#vampire perspective

Just do it, you little cry bat! Virgil clutched at his hair, clenching his fangs so hard they punctured a small hole in his lip. Do it, because otherwise you’re just gonna keep torturing him for your own sick pleasure and continue on a coward like the past few centuries meant you’ve learned nothing-

I can’t do it.

Virgil felt like screaming his head off and crying his eyes out all at once, storming out of the room as the smell began to make him feel sick. What was wrong with him? At least before he could blame it on being too young and squeamish, but he was a grown vamp for crying out loud! This was the circle of life! Borrowers don’t even live a hundred years, what’s a few less? Just it put it out of its misery-

Him. Put him out of his misery. His subconscious unhelpfully supplied. Why had Virgil bothered to learn Logan’s name? He was so stupid, and after he was such a jerk to Patton about the other one, too. But that was different. Patton could be stronger than Virgil. He had to, if he wanted to stand any chance of defending himself.

“Virgil?”

Virgil jolted, unnerved to see Patton sat at the dinner table. Speak of the devil.

“Are you okay?” Patton asked, and that question damn near broke Virgil down because when was he ever okay? Certainly not now.

“I-I…” Virgil cursed himself for stammering. “It’s nothing.”

“Virgil, don’t lie to me.” Patton said sternly. Well wasn’t that just the nail in the coffin, proving he really was nothing like his brothers. “Please, just tell me what’s wrong.”

“I can’t.” Virgil insisted, shaking his head. “If I told you what I’ve done you’d hate me more than you do.” Virgil wasn’t sure which aspect Patton would hate most, but there was certainly plenty to go around. 

“Virgil, I do not hate you!” Patton immediately replied, and now look who was the liar. Patton had a million and one excellent reasons to hate Virgil, and frankly tonight was not the night to stay and listen to Patton’s sweet lies. 

Instead Virgil took off into the night, ignoring Patton’s cries for him to come back. He didn’t know where he was going, only choosing a direction at random and running as fast as his legs could carry him. Yes, running, because he didn’t even have enough energy for his bat form. Pathetic.

Eventually Virgil began to run out of steam, the growling in his stomach returning with a vengeance. If he didn’t get some blood in him right this second he was going to end up tearing this entire little city apart. Thankfully, a willing- or rather unwilling- victim just rounded the corner, alone. Virgil glanced around only once to check the coast was clear before he pounced, dragging the man with him into a back alley.

“H-hey! What’s the big id-”

“Shut up.” Virgil growled, burying his fangs into the man’s neck. He groaned, sucking so sloppily he might’ve been a pup again. It spilled down his front, drenching his clothes as Virgil continued to lap up his fill. The man’s skin paled, his eyes drooping as the signs of blood loss were starting to kick in.

You’re going to kill him. Good.

But Virgil refrained from giving in completely to his dark instincts, as tempting as it was. He dropped the man’s body, watching it collapse with a thump onto the alley floor. Virgil growled, frustrated that he had to leave his snack unfinished. The other half of his mind was frustrated with him as well, scolding Virgil for acting like a child and making such a mess. Even if the man survived, what possible explanation could there be for all this blood?

You could just finish him off.

Virgil couldn’t. Again with the not being able to do simple vampyric tasks! This was the #1 instinct of all vampires. The wound was still fresh, a small puddle of blood having formed before Virgil’s saliva took root and began to close it up. Great, now Virgil couldn’t even hunt properly. He stormed back home, slamming the front door in his rage.

“VIRGIL!” A shocked Patton exclaimed, but Virgil didn’t even spare him a look. “What-what happened-?”

“Don’t want to talk about it.” Virgil growled, stomping up the stairs with a huff. Frankly, he just wanted to fall back into his coffin and sleep for a hundred years, but fate would not be so kind, considering there was still the issue of his little prisoner when Virgil returned to his bedroom.

 Logan had woken up to an empty room. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and looked over towards the coffin. Open and empty, just like the rest of the room. Where had Virgil gone? Wasn’t Virgil supposed to be...wasn’t Logan supposed to be eaten today? It didn’t make any sense.

 He stood up and went over towards the door, trying it despite knowing it wouldn’t work. Great...half of him had been hoping Virgil would just get it over with already. After all, prolonging it was just causing him to worry about it more. Though, Virgil had been acting strangely the night before...could that have been it?

 Logan sighed, as he slumped against the opposite wall and waited for Virgil to come back. Thankfully, Logan didn’t have to wait too long as the door burst open about several minutes later. However, the sight before him made Logan’s blood run cold.

 Virgil was there, covered almost head to toe in blood. He was panting but not from exhaustion, no, from the very clear anger on his face. Logan got to his feet, trying to back himself into the wall, putting as much distance as he could from the vampire. His eyes were wide as he couldn’t look away, even as the stench reached him. What...What had happened.

“...you’re awake.” Virgil commented bitterly, sulking over to his dresser.

 Logan swallowed at the tone of Virgil’s voice, looking at the vampire warily. “W-Why…” He cleared his throat. “Where...What happened?” Logan decided on.

“I’ll tell you the same thing I told Patton.” Virgil answered, pulling out some clean clothes. “Don’t want to talk about it.”

 Logan knew he should have just dropped his but his curiosity kept him going. “Did...did you go out to hunt? Why? I-I thought…” Today was the day Virgil was supposed to eat him, right? So why did the vampire go and get himself full?

“I forgot.” Virgil slammed his drawer with more intensity than was strictly necessary. “I’m going to take a shower.” He announced loudly, leaving the room again before Logan could ask any pestering questions.

 Logan frowned. Virgil forgot? That didn’t make any sense though. His cage was in the line of sight of the coffin, if anything. But Virgil had been talking about eating Logan non stop these past few days. There was simply no way Virgil could have forgotten. 

 So...why then? If Virgil was lying, then why had he gone out to eat instead of eaten Logan as planned?

Virgil took longer in the shower than he normally would, wishing the hot water would just wash away all of his emotions and leave him numb like a proper vampire. Eventually though he turned off the miracle that was indoor plumbing, throwing on his clean clothes. The dirty ones he tossed in a hamper, not caring how they began to crinkle with the dry crusted blood. Virgil returned to the bedroom, clean but not fully calmed like he had dared to hope.

 Logan flinched back as Virgil returned, though he was happy to see all the blood was gone. He took in a deep breath, stepping closer. “You didn’t forget, did you?” Logan said and in the back of his mind he knew he was probably going to regret it.

“I said I forgot, didn’t I?” Virgil insisted, not looking him in the eye as Virgil busied himself with rearranging the shelf on the other side of the room. “And I also said to drop it.”

 “It’s highly unlikely that you would simply ‘forget’ to eat me. Even if you had somehow forgotten I was here, you should have seen me the second you left your coffin.” Logan kept pushing. “And judging by all the...in the state you came home in, I assume you were hungry enough to have finished me already. So I don’t understand why you ... didn’t.”

“Do you want me to eat you?” Virgil asked incredulously, whirling around on his heel. “Because that certainly seems to be where you’re heading, and if you think I’m some weak-willed vamp I’ll have you know I’m still starving and certainly have room for a mouthy little twit.”

 Logan shut his mouth, backing away and looking down. “...I am just trying to understand why you did what you did.” Logan said after a moment. “That does not mean I wish to be eaten.” Though, again, half of him was wishing Virgil would just get it over with already. Now he was being tortured to wait even longer for his demise.

Virgil gave a long sigh. Yeah, it was fair, of course Logan and Patton would have questions, and Virgil was just being the jerk who refused to talk about any of that. Instead he took the route of hurting others to protect himself. Sounds like a vamp, alright.

Before Virgil could even think what to say, a knock came at the door.

“Virgil?” Patton called, his tone tense. “We need to talk.”

“No we don’t.” Virgil replied immediately.

 Logan immediately tensed at the sound of another voice. He could only assume that was Patton, the vampire Virgil had turned...and the one who had eaten Roman. He backed away a few steps, finding himself more wary of the other vampire, knowing he had already done the job.

“Stop bottling this up, it’s not healthy!” Virgil could feel Patton’s dad glare from here. “You’re talking this out right this instant. Why are you so worked up? Why’d you get so messy?”

“I told you, I don’t want to talk about it!” Virgil hissed. 

“Virgil, stop it, you can’t avoid me forever.” Patton insisted, and the bedroom doorknob began to twist.

 Logan’s eyes widened and he want to the very back of the cage. While Logan was interested to know how to vampires fought one another, he very much did not want to witness it. And he especially did not want the other vampire to turn to him and finish the job instead of Virgil.

Virgil’s eyes widened. “Don’t come in here!” Virgil rushed forwards, planting himself in front of the door. Patton didn’t know about Logan, and frankly Virgil never wanted him to find out.

Patton shoved against the door, but of course Virgil was stronger. “Virgil, let me in!”

“No, I’m…. naked.” Virgil winced at that excuse. After all, several centuries of being roommates meant Patton had certainly seen him naked before. 

“Virgil, you are acting like a child.” Patton growled. Growled, oh geez that wasn’t good.

“You’re not any better.” Virgil retorted, noticing his friend’s mood. “When did you last eat?”

“You interrupted me this evening!” Patton protested, sounding far past annoyed and bordering on enraged.

 Logan was not enjoying this one bit, putting his hands to his ears to try and block out the loud yelling.

“Then go. Eat.” Virgil instructed, his tone low and gravelly.

“Stop trying to dodge the issue.” Patton argued.

“I’m not opening this door until you feed yourself.” Virgil felt Patton pounding against the door, his attempt futile.

“Well I’m not leaving until you stop lying to yourself.” Patton retorted.

“You’re going to be there for eternity then.” Virgil joked darkly.

“You are impossible!” Patton stomped his foot.

“GO!” Virgil yelled. “Get out of here!”

Patton gave an angry, inhuman screech, accompanied by the sound of him barreling down the stairs and out the front door that Virgil would be surprised to find still on its hinges.

 Logan was glad his ears were already covered, as the last scream surely would have ruptured his ear drums. As he heard the other leave, he slowly lowered his hands. “...I am unsure why anyone would say he wasn’t a real vampire.” Logan commented. He was certainly scary, like one.

Virgil paused, the fire in his chest coming down to a dull roar as he processed what Logan said. He turned to the borrower. “What, Patton? He’s just hungry. And an idiot.”

 “...Still. He was on par with your level of terrifying...maybe even more so.” Logan admitted to the vamp, looking down.

Virgil leaned back against the door, crossing his arms. “Patton comes here to lecture me about bottling things up, and you think that’s more terrifying than me kidnapping you and constantly threatening to eat you?”

 “...He ate my best friend.” Logan said quietly, not meeting Virgil’s eyes. “That...That might have something to do with it.”

“What?” Virgil’s brow furrowed, only for his eyes to go slowly wide in realization. The other borrower… Logan doesn’t know. Should Virgil tell him? Was it better or worse to know, especially if with Patton’s outbursts recently that borrower was sure to be a goner anyways?

 “Despite the fact you terrify me and are planning to eat me, the fact that Patton has already done it...and to Roman, no less...I find myself even more afraid of him. No matter how illogical.” And it was. His stupid emotions were getting in the way but he didn’t care. Roman surely deserved his tears of mourning.

“What does this Roman look like, anyhow?” Virgil shifted, wanting to confirm this was even the right borrower they were talking about.

 “Does it even matter anymore?” Logan said but sighed, thinking back to his friend. “He’s...a little taller than I am. Brown hair and he always wore a prince outfit. At the very least, he was wearing it when he was taken. He found it off a doll a few years back and modified it to fit him.” Logan remembered the memory well. Logan had lectured him on borrowing something so needless and dumb but the outfit had made Roman happy.

Virgil snorted. “It was a doll outfit?”

 Logan sighed. “Yes. It was a doll outfit. The previous tenants had a child and she had a ton of dolls. Normally we don’t borrow those, since they are much too uncomfortable and usually bigger. But Roman had been insistent and had made it his little project of sorts. He had cut it down, added padding and whatnot and honestly he...he did quite a good job on it.” He still never saw the point but he didn’t complain much after the initial borrowing of the outfit since Roman had been enjoying himself and it gave him something to do.

“Did you ever do anything like that?” Virgil asked.

 “No, I only ever borrowed what I needed.” Logan said but then paused, looking down. “However...I was known to...borrow knowledge, in a sense. I tried to get my hands on books when I could and I...may have tried to access a human’s phone once or twice, which did put me at risk…” Honestly, he wasn’t much better than Roman.

“Oh.” Suddenly all the logical questions in the face of mortal danger made sense. “So you’re a massive nerd.”

 Logan groaned. “Roman used to call me that all the time.” He huffed but deep down he would...miss Roman calling him that. It was his favorite nickname to call Logan, after all. “But...yes, I suppose I am.”

Virgil gave a groan, knowing it was time to confess. After all, it would at least stop this delusional idea of Logan’s that Virgil was a better person than Patton.

 Logan looked up at Virgil with a raised brow. “What?”

“Roman.” Virgil just had to spit it out. “He’s not dead.”

 Logan paused. There was no way he head Virgil correctly. “I’m...sorry?”

