Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dottore walked along the streets of the city, his destination being the collection of three benches meant to seat those waiting for a cab. Though since it was so late at night, the area usually remained empty, save for him and perhaps a few drunks here and there.

 He carried his heavy briefcase with him, full of not only his personal belongings, but of vials, petri dishes, and other glassware for his job in the lab of a nearby hospital. His days began early in the morning before the sun rose, and ended long after the sun had retired below the sunset. Each shift left him tired and aching, his body overworked due to carrying out several jobs meant for multiple people. The area that the hospital was located in was so impoverished that Dottore was barely paid enough to survive. But the sacrifice was all worth it. He had access to materials he wouldn’t have gotten any other way. 

 Above him, the moon shone through the clouds and dyed the city a pale, ghostly white. It was slowly turning winter as well, so the temperature dropped significantly after dark. Dottore was thankful he brought his overcoat with him every day, to prepare for nights like these.

He noticed someone else was there waiting as he approached the stop, and decided to stay at the bench opposite them to keep a respectful distance. After all, he was in no mood to socialize.

He sat down with a sigh and placed his briefcase onto his lap. He closed his eyes to rest them, hoping the carriage would arrive soon. He feared he might fall asleep at the bench before he could get home. Dottore opened his eyes again.

The woman waiting alongside him asked a question, but it was in the background to him. Dottore was so deep in thought that all he perceived was a distant mumbling. It wasn’t until her voice had become louder that he pulled himself out of his head to listen.

 “Where are you headed?” she asked, in the usual tone people use for small talk. Sickly sweet yet artificial. 

Dottore held back a sigh. He answered in a monotone voice, too tired to give his words any emotion. “Home.” He wondered where else someone would go this late at night. 

His eyes stayed on the ground, but he closely studied the woman’s voice for subtle hints to what she could have wanted. It was well past midnight and he was more than certain that his eye bags were clearer than ever. He should have looked unwelcoming to anyone yet she decided to go out of her way to bother him. Perhaps she was bored and wanted someone to talk with to pass the time. After all, the cabs barely passed through this part of the city, it would take quite a while for one to show up. Maybe she wanted money from him, it wasn’t all too uncommon to see such a thing in this area. Or, this could be her attempt at flirting. Maybe she wanted a quick fling with the first man she saw, and Dottore was the unlucky one who would have to use every excuse to get away as soon as possible. He dreaded this outcome the most.

“Home from where?” The mysterious woman asked, leaning in closer to him and dragging him out of his thoughts again. Dottore leaned away at the same time. She paused for a moment before speaking again, surely looking down at the object settled on Dottore’s lap. “You’ve got a briefcase, coming home from work perhaps?” 

Ugh, the nosy type. He really should have just ignored her to begin with.

“None of your business,” Dottore replied dismissively. Short and sweet, not rude nor inviting. He glanced up to study the empty street ahead of him. No hints of a carriage, but he stared at that long stretch of road as if doing so would make his ride arrive faster.

The woman chuckled from beside him. It was quick and almost teasing. It irritated him beyond measure. However in that small sound, Dottore could hear hints of something else. She chuckled like a rich person, as if she were trained her whole life to keep her laughs contained lest she be seen as a disgusting commoner with no manners. Could she be born into a wealthy family? Dottore hoped not, he couldn’t stand being near those of higher class. The last thing he needed was for someone to make unwanted comments on his manners and worn down clothing. But he was also well aware that those in first class often despised sharing the same air as ‘commoners.’ If this woman truly were as wealthy as she sounded, why was she wasting her time here, in the poverty stricken side of town?

“What, are you involved in some kind of illegal trade?” the woman responded, with yet another question, in what Dottore guessed was a joking tone.

“I am not,” is what Dottore could manage to say without sounding too irritated. “You ask too many questions.”

“That was a joke, honey. You were supposed to laugh.” The woman paused again, perhaps trying to think of a way to continue the one sided conversation. “But I am curious, what is it that you do? You’re quite handsome in that lab coat.”

Dottore gripped the handle of his briefcase tighter, which he hoped couldn’t be seen through his black gloves. His guess that she was trying to flirt seemed more likely with what she just called him. Dottore still attempted to sound as polite as he could. “Don’t call me that, please.”

The woman hummed quietly, her voice coming closer. “Hm, why not? Surely a man like you isn’t getting flustered over a little compliment.“ 

Dottore tensed up, he could feel her arm brushing against his back. Was she leaning in even closer? He couldn’t tell. He just wished the woman would stop misinterpreting his actions. “I am not,” he responded again, with the same apathetic tone as before. “Now would you please back up and respect my space?” Although phrased as a question, it was spoken as an order more than anything.

To Dottore’s dismay, the woman still would not give up. He felt irritation flare up in his chest as he heard her laugh in his ear. “No need to be so tense, darling.“ He swore he could feel her uncomfortably cold breath on his neck. 

He reached up with one hand and gently pushed her away by her shoulder. “If you don’t stop soon, I’m leaving to just walk home by myself.” His hand returned to his lap. “I’m tired of women like you practically throwing themselves at me begging me to lay with them. The only thing I want right now is to head home and rest. Your advances are unwanted.” Dottore’s words oozed with irritation.

The woman’s silence somewhat surprised him, he expected her to be more persistent. No matter, if she wanted to back down, it would only benefit him. She pulled her arm away and quietly chuckled to herself. “...Apologies for being so pushy.”

“Hm.. I appreciate the apology but I can’t accept it.” For the first time since the beginning of their conversation, he raised his head up in order to look in the woman’s direction. Now that he was speaking directly to her, he believed now was an appropriate time to look at her. 

He was greeted by the sight of the mysterious lady dressed in a dark purple evening gown with a slit down one side, showing quite a bit of her thigh. The fabric was nearly drowning in sparkling white gems, the same as the ones on her shoes. Even the chains on her silver glasses were adorned with the same crystals. Intricate floral designs trailed along the silk on her elbow length gloves, gradually fading into black at her fingertips. Her dark hair shimmered just the same as the rest of her, it appeared to have been styled with various products, and recently as well. It seems Dottore’s guess about her being wealthy was correct. Though he wondered how she wasn’t cold in such a revealing outfit.

“Oh, I understand.” The woman fell completely silent soon afterwards. Dottore hoped the woman would return to her seat at the neighboring bench soon, but she sat unmoving, right next to Dottore. If she was sitting any closer, he was sure their arms would be touching. Disgusted by the thought of physical contact, he slowly moved away until he was at the armrest. Thankfully, she did not follow after him. 

The woman picked up the conversation yet again. “So, not interested in women, are you?”

Dottore shook his head. “Not at all. I’ve had far too many negative experiences with them.”

She stayed silent for a moment, a look of deep thought on her face. Finally accepting rejection, perhaps? After a short pause, she nodded. “I see.”

Dottore could feel the oppressive silence begin to creep up on them as time passed with no words between them. The woman must have felt the same, as she quickly started up the conversation again. “Oh, but we can still be friends. You may call me Lonnie.” After an awkward long pause, she added, “...and what’s yours?”

Dottore sighed. He should have never spoken a word to her at all. Didn’t she have anything better to do than bother him? “Dottore.” His voice was flat and unenthusiastic. 

“Dottore…” she repeated, seemingly getting used to the sound. “That is quite a unique name, but I can’t help but wonder if it’s an alias of sorts.”

“I don’t mean to lie to you about my identity. I just haven’t used my real name in years.” He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to relax after being so tense. At least Lonnie wasn’t trying to harass him anymore.

He so badly wanted the conversation to end, yet somehow Lonnie kept finding new topics to bring up. At least this way Dottore was able to know more about her, such as her job at the city’s bank. Well, more specifically, she and a few others owned the bank itself. Of course Dottore’s prediction was correct. To own such a widespread company must mean she was rich, well past the point of what Dottore viewed as necessary. 

“Oh,” Lonnie said after a particularly long stretch of silence, sitting up straight in her seat. “There is something I would like to tell you before we part ways.” Her tone sounded oddly serious, which caught Dottore’s attention. 

“Hm?”

Lonnie clasped her hands together in her lap. Her hesitance was clear in her voice. “I.. know you previously mentioned your lack of interest in women, but I thought it would be appropriate to tell you that I still do find you attractive. I’ll still try to respect your boundaries, of course.”

This was by far the strangest interaction he’d had with anyone. She was initially just as pushy as the others, but now Lonnie had been so respectful with Dottore, especially considering what she’d just told him. But of course, the feelings were not mutual.

Dottore frowned. “...I see. Thank you for letting me know.”

Soon, the carriage arrived to take Dottore home. His energy was completely spent, having only enough left to give the driver his address before nearly falling asleep in his seat. He hoped this much socialization didn’t become a daily occurrence.

However, he couldn’t be more wrong. For the next few nights, Lonnie visited him at the stop, talking away about whatever topic was on her mind at the time. She told stories of the people she’d met, what happened at her work that day, and even completely unrelated information she seemed to remember on the spot. 

Each night Dottore was completely drained of energy, though he somewhat grew to get used to the sound of her voice. And as talkative as she was, she was considerate as well. Dottore noticed that she would occasionally stop to ask if he was alright, and if he wanted to share something too. It was surprising to see a woman who owned a widely known company, end up speaking so casually with a lowly commoner like Dottore. 

A week had passed by now, and Dottore found himself getting used to the routine. But it only made the realization more confusing when Dottore noticed that Lonnie hadn’t shown up one night. Instead there was only a man with a cane sitting alone at the middle bench. Dottore sighed and sat down, allowing his legs to rest. Perhaps she was just late, or she’d found someone else to talk to. Maybe it was for the best, having to socialize with the same person did get tiring after a while. 

Dottore kept his eyes closed, occasionally opening them to ensure he didn’t fall asleep. He didn’t notice the man at the middle bench had gotten up to stand in front of him until he heard his throat clearing. Dottore opened his eyes and looked up at the man, annoyed that someone was trying to speak with him. Though he swore he looked familiar. 

His dark clothing choice made him look as if he had just come from a funeral. His black coat was made of rich velvet, and the shirt that could be seen from underneath was black as well, or at least dark gray. The man held a cane in front of him, the silver handle decorated with a swirling pattern and a few black gems. His hands were covered by leather black gloves and his fingers decorated with rings with various designs. He had his dark hair tied back in a loose bun, and a few gray streaks could be seen poking out. Though even with gray hairs, the man couldn’t have been more than forty.

But the one thing that gave away his identity was his glasses. The same silver frames Dottore had seen for the past three days sat low on the man’s nose and the hanging chain seemed to glitter in the moonlight with his every move. Though this realization still had unlocked more questions. Was this someone related to the woman who was usually here? Or perhaps…

Dottore gasped quietly. “Lonnie?”

The man smiled, but without showing his teeth. Maybe this was another mannerism belonging to aristocrats. He nodded. “The very same. Though I would prefer if you called me Pantalone today.” Dottore noticed his voice was slightly deeper now. 

He must have had a confused look on his face, because Pantalone soon followed his statement with, “I’m a crossdresser, Dottore. I often wear dresses at night, when fewer people are around to watch or judge me. Lonnie is just a nickname, or a character of sorts.” Pantalone turned to sit right next to Dottore. This time however, he didn’t lean away. “I thought it would be appropriate to tell you the truth today.”

Dottore frowned and crossed his arms. “Then why lie to me when we first met?” 

Pantalone sighed, resting his cane beside him on the bench. “I quite liked how you actually viewed me as a woman, I wanted to keep up the lie for just a little longer. Plus, I have to be careful with who I trust. Not anyone would be so kind to… someone like me.” 

Dottore frowned. To him it seemed unfair that a person would be immediately ridiculed and hated for such a small thing. Who was to say that he wasn’t doing something similar? It felt like almost every day he was pretending to be someone he was not. Hell, he still refused to be called by his real name. “...Then, you must have also been lying about being interested in me, correct?”

Pantalone chuckled, the same way he did those nights before. At least his rich person laugh wasn’t part of the facade. “Ah, about that..” He leaned back in his seat, clasping his hands together. The collection of rings on his fingers now looked almost obnoxious. “I really do like you, Dottore. I promise that is no lie. In fact, I’ve grown even more fond of you after we’ve spent more time together. I was just unsure of how your opinion of me would change once I told you who I really was.”

Dottore blinked, surprised. He was truly at a loss for words this time. He had never even perceived the idea of dating another man. It was rare to see, but was always looked down upon any time it was mentioned. He opened his mouth to respond, but he couldn’t think of what to say.

Pantalone gave Dottore a sweet smile. “It’s alright, you don’t have to say anything. I know this is a lot for you to process.”

Indeed it was. How much did this new information change his perception of the man? He would have to reconsider if these feelings really were one sided anymore.

“I will let you know what I think of you when I’m ready.” Dottore replied, once he had organized his thoughts well enough. 

Pantalone hesitated, only slightly. “I understand.. In that case I guess my plan for you will have to wait. You see, I wanted to take you out on a date tonight but you seem tired. You aren’t even sure if the feelings are mutual yet either.”

Dottore paused to think. He wanted to go out on a date this soon? And why after midnight? Why not tomorrow while the sun is out? “We can still go to dinner as friends sometime.” He immediately regretted his words, but it was too late to turn back. “Tomorrow is my off day if you’d like to meet up then.” Why was he agreeing to this? Perhaps sheer curiosity? Or was he finding himself already attaching to the one person who was willing to show him an ounce of kindness?

Pantalone smiled, still without showing his teeth. It seems Dottore would have to get used to that. “Oh, that’s fine with me.”

Their conversation carried on into the night as the two got to know each other for a second time, topics ranging from Dottore’s work to Pantalone’s hobby of crossdressing. He noticed Pantalone’s behavior had slightly changed from before. He was calmer, more reserved. Still talkative but in a way that wasn’t nearly as exhausting. This must have been the difference between him and the character he called Lonnie. 

Eventually the carriage arrived to take Dottore home. He stood up from his seat and Pantalone followed after, waiting at the door of the carriage to say goodbye. “Oh, where are we planning to meet tomorrow?” Dottore asked, turning back to Pantalone.

Pantalone tapped his fingers against his cane, the metal rings making small clicks against the handle. “How about I pick you up at your place? I have a personal carriage that we won’t have to wait for.” Of course he did.

Dottore nodded, reaching into his coat pocket for a scrap of paper. “I’ll write down my address for you, then.”

Pantalone hummed. “Hm, thank you. Oh, and as for where we’ll go for dinner, I have a little plan for you. I won’t tell you now. I want it to be a surprise.” 

Dottore rolled his eyes, handing him the small piece of paper that he’d written his address on. “Another plan? Hm, I see how it is. I’ll meet you at five.” 

Pantalone laughed in his own elegant way, taking the paper before gently pushing Dottore in the direction of the carriage. Did it have to be at his lower back? “Alright, Dottore. Now in you go, you’ve got to get home. I want you to get a good night’s sleep tonight.”

Dottore huffed and got into the cab, closing the door behind him without saying a word. Was that really necessary? Did Pantalone really have to say all that before he left? Was he just being kind? To be fair, Dottore’s experience with kind people was so rare it was nearly foreign to him. 

He sighed and sat back in his seat after telling the carriage driver his destination. Pantalone did have a point, however. Dottore desperately needed the rest.

Chapter Text

Dottore had picked out a basic suit from his wardrobe, one that he hadn’t worn in years. He had no reason to dress so formally. After all, he barely left the house except for work. The suit hopefully didn’t show its age too much, as it was barely worn and stayed pristine in the back of his wardrobe for all those years. As for his dress shirt, there was only one he owned and it had been ripped so much in the back that it could barely stay together. His beloved harness over top of it was able to solve the problem. Thankfully it was barely noticeable, he didn’t want Pantalone getting any ideas. It was visible at his neck where the leather straps joined with a silver ring, however the rest of it disappeared beneath his coat.

 He sat at a chair near his front door as he waited anxiously for Pantalone’s arrival. A quick glance at his watch told him the time was 5:15. For a man who claimed to dedicate himself to holding up his appearance, Dottore had expected him to be on time, if not a bit early. Had he accidentally given him the wrong address? Did he encounter an issue on the way here? Dottore wondered how far he lived from his place. Perhaps he made a miscalculation in how long it would take to arrive. Worried thoughts swirled in his mind as his leg started to bounce anxiously.

 He shouldn’t be this nervous for a little meeting with a friend anyway. Yes, they were just friends. Why did Pantalone have to call it a date instead? And why did he always feel the need to leave Dottore in suspense? He was dying to know where he would take him for dinner.

 Before he could get up from his chair and pace, he heard a knocking from right next to him. “Finally,” Dottore breathed with a relieved sigh as he stood up to unlock and open the door. 

 To say the sight before him was stunning would be an understatement. Pantalone’s hair was down, the sleek black curls resting on one of his shoulders. The gray streaks were more visible this time. A black hairpin with a floral design held the shorter strands of his bangs out of his face. The dress he wore was dark, with so many layers of lace and ruffles that Dottore couldn’t tell where the sleeves ended and where the skirt began. It was adorned with countless black gems that sparkled like the night sky. He only wore two rings on his right index and ring finger today, and in his hands was the handle of a closed parasol, just as dark as the rest of his wardrobe.

 “You’re staring,” Pantalone said in an amused tone, which made Dottore snap back to reality. He hadn’t realized he was. 

 He shook his head. “Apologies, I was just surprised by what you’re wearing. You look…nice.”

 Pantalone chuckled lightly. “As do you.” Dottore noticed the man’s gaze was at his chest instead of his face. Strange, since they were nearly the same height. “I didn’t expect a man like you to have such items in your wardrobe.”

 Initially, Dottore thought he meant his suit. After all, he had been wearing only lab coats during the times they’ve met. But a quick glance down at his own chest made him realize Pantalone meant something else. He huffed, surprised he had noticed the harness so quickly.

 “I’m not wearing this for you, just so you know.” Dottore said as his eyes went back to Pantalone. He continued, “I noticed you were a bit late, were you having any trouble getting here?” 

 Pantalone sighed and reached forward, gently pulling Dottore outside. He made sure to close the door behind him. “Dottore, your handwriting is atrocious. I could barely read the note you gave me.” He sounded as if he were struggling to keep his composure. “I stopped at nearly four of your neighbors’ houses before arriving here. You’ve really ought to practice your writing skills.”

 Dottore scoffed. “I need no such thing, I was trying to write and listen to you at the same time. I was bound to make a few mistakes.” He paused, rubbing his hand over his face as he felt the secondhand embarrassment from visiting the wrong house. “How did my neighbors even react to your presence at their front doors, anyway? People like us don’t often get visits from the rich.”

 Pantalone chuckled. “Oh, they were quite surprised to see my face. As expected of course, but their reactions were almost adorable. Each one of them acted so nervous, and they weren’t even the ones I was there for! Though I’m sure I accidentally improved your reputation. Now they know Dottore has a wealthy looking lady in a fancy dress searching for him.”

 Dottore frowned and began walking away from his front door. “That’s one way to put it..” He noticed the carriage waiting out front for the two of them, it was polished flawlessly and decorated with intricate gold designs. Even the horses had wonderfully maintained manes and shining coats. No doubt it was Pantalone’s own private carriage. 

Pantalone started to walk as well, but he stopped before the shadow of the awning ended. He opened the parasol in his hands and set it comfortably on his shoulder. Dottore noticed it was decorated with the same patterned lace as his dress. He began walking now, out into the sun and following the path to the carriage.

Dottore followed, catching up and remaining beside Pantalone. Would it be polite to link arms with Pantalone now, or would it be inefficient and awkward? The walk to the carriage was short, after all. But he wouldn’t want to be seen with bad manners when interacting with a noble, especially one the public would view as a woman. He wished more than ever that he was given at least some guidance. Reluctantly, he linked their arms together. 

“What do you need a parasol for, so late in the day? Your skin isn’t that sensitive, is it?” he asked, hopefully to distract Pantalone from how beads of sweat had already gathered on his forehead.

“It isn’t too sensitive, but too much sun will ruin my complexion. It’s best to be safe.”

Dottore hummed in response, his explanation did seem reasonable. Though he couldn’t imagine going to such lengths just to preserve one’s appearance. Once they got to the carriage, he opened the door and stepped aside, allowing Pantalone to go in first. However Pantalone stood still, blinking at Dottore in what he guessed was confusion. Even the carriage driver, who had been standing nearby, looked hesitant to tell him something. A few moments later, Pantalone sighed and closed his parasol as he climbed into the carriage, Dottore following soon after. He closed the door behind them and settled into his seat. 

Before Dottore could ask what happened, Pantalone already had his answer. “Dottore honey, you do know the driver of the carriage is supposed to hold the door for you, right?” Dottore quietly groaned. After all that work to keep up with these elaborate manners, he’d failed almost immediately after leaving his home. Pantalone let out an amused chuckle. “Oh don’t get me wrong, I did appreciate the gesture. But I just thought I would let you know for next time.”

Dottore couldn’t help but analyze these words. ‘Next time’? He almost made it seem like Dottore was guaranteed to have more outings like this with him. He sighed and crossed his arms as he studied the interior of the carriage. It was becoming much clearer to him just how different his and Pantalone’s lifestyles were. He couldn’t imagine being able to go anywhere he wanted without a thirty minute wait or worry for how much it would cost. And to sit on silk cushioned seats felt so wrong, he had done nothing to deserve such luxury.

The carriage began to shake slightly, a sign that they were beginning to leave and head towards their destination. Dottore felt Pantalone’s thigh brush against his from the movement. Once he looked down he noticed that they had quite a lot of space in the carriage, yet Pantalone had decided to stay close to Dottore. He sighed to himself, he would have to get used to this if he wanted to possibly be in a relationship with this man.

Dottore remembered something, and he lifted his head to meet eyes with Pantalone. “Where are you taking me for dinner? Let me guess, it’s a place only meant for aristocrats like yourself.”

Pantalone smiled as he reached over to take Dottore’s hand in his. He accepted this small gesture by not pulling away, though he did glance down at where their fingers intertwined. Even through his gloves, he noticed just how cold Pantalone’s hands were. A theory popped into his head, but it was forgotten the second Pantalone began to speak.

“I’m taking you to a personal favorite restaurant of mine. It’s quite unique really, it was founded only ten years ago and it’s found itself near the top fifteen percent of success rate in its area. And for good reason too, the service is incredible and the food is even better. I’ve come there for business meetings and just for myself so often that I’ve made close friends with a few workers there. It’s named Kholodnaya Reka, the family who founded it originated from Russia. Your guess was right, it is a high-end restaurant. Perfectly fitting for both business meetings and first dates.” Dottore shifted in his seat as he was reminded that Pantalone initially intended for this to be a date. 

“Speaking of first dates.. Why are you interested in me exactly? Couldn’t you find someone from your own social status instead?”

Beside him, he could hear Pantalone repositioning. Two frigid hands reached up to turn his head towards the man, then he cupped his face gently. “Look at me, Dottore.” Amusing, since he had no choice but to look at him. This was the closest he’d been to Pantalone’s face. Now he noticed new details he couldn’t see before. He wore dark eyeshadow that glittered the same as his dress, and the decorations on his glasses chain were different from yesterday. Two small moon charms on each side were accompanied by pure black crystals surely worth more than twice of what Dottore made in a year. He watched as they sparkled and danced on the chain that swung with each movement of the carriage.

Dottore then looked into Pantalone’s eyes, which were nearly golden in color. How fitting, for a man whose main ambition was gold. Pantalone began to speak. “Do you truly not understand the fact that you are an attractive man? That, and you are a very hard worker. Women love those traits in a man. Really, Dottore, you need a boost in your self esteem.” Pantalone’s thumbs brushed Dottore’s cheeks. How did all of his body feel so cold? “But of course that doesn’t excuse anybody who harasses you. I promise, I’ll protect you from those who want to take advantage of you. They won’t ever lay a finger on you while I’m around.”

Dottore frowned. Everything Pantalone said was too kind, too good to be true. It sounded genuine, but he couldn’t be trusted just yet. Pantalone gave him a sweet smile before pulling away, sitting back in his seat as if the interaction never happened. The feeling of his cold hands remained on Dottore’s face like a lingering memory. He sighed and sat back in his seat as well.

It was only a couple moments of silence between them before Dottore felt the carriage begin to slow. Pantalone looked out of the window and gasped. “Dottore, we’re here.” He grabbed his parasol, which had been placed on the seat beside him. Then he reached over to hold Dottore’s hand once again. “One more thing before we head in,” He added, “I’d like for you to refer to me as ‘she’ and ‘Lonnie’ while we’re out together. I don’t want anyone finding out about my true identity. It would be quite a mess that I doubt could be cleaned up easily.”

Dottore gave him a nod. “Of course. It shouldn’t be too difficult for me, after all, I’ve already done so before.”

He felt a thumb gently brushing against his knuckles. His hand froze up, unsure of how to deal with this gesture. “Thank you. You don’t know how much it means to me.”

Once the carriage came to a complete stop, Dottore reached for the door handle, perhaps out of habit. But he stopped once he felt Pantalone squeezing his hand to get his attention. He was giving him what seemed to be a warning glance. “Ah, not so fast. Remember, that’s the driver’s job.”

Dottore pulled his hand away and set it on his lap. He sighed. “Right..”

Pantalone chuckled, letting go of Dottore’s hand once the carriage driver had opened the door. “You’ll get used to it eventually.” Right, as if he would be doing this again. He sighed and got out of the carriage without another word.

Dottore held his hand out for Pantalone to take while he climbed down from the carriage. Once Pantalone opened his parasol, he waved goodbye to the carriage driver and linked arms with Dottore again. The area they were dropped off in was unfamiliar. The buildings were taller and the streets were clean, free of any trash or unconscious drunks. Even the people were dressed in clothing similar to what Pantalone wore all the time. It was like another world to Dottore, seeing a place without conflict or poverty felt so unnatural. But of course, in order for these people to benefit, others had to pay the price.

Pantalone led them to a large building, which Dottore assumed was their destination. He reached out to open the door but his hand stopped just short of it. He glanced back to Pantalone, who was waiting patiently nearby. “There’s no job for people to open these doors for us, I’m guessing?”

Pantalone laughed, waving his hand dismissively. “Oh no no, you’re free to open it for me. Thank you for making sure, though.” 

He sighed as he pulled it open and stood to the side. Etiquette like this was far too complicated for him, why not just open every door for yourself? He watched as Pantalone stepped inside and closed his parasol. Dottore followed right behind, soon joining him and linking their arms together again. 

The interior was just as, if not more, extravagant than the outside. It was all one large room, each table placed at a set distance from each other. A dark red carpet with a detailed design was spread out over the entire first floor, so pristine that Dottore worried his boots might ruin it with dirt. The furniture was all made of rich, dark wood and the craftsmanship used to carve it was nothing to scoff at.

Together they walked up to the main desk, also made from the same dark wood. The lady behind it was dressed in a red, white, and black gown with a veil covering half of her face. Her blonde hair was in a bun, though some of it was down, accompanying the veil on the same side. A black scarf framed her otherwise bare shoulders. 

She noticed the two and gave them a small smile. Just like Pantalone, she didn’t show her teeth. “Ah, there you are.” Her eyes drifted over to Pantalone as her smile slightly faded. “You’re late. You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today.”

Dottore glanced between the two, this woman had to be one of Pantalone’s friends he mentioned. Pantalone gave her a subtle nod. “Apologies, miss Rosalyne, but I had some difficulty getting to him. Surely we aren’t too late for our scheduled reservation?” 

Rosalyne scoffed. “Barely.” She collected a couple menus before stepping away from the desk. “Follow me, you two.” 

She led the couple to an empty circular table near the back of the restaurant, further away from the windows. Dottore breathed a small sigh, the last thing he wanted was to sit in the middle of such a large area. Rosalyne placed the menus in front of each seat before giving Pantalone a polite nod. “Enjoy your.. dinner date.” she said to Pantalone, as she quickly glanced at Dottore. It was subtle, but Dottore swore he saw her give him a disgusted look as she walked back to the front desk. Dottore wondered if she could tell that he didn’t belong in such a setting.

Pantalone seated himself at the table, and he motioned for Dottore to do the same. “Come on, you shouldn’t waste your time standing there.”

Dottore momentarily brushed off the thought as he joined Pantalone at the table. The tablecloth was white and made from such a high quality fabric, that he worried any spills at all might ruin it entirely. He thought it was silly, the point of a tablecloth was to protect the table, not to have something else to worry about staining. 

“So, about that woman you called Rosalyne. She’s one of those friends you mentioned, correct?” He continued as he noticed a small nod from Pantalone. “You told her about me?”

Pantalone held up the menu in front of him, occasionally glancing down at the words, but it was clear his main focus was on Dottore. “I did, but don’t worry. I shared very little information about you. She just knew that I was making a reservation with the intent to go on a date with someone.” Again with the word date.

Dottore turned his head to look back at Rosalyne. “She gave me a strange look before she turned to leave. Is she a protective friend perhaps, and doesn’t want you dating? Or is it that she can tell my social status from only a glance?” He asked, hoping his nervousness hadn’t been made apparent through his tone.

He turned to look back towards Pantalone. He had set his menu down and now had both hands placed elegantly in his lap. “Ah, please pay her no mind, she can be quite moody sometimes. She must have just noticed the missing button on your suit.”

Dottore glanced down, and sure enough, one of the middle buttons was completely gone, save for a single pathetic string in its place. He grunted and covered the area with his arm, as if it were glaringly obvious. “And you didn’t think to tell me that before I left?”

