Chapter Text
“Kirk? Kirk, back up,” Will tried, shielding Tina as they both maintained their distance.
“H-hey,” Tina stammered, “hey, say something!”
Kirk said nothing. There was nothing behind the eyes. Nothing they could reach. His gait was slow but no less menacing, eyes burning like fire as he locked in on the pair whose pulse ran quickly. A chair was thrown and dodged with ease, inhuman speed closing the distance between predator and prey. It was seldom one could look death in the eye, and here lied a horrid opportunity. A cold hand grabbed the nanoscientist by the face, and he could do nothing. Gnashed teeth revealed a pair of gleaming fangs, and he could do nothing. He could only wonder how fast Kirk could drain a body.
The back door flung open and Superman flew into the house, his trench coat the last to settle as he grabbed the vampire from behind. With fruitless fight, the monster thrashed and struggled until the other’s wrist was pressed firm against his lips. A moment of pain was written on the Kryptonian’s face as icy hands reached up to hold his arm in place, a starving growl rumbling from the other. Drops of red soon fell to the floor, slowly at first, then in quicker succession.
“Holy shit…!” Will gasped from the floor, scuttling back.
“Outside,” said Superman, “I need to calm him down.”
“How?” Tina asked, helping her husband up. “Is this how it’s been? You keep him satisfied until the next frenzy?”
“That’s not what this is at all. You don’t have the full story.”
“Which is?” Will pressed.
“Outside,” the Kryptonian said much more firmly, “I can answer your questions later.”
As soon as the couple motioned toward the door, the monster paused, sharp eyes taking in every detail of them. Bare in their human terror, bloodied fangs stripped them of courage, and they stopped, crimson-painted lips licked by a venomous tongue. The voice that spoke through him was almost his, though it was tainted by a gravel that only the Kryptonian knew.
“Will, buddy… It’s me. I’ve been here the entire time. And Tina.” The woman flinched under his blinkless gaze. “Aw. Look at you. You wanna help me, don’t you?”
“Stop it…”
“So come here. Help me.”
“I said stop.” The monster was turned to face Superman, cool gaze steadily meeting the ferocity that gleamed back. “Listen to what you’re saying. You don’t want to hurt them.”
His words were met with discordant laughter. The sound, like an icepick, could chip away so easily at any mere man’s resolve. “Jealous?” he asked with a chilling smile. He gripped the Kryptonian’s face, turned his head to the side. Blues eyes averted as the monster leaned in and was allowed his savage pleasure. Teeth sank once more into skin, lips sealed around the entry site. The hand at his face slid to his neck as the blood began to flow, and he felt him drink, a hungry and steady rhythm against his strong pulse. Discomfort had shut the sun-god’s eyes and when he opened them, he found all parties still present.
“I thought I told you two to wait outside.”
“Yeah, well, it’s a bit nippy out there,” Will half-heartedly snarked, eyes glued to the scene as if it were a frightful trainwreck.
“How long have you been… feeding him?” Tina asked, grasping her husband’s hand.
Superman sighed. “Look, he needs it and I have it to give. Now unless you’re going to try and stop him, I’d really prefer not to have an audience.”
“…Right, right,” the nanoscientist raised his hands defensively, stepping back. “Like you said, we’ll talk later.”
Both guests made their way outside, their quiet deliberation beginning as soon as the door shut. Of course they were worried. Of course this was all very strange to them, and of course they felt helpless. Still, Hernan didn’t have much insight to share; he tamed the monster once before, and he could only trust that he could do it again. But Kirk wasn’t here this time. Not an ounce of him. No, he was replaced with something darker, something buried and full of unanswered need.
“You gotta snap out of it,” he said lowly, and he felt the trickle of his blood over his collarbone.
“Hey,” he tried again, and he fought the tremor that crept up his spine as a cool tongue slid over his skin. He pulled him away, managing a stern cadence. “Are you listening?”
Kirk-not-Kirk stared at him unblinkingly. Even with his eyes, he feasted, and it was magnetic. “No.”
“We know how this ends. You’ve had your fun. It’s time for Kirk to come back.”
“I am Kirk,” the monster said. “It’s like I told Will. I’ve been here the whole time, querido. And you,” he leaned in closer, inhaling his scent, “you’ve always been my favorite. Let’s play.”
