#aaron shepard

Aaron would be lying to himself if he said that he didn’t like the hunt. It was in his nature, and he wasn’t egotistical enough to think it wasn’t in his DNA to enjoy it. That being said, blood bags were way more convenient; easier to get, less messy, and he could mix a cocktail as he is often want to do. 

But every so often, Aaron dolled himself up, and let himself enjoy his nature. Summer was melting into fall, and the days were slowly, but mercifully, getting shorter. The college students were back in town for the start of the semester, and late night parties were picking up as upperclassmen showed out to the new freshmen. 

Mona was on holiday in Europe, and Bruce didn’t have a phone, so Aaron had absolutely no idea where he was, though he had a hunch he may have been in Greenland. Teale was in New York, so Aaron was flying solo this evening. Not that he minded. 

As the moon rose, Aaron poured one half of the aforementioned blood bags into his carbonator and ran a hand through his hair. He found it amusing how longer hair on men had come back into vogue these days, and he considered tying it back before shaking it out again, letting it fall where it liked. He brushed his teeth and unbuttoned the top few clasps of his shirt. By the looks of it, Aaron was ambiguously college aged, though he hardly ever had to worry about being turned away at a party.  Aaron downed his drink before heading out into the night.  ______________________________________________________________

It wasn’t hard to find a party. Honestly, it would’ve been harder to not find a party. Aaron simply strolled the neighborhoods near one of the universities until he found one that seemed promising. A house nestled in between the others was absolutely bustling with activity. Students floated in, out, and around the building. Aaron could immediately smell the alcohol, and it didn’t take supernatural hearing to hear the thump of the music that echoed throughout the home. Aaron whistled softly as he scooped up a discarded solo cup off of the ground and followed behind a gaggle of girls who were making their way to the backyard of the home. Nothing in the rules that said he had to be invited to an outdoor party; that was strictly reserved for residencies.   One of the girls glanced behind her at  Aaron, and did what can only be described as a double take. 

“Hi,” she smiled, tapping her friend’s arm beside her as she gave him a drawn out once over. “Who do you know here?” Aaron smiled easily, as he did so many times before. “Oh,” he said, craning his neck around them to feign interest in the party beyond. “I’m friends with John, he’s in there somewhere.” If Aaron had learned anything, it was that there was always someone named John. 

The girl nodded emphatically as the group made their way into the backyard. “And what do you study?” “History,” Aaron replied, “Yourself?” 

The girl giggled, pleased with herself that she was holding conversation with him. “Biology,” she answered, biting her lip as she not-so-subtely tried to shoo her friends away. She could do the job, Aaron had decided, but the amount of alcohol in her system would’ve dulled the taste that Aaron was after. And besides, if he went with the first human that he interacted with every time, he would be home well before sunrise. 

And where was the fun in that? “Cool.” Aaron replied, tipping his head. “If you’ll excuse me,” he said, indicating to his empty cup. “I need a refill.” He felt her practically deflate behind him as he made his way deeper into the party. He moved through the crowd easily, taking in the smell as he did so. He wanted someone perhaps a little intoxicated, preferably had had a meal within four hours, and wasn’t enthralled in someone else. Aaron took a deep breath through his nose as he let his instincts take over. Too drunk; hadn’t eaten anything but coffee and a banana about ten hours ago. 

Diabetic; Aaron’s personal preference, but was engaged in full conversation with a group of people. Sweet; but definitely pregnant. 

Aaron opened his eyes as he locked on his chosen target. A little tipsy, smelled like they had heightened blood sugar. He could tell that they had recently eaten something sweet, perhaps pancakes. Regardless, they smelled incredibly tasty, and Aaron felt his mouth start to water as he strolled up to the cooler that had jungle juice in it. “Need a refill?” the human said, a shy smile on his face. “Please,” Aaron nodded, handing his empty cup over. The boy looked up and blinked at Aaron. He was tan, and had chocolate long hair that framed his face well. His nose was roman, and his lips were thin. His brown eyes blinked again behind his glasses. Aaron inwardly laughed as he imagined this guy’s brain short-circuit. 

