AN: And I found a kinkmeme prompt I never posted even though I finished writing it. Sigh. It dragged on so long writing I think I was "screw it, I can't look at the thing anymore" and didn't even bother to go back to post it. _ For a non-censored version of this, check out LJ or AO3. Those have the full sex scene (though to be honest, I only cut a few paragraphs).
For the prompt: Jaded vampire Saguru has no idea what the strange spice is in Conan's scent, which is why he wants desperately to taste it. (Saguru does not glitter, no non-con.) (Shin'ichi's okay if you don't want shota.)
As a rule Saguru didn't go for children. They were too breakable, too small, too dangerous to feed off of when they contain so little blood to begin with, and, ultimately, he would remain unsatisfied in other ways if he took them as a meal. That is why he was completely and entirely baffled by why Edogawa Conan brought out every desire to feed Saguru has and then some. And I thought Kuroba was bad.
Edogawa Conan had attracted his attention their first meeting, but a case was hardly the place to look into it. Saguru could hardly draw attention to his vampiric nature either.
Edogawa smelled like the equivalent of the cardamom and cinnamon tea Saguru used to favor years ago, tea which he had never found a variety he enjoys quite as well. He's not quite sure what in Edogawa's pheromones is causing the scent, but it was terribly distracting. And by distracting, he meant that it made him thirst to taste it even though he fed last night from a criminal—his usual fare because these things are much harder to hide these days and Saguru could not quite bring himself to be who he once was without concern for who he feeds from.
In Kuroba's case, the scent came from Shifter blood somewhere in his ancestry, merging delightfully with the human genome in a way that created a new variety to the pheromones and how they interacted with those Kuroba came in contact with. Koizumi Akako had her own variety of supernatural pheromones, but unlike Kuroba, the scent was a turn off. Witches were hit or miss for Saguru's tastes, though some swore they had the best blood for when a vampire was drained. No matter how he went about it, his mind continued to drift back to Edogawa as Edogawa is only a few feet away and interacting with several human children that do nothing for Saguru at all. It was incredibly frustrating. He had no desire to slip up and have to switch identity already. It took time to create this current role.
To make the situation truly deplorable, Kuroba was with him. Saguru blamed Nakamori-chan as she set up the meeting then promptly backed out. It must be another attempt to get him and Kuroba to get along.
"It still is weird how you can be out during the day," Kuroba muttered to Saguru. They were looked away from each other even though they were at the same table. It wasn't working well to pretend they didn't know each other. "I thought vampires burned up in sunlight."
If Kuroba hadn't seen him feeding once, he never would have known at all. Annoying instincts altogether. "Legends are greatly exaggerated. They had to create rules that monsters must follow or admit the truth that there was no clear way to tell monster from man, which is a much more terrifying perspective."
"Kind of hard not to tell when you grow three centimeter fangs."
"Quite. Thankfully I can hide those."
"Not your lack of aging."
"You'd be surprised." The wonders of costume makeup. Edogawa groaned as the other children laughed about something. The odd one out of the group. Intriguing.
"What's the interest in the kid?" Kuroba asked.
"He smells interesting," Saguru murmured.
Kuroba looked at him sharply. "Are you hunting him?" he hissed.
"It is entirely coincidental that he is in the same location as we are, Kuroba."
"That isn't a no."
Saguru scowled. "Do I look like the kind of man who would target a child intentionally?"
"I've read stories about vampiric bloodlust, so tell me if you can control all your instincts."
Point to Kuroba. "I've fed recently. It is a momentary distraction."
Edogawa and his friends left their table and walked past them, but of course Edogawa did a double take at them. Oddly it was Kuroba that seemed to catch his attention though.
"Edogawa-kun," Saguru said with a nod. He could feel his fangs lengthen the smallest amount in his mouth. Inches away the spicy scent was overpowering and mouth watering and utterly distracting. Kuroba clamped a hand around Saguru's bicep and Saguru didn't shake him off. It was annoying that there was a possibility he might actually need the restraint. And he was supposed to be one of the best with control.
"Hakuba-san," Edogawa said. He looked past Saguru at Kuroba. "…who?"
"A classmate. Edogawa Conan, meet Kuroba Kaito. Kuroba, Edogawa is—"
"A detective," Kuroba said, cutting Saguru off. "You mentioned him."
The other children had stopped and the girl asked, "Are these your friends, Conan-kun?"
"I met Hakuba-san on a case."
There were more words but for a moment Saguru didn't hear any of them. Speaking pushed Edogawa's breath in Saguru's direction and filled the air with his scent. There were emotions in it, layered, curiosity over wariness over irritation and smaller subtleties. Kuroba's grip on his arm would have been painful if Saguru was human. It had been a long time since Saguru was human. He leaned forward involuntarily and Edogawa looked at him with sharp curiosity.
He did not have the eyes of a child or the scent of a child even if he had the form of one.
That did not make the direction Saguru's thoughts and instincts were heading okay. He blinked back into the moment, shoving aside the haze of bloodlust creeping in on him. Stopping breathing through his nose was not only possible and preferable, he could stop breathing altogether if he needed to.
