Blood for blood.

[runningred]

Jay opens his door and tossed the suitcase aside. Nothing in there that can't wait. For once, Jay's room is in immaculate order, clearly cleaned and packed up before he went away.

He shrugs off his shirt and waistcoat to reveal his heavily bandaged chest. There are boot prints bruised into his skin and deep cuts and shallow scratches. All and all, he's a mess.

"Thank you for this." He kicks off his shoes and sits on the edge of the bed.

Comments

[runningred]

Sure Eric, keep telling yourself that. Someone might believe it one day.

Jay nods, reaching for the now pointless bandages around his chest. "Care to join me in the shower. I have a feeling I could do with one."

Hot water will help clear his head and sooth out the last aches. And it's something he knows Eric enjoys.

[onceaviking]

"I can do that," Eric says, waiting for Jay to move off the bed.
"You should - be careful. The effects can linger a bit. At least they seem to do so at home."

Again, taking care to avoid broken faces.

[runningred]

Jay manages to get up with a reasonable degree of grace and dexterity. It might take all of his concentration but he manages it.

"I don't think you've given me that much before. Or I've been that fucked up when you did." Jay muses, getting rid of the rest of his clothes with only a minor wobble. "What does it usually do to people?"

[onceaviking]

"It depends," Eric says, as he gets up as well.
"Heightened senses, heightened sex drive, delusions, hallucinations. It depends on the person. And the blood. Mine's quite powerful."

He undresses as he speaks.
"Given in smaller doses over time it creates a bond, linking the human and the vampire, it doesn't take here though."

[runningred]

"Good thing too. I can think of at least two of us who would be dangerously attached to you by now otherwise." He means it as a joke but it may not come out that way.

He states the shower, bracing his hands on the cool tiles, letting the water rain down softly on him. "Heightened senses, heightened sex drive, delusions, hallucinations. I think I can tick off two of those at least."

[onceaviking]

Eric snorts but doesn't comment on it otherwise, because yeah - not really funny.

He steps under the spray and turns his face up, letting the water hit his face.
Then he turns his head. Little, to look at Jay.
"Which ones?"
He can make a reasonably educated guess.

[runningred]

Jay doesn't raise his head, still letting the water fall onto his back and shoulders. "Given that I can feel each and every drop of water and I'm hard as iron, I'm going to go with A and B. As for delusions, how would I know?" Expect he's pretty sure he's okay on that front.

[onceaviking]

"Some people find it - frightening, I guess. Being that sensitized," Eric remarks as he begins to wash.

[runningred]

"I don't know. It's... intense but not... I kinda like it." He turns and leans his back against the tiles, running a slow hand down his chest and abdomen.

He's not touching himself, not really. Just skin is enough for now.

[onceaviking]

"It's likely sensible people that shy away from it," Eric says, dryly.

And after a little while, he adds, "That is what it is like all the time. For us. Only more so."

[runningred]

Jay chuckles at that, turning his face up to the spray. "Sensible people. I've heard of those. Can't say I've met many."

He raises an eyebrow without opening his eyes. "How do you get anything done? In those first years, it must have been a constant distraction."

[onceaviking]

"It is. All you want to do is kill and fuck. Feed."

He runs his hands through his wet hair.

"But it becomes manageable. In time."

[runningred]

"And now?" Jay reaches for the shampoo, distracting himself with washing the dye out of his forelock.

[onceaviking]

"Now? Everything still feels - intense. And I still want to fuck and kill. But I don't have to act on it, I can - put it off."

Even close to shower warm skin and a very audible heartbeat.

[runningred]

"I'm impressed. Personally, the only thing stopping me from begging you to fuck me or racing down to the bar to find someone who will is a very thin thread of self control." Getting thinner by the moment, no matter how offhand he manages to say it.

[onceaviking]

"I am not letting you out before you've slept," Eric replies , closing his eyes as he tips his head under the spray again to rinse his hair.

Which - could mean any number of things, really.

[runningred]

"I figured you where hanging around to keep me from doing anything stupid." Because it wouldn't be because he cared or anything.

He tugs at his forelock and growl. "I hate dyeing this thing out."

[onceaviking]

"Well, anything too stupid," Eric says and looks at him.

"You could ask Pam. She probably knows a trick or two."
Hey, she dyes his hair. And judging from her report on the house visit she was not too antagonistic toward him.

[runningred]

"The drug high and my own lack of self preservation beggars me to ask how you would define too stupid." He observes with somewhat forced casualness.

"I will. Thanks." Jay's made an effort not to be antagonistic either.

[onceaviking]

"Anything that would incriminate me or permanently damage you. Apart from that, knock yourself put," Eric replies. Breezily.

"She dyes my hair."

[runningred]

"Yeah, that leave far, far to many options as far as my libido is concerned right now." He chuckles. "But given you currently have more self-control than I do. feel free to make some suggestions."

Jay peers at him through the steam. "She does a great job."

[onceaviking]

"It's been a while. It's likely closer to my own colour now," Eric says. And then he adds, "Dry off and go back to bed. I don't want you slipping."

That might be a suggestion?

[runningred]

"You hair changes over time?"

He nods and dries off, padding slow and naked towards the bed. Anyone else, he might add, I trust you but he won't say it to Eric because would just make things weird. And because Eric already knows.

[onceaviking]

"It grows. But slowly. I could grow it long but it would take a while."

He dries himself off and follows Jay. A huge, cold presence right at his back.
Jay's warm. He can smell his clean skin. His blood. He can smell his own blood inside him.

"She used to lighten it. So I would look more like the popular conception of a Viking."

[runningred]

Jay stretches out on his back, unless Eric directs him otherwise. "I like the blond. I works on you, with your colouring. But Pam would know that."

His skin is strange and wonderful against the quilt. Eric's cold is fascinatingly soothing. Everything feels brighter and more. Part of him wants to surrender to that.