Pantalone covered his mouth with his hand, chuckling quietly. “There’s more problems with your suit other than just the button, but I thought it was amusing that you were so oblivious.”

Dottore felt his face twitch as he tried not to scowl. Thankfully before he could say anything, they were interrupted by a young man approaching them. He was well dressed, with a red dress shirt and a tie, though his messy ginger hair made him stand out among the other customers. As he walked up to them, he gave Pantalone a smile. This man actually showed his teeth, which caught Dottore’s interest. Was this a mannerism only rich women had?

“Lonnie, you’re here! Rosalyne told me you’d be coming today.” The man seemed to be full of energy, something completely unexpected in such a setting. 

Pantalone’s amused expression quickly changed to a polite smile instead, so quick that Dottore wondered if this was something he’d picked up from his job. “Ah, hello to you too, Ajax.” Pantalone motioned to Dottore with a small wave of his hand. “This is my date tonight, his name is Dottore.” He turned to look at Dottore, lowering his voice so only he could hear. “This is my other friend who works here, he’s a waiter. Say hello to him, why don’t you?”

Dottore frowned, not at all thrilled to be asked to socialize. Especially with someone so energetic. He gave Ajax an unenthusiastic wave but said nothing. Ajax raised an eyebrow, and Pantalone laughed, for a reason Dottore was unsure of. “Don’t take his silence personally. Anyway, now that introductions have been made, why don’t we have some wine to start us off?”

Dottore scoffed to himself as Ajax corrected his posture, now making himself look more like a waiter instead of someone who had stumbled into the building by accident. He thought it was amusing that Pantalone was practically doing the man’s job for him. “Oh, yes. What kind will it be for you two tonight?”

Pantalone told him the name of some French sounding wine Dottore had never heard of before, and soon the young man was leaving the table to return to the kitchen. Though he didn’t make it far at all before tripping over his own feet. Why was he working in such an establishment if he barely had the manners to be around these people? Wouldn’t it be less stressful to work in an area where one could relax and not worry about appearances?

The two returned to conversing, but it felt too exhausting. Dottore didn’t have enough energy to keep this up. Sure, he still replied, but the replies were short and only served to keep himself from appearing rude and disengaged from the conversation. Nothing seemed to catch his attention. Pantalone only spoke of his job and his history with the restaurant. He wondered if it was too late to get up and leave. At least Pantalone was trying to be polite, but Dottore was quickly realizing how much he didn’t belong in such an environment. Everything had already fallen apart. He couldn’t understand the elaborate rules they called manners, and now the empty conversation just to pass the time felt more draining than it usually did with Pantalone. Tonight was a mistake.

But before Dottore could make the decision to leave early, Ajax returned with the bottle of wine. At least he knew how to hold it as he poured it into their glasses. Pantalone took a small sip, and Dottore followed, attempting to copy him. He did have to admit, the taste was unlike anything he’d ever had before. It should be expected, products that were of higher price tended to have better taste. It was certainly better than the cheap wine Dottore could manage to afford whenever he wanted to treat himself. And yet here Pantalone was, enjoying this wine every single day.

Ajax allowed the two to order their food, with Pantalone doing most of the talking. He had ordered for Dottore as well, which he was quite thankful for, as he was admittedly unprepared for ordering. He was too focused on trying to speak with Pantalone to even look at the menu. After Ajax had left, they continued talking.

The conversation had turned more personalized over time. Perhaps Pantalone had picked up on his boredom. There was no more small talk, less words existing only to fill the air. Instead Pantalone asked questions about Dottore, forcing him to converse and open up. It turned out surprisingly effective. They ended up sharing similar interests, hobbies, and other small bits of information about themselves. Dottore eventually found conversing to be a bit easier, and his words flowed out more naturally over time. It was incredible how much of a difference there was in the tone of the conversation when the two knew more about the other.

Eventually the topic of Dottore’s job resurfaced. Dottore gladly went into detail, extensively explaining the chemistry behind the tests on the samples he was given. He spoke with so much passion, and so quickly that he feared Pantalone might get bored or wouldn’t be able to understand. But every time he looked at his expression, he was watching intently, and he even nodded to encourage him to keep talking. It was becoming more difficult for Dottore to keep his true intentions for this job a secret. So rarely was it that he could actually speak with someone about this. Unfortunately, Pantalone was able to pick up on the hesitance in his voice. At first Dottore denied he had anything else to share. No one else was supposed to know about this but him. How could he trust Pantalone with such information? But he kept hinting towards it, and eventually managed to get Dottore to slip up. Nosy bastard, if it weren’t for his insistence, Dottore would have never revealed his true intentions for working in a hospital. He gave in and shared that his true goal was to improve human biology, and possibly achieve immortality. Saying these ideas out loud made him realize how absurd they might sound, but Pantalone’s attention never wavered. 

He continued, sharing how he had never been able to find any test subjects and instead resorted to testing on himself. Was Pantalone truly not phased by a single word he said? Dottore fully expected the pampered aristocrat to find such things disturbing, but he’d even offered to find test subjects for him, no matter if they were willing or unwilling to participate. How fascinating. Had he worked with illegal matters before?

Guided by his newfound curiosity, Dottore began asking questions about Pantalone. Details on his current job, past jobs, and any interesting or notable clients he’d worked with in the past. Pantalone answered, but Dottore noticed he seemed.. uncomfortable? Nervous? Maybe he was afraid Dottore knew something about him. Some questions were deflected, others answered unsatisfyingly vaguely. But now Dottore had found himself interested in their conversation. It was clear Pantalone was hiding something, and he wouldn’t stop until he uncovered his secret.

As Dottore got used to Pantalone’s mannerisms, he noticed a few oddities, such as his hands. Every time he would set down his fork, he would fidget with his rings or clench his hands into fists. His expression was fascinating as well. He seemed confident that nothing other than a little smile was on his face, but Dottore could spot an occasional slip in his mask every once in a while. Perhaps a glare towards someone as they passed by, a couple moments where he would zone out completely, or a quick grimace from seemingly out of nowhere. Though every time Dottore asked if he was alright, those expressions were washed away immediately with a smile and the question was answered with a small wave of the hand and an “Oh, it’s nothing.” His voice, being completely calm and unwavering, was almost disturbing. It was impressive how much control he had over his emotions. However, he couldn’t prevent everything from showing. It was only a matter of knowing where to look.

Aside from Pantalone acting strangely, the rest of their dinner together went smoothly. Thankfully, Pantalone offered to pay the bill in full. Dottore was almost certain he didn’t have the funds to pay for something so expensive, and the thought of shamefully asking his date to cover his costs of the meal made him feel guilty, at the very least. 

The two rose from their seats at the table, and Pantalone took his parasol which was hanging on the backrest of his chair. Before they could link arms again and begin leaving the building however, a loud crashing noise erupted from right beside Dottore, followed by what sounded like small pieces of glass falling. He turned his head to see Ajax with a shocked look on his face, barely holding several pieces of glass in his hands. Judging from the shape, they used to be wine glasses. The rest of the shards were either on the floor or embedded deep in the hands and arm of the poor lady in front of Ajax, who must have accidentally bumped into him as she walked past. She was standing still as she held her heavily bleeding hands close to her chest, most likely still in shock from what had just happened. She stared at Ajax for a moment before eventually letting out a pained sob as she crouched down to the floor. 

Dottore stared down at the woman with complete indifference. All he could think of was how her blood perfectly seeped into the already deep red carpet, disappearing completely. Though Pantalone’s reaction was quite different from his. He had covered his mouth with one of his hands as he held on tightly to Dottore’s arm as if he would disappear otherwise. His eyes were much wider than Dottore had ever seen before and he was visibly shaking. Perhaps the sight of someone in extreme pain was too much for the aristocrat who barely witnessed any violence in his daily life. 

Something about that look in his eyes had an effect on Dottore. He wasn’t sure how, but it was so odd seeing Pantalone so unlike himself. His usual smiling eyes which hid more subtle emotion were now displaying his fear for everyone to see. For the lack of a better word, it was fascinating.

Even though he was still undecided about his feelings for Pantalone, Dottore still felt the need to shield his view from the bleeding, crying woman. Dottore held onto him and turned so he was blocking Pantalone’s view with his body. Pantalone held his arm even tighter, leaning in and resting his head on Dottore’s chest. He still disliked physical contact, but having someone to protect felt somewhat comforting. 

By the time Ajax had crouched down to help the woman with her injuries, Dottore was already leading Pantalone to the door. No customers watched as they left, their attention entirely on the scene in the middle of the room. 

The sun had mostly set, just a faint orange on the horizon was the only trace of it left. The temperature had begun to drop and the air nipped at Dottore’s ungloved hands as he led his date away from the building and down the well-lit but quiet street. Pantalone still held onto him for dear life as Dottore slowed down to a stop next to one of the street lamps. He rested a hand on his shoulder and tilted his head to get a better look at his face. 

“Are you alright? We’re away from it all now.” Dottore spoke comforting words, though he was unsure if they were genuine or not.

Pantalone was pale, or perhaps it was the lighting. He appeared to have a thousand yard stare as well. He was either in deep thought or that sight of the injured lady had affected him more than expected. He continued to shiver, but it was less severe now. Eventually he turned to look at Dottore with a serious expression on his face. “Dottore, I have to tell you something.”

Dottore furrowed his eyebrows out of confusion. “Hm? Go ahead, what-”

Before he could finish his sentence, he was taken by the wrist and led further down the street. “Follow me, we must be completely alone.” Pantalone muttered quietly as he walked, his focus now dead set on the path ahead. His grip was tight on Dottore’s wrist, much tighter than it had been before, but he was no stranger to pain. He only hoped he would finally get answers as to what was bothering Pantalone the whole evening.

Dottore was led through a well hidden alley and to a small area completely walled off by buildings on all sides. It appeared to be a garden, as it was a relatively large patch of grass dotted with white flowers. The edges were trimmed with care, and each flower glowed with perfect health. It seemed to be well taken care of. The streetlights barely reached the place, and was instead lit by moonlight alone. It made for quite a peaceful scene, much different than the environment the two had fled from at the restaurant.

Pantalone guided him to the center and loosened his grip on Dottore’s wrist. Instead he gently held both of his hands and looked into his eyes. His hands were still unsteady, but it was clear that he was trying to hide their shakiness. Pantalone hesitated, continuing to look into Dottore’s eyes with an uncertain expression on his face.

Dottore eventually broke the silence. “What is it that you wanted to tell me?”

Pantalone gave his hands a gentle squeeze as he opened his mouth, most likely trying to find a way to word his response. He glanced down to the ground for a moment, then his eyes met back to Dottore’s. He took a deep breath before speaking.

“I’m a vampire, Dottore.”

A long moment of silence passed between them as Dottore processed his words. Judging by his expression, Pantalone wasn’t lying. Either something was wrong with his head and he truly believed he was a vampire, or the species rumored to be a myth for many years was genuinely real. Pantalone didn’t strike him to be someone who would convince himself of something so silly, he seemed too clear headed. Which meant…

Dottore felt a smile slowly form onto his face. “You are, truly?” he asked, but of course he already knew the answer. It was only fair to require solid confirmation for such an unexpected statement.

Pantalone let go of one of Dottore’s hands to lift his upper lip with one finger, exposing two prominent fangs that seemed to shine in the moonlight. Ah, no wonder he never showed his teeth when he smiled. He lowered his hand to hold Dottore’s again. “I wasn’t planning on telling you tonight, but..” His grip tightened, no longer bordering on gentle and sweet. “I’m just so thirsty. It’s been so long since I’ve had a proper feeding.”

“I see. That must be why you’ve been acting so strange all evening, and I just thought you were annoyed about something.” Dottore’s smile didn’t fade as he spoke. It was always so fascinating to hear more about Pantalone. 

Pantalone sighed. “I’m surprised you could tell. I suppose I’ve been too starved to realize I’ve nearly lost my composure. I’ve been so close to lashing out at the nearest person, and the sight of blood on that woman’s hands was almost too much for me.” He took a few steps towards Dottore, letting go of his hands to instead hold onto his arms. Dottore twitched, but didn’t move away. “Listen to me, Dottore. I need more blood. I know we’ve only met a couple times, but I need you to trust me. Let me bite you. I promise not to take too much.”

Dottore simply hummed. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought if a vampire bites a human and they survive, they turn into a vampire as well.”

Pantalone visibly scowled as he squeezed Dottore’s arms. “You have much to learn about our biology. We can go over the details later, just…please. Let me borrow some of your blood.” He was shaking again, almost as much as before. Dottore could see the desperation in his eyes.

Dottore sighed and tilted his head. It was a slight motion, but enough to let Pantalone know he was allowing it. “Does it have to be my neck? It’s a bit too fragile for my liking.”

Pantalone breathed out what sounded like a relieved sigh as he almost immediately leaned in to bring his lips to Dottore’s neck. “I thought I told you to trust me.” His breath was so cold against his skin. “Just relax, I know what I’m doing.”

He could feel Pantalone’s finger sliding underneath the strap of Dottore’s harness to pull it out of the way; he had almost forgotten he was wearing it. He loosely wrapped both arms around Pantalone, the closest they had ever gotten to a hug. However Dottore told himself he only did it to brace for the pain. 

He grunted as Pantalone’s fangs finally punctured his skin, and his arms tensed up momentarily. When the initial shock wore off, his arms relaxed again. It wasn’t as painful as he’d expected. A little more than an accidental needle prick or insect sting. He wondered if Pantalone knew how to make his bites less painful. Judging by the size of his fangs, it should have hurt much more. How interesting.

He swore he heard a quiet groan as Pantalone began drinking his blood. Having it being taken in such a way almost felt like his body heat was being stolen. The feeling of his own warm, fresh blood was replaced by the cold of Pantalone’s lips. His fingertips began to turn icy, and the crisp evening air only enhanced it all. What an odd sensation, it was so new. Dottore found himself wanting to research it further as he rested both hands flat on Pantalone’s back.

They were so close, Dottore could even smell the perfume Pantalone was wearing. It was subtle, but he could pick up on small hints of what he guessed was lavender. This close proximity didn’t bother Dottore anymore, in fact, he welcomed it. Now this was something purely unfamiliar to him. He felt… vulnerable in the grasp of someone who could so easily take every drop of blood from him with nothing to spare. He shouldn’t be allowing such emotions to surface. Vulnerability as a man was so often frowned upon. Yet.. Pantalone actively sought it out with no shame. 

Oh, what a fascinating person he was. There was something so captivating about the mystery around him. With every new layer of his personality that was revealed, it only fueled Dottore’s curiosity even more. He wanted, no, needed to know everything about him.

Pantalone bit down harder and more blood spilled into his mouth. Instead of pulling away however, Dottore found himself leaning into it. Was he always this fond of pain? He always wanted to push the limits of his own body. After all, it was the only way he could find new discoveries about human anatomy. But the idea of pain in a more… intimate setting was something he’d never considered before. This did indeed feel intimate, but why? Pantalone only needed to feed, there should be nothing romantic or sexual about this. Even so, the feelings of arousal pooling in his crotch only made these subconscious thoughts more tangible.

Dottore eventually had to push Pantalone away from his neck, as he started to become lightheaded. Pantalone did back away, but only after ensuring he had consumed every last drop. He quickly swiped his tongue over the wound, then he let go of the leather strap and it snapped back into place. Two small motions that could have been explained by Pantalone not wanting to get blood on the harness, yet it still made Dottore shiver and let out a quiet breath, dangerously close to a whine. 

Pantalone let out a large sigh. He appeared much…healthier, no longer worried he might be a threat to the nearest person. The shakiness in his hands ceased completely and the desperate look in his eyes was now replaced by peaceful tranquility. He kept a gentle hold on Dottore. “Apologies if I took too much from you, I was just so surprised by how sweet your blood tasted.” He let out a breathy laugh. “It was probably affected by the wine you had.”

Dottore was still struggling to regain his composure. Surely Pantalone noticed the effect this little bite had on him. He’d left the poor man speechless, his lips parted slightly in anticipation, preparing to form any words at all. However nothing ever got past.

Endless ideas and theories swirled around in his mind, along with unfamiliar emotions he’d never felt before. He would have to analyze them all later. Eventually Dottore snapped out of his daze and shook his head. “No, it’s alright. I’m.. just glad you’re back to your normal self again.” A surprisingly normal response not even he expected to come out of his mouth.

Pantalone slightly dipped his head. Dottore was glad his polite mannerisms returned as well. “Thank you, Dottore. And thank you for allowing me to have some of your blood in the first place.”

As Dottore nodded, he felt a wave of dizziness come over him. He tried to hide it as he held onto Pantalone for stability. The last thing he wanted now was to embarrass himself by passing out right in front of his date.

Pantalone seemed to be studying Dottore’s condition, as he took a few moments to glance over him before speaking again. “You should probably sit down while you recover from your blood loss. I’ll sit with you while we wait.” It seems he wasn’t subtle enough, perhaps he was a bit too pale, or Pantalone noticed Dottore was holding onto him to keep his balance. Pantalone stepped back, gently trailing his fingertips down Dottore’s arm, eventually meeting at his hand. 

Once Pantalone had taken Dottore’s hand in his, Pantalone slowly sat down, guiding Dottore to sit as well. He politely tucked his legs in, and his sparkling dress laid perfectly around him. How graceful, he now looked more like the night sky than ever. Dottore sat beside him, his legs spread out comfortably on the cool grass. He made sure not to touch any of the flowers dotted around. His scarred hands would only ruin them.

Dottore hadn’t noticed before, but it was so quiet in this secluded area. Only the quiet chirps of crickets and the distant sound of a passing carriage could be heard. He needed some time to relax, especially after what had happened at the restaurant. He still couldn't get the image of Pantalone’s widened eyes out of his head. It wasn’t concern that he had felt then, no, it was something else. Something he still could not pinpoint for the life of him. He sighed and looked up at the darkening sky. 

They sat in silence, though it didn’t feel awkward like it always did with other people. There was no pressure or need to force a conversation that would exist only to fill the empty air. Instead, the two simply observed the small garden as they waited. It would have been entirely peaceful if it weren’t for his occasional dizziness.

Dottore was the one to eventually break the silence. “So how did you find out about this place? It’s so well hidden, I wasn’t even aware that it was here until I was looking right at it.”

Pantalone turned to look at Dottore, then he motioned to the buildings surrounding the garden with a wave of his hand. “See these buildings? I purchased all of them, including this land here, for my own private area all to myself. I do have my own mansion, but I do enjoy being in a quiet little garden instead of something so grand from time to time.” He rested his hands in his lap as he glanced down at the white flowers near his feet. “I take care of this all on my own, at night time so I don’t burn my skin from the sunlight.”

Dottore nodded along. “I see, you’re very ambitious. Needlessly so, one could say. Going the extra mile to buy an entire block of buildings just to have a place to relax sure sounds like you.”

Pantalone began closely observing the flowers, leaning down to get a better look at one that had a slight mark on one of the petals. “You could say that, but I’m quite proud of what I’ve done with the place. It feels more satisfying knowing I personally put work into this.” 

As Pantalone observed the small tulip, Dottore observed him. It was only now that he noticed Pantalone’s small waist and the open back in his dress that dipped down to show quite a bit of skin, perfectly smooth skin at that. How had he not realized just how pretty this man was? Vampire or not, everything about him was flawless. As Dottore stared at him, he felt an overwhelming urge to touch and hold this perfect body of his. 

Before he realized what he was doing, Dottore already had a hand on Pantalone’s back. Pantalone lifted his head and glanced back as he gave Dottore’s hand a slightly confused look before a smile formed on his lips. Soon, Dottore had both arms wrapped around his waist and was pulling him onto his lap. Pantalone easily accepted this small motion, even helping himself up onto the man’s lap. He repositioned to fix his dress before he turned, looking at Dottore the best he could. 

“I take it you’ve made up your mind on your feelings about me?” he asked as he rested one of his hands over Dottore’s. 

Dottore gave him a small squeeze as he pressed his chest against Pantalone’s back. “No, what I’m feeling might just be a side effect from the blood loss. It’s incredible how much you were able to drain from me.” Dottore closed his eyes for a moment. “I’ll be fine in a few minutes.”

Pantalone nodded as he gave Dottore a sly smile, which was barely noticeable. “Ah, I see. Then you’ll be fine if I get up to water my flowers? I suppose it’s time to care for them again,” he said as he leaned forward, preparing to stand back up. 

But before he could do so, Dottore squeezed him tighter, ensuring he went nowhere. “Don’t leave.” 

Pantalone quietly chuckled as he leaned back and fully relaxed into Dottore. “Very well, darling. I’ll stay here for a little while longer.”

They continued to wait in silence, occasionally exchanging a few words. The two sat cuddling for what felt like both an eternity, and almost no time at all. In the moment, it was as if they had stayed there for hours. Yet when Dottore recognized his symptoms had faded away and he allowed Pantalone to stand, he already found himself longing for his touch again. It wasn’t nearly enough time to study the man’s perfect body in its entirety. Maybe next time, he had thought to himself. Strange, since they hadn’t even agreed on a second date yet. 

The couple returned to the restaurant where the carriage was waiting just outside. Dottore couldn’t help but glance through the window and at the place where the woman had been cut with glass shards. He looked for a dark stain on the carpet where her blood would have pooled and dried, but he found nothing. The staff was quite efficient at cleaning, he couldn’t even spot any glass pieces on the floor.

Dottore climbed into the carriage after Pantalone, and soon they were headed back to his home. He had to tell the driver his exact address to avoid confusion, which was quite annoying. He decided to give Pantalone another small scrap of paper with his address on it, written in better handwriting this time, in case he ever wanted to go out on another date. It was relieving to hear that Pantalone was already considering it before it was even mentioned.

Something occurred to Dottore as he not so subtly studied Pantalone’s body in closer detail. He took Pantalone’s hand in his to get his attention. “There’s still something I wanted to talk with you about. I was a bit too… distracted earlier, so I never got to ask my questions about your biology as a v-”

He was interrupted by Pantalone quietly shushing him and pressing a finger to Dottore’s lips. He shot a quick glance up ahead towards where the driver was. “Not now, he might hear us. We can discuss this tomorrow at the stop, alright?”

Dottore held Pantalone’s wrist to lower his hand from his face, then he sighed. “Fine..” 

They held hands the entire ride back, with Dottore even leaning in just to have more contact with Pantalone. It was so odd, at the beginning of the day he would have cringed at the thought of physical contact. But now with Pantalone, that was all he wanted to do. It was as if a switch flipped in his brain the second he was bitten. 

Once the carriage stopped outside of Dottore’s home, he got out and thanked the driver. He wondered if this man was also aware of Pantalone’s identity as a crossdresser. 

As he was turning to leave, Pantalone left the carriage to follow after him. Dottore was only upset that he wasn’t there to help him as he stepped out. He held both of Dottore’s hands just as he did before. “Dottore, wait. Apologies if I’m holding you up, you probably need your rest. But I just wanted to say goodbye properly.”

Dottore scoffed. “You’ll see me tomorrow. Really, there’s no need for any formalities with me.”

Pantalone stepped forward and leaned in close to speak into Dottore’s ear. “Don’t forget to cover up that bite mark tomorrow.” Dottore smiled, thankful for the reminder. 

“I won’t. Thank you,” he whispered back, making sure not even the carriage driver could hear. He began to lean away, but before he could, Pantalone surprised him with a quick kiss on the cheek. 

Dottore was stunned into silence for a few moments, and Pantalone quietly laughed as he looked him in the eyes again. “Goodnight, Dottore. Sleep well, I’ll see you soon.” 

Dottore’s words eventually returned to him as Pantalone let go of his hands. “Goodnight to you too, Lone.” He watched as Pantalone gave him a small wave before returning to the carriage. 

It was almost unfair how much Pantalone plagued Dottore’s mind as he entered his home and began preparing to rest for the night. Countless questions about his biology as a vampire and his personality as a whole were endlessly swirling around in his head, so much to the point that he found it difficult to sleep. Oh, how badly he wanted to pry open Pantalone’s mind and discover every single thing about him, even those Pantalone would never dare to put into words. 

Dottore held his pillow close as he laid in bed, imagining it was Pantalone with him. That perfect body of his was going to drive him insane. It was only a couple hours since they last saw each other, but he so badly wished to feel his soft skin again, and to run his fingers through his silky hair. He’d never felt attraction towards anyone before. Was this how it was supposed to feel? It was unnatural, but not unwelcome. This obsession with Pantalone was going to tear him apart.

Chapter Text

Dottore arrived at work the next day, not feeling rested at all. He’d only gotten about two hours of sleep, maybe less, since he’d gotten out of bed every few minutes to write down a question he wished to ask Pantalone. He carried his small notebook full of questions with him in his briefcase, and he only planned to add even more during work hours. 

The lab he worked at was somewhat small, with only a few other people checking in at a time. The only other chemist who ran tests with him often made conversation with him, but thankfully it wasn’t so often that it exhausted him. Still, this was no friend of his. Conversation during work only led to distraction and a drop in productivity. Hopefully he would be left alone today, since he wished for nothing more than the day to pass by uneventfully and quickly. 

Dottore barely focused on his paperwork, instead scribbling down notes and questions on Pantalone. He stared idly at the labels on each vial he was given, barely giving them any thought as he set them aside, completely unable to focus. He felt almost miserable, counting the minutes as they ticked by, one by one. 

Dottore had his head resting on the table in front of him when his coworker, Ivory, approached him holding a stand with a few test tubes in it. “Dottore, are you alright? You’ve done almost no work today.”

Ivory wore the same lab coat as Dottore, pure white with two rows of buttons down the front. His hands were protected by thick black gloves as well. He had rectangular glasses, and his short black hair had a streak of faded red in the front. He stared at Dottore with a slight look of concern.

Dottore sat up and quickly closed his journal with a muted thud. He hoped Ivory didn’t have enough time to see what was written in it, as it had been open on the page where Dottore’s list of thoughts on Pantalone were scribbled out in an unorganized fashion. “I’m perfectly fine,” Dottore said in an almost defensive tone. “I just didn’t get enough sleep last night.” A partial truth, there was no need to share why he didn’t rest well.

Ivory frowned, setting the vial stand on the table near Dottore’s journal. Dottore moved it away immediately, just to protect it from any chemicals that might spill. The journal held not only his thoughts about Pantalone, but his research on enhancing the human body as well. Everything would be lost if it were to be damaged or missing.

Ivory crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow. It seemed he could see through Dottore’s lie. “Are you sure that’s just it? Even when you’re tired you push through it and keep working. Seriously, what’s bothering you? I can’t keep doing your job for you.”

Dottore took a moment to breathe a large sigh. Of course the day he wishes not to speak with anyone, Ivory has to be pushy. And about something that was supposed to be a close secret, too. Perhaps he could keep giving more partial truths until his coworker was satisfied and left him alone. “I met someone a couple days ago, and now I can’t stop thinking about them.” It felt so odd, saying that out loud. He was never a man to give in to such desires. What had Pantalone done to him?

Ivory gasped and pulled out a chair to sit beside Dottore. Ugh, wonderful. He was preparing himself for a full story. “Really? Who is it? What’s her name? What’s she like? Is she pretty? How did you guys meet?”

Dottore held up a hand to silently tell Ivory to stop his endless barrage of questions. “One at a time, Ivory. Please.” Dottore paused to rub his temple, wondering how he could alter the truth well enough to be convincing. “I’d rather not share her name, but yes, one could say she is quite attractive. I’ve been talking to her after work over the past couple days, and I’ve recently taken an interest in her.” He stopped there, but he knew this wouldn’t be enough to get Ivory to calm down.

Ivory was leaning in as Dottore spoke. As always, he hung onto every word. “Did you tell her how you feel about her yet?”

Dottore frowned, as he realized he never did, at least not directly. He shook his head. “No, but I’m sure she knows.” Dottore paused, remembering his time with Pantalone in the private garden. He sighed to himself as he so clearly remembered the weight of Pantalone’s body on his lap. “We went out on a date last night, and we’re already planning to go on another.”

Behind his glasses, Ivory’s eyes lit up. Oh dear.. Dottore said too much, didn’t he? “How’d it go? Where did you guys go for your first date? What happened, does she like you too?”

Dottore groaned and rested his hand on his forehead. He closed his eyes for a moment as he attempted to fight his drowsiness. “That’s enough questions for now. All you need to know is that I haven’t been working as efficiently lately, because I’m a bit distracted thinking about someone else. If you could, please handle the workload for today. I’ll even pay you back if I have to.”

The look in Ivory’s eyes faded, and he was back to frowning. “Ah, fine. But you’d better tell me what happens when you two go on your second date. And you have to do double the work tomorrow.”

“Yes yes, I will. Thank you, Ivory,” he muttered with an exhausted sigh. The other chemist nodded and gave Dottore a smile before collecting his vial stand and returning to his workstation on the other side of the lab. Dottore rested his head back on the table, unsure if he was more or less exhausted after the short interaction. It did feel nice to talk to someone about his thoughts, but Ivory’s pushiness and the fear of accidentally revealing one of many secrets was simply too much. Dottore closed his eyes and allowed himself to rest. Even in the uncomfortable position he was sitting in, he fell asleep soon enough.

Dottore awoke feeling much more refreshed than before. However his thoughts about Pantalone didn’t stop, even as he ran the remaining blood tests Ivory had left for him. He spent the rest of his shift designing a prosthetic for muscle strength enhancements, and sketching small drawings of Pantalone in his journal. Though he could never get the near mischievous look in his eyes just right. Maybe he could learn how to accurately capture his beauty tonight, as he’d have plenty of time to stare and observe. 

