Vigdys

‘This is a curse,’ she had sighed as you sat against the headboard next to each other, while the others were still asleep. ‘And I hate David.’

You were taken aback. ‘I’m struggling to get used to it too, Star,’ you admitted, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. ‘But… David? He’s been trying to make things easier.’

She shook her head. ‘He’s a monster. A heartless monster!’

‘He cares about us!’

‘He doesn’t. He wants us as… as pets. How can you not see it?! The way he talks to us, the way he touches us… He just needs to feel like he owns us. Like he can control us. But he doesn’t see us as equals, and he most definitely doesn’t care. You could die right in front of him, Y/N, and he wouldn’t even flinch.’

She had sounded so certain and convincing that she made you doubt him for a few days.

But you had gotten closer to him after the fight at Michael’s house.

‘David?’

Sitting on the couch, he raised his eyes from the spliff he was rolling and waited for you to continue.

‘I think I’m ready.’

He understood exactly what you meant, of course.

He studied you for a few seconds and then smiled, patting the seat next to him. ‘Come here.’

You did as he asked. When you sat down, he wrapped an arm around your lower back and got you to place your head on his shoulder, caressing your hair with the other hand and looking right into your eyes. ‘You sure?’

You nodded.

‘Do you understand what you’re giving up?’

You nodded again and listed it all: sunlight, a normal human life, bearing children, growing old with your family…

‘And what you’d gain?’

Nights being yours, not having to worry about work or rent, strength, eternal youth, immortality, staying with their pack…

‘Correct. You’ll be a great vampire, Y/N,’ he said, caressing your cheek with the back of his fingers. ‘But how about I turn you tomorrow instead, so you get to sleep on it one more time?’

You appreciated that and nodded.

‘Actually, one thing was missing from your list,’ he added. ‘Know that, as the leader of this pack, I’ll always take care of you and protect you. With my life, if it ever comes to that. I should have been able to do that during that horrible fight, too. I hate the fact that I was too busy fighting Michael to see what his brother was about to do,’ he commented through his teeth, looking to the side and shaking his head. ‘I’m so grateful Dwayne was there, though. I never would have forgiven myself if we had lost you.’

You replayed Star’s words and made him look at you as you said it, sounding more confident than ever: ‘Star and Michael never understood you. They didn’t deserve you.’

He needed to hear it. 

He really needed to hear that, after everything that happened.

‘They were an error of judgment. My biggest one, perhaps,’ he muttered, hiding his pain behind his harsh tone and looking to the side. Then, he moved his eyes back into yours and caressed your cheek. ‘Not you, Y/N. I’m so proud of you.’

You smiled.

Then, his voice changed, an innuendo as he raised an eyebrow. ‘Now, is there anything else you want to tell me?’

You knew he was talking about Dwayne.

You blushed immediately.

He caressed it. ‘Aww, you humans. You’re such open books.’

‘Well, I wouldn’t brag or tease too much, if I were you. I’ve been in love with him for months, and you’ve only recently figured it out.’

He raised that eyebrow even higher. ‘Love? I thought it was just a crush,’ he tutted. ‘This is serious.’

You shook your head. ‘It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t feel the same way about me.’

‘You don’t know that.’

‘And you do?’

‘I don’t,’ he admitted. ‘He’s not an open book like you. He always keeps everything inside. But I’d try and find out for sure, if I were you, instead of jumping to conclusions.’

‘And make things awkward right when I’m about to join your pack forever? No, thank you,’ I said, lowering my gaze. ‘I don’t want to risk it, David. I-I can’t.’

He sighed, but just as he was about to say something, the others came back.

‘What’s up?’ Paul asked, sprawling onto the couch opposite yours, while Dwayne’s eyes followed David’s arm around your back.

Your leader looked at you. ‘Y/N has decided she’s ready to be turned, tomorrow.’

Paul and Marko clapped and cheered loudly. Dwayne showed you a proud look, the corner of his lips raised.

‘Fucking finally, Y/N!’ Marko commented.

