
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/1026340.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      One_Direction_(Band)
  Relationship:
      OT5_-_Relationship, Niall_Horan/Zayn_Malik/Liam_Payne/Harry_Styles/Louis
      Tomlinson
  Character:
      Liam_Payne, Louis_Tomlinson, Harry_Styles, Zayn_Malik, Niall_Horan
  Additional Tags:
      Community:_kink_bingo, Alternate_Universe_-_Vampire, Bloodplay, Blood
      Drinking, Temporary_Character_Death
  Series:
      Part 9 of Kink_Bingo_2013, Part 24 of Kink_Bingo
  Collections:
      Kink_Bingo_2013_(Round_Six)
  Stats:
      Published: 2013-10-31 Words: 7937
****** forever's gonna start tonight ******
by Gorgeous_Nerd_(gorgeousnerd)
Summary
     It's a vampire release form, "removing liability from all parent
     companies" should Liam get all his blood sucked out. Or: Liam's a
     human who just wants to take care of his vampires, X Factor era.
Notes
     Written for the bloodplay square on my kink_bingo_card. While this is
     an AU, and I've purposely played with events and characters because I
     could, I did consult this X Factor timeline and watch a bunch of
     clips from the show on YouTube. (Although I didn't actually see Total
     Eclipse_of_the_Heart until I had the story half-written. I didn't
     even know they did a Halloween performance on the show in advance,
     much less to that theme!)
     I checked the underage tag because, well, X Factor era. A more
     extended look at content can be found in the end notes.
     Also on DW.
See the end of the work for more notes
The paper's amongst the others he has to sign to be on X Factor for more than a
casual appearance, unassuming except for a note Liam's lawyer attached to the
top saying READ ME in huge letters. Standard stuff when he first skims, but
when he reads a little closer and looks up a couple terms online, he gets it.
It's a vampire release form, "removing liability from all parent companies"
should Liam get all his blood sucked out.
He frowns as he taps his pen on the desk and his finger trails the words on the
page to make sure he didn't miss any. He didn't have to sign one the last time
he made it on the show. He wasn't on for long, sure, but everything else looks
much the same, and he thinks it means he'll have more extended contact with a
vampire. Or multiple vampires. Maybe one of the judges, but it seems more
likely that the ones he'll see are in his newly-formed band.
Once Liam's checked everything, he thinks on it before he signs. For about five
seconds. After all, every school he's been to has had vampires, he's had them
in classes, he's seen them going into the standard feeding rooms at lunchtime,
and he's raced them. The vampires at school were never the bullies. They were
too busy trying to stay alive.
He draws his pen across the release with a hasty slash and forgets about it.
-
Liam doesn't think about it again until the day Zayn arrives at the bungalow at
Harry's stepdad's. Liam has been eating with the other lads, to the point where
Louis and Niall threw crisps at each other for a good hour one night, so he
doesn't think about the mini fridge in the kitchen until he sees Harry pull a
blood bag out of it.
"Sorry," he says when Harry rummages around the kitchen drawers for a straw.
"Can I?"
Harry shrugs. "If you'd like."
Liam opens the fridge door, a wave of cool air hitting his face. There aren't
many bags inside, and the ones there have a big stamp with a date two days in
the future on the front. The blood looks fine, as far as blood goes, all oozy
and dark red. Liam reaches out, but he stops just short of touching one.
"Can only get it once a week," Harry says, sticking a straw into the top
casually like it's a juice box. "Loses its magical powers after that."
"Hey! Time for eating?" Niall pushes between them and gets a bag. "You're going
into town tomorrow, yeah?"
Harry nods. "Louis said he'd drive."
Liam tries not to stare too much, but he mostly fails. Two vampires in the same
band. What are the odds?
"Can't imagine what we'll do if we ever tour," Niall says, leaning on the wall
as he plays with his straw. "It has to be a lot harder getting fresh supplies
on the road."
Harry pulls off his straw and bites at his lower lip with a frown. It's amazing
how Liam ever missed that he was a vampire, now that he sees him with fangs out
and blood lining his lips. His skin's a bit more see-through than Liam's, or
most humans, and Niall's looks the same, if a different shade. Their eyes are a
little darker, too, almost like they don't catch the light in the same way.
"There's plenty of vampire musicians," Harry says, but his frown doesn't ease
up.
"Probably have thralls as far as the eye can see." Niall sighs wistfully.
"Heard Lady Gaga has four. Probably uses them as furniture during the show."
"She's not a vampire, and that's objectifying. My mum and sister are human, you
know."
Liam doesn't think a row's going to break out - Niall's grinning, and Harry
looks more thoughtful than angry - but Louis and Zayn come inside with the
smell of smoke clinging to their clothes, and everyone's distracted by Louis's
racket. Mostly Liam. Louis goes straight for Liam's nipples, and while it's
annoying, at least he's too busy frowning and trying to slap Louis away to
stare at Niall's blood bag for long.
"What's this? Your blood?" Louis asks, nudging at the fridge with the toe of
his shoe when Liam finally manages to dislodge him. "Don't know how you live
off that stuff."
Harry shrugs. "Better than burning to death outside."
