No Hole in Earth Can Hide This Embarrassment

Saturday came faster than Akira expected.

He’d been thinking about the mansion more than he should. About Mio’s small smile when he’d said scared people just need a reason to be brave. About the way she’d opened her curtains, just a crack.

About the fact that he was becoming… invested. In a way that had nothing to do with the money.

That was dangerous.

But he showed up anyway. 2 PM. Punctual as always.

-----

Mio’s room felt different today. Or maybe she felt different. She had her clipboard, her supplies, everything ready as usual. But she was fidgeting more than normal. Kept opening her mouth like she wanted to say something, then closing it again.

The session started normally enough. Blood pressure check. Consent confirmation. She held his arm, prepared to bite.

Then stopped.

“Is something wrong?” Akira asked.

“No! I mean...not wrong, just…” She pulled back, wringing her hands. “I wanted to ask something.”

“Okay.”

“But it’s. Um. It might be inappropriate?”

Akira switched into what he privately thought of as customer service mode. The bland professional smile he used with difficult clients at work. “What can I help you with today?”

Mio looked at him, then away, then at her hands. “The neck. I’d like to. If you’re willing. Drink from your neck instead of your arm.”

Akira’s customer service smile froze.

The neck. Right. The place she’d bitten during the game rage incident. Where it had felt… different. More intimate. More…

“It tastes better there,” Mio continued, still not looking at him. “The blood is. Um. Richer? Closer to the source. But I understand if that’s too much! We can keep doing the arm! That’s fine! Completely fine! I shouldn’t have asked…”

“It’s fine,” Akira heard himself say.

Mio’s head snapped up. “Really?”

No. Not really. The neck was definitely more intimate. More vulnerable. More… everything. But he couldn’t lose this client. Couldn’t lose this income.

“Really,” he said, maintaining the customer service smile. “Whatever works best for you.”

Something flickered across Mio’s face. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“You’re lying.”

Akira’s smile didn’t waver. “I’m not…”

“That smile. It’s fake. You do it when you’re uncomfortable but try to be polite.” She pulled her knees to her chest, making herself smaller. “I won’t do it if you don’t want me to. I’d never force you into something that makes you uncomfortable.”

The sincerity in her voice cracked something in Akira’s chest.

He dropped the smile. “I will do it. I’m just… adjusting to the idea.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” He paused, then decided on honesty. “The money helps. I can’t afford to lose this arrangement.”

“Oh.” Mio looked stricken. “I’m not…you don’t have to worry about that. Even if you say no to the neck, I wouldn’t…I’d still want to…” She was turning red. “Your blood is good regardless of where I drink it from.”

Despite himself, Akira smiled. A real one this time. “I know. But I’m saying yes. Really.”

She studied his face for a long moment. Then nodded. “Okay. But if you change your mind at any point, just say so.”

“I will.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

-----

The positioning was… awkward.

Mio sat on her bed, gesturing for Akira to sit beside her. Then she realized that angle wouldn’t work. Tried having him sit on her gaming chair while she stood. Too high. Tried having him stand while she stood on her desk chair.

“This is ridiculous,” she muttered, climbing down.

“Maybe if I sit on the bed and you…”

“Yes! Okay. You sit. I’ll just…” She made a vague gesture.

Akira sat on the edge of her bed. Mio approached, then hesitated. Circled to his other side. Hesitated again.

“This is more complicated than I thought,” she admitted.

“Take your time.”

She finally settled on kneeling on the bed beside him, one hand on his shoulder for balance. But the angle was still wrong. She leaned in, lost her balance slightly, grabbed his other shoulder.

“Sorry…”

“It’s fine…”

She tried to adjust, he turned to help, and suddenly she was pitching forward and he was catching her and they were falling backward onto the bed in a tangle of limbs and…

Their lips touched.

Just for a second. Barely a brush. An accident.

They froze.

Mio was on top of him, hands braced on either side of his head, her face inches from his. Her eyes were wide with shock. Her lips were parted slightly.

Akira’s brain had completely stopped working.

“I…” Mio started.

“That was…” Akira tried.

They stared at each other.

Mio’s face was turning progressively redder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…that was an accident…I wasn’t trying to…”

“I know.”

“It doesn’t count as step one, right? Because it was an accident? Reina said…”

“Step one?”

“Nothing! Forget I said anything!” She tried to push herself up.

“Wait.” Akira caught her wrist without thinking. “You’re already… in position. For the neck. If you still want to.”

Mio looked down at him. At their position, her straddling his waist, him lying beneath her on the bed. “This is. Um. This is very.”

“Intimate?”

“Yes.” She swallowed. “Is that okay?”

