NONCON WARNING

It isn't just my body that bleeds, it's my soul.

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"Deidara, get back—!"

The sound of Deidara's father shouting after him came to an abrupt halt, the sound of the door banging shut interrupting him as Deidara slammed the door on the argument. There was a moment that he expected his parents to come lunging out of the house after him, but with his feet pounding against the dewy earth, he knew they'd never catch him. He'd never even waited for the door to open again, if it had at all. They had been so furious, he wasn't sure they even cared about where he stormed off to. He was almost eighteen, they weren't going to follow him and drag him home anymore.

The night wind combed its wispy fingers through the teenager's long hair, pulling it over his shoulders while he ran. He didn't stop running when his legs began to burn, nor when his lungs started to throb, screaming with each inhale as if the efforts were too much. He didn't stop when the paved road of his village gave way to the dusty earth, his shoes kicking up a dirt cloud. He didn't stop until he had taken the first step past the first tree, when the sky above became obscured by leaves and inky black turned into dark emerald. It was such a tiny line, he could step right back out onto the dirt road, but it felt like he was miles into an entirely different world. Like if he turned back, he might see nothing but forest.

But, he didn't. Deidara faced forward, into the woods, and his boots crunched the leaves beneath him when he ventured farther. The taste of rage was sour in his mouth, his lips pulled into a sneer as he batted away a low-hanging branch. They snagged at his hair and scraped at his arms, almost like they were trying to slow him. "An entire village of idiots," Deidara lamented to himself. "I discover a beautiful form of magic, and they want to condemn me, yeah? I could start an entire new era." No one appreciated Deidara's affinity for fire magic; rather, his favoring of explosive spells. Deidara could cause wild bursts of magic, powerful and stunning in their display, but they could be dangerous. Only if one didn't know how to control it—it was like they were insulting his talents.

Deidara had gotten so involved in the fight with his parents, he'd allowed his anger to blind him. He'd left behind his pouch containing the clay and dust he infused with magic; without them, he'd come into the forest unarmed, and the moon was well into the sky. She sat fat and round, her glow dim through the foliage, but a vibrant reminder. Deidara was trespassing. When her light touched the earth, it was no longer a human's to inhabit, and he had abandoned his village's protected walls.

Under his feet, roots tangled around him, almost causing Deidara to trip onto the ground. "Shit," he swore, his palm scrabbling out to grab onto something for balance. Tender flesh scraped against the unforgiving, callous wood of an oak tree. The light was nearly too little to see with, and what little help it did cast, it only brought out the shadows and paranoia from deep within the forest. Deidara's eyes darted back and forth between the trees, scouring for any sign of something…not meant to be there.

Everything within the forest looked the same. Even during the day, only seasoned veterans walked the forest paths. Paths that were liable to lure wandering explorers down the wrong ends. Deidara couldn't tell any direction from the other, but he believed he'd been going straight. He had to have been. So, if he turned around, he would eventually see himself back to the dirt path, right? "Makes sense to me," the young man murmured, straightening up. His temper had cooled, much like his fire spells, strong but brief. He sucked in a deep breath, preparing for the trek back, and turned around.

He was not alone.

The breath he had taken in launched up from his chest, the beginnings of a scream on his lips before a cold palm slapped over his mouth. Deidara found himself pressed back by an unwavering force of strength, the trunk of the tree digging into his back. He looked up at the creature before him, gazing with wide-eyed horror. It looked so very human, felt human, if not for the chilling touch of its flesh and the unmistakable, raw power. This creature could snap Deidara's neck in an instant, and it would hardly have to lift a finger. Dark waves of hair spread like a curtain around the creature's shoulders, and though its face was smooth and regal, it was undoubtedly masculine. The sharp curve of the being's jawline tightened, his hand pressing harder against Deidara's mouth and prompting the teenager to wince.

Deidara had avoided the creature's eyes. Something ingrained within him had warned him against it, pulled his gaze away, but the sudden shift had drawn the blond's eyes up to stare into his captor's. There, Deidara found true fear. Deep pools of red stared down at him, glassy on the surface, locking away the secrets that lay beyond. The crimson color struck out like the blaring of a church bell, warning of imminent danger.

Vampire—and it was starving.

