Hey guys! Another one that came and demanded to be written. I should be coming out with a second one to Wedding Bells soon, if I don't get sidetracked anymore. Eh not likely, but I'll try. Anyway, enjoy this AU of what could have happened in Mencheres book if Vlad and Leila had already been together.
Vlad listened as Mencheres waited for Kira to finish her shower. Her earlier upset tugged at his curiosity and he wasn't above listening in to sate his curiosity. As far as he could see there was no reason for her extreme reaction to the mention of Tenoch's suicide.
Distantly, he heard Leila making her way to the lounge he currently sat in, but he focused on the voice of his honorary sire. Usually he left Leila at home when he left on business, but Mencheres had insisted that Vlad's battle prowess wouldn't be needed. WIth no threat in sight he had seen no reason to not bring Leila. There were sights that he would like to bring her to see before they left. He was sure that while she had traveled much as a circus performer she wouldn't have had the chance to enjoy it.
Mencheres voice snapped Vlad out of his musings, he stiffened in shock as he listened to the man he saw as a father admit that he had planned to commit suicide. Mencheres had sworn to him centuries ago to never follow this path, not after Vlad had to live through Tenochs and then his wife's suicide and yet here they were.
Jumping up from the couch he had previously been lounged on, he began to pace furiously. He hadn't noticed anything wrong with Mencheres lately, but obviously the temporary loss of his powers had more of an effect than Vlad had anticipated. The thought that Mencheres would be dead now if it weren't for Kira's good fortune in finding him when she did was sickening to Vlad. He had already lost two of the people closest to him to the grave, relief poured through his veins that his oldest friend hadn't been added to that list.
Rage shouldered his relief back, if Mencheres had been having such thoughts he should have come to him! He would have listened, he would have helped.
His strides shortened as his emotions frothed, he listened intently as Mencheres continued on to admit his plan to wait for the next opportunity before trying again. Jerking to a stop, Vlad gave up on controlling his rage at the newest admission from his father figure. Not thinking clearly, but needing to destroy something, Vlad reached out and grasped a nearby vase. It was sturdy in his hand and weighed a good deal, perfect for getting some of his emotions out. Before he could think better of it he whirled around and threw the china at the opposite wall.
In his current state he hadn't bothered to check if the doorway was clear before throwing the vase, but the sound of a high, feminine cry of pain sent icy dread through his veins. Spinning around, Vlad spat a string of curses at the sight that met him.
_
Leila hadn't even seen the vase coming. One minute she was walking toward Vlad, worried over his frozen state and the almost palpable rage pouring off him, and the next something collided with her head. The force behind the object sent her slamming back against the wall behind her, her head throbbed in time with her heartbeat as blood slid down from the new injury.
Dizziness had her sliding down to the ground, the pain from her head and the glass shards that were undoubtedly buried into her eyes making her stomach roll uncomfortably. Even through her suddenly murky thoughts, she knew that whatever had hit her had to have been thrown by Vlad. Nobody else would have been able to throw something with enough force to slam her back against the wall like that. If the drilling pain was any indication, he hadn't been holding anything back either.
Dimly, she heard him let out a set of truly impressive curses that under other circumstances she would have applauded for creativity.
Trying to open her eyes resulted in firey pain and a spike in her new headache. Resolving to keep them closed, she reached up with a shaking hand and tried to apply pressure to the gash she could feel across her nose. Blood gushed between her fingers, she felt as it slid down her hand before dripping to pool at her feet.
In the next second, familiar scarred hands cupped her face. Carefully, Vlad tugged Leila's hands away from the gash only to hiss when the full extent of the injury was revealed.
The vase had hit her dead center between her eyes, the glass shattering on impact to spread into her eyes as well as cutting sections of her face to ribbons. On top of those injuries, a long gash spread across her nose from the actual impact of the vase.
Mentally raging at his actions, he pulled back enough to bite his wrist. Not wasting a moment, he put it to Leila's mouth. One of her blood stained hands came up to grip his forearm, the sight twisting something in his chest as she drank from him.
As he watched the skin knit together he steamed inwardly. While he hadn't done it on purpose he had still caused a severe injury to someone he cared deeply for. There was no excuse for that.
After the last of the skin healed and the blood was left, Vlad used his sleeve to wipe the excess away. The fabric caught onto the remaining shards, making him use his hand to brush the rest off of her face.
