âŻâ [robert robertson x vampire!fem reader] INCLUDES.á
‿ ROBERT ROBERTSON never would've believed someone who told him he would be desperately wanting to date a woman who was centuries old. Then he met you.
!! fluff. silly. fem reader. z team cameos. reader speaks like she came from colonial america LMAO. this was so fun i wanna do more vampire reader dynamics. slowburn vibe. yearner. BASED OFF OF THIS YUMMM. ENJOY.
The fluorescent lights of the SDN office hummed their usual monotonous tune, but you'd learned to tune them out after working here for far too long. What you couldn't ignore was the way Robert Robertson's heartbeat quickened every time you walked past his cubicle. It was a steady thrum that called to something primal in your undead veins.
"You know, most people use the door," Robert said without looking up from his screen, his fingers flying across the keyboard. "But I guess when you're a vampire, walls are more like suggestions."
You leaned against his desk, close enough that your hip brushed his arm. His warmth radiated through the thin fabric of his shirt, a stark contrast to your perpetual chill. "I did use the door. You were simply too focused on whatever it is you are... hacking? Is that the correct term? Into to notice."
"I'm not hacking. I'm... creatively accessing information." He finally glanced up, and those tired eyes that always somehow flickering with determination, met yours. A smirk played at the corner of his mouth. "And I always notice when you're around. Your presence has a certain... bite to it."
"Wonderful. Vampire puns. That is what we are doing this evening?"
"I've got a million of them. What can I say? I'm a sucker for wordplay." He spun his chair to face you fully, and suddenly the space between you felt charged. "See what I did there?"
You rolled your eyes, but you couldn't suppress your smile. This had become your routine over the past few weeks. As someone who was unfortunately allergic to the damn sun, you had no choice but to work nights. Robert, on the other hand, was very much human and very much choosing to be here, and the banter between the two of you had only continued to escalate as the nights went on.
"Your puns are dreadful," you sighed, reaching past him to collect the incident report from his desk. The movement brought you closer, your arm brushing his shoulder. You felt him tense, heard his breath catch. "But I suppose someone must keep you company while you brood over your... keyboard."
"I don't brood. Brooding is for vampires and Batman." He caught your wrist gently as you pulled back, his thumb resting against your pulse point.. or rather, where your pulse would be if you had one. His touch was warm, almost burning against your deathly cool skin. "I strategically contemplate."
"Is that what we are calling it?" You didn't pull away, neither did he.
For a moment, you both stayed frozen like that, his hand wrapped around your wrist, his eyes searching yours. You could hear everything â the rush of blood through his veins, the steady rhythm of his heart, the slight hitch in his breathing. It would be so easy to close the distance between you, to find out if his lips were as warm as the rest of him.
"Robertson, we've got a lost dog situation on the east side-.." The voice crackled over the communication system, shattering the moment. Robert's hand dropped from your wrist as he spun back to his console, his professional mask sliding into place.
"Copy that. This one's for you Prism, have fun." His fingers danced across the keyboard, pulling up camera feeds and tactical information. "Ooookay, so Golem, Flambae you're joining her because someone called in that this is actually a dog fighting ring run by some Red Ring assholes." This was where he shined â even without his mech suit, even without the Mecha Man persona, he was still brilliant at this.
You moved behind his chair, under the guise of getting a better look at the screens, though in all honesty you found the glowing displays beyond interesting. All these moving images and symbols, it was nothing like the simple exchanges you'd grown accustomed to in your all your years. "Are you thinking about suiting up?"
"I don't have a suit to put on anymore. Remember?" His voice carried that familiar edge of bitterness that came when an emotion was still raw. "I'm just the guy behind the desk now. The washed up hero playing in the office."
"You are the man who is coordinating a team of heroes that, likely, save a dozen lives this evening." You squeezed his shoulder, feeling the warmth of him seep into your palm. "And you are doing it better than anyone else here could."
He reached up, his hand hesitating above yours before giving it a few friendly and restrained pats. "You know, for a soulless creature of the night, you're surprisingly good at pep talks."
"Who says I am soulless? That is merely propaganda from the vampire hunters'." You leaned down, your lips close to his ear. Close enough that you knew he could feel the whisper of your breath, which was truthfully a useless habit, but one you'd never broken. "Besides, Chase showed me your... browser history? I believe that is what he called it. You are not exactly in a position to judge anyone's soul."
"That was one time, and I was researching-.." He turned his head to protest, and suddenly your faces were inches apart. You could see the flecks of gold in his eyes, the faint stubble on his jaw, the way his pupils dilated as he looked at you. His heart was racing now, a steady beat that made your eyes widen and fixate on him. "I was doing legitimate research on vampire mythology."
"Certainly you were." Your voice came out lower, flirtier than you intended. "And I am quite certain that vampire procreation was purely academic research."
"Maybe I wanted to know more about you." His admission was quiet, vulnerable in a way that Robert Robertson rarely allowed himself to be. "Maybe I wanted to understand what it's like. Being what you are. Living in the night, and watching everyone else age while you stay the same."
The honesty in his voice made something in your chest tighten, an echo of the heart that could no longer beat. "It is lonely," you admitted. "Most of the time, it is profoundly lonely. People either fear you or fetishize you. They do not see you as simply... you. I have watched empires rise and fall, seen wars that reshaped the world, and yet the isolation remains my one constant."
"I see you." His hand came up, retracted, then came returned to cup your jaw, his thumb tracing your cheekbone. The touch was gentle, restrained, and so warm it almost hurt. "I see someone who brings perfectly lukewarm coffee. Someone who laughs at my terrible jokes, thank you for that one by the way. Someone who's been around for decades but still gets excited about-... wait, what do you even watch? I've never actually seen you watch TV."
You couldn't help but laugh. "I confess, I find most modern entertainment rather perplexing. All these programs about people seeking companionship through elaborate competitions â it seems rather undignified compared to a proper courtship. Though I admit, it is fascinating in its absurdity."
"You're talking about Love Island, aren't you? You've been watching Love Island." His grin was delighted. "Wow... you're like three hundred years old and you're hooked on reality TV."
"I am not 'hooked.' I am merely... observing modern mating rituals." You tried to sound dignified, but his laughter was infectious. "And I am considerably older than three hundred, I will have you know."
"I like that about you." His thumb moved to trace your lower lip, and you saw his gaze drop to your mouth. "I like that you're this ancient, powerful lady who still can't figure out how to work the coffee maker without pressing every button and hoping for the best."
"That machine is unnecessarily complicated," you protested, eyebrows furrowed and your lips pulling into a slight frown. "In my day, one simply heated water over a fire. These 'settings' and 'programs' are utterly unnecessary-.."
"I know. I know all the reasons this is a bad idea." His voice was rough, strained, cutting through your complaint. It made you stop instantly though, your eyes searching his face in a way that was almost hopeful.
"You're immortal. I'm human. You drink blood. I'm made of blood. You're going to watch me grow old and die while you stay young and beautiful. The logistics are a fucking nightmare."
"Do not forget the part where I could accidentally kill you if I lose control." You tried to inject some levity into your voice, but it came out shaky. "That is rather a significant concern."
"Yeah, but you won't." His certainty was absolute, and only solidified by the grin that appeared lazily on his face. "You've had plenty of opportunities. That time I got injured in the field and was bleeding all over the place? That was like my second day here and I was sure I was a goner. Or when we worked that double shift and I fell asleep at my desk. You could have done anything, but you just threw a blanket over me and kept working."
"You appeared cold," you murmured, your bottom lip pulled between your teeth causing the points of your fangs to poke out ever so slightly.
"I was cold. You fixed it." He pulled you closer, guiding you around the chair until you were standing between his legs, his hands settling on your hips. "You're always fixing things. Making things better. You act like you're this dangerous creature, but you're the most careful person I know."
"I must be careful. The alternative is-..."
"I know. I get it." His hands slid up your sides, leaving trails of heat against you. "But maybe you can stop being careful for just a minute. Maybe we both can."
Your hands found his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heart beneath your palms. It would be so easy to kiss him but the fear held you back. You couldn't help the fear of hurting him, of losing control, of starting something that could only end in pain. You had loved before, centuries ago, and watched them all turn to dust while you stayed the same.
"I am frightened," you admitted in a whisper that came out much shakier than you had anticipated.
"Yeah. Me too." He breathed out with a chuckle that wasn't as humorous as most people's laughs were. "But I'm also tired of pretending I don't feel this. Whatever this is."
"This is dangerous."
"I used to pilot a giant mech suit into combat against supervillains. Danger is kind of my thing." His smile was crooked and self deprecating. "Or it was, anyway. Now I'm just a guy who's falling for a vampire and has absolutely no fucking idea what he's doing."
"Falling?" Your voice cracked on the word.
"Yeah. Falling. Plummeting, really. It's a whole thing." His hands tightened on your hips. "So what do you say? Want to catch me?"
You looked at him, really looked at him. At the hope and fear that were both fighting in his eyes, at the vulnerability he was offering you, at the warmth and life and humanity that radiated from him. You thought about all the lonely years, all the people who'd come and gone, all the times you'd kept yourself away from the world to keep yourself from getting hurt or hurting someone else again. You thought of gaslit streets and horse drawn carriages, of wars fought with muskets and swords, of all the centuries you'd lived... alone.
And then you thought about lukewarm coffee and terrible puns and the way he always made sure you had the comfortable chair during long shifts. You thought about how he'd never once looked at you with fear, only with curiosity and respect and, lately, with something that made your dead heart feel almost alive again. How he patiently explained the purpose of each button on that damn coffee machine, how he'd helped you understand what "streaming" meant, how he'd laughed, and not unkindly, when you'd asked if the "web" was something spiders had created.
"Your timing is dreadful," you sighed, your lips quirking into a smile. "We are in the middle of a shift. There is active symbols appearing on the screen as well."
"I know." He was smiling too, that crooked grin that made him look younger and less burdened. "Soooo.. is that a no?"
You slid your hands up his chest, over his shoulders, until your fingers tangled in his hair. "That is a 'we shall discuss this properly when we are off duty.'"
"But?" He leaned into your touch, his eyes never leaving yours.
"But perhaps just one-.."
The communication system crackled to life again, louder this time. "You realize the mic has been on the whole time right, Bobby?"
You both froze, your eyes wide and full of embarrassment, Robert on the other hand just groaned, "You're fucking joking."
"No, we heard the whole thing dude." Sonar's voice piped up again. As Robert pressed one of the speakers to his ear he could hear the laughing of the others.
"You realize she is like.. centuries old right?" Malevola asked, the amusement present in her voice.
"Good on ya, Robby. Never took ya as the vampire type." Punch Up barked out a laugh and then suddenly, all of it went quiet when Robert hit a button on the keyboard and turned his attention back to you with a beyond tired look.
"I suppose you are required by your team again," A small, sheepish smile tugged at the corner of your darkly painted lips.
"Unfortunately."
You hummed, your fingers sliding out of his hair oh so slowly, hesitating over his shoulders. "When this shift concludes, you will take me to dinner. Well, you shall have dinner. I shall simply observe in what you assure me is not a creepy manner whatsoever."
His laugh was warm and genuine. "It's a date. Fair warning though â I'm going to order something with a lot of garlic just to see what happens."
"I despise you."
"No, you don't." He was already turning back to his console, but the smile on his face was incandescent. "You're falling too. Admit it."
You didn't answer, but as you walked away to handle your own work, carefully avoiding the blinking devices you still didn't quite understand, but you couldn't stop smiling.
Pairing(s): Kol Mikaelson x Salvatore!reader, Platonic!Mikaelsons x Salvatore!reader, Platonic!Salvatores x Sister!reader
Summary: The real reason you return to Mystic Falls is revealed to your brothers.
Warnings: Emotional Neglect? (on the Salvatore brothers side), Betrayal (duh), Blood, ANGST, Violence, Klaus getting dagger happy, Klaus being incredibly cruel and deranged (normal Klaus behavior), Reader is traumatized (because of Klaus), Reader isnât really a good person, A lot of neck snapping, Katherine Pierce, Inaccurate historical depictions, Switches between past and present, Some timeline errors and changes, Uses of Y/N, Kol not showing up til like 2k words in, Inconsistencies in the tense itâs written in (what a shock.)
Notes: THIS WAS ORIGINALLY TITLED âTHE ART OF BETRAYALâ BEFORE I DECIDED âTHE DARKNESSâ FIT BETTER!
Reader is ten, turning eleven when she meets Katherine. She isnât turned into a vampire until sheâs 19.
Pizzelles are an Italian cookie. (Yes, this is random. Yes, this is kind of important.)
Canonically Kol was daggered in 1821 because of his lovely iteration of Hamlet, he wasnât undaggered until 1901. In this, weâll say he was still daggered in 1821 but was undaggered some time before 1870. Again with the dagger stuff, Rebekah is canonically daggered until 1887 after all the Marcel thing, in this she was undaggered some time before 1870.
And finally, a big thank you to @wholoveseggs for all her support and encouragement while Iâve been writing this because without her, I probably wouldnât have finished this!
Word Count: 16.3k (goodness gracious)
MASTER POST , TVDU MASTERLIST
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Present Day
Mystic Falls
It had been one hundred and forty-six years since you had seen your brothers. Actually, it had been one hundred and forty-six years since they had seen you. You kept tabs on them over the years, always so close but not close enough for them to find you. As far as your brothers were concerned, you were dead and technically you were.
In truth, you didnât want to see them but you had to. You had to for him.
So here you were, driving past the Mystic Falls welcome sign. Your jaw clenches at the sight of it, you hadnât been here since 1864. Every fiber of your being was screaming at you to turn around, that you didnât want to be back here, that it was going to hurt you. You shoved the feeling away and continued driving until you reached your destination.
The old Salvatore Boarding House, your old home.
You take a deep breath before walking up to the door. Itâs wide open and you can hear Stefan and Damon arguing inside. Your best guess is Stefan tried to walk away from Damon by slamming the door on him and all it did was make Damon angrier and he flung it open.
You followed the yelling to the living room, they were so caught up in their argument that they hadnât noticed you leaning on the door frame.
âI see you two still fight like cats and dogs⊠Iâm sure this is about some silly girl,â you finally speak up, announcing your presence.
They both immediately stop and look at you.
âWho the hell are you?â Damon asks instantaneously and you couldnât blame him, the last time he saw you, you were just a kid.
You pout, placing a hand over your heart, âthat hurts Damon.â
Letting out a dramatic sigh you place your hands on your hips, âI guess thatâs fair though⊠I mean, it has been a really long time, one hundred and forty-six years in fact and I was just a little kid then.â
âI was about this tallâŠâ you gesture with your hand then gasp, bringing your hand to your mouth, âAnd the last time we spoke was in this house, in this room!â
Stefanâs eyes widened a bit, his face becoming one of shock and realization, âY/N?â he whispers.
You smirk and Damon scoffs, âThat's not possible, our sister is dead.â
âWell, youâre not wrong about that, though, I believe the proper term is undeadââ
Youâre cut off by Damon rushing at you, slamming you into the wall, and holding you up by your throat.
âDamon.â Stefan warns.
âThis isnât Y/N, Stefan! It canât be! This is some sick imposter! I donât know how they found out⊠but Y/N⊠sheâs been dead for over a hundred years!â
You knee him in the stomach, causing him to double over and drop you, âUndead.â
Damon grunts, stumbling back but he quickly recovers, âOkay, letâs say you are our sister⊠Why now, huh?! Why find us now, after a hundred some years?!â he shouts.
You scoff, standing up straight, âBecause I saw you both die! I saw father shoot you both dead! You remember that night right? The night you both tried to save Katherine? The night you were turned?â
You paused for a moment, directing your next words to Damon, âThe night you told me I wasnât your sister anymore.â
You knew being back here would be hard, you knew it would hurt. What you didnât expect was for Damon to seemingly forget everything that happened in 1864. He looked away from you causing you to scoff.
âThat woman ruined our family the moment she stepped foot in Mystic Falls.â
1864
Mystic Falls
You stood next to Stefan, rocking back and forth on your heels as you watched the carriage approach.
Your father had told you that a woman was coming to stay with you all, a woman named Katherine Pierce. You were excited for her arrival, you loved Stefan, Damon, and occasionally your father but you were ecstatic to have another girl around.
The carriage opened and two women got out, you followed Stefan down the stairs, standing right next to him.
âYou must be Miss Pierce,â your brother says with his hands still behind his back.
Miss Pierce smirks, âPlease,â she reaches her hand out for him to take, which he does, âCall me Katherine.â
They stare at each other for a moment, seemingly having a silent conversation before you interrupt, âHello!â
Katherine seems taken aback by the sudden voice but puts on a smile, âAnd who might you be?â
âY/N!â
Stefan chuckles and places his hand onto your shoulder, âThis is my little sister, father jokes that sheâs my shadow,â your brother teases, âSheâd be following Damon around as well but heâs off at war.â
You frown at the mention of your other brother, not noticing the way Katherineâs gaze hardens.
Katherine would grow close with Stefan over the next weeks and unfortunately for you, she made it abundantly clear that she didnât like you. You couldnât figure out why but Stefan continually reassured you that Katherine had no problems with you so you tried to let it go.
Then after some time, Damon returned home and you were overjoyed. You had always been close with your brothers, they were practically your only friends. You had been lonely since Katherine had arrived due to Stefanâs infatuation, you hoped now that Damon was back you wouldnât be so lonely.
âDamon!â you cheered upon seeing him, âDay! Youâre back!â
He chuckles, âThat I am!â
You rush to hug him which he quickly reciprocates, patting your head. But his gaze focused elsewhere.
âWho is she?â he points.
You turn to see who heâs looking at and sigh, âThat is Miss Katherine Pierce, sheâs been staying with us for some time now.â
You beckon Damon to lean down so you could whisper in his ear, âI think Stefan may be in love with her.â
Your eldest brother raises a brow and stands up straight, âHm? Well⊠I suppose I should introduce myself to our guestâŠâ
Just like that, Damon was infatuated as well. It was as if Katherine was a siren and both your brothers had been tricked by her song.
You watched Katherine as she led on both your brothers, knowing that at least one of them would be getting a broken heart. Though, you had a feeling theyâd both end up heartbroken.
The one event that really broke you was when both your brothers were nowhere to be seen on your birthday, and when you did find them it was like they had no idea what the day was.
You hated Katherine, but you werenât scared of her. Until you saw her true face.
You knew what she was, a vampire. Your father had told you stories about vampires, theyâre evil monsters. He told you if you ever even heard whispers of a vampire that you had to tell him and heâd take care of it.
So you told him and he came up with a plan that you would enact within the week.
âWhat is that delicious smell?â Damon asks as he walks into the kitchen.
You let out a little laugh, âI baked cookies! Would you like one?â
âIâd love one,â Damon takes one of the cookies from the tray, patting your head as he did.
The first step of the plan was complete, now all you had to do was sit back and wait.
It wouldnât take long for Katherine to come back to the boarding house with Stefan, he goes and sits on the couch while Katherine begins to go upstairs. She turns to give Damon a look and he immediately rushes to follow her up the stairs.
Moments later thereâs a scream, followed by shouting from your father, Damon, and some men you donât know. Stefan is off the couch quickly and at the steps immediately.
Multiple men are dragging Katherine down the stairs while Damon yells at your father. Stefan stands in shock as you reach his side. Katherine is taken out of the house by the men and put into a guarded carriage. Your father holds Damon to the wall as the carriage leaves your home, finally, his eyes land on you and he lets go of Damon, rushing to you, he places a kiss on your head.
âYou were right, my dear. You did good.â
With that, he rushes out the door to the carriage, leaving you alone with your brothers.
