Archive of Our Own ^beta

Monte Carlo was lively during the day, ripe with tourists cooking under the sun and devouring overpriced local cuisine. But, during the night, the city was an entirely different type of lively. The second smallest country in Europe was also one of the safest for night dwellers, a tight-knit community that welcomed with open arms all and every clan that wished to have a good time in its midst. That was why Gavius had convinced Victor to briefly hop by Monaco, seeing as to how it was so close to France and not out of the way at all. The original plan had been for them to travel across the Old Continent, Gavius showing Victor all kinds of wonders the human hadn't dreamed of seeing, so when Gavius suggested a slight change of plan Victor had been hesitant to accept. He wasn't one to deal well with uncertainty.

But he wasn't one to bear denying a request from his love, either, and so Victor had found himself in the corner booth of a basement club that seemed to be just a series of bedrooms. He'd been gifted a clear latex collar by the (admittedly charming and gracious) hostess of the club, and though he knew it was important for him to be marked as an "owned" ghoul, he couldn't help but to toy with it nervously as he waited for Gavius to return with their drinks. The music wasn't too loud, but it was strange, and it barely covered the sound of voices that permanently surrounded them. At least, the lights were dim enough to give Victor a boost of confidence. And the booth seats were soft and silky, which was another plus. Monte Carlo was a big city for such a small country.

Gavius came back pleasantly buzzed with two margaritas, one of which was nearly empty, and laughing along with a friend he ran into. Andrew just so happened to be in town for a one-night layover, and Gavius had mentioned the club in passing one time (he didn't actually remember doing that, but what was new about that). It was a fun coincidence that they'd ran into each other at the bar getting drinks.

"Victor, dear!" Gavius called, and set down the drinks in front of Victor. He scooted into the booth and sat beside him, then draped his arm across his shoulders and gave him a big smooch in the cheek. "This is Andrew! We met not long ago on a flight while he was slacking off."

"Hey, I was co-pilot that time, and I wasn't even drinking!" Andrew laughed. Andrew had to admit to himself, seeing everyone else here, he felt a little underdressed, but seeing for himself the kind of establishment it was, he knew he wouldn't stay dressed for long. He was kind of excited to try something new while he was still young — well, at least not too old. His hair was beginning to gray around the temples... He leaned next to their booth with his drink, but didn't sit down; he didn't want to invade the couple's space. "Plus, is eight years really not that long to you?"

"I'm older than you give me credit for," Gavius chuckled, and winked with complicity at Victor.

"Damn, should I call the cops on you then?"

They both laughed, and Gavius squeezed Victor from the waist. He looked lovely with that collar...

It was an absolute relief to see Gavius come back, even if he was accompanied by someone Víctor didn't know. A while back, just being out of his house would've been grounds for anxiety with him. Now, Victor was working on that with a really good therapist Gavius had procured for him. He leaned into Gavius' arms, reminded himself there was nothing to fear here, and managed a welcoming smile that still seemed a bit on edge.

"It's nice to meet you, Andrew," he greeted, gently taking his margarita from the table and thanking Gavius with one look for making his particular drink low on alcohol and sweeter. No doubt he had gotten weird looks from the bartender, asking to put That Much fruit syrup on one of these, but Victor really didn't do well with alcohol. It was a sure way to get him spiraling into a depression and a terrible hangover. Gavius had always been so mindful.

"How fortunate to find you here," the ghoul then commented, taking a sip of his drink and cuddling up to Gavius (after checking that others were doing the same and therefore it wasn't weird). "I've heard ... Good things about this club. And, uh, there's a rumor going around that someone very special is going to be coming tonight? I'm intrigued.”

Gavius made a delighted hum of agreement. "If it's who I think it is, then we're in for a show," he chuckled, and finished his margarita.

Andrew took a sip from his drink and hummed. "Hm, good night to drop by, then," he said with a smile.

Gavius put down his glass with an exaggerated shiver. "Hoo, I love the ambiance here. There's just something so..." He looked past their booth at the mirror wall, partly blocked by some people swaying on the dance floor to the heavy bass and throaty vocals. He could see some people in the neighboring booths in the mirror from between the dancers, couples and groups just starting to get heated. Well, the night was young. "...Liberating, about this place," he finished his sentence with a bite to his lips.

"You're not going to tell me who it is, right?" Victor smiled, but he didn't seem annoyed by it. He wanted the surprise, because with the tone that Gavius had used, it was probably a vampire and of some importance. So far Victor had met people so ancient he could scarcely wrap his head around it- and they'd all been so kind, if a little strange. The Tzimisce were the strangest, though Gavius seemed delighted to see them. So who could this person be, that Victor's partner seemed so excited about?

As Gavius pointed out the pleasant ambiance, Victor followed his lover's eyes and quietly agreed. Though it was surely different with him; he was enchanted with this new world and all the freedoms it entailed, and being able to participate in such a world was beyond his wildest dreams. He'd never thought himself alluring... in fact, in the past, he would've probably seen himself as hideous. Having started on a path of self love was, perhaps, the most fantastic aspect of his new life.

"It is very welcoming... But, uhm-" Victor hesitated for a moment, his eyes returning towards Gavius after feeling flustered by the couples engaging in more intimate contact. "Do you think... there's food? I'm a bit hungry."

As if on cue, the song dipped to an end and a man took the spotlight on a platform at the far end of the room. "Ladies, gentlemen, everyone in between the night and day..." he spoke in a croon close to the microphone. He tucked a strand of his hair behind his ears, making his long silver-chained earrings clink and shine in the light. The muzzle-like black canvas mask he wore seemingly did nothing to dim his deep baritone voice. "Allow me to officially open the night. Welcome to New Moon. My name's Salem, I'll be your primary... agitator, tonight," he chuckled breathily.

Not quite a wave, but a shudder of excitement ran through the guests. Gavius squeezed Victor's waist more slowly this time, his hand spreading to tease.

The announcer's eyes scanned the crowd, half-lidded already from an early snack on his favorite regular. "You know the rules, but for the new ones: no mess allowed. Be safe, take a hint, and have fun. That's it."

As the music began to start again, Salem hopped off the platform, but took the mic with him for just a moment longer. "By the way, help yourselves. There's snacks on the bar, and around most of the club. Don't take from other people's plates, but... don't be afraid to share." With that, he left the mic on the stage, and started doing his customary rounds, hovering first and foremost to a familiar face.

"Well, if it isn't our favorite little whore finally showing his face again," he crooned as he peeked over the booth over Gavius's shoulder.

Gavius laughed, Salem laughed, and they shook hands once he came to the front. "Nice to see this place still in good hands!"

"What can I say, I like the glamour." He slid into the booth opposite Gavius. (Andrew, finding that he'd probably overstayed his welcome, had slipped away to the bar.)

"Victor, this is Salem," Gavius said, "head slut in charge."

Salem kicked Gavius in the shin under the table and they both laughed.

Honestly, Victor was so caught off guard by the deep, rich voice of the host that he almost felt himself shudder. When he looked up and met the figure of whoever the owner of that voice was, his eyes widened slightly in surprise. He was handsome, of course, but there was something else about him. A different confidence, something a human could not have. This one was a vampire, he had to be. He’d said ‘snacks’ with a different undertone, after all. Victor felt his pulse quicken, a rush of excitement. Was he, himself, a snack?

It felt disrespectful to bring up his hunger again after the host had made such an alluring speech, so Victor decided to keep it for a bit later, but he didn’t get the chance. Salem appeared before them like an apparition, and Victor’s eyes were called to the small details under the man’s mask. Slight indentations on the skin, like scars, but clean. Tattoos? He was too far away to tell, but so close at the same time. Closer than Victor would’ve dreamed to have a man like that. Really, since Gavius, his life had taken such a turn.

When his partner introduced him, Victor snapped out of his thoughts (when had Andrew left?) and smiled amicably at Salem. Well, as amicable as he could be while keeping his anxiety under bounds.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he greeted, his voice barely above the music that boomed through the club. “Gavius talked about this place a- a lot. I’m glad to finally get to be here.” Ah, hell, had that been okay? Was it too tame for a place that literally hosted vampire-human gangbangs?

Salem smiled, and the crease of his cheeks as he did was visible beyond the edges of the mask and exposed just a little more of his modifications. This one was looking at him with curiosity, wasn't he? Was it his first time seeing a Tzimisce, or was he interested in other ways? He let himself toy with the idea. This Victor was a lovely change of pace in a crowd of degenerates... Not that Salem himself wasn't a degenerate, or that Victor couldn't be one —he was here, after all, and wearing the collar of a ghoul no less—, he just felt a different energy from him. Hard to pin down, but definitely more than meets the eye.

Salem leaned forward and leaned his chin on his hands. "And we're glad to have you here too, dear Victor," he crooned, observing the young man intently. "We always welcome new faces..." From where his feet had laid after kicking Gavius, he nudged Victor's ankles. No doubt the combat boots felt rough, but he made it a soft movement to avoid any unnecessary shock. He was sure Gavius felt his foot move too, so his eyes flitted to him for a moment, wondering if he'd be willing to share his delicious companion.

Before he could ask, though, he took back his feet and stood up abruptly. "Well, I won't keep you long," he drawled. "Places to be, people to titillate, you know the gist." He held Victor's gaze for a moment. "I'll be back, though." And then he turned and continued with his rounds around the club.

Gavius raised his eyebrows at his exit, having been a little stunned to speak. Not at the obvious pass that Salem was making at his Victor, but the fact that he minded. A lot.

He squeezed Victor's waist once more and turned to whisper in his ear, trying to shake off the... strange sensation. "Sorry about him. He can be a lot. I'll tell him to fuck off if he tries anything again," and for good measure he left a wet kiss on Victor's neck right under his ear. It must've bothered him because clearly Victor was uncomfortable, right?

Well, Victor had imagined flirting happening. He knew this place was an open "arena", so to speak, and so he had prepared himself for the possibility of someone flirting with Gavius. But with GAVIUS, not with him! Because, despite his boyfriend's claims that Victor was gorgeous and alluring and everything good, why would anyone look at him when Gavius was sitting right there?

When he felt Salem's eyes resting upon him, the brush of something against his ankles, Victor felt a cold shiver up his spine. He blushed, inevitably, and couldn't even begin to formulate a response before Salem left his presence- no doubt to kindle the flames of other people, other couples. But he said he'd be back, right?

When Gavius whispered in his ear, it just added to the heat spreading through Victor's chest. He let his head fall back, exhaling quietly at how pleasurable a voice against his skin felt.

"It's- it's okay," he replied in a similar tone, looking back at Gavius with a soft, enchanted smile. "He's really something, isn't he?"

Gavius couldn't help himself and growled; a whiny, needy sound he hadn't pinned himself as the type to do. This was strange. Why wasn't Victor repulsed by Salem's advances? He had Gavius, didn't he? He suddenly found himself grabbing for more of Victor, pulling him onto his lap and leaving bites down the side of his neck. The only thing keeping him from actually piercing the skin right now was that he still had some sense of pacing, no matter what the fuck he was feeling. Whatever it was, it made him breathe Victor in like his scent was the only fresh air, and grabbed at him like a lifeline. His Victor.

He tugged at the hem of Victor's shirt, and though he wanted to unbutton it for better access, he didn't want to uncoil his arms from around him. He pulled the fabric taut until it seemed like it would tear and left a mark —skin-level— over his collarbone, with an almost animalistic need and he locked his arms around his waist and ground up into him, pulling him down to maximize the delicious friction, the sensation that their bodies would become one. Usually that sensation for Gavius was reserved for later in the act, but... there was a different quality to it now, not just physical; the emotional, spiritual need to meld together as one.

Since they'd met, Victor had known Gavius' main love language was physical contact. More often than not suggestive, sexual, but also simply holding his hand or fixing his hair- and Victor had always thanked him quietly, because he knew himself to need it. So many years he'd been without someone's touch, that he'd forgotten that he wanted to be held. It wasn't strange or unwelcome when Gavius pulled him into his lap, pulled down on his clothes to kiss his neck.

But the undertones were off. Not in a bad way, because then Victor would've felt scared and asked his partner to stop. Amidst the electricity of Gavius' lips against his wanting skin, of sigh and moans muffled by the thumping of the music around them, Victor noticed Gavius had skipped a few steps. Yes, Victor realized as he wrapped his arms around his partner with parted lips; Gavius usually began by teasing, complimenting him, running his fingers over his clothes until Victor couldn't take the lightness of his touch anymore. Now he'd gone straight for it, and though Victor enjoyed the change of pace, there had to be a reason behind it.

Victor glanced to a side. Their booth was removed enough from the main floor, and the gauze curtain that separated them from the outside had been partially closed. His heart rushed at the realization that they had privacy, despite their surroundings, and he turned his attention towards his partner. A smile bloomed on his lips as he positioned himself better over Gavius, straddling him, maybe even pushing down a bit to make him really feel it.

The ghoul leaned forward, cutting the distance between them and resting his chin on his ‘master's’ shoulder. Despite the music being loud, his murmur sounded clear.

"Don't tell me you're jealous."

Gavius felt something akin to relief once Victor wrapped his arms around him. His warmth was ever so alluring, draped him like a haze to which he clung and ran his hands through. A growl of gratification boiled deep in his throat as Victor ground down on him in return, appreciative that he wanted the same thing from him, at least physically.

Don't tell me you're jealous.

Gavius felt himself flush in the face like never before, and buried his head in the crook of Victor's neck, not just to taste more of him. Was that what it was? Jealousy? "So what if I am," he muttered, peppering kisses down the front of Victor's neck, pulling his shirt up, down, undecided as long as he got more access to his skin. He needed more of him, and just for himself.

