Both Alike in Dignity

A/N: This chapter was very, very fun to edit bwahaha. 8] Not much going on with me, applying for jobs all over the place, not having much luck. Really appreciate all the reviews I've been getting. Also, thanks to my friend Sam for betaing this chapter for me and catching a few mistakes that I would have missed otherwise. If you enjoyed the chapter, please review. You might get more of the same. ;D

Word Count (overall): 19929
Word Count (this chapter): 2154
Updates: Tuesdays and Fridays

Chapter Eleven


It was a long afternoon. Sebastian's first night with Jasper had been overshadowed by sheer exhaustion and blood loss. He had still been feeling the effects of his beating. Sleep had been necessary. This time, he barely slept at all, far too aware of the hot, male presence in the other bed. A presence that distracted him constantly. A presence that also snored. Sebastian rolled onto his back and stared at the dim ceiling. Late afternoon, heading toward evening. The sun was going down. Heaving out a huge sigh, Sebastian got up.

He left Jasper to sleep. He did briefly consider waking the other male up, just to be an asshole. He wasn't that cruel – Jasper was under just was much strain as he was. Needed just as much sleep. Sebastian padded into the bathroom to take a shower. At least he could stay clean. That was one blessing amidst all the shit.

A freshly washed Sebastian emerged a good half an hour later, dressed and smelling of soap and shampoo. He'd had no choice but to change back into the t-shirt and jeans he'd been wearing all yesterday and last night, but showering and changing back into dirty clothes was better than not showering at all.

Jasper was awake, sprawled out across the bed like he owned it. The wolf was one of those men that seemed to fill a room, even if he was standing in the damn corner. Jasper looked at Sebastian, dragging his gaze over the damp vampire slowly. He grinned. “Sleep well?” he asked.

“No,” Sebastian said. He eyed Jasper right back. The other looked inviting, stretched out like that. Like he was just looking for someone to join him. Sebastian's mouth rushed with saliva. He shifted uneasily. “You snore.” He moved away from the steamy bathroom and further into the room, rubbing a towel through his dark, damp hair and putting his back to Jasper. He didn't want to look at the other. Didn't want to respond to him. He focused on carefully pulling his socks and shoes on.

“I do not!” Jasper said, moving up onto his elbows. He stared at Sebastian's back with a frown. His lips twitched with silent amusement.

“You do,” Sebastian said, a hint of a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth. “I came very close to smothering you with my pillow. Every time I finally started to doze, you'd snore so loudly it sounded like a car had gone into the side of the building. Made me jump every time. Surprised you don't wake yourself up with it.” He stood again, folding his damp towel neatly before putting it in the washing hamper.

“You're totally exaggerating,” Jasper said, rolling his eyes. His grin widened. “Wow. Are you really so anal retentive that you fold your towel before putting it in the washing? That's just... wow. There are no fucking words. That's just obsessive.”

Sebastian's back stiffened. “Oh well, excuse me for being neat,” he said. “I don't suppose you've ever heard of tidying up after yourself, or is that just too gay for you?” He turned to look at Jasper, eyeing the other male haughtily. The wolf had way more than a five o' clock shadow. Jasper hadn't been kidding when he said he grew hair quickly. That was just creepy. Gross. Gross and creepy. “You need a shave.”

Jasper rubbed a hand over his bristly chin. “Thank you, Captain Obvious,” he said, throwing a pillow at Sebastian's head.

Sebastian brought his arm up in a flash, blocking the pillow with lightning-fast reflexes. He glared at Jasper. If looks could kill, the werewolf would have burst into flames right then and there.

Jasper just laughed. “I'm gonna go grab a shower,” he said, grinning over at Sebastian. “Don't disappear, yeah?”

The bathroom door closed behind Jasper before Sebastian could even protest. He stared at the door. Fuck. He was starving. The lost blood and the loss of a meal a couple of days before still needed replenishing. Jasper had gone a long way towards satisfying his hunger, but he needed more. He would rather hunt than take it from Jasper, but he didn't exactly want the other nosing in on the way he got his food. That wasn't something that he wanted Jasper to see.

