Opening the Can of Worms

Seeing him she knew before he tried to say anything. Things had ended. She rushed to him, wrapping her arms around him, holding him close in the middle of the park. She didn't need to be a lycan to feel just how hurt the nephilim was, kissing the side of his head, holding him close even though she was much smaller in size than him, it just felt like she could protect him right now. "It's alright," she whispered in his ear. He didn't need to say anything, he didn't have to explain what had happened. Right now he just needed her and she would gladly be there for him. "How about we just ... Walk for a little bit?" she suggested, moving her hand down to his, taking it and giving it a soft squeeze. The two of them had a bond that was really deeper than it appeared. It was like they understood one another, even despite their troubles being so different.

Zaira was left in the part, gritting her teeth because she wanted to help him. Only, she wasn't sure what she could do. Because it was so late anyways she decided to grab some coffee on the way back, seeing as it would be morning soon enough.

Once school started back up that following Monday, it was all too normal. Jeremy functioned like he always did, going to class, but Zaira needed to talk to him. She hadn't seen Damiano, wondering if something had happened that the nephilim wouldn't talk about.
Finally, at P.E. she cornered him, picking him as her partner for some circulation activity. They started with jumping jacks and would move on from there. "It was a real dick move of you ... The park," she just called him out right away. Kurtis had been worried when she had returned, talking things through and he was starting to get more annoyed with Jeremy - or at least it seemed like that through Zaira's eyes.

"Let's just call it even now, alright," she said as they moved on to the next spot, doing curl ups, she gestured for him to hold her feet as she took the first ones. Looking up at him with every curl she finally spoke. The good thing about being a hybrid meant that she didn't get out of breath that easily anymore. "I've been shitty too ... Ever since my change I've been avoiding you," she doubted he had noticed it much, but it was all in the small things. How she always had an excuse as to not hug him like she used to or how she would hold her breath around him. Truth was he smelled good, but not because of his cologne. No, to her he smelled like a meal, and it was freaking her out. "I'm really trying to just get over the fact that you smell appealing to me, you know, it's really fucking with my head."

Like a cool new candy? She hadn't really thought about it like that, but it did make sense. She didn't hungered for sweets anymore, but maybe drinking blood was very much like just picking which soda you wanted and how that changed sometimes. Humming she finished her excersizes as he mentioned Kurtis. She eyed him, sighing as she shook her head, "I guess he's still upset with you, and maybe a little mad that I'm still talking to you, not giving you the Kurtis-Treatment TM," rolling her eyes a little. They were alright, she was sure of it, he just needed some time to calm down and forgive, but he had a lot on his plate right now. "We actually went to talk with Romeo the other day," she finally admitted, looking down as everything was still a jumbled mess in her head. Shaking it no, she didn't want to talk about it right now. "I think I need to go get a vial," she sighed, feeling a headache coming on, "It's just so ... Inconsistent what I need," she muttered.

Zaira headed to the changing room, only to find her bad rummaged through and her vials gone. She felt a shudder run down her spine, looking around to see if anyone was still here. It didn't seem like it, but now her fear was kicking in. If she didn't have the vials, she would end up hurting people, she was sure of it! Running a few fingers through her hair, pulling at it lightly to try and soothe herself she paced in circles around her bag before she thought she needed to do what was right. She needed to head home and stay out of sight so that she wouldn't hurt anyone. Ever since her change, that had been her biggest fear. Even if everyone thought it had only given her more beauty, she felt hideous on the inside. She packed her bag up, sniffling a bit as she felt so sad and scared.

He shouldnt have gone into the girls locker rooms, but seeing that Zaira wasnt coming back, he felt like he had to check on her. "Zaira?" he called, covering his eyes as he carefully proceeded to go inside. He heard the shuffling of a bag, lowering his hand as he then saw her stand there packing up her bags. "What's going on? Werent you just going to get blood?" he asked as he narrowed his eyes a little. Wasnt she just getting a vial? So why was she starting to pack up to leave?

