Archive of Our Own

Darkness Man could feel Zaeth watching him as he locked the doors to the subterranean chambers. He glanced over his shoulder to find the other vampire trying to maintain his usual nonchalance while awkwardly balancing the stack of papers and bulky computer in his arms.

"Boy scout…" Zaeth muttered. The teasing remark held a hint of affection to it instead of the usual disdain.

Darkness Man turned to face his companion, and Zaeth's stance shifted to something more defensive. The other vampire always seemed to be itching for a fight, an instinct the superhero hoped to undermine with some friendly words.

"Good work down there…grabbing the evidence and such…" he said. "We make a pretty good team."

Zaeth's jaded expression softened at this statement, and his affected slouch straightened ever so slightly. "Yeah…I guess we do."

Darkness Man hadn't expected the other vampire to take the investigation as seriously as he had. Sure, there had been that brief impulsive moment with the mysterious key beneath the footprint symbol, but Darkness Man might have done the same given the circumstances. Zaeth was usually the kind to cut and run when things got difficult, but tonight was different. Tonight, the spoiled rebel was focused and competent when it mattered most.

"We should probably meet up with the others and tell them what we found," Darkness Man said.

Zaeth nodded and started toward the stairs.

"Wait," Darkness Man called softly as they passed the bathrooms. "We should probably pop into the bathroom before we head back upstairs. Mess it up a little, so it looks like we used it."

"You don't think they'll buy our story?" Zaeth inquired. "But you ordered all those Sprites. It's all buttoned up, remember?"

Darkness Man sighed, patience wearing thin. Apparently Zaeth became more annoying the closer they got to the surface. He was missing the tolerable subterranean version of his companion already.

"It'll just take a minute."

Zaeth rolled his eyes. "Ugh, fine…"

Darkness Man opened the door to the men's room and ambled inside, ducking to avoid hitting his head on the doorframe. The small single stall bathroom was sparse but relatively clean. A shabby toilet stood in the corner with a rust stained sink beside it. A fluorescent light flickered above, illuminating the tight space with an eerie yellow glow.

Darkness Man had just taken a few steps over the threshold when he felt something collide with his backside. He stumbled forward, turning to find Zaeth shuffling through the door behind him.

"What are you doing?" he hissed.

"Popping into the bathroom," the shorter man replied. "This was your idea, remember?"

Darkness Man glared as Zaeth plopped the papers and computer on top of a wobbly garbage can. The other man seemed oblivious to his discomfort, bare muscular arms brushing against the larger vampire who tried in vain to put distance between them.

"I didn't mean at the same time!" he protested.

Zaeth's gaze slid up to his, one brow lifting. "You said we. What was I supposed to think?"

"I dunno," Darkness Man stammered, feeling his cold, necrotic cheeks heat at this valid question. "I just figured it was common sense…it being a single stall and all…"

Zaeth frowned. "Why are you being such a prude? It's not like you came in here to actually take a piss."

The flustered superhero tried to take a step back, bumping into the sink with a groan. Zaeth's snark always caught him off guard, and the close proximity wasn't helping with that particular issue.

"I'm not being a prude," Darkness Man insisted. "It's just a really small bathroom, and there's not a lot of room for two people…"

Zaeth took in their surroundings, his other brow lifting as he finally noticed just how cramped the space was. The shark tooth hanging from his ear glinted in the fluorescent light.

"I suppose that's true," he conceded. "And you're bigger than most."

His sunglasses slid down his nose as his attention shifted to Darkness Man once more. He let his gaze trail down the larger man's body, pupils expanding in hungry assessment.

"Damn, you're fucking tall," Zaeth murmured, a bit breathless as he contemplated their nearly two foot height difference. "You must have a massive cock."

Darkness Man prayed he hadn't fed enough to properly blush. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Why would you say that?"

Zaeth smirked and leaned a little closer. "Just curious…"

"Curious?" the other man replied, spiraling.

