Chapter Text
There are no more tears to cry
I heard you begging for life
Running out of medicine
You're worse than you've ever been
Gale wheezes as he clutches his chest. He's stumbling towards heaven, perhaps hell, who knows in a purgatory like this. He catches himself on the wrought iron fence before falls into the puddle. He's gasping for air like he ran a marathon as opposed to walking. He looks up in desperation and finds that he's mere feet away from his destination. An ostentatious hospital looms above him, its brick exterior resembling a gothic manor from a horror novel rather than a house of healing.
He pushes on the gate and panics when it doesn't budge. He calms himself before he faints and tries pulling. To his relief, the gate creaks open with a groan. He staggers up the stairs to an old wooden door and pounds on the door with what little strength he has left.
A scrawny, pale woman with bright blond hair opens the door. Her white outfit is reminiscent of the nurse outfits worn when this building was constructed. "Can I help you?"
"I—" he gasps, "I'm looking—"
He tries to speak but he's hitting the end. Not now, he thinks. Not when he's so close.
The woman shouts for help. Several arms grab him and drag him inside. He's thrown on a wheelchair and rushed down the hallway. An oxygen mask is placed on his face and an IV pierces his arm without warning once he's wheeled in a room and deposited on a bed.
"I assume you can pay," the pale woman shrewdly asks. In this world, if you can't pay, you're dead.
"Yes," he rasps. He extends his arm to show that his wristband is intact to make the electronic transfer.
"Not that," she hisses.
It was worth a try. He takes several deep breaths before he says, "In my shoe. Left foot."
She wrinkles her nose at him before she moves to take his shoe off. Sure enough, she finds the hidden cash. She raises an eyebrow.
"I'm not sure what this will get you—"
"I want to see the Vamp," he grits out.
She scoffs at him and wags the cash. "This won't get you ten minutes with him."
"It'll get me all the time I want," he retorts. "I didn't come here blindly."
She glares at him for a bit before she relents. "Fine. I'll let you get away with it this once, but it'll be at least double next time." She smirks as she looks him over. "If there's a next time," she sneers.
Gale wants to argue, he's certainly angry enough, but this is his last chance and she can tell. No one comes here unless there aren't any options left.
She leaves and he waits in the dingy white room. He hopes it's sterile, but he's not sure how clean a room that is nearly three-hundred years old can be. Plus this place is more of a mortuary than a hospital based on the rumors he's heard. Rumors he scoffed at when he was at the top of the world.
He closes his eyes. There's no point in bemoaning his fate. He was a top chemist in his field, creating world-changing concoctions with his mentor Dr. Mystra Manx by his side and, privately, in his bed. It felt like nothing could go wrong, at least until his ambition got the better of him. He thought he could create a new kind of universal pain management drug, one that would work for everyone with no complications. Mystra revolutionized the new era of painkillers, marketed as Weave, but Gale thought there was a chance for improvement. She brushed him off and told him to stay in his lane, but of course he didn't. He was near the end of his experiments when it went wrong. That's how he ended up with shrapnel in the middle of his chest and a poison in his blood that couldn't be cured. He lost Mystra, his job, and his house in one fell swoop. He was lucky that he stored some funds away just in case, but he never intended to dip into it. The cash dwindled as he raced for a cure but he still had enough to tide him over. It was time that was finally running out.
He'd heard rumors of the Vamp while in high society. It was said that the Vamp was happy to provide anything for a price, including unregulated drugs. While Weave was normally under strict rules all over the country, it was said that a recently deceased individual's blood could be harvested to create an illegal version of Weave called KWeave. Gale dismissed the rumors as outlandish at the time, but here he was, desperate and dying, hoping that there was truth in those whispers.
The sound of the door jolts Gale from his memories. He peers up at a handsome man with stark white hair and skin as pale as the wall. His eyes are covered with black side shield sunglasses. He radiates ethereal beauty with a deadly countenance. It's no wonder he's called the Vamp; he looks like an angel of death disguised as a seductive savior.
"Well, well, what do we have here? Do my eyes deceive me, or has the lapdog decided to join the rats in the sewers?" He smirks as he crosses his arms.
Handsome or not, Gale tenses under the scrutiny. He wasn't sure that he would be recognized (considering that Mystra was the visible one at the company), but if the rumors are true, well, it stands to reason he was just as known.
"Speak up, pup, or are you well and neutered without your master?"
Gale bares his teeth underneath the mask. The Vamp must notice as he laughs.
"Good to know you still have some bite, then. Now," he pulls up a chair to sit, "what seems to be the problem, Dr. Dick?"
