Bite Me

"Yuuki..." Zero toned in. She looked up, startled. "You were daydreaming," he said in bored voice. "Oh..." she nodded, getting back to her homework. The problems on the page were hard enough, but having Zero there really ruined her concentration.

He hadn't a drink in a while, and he was starting to get tense. She could always tell when he needed some blood; it was just instinctual. He would eventually cave to the intense thirst he was plagued with, but it was comforting to know that he had self control.

She flicked her dark eyes up towards him, catching a look on his face that made her want to strangle him. Not only was he gazing at her with more than usual interest, he was trying to make it seem normal! He was sitting next to her at the table, leaning back as though he had all the time in the world. Which he does, she thought sourly. And of course he's already done with his homework.

She could feel Zero's gaze on the back of her neck as she finished her work, trying not to mess up too badly. When she was done, Yuuki put her pencils back in her case and slid it across the table.

She moved to place the high level math sheet in her folder, but Zero stopped her. His long fingers stole the paper so that he could get a good look at it. He studied it for a moment, eyes glancing over the complex figures with ease. At last, he said, "This one's wrong."

She blushed and looked away for a moment.

He was so smart, better than anyone else in their grade; yet he gave up his free time to grade her work. Then she remembered that it was Zero, who had unintentionally trusted her with the most important secrets of his life.

It was also the Zero who was extremely annoying at every possible moment. She couldn't tell if he was mocking her, but it was extremely likely.

"Oh, come on, it's only one," Yuuki complained. "That's better than it used to be, right?" With no sign of an answer from him, she sighed and leaned across him to get her pencil case.

She didn't realize that Zero had been silent because the scarlet creeping across her cheeks had made his throat go dry. She couldn't understand the appeal of her blood, otherwise she might have tried to hide the skin around her neck from his watchful eyes.

And when Yuuki leaned over to retrieve her pencil bag, he found himself unbelievably close to her soft skin, her warm neck and the pulsing veins that lay so near to his fangs.

Before he knew what he was doing, he wrapped his hands around Yuuki's wrist and waist, lifting her frame easily out of the chair. Her eyes widened as he carried her towards the bathroom. "Zero?" He didn't respond, but shifted her weight so that he could open the bathroom door.

She squeaked at this maneuver, but stayed put. By then she understood his actions, and just wished he would say something. When the door clicked shut behind them, Zero set Yuuki down. She immediately pulled off her jacket and folded it up by the door.

Zero stood behind her, regarding her carefully.

After a moment, Yuuki knelt, pulling the bandage off her neck and putting it in one of the pockets. Ready at last, she faced Zero, studying him. Crimson eyes regarded her, taking in the pulse of blood under skin. She shifted on her knees, still crouched low.

"Zero," she repeated quietly, looking away. Her sensitive ears picked up a slight hitch in his breath as she spoke. When she turned to him again, the look on his face made her shiver slightly. She opened her mouth to speak again, but she found herself pinned to the wall.

Zero's hands gripped her forearms, and she felt her shoulders pressed up to his chest. Yuuki wanted to smooth her hair out of the way, but she knew that Zero wouldn't like the interruption. So she tilted her head to one side, trying to ignore the thudding of her heart against her ribcage.

She shut her eyes tightly, bracing for the sharp pain she knew would come. Though the marks were never substantial, Yuuki couldn't help but cry for Zero. Each rip in her delicate skin beneath his lips meant that he hated himself that much more. She tried to wipe the tears away, momentarily forgetting that he held her captive.

Eyes that were stained scarlet caught the movement and the subtle glitter of tears. Before he knew what he was doing, Zero had lifted a hand, twining his pale fingers in her chocolate locks. She looked up at him, eyes confused, as he wondered how much of a monster he was.

Yuuki wanted to stop his sadness, and his fears. No one else really understood his pain, or what he was going through. She wished she could hold him in her arms and make his problems go away. His light breath reminded her why she was only inches from him. She could see the bloodlust in his eyes, along with that self–hatred that constantly haunted his features.

The vampire crouched on the floor, his mind wandering over her features, taking in the slight rise and fall of her chest beneath the blouse. His eyes wandered to her collar, where her shirt barely covered the porcelain skin of her neck. He knew it was wrong to wish for more than what he had, but still the thoughts passed through his mind. She already gave him blood whenever he needed it; why did he want her in other ways?

What more could she sacrifice for him?

The tears flowing from her eyes stopped as Yuuki looked into his familiar face; why had she never thought about his place in her life? Maybe because he always seemed like the most stable component; it was more likely that the sun wouldn't rise than that Zero would smile. Her resolve hardened as he blinked, his hurt–filled eyes so close to hers.

Hesitantly, never taking her eyes off him, Yuuki raised a hand to his face. He shivered slightly under her touch, but didn't pull away. Slowly, she shifted her left hand under his grip until she could lean forward. His eyes widened slightly, but the only sound between them was the slight rustle of cloth.

She wanted to make him smile.

Feeling the tension in the way he gripped her hair, Yuuki moved very slowly as she cupped his face with her hands. Their eyes were mere inches apart as the gap between them disappeared.

Gently, very gently, she pressed her quivering lips to his.

Zero didn't have a moment to think; all he knew of his life disappeared in that kiss. He could feel her soft skin, and she felt his arms wrapped around her waist.

Before they knew what was happening, Zero's jacket was off, and the first two buttons of Yuuki's shirt had been undone. Neither of them could bear to stop for more than a moment, not when each of them so desperately needed it.

Zero was lost in this world, filled only with Yuuki. If this is a dream, he thought savagely, I never want to wake up. His hands grasped her back, just as hers fumbled with his belt. He could feel her heart, matching his own for speed, and he kissed her more urgently. He knew that something important had prevented him from doing this earlier, but at that moment nothing mattered.