The hypnosis hadn’t even activated yet and Akira already felt dizzy. “Yeah. It’s okay.”

“Okay.” She took a shaky breath. “Okay. I’m going to. Now. If that’s…”

“Mio.”

“Yes?”

“You can do it.”

She nodded. Leaned down slowly, carefully. Her hair fell around them like a curtain, blocking out the rest of the room. It was just the two of them in this small space, breathing the same air.

“Tell me if anything feels wrong,” she whispered.

Then her lips touched his neck.

Not her fangs yet. Just her mouth, soft and careful, finding the right spot. Akira’s hands clenched in the sheets.

When her fangs finally pierced skin, the sensation was completely different from the arm.

Sharp, yes. But then…

The hypnosis bloomed through him like warmth in his veins. But it was more than that. The intimacy of the position, the weight of her on top of him, the soft sound she made against his throat…

This wasn’t clinical. This wasn’t professional.

This was something else entirely.

Mio drank slowly, carefully. One hand curled in his shirt for balance. Her body pressed along the length of his. Every breath she took, he felt.

When she finally pulled back, she stayed where she was for a moment. Looking down at him. Her eyes were unfocused, pupils dilated. A drop of his blood on her lower lip.

“That was,” she breathed.

“Yeah,” Akira managed.

She blinked. Seemed to come back to herself. “Oh. Right. Aftercare.” She climbed off him quickly, nearly falling again. Grabbed her supplies with shaking hands. “Let me just…”

She pressed gauze to his neck. Her fingers trembled slightly.

“Are you okay?” Akira asked.

“I’m fine! Totally fine! That was just. Very. Good. Your blood. From the neck. Very good quality. Rich. Like I said. Very….I’m going to stop talking now.”

She applied the bandage with more focus than necessary. These had tiny bats wearing hearts. Where did she keep getting these?

“I’ll get your payment,” she said, not quite meeting his eyes. “And food. You should eat. I’ll just. Be right back.”

She practically fled the room.

Akira lay there for a moment, staring at the ceiling.

Then he tried to sit up.

And immediately realized he had a problem.

A very obvious, very embarrassing problem.

No. No no no. Not now.

He looked down. Yes. Definitely a problem. The kind of problem that made getting up and walking around absolutely impossible.

This is fine. Just wait it out. Think about taxes. Paperwork. Your landlord’s face. Anything else.

The door opened. Reina walked in.

Took one look at him.

Smiled.

Not the usual dramatic smile. A knowing, absolutely evil smile.

“Oh my,” she said softly.

Akira grabbed the nearest pillow, shoved it over his lap. “Don’t.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.” Reina turned toward the door. “Mio! Momo! Come here for a moment!”

“What are you—NO—”

Mio appeared, arms full of payment envelope and snack bags. “What’s…”

Momo followed, bubble tea in hand. “What’s the emergency?” She stopped. Looked at Akira. At the pillow. Started grinning.

“What’s wrong?” Mio asked, setting down the bags.

“Nothing!” Akira said quickly.

“Akira-san needs some privacy,” Reina said smoothly. “For post-feeding recovery. Very normal. But I need to have a private discussion with him about… aftercare protocols.”

Mio frowned. “I already did aftercare.”

“Extended aftercare. Medical discussion. Very technical.” Reina shooed them toward the door. “Give us fifteen minutes.”

“But…” Mio started.

“Boss, just let Reina do her thing,” Momo said, smirking. “I’m sure it’s very important medical stuff.”

She grabbed Mio’s arm and pulled her out. The door closed.

Akira stared at Reina. “I hate you.”

Reina held it together for exactly three seconds.

Then burst out laughing.

Not elegant, controlled laughter. Full, gasping, tears-streaming-down-her-face laughter. She clutched the desk for support.

“I’m…” They couldn’t even get words out. “You…” More laughter. “The PILLOW…”

“Are you done?”

“Not…not even close…” Reina wiped her eyes. “Oh my god. Mio would be thrilled to see this.”

Akira’s face burned. “She’s NOT going to see this.”

“No, you’re right. She’s not.” Reina finally composed themselves, sitting in Mio’s gaming chair. “Because while our dear coven lord would be absolutely delighted to know you’re this attracted to her, she’s not ready for what comes after that knowledge.”

“I’m not…it’s just a physical…”

“Oh, it’s physical alright.” Reina crossed her legs. “Very enthusiastically physical.”

“This is a normal biological response…”

“To having a beautiful woman on top of you, drinking your blood, pressed against you in the most intimate feeding position possible?” Reina’s smile was sharp. “Yes. Quite normal. Also quite telling.”

Akira said nothing.