"So how big is it?" Zaeth persisted. "I bet you're hung like a horse."

Darkness Man was too tongue tied to form a clever retort. "Like a horse? What? Are you…like… into that, you fucking pervert?"

Zaeth grinned. "Absolutely I am."

"Goddammit," Darkness Man muttered, annoyed by how easily the other vampire deflected the accusation. He needed to regain control of the situation fast. "Just…go wait for me in the hallway. I'll mess the bathroom up a little, so we can get the hell out of here."

"But…" Zaeth started to protest, but the words died on his tongue when the Nosferatu glared down at him.

"Get out."

Zaeth's breath hitched at this stern command, and his eyes darted down before reluctantly retreating toward the door. "Alright, alright…"

Shuffling footsteps echoed in the corridor beyond. Darkness Man panicked, quickly darting forward as Zaeth started to pull the door open.

"What are doing?" Zaeth asked, confused by the urgency with which the other vampire slammed the door shut and turned the lock. "I thought you wanted me to leave."

"There's someone outside," Darkness Man told him, voice a low rumble. "You can't leave now…or they'll wonder why the two of us are in here together."

Zaeth seemed amused by his distress. "I fail to see the issue here. You just said we need to make it look like we used the bathroom."

Darkness Man had been too focused on identifying the muffled sounds on the other side of the door, and it took him several moments to interpret his companion's words. When he finally glanced down, Zaeth had turned to face him, leaning against the door with a knowing smirk.

"Although…you didn't specify what we were using the bathroom for in this hypothetical situation."

Green eyes peered over sunglasses, a glint of mischief mingling with something far more dangerous—lust. Darkness Man suddenly became aware of the way he loomed over the smaller man, arms caging him in against the door. Zaeth seemed quite pleased to be cornered, eager prey smiling up at a reluctant predator.

The superhero froze in shock as realization dawned. "You think we should pretend we are having sex in a diner bathroom?"

"Well, it would certainly make a convincing cover for why we've been down here for so long," Zaeth replied. His tone was casual, but his hand trembled as he reached up to pull down the cloth covering the other man's mouth.

The Nosferatu felt exposed without this thin barrier. He had grown accustomed to hiding, and he rarely showed his face to anyone but Bat Child. Even after all these years of undeath, the looks of revulsion still stung. He fully expected to see disgust in Zaeth's prying eyes, but much to his surprise, he found only lewd curiosity.

Darkness Man considered the other man carefully, uncertain whether this was a trap of some sort. There was no way the handsome vampire was actually flirting with him. He waited for the inevitable jibe, but instead, Zaeth's hand trailed down the taller man's torso in a lazy descent.

"Then again…" Zaeth murmured, voice compellingly husky. "Maybe we don't have to pretend."

Darkness Man clenched his fists, denting the steel door as he grappled with conflicting urges. Zaeth let his head tilt back, drawing the taller man's gaze to his lips.

A knock on the door broke the tension between them, and Darkness Man managed a strained reply. "Occupied!"

Zaeth's tongue slid across his lower lip, his fingers grasping the other man's trench coat. Darkness Man's cock twitched.

Another knock swiftly followed, louder and more urgent this time.

Darkness Man let out a frustrated growl. "Fuck off!"

Whatever muffled reply followed was ignored as he leaned down and wrapped a hand around the back of Zaeth's neck.

"We're gonna be awhile," Darkness Man murmured, more for the other vampire's benefit than the intruder outside.

Zaeth's eyes widened and a whimper spilled from his lips at this sordid promise. Mitch hungrily stifled the needy sound, their fanged mouths colliding in a savage kiss.

Zaeth gasped as Darkness Man shoved him against the door, stunned and aroused to discover just how much strength the larger vampire possessed. They pawed at each other in a frantic frenzy, snarling between ravenous kisses.

