Having 8 people meant cooking went by fast and clean up went by faster. Some would gather and/or cut up ingredients, then pass them to be measured and added to whatever they happened to be making. Most of the others had finished their parts and dispersed to do whatever.

Currently Adam was on cutting duty, dicing up one of three orange peppers. It was an easy skill and there was a lot to make when they were having a giant all family get together. Adam's parents, Hazels mom, Greg and Karla, Rebecca and River, Alex's mother and father, and Jasmin's father were all going to be coming to have a feast on with the polycule and their children in celebration of Heritage Month, not Thanksgiving.

Connie had burst into a speech reminiscent of her college years when Jacob brought up his understanding of the holiday. She lost her temper at the world during it and called the government and colonists of that time some very creative and impressively hurtful things before proclaiming she'd take no part in that holiday as she had every year since she'd become more educated on the subject.

So they dropped it but told their parents whatever they wanted to hear.

Adam glanced to both his sides, then did a double take. Hazel had sucked in a sharp breath and cursed. "Son of a bitch, I nicked myself."

Adam felt every drop of blood in his body suddenly and made a sound of immense discomfort. He stumbled back, which startled Jacob and then his knife slipped a bit too deep to call it a mere cut. "Ouch, that smarts! What's gotten your nickers twisted, ya knob?!"

The world caved in on itself as Adam whipped around in concern but nothing came out of his mouth. Jacob was gotten badly. His hand was nearly coated in it already and Adam felt his heartbeat quicken as his mouth watered. He tore his eyes away and found Hazel looking him over. "You okay, babe?"

He swallowed and tried to nod. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Are you guys good?"

Hazel shrugged. "Yeah, it's just a little nick."

Adam turned to stare down at the cutting board that suddenly felt further away than it did before.

Jacob nudged him and grinned. "I swear it's a slightly different color than I remember, mind taking a look?"

It was known but not remembered apparently that Adam had a serious thing for blood, but he attempted to reorganize his priorities. "Uh, yeah. It's a little pink."

Jacob nodded and some dripped onto the floor in a beautiful abstract display. A horrible vision came to Adam, and what's worse he started to get hot and bothered over it.

Now he was starting to lose the battle, he could feel blood rushing to his face as more of Jacob's accumulated in his hand. Truthfully they should be panicked because Jacob was losing blood kind of quickly, but with Steven around the only time they really got worried about injury was when someone went unconscious. Part of him wanted to remind them he was a nutcase and literally couldn't be around the stuff unless they were going to let him feed. Everyone's blood had a slightly different taste, and that drew him into staring so hard he was sure he was about to genuinely pin Jacob so he could have a single test.

"Whoops." Jacob grabbed a paper towel and cleaned it up, then washed his hand.

Watching the water turn colors had Adam feeling completely out of control and he pushed away from his work station. "I need to go on a walk immediately," He blurted in a barely coherent rush.

Hazel grabbed him before he got too far and Jacob gave him a wary look. "Why?"

"It's not that." His eyes drifted down to the cut on Jacob's hand that continued to pool with the pretty red stuff inside people and a frenzied feeling overcame him. Every thought was a borderline terrible and nauseating thought and he felt like he was running a 207 fever with the way he was sweating. "I need to go now."

Hazels brows furrowed and he dropped the washcloth he'd been drying his hands with. He stared hard at Adam, tipping his chin up. "Start talking or someone's coming with you."

"I need to be alone so badly right now," Adam pleaded with a tremor. "I'm so serious, Hazel. I'll lose it."

Hazel surveyed the misery on Adam's face and his brows raised in surprise. It wasn't misery, it was a lust that turned into panic.

His eyes dropped to his hand and then to Jacob's, a memory suddenly slamming its way into his mind again: Adam had an obsession, one single thing that pushed him over the edge every time without fail. He held up his hand and glanced over at it with a wink.

Jacob must have been on the same page because he smirked at him. "Do I need to get healed?"

