Fuck his life, seriously.

Zero glared, gritted his fangs, and stalked over. He didn't bother with fucking negotiation. Kaname knew he had him. Either Zero went with him, or Kaname would scare off everybody else, or some other fucking master plan to take advantage of a careless word.

The bastard always got what he wanted after all.

He opened the passenger door – knowing damn well it'd be unlocked – and climbed in, slamming it shut behind him and locking it himself, before Kaname could do it to freak him out.

"Fuck you so much, Kuran," Zero snarled. "Any hint of fucking biting me or any of those creepy ass powers of yours and I'm jumping out the fucking window. Clear?"

"Mmm, Zero," Kaname smirked, "talk dirty to me."

"Fuck. You."

They drove off.

"I am not getting out of this car until I hear a 'Yes, Zero, I understand, I absolutely pinky-swear promise not to bite you, or use any of my freaky ass powers on you.'"

"Demanding, aren't you, pet? What if I wanted to take you in this car? You wouldn't have to get out at all."

"Kuran. I swear to god I'll dive out the windscreen if I have to."

"Oh but what about your rent?" Kaname said sweetly.

Zero spoke through his teeth. "I'll sell a kidney."

Kaname smiled, but it was not a concession. "Agreed, Zero. No biting tonight, not even if you beg me for it."

Well that didn't sound ominous at all now did it? He soldiered on.

"The word 'tonight' disturbs me. They'll be no biting at dawn either, or at any point during our…liaison. Or after it. Or at all, forever, for eternity."

"I won't bite you tonight, or tomorrow, no matter the circumstances, nor will I consume or store any of blood of yours that is shed tonight, or tomorrow, I give you my word."

Zero was pretty sure Kaname had only added those conditions to highlight that Zero hadn't and that he was the fucking grandmaster of loopholes. Nothing in there prevented Kaname from trying again next time.

Not that there'd be a next time. Zero just needed his money.

Kuran was hands down, his best customer. Either the pureblood had no idea how much it actually cost to buy someone like him, or he was just so fucking rich that a few hundred was a pittance and therefore a perfectly reasonable price for a streetwalker; his worldview must be really fucking skewed. As if Zero didn't know that already.

Well whatever, Zero certainly wouldn't be the one to tell him he was vastly overpaying. Besides, he deserved it for putting up with his crap.

"Agreed. Now where the fuck are we going?"

They were not heading in the same direction as last time.

"One of my penthouses."

New was bad.

"Why?" Zero asked suspiciously, thinking uncomfortable thoughts about sex dungeons and why Kuran might want privacy all of a sudden.

"My staff made you uncomfortable last time," Kaname said offhandedly. "The city penthouse only has a cleaner who comes in twice a week, and a cook on request."

"I was not uncomfortable," Zero lied fervently, "but normal people care if somebody sees them fucking. It's awkward, an invasion of privacy and really fucking weird."

Kaname actually laughed, the wanker.

"We are not 'people' Zero."

Zero gave that the attention it deserved and ignored it. He was so.

"Besides," Kaname just had to rub it in, "You didn't even notice Mara in the room."

"I was a little busy at the time! And why the fuck am I even defending myself to you? This doesn't need defending, it's obvious."

The apartment building also had a security team on the garage entrance, which made Zero roll his eyes, but they let Kaname's car pass without a fuss, and then it was into the lift, requiring both a card and a code.

"These so-called fans of yours can not be that dangerous," Zero said.

"If I didn't guard my privacy, I wouldn't be able to have you without a dozen vampires knowing it inside an hour."

"So now you care about privacy?" Zero snapped. "Fucking double standards."

"And," Kaname continued, talking over him entirely, "half of them would then buy you for interrogation, to discover what I'm really doing with you."

"It's pretty fucking obvious."

"Too obvious," Kaname corrected, "so it must be a blind. The other half would kill you to piss me off."

Vampire politics. Got to love 'em. Thank god, he was entirely out of that shit. Talk about a fucking silver lining.

Kaname's penthouse was naturally, exquisite. More modern than his fucking castle, it was full of glass, steel and leather. Zero was also pretty sure that he'd seen the painting on the wall in a museum once.

He knew which one he'd bet on to be real.

Keys clattered into a bowl, and then there was the rustle of fabric. Zero's heart went galloping off to the races, and he instantly regretted coming here. Tonight, they dove straight in, apparently. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"I want six hundred this time," Zero told Kaname flatly to cover his nerves.

"Extortionist," Kaname praised, taking off his tie. "Three hundred."

Zero glared. "You think I get cheaper because you've already fucked me?"

"I think you're desperate," the corner of his lips twitched. Zero felt a violent and immediate urge to punch it off his face and then kiss it better. What the fuck was wrong with him. "I think that gives me the better hand at the table."

"Six," Zero held his ground. "For the trauma and the therapy."

Kaname laughed, putting his jacket over the back of a chair. "Zero darling, if you thought last time was traumatic, you're going to need a straight jacket tomorrow. Actually," there was a worrying pause, "I'm sure I've got one of those around here somewhere, if you'd like to roleplay."

Zero rolled his eyes and kicked off his shoes. No kink or fetish was going to intimidate him.

"I took three fucking days to heal last time. You owe me."

Kaname scrutinised him as he drew out his belt, setting it aside on the counter. Zero glanced at it, and then away, casually, casually.

Hotaru's wrists had been in a right state. When Zero had finally been allowed to see what he could do for the brat, it had become pretty fucking clear that he'd been tied up.

"Four hundred," Kaname finally allowed, "and if you're very good, I'll give you a tip."

Zero narrowed his eyes, suspicion rearing it's ugly head. "Define very good."

"Cry when I whip you."

#

A/N - Short, I know, but this really was the best place to break it... hope it at least managed to whet your appetites.