The Vampire's Love. Part 1: You fear me?

The vampire, Pierce- dating the human, Jace. Why not take a look at their lives for a bit?

Pierce leaned against the locker, one knee bent, foot pressed against the metal behind him. His headphones were cranked up loud enough that the tinny screech of distorted guitars leaked out, but no one dared tell him to turn it down. The black spikes on his wristbands caught the fluorescent light as he tapped his fingers against his thigh, impatient. The bell had rung five minutes ago. Where the hell was Jace?

A group of juniors shuffled past, giving him a wide berth. One whispered something, and Pierce’s head snapped up, dark blood red eyes locking onto them. The kid paled and nearly tripped over his own feet. Pierce didn’t blink. He didn’t have to.

Then, a door slammed down the hall, and there he was- Jace. Sprinting full-tilt, his half-ponytail bouncing wildly. His sleeveless hoodie flapped behind him like a flag, and his laughter echoed off the linoleum. "Sorry, sorry!" he called, skidding to a stop inches from Pierce. "Coach made us run extra laps- hey, why’re you looking at me like that?"

Pierce yanked one headphone down. "You smell like sweat and grass.." he muttered, nose wrinkling. But he didn’t step back. Jace grinned, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, well, you smell like old leather and that weird mint gum you chew. We both lose." The corner of Pierce’s mouth twitched. Damn him.

Down the hall, someone dropped a textbook- a sharp crack against the floor. Pierce’s head jerked toward the sound, fangs glinting before he caught himself. Jace rolled his eyes. "Relax, Dracula. It’s just Spencer being clumsy again." He nudged Pierce’s shoulder with his own, warm where the vampire was always cold.

Pierce shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, scowling. "We’re gonna be late." Jace snorted, grabbing Pierce’s wrist to drag him forward. "Since when do you care about tardies?" The spikes on Pierce’s bracelet dug into Jace’s palm, but he didn’t let go. Pierce let himself be pulled, watching the way Jace’s pulse jumped in his throat. Always so alive. Always so reckless.

Behind them, the warning bell rang. Jace sped up, laughing when Pierce hissed at the sunlight streaming through the exit doors. "Race you to English!" Jace challenged, already bolting ahead. Pierce exhaled through his teeth. Idiot. But he ran after him anyway.

They crashed into the classroom just as the final bell blared. Mrs. Halpern gave them a tired look over her glasses. "Gentlemen. Late again." Jace flashed her a sheepish grin- his signature move for dodging detention. "Coach’s fault." he lied smoothly. Pierce slid into his seat without a word, but his knee pressed against Jace’s under the desk.

Jace doodled spirals in his notebook while Mrs. Halpern droned about participles. Pierce stared out the window, jaw clenched. English was torture. The grammar rules made no sense, and the way Jace kept shifting- his heartbeat and warmth was utterly distracting. Then Jace slid a note across the desk: "Bet you 20 bucks I can make Halpern say "unprecedented" before the bell!" Scribbled in messy handwriting.

Pierce glanced at him. Jace’s eyes were bright with mischief. Stupid. Reckless. Impossible. Pierce scribbled back: 'You’re on.' He didn’t mention the way his dead heart kicked when Jace grinned. Some things were better left unsaid.

Jace leaned back, stretching his arms behind his head with exaggerated casualness. "Mrs. Halpern..." he called, "what’s the fanciest word you know?" The class snickered. Halpern sighed. "Context matters, Mr. Rivera. Words aren’t ‘fancy.’ They’re precise." Jace tilted his chair onto its back legs. "Yeah, but like- what’s the biggest one?"

Pierce watched the exact moment Halpern bit. "‘Unprecedented." she said dryly, "Though I doubt you’ll retain it." Jace kicked Pierce’s ankle under the desk and mouthed "Pay up." Pierce rolled his eyes but dug into his pocket-then froze. His fingers brushed something unfamiliar. A folded slip of paper, tucked there without his notice.