Ah, hell. He really was jealous, wasn't he?

Seeing Gavius react immediately to his playful accusations, Victor's smile grew wider around the corners. The sense of privacy he'd acquired had emboldened him, allowing him to bury his fingers into Gavius' hair and pull his head back. He didn't even have to do so forcefully; just an inkling of intention was enough for Gavius.

"I don't want what-ifs," Victor all but purred, once more murmuring against Gavius' ear and even daring to bite into the soft flesh of his earlobe. His fingers curled quickly, pulling on Gavius' hair not to hurt but to emphasize. "I want you to tell me clearly if you are jealous and why."

"Ah-" Gavius gasped, feeling the delicious tug of his hair and allowing his head to just barely follow it. He was facing Victor now, and the low colorful lights illuminated his face in the most sinful way, giving so many possible subtexts to that beautiful smile.

He wasn't used to this kind of attention. He'd had romps, he'd had lovers dominant and submissive, and he'd never felt this vulnerable, in a weirdly alluring way. "I... don't know why," he admitted in a breathy tone. "But... you're mine. You're... mine, right...?"

Now Victor truly had Gavius' undivided attention, and all it had taken was a bit of force and a whisper. He knew this kind of obedience was all play, an agreement between Gavius and himself when it came to the bedroom, but Victor had spent so much of his adult life fantasizing about it that when the opportunity presented itself he felt like a different person. It was liberating. And- wasn't he a different person now, anyway? A couple of years ago he wouldn't even have dared step outside of his apartment.

Hearing Gavius admit his feelings gave Victor another rush of happiness, which he expressed by kissing down the side of Gavius' neck and almost to his shoulders. But he stopped shy of it, and instead nuzzled against the crook of his lover's neck in a caring gesture. He felt so giddy with the thought that someone loved him this much.

"Of course I'm yours, silly," the ghoul chuckled, his hands traveling from Gavius' hair to under his clothes to his upper back.

"Is that what worries you? You weren't jealous when Angelo helped me get you off that time..." Victor reminded his love, in a playful tone. He was just teasing, of course, but his words gave him inspiration to continue. He grinded himself against Gavius once, for good measure, and sought to look him in the eyes so he wouldn't have a way to deny anything. "Or was that because both him and I were focused on you?"

A funny little sound got caught in Gavius's throat, both at the words and the actions. Angelo was different; they'd been there and done that, and Angelo hadn't expressed interest in either of them. It had been purely utilitarian for him. "He's... different," he mumbled, baring his neck to encourage him.

So what made Salem different? It was his job to rile people up. Was it because he was flirting specifically with Victor? That was hardly fair, was it? But his stupid little mind didn't care what was fair or not; all he felt was an intense need to be controlled by his one and only, now.

He squeezed Victor's thighs and ran his hands up, squeezed his ass, slithered under his shirt. His skin felt electric, and he couldn't get enough, and found himself moaning in want already.

"Different, how?" Victor bit back a moan, breathing heavy and happily against Gavius' skin. He arched his back to maximize the contact between their torsos, curled his fingers so he could mark his partner with his nails. He was going along with what Gavius wanted, but he wasn't giving himself up just like that. No, Gavius needed to work on his self control.

The ghoul bared his teeth, and grazed Gavius' skin in a prelude of a bite. "He enjoyed it. Anyone would enjoy you, my dear. But I'm the one you answer to at the end of the night, and you're the only one I want to keep... It doesn't matter how many people want to help me please you."

Victor carefully undid the last buttons on Gavius' shirt, the ones they always saved for last, and slid one of his hands in caressing his stomach- dangerously close to his lower parts. He stopped his hand there, feeling with satisfaction how his partner writhed.

"And I think Salem would be a great help. We don't want to be rude to our host."

Somewhere not too far, next to the bar where Salem had stopped for a quick glass of water, a figure walked in through the service door. It wore a sheer, lacey blouse with puffy sleeves which was cinched to his waist with a leather corset. Its long, white hair fell almost to its knees on a braid to the side, which only made the wooden mask it wore seem even more out of place.

This wasn't a kink mask. It looked ancient, almost petrified, with a confusing expression of a wide grin and sad eyes. The figure had fixed the mask to its head with a leather strap, which looked weathered as well but did a decent job on keeping the mask in place.

Busy as the club was, none paid attention to the figure until it sat at the bar next to Salem and turned towards him. Its head now rested on one hand, and it seemed to be looking towards the host.

"How's your dad?" it asked, its tone revealing both a smile and large quantities of already ingested alcohol.

Salem nearly choked on water when the figure all but materialized next to him. Which was ridiculous, because any other person here in that spooky-hippie getup would stick out like a sore thumb. "Christ, man." The murky, translucent skin on the lower part of his face neatly showed the clenching on his jaw with the surprise, the grinding of supernaturally sharp teeth barely hidden beneath the gray membrane of his flesh. He finished his water and pulled his mask back on. All the mortals were too busy to notice anyways. "Been a while, huh? Everyone's talking about you but no one sees you. Gets me every time."

Even though he heard the intoxication in his voice, he gestured for the bartender to bring him a round for him— though watered down. "Pops is alright. Still holed up in his cave, trying to get the new kid to warm up to him." He chuckled, and turned to lean back against the counter. "How's your crew? Or, uh, your kids..?"

Judesca laughed, feeling the levity of existing while drunk uplift his spirits once more when he realized he'd managed to scare Salem. Yes, that trick always worked. It was so easy. Judesca simply made others, anyone else in fact, think he wasn't there. It didn't mean they couldn't see him; it meant they saw him, but their eyes went right through. He made himself unimportant, unremarkable, and he could've been waving and shouting at their face without them so much as batting an eye. It was always fun.

"I'm sorry- I'll tap your shoulder next time," he promised, twirling his drink on one hand while he considered what Salem had told him about Vitali. Still in the cave, huh? At least he had company now. That crazy plan he had, whatever it was, Judesca prayed it would work. Vitali had refused to tell him, Salem or anyone what it was he wanted the philologist to do.

"My children? Awake, as always." Judesca laughed to himself, lifting his mask only a crack to take a sip off his drink. Pale lips stained with something showed underneath. He'd eaten before showing up here. "Hassan... remember the Mourner? The Oracle? His name is Hassan. His boyfriend from like 1100 showed up and they moved out together. That's why I'm traveling again. He's got someone to look after him now."

"Fuck, that's a long time," he said, overlooking the club. Some of his friends made him feel like a downright toddler in comparison. "A long shot too. What are the fucking odds, good on him..." That made sense, then, why Judesca had chosen to show up drunk already. It's always hard to tell with vampires how long they'd been drunk, but with Malkavians it's downright impossible. Salem was pretty sure he'd start seeing Judesca's long-lost honey anytime now.

"Want me to introduce you?" he proposed, looking out at the poorly-hidden clubgoers behind the booth veils. "There's some fresh faces, some old regulars. Your 'now you see me' act is pretty cool, but you sure you don't wanna be seen?"

"I'd rather be felt," Judesca replied, obvious innuendo and a smile in his tone. "Sure, introduce me. I got a boyfriend now, but we're pretty open. He lives under the Paris catacombs. Very charming little place. A gentleman, that one... Don't you love the Ventrue? So uptight, and underneath so needy."

Chatting in such a fashion, Judesca stood up with a very slight wobble. He'd had industrial quantities of alcohol not too long ago, and he felt like his worlds were mixing together. The hallucinations with the real, the music and lights with the ones in his mind. Complete abandon and no responsibilities, what could be better?

"Go on, take me" Judesca compelled, wrapping an arm around Salem's shoulder amicably. "I promise I'll behave".

Salem snorted at the comment about the Ventrue. They sounded just like his own family, but in opposite ways, probably. He didn't know, really; the only other Tzimisce he really knew was his sire. Salem took the arm and placed his own arm around Judesca's back, though his hand rested higher on his side than he once might've done it. He was still getting used to the idea that one of his hookups was an actual antediluvian.

Meanwhile, Andrew had just come out of the bathroom (and getting sucked in one of the stalls - would you look at that, even with an entire club dedicated to sex, people still chose the trashy classics) thinking that maybe he was getting too old for this. He already felt sated enough, and though maybe those threesomes and foursomes in the booths looked appealing, he felt a little too out of place to actually try offering to join. He might actually call it a night after another drink if nobody propositioned him.

Judesca has already allowed his eyes to wander around the club, barely hindered by the translucent dark cloth that hid them behind the mask. It didn't take long for him to see Andros, though. He had a feeling the man would appear sooner or later.

The Malkavian smiled behind his mask, but it was less manic, more melancholic.

"He looks different tonight," he commented, gesturing towards the man he assumed was his usual hallucination. The clothes and the hair were more up to date, perhaps, but it was still him. It would always be him.

Salem turned to the one he pointed at and raised his eyebrows. "Oh, you know him?" he said, and tilted his head a little bit. He did look familiar, didn't he? And the way Judesca spoke of him... Oh. It must be that Andros, right? Salem hadn't thought he was an illusion, but then again he underestimated how strong Judesca's group hallucinations could get. He could make an entire room perceive someone that wasn't there, couldn't he...

"Why don't we go on ahead and leave you two to it, then?" he offered, and nudged Judesca towards him. It couldn't hurt to indulge in a fantasy — what was the worst thing that could happen, could they die? Most people here were already dead anyways.

(In the back of his mind, Salem was pretty sure he'd seen this guy before Judesca arrived. But Judesca was good at hiding his presence, right? Maybe he'd been around for longer than he let on...)

It was nice of Salem, what he did for Judesca. The Malkavian knew Salem knew; though he'd never explicitly told him about Andros, Salem was a perceptive young man. He'd probably figured out that the man who sometimes accompanied Judesca on long walks wasn't really there. Granted, it hadn't been this vivid in a long time; maybe the alcohol helped with that? If that was the case, Judesca said to himself with a smirk, he would drink himself near final death every night.

When Judesca approached Andros, he could finally appreciate his details better. That look suited him, and the hair too... Well groomed, yet loose and relaxed. It was perfect for him.

"Blue is becoming of you," he complimented, leaning against a column in front of the man he so well had known. "Any color would suit you, really- you could be wearing nothing at all, and you'd wear it well."

Andrew was surprised to hear such words directed at him, and he turned to find a person so surprising in appearance that he shouldn't have been surprised at all. The mask, the silver braided hair, the colorful outfit— there wasn't a single part of this person that didn't stand out. He was almost flattered to be the target of such flattery.

"Forward, but oddly romantic," he admitted, and turned to officially face him in conversation. "Just when I was about to leave, too. Settling so soon?" He made that little self-deprecating joke with a smile, signaling that it was all in good fun. Maybe his sense of self-preservation had worn down over the years instead of the other way around, because all the things this man had that would possibly be a red flag to someone else in any other context seemed like interesting character traits to him. There was something about this man that made him want to take that risk.

Judesca felt pleasantly surprised when Andros turned to face him, answering with that disarming smile he'd always have. His mind was really outdoing itself this time- it felt way more real than any other time. Why not enjoy it?

The vampire fixed his hair back, but the mask stayed on. He shamelessly eyed Andros up and down, feeling both glad and melancholic to see him with such a modern outfit. It could've been true.

"I have nothing else to lose," he replied, an explanation to his forwardness. Hopefully it didn't sound as sad as it felt. "And you appreciate forwardness, don't you? Let me buy you a drink."

"You know me too well already. I'll have a martini." Andrew let himself lean on the bar a little closer to the man. Yeah, his curiosity was definitely piqued, and he knew himself well enough to know he wouldn't be able to call it a night until he knew more about this man.

"You come here a lot? I'm afraid you're gonna have to guide me, I haven't been to this scene in ages." And by 'scene' he meant absolutely any club, in the most general sense of the word, but he was just letting things go with the flow. Plus, a little innuendo on his preferences didn't hurt...

On that, the hallucination was right. Judesca knew Andros like the palm of his hand, and when death finally claimed him, Andros would be the last and only thing his mind would know. The relief he would feel.

"I swing by whenever I'm in town," Judesca replied, ushering Andros to the bar and ordering the two martinis with a quiet gesture to the bartender. "Usually I go with anyone, but when I saw you - well, you're special." There was nothing but sincerity in his tone, although he was no longer looking at Andros. He'd rested his head in one hand, and was seemingly staring off into a distant point behind the walls of the bar.

Huh. Andrew had been confessed to a couple of times, mostly in his 'strapping young pilot' years, but even if it had been a while, this had to be the strangest of such occasions. Not that he minded - at his age, there weren't many things that could surprise him, and every word from this man was a new experience. He found himself unable to resist.

"What a charmer," he said, with a coy smile despite himself. "You seem pretty special yourself. Your mask, your hair, your general style... not many could pull it off with your confidence. Consider me charmed." He did appreciate forwardness and honesty: who was he to keep his thoughts to himself?

Special. Of course he would say something like that. Judesca was just being pampered that day, wasn't he?

He smiled under the mask, but didn't reply to Andros' compliment until their martinis were served. He slid one over to his hallucination, with a flourish, and lifted his mask just the bare minimum to drink. All of the liquid disappeared almost at once, as Judesca gulped it down with abandon and tapped the bar asking for another one. He would leave the one he'd handed Andros, though. He liked to keep the illusion.

"I appreciate that you find me special. I put so much effort into looking this elegantly disheveled," the vampire then laughed, his playful mood returning to his tone. He turned to face Andros once more, his head still resting in one hand. "But lemme tell you a secret; these are the only clean clothes I had. What does it matter how I dress anyway? How I undress is way more pertinent."

Andrew caught a glimpse of the stranger’s lips, then, and though thin and pale they looked experienced — he had no idea how he knew that, but just seeing them sent his imagination flying.

