Heart Still Beats
Nathan grabbed Julias hand, still trying not to faint. “Don’t touch the venom, we don’t know what it is.”
“Well what the fuck attacked you?” Julia asked, trying to figure out what the liquid was from afar.
“Fuck!” Jack twisted. “We don’t know, it was like a fucking snake monster fucker! Ahh!” He screamed again.
“I’ll – I’ll get the books!” Celia stuttered, then wisped away to the shelf.
“He isn’t healing.” Julia commented.
“We know and he says it burns.” Nathan starts to gain some strength back, but it could also be the adrenaline. Jack groans in pain and fights to not thrash around, knowing he’d hurt someone with his strength. “Can’t you call your cousin, isn’t he a doctor or something?”
“He’s an EMT, and he doesn't know about vampires or witchcraft!” Julia panics with Nathan. Their energies often matched. “You want I should expose all of this to him!” She waves around the situation.
“I don’t know!” Nathan exclaims, Jack whining and twitching in pain below him.
“Here.” Celia places some books down. “This one is that knew one you got from The Alley about monsters and creatures and shit.” She shoves the book into Nathan’s hands. He rips it open, looking for the creature that did this. Jack twitches in pain and his hand smacks into the book, sending it flying.
“Fuck!” The pain sears his body. It feels like he’s standing on the sun. “Fuck!” Jack cries out. Julia reaches over and grabs the book, flipping through the pages.
“I know, I know it hurts. I’m sorry.” Nathan apologizes. “I’m sorry.” Nathan starts to cry; he leans down and touches his forehead to Jacks. “I’m so sorry.” A tear falls from his face and lands on Jacks cheek.
“Ah!” He winces. “Don’t be.” He chuckles through the pain. “Look at this way, I saved you this time.” Jack whispers. Nathan pulls back and cups Jacks cheek, looking down at him and remembering all the times they had been attacked by something and Jack was hurt or put in harm’s way and Nathan saved him. “Super Jack – Argh!” He wailed as another wave of flame pushed through him.
“Nunc Dormies.” Julia waved her hand over Jack and he fell asleep in an instant. “Sorry, I needed to find a way to slow his blood flow.” She explained when Nathan gave her a look.
“Why?”
“Here.” She turns the book to him. “You said it was a snake thing right?” The picture in the book looked similar to the creature from the alley. Nathan nodded. “Then it looks like it was a Basume. It’s a type of shape-changer, like a werewolf – only not tied to the phases of the moon.”
“Gross.” Celia said, looking at the book as well she read more about the creature. “It says it’s venom causes a burning; searing pain and the only antidote is Troll – gross.” She doesn’t read the next line out loud.
“Sperm.” Julia frowns in disgust at the antidote. Nathan gags.
“You’re shitting me, there has to be another way.” He says.
“Well, we could bleed him out in the tub. But that could take a while.” Celia offers.
“Unless you want to go jerk off a Troll.” Julia says. “I think one lives over in Grimwood Park down in Crescentwood.”
“Help me get him to the tub.” Nathan reaches under Jack and the girls assist. They walk him into the bathroom, Jacks pants sliding as they set him in the tub revealing his skin and pubic area.
“By the way, why are his pants down?” Celia repeats her question from earlier. Nathan glares at her.
“Don’t worry about it.” He tries to brush it off. Julia doesn’t let him.
“Thought you said you two were done, for real this time.” Julia cocked a brow as she went and grabbed some rags and peroxide. “Or is this a repeat of July 4th weekend?” She referenced to the weekend shortly after their breakup where Nathan had slipped and the two… “reconnected”.
“Now’s not the time.” He snatched the supplies out of Julias hands. “Now get out so I can clean him up.” Nathan instructed with a bit of sass in his voice.
“Sure.” Julia quipped. “Celia let’s go clean Jacks blood out of the carpet before it sets.” Celia faded out and Julia walked to the door, before exiting the bathroom she turned to Nathan, “It’s okay to still love him. You were together for seven years.” Julia reminded Nathan.
