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The chilly late night air prickled at his face like thousands of icy needles piercing into the exposed skin above his mask. He briskly cycled through the labyrinth of narrow streets that by now were as familiar to him as the back of his hand. It was his fourth consecutive shift, the exhaustion made his thighs burn as he climbed up a steep hill. The smell of the Thai food in his backpack was causing his mouth to water. Oh how he wished he could just rip the paper bags open and devour the whole delivery himself. It was the last order of the night. The thought of a long shower followed by a scolding hot cup of noodles was keeping him going as he dropped the food on the doorstep and began to get ready for the cycle home. Unsurprisingly, the streets were completely deserted at that time. It was a Tuesday night after all. The only sound echoing in the alley was the tearing of the velcro straps of his gloves as he put them back on. A swarm of moths were circling the nearest street lamp so closely, barely any light spilled onto the pavement.
Suddenly, the air was knocked out of his lungs as he got slammed against the wall with a strong pull on his shoulder. A cold hand covered his mouth and pair of big, feline eyes locked its gaze with his. His attacker seemed equally as panicked as he was at that moment.
"Please, don't scream" the stranger whispered almost apologetically. His voice was soft, youthful. It matched his childish face likening him to a porcelain doll. As unassuming as the attacker was, the amount of strength he was able to exert holding Mark in place was unreal "don't move" he added although Mark was completely frozen in place due to the shock caused by the sudden assault "it will be over soon, I promise" the boy seemed nervous, as if it was his first time doing something like this. The hand holding his chest in place pushed harder as the stranger leaned closer. Finally, the gravity of the situation hit Mark with full force. Wide eyed, he trashed around trying to push the attacker off himself but to no avail. His desperate screams were muffled by the hand over his lips mercilessly pressing his head against the wall.
"Shh" the boy unsuccessfully attempted to calm him down. Mark's flailing hand managed to punch the attacker in the back of the head but the boy didn't as much as flinch. Accepting the fact that there was no use in pacifying his victim he swiftly began what he intended to do to him.
Since his head was still pressed firmly against the wall, Mark couldn't see what exactly was happening but one thing he was sure of was that he would not get out of this situation alive. What could only be described as an incision was performed on the side of his neck and as soon as that was done, life started to seep out of him at a horrifyingly fast pace. At first he got slightly light headded, just like one can get during a particularly long nose bleed. Soon enough though he got so weak that the attacker's hands were the sole force holding him up. The vertigo caused the juices in his stomach to stir. No matter how hard he tried to regain control over his body, it was all in vain. He was at the mercy of the unpredictable stranger.
Stop. No more.
He begged in his mind, his hand squeezing the boy's forearm in a pleading gesture. The boy seemed to listen as Mark got immediately released from his hold, his body dropping limply to the ground. The attacker squatted next to him, tilting his head as he assessed the situation.
"I got carried away. I'm sorry" he whispered and Mark could tell he was either sincere or an exceptional liar.
Mark tried his best not to succumb to exhaustion. He dreaded that if he lost consciousness, he would never wake up again. Cold sweat was running down his spine causing him to shake like a leaf. His hands were clammy and his lips were numb like after a visit to the dentist's.
Two fingers pressed on his wrist. The boy was measuring his pulse. Although his eyelids were heavy he watched him as he counted every beat of his heart. He looked so sweet, so harmless. Mark couldn't understand why he had hurt him the way he did.
"You're gonna be ok. You're very strong" the attacker leaned in to say directly into Mark's ear. The only reply Mark could provide was a quiet groan.
The boy pulled him up to a sitting position, resting his back against the cool wall. He seemed to struggle to do so. The great strength he possessed before now supposedly gone. He then proceeded to pat Mark down. Did he plan to rob him? Not that he had much. Honestly he would be better off taking the bike.
He took Mark's phone out and held it in front of his face to unlock it. He then typed something out and put the phone back where he found it.
"Someone's coming for you, everything will be ok" the boy run his hand through Mark's hair before standing up and walking away. And just like that he was gone. No explanation, not a trace that he'd ever even been there in the first place.