"Dekarios," he huffs.
"It would be if you thought with your other head," the Vamp smirks. "I heard you made a terrible mistake and got kicked to the curb. Seems it wasn't idle gossip after all."
"I'm here for help, not to be insulted," Gale growls.
"Is it an insult if it's the truth?"
"Are you going to help me or continue mocking me?" he glares as he speaks.
The Vamp stands and turns to leave. "Well, seems I'm not wanted. I'll leave you to it, then."
"Wait," Gale pleads, panic in his voice.
"Oh? Changing your tune, dog?"
Gale falls silent, staring at the Vamp but biting his tongue.
"Hmph, that's what I thought. All you vapid rich boys are high and mighty until you're dying and then you're at my mercy. Don't forget that," he warns. "Now," he turns to the table and puts on nitrile gloves, snapping them as they come to his wrist. "What seems to be the issue?"
Gale swallows the lump in his throat. "I…had an accident." He unbuttons his shirt as he speaks.
"Car? Train? Beaten up by your lover's plethora of boytoys?"
"A lab accident," he snarls as he shows the Vamp his scars.
"Ah, now that is interesting. I can see where the glass got you but that looks like it was professionally removed. What is the purple stuff in your veins?" He studies him with curiosity.
"I was making an enhanced version of Weave when it—well, it exploded. The concoction got into my veins via the shrapnel and it's infected my circulatory system around the accident site. It seems to be slowly spreading outward."
"I should think you of all people could easily get access to Weave," the Vamp sniffs, boredom apparent on his face.
"Yes, well, I don't have the funds to cover that indefinitely," Gale mutters.
The Vamp has a triumphant sneer on his face. If his eyes weren't covered, Gale is sure he would have a predatory gleam in them.
"What is it you want, Doctor?"
"You know what I want."
"Oh, no no no," the Vamp tuts. "You don't get to act all high and mighty here. Tell me explicitly what you're doing in my domain."
Gale gulps down his indignation. "I want KWeave," he whispers.
The Vamp cackles in response. "What was that, darling? Us creatures of the depths can hardly hear those lofty beings above us."
"I want KWeave," Gale grits out.
"Let it be known that Dr. Gale Dekarios, former chosen of Dr. Manx, has come to my door begging for KWeave. Gods, it's delicious," he proclaims to no one.
A coughing fit from Gale stops the Vamp from continuing his diatribe.
"Please," Gale gasps between coughs.
"Mmmm, I do so love hearing you beg already."
"Vamp—" he wheezes.
"Shush now, pet. I'll get you what you want." The Vamp digs in a drawer before he pulls out a vial of a dark liquid and a packaged needle. Gale watches as he fills the syringe with the unnatural antidote before moving to his IV. Gale coughs uncontrollably as the Vamp pauses right before injecting the concoction.
"You know, darling, I think I'll need more than the money."
"What?!" Gale barely heaves the word out.
"We'll have to come to some sort of agreement—"
"Anything!" Gale can feel his consciousness fade as his lungs struggle for breath.
"Anything? Why Doctor, you have a deal." The Vamp sticks the needle in the IV and the KWeave hits Gale's veins within moments.
The change is instantaneous. Gale feels alive, euphoria mixed with relief that settles his aching body. It's as potent as Weave, perhaps more so with the tainted, unethical acquisition method. He immediately understands the power the Vamp holds in this cursed place. He is a god among men.
It could've been a minute or an hour before Gale returns to his senses.
"Thank you," he croaks to the Vamp.
"Anytime, darling. After all, you'll be back."
"Oh?" Gale questions.
"The top up seemed to do the trick, but it won't be long before you're back in dire straits. I'm sure I'll see you within a week."
"Was my payment enough?" Gale asks as he buttons his shirt back up.
"It was sufficient, I suppose," he sighs theatrically. "We can come to a proper arrangement next time." The Vamp's smile is all teeth, an unsettling sight to Gale.
"Right," Gale hesitates. "Well—"
"You know the way out, right? Be sure to shut the front door behind you. We wouldn't want common trash coming in from the street, would we?" The Vamp stands and saunters out of the room, leaving Gale alone at the sudden dismissal.
Although he doesn't quite know the way out, he finds it easily enough. He doesn't encounter a single soul as he leaves. He shuts the door behind him, worried about what it will cost him next time.
As if his body is on a schedule, it's exactly a week later when Gale stumbles back into the Vamp's lair. The same woman from last week glares at him as he stumbles through the door.
"You look more stable. You can find your own way to the same room," she sneers.
