Listening and Lies: Chapter Six
by daedreams
Chapter 6
“All I’m saying is it’s not the same.”
“But, why? You need to explain.”
“Bloody hell. Why? What’s so important?”
“Cause, I’m the one providing you with this nourishment, and if it’s not doing any good, then I need to know how to make it better.”
“The only way it’s going to be better is if you bring me an actual person.”
“Well, that’s never gonna happen.”
“Then what’s the point?”
“The point is…well, I’m just curious. I’m a curious cat. I’m a cat of the breed of curiosity. Just tell me.” Okay, at this point Xander was definitely wining. But if Spike was going to bitch and moan every time he came here with another batch of pig’s blood, then Xander wanted to know what the big difference was between that and human blood.
It had been two weeks that Xander had been coming to the factory. He tried to come almost every day with blood to replenish the vampire’s strength. And it seemed to be working. On the outside, Spike looked much better. He was still too thin, but he had regained muscle mass, and his skin was back to its normal pale white color and no longer translucent. Xander figured that there was still a lot more healing to do. He suspected that it had taken much longer that the one week after Angel was dust to cause that kind of malnutrition, but Xand knew better than to ask too much about it. Spike was still reeling from the lost of his precious (and freakish) Drusilla. He still talked about her, but only when telling stories of long ago, nothing recent.
So Xander had made a habit of finding the time to come by after Scooby meetings or patrolling. The local butcher had gotten to know him by now, and wasn’t it funny that he never asked about the odd order. Xand had a sneaking suspicion that the butcher was a demon of some kind, and reserving pig’s blood for special orders was not as uncommon as Xander hoped.
He was also enjoying watching Spike heal. It was a fascinating process. And the talking was still good. Of course, conversation wasn’t part of the deal. But Spike never really complained. Not about the talking part, anyway. No, the complaining was about the fact that he had resorted to having a human bring him blood. They both agreed that it was a fair deal, though. Xander would help Spike regain the strength he needed to continue healing, and Spike promised that as soon as he could walk again, he would leave Sunnydale, the country even.
The fairness of the deal didn’t stop the endlessly complaining, though. If it wasn’t about the pig’s blood, then it was about the fact that Xander wouldn’t bring him cigarettes or alcohol. Xand explained that he couldn’t bring cigarettes because he was too young to buy them and he didn’t know anybody who smoked. He said the same thing about the alcohol, too, but Spike knew he was lying about that. Xand knew lots of people who drank. All grown-ups had alcohol of some kind or another in their homes. Even Giles. Most conveniently, his father. But Xander refused to steal from his father. Besides, he didn’t like to see Spike drunk. It was entirely too familiar.
Spike had not left the factory since Xander found him. The vampire was much stronger now and Xander was sure that he could make his own way through town and steal his own blood, cigarettes and alcohol. In fact, he was positive of that fact. He figured that maybe it fell under the category of being depressed about Drusilla. Depression had of way of keeping you indoors. Two weeks ago, he had tried to bring up the disappearance of the female vampire, but Spike had vamped out and growled at him, so Xander figured it was a touchy subject and left it alone.
“Fine,” Spike hissed out at Xander. “You want to know what’s so special about human blood, do you?” Xander crossed his legs on the central table he was sitting on and settled in for a story. He really loved Spike’s stories.
~~~~
Spike had to laugh a little at the boy. He had made himself comfortable on the table like he normally did when Spike was about to tell a story about his past with Dru and Angelus. But he really didn’t know what the big deal was. Human blood is better. It just is. But the boy was being so insistent. So Spike was trying to think of something to tell him. It occurred to him that there must be some kind of real reason. He had just never thought about it before. So Spike just started talking, hoping that he could make some kind of sense that would satisfy Harris’ curiosity.
“It tastes different.”
“Well, duh! Explain the taste.”
“Explain the taste. Okay. Pig’s blood is mostly salt. It has kind of a dull sweetness to it as well.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know what pig’s blood tastes like. Why is it different from human?”