Louis shudders dramatically and slings his arm round Liam's neck like they're
actually mates. "So, Payner, as my fellow token human, you want to take
guarding the crypt at turns?"
Liam looks between Louis and Zayn. It's easy to see now that Liam knows to
look; Zayn's got the skin in another shade, and he bites his lip with slightly
longer canines.
"You mind?" Zayn asks quietly when Liam doesn't say anything.
"What? I...no, of course not." Liam shoves Louis's arm off, scowling. "I just
didn't know. Did you want me to know?"
Zayn shrugs. "It's all right."
"But you hadn't fed around me. And Louis..." Liam scowls his way. "That was
very rude, what you just did."
Louis waves a dismissive hand. "He said he didn't care. It's not like he's
going to feed on you anyway."
"Why not?"
It's only when the kitchen goes silent that Liam realises Harry and Niall had
been talking something else for a bit. He's got their full attention now, as
well as Zayn's and Louis's.
"Did I say something?" Liam asks.
"Something mental?" Louis says. "Kind of."
Zayn elbows him.
"Nah, it's just most people don't volunteer unless they're getting something
else out of it." Niall takes a sip out of his blood bag. "Money, orgasms..."
Liam's cheeks feel like they're on fire. Harry reaches out to pinch him.
"Aw, look at his face," Zayn says fondly. He's smiling brightly, so Liam can't
really manage a frown back. But he should get some control of the situation.
"Come on, let's practice. Only got so much...oof!"
The lads tackle Liam before he can so much as finish the sentence, and they
don't really do anything that night besides chase each other outside. Even with
the way the light reflects off Harry's eyes sometimes, or the way Zayn
disappears into the darkness, or Niall clutching his blood bag, it feels
normal. Right, even.
-
The water in Spain's blue and warm and gorgeous. Liam and the others aren't the
only ones playing in the waves. Louis takes turns climbing on top of shoulders,
and when Louis's staring at Liam like he's next, Liam awkwardly makes his
excuses and steps out to go to the loo, saying he'll meet them back at the
house. The others follow behind him to sun on the beach, which apparently is
fine for vampires as long as they've kept up on their blood. Harry and Louis
are chatting, Zayn grabs the book next to his towel, and Niall smiles winningly
at some of the women passing them on the beach as he dries off.
Liam pauses at the top of the sand. If they make it to the live shows, they
won't have many quiet moments like this. It's what he wants. But it's a bit
scary, too. He shakes his head and turns toward the toilets again.
He makes it back to the house first and showers, but he hears when the others
make it back because they're loud. They're even louder when he's not part of
the group somehow. He can't hear what they're saying, but they're laughing and
probably throwing their things around and making a right mess of things.
He goes out in a towel, and they're all in their trunks or some state of
nudity. Harry, of course, is completely naked and hugging Niall. Zayn and Louis
are chatting, and Louis's leaning on one of the beds, rubbing at one of his
wrists. Liam nudges him when he passes by, and Louis falls onto the bed
dramatically.
"Watch it, Payne," he says, pointing at Liam, and Liam rolls his eyes as he
goes for his clothes and turns his back on Louis as he pulls trousers on. He
hears Louis ask for a hand up, hears Zayn laugh about how heavy Louis is...and
then he hears a loud thump.
Liam turns, and he barely has time to see Louis on the ground, eyes rolled into
the back of his head, colour completely missing from his face. He's not passed
out, and he's not convulsing, but they're calling his name, and he's not
answering.
"Liam." Zayn's right in Liam's face. "Find someone to call an ambulance."
"What's..."
"Liam!"
Liam nods, his head heavy on his neck, and runs out the door.
He dashes down the halls, which is probably why Zayn told him to go, but other
groups are filming interviews, so it takes him longer than it should to find an
assistant that will look at him long enough to talk, much less make a call.
Liam can barely get any words out of his throat, tight as it is, but filming
stops when he gets them out. He leaves the crew scrambling to find the set
nurse and runs back.
Niall's biting his nails by the closed door of their room and looks about two
seconds from tears. He grabs Liam and holds him back before he can go inside.
"What's happened?" Liam asks him.
"He..." Niall takes a gulping breath. "He stopped breathing."
"Then why...?"
Others are coming down the hall. Niall looks at them, panicked, and Liam really
doesn't understand, so he goes out of Niall's loosened grip and ducks inside
the room again.
When he gets inside, Harry's kneeling by Louis's feet, eyes angry and red in
the way eyes get when a person cries. He's holding Louis's ankles, and Liam
stares for a moment because it's obvious Louis isn't moving much, but Harry
looks more like he's propping himself up as Liam stares. Louis's wrist catches
Liam's attention next with a puffy red bite mark on the inside, far bigger than
the rare vampire bites Liam has seen unbandaged. And then up top...
Up top is Zayn, cradling Louis's head in his lap, holding his bleeding wrist to
Louis's mouth.
Liam's seen a lot of blood this month; none of the lads are shy about drinking
around him or Louis any more, now that they've shown they don't care much.
Still, this is the first time he's seen vampire blood, and it's darker than
Liam's blood would be, kind of the dark red that human blood can get when it's
old. He knows from his classes at school that there's magic involved, something
that allows them to have blood that travels more slowly without killing them,
but he never paid attention. He should have done.
