thedevamper | (no subject)

Entry tags:

plot: halloween

(no subject)

To be honest the moment Nikola had returned home with that ridiculous toy that Alcuin had won him, he had discarded it in the corner of his room. Ugly, vial little thing. The only reason he had kept the thing was ignoring Alcuin's displays of affection could set him back weeks with Alcuin. It wasn't that he cared, don't be absurd. Still, if he had realised what was going to happen then he would have paid closer attention to it. And had he been paying attention it would never have gotten the jump on him: the Great Nikola Tesla.

"SON OF A BITCH," Nikola yelled as something sharp bit his neck. His neck. Reaching for his attacker's head and felt it squash beneath his hand, yanking it away from his neck Nikola threw the creature into the corner of the room and glared. Of course it just had to be that ugly thing, he was never letting his feelings get the better of him. "NOBODY BITES NIKOLA TESLA!"

Advancing on the creature, it should have realised from the look on Nikola's face not to attack but some vampires weren't exactly known for their intelligence. Nikola should know about that, he had made most of them.

"I'm going to take great pleasure in this," Nikola murmured with a wicked smirk. Nikola wasn't sure if stuffed toys on a whole could scream but well, this one certainly did. Later in the lab, dissecting knife in hand Nikola began to deconstruct his vampire friend. "Don't worry, I'm going to take good care of you."

Nikola wasn't sure if stuffed toys on a whole could scream but well, this one certainly sounded like it did.

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Alcuin heard the scream from the hallway inside the Compound, and hurried into the lab on instinct, eyes widening in alarm when he saw Nikola there. His alarm did lessen slightly when he saw that the man appeared to be in no danger, though he couldn't tell where the scream had come from.

"Nikola! What on earth...?"

Nikola looked up from his work to glance at Alcuin. There was a bite mark on his neck, visibly red and bleeding though the actual penetration had luckily been quite shallow.

"Hmmm, oh that would be our friend here. He attacked me," Nikola remarked casually, looking for an item. "Put on some gloves and pass me the tweezers. Remarkable no higher brain function or brain and yet there is still some animation in its body."

Alcuin looked down at the creature on the table and looked alarmed once more. "But that's..." he began, but then stopped himself and simply did as he was told. Pulling on some gloves, he moved closer to peer at it. "It bit you? Are you all right?" He looked up at Nikola.

"Yes, that is the toy you won me at the carnival. Apparently they've all come to life," Nikola replied as the creature moved again, it's vicious little face contorted with rage as it struggled in its bonds. Nikola would have sedated it but well, how did one sedate a stuffed bear. "I wonder if I detatch its head... oh, that. It's nothing just a small bite mark."

That was in fact still bleeding. But Nikola had never been one to let personal injury or need for hygeine stop his work before.

Alcuin turned his attention from the bear to Nikola, frowning at the blood. "Keep working," he said. "I'll see to it." And he swept out of the lab and into the clinic, gathering up some rubbing alcohol and small bandage before returning.

Nikola intended to keep working. He had a rather nasty habit of ignoring anything and everything when it came to his work even his own health. Using the tweezers to seperate the stuffing from the inner cavity, Nikola placed a sample into a test tube barely glancing up as Alcuin returned.

"To have this level of animation you would expect organs, a nervous system, a brain something but the only living matter inside it seems to be my blood." Nikola murmured, making a note as the creature continued to thrash in its bonds.

"A few years ago there were actual vampires attacking the island on Halloween," said Alcuin. "Not to belittle the strangeness of this, but it is rather less frightening. Can you just keep your head still?"

He reached up to dab at the blood on Nikola's wound. He knew enough about first aid, at least - or more. When James was here he had taught Alcuin some small amount about nursing, even if it wasn't something he had continued.

"That depends Alcuin, are you going to kiss it better afterwards?" Nikola asked smirking at Alcuin, turning his head to look him up. Even injured Nikola would always hit on those around him. "Fine, I'll keep my head st- son of a bitch!"

Nikola snarled when Alcuin dabbed at the wound. Nikola hadn't had to do this in years, he'd forgotten how much injuries actually hurt.

Alcuin looked a little startled when Nikola snarled at him, blinking and jerking back his hand.

Then he looked a little amused. "My apologies," he said somberly. "I suppose I should have warned you that it might sting a little."