Leila leaned her weight against his side, swaying when she tried to move away. The action informed him that the force behind the vase must have caused moderate to extreme head trauma.
Knowing his own strength and what he could do with it, he was betting on it being extreme. He hadn't been expecting Leila there and hadn't bothered to hold any of his considerable power back when he had thrown the vase.
With the amount of strength he had put behind it, he could only be happy that the vase hadn't hit her throat. That would have killed her on impact. As it stood, if it weren't for the weekly doses of his blood, it was possible her current injury would have killed her.
At the sight of her somewhat clean face, Vlad felt relief at the healed skin. Leila still had her eyes clenched shut, wary of another wave of pain.
Stroking his thumb against her jaw, he reassured her. "You can open your eyes now, it's healed and I don't have the words to describe how regretful I am for this. I didn't see you-"
He trailed off when she opened her eyes, only to blink in confusion. Her confusion quickly turned to fear when nothing met her gaze. Ice settled in Vlad's veins as her unfocused eyes looked straight through him.
"Vlad, I can't see!?" Her voice pitched high in fear as her current blind state settled in. The sound snapped him into action, pulling her into his arms as he called for Mencheres. His hands stroked comfortingly through her hair as she fought to keep her breathing even. The sight of Leila's face painted with terror, her voice cracking from it, burned into his memory as he did his best to comfort her.
There was no reason his blood shouldn't have healed her, so why wasn't her sight fixed? Mencheres sprinted into the room in the next instant, Vlad's urgent tone and volume sending a bolt of pure adrenaline through him. Taking in the situation in one glance, he moved to stand next to Vlad and Leila.
Vlad didn't wait for him to speak before he explained the situation, never pausing in his stroking. "I didn't see Leila enter and threw a vase at what I thought was an empty doorway. I gave her my blood, but her eyesight hasn't returned." The unsaid 'Why?' hung between them as Mencheres face set into a deep grimace.
Moving to stand in front of Leila, he spoke. "I am going to examine your eyes, it may be uncomfortable but try not to squirm." Vlad shifted until he was behind her, his hands snaking up to hold her face still and stop any accidental movements.
When Mencheres began prodding, Leila instinctively jolted against Vlad's hands. Pain shot through her eyes with each careful poke. She tried to pull back again only to get nowhere as Vlad's hands tightened slightly.
Forcing her blind terror down was easier said than done, but she ground her teeth and waited for the ancient pharaoh to be finished. Every second felt like agony and the only thing that gave her relief was the feel of Vlad's hands on her face. His touch was comforting, even if he was currently holding her still.
Hearing her thoughts, Vlad shifted forward and pressed his chest to her back. The action having the desired effect of making Leila relax back into him. Instant comfort rolled over Leila, the added strength giving her the fortitude to stay still for the rest of the examination.
Mencheres pulled away minutes later, the grim frown on his face immediately setting Vlad on edge. "The pieces of glass are scattered in her retinas and irises. Instead of pushing them out before her eyes healed, your blood healed the skin around them, effectively trapping the shards where they lie. The vase must have traces of silver in it to cause such a thing."
Dread swept through Vlad, that sounded like it had permanent consequences. Leila came to the same conclusion, her body instinctively shifting further into his chest for comfort at the revelation. Not giving it a second thought, he tightened his arms around her. "What can be done? There must be something that I can do to fix this."
Mencheres stroked his chin as he considered the problem, "The only solution I can think of, is to reopen the injury and remove the shards manually. Once you are sure all of them are gone, pour your blood over the open injury again. I advise having an opthamologist do the operation and do a thorough check after a week to be sure the shards are gone before using your blood. It would minimize the risk of any shards being left behind to cause problems later."
Equal parts relief and frustration rolled in Vlad. On the one hand it was healable, but on the other they needed a doctor. His mountain home was perfect for defense because it was isolated, but in this situation it put him at a disadvantage. The nearest town with a doctor was hours away by flight, and he didn't trust just any doctor to perform on Leila while she was in such a state. He would only be comfortable if it was one of his own doctors but it would be days before they could go home.
Even if he did trust the nearest doctor, he didn't have time to fly Leila to the town with the meeting with Veritas coming up fast. It was rare for his honorary sire to ask anything of him and he couldn't back out now. They had no one else to fill in for him that could be there in time.
That only left him with the option of leaving a newly defenseless Leila alone for however long the meeting lasted.