Zaeth was vaguely aware of a stranger complaining on the other side of the door, but that faint barrage of swear words was overshadowed by the filth tumbling from Darkness Man's mouth.

"Is this why you've been razzing me so much?" he rasped into the curve of Zaeth's throat. "Trying to get me riled up enough to fuck you?"

The smaller vampire's back arched as teeth grazed his collarbone. "I don't need to tease some masked crusader to get laid."

Darkness Man's mouth withdrew, dark eyes peering into Zaeth's very soul. After a moment of discerning silence, Zaeth felt a large hand encircle his throat, and he squirmed with pleasure and fear despite the fact that he didn't actually need to breathe.

"You're hot enough to fuck whoever you want," the other man murmured. "And yet you're so desperate for my attention…"

"Don't flatter yourself." Zaeth keened as Darkness Man's grasp tightened. His cock throbbed in his jeans. "Fuck…"

"Take these off," the Nosferatu grunted, indicating to the sunglasses still perched on the other man's nose.

Zaeth enthusiastically tossed the accessory aside. The lenses splintered as soon as they hit the tile wall. "Yes, daddy!"

Darkness Man paled at this epithet, and his hold on Zaeth's neck slackened. "Don't call me that. It's weird."

"Oh really?" Zaeth purred. "Because I think you like it when I call you daddy."

His hand snaked between them, caressing the Nosferatu's undeniable erection. Darkness Man bit back a moan, but his hips canted forward to prolong the friction.

Zaeth rewarded his desperation with a smug grin. "Pervert…"

Darkness Man released his hold on the smaller vampire's throat and took a step back, angry and embarrassed. "Says the spoiled brat who just wants to use me to work through his daddy issues."

Zaeth couldn't deny this. His sire's sorrowful face had haunted him since their arrival in Purpee. Koschei was always so understanding, always so hopeful that Zaeth might live up to his expectations. Zaeth was tired of feeling like a disappointment.

"If I'm such a brat," he mused, slowly lowering to his knees. "Then perhaps I'm in need of some discipline."

Darkness Man blinked a few times, stunned by Zaeth's eager submission. "Uh…discipline?"

Zaeth's fingers began to unfasten the other man's belt with practiced precision. "I thought punishment was sort of your whole gimmick."

The superhero struggled to form a response, mesmerized as dexterous fingers made short work of his button fly. "I mean…I punish wrongdoers and bring them to justice, but that's not really…"

Zaeth pulled a butterfly knife out of his vest and chucked it at the mirror. The glass shattered. "Oops…vandalism is a crime, isn't it? You better punish me."

Darkness Man's eyes darted between the broken mirror and the man kneeling before him. "You're insane!"

"I'm sorry for making such a mess, daddy," Zaeth continued, feigning remorse. "Let me make it up to you."

Darkness Man's baffled expression wavered when Zaeth pulled his cock out of his trousers. The kneeling vampire took a moment to admire the impressive length in his hand. While much of the Nosferatu's appearance would be considered grotesque by most, his massive erection was absolutely breathtaking. Zaeth's mouth watered as his wrapped his hands around it.

"Please, daddy," he whined, looking up at the superhero with what he knew was an irresistibly coy expression. "I'll be so good for you."

"I don't know about this," Darkness Man muttered under his breath as the other man gave his cock a teasing stroke. He looked conflicted, but his pupils were blown wide and pulse racing.

Already assured of his victory, Zaeth wrapped his lips around the other vampire's thick shaft. Darkness Man shuddered as Zaeth's mouth slowly engulfed his length, immediately relenting despite his earlier misgivings.

"Fuck," he growled. "You're way too fucking good at this."

Zaeth hummed around him, enticed by this hoarse praise. He took his time swallowing the larger man's cock, a daunting task considering how well endowed the Nosferatu was. When his lips finally reached its base, his gaze lifted, tears pricking at the edge of his eyes.

