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Vampire territory was finally in his rearview mirror. Langa knew he was crazy. Yet somehow, his every instinct was telling him to push forward.
It started when he overheard a conversation. It stuck inside him and wouldn’t go away.
“Wait, you think all the missing people ran away to live with the humans?”
“Yeah. I knew a guy a few years ago, told me he was going to sneak out and hide in human society. I told him he’d be back in a week, but he never came back. He’s either happy or dead, I guess.”
Happy or dead. Those seemed like the best two options to Langa.
“Why would a vampire want to live among humans?” His coworker scoffed. “They’re so emotional.”
The other worker shrugged. “He said he wanted that, wanted love. He’d lost his mind.”
Langa was losing his, too. He knew vampires couldn’t feel love, but he couldn’t stand this numbness any longer. If there was a shot to be able to feel something…he’d take it.
He left that night on his moped after thinking about it all day.
Now in human territory, he felt the atmosphere change. His heightened senses noticed how it smelled fresher and looked more vivid, especially the rain.
The road signs changed. It confused him, and he got on the highway– going the wrong way.
An eighteen wheeler frantically blared its horn as Langa tried desperately to brake and veer away. The rain-slick road gave no traction and Langa spun out, straight into the speeding truck.
Langa was thankful to be a vampire for once. A human would have surely died. Then, he realized how much blood he was losing. He fell into a haze, only barely hearing the sound of sirens and seeing bright lights behind his eyelids.
Before losing consciousness, he shifted his body, and the last thing he heard was, “Oh my god, how is he still alive?!”
The blackness lasted a long time; Langa wasn’t sure how long. He knew he was dying. He accepted it, and there was no point in trying to survive anymore.
As soon as he let go of life, he suddenly felt his body start to revive. He felt new blood pumping through his veins, turning each cell on again like a circuit completing.
Wait, was he receiving blood? Vampire blood from a human hospital– and it was compatible?! Vampire blood was very different from human blood, and every vampire was so unique the odds of matching were so low that they normally didn’t even bother with transfusions.
He woke some unknown time later, noticed the blood bag by his bed, and realized a vampire among the humans must have donated it.
Hurriedly, Langa disconnected all of his machines and jumped out the hospital window.
His body still hurt, but he felt mostly fine. He smelled different now, he realized; he smelled the new blood in his body now.
He could use that to find the vampire that saved his life– he would, and right away. He had to thank them; and he was desperately curious to find another vampire in this human society. So, he started tracking the scent through the dimly lit city streets of somewhere on Okinawa.
After a few miles, Langa was exhausted and hungry. He was going to give up on the task for now and somehow find some blood, until the scent suddenly grew stronger with a gust of wind. His breath picked up, and he felt adrenaline fill his body.
He followed the scent until he was in front of a graveyard. He squinted and saw in the distance a form wandering alone. He knew, in some way. He started running to him past the plots and elaborate gravestones.
“Excuse me!” Langa cried, stopping a couple feet behind him. He turned around and Langa’s breath was stolen straight from his lungs.
The instant their eyes met, Langa knew he was in love. Warm amber eyes, bright red hair, curious, innocent expression, and every single freckle– he was in love with all of it.
What the hell was he thinking? Vampires didn’t love. They certainly never fell in love.
He stared with his mouth open, taking the immaculate sight in. He tried to say something, but he was in too much shock. The boy blinked a couple times; he looked surprised too.
“Who are you?” The boy finally asked.
“Langa...You saved my life.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” The boy shook his head.
“You donated your blood and it saved my life, I wanted to find you to thank you…”
“My blood? Oh! Right, I donated it the other day…”
“Yes, I had a really bad accident…you’re the only reason I’m alive and here to meet you. Please, what’s your name?”
“Oh, um…Reki. I’m glad you are alive to…meet me.”
“Me too. I really wanted to. It’s strange, I feel– uh…” Langa shook his head. He should shut up. He had clearly knocked a screw loose in that accident.
