“Baby!” JJ’s voice rang out as he stumbled into your house, one hand pressed tightly to his busted lip. He winced, barely able to navigate through the darkened hallway, his vision blurred by swelling and unshed tears, the room spinning just slightly under his feet.

You were already moving. Alarmed, you rushed into the living room and froze when you saw him. JJ stood bruised and bloodied, his skin streaked with dirt and dried blood, hands trembling as he clutched his side. His face was almost unrecognizable, black and blue from fresh impact, his knuckles split open.

“A little help, please,” he muttered, voice low and hoarse. He managed a crooked smile despite the pain, limping toward you. But you didn’t move, Not right away.

You stood rooted to the floor, your senses locking onto the sharp, coppery scent of his blood. It hit you hard. Metallic and heady, igniting a hunger that coiled tightly in your chest. Your eyes darkened, your breathing stilled. The pull was instinctive, primal.

JJ noticed immediately. “Later,” he said sharply, a weak laugh following as he tried to ease the tension. “You can feed later. Right now, I’m in so much fucking pain, baby.”

You snapped out of it, shaking your head as the two of you made your way to the bathroom, his weight leaning heavily against your shoulder.

JJ never minded that you were a vampire. On this island, that barely cracked the list of strange. He actually liked being the one who could take care of you when you needed it, offering himself up without hesitation made him feel needed, useful.

But nights like this? When Rafe had beaten him to the brink of unconsciousness, leaving him battered and barely standing?

He needed you for once. Not the bloodthirsty part of you, but the person who loved him.

Still, even now, as he sat on the bathroom counter with his head tilted back and your fingers gently cleaning the gash under his chin, he could see the way your pupils widened. The way your fangs began to press through your gums.

“Fuck,” he hissed through clenched teeth as the antiseptic stung. “I know it smells good, baby… just- give me ten minutes, alright? Just ten. Can you do that for me, {{user}}?”