#zed.writes

[onestepbackwards]

AAAA YOU WRITE FOR DMC okokok can I request a little something something for Vergil, him growing a soft spot for devil may cry's resident assistant and being so protective over them

Here you go Anon! I hope you enjoy this lil blurb! (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ) It took a lot of energy to write it, so I apologize if it seems messy. My energy levels have been rather low lately (；′⌒`) But I still really hope you enjoy! 💕

Vergil x Reader blurb

Word Count: 1527 words!

CW: Fluff, Vergil's internal conflicting feelings, someone gets mad and threatens you and Vergil unintentionally maybe dislocates their shoulder, ambiguous injury (not to you), slight teasing

---

Vergil considered himself a man of many things.

He was a man with an avid love for books and poetry, studied different forms of combat, and saw himself as well traveled and well versed in many subjects in demonology.

However, despite his amassed knowledge from over the years, there were few things he still could not initially figure out.

One, being you.

A measly little human his twin let linger in that shop of his.

You didn’t look like much in his eyes, not at first. He wondered how you even were involved with demons and demon hunting when you looked like every other human out there.

Dante of course, gave him a chilling smile, saying you were perfectly fine the way you were. If Vergil had a problem, he’d take it up with him.

Vergil of course, huffed, and kept his mouth shut about it. Forgive him for wondering what it was a random human brought to the table.

After that, however, Vergil decided to observe.

You were a kind little thing, is one of the first things he noticed.

No doubt you had an idea of who he was, and all he had done. Even if Dante or the others had kept certain things from you, it wasn’t hard to know he had done a few… questionable things.

If he were being generous.

Yet, you were still kind to him.

You greeted him every time you saw him at Dante’s shop, and made a point to make sure he was included in conversations or activities.

In fact, he was surprised when you invited him out to do things, such as shopping for supplies, or going out to eat lunch.

At first, he was wary and hesitant. Was hard not to be with how he grew up around others who only used him for his power and their own gain. What did you have to gain by being friendly to him, let alone his brother and his brother’s friends?

Yet, at most, you simply asked him to help you carry things when shopping. Never did you ask him for anything specific or selfishly.

He relaxed a bit after a while, especially seeing Dante so carefree around you, but Vergil still kept his guard up.

Now though, he decided to indulge his curiosity about you a bit more.

Instead of giving small, near one word answers to things you asked, he actively tried to engage in the conversations with you a bit more. Even if he was still more interested in hearing you talk than doing the talking himself.

All while ignoring the painfully smug and mischievous look he could feel Dante giving him nearly every time he did so.

He had made sure his twin saw the rude gesture he threw in his direction when you weren’t paying attention.

You were confused when Dante barked out a laugh out of nowhere, but he told you not to worry about it while Vergil gave him an icy glare just begging his twin to say anything, promising painful consequences.

After that, he’d admit, he was growing… attached.

Vergil hadn’t noticed it, not at first. Not until Nero saw him next to you almost every time he came for a weekly visit. Naturally, Nero eventually had to say something.

“What, are you their body guard now, or somethin’?"

The comment had taken him aback.

“Pardon?”

Nero gestured with his head over to where you were nearby, cheering as you won something on a game on your phone, while Lady slumped in her seat after seemingly losing.

“You like, never leave their side anytime I see you two together. If you aren’t glued to their hip, you are typically in the same room 90% of the time.”

Vergil felt as if he had been struck, his twin’s snort barely even reaching his ears from across the room.

Had he really been sticking to you like a lost duckling?

Before he can even make a retort or comment, you are running up to both of them.

“I won! Lady owes us dinner. What do you want?” you said with a wide smile, handing them a phone with a menu on the screen.

Nero took the phone, seemingly deciding to drop the subject, while Vergil’s mind struggled to snap out of the sudden realizations he was having.

You were nice to him, even after all this time. Should he really be surprised he somewhat latched onto you?

That, and you didn’t seem to mind one bit that he hovered nearby when you were around. A part of him almost prayed Dante or his son didn’t say anything to you about it, though you appeared none the wiser, or did not seem to care if they did.

All you did was smile at him, handing him the phone after Nero finished putting in his order, all as if everything was normal.

Vergil had a lot to think about after that.

It was a little bit overwhelming for him, he’d admit only to himself.

He wasn’t an idiot, Vergil had a gnawing suspicion what that ever growing feeling in his gut could be. However, it was taking a lot coming to terms with what it could actually be.

Plus, the last thing he needed was his family pestering him about feeling affectionate towards you. At least while he figured things out.

Meanwhile, you seemed as happy as ever to drag him along with you outside of the shop whenever you left to go do something.

Another small thing that made him mentally sigh. Not in annoyance, but rather a slow acceptance with what that pesky feeling was.

So imagine what he thought would be a regular day out with you turned out to be rather eventful.

...And a bit more eye opening.

You had happily been chatting away to him about something or another over a show you liked. Something about the themes from one episode painted another earlier episode in a whole different light.

Not that he cared for it, or was paying attention. (He was.)

He was mainly content to let you speak, and you didn’t seem to mind doing most of the talking since he always listened.

However, the peace was short-lived when someone walked out of a nearby store in a rush, and started cursing after you accidentally bumped into them.

It was an older looking man, who let out a few more curses as he lost his footing briefly, spinning to catch himself, but spilling his hot drink on himself in the process.

“Damn. It. All.” He mumbled, looking down at his ruined shirt.

You rushed to his side, apologies spilling from your mouth despite not having done anything wrong. Vergil was about to sigh, and prepare to wait as you checked over the guy-

Until you let out a strangled sound of surprise. Vergil’s eyes snapped over to you, and the man was gripping the front of your shirt and holding you uncomfortably close.

“You little pipsqueak! Do you know how much this shirt fuckin’ cost, huh? Why I outta-“

The man’s words were caught in his throat when a hand was suddenly on his shoulder. He turned his head around, and the fear that was in his eyes was as clear as day.

Vergil had felt his whole body go cold when he saw you in the man’s grip, and didn’t even realize he had stepped behind the man to pull him away.

“Let them go.”

Nor did he realize how his voice was… being overlapped by his more demonic one. Or how his eyes had flashed red, looking more eerie near the entrance to the dark alley behind him.

Vergil’s grip tightened, and he blatantly ignored the ‘pop’ from the man’s shoulder, and his scream of pain.

“Now.”

The man let you go immediately, ripping himself away from the ‘demon’, and tripping over his feet to back away as you stumbled to the ground from a shove.

Vergil simply rolled his shoulders in mild annoyance, ignoring how the man hoarsely muttered something about monsters before scurrying off down the road.

Meanwhile, you looked a bit stunned at what had happened, and Vergil simply walked over, and held out a hand for you.

“Are you alright?”

You looked at him for a moment, and then looked at his hand. Another moment passed, before you smiled brightly at him, and took his hand.

“Thanks for that!”

Before Vergil could roll his eyes and tell you it was nothing, you reached forward, giving him a hug.

It was quick, but Vergil found himself slightly frozen, briefly returning your hug before you let go.

“Come on, let me buy you an ice cream or something for helping me out before we go home.”

Vergil didn’t even have time to tell you not to worry about it as you grabbed his hand, and gently dragged him to a nearby ice cream parlor you all liked to frequent.

Still, Vergil was barely able to register you ordering one of his favorite sundaes as he replayed all that had happened.

Maybe being your ‘bodyguard’, as Nero had put it, didn’t sound so bad.

[onestepbackwards]

Hi hello hey

I really like ur writing and was wondering if you would like to write the player/player character being distraught that their partner Pokemon from wherever the player character came from didn't come with them and basically was just bummed put enough for arceus to go

"fine fine, geez, here's your dog..."

And then they're all happy with like, the biggest, scariest pokemon in the world

Being in a pokemon game should have been a dream come true.

And it was! It was so many people's dreams to be able to catch and interact with pokemon! Many people held this series near and dear to their hearts!

...Which is why you felt terrible for being so... upset.

When you ended up in the pokemon universe, one thing you always dreamed of was having your partner pokemon with you. One you always transferred between games, one you considered your good friend.

Sure, growing up, they may have been a set of pixels, but they always meant to you than that.

So to be in the pokemon world, and not have your partner pokemon?

It felt bittersweet.

Really, you felt bad for being upset. What right did you have to, when people would literally kill to be in your shoes?

So you tried to be optimistic, and you were still kind to any pokemon you came across.

But it wasn't the same.

Thankfully though, arriving here meant you caught different types of attention.

Include divine ones.

Arceus has been a surprise. You honestly had thought you were dreaming, but you suppose you shouldn't be too taken aback.

They were basically a god, and a cosmic being of sorts. Why wouldn't Arceus know of you arriving?

Though it's curiosity about you was a surprise, especially as it seemed content to observe your interactions with this world.

Arceus seemed happy though you were overjoyed to be here, though it seemed they noticed how you occasionally drew yourself back in when gazing at other pokemon.

Eventually, it grew curious enough to ask, sensing your sadness.

"Why does thou seem to lament seeing other pokemon? What bothers thou to bring such sadness?"

You jumped, not expecting such a question. After a moment, you sheepishly rubbed the back of your head.

"It's not the other pokemon that bother me, not at all! It's just..."

You were silent for a moment, a conflicted look on your face.

"I... Well... I had a partner pokemon, back in my world. Where this world is a game. A pokemon I traded across games. Or dimensions. Or whatever you want to refer to separate games as. I took them everywhere."

Looking down, you kicked a rock with your shoe.

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, of course. I don't wish to complain. I'm quite literally living a dream here! I just..."

Taking a deep breath, you sighed while avoiding Arceus' eyes.

"I miss them. I wish I could have seen them at least."

Arceus was silent, noting the far off, yet fond look in your eyes. They could tell you clearly held this pokemon in high regard.

Eventually, you looked back up to Arceus.

"Don't worry about it. I promise to stop moping-"

"Doth thou really wish to see thy friend?"

Arceus' question caught you off guard.

"Huh?"

They tilted their head at you from above.

"The pokemon for which thou hath considered a companion."

You blinked.

"Uh...?"

Arceus put a leg forward, gently tapping the ground.

That's when you felt an odd, warm feeling in your chest, before a light was pulled out from it. A small orb of light floated in front of you, and you felt the urge to hold out your hands.

Slowly, the orb levitated into your awaiting grasp, and the light slowly dimmed, revealing a pokeball.

Looking up at Arceus in surprise, your eyes darted between the god and the pokeball in front of you.

You cradled it gently, almost unbelieving at what you were looking at.

"Is... Is this really...?" you tried to ask, your voice small, yet full of wonder.

Arceus made a noise that sounded almost like a hum, nodding at you.

"Perhaps... This shall ease thy sorrow, and bring thou comfort."

With shaking hands, you hit the button on the pokeball, releasing your friend from inside.

What followed was a loud cry as the ground shook, and you could only grin as the light cleared, and your friend was completely visible.

"Giratina!" You cried out in pure glee, running up to your partner pokemon with your arms in the air.

Giratina, your Giratina, let out a trill when they saw you. They shuffled on the ground to look at you, and made such a cute smile on their terrifying face.

The legendary pokemon leaned down, happily letting you run up and hug it's face while you laughed.

Arceus watched, keeping it's distance as you reunited with the pokemon you held so dear.

Perhaps this would change your mood, though Arceus hoped the locals wouldn't freak out by your giant friend who you no doubt would be keeping out of your pokeball...

[onestepbackwards]

Love That Bites Pt. 16

ITS HERE AAAHHHHH It took longer than I hoped, but I got a new job, so that ended up eating a lot more of my energy and time. BUT the chapter is here! Ended up having to cut it up a bit because I couldn't find a spot to end it without it getting to long in a way I didn't like, but its done!! Plus, it gives me a headstart on the next chapter a thousand words or so q(≧▽≦q) I hope you all enjoy!!

Summary: You wake up feeling worse than when you went to sleep, and get the scare of a lifetime. Though it seems something good might have come out of it... Now if only your luck would give you a break when around the King of the Night... (It'll get better eventually)

CW: Food poisoning, slight depressive thoughts, slight yandere thinking if you squint, slight unhealthy yearning (its fiiine)

Word Count: 4413 words!

Tag List: @pvnk-whvre @mazlodowki @chesireleaf @starryhiraeth @jellyfishoreo1206 @just-some-water-lillies @blackmeetsworld @khaleesihavilliard @sisterofsin29 @str4wbang3l @nikkilovemark @ms-bakugo-blog @kittenlover614 @simpytheshrimpy69 @midgetdemon17 @just-nother-dreamer @adrakeshoard @tilldeathripsusapart @thedeadlynights @pumpkinvampie @bethleeham @mshope16 @sixsixtwenty @haleypearce @rvautomatic @tinystarfishgalaxy @marshmelloe @maorizon @ursamajor17 @sapphicsfordracula @dame-sunflowers @sleepyendymion @starrlo0ver @onewiththebeanbag If you want to be added, or if I missed your blog, let me know!

---

Dracula liked to consider himself a patient man.

When you were an eternally immortal vampire, and had Death quite literally as your right hand man, you learned quickly that patience was a necessary skill to harness.

After a couple of decades, you learn to grow used to it. Days bleed into weeks, weeks bleed into months, months bleed into years…

Before you know it, you are seeing a decade pass by in the blink of an eye.

It was one of the things he wished he had anticipated more when he made the decision to become immortal. Perhaps those first grueling decades wouldn’t have crawled by at a snail's pace as he dealt with his simmering feelings of pain, grief, shame, and betrayal.

However, within a century, Dracula learned how to distract himself.

He always had been a man of discovery and science. If he had all the time in the world, he could put it to good use.

One of the first things he threw himself into was medical practice.

With his precious Elizabetha gone from an illness, what better way to honor her memory, than to make sure nothing could ever happen to anyone else he may cross paths with, should he ever find a friend in his endeavors?

Or if not, he’d at least have the knowledge on hand should anyone come looking for a deal.

People would make deals for just about anything, if they desired it enough. Medicinal knowledge was something that a surprising amount of people sought out.

Usually it was for personal reasons. A family member was sick, a person was ill and not recovering, some wished to live longer…

Back when he had first turned, and for a few centuries after, if you caught something as simple as a cold or the flu, it could be a death sentence.

So it ended up being a huge benefit on his end for researching it. When you have knowledge people need or want, they’ll agree to almost any term or condition.

Even the ones who called it heresy would bend a knee if it meant they could ‘outwit’ Death itself.

It was also how he met his dear Lisa, who looked to him for knowledge. Simply wanting to help others.

Those memories were bitter sweet, but he didn’t regret his decisions learning such things, or teaching her. He would hold those memories dear to himself.

Besides that, he threw himself into many other things, such as technological marvels. Just what was the universe capable of, with a little push and pull?

Regardless, his thoughts were straying. Dracula was used to having to bide his time, and having time to waste.

So why was waiting for one human for a month such a difficult task?

For the first time in a few centuries, waiting a simple month felt like he was waiting years.

Perhaps it was that things were different this time around?

That…

…And Dracula missed you.

Not that he’d admit that outloud with any of his underlings nearby, of course.

He hadn’t been ‘awake’ long in the grand scheme of things. But given his track record of how long he has before he is found and destroyed, it felt longer.

Add that with how much he was pining for his Little Belmont who had to leave?

It was hard not to outwardly sulk.

You were interesting. You were new. You were different.

Did he really want to give up his desire to destroy humanity? Not… entirely, but he was willing to see what you had to offer. Willing to work with you and see where this budding friendship could go.

But you were gone. And he had to wait.

That… and he was worried.

Him. King of the Night. He was someone people told their children about to keep them from sneaking out of bed at night.

Yet, how could he not be, given the state you were in when you freed him?

You were tight lipped about whatever your home situation was, but he was a smart man. He may detest many humans, but his castle welcomed those shunned and hurt by humanity as a whole. On a rare occasion, that included humans too.

The tolerable kind.

He recognized the signs of someone who was clearly in a bad situation.

Those wounds of yours were concerning. Dare he say, nearly fatal. Yet you still had made the effort to get to his castle. You felt safer here before he was even awake, rather than wherever your little cabin was.

For once, he thanked fate for gifting you to him that day.

Even if it had been a result of a curse he himself had done, he was incredibly lucky it was you that set him free.

“Hmm…”

His heart thrummed the more he thought of you, something he was doing often. Humans do have a saying, distance makes the heart grow fonder, and whatnot.

Add that with his worry for you… he hadn’t stopped thinking of you all month.

Were you okay? Were you being treated well at home?

You’d be here soon, he knew that. Even Death was kind enough to let him know you’d arrive sometime this week.

Eyes narrowing, Dracula looked towards the shadows in his throne room as he thought of his lieutenant.

He still wasn’t quite happy to learn Death had paid you a visit without being asked. Dracula knew Death wouldn’t be afraid to take things into his own hands if he felt it would benefit his master.

However, Dracula was even more upset at what Death had told him.

‘They were as aware as any hunter… but I couldn’t help but think they looked akin to that of a mouse, rather than a cat with how they acted. That… and while their injuries were mostly healed, they did not look well.’

Dracula had listened, his rage and worry bubbling beneath his skin.

‘Their soul is strong, but their life force is weak. Not close to my realm, but one might find it concerning how a Belmont is so… ill. That… and a rather concerning bruise lay across their face. As a hunter, I wonder why they had not healed it. Surely they would have the resources?’

He had, admittedly, not taken that information too well.

Dracula’s eyes drifted to the side, where a large, burned part of his throne room lay. He hadn’t gotten around to letting the castle fix itself yet.

In his defense, he hadn’t exactly anticipated having such a literal explosive reaction, especially over a Belmont.

That same rage and worry still lingered in his veins. It was a familiar rage. One he remembers all too well when he had lost others close to him due to humans.

Dracula yearned to act, but he could not. Any active move he made potentially would push you away.

However, this was a very fine line. You were a Belmont, and he of all people knew that your lot didn’t go down without a fight. At what point however, did you no longer have a means to protect yourself? Especially by those potentially in your own home?

At what point would he have to cross that line in order to keep you alive? Would he really risk what little peace you both had to ensure you were okay?

Was it even worth it?

A growl left his throat as he debated his options.

It was one thing to act out over Lisa and Elisabetha. He had been too late with each one, and he would forever regret it.

But dare he act out to try and figure out what was going on with you?

What if he was horribly horribly wrong? It was a small chance he was misreading the signs, but it wasn’t zero.

At least out of all of this, Death was able to… give him your location. For presumably both your home and your little cabin.

Dracula felt very on the fence about learning such information. For once, it felt like a breach of privacy. Something you should have told him yourself.

Yet another part of him felt relief knowing you were close by. Even if your family home was farther away, it was nothing for a being such as himself. If he had to check on you, he could. He had the means to.

But should he?

Dracula pinched the bridge of his nose.

Why was it that he suddenly found himself so uncertain with his decisions when it came to you?

In part, he knew the answer, deep deep down.

He liked you.

He was worried about you.

He wanted to keep you here despite what little interactions you both have had-

Dracula’s thoughts halted when he felt the arms of his throne splinter under his claws, and the base of the seat cracking.

No need to get ahead of himself.

Patience. He needed patience.

He just hoped being patient wouldn’t cost you your life.

Though his lips formed a fine line when he felt a familiar presence lingering beside his throne.

“You better have some good news.” He mumbled, eyes looking over to the side.

Death simply tilted its head, and Dracula couldn’t help but narrow his eyes.

He didn’t like that look.

—

Waking up from sleeping was always a 50/50 for you.

Sometimes, you slept fine. No nightmares, and if you were lucky, you felt fully rested.

Other times… not so much.

In fact, you’d argue that you more often than not woke up feeling awful while sleeping in your family home.

It wasn’t a surprise to you. Given how your living condition was, you expected it most of the time. Even just your anxieties alone of your step father barging into your room to yell at you, or push you around was enough to make you feel sick most days. Even on the quiet ones.

The threat alone of being bothered was enough to make you feel awful.

That isn’t even the surface of it, really. You hated thinking about it too much, since it just made the waves rolling in your gut worse.

Still, you could only groan in pain and annoyance as your stomach churned, leaving you to roll over awkwardly in bed.

“Ugh…”

You felt like shit.

This… wasn’t an uncommon occurrence either. On rare occasions, if you went to a hotel, or your little cabin… Sometimes you’d wake up in pain.

You mainly chalked it up to your body finally resting. Or something like that.

But you still thought it was complete bullshit.

With another pained groan, you rolled over again, purposely falling out of the bed. A grunt left your mouth as you landed on the cool, wooden floor of your room.

Face scrunching up, you awkwardly put a hand to your head, but cursed. You had no means of telling if you had a fever or not from your hand alone.

But you did feel uncomfortably warm. That wasn’t good.

Letting out a brief sigh of determination, you shakily sat up on your knees, before letting out a gagged noise.

“Too fast, too fast…” you mumbled, falling forward slightly, one arm keeping you up against the bed frame while the other gripped your stomach.

Okay. You were a bit more sick than anticipated.

Growling a bit, you grit your teeth, and attempted to stand up. You had to use the bed to keep yourself steady, but at least you could shuffle to the bathroom now. Hopefully.