Stefanâs voice is quiet, âYou know what she isâŠâ
âAnd you told father!â Damon shouts.
âSheâs a monster Damon!â you yell.
He scoffs, âYou donât know what youâre talking about! Youâre ten! A child!â
Your frown, âMy birthday was a month ago Damon⊠Iâm eleven⊠or have you forgotten?â
âIt doesnât matter! How you could be so cruel⊠I don't understand⊠I donât recognize you⊠youâre no sister of mine. Not anymore.â
âDamon!â Stefan yells.
Damon shakes his head, shoving past you to the door, âLetâs go Stefan! If weâre quick we can save her!â
And just like that, they rush out of the house without sparring you a second glance. They didnât know it at the time, but moments later you would run out of the house after them.
Present Day
Mystic Falls
âI never went back home⊠it wouldnât be home if you were both dead... So I ran and ran and didnât look back⊠I travelled all over⊠never staying in one place for too long.â
Stefan steps forward and pulls you into a tight hug and you allow him too. It had been a century since you had hugged anyone, you almost forgot how to. He pulls away to get a better look at your face, how youâve grown since he last saw you.
âHow old are you? Physically?â
âItâs rude to ask a womanâs age, StefâŠâ you giggle before giving an actual answer, âNineteen, I was turned in 1872⊠which I guess makes me your big sister.â
He chuckles, âI donât think thatâs how it works.â
Damon crosses his arms, âHowâd you turn?â
âWillingly, if thatâs what youâre asking⊠my boyfriend at the time turned me, we wanted to spend forever together.â
âIronic, sounds a lot like my story with Katherine.â
You furrow your brows, âWhat are you trying to say?â
âIâm saying, youâre a hypocrite.â
You scoff and Damon takes that as his signal to continue, âWhere is this boyfriend of yours now?â
You squeeze your eyes shut, âHeâs gone.â
âGone?â
âDead.â you lie.
âIâm sorry Y/N,â Stefan smiles softly, placing a hand on your shoulder.
Suddenly, the floorboards creak causing all of you to look at the sound. There she stood, Elena Gilbert.
âOh⊠Iâm sorry I didnât realize you had companyâŠâ She clears her throat, âUh⊠Stefan, you called me?â
Thinking quickly, you speed away from Stefan and slam the girl into the wall. You werenât dumb, you knew who she was and you knew she wasnât Katherine but your brothers didnât know that you knew. Everything would be fine as long as you didnât kill her, he wouldnât mind if she was roughed up a bit.
âYou keep the bitch around?! After everything?!â
Stefan and Damon sped to your side, Damon ripping you away from her.
You scoff, âYou still protect her!â
âThis isnât Katherine,â Stefan says before pulling Elena to him, the girl holding her throat.
âLooks exactly like her!â
Damon rolls his eyes, pulling you farther away, âWe know. We have eyes. Itâs weird, some weird, freaky nature thing but sheâs not Katherine. Smell her, sheâs human.â
You turn your attention to Stefan and Elena who are both looking at you, waiting for your next move. Stefan is ready to jump in front of Elena to save her, you almost roll your eyes but resist, this would be like 1864 all over again.
You walk over to them, slowly, tilting your head at Elena.
âIâm ElenaâŠElena Gilbert.â
You give her a half smile, âY/N. Sorry.â
You hold out your hand for her to take, which she does after looking at Stefan to make sure you were safe.
âThis happens a lot, youâd be surprisedâŠâ
âNo, I wouldnât be. Katherineâs a bitch. A lot of people want her dead,â you pause, âConsider getting a tattoo on your forehead,â you brush your pointer finger and thumb across your forehead, ââNot Katherineâ.â
Elena giggles, âIn size forty font.â
You crack a smile, she seemed sweet, you almost felt bad about what was going to happen, almost.
âYouâre a friend of Stefan and Damonâs?â
âIâm their sister,â you smirk, chuckling at the shocked expression on her face.
âOur sister who we thought was dead up until about five minutes ago,â Damon adds, still suspicious of you.
âI didnât know you were alive either until I heard rumors from some vampires that fled from hereâŠâ another lie.
Stefan and Damon share a look and you look between them, âWhat?â You ask.
âThe tomb vampires.â
Stefan pats your back, âCâmon, we got a lot of catching up to do.â
âWell, this is lovely but are we going to discuss what weâre here for?â A new voice cuts in, she looks familiar but you canât quite place her.
Elena on the other hand looks terrified, âYouâŠâ
âLike he said, a lot of catching up to do,â the woman smiles.
You all sat down in the living room while the woman who you learned to be Rose began to pace back and forth while speaking, âOkay, you have to understand, I only know what Iâve picked up over the years- and I donât know whatâs true and whatâs not. Thatâs the problem with all this vampire crap but Klaus I know is real.â
You keep your expression neutral, you had been told the story of Katerina Petrova, Katherine Pierce as you knew her and how she escaped her death by Klaus and Elijah both. Thatâs why this woman was familiar, she had played a role in the escape.
âWho is he?â Elena asks.
Damon speaks up, âHeâs one of the originals. Heâs a legend,â he widens his eyes for dramatic flair.
âFrom the first generation of vampires,â Stefan gestures with his glass.
âLike Elijah?â
Rose sighs, dropping her shoulders, âNo, Elijah is the Easter Bunny compared to Klaus. Heâs a foot soldier, Klaus is the real deal.â
You look down to hide the smile on your face, Elijah? The Easter Bunny? Now that was a funny joke.
âKlaus is known to be the oldestâŠâ Stefan adds and that almost makes you giggle.
âSoâŠâ Elena begins, âYou're saying the oldest vampire in the history of time is coming after me?â
Well, not the oldest.
âYes.â
âNo.â
Damon sighs, standing up, âNo, what theyâre saying is, I mean, if what sheâs saying is trueââ
âWhich it is,â Rose cuts in.
ââAnd youâre not just saying this so we donât kill youâŠâ
âWhich Iâm not.â
Damon sighs, âThen⊠weâre looking at a solid maybe?â
âLook,â Stefan says, going to sit next to Elena, âElijahâs dead so no one else even knows you exist.â
This makes you look up, unless these idiots found a white oak stake, Elijah was not dead, he was simply resting and heâd be pissed when he got back. You only hoped that heâd stay clear of you, you still held a soft spot for the man and you didnât want to rat him out, but you would if you had to.
âNot that you know of,â Rose adds.
âThatâs not helpingâŠâ Damon mutters.
âIâve never even met anyone who has laid eyes on him, weâre talking centuries of truth mixed with fiction!â Stefan argues, âFor all we know he could just be some sort of stupid bedtime storyâŠâ he looks at Elena, trying to reassure her that sheâs safe.
Rose scoffs, âHeâs real and he doesnât give up. If he wants something, he gets it.â Well ainât that the truth.
âIf youâre not afraid of Klaus then youâre an idiot.â Rose adds. Also true.
âWell, what about you little sister?â Damon asks, gesturing to you, âYou ever heard of Klaus?â
âNo.â Yes. âI doubt heâs even real.â Heâs very real.
âYou mentioned you traveled a lot,â Stefan looks at you, âYouâve never heard of the original vampires?â
âNever.â
1870
New Orleans
You had showered off all of the blood, trying to rid yourself of the horrible memory. Why was it that vampires seemed to be everywhere you went? And now you were staying in a house with not one, but four vampires.
Sighing, you get out of the shower and change into the outfit Elijah had provided for you, it was a simple night gown, reaching past your knees. You find your way to the guest room that Elijah had shown you and curl into the bed, unable to sleep. You stay in that position all night, not getting even a wink of rest.
When morning comes, you make your way downstairs to the living room, âElijah?â you call out softly, knowing that heâd be able to hear even the faintest of whispers.
Thereâs a whoosh behind you causing you to spin around on your heel, expecting to see Elijah but you donât. A man stands by the couch, smirking.
âI see my brother has taken to copying me. Bringing home his very own charity case,â the man announces as he drops down on the couch to sit, urging you to sit down as well, you do in fear of upsetting him.
You fidget with your hands out of nervousness and he cracks a smile.
âNo need to be scared, love. Iâm KlausâŠâ he holds a hand out for you to take and you do, rather reluctantly.
When you donât say anything, he continues, âDid my brother say something about me?â
You shake your head, âNo, not you.â
âOh? Not me? Did he say anything about my other siblings, do tell me. Iâm just dying to know.â
You look around the room before turning back to him, âHe said I should be careful around KolâŠâ
âAh, my little brother, yes, he can be quite reckless⊠and rather⊠insatiableâŠâ
âAre you talking badly about me to our new guest?â a voice that you assume belongs to Kol fills the room.
Klaus clicks his tongue, holding back a laugh, âNo, no, little brother. Simply warning the girl of your tendenciesâŠâ
Kol scoffs, before leaning over the back of the couch, his chin practically touching your shoulder as he whispers to you, âDonât listen to him, darling⊠or Elijah for that matter.â
You jump a bit and tilt your head away from him, inadvertently giving the vampire easy access to your neck. He chuckles and surprisingly, leans away.
âDonât tempt me.â
âKol! Elijah already said youâre to leave her alone!â a blonde girl comes bouncing into the room, pulling Kol further away from you.
In a flash sheâs in front of you, holding her hand out for you to take, âIâm Rebekah! Itâll be nice to have another girl around!â
She then looks you up and down, taking in your current outfit, âNow this just wonât do, come now,â she reaches her other hand out for you and when you take it she pulls you off of the couch.
She quickly begins to pull you towards the stairs just as Elijah comes back into the room, he sighs upon seeing you and his sister.
âDo not overwhelm the poor girl, Rebekah.â
âRelax Elijah, Iâm only going to get her a change of clothes⊠and we must do something with this hair!â she twirls a piece of your hair.
And with that, Rebekah practically drags you up to her room.
âSit.â she guides you to a vanity chair, âYouâve got gorgeous features but this hair⊠this dress⊠they are not doing you any favorsâŠâ
Your face flushes, âOh, I havenât had much money for clothing let alone food⊠It's been hard to find work and I never really learned how to do my own hair⊠my brother used to do it for me and heâd allow me to braid his⊠I just canât seem to do so when itâs my own head.â
Rebekah smiles softly, âYou neednât worry, I have plenty of options for you!â she rushes to her closet, opening it to reveal a plethora of different dresses.
She holds up a gown with a bit of lace detailing that goes up to the neck, âThis will do nicely. Much better than this night gownâŠâ she says as she brushes the sleeve of the dress you currently wore.
She hands you the gown, âGo now,â she points to the bathrooom, âget dressed and Iâll do your hair!â
You do as she says and come back, having her help you tie the back.
âNow, letâs fix this hair.â she pushes you back down into the chair, âWould you like a braid?â
You nod, âThat would be lovelyâŠâ
Rebekah hums, âYou said your brother used to do your hair⊠Where is he now?â
Your eyes widen a bit before you look down, âOh, uhm, heâs dead⊠Thatâs why I ran from homeâŠâ
âYouâre a runaway?â
You crack a smile, trying to be as confident as possible, âWas my ratty appearance and lack of cash not enough to give that away?â
Rebekah chuckles, âI suppose⊠were you always poor?â she asks, nonchalantly.
âOh Heavens no. My family was very wealthy⊠the wealthiest family in our town. My father was a landowner.â
âYou didnât think to take any money before running?â She raises a brow.
âI was only eleven at the time and had just witnessed⊠something awfulâŠâ you take a deep breath, you hadnât ever spoken about this out loud, âI needed to get away.â
Rebekah frowns, dropping your hair, âElijah said youâre seventeen, youâve been on your own for six years?â
You nod and Rebekahâs frown deepens, âThatâs a long time to be alone⊠that must have been awful.â
âIâve managed,â you shrug, âI went back once, a week after I had left when I got second thoughts⊠I found out that my father had also passed. I came across a newspaper, they believed that someone had killed my father and taken meâŠâ
âHe was killed?â
You hum, and Rebekah picks up your hair again.
âDid they ever catch his killer?â
âNo⊠but I have a suspicion it was a vampire.â
âWhy would you think that?â she asks as she finishes your braid.
âHis head was nearly ripped off.â
A few days later, Klaus found you. Elijah was dealing with other matters so he wasnât there to monitor his brother's behavior.
You were alone when he found you, in the kitchen. Baking was something that you enjoyed doing at your old home and after running away you hadnât been able to. Elijah welcomed you to use the kitchen and bake whatever youâd like, saying he wanted to make sure you felt comfortable during your stay.
âNot too broken up about your father being murdered?â
The sudden voice causes you to jump, spilling the cup of sugar you were holding.
âYou startled me,â you sigh, beginning to clean up the sugar.
âYouâre easy to frighten,â in a second, Klaus is directly next to you, making you yelp, he smirks, âNow answer the question.â
âWhat?â
âYour fatherâŠâ he practically circles you, âYou think a vampire killed him? You didnât seem too sad about it.â
âI⊠it was six years ago⊠wait, you were listening when I was talking to Rebekah?â
Klaus hums, âSix years is not that long,â he ignores your question, besides, you already knew the answer. âWell, to a vampire at least. I suppose I could buy that if your heart wasnât racing.â
You let out a breath, âKlausââ
âYes yes, I know Elijah has told you to stay clear of me even if you deny itâŠâ
âThatâs notââ
âYou didnât like your father!â he exclaims, making your eyes widen, âIâve figured it out, huh? What was so awful about the man? Do tell.â
You scowl, you knew you shouldnât mouth off to the vampires but Klaus was testing your patience, âNot that itâs any of your business but, he⊠he killed my brothers.â
âBrothers? Plural? Interesting, you only mentioned one to Rebekah. Youâre lying to us now?â
âI- No! I only mentioned the one that did my hair! I didnât lie!â
âWithholding the truth then,â he smirks.
You sigh, âElijah knows everything already, Iâve told him everything. I havenât lied, both my brothers fell for a vampire- my father got involvedâŠâ tears begin to prick the corners of your eyes, ââŠhe ended up killing them both⊠I assume the vampire- that she got away, that she killed my father⊠thatâs why Iâve been alone.â tears begin to stain your cheeks.
You sniffle, rubbing at your eyes when the door opens. Klaus has a sheepish expression when Elijah enters the room.
âNiklaus,â he practically hisses, âWhat did you do?â
âNothing! I simply asked the girl a few questions!â
Elijah narrows his eyes, âIâm sure.â
You went upstairs and stayed there for the rest of the day, trying to avoid everyone. You were deep in thought when Kolâs voice startled you.
âMy brother made you cry? He does tend to have that effect on women.â
Kol chuckles, and you turn to see him leaning against the doorframe of the room Elijah has you staying in. Your eyes widen and you turn your back to him, probably not your best move considering heâs a vampire but Elijah had told you to stay away. It was bad enough that you had spoken to him earlier but at least then his siblings were around, now you truly were alone.
âLike I said darling, you needn't be scared.â
âElijah told me not to speak with you, he wouldnât have told me that for no reason.â
Kol scoffs, âHeâs always so dramatic.â
You donât respond and Kol sighs, âIâll go if you want, I simply wanted to make sure Nik didnât upset you too badly⊠youâre too pretty to be upset over him.â
You blush, he sounds genuine but you couldnât trust it. You also didnât want to upset Elijah, he was the one who was giving you a home after all. He could easily kick you out and back onto the street to fend for yourself.
âIâd just like to be left alone⊠please.â
You hummed mindlessly in the kitchen, swaying while you baked. It had been three months since the Mikaelsons had allowed you into their home, Elijah promised he would find you your own home soon enough but he had been so busy with other duties.
You didnât mind, you had grown used to living in their home. Ironically, living in the house of deadly original vampires had been the safest you had ever felt. The Mikaelsons had completely changed your opinion of vampires in just a few, short months. Rebekah had become a close friend of yours, Klaus had stopped his frequent questioning and began to see you as a friend (he never apologized but you knew he felt bad when he gifted you a necklace), and Kol⊠well⊠Kol was complicated.
After he had checked on you that day, you became curious about him. Elijahâs warnings only did so much to curb your curiosity. At first you had listened, avoided Kol at all costs but there was just something about him that kept pulling you in.
You would often find your mind wandering back to him. His face, his hair, his eyes, his cheshire-like grinâŠ
Kol was determined to get you to break your walls down, he would find you all the time, whether you were painting like Nik had taught you, braiding your hair like Rebekah, or even just laying in your bed. He would find you and youâd just chat.
You brought up Kol to Elijah once, you wanted to know what was so horrible about him because when he was with you, he was sweet. Elijah wouldnât give you a clear answer, just reminded you that he was dangerous. You wouldnât mention how much time you had begun to spend with Kol to Elijah, in fear of making him upset.
But he found out, just like you knew he would.
âMiss Y/N, may I speak with you?â Elijah asks as he enters the kitchen.
You turn to look at him, just having finished the dough for the cookies you were making, âOf course, Elijah.â
âI notice you have become quite close with Kol as of late.â
You gulp, looking down, feeling guilty, Elijah had asked one thing of you and you werenât even able to do that.
âIâm sorry, I know Iââ
Elijah holds up his hand to silence you, âPlease.â
You let out a shaky breath and Elijah lowers his hand, âIâve never seen my little brother care for someone like he cares for you⊠especially after such a short amount of time. You⊠youâre good for him. Heâs changed⊠so no more of this sneaking around like children,â he waves his hand to gesture around.
Your face flushes, âOh weâre not⊠weâre just⊠weâre not togetherâŠâ
Elijah smirks, giving you a knowing look, âI never said anything about a relationship.â
1871
New Orleans
âWhat are you reading?â Kol asks as he drops onto the couch, sitting next to you.
âFrankenstein,â you hum, not bothering to look up from the book, turning a page.
Kol nods, âIâve heard of that oneâŠâ
You two sit in silence for a moment before Kol sighs dramatically. You close your eyes, composing yourself when Kol sighs again. You mark your page and close the book, finally turning to look at him.
âWhat Kol?â
He shrugs, âIâm bored.â
âBored?â
âVery.â
You sigh, âCan I at least finish my chapter before we go off to cause whatever chaos you have planned?â
Kol rolls his eyes, âFine,â he draws out the word.
Just as youâre about to pick up the book again, Kol drops his head into your lap, laying across the couch.
You tense up immediately, âKol. What are you doing?â
âWaiting for you to finish your chapter, darling,â he mumbles, âYour thighs are very comfortable.â
You sigh, forcing yourself to relax, it wasnât that you didnât enjoy his touch or him being this close, it was that it made you nervous. You were falling for Kol, you knew you were and every touch, no matter how small, made you nervous. Touching was common with Kol, you had a feeling it was how he showed affection.
It didnât take long for you to finish your chapter, âKol,â you say quietly but get no response.
Your brows furrow and you look closer at him in your lap, he was breathing evenly, his eyes closed. He was asleep. He looked peaceful, and if you didnât know any better youâd say he looked innocent and angelic.
You weighed your options, you could wake him up and put distance between the two of you⊠or you could let him sleep, curled in your lap, while you read another chapter.
You decided on the second option and it definitely had nothing to do with the fact you wanted to keep him so close.
It was calm, everything about the moment was so domestic. You wished you could stay here forever, reading a novel while an original vampire laid asleep on you as you brushed your fingers through his hair.
Unfortunately, no nice thing could last.
The door to the compound flung open, angry footsteps filling the silence.
âNiklaus, wait a moment. Let us think about this.â
âThere is nothing to think about!â
Kol tenses in your lap at the loud voices, stirring in his sleep. He sits up, forcing the sleep from his eyes.
Klaus enters the living room, glaring daggers at you. You donât seem to pick up on his angry gaze, âDid you get it?â you ask excitedly.