"Come now," Zayn says softly. His free hand's stroking Louis's forehead,
brushing Louis's fringe out of his eyes. "Just a bit, Lou."
Liam holds his breath.
Zayn laughs all of a sudden, shaky and relieved, and presses his wrist closer
to Louis's mouth. Liam frowns - he can't see anything - until the arm with
Louis's bite reaches up and grabs Zayn's wrist, keeping him there. Louis's
starting to regain colour, even in his hand, which was getting a blueish tint.
Harry puts his arm over his eyes and sobs, and Liam drops to his knees and lets
Harry hug him hard. Harry's muttering into Liam's shoulder about being sorry,
that he didn't know, and he doesn't pull away when Liam starts brushing at his
curls.
It's different here, on the floor. He can see the trail of blood dripping down
Zayn's arm, see Louis's mouth working on the wound, see the fangs behind Zayn's
grin. A flush goes through Liam, and it's relief. Probably.
-
One Direction is down to four while Louis goes to hospital to make sure the
change took properly and to get his first human feed with supervision. The
group should be practising, especially since Louis might not make it back in
time, but they can only seem to stare at the ground. They've done their camera
time, spun it to sound like a minor injury - not even television can force a
vampire to disclose - and have little to do but wait.
A car pulls up before Liam worries too much, and everyone turns to see Louis
come out of the car. Well, Liam does; the others rush forward, Harry slightly
slower than the others, eyes wide and terrified. Louis's nearly bowled over by
them.
"All right, lads, all right." Louis's laugh is loud, maybe a little too loud,
but the smile is genuine. He ruffles Harry's curls and tips their foreheads
together for a moment, and Harry laughs a quiet sob.
"I'm fine, you nitwits, has Simon called for us yet?"
"No," Liam says.
Louis looks at him, and Louis's got the skin now, the darker eyes. Liam has to
suppress a shiver because it's not that different, he knows it's not that
different...until it is. How awful does it make Liam to be scared, to have his
heart beating faster in his chest just from the sight of Louis?
"Guess you've got crypt duty for a while," Louis says quietly, eyes moving like
he's taking in all of Liam's face.
Liam exhales a shaky breath. He ignores the way his skin crawls and runs for
the group, butting Louis in the stomach with his head. Louis laughs in
surprise.
-
They make it through to the live shows, and they have to go home and wait.
It's odd for Liam with his parents, having no extra fridge with blood or
mattresses on the floor to share with the others. He finds himself calling the
lads on the regular just to chat, and he's not the only one. Harry in
particular calls him first sometimes, and they don't talk about anything, but
Liam finds himself reassuring Harry without using the actual words. He would
say what he's thinking, what the doctors said about allergic reactions to
vampire saliva being extremely rare, that no one could have known, but every
time Liam comes anywhere close to saying anything about Spain, Harry steers the
conversation away.
Harry does tell him when he goes to visit Niall in Mullingar for a week, and
since Liam's been living on the vampire-related pages of Wikipedia, he searches
Niall's area just to see what he can find. It turns out it's also related to
vampires; half the town were made into thralls thanks to a bloke that fancied
himself Dracula attacking people and poisoning water supplies. It doesn't
explain why Niall's a vampire, but if Liam's hesitant to talk about what's on
the beach...well, asking someone how they died is certainly off-limits. It's
terrifying.
Zayn, now that he knows Liam a little better, talks a little about what it's
like to have saved Louis.
"Don't use the old terms," he says in one call like it's nothing. "Covens don't
exist any more, so I'm not his sire or anything. But."
He pauses, and Liam says, "But?"
"I start laughing now and then, or I get worried, and it's not me feeling it.
Bit odd, but not unusual, I guess."
"So you're never alone."
"No," Zayn agrees, voice warm. "Suppose not."
-
The first order of business at the contestant's house in London, after there's
bed claiming and an initial tidying by Liam and Niall, is food. They eat an
actual meal that Liam can share, but there's no blood bags for vampire dessert
- vampires need blood direct from the source at least once a week, and while
Liam bets that all of them went to one of their local centres before flying
out, Louis in particular needs to be cautious.
"I'm coming," Liam says when the others are getting ready to go to the
designated feeding room. He frowns when they all stare at him. "What? You're
all going, and it's not like it's dangerous."
"You wouldn't have come before," Louis says, a little prickly.
"Don't you want me around?"
Louis stares off to the side and hugs Harry when Harry hugs him, but Niall
bumps Liam with his hip. "You're a brave one, Liam James Payne."
"Or uninformed," Zayn says, but he's smiling.
The others pile out, and Liam lingers until Harry calls, "You coming, Liam?
Won't wait on you."
Liam jogs to catch up.
He isn't sure what he'll see when they make it inside, but it's oddly
disappointing: there's only some chairs and a middle-aged woman sitting in one
with her legs crossed. She's looking at her phone and seems very bored. She
only raises an eyebrow when she sees all of them. "Am I doing all of you,
then?"
Niall laughs outright, and Harry gives him a disappointed look. Louis takes the
opportunity to step up and extended his hand. "Just me today. What's your name,
love?"
