Summer curled into him, clinging tightly, kissing him back. Both arms went round his neck, one hand sinking into his hair. His warmth was a solid bulwark at her back, his love a solid strength in her mind. Wherever he’d come from, whyever they’d come together, so quickly, whatever it meant — right now it meant the thing she needed to hold on to herself. “Your /mouth/, darling,” she whispered.
“My mouth? I didn’t realize it had therapeutic powers, love.” Victor smirked then kissed at her jaw, licking at the corner of her mouth here and there then moving to nibble at her chin a bit. “Like that?”
Summer tilted her head back, closing her eyes. “Just like that. /Just/ like that, Victor darling.” She squirmed around until she was straddling his lap, instead of half-draped across it. “Tell me why you love me. All the reasons.” She bit at his nose. “Would it hurt, if you bit me?”
His hands went to her waist and he smiled. “I love you because you’re strong of mind, you’re strong willed, you care, you’re understanding, I can trust you and I can be myself around you, Summer. For that, I love you.” He cocked his head a bit and regarded her, “Well, it would hurt a little, I can be gentle, just graze the skin, or I can bite you. Either way, I promise you wouldn’t become a vampire. Why?”
“Oh,” she sighed, “the stories all tell like it’s some kind of bliss, so your, um, victims don’t want to run away screaming. It was a stupid idea, really.”
“I don’t know.” It was nearly a wail. She struggled to keep from breaking down a third time. “God, Victor, I don’t know!”
Victor didn’t know what do to exactly, or what she wanted but he leaned in and kissed her lips. He lazily licked at her lower lip and put as much comfort and kindness into the kiss as he could, nothing about it sexual. Then he pulled her down so that they were laying next to each other; well, her more on top of him than anything. He kissed her again, focusing on giving her strength, on being her rock.
Summer curled into him, clinging tightly, kissing him back. Both arms went round his neck, one hand sinking into his hair. His warmth was a solid bulwark at her back, his love a solid strength in her mind. Wherever he’d come from, whyever they’d come together, so quickly, whatever it meant — right now it meant the thing she needed to hold on to herself. “Your /mouth/, darling,” she whispered.
“My mouth? I didn’t realize it had therapeutic powers, love.” Victor smirked then kissed at her jaw, licking at the corner of her mouth here and there then moving to nibble at her chin a bit. “Like that?”
Summer tilted her head back, closing her eyes. “Just like that. /Just/ like that, Victor darling.” She squirmed around until she was straddling his lap, instead of half-draped across it. “Tell me why you love me. All the reasons.” She bit at his nose. “Would it hurt, if you bit me?”
Even now, under the weight of it all, his voice still shot a shiver down her spine. “Having you there would be more appreciated than I can express. Please come with me. Come with and keep me sane. And hold me. Just,” her voice cracked again, “hold me.” She felt like she was falling, wished she was falling, flying, anywhere but here. “Make me not think.”
“Ok, love, whatever you want. I’ll be there for you Summer, I’ll do my best to keep you sane.” Victor planted a kiss on her nose, forehead, jaw, cheeks and eyes. “What do you want me to do? What can make you not think about it, love?”
“I don’t know.” It was nearly a wail. She struggled to keep from breaking down a third time. “God, Victor, I don’t know!”
Victor didn’t know what do to exactly, or what she wanted but he leaned in and kissed her lips. He lazily licked at her lower lip and put as much comfort and kindness into the kiss as he could, nothing about it sexual. Then he pulled her down so that they were laying next to each other; well, her more on top of him than anything. He kissed her again, focusing on giving her strength, on being her rock.
Summer curled into him, clinging tightly, kissing him back. Both arms went round his neck, one hand sinking into his hair. His warmth was a solid bulwark at her back, his love a solid strength in her mind. Wherever he’d come from, whyever they’d come together, so quickly, whatever it meant — right now it meant the thing she needed to hold on to herself. “Your /mouth/, darling,” she whispered.
Summer sighed. “I haven’t been home in months, Victor darling. I’ve got to go down for the funeral, though. The funeral, the wake, the viewing, god. The only way I’m going to survive it is drugs.” This sigh was bitter, and she blinked another tear away. “Tell me you love me, Victor,” she whispered. “Tell me how much you love me.”
