The printed out recipe of chicken biryani was being heavily studied by Dhruv, the tall man wanting to make sure what he was cooking was perfect. He had made chicken biryani multiple times before but he didn't know how to make it less spicy, as he had a rather high spice tolerance.

He was sure the guy who owned the local Indian store had been very amused when Dhruv asked him how to make the dish less spicy and the guy had told him to just follow the amount of spices that was used in a recipe found on the internet. When Dhruv told him he didn't have a computer or smart phone, the man nicely printed out a recipe for him.

He would have to make the man some laddus or something else to repay him. Even if the kindness had confused him at first, no one was kind without there being conditions to the kindness.

Well, except Sylvester. Sylvester was very kind simply to be kind.

Which was why Dhruv wanted to make the biryani, so Sylvester wouldn't have to cook or buy something out for dinner. Sylvester deserved to have one night where he didn't have to worry about feeding his amazing kids.

Speaking of Sylvester's kids, Dhruv's lips twitched into a smile as he remembered Mary talking about her day with him when they were walking up the stairs to go to their respective flats. She was the only kid ever to actually be happy to see him and he memorized the light in her eyes. She had even been kind enough to listen to him talking about his day, even if he had made it brief as to not seem like he was burdening her with his entire day.

As the weeks passed by, Mary would constantly talk to him in the halls and it evolved slowly but surely into him and Sylvester also talking when the little family of three would run into him together. They were slowly getting closer—at least in Dhruv's eyes.

And getting closer means they were on the path to being friends and friends gave each other food, right? He didn't truly know because he never had friends before, but this felt like the right thing to do.

Dhruv finally tore his eyes away from the recipe, using the amount of spices the recipe said to make the marsala. After making the marsala, he added the whole thing to the yogurt, ginger garlic paste, salt, turmeric, and red chili powder that was on top of the pieces of chicken. He then mixed everything together, making sure the chicken was fully coated.

He covered the pot of chicken to marinate for thirty minutes and then went to sautéing the onions, being careful not to overcook the onions. Time seemed to move slowly, but eventually the chicken was done marinating and he could cook it until it was almost fully cooked.

As it was cooking and making the gravy, he rinsed and cooked the rice. He didn't cook it fully either, checking if it was firm or not before starting the layer the rice, onions, and the saffron.

Once everything was layered and exactly as it should be, he popped it into the oven to cook completely. He lounged around the flat as it cooked, reading a book of poetry that one of the construction guys he worked with—Ivan—recommended to him to pass the time.

It only took twenty minutes to complete cooking and soon, Dhruv was taking the dish out of the oven. He made sure it was all covered still and waited for it to cool for a few minutes so he could bring it over.

He looked over at the clock, hoping Sylvester was not only home but hadn't fed the kids yet.

Once it was cool enough for him to carry, he gently carried it over to the door and opened the door, stepping out into the hallway after slipping on his shoes. He turned left, going down to doors and maneuvering the huge dish in his hands so he could knock.

His heart pounded in his chest and could be heard in his ears, a lump forming in his throat as he waited for Sylvester to open the door. He hoped this was the right decision and he wasn't overstepping.

Light briefly blinded him as the door opened, allowing more light to filter out into the dimly lit hallway. Standing there, cascaded in the artificial light, stood Sylvester and he looked as ethereal as always.

Dhruv's heart sped up, especially when Sylvester took in the sight of the dish, and he held the dish out towards Sylvester. He licked his dry lips, forcing them apart so he could speak.

"I brought you dinner," he said, speaking so bluntly that he forgot normal people would've indulged in some niceties first. Alas, all he could do was wince at his impatient self and clear his throat. "I made chicken biryani for you and the kids, so you didn't have to make food for them."

Just as he finished speaking, he glanced down and saw little Samuel hidden behind Sylvester's legs, never far from his father but always so shy. He gave a smile to soothe the boy, but it seemed to make the younger kid shrink back.

Maybe Dhruv's smile wasn't as natural as it seemed. He felt bad that he scared the kid.

His eyes snapped back up to Sylvester as the older man replied, "Oh, you didn't have to do that. But thank you."

Their fingers brushed against each other as Sylvester reached over and took the heavy dish from Dhruv. Dhruv watched the older man turn to go further inside and he felt a pang of concern.

"Do you need help? Sorry, I forgot it'd be very heavy."

Sylvester brushed off the younger man's concern. "No, no. I got this."

He retreated to the kitchen to put down the dish and then quickly came back. He gave Dhruv a genuine smile.

At least Dhruv hoped it was a genuine smile. Sylvester always looked so handsome when he smiled.

"Thank you again for this," Sylvester said, leaning against the doorway. "I appreciate it."

Dhruv felt his palms get sweaty as they have been doing ever since he started spending more time with the older man. "You're welcome," he replied. "Uh, I should leave you to eat the dinner. I hope it's not too spicy, I tried my best."