You had mentioned a few weeks ago that your mother had a cookbook that contained all of your family's recipes. After she died, the book remained in the study of the boarding house. You were sad, you wanted the book back because you couldnât remember any of the recipes and Elijah had offered to go get it for you.
You told him not to be ridiculous and that heâd have to travel the whole way to Mystic Falls to get it, he seemed to tense a bit at the name but insisted nonetheless. So you told him about the boarding house and where he would find it, Klaus insisted on accompanying him.
âYes.â Klaus answers coldly, dropping the book onto the coffee table.
You squeal and lean forward grabbing the book, âThankyou!â you begin to flip through it, âYou have no idea how much this means to meâŠâ you look up, trailing off when you finally notice the look on Klausâ face.
âWe found something else too,â his tone is detached as he tosses a picture onto the coffee table.
You recognized the photo instantly, it had been taken shortly after Katherine arrived in Mystic Falls. It was of you, Stefan, and Katherine. The three of you had smiles on your faces, though, it was obvious Katherineâs was fake.
âHer,â he points to Katherine.
âWhat?â
âDon't play dumb with me,â Klaus practically growls, âThis is the vampire you mentioned?â
You gulp, nodding, âI- yes, thatâs KatherineâŠâ
âKatherine?â Elijah muses, âIs that the name sheâs using now?â
You didnât miss the subtle way that Kol slid forward on the couch, or the way he placed his hand on your thigh, attempting to hide you behind his arm, to shield you from Klausâ fury.
âWhere is she?â Klaus keeps his gaze locked onto you.
âI donât know⊠I havenât seen her since I ran from homeâŠâ
Kol squeezes your thigh to try and calm you down, to reassure you that he wouldnât let Klaus hurt you even if he tried. You were grateful for him and Elijah, Klaus was impulsive at times, especially if he thought he was being betrayed.
After a considerable amount of time, Klaus had calmed down. He and Elijah explained the story of Katerina to you, how she had escaped her death, and how Klaus wanted her to be scared before he killed her. How he wanted her to suffer.
Just like last time, Klaus didnât apologize, the day after you found three books on your nightstand, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women, and Les Miserables.
A few weeks had passed since the Mikaelsons found out about your history with Katherine. And you all went on with life like nothing had happened, Klaus would occasionally ask about Katherine and you would always answer his questions. Katherine was why your brothers were dead. Katherine was the reason you hated vampires. And the Mikaelsons were the reason you didnât anymore.
âMy mother used to make these when I was little⊠this is actually her recipe- well, my great grandmother's recipe,â you tell Kol as he watches you close the pizzelle iron.
He hums, reaching for one thatâs cooling, âIn all my life, Iâve never had one of theseâŠâ
Your eyes light up, âOh! Iâve been meaning to ask you this! I know you eat my baked goods⊠but does human food actually taste good to you?â
Kol tilts his head, âIâve told you numerous times, darling, youâre an excellent bakerâŠâ
âBut thatâs not what I asked, I wish to know if you enjoy themâŠâ
âYour treats are delectable⊠as are you,â Kol flirts, leaning closer.
Your face heats up at his comment, âFlattery will get you nowhere, Kol Mikaelson.â
âNo?â he raises a brow, his face just inches from yours.
âWell, maybe somewhereâŠâ you whisper, your gaze flickers to his lips.
He smirks, âAnd where would that be?â
âYou tell meâŠâ
The tension between the two of you was thick, it had been for a few months now but nothing had come of it. The two of you danced around each other and your obvious feelings, Rebekah would tease you about it, often remarking on how you could do better than her brother.
Just as his lips were about to brush against yours he pulled back, âDarlingâŠâ
âYes, Kol?â
âThe iron.â
Your eyes widen and you quickly turn back to the pizzelle iron, standing up from your chair, opening it quickly, coughing a bit as the smoke hits you directly in the face. You use the tongs to toss the burnt cookies onto the cooling rack as Kol doubles over in laughter.
You glare at him, before letting out a small laugh, âYou distracted me! This is your fault!â
He smirks, standing up to his full height, wrapping an arm around your waist to pull you close, âIâm a distraction?â
âYes⊠you are.â
He presses a kiss to your temple and hums, âToo bad youâre stuck with meâŠâ
You pull away a bit to look up at him, âYou think?â
Kol stares at you, debating internally about what to say, âI think⊠no, I know,â he takes a deep breath, ââŠthat I have completely fallen in love with you, Y/N SalvatoreâŠâ
A smile appears on your face, âWell I know that I am utterly in love with you as well, Kol MikaelsonâŠâ
He smiles before capturing your lips in a soft but passionate kiss. The arm around your waist tightens, he pulls you impossibly close and you loop your arms around his neck.
A low whistle followed by clapping causes the two of you to break apart, Kol didnât let you get too far though, still keeping his hand on your waist.
âTook you long enough,â Klaus smirks.
You cover your face with your face with your hands, completely embarrassed but Kol just seems annoyed by the interruption.
âIs there something you need Nik?â Kol asks, rolling his eyes.
âI was just wondering what that burning smell was, wouldnât want our lovely home to burn down. But I see now our little baker was just⊠preoccupiedâŠâ
âRebekah!â Klaus shouts, causing your eyes to widen.
âNik no!â you retort, peaking through your fingers, but you knew it was too late.
âWhat the bloody hell do you want now?â Rebekah asks as she walks into the room.
Klaus smirks and then gestures towards you and Kol by tilting his head. Rebekah immediately notices the hand around your waist and gasps.
âFinally! I thought you two would be dancing around each other forever!â she squeals.
âWhat is all this shouting about?â Elijah asks, entering the room while adjusting his cufflinks.
Kol pinches the bridge of his nose before leaning over to whisper to you, fully aware his siblings could still hear him, âItâs like they all come out of the woodwork at the most inopportune timesâŠâ
Elijah spots the cooling racks of pizzelles and makes his way over, immediately picking up one of the burnt cookies. He holds it up and raises a brow at you, waiting for an answer.
Klaus begins to cackle, speeding over to Elijah to take the charred cookie from him, âBrother, Y/N got distractedâŠâ he points at Kol, âthe distraction.â
Elijah lets out a little chuckle, clearly amused, âYes, well, try not to get distracted in the kitchen⊠we eat in here.â
1872
New Orleans
âAre you sure this is what you want?â Kol holds your face in his hands.
âMore than anything⊠I want to be with you.â
Kol chuckles, âMy darling, youâre already with me, you already have me.â
He takes your hands and places them over his heart, âThis dead heart belongs to you.â
You giggle a bit at his words and he smiles before frowning, âI just⊠I donât want you to think you have to do this for meâŠâ
You smile softly, âI know, but this is what I want, I promiseâŠâ
âThen itâs a good thing Iâve already had my witches make you a ring⊠a gorgeous ring for a gorgeous girl, my gorgeous girlâŠâ
You giggle again and pull him in for a kiss which he quickly reciprocates. After a moment he forces himself to pull away. He scoots til his back is against the headboard then pulls you so youâre sitting with your back against his chest.
Kol brings his wrist to his mouth, fangs protruding and bites into his own flesh before holding his wrist near your mouth for you to take. Both your hands grab onto him, pulling his wrist as close to your mouth as physically possible and begin to drink from him.
He groans at the sensation and brushes some of the hair from your face, âAtta girl⊠thatâs it⊠just a little more⊠goodâŠâ
When Kol decides youâve had enough he pulls away, chuckling at the way you try to follow his now healing wrist, âMy, my, already so bloodthirstyâŠâ
You look up at him and pout, some of his blood dripping from your lips. He could get used to sight of you and blood, his two favorite things, together. He gives you another kiss, tasting his own blood from your mouth.
Pulling back, he sighs, âThis is the part I donât like.â
You lean up and kiss his cheek, âYouâre the only one Iâd trust to do this⊠itâs okay, my love, itâs what I want.â
Reluctantly, Kol brings his hand up to your neck, âI love you, my darling.â
âI love you⊠now please, kill me.â
He winces at the sound of your neck breaking, squeezing his eyes shut. He lays in your bed, holding your body, brushing the hair from your face while softly humming until you wake up.
Present Day
Mystic Falls
You stare at your daylight ring, spinning it on your finger.
âY/N⊠Y/N⊠Y/N!â Damon snaps his fingers in front of your face to gain your attention.
You jump and look at him and then at Stefan, now noticing that Elena left.
âAre you alright?â Stefan asks, tilting his head.
âIâm fine⊠just⊠lost in thought.â
Damonâs gaze stays focused on your ring, âIs that your daylight ring?â
You hum, looking up at him and then at Stefan, before holding your hand up to show off the ring, âI know, itâs not nearly as gaudy as yours.â
Stefan chuckles but Damon narrows his eyes, âItâs not a wedding ring,â he notes.
âNoâŠâ you state but it sounds more like a question.
âSo the guy can ask you to die and be forced to drink blood for the rest of eternity but he canât get down on one knee and pop the question?â
âDamonâŠâ Stefan sighs, they had just gotten you back and he was worried that all of Damonâs passive aggressive comments were going to drive you away again.
You scoff, âHe didnât ask me to do anything, it was my choice. I wanted this. We⊠we didnât need to be married to be in love⊠it just wasnât the right time for a wedding anywaysâŠâ
Stefan seems a little shocked, âYou asked him to turn you?â
Before you can respond to Stefan, Damon interrupts, âThis was your first boyfriend?â
âHe was my first everything,â you state matter-of-factly.
Both Stefan and Damon groan in disgust at your words and the implication of them.
You roll your eyes, âOh grow up.â
Stefan stands up, âAnd on that note, Iâm going to school⊠make sure Elenaâs okayâŠâ
You fake pout, âYou donât wanna hang out with your sister after not seeing her for so long?â
âThatâs notââ
You cut him off, âRelax Stef, Iâm kidding. Go.â
He gives you a curt nod and heads out of the room, leaving you alone with Rose and Damon. You almost forgot Rose was here, she had been quiet ever since she had finished her speech about Klaus. Damon gives Rose a look and she nods, leaving the room.
âI thought you hated vampires,â Damon states, taking the spot on the couch where Stefan once was.
âI did⊠until I met him.â Them.
Damon stays quiet for a moment, his eyes soften a bit, âThis guy must have been special.â
You squeeze your eyes shut, âHe was⊠I really loved him, Damon. I really do still love himâŠâ
Your brother sighs, scooching closer to you on the couch. He wraps an arm around your shoulder and pulls you to him.
âI am happy to have you back, you know⊠itâs just⊠youâre not the same kid I left behind, youâve grown so much, to me youâre still the little girl whose hair I used to braidâŠâ
âItâs okay, Day⊠I get it⊠I do,â you smile, using the nickname you used to call him as a child.
He ruffles your hair, âWhy donât we go out, Iâll show you around town⊠itâs practically the same, just modern.â
âI⊠uhmâŠâ you sigh, âIâm tired to be honest, I traveled a long way to get here⊠and I think all the âexcitementâ just made me even more tiredâŠâ
He nods, âAlright, Iâm assuming you want your same room, you remember where it is?â
You stand up from the couch, âHow could I forget?â
You leave Damon on the couch, making your way to the stairs. You take note of Rose who was standing near the kitchen doorway, she had clearly been listening to your conversation. There was no such thing as privacy with vampires.
Your room was exactly as you had left it, you could tell that no one had even entered the room in years. If you had to guess, youâd say that the last ones to enter were Klaus and Elijahâ they had also retrieved your favorite teddy bear on their mission to get the cook book. There was dust floating around and cobwebs everywhere. You let out a sigh just as Damon makes his way up the stairs to you, he must have remembered the state of your room.
âNo oneâs been in there sinceâŠâ
âI know,â you cut him off.
âWe didnât want to disturb itâŠâ
You sigh, âCan I just⊠have another room for now?â
He nods and leads you down the hall to one of the guest rooms that had been maintained over the years, âI can get you extra blankets? Extra pillows?â
You shake your head, walking further into the room and sit on the bed, âThis is fine.â
âAlright, well, Iâll let you sleep,â as heâs about to leave, his hand goes to the light switch to turn it off.
In a second, youâre off of the bed. You grab his hand causing him to groan in pain, you were sure you broke fingers but you didnât care. You couldnât let him turn off the light.
âOw!â
You let go after a second, âI⊠Iâm sorryâŠâ you mumble.
âJesus! If you didnât want it off you could have said that!â he waves his hand around, wincing as his fingers snap themselves back into place.
You just blink at him, and he sighs, âJust get some rest.â
He reaches for the door this time, you grab it as itâs about to close and he stops, âYeah?â
âDonât close the door.â
Damon raises a brow, âYou want the light on and the door open?â
You nod, âPleaseâŠâ
âYou can sleep like that?â
âItâs the only way I can sleep.â
Damon goes to open his mouth, but quickly shuts it, deciding that for once in his life he should just be quiet. He nods and leaves it at that, you let out of a sigh when goes, dropping down onto the guest bed.
You want to close your eyes but you canât. Itâs too dark.
Stefan eventually returns and finds Damon sipping on bourbon as usual.
âOur sister is strange,â Damon announces the second Stefan steps foot in the door.
Stefan sighs, âAlright, Iâll bite. What happened?â
Damon sets down his glass, âSheâs upstairs, sleeping.â
âOkay?â
âWith the door open, the curtains open, and the light on.â
âDamon, just leave it alone.â
The older Salvatore scoffs, âCome on Stefan, thatâs weird.â
Stefan shrugs, âI didnât say it wasnât. I just said to leave it alone. We just got her back, literally today and if you keep pushing like you always do, youâre going to push her away. Again.â
âDonât act like this is all on me. We both pushed her away⊠pushed her right into the arms of some scummy vampire and now sheâs stuck like us. Well, at least it sounds like she actually got to make that choice.â
âI thought we were past that,â Stefan lets out a humourless chuckle.
âWeâll never be past that.â
âI was just joking before about you two constantly fightingâŠâ you mumble as you walk down the stairs.
Damon smirks, âStefan loves to bicker.â
You raise a brow, âSo itâs only Stefan then?â
You swiftly make your way across the room to the bourbon and grab a glass, you turn to Damon, âMay I?â
âKnock yourself out.â
Humming, you pour yourself a glass, looking at Damon over the rim of the cup, âYou and Rose woke me up earlier, safe to say Iâm disgustedâŠâ This was a lie, you never fell asleep in the first place.
Damon rolls his eyes, âNow who needs to grow up?â
Stefan sighs and takes that as his que to cut in, âYou sleep well? Besides thatâŠâ
You take a sip of the alcohol before responding, âLike a baby.â
Another lie, you hadnât slept âlike a babyâ since 1914.
1914
New Orleans
âHeâll never let us leave, heâll never let us be happy.â Kol holds you tightly in his arms, âThis is the only wayâŠâ he pulls back to hold your face in his hands, âIâll find the diamond, my witches will do what we need, and then we will leave this place, my love. I want to show you the world, just as you wish but we canât do that with him looming over us.â
You swallow, âI am tired of watching him hurt you⊠all of you.â
âAnd I do not want him to ever hurt you.â
Klaus had been a friend to you over the years but the one thing you disagreed on was how he handled his siblings. It broke your heart to watch any of them be daggered and put away in those wretched boxes for however long he deemed necessary. It drove a rift in between the two of you and you knew Kol was right, with how tightly of a leash Klaus kept on Kol, it was only a matter of time before Klaus saw Kol as a threat and daggered him again.
Besides, it wouldnât be killing Nik. It would just be giving him a taste of his own medicine for once.
âOkayâŠâ
âOkay?â
You nod and Kol lets out a small chuckle, half smiling at you, he presses his lips to yours.
Pulling back, he looks you up and down, âAll you have to do is look pretty, which is an easy task for you considering you always look gorgeous.â
He takes your hand and has you do a twirl, admiring the way your dress moves as you spin, âAbsolutely stunning.â
You roll your eyes, giggling as he spins you right into his arms, âAlways such a charmer.â
âOnly for youâŠâ he presses a kiss to your head, âYou head down to the party Iâll be right there.â
You hum, connecting your lips one last time before heading downstairs, blending into the crowd around you. Soon after, Kol would make his way downstairs, he snuck up behind you, placing his hands on your hips and whispering into your ear.
âRebekah knows but do not fret⊠sheâs going to help us.â
Only she wouldnât, Rebekah ran straight to Klaus and told him everything.
All of you were currently on the stairs, posed for a family photograph. Kol had his arm wrapped securely around your waist when Klaus raised his glass, taping the side of it with a knife to attract the attention of everyone in the room. He starts by thanking those invited for attending but then makes a special toast to Rebekah.
He looks at you and Kol while speaking, âIt is especially gratifying in times when treachery runs deep to know you have someone you can trustâŠâ he turns back to face Rebekah, smiling at her, âA toast, to you, my sister.â
Kol tenses, the two of you share a look and quickly begin to make your way up the stairs. You make it to the top of the stairs before Kol does and just as heâs about to join you, Elijah speeds in front of him. Elijah grabs Kolâs arms, successfully detaining him as Klaus slowly walks up the stairs. Youâre frozen in place, unsure what to do and Kol looks at you. He knows this will be the last time he sees you for a very long time so he decides to commit your features to memory. He regrets not asking you for a dance earlier.
âLadies and gentlemen! I do apologize for the disturbance! But, whatâs a Mikaelson party without a little squabbleâŠ?â He reveals a silver dagger.
âY/N run!â Kol shouts and you listen.
You rush away making Klaus sigh, looking at Rebekah over his shoulder, âCatch her,â he commands.
Kol looks at his sister, a pleading look in his eyes as he struggles in Elijahâs holdâ watching her run after you, knowing that it would be near impossible for you to outrun her.
You hear Kolâs pained scream as Klaus shoves the dagger into his heart, trying to fight your tears as you run. You were outside when Rebekah caught you, slamming you into the wall.
âBekah pleaseâŠâ
Her eyes scan your face, your fear, your grief, and she loosens her hold, âI have never had a true friend until you, Y/N⊠please⊠forgive me for what I am about to do.â
Rebekah takes your face in her hands, staring into your eyes and you begin to panic, knowing what is about to happen.
âYou promised youâd never do that! All of you did! That youâd never take my choice away!â you fight against her.
âLook at me,â her voice becomes hypnotic and you find yourself unable to look away from her eyes, âYouâre going to forget Kol, youâre going to forget that you were ever in love with him. Youâve never even heard his name. You are going to forget all about Elijah and⊠me. All you will know regarding the Mikaelson family is that you have to keep running from Klaus. You donât stop, you donât stay in one place for long, you keep running.â
Your eyes have completely glazed over, pupils dilated, âI keep running from KlausâŠâ
Rebekah pulls back from you, staring at you as your eyes go back to normal, âY/N?â
âI⊠Iâm sorry, do I know you? I⊠nevermind that I need to get going, Iâm sorry again,â you say, walking past her before using your speed to get farther away.
Rebekah lets out a shaky breath, knowing that Klaus will not believe that you were able to outrun her. She brings her own hands to her neck and snaps it, falling to the ground.
Maybe heâd believe that.
Present Day
Mystic Falls
A few days had passed since your arrival in Mystic Falls, while everything had seemingly calmed down a bit, there was still the looming presence of Klaus.
You had been briefly involved with their plan of getting the moonstone from Katherine, you knew it wouldnât do them any good and it was clear they were grasping at straws to try and save the doppelgĂ€ngers life. After contacting him, he told you to just continue on as is so you wouldnât raise suspicion. You had witnessed Elenaâs attempt at a self-sacrifice play, which she failed at terribly due to your brother's intervention⊠and Elijahâs.
