"Wait, wait, Shin-chan!"
He glanced back at Takao Kazunari, who is, for some unknown reason, flushed and breathless behind him.
"Must you walk so slow?" he demanded.
"You walk too fast, Shin-chan!" the smaller man complained.
"Stop addressing me so familiarly."
They walked in silence along the corridor, the dark-haired guy sharply drawing his breath whenever they pass by some particularly expensive sculpture or painting. He stopped in front of a room with double-doors and opened it. "Follow me," he ordered, stepping inside. He could hear Takao trailing behind him.
"Whoa, Shin-chan! You sure have a big library!" Takao exclaimed, admiring the thousands of books neatly lining the shelves.
"This is not the library," he declared, deciding to ignore the way Takao calls him.
"Eh? Then what is this?"
"My room," he answered coolly.
The Midorima family is one of the oldest and most affluent vampire families in Japan. While practically everyone knows them, the truth about their bloodline remains a secret and is known only to other vampire families and very few humans.
And among those very few humans who know about us, Takao has to be one of them. Midorima sighed wearily. He doesn't like the situation at all.
He glanced at the smaller guy who is happily drinking hot chocolate on the couch in his room. And he has no sense of self-preservation at all.
Midorima doesn't have the slightest interest in sucking some person's blood, and with his mother being human and all, nobody really forced him to do so. Until he passed out last week from blood thirst, that is. His father doesn't exactly like the idea of his only son dying from something as petty as blood-deprivation and decided to do something about it right away. Ever the control freak.
Takao's family has always been close with the Midorima family. They are business partners, best friends, you name it. In short, their family knows about the secret of the very affluent Midorima clan. Not that they're particularly interested in using the information to blackmail the family. After all, the Midorimas have saved some of their businesses and settled other matters for them. Like now.
Japan's economy hasn't been as exemplary as it used to be for quite some time already. With the earthquakes and the appreciation of the yen, his father's business has taken quite a blow. Midorima's father agreed to give them a huge sum of money (yes, give, not lend) on one condition: that the eldest son of the Takao family will become his only son's blood bank. He still doesn't believe the whole vampire thing.
"Ne Shin-chan… Are you really a vampire?" he asked, in between bites. The taller guy gave him an exasperated glance before answering.
"Yes."
"How old are you?"
Midorima sighed. "Sixteen."
"How long have you been sixteen?"
Midorima glared at him icily. "Takao, you watch too many movies." The green-haired guy stood up and opened the windows. "I turned sixteen last month."
Okay, Shintarou. Be patient. There are two things terribly wrong with their set-up: 1) he doesn't like the whole blood-sucking idea, 2) they are both in the basketball team and he doesn't particularly like the guy.
Takao still hasn't gotten over the size of his room and has gone to survey the bathroom. After a loud thud and some random crashing sounds, he decided to check if the guy is still alive. The sight that greeted him annoyed him to no end.
"You're all bloody."
Takao looked up at him and laughed uneasily. "Sorry, I slipped and cut myself with scissors."
He stared at the bloody mess in front of him and raised an eyebrow. "There were no scissors here."
"Ah, yes. I brought the one on the table. I wanted to cut my bangs." What a troublesome guy. He helped the guy up and dragged him to the sink to wash his hands.
"The wound is deep. I'll do some stitching."
"Eh?! Can you do that?"
"Yes," he answered without looking up. Stitching a wound is a no-brainer for him. He could even perform a minor surgery. When you're filthy rich, it's not difficult to learn what you want to learn. He gulped. It's not really the thought of doing stitches that bothers him though. More than anything, he wants to drink the blood of the dark-haired guy before him, which is wrong in more ways than one. "Takao, could you press that button on the wall behind you?"
"An intercom?" Takao asked wide-eyed. He decided to just ignore the question.
"The guest is injured. Send a doctor to my room." That guy is dangerous in his helplessness.
"Shin-chan! Is it really okay for you to go out in the mornings?" The taller guy ignored and him and kept walking.
"Shin-chan! Shin-chan! Shin-chan! It's dangerous for vampires to walk under the sun!"
Midorima suddenly stopped walking and faced him. "How many times do I have to tell you that vampires do not die or sparkle under the sun? And if you don't keep quiet about it, I'll break your neck. Understand?"
That shut him up. Midorima is scary enough as the arrogant prodigy that he is. Knowing that he is a vampire makes him hell of a lot scarier.