"It was nice to see you again," Saguru cut into whatever the conversation was, aware of the iron band of Kuroba's hand steadily getting tighter, "but I am afraid Kuroba and I have places to be."
The girl said something about cases and learning that the largest of the two boys that were not Edogawa echoed, but both Edogawa and the taller, thinner boy behind him looked surprised and calculating. He probably interrupted something important. Oh well.
"Kuroba?" Saguru said. The death grip on his arm didn't let up as they left their seats. It only stopped when Edogawa's eyes zeroed in on the gesture and he frowned.
"Yeah, yeah. Good meeting you kiddos." He grinned and waved, ever the perfect showman. "Aoko said she was waiting at the bookstore?" Kuroba lied, giving them a fuller excuse.
"Yes, four minutes ago actually."
Kuroba snorted. "So even you lose track of the time?"
They rounded the corner with the children's eyes still following them. Saguru listened to see if they were being followed, but there were too many sounds and he was too wound up from the scent to focus properly. Kuroba grabbed his arm again.
"I thought you said you were fine?" Kuroba muttered under his breath.
"I should have been." Kuroba's own intoxicating scent masked Edogawa's and was familiar enough that Saguru could control the desire to taste. "I have never felt drawn to a scent quite so quickly."
"You'll have to stay away from the pint sized detective then. Don't do anything stupid."
Saguru scowled. "If you remember I have lived over a century longer than you have; I make logical decisions and rational actions."
"And you were so rational in throwing yourself after Kid!" Kuroba growled. "You can use logic, but you still follow instincts."
It was tempting to bare his fangs at him for being right, but Saguru was more mature than that. Kuroba let go of his arm.
"Well, they don't seem to be following, and Aoko isn't coming. Do you see any reason to stick together?"
"No," Saguru sighed. "Let us not irritate each other further."
"Remember, Edogawa's a kid."
"I know, Kuroba!" His shoulders lifted defensively. No matter how tempting the scent, he wouldn't bite a child. Especially without consent.
Saguru sniffed irritably as Kuroba disappeared down the street, taking his annoyingly appetizing scent with him. If Edogawa smelled like how cardamom and cinnamon tea tasted, Kuroba smelled like an expensive ice wine, full fruity undertones with an intoxicating bite and lingering, cloying sweetness. Emphasis on the lingering. He breathed in heavily through his nose to clear the lingering remnants of Kuroba from his senses. The acrid city scents of exhaust, decomposing trash in bins, and trails of humans filtered in.
Well, if he wasn't going along with Nakamori-chan, he could search out a case or continue on with his personal research into human criminal psychology.
He let his feet take him where they would, absently sorting through scents. Sweet-masked-with-flowers, chemical-cheap fake-vanilla over a sour cream scented woman, a man whose scent was so tangled up in cherry cigar smells that they might as well be one. Cats and mice in a dustbin, old lingering scent of a stray dog—sickly, possibly old. Milky scent of a two month old child and its mother, their scents still blending, a while yet until the child was distinct. Fermented sharpness of low grade alcohol. Cardamom and cinnamon with strong black tea.
Saguru stopped.
Edogawa's scent was strong, upwind. Saguru turned to the left, and there he was, watching Saguru. He probably thought he was hidden, but the corner of one red shoe showed through a gap between boxes set out for recycling and the lenses of his glasses reflected light. Of course Edogawa would follow. Saguru grit his teeth.
"I can see you, Edogawa-kun," Saguru said. Truly he should be walking in the opposite direction, outdistancing Edogawa at a brisk walk, but even the whiff of Edogawa's scent was enough to make him pause. What was in his scent?
Edogawa circled from behind the boxes. "Hakuba-san."
"What do you want, Edogawa-kun?" Saguru was careful to keep his hands in his pockets. For extra security he gripped his pocket watch, the beat of its second hand grounding him.
"Interesting friend you have," Edogawa said casually. "I didn't know you were on good terms with Kaitou Kid."
Any other time with any other person, Saguru would have either laughed or felt vindicated. Instead, there was only a mild irritation at Edogawa's perceptiveness. "Kuroba is a classmate, nothing more. We share a mutual friend, one Nakamori Aoko."
"Your 'classmate' mentioned her." Edogawa tilted his head, oddly predatory. "Why aren't you with them now?" He smiled, and Saguru wondered if there was anything supernatural in his background as that smile had no place on a child's face. "Unless you never planned to meet this Nakamori Aoko after all. How long have you been working with Kid?"
"Your assumption is incorrect. Initially we were to meet Nakamori at the location you first saw us at. Regrettably she canceled."
"So your companion lied."
"He does that." There had to be a way to maneuver them so that Saguru was upwind instead, but Edogawa's scent with its complex and shifting emotional backdrop was terribly distracting. Saguru licked his lips, trying to ignore how his fangs were getting longer.
"I notice you didn't directly say that this classmate isn't Kid," Edogawa pressed.
