High Stakes

[Existentially Odd]

Samuel wasn\'t entirely sure what he was doing here.  He shouldn\'t have arrived early - just to ensure he could get the table he and Gene had originally sat at - because, although his intention had been honourable (and he\'d successfully nabbed the corner table and made sure it had two stools at it), it had allowed him time to get nervous.  And feel guilty.

Vomas didn\'t know he was here and that was eating at him.  As much as Gene hadn\'t been the cheating type when they\'d first met and he\'d scorned that, now he was in a similar position and he understood it completely.  Well, a similar position, but not exactly the same.  Three nights before, Vomas had come to his aprtment in the Chambers and told him that they no longer had to sneak around and pretend they were nothing to each other.  His boss had even slept in his bed with him through the day, which he\'d never anticipated happening.  But they weren\'t in an official relationship like Gene had been with Orias.

When they\'d awoken, there\'d been more kisses (Sam wasn\'t sure he\'d ever get tired of those) and a casual sort of comfort level that had, oddly, made him more nervous than he\'d ever been in Vomas\' presence.  It had been sweet and nice... but nothing concrete had been said.  After they\'d finished work that second night there\'d been no contact either, and it made Sam question what the hell was going on.  Vomas wasn\'t mad at him, for he\'d smiled at him when they\'d passed one another in the hallway and Sam had felt a gush of emotion so intense he\'d likely looked like a hopeful puppy when he returned it... but no visit, no phone call.  He wasn\'t sure whether he should instigate the next step, whether he should ask exactly where they were situated, whether he should just let it ride.

Two nights later, however, he\'d made an unusual decision and called Gene as soon as he\'d woken up.  They\'d talked for a little while and Sam had asked Gene if he\'d be able to meet him at Sticks and Stakes for a drink.  There\'d been a hesitant silence, into which Sam had promised nothing untoward would happen, it was just one southerner inviting another out for a chin wag and a beer and Gene had agreed with a smile in his voice.  Just thinking about that smile had caused Sam to begin doubting what he was doing, but he\'d gone ahead with it anyway.

A shower, some cologne, a pair of blue jeans, brown boots and a white T-shirt with a V-necked caramel cashmere sweater over it later and here he was, sitting and waiting for his friend to arrive.  To talk.  Thing was, he wasn\'t sure what he would say; "Hey there, Gene, I\'m sort of in a relationship with a vampire I have a huge crush on but I really like you, too and I just wanted to see which one of you I liked more before I went ahead and committed to him," wouldn\'t exactly cut it!  Essentially, he was there just to establish that he was doing the right thing in risking his heart with Vomas, by being sure that letting Gene go was the right decision, but how would he know?  A kiss?  A bite?  Sex?  He certainly couldn\'t imagine himself doing any of that with Gene (which ought to have told him more than he wanted to know) but he had to be sure.

Vomas was a vampire, which meant that they automatically had a better prospect for a long term relationship than he did with Gene, but part of him had called the mortal tonight to spite that.  He and his boss had had plenty of chances to progress and they hadn\'t (until two nights ago... sort of) and Sam had been thinking a great deal about Gene for a long while now.  It didn\'t seem fair to give up on the mortal without being certain that it was the best decision... and as he spied the gorgeous blonde weaving around the pool tables and heading towards him at last, he smiled and stood automatically, suddenly thinking that it wasn\'t.

Gene appealed to him as someone with a familiar background and on some very fundamental levels - he had an intellectual adoration and respect for Vomas, whereas Gene made him lust just by smiling at him and he instantly wanted all sorts of dirty things he doubt he\'d ever even describe to the very proper Vomas.  It was hard to resist that kind of pull and as Gene approached, murmuring his greeting, Sam got off his stool and stepped into the mortal\'s space, winding an arm around his waist and leaning in to kiss his cheek, inhale his scent and pull back slowly, with an intimate smile.

"It\'s good to see you again," he said honestly, still pressed shoulder to toea gainst Gene  and reluctant to leave his personal bubble too quickly.  It didn\'t help that he\'d been too caught up in his own head to drink anything tonight - and last night he\'d mostly spent organising a very expensive and dashing suit for the Russian dinner that was going to occur tomorrow night... in fact, he hadn\'t drunk anything in about four nights, now that he thought about it.  No wonder Gene\'s blood smelled as good as he looked, just then.  "You look gorgeous."  He gave his compliment time to register and for a response to come before he reluctantly untangled himself and released Gene in order to go back to his stool.

