continued from here, this is a sequel to my impromptu vampire!John fluff.
The power outage resolved itself eventually. Chicago lit up again by the next evening and the phone lines ended up tied up for hours as people called each other to confirm safety. The TV talked about the scattered looting, the cops who'd run themselves ragged trying to keep order, and the mayor making a statement explaining how the blackout occurred and the steps being taken to prevent another such event.
It was like coming out of a long sleep. People left in the morning to go to work, blinking up at the winter sun as if it had gone out during the blackout too.
Harry went to work, settled back into routine. Opening the shop, dealing with a few customers, reading a magazine behind the counter in the long stretches of time when the shop was empty, pointing a few people towards Bock's shop when he didn't have what they needed.
He went home, fed the pets, fed himself, and slept.
Or tried to. Buried under blankets with Mister laying on his back, purring loudly, Harry just stared at the wall. Tired, but unable to fall asleep, he lifted his arm in the pale light of the moon and looked at the two dark pink marks on his forearm.
John was next door. Harry wondered if John slept, if he could sleep. Did vampires need rest? Was he awake in the next apartment, alone and...
And these were dangerous thoughts. Harry courted trouble, he knew that, but this was something else altogether.
If he could just sleep.
Harry was collecting his mail the next time he saw John.
It was late in the afternoon and Harry hadn't been sleeping well. He was tired and nearly stumbled into the apartment building, feet shuffling along the floor. He shook out the key to his mailbox, but shook too hard. The keys slipped out of his hands and hit the floor.
Harry groaned and leaned against the wall, shutting his eyes with the cool, paint-coated plaster against his face.
He heard a sound and opened his eyes; John the friendly next-door vampire, was bending down, picking up Harry's dropped keys. He straightened and offered them to Harry, open palmed. "Mr. Dresden."
Harry caught a glimpse at the edge of a sharp canine as John spoke and couldn't stop the sharp inhale. He had a vivid sensual flashback to the physical feelings of being bitten. The initial panicked rush from being bitten, the slow, sweet lulling pushing into his skin by John's tongue, the weird, alien suction... He was flushing, neck burning red, he could feel it. "John, hi, how's... how are you?"
John smiled, teeth on clear display as he retrieved his own mail. "Nominal. And you, Mr. Dresden? You look quite peaky. Are you all right?"
Harry nodded quickly, then stopped when that made his head hurt. "Fine. S'fine, just..." He shrugged and grabbed his mail. "I'm fine."
John arched an eyebrow at him. "Did you think saying it three times would make it true?"
"I'm... tired. That's all. Haven't been sleeping well."
John nodded thoughtfully. "Are you headed upstairs?"
"Yeah."
"Let me walk you. You look ready to fall over." He beckoned Harry along, calling the elevator and ushering him inside before hitting their floor number. "I dealt with insomnia at times. Try some chamomile tea. It might help."
"Chamomile?"
"Not a tea drinker, I assume? I'll loan you some. I don't drink as much as I used to."
"I can imagine." Harry winced. "Or... no, I can't, not really. Hey, do you... sleep?"
John tipped his head to the side, eyeing Harry speculatively. "Sometimes. Why?"
He looked away sharply. "Nothin'. Just wondering."
Harry thankfully kept his mouth quiet as John walked him to his door, fetched him a box of tea, and bade him goodnight, eyes glinting green and gold in the hallway's artificial light.
OP might make a fool of herself begging for more. :)
I just love your Harry in this. Yes, he has issues, but he's sort of cute as he goes about them. It makes the inner fangirl squee with joy - because, hey, vampire next door. :D
Of course, my brain went somewhere to:
H:"Will you let me lay on your couch again?" J:...."of course." H:"I'll come over, then." J:"Right." a few minutes later: H:zzzzzzz....
The chamomile helped somewhat. It was a soothing taste and did a good job at mellowing Harry out, making him long for his bed.
But once he'd stretched out under the covers, he was stuck being incredibly tired but unable to actually sleep. His thoughts were lazy loops, no significant connections or process, just idle contemplation that pettered out before it could get anywhere.
After a while, he closed his eyes and listened, trying to hear anything. Sirens in the distance, the hum of cars going by ten floors down. Nothing next door.
He wished there was something. Footsteps, the sound of water in the pipes, a dropped object. Anything to betray whether John was awake or not.
