5
Kylo
Waking in Obscura’s clinic from nearly being drained of blood is something Kylo didn’t expect to check off his bingo card for the year, but his poor judgement made it happen. He felt like shit—so weak, woozy, and stupid —with the fear of being expelled for his actions lingering above him. But it felt worse to find out that the nurses thought Lathan was the one who had done it to him—which he quickly corrected, ensuring them that he had merely found him and nothing more. Though his new roommate was surprisingly calm and considerate about the ordeal, he still feels immensely guilty, and terrified of the two vampires he was unlucky enough to acquaint himself with. And he can’t help but wonder why Lathan decided to show up after all.
The first week of the term, Kylo was confined to their dorm on doctor’s orders, to rest, recover, and allow his body to properly replenish his blood supply. Luckily for him, werewolves have highly robust immune systems, and within a few days he’s feeling better than before the party even occurred. Despite his quick recovery, orders are still orders, so this week consisted of online classes from his bedside, cafeteria-delivered meals, and chugging electrolytes. Though, the loneliness and isolation is a different beast, especially when still grappling with the fact that he was nearly killed on his first night back. He wants to confide in Lathan, but he also feels excruciatingly guilty that he put him in the position to save him in the first place. If he had just listened to him, this would have never happened. So, he avoids talking to him, instead focusing on studies and playing things casually in an attempt to be normal, like things were with his other roommates. But his other roommates weren’t Lathan .
By the end of the week, he’s back to himself. Granted, still scarred from the experience, and petrified he’ll run into the two on campus, but otherwise healed, upbeat, and ready to move on. Ready to continue writing poetry—something he hasn’t done since returning to Obscura—to encapsulate every feeling into delicate lines about his saviour.
Come Monday, though Kylo is officially free to leave the dorm—and technically could have earlier, but the anxiety kept him put—he decides to take the day off to ease back into the week. His first order of business, focusing his efforts to clean his side of the room from the mess that had accumulated from his bedridden recovery. Once that’s complete, he sets his sights on the campus store, craving a walk and some well-deserved fresh air.
As he stands, placing his textbooks back onto his desk, he hears coughing echoing from down the hall. His ears perk and his head turns toward the noise as it draws near the door, before keys jingle and the door unlocks.
“Oh, hey, Lathan!” he greets, chipper as ever, once he realizes it’s just his roommate. Letting his guard drop, he returns to grabbing his wallet with the intention of leaving. “I was gonna run to the store across campus. Did you need anything?” Turning to face him, he notices Lathan wearing sunglasses, and feels an air of unease, as if something is wrong. “Are…are you okay?”
Lathan visibly winces as he tries to swallow, his jaw flexing as he grits his teeth. “Mhm,” he hums forcibly through quick, shallow breaths. “Class is online today.” His voice is so rugged it almost doesn’t sound like him. He drags his feet as he walks to sit on his bed, pulling out his laptop and headphones.
“Woah. You don’t sound okay.” Kylo walks over to him and touches his shoulder gently, wanting to be supportive. “Is something wrong? You can tell me,” he assures in his soft, kind voice.
Lathan flinches under his touch. It’s subtle, but Kylo notices. “I don’t need anything”—he coughs heavily for a few seconds—“from the store.” The intense coughing fit immediately sets off alarm bells in his head, his brows scrunching in concern.
“Hey.” He sits on Lathan’s bed next to him, rubbing his shoulder. “What’s going on? Can I take you to the clinic?” His mother taught him well, to care for others in need and be the support they might not have, to be the good they want to see in the world. He hurts for those who are hurting and desperately wants to help. This isn’t like him. He’s usually straight to the point, not like this. He sounds ill. He looks ill.
“They can’t do anything.” He glances at Kylo sideways, touching his throat with a grimace. “Just…go. I don’t want you to see this.”
The saddened tone in his voice makes Kylo’s heart drop. “See what?” He shakes his head in confusion. “Lathan, I can help, just tell me what’s wrong. Please,” he pleads, searching for eye contact, his worry growing with every dodged question. A moment of silence passes as Lathan is obviously preparing himself with what ails him. Without another word, he lifts a shaky hand and pulls off his sunglasses; a sudden fit of coughing ensues, and Kylo shifts his hand from his shoulder to bracing his back. Then, Lathan glances up with bloody eyes.
Kylo inhales sharply. “Gods! H-how long have you been starving?!” His heart sinks to his feet with worry. I’ve been here all week, how haven’t I noticed?
Lathan attempts to clear his throat to no avail, wincing again at the obvious pain. “Week and a half,” he croaks, “since my last feed.”
“What do you mean? I thought they fed vampires twice a week? I don’t understand.”