"It's gone," she said, zipping up her bag and yet if he stood in her way to get out she would stop, keeping her distance because hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do. "Somebody took it ... It was in my bag, and now it's gone," she said, her eyes clear with panic and she could feel her throat itch like hell. "Please, Jere, I needa get outta here before I hurt someone," she said, her grip tightening around her bag as she was showing immense restraints. "I can't do this ... Not at school," she pleaded

As he left to go get his shoes she felt impatient, opting to head out anyways. She knew she had some vials at home, or at least she hoped she had. But she should've known he knew, and as he grabbed her bag she was turned around to face him, looking up at him with a distraught facial expression. "Help like I wanted to help you the other night?" she asked, sounding hurt and feeling like he was being mean now. "I got out of bed in the middle of the night, I ran to that park ... And all you said was that you didn't really want to talk about it?" She shook her head. She didn't have time for this. "I need to get home ... And you smell like a fucking buffet." Gritting her teeth she felt her muscles tense.

Her question made him frown a little, even more as she elaborated. Yeah it was a shitty thing to do, but he didnt feel like he was in the wrong! He had changed his mind, it would’ve just hurt more to talk about! “Gods Zaira! It really cant be that bad.” He said, just walking closer, moving his wrist up to her face. Maybe he was a little self destructive as well. Wanting to get himself in danger just to not hurt anymore. Beside, he did believe that Zaira wouldnt just hurt him like that.

As soon as he lifted his wrist, her body acted on its own, grabbing on to his hand and elbow, forcing it closer to her lips. Her eyes seemed hyper focused on the task ahead, opening her mouth to show her small fangs. She couldn't speak. Her lips touched his wrist now, and it would be so easy to pierce his skin and drink him dry. Drink until she couldn't drink any more, her mind told her, and then move on to the next one, and the next one ... Until the burning stopped. Her eyes filled with water, because it was so clear how much she was fighting it. She didn't want to hurt Jeremy, the one she considered her brother. The one who had already gotten hurt so many times. "Help ... Me ..."

She grabbed onto his hand and he had to admit that seeing her fangs like that was a little scary to him. At least it made the hairs on his neck stand up and left him a little speechless. His mouth felt dry and yet it hadnt been the same as when Damiano had bit him. It was way different. But if it had felt the same, he probably wouldnt have been okay with it. He noticed how she was hesitating, but he didnt move either. “It’s fine Zaira. It’s gonna be fine.” He assured her. Definitely in a general sense, though in the context they stood in, it could also sound like a green light.

Going to be fine? How could he say that? In her state she couldn't stop herself, connecting her lips to his arm, piercing his skin as easy as biting in to a slice of bread. At first she was unsure about how to do it, but the instincts kicked in and she started drinking. What she wasn't aware of was the fact that she was in turn providing Jeremy with a rather allusive drug in the form of her venom. Being a hybrid meant she couldn't actually turn anyone, but her venom instead gave an almost euphoric feeling. She eventually pulled away, when the thirst wasn't so bad, and she had half a braincell to realize who she was drinking from. Her breath staggered as a droplet of blood ran from her lips, down her chin and along her throat. She was in a state of shock. She had actually hurt him! "Jere, I-I am so-so sorry," she pleaded, reaching in to her gym bag to pull out some sports wrap that she wrapped around his puncture wounds. She was just as bad as Damiano, wasn't she? Just hurting him. Would he ever forgive her? Was he as shocked as her?

He thought she would let go just then but then her mouth opened and a short pain followed. Like a very thick needle was going through his skin. And he didnt like getting his blood taken at the doctor’s. But then shortly, a calming sensation flowed through the painful bite and it was like all the clouds over his mind was cleared up. He barely noticed that his blood was being sucked, beside a slight feeling of tiredness growing on him. When she let go, his mind was in a haze of something calm and comforting; something he thought he had needed over the last few days. She spoke to him but he barely reacted until she began covering the bite. The haze quickly cleared and he felt like he wanted more now that he had gotten a taste of it. “Did you bite me?” He asked. It hadnt hurt, at least the initial hurt was completely forgotten in the overwhelm of everything else.