‘Hey, it’s okay if she needed more time, after everything she went through,’ David said in a tone that didn’t allow disagreements. ‘I never doubted her. Anyway,’ he stood up and started walking away, pointing at the bedazzled bottle on the side, ‘I’ll get my blood ready for tomorrow. Unless someone thinks he should be the one turning her,’ he said in a controlled but suggestive tone before replacing it with an almost bored one, shrugging. ‘Well, you all know the rules.’

You furrowed your brows. ‘I don’t?’ you reminded them, standing up and looking around, but David had already left. ‘In what scenario would it be anyone other than our leader, turning me?’

‘Only if you’re romantic with someone else, really,’ Marko explained. ‘So, no idea why he brought it up.’

Paul grabbed your hand and pulled, making you fall onto his lap. ‘I’ll turn you, Y/N,’ he said in his usual playful tone, burying his head into your hair and pretending to bite your neck.

‘Paul, stop it,’ you complained, rolling your eyes and pushing him away.

Marko was still laughing.

Dwayne had quietly made his way towards the exit.

***

You realized David had offered Dwayne the perfect opportunity to say something. He had handed it to him on a silver platter!

But he hadn’t taken it.

As you replayed the whole scene for the fourth time as you got ready for bed and applied your nightcream, you sighed, your stomach feeling even heavier.

It is what it is, you told yourself. I have eternity ahead of me to meet another vampire and fall in love, anyway.

You walked back in your short pajama set and slippers and found Dwayne sitting on your bed.

He stood up immediately. ‘Hey.’

‘Hey,’ you mumbled, confused.

He ran a hand through his hair and scratched the back of his neck. ‘Do you wanna… go for a walk?’

‘Now? I-I thought you had just gone for one.’

‘I did,’ he acknowledged, looking down. ‘That’s what helped me clear my mind.’

You crossed your arms around your chest. ‘Sure.’

You followed him outside.

The waves crashed ahead of you as you walked up the little bridge next to the cave.

When you shivered, Dwayne was quick to remove his leather jacket and place it on your shoulders.

‘Thank you,’ you whispered, looking down to hide your blushing cheeks.

Seeing him barechested and having his smell on you was already taking away your ability to think. You hated the power he had on you.

Eternity better come soon! you told yourself. I need to move on from this.

After a few more steps, Dwayne stopped and turned towards you. ‘Can you promise me that, no matter how this conversation goes, things won’t be… weird between us?’

You blushed even more.

He clearly has no idea that things are already weird for me!

You couldn’t bring yourself to say a word.

So, he brought a hand to your face and caressed your red cheek with his thumb. 

They both felt even hotter as you held your breath.

‘Okay,’ he said with the hint of a smirk. ‘This is giving me a little bit of hope.’

‘Dwayne, you’re freaking me out,’ you complained.

He frowned. ‘No, that’s the opposite of what I want to do. Really! I just… don’t really know how to do this.’

He sighed. Then, he thought about it. ‘Remember when we stayed out and talked, after taking Laddie back to his parents? And I told you it’s harder for us to identify our emotions and feelings?’

You nodded.

‘Well, it’s not like I haven’t… noticed things,’ he began, running a hand through his hair again and looking away. ‘Like, when you cried for weeks after coming to us, because Max had turned you without your consent... I literally considered killing him myself, at one point, just to make it all go away for you. I thought it’s what you humans call empathy. Or when I saw that kid aim at you, and his arrow left the arch, and it was like the entire world was about to stop existing... I thought it’s because I nearly lost a friend. Or whenever Paul and Marko had their hands on you and I eventually started to feel angry… I thought it was because I was feeling left out. Or whenever I went to sleep and couldn’t stop thinking about how nice it’d be to lie down next to you instead, I thought I just missed connection and warmth. But I was wrong. I—’

He shook his head, cupped your face with his large hand, and crashed his lips against yours.

It took you a few seconds to finally realize it was happening.

By then, Dwayne had pulled away and taken a step back.

Your mouth stayed open, even though you had pretty much stopped breathing.

‘I hadn’t been in love for so long that I had forgotten what it felt like, Y/N. But I know, now. I’ve never been more certain about anything else,’ he said with a half smile, but it quickly turned into a frown as he scratched his head and looked down. ‘What I still don’t know is… how you feel.’

You tried to reply but still couldn’t speak.

So, you broke the distance between you, placed both hands on his cheeks, and kissed him from below.

