A/N: I don't even know anymore. So, this came about because my friend and I were watching the 2nd Breaking Dawn movie in Spanish a while ago, because it was on and that's the kind of things I do with my life. And then I had a dream that night and after I woke up, I was like… Oh God, I can't. I can't do a Spamano vampire AU.
Except I did. xD I also made the title a pun, because if we're doing this kind of thing, we're going all the way. It actually turned out better than I expected it to, so there is that? Also, Lovi's genflipped because fem!Lovi is bae.
Sangwine
Alternatively: "A Better Fanfic Inspired by Twilight than Fifty Shades of Grey"
He was desperate.
That's really what it came down to. Francis had offered him ready-made excuses and the words to make this sound like altruism, but Antonio wasn't the type of person to dress the truth in suit and tie to make it more appealing. He never would have agreed to this if he weren't absolutely desperate. This wasn't done out of any desire to help the less-fortunate.
He just needed money. He'd made a stupid mistake and money was the only thing that would make the consequences disappear.
That was the reason why he was standing in front of the gates of a well-lit, ivy-bedecked home. He stood in front of the speaker-box that would announce his presence to the house occupants, wondering whether he should feel guilty right now.
Francis would probably tell him that he was being foolish. It didn't matter what his motives actually were, so long as he was doing something good. There were very few people who would have agreed to this, even considering the substantial reward.
Antonio sighed, clutching more tightly at the letter of introduction buried in his hoodie's pocket. He was here. There was no point worrying. He took a deep breath and then reached out and pressed the intercom's button.
The response was almost immediate, a bored, male tone that said, "Good evening. May I help you, sir?"
Antonio glanced upward. Yes, he could see the security camera pointed down at him. He gave a tiny wave and then responded to the speaker with a, "Um, hello. My name is Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. I have a meeting with Mr. Vargas tonight at nine. I have a letter…"
The voice interrupted him. "Yes, you're expected. Just follow the path to the front entrance. Someone will meet you there and take you to the Master."
Antonio nodded. "All right, thank you."
The voice didn't respond. He definitely wasn't the friendliest of greeters, but the gates were creaking open now. Antonio didn't allow himself the chance to think about what he was doing before he stepped through the gap and onto the grounds. He made his decision weeks ago and, at this point, he couldn't turn back. The thought of what he was about to do left his stomach twisting with revulsion, but it was his own fault.
He had been an idiot. Too-trusting; Francis warned him about the character flaw so many times, but Antonio never listened and now, he and his mother were in danger of eviction.
He needed money. Francis told him of a way to get it.
The house looked so normal and yet he felt his skin crawl as he followed the well-lit dirt path toward the front porch. He just had to keep telling himself that this was just a transaction. He was offering up a service or product in return for compensation. All he had to do was enter the mansion, do his job, take the payment, and then leave. That was it.
There was a man waiting on the front porch when Antonio arrived, his face lacking even a hint of emotion. He was an older gentleman with greying hair and a thick mustache, dressed in a clean, professionally-pressed suit. He bowed. "This way, Mr. Carriedo."
Antonio merely nodded, not trusting his voice right now. He wondered if the man knew why he was here. He wondered if he was repulsed by him.
If he was, he was very carefully schooling his expressions of disgust. He turned from Antonio and unlocked the heavy, wooden door with a silver key, then pushed it open and motioned for him to walk ahead.
Antonio obeyed and entered a room that was grand, but incredibly dark. There was a curving staircase directly ahead of him and an unlit chandelier hanging overhead. There were paintings and tapestries hanging from the walls and his feet sunk into thick, presumably expensive carpets. He'd never seen the interior of a mansion before, which was probably unsurprising when you considered his family's current circumstances. He wasn't sure how he felt about his first taste.
It kind of felt wrong, like this room was meant to be filled with people, lights, and laughter. The darkness and silence seemed unnatural.
"This way." His guide walked past, apparently unimpressed by Antonio's staring. He hurriedly followed, rather surprised by the elderly man's brisk pace.
"You do, of course, understand the delicacy of this matter," the man continued as he led Antonio down a hallway, through a door, and then up a smaller flight of stairs. "You are being paid not only for tonight, but also for your continuing silence."
Antonio nodded. "I know." Francis explained how the process worked in great detail. He wanted him to be sure that he knew exactly what he was getting into before he agreed. "You don't need to worry about me. I understand."
