Okay last ramble I gave you was wholesome Lovebitten times, fluff time over
So I've been thinking about StarterSwap AUs-
I particularly like the Legs and Pyro duo, specifically where Pyro is Legs' fledging (which i got from @/astro_nommer on TikTok)
Doc has the whole "Death is a disease, I'm the cure" mentally and Pyro hates humans but loves to find out what makes them tick, aka playing with his food
I haven't thought too far into it besides how it effects Louis and Owen though, but that alone is angsty as all get out
First things first, Legs isn't as old as canon Scott, in fact he's younger than Louis but not by a lot. He still went to battle, and was turned by an officer when he nearly died. He left service after that, becoming a traveling doctor. At first he was for only turning those who really needed it (Pyro being one of those people after nearly being beaten to death by bullies), letting everyone else live their mortal lives, and he met Louis around this stage of his life
Louis welcomed him in warmly, talking about how noble is was to use his immortality for such good. They quickly became friends, almost something more which lead him to staying in Oakhurst for a long time. This would start his descent
He never stayed in one place long enough to watch his new found friends age and die while he stayed perfectly young and healthy. Finally having to be faced with this he started to want to stop it from happening, save these people from one true sickness, death
Louis told him that he couldn't do that, that most people loved their humanity even if it meant dying some day. He had to simply be the observer, he had to let them go.
Legs accepted this for awhile but it hurt too much to be just an observer, so he eventually left Oakhurst and Louis, traveling once more
But the sights of his friends aging into death haunted him and his desires to stop that from happening never left him. And it only got more tempting as one of his patients turned vampire wanted to remain his fledgling rather than be passed onto a coven. Watching Pyro thrive as a vampire, if a little extra hungry, made him only more and more sure that he was right
So eventually he traveled to a small town, revealing himself and offering to turn everyone to help them escape death. But instead of the relief and willingness he expected he was met with fear and wrath. The townfolk turned on him and Pyro and they were forced to kill the town, only getting a few fledglings out of the some that begged to be turned during the massacre
Legs then knew he'd have to be more discreet, turning the next town slowly. And though he started off successfully, he was eventually found out and most of the town perished again. This only kept happening and Pyro started trying to convice Legs that humankind was ungrateful and deserved to suffer, become an addict to the bloodlust and feeding the rage that still lingered from being beaten down as a human. Legs somewhat agreed, becoming harder as the years went on and his kill count rose but would not give up on those who would accept the necessary path.
Eventually the society caught onto what was happening and began to hunt down Legs and Pyro which made the two desperate, so Legs decided it time to go into hiding for a bit and he thought he knew a place that would keep him safe. Oakhurst.
Legs returned to Louis and Louis, not having heard what the society had realized yet, welcomed him and his fledgling with open arms. Safe to say this didn't last as Legs ended up not being able to help himself from "saving" the people of Oakhurst.
Louis got word from the society as he found out about Legs' turnings and he heartbrokenly began to plan how to stop his old friend. But as he did that, the townfolk found out and a riot began but Oakhurst was no match for two vampires.
In the end, Louis was confronted with a bloodied Legs as Pyro took out the rest of the town. They argued, Louis crying at the loss of his people and his friend, Legs yelling that it all could have been avoided if Louis helped him. When Pyro joined the room, Louis knew it was too late for his town but not too late for him to save everyone else from these monsters. He had a plan after all and he used it then, putting the two into a cursed sleep with a spell he had gotten from a society witch. He locked them both in the crypt and hoped that would put an end to the nightmare.
Louis stayed in the ruins of Oakhurst, mourning everything he lost. Nearly 200 years of grieving all by himself until a lone, sick lumberjack came along, looking for a secluded place to live, away from ridicule and hatred.
Owen didn't expect to find anyone living in Oakhurst and was suspicious of Louis as he greeted him, surprising himself with how ready he was to help a new face.
Louis reveals himself to Owen a lot quicker than the canon, but Owen is not afraid, only intrested and compassionate as Louis explains what happened to his town. How two monsters killed everyone, how he had failed his people
Owen and Louis make a new life out of Oakhurst, trying to rebuild by themselves, though it's still pretty run down by the time people start showing up a couple years later when the official 200 year anniversary of the massacre comes around
Louis is genuinely grateful to have new people arriving after having no purpose for so long, though Owen was already helping with that, and greeted the newcomers happily. They were confused at how he was possibly the mayor of the beaten up town but simply accepted it and went on to rebuild
As for the beacons, Louis didn't know about them. He didn't know what the one in town was until Avid began consecrating. He felt a shift when it happened, something changing on the wind. He worried about if it effected Legs and Pyro and snuck away to check and to his horror found the crypt empyt.
Legs and Pyro had found their way out and to town, gaining trust and using Avid's paranoia to their advantage. After all, they couldn't get away with their plans with Louis in town.
Avid was suspicious of Louis from the begining because of his mayor story but even more so when he realized Louis had went off into the forest alone which he found out from Owen. Legs picked up on this quickly and started conversation with Avid, encouraging his vampire talk and planting seeds that Louis was one.