Coming to the same conclusion, Leila put on a brave face. "I'll be fine, you guys do what you have to and we can get this fixed later. It's not like I'm a stranger to doing what's necessary." She said it with a pained grimace, making Vlad hiss under his breath.
He hated that it was even necessary to begin with, but there was no other option. "I'll bring you to whichever room you'd like, but you need to stay in it until we return. This house is a fortress in it's own right, but in your current state there are too many hazards for you to be wandering without knowing your way around. Once we are finished with Mencheres errand I will take you home where you will be seen by my in house physicians."
Brushing a kiss to Leila's forehead, Vlad spoke with a quieter tone. "I apologize that any of this is necessary."
Leila forced a smile, knowing how much he was beating himself up on the inside didn't make her feel any better about the situation. "Stop blaming yourself, it was an accident. Why were you throwing stuff anyway?"
The reminder of his sire's conversation made Vlad's eyes flare green, lifting his gaze he stared directly into Mencheres eyes. The unsaid "we will be talking later" made Mencheres release a sigh but nodded in agreement. It had been foolish of him to hope that Vlad would let it go. It was better to get the discussion out of the way at the earliest opportunity.
"I will return to Kira, she will be concerned." With that he walked out of the room, leaving Vlad and Leila alone for their next discussion.
Vlad sighed deeply, leading Leila to the couch and guiding her down on it before beginning to speak. "As you are aware, I lost my wife and sire to suicide. It was brought to my attention that another close friend of mine attempted to take his own life. I wasn't thinking clearly and lashed out. You were in the wrong place, at the wrong time as the saying goes."
Leila didn't have to see his expression to know it would be scrunched with distress over both the news and her injury. That did explain his reaction though, Vlad didn't seem the type to break things when he was angry so for him to do so, he must have been pushed to an extreme degree. Hearing of a friends almost suicide would certainly fit the bill.
Leila pulled her hands up, tracing along his chest up to his neck before stopping to cradle his face. It was odd to not see his face, but she would make do with what she had until she was healed again. Vlad would never admit to wanting comfort, but he was more than entitled to it after that news.
His mouth twitched at Leila's caring, despite her current situation. His hand came up to hold one of her own, only to freeze as his fingers brushed the scars on her wrist. He had known they were there before, but he hadn't truly paid them any mind. Now with the news that the one who he had thought would never try to end his own life had attempted just that, Vlad felt a new alarm at the scars.
"Swear to me on your mother's grave that you will never attempt to take your own life for any reason. If you ever feel even mildly tempted, have a member of the staff bring you to me. I don't care what I'm doing, I will make time for you." Leila felt a flash of sympathy, but instead of showing that she nodded.
Vlad's grip tightened slightly, "I need more than a nod, I want your verbal promise." Hearing how serious he was, Leila did so. The near miss with his friend must have really rattled him to make him push this out of her but she had no intention of ending her life. So this wasn't something difficult to give him. Running her hands through his hair, Leila started.
"I swear to you, Vladislav Basarab Dracul, on my mother's grave that I will never try to end my life. If I ever feel even slightly like I'm slipping I'll find you immediately. Sounds good?"
His lips closed over hers in the next instant, his hands coming up to twist into her hair and pull her as physically close as he could. When he pulled away moments later, Leila was out of breath and one of her hands rested against his jaw.
Vlad raised his hand to cover hers, interlocking their fingers before dragging them down to kiss her palm. His lips trailing further down her wrist until he rested over the marks.
Leila tensed as he stopped over the scars, she could practically feel his eyes on her. The chiming of the clock broke the tension, making Leila jerk in surprise and Vlad pull away with a sigh. That meant it was time for them to head out to meet Veritas.
Dropping her hand, he stroked her face. He hated leaving her here alone, but he couldn't refuse Mencheres. If it had been anyone else, he would already be on a plane home but it wasn't and there was no reason to ponder on useless what if's.
"Before we leave, where would you like me to bring you?" Leila tilted her head as she thought on it. She hadn't really had a chance to explore since they got here, "Can you bring me to whichever room you plan on sleeping in?"
Confusion flashed through Vlad even as he picked Leila up and began moving to comply. It took seconds to stride into his room and place Leila on the bed. His confusion was abated when Leila immediately curled up on the pillow he had previously used and pulled the blankets around her. He smelled as her unease slipped away as she took comfort from his scent and the warm blankets.
