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Tales of the Abyss, "The Prey" (Peony+/Jade)
He's been starving for weeks, but there's only one person that he's willing to feed from. He'll wait as long as it takes.
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areyougame, to the prompt Peony/Jade: prey-bonded vampire AU - Jade returns from Akzeriuth particularly thirsty.
Implied Peony/Jade, biting, backhanded fluff, highly AU.
.the prey.
Colonel Jade Curtiss of the Malkuth imperial military would be the last person on Auldrant to tell you that he was not a monster, but he felt particularly like one as he stood in the sealed-off waiting room where he patiently minded his own business until the Emperor had a chance to see him. He was not being particularly monsterlike, but Jade was a very unusual sort of monster, and for him, the straight posture, the arms locked firmly behind his back, the pleasant smile and polite demeanor, were all a form of discipline that he maintained rigidly to keep himself from throwing lackies and functionaries out of his way and slamming into the throne room.
His control was near its breaking point, and he knew -- intellectually -- that it was loathsome to feel this way because of a tragic incident like the destruction of Akzeriuth. He could very clinically analyze the amount of blood that had been in the air when they broke through the surface of the planet, the days that he had patiently held his thirst in check while they struggled to return to Grand Chokmah, and how natural the ache of want was in direct correlation to those factors.
But he was a monster, and all he cared about was that his prey was one grand ornate beautifully-decorated room away; he could feel it crawling under his skin, itching in his fangs. He had restrained himself for weeks but the last few minutes before Peony could find the time to see him were like torture.
He could hear every breath, every rustle of fabric, every lazy fly buzzing through the air surrounding his room, so he was uniquely attuned for the Emperor's solidly confident footsteps and murmuring baritone voice. Jade took a step and then two, gliding over to the door he would be coming through, waiting, very patiently. The Emperor's tame monster.
Everyone on Auldrant knew it, but they didn't know how very right they were.
When the door opened Jade was immediately inside it, smiling serenely. "Your Majesty," he greeted.
Peony's eyes widened a beat, and then he laughed. "Have you been working on your creepy while you were supposed to be dead, Jade?" he asked cheerfully, taking a step into the room that, because of Jade's position so close inside the door that there was barely room to open it, put him near enough that Jade wouldn't even have needed enhanced senses to taste his breath.
The moment he shut the door behind himself Jade's hand shot out, grabbing Peony's loose collar and shoving him back into the door. He stepped closer, eyes lidding, and leaned in close, his nose brushing the side of Peony's neck. He took a deep breath.
--Even just like this, it calmed him. The scent of Peony's blood, having him this close, seeing for himself that his prey was still safe, still healthy, still his.
"Wow, and -- here I thought I was happy to see you alive... Don't you owe me dinner first?"
"Your Majesty," Jade said, hearing his own voice as if from very far away, "I'm not really in the mood for games right now."
He could feel his hunger twisting eagerly through his veins, throbbing in his head. He was literally shuddering. Peony was close, his blood pulsing hot and steady under the skin brushing Jade's lips. He was drunk on the anticipation of feeding from him. It made it difficult to think straight, much less banter eloquently.
Peony's hand settled lightly on his back, a simple touch that quieted him again. "--Go ahead."
Jade shuddered, one more time, and then he pressed closer against Peony, pinning him solidly in place, before parting his lips and letting his fangs sink into the blond's neck. Peony jerked, gasped, not from pain, and for a moment there was just bliss as hot blood spilled over Jade's tongue, pouring down his throat, drawn from a body that was vibrant in life. It soothed all his agitated senses completely, sating him on a deep level that nothing else could mimic.
After a minute of reveling in the taste of him he became aware, really intelligently aware, of how still and taut Peony's body was, how shallow his breathing, and he drew back to study him properly, eyes glowing with satisfaction. The taller man was pale white under his tan, shivering a little; only Jade's insistent weight holding him up was keeping him from sliding to the floor.
He really had no sense of self-preservation. Letting a monster feed from him was one thing, but trusting that monster not to drain him dry was almost an entirely different thing. Jade brushed his bright hair back, gently pulling him upright.
"Your Majesty really needs to be more careful," he said, dry. There was nothing in his voice that spoke of affection or irritation, which was as it should be. "Perhaps we should think up a safe word for you to use if you're feeling too faint." Like 'Nephry.' He could think of no word that would make him lose his appetite faster.
