A Place Called Home

Bite Marks: V (Teasing)

      V's breathing had become labored over the last hour, his pace beginning to fall behind. You paused at the corner of a rundown building, the remains of roots twisted throughout the structure. You peered around, checking for any signs of nearby demons. Satisfied, you turned back to V. He was slouched, leaning heavily against his cane. "Let's take a break," you offered, walking back toward him.

     His soft green gaze drifted up to your face, his lips twitching into a smirk. "I'm fine," he said. With a great effort he straightened up, his chest rising and falling heavily beneath his leather jacket. You could feel the skepticism in your eye roll. V lifted his cane and took a step forward, but his knees buckled.

     Without thinking, you lunged forward, arms slipping under his armpits. The two of you fell to your knees, his cane clattering to the broken pavement. V leaned heavily against you, one hand resting on your shoulder. With him so close, you could feel his body trembling. You could clearly see the cracks running through the surface of his skin. "Okay, it's break time," you ordered, leaning back enough to look at him.

     V turned his head slightly, locks of his dark hair falling across his pale face. It took a second, but the realization that he was only a few inches from your face drew a red tint to your cheeks. Your lips parted slightly, eyes flicking toward his mouth then back up to his eyes. Nervously you leaned to the side and wrapped your fingers around his cane. V's slender fingers brushed yours as he took it, placing the tip against the ground. The two of you stood slowly, your hands settled against his sides and his palm clutching your shoulder. You tried to ignore the warmth radiating from under your hands, to ignore the scent of leather and old books radiating off of him. Slowly, V's hand slid away as he returned his weight to the cane. You'd barely turned away when he spoke up, his voice low and heady. "If thought is life and strength and breath: and the want of thought is death; Then am I a happy fly, if I live, or if I die," he murmured silkily.

     You turned, cocking one of your hips to the side. "If you die, I'll kill you." You gave him a pointed look before pausing. There was something red, partially hidden behind a crumbled wall, the shape looked strangely familiar. "Stay here," you ordered, striding past him and toward the splash of color.

     As you rounded the rubble you found a mostly intact payphone. You began patting down your pockets, checking your shirt and jeans before finding a small golden coin. With a swift movement you popped the coin into the intake slot, and lifted the receiver. Nico's number came to your mind and the numbers all but pressed themselves. The dial tone rang twice before she picked up. "Hello?" her twangy voice came.

      "It's me, can you pick us up?" You asked, glancing over your shoulder to where V was still standing. His dark eyes were all but burning a hole in you as you turned away, causing your cheeks to burn brighter.

     "Awe, can't handle a little one-on-one time?" she teased. You remained silent, glancing at the ground; but it was all the information she needed. "Are you both alright?"

      "Just come get us," you replied and dropped the phone back onto the hook. The last couple of weeks you had been able to see his deterioration, everyone had. But you'd been struggling to keep your feelings inside, avoiding the reality. The worse he got, the more desperate you were for him to be around. Lightly you clapped your cheeks, trying to snap yourself out of it. "Nico's on her way!"

      V hobbled toward you a step, his body wavering as if he was going to collapse again. You hurried to his side, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him to your side. V peered down at you, his familiar smirk in place. "Maybe I should try dying more often," he purred, earning himself a dirty look.

     "That's not funny, V."

     His cracked lips broke into a full smile as he leaned against you for support. "Never said it was," he said. You were silent as you led him back to the phone booth. Gently, you helped him sit with his back against the outer part. He rested his head against the glass panes, one arm draped over his knee. "I told my love, I told me love, I told her all my heart, trembling, cold, in ghastly fears— Ah, she doth depart." V recited, his gaze lingering somewhere far away.

     "Could we not talk about departing?" You asked, sinking down beside him and pressing your tongue against your cheek.

     "Touchy are we?" V asked, taking a deep breath. You tilted your head toward him, examining his silhouette. The fine line of his jaw, the slope of his nose and the swell of his pink lips. V reached up, pushing hair out of his face. His eyes drifted toward you, twinkling mischievously. "What's bothering you, Sparrow?" he purred.

     "I'm just worried about you, V." You leaned your head back, enjoying the cool glass.

     "I'm flattered," he murmured.

     "Bite me," you grumbled, rolling your eyes.

     There was silence for a moment. "As you wish, Sparrow." You twisted your head as V leaned in, his nose brushing against yours. You inhaled sharply, freezing as one of his palms cupped your jaw. The leather of his glove was warm and worn, and you could feel his warm breath caressing your face. V tipped his head to the side, leaning in enough that his cheek pressed against yours. Your eyes fluttered shut as you struggled to breathe, more focused on the soft touch of V. With a slow and deliberate movement he pressed his lips to your neck, then replaced them with his teeth. Your heart began racing, throwing itself against your ribs as he grazed the tender skin where your neck and shoulder met.

     "Hmmm, perhaps I should have done that sooner," he murmured. His mouth pressed against your neck, followed by the soft squeeze of his jaw. "You taste divine."

     "V–" You gasped as he nipped your skin. You couldn't help but lull again against his mouth, one of your hands gripping the opening of his jacket. His lips trailed softly up your neck, following the curve of your jaw before he leaned back. His dark eyes met yours, a smile spread across his face. The anticipation was tangible as he leaned in, pulling you closer with one hand.

      Both of you jumped as something nearby exploded, bits of rock and concrete pelting the ground. V pulled away from you, slow to stand as you leapt up. You peered around the crumbled wall, spotting a familiar van. "Is it her?" V asked, from behind you. You resisted the urge to jump, glancing over your shoulder.

      "Yeah, come on." You moved closer to him, wrapping your arm around his waist. "Let's get you to the van." V allowed you to be close, splitting his weight between your shoulders and his cane. The two of you made your way to the van, the side door slamming open as you approached.

     Nico stood in the door, hands on her hips and a cigarette between her lips. "Hey there, young bloods," she cooed. "Wait long?" Nico teased.

     It only took a couple of minutes for you and V to climb aboard, him settling down on the couch. He looked completely exhausted, his eyes closing as soon as he leaned back. You watched him for a moment before following Nico to the front seats. You had barely dropped down when she let out a short bark-like laugh. "How was it?" she asked.

     "Long. He's getting worse, Nico. I'm surprised he kept up as long as he did," you said with a sigh.

     She rolled her eyes and offered you her smoke. "I meant the teeth marks on your neck," she said.

     Your mouth popped open, your hand flying to your neck. You could still feel his mouth there. "There's not," you argued, staring at Nico. She raised an eyebrow and reached over to flip down the mirror. You peeked up, tilting your head to the side. Sure enough there were a couple of imprints in your skin, in the vague shape of teeth. You frowned, eyes flicking higher in the mirror. From the back you could see V reclined on the couch, his arms folded over his stomach. But instead of his eyes being closed, those green portals met yours in the mirror, a sly smirk slathered across his features.