Darkness Man looked down at him with a strange reverence as though he didn't quite believe this was happening. His fingers tangled in Zaeth's blonde hair, keeping his cock buried deep in the other vampire's throat.

"If I had known this was the surest way to shut you up, I would have fucked your mouth a long time ago," Darkness Man rasped.

Zaeth's body shivered at these unexpectedly harsh words, and he gagged, saliva pooling in the corner of his mouth as he fought the reflex.

"Relax," Darkness Man commanded him, voice simmering with authority. "Let daddy do all the work."

Zaeth swallowed a moan as the imposing vampire began to fuck his mouth in earnest. For once Darkness Man didn't hold back, setting a rough and rabid pace. Heat flooded Zaeth's body. He felt hazy with lust, drunk on the bevy of salacious praise Darkness Man grunted with each deep thrust. He didn't have to think about anything in this moment. No regrets. No reliving his mistakes. No struggling to find his place in the world. There was only the hypnotic rhythm of Darkness Man using him for pleasure. He surrendered to the brutal bliss without a fight.

Soon Darkness Man's thrusts faltered, and Zaeth could sense his orgasm was drawing near. He braced himself for the big finish, but much to his dismay, the other vampire pulled him off his cock with an impatient snarl.

"Why'd you stop?" Zaeth's voice was gravelly, bee-stung lips forming a petulant pout.

"Don't worry," Darkness Man assured him, hoisting him onto unsteady feet. "I'm not done with you yet, brat."

Zaeth's erection strained against his tight jeans, anticipation swiftly replacing disappointment. He moaned when Darkness Man's hand found his throat once more, and he writhed like a cat in heat, aroused by the Nosferatu's unrelenting grasp.

"Fuck me, daddy…please!"

"You like that?" Darkness Man growled, his control nearly unraveling as his cock sank back into Zaeth's tight heat.

The Nosferatu had the shorter vampire bent over the bathroom sink, those maddeningly snug jeans pulled down his muscular thighs.

Zaeth gasped as Darkness Man thrust into him again. "Harder!"

Mitch palmed the other man's ass. The cheek already bore a pink hand print, a marking that would leave a delectable bruise in its wake.

"If you want me to fuck you harder, then you have to ask nicely," he said.

Zaeth wriggled beneath him, frustrated and aroused by this refusal. Broken glass crunched under his feet, shards of mirror reflecting fluorescent light.

"Harder, daddy…" Zaeth snarled through clenched teeth. "Please."

"That's more like it," Darkness Man murmured as he happily obliged this request.

Mitch was surprised by how easily he had fallen into this role. He knew this dynamic was probably toxic, but he found himself savoring the desperate lilt in Zaeth's voice as he begged for daddy's cock. He kind of liked wielding power over the vampiric nepo baby, and even more than that, he loved seeing Zaeth's guard drop for a change. Loved catching even a glimpse behind that carefully crafted bad boy facade.

"Touch yourself," he growled, clawed fingers latching onto the shorter man's hips. "Wanna watch you play with that pretty cock while I fuck you."

Zaeth scrambled to obey, fingers shaking as he took hold of his neglected member. He gave an experimental pump with one hand, the other clutching the sink hard enough that some of the porcelain started to crack.

"Fuck," Zaeth whined, teeth digging into his lower lip as he rutted into his hand.

Darkness Man leaned down to murmur in the other vampire's ear. His cock pistoned hard and deep, and Zaeth moaned loud enough that the superhero was certain they could hear it in the diner upstairs.

"I think I'm gonna come!"

Mitch let out a ravenous snarl at this confession, fangs brushing against the back of Zaeth's neck. "Come for me, brat. Tell this whole fucking diner who owns this ass when you do."

The chunk of porcelain in Zaeth's grasp dislodged from the sink entirely as he frantically fucked his own fist. Finally, he let out a jagged groan, his entire body shuddering as his orgasm struck.

"Daddy!"