Eventually the sun completely set below the horizon, and it was time for Dottore to clock out. He got up and left before Ivory could tell him anything. The conversation between them earlier was short, but it had still completely drained his social battery. He hoped he had enough energy left to converse with Pantalone.

It was exceptionally cold out tonight. Dottore was thankful for the thick coat he’d brought to work specifically for the cold nights they’d been having recently. As always, Pantalone had arrived at the stop before him. Dottore wondered just how long he had been sitting there.

Pantalone stood up from his seat at the middle bench and gave Dottore a smile. He wore a turtleneck shirt and a long coat over it, both in the usual black he was so fond of. A closer look would reveal little white jewels dotted around the edges of his coat and at the collar of his shirt. There were more rings over his gloves, and his cane was with him again tonight instead of his parasol. His hair was tucked into a neat ponytail which exposed those little gray hairs on the left side of his head. 

 Before Dottore could even utter a word to him, Pantalone surprised him with a hug. He didn’t even wait for Dottore to set his briefcase down, and the man’s arms were pinned awkwardly at his sides. His heart began to race as he processed his current situation. This is where he was supposed to hug him back, right? To the best of his ability, Dottore wrapped his arms around Pantalone. 

Dottore was certain Pantalone overstayed his welcome as he continued to keep Dottore in a tight hold, but at least his tense shoulders had started to relax. He sighed, breathing in the man’s choice of cologne for the day. The scent reminded him of the ocean, or perhaps the city after it had been raining for a day. Light and refreshing, certainly something he’d expect from a wealthy man.

Eventually Dottore tugged at the man’s coat. “I know you missed me but I’d like to breathe sometime today.”

Pantalone chuckled quietly as he released Dottore from his tight hold. “Ah, apologies.” 

At first Dottore was relieved, but a familiar sense of emptiness overcame him as Pantalone’s arms returned to their sides. It was the same feeling as last night when the two stood up to return to the carriage. Dottore knew what this was, he’d had plenty of time to think about it earlier at work. He was touch starved. So horribly starved in fact that he felt as if his heart shattered every time he needed to take his hands off Pantalone. At first he didn’t want to admit it. He preferred to be alone. Someone like him, whose only goal was to enhance human biology, should have no need for others to be so close with. After all, conversation was nothing more than a chore for him anyway. 

 But Pantalone, oh dear Pantalone. The time spent with him were the only moments Dottore ever truly felt at peace, with the world, and himself. Which was why his least favorite part of being with him was having to pull away. He feared Pantalone would slip away like sand between his fingers any second as if he never existed at all. To let go of him meant to return back to his monotonous old life where the only sensations he ever felt were cold glass vials and the uneven surface of the handle on his worn leather briefcase. And so he wished to cling to the man any second he got.

 This is exactly why when Pantalone stepped away and sat back down at the bench, Dottore followed immediately, joining him and pressing the side of his body into Pantalone’s as if they were already one. Pantalone neither leaned in nor pulled away, seemingly unbothered by the show of affection. 

 Dottore felt silly, he used to turn his head in disgust when he saw couples in public. He never understood it. But now he was being just as touchy. It was as if overnight his opinion on Pantalone or even relationships in general had done a complete 180. Why had he gotten so attached, and so quickly as well? Was it because he was attracted to only men all along, or because Pantalone’s beauty was so captivating? Or was it because he treated Dottore like a person instead of seeing him just as a tool for his own personal gain? Whatever it was, Dottore was certain he never wanted this feeling to go away.

 The second he set his briefcase down on his lap, Dottore began searching inside it for his journal. “Now is the perfect time to ask those questions about you that I’ve been dying to know the answers to,” he said as his fingers grasped the leather cover and revealed the small journal, pages so abused with writing they were permanently warped.

 He noticed that Pantalone was unable to hide his disappointment for how poorly the book had been treated, his eyebrows furrowing for a moment before quickly covering it with a look of intrigue instead. “You’ve written them down? How many do you have for me?”

 Dottore answered as he flipped through the pages, searching for the latest one in which he’d listed every question. “Hm, let’s see.. Ah! Here it is. As of right now, I have forty-seven. If you’re quick to answer, and if your explanations aren’t too long, we can get through half the list tonight. First question: Why didn’t your bite turn me into a vampire?”

 With a sigh, Pantalone brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Forty-seven– Dottore, I came here to spend time with you, not to get interviewed.” He lowered his hand and rested it in his lap atop his other hand, his rings making a small click as they came in contact with each other. “Can’t we discuss something else? What about, ‘how was your day?’”

 Dottore frowned. After all the effort he’d made to create such a long list, he didn’t appreciate being turned down at the first question. “You at least owe me the answer as to why I didn’t turn. I’ve been theorizing about it ever since I first asked last night.”

 Pantalone was silent for a moment, before he sighed. He certainly seemed tired of Dottore’s insistence. “Oh, alright. I will answer a few of your most burning questions tonight, but afterwards you have to tell me what you did at work today. It’s only fair.”

 Dottore’s face almost immediately lit up as he turned further in towards Pantalone. “Oh, wonderful. Though my answer to that question might not be what you’re expecting, we can go over that later.” His shoulder was now pressed against Pantalone’s, and his journal hovered over the other man’s lap. “Now go on, tell me why I can still go out in the sun after your bite.” 

 A hand gently pushed Dottore’s journal away as Pantalone finally answered. Dottore brought his pencil to the paper and prepared to write. “There are two types of bites that vampires can give to humans. One is for feeding, our fangs puncture the skin and allow us to drink the blood of the victim. It’s as simple as that. The other type of bite is with the intent to spread vampirism to the other person. I suppose it could be a type of venom we have that injects into the blood, but I have no proof of that. It is only a guess. I had no intent to turn you into a vampire when I bit you, I only wanted enough blood to keep myself stable.” He chuckled lightly. “Honestly, it’s a little embarrassing how desperate I was. I didn’t expect to be so out of it yesterday.”

 Dottore scribbled away on the paper, writing quickly to ensure the valuable information was documented before he could forget it. “It very well could be a kind of venom or poison. Perhaps we can run some tests, I want to see if you can control what type of bite you give.” His pencil stopped moving once he was finished writing, and he began searching for the next question he wanted to ask. However before he could say anything, he heard a quiet scoff from Pantalone.

 “Ah, what do you mean by ‘tests’? Please don’t tell me you want to experiment on.. me.” A glance up from Dottore’s journal to look at the man’s expression revealed that he looked confused, almost.. concerned. It was a rare sight, which made it all the more valuable.

 Dottore hadn’t planned to test on his dear Pantalone, not because he viewed it as too cruel or heartless. In fact, the thought had never even occurred to him. He had simply meant it out of curiosity, a genuine interest as to what this bite was and what it could do to the human body. Not much could be revealed through Pantalone’s knowledge alone, so maybe a little experiment wasn’t such a bad idea. Pantalone’s look of concern didn’t deter him as he said his next words. “Well, I could gather so much more information about you if I did. We might be able to discover what exactly causes the spread from one person to another.”

 Pantalone’s expression didn’t waver in the slightest. “Oh… That was not what I was implying yesterday when I suggested a way you could find test subjects…” He glanced down to his lap where his hands rested. “Oh, whatever. I will give it some thought. My biggest concern is getting harmed as a result.”

 Dottore hummed. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure everything I do is painless. But of course, we can come back to it later when you’ve had some time to think about it.” He glanced down at his journal again. “Right, back to the questions..”

As Pantalone answered Dottore’s questions, he was able to get a better grasp on the biology of vampires. He wasn’t born into a family of them, apparently something like that was impossible. However he didn’t know any vampires either, or at least if he ever did speak to one at some point, he was never made aware of it. The only encounter he had was with the one who had bitten and turned him. Dottore pressed and encouraged Pantalone to tell him everything in as much detail as he could remember. 

He was in his twenties, out late at night when he was approached by a strange woman. She appeared weak and was drooling uncontrollably, not unlike a rabid animal. Her walking was so unstable that Pantalone thought she was drunk and about to collapse. But her eyes didn’t portray a poor drunk stumbling along the streets. The woman’s eyes were sunken into her skull and she stared dead set on Pantalone as if he were her prey. 

Deeply unsettled by this image, Pantalone tried to avoid the woman. He thought she was sick but he was too afraid to call for help. He attempted to pass her but the next thing he knew, the woman had lunged at him and sunk her fangs into his neck. He described it as a horrible burning sensation, which Dottore hadn’t felt at all when he was bitten. At this point in the retelling, Pantalone rested a hand over the side of his neck, Dottore guessed that was where he’d been bitten. Yet there was no scar, despite there being countless descriptions of a bite mark on vampires who’d been turned by a bite. Of course, those were only myths made up by those who most likely never believed in vampires at all.

Pantalone continued, describing how the woman didn’t even feed from him, instead shoving him away after the bite and continuing to stumble down the street as if nothing had happened. Pantalone was initially unaffected other than being startled by the sudden attack. But as time went on, he started to notice odd changes to his body. The sun became harmful to his skin, he started to feel odd cravings that he couldn’t quite place, and it wasn’t until two of his teeth fell out to be replaced by fangs that he finally realized what was going on with himself.

As Pantalone talked, Dottore obsessively documented every single detail. However once he was finished for the most part, he rested his arm on Pantalone’s shoulder without even thinking. As he pulled the man in closer, he noticed Pantalone tilting his head in towards him. How amusing, he accepted it without any protests. He watched as Pantalone closed his eyes, seemingly content with their close proximity. While they were so close, Dottore took the opportunity to better observe the finer details of his face. Either he hadn’t noticed these details before, or Pantalone was wearing makeup the last time they’d seen each other. Dottore swore those wrinkles near his eyes and mouth weren’t there last night. However, they didn’t take away from his beauty at all. 

Dottore stared for a long moment, committing the man’s appearance to memory in order to draw him later. Eventually another question rose from the back of his mind. “I have one final thing to ask you,” Dottore told him, as he brushed the man’s bangs away from his face. 

Pantalone’s eyes fluttered open and he lifted his head to look up at Dottore. He looked so adorable like this, cuddled up against him. “Hm? Go ahead, ask away.”

Dottore found himself idly running his hands through Pantalone’s hair as he spoke. “You said you were bitten while in your twenties, correct? You don’t appear that young to me at all. So tell me, how old are you really? Do vampires even age?”

Pantalone laughed quietly. “That was two questions, hun.” Dottore opened his mouth and prepared to defend himself, but hesitated when he felt Pantalone gently holding his wrist. “Relax, I was just teasing. I don’t mind these questions, just as long as you aren’t asking fifty all at once.” He dropped his hand to his lap and went back to leaning his head into Dottore. 

“You would be right to assume that I’ve aged a bit since then. It would be odd if I already had gray hairs so early in my life. I suppose we still do age, but at a much slower rate. As for how old I am..” Pantalone paused for a brief moment. “If I’ve counted the years correctly, I should be 261 by now.”

This time Dottore’s hands froze in place for much longer. The man he was practically holding in his arms was over two hundred years old. Something like that should not be possible. His body should be withering away, nothing more than bones and dust. And yet, here he was, very much alive and well. What was this… condition they called vampirism doing to keep his body intact? It felt impossible. 

Another realization came to him once he regained control of his body. The key to immortality had quite literally fallen right into his arms. With a little testing, Dottore was sure he could find a way to get rid of all the negative side effects and leave only the impressively long lifespan for anyone who wanted it. Oh who was he kidding, anyone with more than a brain stem would want a longer life than the short time humans were given. If Dottore was able to pull it off, this could be the beginning of a new era for mankind. 

Ah, but he was getting far too ahead of himself. He managed to return to reality and his eyes focused on Pantalone, who was now looking up at him with a slightly concerned expression. Dottore could feel a wide smile forming on his face. “That’s.. incredible,” was all he could manage to say, his mind still racing about the possibilities that lay before him. 

“You’re thinking about experimenting on me again, aren’t you?” Pantalone asked. His voice was shaky, clearly a sign that he was still uncomfortable with the idea, yet it seemed like he was trying to hide his fear by scolding Dottore instead.

Dottore couldn’t help but scoff. “Pantalone, you must see how amazing this is for me. You could be the missing piece for my research that I’ve needed for so long. Please, at least let me run a few blood or DNA tests on you. I need to know what vampires are exactly, down to their genetic makeup. What makes you different from humans, and how can I replicate this change for myself?”

Dottore pulled his arm away as he felt Pantalone shifting beside him. Once he sat up fully, they were back to being the same height again. Dottore didn’t think much of the small movement, and he continued. “Oh this is so perfect, you have no idea what this could mean for humanity. I could find the cure for death and all types of diseases, I could even-”

Before he could realize what was happening, Pantalone was already grabbing a handful of his hair and pulling him into a kiss. A real kiss this time, not just on the cheek. By the way Pantalone held him, there was no way to escape. Dottore was forced to stare directly at Pantalone, who had his eyes closed and showed no signs of letting him go. His lips were cold, of course, but it did nothing to stop the warmth that flooded into Dottore’s cheeks. It was an incredibly new feeling, completely unnatural to him. Dottore’s entire body tensed up as he struggled to comprehend his current situation. Any thought he had before was completely gone, now replaced only by panicked nonsense. 

Eventually Pantalone let go of him and pulled away, opening his eyes and breathing out a small sigh. His hand rested on the back of Dottore’s neck. “Just relax. I haven’t made up my mind on whether I want to be your.. test subject yet. I’ll let you know when I’ve decided, okay?”

Dottore, who was unable to form words yet, just nodded. Pantalone chuckled and rested his chin on Dottore’s shoulder. He felt Pantalone rub his thumb over a spot on Dottore’s neck, he had no idea what Pantalone was doing until he spoke up again. “Darling, you forgot to cover up your bite mark. It’s still red, did anyone see it?” 

Dottore quietly gasped. Did Ivory notice it during their conversation but chose not to say anything about it? “...Shit. No one pointed it out, but my coworker very likely could have seen it. Goddammit, I wasn’t being careful.”

Pantalone took his hand off Dottore’s neck and leaned further into him. “It’s alright. You would know if someone saw, they’d be quite eager to point it out.“ He sighed, breathing cold air over Dottore’s skin and causing him to shudder. “As long as you make sure no one sees that mark, you’ll be okay.”

Dottore hummed, reaching for Pantalone’s hand to gently hold it in his. “If you say so. Though my coworker can be quite nosy. You see, I was tired all throughout the day and he wouldn’t stop bothering me about why until I gave him an answer, and even then, it wasn’t enough to get him to leave me alone.”

“Well, why were you so tired? I dropped you off well before your work day usually ends, you should have gotten plenty of sleep,” Pantalone observed, as he firmly held onto Dottore’s hand.

Dottore hesitated. He had lied to Ivory to protect Pantalone and himself, but there was no reason to lie to Pantalone. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” He quickly continued as he noticed Pantalone had a little mischievous smile on his face. “About vampires, I mean. I stayed up late writing every question I had about vampires.”

“Mm, sure you did,” Pantalone teased, pointing down to the journal still open on the seat of the bench. ”I noticed those little sketches of me in the margins of your paper. You sure you were just thinking about vampires?”

Dottore’s heart dropped, and he let go of Pantalone’s hand to quickly close the notebook beside him as if that would make him forget the drawings were there. “You weren’t supposed to see those.” He stuffed the journal back into his briefcase and breathed a defeated sigh.

Pantalone hummed, pulling Dottore close. He accepted the gesture by leaning his head into him. Now it was Pantalone’s turn to run his fingers through Dottore’s hair. ”Don’t worry, I won’t tell anybody.”

Dottore closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of his cool fingers against his scalp. “You’re going to be the death of me, I swear.” He reopened his eyes as he watched Pantalone’s hand leave his hair.

When he caressed Dottore’s cheek, something unusual caught his eye. At Pantalone’s wrist, right at the edge of his glove, a small red mark made itself visible for only a split second. His curiosity spiked immediately, encouraging him to gently hold Pantalone’s arm to make it still.

His hand froze in place, seemingly confused. “Hm? What is it, darling?”

Dottore pulled Pantalone’s hand away from his face to get a better look at it. His thumb slid under the seam of the glove, revealing the edge of something he did not expect at all. Painfully red scar tissue. Jagged and imperfect, the opposite of how Pantalone always presented himself to be. Dottore observed the oddity on his wrist as if it were a condition he had yet to diagnose. Detached, clinical. Yet he couldn’t keep the concern out of his voice. “A burn mark... Lone, what is this? What happened?”

He couldn’t see Pantalone’s face, but he was clearly uncomfortable, since his hand began to shake before he ripped his arm completely out of Dottore’s hold. He dropped it down to his side and out of Dottore’s sight. “That is not for you to see.” His tone nearly mirrored his reaction to the thought of being a test subject. He was stern, that was clear, but something terrified him. Dottore wondered if he was more afraid of showing imperfection than he was of risking his own life for science.

This new information caught his interest. A new mystery to uncover.. oh, what a thrill he was. If Dottore didn’t know any better, he might think Pantalone was teasing him with the tiniest bits of information. Always baiting him closer with the promise of more, more. There’s always more to him, and that fact could damn near push Dottore to insanity.

The sight of Pantalone’s hand just barely out of reach only tempted his curiosity even further, and soon he found himself reaching out to grab his wrist again. Dottore’s hand stung as it was slapped away. The pain quickly brought him back to reality. 

“Did you not hear me the first time? My hands are not for you to see. If I catch you trying to look one more time, I won’t allow you to touch me at all.”

Dottore scowled. Of course he was going to use Dottore’s touch starvation against him. “Bullshit, you can’t do that.”

Pantalone’s hands continued to shake, but he attempted to cover it by curling his visible one into a fist. “I can do whatever I like. Try one more time and you’ll see what happens. End of discussion.” 

Oh dear. Whatever secret this was must be incredibly important to him if he was going to such lengths to keep it hidden. The more Pantalone tried to hide it, the more Dottore grew curious about it. He wanted to try again oh so badly, just to get another look at that burn scar. But anyone could tell that Pantalone was serious about this matter. As tempting as it was, it wasn’t worth the risk of not being able to have any physical contact with him at all.

Dottore groaned, making a show of burying his face into Pantalone’s chest. Oddly enough, the comforting fragrance of his cologne was much stronger here. “You’re no fun, Pantalone,” he muttered, his voice dampened by the many layers of clothing.

The couple sat quietly for a few moments, before Pantalone broke the silence. “When the carriage arrives, it would be best if we kept our distance from each other anyway.”

Dottore felt a flare of anger well up in his chest. He lifted his head to look up at Pantalone, a brand new scowl back on his face. “So after all of that, you still want to have things your way? Selfish bastar-”

The last word was cut off by Pantalone placing his palm over Dottore’s mouth. “Listen to me. I’m not wearing a dress tonight, and the driver will know I’m a man. I just don’t want us to get in trouble.”

Dottore voiced his complaints once Pantalone removed his hand, but he did nothing to fight back any further. Soon he was back to burying his face into that wonderfully scented fabric. He needed to savor this feeling for as long as possible.

Through his chest, Dottore could hear a chuckle. It was more of a deep rumble from here. “Oh, you poor baby. You’ll be alright.”

Pantalone’s words made the feeling even worse, causing Dottore to hold on tighter to him. He could feel as Pantalone gently held him and continued to run his fingers through his hair. Neither of them moved from their spot as they waited for the carriage to arrive. Well, Dottore was wishing for the driver to be late; anything to spend more time with his partner. 

Calling Pantalone his partner felt almost surreal, but by definition, that was exactly what Pantalone was to him. How Dottore even got himself into such a relationship was beyond him. 

Eventually, the sound of hooves against the stone road became noticeable to the two of them. Pantalone was already pushing Dottore away before he could protest. However before the horses could turn into their line of sight, he felt Pantalone’s frigid lips press against his forehead. “Please try to get some rest tonight.” After giving him a little smile, Pantalone let go of Dottore and faced straight ahead as if nothing had happened.

Dottore reluctantly sat back up and gathered his belongings, placing his briefcase on his lap as he would any other day. “I’ll try, thank you.”

Once the carriage arrived and had fully stopped, Dottore stood up from his seat and climbed inside without looking back. He wished so badly to say one final thing to Pantalone, but he knew better. They always had tomorrow. 

As he glanced out of the window he noticed Pantalone sitting quietly, with his cane in one hand. Dottore wondered if he would become lonely or bored. Was he planning to stay there the entire night?

After Dottore had told the driver his address, he closed his eyes to let them rest. His tiredness began to creep up on him, but yet again, he couldn’t help but think about what had happened tonight. Every detail replayed in his head. 

The one thing that Dottore couldn’t get out of his mind as he laid in bed was the kiss. He went over every single detail of that moment, from his initial panic to how beautiful Pantalone looked with his eyes closed. And now, even the feeling of their lips pressing together was permanently etched into his memory. Dottore wished he could stay there forever. He felt right at home, so very close to Pantalone. 

Everything was perfect about that man. Dottore was so… in love with him that it nearly made him sick. But despite these thoughts, at least he was able to get some rest that night.

Dottore was awoken the next morning by the sounds of knocking on his front door. A quick check of his clock told him that it was nearly an hour before he normally awoke to prepare for work. 

He groaned and tried to go back to sleep, but the knocking didn’t stop. Eventually Dottore grew sick of it and climbed out of bed, throwing on something that would make him at least a bit more presentable, before heading to the door. 

His home was a small one story house barely fit for one person, however he didn’t mind the cramped space. The only issue was that he had no more storage for his belongings, and it had gotten so bad that he had to nearly climb over piles of books and step over scattered pages on the floor just to get out of his room.

Once Dottore had eventually reached the door, he opened it with a sigh, preparing to tell off the person on the other side. But as Dottore stared at the visitor, he was more confused than pissed.

It was a mail boy, carrying a messenger bag nearly larger than himself on his shoulder. His scruffy brown hair was carelessly tucked into his hat. He had an eyepatch over his left eye, and with his visible eye he stared up at Dottore with an almost expressionless look. The boy held a letter in one hand, and the other was raised in a fist as if preparing to knock on the door again. 

Dottore was the first to speak, breaking the silence. “...Yes? What could you possibly want so early in the morning?” He was sure his tone matched the irritation he felt for being woken up at a time like this.

The boy, instead of answering, asked a question of his own. “Is your name Dottore?”

Dottore furrowed his brow out of confusion. “It is.. Now out with it, what are you here for?”

The envelope that the boy was holding was now being practically shoved in Dottore’s face. “I have a letter for you. Mister Pantalone hired me to hand it to you personally as soon as possible.”

His annoyance washed away upon hearing the name of his partner, he hadn’t expected to hear from him so soon. Dottore sighed and took the letter from the kid’s hand. Of course Pantalone was behind this. “I see. Well in that case, thank you for delivering this to me.” He began to open the letter immediately, growing increasingly curious as to what message it contained.

The boy’s job was done, Dottore expected him to turn and leave the second the letter transferred hands. Yet he stood there at the door and continued to stare up at Dottore as he unfolded the sheet of paper inside the envelope. Once he noticed the child wasn’t leaving, Dottore looked away from the letter and down at him. “You can leave now, there isn’t any reason for you to stay.”

The messenger shook his head. “Not until you’ve written back. ‘Hand him this letter and do not return to me until he has written a letter of his own.’ Those were the instructions Mister Pantalone gave me, verbatim.”

Dottore sighed again, yet he couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. Pantalone was still trying to order him around even while they were apart from each other. “Oh Lone, what would I ever do without you..” Dottore muttered under his breath. He stepped back and opened the door completely. “In that case, come inside. If you’re going to stay for that long then you might as well. You’re letting the cold air in.”

The boy seemed hesitant at first, but eventually stepped inside the home. Dottore closed the door behind him, relieved that the cold could no longer reach him. The kid barely made himself comfortable, continuing to stand instead of finding a seat, and he didn’t even remove his shoes. No matter, he would have to leave eventually anyway. Dottore leaned back against a nearby wall as he brought the letter close and began to read. 

 Dear Dottore,

Good morning, are you surprised to hear from me so soon? I had the wonderful idea of sending you a letter earlier today after I found the paper with your address on it hiding in my coat. I must have placed it in one of its pockets after our date for safe keeping. Anyway, this form of communication should be much more efficient for you to ask your questions about vampires. You may list as many as you’d like, and I’ll have plenty of time to give much more detailed answers to satisfy that curiosity of yours. As a bonus, the questioning will not take up our time together at the benches. As for the concern of how private these letters between us will be, I have decided to hire a personal messenger boy for us. From what I have heard, Neva is exceptionally hard working and has had absolutely no complaints about lost or opened mail. I believe we can trust him with topics of this matter. However I apologize for having him come visit you so early. I have no clue when you leave for work and I didn’t want him to arrive only for your home to be empty. If you could, please send me your weekly schedule to avoid any further confusion.

I look forward to your response, and yes, I am prepared for your countless questions. I’ve made sure to clear my schedule for the morning just to write my answers. I hope you have a good day at work, and I’ll see you later tonight as always. 

Love, 

Pantalone

Dottore hadn’t realized he was smiling until after he finished reading. It was as if Pantalone was right there with him. He had written so professionally, it was almost annoying. As expected, Pantalone had perfect handwriting; each letter so consistent it could rival a typewriter. And the phrasing felt more like he was sending the letter to a client rather than his partner. Ah, so pretentious but all the more loveable.

Before Dottore could search for a blank sheet of paper to write his own letter on, Neva asked him a question. “May I ask, why are you smiling? Did Mister Pantalone write a joke to you or something?”

Dottore’s smile faded, returning to his tired, neutral expression. Dammit, the kid noticed. “It involves matters that are addressed in this letter, which you have no business knowing about in the first place.” He stared at the child for a moment, expecting him to push further, but was relieved when he simply nodded without a word.

Neva stayed completely quiet while Dottore wrote. He was quite thankful for it, it was better than someone talking nonstop while he tried to focus. It had been so long since he’d written a letter, hopefully the formatting wasn’t too unprofessional. Dottore couldn’t help but feel ashamed of his handwriting when comparing it to Pantalone’s. Would he even be able to read half the words when he received it? 

Once it was finished, Dottore handed the note to Neva (with no envelope since he had none at his home), soon opening the door to let the boy begin his journey back to Pantalone’s place.

The day at the lab was uneventful that morning. Dottore was able to continue with work normally, he suspected it was because of the surprise letter from Pantalone. He didn’t feel as sleep deprived either, despite having been woken up an hour before his alarm.

However this sudden increase in productivity was bound to catch his coworker’s attention. Sure enough, before the clock even struck noon, Ivory was approaching Dottore with a look in his eyes indicating that he had several nosy questions to ask.

“Did you go out on another date with that woman last night?” Ivory asked, his tone bordering on a tease, which irritated Dottore beyond measure. Couldn’t he have at least waited until after their first break? Ivory pulled up a stool and sat right next to Dottore, surely in anticipation for the answer.

Dottore kept his eyes on the work in front of him, too busy documenting the results of a blood test to look up at Ivory. “If you could even say that. We just had a short talk after my shift like we always do.”

Of course, this was not enough to satisfy the curiosity of the man next to him. “Are you sure that’s all you did?” The playfulness in his voice made it seem as if he knew something that Dottore did not.

“What are you implying?”

Ivory leaned in forward, lowering his voice as if they weren’t the only people in the room. “I noticed that little mark on your neck yesterday.” 

Dottore’s eyes widened, and he felt his stomach drop as he lifted his head from his work. Shit, shit, shit, shit. Ivory knew about this yesterday and didn’t tell him about it? Did he share this with anyone else? Why didn’t he say anything immediately? Dottore had been frozen for a long moment, and when he regained control of his body he turned to give Ivory a piercing glare. “Did you tell anyone?”

Ivory clearly picked up on the malice in Dottore’s voice, as he shook his head violently. “No, no! Definitely not, I’m not that type of person at all.” 

Dottore scoffed as he returned to focusing on his work. “‘Not that type of person’? I find it hard to believe that anyone would give up the opportunity to report a vampire to the authorities. At least you don’t know her name, it would be difficult to track her down without it. However, you could still report me for being in a relationship with one.”

He looked back up from his papers after realizing how uncharacteristically quiet his coworker was. Ivory had his mouth open, looking shocked almost as if he’d witnessed the end of the world. Did he just realize that he could report Dottore instead? “You.. You fucked a vampire? I didn’t think there was anything that special about the hickey on your neck.”

Oh my gods, he’s an idiot. Dottore brought his head into his hands, both to express his annoyance and to hide the redness in his face. Why did he have to go and talk so much? “Ugh. No, you dumbass,” he muttered into his hands. “It was a bite mark, not a hickey.”

There was a long pause before Ivory gave his answer. “...Ohh. That would make a lot more sense.” 

Dottore’s embarrassment quickly turned into irritation. Irritated at himself for letting the information slip so easily, and at Ivory for being so damn dense. He let out a large sigh to prevent himself from getting too snappy with him. “You’re intelligent enough to handle the equipment we use in this lab, yet you lack common sense to understand something so simple.” He lifted his head from his hands, his eyes returning to Ivory. “Do not tell anyone about this. Surely you’re smart enough to know the danger that would put me in.”

Ivory nodded repeatedly. The poor man looked intimidated by Dottore’s sudden hostility, yet it was necessary for him to understand. “Yea- Yes, of course. We’re friends, aren’t we? I wouldn’t put a friend in danger like that, don’t worry.”

