"Want to hear something strange?" Robin said, twirling his straw in his milkshake.

Vlad propped his chin on his fist, leaning against the bar. He was content to watch Robin eat. "Mmm?"

After Vlad had explained the strange visions he had been experiencing all day, and the two of them had agreed to talk to Chloe about it later, they had decided to head to Stokely Diner, the only place in town that had half-decent sandwiches.

"Jonno apologized to me today." Robin shrugged at Vlad's skeptical look. "I know. I couldn't believe it either."

Vlad's lip quirked. "What for? Being a complete tosser twenty-four seven, three years running?"

Robin slurped his drink. "I believe he said something along the lines of 'Van Helstink Senior has clouded my judgment of you'." He shuddered at the memory. "He wanted to declare a truce."

Vlad leaned forward. "A truce? You mean… between slayers and vampires?" An expression of wonder fell over his face.

Robin laughed. "No, I don't think that's it. He told me 'Us humans have to stick together'; something like that." Robin took a bite of his sandwich. "If I had to wager a guess, I'd say vampires were less than invited."

"Pity." Vlad still had that faraway look. "In another life… maybe some kind of peace would be possible between our worlds."

"Maybe," Robin shrugged again, pilfering one of Vlad's untouched chips. "Not hungry?" he joked.

Vlad just smiled disarmingly at him. His eyes glowed red, and Robin choked.

The vampire smirked as Robin coughed. "You're too easy," he said. He tasted one of his chips, grimacing. "You know, these aren't as good as I remember."

"More for me, then," Robin said, and gleefully stole the rest.

"Is this a date?" Robin asked somewhat dubiously, after Vlad had dutifully paid for their meal.

"What? No!" Vlad stuttered, face grey as Robin eyed him. "Well…"

"Relax, I'm not going to bite your head off," Robin said. "Although I can't speak for your dad, when he finds out about us." He grinned, shaking his head. "I still can't believe you told Ingrid."

"She was bound to find out sooner or later," Vlad said defensively. "What's the worst she could do?" He winced. Robin raised an eyebrow at him. "I mean… other than everything she's already done, obviously."

"You need to stop underestimating that woman," Robin said. They were nearly at the theatre. He paused to read the billboard and groaned. "Nothing good is ever on."

Vlad pointed at one of the movie titles. "What about that one? I liked the trailer."

"'Taking Liberties'?" Robin read. His nose wrinkled. "Isn't that a romantic comedy?"

Vlad put his hands in his pockets. "Right. Nevermind."

Robin took in Vlad's hunched shoulders and pinched expression, and rubbed his neck. "If you want to see it that badly, we can go."

"Nah, that's fine," Vlad insisted. "Would look a bit weird, wouldn't it? Two blokes, going to see a film like that…."

Robin felt bad; Vlad was obviously disappointed. "So what? Who cares what everyone else thinks?"

"Really, it's fine." The vampire jerked his head in the direction of the school. "Want to go hang out on the rugby field? Practice is over by now, we'll have the place to ourselves."

Robin hesitated. He would much rather spend time with Vlad alone…. "Sure, why not?" he agreed.

Vlad sighed in relief, and as the two of them headed back the way they came, Robin graciously changed the subject.

"So, you can phase through walls, project your consciousness out of your body, set things on fire, transmute objects into insects, travel faster than the eye can see, turn into animals, fly, conjure lightning out of thin air, hypnotize people…" Robin was running out of fingers. "Am I missing anything?"

The two of them were balancing on the bleachers, Robin walking one row higher than Vlad. The field was dark, except at the far end of the stadium, closest to the school.

Vlad sighed. "Can't cross running water; have to sleep in coffins—or at least close to symbols of death, like skeletons." Robin grinned at that.

The vampire rolled his eyes. "Let's see, what else? Our powers don't work well in the presence of heavy metals, or religious symbols…. Can't go into any building if we aren't invited…." Robin scowled, but Vlad pressed on. "Or how about the fact that practically everything can reduce us to a pile of ash, like garlic, sunlight, pointy wood…. And that's not even mentioning the uncontrollable blood lust."