“Let’s not.”
“You don’t have a CHOICE.” The monster’s shin slammed into his side, the force knocking him into the adjacent wall. Pictures shook from where they hung, the Kryptonian pulling his head from the cracked drywall. Dust covered the ends of his hair, and the only wound sustained was to his pride. Never once had a battle been brought to his home, and he’d hoped to keep it that way. Then, the sofa went flying. Of course, he caught it, but even more troublesome was the fact that the other was attempting to escape.
He’d swiped his goggles and beelined for the front door. The frigid winter air rushed in as the door slammed open and Hernan grabbed him by the shoulder, the two surprised to find the married couple, and car, gone. Employing his telescopic and X-ray vision, the sun-god found the vehicle parked and hidden what would be the equivalent of a few city blocks away. Smart call. Perhaps the blood loss was catching up to him, as he was caught off guard once more when the vampire spun around and slammed him into the porch banister. The wood creaked from the impact, and the red-eyed berserker gripped the railing on either side of the Kryptonian. Though he very well could have moved him aside, Hernan found himself trapped by curiosity.
“You’re being so serious… I thought you wanted the wild to come out. You were so happy to let me at your neck before.” Hernan’s jaw clenched. “I need something to tear into. I always do. Those two can help me with that.”
“Sorry, not happening.” The Kryptonian raised him by the scruff of his shirt, tossing him into the tree just beside the house. The air was knocked out of him, and he slumped to the cold ground. Hernan really didn’t want to prolong this ordeal, and he prepared to pick him up when he suddenly sprang to life. The vampire’s knee collided with his chin, and he staggered. He rubbed his face, puzzledly noting the fact that he somewhat felt that. Okay, he seemed a bit… stronger. “That one surprised me,” he conceded, and he rolled his neck, “I’ll give you that."
“You’ll give me more.” With a snarly grin, the red-lensed vampire charged, leaping to deliver a mid-air kick. Hernan caught the brunt of it with an arm, the other reaching out and grabbing hold of one of his legs. The vampire was jerked earthward, and his back slammed against the remaining snow with a graceless “thud.” He recovered quickly, back handspring launching him up and out of the way of Hernan’s counterstrike. Out of arm’s reach, he took purchase on a sturdy tree branch. Funny. He was faster, too. He hopped from branch to branch, shrouded in the cover of deathless green. There was clearance deeper in the foliage, and Kirk-not-Kirk took flight, not with seeming abandon, but clear intent. He flew in the exact direction where the hapless couple were hidden. Of course, whatever increased speed he had was a small margin to the Kryptonian, and he was in front of him in a fraction of a second, arms folded over his broad chest. For a moment, the vampire paused, stared. His tongue ran across his gleaming fangs as he reared up for a tackle. Hernan was able to catch the vampire’s arms and knock him back to the ground with a sweeping kick. Wasting no time, the sun-god got down there with him, straddling his waist and holding his wrists together against his chest. The other’s struggling was to no avail, and he was consigned to staying put.
“Like I said,” the sun-god started, “we know how this ends. You say you’re him, but the Kirk I know wouldn’t have been this unreasonable.”
“There’s no reasoning with a monster. Don’t you know that?” The vampire chuckled, lolling his head to one side. “Of course you do. But still you try, try, try again. Why?”
“Because I—” Hernan stopped, reconsidered his words. “…Because I know what’s happening here, the truth.”
“The truth?” the vampire crooned. “The truth is you’re just as hungry as I am, Supes, and you can’t fight me in any meaningful way. You’re the only one who can handle my brutality, but I’m the only one who can appreciate yours. And that’s why I win.”
“Enough.” Hernan lifted his weight from the other, and the vampire was pulled up to a seated position. Hernan’s own distorted reflection stared back at him through crimson lenses. “You gonna calm down now?”
“Calm,” Kirk-not-Kirk drew the word out as if it were foreign. “‘Calm’ isn’t an option.” Frigid hands gripped tightly at the front of the Kryptonian’s clothing, pulling him a few inches closer. “Let me do it. I won’t waste a drop.”
