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Rei swore that Hibiki Wataru was an angel . How else would he emit a sort of glow that lit up the entire darkened room that Rei had secluded himself in for so long. The newly turned vampire had locked himself away when he thirst had gotten to strong to control when he was around humans, yet now Hibiki came waltzing in (despite Rei’s orders for no one to come in), with no regards for his own health or safety, not knowing what dangers awaited him. What danger Rei was.
Rei could hear the odd man’s heartbeat, and his body moved without his permission with lightning speed to grab at the pale throat of his friend. He was able to resist though, at the last second, pushing himself away, refusing to drink from his friend, one of the only ones to remain at his side when the whole school shunned him for being “odd” after being bitten, no one believing that he really was a vampire. His starving body collapsed pathetically, yet he didn’t hit the floor. His friend caught him, lifted him up, despite what he almost just did to him. Mind barely coherent from hunger and pain, he didn’t understand why, though he probably wouldn’t understand why Wataru would be doing so even if he was thinking straight. Even without words, as Wataru held him, Rei could feel his love, like a drug, lifting him miles high.
“Drink from me… It’s okay, Rei, drink from me…” Wataru’s words sounded so distant, like a whisper, or perhaps they weren’t even real, an auditory hallucination created from his hunger. But there was Wataru, exposing his neck and guiding Rei’s lips toward it. But Rei couldn’t do that to the person he cared the most about. But he was so thirsty, and his instincts took over as he sunk his fangs into the smooth skin of the person he least wanted to hurt.
It felt so good, Rei’s veins a dried up river, now filled by Wataru’s flood. Wataru’s blood . Rei didn’t realize he was trembling as he drank until Wataru took his hand and squeezed it tight in an attempt to calm his friend. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize sooner… I’m so sorry, you must be starving…” Wataru’s voice, filled with concern, was smooth, like a symphony that poured over Rei’s heart. And his blood, as much as Rei hated himself for thinking so, was so good , and he felt like he’d never be able to get enough, even as he forced himself away, pushed Wataru away, even though it meant his weak legs would fail him without the other’s support.
Wataru stumbled back, still somehow managing to appear graceful. If Rei thought of him as an angel before, he thought even more so now, practically imagining wings on the man who now reached for him, helping him back up. Rei felt so heavy, yet Wataru lifted him up with ease, his grip perhaps a bit tighter than it was before, as though he was afraid of Rei pushing him away. Rei couldn’t help thinking that this was the lowest he’d ever been, having just drank his best friend’s blood , and was now continuing the accept this friend’s help. How could Wataru even stand the sight of him?
Yet Wataru smiled at him, gentle, warm, comforting. “It’s okay… you don’t have to starve yourself anymore… you can drink from me from now on, okay?” That Wataru would be so accepting, even welcoming, of this baffled Rei, made him wonder if this was even real. Or maybe he was drunk, or high from the sweet, delicious blood he’d just consumed after going hungry for so long. When Rei didn’t answer, Wataru cupped his cheek with his hand, gently turning Rei’s face more toward him to make sure he had his attention. “Okay?” Rei didn’t trust himself to speak, nor did he understand the patience and concern in Wataru’s voice, even now that he knew the trust, but he hesitantly nodded, much to Wataru’s relief. Leaning forward, Wataru kissed Rei’s forehead, an act of affection that Rei would never have expected anyone, even Wataru, who loved everyone, to give him.
“Thank you…” Rei whispered, so quiet that he probably thought Rei wouldn’t hear it, yet he did. “My angel…” Wataru chuckled softly, squeezing Rei in a tight hug.
And from that day on, Wataru did his best to be an angel for Rei. The group previously known as the four oddballs at school was now known as the five oddballs once Rei returned to school, and the other oddballs, thankfully, were (mostly) as welcoming as Wataru was, though they never knew the real truth that Wataru did. Every day, it was Wataru’s blood coursing through Rei’s veins, it was Wataru that was his reason for living, that made the stars come out every night and the world keep turning.
And as Rei stood beneath the stars one night, unable to sleep as usual, he smiled. He watched a star shoot across the sky, and couldn’t help thinking of Wataru. If the man were here, he surely would have told Rei to make a wish. But he had no wishes left to make. Because he had an angel who had already granted them all.