Friends? How did Ivory come to such an absurd conclusion? Any time they talked together, it was clearly without Dottore’s consent. He only held conversation with his coworker long enough to keep him out of his business so he could focus. However, now that Ivory knew a crucial secret of his, it would be more difficult to dispel this delusion he had of their so-called ‘friendship.’

Dottore responded with a dismissive wave of his hand. He was much too exhausted to even address the use of the word ‘friend’ just yet. “You may go now, I’ve given you more than enough information about my partner for the day.”

Ivory perked up at the word ‘partner,’ yet he was given another harsh glare before he was able to open his mouth, surely plotting to tease Dottore one last time. He returned to his own side of the lab, finally leaving Dottore to his own thoughts.

More people now knew about his secrets than he was comfortable with. This could end up badly if Ivory slipped up just as Dottore did. With him being more outgoing and talkative, he would be more likely to say something he shouldn’t. Dottore had to be even more cautious with who he spoke to. He shouldn’t risk saying even a single word to anyone anymore. 

These worries plagued Dottore relentlessly for the rest of the day. By evening, only the hope of seeing Pantalone again kept him motivated enough to finish his work. He had accumulated about thirty more questions about vampires by the time his shift had ended, and nearly all of them were centered around their long lives. He always enjoyed this new sense of passion after a new discovery. Dottore was now closer than ever to his goal, he was certain.

Yet something felt off when Dottore arrived at the benches. Pantalone was nowhere to be seen, not even a hint that he’d been there at all that night. At first Dottore thought he was pulling a little prank on him, and would spring out from the shadows any second in an attempt to startle him. But the sinking feeling in his chest only grew heavier as time went on, and there was no sign of his partner at all. 

Was he late? Was he busy with something and couldn’t stop by today? Did he get injured somehow? Sitting and thinking only made it worse. Dottore stood up and paced, occasionally glancing at each end of the road, hoping he or at least his personal carriage would arrive to give him some kind of closure. The wait was sickening without someone to talk to, and made even worse by the gnawing anxiety that maybe something had happened to Pantalone.

An eternity had passed before the carriage arrived. Unfortunately not Pantalone’s personal carriage, but the ordinary one that would take Dottore back home. He began to theorize obsessively over the matter, and by the time the driver had slowed to a stop, Dottore was unable to thank the driver or say goodbye, as he was far too deep in thought. 

He shouldn’t be feeling this strongly about someone’s well being, especially when it had only been one day where this had happened. It could be a usual thing, maybe Pantalone was just taking a day to himself. It was night time after all, gods knew what vampires got up to while the sun was away.

However, even with everything Dottore used to tell himself that Pantalone was okay, he found it nearly impossible to sleep that night. Tomorrow might have answers for him.

The following morning, thankfully later than yesterday, Neva returned with Pantalone’s letter. It was filled with extensive information, thoroughly covering each question he’d asked in a neat numbered list. Some questions Pantalone could not answer, such as the one where he’d asked if he knew any more vampires, or why he was so cold all the time. And no apology for his absence, not even a mention of it. How strange. 

Dottore wrote a list of questions like last time, but he added a note of concern for his well being at the end. 

The day passed by agonizingly slowly, and was made even more miserable when yet again, Pantalone failed to show up. Now it only irritated Dottore that he couldn’t figure out what was going on with his partner. Perhaps he was scared away by the idea of becoming a test subject.

The next morning, Neva arrived, but with no letter. No explanation either, Pantalone only informed him to deliver the news that he had no letter at all. The situation was just getting more confusing each day.

Dottore decided to send him a letter anyway, not full of the usual questions, but just questions on how he was doing and when he would return. The length was underwhelming, but that didn’t matter. He at least wanted to hear something back from Pantalone.

Waiting for a response felt as if he were in eternal purgatory. Each morning, Neva would return with no updates on the matter, and each night Dottore would wait hopelessly at the benches looking for his partner. He continued to send letters every day, yet Neva told him that Pantalone had stopped answering the door after a while, and each of Dottore’s letters began to pile up at the door. 

Neva must have noticed Dottore’s desperation, as one day while he was writing, Neva asked why he needed to send a letter every morning. The kid was polite, yet he couldn’t help his natural curiosity. Dottore frowned and set his pen down. He knew this topic would come up eventually. Neva already knew Pantalone was a man since he constantly referred to him as “Mister Pantalone.” This meant Dottore couldn’t use the same lie as he did with Ivory, and would instead have to come up with a new one. 

Only a few seconds passed before Dottore looked down at the child and explained, “Pantalone is a close friend of mine, I’m only worried about his wellbeing. I haven’t seen him in a while.”

Neva nodded, letting Dottore know he understood. Good, the lie had fooled the child. “Oh, okay. I hope your friend is doing alright.”

Dottore sighed, returning to writing his letter. “I do too.”

After a week of no word from Pantalone (or was it two? Dottore’s perception of time was always so horribly skewed), he’d grown far past the point of impatience. He’d ripped his own hair out trying to figure out this oddity. He’d even considered visiting Pantalone’s home and banging on his door demanding answers. After all, that would be the only way to contact him without Neva. 

On an unremarkably average weekday, Neva came to visit Dottore as always. Dottore had wondered why he kept delivering these letters if Pantalone was the one who paid him, and he hadn't even seen the man for over a week. However what made today different was the fact that Neva arrived holding a letter. Finally, a letter from Pantalone! 

According to him, every letter sent was cleared from Pantalone’s door. He only showed himself long enough to hand his own letter to Neva. But this was incredible news to Dottore, it let him know that Pantalone was at least alive.

Dottore barely wasted a second before he tore open the envelope, damn near destroying it in the process. What did Pantalone have to say to him after a week of silence? Would he be back with his daily visits? Maybe he just needed some time to think, and he’d finally agreed to become his test subject. 

The rush of guessing the contents of the letter faded upon unfolding the paper. It was mostly blank; only an address written neatly in the center, followed by one word. Tonight. Pantalone hadn’t even signed his name, but his handwriting was unmistakable. 

Dottore didn’t know whether to feel excited, confused, or even more frustrated. This gave him nothing he asked for. But he had to remind himself who he was exchanging letters with. Pantalone loved to keep him guessing. So, of course he was expected to work for it. The only way to truly figure out what was happening would be to go to the written location after work. 

Dottore had brought the letter with him to recite the address to the carriage driver without much trouble. He gripped it tightly as his leg bounced anxiously, creating a repetitive but muffled thump on the floor of the cab. As he glanced out of the window, he realized that he was being taken towards the fancier part of town. Very strange.. No wonder the driver had given him an odd look as he told him the destination. Dottore’s tired mind continued to race with possibilities of where he would end up. 

But once the driver dropped him off at the stated destination, Dottore knew exactly where he was. He was sure that if he turned a few corners down the block, he would be back at the Kholodnaya Reka, staring at that same deep red carpet where he watched the unfortunate woman’s blood seep right into it. 

Dottore stared at the collection of buildings in front of him, before taking a deep breath and slipping into an alley between two of them. On the other side was exactly what he’d expected. Pantalone’s private garden, lit by only moonlight just as it was the last time he’d been there. The white flowers had maintained their youthful glow, the pale light making them seem as if they truly were glowing. The light fluttering of the occasional snowflake only made the environment even more serene.

As he continued to walk further into the garden, he noticed a dark figure crouched down over a cluster of flowers. Upon closer inspection, Dottore realized it was Pantalone, who was watering each flower with care. Relief washed over him immediately, and he couldn’t keep himself from smiling. So it wasn’t a trick after all. Pantalone was really there to see him.

“Lovely to see you again,” Dottore said, though his voice sounded much louder than usual. He had nearly forgotten how quiet it was in this secret area. Pantalone lifted his head after hearing the voice, and he simply hummed as a response as he placed the small watering can down and stood up. 

He wore an incredibly modest dress tonight, the sleeves covering the entire length of his arms and the skirt stopping at his ankles. It did have loose fabric in some places, but showed no skin at all. It would have looked like any other dress the women in Dottore’s social class wore, if it weren’t for the barely noticeable details. Such as the high quality corset that blended in with the rest of the black dress, or his wide brimmed hat that was decorated with various feathers and a veil which obscured half of his face. Out of all of his outfits that Dottore had seen, this one seemed to be the most fitting for a funeral.

Pantalone approached him and took hold of both of his hands, his piercing cold rings making Dottore involuntarily shudder. He looked at Pantalone’s face now that they were closer, and he noticed that his expression was off. Was he in deep thought, or just tired? He couldn’t seem to focus on Dottore’s face as he spoke. “Apologies for going silent for so long.. I could tell by your letters that you were concerned about me.” 

Dottore shook his head. “It’s alright, my dear. Now tell me, why were you absent for so long? Did something happen?”

Pantalone tensed up, and he could feel it as his hands were squeezed. Pantalone was now looking down more towards the ground than at Dottore. “Please don’t call me that,” he muttered. Only the dead silence of the area allowed him to hear it at all.

“Pardon?”

Pantalone sighed. “Sorry– I’m sorry. It’s just..” He paused shortly, before finally looking back up at him. “There’s something I desperately need to tell you.”

Again? Just how much was Pantalone hiding from him? “Of course, you can tell me anything.” Dottore nearly called him another pet name (since when had he become used to using them at all?), but he held back on it since it clearly made Pantalone uncomfortable.

Pantalone took a deep breath. “I’m truly sorry for this, I really am. But I need you to promise me that you won’t be upset about what I’m about to say. Please.”

Dottore nodded without thinking. “Yes, I promise. Now, what’s troubling you?”

“I’m not even sure where I should begin with this.” Pantalone was silent for a long while, and if he had been for any longer, Dottore would have thought he was only doing so to stall for time. “When we first met, do you remember how incredibly flirtatious I was with you?” He only continued after Dottore nodded. 

“Well.. I wasn’t flirting because I was attracted to you.” Pantalone grimaced, his expression almost regretful for a split second before he looked away. After a moment he resumed eye contact. “I was starving,” he said, but a bit too loud. Too blunt. “I needed blood so badly that I didn’t care how uncomfortable it made you. Flirting was the best excuse I had to be so close to your neck.” Pantalone chuckled, seemingly to himself, yet Dottore noticed it sounded more like a nervous laugh than anything. “But you.. you weren’t going to be an easy prey. When you pushed me back and expressed your dislike for women, I admit, you caught my interest.”

Dottore hummed. This was quite the new discovery, how interesting. “Hm, so you instead grew attracted to me shortly afterwards. Or, did you only keep up the lie to protect your identity?”

Pantalone took a deep breath. “Your second guess.. is correct. I only changed my goal with you. After that moment I’ve only ever seen you as someone who could eventually work for me. And acting as your partner was the most efficient way to get you closer to me.” Pantalone gently squeezed Dottore’s hands as if he were bracing himself from his own words. “You’d.. be more willing to act as my servant if you fell in love with me first. I was pushy then too, every hug or kiss or nice word was all in an attempt to get you to fall for me. And when you still wouldn’t give in to my affection, I.. added a hypnotizing effect to my bite to put you under a spell.” 

Dottore stayed completely silent for a long moment, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “...So you mean to tell me that my love for you was fake? All the time we’ve spent together was just an elaborate plan to hire a new butler for yourself?”

Pantalone stammered, before breathing out a defeated sigh. “Well, ah– In a way, that is correct.” He continued soon after noticing Dottore’s honest look of betrayal. “I’m sorry, I really am. But you have to understand that my only goal is to find myself a fitting servant. I was just so hungry that night, I wasn’t thinking clearly.” Pantalone let go of Dottore’s hands, holding his own at his sides. 

“Are you sure that you haven’t grown at least some sort of attachment to me in the time we’ve been together? I doubt everything you did was acting, you seemed too happy.” 

Pantalone shook his head. “I’m sorry. Your memory must be clouded by my hypnosis.”

Dottore frowned. He wanted to argue, to fight back, to challenge this seemingly impossible news he was being given. He didn’t know which of his emotions were real anymore. “Then why did you avoid me for so long? You could have gotten what you wanted if you didn’t abandon me.”

Pantalone shook his head. “I only stopped seeing you every day because I felt guilty about tricking you. It was too much after you tried to look at my hands. I didn’t expect your ‘love’ to take such a direction, so I took some distance from you in order to break the spell.” He paused, glancing up at Dottore again with a clear expression of pity in his eyes. “I now realize I’m no better than those women who have taken advantage of you in the past. But this time you didn’t even know, did you?”

Embarrassingly, he did not. He should have been more careful, more observant in Pantalone’s behavior and even his own thoughts. Dottore could only accept the truth after thinking about the situation logically. Perhaps it was better this way anyway. Who cares if his vampire specimen doesn’t love him? All he needs is an analysis of the biology, not the heart.

Yet as he attempted to tie in this new information with what he’d seen in the past, he still found a few anomalies in Pantalone’s behavior. Why was he so teasing even after it was clear that the spell had worked? Why did he constantly cover the man in kisses? Even after the moment Pantalone had claimed to feel guilty, he still sent him a letter full of sweet words and promises to continue communicating. His memory couldn’t have conjured all of that, right?

Dottore shook his head. “No, I didn’t. You’re an incredible liar.” Dottore’s words had a double meaning, he hoped it would signify that he knew something else was going on. He observed Pantalone closely, searching for any sign that he’d picked up on the hint.

If Pantalone registered it however, it didn’t show in his expression or tone. He simply brushed off the little comment entirely. “Well now you know the truth. Again, I apologize for everything.” He took a step behind him, preparing to turn his back to Dottore. “I only hope that we can go our separate ways without much trouble.“ 

Just like that? Dottore expected something else to happen between them. He was unsure what exactly, but it seemed too quick. He still needed Pantalone for his research, and Pantalone still needed him as a source of blood. Surely they could work something out.

“Wait..” Dottore took a step forward and he managed to catch a glimpse of Pantalone’s eyes past that veil of his. Instead of recognizing guilt or pity in his expression like Dottore had expected however, he swore he saw grief instead. Almost as if Pantalone was looking at him as if he were already dead. And something even more fascinating… Barely noticeable, a tear rested in the corner of his eye, threatening to fall. Oh dear. He was beautiful. The way his hair, veil, and glasses framed his face was just too perfect. If it weren’t for the subtle shaking of his hands, he’d be completely still. It was as if this moment in time was begging to be captured as a work of art. Even the moonlight made him seem as if he were a painting rather than a person. 

Despite the conclusion Dottore had come to mere minutes earlier, he found himself falling in love with the man in front of him all over again. In a moment of weakness he discarded his objectivity entirely and began to fight back. 

“Lonnie, what’s really going on with you? Is someone forcing you to tell me this?”

Pantalone blinked away the tear almost immediately. The moment passed as quickly as it arrived, and any trace of the tear was gone entirely. Now all that remained was his previous expression of pity. “No, all of this is the truth. I’m sorry if you’re having difficulty coming to terms with it, but that is only natural for humans who have been under a vampire’s spell.”

“Oh no, I am positive you’re hiding something else from me. Why else would you look so upset? You’re grieving my absence before I’m even gone.”

Pantalone sighed. “I don’t know, Dottore. Your mind must be playing tricks on you since you seem to be so deep in denial.”

Dottore scowled. “I am not in denial. Don’t act like I didn’t notice that tear in your eye, it was there clear as day.”

“You are mistaken. It can be difficult to see in just moonlight.” Pantalone turned and began walking away before Dottore could say anything else. For a moment, Dottore believed he was going to leave him right then and there, with no closure or goodbye. But his fears subsided when he followed after Pantalone and noticed him picking up his watering can. Was this an attempt to distract himself from the situation?

“Lone..” Dottore rested a hand on Pantalone’s shoulder as he was hunched over watering his flowers again, but his hand was slapped away so quickly that Dottore swore he felt his heart shatter. 

“I would prefer if you left me alone now. You’ve got your answer as to why I stopped visiting you.”

Dottore scoffed. “I refuse to believe that you would get rid of me so easily after going through so much trouble to manipulate me, not to mention informing me of your true identity. You still need me as a servant, surely we can make some sort of deal.”

“The guilt of lying to you would eat me alive if I were to keep you as my servant.” Pantalone spoke quietly, and with his back turned, it was becoming difficult to hear him at all. “In no way am I comfortable with keeping you around for any longer.”

“You seemed plenty comfortable the last time we spoke. You said you started to feel guilty after I tried to look at your hands? If that is the truth, why did you continue to tease me? You gave me a new nickname and even gave me another kiss before we parted ways. Those are not the actions of a man who feels guilty about what he’s done.”

Dottore noticed as he was talking that Pantalone’s hand had stilled and was now keeping the watering can over the same cluster of flowers, dousing them with enough water that the soil began to flood. When Dottore had stopped speaking, he snapped out of it and placed the watering can down. Pantalone stood back up, flashing Dottore a glare. “Weren’t you listening? Those were all lies. If I had dropped the act then and there, you wouldn’t trust me and would never agree to work with me.”

Dottore groaned, how long was this debate going to last? “That is a lie and you know it. You saw how obsessed I was. You know that I would do anything to stay by your side for longer.”

Pantalone’s expression was unreadable now, several conflicting emotions fighting for their spotlight on his face. “Why are you so desperate to stay with me? After the spell should have broken? And after all the lies I’ve told? Shouldn’t you hate me, or at least never trust me again?”

Dottore scoffed. “Why would I hate you? Pantalone, every truth I’ve uncovered about you has only fueled my ambition to understand how exactly your mind works. Even setting your vampirism aside, you are still the most fascinating human I have ever met. No words can describe how badly I want to dig around inside your brain, metaphorically and literally.” 

Dottore took a step towards Pantalone, who now had an uncertain or almost afraid look on his face. It was as if he had forgotten which one between the two was the vampire. “I would be the perfect servant for you, I’m sure. I’ll do anything you want, no hesitation. I’ll even steal blood samples from the hospital for you to feed on. All I ask is that you allow me to run tests on you in return.”

Pantalone sighed and buried his head in his hands. He rubbed his eyes as he spoke. “You have got to be the most deranged human I have ever met. Perhaps I should have kept my distance for an entire month, clearly you’re still under hypnosis.” He lifted his head, resuming eye contact with Dottore. He now looked exhausted. “Why should I agree to such a deal in the first place?”

“Do you want a servant or not?”

“You say that as if you would ever stop trying to get closer to me.”

Dottore scowled. But before he could throw out another remark, Pantalone raised a hand to keep him from speaking. “Don’t start. First you must be aware of how much your life would change if you were to end up working for me. Perhaps after you are informed of everything, you can make a more educated decision.”

Dottore huffed, crossing his arms. Yet he stayed silent to allow Pantalone to speak. He gave Dottore a nod of approval. “Good. Firstly, you will have to reduce your hours at work to allow time for the tasks I give you. I need you to be available during the day, as I cannot go outside then. You will also have to live with me in my mansion. It’s more convenient for you to serve me if you are right there when I need something from you. I will need you to deliver human blood to me every two weeks, but the source doesn’t matter. If you fail to bring any to me by that time, I will feed from you instead. Do you understand these terms?”

If this was a final attempt to push Dottore away, Pantalone did a horrible job. Why wouldn’t he want to live with Pantalone? Stealing blood bags or small vials from the hospital was quite easy, as he was able to get away with plenty of other things before without any coworkers or patients noticing. And having his blood drained as punishment instead felt more like a reward. Sure the hypnosis played a part, but even now Dottore felt a bit dizzy imagining getting bitten again. This deal seemed too much in his favor.

Despite his suspicions, Dottore nodded. “Of course, I wouldn’t mind moving in with you or changing my work schedule. Anything to be closer to you.”

Pantalone breathed a defeated sigh. “Hm, alright. And what about your.. experiments? What are you planning to do with me?”

Dottore’s eyes immediately lit up. He thought Pantalone would never ask. “I have plenty of tests I’d like to run, much more than I could list off here and now. But they would require blood tests, if you even have blood, making incisions into your skin to examine the flesh, or experimenting with different substances and how they react with your body. Ideally, I would love to perform some kind of operation on you to explore your organs, perhaps a craniotomy to observe your brain. But unfortunately, I have limited knowledge in surgical procedures at the moment. Either way, I can try to limit the pain for you as much as possible.”

As Dottore listed off his plans, he noticed Pantalone looking more uncomfortable, and almost horrified by the second. If he had any blood still in his system, Dottore was sure it had drained from his already pale face. It took him a few moments to gather himself and respond. “I really shouldn’t have asked..”

Dottore let out a quiet groan. He didn’t want to do this, but... “I won’t perform any type of surgery on you if it makes you uncomfortable. Just.. please, you’ll never find someone as loyal as me.”

“How very kind of you to hold back on your most deranged urges just for me.” Pantalone crossed his arms. After a painfully long pause, he let out a large sigh. “Very well, then. I have made my decision.”

Dottore took another step forward, barely able to contain his excitement. “Which is?”

“I will allow you to become my servant and experiment on me.” Dottore’s face split into a wide grin. “If,” Pantalone added quickly, again stopping Dottore from speaking, “you can accept the reality that I will no longer show any form of affection towards you whatsoever.”

Of course. There was the catch. But Dottore was so close to getting what he wanted, nothing else seemed to matter. He could simply lie about this as well, Pantalone didn’t know any better. Surely he’d be able to find out what was wrong if he just spent more time with him. “Yes, whatever. Just say that I’m your servant now.”

“Patience Dottore,” Pantalone tsked, taking a step back.

“What else do I have to do to prove my loyalty, sign a document in my own blood?”

Pantalone put his hand out, the gesture easily identifiable. “A simple handshake will do.”

Pantalone’s handshake was incredibly firm, but that was to be expected from someone who had worked in business for at least two hundred years. The deal was final, and Dottore felt absolutely no regret. After a long and confusing week without seeing Pantalone at all, Dottore not only saw him again, but was now preparing to move in with him. Though he knew things between them would never be the same when he attempted to hug Pantalone goodbye, but was immediately pushed away.

Chapter Text

The process of moving in was a tiring one. It took nearly two or three days to transport his belongings and organize them somewhat comfortably. Dottore had much more stored in his small house than Pantalone had expected. Piles upon piles of books and papers along with seemingly useless trinkets began to clutter the main room of Pantalone’s mansion. He was just thankful that he’d already prepared a room for his servant ahead of time. 

The first few days were spent adjusting Dottore’s work schedule to a more comfortable time frame, and him getting used to the many changes in his life. While planning out the hours, Pantalone noticed that all Dottore ever did before was work. He had no time for himself except for one off day per week. The only times he was off the clock, he was resting. And even then, he always appeared tired. How could he ever live in such a way? Pantalone easily reduced the time to only half of his shift, leaving the mornings open for tasks Pantalone would give him. Dottore complained and complained once he heard what he would have to do, but amusingly, he never heard another word about it once Pantalone reassured him that he would still get paid for his job as a servant.

Once Dottore had fully settled in, Pantalone had begun to regret making the deal with him at all. Almost immediately, it was clear that dealing with this man would be quite the handful. Dottore was incredibly clingy, attempting to latch himself onto Pantalone any chance he got. Any time that Dottore was not at work or sleeping, he would be right at Pantalone’s side, trying to hold him or lean into him. Even after pushing him away or telling him to keep his distance, Dottore never stopped trying. It was unbearable to say the least. 

The worst instance was when Pantalone had prepared to go to bed for the night. Vampires didn’t need to sleep but he still enjoyed its comforts. He had just switched to his choice of nightwear and exited the bathroom, stepping right into the already dark bedroom. His wealth was clear even where he intended for no one to see; hand sewn curtains thick enough to block out the sun entirely and artwork decorating the walls so perfectly the room could have been mistaken for a museum, if it weren’t for the large bed in the center. 

When Pantalone’s eyes drifted towards his bed however, he immediately noticed something that should not have been there at all. Barely hidden by the thin black veil over the bed, Dottore sat dead center on the mattress, arms crossed. Ignoring the fact that he clearly was not supposed to be in Pantalone’s bedroom at all, he couldn’t help but notice how out of place Dottore looked here. His horribly worn down clothes looked even worse when compared to the pristine sheets and pillows on the bed. Pantalone reminded himself to look for new clothes for Dottore when he had the time, his servant shouldn’t be going around like that.  

Pantalone approached Dottore, who clearly had something to say judging by the stare directed right at him. “Do you need something?” Pantalone asked, one eyebrow arched.

“Sleep with me.”

“I’m sorry?”

Dottore sighed and shook his head. “Not like that. I want to sleep here tonight, next to you.”

Somehow, that didn’t make it any less absurd. “You’ve got to be joking. You have your own bed on the first floor, Dottore.”

Dottore didn’t move a muscle as he responded. “I assure you, I am not joking. Just let me sleep here.”

“You’re a madman if you think I would ever do such a thing with you.” Pantalone said, accentuating his point with a disgusted look in his direction. “Now get off my bed before you infect it with your foul chemical smell.”

“I’m not leaving until morning.”

Pantalone frowned. “Fine, have it your way. I will let you sleep in my bed all you want, but I will not be joining you.” He turned and began to leave his bedroom.

From behind him he heard Dottore say, “Then I won’t sleep at all.”

So be it.

Pantalone entered his office instead, a much less decorated room compared to the rest of the house. No unnecessary artwork or furniture could be found to potentially distract him from work, and instead every surface was only dedicated to keeping track of funds. He stayed there for about three hours, taking the extra time to organize paperwork and sign documents that didn’t need to be finished for several weeks. He made sure to take his time with everything, drawing out each action just to take as long as possible. 

Pantalone was entirely confident that Dottore wouldn’t be able to last even thirty minutes without falling asleep. But he was immediately proven wrong as he opened his bedroom door and discovered Dottore observing the paintings on his wall. As he turned to give Pantalone a smile, he noticed just how horrible of a state he was in. He was clearly fighting his own body to stay awake. Dottore had marks all along his arm where he’d pinched the skin to keep himself from drifting off, and his eyes had terribly dark circles underneath them as well. Just how stubborn could one man be?

“You really stayed awake, didn’t you? How foolish.” Pantalone observed.

Dottore scoffed. “I told you I would. You’re the foolish one for not believing me.”

“You’re going to ruin your sleep schedule.”

“And what’s it to you?”

“My servant must be well rested in order to follow my instructions correctly. If not, you’d be confused and tired, thus unable to serve me.”

A smile slowly formed on Dottore’s face. A horribly mischievous smile. “Don’t tell me you’re already starting to develop feelings for me.”

“I am not.” Pantalone stated firmly. “Emotionally speaking, I couldn't care less about you.” He shook his head, they were getting off topic. “Listen, you need to sleep. In your own bed.”

Dottore walked over to Pantalone’s bed and sat on the edge of it. He carried himself so confidently, as if he were the one in power here. It irritated Pantalone to no end. “There is an easy solution to this problem, you know. Just lay in bed with me, and I’ll be asleep before you know it.”

“This is a problem you created. If you had gone to your own bed, we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now.” Pantalone clenched his hand into a fist behind his back.

“Yes, but I’d prefer to lay with you next to me. I’ll sleep better that way, I’m sure.”

“You– ugh.” Pantalone stopped himself and pinched the bridge of his nose. He took a deep breath before speaking again. “...Fine. But if you so much as lay one finger on me, I’ll half your pay.”

As expected, Dottore’s smile widened as he heard this. Pantalone, defeated, climbed into bed and laid on the side that Dottore hadn’t already claimed for himself. Thankfully, Dottore stayed on his own side of the bed for most of the night. Pantalone made sure that Dottore had fallen asleep completely before even attempting to let his guard down and go to sleep as well. 

It was distracting, listening to someone else’s breathing as he tried to rest. Pantalone had grown so used to a completely silent house that it felt unnatural to have someone else not only in the same house, but in the same bed. Pantalone tried not to think of the implications that had as he eventually drifted off.

 Pantalone was awoken in the middle of the night by an uncomfortable pressure on his back. He had turned on his side in his sleep and now faced away from Dottore, so he had no idea what the man was doing. Pantalone shifted and attempted to look behind him, but was stopped by a tight squeezing feeling around his waist. He reached down and could feel the very clear outline of an arm and a hand over his stomach. Just wonderful. Dottore had also moved in his sleep and somehow ended up holding Pantalone painfully close. 

Pantalone attempted to pry Dottore’s hands away but his grip only tightened further. He tried Dottore’s arm next, with the same result. But it was never enough to hurt, instead just enough to keep Pantalone trapped in place. He tried anything he could to get Dottore off him, but each time he would sleepily groan and hold on even tighter. He had even buried his face in Pantalone’s neck at some point. 

The heat from Dottore’s breath and his close contact became unbearable, and the blanket trapping it all in only made it ten times worse. Pantalone had become used to a cold bed, as his own body was freezing. But Dottore just had to ruin everything with his presence. 

“Are you awake?” Pantalone dared to whisper. 

No response, except for another quiet groan.

Pantalone sighed and rested his head back on the pillow. If he couldn’t leave, he would just have to deal with it until morning. After one final attempt to slowly move as far away as possible, he closed his eyes and relaxed. After a while, Dottore’s body heat became less of an inconvenience and more of a comfort, allowing him to slip into a peaceful rest once again.

The next morning, Pantalone awoke to discover that Dottore was no longer in bed. At least it was better than whatever that horrendous nightmare was last night. He didn’t seem like much of an early riser though, so Pantalone wondered where he would be at such an hour.