“Wow— that was smooth, I’ll give it to you. But also, been there,” Andrew chuckled, and took a small sip of his new martini. As much as he appreciated the free drink, he’d already had a few and didn’t want to end up blackout drunk. This seemed like it was going to become a night worth remembering.

The music in the club had felt a little strange to Andrew at the start, with a rhythm too slow and vocals too throaty for your usual club playlist. But now that the guests had warmed up and there was less of the vertical, more of the horizontal kind of dancing, the muffled gasps and moans of everyone in the booths blended all too well with the sludgy electronica. And he had to admit, it was getting hot in here.

He leaned a little closer to his suitor, getting fidgety. “You’ve got nice lips,” he said, his voice lower. “I’d love to see more of what’s under that mask. And clothes.”

A pleasant, familiar shiver traveled down Judesca's stomach and to his groin. He liked how Andros leaned towards him, how his eyes fell to almost a half lid and his voice grew raspier- lower, sexier. And what was more, Judesca could almost feel his heat... His breath, lightly scented with alcohol and salt. The vampire craved that breath against his skin, Andros' rough hands holding him by the waist. The hallucination was right. They were wasting time.

"At least one of those is going to happen," he promised with a smile, emboldened by alcohol and abandon. Judesca leaned in as well, reaching with one hand to barely grace the other's fingers. So real, it felt electrifying. But before he could do anything else his second drink was there, and Judesca wasted no time in downing it so he could finally stand up and invite Andros to follow him with a flourish.

"After you, my dear," he invited, joking only half the sentence, before taking Andros by the hand and guiding him through the club towards one of the glass-paned private booths. He knew Salem had reserved that one for him.

Andrew couldn't believe how giddy he was, like a teenager doing mischief all over again, so much that he forgot his drink at the bar. This man was all the intoxication he needed.

Meanwhile, Gavius's moans could outshine a seasoned opera tenor. Victor was teasing him to death and back, and he was positive that if he could, he'd be sweating buckets. His dick strained against his underwear exposed through his open fly, a wet spot forming at the tip, and he was pretty sure he was drooling. Victor's touch felt electric, and his words— Victor had such a way with words that anyone would suspect him of already being a Toreador.

"Mmmmm, please Victor...." he whined. If only he could touch— but Victor had restrained his hands behind his back with his own crumpled shirt.

Victor's hands had been going up Gavius' chest from the back, fingers lightly passing over his partner's nipples just to wake them up enough. With practice, he had learned that Gavius could cum only from chest play; it was delightful, but not quite the goal they were pursuing at that moment. Victor stopped moving his hands and allowed them to rest holding Gavius' lower stomach, resting his chin on the crook of Gavius' neck so he could whisper in his ear.

"My love, we're still waiting for someone," he gently reminded the other, pressing against his back. Victor remained fully clothed, unlike how he'd left Gavius, but he could already feel his pants tenting with the excitement - and he hoped Gavius felt it too, to add to the teasing. The ambiance was intoxicating, and although at first he'd feared he would be ashamed in the presence of others, the moans that surrounded him felt like encouragement and solidarity. They were all pursuing the same goal here, they were all degenerates. Victor, somehow, felt right at home.

His hands slid upwards with snail pace, caressing every centimeter of skin they could. "Be a good boy now. I'm sure he'll be here soon. You don't want to disappoint our host, do you?"

Gavius whined, both dreading and anticipating the thought, his body arching towards Victor's touch like a man possessed, but his head tilted back, seeking his face.

Salem had lost his jacket while doing his rounds and was just in his tank top now — if he showed a little more skin it would start to become risky for some of the more blissfully ignorant guests, but where was the fun in covering up? The intricate modifications on his arms looked like tattoos in this light anyways. He was returning to full circle on the club, when a familiar moan caught his attention.

When he saw the large Toreador succumbing so feverishly to the smaller ghoul, he couldn't help but be impressed. He'd known Gavius for a while, had witnessed his restlessness and insatiable lust, and seeing him like this —so pliant, so obedient— was something new. He'd always been more of a brat when he took on a submissive role. He stopped for a moment in front of their booth, just to appreciate the scene. "I guess you two don't need any further assistance, then," he said, with an impressed smile creeping onto his lips from beneath the mask, and he addressed Victor with both respect and hunger. "You've got him so well-trained..."

Gavius shuddered — Salem's deep baritone had such a way of permeating through the music and noise, of reaching its target like a bloodhound.

When Salem opened the curtain of their booth and peeked inside, Victor looked up almost immediately. He felt a rush of heat surge through his body at the compliment, and also at simply Salem's voice. It was an almost physical pleasure, listening to him talk. Had he always had this voice, even before being Embraced?

Victor straightened his back, giving Salem a smile that still held a hint of nervousness despite how at ease he felt now. He'd been a bit startled by Salem appearing in front of them again, but Gavius' heat had helped him ground himself. This was a sex club. Doing this was fine.

"We were waiting for you," the ghoul then explained, reaching with one hand over Gavius' shoulder to hold his partner's jaw and gently direct his face upwards as if to show Salem the results of his training. Why yes, he was rather proud of how obedient Gavius was: but he was mostly proud of himself, for conquering his fears around domination, and he only had Gavius to thank for it.

"He's been really good. He hasn't touched himself at all," Victor praised, giving Gavius' jaw an affectionate squeeze. "In fact, tonight, he's not allowed to touch anything until we're done with him. Care to give us a hand? I- If you're still busy, we can wait," he then quickly added, sheepishness slipping into his voice for a brief moment.

Salem raised his eyebrows and smiled wider, his grin detectable even with the thick mask. He nudged a little further into the booth and let the curtain drift closed behind him, half-kneeling on the couch in front of Gavius, taking in the sight. "I'm your humble servant," he said, his eyes flicking up to meet with Victor's. He appreciated a good dom.

As Gavius shuddered under the attention, Salem figured he should show his assets. He reached up behind his head and unclasped the muzzle, took it off and placed it on the table. He moved his jaw to loosen it up, since he'd been holding back all night under the mask— it was really more flexible than any regular human's. The skin of his jaw was murky and translucent, leaning towards a dead grey color, and though the outline of his monstrous teeth was probably what jumped out the most, his lips stained violet had slits at the sides, like a snake that could unhinge its jaw to devour its prey whole. He opened his mouth —a regular, human-like amount— and licked his lips with a long, pointed tongue with more controlled movements than any human's. "How may I help?"

Although Victor was taking on the dominant role at that moment, he still felt a knot in his throat when Salem knelt in front of them. Even down there, the man had such a commanding presence that it was hard to believe he wasn't the dominant one at the moment. But he seemed very into the dynamic, and so Victor steeled himself to continue performing as best as he could.

His resolve faltered when he saw Salem's mouth, jaw, tongue and teeth. There was something primal in the urge he felt to pass his thumb over those lips, feel the sharp edges of those teeth and the long tongue against his skin. And if he was already heating up with the mere sight of that, he could only imagine what it would do to Gavius.

Victor took a quiet breath, and the hand on Gavius' jaw slid down to his neck while the other hand went back to his chest. Gently, the ghoul applied just a little bit of pressure to Gavius' airway. It wouldn't constrict his breathing too much, but it was there; a reminder.

"We could tease over the clothes and work our way up," he then suggested, pinching one of Gavius' nipples between two fingers so he could pull on it and knead it as well. "I'll stay here. You have reign over his lower half, for now. Don't worry, Gavius still has the same safeword." Victor smiled, leaning so much against Gavius it was practically a hug. He planted a kiss on the man's jaw. "He doesn't use it much, though."

Gavius keeled against Victor's touch, his moaning momentarily muffled in volume but never in intent. The hand on his throat barely squeezed, but his body pressed against it, asking for more. The kiss on his jaw, though, had him turning his head, lips quivering. "Victorrr... Nn..." He stared at his lips like a starving man at a banquet.

Salem was enjoying the display. "In so many ways, he hasn't changed," he purred, beginning to position himself lower. He grabbed Gavius's hips and yanked forward, careful only to displace his hips and leave his upper body leaning back on Victor. He leaned down and let his tongue give a tentative brush to the clothed tip, which made Gavius jolt. "But, I've never seen him so... obedient."

Now that he'd teased him, Salem decided to take a brief detour and pressed his nose to Gavius's navel, the trail of hairs there tickling his face, and hooked his teeth around the band of his underwear and pulled down. He didn't go all the way, not with the way things seemed to be going, but he just let his teeth scrape Gavius's skin as he pulled the underwear just a little lower. He released it just before the base of his dick, and nibbled down his hipline to the joint of his thighs and crotch, avoiding what he knew Gavius wanted.

Salem got one of Gavius's legs out of his pants and hooked it over his shoulder, giving him more ease to bite and tease his inner thigh. He could feel him shivering, straining hard against his bindings, against his own skin. Considering his age and strength, it really was impressive how pliant Victor had him. "My, you've really worked wonders on this one, Victor," he praised, and as a reward for Gavius's obedience, slipped his tongue ever so slightly past the leg of his underwear, hitting gold for just a second and making him jolt again.

Victor was aware that he was being praised, and though he felt grateful for the reassurance Salem provided by doing so, he found it extremely challenging to focus on words when Gavius writhed and spasmed so sweetly against his chest. The ghouls tightened both his embrace and the hand around Gavius' neck, following Salem's movements with wanting eyes. It was clear their host really knew his way around these things; and his way around Gavius, though it failed to make Victor feel jealousy of any sort. They were having fun after all.

Victor let out a quiet breath against Gavius' ear, pinching and pulling on one of his nipples as his eyes were glued on Salem's teeth and tongue. He enjoyed the sight of Gavius' exposed thigh, wished he could sink his own teeth in, but maybe later. This was good as it was.

That last compliment was met with a rather sheepish smile, underlined by an affectionate kiss on Gavius' temples.

"He likes being obedient, don't you Gavius?" Victor smiled against the skin of his beloved. "Go on. Tell our gracious host how much you like it."

Gavius whined, a needy little sound choked both by Victor's grasp on his throat and Gavius's own goading of it. His chest felt like it was burning, and Victor's hands like lit matches; and he was addicted to its sweet pain. That, and the treacherous tongue flitting about his thighs and groin were keeping him on edge, just a breath short of jumping out of his own skin. He felt engulfed.

He knew Victor had given him a command, he just didn't have the mind or integrity to process it. And even when he realized what he wanted, knowing and doing were two separate things. As his chest arched into Victor's touch, and the leg hooked over Salem's shoulder tensed to pull him closer, Gavius whined out broken words. "Vic... I... I love..." he moaned, quite literally breathless.

Down below, Salem grinned against Gavius's inner thigh and pulled his tongue back. Victor did give him free reign over his lower body, though, so Salem started tracing his tongue over the underwear, tracing the outline of his sack and deftly ignoring the aching shaft. With a particularly hard lick, Gavius's legs nearly closed on his head, and Salem gripped his thigh so hard that his nails left red trails on the skin. He glanced at the marks, and then looked up at Victor, locking eyes.

"I know his safeword," he said, hunger already showing in his voice. "But how does the master feel about leaving marks?"

There was something special about hearing Gavius' voice when it was being choked out. It always gave Victor a rush, when people did their best to speak while overwhelmed by pleasure. It gave him a feeling of control and dominance over his beloved, to know he was forcing his mind into a conscious, coherent effort when everything being done to him was so pleasurable. It was flattering, even, and Victor loved Gavius more for it.

He answered his partner's efforts with another kiss, digging his fingers into the soft, supple flesh of Gavius' chest and kneading it now in wider movements. He caught glimpses of what Salem was doing; felt Gavius ache in need, twitching, trying to control himself. The nail marks he left, far from bothering Victor, only served to further fire him up. It was becoming harder and harder to stay put, knowing Gavius was so ready to tend to him, but Victor bit the inside of his lip and held himself back once more.

"I don't mind," he smiled back at Salem, now flushed from the excitement and lust. He slowed down the pace with which he was fondling Gavius, to match Salem's movements. "I think they look lovely on him."

Salem grinned, and a guttural sound of satisfaction escaped his throat. "Glad we agree."

He moved, lightning-fast, and a sharp tear broke through the air along with an animalistic growl. Gavius yelped and jumped in shock, having felt teeth scrape ever so lightly against his most sensitive parts, and though he suddenly felt some freedom, he still felt the elastic band of his underwear.

Salem, on the other hand, spit a piece of fabric to the side. He'd ripped a sizable hole in Gavius's underwear, exposing him almost completely except for the head, still bound in the waistband, and like a ravenous beast he dove right back in. He swirled his tongue harshly around his sack and the base of his shaft, avoiding the head, and then slid further down, his tongue teasing between his cheeks.

Gavius moaned breathlessly, his restless legs only succeeding in digging Salem's nails further along his skin. He didn't think he'd felt such raw pleasure in centuries; not just physically, but the knowledge that it was his beloved Victor commanding his sweet torment sent his mind to the heavens and back. His hands twitched behind him, bound but aching to hold onto something, preferably Victor.

Salem really knew what he was doing, both to Gavius and to Victor. The ghoul felt himself transfixed by the other's movements, how he tore away Gavius' clothes and licked him down. A small shudder went through Victor as it happened, in fact; he found himself holding onto Gavius tighter, doubling the strength of his attentions in tune with Salem.

Victor found that his body couldn't heat up any more than it already had. He felt burning, flushed all over, breathing slow and heavy with the sway of his lover's body. But Gavius wasn't ready to please him yet; they had to work him yet. It could take anywhere from minutes to hours, and Victor wasn't sure that he could wait anymore.