Cum spattered all over the shards of porcelain and glass, painting the bowl of the rusty sink white. Darkness Man thrust into the smaller man a few more times before succumbing to his own climax, spilling his seed deep inside Zaeth's impossibly tight ass. They stood there for a few moments, bracing themselves against the busted sink as the adrenaline dissipated.

"Sorry," Mitch murmured after a prolonged silence. "I didn't mean to lose control like that…"

Zaeth glanced over his shoulder, brow furrowing as the other vampire's cock slipped out of him. "If that's you out of control, then I think you should let go more often."

Darkness Man plucked the bandana out of Zaeth's right pocket and clumsily tried to clean the mess dripping out of him. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No more than I wanted you to," Zaeth replied with a shrug.

The Nosferatu frowned as Zaeth started to pull up his jeans. He could sense the other man shutting him out again, and he wasn't ready to be on the other side of that shield just yet.

"Hey," he rumbled, hastily fastening his own trousers. He took hold of Zaeth's jean vest, turning him around and pulling him into his arms. "Thanks."

"You're so weird," Zaeth grumbled, a bit of his usual snark returning as he nuzzled into the taller vampire's broad chest. "We just raw dogged next to a toilet, and you're thanking me?"

Mitch would have blushed, but blood was already rushing south again. "Sorry I don't know the proper etiquette for this particular situation. I'm sure a pervert like you fucks in bathrooms all the time, but this is a first for me."

Zaeth grinned up at him. "You know…you have quite the dirty mouth for such a fucking prude."

"What can I say?" Darkness Man replied. "You bring out the worst in me, fucking brat."

The other vampire considered him for a moment. "On the contrary, I think I've only scratched the surface. Who knows the depths of depravity that lurk behind that mask of yours?"

The Nosferatu notched a finger under Zaeth's stubbled jaw. "Keep busting my balls, and you just might find out."

The shorter man's gaze dipped down to his mouth, and for a moment, Darkness Man thought Zaeth might kiss him again. Instead, he quickly looked away, studying the wreck they had made of the bathroom.

"Well, this should be convincing enough to explain where we've been for so long," Zaeth mused, gesturing to the busted sink and shattered mirror.

Darkness Man cringed, ashamed that they had decimated the diner's property in their frenzy. "Yeah, we should probably get the hell out of here before the person knocking earlier comes back."

Zaeth crept over to the door and peeked outside. Darkness Man picked up the bulky computer and awkwardly tried to hide it inside his trench coat.

"Coast is clear," Zaeth murmured, tucking the stack of papers under his arm before slipping out into the empty hallway.

The superhero followed closely behind him, trying in vain to walk naturally with his heavy burden. As they approached the stairs, he glanced up to find Zaeth smirking over his shoulder, one hand wrapped around the ladle.

"Hurry up, pervert patrol."

"I'm not a pervert," Darkness Man sighed. He ambled up the stairs behind the shorter man, distracted by the way denim clung to Zaeth's rear.

"Yes, you are," his companion replied affectionately. "And hung like a horse…just as I suspected."

"Shut your mouth!" Mitch hissed, terrified that someone might overhear them.

Zaeth looked back at him, a daring glint in those green eyes that had Darkness Man seriously considering dragging the man back downstairs for another round.

"Make me…daddy."

Zaeth followed the rest of the coterie into the diner, dragging his feet. He had tried to keep his distance from Darkness Man in the days since their subterranean investigation, but the memory of their tryst in the bathroom haunted him still.

He didn't like the strange hold the Nosferatu seemed to have over him, and while he had been intentionally avoiding the other vampire, a part of him was annoyed that Darkness Man hadn't sought him out for more. And instead of swallowing his pride and pursuing the man he desired, Zaeth had reverted to the tactic that usually got him what he wanted—sulking.

"Zaeth, are you okay?" Bat Child whispered as they slid into one of the large booths.

"Yeah, just in my feels about the Cold War again," he lied.