[Saccharin]

Winter, although it wouldn\'t officially start for another week or so, was certainly making its presence known. Before going to work that morning, Gene had spent time scraping the frost from his windshield, swearing he\'d get his heater fixed the next paycheck he received. At least his truck hadn\'t died entirely, not since he\'d gotten the radiator replaced last summer. He worried about it, though, and said a quick prayer of thanks every time he started it up successfully. It\'d been no different that night, and bundled in his Carhartt jacket - hood up - and fingerless gloves, he was at least able to keep his core warm as he drove to the bar.

Soon enough, he climbed out of the truck and closed the door behind him, his breath turning to vapor when it met the cold air. Usually when he walked toward the pool hall, he felt tension fading just at the thought of having a few beers while listening to the jukebox, but thinking of meeting up with Sam had his stomach all twisted up in knots. He\'d been reassured that this was a friendly meeting, just an opportunity for them to chat face-to-face, but part of him (okay, all of him) wished it could be more.

He was absolutely hopeless when it came to talking, he knew that, but Sam was different - he was patient. He gave him time to work past his awkwardness and speak. Most people considered him dull-witted, stupid, because in addition to talking slowly with a thick, Southern accent, he sometimes struggled to find his words in the first place. Well, that was unless he had a beer in hand, which did a lot to explain why he drank so often (much to his liver\'s dismay).

His gloves went into his pockets and he pulled his hood down as soon as he stepped inside. The temperature difference was astounding, and he was grateful that he\'d be able to take off his coat once he thawed out. He had on his big, bulky work jacket, and though he fit in with the crowd that typically frequented the pool hall, he knew it was raggedy enough that Sam might notice and judge it.

"You too," he replied once he made his way to Sam, laughing a little when he realized it was applicable to both of the vampire\'s statements. Every vampire he\'d met had been beautiful in one way or another, and Sam was no different. He was particularly drawn to the man\'s expressive blue eyes, finding it hard to look away once he\'d locked gazes with him.

"You been doing alright?" he asked after he sat down and unzipped his coat, still smiling his dimply smile.

[Existentially Odd]

"Yeah," Sam grinned back, taking up his position on the stool he\'d climbed down off so recently, though he moved it slightly beforehand, so that he was closer to Gene.  Their knees were touching and he liked that, even though he\'d ostensibly done it so that Gene could easily hear him over any noise that started up in the rest of the large room (it was prety quiet so far but it was only early yet).

"I\'ve been thinking about you," he said honestly, finding his accent was thickening just because he was near another Southerner.  He reached over and brushed the knuckle of his index finger against the back of Gene\'s hand or arm (whichever was easiest to access), his smile twinkling a little brighter in his eyes as he did.  Gene made him giddy and flirty; he\'d thought it was maybe because he\'d just been so damn lonely and bored the first time they met, but apparently not.  It was Gene himself, which didn\'t make this any easier.

"Nearly called you at three a.m. the other night," he confessed with a little chuckle, shifting around on his stool and folding his arms on the table before him, hands cupped around his elbows so he\'d start keeping them to himself.  "Luckily, I realised that\'s be a bad idea, what with you working and all.  How\'s the job going?  You and your boss looked pretty tight," he hinted, wondering if there was anything going on there.  They\'d looked cosy the night he\'d run into them but Sam wouldn\'t bet money there was anything more to it.

[Saccharin]

Sam had been thinking about him? He felt a tiny thrill at the thought, and it was only compounded by Sam\'s touch, brief as it was. The skin on his hand tingled, and brought it down to his lap to rub at it absently.

"I\'m glad you didn\'t," he laughed. "I mean, I really like talking to you, but I would\'ve been a zombie come time to work." No amount of coffee would\'ve been able to get him through the day if he didn\'t have at least six hours of sleep, and the last time he\'d tried, he\'d ended up rolling his truck.

It hadn\'t been pleasant.