A harsh sigh pushed out of his lungs, he needed to leave now or he wouldn't be able to make himself. Dropping a kiss to her forehead, he spoke. "We should be back in two hours at most. Is there anything you need before we leave?"
Leila shook her head, an exhausted yawn pushing out before she smothered it against the pillow. Vlad waited by the door an extra moment, watching Leila inhale his scent deeply before sighing comfortably.
Mencheres called out to him from the front door, his tone portraying both his urgency and his regret that it was necessary. Vlad turned after one last glance back, focusing on his current task so he could get back to her post haste. The faster he helped Mencheres, the sooner Leila could be seen and have this whole mess cleared up.
"What do you mean, she will have to remain blind for two weeks?" Vlad's tone was icily pleasant and immediately sent off warning bells in Leila's mind.
Reaching toward his voice, she tried to grab his arm to calm him down. While she wasn't ecstatic about the news either, he shouldn't take it out on the innocent doctor.
She completely missed his arm, her reach over balancing her from her spot on the hospital bed and almost sending her onto the floor. Vlad's quick grip around her waist being the only thing that stopped that very scenario from happening.
She felt her face flare with embarrassment at her almost fall, but she pushed past it ruthlessly. Instead, she traced her way back to his hand that now stretched across her stomach and rested on her hip. That wasn't how she had wanted to do that, but it still worked.
There's no need to snap at the doctor because she said something we don't want to hear. She didn't feel like saying it aloud. Even without her sight, she could practically feel Vlad wrestling his irritation back. When he spoke again, his voice wasn't as dangerously lethal as before but still clearly showed his displeasure.
"Explain." Leila squeezed his arm gently, a reminder to stay cool, as she forced her own panic down as she came to terms with the fact that she wouldn't be getting her sight back anytime in the next few weeks. The thought definitely didn't appeal to her, but if there was nothing they could do about it then freaking out would do nothing but make Vlad feel even worse about the ordeal.
Vlad's arm tensed under her fingers, reminding her that he could hear her inner turmoil. Instead of commenting on it, he pulled her in front of him until she rested back against his chest with his arm still wrapped around her waist. Just as before, his touch made comfort smother her panic and allowed her to relax back against him.
The doctor's voice pulled her attention back to the present, "Unfortunately, the operation that is needed is extensive to ensure no pieces of glass are left behind. We would need to do three separate operations, one per week, to ensure that there is nothing left behind to cause future issues. Her body needs to heal in between the surgeries and your blood can't be used to quicken that. If your blood seals the eyes around the pieces again we might not be able to fix it next time."
Leila was impressed with how calm the doctor's tone was, considering how dangerous Vlad sounded. If he sounded dangerous then chances are, he looked it too. She made a mental note to apologize to her later for his sometimes terrifying temper.
Vlad let out a huff from behind her, the breath brushing the back of her neck and sending jitters down her spine. It was weird, now that her sight was temporarily downed all of her other senses had increased to painful degrees. Every sound, smell and touch felt amplified to insane levels and it was all she could do to stay calm through all the overwhelming stimuli.
The familiar low, rumbling tone dragged her attention to the present, "When can you start the first procedure?" The question made her lean forward in anticipation. The sooner they got it started, the sooner she could get her sight back.
"We can start it today if she wants, but you should know that nausea, loss of appetite, and pain are common side effects after surgery. The nausea and vomiting will occur after each surgery and should fade after a few days but the loss of appetite could last for up to two or three months. Some pain is normal, but if it becomes extreme then we need to pull you back in to be sure an infection hasn't taken root."
While her voice was comforting, Leila still felt a thrill of terror when the words sank in. The thought of going under a knife was already terrifying, but the idea of the wound getting infected made her stomach roll. She had figured it wouldn't be a walk in the park to fix the damage, but she hadn't guessed it would be this complicated.
Vlad's teeth ground less than three inches from her ear, immediately making her feel guilty for her thoughts. It wasn't like he had meant for this to happen.
His voice brushed past her ear, bending over until only she could hear. "Stop walking on eggshells around me, I will carry remorse over this whether you wish me to or not. Focus on keeping yourself calm and staying healthy. Let me deal with everything else."
It didn't take much convincing for her to agree, it wasn't like she could really do anything right now anyway. As the doctor continued to discuss what she couldn't and shouldn't do until she was healed completely, her wariness ate at her.
At the mention of not being able to do anything strenuous, she bit back a groan. I'm going to go crazy with boredom after the first few days… she could never stay still for more than a few minutes at a time and now she would have to relax for weeks.
