Ruin Me Gently My Sour Candy

Liam didn't mean to follow him.

He told himself that, again and again, as his footsteps moved like they had a will of their own. He wasn't stalking. He wasn't hunting. He was just… watching.

Alex.

He walked with his hands in his pockets and his earbuds in, head low, hoodie drawn tight. He always smelled like rainwater and sugar, but tonight, there was something else in the air. Something sharper. Metallic.

Liam knew that scent too well.

Blood.

It wasn't much. A nick, maybe. A paper cut. The scrape of skin against a locker. Harmless.

But it lit Liam up like fire in his veins.

He hadn't fed properly in days. Not since the last bag his mother left thawing in the basement fridge. He hadn't told her how fast he was going through them lately — how hunger woke him in the middle of the night, gnawing at his ribs like he was starving.

It wasn't just the usual ache anymore.

It was Alex.

Everything about him — the way he looked at Liam like he knew there were secrets behind his smile, the way his pulse sped up when their arms brushed, the way he said Liam's name like it meant something.

It was more than bloodlust.

It was obsession.

And it was getting harder to ignore.

They met again — not by accident this time — in the shadow of the old bike racks near the science building. The sun had set half an hour ago, leaving the school grounds wrapped in fog and fading light. Most students were already gone. But Alex was still there, leaning against the railing, head tilted up like he was watching the stars fight their way through the gray sky.

Liam should have turned around. Should've walked away.

But he didn't.

"Hey," Alex said without looking. "Didn't expect to see you here."

Liam leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "You always hang out after dark?"

Alex smirked. "Maybe I'm hoping a vampire will show up."

Liam went still. His jaw clenched before he could stop it.

Alex looked over at him. "Sorry. Bad joke?"

Liam shrugged. "You believe in that stuff?"

Alex hesitated. "I don't know. My dad says they're real. But he also talks to guns like they're old friends, so…"

Liam smiled. "And what do you say?"

"I think some people just need monsters to blame."

That made Liam falter. Just a second. Just long enough.

Alex didn't notice. Or if he did, he didn't say anything.

Instead, he shifted closer. "You're always watching me," he said softly.

Liam's throat tightened.

"I'm not," he lied.

"You are. Even now."

Their eyes locked.

The space between them thinned.

"I keep dreaming about you," Alex said, barely more than a whisper. "And every time, it's the same. You're always standing in the dark. Just out of reach."

Liam didn't breathe.

"You never say anything," Alex continued. "You just… stare. Like you want to say something. But you're scared to."

He stepped closer. Their shoulders brushed.

"Are you scared of me, Liam?"

Liam felt the blood rise in his throat, thick and hot and wanting. He could hear Alex's heart — too loud, too close, begging for something Liam couldn't give without breaking him.

"I'm scared for you," he said.

Alex blinked. "Why?"

But Liam couldn't answer. His vision blurred. Not from tears — from hunger.

It burned.

His control cracked.

And then—his fangs slid down.

It was barely noticeable. A second. A shadow of a shift. But Alex saw.

His eyes widened. "Liam…?"

Liam backed away, fast, turning his face toward the wall.

"I have to go."

"Wait—what was that?"

"I said go."

But Alex didn't listen. He stepped forward, reaching—

And then Liam turned back to him.

Eyes glowing faintly. Fangs visible now, lips trembling with restraint.

"I'm sorry," Liam said.

Then everything went still.

And in the next heartbeat, Alex's skin was beneath his hands, warm and alive, and his mouth was at the curve of his neck.

One second.

One taste.

Just one.

His teeth grazed skin — not piercing yet — just resting. The hunger screamed. Liam could feel Alex's pulse vibrating against his lips. His self-control shredded in threads.

Then—

"Liam," Alex whispered.

And Liam bit.

It was shallow.

Quick.

Barely enough to draw blood.

But it was enough.

Alex gasped, muscles tensing against him. His hands shoved at Liam's chest, panic slamming through him like ice water.

"Liam—stop!"

Liam recoiled, backpedaling so fast he nearly tripped.

Alex touched his neck, eyes wide with horror. His fingers came back red.

"You—" His voice cracked. "You bit me."

Liam shook his head. "I didn't mean to—"

"You bit me!"

Alex stumbled back. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Liam raised his hands, voice raw. "Please—I didn't want—"

"You're a monster!"

That word hit harder than it should have.

Liam flinched.

Alex's eyes brimmed with something sharp. Not just fear.

Betrayal.

"I trusted you," he said, breath hitching. "I told you about my mom. I—"

"I'm sorry," Liam whispered.

"You're a liar."

"I didn't lie."

"You didn't tell me."

Alex turned and ran — stumbling at first, then full-speed across the lot.

Liam stood there long after he was gone.

The blood on his tongue tasted like salt and guilt.

When he got home, Harper was waiting on his porch.

She didn't speak at first.

Just stared at him.

Then said: "What happened?"

Liam sat beside her, burying his face in his hands.

"I bit him."

Harper blinked. "What?"

"Not deep. But… I lost control."

"Oh my God."

"He knows."

"Oh my God."

Harper stood, pacing the porch.

"Okay. Okay. We can fix this."

"No, we can't."

"Yes, we can. You just—you explain. You tell him—"

"That I'm what his father hunts? That I'm what killed his mother?"

Harper froze. "What?"

Liam looked up, empty. "A vampire killed her. He told me. That's why his dad moved here. He's a hunter, Harper."

She sat down slowly. "Jesus."

"I should've stayed away."

"Yeah. You should've."

He didn't respond.

They sat in silence for a long time.

Then Harper sighed. "Do you regret biting him?"

Liam shook his head.

"That's the worst part," he whispered. "I don't."