Did Edogawa have any survival instincts? Saguru wondered if he should just let his predatory side show—most living things understood their danger at that point if he wasn't actively using pheromones to suppress fear responses. He took a breath through his mouth—still didn't stop the taste of Edogawa, but as taste was largely scent based it was muted. "Edogawa-kun. You do not want to be speaking to me alone."
Edogawa's eyes narrowed. "Are you threatening me? You didn't seem the type to—"
"Edogawa," Saguru interrupted, self control already threadbare. He let his fangs reach their full size and his eyes flash gold instead of their harmless blue. "You do not want to be speaking to me alone."
Edogawa took a step back, paling. "You…What are…?" But even as he questioned, Saguru could see his mind snapping together information. He took eight fast steps until he was downwind. Saguru visibly relaxed.
"Thank you." As ever, speaking around fangs without cutting himself was cumbersome. Predatory tools were not developed with communication in mind. He retracted them so he could speak without cutting his lips on them. "Your scent is unfortunately potent and desirable."
Tense with eyes narrowed to slits of concentration, Edogawa said, "Earlier I was upwind as well. Clearly you aren't human." Saguru gave him credit for accepting that fact so quickly. Most logic-minded individuals did not. Saguru had once been one of them. "Demon, were, or vampire?"
"Theoretically there is a much larger number of things I could be," Saguru said, "but considering my fangs, pale skin, and preoccupation with your scent I would assume it was obvious."
"I thought vampires couldn't be in sunlight?"
"Common misconception," Saguru said. "Some strains of vampirism make it impossible, but on the whole most vampires are not only able, but comfortable in daylight. Nocturnal behavior is preferable due to reduced risks in discovery, increased ease of hunting, and the fact that vampires possess excellent night vision." He paused. "Not that vision is necessary to the same degree with a strong sense of smell."
"There was garlic in the food at the mansion." Edogawa said. He was likely going through a checklist of traits of vampires he had gleaned from literature.
"Garlic is no more harmful in small quantities cooked in meals than capsicum is when added to dishes. However, in large quantities it is as equally unpleasant and detrimental as turning capsicum into pepper spray." Saguru huffed. "The majority of vampires were at one point human; things that failed to affect the individual as a human are unlikely to prove fatal as a vampire. Most issues with the onion family largely come from the newly changed and their lack of experience with enhanced senses."
That seemed to derail Edogawa's brain entirely. "You were once human."
"Naturally." It was something that even Kuroba had yet to broach the topic of. Saguru wasn't inclined to go down that road today. Saguru straightened his clothes and glanced around. Still no one paying them any attention in the slightest. "Now, since it is clear why there is danger, please avoid speaking with me alone or in any area in which your scent will be unavoidable."
"It's not clear at all," Edogawa grumbled. He seemed to have moved past the shock and discomfort remarkably quickly though he was still on the pale side. Saguru averted his eyes from Edogawa's neck before he could contemplate the quick pulse there too much. "We're talking without problem right now, and you worked a whole case with me at Twilight Mansion. You clearly have the control to pass as a human. I haven't heard anything about unexplainable deaths—"
"I am mildly insulted that you think vampires kill their prey."
"—or inexplicable blood loss," Edogawa continued through gritted teeth. "So what's the problem?"
"As stated before, your scent is particularly…alluring…to me in particular." Saguru gripped his pocket watch feeling the imprint of the inlaid design against his fingers. "While it was ignorable with the case and Kid's scent to focus on, it is much harder to ignore without distraction."
"What are you going to do? Maul me?"
Saguru gave him a pointed look. "I am a vampire. As such, I would drink your blood, not maul you. Currently you are roughly a meter tall and eighteen kilograms at most. You have less than two liters of blood in your body. On average per feeding, I drink between .5 and .7 liters of blood. Losing even half a liter of blood could potentially kill you. Excuse me if that is something I would prefer not to experience." Edogawa looked pale at this and Saguru's eyes flashed gold once at the rapid pulse in Edogawa's throat before he focused beyond him. "You are a child. I do not feed from children."
There was a twitch at Edogawa's side—his hand falling on the heavy watch that he always wore that Saguru was seventy four percent sure held some sort sedative-laced projectile. There was a fifty-fifty chance that it would affect Saguru if used; some drugs worked like he was human, some did nothing at all. Saguru hoped for Edogawa's sake it was something that worked if it came down to needing to use it.
"If you don't feed from children, who do you feed off of?" Edogawa asked.
Another scan of the area, and there was a man watching them now, and a woman a bit down the road; they had been in place too long, too odd a pair. "Walk with me," Saguru said. He moved so he would remain upwind at all times. Edogawa followed a few steps behind, hand still on the watch. It left Saguru's back open. It was likely safer that way. "I feed off criminals for the most part," Saguru said, eyes fixed ahead on where he was going. His other senses catalogued Edogawa's breathing and footsteps and scent that coiled toward him even with the airflow moving away. "And other times I find someone willing to be fed off of."
"People are willing to do that?" Edogawa wrinkled his nose.
