Chapter Text
Happy anniversary to you and the love of your life. You’ve had days where you could spend the day together without a care in the world. But these days he's been less present with you lately.
His work has turned into a consistent excuse, and the hours apart has turned into nights of sleeping alone. It was starting to eat at you, but today he’s finally gotten his act together. So maybe your suspicions were all just useless overthinking.
Right?
“I’ve brought you sushi, my love.” Chris’s voice pulls you out of your thoughts. He sits next to you on the couch with a plate of your favorite sushi.
Your gaze meets his loving eyes, and the tenderness in his gesture slowly melts away all your worries. "Thank you, baby.”
He smiles brighter, gripping a sushi in between his chopsticks and holding them in front of your lips. "Open wide, my dearest.”
You press your lips together for a second. You don’t exactly like being babied, but you couldn't bear to say no. Not to him.
You do as you were told, and he lets out a low growl like sound from his chest in approval. “That’s my good girl…”
You nearly choke on your food when those words reach your ears. You stutter, trying—and failing—to force away the blush that tints your cheeks. “What’s been up with you recently?”
“Woah!” He sets the plate aside on the table and grabs a napkin, wiping the rice sprinkled on your lips. “What do you mean, angel?"
You shove his hand away, frustration boiling in you. “I mean this…” Your hand gestures to him. “...first you’re distant and barely around, and now you’re here…babying me.”
Chris sighs, turning away his gaze with guilt creeping in his eyes. “I’m sorry, my love. It’s just…work has been so-”
“But that’s what you always say," You snark back, crossing your arms over your chest. "Do you really expect me to believe you’re at work all night while I sleep alone?”
His eyes snap back to your face, eyebrows furrowing with indignation. “What’s that supposed to mean?"
You freeze, not realizing how that subtle accusation slipped out. But your heart still hurts so you don’t take it back. Not yet. Instead you turn your gaze away, whispering under your breath. “It means I’m afraid. I’m scared I’ve lost you…”
You gasp as you feel his veiny hands around your waist, pulling you to sit on top of his lap. His voice is low and sultry as he purrs into your ear. “Listen to me. There’s no one who has my love but you. You own my heart. You own all of me, understood, kitten?”
Those whispered words send shivers shooting straight down your spine—an electrocuting feeling you missed so much. Your hand creeps up to brush a strand of hair from his face. “Yes, baby. I’m sorry I doubted you…”
A smirk curls across Chris’s face at your apology. He brings a hand to the back of your neck, pulling you closer until your faces are barely an inch apart. “I’ll make sure you never have to doubt me again.”
His lips meet yours in a desperate kiss. He brings his hand back down to your waist, gripping you firmly as he shifts you until you’re straddling on top of him.
He kisses you slowly, his fingers tilting your head by the chin to just the right angle so he can further deepen the kiss.
Your arms wrap around his neck, your bodies pressing together.
The feel of you against him has Chris’s mind turn hazy. He starts losing restraint, his teeth grip at your lower lip, soft at first but intensifying by the second.
You hold back sounds at his boldness. But you notice that the bite starts feeling sharper, more than it normally should. It’s almost like two little needles pressing on either side of your lip. The feeling makes you wince softly in pain.
Chris gasps, immediately pulling away slightly with wide eyes. “Did I hurt you, angel?"
The sudden shift catches you off guard. "Not fully. I just felt an odd sharpness in your teeth for a second there.”
“Shit…” He curses under his breath. His grip tightens on your waist as he pulls you off his lap and sits you beside him again.
“Wait, where are you going?" You call out to him in confusion as he stands and walks to the window.
“Are we getting a full moon tonight?" Chris mutters to himself as he looks out the window at the sunset.
“Yes we are.” You stand and start walking towards him. “Is everything okay, honey?"
Chris flinches at that question. He takes a few steps back, maintaining distance. “Uhm…yeah. Everything’s fine.”
Your eyes narrow in suspicion. “Tell me the truth-”
“Babe..." He interrupts. "I’m just feeling a little off, that’s all. Can we cuddle for a bit?" He switches the topic with a soft tired smile creeping up at his cheeks.
The sight makes your heart melt. No matter how hard you try, you can’t seem to refuse. “Of course we can, my prince.”
His favorite pet name makes him giggle softly, sweeping you up in his arms as he carries you up the stairs bridal style. “In that case, I need to carry my royal to bed.”
