The emptiness became deeper the closer he got, his fangs wanted to find the flesh, to drink deeply until there was no more. The scent of blood washed over him as he buried his face in the nape of her neck, gritting his teeth together to keep from sinking his fangs in. Her skin was warm, supple under his touch, yielding with every movement. Her heart beat loud, like a drum calling his name, telling him to drink. 

Oleander pulled away in one sudden move, “I have to go,” he said before rolling onto his back, glancing up at the ceiling. 

“What? Why? Aren’t we having fun?” She questioned, staring at him with a bewildered look on her face. 

She reached out her hand to pull him back in, missing his arm as he got up. He searched the floor for his pants and shirt, not looking back at her, fangs bit into his lower lip, what a bad idea this had been. He shook his head and pulled up his pants. It was beyond bad, it had been a terrible idea; humans did not make for good company, at least in the bedroom. He was not good at resisting the blood, at least not yet. 

“So, you’re just leaving?” She asked with a pout. 

“I’m sorry, I remembered I had an appointment…” He lied and scurried out the door. 

“Call me.” He could hear her call out faintly in the distance as he left the apartment.

“How stupid can I be? What was I thinking?” Oleander whispered under his breath, leaning against the wall while buttoning his shirt. 

The lift seemed to take forever to reach the ground floor. Too long. He could still hear her heart beating in his mind, he could imagine drinking her blood. Oleander took a deep breath and tucked his ash blonde hair behind his ears, trying to still his blood thirst. 

The lift opened with a sudden ding, snapping him right out of his thoughts and cravings. He pushed the heavy door of the building open and walked slowly toward a car parked across the street. The cool spring air wrapped around him, making him realise he had forgotten his jacket. 

"Back so soon, sir?" The driver opened the back door of the car for Oleander. 

"I- I need a moment," Oleander muttered and fell into the seat, there was no way he could go back for the jacket now. 

The driver sat back down in the front seat, "Very well, sir. Let me know when you're ready to go." 

He let out a sigh, not wanting to go home to his empty apartment, but not particularity wanting to go anywhere else either. Moments like these made him miss the academy, his parents, his sister. He leaned forward, sulking. Perhaps he needed to talk to someone familiar… 

"Take me to V," Oleander told the driver before adjusting his shirt. 

"Very well, sir." The driver sounded almost robotic, repeating the usual phrase. 

Oleander hated having a driver, but at the same time he had zero confidence in his ability to navigate the city on his own. He glanced out the window as they crossed the bridge, his warm breath hit the glass, fogging it up. The river glittered in the night, streetlights mirrored in the dark water. There was a certain beauty to Dawn, or at least to certain places; Downtown was not one of those places. 

"Shall I wait in the usual spot, sir?" The driver asked as he stopped the car outside a building with a big neon V. 

"Yes, fine." Oleander hurried out of the car, where was the usual spot? His mind was too cluttered to recall. 

There was a line of people waiting to enter the club, Oleander went past everyone, the bouncer letting him in without a question asked. He had been here many times before, not because he loved partying, but because Leon was always there, and he enjoyed conversing with Leon. 

As he entered the music hit him, a loud steady rhythm that made him think of her heart beat again. He bit his lip, trying to hold back his fangs. Where was Leon? He wandered to the bar, desperately searching. The club had too many people, too many scents and impressions for him to focus on anything. 

"Have you seen Leon?" He asked the barely dressed bartender. 

She raised an eyebrow and glared at him, "Over there, on the dance floor, where else?" 

Oleander turned to the sea of people dancing. If only he had more focus, he would have noticed Leon earlier, how could he not have? Leon was dancing with abandon in the middle of the crowd, no shirt, golden hair bouncing from side to side, and an infectious grin, even Oleander felt like smiling for a moment. 

Leon suddenly spotted Oleander's hazel gaze, "Oli!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Come dance with us!" 

Oleander shook his head, gesturing with his hand for Leon to come to him. He would be miserable on the dance floor, at least in his current state. 

Leon laughed and tore himself free from the dance, "What's the matter, Oli? You look particularly sullen tonight." He placed himself next to Oleander. 

"I'm not sullen… I just need to talk for a while? Somewhere quieter?" Oleander asked carefully. 

