Blood Lovers

by Jophrael Avario

  Not that heartache would do it, he mused, surfacing for some air. He really was a freak.

  The door opened and Vidar entered, looking at the floor. Tamir ignored him, but Vidar ignored the silence, instead sitting with his back against the door.

  "There—there are some things you don't know about me, Tamir," his quiet voice said, the golden stare watching him. "Some of them are dark, some of them are light."

  Tamir still ignored him. Vidar sighed.

  "There are things in my nature, Tamir," Vidar repeated. "There are times when I can't control them—control myself. It's easiest to lose myself to it when I'm mad or horny—or jealous. Amanda and you—you act like lovers. I can't help but punish her for it. I can't control myself enough to stop when she touches you. When she acts as a lover would."

  Tamir stilled in the bath, staring at the wall. Despite his best intentions, he found himself forgiving Vidar. He had done so much for him, after all.

  "I can't promise I won't snap—I can't control myself that much—but I can promise not to touch her again. I promise I will not harm your maid again, Tamir." His tone changed, became more pleading, desperate. "Please, just look at me."

  The desperation in Vidar's plea finally moved Tamir. He looked at Vidar, his glare still in place, and was both ashamed and shocked to find tears rolling down Vidar's cheeks. Tamir sighed and gestured the man closer. Vidar crawled to where he was lying, submerged, in the bath. Vidar sat on his hip, his legs tucked underneath him, and rested his chin on the edge of the tub. Tamir folded his arms on the edge, resting his head on them so he was watching Vidar.

  "Don't think I will forgive you so easily next time," Tamir said, brushing his wet hand through Vidar's waist-length hair.

  "You're very merciful, sir," Vidar said, smiling slightly. He leaned into Tamir's hand, closing his eyes.

  Tamir kissed Vidar, making Vidar's eyes open in surprise. He relaxed quickly enough, closing his eyes again, and Tamir pulled back.

  "You're cooling off out there," he said quietly, leaning back in the bath. "Why don't you come in and warm up?"

  Vidar stood up and twisted his hair, piling it up on his head and using the elastic from the end of the braid to hold the hasty bun in place. In only a few movements, Vidar was naked, slipping into the water and smiling shyly at Tamir. The black-haired man swam over to Vidar and sat in his lap, his legs bouncing in the current of the spa.

  "Why did you react so strongly?" Vidar asked after a while of silence.

  "I was in Amanda's place once. That's why I told you to hit me if you get upset. I can deal with it, but there's no reason she should learn to do so."

  "Oh." Vidar shifted beneath him slightly. "Who was it?"

  "Lots of them, on the streets. There were times when I got so low, that I—" Tamir swallowed. "They beat me while they—while they fucked me."

  Vidar's arms tightened protectively around Tamir, pulling him closer. "I've begun to notice that you need the pain of my bites to come," he said softly. "Is that why?"

  Tamir nodded, blushing. "But—but there's a difference. With them, I felt used, the pain just for their own pleasure. With you, I feel safe. It works, and I still feel safe with you when we lie in bed, or walk through the house together."

  Vidar smiled thinly, resting his chin on Tamir's shoulder. "Is that why you want me to beat you instead? Foreplay?"

  Tamir's cheeks were bright red. "A little. Maybe. Okay, a lot."

  Vidar's smile became warmer. "And spankings?"

  Tamir smiled. "Only if I've been a very naughty boy," he purred. He kissed Vidar, gently unravelling his blond hair.

  Vidar shook his head, letting his hair fall out into the spa, and nuzzled Tamir's neck. "Consider that a deal."

  ~ * ~

  Tamir's leg bounced with nervous energy as he waited for Vidar to appear. The pair were leaving the house for the first time in months, and Tamir was apprehensive. Sure, they'd been 'together'—as Vidar put it—since that storm almost ten months ago. Despite what Amanda said, this was a first date for him.

  Amanda slipped into the room, smiling at Tamir. Her face had healed without any scarring, and Vidar had kept his promise not to harm her. Vidar hadn't laid a hand on any of his staff since, for which they were all very grateful. Instead, he came to Tamir, who helped Vidar through his rage. Usually, he even avoided earning bruises.

  Vidar appeared in the doorway, dressed in his standard fine suit and large overcoat. Tamir suddenly felt inferior and worried about being underdressed. I knew I should have worn that tux.

