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Sparkling had been wandering for a while, taking in the pleasant scenery of the rural areas away from his village. He was looking for new types of berries to include in his drinks at his tavern; he'd had the same selection for years and wanted to spice it up a little. He had been out for hours, trying to find anything that he could recognize from a small guide he had tucked in his basket. It was nice, traveling alone through beautiful fields and forests. He could pretend he was a peasant on a quest to find magic beans, or a knight in search of a dragon’s den, or he could be plain old Sparkling…alone…again.
He pressed on, pushing his way through thick, overgrown flora until they tapered off into a clearing. Sparkling stared in awe at the high stone walls wrapped in years of plant growth, he worked his way around the place coming to an opening. “Hello?” he called, stepping through the threshold and clutching his basket. Once again, he was hit with a state of awe, trees of all kinds stood tall against the faded stone, tons of unique fruits and berries holding onto their branches. They seemed untouched though, as if they’d been left here alone for a long period of time. Must be abandoned, Sparkling thought, walking through the strange orchard. There was a tranquil stillness in the air, putting him well at ease as he meandered around and looked through his book. There were all sorts of rare and exotic plants, many that Sparkling would probably never see anywhere else in his lifetime. He hummed softly, making his selections. He picked each berry gently, trying to avoid disrupting the trees and bushes as much as possible.
“Amazing,” he murmured, “I didn’t even know this was here.” He continued picking at the various vegetation, filling the silence with humming and quiet monologue. Sparkling would be lying if he said he didn’t wish he had someone to share this with, it was an incredible garden. Unfortunately, he didn’t really have anyone in his life to go on adventures with or to take to cool secret places like this. The best he could do was pretend. Perhaps he was on his way to a friend's house, stopping to pick up something they asked for, or he was an assassin, selecting poisons of various potencies for his next target, either way it didn’t matter much. He was still lonely. Sparkling pushed those thoughts out of his head, it wouldn’t do any good to pout. He could enjoy this moment on his own, the sweet scent of fruit, the cool air, the way the sun fractured against the grassy floor. Sparkling was surprised, as unkempt as this place was, the grass was in great shape. It barely reached his ankles, where the fields outside the walls reached his calves. Peculiar, he thought. He smiled up at the last tree he had decided to collect from, he didn’t want to be selfish even if it was unoccupied.
“These berries are nice,” Sparkling mused, “I should come here more often.”
“Looking for something Blondie?” a voice purred behind him. Sparkling almost jumped out of his skin as a hand placed itself on his shoulder, it was all he could do not to scream. He turned and was met with a set of long fangs, his heart hammered in his chest. The man was tall, leaning down to Sparkling’s height so they were nose to nose. When Sparkling was able to meet his eyes, he grew pale at the man’s dark expression. However, it was quickly replaced by a lazy smile and half-lidded eyes.
“Hi,” he said, leaning closer to Sparkling. There was a…giddiness to his voice, as if he was terribly excited and nervous. Sparkling couldn’t take the tension anymore, he let out a nervous laugh.
“Hi-um, sorry I didn’t see you there,” he breathed and laughed again, “Um…who might you be?” The man leaned back, standing to his full height.
“This is my garden,” he stated, and suddenly Sparkling felt sick. Oh God, he thought, he’s gonna kill me for stealing his stuff. He became lightheaded, every bone in his body telling him to run as far away from this terrifying fanged man. Instead, he decided that honesty was the best policy, hopefully it would keep him alive long enough to escape with his life.
“Oh,” Sparkling chuckled nervously, “Sorry, I-I thought it was abandoned.” He tried to subtly tuck his basket of contraband behind him, hoping to draw the man’s attention away to something else. Sparkling glanced around nervously as the man leaned close to him again, his teeth getting uncomfortably near. He placed a finger on his chin, analyzing Sparkling.
“You know,” he said, “You’re kinda cute.” Blood rushed to Sparkling’s face, making him feel like he was about to pass out. Cute? Did I hear that right? He thought, suddenly unable to meet his gaze.
“I also think you’re nice enough to know you’ve gotta pay for what you take, right?” he contended, looking Sparkling up and down. Sparkling could barely keep up with this guy’s train of thought, he seemed to bounce from one thought to another before he could address any of them. He couldn’t take it, he didn’t see why this man had to spend all this time talking if he was just gonna kill him anyway, and if he was really just expecting Sparkling to pay, well, Sparkling didn’t have any money with him. Nevertheless, Sparkling nodded, eager for the encounter to end one way or another. The man’s smile widened and he narrowed his eyes at Sparkling, as if struck by a wonderful idea.
“I think I have a better idea than money as payment though,” he purred. Sparkling blinked, just like with the “cute” comment, he wasn’t sure he heard him right. A better payment? He surely couldn’t mean- Sparkling felt his face heat up even more, utterly embarrassed. Yet, the idea didn’t sound as repulsive as he expected, he’d never been involved with anyone before and he certainly didn’t have someone waiting for him at home. In fact, it sounded like a much better alternative to losing his life, and Sparkling had to admit that the man was quite attractive. There was a certain charm about his lazy expressions, and he had such pretty red hair… Sparkling found himself matching the man’s sly expression.
“I’ll try my best to-um,” Sparkling stuttered, suddenly losing his newly acquired cool. What was he thinking? He wasn’t some-some harlot giving himself away for favors, he could barely flirt. He choked a little, his face getting redder by the minute. No turning back now I guess, he thought glumly, wishing he could just run away.
“I’ll try my best to give you what you want,” he squeaked. The man beamed, clasping his hands together and giggling.
“Oh, you’re so polite!” he grinned, “I think that’s cute!” That encouraged Sparkling a little, if he was cute to the man just by being himself… Sparkling was amazed by this side of himself that appeared, he was willing to go with this stranger and do whatever he wanted. He felt emboldened, independent, and…excited? Sparkling hadn’t made a decision like this for himself since he opened his tavern years ago, though that short moment of confidence quickly gave way to his people-pleasing side which must have some hand in this ordeal as well.
“Okay, so come with me,” the man giggled, grabbing Sparkling’s hand.
“EEK! REALLY? YOU’LL STAY?” The man, who had introduced himself as Vampire, squealed, “I’M SO HAPPY!” He bounced, grabbing Sparkling’s hands and intertwining their fingers. He obviously was unfamiliar with personal space, but Sparkling found it strangely endearing.
Though, he didn’t know if he would ever get used to the rollercoaster of emotions that Vampire was constantly sending him through. Apparently, Vampire was not seeking sexual favors from Sparkling, he was just tired of being alone. Sparkling had explained that there was a lot he had to do back home before he could move in but Vampire seemed to only hear his decision to stay.
“It gets so lonely around the house, you know?” Vampire rambled, talking so fast Sparkling could barely keep up, “I wanted a friend but most people run away when they see me ‘cause they say I’m scary and I mean-oh, I’m just so happy to have a friend around the house!” He giggled, pulling Sparkling into a tight embrace. Sparkling froze at the sudden contact, but then melted into Vampire’s chest. His face was still red from all that’s happened and he hoped that the ditzy man wouldn’t notice or care.
“Thanks…um…what’s your name again? Sparkles?” Vampire held Sparkling’s shoulders, pushing him away to stare at him, making Sparkling too flustered to correct him.
“Okay, so you didn't want to...um,” Sparkling muttered, causing Vampire to tilt his head questioningly, “Okay, nevermind, uh, forget I said anything…” he trailed off. Though, something about the situation emboldened him again, causing him to snap his head up and stare Vampire in the eyes.
“Do you want to make out?”
“Yes.”