Adam nodded frantically and turned away to shut his eyes as his knees weakened. "With all due respect, get the fuck out."

Jacob grinned. "Are you flirting with–,"

Hazel giggled as Adam buried his head in his chest and bellowed fiercely, "Jacob! Now!"

"I dunno, if you wanted me to leave I think you'd yell at me..." Adam peeked out but this time he couldn't hide. A prickle traveled up Jacob's arm and he couldn't figure out if he was maybe losing a bit too much, or if it was the fact that Adam seemed to be locked on more confidently, like maybe he was about to genuinely attack him. Yes, that's what that lick of his lips meant. He had seconds to depart. If his foot twitched that'd be it. He chuckled with a blush of enjoyment and jogged off. A few minutes later Jacob yelped but came back with a healthy-looking flush. "All better."

Adam shook his head looking almost sad. "Not all better. I'm going on a walk. Period."

He left with a flourish and decided to apologize later.

Blood brought up so many uncomfortable feelings. It wasn't a murder thing, he didn't get off by seriously injuring other people. It's why he took so much time learning which areas to avoid during pain play. But the fact was it was just so pretty... some morbid part of him loved it. Maybe he was a vampire or something, sometimes he genuinely concerned himself. Of course, things couldn't be as simple as shanking someone and grabbing a bowl of popcorn and a straw. He was thankful he didn't have those urges but the urges he did have were hard to describe even to himself.

By the time he'd circled back and jogged in the premade ingredients had been put away and Jacob, Steven, Alex and Hazel were watching TV. Hazel patted his lap as a joke but Adam held on for dear life, breathing a sigh of relief.

He struggled to really pay attention to anything else for a few days as his mind wandered to the crimson liquid and he hated himself for it. What had happened to spark the obsession, he had no idea. The answer probably had something to do with his previous self harming but he didn't think about that anymore.

Sighing, he wandered around the basement at around midnight. Shuffling caught his ear but he was too late to catch who was tugging him into one of the closets. He instinctively yanked his arm away but in the close quarters he tripped and would've landed on his ass if it wasn't for Jacob's quick reaction. "Shhh, you're alright, love."

Adam was keenly aware that the hand holding him up had something hard in it but he was more swept off his feet than anything by the dip Jacob had him in. "Any reason you have me in a dimly lit closet?"

He smiled boyishly and propped him back up. "I talked to Hazel earlier."

That was very little information to go on, so Adam gestured for him to continue. "Okay, and?"

"And he asked me to give you this," Jacob murmured, pulling his hand from his hip to show him a very familiar switchblade.

Adam gasped so deep it hurt and grabbed at it like a nutcase, lifting it closer to the light. It functioned as smooth as butter. The spring lock had no hesitation. The blackness it held was so deep, it wasn't a shiny metal. No, the hilt had no luster and was the blackest black could get just like he remembered. The scene on it was the same it had always been: two warrior men kissing as they were shot with arrows through the heart. He looked up at Jacob, but looked down again when his finger slipped over an engraving.

Abyss.

"Why did you do this? How...? Where did you find my knife...?" He breathed as his throat threatened to close with emotion. He hadn't seen this knife for what was probably 12 years. "Thank you."

Jacob just smiled at him. "Hazel had the idea, but was too shy and begged me to do it while he pretended not to know." He chuckled when Adam's eyes went starry. "The other part of the gift is my idea."

Nothing could have prepared Adam for the event that happened next: Jacob grabbed his freehand and kissed it, green eyes sparkling at him mischievously even in the closet lighting. "Break it in."

"I-I-I don't–," Adam swallowed and gripped his blade like he was possessed. Like he was afraid to lose it again. "I-I can't."

Jacob cupped his cheek and his eyes told him there was more to this than he thought. He stepped closer until they were pressed together and Adam was pinned to the door. "Baby, darling..." He drew in a breath and rested his forehead on the door next to Adam's ear. "Mine, listen to me and don't say anything until I'm done."

