“I wonder,” Yoshiki said, through a mouthful of blood and heart tissue, “if this is really your blood, in any sort of meaningful sense. It tastes like you, but it’s not as cold as vampire blood, and the heart is where we separate the life from our food, so-”
Hide rolled his eyes, an impressive feat on behalf of his crushed skull and ragged skin. “It’s not my blood, and it never will be. My dolls gave it to me as a gift, a gift that you are now oh-so lovingly dripping all over your shirt.”
Yoshiki swallowed a mouthful of blood, sitting down next to his mate. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand why you’re so attached to your dolls. They’re so fragile. You can’t even do anything really interesting with them, they just parrot your praises and beg for your blood until they wither away.”
“A perfectly obedient little doll that does nothing but stroke your ego and beg to get dicked down. I’d think you’d be all over that, Mr. Narcissist .”
“Is that really what you think of me, nothing more than a vain beauty with no appreciation for anything other than myself?”
Hide smirked, his blood-stained fangs flashing in the moonlight as the bones on the right side of his face popped back into position. “Yes.”
Yoshiki scooted over to his mate’s side, running his fingers along his chest, tracing the edges of still-healing wounds. “What could have possibly given that impression?”
“Hmmm, I don’t know? Is it the fact that you threw Taiji out because he refused to roll over like a good little dog? Is it that whole business with that half-Korean fledgling you found after the war and then rejected because you thought he was hotter than you? Is it the fact that I’ve been married to you for over nine-hundred years, you self-obsessed twat, and therefore know you very well ? ”
The blond vampire rolled his eyes. “Taiji left of his own accord, and you’re going to have to be more specific about what war you’re talking about. I have been alive for almost two thousand years, you know.”
Hide shifted his position, resting his head in the crook of Yoshiki’s neck, taking a long lick of his mate’s blood. “How many half-Korean fledglings have you fostered, if I have to specify which war you found them in?”
“Oh, hundreds. Thousands, even. You haven’t known me my entire life, you know.”
Yoshiki felt an elbow poking in his guts. “Bullshit. Korea wasn’t even a country when I was born.”
“They could’ve still come from the region thoug-OW HIDE STOP IT STOP I-”
Hide haphazardly shoved a fistful of intestines back into his mate’s gaping chest wound, snickering under his breath.
“You could’ve killed me, you know.”
More giggling.
“I’m in a weakened state, I’m almost as fragile as a human.”
A single, lone snicker.
“You should really be more considerate.”
“And who’s fault is that?”
“Who fucked my ass with multiple sharp swords until I passed out and then started repurposing my guts for usage as an art project?”
“Who specifically begged me to, and I quote, ‘Fuck me up with whatever you can find’?” Hide grinned, satisfied that he’d won today’s completely pointless argument.
Yoshiki huffed in a mockery of anger. “Yes, but as my mate, it is your duty to protect me when I’m in danger.”
“Funny, I don’t seem to remember you doing that back in 1101 when you left me to bleed out in that snowbank, with nary a snack in sight!”
“Will you stop bringing that up! I was going to get someone for you eventually! ”
Hide began to make a talking gesture with his hand while Yoshiki continued to rant about how he only got sidetracked, I was totally going to bring back some poor beggar for you to eat, I promise and other such nonsense.
“Why do you keep bringing that up, anyway?”
Hide smiled to himself. “It makes you mad. But not in like, the scary way. The fun way where I get to make fun of you without getting my brains bashed against the counter.”
“Not like you’re any better! If I lovingly tease you about that one time in Russia in 1904, you get fucking homicidal!”
“It’s humiliating!”
Yoshiki flopped against the bedrest, a wistful smile on his face. “Ah, because what self-respecting vampire would actually want to think about how hot their mate looked when he tore apart the men holding me captive. Simply a horrible and disturbing scene.”
Hide groaned, drawing his knees up to his face. “Well, it wouldn't have been a problem if you didn’t insist on bragging about it to you-know-who and all of his little love slaves for the rest of the decade!”
“And why shouldn’t I brag?”
“It’s embarrassing!”
“Do you really expect me to not brag about it? About how wonderful you looked, your fangs tearing through their necks, face stained with blood, so utterly feral and deranged and ready to come and save me, your darling mate-”
Hide held is wrists in a death grip. “Shut. Up. About. Russia.”
Yoshiki rolled his eyes. “Well, fine, you ungrateful brat, I only wanted toOW!” Hide had kneed him in the groin, and in return, Yoshiki grabbed his arm, yanking him upright.
“Well, since your spine seems to be healed, I think you should be able to walk now.”
Hide rolled his eyes. “No.”
“No what? ” Yoshiki leaned forward, close enough for Hide to grab his neck.
A sudden stabbing pain shot through Yoshiki’s neck, and he only realized what had happened when Hide withdrew one of his fingers, licking the blood off it like a house cat.
Hide slowly withdrew his solitary finger from his mouth, a grin on his face. “Are you saying no to me?”
“I...I might. I might!”
“Well-” The pink-haired vampire grabbed his mate’s arm, digging his claws into his wrist. “You should really reconsider your choices, or…” He dug his claws in further, cold, gunmetal blood gushing out of the cuts in thick rivets.
“Okay.” Yoshiki rolled his eyes before sweeping up Hide in his arms, a soft nibbling sensation at his neck confirming that his mate was feeding. So demanding, so possessive, so luscious , so-
“I can hear you thiiiinkiiing.”
“Thinking what?”
“Mmmmm, about how great I am. How much you love me. Stuff...stuff like that..” Hide yawned.
The blond vampire rolled his eyes. “Riiiight. You’re not a mind reader, so how are you-”
Hide pressed a shaking hand to his mate’s lips. “Take me to the bathroom and clean me up. Chop... yawn... chop.”
Yoshiki smiled softly to himself. Brat.
But I love him anyway.