The author deeply regrets posting this, but as its already out there, apparently the author will see it through to the end.
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Zero – who'd been a nanosecond away from passing out as the blood rushed back to his brain – was instantly alert, horror mixing with adrenaline in the blood and making him nauseous. His higher brain did not appreciate the magnesium flare of wicked interest that Kaname's words brought on in the slightest.
"You have got to be joking," Zero panted weakly. "I can't – Kaname be reasonable – it's physically impossible – "
"We'll see," Kaname smiled winningly. "Shower?"
It wasn't actually a question.
The pureblood had obviously recovered in under a minute, damn him, for he sprang from the ruined bed as spry as a spring fucking rabbit, and dragged Zero from the mattress' embrace, when Zero's body flat out refused to move an inch.
"You're dripping come all over my rug," Kaname noted, standing over him, naked and glorious, as Zero paid homage to the floor, legs having collapsed underneath him the moment Kaname's support vanished.
"Your come," Zero retaliated feebly, "Your rug."
"Oh I know."
The bastard sounded unbearably self-satisfied. Zero rolled over, smearing more come into the weave because apparently he would rise from the dead just to bitch at the other vampire.
Laughing, Kaname bodily picked him up – princess style because Kaname was just as petty as Zero – and dumped him in the bath. A bath which had more in common with a swimming pool than it did a tub.
"Wash up," Kaname commanded. "We're not done. And I owe you for distracting me."
Zero managed to turn the taps on only because he couldn't bear the thought of Kaname actually washing him, and obeyed. He was covered in sweat and come and the water felt heavenly on the bruises.
"I'm not going to let you bite me Kaname." Zero said flatly when Kaname returned, scrubbing away with something expensive and scented. "That's not a test – that's a hard limit. You knew what my terms were. Trying to trick them isn't on. You can overpower me if you want to – we both know that – but don't make it into my fault. Bite me, and prove yourself an ass, or lay the fuck off."
Kaname eyed him moodily if Zero was any judge of it.
"Has anyone else had your blood?"
"I don't talk about other customers," Zero said viciously prim, knowing damn well how Kaname would take that.
Yep. He was pissed. And possibly jealous. Oh for fuck's sake. Jealous? Zero fumed. Fucking Purebloods.
Kaname hissed, breath sharp between his fangs.
"Did you let them? Or did they take it – and you?"
"We're not having a moment, Kuran. You're paying for my body, you don't get my secrets with every fuck."
Kaname shot him a tremendously hacked off look, Zero smiled sweetly in reply, and got into the shower.
Zero watched interestedly, after giving himself a mental tally point for winning the argument, because apparently coming like a geyser wasn't enough when he had a show like that right before his fangs.
There was no denying it: Kaname was beautiful. Not handsome, human men were handsome. The unnatural, superhuman, inhuman feyness Kaname had going on definitely put him in the beautiful category. His skin was flawless, and not being descended from apes, virtually hairless. It was one long, long, plane of a single colour, sculpting his musculature so closely he might as well have been David given life. Add in the water, steaming down that body, the arch of his back as Kaname ran hands through those luscious brown locks – and it was impossible to tear his eyes away.
The look Kaname shot him half way through was full of knowing, and Zero felt his ears redden. Which, you know, totally wasn't fair. They'd already fucked like rabbits and Kaname could still make him blush? Depressing.
Clean, Zero climbed out, pleased that his legs were now willing to support him. Then instead of hanging about to watch Kaname bathe, he pretended disinterest and wondered back into the bedroom, a soft towel wrapped about his waist.
The bed had been remade. The rug removed.
Zero's blush returned full throttle. Fresh sheets had been laid out; a meal for two prepared on the sideboard, wine poured – and Zero knew purebloods didn't do menial chores.
A maid, manservant, chamberlain, or whatever had been in here, whilst Zero had been in the bath – they'd seen the sex damp sheets and changed them out, they could probably scent the sweat and pheromones in the air and oh god this was humiliating.
Zero stalked to the wine and poured a generous glass, turning his attention to the food. He hadn't seen food like that in way too long. He'd been living on noodles for the past week. It was so artistically arranged it seemed wrong to eat it. He lifted the glass instead. Maybe he could drink enough to forget to be embarrassed.
"You should go carefully with that, it cost more than you."
"Oh ha fucking ha," Zero groused, kissing back when Kaname reappeared and laid one on him, sliding around Zero to get his own glass as Zero would never pour for him and the bastard knew better than to ask.
One sip – and Zero nearly spat it back into the glass. The only reason he didn't was because Kaname was fucking watching him, freshly robed and smirking.
"This is not wine," Zero narrowed his eyes, giving the glass a suspicious sniff. "Is that blood?"
Before the second version of the tablets had come out, Zero had been living on stolen blood bags from a donor bank. He hated the need for blood and didn't fucking appreciate being served it without warning.
"Blood wine," Kaname corrected easily, following Zero to sit at the table. "Descartes to be precise, 1630."
Zero groaned, banging his head against the wood.
"Fucking vampires. Pretentious bastards the lot of you."
Kaname grinned with a mouth full of fangs. "Would you let me have your blood if it was made into blood wine first? I'd swear not to touch it until it was properly infused."
"Why the fuck would you bother?"
Kaname, bastard that he was, gave Zero a long, sultry look, then closed his eyes, tilted his head back and sniffed the air.
"Because you smell divine, Zero. I'd like to be able to savour your blood a thousand years from now."
Zero rolled his eyes, ignoring the strangest compliment he'd ever gotten. "You are such a vampire."
He was hungry though, so Zero blatantly ignored what Kaname's foot was doing to him under the table and set about eating everything on his plate. Duck in a tangy orange sauce, dauphinoise potatoes so thinly sliced they were translucent, and bright green vegetables, covered in butter and steaming. He cleaned the plate in ten minutes, mopping up the sauce with olive stuffed bread, leaning back in his chair with a sigh – only to find Kaname watching him, eyes dark.
"Prostitution not paying as well as it used to?"
He said it lightly, but Zero still sneered back.
"Keep your fangs out of my business."
Humming, Kaname dropped it, but Zero knew it wouldn't be the last he heard on the topic. Purebloods were terrible busybodies. Worse than a dozen aged grandmothers on the sherry.
"Are you done, or should I send for seconds?"
"I'm done," Zero snapped. He wasn't a starving street rat for god's sake.
Kaname leaned back in his chair, claws tapping on the table. Zero bravely resisted the urge to punch him in the face as Kaname smiled happily.
"To bed then."
Rolling his eyes, Zero stood and stripped the towel off, tossing it back towards the arrogant pureblood as he stalked towards the bed, flopping onto the fresh sheets with poor grace.
With a rush of wind, Kaname appeared, knocking Zero flat onto his back and climbing onto the mattress after him.
"Impatient?" Zero teased. "If only your pets could see you now."
Kaname snorted, nudging Zero's thighs wide as he lowered himself between them. Zero refused to squirm as he felt the press of something hot, wet and blunt against his skin.
"Maybe I am impatient," Kaname mused, nipping hard at Zero's neck in warning. "I hope you prepared yourself thoroughly earlier, because I'm not in the mood to be kind."