You laugh at Chris’s playfulness as you wrap your arms around his neck, loving the closeness. But in the midst of it all, there’s this nagging feeling in your chest telling you that something’s wrong. But it only bothers you for a second, and you decide to ignore it for the sake of enjoying a cuddle session with your boyfriend.
He shuts the bedroom door with his foot and plops you on the bed, scurrying to the other side and getting under the covers to pull you into a loving embrace. He wraps his arms firmly around your waist as your back presses against his chest, muttering affectionately in your ear. “Can we sleep like this, my love?”
That question nearly makes your heart burst right then and there. The feeling of his warm breath brushing against your skin sends shivers down your spine, and you nearly forget all about that bad feeling from a moment ago. “I would love nothing more.” Maybe I’m just worrying for nothing after all.
—
Your eyes flutter open after a while. The room is darkened from the night. You reach your arm out to the side but your heart drops to your stomach when you feel the emptiness of the heat that was holding you so fondly just a few hours before.
“Where on earth is he?” You crawl out of bed and shuffle down the stairs, eyes darting everywhere for your boyfriend.
“Chris?” You call out into the halls and in every room you enter, but he is nowhere to be found.
Just then you hear a sound from the rooftop. Something oddly close to a scream before suddenly going quiet. It wasn’t Chris’s voice—or anyone else you could recognize. The sudden outburst makes you jump, making your head snap towards the noise, and dread fills your body knowing you have no choice but to check it out.
“What the…” You shakily walk to the staircase, each step up making your heart pound even harder against your chest.
You open the door to the rooftop, calling out before you peek your head up. “Chris, are you up here?”
As soon as your head peeks through the opening, your heart drops to your stomach. The dark silhouette of a man, or rather…a creature that looks like a man, with fangs carved into another man’s shoulder, feeding off him.
You stand there in shock, not knowing what to make of the scene in front of you. The man is limp in Chris’s arms. Is he…
Chris pulls his fangs out of the man, letting his unconscious body drop to the ground. He wipes his lips, turning his gaze to you. His eyes widen in shock as he sees you standing there with fear in your eyes. “Baby? Wait please it’s not what it looks like…” He takes a step towards you but freezes in place when you take a step back. Your hands start shaking at your sides, unsure of how to reach or respond.
He averts his gaze from yours, unable to look you in the eye. “Please…say something…”
Your eyes well up in unshed tears. Your voice cracks as you finally force out the words, “Wha-...what…are you…?”
Christ sighs, taking a deep breath before finally raising his gaze in your direction. “A vampire. Well…a semi-vampire actually…”
Your eyes narrow in disbelief, taken aback by the absurdity of it. “A what?” You keep moving back until your feet nearly slip over the edge. You stumble, trying to set yourself steady.
Chris’s eyes widen as he sees how dangerous the situation is becoming. He calls to you with caution and despair laced in his voice. “Hey…we’ll talk about all this in a minute. Let’s just get you off this rooftop, okay?”
“No! I’m not going anywhere! Just tell me what’s going on!” You shout with your heart beating rapidly like it’s going to fly out of your mouth.
He can hear your pulse running wild within you. He walks slowly towards you, trying desperately to get through to you. “We can talk inside, okay? Just don’t-”
“Don’t come any closer!” You interrupt him as you shift back even further, not even realizing how close you are from falling.
“Alright, fine!” Chris shouts, finally giving in. “I’m a hybrid. My mother was a vampire and my father was human. I can shift between both vampire and human forms whenever I want most of the time.” He sighs, running a hand through his hair in anxiety as he comes clean with the whole truth. “I hid this from you because I knew you’d either see me as a freak or some crazy person. The only reason I couldn't hide it tonight is because it’s a full moon, and that’s when I shift into my vampire state against my will.”
You stand there in shock as you finally put the pieces together. The increased ‘work hours’, the nights away, the kiss from before that seemed too sharp to be human. It all starts making sense now. Your eyes widen at the realization, whispering under your breath, “So…that’s why you’ve been more distant lately. Is this what you’ve been doing when you weren’t home?!”
His eyes follow your hand, where it points to the unconscious man laying nearly bloodless on the floor. Chris avoids his gaze from yours again, shamefully scratching the back of his neck as he gives a gentle nod. “It’s what keeps me alive…”
Your breath quickens slightly, entering into a slight state of shock. “All this time…you’ve been sneaking around killing people?!”