The vampire didn’t await approval, and Hernan didn’t react as the other’s fingers snaked through his hair, tugged. He could have stopped him. He didn’t flinch when the collar of his jacket was pulled aside, when cool breath tickled his skin. He could be stopping him right now. But vulnerability was sweet only with him. Though he was far from a bashful man, the realization hammered jelly into his spine and filled his mouth with invisible sand. Cold lips brushed over his, and he flinched as his lower lip was pierced. The blood that followed was taken with a slow and wanting kiss, drawing a sound from him he hadn’t expected to make. Stunned, the Kryptonian could only stare as the other pulled back, something of ecstasy coloring the vampire’s expression. “I told you,” he finally spoke, fingers moving from his hair to the nape of his neck, “not a drop.” Seduction. The vampire was good at it. And that’s why he won.
Perhaps, Hernan thought, perhaps for a moment, he could play.
But that moment would have to be some other time.
His ears picked up the sound of approaching tires and above that, the distinctive voices of Will and Tina Magnus. The vampire hadn’t seemed to notice at first, mere centimeters from his satisfaction, but the sound of the engine eventually alerted him, and he quickly stood. Now within sight, the car screeched to a halt, and out jumped Tina with… something in her hand. A silver amorphous blob was the best way to describe it. No words shared, no hesitation, and the mass shot out and toward the vampire, dividing to cover either wrist. Like a magnet, both his arms were forced together behind his back before the substance hardened into a metallic structure. Another mass was released by Will, who now stood outside the driver’s side, which bound the monster’s ankles together the same way. Inevitably, he lost balance, and like a wild animal caught in a trap, began to lash out from the ground.
“LET ME GO.”
“Sorry, Kirk,” Will said, approaching, “safety first.”
Hernan stood as well, hands on hips. His heart still pounded with the thrill of moments prior, but nothing in his demeanor betrayed this fact. A talent he was surely grateful for. “I know you said you worked in nanoscience, but that’s… quite impressive.”
Will shrugged. “Tina here refined the blueprint; now was the perfect time to put it to use.” The man gestured gingerly to his neck. “He uh… didn’t take too much, did he?”
“I’ll be fine.”
Tina drew nearer, gentle eyes burning uncharacteristically hot upon the felled vampire. Saying nothing, she crouched down, observed his futile attempts to break free. He wasn’t going anywhere, and it seemed he realized it too after a time, face partly hidden behind dampened locks. He lay there a panting mess, jaw tightly clenched. With such undeserved delicateness, the woman reached out and pulled his goggles up and away from his eyes. His pupils quickly constricted, and the brightness of day was clearly too much to bear. “…Are you in there?”
“C’mon, we’ve been over this, T,” he laughed, “just let me go. Please?”
“I guess that’s my answer,” she sighed, reaching into her pocket. “We’re gonna figure this out,” in her grasp was a small gun, three, tiny needles emerging from the barrel, “don’t worry.”
The struggling began again. “Wait. Don’t you dare—” His words were cut short as the needles shot forth into his neck, administering a potent anesthetic.
He went limp against the snow.
///
The vampire stirred groggily, red eyes fluttering open to the dim light of the upstairs guest bedroom. The bed was moved against the wall, making room for the figure that sat before him. The image of Tina slowly came into focus, her eyes steady on him.
Silence.
“Kirk—”
The monster lunged for the woman, only to find his arms and ankles still bound by that same metal, torso and legs tied to the chair he was sat upon. A low growl rumbled from his throat as his grimace melted into a restrained smile.
“…We’ve got to stop meeting like this.”
“That’s entirely up to you. How long are you gonna let this thing control you?”
“You’re boring me, T. Is there a point to all this?”
“Actually, yes. We’re getting rid of this thing that’s hijacked you… and you’re going to help us.”
“Oh, I’m not going anywhere,” the vampire retorted with a baleful grin. “You have your nature. I have mine. And when I break free of this bullshit, I’m gonna be what I am.”
“Good luck with that,” the woman said steadily, “once they solidify, the molecular bonds of this metal are virtually impossible to break, unless, of course, you know the commands and coding to deprogram them.” Tina reached over and grabbed her steeping cup of tea on the dresser, nursed it in her hands. The steam dissipated just below her nose, and she stared grimly into the cup. “I thought your mission was to save people. What happened to that?”
