Arthur let out a defeated sigh and Liam knew that was a “yes.” He hopped down first then stretched his arms out, insinuating that he wanted Arthur to use him to lower himself.

“This really is a bit much,” Arthur complained, all the while doing as he was told. He landed on the earth with a soft crunch of the dirt. Liam’s arms wrapped around him, steadying him as he got his footing. 

A moment passed and Liam still didn’t release him. Instead, he was looking longingly into his eyes. Even in the dim light, Arthur could see the hidden motives lurking in those golden globes. 

Liam pressed a kiss into Arthur’s forehead, holding it for a few seconds. “Let me prepare some medicine for us. But first, let’s get you to the bed.”

Before Arthur had time to react, Liam had already hoisted him up. Arthur quickly wrapped his legs around him. He held Liam's shoulders, afraid to fall backwards. “You!” Arthur exclaimed, startled by the sudden change. “Put me down, I can walk on my own.”

“Oh, you can? Well we are going to have to fix that,” Liam chuckled.

Realization slowly crept across Arthur’s face. If he could blush, he would. This sneaky little brat had had plans from the start. It was true that last time they did get a little bit hot and bothered but was he really planning on going all the way this time? Arthur was too embarrassed to think about it. It’s not like he hadn’t also been wanting to go there. They just hadn’t had the time with all the practicing they had been doing.

“You…I.. Mm!” That was all Arthur could get out before Liam planted a kiss on his lips this time. Liam’s tongue invaded as he carried him down the hall. How he could see where he was going, Arthur had no idea. 

Liam cradled Arthur’s head as he laid him down in the mess of blankets, the room much warmer than the cool outside air they just came from. Liam’s jet black hair fell around them as they explored every crevice of each other's mouths. Just as their breaths started to quicken, Liam pulled away. 

“I need to go make us some medicine. Wait for me right here, okay? I’ll be right back.” He kissed Arthur one more time before he got up to use the apothecary room. “Here, take this and tell my mother that we are safe.” And with a toss of the compact he was gone.

Arthur cracked open the small white compact and wrote Home safe on the inside glass. He closed it gently until he heard the soft click of the latch, then placed it next to the bed. 

Not too long after, Liam returned with three small containers. Two of them were small bowls, filled with medicine. The other was a vial.

“What is all that?” Arthur asked, skeptical. 

“Well, these two are for after you eat and this one is just-in-case.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Liam smirked, lowering himself over Arthur. With every breath their kisses became deeper and more hurried. Like even a moment apart would be asking for death. Liam rolled over and hoisted Arthur into his lap, resisting the urge to smother him in more kisses. He would just trap him down in this room forever if he could.

“I'm sorry, we came here so you could eat, not be ravaged by me,” Liam said, pressing his head to Arthur’s chest, his arms resting around his lower back. 

“It’s okay. I don’t think I would mind if it was maybe a little of both,” Arthur assuaged. 

“Ah, don’t say things like that or I won’t be able to hold myself back. I really did only have the intent of feeding you but once I realized we were finally alone, my other head started doing the thinking. I’m sorry Arthur.” 

Arthur ran his fingers through Liam's hair, resting them on his nape. “It’s really okay, you have no reason to be sorry. I never asked you to hold yourself back.”

Liam sucked the air through his teeth, reason leaving his mind. “Then I don’t want you to hold yourself back either,” Liam said, taking off his shirt so it wouldn’t get ruined with blood. “Please, help yourself,” he invited, placing his hands on Arthur’s hips.

“Fuck” was all Arthur could get out before he dug his fangs into Liam’s neck. 

Bliss and ecstasy washed over them both. This time was so much different than their first. There was no pain, no burning. Instead, a cool sensation washed over Liam’s body followed by a rush of goosebumps and the chills. He had never felt so amazing. His fingers gripped tighter from the pleasure running through his body as he let out a small gasp. 

That gasp was right in Arthur’s ear. Not only was he feeling the life literally flowing back into his veins but this position was a bit provocative. He could feel Liam’s member growing harder under him with every passing moment. His hands gripping his hips tightly, pulling him even closer. He almost couldn’t focus on feeding. He wanted to make sure that Liam felt no pain. 

The last time he had lost total control and was sure it had to have hurt a lot. But, Liam was making that increasingly difficult. The more he grinded their hips together the more savage Arthur felt. He wanted to claim every piece of him for himself, marking him for everyone to know that he belonged to him. This man would be his dhampir and his smell would linger heavily as a treat to everyone else. Touching Liam would be touching death itself.