She absentmindedly sent a thought back to Vlad, I hope you have some idea of how to keep me busy because I'll be driving you crazy just for something to do within a week. The thought was meant to bring humor into their grim situation, but Vlad just scoffed from behind her.
"I have survived centuries of inane babble of the various people I have surrounded myself with. You won't drive me to insanity by merely using my company as a distraction from your current circumstance." She inclined her head in acknowledgement, the man had a point but if he did get irritated she could say she had warned him.
After some more talk about what to expect, it was decided to start the surgery as quickly as possible to give her eyes the most time to heal before the next one.
The next few hours were spent with the doctor poking, prodding and running tests on Leila's eyes until the doctor was satisfied she had all the information she would need. In that time, Vlad's hand hadn't left hers once. Whether it was from guilt or because he knew his touch was the only thing keeping her moderately calm, she didn't know but she appreciated it.
When the time came to start the surgery, her nerves were fried. Leila's grip on Vlad's hand had to be painful but she couldn't make myself loosen it as she fought the urge to run. Even if her sight wasn't wiped out she wouldn't have gotten far with Vlad there.
The mental image of her running head first into a wall while trying to escape was comical, and completely possible given the current circumstances. The doctor nudged her to lie on the bed, the antiseptic smell clogging her nose and the uncomfortable paper gown underneath further grating on her nerves.
"You need to let go of her hand now, voivode. Your hovering over her would make the surgery considerably more stressful for the nurses." The words sent a whole new level of fear through Leila.
Vlad's hand started to loosen even as one hard thought flashed across her mind. Oh hell no, that is not happening.
Her grip latched onto him in the next instant, if he wanted her to let go he would have to knock her out or pry her hand off of him. Nothing else would make her release him now. The rising panic would consume her in a heartbeat if she did…
Vlad began speaking rapid fire Romanian, his tone saying clearly that his hand was going nowhere, much to Leila's relief. She could hear the doctor's frustration in her reply, even though she didn't understand the words. Leila would feel guilty about making this more difficult later, once her fear was back to a manageable level, but for now she was going to cling to the only thing that made her calm until she felt steady enough to let go of him.
After more arguing, Vlad directed his next words to Leila. "You can hold my hand until they put you under the effects of anesthesia but then I'm going to have to give them room to work. Rest assured I won't be leaving your side until you are conscious again." His emphasis on the word 'won't' made her think that had been one of the major points of his and the doctor's arguing but she didn't care. The knowledge that he would be there through it all made comfort sweep through her better than any medication could.
The doctor gave a resigned sigh, "Of course you will." Leila would feel bad about the stress they were causing her later. As the plastic mask slid over her face, she fought the instinctive flash of panic. She never had liked the feeling of being forced unconscious. Vlad's squeeze on her hand grounded her until the medicine took effect and she felt the edges of consciousness fade. The last thing she remembered was his lips brushing her knuckles before placing the hand on the uncomfortable sheets beneath her.
The next time she woke up, the first thing she noticed was an itchy bandage was wrapped around her eyes. There were pads placed underneath, but the fabric still made her want to rip it off.
Vlad's voice pulled her attention away from the tempting thought. "You won't be doing that, unless you'd like your recovery to last even longer than necessary. As it stands, you won't be able to see with or without it on so you may as well leave it be."
She knew that, but it still itched and it would only get worse the longer it stayed on. To distract herself, she turned in the direction she thought he was in before speaking.
"I know, but it's still irritating. So what's the plan now that the first surgery is done?" She moved to sit up to hear his answer, only to immediately lower herself back down. Her stomach rolled in warning for her to not do that again. She had forgotten the nurse's warning about nausea.
Vlad's warmer hand rested on her upper arm, gently pushing her down again. "The plan is to keep you in my bedroom until you are healed to minimize the risk of further injuring yourself."
Immediately, Leila knew that wasn't going to work. Knowing that he would have overheard her thought, she continued on to explain. "Vlad, I can't just stay in your room until I can see again. For one, it's huge and I would never be able to make it from one piece of furniture to another without falling over. For two, while your bathroom has a shower it does not have a toilet and I'm going to need that. I can't walk over forty yards to use the restroom anytime the need rises."