“He’s not dead yet.” Virgil ran a hand down his face. “So just… stop moping about, and know that if I had my way he would be.”

 Logan felt his mouth go dry at the new information. “He’s...alive? I-I don’t understand…” Logan met Virgil’s eyes despite himself. “How do I know you are even telling the truth?”

“You don’t, but I’d bet you’d feel a lot better if I was.” Virgil shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know, considering he’s just as doomed as you anyways.”

 Logan winced, that was true but he still felt better knowing Roman was not yet dead. “May I…” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “May I see him?”

“No.” Virgil answered immediately, knowing that would be next.

 Logan winced and despite knowing he shouldn’t push it, he continued. “Please, I just...I just want to say goodbye, one more time. Now that I know he isn’t dead, there’s still time.”

“No.” Virgil repeated, his chest tightening. “That’s only going to make everything worse.”

 “It’s already the worst it can be.” Logan argued. “The two of us are sitting ducks, simply waiting for you two to eat us. We are dying no matter what and there is nothing we can do. The least you could do is allow me one last chance to tell my best friend goodbye.” A few tears escaped Logan’s eyes but he quickly wiped them away, resolute in holding Virgil’s gaze.

“I owe you nothing.” Virgil murmured, tearing his gaze away. 

 Logan grit his teeth, keeping his tears at bay. “...Does he even know I am here?”

“Doubt it.” Virgil shrugged. “Patton doesn’t even know you’re here.”

 Logan blinked. “He...doesn’t? Why not?”

“Well I didn’t exactly intend on keeping you.” Virgil thought back to that first discovery. “You just took forever to come out and I got hungry first, so I’d already eaten.”

 “I...see.” Logan had figured that much out. “So...there really is no way to convince you to let me see Roman again?” Logan said sadly, looking down.

“Nope, I’m a true monster like that.” Virgil knew that title was true in multiple ways. But he wasn’t going to go about upsetting Patton with this mess. “Knowledge isn’t always fun, is it?”

 Logan bit his lip. “I-I am quite...hungry.” He said, not meeting the vampire’s red gaze. “I know you do not plan on me surviving here long but something to fill me up will surely make your own...meal of me a bit larger.” He hated that line of reasoning but he had to assume it would be the only one the vampire would listen to. 

“...crap.” Virgil muttered to himself. He had forgotten mortals needed actual food. What did mortals eat these days, anyhow? Regardless, the borrower had a point. It would be more satisfying if the borrower was healthy (probably), and Virgil could always wait longer. He wasn’t feeling very famished tonight anyways.

“Alright, stay here.” Virgil gave a groan, puffing out into a bat and flying off into the forest. Humans were hunter/gatherers, and if borrowers still stole from humans they must eat the same things. Some meat would suffice, and likely any meat.

It was with this thought process that Virgil returned to his bedroom a few hours later, looking a bit bedraggled and holding his catch by its tail.

“Will this do?” Virgil asked, swinging the dead squirrel slightly back and forth.

 Logan looked at the dead rodent in shock and disgust, holding his arm up to his nose to block out the horrid stench coming from it. “Er, n-no, I-I don’t eat raw meat...or cooked squirrel for that matter. Either could get me sick.” Who knew what kind of diseases the animal had?

“Are you kidding me?” Virgil’s nose crinkled in annoyance. “You’re seriously that picky and delicate? Jeez, how do you even survive.”

 By not eating that. Logan thought, but didn’t say out loud. “We survive by living off the humans we live with. Taking scraps of food they leave out and things they wouldn’t miss to use as supplies.” Logan explained.

“Well, in case you haven’t noticed, I ain’t human.” Virgil snarled. “What can you eat that’s outside?”

 Logan flinched back before quickly trying to compose himself. “I...suppose berries would suffice. As long as they aren’t poisonous, of course.” Thankfully, Logan had been taught to tell as he was sure the vampire had no idea of such things.

“How the hell am I supposed to tell if they’re poisonous?” Virgil muttered, more to himself as he stomped out the door.

The vampire returned shortly, a strange assortment of berries in his hand and no dead squirrels in sight.

“Here.” He said gruffly, opening the cage and dumping them in.

 Logan moved out of the way as the berries were dumped near him. He slowly moved closer, watching the vampire warily, before inspecting the different berries. He nodded. “Yes, most of these are safe to eat as far as I can tell.” He would avoid the few he wasn’t sure about or knew to be fairly poisonous. He picked one up and took a bite, almost moaning at finally having some food in him. He then paused. “...Thank you.”

“Sure thing.” Virgil found himself watching the borrower, curious about his eating habits. He seemed to get weirdly into some of the berries, which was a bold statement for a guy who lived off blood.

 Logan continued to eat, until he noticed the vampire staring at him. He paused and coughed awkwardly. “May I...help you?”

“You’re weird.” Virgil said bluntly.

 Logan blinked, setting the berry down. “I’m...sorry?” The vampire was calling him weird?

“Borrowers are so strange.” Virgil frowned, now going off on a bit of a tangent. “If you all are so little and fragile, I don’t understand how you’ve survived this long.”

 Logan sighed. “I understand why it may be hard for you to understand but it really is quite simple.” Logan adjusted his glasses. “We hardly ever venture out outside, at least, for the most part. We stay indoors and live off whatever humans live in the building. We stick to the inside of walls and make our homes there, hidden and away from anyone who might want to do us harm.”

 Logan looked away, examining another berry. “Yes, it is very dangerous. But it’s life. I, and other borrowers, have been living this way for many, many years.”

“Believe me, I know, I was there.” Virgil gave an amused smirk.

 Logan met Virgil’s eyes after a moment. “...Oh? How old are you, exactly?” He had heard vampires lived a long time but never knew what that meant.

“Older than you’ll ever be.” Virgil said cryptically. 

 “I...well, yes, I would assume so, I have heard vampires could live to be hundreds of years old. But that doesn’t quite answer my question.” Logan said, raising an eyebrow.

“Aww, c’mon, don’t you know it’s rude to ask a vamp his age?” Virgil teased. “But go on, guess. How old do I look? Just remember I don’t take well to insults.” Virgil gave a playful snap of his teeth.

 Logan flinched back and gulped, adjusting his glasses. “Well...you look like you are only 22, maybe 24 at the most. But I know that is not the case based on how you are acting.” Logan hummed, looking the vampire over. “I’ll guess...200 years? Give or take a few years, of course.”

Virgil stared at the borrower for a long time, taking pleasure in the way he squirmed uncomfortably.

“You flatter me.” Virgil finally said, giving him a pleased- well, not exactly a smile, but not the usual condescending smirk either. “I’m older, actually. 764 years come December.”

 Logan’s eyes widened. “That...is certainly a long time to be alive.” He would be but a small blip in the vampire’s timeline. A thought that really put his own existence into thought.

“Yeah.” Virgil shrugged. The whole immortality thing lost its appeal somewhere in the century or two he spent alone. “How old are you, anyhow?”

 “I am 24.” Logan answered.

“Weird.” Virgil tried to think back to when he was 24- he thought it had something to do with the plague.

 Logan thought that was a better way to summarize the vampire, not himself. He ate another bite of a berry in careful thought. “I know...it does not really matter. But it’s getting tiresome referring to you as ‘the vampire’. What is your name?”

Virgil blinked, surprised the borrower was even curious. “Why do you care? I thought you were supposed to be quaking in your boots and cowering in my shadow.”

 “Oh, I am very much terrified of my fate.” Logan admitted, shifting his stance. “But at this point, it’s not worth it  to dwell in my own fear. I...still have a little time. I don’t want to spend it unable to do anything.” Not to mention, focusing on fear would stop him from finding a way to escape; but he wasn’t about to let the vampire know that.

...huh. “Virgil.” Virgil introduced himself, tilting his head. This borrower was certainly...strange. 

 “Logan.” He introduced back, despite not being asked. “I would say it was pleasant to meet you but...I believe that kind of courtesy does not apply here.”

Virgil snorted, that dark gleam in his eye again. “You only say that because I’m only keeping you around until I can suck you dry.”

 Logan felt a chill go down his spine and he shivered. “Well...yes. That’s why I implied it was not nice to meet you. I’d rather we had never met, in fact.”

“Lucky for me you didn’t get a say then.” Virgil glanced out the window, frowning at how it had begun to lighten. “Ugh, it’s nearly morning already? Great, I spent the whole night scouring the stupid forest for plants.”

 “Already?” Had the night passed so quickly already?

“Yeah, that’s how time works.” Virgil grumbled, getting back into his coffin. “Don’t go anywhere.”

Logan furrowed his eyebrows. “Where would I go?” He asked, looking around at the cage that had him effectively trapped.

“Oh yeah.” Virgil seemed to find this amusing, a smirk on his face before he was once again encased.

 Logan sighed and prepared for another long day alone with his thoughts. He wondered if tonight was the night he would be eaten…

-----------------------------------------

 Logan glanced out the window where the sun was just starting to set. He let out a tense sigh, curling in on himself as he stared down at the metal floor. He knew there was no use dwelling on the past...but he couldn’t help it. His mind kept wandering to Roman and what Virgil had told him before.

Roman was...gone. Was it his fault? Logically he knew there was nothing he could have done but some deep rooted part of him was blaming himself for all of this happening. If he had just been paying more attention or-or something then maybe he wouldn’t be here, awaiting his own death.

 Maybe Roman would still be alive.

 Logan didn’t want to give up but he was finding it difficult to figure out a way out. He had already scoped out the cage he was in several times and so far, nothing had presented itself as a way to escape. He truly was trapped and at Virgil’s mercy.

 Well...at least he would be seeing Roman again soon.

There was a shuffling from the coffin a few minutes later, the vampire appearing once the window had gone dark.

Virgil gave a groan, stretching his arms above his head. The familiar scent of borrower wafted around his room, making Logan into almost an aromatherapy candle.

Virgil felt himself growing hungrier, but still the thought of just eating the borrower felt… anticlimactic. Yes, surely that was the reason for the tightening in his throat. It would be too easy.

“Evening.” Virgil greeted, crossing his arms in an intimidating fashion and creeping over to the cage.

 Logan felt his heart rate spike up in fear. He forced his facial features to remain neutral, though. He nodded. “Evening.” His hands tightened it’s hold on the fabric of his jeans, waiting for the news that this was it. His last few moments.

“You’re fairly polite for a snack.” Virgil teased, reaching out to unlock the enclosure with agonizing slowness.

 Logan’s eyes widened, forgoing the neutral expression and he jumped to his feet. “L-Like I said, I see n-no point in letting my...my fear consume me.” Although he would admit, he was having a hard time getting a handle on it right now. 

“Fear consume you, huh?” Virgil grinned, showing off his fangs as he snatched up the borrower. “Unfortunate choice of words.”

 Logan yelped, shaking in the vampire’s tight grip. “I-I, that was com-completely unintentional.” He stuttered. He stared into Virgil’s mouth and at his fangs for only a moment before he had to turn his head away.

Virgil gave an appreciative hum. “You know for someone who’s claiming to be unafraid, you’re shaking quite a bit.”

 “Well it’s...it’s a little hard when I know-when I know what’s about to h-happen.” Logan winced. He truly wished he could stop but his body wasn’t listening.

“Oh, really?” Virgil tilted his head, pretending to be confused. “And what exactly is going to happen? Tell me.”

 Logan shut his eyes tight at the demand. “You...You are going to e-eat me.” He said quietly, a few tears escaping his closed eyes.

Virgil paused, watching the borrower break down in his hand. He had hoped this would help rouse some of his predatorial instincts, but now he just felt that terrible nausea again, throwing him briefly back to horrible memories. Curse this stupid sympathetic spirit of his, it only landed him in trouble. 

“...nah.” Virgil shrugged, giving a laid back appearance.

 Logan blinked, a few more tears falling. He looked up at Virgil. “Wh-What?” He felt hope rise up in his chest but he pushed it down, knowing it couldn’t be that simple.

“Not tonight, that’s too easy.” Virgil decided. Maybe tomorrow he’d be hungry enough to go through with it.

 “I see…” Not what he was hoping but it seemed like he at least had another night to live. Part of him was thankful though the other part was simply wishing to be done with it already. “So...why am I out then?” He asked, squirming some more in the grip.

“I got bored, and it’s fun to see you struggle.” Virgil’s expression darkened maniacally, with a flick of his wrist sending the borrower into the air.

 “Ah!” Logan screamed as he was suddenly airborne. He landed with a soft thud and a groan back onto Virgil’s palm. His shaking had increased. “P-Please, don’t…”

“Don’t what?” Virgil tossed again, catching with his non-dominant hand this time. “Need I remind you of my cat-like reflexes?”

 Logan screamed again, shakily sitting up as he landed again. “A-All the same, one wrong move and I could…” He gulped, catching how far up he was from the ground.

“Fall to an early untimely death?” Virgil supplied, twisting his wrist and dangling Logan upside-down by his fingers.

 “Y-Yes!” Logan answered as he felt a rush of blood go to his head. Already he was becoming dizzy. “Put me down!” He struggled for a second before realizing how bad of an idea that was and stilled.