"It is addictive," Saguru said. "There is a hypnotic effect that most vampires can induce in addition to endorphins being released. Granted there is pain involved; even the natural sedative in vampiric saliva doesn't completely erase the awareness of being essentially stabbed with fangs."
"Charming."
"Now if we're clear…" He took a step back toward the open road.
Edogawa reached out, likely without meaning to. "Wait!" His hand brushed Saguru's coat.
Saguru swallowed hard. Shit. He could taste Edogawa, spice and the edge of bitterness and overflowing with curiosity that instincts told him he could use. "Edogawa, move back now, or years of control or not, I will end up trying to bite you."
The hand with the watch twitched, but Saguru saw some decision being made in Edogawa's eyes as he purposely grabbed hold of the worn fabric of Saguru's Inverness. "I want to know more."
"You have no idea what you are asking for." Saguru took a step back, muscles protesting as they tried to drop into a hunting stance or, failing that, lock up.
"I have a general concept. Talk, I offer a little blood, we both end up with something from the bargain."
"Edogawa, I don't know if I can control—"
"Have you ever had a problem stopping before someone was harmed before?"
"No." He backed away again, but there was nowhere to go because he was now against the boxes Edogawa had hidden behind earlier. "But I haven't felt such a pressing need to feed since I was newly changed."
"I trust you."
Don't trust me! Saguru wanted to yell, but Edogawa was too close and intoxicating. He threw out his last ditch scare. "Edogawa, with blood lust this intense, it is very likely that bodily lust would follow, and I am quite sure that this is something that neither of us wants!"
"Oh."
Edogawa dropped Saguru's coat with surprise and (was it a blush? Yes, because Saguru could smell the blood rising to flush his face) embarrassment.
"At least…" Edogawa squared his shoulders. "At least give me a phone number. I need to know more."
"To satisfy your curiosity?" Saguru stopped breathing for the moment. He did, in fact, require oxygen to function, but he could go a lot longer between breaths than the average sentient being.
"To recognize the next time there's supernatural involvement." Small, thin arms crossed defiantly. "If vampires are real, other creatures must be."
"Fine." He rattled off his cell number, only taking one breath to have the air to say it.
"Thanks." Edogawa took one step back, then another, and in a few seconds was off down the street.
Saguru bit his own tongue. The sting of pain and sharp taste of his own blood were assurance that he was still in control, and that Edogawa really had asked for Saguru's cell phone number. What to make of it? Disgusted at the thought of donor addicts one moment, offering his own blood to satisfy curiosity the next. Saguru hoped he didn't run into Edogawa again. In fact he hoped Edogawa would forget his number and never use it.
The shop keeper was still watching, so Saguru tore his eyes from Edogawa's retreating figure and headed the opposite direction.
~o~o~o~
Research brought several things to light about Edogawa Conan. 1) He was essentially a ward of Mouri Kogoro. 2) According to rumor, his parents lived overseas but no one had been able to verify if this was true or not. 3) Edogawa Conan appeared virtually out of nowhere. His documents appeared to be official enough, but a little digging showed no record of the existence of Edogawa's supposed parents or Edogawa himself. Saguru was eighty percent sure that the birth certificate was fake. There were no previous school records, no old friends from before he moved into Beika elementary, and the only connection Edogawa seemed to have aside from the Mouri family was one Agasa Hiroshi, a fairly successful engineer and inventor. There were also rumors that Edogawa was related to Kudo Shinichi, which perhaps explained his abnormal skill at detective work.
Altogether, Saguru had learned very little looking into Edogawa Conan other than his history was as suspect as Saguru's own and not nearly as well built up. It took roughly a year to properly build up each new identity Saguru took on over the years; longer in today's age where documentation was far stricter and visible than before.
None of what he had learned was an explanation for why Edogawa smelled as good as he did. Saguru wasn't ruling out Supernatural blood yet though.
And so it was with disgruntled reluctance that Saguru answered his phone two weeks after the Edogawa incident with no better knowledge of how to erase Edogawa's intoxicating effects than before.
"Edogawa," Saguru said as the phone connected, before Edogawa could say anything.
"Hakuba," Edogawa said on the other side—and he could be a rude child, couldn't he? Saguru was far older and more experienced— "I still want to talk to you about the supernatural."
"It's not a good idea. I believe it very clear why in our last encounter," Saguru said. He was feeling anything but charitable toward Edogawa. He hated losing control and the current unsolvable mystique around Edogawa only added to the irritation.
"I was thinking about that." Edogawa's voice went from neutrally friendly to serious. "I couldn't say anything at the time because I needed to consider what I am comfortable with and what I'm not. Giving blood? I've been wounded often enough. Given blood before as well. It's not that intimidating. Danger? Not really anything new there either. Sex is a bit more…outside my realm of experience."
"I should hope so!" Saguru huffed. That Edogawa was even considering sexual involvement in return for assuaging his curiosity was concern enough; if he had sexual experience at seven, Saguru would be calling children's services to get Edogawa psychiatric help for abuse recovery. "Edogawa, regardless of how willing you are or are not, it remains that I am not comfortable. If I must satisfy your curiosity, I will do so over the phone or not at all." Where I can't accidentally kill you or act inappropriately, he thought.
