Settling into Rome. A one shot.
From the inside I can feel that you want to
The spoon clinked against the ceramic side of the white mug only once as he gently stirred it three times, meticulous and precise with the action. Her chin rested squarely on the tops of her hands as her palms pushed against the cold granite and she watched with unflinching curiosity, dazzled by the shock of him performing this very human act.
As he tapped the metal utensil against the lid before setting it quietly on the kitchen counter, she finally stirred from her hunched, captivated position. Perking up, she could no longer resist the question that eagerly waited on her lips. "What is it?"
"It is…" Steam rose from the dark, slightly opaque liquid and he took in a long breath of its bitter sweet scent as he lifted it just beneath his white nose. “Camellia sinensis.”
"Ooooh." Her eyes widened and a slight grin graced her spotted face as the Latin flowed effortlessly from his lips. His native language often had this effect on her and he loved it. “What’s that? Some kind of special strigoi elixir???”
Parting his wide mouth slightly as a smirk danced across it, he slurped just a tiny bit of the piping hot liquid between his pursed lips and raised an eyebrow. "Black Tea."
"Wait… what?" Dawn’s amusement faded succinctly into raw confusion. “Tea? What?” Her head tilted slightly. “You can drink… tea?! I thought you only drank blood.”
"Blood is sustenance for me, yes. But blood is still mostly water." He took another sip of the bitter liquid, enjoying the warmth as it trickled down his throat. “I require hydration the same as you and tea is…” He swirled the cup, staring down into its dark, warm depths before meeting her lovely curious stare. “Really nothing more than just flavoured water. My body disagrees with any liquid that carries calories. Tea does not.”
The revelation of this intrigued her and she pressed on with her inquisitive questions. "What about the caffeine?"
"It has no effect on me."
With a furrowed nose, she squirmed in her seat at the peculiarity of him doing something so very human. She seemed as amused by his actions as he was by her growing curiosity. "Then why bother drinking it?"
"I have actually come to enjoy the taste and warmth of it." He swirled the liquid in the cup again as he smiled simply. At first, he had quite hated it. It was bitter and he could smell the fermentation of the leaves wafting up through the steam; it had sickened him, but over the years, he grew to appreciate its uniqueness. Over the years, he had grown to appreciate… something different. “Water and… blood can be tiresome after centuries. It was something ... different. There are so many varieties and types and…” His attention diverted to her uncharacteristically quiet state. Her nose remained wrinkled, and he lowered the mug as his head tilted. “What?”
"No calories? Really?" He recognized the look on her face. The gears of her mind were spinning, and he prepared himself for whatever might have been plaguing her over his words. “Cause Vodka has a lot of calories.”
"Hmmm. Well." Quinlan closed his eyes momentarily as the memory of that moment washed over him. When he opened them again, he found her staring back at him, patiently awaiting some form of explanation. “That particular moment required… creative improvisation.”
"That moment?" She pressed. “How so?”
The old Quinlan would have dismissed the statement and changed the subject. The old Quinlan would have refused to even answer her question, but as he peered into the depths of her green eyes, he caved. "You were quite intoxicated. I did not wish you to be more so."
"You expect me to believe it was because of me?" She scoffed. “Why would you have cared about that?”
"You already know this. I have already confessed this. But if you request to hear it again, then yes. I will happily admit it. As many times as you wish to hear it. Yes. I did so because I was insanely jealous."
She blushed and glanced away, but only for a fleeting moment. Her eyes were back to his in an instant as she smiled and pushed the subject further. "But your body? I mean … it seemed like you took the vodka perfectly fine. I‘m pretty sure you were kinda drunk." The giggle that escaped her killed him in the best possible way. Remembering that particular moment with crystal clarity gave him a jolt of nostalgic amusement. Yes, for the first time in his long life, he had been very drunk. Never having consumed such a volume before, Quinlan had always assumed to be impervious to such intoxication, so clearly that had not been his goal. The underlying reason behind his rash action had been purely emotional, even knowing what it would do to his body. Even knowing the reaction his choice would provoke from his strigoi anatomy.
"Yes. The inebriation was new for me, but trust me Lula, my body disagreed with it quite profusely." Her eyes widened, and he continued. “You went to bed abruptly, and I was quickly unwell. I was…” A deep breath in let him decide that too much description of the resulting action would not be welcome. “I assure you, my body rejected the vodka.”
"If it was my fault… should I apologize then?"
"Well, it was a lot of vodka."
"No regrets." He picked up the mug again, expecting her inquisition to be complete, but her questions continued and he smiled with billowing amusement as he took another sip.
"Black coffee…" He sighed with enthusiasm. “Is absolutely repugnant.” He could tell by her expression that her interrogation had only just begun, and he cut off her next sentence before it could even begin. “Would you care for a cup?”
"A cup of… tea?" She was half-intrigued, half-disgusted. The furrow entrenched on her nose told him as much. “Nah. No thanks. I don’t really like tea. It’s--”
"Are you certain? I’ve got it down to a science." Furrowing his nose to meet the curves of hers, he grinned, and she melted. “I’m certain you’ll love mine.”
Her melting had only just begun and she nodded once, greedily, at his offer.
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