Peony did not resist as Jade led him across the room to the sofa there. He made a thoughtful noise, or a noise that he wanted to seem thoughtful, but which was probably just him attempting to find the effort to speak. As Jade guided him onto the cushions, he managed a rough, "You can feed from other people if you're that desperate, you know."
Jade watched him. Those searingly blue eyes were closed, Peony's energy focused inwards, on recovering. He said soberly, "No. I can't."
He had decided it the day Peony had caught him, discovering the secret that only Saphir and a handful of corpses had known before then; the day his best friend's horror and gentle attempts to correct him had made him understand, if only in some small measure, that feeding off the unwilling was the act of a monster, and that he could choose to be better than that. Since the day he had really understood that no amount of wallowing in what he had become would vindicate the experiment that had made him like this, or that one nightmarish first kill that he could never forget.
And then he would have gracefully expired if Peony hadn't had second thoughts, some weeks later, when he realized he hadn't seen his friend in days, and then remembered that he had not explicitly provided an alternative suggestion for how the vampire should take his meals.
"You 'can't'?"
Peony sounded surprised by the idea. Which did not surprise Jade in the slightest. When he had come to Jade as a young man and said Look, if you need blood, drink from me. I'm offering it to you, with his gaze so earnest, he hadn't really known what the words meant.
After all, he had only offered a single, very significant, transaction.
This is different -- you're not taking this from me. I'm giving this freely. We're making a promise!
I promise to give you this, whenever you need it; and in exchange, you're promising me that you'll use that brain of yours and those powers you've gotten to help people.
That way you can make up for what you've done... instead of just succumb to it.
Accidental brilliance. It was the strength of the young prince that, when shaped and molded by countless advisors and experiences, had made him into a great emperor. With a tame monster forever at his back.
Only Peony would do.
"Their blood tastes different," Jade informed him airily. "It's too rich for me. It must be all that pork they're eating."
Peony laughed, weak but deep, his amusement genuine. "You love them," was all he had the energy to counter with. "You wish you could have it as good as my cute little Jade. Admit it."
"You're completely right, Your Majesty. I do so long to be able to chew on the furniture without any repercussions..."
And when Peony slipped off to healing sleep, Jade stayed there to await news of his companions; old bones folded up beneath him while he rested on the floor by the side of the couch, watching guard over the Emperor's rest.
Written for
areyougame, to the prompt Peony/Jade: prey-bonded vampire AU - Jade returns from Akzeriuth particularly thirsty.Implied Peony/Jade, biting, backhanded fluff, highly AU.
.the prey.
Colonel Jade Curtiss of the Malkuth imperial military would be the last person on Auldrant to tell you that he was not a monster, but he felt particularly like one as he stood in the sealed-off waiting room where he patiently minded his own business until the Emperor had a chance to see him. He was not being particularly monsterlike, but Jade was a very unusual sort of monster, and for him, the straight posture, the arms locked firmly behind his back, the pleasant smile and polite demeanor, were all a form of discipline that he maintained rigidly to keep himself from throwing lackies and functionaries out of his way and slamming into the throne room.
His control was near its breaking point, and he knew -- intellectually -- that it was loathsome to feel this way because of a tragic incident like the destruction of Akzeriuth. He could very clinically analyze the amount of blood that had been in the air when they broke through the surface of the planet, the days that he had patiently held his thirst in check while they struggled to return to Grand Chokmah, and how natural the ache of want was in direct correlation to those factors.
But he was a monster, and all he cared about was that his prey was one grand ornate beautifully-decorated room away; he could feel it crawling under his skin, itching in his fangs. He had restrained himself for weeks but the last few minutes before Peony could find the time to see him were like torture.
He could hear every breath, every rustle of fabric, every lazy fly buzzing through the air surrounding his room, so he was uniquely attuned for the Emperor's solidly confident footsteps and murmuring baritone voice. Jade took a step and then two, gliding over to the door he would be coming through, waiting, very patiently. The Emperor's tame monster.
Everyone on Auldrant knew it, but they didn't know how very right they were.
When the door opened Jade was immediately inside it, smiling serenely. "Your Majesty," he greeted.
Peony's eyes widened a beat, and then he laughed. "Have you been working on your creepy while you were supposed to be dead, Jade?" he asked cheerfully, taking a step into the room that, because of Jade's position so close inside the door that there was barely room to open it, put him near enough that Jade wouldn't even have needed enhanced senses to taste his breath.