“It does feel strange.” Reki agreed in a low voice.
“You feel it too?”
“This feeling like…I want to get closer?” Reki leaned forward slightly.
“Yes.”
“And touch you?”
“Yes.”
“Why does it feel that way?”
“I don’t know…”
“Your name was Langa?”
“Yes.”
“Can I… touch you, Langa?”
Heart racing fast, he nodded and moved a step closer.
Reki reached out to his hair, pushing it behind his ear then grazing his hand down his cheek, neck, shoulder and arm, stopping at his hand and grabbing a hold of it. Langa took a shaky breath.
“How did that feel?” Reki asked in a whisper.
“Reki… it’s indescribable…” I want more, Langa thought. So much more–
“I want to kiss you.” Reki blurted, then quickly covered his mouth.
“I want to kiss you, too!” Langa exclaimed, stepping closer.
“Should we?” Reki uncovered his mouth and whispered.
“Vampires don’t kiss…” Langa whispered back.
“Because they never want to.” Reki pointed out.
“Then why do we?” Langa’s skin prickled. Was something wrong with them? These feelings were so strong, it was completely alien.
“I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you. It’s otherworldly. I feel like I need to make sure you’re real. Then that just makes me want even more.”
Langa blushed and held Reki’s hand tighter.
“You?” Reki asked.
A million reasons rushed through his head. He had no idea how to explain them.
“Y-you saved my life, for one thing. I needed to know who did… but I didn’t know why I needed to know… Then I saw you, and it all made sense but also made no sense. Everything is confusing, but you seem so amazing…like my life didn’t actually begin until I saw you.”
“Wow… That’s a lot…” Reki smiled softly.
“I’m sorry. It is a lot.” Langa agreed.
“I know what you mean, though. When our eyes met, it was the first time I ever felt so much…emotion. Maybe any emotion at all.”
“I needed to find you, Reki.”
“You did.” Reki squeezed Langa’s hand.
“But now what?” Langa questioned genuinely. He was at a loss.
Reki leaned forward and raised his arms around Langa’s neck. He stared into his eyes intensely, gold smoldering with uncertainty and excitement. Langa put his hands on Reki’s waist and closed his eyes, pushing forward to meet their lips together.
As he felt Reki’s soft lips graze his own, he knew he was right. He wasn’t alive until just moments ago. Reki pressed closer, moving messily against him, evolving from a soft shyness to unrestrained passion.
Langa could vividly feel an absence of gravity as his feet lifted from the ground. They floated up easily, filled with so much lightness it lifted them. This was an utopian dream Langa didn’t deserve to experience.
They pulled back slowly, descending back down to the ground, and stared in astonishment at each other, perplexed and amazed.
“We were flying.” Reki stated.
“Y-yeah…”
Reki was about to say something, but a loud growl interrupted him. Langa grabbed his stomach in embarrassment.
Reki laughed and Langa instantly fell in love with the sound.
“When’s the last time you fed?” Reki asked with a warm smile.
“I– I don’t even know.” Langa admitted.
“Come on, let’s go get you some food.”
Langa gulped. He had never hunted before. He’d always been fortunate enough to just buy his blood. Reki must have noticed his wide eyes and took his hand.
“We’re not going hunting. We’re just going to my place.”
“Oh. That makes me nervous, too...” Langa admitted. Reki laughed again and led Langa out of the graveyard and down the road.
They arrived outside a store with a sign reading “DOPE VAMP.”
“It’s an alternative clothing and accessory store– but that’s just a front. It’s really where vampires living here can secretly get things we need to blend in and survive.” Reki explained.
Langa stared up at the sign. He hadn’t thought such a place would exist– vampires helping other vampires?
“I work here and also live upstairs.” Reki added. He took Langa around back and up a staircase. He unlocked the door and let Langa into a small studio apartment.
Langa looked around while Reki pulled a few cans from the fridge in the corner. He motioned for Langa to sit at the small dining table.
