Chapter Text
“If it happens again, you’ll be fired.” said the sulky old man who happened to be Slash’s boss. What happened earlier wasn’t his fault at all. One of those wasted assholes decided to pick a fight with him, just because he thought it was Slash’s fault that his chicken was undercooked or if the sauce was too sweet. Slash wanted to say something back, or at least frown, but he stopped himself in the nick of time. He just sighed, got back to work, and prayed that he didn’t lose the rest of the day’s work because of an asshole.
The small restaurant where Slash worked was noisy and untidy, and because it was in an almost impoverished neighborhood south of the city, their patrons weren’t really well-behaved, and although Slash knew it, he sometimes couldn’t suppress his anger. It wasn’t the first time he faced a difficult customer, but his boss seemed to be waiting for an excuse to fire him, so he had to be careful from now on.
As Slash placed the ordered meal on a table near the entrance, the door opened and a red-haired man entered the place with two companions. Something was off about them and even Slash, a normal human could feel it. Slash couldn’t explain it for any logical reason, but they seemed to have an eerie aura around them. It was so creepy that people in the restaurant fell silent as those men were there to hurt someone, and minutes later it turned out that it was true.
Slash took his notebook out of his white shirt pocket and gulped audibly when he saw the red-haired man sitting at a table at the end of the restaurant next to his friends, who were laughing as if they had heard the funniest joke in the world. Damn, even their laughter sounded like a big brown bear roar. From that distance he could see their large white teeth and what was floating in the back of their throats. Seriously, why didn’t he quit his job? He’d rather be homeless with his boyfriend than dealing with these assholes and not getting paid enough for that.
Slash walked slowly toward their table and nervously cleared his throat.
“Hello sir, w-what would you like to order?” said the man with curly hair gently. The red-haired man put the menu back on the table and stared at Slash with a mischievous grin. “Do you guys serve cake too?”
“No sir, no cake for the dinner.” Slash tried so hard to stay calm, but the man seemed willing to test his patience.
“Oh yeah? Then what is it??” Suddenly he grabbed the waiter’s buttocks with his hand, making him flinch. I have to stay calm or I’ll lose the damn job, Slash thought. Yes, the man was assaulting him and it was way too much, but if Slash wanted to do anything to stop a powerful wizard like the red-haired man, he would either be fired or killed. How could he tell that the man was a wizard? Well, many signs indicated that he was no ordinary man. He had a shiny gold tattoo of a dragon on his neck and wore a blue bandana presumably to cover his third eye. Nobody dared to act like a powerful wizard, so Slash was convinced the redhead was a real one.
So Slash just grabbed the man’s wrist and carefully removed it from his butt. “Other customers are waiting, sir. So please tell me what you want to order.”
The redhead, as if he couldn’t hear him, simply pulled out a chair next to him and gestured to Slash to sit beside him. Slash frowned and clutched the notebook between his knuckles. “Nobody’s waiting for you, baby. Everyone’s enjoying the show for now. And for the record, I’m Axl. You don’t need to be formal, pretty face.”
Well, he was right. Slash felt that everyone in the restaurant looked at him as if he was an animal in a circus, and the red-haired man as a ringmaster. He hated the feeling. He always hated being the center of attention, especially when someone humiliated him like that. Slash was dying to punch that pretty face, he really wished he could.
“You’re in the wrong place, sir. We serve food here, it’s not a bakery nor a whorehouse.” The redhead’s friends also seemed to enjoy the show, because they burst out laughing after what they heard. Slash turned around to walk away and report the evil men to his boss, but a hand pulled his curly hair with a firm grip. He stifled his scream and backed away, unable to go any further, he raised his hand to ease the pain in his scalp.
“What the hell is wrong with you?! Let me go!” Slash was sure that his boss and the other employees were watching him, but he couldn’t understand why no one would try to help him or ban those bastards from the restaurant. Probably they were scared, but hell, his boss was also a wizard, so what the hell was he afraid of?