Leon nodded, "Let's go to the VIV section, it's very quiet tonight. Seems like no vampires are thirsty on this fine night, except you maybe?" He arose from the bar stool, swung around before grabbing Oleander's arm and pulling him toward the side stairs. 

Oleander followed silently behind, it seemed like melancholy had found him again. The stairs were narrow, covered by a red carpet. At the top stood another bouncer who unhooked the velvet rope stanchion for them, nodding at Leon. 

"Now, care to tell me what's the problem?" Leon asked as he let himself fall elegantly into one of the cushioned seats. 

Oleander glanced around, noticing the whole section was empty as Leon had said, "I tried your advice. I really tried. But I'm no good being that close to a human… I still feel the thirst for the blo-" 

Leon cut him off, "Let me stop you right there. I said another vampire. Any vampire. Not a human. Goodness, my friend, you need to take a step back here. I know you want to tear away from your family so badly, but baby steps…" 

Oleander sat down across from Leon, leaning forward on the table, "I'm not good at these things. Honestly. I still have trouble discerning who's a vampire at times. I think I got too carried away by her scent, and then one thing led to another… I didn't drink her blood, but I could have— I wanted to." He swallowed hard, Leon's ice blue eyes staring right at him.

"Oli, I say this with utmost affection, but if we weren't loosely related I would slap your face. You're trying too hard. Relax. I told you before, I can set you up with whatever you want." Leon smiled and gently hit Oleander's shoulder, "Now if you want blood, I got you." 

"I think I'll have to take you up on that. The blood thirst has been getting worse lately. I used to have it under control, but since I moved out on my own… I guess it's just harder now that I have to do everything myself," Oleander muttered with a morose expression. 

Leon sighed, "Look, you're young, you're still finding your way. It's not gonna be easy, but if you wanna be on your own, then you have to find your own way of doing things. Drinking from humans is unparalleled but you shouldn't do it unless you know that you're able to stop yourself from killing them." He leaned back all the way. tilted his head back and waved his hand at the bouncer who pressed a service button on the wall. 

"You're right," Oleander leaned his head on the table, "I should stop feeling sorry for myself." 

Leon smirked, "Feel sorry for yourself if you must, sometimes it's good to crash for a while. Just remember that you have other things to do." He placed a long cigarette between his lips and lit it, "How's your little investigation going anyway?" 

Oleander looked away, still resting his head on the table, "Not good… I keep running into dead ends, and, well… I'm not very confident going out alone at night. There are hunters everywhere these days."

A waiter appeared from the back wall, carrying a tall glass of red liquid resembling blood. The waiter quietly placed it down in front of Oleander, the scent hitting him immediately. He stared at the red, red drink, feeling his fangs emerge with the thirst as he realised it was blood. 

"Drink. It's clean, and from a proper source," Leon urged him. 

Oleander didn't think twice, gulping it down desperately like he hadn't drunk anything for weeks. His melancholic state melted away with the sweet taste of blood, the world was right again. He lowered his shoulders as he placed the empty glass down on the table. 

"Good right?" Leon grinned, "As for your investigation, maybe you need to ask The Council for a partner? For safety reasons? Or are you afraid that would mean you have to talk to your grandfather?" 

Oleander nodded, "I can't. I just have to figure it out. Maybe you can be my partner?" He asked Leon hopefully. 

Leon shook his head, "I'm not going near that, nope, I have boundaries." 

He let out a sigh, "I knew you were gonna say that. I should probably get home, I have classes tomorrow." 

"Go home, Oli. Do well in university amongst the humans." Leon teased as they walked back down the stairs. 

Oleander gave him a half-smile, "See you, if not find me in the dark." 

Why couldn't it always be as easy as drinking blood from a glass? He knew it couldn't go on forever, one day he would have to learn to drink from a human. He dreaded it almost as much as he dreaded having to actually investigate for the Vampire Council. He knew it was important, the city was overflowing with Sorrows, and dead hunters were showing up left and right. Oleander clenched his fist and gazed up at the night sky as he exited V. 

After drinking blood he remembered where the car would be, he felt sharp again. "Take me to Cobalt Street," he told the driver, "I have something to look into." 

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Since it's my birthday, I'm adding a little birthday special: a little sketch of Leon.