The moment he shut the door behind himself Jade's hand shot out, grabbing Peony's loose collar and shoving him back into the door. He stepped closer, eyes lidding, and leaned in close, his nose brushing the side of Peony's neck. He took a deep breath.
--Even just like this, it calmed him. The scent of Peony's blood, having him this close, seeing for himself that his prey was still safe, still healthy, still his.
"Wow, and -- here I thought I was happy to see you alive... Don't you owe me dinner first?"
"Your Majesty," Jade said, hearing his own voice as if from very far away, "I'm not really in the mood for games right now."
He could feel his hunger twisting eagerly through his veins, throbbing in his head. He was literally shuddering. Peony was close, his blood pulsing hot and steady under the skin brushing Jade's lips. He was drunk on the anticipation of feeding from him. It made it difficult to think straight, much less banter eloquently.
Peony's hand settled lightly on his back, a simple touch that quieted him again. "--Go ahead."
Jade shuddered, one more time, and then he pressed closer against Peony, pinning him solidly in place, before parting his lips and letting his fangs sink into the blond's neck. Peony jerked, gasped, not from pain, and for a moment there was just bliss as hot blood spilled over Jade's tongue, pouring down his throat, drawn from a body that was vibrant in life. It soothed all his agitated senses completely, sating him on a deep level that nothing else could mimic.
After a minute of reveling in the taste of him he became aware, really intelligently aware, of how still and taut Peony's body was, how shallow his breathing, and he drew back to study him properly, eyes glowing with satisfaction. The taller man was pale white under his tan, shivering a little; only Jade's insistent weight holding him up was keeping him from sliding to the floor.
He really had no sense of self-preservation. Letting a monster feed from him was one thing, but trusting that monster not to drain him dry was almost an entirely different thing. Jade brushed his bright hair back, gently pulling him upright.
"Your Majesty really needs to be more careful," he said, dry. There was nothing in his voice that spoke of affection or irritation, which was as it should be. "Perhaps we should think up a safe word for you to use if you're feeling too faint." Like 'Nephry.' He could think of no word that would make him lose his appetite faster.
Peony did not resist as Jade led him across the room to the sofa there. He made a thoughtful noise, or a noise that he wanted to seem thoughtful, but which was probably just him attempting to find the effort to speak. As Jade guided him onto the cushions, he managed a rough, "You can feed from other people if you're that desperate, you know."
Jade watched him. Those searingly blue eyes were closed, Peony's energy focused inwards, on recovering. He said soberly, "No. I can't."
He had decided it the day Peony had caught him, discovering the secret that only Saphir and a handful of corpses had known before then; the day his best friend's horror and gentle attempts to correct him had made him understand, if only in some small measure, that feeding off the unwilling was the act of a monster, and that he could choose to be better than that. Since the day he had really understood that no amount of wallowing in what he had become would vindicate the experiment that had made him like this, or that one nightmarish first kill that he could never forget.
And then he would have gracefully expired if Peony hadn't had second thoughts, some weeks later, when he realized he hadn't seen his friend in days, and then remembered that he had not explicitly provided an alternative suggestion for how the vampire should take his meals.
"You 'can't'?"
Peony sounded surprised by the idea. Which did not surprise Jade in the slightest. When he had come to Jade as a young man and said Look, if you need blood, drink from me. I'm offering it to you, with his gaze so earnest, he hadn't really known what the words meant.
After all, he had only offered a single, very significant, transaction.
This is different -- you're not taking this from me. I'm giving this freely. We're making a promise!
I promise to give you this, whenever you need it; and in exchange, you're promising me that you'll use that brain of yours and those powers you've gotten to help people.
That way you can make up for what you've done... instead of just succumb to it.
Accidental brilliance. It was the strength of the young prince that, when shaped and molded by countless advisors and experiences, had made him into a great emperor. With a tame monster forever at his back.
Only Peony would do.
"Their blood tastes different," Jade informed him airily. "It's too rich for me. It must be all that pork they're eating."
Peony laughed, weak but deep, his amusement genuine. "You love them," was all he had the energy to counter with. "You wish you could have it as good as my cute little Jade. Admit it."
"You're completely right, Your Majesty. I do so long to be able to chew on the furniture without any repercussions..."
And when Peony slipped off to healing sleep, Jade stayed there to await news of his companions; old bones folded up beneath him while he rested on the floor by the side of the couch, watching guard over the Emperor's rest.
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I love the bits of backstory, and the implication that he ate Professor Nebelim - but most of all the way he's so protective of Peony while still regarding him so highly.
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