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Wylan Van Eck tries not to wallow in self-pity, but some days he has to admit that his life just sucks. He’s floundering in his first year of community college, which comes complete with two teachers who care even less about his dyslexia than his high school teachers did. He’s still broken, on a molecular level, from years of grade school and high school bullying. As he grumbles to himself on occasion, people love to wave Pride flags and watch RuPaul’s Drag Race but at the end of the day they also kinda hate guys who aren’t jocks, aren’t masculine, aren’t heterosexual. Despite all their protestations to the contrary.
He knows that he has never gotten over the loss of his mother, and his father continues to defy description - though crass, cruel, and curmudgeonly are good starters. He also charges Wylan rent now that he’s 18, which Wylan supposes is fair enough in principle, even though the senior Van Eck is worth billions with his multiple McMansions, mistresses, and Maseratis.
With the reality of his life weighing him down, Wylan walks into the Crow Club late one night. It’s a new place for him. When he goes to bars, he normally hits the same two gay bars but he’s a bit sick of the scene there, especially given that he ran into his former tutor at one of them. Plenty of others complain about the straight women who now frequent gay bars, and the straight men who follow them. Wylan loves the former, but is not sure how he feels about the latter. The years of bullying aren’t going to just vanish from his mind.
From the outside, the Crow Club takes Wylan’s breath away. It’s like a mysterious dancer in shimmering purple or an alluring potion inside a test tube emitting wispy steam. The inside is not particularly pretty though. It’s dark and strange, like the bird it was named after. Wylan steps inside, offering his ID when asked. The man raises his eyebrows and studies Wylan’s face. He’s used to this and so he recites his birth date, and the man waves him in with a “you sure look young”.
His first night inside is uneventful except for one thing. There’s a small group sitting at a corner table. Two beautiful women, one brash, the other elegant. There’s a tall, hulking man who Wylan senses is not like one of the jocks who tormented him. There’s a guarded man clutching a cane, and then there’s the most handsome man Wylan has ever laid eyes upon. Wylan makes eye contact with him, but when it is returned, Wylan blanches and turns away. It’s time to go anyway.
As Wylan walks home, he notes that all five of them were drinking bloody marys, not a drink Wylan would ever choose, but good for them for sipping a brunch drink at midnight inside a bar.
***
There are several return trips to the Crow Club. Wylan is drawn to those five people he saw – especially the gorgeous one who returned his look – like a crow to fresh berries.
The second time he sees the quintet, he notes that they don’t do much. They sit at their table and talk. The gorgeous man and the two women occasionally hit the dance floor, but not often - though Wylan could watch him all night. Later, the handsome man eyes a few people at the next table who play cards, but he receives a glare from the stern man with the cane and looks away. Wylan observes that apart from the one with the strict face, the group seems happy. They spend ample time laughing together.
The third time, Wylan notes that they again drink bloody marys. They never eat anything though. Are they all on keto? Or all vegan? Can’t eat the mozzarella sticks or loaded nachos that the club serves? (Wylan enjoys a plate of the former on his third visit, though he can’t finish them. He loves the red sauce though).
The gorgeous man again meets his eyes, but it’s too much for Wylan and it’s nearly 2am anyway, so he hastily retreats.
***
On his fourth visit, a man he hasn’t seen before taps him on the shoulder. “Stay away from those five,” he growls in a low voice. “They’re vampires.”
“Vampires?” Wylan laughs. “Okay, and I’m Cersei on Game of Thrones.”
The man frowns and walks away. When Wylan’s gaze returns to the table with the five, they are gone.
***
They are all pale, the five of them, Wylan reflects as he walks home. And, yes, two of them (including the gorgeous one) are people of color but if it’s not a contradiction, they also simultaneously somehow look….paler than they should? Their three white friends, meanwhile, have skin lighter than whipped cream.
But so what? Wylan himself is pale. It’s March in New York City, for god’s sake. Aren’t a lot of people pale during the winter? Except for Wylan’s dad who is currently somewhere in Maui. Or did he go to Bali this time? Wylan’s not sure, though he knows his dad emailed him a new rent bill with an extra overdue charge added on.