“I know.” She left the room, closing the door.
Nathan ripped off what was left of Jacks shirt, revealing his wounds. They didn’t seem as bad now, maybe he had started to heal some. Nathan turned on the water, setting it low, and started to clean up his chest. Jack looked so peaceful when he slept, he always had. The rise and fall of his chest, slow moving dreaming eyes beneath his eyelids, the sound of his steady breath were still all so familiar.
They’d dated their senior year. Jack was on the football team, which explained his broad, strong chest and his strong, meaty thighs. His tight, round bottom. Nathan shook his head to clear the thoughts while he continued to clean the wounds best he could. With that done, he went to the next step.
“Sorry about this part Jack.” Nathan said to the sleeping man. He pulled the rest of his clothes off and tossed them to the side. Nathan turned the showerhead on, then magickly made two incisions, one on each wrist. He whispered a spell to keep him bleeding, Jack needed to bleed the venom out of his system. Jack winced in his sleep at the pain, but didn’t wake back up. As the blood poured, the viscous, opaque venom did too, running down the drain.
As Jack slowly bled, Nathan remembered more.
Nathan and Jack had broken up after senior year because Nathan wanted to leave Northbridge to go to college and Jack wanted to stay here. It put them at light odds, but Nathan dropped out after two years and came back home. He ran into Jack and they rekindled their relationship. They had been together from then until February of this year, when Jack had gone off and gotten turned.
“Oh you big asshole.” Nathan whispered as he waved a hand, assisting with the blood flow. Looking at Jack, who barely fit in the tub at six foot two, Nathan found himself lingering his gaze a touch too long at Jacks groin. “Now that I miss.” Nathan joked to himself, laughing. Jack would laugh too if he were awake.
It was a half joke as Nathan did miss Jacks length. He missed his touch, his taste, his…everything.
Nathan remembered…
*****
Nathan rolled over and Jack slid under him, their tongues rolling over each other’s. Jacks hand wormed up and grasped Nathans plump chest. “Ohhhh.” He moaned into Jacks mouth. He lowered his own hand, tracing his fingers down Jacks abdomen stopping at the beginning of the happy trail on his lower stomach.
“Ahh.” Jack cooed at the sensation. It tickled him. “You know what that does to me.” Jack grinned and wrapped his hands around Nathans body, flipping them over so he was on top of Nathan. He leaned back and started pulling his pants down, bending down and using his teeth to pull the waistband of his underwear.
“And you know what that does to me.” Nathan arched into Jacks bite. Jack took in a deep breath; Nathans scent filled his lungs.
“Mm.” Jack commented, pulling the last of Nathans clothes off. He loved the sight of his boyfriend below him. “Fuck.” He dove back down, taking Nathans nipple into his mouth.
Nathan yipped in pleasure as Jack began his work. Nathans nipples were extra sensitive, his weakness, that Jack loved to exploit. “Jack…” Nathan moaned in a whisper. He clenched the sheets as one of Jacks hands traveled south and spread his legs apart, pressing into him slowly. “Oh, Jack…” He whispered again.
“Nathan…” Jack whispered back. “Nathan…” He repeated.
*****
“Nathan.” Jack mumbled, rousing Nathan from his memories. He blinked his eyes open. “Why am I naked?” He tries to move but winces as he does. “And why are my wrists slit open!” Alarm takes his eyes.
“I didn’t want to get your clothes wet, and I needed you to bleed the venom out.” Nathan explains, trying to calm him. “Don’t move, I don’t want your blood to start moving the venom back around.”
“Why does my blood even move.” He groans, shifting slowly in the tub, the water bouncing off of him. “Shouldn’t my heart not beat.”
“Heh, heh.” Nathan chuckles. “Misconception about vampirism. Heart still beats.” Nathan pats Jacks arm. Jack smiles. “How do you feel?”