"Your grandfather has a laboratory, correct? And you are able to do genetic testing?"
"Yes," Saguru said. "I once got genetic material from Kaitou Kid and used the lab to learn more about him." That was how he learned Kuroba—Kid, even if Kuroba would never admit his dual identities—had Shifters in his ancestry.
"Do a test on me. There'll be interesting results. All I can say is that I am actually above the age of consent."
Saguru frowned. "I'll believe it when I see it on paper."
"You're immortal and you can't accept—"
"Semi-immortal."
"What?"
"There are very few creatures that are truly immortal. I do not age, but that does not mean I can't die, Edogawa."
"Still." Edogawa sighed. "If vampires can exist, it's not that hard to believe I'm actually older than I look. I'm sure you're a lot older than you look."
Edogawa had a point, much as Saguru was loath to admit it. But there was a difference between Saguru and Edogawa since Edogawa had not known supernatural beings existed.
"Fine," Saguru said. "Leave me a genetic sample and I'll do some tests. It might even explain why you smell so appealing."
"I still consent to—"
"Edogawa," Saguru said through gritted teeth. "After the test I will consider your proposition. And do not deny that it is a proposition; my statement to you was a warning and yours is anything but. Leave a bag containing a hair, cheek swab, and blood sample—a small sample—in the Lab's mail slot tomorrow morning. I will get back to you."
"This isn't the end of talking about this," Edogawa said.
"I know." He was regretting agreeing already. He could picture Kuroba's pinched, disapproving stare. The phone disconnected without a goodbye. He rubbed his eyes. Tonight, he would feed. Tomorrow, he would stay in the lab until he went through as many tests as he could think of.
It didn't make him feel any better to know that he was seriously considering Edogawa's proposition.
There were, it seemed, exceptions to even Saguru's most deeply rooted rules.
~o~o~o~
Edogawa, according to his DNA test results, should be somewhere between fifteen and twenty rather than the five to ten range he should have shown up in. Genetic testing could not give an indication of possible height or weight, but an estimation based off of Edogawa's current growth rates and factoring the spike of puberty, he would be somewhere between 170-176 centimeters, perhaps. Weight was a trickier calculation due to unknown factors of muscle mass and body fat ratios, but by all Saguru's estimations, Edogawa should be a teenager.
He wouldn't say a normal teenager, as there was nothing normal about Edogawa at all.
Interestingly, there was an unknown protein present in his blood sample, which was also present in the cheek swab, though not in Edogawa's hair cells. It resembled nothing Saguru had come across before, and there wasn't a clear enough sampling of it to get a concept of its chemical makeup. Also interesting was the latent strains of crow spirit genetics. Saguru wondered if that was why Edogawa ran into as many bodies as he was rumored to; crow spirits did clean up after the violent messes of humans.
Another mark toward strains of supernatural blood attracting Saguru's attention though. It was beyond vexing to have incomplete knowledge of why some and not others. He knew a half Tengu on the police force, several vampires and were-beings in England, and a handful of latent or mixed blood and none of them attracted his attention like Edogawa or Kuroba did.
Saguru sighed and tossed the results back onto the desk he used when he was at his grandfather's lab. He known he'd cave the moment he worked with Edogawa's blood sample. Its scent outside Edogawa's veins was even better than it was in them.
He pulled up a blank text message. He preferred calling, but at the moment he wasn't sure he wanted to talk and have Edogawa's voice in his ear trying to seduce him for curiosity's sake. It was a first to have someone offer themselves for knowledge.
Edogawa, he typed, your test results support your claims. I am willing to follow through with your proposition on certain conditions. He sent the message before he could second guess himself.
A few minutes later the phone dinged with a reply. Name your conditions.
1- If for any reason I warn you to knock me out with your clever dart gun (yes, I have observed its existence), do so immediately. If this fails, a blow to the head would be sufficient in rendering me unable to harm you for a short period of time. It is important that you be aware that I could lose control despite my best intentions and I would greatly regret harm coming to you. 2- You will monitor your condition if I take blood from you and stop me the first sign of fatigue or other detrimental effects of blood loss occur. Optimally I will not need such warnings, but there is the chance that I will need them. 3- If at any point you are uncomfortable with something, be it physical, mental or sexual in nature, you will inform me so I can stop. This is nonnegotiable.
Accepted, Edogawa sent back. You'll provide a list of common supernatural creatures, their possible identifying traits and anything that might indicate they're involved in a case. And explain the feeding process. I'm curious.
Clearly. Saguru rolled his eyes. Feeding is fairly straightforward.
Psychological aspects for each party involved? Consent issues? Humor me.
Those questions were at least relevant if Edogawa was going to let Saguru feed. (Let? More like demand he do so.) Saguru turned the phone around in his hands. Maybe he should have done this in a phone call rather than texting. He always texted long walls of text that took ages to type.