He saw how Gavius arched his back towards him, trying to reach him, gesturing with his hands in an attempt to grab at his clothes. In the position in which they were, Victor couldn't indulge in holding his lover's hand. But what he could do was back up slightly, causing Gavius' head to lower so that Victor could hold him against his chest. The ghoul looked down, gaze overflown with love and lust. Tenderly, he took one hand to Gavius' jaw and encouraged him to open his mouth before killing the space between them with a deep kiss. It was a good thing Gavius didn't need to breathe, because Victor had no intention to let go. He was missing whatever Salem was doing, but he couldn't hold back any longer.

Gavius whined at the loss of contact with Victor as he sank down, but gladly received his kiss; so deep he could drown, and it would be his pleasure.

Salem used the shift in position to his advantage. He grasped Gavius's thigh harder and pulled up, lifting his hips slightly for better access, and began lapping at his hole, all while he let out animalistic growls. He was getting pretty excited himself, his pants growing tighter by the minute.

Being manhandled so easily, so overwhelmingly, Gavius melted in their grasp, his mouth falling open for Victor. He moaned into his mouth, trying to reciprocate the kiss with his tongue but finding himself easily overcome with pleasure and anticipation. Then he felt Salem's sinfully long tongue prod deeper into him and he yelped, arched up towards Victor. If he could, he'd be holding Victor's head closer to him, but his hands struggled behind his back. He whined desperately into Victor's welcoming mouth, his dick still trapped behind the band of his underwear, going red from both stimulation and neglect.

Whatever it was Salem had started to do, it was working. Victor felt the shift in Gavius' jolts, how his moaning escalated and took a higher pitch. It was hard to tell with the loud music, but Victor thought there was the murmur of a wet sound coming from Salem's direction and he chose to believe he was eating Gavius out. That magnificent long tongue he had, Victor shivered imagining it caress his partner's helpless body... And Victor himself wouldn't have minded feeling it against his own skin, too.

Victor shifted in place for a moment, trying to position himself in a way that would allow him to deepen the kiss against Gavius. Being up on the couch wasn't doing him any favors anymore, though, and so he broke their kiss so that he could climb off to the floor and kneel next to Gavius. With one hand, Victor gently grabbed his lover by the hair and made him turn towards him so their eyes could meet. The ghoul was smiling, his gaze shiny with nothing short of adoration. He loved seeing Gavius in this state.

"You have to endure it," he asked, bowing down so he could speak to Gavius' ear. "If you finish now you won't be able to fill me like I want you to. You can enjoy all you want, but don't forget... You can't cum until I feed you."

Gavius leaned into the pull of his hair, and chased Victor with his lips when he parted. For all that he whined and writhed, he knew deep down that he had no choice. His own hedonistic tendencies throughout the centuries — turning sex and feeding into activities that could only be done in each other's company — had only solidified under Victor's care and discipline. It was ironic that Victor was the ghoul here; he held just as much power over Gavius. He bit his lip, stifling yet another whine, and nodded painstakingly as Salem's tongue twisted inside him.

Salem knew how to please Gavius, and subsequently knew how to tease him. He pressed upwards with the thick of his tongue with every thrust, but he knew the angle wasn't quite sharp enough for him. He felt him writhe and moan and left even more scratch marks from holding him still.

But he didn't want to make his guest wait. He retracted his tongue, licked his teeth and lips, and leaned his chin on the joint of Gavius's exposed hip to look at Victor. "He should be ready for you now, boss," he added that last quip as a little courtesy and smiled. He was their host, after all.

Victor felt enchanted by Gavius' obedience, and gifted him with another kiss that encouraged the vampire to open his mouth. Gavius' voice against him, echoing through him, was beginning to cloud his judgement. All Victor felt was an intense heat, a thirst like no other; he didn't try to rationalize it.

Then Salem spoke up and Victor turned to face him, impressed and grateful for his work. He stood up and began to disrobe, delicately undoing the buttons of his shirt to set it aside and take his t-shirt off. For a moment, though, he felt a string of worry tighten in him. He still wasn't quite used to his own body, he needed just a bit more encouragement.

That was what gave him pause, had him considering his surroundings and companions a bit more. He knew Salem meant Gavius was ready to tend to Victor's needs, but what about Salem himself?

"Wait..." Victor lowered his arms and walked up to Gavius, lovingly caressing his cheek as he passed. "I don't think it's fair, you doing all that work and me being the only one who enjoys it. I'll be on top... We can lay Gavius over you, and me over him. How does it sound?"

Gavius whined and moaned, but only really complained when Victor parted from him. He went quiet, though, when he heard what Victor proposed to Salem; the words went right to his neglected dick.

Salem, on the other hand, raised his eyebrows. He was right in some way about Victor; he wasn't like your average degenerate. No, he was one step beyond —an enlightened degenerate, if you will— and he loved it. They were made for each other, these two.

"Don't mind if I do." Salem grinned, sat up on the booth, and unzipped his pants. He always said he was a grower, but with his pants on, it often didn't show just how much. His underwear was already soaked, something he knew would happen given the plugs that had been moving around in there all night every time he moved his legs, and his clit grew on his command. The good thing about his particular set of equipment was that he didn't need additional lube (not that there was a bad thing; he modded them for a reason).

He held his engorged dick in his hand once ready; a bulbous, thick appendage with bumps and beads, both implants and modified flesh, with a moderately flared head and an obscenely thick middle. It was almost a plug in its own right, slick and covered in his own fluids, and he looked at Gavius and patted his own thigh, leaning back. "Come, boy, sit."

Gavius sat up and bit his lip. Every time he saw Salem's dick it was different, and it never disappointed. He looked up at Victor, as if asking for permission.

In that day and age, Victor hadn't even thought about if Salem had a dick or not. It would've been good with or without, as strap-ons were a thing and Victor felt equally attracted to either option; but, truly, with Salem being a vampire Victor should've expected what did come next. He watched on with abandon, holding Gavius in place with one delicate hand. Salem's dick glistened under the violet and blue lights of their surroundings, showing off all of its texture, girth, wetness. The plugs underneath almost twitched, and Victor had to wonder how Salem had managed to act so nonchalant all evening with those on. Victor knew that if he himself had worn those, he would've been a writhing mess on the floor after half an hour. Somehow, that image of himself excited him just as much as the image of Gavius in that position.

When Gavius looked at Victor for permission, the ghoul gave him a sweet smile of encouragement and a little nod. He still kept his t-shirt on, but his shirt had been neatly folded to one side, and he took a couple steps back to stand next to it as he stared at Gavius expectantly. He wanted to see Salem's cock disappear into his lover, Gavius' reaction to every little texture and width change he would experience from the head to the very base.

A tiny sound escaped Gavius's throat at Victor's permission, and he began to scoot closer to Salem.

Salem guided him with hands on his hips, seeing as his arms were still bound, and first sat him on one thigh. "There, now lean back," he cooed, in his gravelly voice right next to Gavius's ear, and pulled him back by the shoulders. He positioned Gavius in a way that his legs were wide open outside of his own thighs and his body arched, hovering over his dick, and anchored on his back that pressed against Salem's chest. "That's right, show your master," he encouraged, throwing a complicit wink at Victor over Gavius's shoulder.

With one hand holding Gavius, the other stroked his own monster of a dick one last time to gather some slickness, and then ran three fingers preemptively along Gavius's crack. His hole stretched with ease, and with his other hand Salem squeezed his hip to make sure he was still holding strong and showing this to Victor. Slowly, he guided the head of his dick to just touch him, just making himself present between his cheeks. He held there for just a moment, and then instead of pushing up, he slowly pulled Gavius down. He could do it faster, he knew Gavius liked it rough, but he wanted to give a show to Victor.

Gavius felt the head slip inside and whined, knowing that in Salem's case, the head was not the worst. He followed Salem's lead, moving as slowly as prompted, and the lower he descended the more desperately he moaned. The stretch was unbearable, but the fuller he felt the more it was worth it. Every ridge and bump surprised him, made him gasp and shake and nearly lose his footing, and his trapped dick twitched madly with every little shift. Finally, just when he thought he couldn't take anymore, the stretch gave way, and he was fully seated. He panted open-mouthed, and was pretty sure he was drooling. Sitting like this, filled to the brim, legs wide open for Victor's view... he felt oddly self-conscious.

Salem let out a low groan of satisfaction, and gave a little tentative thrust. Feeling the thick of his dick move inside against all of him, Gavius let out a cry, looking at Victor pleadingly.

Victor hadn't taken his eyes off Gavius at any moment, from before Salem had indirectly invited him to watch. He leaned to one side, resting one hand on the table as he followed the stretching process with thirst glistening in his eyes.

The way Gavius trembled, how the muscles on his thighs tightened and quivered with each little inch of Salem's cock disappearing into his hole. Victor had certainly never seen anything like this, but he had to get Gavius a toy just like this one... Maybe a Bad Dragon?

His mind wandered, but oddly Victor's attention never left Gavius. When his partner was fully seated on top of Salem, and he cried out at how the Tzimisce had moved his hips, Victor felt an honest to God rush of blood to his crotch. About two years ago he would've been mortified to feel this in front of anyone, but right now, all it did was encourage him.

The ghoul moved away from the table and closer to Gavius, a smile still on his lips. With care, almost tenderly, Victor reached out to graze Gavius' dick over his broken underwear. He felt the heat and dampness of the cloth, and it gave him immense pleasure just seeing his partner like this.

The tip of Victor's fingers caressed from the base of Gavius' dick to his very tip, lingering over that sensitive area for a couple seconds before pulling back.

"I don't know," Victor smiled, playful. "I don't think you're quite ready yet. Maybe a couple minutes with Salem will help."

Gavius let out a shaky whimper, his body shivering with Victor's touch. His chest rose and sank harshly with his labored breathing, each breath getting him millimeters closer to Victor, and then miles away. His head fell back as the feather-light touches teased his neglected dick, and he let out a moan with every breath, even though Salem wasn't moving. But then the contact with Victor was lost, and what he said made him snap his head back up. "V-Victor, please—! Ah—!"

As if on cue, Salem gave another thrust that cut him off. He felt Salem's hands snake onto his hips, down the junctions of his legs, and they pulled him down with an iron grasp. Gavius couldn't hold back his moaning if he tried, and with every slow, merciless thrust his head lolled to the side. He could feel Salem's girth pushing his insides to their limits, pretty sure he could even feel it through his skin with his own dick.

Salem, on the other hand, was enjoying himself. He couldn't see Victor from this angle, but he could tell he was having fun in his own way. "Mighty kind, boss," he grunted between thrusts, making a point of moving as slow, deep, and hard as possible.

What a delight to see Gavius buckling into Victor's touch like that, begging for more with such sweet moans. Victor widened his smile, pleased when Salem grabbed Gavius and started thrusting in; was it just him or did Salem's size seem to change with the movement? Well, he was a Tzimisce. Gavius had said they held domain over their flesh. If Victor could do something like that, he would've.

While Gavius was behind ragdolled by Salem, Victor took the chance to pull his t-shirt off and leave it folded next to his other shirt. He didn't feel that self conscious of his body anymore, although if he'd stopped to consider it he would've thought there was a lot to change.

Right at that moment, though, all that mattered was that this was a body he could hold against Gavius. He leaned forward until his chest touched his lover's, wrapped his arms around his neck and swayed with him as Salem marked their pace.

"Don't tell me you already want to cum," Victor murmured against Gavius' ear, his tone heavy with want. "When I specifically ordered you to hold until I ride you."

One of Victor's hand slithered over to Gavius' dick, grabbing onto it and giving it a few loving pumps. The ghoul chuckled to himself, without letting go. "Now you're really hard. Do you want me to ride you already?"

Gavius felt an inexplicable relief when he felt Victor's skin against his own, it was heaven when he wrapped his arms around his neck and shoulders, but to be unable to embrace him back was agonizing. He whined in both pleasure and yearning, bliss and greed. "Vic-.. torrr..." he moaned, Salem's movements accenting his every syllable.

And then he jolted when Victor held his dick, so much that he unconsciously clenched around Salem and felt him even more, and he cried out. "Ahh, please—! Please, Victor..!" he whined, a contrast to Salem's deep breathy grunts.

Begging was exactly what Victor was hoping to achieve. He took a deep breath, feeling himself shiver and relax at the same time as he took Gavius in. The drool falling down his chin in a silver line accented his features perfectly, and how his flushed skin shone under the low lights. A work of art, and it was all his, no matter how many more people had their hands (or dicks) on him. It was clear Gavius only had eyes for Victor. Why, he hadn't even mentioned Salem- as if the Tzimisce was just an extension of Gavius' master.

"Very well," Victor replied in a purr, and took a couple steps back to sit down and take his jeans and socks off. He didn't try to do it in a sexy way; he took his time, instead, because he knew what he was wearing underneath and he felt slightly self conscious about it.

Victor had always liked lingerie. Lace, frills, flowers in see-through fabric had called his attention ever since he was a teen made to go shopping with his mother for clothes. He'd never dared to wear something like that, until Gavius- and even then, he'd only gotten as far as to purchase the lingerie. His partner had never seen him wearing it, so it no doubt would be a shock when Gavius noticed the first glimpses of lace appear.

A lovely set of briefs, made entirely of white lace that shone lilac under the lights of the club. Tall stockings were held in place by garters sporting fake pearls, and a floral theme in the sheer fabric. The outfit was only from the waist down, as Victor didn't feel comfortable enough wearing anything that could accentuate his stomach and chest, but this was quite a big step for him. And he felt confident that his lover would like the sight.

Victor let out a quiet sigh, both content and shaking off the nerves, and walked up to Gavius with just a bit of sheepishness showing in his step. He gingerly passed one leg over his partner so that he could straddle him, taking care of not hurting Salem but not worried about being too heavy. For a vampire, he weighed no more than a bag of apples.