“Guys, his hair is real!” the redhead announced, and his friends laughed harder than before. Slash grabbed the man’s wrist to loosen the grip and when he failed, he thought of another way to free himself. He immediately put his foot up and trampled the redhead’s, making the wizard scream in pain and shove Slash away. “You son of a bitch!”
The redhead’s friends rose from their chairs and pointed their knives at Slash, who stood there dumbfounded and terrified. He wanted to move, wanted to run away and never come back, but his muscles were paralyzed by their power, and he couldn’t even move his eyeballs and look at someone other than the creepy ginger. He started to pant, wanted to scream for help or at least apologize for being rude and aggressive (even though he knew that he had the right to be like that). He just wanted to stay alive and employed.
The redhead stood right in front of Slash, looking him in the eye and grinning. The fear and frustration in the weak human’s eyes was so appealing for him that he could keep watching it for the rest of his life. But the wizard as if he wanted more, as if seeing him suffer wasn’t enough, raised his fist up and let it land on his perfect, beautiful face. It was like the blow had broken Slash’s spell, because he finally fell to the ground, and covered his bruised cheek with his palm.
“What’s wrong?” Yes, the old man finally got up the courage to come and check on the crazy customer. Slash was grateful, because he never expected his boss to come before his funeral.
“Nothing, I just taught him a lesson.” Said the redhead confidently.
“This motherfucker just punched me in the face!” Slash stood up on, pointing his index finger at his cheek. The old man bowed to the redhead with wide eyes, as if he were a god and the oldie had committed the worst sin.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Rose. All you had to do was telling me to stop him from bothering you.” The old man’s voice was shaking and Slash could see that he was pale as a paper. Yes, the “Mr. Rose” seemed to be a powerful wizard, but Slash could feel that wasn’t the only reason the guy seemed intimidating.
“What the hell, man? I was just getting his order! He bothered me!” Slash frowned as the redhead smirked. “What?! You already forgot about the cake thing, you horny bastard?” before he could utter another word, the old man backhanded him with his wrinkled shivering bony fingers.
“Shut your mouth! Someone like you shouldn’t dare to speak to Mr. Rose like that, you little piece of shit!”
Slash covered his bloody mouth with his palm and looked at his almost-ex-boss in disbelief. Yes, you heard right: ex-boss. Slash needed this job, he needed the money, but he felt like he couldn’t work there anymore. It wasn’t the first time that his boss had insulted him in front of his colleagues and even customers, but he never hit him nor let him get beaten. Wizards knew how normal humans were weak when it came to interacting with those powerful creatures, so his boss knew how vulnerable Slash had felt in front of the redhead and he still did nothing to protect him. It just made him feel like trash, like he didn’t worth more than a piece of shit just like what he said earlier.
That’s it. He’s had enough.
Slash angrily untied the knot of his apron, threw the notebook on the floor, and walked to the exit door without looking anyone in the face, even though he could feel everyone’s eyes on himself. “Fire me or even ban me from this shithole you call a restaurant, I’m out of here.”
He didn’t care about the curse words his former boss was yelling, or the evil blue eyes of that wealthy stranger who was there only there to make fun of Slash and make him jobless. He walked in the dark street, and let the cold breeze soothe his nerves, thinking about how in the world he had to find another job since duff couldn’t work yet.
Except for that, there was one more thing that made Slash’s stomach twist just thinking about it. Before he was about to leave the restaurant, the redhead had mouthed a silent “see ya” toward Slash, winking meaningfully. Slash didn’t want to think about it anymore, wanted to forget about all that happened, just go back home and melt into his boyfriend’s hug.
It was midnight, and Slash woke up feeling a heavy weight on his chest, making it hard to breath. His eyes were wide open, and his lips quivered with fear as he couldn’t move a muscle no matter how hard he tried. And worst of all, he knew the reason for all this. It was his ex-boss’s landlord, Mr. Axl fucking Rose sitting on his torso, grabbing Slash’s wrist with one hand, kipping the curly-haired man’s arms above his head.
