There's a lot of very good stuff in several different reblog chains in this post, so I wasn't sure where to put this, but uh. You have all ensnared me. I have never written fanfiction before. Enjoy???
The first time it happens is late at night.
A blood moon hovers high above the town, a sight that had almost become familiar in this horrible place. Legundo, like the rest of the denizens of Oakhurst, is spending it safely inside the town walls. Unlike the rest of the town though, he isn't asleep. He works by candlelight, carefully taking notes on his most recent batch of cure attempts.
A chill passes through the room and he shivers, grumbling half-heartedly to himself about closing the window. He doesn't move to get up, though.
His hand twitches briefly, scratching a line of ink across the page. Legundo frowns; he must be more tired than he thought if he isn't even able to keep his hand still.
Another twitch. Perhaps that's a sign he needs to sleep. He reluctantly starts standing out of his chair, only—
He stumbles, leg not moving as he meant it to, and a reflex that feels faster than his sluggish mind rights it just in time to prevent himself from falling. That does it, he definitely needs to sleep. He won't be of any use if he can't even stand up out of his chair without nearly falling.
As he lies down in bed, his hand grasps the covers without his input. There is an itch at the back of his mind, something confused at the muscle movements. He dismisses it tiredly, and drifts into sleep.
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The second time is around noon, with the sun high in the sky.
Legundo is in his secret lab, tending to the animals, a basket of wheat hanging under one arm while the other holds out small handfuls for the nearest sheep. It finishes and he goes to grab more for the next one except—
He reaches upwards, resting a hand on its head, as if to pet it.
He jerks his arm away, back towards the basket, but it slides toward the sheep again.
He takes a step back, but his leg locks up, trying to keep him in place, and his body weight tilting backwards in preparation to step unbalances him—
Legundo's arms whip out behind him to catch him as he hits the ground with a thump, an impulse he somehow knows is his own— they're all his own, aren't they? —and he breathes heavily, mind racing to process what happened.
As Cleo's voice drifts in from the entrance, a warmth passes over him, and his body somehow feels his own in a way it didn't a moment prior. Legundo takes a deep breath and pushes all his fears into a box to be dealt with later, calming his breath so he can call to let Cleo in.
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The third time is at dusk, and he isn't alone.
He is making his way back to town after a trip to gather more herbs, both for medicinal purposes and for possible cure attempts. His arms are full, but that doesn't bother him. He has no need to draw a sword or throw a punch.
The castle vampires generally stay away from Oakhurst, outside of a few specific visitations, but they still wander the forest and tombs often enough to be encountered unexpectedly. Legundo isn't surprised, then, when he feels the hairs on the back of his neck rise, hears a rustle of leaves behind him... he only knows one vampire who would get so close while he was alone without attacking. "Owen?"
There is a sharp exhale that he recognizes as a huff of laughter. Legundo can imagine the expression on his face, vaguely amused and annoyed. He feels an unexpected surge of fondness, but pushes it down. Now is not the time.
"Sharp for your age, aren't you, Doctor?" Owen starts, but when Legundo turns around, he doesn't see anyone. His voice comes from above Legundo. Perched in a tree, then, keeping the high ground. "I suppose your hearing hasn't left you... yet."
Legundo raises an eyebrow, preparing to respond. There is a brief chill that passes through him, a breeze, perhaps, but Owen unexpectedly stiffens before Legundo can say anything. His expression shifts briefly to confusion before settling back to neutral, though his eyes are more scrutinizing than before.
Odd, but Owen had always been a strange puzzle to put together. "Perhaps you aren't as sneaky as you think you are," he responds lightheartedly, allowing himself a small smile.
He gets a scoff in return, but it is more dismissive than anything else. There is a curious glint in Owen's eyes as he narrows them at Legundo. "And I suppose you're a master of stealth?"
Usually, Owen's argumentative tendencies bothered him, but if banter would stop him from looking at Legundo like that, he would take it. So he opens his mouth to offer some sort of retort.
He didn't mean to say that. Didn't even think the shape of the word, didn't have a reason to. And the way he said it… his voice sounded different, smoother.
He thinks of stumbling in the dark, of petting sheep. He can feel it: someone is here something is wrong.
Owen recoils as if he's been burned, mouth dropped open. He looks confused, but there is a swirl of deeper emotions in his wide eyes that Legundo cannot begin to decipher. "…Doctor?"
Legundo feels his mouth open again and he panics. "My lo—"
He coughs, hard, forcing his mouth to stop forming words against his will. Whatever is happening, he needs it to stop.
He drops the herbs, spins on his heel, and runs. He doesn't look back, doesn't see Owen's face.
He doesn't see the fear and hope written there.