The days and nights melted together, slipping past like water through Daniel's fingers. Nothing felt quite real anymore.
He still went to his classes, still showed up for work, still laughed at his friends' jokes. But it was all a blur, a dream he was only half-awake for.
Because his mind—and his heart—were always somewhere else. Always with Lucian.
Sometimes, in the middle of a lecture, Daniel would find himself smiling without even realizing it, remembering the way Lucian's mouth had moved against his skin the night before, slow and reverent, like Daniel was something precious. He would remember the way Lucian had whispered his name, with his low, raspy voice…
At night, when the world was quiet, Daniel would drift between sleep and waking, feeling cool hands slipping under his shirt, kisses brushing against him like falling stars. Each touch lit a fire deep inside him, one that never seemed to burn out.
Losing himself like that in another being was reckless. It was dangerous. It was wrong in a hundred ways.
And Daniel didn't care. Not even a little.
He was addicted. Hopelessly, helplessly addicted to Lucian.
But it wasn't just hunger anymore. It wasn't just the rush of wanting.
It had rooted itself deeper, grown into something vast and aching and terrifying.
Love. Real, aching, soul-deep love. Yes, over the course of the three months that they had been entangled in this physical relationship, Daniel had fallen in love with Lucian.
Despite only ever seeing each other at night and in Daniel's studio apartment, Daniel had shared with Lucian more than he had with anyone else. They didn't just have sex together. They talked a lot too.
Lucian was over a thousand years old and he had much to tell Daniel about the world. He had seen so much and lived so much that Daniel was sure that no matter how many stories he told him, Lucian would never run out of more to share.
Daniel was absolutely fascinated with Lucian. With his life experience, with Lucian's icy blue eyes that seemed to stare into the depths of Daniel's soul, with his soft black hair and smooth low temperature skin. He loved the way Lucian moved so gracefully despite his tall and sturdy figure. He loved Lucian's hard chest pressing against him and his muscled arms holding him tightly…His sharp teeth sinking into his skin and his hot tongue licking the blood and the wounds afterwards…
The more he thought about it, the more Daniel realized he was in it deep. Dangerously and painfully deep.
He didn't know how Lucian felt about him. The most he knew was that Lucian was physically attracted to him and cared about him to a certain degree. But Daniel didn't think that Lucian would ever love him the way he did. Apart from his blood and body, what exactly did Daniel have to offer to someone as wealthy and powerful and knowledgeable as Lucian?
Daniel was probably a temporary distraction. Lucian would eventually get tired of fucking him and drinking his blood eventually. That pull, that attraction that Lucian had confessed he felt towards Daniel would most likely disappear. Given enough time.
The thought of never seeing Lucian again left Daniel breathless, but he had no other choice but to accept the impending departure. He was but a human after all. One of billions.
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One night, after they had fucked until Daniel's body felt weightless and boneless, Lucian sat back, breathing hard, his blue eyes shining like a fever dream.
"You're too trusting," he said roughly, voice catching on the words, as he brushed his thumb over Daniel's bruised, kiss-swollen mouth.
Daniel caught his hand and pressed a kiss into the center of his palm, where the skin was soft and cool.
"I trust you," he whispered, like it was the simplest truth in the world.
Lucian stared at him for a long, endless moment, his jaw tight, his eyes too bright. Then he looked away.
"You shouldn't," he said, almost brokenly.
Daniel lifted a trembling hand, weaving his fingers through Lucian's dark hair, pulling him down until their foreheads touched.
"You could have killed me a hundred times by now," he murmured. "But you didn't. In fact, we are here right now because you saved my life."
Lucian let out a shaky breath, his whole body tense.
"Sometimes I feel I might cross the line and kill you," he confessed, voice so low Daniel almost didn't catch it. "Not because I want to hurt you. But because I want you so much, it makes me lose my mind."
Daniel's heart pounded so hard he thought it might break free from his chest.
"I'm not afraid of you," he breathed.
Lucian drew back just enough to look into Daniel's eyes, his own shining with something wild and wounded.
"You should be," he said, voice rough like sandpaper. "I'm not human, Daniel. I'm not safe. Every time I touch you, every time I drink your blood... I'm fighting against what I am."
Daniel smiled faintly."But you're still fighting," he said. "You win that fight every time."
Lucian let out a soft, bitter laugh, full of something fragile. "For now."
Silence stretched between them, heavy and humming.
Then Lucian's fingers curled into Daniel's hair, tilting his head to the side, baring the pale line of his throat.
Daniel shivered but didn't pull away.
"Tell me to stop," Lucian rasped, voice thick with need.
But Daniel didn't. Instead, he tilted his head further, offering himself completely, heart beating steady and sure.
Lucian's eyes darkened, the blue swallowed up by something deeper, something darker. And then he bit.
A flash of sharp, burning pain—
And then a flood of heat and light, rushing through Daniel's veins like liquid fire.
Daniel gasped, clutching at Lucian's shoulders, his body trembling as Lucian drank from him with deep, desperate pulls. Each draw sent a dizzying wave of pleasure through him, until he didn't know where the pain ended and the pleasure began.
When Lucian finally pulled back, he licked the wound closed. Then he pressed his forehead to Daniel's shoulder, breathing hard, his body shaking.
"You taste like sin," Lucian whispered, voice raw.
Daniel gave a weak, breathless smile. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
Lucian let out a broken laugh, a sound that was half joy and half grief, and wrapped his arms tightly around Daniel.
They stayed like that for a long time, tangled up in each other… And Daniel silently prayed he could keep Lucian by his side for as long as possible.