InsaneJournal

Who: Godric & Eric
What: Well, there's a tub involved ...
Where: Eric's bathroom.
When: Late afternoon, the day after all the mindblowing Slayer-sex.
Rating: .... there's a damn tub. But low. Ish.


Eric was sore. Not really sore; his vampirism meant that several hours in all kinds of positions didn't actually leave him in any kind of real pain. It was a phantom soreness, the knowledge that he should have ached in a hundred delicious ways, and the very real memory of what that felt like from very recently, that had him seeking out the very large, very comfortable bath tub with the jets that were amazing at turning even the most tense muscles into putty shortly after he woke for the day to find the note left on the forums for him.

A lot could be said about him, but he'd always liked luxury. The warm water, the bubble bath (vanilla was as close to non-feminine as he'd been able to find in stores after his own supply had run out some days before, and with the quarantine around Vegas, there was no hope of getting more any time soon), the classical music coming from the speakers of his ipod hookup. And with little else he could do for a few more hours, other than translations that were beginning to make his head hurt, why shouldn't he lay back, relax, and enjoy it? His head tipped back, eyes closed, he might have been dead to the world, if it weren't for the lazy motions his fingers made in the water.

Godric made little sound as he stepped into the bathroom, nor did he knock or announce himself. It was his prerogative as the dominant in their relationship not to do any such things, and their relationship was sound enough that it never bothered his child. Eric knew Godric had great respect for him; little gestures were unnecessary. He had an interesting night himself. He was rather curious about the house full of demon hunters, and they did not disappoint. They were generally very suspicious and uncomfortable around him, although a few warmed by the end of the evening. He liked their leader. She had apologized to him after and was a capable warrior, something he respected, and she tried to keep the household peaceful, something he respected even more.

It seemed his child more than respected her.

Eric always did love his luxuries and bath tubs. Godric spent years with little, so he did not mind having expensive tastes occasionally, but he could always go back to nothing if he needed to. Fighting the brainless creatures became very disgusting. He lost his stomach for the kill long ago. Godric pulled up a small stool they had for whatever reason in there and sat next to the tub. "That was interesting."

He turned his head to face Godric, opening his eyes. It was pointless to pretend to ignore his maker, even if the inclination had crossed his mind, and respect demanded that he didn't even try. Not that he would have, anyway. He'd meant what he'd said about wanting to enjoy what time they had in Vegas, even if that time included Godric joining him while he bathed.

"Mm, what was?" It was amazing what a night of uncomplicated sex could do for his mood. A great deal of the tension he'd been carrying for weeks -- since Sookie had said she was pregnant, tension that had doubled after she'd disappeared and returned with no memory of her former time there -- wasn't ... gone, exactly, but it didn't seem to weigh as heavily on him now. He was relaxed in a way he hadn't been for quite some time. It wasn't that sex fixed everything; it was mostly that something had to give, and cutting his way through zombies wasn't doing it.

Godric smiled. Eric was a very charming man, but he had a particularly charismatic laziness to him when he was in a good mood. It never failed to amuse his maker. "Listening to you and the Slayer have a pleasant evening together," he said quietly. "It made meditation very difficult, since you were not even bothering to mask your emotions. I do believe every person in this house needs a cigarette and they might not even know why." Godric always spoke in that gentle, soft way of his, and it meant sometimes his dry wit was not appreciated for what it was. After two thousand years he had to find a sense of humor or go mad.

Eric, at least, had the decency to look abashed. "Would you believe me if I told you I wasn't thinking about that?" It was only recently -- very recently -- that his home had been filled with vampires other than himself and Pam, and she wasn't as sensitive to him as he was to his maker. It was a bond that developed over the centuries, and Pam had only been his for a fraction of the time he'd been Godric's.

"Oh I would believe that. You seemed very caught up in what you were doing," Godric dryly noted. He did not seem offended by the act, and Eric knew he was no stickler when it came to sex. An ancient vampire had pretty much seen and done anything and then some. "I considered taking Pam out to hunt the creatures to give you full privacy, but it would have just brought it more to her attention." He was fond of Pam, but she had a mouth on her. Never to him, she was not that unwise, but to Eric certainly. Godric understood he and Eric shared a different bond than Pam and Eric, but it did not mean he was fully patient when someone was too snappish with his child. "Do you feel better now?"