“Weak.” Jack responds.
“Well most of your blood is in the pipes.” Nathan gestures to the blood flowing down the drain. “You’re starting to heal though.” Nathan notices the wounds on his side and shoulder start to mend, stitch themselves back together.
“Yay.” Jack groans. Nathan turns the water off.
“Here.” Nathan snaps his fingers, releasing the spell keeping his wrists open. They heal almost instantly. “I’ll go get you some clean clothes.” He stands up.
“You still have some of my things?” Jack raises a brow.
“I…may have kept a sweatshirt or two.” Nathan admits. He had. He’d kept several actually. He throws him a towel.
“You wouldn’t prefer me like this?” He asks, color and strength starting to return to his body. He perks up.
“I…” Nathan doesn’t answer. “You can stay here tonight.”
“Mmm, sleepover. We can continue what we started in the alley.” He suggests.
“You’ll sleep on the couch.” Nathan rolls his eyes.
“But where will Celia sleep? Who’ll keep you warm?” Jack stands up, drying his hair and face with the towel. His body glistening with the water, his penis sitting enticingly by his thigh. He drags the towel down his body and dries himself, catching his groin with the towel and holding it as he moves the fabric around wiping the water away.
“I’ll get an extra blanket, and Celia doesn’t sleep but if she did she’d sleep in the Ether.” Nathan thought about it. “Or something.” Nathan looked away. “I’ll be right back with clean clothes.”
“I’ll wait here.” Jack wrapped the towel around his body.
Nathan stepped out of the bathroom and saw Julia sitting on the couch with Celia, they were watching TV. “Got the blood out I see.” He nodded at the ground.
“Oh, I magicked it away. I made Celia come with me so you could have some time with your boyfriend.” Julia popped a popcorn into her mouth.
“Yeah, we were being good roomies.” Celia nodded.
“Ex boyfriend.” Nathan said.
“Mhm.” Julia said looking Nathan up and down.
“Ex.” He repeated. She smiled and Nathan went to his room. Reaching into his closet he pulled out some of the clothes he’d kept when Jack moved out. A dark sweater with Jacks old number on it. “83…” He whispered breathing in the scent that lingered on it. He went to a drawer and got some of his own sweatpants out. They’d be too short for Jack, but wide enough. Nathan was bigger than Jack in the stomach, but Jack was wide and taller so they were able to wear the same shirts and tops sometimes. He went back to the bathroom where Jack was sitting on the tub ledge, waiting.
“I was wondering where that went.” He remarked as Nathan held the clothes out.
“Yeah, I found it in the back of my closet a few weeks ago. I meant to get it back to you.” He lied.
“No you didn’t.” Jack called him out. Nathan never was able to hid anything from him. He’d figured out he was a Witch before he told him, figured out he liked him before he told him, Jack knew everything about Nathan. Nathan knew everything about Jack.
“I’ll get you some pillows and blankets.” Nathan said. “Get dressed.”
“You really want me to?” Nathan ignored him and stepped back out of the bathroom.
“He’s up and getting dressed.” Nathan said to the girls stepping into the hall, opening the linen closet. He pulled out what he needed.
“Well, guess that means it’s time for bed.” Julia turned off the TV and stood up.
“Guess so.” Celia agreed. “I mean, if I did sleep.” She stood.
“Where do you go by the way?” Nathan asked as he walked over to the couch, motioning for Julia to help him pull the bed out.
“What do you mean?” She asked.
“When you, you know…poof away.” Nathan pulled the last cushion off and grabbed the handle.
“Oh, it’s just the ghostly plane.” Celia informed.
“Really?” Julia asked as she helped make the bed. “I didn’t realize that’s where you went. What’s it like?”
“Like this world, but a greyish blue.” She looked around the room. “Other ghosts wandering around. Some lost, bound there, unable to cross over like me.”