Something in the universe has shifted ever since the attack Mark fell victim to two months ago. He simply wasn't the same. He felt it in his system. An irreversible damage has been done to his psyche. The person he was now bared no semblance to the cheerful, model student he had always been. Something dark has taken root in the depth of his mind, growing like a malignant tumor. This invasive thought, a shameful desire, to feel what he had felt that night again. To let the world fade away, the stress of daily life bleeding out of him. Most nights, he would dream about it. He couldn't in clear conscience call these dreams nightmares. He was yearning for this experience. He was yearning for him.
"You have to be shitting me" Johnny's judgemental look travelled from the bar of chocolate Mark has casually placed on the table to the business as usual face he was trying to pull "how do they keep on letting you in? Is that even legal?"
"I'm helping people, dude. What is your problem?" Mark spat out defensively. It was his second blood donation that month, third that quarter. He had to jump through some hoops to make it happen. Still, the sensation couldn't compare to what he felt that night. It was the only possible substitute he could think of at that time, though, so he was glad he had that option available.
"Mark" his roommate's voice softened "is it because of what happened? Just because you had an accident doesn't mean you owe anyone anything" the older reached out for Mark's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze "you don't have to save everyone" it hurt a bit, knowing that Johnny thought so highly of him when all Mark wanted was to get off to the feeling of blood leaving his veins and the sight of it slowly filling up a plastic bag.
"I know. But I'm young and healthy. It honestly wasn't a big deal" Johnny shook his head hearing the flimsy justification but didn't press further. He was willing to give Mark space to cope with whatever has happened to him.
Noone knew exactly what had transpired that night. Mark's test results left the physicians baffled. The young man claimed to have no recollection of the accident so all they could do was to put forward a few theories including a hit and run or a seizure but in the end he got discharged with a vague mention of a medical emergency.
Mark went through the daily motions of his life as if on autopilot. Attending lectures during the day and delivering food by night. He couldn't stop himself, though, from purposefully revisiting the narrow alley were it happened and carefully observing the crowd wherever he went. The chances of him casually spotting his attacker out and about were slim but never zero.
Surprisingly, life had written an even less probable scenario, he thought to himself as the face he couldn't get off his mind for months appeared in front of him as the attacker opened the door to fetch his delivery. Seeing him there was so unlikely he felt as if he was hallucinating. Maybe the boy eying him expectantly as Mark wouldn't hand in the cardboard box really was nothing more than a figment of his imagination. It was also possible he was someone bearing an eerie resemblance to the doll-faced stranger he met that night. His mind could be playing tricks of him letting the power of suggestion see his attacker in an unassuming client. No matter how much he insisted on justifying what was happening, he felt in the pit of his stomach that this was indeed him.
Mark acted quickly, pushing the young man backwards as he entered the apartment leaving the box of dim sum forgotten by the doorstep.
The boy hit the coat rack standing in the entryway and fell over onto his back with a loud thud. A muffled bark of a dog could be heard from the other room. Mark stood over the stranger whom he had for months longed to see watching him back off crawling on his elbows.
"Please, don't scream" he mocked the boy saying exactly what he had previously heard from him. A glint of recognition ignited in his eyes.
"What do you want?" the boy managed to regain some degree of composure.
"What did you do to me that night?" the stranger's gaze wondered off. He attempted to stand up but mark put his sneaker on his chest pressing him back down. It seemed cruel, interrogating him in such a way. However, Mark was no longer in charge of his actions, his monkey brain taking over, craving another fix of whatever he was given that night.
"Trust me, you don't wanna know" he finally said "please, leave"
"Make me" Mark flashed his teeth in a satisfied grin. He didn't understand why the strength level of his opponent seemed to fluctuate but he was sure he could easily overpower him now.
"Listen, I'm sorry about what happened. It wasn't fair on you. I was scared. I wasn't thinking straight. I—"
"I really don't need an apology" Mark swiftly interrupted him "just do it again"
The boy blinked, taken aback by the request. Yet again a bark of a dog resonated in the apartment.