Being pale doesn’t mean that they are vampires. And the fact that the five of them never eat at the Crow Club doesn’t mean they are vampires either. Plenty of people don’t care for bar food, or maybe they all eat before they hit the club so that they don’t chat up a hottie with cilantro stuck in their teeth.
If I really wanted to know though, I could follow them home.
***
On his fifth visit, Wylan resolves to do just that. Stay later than The Five and follow them when they leave. Simple. And maybe kinda fun? Wylan could use some adventure in his life beyond wondering how he’s going to pay his dad or pass his classes or find a job he doesn’t hate. And the prospect of following the hot guy is extra-enticing.
As the night goes on, Wylan starts to realize this is not going to be easy. The five are just….not moving. It’s 3am and they show no signs of packing up.
Wylan takes another sip of his drink. He glances at his phone and plays a game on it. Next time he looks, it’s 3:34am. The five are still at their table.
Maybe it will be better if he gets up and dances. So he does so, while surreptitiously keeping an eye on their table. Feels good to move.
After a few songs, he returns to his place at the bar. Shit. It’s still only 3:59am.
He sits, deciding to play a mind game he used to play back before his father started to ignore him. When the senior Van Eck was in a mood. Wylan just sits still and quiet and turns his mind off. He goes to his “gone” place. A Buddhist would be proud of him. He does it as long as he can.
5:23am. The five are still there.
And then, at last, movement. They are starting to get up, the stern one leading the way.
Following them is harder than any TV show makes it look. Even at 5:48am, the streets of New York City are busy. Plenty of commuters are already on their way to work, plenty of night owls are either still out or on their way home. Wylan passes more than one unhoused person and knows that will be his own fate too if he doesn’t cobble together enough gig work to make rent.
Those five people move fast! Wylan nearly loses them once, and he has to practically trot to keep up. Then they turn a corner, Wylan turns the same corner 10 seconds later, and it’s too late. They are gone.
***
Wylan can’t resist returning to the Crow Club. There’s more than one way to reach a goal, he knows. He could amp up the eye contact with the gorgeous one. He could buy the group a round of bloody marys (with money he doesn’t have, but hey his credit card limit is high). Or he could just ask the gorgeous one to dance. Worst case scenario? The gorgeous one isn’t interested or is – god forbid – straight, in which case Wylan will simply go home and try to study, which he probably should be doing anyway.
So on his sixth visit to the Crow Club, he decides to start with the first option. Eye contact. Lots of it. It’s not easy for Wylan, and his instinct is to duck under the bar with a gawky smile instead. But he meets the gorgeous man’s eyes twice, and the gorgeous man returns the gaze.
And then the gorgeous man rises from his seat as if to approach Wylan. But the stern man in the group places his cane in front of the gorgeous man’s chest. Wylan’s eyes narrow and he frowns. Does the gorgeous man have to obey this guy?
Apparently he does. The gorgeous man throws one more look at Wylan but remains where he is. Wylan finishes the last two drops of his drink and heads out for the night.
***
Wylan decides he will give this one last try. The gorgeous man and his alluring friends are worth it. Even the stern jerk. If it doesn’t work, then he’ll go back to frequenting the gay bars instead of this place. Even if his former tutor is still there.
He decides that he will employ an opening line, and will just see where it goes. He enters the Crow Club for the seventh time, marshaling his nerve, and striding directly towards the table where the five sit.
The line he had decided to direct towards the gorgeous one was, ‘Someone told me you guys are vampires. Want to suck on me?’
But at the very last second, Wylan bails from the second sentence. He can’t say it. It’s too much, it’s way over the top, and he doesn’t think he can hold eye contact with the gorgeous one while he says it.
So when he stands before the group, what comes out of his mouth is, “Someone told me you guys are vampires. Wa- um, is it true?”
Now that the words are out, Wylan realizes how utterly ridiculous he must look. Vampires, as if they are in Twilight. Sure, Wylan’s good looks have saved his bacon more than once, but the instant the words escape, he feels he is either about to be laughed at or pelted with drinks or worse.