His hands froze as he considered her words, the fingers lightly gripping the muscle of her arms before he grunted. "You make a valid point. You shall stay in your room across from mine and should you wish to leave get myself or one of the staff to escort you. Absolutely no gymnastics." His tone was firm on the last sentence, making Leila grimace.
"Oh come on! I can do stretching without hurting myself at least…" The doctor chose that moment to chime in.
"Actually until the nausea passes you won't be able to and even afterwards I wouldn't advise it. All the extra blood pressure to your head could cause problems with the surgery."
Leila could practically feel Vlad's satisfaction. "Fine. What can I do?" She did her best to keep the snappish tone out of her voice, but she knew that she hadn't completely succeeded. Considering the current situation, she doubted they'd hold it against her later.
"I'm afraid there's not much you can do. You could listen to music or movies to pass the time. Get in as much sleep as you can, since that is when the body does most of its healing. Also, be sure to eat foods packed with nutrients and calories. The faster your body has what it needs to heal, the quicker you get your sight back."
A sigh pushed from her lungs as she nodded in acceptance. No reason to try to fight it, although the thought of spending weeks in bed while listening to movies was enough to make the idea of sleeping through the entire month sound great.
Warm hands tightened on her arms again before the familiar low baritone rumbled from behind her. "Since you are awake and the doctor has been doing scans on your health since the surgery finished I shall bring you to your room to rest. If your stomach's reaction is any indication, you won't be in any condition to stand for a while yet."
Grimacing, Leila nodded. Her stomach still shifted uncomfortably from her last attempt so she wasn't going to try to do it again. At least, not for a while. Arms slid under her legs and back, pulling her against a toasty warm chest that smelled of cinnamon.
She had never noticed what he smelled like before, but now she'd never be able to smell it again without thinking of him. Once she was settled in his arms, he began walking to her room. Each step caused her stomach to do a flip, making her hold her breath while hoping it didn't decide to empty its contents while in Vlad's arms.
Thankfully by the time he put her down on the familiar sheets of her room, her stomach hadn't decided to revolt. The sound of something being set not far from the bed caught her attention.
"It's a garbage can, should you need it." Leila nodded, already feeling irritated with the situation. She couldn't even make it to the bathroom if she needed to vomit. All she could do was hope that it settled again soon.
Warm lips brushed her forehead before the other side of the bed dipped. Vlad's arms curled around her as he shifted to lie against her side. "Do you want me to start a movie or would you prefer to simply rest?"
Exhaustion dogged her, making her fight off a yawn as she replied. "I don't care, you pick." Shifting over, Leila curled into Vlad's chest until the familiar comfort rolled over her. As long as he stayed still for her to cuddle against she didn't care what he chose to do.
A huff of breath breezed over the top of her head, Vlad's voice following shortly. "In that case, I shall leave the movie until later. You were in the middle of reading a book earlier this evening weren't you?"
Leila felt confusion at his odd question, "Yeah but obviously it's going to be a bit before I can get to it."
The sound of rummaging in the nightstand was her only answer until he made a soft sound of discovery. Before she could ask, Vlad's voice began reading her book. The words seemed to blur together after a few minutes, the previous exhaustion dragging Leila down. She had never known how nice it would be, just listening to Vlad read. As she drifted off she made a mental note to ask him to do this again in the future, after she had recovered.
A harsh twisting in her stomach woke Leila a few hours later. The sheets tangled around her as she tried to lurch for the garbage can she vaguely remembered Vlad putting beside the bed. Just as she thought she was going to make a mess, the can was pushed against her as warm hands gathered her hair back.
The retching lasted a few minutes, but everything from the smell to the taste made frustration and hopelessness bubble under her skin. It had been years since she had gotten sick like this and of course Vlad would be the one to have to take care of her. If this smelt and felt disgusting then she didn't want to think about how bad this must look. Not to mention, with his heightened sense of smell it would be worse to him…
"Stop worrying about me and don't be self conscious over this. You are human and this is part of being human. You are currently being sick because of my actions, and before you say anything it was my actions whether I meant for this to happen or not. I'm not about to leave you to handle this alone, even if you had come down with a common cold, I would still be here."
The words were comforting and helped her ignore her embarrassment about the situation. At least he's already seen me naked, so showering won't be a big thing… His snort was her answer as he pressed what proved to be a toothbrush into her hand.
Once done, she felt marginally better about the situation. Sure, she had just puked up the contents of her stomach, but Vlad said he wasn't leaving her alone so at least she wouldn't have to deal with her unease of being left alone while unable to defend herself.
