On Tour [Breno]

[Blaize]

Blaize stood and pushed his fingers through his hair. Now that the offer was there, now that it was sitting right in front of him, he could feel his thirst. He could feel it in his veins, clawing to get out, desperate for release. He shook his head, distractedly, as he went over to his duffel and reached into one of the side pockets.

”You kept me from nothing. It’s not easy for me. I didn’t plan to go… well, I didn’t want to. I was going to just go back to the hotel,” he said. Either that, or he was going to stay and practice, using the stage and an imaginary audience for props. At least until the security kicked him out.

When he returned to Breno’s side he had a Swiss army knife in hand, the silver barely glinting in the low light emanating from the halo around the dressing room mirrors – mirrors that Blaize would be invisible in. He pulled out the small, sharp knife and chewed at his bottom lip. ”Ah… your wrist, I suppose,” he said, holding out a hand to take Breno’s wrist. ”Take the knife after I’ve made the incision,” he said, flinching at how clinical it sounded. ”And if I go too far, just stab me in the thigh. Or something. It’ll heal…” he added, knowing that such a wound would not affect his dancing at all. It had been a while since Blaize had fed – and he didn’t know whether he’d be able to control himself.

[Breno (DELETED 9529)]

Breno watched the dancer retrieve the knife, staying completely calm and composed despite the nerves itching to surface. Logic was blaring warnings, telling him that this was a bad idea and that he was in the same room and a predator, but Breno ignored it and forcefully shoved the warnings down. He wasn't going to back out now. He put his wrist into Blaize's hand without hesitation, but looked a bit warily at the knife. "You want me to stab you." It was more of a statement than a question. He never purposely stabbed anyone before, he never had a reason to until now. Especially in the leg. Breno winced slightly as that suggestion, briefly thinking of his own injured one. To him, the thought of stabbing any kind of dancer in the leg seemed like the highest crime he could ever commit. Like fingers to a pianist or eyes to a painter, legs were one of, if not the main tool dancers need for their craft.

Yet Blaize said it would heal. Being a vampire definitely seemed to have its quirks. Breno wondered briefly how the healing process worked. Was it the saliva Blaize had mentioned? A comical image of the dancer licking the wound flashed in Breno's mind, which seemed to ease a lot of the tension and worries Breno didn't quite realize he had. He smiled somewhat reassuringly at Blaize and sat up tall.

"Let's get started then."

[Blaize]

Blaize’s knee had started to bounce in nervous anticipation, a tic he forcefully stopped once he realised he was doing it. He’d never done it quite like this before – not really. He rarely had the nerve to outright ask someone if he could cut open their vein so he could drink their blood. Most people would think he was a lunatic and want to have him locked up somewhere. As a Mystic he had the ability to create complete privacy, to feed on someone even in the middle of a crowd. But how to do so without proper canines? He had to prey on the drunk and unwary, find them in back booths in seedy clubs and try to make an incision without them noticing. It was far too difficult. And being away from Harper Rock it was harder to source blood bags. The further they got from the mystical city the less people believed in the mumbo jumbo of vampires. They just thought people in Harper Rock were a bit backwards, feeding off each other’s insanity.

Releasing his chewed lip, Blaize nodded. He tightened his grip on Breno’s wrist and balanced the back of his own wrist on his knee. The tip of the knife was sharp. Not as sharp as a scalpel, but close enough. Blaize frowned as he focused on the blue vein beneath the skin, his mouth watering regardless of how his heart and mind objected. He didn’t give Breno any warning before he pushed. The tip of the silver blade penetrated tender skin and for a split second there was nothing. But then the hot, crimson blood pooled to the surface, a single drop rolling over the side of Breno’s wrist before the rest threatened to follow suit. Blaize wasted no time bending over the wrist, closing his lips around the wound, absently, distractedly holding the knife out for Breno to take. A knife that Blaize would drop if the other man didn’t take it from him, he was so overcome by the taste of the blood.

As soon as it hit his tongue he swallowed, subconscious mind unaware of the hummed groan. Oh, how thirsty he was! He hadn’t realised just how much he needed this, nor how close he’d come to the vampire equivalent of malnourished. His tongue massaged the skin encouraging the blood to flow faster. He waited until he had a mouthful before he gulped it down, air hissing from his nose as he tried to keep a hold of his wits, to know how much he was taking. To know when to stop. But he was out of practice, and the vampire within was clawing for more.

[Breno (DELETED 9529)]

Breno watched Blaize closely, his eyes never wandering. Blaize seemed more anxious than he himself was, which didn't settle his nerves at all. The knife came close to his wrist and he instinctively tensed up, the silver blade glinting in the light. He didn't notice it at first and only felt a bit of pressure before he realized that the blade had pierced the skin. The delayed sting of the cut made him hiss, but the pain was quickly masked by Blaize's mouth covering the wound and greedily sucking and licking it.

He almost didn't see the knife offered to him and it would have hit the floor if he hadn't reached out to grab it. With the blade now firmly in his hand, he returned his attention to the vampire sucking at his wrist. It wasn't long before he began to feel a bit lightheaded and wondered if they were starting to reach the danger zone or if his body was just protesting at the blood loss. "So, uh, I take it that I taste good?" He joked in a slightly breathless voice. It was something that he had always done since he was little, joking whenever he was nervous. He always thought that laughter eased the mood of whatever situation and it came naturally to him, for better or worse.

