Short Stories

Blood Juice

Based on  the "prompt"  in the image | 1845 words | No TWs

A/N: If you would like me to add any trigger/content warnings, just shoot me a comment or a message.

Also, this was my first time attempting to depict an autistic character. Tips and corrections from autistic folks are very much welcome. 

"Hey, man, what's a synonym for juice?"

"Blood."

The air freezes as we both register what he has said. I whirl around to look at my roommate, Declan. His face looks paler than usual, if possible, the only color being the smudges of red eyeshadow under his eyes. He looks plain today but still has the vibe of, in his words, a sleep-deprived, dark academia boy from the Victorian era.

He seems to be having trouble deciding whether to look at me or his book. "What...what did you just say?" I ask.

"I said blood!" he feigns amusement, adding a chuckle to the end of his words, "It was a joke. Humans like that, right? Vamp-" He cuts himself off and finally makes his decision, boring holes through the book.

The air in our small apartment living room grows heavy. I shiver, suddenly. "Declan..."

His eyes, wide with fear, are locked in on his book. I see his hands shaking slightly and one finger taps a frantic rhythm on the black cover. He doesn't respond.

I shift from my spot on the floor to completely face him in the chair. His legs are crossed at the ankles, but they're stiff. I don't think a wrecking ball would be able to move them from their position. I scooch forward a little, but Declan goes right on staring at his book. I might've taken his statements for a joke if he hadn't shut down so fast. People make jokes about him being a vampire all the time. He has an affinity for the color red, dresses like he's been alive since Queen Victoria and is only now catching up, and is so pale that he glows in direct sun. But he looks so serious and scared. He can't be joking. I say his name again. Finally, my roommate looks up, but just for a second before staring back at his book. He worries his bottom lip with his teeth.

"Declan, what's going on?" I keep my voice calm. Silence. I scooch closer, until I'm at the base of the chair, still crisscross applesauce, my crossword puzzle sitting forgotten near the TV. Declan's hands start shaking, and I reach out to gently put my hand on his knee. He makes a sound like a whimper and almost drops his book. I curse myself for not asking if the touch was okay first. Declan places the worn copy of Coraline on the end table, he takes to staring at my hand instead. "Is my hand being on your knee okay?" I ask. He nods. I speak again. "You can tell me anything, man. It's okay. I don't bite." I nearly choke when I realize that I just said that. Right now, at this moment. Declan looks up at me in shock, then starts laughing hysterically.

It makes me smile, but I'm still nervous. At least he's not crying. He looks up at me and- oh, scratch that. He is crying. Declan looks at me and laughs and cries. Watching him, I wonder how it's possible to be in this situation with this boy. This lovely, freckled boy with auburn hair and the biggest collection of wax steal stamps I've ever seen.

He puts his hand gingerly on top of mine as he calms down, "I'm so sorry." He gasps between breaths. "I just can't believe you said that in the middle of the most stressful thing that could've possibly happened in my life." He coughs, now, trying to get a breath in. After another few seconds of coughing and laughing, he finally calms down enough to continue. He flicks his free hand around a few times, looking nervous. Then, Declan looks at me in the eyes for a moment and his lingering smile starts to fade.

"You can't be serious, right? You're not a..." I trail off and it finally dawns on me how absurd this is. Vampires are fictional. They only exist in cheesy movies and boring books that I read for literary classes. They certainly do not live in cheap apartments and wear beat-up red doc martens next to every day. Declan is playing an elaborate prank, surely. But that's not like him, and that look on his face earlier...