Her thoughts were interrupted by warm hands tugging her back toward an equally warm body. She debated fighting for half a second, she could feel the sweat clinging to her and the blankets, but decided against it. He had already told her that sweat and blood didn't bother him and if the bile didn't either then he'd be fine.
"I'm glad you have come to accept that I won't be scared off with mere sweat or vomit. Now lay back down before you make yourself sick again. If you'd like I can put on a movie now that you seem to be minimally more awake. I have to get some work done, but it is simple paperwork that I can do from the bed."
While the thought of listening to a movie was odd, she nodded in agreement. "I'd appreciate it and thanks for staying close despite the bile hazard." The unsaid, I'd probably run head first into a wall if you didn't, made a spark of humor flare in her chest but she didn't say it out loud. He could read minds so there was no doubt that he had heard it.
A scoff brushed past her ear as he settled her against his chest, "You'll find I have been covered in much worse over the centuries than bile. Even if you do happen to be sick on me, I will simply change shirts or take a shower. It isn't the end of the world, just a minor inconvenience."
She hummed, while that was reassuring she still hoped to avoid puking on him. He was being sweet, staying here despite his work and other pressing issues, she should at least try not to puke on him for his troubles.
As she heard the sound of a Disney movie beginning, she grinned in the vague direction of Vlad's voice. "I thought you didn't care for Disney movies?"
Warm hands stroked through her hair, fingers gently working out the knots as he answered. "I don't have anything against them in particular, they are better than some of the drivel I've seen the cinemas advertising lately. Besides, you enjoy them and that's all that matters."
Warmth curled in her chest at his words; she always enjoyed it when he decided to act sweet. Although she wished the circumstances that had prompted it were different, she would take the opportunity to soak it in.
As she curled up against his chest, feeling as he balanced the paperwork on his leg to read it, she listened to the movie and his occasional grunt of irritation with whatever he was reading. Maybe this recovery wouldn't be so bad…
It was a week later and another surgery down that they lay together in bed, another movie playing in the background. It was a good thing Disney made so many of them, she would've been bored out of her skull otherwise.
Vlad had rarely left her side since they had gotten home. When it came time for the second surgery to check their progress on removing the shards, he had held her hand just like before until she slipped into unconsciousness. Thankfully the doctor said it was looking good and after this week and they checked one last time, Vlad could pour his blood over it.
She couldn't wait, while he had done his best to make this more bearable, staying still for this long wasn't in her nature. Not to mention they were going on two weeks of abstinence now and she didn't know about Vlad, but she was ready to pounce on him...If she could find out what direction he was in first.
As her sexual frustration climbed day by day, she considered when would be the best time to try something. If Vlad said no, then they'd wait until she was healed even if the thought of another week without him was frustrating. But if he said yes… well, she definitely wouldn't be bored anymore.
The worst of the after effects from the second surgery had passed, leaving Leila burning with energy and only one person she wanted to use it with. She had almost started something in the shower while Vlad had helped her clean up, but had decided against it. It would have been embarrassing if she had slipped on the wet tiles during a heated interlude.
Maybe once Vlad got back from dropping off his most recent stack of paperwork she could try to see if he was in the mood… It wasn't that difficult, although her lack of sight was going to make this interesting. A few moments later, he walked through the door and pulled her attention to him as the bed sagged with his weight.
They exchanged idle chit chat as Vlad resumed his usual position with her curled against his chest and paperwork against his leg. At least now she could sit up to lean against him. It had been irritating, not being able to move without nausea and she was glad it was over with.
*Smut Here Down*
As the movie played in the background, she took her chance. Sliding her hand down from his chest where it had rested, she grazed her finger tips across his chest. The muscles tensed under her hand as she traced further downward.
Once she hovered over the junction of his thighs, she waited for the verdict. It only took a second for her to receive an answer. She felt as he placed the paperwork on the nightstand and stopped the movie.
His hand wrapped into her hair and dragged her up for a kiss that made her toes curl. He didn't ask if she was sure, he could read her mind so he knew that she was. Instead he tugged her shirt up over her head.
Taking that as a go ahead, she found her way back down to his groin, the palpable heat rolling off of him making the desire in her blood climb. Buttons, she learned, were considerably harder when you couldn't see them but after a moment of fumbling she managed to get them undone.
