Title: Tapping the Vein
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Josef Kostan
Fandom: Doctor Who/Moonlight
Rating: PG-13
Table: Buffet 2, fc_smorgasbord
Prompt: 22, Suspicious
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Tenth Doctor or Josef Kostan, unfortunately. Please do not sue.

***

"Don't people ever get suspicious of who you are when you don't give them a lot of background about yourself?" Josef asked the Doctor as the two of them stood at the doorway of the Tardis, looking down at Cardiff from a high hill overlooking the city.

The Time Lord shrugged, then sighed and nodded. "Yes, sometimes they do," he said, his voice sounding faraway and nostalgic. "And then I usually have to make up something on the spot -- or make some kind of excuse to take my leave of them."

"What about the people you feel like you can trust?" Josef asked him, turning to look at he other man, his expression curious. "Like me. You didn't just make up something and leave, so I'm guessing there was something about me that made you feel you could trust me."

The Doctor laughed softly, his gaze returning to the man standing beside him. "It wasn't just that I thought I could trust you," he said, his voice soft and husky. "There was more to it than that. But I can't quite put my finger on what it is. Not just yet."

He was lying, of course; he knew exactly what it was that had drawn him to Josef Kostan. It was desire, pure and simple. He'd wanted this man at first sight -- and even after he'd found out what Josef was, that desire hadn't waned, not in the slightest.

In fact, it had only become stronger as the days had gone by. The Doctor had been hard-pressed to keep himself away from the bedroom that Josef had claimed as his own; and even now, he had a hard time keeping his hands off the other man's body.

He didn't know if Josef felt the same way about him, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Josef wanted him as well. He had seen how the other man looked at him when he thought the Doctor wasn't looking, though he didn't know if it was longing that he saw on Josef's face.

The Doctor had to ask himself if it was his blood that Josef wanted, and not just his body. So far, they'd had no problem procuring human blood for the vampire; Josef had literally been able to stock up on what he needed from a blood bank.

But what if they were caught away from Earth at some point, and they ran out of a supply of human blood? Then what would they do? Besides, Josef had said more than once that his preferred way of taking blood was tapping it fresh from the vein.

"I don't believe that," Josef drawled, startling the Doctor from his thoughts with those words. "I think you know exactly what it was that drew you to me. I think you want me, Doctor. I think you want me to make love to you, even though you won't say it out loud."

The Doctor turned to him, a denial ready on his lips -- a denial that faded away the moment he saw the expression on Josef's face. That wasn't hunger for his blood that he saw in those remarkable hazel eyes. It was desire -- a desire that was now out in the open.

"And what about you, Josef?" he asked, his voice sounded strained in the sudden quiet. "Do you want me, too? Or will I be just another person you have a good time with and then turn your back on?" His gaze held the other man's as he spoke, his words sounding like a volley of gunshots.

He couldn't miss the hurt look that flashed across Josef's features before the other man turned away to look out over the city again, shoving his hands into his pockets and taking a step back from the Time Lord. The Doctor felt a wave of guilt sweep over him, strong and immediate.

"Josef, I didn't mean that the way it sounded," he said, contrite and wanting to take his words back, even though he knew that was impossible. "I know you're not so shallow as to throw someone away when you care for them. Please, forget I said that."

Josef shook his head, moving further away. "No, if that's how you think, then maybe I should prove you right," he muttered, a bitter tinge to his words. "I'm a vampire who's just out for your blood and doesn't give a damn about you. That's what you think, isn't it?"

The Doctor was quick to shake his head, reaching out to place a hand on Josef's shoulder. "No, of course not," he said softly, wishing the other man would look at him. "Josef, if I thought that, then you wouldn't be here. I trust you not to hurt me."

"I'd never hurt you," Josef told him, his voice soft with emotion. "And even if I had to take blood from you, for any reason, I don't have to grab you and suck blood out of your neck, like the traditional vampires in stories do. There are other ways of tapping a vein."

The Doctor held out his arm, his inner wrist up, raising his brows. "Like this?" he asked, his voice gentle. "I haven't dealt with a vampire before -- at least not up close and personal -- but I would imagine that if you don't want to hurt someone, that's how you take their blood."

"Yeah." The Doctor noted that Josef didn't reach for his hand; it was as though Josef was reluctant to let the Doctor see just what he would do if he were to need the Time Lord's blood. But he was sure that Josef wanted to reach out for him, rather than force himself to hold back.

"People are suspicious of what I am, you know," he said softly, raising his hand to caress Josef's cheek. "You aren't the only one who feels alone in the world, Josef. And at least you have others of your kind. I'm the last of mine, other than one renegade psychopath who wants to kill me."

Josef nodded, his dark eyes finally meeting the Time Lord's. "I don't know if I can actually drink your blood, Doctor," he said, sounding uncertain. "You're only half-human. I've never drunk the blood of anything that's not human. Your blood might be toxic to me."

The Doctor looked startled; he hadn't thought of this. "What if we're away from Earth and you need blood? What then? If my blood is toxic to you, then how are you going to get sustenance?" That worry was one that hadn't occurred to him, but it could be a serious problem.

"No clue. But I hope we'll think of something so we won't have to find out if your blood could kill me." Josef gave the Doctor a crooked smile that wasn't quite able to hide the worry lurking in his eyes. "We'll just have to make sure we keep stocked up on blood, I guess."

The Doctor nodded, reluctantly letting his hand drop from Josef's face. "You're right, you know," he said, his voice a mere whisper of sound. "About what I want, I mean. I do want you to make love to me. I've wanted that since we first met."

"I've wanted you ever since I first caught sight of you at that party," Josef told him, moving closer until he was standing so close to the Doctor that the Time Lord could feel the soft susurrus of the other man's breath against his skin. "Why do you think I came with you?"

"I just need to know that you won't leave," the Doctor whispered, his voice breaking on the last word. "It's what always happens, Josef. Everyone says they'll stay with me, that they love me and that they want to be with me forever -- and then they all eventually leave."

"No wonder you seem suspicious of people," Josef murmured, sliding his arms around the Doctor's waist and pulling him close. "I'm the same way. So many people have told me they cared about me, but they only wanted what I could give them. Eternal life as a vampire."

The Doctor shook his head, smiling ruefully. "You know that's not why I want you," he admonished the other man. "I have no need for that. I've got my own immortality -- even if it might come in a different body that I don't want to have."

"I hope that's not going to happen," Josef told him, moving a hand down to cup the Time Lord's ass. "I think I'm going to love this body. A lot. I don't want it to change." He gently squeezed the Doctor's ass, laughing softly when the Time Lord gasped and squirmed in his arms.

"I'll have to be careful and make sure that it doesn't happen, then," the Doctor said, sounding breathless. "The last thing I would want to do is lose a body that you love." His own hands were moving down Josef's back, curving over his ass, then back up again.

"I think we need to get out of these clothes," Josef whispered, his gaze riveted on the Doctor's face. "We're a little overdressed for what we're thinking about doing, aren't we?" As though to underscore his words, his fingers were already working at the buttons of the Time Lord's shirt.

"I couldn't agree more," the Doctor told him, taking Josef's hand and heading for the corridor that led to his bedroom. The two of them would tap the vein of their desire for each other until it was drained dry -- and he couldn't wait to lose himself in the mounting passion that he was sure they both felt.

***

Next story in series - Vampire Kiss.