"So… Shin-chan. Is it because you're a vampire that you are so good in basketball?" he inquired after a couple of minutes. He can't really keep quiet, after all.
Midorima didn't answer but didn't tell him to shut up either, so he took it as a good sign and continued. "I'm supposed to be your blood bank but you haven't drunk my blood y-"
"Shut up," the green-haired guy hissed. He took that as a bad sign and shut up.
Midorima had an argument with his father the previous night.
"I'm telling you, Father, you have to send him home."
"Now, Shintarou. Be reasonable. You need to drink blood or you won't survive."
He stormed out of his father's study. What his father said was true.
They have been practicing for about an hour when Midorima approached their captain and said something before leaving. It's been thirty minutes and he hasn't come back yet. He decided to stop practicing his shots and approached Ootsubo.
"Captain, where'd Shin-chan go?"
Ootsubo gave him a weird look before speaking. "Shin-chan? Oh, you mean, Midorima? When did you two become so close?"
Takao grinned. "Since he finally realized how great a person I am."
Their captain laughed. "That's next to impossible. Anyway, he said he wasn't feeling so well. Maybe he's in the clinic."
"Can I leave as well?"
The taller guy eyed him and smiled. "I see. So you're Midorima's slave, huh?"
"Nope. I'm his best friend," he laughed. Now, I can't say I'm his blood bank, can I?
"Ah, Shin-chan! There you are! I've been looking for—"
"Takao, could you please leave?" Midorima cut him off.
He had never once seen their ace looking tired so he knew immediately that there is something terribly wrong. He stepped closer to see if the taller guy is running a fever when Midorima grabbed a book and threw it right at his face. Their Shooting Guard never misses, alright. "But Shin-chan, you're pale!"
Midorima glared at him, green eyes flashing. "Leave." It was no longer a request, it was an order. Not that he actually listens to Midorima. He picked up the book and placed it next to where their ace is sitting.
Next thing he knew, he was pinned on the wall. "Didn't I just tell you to leave? Why can't you listen to what people tell you, Takao?" Midorima was glaring at him with all the calmness of a wild animal.
"H-hey, Shin-chan… You don't have to be so mad ab—"
"Silence." He could feel the coldness of the taller guy's hand against his neck. This is how I die. He contemplated opening the windows to let in the sunlight, but suddenly remembered what the taller guy said about sunlight and sparkling. I'm pretty sure garlic won't work either. Not that he normally brings garlic cloves with him.
"Go home," Midorima whispered.
"But Shin-chan! Are you even oka—"
He could feel Midorima's grip tightening around his neck. "Go home and lock yourself in your room. Do not, ever, let me in."
"I don't understand."
Midorima stared down at him and spoke in the most terrifying whisper he has ever heard in his life. "Scram."
He didn't even for a second doubt their ace's seriousness at that time.
Midorima slumped against the wall the moment Takao left the classroom. That was the closest he ever came to losing it and he is not amused at all.
"How unrefined," he muttered to himself. He doesn't exactly adore people (or vampires; he dislikes anything that talks, in general), but pinning people on walls is out of the question. He took out his phone to call and check on Takao then decided against it. He might lose control again and order Takao to meet him or something along that line.
And he's the sort of idiot who would do precisely that. It was his first time to meet someone with not even a modicum of self-preservation.
Takao ran all the way from Shutoku to the Midorima mansion and immediately locked himself in his room. His pulse is racing, partly from all the running and partly from the sheer terror of seeing Midorima's eyes flash with pure murderous intent.
He willed himself to calm down. Midorima didn't look interested in sucking his blood dry, which is good news. The bad news is that their ace seemed to be angry enough to break his neck.
"Ah! What is he so mad about?!" he asked aloud, throwing himself on the bed.
He doesn't remember doing anything to anger the taller guy, not counting how he completely did not listen to Midorima's orders. Maybe the guy hates being seen when he looks like he's about to faint? He recalled how pale and tired the taller guy looked earlier.
"Whatever!" He stood up. He'll wait in Midorima's room and find out what's wrong.
Midorima waited until he has considerably calmed down before heading home. He has precisely ordered Takao to stay in his own room so everything should be fine.
"In the meantime, that is."
It is because he has given such clear instructions that he couldn't understand why Takao was sitting on his couch, in his room, sipping his tea, when he opened the door.
He spun around as soon as he saw the guy. Unfortunately, Takao isn't a good basketball player for nothing. The smaller guy was immediately at his side, a warm hand gripping his wrist firmly.
