Rise and shine

As Ava lay there slowly coming down from the many mind-blowing orgasms she'd just experienced, Dagaz — making an attempt at being chivalrous after refusing to give her what she had so desperately wanted — went to the kitchen to make them both a coffee. He returned after a few minutes, coffee mug in each hand and a freshly lit cigarette hanging precariously from his mouth.

"Carefully, don't spill it on yourself." he cautioned her as she reached to take a cup from him. As she took the mug, she plucked the dangling cigarette from between his lips and took a deep drag in it herself. He raised his eyebrows, half surprised, half questioning as she exhaled a long thin stream of smoke with a contented sigh.

"I don't smoke all the time, just you know, special occasions." She took another hit before passing it back to him, feeling herself relax a little as the nicotine hit her bloodstream. "Wow, these are incredible. I kind of wish this was weed though, don't you?"

Dagaz laughed, more at the absurdity of the situation than anything else. Here she was, laying in his bed as naked as the day she was born, practically orgasmed out, possibly under some kind of compulsion from him, and she wanted a spliff of all things.

"Sorry, I'm all out. Maybe we can find some High School kids to sell us some though if that's what you really want." He was teasing, but if she'd have said yes he though he actually would have gone out and found her some. When she was happy, he was happy, and he couldn't help but feel the like he would do anything to see her smile.

Over the top of her coffee, her eyes twinkled in amusement, his slightly mocking tone having been taken for what it was, even as her spare hand formed itself into a V to swear at him. He raised his own hand in his own version of the shape, and flicked his tongue between it, smiling silently back at her as she shivered a little.

"Cheater."

Hands going up in protest, he feigned his innocence. "Hey, you know what they say," he said, stealing back his cigarette from her. "All's fair in love and war right."

"So, which one is this then?" She paused, waiting for him to catch up. "The love part or the war part?"

"Neither. Although if it was war, I'd say I'd won this battle wouldn't you?" The playful dance continued, each of them enticing the other into verbal traps, each meticulously evading the ones laid before them.

"Well, win a battle loose the war and all that huh. And anyway, the best part of fighting is the make-up sex afterwards, everyone knows that." she said, feigning backwards and adopting her best sultry pose across the bed.

'Touché.' Dagaz thought. He had the urge to test what drinking his blood may have done to her, as minute as the amount he'd given her had been. He hadn't given much thought to exactly how he was going to test his theory, there was still a distinct lack of blood flowing to his brain, although it was slowly beginning to find its way back there despite the erection still throbbing in his pants. He desperately willed it to die down, and miraculously it obeyed him. "Well, when you phrase it like that, it makes it sound like this in on-going. Are you interested in making this a regular thing then?"

It was obvious he'd peaked her interest, he heard her heart skip a beat the moment he'd tabled the idea of whatever this was between the two of them becoming more than a one time deal.

"Hmm, that depends now doesn't it."

"Depends? On what?" Damn, now he was asking the questions.

"Well," she said, reeling him in, "on where exactly you're planning to take me for our first date."

'Oh, she's good. And here I was taking her at face value as your typical blonde. Won't be making that mistake again will I. Not a chance.'

Throughout his life, his competitive streak had landed him in more than its fair share of loosing situations, but this was a battle Dagaz was actually happy to have lost. It was a rare thing to find someone with whom he enjoyed matching wits, and to have found that in Ava was a pleasant surprise, and one that he intended to pursue.

"Doesn't breakfast count as a date?" he teased, finishing his coffee and setting it down in the floor. Camila would no doubt chastise him for putting the hot cup on the hardwood floors when he eventually allowed her in to his bedroom to clean, and the sheets did definitely need freshening up now, he though. 'Mr Milquiste, the wood. Please the wood. Use a coaster Mr Milquiste.' He'd have to remember to give her a little extra in her next pay check.

"Not when it's eaten in bed."

"Technically," he said slowly, emphasising his words. "the bed came after the breakfast."

"Smart ass."

"Well thank you."

Showing a strength that caught him by surprise, Ava gave him a gentle push. "Oh shut up." Well, it would have been gentle push, except for the fact that he'd been sitting dangerously close to the edge of the bed trying to give her more room to sprawl. That little push had been enough to cause his ass to slide off ungraciously, and he now found himself head on the floor, legs up in the air listening to the sound of Ava dying of laughter above him.

"Whoops, sorry." Through her peals if laughter, she didn't sound overly sorry. When he didn't immediately pick himself up off of the floor, she enquired after him. "Hey, you OK down there?"

Dagaz was fine, but as he'd fallen, his head had caught against the corner of his nightstand viciously. He'd felt the impact as the sharp corner of it had met his skin, and his fingers flew up inquisitively to check his skull for any damage. He found it, a long, deep gash above his right eye, sticky with blood and beginning to matte his eyebrow as it dripped down his face. Within seconds, he felt the wound begin to close beneath his fingers. His mind whirled, **** for a way to explain the blood Ava would no doubt notice when he sat up, and a plausible way to explain the lack of a wound for it to have come from. He couldn't very well say 'Hey, so here's the thing. I'm actually a Vampire. No, I don't sparkle. But supernatural healing, drinking blood. Yada Yada yada, you know. Oh and by the way, I kinda fed on you earlier, nearly killed you a little bit too. Then I might of fed you some of my blood just to see what would happen. Now, where do you want me to take you to dinner?'

