Who: Damon Salvatore and Thomas Raith What: Feeding on NYE Where: Vegas - The Underworld When: Super backdated to NYE Rating: Medium - for vampires being vampires
There was a definite plus to being finished with shooting and having some time before they’d need to do reshoots or whatever else - it meant that he could just take off on a spur of the moment decision to Vegas to ring in the New Year with his boyfriend at the other man’s club there. Not that they didn’t regularly go to his clubs in California but this was more difficult to pull off. Not out of cost or anything like that but just time. And now that he was a vampire that made it an even more logistical nightmare for him - all he could say was thank God for tinted windows in cars and blinds on airplanes. He made his way to the bar to get another drink, not that the alcohol affected him all that much but it was a habit. And it gave him something to do while he enjoyed the party. Something to distract himself from the sensory input all of the humans around him were supplying. Last thing Damon needed was for Thomas to cause a scene by attacking someone on the dance floor.
He sipped his drink, leaning back against the bar as he looked around for Damon. There had to be some way to curb this before the hunger got out of hand. Some additional distraction. He shouldn’t be craving blood this way since he’d drank before coming down for the party.
*** When it came to being a vampire, Damon was good at it. He’d also had five years in and had learned, not the easy way. He’d struggled, suffered, went nearly mad from denying cravings, and had learned the art of timing, resistance, and temper. He and Thomas were working on that control and the man had a lot of it, but he knew how hard it was first hand. He knew how easy it was to snap in a frenzy, how the wrong or right smell could intoxicate more than a drop of alcohol. It was the best and worst drug. Bloodlust was real, and if denied too long, it would end in a murder spree. That was something they needed to avoid.
He was called off to check with guests before punches were thrown, leaving Thomas at the bar. This was a test in crowds for sure, but he wanted his boyfriend there with him, needed him there. This was the Underworld’s first New Year’s Eve. The Underworld - run by vampires, very tongue in cheek. The lights were up, the floor was packed, live entertainment put on a show all night and the alcohol flowed. 2020 would be a hit, making the vampire even richer than he was. Neither was in need of money, but having an excess of it was a nice perk.
Issue controlled now, he wandered back to the bar. “How are you doing?” he asked, hand on his boyfriend’s back. He leaned in close. “Need a snack?” There were plenty around. ***
Thomas might have been looking the other direction but he knew the second the other man approached, heard his footsteps as light as they might have been with the music so he didn’t jump at that sudden touch on his back. He turned his head to look at his boyfriend, voice pitched low as he answered his question with one of his own. “How do you not go insane with this around you night after night? The sounds and smells are distracting me from the other sounds and smells.”
The offer of a snack hit him square in the gut and he felt his fangs starting to extend but he stopped them before they would become obvious to any observers. “I thought that what I had upstairs would be enough but I was definitely wrong about that. And I’m trying not to give in to the temptation to drain one of your clients.” Or more than one of them as he looked around and saw two women watching them from the other end of the bar.
*** “Always eat before you leave the house,” Damon chuckled. He had a line on bloodbags, and they got the pair through. Damon liked blood from the vein, which wasn’t a secret either. In truth, he needed very little to survive, and the control to make it work. When he didn’t feel like making it work, he did have methods. “Snatch, eat, erase,” he whispered in Thomas’ ear. Of course, he wasn’t sure Thomas had the compulsion talents that Damon had. Damon could control his feeding then remove the memory. Thomas could seduce them into giving in. Damon enjoyed having another vampire to teach, and to love, who didn’t seem to mind all those habits that most frowned upon. Maybe they played on each other’s need, but nothing wrong with that as long as they both agreed. “Want to find some to dance with?” That meant light snack using his methods. ****
Thomas tried to give Damon an angry look at that reminder but he couldn’t carry it through as he gave a soft laugh and shook his head. “I did eat before. I just didn’t eat enough. Someone was being distracting.” He said teasingly. God his boyfriend was not playing fair when he whispered that way. “I much prefer making them want it too.” He whispered back, turning his head to give the other vampire a quick kiss before pulling away. “Blondes or brunettes?”
