Chapter Text
The city was cold beneath the full moon and Baby wrapped his coat tightly around himself. The last thing he needed was to get sick. The wind bit against his face and he shivered as he walked over the bridge near his apartment. He was so close but with every fogged breath he took, he could feel the bite of cold in his throat and wished he’d thought to grab his mask before he’d left the house today. Still he powered on though. Just a few more blocks and then he’d be safe at his apartment building and he wouldn’t have to go outside again for another two days. He just had to keep reminding himself of that.
Though when he reached his building he was confused to see a dark figure slumped against his door. He walked closer, slowly, eyeing the stranger over and narrowing his eyes some. The strange man didn’t look homeless; that much was sure with his dark pink hair and the lack of any distinct odor, but he still wasn’t one to trust someone making themselves at home like this in the first place.
That was when he noticed that the stranger not only didn’t seem to be dressed for winter, but looked like he was hurt. With a sigh, he cursed his conscience and gave the stranger’s shoulder a shake to wake him up. The other man woke with a groan and looked up at him from where he was slumped, offering a grin when their eyes met. “Hey.”
Baby sighed and frowned, shaking his head some. “You’re slumped against my door and hurt and all you can say is hey? I don’t even know you and all I can say is that’s dumb.”
The stranger laughed but when he did he started to cough, blood coming out of his mouth. “So pretty but so hurtful.” His voice was strained as he wiped the blood away with the back of his hand.
Another sigh and he hung his head, pulling his keys from his pocket. “Whatever. You’re hurt. Get out of the way so I can unlock the door and get your dumb ass inside, yeah?”
The wounded man groaned as he shuffled out of the way, managing to get himself to his feet as he watched the other unlock his door. “Thanks for the help, I’ll have to repay you somehow.” The weak but cheeky grin wasn’t lost on Baby and he rolled his eyes.
Opening the door he motioned inside. “Get inside already. You’ve gotta be freezing your ass off.”
The stranger moved past him, one of his exposed arms brushing against Baby and he could’ve sworn he could feel how cold the other man was even through his coat. He shrugged it off, not thinking anything of it as he’d been out in the cold for a while most likely. But as he entered and closed the door behind him, he felt a chill run down his back as the other spoke. “Awfully kind of you to invite a stranger in like this. Aren’t you worried about things that go bump in the night?”
The words, admittedly, were stupid. But the way he said them… somehow he couldn’t help but feel like they held some kind of weight that he couldn’t discern the meaning of. “I’m more worried about drug addicts trying to mug me for all I’m worth. Not that it’s much.” He did his best to quip back, holding his ground as he took off his coat. He suddenly felt small next to this stranger. “Go sit at the table, though. You’re hurt.” He was just going to focus on what he could see rather than what the other had said.
The larger man sat at the table and he could see him better in the light. He was covered in gashes and bruises and Baby could see the way the blood shimmered where it met his black clothing. He was suddenly regretting letting this man in as he started to rummage in his closet for his first aid kit. He sat in the chair next to the other man and opened up the kit, pulling out something to clean the gashes on his arms first. He pointed to the other’s hands and the other man grabbed the supplies from him. “I can clean it myself, don’t worry. I’m not that hurt.”
Baby sighed and leaned back in his seat. “What even happened to you? You look like you picked a fight with a wild dog and lost.” He reached over to a candy dish on the table, picking up a sucker and unwrapping it.
“You could say that.”
He had the sucker at his lips and almost in his mouth but just stared at the stranger. “You fought a dog… and lost.” He kept the sucker just in front of his mouth. “Why the fuck would you fight a dog.”
The stranger laughed and the sound was bitter and cold, making Baby regret even asking. “Let’s just say he owed me money.”
The stranger just kept getting stranger and he was starting to want him out of his apartment more and more. “Yeah, well, stop loaning money to dogs. I hear they’re bad at keeping track of it.”
The stranger laughed again, this time the sound was warmer and somehow more authentic. “Duly noted. Who are you, anyway? Takes a lotta guts to invite some banged up stranger into your apartment.”
“Well I’m probably an idiot. But people call me Baby.”
“ Baby ?” The huff from the other was audible.