"Good." They continued in silence, down another hallway and another. Antonio would never be able to find his way out of here without help. His guide finally stopped in front of an intricately-carved door and then turned. "May I see your letter of introduction?"
"Oh, yeah." He'd been squeezing the envelope so tightly out of nervousness that it came out of his pocket significantly crumpled. His guide didn't comment on its state, however. He barely looked at it before he turned again, knocked twice on the door, and then entered without waiting for a response.
"Antonio Fernandez Carriedo has arrived, sir. I have his letter of introduction here."
Antonio couldn't see much from his place at the door. There was a fireplace, which was lit and crackling away, and he could also see some shelves that were filled with ancient-looking books. His guide moved out of his line of sight, but he could hear another voice—another man—answer his announcement with, "Wonderful. Send him in, Henry."
Apparently his guide's name was Henry. Antonio probably should have asked before now, but he was apparently too nervous to remember his usual manners. His mom would be really annoyed with him if she ever found out—but she never would find out, about any of this.
Henry returned, still frowning, and motioned for Antonio to enter the room. "The Master will see you now."
Antonio didn't think that he'd miss Henry, but he still smiled and said, "Thank you." Then, he took a deep breath and stepped inside the room before he could chicken out.
It was definitely some kind of study or library. It was well-lit and actually seemed cozy and lived in, unlike the rest of the mansion that he'd seen so far. There were shelves everywhere, filled with books and knick-knacks from what seemed like every corner of the world. There were also huge, plush armchairs scattered throughout, most of them stacked high with even more books. Two, however, were not.
One was unoccupied. The other held a man who was currently looking over Antonio's letter. He glanced up after a few seconds and flashed him a smile. "Ah, Mr. Carriedo! How wonderful to finally meet you!"
Antonio very pointedly did not look at the man's teeth. "Thank you, sir."
This was Mr. Romulus Vargas, one of the most influential men in the city. He was a close friend of the mayor, the head of a variety of charities and community organizations, and there was even a statue of him down in Delwane Park. He was also a vampire.
Mr. Vargas set the letter aside and motioned toward the empty armchair, flashing Antonio another friendly smile. "Sit, sit. Make yourself comfortable. Would you like some tea?"
Antonio shook his head, but did settle into the incredibly comfortable seat. "No, but thank you, sir."
"Oh, don't call me 'sir'. It makes me feel old." He chuckled and Antonio, again, tried to avoid looking at those unnaturally-sharp incisors. "Feel free to call me Romulus. I'm not one for all this formality, although I've given up on trying to get poor Henry to lighten up." He laughed again and then leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head as he gave Antonio a once over. "So, Francis has already told me quite a bit about you. He said that you've had some financial troubles recently?"
Antonio's gaze dropped to the floor as he nodded, feeling the shame wash over him again.
"No need to be upset. It can happen to the best of us, unfortunately. You're still young; there's no reason why you can't bounce right back from this."
"Yes, s—Mr. Romulus."
Antonio honestly was rather surprised by this Mr. Vargas, since he wasn't anything like what he'd been expecting. While he'd never actually met a vampire before—they generally settled in cities, not out in the farmlands—he'd heard plenty of rumors about what they were like. Cynthia, a girl who attended his school and whose father used to work at a Sangwine factory, had said that most of them were incredibly snooty and rude. And they always seemed so intimidating when you saw them on the TV.
Although that probably was because you often saw them sitting under canopies with dark sunglasses over their eyes to block out the sunlight. It was different now. Mr. Vargas looked like a normal human being, sitting in his study and surrounded by books.
There were a few very long moments of silence. Mr. Vargas was gazing at him with a thoughtful, calculating expression. Antonio felt like he was being sized up and he worried for a moment that Mr. Vargas might change his mind. As scared as he was, he needed money so badly.
But then he spoke. "I don't think that I need to repeat the terms of our agreement?"
Antonio shook his head. No, he'd read the contract over dozens, maybe hundreds of times. He knew each and every letter, period, and comma on those sheets of paper. Francis had even sat down with him and explained them more thoroughly.
"I wish that I didn't have to ask this of you." Mr. Vargas was frowning now. "Asking a boy like you to break the law for my sake isn't fair, but they haven't left me with many other options."
Antonio just nodded. It wasn't really his place to comment.
Vampires had only actually been a part of human society for about fifty years now. Of course, there had always been vampires, but for most of human history they remained hidden in the shadows and regarded as monsters. Some kept their identities a secret and entered human society, feeding in illegal blood bars or paying exorbitant amounts of money for blood from blood banks.
