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Damon took a seat at the counter in the sticky, hot bar he’d decided on for tonight. A drink would be nice, though it wouldn't satisfy that deep, lustful hunger that he’d had for what had to be a month and a half now. Alcohol is always nice though, isn't it? A nice, strong shot could at least give that sting that the blood gave when it rolled like hot honey down his throat. He really did miss that bitter, metallic taste of the gorgeous, red liquid, though. He could survive long enough without it, giving it wasn't really necessary if he made sure to more than meet his needs for iron, but just as one must satisfy their sexual desires every once in a while, a vampire must satisfy their bloodlust.
That’s why he was here, of course. Not the sex, no, not at all. He was here to find his prey.
It'd been maybe three years, give or take, since he’d been turned. Before, he was just a regular young man working as a barista in a coffee shop, in a small town in Nova Scotia. He worked that job while crashing at a friend’s place until he could afford a plane ticket and a few month’s rent, and then he moved to Vancouver. He managed to grab a gig at a local tourist destination, which paid just enough to cover his groceries and bills and things of the sort. He didn’t have much, just a cheap, dingy apartment and whatever belongings he had brought from Nova Scotia, but that was all a lonely young man needed in 1987. That was, of course, until that night (or morning, depending on how you look at it) when he got just a little bit too drunk. He’d decided he deserved a night out, bar-hopping until he could barely walk to get away from the struggles of being twenty years old and alone. When it reached four in the morning and the bars either closed for the night or turned him down on account of him being completely wasted, he decided he’d walk back to his dingy apartment all alone. No woman to bring back, just himself and his hiccups.
Unfortunately for him, somebody was lurking just beyond the shadows of the buildings surrounding him. He was snatched, sucked almost dry of his blood, and left in the alleyway. He would have died if it weren't for the fact that the particular individual who'd struck him had gone a little bit too deep with their bite. See, if you stay near the surface, whoever you're taking from may feel a little woozy, but that’s it. But if you go fangs-deep into their flesh, the switch happens. That’s just what Damon called it, though, considering there isn’t really a vampire community to go to get these terms. Anyways, a few hours later, Damon woke up with a nasty, nasty hangover, and even worse, this thing called immortality, and a lust stronger for blood and flesh than any lust he’d ever had for a woman before.
Bringing us back to our present, he ordered the bartender to give him the strongest drink he legally could. Not like an illegal drink would kill him, but whatever. Tonight, he’d opted for another strategy. Sex was surprisingly hard to find in regular old bars, hence why he’d been starved of the drink he really needed for so long. Plus the fact that he’d never really been interested in women made it hard to flirt properly, let alone get far enough to “take them home”, to complete his little ritual. Not like he’d never had sex with a girl, he wasn't any virgin, but it wasn't often he actually got laid. Not that he was really looking to get laid, as he never found much interest in women like his old coworkers and friends had, he was just looking to get his blood fix. So, he figured maybe a gay bar would work better. He wasn't really sure how he felt about the possibility of having to flirt with a guy to get his nutrients, but he was so desperate, he was willing to do anything.
So, there he was, sipping his drink (which, to his disappointment, wasn't giving that sting he needed), waiting for somebody naïve enough to sit themselves down near him. And so, he waited. And he waited.
Maybe three-or-so drinks in, a younger man strutted his way into the bar. By the looks of it, he was nineteen or so. Perfect.
He waited for maybe twenty minutes, watching the boy from across the counter as he ordered his first drink. Just a light beer. He must not know how to drink, Damon thought. He knew how to dress, though, that’s for sure. The young man was dressed sharply yet casually, dawning a beautifully ironed black vest over a sienna-brown collared shirt, which was unbuttoned slightly, just barely covering his collarbone area. The sleeves of the shirt were rolled up to just above his elbows, and he was taking off his jacket (very oddly 20 minutes after entering a very sweaty and hot bar), which had rested crisply on his squared yet skinny shoulders.
It was time to strike.
Damon slithered over to where the other man was sitting, plopping himself down confidently beside him, still holding his insufficient drink in his hand. The boy looked over at Damon with deer-in-the-headlights eyes, it was almost cute.
“Hello?” He squeaked out, looking very confused, as if the whole point of a bar wasn’t basically just to flirt with others, especially at a bar like this.