“Yep. It’s the face.” He motioned to his face, sucker still in hand. “But who are you, anyway? And why my door?”
The stranger suddenly looked sheepish. “Uh, well. I thought I was about twelve blocks over where my apartment is and maybe just sat down when I realized I was defeated by blood loss.” He shrugged some. “But people call me Abby.”
It was Baby’s turn to huff. “Abby? That name doesn’t really suit you, you know.”
“It’s what people call me, what can I say?” He shrugged, leaning back in his seat and motioning to what Baby would begrudgingly call the nicest abs he’d ever seen.
“Yeah, well, you don’t get to laugh at my nickname if I don’t get to laugh at yours.”
Abby stayed leaned back in his seat, sitting casually despite his obvious wounds. “I’d call that fair.” Suddenly, he groaned, his skin blanching some from what Baby assumed was the blood loss.
“We should really get you to a doctor. You probably need blood or something.” He finally popped the sucker into his mouth and was glad for some sense of normalcy from the sugary sweetness against his tongue.
“Hm, yeah. Blood or something.” Abby gave him a grin that had perhaps just a little hit too much teeth, his canines appearing sharp and dangerous suddenly.
He swallowed thickly and looked around, knitting his brow together some. “I can call you an Uber or something, I don’t have a car.”
“No car, huh? Crying shame.” Baby froze in his seat as Abby stood from his seat, moving closer to him and letting their faces rest inches from each other’s. “But I guess we can make do without a car.”
“Uh, yeah. Yeah like I said, I’ll call you an Uber.”
“No need.” Abby’s voice was dangerously low and suddenly Baby very much felt like prey in front of a predator with no means of escape. He was trapped in his own apartment.
“I really think I should.” Part of him was hoping that Abby’s predator presence would fade.
But his hopes didn’t seem to be met with reality. Instead the larger man’s eyes glowed a dangerous gold as he grinned down at him. “I think I have all the blood I need right here.”
The statement didn’t make sense. This fucking situation didn’t make sense. What the fuck was he, a vampire ? No. Vampires don’t exist. He couldn’t be anything like that. No, he was probably just a fucking hot crackhead that was about to kill him and steal all of his money. This wasn’t the way he thought he’d go out but well. There were probably worse ways to go. “If you’re going to kill me just know I don’t have much money. I’m pretty broke.”
Abby’s grin faltered a little and he suddenly looked confused. “You’re… worried I’m about to rob and kill you?”
“Uh, well yeah. That seems like what’s about to happen.”
Those golden eyes blinked a few times, almost as if he was thinking over just what the hell was going on in Baby’s head. “You just saw someone with glowing eyes and thought “oh yeah, they’re gonna rob me” is that what I’m hearing?”
“Yeah that about sums it up. Am I wrong?”
Abby laughed and covered his mouth, hanging his head some. “Well, you’ve made me laugh so I’m not killing you now. But I do still need blood.”
“Yipee for me, I’m not being killed. So about that Uber?”
Abby shook his head. “You don’t understand your situation at all do you, Baby?” He leaned in more, grinning and showing off those dangerous canines again. “I want your blood.”
Baby nodded slowly, pulling his sucker from his mouth. “I’m AB, I don’t know if that’s gonna be much help.”
Abby let out a loud sigh and hung his head this time. “You’re a hard sell. Look. I’m a vampire, okay? I need blood. You can’t escape me because you let me in.”
“I do not consent.”
“You what?”
“I said no.”
Abby blinked a few times again. “I really don’t think you understand how this works. If I don’t feed, I’ll die.”
Baby sighed and popped the sucker back into his mouth while he thought, turning it over a few times with his tongue. “So if I don’t agree to this I’m basically killing you. Which you said you wouldn’t do, oh so graciously.” He pulled the sucker from his mouth.
“Uh, yeah I mean that pretty much sums it up. Look if you let me feed I’ll be out of your hair before dawn and you’ll never have to see me again. Probably.”
He frowned and shook his head. “I don’t trust that probably there.”
“Well I mean you did invite me in. That’s one of the risks.”