“Oh come now, I don’t think you’d really die from this height.” Virgil slowly began to swing the borrower back and forth. “But if you’re a betting man… hey, it’s your funeral. I’m happy to indulge you to prove it. The roof, however, that would be fatal for your brittle baby bones.”

 “No! I am certainly not, please, I thought you wanted me alive when you ate me!” Logan exclaimed, once again using logic the vampire would take to.

“Eh, blood is blood, even if freshly killed.” Virgil wondered if maybe that would make it easier to stomach. Maybe he should just off the borrower and be done with it. Once the borrower was dead there’d be no use in wasting it.

 “Well…” Logan adjusted his glasses, surprised they hadn’t dropped from his face. “I like to think of myself as even more intelligent than them.” He allowed himself a slight twitch of his lips. “After all, humans are stupid enough to miss things going missing and if they do, they simply chalk it up to something as trivial as a forgotten memory. Or a ghost. Although…” He looked over at Virgil. “I am to assume if vampires are real then…”

“What, are you asking me about ghosts?” Virgil arched an eyebrow, caught somewhere between amused and annoyed as he sat down properly and set Logan on his knee. “As an undead I think that’s racist.”

 Logan let out a sigh of relief as he was finally put down. He sat down, seeing no use in trying to escape, especially when he was on Virgil’s person. His eyebrows furrowed. “My apologies...although I am a bit confused on how you found that racist. I was simply asking a question.” He tilted his head. “Also, wouldn’t that be more specist?”

Virgil snorted. “Yeah, sure, whatever. Point is ghosts aren’t in my family tree. Well, they are, but only because my relatives haunt me. Any real ghosts usually keep their distance.”

 “Ah, so they are real.” Logan noticed, humming in thought. “Fascinating.” He never would have guessed these supernatural creatures actually existed.

“They’re really not; they’re just humans who are whiners. Oh, and also dead.” Virgil added the second bit as an afterthought.

 “Couldn’t that technically be said about you and other vampires? After all, you were all human before too, weren’t you? And now you are technically ‘dead’ though undead is a better description.” Logan asked.

Virgil narrowed his gaze. “Now that is definitely species-ist, and offensive. I advise you to never imply a single drop of me was or ever has been a filthy mortal again.”

 Logan blinked. “You...have always been a vampire? I did not even know that was possible.”

“There’s purebreds, like me, and then there’s halfbreeds, like Patton.” Virgil’s eyes widened in slight horror, realizing what he said and stumbling over his words to correct. “I mean, ah, Patton’s not less of a vamp; well he’s weaker, but… no, shut up. Patton’s as vampire as the rest of us and anybody who says otherwise isn’t worth their fangs.”

 Logan raised his hands in surrender. “I didn’t say anything. And though I haven’t met this Patton, I believe him to be as much of a vampire as you.” ...Especially if that was the vampire that had eaten Roman.

“...Good.” Virgil sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Sorry, I’m just...defensive, when it comes to Patton.”

 Logan hummed. “Is it because you were the one to turn him?” He guessed. He didn’t know what other reason Virgil would care so much.

Virgil tensed, looking down at Logan with confusion and slight suspicion. “How’d you know that?”

 “From the way you spoke of him and the fact you live together, it was a logical conclusion to make.” Logan explained, glad to know he was right. “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you turn him in the first place? You do not strike me as the type to enjoy company.”

“What makes you say that?” Virgil looked almost baffled at the insinuation.

 “Well...maybe it just feels that way to me, seeing as how I’m meant to be prey at not another being of which you would want to converse with. But you spend a lot of time alone here and I have not heard you speak of anyone else but of Patton. You also give off this...stand-offish aura about yourself.” Logan explained his reasoning, which he took as pretty solid evidence.

“Huh, yeah I guess.” Virgil shrugged. “I just found it weird because I do like company, just… very specifically company. Or exclusively Patton.”

 “Is there some sort of bond that happens once a vampire turns a human?” Logan asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

“Usually, a Turned vampire has a sort of… mentorship with the Vamp that turned them.” Virgil explained in kinder terms than others would. “Sometimes it’s more of an apprenticeship and you leave when you’re trained, sometimes it’s more of an eternal life servant if you can control them, but usually it’s just another way of growing your… family, I guess? I don’t know if that’s the right word. I just know eternity is lonely and I didn’t want to be alone.”

 “I...see.” Logan said. He had never thought much of eternity, after all, he was not eternal but he did not like the sound of it. “That makes sense I suppose. Did you choose Patton randomly or was he someone you...for lack of a better term, stalked and chose?”

Virgil tensed, knowing the truth was a bit of both. He had chosen Patton, yes, but only as a quick dinner back in the days when a non-lethal drink was considered poor taste… but then, looking into Patton’s eyes, Virgil felt guilt pool up in him. Not a common occurrence when you’re a horrible monster born to suck the life out of humans and suffer until one plunges a stake through your heart.

“I just knew.” Virgil snipped, not willing to spill his life story.

 Logan bit his lip. The tone Virgil used told him to not try and ask any further questions about that. He looked around the room and out the window, noticing the moon still high in the sky. “If...If I am to not die tonight, may I have something to eat or drink?” Logan asked, only slightly hesitant.

“Oh, right.” Virgil inwardly cursed himself. He was exceedingly bad at this… even if it didn’t really matter, Virgil felt like he was failing anyways. Maybe some of Patton’s hosting instincts were rubbing off on him, wanting to make sure his ‘guest’ was taken care of. If that were the case, it was certainly weird that those instincts had decided to kick in now, with what was supposed to be his food.

“Alright, come on then.” Virgil set the borrower on the ground, standing up to his full height.

 Logan blinked, straining his neck as he looked up at Virgil. “I-I’m sorry?”

Virgil didn’t bother replying, instead disappearing into the familiar black cloud. When his bat form emerged it dove for Logan, sweeping the borrower off his feet by grabbing both arms with its claws.

 “Ah!” Logan screamed as he was suddenly lifted into the air. He tried to look up and saw a portion of Virgil’s bat form from his perspective. He forced himself to cease his struggling, knowing it would do him no good to fall from this height. 

 “Wh-Where are we going?” He asked instead, wondering if Virgil could even talk in this form.

Squeak!

The bat gave a noise about as annoyed as a bat could sound, rolling its eyes as it glided up through the open window and down towards the forest.

 Logan was going to take that as a ‘no’ then. He shifted slightly, trying to keep the nails from scratching him. He supposed he would just have to wait and see where they went.

Once out of sight of the house, the bat unceremoniously dropped Logan onto a tree branch, before with a puff the vampire had reappeared, grinning down at the borrower.

 Logan yelped, gripping onto the branch below him as he warily looked up at the vampire. “Was it really necessary for me to come with you?” He asked.

“Yeah- if I’m doing your boring food gathering, you have to come too.” Virgil grabbed up the borrower, placing him on his shoulder. “Besides, now I don’t have to guess what you can eat, and the fresh air will do you some good.”

 “How will fresh air do anything?” As a borrower who never went outside, he didn’t get it. He gripped the fabric beneath him in order to stay on Virgil’s shoulder.

“I don’t know- you’re the one that needs to breathe.” Virgil reminded him, walking further into the forest. “Patton just uses that expression a lot. I assumed it was a thing.”

 “I have heard humans use it as well but it doesn’t imply to me, as the outside is dangerous for borrowers.” Logan explained. He had only been outside a handful of times.

“Okay, well, pretty sure a vampire coven is more dangerous for you.” Virgil argued.

 “...That is a fair point.” Logan admitted. It had certainly been for Roman and soon him.

Virgil stopped, squinting down at the first berry bush that he came across. “Can you eat these?”

 Logan looked them over. “I am unsure about these, so I would say no.”

“You could just test them.” Virgil suggested, taking one off the bush and holding it out.

 Logan sent him a deadpanned look and pushed the berry away. “Again. I do not wish to die.”

“So picky.” Virgil rolled his eyes, even if his tone was mostly teasing as he tossed the berry back into the bush and continued his stroll.

 “Why must we go searching for berries anyway? Could you not just go to a store and buy some food?” Logan asked, warily watching the setting around him. After all, he had never been in the forest before.

“Why should I have to deal with mortal currency? They’re just going to change it again in a few centuries. Plus, there’s like a couple hundred kinds now. Nobody just accepts gold, it’s ridiculous.” Virgil was grumbling now, clearly annoyed at the turn of modern civilization. “Not to mention I’m terrible with glamors, so even if I had a strange desire to stroll through down it would certainly be accompanied by screaming. Humans are bad at minding their own business.”

 “I...see.” Logan hummed. “So, you just stay away from humans, period, unless you’re feeding from them?” He asked.

“Why else would I interact with them?” Virgil shrugged lightly.

 “Fair point. Humans really are worth only what they can provide, aren’t they?” Logan said. He lived off of humans, sure, but he never wanted to interact with them. Even if mostly because it would probably be fatal for him.

“Oh yeah, you leech off them too.” Virgil mused. “I like the way you think, half-pint.”

 Logan felt his lips turn up into a smile despite himself. Were they...actually getting along?

 No...no Virgil must simply just be playing with his food. The vampire still planned to eat him after all. His smile dropped and he focused more on looking around him. “There are some berries over there that I think are good.” From this distance, they looked like blackberries.

Spotting the bush, Virgil took some extra strides at vampire speed to hasten the process. He gathered up some of the fruit, cupping it so Logan could take from his hand. “Can you eat these or are you going to deny my charity again?”

 “No, these are perfect.” Logan said, grabbing one. They were indeed blackberries and he took a large bite from it. “Thank you.”

“I mean, I was the one accidentally starving you, but you’re welcome.” Virgil accepted his thanks.

 Logan ate another bit before biting his lip. “May I have some water, as well? If that’s possible?” He was quite thirsty despite the berry’s juice.

“If you’re not picky.” Virgil knew some humans wouldn’t drink anything but that bottled plastic junk. “There should be a stream this way.”

 “That should be fine.” After all, he was used to drinking rainwater.

“Good, cause that’s all I got.” Virgil’s adept hearing picked up the babbling brook. He broke through the overgrowth, spotting water source. Virgil crouched down on the mossy shore. The vampire reached up, gathering Logan in his hand and placing him on the stones.

 Logan took a moment to catch his balance before kneeling down and sipping the stream water. He took generous sips, sighing in relief as the cool water washed down his throat. He had been thirstier than he had initially thought. He took a few more sips before standing back up. “Thank you, that should hold me over.” Until his death tomorrow, Logan thought sorrowfully.

“Wait, frick, how often are you supposed to drink water?” Virgil asked, realizing he hadn’t given the borrower any before now.

 “Well...really, it should be several cups a day. But I can also go three days without water. It isn’t healthy but it’s possible.” Logan explained.

“Well yeah, obviously, because you’re not dead.” Virgil’s face pulled into a concerned grimace. “Ugh, now I wish I’d brought a bottle or something...why didn’t you say anything?”

 Logan blinked. “I did...not think it mattered.” And he did not see how it mattered now either. “I will be dead by tomorrow night anyway, right?”

Virgil blinked, slowly remembering who he was talking to. Yeah, this was the borrower he captured as a powerful snack. It didn’t matter if he stayed hydrated because by tomorrow evening Virgil would be starving and willing to eat anything and completely able to get over this stupid hesitation.

“Right.” Virgil muttered, his voice so gravelly it was nearly a growl as he scooped Logan back up into his fist. “But I’m not going to have a little thing like you cheating and trying to kill yourself off early.”

 Logan just bit back a yelp as he once again found himself in the vampire’s fist. He didn’t bother to struggle though. “I wasn’t planning on it.”

“Then you’re going to tell me all the things you need so you don’t accidentally die on me either.” Virgil ranted, storming off into the forest. “No more keeping me in the dark.”

 “O-Okay?” Logan said, confused by how worried Virgil seemed, despite how he tried to cover it up. “Really though, I should be fine for the rest of my time with you.”

“Don’t make assumptions about how long you’re with me; I’m the one in charge here.” Virgil glared briefly down at the borrower in hand. “If I wanted I could just eat you now. No rules about having to do it in the house.”

 Logan felt his heart skip a beat at the glare. “I am...well aware.” He ducked his head. “My apologies.”

“...I’m not going to, though.” Virgil conceded, ducking beneath a branch as he neared the edge of the woods. “Like I said, not tonight.”

 Logan nodded and then paused. “...May I ask a question?”

Virgil stopped for a moment, his curiosity piqued. “Uh, sure I guess.”

 “Have you...have you ever eaten any other borrowers before?” With how old Virgil was and how he had already known about his kind, it honestly would not surprise him.

Virgil tensed, feeling his mind wander uncomfortably close to the dark days of his past.

“Nope, changed my mind, no questions.” Virgil didn’t even wait for the borrower’s reply, setting Logan roughly on a branch before switching to his bat form.

 Logan found that odd, definitely. But the question left his mind once Virgil changed into a bat. Knowing what was to come next, he sighed and lifted his arms up. Might as well make it easier on himself.

The bat swooped in, gathering up Logan and flapping its wings at a much faster pace than before so even by vampiric standards the duo returned to Virgil’s room in a matter of seconds. The bat flew up to the top of the room, dropping the borrower then transforming back and catching Logan before he could hit the ground.