Jace frowned when Pierce didn’t hand over the cash. "Dude?" But Pierce was already unfolding the note. The handwriting was jagged, unfamiliar: 'You shouldn’t be here.' Below it, a crude sketch of a stake through a heart. Jace’s breath hitched. "What the hell-?" Pierce crumpled it fast, but not fast enough. The scent of human adrenaline spiked. Someone was watching.

Then the classroom door swung open. A new student slouched in- tall, pale, dressed head-to-toe in black. His wristbands were studded, his headphones identical to Pierce’s. Mrs. Halpern sighed. "Late on your first day. Impressive." The guy smirked. "Had to admire the architecture." His accent was thick, Slavic, but his grin was all Jace- reckless, bright. Jace elbowed Pierce. "Your long-lost twin?"

Pierce didn’t laugh. His gaze locked onto the new guy’s throat- no pulse. Vampire. The stranger’s red eyes flicked to Pierce, then Jace, lingering just a beat too long. Pierce’s fingers twitched. Instinct coiled low in his gut. Interesting. Dangerous. Jace caught the shift, eyebrows knitting. "You good?"

The new kid adjusted his headphones with deliberate slowness, the leather straps creaking. Mrs. Halpern gestured to an empty seat. "Name? Nikolai.." he said, rolling the ‘l’ thickly. "But my friends call me Niko." His grin showed teeth- too sharp for human. Pierce exhaled through his nose. Niko’s scent was all wrong: grave soil and iron, not the synthetic mint humans doused themselves in.

Jace nudged Pierce’s shoulder. "You zoning out?" Pierce ignored him, tracking Niko’s movements- the predator’s gait, the way his jacket sleeves pulled tight over corded muscle. A fighter’s build. Interesting. Jace huffed when Pierce stayed silent, turning back to his spirals. He didn’t see Pierce’s gaze linger on Niko’s wrists, the way the light caught the silver spikes there. A match to his own.

Niko flopped into the chair behind Pierce, draping one arm over the desk. His fingertips drummed- tap, tap, tap. A matching the rhythm Pierce had abandoned. Then, deliberate as a blade sliding home, Niko leaned forward and winked. His crimson irises flicked to Jace’s exposed neck and back, slow and mocking. A challenge.

Pierce’s fingers curled into fists under the desk, the spikes of his bracelets biting into his palms. The scent of old blood clung to Niko’s collar. Fresh kill. Pierce’s jaw tightened. Jace shifted beside him, oblivious, cracking his knuckles. "Halpern’s gonna pop a vein if you keep staring like that.." he muttered. Pierce didn’t blink. Niko’s smile widened.

Then- a sudden pressure against Pierce’s thigh. Niko’s boot tapped him once, sharp, through the thin fabric of his jeans. A whisper of movement no human would’ve caught. Pierce’s head snapped toward him, but Niko was already reclining, arms crossed, watching Halpern with feigned interest. The vampire’s smirk said everything: 'I know what you are.'

Pierce exhaled through his nose and turned back to Jace- his stupid, warm, alive Jace, who was now chewing on his pencil, brow furrowed at the chalkboard. His pulse jumped under the thin skin of his throat. Pierce’s fangs ached. Not from hunger. From fear.

Jace caught him staring. "What?" Pierce swallowed hard. "Nothing.." he lied. Behind them, Niko’s chuckle was low, deliberate. The sound slithered down Pierce’s spine like a blade between ribs. Jace frowned, glancing back- but Niko was already flipping through his textbook, the picture of innocence. Too perfect. Too practiced.

Pierce forced his attention forward, but the weight of Niko’s gaze burned between his shoulder blades. Jace’s knee bounced against his, warm and solid. Alive. Pierce focused on that- the rhythm of Jace’s heartbeat, the way his fingers drummed absently on the desk. Normal. Safe.

The bell rang. Jace shoved his notebook into his bag, oblivious. "Dude, you’re sweating.." he muttered, eyeing Pierce’s clenched jaw. Niko’s chair scraped behind them. Too close. Pierce stood abruptly, shouldering his bag. Jace blinked. "Whoa, speed-run much?"