Sebastian flopped back onto the bed, listening to the shower run. He stared at the ceiling boredly and tried very hard not to think about the fact that Jasper was naked in the next room. He seemed to spend way too much time Not Thinking about that.

“You actually stayed, huh?” Jasper asked, appearing a good deal earlier than it took Sebastian to shower. He was dressed, his hair still damp and finger-combed into place, shaved and ready to go.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Sebastian sat up immediately, his spine straightening. He eyed Jasper suspiciously. The other cleaned up nicely. The scent of him made Sebastian's nose twitch. Jasper smelled fresh. All clean-shaven and handsome.

“Just wanted to see if you would,” Jasper said. He shrugged, then cracked a grin and raised his eyebrows. “Feeling obedient?”

Sebastian glared. His cheeks felt hot. Jasper had asked him to stay out of some kind of test, to see if he would, to prove he was fucking leashed. Sebastian stood in a sudden blur of movement, heading for the door without a word. He wanted to feed. More importantly, he wanted to get away from the infuriating bastard that managed to crawl under his skin so easily.

He didn't get far.

As soon as Sebastian yanked the door open, he felt a hot, hard presence at his back.

Jasper slapped his palm against the wood of the door and leaned his considerable weight against it. They wrestled for a few seconds before Jasper overpowered Sebastian and the door slammed closed.

Sebastian just stared at it for a long moment, breathing hard. He swallowed. He couldn't fucking believe it.

“What the fuck?” Sebastian asked, his voice low. “Let me out right fucking now, Jasper. Now.”

“I'm sick of this,” Jasper said, his voice a low rumble in Sebastian's ear. He was so close, body pressed against the vampire's, taller than him, broader than him, unapologetically male.

Sebastian yanked hard at the door. “Fuck you,” he said, his voice rising, his panic reflected in the volume of his protests. He yanked again. The door didn't even budge. Maybe Jasper was stronger than him after all.

“Stop playing games, Sebastian.” Jasper didn't budge an inch.

“I'm not the one playing,” Sebastian snapped back. His whole world spun as Jasper flipped him around. Sebastian looked up at the other man, then immediately flinched away from Jasper's penetrating gaze.

Jasper pushed Sebastian. Hard. He shoved the vampire right back against the door, trapping him in place. That firm, muscular body pressed up against Sebastian's. Jasper leaned down, his lips slick and parted.

“Jasper,” Sebastian said, pushing at the other man's chest. He pushed again, but Jasper was immovable. Solid. Sebastian hesitated, staring up at the other male, feeling Jasper's heart beating against his palm. Sebastian's stomach clenched.

“Yeah?” Jasper asked, his voice rough. He watched Sebastian. Always fucking watching him. Jasper reached out and fisted a careful hand in Sebastian's hair, tugging his head back, rendering him helpless. Vulnerable. Jasper eyed the vampire's lips slowly.

Sebastian made a low, distressed noise at having his throat bared, halfway between arousal and fear. The intent in Jasper's eyes made him shiver hotly. Sebastian shifted, not quite sure what to do with his hands. He gripped Jasper's biceps, his fingers flexing.

“Don't,” Sebastian said, his voice low and strained from the way Jasper was holding his head back. His mouth said one thing, but his body throbbed for something else entirely. Part of him wanted Jasper to ignore him, to force him, to take away the responsibility for his own desire. Another part of him felt violated. Unsafe. Disgusted. Worried. Raped.

Jasper didn't stop. He leaned in closer, his lips hovering an inch from Sebastian's, making the vampire tremble, making him want it. Jasper closed the gap, their lips clashing in a searing hot kiss, slick and hard, days of pent up sexual frustration released in one moment. Jasper kissed and sucked and nibbled at Sebastian's lips like he would die if he stopped.