A vampire's eyes reflected their strength and hunger. Red eyes meant a weakened, starving vampire that needed to feed, and fast. They were almost always desperate and feral with their attacks. Why this one hadn't yet torn out his throat and fed from his weeping veins, Deidara didn't know, but judging by the strength still sizzling in the vampire's grasp, this one was uniquely powerful. Panicked, Deidara cut his eyes from side to side as he sought a way to escape. If only he'd stopped to think how he'd get out of the vampire's hands, first.

A deep laugh, low and breathy, resonated from within the vampire's chest. It chased shivers down Deidara's spine, and for a moment, his eyes slipped shut. The hand clasped around his mouth vanished, only to reappear at his throat. "You shouldn't be out here, dangerous things are about. Humans are too fragile for the night." The sound of the vampire's voice spilled over Deidara, wrapping around him like silk, but once it was upon him, the silk revealed shards of glass.

Gritting his teeth against the tremble in his jaw, Deidara willed himself to open his eyes again, but could not quite bring himself to look the creature in the eye. "We've survived this long, yeah. Something about us must be resilient, wouldn't you think?" he rasped, brazen sarcasm dripping from his voice. Judging by the vampire's arched eyebrow, it was rare for a human to talk back to him. "Step back, vampire. I don't want any trouble, yeah." Though trouble had an uncanny knack for wanting Deidara.

A chuckle fanned across Deidara's ear, the hand at his throat tightening almost imperceptibly, with a smooth-padded thumb stroking across the blond's pulse. "You know, it's considered rude to leave so abruptly. We haven't even introduced ourselves, yet." The vampire's voice alone posed a threat, luring Deidara into a false ease. If only he could shut his ears the way he could his eyes. Deidara shuddered, goosebumps covering his skin as he swallowed, wincing at the pressure of the vampire's hand. The creature stiffened, and Deidara could practically watch him wavering. "Tell me your name, human."

The command came inexorably. Deidara was opening his mouth without pause, offering his name to the vampire like a sacrifice, not realizing he was sacrificing much more. "Deidara."

A smirk adorned the vampire's expression, soft lips pulling up to reveal porcelain-white fangs. Deidara could only grit his teeth when the monster leaned in close, the cool kiss of fangs against flesh tempting a frightened gasp out of him. "Your pulse is racing," the vampire remarked. As if Deidara might not feel his heart attempting a prison break. "Do I frighten you?"

The amusement hiding within the vampire's tone made Deidara bristle. He finally seemed to regain some influence over himself again and brought his hands up to the vampire's shoulders. "A beast that wants to kill me? Why, what's so frightening about that, un?" he asked, lips curled into a frustrated snarl.

"Oh, Deidara," the vampire sighed, as if chastising. "Why would I waste such a pretty face?"

Deidara narrowed his eyes in suspicion. The cloth of his jacket skimmed down his arms as the vampire shucked it off, pushing it down Deidara's arms like he was undressing a doll. Dread burgeoned in the human's stomach suddenly, burning hotter than the spell the vampire had spun on him. Deidara had never believed in those stories, the ones of the beguiled women stumbling back into their villages, babbling about a vampire or fae bewitching them into bed. The rumors that the Other had a taste for humans had been mere whispers, frowned upon by the elders in every village. The vampires' seduction was thought to be for luring victims to feed from, nothing more.

A hand rested on Deidara's stomach, as cold and jarring as the grip of realization.

A chill permeated the teenager's body as the very blood in his veins froze. His movements felt jerky and sluggish as he struggled to shove himself out of the vampire's grip. His muscles screamed under the exertion, like they were attempting to budge a brick tower. Deidara huffed in a frantic breath, his chest burning as though he'd fought for several minutes, but it couldn't have happened in less than a moment. Deidara's fervent efforts were fruitless, his body crushed against the tree by the vampire's raw strength—and even then, the tremble of restraint was present. Cold, inescapable lips settled over Deidara's, swallowing a desperate shout that only the trees could have answered.

Fireworks burst behind Deidara's eyelids as he squeezed his eyes shut. His teeth locked together even as his lips cut against them from the harsh way the vampire kissed him. The reality of what was happening floated just out of grasp, leaving the poor teenager to feel delirious and lost even while he grappled to escape the very situation his mind couldn't wrap around. Deidara couldn't help but to wonder if that, too, was the vampire's trick, and just how far the extent of their power reached. For all that the beast's strength was immeasurable, there were few things that could compare to the stark and bellicose cocktail of a human's rage and fear combined. Deidara ripped himself away enough to scream.