 “Ah!” Logan screamed as he was dropped, only to let out an ‘oof’ as he was caught. He panted at the scare, looking over at Virgil. “You don’t want me to die early and yet you pull stunts like that.”

“I just don’t want you to die not by my hands.” Virgil corrected, opening the cage. “Besides, you’re fine. I didn’t drop you.” Virgil considered the stunt to be adequate payback for the borrower’s question.

 “You technically did, you just caught me as well.” Logan said but there was no bite to it. He glanced at the cage and sighed. Back in there again.

Virgil gave a chuckle at that, caught off guard by the borrower’s dry wit. “Okay, fine, I didn’t not catch you. You’re fine.” 

 “Fine is a relative term, but I suppose I am.” Logan agreed, somewhat.

With a satisfied nod at the borrower’s approval, Virgil put Logan back into the cage. He gave a two-fingered salute, heading back to his coffin. “Whelp, see ya tomorrow night.”

“Virgil…” Patton spoke in a warning tone, giving his friend a stern look.

“Non-fatal human.” Virgil rolled his eyes. Patton was always so picky, even if Virgil hadn’t messed up in decades.

 “Well, you’re just wasting your time! You’re not going to find anyone!” At least, Roman hoped not.

Virgil didn’t even bother deigning the borrower with a response. With a puff of smoke the vampire vanished, the only sign he had been there at all was a little black bat fluttering out the window.

“Be careful!” Patton called after him, despite everything.

 “...Did he just turn into a bat?” Roman asked, watching as the bat disappeared from sight in the dark sky.

“Oh! Uh, yeah, that’s one of our abilities.” Patton explained. “Well, one of his at least.”

 “R-Right.” He thinks he remembered hearing something like that. Hesitating for a moment, Roman started pushing against the hand again but not as hard as before, knowing it didn’t matter anyway. Didn’t mean he wasn’t panicking any less though.

Patton sighed, his heart breaking at the weak attempts to escape. “I know you probably don’t want to hear it right now, but… I really am sorry about this.”

 Roman felt a chill run down his spine and he turned to face the vampire. The dull red eyes, though not quite as frightening as Virgil’s, were still more then enough to make him tremble. “P-Please, please don’t…” 

Patton’s eyes widened. “Oh, no no no!” Patton winced, realizing he should have reassured the poor borrower sooner. He could hear and feel just how fast that miniature heart was rapidly pumping away, a sure sign of the little one’s terror.

“No, I’m sorry, please don’t be scared.” Patton pleaded. “I’m not going to eat you, I promise.”

 “H-How do you expect me to believe you! You’re a vampire!” Roman shouted more out of fear then the anger he was trying to convey. “And-And it’s not like I didn’t hear you tell the other one that you were planning to.”

Patton flinched at the harsh tone, knowing the borrower was just lashing out. “I only said that so Virgil would leave you alone, honest! I can’t even stomach the thought of drinking from humans half the time. I could never kill somebody, no matter the smell of their blood.”

 Roman bit his lip, a little bit of hope rising inside of him. “If you’re telling the truth...then does that mean you are going to let me go?” Does that mean he could go home, grab Logan, and move the heck away from that apartment?

“I… I can’t.” Patton sighed, having considered this himself. 

 “W-What?” And just like that, Roman’s hopes were dashed. “Why not!”

“You heard Virgil.” Patton’s shoulders crept up to his ears, feeling guilty despite knowing he was right. “If I let you go, he’s just gonna get his hands on you instead, and even if Virgil’s...” Patton shook his head, not even sure what had gotten into his best friend. “I’m not letting you get hurt.”

 Even if Patton was telling the truth, he wasn’t at all comfortable with staying with a vampire. The fact he kept bringing up how he smelled was putting him on edge. “So then...so then what are you going to do?” He pushed against the fingers again, hoping one of the things the vampire would do would be to put him down.

“...that’s a very good question.” Patton murmured, having not thought this far ahead. Honestly, even just holding the borrower made it hard to think clearly, his instincts always right near the surface. He shook his head, trying to distract himself as he walked further into the house. “Um, I guess we could set up a place for you to stay? I need to get something to eat too, actually. Wait, sorry, not used to living people here, I’m gonna have to find you some food… what do you eat?”

 “Um...normal stuff?” Roman said, looking around the house as they moved. It certainly gave off a vampire vibe. “H-Human food?”

“Okay, coolios, that- that’s good!” Patton tried to look on the bright side. “Thomas goes out with me all the time, I can just get the food to go for you instead of eating it myself.” 

 “O-Okay?” Roman wasn’t sure if he should eat any food he was given. What if they were just trying to fatten him up? Make his blood even tastier? Should he risk starving so he wouldn’t be eaten? It was a slow death versus a fairly quick one but Roman was still inclined to take the former in this instance.

“And, I guess you can stay in my room…” Patton murmured, pushing open the door. He tried not to think what Virgil would say if (or more likely, when) he found out Patton decided to harbor the borrower instead of drinking his blood.

 Roman looked around the room. Unlike the rest of the house, it felt much less dreary. But still kind of off. Almost like it was trying to hard to create a cheerful atmosphere. “Er...where?” He hoped he wouldn’t be trapped. If he was, it would be a lot harder to try and escape.

“Good question again.” Patton chuckled, beginning to scope out his room for any potential containers. After all, it’d be even worse if the borrower just got loose in the house. 

Patton paused, looking down at the borrower in hand. “...hang on a moment.”

 Roman blinked. “Wh-What?” He really did hate looking at these vampires in the eyes.

“I just realized I didn’t ask you your name!” Patton gasped. “I’m so sorry. I’m Patton, what’s your name, kiddo?”

 Kiddo? Well, he supposed that nickname made sense. Patton was probably way older than him. “Er, Roman. My name is Roman.” What was the point in learning your meal’s name though? Was Patton simply trying to trick him?

“It’s nice to- er, nevermind.” Patton let that greeting trail off, knowing Roman likely didn’t agree. His eyes scanned the room, spotting a small chest from a century ago...was it that old? Or older? Patton couldn’t remember. But it was certainly roomy, easily locked, yet far from airtight.

“Oh, perfect!” Patton’s eyes lit up. He set Roman down briefly on his bureau, in favor of using both his hands to dig out the various memorabilia already inside the chest. Being immortal meant collecting a lot of… well, admittedly junk throughout the years.

 Roman blinked. Watching as Patton seemed to be looking through a chest. He was about to ask what he was looking for, when he realized that Patton was distracted. It might be a stupid move to try and escape but Roman couldn’t just not try at all. So, he quickly made his way to the edge and started to scale down.

Patton blinked, noticing movement out of the corner of his eye. That, and it was certainly hard for Patton to not sense the borrower moving, considering every aspect of his vampire side was focused intently on Roman’s existence.

“Roman…” Patton gave a sad sigh, not bothering to give chase as he continued to empty out the chest. He knew it would be simple enough to catch the borrower again considering Patton had an unfair advantage. “Please don’t.”

 Roman ignored Patton and only climbed down faster as he knew he had been spotted. But Patton had yet to move, which meant he had a chance, right? As his feet hit the ground, he couldn’t help but feel another wave of hope rise in him. He glanced once more at Patton before taking off running.

Patton lunged, his fingers easily squeezing around Roman’s tiny form.

 “Ah!” Roman yelled, once again finding himself struggling in the vampire’s grip. Patton had been so fast. He had forgotten how fast he could be. “Release me you vile creature of the night!”

“Hey!” Patton frowned, lifting the borrower higher to glare at him. “There’s no need for name calling.”

 Roman felt himself freeze at the glare the vampire gave him but he forced himself to ignore it. “I think there is. Especially if it’s true!” It really was a bad idea to make a vampire mad but he was going to die one way or another anyway. Might as well get in a few hits.

“No it’s not!” Patton insisted. “I’m not a- a vile creature. I’m a perfectly pleasant creature.”

 “Really? I have yet to see any pleasantness. In fact, I would call planning to keep and eat someone the exact opposite of pleasant.” Roman growled, trying his hardest to kick his legs against the grip. However, he could barely budge them as they were held firmly within the hand.

“I already told you, I’m not doing that.” Patton’s gaze softened. “I know I can be...scary, but you’re safe here. I promise.”

 “Well I don’t feel very safe.” Especially not with Patton’s hand wrapped around him tightly. It didn’t hurt, thankfully but it was still uncomfortable. Not to mention, he still didn’t believe Patton’s claims.

“Okay, fair enough.” Patton sighed. He supposed it would take some time for Roman to get used to this. He grabbed a spare blanket, lining the bottom of the chest. Satisfied, Patton set Roman down in the center. “Alright, I need to go, er, hunting. Just- stay here, okay?”

 Roman blinked, looking around where he had been put. “Wait-no! You can’t leave me in here!” What even was this? Wait, was this the chest Patton had been looking through?

“I promise I’ll be back soon.” Patton grabbed the top of the chest, slamming it shut and locking it for good measure.

 Roman jumped as the top was closed with a heavy thud and he was masked in darkness. He spent several minutes looking for a way out but the chest was sturdy. He was trapped.

 “Then I starve! It’s a lot better fate than being eaten by some monster!” Roman exclaimed, shaking in the grip.

“Roman.” Patton whined, feeling absolutely awful. “I’m not, I swear on my grave I’m not going to eat you. I’m not that kind of vampire! I feed on little forest creatures and can’t stomach the thought of actually hurting them, how could I possibly kill you when you’re a miniature person with cognitive feelings?”

 Roman looked down. “I don’t know! How could you possibly keep me captive then, huh? Explain that!”

“I’m trying to keep you safe.” Patton whimpered, his fangs biting at his bottom lip. “I’m doing my best.”

 “Keep me safe from what? Cause the only danger I see around here is you.” Roman growled, doubling his efforts to push against the hand. Of course, double of practically nothing was still practically nothing.

“No, I-I mean Virgil!” Patton quickly reminded him. “He’s not himself, he’s all bloodlusted, don’t you remember? If I turned you loose he might…” Patton gulped, not liking to picture it.

 Roman frowned, remembering the other vampire quite well. He...did seem a lot worse than Patton, that was for sure. “...How can you expect me to trust you?” Roman decided to ask.

“Well… I think you’ve just gotta, kiddo.” Patton gave a sympathetic shrug. “There aren’t really any other options.”

 Well that didn’t sit right with him...but he supposed Patton was also right. He could still be wary around the vampire and look out for any and all escape attempts but...until an opportunity arose he needed to keep his strength up. And starving himself wouldn’t help him with that.

 “...Fine. But only because I don’t have any other choice.” Roman said, not meeting Patton’s eyes.

Patton seemed satisfied with this answer, holding out the food.

 Roman sighed but took the food all the same. He looked it over, recognizing it as a chicken nugget from some fast food place. He glanced up at Patton before taking a bite out of the still warm nugget. He practically moaned at the taste and the first bite kicked his instincts into overdrive. He ate the thing in under a minute, still feeling hungry. 

Patton giggled, unable to hide his grin at the fact Roman was finally, finally eating. “Do you want some more?” Patton offered up a second, loving how cute the borrower looked when he ate.

 Roman nodded, grabbing the next offered nugget like a small child would and started into that one. Once he was about halfway finished, he seemed to realize he was still in the vampire’s grip. “Um...can-can you put me down? P-Please?” Roman asked, hating how nervous he still sounded.

“Hmm?” Patton tilted his head, for all intents and purposes a confused puppy. “How come?”

 “W-Well, it’s just…” Roman squirmed. “It’s...a little uncomfortable.” Understatement but it’s what he was going with.

“Why?” Patton insisted. He changed the position of his hands, so that it was a flatter surface. “Is this better?”

 “It’s...a little bit but I would much rather be set down.” Roman bit his lip. “I am not used to being in hands bigger than myself.” It was honestly terrifying. 

“Oh, I gotcha kiddo.” Patton nodded sympathetically. “But how are you gonna get used to it if you don’t do it?”

 Roman blinked before he chuckled nervously. “I mean, I-er, I don’t really want to get used to it. I’m perfectly capable of getting to places on my own.” He was hoping he wouldn’t be with Patton long enough to ‘get used to it’ anyway but if he could stop it from happening while he was here, then he would take it.

“Well sure, but I’m a lot faster.” Patton teased, ruffling Roman’s hair with his thumb. “Besides, you’re just so cute! I love holding you.”

 Roman froze as his hair was ruffled, not daring to move until the thumb was taken away again. Roman frowned. “I’m not cute, I’m handsome.” He muttered, shifting a little. Cute was far to degrading for him to take as an actual compliment. “And you make like it but I really do not.”

“Well you can be cute and handsome.” Patton corrected with a smile. “Okay, how about a compromise, then? Obviously I can’t hold you all the time- or can I?” Patton paused, taking a moment to indulge in that selfish fantasy before shaking his head. It wouldn’t be safe. “But anyways, since I’ll be holding you some of the time, how about you tell me how to make it better?”