[Blaize]

The vampire picked up the pace. Rather than wait for the blood to fill his tongue naturally, he clung tighter to the offered wrist and began to suck at the wound, to pull the blood free of its natural pumped pace. Thirsty veins expanded to welcome the nourishment, his human organs now completely redundant as the blood filled him, bypassing the regular rules of digestion.

Vaguely, Blaize was aware of Breno’s voice, of his nervous laughter. The question remained unanswered, the dancer instead listening to the voice in his own head. Stop, it told him. Stop, you’re taking too much. Too much. The two words reverberated and bounced around in Blaize’s mind until he tore himself away, pushing back and up, letting go of Breno’s arm and allowing it to drop. The chair Blaize was sitting on fell over backwards, clattering to the ground. Blaize hastily wiped at the blood he knew clung to the corner of his lip. It smeared over the back of his hand and he searched for something, anything, to wipe it away with.

Shame filled him. Shame, and guilt. This was something that had been given to him willingly, which assuaged some of the guilt – but it was still there. Willing or not, it was something that Blaize had asked for. And it was too much. He had his back turned to Breno as he swallowed the last drops, as he tried to tell himself it was okay. This was for the better. He felt better, anyway; there was more strength in his limbs, more vibrancy to his thoughts and his movements. Eventually, he half turned to Breno.

”…are you okay?”

[Breno (DELETED 9529)]

Breno watched Blaize continue to cling tighter and tighter to his arm as though this was the only time he had fed in a long time. Which was most likely true. He could feel his limbs begin to get heavier along with his lightheaded feeling, which was a really weird combination that added to the confusion in his mind. He attempted to grip the knife tighter, preparing himself to strike, when Blaize released his arm and backed away with the chair clattering loudly. Surprised, Breno looked down at his wrist and saw that the blood was already congealing, the red skin around it rapidly fading. Breno stared at his wrist in a mix of fascination and confusion, Blaize's question barely drawing his attention back to the vampire.

"...Yeah, I'm fine." Breno finally said, looking back at his wrist. "That was a, uh, an interesting experience. Sort of like donating blood." He shook his head slightly, but it didn't do much to clear it. "How are you? Was that enough?"

[Blaize]

Blaize let go a sigh of relief as Breno ascertained his own wellbeing. He made light of the situation, and Blaize laughed though it was lacking mirth. He took another deep breath, his arm folding across his torso, the other hand resting on his hip.

Deep down Blaize knew that he hadn't had enough, but he'd deprived himself for so long and so often that this, this was enough. It was more than he'd had in a long time and it would do. It was all that he needed. If he took all that he could until he was full, Breno would be dead. "I'm fine, it's enough," he said so confidently that the human would have no reason to think otherwise. Dropping his arm, Blaize approached the dressing table and the towel that was draped over the back of it. He used it to scrub the blood from the back of his hand, to wipe the corner of his lips.

"So ah... interesting as in... I mean, you still want to do it?" he asked, cautiously. It was an out. If Breno wanted to run for the hills, now was the time to do so.

[Breno (DELETED 9529)]

Breno watched Blaize as he cleaned up, the pain from his wrist now a dull ache. Blaize didn't seem to have been much better off from the feeding, but perhaps it was a vampire thing. Besides, Blaize said he was fine, and he was the expert on this sort of thing.

He thought about Blaize's question carefully. He was sure he could get used to the sensations easily enough, especially if it was often that it happened. He didn't need to use the knife, so Blaize had control of himself, and perhaps with this happening more often it could become a completely normal thing for them. Just a cripple donating blood to a creature of the night. No big deal, right?

Logic made one last attempt as Breno's head began to clear, listing all of the things he would be giving up if he continued this. His students would have to find a new teacher, he would be away from home for who knew how long, all to follow a crazy dream. Was it worth it? He looked up at Blaize, locking eyes with him, and nodded. "I think I could get used to this. If you still want my help, then I'm willing to stay."

[Blaize]

Blaize nodded, relief paramount.

"Good," he said. "Excellent. I'll have to talk to the Director, make sure you have a seat, but it shouldn't be an issue," Blaize said. As excited as the director was to have Blaize on board, to have such grace and talent at his beck and call, Blaize half wondered if the guy was afraid of Blaize. Afraid of his vampiric nature. Afraid that, if he ever said no to the principal male dancer, he might become dinner. This was a good way to ease some of that fear; Blaize had no doubts as to the ease of this endeavour.

"You should go home and pack. We'll be here another two nights before we move on again. Get your affairs in order. Meet me here two nights from now, at this time," Blaize said. "And make sure to get some vitamin B12. It'll help replenish your blood," he said. If he fed once every two nights, it would be enough to satiate the thirst, enough to get by. It would give Breno time to recover, too.

[Breno (DELETED 9529)]

Breno stared at Blaize for a brief moment before standing, although a bit shaky, and leaned on his came heavily with his uninjured arm. Despite the strange dizziness that was slowly fading from his mind, his smile was bright and his eyes shone. "Thank you, Blaize. I will be here, you can count on that." In the back of his mind he was grateful that he had hired that assistant teacher. It would allow the students to keep learning under someone familiar.

Breno limped towards the door and stopped with his hand on the handle, turning back to the vampire. "You have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you." He then opened the door and left, limping down the now deserted corridor. He briefly wondered how much time had passed as he walked towards the exit, but didn't dwell on it too much. Instead, he pondered where to get his hands on vitamin B12 in bulk.