Charisma isn't a vampire thing - Liam has seen Louis treat most people they
meet like this - but it's still kind of fun to see her lose her composure and
flush as Louis settles in the chair next to her. She extends her arm without
being asked for it, and Louis drags his fingers over the soft flesh on the
underside while they chat about...some kind of advert Liam hasn't seen. Okay.
Harry and Zayn are talking in low voices, so Liam edges closer to them to
listen in.
"...good at it, isn't he?" Harry's asking. "Took me years to get that smooth."
"I don't believe that," Liam says. Harry beams at him. Zayn's smirking a
little. "You neither, Malik."
"Never said I had any problems," he says in that way that implies he thought he
was completely bollocks at it, and winks.
Niall leans over Liam and says, "Look, here he goes."
"Isn't a production, lads," Louis calls in a normal voice, and the woman next
to him laughs as he lowers his mouth to her arm. He even gives it a little
kiss, cheeky arsehole that he is.
It takes about two seconds, when Liam thinks back. Blink of an eye. Vampires
don't need much; they just need it fresh, with life. But while it's happening,
Liam can't breathe, and it's like that film, The Matrix. Time slowing down,
things spinning around...
Well. What he sees is Louis open his mouth, a glint of canines that were never
that sharp before, and a flash of bright red as blood comes up to the surface.
Liam sees Louis's eyes flutter, and Liam's breath is shaky and loud enough in
his ears to drown out all else. Everyone can probably hear, god.
But the others aren't looking at Liam. They look at the woman in a measuring
way - not that hungry, predator stare like all the films say - and they look at
Louis, gazes hungry and...fond? Intense, definitely. Either way, Liam isn't on
their radar whatsoever.
The moment ends, and everyone's thanking the woman - Pamela, as Liam finds out
when he shakes her hand and checks to confirm. She looks good, barely like she
lost blood at all, and the bandage Harry puts on her arm is holding well. The
others slap Liam's back, and Louis's, and they all hug on the floor for a bit
because, well, that's what they do.
Still, when they get up to leave, Liam lingers behind, staring at the chair
Pamela left behind like it will tell him what it must be like to have their
eyes on him during a moment like that. It doesn't, of course, and he hurries
along to whatever's next on the schedule.
But he wonders.
-
Liam sees them all feed on people before the first live show.
Zayn he actually saw in Spain before Louis's accident, and he didn't pay much
attention at the time. The others hadn't been around, and Liam had been texting
with his mum about how lovely the beach was. In London, he watches carefully as
they all mill together in the designated room, and it's only then that he gets
what skill it takes for a vampire to feed; Zayn doesn't flash fang, doesn't let
blood drip, and the PA who's on the rota doesn't so much as blink when he first
bites.
Harry doesn't seem as good at it, and it's only when Liam asks later about the
moments he takes to find the veins that he finds out why - Harry was revived in
an A&E after a car wreck at the beginning of the year, so he's been at it
barely longer than Louis.
"I can bite faster," Harry says with a shrug. "But I don't want it to hurt."
Niall isn't the neatest of the lot, although he's the best at cleaning after,
but he clearly knows what he's doing, and it's watching him that makes Liam's
breath come the shortest. Niall looks like he really enjoys it, eyes fluttering
when he first bites down, soft appreciative noises coming out of his mouth as
he sucks. It isn't until Niall finishes that Liam realises he's dragging his
fingers across the denim of his jeans and biting on his lip as he watches; it's
probably a little creepy to do, as a mate.
But that time, Liam catches a glimpse of Harry and Zayn watching him instead of
Niall. Louis's still pointedly looking at no one, arms crossed in front of his
chest, and so Liam has to look at him instead and pretend that he isn't curious
just how Harry and Zayn watch. And to will that itchy feeling under his skin to
go away.
-
The screaming fans appear straight away, and if Liam found vampires
overwhelming, it's nothing next to the fans.
It's wonderful getting to sign through gates and take pictures with girls who
wouldn't have looked at him twice before, and he knows how that sounds, but he
really means it. He can't imagine why getting to chat with him makes a girl's
day, but it does, and that's wonderful.
All of them soften a little bit about it. Harry very seriously listens when
they talk about their performances and smiles, and no wonder they all love him
best, when he smiles like he does. Zayn seems overwhelmed sometimes, and he has
to retreat alone with his iPod when they get some free time, but his eyes
sparkle in a way that Liam hadn't seen before the shows. Niall bounces between
groups, doing his best boybander poses that he told Liam he practised when he
was first into Justin Timberlake. Even prickly Louis doesn't snap as much these
days. If he'd had to have an accident, it could have been at a worse time than
when he was surrounded by kids his sisters' ages.
But Louis leans over after one session and whispers to Liam, "They wouldn't
like me as much if they knew, would they." It isn't a question, and Louis turns
away without expecting an answer, which is lucky. Liam doesn't know what to say
back.
-
A couple weeks in, it's getting chillier outside, and Louis is still feeding
several times a week. They all still go whenever they're not being pulled away
for an interview or rehearsal, and Harry starts holding Louis's hand while he
feeds. The distance the guys kept between each other mostly felt polite before,
but when Liam sees the two of them cuddled together, Harry fondly touching
Louis's hair, it seems a bit silly.
