Vlad stared resolutely at the floor as they walked; their steps reverberated across the filthy stone corridors.
His hypnosis hadn't worked on Robin. It had completely and utterly failed. And there was one reason, and only one, that a full-powered vampire's hypnosis ever did that.
"Earth to Vlad," Robin announced as they turned the corner. "Seriously, though—do you think you could give the silent treatment a rest?"
"Just trying not to kill you," Vlad gritted through his teeth, though he regretted it immediately—the breath it took to speak sent a cloud of Robin's scent straight down his throat. He tried not to choke on it.
"You could try to be more grateful," Robin chided. "I just saved your life."
Robin missed a step, causing him to stumble. Vlad rushed forward and caught him without a second's thought; then nearly fainted as yet another waft of breather hit him full on. Vlad pushed Robin away, covering his mouth and shooting the other boy a reproachful glare.
"Are you doing okay?" Robin asked. "Do you want to stop and rest for a bit?"
He was still standing much too close.
"I'm fine," Vlad muttered, putting some more distance between them. It was only Vlad's considerable depths of self-loathing that stopped him from getting on one knee and begging Robin to let him take just one, tiny little bite….
Just take him, a voice piped up in his head. He ignored it. The voice had been torturing him nonstop for the past few hours. It was driving him mad.
Somehow, they made it to the entrance of the crypt. Robin checked his watch, glancing out at the Count's coffin. They inched around it uneasily, making for the hallway beyond.
Four o'clock. Good. The sun wouldn't be setting for at least another hour.
"Actually... on second thought, let's leave the coffin here for now," Robin whispered. "We can come back for it later. I don't want to risk being caught."
Vlad obeyed quietly, glad for the distraction.
They arrived at the bottom of the tower stairs, Vlad hesitated. "Wait."
Robin looked at him.
"You can't come up, it's not safe. You should go home—your parents are probably wondering where you are by now."
"They're at a tournament." Robin pointed toward the top of the tower. "Upstairs, now." He grabbed Vlad's arm for the second time that evening, and for some reason, Vlad let him.
His composure was fading fast. He halted again halfway up the steps, his voice coming out in an undignified rasp. "Don't you get it, Robin? You're in mortal danger."
Robin shoved at his shoulder. "Stop stalling."
"Don't push this. Please." Vlad pleaded. Robin stared back, waiting. Vlad groaned. "Why can't you just leave me alone in my misery?"
"Get up there."
There was something in the way Robin said it—a split second later, Vlad was surprised to find himself at the top of the stairs. He looked down at Robin in bemusement. Thankfully, now that there was a bit more distance between them, his sanity began to return.
Vlad hardened his stance, blocking the doorway with his arms.
Robin continued up the stairs anyway, rolling his eyes as he approached. "For the love of…"
"Stop," Vlad commanded, his powers pushing his voice deeper.
Robin met his eyes calmly when he was less than a foot away. "Yes, Vlad?"
"You're not invited."
"That only works on vampires, idiot." Robin sidestepped him, ducking under his arm.
Vlad twirled, capturing Robin easily and shoving him against the doorframe. "Why don't you ever listen to me?" he growled.
Robin leaned forward, halving the distance between their faces. Vlad held perfectly still, grateful that he didn't have to breathe. He didn't think he could stop himself from doing something truly stupid if he had to put up with any more of Robin's ridiculously tempting scent.
"Because, you're an idiot," Robin said, enunciating his words. He left Vlad, still frozen in front of the doorframe, and strolled casually into the bedroom.
Vlad closed his eyes and counted to five. It didn't help, so he counted backward from ten.
Seven... six….
"What's taking you so long?" Robin yelled from inside. "I haven't got all day, you know."
It was the last straw.
Vlad stormed in, shutting the door and locking it. Robin eyed Vlad's fangs, raising his chin in defiance. The other boy's normally pale eyes glowed red as he approached.
Robin stepped back, uneasy, but Vlad kept going until the backs of Robin's knees buckled, forcing him to sit heavily on the bed.
Vlad leaned forward, taking advantage of the rare opportunity to be taller than Robin.
"Um… Vlad?"
"Yes, Robin?" Vlad said, echoing Robin's words from earlier.
"Do you mind backing up a bit?" he managed.
Vlad smirked. "Whatever for?"
"I can't think when you're…" Robin looked away, grimacing.
"Yes?"
Robin met his eyes warily. "I wish you'd take this more seriously; or are you not expiring from hunger as we speak?"
Vlad's fangs glinted in the light.
