ALTERNATE: No Risk No Reward

[Black Philip]

Jake was impressed by the question. For someone who had never met a vampire Ben was catching on quick. Jake made people do stuff all the time and then made them think it was their own idea. It sounded cruel, but it was a lot easier for the human if they think their willing. Still, Jake almost never had to resort to such tactics. Bite junkies and fang bangers loved him and placed themselves at his feet. Besides, this was the age of Adam4Adam and Manhunt. He could always find a willing neck.

Was Ben smart? Jake hadn’t judged him as such when they first met, and felt a tad guilty he assumed Ben was just another dumb twink. There was something behind the nervousness of his eyes, something… mean? Perhaps there was more here than just a feed. The vampire smiled wryly. 

“If I have to I can do that yes,” he explained. “But I don’t like too. It changes the taste. A willing neck, a truly willing neck, is by far the best. If I am surviving, sure. I’ll take what I need, but I don’t set out to hurt people.”

Now that was true. Jake did hurt a lot of people, but always as a reaction, an exposed nerve of rage and emotion. He felt guilt and had a conscience, but his moral reasoning wasn’t human anymore. Feeding from a human against their will didn’t bother him if it meant he would be fed enough not to frenzy later. It was all relative.

[Trillian]

It changes the taste? Ben thought about how it would change the taste. Adrenalin coursing through someone's body, that would change the taste. He couldn't think of any other chemicals that would do it, but he wasn't a doctor or anything. Jake was technically a connoisseur of blood, since he drank different types. Enhanced senses meant enhanced taste and...

Ben realised he'd lapsed into silence again as he chased his thoughts.

"Have you ever sired anyone?"

Well fuck
That was supposed to be asked later
After the bite

Ben tried his best to look nonchalant, as though this question didn't mean anything in particular.

[Black Philip]

Jake listened to Ben’s thoughts actively at this point. He liked them. He wanted to explain about the four humors and why for him Sanguine resonance was much better than Choleric - which the blood became when too much adrenaline and other fight or flight chemicals were mixed in. However, that would tip his hand he’d been listening in, and he was sure Ben would find it rude. It was helping Jake to know more about the boy though, and Ben had proven an interesting enough meal to string this out.

Then he asked his question about siring, and the whole energy changed. He looked at Ben through narrowed eyes, and he became more inaccessible. He wondered if that was Ben’s true purpose or if this was just more curiosity? Either way it was very personal to vampires, and Ben would need to learn to be a bit more careful asking vampires personal questions like that. Did Jake see the irony that he was reading Ben’s mind, while feeling intruded on? Of course not. He was a vampire. The rules were different for him!

“No, not yet. My kind of vampire waits till they find the perfect person, and in all my time on this earth I’ve yet to find them.”

Jake regretted his statement as soon as he said it. Now the human would ask what kinds of vampires there were, and that question would take all night to answer. He decided to throw the conversation back onto Ben as way to prevent this.

“Thinking about becoming a vampire Ben?” He let his smile return, only this time opened his mouth to do it, showing two neat, sharp fangs mixed into a handsome grin.

[Trillian]

My kind of vampire waits till they find the perfect person, Jake said, and Ben could feel his heartbeat speed up. Thrilled that Jake hadn't blatantly said 'I won't sire you', or 'I've vowed never to sire anyone', he'd actually announced that he was open to it. Of course, there would be standards and expectations, and Ben himself might not be able to fulfil them, but at least now there was a chance.

Jake's next question caught his attention, too, but it was already known by both of them that Ben wanted someone to sire him. He'd asked that super-obvious question, hadn't he?

He smiled at Jake and shrugged, glad that he hadn't been told off about wanting such a thing for himself.

"What's a perfect person for you?" he asked, because that was the thing in Jake's sentence that he'd most focussed on.