Damon was incredibly annoyed when he found out Elijah was still alive. And after a lot of back and forth and changing of plans, you managed to convince Damon to let you accompany him to the bar to confront Jules. You refused to be on babysitting duty with Jeremy.
You made it your mission to avoid Elijah, knowing that if you saw him youâd end up telling Klaus in fear of him interfering with their plan. You already knew that Elena and her group of friends would try to interfere but you could handle them - you had plans. Caroline was meant to be the vampire⊠but you had plenty of options for a vampire, maybe even your own brothers. Tyler Lockwood was a werewolf, but you needed a backup, which is the whole reason you went to the bar with Damon. You wanted to get an idea about Jules so that it would be easier to get her.
Jules was smart, she wouldnât drink the wolfsbane and she instantly knew what you and Damon were. That wouldnât matter, you knew when it came down to it - youâd be able to capture her with ease. You backed down from the argument, not wanting to fight in the middle of the bar but Damon didnât. He kept pushing just like he always did.
That brought you to where you were now, back at the boarding house with Damon and Rose. The two were clearly having a moment so you decided to take a step back into the living room. Just as you do, a large wolf jumps through the window, slamming you into the ground. You hold its jaw, pushing its mouth away from you in fear of being bit.
âDamon!â you shriek, âA little help would be nice!â
Damon goes to the fireplace mantel, picking up a sword, taking a swing at the wolf. It lets out a pained sound and releases you- now going to attack Damon. Before itâs able to turn your brother into a chew toy, Rose jumps in front of him, taking the brunt of the attack. The werewolf sinks its teeth into her shoulder, infecting her with its deadly bite.
Your brother slashes the wolf once more and it takes off into the night, knowing it wouldnât survive another hit from the blade. You let out a sigh of relief, turning to look at Damon and Rose.
âHow bad is it?â Damon asks Rose, helping her off the ground to examine the bite.
âIt hurtsâŠâ Rose whimpers.
You frown, already knowing what is going to happen, you knew of the false hope that she would get.
Damonâs eyes widen, âItâs healing!â
Rose tilts her head to look at her shoulder better, âOh my God⊠I thought a werewolf bite was fatal!â
âIt isâ you want to say, to warn her of what is going to happen about how sheâll lose her mind. But you stay silent.
âI thoughtâŠâ tears fill Roseâs eyes and Damon pulls her into his arms.
âYouâre going to be okayâŠâ he reassures her, giving you a look.
You press your lips together, nodding, leaving the room to give them their moment once more. Allowing them to live in a fantasy where Rose would be okay.
You made the decision to disappear for a few days, leaving your brothers and Elena to deal with Rose. Both of them left numerous messages on your phone.
âThis is what? Call two hundred and twenty four? Youâre really not going to answer them?â Klaus muses.
You sigh, shaking your head, âNo. Iâm not. They just want help with Rose⊠I donât⊠I donât want to see her like that, losing her mind⊠Iâve seen that happen too many times before.â
Klaus hums, âLet me guess, youâre going to ask for my blood to heal her?â
âNo,â you shake your head, âShe needs to die, she knows too much about you and your family, sheâs a threat⊠besides sheâs probably dead now.â
âOur family,â Klaus corrects.
You continue, ignoring him, âI just thought sheâd die with a stake in her heart not from going insane.â
âStill sensitive.â
You choose to ignore his comment once again, playing the latest voicemail left by Stefan.
âY/N, I donât know where you are or why you left⊠Iâm worried though⊠about you, about Elena⊠I miss you⊠can you please come home? Listen, Rose is dead and Damon is doing what he does bestâ deflecting. Heâs got this new girl⊠Andie Star I think? I- I donât know what happened that night, maybe you got bit too? I really hope not⊠Maybe you got scared⊠you ran⊠just please at least call me if youâre not going to come home⊠I need to know youâre okay. I love you.â
âI presume youâre going back now?â
You nod and Klaus smirks, âExcellent⊠Iâll be making my appearance soon.â
By time you arrived back in Mystic Falls, Elijah had been âdealt withâ as Damon put it. That made you anxious, you doubted they had found a white oak stake but the only alternative was a dagger, and that thought made your stomach churn.
Leaving had fractured the trust you built between your brothers, you knew it would but that was fine with you. The less you knew regarding Elijah, the better. You told them the truth, that you knew Rose was going to die - painfully and out of her mind. Damon was angry that you didnât tell them and Stefan understood.
There was also the little fact that Katherine had been released of her compulsion. You had to admit, you were a tad anxious sheâd find a way to Klaus and find out about your deal. If she ratted you out to Stefan and Damon, every part of your perfectly calculated plan would be ruined. Hopefully, Klaus would be enough to distract your brothers from you so they wouldnât get too suspicious.
It was no secret that Niklaus Mikaelson liked making an entrance and being as you were currently not getting all the intel since they still didnât trust you fullyâ Klaus decided to use one of his favorite tricks which you suggested. Body possession.
On the night of the school dance, Klaus possessed Alaric's body, revealing himself to Bonnie and Elena with dramatic flair and then he killed the Benett witchâ at least thatâs what you two thought.
The truth of Bonnieâs fate would be revealed on the night of the ritual when she showed up to kill Klaus with the help of Elijah.
Elijah had dug his hand into Klausâ chest and you had no idea what to do. You couldnât fight Elijah, that was one fight youâd certainly lose, not to mention Bonnie and all of the others being there, theyâd stop you before you could lay a hand on him.
Klaus looked at you, silencing your fears with one glance before looking back to Elijah and confessing the truth, âI didnât bury them at sea.â
His gaze flickered to you and Elijah looked to where his brother was, he hadnât seen you in so long but still, he trusted you, so when you nod your head ever so slightly⊠he believes Klaus.
Two days had passed since the ritual and Klaus was now a hybrid. You had spent those two days following Elijah through the woods, cleaning up Klausâ mess.
In fact, thatâs where you currently are. It had been practically silent between the two of you, neither of you wanting to start the conversation, after all it had been nearly a hundred years. That was until you decided to open your mouth after arriving at another camp that had been ripped apart.
You move a body and scoff, âHeâs not even draining them. Heâs killing for sport.â
Elijah hums, âYou sound shocked, you should know by now this behavior is expected of Niklaus.â
âHeâs wasting perfectly good snacks,â you grumble as you throw the body to Elijah who catches it with ease.
âYouâre thirsty?â
âNo, Elijah, Iâm annoyed,â you throw your hands up, walking closer to him, âItâs been two days since the full moon, why is he still a wolf?â
âI donât have the answer to that.â
âOkay, well, what if heâs stuck as a wolf? Hm? Then what? Weâre going to put him on a leash and have him lead us to the coffins?â
Elijah lets out a chuckle, âWhile that image is amusing, Iâm sure heâll be turning back soon.â
You sigh and go back to cleaning up the bodies in silence, when youâre done you both continue to follow the trail that Klaus was leaving behind, you had no doubt youâd soon run into more bodies.
âWhat have you been up to for the past century?â Elijah asks, walking so close that your arms brush against each other.
You come to a stop, and it takes Elijah a moment to stop and turn back, looking at you slightly confused.
âAre you serious? I was trapped, Elijah, and when I wasnât trapped I was running from him,â you jab your finger into his chest, âfrom you.â
Elijah looks down at you, a frown on his face, âI havenât been doing Niklausâ bidding since he said he dropped all of them into the ocean⊠he implied that he had found you as well⊠that you were gone⊠I never did want to hurt you, Y/N.â
âWell it didnât seem that way to me. I didnât know that. Iâve spent the last century looking over my shoulder, not staying anywhere for more than a moment because I knew that no matter where I went, you, or him, or some minion of his would be waiting. And when I wasnât running I was trapped⊠there⊠all aloneâŠâ
âY/Nââ
âI know what we did was unforgivable,â you say, taking a step away from him to continue following the trail and he follows, âbut what he had planned for me was just cruelâŠâ
âIf itâs any consolation, none of us agreed with Niklausâ âgiftâ.â
You let out a humorless laugh, âIs that what he called it?â
âYes, it was intended to be given to you for your engagement⊠obviously you were shown sooner than intended⊠it was his disturbed way of welcoming you into the family officially.â
Your brows furrow, âWhat engagement?â
Elijah stops, seemingly realizing his mistake, âI apologize, I thought you knew⊠KolâŠâ
You stop and turn to him, âHe was going to propose?â your voice breaks a bit as you will away your tears.
Elijah sighs, stopping to face you, âHe had rings, new daylight rings⊠I do not know much of how he planned to propose, just that he planned to do it after the new year⊠You two had been together for so long I assume he thought it was time to askâŠâ
You blink a few times, before clearing your throat, âLetâs just find Klaus.â
He nods, continuing to follow the path, he can practically feel the emotions rolling off of you. Grief, sadness, anger, and even jealousy. Then there was the look on your face, the look of heartbreak. Even after all these years, he still hated to see you like this. He would always feel guilty, after all, he was the first one you met, the one who introduced you to everyone. He would forever feel at least somewhat responsible for your pain.
1869
New Orleans
It had been five years, nearly six since you ran from home, since your brothers were killed, and you were still having a hard time settling down. You found yourself in New Orleans, you loved everything about it, but there was one problem. It was hard to find work as a woman and even harder as a seventeen year old so you adapted to stealing.
You would wait by stands or alleyways and wait for the perfect target, youâd typically go for men who held their heads high as if they owned the world. Men who were so well dressed that you knew they had money to spare. Sometimes youâd even hang out near bars to find men stumbling around, too drunk to notice you taking their entire wallet.
It was late now, you were leaning against a wall when you saw him. A rather attractive man dressed in a fancy suit, you had no doubt that it had been tailor fitted to him. He begins to walk down the street, walking right past you, seemingly not noticing you. There werenât as many people out now, normally youâd use the strangers during the day as cover but this man clearly had too much money for his good, you couldnât pass up the opportunity.
As quietly as possible, you push yourself off the wall and follow behind him. You smirk when you see his wallet in his back pocket but just as your fingers graze what you assume is real leather, his hand snatches your wrist.
âWhat do you think youâre doing?â His voice was low, dangerous.
You curse yourself for being so reckless. You swallow your pride and decide to try and flirt your way out. Men with the kind of money you knew he had, always enjoyed being flirted with, it boosts their already over-inflated egos.
You giggle while leaning a bit closer, âYouâre even more handsome up closeâŠâ
He chuckles, âIs that so?â
âAnd this suit⊠it fits you so wellâŠâ you brush your hand along his chest.
âThatâs very flatteringâŠâ he smiles, bringing his hand up to cup yours.
Hook. Line. Sinker. You had him.
âBut I know what youâre doing.â
You did not have him.
Your smile fades away and you pull back from him. This had never happened before, most of the men were too dumb to figure it out (at least until they got home and found their wallets missing), it was just your luck that youâd try and rob the only smart guy around.
âHow old are you?â He looks you up and down.
You gulp, âSeventeen, sir.â
He pulls his wallet from his pocket and holds it out to you, âTake it.â
âWhat?â
âTake it, you want my wallet? Take it.â
With shaky hands, you reach for the wallet, it was embarrassing being caught like this but you needed the money.
âThank youâŠâ you trail off, realizing you hadnât learned his name.
âElijah Mikaelson.â
Your eyes widen at the name, you had heard of the Mikaelsons before. A rich, powerful family and there were whispers all around that they were the thing you hated most. Vampires.
He smirks at your reaction, âAnd you are?â
âY/N.â
He nods and smiles but it quickly fades when he glances at his watch, âWell, Miss Y/N do try to stay safe⊠you never know who or what may be lurking in these streets, especially at this time of night.â
And just like that, he was gone. The next time you saw him was after the new year when he pulled a newly turned vampire off of you. You saw him a third time when this exact thing happened again, you didnât know why but you it seemed you were practically vampire bait.
After these two incidents, Elijah decided it wasn't safe for you to be on the streets any longer and invited you to come stay with him for some time before he could find something more permanent. An idea you were not so eager about when he confirmed that he and his family were in fact, vampires. But you couldnât pass up the offer when he was offering you an actual bed to sleep in and numerous necessities. Little did either of you know that the compound would become your permanent home.
Present Day
Mystic Falls
After your conversation you had fallen behind Elijah, walking slower to keep the distance. When he called out that he had found him, you hardly even picked up the pace.
âYouâve been busyâŠâ Elijah remarks, leaning on a tree.
âThat was⊠amazing.â You hear Klausâ voice before you see him.
And when you do see him you groan, spinning around and closing your eyes, âYou could have told me he was naked.â
âDid you think I was carrying around his clothes these past two days for fun?â Elijah raises a brow.
âItâs been two days?â Klaus asks, you can hear him shuffling around while getting dressed.
âFull moon came and went. You remained a wolf.â Elijah states but itâs more of a question.
âI can change at will then, thatâs good to know.â
Klaus smiles and then chuckles, âI remember⊠every single kill.â
âYes, weâve been cleaning up your little mess along the way.â Elijah gestures between the two of you.
âJust like old times then.â
Elijah hums, and pushes off the tree, handing Klaus his boots, âWell, youâve had your fun. I believe we have a bargain.â
âThatâs right!â Klaus exclaims, leaning down to put on his boots, âNow what was it again? Oh yeah, wait, I remember, thatâs it! You wish to be reunited with our family!â
âAnd you!â he shouts towards you, âYou want your precious Kol backâŠâ
You turn around, finally facing him, pleased to see that he has put his pants on. You want to say something but hold your tongue, there was a time where you werenât afraid of him but now it felt that if you even stepped a toe out of line heâd hunt you down.
Elijah brushes off Klausâ jacket, âYou gave me your word, Niklaus.â
Klaus smiles, cheekily, âAnd what kind of brother would I be if I broke my bond⊠even if you did try and kill me.â
You sigh, and Elijah holds out Klausâ jacket for him to put on, âI could have⊠but I didnât.â
Klaus puts on his jacket and fixes the collar, âAnd now no one can,â he turns to face Elijah, âRelax, Elijah, all is forgiven.â
He smiles at you, âThat applies to you as well, love. You have more than proved yourself loyal.â
âWhere are they?â Elijah cuts in.
Klaus grins, patting his brother's arm, âYou need to lighten up⊠Iâll bring you to them soon enough.â
He walks ahead of you and Elijah, the two of you sharing a look before you scoff and follow after the hybrid. He ends up taking you to Alaric's apartment, you feel a pit in your stomach knowing that Katherine is going to be there but you do your best to push it away.
âLook who decided to come for a visit.â Katherine gestures to Stefan as you, Klaus, and Elijah enter the apartment.
âI need your help.â Stefan states, his eyes flickering to you, wondering why the hell youâre with them, there was no way for you to know what had happened to Damon so that couldnât be it.
Elijah shuts the door, and Stefan steps closer, âFor my brother.â he then looks at you, âour brother.â
Klaus clicks his tongue, âOh well, whatever it is, itâs going to have to wait a tick. You see, I have an obligation to my brother.â he points at Elijah. âAnd your sisterâŠâ he points at you.
âIt requires my immediate attention.â Klaus brushes past Stefan.
You hug yourself, feeling anxious of the entire situation, it was bad enough that Katherine was here and now Stefan was too.
âYou understand how important family is or you wouldnât be here.â Elijah walks a bit closer to Stefan, âMy brother gave me his word that he would reunite me with my family.â
âAnd so I shall.â Klaus speaks from behind Elijah, Elijah spins around to face his brother but it is too late, Klaus shoves a dagger through his heart.
You feel frozen when Elijah screams, tears begin to fill your eyes, you know what is about to come and there's no point in running because heâd just catch you. Rebekah wasnât here this time to buy you time.
His body drops to the ground with a sickening thud, his skin completely grey and you knew you would not get the privilege of a quick death.
Klaus smiles at you and the tears begin to fall from your eyes.
âPlease! I- I didnât know about Elijahâs plan! I didnât even know he was here! I only heard rumors! I swear! You said it yourself, Klaus- Iâm loyal! Iâve proved it!â
Klaus shushes you and walks closer, your body doesnât move, youâre rooted in your spot. He brings his hand up to hold your cheek and brushes a tear away, you shudder at the touch, letting out a sob.
âLoyalâŠ?â Stefan questions, the floorboards creaking when he steps forward.
Klausâ gaze immediately snaps to your brother, âAnother step and Iâll rip her heart out.â
âSheâs my sister-â
âAll the more reason for you to stay put, Stefan.â
The two stare at each other for a moment before Stefan steps back. Klaus smirks, turning back to you. You tense up when he rests his hand on your neck, another sob wracks through your body.
âDonât do this⊠I did what you asked! I found the doppelgĂ€nger! I found Elena! I called you as soon as I found her! Sure- Katherine found the werewolf but I made sure you had the backup one! And you needed the backup one! And- and using Alaric was my idea! I came up with that, it was perfect! You thought it was hilarious! Iâve helped you!â
Stefanâs brow furrows at your admission, his voice barely audible as he connects the dots, âYouâre the reason heâs here⊠thatâs⊠thatâs why you came back to Mystic Falls to find us⊠not because you missed us, but because youâre helping himâŠâÂ
You donât bother to look over to your brother, you felt bad for betraying his trust, for lying to him but he could never understand, you donât say anything, it wouldnât matter now.
You look up at Klaus with tears staining your cheeks, âI did everything right!â your voice falls to a whisper, âDonât make me go back there, itâs dark, Nik, I hate the darkâŠâ
âYou know, I considered you family once, I treated you as such.â
âPlease Nikkie⊠you gave me your wordâŠI just want him back, you promised me!â
âOh loveâŠâ Klaus brings his hand up to brush some of the hair from your face, âYou have me confused with ElijahâŠâ
In a split second his hand falls to your neck, the sound of it snapping fills the room and he drops your body on the ground, discarding you.
Klaus turns back to Stefan who looks devastated by the news, âDonât look so glum Stefan, you wouldnât be the first to be tricked by your sister. Sheâd do anything to survive, even if it meant betraying those closest to her,â he glances at Katherine, noting the similarities.
He shakes his head, looking back at Stefan, âBut thatâs a story for another dayâŠâ
Klaus speeds forward, slamming Stefan into the wall, âNow⊠what am I going to do with you?â
Present Day
Chicago
âMy sister? She knew you? All of you?â
Klaus approaches the coffins, âIf you canât handle it, donât ask.â
Stefan looks at all of the coffins but two of them catch his attention, theyâre away from the rest, almost like theyâve been isolated. One of the coffins is made of some sort of metal and they both have engravings on them that compliment each other.
Klaus notices his gaze and smirks, âI see youâve spotted the lovers.â
âthe lovers?â Stefan raises a brow.
His smirk deepens, he steps away from Rebekahâs coffin and to the others, he opens one of them, revealing a boy in clothing from the the early 1900s.
Stefan looks over the boy, completely confused he turns to Klaus who grins.
âYou wouldnât recognize him⊠you never had the pleasure of meeting KolâŠâ he brushes his hand over the engraving on the other one, âYouâd recognize whose in this one thoughâŠâ
Klaus could see the gears turning in Stefanâs head, his eyes widening as he pieced the puzzle together.
âMy sister?â his voice breaks a bit.
Klaus laughs, âYou always were quick, Ripper.â
âThis is what you meant by family? You got her a coffin and a dagger? Thatâs family to you?â
The hybrid clicks his tongue a few times, wagging his finger, âNo Stefan, I got her a coffin⊠I never said anything about a dagger.â
Stefanâs heart sinks at the new information, it all hit him at once, why you hated the dark, why you had to have the door open, why couldnât stand to be in silence.
You didnât get a century long sleep like Klausâ siblings would, you got to lay there and rot, slowly and painfully, all alone.
âI had a witch make it, itâs spelled⊠only I can open it.â Klaus boasts, clearly proud of his work.