God, what was wrong with him? So he got a bit too friendly with his neighbor during the blackout. It was one night. It shouldn't have been haunting him like this. He was a grown man, not... whatever it was that got so caught up with vampires. Teenage girls, probably. He'd seen trailers for that terrible vampire movie saga. They weren't anything like the real thing. John's skin was pale, but not so much his Italian background didn't show in the olive texture. He didn't act like an angst-filled idiot about being a vampire either. He seemed more adjusted to his life than Harry was, for god's sake. John was the very model of a responsible adult.
Just one that sometimes needed to set his mouth against someone's skin, push his teeth through, and drink long and deep--
"No, I didn't think that was a good idea for your first bite."
"Wait, so vampires do that?"
These were not calming, sleep-inducing thoughts. Harry groaned and turned over in bed, pushing his face into his pillow, trying not to think about that anymore.
He returned the box of tea to John before work the next day. "Did it help?" John asked, politely solicitous.
Harry shrugged. "Yeah?"
John's eyes were sharp on his face, on the way Harry was leaning on the door jamb. "Yes. Clearly," he said, tone lightly sarcastic.
"I'll be fine," Harry muttered, feeling oddly like he was being scolded or something.
"Yesterday you were fine. You seem to be regressing."
John, as... deeply engaging and interesting as Harry found him, was kind of a dick. "What do you want from me?"
"To sleep. Obviously." His gaze dropped down. Harry followed it to his own arm, which Harry was rubbing absentmindedly, right over the fading bite mark. He stopped as John looked at him, face blank. "Mr. Dresden..."
"I... got to open the shop," Harry blurted, backing away. "See you later. Thanks for the tea." He didn't run away, per se, but it was a close thing. Oh well, discretion was the better part of valor or whatever.
He took his lunch as the cafe across the street from his shop, a triple shot latte with a pumpernickle sandwich piled up with deli meats. He ate his sandwich, savoring the sweet and savory taste mix, then nursed his coffee with one hand, a book held open in his other. The words on the page kept jumping around though, blurring and shifting, hurting his eyes. Harry sighed, shut his eyes for just a moment.
He opened them again later when the waitress shook his shoulder and told him in a regretful voice that they were closing and that he should go home and get some sleep, you poor dear, do you need a taxi called for you?
This was getting ridiculous.
Harry stomped home, radiating surly annoyance as he walked, as he rode the Red Line, as he waited for the elevator, all of it.
He'd slept through most of his work. And he still felt exhausted, like his knees were going to buckle at any moment and spill him onto the floor. He couldn't keep going like this. He needed... something.
He fed the animals and took a shower, letting the hot water beat onto him until the tension was forced out of him. It felt good, invigorating. But when he stumbled out of the bathroom, the heat, the tiredness, it made his head spin and he fell down, down...
You just know how to make the OP grin, don't you? :)
Yes, this is stereotypical Harlequin enough to have me sitting in bed, grinning, trying not to laugh because all the other kiddies are in bed.
Also, this:
The words on the page kept jumping around though, blurring and shifting, hurting his eyes. Harry sighed, shut his eyes for just a moment.
He opened them again later when the waitress shook his shoulder and told him in a regretful voice that they were closing and that he should go home and get some sleep, you poor dear, do you need a taxi called for you?
Just had me going "awww... Harry. John should walk in on you. Right now."
And then, of course, I went straight to John finding him after Harry fainted. Asking Harry if he's still sure he's fine, and Harry telling John that yes, he's sure he's fine, he was just napping. On the bathroom floor. And wouldn't wake up.
And John totally not believing it, but playing along anyways. Maybe offering some more tea, with a bit of honey or milk if Harry's not fond of the taste...
Ooooooooooh, I'm hella late to the party, but I still very much love reading this. Is there more to John's bite than it seems? Will Harry ever ask about that unconventional first bite and ever sleep? Oh, the mysteries of Harlequins... <3
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More silly vampire Harlequin fluff 1/?
The power outage resolved itself eventually. Chicago lit up again by the next evening and the phone lines ended up tied up for hours as people called each other to confirm safety. The TV talked about the scattered looting, the cops who'd run themselves ragged trying to keep order, and the mayor making a statement explaining how the blackout occurred and the steps being taken to prevent another such event.
It was like coming out of a long sleep. People left in the morning to go to work, blinking up at the winter sun as if it had gone out during the blackout too.