Damon smirked, getting ready to flirt like his life depended on it (considering it almost did), even though he had no care for this boy. He only cared about what was just below the surface of that sweet, sweet skin.
“Hey, gorgeous,” Damon said, looking the other guy up and down seductively. “Here all by yourself?”
“Y-yeah, I am, why?” He answered, an obvious blush spreading across his cheeks despite the low light of the humid building.
“Well, seeing you're as fine as you are, I'm surprised you're not here with a date. You got a boyfriend, girlfriend or something?” Damon continued, hoping more than anything that this would work.
“That's, uh, why I'm here, actually,” He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. “Trying to find one, y’know?” He smiled wide, showing off his almost perfect teeth behind his nicely curved lips.
“Well, what do you know, so am I.” He lied through his teeth. This part was always a little bit hard, as it caused guilt in Damon, especially considering just now naive this guy seemed to be. It was worth it, though. “What’s your name?” The hungry vampire inquired.
“Joseph,” He answered, a nervous smile on his face.
“A biblical name, ah? Are you religious?” Small talk was the way to go, as it usually turned into big talk, which turned into horny talk, which turned into what was thought to be sex by the other person, but was really a scheme to steal some of their life liquid.
“Oh, no, no, no,” Joseph replied rather quickly. “My parents are, though, hence the name. However, gay son and religious parents don't mix well. Been on my own since seventeen when they found me kissing another boy. The whole schtick, yelling and telling me to pack my shit up and leave their “godly household”, or whatever. I've found my way though, picking up small jobs n’ stuff. Bookstore, currently. Whatever keeps me living, you know?”
Damon nodded along, resting his jaw on his fist as he listened. Gay people seemed to have much more interesting lives than the regular girls he usually targeted. He barely had to pretend to be interested, he was actually hooked.
“You haven't told me your name, you know,” Joseph smiled, much less nervous than the last time he’d smiled.
“Damon.” He smirked as he answered.
“Well, Damon, it’s really nice to meet you. Have you got a story like that?” Joseph inquired, looking down at his beer can and swirling the fluid around inside of it.
“Nope,” He sighed. “Parents died when I was seven. Car crash, drunk driver. I was tossed around homes and stuff all throughout my childhood until I was kicked out of the system on my nineteenth birthday and left to fend for myself. Luckily I was able to land a job at a coffee shop, and save enough for a few month’s rent and a flight to Vancouver while crashing at a friend’s place. I quit my job and moved out here for a fresh start, a little more than three years ago now.” Damon conveniently left out the part where he was turned into a vampire a month after moving.
“Ah, jeez, I'm sorry, Damon.” Joseph sympathized.
“It's alright, I don't really remember them, I've had memory problems and stuff. Besides, they were borderline neglectful anyways.” Damon responded. “How about you tell me more about yourself?”
The two of them carried on talking for an hour or so. This felt different than the girls Damon would talk to. It was more fun in a way. Joseph seemed much more interesting than the girls who would just complain about their exes and stuff. Joseph was actually enjoyable to talk to, funnily enough. The chemistry between the two was real.
“Hey, Joseph?” Damon asked after he’d finished his fifth or sixth drink (not that he was feeling the effects, his vampire-ness cancelled that out).
“Yeah, what's up?” Joseph responded, slurring a little bit. He must not be a regular drinker, seeing he was only halfway through his second beer.
“What do you say we… go back to my place.” Damon smirked, looking Joseph directly in his eyes which seemed to be a dark green.
“Oh, uh, yeah, sure!” Joseph agreed nervously, smiling like an idiot. It was Damon’s time to strike.
The taxi didn’t take long to arrive after it’d been called, and was very quick to drop the two off at Damon’s dingy apartment. Damon guided the other man up the building’s stairs by the waist, considering Joseph was a little bit tipsy.
“Easy, darling,” Damon said after Joseph almost fell against his apartment door. “Here, there you go.” He unlocked the door and took Joseph in with him. Damon continued to guide Joseph towards his bedroom through the small apartment, unbuttoning the younger guy’s vest as they walked.
“Are you ready?” Damon muttered against Joseph’s soft, warm neck, kissing it gently.
“Yeah,” Joseph half-moaned. Clearly he was sex deprived, considering how a few kisses to the neck already had him whimpering. Joseph grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him against his bed, their waists touching each other. God, this guy was already half-hard.
And, God,
So was he.