Deidara bit his tongue when a hand cracked across his face, his head rearing back against the tree with an ugly "crack!" followed by him snarling a hateful, panicked protest at the vampire. "Get off of me, you fucking demon!" Deidara's teeth bared, tinted red where his lips had gotten cut on his teeth. Humans could become a true feral animal, if they were only confronted with the one thing that rose above them on the chain.

The vampire's eyes glittered, a gory beauty as he laughed at Deidara's plight. Each time he opened his mouth, Deidara could almost feel the hunger, tangible in the monster's red eyes and unstable restraint. Deidara cringed, brows drawing down as pain spread from his torso, where the vampire's open palm pressed him backwards into the tree. It didn't feel much unlike how a butterfly must feel getting pinned to a corkboard, a feast for human curiosity.

Deidara winced at the poor word choice. Becoming a feast was most certainly not on his list of ways to die. But, if the trembling muscles and deep ache blooming in his gut—proving the vampire could crush him against the tree if he truly wished to—were anything to trust, the creature was holding back. Deidara sucked in a breath as much as his squeezed lungs would allow. "Why not get it over with, yeah?" It would be so much easier, wouldn't it? To kill him and drain him without a struggle? The vampire was punishing himself by holding back, and he was punishing Deidara by drawing it out.

The hair beside Deidara's ear whipped in the air, a freezing palm cupping his cheek. A startled gasp launched up in Deidara's throat, barely touching his tongue before he swallowed it down. The vampire traversed his thumb across the underside of Deidara's jaw, until he had Deidara's face clasped. Breathing proved difficult suddenly, even if the vampire were to take away his punishing grip that kept Deidara pinned. The air itself had grown sticky and cloying, the very presence of such danger appearing to morph the world around Deidara. Or, maybe, that was his brain melting from the lack of oxygen.

Leaning in, the vampire cocked his head towards Deidara's throat, smirking as cold blue eyes lowered to watch him. "I want to enjoy you," he purred, an impossible husky sound. Deidara's heart jumped with it. "First, perhaps you'd feel better with something to scream?"

Deidara spat a rather old-fashioned slur at the vampire, his body flinching against the tree as a panicked spasm took ahold of his muscles. Though, if he were to get away, by some flagrant bet of God, he would never outrun the creature. Cool fangs met against Deidara's damp skin, becoming too familiar with each other as bloodless lips rose towards Deidara's ear. "Itachi," the vampire hissed. The syllables rolled off his lips and tumbled through Deidara's head until he understood—it was a name. And the idea of a monster having a name? Well, tonight was proving terribly contradictory to everything Deidara had ever learned.

Of course, the first thing he'd ever learned was to not roam outside at night, so he wasn't the best listener, anyway.

Unforgiving iron clasped around Deidara's waist, yanking him from the tree and throwing him to the ground in a graceless heap of cloth and obscenities. When perhaps, he should be bargaining and pleading, Deidara only spat out a vehement threat. "I'll kill you for this—I'll cut my blood out of your body!" Deidara said, scrambling against the dirt.

Itachi stood above, towering over Deidara's prone body like a shadow that looked to stretch across an entire room. How humiliating, to fight and scream, only for the predator to just smirk at the display. Itachi kicked at one of Deidara's ankles, spreading the teenager's legs before kneeling in the space between them, as if invited. The impact reverberated in the ground beneath Deidara, like the earth itself would give way if the vampire asked.

"Humans make such interesting partners to bed." The vampire leaned forward, covering Deidara with a slow deliberateness. The boy wasn't going to run anywhere, now. Itachi hadn't even had to break anything, first. "Always so responsive, so intense. If I didn't know better, I'd accuse you of coming out here on purpose…humans never seem to get enough," the vampire chuckled.

Deidara swung, his fist aimed for a square hit to that marble jaw. He never saw the vampire move, but instead of his fist connecting with a face, it connected with thin air. Itachi's fingers wrapped around Deidara's wrist like a steel cuff, squeezing with just enough strength for the bone to pop. Deidara's teeth bared in a grimace as he clawed at the vampire's grip with his free hand. "Fuck you," Deidara spat, unable to even dig his nails into the vampire's flesh. "You do that to them, your kind is nothing but black magic, yeah!"