  "Am I overdressed?" Vidar asked, hesitating in the doorway. His hair fell over his shoulder as he glanced down at the suit. Vidar's hair stood out against the dark coat, making it look even paler.

  "I think I'm underdressed," Tamir glanced down at his t-shirt and jeans. "Give me a minute, Vidar. I have to go change."

  Vidar sat in Tamir's vacated seat, giving the man's bum a pat as he passed. Tamir smiled over his shoulder at Vidar and headed upstairs.

  Ten minutes later, he came back down, wearing one of Vidar's suits. Vidar stood up and smiled widely, clapping his hands.

  "Bravo. You look delicious, love."

  Tamir blushed with pleasure. He kissed Vidar, then looked at Amanda, who was holding out his wallet. He took the folded leather and tucked it into a pocket of his jacket, then smiled at the woman, his arm around Vidar's waist.

  "Don't wait up for us, Amanda."

  "Don't worry, Masters. We'll hold down the fort while you're gone. And if there's trouble, we'll phone you."

  Vidar smiled at the woman, then took Tamir's hand. "Come on, you. Time to make the children drool."

  Tamir blushed as the man led him out the door, towards a flashy car in the driveway. Two minutes later, they were flying down the road, trees passing in the darkened dead of midwinter's night.

  ~ * ~

  The restaurant was almost full when Vidar and Tamir walked in the door. Vidar swooped over to the maître d', and within a few seconds, he was leading the two men over to the only spare table in the place. Many people glared at them from the bar, obviously having hoped that they would score that table.

  Tamir sat down, and tried not to laugh when Vidar rearranged the chairs so he was sitting on the side to his left and took his hand under the table.

  "A bottle of champagne," Vidar said, smiling at the maître d'. "We'll order in a bit."

  "Of course." The woman smiled, glanced at their joined hands, and walked away quickly.

  "She's one of my favourite people." Vidar smiled at Tamir, then gestured to the menu. "You look at the menu and tell me what we're having."

  Tamir smiled at Vidar and picked up the menu, letting Vidar's hand go. Vidar rested his hand on Tamir's thigh instead, smiling indulgently at the man. He browsed through the menu and blanched a little.

  "Vidar, this is all very expensive—"

  Vidar's smile widened. "I know. But it tastes wonderful."

  Tamir read down the menu again. It all looked delicious. In the end, he just pointed randomly at a meal and showed it to Vidar for his verdict.

  "Very good," Vidar looked up at the waitress heading for them, a bottle of champagne in one hand, her order pad in the other.

  She set down the pad and opened the bottle with practiced movements, pouring it deftly into the glasses and placing the bottle into the tub of ice that had been laid on the table.

  "What would you like to start off with?" she asked with a smile, tucking some of her red hair behind her ear. Like all the waiters, she was smartly dressed, the bulk of her hair tied back. "I can easily recommend the stir-fried beef. Very basic, but very delicious."

  Tamir smiled at the woman, dropping his hand to rest it on top of Vidar's. Vidar's face relaxed, which was what Tamir had been aiming to do. "We'll have that, thanks."

  "And the same for you, Mister Gentson?" the woman asked, scribbling on the pad.

  "We're going to share, thanks," Vidar answered, smiling back at her. />
  "Absolutely. If you need anything, just ask." She smiled at them again, then left them to it.

  "So why are we out here?" Tamir asked his boyfriend, squeezing his hand. "I was perfectly happy in the house."

  "Maybe," he said with a smile, "but you were also hiding there. And I wanted to get out. What better a way than to take you out to dinner?"

  Tamir shook his head. "I wasn't hiding in the house. I was enjoying your company—"

  Vidar lifted the glass of champagne and looked at Tamir, one eyebrow arched.

  "What?" Tamir asked, blushing lightly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

  Vidar just smiled at him and shook his head. The waitress suddenly appeared among the tables, holding a plate above her head. Two people tried to grab her attention, but she ignored them, heading for Vidar and Tamir.

  "That was fast," Tamir murmured, watching the woman. She lowered the plate to the table and smiled at them.

  "Anything for the boss." The waitress smiled at Vidar. Tamir glanced at him.

  "The boss?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

  Vidar waved him off, then looked at the woman. "Thanks, June."

