Chapter Text
Watari was confused seeing Hioki standing outside during the winter. Peering out the window, Watari could see his boyfriend hunched over in a secluded corner. Class was about to begin, and Hioki was never late.
What... Watari thought. He quickly got up from his seat and raced outside to see what Hioki was doing.
“Hey! Where are you going?” Hotta called out to Watari.
“Probably to find his lover… You know Watari can’t live without him!” Nakasato said jokingly while clutching at the fabric above his heart. Morisaki scoffed at his words but couldn’t help the slight smile forming on his lips.
Watari made it outside and looked to where Hioki was standing. He was shaking, and squelching noises came from whatever he was holding.
“Hioki!” Watari ran over and grabbed his boyfriend’s shoulder. He was acting strange, and Watari was starting to think something was wrong.
But when Watari turned Hioki around, he couldn’t understand what he was seeing. For starters, Hioki looked shocked, eyes wide and mouth moving, but no words coming out. There was also blood. Blood on his lips, dripping down and staining his uniform, smeared red streaks on his cheeks that Watari always found so cute. Hioki’s eyes were also a piercing red, inexplicably different from his usual black eyes.
Finally, Hioki spoke.
“Watari!” He almost yelled, jerking his boyfriend’s hand off his shoulder while dropping what Watari could clearly see now was a rabbit.
“You… you,” Hioki murmured, backing further into the corner, looking down at the ground as if to hide his face.
Watari didn’t understand, but that didn’t matter to him. His boyfriend looked scared, and he needed him to feel safe. Watari grabbed Hioki’s face and lifted it. His boyfriend flinched but didn’t pull away.
“Hioki, are you okay? What happened?” He asked. “Why is there…blood? And the rabbit…” Watari would never say it out loud, but he loved Hioki too much to care about what he was going to say next. If he were a murderer, well, then he would be the cutest murderer Watari knew.
“Watari, it’s…” Hioki’s red eyes were looking directly at Watari. He was mesmerized by its intensity.
“I’m sorry,” Hioki said, unable to answer. “I didn’t want you to find out. I know I look terrible, like a monster.”
Watari could feel his heart breaking at Hioki’s words. They talked about insecurities before, and Watari foolishly thought that was all in the past. He removed his hands from Hioki’s face and hugged him. Everything smelled like copper, and he was sure his own hands were now stained, but he didn’t say anything.
“No, you don’t look terrible, or like a monster. It doesn’t matter what happened, I will always like you. You can tell me,” Watari said earnestly. It took a few seconds, but Hioki broke the hug and looked up at his boyfriend. His fingers were fidgeting. Watari hated how nervous his own boyfriend was confessing to him.
“I’m… a vampire.” Hioki quietly said. A vampire, Watari thought. He’s heard of them in movies and books, but in real life?
“I know it sounds silly! But really! I am one,” Hioki sounded embarrassed.
“Ok,” was all Watari said. If his boyfriend was sucking a rabbit’s blood and claimed to be a vampire, then who was Watari to question him? He just wanted his boyfriend to be happy.
“Eh?” Hioki shot up, now looking at his boyfriend with a shocked look on your face. “Ok? You believe me?”
“Yes,” Watari said firmly.
“But don’t you want to know how?” Hioki said, “Tsujitani couldn’t stop asking me questions…”
“What!?” Watari said. That Tsujitani…how could he know before Hioki’s own boyfriend?
“He’s known since middle school!” Hioki quickly said, seeing the menacing look on his boyfriend’s face. “You’re the only one who knows besides him and my family.” That made Watari feel better, but he kept a mental note to text Tsujitani on Instagram for every detail about Hioki being a vampire…and any pictures he has of his boyfriend.
“You can tell me whenever,” Watari said, “I’m just glad you’re okay. Hioki, I like you so much. Please, never be afraid to tell me anything.”
“Ok…” Hioki said, a shy smile creeping on his face. The contrast between his boyfriend’s adorable smile and the blood all over his face was jarring, but for Hioki, Watari would get used to anything.
“Ok,” Watari said back, smiling as well. They hugged again for longer this time, reveling in the feeling of trust and being able to share anything.
“Shoot!” Hioki yelped, pulling away from Watari. “Class! We’re late!”
Watari looked at his boyfriend and chuckled, trying to stop himself from laughing fully.
“I don’t think we can go to class like this,” he said, looking at the smeared red all over them and the dead rabbit still lying on the ground. Hioki groaned.
“Let’s clean up first, I’ll tell the teacher you weren’t feeling well, and I went to check on you,” Watari said. Hioki laughed also, gently picking up the rabbit.
“Alright, let’s go,” he said, looking up at his boyfriend with so much appreciation. Hioki still feels a bit ashamed of his true self, but being with Watari makes Hioki feel a comfort and confidence he’s never felt before.