The little cans were odd, aluminum and disguised as a regular beverage. The logo on them was a blood cell, though, and they were labeled “r3al bl00d.”
“Where…” Langa trailed off.
“The humans make it, actually. They wanted to make artificial blood so people wouldn’t have to rely on donations. It failed, though, as it isn’t compatible with human immune systems. But for us? It works just fine as food.”
“Oh…okay.” Langa opened a can and took a drink. It tasted… strange, like pennies dipped in drain cleaner. But it was feeding him, that was the important part. He took another drink and started feeling better. His brain’s gears began turning and he became curious.
“I have to ask… why did you donate blood?” Langa asked gently.
“Oh,” Reki chuckled in embarrassment. “Uh…peer pressure?”
“Peer pressure?” Langa blinked.
“I have these human friends, and they wanted us to all donate. They don’t know I’m a vampire, and so I had to play along.” Reki explained.
“Human friends… that’s nice.” Langa smiled and took another drink.
“Yeah, at the high school I go to. I blend in as a sixteen-year-old here. You could do the same… My boss, Oka, can set you up in school.” Reki stated.
“School? The building with the young humans? That would be exactly what I want.” Langa lit up.
“You’re brightening up so much…” Reki noticed. “You must have been starving.”
Langa nodded and killed the first can, then opened the second.
“You’re even prettier now.” Reki sighed while watching him. “I want to look at you until I go blind.”
Langa wasn’t sure what to say. He looked down to hide his smile, turning the can back and forth in his hand.
“This is wild, but…” Reki trailed off.
“What?” Langa asked, looking back up.
“Would you want to date?” Reki blurted out.
Langa blinked. “Wh…what does that mean?”
Reki stared blankly. “...How long have you been living here?”
“I, uh, haven’t. I had that accident right when I entered human territory, and just left the hospital tonight.”
Reki bit his lip. “I’m asking if…you want to be my boyfriend…”
“I don’t…I still don’t know…” Langa struggled.
Reki was rubbing his forehead, he looked flustered. Langa felt bad. He wasn’t understanding something important.
He knew he had a lot to learn about humans and their society. A lot to learn about these new feelings, too. He needed help; but he trusted Reki, he had already saved his life.
“Will you teach me?” Langa pleaded, meeting the gorgeous amber eyes he loved.
“Teach you?” Reki asked, surprised.
“Teach me about humans, and…dating and boyfriends.” Langa clarified, and Reki grinned from ear to ear.
“I’ll teach you everything I know.” Reki reached out and took Langa’s hand.
“Thank you. How can I repay you for…for everything? Please tell me there’s something I can do.” Langa's eyes were pleading.
Reki blushed a deep red and looked down. “Will you…will you stay with me? I don’t think I can go back to my life without you.”
Awash with such strong feelings of love, Langa felt almost unwell. His head felt light and his heart kept skipping beats. He met Reki’s eyes and could have swooned. A bit dazed, he answered Reki while firmly holding his hand.
“Reki…I’ll stay with you for as long as the sun burns.”
Reki laughed through his tears. Langa was impressed by his display of emotion; he truly had been living with the humans a long time. Langa wanted to be able to laugh and cry like that, too. He wanted to express how in love he was with Reki. It was like a floodgate was holding back tidal waves of emotion he never knew he had before, but now could feel viscerally. Reki would free it, he was sure. Reki was the reason he was alive now, and since the instant he saw him, Langa knew he was also his reason for living.
Reki felt the days fly by in euphoric bliss. Langa had stayed true to his word. He enrolled in the same school as Reki, in the same class; they worked together at DOPE VAMP; Langa even lived with him (Reki procured a coffin for Langa to sleep in, similar to his). They were always together.
One evening, a couple weeks later, a severe rainstorm hit. Reki and Langa sat bored inside their apartment.
“Let’s have a tea party!” Reki suddenly shouted.
“A tea party?” Langa asked doubtfully.
