Bloodlust

F O U R

Vincent opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar room. He didn't know where he was or where he was supposed to be. Why was he still alive? Bandages were wrapped around his arm. The vampire from so long ago was sitting beside him. He was holding his hand. Was this a dream? Was this reality? He felt real but yet, he felt like an illusion too. It didn't matter. Vincent wouldn't care either way. His life was too messed up to begin with. Having a dream now and then would ease the pain of reality. The problem would be if he started confusing his dreams for reality. Maybe he'd already done that and hadn't realized. 

"Adrian?" The vampire nodded. It was him. Vincent didn't think he would ever see the vampire again. Did he remember their promise? The promise Vincent never had the time to keep?

"I'm sorry," Vincent apologized, "I just disappeared that day." He felt guilty even though he knew it wasn't his fault. He couldn't have possibly known what would happen.

Adrian didn't say a word. He just continued to hold Vincent's hands. The man had changed a bit over the years. He looked more attractive than the first time they'd met. Meanwhile, Vincent only looked more and more ragged. He was the weak one now. It felt odd.

"Are you going to drink my blood?" he asked.

"No, you need to get stronger," Adrian replied. He had no intentions of drinking Vincent's blood until the man was healthier again. He wanted to bring Vincent back to life. Right now, he looked so incredibly dead. Funny coming from the undead, but still, the point remained. 

Vincent looked at the ceiling. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. The terrors of being in that room for ten years haunted him. He wasn't able to sleep like this. He might never be able to sleep again. Adrian crawled into the bed with Vincent. He held him close and whispered sweet nothings into his ear. Vincent calmed down. He wasn't sure why this helped. It just did. He drifted off into the land of sleep that had been so unattainable for these past few years. 

He woke up with Adrian still holding onto him tightly. The scene was nostalgic. It reminded him of the night they first met. Life wouldn't be so bad with Adrian in it. Hopefully. Memories of his mother and his child crept into his mind. He hadn't seen him in ten years. He was never allowed to. As a reward, sometimes, Claudia would show him pictures of the aging Ciel. That was the closest thing he had. Sebastian was looking nice too. They matched each other well.

"I feel like a terrible father," Vincent sighed. "I was a terrible husband too."

"You did the best you could considering the circumstances," Adrian spoke. Vincent wasn't expecting him to be awake.

"How would you know?" Vincent's eyes began to water.

"I know you," Adrian smiled up at the man. "I know you are devoted to those you love, no matter the situation."

"We barely know each other," Vincent sighed.

"We know each other enough," Adrian continued to smile.

"I have only known you for about two days," Vincent through about it. They hadn't spent long with each other, so why did the vampire go out of his way to save him?

"It's enough," Adrian repeated. He nuzzled up to Vincent and sighed deeply. "I saved you because you needed to be saved. It's as simple as that."

"Not because you wanted an endless supply of blood?" Vincent laughed.

"That certainly helped my motivations a bit, yes," Adrian confessed.

Over the next few days, Adrian nursed Vincent back to health. He fed him, cleaned him, and did all that was necessary. Vincent gained some weight, eventually, and started looking a bit more hopeful considering his circumstances. Adrian wasn't afraid to drink his blood anymore. In fact, he drank it quite often.

"Will you massage my back?" Vincent rolled over on his stomach and requested the task of Adrian. He had taken the promise of being Vincent's servant quite seriously. Adrian straddled the man and began his massage. Vincent rested his head on his arms. His body ached due to all of the years he spent sleeping in strange positions and on strange places. It seemed as if every piece of him hurt in someway.

"I'm getting old," Vincent sighed.

"You are not getting old," Adrian replied. "You simply have to adjust to the fact that you will not be mistreated any longer. Your body is catching up."

"Mistreated? Will you be looking after me for the rest of my life?" Vincent questioned.

"Of course," Adrian smiled. "You are my nourishment after all."

"So, is it like tending to a garden for you then?"

"It's more like taking care of a lover," Adrian replied. He had said it without realizing what it was that he had said. Immediately afterwards embarrassment washed over him.

"You consider us lovers?" Vincent couldn't help but chuckle. He understood where Adrian was coming from. There was a sense of intimacy between the two. They slept in the same bed. Adrian cooked for Vincent. Everything was, well, exactly how Vincent would've imagined it had his wife remained alive. The only thing that was missing was a child. His child.

Adrian continued to massage Vincent's bare back. The man had pajama pants on and nothing else. He was frail but had gained back some weight. Adrian placed a kiss between his shoulder blades. "Is this part of the massage?" Vincent questioned. Adrian didn't give a response.

The vampire licked the spot that he'd kissed and bit down. Vincent flinched. Depending upon the area, the bite hurt initially. Sometimes, if Adrian went slow enough, Vincent wouldn't be able to feel it. The loss of his blood was a strange sensation in every circumstance. Sometimes it would bring him an intense feeling of pleasure. Other times it would simply tire him out. He never knew how it would feel until it happened.

"Adrian," Vincent said. "Aren't you taking a bit too much?" This question only prompted the vampire to take more. He had a habit of marking Vincent's skin over and over again. Vincent wasn't sure why. His theory was that the vampire was simply possessive of his food.

Adrian stopped drinking and instead licked the wound he had formed. "I'm sorry," he apologized. He always apologized after drinking, no matter how much he drank. This was one of the many things he never understood about Adrian.

"I'm sorry," the vampire repeated again.