The ghoul leaned back into Gavius, smiling as his crotch pushed against his partner's erection- the sheer fabric on his briefs was already quite damp. "What do you think?"

Salem could briefly peek past Gavius's shoulder and considered it best to slow down and stop, if only to edge him some more, but also to give him a moment to enjoy Victor. He felt nothing short of wonder for the man so meek, yet so dominant, so perfectly tuned to Gavius's wild desires.

Gavius, on the other hand, saw Victor and his jaw dropped open. Drool dripped down his chin, and he tried to lean forward if only just with his head, only to be stopped short by Victor straddling him. "Victor... You're so... beautiful...!" he whimpered, able to catch his breath now that Salem gave him a chance. He still felt obscenely full, and now completely blessed by Victor's supple thighs around his own. Having his hands tied had never been so painful. "Hnn... Victor, I want... touch... you... Ah—!"

Salem's hands had snaked from his hips to his lower belly, a hair's breadth short of his shaft, and his fingers had pressed down on a spot where he could feel his own dick through Gavius’s flesh. "Shh," Salem cooed, his forehead leaning on Gavius's back. "You should enjoy what your master gives you, no more and no less," he said, with a low singsong tone that gave away that he was just messing with him. There was some truth to his words, but he really just wanted to toy with Gavius.

Yes, Victor hadn't had a doubt that Gavius would enjoy seeing him with lingerie. After all, Gavius had been the first person in years to call him beautiful - and he seemed to love Victor in any clothing, or lack thereof. But he still felt a small rush of happiness when he saw Gavius trying to reach for him, his eyes a mix of love and desire. It really had Victor feeling like the hottest man in the world, if only for this while.

He smiled as Gavius begged to touch him, and even more when Salem gave his partner a reminder of his presence. The host had only kind words for Victor, and the ghoul was very aware Salem was hyping him up and helping him gain confidence as a dom that he lacked in everyday life. Salem was actually such a nice man, sexual aspect aside.

In response to Salem's teasing, Victor leaned back and grinded himself once against Gavius before standing up once more.

"He's right, but... If you cum when I tell you to, you are allowed to touch me for the second round," Victor conceded, now taking a seat in front of Gavius and reaching for his bag- to produce a latex plug that they both knew well, and lube. Yes, Victor had been imagining what would go down in that club ever since Gavius had explained what the club was to him. It never hurt to be prepared.

Victor breathed in, aching to begin. He leaned his back against the couch, lifting one leg over the cushions and turning sideways so he could better reach himself. Plug still set aside, Victor then smeared some lube over his index and middle fingers so he could begin stretching himself.

He knew Gavius was watching, and it turned him on even more. Victor lowered his eyelids, lips parted as he massaged the muscle around his entrance. Sometimes he would accidentally graze around his crotch, and the contact made him let out small, gasping moans. He'd been waiting for this so patiently it hurt from how pleasurable it was.

"I'll be ready for you— in a minute, love..." he promised, lowly, as his fingers pushed and stretched around his entrance causing his voice to break and shiver.

Gavius all but sobbed when Victor pressed himself against him, so ecstatic feeling his touch but so agonizingly unable to touch him like he wanted to, and he made a heartbroken whimper when Victor separated from him. His brain didn't even process the promise of a second round if he behaved, he was too busy mourning the loss of Victor's touch.

Victor's new position, though, had Gavius lunging forward in animalistic desire. Still connected to Salem, he raised himself up and his torso fell forward, but before he could lose his balance Salem grabbed him from his bound arms— and used that as leverage to resume his thrusting. Gavius's head fell forward, mouth wide open and spilling sounds of pleasure every second. The only thing keeping his head from falling was his eyes locked onto Victor, overwhelmed with love and lust and everything in between and beyond.

Nothing could've made Victor more aroused than Gavius' unhinged reactions to the sight of him. It only gave him the drive to continue, scissoring with his fingers to stretch his entrance in a slow, deep motion that had him panting.

He felt like he was ready to begin truly stretching; his middle finger pushed in, and Victor's moans grew louder. His body trembled with pleasure already, though he'd done so little, and he allowed his head to fall to one side as he pushed a second finger in.

Victor's fingers, on his free hand, curled up as well as his toes when he pushed deeper into himself. He loved that initial rush, it made all his waiting seem worth it.

Gavius couldn't tear his eyes from Victor even if he wanted to, and began panting not just with pleasure but with want. Salem used his hands as an anchor and pushed and pulled him back onto his dick, filling him completely, rocking him a little closer and then a little further from Victor over and over again.

Salem, now able to see Victor better, smiled easily. He was a wonderful sight even to a stranger like himself, he couldn't imagine how much Gavius was enjoying it. "Look how generous your master is. Be good for him, won't you, boy?" he crooned, his free hand pulling on Gavius's ass, just a hint of his fingertip grazing his hole, where his dick sunk into.

Gavius whined loudly, precum dripping between his thighs to the ground. "Vic...torrrrrr..." he moaned, more drool dripping from his lips. "So... good... Y're so... hot... hah..."

In the middle of pleasure, Victor could tell that both of his companions were looking at him; although with Gavius it was more of a compulsion, as if he couldn't tear away, and Victor enjoyed the thought immensely. When he separated his fingers, stretching his entrance, his eyes lowered and a drawn moan escaped him. He didn't quite feel full, but there were the beginnings. His flesh was so ready for the next step that he didn't fear any pain.

With his free hand, Victor reached for the plug. Dexterously, he used that one hand to lube the latex toy and spread the substance more or less evenly over it. Secretly, he'd done this before he'd started dating Gavius. Long nights of reading steamy comics, pleasing himself with any of the multiple toys he owned and moaning discreetly into a pillow... He missed it sometimes, but it wasn't terrible to have left it behind.

"Ahh... Almost..." he promised, panting his words. He felt his skin hot all over, his muscles tense from the position and sensations, and all that shot up when he finally pulled his fingers out and started with the plug.

Victor closed his eyes, his voice taking on an almost pleading pitch. Now he really felt it- the slow stretch to his entrance and the insides of him, filling up with the length and girth of the plug. Pain on the side, but the sort of pain one can tolerate and even crave; it would give way to a sensation of bliss that almost had Victor fall back on the couch. He didn't allow himself to go slack, though, and his hand kept pushing and moving the plug even after it was completely in. Victor had pushed his underwear aside for this, without taking it off, and he was invaded with the thought of Salem walking around the club with a plug up him... If he simply put his underwear back on correctly, could he do the same?

It was a tempting thought, going out one day wearing one of these- a bullet vibrator attached to his dick, too. Why, he hadn't touched his dick at all. He was leaving it for Gavius later, in an impressive display of self control. And all the thoughts if what he could do, what was to come, were what made Victor finally let go of the plug and stop fucking himself. He didn't want to cum too early.

The ghoul took a moment to regain his breath, a smile on his lips as he knew Gavius had seen everything.

"Now I'm ready," he announced, softly, and began the process of pulling the plug out. It was easy, though it did make him gasp, and thankfully it came out clean (because Victor had prepared thoroughly beforehand). The ghoul left the toy up on the table, resting on its flat outside end so it wouldn't touch the enamel surface, and stood up. His legs already felt weaker than before, but it didn't stop him from walking up to Gavius and straddling him once more after pushing him back against Salem. He pushed himself against Gavius' erection, rubbing it against his own as moans trickled from his lips, but an idea had him stop dead in his tracks and stare at his partner with a smile.

"Tell me how much you want it," he demanded, blissed out already. "Clearly. One long, full sentence, my love."

The hand with which Victor pushed him back onto Salem seemed to burn into his skin, and Gavius gasped not in pain but in want. His mouth was open wide with his moans and gasps, his tongue lolled out occasionally, and he stared at Victor with abandon. The sounds he made when Victor straddled him again were nothing short of adoring, albeit desperate, and he positively cried out with the friction on his still-trapped dick. "V- Vic- torr..." he whined at the impossible demand.

Salem, on his part, was nearing the edge with how much Gavius was clenching on him. Due to the nature of his anatomy, he was particularly sensitive, for better or for worse. But that didn't mean he'd stop. He held onto Gavius's neck, where it joined with his shoulder, not squeezing but just enough to be a sweet threat. "Listen to your master, boy," he crooned, and slowed to a halt.

Gavius gasped and caught his breath. "Victor... I... I want—!" He cut himself off with an unbecoming squeak, since Salem shifted his angle and gave a long, slow push. It wasn't sudden by any means, but it rubbed against all his spots. "Victorrrr... I want— Hnnn...!"

"Come on, boy, you can do it," Salem said, with a cheeky little act of innocence. He wasn't being sudden or harsh at all, he was just taking his sweet time, going deep but slow, so that the movement —the torment— never stopped.

Gavius cried out, both in pleasure and frustration. "Pl...ease!! Victor, ple...eeease... I... I want you.... so bad...!" A little broken, but a full sentence.

Had Victor wanted to be more strict about his commands, he would've told Gavius to try again. But he saw this was the best he was going to get, and to be frank, with the way Salem was fucking Gavius it was rather impressive the toreador had managed a string of coherent words. And Victor didn't think he himself could hold back any longer.

His smile grew approving, and in response Victor reached for Gavius' dick and released it from the underwear by passing it through the hole in the fabric. He had to rip it open a bit more for it, but it was worth it just to have the sight of his partner's length in front of him. Victor felt his mouth water, but he held back. A blowjob would've made Gavius cum for sure. Instead, the ghoul lifted himself just slightly to get positioned over Gavius' dick.

With one hand, Victor moved his lacey briefs out of the way just enough. He wrapped his other arm around Gavius' neck, careful not to bother Salem too much, and began to lower himself. The head of Gavius' dick now pushed against him, and he moaned low near his partner's ear as he had him penetrate him. The stretch, the heat... Victor could've sworn Gavius' dick was made to his tastes specifically, it hit all the right spots as he descended onto it. With each inch Victor's body clenched, his moans grew sweeter as he hid his face on Gavius' shoulder. By the time he'd reached the base of his lover's length, Victor's legs felt shaky and his body had been invaded by the most wonderful heat. He rested there for a moment, before he pushed himself away enough to wrap both arms around Gavius' neck and grab him by the hair while staring into his eyes. Victor was panting, trying to regain composure, but he still managed a smile.

"Don't forget... You have to ask permission to cum."

Gavius yelped as his dick was released, and his panting grew louder and more desperate. "Oh Victor— Oh, Vic..torr...!" he whined, and was soon engulfed by him. The sheer pleasure made him clench around Salem, which in itself made him feel him even more.

Behind him, Salem let out a low groan as he climaxed, shooting his load inside Gavius as his legs trembled. He panted and caught his breath for a moment —"God, so tight," he huffed in a low whisper against Gavius's back— and grit his teeth. He wasn't done. He grasped Gavius's hips, bit his lip, and continued his slow movements, the motion on his spent dick making him hiss but never stop.

Gavius whined, the slow rocking motion in turn making him move ever so slightly inside Victor. "Hnn... Yes, Victor... but please... Move...!" he practically sobbed, the shock of having his hair pulled just pushing him even further (and yet, his head leaned into Victor's hand).

Victor allowed small moans to escape him whenever he felt Gavius move just the slightest bit, and yet he still smiled with bliss when he heard Gavius beg and cry out like that. His dear one had been reduced to a trembling mess in his hands, consenting and looking forward to it even. It filled Victor with glee to know he was making Gavius this happy. He'd come a long way next to the Toreador.

Holding onto Gavius' hair for stability, and to pull on it of course, Victor began to move. At first he simply rotated his hips, short moans trickling off him as he tightened himself around Gavius. He loved feeling his partner pulsate inside of him, and the circular movement of his hips would also massage Gavius' testicles, so he kept at it for a while. And once he felt that his entrance was used to Gavius already, Victor decided to dial it up.

He let go of Gavius' hair and wrapped his arms tight around the man, resting his chin on Gavius' shoulder before he slowly slid out of him. Eyes closed, Victor whimpered and panted in pleasure as he started moving up and down Gavius. The better it felt, the more Victor's arms tightened. Soon he laid his head on one side, moaning with abandon as he picked up the pace. Each time he reached the base of Gavius' dick, a wave of pleasure crashed through him.

The first movements had Gavius reduced to a whimpering mess, and Salem made a point to rock them both at the same slow, undulating pace. Salem felt every single one of his nerves frayed and hypersensitive, released primal grunts through a gritted smile. And he was sure Gavius was no better, as he sneaked his hands forward to squeeze his chest.

Gavius moaned long and low, his mind slipping under his love's and Salem's ministrations, his more primal instincts awakening. Victor's body warmth became an all-encompassing heat that caught his entire body, and he felt himself approaching the ascent to climax already. His arms ached with the need to embrace Victor, and once Victor started moving up and down, the bloodlust that inevitably came with his pleasure began making his fangs twitch.

"Hahh.... Victor... god, so good...!" he gasped, head leaning forward. He couldn't kiss Victor from this angle, though with every engulfing motion of his body his head rocked forward against the pull of his hair, mouth open and searching be it for blood or for the simple ecstasy of a kiss.

The way Gavius was leaning against him told Victor that he was close to bliss, and though Victor's own mind was clouded by pleasure and sensory information, he knew this meant Gavius was prime for feeding. Angelo had said once every three days, but what could happen if they went off schedule? Would Gavius gain weight or something? No, it would be fine.

With that, Victor picked up the pace with a gasp that transitioned to a louder moan. His voice broke every now and then, tone shifting upwards and fingers curling against Gavius' skin as if looking for something to hold. He didn't keep it up for long, though. Soon, he would climax himself.

