The Alone Time

Not for blood. They'd agreed that dates didn't require the feeding sessions. Those could happen separately, on their own schedule. Tonight was just about spending time together.

Reina answered the door with a knowing smile. "She's been cleaning her room for two hours. Fair warning."

"Cleaning?"

"You're a guest now. Not just a client. Standards have been raised." She gestured upstairs. "She's in the living room. We'll be in our rooms. With headphones. Very loud headphones."

"That's... concerning."

"You're dating a vampire who hasn't dated anyone in three centuries. Everything is concerning." Reina patted his shoulder. "Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"What wouldn't you do?"

"Exactly." They glided away.

Mio was on the couch, laptop open, three different snack bowls arranged on the coffee table. She'd changed clothes, still a hoodie, but a clean one. Her hair was brushed.

She looked up when he entered. Smiled. "Hi."

"Hi."

They stared at each other for a moment, suddenly shy.

"I ordered snacks," Mio said. "In case you got hungry. And I set up a movie. You can pick. Or we don't have to watch movies. We could play games? Or just talk? Or…"

Akira crossed the room and kissed her.

She made a small, surprised sound, then melted into it.

"Hi," he said again when they pulled apart.

"Hi," she breathed, smiling.

They settled on the couch. Put on a movie, some action thing neither of them really cared about. Sat close, hands linked, shoulders touching.

It was nice. Simple. Normal.

For about twenty minutes.

The movie played. Akira wasn't watching. He was hyperaware of Mio beside him. The way she leaned into him. The way her thumb traced circles on his hand.

She turned to look at him. "You're not watching."

"Neither are you."

"I was watching you not watching."

"That's creepy."

"I'm a vampire. It's on brand." She shifted closer. "Can I kiss you?"

"You don't have to ask."

"I want to. Consent is important."

He cupped her face. "Then yes. You can kiss me."

She did.

Soft at first. Testing. Then deeper when he responded. Her hand came up to his chest, fingers curling in his shirt.

The movie faded to background noise.

Mio shifted, rising onto her knees to get a better angle. Akira's hands found her waist, steadying her. She made a small sound of approval.

When they broke apart for air, her pupils were dilated. Her breathing quick.

"Can we keep going?" she asked.

"How far?"

"I don't know. Farther?"

"Okay."

She climbed into his lap, less awkward than the first time, more confident. Kissed him again, harder. Her hands tangled in his hair.

Akira's grip on her waist tightened. Pulled her closer. She rocked against him slightly and…

Oh no.

Not now. Not again.

Taxes. Spreadsheets. His landlord's terrible combover.

Mio pulled back slightly, breathless. "Is this okay?"

"Very okay."

"Good. Because I really like…"

Glass shattered.

Reina came through the window. Actually through it. Glass exploding inward, her form silhouetted dramatically against the night.

"CODE RED!" they announced.

The wall rippled. Momo phased through, phone in hand like she was filming.

"STEP AWAY FROM THE HUMAN!"

Akira and Mio froze. Mio was still in his lap. His hands still on her waist. Both of them were staring at the dramatic vampire rescue squad that had just destroyed a perfectly good window.

"What," Akira said flatly, "the hell."

"Protecting our investment," Reina said, brushing glass off their shoulders. "You were at step four point eight. Dangerously close to step five."

"We DISCUSSED the rules!" Momo added, circling them like a tiny, judgmental shark.

Mio's face went through several colors. Shock. Embarrassment. Then…

Red.

Pure, furious red.

"GET OUT!" she shrieked.

"Mio, we're just concerned…"

"I'M THREE HUNDRED YEARS OLD!"

"Emotionally you're twelve when it comes to romance…"

"I DON'T CARE!" Mio scrambled off Akira's lap, whirled on them. "I'm not a CHILD! I'm not a FLEDGLING! I can make my own decisions about my own relationship!"

"We just want to make sure…"

"I DON'T NEED YOU TO MAKE SURE!" Her voice hit a pitch that made the windows rattle. "You're SPYING on me! There's no PRIVACY in this house!"

"Boss, we're just trying to protect…"

"I don't need protection! I need you to LEAVE ME ALONE!" Mio was shaking now, furious and mortified. "I'm ready for adult things! For ALL the adult things! For Akira's wood! ANY TIME!"

Silence.

Complete, absolute silence.

Momo's mouth fell open.

Reina blinked. Once. Twice.

Mio's brain clearly caught up to her mouth.

"I…that's not…I didn't mean…"

"Did Boss just say 'wood'?" Momo whispered.

Mio turned a color that shouldn't be possible on a vampire. Made a sound like a kettle boiling over.

Then fled.

Ran straight to her room. The door slammed so hard the frame cracked.

The three of them stood in the destroyed living room.

"Well," Reina said eventually. "That could have gone better."