“Let me be clear about something,” Reina continued. “Mio likes you.”

“I…”

“Everyone can see it. The giggling? The blushing? She walked out of here looking absolutely dazed and happy.” Reina leaned forward. “She has a crush. A very obvious, very earnest crush. Her first one, actually.”

The weight of that settled on Akira’s shoulders.

“And you,” Reina gestured to the pillow, “clearly are responsive to her as well.”

“It’s just…”

“Physical? Perhaps. But it won’t stay that way.” Reina pulled out her phone, showed him a note. “Which is why we need to discuss proper progression.”

Akira looked at the screen. “REINA’S RELATIONSHIP PROGRESSION GUIDE” followed by numbered steps.

“You’ve made a chart…”

“Step one: Hand holding. Step two: Hugging. Step three: Kissing, intentional, not accidental. Step four: Intimate touching. Step five: Full intercourse.” Reina looked up. “You’re currently hovering dangerously between step one and four, which is a problem.”

“This is insane.”

“This is protecting Mio.” Reina’s expression hardened. “She’s innocent. Not literally, she’s three hundred years old. But emotionally? Romantically? She’s never done this before. Never wanted to before. You’re her first… everything.”

Akira absorbed that.

“So here’s the rule,” Reina said. “You don’t skip steps. You don’t rush her. And you absolutely do not let her see your ‘enthusiasm’ until she’s ready for that level of intimacy. Which she is NOT. Not yet.”

“I wasn’t planning to…”

“Good.” Reina stood. “Because Mio is the type who would see that…” They pointed at the pillow. “...and immediately wanted to help. To please. To make you feel good. Because she likes you and she’s earnest and she doesn’t understand that she’s not ready for the emotional aftermath of that level of physical intimacy.”

“I understand.”

“Do you?” Reina walked to the door. “She deserves someone who will be patient. Who will let her set the pace. Who won’t take advantage of her inexperience or her feelings.” They looked back. “Can you be that person?”

“Yes.”

“Then we won’t have a problem.” Reina’s expression softened slightly. “One more thing. That crush? It’s only going to get stronger. Especially after today. So you need to decide; are you in this as a client, or as something more?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“Then figure it out. Before you break her heart.” Reina opened the door. “You have five minutes to… compose yourself. Then she’s coming back to say goodbye.”

They left.

Akira sat there, waiting for his body to cooperate.

This was supposed to be simple. Blood for money. Professional.

When had it gotten so complicated?

-----

By the time Mio returned, Akira had managed to get himself under control. Mostly.

She was waiting by the door, still slightly pink-cheeked.

“Reina said you’re okay? That the talk was helpful?”

“Very… educational,” Akira said.

“Good.” She handed him the payment envelope. Heavier than usual. “I added extra. For the neck. Since it’s more intimate. You should be compensated accordingly.”

“You don’t have to…”

“I want to.” She smiled, small and shy. “Thank you. For today. For saying yes to the neck. I know it was probably uncomfortable.”

“It wasn’t,” Akira said honestly.

Her smile grew. “Really?”

“Really.”

They stood there, neither quite wanting to leave this moment.

“Same time next week?” Mio asked.

“Yeah. Same time.”

“Okay. Good.” She fidgeted with her hoodie sleeves. “Um. Akira-san?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you. For being patient with me. For not… making me feel weird. About any of this.”

“You’re not weird.”

“I’m a three-hundred-year-old vampire who’s never had a crush before and doesn’t know how to act around the person she…” She stopped abruptly. “I’m going to stop talking now.”

Akira’s heart did a flip in his chest.

“Goodnight, Mio.”

“Goodnight.”

He left before he could do something stupid like ask what she was going to say.

-----

In his apartment, Akira sat on his couch, staring at the payment envelope.

She has a crush on you.

Her first one.

You need to decide: client or something more?

He touched the bandage on his neck. Tiny bats wearing hearts.

This was definitely not simple anymore.

-----

In her room, Mio lay face-down on her bed, screaming into her pillow.

She’d almost told him. Almost said it out loud.

The person she likes.

Her phone buzzed. A message from Reina: You did well today. But remember, slow and steady.

Another from Momo: boss is in loooooove 💕

Mio threw her phone across the room.

Then retrieved it and looked at her contacts.

AKIRA

She typed: Thank you again for today.

Deleted it. She’d already thanked him.

Typed: I really like you.

Deleted it immediately. Too much. Way too much.

Typed: Goodnight.

Stared at it.

Deleted it.

Put the phone down.

Pulled her blanket over her head and tried not to think about how warm he’d been beneath her, how his hands had felt clenching the sheets, how he’d looked at her after she’d pulled away.

She was in so much trouble.