“There’s been a shortage, because of the new students, and…” He trails off, recollecting his story. “No blood until next week.” He leans back, resting his head against the wall tiredly.
Kylo gets off the bed and kneels in front of Lathan, placing his hands on his, looking up at him desperately. “You saved my life. The least I can do is save yours.”
Lathan tips his head down and shakes it back and forth with as much energy as he can muster. “No.” His voice is getting rougher the more he uses it. “Kylo, no. This is why I didn’t tell you.”
“Please, Lathan, this isn’t something that can be ignored. If you don’t”—his chin tightens to prevent a frown—“you’ll die.” He didn’t realize how much that thought would affect him. I’ve barely known him a few weeks, but I can’t just let him die. Not now, not like this, not when he risked getting expelled to save my dumb ass.
Lathan looks at him as if he’s studying him, before reaching out a hand to caress the yellowish bruise still lingering on Kylo’s neck from last weekend. “You aren’t a hundred percent yet.”
Kylo raises his hand to Lathan’s near the healing bruise, closing his eyes, still ashamed from the encounter. “I’m healed enough,” he says and looks back up at the dying vampire. “Besides, I trust you.” You treated me with respect and care that I took for granted. That won’t happen again.
“Just…,” he starts, like his brain hasn’t even completed his thought, his shallow breaths becoming quicker.
“Please.” Kylo leans forward, inching closer.
Lathan exhales shakily at his plea. “Just enough…to keep me till next week,” he concedes, his heavy, red eyes falling to Kylo’s throat longingly.
Kylo stretches out his neck. “I trust you,” he repeats, like he’s admitting a secret to both Lathan and himself.
Gentle, shaking—scared—fingers fall to his waist to pull him closer. The vampire’s lips brushing his neck. “Are you sure?” Lathan breathes.
Kylo takes a moment to answer, calming his mind, steadying his breathing. After such a traumatic experience with the couple, the thought of fangs piercing his body does make his stomach tense. But it’s not them. It’s him. Though he hasn’t known Lathan for long, actions speak louder than words, and Lathan’s actions have proven that he is safe.
“I’m sure,” he breathes back.
Lathan’s fangs break the skin in a clean injection, his venom flowing smoothly into Kylo’s body, filling him with the familiar warmth of the high the night they met. His muscles relax, causing him to sink further into Lathan, who inhales him deeply but carefully, as if he’s savouring every microgram of blood. The pull is slow; his control is incredible for a vampire in starvation—Kylo expected much more desperation. As Lathan begins regaining strength, his grip tightens around Kylo, something more reminiscent of the way he held him at the party. Tight, close, and intimate.
Kylo lets out a pleased exhale, his body beginning to hit the delightful sweet spot between venom and blood loss. His stomach is no longer twisted, now fluttering with warmth that radiates outward, sending a cozy tingle down his extremities. He breathes out a soft laugh, a bit surprised to be in this situation again. He never thought he’d see Lathan again, let alone have him feed on him while they’re roommates.
Lathan sucks a little harder, and Kylo moans an exhale. Bracing himself on Lathan’s legs, the sudden urge to lay on his lap floods over him until his thoughts travel to his touch, wanting to hold him the way he’s being held, wanting to feel his bare skin.
All of a sudden, Lathan’s fangs retract and he seals the punctures with his tongue. While the careful feast has ended, Kylo’s lightheadedness stays, so without another thought, he gives into his initial urge, laying forward until his head is resting in Lathan’s lap, riding out the remaining venom in his system.
“That was…” His voice trails off as he smiles softly. I knew I could trust him.
“Are you okay?” Lathan sounds much more like himself: still deep and flat, but less broken and pained.
“I’m great,” Kylo chuckles. “How are you?” He stays there, kneeling and slumped into his lap, while a desire burns inside him to keep staying there, in the comfort of the vampire who saved him, in the comfort of Lathan’s gentle, intentional touch.
A moment of peaceful silence passes before Lathan pipes up with a simple, “Thank you.”
“Anytime,” Kylo says, and he means it. He’s genuinely happy he could help him and avoid more suffering, avoid his death. He figures the warm, comforting feeling is just the venom talking, but something stirs inside him as he thinks about the unearthly handsome man he’s using as a pillow, which begins to flush his cheeks.
Kylo takes a deep breath in, exhaling slowly as he lifts his head, stretching out his upper body. He doesn’t feel nearly as weak as he had the first time Lathan fed on him, probably due to the lack of substances in his system, the fact that he’s been taking care of himself all week, and Lathan has truly only taken what he needs to make it the next supply day. Pushing off Lathan’s legs, he slowly rises to standing before taking the few steps back to his own bed, where he flops onto his back into the fluffy duvet. His calves hang off the edge of the bed, his chest rising and falling evenly, arms draped above his head.
