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Blood and Vengeance - Part 2

A/N: why is this like.... the most well written thing I’ve written?? Doesn’t matter, Dettlaff deserves it.

Pairing: Dettlaff x Reader

Words: 3,587

Warnings: Minor burns, Anger

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Your stomach fluttered with butterflies as you made your way past the iron gate once more, Its creaking groans welcoming you as you passed onto the estate grounds. Two gardeners were clearing detritus from the garden beds and chatting here and there. They both watched as you slipped past the gate and waved a greeting to you, pulling a small smile and wave from yourself in return.

You stepped up to the main doors, hand outstretched to knock when Regis swung open the door before you could even touch it, nearly scaring you to death. “Ah, hello again, miss Y/n. My apologies for startling you- I heard the gate creak as you came in. Come; let me lead you down to your room so you can settle.” he offered with a kind smile and took a bag from your hands to help.

“Thank you, I appreciate the… help…” You said, your words drifting off as you took in the figure standing at the top of the grand staircases. Quieter than death and still as a statue, you would never have noticed him if you hadn’t happened to glance that way

Your breath ran from your lungs as you took him in. He was truly unlike any man you had ever seen; the fairness of his skin was contrasted by his dark coat and even darker hair. Strands of silver streaked back from his temples, making him look all the more distinguished. His eyes, though far away, shone clearly to you; each iris holding their own storm of emotion that seemed to swirl and thunder perpetually. His expression was solemn and distant, even cold as he watched Regis lead you inside.

“Ah Yes, that would be Dettlaff.” Regis glanced up at him with a knowing look as he waved for you to follow him away down the side stairwell. “You should have time to introduce yourselves shortly, just- please, don’t feel turned away by his expression.” Regis tried to assure you, but you didn’t feel turned away. No, in fact, you found yourself wanting to see those stormy eyes again, even if they came with an icy expression.

Your footsteps tapped down the stairwell behind Regis and into a rather nice basement. The cold air of the season seemed to settle here in the depths, but your worries were brushed away as you took in the rest of the surroundings. The bed was just big enough for one person, laid over with a thick blanket to fight against the chill. You had your own little fireplace, a stash of firewood, and even a bookshelf with some dusty leftover reads.

“Wow… Thank you, Sir. It’s more than I could have asked for,” You set your bag on the bed and smiled a touch.

“Oh, Goodness no… Please just call me Regis. Emiel if you’re really feeling irate with me, though I shall do my best to steer clear of that.” He let out a short laugh that shook his shoulders a bit.

“I’ll leave you to it then…” He continued and turned to leave- when he paused for a moment to look back at you. “I do hope you’ll stick with us… but if you have any troubles, please let me know.” His plaintive tone hung in the air for another heartbeat before he nodded slowly and continued up the stairs.

While you appreciate the sentiment- and you’re pretty sure Regis might be the kindest man on the planet- right now his parting words and tone of voice made the butterflies in your stomach grow twice as large.

“Okay, it’s alright, just get through the day without dropping anything and it’ll be a success,” you assured yourself and began getting ready for your work day. You slipped on an old dress you didn't mind getting dirty and smoothed it out beneath your hands.

You quieted your steps as you ascended the stairs, though you weren't completely sure why. Maybe you were just hoping that Dettlaff would still be there, watching you with those intense eyes.

Your fists clenched around your skirt in anticipation as you got to the top of the stairwell and carefully peered out towards the grand staircase… but he was nowhere to be seen. A sigh escaped your lips, relieved for some reason that you wouldn’t have to face him quite yet.

You shook your head to get your senses in order again and started down the hall to get to work. In an excuse to better learn the layout of the house, you decided to start by wiping the grime off the windows and airing out the rooms. You did your best not to be nosy as you ventured into each room, finding curious knickknacks here and there. One space that sat on the ground floor beside Regis’s room was filled to the brim with laboratory equipment, herbs, and… little shrunken, shriveled-up men?

“Oh. Mandrake root,” you said to yourself, pulling your hands back from the fatal plant. “That seems…. Safe.”

You tucked the window rag into your pocket for the time being and took another glance over the list Regis had given you.