He felt high. High on his feelings for Liam. On the insane amount of power Liam was freely giving him. On the fact that he was no longer alone and suffering in solitude. For the first time in his life he felt some sort of stability and normalcy. He would protect it with his life. 

Arthur couldn’t take it anymore. Feeding from him just wasn’t enough. He wanted to be closer, inseparable. He wanted to be so tangled together that they would meld into one. He pulled fangs out, a little too aggressively, and kissed Liam like his life depended on it. 

Liam half gasped, half moaned from the pain. The opening he left still throbbing as he was kissed mercilessly. The taste of iron permeated his mouth as their tongues intertwined once again. He could feel Arthur grinding himself against his stomach feverishly, clearly unable to hold himself back any longer. 

A shiver ran down Arthur’s spine when Liam’s hand slid down his back side, teasing the entrance of his hole. His other hand still firmly gripping him, he pulled him deeper into the grind of their hips, their motions in sync.

“I think it’s time for ‘just-in-case’ now,” Liam panted, reluctantly pulling away from the kiss. He leaned over, picking up the small vile he had placed next to the bed before. He pulled away the edge of Arthur’s bottoms as he poured a small trickle of the contents right down the center. Gravity did the work as it traveled down, covering Arthur’s entrance.

“There, that should help,” Liam said coyly. 

Pleasure shot up Arthur’s spine as Liam’s middle finger easily slid in. He couldn’t help himself from grinding against Liam. He wanted him so badly. Just his hand wasn’t going to be enough, he wanted the real thing. But, he was frozen in pleasure. He could only manage to squeak out, “not enough,” in a small, labored voice. 

If reason was leaving Liam’s mind before, it was completely gone now. He flipped Arthur onto his back, kissing him deeply once more, only stopping to remove Arthur’s shirt. He rained kisses down his neck to his chest, biting and sucking along the way. Rosy red kiss marks leaving a trail of desire on his body. Arthur’s phallus lay wet and dripping against his stomach when Liam finally removed his bottoms. His kisses reached lower and lower until he finally encased that dripping mess, running it clear to the back of his throat. 

Arthur’s back arched as he dug his nails into Liam’s shoulders. Shivering from the sensations running all along his body, he let out a moan. Nothing about it was weak. His lust for Liam laid open like a book. Begging, pleading to be taken. 

Liam had reached his limit. He wanted to prepare Arthur properly but his moaning, shaking body was irresistible. He stood to his knees, exposing the phallus of his own with a drop of his pants. Erected and throbbing, he covered it in more contents from the vial, rubbing it over every inch. Maybe even a couple more times at the site that lay before him. Arthur’s pale skin glowing in the fire light. His red eyes like fire themselves. His curly white hair, a mess, haloing his beautiful face. Every aspect of this man was perfection. Limit surpassed, Liam laid his body over Arthur’s, guiding himself into him.

Lost in hedonism, the two tangled themselves together. It felt like hours yet only minutes had passed. Each thrust Liam gave rewarded him a new scratch on his back or bite to the neck until both came together in ecstasy. Raspy moans escaped them both, gripping each other in bliss. 

The feeling of being one was so comforting that they refused to separate in the afterglow. Arthur’s legs wrapped tightly around Liam’s waist, holding him firmly in place. Liam, not even thinking of removing himself until his hardness subsided. Together they laid, speaking sweet nothings to each other until reality returned to them.

“We still need to take our medicine I made for us earlier,” Liam stated, rolling over to pick up the two bowls. 

“You know, I would really like to find a more sustainable food source. I hate having to rely on humans for my food,” Arthur said, unaware of the sting it caused in Liam’s heart. 

“But you have me,” Liam persuaded. “You won’t need to find anything else now.”

“I know you say that but I feel terrible to be doing something so barbaric just to survive.”

Liam was quiet. He had felt so happy to be needed by Arthur in some way. He wanted to feel like he was useful to Arthur. He did so much for him and he had a way he could return those favors. But, he understood his point of view. He didn’t want food to be the only reason they were together either. He genuinely cared for Arthur, and that feeling was only growing every day. 

“Okay, we can look into a sustainable food source. What was it my mother showed you? A blood fruit? Let me see.” Liam found his hoodie and pulled out the grimoire that he always carried with him. He flipped through the pages until he found the correct page. It was an interesting plant. It had long, fern-like leaves that stretched across the ground. Its fruit looked like drops of blood hanging from a wire, high above the center of the plant. 

“She said a guy named Harvey would be able to tell us more,” Arthur added. “You know where to find him?”

“Yeah, he’s the guy that runs the convenience store in town. I’ve known him pretty much my whole life. We should go talk to him,” Liam said, slamming the book closed.