Before it happened though, dangerously close to it, Victor moved away from Gavius and presented his neck at him. He was flushed all over, his expression twisted into a drunken grin of pleasure.

"You can bite," he authorized, amidst gasps. "And you can cum."

It was Victor’s expression, what did it for Gavius. He lurched forward and bit his neck —though let it be said that his lips landed first in a brief, yet tender kiss, before his teeth touched the skin and his fangs sank in— and his pupils blew wide. A guttural, loud moan surged from deep in his chest as his whole body seized up in orgasm, muffling a scream of pleasure in Victor’s neck as the only part of him that moved was his mouth sucking in gulps of blood, and he came hard inside Victor without even moving on his own.

Salem felt him clench and rapidly approached his second climax, mouth open in a feral growl of pleasure. He shot another generous load inside Gavius, and as he did so heard the shirt binding his hands beginning to tear. He was about to grab him, considering Victor was but a mortal even if he was a ghoul, but he saw Gavius’s fists clench so much that his nails drew small beads of blood in his palms, and the ripping sound stopped. Well-trained indeed.

Salem slipped a hand up to Gavius’s forehead with the intention of safety, but Gavius let go on his own. He groaned loud and vulgar as his head was pulled back, a trickle of blood running down his chin, and tongue sticking out as if trying to lap up the scent of blood in the air. He looked at Victor with half-lidded eyes, exhausted, sated, but still yearning for his touch. “Victor… please, can I… hold you now…?” he panted, and past his character slipped a smile. He was smitten.

At this point in their relationship, Victor loved being bitten. The lightheadedness that came with it, the bliss of it being in the middle of sex, meant that sometimes they didn't quite obey Angelo's instructions and would feed a bit more often than required. When it was out of schedule it would be way less, more like a little taste, but the sensation was always heavenly.

This time, it was so much better. Gavius' twitching, his desperation to cum, and the pace with which Salem was rocking the both of them... It quickly proved too much for Victor, who'd been aroused beyond belief all the while, when Gavius pushed himself deeper inside, spilling his load, Victor let himself go and came at roughly the same time while hugging Gavius' face against his shoulder; a higher pitched, drawn moan escaped him as well. He hadn't touched his own dick, didn't need to; seeing Gavius' state was all the stimulation he needed.

When his lover pulled back, Victor didn't move away from him. He allowed Gavius' head to separate from his shoulder but still held him close, a lazy smile coming to him now that he was riding down the orgasm. He was ready for another, though.

"Since you've been so good," he conceded in a murmur, stealing a kiss from Gavius' lips. "I haven't touched myself at all, waiting for you..."

Gavius made a noise of desperation and delight, and there was the sound of silk tearing at the seams as he freed his arms and desperately, finally embraced Victor. He grasped wherever he could reach, up his sides, down his back, along his thighs, his chest, and pushed himself and Victor up and off Salem.

Salem hissed and groaned, louder than he had during this whole tryst, but still not as loud as Gavius's moan of both relief and devotion. Salem stayed on the couch and tucked himself back into his pants — though not quite putting his junk away, as he wasn't done for the night and he enjoyed the tightness in his pants during a break — and watched as Gavius pulled out of Victor and sat him on the table, kissing him passionately.

Once he saw Gavius move to kissing down his shoulders and chest, Salem pushed himself to his feet and grabbed Gavius by the hair, pulling his head back. Gavius moaned in surprise, a lovely sound that was soon cut off with Salem's own mouth. He licked with abandon inside Gavius's mouth, and could almost smile with satisfaction when Gavius yelped as if desperately holding back his gag reflex. He pulled with his teeth at Gavius's lip, softly, as he parted. "Bye, slut," he said, affectionately.

Salem turned to Victor and placed a gentle hand on his jaw, and approached him way less aggressively than with Gavius. He kissed him with passion, not quite as if to devour him like with his partner, but shielded his teeth expertly and used his long tongue to lap and reach just far enough to show Victor what he could do, what they could plan for some other time. He didn't bite, but deliberately dragged his teeth on Victor's bottom lip as he pulled back, and smiled. "See you around, hot stuff," he crooned, partly to mess with Gavius, and put his mask back on and went off to do another round.

Now that he'd given Gavius leave to touch, Victor knew he was going to get devoured- and he enjoyed it thoroughly, his moans returning to him as he was grabbed and kissed everywhere his lover could reach. He let out a higher pitched yelp when Gavius pulled out, but it was all from pleasure rather than pain anymore. Now he felt a cold, hard surface against him, and he assumed he'd been made to sit on the table. It was hard to see from how Gavius was kissing him, demanding all of his attention.

He assumed it would continue from there, but then Gavius pulled back from the kiss and Victor could see the outline of Salem giving him a delightful rough kiss. His eyes widened in frank surprise and arousal, and before he could react, Salem was holding him for another kiss. This one was softer than what he'd seen in Gavius, and Salem's tongue was so long. He felt like he could drown and he moaned softly, with abandon and half lidded eyes, into Salem's mouth. And those teeth... Victor almost wished he could ask Salem to bite further, but it was Gavius' turn.

As the host left, after an enchanting farewell, Victor followed him with his eyes for a few seconds before turning back towards Gavius. His sultry smile had faded into a sheepish, happier one.

"He really is something," Victor commented, dreamily.

Gavius no longer felt that jealousy, but he did feel a little bit of a challenge. He kissed Victor on the lips once again, and dove down to kiss the rest of his body. He might not be able to unhinge his jaw for the sake of a blowjob, he might not be able to cum from giving a blowjob, but he could still show Victor one hell of a good time.

Salem wasn't done for the night. He thought about joining Judesca and his maybe-hallucination in their private booth, but as he approached the frosted glass, he felt not just his friend's arousal, but.... an inexplicable vulnerability, and not of the thrilling kind. And Salem knew that it was his friend's mental state spilling out of its confines for everyone nearby to feel because he was too intoxicated to bother to control it, but Salem couldn't help but feel like he needed a drink, and a hard(er) fuck. Probably both at the same time. He felt oddly bad for Judesca, but if anything, this was Salem's club— he'll be here if Judesca needs anything, during or afterwards.

Andrew didn't even see his silhouette grow dimmer as he left; he was too busy trying not to choke on this alluring stranger's dick, but progressively taking him in further. He wasn't young anymore, but he knew he could warm up his gag reflex into not reacting, and he was getting closer to that.

He lowered himself on all fours on the ground, while the stranger was sat on the edge of the bed, and raised his head so that his throat was parallel to the ground. He braced himself and stuck his tongue out around the stranger's dick, finding that it helped him avoid gagging, and took him fully into his mouth and rocked himself slowly. Drool dripped from the corners of his mouth, his breathing was soft and shallow, and the fullness of it was so gratifying that he moaned long and low from around the stranger. He tried looking up, but even if he could've caught his eyes from this position, the mask was in the middle. Not that it didn't add its own kind of thrill, but Andrew hoped he could at least push it up a little soon. He was a fan of having his mouth busy while he rode someone.

Salem was right; Judesca was too drunk to keep his real feelings from spilling into the inevitable psychic aura that dripped off him. But how could he have, anyway? He hadn't been expecting Andros to turn up that night, although with what had happened with Hassan, it wasn't that much of a surprise. Maybe he would be seeing more of his lost love in the coming years. Maybe he was getting tired of living.

But at that moment, all that mattered was the vivid hallucination of Andros' lips tight around Judesca's dick. Had it been anyone else giving him a blowjob, the Malkavian would've thrown his head back to enjoy the moment. This time, though, he'd opted to fix his eyes on Andros and follow his gestures and movements. Drowned moans escaped from behind his wooden mask, and Judesca didn't bother to measure them at all. He was alone in that booth, so it didn't truly matter, did it.

Judesca held himself upright, leaning against the bed with one hand while the other hand had been lifted to his head and was currently moving his hair out of the way. But soon his free hand found his way to Andros. He buried his fingers into Andros' short hair, tracing the scalp and grabbing at it softly as the hallucination rocked back and forth.

Judesca's breathing grew deeper, more relaxed with every minute past. He tried not to blink too much, though. If he closed his eyes, he ran the risk of Andros disappearing; and he needed his love that night. Instead, as he moaned and sighed under Andros' attentions, Judesca allowed his hand to slip down from his love's hair and to his cheek. Tenderly, eyes glued on the shape of the one he'd lost, Judesca cupped Andros' face with his free hand and caressed his cheek.

The shock of tender touch nearly made Andrew lose his concentration and choke, but the gentle strokes at his hair were so pleasant on his scalp that it sent a jolt of arousal right down his body. He was moaning before he even realized, his knees aching from how hard he rocked himself — when had he become such a hopeless romantic? Whenever that may be, the stranger's touch encouraged him, and he even slipped an arm under his leg to hold his thigh. But resting his hand didn't seem like enough, and soon he was starting to pull himself closer, harder. He wanted more than a blowjob from this strange night, and this fancy private booth.

Slowly, he let his dick drag out of his mouth, keeping his tongue flat against the underside until he was fully out. He remained on his knees, panting open-mouthed, lips red and puffy, and enjoyed the stranger's touch for a moment. Then he looked up with arousal burning deep in his look. And as if speaking of something as casual as the weather, he said, "I'd like to ride you, if you don't mind."

He placed a hand on the stranger's to keep it from leaving his scalp and stood up. He pushed his handsome stranger to lay a little further back, just enough that he could straddle him, knees on either side of his legs, and part of him hoped he'd get both of this stranger's hands on him.

As if on cue, Judesca felt Andros grow more passionate with the blowjob. There was the feeling of the man's tongue against his length, his teeth grazing him every now and then as well, and how he was looking up at Judesca from where he knelt... Judesca was so sure he had done this before, he had seen this moment unfold way back when they were both truly together. It felt like a repressed memory he'd only been able to unlock now that he was irreparably drunk.

The vampire's moaning dragged out, between sighs of delight and eventual groans when it became too pleasurable. But Judesca didn't come, even though he could've allowed himself to. He'd become good at keeping himself from finishing too early, especially when he was having a ‘session’ with Andros. So when his lover pulled away from him, Judesca simply breathed in deeply and took in the beautiful sight his mind was presenting to him.

That casual way Andros had to talk about sex, it was nice to see the hallucination hadn't lost it. Judesca enjoyed every aspect of it. His voice, going towards gruff at spots; his eyes and lips, shiny with pleasure. How Judesca wished he could've seen them more, but this would have to do.

He didn't wish to part from touching Andros, and he didn't, as his mind humored him by having Andros hold his hand. Judesca followed him with his eyes as he rose, transfixed, and happily gave him space to climb onto the bed with him. There was weight and heat to this hallucination that was far more accurate than ever before... Judesca had to truly be drunk for it to be this exact. He would risk drinking more if it meant he would have more time with Andros, then. He no longer cared about the outside world, now that his only immediate obligation was happily married to his long lost love. A century of abandoning himself to alcohol wouldn't hurt.

Judesca looked up at Andros, outlined purple and magenta by the lights around them. Slowly, without taking his eyes off his love, the vampire brought his other hand up and surrounded Andros' neck with both arms. He pulled himself up, closer to the other man; their chests met, Judesca making sure he would touch as much skin as possible with Andros. He wanted to remember this one for years to come, or at least for as long as it would take him to give up.

Judesca would've kissed Andros now, but instead, he moved his head to one side and rested his chin on Andros' shoulder. Closing his eyes, he could almost forget he was actually alone in the room. His hands opened, caressing Andros' back for a moment.

"I'll do anything you'd like," he then murmured back, his voice muffled by the mask he didn't dare take off. "Just stay close to me."

Andrew felt the embrace with surprise. He’d gotten the impression that the stranger wanted something fun, but ultimately impersonal. And wasn’t that what Andrew wanted too? Yes, but why was he feeling oddly moved?

Andrew slowed down for a moment, and found it easy to relax into the hug. He felt… like he should pity this man. Anyone would, right? Getting emotional and clingy during a one-night-stand with a stranger wasn’t the most dashing thing to do. But it wasn’t pity that made him pull back ever so slightly, only enough to be able to face him.

The mask was between them, but something took over him. Andrew cupped his jaw and gently pushed the mask upwards with his thumbs. “Just a little,” he whispered, to put him at ease. He stopped once he could see his lips, and then dove in.

It only occurred to him way later that the stranger might not want to taste his own dick from Andrew’s mouth, but right now, he just wanted to kiss him. He pressed his chest and hips flush against him and gave him a deep, slow kiss. His pants were tight and he knew he should already be prepping himself, but somehow, he needed this.

Judesca's initial reaction to feeling his mask lifting was fear, and he would've pulled away had he not been reassured that Andros wouldn't take his mask off. Somehow, Judesca didn't think he could bear being seen by his love right then- not even if it was just a hallucination, and this was probably simply himself moving his mask without realizing it. He wondered what had triggered such a fear of his appearance, but he only wondered for a brief second; soon, he felt Andros' warm lips against his own. It drowned out all the noise, calmed his anxious heart. He exhaled softly and leaned into it, allowing his hands to relax and slip down Andros' back.

Andros had a heartbeat, and Judesca was sure it wasn't his own because his heart had stopped beating centuries ago. In a way, it was both kind and cruel of his mind to conjure such a hallucination when Hassan's wedding had just recently happened. Wasn't this just rubbing salt in the wound, reminding Judesca of what he never had?

Judesca gently reached for Andros' hips, kneading the flesh without hurting him. He allowed his eyes to close, savoring the kiss and parting his mouth more to invite Andros in. Pressing Andros downwards against his lap, Judesca parted from his lover and moved his face just slightly to passionately kiss at his neck and shoulders.

