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]

"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.

[hollow_moon]

Val sighed, but didn't fight. Instead he soaked a clean cloth with the solution, and moved closer to press it to Jag's neck.

"This may sting a bit."

[jageskro]

Jag hesitated, then winced as he tilted his head the other way, baring the injury for the cloth. His grip on the back of the chair was still tight, and he hissed quietly at the promised sting.

[hollow_moon]

"It's alright," Val said softly, "The sting should fade soon."

[jageskro]

Jag frowned, but said nothing for a few seconds, letting Val clean his wound. "Why are you doing this?" he asked finally, quietly, looking down at the floor as Val worked on his neck.

[hollow_moon]

"Because I love you," Val said softly, his voice quiet and calm now.

[jageskro]

Jag was quiet for a few more seconds, and still did not meet Val's gaze as he answered, "Perhaps you should stop."

[hollow_moon]

"I'm not an expert, but I don't think that's how it works," Val replied quietly.

[jageskro]

"Love's shit," Jag answered on the same tone. "Are you about done?" He ought to go, really.

[hollow_moon]

"I've hardly begun," Val assured him, even as he pulled the cloth away and took a step back. "Tonight's going to be quite long, I'm afraid."

[jageskro]

"No, it's not," Jag answered with a frown. "I'm going to sleep it off." He made to step away, hoping his legs would carry him to the Tube.

[hollow_moon]

Val watched him, not certain what would happen if Jag attempted to leave the circle while still cursed.

He really hoped Em got here soon.

[offthebeatenpath]

It wouldn't have taken nearly as long to get from the squat to the museum if Em had been able to fly, and the need to hide her abilities chafed more than usual. Working through an Askani meditation kept her from stewing over that or all the questions Val's text had raised, and she was calm by the time she arrived.

She sent up a quiet thanks to Val for leaving the door unlocked, and she followed the buzz of voices back to his office in time to hear Jag say he was going to sleep it off.

"Everything okay?" Em asked, her gaze going straight to Jag to see how badly he was hurt, while inwardly directing the question more toward Val. The "I found what you were looking for," that followed, on the other hand, was obviously to him.

[jageskro]

"What are you-" Stopped dead in his tracks, Jag frowned at Em. "What's going on?"

There was none of his usual hostility of the last few weeks in his voice, however.