This time, you both lost yourselves in it, his tongue claiming yours.

Dwayne brought a hand back to your face and wrapped his other arm behind your lower back.

Even as you pulled back to breathe, he continued to give you gentle pecks on your lips, cheeks, and your lips again.

He kissed you properly one more time.

Then, he rested his forehead against yours and took your hands in his, caressing your fingers softly. ‘Thank fuck,’ he said, letting out a sigh of a relief.

You laughed. ‘I’ve been in love with you for months. And I’ve known for months. But I honestly didn’t think you felt the same. We lost so much time,’ you commented, a melancholic note in your voice.

He brought your hands to his lips and kissed them, one at at ime. ‘Well, good thing we now have eternity ahead of us, starting from tomorrow, isn’t it?’’

You smiled and nodded.

‘About that, actually… Can I be the one who turns you, Y/N?’

You nodded frantically and threw your arms around his neck.

You stayed like that for minutes, the seasalt breeze in your air as he held you underneath the night sky.

Then, David watched as you and Dwayne walked back into the cave together, his jacket still on your shoulders and his arms around you while he kept peppering kisses against your temples and hair.

When your eyes met, he smiled. He then showed a slow, silent nod to Dwayne before giving you some privacy.

***

After arranging it with his parents, you finally got to see Laddie again a couple of weeks later.

You went to pick him up as soon as the sun went down, and he gave you a big hug.

You waited until his parents closed the door behind you before asking him: ‘Have you told anyone about vampires?’

He shook his head and showed you a scout’s promise.

You smiled and ruffled his hair. You had so many more things you wanted to ask him, but as soon as you turned the corner and he saw the boys, he lit up even more. You knew exactly who he was gonna run straight to.

‘Dwayne! Dwayne!’ 

The vampire picked him up and held him in his arms for a long hug. ‘I’ve missed you, buddy.’

As you looked at them, reunited, your chest felt full and warm.

When Dwayne put him down, Laddie said hi to the other three, and you all started walking towards the boardwalk.

He filled you in on what happened during the time we were apart: school, and his new friends, and all the meals his mother had cooked for him, and a weekend away with his parents to celebrate him being back with them.

‘What did I miss?’ he then asked.

‘Well,’ Marko began, elbowing you, ‘did you know you’re currently hanging out with five vampires, not four?’

Laddie’s mouth dropped wide open. ‘You did it, Y/N?’

You smiled and nodded.

He gave you another hug, wrapping his arms around your waist. 

But when he pulled back, a frown crossed his little face. ‘I want to become like you, too.’

You kneeled down and caressed his hair. ‘When you’re eighteen, okay? If you still feel that way by then, we’ll do it. Pinky promise.’

‘But that’s so far away…’

‘Hey, you’ll still get to have a ton of fun with us, in the meantime!’ Paul said in an encouraging tone. ‘In fact, how about some cotton candy right freakin’ now?’

That got a smile out of him. He nodded and disappeared with Paul.

You walked up to Dwayne, who immediately wrapped his arm around your back and kissed the top of your head.

‘How are you feeling?’ you asked him.

He nodded. ‘Good. I know I didn’t react particularly well, when you first suggested sending him away but—’

‘Particularly well?’ you repeated, arching an eyebrow as you remembered the way he had shouted at you, the things he said, and how he wouldn’t even look at you when you tried to speak to him.

He looked down, the hint of a blush on his cheeks. ‘I’m sorry, baby,’ he said and then kissed your temple. ‘I already knew you were right. But when I heard him talk about school and his parents, just now, it really sunk in. It was the best thing to do for him.’

You caressed his cheek and smiled.

He lowered himself to give you a long kiss.

‘Woah!’

You turned around and found Laddie staring at you, a giant stick of cotton candy in his hand, his mouth wide open again.

‘I literally asked you what I missed,’ he complained, but luckily, he sounded ecstatic. ‘And you guys left that out?!’

Dwayne laughed. ‘Sorry, buddy. I guess you kinda missed out on this too,’ he said, scratching the back of his head and looking at you. ‘Y/N and I are… together.’

The little boy’s eyes went from his favorite vampire, to you, and then Dwayne again. ‘Finally!’