Itachi cocked a brow, humoring Deidara by listening to his tirades. The human was amusing, in his own way. So full of fire and clinging to stories. Itachi lowered his face towards Deidara's, drinking in the sight of his eyes crackling with rage, or the way his nose wrinkled with disgust. Of all the people Itachi could lure toward him with nothing but a smile, and he chose this one?

Nothing had roused such a hunger in Itachi in ages.

Crushing his mouth onto Deidara's, Itachi could hear the blond's heart jump in his chest, the blood rushing in his veins as a new adrenaline, tinted with panic, spilled into his system. Itachi was anything but careful; humans were so fragile, but a deep part of him, the inhuman side, urged him to test Deidara. To see if this one could break. Beneath his body, Itachi felt when Deidara flinched, and the tangy tinge of blood flavored their kiss. It tasted sharp, smoky; all humans had a unique taste, special to them. This one, though, there was something special. The spark of…fire. Itachi understood then, why Deidara's body called out to him so strongly.

Deidara stiffened when a gravelly rumble vibrated in the vampire's chest. His lips stung, cut on the porcelain of the vampire's fangs. Deidara tugged on his arm, still trapped by the vampire; his other arm shoved at Itachi's shoulder, his chest, struggling to find a weak place to push the vampire off balance. Deidara might as well have been trying to shove the mountain away. The vampire's lips were cold, but they were soft, even as the kiss itself felt like an act of violence. Deidara opened his mouth, to scream, to stop the vampire's fangs from cutting into him anymore, Deidara wasn't sure. It didn't work in his favor in the end, anyway. Trust a vampire to steal every advantage just like the undead fucking snakes they were.

Itachi could feel his control slipping through his fingers, no matter how he tried to dig his claws into it, it was like trying to hold onto sand. He sucked Deidara's lower lip between his fangs to nip, chasing that acrid taste of blood. Itachi swiped his tongue across the human's lip and into his mouth, taking the offer presented so brazenly when Deidara parted his lips. Itachi had anticipated a fight in that too, for Deidara to bite or yank his face away. Instead, he froze beneath Itachi, not even moving his lips in the kiss despite Itachi's force.

Itachi shuddered, a pleased croon rolling from his chest. Curling a clawed hand in the fabric of Deidara's shirt, he ripped the article off like it was parchment. That drew a startled cry from Deidara as the shirt dug into his skin before tearing, exposing sun-kissed skin for Itachi's rapacious gaze. It did nothing to satiate it, instead, it opened a hole inside of Itachi that he'd started digging himself the second he laid eyes on this foolish, brave boy.

Deidara couldn't catch his breath, he could feel it getting stuck in his chest, as if something inside him had collapsed. The vampire's eyes gleamed with a deadly, cerise lust. Deidara had, by now, come to fear it wasn't just for his blood. In a burst of adrenaline, Deidara jerked his knee up to dig it into the vampire's side, struggling to roll out from underneath the bigger male when he lost his balance. The earlier composure the vampire had exhibited lapsed for a second as Itachi dug his fingers into Deidara's hair and yanked his head back, forcing his pristine throat into a pretty arch, and leaving his vein open for Itachi to rip into.

Sucking in a slow, shaking breath, Itachi closed his eyes for a beat, raking his control back into place. A second was all it was, perhaps, but a second was all that was needed to kill something as delicate as a human. Once he felt strong enough, Itachi opened his eyes again. He swallowed, throat having gone dry at the sight of the boy before him. Deidara was all splayed out on the grass, with his hair spilling around his head like a halo, his chest heaving and muscles trembling with lingering adrenaline. Either acceptance had set in, or shock. Wide eyes, pupils dilated so much they had eaten away most of the blue, stared up at Itachi, and he was sure Deidara was trying to figure out why he'd paused. It was a shame he had to dash the blond's hopes. At least he could be certain Deidara wouldn't be pulling any more foolish moves.

Resting his fingertips on Deidara's belly, Itachi felt the muscles jump as much as if he'd shocked them. Deidara was a fit man, but he was slight, wiry from hard work, but coming from a village without enough food. "You reek of innocence, Deidara," Itachi scraped his nails down the planes of Deidara's stomach, reaching the hem of his pants. "You're fortunate someone else didn't stumble upon you…not all of us are so nice," Itachi hissed the final word, causing Deidara to flinch.