“Y/n, it’s not like that!” Chris looks at you with desperation in his eyes. He huffs, his breathing growing ragged from his anxiety. “I only feed off some blood, but I don’t kill anyone! At most they just pass out for a while but even that’s rare…”
You shake your head, disbelieving of it all. “You kept this from me this whole time! You could've hurt me!” You stumble back further near the edge.
Chris shoots his hands out towards you, not trying to startle you into a fall but also desperate to keep you from moving back even further. “Kitten, you know I would never hurt you. Please just come here and let’s talk about this where it’s safe…”
A tear escapes your eye as you feel your knees going weak from the shock. You take another step back, not realizing that’s beyond the edge and you can’t help but lose your balance and fall off. “CHRIS!”
“Y/N!”
You feel time stop for a moment as you fall further and further, the moment seems to last a long while as despair takes full control of you in that moment, until a second later when you feel strong arms scoop you up and hold you tight.
“Baby! Are you okay?!” Chris’s voice cracks as he flies you both back to the rooftop, unable to contain his emotions anymore.
You find yourself unable to speak for a few moments—the intense wave of shock overwhelming your system as you cling onto your love, the one who used his mythical powers to save your life.
Chris immediately carries you back inside the house, locking the rooftop door shut before bringing you back into bed.
He lays you on the mattress with all the care and gentleness in the world, like you’re the most fragile piece of art. His fingers gently brush strands of hair from your face as he snuggles close under the covers. “You scared the death out of me."
With shock still seeped into you a bit, all you can do is take short, shaky breaths, but even then, you lean into his touch.
Chris notices this, bringing your gaze to meet his as he whispers. “I can hear your heart is still racing. Mirror my breathing.” He demonstrates a soothing breathing pattern.
You try to follow along, wavering at first but you find yourself soothed after several minutes.
He lets out a sigh of relief when you finally calm your nerves. His expression is soft and loving as his eyes bore into yours. “Better, my love…?"
You give a gentle nod, still slightly uneasy but definitely more composed than before. “Yeah…” How did everything come to this? Could things go on?
He gives a soft smile, with apologetic eyes dripping through his expression. “I’m…sorry for everything.”
Your gaze snaps to him at his tender apology. He’s never denied his love for me. Maybe…he deserves another chance…
You sigh, starting to come to terms with the reality of the situation. “What happens now…?"
Chris’s eyes widen in surprise. "You mean…you want to stay?”
You ponder those words for a moment, really considering your options. But after a minute, you finally nod. “Yes…I still want to stay. You saved me and well…” Then softer. “...I still love you…”
He nearly chokes on the air in disbelief as you whisper those words. He mutters back with unshed tears glistening in his eyes. “You mean that?"
“I do…”
At that, Chris crushes your body against his. He cradles the back of your head with his hand like you’re the most precious being in existence. “You have no idea how much that means to me…”
You relax in his embrace, letting his warmth melt everything away. “I just…want to love you and feel connected in a way that doesn’t feel like we have a wall between us.” You sight as you nuzzle your face into his shoulder. “I don’t want this truth to distance us the way it did before…”
Chris avoids your gaze for a moment, reflecting on how this had been negatively driving the relationship lately—the untruthful excuses, the hidden nights out, the doubt planted from all this secrecy. He takes a deep breath, letting his eyes meet yours again in a firm, devoted gaze as he takes your hands firmly in his. “I know. I want that more than anything. I’m sorry I haven't been truthful about who I am, and I’m sorry I let things worsen between us lately.”
He pauses for a moment, searching his words carefully before gently bringing up his next point. “If you’re open to it…there’s a way we can strengthen our bond…take things to the next level so there’s nothing hidden between us.”
Your eyes widen slightly in curiosity. You lift your head from his chest just enough to meet his gaze. “Next level…?"
Chris nods. "Since I’m a vampire, we do things slightly different than humans—even if I am a mix of both.”
Your heart beats slightly faster. Not in anxiety or fear, but in hope. “Okay…and what’s that?"
Chris lets out a shaky breath, carefully searching your eyes for your reaction as he listens to your pulse pick up its pace. “A blood kiss.”
You raise an eyebrow, already intrigued to know where this is going. “What’s a ‘blood kiss’?”
A smirk nearly curls across Chris’s face at the mere imagination of it, but he contains himself, forcing a serious tone as he explains. “It’s a kiss for vampires to mark their mates. We’d kiss, I’d bite your lips with my fangs—gently of course—and drink just a little blood. I don’t need to drink a lot, just enough to complete the kiss.”