What was he doing in their house, and how did he break in? Slash didn’t have a clue. It was probably the easiest thing for a wizard to do, but Slash’s mind was so filled with fear that he couldn’t comprehend it. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Duff’s motionless body next to him and he really, really wanted to scream the blond man’s name to wake him up, but his vocal cords were rendered useless by the spell.
Axl clearly enjoyed seeing the fear and helplessness in Slash’s eyes. The wizard’s eyes were glistening with mischief and he was looking him in the eye like a wild beast looking at its prey. He leaned forward to press his cold lips against Slash’s earlobe, sending shivers down his spine. “Why do you act like you don’t like feeling my body on yours? Or maybe you’re just desperate for more?”
Slash wanted to cry and beg him to stop whatever the hell he was doing, but it was a nightmare, wasn’t it? So all he had to do was wait for Duff to wake him up, give him a hug, and wipe his tears with those beautiful slander fingers. After all, it was Duff’s job to put an end to his miseries as his lover.
Axl could feel Slash’s body tense, but heedless of his discomfort, he lowered his lips to Slash’s neck and sank his teeth in its tender skin, so fiercely that he could taste the man’s blood. Slash closed his eyes in pain, his throat sore from the muffled screams he couldn’t let out. Why are you doing this? Please, leave me alone.
“Your blood is so delicious, darling. Why do you have to be so stingy?” Axl was acting like a vampire thirsty for blood, but Slash didn’t understand the point, as he was convinced that wizards couldn’t drink human blood. Axl’s lips kept wandering on his skin, slipping toward his collarbone. His hands were playing with Slash’s erect nipples beneath his t-shirt and his teeth were nibbling on his protruding clavicle. “But don’t worry, I’ll make you offer it by your own will.”
Just when Slash thought that he couldn’t feel more scared, Axl’s blue eyes turned red, revealing his sharp fangs as he grinned maniacally. And when he gripped Slash’s bruised neck to sink his fangs in it, he woke up with a loud scream.
“Slash! Wake up!” Slash couldn’t see Duff’s face when he opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, his breathing was ragged, and he was shaking all over as if he had been thrown into a pool full of ice. Suddenly a slim arm was wrapped around his trembling body, and Slash felt warm and safe in Duff’s embrace. Slash knew that it was hard for his boyfriend to hug him only with one hand, since his left hand was broken and still covered with chalk and bandage. “Calm down, baby. You’re safe with me.”
Slash couldn’t hold back his tears anymore, sobbing uncontrollably. The crying man knew that he was overreacting, because it was just a nightmare he had, probably just because of distress he’d gone through in the restaurant. Yes, it was definitely a nightmare, but it was so vivid that Slash still couldn’t believe that wasn’t real. Duff stayed silent and rubbed Slash’s back with soothing moves, in a vain attempt to help him calm down.
Duff wiped his wet cheek with his thumb, as Slash’s sobs turned into silent tears. “Are you feeling better now?”
Slash nodded, trying to ignore the awful feeling in his stomach, not used to have a mental break down like that in front of Duff. Usually Duff has had a gloomy personality, especially after he broke his arm, couldn’t play his bass and was kicked out of his band. “I had a bad day. So bad that I can’t get the memory out of my head even when I sleep.”
“Do you want to tell me what happened?”
Yes. Slash really wanted to tell him everything, but it had no result other than upsetting Duff and making him fret for him like a mother hen. So he just decided to make it brief, but honest. “I lost my job.”
Slash’s heart sank as he heard Duff’s breath hitch in his throat.
“Why?”
My boss hit me and I was harassed by a fucking wizard.
“It doesn’t matter anymore, does it?”
Duff withdrew his arm from Slash’s body and sat upright, holding his injured hand in his lap. Slash swallowed his saliva uncomfortably at the sight. Duff was drowning in his thoughts again, and Slash began to feel guilty about quitting his job, which would likely get him fired in a few days even if he stayed. He put his hand on Duff’s shoulder and rubbed it to sooth him. “Please, don’t be like this.”