“You know what pig’s blood tastes like? You been sampling what you bring me?”
“No. I was possessed by a hyena once. I ate a pig.”
“Please tell me there‘s a story there.”
“My story later. First this.”
“Fine. But to tell you what human blood is like, I have to start with pig. This helps that you know, though. Like I said, pig has a dull sweetness to it. Sweet like…somebody added sweetener to it. Like it’s fake. And it sits on your tongue. Coats the inside of your mouth and throat like glue. Doesn’t go down right. And too salty. Human blood is salty, but it’s not…too much. Human has just the right amount of salt. The salt complements it. Doesn‘t make it taste salty, just…spiced right.”
Hmm. This was ringing truer than Spike thought it would. Plus he found it easy to talk about blood when he could hear it pumping so gracefully through his boy’s body. He let Harris' pulse penetrate him while he continued to talk.
“Not spice like Thai food spice. But spice like a perfectly seasoned mulled wine. And sweet.” Spike felt his mouth start to water. “Sweet like strawberries. Like watermelon. Like…chocolate.”
Xander’s eyes widened at that and he licked his lips. Spike heard the kid’s heart race for a few beats before it slowed back down to its comforting bump-bump-pause-bump-bump-pause.
“Yeah. Chocolate. Sticky sweet milk chocolate. But good sticky. Melted chocolate. And warm. Blood that comes directly from a human’s veins pumps hot into a vampire and keeps pumping until the entire body is warm like California summer nights. And that warmth gives a vampire adrenaline. Energy that can make a vamp feel alive. Energy that will leave me bouncing off the walls for days.
“Human blood is what makes a vampire a vampire. Don’t know how Angel survived without it. It’s why we heal so fast. In fact, I’m sure it’s why I’m not out of this bloody chair yet. Dru brought me a few humans at first, but I think she got bored, so after a couple weeks she would just pick up a stray dog on the way home. Ever eat a dog? Not good. They’re practically flavorless with no sweetness to them at all, and chewy like gum.” Spike shuttered.
“Then when Angelus showed up, he started to bring me leftover people, but it didn’t take him long to just forget about me. So when you found me a few weeks ago after Dru left…” Spike looked up at Harris and realized that the kid had never really pressed the issue of what had happened during that week, but he sure must have been curious, because the look on his face now was pure excitement barely concealed by concern.
“I hadn’t had anything to eat in weeks. A little over a month, I think. Of course, when you showed up, I had also been drinking for a week straight which quite possibly was eating up my insides.”
Harris tilted his head at Spike. “So the pig’s blood isn’t really helping with the healing?”
“No, it’s helping. Just not as fast as human would. It‘s like craving chocolate cake, but only getting an apple.” Spike let the kid consider that for a moment, then rolled himself a few feet closer to the table. “So, if you happen to come by with a willing human some time…You know, a nice pretty young thing with a long white neck and pure virgin blood pumping through warm blue veins…” Spike was looking directly into the kid’s eyes and moving closer and closer to him with each word. “Or hey, how about something a little more convenient…”
Just when he reached the table, Harris unfolded a leg and pressed it firmly onto Spike’s knee. The kid pushed hard and Spike let the chair propel him backwards a few yards before he grabbed the wheels again and stopped himself. He didn’t really expect that the boy would let him feed off him, but it was worth a try. Actually, what was worth it was listening to Harris’ heartbeat during the entire exchange. It didn’t speed up at all. Not once. Of course, Spike didn't really know how menacing he was coming across. But still, this kid was such an anomaly to Spike. He wondered what it would take to actually get his blood to start racing. What could speed that heartbeat up? Besides the mention of chocolate, that is. But, then again, this slow and steady beat was one the things he liked about the boy.