He had taken the opportunity to remove his shirt and now she could feel his chest pressed against her. His hands worked like lightning, divesting her of her pants and leaving both of them bare.
Everything seemed more intense without her eyesight. She could feel every graze of the familiar scarred hands on her body as he explored to his heart's content. After a moment, he guided her up on her knees, his hips resting between them and the pulsing and thickening length in her other hand standing tall below her.
Usually it took him longer to go from soft to full mast, but considering how bottled up both of them had been over the past few weeks, it wasn't truly surprising. Not wasting another minute, she shifted forward and slid down his length. The feeling of him stretching all of her walls out just to the brink of being painfully full shot a shuddering moan from her.
His answering moan had her rocking down into his groin, stars burst over her vision as he rubbed against that bundle of nerves inside of her. His hands came to rest on her hips as he picked up her pace just slightly while adding a twist of his hips that sent spikes of arousal through her. Dimly she was aware that she was moaning with every upward thrust he gave, but as her arousal climbed higher she couldn't bring herself to care.
Besides, Vlad was being just as loud with his moans and the sound of them sent a heady pride through her. She loved being able to make him come undone, although it sucked that she couldn't see his face. Later, she promised herself. They would have to do this again later, when she could see again.
Feeling the sharp edge that came right before her climax, she clamped her fingers to his shoulders underneath her and rode him hard. A surprised hiss came from him as she tightened and twisted over him, the pressure around his length increasing until her spasming channel and scream of release dragged him along with her.
She flopped down against his chest as she regained her breath, not bothering to remove him from inside of her as the scent of them hit her nose. While the smell of her sweat wasn't exactly pleasant, she could just catch the cinnamon and what she now knew was her own vanilla scent. She could see why Vlad liked the smell, as he had told her before in similar positions.
His hands came up to move the hair that had fallen into her face that she hadn't even noticed, "That was an experience worth repeating." A chuckle pushed from her lungs as she nodded against his chest.
"Definitely, I'm game for doing that again many times in varying positions." His arms squeezed around her, dragging her off of him when she made no move to pull him out. The sticky mess between them and on her thighs didn't bother her. It wasn't worth getting up for a shower right this instant, but she had a few ideas for what they could do when they do decide to get that shower.
Vlad's rumbling laugh against her ear pulled her attention back to the present and out of the gutter. "You are insatiable today, not that I'm complaining. I was just having similar thoughts myself."
"Yeah, well what can I say? The only reason I didn't try this sooner, specifically in the shower, was because I was worried about slipping. I'm sure we can think of something though."
The warm body surrounding hers made a haze of sleep start to crawl around her conscious, "Oh I have many ideas for that already, but for now you should sleep. We have plenty of time to implement those later."
She didn't argue as she dozed off against his chest, the comforting scent of cinnamon and vanilla lulling her to sleep.
*SMUT END*
"Hold still so I can remove the bandage." Leila practically vibrated in place as warm hands began unraveling the bandage around her eyes. The weeks of waiting had finally passed and now it was finally time for Vlad to drop his blood into her eyes. The doctor had given her the all clear and she couldn't wait to see again.
She never knew how much she relied on her sight until she hadn't had it. She could finally do gymnastics again! And she could wander around wherever she wanted without worrying about stairs or walls, that was also a bonus.
As the cloth fell away, she heard Vlad bite his wrist again before tilting her head back. The feeling of liquid dripping into her eyes made her blink on habit until fingers carefully held the lid open. After a minute, he pulled back and wiped the drops of blood off her face.
At first nothing changed and dread began to coil in her stomach, would she be permanently blind? But slowly blurry shapes began to take form, each blink brought them further into focus until she could see the concerned face of Vlad staring at her.
She grinned as her eyes immediately focused on the green tinged coppery ones, "It worked." He probably already knew that but she was just happy to say it out loud. He nodded, not commenting on her thoughts as he pulled her into a kiss.
Her fingers curled into his hair as she clung to him. He had taken wonderful care of her in the last few weeks, thankfully she had managed to avoid getting sick on him, and now she had a great idea for how to thank him.
"There's no need-" She cut him off with a kiss and an impish grin.
"You really don't want to finish that sentence until you hear what I was thinking." As the explicit images flashed through her mind, his mouth clicked shut as green overtook his eyes.
"Well it would be considered rude for me to not allow you to show your gratitude..." A laugh burst from her as he swept her legs out and carried her to his bedroom.
"I thought you'd see it my way."