Yet the gorgeous one is kind. “Vampires? Well, we do love a late night, that’s for sure. Care for a dance?”
When Wylan can tear his eyes away from the gorgeous one, he sees the stern one giving him a look. Well, he feels it more than anything.
“Jesper. No,” the stern one commands.
So the gorgeous one is named Jesper? Good to know.
And even better, Wylan thinks, is the way this Jesper stands up to the other man.
“One dance,” Jesper says, getting to his feet with the speed and grace of a cat. “It’s harmless.” And then, locking eyes with Wylan he adds, “And don’t worry about your neck, love. Already drank my fill of blood before I got here.”
He reaches for Wylan’s hand and tilts his head towards the dance floor. “Shall we? I’m Jesper.”
Wylan wasn’t quite ready for what it would be like to stand next to Jesper and hold his hand. Jesper is tall, but most men are taller than Wylan. Wylan would have to admit that he’s always enjoyed the classic “tall, dark, and handsome” look, and it’s thrilling to stand next to Jesper. There’s an energy emanating from him, and it’s entrancing. And perhaps the dim light of the club never allowed Wylan to fully see Jesper’s beauty. Now he does and he wants to stand here and absorb it all. Appreciate it. And then Wylan realizes that there’s more to it than that; it’s not just Jesper’s attractiveness. Something radiates from him. Charisma? Charm?
At Wylan’s silence, Jesper prompts, “And your name is….?”
“W-Wylan. Wylan.”
“Very nice. A name you don’t hear every day.”
As the two walk towards the dance floor, the music suddenly changes. During his time at the Crow Club, Wylan has heard the DJs play a variety of different genres. Tonight they had been all about electronic dance music, but now a slow song has started playing. One that lends itself to couples. Although he knows he should be petrified, Wylan somehow isn’t. Jesper just naturally takes him in his arms and gently leads him in a slow dance.
Instead of feeling awkward, the slow dance is smooth and just….fitting. Wylan had wanted to talk to Jesper, and if the electronic dance music had continued, he’d have to have shouted over it. But with this sweet melody on now, he and Jesper can talk.
And talk they do. Jesper seems to enjoy it.
“What do you do, Wylan? Are you a student?” Jesper asks.
“Yeah. At CUNY.”
“What are you studying?”
“Well….I’m not sure what I want to do with myself. Just taking two classes now and seeing where it all goes. I, uh, I liked Chemistry in high school but I need to get my math skills up before taking a college Chemistry class.”
Jesper might be leading this dance and Wylan might be a bit overwhelmed at slow dancing with this man, but Wylan isn’t going to allow himself to be totally swept away either. He has been yearning to learn about Jesper.
“So what about you?” Wylan asks, before Jesper can get another question in. “And your friends?”
“School was never my thing,” Jesper says simply. “I prefer to spend time with my people. Kaz – the one who didn’t want us to dance – he owns this place.”
“Nice. Uh, I really like the Crow Club.”
“Me too. So, Wylan, you asked if we were vampires and the answer is yes.” He says the words plainly though, like everything Jesper says, there’s a hint of wonder and excitement in there too. “But as I said before, we drank before we got here so I’m not tempted right now. At least….not tempted by your blood. Tempted by other aspects of you though.”
Wylan knows that his father, his classmates, and everyone else would say that Jesper’s words are ridiculous and the man is either insane or just a silly fool. He knows that Jesper is probably just having fun with him, but Wylan decides to play along for now. Why not?
“That’s good. Glad you’re not thirsty. How often do you and your friends….drink blood?”
“A rat a day keeps the doctor away! Seriously, the mayor should pay us for keeping the city’s rat population down. It’s how we survive, without hurting people.”
“Do you sleep in a coffin?”
“No, but I do hope you will see my bedroom someday.”
The duo continues to sway with the music, Wylan reminds himself that this man might be a dangerous killer or a blathering idiot, but Wylan just doesn’t care. He wants to remain in his arms. He notices out of the corner of the eye that two other members of Jesper’s group – the tall man and the feisty woman – are dancing together as well.