 Roman sighed but he supposed if he really couldn’t avoid it, this was better than nothing. As long as Patton actually listened to him, of course. “Well...I’d prefer it if you didn’t grab me. Especially without warning. And to not close your fist around me at all, if you have to carry me, I want your hand to be open. Just like how it is now.”

Patton glanced down at his hands. “Ah… that doesn’t seem very safe, kiddo.”

 “It’s safe. And those are my terms, take them or leave them.” Of course, it would not be hard at all for Patton to ignore them and do whatever but if he was serious about this compromising thing, then he hoped he would listen.

“I’ll be gentle.” Patton assured him, dodging the statement.

 Roman grit his teeth. “I don’t care how gentle you are! I don’t want to be trapped! ...Anymore then I already am.” Roman yelled before trailing off, looking away.

“Aww, hey, c’mon Roman, don’t be mad.” Patton winced, rubbing his finger soothingly along Roman’s back. “I just didn’t want to make promises that I can’t keep, because your safety comes first. But I promise you kiddo, I’ll only do that stuff when absolutely necessary. I don’t want you to be trapped, either.”

 Couldn’t Patton see he was already trapped. But he sighed. “Fine...I suppose that’s acceptable.” He flinched at the feeling of fingers on his back and he had a feeling he needed to address that as well. “Also, could you not do...any unnecessary touching? Please.”

Patton paused, his finger still resting on Roman’s back. “Do you… are you not a touchy feely then?”

 Roman actually was quite the touchy feeling kind of guy but it wasn’t like he was going to tell Patton that. “Not really.” He lied.

“Aww, well you should have just said so!” Patton took his fingers away, going over to his blanket pile and setting Roman atop a pillow. “Virgil’s the same way, most vampires are actually. It must be something with the whole undead thing, but I’m still as touchy as I always was.”

 Roman sighed in relief when he was finally put down. He finished off his chicken nugget and looked up at Patton, confused. “As you always were?”

“Oh, um.” Patton shifted a bit. “I mean when I was human.”

 Roman’s eyes widened. “W-Wait, you were human before?! W-When? And how did this all happen then?” Roman asked, motioning towards all of Patton’s vampyness.

Patton gave an awkward chuckle. “Boy, you sure don’t know a lot about vampires, huh?”

 “Just that you suck blood from humans and, apparently, eat borrowers.” Other then that, Roman didn’t know a whole lot. 

“Fair enough.” Patton rubbed the back of his neck. “Okay, so um, basically, one of the ways you can become a vampire is to Turn. That’s what happens when a vampire bites a human and some… other stuff happens. You can also be born a vampire, too.”

 “I just...assumed you were all born like this.” Roman muttered, looking down in thought. “So...you were Turned?”

“Mhm! About…” Patton paused, his eyes turning a bit glassy as he seemed to be concentrating really hard. “Oh gee, ah, I think it’s been over a- a century now.”

 Roman choked on his own spit in pure shock, coughing painfully as he looked back up at Patton. “Y-You’re over a hundred years old!” That was insane!

“Yeah, I look good for my age.” Patton joked. “Virgil’s older, he’s got another few centuries or more on me, I can never remember.”

 Roman’s mouth fell open. “W-Wow...o-okay, yeah, cool, awesome.” Roman stuttered out, rubbing a hand through his hair. Finding out that his captor was so old...he didn’t know why it didn’t sit right with him but it just didn’t.

“There’s also… a lot of stuff you can’t do as a vampire.” Patton bit his lip, fangs poking out. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, there’s lots of cool powers! But um, there’s…. You miss out on a lot, too.”

 “Like...what?” Roman asked, looking back up at Patton. He had to admit, he was curious about all this. And, if he could perhaps learn some weakness...well, maybe he could use it to his advantage somehow.

Patton let out a slow, sad sigh. “...I miss the sun.” He admitted quietly. “Vampires can’t go out during the day. The older or more powerful you are, the more it affects you, but sunlight can range from giving you a rash to downright fatal.” Patton shivered at that. “You just… you turn to ash. And then you’re just gone.”

“But I miss the sun.” Patton repeated, looking away a bit. “I- I used to love going outside. And now whenever I can none of the birds chirp and the flowers close and everyone is in their beds. It’s like life is always going on out there, and I have to miss it all. Forever.”

Of course, Patton thought bitterly, it made sense. He wasn’t alive at all now.

 “That...I’m so sorry, that truly sounds terrible.” He felt bad for the guy which wasn’t good. He wasn’t supposed to feel bad for his captor. “Is there anything...good about being a vampire?” Roman asked.

 ...Wait, no, he was supposed to be looking for weaknesses!

“Well, the super speed is pretty cool.” Patton said, a shy smile on his face before it fell once more. “And super strength, they both come in handy. Although a lot of vampires are stronger than me because I’m not a proper vampire.”

 Roman raised an eyebrow. “How are you not a ‘proper’ vampire’? You have the fangs and the thirst for blood, don’t you?” Thirst for his own blood.

“Well, yes.” Patton’s laugh was just a bit too high pitched to be entirely natural. “I suppose those do seem like the qualifiers, huh? Well, newly born or turned vampires often start out drinking animal blood, and then move onto- well, human blood. Except the thought of actually hurting anybody makes me queasy, so even if they’ll be fine afterwards and won’t remember it I… it’s hard for me. Cause they just look so scared, and I can’t take it. So even though I’m full grown now I mostly drink animal blood still, and it’s not exactly great for maintaining your vampirism.”

 “I..see…” Roman didn’t understand the difference between the blood but then again, he wasn’t a vampire. He thought for a moment. “Virgil said my blood was powerful...is that why he’s so adamant on you e-eating me?”

Patton nodded, his expression a strange mix of sympathy and fondness. “Yeah, I think so. He’s trying to look out for me, in his own way. Virgil’s been a proper vamp for a long time so he kinda forgets about mortals having feelings, but he still cares about me at least. He worries that I’m hurting myself, getting all weak like this.”

 Roman supposed he understood that, though it still gave him the chills since, well, Virgil wanted Patton to eat him still. “Well...thank you. For not listening to him.” Roman said, not meeting Patton’s eyes.

Patton was quiet a moment. “Of course.”

 “So...who turned you, if you don’t mind me asking?” He had a guess but he could always be wrong.

Patton blinked. He thought it would have been obvious, but he forgot not everyone knew about vampire customs. “Virgil did.”

 Roman nodded. “I figured but I didn’t want to assume.” He thought for a moment. “Why did he?”

“Well, I think because he was lonely?” Patton rubbed his arm a bit, the topic making him uncomfortable. “I was actually one of his… his targets. But then when push came to shove I was crying something awful, and there was this look in his eye as all that bloodlust kinda dimmed and he didn’t seem to know what to do about it. So, he Turned me. I think he feels bad about it, with me being so lousy at being a vampire, but at least he’s not alone. When you live forever, that can be an awful long time.”

 “I...I see.” Honestly, that didn’t seem like such a good thing to be. “And you ...were okay with it?”

“Ah, heh.” Patton gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his neck. “I was pretty freaked. I was glad he didn’t kill me, though, so that helped.”

 “I...suppose.” He almost felt like he was in a similar boat. Not dead but trapped here with a vampire for...for who knows how long. Roman bit his lip. “How...How long do you plan on keeping me here?”

Patton’s smile turned the smallest bit strained. “Roman, I… you do realize if I let you go, Virgil might do something he’ll regret?”

 Roman did not like where this was going. “Y-Yes but surely at some point you’ll be able to...to let me leave.”

“Virgil and I live forever.” Patton reminded him quietly. “We both have your scent, and he’s stronger and faster than I ever could be.”

 Roman deflated. “N-No…”

“Roman, oh Roman, it’s going to be okay!” Patton said hurriedly, laying on his stomach to be eye level with the borrower. “Oh, come now, it’s not going to be so bad, I promise!”

 “No! I can’t be stuck here for the rest of my life! That-That might not seem like a long time to you since you live forever or whatever but I have a life! And I would like to go back to it!” Tears started to fall and he wiped them away, not meeting Patton’s eyes again. “Please.”

Patton felt an aching in his chest, his gaze turning quite pitying at the sight of the borrower’s tears. But what could he do? He couldn’t just let Roman go, he’d feel terrible if anything happened to Roman because of him! He already felt terrible, considering he had brought this whole borrower mess home in the first place and now Virgil was stressed and Patton was miserable and Roman was trapped. It really wasn’t fair, but Patton didn’t think many things were fair nowadays.

“Aw, hey, don’t cry.” Patton cooed softly. “I understand, I- would you mind telling me about your life?”

 Roman sniffed, warily glancing at Patton. “W-Well...I left home to be on my own when I was sixteen. I moved into Thomas’ apartment, although he didn’t own it at the time. I was...alone for about a year after that, borrowing food and such things in order for me to build my home and survive.” Roman explained, not caring about the rules at this point. It wasn’t like they were helping him now.

Patton gave a soft nod, encouraging Roman to continue opening up.

 “And then...um, I…” He bit his lip. He shouldn’t reveal Logan. He couldn’t. Then they would know for sure and then Virgil would never give up looking. “And...then Thomas moved in eventually and things got weird for a bit but then I settled again and...yeah.” He finished lamely.

“Did Thomas know you’re there?” Patton suddenly realized he had forgotten to ask his friend. Oh no, was Thomas worried?

 “No, no. No one is supposed to know that borrowers exist. For our...own safety…” He trailed off. This situation was a good example of why his kind was meant to be secret.

“So you were just...all alone?” Patton clarified. 

 Roman simply nodded, not trusting himself to say anything. He didn’t want to be caught in his lie, after all.

“Oh, you poor thing.” Patton looked sympathetic. “Weren’t you lonely? Why’d you leave your family?”

 “I wanted to make my own out in the world.” Roman answered. “And...no. I was perfectly content being on my own.” He lied.

“Why?” Patton couldn’t imagine that, being the only one of your kind around. Being a vampire could be isolating but at least he had Virgil...who probably knew exactly how that felt. “I mean, how’d you even pass the time? What does a borrower do, anyhow?”

 “I told you. We borrow to survive and make our homes. I would go on walks sometimes and maybe go looking for bugs or rats to fight but that’s about it.” Roman answered, shrugging. Which, was mostly true except he also had Logan to talk with as well.

“So...why can’t you do all those things here?” Patton suggested.

 “That-it’s...it’s not the same.” Roman argued. “I want to go back to the life where I wasn’t trapped and in constant fear!”

“You don’t have to be in constant fear!” Patton insisted. “And I’m just trying to make it, well, homier here for you. I- I know you don’t like this, and you probably hate me, but it doesn’t have to be terrible. I mean, do you really want to stay miserable like this?”

 “...No, I really don’t. But I hardly see any way for you to make this situation better.” Roman said, motioning around him. He sighed. “You can’t change the fact that I’m here against my will.”

“Well, I mean, but you could?” Patton offered. “It’s… well, if you just accepted that I’m trying to help you, it wouldn’t exactly be against your will then, now would it.”

 “Maybe not...but I just can’t change my mind like that.” Roman admitted. 

“I know.” Patton gave a soft sigh. He had once been in a similar boat, after all. “But hopefully you’ll change your mind sooner rather than later. It’s sad seeing you...sad.”

 “Yes, well, I also hate feeling sad but, again, not much I can do about it.” Roman sighed. “Can I just...be put back in the chest?” He wanted to be alone right now.

“Sure thing, kiddo.” Patton gently cupped his hands, scooping Roman up and placing him back in the chest. “Do you need anything?”

 Roman never thought he would be happy to be back in the chest. But here he was. “...Um, more food? If-If you don’t mind.” He was still quite hungry. “And some water?”

“Of course.” Patton left for less than a minute, his super speed coming in handy as he placed the refilled water dish in the chest. For good measure, Patton placed the rest of the food at the other end of the chest, figuring that while Roman would likely not finish all of it he had the right to choose what he wanted and eat as much of it as he desired. Patton owed him that much.

 Roman’s mouth watered at the food and he nodded. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Beat. “Bye, Roman.” And with that, Patton closed the chest.

“Virgil, I do not hate you! I lo- VIRGIL!” Patton cut himself off, shoving his chair back to chase after his best friend as the vampire dashed out the door. It was no use- even in his harried state, Virgil was much faster than Patton, and by the time Patton stumbled over his own feet out into the night Virgil was nowhere to be seen.

“...Virgil.” Patton repeated softly, little tears collecting in the corners of his eyes. Did Virgil really think that? What had gotten so upset to begin with? And why would he possibly believe that Patton did anything less than love him unconditionally?

Patton sniffed, wiping his nose on his sleeve and shuffling back inside. He tried to replay the events that just transpired in his head, wondering idly as he returned to his blood bag what could ever get Virgil that worked up. He had looked so… scared. Like he was scared of himself, or what he might do; or what he had already done, by the sounds of it. 

“Stop moping.” Patton quietly scolded himself. He brushed the tears away that were threatening to fall. It would do no use getting caught up in the ‘what if’s if Virgil didn’t want to talk, because Patton had no hope of finding him, especially on one of his weaker nights like tonight. Besides, right now there was somebody else who required his care.