When Louis got back in a panic, still not having been able to find Legs and Pyro in the woods after a couple days, Avid confronted him at the beacon. Louis tries to calm him down, saying there was a bigger evil at play that he needed to stop, that everyone is in danger but not from him. Avid is shaking, he doesn't know what he's doing but knows he shouldn't trust a vampire and takes out his stake. Louis continues talking in a calming tone, approuching Avid in hope of grabbing the stake but Avid doesn't hesiate like Louis expects. He lunges, staking Louis in the heart.
Everyone hears the scream and rushes to the beacon and sees the terrible sight of Avid covered in dark ichor, trembling over Louis' body. He stammers, trying to explain why he had to do it. Owen wasn't able to see and pushes through the crowd as he hears Louis' name on Avid's tounge. He is horrified and runs to Louis, shoving Avid out of the way. Louis is already long gone as Owen holds him close and begs through sobs not to leave him.
Avid tries to defend himself again but Owen snaps at him, saying Louis wouldn't have hurt anyone. He would have tackled and strangled Avid if one of the others didn't stop him
That's when Legs steps in, siding with Avid, coming up with a falsehood that Louis had tried to turn him against his will when he had met him before. This makes the rest question.
Owen is still a mess and tries to fight against the hands restraining him to attack Legs as well, not standing for any slander against his lover. This peaks Legs' intrest in Owen
People come to an agreement that Avid will be contained, at least for a while. Owen isn't satisfied with this conclusion but begrudgingly accepts it as he goes to bury Louis. Everyone can tell he doesn't want help though most wanted to, Louis had been nice to them and Owen was clearly struggling with the task since he still had his sickness, but they left him be, especially when he started crying again
All expect Legundo who stopped Owen in the middle of digging and offered to do it instead. Owen glared at him but saw sincerity in the doctor's eyes and Legs apologized for what had happened, noting he was partially responsible though he didn't expect such brutality, but it was only fair that he helped
Owen nearly refused despite trusting his word as he wanted to do it himself but his body protested so he handed the shovel over and began carving a headstone instead. He and Legs had a conversation as they worked, asking each other how they knew Louis. Legs told half truths but mostly lies about how they used to be friends when he was passing through the ruined town a few years back but he had fled when Louis had tried to turn him. Owen is quiet for a while after that, not sure how to feel sense the Louis he knew would never do such a thing. Legs catches onto that, saying Louis must've seen his mistake when he ran and changed his ways by the time Owen showed up, and Owen accepted that.
They continued to talk into the evening, even after Louis had been properly buried, talking about life, mainly Owen's as he explained his illness and Legs offered to try and help him. They eventually realized how late it is but Owen hesitates to head home, it will feel empty without Louis. Legs offers his home as Pyro had went off to make "friends" with Apo and after their long bonding moment, Owen feels safe enough to accept
Time goes on, people are turned (Scott, Shelby, Apo), Legs and Pyro get found out and they flee to the "castle" (it's still technically a townhouse) with Scott and Shelby who joined them pretty willingly
Owen is confused and hurt by the revelation, wondering what was a lie and what was truth in Legs' story and so they have their forest scene where Legs lies and says that Louis did end up turning him but that he had grown to see the gift of vampirism, that he could show Owen and that it would cure him. Owen refuses but says he wants to help Legs, help him see the beauty in humanity again which he has found in Oakhurst. They have back and forth, "I need blood" yada yada, " I trust you" yada yada, bite scene YIPPEE
Everything's great, but it's not as Legs keeps turning people and Pyro is giving up his act, just terrorizing town. Scott's here for the power and chaos and Shelby's trying to be supportive of her new family.
Things escalate a whole lot faster because Legs intends to turn everyone (whereas canon Scott just wanted to do what he wanted) though it's slow burning with Owen cuz he really wants to convice him he's right (Pyro teases him for this)
The lake interactions are combined, it's Owen trying to convice Legs to stop but Legs invited him and he came alone with no garlic cuz he trusts Legs but Legs ends up turning him which is a whole lot more tragic in my mind cuz like I said, Owen trusted him but also Owen is a sick, scrawny man and is up against not only a vampire, but a trained soilder so there's not really a fight, it's just begging and crying ☹️ (but that also means, Legs doesn't hurt him like canon Owen does canon legs)
On top of that, Owen still has his three day rest like in the canon cuz the vampirism is fighting against his heavily infected body. When he wakes up, he's in the castle and is terrified because it's not Legs he wakes up to which he can at least try to reason with or expect him to hesiate hurting him if he fights, but instead a level three Pyro who won't hesiate to hurt him if he tries escaping before sire can convice Owen to stay with him
And that's really as far as I've thought up at the moment but clearly that's more than enough
HOLY YAP mb
Anyways, I think it's really intresting and I love it even if I hurt my own feelings coming up with it 🙃
If you made it this far, thanks for coming to my Ted Talk, here's a sticker ✨️