Gale would give her a piece of his mind if he weren't gasping for breath. He's not entirely sure he will make it to the room, but spite carries him forward as he thinks of every curse in existence to apply to the demon behind the desk.
He staggers down the hallway, running into the wall several times as he struggles to get air in his lungs. The door is ahead, a beacon of safety as his body threatens to end him. With considerate exertion and using the wall to keep him upright, he finally reaches the door. He turns the knob and is relieved to find it unlocked. As soon as he enters the room, he falls face first into the bed. He hopes that the Vamp knows he's here and will give him the temporary cure he desperately needs.
"My, my, I wondered if you'd make it back in time or if you'd keel over before darkening my doorstep again." The voice sounds muffled to his oxygen-starved brain. Gale doesn't register much, even as the Vamp flips him over and puts an IV in his vein. His eyes drift close until his brain is awash in ecstasy. He rides the high until he is aware that the Vamp patiently waiting for him to come back to his senses.
"The cash—" Gale's voice is hoarse.
"Please, I have more money than I know what to do with," scoffs the Vamp.
"But, last time you…" Gale trails off, confused.
"I believe I said we can come to an arrangement. And I know just what I want."
"Go on." Gale clenches his jaw as he waits, afraid of the price.
"I'm not one for sloppy seconds, you see, but one of the men who was on top of the world reduced to be on his knees begging for relief from me is too tempting to pass up."
Gale blinks, unsure if he understood the Vamp correctly. "You want to experiment on me?"
"Is that what Mystra called it? She would," he scoffs.
"I wasn't used in her trials, if that's what you're asking. I helped design the research—"
The Vamp lets out a bawdy laugh that cuts Gale off. "Oh, how naïve you are."
"Then what do you mean?" Gale bristles with irritation.
The Vamp leans over the bed, his face hovering half a foot above Gale's as he takes off his sunglasses. Gale sucks in his breath as the Vamp's red eyes peer into his. He had heard of albinism but never met someone with it. Suddenly the Vamp's appearance made sense: the extremely pale skin, white blond hair, and side shield sunglasses all pointed to his condition.
Gale meets his gaze before the Vamp starts slowly roaming his eyes over Gale's body. Gale thickly swallows as he finally understands.
"Just to be clear, you want intimate relations instead of money?"
"You can say the word sex, darling," he chuckles. "Yes, in exchange for KWeave, I want to fuck you."
"That's sexual coercion!" Gale balks.
"That's my price. Take it or leave it."
"You can't be serious! That's basically prostitution! I won't have it."
The Vamp straightens up and shrugs. "Suit yourself. You have roughly a week to find a better offer. Do you think that's enough time to grovel to Dr. Manx? Or one of her many lovers?"
"You're out of your mind!" Gale yells.
"Undoubtedly," the Vamp agrees. "Good luck, Dr. Dekarios. I'm sure your funeral service will be nice and perfunctory. I wonder how many people will turn up?" The Vamp turns to leave.
"Wait." Gale chews his bottom lip for a moment before speaking. "Say I take you up on the offer. How will I let you know?"
The Vamp doesn't even turn back around. "It's simple, darling. You show up next week. Now leave all your smelly foot cash with Dal at the front desk. Consider that today's payment. You know what the price will be next time." He walks out the door before Gale can respond.
He shuffles to the reception area and takes off his shoe to hand the cash to the evil bitch—Dal, he reminds himself. He's completely lost in thought as he heads out the door, unsure if he's ever coming back.
Gale spent so much time wallowing, pining, and trying to find a cure that his libido was non-existent, but the Vamp's offer changes everything. He tries to go to sleep that night but can't get the idea of being wanted out of his head. It's completely fucked up and demeaning, yet he imagines those pale hands roaming over his body; tracing his hands over his broad chest, touching his neglected cock, and finally opening him up.
No, it's wrong, he chides himself. He curses as he turns over, groaning as his fully hard prick refuses to get the message to wilt away. He won't touch himself while thinking of that rotten bastard. If he's going to take himself in hand, it will be for Mystra. He grabs himself as he remembers her riding him, her breasts bouncing as she spears herself on his cock over and over, whining as she aches to cum. He speeds his hand up as he thinks of her hands grasping his chest hair, her pale, lithe fingers scratching his skin as her red eyes—
"Fuck!" he shouts in exasperation as he drops his cock like it physically hurts to touch. How is it that he's already picturing him in her place?
Disgust swirls in his chest and he refuses to touch himself again. His sleep is restless as he dreams of the Vamp.
His days continue as they normally do with him searching for a cure, but his nights follow the same madness as the first one after the Vamp's offer. He's edging himself to oblivion as his cock strains with want as soon as he falls in bed but his head refuses to give him the relief he desires.