He sat up straighter and rested one forearm on the table when his job was brought up. "Dominic? Yeah, he\'s a good guy, it\'s a good job. I like it." He became quiet as he considered how much he did like his job with the landscaping company. It wasn\'t exactly like farm work, but it was close enough, and he was good at it. Dom appreciated all his efforts, too, so he knew he wasn\'t being taken for granted. That meant a lot to Gene.

"How about you? What\'s it you do again? Researching?" Sam had explained it - likely more than once - but he had trouble remembering exactly what the vampire did for a living. He hoped Sam wouldn\'t mind explaining it again.

[Existentially Odd]

The reference to his work dampened Sam\'s enthusiasm quite suddenly and he had to fight to keep a frown off his face as his smile drooped accordingly (though it didn\'t disappear entirely).  Work made him think of Vomas... and that just brought up the guilt he should\'ve been feeling the whole time.

He chuckled, attempting to get his mind focussed.  "Sometimes.  Lately I\'m working on creating a massive database with all of the Oligarchy\'s Library recorded in it.  It\'s in its infancy now, but give me a decade and it\'ll be spectacular," he joked, managing to find his grin after he licked his lips.

Clearing his throat, he decided it was probably time he got around to what he really wanted to say.  "So... you and Orias broke up, huh?  How\'d that come about?" he queried, his expression sympathetic.

[Saccharin]

Gene wasn\'t as successful as Sam had been at keeping his frown at bay, because as far as topics went, breaking up with Orias was his least favorite. He broke eye contact with Sam to stare at the surface of the table they sat at, wishing he had a drink. Whiskey would be preferable, but a beer would do.

"Jus\' a second," he said gruffly, pushing away from the table and making his way to the bar. The bartender immediately recognized Gene and grabbed him a beer, but another look at the glum expression on his face and he grabbed a shot glass, filling it with whiskey. He mumbled his thanks and nodded when asked if he wanted to open a tab. It felt like it was going to be one of those nights. At least this time, Sam wouldn\'t have to take him home to a disapproving Orias.

Before he returned with his beer, Gene knocked back the whiskey, wanting to develop an edge of numbness as soon as possible. "Okay. So, the breakup thing," he said, settling back down on his stool. "You know that one night you took me home? After that, I started paying more attention to... stuff." He took a sip of his beer, swishing it around in his mouth briefly to wash away the burning taste of hard liquor. "How he worried, how he treated me. Everything he didn\'t want me doing. It was... He treated me like a kid. Like I\'d break." He shrugged. "I couldn\'t handle it anymore, so I left."

[Existentially Odd]

"Yeah," Sam mused on an outgoing breath, gnawing on his inner lip as he watched Gene thoughtfully.  He hadn\'t intended on telling all when he came here tonight but now, somehow, he wanted to tell Gene everything.  As a friend would.  Maybe it would spark a distance between them... but maybe that was the way out of this that he needed.

"You know... I wasn\'t sure about telling you this, but," he trailed off as he wriggled a little closer to Gene, dropping the arm closest to the mortal to his lap so he could lean in, the arm still on the table running through his hair before it settled, supporting his jaw, "last time we were together, when I took you home... Orias realised that I have strong mental powers and he asked me to knock you out so he and I could talk.  In that other room of his."  He fell quiet, waiting for Gene to digest that before he went on to anything else.

[Saccharin]

He blinked at Sam, clearly confused by the vampire\'s revelation. Thinking back, he could vaguely recall passing out on the couch for a bit, but he\'d been shitfaced - it wasn\'t unusual for him to fall asleep on whatever flat surface he landed on when he was that drunk.

"Oookay," he drawled. "What do you mean you had to knock me out so you two could talk?"

[Existentially Odd]

Sam gave a shrug.  "It was his idea.  It struck me as weird but... I complied because he made me really nervous.  I went into your mind and put you to sleep and after I assured him that you and I had just hung out at the pool hall, he had me wake you up again.  You thought it was the beer making you sleep... but it was me.  It gave me the impression he was very... domineering.  I was petrified he\'d figure out how much I\'d flirted with you and how badly I wanted to... " he broke off and looked at Gene, a sly smile growing.  "Well.  Do wicked things to you."

