PARTIES: @twolittlefangs and @doctorareyes TIMING: Tonight! SUMMARY: Max saves Xóchitl from a wall! Obviously, gratitude is owed. WARNINGS: WRSpice, implied alcoholism, not a trigger per say but Xóchitl's self destructive tendencies are very present here.
The sun had just set over Wicked’s Rest, which meant it was Max’s time to shine. But Dance Macabre had become such a regular spot now that Max had wanted – No. Needed something different. A casual stroll through town. A shopping spree at a local clothing store. Anything that didn’t border on tedious. And she feared that’s what Dance Macabre was becoming. So deciding to play regular townie for the night, to see what kind of trouble she could get into, Maxine put on some more tame clothes and set out on an adventure to see what a so-called “normal” life felt like.
First it started with grabbing a bite to eat at The Black Lagoon, before heading downtown to check out the shops, “Well, Max. You’re well on your way to being a Karen for the evening. How does it feel?” Taking in the sights around her, she knew most places would probably be closing soon, but she had come to quickly learn that this town never fully slept, and when she finally got to where she was going, the young vampire’s eyes lit up at all the people meandering around. Maybe tonight won’t be so boring after all…
—
She shouldn’t have found the night as comforting as she did. It felt wrong, but at the same time, perhaps it made sense. After all, Mackenzie hadn’t been murdered at nighttime, she’d been killed in one of the brightest parts of the day, and so what difference did it make? If night was supposed to be so scary then why was it daytime that had betrayed Xóchitl the most? She hadn’t made sense of that, even with finding out exactly what had murdered Mackenzie.
She’d chosen to just wander around this evening. She’d only had one glass of wine, she wasn’t drunk (though some part of her wished she was), and she was trying to find something to do with herself that wasn’t wallowing at home. That wasn’t a good look, and she wanted to be better than that. Xóchitl wouldn’t have judged anyone else for wallowing, but there was something about looking at herself in the mirror where she quickly became her own harshest critic.
There were a number of other people out and about this evening – which made sense. It was early summer, it was warm, and it stayed lighter a bit later than it did during other parts of the year. So she made her way about, not paying any particular sort of attention to where she was going.
—
Max had found herself perched up against a building trying to plan her next move. The clothing store she had entered had been packed full of people who looked like they had just stepped out of a TikTok video. And while she was an influencer herself; well, her alter-ego for her dark romance novels, all of these people looked too…hipster…for her liking. She liked a little edge. Not a small town soccer mom millennial talking about the healthiest smoothie recipe chocked full of kale and other gross green crap. No. She liked darkness and macabre. So when she spotted something out of the ordinary; a wall that had seemingly moved out of nowhere and then disappeared, Maxine couldn’t help but put her attention on that rather than the people entering the store she had just escaped from.
One after the other, Max watched as people unknowingly ran into an invisible brick wall in front of them, some at full speed and others who merely bumped into it, and everytime their expressions would cause her to cackle. Sometimes she’d tell them there was a wall there, only to get looks of pure disgust, which made watching them hit the wall all the more entertaining, but as they continued to ignore her in droves, one person seemed to catch her eye.
“Hey, there’s a wall there. I’d go the other way if I were you.” Max had been so casual about it, and as much as she wanted to just let it go; there had also been a part of her that was intrigued by this woman’s looks. And then it happened. A plan, just within the blink of an eye, hatched into her dark and twisted little mind. Play the hero. Get the girl. Only assuming this woman didn’t listen to her advice about the invisible wall.
—
What she did need to get better at was her tendency to not always pay attention to her surroundings. It was a problem, and it was bound to get her in trouble one day, and that would probably be a bad thing. Except that she was saved tonight. So maybe some sort of good graces were in her favor. Which she deserved. “I – what?” She did a double take at the warning. There was no wall in front of her, except that she still stopped short and held out her hand, the palm hitting air. Something solid that wasn’t there.
“How could you tell that?” Xóchitl looked around for the source of the voice. “Come down so I can thank you for preventing me from running into a wall that… isn’t there.” It couldn’t be real – and yet, she had encountered a whole lot of things that shouldn’t have been able to be real, so invisible walls were probably pretty high on the ‘oh, maybe it does actually exist’ list. She needed to process it, but there was a time for that and that time wasn’t now. Not in the middle of the street – there were too many distractions.