Five days after the last visit, Gale notices that his lungs are straining as he breathes. The Vamp was quite literally his last resort so of course he couldn't find other options in the meantime. Mystra ignored his messages once again and even Elminster only shrugs and says sorry when they speak. He's out of time and options. He scowls as his cock twitches with excitement about going back to that cursed place with that evil man. His pride and dignity were nearly gone anyway, so he might as well obliterate them for the sake of living.
Having made his decision, he heads out the door to make a deal with the devil.
Since he isn't on death's door like the last two times, he easily makes his way back to the room when Dal briefly glances at him as he enters the hospital. She doesn't even bother saying a word to him as he walks on past. He feels like he's walking to the gallows.
His hand trembles as he reaches for the door handle. He hesitates one last time, his brain screaming at him to think this through before he whores himself out for drugs, and, resigned to his fate, opens the door.
His heart is pounding as he lays on the bed, nerves alight as he waits for the dreaded man to appear in the doorway. He stares at the tiled ceiling, noticing the water damage that sticks out against the patterned stucco as the minutes tick by. Maybe the Vamp forgot about him, maybe he made this deal with someone else and they stabbed him as opposed to being taken advantage of, maybe—
The door hinges squeak and break Gale from his thoughts. His eyes widen in terror as he takes in the Vamp smirking at him. He can't breathe, but not because of his tainted blood. He's really fallen to rock bottom. He wants to scream and run away while telling the Vamp off, but if he does that he's dead.
"You know, for choosing to come here, you look like you'd rather jump off a cliff," the Vamp drawls as he sits on a chair opposite the bed.
"You know damn well I don't have a choice," Gale snaps.
"There's always a choice, pet. You could've chosen to be happy with what you had. You could've been satisfied as the top dog of Mystra's multitude of lovers. You could've chosen to not experiment with drugs that blew up in your face. And right now, you could choose to die for your sins instead."
Gale swallows, unable to respond.
"So, darling, you had plenty of choices along the way. And now I ask: do we have a deal?"
"I'm here, am I not?" Gale grits out.
He gives Gale a predatory grin. "So you are," he says jovially before his gaze turns cold. "Now, strip," he harshly commands.
Surprised by the sudden change in disposition, Gale blinks several times before he reaches up to unbutton his shirt. His hands shake as more of his body is put on display. The Vamp's body is taut and his face is stoic as he undresses. His sunglasses prevent Gale from seeing his eyes which makes the experience extra unnerving. After he shrugs his top off, he pauses before moving on to his pants.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Have you decided to die with whatever dignity you have left?" His irritation is on full display as he sneers at Gale.
Gale takes a deep breath. This is his last chance to walk away. He undoes his pants instead. In response, the Vamp relaxes back into the chair, washing away his high strung demeanor. Gale unlaces his shoes and removes his socks before pulling his pants off. Only his boxer briefs stand in the way of KWeave.
"All of it, darling."
Gale closes his eyes and shoves them off. He is now stark naked on the bed, a feast for the vulture in the chair. He can't bear to look at the situation he's in until he reflexively opens his eyes in response to the squeal of the chair as it moves across the linoleum. His eyes snap up to see that the Vamp has taken off his glasses, his pupils already blown wide. Gale can't help but shiver under his lustful gaze.
"There you are. I've been waiting," the Vamp murmurs as he walks over to Gale. "Waiting since the moment I set eyes on you." His eyes roam up and down his body as he speaks. "Waiting to have you." He reaches out and touches Gale's chest, first on the scarring before trailing his hand lower.
Gale bites back a moan as those pale fingers dance across his skin. His treacherous cock rapidly swells as his unwanted fantasies spring to life.
"You don't have me yet," Gale shakily replies.
"Don't I? You're here. And I don't think you want to talk." His fingers skirt past Gale's rock hard cock, making him whimper. "I think you want to be known. To be tasted," he purrs as he leans down so that his tantalizing lips hover over Gale's mouth.
Gale gasps as he feels the Vamp's hand wrap around his aching cock. He bucks into the touch, already surrendering himself to the Vamp's desires.
"That's what you want, isn't it? To lose yourself in me?" he whispers.
Rather than respond, Gale moves his head up to capture the Vamp's lips in a brutal kiss, aggressive and vengeful rather than passionate. He feels the Vamp smile before he matches his energy, their teeth clacking in an attempt to fight with their mouths instead of words.