Robin knew that Vlad could hear the hammering in his chest. He leaned his head slowly to one side, bringing his hand to the chain around his neck.
The vampire licked his lips. "Don't do that."
Robin ignored him. "Remember this?" He took hold of the amulet, raising it to the light. "Turns out, it's an ancient Transylvanian relic. Chloe and I found it online. According to our…" Robin hesitated. "Her research, the gem has special properties. Whoever wears it has complete protection from the undead." Robin held his breath, eyeing the other boy warily. "If you bite me when I'm wearing it, I won't turn into a vampire."
"Bite you?" Vlad echoed, staring blankly.
"Yes. As in, drink my blood."
Vlad shook his head, snapping out of his daze. The red light in Vlad's eyes faded. "Not in a million years."
"Be reasonable," Robin insisted. "This could solve all our problems. You're craving my blood like mad; well, this way you can have it."
"It's not our problem," Vlad corrected. "And I'm not risking your mortal soul for a snack."
"There wouldn't be any risk." Robin tapped the small ruby-red gem at the amulet's center. "The amulet of Ecranare is the stuff of legends, Vlad. Don't you understand? This thing's magic will protect me from all supernatural harm."
Vlad had a strange look on his face. Robin sighed, exasperated. "What?"
The other boy wrinkled his nose. "That means 'protecting' in Romanian, you know."
"What, really?" Robin had forgotten Vlad could speak Romanian. "Never mind that. Are you listening? This changes everything." He stood, gripping Vlad by the shoulders, looking into both eyes. "You don't have to deny yourself anymore. At least until we find another way to cure you of your addiction," he finished, sounding breathless.
Vlad stared at him. And then, he stared some more. Robin fidgeted. "Well?"
"Oh, yeah, it's a brilliant idea," Vlad said at last, and Robin's face split into a grin.
"Yeah?"
"Yes," he nodded, expression inscrutable. "You'll make quite the convenient little blood bag. How ever didn't we think of this before?"
Robin's face fell. "You're taking the mick," he said.
Vlad pushed Robin hard in the center of the chest. "Idiot," he seethed. "You really are thick sometimes."
Robin eyed him warily. He knew Vlad wouldn't be keen on the idea, but he hadn't expected such a violent reaction.
"If I wanted to drink human blood," Vlad said carefully, his voice measured and slow, "I could just go down to my dad's blood cellar and grab a bottle. Bottoms up. And then, when that ran out, I could run to hospital and steal some blood bags, or make other arrangements. I would never have to bite a single soul." His voice broke. "Especially not yours."
Robin squinted. "Then why…?"
"Because I won't!" Vlad barked. The sconces on the wall burst into flame, and a crackle of thunder could be heard overhead. Robin shrank back.
Vlad left Robin sitting on the bed and ventured to the window, fidgeting with the curtain fabric. He was quiet for nearly a minute, and when he finally spoke, his tone was mild. "Besides. Even if I did want to drink your blood; which I don't," he said, his voice catching as he stared back at Robin with an intensity that bewildered him, "biting people is… complicated in our world."
"Complicated how?" Robin asked, genuinely lost.
Vlad shot him an exasperated Do I really have to spell it out for you? look. Robin blinked, and suddenly Vlad was less than arm's length away from him.
"Sinking your fangs into someone else's jugular is a really intimate thing to do, Robin." He spoke the words directly into his neck, and Robin's breath caught, his heart pounding in his throat.
"And then," Vlad continued, as if nothing was amiss, "after they turn, an unbreakable bond is formed between them. The victim becomes indebted to their maker for life."
He pulled away. Robin swallowed, and tried to remember how to breathe.
"Try to understand. It's not just about food for us. Vampires will sometimes bite other vampires too, like… at the end of big, important ceremonies." Vlad didn't meet Robin's eyes as he said, "Weddings, for example."
Vlad's cheeks turned the colour of ash, and Robin found himself wondering if vampires could blush.
Vlad bit his lip. "It's almost…. sacred, in a way."
Robin frowned. He really was trying to understand. "Then—are you saying I'm not sacred enough? Is that it?"
"God, Robin, are you really that dense?" At Robin's stare, Vlad amended, "I mean…."
"What?" The taller boy whispered, exasperated. "What am I missing?"
Vlad didn't answer. He was staring at him, eyes clouded and dark, and Robin thought he might have heard something like too sacred, though he couldn't be sure because his heart was pounding in his ears, and Vlad was even closer now, no more than a hand's width between them—his eyes were fixed on Robin's lips, and Robin didn't know if he wanted to bolt or scream or hit him. Why was Vlad looking at him like that?