Except maybe she was just imagining things, and so she took another few steps forward and – as the voice had warned – slammed right into a wall. “Okay. Ouch.”
—
Max smirked at the response from the pretty lady that was totally ignoring her warning, just like everyone else had, so it was no surprise that she had to stifle a laugh when what she had warned the other person about, had indeed come true, “Told you there was a wall there.”
Sauntering out from the shadows of the building she had been residing at for the past twenty minutes, she used landmarks on the road and building to map out where the wall was, and when she got close enough, just to prove a point, she kicked at the bottom of the wall with her black boot she was wearing.
Feeling a sort of shift and rumbling, Max quickly stepped back to see the wall actually reveal itself to her and everyone else that was nearby before clearing out of the sidewalk to go wreak havoc somewhere else, “Well I didn’t see that coming.” With a shrug, she turned on her heels and stuck out her hand, “Name’s Max, and I just saved you and all these people from more embarrassment. What’s your name?” A grin lay poised across her features as she proudly waited for a reply. Her one good deed for the day was done, and now she wanted her reward.
—
“Yes, and I should’ve listened.” Xóchitl rubbed her forehead. Hopefully it wouldn’t leave much of a mark (or any mark, ideally) and she’d be able to forget the embarrassment of it all. Finally, someone (the source of the voice) emerged from where they’d been hiding, and then they kicked the wall (??) and then all of a sudden an actual wall appeared and she couldn’t imagine that her face looked anything other than absolutely flabbergasted. Maybe one day she wouldn’t have that reaction every time she discovered something new that existed.
“I – hi, Max.” Xóchitl also knew that she needed to have a better poker face when running into beautiful people. But then again, beautiful people deserved to know that they were beautiful. “I’m Xóchitl.” The woman – Max – did have a beautiful grin. Or alluring, perhaps, would have been the better term. “Really appreciate you looking out for me. I was just thinking about heading back home, and now I don’t have to use an icepack when I get home.” She grinned. It was all in good fun, and it was nice to be able to easily talk to someone without worrying too much about what the consequences would be – not with someone who was close to her. She needed more of that. “Which is good, because I don’t think I have any in the freezer.”
—
Max took pleasure in the look that Xóchitl had given her. In fact, it was fluffing her ego more than it needed to for someone already so vain, “It’s okay. You’re not the first person who hasn’t listened to me, and you won’t be the last.” She shrugged and motioned towards the people around them, “Besides, you seem a lot nicer than these numpties walking around.” Max was far from nice, but it still didn’t stop her from expecting it from other people. Definitely another flaw in her coding, “But yeah, no problem. People say I have an ice cold heart. Maybe you could use it, if you were still looking for one.” She grinned.
Her night had just shifted from trying to act “normal” to possibly having dinner plans. And what a delicious meal Max was looking at. One that didn’t deserve anything, but to keep her entertained for as long as possible, “So, considering I saved you a trip from the ER and all, I think maybe dinner might be in order. Or at least something fun, cause who knows if I’m ever going to see you again. This could be a one and done. Just two people on their way to boring evenings going our separate ways, because we didn’t appease the gods of fate. So what do you say? Spend the night with me or go back to your quiet apartment with no ice cold heart to ease the pain of walking into an invisible brick wall.”
—
“In fairness, I was a bit confused, since I’m not used to walls being in the middle of the street, and I’m pretty good at avoiding the ones that are where walls are meant to be.” That much was true. She may have had a lot of bad luck in her life, but she was decently coordinated most of the time. Which worked in her favor in a few different ways. “Numpties? That’s a new one. Also, unless you want to go straight to second base, I don’t know if I could use your supposedly ice cold heart.” What did a little flirting hurt? Xóchitl grinned right back, and she felt good about coming out, suddenly. Not that she’d felt bad before, but she felt even better now. Better while also wanting to do something to take her mind off of everything else. Off of Emilio, off of Wyatt, off of any number of other things that soured her mood right now.
“I mean, I’m not too hungry, but we could always go back to my place and order in.” She turned her head to the side. “If you’d be into that.” There was also a non-zero chance that Xóchitl might have more in mind inviting someone back to her house, but she wouldn’t force anything. Except that this woman – Max, she reminded herself again – seemed to have something similar in mind. She made a good point. The two of them might not ever see each other again, and wasn’t that the best sort of way to be? It was what Xóchitl was most comfortable with. No connection required, nothing serious. “Want me to show you the way?” She stuck out her hand.