“Y-Yeah, ‘course” he said again, taking the cup and filling it, before handing it back. Aaron intentionally let their fingers brush against one another as he took the cup with the smile. 

“Thank you,” Aaron replied, making a show of checking him out. He nodded toward the house, “This your party?” 

The guy shook his head and shrugged. “No?” he said, the word lilting at the end as if he wasn’t sure. “I live here,” he clarified, “But it’s my roommates’ party.” “I see,” Aaron smiled, to which the guy returned it. “I’m Aaron,” he said, reaching out his hand. “Dominic,” he replied. Aaron let his hand linger on Dominic’s a little too long, until Dominic pulled it away, blood rushing to his face. He cleared his throat. “So uh…what do you study?” Aaron laughed. “History,” he replied, leaning over just a touch more than necessary. “Are you on drink duty all night, or can I convince you to step away for a moment?” This is where Aaron was thankful for the natural allure that vampires have developed. He had evolved to smell good, he had evolved to take up space, to demand attention by a human. To draw them in. He didn’t have to do a lot of extra work. Of course, he could, if he desired. But he was hungry, and he was burning nightlight. 

More blood rose to Dominic’s face, and he wordlessly dropped the ladle he was holding and pressed his hand into Aaron’s open one, letting himself be led away from the drink station. Aaron led them around the corner of the house, next to a side door, and pressed Dominic against the house gently. He could keep him there, if he wanted, but he found that blood always tasted better when it wasn’t taken forcefully. 

“You okay?” Aaron asked softly, leaning into Dominic while one hand was placed on the house paneling beside him, the other gently bringing his chin up. “Yes,” Dominic said immediately, flushing. “I just don’t uhm, normally do this.” “Hook up with guys?” Aaron prompted. Dominic laughed, pulling Aaron’s hand down and  lacing their fingers together. 

“Hook up at all,” 

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Aaron promised, gently stroking his meal’s chin. He paused before inclining his neck softly, brushing his nose against Dominic’s. “Is this okay?” He asked. Wordlessly, Domenic closed the gap between them, humming lightly. He tasted like maple syrup, confirming Aaron’s suspicions about the pancakes. As if plucking cords on a guitar, Aaron lightly played with Dominic’s pant loops. Dominic paused, and so did Aaron. 

“This is just, uh,” Dominic breathed unevenly. “A little compromising of a hiding spot,” Aaron grinned, looping his fingers through Dominic’s pant loops. Exactly what he’d been waiting for. “Are you inviting me in? He asked, pushing the bangs back from Dominic’s face. “Hell yeah I am,” Dominic confirmed, using his free hand to turn the knob of the door behind him, taking Aaron’s hand in the other. His turn to be led, then. The party inside was just as uproarious as it was on the outside. The lights were dark, the music was thumping, and laughter was trilling. Dominic lead Aaron throughout the house, leading him up the stairs, and through a previously closed bedroom door. It was a tidy room; decorated on a college budget, but it was clean as Domenic pulled Aaron towards the made bed. Aaron’s knees caught himself on the edge of it as Dominic laid beneath him, eyes bright as he waited for Aaron to make his next move. 

As Aaron leaned down and resumed kissing his meal, he couldn’t help but think of his wife. Long ago, before science had invented blood storage in the mid-1900’s, he and Mona had l established their boundaries when it came to acquiring a fresh meal. It was next to impossible to get a human to willingly let a vampire get close to their neck without a little seduction. There was always the femoral artery, which arguably had a better blood flow, but that was impossible without seduction. Nothing ever went further than kissing, and Aaron and Mona had complete trust in each other in this regard. 