“Hm.” Nathan finished the bed and Jack came out of the bathroom, hair brushed and wearing a grin. “You’re beds’ ready.” Nathan told him.
“Nice to see you again by the way Jack.” Celia spoke to him.
“Good to see you too.” He walked over to her and patted her shoulder. “That feels weird.” He commented. Though Celia was corporeal, it still felt odd to touch her. It felt like touching air, or more accurately nothing. It was hard to describe.
“You’ve no idea.” She nodded. “Well, I’m off to the ghostly plane.” She said waving goodbye.
“See you tomorrow.” Julia waved back and Nathan nodded. Jack saluted.
“And I’ll see you both tomorrow too. I’m gonna go take a shower before bed.” Julia darted her eyes between Nathan and Jack. They both smiled at her as she walked by. “Goodnight Jack.” She said, he responded in kind. Julia went to her room and to use her bathroom which was untouched by the mess of the night.
“How do you feel?” Nathan asked Jack again in the awkward silence.
“Weak.” Jack said, his jokey demeanor gone and replaced by a slumped shoulder and light frown. Out of character for him.
“After a nights rest-” Nathan stopped mid-sentence. A good night’s rest wouldn’t fix him. Jack was probably running on fumes. Nathan contemplated whether or not he should offer him some of his blood. Jack could be trusted, so that wasn’t the issue, but giving Jack his blood could open a door. The experience could be considered sensual and erotic under the right circumstance, but Jack needed something fresh to get back to full strength. “Here.” He outstretched his arm.
“I’ll be fine. In the morning I’ll head back home and I’ll get a blood bag. I’ve got some in the fridge.” Jack tried not to take the offer, but his fangs descended and gave him away. “Shit, sorry.” He turned away embarrassed.
“Jack it’s fine, you need to drink so you can heal.” Nathan stepped around the couch-bed and stretched his arm back out to Jacks turned back. “Turn around.”
Jack slowly turned and his blue eyes had turned dark with the hunger. His fangs sticking out and his mouth hanging open. “Are you sure?” He asked in a dark, low voice. He reached out and grabbed Nathans arm, his touch was colder than usual.
“I’ll melt your brain if you take too much.” Nathan smiled. Jack laughed and inched his mouth closer to Nathans wrist. Jack gave him another look and he nodded. He glazed his fangs across Nathans skin and it sent a shiver across him. With a final look, Jack slowly, softly, sank his teeth into Nathans flesh. “Ahh.” Nathan breathed out a sigh. It didn’t hurt or pinch. It just felt like a light pressure. The wetness of Jacks tongue and lips clamping on him to prevent any blood from escaping.
Jack drank slowly and carefully and as he did the color and warmth returned to his skin. Strength seeped back into his muscles. He groaned as the sweet taste of Nathan’s magickal blood filled him up. Blood tasted good to Jack – to any vampire - on its’ own, but the blood of a Witch tasted like chocolate strawberries, like sweet vanilla cake, like the most divine wine. Jack pulled off when he felt strong enough to make it home the next day.
“Ahh.” He breathed out in pleasure, licking he scarlet color from his lips. His eyes returning to their light blue.
“Huh.” Nathan took in a short breath and rolled his head, feeling the aftereffects of the feeding. Two droplets of blood forming on the puncture wounds.
“Here.” Jack pricked a finger on his fang and then rubbed a drop of his own blood on the bite marks. They closed up in seconds.
“Thanks.” Nathan said as Jack licked the blood up, leaving clean skin behind. A shiver ran down his spine, a good one.
“Thank you.” He said, looking down into Nathans eyes. Nathan felt a pull towards him. Hopefully it was the blood. Jack leaned down.
“Jack.” Nathan took a step back.
“Come on, we can finish what we started in the alley. You know, before we got interrupted.” He stepped closer and reached down, grabbing Nathans hand softly. It felt warm again.