The vampire wasn’t smiling anymore. “Things change.”
“Not for Kirk. When he landed on a decision, he always stuck with it, sometimes to his detriment. That’s how I know you’re not him. Kirk never would’ve been so weak as to attack his own friends.”
“HE IS WEAK.” roared the vampire, and hot tea spilled over Tina’s fingers as she recoiled. “He’s been nothing but weak. Too weak to let me out. Too weak to have more. And I’ve been so, so patient with him. I even let him lie to himself for an entire year, make me his enemy. I cared that much. After all, I am him. But the lying had to stop. The punishment had to STOP.” the vampire leaned in as far as his restraints would allow, speaking in a voice as sweet as honey and as smooth as butter. “You don’t know what it’s been like. But that’s okay. I’ll be happy to show you. All it takes is one mistake. You’ll slip up, and you’ll be the first one I—”
Tina’s palm hit against his cheek with as much strength as she could muster, and it felt like slapping a cinderblock. “Shut up…” Hand still stinging, she sat back down, her taste for tea having completely vanished.
“That’s right,” said the other, “now I remember why I liked you.”
…
“How’d it go?”
“About as well as you said it would. It’s like he’s a completely different person.”
“Ah, well… we can’t all be vampire whisperers. Right Superman?”
Will, Hernan, and Tina were downstairs at the dining table, the air bitter with prior violence.
“Your disdain is palpable, my friend,” Hernan said coolly, sipping at his coffee. “Something you wanna get off your chest?”
Will sighed, drumming his fingers over the tabletop. “All I really wanna know right now is how long this has been going on.”
“And by ‘this’, you mean…?”
“C’mon, are you really gonna make me say it? How many times has Kirk been… lost in the proverbial sauce?”
The Kryptonian laughed, but his smile quickly faded. This was far from funny, especially for them. He stared into the black liquid in his mug, inhaling slowly. “It’s never mattered how many times he’s gotten lost, but how many times he found his way out. This is the first time he seems to have gotten stuck.”
“So?” Tina pressed. “Any ideas on how we get him back?”
“Well, we don’t starve him, that’s for damn sure,” the Kryptonian frowned. “I know you encouraged him to fast. That genius tip clearly hasn’t helped.”
“What the hell were we supposed to say?” Will countered, ”‘Hey Kirk, I know you’re thirsty, and there’s a whole world out there, so go have at it’?”
Hernan shook his head. “Sooner or later, you’re gonna have to accept what he is.”
“Please… don’t act like you know him better,” Will pinched his brow, his tone resigned yet firm. “From the outside looking in, it’s clear you’re making him what you need him to be.”
“You think that lowly of your friend?” Hernan said softly. They couldn’t know just how much that stung. He wouldn’t let them. “There’s nothing I could make him do or be. He just is. I’m not his puppeteer, but if that makes all this easier for you to swallow, then believe what you want.”
“There’s just one thing I don’t understand… Why would you even bother with him? Why Kirk?” Tina asked.
“What can I say? He’s a likable guy,” the Kryptonian shrugged. “At the very least, we have each other’s backs. And isn’t that what you want? Him safe?” His desire for their assent was like an arrow to his ego. Ridiculous. He didn’t do this kind of thing, not anymore. So why did their disapproving eyes batter him so? “Here’s a better question: why don’t you trust Kirk to make his own decisions?”
“He isn’t himself.”
“Obviously I’m talking about before all this.” Hernan took a generous gulp of the caffeinated drink, eyes focused nowhere in particular. “All those months he stayed away… it was to protect you. You know that, right? Hell, even I isolated myself as I got acquainted with my abilities. I’m not saying it was right, but it was for a reason. People like us don’t want to hurt people like you.”
Will’s fingers drummed neurotically on the table, and he fidgeted ever so subtly in his seat. It appeared his next smoke was calling him. “So that’s what it is? You feel a sense of—of kinship with him?”
“Sure, you can call it that,” Hernan answered the man. His countenance was stony and self-assured, though his heart ached with something he couldn’t name. “…He hated himself. Some part of him probably still does. Believe it or not, I have an idea of what that’s like. And maybe I had no right to intervene, but how could I not?”
The Kryptonian’s voice softened more than he could help, and the couple only stared, sober and silent.