"I imagine I'll hear it from Pam at some point, no matter what you did or would have done." Godric may have had little patience with his grandchild's mouth, but it was one of the things Eric liked about her. There were too many other vampires who were willing to let him have his way, all the time, based solely on his age; Pam was unafraid to call him on his bullshit or put a boot in his ass when he was being an idiot, and while it might have been frustrating at times, it was good for him.

"Considerably better, thank you. If I'd known that would work, I would have caved to the urges ages ago."

"True. I just preferred not to hear about it." Godric had endless patience, as long as it did not involve being snide to Eric. He was a little protective. And by a little, it meant the few times he lost his temper usually involved someone bothering his child. The last thing anyone ever wanted was to see Godric's control snap. His appearance and genial nature were deceitful. Underneath it was one of the most powerful and dangerous vampires in the world. He liked Pam. She was certainly more tolerable than many others, and she was duly submissive when necessary. "After a thousand years you still do not remember what a release sex can be?" He was teasing.

Only with Godric was Eric tempted to give in to the more childish side of his nature, and he didn't resist the urge to make a face. "I forgot what a release uncomplicated sex can be." He may have enjoyed sex, and he may have been good at it, but all things considered, Eric could never have been called promiscuous. The early days, there hadn't been much opportunity (and he'd never been a fan of glamouring women -- or men -- into something like that), and while, comparatively, the numbers had jumped in the later years, he could count on one hand the number of new lovers he'd taken since the Revelation, though the number who claimed they'd had him was much higher.

Fangbangers weren't exactly to his tastes, either, and he felt no guilt in coaxing their memories into believing what they wanted to.

Godric, on the other hand, was actually quite promiscuous in his day. For someone with such a mild temperament, he took pleasures where he could find them and never concerned himself much with it. In the past few decades, however, he lost his appetite for that just like his interest in killing or drinking from humans. He remembered some of his more feral days and the things he would do to women or men that caught his fancy. They were just more things that haunted him now in the long hours of daylight. He never liked human lovers, other than the difference in body temperature, and preferred his own kind. They were less breakable and less complicated. "You should indulge in it more considering the stress of our current situation. It is better for you to have a clear head." He curiously glanced toward Eric. "You have not given up on Miss Stackhouse?"

"My head is perfectly clear. It was the rest of me that needed a break." He'd been wound too tight, too full of energy that he hadn't been able to find a way to work out, and that, in a vampire, was dangerous. Those were the ones that snapped, the ones that, at home, they'd hear about on the evening news, and it certainly hadn't helped matters much that he, as of late, in a near-constant state of alert. It had been decades, if not centuries, since any kind of extended conflict that involved them.

Godric's question about Sookie made him frown. "Of course not. But she ... needs time to come around." He hated to admit that, but it was true. He knew forcing himself on her wasn't the answer (she, like most of the women he kept in his life for any period of time, was stubborn as hell, and more than willing to do the exact opposite of anything he asked, simply because he was doing the asking), and with everything going on, it was hardly fair to make what would be a half-assed attempt at dating.

When things calmed down. Until then, he was ... maybe not content to sit on the sidelines, but resigned to it.

Keeping his head clear was something Godric sought every day. It was why he spent so much time in medication or in quiet contemplation. The truth was he was very torn, and that was what led him to meeting the dawn in the first place. His guilt from his previous actions mixed with his exhaustion with the world were difficult to cope with. While Godric was far more put together and wise than any of the people around him, it also meant his long years gave him a great deal more weight to carry. He did not think any amount of uncomplicated sex could change that.

"I agree," he said approvingly. He did like the Slayer, but felt she was a little too much sour than sweet for his child. Sookie had a kindness like no other, and an openness that was well suited for Eric. "That other vampire is still all she knows right now. You are being remarkably patient, all things considered."

"It's patience, or rip his head off, and I'm positive the latter wouldn't win me any points." His tone might have suggested, to anyone else, that he was joking, but a slight narrowing of his eyes indicated he was serious. More than serious, he would have enjoyed doing it. He recognized that he could protect Sookie from the things that intended to kill her (he was even good at it), but he'd have done almost anything to spare her the heartbreak of realizing that she'd been manipulated, and the worst part about it was the fact that he knew Sookie, from when she was, would have believed anything he said was merely a last-ditch effort to steal her away.