It was fifty years ago that a team of humans and vampires, together, created something that would forever change society: Sangwine.
It was pretty simple. Sangwine was a beverage for vampires that served as a perfect alternative for human blood; it contained each and every nutrient required for vampiric health. It took a few years, but eventually the beverage was adopted by the general population and vampires began to emerge from the shadows. At this point, you could buy Sangwine in any well-stocked grocery store. There were dozens of brands and hundreds of flavors.
The selling or consuming of human blood was, of course, made illegal. Not that it was ever really legal in the first place, but now there were specific laws laid down to create a mutually-beneficial society, where humans and vampires would coexist without threat of harm or violence.
Which sounded great, but there were some definite problems.
Namely, the fact that some vampires were unable to tolerate Sangwine, and since the government had created no legal methods of buying human blood, those vampires had to turn to less savory methods.
This was where Antonio came in.
Mr. Vargas stood from his armchair and gazed down at him with an expression that mixed sadness with determination. "Are you ready?"
Antonio nodded and rose to his own feet.
"Then I'll take you to her room. I don't know if Francis has told you anything about my granddaughter…"
No, which Antonio honestly found a little weird. Francis told him everything about the actual transaction. "It'll hurt, at first," he'd said. "The pain goes away pretty quickly, though. Afterwards, you'll feel a bit dizzy and I'd definitely recommend eating whatever Mr. Vargas gives you. He's very generous."
He mentioned that, but he never said anything to Antonio about the girl, or really explained why he was giving Antonio thisjob. He knew that Francis had a decent amount of…clients, as he referred to them. So maybe he just felt like he could give one up? Obviously, a human's ability to take on this kind of work was limited, after all.
"Francis told me that her name was… Lovina, I think?" It was a very pretty name.
Mr. Vargas led him outside the room and began walking down another hallway. He nodded. "Yes, I have two granddaughters. Lovina is my oldest. My youngest is Feliciana; she's already asleep and I'd prefer that she not know about this."
She must be one of the lucky ones who could actually tolerate Sangwine, then.
"What's Lovina like?" It wasn't really relevant to the arrangement, but Antonio was curious.
"She's very cute!" Mr. Vargas turned his head slightly to flash Antonio an obviously-proud smile. "Both of my granddaughters are the cutest granddaughters in the world!"
Well, Antonio did like cute things, so maybe this wouldn't be too terrible. "How old is she?"
Mr. Vargas made a sort of humming noise at that, then said, "Well, I think that in human years she'd be about your age."
Oh, he'd actually forgotten for a minute that vampires aged differently than humans. It usually took them about twice as long to reach adulthood as it did for humans. He wasn't sure if that'd be more or less fun. Being a kid was nice—you couldn't make stupid deals that led to these types of situations, for one thing—but you couldn't take care of yourself or help your mom out or anything.
He didn't say anything as Mr. Vargas continued leading him down hallways. They climbed another staircase and then stopped in front of a door that had been painted bright red, almost the same shade as a perfectly ripe tomato. Mr. Vargas stopped and knocked on the door. "Lovina?"
There wasn't a response, which didn't seem to surprise him as he just casually reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden key ring. He selected a small, delicate looking key and fit it in the lock. "She's probably still asleep. It's been a while since I was able to bring a human to her, so she's rather weak. She's been bed-ridden for almost a week now."
Antonio knew that it wasn't really his business, but again, he was curious. "Do you know why she needs… humans?" Human blood.
Mr. Vargas pushed the door open so slowly that it barely made a sound. He lowered his voice to a whisper, probably so he didn't wake her up. "I don't know. When she was younger, Lovina could at least keep the Sangwine down… It made her feel nauseous, but that isn't uncommon for children. Eventually it got to the point where she couldn't tolerate it at all anymore, though."
That must have been awful for her to deal with…
It was why Francis called this 'altruism'. He was helping this family.
He was also risking himself in the process, though. The punishment for providing blood to a vampire usually involved a hefty fine, but he didn't have any money to pay it off. He could end up spending time in jail and then he and his mom would lose their home. But, if he didn't come here, then they definitely would lose their home. So this was less of a risk.
And, maybe there was a little altruism mixed in, because he did feel bad for this girl. He knew that vampires couldn't die from lack of blood, but if they couldn't eat anything then they'd grow weaker and weaker and felt constant pain, which just wasn't fair, especially for Mr. Vargas' granddaughter. He was so nice and Antonio knew that he helped all kinds of charities and helped the community.