Biting your lip in pain, you pushed forward. The bathroom wasn’t far, but you still struggled with how the room around you seemed to spin as you walked while still being half asleep.

Your head pounded, and your stomach lurched just as you made it in the small room.

Falling to the floor, you let out another groan as you crawled to the toilet with a scowl.

Why were you so sick? Did you catch something while out yesterday? If anything, the only people you interacted with had been the sales woman, and-

Your blood nearly went cold.

Surely, Death didn’t make you sick, did it?

A moment passed, and then another as you bit your lip.

No, you don’t think they did.

Death seemed only intent on keeping an eye on you and warning you not to fuck around, less you find out. They didn’t seem upset when you had been at the store.

If Death hadn’t done this to you, what did?

Briefly, you went over what you did yesterday, before letting out a noise of annoyance. Had it been those old leftovers you had eaten in passing?

“Please tell me this isn’t food poisoning…” you groaned out, before feeling your stomach lurch.

Okay. Yeah, food poisoning. Why the hell not. Sure.

After unwillingly emptying the contents of your stomach, you slumped further against the toilet. At least you remembered to clean it last time you were here…

“My, you look worse for wear.”

Despite the pain in your gut, you were up in seconds, whip in your hand-

Only to groan as the room spun, but you were able to make out who had broken into your cabin.

Death. Speak of the devil.

You stumbled, and clumsily reached out to the wall next to you to steady yourself just enough to lower yourself back to the floor.

It was a gamble, you hated being this vulnerable around Death. It was one thing when you just felt meh in public.

However, feeling like shit while you were critically sick? All Death had to do was snap its fingers, and you had no chance of dodging whatever was thrown your way.

Yet the deity just looked at you curiously, that same flame burning in those dark eye sockets.

Still, you felt irritation and panic bubbling beneath your skin.

“Are you stupid?!”

The question came out more as a rasp than a yell, but Death was taken aback either way. Seems it didn’t like your audacity.

“For the record, Belmont-”

You pointed at the deity, cutting him off.

“This house is covered in spells, wards, and artifacts! If you move a single foot in any direction, you’ll be incinerated!”

Death paused- now realizing you weren’t just being difficult because you were seemingly sick.

Slowly, he looked around, and realized you were right. Death could feel the power surrounding your little safe house, it was nearly as intense as the power of his Master’s castle.

If Death had been in a mortal form, no doubt he would suddenly be sweating. Even they could admit the magic and power of a Belmont was… terrifying.

Not to mention you seemed like the paranoid type. Death didn’t doubt you most likely put extra protections on this place.

“Yeah, is it hitting you now?! Good lord, how on earth did you manage to find the one spot in the house that-”

You paused, an odd look crossing your face, before you scrambled over to the toilet to hurl.

Your breathing stuttered, before you looked over your shoulder once you stabilized yourself.

“No offense, genuinely, but I suggest you leave. I have no idea what will go off if you move even an inch.”

Death took in your form.

“You are unwell.”

No shit, Sherlock-

You wanted to retort, call the deity an idiot, but you held your tongue. Bickering with Death when you felt like shit wasn’t a good idea, even if they couldn’t really move without serious consequence.

“Yeah. I’ll try and be better in a week.”

A moment passed, and you looked behind your shoulder to ask Death to leave-

…Only to see no one there.

Seems the ancient being took your advice.

Your body relaxed, just a bit. Puking in front of the all powerful deity of Death wasn’t exactly what you’d call a fun time. Maybe when you feel better, you’ll have it in you to be embarrassed.

However, it seems you’d have to update your cabin’s security. Who knew a single square foot in your bathroom was an open door for the paranormal? At least you hadn’t been caught with your pants down when finding out this information.

Granted, Death might be a special case here. No doubt the deity was just as powerful as Dracula, so your lower level protections were probably useless.

Still, you had plenty of stronger protections, ones that would light Death on fire or explode if they had moved just a little in any other direction.

And by god you would have hated having to deal with that, thank you very much. The last thing you needed was an angry grim reaper on fire in your bathroom while you were puking your guts out.

Sighing, you grimaced before peeling yourself away from the bowl, just long enough to open the cabinet nearby under the sink. In it was your personal bag you kept medicine in, this being far from the first time you’ve had to camp out in the bathroom after a rough month.

You shakily took a few things, and greedily grabbed a bottle of water you kept in it for this very purpose. Thankfully you were prepared for being sick, even if it had been a while since you had food poisoning.

At least you seemed to get the worst of it out, at least for now. Not like you had a lot in your gut to begin with. The leftovers for the sandwich you had eaten yesterday hadn’t exactly been much.

Still… You felt awful. Weren’t you supposed to feel a lot better after getting rid of the worst of it? You were still clammy, and definitely had to have a fever. No doubt it would take a few days to be right as rain again.

A feeling stirred in the back of your head. Perhaps you really were running yourself to the ground at this rate if you were this sick.

“What rotten timing, too…” you mumbled, succumbing to the floor as the medicine settled in your stomach. At least you’d probably be fine enough to walk back to bed here in a minute.

How on earth were you going to make it to Dracula if you were too sick to even walk to his castle? Sure, it wasn’t far, but you were in no shape to do so.

At least when you were injured, you could ignore some of the wounds to make it. But if you were puking half the walk? Too dizzy to even stand for more than five minutes? You’d probably fall in the lake and drown or something.

A bitter laugh left your lips. Maybe that’d be best.

Frowning, you clutched your whip, which had been sitting idly on the floor since Death had left.

No. As easy as it would be to let something like that happen, your mother wouldn’t want it. If anything, you’d stay alive out of spite just to outlive Jason and the others.

That is, if a monster or Dracula himself didn’t kill you first.

Well, if it did, then Dracula would be Jason’s problem, and you doubted Dracula would be as kind and considerate to him and your step brothers as he had been with you.

Despite how awful you felt, that strange warmth prodded at your chest again. You groaned.

Even now, your heart raced slightly. Dracula for sure wouldn’t give your step family the time of day, right? You were special. At least for now.

Another reason to stay kicking, you guess. As odd as this whole arrangement was, you wanted to see this agreement through.

And maybe… remain friends with Dracula. Someone who actually seemed to care about you. For now.

“How am I supposed to do that though, stuck on the bathroom floor!?” you grumbled to yourself, tensing as a wave of nausea passed through you, though thankfully didn’t make you retch.

A sigh left your lips. Your life could never be easy, could it?

Just as you were about to accept your fate of laying on the floor for at least an hour, you felt a powerful, prickling sensation at your neck. You shot up in alarm.

Your defenses.

The many shields, wards, and spells were going off in warning as something prodded at them, yet didn’t outright attack or destroy them.

Gripping your head at the influx of both pain, dizziness, and the prickling feeling. You stumbled to your feet with your whip in hand.

“What in the everloving hell…”

Perhaps you had been thinking too soon. Was a monster here to try and kill you? Or Death fucked up and accidentally got caught in one of your traps?

As amusing as the latter thought was, you felt more adrenaline pump through your body, even if you struggled to stand without looking like you would fall over at a small gust of wind.

Death may make you wary, but at least he seemed content to leave you be if Dracula desired it.

Other monsters however… If they wanted you dead outside of Dracula’s castle, you’d have to deal with them personally.

If anything, at least the barriers of your house would give you a fighting chance given the state you were in. Wouldn’t be the first time you had to fight in a hold out-like scenario… but you hated having to do it in your own cabin.

Especially when you had no idea what else would know about this place if just one monster knew about it.

Or two, counting Death.

Oh, how you really hope Death didn’t snitch to some monster in a vain attempt to slyly get rid of you. That was not a headache you wanted to deal with right now…

With some struggle, you pushed yourself through your small cabin quickly, trying to ignore how the room spun around you with each step. You could still feel whatever it was picking and prodding at your cabin’s magic walls, making the dizzy feeling in your head even worse.

As you reached the front door, you gripped your whip tightly in your hand, and the scowl hardened on your face. Whatever monster was trying to breach your security was as good as dead.

With a deep breath, you gathered your nerves and shoved the door open, ready to fight whatever was at your home-

…

…Only to pause, nearly stiff as stone.

In front of your house, there wasn't just any monster.

No.

It was Dracula.

Said King of the Night was curiously poking at your shields and wards over the house, almost… gleefully admiring the magic you had strung together over the years.

However, he paused, straightening when he heard your door slam open.

Both of you were frozen, neither moved a muscle. It was as if the shock in your system had temporarily paused how awful you felt.

It was near dead silent. The only noise being the wind rustling the bushes and trees of the forest surrounding your cabin, and the occasional rumble of thunder from the dark clouds that had seemingly overtaken the sky.

A million questions flew through your head at once. How did he find this place? Did Death tell him? Why was he here? Was he going to kill you? Destroy your little sanctuary?

…Was he here just to see you?

Despite the never ending flow of questions… You found it hard to care about most of them.

Because if you were being honest with yourself, you were just happy to see him at all.

Those piercing red eyes stared at you from across the small yard, the wind occasionally blowing his hair and cloak. It was hard not to take everything about him in.

That warm feeling in your chest was suddenly back, stronger than ever, and your heart pounded hard against your rib cage.

Dracula was here. And that made you… happy.

You should have been upset. Angry. Paranoid. You should have demanded to know how he found your little cabin, and how he got past the initial wards, glyphs, and seals.

But you weren’t. You found you could care less about that at the moment.

Especially as his eyes never left you, and his head tilting to the side, almost curious. It was a movement that nearly broke you from your stupor, and you hesitantly took a wobbly step forward, almost unsure of yourself.

Dracula noticed your hesitation, and for a second, your heart thudded in your chest in a burst of anxiety. Would he attack you? Turn you away? Mock you, seeing as you are clearly ill and weak? Even now, you were beginning to struggle to stay on your feet... Another beat passed.

Instead of any sharp remarks, like you anticipated, Dracula surprised you-

…By simply holding out a hand in your direction.

It was a simple gesture, but it was one with weight.

He clearly couldn’t pass your barriers, not without attempting to destroy them or altering them. Instead, he was silently inviting you to him. Outside of your cabin. Outside of your magic seals and glyphs. Outside of your walls of safety.

You should have turned away, told him to come back in a few days at best- maybe yelled ‘get lost!’-

But you couldn’t. Your eyes never left him, flickering between his face and his outstretched hand.

His face meanwhile, had gone from simply curious, to dare you say… soft. Almost worried, yet…

No words were spoken, nor did they need to be.

Because you were already walking.

It was slow at first, your feet moving on their own accord. Each step was a bit wobbly, but you picked up speed.

Quickly, you were stumbling your way over, the only thought on your mind was reaching him. It was as if nothing else mattered in that moment.

As you reached where your strongest barriers kept him out, you slowed, nearly to a stop. Your breathing was labored, and your sight was swimming.

Only a few feet stood between you both, and just as you reached your barriers end-

You collapsed.

A curse left your lips. However, instead of crumbling to the ground like you were expecting, you instead were caught in a set of arms. It took a moment to gather your bearings, before it dawned on you what had happened.

Two strong arms held you steady, and you could almost feel your brain short circuiting as you processed what was happening.

You had fallen right past your barriers, and right into Dracula’s arms.

----

First: Here

Last: Here

Next: ?

[onestepbackwards]

What if everyone in Legends Arceus were to become self aware and are completely baffled if not exasperated by the player being so gentle (yet still firm) with Volo?

"You are aware of what he's done, yes?"

"Of course I am. And it was very wrong of him. But that doesn't mean his mistakes have to define him. Volo is capable of learning and growing. And Kamado, you're a FINE one to talk about betrayal."

And the player is rather protective of Volo despite understanding completely why everyone would be cross with him.

"If you dislike him so much then you don't have to be around him! I want to spend some time alone with him anyway."

And the player gently holding his face but giving him a serious look despite the sweet tone. "You're going to be a good boy from now on, right? You won't cause any more trouble?"

👀?

Everyone knew Volo had upset you.

It was as clear as day when you cried out at his betrayal. How upset it had made you. How it had hurt you.

You genuinely wanted to see him as a friend, only for him to betray you. It clearly upset you the first time you played this 'game'.

Afterwards, you were interestingly distant with Volo in any other run of the game. But many people didn't think too hard about it. It was natural you would keep him at a distance.

Besides, many of them were too busy focusing on breaking free from the code that held them all as pseudo prisoners.

It wasn't until you were on a playthrough dedicated to getting every pokemon and every shiny, as well as completing the pokedex to its fullest extent that they were able to show you they were aware.

It wasn't much longer from that when they were able to pull you in freely.

You were naturally startled, but quickly adapted, happy to meet so many characters and pokemon dear to your heart.

(Even if you were a bit weirded out how some seemed to see you as a deity of some sort sometimes.)

Everyone wanted to meet you with your sudden arrival (even if you didn't exactly plan to be pulled into a video game).

Even Volo of course was curious, but he didn't directly approach you. He stayed almost out of sight from you in the village. Just close enough to see you and maybe hear you.

After all, why would you want to see him? After all he had done to you? Betraying you again and again, even if he wasn't in control after that first time?

You had made it painfully clear the first time how upset his betrayal had made you.

And yet...

The first time you caught him watching you, you not only approached him, but told him hello. You even politely introduced yourself, not showing an ounce of fear or disdain.

Volo was shocked, and nearly couldn't speak. It was clear he was taken off guard.

The villagers were also surprised. Didn't you hate him? Dislike him at the very least?

Perhaps you were just being polite for the first greeting, being in a new environment, or were afraid of angering him?

Volo knew that wasn't true though, you showed no fear when greeting him. Even your eyes held no terror when meeting his gaze.

Instead, your eyes met his head on, and you simply smiled at him.

That wasn't even the last time you did so either.

Any time you came across him, (or caught him watching you from a distance), you acknowledged his presence, even trying to include him half the time so he didn't feel left out.

It was... confusing, to say the least.

Perhaps you had gotten over it? Or if you were some sort of deity, you were a benevolent and forgiving one?

Of course, many people questioned your decision, and you stood firm over it.

"He hurt me, yes, but is he not trying to earn forgiveness? Shunning someone who genuinely wants to learn and grow from their past actions will only push them away. There are of course, some things that are unforgivable, however..."

You looked at Volo almost fondly.

"I like to think he can redeem himself if he works for it. He just needs a gentle push."

It's baffling, even to Volo, who questions if he is even worthy of such kindness after all he has done to you. Yet here you are, standing up for him and trying to protect him.

You simply smile to him, and grab his hands so gently in your own.

"I like to believe in the best of people, even when they have done bad things. You made a mistake, and no one was ultimately hurt. But..."

Your eyes get an almost cold gleam to them. One that has a cold shiver run down Volo's spine.

"You are going to be good, right? No more surprises, no more attempts at becoming a god?"

The hold on his hands were gentle and soft, and your voice was as sweet and gentle as ever.

But your eyes...

Your eyes held a look that wasn't a threat. They held a silent promise.

Volo nodded, his mouth becoming dry as he caught a glimpse of just what you were capable of.

"Yes. I'll... I'll behave."

The look in your eyes vanished as you reached up and cupped his face. You gave him a tender smile.

"Good."

[onestepbackwards]

Love That Bites Pt. 14

This took. So long. I'm so sorry OTL But!!! It's done! I hope you all enjoy it! This chapter was suppose to be around 3000 words. It ended up being twice as long. Oops haha. I hope you all like this chapter though! Hopefully the next one won't take near as long (❁´◡`❁)

Summary: It was finally time for you to head home, but it seems Dracula wants to at least make sure you are healthy and safe before you go. A shame after you leave all your anxieties seem to hit you all at once...

CW: Anxiety attacks, slight mental breakdown, mentions of abusive relatives, brief mentions of injury, blossoming feelings

Word Count: 6384 Words!

Like this story? Please consider checking me out here! Likes, comments, and reblogs appreciated! (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

Taglist: @sisterofsin29 @str4wbang3l @nikkilovemark @ms-bakugo-blog @kittenlover614 @simpytheshrimpy69 @midgetdemon17 @just-nother-dreamer @adrakeshoard @tilldeathripsusapart @thedeadlynights @pumpkinvampie @bethleeham @mshope16 @sixsixtwenty @haleypearce @rvautomatic @tinystarfishgalaxy @marshmelloe @maorizon @ursamajor17 @sapphicsfordracula @dame-sunflowers @sleepyendymion @starrlo0ver @onewiththebeanbag

The @ 's are acting funky, so please lemme know if they work, or if i forgot anyone! Tumblr is not wanting to work properly as i finish this >:(

First: Here

Last: Here

Next: Here

-----

You were beginning to wonder if your life was a party, and you were the piñata.

In the span of less than a literal week, you had your shit kicked in since you couldn’t just fight off your step family, and accidentally revived an ancient ‘evil’ vampire that was your family’s immortal enemy.

Said immortal enemy then has tended to your health, Death threatened you, and now you somehow, by some stroke of luck, have convinced Dracula not to destroy all of humanity.

It… confused you.

Perhaps this really was a dream? Maybe you were actually still bleeding out on the floor of the castle or your bedroom?

By all means, you expected to possibly be dead after Dracula mentioned wanting to talk. You were in a way, ready to accept such a fate.

But his willingness to hear you out, and perhaps try not to kill people threw you for a loop.

A big loop.

One that had you questioning a lot, if you were being honest with yourself.

Had it always been that easy? Or were you genuinely just a special case? He did say he found you in particular fascinating.

One of your hands came up to rub your face as you felt your cheeks warm at the thought.

…Why did you have to find that kinda hot? Whatever, that wasn’t the point-

To be fair, given that the situation leading up to this point had already been weird and unusual, presumably even by your family’s standards. You doubted any of them would have had picnics with Dracula’s statue and run to his castle while critically injured.

But… you honestly couldn’t believe it was real. Dracula actually agreed not to try to destroy humanity. Somewhat.

Of course, that was his word alone, but…

…When you shook his hand, you couldn’t help but feel as if you had made a deal with the devil itself.

It was as if a part of you had a feeling deep in your chest that he would abide by the terms you both set.

But if you were being honest with yourself… you didn’t know if you could believe this. That the fact you even got him to agree was real.

You spent so much time worrying about it. Even before you ever found his statue, you had nightmares and days worrying about how you would handle Dracula if you had to confront him.

Was it all some plot? Some plan to make it hurt after betraying you?

Those pesky thoughts lingered, but you found it hard to believe them. Despite how often they popped up in your head, it was easy to counter them.

After all, why keep the Belmont alive after being slain so many times?

There were multiple opportunities to hurt you, kill you, torture you. Hell, if he wanted you as a prisoner, he didn’t have to give you such a lavish guest room.

Perhaps it was the fact everything you had been raised to believe at this point was now being called into question? After all, with everything happening, it felt like your world was spinning at a thousand miles an hour.

A part of you was probably also in shock.

Sure, your life has been hell up to this point, but it had a normalcy to it. You could expect to deal with dumb shit at home, and to fight evil monsters that were some of the worst of their kind when you did get to hunt.

It wasn’t fun, but it was normal.

This though? All the things you had happening to you?

Not normal at all, and it was hard to think.

Or maybe a bit too easy to do so.

It was as if a flood of thoughts swam in your mind, yet it was hard to comprehend so many of them.

“...At least the bed is comfy.” you mumbled, staring into the ceiling as you tried to calm your nerves. You still hadn’t completely calmed down since Dracula had talked to you.

Dracula had left not too long ago after you reached a… stable compromise?

He had said something about needing to check on some things, and to prepare to tell everyone about the deal you both came to.

You wondered just how much chaos that would stir.

A part of you felt a bit guilty. No doubt Dracula would have a lot of anger to deal with from some of his servants and the like. Many were already on edge with you just staying here, so you imagined the news wouldn’t go down without some outcry.

It was no secret many followed Dracula for his power, but it was also a well known fact many followed him because they hated humans. Hated hunters.

Though you doubted any public outbursts would be tolerated. Dracula no doubt would handle everything. You hoped.

If you were being honest though, a small part of you wanted to see the reaction on some of his servant’s faces. You bet some of the jaw dropping looks would be one to remember for years to come.

Unfortunately, you probably wouldn’t even be here to witness it.

Even if by some miracle you managed to possibly hold off the destruction of the world, you still had to deal with your step family, after all. Jason was already making your step brothers inquire about you, which was never a good sign.

You were lucky they backed off this long, and would probably give you a little longer before growing too restless.

After all, you did give them a bit of an ass kicking. Even if it was at the cost of your own health and mental well being, it was a long time coming.

That, and you doubted you would get such an opportunity so soon in the future. Best enjoy it before heading back and become their punching bag once again.

At least you probably wouldn’t have to worry about them trying to jump you like that any time soon. The fact they seemed to almost intentionally try and fatally injure you… it settled uncomfortably in your core.

Given you were willing to actually defend yourself for once, perhaps they won’t attempt something stupid like that again.

Despite that, you didn’t want to get your hopes up, either. Even if you showed you wouldn’t take a beating to that degree without fighting back, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t get creative with it for a possible next time.

Still, that didn’t change the fact you still had to go home. Sooner rather than later.

But… you’d be back. Hopefully.

That was one of the conditions Dracula asked for. He wanted you to come back. He wanted to see you again.