"Yeah, yeah," Robin interrupted, kicking a paper cup that someone had left behind.

"Look, you're the one who brought it up," Vlad pointed out, exasperated.

Robin hopped onto Vlad's bleacher. "I was trying to make a point."

"Which is…?"

The taller boy shot him a look. "Until now, you've been deliberately focusing on the bad parts of being a vampire, instead of celebrating the good parts."

At that, Robin crouched, concentrating; then winked before shooting up into the air, leaping over the bleachers and landing heavily in the muddy grass.

Vlad grinned despite himself. He followed the other boy's lead, jumping ever so slightly higher than Robin had, and used his powers to drift gracefully to the ground.

His toes made contact first; he grinned at Robin, whose own boots were covered in mud. Robin stuck out his tongue.

"Now, what would a proper vampire say in this situation? Let me think," Vlad said, tapping his chin. "Oh, I know—kiss my cape."

"My pleasure." Robin smirked, and pounced. Vlad zipped to a safe distance, but Robin had prepared for that; the moment he landed he spun around, increasing his speed just enough to catch the corner of the other boy's cape.

"Let go," Vlad said, laughing as the momentum twirled them around. "You'll tear it."

"In that case, you'd better do exactly as I say." Robin grinned darkly at him. He tugged at the fabric, and Vlad happily allowed himself to be pulled closer.

Robin traded the cape for Vlad's shirt, and leaned in close. Vlad followed his lead, until his lips were achingly near to Robin's own; but before they could make contact, he smiled.

There was a faint click. Robin looked down at his hands, bemused.

"What…?" His eyes widened comically, and he gaped at the ornate cuffs. "Why do you even have those on you?"

"Ah, ah," Vlad said, his voice low and sweet. "You're hardly in a position to be asking questions."

Robin was staring at him like he'd grown a second head. "Jesus, the mirror really pulled a number on you. What the hell happened to the sweet, sulky Vlad I grew up with? Don't get me wrong, I'm loving this side of you, but…." He shivered as Vlad walked around him, hugging his waist from behind and tucking his cold chin in the crook of Robin's neck.

"I like this side of you, too," Vlad muttered. "But I think I'd like it better if I had you up against the wall."

Robin swallowed heavily.

Vlad smirked into the nape of Robin's neck. "I can smell your excitement, you know. I can hear the blood, rushing through your body…." He ran a hand down Robin's back, trailing his fingers along the other boy's hip until he reached the front of his thigh. Vlad gasped. "There it goes!"

Robin squirmed. As the vampire's hand slid upward, coming to rest on the front of his jeans, he let out a loud, undignified keening noise that was somewhere between a moan and a squawk. "Vlad!" he cried out. "Please…"

"Please what?" Vlad's voice was scratchy and uneven. "Please this?"

He brushed his hand softly over the tent in Robin's trousers; Vlad could feel the heat from Robin's groin radiating through the cloth. The other boy was so hard... Vlad bit back a moan. He was supposed to be the one in charge here.

Robin made to turn around in his arms, but Vlad held fast to his waist. Hugging him close, he sped them over to the wall of the locker rooms, trapping the taller boy between his arms. Robin stared down at him, his face flushed pink.

Vlad stepped between his captive's legs, bracing his hands on the wall on either side of Robin's chest and bringing his groin flush against Robin's hip.

They groaned. "Cuffs," Robin panted next to his ear.

Vlad shook his head, fumbling with Robin's zipper.

Robin whimpered as Vlad snaked a hand inside his trousers. "You…." He moaned as Vlad's hand began to move. Robin reached with cuffed hands, tugging impatiently at Vlad's button-up. "Let me touch you…."

Vlad pushed Robin's wrists above his head. "Keep those there," he ordered, and tugged Robin's T-shirt, pulling it up and over Robin's head until it was bundled around his wrists. Robin shivered as the night air hit his chest, his nipples hardening. It awoke something in Vlad, the sight the other boy made: braced against the cold brick, all bound and hard and wanting.