“Like what?”
Duff’s cold tone brought back the tears in Slash’s eyes. “Like… like down in the mouth. I… I’m still working in the guitar shop and… I’ll find another job, I promise.”
“Yeah, everybody out there are bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to hire someone like you.” Slash drew his hand away and stared at Duff’s cold eyes. Don’t blame him for his boldness. He’s just… worried. Slash tried his best not to get upset, but he couldn’t ignore his heartbreak. So he got up from their bed to leave the room and drink a glass of water to calm himself down, but his wrist got caught in Duff’s sweaty fingers.
“I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean it…” Duff whispered, looking at him with so much regret and guilt.
Slash nodded with a faint smile and silently left the room. He went into their small kitchen, poured a glass of water, sat down at the wooden dining table, and thought about how life had given him hard times lately.
Two weeks ago, he was happy playing as lead guitarist Saul Hudson in a local boy band with his boyfriend who happened to be the band’s bassist. Duff worked as a bartender at a bar, and Slash worked at a nearby guitar shop where Duff worked. They felt happy and satisfied with life, because they had everything they wanted. They weren’t too rich and it wasn’t like everyone in the city knew about their band, but they had enough money to live on, and they loved each other so much that anyone could envy them.
All was well and happy, but one day a simple car accident turned their life upside down. The fact that doctors said Duff would not be able to use his arms to play bass without taking proper physical therapy sessions shattered the glassy castle of his mind, and Slash couldn’t rebuild it, no matter how hard he tried. Physical therapy was expensive for them, and Duff wasn’t able to work until his recovery, but Slash didn’t care. He would work for them both, and he did. And still, it didn’t seem to improve Duff’s mood and view on life, which made Slash even more exhausted.
Duff was kicked out of the band, and Slash left only because his band mates hired another bassist without consulting them first. Plus he didn’t have any free time anymore, because he had to work every day from 8 am till 9 pm and also had to take care of his injured boyfriend. Despite doing everything for Duff to make him happy, the blond man seemed to have lost his love for Slash and his will to live.
I know he hasn’t lost his love for me, it’s just his depression.
Slash sighed and decided to go back to their room. It was around 4 am, as the clock on the wall showed him, so he had about 2 more hours to sleep.
“Slash! Slash! Come here!”
Duff’s horrified scream jolted Slash and made him run toward the bedroom.
“What happened?!”
“Come here!”
Duff was in the bathroom, so Slash rushed in there. The blond man was kneeling down on the ground, and there was their cat, Billy, lying on the ground in a puddle of his own blood and vomit. Slash’s jaw dropped at the sight and his heart sank. His 5-year-old kitty Duff gave him as a birthday gift, was now staring at him with his lifeless eyes. He knelt next to Duff, simply because his feet could no longer support his weight.
“We… we should take him to-”
“He’s dead…”
“Oh God…”
Slash covered his mouth with one hand and closed his eyes to let his tears fall down. Duff watched him cry for a few seconds, then he stood up to leave the bathroom, and came back with a garbage bag in his hand.
“What do you want to do?!” Slash stared at him in disbelief.
Duff pointed at the garbage bag with his head. “Can’t you see? I want to get rid of it and clean the bathroom. I can’t do it with only one hand, so please help me.”
Slash stood up and pulled the bag out of Duff’s hand. “It’s not garbage, Duff! It’s our cat! What’s wrong with you?!”
Duff glared at him in such frustration and anger that Slash’s chest tightened. “Yes, it WAS our cat and you know what, Slash? He’s so happy to be dead right now, because his daddies couldn’t afford taking care of him anymore! He’s so happy for not being a burden on your shoulders! I really envy him!”
At first, Slash was mad at Duff for being so heartless and mean, but after hearing his last words, he really didn’t know how to feel. The sorrow and despair in Duff’s eyes slanted toward Slash’s heart, making him burst into crying and hug the tall man, after understanding that he wasn’t actually talking about the cat. The curly-haired man pressed his head on Duff’s chest to hear his heart race like crazy.