*** “Hmmmmmm, maybe blondes tonight. Men or women?” He arched a brow. In a way, he preferred women as snacks. The tease was always fun. “They are into it with a little convincing. We just take enough though, no body count.” The last thing Thomas needed was the guilt of a kill. Damon carried guilt, but he could compartmentalize it so well that it rarely bubbled to the surface. That was the nature of a vampire. “Let’s find some targets and have some fun.” He pulled Thomas back towards him and kissed him again a little harder. “Not too much fun.” ***
“Women.” Thomas said having spent some time this evening trying to avoid the guys that were around the place. Just because he wasn’t glued to Damon didn’t mean he was looking for someone else to step in the spot. “I’ve had more than enough of the other guys here tonight.” He said, knowing that chances were good Damon was aware of some of the brush offs Thomas had given to people who’d gotten a little to familiar, a little too hands on in their attempts at hitting on him. “Just a taste. No killing. I promise. I don’t want the wrong kind of publicity after all.” He didn’t want to know what it felt like to kill someone, not if he didn’t have to. And Damon was helping him with control so he wouldn’t have to. That hard kiss took him by surprise but he returned it happily, pressing tight to him. “Not too much fun.” He agreed, reaching for Damon’s hand to lead him around to the other end of the bar. “I might have already noticed a couple women who might just fit the bill for a dance or two.”
*** Damon knew that they both had interest from the patrons that spied the pair. From head to toe, they were dripping in perfection enhanced by the undead factor. That didn’t bother him as much as the response. They could look, and he couldn’t control it, but touch was another matter. However, now he was on a quest, and was soon chatting up the two blond friends that were all too willing to come upstairs with the two vampires ‘for a drink and a dance or two’. He heard their names, forgot them as quickly. They were snacks who would never remember, only think about a stray cat outside who scratched them.
They seemed a little nervous when they entered the private area. Damon went to the bar, leaving Thomas to relax them a little. He enjoyed watching his boyfriend work. He poured drinks for their new companions and served them, nodding to Thomas to go to work. ~~~
Thomas led them over to the couch, an arm behind both of them almost touching their backs but not quite. It was easier for him to manipulate their emotions in close proximity but he wasn’t going to actually touch them. A little bit of teasing himself as he felt the desire radiating off her underneath the layers of excitement and nervousness radiating about being up here with them. His reputation had obviously preceeded him with them. “Relax darlings. I promise we’re not going to do anything to you that you don’t want us too.” He said with a flirty smile as he sat down between them.
He started manipulating their desires, making them want to try something different, making them susceptible to suggestions. “I do have an idea of something we could try. If you’re willing to try it.” He murmured, looking over at Damon.
*** Damon’s compulsion abilities were different from Thomas’. They worked well together though, and he enjoyed watching what his boyfriend could do. He just simply smiled encouragingly, coming closer. He looked into their eyes, locked in, focused. “Don’t be afraid.” It was that simple. Thomas did the majority, but this was the seal to keep them from the panic. They would walk out of the room, and wouldn’t be hurt, just disoriented. Nothing to feel guilty about - and really he didn’t. He looked back at his boyfriend, feeling teeth stretching in hunger. He nodded to Thomas to go on. ***
Thomas gave Damon a small smile as he leaned in to the blonde seated on his right, whispering a suggestion in her ear as he pushed a curl back from her face, eyes locked on Damon’s. It wasn’t as pretty as Damon’s compulsion but the effect was the same as she rose up and went to sit on Damon’s lap, pushing hair back over her shoulder to expose her neck to him. “Do you want a bite?” She asked flirtatiously, following Thomas’ suggestion to the letter as he turned his attention to her friend. He ratcheted her desire for the bite up a bit, running his hand lightly up and down her arm as he felt the curious blend of the emotional state he and Damon had put her into. He pushed her hair back, giving her a smile before lowering his head and biting down, pushing the pain back to bring the pleasure forward in her.