"I have a sneaking suspicion that given enough time, Eric, he'd find a way to ruin things in his own particular manner." No, Godric did not have foresight or any such gifts, but he had experience. And he knew vampires. It did not take long for him to break down Bill's sire, Lorena, with one quiet conversation. Bad blood only led to more bad blood. He had no personal problem with Bill, but he noted the vampire's flaws on an intellectual level. "For now if you want her, you must be respectful, and allow her to see the value in your suit. It will be more worthwhile for it." Plus he would prefer not to have his child slay another vampire for such a petty reason. Eric was liked in the community, but even Godric would not be able to protect him if he broke a sacred law.

"I know. But you know me." After a thousand years, Godric was likely more than well aware of the fact that his child was impatient, to say the least. He didn't handle rejection well, most likely because it so very rarely happened, he was impulsive, and, like all vampires, he had a violent streak that could be downright nasty. It was a bad combination made worse by mixing in feelings. Life was a lot more simple before Sookie had walked into his bar. Boring, yes, but more simple.

A change in subject was desperately needed, and he slid down a little in the water, making himself more comfortable. "Did you manage to catch the last of the Winchester house last night? The girl?" If Godric hadn't, it would be top priority for Eric as soon as the sun set.

"I do. I find this an excellent lesson for you." Even after a thousand years Eric could still learn. Godric always appreciated the few times he learned new things. It was excellent to see progress even after so long. "She would make an interesting vampire. Miss Stackhouse." It was just an observation, not a suggestion. He was a firm believer in people having a choice on that matter, and that was one thing he kept even from the old days. He gave Eric the choice, after all. He knew even then that his child would say yes, they connected easily, but it was important to him that no one came reluctantly to the fold.

"Ah, yes. Quite a mouth on that one." Godric found it amusing this time, although when he calmly explained she was going to do what he said no matter what, she had seemed surprisingly subdued. Perhaps he was getting through to humans better than before. "She is protected. You do love impudent humans."

"I have considered it. Particularly if the things I have read are to come to pass," Eric replied with a light shrug. "But she would never give up the day, not even to save her own life. She loves it too much." And Eric, in good conscience, couldn't ask her to. He could suggest it, make the offer, but he knew (or thought he knew) what her answer would be, and he wasn't one for false hope. Trust him to pick the one human who made everything so ridiculously complicated.

He couldn't help but smile at Godric's assessment of Andrea. "She is contrary to be contrary most of the time, I think. She enjoys arguments. I believe it gives her some sense of control." His assessment wasn't far off, despite only meeting her a handful of times, and never for very long. Andy was one of those people who was just easy to read. "And why shouldn't I? They tend to be fearless." Which meant less likely to treat them like the monsters that most people assumed they were.

"Things you have read?" This did not fully make sense. Did Eric have some book of prophecy he hadn't mentioned? He considered what Eric was saying about Sookie, and nodded quietly to indicate he understood. "Then you may be in for trouble in the future, child. Human and vampire relationships rarely last long unless they end in siring." This did not mean they never worked out, it was just rare. Aging did become a concern, and while he did not see the other Miss Stackhouse pregnant, he assumed she may have wanted a child someday. Something they ordinarily could not give. "I do know pain is a part of life, but I do not like to see you in pain," he admitted. Godric reached over to pat Eric's head, a gesture as comforting to him as to Eric.

"She looked at me strangely. I do not believe she has seen many vampires as young appearing as I." Godric was accustomed to people who did not know any better assuming things because of how old he was when he was turned. Vampires knew better, but humans were all about appearances. He could count various pedophiles he killed over the years who attempted to prey on him for his looks. Ah, good times. "She, too, seems to have an attraction to our kind. More uncomplicated sex for you."

"There are books. I stumbled upon them quite accidentally, and while the woman who wrote them has managed to get a fair few of the details wrong, she is wrong less often than she is right. In my experience." Godric's death had been little more than a footnote, for instance, and every detail about their relationship had been incorrect -- but his death, the manner of it, his choosing to die, had been correct. He glanced at Godric, then shook his head, slowly. "Long for us, perhaps, but a lifetime for her is still decades." Maybe a blip in their timeline, and not nearly long enough, for his tastes, but he would take what he could get.