[Black Philip]

Jake considered how much to tell the lad. On the one hand, he hadn't anyone to brag to about his clan's heritage for years. Most humans didn't care for such things, and true bite junkies were often more to the point then the vampire was. He wouldn't go into any of that yet, and he doubted Ben would be the one he'd waited for all this time. However, he did see one or two things in Ben's eyes that made the vampire think maybe he should at least see where this goes. After all, everyone started out human at one point.

"I like someone who knows what they want. I want someone I get on with. If we can't be friends, we can't be kin. I like leadership, a pretty face, and a charming personality. I need someone with a silver tongue, the mind of a diplomat and the heart of a warrior. I know it sounds a long list, but when you make someone it's a life long commitment in some ways."

Now he'd see exactly how interested Ben was. How far would he go to prove to Jake he had those qualities? If he didn't have those qualities at least he'd know that soon.

[Trillian]

Ben was thoughtful, listening to each point carefully and assessing his own ability to fulfill it. Some of them were more difficult than others, but with a bit of consideration, Jake might allow him to try.

"You already know what I want," Ben said softly. "I guess the way to prove it is to show you how much I'm willing to do to get it," he said, then groaned inwardly. He'd literally just offered himself up as a blank cheque, which was not something he'd intended to do tonight... but Jake McCloud seemed both important and willing to sire someone one day. Why couldn't that be Ben? "We have to spend time together, for you to judge whether or not we get on," he said.

Inside, his heart was racing and he felt shocked at his own words. He'd always had a knack for sounding smoother than he felt, but he doubted that would be enough to possess a 'silver tongue', as Jake had put it. Ben would've been better off if he'd wanted a barbed tongue, something that could cut. Ben was better at those.

"Time spent with you will also prove if I can be a diplomat or a warrior."

He waited for Jake to reply, most of him expecting Jake to laugh in his face and refuse, but a hopeful part held on. He kept eye-contact with the vampire, not wanting to show weakness by looking away, though he couldn't help the slow blush that crept up his cheeks.

[Black Philip]

Jake liked the use of silence to build tension, and let a large amount fill the room as he studied Ben. He'd been right. Jake did know what he wanted, and that was a very good start towards being the kind of person Jake would think to sire. He'd been direct, and used his charm to first disarm Jake, and then his wit to get the conversation to his preferred topic, and the best part was there was nothing fake about it. He'd been the person he needed to be in the moment to get to the next step in the process. That took smarts.

"I am open to it," he answered finally. "I like you Ben.”

He thought how best to proceed.

"Let's have me feed on you tonight and then you and I can start seeing one another a few nights a week. At first I just want to know who you are and share who I am. If we get passed that, I will let you drink some of my blood. After a trial period and if we both are satisfied, I will sire you."

He waited for what he assumed would be a joyful reaction. Jake had gotten lonely over the years and while this meeting had been a chance one, something in him called to this boy. It was as if their destinies were tightly wound, in this universe and possibly others. Besides, he was sexy, and Jake was sexy. They could be sexy together, and that was always better as vampires.

[Trillian]

Ben's excitement was immediate and obvious in the way that his smile broadened and his eyes twinkled with delight. He was happy to have stumbled onto someone willing on his first try - and that he'd been given the time of day.

Night, given the time of night
(giggle)

Even his thoughts were high.

He shifted in his seat, unconsciously moving closer to Jake, his gaze piercing and studious. The request to drink from him no longer made him nervous but now thrilled him to the core. It was the first step to moving towards his desired goal, and he liked that there was a step-by-step plan towards it. Let Jake drink from him.

and it's supposed to be hot
remember what Pavros said?
he slept with whoever bit him because
it's supposed to be hot

And the second step, to have Ben drink from Jake?

"What does drinking your blood do to me?" he asked, though unless the answer was so repulsive or shocking, he'd agree to that, too.