They move a couch inside the feeding room, but Liam hangs back on the far arm
no matter who's feeding. He's not the only one; whichever staff member got
enlisted is usually in their own chair with their arm extended. Liam doesn't
think it's because the person getting fed on enjoys it a little too much, but
Liam has to strike a balance. He's there for the others, but he doesn't think
they want him that there.
He just ignores the leering smiles from Niall and the smouldering eyes from
Zayn and pretends they can't read him as well as they obviously can.
-
Total Eclipse of the Heart is Harry's suggestion. The theme during the song is
Louis's.
"Don't think most people give it much thought," Louis says casually when
everyone else falls quiet, in that way where he isn't very casual about it at
all. "How vampires are just humans who died."
"You're sure?" Zayn asks quietly. Liam looks toward him, but his face is blank,
so if he's feeling anything in particular from Louis, it's impossible to read.
Louis nods, and then Niall sits on his lap and nods. When Liam looks at Harry,
Harry beams in a way that says he and Louis have discussed it already. Which
makes sense, if Harry came up with the song.
"But we won't..." Liam bites his lip before he adds the "win" at the end of the
sentence. It's horrible to think. The worst that can happen to him is he'll go
back to his original plans. He won't be one of the vampires that was on the
telly, he'll just be the human with them. Forgettable.
He looks around at the others sprawled in the bunk beds, and his stomach
twists. Going home without an album deal is much, much worse than it would have
been at the beginning of the month.
But they're going to do it their way, which is why he says, "It's a brilliant
idea," and they go on with red-rimmed eyes and fake blood in various places.
Liam has a dripping bite mark on his throat, and when he asks Louis while in
makeup if it's okay, Louis outright laughs and ruffles his hair. Liam has to
get his hair fixed again, but it's worth it.
They go on to their usual ear-piercing screams, and when they're talking to the
judges, Harry casually says, "Some of us are vampires, and we wanted to show
the others out there they're not alone", and that's it. They can't hear a
single other thing under all the shrieks.
-
They stay in the competition that week, and for weeks after. The blogs think
the fans like the tragic element or something, and whenever they try to go out
in public, they're swamped. It's absolutely brilliant.
Less brilliant is that the volunteers for blood feeding have dried up. Not
disappeared - there's three or four that show up repeatedly - but enough that
Louis's drinking less. Makeup tries to cover it as best they can, but while no
one's entirely sure who the vampires in the group are, no one doubts about
Louis from week five on.
"Is there anything we can do?" Liam asks Niall when he gets a chance. Niall's
plucking around on a guitar. "It can't be comfortable."
"It's not like he'll burn or anything." Niall doesn't look away from the
guitar. "I know what you're thinking."
Liam laughs nervously. "Didn't know vampires could read minds outside films."
"You really want to be tied to us for the rest of your life?"
He doesn't say the word "thrall", but he doesn't have to. It doesn't mean what
it would in the old days, serving a coven and living in a castle dungeon and
never seeing his family again. Liam's not sure what it would mean, exactly,
but...
"That's why I've been doing all this," Liam says, waving at the stage. He can't
help grinning. "Nothing less."
Niall sets the guitar down gently and hugs Liam hard. Liam grabs him back.
-
It's unsaid at that point, but judging by the way the others look at him with
something...waiting, they all know what Liam and Niall talked about. It's a
good kind of waiting from Harry and Zayn, probably.
Louis corners Liam before they leave the feeding room the week before last.
Literally corners - he crowds Liam against the wall, comes close enough that
Liam can feel the post-feeding heat coming off Louis's skin. Liam's not
thinking so much about anything besides how close they are, but seeing Louis's
dark eyes and red-stained mouth and fangs makes Liam's breath come short. It
would be so easy for Louis to lean in, to bite down...
"You know my family's been getting calls?" Louis asks in a quiet voice.
"Sorry?"
"'Burn the vampire' is the most common. Some people get creative with stakings,
taking the head off." Louis clenches his jaw for a moment, and he only relaxes
enough to say, "My sisters hear it at school."
Liam's breath comes short. "Oh, Lou, I'm so..."
"Don't. That isn't why I'm telling you."
Louis takes a second, probably to think, and his face is fading into something
more...not human, even if that's Liam's first thought. More like the Louis Liam
is used to seeing. Something a little more pulled back. The fangs are gone, and
his skin's closer to Liam's. Liam doesn't think when he grabs Louis's hand, but
Louis jerks a little.
"You have a choice," Louis says finally. "You can still leave. Promise me
you'll think about it."
"You can leave too, Lou."
Louis meets Liam's eyes. "Promise me."
Liam nods, and he squeezes Louis's hand one more time before letting go.
-
They don't win, and Liam's as ready for it as he can be, but he's gutted. He's
less ready for Simon calling them together and offering them a record deal,
although, looking back, he isn't sure why. They made it to the finals. People
like them.
They move into a hotel room before the wrap party, and they all go and have a
laugh, but Liam goes back early. He's tired, but there's something under his
skin all the same. He thinks maybe he'll go for a run before he goes to bed.