Then Godric was talking about Andy again, and he had to laugh. "I'm almost positive her attraction to our kind has little to do with the fact that we are vampire. She is attracted to things likely to outlive her." And, after hearing her speak of the world she'd come from at the information session he'd let her his bar for, he could understand why.

"How interesting. I wonder who spoke with her." It would not be too difficult to get various details of their life for the right clan member, but to give it to a human author? Very intriguing. "I would like to see them." Godric always looked for new things to read, and he found books about them to be particularly amusing. It was no wonder they had so many fangbangers in the community considering what the human mainstream thought of them. "Perhaps decades," he acknowledged. It was not his decision. It was up to her and his child what they wanted out of the rest of her life.

An eyebrow flickered upwards in curiosity. "Things that outlive her? That could be any number of things. Humans are fragile." And apparently very strange even now. He understood and cared for humanity, but they did manage to surprise him. They were very irrational. "She smelled of something inhuman, but not vampire."

"I have them in my room. I've been reading them, and rereading them, because if they are accurate past the point that I know ... there are a great number of things I'd like to prevent." The explosion, Sophie-Anne's demise, to say nothing of the faery war (which wouldn't concern him in the least if Sookie didn't get caught up in it). If there was a chance at stopping any of it, saving lives in the process, he wanted to be well-informed. "I'll bring them to you later."

Eric could only shrug. "Around here, your guess as to what that is is as good as mine. To listen to her speak, I get the sense that she sees other humans as fragile. Not herself." There was some weight to Andy, when she was talking about the virus and the apocalypse, that said she'd seen more and done more than any human should have had to in the course of a lifetime. He doubted any of the others at the meeting had seen the brief flicker of guilt before she'd put a bullet in the creature's head, or read the slouch of her shoulders as anything but physical exhaustion. Eric had seen it before. Mostly when he looked at Godric.

"Were they written for our future, then?" This was a fascinating idea. "Odd." Godric would have to read them and see for himself how much that was changed or altered. And what the future brought for those who lived past him. He got the sense that his fate was the same, since Eric had not indicated otherwise. If he had chosen to live in these 'books,' his child would no doubt point it out with delight. "And are you a dashing and misunderstood hero?" One side of his mouth curved.

"Humans rarely see themselves as fragile. No one likes to admit how easy it is for everything to end." That was true of vampires as well. For all his power, Godric died quickly with just a simple sunrise. A little silver, and they were as weak as any human. Every creature had its own weaknesses, and the desire to ignore them and pretend invulnerability. "Those who believe them stronger or safer than most are usually the most vulnerable. They make mistakes the more timid would not." Godric curiously smelled some of the bath oils, and wrinkled his nose. Strange, but it made the zombie stink lessen. "She is safe from the virus, but she may not be safe from herself."

"Sookie's future, to be sure. We're the supporting cast." He gave a vague smile, unbothered by that. It was what it was, and to be honest, Eric wasn't entirely comfortable with all of his secrets being out there. Even if what was written, taken out of context, made him look like a bit of a douchebag at times. "I'm the attractive, mysterious vampire responsible for putting her into danger far more often than not, and using all my wiles to get into her pants." ...Well, it was true enough. Horribly out of context, but true. He couldn't deny that much.

"I suspect that if too many lives are lost, she won't hesitate to throw herself head-first into the fire," Eric remarked, shrugging. "She seems the type to take loss worse than I do." Which was saying something, considering that Eric himself had been more than willing to meet the sun with Godric -- and would have, if he'd been able to fight against the order to go inside.

"The supporting cast? You?" Godric gently teased. He always thought his child would make an excellent leading man, but he did enjoy his secrets. "I suppose it would make sense to make her the main character. The humans reading would be more inclined to connect with her, one of their own." Besides a human author could not possibly understand the mind and ways of the vampire, not truly. No amount of information and teaching could fully change that. He actually was moved to chuckle at Eric's description. "That sounds about right."

"Yes, it seems likely." Godric could not say much about that. Were his thoughts and actions not suicidal in their own way? Was he not willing to take great sacrifice for others? Certainly. Andy may show her recklessness on the outside, but he knew a kin spirit when he saw one. "Yes, you never did take well to things being outside of your control."