Pantalone got out of bed and washed up, choosing to throw on a light robe in preparation for a lazy morning. As he descended the stairs he noticed an odd smell throughout the mansion. Not unpleasant, just new.

No trace of Dottore either, except for an occasional metal clank coming from somewhere distant. It sounded like he was busy with.. something. Pantalone followed this noise down the halls, which led him to the kitchen. It hadn’t been used in a long time, as Pantalone didn’t care much to cook at home. He only hoped that Dottore hadn’t decided to repurpose it into a lab without consulting him first.

But as Pantalone slowly pushed open the double doors while preparing for the worst, he was instead greeted by an inviting smell. This time more identifiable as various breakfast foods. And there Dottore was, rushing around working on several dishes at once. Pancakes, omelets, sausage, anything Pantalone could think of was there. Dottore seemed so focused that he didn’t even react when Pantalone stepped in.

He didn’t know what to think. If he was confused, impressed, annoyed, he had no idea. Pantalone just stood at the entrance of the kitchen, watching Dottore until he finally glanced up and noticed him.

“Ah. Good morning, Lone. Did you sleep well?” Dottore asked, glancing back down at the vegetables he was currently stir-frying.

Pantalone hesitated, unsure of what to say. “Dottore… what is this?” was all he could manage.

Dottore scoffed. “Breakfast, of course.”

“Well, I know that. But I never gave you permission to use this room.”

“I just wanted to have breakfast with you, that is all.” Dottore tossed another batch of vegetables onto the pan, creating a satisfying sizzle. Pantalone had to admit, it did make him a little hungry.

“You could have taken me to a restaurant once I woke up. Or gone out and took some food back with you. You didn’t need to do..” Pantalone made a wide gesture with his hands, “..all of this. You aren’t even supposed to know where the kitchen is.”

“Am I also expected to sit by your heel and only bark when spoken to? I don’t remember such strict terms in the deal we made.” Dottore moved onto another stove, where he had been letting a pancake sit and cook. “Go and wait in the dining room, everything is almost done.”

Pantalone opened his mouth to say something else, but no words were coming to mind. He just sighed and turned to leave. “Oh, whatever.”

 As Pantalone traversed down the long hall to the dining room, he realized that he simply could not win any arguments with Dottore lately. The man was so stubborn, it was nearly impossible to deal with someone who was so set in his actions that not even the gods themselves could sway him. Pantalone had never been on the losing side of an argument before. After two hundred years of negotiations, it should be easy to convince one man to simply do as he was told. But for some reason, Dottore was a special case. Pantalone needed to find something, a weakness to break through his sudden wave of confidence.

Eventually he entered the dining room, a lovely and well-decorated area fit for when business meetings needed to appear more personal. It had everything he needed. From original paintings, vases, and other works of art displayed proudly on the walls and around the room, to expensive china hidden away in a cabinet that would only be used for guests. The curtains covering the window allowed the morning light to filter into the room, but not enough that it would cause Pantalone’s skin to burn. Every decoration was placed to give the room a warm and inviting atmosphere.

It wasn’t long before Dottore entered the room, back-first to push open the door since his hands were full. He carried himself like a waiter in a high end restaurant, proudly displaying each plate on his arms.

Pantalone hadn’t noticed before, but Dottore was wearing something completely different than his normal work attire. A well-fitted blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up halfway was tucked neatly into his black dress pants. He wore a matching color jabot around his neck which was surprisingly tied quite well, and interestingly enough, a harness was displayed shamelessly over the shirt. So he did know how to look decent.

Dottore set each plate in front of Pantalone with extra care, even organizing them in a perfect grid. Pantalone wasn’t sure whether to be appreciative or annoyed. Either way, it was impressive by the lengths Dottore was taking to impress him. Pantalone only wished that he would take a few steps away as he set the table. For gods sakes, he was so close that his torso took up most of Pantalone’s vision. 

Once Dottore was finished arranging the plates, he took a seat across from Pantalone and prepared to eat. Pantalone raised an eyebrow at him. “Did you used to work at a restaurant or something?”

“Hm? What makes you say that?”

Pantalone wasn’t sure if he was being dense on purpose or not. He scoffed as he picked up his fork. “You prepared all of this food by yourself, it.. looks incredible. And you brought everything out exactly as a waiter would, where else would you acquire the skill to balance plates on your arms like that?”

Dottore rolled his eyes as he took his first bite. “I just cook for myself at home. Going out to eat instead is too expensive, and socially taxing.” 

“And the plates?”

“I didn’t want to take multiple trips down here. Have you seen how long it takes to walk from the kitchen to the dining room?” Dottore paused to take another large bite of his pancakes (how unmannered), before speaking again. “Now enough questions. You should eat before it gets cold. I put a lot of effort into this breakfast, you know.”

Pantalone sighed, it took him a great deal of effort to not facepalm at his responses. Couldn’t he have at least lied to try and be more classy? “Yes, of course.”

Dottore’s presentation of the food had not been just a facade. His chaotic process of doing everything all at once had made Pantalone a bit nervous, but the taste was wonderful. Everything was cooked to perfection, seasoned just right to bring out each flavor. Pantalone wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between Dottore’s cooking and the dishes of a professional chef. Did he follow any recipes, or just go by memory? 

As he continued to eat, Pantalone’s thoughts drifted off. There was something he still needed to know. “Dottore, do you remember last night?”

Dottore glanced up from his plate. By the gods, how was he almost done eating already? “Hm, when I asked to lay in bed with you?”

Pantalone scoffed. “Asking is putting it lightly. You basically forced your way into it. Anyway, that is not what I’m referring to. I meant in the middle of the night. Did you wake up at all?”

Dottore paused to think. “Mm, no. Why do you ask? Do I sleepwalk?”

Pantalone set down his fork. He was silent for a moment, as he needed to think about how to phrase his next words. “Well, you’re definitely quite active in your sleep..”

“I assumed so, but that necessarily isn’t a bad thing. If I’m kicking you, just kick me back. I’m sure that’ll keep me from doing it again.”

Pantalone shook his head. “No, it isn’t that.” He paused to take a deep breath. “You were holding onto me. Tightly.”

There was a short moment of silence between them, before Dottore began to chuckle. Which then turned into full on laughter. Pantalone stared at him, wondering what was so funny. After he recovered, he began to speak. “Oh, isn’t that wonderful. I’m even expressing my love for you in my sleep.”

“No, not wonderful. You trapped me in place until I couldn't even move, and fighting you just made it worse. It was unpleasant.”

Dottore shrugged as he took the last bite of his dish. “Next time, you can just push me off the bed. I’m sure I’ll learn my lesson then.”

Pantalone sighed. Yet again, Dottore was being as stubborn as ever. “There’d better not be a ‘next time.’ Letting you rest in my own bed was a one time thing. I still cannot believe you deprived yourself of sleep just so you could have your way.”

“I’ll do it again if I have to. I was right to say that I would sleep better next to you, I’ve never felt more rested.”

“I won’t pay you at all this week if you try that again.”

Dottore stood up from his seat and began collecting the empty plates. They had nearly finished everything. “I would say it's worth it. Now then, are you done with your breakfast? I’ll be more than happy to clean it up for you.”

Hm, so money wasn’t his weakness after all. Pantalone stood up soon after and waved his hand dismissively. “Fine, I was just about done anyway.”

Pantalone spent the rest of the morning reading while Dottore cleaned up the kitchen. Pantalone had him do more house chores while he was at it, promising to add ten percent of his pay back on for each task he completed. At least he wasn’t entirely immune to the temptation of money.

That night, Pantalone switched into a silk nightgown after taking a warm bath. It was around the time that Dottore would be returning from work. He exited the bathroom, preparing for a restful night, when he discovered that Dottore was again, sitting on his bed with his arms crossed. He was dead set on making this a nightly routine, wasn’t he? 

He prepared to speak, but was interrupted immediately. “I’m not going to sleep until you lay here with me. Just save yourself some time and get in bed.”

Who did he think he was, ordering Pantalone around like that? This was not his home nor his bed. He was not the one in power here. Pantalone took a deep breath and spoke calmly, attempting to hide his growing irritation. “You have no right to give me orders.”

Dottore rolled his eyes (how dare he!) and began to climb under the covers. “You’re just wasting your breath, hun.”

Pantalone bit the inside of his lip. “Do not call me that.”

He did eventually get in bed, but only after coming up with an escape plan for himself. The moment he was certain Dottore was asleep, Pantalone got up before he could get all touchy. He stayed in his office instead to pass the time. Pantalone would have slept in Dottore’s bed as a small act of revenge, but he was afraid that it would smell too much like him, eugh. What was one night without sleep anyway? This plan seemed to work either way, as Dottore fell asleep fully believing they were resting together. 

Though it seemed to be perfect through the night, a couple hours later, Pantalone’s reading was interrupted by his office door opening with a slow creak. He glanced up and to his dismay, discovered Dottore poking his head inside. Dottore greeted him with a smile, and Pantalone matched him but with a frown.

“Ah, there you are. I thought you left me.” Dottore stepped inside and approached the desk.

Pantalone set his book down with a sigh. “I did leave you. And I also thought I made it clear to never step foot inside my office unless absolutely necessary.”

Dottore leaned forward, supporting his weight on his palms. “Oh, but it is necessary. I was lonely.” He tilted his head to the side. “Come back to bed, darling.”

Pantalone felt another flare of irritation well up in his chest. “I never would have agreed to hire you as my servant if I knew you would be this insufferable.”

Dottore circled the desk until he was standing right next to Pantalone, resting a hand on his shoulder in a motion too uncomfortably similar to a hug. “You can save your insults for later, but all I ask is that you return to bed with me. It’s either that, or I won’t sleep at all.” Dottore gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Now that you know I mean it, this should be an easy decision for you.”

Pantalone brushed Dottore’s hand off his shoulder, disgusted by the contact. “I hope you never have a peaceful sleep for the rest of your life.” He stood up from his chair and began to walk to the door. “Come on, let’s go before I lose any more of my patience with you.”

The two returned to bed, and just like last night, Pantalone awoke to Dottore’s arms wrapped tightly around him. Again, nothing seemed to help to pry him off. What kind of hell had Pantalone walked himself into? He couldn’t imagine having to spend every single night like this. Dottore’s presence was too warm, his grip too tight, and his stubbornness so infuriating it might cause Pantalone to lash out sooner or later.

However the following night was the same, and the night after that. Pantalone, as much as he hated to do it, stopped trying to fight back after a while. It wasn’t worth his energy and it would always end up the same way no matter what he did. Dottore began to get a bit too comfortable though, and would try to hold Pantalone before he even fell asleep. Thankfully, this behavior would cease after Pantalone threatened his paycheck. 

Pantalone also noticed that Dottore would have quiet moments in his sleep, when he wasn’t trying to hold onto Pantalone for dear life. He spent these windows in time out of bed and instead on his balcony, staring out at his garden. The door to the balcony was connected to his bedroom and he often left it open to see when Dottore would start to get restless again. Pantalone’s nights were no longer the peaceful escape he wished for, but he would have to deal with what he was given.

Eventually the two fell into a.. comfortable enough daily routine. Each morning Pantalone would either awake to the pleasant scent of breakfast being made, or to Dottore holding onto him like his life depended on it. It was all determined by whether Dottore had stayed up late the night before or not, insisting he was too busy with research to go to bed. Pantalone had become tired of having to urge him to put down his work for the night, but he needed to. Otherwise Dottore might be too sleep deprived to be considered healthy, and his health was of utmost importance.

After breakfast came the most dreaded part of the day, when Pantalone would have to hold up his end of the deal and allow Dottore to run experiments on him. He had wished that he’d forgotten it after a while, but that was a foolish hope to have. How could Dottore forget such a thing? After all, he’d made it very clear how fascinated he was with vampires, especially Pantalone. 

Pantalone had needed to buy the necessary equipment for Dottore to run these tests. Of course, thoroughly investigating a vampire’s biology and attempting to harness immortality for himself wasn’t going to be a cheap task. Eventually his assigned room ended up looking more like a laboratory in a constant state of chaos than a bedroom like Pantalone had initially intended it to be. Dottore had even gotten rid of his own bed to make room for more clutter, claiming that he “didn’t use it anymore.”

Despite Dottore constantly reassuring Pantalone that the experiments would not hurt, they almost always did. At the very least, they would be incredibly uncomfortable. After a couple days of experimenting, Pantalone needed to set up boundaries just in order to protect himself. No touching his skin unless absolutely necessary, no deep wounds, keep his gloves on at all times, needles must only stay in his skin for no more than thirty seconds, the list went on and on. Every day a new boundary would have to be added, and Dottore complained without fail. This would “greatly impact his research ability” and would “limit the amount of data gathered each day.” He never seemed to understand that Pantalone didn’t care and would eventually tune him out whenever he would go on these rants.

After the hellish experimentation, Dottore would spend a couple hours helping around the house or buying groceries to prepare for dinner. Then he would head to work, leaving Pantalone behind at the mansion until midnight. This was an absolutely horrible realization that Pantalone hated to think about, but now the two practically lived like a married couple. The only difference was the lack of rings on their fingers and the unusual circumstances that brought them together in the first place.

About two full weeks had passed since he had invited Dottore into his home, and now came the day that Dottore would have to bring his first serving of blood. Pantalone waited at the couch facing the front door, as he wanted to catch Dottore before he disappeared into his own room. A half emptied wine glass sat on the table across from Pantalone as he waited patiently.

Eventually he heard the door unlocking and Dottore stepped inside, looking as tired as ever. Pantalone gave him a small wave. “Today’s your deadline. Did you bring me those vials I requested?”

Dottore groaned. “Will you at least let me get through the door first?” he complained, as he set his briefcase down and hung his coat on the wall.

“I wanted to speak with you before you forgot.” Pantalone motioned for Dottore to sit next to him. “Come, show me the vials.”

Dottore, once removing his shoes, joined him at the couch. Conveniently he sat a bit too close for Pantalone’s liking. He watched curiously as Dottore opened the briefcase on his lap. He had never fully seen the inside, as Dottore was usually guarded with the contents. But he had no need to hide it now since Pantalone knew practically everything about him. Inside was a disorganized mess of papers, bottles, and instruments made of glass that took on unfamiliar shapes. No hint of vials containing blood, however.

“Hm, I swear I placed them in here..” Dottore muttered as he dug around inside. Though it didn’t seem like he was genuinely searching. He only stayed around a few certain areas and didn’t dig thoroughly as one would do if they truly did lose something. Pantalone had learned to notice this behavior early on in his job. People would occasionally try to trick him and claim that they had their payments ready but simply couldn’t find them. All just to extend their deadline, pathetic. Pantalone wondered why Dottore was pulling this stunt now. Vials of blood should not be as important to him as they were to Pantalone. Why try to hide them?

Pantalone stayed silent and watched as Dottore breathed a somewhat exaggerated sigh and closed the briefcase. “I must have forgotten them at the hospital. I’m sorry Lone, I’ll try to do better next time.”

“Hm… Dottore, why did you lie to me?”

Dottore stuttered, his hands freezing in place. “I-I’m sorry?”

Pantalone sighed. “I can tell you only pretended to search for what I asked for. Why lie about it? You know there are consequences if you fail your task.”

Dottore still couldn’t answer. He remained with his mouth slightly open as he tried to think of an explanation. There were two possibilities here, either he already knew he had no vials to give and was only lying to avoid being scolded, or he actually wanted the other option. Pantalone had to keep himself from sighing again, speaking before Dottore got a chance to. “You don’t need to give me an explanation. Just be sure to give me what I ask for next time.” Pantalone turned to face him. “As for right now, I’m sure you know your punishment. I’ll just have to feed from you instead.”

“Right, of course.” For a split second Pantalone swore he saw a smile flash on Dottore’s face, but was swiftly corrected to a more serious look. Ah, so he did want Pantalone to drink his blood. Of course. He seemed to enjoy it a bit too much the last time he was bitten. He was practically drooling before the spell even took effect. After realizing his true intentions, it was painfully clear to Pantalone how much his body language was giving him away. Telling by the nervous fidgeting in his hands and that flash of a smile from earlier, it was clear as day that he viewed this more as a reward than punishment. So after all, it seems Dottore’s weakness was Pantalone himself. Very well, then. Pantalone could work with this. 

He reached out and tucked one particularly long strand of blue hair behind Dottore’s ear, making sure his touch was gentle. The reaction was just as expected. Dottore tensed up and his shoulders raised a few inches. 

Pantalone frowned. “Dottore, how am I supposed to get to your neck if you won’t show it to me? At least try to relax.”

Dottore grumbled under his breath but slowly his shoulders lowered. It still wasn’t as much as Pantalone would like, but a gentle tug on the hair to tilt his head away seemed to do the trick. Now he had enough room to run his fingertips along his neck, knowing full well how cold they must feel to him. It was quite amusing how still Dottore was now. No more attempts to get closer to Pantalone and even his nervous fidgeting had stopped. He almost laughed at how dead silent Dottore was as well. He only got this quiet while he was sleeping.

Pantalone pressed two fingers into the side of Dottore’s neck to feel his pulse. A harsh rush of something violent flared in his chest which he could only describe as envy. It took him quite a bit of effort to push it aside and focus only on Dottore. He did notice something intriguing which was able to return him to the task at hand. It was hard to remember what a normal heart rate felt like for someone who didn’t have a pulse, but he was sure that Dottore’s heart was racing. Was it because of the close proximity or the anticipation? 

While keeping his fingers pressed down firmly, Pantalone brought his lips dangerously close to Dottore’s skin. Of course, his cold breath made Dottore shudder and his pulse quickened. Pantalone would have dragged his fangs along the skin as well just to tease him further, but that would be too much. Dottore had more than enough of what he wanted. Pantalone released his hold of Dottore’s hair and leaned away, instead picking up his wine glass from the table in front of him. “It seems your blood will be fitting enough to drink. Hold out your wrist for me.”

Oh, if he could capture the look on Dottore’s face forever. He had left the poor man sputtering, the scowl on his face so fierce it was as if he was trying to will Pantalone to drop dead. However the intensity of his glare was dampened by the lovely shade of pink on his cheeks. “What the hell was that? You aren’t going to bite my neck?”

Pantalone scoffed. “Of course not, I’m no barbarian. Now give me your wrist.”

“You bit me the last time, what makes this any different?”

Pantalone idly swished the wine in its glass. “It was an emergency and the best excuse to put you under a love spell. I needed to administer it directly into your bloodstream. Under any other circumstances I might feel sick at the thought of drinking human blood, especially straight from the neck like that.” 

Dottore crossed his arms over his chest. “What kind of vampire doesn’t enjoy drinking blood?”

“This one. Now I won’t ask again. Wrist.” Pantalone held his hand out expectantly.

Dottore stared at his hand for a moment before grumbling nonsense to himself as he offered his wrist, vulnerable side up in Pantalone’s palm. Oh, it felt incredible to finally win an argument with him again. “Good boy.”

Before Dottore could respond, though he doubted he would be able to say anything to such a comment, Pantalone swiftly scraped the back of his hand across Dottore’s wrist. One of the sharp edges of his rings caught on his skin and created a cut just deep enough to draw blood. Dottore barely flinched. Pantalone held the bleeding wound over his wine glass, catching each drop and allowing it to blend seamlessly into the already red mixture.

Dottore remained pouting as Pantalone waited for the glass to fill up. The silence was beautiful. All that could be heard was the quiet drip, drip, drip of Dottore’s blood falling into the wine. As he watched patiently, Pantalone reveled in his victory. The method to regaining the power he nearly lost was a bit… unorthodox, but it was worth it for the complete silence he had gotten Dottore to fall into. And his flushed expression after having what he wanted taken away was incredibly satisfying. Pantalone wished to treasure that look on his face just as he did with his other priceless artifacts.

Soon the glass was full, and Pantalone lifted Dottore’s arm to let him know he’d collected enough. “Cover that wound before it makes a mess. And if you so much as get one drop on my furniture, I won’t allow you to lay in my bed tonight until the stain is gone.” Dottore began to protest, but Pantalone held up a hand to silence him. “This isn’t negotiable. Oh and before you go clean yourself up, don’t pull a stunt like that ever again. Your punishment will be severe if you do.”

And with that, Pantalone stood up from the couch and made his way back to his bedroom, leaving Dottore to utter frustrated comments to himself as he searched his briefcase for a bandage. Pantalone sipped his blood-wine mixture as he laid in bed reading a book. It tasted sweet. Too sweet, he feared he might become addicted.

The next few days followed the same pattern. If Dottore decided to be stubborn, Pantalone would retaliate with either a gentle touch, a near bite, or even a pet name if he was feeling particularly bold. Funny how the man who acted so annoyingly confident with him would crumble so easily after just a little tug on the collar of his harness.

Pantalone awoke one morning very slowly. For some reason he just didn’t want to get out of bed yet. His pillows felt especially warm this morning as well, and he found himself pulling them closer to feel their warmth on his face. It had been a while since he had a lazy morning like this. Maybe he should call off the meetings he had planned for later in the day. 

He had drifted back to sleep at some point, and he was awoken later on by the sensation of something in his hair. His eyes fluttered open and he was horrified to see that the ‘pillow’ he thought he was holding was actually Dottore, and the sensation in his hair was Dottore’s hand. He was already awake, looking down at Pantalone as if he were the most interesting thing in the world.

A terrible, almost paralyzing fear overcame him as he realized what he’d done. He sat up and pushed himself away so quickly he was sure he would have been lightheaded if he were human. Dottore stared at him, confused, as Pantalone tried to hide how shaken he was by clenching his fist where Dottore wouldn’t be able to see it.

“What’s wrong, dear?” Dottore asked as he began to sit up along with him.

Don’t fucking call me that. The words threatened to leave his mouth, he was barely able to reign them in. Pantalone got off the bed and began making his way towards the bathroom to wash up. He didn’t make eye contact and instead only focused on the door ahead of him. His voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. “I just remembered there’s something I have to do this morning,” he lied. At least his tone was polite as can be. “Nothing to worry about.”

Pantalone disappeared into the bathroom and locked the door behind him before Dottore could ask anything else. He sat in there for quite some time, processing what had just happened. He was becoming too comfortable around Dottore. Even if it was just a mistake he made while half asleep, it should never happen again. 

He crossed his arms over his stomach, feeling nauseous. Dottore shouldn’t be allowed in his bed, no, he shouldn’t have been Pantalone’s servant at all. He must not ever allow himself to get too attached. Human lives were too short, it would just get complicated. Dottore was supposed to be his servant, and he must stay as such. However with the growing risk of becoming reliant on his blood, this only made the situation worse. It would be so nice to kick him out of his home and leave him with nothing. But Pantalone knew better. No doubt he’d find a way to return to him. Pantalone had essentially made a trap for himself and now he regretted every single action he’d made in the past to get him here.

It must have been at least an hour before Pantalone finally left the bathroom. By now, breakfast was already made and Dottore had waited patiently for him to join him at the table. Pantalone was able to keep a happy face the whole time, but deep down he mentally cursed out Dottore for trying to make their hands touch each time Pantalone reached for something across the table. 

It felt as if a weight had been lifted off Pantalone’s back, although temporarily, when he had to leave for work before it was time for Dottore’s daily experiments. He had never been more thankful to have a business meeting at nine in the morning.

Pantalone was able to take his mind off his worries as he attended the meeting, the words flowing from his mouth effortlessly as if nothing had been bothering him at all. Yes, this was perfect. He was able to imagine a life where Dottore had never crossed paths with him in the first place, never laid hands on him, and never discovered Pantalone’s identity as a vampire. Maybe it was in his best interest if he got rid of Dottore before he could cause even more damage. This time away from the mansion (and Dottore) encouraged this belief, as he hadn’t felt this relaxed in weeks.

The meeting had taken longer than planned, surely not because Pantalone had been stalling for the most part.. Oh, the relief he felt when he checked the time and realized Dottore would have already left for work by now. All he wanted to do now was take a rest. A proper rest, without someone interrupting him every twenty minutes to squeeze the life out of him. 

The first thing Pantalone did after returning home was change into a comfortable nightgown and prepare for a peaceful nap. However, to his utter dismay, Pantalone realized that he’d grown used to the pressure and warmth of Dottore’s body. It made him sick, how he struggled to fall asleep because the bed was too cold. No arms wrapped around him to make him feel secure. The silence caused by the absence of Dottore’s soft breaths was unbearable. Pantalone wanted to rip his own hair out. Why did everything have to hit him all at once today?

These bothersome thoughts didn’t cease when Dottore returned from work. If anything, they only worsened. Pantalone was still laying in bed when Dottore came in. He must have thought that Pantalone was already asleep, because he was bold enough to hold him uncomfortably close the second he laid down. 

Pantalone was unsure why, but when Dottore asked if he was awake, he gave no response. He laid perfectly still and pretended to rest. Perhaps he was curious as to what Dottore would do, or he just had no energy left to speak to him. Whichever it was, he immediately regretted his decision as Dottore readjusted and placed a small kiss on Pantalone’s cheek. It was so quick he didn’t fully register what was happening until Dottore had already gone back to burying his face in his neck. 

“Goodnight, Lonnie,” were the last words spoken before the room went silent and Pantalone was left alone with his thoughts once more.

The name now felt more like a nickname one might affectionately call a lover whenever Dottore used it. He could still feel the spot on his cheek where Dottore had kissed, the warmth and moisture slowly fading away but not as fast as he’d wished. It was a horrible feeling. He wanted to cry, to scream, to rip his own skin from his body but he had already decided to pretend he wasn’t awake to witness it at all. He remained still, muscles relaxed despite his panicking thoughts. At least now Dottore was there to ease him into a genuine sleep.

Pantalone shouldn’t be so reliant on this man. He wished more than anything that Dottore could go back to being as disposable as he was the day they first met. He used to be nothing more than a pawn to be moved as he pleased. But now, Pantalone feared that he’d invested in Dottore too much to ever get rid of him. Would everything truly return to normal if he decided to throw him out one day?

When he was sure that Dottore had fallen asleep, he pulled off his gloves and dug his nails deep into the skin on his arms. It was enough pain to distract himself and he was finally able to drift off as well.

Chapter Text

The days passed by as usual, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that Dottore was being even more touchy than normal. There was no need to press his hand into his back every time they passed each other, or to gently caress his wrists during experimentation. Was this just his imagination, or did Dottore somehow know of this predicament and was trying to use it to his advantage?

 It wasn’t too long before he got his answer. One day after Dottore had returned from shopping, he presented a gift to Pantalone. He held it out to him proudly, like a child showing their parents a drawing. In Dottore’s hands was an ornately decorated vase containing a handful of roses. They were a deep red, almost purple on the inside. As Pantalone reluctantly took the vase in his own hands, he noticed they were incredibly fresh. They must have been picked this morning. Pantalone brushed the petals with his fingertips. Even with his gloves on he could tell they were soft.

 At first he appreciated the gift, but then… He glanced up at Dottore with a skeptical look. “Dottore.. Is this some sort of romantic gesture you’re trying to pull on me?”

 Dottore shook his head, looking surprised. “Oh no, not at all. I just noticed you seemed worried about something and decided a little decoration might help you relax.” Pantalone glanced around the room at the plenty of other decorations placed alongside furniture and hanging on the walls. What made him think these would solve anything? “You like flowers, don’t you?”

 Pantalone sighed, setting the roses down on the table next to him. “I don’t need any gifts from you.”

 Dottore’s proud expression turned into something of disappointment. “Will you at least tell me what’s bothering you? You always look so out of it, and you keep turning down my offers to comfort you. The roses were supposed to cheer you up, but you don’t even seem thrilled about it.”

 “I don’t need to be comforted. I would prefer if you left me alone instead,” Pantalone said as he turned away, looking at the flower vase instead of Dottore. “The roses are..fine. But if you do want to give me something, at least make it last longer than a few days.”

 Dottore scoffed. “You take care of two gardens, yet you’re upset about me giving you a few roses?”

 Pantalone picked up the vase again as he wondered where they would look best in the main room. His attention was no longer on Dottore at all. “My opinions aren’t as simple or shallow as you may think. Now you really shouldn’t be standing there. Don’t you have chores to finish?”

 Dottore huffed, mumbling to himself as he walked away. Gradually Pantalone’s shoulders relaxed as sounds of the man faded into the background.

 Pantalone found a place for the roses, deciding they would look best on the dining table. However he soon came to regret this decision as now he would have to stare at them every morning and every evening as he had his meals with Dottore. He hoped his resentful stare towards them wasn’t too obvious. He wondered why Dottore would waste his money on something that was going to die anyway. It was as if he was making a mockery of his whole situation, giving him something so beautiful with an even shorter lifespan than himself.

 Despite his hatred for them, Pantalone took care of the roses. He made sure they had enough water in the vase and would keep them near the thin curtains of the dining room to give them at least some sunlight. He wondered why he did this, their petals had begun to wither and darken within just a few days. Pantalone was only delaying their inevitability. 

 One evening as he was about to water the flowers, Pantalone heard an unusual amount of noise coming from the main room of the mansion. It must have been only a few minutes before Dottore was supposed to leave for work. What on earth could he be doing at such a time? Pantalone sighed to himself as he made his way down the stairs, completely forgetting about his previous task of watering the roses.

Dottore was seen rushing around, seemingly searching for something. Whatever it was must have been important for him to be lingering around the mansion for it at such a time. Pantalone did notice that he was covering one side of his face with his hand for some odd reason. 