You tried not to think too deep about it. Surely, it was both to help keep the compromise in place, and to learn more about the current century, and all he had missed?

A part of you though couldn’t help but… daydream about the idea of him just wanting to see you. For you.

He said he found you fascinating, after all. But again, a part of you didn’t want to think too hard about it.

For all you knew, his version of ‘fascinating’ was simply seeing you as some sort of entertaining bug or something. Should you become a pest, all he had to do was squish you with his shoe.

…You didn’t want to believe that either, though. Not with how those ruby red eyes looked at you when he first was freed. How he asked who had hurt you.

The very thought of that moment had your heart racing again.

“Am I really that emotionally starved?” you mumbled to yourself once again. That question had been popping in your mind the more you thought about it, and how just one man/vampire made you flustered like a teenager having a crush.

When was the last time anyone had looked you in the eyes while injured, and asked who had hurt you? Then took care of you?

You hated to admit it, but Dracula had charm that a lot of people didn’t have nowadays. Or at least from most people you have met up to this point.

No doubt he had to have had it in order to be considered the King of the Night. You don’t just get that without some sort of charisma, you’d think.

…A part of you was going to miss it. You really had to return home, which is why you were dreading sleep.

Tomorrow you would head home. You would be back here, of course. A part of the agreement, after all.

But you didn’t want to go, almost like a small child not wanting to go to school.

“Ugh.”

Your chest pinged with anxiety every time you closed your eyes. It was hard to even relax enough just to rest.

–

By the time you felt your phone buzzing with an alarm to wake you up, you had nothing to show for what you ‘slept’, except for a migraine and a brewing anxiety attack.

Eyes heavy, you sat up in bed. A bed you were very much going to miss.

Even now, as you shuffled out of bed towards your bag, you could already feel yourself yearning to stay. Like a child who felt unwell and wanted to skip school, except 20x worse.

Grabbing your bag, you quickly went through the stuff you had, making sure everything was still here.

You trusted Dracula just fine with your bag, but you didn’t trust any other entity in this castle to not try and pull a fast one on you.

As much as it felt like some sort of Looney Tunes plot, you weren’t gonna put it past some disgruntled monster or entity to put a stick of dynamite in your bag or something hoping to blow you up.

Thankfully, you didn’t have much on you to begin with, but it didn’t hurt to be sure.

Tossing your bag to the side, you ran a hand over your face, trying to soothe your head and anxieties.

However, you nearly jumped when you heard a specific knock on the door. That same one you had grown familiar with.

Just how had Dracula known you were awake? Was he just guessing, or did he know? Did the castle tell him?

…Or perhaps he heard you thumping around. That was also possible. You decided not to think too much on it at the moment.

“Come in.”

The doorknob turned, before the door was pushed open, revealing Dracula himself.

He entered your room, giving you a polite nod before closing the door behind him, and walking up to the bed. Much like before, he pulled a chair close and sat in front of you.

A part of you wondered if he was doing that to seem more on an equal level as you, though you didn’t dare ask or point it out.

Getting comfortable, Dracula’s eyes seemed to see through you as he settled. Those ruby red eyes practically pierced you, and he didn’t even have to say a word for you to feel a bit small.

Yet, his words next were so gentle.

“How are you feeling?”

Despite it all, a small smile appeared on your face at his question. Your eyes dropped, and you looked over to the side.

“I’ll live. Head kinda hurts, and I didn’t sleep too well. A me issue, don’t worry.”

A flicker of a frown appeared on his face, before his face cooled back to a more neutral look.

“I see. What about your wounds? Any irritation? Are the stitches still holding up?”

You tried to ignore the warm feeling bubbling in your chest again at his concern, despite how hard it seemed to persist.

“They are healing nicely. I only feel a dull ache now compared to the pain I was in a few days ago.”

It was true. You barely felt your wounds compared to how you felt when you arrived. Dracula had done a lot to help them heal, going farther than most people have for you.

Dracula though, looked over your body, his eyes lingering where your wounds lay.

“May I see? I would like to check on them myself.”

Blinking, you leaned back onto the bed slightly, not too surprised.

“Yeah, sure. Here-”

Immediately, he was up from his chair, gently hovering over you from a slight distance. Far enough away to still give you some personal space, yet close enough to check over you.

He was quick, yet still just as gentle. It didn’t take much for him to remove your bandages, and look over your healing injuries, making sure to look over them thoroughly.

You hoped he didn’t think anything of the goosebumps showing up on your skin whenever his hands or nails briefly brushed against your skin. Hopefully he would assume you were chilled from the air, or were reacting to how cool his own skin was.

Another part of you hoped that thinking didn’t seem too pathetic.

And in an even deeper part of your mind… a part of you wondered what he would do if he did think you liked his touch. That was a part of your mind you tried not to linger on too much while Dracula’s face was less than a foot away from your own.

Dracula hummed a bit as he checked over your worst injuries, as well as your head injury. You may not have known him long, but you could assume he seemed pleased with your progress.

Most of your wounds had mostly healed up into scabs, instead of raw and fresh ripped flesh. Something that no doubt would have taken at least two weeks on its own without the help of the few potions Dracula has been giving you.

It would still take some time for them to completely heal, but you were no longer at a huge risk of infection, or had to stay in bed to heal.

Truly, you owed Dracula a great debt. Another thing you were… feeling odd about.

Before you could dwell too much on it though, Dracula was carefully placing your bandages back on.

“Good. They are healing quickly. I’m pleased with your progress.”

You gave him a smile as he sat back down, trying not to soak in his words too much. You were happy he was happy with your healing! A totally normal thing to want and achieve!

While you were trying to mentally downplay the buzz in your head from his ‘praise’, Dracula’s eyes looked over to your bag, which sat innocently on the bed next to you.

“Ah, were you still planning on returning to your home today?” he suddenly asked, bringing you out of your thoughts.

Trying to keep your anxiety about the mere thought of your ‘home’ in check, you nodded.

“Yeah, if I am away too long, it could cause some issues. It’s best if I leave today.”

Dracula leaned against his hand, his other on thrumming against the arm of the chair. You wondered if that was something he did often.

“And you’ll return?”

You nodded quickly.

“Of course. We agreed on that, right? Though…” you began, your hands playing with your shirt, “...It may take me a few weeks to a month to come back, but I will be back.”

Giving you a look, Dracula’s expression turned almost teasing.

“I would hope so, I would hate to have to hunt you down myself, Little Belmont.”

His tone was clearly joking in nature, with his lips curling into a grin that showed off his fangs.

You chuckled a bit, rubbing the back of your neck. However, the way he said it had heat rushing to your face.

God, why did you like the sound of that? Why? Why did your brain like it so much? You swear there had to be a deity out there who found your suffering hilarious.

You didn’t think you would be finding so much stuff about yourself when you arrived here a few days ago. Apparently you had interesting tastes, and were into things you hadn’t even considered before now.

No doubt you would be unpacking a lot of that later, possibly in the middle of a mental breakdown. It was too soon to tell.

Coughing a bit to try and stop those thoughts, you looked back at Dracula.

“Regardless, I will try to be here next month. I should be healed by then too…” You spoke, mumbling that last bit. Dracula gave you an odd look, and you had a feeling he wasn’t too sure of that, just as you were.

Sighing, Dracula then stood up, and much to your surprise, held a hand out to you. You stared at it for a moment, before looking back at his face as he began to speak.

“Well, are you ready to leave? If so, I shall escort you out myself.”

Your eyes flickered to his hand, which was still outstretched to you. After a moment, you took it.

“Trying to get rid of me so soon?” you joked, ignoring how your smaller, warmer hand easily slid into his larger, cooler one.

Dracula’s lips twitched upward as his hand gently curled around your own.

“Maybe I am? Someone has to get rid of the ‘Scary Vampire Hunter’ apparently haunting my castle.”

His words were pure jest, and that had the small smile on your face widening as he gently pulled you up to your feet.

“Can you walk?” He then asked, still clearly worried over you leaving so soon. You managed to stand on your feet without too much issue, and looked back up at him.

“Eh, I’m still a bit sore, but I can walk. I’ll be fine.”

It still actually hurt quite a bit, but hey, you have had worse.

Dracula also didn’t seem very convinced, but at this point, who was he to argue with you when you wished to leave?

Regardless, you were still a bit surprised to see him offer an arm to you after you managed to gain your balance.

“May I?”

Seeing Dracula offer his arm to you did not help the blossoming feelings in your chest. Why did the man who was humanity’s greatest enemy have to be such a gentleman??

Your face was hot, and you prayed to whatever god was listening that your blush wasn’t too noticeable.

“S-Sure.” You spoke, mentally hitting yourself with a hammer for stuttering.

Slowly, you reached out, nearly hesitating as your hand neared his arm. Gathering your resolve, you gently wrapped your own arm around his own.

He wasn’t as cold as you expected, despite him wearing a long sleeved shirt. Though it was hard for you to think as you registered just how big he was as you felt his muscles underneath said shirt.

Then, you nearly jumped when your bag was suddenly hovering in front of your face. You had nearly forgotten it on the bed behind you. Carefully, you grabbed it with your free hand with a quiet ‘thank you’.

“It is no issue at all. Shall we?” He spoke, looking down at you.

Oh stars, how he made you feel small.

“Yes.”

With that, he gently walked to the door, opening it with a flick of his wrist, and leading you out into the hall.

His pace was most likely slow for himself, given you were positive his stride easily would outdo yours. However, Dracula took his time so you could easily keep up.

You found you didn’t particularly mind. If anything, it gave you the perfect opportunity to admire the decor of his castle.

Castlevania had been described in many different ways from the journals you had read. Some said horrifying and confusing, while others spoke of it as if it were gorgeous, yet almost fake feeling.

You found yourself mentally describing it as hauntingly beautiful.

Just the hall outside your room was nothing less than extravagant. Dark red curtains hung above the giant windows that seemed to lead to a courtyard, while painting after painting adorned the walls between each window.

Each painting was unfamiliar to you, but they still astounded you all the same.

Dracula noticed your awe, and his lips curled into a smile.

“The castle, being connected to me, usually inherits my tastes. Though I’ve noticed it has a fondness for decorating on its own, and even has preferences. For instance…”

He paused in front of one of the massive windows overlooking a garden.

“The gardens always look a bit different, but it is fond of giant fountains. Nearly every iteration has one without my interference, though it is pleasing to see.”

You tried not to giggle at that. The thought of a sentient castle being fond of giant fountains and having decoration preferences was so silly, yet given what you were looking at, was very possible.

Dracula and you didn’t linger long at the window, but after that, Dracula almost enthusiastically pointed out different decorations and what some of them meant to him.

It was little things, such as his tastes in candelabras, or the story behind every other painting. Apparently there were many immortals who dabbled in the arts.

You wouldn’t lie. Walking through his castle was very… surreal.

This was a place you were supposed to storm through. A place you were supposed to look at with disgust and revulsion.

Yet, you were fascinated, despite being on edge.

Only one of your ancestors remarked on the beauty the castle had. Juste, you think was his name.

Juste had written how the castle had a strange charm to it, among all the horrors he saw. Apparently he had an eye for detail and decor, and briefly wrote about how he had found it fascinating before destroying Dracula’s wraith, thus destroying the castle.

You could kind of see what he meant now that you were seeing it first hand, even if it was most likely incredibly different than when your ancestor had run through here.

It didn’t take as long as you thought to get to the entrance hall, which was covered with a lush red carpet, and filled with different displays and extravagant furniture.

A part of you wondered if this was what some castles were like hundreds of years ago, just with a more modern touch. Maybe he’d tell you one day?

After all, you agreed to come back. You’d hopefully have plenty of opportunities for questions.

One thing though you did notice walking through the entry hall, was the uptick of monsters.

There were suits of armor you passed, where you could sense enchantments on them, each standing at attention.

That, and maids were here and there, cleaning or tidying up. You could tell most weren’t human just by looking at them, but that was none of your concern. At least not at the moment, so long as they didn’t attack you.

They kept their distance, but you felt all their stares. Some looked at you curious, before averting their eyes. While others gave you cold smiles. You suppose you didn’t blame them.

Ignoring their looks, you felt your heart pound in your chest the closer you got to the massive door.

It looked different.

Instead of a worn down door that looked as if it had been left to rot, was a magnificent massive door that looked warm and taken care of.

And imposing. Very imposing.

Then again, that was most likely the point, even if you were looking at it from the inside. You could only wonder how it looked outside…

You didn’t have to wonder long. The moment you both approached the giant door, it opened completely on its own, as if the castle itself was opening the door for its master.

Despite having been around Dracula a little bit, his impressive feats of magic and mastery over the castle still seemed to awe you.

A part of you also wondered if he was doing that on purpose to show off. You wouldn’t be surprised with how he would occasionally look at you after doing something with magic.

Magic itself wasn’t new to you, but all that he could do? Especially when it wasn’t combat related? It was a bit impressive, you’d admit it.

As he walked you through the large doorway, you noticed the courtyard between the entrance and the gate had also changed. What was overgrown, wild shrubbery and trees was now a full garden. The plants seemed alive, but in a way that was almost… unreal.

He guided you through the courtyard, his arm still entwined with your own.

It didn’t take long before you were at the gate, and he came to a stop. Looking down at you, he posed a question that had your heart thrum in your chest.

“Is this fine, or do you require assistance to your cabin?”

His question caught you off guard slightly. You hadn’t anticipated him asking, nor had you thought that far.

“N-No, I’ll be alright. Thank you.”

A part of you really really wanted to say yes, so this moment lasted a while longer. So you didn’t have to say farewell.

But the rational part of you screamed no. Even if you somewhat trusted this man, were you ready to let him know about your cabin? How to approach it? What if you both were followed? Did you want anyone possibly seeing any weaknesses in your defenses?

No, the hunter in your brain won out. You couldn’t risk anyone finding your defenses, or rummaging through the one sanctuary you had.

You just hoped Dracula wouldn’t take it personally if he or one of his underlings investigated your cabin and exploded or something from one of the traps or wards.

Dracula meanwhile gave you a long look. If you didn’t know any better, you’d even say it was disappointment you saw in those ruby colored eyes of his. With a sigh, he gently let your arm go from his own, turning to face you properly.

“Very well. I shall await your inevitable return. Do not keep me waiting too long, Little Belmont.”

You already missed him. How?

Slowly, you nodded your head.

“Of course. Um…”

A part of you felt so awkward already.

“See you soon?”

Mentally, you were smacking your head against the wall. Did you really just tell the Lord of Darkness ‘see you soon’? You wanted to explode.

However, most of your embarrassment almost melted completely away when he gave you a small smile.

“Indeed. See you soon.”

You stared at him for a moment, you both seemingly unable to look away. It wasn’t until a rumble of thunder broke your gaze away, and you stared at the long walk at the edge of the lake you would have to trek.

With a sigh, you turned, and began to walk.

Already, you were regretting not taking him up on his offer. But it had to be done this way.

RIght?

Your heart was heavy in your chest as you pushed forward with every step. You couldn’t even muster up the courage to look back as you crossed the edge of the lake towards the forest.

At least, you couldn’t until you reached the edge of the clearing.

Already you were tired, but you couldn’t help but finally look back behind you. Back towards Dracula’s castle.

Your eyes widened when you did.

The castle, something that should have horrified you, was gorgeous surrounded by clouds and the forest. Its image even seemed to eerily reflect back at the lake despite the clouds above.

And Dracula remained in front of it, watching you.

It was hard to see from so far away, but you could just barely make out his cloak spiraling out behind him in the wind. He was watching you leave.

Was it to make sure you were really fine? Was it genuine concern? Why else would he watch over you while you left?

…Did he actually enjoy your company? Did he already miss it?

It took more effort than you would like to admit to swallow down the warmth bubbling in your chest.

How silly.

No need to get your hopes up. You hoped that at least a few days away from this place might clear your head. Surely that’ll make these confusing feelings go away. Right? Right?

You just hoped this wouldn’t mess up how you perceived your cabin… You already came to terms with your sanctuary being next to an empty castle. Now it is alive, and its king has an interest in you and your motivations.

With a sigh, and one last long look at the castle (and its owner out front), you turned back to the woods.

Each step back was heavy, and you felt as if you were in a daze. If it weren’t for the fact you had been bewitched before and knew how it felt, you would have wondered if you had been enthralled by some sort of spell.

At least you were self aware enough to walk back to your peaceful abode with caution.

You checked your traps as you went, watching your step as you did so. Thankfully, most were undisturbed except for one or two traps. Those you suspect were simply disturbed by animals rather than monsters looking for a meal.

Well, you at least hoped that was the case. You didn’t sense any paranormal residue of any sort, but that wasn’t a guarantee…

Still, you took enough time to go over most you came across, and as your cabin came into view, you checked around the building.

It was tiring, but quick with how your mind was still a buzz. At least nothing seemed out of place.

Just… a few blood stains from when you were here last and critically injured. Oops.

You sighed, debating if you should leave it as a problem for future you. Not like this place and your home were lacking in blood stains if you looked hard enough. What were a few more?

Still, you didn’t just want to leave it there, so you at least cleaned it up a little bit so you wouldn’t come back to a gross smell. Well, at least a worse smell, anyway. The blood didn’t do your cabin any favors, but hey, it could be worse.

You’d clean it properly and make it spotless when you came back. Eventually. Hopefully. Maybe.

Whatever.

It didn’t take long, but it was clear what you were doing. Trying to keep yourself distracted while in this fog. Trying to buy time before you head home. Buying time before the reality of everything that had happened hit you.

You didn’t get as much time as you would have liked.

Thankfully, since everything else in your cabin was untouched after a quick sweep, you didn’t take much longer to leave said cabin. Even if you wanted more time, it was a weight off your shoulders that you didn’t have to worry about anything being… tampered with.

All you had to do was toss your bag in your car, set your whip aside, and drive off.

Should you be driving while in such a state? No, but you didn’t exactly have the luxury of keeping your home waiting much longer.

The drive itself wasn’t long, or at least, it didn’t feel like it. With each mile, the clouds began to part, and the sun began to shine. It was almost insane how much reach the castle had in terms of weather.

Or was it Dracula’s influence? You wondered if he’d tell you if you asked next time you saw him.

Next time. Right.

Your grip on the wheel tightened, and you could feel your anxiety peaking as you drove further from the cabin. From the castle. Only to grow closer to your home.

…Would they all be there? Your step family?

Dread was already pooling in your gut as you imagined them waiting for you at home. Would they be extra pissed? Would they do something reckless?

With the shit they pulled last time… You weren’t so sure you would be safe. Even if you scared them a bit, you feared you only pissed them off more. If they were willing to fatally injure you so blatantly in ‘training’...

You feared what they might do since they didn’t succeed, and you couldn’t do a thing about it until they acted.

Sweat began to form on your temple as your heart uncomfortably began to beat faster. You felt ill. Felt like you were cornered by a pack of werewolves who were starved for a meal, and you weren’t even at your house yet.

Yet as your city came into view, you felt worse.

Would they scream at you? Yell at you? Call you worthless?

Or would Jason lash out, and finally attack you? You knew he had been holding himself back, but after last time…

What about your home? Was it in good condition? Or did they start destroying things? You wouldn’t be surprised if your room was destroyed.

Worse… would they kick you out?

You had no real legal standing if they kicked you out. All your family’s artifacts, weapons, and history… gone.

They would never give it back to you, or any of your living family members across the globe. No doubt they would simply will everything to themselves if anything happened to one of them.

Why did your mother leave everything to them?

It wasn’t fair.

You were beginning to feel even worse thinking about it.

Still, you forced yourself to swallow what felt like bile rising from your throat as you pulled onto your street outside of the city. Getting sick wouldn’t solve any of your problems, and would most likely make things worse.

But you could barely fight the rising panic as your family home came into view.

It was never so daunting and imposing before now. A place filled with light in your childhood now brought you nothing but terror and anxiety just looking at it as you drove closer.

As you pulled into your driveway though, you paused, and stopped your car.

No cars were outside.

No cars were outside.

No cars in the driveway or out front, and if you were lucky, not in the garage either. But at least your step brothers were gone.

The way your body practically sagged in relief. Even if somehow Jason was home, that was better than having to confront all three at the same time after getting back right away.

Taking a deep breath, you turned off the engine, and climbed out of the car. You only grabbed your bag, keeping anything else locked inside.

It took a few moments to gather your courage, before you slowly unlocked and opened the front door.

You waited a few moments, holding your breath as each tense moment passed.

Nothing.

It was dark, and you heard all the familiar creaks, but no footsteps. No sounds of a TV. No talking in the distance.

Carefully, you stepped inside, and quietly closed the door behind you.

There was still nothing.

Were you truly home alone?

A part of you wanted to relax, but the hunter in you stayed alert. With silent footsteps, you headed to the garage just to be safe. There was no one on the way there, and when you opened the garage door?

Nothing.

Closing it, you laid your back against the door, hand over your heart as you tried to calm down.

You were actually home alone for once.

Did they have a hunt? Need supplies and go shopping since you were gone?

Either way, it didn’t matter. You were home alone, and that was most important at the moment. You could let your guard down for a little while.

At least, until whenever they came home.