"Why can't they make an exception for her?" Antonio whispered as Mr. Vargas stepped inside the room and made a motion for him to follow.
"Politics."
He said the word like it tasted bad in his mouth. Antonio didn't ask him to explain further. Mainly because he was gaping at the room's interior. If Francis were here, he'd probably laugh at his surprise and ask what in the world he'd expected after seeing such an obviously out-of-place door.
The first things he noticed were the tomato plants. They were everywhere, dozens of little pots scattered throughout the room with a rather complex light system arranged to keep them healthy. Three out of the four walls were painted some solid color—it was too dark to see which color—but he could see well enough to tell that the last wall had been decorated with a huge mural of a tomato field, the vines full of ripe tomatoes, the sky clear with only a few clouds and a large sun.
The furniture was all simple and functional. There was a dresser against one wall that was painted a dark color and a bookshelf, filled with book-spines that looked much newer than the ones in Mr. Vargas' library. The bed was tucked into a corner, surrounded by gauzy, white curtains that fluttered gently in the cool breeze coming through the half-opened window. The window itself was covered by heavy filtering curtains, the kind that allowed light into the room, but kept out the rays that could cause a vampire to become sick.
Mr. Vargas moved straight toward the bed and pushed the light curtains aside. Antonio followed, curious about this girl who apparently liked tomatoes nearly as much as he did. He hadn't even known that vampires could eat tomatoes.
"Lovi? Lovi, wake up, darling."
And she was beautiful.
Which was not a thought that Antonio had expected to leap into his head.
It was true, though. The girl on the bed was curled up on her side, her long, dark eyelashes resting peacefully against her cheeks. Her hair was actually half-obscuring her face—he had the sudden urge to brush it away, but that probably wouldn't be a good idea—and was long and curly. A dark color, maybe close to his own, although it was impossible to tell in this darkness.
Mr. Vargas leaned over her and began to shake her shoulder. "Lovi, wake up."
Her response was slow. She first frowned and scrunched her nose, refusing to open her eyes. She tried to roll away and made a noise of obvious annoyance when her grandfather continued to shake her.
He seemed to have anticipated her actions, though, as he moved his arm to keep her from rolling onto her other side. "No you don't!" He sounded rather amused. "Wake up, sleepyhead! We don't want to take anymore of Antonio's time than we already have."
Except Antonio almost wanted to protest. This girl was so beautiful; it felt like sacrilege to force her awake like this. But she opened her eyes before he could speak. They were a light color and Antonio wished that he could just flick on a light for a moment, just so he could see her more clearly.
"There we go!" Mr. Vargas smiled proudly, then he slipped an arm behind the girl's back and pulled her into a sitting position. She made a mumbling sound of sleepy-protest, but didn't struggle as he settled her back against a mound of pillows. "Now, isn't that better? Can't sleep the whole night away, not when we have a nice young man here to see you."
He made it sound like Antonio was here for a date or something. The girl's eyes were completely unfocused, though, so he wasn't even sure if she was even aware of his presence yet. Her expression was definitely that of someone who was still off in 'I'm not awake yet, go away' land. It was kind of funny, because it reminded him of the expression Francis usually sported in the morning. He'd sometimes spend the night at Antonio's house and it always took him forever to wake up in the morning.
Antonio vaguely wondered if vampires drank coffee, because that was usually what it took to get Francis in a good mood early in the morning. But that was a weird thing to be thinking about right now, wasn't it? Now that he was standing in front of the girl who was going to be drinking his blood.
She yawned and rubbed at her eyes with a fist, then she finally turned her head toward him and their eyes met for the first time.
Antonio immediately saw her entire body tense.
Mr. Vargas didn't give her a chance to say anything, though. He just continued with, "This is Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. Look at those arms there, nice, strong young man. With good blood."
Antonio glanced down at his own arms. He'd never really thought about them before. Then he returned his attention to the girl, who was still staring at him. Her eyes widening in what almost seemed like shock.
But then, at her grandfather's words, the expression shifted a bit. She narrowed her eyes and sent him a look that made him feel like he should step away and maybe apologize for…something. Existing? Standing in front of her?
"I don't want him."
Her voice was rougher than the situation seemed to call for, and the way she said 'him' made him feel like he must have done something terrible for her to be so angry. She continued to glare, her eyes sparking at him like she was trying to set him on fire with her mind.