Vampires have a hypnotic, trance-like effect if they choose, which acts on a telepathic level and a hormonal one due to pheromone release. It may temporarily block pain from the brain, produce pleasure, or at least blunt the unpleasant side effects of being bitten. Psychologically, each side is feeling pleasure unless for one reason or another, the vampire chooses to break the trance. The trance creates a slight feedback loop via the telepathic element. Consent can be questionable due to the hypnotic element. He left his own practices unsaid. He knew that he did not have a spotless record in the consent aspect, made foggier by many of his meals never realizing what he was before or after he fed from the hypnosis. He never crossed that line with the sexual aspect of the feedback loop though. He only slept with the ones that knew what they were getting into (or thought they did.)
I would still be able to revoke consent?
Yes. Saguru had the control to bring pleasure without clouding the mind. Usually. He'd have to hope his control would carry through.
The strict upbringing he had had several lifetimes ago told him that it was adding to his tally of things that would make him burn in hell when he one day died, but logic was an old friend in dismissing such thoughts. No one knew what existed in the afterlife, supernatural or mortal; there was not use believing any of the thousands of religious concepts on the afterlife. The scholar that turned him would have been amused to see Saguru still use the principles of logic he practiced years ago. If that same scholar had not died half a century ago.
Saguru typed a time and sat back to wait. The list of supernatural beings was already written and printed out in kanji. It was closer to a book than a list, a compilation of Saguru's knowledge. He'd fed that morning so he would not be overly hungry. The rest was up to Edogawa.
~o~o~o~
The fans were on when Saguru invited Edogawa back to a more private space; stationary fans that Saguru could sit behind and point away from him in Edogawa's direction to keep his scent away for a short while until it circulated throughout the room. Edogawa took them in without comment.
Saguru handed him a stack of paper. "The first sheet is your genetic test results. I thought you might want them. The rest is the information you asked for."
Edogawa flipped through them, one quick cursory glance before setting them aside. "Thank you."
Saguru shifted uncomfortably. He hadn't sat though there were chairs for both of them. Neither had Edogawa. "Um," Saguru said, feeling like a fumbling teen again though it had been over a century sine he had last truly been a teenager.
Edogawa looked him over and then around the room. It was a study more than anything else, with a desk, a few chairs and bookshelves filled with dusty tomes that had not been open in decades if ever at all. A room for show, not practical use; there were other studies more personalized in the rest of the building. "Is there somewhere better to…?" He let the question trail off.
Saguru swallowed hard. Edogawa's spicy-bitter scent was curling back around as the air circulated now. Part of him wanted to initiate contact immediately, to pull Edogawa close and bury fangs in his wrist and have that scent surround him. The more instinct driven portion of his brain pointed out that the throat was more conveniently located, but he knew how much damage a bite to the throat could do. "My room," he said, managing to keep his voice neutral and level.
He carefully didn't look Edogawa in the eye as he moved away from the study. The expression on Edogawa's face in the second he saw it could have been anything—fear, anticipation, amusement, contemplative. His scent, though, told everything Saguru needed to know. If Edogawa's tests hadn't shown his true age, the pheromones coiling off him would have. Intent mixed with nervousness and a strange satisfaction that Saguru couldn't quite put a reason to.
Saguru pushed open his door. Baaya had changed the sheets on the four poster bed. Knickknacks collected over the years were on the lone empty shelf of his personal bookshelf, and in his dresser mirror he could see Edogawa pause to look at them, probably picking Saguru apart by what he chose to keep and display in his private quarters. Saguru was fond of the room, almost as fond of it as he was of the one he had in London, but the one in London had been built up over the last century into something more than a mere room.
"Are you even related to the people that own this house?" Edogawa asked. He brushed a finger along the silk cord of a folding fan where it dangled over the edge of the shelf.
"No." Edogawa glanced over his shoulder at him as Saguru picked up one of the objects on his shelf—a narrow porcelain teacup with hand-painted roses. There was a large chip missing in the handle and the accompanying saucer had been glued together at one point in its lifetime, sad when so many pieces were pristine that he hadn't managed to keep this particular cup and saucer so. "My supposed parents are, however, friends whose families knew my original one." He put the cup back.
"That was your mother's," Edogawa deduced.
"My aunt's actually. I was raised by her."
The mood had shifted, still threaded with interest, but wisping curiosity like tendrils of fog as Edogawa stared Saguru down like he wanted to strip him to his base components and see what kept him functioning. Then his gaze sharpened and it shifted back to desire again, the scent clogging the air so fully that Saguru had to stop breathing before he grabbed Edogawa then and there.
"Bed," he said, before he could run out of air in his lungs. "Now. Keep the watch on."
Edogawa moved, pulling at his shirt as he went. Guest slippers were kicked off near the bed edge. Saguru let the hunger curl through him and the lust with it (Kuroba was still going to kill him for this and Saguru might be inclined to let him depending on how this encounter goes). He felt his pupils dilate to better catch the slightest shift in movement and the thrumming pulse in Edogawa's throat. His nostrils flared to drink in the minute details of Edogawa's scent and the intoxicating spiciness that composes it. The shirt slid over Edogawa's head and joined the slippers on the floor.