—
“Who is? But this is a strange town after all.” Maxine had been around for a really long time, and this had, by far, been one of the oddest places she had been, which seemed to keep her on her toes, when she wasn’t bored out of her mind. But there had surprisingly been enough people to keep her entertained when she did actually venture out at night, “Just a little endearing phrase I picked up over the years.” She laughed, “But I guess you’re right. I mean, we did just meet after all. And I know how to act like a proper lady when I want to.” Max’s mood could shift on a dime to play whatever role she needed to be for the person she was talking to. An overly huge flirt with a dash of nice, just happened to be the right mixture for her conversation with the beautiful woman standing in front of her.
“Sure, I’d absolutely love to go back to your place. Order some chinese. And you can be the ice cream sundae, and I'll be the cherry on top.” Max let her lips pop on the word top. “How does that sound?” She loved it. Getting invitations into people’s homes had become quite a challenge these days, unless you knew the right things to say, and Xóchitl was making it way too easy, “Lead the way.” The smile on Max’s face was one of a seductive nature, but her hand, now wrapped in her new friend’s, held a firm yet gentle grasp.
—
“I suppose it is.” Strange was putting it lightly. But she didn’t want to think about that. Thinking about that wasn’t fun, and she wanted to have fun. She wanted to have a good time. She could have gone over to Mateo, but he might have been busy, and he knew her too well. He’d see how she was doing and he’d ask questions that she wouldn’t be able to side-step. He hadn’t left her, and she loved him all the more for that, but he also knew her better than she wanted right now. So Max was a perfect solution, and she liked the way that Max looked at her. “I don’t mind it – I just haven’t heard it before, I don’t think. And you seem like a very proper lady, don’t worry, there wasn’t any doubt about that from me.” Xóchitl massaged her hands into the back of her neck.
There was no question in Xóchitl’s mind that she and Max were on the same wavelength. “I can’t argue with that, but I don’t know if I’m so hungry. We could skip straight to dessert. She pulled her friend along until they’d wound up back at Xóchitl’s house, and she unlocked the door and told Max to follow her in. “My dog’s around here somewhere, but she won’t bother us, don’t worry.” Eyebrow raised. “My room? Or did you really want that take out?”
—
Yeah, this was already going to be oh so easy, and Max gladly took the other woman’s hand letting her lead the way, and when they got there, and she was invited in, a sly little grin with a flash of fangs and some red eyes came over her as she shut and locked the door behind them, “Oh, yeah, no, we can definitely skip straight to dessert.” By the time Max had turned back around to face Xóchitl, the fangs were gone and her eyes were normal again. “Also, huge dog fan here. I have one of my own. His name is Norman. We should do a doggy playdate sometime.” If you live long enough.
“Your room or the couch or the shower. Hell, even the kitchen counter could be fun. It doesn’t take much to please me, Baby. You hit all the right spots, and I’ll love you for a very, very long time.” Again, if I don’t eat you first. The expression over her face gave way to a warm smile, but hollow eyes. “Now, lead the way cause Maxy’s gettin’ hungry.”
—
“Good. I’d prefer to skip there anyway.” Especially because, as far as Xóchitl could tell, they both had the same idea that dessert wasn’t going to involve anything from the kitchen. “I’d love to do a doggy playdate. Esperanza needs more friends.” Especially since her number one friend wasn’t so easily around right now, on account of his owner not talking to Xóchitl. So a new friend would be good, and it could give both of them something to do in case she and Max had a repeat of whatever was about to happen.
I don’t really care about love. Xóchitl shook the thought out of her head. “Well, I do like to make sure people are satisfied, and I am a giver, so I have a feeling you’ll be pretty pleased. No. Very.” Xóchitl chewed on her thumbnail for a moment. “Those are all really tempting. You know what, since you suggested it, let’s go with the couch. That could be a lot of fun, and we can always have a round two elsewhere.”
—
Max was liking this stranger more and more. She loved it when people she literally had met less than an hour prior wanted to do kinky things, especially because it didn’t involve feelings. It was all play and no work. And while she was sure this woman’s blood was sweet, the idea of just having a fuck buddy seemed a lot more pleasing. I mean, she did have Teagan. There was no fishy doubt about that, but a girl could have more than one plaything. And who knows, maybe a threesome could be in their future. Two for the price of one. And if they annoyed her, she’d just…fuck. She couldn’t kill Teagan. She had made a promise with the fae. Okay, one for the price of one, but whatever.