ONE of the things? His mind suddenly screamed at him. What else about this little boy could you possibly like? But Spike knew that this voice in his head was a just a small part of his demon that had not come to terms with the fact that he had made a friend. A human friend. This is all kinds of wrong. God, listen to me - I’m starting to think like he talks. Spike silenced the voice quickly and focused on Harris who had jumped down from the table and was now leaning against one of the high-backed dining chairs.
“Why virgin blood?” This was an unexpected question. Spike figured Harris would be chastising him for suggesting a taste, but the kid just completely ignored it. Interesting.
“Virgin blood is thicker than non-pure. This is harder to describe because you can’t compare it to actual food. There is no substitute. Innocence and purity have a taste. Have a distinct flavor. Not the kind that your taste buds pick up on. It’s a feeling, like a…presence. When virgin blood flows through a vampire’s veins it’s like tiny little pin pricks all over the body, but from the inside. It’s sharp, but in a good way. Like pain during sex. Virgin blood leaves a vamp with a drug high. Like all’s right with the world and everybody should feel as good as you.
“And, God, it will make you horny. Regular blood does as well, but virgin…you have no idea. Virgin blood will go straight to where you want it most, and let me tell you, that was when it was great to have Dru around. When the two of us would feed off the same virgin, we wouldn’t stop shagging for days. Sometimes we wouldn’t kill it right away. We would take a virgin home and keep it alive just by drinking small amounts of blood at a time.
“One time we kept this young boy around for a couple of months like that. This was in Portugal. Sometime in the ’30s. He was seventeen, eighteen years old. He was so scared. I was surprised he didn’t die of a heart attack during that time. Every time we walked in the room where we kept him chained, his heart would race so fast that I thought it was going to explode. We would get such a rush of blood when we bit into him that we didn’t even have to suck. It just flowed straight down our throats so fast and got us so hot and bothered so quickly, that we would shag right there in front him. And still his heart would never slow down. So fast, all the time. It was intoxicating.”
“Uh, Spike?” Spike opened his eyes, not remembering when he had closed them, and looked at Harris. The boy was looking uncomfortable and shifting his weight from one foot to the other.
“What? Was that story a little too much for you?”
“No. It’s just…well…will you stop that please?”
Spike noticed where the boy was looking and glanced down at his own lap. Much to his surprise, he discovered that at some point he had gotten quite hard and was stroking himself over his jeans. He stopped moving immediately, but left his hand where it was. He looked back at Harris and smirked. Then let out a little laugh.
“I guess that story was a little too much for me.”
“Yeah, that’s gonna be my cue to go. Looks like you need some alone with…yourself.” Harris started toward the door.
“Well, what do you expect, kid. You get me talking about human blood and virgins, but you refuse to bring me any. And there you are, all the time, with exactly what I crave pumping slowly through your veins, day in and day out.” The kid stopped and turned to look at him. Spike started rubbing the growing bulge in his jeans again. “And all I can do is sit here and listen to that pumping and you’re just there - taunting me, teasing me.”
“I don’t mean to.”
“I know you don’t, kid. Can’t stop you’re blood from pumping.”
“Does it bother you? Me being here?”
“Didn't say that, did I? I like you here. You really leaving now?”
“I’m not staying while you do that.”
“That’s fair. Don‘t think I can stop at this point. Will you be back tomorrow? I have something to show you.”
“What?”
“A surprise.”
“That’s a little disturbing.”
“I think you’ll like it.”
Harris turned his head away from the vampire again and sighed. “Okay. I’ll be by after Scooby research.” He continued toward the door when Spike unzipped his jeans to allow for skin on skin contact.
Perhaps to let Spike know that the public masturbation didn’t bother him as much as he initially let on, the kid stopped at the door and joked, “Think I’ll stop off and get some chocolate cake on the way home. Would you like me to bring you back an apple?”
That made Spike grin. “Wanker,” he called after the boy as Harris opened the door and walked out.
Vampire hearing let Spike pick up Harris’ quiet response as he shut the door behind him, “No, Spike, that would be you.”
To be continued...
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