That alone caused a tremor through Adam. 'Mine' was such a rare nickname for everyone but Jasmin. It meant he was being truly authentic. It meant he cared deeply about what who he was talking to at the moment. It meant he was dead serious. The name had heavy meaning, and Adam nearly sagged under it. "Okay."

Jacob shushed him again and goosebumps trekked up his boyfriend's arms. "I want you to. It's not a depression thing, but I'm a lot darker than even you think I am."

Adam reached up a shaky hand to pull him against him harder. "I feel like a psychopath."

"Piss off," Jacob protested. "You're a human being with human interests. You could be a phlebotomist."

Adam scoffed at the idea. "That's a terrible idea. They'd send me to prison or kill me."
Raising a shaky hand, Adams mind tunneled back in on the blade. "Did you sterilize it?"

Jacob laughed for so long it was a little offensive. "Of course. What, did you think I was new to this?" He turned around and got on his knees, pulling off his shirt to reveal a smoking hot body Adam ached for. The definition in his back, the strength he could see was building as of recently, made him feel starving. "I know you're trained, I remember Miss Belle and Rebecca praising you for your help with knife play so don't act so dumbfounded."

Abyss was back in his hands after over a decade. Had his parents really kept it after he'd almost killed himself with it on accident? Had they made a perfect look alike? Why? Sure he'd expressed a deep and serious connection with his first blade outside of using it poorly, and yes it had been a long time since he'd even had the urge, but why?

Adam pinched the skin over Jacob's shoulder blades and he turned back to grin at him. It felt surreal to be literally in a closet, but he supposed it wasn't the first time he'd been in one. "Can I walk you through it?"

"Of course."

He started rambling immediately. "I'm pinching your skin so if the cut goes deeper than I intend, which it won't, it won't hit anything important. Since the blade is disinfected, we don't run a risk of sepsis." His eyes traced the closet until he found it and he quickly opened the first aid kit, pleased with Connie like nothing else when it was fully packed and clearly labeled. He made a mental note to reward her greatly later.

Jacob shivered and yelped at the cold and wet cotton ball. "Blimey, that's cold!"

Adam chuckled and blew on it, stimulating a bigger reaction he kept in mind for later when Jacob complained about the cold again but his voice was a bit deeper with enjoyment. "And then it's as easy as–,"

He sliced a clean, safe cut and Jacob growled, "Thank you."

Without saying anything else, Adam latched onto the cut and lost himself in the drowsy haze of absolute chaos. Jacob huffed a shuddering breath and Adam felt himself becoming greedy. His nails dug into Jacob's skin and he moaned weakly. A part of him he hadn't satiated in years meant he was insatiable now, reaching around front to grab Jacob's neck and stroke over his thighs. The gentle rocking of Jacob's hip pushed more blood through the cut and Adam snarled. It was slightly metallic but a little sweet. The taste of Jacob's blood made him want to attempt to breed this man again. Jacob cried out but Adam couldn't stop, he was lost to this roaring lust.

Eventually it slowed and Adam pulled back to lick his lips. "I live an exceptionally pleasing life." He was vibrating, tingling, trembling from the taste alone. His eyes moved to look around the closet, sure it was closing in on him. The feeling was too much to contain and he pulled away. "Fuck, Jacob."

He hopped to his feet, nearly tipping and pulled Adam into a warm hug. "I love you. Go find Hazel, he was totally into it but apparently he couldn't tell you that without..." He smirked and Adam noticed he was a little bit sweaty after the whole affair. "My, what did he say? Implode?"

"Sounds just like him with his dramatic ass." Adam pulled away and his eyes shined up at Jacob. "One more kiss," He begged huskily. "To make sure you're okay."

Jacob brightened and leaned down to give him one of those kisses that prevented his eyes from opening for a bit. When he tasted his blood on his lips he groaned and pressed into him harder. "I'm okay, I promise. I've done way crazier shit with Jasmin."