Andrew felt something strange, in that kiss. Not bad, not by far, but it was entirely unexpected. He’d never been in love before, he didn’t think so— didn’t think he was capable of it, or at least didn’t see what the fuss was all about. He’d felt trust, and he’d felt comfort, and he’d felt arousal and amusement and friendship in the same person too. But now he realized that if there was something missing from his previous relationships, he felt it now. It couldn’t be love, but it was something that hadn’t been there before.

But Andrew was too horny and a little tipsy to ponder his life right now, and the way the stranger manhandled him was bringing him back to the present in the most arousing way. He let out a pleased sigh with the stranger’s renewed vigor, and ground his hips against him. He’d been straining against his pants for a while now, and parted for the briefest of moments to kick off his pants, and all but jumped back onto the stranger’s lap (he would’ve actually jumped if his knees were what they used to be).

He held onto the stranger around the shoulders and neck with one arm, but slipped the other behind himself and into his underwear to begin prepping himself, tugging at his rim as if to stir himself awake.

Now that Andros was back to a more usual course of action, at least for his hallucinations, Judesca felt like he could go through the motions without risking a breakdown. No one in that club, including himself, would want the consequences of that. It was much better if he just had a night of pleasure, fell asleep and forgot all about it in the morning. That was how it had to be. There was nothing in indulging for him.

Judesca groaned quietly as Andros grinded against him, helped him with his pants and then lost his breath watching him get close and feeling how Andros was reaching downwards to between his legs. Preparing himself, hm? Judesca was no stranger to that.

The vampire didn't pull away from Andros, but his arms were long enough that he could reach around his waist and into his underwear. It was difficult, but at least he could help kneading Andros' ass and pulling at the flesh to help him stretch.

As he did so, a hidden, drunken smile came to his lips.

Andrew let out a low chuckle that melted into a groan. He let go of himself for a moment and felt around the nightstand until he found what he needed: several sachets of lube, with the New Moon branding on them. He tore one open with his teeth and very ungracefully squeezed out the contents into his hand, then brought it back to his ass and started working himself open for real. Just pulling and prodding for now, and he started off with one finger. The smile on the stranger’s lips was contagious. “Feel free to— join in,” he said, with a little bit of a grunt of effort.

Lube was such a wonderful invention of humanity. Judesca didn't mind helping Andros prepare himself, and he was too drunk to worry about what was really going on around him. He just needed this.

With a bit of shuffling, he reached not to Andros' entrance but very damn near around the muscle. All he did was push and stretch with his fingers, while his mouth now exposed to the air sought to kiss whichever skin it could find. Around Andros' chest and almost to his shoulders, Judesca left a trail of kisses underlining his devotion with a hickey every here and there. He breathed in the scent, too; sweat, perfume, lust. Just like he remembered.

"You look as gorgeous as you always have", he murmured against Andros' skin. "Now I want to hear how you sound."

Andrew felt a thrill of arousal run right up his back from where the stranger’s fingers touched him, titillated him, and a groan left his lips. "God— you're so good with your hands," he gasped. Even though the stranger hadn't really done much with his hands, truth be told, there was something to be said about his pacing, and his confidence in his movements. And if anything, Andrew appreciated someone who could read his body language, know when to yield and when to take command.

He didn't process much of what the stranger said, just something about hearing him, and he chuckled. "Make me, then," he said, pulling his fingers back. "Don't make me come yet, but— let's see what those fingers can do."

Good with his hands? Judesca knew how Andros liked to be touched. He'd committed it to memory, relived those moments through his hallucinations time after time. How would he not be good with his hands? They'd been through so many bodies, but always thinking of only one.

Judesca reached even further between Andros' legs, closing his eyes fully now. His fingers positioned themselves over his lover's entrance. They didn't push in quite yet. He massaged the muscle around, working at the same pace as Andros, spreading the lube as well as he could. He truly didn't need to see to do this, and it was better if he didn't. When he closed his eyes he could pretend he was somewhere, somewhen else.

When he felt like Andros was sufficiently accepting, he pushed in slowly. His fingers, longer and more slender than his lover's, would go in easier. He took his time, though; moved inside slowly, alternating with kissing Andros' chest and reaching for his nipples with his lips. He parted his mouth, teased with his sharp teeth, but then the act of biting and pulling on those nipples was careful and tender. How he had missed this.

Andrew's breathing picked up soon. As he thought, the stranger had perfect pacing, and he loved the way he toyed with his rim instead of diving in right away. His fingers were thinner too, and felt like the perfect size to accommodate as he worked him open.

He let out a surprised yelp, though, when he felt his mouth on his nipples. His shirt had been open, almost as an invitation, yes, but not many paid much attention to that area. Not bulky enough for some people's likings, too hairy for some others, and the rest were just not interested. Andrew was beginning to forget that he had a thing for having his chest groped and toyed with, when the stranger got to work. Had he been any less than supremely horny, he would've maybe been suspicious at how well the stranger seemed to know his preferences, but he was really just feeling like he won the lottery.

"Fuck-! God, that's...!" He trailed off with a groan, and his arms came to the stranger, one draped over his back and the other pulling his head closer. His whole body reacted to this stranger's technique, and he even felt himself get accustomed to his fingers faster than was usual for him.

Of course Andros was going to react well to having his chest groped. It always worked. It would work now that Andros was pulling him closer to his chest, practically begging. Judesca knew to twirl his tongue over each nipple, going from just biting and pulling to sucking on them. Each time he went at it harder, accentuating it with his teeth.

While this happened, he began to stretch Andros with two fingers. It was easier than he'd expected, even; the other was already so relaxed, scissoring his fingers inside of him didn't pose as much resistance as it could've. He took his time, even teased a third finger in, but when it seemed like he was about to enter he started pulling himself out.

With a grin, the vampire fixed his mask over his face and looked up at Andros. "I think we can start now."

Andrew's breathing got progressively louder, both from the attention he was getting in his chest and from the stranger's stretching technique. God, how he loved a good fingering— the right technique was almost better than getting dicked. But he'd taken his sweet time sucking that long, slender cock to perfect hardness, he wouldn't miss out on his own hard work, if anything.

He hissed at the cold air hitting his hole once the fingers were removed, but it became a chuckle of barely-contained anticipation. "Yeah, let's—" He raised himself up to his knees, too horny to come up with something more eloquent to say, and pushed his briefs the rest of the way down so he could line himself up with the stranger. The way his tip nudged at him was so enticing it made his own dick twitch, untouched but rock-hard.

He lowered himself slowly, and their patience paid off, since the pressure of the head pushing past his rim was just enough to be exhilarating, not enough to hurt. He let out a low, breathy groan. "God, that's it..." he breathed, and kept himself at that height for a moment, letting himself adjust.

Just like Andros enjoyed it, so did Judesca slowly exhale in pleasure when he felt his tip against his lover's entrance. The vampire closed his eyes briefly, trailing his hands over Andros' thighs to hold his hips and help with positioning. And then he pushed in.

Because Andros had been so thoroughly prepared, or maybe because he was a hallucination, Judesca felt he was slipping in with ease. A softer, higher moan escaped him as he felt himself squeezed by Andros' insides. He dug his fingers into the human's flesh too, without intending to harm but having him firmly in place.

Judesca's thin torso moved up and down with how deep his breathing was now. His eyes were now half lidded, face turned to one side as he regained his composure, but when he looked back at Andros his gaze was brighter than before. It wasn't exactly happiness, though. It was awareness.

Judesca's embrace tightened around Andros' waist. "Come... Come here," he asked, his tone a bit shaky from the alcohol and pleasure. "While you ride me. Come here."

Andrew's moaning stuttered into a higher pitch with the man's grip on his waist, guiding him closer but also lower, deeper. Even if he hadn't asked, Andrew was already draping his arms around his shoulders, and the lower he sank the tighter he clutched onto his stranger— both ways.

When he was completely seated, Andrew had to pause for a moment and lean his face on the crook of the stranger's neck, panting. The fit was really amazing, not too girthy nor too slim, not too long nor short — for him, it felt like he was shaped to hit all the right spots, and it momentarily overwhelmed him.

It occurred to him for a second that every time he thought the stranger would do something intense or sexy, it turned out to be something so... vulnerable. There was something bare and raw in this man (no pun intended), something that would probably be a turnoff for a lot of people — hell, Andrew himself would usually be at least a little put off by someone getting emotional during a one-night stand. But something about this man, something about his melancholy made him want to ease away his worries with pleasure. Ride him to oblivion, really, if he was being less poetic.

Then the moment passed when his own body twitched involuntarily, and the movement made him clench around the stranger, and it sent a jolt of sensation through his belly. "Ah— god," he gasped. "God, fuck. You're—"

He held on tightly to him, probably drooling in the crook of his neck if he could spare a braincell to think about that, and began to move his hips, achingly slow. He had to get used to him, not because of pain but because of sheer pleasure.

There was no way for the human to know why Judesca was showing himself like that. In truth, the vampire would've never shown vulnerability in front of someone else. Usually his sex was wild and fast, varying from vanilla to the kinkiest things he could do without dying. But with Andros it was different. Yes, he was different.

Judesca held Andros firmly against himself, moaning into his own mask and resting his face over Andros' shoulder. He heard his lover gasping and struggling with forming his words, and it both delighted and saddened him. It was such a sweet sound, and he'd never appreciated it more than when he'd lost it. But this was no time to lose in mourning. He hadn't had a night like this with the hallucination of Andros in years, and he intended to keep the memory intact.

When Andros began to move, so did the vampire. Judesca, letting out gasps in tune with Andros, pushed his hips upwards a couple of times as his partner got used to the fullness. He himself felt completely embraced, waves of pleasure and jolts like electricity running up his guts and to his long dead limbs.

At some point, he shakily led one of his hand up to move the mask so he could kiss Andros' shoulders, and unable to control himself, he bared his teeth in an impulse to bite in. But he stopped shy of nicking the skin, opting by simply biting gently in several places. His tongue traced Andros' skin, getting to his neck, teasing his earlobe needily.

With the stranger meeting his movements, Andrew let out louder, rhythmic cries and rocked his hips in time. He knew himself not to be particularly sensitive, but the man's technique made him see stars with every thrust. "God- You're— Fuck-!"

He felt the man's lips on his neck, sucking and biting, and in his sex-clouded mind he could only process one thing; he'd moved his mask again. He leaned his head into his sinful tongue, and then turned to attempt to kiss him.

And he did, but with such fervor that his nose must've pushed his mask off. The features of this man took the limelight, and he paused in his kisses (but never in the movement of his hips) to take a look at him with half-lidded eyes. Slender, pale, perhaps bony, yet there was something so profound in his eyes, Andrew felt he could drown in them. Half-slurred, he gasped; "God, you're so beautiful," and held his face and kissed him more.

Of course Judesca felt immense pleasure from Andros' body; how he pulsated and tightened around his dick, how he gasped, held onto him and moved to his pace. But it was his cries that most ignited a fire in Judesca, encouraging him to move deeper, bite harder. When Andros reached for a kiss, he barely even hesitated and opened his mouth to welcome him with his tongue.

It was a couple of seconds until he registered his mask was off, but by the time he felt his veins run cold, Andros had already said those words. He'd looked at the vampire with such... Love? Connection? Judesca's eyes barely managed to widen before he was pulled into a passionate kiss. Then he started to react.

He felt panic, but it wasn't an explosion of fear. It built up gradually the more he thought about his face, how he looked now and how he'd looked back then. How this illusion of his lover had treated him as if no time had passed, as if it wasn't jarring to look at Judesca for too long.

The vampire had no heartbeat anymore, and it was safe to say that in that sense he had no heart. But he still felt something crack in his chest, when his mask slipped off. He breathed in deeply, held onto Andros tighter and kissed him with abandon as he closed his tearful eyes. He couldn't keep doing this, it was too painful. This had to be the last time.

Andrew never stopped kissing him — he had the habit of developing an oral fixation the closer he got to reaching his peak. The way he rocked his hips made his dick brush against the stranger's front, but not nearly enough to bring him to orgasm. Still, riding him was proving way more effective than he'd expected.

He spoke out of breath, interspersed with groans and gasps and biting at the stranger's lips. "Fuck, I— Touch me, touch me, I'm so— I'm so close—!" He writhed his hips like a man possessed and his baritone progressed into a tenor, the fullness inside him becoming addictive.

The more Andros moved, the closer to orgasm Judesca edged towards. They never stopped kissing, Judesca refused to let go of him, and this had possibly been both the best and the saddest illusion of his dead lover that Judesca's broken mind had projected. He felt just like him, moaned just like him; with a modern tongue, begged just like him.

Of course he needed touch. Judesca knew how he was, how he'd always be now that he'd remain unchanged. The vampire exhaled shakily and pursued the kiss once more, one of his hands letting go of the embrace in favor of searching for Andros' dick and wrapping around it. He went for full strokes, no buildup, and as Andros tightened around him so did Judesca feel himself keel over the edge.

The vampire came with a muffled moan, back arching and trembling from the effort, but he didn't stop moving either his hips or his hand until his lover was done too.

When the stranger took him in hand, it was nearly instantaneous. Andrew cried out, muffled by the stranger's mouth, and came violently across their fronts with a desperate shudder. He felt the stranger pump him full, vaguely aware yet momentarily uncaring that they had gone raw and there would be cleanup to do. His moans became longer and lower again, until his hips stuttered to a stop and he just huffed and puffed and made out sloppily with this sexy, alluring, wonderful stranger.

He was suddenly exhausted. He felt the full complaints of his knees, and his lower back and hips ached from strain. Not to mention he felt loose and sloppy, but that wasn't really unpleasant— quite the contrary, he hadn't felt this thoroughly blissed out in a while.