Any rational person would either laugh in his face, or run screaming in the opposite direction. Probably before returning with an angry mob brandishing torches and pitchforks. Was that what they did to Vampires? Or was it zombies? He couldn't remember.

Drawing one of his manicured fingernails across his skin, he tore a large straight gash across his forehead in the simulation of the injury he should have still bore. It actually hurt for a moment, which surprised him a little, but the skin thankfully didn't immediately close. Covering it with him palm, he pushed himself up off of the floor and back onto the bed.

"Not so sure you deserve a date now, " he told her, uncovering the self inflicted would with a staged wince that would have made even the best Oscar nominee proud.

Seeing it, Ava gasped, panicked and then apologised within 5 seconds of each other. "Does it hurt? Let me see, let me see." Giving into her protests, he let her pull his hands away from his face so she could investigate. "Stop being a baby. I need to take a look at it." Seeing his wound, she looked more upset that he did.

"Will I live Doc? Give it to me straight, will the scar make me more attractive to women?"

"Well, it doesn't looks too deep. See, it's already stopped bleeding, so I don't think you're going to need stitches. And no, it won't. A scar would probably just be overkill." She smeared the last few drops of blood from the wound with her thumb.

Truth be told, a trip to the Hospital was something he deeply wanted to avoid if he could help it. Who knows what they would make of his if he was subjected to any tests. Better to stay far away from medical professionals for the time being. Lost in his thoughts, Dagaz failed to notice her staring down at her thumb, now stained a deep crimson with his blood.

He did however notice as she began to bring it to her mouth, seemingly oblivious to what she was doing. He contemplated stopping her, of saying something, but he didn't. That little Devil perched on his shoulder had all but silenced the Angel that should have sat opposite, telling him to watch how this all played out, that if she tasted his blood a second time, we'll that was hardy his fault was it. If she did it herself, that was her decision entirely, and he could absolve himself of any guilt over her actions.

"Do you dance?"

At the sound of his voice, Ava’s hand fell away from her face, his voice seemingly having shaken her out of the trace she had been in moments ago.

"Mmm, what did you say?" Her eyes blinked once, twice, and she seemed to have settled back into herself.

"Dancing. I said do you dance? You know, music, clubs. Dancing. You OK?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry. I guess I just spaced out for a second there. And here's you worrying about me, and you're the one that's had a bump to the head."

"I’m fine, really. No stitches you said didn't you? I'll throw something on it, I'll be fine, promise."

"Tough guy huh?" Well, at least she was smiling again. A genuine smile, unlike Dagaz, who had adopted his best impersonation of one, the expression not quite reaching the corners of his mouth. He'd let her come dangerously close to tasting his blood for a second time in as many nights, he needed to regain control of himself. Until he knew the all variables, could anticipate the outcomes of his decisions, they couldn't be made rashly. He should have been horrified with himself at what had nearly occurred, but instead he just found himself curious.

Plucking a corner of the bed sheet from where it lay, he used it to wipe away any traces of blood that remained on his face. Ava looked at him aghast, the idea that anyone could so nonchalantly ruin such an expensive set of linen made her financial senses scream, but he shrugged it off, simply telling her that the sheets were headed for the trash now anyway, which did little to placitate her.

"So, dancing. That seems appropriate for a first date, don't you think?"

She nodded, still staring regretfully at the sheets. "I could probably get the stains out you know, it's no trouble. You don't have to throw them."

At the mention of laundry, Dagaz remembered her dress. "Speaking of which, I managed to salvage your dress for you."

"You did? Really?"

"Uh huh, good as new." Realising he may have overexagerated a little, he toned it down slightly. "Well, almost as good anyway."

The next thing her Knew, Ava had throw her arms around him, planting a big kiss on his lips. Her cheeks were wet with tears, and he worried he'd unintentional said something to upset her.

"Thank you. Thank you." She planted another kiss on his lips between words, one on his nose, a third delicate one just above the cut on his eye. Not hungry kisses like the ones they'd shared earlier, but almost chaste, delicate kisses expressing her gratitude. She gestured at her face. "Happy tears. I had to save for like 2 months to buy that stupid, I have no idea what I would have done if it had gotten ruined. There no way I could have afforded to replace it. Thank you."

The concept of having to save that long to buy clothing was not something he'd experienced in his privileged life, but he also hadn't spent his existence living completely inside a bubble. He understood the struggle most people went through, especially in this city, with its overpriced food and houses and everything else people needed to survive.

Trying not to sound nonchalant he found himself returning her hug. "Well, that an easy thing to fix. I'll take you shopping before our date. You can pick out a whole new wardrobe. That way, you can have a backup plan in the event that you end up passing out on my rooftop again at some point in the future. How does thay sound?"

More tears ran down her face, to her it sounded like the nicest thing anyone had ever offered to do for her since she'd moved to this city. “You mean it?" she asked him, not quite believing the sincerity of his offer.

"Sure. Why not. You can wear the same dress twice, it's just not fashionable." he teased. "But if we're going to be buying you new dresses, I guess you're going to need new shoes, maybe new handbags to go with them."

Avas eyes widened as he went on, reeling off a list of things that he would treat her to. She almost zoned out to her happy place. As Dagaz ticked off what looked to be the seventh item in his fingers, she snapped back to reality.

"Oh, and underwear too. I suppose you'll be wanting some new underwear too. I seem to have misplaced what you were wearing." he said grinning.

Sure you did. She raised her fingers in air-quotes. "Misplaced"

"I'm sure they'll turn up. One day."