“Stop it… Duff… please… you shouldn’t feel that way…”
Duff put his healthy hand on Slash’s back and sank his nose into his boyfriend’s curls, eyes closed. “I’m so sorry Saul… I really am…”
Duff probably didn’t even know what exactly he was sorry for. For acting like an asshole, ignoring the only man he had left in his life? For not being able to work, or making Slash leave their band?
“You don’t have to be… we’ll get over it… I promise.” Slash continued after a sigh “I don’t care about those fuckers who kicked us out of their band, we’ll make a better one when you recover.”
Duff smiled faintly at the thought of that. Slash was such a dreamer. “But we don’t have a drummer nor a singer.”
Slash started caressing Duff’s back. “Don’t worry about that, we’ll figure it out.”
Slash was usually faithful to his promises, so Duff believed his words. There was no other rope to cling on.
<Sell your precious blood to save lives!>
Slash stared at the flier that had fallen out of the customer’s purse. It was an ad for a company that harvests human blood and sells it to vampires, so that those weird creatures don’t haunt people to quench their thirst.
“Hey, what is it?” Guitar shop owner, Izzy, snatched the flier from Slash’s hand, with a cigarette between his thin lips. He looked at the piece of paper with narrowed eyes, and shook his head, smirking. “Bullshit.”
“Why? They pay good money.” Slash muttered.
Izzy tore the paper and threw it in the trash can. “Not worth it. No wise human wants anything to do with vamps in any way.”
“But-”
Izzy stared at him sternly. “Slash, trust me. I’m a human-vampire hybrid and I know both species, you’d stay away from those motherfuckers if you knew how nasty they are.”
“But I work with you, and you’re nice.” Slash insisted.
Izzy sighed. “Like I said, I’m half human, so…” He knew that Slash was dealing with financial problems, therefor he didn’t blame him, but as he said, he knew his kind. Vampires had the ability to destroy human’s life, especially a powerless human like Slash. If he was a wizard or at least a half-wizard, they could talk about it. Izzy liked Slash, he was a good co-worker and friend, and he didn’t want him to get into trouble with those bloodsuckers.
“Okay. I’m giving up. You won.” These were the not-so-hearty words said by Slash, because he couldn’t get that ad out of his head even after his shift was over. After a week without another job, he was sitting at the bus station, waiting for a bus with no exact destination in mind.
Slash could sell his worthless blood to that company and make some easy money, if just Izzy would let him, but every time he wanted to take the paper out of that dirty trash can, the dark-haired man would made sure that Slash couldn’t reach his hand to it.
If he wasn’t my boss…
“How much?”
Slash raised his head to see a blonde stranger sitting next to him on the dusty old bench of the bus station. He was about as tall as Duff, and even kind of resembled him, and Slash was too drown in his thoughts to notice his presence at first.
“Excuse me?”
“I said how much?!” he sounded impatient and annoyed, like he expected that Slash knew what he was talking about.
“For what?” Slash’s voice was trembling because of the cold breeze, his thin jacket couldn’t keep him warm. Has he mistaken me for a drug dealer?
“Why are you acting so dumb?!” the blond man suddenly showed his sharp fangs to Slash and rolled his eyes after seeing his fearful expression. “Hey, I don’t want to kill you, just let me drink a little of that delicious blood, I swear I’ll pay the full price.”
So he just want a blood whore. Isn’t it what Izzy asked me to avoid?
“100 bucks.” Fuck Izzy.
The man’s eyes widened. “Who do you think you are? You ain’t no noble or something!”
“Yeah, Slash. You’re a cheap ass whore. Don’t worth that much.”
The blond man turned his head to see who was speaking. He saw the most powerful wizard-vampire hybrid in the city, so he immediately stood up and ran away, his face as pale as a paper, leaving Slash dumbfounded and scared at the same time.
“Hello again.”