Seek Not to Alter Me
Nestled deep in the woods, there is a greenhouse made of tinted glass. This is the story of the people who settle there, and the home they build within.
(Or: I make a crossover between five different SMP's and make them all a found family to cope with the end of Vampires.)
Read it on Ao3!
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@beeisnotdead, thanks for taking an interest in my idea :)
Nobody back home believed in the supernatural, save for Avid and Elle. That's part of the reason why their work was so important- nobody else was gonna protect the town from the horrors just out of sight. The hours of research, working late into the night, waiting anxiously for Elle to come home safe... it was worth it, despite knowing they'd never get appreciation. They were doing a good thing.
Until the day she came home, but she wasn't safe. Until the day Avid turned his back to her and sharp claws were ripping into his shoulders. Until the day she drew his blood with a feral look in her eyes, either unwilling or unable to listen to his pleas, drawing closer and closer, baring her fangs for the final blow-
Then grasping at the stake in her chest, still hissing and spitting until she had no more breath to give.
There wasn't time for mourning. The townsfolk didn't believe in the supernatural, and if they had found him in that room, they would hang him before the next sunrise. So he'd hurriedly packed a bag and fled, his partner's crossbow on his back, the bloody stake still grasped in trembling hands.
Had there been more time, Avid would have came to a conclusion that would alter his life forever, set him walking the path to a town with the answers (and the vengeance) he so desperately craved. But here, fleeing from his sins, terror and guilt and grief clouding his mind, he has no plan other than to survive.
Hours into Avid's flight, there is an abandoned greenhouse, the glass so dirty he can barely see through it. The plants inside are on their way to death, save for some glowberry vines that seem to be thriving in the dim light. Avid can't find anyone inside, and the door is pretty sturdy, so...
(He doesn't notice the chests. Or the trapdoor that leads to a basement. Or the half full watering can, or the footprints in the mossy carpet.)
He piles up some moss to make a pillow for himself on the ground, and lays down for the first time in hours. When he fled, the moon was high in the sky, but now the first rays of sunlight are peeking over the horizon. Avid's shoulders sting from where her claws had dug into his flesh, and his whole body feels sore from... everything.
It's not fair.
He begins to cry for the millionth time that night, but sleep takes him before many tears can fall.
It's not fair.
~~~~~~
Shelby sighs in relief when her fingers finally wrap around the handle to her front door.
She'd been out too late, or too early depending on how you look at it. The sun caught up to her before she could get back to the greenhouse, leaving her to blindly stumble the rest of the way home- and even when she found it, she took an extra ten minutes just locating the door!
She almost finds herself wishing for someone to guide her, before the thought turns bitter and she angrily shoves it far, far away.
You don't have any friends.
Once she's inside and the door is firmly shut behind her, she takes a moment to relish in her restored vision. The tinted glass had been a great idea, although it was a pain to collect. She frowns when she sees that her plants are dying again.
You can't do anything right.
It's okay. She can find some more. Try again. For now though, she just wants to sleep.
Except, something catches her eye on her way to the basement. Someone.
Shelby covers her mouth to keep from screaming. There's a stranger asleep on her carpet!
What does she do? She has a sword on her, but she admittedly doesn't know how to use it very well. And all she can do with her stupid shadow powers is teleport! Barely a way of defending herself, nobody to call to come and save her...
Shelby draws her sword and shakily steps closer to the sleeping stranger.
Her stomach drops when she sees the blood soaking his clothes. There's a crossbow laying right next to him, too! Once she's feeling brave enough to take a closer look, she stops in her tracks.
There are puncture wounds in his shoulders, evenly spaced apart and dyeing what once must have been a white shirt red. Luckily, it doesn't look like they're actively bleeding, but...
She lowers her sword a little. This guy is badly hurt. What if he was attacked in the woods and just wanted to find shelter? She should help him.
You're only going to hurt him worse.
She... she should help him.
Your "help" is worthless.
She doesn't want him to die.
He's gonna end up hurting you. And you'll deserve it.
"...But I can't leave a person who's hurt," she whispers, holding onto whatever shred of humanity she has left.
Even if he hurts her. Wouldn't it make her bad if she let him die?
Isn't she bad enough as it is?
"No," she says to herself. "I can't let him die."
She drops her sword and rushes to find her medical supplies.
~~~~~~
When Avid wakes, his shoulder is throbbing. He opens his eyes to darkness- was he only out for a couple of hours or something? He figured he'd sleep through the night at least...
"Hey, there."
A shriek of terror tears its way out of him, and as he tries to get up the pain makes him fall right back down. He can just barely make out the outline of a person in the near-darkness.
"Oh- I'm so sorry! Please stay still, you're really badly hurt!"
"Who are you? Where am I?!"
With the stress of the whole situation, he can feel the scratches on his neck flare up. Now is not the time...
"My name is Shelby, you were kind of passed out on my floor when I got home."
Oh. Oh, no. He accidentally trespassed.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't think anyone lived here-"
"No, you were hurt. I don't blame you for finding shelter. I hope you don't mind that I patched you up, you looked really close to bleeding out."
Avid feels for the wound she left behind, and finds new bandages underneath his shirt. He feels a surge of panic as he reaches for the bandages at his neck, but no- those went untouched.
"...Thank you for helping me. Again, I'm really sorry I trespassed. My name is Avid."
"Don't worry, really. I just ask that you stay for a few days while you heal? If you went out and got attacked by a monster or something, I don't think you'd make it to the next town."