Pierce jerked his chin toward the door. "Go. You’ve got gym." Jace hesitated- too perceptive for his own good but Pierce shoved him toward the hall with a stiff hand. Jace stumbled, grinning. "Alright, alright. You owe me twenty bucks, bloodsucker." The nickname, usually a joke, tasted bitter now. Pierce watched Jace’s hoodie disappear into the crowd before turning and nearly collided with Niko’s chest.

Niko didn’t step back. His grin was all teeth. "Interesting pet you’ve got there." Pierce’s spine locked. "Not a pet." Niko hummed, tilting his head. The movement exposed his throat- a taunt. "Smells like you’ve been… close." Pierce’s nostrils flared. The scent-marking was unintentional, but Niko’s implication was clear. Possessive. Testing.

Pierce shouldered past him. Niko’s fingers snagged his wristband, spikes digging in. "Running?" His breath ghosted over Pierce’s ear- cold, like graveyard mist. "Or scared?" Pierce wrenched free, fangs bared. Niko laughed, low and delighted. The sound chased Pierce down the hall, a promise wrapped in a threat.

Jace was already gone, swallowed by the tide of students. Pierce’s phone buzzed- a text from him: 'u good, man? u looked pissed.💀' Niko’s shadow fell across the screen before Pierce could reply. "He’s cute.." Niko mused, tapping his own phone against his thigh. "For a chew toy." Pierce spun, slamming him into the lockers. The metal dented. Niko just grinned, licking blood from his split lip. "Feisty."

The hall emptied around them, humans instinctively avoiding the tension. Niko’s fingers traced Pierce’s jaw, too fast to dodge. "We could share him.." he murmured. Pierce recoiled, but Niko pressed closer, lips brushing his earlobe. "Or I could just take you. Your choice."

Pierce shoved him again, this time with enough force to send a locker door screeching off its hinges. Niko laughed, catching himself effortlessly. "Angry little thing~" he purred. "Does Jace know how territorial you are?" Pierce’s fist connected with Niko’s ribs- a crack echoed, but the vampire barely flinched.

A teacher’s head poked out of a classroom. Niko straightened, smoothing his jacket with mock innocence. "See you around, lover." He vanished into the crowd before Pierce could lunge again.

Pierce’s phone buzzed- another text from Jace: 'yo, u gonna ghost me or what, bloodsucker. Respond ml🙏🙏' His fingers trembled as he typed back: 'Later.' The lie tasted like ash. Niko’s shadow lingered at the end of the hall, watching. Waiting.

By the time Pierce reached the gym, Jace was mid-laugh, leaning against the bleachers while Niko circled him like a shark. Niko’s hand hovered near Jace’s elbow, fingers twitching like he wanted to touch. Jace, ever oblivious, grinned at something Niko said- head tossed back, throat exposed.

Pierce moved before he could think. He hooked an arm around Jace’s waist from behind, yanking him flush against his chest, chin resting possessively on Jace’s shoulder. Jace stiffened, then relaxed into the hold with a surprised chuckle. "Damn, clingy much?" Pierce didn’t answer, just locked eyes with Niko over Jace’s head. His message was clear: 'Mine.'

Niko’s smirk widened. He flicked an imaginary speck off Jace’s hoodie, fingers grazing fabric too close to skin. "Didn’t realize you came with a guard dog." he drawled. Jace snorted, oblivious to the tension. "Nah, Pierce is just weird about personal space." He twisted in Pierce’s grip to grin up at him. "Right, bloodsucker?"

Pierce’s grip tightened. Niko’s scent- grave-cold and wrong clung to Jace’s clothes. He buried his nose in Jace’s hair, inhaling deep to overwrite it. Jace’s pulse stuttered under his lips. "You smell like death.." Pierce muttered. Jace elbowed him. "Dude, that’s your brand." Niko’s laugh was a blade between ribs. Pierce’s fangs itched.