"You're deluding yourself a little." Deidara swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing and drawing Itachi's eyes towards it. The vampire's lips curled in a vague smirk, the glisten of his fangs as intimidating as a madman holding a machete.

Deidara squeezed his eyes shut when Itachi leaned forward, the silk of his lips grazing down the column of Deidara's neck. Deidara held his breath, too afraid to take another in case it would be his last. He felt the coolness of the vampire's fangs against his flesh when the monster smiled—maybe because he'd felt the way Deidara's pulse jumped. The vampire's body was cold against Deidara's, hard with muscle and unimaginable strength as he trapped Deidara. It would've been easier to break out of an iron cage.

Itachi allowed himself to taste Deidara's flesh; the salt of his sweat and fear, the way his pulse beat just beneath the surface, was a gallant invitation. But, not yet, Itachi reminded himself. It was no fun if you broke a toy as soon as you got it.

Deidara arched his back when Itachi dropped his head lower, nearing the blond's chest. It was a poor attempt at swaying the vampire's intentions, Deidara realized, when an arm wrapped beneath his back to hold him in place. He groaned low in his throat, frustrated with the way his body moved; his nerves were jolting each time the vampire touched him, like a live wire hid beneath Itachi's fingertips and lips. Itachi laved his tongue over one of Deidara's nipples, the nub pink and hard from the cool gusts of the wind around them. The groan Deidara let spill from his throat sent a shudder rolling down Itachi's back, and a sharp desire to rend more of those sounds from the human. Itachi allowed his teeth to graze Deidara's skin as he slipped lower down that slim body, mindful not to tear Deidara's flesh.

Goosebumps rose on Deidara's skin, chasing trembles through his limbs even as they struggled. He clawed at the dirt, at Itachi's chest and shoulders, but his efforts were proving futile. No matter if he had a great stroke of luck, Deidara had nowhere to go and no hope of fighting off a starving vampire. His writhing finally annoyed Itachi, it seemed, and Deidara winced when the vampire dug his nails into Deidara's hips.

Blood bloomed from the half-wound marks. "Fighting will only make things worse for you, human."

Deidara flinched at the warning, his teeth grit to keep them from chattering. Itachi worked the hem of Deidara's pants down his hips, ignoring the way Deidara pointedly refused to move and make it easier. It was always more exciting when they fought back—it made the reward all the more savory. "Fine, if you want to play that way," Itachi exhaled his words against Deidara's inner thigh. Giving a nip to the silky skin, Itachi ran his palms up Deidara's legs and grabbed them behind the knees.

Deidara cried out when Itachi forced his legs apart, opening them wide to afford the vampire his prize. "No!" Deidara shouted, his voice cracking. "You can't do this!" With humiliation, Deidara felt the sting of tears welling in his eyes. He'd never been a religious man, never followed his parents to church even when they huffed at him. But, he was certain that somewhere, it was written as a sin to lay with a monster.

Itachi reached for Deidara's face, squeezing the boy's jaw as he tilted Deidara's face to look at him. "Ssh," Itachi hushed, pressing a barely-there kiss against Deidara's trembling lips. Deidara had kissed before; men, women, both, and neither. He was no stranger to a sweet peck or a drunken make-out. But, this was unlike anyone Deidara had ever experienced. Itachi was cool, pleasantly so, but it made Deidara feel like he was burning inside himself. The way the vampire tasted was so strange, Deidara couldn't name it, but it reminded him of something. A forest after a rain; a winter night when the leaves crunched beneath your feet; a fire just after it was extinguished, and the smoke hugged around you. It filled Deidara's head like clouds, filled his mouth with a saccharine poison.

Deidara swallowed, and then he pressed forward, his mouth catching Itachi's lips in another kiss. Itachi would say he was surprised, but he didn't fancy himself a liar. Only a truth-bender. Deidara was strong, a challenge, but Itachi knew from the start he'd never lost a challenge.

Grazing his palms up Deidara's inner thighs, feeling them part to allow Itachi access, Itachi encircled his fingers around Deidara's hardening cock. The vampire wasn't sure when Deidara had started getting aroused, but all the evidence was there, leaking onto his hand. Bucking his hips into Itachi's hand, Deidara groaned when the older man wrapped his cold fingers tighter around Deidara's cock. He didn't move his hand, however, and instead Deidara found himself desperately thrusting into Itachi's fist, his frustration pulling out an unfamiliar carnality.