You furrowed your brows. ‘What do you mean, “finally”?’

Dwayne had the same look on his face. ‘You knew we liked each other?’

‘Err, duh?’ Laddie said, rolling his eyes before biting off a large piece of candy floss. ‘Even a child could see that.’

______________________________

Taglist: @misslavenderlady @callisoapy @daes-knight @i-dont-know8111 @xx-owl-xx

Well, this all started out as an EXTREMELY vague idea and concept, and I didn't know how to continue it... or if it was even WORTH continuing.

So, thank you to everyone who commented and encouraged me to develop that initial idea!

Your support really makes all the difference 🥹

More notes: I wrote this about a year ago and don't want to edit it anymore than I had at the time, pretty sure this is just fully no beta. I haven't even reread this at the time of posting so good luck!

~~~

The world could be such a cruel place, despite all the beauty it had. It felt so cloying; this wretched, elegant place- this mortal life. You couldn’t help but find it wynorrific as you lay in the comfort of your bed, blankets surrounding your fragile state.

Love: what a dangerous thing. So tempting, so delicious, so destructive.

You had befriended a boy recently. He was pretty, and made you laugh. You enjoyed being around him and you couldn’t help the growing interest you had in him. The two of you hadn’t known each other long, but last week you went to a park together. Before that, for about two weeks, it had mostly been text messages.

And god were those few hours something. It was wonderful and you had looked back on it with fondness. You had talked, sitting down on the basketball court side by side. However, you couldn’t even recall the conversation- you just remembered how nice it was, like a glass of crisp water on a hot summer day.

During the time you occupied your hands in two main ways: moving the zipper on his bag back and forth, and poking him in his stomach. He didn’t seem to mind- perhaps even was amused by the actions. But at some point he finally did have a reaction.

He half-chuckled and said, “If you keep doing that, I’m gonna have to kiss you.”

You hesitated, gazing up at that beautiful face of his. Honestly, you liked the idea he presented- it didn’t sound terrible to be kissed by the likes of him. And so, you reached forward again and poked him. And again and again, just a few more times to make sure you conveyed that it was okay.

He said something, moved closer, tilted his head ever so slightly. You leaned closer. And you kissed.

It was glorious. It felt right.

When the kiss melted away he offered you his hand and pulled onto his lap. Once you were situated you crashed your lips into his again, kiss after kiss sparking such merriment within your heart.

You didn’t want that moment to end, sitting on his lap, closely held by someone in a way that you hadn’t felt in a while. But of course, it had to come to an end at some point or another. Though you both agreed to meet three days next week, to replay this special moment again and form new ones.

God, he got into your head. You began to get attached. You weren’t dating yet though, but part of you wanted to. In all honesty, you weren't even fully certain of your thoughts on him, but you knew that at the very least you wanted to get to know him better.

You thought he wanted the same.

In spite of that, a couple days ago he messaged you to cancel all of it. He was backing out. Before you could help it, tears rolled down your face. You were at work when it happened, and no one said anything to you, just let you cry quietly as life went on.

Today, on this desolate day, you asked him if he had a partner- you realized you hadn’t asked that before, just assumed based on how he acted and based on the words of his friends.

Apparently when you two kissed- though made out would be a better term- he was single, but just the other day he got back with his ex.

It didn’t hurt as much as you thought it would, in the moment. You figured you shouldn’t be bothered, you weren’t dating him after all. What was mainly annoying was that he didn’t even tell you he was taken when it happened; you had to ask him. Who knew how long you would go on thinking, dreaming, about him if you hadn’t overheard his friend ask him about how he and some girl are doing and he responded happily.

That ached.

The more you thought about it it ached.

You kissed him. You touched him. You trusted him.

And look at where it got you, crying alone in your nest. The sun was setting, the night creeping up on you, and you heard the rustling of the other creatures in the cave as they awoke- namely the four wild boys. It had been months since you moved in with them and they boyantly welcomed you in.

The Lost Boys were so warm to you, so kind. They could be chaotic and rowdy, but they could also be quiet and sweet. Oftentimes, you thought they were like angels- they did things sometimes that felt so inhuman yet alluring. Whenever you asked about it, though, they always shifted the topic elsewhere.