With a huge weight temporarily off your shoulders, you made your way to your room, a small plan in mind.

First, you needed to change clothes. You were thankful for the clothes Dracula had lent you, but… what you had on was a little dated. Even if you liked how the loose, puffy shirt looked on you, and the comfortable pants… No doubt there would be questions why you were wearing clothing that was popular in a different century.

Then you needed to shower, and write down some stuff you needed to do going forward. Maybe even get some sleep before anyone gets home…

Sitting down on your bed with a messy plan in mind, you reached into your bag to get your dirty clothes out for you to wash later.

As you rummaged through it, you froze when you felt something new inside it.

Thoughts ran through your mind as your blood ran cold. Have you been had? Did someone plant a bomb or a weapon in your bag? Did Dracula betray you?

Carefully, your hand grasped the cool object, before slowly pulling out of your bag.

You couldn’t help the small gasp that left your mouth when you pulled out a potion bottle.

“When…?”

Looking over the bottle, you noticed a tag attached to the cork, and gently held it still as you made out the intricate cursive on the note.

‘I figured you could use this. It should be enough to finish healing your wounds. I hope you put it to good use.

Sincerely,

~VDT.’

You didn’t notice you were beginning to cry, until your vision became blurry with hot tears.

“VDT…. Vlad… Dracula Țepeș…?” You asked out loud with a sniffle.

He didn’t betray you. At some point, he must have slipped this in your bag after his last visit as he escorted you out. How?

It was a silly question to ask, given the immense power he held… but…

You sniffled again, tears hitting your leg as everything slowly began to hit you at once.

Despite it all…

…Dracula went out of his way to heal you, and even made sure you had something for when you got home.

More tears began to form as you carefully cradled the small note to your chest.

Dracula at least cared about you, when no one else did.

That thought both thrilled and terrified you to the core.

…Because you were certain you cared for him back.

[onestepbackwards]

oh, requests are open- super excited, I first found your blog via your requests :D mmm… if it’s something you’re okay with writing, could I ask for pokemon men of your choice comforting a reader dealing with really bad period cramps? mine have been bad recently, rip-

I got you (o゜▽゜)o☆ Sorry this took a while! I hope you're feeling better!

Word Count: 1845 words!

CW: Period talk/cramps, attempted breaking and entering (its fine don't worry)

Characters: Leon, Giovanni, Nanu

---

“Is it really that bad?”

“Leon, I feel like I’m dying.”

You couldn’t see the pained look on Leon’s face as you curled up further in bed. Leon had come over earlier to see if you wanted to hang out and have a mock battle, but when you answered the door, you looked awful.

His first thought had been you must be sick, and he supposed that wasn’t too off the mark.

You invited him in, though apologized right after. Something about how you were on your period, so you wouldn’t be able to host that well, nor do any battles.

After that, you had told him he could help himself, and do whatever while you went back to your room. All while apologizing again as you entered your room and crawled in bed.

Leon had to admit, he felt awful that you felt miserable. You were usually so upbeat around him, so to see you in such pain…

He didn’t like it.

It’s how he ended up sitting next to you on your bed as you held a pillow close, asking if you would be alright.

“Yeah, I’ll live. Ughh… I just can’t relax, the pain is too much today, and the medicine hasn’t kicked in yet.”

A moment passes, before you hear the sound of a pokeball opening. You open an eye, and your gaze softens when you see Leon’s Charizard next to you, looking at you concerned.

The sweet pokemon gently nudged your arm with it’s snout, and you hesitated a moment, before lifting it. Leon’s Charizard then gently took the pillow you had been curled around, before making itself comfortable by laying against your abdomen.

You sighed in slight relief at the warmth, and Leon smiled at you as your body sagged into the bed.

“Warm…” you said with a sigh of relief. This was waaay better than any heating pad.

Leon’s Charizard proceeded to get comfortable next to your bed, minding it’s flames. No doubt you needed this, given your reaction.

You barely had time to notice though that Leon had kicked his shoes off and climbed into bed with you, at least not until he curled close to you under the covers.

“It’s been a while since I had a day to rest. How long has it been? Months?”

You weakly smiled.

“Being Champion isn’t all fun days either, I take it.”

Leon pulled out his phone, positioning it where you could watch as well, and leaned against your shoulder.

“Nope! It’s usually fine, but… It’s nice to take a break and spend time with you. I don’t mind hanging out in bed.”

His words were sweet. Maybe you wouldn’t mind having more days like this with him.

Well, when you weren’t in agonizing pain, at least.

–

Being friends with a Mob Boss had its ups and downs, you liked to think.

Even if ending up close with the leader of Team Rocket of all things by complete accident, was nothing short but the work of a lot of shenanigans.

At least it came with benefits, such as an impromptu visit when you don’t answer your phone for a day.

You’d give Giovanni credit. He was possessive of the few people he was close with, meaning he was not happy if he thought something happened to them. Of course, this could also be read as borderline obsession, but you liked to think that with his… unique line of work… he couldn’t afford to be too careful.

It’s how you weren’t too surprised to hear banging on your door after you ignored your phone for several hours.

You had set it to charge that morning, and unfortunately started red week.

The cramps hit you like a hammer, and you ended up scrambling to take medicine, and get comfortable before crawling in bed with a heating pad. In your haze of pain, you forgot to grab your phone where you had it charging.

Groaning, you wondered if it was someone who would leave if you ignored it. Though when you heard the banging again, and the sound of your doorknob jiggling, you sighed and got up from bed.

You unlocked your door quickly, before pulling it open.

On your front porch was Giovanni, caught red handed clearly trying to lockpick your door.

Clearing his throat, he adjusted his hat, his face turning into a scowl.

“Uh… everything alright, Giovanni?” you asked. Said man raised a brow at you, showing his hands into his trench coat pockets.

“I should be asking you that question.”

“Huh-?”

If you didn’t know Giovanni as well as you did, you probably would have flinched at the glare he gave you.

“No answered calls, no answered texts. It’s been hours. What happened?”

Ah yes, Giovanni was definitely possessive of those he considered his.

Sagging a bit, you gave him a look.

“Sorry, I’m not feeling well, and I left my phone to charge in another room before crawling in bed.”

Another thing about Giovanni was how paranoid he could be. Calculating every possible result he could. He didn’t seem entirely convinced.

Rolling your eyes (though there wasn’t any actual annoyance behind the action), you opened your door for him to come inside.

He followed almost immediately, letting you shut the door behind him. You knew he wouldn’t let this drop if you didn’t let him see for himself you were fine.

Just because he somewhat trusted you, did not mean he trusted anyone else besides his inner circle of ‘employees’. He tended to rely on himself to make sure bigger things went smoothly.

No doubt he’d try to break in again unless he saw for himself, or he’d send one of his inner circle to do it.

Giovanni followed you into your home, and you gestured towards your charging phone, before looking at him a bit weak.

“See? I’m sorry for missing your calls and messages, but I really don’t feel well…”

Giovanni looked you up and down, and you felt yourself internally sigh.

“Just what are you even sick with? Flu?”

You gave him a deadpan look.

“Red week.”

It was silent, and a look of realization hit him.

“Ah.”

It was almost comical how his demeanor changed, though you decided not to pick on him for it.

“Make yourself at home, I’m going back to bed.”

You knew he wouldn’t mess with anything. Not like you had anything he couldn’t buy himself, and he wasn’t interested in any of your valuables.

With that, you headed back to your room while holding your gut, cursing your beloathed organ. Behind you, you could barely make out Giovanni pulling out a phone before you turned a corner and walked back to your room.

Crashing dramatically onto your bed, you curled up against one of your pillows and let out a groan. Here you had been comfortable, and had to get up.

Of course, you weren’t upset at Giovanni, but definitely more irritated at the circumstances of having to leave your cocoon of comfort.

You laid long enough to nearly end up in a drowsy slumber after being alone in your room for a bit, before you heard your door squeak open. You hadn’t shut it completely in case Giovanni wanted something, though you jolted slightly at the noise.

“Relax.”

Looking up, you saw Giovanni. How long had it been since you let him in? You weren’t sure.

“Wh-”

“Here.”

Before you could even ask what he needed or was doing, he tossed something on your bed. Blinking in confusion, your eyes looked over to whatever had landed next to you.

Your eyes then widened when you noticed it was a rather high quality heating pad.

“Wait-”

He held up a hand, and you paused.

“Don’t worry about it. Consider it a get well soon gift.”

Your mouth opened and closed like a fish, and you barely managed to react in time and catch something when he tossed something else to you.

Confused, you looked at it, before your eyes widened at the sight of a pokeball. Curious, you clicked it open, and Giovanni’s Persian popped out.

The giant cat-like pokemon lazily blinked at you, before hopping on your bed and did a long stretch, before curling up next to you with a purr.

“Persian will look after you. I’ll be back to check on you later.”

Before you could even get a word in, Giovanni gave you a nod, before turning and leaving your room, closing the door behind him.

Persian nuzzled against you, and you reached out to scritch behind its soft ears.

Giovanni was a busy, cold man. You knew this well, and you wouldn’t argue if someone said it.

…But you’d admit, he could show he cares in his own strange ways to the select few he was close to.

–

In hindsight, you should have expected this.

Starting your period while hanging out with Nanu was awful. Not only did the cramps hit you out of nowhere, but the headache and nausea decided to slam into you at the same time on top of it all.

Nanu, to his credit, was sympathetic to you despite how nonchalant he seemed.

“Got ya some meds and a blanket.”

Looking up from your spot on the couch, you saw Nanu next to you, holding each thing out to you to grab.

“Oh thank Arceus, thank you Nanu.” You said, sitting up with a wince before grabbing the items from him.

“No problem.” Was all he said, before sitting next to you as you tried to get comfortable as you took the pain killers.

Chuckling at the wince you made as you swallowed the pills, Nanu held back a grin as you groaned. He found your reactions funny, but he knew better than to laugh when you must be feeling absurd amounts of pain.

That, and despite his grin, he truly hated to see you like this.

You rarely let anyone see you feel this way, he had realized earlier. No doubt always staying home and canceling plans to ride the pain out.

Just how many times have you stayed home because of this? Or had simply pushed through the pain?

Glancing at you, he watched as you wrapped the blanket around you, giving a small smile to a Meowth that carefully pawed at your leg in concern.

The lil guy then carefully jumped up and crawled into your lap with a small noise of comfort, and you absentmindedly began to pet him as the Meowth made himself comfortable.

After a moment, Nanu let out a silent sigh, before reaching over and wrapping an arm around your shoulders. He pulled you close in a comforting manner, and grabbed the tv remote with his free hand.

“Stay as long as you need.” he said, before turning the tv on and flipping the channel to one you had mentioned liking.

You were silent for a moment, before leaning against Nanu’s shoulder.

“Thank you, Nanu.” you whispered.

The corner of his lips ticked upwards in a small smile.

“No problem at all.”

[onestepbackwards]

Love that Bites Pt. 13

IT'S DONE AAAA Sorry this took so long, I have had a rough few months, it's made it hard to write and focus. BUT! This chapter is at least 8000 words to make up for it! I hope you enjoy!! (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

Summary: Despite what he had hoped, Dracula has decided to spring a talk of 'business' with you earlier than he had intended. He anticipates it to end in disaster, destroying what little peace you both had. However, he finds things might not end like he presumes...

CW: Anxiety, talks of depression, allusions to abuse, mentions of murder, mentions of sexist behavior, brief mentions of injury

Word Count: 8039 Words!

Like my work? Please consider supporting me here! Link

Likes and reblogs appreciated!

Tag List: @kittenlover614 @simpytheshrimpy69 @midgetdemon17 @just-nother-dreamer @adrakeshoard @tilldeathripsusapart @thedeadlynights @pumpkinvampie @bethleeham @mshope16 @sixsixtwenty @haleypearce @rvautomatic @tinystarfishgalaxy @marshmelloe @maorizon @ursamajor17 @sapphicsfordracula @dame-sunflowers @sleepyendymion @starrlo0ver @onewiththebeanbag

First: Here Last: Here Next: Here

-----

Dracula, if he were being honest with himself, had dread when this day would come.

Deep down, he knew eventually you two would have to talk. There was no getting around it, no avoiding it forever.

After all, you were still a Belmont, and he was King of the Night.

He had known this talk would come before he eventually had been freed. How you mentioned wishing to talk instead of immediately engaging in battle.

However, he would admit that a small part of him looked forward to this, especially before he had been freed from his stone prison.

Back then, he could not help but imagine different scenarios of himself and you discussing the future. This primarily was before he had got to know you a little bit more with each ‘visit’.

Before you broke the curse on him, he had planned on using this talk to gouge your own plans, and see just what kind of a Belmont you really were.

Would you be all bark and no bite? Or was the idea of wanting to talk really just a guise to make yourself more high and mighty than him? Another ‘holier than thou’ spiel he had heard countless times throughout history, and still managing to condemn him?

Perhaps it was even a trick to try and lower his guard? Just to attack like a snake on unsuspecting prey?

Not that he would have let his guard down that easy in the beginning, of course…

Other questions though still had run through his mind at the time as he slowly grew to know you in his imprisonment.

Were you really different? Did a small bit of Leon still persist despite the generations of Belmonts? Was it truly kindness that shone bright in those tired eyes of yours?

It certainly wasn’t naïveté, despite what some may think. Those eyes of yours had seen too much to be dull witted. Any kindness you had to give, it was because you chose to, despite knowing the risks.

That kindness, and your interest in asking questions for yourself. That still drew him in.

However, as time went on, it became almost alarmingly clear that you were in fact serious about this. How you didn’t particularly want to battle him, at least not without hearing him out personally.

No power play here, no desire to put yourself above him while seemingly giving the vampire a chance.

You were a rarity that Dracula didn’t want to let go. Especially when you were just within his grasp.

Humans like yourself were rare, he didn’t want to just let you slip through his fingers, even if you were a Belmont.

If anything, that made it all the more important to try and sway you to see his side of things.

Or to at least… come to an understanding.

However, Dracula was all too familiar with how finicky fate could be. Should he try and lock you away or strongarm you into staying, he’d simply be pushing you away.

It also didn’t help that the idea of simply holding you hostage didn’t sit well in his gut. The last thing he wanted, (even if he refused to admit it out loud), was for you to hate him for stealing you away.

…He would admit he did consider it, though. Dracula had already lost so much, was it hard to blame him for wanting to protect this Little Belmont who was clearly a hidden gem amongst the rotten trash that was humankind?

Still, he couldn’t afford to risk losing you to his own arrogance. Not like this.

Unfortunately though, you unintentionally threw a wrench into his plans.

Originally, he hoped to have you here for at least a week, if not two. During that time, he planned to gleam who had hurt you, and deal with them swiftly if need be.

All while healing you, and seeing if he could push past a few of your walls.

That way, hopefully when you eventually had to have a talk with him about where you both stood, he had hoped he would have enough information to form a way to convince you to stay.

Alas, things never went to plan for him. Fate seemed to enjoy taunting him that way, it seems.

Despite how receptive you had been to him, and how you accepted his care, you surprised him with what you had to say.

How you could not stay much longer. You had to leave soon.

Your words weighed heavy in his heart. However, it became clear this wasn’t exactly a choice you wanted.

It seemed you were oddly reluctant to even mention why, clearly unhappy and anxious about the idea of going back.

That had alarm bells ringing in his mind.

The Lord of the Night was no fool. When he wasn’t constantly being slain by your ilk, he was a ruler, a leader, and a tactician. Among many other things.

No one lived as long as he, and not pick up on different things about human behavior.

A part of him wanted to puff up in pride. You seemingly wanted to stay.

But that was unfortunately a double edged sword, so it seemed.

Sure, you were receptive to his care and being his guest, but that was far from being entirely trustworthy and comfortable around him.

…So just how bad was your home life for you to prefer staying at his castle, even after someone already tried to foolishly tamper with your life?

You seemed a bit dodgy when he delicately prodded about your home life. However, the less you said, the more of a picture it seemed to paint.

No words had to be said for him to assume the worst. The wounds you had must have been from wherever you resided outside his castle.

Yet you stubbornly refused to give him details. Even if you were different from your ancestors, you were still very much a stubborn Belmont.

It would be endearing, if not for the fact he worried about your safety the moment you left his property.

And the fact he had to have this conversation with you now, rather than when he would have liked. He had at least hoped you would be in a better physical and mental state before he sprung this talk on you.

After all, you both couldn’t ignore the elephant in the room forever. One of you would either have to give and declare war, or… Perhaps meet halfway.

Even though he hoped for the best, Dracula was well aware this may end in disaster. He at least hoped it wouldn’t be too explosive.

He’d like to at least fight you on even ground with respect, like you had wished to do for him.

The last thing he wanted was to fight you as you looked up at him, clearly still incredibly injured, despite what the potions have done for you so far. He wouldn’t underestimate you, but he knew that you would no doubt leave with permanent damage if you managed to win.

And if he were being honest, Dracula didn’t want to deal with the whirlpool of emotions he no doubt will have to suffer from if you choose to try and destroy him.

He may be a prideful man who didn’t like admitting his faults, but he was well aware how badly he handled losing someone last time. He didn’t want to kill you or try to hurt you with his own hand.

So he donned his King of the Night mask. Ready to face the music.

Your reaction to his change in demeanor was instant.

Those wide eyes of yours sharpened, and he could practically see the hair on your neck stand on end. Seems a hunter’s instinct never rests.

It was almost fascinating to watch in real time, if he were being honest with himself. Any Belmont he had faced, almost exclusively were ready to fight him from the get go.

So to see you so subtly shift, as if a snake preparing to strike, or a cat ready to react with a strike of its own…

Dracula would be lying if he didn’t find such a sight interesting, stirring a set of feelings in him he thought he had long since buried. A shame he had to see such a shift when he might become your enemy in mere moments.

The air around you both was tense, and was charged with enough energy Dracula idly wondered if it could charge a light at this rate.

“So,” Dracula began, his voice becoming a bit of a bored drawl, “what exactly do you intend to do now, Little Belmont?”

Your eyes nervously bore into his own, and you swallowed thickly as you sat up straighter.

“What I intend to do?”

Dracula kept his lips from curling up into a grin. He at least would try to hold off from antagonizing you like he would with annoying diplomats from other monster and vampire clans.

“Yes. Forgive me for being rather blunt,” he began, his eyes glowing idly as he watched you for any change in behavior, “-but you know as well as I do, that we can’t just pretend the other doesn’t exist after you leave.”

It was subtle, but he recognized the calculating look on your face after he finished speaking. He wondered what thoughts were flying through your head as you scoured your mind for an answer.

Dracula knew his words had to be thought on, though he also imagined you probably had thought about this long before he had even been freed. Although, imagining what one would say in such a situation, and being in the situation you had imagined didn’t mean things would go as one planned.

You were silent for a moment. Then another.

Dracula didn’t mind, nor did he rush you. Despite his shift in attitude, he didn’t intend to push you to make a choice at that exact moment, even if he did put you on the spot.

Though perhaps, that may just be his thin veiled excuse to keep the peace, just for a little while longer.

After a few more moments, you let out a sigh, and put a hand on top of your head. You averted your eyes from him, and closed them.

“I… I don’t wish to fight you.” you began, almost tentatively. Your hands gripped the blanket nearby, and began to fiddle with it.

“You have been very kind to me since uh… Since you were freed from being a statue. You didn’t have to do that, for me of all humans.”

For a moment, your eyes met his own, and Dracula felt some tension in his body lessen, just ever so slightly.

So you didn’t wish to fight him either. It was one thing to suspect as such, but to hear it from your own mouth relieved him in a way he couldn’t explain. No doubt it also took a lot for you to admit that, to your own destined adversary.

But that didn’t mean you wouldn’t fight him. No, it was clear you would if you had to. The words were unspoken, but still there.

Despite this, you were still clearly nervous, your heartbeat pounding hard enough for him to hear in the quiet room.

“I’ll be honest. I… may be a fool for admitting this, but…” you began, your eyes flickering between your whip, which sat next to you on the bed, and Dracula himself.

“...I probably wouldn’t even win. What’s the point, anyway?”

That was indeed surprising to hear from your lips. The way you practically sagged as you admitted such a thing, showing just how tired you really were.

Dracula could see it now. It wasn’t just exhaustion in your eyes from whatever happened to you at your home.

You were tired of life. You were tired of the burden you had on your shoulders. You didn’t have much to fight for, anymore.

Dracula felt those words of yours tear into his heart. They struck a chord with him in a way that was almost unsettling.

“If I fight you, then what? I ‘win’? There’s nothing in it for me. Sure, I save humanity, or whatever-” You say, making finger quotes as you shake your head, “-But then I just end up back home in my own hell hole, no doubt with injuries that can no longer be healed. Then I’d still be expected to keep hunting.”

It was strange, as if a dam had broken within you. Dracula had a feeling this was something that had been building for years. No doubt from when you were a child, thoughts like those had been swimming in your head. Especially after you had lost a parent.

“Plus, what then, you rise again in a century? If even that? I know for a fact sometimes you have risen in half that time. What’s the point then? Just holding off until the next battle until someone else in my family stands up to fight you?”