And the completely 'this is not the time' thought returned that she was absolutely beautiful. Probably the prettiest girl that he'd ever seen. Even the razor-sharp incisors that he caught a glimpse of when she spoke didn't detract a bit from her beauty.
Mr. Vargas sighed. He took a step backwards and then settled a hand on Antonio's shoulder, maybe for encouragement or maybe just to make sure he remained in place. "Lovina, sweetheart…"
"I said," she hissed, "I don't want him. Stop bringing me fucking humans."
"Lovina, you needto eat."
It was kind of incredible; this girl had looked so cute and peaceful while she was sleeping. Now she looked like she'd like to tear both his and Mr. Vargas' heads off their shoulders. Maybe they should have waited to talk to her until she was already awake.
"You keep bringing me stupid, desperate bastards and I don't want them." She crossed her arms over her chest and Antonio made the unrelated mental note that her nightgown was pretty too; it was a light color with lace and ribbons.
Mr. Vargas' grip tightened slightly. "Sweetheart, I know that you and Francis didn't get along, but Antonio is a very nice young man. He's a farmer."
Why hadn't they gotten along? Francis was nice. He was one of the nicest people that Antonio knew. And he liked vampires a lot, otherwise he wouldn't have so many of them as clients. Although, Antonio honestly wasn't really sure how Francis got involved with vampires. It was one of those things they didn't talk about, like most of his best friend's past.
Maybe he should ask Lovi about her tomatoes? Antonio wondered if she'd mind if he called her Lovi; it was a very cute nickname.
He took a step forward, out from underneath Mr. Vargas' hand. The girl automatically flinched backwards, but he just took another step closer toward the bed and then held out his hand. "Hi! My name's Antonio. It's really nice to meet you, Lovi."
She stared at his hand for a really long time, like he'd just offered her a dead fish or something gross and smelly like that. But, then she eventually lifted her head and met his eyes. She didn't look angry anymore, although she didn't take his hand. "It's Lovina to you, stupid human bastard."
Lovi was still cuter. He smiled. "Do you like tomatoes, Lovina? I noticed that you have a lot of plants and they look like they're really healthy. My mamá and I grow lots of tomatoes on our farm. They're our specialty. Our farm looks kind of like your picture over there. Did you paint it?"
Now she just looked confused and was staring at him like she thought that he'd totally lost his mind. Maybe he had, because he didn't really feel scared anymore. "No," she finally answered. "My sister painted it."
"She must be really talented, then!" He vaguely wondered if she'd mind if he sat on her bed. It looked comfy and his legs were starting to feel tired after the long walk to get here from the bus station. "You must be really talented too! The tomatoes look like they're going to be huge and tasty when they're all grown up!"
"I…guess." She glanced toward her grandfather, who was smiling now.
"Well, I've got some things to do!" he said in a rush. "I'll leave you kids to get acquainted, then. Be good! Don't do anything I wouldn't do! Feel free to ring the bell when you're finished, sweetheart!"
And then he was gone, slamming the door behind him before either of them could say another word.
Which meant that Antonio was now alone with a strange vampire girl, in her bedroom…
And he was kind of feeling a little warm now, which was entirely inappropriate because he knew exactly why he was here and it had nothing to do with…those kinds of things. Even if she was beautiful and he was finding himself drawn to her a little bit and his thoughts were traveling down certain paths… Those were paths that should not be traveled down!
Even if Mr. Vargas had winked at him right before closing the door and made a motion that Antonio… kind of wished he hadn't.
Anyway, he wasn't thinking about anything along those lines. Lovi was still scowling at him and he was here for a specific job. Although, at the moment, he was just awkwardly hovering beside her bed.
After a few minutes, she seemed to deflate and her expression slipped into something that wasn't so angry. Now she just looked kind of exasperated. "Geez, you've got to be the most pathetic human he's hired yet."
"Sorry." Antonio shifted between his feet and glanced over toward the window. It seemed a bit lighter outside than it had been when he arrived.
"Why the fuck are you even here?"
That was a question he'd kind of hoped that she wouldn't ask. He didn't want to admit that he was only here because he desperately needed money, especially now that he'd actually met the girl.
But he couldn't lie. Honesty was something that his mother had drilled into his head since infancy. "Well, I'm here because Francis told me that your grandfather needed someone for…this. And that he needed someone who was healthy and could keep a secret. And…I needed money really badly."