Mine, Vlad thought, struggling with his buttons; he paused long enough to free his arms from the sleeves before tossing the offending garment to the ground, along with his cape.

Vlad brought their chests together and both of them hissed at the contrast of skin on skin. "So hot," Vlad muttered, capturing Robin's lips in a feverish kiss. The amulet was digging into his ribs, but Vlad was too far gone to care about the pain.

Robin reciprocated hungrily, moaning as Vlad's hand returned to his jeans. "No, don't, I'll …."

Vlad latched onto Robin's neck, planting kisses all along his jaw and shoulder. The smell of Robin's skin was too enticing. He couldn't help it: his fangs descended, and he bit down, hard.

Robin cried out, his body going rigid, and Vlad shuddered as Robin pulled sharply at his hair. Vlad was so close. He sucked desperately as he ground his erection into Robin's hip, the feel of the other boy's blood on his tongue a blinding flood of sensation.

Robin's cuffed wrists wrapped themselves around Vlad's neck—he mouthed at Vlad's ear, and Vlad gasped as his orgasm hit. He clung to Robin's arm, eyes falling shut against the intensity of it.

"Ungh," he mumbled into Robin's skin several minutes later. The amulet had healed the wound, leaving no trace of damage. It was disconcerting, how the very chain of the necklace seemed to wick away blood on contact. Vlad buried his nose in Robin's hair. "That was…."

"Amazing," Robin agreed. He shifted. "But, er… Would you mind taking the cuffs off now?"

Vlad grinned against the other boy's neck. "Mm. I think you should wear them for the rest of the night."

Robin let out a long-suffering sigh. "Who'd have guessed you'd be such a kinky bastard?" Vlad could practically hear Robin's smirk. "How am I supposed to wash up without hands, then?"

Vlad pretended to think. "Magic?"

"Pretty sure that's not one of your powers, mate. Or mine, for that matter..."

Vlad rolled his eyes. "Fine." Robin lifted his arms, and Vlad extricated himself from the other boy's embrace. He fiddled with the key around Robin's neck, but his hands were clumsy and unhelpful.

His captive smiled goofily down at him. Vlad scowled playfully. "I can't think with you mooning over me like that."

Robin hummed, sounding pleased as hell and not in the least inclined to help Vlad in his efforts. At last, after a bit more finagling, the latch to the cuffs sprung free.

Vlad reluctantly released the other boy's wrists. Robin's eyes were large, dark orbs.

"Now I can snog you properly," he said, his voice soft. Warm hands enveloped Vlad's face, and the vampire found himself drawn into an achingly gentle kiss.

Vlad fairly floated the whole way home. He whistled as he walked down the hall, intent on finding a nice bottle of blood down in his dad's cellar to celebrate his recent induction into the world of sex.

Well, sort of. Did a hand job count as sex? Vlad stopped in his tracks, considering.

"Vlad. We need to talk."

Ingrid stepped out of the shadows. "You again?" Vlad scoffed, his good mood dampened considerably. "I have nothing to say to you." Why'd his sister always have to go and ruin the moment?

"I know you're drinking Robin's blood," she said, and Vlad froze.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he stated calmly, glaring in Ingrid's direction. It was Will. It must have been.

"Cut the crap." Ingrid sniffed the air; her nose wrinkled. "I can smell it on you. You've been guzzling the stuff like it's hot chocolate." She glanced him up and down. "But Robin's still human. What I want to know is how."

"You have some nerve," Vlad scoffed. "As if I owe you some sort of explanation. You ruined my life, and probably Robin's, too. I owe you nothing."

"No," Ingrid agreed. "But what about Robin, hmm? Are you sure your little arrangement is safe?" She smirked at her brother's defiant expression. "If you really care about his safety, you'll tell me the truth. Is what you're doing dark magic?"

Vlad was about to reply with a resounding "no"; but something in the way Ingrid had said it gave him pause.