“…Right. Well, I’m gonna go try and talk some sense into him.” Awaiting no reply, he got up, abandoning his drink at the table. He paused at the bottom of the stairs, fingers gripping the banister with a bit more force than necessary. With a sigh, he ascended, bracing himself for what lied on the other side of the door.
…
“Hernan.”
“Hi, Kirk.” Hernan took a seat across from the other, interlacing his fingers over his lap. “Good to see you awake. Comfy?”
The vampire said nothing.
“On a serious note, I was wondering if we could strike a deal.”
His answer was a derisive scoff. He brought his seat closer and continued.
“Escucha. I know you’re part of him, and I know you’re tired of being muzzled. But I won’t let your bloodthirst harm innocent people. You promise to take a backseat, and I’ll make sure you’re never hungry again.”
“Don’t tempt me with a good time.”
“I’ll do exactly that, if it means you behave.” The sun-god pulled his sleeve up to the elbow, making a tight fist. Dim, red eyes glowed scarlet at the sight, pale lips parting to reveal eager fangs. “I’ll be more than happy to share, again and again, whenever you need it. But you have to draw a line. Your fight was and will always be with the people that harm la gente común, the common folk.” Pupils dilated as they steadied on olive skin, and Hernan’s warm touch gently but firmly grasped the vampire’s face. The subtleties of desperation weighed on his brow, surely consumed by his scent. “You told me yourself. You wanted to protect the innocent, and you’ve done that thus far. Promise me you won’t stop now.”
Kirk-not-Kirk didn’t say anything; he appeared briefly incapable, body rigid as he breathed slowly. Though his eyes were wild, where there was once shallowness, there was depth. Skepticism fought past the unbridled desire and thirst; he was reluctant to lose his grip. Reluctant to go back to the same. The Kryptonian leaned in another inch, making sure he kept his gaze. “It’s simple. All you have to do is let me take care of you.”
And then the pale man laughed. “Take care of me? I’ll consume you. I’ll bleed you dry.”
“Is that a challenge? Because I like challenges.”
“You can’t control me.”
“I know I can’t. But that’s never been my interest. I’ve only ever wanted you to understand that I understand.” The sun-god’s gentle touch slid from his pale face, instead falling to his knee. “I try to be human, and sometimes it works. But I fuck up. I make enemies. And I’ve been alright with that. But now, I want you by my side, I need you there. You know that. Por favor… Can you do this one thing for me?”
Flashes of a gentler Kirk shone through red eyes, and the vampire visibly cracked. Before long, the shackles around his wrists and ankles were crushed with ease. The rubble of broken metal littered the wooden floor, and Hernan was shoved against the nearest wall. He let it be. Icy fingers laced with his, sapping his skin of warmth, and he let it be. His oceanic gaze simmered into the other’s, and he watched as his arm was raised to parted lips. Needle-like fangs pierced flesh once more, and the initial pain quickly faded as he adjusted. This thing, this ritual awakened something new. Perhaps the monster in Kirk spoke to the one in him. Regardless, he only knew one thing for sure: He desired the heart of both the monster and the man in Kirk Langstrom. After all, he’d fallen for his every part, rationale be damned. Was it strange? If it was, he could hardly bring himself to care. He wanted the raw. He wanted the real. And he would have it, blood and all.
After a minute or two, the other’s quenchless fire was undertaken by a new spot, just above the collarbone. The following bite had evoked a small hiss of surprise, of pain, which again, quickly faded and melted into something… better. He would never be super enough to regulate his racing heart, and he struggled to recall a time when he’d felt so… exposed. But that was their dance; they exposed one another, revealed the innermost layers of each other’s psyche, their desires, their regrets. They shared what it was to be “other.”
He went rigid as the other chuckled against him, breath tickling the side of his neck as he spoke. “You’re squirming. Why?”
“Just drink.”
“You sure about that?” Kirk-not-Kirk purred. “I could go on... I’d love to… But not even you can give that much blood.”
“So you do care,” Hernan managed to tease, fists clenched at his sides.
“Mm… Maybe. But does he?” The vampire idly tasted the blood that still ran from his mark, a pleased hum against Hernan’s ear. “At least I can admit what we are. He refuses to. Do you really wanna go through that again? I don’t.” Cold lips were warmed as they moved over punctured flesh, teeth uninvolved.
