Cain bites. Hard.
It was more common when he was younger, and Riff always blamed the boy's half feral childhood. In those first few weeks, Cain's instincts had been torn between flight and fight, leaving Riff either hunting for his wayward charge in the gardens or trying to contain a clawing, biting, frighteningly animalistic young boy. He still had a small scar between his thumb and forefinger, from a particular memorable and painful occasion whereupon Cain had drawn blood.
When Cain was fourteen and still tended to bite his butler in order to emphasize his disagreement, Riff decided it was a problem which needed addressing. So when Cain had scowled upon Riff's announcement that his uncle wished to speak with him, Riff had not given him the chance to run and hide under a bush (his favorite hiding places, of late, gave the unfortunate collateral benefit of requiring Riff to grope blindly for him and therefore extremely vulnerable to an unexpected bite). Impatient and not willing to chase after him, Riff instead physically caught him up and carried him into the house, ignoring the startled and extremely high-pitched shriek in his ear and any orders to put him down.
The combination of embarrassment from being deposited in a chair in front of his uncle with dirt still on his knees and Riff's clearly disappointed lecture afterwards ensured Cain no longer viewed biting as appropriate.
Until Master Cain discovered sex.
Most of Master Cain's conquests left with small bruises along their throats, just low enough to convince the debutante they could be hidden under high collars and fans and proper behavior.
Riff never bothered to correct them. He's not quite sure if it's a kindness.
The incident with the vampire girl hardly needs elaboration.
Years later, after Cain successfully coaxes his butler into bed, he twines his whole body around Riff's and carefully, deliberately bites patterns into the skin of his arms and chest, whatever is in easy reach. Riff has never been delicate, or fragile, but he has always been very pale, and bruises are showing up well before the teeth marks have faded or Cain has tired of his latest game. Riff sighs and resigns himself to it, and sleepily hopes none of them will be visible when he redresses. For propriety's sake. Oh, yes, the law, too.
What Riff doesn't know is that Cain marks his other conquests just as deliberately, making sure to cause a scandal, simply because they can be so fun. Riff, however, is more important, certainly too important to lose for something as silly and stupid as the laws against this, and Cain has always refused to sacrifice his happiness for something like legality. After all, Cain stalks killers and plays with death-he can in fact be careful, when it's important.
Riff has always been important.
A/N: Written and posted in honor of a dear friend's 20th birthday, which is on the 19th (though it is technically her birthday now, her time.). I won't embarrass her with further commentary upon the last six years.
Read and Review, please! Another chapter of Mary will be posted tomorrow.