But when he gets into his exercise clothes and uses the loo, he finds the
others waiting on the bed in his room. Harry's lying cradled between Louis's
legs, Louis's lying against Zayn, Zayn's got his arm around Niall's shoulders.
They're so tangled together, if Liam didn't know where to look, they'd almost
look like one big knot.
"What happened to the party?" he asks, pulling his earbuds out.
Zayn shrugs. "Got bored. Thought you might want to watch a movie."
"You have your own rooms now. You don't want space?"
"There's plenty," Niall says with a grin.
Louis pats a spot on the bed next to him, and Liam goes over slowly. There's
something else going on, and he's not sure what...
...until he sees something in Zayn's hand. His eyes narrow as he reads the
side. "Red Epi Pen?"
"For vampire allergic reactions," Harry says, sounding more wise than usual. He
squeezes Louis's hand, and Louis squeezes back.
"We don't have to do it now," Niall says. When Zayn nudges him, Niall adds, "At
all, even. But we're prepared if you still want to."
Liam takes a shaky breath. "Only if Louis's all right."
Louis's eyes meet his. "You've thought about it?"
He has, as much as he's thought about anything these past weeks. His life has
changed so much in every way possible, and this is just another change. A
commitment only slightly more serious than the papers they'll be signing over
the next few days before the Christmas holidays, and even then, the bond can
fade with distance. He hopes that won't happen any time soon.
When Liam nods, Louis says, "I'm here, aren't I?", and he tweaks Liam's nipple.
Liam smiles meekly and bats away Louis's hand. "Then who's first?"
Niall raises his hand and edges closer. "I will have you know that there is a
grand ritual in becoming a thrall. I believe the old-timer word for it is
'orgy', and that might be a big goal, but we will do our best to meet it."
He lays a big sloppy kiss on Liam's cheek, and Liam laughs. "What really
happens?"
"You drink some of my blood, I drink some of yours, and after that..." Niall's
eyes are twinkling even as they darken with hunger. "Whatever you need."
Liam shivers. Niall holds up his arm in question and bares his fangs, and Liam
nods.
Dark blood wells to the surface when Niall bites into his skin, and Liam's
close enough that he can smell it. It's like the human blood they drink all the
time, metallic and rich, but as Niall extends his arm, there's a darker smell
underneath, something Liam can't explain. Maybe it's the magic that all
vampires have. Is that something he could smell?
When he leans in and looks to Niall for confirmation, he gets a small nod and
smile in return. It's probably the most serious Liam's ever seen Niall. Liam
ducks his head to lick over the wound experimentally.
The blood tastes like blood. If it was plugged into a wall. Liam feels like his
hair stands on end as he wraps his lips around the wound in Niall's arm and
sucks; his eyes, which had fluttered closed naturally, shoot open. It's all he
can do to swallow a couple times instead of breaking off and running around the
room. Niall pulls back before too long, and Liam runs hands through his hair.
"You never said..." he gasps. "Wow."
Niall giggles and ruffles Liam's hair, and Liam giggles, too. Only it's not
coming from him, exactly? He looks to Zayn with a raised eyebrow, and Zayn nods
knowingly. Definitely wow.
"Now my turn," Niall says.
Liam nods eagerly and taps the side of his throat. "Here?"
Niall leans in, and Liam throws his head back. It's more natural than it should
feel, letting them into his space. He shakes with the combination of blood in
his system and the idea of Niall's teeth sinking into his skin, fisting his
hands in the duvet like it'll settle him some...
But Niall pulls back. "Maybe later. I had a different idea."
He grabs Liam's wrist and strokes it with too-careful care. Liam snorts, but he
lets Niall pull it up. "One per person, is that it?"
"Two arms, two legs," Niall agrees, and he bites down.
Maybe it would hurt normally, getting the teeth in his skin. But with every
cell in his body singing, and the knowledge that they're finally letting Liam
take care of them all, it feels nothing but good when Niall's fangs pierce in.
He even cries out when Niall starts to suck and what would be radiating pain is
a flush through his whole body.
"You all right?" Zayn asks, leaning in close.
Liam nods, gasping as Niall drinks. He flails out his hand, and Zayn takes it.
The contact feels amazing. Liam can't help rubbing his palm against Zayn's, and
after they do that for a moment, Zayn closes his other hand on top of Liam's.
He's braced by all the lads now: Niall at one hand, Zayn at the other, Harry
and Louis behind. He's never felt anything like it.
Niall pulls back after both an eternity and a second at the same time. The
tingle fades, and Liam pulls Niall into a hug.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Niall asks, grinning when he moves back.
"Could've been worse."
Liam and Niall giggle at the same time.
"Now that is just bizarre," Louis says.
"Me next." Zayn has a small knife that he's using to cut into himself, and Liam
looks with a frown over at Niall's wrist. Which is already healed up.
When Liam says as much, Niall says, "You too," and taps Liam's wrist. It's
true; the wound is healed. The scar is still easy to see, but it looks weeks
old at least.
"Magic," Liam says wonderingly.
"Pretty much." Zayn holds up his arm, and Liam goes in before too much blood
spills.