“I know what it’s like to fight and fear what you are,” Hernan said just above a whisper, biting his lip, “I’ll guide him through it.”
Floorboards creaked as the vampire pressed against him, pale fingers splayed against the wall. A low growl rattled his frame, shook through his willing victim. An arm snaked around his waist, and the monster staked doubtless claim. Azure eyes fluttered shut, and the sigh that escaped Hernan was soft, contented. Indeed, he was a sensualist, and he hadn’t realized just how much he’d been ignoring that. To be touched in this way, to be had in this way… He wet his lips that were suddenly so dry, kept his hands off the other. If he didn’t, he wasn’t sure he could resist all the things he wanted to do.
A few more, delicious moments passed, and the vampire threw his head back with a satisfied sigh. His vivid eyes closed as nothing short of dark delight colored his expression. Monstrous fangs retracted, and he licked at his parted lips, eyes ever so slightly opening to gaze upon the Kryptonian. Black lashes veiled a shade of adoration so unique to him. “So sweet…” he absently remarked, placing a palm against the other’s chest. “…So fast.” Hernan glanced down at the contact, suddenly all too aware of his drumming heart. His body quaked with the realization, and surely, the monster took joy in the power he wielded in that moment. His hand slid from his chest, instead coming up to push back the dark hair that had obstructed his view. “I’ll give you what you want,” he said, “I’ll take a backseat. But I won’t always behave.”
Then, those red eyes softened to something much more familiar, and they fluttered shut, a muddled head held in cold hands.
“Kirk?” Hernan stepped forward as he stepped back.
“I saw it happening, but I… I couldn’t stop myself. Oh, god, are you alright?? You’re still bleeding…” Tentative fingers raised to pale lips, slowly wiping away at the red that remained. Eyes flitted between blood-painted fingertips and the Kryptonian, gaze brightened with shock. “…I-I’m so sorry—Let me make it right, let me get you something to—”
Hernan cut short his frantic ramblings with a passion-filled kiss, notes of blood transferred to his lips. He felt the other slowly, inevitably melt against him, tension leaving his frame as he let himself be held, be anchored. Without thought, wandering hands crept up the hem of Kirk’s shirt, fingers brushing over bare and scarred skin. He’d always found scars to be beautiful; they told stories without a single word. Lessons, victories, losses. It was all there, etched on the skin, and Hernan wished he was capable of such humanity. But alas, his pains were invisible to most, a blessed curse. He felt the other’s touch at the nape of his neck, a thigh between his. Exploring fingers wandered down to his chilled navel, feeling the breath hitch with the contact. His electric touch wandered lower still, fingertips lingering over the hem of his pants. Their lips parted, and Hernan had more than half a mind to misbehave. The unmanaged glaze in Kirk’s eyes suggested he was open to the same, and what a sight it was. But he remembered they weren’t alone and they couldn’t do this dance. It was his turn to press down a hunger of his own.
“Glad to have you back,” Hernan said, slowly collecting himself and pulling away.
“Glad to be back,” the fanged scientist said with a lusty and soft grin. His striking gaze moved over the Kryptonian’s face, drank in this moment, and his seeming intrigue was infectious. “How many times is a hot, trench-coat-wearing powerhouse gonna have to save me from myself?”
“Hot, you say?” Hernan raised a brow, unable to pull his eyes away. A cold hand settled upon the Kryptonian’s face, thumb caressing his cheek.
“It was easier for me to fester and push away when all I wanted was the opposite. But this time, it felt… good to let go.” His gaze flitted to the lines of red running over his collarbone and seeping into the fabric over his chest. “Tell me I’m crazy. Tell me I’m crazy for liking it.”
“You’re crazy,” said Hernan. “But I’m crazy too. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He paused. Surely, Kirk could also hear the concerned murmurings of Tina and Will downstairs.
“…I attacked them, didn’t I?”
“They’re not hurt… Just concerned.”
“I can smell them again… Really smell them. What if I—”
“—You won’t. You didn’t this time.” Hernan walked over to the chair that once held the vampire, retrieving the shattered pieces of the metal. Scattered around and behind it. “I’ll head down with you. We all need to talk.”