While nothing ever went further, Aaron did often have to play it up a bit. As he kissed Dominic, he let his hands play with the button on Dominic's jeans, while Dominic’s hands laced through Aaron’s hair. Aarons smiled against the warm skin as his kisses migrated to Dominic’s chin. Aaron undid the first two buttons of Dominic’s shirt, and a small moan escaped Dominic’s lips. As Aaron’s lips met Dominic’s jaw, he gave him a little, non piercing bite. “You like this?” Aaron asked softly against his neck. He felt Dominic nod against him, and he kept planting kisses down his neck until he reached his destination; the carotid artery. Aaron could practically see the blood pumping through the skin, faster as Dominic’s heart rate increased with their exploits. Aaron pulled his hand up to cradle the side of Dominic’s head before biting down. Flesh pierced so easily, Aaron mused, it was like cutting through butter. He heard Dominic gasp lightly before arching into Aaron, eager to get closer. Aaron knew that the side effect of a vampire bite was like ecstasy to humans; it’s often why they didn’t pull away once bitten. While all part of the natural design, he couldn’t help but wonder why more didn’t pull away. It was so antithetical to the human fight or flight response. He couldn’t really remember what went through his mind as he was bitten as a human. Perhaps the bite overwhelmed the human nervous system to such a degree that it confused the brain, making it think that it wasn’t actually losing any blood. Aaron made a mental note to look into the literature later. As the blood poured into his mouth, Aaron’s grip around Dominic tightened. It was warm, and had an undertone of sweetness on account of his high blood sugar along with a hint of whatever liquor he had been drinking. The flavors danced beautifully on Aaron’s tongue, and it was delicious. There truly was nothing like it right from the source, and Aaron understood why some vampires never switched to bags. It was akin to comparing whole milk to skim; both did the job, but one was so much richer and much more satisfying.  

Aaron kept tabs on Dominic’s blood flow, and stopped when he sensed that he was about a pint and a half in. It took him a long time to get the timing right, and a lot of unfortunate souls along the way. Luckily for Dominic, tonight was not one of those nights.

“A hundred years, and a thousand more.” Desdemona swears under guidance of the shaman priest. He waves a hand over their heads, humming a chant.

No. It wasn’t really a wedding.

Aaron’s lips brush against her knuckles, and he grins. “A hundred years, and a thousand more.” He promises in agreement. “You’re stuck with me forever.” He whispers with a wink.

Good, is all she can think as he kisses her properly.

1929

Aaron flinches back as a glass bottle smashes near him. He feels Desdemona huddle closer to him, her eyes watching the chaos unfold. Shrouded only by a draping tablecloth, they hide away from the sudden raid that bore down on the speakeasy.

“Was this,” Desdemona begins, ducking her head when a gunshot ripped through the air. “Was this part of your big night?” She asks, covering both her ears. Aaron grimaces.

“I’d be a liar if I said yes,” He admits. The table they hid under rattles when a fight breaks out. So much for the dancing, drinks, and a night that would’ve been theirs.

“Happy 100th anniversary?”

Desdemona eyes him, before she sighs and presses a kiss to his lips.

The chaos seems to slow and even fade away as their kiss grows deeper, and their hands moving closer to one another.

Reality hits with a vengeance when the tablecloth is ripped away and they come face to face with the police.

Aaron pulls back slowly from Desdemona’s lips, his arms lock tightly around her. “What seems to be the officer, problem?” He asks innocently, with an exaggerated drunk hiccup Desdemona scoffs.

The joke is lost on the police as they snatch up the two. Desdemona laughs. Just wait till they got to the back alleyway. They were both hungry, and hadn’t had dinner yet.

“Happy 100th anniversary, darling.” She calls as they’re both dragged away.

1969

The motel room is dark and cold. Desdemona made sure of that. Heavy curtains cover the window, blocking out the Florida heat and sun.

Aaron sits stunned on the floor, his eyes wide as he watches the events on screen. Desdemona lays on the bed across her stomach, her own eyes watching in awe.

“The moon,” Aaron mumbles. “We are actually going to the moon.”

“Neil Armstrong is going to the moon,” Desdemona corrects in a distracted mumble. “Either way. Whoever could have imagined man to achieve such a scientific advancement? Oh DaVinci would have loved this!”

Aaron rolls his eyes. He feels her hand slipping over his shoulder and waits for his.

“Could you imagine,” Aaron says, kissing her hand, holding it to his chest. “What more we will see in a thousand more years?”

“A proper wedding?” Desdemona teases, nipping at his ear.

“Perhaps,” Aaron nods. “If it’ll get me a hundred and thousand years more.”