Accompanying his grin, he sent some mental images that he\'d conjured in the vast amount of time he\'d spent away from and fantasising about Gene.  He knew he shouldn\'t, that it would be saying - well, showing - what was best left unsaid at this point but he\'d had a lot of time to really perfect his thoughts on this topic.  And also to want it badly.  So when he showed images of him pressing Gene up against a wall, kissing him hard, biting into his neck, their hands fumbling passionately under and around clothes and then hovering over him in bed, doing much the same stuff except they were naked and he was thrusting in and out of Gene while he drank from and kissed him... the images were laced with more than a little lust.

As soon as Gene registered what he\'d been shown, though, something in Sam quailed, guilt flared and he had to look away.  Before anything else was said or done, he knew he needed to change the subject away from his very improper, sexy thoughts and so he hastily went back to his original topic.  "A-also, there\'s some sort of magic spell or-or barrier or s-somethin\' in your mind.  I felt it when I-I went in there but I didn\'t look at it l-long enough to figure it ou-out, exactly," he told the table, his equilibrium unsettled enough that his voice was clogging in his throat a little, making it hard to speak smoothly, even though he\'d never had a problem speaking to Gene before.

Of course, he\'d also never hit the man with an inappropriate lust-infusion that he had no right sharing before, either.  It seemed there were still many firsts to be had tonight.

[Saccharin]

Gene was still struggling with the whole \'put you to sleep\' thing when images that most certainly didn\'t belong to him went tumbling through his mind. They had a decidedly foreign feel to them - especially since they were from Sam\'s viewpoint.

So that\'s what Sam had meant when he said he\'d been thinking of him? Oh wow. He ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck, knowing his face was the color of fresh beet juice and wanting to hide it. By the time Sam finished talking, he\'d managed to get his blushing under control (at the very least, his face and neck weren\'t stinging anymore), and he looked up at his table-mate.

"Wait. Hang on a second. Are you saying that you dug around in my head? And there\'s some spell in there? A magic spell?" Like there was any other. "I\'m sorry, I\'m just," he laughed and shook his head, "I\'m having a really hard time with this." Orias had been incredibly strong, but that\'d been it. Weren\'t all vampires the same? They couldn\'t have mental powers, couldn\'t read thoughts or sense magical spells (assuming they existed in the first place), could they? "Are you serious? Like serious, serious?"

[Existentially Odd]

Sam was disappointed that his not-so-subtle proposition (of sorts) wasn\'t even mentioned by Gene, but he swallowed it down and cleared his throat.  It was for the best; he shouldn\'t be encouraging sexual tension between them when he was... uh, well, in a not-secret-anymore kind of... erm... relationship?  He was better off focussing on the friendship he wanted to come out of this with, and keeping his wits about him, rather than thinking

about his mouth
his eyes
his blood
his big, warm body
his hair
his kisses
what noises he might make when he was bitten
how he\'d move
how he\'d taste
if he was always shy

about Gene in untoward ways.

"Yes, I\'m serious.  Vampires have different abilities.  Some work on their mental ones, others seem to focus on physical ones, others do both, but the more you spread your focus, the longer it takes.  I\'ve worked on my mental abilities but your-uh, well, Orias hasn\'t.  Still, there\'s something in your mind, I sensed it there and he couldn\'t have put it there.  I don\'t know what it does, so even if I examined it, magic\'s really not my thing and I doubt I\'d understand it," he told the mortal apologetically, his expression showing how uncertain and sorry he was.

Now he was feeling guilt from a whole new angle... this was horrible!  "Um... the vampire oligarchs know about it, too, because... well, I was worried Orias would come after me so I told them about you, about that night and about the spell in your head.  I can only assume, since it\'s been so long - and it\'s not like Oligarch McCloud to ignore such things - that they\'ve figured out what your spell is and it\'s nothing to worry about but... I could go see him and find out for sure, if you want?" Sam suggested with a timid shrug.

Funny how he\'d kind of lost focus on what had brought he and Vomas together in the first place until now; his concern for Gene.  How ironic.