Jace twisted, brows knitting. "Seriously, what’s your deal?" His breath hitched when Pierce’s fingers dug into his hips. Niko stepped closer-too close. His shadow swallows them both. "Maybe he’s hungry.." he purred, eyes dropping to Jace’s throat. Pierce snarled, shoving Jace behind him. The gym lights flickered overhead.

Niko licked his fangs, slow. "Territorial." His gaze slid past Pierce to Jace. "Cute." Jace peered around Pierce’s shoulder, grinning. "You two know each other?" Pierce’s jaw locked. Niko’s smile deepened. "Oh, we go way back." The lie dripped honey-thick. Pierce’s nails bit crescents into his palms.

Then Coach’s whistle screeched. Jace sighed, peeling Pierce’s arms off. "Gotta run. Try not to murder anyone." He darted off, tossing a wink over his shoulder- for Pierce, always for Pierce. Niko watched him go, hunger naked in his gaze. Pierce stepped into his line of sight. "Touch him.." he starts, voice low and laced with venom. "And I’ll rip your throat out with my teeth." Niko’s grin falters slightly, fear flashing in his eyes before vanishing behind amusement. "Promises, promises."

Pierce grips him by the throat, his eyes flashing silver for a second, a warning. The gym lights flicker wildly. Niko’s grin vanishes entirely now-he backs off slightly, shoulders tensing. His fingers twitch toward his own neck in reflexive fear. Realization dawns: Pierce isn’t just any vampire. Silver vein. Rare. Lethal. Niko exhales sharply through his nose, his cocky facade cracking. "Shit.." he mutters in Slavic, the word barely audible. Blood hearts like him are dangerous, but silver veins? They’re the apex predators, the ones even elders fear.

Pierce leans in, close enough to taste Niko’s panic. "Tell your coven.." he whispers, silver glinting in his veins like trapped lightning, "that this territory’s taken." Niko’s pulse- slow, and vampiric stutters immediately. His throat bobs under Pierce’s grip. For the first time, there’s no smirk. No taunt. Just fear, raw and acrid. Pierce lets go with a shove that sends Niko stumbling into the bleachers. Metal groans under the impact.

Across the gym, Jace pauses mid-sprint, head snapping toward the noise. His brow furrows. Pierce can practically hear the gears turning. 'Trouble?' Jace stares at him, the silent question unanswered. Pierce forces his hands to unclench, exhales the hunger coiled in his chest. Niko wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, eyes darting to the exits. Calculating. "This isn’t over.." he hisses, but there’s no bite left. Pierce bares his fangs in reply. "Run."

Pierce walks away slow, and deliberate. Shoulders loose like he hasn’t just marked himself as a threat. He continues to stride down the hallway as the fluorescent lights buzz overhead, casting jagged shadows on the polished floor. Behind him, Niko’s heartbeat stutters, uneven. Good. Let him remember this. Let him fear it. Pierce doesn’t look back.

Jace catches his wrist at the doors, fingers warm and rough with calluses. "Okay, what the hell was that?" His grip tightens when Pierce tries to pull away- human stubbornness versus vampire strength, and somehow, Jace always wins. Pierce glares at the exit sign above them, jaw clenched. "Nothing."

Jace scoffs, stepping into his space until their sneakers touch. "Bullshit. You looked ready to eat that guy." Pierce’s nostrils flare- Jace’s pulse thrums under his skin, a live wire strung too close to a storm. "Maybe I was.." he mutters, and Jace’s breath hitches. Not fear. Interest. The idiot.

Pierce remembers the taste of vampire flesh, iron, and frost- like biting into winter. He’d torn a throat out once, back when his coven still prowled the Baltic frost. The elder’s blood had been thick as syrup, silver-tinged, burning his tongue like vodka. Niko’s would be thinner, younger. Tempting.