"Type O," he whispered to himself.
"What?" the smaller guy asked, a puzzled expression on his face.
"Your blood type. It's Type O, isn't it?" Midorima's not sure if all vampires can actually tell the blood type of people, but the thing is he can. Of course not all vampires intend to be doctors.
He glanced at Takao who is looking at him with awe. This guy doesn't understand the situation at all, does he? "Shin-chan! You can tell a person's blood type just by looking at them?"
"No. I could smell your blood," he stated, pushing Takao away carefully because he has no idea where Takao would fly off to if he exerts too much force. Much to his annoyance, Takao didn't get the idea and stepped closer.
"Ne Shin-chan… What else can you do?"
He squinted at the smaller guy. For some reason, his eyes can't seem to focus.
He woke up to the smell of fresh blood. "Ta-kao?"
"Shin-chan! You okay?" the smaller guy asked, obviously panicked. It seems like he fainted again. A vampire fainting in front of his prey… Nice one, Shintarou.
He sat up on the couch. "Did you hurt yourself?" he inquired. He could still smell the blood.
"Uh, no… I don't think so."
He looked at Takao who is sitting beside him and took his arm. "You cut yourself," he said matter-of-factly.
"Your hand's too cold, Shin-chan," the smaller guy complained. He released the smaller guy and kicked him off the couch.
"I'm not feeling well. Kindly leave." He's now incredibly aware of his growing thirst and the stupid warm-blooded creature in his room.
"Are you sick?" Why won't he leave? He's feeling too weak to do anything. Otherwise, he would have dragged the guy out of his room.
"To put it bluntly, I'm incredibly thirsty right now, and if you don't leave, I have no idea what I might do to you." He plopped down the couch and closed his eyes. If only he could rest a bit.
"Well, I'm actually here to be your blood donor, Shin-chan."
"Blood bank," he corrected. "I don't need a blood transfusion." It's taking all of his self-restraint to keep himself from biting Takao.
"I don't mind either way," the guy answered nonchalantly.
"Leave."
There was a moment of silence. The idiot finally understood. He was very near to dozing off when he caught a whiff of blood. He opened his eyes to find Takao standing beside him, bleeding, a cutter in hand.
"Dammit, Takao. What are you doing?"
"I'm already bleeding. There's no point in not drinking my blood."
He took Takao's bleeding arm and pulled him close in one swift movement. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
Takao knows that a normal, perfectly sane person would happily comply when a vampire orders him to leave the room. However, his sanity is something questionable. Not to mention that with the exception of the few moments when Midorima looks exasperated enough to murder him, he's not particularly afraid of their ace. Of course there's a thin line between insanity and bravery.
Have his hands always been this cold? Now that he thinks about it, Midorima has always distanced himself from people. He used to think that their ace was just arrogant, but now he realized that it could have something to do with his being a vampire. He's a lot kinder than he would admit.
"I'm sorry, Takao, but this might hurt a bit." He felt Midorima's teeth sinking into his flesh. It did hurt a bit, but it was a bite executed with medical precision.
He's not scared at all.
"Shin-chan! Can I sleep in your room?"
"No."
"But I want to watch a movie in your home theater!" Midorima's room is the most extravagant room Takao has ever seen.
Midorima sighed. "Fine. I'll just have another room prepared for me then."
"Eh? But all you have are horror movies! You have to watch them with me!" Horror movies, or anything remotely scary, are one of Takao's weaknesses. Of course, he has conveniently overlooked the fact that a real, blood-sucking vampire is right beside him.
"I'd get too thirsty if I see you shaking like a proper prey."
"Hey, who are you calling a scaredy-cat?! Just because you're a vam—" Midorima suddenly grabbed him and pinned him against the wall. Really, now. I didn't sign up for the pin-me-against-the-wall role.
"How brave of you to talk like that in front of me," Midorima whispered against his neck. Takao could feel a shiver run down his spine. So much for conveniently forgetting about Midorima's being a vampire.
"S-Shin-chan. I was just j-joking," he stammered. To his surprise, Midorima let go of him.
"You can't sleep on my bed unless you shower," the taller guy declared simply before exiting the room, leaving a dumbstruck Takao behind.
He's not a vampire. He's a devil.
He wasn't joking earlier. He grabbed Takao with the intention to sink his teeth into the smaller man's neck and drink his blood. Had he stayed a second longer, he wouldn't have been able to restrain himself.
That guy is dangerous in his helplessness.