"Yes," she admitted, feeling so ashamed and it was clear on her face. He looked alright for now, but maybe it would be wise to get him something to eat and drink. "Come with me back to me and Kurtis' place ... I'll fix you up and I'll make you something to eat, alright?" she felt herself a little intoxicated by his blood, always wanting more, but the guilt of knowing that she had hurt him and made her own nightmare come true was deterring her from wanting his blood further. Wrapping her arm around his, she pulled him with her, knowing that Kurtis would get pissed that she had ditched without him, but he was also still mad at Jeremy.

Her confession made him hum a little absentmindedly, like he wasnt quite understanding but had heard it. He looked at the wrap around his wrist. He felt really lightheaded now. “No, it’ll be fine, I got class. My parents, they’d get pissed if I miss it” He mumbled, before he had to sit down. He hadnt really eaten properly as well so the bloodloss, even in the small amount she had taken was affecting him. “Can you… do it again?” He asked, wondering if that was a weird request. It probably was. But it had just felt good, in a way he didnt know how to describe.

He didn't want to come? Well at least he sat down and she moved with him, digging through her gym bag. Kurtis sometimes had a habit of hiding snack in it just to make her look more normal. And she was in luck! Digging out a chocolate bar she handed it to him, "eat," she muttered, listening as he spoke about his parents. Yeah, she should've thought as much. But the question that followed made her feel a bit odd inside. Frowning she looked down, unsure if it was because he had seen it helped her or not. "I don't want to use you like a blood bag," she said, still feeling rather ashamed about this whole ordeal. "It's not right, Jere," even though it had made her feel so good to finally get some good quality blood in her. Her body felt more at ease, but she also felt so aware of the hurt she had inflicted on him, though he had barely noticed it seemed.

He was given a chocolate bar and he did unpack and eat it; though it was in small controlled bites that he chewed thoroughly. Maybe a little too much considering how he was taking the smallest bites. The request was definitely not for her sake. But she couldnt know that. The remark made him shrug. “Why not?” He asked. She pointed out the fact that it was wrong. But maybe he was a little too blinded already by the soothing feeling he had felt to even consider the rights and wrong. “What about your vials? What makes them more right? Because they were made from donors? Am I not just a donor in this matter? A good friend lending a hand?” He asked, looking at his wrist, seeing the wrap.

Well he did have a point, didn't he? She had vials, sure, but this was fresh blood and he hadn't minded? She hummed, touching his wrist as he held it out, "I guess you're right," but to be fair she was pretty easily convinced when it came to Jeremy. He was smart, he was the logical one. She frowned a little, clearly thinking it through, "alright, but Kurtis might not approve ... And I don't want you to pass out or, like, die," she said, he looked rather pale right now. If they were to do this, they needed some ground rules. "I want you to eat three times a day at least," he couldn't lie to her, because she noticed what he ate and when he ate at school, "and I want you to figure out how we can make sure I don't leave any scars - I don't think your parents seeing bite marks on you would be good."

Kurtis would probably never approve but as long as it felt like his reasoning would be thinking that Jeremy was being a dickhead, then the nephilim wouldnt really bother with caring about what he thought. “I’ll be fine.” He mumbled, but then she laid out the groundrules. He could eat three times a day but it would be a bit of a challenge now that he was going through stuff. It was just his comfort thing. Absolute control. The mention of figuring out the least harmful way made him scoff. “You’ve already bit my wrist. Cant you just use that again?” He didnt know how vampyres worked, if they needed new places. Did she even have to bite? Not that he had felt it. Or at least remembered how it felt.