Harry went to work, settled back into routine. Opening the shop, dealing with a few customers, reading a magazine behind the counter in the long stretches of time when the shop was empty, pointing a few people towards Bock's shop when he didn't have what they needed.
He went home, fed the pets, fed himself, and slept.
Or tried to. Buried under blankets with Mister laying on his back, purring loudly, Harry just stared at the wall. Tired, but unable to fall asleep, he lifted his arm in the pale light of the moon and looked at the two dark pink marks on his forearm.
John was next door. Harry wondered if John slept, if he could sleep. Did vampires need rest? Was he awake in the next apartment, alone and...
And these were dangerous thoughts. Harry courted trouble, he knew that, but this was something else altogether.
If he could just sleep.
Harry was collecting his mail the next time he saw John.
It was late in the afternoon and Harry hadn't been sleeping well. He was tired and nearly stumbled into the apartment building, feet shuffling along the floor. He shook out the key to his mailbox, but shook too hard. The keys slipped out of his hands and hit the floor.
Harry groaned and leaned against the wall, shutting his eyes with the cool, paint-coated plaster against his face.
He heard a sound and opened his eyes; John the friendly next-door vampire, was bending down, picking up Harry's dropped keys. He straightened and offered them to Harry, open palmed. "Mr. Dresden."
Harry caught a glimpse at the edge of a sharp canine as John spoke and couldn't stop the sharp inhale. He had a vivid sensual flashback to the physical feelings of being bitten. The initial panicked rush from being bitten, the slow, sweet lulling pushing into his skin by John's tongue, the weird, alien suction... He was flushing, neck burning red, he could feel it. "John, hi, how's... how are you?"
John smiled, teeth on clear display as he retrieved his own mail. "Nominal. And you, Mr. Dresden? You look quite peaky. Are you all right?"
Harry nodded quickly, then stopped when that made his head hurt. "Fine. S'fine, just..." He shrugged and grabbed his mail. "I'm fine."
John arched an eyebrow at him. "Did you think saying it three times would make it true?"
"I'm... tired. That's all. Haven't been sleeping well."
John nodded thoughtfully. "Are you headed upstairs?"
"Yeah."
"Let me walk you. You look ready to fall over." He beckoned Harry along, calling the elevator and ushering him inside before hitting their floor number. "I dealt with insomnia at times. Try some chamomile tea. It might help."
"Chamomile?"
"Not a tea drinker, I assume? I'll loan you some. I don't drink as much as I used to."
"I can imagine." Harry winced. "Or... no, I can't, not really. Hey, do you... sleep?"
John tipped his head to the side, eyeing Harry speculatively. "Sometimes. Why?"
He looked away sharply. "Nothin'. Just wondering."
Harry thankfully kept his mouth quiet as John walked him to his door, fetched him a box of tea, and bade him goodnight, eyes glinting green and gold in the hallway's artificial light.
Re: More silly vampire Harlequin fluff 1/?
(Anonymous) 2011-03-18 04:30 am (UTC)(link)I just love your Harry in this. Yes, he has issues, but he's sort of cute as he goes about them. It makes the inner fangirl squee with joy - because, hey, vampire next door. :D
Of course, my brain went somewhere to:
H:"Will you let me lay on your couch again?"
J:...."of course."
H:"I'll come over, then."
J:"Right."
a few minutes later:
H:zzzzzzz....
Re: More silly vampire Harlequin fluff 1/?
More silly vampire Harlequin fluff 2/?
But once he'd stretched out under the covers, he was stuck being incredibly tired but unable to actually sleep. His thoughts were lazy loops, no significant connections or process, just idle contemplation that pettered out before it could get anywhere.
After a while, he closed his eyes and listened, trying to hear anything. Sirens in the distance, the hum of cars going by ten floors down. Nothing next door.
He wished there was something. Footsteps, the sound of water in the pipes, a dropped object. Anything to betray whether John was awake or not.
God, what was wrong with him? So he got a bit too friendly with his neighbor during the blackout. It was one night. It shouldn't have been haunting him like this. He was a grown man, not... whatever it was that got so caught up with vampires. Teenage girls, probably. He'd seen trailers for that terrible vampire movie saga. They weren't anything like the real thing. John's skin was pale, but not so much his Italian background didn't show in the olive texture. He didn't act like an angst-filled idiot about being a vampire either. He seemed more adjusted to his life than Harry was, for god's sake. John was the very model of a responsible adult.