[Black Philip]

Jake felt Ben's excitement, and noticed that their bodies were coming closer again. He liked that, and was glad he hadn't just whisked Ben to a booth and dumped him after. There may be something here, but Jake wouldn't be siring Ben tomorrow. He'd need to spend time with him until he saw what was underneath the smart, sexy boy. What demons lurked within him? It was this factor Jake was most interested in. Were they manageable number one, and number two did they conflict with his own demons? These kinds of questions could be answered later. Now he wanted his meal and maybe a fuck if Ben wanted it. He's need to want it eventually. Jake had no interest siring a man he hadn't known physically, but as to not pressure Ben into sex, he left that part out for now.

He was also getting ahead of himself with his next question, as that wouldn't be happening tonight either. His excitement was mixing with impatience. Why was he not throwing himself on Jake's cock in gratitude for considering his request? He didn't understand this generation of humans.

"It will make us feel very connected. I will be able to feel your emotions and thoughts, and you mine. Also, you'll stop aging, or age very slow, as well as develop a few things like better senses, some limited strength and speed; those sorts of changes."

He didn't tell Ben that a blood bond also meant Jake would own him like property until he became a vampire, and that then a new kind of ownership took place. He would also be able to stop Ben from reading his emotions and thoughts if he wanted to, but Ben didn't need to know any of this. He was so happy. How could Jake spoil the sport's good mood? He leaned in and gave him eye contact.

"Before this goes any further there is something I need to know. Why? Why do you want this so bad? And don't say something corny about living for eternity or any of that other Twilight shit. If you do, you can head back downstairs."

Despite the threatening words, his tone was soft, seductive even. He didn't want Ben to go, but he needed the lad to know this question was important. He needed the truth. Why did Ben want to trade his human life for a cursed one?

[Trillian]

Drinking Jake's blood sounded like an amazing opportunity even in itself. Of course it made sense that it would connect them... but he'd had no idea it would stop him from aging, that it would give him a subtle access to the vampire world. It was the perfect half-step towards being fledged.

The question asked of him was easy to answer, but Jake's discounting of eternity gave Ben pause. Eternity was something his answer hinged on. Jake probably wouldn't like the same answer phrased in a different way... but it was all Ben had.

"It gives me time to experience what I can't. I want to learn a musical instrument, and travel the world, and study history, and see all the shows I want to see. I don't have the means for that, and time will help me with that, too. And then there's the other side, access to all the powers, which would be a waste not to learn. I'd have the ability to learn them, to train myself up. I'd be... an intellectual. I'd be worth something," he said. He pressed his lips together, realising he'd more or less told Jake that he wasn't worth something now.

He kind of wasn't, though. He'd contributed nothing to society. He didn't have any knowledge or experience to help anybody. He was a drifter, a non-entity to everyone. He had no close friends, his family had long been abandoned. He was living the vampire existence already, one could say.

[Black Philip]

While Ben's fears were well placed that Jake wouldn't like his censored answer phrased another way, the exact phrasing in this moment made sense. It wasn't as much about superficial things like looking the same forever, or using the powers to get revenge. It was about ambition, and Jake felt a small amount of sadness at the idea Ben felt like he was nothing. He had felt like that before, and he swore he never would again. As a reflex, he moved into kiss Ben again. This one would feel more emotional than the last, a gut reaction of there, there. I'm here. He looked slightly embarrassed afterwords, but relaxed his face into something more neutral.

"I enjoyed your answer." The compliment was truthful, but not gushing either. The kiss had already gushed enough. Was this the beginning of an attraction for Ben that went beyond his looks? "I have traveled the world some, and studied much. I can show you some of what you seek to know. Money is not an issue for me, so if we reach the point where we are cohabiting you will have time to work on the things you wish to work on."

He was sounding more and more like a Ventrue, and Jake found the idea of siring from humble origins but with great drive, to be a promising one. Let the Ivory Tower Ventrue sire the sons and daughters of Republican politicians and the one percent. Jake needed a rebel.

