The Guide To Being A Vampire [BL]

Explaining to Kath why Silas was sticking around was easier than I thought it would be. She gave him one good look, a small grin tugging at her lips, before glancing at me. There was something in her expression—like she had come to some realization—before shaking Silas's hand, as if she hadn't been completely smitten with him just yesterday.

Had she already moved on from her crush? Seriously…

"It's nice that you listened to me after all," Kath nudged me knowingly with her elbow, her grin widening as I rolled my eyes. Silas turned to me with a small, charming smile.

"Yesterday, I was so lost. Thankfully, Seb here helped me out!" he said, flashing a dashing grin.

What a graceful liar. Turns out I'm not the only one who can lie so shamelessly to someone's face.

Beside me, Kath clapped her hands and let out a delighted cheer. "Aw! That's so adorable. Sebastian's always been so soft-hearted." She rubbed my shoulder, grinning at Silas, who nodded in agreement.

Oh, for crying out loud. These two should sit together and leave me out of this.

The next few minutes were just them chatting while I sat awkwardly between them. Eventually, Kath was called away by her friends from another table—the book club, I think. I didn't bother learning their names.

"She's fun to talk to," Silas said after Kath left, popping a cookie into his mouth.

I shrugged. "She is. But I don't appreciate you lying to her face so shamelessly," I said, half-heartedly jabbing at him.

Hypocritical of me? Sure. I lie too. But I wouldn't lie about something as simple as how we met. If it's a life-or-death situation, fine—I'll do it. But otherwise? No way.

Silas just gave me a toothy grin. "A hypocrite at heart, eh?" He waved another cookie in my face before taking a bite.

That annoyed me just enough to make me slump over the table, arms crossed. It was already time for my five-minute nap anyway. Considering I don't bother drinking blood—animal or human—sleep is my only salvation from going blood-crazy.

Apparently, Silas didn't know that yet. He blinked at me, puzzled, as I rested my head on my arms. "What are you doing? Surely you know vampires don't need to sleep," he said, pointing at me.

I stared up at him, yawning right in his face. "I know," I said, then closed my eyes, offering no further explanation.

I expected him to just keep eating his lunch during the last fifteen minutes of our break. But instead, I felt him poking my cheek.

"What now?" I muttered, glaring up at him.

"Why are you willingly sleeping?" he asked, tilting his head. The genuine confusion on his face might have been cute if we weren't talking about me being a vampire.

I sighed, groaning. "If you haven't figured it out yet, then maybe you should think about why there aren't any deaths in this place. I don't drink blood—from humans or animals. I sleep instead."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Sleep? Wait—you don't drink blood?" His voice rose just enough to draw attention, so I straightened up, shooting him a glare. Silas clamped his hands over his mouth, eyes wide.

"Oops," he mumbled, utterly unapologetic.

What an annoying bastard. An annoyingly handsome bastard who needed to get knocked down a peg.

"I don't," I said, crossing my arms. "Call me weird, but ever since I was turned, I've found that sleeping helps me stop craving blood. It works, but it means I have to do it constantly."

Silas frowned, clearly confused. Maybe other vampires weren't like me. That was a bummer.

"I've never heard of that," he said, his voice quieter now. "A vampire always needs to drink blood. No amount of sleep can stop that."

I shrugged. "It works for me. But the smell of blood still makes me hungry, so I avoid the school clinic or butcher shops."

I shivered at the memory of the last time I went to the clinic. Some girl—a year above me—had scraped her knee during PE. I'd spent the entire time fighting the urge to attack her, my canines extending and my nails piercing the clinic bed's fabric.

Silas studied me, his expression unreadable. "I see. You're still a vampire, though—a vampire with remarkable self-control and a penchant for sleeping."

His voice was light, but his eyes were stormy, deep in thought.

Maybe I've become one of the puzzles he wants to solve.

—

It was around 3:30 PM, and school had finally ended. Kath didn't walk home with me today. In fact, she suggested I walk with Silas instead. Which was weird, considering I didn't even know where he lived or if we'd be heading in the same direction.

Kath was acting strange. She had that mischievous smile on her face when Silas walked up to us, his bag slung over his shoulder. I was busy packing my notebook into my backpack when I noticed her throw an arm around one of her friends in the corner of the room. Then she turned to me, winked, and stuck her tongue out.

"What?" I mumbled under my breath, confused. When I glanced at Silas, he was raising an eyebrow at me.

"Kath is nice," he said with that annoyingly innocent smile of his—the kind that screams, I'm a good boy, but you just know there's something else going on.