‘Dettlaff will need time to warm up, bringing him a cup of tea or other drink is a rather good and safe way to engage him little by little.’

Tea, huh? You can do that. You folded the list once again and tucked it safely away before you made your way over to the kitchen. Your heart nearly jumped out of your chest when you came across another person rattling around in there as they sifted through the utensil drawer.

“OH! Hello, I- sorry, I-I wasn’t really expecting to find anyone else in the house…” you stumbled over your words, chest clutched in surprise as the stout firey-haired woman pulled her nose from the drawer to look up at you.

“Oh! You must be the new housekeeper I heard about. I’m Amelia, the sole chef of this manor.” she said proudly and with a wide smile.

“Yes, that's me, I’m Y/n. It’s nice to meet you, Amelia.” Your shoulders relaxed as you saw her lighthearted expression, “You’re the only cook here? Well, I guess with only two people living here…” you justified aloud.

“Plus you and me, dear. The garden crew comes in for lunch once in a while, but otherwise, they seem to prefer the great outdoors to the marvels of inside.” she shrugged, unbothered, and continued searching around the drawer until she finally pulled out a utensil that you couldn’t even begin to guess what it would be used for. “There’s the little bugger… Now, what can I do you for?” she took a minute to turn to you, offering you her full attention while she was in between tasks.

You laughed a bit at her vivid expressions, but nodded, getting straight to the point, “I was going to bring some tea up to Dettlaff… would you mind showing me where the tea and kettle are kept?”

“Oh…” she pursed her lips in thought as a shadow passed over her expression, but still she nodded slowly. “Of course, dear. Follow me…” she waved you over and began giving you a quick tour of the kitchen, pointing out everything you’d need to know from tea, kettles, and berries, to the liquor, knives, and cheeses. “So, have you had the opportunity to meet this Dettlaff character yet?” Amelia asked you, a mixture of curiosity and concern, her expression unafraid to show it.

You shook your head, “Not really. I saw him on the stairs when I came in, but he seems…” you paused as you searched for the words, but Amelia seemed to have about 12 lined up and ready for exactly that moment.

“Distant? Depressing? Intense? Perhaps a bit cold? Angry even?” she rattled off as she handed you a tray and began handing you the things you’d need. “Don’t let it dissuade you, dear. I don’t think he’s spoken a word to any of the workers since we arrived, Regis seems to be the only one he’ll talk to.”

You nodded and piled your tray with a cup, sugar cubes, milk, and a teapot as she led you around the kitchen. “Thank you so much for your help, Amelia… and if you ever need help prepping please just feel free to ask. It’ll give me an opportunity to chat if nothing else”. You said with a smile as you poured the hot water into the teapot.

“Oh, I’ll be holding you to that..!” she called in her kind and jovial voice as you ducked out of the room, carefully balancing everything on the silver tray.

Making your way up to the second floor you ducked into each room, looking for the gloomy man. You struggled to find him immediately, though you did come across various rooms of interest as you searched; a craft room with broken toys littered about, another that seemed to be Dettlaff’s bedroom and even a study that looked surprisingly unused.

Those blue-gray eyes seemed to elude you today.

A short huff escaped your lips as you tried one last door.

The library before you was expansive; shelves covered several walls floor to ceiling, holding books, curiosities, and other important trinkets. The corner was populated by several armchairs and one Dettlaff tucked way in the reading nook near the window.

Open curtains let in the gentle afternoon light and made the dust in the library dance lazily around him. The same light poured itself over his shoulders and backlit him in a way that gave your skin a pleasant shiver. He had a book open on his lap as he sat comfortably in the large blue chair, bringing out the cerulean in his stormy eyes.

You quickly tamped down the heartbeat in your throat and stepped inside, trying not to stare too much at the way his silver strands shimmered in the light. He had small piles of books at his feet- you couldn’t tell for what subject they were, but It seemed he was intent to park himself here for quite some time.

He glanced up at you as you entered the room, his mouth remaining a flat line as his eyes followed your encroaching silhouette.

“Um, good afternoon…. It’s nice to finally meet- Oh!” you yelped as you tripped on a snag in the rug, quickly catching yourself so you wouldn’t topple over, but unfortunately the jostling was enough to spill both the full tea cup and the milk directly onto his lap and book.