"Well?" Edogawa said. He was thin, but surprisingly well-muscled for such a childish body. There was a scar on his abdomen; a gunshot wound. Saguru had to respect him for living through that. Such a would could have been fatal even discounting shock, though it was a bit troubling to see considering Edogawa looked no older than seven. "Am I going to be the only one stripping?"
"Of course not." Hands on autopilot, Saguru began unbuttoning his shirt. Edogawa smirked like he'd accomplished something. Perhaps he had, derailing Saguru with one action as effectively as Kid did with a trick up his sleeve at a heist.
Cloth fluttered to the ground. Ordinarily he would fold it. He had more important things to think of than keeping his shirt from wrinkling.
Edogawa caught Saguru's face when he leaned into Edogawa's space, bracketing Edogawa on the bed with both arms. His small hands traced the line of Saguru's jaw around to his lips, feeling the line of elongated fang just hidden beneath them. "I really do affect you don't I?" he asked.
"Clearly." The fangs grew that much longer, jutting from beneath his lip. He breathed in and savored it. Like the best cup of tea he'd ever drunk with all the nostalgia stacked up behind it. Saguru hadn't even broken skin yet. He licked his lips. "May I kiss you?"
"That's the idea isn't it?" Edogawa said with amusement. There were nerves hidden in the intricacies of his scent, but other emotions were taking the forefront. Saguru let Edogawa control the kiss, let himself be pulled into it; giving up the control in this let him hold onto control of himself. Edogawa tilted his head as he tried to find a comfortable angle. It wasn't a skillful kiss but it had Saguru's body jolting into the pressure. "Hmm," Edogawa murmured against his lips. "Different."
Saguru pulled back. "You have never considered relations with a man before this point have you?"
"Not really." The newness didn't seem to be a deterrent though. Edogawa's pupils were already dilated and he smelled interested. "That doesn't mean I'm not up to trying."
Saguru laughed. This was like being drunk with the same perception-altering tendencies that had, only instead of feeling disconnected from his body, he was hyper aware. Aware of the flex of Edogawa's tendons and the hint of sweat on his palms where they still cupped Saguru's face. Aware of the blood under the skin of Edogawa's wrist and the scent that was stronger there. He was also aware of how his pants were too tight and that he hadn't even taken off his undershirt.
"Blood or making out?" Edogawa asked, trying another kiss. It was still soft and exploratory, pleasant in a distracting way.
"Both," Saguru panted when the kiss ended.
"And how much is bleeding going to make that difficult? Because I don't think pain is a turn on for me."
"You don't have to feel the pain."
"Right, hypnotic effects." He licks his lips, then licks them again, likely tasting Saguru on them. "And feedback loops." He grinned and Saguru felt a déjà vu moment seeing Kuroba's face instead.
"May I…?" He trembled under Edogawa's light touch, his wrist right there and his throat just as close.
"Yes." There was a spike of fear through Edogawa as he agreed, but it was swamped under desire and interest and confidence that made one needle-sharp cocktail to Saguru's brain.
He caught Edogawa's wrist, breathing on it. His own pheromones fill the air to counter Edogawa's own and he could feel the warm shiver through Edogawa as they affect him. Instinct calls to plunge his fangs for the widest hole and most damage, but he still had control, so he didn't do that. Instead, he brought Edogawa's wrist to his lips and tilted his head to let the knife-sharp tips of his fangs score two long, shallow cuts that would bleed profusely for feeding, but not so much as would be a danger to Edogawa's health.
The first taste of blood was like every good thing Saguru had ever tasted. His favorite tea didn't have the complexity in flavor or the warm pulse of life energy laced so enticingly within it. Spice, Saguru's brain equated, bitter and sweet and spice-warm in a soul deep way. He groaned and Edogawa groaned with him, the feedback loop already starting.
Too fast, one part of Saguru's mind thought, but it wasn't in control now.
His tongue slid along Edogawa's wrist to catch each drop of red as it pearled up through the cuts. Edogawa's other hand was clenched tight in the bed sheet. His eyes were half shut with pleasure that spiked with each track of Saguru's tongue.
"Shit," Edogawa panted. "Shit, I wasn't expecting—" He cut off with another groan, like Saguru was licking his cock instead of his wrist.
Close enough, Saguru supposed, as the pleasure it brought to Saguru was as equal as sex and he was rebounding it on Edogawa.
The taste wasn't enough. He wanted more, enough for mouthfuls, and to paint his lips red, but Saguru couldn't have that. He closed his eyes and buried his lips against Edogawa's flesh, adding pressure to the wound and releasing it to cause the blood to well.
Edogawa whimpered and tugged at Saguru's hair. He growled without thinking, nicking more vulnerable skin as he pulled back his lips to snarl. "Get up here," Edogawa said with a growl of his own, hauling on Saguru's hair until he lifted his head.