"That... that sounds good. Thank you so much."
"Of course! Let me see if I can find something for us to eat, you must be hungry!"
Shelby recedes into the shadows, and her footsteps are followed by the opening and closing of a door. Avid sighs and does his best to survey his surroundings.
Greenhouse. Right. He squints his eyes to try adjusting to the lighting better. The glowberry vines don't help nearly as much as he thought they would have. There's a long table in the center of the room, with pots of dying plants lined up on top. He's been moved to a real bed rather than the floor. The sheets are soft and cozy. Something faintly smells of blueberries.
He tries sitting up again, but quickly admits defeat as pain spikes and spreads through him. He's lucky he stumbled into the home of someone so kind as Shelby.
"Hey! I've got some soup!"
Speaking of which, she enters the room again with a brightness to her voice.
...She reminds him of someone.
~~~~~~
The days pass. Shelby brings Avid food and treats his wounds, carefully dodging questions about her past- which isn't too hard, seeing as Avid seems to steer clear of his own story, and understands the unspoken boundaries. Instead, they broach lighter topics. What's your favorite flower? How did you learn to cook? Have you ever been outside the country?
He's nice. Clearly shaken up about something, but that's to be expected after he came to her on death's door. He's sweet in a way that reminds her of someone.
Nobody likes you.
She wishes he could stay and be her friend. She knows it's impossible. Still, they talk and they bond and she gets attached all too quickly.
The peace doesn't last. Soon enough, Avid broaches a topic that makes her heart fill with dread.
"Why's it so dark in here?"
She'd nearly forgotten. Avid is human. Of course he wouldn't be able to see in here.
"I thought I was just waking up at nighttime, but I can see the sun through the glass- it's tinted, isn't it? So I was just wondering," he says oh so innocently. Trusting. Naive.
He's going to hate you.
"I- um... I need it to be dark so I can see."
Avid goes still.
You saw the stake and the crossbow. You know what he does for a living.
She was hoping that wouldn't be relevant.
"The- the sun hurts my eyes a lot. So, um..."
You're digging your own grave! Stop it!
"You- you're not a..."
He's shaking. She squeezes her eyes shut and prepares herself for the worst.
Monster!
"Vampire!"
"I- what? I'm not a vampire?"
"...Oh."
The air is horribly still. Then-
"Werewolf?"
"No, not quite."
"Zombie?"
"I'm not a zombie!"
"Wait, so why...?"
Shelby grimaces. She might be worse than all of those things combined.
"I'm sort of a... shadow person, I guess? I haven't met anyone else like me."
"Shadow person?"
The unease is back full force.
Monster.
"Yeah, basically I used to be human but then I got trapped in the void for... a very long time. And when I was rescued, my body was kind of... smokey? Almost like if a shadow was solid."
"You don't... drink blood or anything?"
"Ew, no!"
"You don't, I don't know, bite and/or scratch people to turn them into shadow people too?"
"No? Uh... I can teleport a little, and I don't need to sleep. But that's it."
"Oh."
She's still waiting for the ball to drop. Her heart is racing.
Monster.
"...I'm sorry. I'm being kind of rude, huh?"
"...What?"
Avid is frowning, but he doesn't seem to be so afraid anymore.
"I'm just- a lot has happened, and I'm really scared, but I shouldn't have judged you like that. You've only been kind to me. You- you shouldn't have to deal with me."
Shelby blinks. This isn't real, is it?
You aren't good. You aren't kind. You're a-
"I'm really sorry," Avid repeats, looking down at his hands, tears in his eyes.
Tears?
"Oh- hey, no, it's okay! You don't have to cry!"
"I'm sorry," he sobs through clenched teeth. "I keep hurting people. I- I'm the one who- god, I'm the real monster here, aren't I?"
Suddenly, she's shown a mirror of herself. And as much as she hates herself, she can't find it in her heart to hate Avid.
"Hey, hey, no. I forgive you. Don't be so hard on yourself."
He only shakes his head and presses his hands against his face.
Shelby is at a loss. She has no idea what to do now- if he's still afraid of her, he's at least remorseful? And he doesn't seem like he wants to hurt her. And he's slowly falling into a spiral.
She sees a mirror, and she knows what she'd want someone to do for her.
"...Hey. I'm sorry I forgot it's been dark for you this whole time. Why don't I help you outside so you can see the sun?"
Avid sniffs and wipes his face. He looks at her- or at least, in her direction- with wide, violet eyes.
"You- why aren't you..... okay. Please. Let's- let's go outside, please."
Slowly, she guides him to his feet and towards the door, where she prepares herself before opening it. Immediately, she feels the sun trying to eat away at her, and her world goes dark- but Avid is still going, so she follows close in case he needs help.
He takes a few deep breaths, shoulders still shaking slightly. He hasn't stopped crying, even though it's slowed a bit by now. He reminds her of someone.
And then Avid turns to face her.
She can't see his face that well, but she sees the moment he realizes she's basically blind. His hands jolt and then he's reaching for her, despite being so afraid not ten minutes ago.
"Oh my god, how did I forget- now you can't see!"
"It's okay, I'm used to it."
"Are you sure? The sun isn't hurting you, is it?"
"I'm just a little weaker, that's all. I'm fine, promise."
Shelby hears Avid huff- frustrated? Is he upset? Then he takes one of her hands in his own.
"There. So we don't lose each other."
Oh. No, not frustrated. Worried.
He reminds her of someone.