“We can’t, what happened earlier was a mistake.” Nathan tried to convince him as well as himself.
“Fine. If you say so.” Jack backed away, knowing better than to piss Nathan off or push him too hard. He knew he’d never win him back that way.
“Sorry, I don’t mean that you are a mistake, just-”
“Us.” Jack finished his thought.
“Jack.” Nathan muttered. “I love you.” He said the words for the first time out loud in a while. “I do…but.... but I also meant what I said. We don’t have a future. We aren’t good for each other anymore.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“I don’t either sometimes.” Nathan said blankly. “But I need to. And I need you to also, so that I can.”
“What if I don’t want to.” Jack got into the bed.
“If you love me,” Nathan walked towards the bathroom door. “you will.” He told him, opening the door and going in.
Nathan stripped down and got in the shower, cleaning the day off of him. He could feel Jack laying on the couch-bed in the living room, looking at the ceiling. An after effect of the feeding and blood swapping. He was at no risk of turning, Jack would have had to drain far more than the few mouthfuls, then give him more than a drop or two of his blood. He’d then have to be killed and buried. No one really knew why that was the process, but it was.
Nathan got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around himself, stepping into his bedroom using his adjoining door. He got dressed and into his own bed, mirroring Jacks position in bed. He could feel Jack wasn’t asleep, but had turned to face the wall to his room.
He suddenly felt lonely and it wasn’t any kind of vampiric trick. It was one of the heart. He rolled over, facing the window and letting out a breath.
“Jack.” Nathan whispered and in seconds, Jack was in his room, taking off his shirt and climbing into his bed. “This doesn’t mean anything.” He told him.
“Okay.” Jack whispered back, wrapping his arms around Nathan. Neither of them believed it.
*****
“Thank you.” Julia told the waiter as he sat their food down. She and Nathan had decided to go out to eat for lunch today. Nathan had woken up early enough to sneak Jack out before anyone noticed he was in Nathans bed. And he wasn’t going to tell anyone that he had been. “So I noticed Jacks’ bed was made this morning, almost like no one had slept in it.” But it seemed Julia figured it out.
“He woke up early and made it I guess.” Nathan tried to play it off, taking a bite of his food. “He was gone when I got up today.”
“Hmm.” She shrugged taking a bite of her own food in a playful way. The air was odd, tense, Nathan could tell she was going to say something else. He knew it. “You know-”
“What Julia?” Nathan said in an exasperated kind of way. She was championing for them to get back together, tried to convince Nathan not to break up with Jack in the first place, but Nathan had more reasons than just the immortal-mortal ones.
“Plenty of Vampires and mortals date, and it’s very fulfilling.”
“Yeah, until one day, I’m 45 and he’s still 26.” Nathan breathed out agitation. “And the immortality reason wasn’t the only reason we broke up, I didn’t want him to become a Vampire-”
“Okay, but you can’t stop him from making his own choices.” Julia interrupted.
“Sure, fine, and maybe I could’ve grown to be okay with it. Maybe I could’ve found peace with my eternally youthful boyfriend. Become some kind of sliver daddy, but there were…other reasons. Compatibility reasons we’ll say.” Nathan was embarrassed to talk about some of the other reasons they broke up, so he didn’t. He hadn’t told Julia everything yet.
“Compatibility? You two love each other. You’ve known each other since what? Middle school? You’re compatible.” She argued.
“It…was a physical thing.” Nathan felt himself grow red. He didn’t really want to talk about that, but he knew Julia. She wasn’t going to let it go.
“What? The fangs? Bloodlust? It’s been a few months. He’s got a handle on it now.”
“Drop it Julia.” He insisted, his face now red like a crayon.
“Oh.” She began to piece it together. “He can’t get it up?” Maybe she hadn’t. “I’ve heard about that. Sometimes when a Vampire turns, it just stays dead.” She eludes to Jacks penis with a gesture to her own crotch. “You could try topping you know.”