Patton shuffled into his bedroom, grabbing the bag of food he had stowed away earlier and kneeling in front of the chest. He lifted it, light shining in on the little borrower. “Hey, Roman.”

 Roman blinked awake, yawning as he sat up and looked up at Patton. Was it evening already? Being in the dark chest, it was hard to tell what time of day it was. “Evening, Patton.”

“I brought you some food.” Patton attempted a smile, passing it down.

 Roman simply took it, taking a bite. “Thank you.” Was all he said as he continued to eat.

“How are you, um…” Patton played with his sleeve, trying to keep the mood light to distract from the interaction he just had. “How are you doing?”

 “Same as ever, locked away in this dark and dreary chest.” Roman snarked. He was still upset over the fact that Patton was keeping him here, after all.

Patton winced, getting a small taste of what Virgil must have been feeling. Patton didn’t hate Virgil, but Virgil thought he did. Here… well, it was very clear what Roman thought of Patton.

“I’m sorry.” Patton said timidly, knowing his words were meaningless at this point.

 “I’m sure you are.” Roman said it sarcastically but honestly? He really didn’t know what to think anymore. He took another bite of his food.

“Maybe we could… find someplace else for you to live?” Patton suggested. “Something less dark and dreary. We could decorate it together, it could be fun.”

 “Ah, yes. Decorating my own cage. Definitely sounds fun.” Roman said but he stood up anyway. He didn’t have anything else to do, after all and yeah, at least something he would help make would be better than this chest.

“I mean, I don’t have any cages… but we could use a box?” Patton offered, putting down his hand.

 Roman considered anything used to trap him a cage but they might be able to do more with a box. “That will do, I guess.” Roman stood up and hesitated as he got to Patton’s hand. At least he wasn’t being grabbed. He stepped on, sitting down in the center.

“Okay, I think I’ve got a stack over here, hang on-” Patton waded through his hoarder pile, finding a collection of cardboard boxes and shoe bins off to the left. “Any stand out to you?”

 Roman’s eyes scanned the boxes, briefly wondering why Patton had so many. Although, noticing the rest of his room, it seemed the vampire was a bit of a hoarder. “Um...that one looks good?” Roman said, pointing to a medium sized cardboard box. Roman would admit, it didn’t feel very good picking his own cage and all.

“Alright.” Patton picked the box in question, tilting it around. “Do you want me to carve a door in it? That way we could put it upside-down and you’d have privacy, unless you’d rather have light… but maybe I have some string lights in here somewhere…”

 Roman frowned, eyebrows furrowed. Patton would put a door in? For him to go in and out freely? Wasn’t this supposed to be his cage? “Er, yes I would like some light and...a door would also be nice.”

“Sounds good!” Patton cleared off a spot, setting the box on the nightstand before heading towards the bedroom door. He paused, wondering if this was a good idea, but he needed a knife to cut the cardboard. Surely a quick jaunt to the kitchen would be fine.

Unfortunately, it was not quick enough. As Patton was grabbing a knife from the block, the front door burst open.

“VIRGIL!” Patton shrieked, turning around to see his roommate all bloody. His clothes were absolutely drenched, and Patton wondered if any blood had made it into Virgil’s mouth at all. “What- what happened?”

 Roman covered his ears at Patton’s shriek, so close to him that it shook his core. His ears were ringing so it took him a moment to register why Patton had screamed. His eyes widened at the sight of the other vampire, the one who had been real keen on Patton eating him, absolutely covered in blood.

 Roman covered his mouth, eyes going wide as he felt like he was going to throw up. He could smell all the blood from here and that alone made him want to gag. He found himself scooting and leaning as far back as possible, wanting to turn his gaze away but unable to.

“Don’t want to talk about it.” Virgil growled, slamming the door shut and stomping up the stairs with a huff. He seemed just as harried as before, but now more angry than sad as he still refused to look at him. 

You’d hate me more… Patton bit his lip, torn as he remembered the borrower in hand. Virgil was clearly a mess right now, but he had also made it clear that he wanted to be left alone… who should he be loyal to?

 Roman was glad to see when Virgil left. He had looked like he had murdered someone, which, he probably had, being a vampire and all. It not only made him more wary of Virgil but of Patton as well. Speaking of, he looked up at the vampire when he hadn’t yet to move. “P-Patton?”

Patton jumped, only now realizing how spooked Roman looked. “Yeah, kiddo?” Patton asked softly.

 Roman bit his lip, wanting to ask one thing but deciding against it. For now, at least. Or maybe ever. He wasn’t really sure he wanted to know anyway. “Can we...get back to decorating?” He asked, wanting to move past this as soon as possible.

Patton gave a deep sigh, hoping he was making the right decision. “Sure thing, kiddo.” Patton grabbed the knife, returning to the bedroom. He set Roman down on the coffin lid, sitting down on the floor and beginning to saw away at the cardboard box.

 Roman sighed as he sat down, feet hanging off the edge as he watched Patton start on his new prison. He watched carefully as Patton handles the knife, almost worried that it would turn on him. Not that Patton needed a knife to be terrifying but it did double his fear.

“What do you want on the walls?” Patton asked, trying to brighten up by distracting himself with his task. “We could paint them or something. I don’t have much art supplies, but Thomas does, and I bet he’d let us use some. I could just say it was a dollhouse.”

 Roman winced. His new prison being referred to as a dollhouse was simply degrading. He wished Patton would just call it a cage. Stop beating around the bush with it. “Uh, yes...I’ve always loved painting when I could get my hands on supplies. I’m sure I could come up with a beautiful design.” Roman revealed.

“You’re an artist?” Patton perked up. “Wow, that’s so neat! So what do you think you’d want to paint?”

 Roman hummed, looking at the barren cardboard walls thoughtfully. “I’m not quite sure yet...but perhaps the night sky could be on one wall. Maybe the sea on the other. And maybe I could leave one blank and paint whatever I want, whenever.” He would need things to occupy his time, after all.

“Oh, if you get bored, you can paint the outside, or the other boxes too! I don’t mind.” Patton assured him. “It’ll be cute, like a little gallery.”

 “Yes, that would be nice. Having something to do, for once.” Roman said, half bitter.

“...sorry.” Patton apologized. “I knew you were mad at me. I didn’t think you’d want to play games.”

 Roman paused. “I am but...what kind of games?” Roman found his curiosity piqued. 

“Well, I’ve got all sorts of games! Board games, mostly, I don’t really understand video games and their machinery. Oh, card games too.” Patton seemed to get excited. “Virgil doesn’t always like to play, but they’re sometimes fun to play alone. More fun to play with human friends though, and I bet borrower friends too.”

 Patton’s excitement was almost...infectious. “That...actually does sound quite fun. I’ve always seen humans playing those games but I’ve never played one myself.” Roman revealed.

“You haven’t?” Patton set the box back on the nightstand. “Oh, I can definitely teach you! I’m a great teacher, especially when my friends don’t know some of the older games. It’ll be lots of fun.”

 Roman shifted his feet a little. He had to admit, it did sound like fun. But also nerve wracking. He had seen a good handful of humans get upset over losing. What if Patton was one just person? What if he ate him afterwards? But...could he even really refuse? “Um...I-I think so too. I’m uh, game if you are.” Roman joked, laughing nervously.

“Aw, no need to be nervous, I promise it’ll be fun.” Patton gave him a grin, putting out his hand. “But first, want to test the door?”

 Roman blinked down at the hand. “...Sure.” He got on after a moment of hesitation.

Patton moved Roman to the nightstand, in front of the crudely made ‘door’. “It’ll probably be dark, and it might get a bit heavy or stuck.” Patton warned.

 Roman nodded and got off the hand, going to push at the door. Patton was right and he had to push a bit harder but he managed to get it open. “It’s...good.” Roman said, still confused. “...Why did you even make a door in the first place?”

Patton tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

 He turned around to face Patton, glaring. “Just call the dumb cardboard box as it is! It’s a cage. My cage, specifically. Meant to keep me trapped here, right? So why-why put in a door? Just to mock me? Give me a false sense of freedom?” Roman demanded to know.

“What? No!” Patton instantly shook his head. “No it’s not meant to be a cage, I-I swear! I just wanted you to have a little home.”

 Roman groaned. “Just stop! I don’t much care that you think it isn’t a cage, it’s still a cage. You said yourself that I wasn’t allowed to leave. So anything you put me in, I’m considering a cage.”

“Well… you can leave the box.” Patton offered, giving the door a slight push. “I’m sorry, I know you hate being stuck here, but I just don’t want anything to happen to you, especially since it’d be my fault.”

 Roman sighed, looking down. “The door’s fine.” Maybe he could even escape, once Patton went to bed. “Let’s just, play that game.” Roman suggested.

Patton hummed, a frown on his face. “You don’t seem very happy.” Patton snapped his fingers, looking as though he’d been struck with brilliance. “Wait, I’ve got it!”

 Roman flinched back at the sudden noise, looking at Patton warily. “Wh-What?”

“Sorry.” Patton apologized, knowing he could be overzealous. “But, I mean, I was just wondering if it would help if I took you out with me.”

 Roman blinked. “Took me...out? Like, outside, out?”

“Yeah, so you didn’t have to stay cooped up in here all the time.” Patton explained, beginning to deflate. “I just thought it might be nice, if you’d like.”

 “It...does sound nice to get out of this place. Even for only a few hours.” Roman said, though he’d much prefer it being permanent, a break would be nice. “But...there needs to be some rules if we do this.”

“Like what?” Patton asked.

 “You can’t...show me to anyone.” Roman said slowly. “That’s the main thing. Also if you plan on...hunting or feeding, whatever you want to call it, I don’t want to come.”

“I won’t.” Patton said, crossing an X over his heart. “I don’t have to eat every day so that should be fine. It’ll be a bit weird though with the secrecy thing… what about Thomas? You know him, don’t you?”

 “No. When I say no one, I mean no one.” Roman said again. “Borrower are supposed to be a secret and I am not going to be the reason that secret was outed.”

“But Thomas won’t tell anyone.” Patton insisted. “I’ll only be going to his house anyway for the paints.”

 “I said no! And if you can’t agree then I’m not coming with you.” Roman huffed, turning around and crossing his arms.

Patton’s lip twitched for a moment, almost pulling into a scowl before it went back to its placid smile.

“Fine.” Patton agreed. He had to remind himself that this was for Roman’s benefit, not his own. If it made Roman more comfortable to be stuck in a pocket for hours that was his decision. Besides, Patton was certain that Roman would warm up to the idea eventually and his only friends would befriend each other. 

 “Good.” Roman said, finally turning back around. “So...are we going tonight? Or are we playing games?”

“It’s the middle of the night, Thomas is asleep.” Patton clipped, shaking himself. Stop that. “I mean… we can go tomorrow. I usually get up early evening to visit him. We’ll go then.”

 Roman backed up a step at the tone in Patton’s voice in the first part, not liking it. “...Sounds good.” He muttered, looking away. 

Patton ran a hand down his face, trying to bite back the awful feelings he could sense just beneath the surface. “I’m… not feeling so well, kiddo. Can we wait on the games?”

 Roman nodded. He didn’t like how Patton was acting so yes, waiting sounded like a great idea. Getting away from Patton sounded like a great idea too. 

“I think I’m just worried about Virgil.” Patton lied, knowing that wasn’t the only source of his discomfort. It might have triggered it, though. “Do you mind if I go check on him?”

 “No, go right ahead.” Roman said, again, just wanting to be away from Patton.

Patton paused, looking over at Roman with a blank expression. “Can I trust you to stay here?”

 Roman tensed, meeting Patton’s eyes for a moment before looking away. “...Yes.” He lied.

Patton gave an almost sad sigh. “I knew it.” He grabbed up Roman, walking across the room.

 “Ah! Hey! I thought we agreed on no more grabbing!” Roman yelled, struggling against the grip.

“And you just said you’d stay put.” Patton retorted, a bit of bitterness leaking into his voice as he opened the chest. Guess we’re both liars.

 Roman his heart skip a beat at Patton’s tone and he looked down at the chest. Back here again, though he really didn’t expect much different. “I-I was telling the truth!” He lied again. He struggled more against the grip. “This isn’t fair!”

“It’s just for a little bit.” Patton assured him, placing Roman at the bottom with a pitying expression. His heart ached a bit, but he couldn’t risk Roman getting out, especially with Virgil being so unpredictable. “I promise.”

 Roman growled and crossed his arms, going to sit in the corner. “Well, apparently your word means nothing.” He muttered. He could only assume he would be in the chest for a while.

Patton gave a slight huff. Why did Roman have to be so difficult? Why didn’t he understand the danger? 

“I could say the same to you.” Patton replied, shutting the chest more harshly than intended.

 Roman jumped at the harsh sound. Looking up into the darkness with sad eyes. Just when Patton was maybe starting to be good, he showed his true colors. Of course. And now Roman was back to the fear of being eaten again. He sighed, curling in on himself. He was going to die here, one way or another.

Patton sighed, pacing a few times in the hall before heading upstairs. This was bad. Usually, he could control himself, and his less-than-ideal vampire diet only made him feel nauseous at times. But now, Patton could feel his instincts bubbling near the surface, dark and sinister and yearning to tear something apart.