“You’re my kinda girl, you know that? And Esperanza. Loving that name. I’m sure Norman and Esperanza would get along swimmingly.” Norman did need more dog friends. Max had loved him more than anything in the world, aside from her son and daughter. Another reason to not go all the way tonight…and by all the way, she meant murder, “That’s perfect then, because I’m a taker.” And on that note, when it was agreed upon about the couch, Max moved in, letting her hands run through Xóchitl’s long dark hair, before leaning in with a kiss so passionate, she was sure the woman’s neighbor’s could feel it.
—
“I like that I’m your kinda girl.” Xóchitl grinned. “Happy to work with a taker.” It was easier to forget things and go with the flow when someone else took charge, and thankfully Max seemed plenty keen to do that. Xóchitl could just be here, engage, enjoy herself, but not have to think too much. Max didn’t know her. Max didn’t know the intense grief that threatened to burst out of her chest. Max wanted to fuck her – ‘sleep with’ was too gentle for what Xóchitl wanted – needed – right now. She could feel her body respond immediately to the other woman’s kiss and she let her take control.
It was important to do things like this. Things that made you happy and made you forget about everything else, even if for just a little while. It worked with alcohol, but sex was a plenty good option too. She still cared about herself, of course, and she still had standards, but doing whatever with strangers felt right. At least for now. Getting too close to anyone else again would just screw her over in the end. So Xóchitl kissed Max back, desperately, hungrily.
—
Max loved playing cat and mouse. It was her favorite game, besides This Little Piggy (she’s coming for you, Guillermo). And the way Xóchitl just willingly gave into everything she was doing made this little game even hotter. So as she backed the woman onto the couch and worked to remove every single piece of clothing, Max knew that she was going to have a hell of a good time and make it oh so memorable that her new friend would never forget as the night progressed on and everything seemed to fade to black.
“Hold up. Wait, wait, wait…Hey you…my mun, whatever the fuck that means...Raise the lights back up. I’m not done yet.” Max glared up at the ceiling seemingly speaking to no one, before shifting her attention back down on Xóchitl.
“Babe, you are so fucking hot. It makes me want to taste the parts of you I haven’t tried yet.” Looking into Xóchitl’s eyes as they laid against one another flesh upon flesh, Max having not even broken a sweat, the vampire had an idea, “Is it okay, if I try something? I mean, I know I haven’t really asked all night, because you letting me take control was so hot, but…just hear me out…okay?” She wasn’t going to make the same promise to Xóchitl that she had made to Teagan, but if the sex was always going to be this great, then why not keep the woman around a bit longer.
—
She liked when she drew positive reactions out of others, and to say that Max’s reaction to her was positive would have been greatly understating where they both stood (or, well, lay). “You can try something – do I get to know what you might be trying, or is it a fun sort of surprise for me?” Xóchitl looked up at Max. “Are you already up for round two?” Her grin was teasing, and maybe that was pushing things, but there seemed to be very little (if anything) about her that Max didn’t approve of. Which was nice. She needed the approval. She didn’t enjoy how much she craved it, but especially given how her close relationships were going recently, she needed it. Needed to feel something, and it wasn’t alcohol, right? So it wasn’t that bad.
Xóchitl hated herself for the way she reached up to cup Max’s jaw in her hand and the way she kissed her lips. Still hungrily, still aching for something more. Max’s skin was cold, and it reminded her of Mateo – which was another thought she quickly shoved aside, because he knew her and she really needed to be around someone who didn’t right now. “If you need rope, there’s some up in my bedroom.”
—
“Now why would I ruin a fun surprise by telling you?” Max hated ruining surprises, especially when the reaction to her almost always horrifying little gifts usually took her victims by complete surprise. But ironically, the kiss from her partner for the evening had taken the vampire by surprise. But more so than that? The suggestion of rope. This woman really was game for anything, and that made Max way happier than she probably should have been, “It doesn’t involve rope, but I think you’ll enjoy it since it seems like pain is your sort of thing.” And it’s absolutely my thing too.