  June smiled, then laid a small remote on the table. "Call me if you need me."

  "No problem." Vidar smiled at June as she left.

  "So. The boss."

  Vidar took a large mouthful of champagne as Tamir started eating. "More like the owner." He smiled at Tamir. "Good?"

  "Try for yourself."

  Vidar skewered some meat on his fork and raised it to his lips. Just before it got there, he answered Tamir's silent question.

  "She's the manager. I've known her since she was ten."

  "Uh huh. You know, she looks older than you."

  "I didn't say I'd known her since we were ten, Tamir," he said with a grin.

  Tamir shook his head and returned to eating. "So where to after dinner?"

  Vidar held the fork in one hand, watching Tamir. "Well, I thought a club, a shopping centre, and a concert would be good."

  Tamir smiled at the man, shaking his head. "You're kidding, right?"

  Vidar grinned. "Yep. There's a friend who wants to meet you."

  "Ah. Where are they? Why not invite them to dinner?"

  "She has a very strict diet." He smiled at Tamir. "And she hates Chinese."

  Tamir smiled. They talked about nothing until the plate was empty, and Vidar walked out on Tamir's arm, neither of them paying. Tamir offered, but Vidar pointed out that Tamir had no money to pay, and Vidar never paid for the food, anyway.

  It wasn't until later that Tamir realised Vidar hadn't actually eaten anything.

  They walked down the street, instructing the driver to pick them up in an hour. Tamir held onto Vidar's hand, humming as they walked down the street. Cars blew past them, some of them sedate, one or two with ill-dressed youths hanging from the windows.

  They were half-way to the friend's place when a particularly loud car drove past. Tamir stepped closer to Vidar, clinging to his arm. The car pulled up in front of them, the engine cutting off but the headlights glittering in the night. Vidar continued down the street, ignoring the teenagers who were clambering from the pickup truck.

  "What do you reckon?" one of them asked. "Think we can take her?"

  "Unless the blonde's not a her," another sneered, taking a swig from his beer bottle. "Look at the way the brunette's clinging to the blonde. Could be a pair of men."

  "Fags?" another man asked.

  Vidar had almost reached the boys, and was watching them without fear. He inclined his head to them as though he hadn't heard their conversation. Tamir was still clinging to his arm, his eyes darting from one teenager to another, keeping all of them in his sights.

  "What's the rush, shirt-lifter?" the most sober teen called, grabbing Tamir's arm and tugging. "You got somewhere to be?"

  "You will let him go, boy," Vidar said calmly, turning to look at the teen who had grabbed Tamir. "Now."

  The man started at Vidar, his grip relaxing slightly. Tamir yanked his arm from the man's grip, and Vidar nodded.

  "Thank you." Vidar grabbed hold of Tamir's hand, dragging him away.

  Another hand reached out, this time grabbing Vidar's braided hair. He yanked, snapping Vidar's head back and making him stumble backward. Vidar turned on the men, danger in his eyes.

  Tamir knew you don't pull Vidar's hair. You can spit in Vidar's face, kick him, hurt him, call him any name you want, and he'll just stare at you. Pull his hair, and he'll rip you limb from limb.

  Two of the teenagers grabbed Tamir, holding his arms behind his back. Even in their drunken state, they were strong, and he had no choice but to watch Vidar face off against the sober teen. The teen fought Vidar, hitting the man fast and with a lot of power to his blows. Nevertheless, Vidar stood there, braid hanging over his chest, swinging with hits that were far more accurate than the teen's.

  Vidar landed a blow on the teenager's chest, throwing him onto his back. Vidar darted forward and fastened his hand around the teen's throat, squeezing. Tamir wasn't certain—the light was bad—but he thought Vidar's coat had turned into leathery wings.

  He shook his head. I've got to lay off the vampire movies, he thought, peering through the darkness. They're starting to rot my brain.

  "When I let you go," Vidar said, his voice strangely hypnotic. "You will get up, take your friends, get in your car, and drive away. You will leave my boyfriend here." Tamir felt his own attention wandering, but realised that Vidar's suggestion wasn't focussed on him—it was focussed on the boy lying on the ground

  "Y—yes, sir," the boy and his friends stuttered in unison. "We will."

  "Then release him and go." Vidar stood up, his coat billowing for a minute.