The amulet's powers were all about protection, healing. Then again… his thoughts turned to the events from earlier. Robin could control him. Could make him do things that he didn't want to do. Wasn't that dark?

The amulet was designed by slayers to hunt vampires. Still…. The gem's magic was the only thing keeping Robin safe.

"The truth is written all over your face," Ingrid said. She looked mildly impressed, despite herself. "Didn't know you had it in you. Perhaps you're not as useless as you look."

"I… I don't know if it's dark, or not," Vlad said slowly, raising his head. He met Ingrid's gaze. "But I don't care."

His sister raised an eyebrow. "Really? I think you should." She tutted under her breath. "Because breathers and dark magic… well, let's just say they don't mix."

"What are you saying?"

Ingrid stared at her nails. "I'm saying that if you're not careful, you'll mess up Branaugh's life more than I ever could."

Vlad's patience was wearing dangerously thin. "You have three seconds to tell me what the hell that means, or I'll…."

"Keep your knickers on." Ingrid's lip quirked. "Repeated exposure to dark magic corrupts breathers. For vampires, it's not a big deal—we're already evil, power-hungry maniacs. But with humans it's different." Vlad's eyes widened. "The magic slowly poisons their blood, until their personalities start to change—they start to crave the power, and that craving possesses them until they lose themselves in it. Over time, they become unrecognizable." She crossed her arms, looking smug. "I told you you should turn him. At this point, it'll be safer for him in the long run."

Vlad felt… cold. He shook his head, staring into space with a look of horror. "No, that's…. You're lying." He rested a hand against the wall for support, and did his best not to be sick. "God, please tell me you're lying."

"For once, I'm not."

"No... No, no no, please no." Angry tears welled up behind his eyelids. "I can't lose him..."

Ingrid's smile slipped. She took in the sight of her brother's trembling shoulders, and frowned. "You really love him, don't you?" she said finally, after a tense silence.

Vlad stared back at his sister. "Every time I try to do the right thing, it backfires. I'm just so..." he let out a growl of frustration, hands curling into fists. "I'm sick of it. Why can't I be happy?"

Ingrid bit her lip. After a few strained moments of silence, she stepped forward. When she was less than a foot away, she reached out a hand and patted him stiffly on the back. Vlad wiped at his eyes, and Ingrid sighed.

"It's my fault," she said at last, as much to her own surprise as his. She looked completely out of her element. The awkwardness settled around them like a damp blanket.

"I thought if I gave you his blood, you'd finally give up on the whole 'breathers are friends, not food', thing," she continued. "But I see now that I was..." She bit her lip. "I didn't mean to mess up your relationship with Branaugh."

Vlad stared at her in disbelief. It was the closest to an apology he'd ever heard from her. Ingrid shifted uncomfortably. "If you ever breathe a word of this to anyone, I will end you."

Vlad nodded, thoughts turning once again to Robin. All of their careful planning had come to nothing. What the hell were they going to do?

Ingrid pursed her lips. "It's only gotten worse, hasn't it. The addiction."

That was a bit of an understatement. "Every time I give into it, it's like... the need for his blood just gets stronger." He hugged himself. "It's practically all I can think about."

Ingrid's expression hardened to one of resolve. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but…" She sighed. "You can't drink from Robin anymore."

"I don't... I don't know if I can stop." Vlad turned away, absolutely revolted with himself. "Are you happy now? I'm a bloodthirsty monster, just like you, and Dad, and Granny Westenra and everyone always wanted." Vlad wiped his wrist against his nose. "And Robin…. He'd never say anything, but I can tell. Lately, I've been taking too much. It's making him weak."

His sister winced. "You could always turn him."

Vlad glared daggers. "Not helpful, Ingrid."

"At least he'd be safe." Ingrid shrugged. "The addiction would end."

Vlad glanced at her sharply. "What?"

Ingrid gave a laudable imitation of a deer in the headlights. She cleared her throat. "I may have left out a few important details," she admitted quietly. Vlad gaped at her.

"Trust me, just this once—you've got to tell me how you've been keeping Robin human."