~Hot Blooded~

Cuddle time with Angie!

I landed on Angie-Bee’s window with a thud.  She whipped around to see me leaning on the sill, a smile lighting her face like a miniature sun.  I loved that.  I glimpsed the new brown and red décor of the room, lovely.

“Hi, doll.  How you feeling?” I grinned.

“Dezzy!” She giggled.  “I was just thinking about you!  Come here, and give me a hug…”

I slipped inside the room and leaned into her outstretched arms.  I was grateful for my height; I was a good four inches taller than Angie.  I folded my own arms around her, causing her to shiver from the lifeless cold of my skin.  I had dressed in a grey sweater and baggy jeans in spite of the twenty-eight degree weather, and I was sure that the weather was not helping her either.  I dipped my face into her blonde hair as she sighed.  I felt her shift in my hold.

“Hey Dezzy, do you have any idea about this tape recorder I found behind the bear you gave me?” she asked me.  “It kind of creeped me out when I found it.”

I pulled away, shocked that someone would do such a thing.  I forced my emotions off of my face to keep her calm.

“No, I never put a tape recorder behind that bear I gave you.”  I thought a moment then continued, “Were there any strange visitors while you were in the hospital?”

She furrowed her brow and pouted.

“No…no one out of the ordinary.  Just you, my parents, my little sis, and the nurses attending me…”

I stormed back towards the window, angry at myself.  We were watching for vampires; I had not even thought of another nurse like Alucard’s girlfriend, whose name I had learned to be Gina.  I should have known.

“Dezzy?”

I whipped around at Angie.  She was standing by her bed, though she looked ready to fall.  Her face was pinched in pain and concern, her eyes filled with fear.  It made my chest hurt to look at her like that.  I felt my anger melt away as my passion took over.  I stepped towards her.  I pulled her close and swayed with her in a feeble attempt to help her relax, my arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders.  I tormented myself with her sweet scent, but I felt her sigh and put her own hands against my back, letting me know that it made her feel better.  I still hated how oblivious she was; she had no idea what I went through to support her, to protect her, to kiss her.  As she relaxed, I looked around the room again.

The last time I had been in it, it had looked like a pink princess dream boat.  Now it was darker, with a lot of red and brown colors.  All of the furniture was cherry wood, the carpet and drapes were brown, and the wallpaper was mostly scarlet with brown and gold poinsettias on it.  The bedding was also a vivid red color with the same gold flowers.  I smiled at Angie, proud she had matured so much.

I quickly brushed my lips against hers and picked her up.

“You should sleep,” I breathed.  “You look exhausted.”

She nodded and rubbed an eye.

“Will you stay?”

“Yes.  I’ll stay all night, Angie-Bee.  I love you.”

“Mmnm.  I love you, too, Des…”

I set her on her bed and pulled up the red covers around her chin.  She shifted her body to a comfortable spot and closed her eyes, sighing blissfully as she drifted to sleep.  I smirked.  It felt... good.  Don't laugh; I swear I’ll kill you.

I went back to the window, pulling a chair from the new table towards it.  I glanced at Angie once more before turning back to the window.  She snorted once, but quickly fell silent again.  The feelings that Angie brought out in me were indescribable.  I was afraid that something would happen to her, elated that I got to be with her, frustrated that I was so different from her, hurt that this would never last.  But most of all, I was confused.  I had never experienced the sensation before, but I knew it was love.

She returned it.  I heard her say it.  It made me feel lighter.  After everything I had been through, I was drained to the point where I could have slept for a month, and I did not even require the amount of sleep humans did.  Knowing that Angie loved me, though, made everything feel less important.

Her scent drifted past me again, making me hungry.  I thought back to what Alucard had told me earlier that day.

He had been pacing the kitchen while I sat at the table in Gina’s house.  A tall, thin glass of warm blood sat in front of me, and I traced the rim with my finger.  It looked good; it smelled good, but I did not want it.  I watched Alucard with a grimace, waiting for him to say that it was all a joke.  But it never came.

“Now,” he told me, “you need to make sure that you eat plenty before you see Angie.  It will take time to find a balance, but, if you don’t want her to die, you need to be very careful.  We want to wean you off of live blood and onto the dead-man diet.”

“This is so weird.”

“You get used to it.  Just try it.”

I lifted the glass to my lips, reluctant to try the artificial sustenance.  I squeezed my eyes shut and took my first sip.

It was weird.  I drank the entire glass but not because it was good.  It was bland, lifeless, even after Al had heated it to a perfect 98 degrees.  It was too strange; I did not like it.  But it did, as Al had promised, help with the hunger.

I opened my eyes and found myself in Angie’s room again.  I felt in control, confident, secure.  I looked over at Angie-Bee again as she rolled over in her sleep.  I pushed myself out of the chair and moved towards her.  Slowly, I lowered one of my pale hands to her face and brushed a few strands of bleach-blonde hair off her cheek.  Her face flushed as the corners of her mouth curled up into a light grin.  I felt her warm blood just beneath her skin, heard her soft sigh at my touch.  I curled up close to her, resting her head on my shoulder and wrapping my arm around her waist.  Not waking up, Angie-Bee leaned into me and put one of her own hands on my other shoulder.

I was warm, I was happy, I was asleep.

Author's Note

Aren't we just the cutest couple?