It's different sucking Zayn's blood, much like drinking a cuppa with sugar is
different than a glass of wine. Liam finds himself rolling the blood on his
tongue, feeling the thick texture of it, which is never the sort of thing he
thought he'd ever do. Then again, he never thought he'd be drinking blood in
the first place. Life is strange.
Unlike with Niall, Liam feels the exact moment Zayn appears in his head; Zayn
is how the blood tastes, warm and rich. Liam smiles when Zayn smiles, and
Niall's happiness peaks as well. It's so much he could burst.
"It wears off," Zayn says, even though he hasn't had any of Liam's blood yet.
"Doesn't go away entirely, but it won't be distracting."
Liam pulls off and licks his lips. He offers Zayn his other arm, and Zayn laces
his fingers with Liam's for a moment, squeezing. Zayn smiling is like staring
into the sun; he has the sweetest face.
"Liam really likes you," Niall says, lolling on the bed with a grin. Liam's not
the only one who has to adjust.
"Like you, too," Zayn tells him because he's a charmer like that. Niall
playfully punches Zayn's leg as Zayn puts Liam's other wrist to his mouth.
Zayn getting his teeth in Liam feels somewhat how it looked when Liam watched
him feed before - no pain, just spreading warmth, like burrowing under a
blanket. Liam runs a hand over the back of Zayn's hair while he drinks, and it
tickles his palm more than before, but it's still more than Niall's jolt.
When Zayn pulls back, Liam's lids are drooping, and he stifles a yawn with one
hand.
"He going to be all right for us?" Louis asks.
Liam gives a thumbs up at the same time Harry says, "Absolutely. Just watch."
He slips away from Louis and straddles Liam's lap, pushing him gently down. As
Liam goes, the exhaustion eases, and he's left staring into Harry's intense
gaze with his breath caught.
"Kiss me," Liam asks without thinking about it. When Harry looks surprised,
Liam thinks about it and nods. "Please."
Harry smirks, and it's funny how sweet he looks until he knows he's gotten what
he wants. The satisfied side is just as enticing as the cute one, and when
Liam's lips meet Harry's, Liam hums happily. It comes out a little squeaky,
sure - he's not usually like this with his mates - but it's certainly happy.
When Harry breaks away to suck on the birthmark on Liam's throat, Zayn comes in
for a turn. He hovers without openly asking, and Liam grabs him by the back of
the head and gently pulls him in. Zayn kisses sloppier than he drinks, and Liam
shouldn't be delighted by it, but he is. It's nice to see him lose control in
something.
Liam's only distracted when Harry tugs at his sweatpants. He jerks away from
Zayn, and Harry holds up his hands. "Just for access. Won't do anything you
don't want."
"It's fine, I just..."
Harry lays a gentle kiss on Liam's thigh. "Only this for now."
He bites, and should it be in that order, taking blood before sharing blood?
Liam worries during the initial thrill of pain, but it feels like the
connection to Niall and Zayn push back in a warm, buzzy haze, and Liam has to
fight not to writhe under Harry's mouth. Harry's stroking his hands on Liam's
legs, and maybe it's because Harry hasn't shared yet, but Liam can feel every
drop of his blood as it leaves his body and crosses Harry's tongue.
Niall crosses into Liam's view, and he pats him on the arm. "I think I'll kiss
you after you drink," he says, matter-of-fact. "Lick Harry out of your mouth."
Zayn's nose crinkles. "That's disgusting."
"What? How?"
"You're not licking into someone's mouth when you kiss them. Not if you do it
right."
"You obviously haven't done much kissing, Malik."
Harry bounces back up the bed, and Louis shoves him over until he falls over
Liam's chest. Liam laughs as much as he can with Harry's bony elbows in his
stomach.
After they collect themselves a bit, Harry bites into his wrist and offers it
to Liam. Liam takes it. Placing his lips against the wound is oddly familiar
now, and even though Harry's blood is sweeter than either Niall or Zayn, Liam's
now used to the thicker texture of the blood, of what it's like to take a few
mouthfuls easily and feel someone else in the back of your head.
It's nothing like he thought it would be. It's better.
Just like Niall promised, after Liam pulls away from Harry and shares a thank-
you peck with him, Niall comes in for an enthusiastic kiss. He doesn't exactly
lick into Liam's mouth, but he does flick his tongue around and groan, probably
at the taste of blood. Liam can taste nothing else now.
But he doesn't forget Louis, sitting silent behind him. He turns away from
Niall, and there Louis is, looking small and oddly young. His skin is still the
most vampire-like, thin and showing off his veins.
Liam takes his hand, and Louis lets him, even if he doesn't look his way.
"Let me help you?" Liam asks quietly. Louis needs the most, and now that Liam
has the others' blood in his stomach, he should be able to give Louis as much
as he needs. That's how it's supposed to work, anyway.
Louis shakes his head. "You first."
He moves his lips around dramatically - he has problems getting his fangs to
drop, sometimes - and rubs at his mouth when they finally do. It's never
occurred to Liam before how good Louis looks as a vampire, since he's been so
concerned with Louis being a vampire, and an ill one at that. But even the
illness hasn't lessened his curves, or dimmed the keen look in his eyes at
everything, and that's the look he turns on Liam when he bites into his own arm
and makes a quiet little noise.
"You all right?" Liam asks.