Black magic.

Gasping, Deidara's eyes opened from where he'd let them slip closed in bliss. His body froze, though something in him bristled at being denied. He was with a monster—a murderer. Shame pooled in Deidara's stomach, sticky and nauseating, and he yanked his face away from Itachi's. His lips tingled where the vampire had kissed them, but Deidara only pursed them tight. What was wrong with him?

"Stubborn," Itachi tisked. "Virgins always want more, but they're too ashamed to ask. No reason to fear, Deidara, I'll take care of you." Itachi took ahold of Deidara's hips and lifted them up, bending the teenager almost in half, all while Deidara shouted a litany of protests. Obscenities echoed off the trees, who listened as well as Itachi did, never having flinched at Deidara's piercing voice. The vampire took his cock in hand, rubbing his palm over the tip to smear some of the pre-cum that had beaded there. It was a meager attempt at lubricant, but Itachi didn't care. He was too far gone to worry about the comfort of someone who was only a way to satiate himself. Besides, Deidara had no choice but to enjoy it either way.

Guiding his cock against the sweltering heat of Deidara's entrance, Itachi didn't voice any warning before he pushed forward. Deidara shrieked in pain when Itachi shoved himself inside, his inexperienced hole too tense for the abrupt entry. It didn't slow Itachi down as he rocked his hips, forcing Deidara to accept him. It was slow, but inch by inch, Itachi sunk his cock into Deidara, watching as the pink rim opened wide around his cock. Deidara clenched his teeth, his eyes burning as unbidden tears spilled down his cheeks. The pain had started swift, but it spread into a slow ache up the blond's back. "Please, wait—" Deidara tried to garner a few moments to adjust, but his pleas fell on uncaring ears.

Itachi snapped his hips forward, burying his length inside of Deidara and groaning at the sharp scream. Deidara clawed at the earth, shaking his head as he tried to find reprieve. Nothing helped, though, no distraction from the discomfort of his body being forced to accept the thick cock inside him. Deidara hadn't looked at Itachi's size, but it felt like it reached into his belly. Itachi stayed still for several seconds after that, relishing the tight heat wrapped around his cock, but it was too short a time before he moved again. Pulling out, though, he noticed it was slicker and easier to move; the sensitive muscles had probably torn a bit under the abuse.

Deidara choked on a sob, unable to relax as Itachi pumped into his unprepared body. His cock bobbed between his legs, still not going soft despite the pain rippling up Deidara's back. The heat that had begun to bubble in his belly earlier, when Itachi first kissed him, was starting to boil over. "You're…you're killing me!" Deidara gasped out, saliva trickling down his chin. Itachi leaned down closer, further bending Deidara so he could keep pounding into him.

"When I'm done with you, you won't know the difference between pleasure and pain." Itachi opened his mouth then, his lips smoothing over Deidara's pretty neck. Deidara stiffened at the threatening kiss, making Itachi's movement falter as he growled in pleasure, the blond's muscles having clamped down on him. His fingers were painting bruises on Deidara's skin, lifting the human's hips up higher and driving himself back in. Deidara's breath caught in a startled noise, a brief flare of pleasure mixing into the haze of pain.

Itachi smiled in satisfaction, rocking his hips as he fucked Deidara in a languid pace that pressed down on his prostate. The dirty sound of Itachi's cock thrusting into Deidara's hole filled the clearing, alongside Deidara's harsh breathing punctuated with whimpers. Try as he might, Deidara felt like his consciousness was floating somewhere above him, out of his body as it betrayed him. A fire had erupted across the human's body, burning him from the inside out, and nothing soothed the flames except for Itachi's hands resting on his skin. It was growing hotter, hotter, until something in Deidara seemed to burst from the inferno.

Regrettably, Deidara cried out Itachi's name when he came. His scream resounded throughout the forest like a proclamation, sticky white splashing between them. The blond's thighs trembled while Itachi rolled his hips forward, spilling himself inside of Deidara and riding out the high. It'd been far too long, he wanted to savor the blond's squeezing walls and glazed expression. Deidara looked like he was in a whole different world as he stared emptily into the sky; Itachi would have thought him unconscious, had Deidara not had his eyes open.

