Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting

Sixth of the ten fics for my 500 follower giveaway on Tumblr. I do these every 100 followers and am currently hosting the next if any are interested. Tumblr name is same as my name on here. C:


Hizashi took another long sip of his tea, savoring the sweet, yet strong, flavor as it coated his tongue. He craned his neck, causing a few resounding cracks to echo out. Glancing up from his read, the blond glanced to the window to watch as numerous droplets trickled down. These were always the best nights in his opinion. A light rain, no thunder or lightning, just the soft pitter of water against his house.

Leaning back, the man breathed in deeply, soaking in the aromatic scent of his beverage. Unfortunately, it was getting late, and quite so. A few 'dings' from his clock was enough to cue him in. Why did humans have to sleep? Honestly, it was such a nuisance and a time-waster more than anything. To imagine, all the work one could accomplish if not for that one obstacle.

With a deep sigh, the man set his tea aside, as well as his book. He'd clean it all up tomorrow, in the morning. Even as he told himself this, he made no move to actually get to his feet. If anything, he just made himself more comfortable. He leaned back with his eyes partially closed and relished in the warmth of the hearth.

He wasn't sure how long he was resting there, but after some time, he felt his mind wander off, deep into thought and farther from that of reality. He involuntarily let out a heavy breath just as he was about to be gone for the night. But, just a second before it was all over, the blond jolted, his heart hammering against the inside of his ribs. His eyes widened as they darted around, searching for the source of the noise that jerked him from his almost slumber. Glancing around, he exhaled in relief. It was only a window, forced open from the growing winds.

Scowling in annoyance once the initial startle worn off, he nearly slammed the shutters shut once more, grumbling under his breath. This time, he thought it wise to actually lock them. He really needed to get better about doing that. Then there was a small growl of irritation as his foot squished into the carpet.

"Damn rain," he complained, gripping the back of his neck.

He only liked this kind of weather when it stayed out of his house. Unfortunately, this couldn't wait until morning like the rest of it. Unless he wanted to risk mildew… That wasn't going to happen, not again.

There went his peaceful night. Begrudgingly, the man sauntered down the stairs, all spring diminished from his step. The moment he reached the bottom, he was frozen in place as his jaw fell slack and his brows knit in frustration. Every window that he could see was now thrust open.

"Sonuva…" he muttered, hand lifting to pinch the bridge of his nose. Surely the wind wasn't that strong. He supposed it wasn't all that impossible though. From the sounds of it, the howling was rather intense out there. In a rush, he approached the nearest one and eased it shut, blinking away the breeze and water droplets as they blew inside.

As he turned back around, he let out a startled yelp, one he would have been rather embarrassed about had anyone else been around. Hizashi stumbled back, nearly tripping over his own feet as he tried to back away from the intruder. His breath was caught in his throat, burning as it begged to be released. He opened his mouth a few times, confused when not a single syllable came out.

Before he had the chance to give speaking another go, the man standing just a few feet away finally made a move. But, it wasn't what he was expecting as the raven-haired one seemingly floated closer.

"What's the matter?" he practically purred, raising a hand and slowly brushed it down the blond's left cheek.

Hizashi instantly shuddered and snapped back to his senses.

"Who are you?" he demanded, harshly slapping the pale hand away from his face. The resounding 'smack' silenced the room and he took a few more steps back until his back was pressed against the wall. "H-How did you get in? Answer me!"

To his surprise, a sardonic, yet enticing, chuckle reached his ears. He eased himself a few inches closer, leaning in to the point where Hizashi could feel the man's breath against his ear, causing another tremble to wrack through him. "If you must know," he exhaled, trailing his lips down the side of the other's neck, "my name is Shota." Hizashi hadn't a moment to process anything before there was a sharp pain digging in at the base of his neck.

He gasped in shock and discomfort, finally coming back to his senses. In haste, the blond placed both hands on the other's chest and gave him a solid shove. The moment there was a few inches of space between the two of them, Hizashi clasped a hand over his neck, feeling the warm liquid beneath his fingers.

"W-What the hell?!" he stammered, eyes wide.

The green gaze never wavered from the intense red stare piercing through him. He swallowed nervously, at a loss of that to do. He should scream, cry out for help, something. But his voice was betraying him. His jaw fell open as a small breath escaped. Was this some effect created by the other? It couldn't have been, not with the way his legs were trembling. He forced another lump down, this one causing some pain with the puncture wounds.

"Don't be afraid," Shota purred, licking a few droplets of blood from his lips. His eyes lit up as the tangy flavor sank in. "I'm not here to kill you, I just find you...fascinating." A split second later, he was a mere few millimeters from Hizashi, who blinked in confusion. He reached a hand forward to lightly cup the other's cheek, turning the man to look his way.

"I-I'm not," Hizashi stammered, the shuddering of his words giving him away. He shook his head, momentarily clearing it. "How did you get in?" he demanded. A quick glance was risked, darting to the side in search of a weapon. The glint of a knife caught his attention, but he forced his scrutiny not to linger.

Shota took a step forward just as the other took a step back. He made sure to stay the same distance, never letting the blond get too far out of reach. "I got in easily, it was almost as if you wanted someone to sneak in with the lack of security. Nota single door or window was locked. Honestly, it was practically an invitation."

Hizashi's mind buzzed and he almost forgot his priority. In a panic, just as there was barely any air between the two, he snatched the blade of the counter. The handle rattled in his grasp, the tip shaking as it pointed straight towards the raven-haired man. To his fear and surprise, Shota didn't react. In fact, his crimson stare never ventured from its target. It was as if he didn't even notice the sharp point threatening him.