[Saccharin]

So Sam was serious. Gene took a long drink of his beer, barely tasting it as it went down. He was supposed to believe that vampires had mind powers and that there was magic in his head. But it wasn't exactly a huge leap to make. Vampires were real. Why wouldn't magic exist in some form?

He sighed resignedly. "So you don't know what it's doing in there, this... spell thing? And neither does the... Wait. What's an oligarch?"

Figuring out who they were before taking Sam up on his offer seemed like the smart thing to do.

[Existentially Odd]

"Supernatural species have an Oligarch that represents them and their interests on the supernatural council - the Oligarchy, which is the organisation I work for.  The Oligarchy takes care of the city, making sure the supernaturals behave themselves and don't violate the general population in any way.  Keep the secret, y'know?" he asked Gene encouragingly, warming to his topic.

"Well, the oligarchs are also there to go to if you have problems.  There are two vampire oligarchs because there are so many vampires in the city and after the night I met you and potentially pissed Orias off, I went and saw... uh, one of them," he faltered as visions of Vomas swam into his head.  He'd meant Jake, but of course Vomas was the one he thought about all the time so... it was very difficult to get him out of his head.  It didn't help that that night had ended with him in Vomas' bed.

"He couldn't really help but he made a note to see about the spell.  He hasn't said anything to me since, though.  The, uh, other oligarch is my boss, Vomas, and he did me a favour and looked on the system for me but there was nothing in there - besides the fact that Orias had you registered as his pet," Sam shrugged, his message offhanded because he figured Gene knew about that part.  It was the rest of it that was a mystery.

And still, thoughts of Vomas wouldn't leave him, meaning his information delivery was somewhat distracted.  "I still don't know about the spell but maybe they do, by now.  You want me to check it out for you, or...?" he trailed off, thinking Gene might want to investigate for himself but unsure if he should make that possibility explicit.

[Saccharin]

He listened quietly as Sam spoke, occasionally sipping on his beer. Despite having lived with a vampire for nearly two years, all he was told about the oligarchy was news to him. There was a government working behind the scenes to keep supernatural creatures (things other than vampires, oh boy) in line; to keep people like him safe.

To record them as pets.

He sat his bottle down abruptly, sending some of its contents briefly in the air and then onto the table. "A pet? Like... A dog or something? Why? Why would he do that?" He looked like he'd been kicked in the stomach, his face twisted and sour. They'd been equals. Partners. At least, that's what he'd been led to believe.

He wanted to ask Sam what he thought about it - if he put him in the same category as a dog, cat or fucking goldfish, but fear of the answer made him choke on the words.

[Existentially Odd]

Sam was startled by Gene's overt reaction and he glanced around momentarily to be sure that they weren't attracting undue attention with their unorthodox conversation.  Anyone nearby overhearing would have to be 'in the know' to understand they were discussing anything extreme but it still made him nervous.  He didn't want this beautiful mortal in any more trouble.  Ascertaining that they weren't being observed unduly (though a few apathetic looks had come their way to see what had happened to the banging bottle), Sam leaned a bit closer to his companion and spoke in more of a stage whisper.

"I thought you knew!  It's a term vampires use to define the mortals that they feed from regularly - it doesn't mean that you're an animal, just that... uh, well, that Orias has exclusive... um, that you're... his donor.  Exclusively."  Sam broke off, frowning and seeing no good way out of this.  From the mortal's perspective - the unsuspecting mortal, at least - this sounded horrible!  It was a part of the culture he'd always known about but never thought a great deal on, for he'd never been interested in regular donors.  He was barely old enough to be out of a constant state of thirst, even now no single donor could meet his needs.

Now that he thought about it, though, it did sound very demeaning.  It was part of the reason he'd been so freaked out back when he first met Gene, though.  He'd recognised that Gene was Orias' property and had come face to face with the fact that he'd tried to mess with that.  Classifying this gorgeous man as property was offensive on so many levels he could barely think about it.

"I'm sorry, I'm really fucking this up, aren't I?  I shouldn't have said anything - I shouldn't have assumed you knew!" Sam moaned, his expression distressed.  The last thing he wanted to do was upset Gene.  He'd been ready for the spell thing to be a shock, but he hadn't known anything!  It was a disaster and it was all his fault.