Much to Zaeth's dismay, Darkness Man slipped into the booth behind him, scooting across the vinyl seat until he was hunched right next him. The tall vampire looked comically large in the cramped environment, and Zaeth was reminded once again of their claustrophobic encounter in the basement.

"Oh, you two," Mama Angie stated as she approached the crowded table.

Zaeth and Darkness Man withered under her glare, and both of them muttered apologies.

"You gotta follow the ladle," she told them. "You can get lost down there."

"I freaked out," Zaeth replied, noticing the superhero's guilt stricken face. "I'm sorry."

LaVonte immediately swooped in to set things right with cold hard cash. While he and HJ did their best to appease the angry patroness, Zaeth ventured a glance at Darkness Man, but the other vampire's eyes were downcast, staring at the table as though he hoped it might swallow him up.

Some crisp benjamins seemed to put Mama Angie in a more forgiving mood, and when Madelaine ordered some merch, the diner owner returned to the table with a branded mug.

Zaeth eyed the drinking vessel with suspicion, and his pulse jumped when he read the motto emblazoned upon it: Mama Angie's: Good Food. Great Company. Never Go All the Way Downstairs.

"Wow, they really put it right on the mug," Madelaine mused.

"Don't go all the way downstairs," Angie repeated. "Some of the way…the bathroom."

"We should have read the mug," Darkness Man muttered.

"But it kind of implies a whole 'nother thing…" Bat Child interjected.

"Hm?" Mama Angie turned to her.

"Don't go all the way downstairs," the superhero's sidekick repeated, putting a suggestive emphasis on the phrase.

Zaeth and Darkness Man exchanged a charged look, and the memory of that night came flooding back. The press of a large hand around his throat. The scrape of teeth against his tongue. The ache of a massive cock pushing slowly inside him.

"Like, I'm pretty sure that they actually followed what they thought the intention was," Bat Child continued, oblivious to Zaeth's inner turmoil.

"We tried our best," he told Mama Angie, praying she couldn't hear the tremor in his voice. "You know that, right?"

Darkness Man's gaze remained fixed upon him, his focus nearly as relentless as his grasp. Zaeth's cock hardened instinctively, and he shifted forward in his seat, hoping the table would hide the evidence of his arousal.

"Have you been all the way downstairs?" Madelaine asked the diner owner.

"Sister…" Mama Angie shook her head. "No. I read the mug!"

"It's got your name on it," Madelaine replied.

"Yeah, so even more reason for me not to disobey the mug."

"That you wrote?"

"Yes!"

"With your name on it?"

"Yes!"

"She's got a code," Darkness Man interjected.

Zaeth hated how his body responded to the vampire's commanding voice, hated the way that low rasp had plagued his dreams in the days since he sank to his knees and called the prude 'daddy.'

Before this troubling conversation could continue further, Willie Coop arrived, and the coterie shifted their attention to Purpee at large. Zaeth paid little attention to the lengthy exposition provided by the local farmer. He was too distracted by the looming presence beside him.

When the rest of the group was animatedly discussing local politics, Darkness Man leaned down to whisper in Zaeth's ear, a large hand finding his thigh beneath the table.

"We should have read the mug."

Zaeth squirmed as fingers traced the outline of his erection through denim. His hips bucked reflexively, and he glanced up to catch a dark glint in the Nosferatu's eyes.

"Fuck the mug," he murmured, most decidedly thinking about fucking something else entirely.

"Do you think Mama Angie will notice if we sneak down to the bathroom again?" Darkness Man's face was hidden, but Zaeth sensed a knowing smirk had arisen beneath that barrier.

The rebellious vampire feigned shock. "Mr. Goody Two Shoes wants to disobey the mug?"

Darkness Man gave his thigh another possessive squeeze. Zaeth's undead heart fluttered, realizing this thing between them was far from over.

"Some rules are made to be broken…brat."