--------------------------------------

Virgil sighed, circling the building one last time in his bat form. It had been a couple days since Patton found the borrower, and Virgil had been holding off on his meal in the hopes of finding one of his own. But, it seemed the little things were smart enough to stay inside. Drat.

Well, no use in putting it off now. Virgil flew over the street, spotting a human dawdling on his phone on a park bench. What he was doing was of no consequence to Virgil, the bat swooping down gracefully to land in the shadows. Virgil transformed, creeping up on his target from behind. 

A slight gasp came from the human’s mouth as Virgil plunged his fangs into its neck, holding his hand over its mouth to keep it from screaming. Virgil moaned, intoxicated by the familiar taste after holding out for so long. Vampires only had to eat once or twice a week, but even still this was a long time coming.

Virgil continued to drink, feeling the human go limp in his arms as the blood loss made it dizzy. Typical. Virgil drank his fill, licking at the wound so the saliva would heal the wound. Then, Virgil came around the bench, meeting the glazed over gaze of the human being. 

“You’ll remember none of this.” Virgil murmured, his eyes glowing more red than was natural. The human gave a small nod, before completely passing out on the bench. Virgil didn’t bother adjusting it into a more comfortable position.

Now full, Virgil took his time lazily strolling down the street, grateful for the lack of mortals. He was feeling uncharacteristically optimistic, and perhaps that’s why he decided to circle back to the fated apartment building. 

As Virgil reached the front steps, he froze. Was that…? Virgil gave a cautious sniff, confirming the scent now floating through the night breeze.

A borrower.

 Logan pushed against the underbush, looking around for any sign of Roman. There didn’t appear to be any so far. No footprints or dropped objects but he couldn’t expect it to be that easy. At least he had yet to find any shredded clothes, that was a good sign, at the very least.

Virgil crept around the side, the scent growing stronger as he approached the foliage. He kept his footsteps soft in the grass, moving as silent as the night until he stopped where it was almost overwhelmingly concentrated. This had to be it.

Virgil knelt, shoving the branches aside to get a clear view of his prey. “Gotcha.”

 Logan let out an undignified yelp as the bushes were suddenly ripped aside and a giant face loomed over him. Body tense, Logan wasted no time in turning and running away, hoping to reach the hole that led back into the house. How had the human even found him?

“Oh no you don’t.” Virgil growled, determined to not let it get away. With catlike reflexes Virgil pounced, easily gripping the borrower in his clawed grasp.

 “No!” Logan let out an involuntary shout as he was grabbed. He knew humans to be fast but that had been almost impossibly fast. He struggled in the grip despite knowing it wouldn’t work. His instincts forced him to try something, however.

Virgil ignored the borrower’s protests, squeezing a bit tighter to make sure he didn’t lose his grip as he stood up. This one had given him a bit of trouble- why couldn’t it had shown itself earlier in the evening before Virgil went and got himself all full? No way he could stomach a borrower now.

“Ugh.” Virgil groaned, realizing what he had to do. He shoved the borrower into his pocket, keeping an eye out for any prying eyes as he dashed off into the night.

 Logan went from being squeezed to being shoved into folded fabric that he could only assume was a pocket. His heart rate picked up as he felt the human run. Away from his home and away from any chance of finding Roman. He shoved against the fabric but he did it more for more room than to get out. Even if he managed, a fall from this height would surely kill him.

 How had the human even found him? He had been all but silent and he hadn’t even been aware of the human’s presence until he was pulling back the bush. It was...unnatural, to say the least.

Patton blinked, surprised to see Virgil arriving through the door instead of the window. He quickly hid his doggy bag of food behind his back. “You’re back early.”

“Uh, yeah.” Virgil was just as on edge, creeping around Patton to the stairs. He knew Patton would just try to convince him to let the borrower live- he also knew Patton had been keeping his own around still, but sooner or later Patton would get hungry.

“I’m just gonna- my room…” Patton gestured vaguely behind him, before dashing down the hall.

Virgil blinked. Well, at least Patton’s suspicious behavior kept him from noticing Virgil’s own. 

Virgil opened the door to his own bedroom, where he had fully embraced the vampire stereotypes. It was a dark and gloomy lair, just how Virgil liked it.

Virgil pulled out the borrower, getting a closer look at his find.

 Logan yelped and trembled in the grip despite his own wishes, However, his body froze as he finally met the human’s gaze.

 His eyes...they were a bright red.

 Logan was positive that was not normal for humans. “Fascinating…” He couldn’t help but comment, forgetting about his fear for a brief moment.

Virgil blinked, not expecting that reaction. “...what?”

 “It’s just, well...your eyes.” Logan spoke, once more forgetting who he was speaking with. “They are red. Not an ordinary human color for sure. It’s possible you could be wearing contacts but looking closer, that doesn’t appear to be the case.” Logan hummed in thought as he continued to stare into the red eyes.

 “So...either you have a birth defect or...you aren’t human.” Logan hypothesised.

“Of course I’m not human.” Virgil snarled, showing off his fangs to remind the borrower who was in charge here. “My eyes reflect my lust for blood, growing more powerful when I’m sedated with that aromatic essence.” Virgil gave an emphasizing sniff, raising the borrower higher. “And I’ll give you one guess who’s my next morsel~”

 Logan yelped as he was brought higher and his mind went back to the fear as soon as his captor had snarled at him. His mind, however, still put the pieces together. “Y-You’re a...a vampire.”

“Yeah no shit, Sherlock.” Virgil spat, and if it weren’t for the soundproofing on his walls Virgil was certain Patton would be scolding him for his language.

 “B-But that isn’t possible. Vampires and such creatures don’t-they don’t exist.” Logan stuttered, his body going back to trembling. 

“People say the same thing about you.” Virgil retorted.

 “I...well...I suppose that is a fair point.” He supposed, to humans, he was also some sort of mythical creature. He thought back to the vampire’s threat earlier.

 “Wait, are you...are you planning on consuming me?” He asked, fear clear in his voice.

“Yup.” Virgil grinned, popping the ‘p’. “You sure are slow at catching on.”

 “B-But I would hardly satisfy any sort of hunger.” Logan tried to reason. “I would be less than-than a snack to you. Surely that cannot be worth it?”

“Even as just a snack, the taste alone would be worth it.” Virgil gave a pleased hum, able to hear just how that little heart pounded. “But borrower blood is some of the most potent in the world. It’s said to be more powerful than any human, and ten times as delectable.”

 “Wh-What? How? That’s...That makes no sense…” Logan trailed off, looking down in terrified thought. His mind was racing just as much as his heart in trying to wrap his head around all this.

“Maybe it’s just all that concentrated magic keeping you alive.” Virgil shrugged, lifting the borrower above his head to dangle. He opened his maw. “I don’t make a habit of questioning the logistics of a midnight snack.”

 Logan kicked his legs as his eyes went wide. “No! Stop!” He twisted and turned every which way, uncaring if he fell from such a height as long as long he got away from the vampire’s mouth and sharp fangs.

“Stop what?” Virgil let out a dark chuckle, feigning a yawn as he closed his mouth. He had to admit, it was fun messing with someone so small.

 “D-Don’t eat me, please.” He never thought he would have to worry about something so human eating him. An animal, most certainly, but not a human. Of course, this creature wasn’t a human, so that logic really flew out the metaphorical window.

“Aww, don’t worry, I won’t eat you.” Virgil brought the borrower back down, a dark gleam in his eye. “Tonight, at least. I already had a meal more filling than you’ll ever be. But, in a few days when the hunger pangs return…” Virgil licked his lips meaningfully.

 A few days...Logan only had a few days left to live. And then he would be eaten by this monster.

 Logan had to figure a way out of here. Somehow. In the meantime, it might be best for him to learn as much as he could about vampires. And this one in particular. “How…” He swallowed down his nerves. “How did you even find me?”

“Your scent.” Virgil put a clawed nail underneath the tiny chin, tilting its head up to inspect further. “It’s impossible to ignore. That, and Patton found your little friend a few days ago. Wasn’t exactly difficult to realize more of you were lurking around.”

 Logan’s eyes widened. He had been intrigued by the scent information but all that flew out the window at Virgil’s next words. “N-No…” It couldn’t be...all this time Roman had been caught by a vampire. It had been days already, which meant…

 The other vampire must have already gotten his fill. Logan shivered at the thought.

Virgil smirked, knowing where the borrower’s mind went but not bothering to correct it. Hopefully, for Patton’s own good, that would soon be the case. Borrower blood was said to permanently increase a vampire’s strength. Because Patton rarely fed on humans, he was quite weak as far as vampires were concerned. Virgil worried for him, but now a solution had fallen into their laps. One way or another, Virgil was determined to make Patton drink his fill, and maybe get a little of his own as well. 

“Now, just where to keep you quiet…” Virgil prowled his room, already having his eyes set on his prize. It was a Victorian bird cage, one Virgil himself had used back in that era to keep a pet owl when it was all the rage. It had sat empty for many decades, but Virgil figured it was time it got a new occupant. 

Virgil creaked open the door, giving a good puff of air to clear off some of the dust. It didn’t really matter, considering it wouldn’t be used for long. Satisfied, Virgil dumped the borrower into the cage.

 Logan groaned as he hit the ground with a hard thud. He slowly lifted himself up, looking at his surroundings and at the very old birdcage. He wondered exactly how old it was. He turned to look at the vampire again. “Please...Please, don’t do this.” He said but, honestly, he was probably better of talking to a brick wall. The vampire probably didn’t have any sort of heart or feelings other than hunger and malice.

“Cute puppy dog eyes you’ve got there.” Virgil commented, looking unfazed as he turned the key in the lock. “Might even work if I had a soul.”

 Logan deflated, falling into a seated position as far from the vampire as he could get. For the first time in a long while, he had no idea what to do. And with the knowledge that Roman...that Roman was gone, it made it even more difficult. If Roman, the most charismatic borrower he had ever met, couldn’t charm and convince his way out of being eaten...then what chance did Logan have?

“What’s the matter?” Virgil gave the cage a tiny shove, watching it swing slightly. “All the fight left you already?”

 Logan held onto the bars at the slight swing in order to keep his balance and he glared at the vampire but didn’t say anything. What could he say?

“...pity.” Virgil sighed. Whatever, it didn’t matter if the borrower decided to be all boring and lifeless. It would probably make him easier to eat in a few days. 

Virgil kept himself planted at the doorway, only shutting the door so that the beginning rays of sun wouldn’t leak in.

 Thomas nodded numbly. “I...I definitely have more than a-a few questions, yeah.” Thomas said nervously, watching everyone warily.

 The borrowers were also looking at Thomas nervously but Logan straightened himself up. “Hello, Thomas. I am Logan and this is Roman. We are borrowers who have taken residence in your home but fear not, we only take stuff you do not miss in order to survive.” Logan explained themselves briefly.

 Thomas blinked. “Oh...Okay?” Thomas still looked confused.

“They’re some of my other friends.” Patton explained, sitting down on the floor near the couch. Close to the borrowers for protection, but still giving distance. He hoped he could call them friends. “Um, I sort of found Roman the first time I came to your house. And I didn’t know what exactly Roman was, so I showed him to Virgil...and ah, I promise, Virgil won’t hurt you, any of you-” Patton gave Virgil a pointed look, “-but um… Virgil sort of, well, tried to get me to eat him.”

 Thomas’ face paled. “I’m...sorry?”

 “Yep.” Roman jumped in, popping his P. “Apparently borrower blood is even stronger than human blood. Tastier too. Virgil wanted Patton to eat me so he would become stronger.”

 “And then Virgil came and found me.” Logan continued, glancing at Virgil. “He intended on eating me as well.”

 Thomas felt like he was going to be sick. “But...obviously you-you weren’t eaten. So...what happened?”

“Well, I wasn’t going to eat Roman.” Patton assured him. “I kept him around for a while, and it was awful because we were both miserable, but I didn’t want anything to happen. And with Logan…” Patton paused, tilting his head at his fellow vampire. “What did happen, Virgil?”

Virgil shifted, looking across the room at everyone. So scared, so jumpy. Exactly like the terrified prey Virgil had seen locked up in the cellar back at his family home.

“...I realized I was turning into one of them.” Virgil shrugged with a wince, tucking his arms around himself. “I thought that’s what I always wanted- to be the strongest. I thought if I could just force them into submission, they’d leave us alone. I could make them cut it out, end all the crappy stuff my family’s done for literal ages. But I guess… I guess I just realized, if I went down that same path, I’m no better than any of them. And then I just didn’t know what to do, because of course I was still terrified of losing everything and making everybody around me suffer. Guess I ended up doing that anyway, heh.”

 Logan looked at Virgil, his lips twitching up slightly. Maybe Virgil had learned after all.

 Thomas frowned, coming a bit closer to all of them. “I see...well, I mean…” He looked at Patton. “Patton, I’m not going to lie and say I don’t still feel betrayed and I still hardly know what the heck is going on but...if you guys didn’t even eat these little guys and...and Virgil was right, he didn’t bite me that night, then...I’m willing to help you guys.” Thomas couldn’t believe he was doing this but here he was.