“Oh, shit- I mean, Fuck. Dettlaff, I’m so sorry-”

You vowed on your life that his face had changed as you looked up again; the creases of anger in his expression seemed to pull his nose flatter as his eyes grew light, almost to a pale gray as you watched. You swore you even saw his canines extend, growing sharper, as his already long nails seemed to grow a few inches in a matter of seconds.

A frightened yelp leapt from your throat, as you stumbled backward and fell with an unceremonious thump. All would have been fine- nothing but embarrassment- if the teapot had not toppled over, sending scalding hot water to pour over your arms and chest.

Yet another shout erupted from your throat as tears sprang to your eyes. Yet, you couldn’t even feel the full force of it as adrenaline reeled you away from the man before you and his twisted features.

Spoons and saucers lay scattered on the floor as you raced away downstairs, the tray left abandoned there where you dropped. The hot damp cloth of your dress clung to your skin as you sprinted down the stairwell and into your room, slamming the door closed behind you.

Your chest heaved as you tried desperately to draw even breaths, but your focus was broken once again as the adrenaline had finally worn off and the painful heat living in your skin grew unbearable. “Fuck, fuck…” you muttered to yourself as your frantic hands peeled the dress away from your skin. You fanned your inflamed skin as you ran toward your bathroom sink and began splashing yourself with cold water until you found it bearable to live in again.

A sigh escaped your lips as you leaned against the sink, staring into your reflection in the basin. ‘You couldn't have really seen a face change like that’ you thought as seeds of doubt began to grow. ‘No, people's faces just don’t do that. It must've been a trick of the light’. But even then you couldn't ignore what you thought you had seen. His cold expression twisted into something of active anger and his features turned into something that was almost unrecognizable.

Almost.

Though many things had changed the depths of his eyes did not. They turned from their rolling thunder of emotion to something more like that of a hurricane as he registered the mess you had accidentally poured on him.

You looked up at your face in the mirror as you finally felt your racing heart return to normal and your breaths grow even as they came and went.

“Shit”, you swore as you glanced at your chest in the reflection. Your skin was burned bright red where the hot water had scalded you.

“It’s my first day and I’ve already fucked up and spilled on myself AND the mysterious stranger that owns the house.” you groaned out and just sat yourself down on the ground to give yourself a little time to recover.

“Fuck”

----

“Dettlaff, Why did I just hear our new housekeeper shouting and running down to the basement?” Regis questioned as he appeared in a puff of smoke at the library's entrance. “Oh, dear…” he sighed as sidestepped the forgotten tray and moved to his friend. Dettlaff’s face was still pulled tight with its aggressive bat-like features when his old friend came upon him.

Without another word, Regis handed him his handkerchief and crossed his arms.

“She spilled this shit all over me and my books,” He grumbled and took the offered handkerchief to clean himself up.

Regis nodded quietly and began piling the fallen items onto the tray. “Did she do this on purpose? Enough to incur your temper?” Regis’s voice was calm and level as he engaged Dettlaff.

His pale eyes looked down to his lap as he wiped himself off, refusing to give the answer due voice. Slowly his eyes darkened again to their normal state and his features smoothed out once more.

“I told you I didn’t want any housekeeper- that cook was more than enough…” He grumbled out and looked down at the soiled pages of his book, the page’s ink smeared beyond recognition.

“And I believe I told you that a little human interaction would be good for you.” Regis came and took the handkerchief back when he was done, folding it in on itself. Regis held his hand out to stop him as his friend stood to leave, “I know it’s not an ideal first interaction, but I have no doubt that it wasn’t intentional”. A frown pulled at the higher vampire's features, as he dropped his hand. “I know you have done more for me than I could ever hope to repay, but I do ask you to at least consider. I think she could be good for you, Dettlaff, and I suggest you give her another chance”, The older vampire finished and fully stepped away.

Dettlaff was silent once more as he stalked off, but Regis knew that he had gotten through at least for the moment- now he could only hope that it would last.

----

After your skin had cooled off and your mind had finally calmed down you got yourself back to work. You figured the least you could do was clean up the mess you’d made. So you pulled on a looser dress of yours, one you would never think of wearing for work because of its short sleeves and looser lines, however, right now you could not handle anything brushing against your burned skin.