Pantalone made himself known with a polite clearing of his throat, and Dottore immediately paused to turn and look at him. He almost looked like a deer in headlights, his only visible right eye widened as if he was caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to. The hand never moved from his face, but Pantalone was able to spot a thin trail of blood seeping from between his fingers. 

“What do you want?” Dottore asked, practically demanding it. He wasted no time in continuing his search, pushing various pieces of furniture away from the wall. Pantalone worried he might scratch the floors.

He sighed and approached Dottore, resting a hand on his shoulder which caused him to stop in his tracks. “I’m wondering why you’re rushing to make a mess around my mansion instead of preparing to leave for work.”

Dottore, once recovering from the touch, shrugged Pantalone’s hand away. He didn’t turn back to face him again. “I am preparing to leave for work. Don’t you see I’m already wearing my lab coat?” Dottore shoved a particularly expensive vase out of the way which threatened to topple over. Pantalone thankfully caught it in time, but now Dottore was in for one hell of a scolding later. “I just need my briefcase. I don’t suppose you’ve seen it anywhere?”

Pantalone gently placed the vase back where it belonged. “The last time I checked, you left it near the front door–”

He was interrupted by Dottore shoving past him and giving him a rushed “Ah yes, thank you.” He hadn’t even given the man enough time to ask why his face was bleeding.

Pantalone followed after him and watched as Dottore crouched down to open his briefcase and rummage inside, all with one hand. Pantalone leaned down, using the support of his cane to maintain balance. “What’s going on with you? Is everything alright?” 

“I’m fine,” is all Dottore said as he picked up a few bandages and stood up to return to his room. “Now don’t follow me, I don’t need you on my tail.”

Oh, how ironic. He said this as if he hadn’t been the one following Pantalone around like a lost puppy for the past month. “You should know better than to give orders to me. Now move your hand, I know something is wrong. You are a horrible liar.”

Pantalone reached out to grab Dottore’s wrist, and he swore he saw a hint of genuine fear in his eye as Pantalone began to pull Dottore’s hand away from his face. “No, don’t–” But before he could finish his sentence, his hand was already pried away enough to reveal a horrible injury.

Dottore’s hand had smeared the blood, almost leading Pantalone to believe that the skin was missing entirely. But a closer look proved that to be false. Instead, something similar to a chemical burn had melted the left side of Dottore’s face, even over his eyelid. His eye was closed however, so hopefully whatever had burned him hadn’t affected his vision. The cause of the bleeding was several thin glass shards that had been embedded in his skin. They weren’t deep, but gods, did it look painful.

Dottore’s eye never met Pantalone’s, something similar to a shameful expression on his face. A sense of familiarity washed over Pantalone, causing his next words to sound a bit softer than he’d intended to. “Oh, Dottore..”

Dottore pulled his wrist out of Pantalone’s hold and took a step back. “You’ve seen it, now let me treat my wound so I won’t be late for work.”

Pantalone tsked, dropping his hand back down to his waist. “Do you really think you’re leaving the house with such an injury?” He almost wanted to smack Dottore for nodding. “No, you are not. You will stay here tonight and let your wound heal. And let me treat it, you can barely see out of one eye. You are in no state to do it yourself.”

Dottore began walking towards his laboratory, completely ignoring everything Pantalone had said. “I know more about medical practices than you do. If I treat it fast enough, I won’t be late for work.”

Pantalone quietly groaned out of frustration. He looped a finger around the collar of Dottore’s harness and yanked hard, causing the man to gag and stumble back. Pantalone held his hand out. “Give me the bandages.” Dottore stayed silent, giving Pantalone a scowl as he held his free hand over his sore neck. He was hesitant but eventually he placed the white fabric in Pantalone’s hand. Of course he did. That little trick always worked. “Good. Now you will teach me as I treat your wound, and you will not move a muscle as I do so.”

Pantalone began making his way to the lab with a grumbling Dottore in tow. Thankfully it was dark enough outside that the light coming from the windows didn’t affect his skin. He had tried to convince Dottore to put up curtains in this room before, but apparently they were a “fire hazard” and would “get in the way.” Because of this, Pantalone hadn’t entered the lab in quite some time, instead having his daily experiments done in the neighboring room. The clutter that had accumulated in the lab over time was almost unbearable. Every table surface was covered with either papers, glass bottles, or vials of unusual bubbling liquid. Books were scattered all over the floor along with strange looking half-built mechanisms. The most interesting part of the room however, was a corner dedicated to various shining trinkets, which didn’t seem to hold any purpose at all. Were they perhaps valuable to him in a way?

Pantalone chose a stool to sit on, which was horribly uncomfortable, and motioned for Dottore to do the same. He placed the bandages on the table beside them, more on the edge of the table than anything. He would just have to make do with the limited space he was given. 

He allowed Dottore to tell him (in excruciating detail, mind you) how he should treat the wound while he gently pried the shards of glass from Dottore’s skin. Every other sentence was interrupted by a wince or a grunt, and Pantalone would have to keep reminding him to stay still. He worked from the biggest pieces to the smallest, eventually needing tweezers to get to the last few.

Once he was finished speaking, Dottore’s demeanor changed from passionate to embarrassed. Oh, the torture he must be feeling. Finally getting attention from Pantalone but not being allowed to move. Pantalone noticed his face beginning to turn red as well. At first he thought it was just irritation from the wound, but Dottore’s restless, fidgeting fingers told him otherwise. 

As Pantalone began cleaning up the blood on Dottore’s face, he began noticing small details in his features which he’d never realized before. He claimed to be only thirty-five, but his skin was already showing signs of aging. Dottore’s wrinkles were much more subtle than his own. They seemed to be caused by stress instead of age, the creases in his forehead surely from focusing on the small details in his work, or perhaps from thinking much too deeply about his own theories. His hooked nose almost reminded Pantalone of a bird’s beak, but it fit his face well. Dottore’s eyes, or at least the one that he could see, were a striking bright red that despite his persistent tired look, held some kind of intensity that was almost unsettling. Almost as if he knew more than he should.

Soon the blood was cleaned and the burn was allowed to show itself in its entirety. This surely would create a large scar. The burns covered most of his forehead and dripped down his left cheek, even threatening to deform his eyelid. Pantalone was unsure how Dottore would be able to hide this from anyone. 

“I know it might be a bit too soon, but would you mind telling me how this happened?” Pantalone asked while he dabbed a cotton ball soaked with cleansing formula over the burn. 

His hand was pushed away as Dottore responded. “Don’t put too much on the skin. Anyway, I was observing a chemical reaction in one of my larger glass bottles when it unexpectedly shattered. I just happened to have my eye up close to see what would happen, and…” He sighed. “I didn’t even get to see the results clearly before it exploded, what a shame.”

Pantalone chuckled to himself. Dottore made it seem as if the chemical reaction was more important than his injury. Pantalone returned the cotton ball to the burn, making sure to press lightly this time. “I see. But you’re still willing to return to work in such a state? Have you even looked in a mirror yet?”

Dottore shook his head, but stopped after a gentle reminder to keep still. His voice lowered to barely above a whisper. “I’m too afraid to see what I look like.” 

Oh, dear. Another wave of familiarity washed over Pantalone and he set the cotton ball down. At least he was finished with it, apparently the next step was to apply the bandages. “It still isn’t the best idea to continue going to work with your injury so fresh.”

Dottore frowned. “Will you allow me to go to work tomorrow at least?”

“You shouldn’t leave until you’re healed.” Pantalone continued after hearing a groan from Dottore. “Why are you so adamant on going to work anyway? You can still continue your research here in the lab, and I’m sure the pain would be too distracting to go out in public.”

“I just need to work.” Pantalone sighed. It seemed he wasn’t going to open up that easily. He didn’t push the matter though, instead applying the bandage without a word. Each touch to the skin was gentle, as he didn’t want to irritate the wound. Dottore had an oddly pensive look on his face. It was quite unlike himself, Pantalone had grown used to his annoyingly smug expression. 

Soon the bandages were applied to the best of Pantalone’s ability. It wasn’t the best work but he refused to allow Dottore to touch it. “There, it’s finished. Is there anything else you need before I leave?” 

Dottore shook his head. “No, I’ll be fine.”

Pantalone stood up from his seat as he prepared to leave. “I’ll send a letter informing the hospital of your absence. You shouldn’t need to worry about doing it yourself.” 

Pantalone didn’t hear from Dottore for the rest of the evening. He didn’t even leave the lab for dinner, leaving Pantalone to make something for him instead. Cooking wasn’t his forte but he was able to make a decent enough meal to keep Dottore from going hungry. He placed the tray outside of the lab door after giving it a gentle knock, allowing Dottore to collect it whenever he was in the mood. 

Pantalone knew something was seriously wrong when Dottore failed to show up at the bedroom that night. He waited ten minutes, then twenty, then for an hour. When he still didn’t show, Pantalone left to look for him. As much as he hated the fact, he still could not go to sleep without Dottore beside him. 

It was a bit difficult to find him, but eventually Pantalone noticed the man sleeping on the couch in a room only used for storage. He had no blankets and his posture made it look nowhere near comfortable. He hadn’t even changed out of his lab coat yet. Was he sleeping there because he didn’t have enough energy to properly prepare for bed? Pantalone temporarily left the room and returned with a few blankets. It was calming and somewhat endearing as he watched Dottore immediately cuddle up to the blankets as they were draped over him. 

He could have left then. Pantalone could have returned to his bedroom or his office, tried to sleep without Dottore or simply waited for the next day to begin. He didn’t know why he stayed in that room instead. He sat at the chair opposite the couch and simply stared. Dottore looked so peaceful despite what he’d just been through. Pantalone wondered how long it would take to heal, how long until he would be able to remove those bandages and show his face again. That is, if he would ever feel confident enough to show his face at all anymore. 

The fear of becoming attached still lingered with Pantalone. In fact, it was at its worst whenever he would sit and think for too long. But he couldn’t get himself to leave, and there wasn’t anything better for him to do. At least he kept his distance. He didn’t want Dottore knowing he stayed there for so long. 

Pantalone remained seated for most of the night, only leaving once the sun had begun to filter through the curtains. He knew Dottore would be getting up soon. 

He didn’t see Dottore for the entire day. He assumed he’d locked himself in his lab, as he not once saw that the door was open. Pantalone started to wonder if the injury was more painful than he’d originally thought. His own hands still flared with phantom pain at times, remembering how terrible the healing process was. 

The next night went the same as the one before, but Pantalone noticed that Dottore had kept the blankets from last night on the couch. Pantalone sat and waited as he slept, simply observing the man and listening to his quiet breaths. He wasn’t sure what he was waiting for. He wasn’t sure why he continued to sit with Dottore every night, there were many other things he could do to pass the time. He wasn’t even sure if he preferred this over how he usually acted. Sure there was no more unwanted physical contact, but it also meant Pantalone couldn’t sleep anymore. Curse this damn body, he couldn’t sleep whatsoever unless he was fully relaxed. And now that he’d gotten so used to Dottore resting beside him, feeling him there was the only way he could relax.

Each morning after Pantalone left the room, he would glance at the roses he was given. Their color and vitality faded over time, the petals turning a new shade of brown whenever Pantalone would pass by them. He was certain they would have to go soon. But Pantalone oddly refused to part with them just yet. He shouldn’t care so much about them, but he couldn’t help but to continue watering them as if it would make a difference to their already short lives.

It had been a week since Pantalone had last slept. A week since the two have even had a conversation. Although he was in a mansion with another person, Pantalone had never felt so lonely. Surely something else was going on with Dottore, as the wound should have been past its worst stage by now. Yet his behavior not once changed, continuing to stay isolated from the world. 

Once the sun had lowered and it was time for Dottore to sleep, Pantalone decided to enter the spare room a bit earlier than before. Dottore must have heard the noise because he seemed to rush to avoid Pantalone, his back facing the man as he readjusted the blankets on the couch. It looked as if he just wanted to keep his hands busy with something. 

Pantalone gently knocked on the doorframe, simply because he felt it was polite to do so. “I’d like to speak with you for a moment.” Not a request, an order. 

Dottore continued to fidget with the blankets as if they weren’t perfectly positioned enough. However, Pantalone knew better. He knew he was finding every excuse to not look at him. “What is it?”

Pantalone sighed. He was still unsure of how he wanted to start this conversation. “Your habits this week have been very unhealthy. You can’t keep doing this.”

“I seem to be doing fine,” Dottore said bluntly. 

“You are not doing fine.” Pantalone walked further into the room, sitting on the couch in front of Dottore. The man seemed irritated that Pantalone had sat on top of the blanket he was about to climb under. Pantalone continued as he clasped his hands over his lap. “Sleeping on the couch is bad for your posture, not being social can be harmful for you, and if you don’t leave the mansion soon, we won’t have any food left for you to eat. Honestly Dottore, what has gotten into you?”

Dottore’s hands stopped moving, yet he still didn’t turn to look at Pantalone. He seemed quite tense. “Nothing has ‘gotten into me.’ I am simply taking precautions to ensure I don’t get an infection.”

“If that truly is the case, you wouldn’t have tried so desperately to get back to work immediately after being injured.” Pantalone paused for a moment, perhaps expecting a rebuttal, but Dottore stayed dead silent. “At least allow me to change your bandages every day. That will give you an excuse to be social.”

“I can’t let you see the injury,” Dottore’s hands now only rested on the blanket in front of him. Occasionally one finger would drag over the fabric, redirecting which way the artificial fur was facing.

Pantalone sighed. There was a surefire way to get him to cooperate, but it wasn’t preferable at all. “Sit down, why don’t you? It isn’t polite to just stand there while we talk.” Again, Pantalone’s words were phrased as a suggestion, but they both knew better.

Dottore was slow to respond, standing still for what felt like an entire minute before finally turning and sitting next to Pantalone. He didn’t even realize he was expecting some sort of pressure on his right side until there was none. Every time they sat like this, side by side, Dottore wouldn’t hesitate to press himself into Pantalone as if he couldn’t possibly survive without him. But this time he simply sat there, uncomfortably stiff.

“There’s something I’d like to show you,” Pantalone said as he pulled his hands apart from each other. As expected, just the mention of something new caught Dottore’s interest. That curious look in his eyes was back, gone were any traces of his uncertainty.

Pantalone began to slip off each ring on one hand, setting them in a safe place on his lap. Even though he couldn’t see Dottore, he knew for certain that the man was staring intently. He most likely knew what was to come. “You may not believe me, but I understand your concerns. In fact, I might be the only one who can relate the most to your situation.” It took quite some effort to keep his hands from squeezing each other, a nervous habit he’d developed early in life. Dottore didn’t respond, instead his sights were focused entirely on Pantalone’s hands.

Pantalone pinched one of the fingers of his glove, but he hesitated before he could do anything else. He felt that same paralyzing fear that had shown itself when Dottore had attempted to look at his hands for the first time. If he still had a beating heart, he would be able to hear his own pulse in his ears. Was this really the right choice?

Pantalone closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Of course it’s the right choice, he thought to himself. I’ve told him my secrets before with no issue. This is someone who I can trust. Before any doubts could creep back into his mind, he pulled off his glove in one smooth motion. He could hear Dottore’s small gasp from right in front of him, had he leaned in while he wasn’t paying attention? 

This felt so wrong. His hand was exposed. Being constantly sheltered from the world had rendered the skin overly sensitive, and now Pantalone could feel everything. From every draft in the air to how his skin folded with each movement. Even the lighter sensation from having no leather to cover his hand was apparent. 

Pantalone glanced down at his own scarred hand. Every day he tried not to look at those markings, as if pretending they weren’t there would eventually make them disappear. The scars started at his wrist. Horrible remainders of a burn from long ago, still irritatingly red and not showing signs of ever leaving. A twisted web of scar tissue travelled the whole way down his hand, even reaching his fingertips in some places. At least his palm was spared.  

Pantalone momentarily tensed when Dottore grabbed his hand with no warning. But he allowed this contact, as he believed he deserved it. He was showing these scars for a reason, after all. He watched as Dottore held his hand close and observed every single detail as if committing the pattern to memory.

“Hideous, isn’t it?” Pantalone asked, while fighting the urge to yank his hand away after feeling Dottore’s breath on his skin. Did he really have to hold his hand so close?

“I find it quite beautiful,” Dottore observed. Of course he would think so. “How did it end up this way?”

Pantalone stared at his exposed hand with a look of disgust. “You have a very twisted view on what is ‘beautiful.’” He looked away before the sight of it made him sick. “This is what happens when I am exposed to the sun. Before I understood that I was becoming a vampire, I made the mistake of walking out into the sunlight. I wore a suit with my hands exposed, though I am glad that the sun never reached my face before I felt the searing pain.” He felt as Dottore slowly brushed his thumb along the border separating the scarred and untouched skin. 

“It looks no different than a burn one would get from pressing their skin on a hot surface.” Dottore added, “but why would you hide your scars?”

Pantalone turned to look in his general direction but not directly at him, as his face was still too close to his own hand. “Why would you hide yours?”

A long silence filled the room, the weight of the question becoming more oppressive over time. If Dottore wasn’t going to answer, Pantalone would. “My scars serve as a reminder that I am no longer and never will be human again. You see Dottore, my entire biology disgusts me. I despise being a vampire.”

Dottore hummed. “And here I was assuming you loved it.”

Pantalone shook his head. “You couldn’t be farther from the truth. I hate the taste of blood. I hate that I have to keep consuming it to prevent myself from starving and turning violent. I hate being feared and treated as a monster just because I was forcefully given this condition. When I look at my unsightly hands I start to believe those comments more and more.”

“You are no monster, Pantalone.” Before he realized what was happening, he could already feel the press of Dottore’s lips on one of his knuckles. The contact sent a shock through Pantalone’s body, immediately pulling his hand out of the man’s hold and instead keeping it close to his chest. At least he could make eye contact again, yet a quick glance at Dottore’s face showed that he looked wounded. As if Pantalone had physically hurt him. He shouldn’t feel pity for the man. After all, Dottore was told several times that his feelings were one sided. Why wouldn’t he just give up?

“I have been called the same.” Dottore’s voice was quiet, if Pantalone didn’t know any better he would have thought there was a hint of pain in the way he said it. He felt a familiarity with Dottore, the same he felt as he noticed the fear in his eyes as he tried to hide his injury. Dottore continued. “Someone discovered I was performing experiments on corpses and small animals. I never found out who it was, only that one day my parents caught word of what I’d done and they disowned me without a second thought. I was kicked to the streets, abandoned by my own family. After that, anyone who saw me would spit on me, call me horrible names, kick me while I was starving and begging for food. It had gotten so bad that even a murder in the area was blamed on me. I was never allowed back into the village at all afterwards.”

Oh, this poor man. How had he ended up with such horrible luck with other people? “Goodness.. Were you even involved with the victim?”

“I didn’t know the girl at all, but of course the town would blame such an act on the nightmare child lurking the streets.” Dottore took a long pause. Pantalone didn’t say a word. It was clear this part of his life had deeply affected him, even to this day. Eventually Dottore continued. “I hid my wound from you because I didn’t want you seeing how bad the injury was. Especially with it being on my face, I worried you might see me differently, that you might fear me because of my appearance. I don’t want you to see me as a monster like the others did.”

Pantalone shook his head. “Don’t worry, I don’t fear you at all. Not to mention, I’ve already seen your injury while it was fresh. I doubt seeing it again now would change my mind.” He began slipping his glove back on, breathing a small sigh as it protected his hand once again. No more vulnerability. “And now that you’ve seen my own scars, I’m sure you realize how silly you were being. I truly understand what you’re going through. There is no need to hide such things from me. Well, it just isn’t right to keep secrets between us at all.”

Dottore’s eyes were now on Pantalone’s hand as he slid his rings back on. There was a slight frown on his face. “Can you blame me? I’ve never been fully honest with anyone since my exile.” Yet another pang of sympathy. “Even recently, any accidental honesty has only given me negative results.”

“What do you mean?”

There was a slight hesitation before Dottore spoke. “A slight misunderstanding between a coworker and I ended up with him being aware that I am.. close with a vampire.”

A wave of dread overcame Pantalone the second he heard those words, and he sat frozen for a few moments. How could Dottore have been so careless and shared his secret this quickly? Would he have to leave town again? Would he take Dottore with him or leave him behind to face the people who knew they had been in a relationship?

Pantalone wasn’t aware that his hands were clenched tightly into fists until Dottore rested his hand on one of them. The small motion was able to snap Pantalone out of his paralysis. He pulled his hand away from Dottore’s as soon as he could. Dottore returned his hand to his own lap. “Relax, he doesn’t know your name and I lied about your gender. It’ll be nearly impossible to track you down.”

“What the hell is wrong with you? How could you let such a thing slip?” Pantalone dug his fingernails into his palms the best he could through his gloves. He took a large sigh, his breath shaky. “Nearly impossible is not the same as impossible. He’ll find out who I am, it’s only a matter of time.”

Dottore shook his head. “He won’t. I doubt he has the motivation to do such a thing. He didn’t act afraid or hateful when I told him.”

“...He didn’t?”

“No, he seemed to accept it as fact and continued with his day.”

Pantalone bit the inside of his cheek as he attempted to process this information. “Then.. what was the ‘negative result’ you were referring to?”

It was Dottore’s turn to be silent. He stared at his lap for a while, he seemed to be thinking deeply about something. He was fidgeting with his fingers absentmindedly. “He told me.. well, he said we were friends.”

Pantalone tilted his head to the side. “Having friends is a bad thing to you?”

“I… don’t know.”

Pantalone sighed. Maybe this was why Dottore clung to him so much. This was the only connection he allowed himself to have. “You shouldn’t shy away from making friends. If he’s willing to accept the fact that you know a vampire and is still talking to you afterwards, then you know he would be a loyal friend. It wouldn’t hurt to open up to someone other than myself.”

Dottore lifted his hand, brushing his fingertips over the bandages just slightly. “What if he sees the scar? Would he be afraid of me?”

“If he stopped being friends with you just because of a change in your appearance, he wouldn’t be a good friend to begin with, now would he?” Pantalone’s response didn’t seem to ease the man’s worries at all, he continued to stare down at his lap with a pensive look on his face. If he continued with that posture for any longer, he’d end up with horrible back pain.

“Sit up, will you? Look at me.” Dottore did as he was told, but his actions were painfully slow and reluctant. He never made eye contact with Pantalone however, instead staring at something behind him. Good enough. “If you’re so worried about others seeing your scar, then you should find a way to cover it instead.”

“Is that possible? It covers half my face.”

Pantalone took a moment to stare at the bandages. They covered his forehead and his left eye, but a bit of new scar tissue was poking out over the bridge of his nose. Pantalone resisted the urge to trace the indents with his fingers. “You know, veils are quite popular for women nowadays. I’m sure no one would bat an eye if you started wearing a half mask.”

In that moment it was as if life had returned to Dottore’s eyes. “Could you get a mask for me, then?”

Pantalone nodded. “Custom made, just for you.” A slight smile broke through in Dottore’s expression, and Pantalone wanted to punch himself for the warm sensation he felt welling in his chest. He stood up from his seat before he could do anything he’d regret. “Well now that you’re feeling better, could you please come back to bed?”

The roses in the dining room had finally wilted entirely. He knew it would happen but it hurt to watch them go. Once the petals were completely dry and crumbling and could no longer serve their purpose as decoration, Pantalone threw them out. For the rest of the day he was upset, more than usual. Those roses were initially meant to improve Pantalone’s mood, not worsen it. It seemed as if one day the roses arrived, and the next they were gone. If he keeps Dottore in the mansion he will have to witness as he withers away just as the roses did. His strength and body would slowly deteriorate while Pantalone selfishly remained young, surely only appearing as if he were a couple years older by the time Dottore would have passed. It felt as if a constant state of dread shrouded him now. It was no longer fear of what was to come, now only grief over a man who had yet to die.

Before Pantalone even knew it, yet another week had passed as if it was nothing. He’d begun to change Dottore’s bandages each day (only after insisting repeatedly) which allowed him to see the healing process over time. The two had come up with their own routine. Every morning, Pantalone would stay in the lab with Dottore and care for the wound for him. Some days they would share a small conversation, other times they would sit in silence until the process was done. Pantalone was unsure which he preferred more.

As time went on, he slowly came to a realization. His servant was supposed to take care of him. Since when had he started to do the same for Dottore? This was a horrible situation to be in. He had insisted on doing this job, he couldn’t just quit now. When would he fully be healed? The next feeding was coming up soon. Pantalone worried that if Dottore was still unable to leave the mansion by then, he would have no choice but to take his blood for the third time… Maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to get rid of Dottore and search for another servant. But not while Dottore was in so much pain. Pantalone couldn’t do that to him. He wasn’t heartless. Perhaps once he was well enough to return to work, it would be time to finally say goodbye.

He had found himself regretting his decision to show his hands to Dottore soon after that night. He hated it, he hated how much he knew. He was starting to think he should have left Dottore to stay on that couch, never showed his hands, never opened up about how much he despised his own biology. But keeping him close was causing more damage. Dottore was the only servant he could trust with secrets so personal, but Pantalone wasn’t sure if it was worth it for the mental exhaustion. After Dottore had returned to sleeping in the same bed, he continued to act clingy again as if nothing had happened at all. Pantalone was back to enduring countless instances of physical contact and uncomfortably close proximity each day. He wasn’t sure for how much longer he could keep up with all of this.

Dottore must have known something was wrong, because he would often try to comfort him during the slower hours of the day. However his form of “comfort” was just more physical contact. Dottore would always appear hurt as if the result wouldn’t be the exact same every time: Pantalone would pull away and find another room to stay in to be alone. Pantalone expected Dottore’s wound to be his main focus but he always seemed to put Pantalone’s wellbeing first. Lovely habit for a servant, horrible habit for a man who looked for any excuse to stay near Pantalone.

After a week Dottore’s wound had healed but he refused to take off the bandages until his mask was made. At least he allowed Pantalone to change them still, but he was starting to think maybe he just wanted Pantalone to give him attention. Thankfully it wasn’t long after Dottore was fully healed that the mask had been delivered to their door, courtesy of their mail boy. 

Dottore, being the painfully nosy man that he was, insisted that he would be the one to open the door. Neva handed them the mask in a beautifully untouched wooden box, and oddly enough, he didn’t seem surprised at all to see the two living together. Pantalone wondered if Dottore had told him anything before he moved in.

The mask was exactly as Pantalone had imagined. He had ordered the mask to be custom made by a good friend of his, using the suggestions Dottore gave him to create a fitting design. Perfectly sat in the center of the box was a sleek triangular mask, decorated with strikingly blue accents on the edges and in the center. The design altogether was bold, reflecting the arrogance and confidence of the man it was intended for. However he just couldn’t hold back from adding his own personal touch. The addition of a curve near the nose resembling a bird’s beak was a request Pantalone had secretly added into the design without Dottore’s knowledge. He was quite pleased to see that it tied the whole look together.

Dottore was more than happy to see how the mask turned out. He immediately took it from the box, inspected it closely, then began removing his bandages to try it on. It really did fit his face shape and accentuate his features, especially the “beak” which followed the curve of his hooked nose. Pantalone had to keep from staring as Dottore observed himself in the mirror. He shouldn’t allow himself to get used to the sight anyway.

Now that Dottore was healed and had his mask, it was the perfect time for Pantalone to begin preparations for getting Dottore out of the house. He’d collected the proper documents and all he needed to do now was sign them and send the man on his way. It was a difficult decision, but a necessary one.

Pantalone had just organized each paper in front of him when he heard a knock on his office door. At least he didn’t barge in this time.

“What is it, Dottore?” Pantalone hoped Dottore hadn’t heard the sigh and exhaustion in his voice.

“I have something for you,” spoke Dottore’s muffled voice on the other side of the door. He sounded excited, what a terrible sign.

Pantalone sighed to himself, resting his head in one hand. “Come in.”

Dottore entered the office, clearly holding something behind his back. No expression could be seen other than a subtle smile. It had only been a day since the mask had arrived but Pantalone was already starting to hate it. He couldn’t read Dottore’s expression anymore. It gave him less hints to whether his little teases got under his skin, and he seemed more confident altogether when he wore it. Pantalone missed his vulnerability whenever he showed his eyes.

Pantalone stared at the arm behind Dottore’s back. “What is it that you wanted to give me?”

His arm didn’t move, instead he took a step closer to the desk. “Nothing big, but I want you to see it. You deserve to have at least something for giving me this mask.”

Pantalone raised an eyebrow at him. “Well go on, show me.”

He expected a personal gift. Perhaps a new glasses case or a piece of jewelry. But his expectations only made him even more confused when Dottore revealed the gift. It was his own beloved journal, the same one he spent hours of his day writing and drawing in. The one that documented each of his carefully crafted experiments and theories. It was placed in Pantalone’s hand quite forcefully, maybe Dottore sensed that he was reluctant to take it.

“I.. I can’t accept this.” Pantalone started to give the journal back to Dottore once he removed his hand from it. “It’s too important to you. Won’t you miss it?”

Dottore pushed the journal back to Pantalone, his hand on top of the other’s. Pantalone glanced down at the papers in front of him. Don’t make this decision harder than it already is.

“At least keep it for a day,” Dottore told him. “I want you to carefully look through every page. I’m sure a few things in there will catch your eye.”

Now Pantalone was sitting alone, holding the well-loved notebook in his hands. Should he read it, or set it aside and focus on signing those documents? He stared at the papers laying patiently on the desk. Just a few more signatures and calculations, and Dottore would be out of his life entirely within a couple days at the most. It seemed almost too easy. Pantalone turned his attention back to the journal. If it really was going to be his last days seeing Dottore, he might as well see what was so important about this little thing. 