Melting under the intensity of Zero's kisses, Yuuki found herself pushed up to the wall again. The difference was, this time she wanted it. More than anything else, this is what she wanted. She wanted the feeling of Zero's body against hers. She wanted the warmth of Zero's kisses. She wanted to be held close in his arms. And more than that, she wanted him to keep the smile that she could feel on his lips.

The continued in that fashion until they had to rest for a moment, to gulp some oxygen into starved lungs. Their pause consisted of Yuuki sagging against his chest, breathing hard, while Zero held her tightly against his torso.

After a minute or two, while they thought about what had just taken place, Yuuki moved back a little. Zero's automatic response was to tighten his grip, not realizing that she had meant to give him space.

What she did surprised him. She reached up and brushed her thumb over his jaw, smiling at him.

Not even then did Zero realize that he was smiling back.

Nor did it cross his mind as he pulled her up to him again. This time his hands curved under her calves until she was propped on his hips. They closed their eyes, no longer needing to see the other, spoiled for physical contact.

He barely registered it when they bumped into the wall, except that it pushed her closer to him. By now Zero's shirt was on the floor somewhere, and Yuuki could feel her pants slowly sliding over her hips. She didn't care; she was too busy trying to undo her blouse's buttons.

Zero carefully set her down on the counter, trying to breathe for a moment. Yuuki was on eyelevel with him, and they both knew what was about to happen. "Yuuki," he whispered, kissing her palm. She shuddered, her other hands pressed against his chest. "Zero..." They kissed again, lost in the intensity of the contact.

Unfortunately, they had to breathe sometime, and when they did next, Zero stopped Yuuki. She had been sliding out of her jeans when he caught and kissed her fingers. "Yuuki, we can't." His voice was low and quiet.

Zero had finally remembered exactly why they weren't supposed to do this. And who would be coming after him.

But Yuuki couldn't understand that; her mind was focused on the warmth that spread from the places where Zero's skin touched hers. And when he opened his mouth again, she put a finger to his lips. "Zero, you haven't even noticed that you're smiling." He blinked in astonishment; hadn't she ever seen him smile before?

I never smile, A part of his mind said, and he immediately banished the thought. Well, after this, Yuuki would see him smile more. A lot more, he decided. If that was distracting her, then he might have to do something about it. He stopped smiling, and she tilted her face, pressing her mouth to his once more.

His mind was very fuzzy as Yuuki's blouse fell to the floor and she unbuckled his belt. There was no room for thought as he pulled her towards him again. Her warm hands explored the muscled skin on his back, just as he breathed in her sweet scent.

A vision formed in his mind, but he didn't want to see it. It was the inevitable scene. Come morning, it would play out if he didn't stop. But he just couldn't pause as he slid his fingers over her back, under her bra strap. He fumbled with the catch, leaning over for a moment as Yuuki kissed him again.

It would upset Yuuki when Kaname attacked him. It would upset her even more when one of them killed the other.

He could never upset her.

That made him stop. Yuuki immediately sensed it as he stiffened. "Zero?" He almost caved then – almost.

"Yuuki." He wished his eyes would stop spinning when he looked at her – so he looked down, his hands resting lightly on her bare shoulders. He swallowed. Looking down he saw that her pants were off, and his zipper was undone. This wouldn't be easy.

He took a deep breath as her cool hands lifted his face up. "What is it, Zero?" Her tone was worried. He didn't want her to worry. "Yuuki..." His voice trailed off as he lost courage. Then he remembered that he wanted her to see him smile. Her eyes never left his as he spoke.

"Think about it, Yuuki. You need to think about... Kaname."

She shuddered, and Zero felt some pleasure in her obvious disgust. He hugged her close for moment, tempted to continue where they had left off, but his sense of reason overruled the urge.

Instead, he leaned down to pick up her clothes and smiled again. He handed them to her and turned away as she dressed, trying to forget the feeling of her light fingertips ghosting over his back.

Yuuki wouldn't have minded if he had watched her dress. The way they had been pressed to one another ensured her that he knew every inch of her as well as she did. Nothing could change that, and she wasn't sure she would want to.

Finishing the buttons on her blouse, Yuuki looked up to see Zero leaning against the wall, watching her. She tugged on her pants, trying to ignore the way her pulse was racing. Things might be awkward in the morning, but she would be totally at ease, just remembering the sensation of his hips resting just between her thighs.

Briefly glancing towards him again, she spoke in a low voice. "Zero, I am not afraid of Kaname for me." She looked him in the eye as she pulled on her jacket. "I am afraid for you. I–I,"

Yuuki gulped and looked into his eyes.

He stepped forward and caught a lock of smoky hair that had fallen next to her ear. "I am afraid that if you and Kaname fight, one of you will kill the other."

Their gazes were held steadily as she continued, pretending not to notice the tendons tightening in his hands. "Zero, he was the first person who was kind to me. He helped me, he saved my life. I cannot repay him by letting you fight him."

He opened his mouth to reply, but she put a finger to his lips. "Zero, I don't love him. Everything I did..." she paused, then continued. "Everything I did was to thank him, because I didn't know what I would do if he didn't like me anymore. I was afraid..."

She felt a strange feeling in her heart. She had never told anyone the true source of her affection for Kaname.

Arms encircled her, hugging her close. The breath was knocked out of her, and she felt herself crying into his shoulder. "Zero," she sobbed, "I don't want to be alone,"

He held her close and whispered in her ear over and over again, until she could stop shaking enough to understand his words.

"It's all right. You don't have to be afraid anymore."