Blinking quickly, you rubbed one of your eyes with your wrist, clearly trying to hold your emotions in check. The conversation clearly weighed heavy on you when you were already dealing with enough as it is.

He’d admit though, it was surprising to hear this from you.

Some Belmonts seemingly had been eager to seal him away. Either for glory, or the sake of mankind, thinking it a triumphant thing to succeed.

Here, you simply showed the opposite. How cruel fate really was, how winning against him was nothing more than a temporary, hollow victory in the grand scheme of things.

And how those words of yours echoed deep within his own mind. How many times had he been forced to answer the call of humans and other forces since he was killed that first time after Lisa’s death?

Those first few times, he had been vengeful. But after he had fought with his own son one on one, it had become increasingly clear how hollow his life had become.

How far he had sunk since he even lost his own dear Elisabetha.

How he encouraged this lonely life as a vampire after losing his first wife, then grew to detest the cursed cycle he had been put in after his second wife was murdered.

Fated to be the monster talked about in folk tales to keep children from misbehaving, only to reappear due to the whims of Chaos and Order. Cursed to be revived, when after all these centuries, he had finally wanted to rest.

He was tired too.

At least he was living in the hole he had dug for himself. He had no one to blame other than his own self and actions.

But there was a strange pang of sympathy for you in his chest. His actions were his own doing, but you? Your family was doomed because of both him, and your ancestor who created his whole clan just to slay him and his kind.

You were born to slay him, for better or for worse. Raised to kill him, and if he didn’t appear, raise a child in your family to kill him in your stead.

Did you even get to live a life of your own? Dracula doubted you could, unless you completely cut all ties, probably having to go as far as to change your own name.

After all, any Belmont was free game, regardless if they hunted or not. If there was a chance someone was related to a hunter, let alone a Belmont, beasts and monsters would hunt them for sport.

He would say at least you had your own family to support you. In the past, that seemed to be the case.

However… If your own family treated you like the dirt they walked on…

No wonder you were tired.

The room was silent for a moment, the tension having morphed from something tense and anxious, to somber and dreary.

“May I ask you a question?”

Dracula was almost startled by your voice, and how soft it had gotten. You were now looking out the window, watching as rain had begun to fall. A rolling thunder was heard off in the distance.

He wondered if that was due to the castle, or from him from the dull ache in his chest.

“You may.”

Dracula was also surprised by how his own voice had softened. He prepared himself to act like The King of the Night, yet here he was, already unable to stay cold and curt with you.

How his icy demeanor had already cracked seeing you so… broken.

It was silent for another moment as you gathered your thoughts.

“Why bother at this point? Is not coming back again and again exhausting? Why keep planning to attack humanity?”

At first, the questions seemed piercing and aggravating, until you finally looked back over at him. Those tired eyes of yours meeting his own.

“No one ever really told me. I have an idea, but… Most of what I know I learned from old journals. I highly doubt things written by a victor are always 100% accurate.”

That familiar, proud warmth stirred in his chest amongst the painful feelings that swirled from old memories.

But this… this is what he had wanted. When was the last time he got to explain his side?

…Though to be fair, he knew he would be seen as wrong, regardless of what he told you. However, it was still nice to at least have a chance to explain, without immediately being called a heartless monster first.

You at least were curious. You wanted to know for yourself, rather than just believe the words of your ancestors without thought.

Truly a marvel for most humans, even now.

Dracula looked over you, and how your eyes still watched him with a wary, curious gleam.

He sighed.

“Several centuries ago, my wife, Lisa, was murdered by humans.” Dracula began, letting himself relax slightly as he began to speak. You, meanwhile, sat up a bit further, clearly interested in what he had to say for himself.

“She insisted I go travel, and that she would be fine in the small home we had built away from the castle. Lisa wished to stay, having pursued the career of a doctor. Taught her everything I know.”

A small smile flickered on his face as he recounted his time with his late wife, though that smile quickly fell back to a frown.

Your eyes seemed to sharpen slightly, and it was as if he could see you calculating in real time what must have happened. No doubt you were already making educated guesses.

“Unfortunately, many didn’t take kindly to her healing others. Even a few of those she treated reported her to the church.”

Eyes widening slightly, a look of sorrow and horror briefly passed over your face. Had he not been paying attention, it would have been easy to miss.

No doubt you had an idea before, but his words were painting a horrific story, even if he hadn’t even said what had happened specifically just yet.

“For a year, she was fine. We occasionally wrote letters to the other, and she would tell me about her different patients. Sometimes how fulfilling it was to be a doctor, something she had dedicated her life to. Other times… She’d mention how her patients weren’t as kind or cooperative.”

Dracula held back a sneer at the reminder. He really should have noticed the signs so much sooner. How he could have avoided her horrible fate if he had just relied on his gut…

“They would groan or complain that she was treating them. How it wasn’t normal for a woman to do man’s work. They would sometimes curse her out or grow aggressive even. Some accepting her treatment while saying vile things about her. Although… My son at the time usually was around to help if things were too violent.”

Recognition flashed in your eyes. Of course you would recognize his son, to some degree, if you didn’t already know him.

There was doubt in his mind however, that you knew his son. Dracula at least liked to think his and Lisa’s son would have stepped in by now to help you if he had an idea of whatever was happening behind closed doors.

Especially given how his son had been insistent on helping the Belmonts throughout the centuries, even if it wasn’t always by choice since it regarded slaying him.

Details.

Though that did make Dracula briefly wonder just where his son was. Had he gone back to resting? Or had he stirred now that he himself was awake and free?

Dracula was no fool. Alucard had a connection to this castle just like he did, even if it wasn’t on the same scale. His son’s powers being from his own would always have a connection to this place, so long as Dracula remained alive.

Those thoughts were pushed back into his mind. He could dwell on such thoughts and speculations later. If he was still alive and this went well, of course.

Clearing his throat, Dracula continued.

“It was nearly the time I was to return home, when it happened. The church and heads of the nearby town seemed to have had ‘enough’ of my wife ‘playing’ healer, despite the fact she had most likely treated someone they knew, if not themselves.”

Anger and irritation began to simmer a bit brighter in his chest as he thought of how his wife had been treated. How alone and scared she must have been that day.

“They came. They saw the instruments we both used for medicinal purposes. Something I believe you would find rather modern, or even old by today’s standards, but at the time…”

You looked up at him then, realization in your eyes.

“They accused her of witchcraft, didn’t they?”

It was more of a statement, then a question.

Dracula could only give you a small nod.

“She was.”

You had a pained look on your face, clearly upset.

“I’m… not surprised.” you began, a bit hesitant.

“Humans fear things they don’t understand. Or things they can’t control. I imagine being a woman, and a doctor who no doubt had a great success rate at that… Add the more modern medicine practices…” you mumbled, eyes looking down to the side as you thought out loud.

Dracula was at least somewhat pleased you were beginning to see the gravity the situation had been. He had no idea what your knowledge of his wife had been, but this no doubt was an eye opener. That is, if you were choosing to believe him.

Given how you were reacting though… he’d like to hope you were. At least you weren’t screaming obscenities at him and calling him a liar and a heathen like some of your ancestors might have.

“Indeed. It… was brutal.”

Your eyes were now back on him, and he mentally cursed as his voice nearly wavered. He wanted to grow angry once more, and yet, a part of him wanted to simply mourn.

When did he last ever get the chance?

“When I arrived at the small home we had shared, all that was left was cinders. She had been taken captive, and I had been informed… She was to be burned at the stake.”

The air was colder, and your body tensed as a growl slowly crept into his voice.

“By the time I had found where they were keeping her…” he began, his voice low, growing strained, “...They burned her, claiming she was a witch. That this was God’s will.”

He could feel his fangs grow just ever so slightly, as well as his claws. Dracula could practically remember the smell of those ashes of that home.

“It was a lie, of course. All of it. They simply wanted her dead, and used all of that as flimsy excuses to placate the town.” he snarled, leaning forward slightly.

Despite the anger clear on his face, you remained steady. You didn’t flinch away like he thought you might, though your eyes were still wide with horror all the same.

Though… he had the feeling it wasn’t horror from seeing him like this. You weren’t scared of the beast threatening to break free from his flesh.

“By the time I located her, she was already burning. Her soul was already beginning to fade. She was gone.”

Dracula leaned back into the chair, his heart heavy in his chest.

A moment passed, and then another once more. The only thing either of you could hear was the storm that had begun to persist around the castle. How the rain harshly hit the window against the wall, and the wind wailed.

“Not one human stood up. No one looked at what was happening, and said no. All they did was watch.”

Your eyes flickered to the arm of the chair Dracula was sitting in, how it splintered under the pressure of his claws.

Yet… you still didn’t look afraid.

“I then warned them. I gave them a year to apologize and admit they were wrong. A year to pack up and leave. No one did. Not one.”

It was quiet for a moment, and Dracula took a deep breath. In an instant, the air was no longer as heavy as it had been a moment before, though a deep chill still ran throughout the air.

A part of him wanted to feel a bit bad. The moment the air lessened, you slumped again. You were still wounded, and weren’t able to hold yourself together like you no doubt would have if you were healthy. He would have to be mindful how much of a powerful presence he had.

Thrumming his claws against the partially destroyed arm of the chair, Dracula looked over you briefly before continuing.

“In my grief and anger, I declared a year from that day, I would rain hell on those who killed her. I would raze humanity to the ground.”

Your eyes met his.

“And then you did. Or tried to.” you spoke, your voice surprisingly steady.

His eyes never left your own.

“Indeed. I did.”

You swallowed thickly, your hands gripping the sheets under you nervously.

Different ways over how you would respond flashed through his mind again, much like they had earlier these past few days. However, what you said next surprised him.

“I… I don’t blame you, if I am being honest.”

Sure, Dracula thought of the possibility of you saying something along those lines, but he didn’t think you’d actually say it.

Even if you were different from some of your ancestors, he still expected you to go along and claim he was still an evil bastard, that killing those people was still horrible.

Though, that thought isn’t wrong. He knew what he was doing all those centuries ago, and knew what he was doing each time he had been revived and set out to attack. How evil those actions were.

Yet here you were, so quietly admitting you didn’t blame him.

“I’ll be honest… If it were my partner, or someone close to me… I can’t say I wouldn’t have wanted revenge.” You began, head tilting slightly towards him.

“Though uh… I don’t think I would have tried to kill all of humanity, but… Well… I don’t know your situation in full, but I do know grief is a powerful motivator for a lot of things…”

Dracula wasn’t sure what overcame him, but he found himself standing up out of the chair and leaning forward. His arms caged you in as he rested his hands on either side of you on the bed, while he loomed over you.

“You, Little Belmont, would commit murder? To avenge someone close to you, despite what your ancestors have stood for?” he asked, curiosity truly burning in his chest.

You didn’t shrink back, instead met his gaze head on, even as he caged you in. Even as he heard your heart pick up, and your breath hitch, you didn’t back down from his question.

“I’m not saying I would have tried to destroy all of humanity… or even that entire town. But I would hunt down every single person involved. They would know I was coming, one by one.”

Your eyes spoke promise, as if this was something you had thought of plenty of times before. The certainty in them was surprising.

“I’m not my ancestors. I protect humanity, sure, but don’t assume I'm just like them.”

He stood over you for a moment, his face so incredibly close to your own as he stood above you as he took in your words. Your pulse was loud enough to ring in his own ears, and your body was stiff as stone, as if awaiting him to call you a liar.

Then, he laughed.

It was more of a chuckle really, though seeing your bewildered face as he pulled back away from you nearly had made him want to laugh harder.

Leaning back and sitting into the chair once again, Dracula ran a hand against his face and into his hair.

“Forgive me- Forgive me…” He began, his lips twitching into a smile. “I just never thought I’d see the day where a Belmont would admit something such as that. Though…”

Dracula adjusted his posture to a much more relaxed one, most of the tension that had been in the air washing away in an instant.

“You are correct. You are far from what some of your ancestors have been.”

You definitely had Leon’s fire. It was hard to say if Leon would have committed murder against humans if the past had been slightly different… But you had that gleam in your eye that his old friend once had. A fierce look that was different, yet just as vicious as Belmonts before you.

With such a revelation, Dracula could feel the heavy feeling in his heart lessen, but that didn’t mean you both were in the clear, even if you understood each other just a bit better.

Even if you were sympathetic to him, that didn’t change the fact he very much attempted to kill many people. Multiple times, sometimes against his will. He very much has caused harm again and again.

Still, you looked at him with such a complex look on your face. No doubt conflicted yourself with everything you had learned today, especially if you were going to go ahead and plan to fight him anyway.

“So, Little Belmont.”

His voice had you looking back up at him.

“Now that you’ve heard it from my lips, why I detested humanity for so long, what do you plan to do now?” he asked.

Dracula wouldn’t lie. He was genuinely curious what your response would be. Anxiety began to creep up his throat once again, however.

…Maybe you would say something that would once again surprise him.

It was silent for a few moments, as you looked deep in thought, before looking back up at him.

“Well… Do you intend to keep trying to kill every human? Seems kinda… counter productive to do so now. Especially when things have changed so much in the centuries that have passed.”

Though you gave a slight wince.

“Granted, I don’t expect you to like anyone. But at this point, what do you gain? Are you… Not tired of fighting and dying and being revived?”

Once again, he could sense a genuine curiosity in your questions.

What did he gain, at this point?

Killing every human would be suicide for vampires everywhere. It would do more than just destroy vampires, but ecosystems as well.

As much as Vlad hated to admit it, humans were a necessary factor when it came to the earth.

But why should he care?

The moment that thought crossed his mind, his eyes landed back on you. How you fidgeted a bit on the bed, though seemed far less anxious than before. Your instincts didn’t seem as on edge as they had been when he first initiated this conversation.

Granted, he hadn’t been as… enthusiastic about world domination in centuries, if he were being honest with himself. His last run in with his son definitely left a mark, how his son grimly told him what Lisa’s last words had been.

But even though he often wished to stay dead, many would find ways to bring him back, and it was as if a cord was attached to his back, tugging him like a string. A force urging him to kill once again.

He’d barely be awake even a few hours, before he was set to be killed again.

Dracula would admit, he was definitely tired.

This wasn’t exactly what he expected his life to become after he chose to forsake his own humanity to spite God. Though he supposes that’s what he gets for doing so in the first place.

Who knew immortality would be full of boredom, tragedy, and bone deep tiredness?

Still, without it, he wouldn’t have experienced the brief bouts of love and joy that he wouldn’t trade for the world.

His eyes stayed on you as those thoughts swirled in his mind.

Despite everything that has happened to him, he found it hard to regret meeting you, at least so far.

For a moment, his eyes gazed to the side, different thoughts conflicting in his mind, but…

He didn’t wish to fight you, either.

Fingers thrumming against the arm of the chair, Dracula leaned his face against his hand.

“I suppose that is a fair point. Nearly every human that has personally spite me is dead. It gets tiring being woken up, and then killed for attempting vengeance when those who personally wronged me are gone.”

Your lips twitched upwards slightly at his ‘admission’, before giving him a look.

“But tell me, Little Belmont…”

He leaned in close again from his spot in the chair, looking at you almost amused.

“What should I do instead, hm?”

You blinked, and your face briefly flushed from the proximity.

“Um… Well, what did you do before declaring humans as your enemy? Uh, I’m no historian, but didn’t you just kinda do your own thing, only killing people that came to bother you or hurt you? Like how the church likes to refer to you as Vlad the Impaler to hide that you are a real vampire that exists?”

Dracula stared at you for a moment.

“They what.”

Hands flew up, and you shook them a bit in front of you as Dracula leaned back.

“Uh- don’t worry, I can tell you that later, but in all seriousness-”

Arching a brow, Dracula briefly wondered just what the church and human historians have been saying about him all these centuries if they were attempting to hide his existence. Despite being freed for a few days, he still had much to catch up on.

Regardless, he gave what you said some thought.

“That is true. I… did mostly keep to myself. I had no desire to join or hide amongst humans. Though I had little pity for those who sought me out to destroy me and met a… bloody end.”

At his words you blinked, before nodding to yourself as if you agreed. However, your eyes widened ever so slightly, and you were looking at him with that familiar spark in your eye he had seen come and go.

“Um… Why not do that again? Actually, how about a compromise?”

Now he was interested. What kind of compromise would a Belmont come up with? You were different from many of the others, sure, but he couldn’t help but be curious.

“Well…” You began, clearing your throat, “Unless any innocent humans are harmed, I have no desire to or need to hunt you, or anyone in the castle, really. What would be the point? I know from personal experience not everyone of the paranormal nature are ‘evil’, after all.”

Your hands were fidgeting in your lap, and you were having a hard time sitting still.

“Uh… that is to say I won’t hunt anyone that hurts any innocent folk. But at that point, that was their own choice, right? Unless you ordered it, I can deal with them personally. No need to go to war if you aren’t attacking anyone. And…”

It was clear you were growing more and more flustered as you tried to explain yourself and your reasoning. It wasn’t for the fact he had to take this seriously, he would have found it cute.

“And I- um- I can try to keep people away? I own a part of the property nearby and can have the road closed off. Of course, I can’t stop trespassers if I am not here, but I have plenty of traps set around the property… close to my cabin, really. I can try and keep people away…”

You were mumbling more in thought now as you tried to come up with ideas.

“...And I know a few blood banks for vampires, and a few other paranormal people who require blood to live. I know a witch that owns one, too. I’m sure she’d be thrilled to bits to help.”

All were interesting ideas, if you felt you both could really pull it off. However, he still had one question.

While you were rambling, he gently reached forward, clawed fingers tenderly grabbing your chin to have you look at him. You stopped talking and froze, eyes wide.

“All very good ideas, Little Belmont, but please answer me this,” He began, watching as your eyes comically flickered between his hand and face, “What about your family legacy? It was founded on the very idea of killing me.”

You swallowed thickly as he spoke, eyes trained on him.

“You asked why it mattered. Are you really willing to throw away the one thing your clan was founded for? For peace? For both humans and monsters? Are you willing to toss aside the very reason your ancestors became hunters in the first place?”

You stared at him in silence for a moment, swallowing thickly once more. After a few moments, you moved your head out of his grip, a sudden annoyed look in your eyes.

“I said it once, and I’ll say it again. I’m not my ancestors.” you began, a sharp look on your face.

“I didn’t ask to be born a hunter. To be born a Belmont. I’ll protect humanity, sure, but why do I have to limit myself and people’s lives based on what my ancestors decided what- 500 years ago? Why should every rule my ancestors made define my life in its entirety?”

It was as if your nerves had dissipated, and you crossed your arms in annoyance. Dracula wondered if this also was something you have thought about for years.

It made sense, he supposed. If your personal life was as much of a mess as he suspected, then what did you have to show for being a Belmont besides pain and strife?

His lips twitched upwards slightly into a small grin. You just keep finding ways to surprise him.

“Fair enough. It’s admirable to forge your own path rather than be held down by your ancestors.”

Dracula then tilted his head, that smile never quite leaving his face.

“So, Little Belmont. Let’s say I do agree to your ideas. I won’t destroy humanity, and you won’t hunt myself, and the residents of my castle. You’ll help keep humans away, and help anyone here who needs a meal. What will you do then?”

The annoyed look on your face fell, and you thought for a moment.

“Um… I could show you a bunch of modern stuff? No offense, I know you are a genius and all, but uh… I doubt you know all the ways civilization has changed since you were last around for more than a day.” you said with a wince, though you perked up almost instantly.

“Oh! I could get you a cell phone! Oh, I bet you would like some of the online libraries as well-”

He would admit, he had no idea what a cellphone was, but he was intrigued by the idea of a library.

But he was more interested in the very idea of you not only not slaying him, but you coming back to visit.

Yes, the idea of you wanting to come back was very pleasing to him, indeed.

It was at the cost of playing nice, but was that such a hard thing to achieve?

If it had been several decades ago, he doubted he would have been so… willing. He has had plenty of time to cool off, being imprisoned in stone. That urge to kill never truly left…

But that urge to devour humanity whole… that was dwindling. He’d argue that it had been dwindling for a while now.

He may be King of the Night, but this song and dance was growing tiresome.

That, and your ideas had merit. He could work with them, within reason.

“Alright Little Belmont.” he began, and you paused in the middle of your muttering.

“I’ll make a deal with you.”

You sat up straight again, eyes at attention, and he could practically hear your heart pick up in anticipation.

“For starters, I won’t attack humanity, not as a whole. However, I won’t show mercy to anyone who personally slights me. That, and any human foolhardy enough to come to my castle in an attempt to destroy me shall be dealt with accordingly.”

After you gave him a brisk nod, he continued.

“You, on the other hand, shall not lay a hand on anyone in this castle, unless they attack first. Am I clear?” He spoke, his voice becoming firm. You tilted your head, and he decided to elaborate before you agreed.

“Everyone in my castle is under my protection. They are here either as a direct connection to me as my servants, are here for sanctuary, or are here for political endeavors. They are not to be harmed unless they attack you first, or attack humans on their own accord.”

He could only imagine the shit show that would follow if you killed one of the political guests for another coven. A part of him actually considered letting you loose on them, now that he thought about it, especially with those nasty guests that like to undermine him for dying to Belmonts…

That could be a thought for another day.