Reverently, Itachi brushed his fingers through Deidara's hair, moving the sweaty strands away from Deidara's face. When he lowered his body to cover Deidara's, the blond wrapped his arms around Itachi's shoulders, digging his fingers into marble skin the way he'd clawed into the earth, trying to ground himself. Itachi's muscles tensed, rippling with repressed strength as he held himself back just enough to not tear the human apart. It would have been easy—but it was too soon.

Opening his mouth, Itachi tilted his head towards the curve of Deidara's neck, where his blood rushed just beneath paper-thin skin. Like a knife through butter, Itachi sunk his fangs into Deidara's throat, cutting into his vein and drinking greedily when crimson began to spill. Deidara's eyes widened, glaze clearing as shock overwhelmed his daze. He couldn't scream, though, nor could he cry or squirm, but he did pull Itachi closer, clinging onto something real so he wouldn't fade away. The fire had burned away something inside him, he could feel it, and Deidara couldn't stand to lose any more of himself.

Despite his efforts, Deidara saw the darkness eating at his vision. The fire inside of him trickled away, almost as if Deidara could feel how it emptied out of him. Inch by inch as he grew cold, like he might never feel that warmth again; it made him crave it all over again. Deidara's grip faltered, his hands sliding down Itachi's back until they fell to the ground, the teenager going limp. Itachi's hand on the back of his head held Deidara up while he fed.

Deidara was certain the vampire was going to drain him dry, make him another notch on the belt. But, just when he couldn't hold his eyes open anymore, too exhausted to scarcely breathe, Deidara felt the vampire withdrawing. Wincing as the fangs left his neck, Deidara groaned low in his chest, almost rattling. Itachi laved his tongue over the wound, sealing the vein and stopping Deidara from bleeding out on the ground. Too out of it to fully register his own life being saved, Deidara felt a pair of beautiful lips against his, the last he felt before he passed out. Bruised, cracked, and bloody…

But alive.

Deidara set his hunting knife on his nightstand, the silver caught the moonlight from the window and cast a reassuring glint in the mirror. Deidara looked up at the reflection, only to frown when he saw his shirt collar had pulled down. It must have happened when that witch had been pawing at his chest. Monsters never did die gracefully, despite living as such.

He reached up, solemn as he traced his fingers along the diagonal wound on his throat. The pair of puncture marks that scarred his flesh as much as his psyche. The wound had ceased its burning pain several days after the encounter with his monster, but for the past few nights, it had begun to throb. It always happened at the same time, when the moon was highest in the sky.

Deidara didn't know why the vampire hadn't killed him. Very few people lived to tell the tale of a vampire, and those who did were broken beyond repair. Deidara hadn't broken, if anything, the vampire had rebuilt him. Now, Deidara was the monster for creatures like Itachi. But, no matter how many lives Deidara saved, how many devils he stopped, he never filled the hole inside him that seemed to be endlessly hungry. That might have been the point all along, so Deidara could survive to spread the story and fear behind the true power of a vampire.

From behind him, Deidara heard the faint swish of the wind. "I thought I closed that window," Deidara murmured, straightening and glancing in the mirror again. He felt his heart jump into his throat, cutting off the gasp that tried to leap from his chest. There, a silhouette in the moonlight, stood a figure with familiar red eyes and an intimate smile.

"Hello, Deidara."

Lmao guys I'm in pieces. I started rewriting this in the beginning of this year. This story took ages to revise. I wrote the first half months ago and the last half (ish) in the past couple weeks. I meant to take a writing break for an hour and instead took one for six months.

For those reading this on AO3: a reminder that this is not a new story, I'm still in the process of rewriting/revising all my ffn stories, since most of them are from 2012-2015 and are…not…good. It's cathartic at times and infuriating at others, but it still feels necessary, so I didn't delete everything, haha. Since it's been months since I last wrote a word (and because, again, this isn't a new idea and it was challenging to rewrite because I don't have the same taste anymore) this isn't a work I'm real happy with.

I kept trying to make myself happy, but… I'm struggling with this hobby. People used to enjoy my writing, now I can't write a sentence without feeling it's so awful I should just die, lmao. I don't know how to feel comfortable in something that used to be my whole life, but maybe I'll get there if I keep writing.

Side note, I will personally fight anyone who tells me "vampires can't be seen in mirrors!" Vampires aren't real and neither are you.