Just one that sometimes needed to set his mouth against someone's skin, push his teeth through, and drink long and deep--
"No, I didn't think that was a good idea for your first bite."
"Wait, so vampires do that?"
These were not calming, sleep-inducing thoughts. Harry groaned and turned over in bed, pushing his face into his pillow, trying not to think about that anymore.
He returned the box of tea to John before work the next day. "Did it help?" John asked, politely solicitous.
Harry shrugged. "Yeah?"
John's eyes were sharp on his face, on the way Harry was leaning on the door jamb. "Yes. Clearly," he said, tone lightly sarcastic.
"I'll be fine," Harry muttered, feeling oddly like he was being scolded or something.
"Yesterday you were fine. You seem to be regressing."
John, as... deeply engaging and interesting as Harry found him, was kind of a dick. "What do you want from me?"
"To sleep. Obviously." His gaze dropped down. Harry followed it to his own arm, which Harry was rubbing absentmindedly, right over the fading bite mark. He stopped as John looked at him, face blank. "Mr. Dresden..."
"I... got to open the shop," Harry blurted, backing away. "See you later. Thanks for the tea." He didn't run away, per se, but it was a close thing. Oh well, discretion was the better part of valor or whatever.
He took his lunch as the cafe across the street from his shop, a triple shot latte with a pumpernickle sandwich piled up with deli meats. He ate his sandwich, savoring the sweet and savory taste mix, then nursed his coffee with one hand, a book held open in his other. The words on the page kept jumping around though, blurring and shifting, hurting his eyes. Harry sighed, shut his eyes for just a moment.
He opened them again later when the waitress shook his shoulder and told him in a regretful voice that they were closing and that he should go home and get some sleep, you poor dear, do you need a taxi called for you?
This was getting ridiculous.
Harry stomped home, radiating surly annoyance as he walked, as he rode the Red Line, as he waited for the elevator, all of it.
He'd slept through most of his work. And he still felt exhausted, like his knees were going to buckle at any moment and spill him onto the floor. He couldn't keep going like this. He needed... something.
He fed the animals and took a shower, letting the hot water beat onto him until the tension was forced out of him. It felt good, invigorating. But when he stumbled out of the bathroom, the heat, the tiredness, it made his head spin and he fell down, down...
[this stereotypical Harlequin enough? OH FAINTING OH! :swoon:]
Re: More silly vampire Harlequin fluff 2/?
*will not laugh at Harry, will NOT*
Re: More silly vampire Harlequin fluff 2/?
(Anonymous) 2011-03-18 06:25 pm (UTC)(link)(Yes. The fainting. You should see my big ass shit eating grin.)
Re: More silly vampire Harlequin fluff 2/?
(Anonymous) 2011-03-18 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)Re: More silly vampire Harlequin fluff 2/?
(Anonymous) 2011-03-18 09:27 pm (UTC)(link)Re: More silly vampire Harlequin fluff 2/?
(Anonymous) 2011-03-19 01:18 am (UTC)(link)Yes, this is stereotypical Harlequin enough to have me sitting in bed, grinning, trying not to laugh because all the other kiddies are in bed.
Also, this:
The words on the page kept jumping around though, blurring and shifting, hurting his eyes. Harry sighed, shut his eyes for just a moment.
He opened them again later when the waitress shook his shoulder and told him in a regretful voice that they were closing and that he should go home and get some sleep, you poor dear, do you need a taxi called for you?
Just had me going "awww... Harry. John should walk in on you. Right now."
And then, of course, I went straight to John finding him after Harry fainted. Asking Harry if he's still sure he's fine, and Harry telling John that yes, he's sure he's fine, he was just napping. On the bathroom floor. And wouldn't wake up.
And John totally not believing it, but playing along anyways. Maybe offering some more tea, with a bit of honey or milk if Harry's not fond of the taste...
Re: More silly vampire Harlequin fluff 2/?
(Anonymous) 2011-03-28 12:06 pm (UTC)(link)Re: More silly vampire Harlequin fluff 2/?
(Anonymous) 2011-05-08 02:01 pm (UTC)(link)-OP
Re: More silly vampire Harlequin fluff 2/?