âThatâs cruel, even for you.â
âMaybe so, but I must punish those who betray me accordingly.â
Klaus takes a step closer to Stefan, âYou met Rebekah and I in 1920⊠but we did not meet by chance. I sought you out, I was looking for your sister⊠The girl can really run when she wants to. I was hoping youâd be able to help me find her, but you were too busy draining civilians, Ripper.â
âI wouldnât have been helpful either way. I thought she was dead.â
âIâm aware⊠I thought that sheâd maybe be nearby, watching, that was something she often didâ check up on you and Damon. Regardless, I found her on my own in 1924.â
1924
London
Today marks four years since Rebekahâs compulsion had worn off which meant one of two things, she was dead (unlikely) or she had been daggered (very likely).
It had been four years since you remembered Kol and ten years that you had been running. You were tired, tired of running, tired of having to look over your shoulder every five seconds, tired of not having your beloved around.
Klaus was hunting you and you had done a damn good job at keeping him off of your trail, always being careful when finding a snack and making sure you were never in one place for too long.
So you decided to do the opposite, you had been in London for two weeks now, ripping through crowds of people with no remorse. You wanted Klaus to find you, you wanted him to kill you.
Youâre currently in a bar full of people, well, dead people. You slaughtered everyone and now had your teeth buried in some manâs neck.
âPerhaps youâre more like Stefan than I thought.â Klausâ voice fills the bar.
Reluctantly, you pull yourself off of the now dead, drained man. You look at Klaus with blood coating your face and staining your dress.
After staring at each other for a moment, you stand to your full height, Klaus gives you a once over before raising a brow.
âYouâve gotten sloppy, left a trail of bodies a mile long leading me right to you.â
You simply stare at him and he smirks, âYou wanted to be found.â
âI canât do this anymore⊠not without him. Iâm tired, Nik. Please, just end it.â
Niklaus clicks his tongue, âEnd it?â He takes a step towards you.
âKill me.â
Klaus laughs, âYou think I want to kill you?â
Your brows furrow and you take a step back from the hybrid, Klaus snaps his fingers and two men enter the room carrying a coffin.
You take another step back, eyes widening and Klaus grins, âYou can try to run but you wonât get farâŠâ
âNo⊠you⊠you canât dagger meâŠâ
âYouâre right, daggers are such trivial things to make⊠you would know after all. But a lockbox that only I can open, now thatâs much simpler.â
You decide to risk it, attempting to speed away but he catches you in a second, holding you up in the air by your throat.
âDonât worry, youâll be back with him soon enough⊠consider this me officially welcoming you into the family.â
Present Day
Chicago
âWhat was the point of letting her out just to lock her back up? To be cruel?â
Klaus shrugs, âI was bored and decided to make her a deal in 1984.â
â1984? You kept her in there forâŠâ
âSixty years, Stefan. She betrayed me and those were the consequences. When I woke her up we made an agreement.â
âWhat kind of agreement?â
âSheâd find me Katherine and bring her to me. She couldnât ever find Katherine but she found me something even betterâŠâ
âElenaâŠâ
âYes, the doppelgĂ€nger.â
âSo she knew the truth about your curse? That youâre a hybrid?â
âShe was my family once, lived with us for nearly half a century. She knows a lot more than she led you all to believe. But donât get any ideas, sheâd never tell you anything that could hurt us⊠she wouldnât risk Kol or Rebekah getting caught in the crossfire⊠or Elijah, though I suppose sheâd be alright losing me considering she attempted to do so herself.â
âMoving on!â Klaus chirps, moving back to Rebekah, âItâs time for my little sister to wake upâŠâ
âAnd I knew her?â Stefan asks, looking into the now open coffin, âI donât recognize her.â
âWell donât tell her that,â Klaus muses, âRebekahâs temper is worse than mine.â
He pulls the dagger out, waiting for a moment before sighing, âAny Day now, Rebekah⊠sheâs being dramatic.â
Present Day
Mystic Falls
It had been months since Klaus had locked you away. You were a bit surprised when he came to free you, your bones creaked, skin practically gray⊠still, you werenât nearly as desiccated as the last time you had been in that coffin.
He fed you blood and brushed your hair for you as if you were a doll then provided you with a white colored dress that went to your knees, it reminded you of the one Elijah had given you when you first arrived in their home.
When Klaus revealed he was hosting a dinner with Elijah for Stefan and Damon you realized what he was doing. You were a bargaining chip.
You sat in the living room, humming to yourself, waiting for them to arrive. You still felt weak from not having blood for so long and the fact you were shaking was proof of that, the little blood that Klaus had provided was not enough.
Soon enough, your brothers arrived and were let inside by Elijah, âNiklaus, our guests have arrivedâŠâ
âDamon⊠StefanâŠâ Klaus greets, standing by the head of the dining room table, âElijah tells me you seek an audience⊠very bold. Letâs discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men, shall we?â he gestures to the large table that was set for five.
âItâs better to indulge him,â Elijah states, moving past your brothers.
âI didnât come here to eat Klaus,â Stefan narrows his eyes, taking a step down the stairs, âI didnât want to come here at all⊠but⊠I was told I had to, because youâd hear us out.â
Klaus hums, âWell we can sit and eat⊠or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insidesâŠâ he takes his seat at the head of the table, âchoice is yoursâŠâ
Your brothers decide it would be best to sit and eat. Once the four brothers had sat down, Klaus sat forward in his chair, dramatically placing his hands in front of him, âI almost forgot! Sweetheart!â he calls out, âYou can come out now!â
That was your que to enter, walking through the doorway and making a beeline for the table, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. Elijah stands when he sees you, pulling out your chair for you and when you sit he pushes you in.
âY/NâŠâ Damon says quietly, it isnât until then that you realize he hasnât seen you since the night of the ritual.
âDamonâŠâ you mumble in a voice so quiet that anyone without supernatural hearing wouldnât be able to hear you.
âHow are youââ he begins but is quickly cut off by Stefan.
âSheâs practically part of their freaky family, Damon, and Klaus wonât kill his family⊠heâll just torture them endlessly.â
âThatâs not very nice Stefan,â Klaus clicks his tongue.
You grab the glass of wine, downing it as quickly as possible. Hoping that it will not only curb your blood cravings but also make this dinner party a little more bearable. When you finish your glass, you reach for Elijahâs.
He raises a brow, shooting you an unimpressed look, âBy all means, help yourself.â
You take a sip of the wine, ignoring Elijah, âCan we please get on with this dinner⊠Iâm starved.â
âWell at least one of you is hungry⊠Stefan seems to have lost his appetite,â Klaus notes, nodding his head in Stefanâs direction.
Damon glances at his brother, gesturing with his fork, âEat. I thought we agreed weâd leave the grumpy Stefan at home.â
Reluctantly, Stefan picks up his fork making Klaus smile, âThatâs the spirit. Isnât it nice? Five of us dining together? Such a treat. Is that what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger from my brother?â
Damon smiles sarcastically, âWell, I know how he felt about you, so I figured the more the merrier,â he winks playfully at Elijah.
âWell, Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the centuries⊠but we always make it through,â Klaus takes a bite of his steak.
âKind of like you and Rebekah, right? Where is she, by the way? Last I checked, she was still daggered because you were afraid to face her,â Stefan quips, smirking over the rim of his bourbon glass.
Damon shoots a warning look at Stefan but you canât be bothered by their conversation, youâre too focused on your bloody steak in front of you. Savoring the small amount of blood youâd get from its juices.
âIf youâre referring to the fact Rebekah knows I killed our mother, Iâve already come clean to Elijah,â Klaus smiles at Elijah who has remained silent, resting his head on top of his fist.
âHey Stef,â Damon cuts in, grabbing everyoneâs attention, âremember when you killed dad? Might want to dial down on the judgement until dessert.â
You had been fighting the urge to lick the dish clean, hoping for just another drop of that delicious, bloody flavor. But Damonâs words distract you, making you look up from the plate.
âYou killed dad?â you ask, looking directly at Stefan, he doesnât verbally answer, only narrowing his eyes at you making you hum, âI always thought it was KatherineâŠâ you fidget with your fork, pushing it across the plate.Â
âYou want another plate, love?â Klaus asks, his tone was sickeningly sweet, he snaps his fingers and a compelled blonde girl comes running to get your plate.
She leans over you, hair falling past her neck and you could feel the veins beneath your eyes begin to ripple. The girl's eyes widened, Klaus may have compelled her to do his bidding but he never compelled away her fear.
âY/N,â Klaus says your name in a sing-songy tone, a warning.
Your lips part at the sound of her heart pumping, the smell of the blood in her veins, and your fangs begin to descend.
âY/N. No,â Klaus tries again, setting his fork down.
But it was too late, you were out of your chair in a split second. You wrapped your hand around the girlâs neck, slamming her into the nearby wall hard enough to crack it, your other hand holding one of her wrists. You nearly moan at the taste of fresh blood, like an animal you canât get enough.
Removing your hand from her neck, you flatten your palm and push the tip of her chin up until itâs out of your wayâ effectively breaking her neck. You continue to drink, not caring as the blood stains your mouth and neck, dripping to your dress.
Klaus sighs, âOne nice dinner, thatâs all I ask, is that too much to ask for?â
He rises from his chair and speeds to stand behind you, âThatâs enough.â
You donât listen and Klaus decides there is only one solution to the problem he caused, snapping your neck. Your head is practically on backwards and he allows your body to fall to the ground next to the blonde, dead girl.
Damon stands up, his chair screeching but Stefan grabs his arm, dragging him back down, and Klaus clears his throat, walking back to the table as if he hadnât just broke your neck.
Elijah sighs, excusing himself from the table, he picks up your body with ease and brings you back to the table, setting you in your seat. He twists your head so your head is facing the proper way, hoping that itâll allow you to heal and wake sooner. The dinner would proceed as normal, other than Damon looking at your body every few seconds, it was as if nothing had happened.
When you woke, you were alone at the table and you could hear voices coming from the living room.
âElijah⊠why havenât you left?â Klaus sounds confused.
You stand up, finding your bearings.
You can hear the smugness in Elijahâs tone when he speaks, âYouâve lectured Y/N on her manners all night⊠but where are yours, brother? We forgot dessert.â
You take slow steps towards the living room.
âWhat have you done?â Klausâ voice is panicked, he sounds betrayed.
âWhat have you done?â Elijah retorts, âYou see, Iâve learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus. Weâre doing this on my terms now.â
Youâve nearly made it to the living room door way when you stop in your tracks after hearing Klaus utter a single word.
âKolâŠâ
âLong time brother.â
His voice, Kolâs voice. Your Kol, he was here, he was awake.
You rush to the doorway, freezing when you finally see him. Kol, he looked the same as he did on that fateful night in 1914, still wearing the same outfit. He still looked as beautiful as you remembered him to be, tears began to prick the corner of your eyes but not tears of sadness or fear, they were tears of joy.
You could see Stefan still by the fireplace where he had been burned, you could see Damon standing off to the side of Elijah, but it didnât matter, you didnât care about your brothers in that moment. It was as if everything around you faded away and it was just you and Kol.
âKolâŠâ you whisper, softly.
His gaze snaps up to find you, his eyes softening when he sees you.
âY/NâŠâ
Without giving it a second thought, Kol takes one of the hands restraining Klaus and uses it to snap the hybrids neck. He speeds towards you, something Damon takes note of but when he moves to get to you, to try and protect you from what he thinks is a threat; Elijah places his hand onto Damonâs chest, stopping him from moving.
You slowly bring your hands up to hold his face and he covers your hands with his, âYouâre realâŠâ you breath out, you still couldnât believe he was in front of you after all this time.
He smiles, chuckling a bit, âIâm real⊠and Iâm not leaving you ever again.â
You smile, causing more tears to flow and you throw yourself into his arms, nuzzling your face into his neck, squeezing your eyes shut and welcoming the darkness that came with it because for the first time, in a century, you werenât alone in the dark. You were with Kol, your Kol.
His arms wrap tightly around your waist, inhaling your scent that he remembers so fondly, âI missed you, my darling.â
It must have been those words that finally helped Damon connect the dots, that this was the boy, the one that changed your opinion on vampires, the one who turned you into a vampire. This was the boy you lost a century ago, the boy youâd do anything and everything to get back. Including betraying your own family.
âYouâre free to go. This is family business.â
Elijahâs words made Damon realize something, you werenât his family anymore, you hadnât been for a long time. Maybe you never officially got married because you ran out of time but you were no longer Y/N Salvatore, you were Y/N Mikaelson. He can pinpoint the exact moment you stopped being his family and it was long before the Mikaelsons, it was when he and Stefan chose Katherine Pierce over you. That fateful night where he told you that you werenât his family anymore.
The truth hurts and the truth was that there was no fixing your relationship with either of your brothers. The next few months would make that abundantly clear. Like when you snapped Damonâs neck after he snapped Kolâs. Or when you stood by while Kol beat Damon with an aluminum bat. And of course you stood by Rebekah when she had compelled and trapped everyone in the school. You even helped Kol slaughter all of the newly turned vampires meant for Jeremy⊠and you let Kol torture Damon.
So maybe you really werenât their family anymore, maybe thatâs why they wouldnât feel as guilty about what was going to happen when Jeremy would kill Kol.
At least you wouldnât be alone when the darkness came, you would die in the arms of your love in the middle of the Gilbert family kitchen. It didnât matter to you that his body was still crackingly, still burning, youâd endure the feeling of your flesh melting to his if it meant you got to hold him one last time. There would be no coming back for either of you, you knew this and accepted it. You closed your eyes and faded away into the darkness, welcoming it.
You only hoped that when youâd wake on the other side, youâd still be in Kolâs arms.
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Wednesday always sensed a roaming pleasure and dreadful aura of the undead when you first met her
Someone who finally understands her, she feels like everything is complete and where it needs to be.
Before you guys start dating, she interrogates you on loads of questions such as: coffin usage, how many feet distance of garlic you can be from, bloodlust control.
All questions you were happy to answer.
It took time for Wednesday to get used to PDA, but it's all worth it to feel your cold, hard hand in hers while walking to class or in town
She would give you a necklace of her blood, to help you calm down or if you go away on a trip
Both of you hate the sun and cling to the shade. You always have sunscreenâwhether it's for skin protection, vampire lore, or bothâand Wednesday keeps a backup in her bag, just in case.
You two are known as the couple in Nevermore and in town to not be messed around with.
But when you are by normies, you open your fangs and they all usually run away
Whenever Wednesday is doing mysteries, you transform into a bat and watch her to make sure she's ok.
She's annoyed by it, but gotten used to it.
Morticia and Gomez would be pleased at the fact that Wednesday found someone similar to her and makes sure to cover all windows and hide away garlic when you come over
Pugleys definitely is intrigued by you being a vampire, asking questions such as "So do you hunt people or have a preference?"
Wednesday would threaten him in a calm but determined tone, which always makes you smile
Whenever you guys have the chance, you take strolls at the cemetery at nighttime to look at people's headstones and wonder how many could be vampires right now
You sometimes pull all nighters to read Wednesday's new book and give feedback
She offers you to feed on her, if she's really in the mood
When she sees you feeding off her, she'll watch with a slight smile, writing in her mind to put in her next novel
The best part is that there's no humanizing each other. You're unapologetically a vampire and she's unapologetically Wednesday herself
vampire!reader where leon has been begging you to feed on him and insisting that itâs ok and you wont hurt him and he wants to help. and when you finally oblige and he feels the sharp pierce of your teeth into his neck followed by the soft dull lightheadedness as you start to drink that feels so fucking good it makes his head spin. and despite the fact that youâre literally draining his blood itâs still managing to rush somewhere else too. and that moment looks like this
A/N: Use code: birthday to get 25% off your first month of my Patreon ^^ this was a Patreon/kofi reward, and everyone on Patreon and kofi got to see this first!
It was one of those nights, the type where you spent every moment of your eternal life on your feet, jogging back and forth between customers.
Working at a cafe for monsters wasnât terrible. If anyone asked, you would say it was a fun job with great perks.
The only problem you had was the pushy, rude customers that either wanted the manager or something inappropriate from you.
Thankfully, some of your regulars always stuck up for you when a situation got out of hand.
Especially him.
Standing at a little over 6 foot and with a muscular frame, his eyes always followed the sultry sway of your hips as you moved around the cafe.
Usually, he came in twice a day. Once in the morning for a black coffee and donut before work, and once at night for a protein shake and any pastries you had left to fuel up for the gym.
So when someone got rowdy, he was quick to run over and get up in their face. Tobias was that kind of guy, always ready to help.
You had no idea that he had a thing for you, and thatâs why he was so defensive over his cute vampire barista.
To most it was obvious you were crushing on him like crazy too, but neither of you were aware of your shared love.
Most of the time you spent the day sighing wistfully, watching him from the register as he chowed down on your freshly baked pastries. He had a huge appetite after his workouts, so you decided to treat him.
Although today was relatively peaceful, the werewolf was still on edge, as if he could sense something was about to happen.
âToby, something up?â
You walked over, placing a pastry in front of him. âHere, itâs on the house.â
Tobias looked up at you as if you offered him the world, taking the pastry into his hands carefully. The man loved his baked goods, and giving him something like this for free meant a lot more to him than you knew.
âThank you⊠and itâs nothing, I justâŠâ
His wolf ears perked up when the bell chimed, signaling someone had just walked in. A nasty looking monster walked in, his horrible body odor spreading through the cafe like a thick miasma.
None of that mattered to you, though. You politely greeted him, smiling as you gestures towards your menu. âWelcome, what would you like, sir?â
âHey, toots. Black coffee and some of those bagels, stat.â
You blinked in surprise, about to say something before Tobias spoke up. âDonât talk to her like that, sheâs a lady.â
The werewolf was barely holding himself back from jumping up and beating the guy, he just wanted to keep the peace and make sure you werenât mistreated.
âI wasnât talking to you, was I, mutt? Now get ya ass back there and make me a damn coffee!â
He raised his hand, about to slap your ass before Tobias caught it mid swing. The sound of bones snapping filled the air, and Tobias began to shift right in front of you.
âIâm not mutt, and you should never even try to lay a hand on her, you hear me?â
The monster screamed, pulling back his scaley wrist in agony before running out the door, cursing the entire time.
âWow⊠Toby, you saved me.â
Your cheeks heated up, and you smiled fondly at the man as his fur settled down. Slowly, his body shrank and he was back in his usual human form.
âThatâs probably what had me on edge earlier, I could smell the bad vibes from a mile away.â
He sipped on his protein shake, his tail wagging while you smiled at him. Did you know how pretty you were, with your plump cheeks and twinkling eyes?
âI really appreciate it⊠is there anything I can do to repay you?â
His tail thumped against the booth he was seated in, and he swallowed as he looked up at you. âWell⊠I enjoy your baking⊠would you mind coming by my place and teaching me a recipe or two?â
It was clear he just wanted to spend time with you, the person he was crushing on, but you didnât notice. âOh, sure! I can come over after work.â
âSure!â
âItâs a date!â
When he walked out, you sank behind the cash register, hands over your warm cheeks as you squealed.
It was kind of like a date, right? In your mind, he just wanted to bake with you, but to you it was a date!
Once you were home, you scoured through your closet, struggling to find something cute to wear that you thought Tobias might like.
After 30 minutes of trying on clothes and tossing them aside, you decided on something simple and comfortable to bake in that would also be appropriate for a possible date.
You stood outside his door, a parasol keeping the fading sunlight off of your skin. After knocking, you heard some rummaging before footsteps approached you.
Tobias answered his front door, wearing only a bag of sweatpants. Sweat dropped down his toned, tan chest and his tail picked up speed when his eyes met yours.