“...thanks.” Patton tried to give Thomas a genuine smile, even if he was still feeling quite disheartened. “Thomas, I… I know this is a lot, but I really am still the same Patton who was your friend. And… y’know, the reason I didn’t tell you all this is because of your reaction. I was scared you’d reject me, and judge me for what I am instead of who I am.”

 “Oh...Patton I am so sorry.” Thomas stepped forward even more. “I...this is going to take some getting used to. And, well you can probably hear it, but my heart is racing. But...based on what I’ve heard, you really are still the Patton I’ve always known.” Thomas gave him a smile.

 “He really is, you know.” Roman said to back Patton up. Giving Patton a smile as well.

“Aww, thanks you guys.” Patton gave them a true smile of his own, fangs and all. “And thank you again, Roman. And Logan. It was really big of you to come out into the open for us.”

 “Of course. We had talked things over these past few days and when we heard you at the door…” Roman shook his head. “Well, we knew we had to help you.”

 “I can only assume you came here because of your brothers, Virgil?” Logan asked, causing Thomas to raise an eyebrow.

 “Brothers?” He repeated, turning to look at Virgil.

“I have two brothers.” Virgil paused. “They’re assholes.”

Patton snorted. “That’s one way of putting it, I suppose.” The smile slowly fell from his face. “They came after us tonight.”

 “Those fiends!” Roman exclaimed.

 Logan winced. “Judging by your state, they seemed to have roughed you up pretty well. How did you even make it here? Were you followed?”

“...we’re not sure.” Patton gave him a guilty expression. “It started in the woods, then the city, and then a truck sort of hit us all. And then when we got up they were gone. I did take a chance, but… I was hoping we could rest here. Anywhere else they could easily get to us.”

 “Right, because...they need my permission or their permission apparently,” Thomas motioned to the borrowers. “To get in, right?” Thomas asked.

“A member of the home, yeah.” Virgil nodded. “Same rules don’t apply to vampire homes, though. They could waltz right into ours whenever they please because we’re ‘family’.” 

 Thomas winced. “Well...you’re welcome to stay as long as you need to. I have a guest room so as long as you don’t mind sharing a room…” Thomas chuckled.

“I mean, I don’t think this is the best plan.” Virgil admitted. “Not that I mind sharing a room, but well… you’re gonna die eventually.” 

“Virgil!” Patton hissed.

“Or move.” Virgil corrected. “All of you. And my brothers are sort of eternal beings who can wait that long, they’ll just smoke us out. Plus there’s always the possibility of them catching any of us on the streets and beating us to a pulp. Actually that’s just Patton and I, if we’re lucky. The rest of you would definitely die.” Virgil grimaced, looking at the borrowers. “Especially you two… ‘cause they sort of found out you exist.”

 Everyone winced. “Well…” Logan started. “I assumed that would happen. I take it our scent is still on the both of you.”

 “Wait, so...they’re just too powerful for you? How come? Don’t all vampires have super strength and speed and whatnot?” Thomas asked, still confused about this whole vampire thing.

“There’s sort of different levels, based on, ah...blood consumption.” Patton gave a nervous giggle. “It decides how weak you are. Animal blood, then human, and top tier is borrower.”

“My brothers got some borrower blood a while back.” Virgil explained. “And even though they don’t have a constant supply, they’re still going fairly strong to this day. Heck we thought borrowers went extinct entirely.”

 “Really?” Thomas blinked, looking to the two borrowers. “Well...I mean, I know you can’t eat them cause that would be horrible but...why not just take small bits of their blood at a time?” Thomas suggested.

 Roman tensed but Logan actually thought over the idea. “That’s...not a terrible idea, actually.”

“Uh, yeah, it is.” Virgil reminded him. “What are you crazy? You guys have so little that one puncture and you’d probably bleed it all.” 

“No, it’s too risky.” Patton agreed, shaking his head. “I don’t want to hurt anybody. I mean I don’t even drink from humans when I can stop myself.”

 “Yes, I am a little skeptical about that idea myself.” Roman admitted, looking warily at both Thomas and Logan.

 “But think about it.” Logan continued. “If our blood is so powerful, then even a few drops of it would give you a boost. And we can afford to lose a bit of blood. Humans do it all the time, after all. If we only give what it relative to a pint to you, even once a week, there is no doubt you two would become stronger.”

“...okay, true.” Virgil hesitantly agreed. “But there’s no way to collect that tiny amount. And, what if we get addicted or something?”

 “...That is a fair point but with Thomas helping us, we could find a way to extract the blood. After all, humans do it to mice all the time and we are about that size. Surely tiny syringes exist.”

 “Okay, yeah, but what about them becoming addicted to our blood?” Roman asked and Logan sighed.

 “Well...I suppose we just have to trust that they’ll be able to stop themselves. It may be easier, since they won’t be taking it straight from us.” Logan explained.

“That’s a lot of trust to put in us, kiddo.” Patton bit his lip.

“Patton, you go crazy over a few human drops of blood.” Virgil reminded him gently. “If we’re going to do this, you have to step it up first and stop driving yourself mad.”

 “You already promised me you wouldn’t skip out on a day drinking blood. I hope you don’t mean to break that promise.” Roman said, arms crossed.

“I-I haven’t!” Patton rubbed the back of his neck. “Just squirrels and such aren’t very… filling.”

 Thomas shifted in his seat, biting his lip. “Um...hey quick question but does getting bit...hurt?”

Patton froze, glancing at Thomas uneasily. “...why?”

“No, it doesn’t.” Virgil answered, already catching on. “It’s a quick prick, and then our saliva provides a numbing sensation so prey doesn’t thrash quite so much. You can also be put under with mild hypnosis so you’re not aware of any of it, if the vamp is capable.”

 Thomas nodded. “...Okay. Then...I volunteer to be your...food supply? Blood bank? Uh, whatever you want to call it. You can feed from me.” Thomas said.

 The borrower’s eyes widened. Having not expected this.

“Thomas, you… you don’t have to do that…” Patton murmured.

“Oh come on, Pat.” Virgil’s tone was bordering between exasperated and pleading. “You’ve got a willing, consenting human right here waiting for you. And you’ve got three bystanders if you ever overindulge. How much more ethical can you get?”

 “Patton…” Thomas started. “It’s okay. If it will help you get better, get stronger so you can defeat Virgil’s brothers eventually. Then...I’m okay with this.”

Patton judged Thomas’ expression. “Okay.” Patton sighed. “But, just, not tonight? I mean it’s been a lot, and I already ate.”

Virgil let out a hiss, jumping away from the door like a cat. “Make that ‘not today’.” He corrected, rubbing at his ankle. Where before he was standing, a sliver of sunlight was creeping beneath the door.

 Thomas winced. “No yeah, I get it. That’s probably good too, since I have to get ready for work.” Thomas looked between everyone. “Um, you guys can make yourselves comfortable, the guest room is just down the hall on your left.” Thomas explained before heading to his own room to get ready for the day.

 “This is good.” Logan said as Thomas left. “With Thomas as a steady food supply for you, you should have no trouble with drinking blood from us.”

“Maybe.” Patton shrugged. “It’s still weird to think about, though.”

“Then don’t think about it.” Virgil gave his own shrug. “Just use your instincts.”

 “Patton, I...I trust you. I think this is a good idea.” Roman said with a smile.

 Logan nodded. “Yes, with a steady supply of our blood, the two of you will match the strength of your brothers in no time.”

“Surpass them, actually.” Virgil pointed out. “Because we’ll have fresh borrower blood.”

 “Even better.” Logan grinned.

 “Well, things seem to be wrapping up nicely.” Roman said with a smile.

 “We still have a lot to do before things are wrapped up.” Logan said, giving Roman a look. “Including...Virgil? May I speak with you...alone?”

“...sure?” Virgil agreed, hesitant about the fact Logan would want anything to do with him after the way he had encaged Logan.

 Logan nodded. “Great. Patton? Roman? Maybe the two of you should go scope out the guest bedroom.”

 “Oh...uh.” Roman leaned in close. “Are you sure?”

 Logan nodded. “Yes Roman, I’ll be fine.”

 “If you say so.” Roman said. He still didn’t fully trust Virgil but if Logan was sure, then he supposed he didn’t have much room to argue. He turned to Patton. “Let’s go then Pat.”

“Um, sure.” Patton agreed, giving the pair one last nervous glance. “Do you want a ride, or…?”

 “Yes, thank you for asking Patton.” Roman said with a smile.

“Of course.” Patton assured him, offering his hand.

 Roman grinned and scrambled on, glad to see Patton remembered his no grabbing rule. Things were looking up already. “Have fun you two.” He eyed Virgil. “But not too much fun.”

 Logan rolled his eyes at that.

Patton gave a tense smile, having a feeling that none of this conversation would be fun. “I’ll get some curtains up.”

“You do that.” Virgil agreed, waving goodbye as the two headed down the hall, out of sight.

 Logan watched them go, before turning to Virgil. “So, Virgil...I’m glad to see you have listened to me about who you can be.” He said with a slight smile.

“Yeah, you were right.” Virgil admitted, sinking down to the floor. “About...well pretty much everything, actually.”

 “I know.” Logan said but watched Virgil carefully. “...What made you realize though?”

“I’m not sure.” Virgil shifted back and forth. “A collection of things, I guess. I mean I knew you were right when you were still… at my house, but I kinda refused to believe it. And then you disappeared along with Roman, I blew up at Patton, nearly tore that Thomas’ guy’s throat out… really wasn’t a great week for me. And then when I inevitably holed myself up in my room like I always do I kinda had this epiphany of well, if i’m gonna live forever, I certainly don’t want to live like this.”

 “Well, I am certainly glad you came around.” Logan chuckled a bit of his nerves shining through. “I knew I was not going to be eaten but I didn’t like the idea of myself becoming a pet, either.”

“Yeah, no, that’s totally fair. Obviously.” Virgil winced. “I kinda… okay, this is gonna come of as really stupid.”

 Logan raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” To be fair, Logan was used to stupid. He lived with Roman, after all.

“So you might’ve gauged i’m not the best at making ‘friends’.” Virgil explained. “I mean, Patton’s my closest friend, and even if we’re closer now I still basically forced him to live with me for eternity. So what i’m getting at is… yeah. I’m not good at this. But when I was starting to come around, I wasn’t really trying to make you feel like a pet? And then I thought I’d never see you again so I was already well on my way to trying to repress all this stuff, but um…” Virgil flapped his arms at bit, shaking his head. “Whatever. Look, i’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry I started out threatening your life, and then your freedom, and augh. Just so much crap along the way.”

 Logan was silent for a moment. “Virgil, you did, in fact, do a lot of terrible things. I feared for my life for quite a while and even when I didn’t, I still wanted to get as far as I could away from you.” He paused. “However, you clearly feel bad for all of that. You could just be saying all this stuff to trick us but it makes no sense for you to. I believe you to be sincere.”

 Logan sighed. “That being said...I can’t forgive you. Not yet, anyway. You can apologize all you want but until I see a change...only then will I forgive you.” He gave Virgil a smile. “But not to worry Virgil. You are...well on your way already.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to forgive me.” Virgil nodded. “But...thanks. And I’m sorry Patton made us crash at your place. Are you guys really okay with me staying here? I can always leave.”

 “Of course.” Logan glared. “I am not just going to leave you to fend off your brothers on your own. You would get yourself killed.” And despite everything, he didn’t want Virgil to die. “No, you are staying here, for your own safety.”

“And what about your safety?” Virgil argued. “I could still bite your head off.”

 Logan waved him off. “Please, that was the first thing I stopped believing when with you. I may not forgive you yet but I...I trust you enough to know that that won’t happen. That you won’t do that.” Logan then shrugged. “Besides, with our new plan, it would be illogical for you to do so. Seeing as how you would eventually gain more power by feeding off of us forever then just once.”

“Okay, you got me there.” Virgil gave him a smirk. “Too bad, I’ll have to figure out other scare tactics.” His smirk slowly fell. “Wait. What about your friend?”

 “Roman?” Logan raised an eyebrow. “What about him?”

“I mean, I wasn’t exactly a ray of sunshine to him either.” Virgil grimaced in memory. “And he doesn’t seem to possess your lack of basic self preservation. I doubt Roman wants me within the same continent, let alone the same apartment.”

 “Virgil, if Roman didn’t want you here, he wouldn’t have let you into the apartment.” Logan said with a slight smile. “Yes, Roman is weary of you but he will be okay. Especially knowing you have changed.”

“...okay.” Virgil decided. “If I’m really not going to drive anyone away, I’ll stay. And speaking of, you guys totally can’t leave. Especially not at night, until we drive them out. And by you guys I mean anybody mortal.”

 Logan blinked. “Well, that will be no problem for Roman and I but...Thomas does have to go to work. Although, he shouldn’t have a problem since it’s during the day, right?”

“Yeah, that- that should be fine.” Virgil agreed. “Remus and Deceit are into this stuff so deep that they can’t stand a single speck of sunlight.”

 “That’s good for Thomas then.” Logan said in relief. “Then yes, staying inside at night should be no problem.”