"She managed to get you completely wrong," Eric replied with a smirk, though he didn't elaborate. Godric would realize that soon enough, if he did more than thumb through them. "And us. Our relationship, I mean." Which was probably for the best -- any human who tried to sum it up would need far more than a single novel to manage it, and would still end up getting it horribly wrong. Better to change things around, he thought, than be insulting.

It was kind of funny how their lot had become self-sacrificial, all things considered. Eric never would have called himself that, but he'd thrown himself in with the humans here with very little thought, accepting the consequences easily. Maybe it was for some sense of control, but if he examined it on more than the surface, he began to doubt that. "And yet you and I get along so well," he found himself remarking, though that was because Godric didn't very often take away his sense of control. It was one of many things Eric admired about him.

"Oh?" If he did believe that someone spoke to this writer, it just meant it was no one in their closer circles. They would know better. "I suppose I should be glad for that. If I was ever written as I am into a book, they would likely change me in surprising ways. Perhaps I would be just a vampire child. Or a beautiful and romantic youth with nefarious sexual needs." His deadpan delivery was always the best indicator he found something amusing. From the vampire books he read, most of their kind fell into archetypes. Always dangerous but only to a point, and apparently very, very interested in satisfying the love life of humans. It was better than the alternative; them as villains.

"You do not seek to control me, Eric. Your few attempts at it have never been very heartfelt. I am your sire. You are allowed to let me be in control." And even for someone who liked being in charge, there was a certain relief in letting someone else take the reins from time to time.

"You mean you're not? You've been lying to me for centuries?" Eric managed to sound so affronted, and he sat forward, looking at Godric with an expression that might have been horror, but his maker, who knew him so well, would recognize the amusement in his eyes. "Do I even know you at all?" One could blame the soap operas that seemed to fill daytime television for his reaction.

But he sobered a moment later. "Yes. Well. You only ever assert it when I make you. And even then, it is rare." And usually for his own good, a fact that he could recognize after the fact, even if, during the moment, it angered or annoyed him.

Godric laughed softly. Eric was one of the few people who managed to get one of those out of him, especially when he started descending into his depression. "I was never romantic, and I was not a child. In our day humans did not live so long. I was already a man in the eyes of the tribe." He reached over to touch the water and flicked it playfully at Eric's face. "As for the nefarious sexual needs, well, I wasn't the only one to take pleasure from those, now was I?" His tone was mild but blue eyes might have a twinkle in them.

"You rarely force me to. You are the best child I could have asked for. I have excellent taste." Drying off his hand on white pants, Godric felt at ease. Even with the world going mad outside, at least they had their comfortable ways back. "I am glad to see you in a good mood again."

"And an ego to match," Eric couldn't help but tease. The decision came quickly, spurred by the fact that Godric had flicked water at him, and Eric could never stand to let things go. They were comfortable again, which meant he felt confident enough to press his boundaries; he moved quickly, reaching for his maker, and hauled him over the side of the tub with a laugh. Vampire strength pretty near equal, Eric still had the advantage of size and surprise on his side, and he wasn't afraid to use it.

Godric had exceptional speed and agility when he wanted, but Eric took him completely be surprise. He had about a microsecond to respond and by that time he was already into the tub with a splash. Coming up a moment later, Godric just stared at his child with open, startled dismay, and then annoyance, and then overpowering amusement. He laughed again, this time loudly. "I take back everything I've ever said." He settled down in the tub without argument, because there was no point to getting out now. "I should have left you to die, you impudent worm."

"You should have. I wouldn't have been stuck with an eternity listening to you blather on about anything and everything," Eric returned, grinning. It was good to see the amusement, good to hear Godric laugh again, a sound that had been far too rare in later years, and if he had to play the fool to make it happen, he was more than okay with that. A brow raised, almost in challenge, as he drew back his hand, and splashed at him. Take that.

"Watch it, child. You never know when Hep-D infested blood accidentally gets in your glass." Godric was so grave recently that he forgot how simple and nice laughter could be. To be honest he was never a prankster and wouldn't back up the threat even if he meant it. Eric occasionally did pranks in the past on other vampires just to make him smile. So there they were. Two of the oldest and most powerful vampires in the United States and they were currently in a tub having a splash fight.

Boys never grow up.