âHey, sorry Iâm still a bit sweaty from my work out. You smell- I mean you look nice.â
You were too busy staring at his glistening pecs to notice his slip of the tongue. âAhh, thank youâŠâ
He smiled, wiping his brow before stepping aside. âCome on in, I cleaned up the kitchen a minute ago!â
You bit back a laugh, spotting crumpled baking supplies sitting on the counter. Rolling up your sleeves, you got to work whipping up something sweet.
He hovered behind you, watching with great interest as you cracked another egg into the bowl. It was hard to concentrate when you could almost hear his warm blood rushing through his veins, only aggravated by his post workout scent.
You were definitely aroused, but tried to play it off⊠Tobias, however, knew your scent was off.
You yelped when he suddenly started to sniff at your neck, moving down your back. âT-Toby, what are you-â
He stopped, his cheeks reddening as he stepped back. âSorry, I forgot that uh⊠thatâs not normal for non-werewolvesâŠâ
He looked away shyly, scratching the back of his head. âYou just⊠smell different.â
His tail wagged, and he tried his best to hide his boner as you continued. Tobias was truly a sweet guy with good intention, he was just a bit of a himbo.
The werewolf followed you around like an oversized puppy, his tail knocking over random objects in the kitchen. Although he was making a mess, you couldnât help but find him cute. Getting to see him at home where he was comfortable felt like a treat to you!
The sexual tension was rising by the second, and you both felt your arousal growing. Tobias still hadnât put on a shirt, but he was a little ditsy so you couldnât blame him for forgetting.
âHeyâŠâ Tobias called out as you put the pie in the oven. âDo you⊠wanna stay for a movie or something?â
Your eyes widened, and you looked over at the blushing werewolf. Although you wanted nothing more than to stay with him a little longerâŠ
âSorry, I have to feed tonight. If I donât drink enough blood I get woozy.â
For a moment, Tobias looked disappointed, but suddenly his face lit up. âJust drink from me!â
Your undead heart leapt into your throat as you struggled to comprehend what he just said. There was no way Tobias knew how intimate it was to drink from someone else, you knew that, but it made your plump thighs tremble regardless.
âA-alright⊠I guess I can do that.â
He sat on the couch, looking up at you with those big blue eyes of his. âIs this an okay position?â
You nodded slowly, climbing into his lap. He blinked, smiling widely as you pushed his dark hair away from his neck. âY-yeah, itâll hurt for just a secondâŠâ
Your fangs extended, glinting in the faint light of his living room before you leaned forward to plunge them into his neck.
âF-fuck!â
His large hands gripped your hips tightly, pulling you down onto his lap until you could feel the bulge in his pants.
Tobias let out a growl, your flustered expression unseen by the werewolf as he began to move you against his bulge.
âSorry⊠just⊠got all worked up, you know?â
You continued to drink, and his tail wagged when he noticed you rocking your hips with him. When you were full, you pulled away and panted softly, blood dripping down your chin.
Tobias leaned forward and licked it off, his blue eyes cloudy with lust. â⊠how about you just stay the night?â
Neither of you were thinking much as you made the way to his bedroom, you were too busy locking lips. His tongue entered your mouth, and he pinned you against the wall.
âGod, Iâve wanted this for a long timeâŠâ he said, staring down at you like a lovesick puppy. âYouâre just perfectâŠâ
âYou⊠wanted me?â
All those days spent pining after him, wanting nothing more than to feel his muscular frame against your soft one⊠you could have had him all along!?
âLetâs not waste any time then!â
You surprised Tobias with your strength when you pulled him along to the bedroom, his ears flicking and tail wagging enthusiastically. He was just a needy puppy that was excited to have you all to himself!
Within seconds you were in nothing but the lingerie you picked out to wear underneath your clothes. Tobiasâs cock strained against his sweatpants as he drooled.
âYou look amazing⊠wantâŠâ
He sat at the edge of the bed, laying on his belly as he positioned his head between your legs. âNeedâŠâ
Tobias pulled the lacy fabric to the side, humping the bed like a desperate dog as he took in your pussyâs scent for the first time.
He lapped at one of your puffy lips, his pupils displaying before he buried his face between your thighs and began eating you out.
You bucked your hips tugging on his hair and moaning while he looked up at you with pussy drunk eyes. Tobias found the way you whimpered and tried to cover your face as he devoured your chubby pussy absolutely adorable.
His tongue moved over your swollen clit, stimulating it as his fingers pumped in and out of you. You could already see a wet spot forming on his sweatpants, knowing werewolves came a lot.
âWanna⊠wanna mateâŠâ
Tobias climbed up, panting as he pulled the waistband down and let his cock spring free. It was huge, pulsing, and twitching.
âT-Toby⊠I wanna mate with you tooâŠâ
You whimpered, feeling him press against you. The tip of his cock was already pressing into your cunt, and the stretch was⊠pleasant.
Your nails dug into his back, leaving long scratches in his thick skin. Tobias was stretching you out nice and slow, keeping one of his fingers on your clit.
âThatâs it, thatâs my little mateâŠâ
He moved his hips at a moderate place, playing with your nipples and clit to stimulate you. You had the urge to feed, to bite down on him, and when Tobias noticed he leaned forward so you could sink your teeth into his shoulder.
The man was a werewolf, he could take some blood loss, and the idea of you biting and marking his body ruled him up.
âThatâs it, mark me up⊠f-fuck, gonna stuff you full alright?â
Another growl rumbled in his chest and he lifted your hips so he could fuck deeper into you. âG-gonna breed you, okay? Gotta have my pups, youâll give me a litter wonât you?â
Watching your pussy stretch around his cock, squeezing it when you came was enough to have the man groaning with pleasure. You pulled back from his neck to kiss him, letting your tongue twirl around one another before he turned you so you could lie on your soft belly.
Your face squished against the pillow, and now Tobias could properly mount his mate. His cock twitched inside you as your plump ass rippled with each thrust.
âGonna cum!â
Tobias groaned out, completely lost in the feeling of your pussy. His seed spilled into your belly, filling you up completely.
He slumped over you, a low purring emanating from his body. When you started to move, he used his weight to keep you still.
âDonât move⊠gonna knot youâŠâ
Before you could ask, you yelped at the feeling of his cock swelling up inside of you. You could barely take it, panting softly as a bulge formed in your belly.
He cooed, rubbing the bulge before moving the toe of you into a better position. Tobias cuddled you from behind, leaving bites and kisses on your neck.
âKnotting⊠I forgot about that part,â you murmured. Do to having a crush on Tobias, you had done some naughty research into werewolf sex that involved a lot of porn and masturbation.
âMmph, that's the best part⊠now weâre locked up for the next hour.â
The two of you ended falling asleep long before the swelling went down, and from then on you had yourself a boyfriend.
Work became even more fun⊠especially when no one was in the cafe.
âB-but what if someone hears us?â
âWeâll be quiet, itâll be okay.â
You pouted, unable to deny your cute boyfriend when his tail was wagging and his cock was pressed against your dripping pussy. Sure, the cafe was empty, but what if someone walked in?
He fucked into you carefully, sighing as you tried your best to keep your eye on the door while peeking out of the bathroom. Tobias covered your mouth to muffle your moans, leaning down to nip at your neck and lick the marks he left.
âMy good little mate, taking me so well⊠youâre all wet, getting excited at the thought of getting caught, huh?â
You bit your lip, letting out a needy whine as he groped your tits. âYouâre insatiable, this is the third time this weekâŠâ
âHey, I canât help that Iâm in rut, and when I smell you getting all aroused when I visit it gets me going!â
Tobias came inside of you, nearly making the two of you top over as he relaxed and rested his weight on you.
Now, you were stuck taking orders from customers who could smell the werewolfâs musky cum on you. It was embarrassing, and they wouldnât look you in the eye.
âThat was on purpose, wasnât it?â
Tobias grinned as he drove you home after work, and it was hard to stay mad at your sweet himbo. âCanât have any getting the wrong idea and trying to court my little vampire mate.â
You huffed, then laughed a bit when he gave you puppy dog eyes. âYeah, I guess not.â
You never thought your crush would like you back, but now you had a great boyfriend and you couldnât ask for anything better.
Hello I wasn't sure if requests are open but I wanted to request something. How do you think Phainon, Mydei, and Anaxa (separately) would react to a vampire reader who's become addicted to their blood, due to them not being able to have any for a while, and the reader just pounces on him whenever they get desperate enough.
Addiction is Another Word for Devotion
Tags: Mydei x Reader, Anaxa x Reader, Phainon x Reader, Vampire!Reader, Blood Drinking, Hurt/Comfort, Romantic Tension, Intimate Feeding, Addiction Themes, Soft Angst, Tender Intimacy, Possessive Dynamics, Forbidden Love, Warm Devotion.
Anaxa knew the lookâyour pupils dilating, fangs pressing faintly into your lower lip, that restless shiver in your body like a violin string strung too tightly. He leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled, watching you from across the study as if he had orchestrated this moment.
âYouâre trembling,â he remarked dryly, voice smooth as ink bleeding over parchment. âOr is it hunger? I do wonder which one you despise moreâyour craving or your restraint.â
You tried to protest, but the sharp tang of his golden blood whispered from memory, and your control snapped. In a blur, you were on him, straddling his lap, your lips grazing the line of his throat. He didnât flinch. Didnât push you away. If anything, he tilted his head, exposing more skin, the golden-threaded eyepatch glinting in the candlelight.
âCareful, little revenant,â he murmured, one hand sliding to your waist, the other curling in your hair. âEvery time you pounce like this, you risk proving them rightâthat I am a corrupter, a heretic. Feeding you, indulging you, teaching you to crave what is forbidden.â
But his words only made you shudder harder. His scent, his warmthâeverything about him was intoxicating. You sank your fangs into his neck, and the taste of his blood was like fire and symphony all at once. Bitter and divine. Forbidden, yesâbut utterly irresistible.
He hissed softly, though it was less pain than pleasure. âAh⊠reckless. Greedy. Beautifully foolish.â His fingers tightened, nails biting your skin through fabric. âDo you know what youâre drinking, beloved? Not mere sustenance, but rebellion itself. My very damnation.â
You whimpered against his throat, feeding, unable to stop. His heartbeat thundered under your lips, steady and unyielding, and every swallow was like a secret he let you share.
When finally you tore back, breathless, blood staining your lips, he laughed lowly. Not mockingâsomething darker, more intimate. He brushed his thumb along your mouth, smearing gold across your cheek.
âLook at you,â he whispered, eye blazing with fire. âAddicted, yes⊠but not to my blood alone. To me. To the truth I embody, the heresy I cradle. Youâd burn yourself on my flame again and again just to taste it.â
You wanted to deny it, but he kissed you insteadâslow, devastating, tasting his own blood on your tongue. And when he pulled back, lips golden, he whispered against your skin:
âTake it. Take as much as you need. Let the world brand me damned if it means keeping you alive.â
And you knew, no matter how dangerous this addiction became, he would never deny you.
Phainon was the kind of man whose presence eased storms, and yetâyou were the storm that broke against him.
It had been days since you last fed. Your restraint was thinning into threads, and he saw it. He always saw. His eyes softened when your hands trembled, when you avoided his gaze, when you pressed your back to the wall as if distance might protect him from your hunger.
âYouâre suffering,â he said gently, kneeling before you despite the sheer power he radiated. His hand reached for yours, warm and steady. âYou donât have to bear it alone. Not with me.â
The words cracked something inside you. Before you could stop yourself, you lunged, knocking him onto his back. Your fangs grazed his throat, your body shaking with desperation. For a heartbeat, you feared he would shove you away, call you monster.
Instead, Phainonâs arms came around youâsecure, grounding. âItâs all right,â he whispered. âIf my blood will keep you standing, then drink. Iâll endure it a thousand times if it means you wonât suffer.â
You sank your fangs in, and the taste nearly made you weep. His blood was warmth incarnate, sunlight poured into mortal form. Not burning, not violentâjust radiant, filling every hollow place in your soul. It was too much. It was everything.
Phainon groaned softly, his breath hot against your ear, but he didnât resist. He only stroked your back, murmuring reassurances even as you fed. âSteady⊠breathe with me. Youâre safe. You wonât break me. Iâm yours to lean on.â
When at last you pulled away, tears streaked your face. âI⊠I canât control it. Iâll hurt you. Iâll take too much.â
He lifted your chin, his smile aching with tenderness. âYou could drain every drop from me, and Iâd still rise for you. Because my flame doesnât burn for myselfâit burns for the people I love. For you.â
The confession hung heavy, raw. You trembled, whispering that you didnât deserve his devotion.
Phainon only leaned forward, pressing his forehead to yours. âThen let me be undeserved. Let me be the fool who gives everything, even my blood, because youâre worth more than my fear.â
And when he kissed you, lips lingering with the faint taste of copper, you realized he wasnât just your flameâhe was your dawn.
Mydeimos was not a man easily taken off guard. His instincts were sharp, honed in battlefields drenched with blood. Yet even he couldnât always anticipate you when your hunger snapped its leash.
The first time you lunged at him, he caught you by the throat in a single, crushing gripâeyes blazing gold, his voice a low growl. âControl yourself.â
But then he saw itâthe desperation in your gaze, the trembling restraint, the way you shook as if tearing yourself apart from the inside. His grip faltered. His chest rose and fell heavily.
ââŠDamn it,â he muttered, before dragging your body flush against his. âIf you must feed, then do it. But do it on meâand me alone.â
You gasped at his words, but your fangs sank into the heated skin of his shoulder before you could think. His blood roared across your tongue like wildfire, molten and unyielding, every drop steeped in struggle and survival. It wasnât gentle nor intoxicatingâbut it was battle itself. A kingdomâs grief. A lionâs roar.
Mydeiâs hand buried in your hair, forcing you closer as if daring you to take more. His growl vibrated through your bones. âGreedy little beast⊠You think Iâll break? Iâve endured worse than hunger. If my blood chains you to me, then so be it.â
You fed until you thought youâd drown in his essence. When you pulled back, panting, he was flushed, his markings burning brighter, blood dripping from his skin. And yet, his eyes blazed with something fiercer than anger.
Desire. Claim. Defiance.
âListen to me,â he said, cupping your face. âYou will not pounce on strangers. You will not crawl to anyone else when the thirst consumes you. You come to me. Always me. Do you understand?â
You nodded, dazed and trembling.
His thumb brushed the corner of your mouth, smearing ichor across your lips before he leaned down and kissed you, savage and unyielding, tasting of iron and fire.
When he finally broke away, he pressed his forehead to yours, voice hoarse but certain:
âIf youâre addicted, then let it be an addiction you bear with me. Iâll shoulder the hunger, the pain, the ruin. Because I am yours, and youââ his lips brushed yours again, ââare mine.â
Summary: Living through the best and worst of humanity, you knew where you stood with humans: keep them at a distance, never get too attached. But the end of the world had a way of changing things. And there was one man who could soften even your cold, dead heart.
|| smut MDNI 18+, jackson!joel, exbf!joel, grinding/dry humping, riding, this shit horny as hell bro, blood obvi cmon now, biting, bite kink, blood kink, slightly subby!joel, desperate!joel, pinv, talk of self inflicted injuries to the hand and wrist ||
a/n: this was def inspired by that one scene from that one teen vamp series The House of Night iykyk, if ya don't, that's okay. hope you enjoy! and if you enjoyed as much as I did, hate to tell ya but you might have a bite kink.
wc: 4.2k
Jackson had been good to you.Â
Better than most places ever could be. Though people mostly kept to themselves, when they didnât it was always out of kindness. A jar left on your porch, sealed and waiting or a quiet nod at the market, a smile passed in the street. They all knew what you wereâthere was no hiding that sort of truth in a town this small, in a world this desolate. There werenât many like you left, not anymore, with skin cold as porcelain and the skull-splitting ache any time the sun lingered too long on your shoulders.
Even so, folks didnât often stop by with warm pies or loaves of bread. Food like that was just mud in your mouth now. Instead, the community collected donations from time to time, blood sealed in containers for you or a kill from the mountains if patrols had been fortunate. It kept you content and contained inside the walls they trusted you to protect. Because you were an asset to the community. A killer who could not be killed by the bite of infection, nor by the spray of bullets. It would take much more to put you down. That was why you were always the first to step forward when a patrol needed filling, when a sweep had to be done, when danger lingered just beyond the gates.
That was how you met Joel Miller. A man cut from the same cloth as you, though human through and through. Surly, sour, impossible at first. But hours spent across the wild countryside, nights crouched back to back in ruined houses, days with nothing but the sound of his boots behind youâit carved something out between you. Beneath the gruffness, beneath the walls he stacked around himself, you came to know him as a soft hearted old man with a daughter who wasnât his but who he carried like blood.
It had been a storm wrecked night when everything changed, when you and Joel fought shoulder to shoulder against a horde, bodies pressed tight in the rain, your hunger gnawing as deep as your exhaustion. He saw it on you. He could hear it in the way your breath caught, in the rasp of your voice. He offered, when you had settled in an old, empty lodge, that you take what you needed.Â
You'd protested, but his voice had been low and insistent, as if he'd known you didnât have much energy left in you to get anywhere, let alone home the next day. You'd caved and begged him to find a cup, anything, but Joel only shook his head, set his knife to his wrist, and had held it out to you.Â
There had only ever been a handful of times a human had offered you blood straight from the source. Long ago, when you were newly reborn and still naive, youâd learned how dangerous it was: the bite flooding your senses, heat rushing through your veins, the taste warm and metallic on your tongue, each swallow carrying a heartbeat as if youâd taken their soul whole.
And once the bite was taken, it became a tether, an obsession for both prey and predator. For them, your venom was heroinâsweet and burning, flooding their blood with so much dopamine and lust they would shake without it, craved you like breath itself. And it more than just the venomâthey craved you. Your body, your heat, the grip of your thighs, the drag of your hands. Anything you gave, they would take with sheer desperation, as if their hunger would never be satisfied without your flesh. It wasnât enough to be bitten; they needed to be inside you, needed to claim and be claimed, rutting against you until the lines between thirst and lust were obliterated.
Choice slipped away the second your fangs sank in. Willpower dissolved, replaced with need so sharp it hollowed them out. They dreamed of it, woke starving for it, every nerve in their body rewired to chase the next hit.
And for you, their blood was no less ruinous. It was opium in your veins, hot and dizzying, leaving you restless and wet, clenching down on nothing, the ache unbearable the second it was gone. Every swallow dragged you closer to frenzy, every taste pushing you from hunger to heat, from thirst to lust until you couldnât tell one from the other. For a long time, you pretended you could control it, that you could stop if you wished, but the truth was simpler, uglier: once you had tasted each other, it became a habit neither of you could break.
Feeding meant fucking, fucking meant feeding. One always bled into the other, insatiable.
So, you had sworn it off. You had sworn never to risk someoneâs will again, never to take that choice away. Once it began, there would be no stopping.
And JoelâŠJoel didnât deserve that. He didnât know. But he was so insistent, and his blood smelled so god damn tempting, red and shining like the apple of Eden itself. The moment he'd pressed the knife down and a few droplets welled on his skin that night, you broke.
You remembered it vaguely, the haze of the high surmounting any memory. Youâd crawled to him, slowly, hesitating, knowing, trying to explain. But he didnât seem to care, he seemed already under the spell, under your stupid unconscious bewitchment. It was built in you to entrance prey, every detail of you meant to lure: the voice pitched just right, the scent that betrayed their instincts, the unnatural beauty that made it hard to look away. It wasnât magic, but it might as well have been. Like biology had honed and manipulated into a weapon no human could resist. Joel wasn't any different, his eyes heavy on you, his chest rising fast as if he were already caught.