Gale chokes as the Vamp's hand moves to slowly pump his cock. It's barely begun and he's already unraveling because of both the longevity of not feeling another's touch and the edging he's put himself through the last five days.
"Gods," Gale breathes out in the moments his mouth is free.
"There are no gods in this forsaken place, darling, only me," the Vamp grunts as he picks up the pace on Gale's cock.
It's a mix of pleasure and pain as the Vamp is rubbing him dry, but he can't bring himself to care since it's not his own hand.
"Pent up, darling? You're practically vibrating with need," the Vamp taunts.
"Please," Gale blurts as he feels his orgasm approaching.
"Mmmm," the Vamp hums as their mouths meet and tongues tangle before he abruptly pulls off. "Not yet."
Gale cries out in anguish as the Vamp lets go of his cock as he was close to coming. "No, please—"
"Hush darling. I believe the deal was that I would fuck you, yes? I rather have you cum on my cock than with my hands, marvelous as they are."
Gale thrashes in impatience as the Vamp quickly moves to the drawers and pulls out a bottle of lube. He undoes his pants and maneuvers onto the bed, pushing Gale's legs out to the sides around him. He shoves his pants down enough to free himself before snapping the lid of the lube open.
Gale's mouth slightly opens as he takes in the Vamp's long, thick, pale cock. It's similar to his own in size and girth, but the Vamp is curved unlike Gale. He briefly wonders how it will fit inside of him.
The Vamp notices Gale's gaze, chuckling as he coats his cock in lube. "Ever done this before, Dr. Dekarios?"
"I—well, with toys," he mumbles.
His grin sharpens. "So mine will be the first cock to fuck your delectable ass."
"Must you be so crass?" Gale huffs to cover his embarrassment.
"I must," he says as he coats his fingers. "After all, how else will I drag you down to my depths?"
Gale opens his mouth for a rebuttal when he feels the Vamp's slick finger prod his hole and all thoughts go rushing out of his head.
"Relax, darling," he croons. "I need you ready to take my cock."
Gale writhes and moans as the Vamp opens him up, slowly adding more fingers until Gale is begging for his cock. He pulls his fingers out and Gale whines at the loss before he shushes him.
"Don't worry, pet, you'll get your reward soon enough." He coats his cock one last time before he lines himself up and slowly breeches Gale. He can't help but immediately tense up until the Vamp tells him to relax and breathe. The pain gives way to pleasure and soon the Vamp's cock is fully inside of Gale.
"Please," he gasps out as his legs wrap around his clothed body.
"I do so love hearing you beg," he groans before he shallowly thrusts in and out of Gale's needy hole. He picks up the pace and Gale squirms and moans; the bed's creaking betraying their activities to anyone close by.
He pauses to sit up and pull Gale's hips higher before fucking into him with reckless abandon. Gale nearly screams as the Vamp's cock pounds into his prostate, overloading his senses with unadulterated pleasure as the Vamp babbles obscenities.
"Fuck Gale, your cock is leaking just from being speared on mine. You fucking slut, giving yourself to me for some drugs. You're no better than a common whore on their back for a fix. Here he is, the esteemed Dr. Gale Dekarios, spreading his legs to get his kicks. You're going to come on my cock alone, aren't you? So fucking desperate for touch that you're reduced to just a hole to be used at my disposal."
Gale wants to snarl and fight at the humiliating words but he's so lost in pleasure that he can only moan in response. The Vamp's cock is the only heaven he's had in so long even if the words are hell. He's close to the edge as his sweet spot is repeated hit with that delicious cock.
"Come for me, you dumb whore. Show me that you're a good slut worthy of taking my cock," the Vamp demands as he chases his own peak.
"Fuck you," Gale rasps as he glares at the Vamp before his head falls back with a moan.
"Ha, you're all bark and no bite," he goads between breaths. "Since you're moaning like a bitch for me."
"V-Vamp—"
"Go on. Come on my cock or not at all." He pounds into Gale with no mercy.
Gale gives in to the sensations and with a guttural moan he comes all over his chest, cock untouched. The Vamp continues to fuck him and he's teetering on overstimulation when he groans and feels warmth flood his insides. He takes a few breaths before he slowly pulls out of Gale. In a flash, he tucks himself back in and redoes his pants, all while his spend slowly drips out of Gale.
"Well, I suppose that was adequate."
"Adequate?!"
"Now lie still as I insert the IV."
Gale fumes as he receives his dose as promised. They don't say a word until he's all done.
"I'll see you in five days, then." The Vamp is dismissive as he walks out the door.
Gale scowls as he puts his clothes back on, utterly humiliated. He vows to find a different way to manage his condition even if it kills him.