“I’d like that too then. So….do you and your friends – what’s the term? – turn people into vampires? Is that your goal?”
“No. We prevent other vampires from doing so. We fight the good fight.”
“Okay but….well, it looks to me like you all just sit inside the club all night.”
Jesper laughs, and it seems to Wylan like a hearty, joyful laugh. “We have been very successful in our efforts! We closed down the last big vampire den a few weeks ago. We only fight the bad ones,” he adds quickly. “The ones who try to turn ordinary people. In any case, we’ve done our job well and so we’re entitled to sit back and relax a bit now.”
“Your leader, the one with the cane – “
“Kaz,” Jesper supplies.
“Kaz. He doesn’t look like he does much relaxing.”
“He doesn’t. Perhaps someday he will allow himself to ease up. He’s trying to atone for his misdeeds in the past, that sort of thing.” Jesper pauses. “But enough about me. All I know is that your name is Wylan and you’re taking two classes and you like Chemistry. Tell me more. What do you dream about? What do you like? You’re a good dancer, by the way.”
“Thank you. I, uh – “ Wylan fights for purchase over his thoughts and feelings. No one ever really asks him these sorts of questions. He wonders how crazy he is to want to share everything with a man who claims to be a vampire. And not just any vampire, but a vampire superhero of sorts who takes out the bad vampires, the ones who were turning ordinary humans. Yeah. Right.
What am I doing? Is this the strangest thing I’ve ever done? Do I just turn to oatmeal when a handsome man pays attention to me?
Oh hell. Just keep going along with it.
“I love music,” Wylan says. “I can play almost any instrument. Though mostly I’ve been playing flute and piano lately.”
“That so? Tell me more.”
Before Wylan realizes, the two of them have danced the night away. The DJ has stuck towards slower songs, which has enabled them to keep talking. Wylan shares more about his music, and about his jerk of a father who he lives with. He turns the conversation back to Jesper and learns that Jesper has been a vampire for about ten years, after he was turned by a member of one of the ‘bad’ vampire dens. He also learns that Jesper has been with his friends – who call themselves the Crows – for eight years now. Two of its members, Kaz and Inej, have been vampires for over 50 years.
“You know that most people would tell me I’m dancing with a madman,” Wylan admits at one point.
“I can’t tell if you believe me or think I’m mad or just want to get into my pants,” Jesper says, sounding utterly unruffled.
“Maybe a mix of all three. So is that offer to visit your place still on the table? Because I’d like to.” Wylan smiles. He likes at times being the aggressor. It surprises so many men who look at him and expect a docile, sweet thing. They get very surprised when they see that this twink really isn’t what they expected.
“Then let’s do it. Two hours till sunrise,” Jesper says.
“Good. So you won’t turn to dust on the way to your place.”
***
Light streams in through the window. His mind foggy, his body pleasantly rested, Wylan gropes for his phone and presses the voice app. 10:58am. Damn. He has slept late and missed Remedial College Algebra. He glances again at the window. It has blackout curtains, but they have been pushed to the side.
Jesper is nowhere to be found, but he has left a note on a piece of notebook paper. Wylan can’t read it, though he appreciates that the handwriting is lovely and symmetrical. He uses his scan-to-voice app to translate it.
Hope to see you again soon. Got you some bagels and cream cheese, left them on the counter. There’s also something called stroopwafels which I used to love. Help yourself to the coffee or tea too.
Will you come to the Crow Club again tonight? Oh, and here’s my number.
Wylan’s never hungry in the morning, but he brews a cup of coffee and places the bagels, cream cheese, and stroopwafels into the paper bag that sits out on the table. On a whim, as the coffee brews he uses his phone’s camera function to inspect his neck. No. No bite marks.
Well. He has no idea what to make of this Jesper fellow. But their night together was grand, and Wylan is lonely, yearning for a “den” or a “murder of crows” of his own. Without a doubt, he is returning to the Crow Club tonight.
And he will try to convince them to turn him so that he can join their group. Because putting aside whatever feelings Wylan is developing for Jesper, he also yearns for a family. Perhaps he has found a family and a boyfriend at last.
THE END
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