Ashley kept the blade pressed against Ethan's neck as he got off the bed. Naked as he was, Ashley didn't have a weapon on him, but in a pinch, his hand could be reshaped into blades. The way his skin popped and crackled as it quickly turned into metal gleaming steel was far from pleasant but it worked in a pinch.

"What the hell was that?" Ashley asked once he was a good two feet away from the bed, rubbing the back of his neck, where Ethan's fangs had grazed.

"Could you lower your hand... knife, hand-knife?" Ethan asked, sidestepping the question as he wrapped a blanket around his waist and slipped off the bed.

Ashley clenched his teeth. "Answer. The. Question."

"I know you're trying to be threatening, but your naked, so I'm getting extremely mixed messages." Ashley took a step forward, knife still out. "Okay, okay. Look, it's a little difficult to explain."

"I've got plenty of time to hear it. Start with what you were doing with my head?"

Ethan started. "Everyone needs to eat, right? Vampires need to drink blood, and I need to eat... um..."

"Eat what?"

"Can you please put something on?"

"Seriously? I’m pointing a knife at you!"

"I'm very distracted."

"Fine, throw me something." Ethan tossed Ashley his clothes, which he slid on quickly before lifting the knife back up. "Keep talking."

"Bad memories. Trauma," Ethan hurried out. "That's what I eat."

"That's... What the hell are you?"

"That's a little bit more complicated- Wait, wait, Tiefling-" Ethan spluttered out as Ashley stepped a little closer.

"Tiefling?" Ashley lowered his knife, brow raised.

"Half demon or devil, not quite sure of the difference or if there is one."

"A half-demon who eats bad memories?" Ashley asked incredulously, not totally convinced. At the mention of 'bad memories,' he recalled the nightmares he had had for the past week. Some of details are hazy and undefined, not as readily recalled.

He doesn't remember the colour of the mobster's eyes, the cold feel of the gun, or the pain of rough concrete on his knees.

"You’ve clouded my memories." The knife fell to his side, popping, cracking, and reforming into flesh as he lost his concentration. "H-How...?"

Ashley took a step back, then another and another till he was out the bedroom and out the door, hurriedly putting on his clothes as he ran out.

...

Ashley fell into bed and burrowed under his blanket, hiding from the world like a frightened child. Having his memories eaten away was bitter-sweet. He wasn't exactly attached to those memories, so having them dulled and no longer at the forefront of his mind was more than welcome but having someone else in his head without his permission... his skin crawled.

Fortunately, it was late enough, perfect time to sleep and forget all this. He sat up, staring at the vanity mirror across from his bed. His makeup was horribly smudged. He sighed, ran his hands over his face, further ruining his makeup.

He got reluctantly crawled out of bed, sat at his vanity and wiped off his makeup. He reached up, intending to remove his earring but only feel bare earlobe.

"Fuck."