And the moment your mouth closed around him, it happened just as you feared, or perhaps just as you wanted. His blood was hot and wild on your tongue, and when your venom bled into him his whole body jolted, a guttural moan breaking loose. The rush hit both of you at once, hormones crashing like a wave, lust blinding, hunger unbearable. It didnât take long for things to change, for his cock to become thick and straining and your center to throb and gush with need.
It didnât stop that night. Once you had him, you couldnât stay away. And neither could he. Again and again, you found yourself tangled with him. Your lips at his veinsâand fuck, if they werenât the most decadent and bulging veins youâd ever seenâhis hands already on you as if waiting for it all day. You told yourself he wanted it all the same, just as much as you needed him. Because his blood lit something inside of you that no jar, no animal, no half hearted substitute could ever touch. Once you got a taste of Joel Miller, you ended up taking the rest of him too.Â
It became a rhythm, a ritual, a kind of fever that lived between you. He would come find you, almost every other day if you werenât already spending the time together. Heâd come to fix the little things in your home or youâd come over to help him renovate Ellieâs garage. You were often paired together on patrols and stakeouts. And every time it ended the same. One of you pleading for more, barely even having to utter the words before the other agreed in sweet, breathless relief. When your teeth broke his skin, he would already be pushing you down into the mattress, already inside you, already moving with the same desperation that left your body aching for days after. You marked him everywhere, and in return he claimed every surface of your homeâbending you over the counter, grinding you into the couch cushions, fucking you on the kitchen table, the floor, the bed, the chair by the fire. It was never enough. The hunger was endless, the sex relentless, each bite and each thrust feeding the other until you were both wrecked and reaching for more.Â
It was insatiable between you, an obsession neither of you could quit.
Soon, he would be covered in the marks you left, faint crescents at his throat, his wrist, his hands, the bruise of your mouth blooming purple. Tommy noticed once, scaring the shit out of him. And he told Maria, and she told the rest of the council. Fear and whispers followed, and so you had to be more careful, leaving them in secret beneath the collar or on his inner thighs.
The end came abruptly, the way it often did in this world. Neither of you cruel, neither of you wrong, but you couldnât escape the truth of what you were. You couldnât stop wondering if he wanted you because of his own desire or because of the pull of your venom, the way your kind was made to ensnare, to addict. Every time you came down from the high of the bite, the thought haunted you: was it really him, or just the spell of it all? You hated the idea that you had stolen his choice, that his hunger for you wasnât his own.
So you told yourself it was manipulation. You told yourself you had no right to take what was never meant to be given. And when the fear of that outweighed any other thoughts, you ended it for his sake. Better to walk away and carry the ache of losing him than keep him shackled to a bond he never chose.
One spring night, with the air warming at last and you ready for bed in skimpy cotton shorts and an oversized tee, you stood at the sink rinsing the cloudy jars from the latest round of donations. This batch from a girl named Dina, and you could still taste her lingering on your tongue. Her blood had been groundingâlike black tea steeped long, sweetened with a drizzle of honey. There was an earthy floralness to it, something soft and kind, a reflection of the girl herself, as if generosity had dredged straight into her veins. You were grateful for it, as you always were, grateful to be kept alive by the townâs offerings. But even as the congealed cold taste faded from your mouth, you could feel the hollowness remain. It dulled the edge of hunger without ever truly sating it, a meal that filled the stomach but left the body restless, hollow.
Your gums had been throbbing all the while you drank her down, because what you craved wasnât the floral sweetness of a friendâs kindness sealed away in glass. What you craved was the heat of a living body pressed close, the rush of warm blood spilling wild and unfiltered into your mouth, the taste youâd come to know too well. What you craved was him.
When the knock landed on your door, low and heavy, you already knew. Sighing, you dried your hands against the dishcloth, and pulled it open to find the man who had haunted every swallow, the man your teeth had been aching for all along.Â
Joel Miller, standing in your doorway, the cool light of evening behind him.
âWhat the hell are you doing here?â you spit out before you could collect yourself. He just made you so damn mean sometimes.Â
The scent hit you before the sight didâblood, fresh and sharp, carried on the air. Your eyes searched him in the dying light of the day, wondering if heâd cut himself at the barn or on some patrol. Worry prickled at you, sharp as hunger.
âLookâIâI know we ain't reallyâŠâ He trailed off as his eyes found yours, and rubbed at his beard, eyes shifting, âDamn.â
âWhat?â
âI had a whole damn speech prepared. Practiced it on the way over and everythinâ.âÂ
âLetâs hear it.â
âThatâs the thing.â He huffed out a laugh, cheeks flushing. The sight of it made your throat burn, your tongue suddenly parched. âYouâve done it again. Twitterpated me outta words, sweetheart. Always had a way with makinâ me stupid, huh?â
And that was the heart of it, wasnât it? You felt like youâd used him, twisted him into wanting you, when in his right mind he should have known it was the chemical balance of you and him that made him feel this way. Your kind had been born beautiful, alluring, designed to be everything a human wanted. Your scent alone could fog their minds, and once your bite sank in, once your venom spread, it was more potent than any drug. You were their ecstasy, their heroin.
âJoelâŠâ you murmured, shaking your head.
âI just missed you, that's all. â he said softly. âBeen thinkinâ of you. Know them donations never do it for ya, that the animal blood tastes like crapâHere, I evenââ He lifted his palm, and the sight of it struck you like a blow. The smell invaded you then, overwhelming. Your fangs itched, your lips parted.
âJesus Christ,â you gasped, pushing all the instincts down as you stared at the gash across his hand. It was clumsy, desperate, something done in haste. âWhat the hell did you do?â
âPlease, honey,â he said, eyes gone so soft, too much like a plea.
In your century of life, youâd learned to keep your distance from humans. Their lives were brief, flickering things, bright one moment and gone the next, and you had stopped trying to hold on after the first few times left you hollow. Fascinating creatures, yesâbrutal, resilient, endlessly inventiveâbut too small, too fleeting to tie yourself to. You had told yourself it was better that way, cleaner that way.
And then there was him.
This grizzled old man with his twang and his steady hands, who smelled of earth and leather and sweat, who gave and gave and gave. Who had started out mean as anything, mean as you, and somewhere along the way, your cold, dead heart had softened, aching in ways you hadnât thought possible anymore. He was the one you shouldnât have let close, but did. The one you couldnât seem to turn away from, no matter how much it hurt to try. And in turn, you did the same to him. Made him gentle, tender, loving.
Damn him.
You grabbed his wrist and tugged him inside, setting him down on the dining chair that groaned beneath his weight. You ran for the first aid kit and returned, kneeling to the ground as your stomach churned.
He watched you with that half quirked expression of his, though a grimace shadowed it.
âWhat?â you muttered.
âNothinâ.â
âSpit it out, Miller.â
âSâjustâŠthis damn chair is killinâ my back, baby, Iâm sorry.â
You rolled your eyes and helped him into the armchair by the hearth. His bulk sank into it, familiar, unbearable. You cradled his palm, dabbed antiseptic, wrapped him as gently as you could. All the while, your gums throbbed, your fangs pressing sharp in your mouth. He smelled like home, like oak and heat and everything you had sworn you would not take.
âHowâve you been?â Joel asked softly, watching you. Even his breath wafting over you was intoxicating. And there was something like tender delight in his eyes now.Â
You huffed a quiet, âFine.â
Youâd been anything but fine, truly. But you had to be good, had to keep him at a distance. It was what was best for him. For his mind, his soul.
âYou told me once,â he quietly, a small twitch of a smile to his lips, âThat gettinâ them donations is a bit like eatinâ tofu,â he chuckled the rest of it, âat an all you can eat buffet.â
You bound his hand with a snug knot, ignoring him.Â
âThought this would talk me into it, huh?â you muttered, glaring down at the clumsy gash. âThink Iâve got no self-control?â
Joel huffed another laugh, rough and low, eyes dragging over you with something hungrier than pain. âGot it the other way âround, darlinâ,â he said. âAinât you with no control. Itâs me. Always been me.â
And God help you, he smelled so fucking good. The sharp iron of his blood mixed with the salt of sweat, the musk of leather, the warmth of him still heavy in the air. It hit you in tides, dizzying, until your mouth flooded with venom, until it was all you could do not to lean down and sink into him where he sat.
And he mustâve seen it, that shift in your eyes, that hunger you always had for him. Not just the sharp craving for blood running hot in his veins, but the ache you carried for all of him: his mind, his body, his soul. The man himself. Joel sank deeper into the chair, shoulders heavy, his bandaged hand spreading over his thigh in that steady, wordless invitation.
âKnow Iâm a damn fool, still wantinâ you this bad. Makinâ excuses to see ya,â he rasped, voice low and wrecked. âSâjust been awful without ya.â he took a deep breath, his eyes darkening as he watched you, âWhy donât you come sit on my lap like old times, huh? Let me feel you close.â
The words were bad enough, but paired with the heat of his blood and the scent rolling off him in thick, intoxicating waves, it was unbearable. Copper and salt, sweat and leather, that deep, rich musk that was all Joel. It hit the back of your throat, filled your lungs, left your gums aching so bad you could hardly think. You felt yourself leaning, body betraying you, drawn like prey even when you knew damn well which one of you was meant to be dangerous.
Quickly, as if your brain were possessed, you climbed onto his lap like a little succubus, knees bracketing his hips, sinking deep into the worn seat cushion as your hands clutched at his shoulders. You buried your face in the thicket of his beard, inhaling him like smoke.
âYou smell so good,â you whispered.
His arms wrapped around you then, strong and sure, locking you against him. You could feel the breadth of him beneath you as your breasts pushed into his chest, the thickness of his lap already stirring with heat.
âYou do too, baby,â he murmured, lips grazing your neck until they found the shell of your ear, âwhy donât you go on and take what you need, hm? Iâm right here. Know youâre hungry, honey.â
But you had to know, you had to. Your voice cracked, torn between need and fear as you nuzzled against his carotid artery. âTell me you donât just want me for this. Tell me itâs moreâtell me itâs not just the venom, that youââ
His hand wrapped into your hair at the base of your skull, dragging your head back so you were forced to look at him. The grip was rough, almost punishing, and it ripped a snarl out of your throat. Your fangs glinted as your lips curled, your body coiled tight as wire in his lap, but you clawed at his shirt anyway, begging for the truth.
âIt is more,â Joel ground out, every word guttural. âEven before the bite, I wanted you. Always did. Donât give a damn what your venom doesâIâd still want you. I missed you. I need you close. Thisââ his hand tightened until your scalp burnedââthis is just a goddamn perk. What I feel for you? Thatâs mine. I love you.â
Your mouth trembled, tears burning hot at the corners of your eyes, and when he loosened his grip it was only to smooth a hand through your hair, guiding you down against him. You collapsed into his chest, nuzzling the rough plane of his neck, keening helplessly at the sound of his praise, at the unbearable gentleness in a man who had never been gentle with anyone else.
âI love you, Joel,â you whispered, the words breaking in your throat.
And then you bit.
Skin parted under your fangs and his blood rushed over your tongue, scalding, intoxicating, so alive you nearly sobbed from the taste. Joel jerked beneath you, a hiss ripped from his teeth before it melted into a deep, carnal moan that vibrated against your lips. His arms crushed you tighter, grinding your body into his as his cock surged hard beneath you. You moaned around the mouthful of him, desperate, delirious, and rocked against his lap as though the bite itself had stripped away the last of your restraint.
The taste of him was nothing like the jars in your cooler, nothing like Dinaâs honeyed sweetness or the other bland, congealed donations. Joel was thick and heady on your tongue, like dark molasses, like whiskey pulled from a charred barrel. He was smoke and oak and something aged, worn, and strong enough to make your head swim. There was grit to him, as if his years and scars had steeped into his veins, but beneath that, warmth bloomed slow and heavy, a richness that filled every inch of you. You could taste the life heâd lived, the battles fought, the quiet tenderness he tried so hard to bury.
Joelâs hips shifted beneath you, his cock swelling hard where you straddled him. You ground down helplessly, your own moan tangled with his as the taste of him became too much, overwhelming every sense until you were drowning in Joel Miller.
He held your head tighter, his fingers threading into your hair again, gentler now, pulling you closer as he whispered hoarsely, âThatâs it, baby girl. Thatâs it.â
He was rocking his lap up into you, shameless in the way he chased friction, grinding you down against the thick press of his cock beneath his jeans. Each push dragged the seam of your pajama bottoms across your clit, the wet spot growing hotter, slick soaking through until you could feel the perfect outline of his denim clad member as you slid against him. You moaned into his skin, mouth slick with blood, the taste of him coating your tongue while the scent of him filled every corner of your lungs.
You writhed on him, pressing down harder, chasing the sharp sparks of pleasure. Joel groaned brokenly, chest heaving under your breasts.
âBaby, pleaseâplease, can Iâcan I please? Donât even gotta move, donât gotta do nothinâ, justâjust wanna feel you,â he babbled, begging, voice ragged, hips bucking beneath you, âlet me feel that sweet pussy around me, please,â
Your haze was all consuming, tongue dragging over his throat as you pulled back just enough to nod, lips smeared red as you kissed his collarbone, his jaw, anywhere you could reach.Â
âYes, yes,â you said, voice thick with the taste of him, âNeed it, need you,â
Joel growled softly, shifting your body with a practiced grip, one hand fumbling into his jeans. His cock sprang heavy into the space between you, thick and flushed, the feel of it making your mouth water almost as much as his blood had.
He hooked a finger into the slick gusset of your little shorts, yanking them to the side. The swollen head of him dragged through your slick seam, catching on your clit, smearing you open until you whined high and sharp, licking the remnants of the bite from your lips.
âGod, youâre so fucking wet,â he groaned, head tipping back against the chair, throat bared to you.
You reached down with your hand and lined him up, a hiss escaping him at the touch and the thick crown nudged at your entrance. When you bit down againâharder this timeâJoel rasped out a sound that was half pain, half desperate pleasure. His whole body jolted as you sank down on him in one shuddering slide, every inch stretching you full until you were seated flush in his lap.
You both froze there, gasping, moaning, the only sound the wet suck of your body taking him in and the ragged chorus of your breathing. His blood still filled your mouth, warm and thick, until the hunger in you blurred into a dazed ecstasy. Your brain went quiet, shut down by the taste of him, the feel of him, the sheer overwhelming flood of him.
âOh shit, oh shit,â Joel chanted, his mouth agape, his hips trying in vain to stay still beneath you. It was no matter, because you were rocking yours, every swing nudging him around your tight heat. You rose up, and fell down, making him grunt in pleasure.Â
You moaned, guttural, feral, needy as your jaw stayed clamped to him, drinking him down. His blood was hotter, filled with so much dopamine it made your brain turn to fuzz, your instincts claiming your head more than your humanity. You rode his cock harder and harder, skin slapping, arousal leaking and staining his denim. You could feel his arms around you, so fucking warm like a furnace, keeping you in pace with his own hips that pushed up into you.Â
He spread his legs wider, forcing your knees further apart, the slight hitch of pain stretching your hips enough to make you unlatch your teeth and throw your head back. You knew he loved this view, of blood dripping down from your mouth, down your neck, your eyes gone red with the fill of him.
âOh fuck,â Joel grunted, squeezing your waist now, pushing you down as you kept up the pace, your hands on his shoulders to anchor your rythm, âKeep goin, baby, youâre doinâ great, feels like fuckinâ heaven.â
âJoelââ you mewled, head arching back with the climb of your release, your belly convulsing and hips aching with the build until you could barely take it anymore.
Joel reached up, his hand gripping you behind your neck and brought you back down to him, âJust a little more, darlinâ, câmon now, donât make me beg,â
You wouldâve laughed if you werenât so fucking lost in your mania. Moaning, your jaw unhinged and you took the biggest bite you could grab on his carotid artery. He gushed for you, filling your mouth with so much fucking testosterone and lust it had your eyes rolling back in your skull. Your brain split in half, white light sparking behind your eyes as you came undone, slamming down on him harder until he was coming inside of you with a long, low grunt, his breath sharp and short.
And as you came down, still rocking in a slow, rolling sway, soothing yourself as you drank from him, the world blurred into heat and taste and pulse. Somewhere through the haze you heard his voice, rough and breaking.
âBaby, think youâreââ his breath hitched, shallower now, âthink youâre takinâ too much, honey, youâre⊠ahâŠahâŠâ
And with a final sigh, he went limp under you.
final author's note: OKAY NO HE'S NOT DEAD HE JUST PASSED OUT
Vampires! Readers, refuse to drink the blood of bats because their blood tastes... weirdly bitter.
Slightly Addictive-Tendency Reader
You smelled them before the door even opened.
The scent pressed through the crack like a heavy fog, clinging to the air around you. It wasnât warmth or adrenaline or anything humanâjust thick, metallic pressure that coated your tongue. By the time the handle turned, the taste of their stress was already stinging your mouth.
Dick entered first, trying to smile as if he wasnât barely holding himself upright. His jaw was tight, his shoulders pulled so rigidly that they looked ready to snap.
âHey⊠you havenât eaten in three days,â he said softly, voice trying and failing to sound gentle. You couldnât bring yourself to meet his eyes.
Hunger clawed at you, tightening your chest until your breath trembled. Your vision burned red at the edges, but the thought of feeding made your stomach twist in protest. You shook your head, hoping the motion alone would explain everything. It didnât.
âWhy didnât you take the blood bags?â Dick asked again, quieter this time.
âI donât like stored blood,â you muttered, rubbing your arms. âIâd rather drink animal blood⊠even though I hate that too.â The words tasted as tired as you felt.
Tim stepped forward, worry creasing his brows. âThen why didnât you just ask us?â he asked. His tone was gentle, confused, and painfully sincere.
Your body tensed at the suggestion. The memory of that awful nightâwhen instinct overtook you and you bit one of them, shot through your mind like a knife. You could still taste the shock, the bitterness, the metallic sting that forced you back into yourself. âI canât,â you whispered. âYour blood is⊠bitter.â
Silence fell instantly, thick and heavy. Jason shifted first, his voice rough like gravel scraping the floor. âBitter? Like whatâold coffee? Poison?â he asked, half-joking but mostly worried.
You closed your eyes, searching for the right words. âIt tastes like burnt iron,â you said slowly. âLike your bodies are running on fumes. Like everything inside you is worn down to nothing.â Your voice sounded small, even to yourself.
Timâs face twitched, somewhere between realization and embarrassment. âSo weâre⊠flavor-contaminated?â he muttered. You nodded, because honestly, that was the nicest way to put it.
Tim went quiet after that, staring at the floor like he was reconsidering every decision that led him to this moment. The others looked between you and him, as if waiting for someone else to break the tension. You wished you could soften the truth, but the bitter tang of their stress still lingered on your tongue. There was no kinder way to explain it.
Dick rubbed the back of his neck, trying to smile again, though it wobbled at the edges. âOkay⊠so weâre stressed, and that makes us taste like garbage. Got it.â His attempt at optimism only made the room feel heavier. You hated how accurate his words sounded.
Jason tilted his head, studying you with narrowed eyes. âAnd this isnât, like⊠a preference thing? Weâre actually that bad?â The disbelief in his voice carried more hurt than he meant to show. You nodded again, slow and apologetic.
âIt doesnât mean youâre bad,â you said softly. âIt means youâre tired. All of you.â The words slipped out more gently than you intended, but the truth wrapped itself around them anyway. You could feel it, each of them carrying something that darkened the taste of their blood.
Bruce exhaled like heâd been holding his breath for far too long. His eyes stayed on youâsharp, searching, but strangely vulnerable around the edges. âThen what do you need from us?â he asked, sounding like someone bracing for an answer he wouldnât like.