  The young man on the ground stumbled to his feet, his friends releasing Tamir, and the three of them ran for the pickup truck. Tamir watched in shock as they peeled out of there, heading down the street, running a red light and almost being T-boned by a delivery van.

  "What was that, Vidar?" Tamir asked, still staring after the pickup.

  Vidar turned to Tamir and smiled. Tamir slipped for the first time in a while, and looked the man in the eye. The golden depths of Vidar's eyes dragged him forward, into his boyfriend's arms. Vidar smiled at Tamir who blinked and shook himself.

  "Thanks."

  "You're always welcome, love." Vidar pulled Tamir in and kissed him, his hands on the sides of Tamir's neck.

  Tamir willingly submitted to Vidar's passion, wrapping his arms around Vidar's waist and holding him close. Cars honked as they passed the embracing pair, some yelling out obscenities, some catcalling.

  Eventually, Vidar pulled away from Tamir, smiling at him. "Come on. We still have to get to Hayley's house."

  ~ * ~

  Hayley's house was a massive three-storey structure just inside the town limits. Having dodged two more truckloads of drunken teenagers, they made their ways up the drive, onto the front porch of the house.

  "How long have you known Hayley?" Tamir asked as Vidar rang the bell beside the door. "Will she mind us waking her up this late?"

  "Tamir," Vidar said, arching an eyebrow at the black-haired man. "It's nine o'clock. If she's asleep, someone must have drugged—hello, my dear."

  The door had opened, a young, tall, leggy redhead framed in the doorway. She looked Vidar over, clearly not impressed, then gestured for him to follow her. Vidar grabbed Tamir's hand, pulling him into the house, and shut the door after them.

  "This is a surprise, Vidar," the woman said in a gruff voice. "Who's the spare?"

  "This is Tamir. Tamir, this is Hayley. She's pretty much the last of my family."

  Hayley grunted, then led them into the kitchen. "Something like that. There's food in the fridge," she said to Tamir, looking him over. "Coffee in the cupboard."

  Tamir opened the fridge, clinking glasses as he tried to find a drink. In the lounge room, Vidar was talking to Hayley. He spoke loudly, but the gruff
older woman's voice didn't carry to where Tamir stood. Tamir didn't understand some of what they were talking about. When Hayley asked Vidar if Tamir knew what he was, Tamir decided to step in.

  Tamir sat close to Vidar, his drink in his hand. Hayley watched them closely, a calculating look on her face. Vidar looked between the two, worry turning his golden eyes amber.

  "Do you know what he is, boy?" Hayley asked, staring Tamir in the eye.

  "We've been together for ten months. I know very well what he is." Tamir glared right back at Hayley, noting how similar their eyes were, and vaguely surprised that hers didn't hypnotise him, as Vidar's did.

  Vidar glanced at Tamir out of the corner of his eye, but Tamir missed it. The redhead was glaring at Tamir, her lips pulled back from her teeth. Tamir could see the sharpened canines, but thought nothing of it—he could just imagine the gruff old woman having them sharpened to intimidate everyone.

  "Enough, you two." Vidar sat forward in his seat, looking at Hayley. "He knows, and he's okay with it."

  "Of course I'm okay with it," Tamir said, sounding slightly hurt. "I love you. Nothing could change that." What was the problem here? Of course Tamir knew Vidar was gay! Sheesh...

  Hayley blinked a few time, recovering herself. She took a deep breath, then looked to Vidar. "I can't believe you told him."

  "He didn't have to." Tamir moved to stand, but Vidar's hand on his thigh stopped him. "I'm not an idiot. I worked it out on my own."

  "Smart lad." Hayley turned to Vidar. "You are obviously not as careful as you once were."

  "We're all over pop culture now. The stigma against us is almost gone." Vidar smiled at Tamir. "I figure, if Tamir doesn't care, why shouldn't I show the world who and what I am?"

  "The stigma might have been lessened, but there are still those that hate it, Vidar. The church—"

  "—are a bunch of old men who wear dresses and preach about ways of life they have no intention of ever adopting themselves," Vidar said in a tone that told just how often the pair had this argument. "They have no station in the world anymore, no influence on anything in mainstream society!"

  "They might not have a station, Vidar, but they have a voice, a rather loud and persistent one. They've been making the world difficult for us to live in for thousands of years. There's no reason for them to stop now."