She wrinkled her nose at him and crossed her arms over her chest again. "So you're just here for Nonno's money."
It sounded horrible when she said it like that, but, "Yes. I am. I did something really stupid and now my mamá and I might lose our farm. We've lived there ever since I was a baby and it's the only way we have to make money. And I love our farm. I couldn't stand to see that…that…" He couldn't think of a word bad enough to describe the man who'd tricked him into this situation. "I just couldn't stand to lose it. I need money and I'm really sorry."
She snorted, but then made a motion with her arm like she was shooing his words away. "Don't say 'sorry'. It's not like I'd expect anything else from a human." She tilted her head to the side and looked at him for a few moments.
Antonio shifted his weight between his feet again. He really wanted to at least sit down, but he didn't want to ask and possibly annoy Lovi even more.
"You're actually honest, though. I don't get that a lot." She frowned again, but seemed to be studying him. Antonio tried to make himself look as honest as possible.
Finally, she rolled her eyes again and sighed, but then motioned toward the end of the bed. "Fine, sit down. Let's get this over with. Although the fact that you're friends with that French bastard should be reason enough for me to throw you out right now."
"You don't like Francis?" Antonio dropped onto the edge of the bed and immediately sunk down into what felt like heaven. He'd never felt anything so soft and luxurious in his life. He wanted to just collapse into it and never move again.
But, Lovi brought him out of those thoughts as she snorted again while moving her legs out of the way. She managed to kick him in the process. Probably not on purpose, though. "Of course not. Fucking perverted bastard."
"Why don't you like Francis?" It seemed inconceivablethat anyone could dislike Francis. He was such a good friend. This was Antonio's problem—Francis even warned him that he needed to stop being so gullible—but he still helped him out. He made sure that Antonio knew exactly what he was getting into and he was helping him cover for his absence at home tonight. He even told Antonio that he'd come up with an explanation for where he got the money so Mamá never had to find out about this.
Lovi was wrinkling her nose at his name, though. "He's a creepy masochist. Nonno wanted him to be my permanent personal blood bank, but the creeper actually got turned on when I was feeding on him. Fucking pervert."
Oh.
Well, that made sense he supposed.
"I don't think Francis was trying to get turned on," he offered. It wasn't really something you could control.
"I don't care. It's still fucking creepy." And Antonio was trying to ignore the fact that she looked like she was sizing his neck up. He bounced a little bit on the bed; he really wished that he could afford a mattress like this one. His was so old that it was starting to fall apart; he could've replaced it a few years ago, but he'd spent that money on other things, mostly new clothing for Mamá.
"Quit bouncing like a little kid and listen to me," Lovi interrupted his thoughts rather harshly. Antonio turned his head to look at her. She frowned and shook her head. "Scoot closer, but keep your head facing that wall and don't move unless you want to be in a fuckton of pain for the next couple hours."
Antonio would rather not, so he hurriedly obeyed her instructions. He moved along the side of the bed until he was within reaching distance, then he stared ahead at the mural. It really was a beautiful painting. He kind of wished that he could meet the artist, her sister.
For some reason, the thought that he'd never see Lovi again after tonight made his stomach twist a bit in some emotion he couldn't identify.
"Keep still. Make sure you're comfortable, though. This can take a while."
She'd murmured that right into his ear and Antonio felt a wave of anticipation wash over him. He sent a very harsh reminder to his body to remember that this was a serious transaction and he needed to focus, thank you very much.
Francis said that the first thing Antonio should do was make sure that he was in a comfortable position. Feeding took a bit of time, he said, and you're going to feel rather light-headed and weak afterwards. Mr. Vargas was the type of man who'd give you a bed for the night and a good meal if you asked for it, but it was still best to expect and prepare for the discomfort.
And Antonio hadn't been planning on accepting any offer to stay the night, but then again… If the guest room mattresses were as comfortable as this one.
He knew that he was just trying to find something else to focus on. He could hear the sounds of Lovi shifting behind him; he tried to avoid imagining what she might look like right now as she knelt behind him.
Francis promised that he wouldn't be in any danger. Back, before they became a part of society, vampires may have made a habit of killing their victims when they fed, just to make sure they stayed quiet. But vampires were all born with the instincts needed to make sure that their food source survived the process. Francis had even laughed at Antonio's worry and asked what would be the point in killing him? Not only would a murder investigation cause them trouble, but it'd also be one less source of food.