[Trillian]

The kiss was soft and luscious. He liked it a bit more than the potent one downstairs, only because he'd sat with Jake a little longer, knew him the tiniest bit more. Plus, a second kiss didn't have to trespass the boundaries that the first one did.

The more promises Jake made about how wonderful it would be if Ben passed all of his requirements, the more his mistrustful nature awakened. 'Too good to be true' was a real thing, and Jake was starting to look more like a silver platter than ever. The fact Ben had known obstacles to overcome was the only thing that kept him believing it might happen.

"How old are you?" Ben blurted out.

Smooth, Benny-boy.
What if it's a faux-pas to ask a vampire their age
Like asking a woman?

"Sorry," he said hurriedly, before Jake could answer.

[Black Philip]

Jake enjoyed that the kiss went well, and leaned back more confident than he had the moment just before. He was getting hungry, and Ben might see Jake eyeing his neck line, licking his lips, and an increase in intensity. He would need to feed soon from Ben. It would keep him pleasant, but let Ben see what a hungry vampire looked like. It was part of the package he wanted so bad.

When Ben first asked his age, Jake's eyes widened and he did look offended by the question. What if he wanted someone much older? This city did weirdly have a large ancient population. Was his current amount of time on this earth enough for Ben? However, then he had those cute thoughts and apologized, and Jake couldn't help but realize he'd overreacted. He was likely just curious and while Jake would need to instruct him about how to bring up this topic with other vampires, his instinct that age mattered should be rewarded.

"I'm just north of two-hundred and seventy, although I'm not sure on the exact number. I forget my mortal age when I was sired, but it was at least sixteen and no older than eighteen. That is why there is wiggle room."

He added nothing to his answer, as he wanted to see how Ben would take this disclosure. He was older than many who'd already sired, but not as old as his former mentor told him he should be before making a child.

[Trillian]

Two hundred and seventy something. Ben was astonished. At least three human lifetimes, on the cusp of four. It made Jake more approachable because even though Ben liked the idea of being sired by a vampire who'd seen a millennium, he doubted they'd be able to relate to one another. What would he have in common with someone a thousand years old? What use would they have for him? They were probably tired of making fledgelings by that age.

"That's amazing," he breathed - and in reality, anybody over a hundred that looked young like Jake would impress Ben. Jake was from the eighteenth century. Mid 1700s somewhere. He racked his brain for his history knowledge. The Age of Enlightment (it even sounded romantic). The French revolution would've happened during Jake's existence. Australia was only just being put on the map... on the literal map, where before there would've been an X marks the spot, 'there's land here'. And Jake was from Scotland, so what had he seen there? Weren't there wars to overthrow the British? Or was that Ireland. He wasn't that well versed on stuff in the United Kingdom.

"You're amazing," he added, thinking of all the history Jake had actually experienced that Ben had only read about, poring over books in the library, researching what had happened in the past if only to be able to hold a conversation with vampires so old they'd lived it. And here was one right now.

Jake would see little else but worship in Ben's eyes.

[Black Philip]

Jake liked those worshiping eyes, and wanted to see them staring up at him as Ben provided oral pleasure. He felt himself become more and more aroused, and gently placed one of Ben's legs over his own, their thighs now rubbing one another. He was also pleased his age seemed to be just right, at least based off the superlative of you're amazing. Surely Ben would want to show Jake just how amazing he was, and that meant they should find a bedroom quickly.

"You're pretty great yourself Ben," he praised, happy to compliment his human. He was already thinking of Ben as his, and quickly made sure the other blood-suckers in the room knew it, by giving them all a look. Some had been staring, hoping Ben and Jake wouldn't be a match but they quickly returned to their inferior humans. This one was a future Ventrue.

"So how about we go to a room and keep getting comfortable with each other and see what we get up to?" It was a tad corny sure, but since he wanted to feed and screw, simply alluding to one was a disservice. He wanted Ben to know he planned to spend most of the night with him in that room.