As the minutes passed- perhaps hours- you eventually heard someone approach your abode. The curtains that were draped across the entrance shifted, one of the boys calling gently, “Hey, darling, you okay?”

You sniffled, peaking out from your mass of sheets to look at him. It was Marko.

Before you could say anything he was immediately by your side, quicker than you thought someone could move, asking with soft worry, “Oh, are you okay? What is it?”

A groan escaped your lips and you retreated back into the warmth of the bed, wiping your eyes lazily against the sheets. Slowly, you explained the situation, trusting Marko enough to confess such things.

At the end of your ramble he gently reached forward and swiped his thumb along your cheek, smudging the salty trail left there. You nestled into the palm of his hand, his black leather gloves having been removed; his skin was always colder than you thought- all the boys’ skin was.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Just take a deep breath. It’s okay,” he shushed, his voice calming your nerves. Marko then asked if he could get under the covers with you, if snuggles would help.

You nodded, your heart feeling so heavy- you were glad to have a friend to help you carry the weight.

So he settled in next to you, your head resting in his lap, and he ran his fingers through your tangled hair, offering words of comfort. “That guy’s an idiot if he really did get back with his ex. He has no idea what he’s missing. I hope he realizes that.”

A small laugh escaped you, breathy and wet, but a laugh nonetheless. A win in Marko’s eyes.

“Hm,” Marko took a breath, “seriously though, babe, you are somethin’ wonderful and he’s gotta be blind if he’s passin’ all this up.”

This time you giggled. The boys could always drag such noises out of you, even if you were trying your best to stay resolute.

He twirled a strand of your hair around his finger, watching the way it curled. “I know it hurts, though, I’ve been with plenty a-guy who’ve turned out to be real doush-bags. That’s kinda just how the world works, sadly. But it’s okay, babe, I know you’ll find the right person for you someday. Maybe tomorrow, maybe in a century, but it will happen.”

You looked up at him, blinking through your watery eyes, “Come on, Marko, I won’t be alive in a century.”

He smirked at you and shrugged, “You never know.”

You smiled, returning back to your former position, letting your fingertips trail across the fabric of his pants. But, as your thoughts began to grow, your smile dropped and tears threatened to spill once more.

Marko noticed quickly, asking, “Hey… what is it?”

“I just… I’m scared I’ll be alone forever. That I won’t be able to find someone who loves me- truly loves me. Lately, it’s just felt like people haven’t cared about me- romantically, I mean. Well… maybe they have, but… they have an awful way of showing it,” you choked out, sniffling.

“Yeah,” Marko nodded, mulling over your words for a moment.

“I felt like that too, before I met the boys. I felt lost and alone, unlovable. But they were kind and accepted every part of me I threw at them. It seemed nothing could tear us apart; nothing can tear us apart. Sure, we’ve faced hardships, but all relationships do. It gets better, darling, trust me. It just takes time and patience, and it really helps if you put yourself first and take care of your needs before you throw yourself into someone else.”

His words struck a chord inside of you; you admired how much the boys loved each other, it was something so otherworldly and beautiful. “But… how do I find that..?” You inquired.

Marko paused, his hand moving to your shoulder,  rubbing soothing motions against your body. “There’s no answer to that, really. You just have to go on with life and it’ll find you, in a way.”

He swallowed, as if picking out his next words carefully, “If you want a love like me and the other boys have, well… honestly we have been wanting to bring up the subject of pulling you into our little ‘foursome’ for a while now. We didn’t know if you would want that sort of relationship or-”

You perked up at his words, blurting out and interrupting him, “I’d love to!”

Once the sentence left your mouth a blush colored your face, and you stumbled, “Oh, uh I mean.. Well-”

Marko chuckled. “Hm, so you don’t mind joining our little rag-tag love group?”

Softly, you shook your head, “It sounds wonderful. But… do you guys-”

“We love you, darling. We really do. And trust us, that love is never going to fade,” Marko cooed, a handsome smile on his pretty face.

Usually, you felt untrustworthy of declarations like that. It had cost you before such heartache and pain. But with Marko, you knew he wasn’t lying. Deep down, in the darkest crevices of your heart, you could feel the truth of his words so purely it ached in the best way possible.