A/N: Here's another little tidbit of Blade/Scud for you. There needs to be more Scud fics out there. That's just my opinion though. I don't own anything, so don't sue me please. Thank you. R&R. Enjoy!

Blade/Scud: 5 and 1

He was taking a break from work, eating his beloved Krispy Kreme donuts when Blade returned to their humble abode. Scud perked up a bit when the daywalker arrived. Spending a lot of time alone was both a blessing and a curse. There were times that he craved solitude while there were others that he needed to be around some company. So Blade coming home was perfect for him.

"Hey, B-man! Find out anything?"

He hadn't known Blade for too long; it had only been about three months or so since Scud's run in with Janet and Chrissy. But he knew that Blade was looking for his friend, Whistler, and that he wasn't going to give up on him. Scud respected him for that, for the fact that Blade was so much braver than he'd ever be.

"Just more paths to follow."

Blade gave him a long, hard look. Not a glare; Scud would be able to tell if it was a glare, even with those damn sunglasses shielding Blade's eyes. It was a look that he had never seen before and it made him squirm a little. He wasn't uncomfortable with it; he just didn't know what to make of it. Grabbing his box of Krispy Kremes, he held it up.

"Want a donut?" he said lamely.

Blade just titled his head and gave Scud a small smile. It was barely there, and it was gone as soon as it appeared, but he was certain he saw it.

"No, thank you."

Before Scud could say another word, Blade left, probably heading to his own room. Scud sat there for a minute, wondering just what the fuck just happened, before he shrugged it off. Stuffing another donut in his mouth, he got up and went to one of the refrigerators. He needed some fucking whiskey before he went back to work.

About two months after Scud caught a glimpse at the unfamiliar look Blade gave him, it happened again. It wasn't out of the blue either, like it had been the last time. Scud had been talking about the little bombs Blade wanted him to work on when he noticed that it was coming back gradually. Bit by bit, it was returning and now that Blade wasn't wearing his sunglasses, Scud could see it better than before.

Like last time, it wasn't a glare or anything like that. There was no anger or malice in Blade's bright eyes. But there was something there that Scud couldn't put his finger on. He liked the look now that he had the chance to actually see it. Scud didn't recognize it, but it kind of gave him a small confidence boost for some reason. Almost as though he knew that, regardless of the shit that came out of his moth, Bade wouldn't get annoyed or pissed at him for it.

"So, I've been thinkin' about these UV ray grenades, ya know? It'd get the job done a lot faster and it'd be cool as fuck to watch. Less hassle, less problems for you, B."

"Knowing you, you could get anything done faster and it wouldn't be a problem, boy."

Just the way Blade said it, his voice low and smooth, confused Scud. Was he making a joke? No, he couldn't be. If he was, then B-man would be smirking and he wasn't. Besides, the joke was pretty fucking lame and Blade wasn't lame. So, Scud just laughed it off.

"You know me, B. I got fingers and brains that work miracles. Aren't you glad you have me?" The shit-eating grin on his face couldn't hide his confusion, and Scud knew that.

"Not yet, Scud. Not yet."

The unfamiliar look disappeared and Blade left soon after. Scud just stared at his empty seat, feeling as though he had done something wrong.

"Fuck."

He had no idea what the hell just happened, but he felt as though he let the larger man down or something.

Scud was lighting up his cigarette, just about ready to call it quits, when Blade walked into the kitchen. He was sitting on the counter and watching the daywalker as he opened one of the refrigerators. Thoughts about the previous two weird encounters popped into his mind suddenly and he found himself thinking about them intently. Had he done something wrong or had he just been imaging things? It was possible, what with his past history of drug use. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he completely forgot about his cigarette. At least, he had until it burned a hole in his jeans and scorched his skin.

"Shit!"

Hissing, he jumped off of the counter and put his cigarette out. Scud looked at his leg and scowled. Another hole in another pair of jeans. No matter what he did, he could never take care of anything. Ever.

"Ah fuck. Another hole. Well, at least the burn isn't that bad. Right, B-man?"

Scud looked up and was startled to find that Blade was standing right in front of him. His eyes were focused solely on Scud's small burn mark and the intense look on his face made Scud's skin sizzle. God, did Blade even know how fucking hot he was? Probably. Did he care about the fact that Scud found him hot? Probably not.

"No, but keep an eye on it. I don't want to make a mountain out of a mole hill."

Blade's eyes were soft, almost tender, and Scud liked the softness. He hadn't really had any sort of tender affection in his life and his friend's list was practically nonexistent. But at least Blade cared, or seemed to, and that put a smile on his face. When the larger man looked at him, his eyes smoldering with something that Scud still couldn't name, he found himself still perplexed but wanting more. However, Blade just stood up and, after giving Scud a long, pointed look, left the kitchen.

Scud wished that he could be good and strong and noble. But he wasn't. He never had been and he never would be. And because of his own cowardice, he had become a familiar of Reinhardt's, a man who saw him as nothing more than a blood bag and a body to fuck. Sure, he'd be protected and wouldn't become fodder whenever those new daywalkers came to power, but being a pet wasn't all that great either. Especially when Reinhardt was his master. Besides, he didn't feel any better after making his choice. Actually, he felt worse. A lot worse.

Aside from being bent over and fucked so hard that he could barely walk, Scud had betrayed Blade. He had betrayed the man who had saved his life and there was no going back on it now. As he walked into the home he shared with Blade, sore and fucked out by Reinhardt and his men, Scud couldn't help but think that it was probably obvious what he had done. But he wasn't going to come out and tell Blade that he had betrayed him and all that they had worked for together.