*** Thomas’ talents were fun to watch. The things he could do with it, sooth people. He put them in a docile state and it was almost unnerving watching the seduction, smooth and subtle. Damon looked at the woman on his lap, with piercing blue eyes. He felt no guilt, almost wished he did, but he was a vampire more than a human. His eyes focused. “Don’t be afraid. It’s pure pleasure.” A hand curled around her bare thigh, not going further, but just flirty. Lips touched her neck before he bared teeth, going in nice and smooth. If he wanted to drain, he could in seconds, but this was a snack, and she’d walk away a little dizzy, still in the giddy state.
Blood hit his throat, sweet, succulent. He reminded himself of that control, not too much, go slow. Enjoy! Feed. Feel. He placed a hand over her heart, although he felt it beat through her veins. He heard her moan. Feeding could be such an intense pleasure when the donor wasn’t afraid. It was a high that could become an addiction so easily. ***
Thomas felt a brief flare of jealousy as he saw the other woman’s reaction to that bare touch to her, felt the surge of desire flood her as Damon’s hand rested over her heart that way but he shoved that emotion down. He knew his boyfriend, knew it wouldn’t go any further than feeding with her. That the touch was just to heighten the pleasure he got from the feeding. They both knew that Thomas got jealous and possessive though. It was one of the things they were working on. He turned his attention back to his companion, letting go of the pain he was holding back just a little now that she was enjoying it on her own as her moan demonstrated.
He smirked, pulling off for a moment to kiss the spot he’d bitten, licking over the bite mark lightly. “I told you - nothing you wouldn’t like didn’t I?” He asked.
*** He was a smooth operator. It was sexy the way he could sooth anyone into that relaxed, glazed over state. Damon had felt it himself, even though he was a stronger vampire. The last few years had made him stronger, and as time went on, Thomas would gain ground. They would manage their skills.
Back to the drink, his eyes drooped, feeling the rush of blood. He felt her pulse through her shirt, felt it slow, but not too much. He was sated enough to pull back as easily as he went in, and just looked at her, blood dripping from his lip. It wasn’t a lot, and still the woman didn’t panic. He’d told her not to. “You taste so good,” he smiled, voice calm and controlled. He was also a smooth one. “Stand up for me.”
The woman stood as he took a cloth and wiped the marks. His eyes narrowed in on hers and they locked. “Earlier, you were playing with your dog and got a little carried away. You were lying down with a toy and he grabbed you instead of the toy. It was a huge mistake and he knew it instantly and now it’s better and you love him. You aren’t even angry.” He smiled, let go and dropped her gaze.
He went to the other, leaving his own a bit confused but doing well. “You and your boyfriend like to play vampires. He tries to bite. Today he drew a little blood, but you really enjoy it. It gets you hot.” He broke gaze with the second and looked at Thomas, amused. “Now go on and dance until this place closes.” He handed them each a drink card and opened the door once more.
***
Thomas didn’t even bother trying to hide the amusement at the reasoning Damon gave the woman sitting beside him, removing his arm from behind her as Damon handed her a card and politely ushered them out of the office. They were being dismissed even if it didn’t sink into them that way. Thomas had already stopped thinking about them as he watched Damon close the door behind them.
“So when am I actually going to figure out how much I need to feed to get through the night?” He asked, stretching out on the couch almost lazily.
***
“I don’t know. That part is all about control. When you can control the cravings, it will be less,” Damon said, wiping the traces of blood from his lips. He liked the life. He liked being a vampire. He supposed there were things that weren’t as great, like that need for blood, and the desire to take from a vein as opposed to a cool bag. He’s been this way for so long now that it was truly a part of him.
“Don’t ever think you are bad. You aren’t. I’m - “ he paused on words before coming up with something suitable, “morally challenged. You aren’t though and that will keep you from crossing the lines you don’t want to cross. You can do it.” He was sated for the time being, happy to drop down next to Thomas to enjoy the blood high, somewhat akin to a food coma.