Chapter 3

The savory smell of food was what roused Alfred from his sleep. He took a deep breath, enjoying the scent, then let out a yawn as he stretched. The fatigue from his treatments was no longer present and he smiled lazily as he felt his back pop. When he opened his eyes he noticed the world was a blur and that something warm was on him. He looked down to notice a colorful blob was on him and registered it to be the blanket he kept in the front room. He pulled it back, then looked around in an attempt to find his glasses. He patted the couch then the floor, and then the table where he found them resting. He didn't remember taking them off, but he didn't remember the blanket either, which brought him to the conclusion that his new roommate was responsible.

At the mention of said roommate he figured he was the cause of the delicious scent, which was perplexing. As Alfred stood up from the couch he recalled that vampires didn't eat anything outside of blood. He walked through the front room to get to the kitchen and found Ivan pouring a red liquid into a bowl. He looked down at the table to see a plate of food already there. Chicken and rice with a side of mixed vegetables covered the plate and he stepped forward to eat a piece of chicken.

"Have a seat. Everything's ready," Ivan said without turning around and Alfred just nodded and complied.

He took up the fork resting on the table and gave a short "Thanks." before digging in. Alfred found his eyes growing large as the full flavor of chicken and rice registered and he felt surprised at how good it tasted. He wasn't expecting much, but he was fully impressed and couldn't stop eating it. Though as he ate, he didn't ignore Ivan. Alfred looked over his glasses, getting a mostly blurry image of Ivan eating whatever was in the bowl. Ivan still had the same level of grace he did when he walked up the stairs as he ate. Ivan didn't seem like the type to hold such grace, but Alfred guessed it was due to him being a vampire.

"What is that?" Alfred asked without thinking and Ivan paused.

"It's blood soup," he replied. "Well, more blood than soup."

Alfred raised his eyebrows at hearing that, but then smiled and went back to eating. Throughout the silent meal Alfred kept looking up at Ivan, but it didn't go unnoticed.

"Is something wrong?" Ivan asked after finishing his "soup".

"O-Oh, no," Alfred said as he felt his face heat up at getting caught. "Sorry, it's just… you're so…" Alfred trails off as Ivan looks right at him and Ivan just looks at him with interest. "I know a few vampires, but none of them look so…"

"Creepy?" Ivan suggested, it was a usual description of his person and he'd grown accustomed to it

Alfred scoffed and shook his head.

"No no no, elegant—I mean, stoic!"

Alfred rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and Ivan smiled at him.

"Thank you."

"Nothing of it."

Silence overcame them once more, and Ivan took that moment to get up and clean his bowl. Alfred found himself watching the vampire, examining the way he moved and how his muscles moved on his back as he washed his dishes. It seemed surreal to have another person in his home that wasn't his brother, and even more so knowing that Ivan was his nurse 'til death.

'Heh, 'til death…' Alfred smiled at implications of his words then sighed and pushed his plate out of his way—A few carrots remained on it, but nothing more. The ironic choice of words just reminded him of his own mortality and what finer points of life he would be missing out on, but he did his best to push it aside. He never liked dwelling on what if's and could be's, especially now.

"Are you alright? Should I take you to your room?" Ivan asked as he stood before Alfred.

Alfred shook his head then straightened up in his seat.

"I'm good, honest. I just…" Alfred paused to consider his words as he rubbed the back of his neck. "How… will this go? Like, you being there for me?"

Ivan took a moment to process the question then gave a hum as he took to sitting down at the table.

"I will give you medications, cleanse your blood during attacks, do chores, etc. I don't wish to annoy you or stress you out, I wish to make your life peaceful. As you get older you'll start to notice the effects of Taint, your episodes becoming more frequent, and I'll be with you 24/7, even if you grow to resent me."

"Why would I resent you?" Alfred asked, not seeing the reasoning behind Ivan's words.

"I am a vampire Alfred. I could very well be the cause of a patient's Taint, or so I've been told by some patients. It's very easy to see why you'd come to resent me." Ivan said as he looked at Alfred thoughtfully.

"O-Oh," Alfred stammered as it finally clicked in his head. "Well… That's stupid to blame you when it could have been others. And I don't care, I think you're pretty—um… cool… And I'm happy to have you here. Better than getting leeches on my nipples when I can have you," Alfred said firmly though when he looked at Ivan the man just stared at him in surprise. It was then that Alfred played his words in his head and realized what he had done and felt his face heat up. "You know what I mean… though, if you wanna—"

Ivan had a chuckle escape him before he could even reign it in and put a hand over his mouth. Alfred gawked at him as he witnessed this and felt his heart racing.

"I know what you mean," Ivan said assuringly, then stood up from the table. "Now, I believe it's time for your medications."

"Okay, I'll be here then…"

Ivan gave a nod as a soft smile remained on his lips and Alfred couldn't help but watch him go. He followed him with eyes, though once Ivan was too far gone he sighed and dragged his eyes back to his plate. He poked at the carrots as he found himself at a loss. He didn't know what to think or rather if he should. Ivan was his nurse, but a very hot nurse, and that laugh from earlier was—

'Stop thinking about it!'

Alfred slumped in his chair and wondered how in the hell he would survive. If his illness didn't take him out, then his heart surely would.

*This was a bit short, but there's still more to come and longer chapters! I don't have a schedule for this story though. Work is ridiculous and free time is small, but I promise I'll finish it! I haven't left a story unfinished yet and i don't plan to start now!*