He huffed a breathy chuckle and finally broke off the stranger's lips. "Help me get down, my knees are killing me," he said with a lazy smile and eyes that threatened to droop shut. Then, bashfully, "I never caught your name."

Judesca held tightly onto Andros while he rode out his orgasm, quietly going through it himself. He'd already finished, and he felt raw and oversensitive, but Andros' enjoyment was more important than his own comfort. Even if it wasn't really Andros.

When asked to help, Judesca effortlessly lifted Andros off him and helped him down onto the bed. He laid him there gently, looking down at him, breathing shallow still from the effort and his recent orgasm. But the bliss from it had been far too short lived, only lasting until the act was over. Now, Judesca felt nothing short of grief while he looked down at the shade of his beloved.

Judesca reached towards Andros' hand, but he barely brushed fingers against the side of it before he pulled away. His expression was serious, but he soon managed a sad smile.

"I've had many names. None of them last too long," he explained, keeping his voice low. The music around them made it almost inaudible outside of the booth. "But the final one is Judesca, I think. Yes, this will be my final name."

"Judesca, then," Andrew said with a sigh and a smile. He caught the stranger — Judesca, reaching for his hand and thinking better of it. But he felt particularly stupid after such an orgasm, and he reached out to grab his hand and brought to his lips to kiss his palm. "I'm Andrew, by the way. Not as cool as your name but hey, at least we officially know each other now."

He let go of his hand and laid back, his breath slowing and his body relaxing. The thrum of the club around them seemed to be lulling him, and he could melt into the mattress. He decided to be stupid— what did he have to lose? "You got a phone number? I have a flight in the morning, but I'd love to stay in touch."

Judesca received the kiss like a man receiving the last sacraments, leaning into the touch and the feeling of Andros' lips against his skin. He would get up and leave now, probably. There was nothing left for him to do in this world, it was clear. At least he could go with the memory of this last night.

Yes, he'd intended to get up. But the sight of Andros kept on talking, and the other things he said- those were completely off the script. Judesca's expression shifted from sadness to surprise, as the other man kept on talking. Another name, another final question, talk about planes and telephones. Was this- was this a real person? Had that been why this time it has felt so real? Just someone else who looked, behaved, startlingly like Andros. It couldn't be.

Judesca quieted down, reaching for his mask and putting it on without much haste. His heart would be racing if he had a pulse, so outwardly he was calm, but inside he could feel his panic setting in. He really was losing it now, and that was a lot to say for a Malkavian.

"Forgive me for a second", he murmured, standing up as he put his clothes on and fixed them with haste. Was he so far gone that he was seeing Andros in real people now ...? He had no way to know. Some days he couldn't even tell hallucinations from truth.

When he stumbled out of the booth, his eyes darting frantically to find an exit, he could already hear a ghastly laugh mocking him from somewhere in the club. Was that one real? He wasn't staying to find out.

Andrew couldn't say he was surprised at the reaction, but he was still a little disappointed. Not that he'd ever tell this stranger, this Judesca —he won't have the chance to anyway, he thought bitterly— but at least the sex was good. The sex was awesome, actually. He wondered what kind of baggage Judesca had, to be so clearly vulnerable and retreat so quickly after a romp.

Actually, Judesca was the one that got the booth, right? He should probably get going soon. Andrew lifted himself up and cleaned up, front and back, with the wet wipes he found on the bedside table (handy, great service). When he finished pulling his pants on, he heard a tap at the frosted glass door. "Yeah, come in," he said

The host of the club, the one with the mask and the crazy deep voice, was the one who peeked in, and somehow Andrew felt his shoulders droop slightly. Had he been hoping for Judesca to come back?

"Hi," said Salem, and somehow he didn't sound like the sexy beast persona he put on at the first announcement. "What was your name again, sorry?"

"Andrew," he said. "Don't worry, I'm just getting dressed."

"Oh, no no, don't worry about it. I was coming to say the booth is rented out for the night, so take your time." A pause, and a nervous glance Andrew didn't know what to attribute to. "Come to the bar if you need anything, yeah?"

Salem ducked out of there before he was obliged to make more conversation, and chased after Judesca. Something had changed about the mental environment of the club, moans became sharper, scenes became more ruthless, and Salem had suddenly found himself thinking of the more perilous end of the fetish spectrum. Luckily he thought he knew the exact cause, and he quickly sent word to Eves and the staff to keep a closer eye on the clubgoers (especially the mortal ones) and went to check on Judesca.

He found him already halfway up the exit staircase, and reached out to grab his arm. The contact made the influence stronger, and he struggled for words for a moment. "S...Stay, ok?" he managed. "There's... You can take a room upstairs."

When Salem grabbed him by the arm, Judesca felt a stop to his frantic thoughts- if only for a moment. He'd been entranced, obsessed with the idea that this miserable existence of him had to stop, that he couldn't stand seeing Andros again in the face of others. This night had hurt him so terribly, he never wished to experience it again. He'd had enough. He'd pick a street to stumble out on, wait for the sun to come up, and finally end this.

When Salem caught his scattered attention, and Judesca turned to face him, the Malkavian had a dazed expression that quickly shifted into a pained smile. Oh, well... Maybe he just had to be alive for a little longer.

"Does the room have a window?" he joked, and though he laughed, his voice was void of any joy. But he still allowed Salem to lead him back into the club, tripping over nothing and losing track of where he was more often than he'd care to admit.

Salem felt the influence wane, hopefully together with Judesca's despair. He'd lost too many friends too recently, as tended to happen with the younger vampires, and the humanity of grief hadn't left him yet. He didn't want to lose a friend who shared his lifespan to a choice.

His lips twitched into a tentative smile underneath his mask, and he didn't have any humorous comeback for that definitely-not-a-joke comment, so he chose not to reply. Instead, he led Judesca back into the club and to the back, upstairs through the staff entrance. He made sure he was more stable before allowing himself to return. This was already a busy night and he wasn't halfway done.

As soon as Gavius's wrists were freed, he grabbed Victor and curled up against him like a child with a teddy bear. They'd had two more rounds in the club, and returned to their hotel room for three more. He was spent, and absolutely over the moon. "It's almost morning..." he mumbled, muffled from how he was burying his face and giving little kisses to Victor wherever he could reach him. "Oh, did you eat something in the end? I'm so sorry love, I seem to have been the only one to feed tonight..." Even as he said it, his body shivered with the recent memories.

If Gavius felt spent, so did Victor- in the most blissful of ways, too. He hadn't meant to do this for such a long time, but now that he was receiving blood from Gavius he forgot his own energy sometimes. Besides, the sight of his lover tied up and blindfolded for him was far too alluring to resist. When the vampire pulled him close for a cuddle, Victor smiled and obliged. He too wanted to let his body rest after he'd been doing Gavius all night.

" 's okay, Gavius, I had a bit of your blood. It's good enough until next dinner", Victor reminded his darling, reaching with one hand to caress his hair. He seemed quite happy... Would it be a good time now? Victor had planned to wait for a couple days, but he felt so excited, he couldn't. His heart picked up at the thought, but he still showed calm when he cupped Gavius' face with his hands to kiss him lightly.

"Let me go get a snack anyway? I won't be long, love, I'll be here before you sleep" he promised, pulling away so he could sit up and throw in some underwear, jeans and the t-shirt he'd been wearing earlier. The snack thing was only partially true. Something much more important waited for him at reception.

Gavuis groaned and tightened his grip for a moment, but then let him pull away. "Mm, don't take long, love," he said and turned face down to hug a pillow, though he was still smiling in bliss.

Downstairs at the lobby, Salem leaned with his elbows on the counter. He'd showered already, and was winding down with the night's end. He was getting looks from the receptionist and the bellboys, but he was too tired to flirt at them. He was yawning into his mask when he spotted Victor coming from the elevators, and raised a hand to wave him over.

"Mornin', hot stuff," he greeted. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a little box of burgundy velvet, and showed it to him. "Hope it's to your liking. Check it out?" He handed the box to Victor.

"Oh, Salem." Victor hurried to Salem's side, giving him a smile and gingerly taking the box off his hands. He felt beyond grateful for what the vampire had done for him; sure there'd been a payment, but even like that, this was a pretty tight limit for a favor such as this.

The human gave the box a little peek; he smiled widely then and closed it, putting it away into his pocket.

"He'll love it, thank you!" the ghoul beamed, shimmying a little in place from excitement. Then he remembered the time. "Sun's almost up, Salem. You don't want to get caught in it... Does the underground network reach here? If not, you can stay in our room, I am sure Gavius would not mind. He must be close to sleeping as of now, too."

Salem grinned from behind the mask. He was happy to see him like it — he'd grown fond of the little ghoul in the short few hours that they'd known each other. Plus, Europe was nice and all, but it was always refreshing to see someone else from the other side of the puddle. "The network reaches farther than you'd think," he said. "Plus, I still have some stuff to take care of at the club. You go back to Gavius, yeah? And invite me to the wedding or I'll friggin' haunt you." He clapped Victor's shoulder and took his leave, heading for the hotel's basement. The night was finally coming to a close.

Gavius, on the other hand, was nearly asleep. Nearly, because the sun was pushing the horizon, but not quite, because he couldn't sleep without his love, especially after such a night.

Victor beamed at Salem once more and then waved him off, after which he hurried to grab some snacks at a vending machine for later and climb upstairs. He was so excited he could barely think, didn't even register he'd ran up the stairs instead of using the elevator until his lungs felt tired already. But it was okay. He recovered quickly after a moment of collecting himself at the top of that flight of stairs, and ran into his room. The sky was getting lighter by the minute, he had to do this quick!

"Gavius," Victor called, carefully closing the door behind him and barely containing his smile. "Love, I know you're sleepy, but I need to ask you something... It's very important!"

Gavius groaned, albeit happily, and pushed himself up on one elbow. He was terribly groggy, and still too blissed out to think properly, but seeing Victor filled him with energy and love. "Mm, of course, love. What is it? Nothing terrible, from what I can tell, no?" he chuckled and trailed off into a sigh.

The sun was beginning to spill into the city, but they had a room with few and well-covered windows. Gavius had never had much trouble remaining awake with the sun if he needed, but the night had been so mindblowingly wild that all he wanted to do was curl up with Victor and sleep the whole day away, and maybe the next as well.

"No, nothing terrible." Victor took a breath, smiling still, and walked up to the side of the bed where Gavius waited. He'd imagined this moment in a million ways a million times over the last year or so, and maybe in bed after a night of sex hadn't been the first fantasy on his list, but if he waited any longer he was sure to ruin the surprise. So he knelt down next to his lover, on the ground by the bed, and took one of his hands between his own.

"Gavius... I love you with all that I am. Knowing you're in my life every day has made it so much better," he started, his face aching from how wide his smile had become. Looking into Gavius' eyes at that moment was a true delight, and he could scarcely believe himself to be experiencing it. "I don't ever want to be without you. And I think you feel like this about me, too, and so- I thought, if you wanted, we could... We could make it official...?"

The small box Victor had in his pocket was now in one of his hands. He opened it to reveal three rings to Gavius: all of them golden and with incrusted yellow gems, though one of them was considerably wider and had bumps and texture inside.

Victor didn't skip a beat, his eyes still locked on Gavius'. "Would you marry me, my love?"

Gavius's eyes widened with every word Victor said; he knew this moment from stories, movies, conversations had with friends and acquaintances. He always thought he'd be the one to propose, but after they'd talked about the possibility of him Embracing Victor, he thought he should give him some time to let him grow comfortable in the relationship. He didn't think Victor would beat him to it (though he knew Victor was already growing more comfortable with taking the initiative), but he couldn't be more pleasantly surprised.

He was frozen in shock for a few seconds, staring at the rings as his eyes began to water, and then he grinned wildly and all but snatched Victor in his arms and rolled him into the bed. "Gods, Victor— Yes! Anything, everything, yes!" After briefly making sure that he hadn't accidentally given him whiplash — he was getting better at controlling his strength lately — he absolutely showered him with little kisses all over the head, face, neck, shoulders... And then he simmered down for a moment and held his face, and kissed him on the lips, soft and passionate and probably wet since he was already crying— but full of joy. So, so full of joy.

After a moment, though, he giggled and had to part for a second. "A lovely addition, that third ring," he said, giddy.

Well, Victor knew he wasn't getting rejected. It was still a delight to see Gavius react so well, and the ghoul yelped in surprise at being scooped up and laughed at the kisses as he threw his arms around his beloved. He'd never thought he could have this sort of happiness, but here they were, and the moment had happened because Victor had made it happen. Because he'd taken steps to make it happen. He could do this, and more.

The longer slower kiss was also expected. Victor closed his eyes and leaned into it, and though he felt a couple of his tears spill, he didn't start to fully cry. He felt great peace right at that moment, with his one love, and all of his worries and insecurities far away.

When Gavius commented on the third ring, Victor's smile turned mischievous. "It tightens", he revealed, wiping his tears away and stealing a small kiss from Gavius. "Salem helped me get it. We're inviting him to our wedding, yes? I know you have many ideas!"

Gavius bit his lip, and he wouldn't lie, he was pretty spent, but the thought of wearing that ring on a daily basis under his clothes was doing wonders for his stamina. He reveled in the small kiss, and stole another for himself. "Oh, don't even get me started!"

And so he started. He spoke of everything he'd dreamed for a wedding; things he'd like, things he thought Victor would like, locations, themes, guests... All of this while holding tightly to Victor, and his volume and intensity decreased by the minute, but never his enthusiasm. He drifted off to sleep with a placid smile on his face, holding onto his love; the one and only, forevermore.