“Guess I won’t be going to the store after all,” he says to himself. Rolling his head over to look at Lathan, his drowsy eyes take in every inch of the vampire across from him. With a cheeky grin, he continues, “You’re a mystery I want to unravel.” The rippling muscles beneath his shirt make his heart sing; the tattoos that peek out from under his sleeve are like a hidden art gallery waiting to be discovered; his strong jaw and dark, watchful eyes are just as intoxicating as his venom. “Tell me about yourself.”
Lathan tucks one of his feet against his thigh, letting his knee flop away from him. His eyes continue to soften in their redness, his breathing closer to normal. “What do you want to know?” he asks openly as his eyes wander over Kylo’s body.
“I’d ask your favourite colour, but I think I’ve got that one figured out,” he teases.
Black. Like the shadows I first met you in; like the chosen shade of all your clothes; like the colour of your long and thick hair; like the hue inked across the skin you keep hidden; like the colour of your eyes without sunlight. Black. Suits you.
He rolls his head to look up, thinking about all the things he wants to know about him. Kylo is a people person, a social butterfly of sorts; he loves conversation, but what he adores more than anything else is to learn—to hear people’s stories, what makes them tick, what they’re passionate about, and why they are the way that they are. Every person has something, and, one way or another, every person is important— Lathan is important—he just has to find out how. Meeting his eyes again, he asks an easy one to start. “What are you studying?”
“I’m in law,” Lathan replies. Three words filled with so much more , so much backstory, only bringing more questions to the surface, questions he will ask another time.
His brows raise slightly. “Wow. I didn’t take you for the lawyer type, but I don’t know exactly what I expected.” He chuckles softly. “You’ll be set for life, that’s for sure,” he adds, looking off and thinking about his own career path.
Aside from Obscura Academy being the best post-secondary schooling on the continent, in Kylo’s humble opinion, all Ethers in North America looking to live, work, and integrate into human Society must graduate from here to obtain a Society Pass—similar to a passport, allowing Ethers to cross the border into Society. The first two years of Obscura classes are typically a mix of relevant major studies and Society 101 basics, of which prepare students for human territories. The Passes certify graduates as “safe,” no longer posing as high of a threat to humans, and will grant access to adult Ether species to travel or live in Society. It’s a long venture, taking many years longer than the average degree program, but it’s worth it—or so Kylo hears from his siblings.
“Yeah,” Lathan mumbles, and it almost sounds sad or disappointed. Before Kylo can fully wonder why he’d be upset by his choice of major, or the prospect of money, Lathan looks up, finding Kylo again. “What major are you?”
“Don’t laugh,” he primes him, knowing his chosen career isn’t as prestigious as his. “I’m majoring in Library Science…to become a Librarian.”
Lathan lifts his brows. “Oh,” is all that leaves his mouth. A soft, surprised peep.
Kylo’s face scrunches into a jokingly angry pout as he tosses his head to the side. “You hate it,” he says with a dramatic sigh. “That’s fiiine , it’s not for everyone.” His smile creeps back, rolling his head to see Lathan’s response—unable to keep his eyes off him for too long.
The corner of Lathan’s lip twitches upward, as if a smile nearly cracked through his concrete surface. “No, I’ve just heard you’re a people person. I assumed you’d be doing something with that.”
“I am”—his gaze wanders—“and I like helping people. But I also really like books.” He laughs, scratching his head. “I’ve always liked the idea of being a librarian, surrounded by so many stories, creating a community of bookworms. Maybe hosting events to get people together, but…I like the quiet too, when everyone is drawn into their pages, enthralled by the tales within. It’s nice.”
“Sounds nice.” Lathan picks at the seam of his black jeans, seeming lost in thought.
“Next question: what’s your favourite movie?” Kylo asks as he rolls onto his side, hoping to draw Lathan’s attention back, propping his head up onto his fist.
“I don’t know. Never watched a lot of film.” He continues to play with the fabric on his thigh.
“Hm.” He notices the book on Lathan’s desk and points at it with his foot. “How ‘bout a favourite book?” he chirps, unfazed by the disinterest.
“ The Picture of Dorian Gray .”
Kylo’s eyes widen in surprise, causing him to sit up, unaware he is no longer loopy from the venom, solely focused on this golden nugget of information. “No way! I love that book! I studied it in two different classes. It’s a brilliant depiction of the complexities of the human psyche, and it goes so much deeper than the surface story. Don’t you think?”