Victor was surprised for a moment but leaned in by her ear, “I love you, Summer. I love you very much and I’ll never stop.” He punctuated each word with a tender kiss to her jaw. “I’d offer to go with you for support but I don’t want to intrude on something like that.”
Even now, under the weight of it all, his voice still shot a shiver down her spine. “Having you there would be more appreciated than I can express. Please come with me. Come with and keep me sane. And hold me. Just,” her voice cracked again, “hold me.” She felt like she was falling, wished she was falling, flying, anywhere but here. “Make me not think.”
“Ok, love, whatever you want. I’ll be there for you Summer, I’ll do my best to keep you sane.” Victor planted a kiss on her nose, forehead, jaw, cheeks and eyes. “What do you want me to do? What can make you not think about it, love?”
“I don’t know.” It was nearly a wail. She struggled to keep from breaking down a third time. “God, Victor, I don’t know!”
“To Buddy,” Summer echoed, draining her glass. She didn’t even ordinarily drink much, but nothing was as bitter as the taste of her sorrow, of the family’s sorrow that she could already feel leaching into her. The bonds of family were unlike other empathic bonds, but they still carried emotion, and she carried it all. She curled over, around the empty space where her sense of her grandfather had lived, and rocked silently. “I’ll have to go down there tomorrow,” she murmured into her knees.
Victor realized that the amount of sadness and pain she was experiencing was exponentially more than anyone would ever feel. He put his glass down and pulled her to him so that she was sitting on his lap, kissing her head and neck tenderly. “Why do you have to go back there love?”
Summer sighed. “I haven’t been home in months, Victor darling. I’ve got to go down for the funeral, though. The funeral, the wake, the viewing, god. The only way I’m going to survive it is drugs.” This sigh was bitter, and she blinked another tear away. “Tell me you love me, Victor,” she whispered. “Tell me how much you love me.”
Victor was surprised for a moment but leaned in by her ear, “I love you, Summer. I love you very much and I’ll never stop.” He punctuated each word with a tender kiss to her jaw. “I’d offer to go with you for support but I don’t want to intrude on something like that.”
Even now, under the weight of it all, his voice still shot a shiver down her spine. “Having you there would be more appreciated than I can express. Please come with me. Come with and keep me sane. And hold me. Just,” her voice cracked again, “hold me.” She felt like she was falling, wished she was falling, flying, anywhere but here. “Make me not think.”
“Buddy. William Edward Rainault, Jr.” Summer settled herself back into Victor’s arm, needing the warmth of him — why was he warm, as a vampire, the part of her mind trying to just run away wondered — and stared at the wine in her glass. “I don’t know where Buddy came from, but I know why it stuck, because it was just the most literally perfect description of his personality. He was everyone’s buddy. I never saw him angry. I almost never even saw him not smiling — I couldn’t look, at the viewing, because they’d made his face without that little smile, that crinkled the corners of his eyes. It wasn’t him, there.” Abruptly she drank half the glass.
He was a little concerned by the way she had downed half the glass and rubbed his thumb in circles on her shoulder. “They should’ve made him with that smile of his since that’s how he was in life. He sounds like he was a very nice person though, it’s always hard when someone like that moves on from our lives.” Victor paused a moment then twisted his body so that he was facing her a bit more. “Cheers, to Buddy and may he find more happiness wherever he is now.”
“To Buddy,” Summer echoed, draining her glass. She didn’t even ordinarily drink much, but nothing was as bitter as the taste of her sorrow, of the family’s sorrow that she could already feel leaching into her. The bonds of family were unlike other empathic bonds, but they still carried emotion, and she carried it all. She curled over, around the empty space where her sense of her grandfather had lived, and rocked silently. “I’ll have to go down there tomorrow,” she murmured into her knees.
Victor realized that the amount of sadness and pain she was experiencing was exponentially more than anyone would ever feel. He put his glass down and pulled her to him so that she was sitting on his lap, kissing her head and neck tenderly. “Why do you have to go back there love?”
Summer sighed. “I haven’t been home in months, Victor darling. I’ve got to go down for the funeral, though. The funeral, the wake, the viewing, god. The only way I’m going to survive it is drugs.” This sigh was bitter, and she blinked another tear away. “Tell me you love me, Victor,” she whispered. “Tell me how much you love me.”