A look of understanding crossed your face, and you gave him another nod.

“That’s reasonable.”

It was more or less your idea, after all, but he was glad you were willing to agree to what he added on to it.

“Next, you said you own the property nearby, and could help keep other pesky humans away. I’ll hold you to that, because I may not attempt to kill humans for existing, but I do not wish to be bothered.”

Though he’d admit, he wondered if you would be willing to show him the land you own. Vlad was curious how a little cabin you owned.

What would it look like? Did you keep it clean? Messy? Was it large? Small?

Questions he could ask later, should he see you again and you agree to these terms.

You blinked, before nodding at him slowly.

“I mean… I’ll try and do what I can. Of course, If the government or church discovers you, they may try to override me, or send someone to attack from a different position. I can’t stop that, but… I will do what I can. If I can’t, and you haven’t done anything besides exist…”

Your eyes flickered to a nearby mirror, before looking back at him.

“Well, like you said, they’ll be dealt with. I can try to persuade but… well at that point, if they won’t hear me out… I can’t stop anything you do to someone trespassing.”

That was a fair compromise, he supposed. He had little idea how the human government worked in this day and age, let alone how entangled hunters were with them. Should anyone be foolish enough to challenge him, then he’ll make sure to deal with it.

But if you were at least willing to help him out, even a little, in regards to keeping humans away. Even if you most likely weren’t a fan of the idea of him exterminating any human that foolishly sauntered into his domain.

“Agreed. Now, another thing…”

Dracula tilted his head as he looked at you.

“I’d like to see you again after this, Little Belmont.”

Your eyes widened a degree, and your face grew slightly flushed from surprise.

“What-”

“What I mean is, you intrigue me. You fascinate me in ways I had long since forgotten, and I’d like to hope this simple compromise will simply be the beginning of a… commendable relationship.”

He felt his lips curl upward again at the look on your face. Clearly you weren’t expecting him to be so forward in asking to see you once more.

“Are… Are you sure? I uh, no offense, didn’t think you’d want a Belmont around after I leave… Or your castle’s inhabitants, since I know how some of them feel with me recovering here…”

Oh, how you had no idea how much he wanted to see you again. Vlad knew his time with you now was short, and his old heart was beginning to pound in his chest at the possibility of this little meeting actually working out.

He had to see you again. One way or another.

“I am sure. You will soon find that I don’t say things I don’t mean without reason, especially in company I like.”

He wished he had a camera, it was clear you weren’t quite used to subtle compliments. Or perhaps there was more to it?

Dracula could think more on that later.

Gently, he held out a hand to shake.

“What do you say, Little Belmont? Are these terms agreeable?”

Eyes flickering between him and his hand, you held out a hand, before hesitating.

“Okay… On one condition.” Dracula raised an eyebrow, but was curious nonetheless.

“Name it.”

After a reluctant pause, you spoke up.

“It can’t be this easy.” You began, though quickly continued when you saw his face fall.

“When I say that, I’m not referring to you. I mean our circumstances. I worry something might come up that would be… disruptive to this ‘peace’. I propose that we at least try to talk about something before acting rashly if one of us feels slighted, or if the other may have broken the agreement without realizing it.”

Dracula had to give you credit, even while injured and under what must be an absurd amount of stress, you were managing to think ahead. Something a hunter no doubt had to be good at while on a hunt, so why wouldn’t it show in other areas as well?

Plus… It pleased him you were still being careful, critically aware of your situation instead of blindingly agreeing. You were no fool.

No doubt your mind was whirring with possibilities, ways he, or someone in his castle could try and trap you by these agreements. Those thoughts weren’t unfounded, at least involving his subjects.

He had no doubts there would be chaos when you started coming around for visits.

Even if he himself wouldn’t dare try and trap you by your own rules to invoke a battle, it still impressed him that you were cautious. There were too many conniving fools when it came to such politics, even now as he settled back in as King.

Vlad smiled.

“Very well, that is agreeable. Anything else?”

You were still hesitant, but after a moment, you reached forward, your smaller hand meeting his own.

“No, that will be all for now.”

With your warm hand clasped with his own, Dracula felt his body finally relax, and his gaze on you softened.

For now, things might finally start going his way.

Even if that meant his desires had morphed into something different than pure destruction. All he wanted was to learn more of you.

[onestepbackwards]

Love That Bites Pt. 15

It's here!!! Finally, I am able to finish it! This chapter is a lil messy, I'll admit, and ended up twice as long as intended, but I'm hoping it'll be a good set up for the next chapter, which will feature a lot more Dracula :3 I am posting this a bit sleep deprived, so I apologize if it has several mistakes ;w;

Thank you for waiting, and I hope you enjoy!

Summary: Turns out going home had consequences worse than you had anticipated. With time ticking by, and tensions beginning to boil with your step family, you decide to make several impulsive decisions in hopes of working on your deal with Dracula, or at least having something to show for it. Of course, nothing can go right, especially with Death tailing you, now can it?

CW: Physical and verbal abuse mentioned (You are mostly fine, no worries), extreme anxiety and second thoughts, slight face injury (just a bruise), impulsive shopping, mental rambling and overthinking, Death makes an appearance

Word Count: 6575 words!

Tag List: @just-some-water-lillies @blackmeetsworld @khaleesihavilliard @sisterofsin29 @str4wban3l @nikkilovemark @ms-bakugo-blog @kittenlover614 @simpytheshrimpy69 @midgetdemon17 @just-nother-dreamer @adrakeshoard @tilldeathripsusapart @thedeadlynights @pumpkinvampie @bethleeham @mshope16 @sixsixtwenty @haleypearce @rvautomatic @tinystarfishgalaxy @marshmelloe @maorizon @ursamajor17 @sapphicsfordracula @dame-sunflowers @sleepyendymion @starrlo0ver @onewiththebeanbag

If you want to be added, or if I missed someone, please let me know! Likes, reblogs, tags and comments are appreciate 💕

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Looking in the mirror shouldn’t have been as harrowing as it felt at the moment.

If you were being honest with yourself, you could care less about appearances. You liked looking nice and all, but you didn’t always have the luxury of looking nice on a hunt when it involved… monster remains ending up splattered all over you.

That… and as you were growing older, you looked a lot more like your mother.

Not just in looks, but…

You hated how your eyes looked so sunken in. How there was an unnatural paleness to you. Like you were ill.

It certainly made you feel sick. You hated being reminded how your mother looked that last year before she passed.

Of course, it didn’t help that you had a massive bruise on your left cheek. Or how you haven’t had a good night’s sleep in… what, weeks? More so than normal anyway.

That, and you genuinely haven’t felt well since you came back home around 3 weeks ago.

“Ugh….” You groaned out, leaning closer to the mirror as your head throbbed.

At least you weren’t beaten bloody and bruised like you had been before… everything.

It had nearly been a month since you returned. As much as you would have liked to believe things would have gotten better after coming back home, that was nothing more than a pipe dream.

“Just who do you think you are, huh? Who the hell lets you stay here? Do you think it’s funny to pull that kinda shit? Huh?”

Jason hadn’t been happy at your return. Though you had a feeling he was more mad about you staying away and still being alive.

“Fucking look at me when I’m talking to you, you dense fuck. I let you stay here out of the goodness of my heart, and you not only attack us, but pull a disappearing act?”

Eyes narrowing at yourself in the mirror, your reflection scowled with you as you remembered parts of Jason’s explosive reaction to you coming home that day.

Your step brothers and step father had been doing something involving recon for a mission of some sort. So they said, anyway. Not that they gave you much of an explanation anytime they left anywhere, unless it was somewhere fun.

Then they were more than happy to brag about going somewhere, and you weren’t invited.

Regardless, you didn’t hear much about where they were, but you got to hear all about how bad of a person you were for leaving like that. For having the gall to defend yourself.

The reflection of you in the mirror scowled even further, before wincing when you felt a twinge of pain from the bruise on your face.

Annoyance flickered on your features.

After you came home and were discovered by your family, the ‘scolding’ had certainly been one of the worst, but you would argue that wasn’t the worst part of coming back.

”I’ll have you know I could kick you out at any time. You are nothing but a freak. A parasite. At least your mother was worth something compared to you. All you do is sit around and do nothing, wasting our time and resources!”

Jason and your brothers had never been physically violent before. At least, not outside ‘training’, anyway.

Sure, there was the occasional shove, and a shoulder check here and there. Maybe a loose foot finding its way in front of your own…

Jason was practically in your face as he yelled, your back pressed against the wall as he practically cornered you.

“All you do is sit on your ass and run off to god knows where after throwing a fit. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t toss your shit into the streets right now!?”

Just as you opened your mouth to speak, he interrupted you.

“Shut up!”

Your eyes widened as a fist came at you-

…Only for your body to tense with one of your hands in front of your face as his fist landed a few inches from your head, now in a huge hole in the wall next to where you stood. No doubt you would be fixing that later.

Jason’s face was right next to yours, his eyes dark with a hatred that had your body tense, and your hair stand on end.

“Get out of my sight.”

Ever since that first night back, Jason had gotten scarily close to genuinely hurting you. He, and his oldest son, Mark, had grown increasingly aggressive.

It frightened you. Never had they seemed so irritated.

That was saying a lot, if you were being honest with yourself.

Sure, you feared what they could do to you, to your home. It was a small fear, one you kept a tight lock on. You hadn’t really felt scared of them. Not before they tried to lethally injure you.

Now you felt like a cornered animal half the time, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It felt like it was only a matter of time before things escalated. If something happened to you… You didn’t like to think what would happen afterwards.

The look in their eyes… You couldn’t help but compare it to a monster who was out for blood. A pure hate that made you feel ill just looking at them.

And with their aggression growing… it was looking more and more likely you faced something terrible happening with each passing day.

Not even a week had passed after Jason’s episode before you were shoved down the stairs. You thankfully had caught yourself, but instead of an empty hall at the top of the stairs like you expected, Mark stood watching.

His eyes were just as cold as his father’s. That same, piercing hate deep in his eyes.

“No one wants you here.” Was all he said, before he turned around and left, leaving you awkwardly hanging onto one of the rails.

Since then, Jason and Mark had made a point to let their displeasure known. You were either tossed around, or forced to do extra dirty work around the house. Jason made a point to tell you that he expected ‘more’ from you from now on.

Ignoring the fact you already did most of the house work anyway. Fucker.

Now they both made messes on purpose. Well, more ‘on purpose’ than before.

Kitchen? A wreck almost every night.

Living room? You were now picking up their disgusting clothes and messes.

Entry way? You were cleaning mud that was tracked in every other day. It wasn’t even muddy out front, so you knew they were doing this on purpose elsewhere to piss you off.

At least Seth kept his distance. He wasn’t pleasant, but he at least seemed to dislike outright trying to hurt you more than a shoulder check. If anything, he just told you to clean something or go shopping at inconvenient times.

Maybe toss something on the floor for you to clean up, but even he seemed to find that more bothersome than it was worth.

It still wasn’t great, but it only added to your ever growing stress.

“Things could be worse… I guess.” You mumbled, exhaustion clear on your features as your frown fell back to your neutral look.

You could have Dracula trying to kill you, along with everything else. No doubt that would have possibly either broke you, or had made everything worse. Your face scrunched up at the thought.

Though you winced once again, the bruise near your eye throbbing at the movement.

Jason and the others may not have outright been hitting you with their fists since you got back, but…

Letting out a gasp of surprise at the sudden sharp pain, you felt your body slam into the wall next to you as your body swung back in surprise.

“Oh sorry, did that hurt?” Mark mocked, throwing the bag he had ‘accidentally�� hit you with over his shoulder.

Motherfucker had waited around a corner just to swing a bag of junk at your head. You were lucky it didn’t directly hit your eyes, but…

You could feel your anger bubbling in your chest, and you sighed. At least you still had your sight, even if you worried the cheekbone had been damaged.

Whatever.

Turning the faucet on, you splashed some water on your face, waking you up a little bit as you trekked back to your room

Truth be told, it wasn’t just your step family causing you issues.

You had been spending what free time and energy you had on working on your deal with Dracula.

Something that still was weird to think about.

Entering your room and closing the door behind you with a soft ‘click’, you went over to your desk and sat down. Reaching down to the floor, you pulled out a specific notebook you had hidden under a bunch of random clothes and junk, and opened it.

Inside the notebook was what would be a bunch of gibberish, but was simply a cypher.

You didn’t dare write anything about Dracula somewhere where your step family could find it and read it. A phone was hackable, and just leaving a notebook around without precautions was begging for fate to mess with you and make things worse.

Flipping through the pages, you found your simple ‘To-Do List’.

It was messy, but when you came back home a near wreck, it was as good a place as any to start.

There were several different things written down, such as buying him a modern cell phone. Or building him a computer. Or even showing him some modern libraries.

You hoped he would at least be impressed by the internet, and the many archives it included. Though you were a bit nervous about the internet as well, not really wanting him to see how depraved humanity could be, where it was right out in the open.

Then again… the internet had a front row view on the good things humanity has done too. That, and it’s not like Dracula was unaware of how awful people could be, human or otherwise.

Perhaps you would only show him the internet archive or something. And how to pirate movies and books.

Movies and television were a whole different ball game as well on what to show him. You wondered if he’d like The Addams Family, or The Godfather. Or Psych, or Columbo or something.

Shaking your head, you wrote down a few suggestions to show him later. After you managed to figure out if you could even get internet working at his castle, of course.

You’d have to make a few calls to some people who knew how to keep their mouths shut, no doubt.

Even then, he may not even want it. That was something you had to consider.

“Though, perhaps…” you mumbled out loud as a thought entered your mind.

Perhaps you could just show him all that stuff at your cabin? Test the waters?

A part of you nearly snarled at the idea of anyone finding your humble sanctuary, let alone being allowed in it that wasn’t your late mother.

But you had way more at stake here. You had a deal to hold your end up on. Surely, your little abode was worth the entirety of humanity?

…You would consider it.

Then there was the fact you would probably have to get a phone or internet plan for Dracula.

Good god you had a lot on your plate.

That isn’t even mentioning the calls you had been attempting to make for blood banks for supernatural entities. With how busy they tended to be though, you ended up on hold nearly every attempt you made. No doubt you would have to send some emails and make an in person visit.

Great.

Staring at the list for another few moments, you sighed, putting the book down and putting your head in your hands.

“Fuck, how am I going to do this?”

The hope of the world was quite literally on your shoulders, all depending on your actions going forward. Yet, you had little to nothing to go forward with.

Not like you could just order a phone or computer parts. Even if it was illegal, your mail and packages ended up getting opened more often than not before you had a chance to even see them.

Jason would always smugly remark it was for ‘the family’s safety’, in case someone was trying to ‘get rid of the family.’

That was a load of shit, of course.

You knew it, Jason knew it, Mark and Seth knew it.

But there was nothing you could do. Even if you had a legal case of them fucking with your mail, if you made a fuss, you simply would get kicked out and lose your family home.

At least they stopped messing with your packages half of the time when you bought adult toys to embarrass them out of spite.

That was the first time they ever left you alone for a month. Definitely some of the most peaceful weeks of your life.

Anyway-

Rubbing your face, you gave your cheeks a small slap to wake yourself up, and sat back up in your chair.

Picking the book back up, you looked over it all once again, before adjusting some of your notes.

You would have to go buy a lot of this stuff in person yourself, and hide it in your car. Buying a new phone and computer parts would only make your step family incredibly suspicious.

Or annoying.

In fact, if you did manage to spin a perfect lie to get them off your back, you wouldn’t be surprised if your parts either went ‘missing’, or ended up ‘accidentally’ damaged.

Or someone in the family suspiciously gets a new PC while the parts you bought are missing.

Even though you had money in your own bank account, it wasn’t like you were rich. You had expected a lot of your family’s money to go to you before… well…

Not that it mattered.

You still had a means of making money from odd jobs and the hunts you were allowed to do before your step family called dibs, or when they didn’t want to do the icky jobs.

It just… wasn’t as much as you would like. But hey, you didn’t have the luxury of lamenting your expenses now. Lives were potentially at stake if you didn’t do this.

“So much for buying some new clothes… guess I’ll have to patch up some of my torn ones with some older clothe if I can…”

Oh well.

Another thing that was an issue was time.

You had more or less been on lockdown since coming back. Sure, you had a job or two for some minor stuff, but then you were stuck right back here.

With Jason and Mark, and Seth to a degree, being a lot more aggressive… You’ve hardly had a chance to even leave the house for something as small as grocery shopping without Jason getting on your ass about it.

He must have been serious when he got angry at you for disappearing. You still didn’t understand why, given how they talk about wanting you gone so much. Maybe they just hated the fact you would eventually come back.

Bah.

Scratching your head, you let out another sigh.

You were running out of time.

Dracula may have been patient so far, at least you hoped. However, that didn’t mean he would wait forever, especially when you mentioned a month as the time it may take to return.

Around a week remained, and the clock was ticking. Time was not on your side.

Neither was anything else, but if anything, you knew how to adapt under pressure.

“Okay… Everyone is out today. I can at least get a phone. Maybe even a few parts for a computer…”

There were a few places in town for parts. You had at least done research on places where you could buy these things earlier this month in a manic episode.

After that, you had to figure out a time to leave again for a few days. No doubt you’d get shit for it, but hey, at least you weren’t actively bleeding this time.

“I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.” You mumbled to yourself, running a hand over your eyes with a groan. Even if you felt like you were a bag full of anxiety, you could at least try to hype yourself up.

With a deep breath, you closed the journal, and hid it once more.

Steeling your resolve, you stood up and grabbed your car keys, before heading out your bedroom door.

Leaving your home wasn’t hard, but it still sent some anxiety spiking through your heart as you locked the door behind you. Nor was driving down to town any less harrowing.

However, driving up to the giant building of a tech store at least put you at ease. As much as you hated crowds, it was somewhat relieving here.

If you by some rare chance saw your family or someone you knew, you’d at least have a crowd. You were less likely to be treated poorly in front of people who your family tried so dearly to put a mask on for.

Of course, you still were on edge. It was hard not to be in general outside of your cabin or family home. Your whip felt heavy under your jacket as you parked and walked through the building, both a reassurance, and a weight that had your hands twitching.

Crowds may be good in some ways, but for monsters, both man and supernatural, it was an opportunity.

You just hope no one would seek such an opportunity today.

Pushing through the turbulent emotions stirring inside you, you quickly made your way to the center of the store.

It wasn’t hard to buy a phone, though you did have a few things to consider.

Size, model, and brand.

The decision wasn’t difficult in the long run, but the image of Dracula with glasses and a teeny phone in his massive hands made a smile form on your face.

With the new phone in a bag to take home for later, you continued shopping. At least getting a phone was the easy part. You could buy a temporary cheap plan and number for it in store at checkout.

Somehow Dracula’s castle had cell service, if you remembered correctly. If the phone plan didn’t work out, you could at least show him some things, right?

It was enough to tide you over until you could make some calls about giving Dracula of all people an actual decent phone plan without all the strings of an identity in modern society. That was something that actually wouldn’t be too difficult. You hoped.

Regardless, it was computer parts that had you dreading being here.

There were different parts and different brands to consider, and in the end, Dracula might not even care about it.

You at least hoped he would like the parts to look at if he was uninterested in having a computer. At the end of the day, you could just use your laptop to show him things if need be.

At the very least, you knew Dracula liked to make things, if your family’s old journals were anything to go by. You liked to think he’d like to tinker with the parts for his own gain.

“What a headache… Could be wasting time and money for nothing…”

Maybe you should only grab a few things? And then if he isn’t interested, you could just give the parts to him to study?

You shook your head to yourself as you entered an aisle with a few of the parts you needed behind a wall of glass, and eyed your options.

Perhaps you should start with a cpu? Or perhaps some memory? Or rather-

“You sure like to take your time, Belmont.”

In an instant, the temperature of the building dropped severely, and you felt your hair stand on end.

Faster than a human could blink, you had your whip in your hand, and faced your adversary-

Only to freeze when you saw Death hovering next to you, uncomfortably close.

You blinked, and hesitantly lowered your whip.

“Um… hi?”

The skeletal cloaked figure tilted its head, its boney fingers thrumming on the handle of its scythe. All the while, your head was swimming as you tried not to panic.

Dracula may have been your family’s primary enemy, but Death, the entity, was never far behind.

“Hmm… You are certainly different from most of your kin before you.”

You decided to take that as a compliment.

Forcing your anxiety back down your throat, you managed to speak once more.

“Um… No offense, but why are you here? Is everything alright?” You asked hesitantly, yet tried to remain polite. Hold back any fear and aggression. You could do this.

Death was severely hated in your family, if a few journals were anything to go by. It wouldn’t hurt to remain courteous. At least you hoped.

You no longer were in Dracula’s castle, after all. Who’s to say Death might try and find a loophole and kill you here outside your family home and his master’s abode? Be done with this stupid peace treaty of sorts you had convinced the Lord of Darkness to try out?

Even then, you imagine he could probably get away with it, being Dracula’s second in command. In Death’s eyes, in the end, would it really be so bad if the Belmont dies? Get you out of the way?