You snagged a bucket of cleaning supplies on your way up the stairs and ascended quietly, tip-toeing to the library to clean up- hopefully before anyone else had noticed. The tray had already been taken downstairs with the rest of the utensils, all that remained for you now was a damp spot on the carpet.

Hiking up your skirt- you kneeled down and began getting to work cleaning up the wet sugary mess.

Unbeknownst to you, ever-so-silent steps snuck up behind you, watching for a few moments with blue-grey eyes as you took the initiative to rectify your simple mistake.

A husky voice came from behind you, startling you in part by its suddenness, yet its low rumblings also seemed to set your mind at ease. “You’re the housekeeper…?” the phrase was awkward and was followed by a clearing of the throat that sounded like someone who would rather be anywhere else.

Lifting your head, you turned to the voice and were shocked to find Dettlaff there, standing with a smooth expression as if nothing at all had happened. “Oh…! Uh, Dettlaff. Look, I’m terribly sorry about earlier…” you apologized, sitting back on your heels and dropping your rag back in the bucket.

You were going to continue but your words became breathless movements as he kneeled down before you, those eyes of his dancing over your red skint as his hand reached out.

“You got hurt…” He said quietly, so soft that you weren't sure you had heard him. He seemed distracted as he ran the back of his fingers against your heated skin, their cool touch a welcome but brief respite.

Your heart pounded in your ears and your skin grew heated for a whole other reason. Such a forward action made your body still and your next breath catch in your throat. “Oh, I… I’ll be more than alright…. It should go away in a few days…” you managed to say through the heavy beats of your racing heart as his fingers caressed their way down your arm.

Dettlaff was lost in his thoughts and barely took in your words. While he did get angry- admittedly unduly, looking back- he had never intended to cause you bodily harm. Perhaps Regis was correct in some way or another- though he’d never say it out loud. Only the furious beating of your heart was enough to pull him from his thoughts, “Ah, My apologies, Miss…”

“Y/n”, you filled in for him as he pulled his hand back from you and breath filled your lungs once more.

“Y/n…” he seemed to test out the name in his mouth as he repeated it back, nodding a bit as he stood once again. “Let me take that away for you. That spot already looks better than the condition it came in…” he justified as he took the cleaning bucket for you and began bringing it downstairs to put away without another word.

“Oh, uh- thank you..!” you called out after him as you watched him slip out of the room.

Your head tilted in thought as you tried to understand the last few minutes you just lived through. Interacting with Dettlaff was like interacting with a puzzle; he was rather straightforward in his actions, that much you had learned, but he had also been incredibly silent so far. That mixed with his reserved expression had made him hard to read- though you're sure you just needed time if nothing else.

The rest of the day was thankfully uneventful and you were able to get everything done that you were hoping to. Your thoughts were of nothing but climbing under that thick blanket as you padded your way down the stairwell and into the basement. The basement was chilled by the seasonal cold seeping in, but was quickly turned into a comfortable heat as you got your small fireplace going.

You stripped down to your underclothes, intent on getting some well-deserved sleep after such a long day. However, as you reached down to pull the blanket back you noticed a little jar on your nightstand along with a note. “What’s this..?” you asked to the empty air as you picked up the note.

‘My apologies once again, Miss Y/n.’ It read, ‘You made no intention to harm me, and yet I have brought harm to you. I hope this rectifies the situation to some degree and you are no longer bothered by your burns. - Dettlaff.’

A stupidly large smile spread across your face, one that you couldn’t control no matter how hard you tried. His note was written with a quick and elegant hand, exactly what you would have expected from him. Though you wonder if Regis helped him with his note, your heart still warmed at the sincere words.

You folded the note carefully and set it back on your side table before taking the small jar and opening it to see what was inside. Inside you found what you could only assume to be burn cream; it smelled faintly of jasmine as you spread it over your skin and left a cooling sensation that caused you to openly sigh in relief.

The chill of your sheets mixed with the alleviation you got from Dettlaff’s gift was all you could attribute to the way your mind instantly drifted off to sleep that night. No dreams, no jostling- just rest.

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