"A little?" Nikola asked with a scowl, looking rather like a petulant child for a moment as he winced as Alcuin tended to him. "I had a hole in my chest before the size of a fist and that didn't hurt but a tiny prick does? Oh for the days of being immortal again even dealing with the blood lust would be a damn sight better than ow this."

Alcuin quickly finished cleaning the wound and then secured a small bandage. "There," he said. "Not so bad." And then he leaned in and brushed his lips against Nikola's neck just to the side of the wound. As he did so, he had to lean over him, his arm swinging precariously close to the bear on the table.

It managed to lurch up in its bonds just enough to nip at the inside of Alcuin's wrist.

"Ow!" Alcuin jerked away as blood welled up.

Nikola snarled protectively, taking a knife and stabbing the creature through its mouth ending whatever struggle it had been attempting. Nikola did not like other people touching his lo- well, whatever it was Alcuin was.

"Here, give me your hand." Nikola said taking Alcuin's hand and manhandling him towards the sink to wash the wound out. "I won't allow anyone to hurt you. I should have been quicker."

Alcuin made a little sound of surprise at how quickly Nikola moved, taking him over to the sink.

I won't allow anyone to hurt you.

"It's really not bad..." Alcuin said, but he was looking away. He couldn't stand the sight of his own blood, he'd seen too much of it spilled.

Nikola could move quick when he wanted to, quicker still when it was his life on the line but it wasn't a fact he liked to advertise. He wanted people to think he was a scientist nothing more, he didn't want them looking too closely at his experiments or too closely at him. Not yet anyway.

"Bad enough," Nikola said taking Alcuin's hand and gently placing it beneath the tap. Nikola noted his reaction, his head turning away. Nikola tugged him close, protectively. "Breathe through your mouth, if you feel faint or sick let me know." So I can get out the way. "It's incomprehensible how they are so alive when there is no explanation for it."

Alcuin felt foolish for feeling faint at all, it was such a small amount of blood, and it didn't bother him at all in other people... just his own.

"I'm fine," he said softly, even though he still wasn't looking. "Thank you, Nikola. I think... well, I think you may have killed it, it isn't making anymore noise at least."

"You're bitten, until you've taken whatever medication they have here and submitted to a full blood test then you're not fine. I should have been quicker, human reflexes are a lot slower than a vampires." Nikola muttered to himself as he cleaned out the wound and pressed a bandage to it to slow the bleeding. "Did I? Well, there goes my plans for this evening. I had hoped to keep a live specimen, I suppose I'll have to go and capture another."

Once the bandage was in place, Alcuin turned back to Nikola. He slid his undamaged hand around his neck and pulled his head down into a kiss. A real kiss, a deep one, a thank you for not allowing anyone to hurt me kiss.

"Or persuade De-" Nikola was cut off by Alcuin's lips on his, his hand tugging him down for a deep kiss. Turning Alcuin so his back was pressed against the side, Nikola brushed his hand through Alcuin's hair and deepened the kiss. Nikola wouldn't admit it but he really didn't like the idea of losing anymore people one was enough, one was too much. "Are you trying to distract me from my work?"

Nikola pressed his forehead against Alcuin's.

Alcuin licked his lips, and then shook his head. "No, you should get back to your work. I'm sure the, ah, creature has some secrets to reveal. I am sorry that my gift turned out to be such bother."

"Yes, well next time perhaps you should gift me wine or your company. Those never end badly and are usually well received," Nikola said, pressing a foot between Alcuin's and nudging ever so slightly it apart so Nikola could stand close to him. Leaning his body into Alcuin's, Nikola kissed him slowly and exhaled. "Hmm, I suppose I should."

"Or I could make it up to you," Alcuin offered, voice soft. "In a manner of your choosing."

"Really? You should learn never to offer someone like me an offer like that Alcuin," Nikola murmured with a smirk, tongue darting out to press light against Alcuin's lips before he kissed him. "I could do a lot with an offer like that... do you play chess?"

Alcuin blinked at him. "Ah... yes," he admitted. "Do you want to play?" That didn't seem like such a dangerous offer, really.

"I haven't played in a long time not since J-" Nikola trailed off, looking at Alcuin as he slid his hand over his waist and distracted him from his words by kissing the side of his neck. "Yes, it'll be a little different I expect from the game you're used to."

Nikola did like to make things interesting after all."

Having run out of clean clothes and the only options the box or laundry, Helen had decided to chance the box and was disgusted at the short shorts and brief tank she'd been given over and over until she had no choice but to accept them.