You squinted at him, tapping your chin as if pondering something incredibly complicated. Part of it was dramatic flair; part of it was genuine hesitation. âHmm⊠I donât knooow,â you drawled. âMaybe if you let me pick my own targetâ?â
âNo.â Bruce cut you off instantly, without even blinking.
You let out an exaggerated sigh and let your shoulders slump. If he wasnât going to humor your theatrics, you needed a different approach.
You shrugged as the memory resurfaced, amused despite yourself. âActually, this situation remind me. when the last blood I enjoyed wasnât even planned,â you said casually. You glanced away, as if confessing to a harmless mischief. âIt was from this weird guy with green hair.â
The shift in the room was instant and unmistakable. Every trace of movement froze, like your words sucked all the warmth out of the air. Jasonâs boots stopped mid-pace, Dickâs breath hitched halfway out of his lungs, and Tim nearly dropped his tablet in shock. Even Damian blinked, expression flattening as if the universe had personally offended him.
Bruce didnât react at firstânot outwardly. But something in his posture sharpened, the subtle tension in his shoulders tightening like a wire pulled too far. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet in the way thunder sometimes isâlow, controlled, and unsettling. ââŠYou donât mean Joker.â
You winced slightly, then lifted a hand in a half-hearted gesture of innocence. âI mean⊠yeah,â you admitted. âHe wouldnât stop talking that night, and I snapped. I bit him to shut him up.â Your tone softened, almost embarrassed. âAnd weirdly⊠he tasted pretty good.â
Jason made a strangled noise that was half-gasp, half-breakdown. Dick put a hand over his mouth like he might scream or prayâpossibly both. Tim stared at you with the expression of someone witnessing a scientific impossibility, and Damian looked like he wanted to delete the entire conversation from reality.
Bruceâs jaw ticked once, a tiny motion that somehow felt louder than Jasonâs meltdown. âYou found his blood enjoyable,â he said slowly, as if repeating it would make it less horrifying. His gaze stayed locked on you, unreadable and far too intense.
You spread your hands helplessly. âWhat can I say? You all taste like stress and insomnia. He tasted like⊠chaos. Expensive chemicals. Bad decisions, but in a strangely refreshing way.â You paused, then added sheepishly, âCrisp, even.â
That was the final straw.
The room erupted.
Jason threw his hands into the air, muttering something about needing therapy. Dick slid down the wall like heâd lost the will to stand. Tim whispered, âThatâs impossible,â over and over as if chanting might change physics. Damian silently reevaluated his entire understanding of the world.
Bruce didnât raise his voice, but the weight of his silence settled over everything. You suddenly became hyper-aware of the way the taste of their stress thickened around you, sharp enough to sting.
But before Bruce could speak again, Damian stepped forwardâchin lifted, certainty radiating from him like heat.
âI donât understand,â Damian said suddenly, breaking through the chaos with his usual sharpness. He stepped forward, crossing his arms with the posture of someone who believed he was presenting a perfectly logical solution. âIf taste is influenced by stress, then the answer is simple. I am the least stressed among us.â
And that, made everything worse.
All movement stopped as every sibling slowly turned toward him.
Dick blinked at him. âBuddy⊠what?â
Timâs mouth fell open. âNo. No, absolutely not.â
Jason pointed accusingly. âPut the demon back.â
But Damian ignored the protest as if heâd trained his whole life not to hear stupidity. He looked at you with an unwavering stare, chin held high. âWell? If younger blood is preferable, then I will volunteer.â
You held his gaze for a long moment, unsure whether to sigh, laugh, or cry. The kid was so painfully serious it almost hurt. He seemed genuinely convinced he was offering the most reasonable solution in the world.
ââŠHow old are you again?â you asked, though you already knew the answer.
âTen,â he said without hesitation, as confident as if he were announcing a royal title.
The reaction in your body was immediateâyou recoiled like someone had shoved a cold spoon into your mouth. âNo. Absolutely not,â you said firmly. âI stopped drinking from children centuries ago.â
The offense on his face was instant and dramatic. Damianâs jaw dropped a fraction, eyes narrowing with royal indignation. âI am not a child.â
âYouâre literally ten,â you replied.
âAnd you sound ten.â
âAnd honestly, your blood probably tastes like organic vegetables and morning discipline.â
Jason fell into the nearest chair wheezing. Tim covered his mouth, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. Dick made a soft dying noise into his palms.
Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose, the universal sign of a man who deeply regretted his life choices. âDamian,â he said carefully, âsit down.â
âI will do no such thing,â Damian snapped, his pride still sparkling like a crushed diamond. âI am perfectly capableââ
âNo,â you cut him off, waving your hand like you were dismissing a menu item. âI donât eat kids. Even rude ones.â
Damian froze in place as the words hit him.
Slowlyâvery slowlyâhe lifted his chin higher, cheeks warming with quiet humiliation.
ââŠVery well,â he muttered stiffly. âIf you insist on poor decision-making, that is your burden.â
The family collectively exhaled, relief washing through the room like a long overdue breath. Even through the bitterness of their stress, you could feel something softer beneath it, warm concern, tangled with frustration and worry.
_______________________________________
Damianâs eyes narrowed as he examined your fangs with the intensity of someone studying a new weapon. âSo⊠do your fangs actually drink blood?â he asked, leaning in with far too much confidence for someone who had just been rejected as a food source. His curiosity was sharp enough to cut through the leftover embarrassment.
You shook your head, amused at the misconception. âNo. My fangs donât drink anything,â you explained. âTheyâre more like⊠tools. They pierce, numb, and help me hold the person still. But the actual feeding? That happens in the mouth, not through the fangs.â You tapped one of them lightly. âThese are basically natureâs anesthesia needles.â
Jason blinked slowly, trying to process that. âSo the fangs are just the opening act?â he muttered. âAnd the main event happens after?â He looked both horrified and impressed.
Tim raised a hand, already slipping into research mode. âWait, so when you bite someone, the numbing effect prevents significant pain? And you only use your mouth to draw the blood afterward?â He looked moments away from pulling out a notebook.
âExactly,â you said. âThe numbness keeps the person from panicking or struggling. But it also means I have to be carefulâif I bite too deep or too fast, the numbing doesnât work right.â You shrugged, used to the mechanics. âItâs less dramatic than people think.â
Stephanie, who had been listening with wide eyes, gasped loudly. âSo itâs like a vampire dentist appointment? Minus the actual dentist part?â She stepped closer, pointing at your fangs. âAlso those things look WAY sharper up close. How do you not cut your own tongue?â
You blinked. âExperience.â
Jason added, âAnd probably trauma,â earning a smack from Steph.
Duke folded his arms, studying you with thoughtful interest. âSo you bite to start the process, but you donât immediately drink?â he asked. âThat sounds⊠almost surgical.â His tone wasnât judgmentalâmore like he was piecing together a puzzle.
âPretty much,â you agreed. âI need a clean angle and a steady flow. The fang puncture is just to open the vein without tearing the skin.â Then you lowered your voice, almost conspiratorial. âAnd yes, technique matters.â
Cassandra moved closer, silent as always, her gaze lingering on your mouth. She tilted her head slightly. ââŠPressure point?â she asked softly. Her questions were few, but always sharp.
You nodded to her. âYes. The bite has to land on a point where blood flow is steady but the person wonât bleed out. Too high, too low, too deepâit becomes dangerous.â Cass absorbed the information with a slow nod, as if mapping your words onto anatomy in her head.
Bruceâs brows furrowed at that, but he stayed quietâlistening, calculating, worrying in that silent way of his.
Dick rubbed his arm, suddenly more aware of his own neck. âSo⊠where do you usually bite?â he asked, voice wavering between curiosity and dread. âLike⊠your go-to spot?â
Your answer didnât come immediately. You let the question settle, thinking it through.
âIt depends on the person,â you said. âDifferent people have different optimal spotsâblood flow, muscle tension, accessibility. Some places bleed cleaner, some are safer, and some are easier to reach when someone is fighting.â
Jason raised a brow. âOkay, but whatâs your favorite spot?â he pressed. âLike, the one you use the most.â
You let a slow, deliberate smile stretch across your lipsânot threatening, but enough to make half the room tense anyway. âThe place I bite most often,â you said, âis the one thatâs easiest to reach, hardest to guard, and least likely to cause lasting damage.â
The room leaned in, every sibling unconsciously bracing themselves.
ââŠThe shoulder,â you finished. âItâs exposed, less dangerous than the neck, and people rarely expect you to go for it first. Plus the blood flow is steady without being overwhelming.â You shrugged again. âItâs practical.â
Stephanie slapped Dukeâs arm. âSEE? I told you the shoulder was suspicious!â
Duke winced. âI thought you were joking when you said vampires liked that spot!â
Cass nodded as if the information matched something she already suspected.
Tim absorbed the information with growing fascination. âSo neck bites are actually inefficient?â
You nodded. âMessy. Dramatic. Risky. Only good for movies or⊠special situations.â
Jason made a noise that could only be described as scandalized choking.
Damian rolled his eyes, muttering something about âinefficient feeding methods.â
Dick covered his mouth with both hands, probably regretting every vampire movie he ever watched.
Bruce, meanwhile, stood very stillâthinking.
And somehow, that was more unnerving than the chaos around him.
_______________________________________
Curiosity flickered across the room before anyone else dared speak. It was Duke who finally voiced the question everyone had clearly been tiptoeing around. âSo⊠does everyone you bite turn into a vampire?â he asked, looking both cautious and fascinated.
You shook your head immediately. âNo. If that were the case, the world would be overflowing with vampires by now.â A faint, humorless smile tugged at your lips. âTrust me, itâs not that simple.â
Stephanie leaned forward, elbows on her knees. âThen how do vampires happen? I meanâif biting doesnât turn someone, what does?â Her tone hovered between genuine intrigue and mild panic.
Your gaze drifted to Tim, who was already inching closer like a scientist watching a rare creature. âWe can reproduce biologically,â you explained, voice steady. âBut itâs rare. Most of us⊠donât have the emotional capacity for that kind of attachment.â Something in your tone dimmed, so softly the room seemed to lean in.
You continued before they could interrupt. âThere are humans who become vampires, but only through very specific conditions. Ancient rituals. Sacrificial rites. Curses older than civilizations.â Your eyes met Timâs directly, holding him still. âOther than that, I canât tell you. Some things arenât meant to be passed around like bedtime stories.â
Tim swallowed a thousand questions he suddenly didnât know how to ask. His mind spun, but he didnât speak.
Cass tilted her head, studying you with the deep, intuitive awareness only she possessed. Her silence felt like a question.
But it was Damianâof courseâwho broke the quiet. âAnd you?â he demanded, arms crossed. âWhat are you? Born vampire, or made?â
The room went utterly still.
Your jaw clenched before your eyes flicked sharply toward him. A shadow crossed your expression, too fast to analyze, too heavy to ignore. âDamian,â Dick warned under his breath, already sensing the shift.
You held Damianâs stare for a long, cold heartbeat.
Then you exhaled through your nose, the sound sharp and tired.
âgo to bed, Damian,â you said quietlyânot loud, not angry, just tired.
"What!"Damianâs eyes widened just a fraction, surprised not by the words.
_______________________________________
Damian leaned forward with that sharpened curiosity only he possessed, his brows pulling together in genuine interest rather than arrogance. âIf vampires donât age,â he said, voice steady, âhow old are you exactly?â
You didnât answer right away. Your eyes slid toward him with a tired sort of patience, the kind youâd earned long before he ever existed. âOlder than your family name,â you said, tone even and calm.
Damian frowned, unsatisfied. âThat doesnât answer my question.â
A faint, humorless smile tugged at the corner of your mouth. âAnd it never will.â You didnât raise your voice, but the finality in your tone settled over the room like a closed door.
Damian huffed, crossing his arms tightly as he leaned back on his heels. âYouâre avoiding the question!,â he said, voice tight with irritation.
_______________________________________
âOkay, waitâdo vampires process blood like humans do food? Does it spoil? Is there an optimal temperature? Can you refrigerate it? Freeze it? Do different blood types taste different? Is there a nutritionalââ
You stared at him, utterly expressionless, feeling your soul quietly step out of your body and walk away.
ââŠTimothy,â you said slowly, every syllable weighed down with centuries of regret. You were certain that if you blinked too fast, heâd take it as permission to ask three more questions.
Jason didnât even look surprised; he just leaned back on the couch like this was a frequent tragedy. âYeah, heâs gone,â he drawled, hands laced behind his head. âYouâre about five seconds away from becoming a case study. Or worseâheâs gonna build you a feeding chart.â
Tim did not deny it.
In fact, he lifted his tablet like a swordsman presenting his blade. âIf we establish a baseline intake rate, then hypotheticallyââ
âTim,â you repeated, with the tone of someone who had seen multiple historical collapses and ranked this conversation among them. âStop.â
Tim blinked, then pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose like a man regrouping for a second wave. âOkay, but theoreticallyââ
âNo theoreticals,â you cut in quickly. âOr practically. Or ever.â
For a moment, Tim looked genuinely heartbrokenâas if you had just cancelled his birthday, his graduation, and his thesis defense all at once. Dick patted him sympathetically, whispering, âNext time. Maybe ask about bat anatomy first.â
Jason smirked. âOh yeah, thatâll calm him down. Hey, Timâask them if fangs grow back.â
Tim perked back up instantly.
You glared at Jason like you were tempted to bite him right then and there.
_______________________________________
Damian tilted his head at you with the blunt curiosity only a ten-year-old could wield without hesitation.
âSo⊠are you, like, ancient? Or just old?â he asked, genuinely puzzled, not an ounce of malice in sight.
Tim immediately stiffened. âDamianâdonât.â
âWhat?â Damian shot back, frowning. âThey look fine for a corpse. Iâm simply asking how vampires even⊠start.â
He gestured vaguely at you, like the concept of your existence personally offended him.
You stared at him for a moment, the room falling completely still around you.
â...Damian,â you said slowly, equal parts warning and disbelief.
Instead of taking the hint, he leaned forward, eyes bright with curiosity and impatience. âWell? How does one even become a vampire? Born? Made? Do you have to die first orââ
You cut him off with a small exhale, the kind that carried far more weight than sound.
ââŠGo to bed.â
Damian jerked back as if struck. âWHY? I asked a QUESTION.â
His voice cracked with indignation, face pulling into an offended scowl that made him look even more like a child trying desperately not to be one.
Dick winced sympathetically.
Tim covered his face like heâd predicted this outcome from the start.
Jason whispered, âBro got grounded by a vampire,â under his breath.
But you didnât look at anyone elseâonly at Damian, whose pride was trembling at the edges.
âYouâre not ready for that answer,â you said gently, quiet but firm. âAnd Iâm not giving it.â
For a second, Damianâs shoulders drew up defensively, chin lifting as if he wanted to argue.
Then his mouth pressed into a thin line, and he muttered something sharp in Arabic before stomping toward the hallwayâfurious, embarrassed, and very much still ten years old.
The door closed behind him with a dramatic thud.
_______________________________________
Jason leaned forward with the kind of morbid curiosity only he could pull off, elbows on his knees and eyes too bright. âBe honest. Did he taste weird because heâs crazy or because heâs a clown?â His eyebrows lifted like he was bracing himself for scientific confirmation of something deeply stupid.
You didnât even hesitate.
âBoth.â
Jason slapped the back of the couch triumphantly. âI KNEW it!â He looked so pleased with himself you almost felt guilty for what you were about to say next.
But you werenât done, and that was the problem.
Your gaze drifted away as the memory tugged at youâsharp, fizzy, strange.
Your mouth opened before your mind could stop it, the memory rising like something dragged up from deep water. âIt wasnât just good,â you murmured, voice low, almost trembling around the edges. âIt was⊠dangerous.â
Every head snapped toward you, but you didnât look at them.
Your eyes unfocused, staring past the room entirely, as if the taste was crawling its way back onto your tongue.
âIt hit fast. Sharp. Like biting into something that fizzes the moment it touches you.â Your fingers flexed slightly, as though your body remembered the sensation better than your mind did. âSweet, but not soft. Salty, metallic, bright. It burned in the way pleasure sometimes burnsâtoo much, too sudden, too intense.â
The room grew quiet, heavy, almost suffocating.
âIt didnât taste like blood,â you whispered. âIt tasted like temptation.â
Your throat bobbed with a swallow you couldnât stop. âLike something I wasnât supposed to enjoy⊠which made it worse. Better.â
A faint twitch at the corner of your mouth betrayed how unwilling you were to admit the rest.
Jason leaned forward just as Dick took a horrified half-step back.
âAnd afterward?â Jason asked, voice oddly hushed.
You drew in a slow breath, fighting the honest answer, but it scraped its way out anyway.
âAfterward, it stayed with me,â you said. âThe fizz. The burn. The sweetness that shouldnât have been there. Itâs like it hooked itself into my nerves and refused to let go.â
Your eyes finally lifted, but not fully focusedâstill half in that memory you shouldnât be thinking about.
âNow, every time it crosses my mindâŠâ
Your voice dipped into something quiet and unsettling.
ââŠI want it again.â
Silence.
Real silence.
The room froze.
Timâs tablet dimmed in his frozen hands.
Dickâs jaw clenched like he was holding back a scream.
Duke blinked hard, once, like he needed to reset his entire worldview.
Stephanie covered her mouth, gagging into her sleeve.
Cass leaned back just slightly, eyes unreadable.
And thenâof courseâJason broke first.
ââŠOh my god,â he whispered, sounding delighted and horrified in equal measure. âYouâre addicted. To clown juice.â
You covered your face with both hands, wishing you could melt into the floorboards.
âPlease never call it that again.â
Jason tossed an arm around your shoulders immediately, already ignoring your plea. âToo late. Itâs canon. Youâre a sparkling-beverage vampire now.â He smirked. âYou drank Joker like a carbonated drink.â
Timâs voice finally rebooted with a shaky glitch. âWhat exactly do you mean by soda?â
You peeked out between your fingers. ââŠCarbonated. Fizzy. Like something was popping or crackling under the taste.â
That was apparently the breaking point.
Dick shot upright with a yelp, scrambling across the room like someone had stepped on his soul. He clapped both hands over Damianâs ears so fast the boy barely had time to blink. âNOPE. Absolutely not. My baby brother is not hearing about fizzy murder-clown bloodâDamian, weâre leavingââ
Damian struggled immediately, swatting at Dickâs hands with indignant fury. âUnhand me! I deserve to know what idiocy Iâm living alongsideâ!â
Dick, already dragging him back by the shoulders, hissed, âYou deserve peace, Damian! Peace and ignorance!â
Meanwhile, Duke stared at you with the expression of a man quietly rewriting his entire understanding of reality. His mouth opened, closed, then opened againâno words, just a silent what the hell echoing in his eyes. Stephanie gagged dramatically into her sleeve. Cassandra tilted her head in quiet horror.
Bruce closed his eyesâvery slowly, very painfullyâas if this new information physically added ten years to his life expectancy. The air around him shifted, heavy and resigned, and when he finally spoke, his voice was quiet but unarguably absolute.
âHe cannot ever find out.â
You lifted both hands in surrender, wide-eyed and exasperated. âHey, heyâIâm not planning on sending him a Yelp review.â
Jason immediately snorted. Dick groaned. Tim whispered, âVampires shouldnât even know what Yelp is.â Damian continued kicking at Dickâs shins in the background.
_______________________________________
Damian: âIf you bit Father, would he turn? Or become stronger? Or would he finally sleep normally? Would he become immortaââ
You: â-Go to bed, Damian.â
Damian: âWhy do you never answer my questions?!â