Pantalone set the journal down over the documents. He wondered why Dottore would give it to him, or why he thought a look inside was a fair exchange for the mask. It looked unassuming, a completely average leatherbound journal except for the horribly worn down cover to the point of nearly breaking at the spine and a faint but off-putting chemical scent. Was this his way of telling Pantalone he needed a new journal?

Again, nothing too out of the ordinary as he opened to the first page. It was messy, unorganized, the words written in near scribbles in varying colors of ink. Some notes were even in different languages which he couldn’t recognize. Dottore’s handwriting was horribly messy, even worse than in the letters he’d sent before. In the words Pantalone could manage to read, it all seemed to be either medical jargon or nonsensical theories about life. 

Pantalone flipped to the next page, and here laid a detailed hand drawn diagram of pieces of the human body. The realism was impressive. Assuming Dottore had drawn it all, he managed to capture anatomy not only accurately, but almost.. beautifully. The subtle shine on each organ and the care put into each stroke of the pen led Pantalone to believe this was how Dottore viewed the human body. Not as something to be disgusted by or avoided. Instead it was something to be studied and worshipped.

Pantalone flipped to the next pages, all containing the same unreadable scribbles about humanity and drawings so uncannily detailed that Pantalone half expected them to come to life. It was so odd, just a little object like this held so much personality in it. It was as if Pantalone was peering into the mind of Dottore himself, the chaos in his head being displayed so clearly on each page. Even though it was gifted to him, he couldn’t help but think he wasn’t supposed to be seeing such a thing. These notes, lists, observations, were all made for Dottore and no one else. 

Pantalone continued to flip through each page, looking carefully in each readable word for the ‘things’ Dottore had mentioned. But he didn’t need to look so closely as he’d thought, as he stopped at one page which held a cramped list of countless questions. The word ‘vampire’ could be seen all throughout these questions. On the other side of the page were a few messy sketches of Pantalone’s own face. He recognized this as the page he’d gotten a sneak peek of back when they were meeting on the benches every day. Oh, how that brought back memories. 

Now that Pantalone was familiar with Dottore’s art style, he wondered why the sketches of his face were so.. messy compared to the other drawings. Instead of slow and careful, now it seemed as if each stroke of the pen was rushed. Pantalone flipped to the next page where the list of questions continued, and he noticed there were more sketches of him in the margins, this time looking a bit more like finished drawings. He felt a bit flattered as he noticed the detail on his facial features, such as the subtle hint of mischief in his eyes or the pleased smile he always wore while out in public. 

When Pantalone flipped to the next page, he was surprised to see another type of drawing. This time it didn’t just feature Pantalone, but instead it was both him and Dottore together. It showed the two in close proximity, Dottore clearly leaning in for a kiss, and Pantalone’s expression implying he was about to return the gesture. The art style here reminded Pantalone of a fashion designer’s, quick and sketchy but straight to the point. It was so odd. The poses were so natural that it seemed as if it were referenced from a photograph, but Pantalone knew that was impossible. This had never happened between them before.  

The following drawings were all the same type, picturing the two in various scenarios that have never occurred between them. Whether they be cuddling, kissing, or simply having a conversation over tea. But what he couldn’t stop focusing on was his own expression in the drawings. In each one he was smiling, pleased, clearly just enjoying Dottore’s presence. It nearly broke his heart. After Pantalone had broken the news to Dottore that he only wanted him as a servant, he had not once given the man a genuine smile since. These drawings seemed as if they captured an alternate reality, where Pantalone had treated him better. Where he was able to love Dottore without any fear. 

It isn’t too late to make it a reality, spoke a voice deep in the back of Pantalone’s mind. It had caught him off guard, and he had to set the journal down to fully process the thought. No, it was impossible to become a reality. How could he even think such a thing? Despite what he said about humanity as a whole and how he viewed other people, Dottore was just another human at the end of the day. A human with a short lifespan. One that will be destined to expire, not much different than a loaf of bread. 

But what if he weren’t a human? Or what if Pantalone was no longer a vampire? Would he love Dottore then? Pantalone shook his head, reaching for the journal again just to close it and set it to the side. Hypotheticals would do him no good. He would never turn Dottore into a vampire along with him, he needed him to stay as a human servant. And he shouldn’t even entertain the idea of reverting back to a human. It was impossible, just a waste of time and energy thinking about such a silly thing.

The drawings must have been what Dottore had wanted him to see. But what was his goal with them? Did he want to convince Pantalone to love him back? Did he want to torture the man with ‘what if’s? Did he just want to get all of his feelings toward Pantalone off his chest without directly telling him? Pantalone held his head in his hands. Whatever the case was, he regretted opening the journal altogether. He was already cursed with Dottore’s constant presence, he didn’t need to be reminded of what could be.

Pantalone turned his attention back to the unsigned papers in an attempt to distract himself from spiraling. He thought maybe a few simple calculations would help, yet he couldn’t even focus on the numbers right in front of him. Numbers were supposed to be a comfort. There is nothing better than the consistency of numbers, where there will always be one correct answer. No confusion, no ambiguity. Just one single answer to each equation. But now he couldn’t even focus on the one thing that brought him that satisfaction. Thoughts about Dottore and the journal infiltrated his mind no matter what he tried to focus on, refusing to let him have one second of peace. If only he could just take a nap to give himself a break, but of fucking course that had to involve Dottore now too.

After struggling to focus on anything else for a while, Pantalone ultimately decided to leave his study and spend the evening where he knew Dottore wouldn’t find him. Out on his balcony, safely shielded from the setting sun by the shadow of the mansion itself. It was a small area, just barely enough space for a couple people. However it was just enough room for Pantalone to get some fresh air and try to take his mind off this growing issue. 

It was snowing again. Pantalone didn’t mind the cold though, he never seemed to feel too cold after becoming a vampire. He had changed into a dress that showed a considerable amount of skin before heading out, and he hadn’t even so much as shivered since. He watched as the snowflakes lazily fluttered down and onto his arm. None of them melted from the contact.

Pantalone took another sip from his wine glass. It was his favorite wine tonight. Dottore had made sure to keep bottles of it stocked in their kitchen, surely just to seek the man’s approval. 

He stayed out on the balcony for a long while, much longer than he’d initially anticipated. At least here, he was able to relax. Watching the gentle snowfall was all he needed to give him at least some peace of mind. The setting sun painted each individual snowflake a brilliant orange as they fluttered down, eventually blending into the powdery mix below or settling onto the statues scattered around his garden. Pantalone’s gaze locked on to one snowflake and attempted to track it, just to give himself something to focus on. Every time the thought of Dottore crept in, he would take another sip of wine. Eventually all he felt was numbness. 

His wine was already getting low. Pantalone was just about to head back inside to refill his glass, but he froze up when he heard the sound of the balcony door opening and shutting. How had he found Pantalone so quickly?

“Ah, there you are,” said that unmistakable voice. Out of the corner of his eye, Pantalone could see Dottore’s arms leaning on the railing right beside him. As always, he was just a little bit too close. “Admiring the snowfall?”

Pantalone couldn’t bear to look at him. It took all of his power not to sigh. “I am.” 

“It’s quite lovely tonight.” 

“It is.”

Surely both of them were aware that this small talk was useless. Dottore didn’t come out here just to talk about the snow. But before Pantalone could ask his true intentions, Dottore made them clear for him.

“Pantalone, are you alright? You’ve been so distant lately.” Dottore asked, while draping one arm around his waist. Through the open back of his dress, Pantalone could feel every crease in Dottore’s sleeve. It was uncomfortable, and unsettling.

Touch me one more time, I swear to the gods above. Pantalone pushed his arm off and took a step away. “I’m fine. You should head inside, it’s too cold for you out here.”

Dottore rested his hand on Pantalone’s shoulder instead. “Don’t lie, something is wrong. You’ve barely even talked to me today.”

Pantalone mentally groaned, resting his head on his hand instead of pushing Dottore away again. He was becoming tired of it all, his tense shoulders reflecting his desire to keep as much distance between them as possible. “I appreciate your concern but I assure you, I am alright.” The hand holding his wine glass tightened its grip, threatening to shiver again. His vision started to blur and he blinked away the tears before they could fall. “Wait for me inside, I won’t be much longer out here.”

Dottore slid his hand to Pantalone’s back. Perhaps he was trying to play chicken with how close he could get to a hug. “I’m not leaving until you tell me what’s bothering you, Lone. You said it wasn’t right to keep secrets between us.”

Pantalone took quiet, deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down, but his body wouldn’t stop quivering. His gaze never left the snow covered ground as he responded. “I won’t say it again, let go of me and head inside.” He hid his wine glass from Dottore so he wouldn’t be able to see the ripples in the liquid, formed by how much his hand was shaking. “I just need some alone time.”

Unfortunately, Dottore didn’t move from his spot at all. “No, what you need is someone to vent your thoughts to. You’ve been burdened by whatever this is for a while now, haven’t you?” Oh, if only he knew the extent of it. “No one else is out here, you can be truthful.”

Ah yes, just be truthful. Why didn’t he think of that? What a stupid idea. If Pantalone were to be truthful about any of this, he would never be able to turn back. His deepest fears, along with his most vulnerable side, would be known to Dottore. How could he rip himself away after exposing himself to the worst of temptations: comfort? If he were to be trapped in this comfortable embrace of trusting another completely, it would only spell the end for both of them. Pantalone would never be able to separate from Dottore, and eventually…

Before he could keep it from happening, the first tear had already escaped, forming a cold streak down the side of his face. Pantalone attempted to wipe it away discreetly and prayed Dottore hadn’t seen anything, but it was clear by his next words that it wasn’t the case. “Oh, honey..”

Please, not that tone. Dottore sounded almost pitiful. Pantalone turned away but a few more tears were already falling. Gods, he must have had too much to drink. He shouldn’t be wearing his emotions on his sleeve like this. His body shivered as he choked down a sob and attempted to speak. “Why won’t you just leave me alone..?” he muttered quietly. He hoped his voice wasn’t as shaky as it sounded in his own ears, though he was certain his desperation was clear.

“Come here, Lonnie.” Before he could even register what was happening, Dottore had already wrapped his arms around Pantalone and was holding him gently. Dottore’s body was still warm despite the temperature outside. He leaned into this warmth. It was like a source of comfort amidst the unforgiving cold of the winter air. Soon enough, he too had both arms around Dottore and was burying his face in the man’s shoulder. Pantalone held him tightly as he finally allowed the tears to flow.

Oh, how he missed this feeling. He used to be so vulnerable with Dottore, so willing to hold onto him or show his emotions that it had become second nature to him. And now while in the safety of Dottore’s arms, he was free to be himself again. No facade, no mask to hide behind. It felt so right, that Pantalone almost forgot why he didn’t give in to this sooner. 

Pantalone had been so abrasive in the past few weeks, so distant. Even just a few hours ago he would have banished Dottore from his bedroom if he had simply laid a finger on him one too many times. But this warmth.. Oh, he would risk everything for this warmth. Pantalone squeezed Dottore’s body tighter, afraid he might disappear if he didn’t hold on for dear life. 

Pantalone shouldn’t have denied himself this feeling for so long. Deep down he knew he wanted this affection. He wanted to be held, to be kissed, to be treated like valuable treasure or worshipped as a god. To be seen as anything other than just an inhuman vampire. Dottore had proven time and time again that he didn’t care about Pantalone’s flaws. He was persistent even when being told to his face that Pantalone did not love him. After everything, he still kept trying. 

Dottore was everything to him.

“Don’t let me go,” Pantalone whispered between sobs. He wasn’t even sure if his words were clear enough, but telling by how Dottore quietly shushed him and stroked the top of his head, at least he heard something. If Dottore was aiming to comfort Pantalone, he had the opposite effect. His actions only released another wave of tears. 

Pantalone was so horribly selfish for keeping his emotions a secret from Dottore. The man endured countless rejections, not even knowing that Pantalone already wanted the same thing he did. Dottore could live a long and healthy life with the one he loved, but Pantalone had come so close to keeping him from it entirely. He had broken Dottore’s heart just to protect himself from his own potential grief. What a fool he was.

But now, in Dottore’s warm embrace, it was impossible to turn back. The question still remained, what would he do after Dottore eventually died? He had found the perfect man, but their lifespans differed so greatly. Was finding him a blessing or a curse?

Pantalone sobbed so much it hurt. He didn’t stop until he physically couldn’t do it anymore, his sobs eventually dwindling into soft breaths and whimpers. His poor glasses were so stained with tears Pantalone could no longer see out of them. He rested his head on the chest of Dottore’s tear-soaked lab coat, still shuddering occasionally. Neither of them said a word. Pantalone needed this silence more than anything. 

Dottore continued to gently stroke Pantalone’s hair, a slow and constant action which allowed him to focus on the man’s warm embrace rather than his own doubts. He wasn’t sure how long he stayed there as he rested on Dottore’s chest. If Pantalone listened closely, he could hear the soft thump of his heart. Muffled by the many layers of clothing, but undoubtedly present.

After what seemed like hours, Pantalone had mostly recovered. His shuddering had eased and all that remained of his tears were dried remnants on his cheeks. Now he could speak without risking another wave of sobs.

“I’m tired of lying.”

Pantalone’s voice broke the silence like a knife. It was quiet, but amidst the silence it was just as clear. Dottore’s hand halted in place. “Hm?”

“I lie every day to protect myself. I can’t show my emotions or let anyone at all know that I am a vampire. I don’t even remember the last time I’ve been my true self around someone. You know me more than anyone else does.”

Pantalone hadn’t even realized that he was still holding his empty wine glass until Dottore gently pried it from his hand. Now he could hold onto the man freely, giving him a gentle squeeze to express his gratitude. Perhaps Dottore knew this is what he wanted. 

Pantalone continued, “You are the only one who has seen the scars on my hands. Not even my previous servants had the chance of seeing me at my most vulnerable. At first I thought you were going to be just like the others, but…” He sighed. “Telling you everything was such a relief. You don’t mind my flaws at all. In fact, I might even say you love my flaws. Instead of seeing me as a dangerous monster, you treat me like a human.” 

Pantalone pulled his head away from Dottore’s chest, finally glancing up at the man’s face for the first time that night. He expected to make eye contact, but was instead met with the dark, smooth surface of Dottore’s mask. Pantalone felt even more vulnerable this way, being the only one to show his face.

Dottore tilted his head, was he confused or simply analyzing him? It was hard to tell with his eyes covered. “What is it that you want to say, Lone?”

Pantalone took Dottore’s hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. With his free hand he lifted Dottore’s mask and rested it on his head. There were those striking red eyes again. “There is something that I still haven’t been fully honest with you about. But I promise, I’ll never keep any secrets from you again. You at least deserve that.” Pantalone took a deep breath. “You know I wasn’t interested in you when we first met. I only wanted to use you as a tool for my own personal gain. I pretended for as long as I could, but..” He hesitated. No, I can’t turn back. “Our first kiss. It made me realize I was no longer pretending at all. Every smile was genuine, and every word came from the heart.”

Now without Dottore’s mask, it was easier to see his expressions. The way he always stared at Pantalone felt no different than a researcher observing a new species. Every action, no matter how small, was truly fascinating to him and must be documented. His eyes displayed that same passion even now. He smiled as if he had just made the most groundbreaking discovery. “Ah, so you did have feelings for me after all.”

Pantalone nodded. “I did. Somehow your passion managed to bleed through the spell I had put you under, and I found it so fascinating. You really are cute when you start talking about what you love. I just.. I apologize for not telling you my feelings sooner.”

Dottore’s smile faded. “If you truly did start to develop feelings for me, then why did it sound like you were planning to leave me forever? And why keep your feelings a secret from me? You could have broken the spell, owned up to it, and continued our relationship. Your actions weren’t just fueled by guilt.”

Pantalone hesitated again. He slipped his hand out of Dottore’s, which caused him to look disappointed. “Part of it was guilt. I shouldn’t have manipulated you like that. But I was also afraid I would become too attached to you. If I stuck around, then I wouldn’t be able to ignore my feelings anymore. I know, it sounds contradictory, but you have to understand what I’ve been going through.” He rested one arm on the railing and his eyes drifted out towards the gentle snowfall. “You must remember that I am essentially immortal. My lifespan is so much longer than any human’s, and so is my perception of time. The time I spend with you feels much shorter than how you perceive it.” Pantalone’s voice had quieted significantly, as he was sure he would have revealed its shakiness had he spoken any louder. “Before I know it, you’ll be gone.”

Pantalone felt a deep sting in his chest, tears brimming his eyes once again. It was one thing to think about the concept, but another entirely to say it aloud. It was as if talking about it would bring the idea to actuality. He heard a quiet “oh” from Dottore. Was it out of pity for Pantalone or was he finally realizing his own mortality? 

Dottore brushed a few hairs away from Pantalone’s face as he continued to speak. “Because of this cursed immortality, I can’t form strong connections with anyone. If I become too attached, it will only hurt more once their life inevitably comes to an end.”

Pantalone hadn’t realized his body was trembling again until he reached up, catching a glimpse of his own shaking fingers before he held onto Dottore’s wrist. “I hate my immortality, Dottore. It has done nothing but ruin my life. If I wasn’t so afraid of losing you, I would have told you everything sooner. I didn’t want to hurt you. I tried so hard to push you away in the nicest ways possible. Ignoring you, breaking the spell and hoping you’d forget about me, and tonight I was so close to simply kicking you out of my mansion forever. But you had to be so painfully stubborn and make my decision even harder.”

His breath progressively became shakier. “But now that I can’t turn back, I don’t ever want you to leave. This is exactly what I was afraid of. I’m going to watch you die and there’s nothing I can do about it.” The second Pantalone closed his eyes, a tear rolled down his cheek. He heard an exhale come from Dottore as he opened his eyes again, his vision blurry with tears. “Promise you’ll stay, for as long as you can.”

Instead of a verbal response, Dottore closed the distance between them and pressed a kiss on Pantalone’s lips. Oh gods, if only he could stay like this forever. He whimpered softly as more tears fell from his cheeks. Pantalone was already familiar with the feel of Dottore’s lips. They had done this once before, but now it felt more like home than ever. So warm and familiar. Pantalone must savor this moment, appreciate every detail, lest he regret it once Dottore’s life comes to an end. He held onto Dottore as if his life depended on it. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like he was pulling away anytime soon either.

They moved their lips along with the other’s as if their minds were one. All the while Pantalone’s tears never seemed to stop, even though it felt as if he couldn’t cry anymore just a few minutes earlier. By the time Pantalone again felt drained of energy, he was sure he had dug holes into Dottore’s coat by how hard he was squeezing the man. 

Pantalone was the first to pull away from the kiss, breathing out a small exhale as he did so. Dottore’s thumb wiped away any tears that had remained in the corner of his eyes. 

“Feeling better now?” Dottore asked, still caressing Pantalone’s cheek. Perhaps he just liked the feel of his skin. Pantalone nodded as he rested his hand over Dottore’s. He was too tired to verbally respond. 

A few moments of silence passed before Dottore spoke up again. “I knew it all along.”

“Knew what?” Pantalone asked as he gently pried Dottore’s hand away from his face.

“Something felt off when you tried to push me away after your absence. I knew, at least deep down, that you truly did love me. You know, I tried so very hard to get you to admit it. I even got you to lay in bed with me every night and you still refused to say anything.” Dottore chuckled lightly to himself. “But now, I’ve finally gotten you to say those words I’ve been dying to hear for so long.”

“You..” His words trailed off. For the first time in a while, Pantalone was speechless. He wasn’t sure whether to be thankful or irritated. If Dottore hadn’t been so pushy in the first place, Pantalone would have never let his feelings be known. They would have sat and festered, becoming so unbearable that Pantalone would have shattered. That is, if Dottore wasn’t kicked out of the mansion by then. But even if it had helped, did Dottore really have to keep such an… evil plan to himself? He’d purposefully caused Pantalone so much distress in the past couple months, and now he was just supposed to accept it? 

Pantalone hadn’t realized a scowl had formed on his face until he began to speak. His lip twitched ever so slightly. “All this time you knew?”

“Of course I did,” Dottore said with a smile. “Did you think I hadn’t noticed when you would show affection towards me, only to push me away seconds later? Oh Lone, you’re so much easier to read than you think.”

Pantalone scoffed. “Do you know what I had to go through? Every day I debated if I should kick you out or stay silent until it broke me. You could have saved so much time if you had told me you already knew what I was feeling.”

Dottore shook his head, keeping that stupidly arrogant smile on his face. “You wouldn’t have admitted it, though. I needed you to come to that conclusion yourself. I only encouraged you to.”

“You manipulative asshole.”

“Isn’t the pot calling the kettle black? You hypnotized me just so you could get a servant.”

Pantalone stammered momentarily. “I.. You.. It was out of necessity!”

“I did it out of necessity too, you know.”

“If I didn’t get a servant I would have starved. But in your case, fucking a vampire is not a necessity. You would have survived if you’d kept your mouth shut.”

Dottore shrugged. “A romantic partner can greatly improve one’s mood and quality of life. I did both of us a service.” Upon noticing Pantalone still glaring at him, Dottore’s smile faded, replacing it with a disappointed expression. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. You’ve gotten what you wanted in the end, didn’t you? I’d say this was a positive outcome.”

Pantalone let out an irritated huff, attempting to piece words together to scold the man. But nothing came out, and all attempts ceased as he was brought into another warm embrace. By the gods, he was going to kill this man one day. “I hate you.” His words held no weight however, as his voice was quieter and he was already nuzzling into the man’s neck.

“No, you don’t, Lonnie. Relax, why don’t you.” Dottore whispered softly, his words accompanied by a kiss on the cheek. Pantalone did just that, essentially melting into the man’s arms as he was held. “I’ll find a compromise for us,” he continued. “With my studies progressing each day, it’s only a matter of time before I find a way to make myself immortal. Or, remove your vampirism entirely.”

Pantalone sighed, his eyes lazily studying the pattern on Dottore’s coat. “That’s.. quite an ambitious goal. If I had a choice however, I’d prefer to be reverted back to humanity. You already know my opinion on my own biology.”

“Hm, that would make my research on immortality much more difficult. I’d lose a vampire test subject, you know. What if you turned me into a vampire instead?”

Pantalone squeezed both of Dottore’s arms as he lifted his head to make direct eye contact with him. “I refuse to do that to you. I’ve already said this, but being a vampire is a curse. You don’t know what it’s like until you’re struggling as one yourself.”

Dottore stared at him, mouth half open as he tried to think of a solution. “If there was a way to turn you human and make me immortal instead, would you be okay with that?”

“No!” Pantalone stopped himself and breathed a sigh in an attempt to calm himself down. “You’d just be going through the same problem as I have. You wouldn’t want to watch me grow old and die while you stayed young and healthy forever, would you?”

There was a long pause between them, Dottore’s expression going through several phases of emotions before it settled on a disappointed frown. “Well, no…”

“Exactly.”

“What do you say we do, then?”

“We leave this conversation for later, when I’m not half drunk and have a clearer mind.” Pantalone rested his head on Dottore yet again. “Now isn’t the time to be thinking years into the future.” He closed his eyes, feeling as Dottore pulled his hair over one shoulder.

“Fine..”

As he rested his eyes for a moment, Pantalone noticed just how drained he was. He glanced out at the garden once more. Night had fallen before he even knew it. “I’m tired, we should probably head inside anyway. You’ve been out in the cold for far too long, you must be freezing,” Pantalone commented as he pulled away from the hug and began gently pushing Dottore back towards the door.

“If you’re tired, why don’t I run you a bath?” Dottore opened the balcony door, waiting for Pantalone to step inside first. “You’ll feel much better after you’ve had your tears properly cleaned from your face.”

Pantalone stepped back inside the mansion, but only after giving Dottore’s arm a playful flick. “If you wanted to see me naked, you could have just said so.” 

He was sure he left Dottore a sputtering mess, but he didn’t look back as he headed inside the bathroom and waited for Dottore to follow.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t long before Dottore joined him inside, rushing to prepare the bathtub. It seems even after the relationship between them had changed, Dottore was still eager and willing to please him. Perhaps he had stayed a mere servant for so long that it had become subconscious. Pantalone wasn’t complaining, however. He watched Dottore rush around while he stayed off to the side, still in his evening dress. Pantalone didn’t want to undress until Dottore had finished and had no choice but to give his undivided attention.

He took care of everything, from towels and soaps to even heating the water and stabilizing its temperature. It looked quite tiring. Only after Dottore had finished most of the preparation and just needed to correct the water’s temperature, Pantalone began to remove articles of clothing. He started with his rings. One by one, he laid them out on the sink in order of their placement on his fingers. Next were his gloves. It still felt odd removing them in front of someone else. The vulnerability was almost on the same level as being completely nude. He removed his glasses, and… Oh dear, he hadn’t realized how stained they were from tears until he took them off and looked at the lenses from a distance. 

Even with his back turned, he could tell Dottore was staring now. Why wouldn’t he be? Pantalone slipped one shoulder out of his sleeve, then the other. For a moment he hesitated, then turned his head ever so slightly in Dottore’s direction. “Dottore, could you unzip my dress for me? It’s a bit tight, I’m not sure I can do it on my own.”

“Didn’t you put it on by yourself, though?” Dottore muttered under his breath. But it wasn’t a no. Soon enough Pantalone could feel the zipper on the back of his dress being tugged at. 

How interesting it was that his actions felt so reluctant now. The hesitation to grab the zipper, the slow movement as it was pulled down, and the absence of another hand at all. At the very least, Pantalone expected his waist to be held, but it seemed all of Dottore’s confidence was gone within an instant. He never did well with being teased, did he?

After a little shrug to encourage it, the dress easily slid off Pantalone’s shoulders and fell onto the floor in a ring around his feet. “Ah, that’s better. Thank you.” He couldn’t remember the last time he’d undressed in front of someone else. It had been so long. But it did make his day to see Dottore’s reaction as he turned around. Even with his mask on it was clear that he was staring at Pantalone’s black floral lingerie.

He hadn’t planned for Dottore to see this. Pantalone had just changed into it to feel a bit more elegant. In fact, his entire collection of lingerie was never meant to be seen by anyone else. But judging by Dottore’s reaction, maybe Pantalone felt encouraged to dress up for him a little more. After all, this was one of his nicer pieces. Despite it being so revealing, it was the most comfortable set he had. The lace was designed in a way to look as if vines covered in roses crept along his body. It had everything to make a man’s imagination run wild: lacy stockings, high-waisted panties, and a bra which was thankfully made for smaller chests. Pantalone particularly enjoyed the openings on the sides of the panties that revealed his hips.

He gently took Dottore’s chin in one hand and lifted it. “Don’t get too distracted, you still need to fill the bath.” It was adorable how Dottore tried so hard not to look, but couldn’t fight the urge for long at all. The subtle tilt of his head down gave him away. Pantalone let go of his chin and turned him back around to face the tub, one hand over his abdomen. “Go on, now.” 

He could almost hear Dottore’s disappointment when he took a step back. But he did as he was told, going back to pouring buckets of warm water into the bathtub.

After Pantalone had confirmed the water was at the perfect temperature, he slipped out of his lingerie and stepped into the tub. He made it a point to be agonisingly slow with this last step, practically making a show out of it just for Dottore. He even handed the lingerie to Dottore once he was out of it. His silence was priceless. If only Pantalone could see the expression in those eyes.

Pantalone hadn’t realized he was still tense until he fully immersed himself in the water. His shoulders relaxed as he breathed a small sigh. Dottore was right, he did need this bath. It was as if the emotions he’d felt that night all dissolved into the water without a trace. All that remained was a tranquility unlike no other. The feeling was amplified once he washed his face of all the tear stains, replacing them with warm water and the scent of one of his favorite soaps.

Dottore insisted on staying in the room as Pantalone bathed. He didn’t mind, instead finding it amusing. Dottore was either looking for an excuse to see Pantalone naked, or an excuse to keep serving him even though he could bathe just fine on his own. Dottore even insisted on washing the rest of his body, which ended up backfiring on him once he needed to get past Pantalone’s hips. He tried to avoid the area at first but ended up becoming so flustered that Pantalone had to finish the job himself. What a shame that Dottore didn’t even watch this time.

Of course, Dottore insisted on washing Pantalone’s hair as well. It was quite relaxing and even intimate, how gently Dottore ran his hands through his hair and cradled his head to dip him into the water. His weight was supported entirely by Dottore. He trusted him. Pantalone was safe here, his guard fully lowered as his gradually relaxing muscles absorbed the warm water. After his hair was washed out for the final time, Dottore continued to brush out Pantalone’s hair with his fingers. Pantalone closed his eyes and leaned into his touch. 

They stayed like this for a couple moments more, until Pantalone rested a hand on Dottore’s wrist. “Why don’t you come in with me?”

Dottore’s hand stopped in place completely. “...What?”

He couldn’t keep a small chuckle from escaping his lips. “Come on, join me in the tub. The warm water will help you too.”

Dottore shook his head as he pulled his hand away. His voice became more unsteady, perhaps with a hint of panic. “I.. I shouldn’t. This bath is for you, not me.”

Pantalone rested an elbow on the edge of the tub. “But do you know what would make me upset?” He snuck his index finger under Dottore’s chin. Pantalone could feel as he swallowed anxiously. “If you left me alone in this water and didn’t enjoy it with me.” Pantalone gave him a fake frown. “I’d be so lonely.”

