Characters: Conrad, Doc Worth centric. Mentions of Hanna, and {...}
Summary: An episode of Conrad's life.
Rating: PG for language, and mild violence.
Notes: If you squint very, very hard there might be some sexual tension. This will hopefully lead onto something else, more ConWorthy.
I'm utterly pants at titles.
*
Conrad had taste, organisation, and standards. He prided himself on these facts, and would sneer from the weight of bad memories if anyone said his habits were the least bit obsessive compulsive, and after his life altering transformation into a vampire, months ago, he was glad he mostly worked from home, and lived alone so no one could make such a comment on the way he would meticulously make sure his condo was free of clutter.
Clutter had always unsettled Conrad, and the act of organisation was always calming to him. It wasn't that he was obsessive compulsive, he just knew there was a place for everything, and everything should be in it's place.
He was also glad that he rarely had visitors, and the ones he did have had the good grace to warn him of their intent to drop by hours, or even days in advance which gave him time to hide anything incriminating - like the medical bags of blood in his refrigerator. Hanna being a major exception to this, he would show up unannounched with his undead sidekick following behind, unsettle the careful arrangement of cushions on his couch, rifle through his mostly superfluous kitchen, and leave general disarray in his wake chattering all the while, and Conrad despite all his reluctant grumbling found he truly enjoyed the forced break from his work, and the relaxing distraction of cleaning up after the energetic redhead. He eventually started keeping long-life food items for the boy in his mostly superfluous kitchen when it started to look like Hanna was going to keep up his habit of random visits.
The one person in his newly acquired life he still had an aversion to was the uncertified, and in all probability mentally unstable, Doctor friend of Hanna's. It wasn't just his seedy location of residence, or his cluttered office that Conrad disliked about Doc Worth. There was also his unscrupulous grin, leering eyes, and insulting manner that managed to rankle Conrad. He wasn't even going to address Hanna's comment on the Doctor being keen on him, and while, as Hanna said, it did make getting food easier it was still an unpleasant chore to visit Doc Worth.
*
Conrad, paused outside the third door down the alley, collected his thoughts, and entered Doc Worth's office with the conviction that he wouldn't let anything Worth said, or did get to him.
His conviction lasted the whole of three minutes before the still uncomfortable surroundings, and Worth's verbal jabs combined to make him raise to the bait and snap back at the Doctor.
"I'm sure that if I didn't know you're just a complete dick by nature I'd think you were trying to make me punch you again." Conrad spouted, and with Worth's jibes he was wondering if maybe it would make him shut up.
"Ah! A prissy little Artfag like you couldn' kill a fly." Worth all but backhanded in his odd mash-up of British and Australian accent.
Conrad grit his teeth. No wonder he hated coming here for food. If he had any other choice he wouldn't. No longer putting up with Worth's disparaging comments Conrad clentched his fist, pulled back, and let off a right hook straight at Worth's face.
He found he was disturbed by seeing the look of a twisted smile, and fever bright eyes on the Doctor's face instead of pain, but quickly forgot about the unsettling sight as the scent of Worth's blood trickling from his nose distracted the vampire, catching himself emit a low keening sound he tried to cover it up by coughing hoping Worth wouldn't notice.
"You'll have to do more than that if you want the fresh stuff," Worth smirked.
He'd heard. Conrad's stomach sank.
"Although with that snaggle tooth of yours I doubt you really could."
"Yes, well, how about we don't find out, and you get me my blood?" Conrad was doing his best to take control of the conversation, and knew the faster he acquired the blood he needed the quicker he'd be home to neatly organise the blood by type, and maybe reorganise his socks and sweaters for good measure. Anything to distract himself from over-thinking about Worth.
Worth relented with a few unkind words and made to get the bagged blood.
Conrad found himself thinking the first time he'd punched the Doctor and the small taste of his blood he got. Making sure Worth's back was turned he looked down at his fist and brought it up to his mouth, licking off Worth's drying blood. The cloying taste of Worth's blood combined with the scent of it in the air and made Conrad hungry for more. He found himself calculating whether or not to ask if maybe Worth would let him taste a little bit more, or to just do what Worth seems to think him incapable of.
Unceremoniously, Worth placed a small cooler on his desk, with a bit more force than necessary, in front of Conrad causing him to startle out of his thoughts. Sizing the Doctor up Conrad realised if Worth actually stood straight the Doctor would be taller than him, but given his obvious lankiness he wouldn't be too hard to overcome.
"Somethin' you like?" Worth's tone was sardonic.
"Guh! You wish." Conrad spat back suddenly feeling offended, all thoughts of jumping Worth evaporated in disgust.
"Suit yer-self." Worth just shrugged in a way as if to say he truly didn't care how the vampire saw him. "If that's all I've got other patients to be seein'."
Thoroughly dismissed Conrad took his cooler of blood and didn't linger. The unpleasantness of the whole visit had rankled him enough to ensure that Conrad's condo would be rearranged, organised, and sparking clean by morning.
*