This only caused it to shake more, until he all but lost his hold on it. All it took after that was a light flick of Shota's finger for it to clatter to the floor.

"I hope you weren't planning on hurting me with such a toy," he mocked as he kicked it to the side, far out of reach. It wasn't until then that Hizashi finally took a look around.

He was cornered.

There was a jolt when icy fingers wrapped around his wrist, and there wasn't enough time to react before equally cold lips were pressed against his hand. "You need to calm down, I already told you that I have no intention of killing you, didn't I?"

That did little to appease Hizashi's mind. If anything he was even more on edge. His breath was caught in his throat, and he was barely aware of razor sharp teeth inching nearer his neck once more.

"This outta help you relax," he assured as he bit down once more. This time, there was no struggle. Be it from fear or acceptance, Hizashi knew not. But, just as Shota had said, he felt the tension draining from his muscles. No, not the tension, the strength, all of it was fleeing from his body. There was nothing he could do anymore, even if he wanted to. His legs soon folded under him, and now his intruder was the only thing preventing him from collapsing into an undignified heap on the floor.

"That's it, just give in," Shota panted between drinks. Slowly, he pulled the blond closer, now fully embedding his fangs into the man's flesh. He smirked as a low and slightly pained moan brushed from parted lips. Now, he had all of the blond's weight pressed against him as the man's consciousness finally began to slip from his grasp.

"W-What are you...doing...to me?" Hizashi asked, voice no louder than a whisper. Glazed emeralds drifted to gaze up at the man. Was that his voice? It sounded so distant, like he was hearing it through a layer of cotton. His heart hammered in his chest, echoing in his ears as he stared at Shota through fog. Finally, teeth pulled away along with a relieved sigh. Hizashi watched as red trickled down Shota's chin, a few drops falling to the floor.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

He didn't know, he was almost completely numb. Was it from the blood loss? Surely he couldn't have lost that much in such a short time though. But, at the same time, there was a cool sensation that enveloped him; a shiver ran down his spine. It was weird though, it wasn't exactly a displeasurable feeling.

Shota now loomed over him, cleaning the remaining red substance from the corner of his mouth with a quick lick. "Don't worry, that sense of helplessness won't last too long, but it's necessary; it's needed to keep the prey from squirming too much." His voice, though menacing as it was, filtered out like silk.

He went to turn away, only managing to half turn away when something, something that called only to him, beckoned him to change his mind. Shota glanced back over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at the look the weakened man was giving him.

"What?"

There was not a single syllable uttered, only glaring as the blond struggled to get up. All attempts resulted in absolute failure. It was almost painful to watch.

Pathetic.

Still, even though he thought such things, he found it more difficult to stand and watch, let alone leave the man blundering like an infant. He let out a frustrated breath and crouched down next to Hizashi, staring back at the gaze of discontentment.

"I really wish you would stop looking at me like that...like I'm some sort of demon." The corner of his mouth twitched in amusement when the expression remained as it were. The audacity of such a fragile being giving him that look when he couldn't even stand on his own two feet.

With little effort, the raven-haired being hefted the blond over his shoulder, completely ignoring the grunted protest. "Since you were such a gracious host, I suppose helping you off the floor is the least I can do." He shrugged with his free shoulder. "But, don't expect me to tuck you in or anything, you're lucky I'm doing this much. But, as I said, you interest me. You should feel honored."

'Honored my ass,' Hizashi thought to himself with a roll of his eyes. His neck was now on fire and he wasn't sure if he had ever felt as drained as he did now. He wanted nothing more than to tear himself away, but his body simply would not cooperate. It did the exact opposite as it sagged even more, falling more limply against him.

'Dammit.'

Now it was getting near impossible to keep his eyes open. This man was a damn liar; he was convinced he was slowly dying at this point. He knew he couldn't stay awake more than a few more minutes. Already his vision was fading in and out, promising to dim for good any second.

He was vaguely aware of the slight bounce that came along with ascending the stairs. It was either that or the man laughing. Either way, he couldn't tell the difference. His eyes were closed now, and he was unable to reopen them. It was only a matter of time before his whole body followed suit.

"Go to sleep," Shota urged. "I promise you'll wake up come morning. I'm a man of my word, and if you die, it will not be by my hands." His tone was surprisingly soft. Almost compassionate. If Hizashi didn't know any better, he'd say the man actually sounded as though he cared about his well being. However, the two puncture wounds in his neck told otherwise. He grumbled something incoherent under his breath, too tired to form real words. The other shifted him lightly, lifting him a bit more before he could accidentally slide off.

It seemed as though only another second went by before Hizashi was unceremoniously deposited on his bed, practically thrown onto it. He remained exactly how he landed, his limbs too numb to know if they were really comfortable or not. He didn't care either. He found himself caring less and less with each passing second. He didn't even care if Shota was still there or not as his mind wandered closer to the embrace of sleep.

After a while, all he could hear was the ongoing storm just outside. Not a single sign of another occupying the room. Was he gone already? Then again, he never heard the man enter the place, it should be no surprise that he would leave just as unintrusively.

He couldn't believe he was thinking that.

'Unintrusively'. That was a joke, it was as intrusive as it could get. He let out a weary sigh and allowed himself to sink further into the sheets. This was a losing battle, he'd worry more about it when he woke up. His mind was too fuzzy to fully process anything that had happened. Deep down, however, he wondered if it wasn't just some vivid dream. But, again, the sting in his flesh wouldn't let him pretend it was.