Dottore pushed Pantalone’s hand away. “Don’t..” He tried to hide his true emotions with a slight downturn of his lips, but the redness in his ears continued to betray him.

“Where did all your confidence go, hm? Yesterday you would have given up everything just to be near me.” Pantalone rested a hand over Dottore’s. “It’s not like you to deny such a generous offer.”

He paused to observe Dottore’s face, the man was so flustered now that he couldn’t even speak. Pantalone turned and pressed his back against the side of the tub, giving Dottore a sideways glance as he squeezed his hand. “It’s alright if you don’t want to. Unless.. you’re just too embarrassed to say something.”

Dottore didn’t respond for a few moments, before he slipped his hand away and stood up. “...Fine. All I ask is that you don’t watch me as I undress.”

Pantalone turned his head away with a smile. “Oh, I see. I have to earn that, don’t I?” He chuckled as he heard a quiet sigh from Dottore. After the sound of rustling clothes and a loosened belt, he stepped back into Pantalone’s line of vision fully nude. 

For a man who mostly sat in a lab all day, his body was surprisingly fit. Toned muscles, relatively broad shoulders, and a waist that made Pantalone admittedly a bit jealous. His body was covered in all different types of scars, from uneven burns similar to Pantalone’s own scars to perfectly straight lines which could have been from some type of self-operation. All his clothes and accessories had been removed, except for the mask still on his face. Maybe he was still too embarrassed to show his eyes just yet.

To Pantalone’s disappointment, Dottore settled on the opposite side of the tub. It seemed like he didn’t know how to sit. It took him a few tries to find a comfortable position, and even afterwards his fingers kept fidgeting underneath the water. Poor man, it must have been his first time showing his body to someone else like this. 

Pantalone moved closer to Dottore, sitting next to him, and pressed their bodies together. Dottore didn’t move at all as he wrapped one arm around that small waist of his. Pantalone placed soft, gentle kisses along his jawline, making a trail down his neck and to his chest. He swore he heard a sigh from Dottore, his chest raising and falling as well. It was a calm and relieved sigh, a positive sign that Dottore was becoming more comfortable in the water. Pantalone gave him a small squeeze before placing his ear over his heart. Dottore’s heart rate was above average again, but it was to be expected given their current situation. 

Pantalone closed his eyes and focused on the constant thump. It was the loudest he’d ever heard, as Dottore wore no shirt to muffle the sound. Pantalone could easily imagine the heart pumping blood through his body with the amount of detail he could hear.

Oh, how he wished he could have a pulse of his own again. But the lack of his own made Dottore’s heartbeat even more special. Despite his many comments that seemed to separate him from the rest of humanity, his heart was a constant reminder that he truly was no different from them after all.

Pantalone felt Dottore’s arms around him, keeping him secured and pressed against his body. His presence combined with the water created an all encompassing warmth, better than any blanket. Pantalone missed the times when they cuddled together. The comfort from another should never be taken for granted, especially in Pantalone’s unique situation. He wondered if later tonight, while the two laid in bed, Dottore would be the one who would have to pry Pantalone off him.

Pantalone slowly rubbed his thumb over Dottore’s skin, which was beginning to soften from the water. His eyes fluttered open and immediately he noticed something had changed. He glanced down, his eyes locking onto the prominent shape of an erection between Dottore’s legs. Pantalone couldn’t keep the sly smile from forming on his face.

“Aren’t you glad you joined me now?” Pantalone asked as he repositioned to get a better look at Dottore’s face. He always looked so adorable when he was flustered. A lovely shade of pink could be seen peeking out from underneath his mask, and he was frowning in a failed attempt to hide his obvious arousal.

Dottore closed his legs, pinning his erection between them. “This is quite a new experience for me, but.. I am enjoying your company.”

Pantalone gave his waist a comforting squeeze. “Of course. I can take good care of you, if you’d like.” He let go of Dottore’s waist, instead letting his fingertips follow down the trail of his pubic hair. He could feel Dottore's abdominal muscles tensing momentarily before they relaxed again. Pantalone’s hand stopped once his fingers dipped beneath the water’s surface. “May I?” he asked, looking towards Dottore for confirmation. He said nothing but gave a small nod instead. 

Soon he was spreading his legs and resting his knees on either side of the tub. Pantalone’s hand crept further down until his fingers wrapped around Dottore’s cock. He began slowly stroking with just his thumb. Nothing too intense yet. For now he just wanted to tease the man, or at least get him to full hardness before doing anything else. Occasionally Dottore made the quietest of grunts, as if making any other sound would be a blow to his pride.

Pantalone stared down at Dottore’s cock and focused on how it hardened in his hand. He wished he could press his lips on it, or run his tongue along its length. What a shame that the water was getting in the way. No matter, he still enjoyed how the sound of Dottore’s grunts slowly turned into whimpers as time went on, and the way his legs twitched any time Pantalone would give him a little squeeze. He never thought he’d ever turn this confident, ambitious man into a whimpering mess.

Pantalone watched as a small thread of precum leaked from the tip and drifted away into the water. Hm.. if they were to continue like this, they’d make the water dirty and ruin the purpose of a bath altogether. Pantalone soon shook off that thought, as he didn’t need to be perfectly clean after this. A proper bath should be the least of his priorities now. 

Pantalone gradually started to use more of his hand to stroke Dottore, and eventually he was making the full motion. Oh, he could keep going like this forever. Holding onto Dottore for warmth and listening to such lovely sounds from him that he thought he’d never hear. Though he very much could do this forever, it was clear that Dottore was growing impatient. Admittedly Pantalone was as well, and he didn’t just want Dottore to finish without having some fun of his own.

Pantalone slowed all motion in his wrist and pulled his hand away. Dottore looked almost offended until Pantalone repositioned on top of his lap, one leg on each side of his body and their cocks pressed together. Pantalone wasn’t nearly as hard as Dottore just yet, but he already knew he wouldn’t be able to compete in length. Oh well, some things just couldn’t be helped. Pantalone held onto Dottore’s shoulders to stabilize himself. Slowly but surely, he began moving his hips, creating friction between them. It was the right amount of stimulation for him, and he closed his eyes to focus on the sensation. 

He felt Dottore’s hands firmly hold his waist and move with him, as if to encourage him to keep going. “Could you go a little bit faster, or are you just planning to tease me the whole night?”

Pantalone opened his eyes, keeping eye contact with the mask the best he could. He let out a breathy chuckle. “Patience, Dottore. This is all just part of the fun. Besides, if I go any faster, we run the risk of splashing the water.”

Dottore frowned, but stayed silent. Pantalone took his hands off Dottore’s shoulders to place them on his cheeks moments later, his thumbs sneaking under the mask. He brought their faces close, just as he had done multiple times before. Although Dottore should have gotten used to this by now, he still couldn’t stop the blood from rushing to his cheeks. The noticeable temperature change caused Pantalone’s next words to be whispered with the hint of a smile.

“You’re so cute. I love you.”

Without skipping a beat, Pantalone closed the distance between them and pressed a kiss on Dottore’s lips. It wasn’t for as long as he wanted, however. Perhaps there was just one flaw with the beak on his mask. It gave Pantalone quite an uncomfortable poke as he kissed the man. Pantalone pulled away with a sigh before lifting up the mask, resting it on the top of Dottore’s head. Without a word between them, they resumed the kiss as if nothing happened.

The two held each other tightly, neither of them seemed to want the other to pull away just yet. But while Pantalone’s hold was gentle, Dottore’s grip on him increasingly became stronger. He started to bite Pantalone’s lips as well, starting off gently but quickly turning into harsh bites that drew blood. Gods, his teeth were so sharp. His kissing became more forceful until he was damn near devouring the man. Pantalone made a small squeak, but to his own surprise, he only grew harder and allowed Dottore to hold him so tightly. He even sped up the movement of his hips to keep up with how he was feeling. They were so close now that their cocks were pinned between their bodies.

It was only after Dottore had pulled away that he returned to the slow pace that he was at before. The two stared at each other while Pantalone licked his bloodied lower lip. “Sorry,” Dottore whispered, “I might have gotten a little ahead of myself.”

“It’s quite alright. I enjoyed it anyway.” Pantalone placed a small, gentle peck on the tip of Dottore’s nose. “I think I’m ready, what about you?”

Dottore glanced down at where their hips were pressed together. “Yes, I’ve been teased for far too long.”

Pantalone chuckled. “It isn’t my fault your little whimpers are adorable.” Dottore scowled, and Pantalone continued before he could say anything. “Oh relax, we’ll get to it. This is your first time, isn’t it?”

“Correct.”

“Then it would be best if I received.”

Dottore scoffed. “You say that as if I could ever.”

“We’ll get to that someday. For now, give me your hand.” 

After a hesitant look, Dottore offered one hand to Pantalone. He took it gently and raised it up to his lips, where he took the extra time and care to kiss each knuckle. Dottore’s hand was rough. Uneven scars from self-experimentation were littered across the skin, creating an interesting feel against Pantalone’s lips. It was so much better compared to his own hands. Or perhaps he just missed the feel of someone else’s hands so much that anything felt refreshing. 

Pantalone isolated Dottore’s middle and ring finger from the rest before he began to suck on both fingertips, all while maintaining eye contact. Surely by now Dottore understood what was happening. Pantalone dragged his tongue along his fingertips, slowly pushing more of Dottore’s fingers into his mouth. Dottore didn’t pull away or contribute, instead closely observing Pantalone’s face as he usually did. 

A devilish idea made its way into Pantalone’s head and he had to keep himself from smirking. He closed his eyes and made a low moan as he continued to wet Dottore’s fingers. He could tell it already got to him by the way his hand twitched ever so slightly. He continued with this act as he gradually pushed Dottore’s fingers into his mouth, passionately sucking the entire time. Pantalone’s fangs would graze his fingers if he was lucky. He even dragged his tongue between the two fingers occasionally, all while quietly moaning just to get under Dottore’s skin. Every time he opened his eyes, Dottore looked more and more flustered. It wasn’t until Pantalone started to press his hips further into Dottore that he finally spoke up.

“Pantalone…” It was supposed to be a scolding, but Dottore was so flustered that the effect was practically nonexistent. Pantalone still eased up however, releasing Dottore’s fingers from his mouth with an audible smack. It seemed even that was enough for Dottore to break eye contact.

Pantalone licked his lips before he spoke. “Yes yes. We’re getting there, darling.” He lifted his hips above the water as he guided Dottore’s hand down behind him. His hole twitched as he felt Dottore’s fingers make contact with it. “Just follow my instructions, okay?” Dottore nodded and Pantalone let him go, instead wrapping his arms loosely around his neck. He spoke softly into Dottore’s ear. “Good. Now start by tracing gentle circles around it. You don’t want to force your fingers in, just slowly tease your way in. It should feel natural.”

Almost immediately, Dottore’s fingertips began slowly tracing circles around the rim just as Pantalone had instructed. “Good, good.” Pantalone closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of Dottore’s fingers slowly working their way in. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d trusted someone else with his body like this. Pantalone never really liked it when others took control, but here, he still had some sense of control over Dottore. He was the one instructing him on what to do, and giving words of praise whenever Dottore did something right. 

Gradually Dottore was able to stretch out his insides, and Pantalone continued to give him instruction or praise in between quiet moans. He was surprised by how gentle Dottore was being. He didn’t expect someone with such strong hands (and little patience) to follow his directions exactly. Perhaps he was just looking to please Pantalone, or maybe his hands were naturally more stable than he thought. 

Pantalone’s thoughts were interrupted by a sudden jolt of pain. He yelped and squeezed Dottore tighter. He had shoved his fingers the entire way in without warning. “Dottore…” Pantalone muttered through gritted teeth. “I wasn’t prepared for that.”

Dottore started the movement in his wrist again, allowing the pain to turn back into pleasure. He had to keep from pushing himself back down onto Dottore’s fingers. “Sorry. I just wanted to hear more from you.”

Pantalone’s tight grip on Dottore slowly eased up, returning to how he was before. “You aren’t sorry.”

“I am not.”

By now Pantalone felt he was fully prepared. Dottore was just slowly moving his fingers in and out at this point. It felt lovely, but he knew it would only get better once they moved on. He somewhat regretted not teaching Dottore to curl his fingers in the right angle, but he knew if he did, he’d never want him to stop.

“Mm, okay. Remove your fingers, slowly.” Pantalone sat up once Dottore pulled his fingers out. He reached down behind him to hold Dottore’s cock as he lowered his hips back into the water. He stopped once he felt the tip press into him. Pantalone’s eyes locked with Dottore’s. “Ready?” He nodded, and Pantalone took a few deep breaths before lowering his hips further and pushing Dottore inside.

Immediately Pantalone closed his eyes, letting out a whimper as he dealt with the pain. It seemed he misjudged just how much his body was no longer used to this. He could feel Dottore squeezing his waist, which ended up being an effective distraction. Pantalone’s hips stalled for only a second before he settled on a slow pace, breathing little pants every time he went down. It was a new experience, doing this in water. His movements felt slower and there were no sheets to hold onto. Thankfully he wasn’t planning on doing anything serious this first round. Eventually the pain dissipated and he was able to open his eyes.

But the second he did, he was surprised to see Dottore in the act of leaning forward and burying his face into Pantalone’s chest. He swore he heard a muffled whine come from the man. Pantalone sighed and removed the mask from the top of Dottore’s head to avoid getting poked by its sharp corners. “Dottore honey… You’ve really got to stop wearing this when we’re alone together.” He set the mask on the edge of the tub before resting a hand on Dottore’s head, holding him securely in place against his chest.

Pantalone took more and more of Dottore into him each time he lowered his hips. He knew it would feel odd with how much their body temperatures differed, but it was also strangely comforting. The way Dottore’s warm cock filled his insides made him feel right at home. He never knew how much he sought warmth until Dottore came into his life, and now he wished it would stay this way forever.

Dottore pulled his head away from Pantalone’s chest, and he noticed something strange on his face. A closer look confirmed it was tear streaks, yet Dottore’s expression hadn’t changed from how it was before. “Oh.. my love, are you alright? Should I stop?” Pantalone asked as he cradled Dottore’s face in his hands.

Dottore’s eyes widened slightly as he squeezed Pantalone’s waist. “No, don’t. Please.” He wondered if Dottore was planning on shoving his hips down at any point. If he did, he’d better be prepared for the consequences. Dottore lowered his voice as he broke eye contact, instead staring somewhere at Pantalone’s chest. “I’m just.. glad to be here with you.”

Pantalone let out a breathy chuckle. “Ha, likewise.” His thumbs wiped the tears from the corner of Dottore’s eyes before he leaned in for another kiss. This time it was slower and more sensual. Pantalone had time to explore Dottore’s mouth, his tongue slowly creeping in to tangle with the other’s. He almost smiled at how quickly Dottore’s tongue went to his fangs. Pantalone loosely wrapped his arms around Dottore’s neck as the other man started to make his enjoyment more vocal, and… Oh my, Dottore was moaning. They were little moans muffled by the kiss, but there nonetheless. Gods, this man was adorable. Pantalone felt as his waist was squeezed again, this time with a firmer grip. Dottore moaned louder into the kiss, and it wasn’t until his insides were filled with a familiar heat that he knew what happened. 

Pantalone slowed his hips gradually as he retracted his tongue from Dottore’s mouth, instead giving gentle pecks to the quivering man beneath him. Pantalone stayed sitting on Dottore’s lap with his softening cock still deep inside, as he wanted to savor this lovely feeling of being full for as long as possible.

“Sorry, I’m sorry. It was too early,” Dottore whispered.

Pantalone shook his head. “You’re okay, darling. I did tease you quite a bit before you got to do anything.”

Dottore glanced down at Pantalone’s neglected and still achingly hard cock. He frowned. “You didn’t even get to finish.”

Pantalone lifted Dottore’s head by holding his chin. “Hey, it’s alright. I still enjoyed every second.” He paused for a moment to think. “How about we move this to the bed? I’m sure we’ll be more comfortable there. I’ll even let you take over, that way you can go at your own pace.”

Dottore nodded, quite eagerly. “Oh yes, I would love that.”

Pantalone finally lifted himself off Dottore’s lap, sighing as he slipped out so easily. He couldn’t help but frown as he watched Dottore’s spend drip out of him and into the water, dissipating into a cloudy white. Even after reminding himself that a perfectly clean bath was impossible now, it still felt wrong looking at such dirty water.

Just as Pantalone was about to ask Dottore if he was ready, he was scooped into the man’s arms as he stood up. Pantalone felt a bit humbled by how easily he was able to be carried. Pantalone cuddled against his lover as he was carried bridal style into the dim bedroom, their bodies still dripping with water.

Pantalone was placed onto the bed and Dottore joined him moments later. This environment felt more appropriate for sexual activity. It was definitely a stark change from the lighting in the bathroom; here, only a small candle by the bedside chased away the darkness of night. They were surrounded by dark fabrics and hints of glimmering gold, and the thin veil over the bed added an extra layer of protection, further isolating the couple from the rest of the world.

The two sat on their knees facing each other, and not a word was spoken between them as Pantalone placed a small kiss on Dottore’s lips. Then he travelled along his jaw, giving kisses along the way. The kisses were soft and sweet, each placed with care. Slowly Pantalone made his way down his neck, collarbone, sternum. Whether it be jagged scars or bones showing through skin, each part of his body was appreciated and loved equally. Dottore was dead silent, accepting each kiss without protest. Though every time Pantalone glanced up at him, his eyes pleaded for more. 

Pantalone didn’t stop until his lips met the base of Dottore’s cock. He lifted it using a few fingers, making sure to be slow and delicate. Pantalone noticed he was only half erect. Dottore’s hand rested on Pantalone’s head as the next kiss was placed, very slowly, on the tip of his cock. A small sigh was heard from Dottore as Pantalone wrapped his lips around the tip, his tongue swiping over it as well. The motion encouraged a bit of precum to trickle out. Pantalone made a show of licking it up and swallowing it, even keeping eye contact with Dottore as he did so.

It wasn’t long before the gorgeous rosy color returned to Dottore’s cheeks. His cock began to harden as Pantalone dragged his tongue along his entire length, oh so painfully slowly. Just like before, every action was meant to get under Dottore’s skin and tease him until he broke. Pantalone arched his back as he pushed his head down, taking more and more into his mouth. How kind it was of Dottore to hold his hair back as he did so. It was a small victory once the sound of Dottore’s quiet whimpers filled the room. 

Pantalone’s own poor neglected cock had begun to leak onto the sheets below him, as if it were weeping a desperate cry for release. But Pantalone ignored it, his main focus being how long Dottore could hold out until..

“Pantalone.. I thought you said.. mmh… I’d be the one taking over,” Dottore muttered between moans.

Pantalone slowed his head movement, taking his sweet time pulling away and releasing Dottore’s cock from his mouth. A thin line of saliva, still connected from his lips to the head, snapped once Pantalone was far enough away. Dottore looked upset, most likely from the fact that Pantalone had stopped so early. His hands gravitated to Pantalone’s waist as if he were worried he’d back away further. Pantalone licked his lips before he spoke. 

“Yes, you will be. I just wanted to get you fully prepared before we started again.” Pantalone glanced down at Dottore’s cock, now much harder and dripping with both his own precum and Pantalone’s saliva. He certainly looked ready.

“Hm.. turn around.”

Pantalone hesitated, it felt so odd hearing a command from his servant’s mouth instead. Even odder while he did as he was told with no protest. After all, he’d promised this for Dottore. Almost the second his back faced Dottore though, he was grabbed and pressed tightly into the man’s chest. His hands were firm on Pantalone’s chest and stomach, and his wet cock was pinned between them. Pantalone let out a shaky breath as Dottore pressed his lips on his freezing neck, his teeth occasionally nipping at the skin. 

“You’re so goddamn beautiful,” Dottore muttered. He kissed his neck and jaw just as Pantalone had done, with the same amount of passion and genuine love for his body. But they held a hint of possessiveness, as if to prove Pantalone was his. And he allowed it. 

He basked in the attention, not even seeming to care as Dottore began leaning forward until Pantalone had to support himself with his arms outstretched beneath him. Only a small hum came from him when Dottore’s hand snuck between them and his fingers prodded at his hole again, slipping inside much easier than last time. Gods, when was the last time he’d been completely vulnerable? Had he ever been this vulnerable at all?

Pantalone felt the wet head of Dottore’s cock press into him as his hand sank into the mattress right beside Pantalone’s own hand. He attempted to take a breath to prepare, but Dottore had other plans. He shoved himself inside with no warning at all. Pantalone’s moan was practically pushed out of him, so uncontrolled. He wasn’t sure if it was just the surprise that made him feel so big or if Dottore had used almost his entire length with only the first thrust. 

Pantalone grabbed Dottore’s hand and squeezed tightly, desperate to hold on to something to distract himself from the pain. He didn’t complain or scold Dottore for his impatience. Instead he closed his eyes and moaned softly once Dottore had started to move his hips. “Mh, Dottore..”

Dottore’s thrusts turned forceful but slow, the same as the hand over Pantalone’s throat or the kisses placed on his back. It was as if every action was a silent reminder telling him, “You are mine.” How interesting, Dottore was only a servant three hours ago, and was now treating Pantalone as if the roles were reversed. His life would not end if his throat were to be crushed, yet he still trusted Dottore with his body as if it truly did mean life or death.

It was oddly comforting, to be fucked like this. To be held firmly but not painfully, as if Dottore were protecting a precious treasure. After all he could still be injured, still feel pain. Vampires would never be held with such care. But of course, Dottore didn’t view or treat him as an untouchable vampire, but instead as an equal. A human. His stomach fluttered at the realization.

“I love you,” Dottore uttered with his mouth still pressed into skin. The words were so quiet they were almost lost behind Pantalone’s breaths and moans. But he heard them. Servant or master, human or vampire, those titles meant nothing now. They were nothing but lovers, alone in each other’s presence.

Dottore had eventually pushed himself as deep as possible with each thrust. Their hips slowly pressed together each time, as if meeting for a sweet kiss. Pantalone shivered, the familiar feeling in his stomach growing more apparent over time. Yes, just a little more..

Dottore’s kisses moved back to Pantalone’s jaw. The hand that was on his throat instead pulled on his hair, angling his neck to bring him into a kiss. It didn’t last long at all however, as Dottore pulled away with a grunt. 

“This isn’t how I want to kiss you.” Dottore sighed and let go of Pantalone’s hair. His thrusts stopped completely and he pulled out without so much as a warning, leaving Pantalone to whimper pathetically as a way to cope with his release being rudely taken from him. Grabbing the sheets, he buried his face in one of his many pillows and his hole clenched around nothing as if begging to be filled again. 

He heard Dottore chuckling from behind him. “Lay on your back and we’ll continue as if nothing happened.”

Pantalone didn’t move, only shuddering as he debated between either snapping at Dottore or simply finishing by himself. “Asshole..” he muttered.

He was shushed as Dottore pried him from the pillow and turned him onto his back. Pantalone showed no resistance, even allowing Dottore to lift his legs gently. He wrapped his legs around Dottore’s waist, and his arms around his neck. He’d never been truly afraid of Dottore, but he certainly appeared more imposing as a dark shadow above him.

Dottore leaned down for a kiss, a deep passionate kiss this time. Staying true to his word, Dottore’s cock soon slid back inside as if it never left. There was no pain, only relief as Pantalone was reunited with the stimulation he had just been torn away from. His excitement returned much quicker now, practically flooding through his entire body. He moaned into the kiss, squeezing Dottore tightly to ensure he didn’t pull away until he was completely satisfied. 

He liked this, being able to see Dottore’s face as they kissed and made love. Here, he could see Dottore’s expression up close. He could truly appreciate Dottore’s new scars. After a while his own eyes fluttered shut to focus on how Dottore’s warm tongue explored Pantalone’s mouth, and how his cock carved deeper into his body with each thrust. Eventually Pantalone’s arms relaxed and allowed Dottore to lift his head. 

He knew he wouldn’t last much longer. Dottore seemed fine, but there was only so much Pantalone could do to keep himself from finishing. There was one thing he’d wanted to save until the very end, however. Pantalone brought his lips close to Dottore’s neck, dragging his fangs along the skin. He was pleased to hear a shaky breath so close to his ear, and he wondered if Dottore was aware that he’d picked up the pace of his thrusts.

Without another word, Pantalone bit down hard on his partner’s neck. Dottore grunted and squeezed him tightly. As the sickeningly sweet blood filled his mouth, the rest of his body was filled with immense pleasure. Pantalone groaned and closed his eyes. Gods, it was a thousand times better than he’d expected. His body shivered and caused him to bite down harder as he finally came, the cold liquid spilling onto his own stomach. Dottore’s thrusts became even quicker, bringing Pantalone near the point of overstimulation, until they finally stopped as Dottore pumped hot semen deep into Pantalone’s body. 

Pantalone breathed heavily through his nose as he swallowed a mouthful of blood. But one mouthful became two, then three. Was his blood really this sweet before? He forced himself to pull away and licked the wound before he could drain Dottore of even more energy. The faintest whimper from the man led Pantalone to believe he was upset that he hadn’t taken more. Dottore pulled out and collapsed onto him with a large sigh, pressing their bodies together. Pantalone could feel the cold liquid of his own release trapped between them. He was such a mess.

The two laid still, holding tightly onto each other. Dottore rested his head on Pantalone’s chest while Pantalone rubbed Dottore’s head. It was peaceful, the only noise in the room being the couple catching their breaths. Dottore occasionally placed kisses on Pantalone’s skin, but they gradually became less frequent as his breathing and heart rate slowed. 

Pantalone could still taste Dottore’s blood on his tongue. Judging by how it had become so sweet it was addicting, it was safe to assume that he’d become reliant on Dottore’s blood entirely. This was something Pantalone had previously feared, but now all he worried about was Dottore hearing the news and becoming addicted to having his own blood taken. He was certainly an odd one for enjoying such a thing.

Pantalone glanced down at Dottore. He had his eyes closed while Pantalone continued to stroke his hair. He wondered if he was going to fall asleep like this. “If you can..” Pantalone started, breaking the silence and causing Dottore to lift his head to look at him. “Would you grab a cloth and help clean me up before we rest for the night?” 

Dottore agreed, of course. Always so eager to please. He got off the bed and left the room, but not before giving Pantalone another kiss. It wasn’t long until he returned, carrying fresh water, a robe, and a cloth. He allowed Pantalone to drink as he wiped his stomach and between his legs. Again, he took note of how gentle Dottore was with him. He jokingly suggested that Dottore should change his profession to becoming a doctor because of his steady hands, which earned Pantalone a scowl. 

Pantalone began to mention that the sheets needed to be changed before they laid together, but Dottore was already draping the robe over his shoulders and shushing him halfway through his sentence. It was a soft robe made of deep purple silk and lined with fur, one that Pantalone preferred to wear when he was feeling particularly indulgent. How fitting for tonight. Dottore seemed quite adamant on keeping things the way they were, so Pantalone didn’t push further about changing the sheets. Instead he laid back down and attempted to avoid the spots he guessed had gotten dirty.

Dottore joined him back in bed once he made sure Pantalone was comfortable. He’d decided not to change into anything, just leaving his body bare. Pantalone didn’t mind. In fact, he appreciated it. Direct contact with Dottore’s body felt more intimate. Dottore held Pantalone exactly how they usually did when they laid in bed together. On his side, nearly squeezing the life out of Pantalone. But instead of turning his back to Dottore, Pantalone faced the man, their noses not even an inch apart and staring into each other’s eyes. He even draped his robe over Dottore to keep him close and trap in his warmth.

His fingers traced Dottore’s scars, appreciating how much they added to his appearance. They gave him more texture, personality, they were unique just like him. Pantalone preferred his scars over how he used to look. Such a shame Dottore couldn’t see it for himself.

“I thought you didn’t like taking blood directly from the neck,” said Dottore, breaking the brief silence between them.

“I still don’t, at least not from others..” Pantalone’s thumb slowly rubbed over the still swollen bite on his lover’s skin. “I only did it to get you to finish at the same time as me.”

Dottore’s hand covered Pantalone’s, trapping it in place against his neck. “Not from others.. so I’m an exception?”

Pantalone sighed and closed his eyes momentarily. “...Yours tastes very sweet.” Even without looking at Dottore, he knew he was beginning to smile. “Just try to actually cover the mark this time. You’ll be heading back into work soon, you wouldn’t want anyone else to see.”

“Oh, I will. Trust me, I’ve learned my lesson.” 

The couple continued to talk, the silence between topics growing longer and longer. Their focus slowly shifted from the conversation to silently enjoying the other’s company. What a lovely night this was. Perhaps they could lay and talk like this every night from now on.

Dottore gave Pantalone one last kiss for the night, his lips remaining gently pressed on the other’s for a long moment before he relaxed into the pillow entirely. “Goodnight, Lone.” 

“Goodnight, Dottore.” Pantalone pulled himself closer to Dottore until their foreheads touched and their bodies were pressed together as much as possible. He closed his eyes and sighed, feeling as his tiredness finally caught up to him.

For the first time in months, Pantalone felt relaxed enough to try and sleep before Dottore did. For the first time in years, he felt truly at peace. For the first time in decades, he allowed himself to get rid of his facade entirely and be honest. Both with himself, and the man he’d accidentally fallen in love with. He didn’t think about Dottore’s mortality even once as he drifted off into sleep. Perhaps it was worth it to invest in temporary comforts. After all, that was what made them so special to begin with.