Jace’s fingers tighten on his wrist. "You’re doing that creepy stare thing again.." he mutters, thumb brushing the spikes of Pierce’s bracelet. The contact grounds him, pulls him back from the memory of fangs sinking into yielding undead flesh. Pierce exhales, forcing his shoulders to relax. "Just thinking about homework." he lies.

Jace snorts, punching his arm. "Liar." His grin falters when Pierce doesn’t react. The fluorescent lights buzz louder, flickering like a warning. Pierce’s pupils change again-darkness receding, the silver veins fading back to crimson. Human-safe. Jace-safe.

Niko’s scent lingers in the air, sour with fear now, not arrogance. Good. Pierce watches Jace’s throat move as he swallows, the pulse there steady, trusting. He shouldn’t be.

The cafeteria chatter is too loud- human laughter scraping against his skull, so Pierce slips out to the courtyard instead. The autumn air bites, but the cold has never bothered him. He pulls the blood pouch from his jacket pocket, the plastic crinkling as he punctures it with a fang. The first sip is always the best- copper-bright, thick, the metallic tang flooding his senses.

Jace catches him mid-swallow, dropping onto the bench beside him with his usual lack of boundaries. His knee knocks Pierce’s as he leans in, breath warm against his cheek. "Dude, that looks like a CapriSun but way more metal." He reaches for the pouch- stupid, reckless, human- but Pierce jerks it away. "No."

Jace grins, undeterred. "C’mon, just a sip." His fingers brush Pierce’s wrist, and for a second, Pierce imagines letting him- the way his face would crumple at the taste, the horror dawning too late.

Pierce crushes the empty pouch in his fist. "It’s blood!" he snaps. "Not some fucking juice box." The words hang between them, ugly and raw. Jace’s smile falters, then comes back twice as reckless. "Yeah, well, I’ve done worse." He leans in, lips quirking. "Remember that time I drank expired milk on a dare?"

Pierce stares at him, this stupid, warm, mortal boy who doesn’t grasp the gravity of what he’s asking. The pouch’s remnants stick to his palm, tacky and drying fast. "This isn’t a game." he mutters. But Jace’s pulse thrums under his skin, loud as a drumbeat, and Pierce’s throat burns with the need to sink his fangs into it.

Jace exhales, breath fogging in the cold air. "I know." His fingers curl around Pierce’s, pressing the crumpled plastic between their palms. "But neither is this." His heartbeat stutters when Pierce’s thumb brushes his knuckles- alive, so alive, and so fragile.

The blood on Pierce’s tongue turns to ash. What if Jace tastes it and recoils? What if he sees the truth- not the boyfriend who carries his textbooks, but the predator who counts his breaths in class? Pierce’s grip tightens. "You don’t know what you’re asking." he growls. Jace’s pulse jumps under his fingertips. A snack. A sacrifice.

Then- the flicker. Just for a second: Jace’s pupils dilate, his breath hitching. Fear. Pierce recoils like he’s been burned. Cold settles in his chest, sharp as a stake. He shoves Jace’s hand away and stands, the bench scraping harsh against concrete. "Forget it." His voice is dead. Flat. The way it sounded before Jace dug his warmth into Pierce’s ribs and stayed.

Jace blinks. "Wait-.." But Pierce is already walking, footsteps silent even on the gravel. The distance between them grows like a wound. Jace's fingers twitch at his sides half-reaching, half-hesitating. And that's worse than the fear. Pierce's jaw clenches. He'd rather Jace scream, punch him, anything but this quiet uncertainty.

The courtyard's dead leaves crunch under Jace's sneakers as he jogs to catch up. "Pierce, hold on-" His hand lands on Pierce's shoulder, warm through the jacket. Pierce flinches. Jace's grip loosens immediately, fingers hovering like he's afraid to touch now. The hesitation stings like holy water. Pierce spins, fangs bared before he can stop himself. "What?"

Jace's throat bobs. His pulse thrums under the skin- fast. Too fast. But he doesn't step back. "You're being weird.." he mutters, brow furrowing. His voice wavers just enough for Pierce to taste the lie.