Akira sat on the couch, head in his hands.

"We should go," Momo said, for once not smiling.

"Indeed." Reina headed for the door. Paused. "Do try to salvage this. She's mortified, but she does like you."

"I noticed."

They left.

Akira sat in the silence. Stared at the broken window. Then stood up. Walked to Mio's door.

Knocked. "Mio?"

Muffled from inside: "Go away!"

"Can we talk?"

"I'm mortified!"

"So am I. Can I come in?"

Long pause.

The door cracked open. One red eye visible.

"I can't believe I said that out loud," she whispered.

"It's okay."

"It's NOT."

"Can I come in?"

The door opened wider.

Mio's room was dark except for the glow of her monitors. She sat on her bed, blanket wrapped around her shoulders like armor.

Akira sat beside her. "You don't have to be embarrassed."

"I yelled about your wood in front of everyone."

"Yeah. You did."

"How can you be so calm about this?!"

"Because it's kind of funny?"

She made a strangled sound. "It's NOT funny. It's mortifying."

"You were defending yourself. Standing up for what you want. That's brave."

"I wasn't being brave. I was panicking!" She pulled the blanket tighter. "And that was the first thing my brain came up with because Reina kept mentioning it and I've been thinking about it…" She stopped abruptly.

"You've been thinking about it?"

Her face went red. "I…maybe. A little."

"How much is a little?"

"...A lot." She pulled the blanket over her face. "I've been researching."

"Researching."

"Human anatomy. Arousal responses. Sexual physiology." Her voice was muffled under the blanket. "I understand the biological mechanics. I know what an erection is. How it works. Why it happens."

Akira blinked. "You... researched my erections?"

"Not YOUR erections specifically! Just erections in general! The physiological process of—" She emerged from the blanket. "I wanted to understand what was happening. Why you kept getting embarrassed. What it meant."

"And what did you learn?"

"That it's increased blood flow to the corpus cavernosum causing tumescence, typically in response to sexual arousal stimuli." She said it like she was reading from a textbook. Then, quieter: "That it means you're attracted to me."

"I could have just told you that."

"I wanted to understand it properly first. Before asking." She fidgeted with the blanket edge. "I understand the biology. But I don't understand the... social part. The relationship part. What I'm supposed to do about it."

Akira rubbed his face. "You're not supposed to DO anything about it."

"But if you're experiencing arousal and I'm the cause, shouldn't I…"

"No."

"But…"

"Mio." He looked at her. "Just because I'm aroused doesn't mean you have to do anything. That's my problem to deal with."

"But I want to help."

"You help by being patient with me while I deal with it."

She frowned, processing. "So even though the biological response indicates sexual interest, the social expectation is to... ignore it?"

"In most situations, yes."

"That seems inefficient."

"Welcome to human social interaction."

Mio absorbed this. "What about in a relationship? Are the rules different?"

"Somewhat. But there's still no obligation."

"But if I wanted to... address it? Would that be acceptable?"

Akira's brain short-circuited. "We're not having this conversation."

"Why not? I'm trying to understand the social parameters…"

"Because you're talking about my dick like it's a science experiment."

"I'm trying to be mature about this!"

"You're being TOO mature! It's disturbing!"

Mio stared at him. "You're embarrassed."

"Of course I'm embarrassed!"

"Why? It's just biology. Blood flow and nerve responses and…"

"It's not JUST biology when we're talking about MY body and YOUR curiosity about it!"

"Oh." She tilted her head. "Does it bother you? That I researched it?"

"It's... weird. But also kind of flattering? I don't know. I'm very confused right now."

A small smile tugged at her lips. "You're cute when you're flustered."

"I'm not cute. I'm mortified."

"You're both." She shifted closer. "Can I ask you something?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really." She took a breath. "When it happens…the arousal…what do you think about? Do you think about me?"

Akira covered his face. "Oh my god."

"I'm genuinely curious! The research said arousal can be triggered by visual, tactile, or psychological stimuli…"

"Mio."

"...and I want to know if it's primarily physical proximity or if you're having specific thoughts about…"

"All of the above. Happy?"

She brightened. "So you DO think about me?"

"Yes. Obviously. Can we please change the subject?"

"What do you think about?"

"I'm not answering that."

"Is it sexual thoughts? The research mentioned fantasy as a common component of arousal…"

"Mio."

She laughed, delighted by his mortification. "I'm sorry. I'll stop."

"Thank you."

"But just to clarify…"

"No."

"...the thoughts are sexual in nature?"

"I hate you."

"You like me."

"Unfortunately."

She grinned, then shifted position. Moved to sit directly in front of him. Looked down.

At his lap.

"Mio, what are you…"

"I wanted to see if discussing it would cause the physiological response." She tilted her head, studying him with scientific interest. "Interesting. So verbal stimuli combined with proximity can…"

"Stop. Analyzing. My dick."