"Really…" I muttered, slinging my backpack over one shoulder as we walked out of the classroom together. A few students in the hallway stared at us as we passed. Some were ogling Silas, while others were shooting me dirty looks.

It must have been weird for them, seeing someone like Silas hanging out with me, the school's resident loser. The guy with a skin condition that everyone assumed had a 50/50 chance of being contagious.

Idiots. All of them. I swear.

"So, where do you live?" I asked as we stepped through the school gates. I turned to look at him, genuinely curious. Did he live in some mansion or castle? Surely being a High-Class Mage came with money to spare.

"Oh! Just around the corner," Silas said brightly. "It's just me and my…uh…friend living in the house." Before I could say anything, he grabbed my arm and tugged me in the opposite direction of my home.

Great. So we weren't even heading the same way. And, wait—when I asked him where he lived, I didn't mean I wanted him to take me there!

My internal panic must not have been obvious because Silas looked as excited as ever while I followed him. This guy…I swear…

The street he led me down was unfamiliar. I never really ventured out much. Between my aversion to sunlight and my tendency to spend my nights either gaming or sleeping, I didn't exactly explore the neighborhood.

"This is your house?" I asked, stopping in front of a tall black gate. It looked imposing, with spikes at the top that practically screamed don't even think about jumping over me. Behind it stood a massive house. It was old—ancient, even—but meticulously well-kept. It looked like something straight out of a horror movie.

Except this one was…medieval?

Last time I checked, there weren't any houses like this around here. Everything in this area was modern. Was this some kind of magic trick? I hadn't seen Silas use any magic yet, but I wouldn't put it past him.

Silas opened the gate and turned to me, motioning for me to enter first.

I walked in cautiously, half-expecting this to be some elaborate scheme to kidnap me and enslave me for the rest of my immortal days.

"Are you about to kill me?" I asked seriously as Silas bounded up the porch like an overexcited child. He paused, looking confused.

"Huh? What?" he asked, tilting his head.

I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly and gestured for him to continue his little tour.

Laughing, Silas pushed the front door open. "I don't think I could do that to you," he said as we stepped inside. "Especially since you're the first vampire I've ever met who isn't excited to watch my blood drip all over the floor."

Inside, the house was even more impressive than it looked from the outside. The floors were polished wood—probably mahogany—and everything was a blend of dark brown and pristine white. The place was spotless.

A vase sitting on a nearby table caught my eye. It looked more expensive than my entire existence. I could sell every organ in my body, and I still wouldn't be able to afford it.

Silas led me to the living room and flopped onto a couch that was probably worth more than my house. He patted the seat beside him. Begrudgingly, I followed, dropping my bag onto the floor before sitting down.

"What do you mean, 'I'm the first vampire who isn't too excited to kill you?'" I asked, leaning back.

Silas chuckled, shrugging. "There are a lot of vampires in the world. You're not the first one I've met. But you are the first one I didn't have to fight right away. Most vampires are crazy for a mage's blood."

I nodded thoughtfully. That made sense. If mages had magic, their blood was probably different too. "I see. Well, if it makes you feel better, I don't see you as dinner," I said with a shrug.

He laughed at that, clearly amused. Even though it wasn't a joke.

"Anyway," he said, brushing invisible dust off his pants, "what do you think of the place? It's not my actual home, but I made sure it looks similar."

Ah. So I was right—this was a work of magic.

"It's…nice. Expensive," I replied, my eyes drifting back to that vase. Silas giggled softly, hiding it behind his fist.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"So," I said, glancing around, "where's your roommate or…friend or whatever?"

"She's busy with something," he replied, scratching the back of his neck. "You won't be able to meet her today."

I nodded. "Alright then. Well, your house is nice, but I should probably head home now," I said, glancing at my watch as I stood.

Silas pouted but nodded. "So early," he whined.

"It's almost 4:00 PM," I retorted.

He followed me to the door. Just as I was about to step outside, I remembered something. "Oh, yeah—did you ever find that Pureblood you've been looking for?"

"Her? Not yet," Silas said, sighing. "I've been talking to researchers here and there, but no luck. The best lead I've had so far is you."

I crossed my arms. "Sorry, man. I really don't remember anything. It's been a year since I was turned. For all I know, she's left Portland."

"Could be," Silas admitted with a halfhearted shrug. "But until I have a better lead, I'm staying here. Hopefully, I'll figure something out."

"Hopefully," I agreed.

I opened the door but hesitated, a question popping into my head. Turning back, I saw Silas perk up, already anticipating me.

"Do werewolves exist?" I asked.

And Silas laughed.