"Are you some sort of a pervert?" he asked tilting his head, eyes furrowed in confusion. Blood started to rush into Mark's ears and cheeks when he heard the accusation.
A sound of tiny paws rappidly approached them. A curly white puppy skipped around the two convinced they were playing around and eager to join the fun. The appearance of the dog somewhat de-escalated the situation. Mark took his foot off the boy's chest, allowing him to sit up. The puppy immediately took that as an opportunity to jump onto the owner's lap.
"I don't know what you did" Mark's voice was softer as he said that. He joined the boy sitting down on the warm parquet of the entryway floor "did you give me some sort of drug? I've never felt like that before. I kept on thinking about it. No matter how hard I tried to understand it, I just couldn't" he ran a hand over his face, relief that he could finally say it all out loud washing over him "I feel like I need it, another fix of whatever it is that you gave me. I'm going through a withdrawal and it's driving me nuts. You did this to me so you have to understand my situation. Help me"
"I can't" the boy shook his head "I didn't know this could happen. I didn't do this on purpose" he looked Mark in the eye, hopeful he would see the matter from his perspective "you don't want to have anything to do with that, with me"
"Yet I have everything to do with you" Mark asserted "and whatever that is"
For a moment silence fell upon the room, both men eying each other desperate to be understood. Mark figured there was no convincing the boy by the means of peaceful conversation so he decided to press him further.
"I tried to reason with you" Mark finally said "but I want you to know I can also use force like I did just now. First you hurt me and then what? You try to protect me? Did you think I would thank you?" although the boy tried not to show that Mark's words affected him, he protectively held his puppy closer.
"Say something" Mark demanded but the boy stayed quiet, his head held low "come on!" the dog let out a distressed squeal when Mark raised his voice.
"I need human blood to survive" the boy said quietly, as if just to himself "It's a medical condition of a sort"
"So you took mine?" Mark's eyebrows came together in a confused frown.
"Yeah, when I did that my body released a sedative into your system so that you don't resist too much. I didn't know it can be addictive though. It was my first time with someone like you"
"Like me?" Mark repeated like an echo.
"Someone of my kind used to share the blood they collected with me" came a brief clarification "now I live alone so I had to mange on my own. I didn't want to grab a stranger off the street like that. I thought that I'd be able to plan ahead but couldn't find anyone in time. It was life or death for me. Hope you understand" Mark nodded although there was still so much he couldn't possibly comprehend without more context provided. If someone else would tell him what the boy had just told him, he wouldn't believe them. That guy basically admitted to being a vampire. It would otherwise seem ridiculous but what Mark had experienced the day of the attack was sufficient proof of the boy's condition for him.
"Your dim sum. I left it outside. Do you want it?" Mark finally remembered why he came to the boy's apartment in the first place.
"Uhm"
They ate together sitting on the floor by the coffee table drinking tea the boy had brewed in a china teapot. Although the circumstances of them meeting were not friendly to say the least, the blissful domestic energy the boy's place exuded put him at ease.
"I'm still hungry, do you want tomato scrambled eggs?" Mark nodded hearing the offer. If it wasn't for the puppy resting her head on his thigh he would stand up to help but he didn't want to wake her up.
"You've never told me your name" he pointed out.
"Neither did you" the vampire sent him a cheeky smile.
"I'm Mark. Mark Lee"
"American?" the boy asked as he skillfully cracked eggs onto the pan using only his left hand.
"Canadian. I thought vampires don't eat" the boy raised an eyebrow at him, amused.
"They do. It's not like I'm dead. If I were dead why would I need blood in the frist place?" Mark shrugged hearing the explanation "I'm Zhong Chenle"
"I'm sorry I treated you so harshly. I'm not usually like that" he scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.
"Likewise" Chenle's eyes turned into upturned slits as he smiled. He placed the ready dish on the table and they both resumed eating. Chenle cooked as if the instructions were already ingrained in his muscle memory. The flavour, although Mark wasn't too familiar with Chinese cuisine, was warm and soulful. It made him think the boy must had learnt the recipes passed down through generations under the watchful eye of his mother.