"I'm being observational!"

"You're being WEIRD."

"I'm a three-hundred-year-old vampire who's never dated anyone. Weird is expected." She looked up at him, serious now. "Does it really bother you? That I'm curious?"

Akira sighed. "No. It's just... most people don't approach attraction like a research project."

"I'm not most people."

"I've noticed."

"And I don't understand social rules. I understand facts. Data. Cause and effect." She fidgeted. "So I researched. To understand what was happening between us."

"And what did you conclude?"

"That you're attracted to me. That your body responds to my presence. That this is normal and healthy." She paused. "And that I like knowing I affect you that way."

"You... like it?"

"Of course. It means you want me." She said it matter-of-factly, like it was obvious. "The biological response indicates genuine attraction, not just tolerance of my presence."

"I'm definitely not just tolerating your presence."

"Good." She smiled. Then, with zero warning, looked down at his lap again and said, very seriously: "Hello, Akira's penis. Thank you for indicating his attraction to me. You're very communicative."

Akira made a sound like a dying animal. "Did you just TALK TO IT?!"

"I was being polite!"

"TO MY DICK?!"

"It's part of you! If I'm in a relationship with you, I should acknowledge all of you…"

"DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE MY DICK."

"But…"

"Mio. Please. I'm begging you. Do not have conversations with my genitals."

She looked genuinely confused. "Why not? You talk to my fangs."

"I DO NOT…" He stopped. "When have I ever talked to your fangs?!"

"You said you liked them. During our first date."

"That's different!"

"How?"

"Because…" He didn't have a good answer. "It just is!"

Mio studied him for a long moment. Then smiled, mischievous. "You're very embarrassed."

"You TALKED TO MY DICK."

"And you're adorable when you're flustered." She leaned in, kissed his cheek. "Thank you for being patient with me."

"I don't think I'm being patient. I think I'm in shock."

"That too." She settled back beside him, took his hand. "I know I'm strange. That I approach things differently. But I want to understand everything about you. Even the parts that make you uncomfortable to discuss."

"There's a difference between discussing and... whatever that was."

"Direct observation?"

"Insanity."

She laughed. "Maybe. But you like me anyway."

"Against my better judgment."

"Good." She squeezed his hand. "So. Are we okay? Even after I yelled about your wood and then talked to it?"

"We're okay." He squeezed back. "Though for the record, please don't make a habit of the talking thing."

"What if I have questions for it?"

"Ask ME the questions."

"But direct consultation would be more efficient…"

"Mio."

"Fine, fine." She was grinning now. "I'll restrain myself."

"Thank you."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment.

"Can I still ask YOU questions though?" Mio said. "About the... physical aspects of our relationship?"

"Yes. But maybe space them out. I can only handle so much mortification per day."

"That's fair." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Thank you. For not running away. Most people would have run away by now."

"I've considered it."

"But you stayed."

"But I stayed."

"Why?"

"Because you're weird and curious and honest and I really, really like you."

She smiled against his shoulder. "I really like you too. Even though you won't let me talk to your penis."

"That's the deal-breaker, huh?"

"I'll learn to live with it."

When Akira finally left, after promising to return soon for an actual, interruption-free date, Mio walked him to the door.

"I'm sorry about tonight," she said. "The yelling. The... everything."

"Don't be. It was memorable."

"That's one word for it." She fidgeted. "Are we really okay?"

"We're really okay." He kissed her forehead. "Though maybe next time we can have a date without property damage."

"I'll try."

He left.

Made it to his car before his phone buzzed.

Mio: Thank you for being patient with me.

Mio: And for explaining things.

Mio: And for not running away when I talked to your penis.

Akira laughed out loud.

You're insane.

Mio: But you like me anyway.

Unfortunately.

Mio: :)

Mio: Goodnight, Akira.

Goodnight, Mio.

He sat in his car for a moment, shaking his head.

His girlfriend had just addressed his genitals directly like they were a separate entity.

His vampire girlfriend approached sexual attraction like a biology dissertation.

His life was completely insane.

He was smiling the entire drive home.

In her room, Mio stared at her ceiling, replaying the evening.

She'd yelled about "wood" in front of everyone.

Then talked directly to Akira's penis.

She should be mortified.

She WAS mortified.

But also...

He'd stayed. Despite everything. Despite her being weird and awkward and approaching everything like a research project.

He'd stayed.

She opened her curtains fully.

The city lights were bright tonight.

Maybe someday she'd be brave enough to go out there with him.

Maybe someday she'd be brave enough for all of it.

But for now, this was enough.

She smiled at her reflection in the window.

"You talked to a penis tonight," she told herself. "And survived."

If she could survive that, she could survive anything.