Lips met Saguru's own and he didn't even think before he had Edogawa pinned under him, fully on the bed and taking control of the kiss.
Edogawa moved with him. His fingers tangled in Saguru's hair or swept along the sweat-slick curve of Saguru's side, or reached again and again to touch Saguru's face, eyelids, lips, nose, as if confirming they were real. The press of Edogawa's watch proved enough to keep control; Saguru didn't bite down once.
Saguru felt Edogawa come after him, only seconds apart, in a distant, foggy way. His every limb felt heavy and sated.
The hunger was still there, lurking under the orgasmic haze, but it was bearable and ignorable now. Edogawa's scent was more comforting than enticing. He took a deep breath of it at Edogawa's throat and felt Edogawa pat his head.
"Do I need to stun you?" he asked sounding as sleepy as Saguru felt.
"No." Curling around Edogawa's smaller frame, he nuzzled soft, dark hair. "That was…"
"Memorable? Satisfying? Exciting?"
"Yes."
Edogawa squirmed in his arms until they were face to face. "I can see why someone could get addicted to this."
"It is not usually quite so dramatic," Saguru murmured around a yawn. He was full and warm and sated in all ways.
"Thanks. For…yeah."
"I would say any time, but this is something that would require much planning on both ends." He blinked sleepily. "Stay a while?"
He could see Edogawa weigh staying against leaving, and factoring in the effort of moving and retrieving his clothes. With a sigh, Edogawa rolled onto his back again. "I don't have anywhere to be for a while."
"I'm glad." In a minute he would have to get up and clean them both off and bandage the cuts he'd made to keep them from becoming infected. For the moment Saguru enjoyed the closeness that only came post sex. He closed his eyes. "Have you sated your curiosity?"
"Yeah." Edogawa's scent carried tendrils of embarrassment. "Can't be a skeptic when you have experienced it firsthand."
"Mm." Tomorrow he'd probably kick himself, a hundred and fifty years of carefully maintained morals tossed aside even if Edogawa was not truly a child.
"I was wondering. I smell good, and most people are more neutral, but you hate Hattori Heiji. Why?"
"He reeks like an exorcist," Saguru said. "He isn't one, but he could be. Anything supernatural would want to give him a wide berth even without his omamori. My objection to him is, however due to his personality and deductive habits which are greatly different from my own. I concede he is a decent detective in his own right, but I have no reason to like him."
"Fair enough." Edogawa yawned. "Sleep?"
"Sleep."
Bonus:
When Saguru opened his eyes, it was to Kaitou Kid standing over him with a disapproving frown. "I thought you weren't going to touch Edogawa," he said with a false-light voice.
"Is that a confession of your identity?" Saguru asked, playing his part.
"We both know you can smell me anyway," Kid said. "But you can't prove who I am to the police by scent."
"Would that I could." Saguru scratched his head. Edogawa was still curled against his side, fast asleep. He truly looked like a child in sleep, his sharp eyes hidden and the abnormal tension he exuded muted. "I did genetic tests. He's not actually seven."
"That doesn't make it right, Hakuba." Kid leaned against one of the bedposts. "He's not your type." Meaning criminals. Meaning this one at least wasn't part of Saguru's shaky moral justification of his feeding over the years.
"I know." He breathed in. For the moment the temptation wasn't there. Much like before, Kuroba's scent was a distraction and dampener for Edogawa's. "He proposed it."
"Of his free will?"
"Out of curiosity."
Kid snorted. "That sounds like Tantei-kun." He stared hard at them both. "Hakuba…"
"If it makes you feel better, it isn't very likely that this will happen again."
Kid stooped until his clover charm dangled millimeters from Saguru's collarbone. "You made me your restraint this time if you'll remember, Tantei-san. It had better not happen again."
"For the love of…" Two small hands grabbed Kid's suit, pulling him down onto the bed. "Shut up," Edogawa grumbled. "I don't need a stupid thief guarding my virtue." Edogawa glared up at them both, eyes still half-mast and sleepy. "I make my own decisions, and right now, either join us or leave."
"Is that a proposition, Tantei-kun?" Kid asked, struggling between hiding shock and his usual suave persona.
"It's a shut up, I'm tired and want to sleep and you're stopping me." He let go. With one last glare, he pulled the sheets up tight around him and buried his face in Saguru's side.
Saguru raised an eyebrow at Kid. In a move that was pure Kuroba, he backpedaled and put space between them.
"No offense, but I would rather not sleep with you in a bed while you're naked. Either of you."
"While us being clothed would be fine?" Saguru asked dryly. "I didn't know you had such delicate sensibilities. One would think you were born in the Victorian era, not me." He waved a hand at the other side of the bed which was still pristine; they hadn't really made it far once they reached the bed. "Join us if you want. For once your presence is calming rather than distracting." Deliberately, he closed his eyes and curled around Edogawa. After a few moments Saguru felt the bed shift as Kid climbed onto it.
"I'm only staying because I cancel out Tantei-kun," Kid hissed.
"Go to sleep," Saguru said. He'd deal with the fall out in the morning.