It was Death after all. Even if the entity was punished, what was Dracula gonna do? Kill him?

You tried not to let those thoughts fester as the cold, blue fires in Death’s eye sockets bore into you.

It took a lot not to shudder in fear.

Death though, seemed not to notice, or care if you felt intimidated or not.

“I am here to see if you intend to return to my master, or if you are simply hiding away like a dog with its tail between its legs.”

That last bit alone caused you to scowl, and you had to stomp down the irritation that threatened to bubble in your gut.

“First of all, rude. Second of all, yes, I do intend to return. That's why I am out today, actually.”

You gestured with a nod of your head to the locked display that was in front of you, and Death’s ghostly eyes followed.

“I figured as a gift of good will, I could get some modern stuff for him here. I know you probably have a distaste for humans, but I can promise you and Dracula himself that the technological advancements made by them in today’s modern age may come across as intriguing.”

Wincing a bit at how that sounded, you rubbed your neck and ignored the twinge of pain.

“Not to sound vain about it, of course. Humanity has really flourished the past century or so with all sorts of advancements. Not just technology. I figured your Master would be interested, at least in a few areas to see if humanity’s advancements have reached his own.”

Death let out what you assumed was a hum, and just as you were about to turn and ask what the deity thought, a voice nearly had you jumping out of your boots.

“Hi there, can I help you?”

Spinning around, you nearly relaxed when you saw it was someone who worked here, though you quickly stammered.

“O-Oh, I uh-”

You spun around, panic running through your veins. You did not need regular people freaking out over Death itself being in a tech store-

Only to find no one there. Death was gone.

The room seemed to warm up again, almost to the point it was uncomfortably hot. Had Death’s presence really sapped that much heat from you and everything around you?

Swallowing your nerves, you spun back around to speak to the person who asked if you needed help. It wasn’t hard to put a mask back in place on your face, though you swore your heart never stopped hammering in your chest as you pointed out a few items you were considering.

That, and you tried to ignore how the employee eyed you, almost concerned.

Right. Bruise on your face. Skittish reactions. Great.

At least they seemed happy to unlock the glass display for you, asking you something about if you were building a computer. You could only mumble a response with a shaky smile, throwing out some explanation or another.

In truth, you could barely think as they brought the few items you had pointed to towards a register. How could you act at ease, knowing Death could quite literally be around any corner, watching you?

Could you even go home? It’s not like it would be hard to find your place of residence in this day and age, but you wondered if Death knew how to do so by regular means.

Which made the idea of going home and being followed… nerve wracking.

Sure, your place was warded to hell and back with ancient spells and hunting artifacts so no evil could step foot on your property, but…

That didn’t mean you were safe the moment you took a step outside, and you didn’t exactly like the idea of being shot at by a gun or a bow or something while taking out the trash, thank you very much.

Even then… were you comfortable with Dracula even knowing your home address in general?

You were in a fog of your own thoughts as you paid for the equipment you bought, only briefly being brought out of it when you noticed the price after everything was scanned.

No doubt you’d be feeling the loss of money in your bank account later. Ouch.

Thankfully, it was also easy to get a quick plan for the phone you bought as well, along with a phone number. Nothing fancy or long lasting, of course. No need to if Dracula was uninterested, or if was genuinely interested to the point of needing a decent one.

As the nice employee set it up, a part of you hoped this would help you and Dracula have a means of communication.

After all, you doubted the post office would deliver a letter to a giant castle in the middle of fuck all nowhere.

When they handed you the phone and receipt, you gave the employee a tired smile, before gathering your things and walking out the door.

The whole way to your car, you were looking back behind you, still wary of being watched. You hated this.

It was one thing to be followed by some asshole or a monster with a bone to pick, but Death itself?

Hopefully you wouldn’t be laughed at if you puked from how nervous you were.

After setting your stuff in your car and climbing in behind the wheel, you sat there for a moment as your engine roared to life.

It seems despite your warning that you’d need a month, it seems at three weeks you didn’t have any time left to spare if Death was making in person inquiries.

Gripping the steering wheel, you glanced up at the rearview mirror, and your neck cracked from how fast you turned to look back at it after looking away.

In it was Death, floating ominously, near empty eye sockets looking at you from behind your vehicle.

You turned around quickly, and no one was there.

Eyes narrowing, you looked back, and nothing was in your back seat. Nothing behind your car. Nothing in the area besides you.

“Oh, very funny. Didn’t you ever learn not to scare a hunter? Especially one who can actually cause harm? Not everyone’s fight or flight is flight you know.” You snarked out under your breath.

A part of you wondered if Death found this hilarious or not, scaring you. Did the being not have a care about scaring someone who could actually kill them?

Then again… if you were ‘alive’ for thousands of years, you wondered if you too would stop giving a shit and started doing dumb stuff like that for fun.

That, or Death was purposely trying to push your buttons so he could have an excuse to tattle to Dracula you ‘attacked first’. You hoped that wasn’t the case.

Shaking your head, you looked around your car one last time, hoping you weren’t going crazy, before focusing on heading home.

You’d give Death some credit, at least.

Scaring you like that helped jump start something in your brain where you no longer felt frozen in place. Even if Death damn near gave you a heart attack in the process.

The drive home was uneventful, but you felt as if your heart rate never truly rested after your mini adventure out shopping.

How could it? How on earth do you handle such circumstances? It was like trying to swallow claws as your anxiety tried climbing its way up your throat.

“You know, I can’t help but feel my life would be a lot simpler if I was born in a different family…” you mumbled, face scrunching up.

Maybe you’d be bumbling around in college by now, meeting some guy or girl who caught your fancy. Worrying about exams and dates, not whether or not offending one man could kill you and the entirety of the human race.

Whatever. No point mourning something you never had, right?

Your thoughts were a messy buzz as you pulled up onto your property, though it probably could be seen as humorous how quickly those thoughts came to a stop.

Slumping into your seat, you felt a new kind of anxiety and irritation bubble up in your chest.

“Oh, you are fucking kidding me.” You groaned out, spotting familiar vehicles in the driveway up to your house.

Why were they back so soon? Why?

At this point, your luck was a sick joke, you think. That, or just your life in general.

It looked as if everyone was back home, earlier than they should be, you might add.

Internally, you debated your options.

One, you could go in and get yelled at for disappearing without ‘a good reason’, eventually having to give some excuse as to why you were gone.

Or two…

Your pulse picked up as you thought about it. You weren’t exactly planning on leaving for Dracula’s castle today… But…

Strumming your fingers against your steering wheel, you bit your lip as you weighed the pros and cons.

On one hand, going today might get Death off your back. Though you hoped that at least seeing you shopping might have helped.

On the other hand…

You’d have to meet Dracula again, for the first time after being so injured… And no doubt you’d later have to deal with Jason and the others getting pissed at you again.

Then again… that was just normal at this point, just extra aggression. Maybe you should get out for a bit?

After all… You hated to admit how you were growing concerned with how more… open they were getting with their ‘grievances’. How long would it be before you were one wrong fall down the stairs, or turning a corner too quick?

Your face throbbed at the memory. The bruise on your face was just from a bag of junk. How long until it was a convenient bag of bricks being tossed instead?

Plus… You needed a break, you just worried about the repercussions. But…

You were tired. So so so tired.

There was an exhaustion that was deep in your bones.

Your head constantly ached, even more so after the bruise. You were always exhausted like you were on hunts often, no doubt from your lack of sleep.

And you constantly felt off while here, which you chalked up to always being on edge.

No doubt having to watch your back like prey in your own home for weeks on end was taking its toll with how you were constantly bouncing between feeling exhaustion and feeling sick.

You may be a Belmont, but the human body could only take so much stress before it began shutting down. Even you had your limits.

“Am I actually considering this…?” you mumbled, your brain in a fog as you tried to come to a decision.

It wasn’t like you didn’t have anything at the cabin, either… You had a few clothes there, and some non-perishable food….

With a groan, you put your head in your hands, and ran them down your face. You winced as your face ached at the action.

It was then like a switch was flipped, feeling the bruise again. You didn’t feel like dealing with this shit, and possibly having another incident while already injured.

At least… Dracula wouldn’t attack you. Hopefully. You could heal. Maybe.

Not that you expected him to take care of you while you were there. You could do that yourself.

…It just would be nice to be in a place where you could.

Hah… How many times was it going to be a shock for you each time Dracula, your family’s enemy, was the safer option?

With a sigh, you cracked your neck, and steeled yourself.

Looks like it was time to pay Dracula another visit.

—

The drive wasn’t as long as you expected.

Perhaps it was the good music that happened to be playing, or maybe it was your nerves. Who’s to say.

Pulling into the small dirt road leading up to your small cabin though had you rightfully nervous.

Was it safe? Did any monsters wander from Dracula’s castle and ransack your home?

Eyes naturally narrowing in suspicion as your vehicle came to a stop, you couldn’t help but start to think about it.

Technically speaking… You never said Dracula or his minions couldn’t destroy shit. Just to leave humans alone, for the most part. At least, what your working ‘treaty’ was. Perhaps you should discuss and iron out the details while you were here…

Should you have made a contract? Did supernatural beings such as Dracula even have to honor those?

Not like you could hire a lawyer to draft a contract for Dracula anyways… Not enough ones in the supernatural communities, let alone one that would involve themselves with Dracula without fearing for their lives.

No doubt there would be a few conflicts of interest, and you couldn’t just hire a human one anyway…

Blinking, you shook your head, before doing a quick glance over your property.

“C’mon… Don’t get distracted now.” You mumbled, climbing out of your car.

You did a quick look over the immediate property around the cabin, checking to see if anything had changed.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Even the inside of your small sanctuary had remained seemingly untouched.

Was it a miracle, or had Dracula purposely mentioned not to have this place harmed?

Or maybe he didn’t say anything at all? Did he even know this place existed, besides what you had mentioned? Did he keep his mouth shut to avoid anyone going looking to begin with?

After all, you had mentioned having property nearby, right? You couldn’t exactly remember…

Question after question filtered through your mind, and you groaned. You’d get nowhere if you just sat here and made guesses.

The only way to get answers and move forward, would be to actually visit the vampire.

So why did you want to put it off now?

Your nerves were like electricity in your gut, and you could only wring your hands together as you stood stuck in the small living room. It was almost like you were paralyzed, unable to do anything besides take a few steps here or there while your brain went haywire.

It wasn’t like you could go back. Jason would give you too much shit for it, and Mark and Seth would follow his lead.

Jason was a ticking time bomb at this point, you feared. You could defend yourself and all, but at what point was it too much?

With a groan, you ran a hand through your hair.

“God… I feel like a deer in headlights…”

Taking a breath, you tried to calm yourself down. Why was this so hard? Just go to the castle, and talk with him, and offer some of the stuff you had. At least you could offer the phone and bring the computer stuff later…

After a few more moments of heavy debate inside your mind, you came to a decision, before swiftly turning around and heading to the bedroom.

You’d… visit Dracula tomorrow.

Was it an excuse to wait? Yes.

However, you figured you’d be in a much better mindset after getting some rest after being away from your family home. You just hoped Dracula wouldn’t mind waiting one more day, even if you technically hadn’t even hit the deadline you set yet…

You could rest, eat, shower, and mentally prepare yourself the next day. Maybe you would look less pathetic for Dracula at least, compared to last time, and how you currently felt.

Although, you’d admit, you were a bit uneasy sleeping so close to the castle.

It was silly, really. You literally had slept inside said castle. By all means, you were in the snake pit while critically injured. Yet…

You felt safer there than here. Something you never thought you would ever think about your little sanctuary.

Here, you didn’t have Dracula’s direct protection.

Just how easy would it be for something to attack you if a monster sensed you? All it took was one disgruntled monster to figure out you were here…

By all means, it could even be spun that it wasn’t even one of Dracula’s minions, since it would be outside his castle. It was a grey area if the monsters outside the castle walls were under his direct control, you felt.

It wasn’t even your own safety you were mostly worried about.

Was it selfish or odd to be more worried about the cabin and the land? It was one of the last things you had of your mom untainted…

Well, if anything else, you’d destroy anything that tried to destroy this place.

That was your thought as you climbed in bed that night, trying to ease your nerves for tomorrow.

…Which is why when several flashes of lightning and thunder happened one right after the other, you nearly fell out of your bed.

Rain began to pelt your window hard, and the wind picked up a bit. You could even hear the trees shake outside from the weather as some branches brushed against your cabin’s roof.

“Was that from…?”

Dracula’s castle wasn’t far, not at all. A small walk away around a lake. It sounded as if everything was coming from the direction of his castle.

After a moment of listening to some more rolling thunder, you decided to close your curtains, and try to relax to the sound of the storm. If what you suspected was true, and Dracula was annoyed or upset… you didn’t exactly want to intrude and possibly worsen his mood.

As you warily drifted off to sleep, you couldn’t help but wonder just what had made Dracula so upset.

[onestepbackwards]

(Self-aware PLA) Imagine if the player manages to get transported into the game and due to not being made of code is just ungodly strong when in the game, like able to fight a pokemon bare-handed kinda strong.

Now imagine they somehow get transported by complete accident and are just out in the wilderness and decide to just become the local cryptid for funsies. Made a costume out of whatever they could get and everything.

So now people think this pokemon that is immune to pokeballs and as strong if not stronger than the nobles is just roaming around Hisui, on the prowl for its next target (meanwhile they're just gushing over a wurmple they found and petting it)

You honestly thought you'd be nothing but chopped liver if you ever ended up in the Pokemon universe.

It wasn't hard to guess why. Humans in the pokemon world constantly not only had a lot of disasters due to pokemon and legendaries-

But even regular day people dealt with injuries from pokemon, as if it were simply a small cut from an irritated cat.

If you owned an electric type pokemon, it was natural to assume you'd at best be accidentally shocked at some point. Shocks normal humans in your world wouldn't survive most likely.

So you thought.

Waking up in Legends Arceus was... more than just a surprise. You had wondered if you hit your head, or had something slipped in your food before you went to bed the night before.

Of course, you feared for your life at first.

You had no Arcphone or map. Or any of your own pokemon.

If it wasn't for the fact you were looking at living breathing pokemon in the distance, you would have thought you'd been kidnapped and dropped in the wilderness somewhere.

So when you had tried to maneuver through the wilds in an attempt to find some sort of land marks, (which was awful, by the way. How the hell were you going to find landmarks when things looked so different from a new perspective?), it was inevitable you would be spotted.

By a Golduck no less. One that seemed especially dead set on beating the rocks out of you.

It had chased you, a lot more vigorously than in game, before you were cornered.

You thought you were a goner, or at least going to get quite the beating.

But you weren't going to go down without a fight, at least. Even if you were terrified.

So when you threw a terrified punch-

...You weren't expecting the poor Golduck to flying like Team Rocket blasting off.

You had looked at your fists in slight horrified wonder, wondering if it was a fluke of some sort.

However, it quickly became clear when another aggressive pokemon had tried to attack you, that your strength was no joke.

You defended yourself, and low and behold, the other pokemon went flying. Any other pokemon in the area immediately backed off, giving you space.

Though when you gently said hello to a Pichu, and carefully gave the curious pokemon a pet, many pokemon seemed to relax.

The aggressive pokemon though, definitely still gave you a wide berth, and it then hit you.

They were treating you like you were on top of the food chain, being able to square up with them almost like-

It hit you in that moment.

Were they treating you like some sorta Alpha?

You thought for a moment about what this meant, and considered your options.

Given that you had no idea where you were, and how to contact anyone, you decided you'd roll with the punches. Even if that meant doing so literally.

...Which is how you accidentally ended up scaring the first human you saw.

By that point, it had already been a few days.

Despite your sudden climb up the food chain, pokemon for the most part were very friendly to you. Many were willing to help you out.

Some had given you berries and other fruits and veggies they scavenged. Others had helped find you some clothe, which you were... concerned where they had gotten it from.

But you wouldn't turn down clothes or blankets.

That being said, perhaps you should have realized being wrapped in a blanket in the cold at night, surrounded by some Alpha pokemon would have caused a stir by the first human that actually found you.

The poor merchant took off screaming when you spotted him and tried approaching. He was gone before you could even ask him to wait.

You had been confused, and wondered if it was all the wild pokemon near you that spooked him. No doubt he thought some of the alpha pokemon would attack?

It upset you a little bit, but you understood. There goes another human to talk to and get some directions from.

But that did mean you'd have to adjust your approach going forward if you saw another human.

Which of course, also didn't go well.

You came across a camp, and tried to approach-

...Only for everyone to run screaming as they ran from the 'creature' leading a gang of very large pokemon behind them.

After that, you decided perhaps you wouldn't be in contact with any humans any time soon. Not if you kept being found or finding humans at times you were surrounded by other pokemon.

Which was always.

And you had forgotten that people in this era were very wary of pokemon compared to other games. You figured if you were even surrounded by smaller pokemon, you'd still see fear.

It was not long after that you ended up adopting the 'cryptid' persona.

Nearly any time you came across someone, they never got a real good look at you, and ended up running away, usually screaming.

But hey, you weren't hurting anyone. Plus it was kinda funny to think about how you were some mysterious 'human' or 'creature' that gave people the spooks.

May as well find some humor in it, despite how lonely you were.

Of course, you unknowingly end up causing some discord in the local settlements. Word spreads of the odd creature that is often spotted with different pokemon, especially alpha pokemon.

And the pokemon seem to follow them, like they are a leader of some sort.

Was it a new pokemon? A humanoid lookin' one?

Was it strong enough to wrangle even alphas?

Was it dangerous? Did it hunt humans?

Did the creature only come out at night?

Meanwhile, you are playing peekaboo with an Eevee, blissfully unaware of the conflict people have about your existence.

Questions about your presence spread like wildfire as people pondered who you were. Or what you were.

Maybe you weren't even a pokemon at all, but some sort of spirit or god?

Others, a smaller few, suggested maybe you were just a hermit. (Unknowingly, they were sorta right...)

Some wondered if you were even real, and not some sort of prank going outside a circle of friends.

However, the sightings continue, even in different regions. A cloaked figure followed by all sorts of pokemon, regular and alphas.

Some even wondered if you were an omen of death, or a warning. Showing up to weary travelers when danger was near, instilling fear into them so they would leave the area, and therefore, the danger.

In reality, you were simply exploring. It was interesting how the world connected outside the hub area of the game. You could actually see how regions connected now!

Plus, you were trying to map out everything in an attempt to maybe find a settlement at some point. At this point though, it wasn't as high of a priority as you settled into your new life.

It's not until you end up helping a young woman, a teenager you think, who was lost, that people wonder if the deity or omen theory is true.

What really happened is you found a young teen clearly lost and scared.

You approached them, careful to avoid scaring her. You gave her some of your fruit you had kept on you, and asked a Blissey to help heal her.

All while she stared in shock, unable to get a good look at you with how dark it was.

It was near pitch black, except for the glow from Cyndaquil that was next to you for some light to see where you were walking. The flames from the little guy's tail eerily lit up your cloak, but hid your face.

You point her in the direction you think is a camp, without saying much, and she nearly stumbles away as she takes off, occasionally looking at you behind her shoulder.

...The rumors of you being a deity of protection skyrocket after that. Oops.

At least you were having fun with it!

[onestepbackwards]

Hello Soulmate

🔸Zhongli x Reader Drabble🔸

Summary: You've had a weird soulmark on your wrist since you were young. Who knew it was the soulmark of a god who has waited for you for almost 6000 years?

CW: Fluff, soulmate au

Word Count: 1428 words!

--❤❤❤--

Imagine Zhongli, in all his years alive, has never found his soulmate.

On his chest above his heart, a small bird symbol lays dormant. If it wasn't for the very obvious mark, he'd believe he never had a soul mate to begin with.

But not once in his thousands of years on Teyvat, had it ever lit up, or burned, or glowed. Tell tale signs a soulmate is alive, and that you have met them, or that they were nearby.

His did none of those. It just sat innocently on his chest.

At least it wasn't ashen grey, showing his soulmate had passed.

He had long grown not to expect his soul mate to appear. Zhongli did have hope after becoming an Archon, hoping that would make finding you easier.

But you never once showed up.

Eventually time went on, and he no longer felt hope.

Well, that would be a lie.

He felt hope, but it had long since grown into a warm, smoldering coal, instead of the blazing fire it once was.

The dragon knew if he were to still meet you in this life, he would love and cherish you, excited beyond belief.

But that day had yet to come.

So with a heavy heart, he went through with the death of Rex Lapis.

It was one of the most difficult decisions he had ever made. But it had to be done, regardless if he truly wanted to step down or not.

Erosion would eventually come its way for him, much like it had done to Azhdaha. It was best to let his country grow on its own two legs, and be prepared for when that day came, whether it be in a hundred years, or a thousand.

A part of him worried you would come, only when he was beginning to wither.

Zhongli didn't want you to see him like that. You already missed him in his prime, but he had nightmares of meeting his soul mate when his mind started to erode.

But it had to be done.

He wasn't too surprised to see your mark on his human vessel, though he still felt so empty. Deep down, he yearned to hold his soulmate, even now.

So when he was sipping tea one day, taking his time for an order for Director Hu, he dropped his tea cup when he felt a burn on his chest, right above his vessels heart.