Helpless under the onslaught, Sebastian gasped. His hands tightened, one sliding up to the back of Jasper's neck and the other gripping his shoulder. Sebastian pulled him closer, his body canting forward as he tried to get as much contact as he could. His lips parted eagerly, their tongues tangling, Jasper overwhelming and Sebastian just struggling not to get sucked under the other man's dominance.

Sebastian refused to be submissive. He thrust his tongue forward aggressively into Jasper's mouth, trying to claw back some control. His attempts were completely thwarted when Jasper just sucked at his tongue. Sebastian's knees went weak. He clutched at the other male.

The kiss seemed to go on forever, Sebastian panting through his nose, his body tingling. He stared up at Jasper with wide eyes as the other male pulled back. They were both breathing hard, staring at each other, Sebastian's lips slick and kiss-swollen, his pupils dilated, his body trembling.

Jasper smirked. Leaning down, he nibbled at Sebastian's slack lips, pressing closer. He was hard, his cock pressed against Sebastian's hip, hot and heavy.

Sebastian gasped. The cold door against his back contrasted with the fiery heat of Jasper's body. The wolf was like a furnace. Sebastian groaned, arching, shuddering at the feel of something hot and stiff at his hip. Fuck.

Somehow, despite all of Sebastian's teasing and his efforts to control Jasper, he had never expected it to end up like this. He couldn't peel himself away, couldn't (didn't want to?) say no. Sebastian slid a hand slowly down Jasper's chest. He held his breath, sliding it lower and lower, tracing the outline of the bulge at the other's jeans. Jasper's cock. His erect cock.

Jasper jerked against him, panting like the dog he supposedly wasn't. He reached down, covering Sebastian's hand with his, forcing the other's palm down flat against his dick. Jasper shifted, rocking forward into Sebastian's palm, making a low, needy noise.

Sebastian acquiesced, letting his palm curve around Jasper's thick cock, smoothing up and down slowly. He felt Jasper tremble against him. Fuck, he was so turned on he didn't know what to do with himself. He stared at Jasper's face, his own cock throbbing demandingly in his jeans. Something inside his head snapped.

In a flash of desperate movement, Sebastian tore his hand away and shoved Jasper hard, sending the unsuspecting wolf stumbling back. “I said no,” he snapped, his eyes wide and panicky. He was in disarray, his hair a mess, his clothes skewed, his dick hard. His precious dignity had been stripped away, leaving nothing but a man behind. A man. A man with feelings, needs and desires, just like any other.

“What?” Jasper snapped, stumbling over his own feet before catching himself gracefully. He took a step forward, making as if to advance again.

Sebastian ducked warily out of the way, leaving plenty of open space at his back, this time. “No. I said no. I don't want to,” Sebastian said, his panicky, but still with that underlying husk.

Jasper rolled his eyes. “You wanted to just fine a minute ago,” he argued, taking another step toward Sebastian. He eyed the vampire and grinned. Then, he offered his wrist.

It was a gesture that went straight to Sebastian's cock. Need slammed into him so hard he gasped. His stomach twisted painfully. His cock throbbed. What if he did it? What would Jasper do? Would he touch him during? Play with him? Just the thought was enough to make his cock twitch.

“Come on, I know you want to,” Jasper coaxed. “Just think how good it'll feel.”

Sebastian took a deep, shaky breath. He made himself look at Jasper, made himself hold the other man's eyes. “No,” he said, his voice firm and steady. He held Jasper's eyes until the other broke eye contact, looked away.

“Fine,” Jasper said, “suit yourself.” He dropped his hand and stepped away, nonchalant, as if nothing had even happened.

Sebastian turned away, his hands shaking. He could feel Jasper's gaze on him, hot and prickly. It made him want to itch the back of his neck. “We should move again,” he said. “I don't feel safe here.” Alone. With you.

“Fine. Get your shit together and we'll go. I'll wait outside,” Jasper said, slamming the door behind him.