Gently running her hand down Xóchitl’s face to force her eyes shut, Max leaned in close and placed a soft, but firm kiss first on the woman’s lips and then slowly trailed her skin downwards. With her nose nuzzling into Xóchitl’s neck, Max breathed gently on her while quietly slipping her fangs out. And then, without any kind of warning, she bit down with a piercing force and began to suck on the woman’s neck draining the sweet nectar of life from Xóchitl, and remained latched on for a good minute, before retracting her fangs, and using her fingers to wipe off the rest of the blood as she sat back up and seductively sucked the remanants of crimson liquid from each of her digits, “Surprise, Baby! You just invited a vampire into your house! But don’t worry. I don’t plan on killing you tonight, because you’re way too good in the sack…” Max shifted her weight and looked down around them, “Well…couch. But hot damn do you taste good!”
Throwing her leg over and getting up off the couch without an ounce of clothing on, Max padded to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. She needed a shower after that. With the water running, Max washed off the night’s events while singing, “I Just Had Sex” at the top of her lungs.
—
“I didn’t think you would, but in the spirit of giving, I wanted to make sure I gave you the opportunity to tell me. Just in case it pleased you.” Max was a bit wrong about pain – at least, Xóchitl figured she was. Though consensual pain was far more appealing and palatable than unexpected pain. So she didn’t pay too much attention to those thoughts. Max could think whatever she wanted to think. That was her right, and who was Xóchitl to question any of that?
She shut her eyes as Max’s hand brushed over them, and she could feel herself leaning into the kiss again (which she probably wasn’t supposed to do, but so long as Max didn’t mind it, she wasn’t about to say anything). Max’s lips found her neck and before Xóchitl could process what was happening, her teeth were in her neck and she felt her whole body tense up, frozen, trying to process the many different feelings that rushed throughout her whole body. Terror, followed by some weird sort of pleasure, followed again by horror, followed by something else she couldn’t name. When Max finally let go, Xóchitl felt her own hand rise to her neck, fingers trembling (though only slightly, thankfully). Emilio would hate this.
But Emilio wasn’t here, and he wasn’t talking to her anyways, so he’d never know.
She hated herself for what she asked next, but the words had left her mouth before she’d realized she’d said them, “do I taste better than other people?” Because she still wanted to be the best, and at least some of her other skills had saved her, but she had to know.
Max got up and wandered off, and Xóchitl sat up slowly, her head spinning. She grabbed a shirt (she couldn’t remember whose shirt it was) and made her way to the kitchen, in desperate need of an ice pack. She remembered that she didn’t have one, and so instead she splashed cold water on her neck, and then made her way back to the couch, spotting Max when she came out of the bathroom. “Does this mean you can come in here any time? Also, I have to ask, does this mean you want us to do round two sometime?” Maybe if she was around a vampire enough, Emilio would have to pay attention to her. Besides, it had been a good time, at least overall. Outside of the blood loss.
—
The question lingered in Max’s mind as she took her time in the shower. Did Xóchitl taste better than other people? Her blood was nice, yes. The sex was better though. The best tasting blood she had ever consumed came from a family of fae she had devoured many many years ago, before ever coming to Wicked’s Rest. That was like pure magic, and if she could’ve injected it straight into her veins she would have. It’s also one of the reasons she was excited to have come across Teagan, even if it had resulted in attempted murder.
Shutting off the water, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself, before coming out of the bathroom at least having the decency to not drip water all over Xóchitl’s floor. “More questions? What is this? The fucking inquisition?” She sighed loudly as she made her way around the room gathering up her clothes, “Yes, it does mean I can come here anytime. You gave me permission to enter, so I am now your official vampire friend, and I can come and go as I please. Second, you’re actually in luck, because I do want a round two. Normally, I like to dine and dash, but there’s something fun about you, Xóchitl. Aren’t you special?”
Once Max had gathered up most of her stuff, she plopped down on the couch next to her new BWB (bestie with benefits), and looked over at her, “And finally. Not to burst your cute little bubble, but no, you’re not the best I’ve ever tasted. In fact, you ranked pretty fucking low on the list. BUT…but that doesn’t mean I didn’t hate it, because you’re still a walking and talking meatsack, not a dead one. Plus, no human will ever compare to the sweet, sweet intoxicating hit of fae blood. I’d snort that shit if I could.” Max shuddered at the thought of tasting Teagan’s blood again. Soon, my delicious little lake-bred sushi roll. Soon.
Glancing around the apartment one last time, she sighed even louder, before slapping her hands on her legs, nodding her head, and looking back to Xóchitl, “Oh yeah, and one more thing…you’re wearing my shirt. Kinda need that back if you want me to leave.”
