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The day was mellow.
He could feel the sun slipping below the sky even through the layers of cold stone that protected him. He hadn’t slept all day. He had been up with some books Straizo had recommended him, The Art of Knife Making and The Mechanics of Taxidermy. He had wanted to discuss it with him as soon as possible. He’d get to do so tonight.
But one couldn’t have a discussion right after waking up without a bite to eat. It would be bad manners to hound his beautiful blue-eyed lover directly after he awoke. And so here DIO was, searching for certain ingredients in the kitchen. He wasn’t one to cook very often. Why do so when one had scores of underlings willing to cook for you? But for his love, only a personal touch would do.
He took the freshly baked Emmer flatbread out of the oven and began making some clotted cream and honey as a spread. His lover liked things of the sweet and creamy variety despite how bitter and sour his face always seemed. Once done with making the spread he poured some milk into a glass and made some black tea. On the side, he laid some milk crackers and then went upstairs to greet his lover.
Straizo was awake if only barely by the time he arrived in his room. He gave DIO his regular pensive scowl as he stood up from his bed.
“Good morning, DIO. I presume you haven’t slept at all.”
DIO smiled at him. “Right as always, Sweet Love. we’d like to discuss the books you gave us over some breakfast.”
“You killed someone this early in the night?”
“No no. That would be brunch. We mean a human breakfast. One that was prepared especially for you.”
Straizo sighed a little. “You’re always extra sugary just after sunset. I can never understand it. I used to think it was just because you’d just freshly woken up, but silly me it seems.”
DIO walked up to his lover and took his freezing cold hands in his. “Would you give us the pleasure of breakfast, Straizo?”
“I was never going to say no,” Straizo replied with a slightly sleepy smile. “Show me this breakfast of yours. Did Telence do a good job?”
“We made it for you ourselves.”
“Oh, that’s rare. Did you like the books?”
“Very much so. You’ve told us how your mother used to collect ornate knives. Is this your way of requesting some space to start your own knife collection?”
“I like making knives more than collecting them. I’d rather have some space for some taxidermy.”
“Ooh. What animals do you have in mind for that?”
Straizo smiled lazily. “Your abominations mostly, those chimera creatures. I wish to study them and hang their taxidermies in the rooms of those I don’t particularly like.”
“Is this your way of insulting our work? We’ll have you know we consider those chimeras quite beautiful.”
“We can hang of few of my taxidermies of them in your room then.”
DIO laughed. “No no. That’s quite alright. No need for that. We’d rather not stare at those freaks all night long.”
“So even you admit to their ugliness. How sorrowful that even their creator cannot bear to look at them for long.”
“Why do you hate them so much and yet want to study them?”
“They are an affront to beauty and nature but are also evidence of greater possibilities. They are like bloodletting, an ineffectual ugly practice but also a stone on medicine’s footpath.”
“Sometimes we imagine that a vampire like ourselves convinced humans to bloodlet. Imagine if humanity’s food served itself on a platter like that. A pig preparing the pot meant to boil it.”
“I would imagine if a vampire did do such a thing, it would have to be a very desperate one. Bloodletting was done mostly on the sick. I can’t imagine that sickly blood is all that appetizing.”
“Hm. To a certain point it doesn’t make a different. When a vampire is hungry any blood will do. It’s not like we can catch the illnesses in the blood. But yes, healthy blood tastes better. There is an undertone of something spoiled and sour in sickly blood, like milk right before it turns.”
“I have to say. You are definitely not stirring my appetite.”
“Oh my love. Once you see your breakfast, your appetite will be plenty stirred.”
They turned one last corner and stood at the top of the stairs.
“Well now I’m expecting something spectacular,” Straizo said, a bit dryly but with a quirked lip.
DIO leaned down and kissed the smug look off of his face. Pulling away, Straizo’s face was slightly flushed with the blood of yesterday’s feeding, and his lover’s cold fingers were wrapped around his waist.
“Would it be gross if I asked if you could be my breakfast?”
DIO grinned. “We know we’re irresistible, but goodness, Love, wait until brunch at least.”
Straizo rolled his eyes and let go of him. “You’re one to talk, but alright. I can smell it now anyways. It’s as sugary sweet as you are.”
“Not feeling like sweet today?”
“I always feel like having sweets. Don’t mind me and my dour countenance.”
“Oh but we fell in love with that aspect of your personality.”
“Did you? How sweet.”
They got to the bottom of the stairs and then turned into the kitchen. DIO looked at Straizo for his reaction. When his lover’s face didn’t change he furrowed his brow and looked at where he’d kept the breakfast he’d made.
He found Hol Horse finishing up the black tea.
He stared at Hol Horse and the fucking cowboy stared back at him with a cheery grin.
“Well, howdy there boss. You’re up early. I give my greatest regards to the chef. Telence did a great job. He should make this more often.”
DIO could feel his fangs lengthening, his claws sharpening, his golden eyes turning blood red.
“Hol Horse.”
“Yeah, boss?”
“I made that meal.”
“Oh?”
“For Straizo.”
“Oh.” Hol Horse started to sweat. “We…Well I mean. The glass of milk is still here. G-Give me some time and I can whip up a mighty fine milksh-”
“Hol Horse, how would you like to die!” DIO’s voice thundered. He could feel his blood boiling under his skin. He wanted to dig into Hol Horse’s eyes with his claws and let his boiling blood flow in.
Hol Horse was up on his feet at the speed of light. “Hey hey, wait a minute sir! I’m sure we can work something out! This doesn’t have to be how things go si-”
“DIIIIO,” Straizo sighed.
DIO looked back at his lover, trying to banish the scowl from his face. “What is it?”
“Since there’s no breakfast, how about we start discussing those books I recommended you?”
“Could you give us a minute to skin this bastard alive and boil him in his own blood?”
“No need for such dramatics. I’ll simply have his blood for brunch and all will be well with the world. Right Hol Horse?”
“Absolutely sir! You know I’ve had doctors from all over the world hound me for my blood. They say I keep it squeaky clean and they’ve never seen anything like it. Well it should be expected. I’m healthy as a horse and my genes must count for something because the ladies always tell me that I’m mighty fine for a-”
“That’s quite enough blabbering from you Hol Horse,” DIO interrupted calmly. “Now go, and we don’t want to see hide nor hair of you until brunch.”
“Not a problem!” Hol Horse said, voice pitching higher with nerves. He hurried out of the room while never turning his back to them.
DIO tsked. “Do you really not mind missing out on your breakfast?”
“I’m not the type to really care too much about that kind of thing. I would’ve liked to have it. But oh well. It’s not the end of the world. I can have some whenever I want. I do thank you for thinking of me.”