Baby set his sucker on the table and let out a heavy sigh, letting his head hang forward as he made a mental note to never invite a stranger into his home again. Best case scenario was apparently crackhead and worst was vampire. Who fucking knew. “Yeah well I guess that’s on me for not thinking that mythological creatures exist. But whatever. Do your sucky thingy and get it over.”
“My sucky thingy?”
“Bleh bleh bleh; I vant to suck your blahd.”
He huffed and pouted a little, which was made even more pathetic by his injuries. “We do not talk like that.”
“Either way, the point still stands. So let’s do this before you keel over dead in my dining room and I have to explain to my roommate when he comes home after the weekend why there’s a dead vampire in here.”
Abby rolled his eyes and cupped Baby’s cheek, moving his head to the side. “This might hurt a little but it’ll feel good after the sting, I promise.” He moved his head in and Baby’s nose was suddenly filled with a warm, deep earthy scent coming off of him. He tried to relax as he prepared for the sting but was too distracted by just how cold Abby’s hand actually was.
And then he felt the sting.
The pain seared for a moment but was quickly replaced by a flood of warmth, his body going pliant. His head felt a little hazy and for some reason he wanted to be grounded through this, so he reached a hand up and grabbed tightly onto Abby’s short hair as he could actually feel his blood leaving him but for some reason, despite not even believing in vampires an hour ago, he was… perfectly fine with this.
He didn’t know why but it was like every part of his body was screaming to give all of his blood to this… predator drinking from him. Because logically, he knew that that’s what Abby was. Abby was a predator, and he was his prey, but in an embrace like this there was a fuzzy little part of him that almost felt like they were lovers. They were so close. His hand was tangled into his hair and Abby’s large hand was gently cupping his cheek while he drank from him. He didn’t want this to stop, but all too soon it did and when Abby pulled away he let out a noise he could only later describe as pathetic , but in the moment it felt perfectly natural.
He panted softly as Abby licked at his neck and he could feel the wound closing over, though as the vampire pulled away he couldn’t help but notice that he actually did look like he’d mostly healed. He grinned broadly as his face stayed close to Baby’s. “You taste really good.”
Baby’s head was still bleary as he processed what the other said. The almost desperate part of him that had just been fed from was… excited that he tasted good, while the logical part of him was disgusted by that excitement. He shouldn’t want a vampire to think that. He could easily go back on his word.
Though it seemed like Abby was just going to sit there. Staring at him. Honestly it was making him a little nervous. He picked his sucker up and couldn’t help noticing that Abby even watched him bring it to his lips. This didn’t seem like it was a normal thing, even if none of the night had exactly been normal.
“Is there something on my face?” His voice was a little raw and he couldn’t quite place why. Had he really made that much noise while Abby was drinking from him? Embarrassing.
“Not at all.”
“Then why are you staring?” Baby’s voice was flat with the question, pulling the sucker from his mouth as he spoke.
“Is it bad to stare at pretty people?”
He hummed and frowned a little at the question. “Maybe not, but it feels a little strange to stare at someone you just turned into a juice box.”
He stood up and stumbled, shocked that he was caught in solid, cold arms. “You’ll probably need some rest after that. I’ll let myself out.”
Baby nodded and stumbled back to his room, not even thinking to change out of his clothes before passing out in his room.
When he woke, the sun was shining and while birds weren’t singing it felt like they should be. The night before had to have been a dream, there was no way it was real even if he still felt dizzy and out of it. Though when he got back to the dining room he knew that that thought couldn’t be more wrong.
The first aid kit was still out, and on the table there was a single piece of paper folded up in his candy dish. Swallowing thickly, he took it from the dish and read it over four times.
Thanks for last night. Hope to see you again,
Abby ♥
xx-xxx-xxxx
The fucker left his number.
And a fucking heart ? What was this? Middle school? Though… Baby stared down at his tidy handwriting. It was kind of endearing. With a defeated sigh he put the number into his phone and messaged him.
this is baby. don’t mention it. probably ever
It was probably too early for a vampire–a fucking vampire ?–to be awake, but he could at least send the message for him to see later.
He walked to his fridge and sighed when he saw a plate of food left for him and a glass of juice poured. “This motherfucker…”
He pulled the food out of the fridge and sighed, going to get ready for the day.