You feel your heart pounding in your chest harder and harder with each word. The description leaves you flustered, redness floating to your cheeks no matter how much you try to hide it. “And that’s supposed to be the ‘next level’ you were talking about…?"
Chris nods, whispering bashfully now. “It’s the ultimate form of a relationship—similar to the human tradition of marriage.”
Your eyes widen in shock. The implications of his words hit you like a ton of bricks. “Wait so…you’re basically…proposing to me…?"
Redness spreads across Chris’s ears, undenying how much of an effect that image has on him. He fidgets a bit in place as he whispers. “Well…yeah. When you put it like that…”
Emotions start bubbling up in you. The entire idea makes your heart race in the best ways possible. This is insane…but even now I crave this too much to say no…
A moment passes, and Chris’s nerves heighten a bit more with each second. He carefully studies your face, trying to piece together what you may be thinking. “Well…? What do you say, kitten?"
After a minute, your gaze meets his with unwavering determination as you give a gentle nod. “Yes…I’ll do it.”
Chris's eyes snap open wide at those words. One arm wraps around your waist, holding it tight as the other floats between you both, stretching it towards you—a silent invitation to hold your hand. “Y-you…you’ll do it? Are you sure?” Then softer, almost imperceptible. “Because after that…there’s no going back…”
You stare at his outstretched hands for a moment, processing the fact that you’re making a permanent decision. And after a minute, you take his hand, interlacing your fingers together. “I won’t want to go back. I want this. I want us, Chris.” You sigh, bringing his hand to your lips and placing a gentle kiss on his knuckles. “I’ve dreamed of being close with you again. And if this means I get to be fully yours, then I’ll do it without a second thought…”
Chris feels unshed tears pricking at his eyes all over again, but he blinks them away as he whispers, “I don’t deserve you…”
He slams his lips onto yours—unable to hold back the contact anymore. He wraps both arms around your waist, pulling you to close the remaining distance between you two.
Your breath hitches at the sudden gesture, but after a second you immediately melt under his touch. Your hand floats to the back of his head, cradling him with all love your body can show as if there’s a hidden message there. You are deserving of love, my baby…
It’s as if Chris can read the hidden meaning in your touch. He leans into it like he’s intoxicated—like he needs all the affection he can get in order to live.
After a moment, he pulls away just enough to whisper against your lips. “May I…?”
The caring tone in his plea sends butterflies all throughout your body. You whisper back with affection dripping from your voice, “Yes, my love. Make me yours.”
Chris takes only a split second to look at you—really look at you. His eyes drink in your features as if you’re the only person in the universe for him. Because in reality, that’s exactly what you are. His lips brush against yours, soft at first before turning more passionate by the second. His hold on your waist tightens, his lips hungry for yours.
The kiss drags on for a few minutes as it is. But soon, his fangs grow slightly, just gently brushing against your bottom lip between kisses. And when you’re used to the feeling, his fangs pierce your skin gently.
The feeling makes you gasp, feeling all different kinds of sensations throughout your body—as if his fangs bring a sweet venom of pleasure that shoots through you. You melt into the connection, gliding a hand through his hair in silent approval.
Chris takes advantage of the subtle hint of encouragement. He drinks softly, mostly letting his tongue lick at the blood that drips from your lip.
The pleasure his kiss gives you makes shivers run down your spine, swimming in all the sensations the connection makes you feel.
It only lasts a couple minutes. But in that moment, all time stopped for you and the love of your life. You both feel subtle changes within you, as if you were merging together into one being just from this contact alone.
After a moment, his fangs finally pull out of your lip, lapping up the last bit of blood that drips from the wound.
His breathing is ragged as he presses his forehead against yours. His eyes flutter open then shut again as he basks in the lingering feelings of after what just happened. “Now we belong to each other—soul bound for eternity. So much that in the next life, this mark will lead me to you, and let me love you all over again…”
He traps you in a loving embrace, and you relax against him, whispering with all the devotion in your heart. “Yours…forever yours…”
For the first time in a long while, you finally feel safe in your boyfriend's arms. There are no worries, no anxiety, still some questions left unanswered, but none of which matters in this moment.
All that matters is your regained connection—the soul bonding union that now draws closer than ever before. This is the moment where hurting ends...and forever begins.