OTA

[jageskro]

Sometimes, bar fights just didn't happen the way you wanted them to. As in, they were cut short before you got much more than a bruise and a cut on your cheekbone. Jag was pissed off as he stumbled away from the bar, holding a kleenex to his cheek. With his other hand, he was fishing his mobile out of his pocket. Who knew, maybe Coby would be in the mood for a little mutual pain tonight. Or even just a blowjob, Jag wasn't going to be picky.

He threw the kleenex in the gutter and scrolled through his contact list, but before he could find Coby, he found himself shoved up against a wall in the deserted street. By a woman. A really fucking strong woman, who licked his bleeding cheek before telling him, "You're delicious."

"And you've got weird kinks," he muttered, eyes flicking away from her and at the nervous-looking girl behind her.

"Are you sure you should be doing this?" the girl asked, switching from foot to foot. "The sheriff -"

"The sheriff isn't here," the woman cut her off, then grinned at Jag, baring bloody fangs.

Before he could think anything of it, pain lanced from his neck as she buried them there. "Fuck," he muttered, not exactly sounding as if he disliked getting his blood sucked out of him. Not as long as the pain of those fangs didn't go anywhere, anyway.

"Just, maybe don't kill him?"

The vampire pulled back from him with a roll of her eyes, still holding Jag against the wall. His neck was still hurting beautifully. "Of course I'm going to kill him. I'm tired of being on a leash. Do you want a drink, or not?"

Right, okay. Wonderful pain was one thing. Being drained dry, another. "No one's killing me," Jag muttered.

"Oh yeah?" The woman snorted. "The food thinks it's got a say in..."

She never finished her sentence, as Jag's fire washed over her. Jag expected it to hurt the fuck out of her, and make her back off. But apparently vampires were extremely flammable, because she caught on fire properly and was reduced to ashes within seconds.

"Fuck," Jag said again. He looked up at the girl vampire, who screamed and then ran off, faster than his eye could track. "Fuck," he repeated, and began to sag to the ground now that no one was holding him up against the wall.

Comments

[hollow_moon]

"I was headed home from the pub," Val admitted. "The wolf... It sensed something, I decided to follow it's instinct. ...I'm glad I did."

[jageskro]

"Are you?" Jag challenged, although he didn't really expect an answer. He just wanted to... he didn't know what he wanted. But 'away from Val' was probably a safe bet. Fuck his life, and fuck fate for putting Val there tonight.

[hollow_moon]

"I am," Val replied simply. "Perhaps you should call Em to meet us at the museum," he suggested.

Two against one, perhaps now would be a good time to remove that damn curse.

[jageskro]

The museum. So that was where they were going. Val's suggestion was met with a spontaneous, "Fuck no." He didn't need them teaming up against him with their disapproval.

[hollow_moon]

"Jag, you're bleeding from your neck," Val snapped. "Text her. Now. Stop being a twat."

[jageskro]

"What's she gonna do, wish it better?" Jag retorted on the same tone. He sighed out in frustration, brought his fingers to his neck again. "It's almost stopped bleeding, anyway. I'll be fine. Just drop me off wherever."

[hollow_moon]

Val ignored him, pulling his own phone out instead and sending a text Em's way. He didn't like to text and drive, but surely this counted as an emergency. Jag's bad luck this evening might be their best chance at undoing this curse.

Jag is with me, hurt but okay.
Have theory about his mood of late.
Search his things for a mirror. Likely in box.
DO NOT LOOK IN IT
Will feel wrong when you touch it.
Meet us at my museum. - Val

[jageskro]

Jag had been just fine with the silence, and the drive lulled him until he could no longer keep his eyes open. Far from noticing Val texting, he drowsed through it, only coming out of it when the car stopped beside the museum. He straightened up slightly and grimaced. "Why are we here?"

[hollow_moon]

"I'm going to get you a drink and check your wound, then you're free to go," Val said- Though that was bullshit. He was fairly certain that the warding circle carved into the floor in his office would keep Jag, in his current state, in place until Em could get there.

"Come on, I know you'll not say no to a drink. Indulge me, then you can go."

[jageskro]

"Throw in a blow job and you've got a deal," Jag stated, wincing as he got out of the car. Standing on his own two feet definitely came with some light-headedness, now, but he wasn't going to belatedly answer Val's question.

The promise of a drink was enough to get him inside; he simply had to be nasty for no good reason, apparently.

[offthebeatenpath]

Em read Jag is with me, hurtand the words hit like one of Nina's kicks, and she barely saw the rest of the text until she remembered how to breathe. When she did, a chill ran through her spine and frosted over the feelings she didn't have time to get lost in. She pulled a tunic on over the cami and leggings she'd been painting in and grabbed her bag on the way to Jag's room.