Vlad hesitated, eyes darting from Robin's fearful gaze to the distressingly small space separating their bodies, and stepped away, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry, I don't..."
Robin's neck felt hot. "That's all right. You're not feeling yourself," he said, clamming up when Vlad looked at him expectantly.
It seemed as if Vlad wanted to say something else, but a loud gurgle wrenched the air, interrupting him.
Robin's resolve hardened. There were more important things than looking like a fool. "I know you don't want to do this," he said. "I know you don't want to have anything to do with being a vampire. But you've got to face the facts—you are one, now, and you need my blood. Chloe and I are still looking for a solution, but we haven't found one yet, and I'm not about to let you starve."
He gestured at Vlad's tense frame; eyeing his tightly crossed arms, the pallor in his cheeks and blue-tinged lips. "I mean, just look at yourself. You're falling apart." At Vlad's continued silence, he corrected himself awkwardly. "Well, I guess you can't look at yourself—obviously. But I can, and I'm telling you, you look bloody awful."
"Thanks," Vlad joked darkly, although the humour fell somewhat short. He ran trembling hands through his hair, and Robin watched in sympathy as the vampire turned away. He was shaking like a leaf.
"You're making yourself crazy, Vlad. You're always doing that." He stepped closer, and, to his relief, Vlad stayed put. He put a hand on the other man's shoulder. "You tell me I'm selfish; and you're right. But you—you're the most selfless person I know."
He tugged at the arm until Vlad turned to face him. He was covering his mouth and nose, and looked utterly lost.
"You don't deserve to suffer like this," Robin said quietly. He dropped his hand. "Please? Let me do this for you?"
Vlad looked at him for a long moment, and then said under his breath, somewhat enigmatically: "Whoever made freckles ought to burn in hell."
Robin smelled victory. "It's worth a try, at least. And if you don't like it, or it feels too awful, we can always stop."
The vampire stared at him in disbelief. "Did you really just say that?"
"I'm not kidding," Robin stressed.
"As if I somehow wouldn't like…." Vlad licked his lips. "The problem is whether I'd stop at all." His face tightened. "What if I seriously hurt you? I couldn't live with myself."
"You'll stop," Robin said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You'd never be able hurt me. I know that for a fact."
"What happens if I take too much? If you wear the necklace, you can't rely on turning into a vampire if things get too…. And if you don't wear it, well." Vlad looked horrified at the thought. "I'm not biting you at all."
"This is progress," Robin grinned. "You're considering it."
"I am not," Vlad denied, scandalized. "And why are you smiling? We're discussing your immanent death, here."
"Because I realize that I forgot to tell you something else about the necklace," Robin said.
Vlad crossed his arms. "What?"
Robin reached for the amulet, lifting it to the light as he said, "The Amulet of Ecranare offers absolute protection to its wearer from vampires. You can't force me to do anything I don't want to do. If you go too far, I can use this necklace to fight back."
After another excruciating minute Vlad said, very slowly, "And you promise you're telling me the truth? About preventing the transformation?"
"You know I'm a terrible liar," Robin reminded him. "As long as I'm wearing it, you can't hurt me. You can't even touch me without my permission."
Vlad seemed skeptical.
"Why don't you just try," Robin drawled, leaning back and bracing himself on the bed with his hands.
Vlad raised an eyebrow, then without warning sped forward until they were standing knee-to-knee. Robin couldn't quite stop himself from flinching. The vampire held out a finger and tapped Robin gently on the forehead, then crossed his arms with a smug look. "I think the amulet's powers might have been slightly exaggerated."
Robin scowled. "You caught me by surprise, that's all. Do it again." Vlad rolled his eyes, but decided to humor him. After all, what could it hurt?
He reached again for Robin's temple, but this time, found that he was unable to move his hand any closer than about an inch, as if his fingers were blocked by an invisible force field. Robin grinned, as Vlad pressed forward as hard as he could.
After a second, the field budged and his hand finally made contact. Though Vlad had clearly put all of his strength into it, the touch could barely count as a tap.
"That's what happens when I let you," Robin said, feeling terribly pleased with himself. "You lucky vampire, you."
Vlad's stomach growled again. The two of them glanced down at it, then at each other. Vlad's expression was unreadable.
"Okay," he said, finally. "You win."
Robin blinked. "Really?"
Vlad sat on the bed beside his companion. "...Yes."