“That is – Julia – Uhm.” Nathan stuttered, fumbled over his words and thoughts, not knowing how to respond to the statement. He cleared his throat. “His ‘penis’’” He whispered the word, “was not the issue. Trust me, and we did try to spice things up. Change some things around but it…uhm…in the first few weeks before we broke up his…strength…got the better of him.”
“Better of him?” She asked, puzzled. Nathan nodded and gave her a look that told her without him saying the words. “Oh!” Her hands flew up to her mouth to stifle a giggle. “You mean he broke your ass.” She said in shock.
“Shhh.” Nathan swatted at her. “Someone might hear.” She apologized. “And no, it wasn’t my ass…it was my coccyx…and my thigh…then my pelvis, nose, finger a few times. And he…strangled my…”
“With his-”
“Yes.”
“Oh my god.” Julia gasped. “How did you…”
“He gave me his blood after. Healed me up, but every time something happened it just reminded me how different he is now. How he isn’t the Jack I thought I’d grow old with.” Nathan told her.
“Sorry,” She bit her lip to keep from laughing. “I’m really trying not to laugh.”
“Thank you.” His best friend.
“But it’s just…it’s a little funny.”
“Kind of.” Nathan nodded slowly, letting the funniness in hindsight roll in. The friends chuckled at the situation. “Anyway, what really caused the breakup wasn’t just that and the immortality it was an argument we had just before the end.” Nathan hadn’t told her this part yet either. He was afraid he was being irrational, but he was allowed to feel the way he felt.
“What happened?” Julia took another bite.
“Well, he told me his reasoning for turning.” He began but didn’t get to finish, because before he could say the next words he felt a hand clasp around his neck.
“Ahh!” Several people started to scream and scatter in fear.
The hand twisted Nathan around to face him and a gruff voice spoke, “Oh, I’m gonna enjoy this.” A Vampire flashed his fangs and his eyes darkened. He growled and he began to inch closer to Nathans neck, but Julia jumped into action.
“Ahh!” She yelled, stabbing a fork into his shoulder.
“Argh!” He winced in pain and surprise. “Bitch.” His grasp on Nathan loosened enough that he was able to wriggle free. The Vampire swung his arm out and smacked Julia to the ground, she yipped in pain.
“Mother fucker!” Nathan croaked, his throat sore. “Ignis!” He waved a hand and the Vampires’ arm burst into flames.
“Son of a bitch!” He exclaimed, the flames dancing, climbing up his arm.
“Ungh!” Nathan threw his arm, sending the Vampire flying away from him with telekinetic force. He slammed into a table landing on his back, crashing the surface to the ground. Nathan stood up, helping Julia. “Are you okay?” She nodded, asking the same. “I’m fine, find a stake.” Nathan raised his arm and flared his hand out, squeezing the Vampire down. He wriggled and roared, trying to break free of the magickal restraints. The fire had gone out when he soared across the café. “Who are you? What do you want?” Nathan asked, approaching the Vampire.
“Please don’t kill me, I just wanted the cash!” He struggled.
“Cash?” Nathan was puzzled.
“Found some wood!” Julia screamed as she rushed onto the Vampire and sunk it deep into his chest, piercing his heart.
“Julia, no! Wait!” Nathan tried to stop her, but it was too late. The Vampire gasped in pain, looking at Julia, then to the makeshift wooden stake in his chest.
“Fuck…” His last words slipped from his mouth as he started to wither, his body decaying rapidly until all that was left behind was dust, and a bone or two. Most Vampires turned to dust completely, but some younger ones left behind pieces of themselves.
“Ah-ha! Got the fucker!” Julia took a hero pose. “Why don’t you look happy? You should be happy; I killed the Vamp who tried to kill you.”
Nathans look was one of agitation and confusion. What had the Vampire meant by ‘I just wanted the cash’.