Rather than tear the room apart looking for the box and its mirror, she pulled out her cards and threw a quick spread. She got a glimpse of Jag looking in the mirror and shutting it up again to toss on his bed, and then a better look at where it had ended up later, and sure enough, that was where she found it. To be on the safe side, Em picked the box up with a scarf she had in her bag – not the one Jag had given her – gave a quick shake to confirm her vision that the mirror was still inside, and tied the corners of the scarf to drop in her bag so she could head to the museum.

[hollow_moon]

Val steered him into the building, down the hall and to his office, before nudging him into the centre of the room. He hoped that the other man would simply sit and not notice he was trapped.

Moving behind his desk, he grabbed a beat up looking wood box, as well as a bottle of scotch. He wouldn't deny the man a drink after all.

"Here, you drink up while I clean that wound," he said pouring a glass and holding it out in offering.

[jageskro]

For no reason that he could really fathom, Jag stopped just inside of the room, not really feeling like stepping further into it. He wasn't too steady on his feet, still, and leaned against some shelves, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. "That a no on the blow job?"

[hollow_moon]

"The night's still young," Val quipped, eyeing Jag, then wetting his lips nervously as he pulled the chair a little closer.

Drink still in hand, he held it casually just out of reach.

"Come on, come get your drink and sit down," he insisted, patting the chair.

[jageskro]

Jag naturally, and very subconsciously, edged around the warding circle as he moved closer to Val - apparently to keep leaning against furniture. He purposefully touched his fingers to Val's when he took the glass from him, holding his gaze as he did so. "Playing doctor first," he leaned against Val's desk, clearly checking him out. "I can live with that." Then he took a drink from the glass, his eyes back on Val's.

[hollow_moon]

Right, well, this was going to be harder than he'd hoped.

Val let him take a drink, then summoned up all the strength he had as he caught hold of Jag's wrist and attempted to pull him into the circle.

[jageskro]

Jag thought he was attempting to pull him flush against him, and that was where he stepped, the glass abandoned on Val's desk. They were standing right on the edge of the circle, and Jag was smiling at Val, the hand on his waist mostly there to steady him, but not only. "Nice deskside manners."

His wrist(s) being gripped had always been a thing for him, and he nipped sharply at Val's lips. What if they'd broken up? They said the best sex was broken up sex.

[hollow_moon]

Val didn't want to be kissed though. He knew none of this had been Jag's fault, but that didn't change how the other man had made him feel.

Pulling harder, he only let the kiss linger to try and throw the other man offbalance as he did his best to get him into the circle.

He wasn't sure he had enough strength to do much more.

[jageskro]

Given that Jag was leaning on Val for balance, since his was currently completely shot, it was actually a very easy thing to do. He only just caught himself on the chair, frowning. "What the hell, Val?"

He didn't even notice that anything was different at first. He righted himself, frowning at Val, then only slowly lowered his gaze, finding that he couldn't meet his eyes as emotions pressed down on him. He sank into the chair, trying to get a handle on himself, and rubbed both hands over his face. Why did he suddenly feel this way? He'd been doing fine. He was fine. Well, apart from the neck injury.

[hollow_moon]

Val, however, assumed this was little more than a mix of bloodloss and the curse, and expected Jag to snap at any moment.

"I'm only doing this because I care about you. ...We care about you," he added softly, since Em was hopefully on her way. "So, I'm going to look at the wound on your neck, and then... I think I know how to reverse this curse, alright?"

[jageskro]

Jag looked up at Val, although he still couldn't quite meet his eyes, and was more like looking in his general direction. "A curse? What?" Did vampire bites come with curses attached now?

[hollow_moon]

"The mirror, Jag," Val said, frowning at the man's sudden change in mood. "You looked in the mirror, remember? ...I asked you not to, but I suppose I can't blame you for being tempted. If I'd been well, I'd have collected it sooner..."

[jageskro]

"Look, I don't - it didn't do anything," Jag answered with a frown. He would have shaken his head, but he was afraid that moving his head might not be the best thing right then. He took a breath, then pushed up to his feet, still a little unsteady. "I'm going to go home, yeah?"

[hollow_moon]

"Sit. Down."

Two words, spoken clearly and firmly as Val pulled out a vile of something clear and scented like mint.

[jageskro]

"Or what?" Jag asked, his frown turning stubborn as his hackles raised at being talked to like this. Never mind that he was gripping the chair's back to keep himself upright, and only focusing a glare on Val through sheer force of will.

He was going to move, really. Go. In just a minute.