Cover of Night |A Vampire Mumbo Fic|

Relief, for Now

"You're a vampire, aren't you?"

The question seemed to snap Mumbo out of whatever trance he had been caught in. He released Grian from his tight grip and took a few steps back, a look of worry and guilt painted onto his face.

He turned away from Grian. "You should leave," he said quietly, "before you get hurt."

Grian rubbed his wrist, ignoring the warm, sticky blood pouring from his finger. "You won't hurt me," Grian said quietly.

"You don't know that."

Grian paused for a moment. After a minute, he asked, "Do you want to hurt me?"

Mumbo looked down at his hands. 'Yes,' he thought, 'I do.' But he shook his head, trying to clear those thoughts. He listened carefully to Grian's heartbeat. God, his heart is pounding. He must be terrified.

After a beat of silence, he replied, "No." Grian breathed a small breath of relief, hoping that Mumbo didn't hear. "Are you going to hurt me?" he asked.

Mumbo turned away from Grian. "I don't know," he said truthfully.

Grian cautiously took a step closer, to Mumbo's dismay. "You haven't hurt me yet," he said. "And I don't think you'll hurt me now."

Mumbo clenched his fists tightly, digging his nails into the skin. That smell.. it was getting stronger. He turned his gaze to Grian's hand, watching as the blood soaked his bandage. God, he wanted to get to the rest of it.

"Grian, leave. Now," Mumbo managed to say, his body internally screaming at him to not let Grian leave, not to let him escape. He was trembling. It took every ounce of willpower for Mumbo not to just kill Grian right there.

Grian, although now beginning to feel more worry at the idea of staying, stepped closer. 'Something isn't right,' he thought to himself.

"When was the last time you ate?" Grian asked. Mumbo held his breath, just the mention of eating made his stomach twist. "It's been quite a while," he answered truthfully. He looked at Grian, his blood red eyes locking onto the familiar ocean blue ones. 'It doesn't have to be,' he thought to himself.

Grian felt his heart sink. Mumbo was starving, no wonder why he could barely keep himself together. But maybe...

Maybe Grian could help him.

Grian carefully unwrapped the bandage, opening his cut even more. The bleeding that had begun to slow quickly began again, now being exposed to the open air.

Mumbo clutched his nose. "Grian!" he shouted, "What are you doing?!"

Every little bit of Mumbo wanted to pounce, to tear Grian apart, to finally feed. The scent in the air grew stronger as Mumbo's will grew weaker. His eyes were locked onto Grian's, paralyzing him.

"You," Grian began, his chest feeling heavy as Mumbo's eyes bore into his own, "You need to eat," he said between breaths.

'Yes, yes I do,' Mumbo thought to himself. He unknowingly stepped closer, his restraint beginning to melt away with his composure.

"No," he mumbled, "I- I can't, Grian. It isn't right."

"I'll be fine," Grian insisted, "The fact that you haven't killed me yet is proof enough that you can restrain yourself."

Oh, but how Mumbo wanted to kill him.

"I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself in time," he said quietly, although in his mind it hardly mattered.

"You will," Grian said, "And if you don't.." Grian gestured towards his sword. Mumbo nodded.

He stepped closer again, backing Grian up against the wall. His movements felt foreign to him, like he had lost control.

Grian held his breath, his heart pounding in his chest. What was he doing? What if Mumbo didn't stop? What if-

Mumbo stepped back, closing his eyes. He looked at Grian, his face switching between both a look of hunger and one of caution.

"Are you sure about this?" Mumbo asked. He didn't want to trap Grian. He wanted to let him choose.

Grian let out a small, strangled laugh. He really wasn't sure, but he nodded anyway. "Go ahead," he replied.

Mumbo held himself back just enough to not rip into Grian's throat, and instead went straight for his wrist. Grian only caught a glimpse of Mumbo's sharp fangs before they were sunk deep into his skin.

Grian gritted his teeth, letting out a sharp breath at the pain. He stared into Mumbo's eyes, feeling frozen by their weight.

Mumbo, meanwhile, had to hold back a groan as the blood poured into his mouth. He had waited for this for so long.

He stared into Grian's eyes, watching him closely. His brown hair was matted against his forehead, and his pupils were completely blown. His breaths were sharp and shallow, and his whole body trembled. He couldn't look away.

Grian eyes were still locked onto Mumbo's, even as he felt the room begin to spin. His legs felt as though they would give out from under him at any moment.

Still, he was almost too hypnotized by Mumbo's stare to say anything. But he began to break from the trance as black dots clouded his vision.

"M- Mumbo," he gasped. Mumbo closed his eyes, pulling in more mouthfuls of blood. "Mumbo," Grian said again, more firmly this time. Reluctantly, Mumbo pulled away from his wrist after a few seconds.

Grian felt his knees buckle as Mumbo released him. Mumbo caught Grian as he fell, trying to hold him steady. Grian's eyelids were growing heavier by the second.

"I'm sorry, I think I went too far," Mumbo said. All Grian could do was mumble a small, "mmn."

"You're too weak to leave," Mumbo said, "You need to rest after that much blood loss." Carefully, he picked Grian up and carried him into his bedroom. He laid Grian down gently.

Grian's eyes were practically closed at this point. He opened his eyes one more time and saw Mumbo watching him closely.

The last thing Grian saw before drifting off were Mumbo's deep, red eyes.