asked because he wanted to bite him later, but something about the entire situation told Keigo that he, too, was having fun with a night of doing something a little different.
“Fine, we’ll dance. I’m not used to slow, fancy steps like these, though, so you can lead the way.” He held out his hand and Touya took it, yelping when he was immediately being tugged onto the dance floor with the others. “Oh, I see, throwing me right into the fire to learn, hm?” Keigo stumbled over his own feet, only being held up by Touya, who looked to be enjoying the situation far too much.
“C’mon, it’s easy. Just keep your hands here, and here.” Touya grabbed one of Keigo’s hands and moved the other to his shoulder. “The patterns of the steps repeat, so if you’re quick, you’ll pick up on them right away. I’ll keep you afloat until you get them so that you don’t get stepped on by the others.”
The first few steps took all of Keigo’s focus. Having to rely on Touya to stay upright while getting dragged along by the vampire had his face turning red, so he forced his feet to at least keep up so that he didn’t have to lean on the other. None of it could be that hard. Like Touya said, a lot of it was just repeating steps that carried them around to the tempo of the song.
With his mind so focused on getting the steps right, Keigo hadn’t noticed Touya lean in, his lips pressing against his ear. “Stop thinking so much and just move with me.”
Keigo cringed at the chills that ran up his spine. “Of course, why didn’t I think of that?” He rolled his eyes, then forced Touya back just far enough that he could look at his feet again. There were so many more complicated things in his life that he had learned in mere moments, yet somehow doing a slow dance wasn’t clicking.
Maybe thinking too much actually was getting in his way. But how could Keigo not get lost in his thoughts about his situation? Dancing with a vampire he didn’t like at a place he didn’t want to be. Relaxing and being grounded were always something he was known for, how could he get back to that when his life had been turned upside down and changed so much?
“It’s dancing, not a game of chess, Birdie,” Touya laughed. “Stop making that face at your feet and stop being so afraid to let me lead you. You might actually like it, you know.”
Keigo’s eyes snapped up to Touya’s, and he forced his face to relax. “I’m not making a face. And I doubt it. But fine, since you’re trying tonight, I guess I can, too.”
Still being pulled along made it hard for Keigo to give himself a moment, but after a long, deep breath, he managed to center his thoughts. Life hadn’t gone where he thought it would. His time with Touya could only spell disaster in the end. But it wasn’t like letting loose for a single dance would be the end of the world. If anything, the two of them were having a nice time, and Keigo having fun with it might open the door to more times like it in the future.
Having a calmed mind allowed Keigo to finally let his feet move with the vampire’s. Each step went with a note of the song, and their bodies swayed in swift, fluid motions that melded in perfectly with the surrounding dancers. No one looked their way or cared about how they held each other, though Keigo felt like he had suddenly been dropped in the spotlight, moving so effortlessly that he and Touya no doubt stole the show.
“Not so bad letting me lead, is it?”
The song had slowed and so did their steps, however, Keigo’s heart was racing in his chest. Nothing about that dance meant anything, aside from him finding a moment of clarity to step outside his predicament and realize that he could find his own bits of happiness. Even while living with a family of snotty vampires.
He hooked his arm around Touya’s and pulled him off the dance floor, his eyes darting around to find the perfect, hidden spot. “I have some rules about this,” he said, still dragging the confused vampire along. “You can only take a little. I want to be able to walk after this. And you’re getting me food immediately after. I saw that hors d'oeuvres table and I want to try one of each.”
They came to a stop in an empty hallway, the doors lining it all possible spots for them to hide away in for a few moments. None stuck out to him, so Keigo started to try the handles at random to see which was unlocked.
“Are you saying that a dance was all it took for you to finally give me your blood willingly?” Touya crossed his arms, eyebrows furrowed.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Keigo sang as he tried another door, “this isn’t me opening the taps forever. Think of this as a sort of taste, a treat for taking my challenge to heart.”
The vampire hummed, arms falling to his side. “Alright, fine then.”
Keigo was about to try another door, only for a pale hand to reach out and twist the knob for him. It took no effort for Touya to snap the lock, and in seconds the vampire had the door open and shut, and Keigo pinned to the wall inside.
“I forgot just how quickly you guys can move,” he grumbled. His spinning head was thankful that he was against a wall, though being stuck against the vampire again wasn’t too ideal.
“I’ve been waiting too long for this.” Touya spoke softly, though his lips were right against Keigo’s ear, so he could hear him perfectly. “Don’t worry, Birdie, I’ll do the things you asked. Can’t promise I won’t get excited and bite a little too hard, though.”
Before Keigo could protest, a sharp, stinging pain set his shoulder and neck aflame. The hand that was suddenly over his mouth stopped any gasp or groans from coming out, and Keigo could only lean against the wall, waiting for Touya to stop taking in mouthfuls of his blood.
Thankfully, the vampire kept his promise and when he pulled away a minute later, Keigo didn’t feel as though he was about to fall over.
“Can’t you guys make the bites not hurt, or something?” Keigo huffed, fixing his suit. He hadn’t even felt or noticed Touya moving it aside. “I know your spit heals it right away, but I think I heard one of your siblings say something about it being able to numb it, too.”
“Oh, it can,” Touya laughed. “I told you, though, I made no promises about it not hurting.” The smug smile made its return and Keigo gave one of his own.
“Guess I’ll have to be more specific about future deals with you.” With his suit fixed, Keigo opened the door, motioning to the still empty hall. “Which reminds me, just because you got your snack doesn’t mean you get to stop making this night interesting. And you’re still getting me food.”
Touya stepped out, stopping in front of the door for Keigo to follow. “Future deals, right. Perhaps that’s how we’ll manage to get along.”
“Perhaps it is.” Keigo joined Touya, the two walking away from the room. “But no more deals for now. Just food. And maybe some water.” As much as he had hated his time with Touya, knowing that deals could be made to make things tolerable gave him a lot of hope for the future, hope that he was sure had died and wouldn’t come back.
So long as he kept his head up and whits about him, Keigo would be fine in the stuffy life of a vampire.