Dhruv stepped away, making his intentions clear. He always felt like he wanted to stay in Sylvester's presence forever but he knew he'd say something stupid if he stayed for too long.

Sylvester nodded, letting the taller man leave. He gave another smile before Dhruv left.

"Goodnight, Dhruv."

"Yes. Goodnight."

Dhruv turned and went down to his door, opening it. He clutched his chest, hoping his racing heart would slow soon.

*************************************************************

Two hours later, in the dark of the night, Dhruv waited outside of an apartment building, staring up at a flat which had a light on. He had donned on his mask and costume that had been hidden away in his closet for months ever since he decided to move.

Lust for blood coursed through his veins, unable to stay repressed anymore. The time for him to go back to killing had come and today was the day. His hands would be stained with blood once more.

It was still risky for him to do this, but one of the guys he worked with talked about how his cousin's rapist had been acquitted despite her testimony and the evidence against the motherfucker. She had suffered the worse thing imaginable and he had walked away with it.

If he was a self-righteous prick who had delusions about what he was doing, he'd say he was doing it solely for the justice. The truth was that he was waiting for any chance to kill someone and this was the chance. A rapist being killed was merely a bonus.

Dhruv stared at the window for a few seconds and watched the light turn off inside before making his way behind the building under the cover of the dark, going through the backdoor so none of the cameras in the lobby would catch him. He knew from scoping out the place for days before that there were no cameras in the stairwell and the floor where the rapist lived "conveniently" broke the day before today.

He definitely hadn't broken the cameras himself yesterday. Definitely not.

Knowing no one would be coming home late at this time, he crept up the stairs, taking care not to wake the ones who were sleeping. He made his way to the fifth floor, taking his silencer out of its holster.

The guy's flat was at the end of the hallway with a substantial amount of wall space between the flats, so there'd be even less chance for someone hearing the guy dying.

Dhruv came to the door of the flat and quickly jimmied the lock, opening it without having to make too much noise. He walked inside, making sure his footsteps were still light. Thankfully, he didn't have to go far to get to the bedroom.

The guy left his bedroom door open. Almost like he was asking for it.

It was so easy, Dhruv didn't even need to do so much. The kill was so quick, all he had to do was aim and pull the trigger. The guy didn't wake up the entire time and he never would again.

It was such a satisfying kill despite how short it was. If Dhruv was into making risky moves, he would've stayed to savor the feeling.

He had to make do with savoring it as he went out the window and climbed down from the fire escape. He knew better than to linger so he took alleyways as a way to disappear easily.

From between where the kill was and where his own flat was, Dhruv had stashed a duffel bag of fresh clothes in an abandoned warehouse so he stopped by to change and look normal. He left the warehouse looking like a regular person carrying a duffel bag that could pass for a gym bag which also held his gun.

He was completely calm when he went back to his flat, stepping on the landing connected to his floor with no anxiety pulsating through his body. His paranoia wasn't fully sated but he knew better than no one would be awake at this time.

Or that was what he thought before he walked past Sylvester's door and it opened. He tried to look normal as he spun around at the sound, his eyes zeroing in on a Sylvester who wore a rob. He was confused why the older man was still awake when he saw the empty dish that used to hold the biryani in the man's arms.

"Ah, I'm glad to catch you, Dhruv." Sylvester stepped out the door, closing it behind him. He stepped closer, holding out the empty dish. "I was worried I wouldn't be able to give you this to you until tomorrow but then I remembered you go to the gym every night."

Dhruv was secretly thankful to have a membership at a local gym and to have been going every night to explain away why he was awake at odd times. He managed a smile, looking casual.

"You didn't have to stay up for me." He moved closer on instinct, like there was a magnet pulling him closer to Sylvester. He made sure the duffel bag was properly slung over his shoulder before taking the dish. "Thank you for returning it. I hope the food was up to your tastes."

Sylvester nodded, looking up at Dhruv. "The kids and I loved it," he answered, sounding sincere.

"I'm glad."

Dhruv saw Sylvester take a big whiff of the air and he managed to stay calm despite knowing that Sylvester had better senses than regular humans due to being a hybrid. Dhruv had doused himself in a musky cologne—whatever that meant, he had just chosen a random cologne—to mask any smell of blood that was on his person.

Sylvester still had his smile, so Dhruv figured he was in the clear.

"Goodnight," Sylvester said, yawning suddenly.

"Goodnight," Dhruv answered, watching Sylvester head back inside.

He waited a few seconds before going to his flat. Inside the flat, he finally let himself blow out a breath of relief.

He felt satiated. Finally.

MDNI & Reblog banners made by @/cafekitsune

Yeah, I combined two ideas into one, yay for me!! Oof, this was so long.

Felon!Stone couldn't let me not sate his bloodlust for long. It had to be done.