She made her way to the lab to speak with Nikola about the wine spilled on her laptop when she saw him bent over what appeared to be a child's plush toy.

"Nikola! What on earth are you doing?"

"Helen, have you come to let me raid your tomb?" Nikola replied looking Helen over with a rather suggestive leer. Even bleeding and wounded Nikola would still hit on Helen especially when she came to him dressed like that. Really, it was like she wanted him to hit on her. "I'm dissecting this specimen."

Nikola pulled his head back as the creature broke free of one of its bonds, trying to bite him with impossibly sharp and bloody teeth. Nikola hissed, taking a knife and stabbing it through the arm before retying it down. "Apparently the vampire species still lives." Nikola replied wincing at the pain in his neck. He'd get that seen to later for now he was busy.

"Don't you think that's a bit cruel, to subject it to torture? We don't know how these toys got animated, Nikola, and to think it may be something living now, it is technically an Abnormal. And I won't abide torture."

Helen tugged at the shorts. "And to answer your first question, no. The box seemed to think this was the only thing I'm allowed. Is this some sort of popular character?"

"It has no nervous system, it can't feel pain. And seeing as it tried to kill me Helen, I would be grateful that it's even alive." Nikola replied. The pain in his neck was quite irritating but Nikola could work through it, he'd worked through being shot and stabbed before this would be easy. True, he'd had his powers then but that was beside the point. Nikola wasn't about to be waylaid by injury when he was working. "Yes, it is. I'd say ask Heinrich but he isn't here. And if he was well, he'd probably be humping your leg right about now."

"I'm practically his mother, Nikola, I doubt he'd be doing that," Helen scoffed. "Still, you owe the thing a clean death instead of toying with it. When have I ever sanctioned experimentation on an Abnormal?"

Nikola stared at Helen wondering if she actually realised the effect she had on those around her (Except Nigel and well, he was an idiot.)

"Fine, you know you spoil all my fun." Nikola replied, taking a knife and with rather practised ease cut off its head cleanly. The thing stopped struggling in its bonds and Nikola removed the other knife from its hands. "And I don't know what you expect me to learn from it now. Apart from that I am never accepting a gift from someone again."

"A gift? Did Alcuin give it to you?" Helen asked, mildly intrigued by that prospect. She tried not to concern herself too much with Nikola's love life, she wasn't nosy or rude, but she did have a healthy curiosity about his relationship with someone that wasn't himself.

"That's sort of sweet, actually."

"He won it for me at the fair," Nikola replied nonchalantly as he took his knife and began to cut open the life for any signs of sentient life like a brain or nervous system. Using tweezers to extract stuffing, Nikola put them in a test tube before looking at Helen with a scowl. "Sweet? Sweet? I am not Will."

"Well, no, last I checked I was sleeping with Will and I am most assuredly not sleeping with you," Helen said, laughing. "So you're not Will. It doesn't mean that you and your paramour having something approaching a normal relationship isn't sweet, because it is."

"Paramour, you'd think I was an adolescent not over a hundred years old." Nikola replied making a face at the idea of having a normal relationship. In all his years Nikola had never had a long lasting relationship not even with those he considered the greatest loves of his life. "You're making me sound like a romantic cliche of a vampire."

"Boyfriend seems a bit young for our ages, Nikola," Helen pointed out, tone slightly pinched. "I thought paramour sounded a bit more sophisticated. It's how I refer to Will most of the time, anyway."

"He's my... apprentice Helen. Nothing more," Nikola replied, though his eyes flickered with his usual tell. Something that James often picked up on but not the others. What Alcuin was, well Nikola wasn't discussing. "Can we please stop talking about your relationship with darling William. It's making me feel light headed."

Or that could be the wound either way.

"Awfully close to you for an apprentice," Helen tsked, eyes bright. She dropped the subject for now, though, because pricking Nikola's ire probably wasn't the wisest course of action.

"I suppose you might need some help, then? Anything to speed this torture up."

"Don't know what you're implying Helen," Nikola replied. It was the same face, the same line whenever anyone tried to broach the subject of James when Nikola felt defensive. "Helen, are you offering to work closely with me? Excellent, come here you can do this and I'll just work... behind you."

"No, Nikola," Helen said dryly, voice a bit pinched from irritation. "None of that. I'm offering to help you to speed the process along so that this poor creature can be put out of its misery."

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