He could tell himself that, but it was still hard to keep from tensing in fear when he felt her breath against the back of his neck.
"Let's see if you can handle this without screaming like a baby," she said.
He could feel the slight pressure of her fangs against his skin for a moment, and then there was pain. A searing heat as he felt her bite down and break the skin. He jerked in an unconscious attempt to escape, but her arms snaked around his chest to keep him in place.
The pain lasted maybe a couple seconds longer, but then it faded away until it felt like the entire back of his neck had just gone numb. She removed her arms from around him, but he could still feel the heat and weight of her body against his back.
He also felt an odd sensation, like there was a curtain—like the heavy curtains that covered her windows—descending over his thoughts. Had Francis mentioned that? He couldn't really remember.
He was still staring at the pretty tomato field on the wall. Maybe he could take Lovi to pick tomatoes someday. The painting was pretty, but real tomato fields were better because they had real tomatoes in them. And this room was so dark; tomato fields were nicest when the sky was clear and the sun was bright and warm. Except Lovi probably wouldn't like that, because sunlight made vampires feel sick, right?
"Lovi?" He wanted to reach back to make sure she was still there, but he couldn't make his arms move for some reason.
The warmth against his back shifted, though, and then her voice came again. She sounded annoyed at the interruption. "What the fuck do you want, bastard?"
Maybe they could go pick tomatoes in the field at night. It'd be cooler, but then they could wander around with flashlights and have a lot of fun. He wished that he could turn and look at Lovi right now, but her hand was on the side of his neck, holding him still. It was probably the only thing keeping his head upright. It felt like his brain was filled with cement, so heavy that he just wanted to let his head fall backwards.
"Lovi?" He couldn't remember what he wanted to say, but maybe if he repeated her name, he'd remember. "Lovi, Lovi, Lovi…"
"Fuck, you're annoying. What do you want? The wound's gonna fucking close up on me if you don't shut the fuck up."
She said 'fuck' a lot. "My head feels funny, Lovi."
She snorted. "No shit, Sherlock. You're obviously a total wimp when it comes to pain, so I made sure that you weren't gonna start squirming on me."
Antonio frowned to himself, but then decided that it didn't matter. He wanted to lay down now.
"Oi, what the fuck are you—?"
And now he was laying down. This mattress was so nice and comfy, but Lovi was making it hard to get comfortable.
"Get the fuck off me, you fucking—!"
He wished Lovi would stop kicking and whacking at his head with her fists. It was hard enough to think right now. Antonio winced, then summoned all his strength to try to roll away. He didn't get very far, but at least now he was laying entirely on the mattress and not on top of Lovi.
"You're so pretty."
Lovi had moved as soon as he released her so now she was sitting upright, glaring down at him. Her lips were darker than before—his mind shied away from thinking about why that was—but she still looked so pretty. He really wished that she'd turn on the lights, though. It was hard to see when it was so dark. Plus, it was hard to focus anyway. His mind kept skipping along to other subjects.
Her cheeks grew pinker. He wondered why. "You… You're an idiot."
"Pretty Lovi." He was really sleepy now. He nuzzled his face into the sheets. They were soft too. "Night night."
"What—? Hey! I didn't say you could fall asleep on my bed!"
But Antonio was already drifting off to dreamland, visions of pretty vampire girls in tomato fields drifting through his mind's pleasant haze. Unaware of the fact that he was going to wake up with the mother of all migraines tomorrow, because vampiric painkillers can pack a punch.
A/N: You know, I wasn't expecting to like this one as much as I did. I mean, vampire romance is one of those genres that has been overdone to death (heh, pun). But, I actually like how this turned out.
Although seriously, Lovi. I think you went a little bit overboard with the painkillers. In my mind, she can choose how much of a painkiller she can release through her fangs... So this actually gives a pretty big hint that she likes him, because normally she isn't nearly this nice. xD She didn't even give ANYTHING to Francis.
Anyway, not sure if I'll continue in this verse or not. Maybe if people express interest I could do more with Antonio and Lovi and adorable tomato field dates… Or focus on other characters. I was thinking a bit about how Feli and Ludwig and Gil/Gill (whichever) would relate to a vampire AU. Feli's obviously a vampire, as already mentioned. But not sure about the others.
Also, yes, Sangwine is a terrible pun. No, I will not apologize. PUNS ARE THE BEST. NO APOLOGIES. \o.O/
So yeah, please review! Let me know what you think!