Chapter 10: The Blood

Jingfei didn't exactly know how long he had been sitting on the couch reading a book. Well, it must have been sometime, since his water bottle had gone dry, and suddenly he was at the end of the book. Jingfei looked up, seeing both Chan and Yang, still in their matching Pokemon hoodies of course, playing some racing game on the tv.

Both sat on the floor, intensely watching the game. Jingfei looked at them for a moment, before looking up at the screen. He couldn't tell what game it was, Jingfei wasn't much of a gamer, he silently watched, placing the book down. "Have you guys washed those hoodies yet?" They had to wear them for at least a couple of days.

Yang glanced back at Jingfei before shrugging. "Eh, I did. Chan never washes his stuff though-" Chan hits Yang on the side, before quickly going back to his game. Jingfei rolled his eyes, slowly standing up. Over the past few days, Jingfei has definitely gotten more used to vampires. The idea of it. The thought of what he has to do, the blood. That was the hardest part though, the blood. He couldn't look outside like he used to, couldn't watch people walk by.

Jingfei sat his book down on the sofa, before beginning to walk towards the kitchen. That's where either Wei, or Ying would be. That's where they always tend to be. As Jingfei opened the door, the smell of blood floated into his nostrils. It was savory, like a salisbury steak. That was the first thing Jingfei thought in his mind. His mouth instantly began to water, but he kept calm. Another thing Jingfei has slowly begun to control, his thoughts.

Wei was at the corner, his front side out of Jingfei's view. His sleeves were rolled up, his hands slightly covered in blood. Jingfei sucked in a breath through his mouth, not letting the sight remind him of what he had seen before. "What are you doing? Didn't your parents tell you to not play with food?" Jingfei joked as Wei turned around. He smiled softly at Jingfei. "I'm not playing, I'm cooking. Would you like pork belly tonight?" Wei asked, crossing one leg over the other as he leaned on the marble counter.

"Pork belly? Isn't that human food?" Jingfei asked softly. Wei nodded. "It is. The humans made it. But as long as I incorporate blood in some way, then it should be fine." He answered by pushing himself off the counter. He licked his blood-covered thumb as he stepped away from the pot, giving Jingfei some time to look inside.

It didn't look bad, nor did it smell bad. The meat chunks were piled into the nice pot, a red glint to them. Jingfei knew it was blood, however it looked like a normal Chinese dish. It looked like red braised pork belly, instead of the normal kind. Though, the color was more vibrant. Jingfei quickly grabbed a piece, plotting it into his mouth.

The pork belly was chewy, tender and delicious. It seemed sweeter than Jingfei anticipated, with a malt-like taste as well as a smokey one. The taste was as vibrant as the meat itself, juicy and seemed to be cooked on the stove. It was craving, with the hint of something earthy. A flavor Jingfei started to know very well.

The taste and smell was delicious, Jingfei reaching to grab another one, before Wei slapped his hand. Jingfei quickly drew it back, holding it in his hand. "Ow.." Jingfei muttered. Wei grabbed a napkin, handing it to Jingfei. "That's what you get for eating stuff that's not ready. I didn't even put it in the oven yet." Wei muttered.

Jingfei widened his eyes as he stared at Wei. "You didn't... wait what?" Jingfei quickly cleaned his hands, before wiping his mouth. "And you just…. Watch me eat raw meat? I could get salmonella!?" Jingfei huffed. Wei turned to look at him. He sighed. "Jingfei, vampires can't get food poisoning. Or any type of virus. Or disease. You're fine." Wei sighed, before beginning to chop different vegetables.

Jingfei still had another question. "The taste of the pork belly, it didn't taste like it was raw. It tasted like….. Like it was just off the grill. Like we were at some Chinese grill." Jingfei explained. Wei didn't seem shocked, nor did he seem worried. Instead he promptly continued slicing the stems off the broccoli. "Blood can taste like anything. It just depends on what you're craving. You were probably craving cooked pork belly." Wei explained, before pointing to a small lower cabinet painted black.

"Get me a pot." Wei said. Jingfei nodded, squatting down to open the cabinet. When he did however, he screamed, falling onto his butt and looking into the dark abyss. He scooted back to the wall, eyes wide and mouth covered. Wei looked down at him confused. "What? Is it an arm?" Wei asked, cleaning his hands before squatting to look inside. Jingfei widened his eyes at Wei's words. "Stop joking, there's something inside there.

Wei turned to look at him confused. "I wasn't joking."

"WHAT?!"

A soft growl emitted from the small cabinet, making Jingfei scoot back even more. Well try to, before promptly giving up and curling himself into a ball. Wei sighed, reaching in and grabbing the mysterious figure. It's growl echoed throughout the kitchen. Jingfei still didn't look at it. "What is it, a ghost? A werewolf? A normal wolf?" Jingfei asked quickly, his voice panting and worried.

Wei softly laughed. "No, it's none of thost. Where did you get werewolves from? Those are fictional characters." Wei pointed out. His voice never left it's confident side, still somehow also showing power. Jingfei didn't know exactly what to say. "I thought vampires were fictional too, built here I am," He tilted his head up, his eyes squeezed shut. His heart raced in his chest, blood pumping to his ears. "Open your eyes." Wei said. Jingfei slowly did, only to be eye to eye with a…

cat?

"Jiangshi, meet Jingfei." Wei said, placing the small black cat in Jingfei's hands. Jingfei lifted the cat up, feeling how light it was. The cat had dark red eyes, piercing into Jingfei. Was it…. Glaring at him. "Oh, it was just a cat. A vampire cat, but still a cat." Jingfei mumbled softly. Jiangshi meowed, still glaring at him. It seemed the cat really didn't like Jingfei, for whatever reason.

Chan walked inside, looking down at the cat. "Oh! Jiangshi!" He grabbed the cat from Jingfei's hand, the black animal instantly cuddling with Chan. "Rude." Jingfei muttered. He slowly stood, brushing the cat hair off of his clothes. "By the way, vampire cats are not real." Wei said, before coming back to the food. Yang poked his head into the door, petting Jiangshi only the head before looking over at Wei. "You made some for me, right?" Yang asked. Wei nodded. "Of course, I always do."