But even when he had been tattooed, Scud had been thinking about Blade, about how he wanted, more than anything, to do what the larger man asked of him. He would have done anything, even spread his legs. But Blade wouldn't want him like that; hell, Scud figured that Blade only put up with him because he was good with computers and weapons and all that good shit. Even with Reinhardt's dick balls deep inside him, Scud's thoughts had been on Blade. And as he made his way to his room, his thoughts were still on Blade and on how much he regretted making his choice. God, what the fuck had been going through that brain of his? Probably nothing. Before he could even strip down to shower, to scrub off Reinhardt's touch and the touch of his henchmen, Blade came into his room. His sunglasses were on, so Scud didn't see his eyes, but he knew that Blade knew that something was wrong.

"I…"

Scud croaked out without thinking. Tears weld up and he felt himself unable to speak. God, he was so fucking stupid. Why the hell didn't Blade just kill him already? He was going to anyway, right? But Blade didn't kill him; instead, he crossed the space between them and pulled Scud into his arms, crushing him in a bear hug and showing that tender spot that he rarely ever showed. It shocked the hell out of Scud and confused him, but he accepted the embrace and cried like a pussy for the first time in a while.

Blade had known all along. Of course he had; he was Blade after all. Nothing escaped his sharp eyes, and Scud had been foolish to think that he had managed to successfully hide what had happened. That night when he came home after going to Reinhardt when he called had been a long one. They didn't say much of anything, but what was for there to say? Scud knew that Blade knew, but he couldn't tell him. The man didn't take kindly to betrayal of any kind, so Scud was fucked. He had made his bed and he was going to lie in it. And he regretted it. As soon as Blade looked him, his eyes hidden by those damn sunglasses, Scud instantly regretted it.

"Sorry, B."

His voice held laughter, the kind he usually reserved for when he knew that he was on the edge of becoming hysterical as a motherfucker. Scud wanted to take it all back. With the dud bomb in his hand and his heart beating like mad, he wanted nothing more than to be out of this mess. Blade's eyes followed his every movement and when he told Scud that he had known all along, it kind of broke Scud's heart. He had been right; Blade had known. Then why hadn't he killed him? What the fuck was up with that? Did Blade want to see what Scud would do? All he ever did was go to Reinhardt whenever he called for a quick fuck. The asshole never treated his familiars like he should and Scud had received more than his fair share of man handling. So why didn't Blade just kill him?

"That bomb's not a fake."

Suddenly, Blade was there, right in front of him, and although Scud couldn't see his eyes, he knew that they were staring into his very soul. Looking into those dark lenses, Scud got the feeling that Blade was a little...sad that he was about to die. Tauntingly and teasingly, Blade reached up and patted Scud's cheek, making the smaller man flinch just a little. That was when he remembered that he still had the bomb in his hand. Quickly, practically panicking, Scud tossed it aside to whomever was closest and tried to duck. It went off and the world went black.

And

He felt sore and stiff. His head was pounding like a motherfucker and it hurt to move any part of his body. Scud tried to open his eyes, but when he was met with bright light, he hissed and quickly closed them. Was he dead? Or worse: was he alive? If he was alive, then Blade would be coming after his ass. Blade... Damn, he fucked up royally, didn't he? Getting mixed up with Reinhardt, and then punching Whistler a few times would definitely put him on the daywalker's shit list. That was the last place he wanted to be. Why couldn't he have just died and stayed dead? Life liked to mess with him, he guessed.

Groaning, he opened his eyes again, slowly this time, and found that the bright light was just an average light bulb. How long had he been out? Moving his head even an inch caused him pain, but he had no idea where he was, how he got there, or who had saved him. Regardless of if it was a vampire or Blade, he was screwed. Looking around, he realized that he was in his old room at Blade's, which meant that Blade had saved his ass and brought him there. Oh shit. There was no way that Scud would survive whatever Blade was planning to do to him, that was for sure. After looking around, his eyes fell on Blade, who was watching him silently, sunglasses gone and an unreadable expression on his face. Scud's heart beat sped up and he wanted, more than anything at the moment, to take back becoming Reinhardt's familiar.

"I can smell your fear. You have every right to be afraid."

Blade got up and walked over to him. His bright eyes peered down at him and Scud's thoughts were drawn to that unfamiliar look and the weird stuff that had been going on between them before he fucked up. A sadness, much like the one Blade had shown him before the bomb went off, was shining brightly in the daywalker's eyes and that's when Scud realized something. That weird look, those weird, slightly awkward moments, was Blade reaching out to him in something more than camaraderie or friendship. Was it possible that Blade had an interest in him? It was too late to find out now, wasn't it? Scud mentally cursed his stupidity, even though he knew that he must've looked like a dumbass right about now.

"Don't worry, Scud. I don't plan on killing you. I wouldn't have saved your white ass if that was the case." Even though Blade's voice was soft, Scud knew that he wasn't going to get off that easily. He had betrayed the man and he was going to suffer the consequences.

"You gonna…fuck me and leave me for vampire fodder, B?" Scud was trying, desperately, to lighten the mood, but it wasn't working. He knew that and he knew that Blade could very well kill him if he wanted to. Suddenly, he found himself being pulled up by Blade's strong hands. Bright eyes bore into his own and Scud recognized the anger, lust, and sadness that burned within them.

"Don't compare me to Reinhardt, boy. When I claim something, I don't let I go. You've been warned. When I come back, we're going to work things out and you may not be able to walk afterwards." Blade's voice was hot and strong and it wrapped around Scud in a grip that refused to let him go. And he found that he liked that. A lot. When Blade released him and left the room, Scud's thoughts turned to the dance they had been doing ever since they first met and how they were finally getting somewhere.