Louis waves him away with his free hand, gnaws for a moment at his skin, and
finally pulls his wrist out of his mouth. "Not very good at it yet, I'm
afraid."
"You're fine, Lou," Harry says, leaning on his shoulder. "Not any worse than
me, anyway."
Zayn takes Louis's other side, and Niall flops onto Liam. Liam feels all the
others in his head, happiness flaring as they look at each other. If he'd had
any reason to doubt any of this before, it's gone.
He reaches out and cradles Louis's bitten wrist. "Can I?"
"Might as well," Louis says, but his voice shakes quietly.
Liam takes more care with Louis than he did with the others. He leans in slow
so Louis can break away if he wants, and he kisses the uninjured parts of
Louis's wrist before he licks the blood trails Louis created. The wound is more
jagged than the others, and Louis makes what sounds like a vocalised gulp when
Liam finally drinks properly. Liam still keeps it light, partially for Louis's
peace of mind, partially because Louis's blood tastes the most human of the
lot. It's a little harder to stomach, but it's more satisfying in a way. Maybe
it's what it's like when a vampire drinks from a human.
When Liam can tell he's had enough blood, and he can feel something in his head
that's a little uncomfortable at the same time as being happy, he lies back on
the bed. He sees his dick poking up against his boxers, and even though it's
not like he's surprised, he flushes anyway. Seems rude to have Louis suck his
blood through his thigh when Liam could poke his eye out.
Niall drops a hand onto Liam's thigh. "Next part might be easier if we get you
off, yeah? Louis can take his time that way. Go for the throat."
Liam's dick jumps, and he covers his face with his hands. It's one thing to
kiss, but...he wants to help. Not to be desperate for everyone's hands on him.
"It's okay," Harry says, petting Liam's hair. He feels...amused? It's simpler
telling which is which when they're touching him. Feels better in general,
really.
When Liam lowers his hands, Zayn's staring at him and licking his lips. And
that's it.
"Lou," Liam says, breathing hard. "You have to drink or I'm going to mess my
pants before we get anywhere."
Louis laughs and straddles Liam's chest. The discomfort's gone, from the feel
of things. It's changing into something else, something more...turned on? Yes,
turned on; when Liam strokes his thighs with his hands, the feeling of Louis
laughing in his mind turns into something hotter, sharper. Liam can feel his
dick going from half-mast to full behind Louis.
When Liam says, "Please," his voice comes out deeper, more desperate.
"You like hands or mouths?" Harry asks, shifting down to Liam's legs with Niall
and Zayn.
"Either? Both."
Niall nods knowingly. "Sick."
The next part Liam only puts together from hazy memories in pieces days after
the fact (during his family's Christmas dinner, to his mortification).
Everything happens at once, and it's so good and so overwhelming that Liam ends
up grabbing hold of Louis's back and staring between the others and the ceiling
and just feeling.
But he generally thinks Niall wraps one of his hands, skilled from guitar and
who knows what practise, around Liam's dick and strokes in slow motions,
keeping up with the mouth that's on the head. Harry definitely takes a turn
sucking - he pops off to smile at Liam with redden lips at one point - but
Liam's pretty sure Zayn does some as well, and he never sees it with his eyes,
but he can just picture the way his cheekbones look as he sucks, the way his
eyes flutter shut and he just enjoys it. Liam knows, from the sense in his head
pulsing and cresting, that he jerks himself while he helps Liam, and maybe some
other time, Liam will get to help.
What Liam is absolutely sure about is when Louis finally leans in and bites
into Liam's throat. The smell of Liam's blood hits his nose as if it was the
first time he bled, and he's so in tune with Louis that it's like Liam's
getting full and stronger on his own blood. It's that as much as the contact to
his dick that has him coming, and as he drifts off at the end, the come on his
stomach feels as warm as the blood on his neck.
-
"...much blood on the sheets, did we? We're terrible vampire rock stars."
"We're brilliant. No victimising the fans."
"No, just members of our own group, Harold."
Liam cracks an eye. "Can't be a victim if you're willing, can you?"
The mattress shifts under him, and Liam yawns and stretches; he's dressed again
and wrapped in a blanket. Full service. He only freezes when four heads lean
in, and they're all looking at him. Just like he always wanted.
"Any reason you're all still awake?" he asks the others to hide the little
shiver that goes over his skin.
"Watching you, of course," Louis says, and Liam shivers again. Louis's washed
his face, and he looks almost like he did before. He really must have taken his
fill. "Crypt duty."
Liam laughs and takes Louis's hand. "Come on. Lots to do later."
Louis falls next to him, and they pile around Liam. He falls asleep again just
moments later, warm and happy in both mind and body, and with only little scars
to tell the story of the night he had.
End Notes
     Additional content notes: One of the characters becomes a vampire in
     the course of the story after death caused by an allergic reaction,
     although I purposely didn't depict it like a real allergic reaction.
     (Yay supernatural powers.) Said character is also somewhat morose
     throughout the story because of his death. A couple other characters
     allude to their off-screen deaths without too many specifics. If the
     tags didn't warn you (and the fact that it's a vampire story),
     there's also a fair amount of blood and talk of people drinking it.
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