"Do you mind watching 'Friends'?" Chenle asked and Mark didn't protest.
Since he left Canada for studies, he hadn't felt as at home as he did in Chenle's apartment. The hot tea and a hearty meal made him feel warm and fuzzy inside. It seemed like Chenle and him knew each other for ages, like he was visiting a life-long friend.
"You seem to cook so well. Why do you order stuff in?" Mark asked as the ending credits of the 'Friends' episode started to roll. The boy chuckled.
"Cooking is not the problem. I just hate doing the dishes" he explained. The hot meal caused his cheeks to flush bright pink and Mark thought to himself it made the boy look even less like a stereotypical bloodsucker straight out of a gothic novel.
"I can do the dishes for you" Mark offered on impulse. Having his interest piqued, the boy leaned in resting his chin on his hand.
"Every day?" he eyed Mark sceptically.
"Yes. If you'd want me to. You see, for me cooking is the problem"
"We have a deal then" Chenle grinned and since he was so close, Mark could notice his fangs stand out in the row of otherwise perfectly even teeth.
"And one more thing" the thought alone of what he was about to say, made Mark feel silly "the blood you need, I can give it to you. I can be your donor if you like" Chenle tilted his head hearing the proposal.
"Is that a good arrangement for me or for you?" he joked.
"For both of us. I don't see a reason why not" Chenle nodded, Mark swallowed nervously. It seemed that whenever his path crossed with Chenle's, his life took an unexpected turn.
The boy scooted closer. Mark tapped his foot, restless.
"Do you want me to do it now? I will be more careful this time. I'm not starving and besides, I fed you well" Mark awkwardly cleared his throat, the corners of his lips moving up in an encouraging smile. As Chenle leaned closer, Mark instinctually grasped his hand for support leaving both of them equally as surprised.
"Do you mind?" he asked.
"Whatever, pervert" the boy rolled his eyes and finally bit into Mark's neck.
Warmth filled his body, his muscles relaxing as the sedative slowly spread through his veins. The familiar dizziness was back, he noted as the lamp on the ceiling started to double in his eyes. The vampire seemed to suck all of the thoughts bustling in Mark's head out along with his blood. He felt as if he was floating in the sea of white noise. It was better than he had remembered.
He realised that Chenle was done only when the state of pure bliss wore off, the feeling slowly returning to his limbs and the loose strings of thoughts coiling back together, gradually making more sense.
"Thank you" Mark mumbled smiling like an idiot. Chenle wiped the crimson stain off his lips with a napkin. For some reason he seemed abashed. He stood up and walked towards the window, though there was nothing interesting he could possibly be watching there.
"It's really hot in here" he commented repeatedly pressing the back of his hand against his cheeks. Mark decided to give him some space, focusing his attention on Daegal, Chenle's puppy, hoping that this way the vampire wouldn't feel observed. The atmosphere in the room made him think of playing a game of spin the bottle at a high school house party. Kissing someone one doesn't know too well and the awkward silence that would follow as the couple involved avoided each other for the rest of the night.
"This condition of yours" he decided to change the subject "is it contagious?"
"I wouldn't be able to give it to anyone" Chenle still wouldn't look at him "to get someone infected, you really have to get out of your way to do that" he paused, contemplating whether to say more "it takes a very malicious person"
Mark couldn't help but wonder who got Chenle infected and what could possibly be the reason for harming him in such a way. All he knew was that there had been at least one vampire in Chenle's life that for some reason is no longer in the picture.
"It's a parasite" Chenle added after a moment of silence. He leaned against the window, his fingerstips tapping at the glass surface "one day, when I fail to feed it in time, it will bite it's way through me and come out. And that's how I will die" a shiver went down Mark's spine as he heard the visceral description.
"That's awful" he whispered. Chenle chuckled bitterly in response.
"Do you still want to keep coming over for dinner?" he asked finally turning to Mark again. There was no sorrow in his expression. It was a face of someone who came to terms with his fate.
"Of course" Mark didn't hesitate "we can't have you doing the dishes on your own, right?"