“Yeah! I collected some tea cups and stuff…we can pour our ‘r3al bl00d’ in them and be fancy.” Reki explained excitedly as he rushed to get everything set up.
“Oh!–” Reki rushed to the closet. He started haphazardly throwing things on.
“Dress up, too?” Langa whined.
“Don’t pretend to complain, I can tell you’re into it.” Reki retorted.
Langa chuckled and shrugged. He went to the closet and let Reki drape him with clothes and accessories.
When everything was ready, Langa offered his hand out to Reki.
“Will you accompany me to this affair?” He asked in a fake, pompous voice. Reki accepted his hand with a small laugh.
Langa guided him to the table, then sat opposite. They levitated and casually sipped their “tea.”
Just over the last couple weeks, their strange abilities had grown. Levitating was second nature now. Their heightened senses, strength, and resilience had all tripled. Most recently, they noticed that sunlight and garlic had stopped hurting them.
Oka had told Reki, “This, between you and Langa. The blood transfusion, your love at first sight, gaining more powers as your relationship strengthens. It’s really incredible, Reki. It might finally lead us to our answers.”
Reki didn’t really understand what he meant. What answers?
Langa sighed happily, interrupting Reki’s thoughts. Reki gazed at him, the outline of his face, the satin strands of blue hair that fell around like waterfalls.
Nothing could make Reki fall any deeper. If they parted, it would sever his arteries from his heart. Yet, technically, they weren’t dating. Reki had asked the night they met, but Langa didn’t know what that meant.
“What’s wrong?” Langa seemed to sense his anxiety. His ocean blue eyes were full of concern.
“I…I was wondering how you felt…” Reki paused. “...about me?”
Langa looked at Reki, his eyes shimmering, half-lidded and enamored. A small smile traced his lips.
“I’m in love with you.”
Reki nearly choked on his sip of blood-tea. He said it so easily, with no hesitation. It made Reki’s cheeks scorching hot. He cleared his throat.
“Y-you know. It’s like we’re basically humans now.” Reki scratched his face nervously.
“Uh…we are?” Langa looked down at the floor below, then at his blood-filled teacup.
“Like, basically. We do a lot of human things. Even this tea party. Vampires don’t own cups! We act pretty human and could do lots of human things.” Reki rambled.
Langa blinked, “Like what?”
“Like, well, dating or something.” Reki blushed even more.
“Oh, dating? You mentioned that before. Is that what humans in love do?”
“Y-yeah. It’s like a commitment…” Reki trailed off as Langa reached across the small table to his face. Langa wiped a stray blood drop off of Reki’s lip, making it trail down his finger. He took his hand back and licked it off.
Reki was sweating bullets. The room was nice and cool, but he knew he was asking something crazy. For vampires, at least. Vampires didn’t date– they didn’t even fall in love!
“Then… would you want to be with me? Officially?” Reki shut his eyes tight and held his breath, bracing. He was soaking in anticipation and embarrassment; but Langa gave the tiniest laugh of light amusement.
“Of course.” Langa moved through the air over the table to embrace Reki and nuzzle his face into his hair.
As the words sunk in, Reki couldn’t help his giant smile or the tears at the corners of his eyes.
“I’ll be with you in this life and in our next life.” Langa whispered as he kissed his hair.
“I’ll be with you in every life in every universe in every eternity.” He moved to kiss his cheek.
“Infinitely.” Langa met Reki’s eyes with so much genuine love, he felt ridiculous for worrying Langa might say no. Langa leaned in to kiss him. They levitated higher, nearing the ceiling.
There was something between them, a mysterious bond that produced magic when they were together. Their love made them strong and powerful. And everyday, they only seemed to grow closer together and thus, even stronger.
Maybe they’d find out the reason for that, maybe they wouldn’t. Reki was sure now, though, that there was no possibility in which they weren’t together. Ever since Langa received that transfusion, or maybe even before that…it was written in blood.