on the first day of christmas, my true love gave to me

[self_composed]

[It is now Christmas in the latest time zone on Earth,] Bella announces, when this becomes the case. [C'mere.]

She has conjured a syringe of venom. There are no known effects relating to any particular person doing the turning, but she's gone ahead and duplicated her alt's venom - what would be hers, if she turned - regardless.

She hides it behind her back and smiles.

Comments

[edgeofyourseat]

"What the hell," he laughs. "I love you. Oh, fuck, that hurts."

He's dropping hexes just from the way it feels where it is, and it is also spreading.

This is the best present.

Beaming, he hugs her.

[self_composed]

Bella is quite happy to hug him back. "You want me to tell you or you wanna see if you can guess?"

[edgeofyourseat]

"I have no idea. Tell me," he says.

[self_composed]

"Vampire venom," Bella says, singsong.

[edgeofyourseat]

"...I love you so much," he says, hugging her again. "Fuck, how long's it gonna do this for?"

[self_composed]

"Oh, it'll take a couple hours to spread everywhere, and then you have just shy of three days before it stops your heart, which I'm told is the worst part," Bella grins. "I did warn you that it'd need to be a time when you had no plans for a while."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Three days. I want to make out with you right now," he declares.

[self_composed]

[Okay!] she says, by brainphone, because she's kissing him. [Oh, one thing. The Imperial Soothsayer would've warned me if this wasn't going to work, but you should be informed - I'm going to install a human-specific air filter on your person so you aren't uncontrollably desirous of eating most people you meet.] She tries it. [...Or maybe I'm not. That's annoying, that's one of the things I asked Alice to check, why wouldn't she have said anything...?]

[edgeofyourseat]

[It's my power, right? Maybe it's being a capricious asshole and it wasn't going to kick up a fuss but it is anyway...? Or... man, I don't know, can't think, too horny.]

[self_composed]

[Lazarus said your power wouldn't do anything you wouldn't want it to. Assuming it's that - do you object to not wanting to eat people?]

[edgeofyourseat]

"Mmmrrrrr," he says, because why is she making him use his brain to think when he could be using it to hurt? No, okay, okay.

He does not object to not wanting to eat people... exactly. In principle. But he wants to know what it's like to want to eat people, what does she take him for? Of course he does. So can he do that just once, around somebody who's got some kind of protection powers and won't be anything more than unnerved if he chews on them a little, and then he'll decide to let her put the filter on and that'll be that?

[self_composed]

[Adjustable filter, if you meet someone who wants to be considered edible you can take it down for them alone?] Bella suggests. [But I cannot approve actual human-blood-drinking, that permanently dings vampire self-control. So it'd have to be Bridget, or somebody magicked to work like her if she finds the idea creepy.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[Sure, fine,] he agrees. [Dammit, it'd probably fuck up the vampire thing if I set myself on fire right now, wouldn't it.]

[self_composed]

[Well, I don't actually know, so you probably shouldn't try it,] Bella says.

[edgeofyourseat]

[Okay, I won't. But I really want to,] he says, only partly complaining.

[self_composed]

[I know,] she soothes.

Perhaps unwisely, she opens up the emotion-blob from the read.

And tackles him to the floor.

[edgeofyourseat]

...oh.

Okay.

Awesome.

[self_composed]

Some time later, when the venom's everywhere and Alice's vascular system (among other things) is being replaced with something venom-based, they are snuggling snugly.

[edgeofyourseat]

So snugly.

He loves her, he loves her, he loves her. Everything hurts, he's pouring stars, and he loves her. He can just about barely feel where his hands and his nose and his cheek and his arms and his stomach are touching her, through the pain, and he loves her. She is perfect and amazing and she gives the best presents and he loves her.

[self_composed]

[And I can stop worrying about that changing,] Bella sighs happily. [That being the other thing I had the Seer check.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[...What, really? You're making me a vampire because you want me to be in magic vampire love with you forever?]

[self_composed]

[No, I'm making you a vampire 'cause I thought you'd like it. But I wouldn't have if you weren't going to wind up stuck on me, since falling in magical love with people is an occupational hazard of vampirism and can't be ruled out for arbitrary possible people until the person in question has already been identified.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[Okay,] he says, and curls up around her again.

He looooooves her.

[self_composed]

Bella decides to fall asleep for a bit.

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice cannot fall asleep.

He snuggles Bella, and loves her, and makes stars.