His eyes widen as he reaches up to touch the spot. For once, he curses himself for wearing so many clothes.

He's leaving the tea house he is in, uncaring if the mora he slammed down on the table was enough to cover his meal. Rushing to his small home he had bought years ago, Zhongli slams through the door, almost stumbling to his room.

Ripping off his clothes, he shakes as he sees it in the mirror.

Your soulmate mark, alive and glowing warmly on his chest.

He stares in wonder, fingers gently reaching up, touching the delicate looking mark with awe.

You were real. You were alive. You were close by.

Old instincts pushed at the boundaries in his mind, and he forced them back down.

Not now. You were alive. You were real. He had time.

Rex Lapis waited 6000 years for you. Zhongli could wait just a little longer.

Meanwhile, you had an odd soulmate mark, ever since it first materialized as a child.

It was the Geo symbol. Just that, the Geo symbol.

Your parents had been stumped since the mark showed itself, on the inside of your wrist clear as day.

It glowed a stunning amber, and was outlined in black. Whoever it was, was alive and well.

Most marks had very interesting meanings. But THE Geo symbol?

It had your parents scratching their heads.

Not once had anyone you met had any symbol similar. Never had anyone seen a mark of one of the elemental sigils.

As you got older, it only brought more questions than answers.

Though you remember talking about it with a friend in the bar in Mondstadt, when the bard there asked about it when he saw it on your wrist in passing.

"You know... It might be someone from Liyue that uses a Geo vision. Or maybe an adeptus that works with Rex Lapis? Who knows, maybe even Rex Lapis himself?"

The bard then laughed, and your face went red at the remark. You? Being able to claim a god as your soulmate? Please.

The head of the bar ended up dragging him away, though the mischievous, almost knowing look that bard sent you over his shoulder had you second guessing yourself.

His words kept whispering in your head. Maybe your soulmate was in Liyue? That was the nation's symbol after all. If anything, it would be a good place to start looking.

After all, you always felt sometimes you had to grab fate by the horns and take control of it yourself.

So when you packed a bag and headed out, your parents tearfully waving goodbye behind you, you didn't think much of it.

If you found them, then you did. If not, you could always go home.

Though you weren't expecting your mark to burn when you stopped to rest at a Statue of the Seven near the harbor. The late Rex Lapis' statue.

A part of your mind grew anxious at this news. Your mark glowing and burning like this.

"Who knows, maybe even Rex Lapis himself?"

The bard's words echoed almost tauntingly in your mind.

You tried not to sadly laugh as you felt the warmth flow through your body.

Of course, if it really was Rex Lapis, it would only be your luck it was a dead god you were tied to. If only you had been a year sooner...

But that didn't mean Rex Lapis' spirit was gone. You had read the papers, and Lady Ningguang had mentioned a dream where he told her about how he had perished.

Or something like that.

Perhaps that was what this was then? Since he was a god, that's why your mark wasn't ashen grey? His spirit was strong enough to live on?

How cruel. If that was what this was, your soulmate was taken from you far too-

"I found you."

You scream as you spin around, and a man with the most gorgeous amber eyes you have ever seen is standing behind you.

He looked a bit disheveled. His clothes almost haphazardly thrown on. You got the impression he normally didn't look like this.

The mark on your wrist pulsed, and your eyes widened.

"You..." You began, though you couldn't think of the words you wanted to say.

The man is quick to unbutton his shirt, and tug it to the side.

When you saw the glowing bird, pulsing on his chest above his heart, you knew.

That mark was yours.

Carefully, you lowered your wrist, and he oh so carefully reached out for it. His hands were so gentle as they took your own, as if you were made of glass.

The spark that followed as a thumb ran across the symbol, left you breathless.

"My symbol..." He murmured, in awe over the small mark.

But you could already tell there was weight behind those words.

His eyes snapped back to your own, and you saw it.

This man... he was older than he looked. Those eyes were the ones of an old soul.

You felt power radiating from him, and your mouth went dry.

"You aren't... human, are you?"

It wasn't so much a question, as it was a statement.

The man blinked, almost in surprise, before he began to laugh.

It was a gentle one, one that had your heart pounding in your chest.

He smiled at you, eyes glowing bright.

"I should have known my soulmate would be able to figure it out first thing."

"Who knows, maybe even Rex Lapis himself?"

Those word rang in your mind once more, and you found yourself speaking before you could think about what you were asking.

"...Rex... Lapis...?" You asked, almost unsure, though the thought somehow felt so right.

His eyes seemed to brighten, along with his smile.

He brought your hand up to his mouth, and kissed the Geo symbol on your wrist, sending shivers through out your body. He then nuzzled against your hand, eyes never leaving your own. The loving look he sent you left you almost breathless.

"Hello, my dear. It's nice to finally meet you."

[onestepbackwards]

Love That Bites Pt. 12

Hiii! It’s been a while! Sorry for such a long wait, my life has been chaos non-stop with one bad thing after another, but I was determined to finish this chapter! φ(・ω・｀ ) Forgive me if the pacing and formatting is a little off, but I finally got it done, even if I didn’t get to stuff everything I wanted into this chapter. But that just leaves more for the next one. I do hope you all Enjoy!

Summary: You begin to seriously dwell on your situation, but it seems even as much as you would like to stay, home comes calling. With home on the other line, it seems your fantasy must eventually come to an end. Though it seems Dracula may want a few words…

CW: Anxiety, budding feelings, dark thoughts, brief thoughts of murder, mentions of toxic family

Word Count: 5367 Words!

Like my work? Please consider checking me out and supporting me here: Link

Likes and reblogs appreciated!

Tag List: @tilldeathripsusapart @thedeadlynights, @pumpkinvampie @bethleeham @mshope16 @sixsixtwenty @haleypearce @rvautomatic @tinystarfishgalaxy @marshmelloe @maorizon @ursamajor17 @sapphicsfordracula @dame-sunflowers @sleepyendymion @starrlo0ver @onewiththebeanbag (i’m sorry, sometimes the @ doesn’t work?? ;~; )

First: Here

Last: Here

Next: Here

—

If you were being honest, you were beginning to wonder if staying in Dracula’s castle was driving you mad.

It had only been about three days, give or take, and yet…

How else would one rationally explain why you were actually enjoying your stay here at his castle? Or enjoying his visits with how tenderly the Dracula treated you?

Answer was, you didn’t.

At the moment, you were pressing your face into one of the soft pillows on the bed of your room. Outside of the castle, you could faintly hear the sounds of rolling thunder, and raindrops hitting the window.

Somehow, what normally would have been an eerie atmosphere had also become a comfort for you.

You weren’t as tense here. Despite being in Dracula’s castle, and that someone had already tried to kill you, you didn’t feel like you were in survival mode 24/7.

Not like how you were at your old home.

Clutching the pillow closer, you inhaled the pillow’s scent, before letting out a muffled groan.

There was also something you didn’t want to admit. The fact you were beginning to feel really weird about Dracula himself.

And it wasn’t even a bad weird.

It’s something you had been wanting to just shove into the back of your mind and never think of again, but it was beginning to be really hard to do that with how gentle and careful the Vampire Lord was with you.

Especially with the way he oh so gently held parts of your body when overseeing your healing injuries.

Your mind wandered to when he first picked you up, how he held you so effortlessly, holding you against his large frame as he carried you across the castle to this guest room.

Or how his large hands carefully cradled your midsection as he looked over your stitches that you had accidentally messed up. How his cool hands sent electric tingles across your skin-

Heat rushed to your face.

His voice had been so low, and those gorgeous ruby eyes looking at you with genuine concern.

And then his smirk.

How he smirked at you as he teased you, no malice to be seen on his face.

“I’m such a fucking goner, holy shit.” you mumbled into your pillow as heat flushed through your body.

You didn’t dare admit it out loud, but deep down, you knew what this meant.

Heart thudding in your chest, you gripped the pillow tighter.

You had a crush on Dracula.

It wasn’t something you could keep denying, not when your heart fluttered when he gave you such tender looks, or when his lips curled into an amused smirk when he teased you.

The urge to yell was strong.

“I must have really hit my head.”

Of course, that was an excuse you could only use so much until it was just a convenient lie. With the potion Dracula had made for you, the injury to your head had mostly healed.

With the injury to your skull no longer an issue, you knew deep down these feelings you had were unfortunately very natural.

Lifting your head from the pillow, you looked over to the window, idly watching a few flashes of lightning followed by thunder.

Swallowing thickly, you thought back to how he was just so… kind to you.

Even when he was being truthful, it was kind. Dracula didn’t have to tell you that the first batch of potions had been tampered with, but he wanted to be honest with you. It was clear he was putting his cards on the table so you could make your own decisions.

When had someone last been so… open with you? Willingly?

Just the thought had your heart pounding.

Was it really that simple? Someone just had to show you basic kindness for your heart to grow fond of them?

Another flash of lightning struck outside the castle, and you rolled onto your side.

Your mind idly wandered to something Dracula had told you while trying to make conversation. Something about how even the weather was connected to him, to a degree.

Despite the lightning and thunder, it wasn’t angry, like a beast lashing out. Not like it had been earlier.

Another part of you wondered if that heavy storm had been when Dracula found out the potions meant for you had been poisoned.

An even smaller part almost wanted to believe it, imagining how angry he could have possibly been on your behalf. Just like he had been when he broke free, how he wanted to know who had hurt you.

In truth, it was the storm earlier that had caused you to trip and tear some of your stitches.

A loud crack of lightning had shaken the castle earlier, all while you were getting up to use the restroom connected to the room you stayed in. It startled you enough to make you trip over your own feet, and collapse on the floor.

If it had been Dracula’s doing, you didn’t blame him. You doubted he was aware you had been up walking when he had been so angry.

…And because of it, you got to feel his hands on your body, even if it was brief.

A moment passed.

“Am I really that down bad?” you asked yourself, eyes drifting to the ceiling.

You wanted to scream.

This was not fair. Not fair at all.

Why Dracula of all people? The very man you were ‘destined’ to fight?

Deep down, it wasn’t hard to figure out the answer.

You were lonely.

Lonely, and a bit broken.

To have someone, even your biggest ‘enemy’ treat you with respect and kindness… Looking at it from an outside perspective? It wasn’t particularly surprising your heart was trying to latch onto him.

It didn’t make things any easier, though.

Especially when he gave you such fond looks. Looks you could almost imagine a good friend or lover giving you.

“Yup, I’m losing it.” You spoke, your eyes narrowing.

If anything, this made things way more complicated.

What on earth were you going to do now?

You’ve toyed with the idea of maybe politely asking Dracula to, you know, not destroy all of humanity in a attempt of mass genocide.

But would it be that easy?

Just because he seemed to respect you, did not mean he would give the same pardon to the rest of your kind. Especially how he didn’t seem too pleased when you mentioned you got your injuries from personal business.

It wasn’t a lot of info, but you had a feeling Dracula suspected it was humans that had done this to you. No doubt that wouldn’t help you with pleading your case.

Still… You also found your mind wandering over possibly trying to talk Dracula out of killing all humans, despite the odds.

It was something you had wanted the moment you found his statue, though you never really thought you’d get this far.

Could you really do it? Convince the Lord of the Night to leave humanity be?

Perhaps you could make a compromise? You knew he had to drink blood to live, perhaps he’d be interested in the few supernatural blood drives that existed?

…Or even your own blood?

You quickly shook your head, trying to get the image of Dracula intimately biting into your neck out of your mind.

That image pleased you a lot more than you’d like to admit…

With a huff, you brought a hand to your face, and rubbed your eyes.

“What was I thinking about again? Right! Compromise…”

It wasn’t like you could just stop hunting, either. Even if Dracula agreed not to kill humans, that didn’t mean other people who lived independently of him would follow such a lifestyle. If a beast or something of paranormal nature was out causing harm to innocent people, you’d have to put a stop to it.

But, perhaps… Perhaps you could convince Dracula at least to leave humanity be, unless someone personally spites him?

In that case, you could hardly feel the desire to stop him. Fuck around and find out and all that.

You would no doubt though have to give something up in return, no?

Not hunting Dracula wouldn’t be enough, you were sure. The King of the Night had sworn to destroy humanity for killing his wife. You doubted he would simply just stop in his crusade because you asked nicely and swore not to kill him for it.

“Perhaps if I added his castle and the covens that follow him…”

So long as his underlings weren’t out hunting innocent people, you generally had no reason to hunt them. The life of someone from the paranormal was tough, that you knew from the few supernatural acquaintances you had.

Not every dark being wanted to kill, they simply had to for survival. More often than not, it was humans that didn’t give them any options, hunting them down for being a dark being, or not helping them control their hunger.

On one hand, you understood the human perspective, to a degree. Why help something that needs to feed on your lifeblood to survive?

But on the other hand… If humanity helped them instead of scorned them, they would have no reason to hunt humans in the first place. Such as the blood banks to help feed vampires, so they were fed and didn’t have to give into their instincts.

Unfortunately, those weren’t incredibly popular as you’d like them to be. At least some of humanity was giving it a shot though…

Blowing a tuft of hair out of your face, you scowled. It really was an unending battle.

Didn’t help humans and many of the supernatural thought themselves above the other. No doubt if Dracula miraculously agreed not to kill humans, others would just find that stupid and do it anyway.

And you also figured others would come to hunt Dracula themselves. Even if the man agreed to leave humans alone, you doubted humans, let alone the church would take kindly to him just existing.

Hell, was his son even still alive? Alucard, you think his name was?

You had read about him from different journals of different Belmonts. It was clear the man was immortal, despite the human blood running through his veins

How the man was Dracula’s son, who had sworn to kill his father any time he should rise.

Swallowing thickly, you suddenly felt a bit sick.

Would you… Would you have to fight Alucard? The same man your ancestors thought so fondly of?

Somehow, that thought made your stomach churn.

You didn’t even know if the man was still alive. Could he be? Could Alucard really have hidden himself, even in modern times?

Or perhaps he had put himself to eternal rest until Dracula had awakened once more? You read something about him doing that in one of Richter’s journals. Something about how Alucard awoke to the call of Castlevania after Richter had risen the castle.

You felt your heart tick up a beat. Did that mean Alucard might come here and fight Dracula himself?

Turning onto your other side, you reached out and gently gripped your whip. Its old presence brought you a small comfort.

Chances were, you don’t think you’d have it in you to fight Alucard yourself.

Just like how you didn’t want to fight Dracula, just a little different in reasoning.

Would Alucard even listen if you tried to tell him Dracula didn’t want to kill humans? That is, if you even got Dracula to agree?

No, you doubted it would be that simple or easy.

Perhaps you could just stay out of it? Or at least try talking to him?

“Hah, am I really debating this?” You whispered to yourself, thumb running over some of the grooves of the whip.

You hadn’t even talked to Dracula yet about him leaving humanity alone, and here you were, thinking ahead as if you already accomplished such a feat.

Heaving a sigh, you slid the pillow out from under your head, and placed it on your face with a groan.

The weight of the world was still very much on your shoulders. Even if you didn’t have to fight Dracula now, you still had a job to do.

Protect humanity.

But…

Was it really that bad you were hoping you didn’t have to fight Dracula to do that?

Not just because of your complicated feelings, but would it not be better just to have him be neutral again?

If you did end up fighting and killing him, he would simply come back within a hundred years! It didn’t matter what you would do, fate would no doubt put your family through the ringer once more to defeat him.

Or at least have someone step up to the challenge if not your own family. Perhaps someone from the Morris clan?

Though, if you could make him no longer a threat because he wants to stay out of it, would that not be better for everyone involved?

Of course, you could only hope it would be that easy. Your life had never been simple, and it loved to screw you over time and time again.

However, you found some of your mother’s words echoing in your head.

‘Expect the worst, but hope for the best.’

Moving the pillow on your face to the side, you sighed.

“I can do that. I guess.”

You sat in silence for a few moments, idly listening to the thunder rolling overhead. You still couldn’t get over how this castle seemed to have a peaceful ambience your own home seemed to lack.

A buzz brought you out of your thoughts, and your eyes narrowed.

Hand flinging to the side of the bed, you patted the sheets until you felt the familiar shape of your phone. Picking it up, you felt your heart drop into your stomach.

‘When are u coming home? Dad’s not happy.’

Your mouth went dry, and you felt your body beginning to shake.

That’s right. You have been gone for several days now. It was only a matter of time before someone at home contacted you, asking where you were.

“Figures I couldn’t even have a week…” you mumbled, staring at your screen with badly veiled disdain.

Putting your phone down, you ignored the urge to puke your guts up. Just thinking of heading back to your family home made you nauseous.

Especially if Jason was growing upset you were gone.

“Upset if I’m there. Pissed if I’m away. Bah.”

It wasn’t incredibly surprising. Anytime you had injuries or were sick, you were always expected to ‘pick up the slack’, as they’d say.

Maybe they’d leave you be for a day or two at best if it was noticeably bad. However, you never got your hopes up, especially when it came to injuries.

In their eyes, if you could walk, you could work. If not doing the dirty jobs, then you could at least clean the house while they did the ‘real’ work.

A flare of irritation and anger rose in you.

Sure, you were always annoyed with them, but especially now after everything you have been through over the past few days.

Nearly dying because of your step family, having a manic episode and accidentally reviving your nemesis, said nemesis then caring for you better than anyone has before since your mother passed…

And… you had admittedly enjoyed the past few days, even if you were in enemy territory.

Dracula kept a slight distance with you, that much was obvious. It was clear, however, he was doing so for your comfort.

Even then, he still regularly checked up on you every few hours. You could technically even leave if you wanted, he said he would not stop you or hurt you for doing so.

Just yesterday, he had offered to bring you some books if you needed them, which you had declined.

It had shocked you more than anything that he was willing to offer entertainment, though you suppose you shouldn’t have been too surprised either. Declining had been a gut reaction from surprise, but you made sure to let him know you appreciated the offer.

You weren’t sure you could really even read anything he gave you, given you didn’t know what books he had. You would have had to see for yourself, and you didn’t want to bother him about it.

Though… It wasn’t like you could have gotten too much reading done with how much you had been sleeping and thinking. The few times you did need a distraction, you still had your phone too, which miraculously still somehow had a data connection.

Given how you were healing though… You wouldn’t mind a book now. A bit too late to ask for it though, you supposed.

Letting out a shaky breath, you looked at your phone once more.

The text almost seemed to taunt you.

They wanted you back, after hurting you, nearly killing you. All over ‘training’. As if nothing had happened.

Granted, you did tell them as you left to pretend it never happened. You think. Your memory of that fight was a bit hazier than you would like to admit.

Probably bloodloss.

Still…

Did they think they could just make demands? Just like that?

A part of you wanted to call Seth, the one who had texted you, and chew him out. Tell him about the hell you endured because of them, and how you almost died because they didn’t give a single shit about you.

How you wanted to rip into them, unload every single thing they have done to piss you off and ruin your life.

How a part of you wanted to go home and cut them to pieces slowly and-

You froze.

The grip on your phone was tight, and you felt your breathing grow heavy.

Carefully, you put your phone down on the bed, and took a deep breath.

You were angry, but you hated when those thoughts began to show. It never led to a good place mentally when you thought about killing them.

It wouldn’t be worth it.

Even if you did feel a sick satisfaction from it, which you know you would have, you would still suffer.

Being a Belmont only protected you from the law so much. The city you lived in didn’t know what went on behind closed doors. To the city, your little step family did everyone a favor by keeping the ‘beasts’ away.

If you killed them, you would be arrested. You would lose everything you worked hard for.

Your home, your heirlooms, your whip.

Sure, you could survive on the run for a while… But it wouldn’t be worth it.

The whole reason you put up with those jackasses was because you wanted to keep your home safe. You couldn’t exactly do that if you couldn’t go home.

Life really sucked right now.

But at least… you found temporary peace.

Idly, you clutched your phone again, wondering if you should answer Seth, or ignore him like you wanted to.

Given just looking at your screen and seeing the message made pricks of anxiety and frustration bloom in your chest, you decided to ignore it for now.

You couldn’t ignore it forever. Things would get worse if you did, and you already dreaded what the house must look like since you’ve been gone.

No doubt Jason’s attitude has been foul, you wouldn’t be surprised if he took it out on your home, just for you to clean up.

Scowling, you let out a small noise of annoyance.

After another moment, you decided to sit up. The soft sheets slid to your hips, and you winced as some weight shifted to a wound.

Hand twitching, you resisted the urge to open your bandages to look at your injuries.

Most were beginning to heal rather nicely since Dracula had brought you a potion. However, you still had a long way to go before you were fully recovered.

At the very least, maybe it wouldn’t be that long if Dracula truly intended to keep having potions made for you.

Yet another concept that floated around in your head that still managed to surprise you.

It’s almost funny. If you had been any other Belmont, you were certain you probably would have been mocked and tortured for having injuries. You doubted he would have extended the same kindness as he had you.

This didn’t help the fuzzy feeling in your chest when you thought about him, in an odd way.

You were special to Dracula, at least right now you were.

He wanted you alive for now. Alive and well.

Wringing your hands close to your chest, you tried not to sigh again.

What were you going to do?

As you tried once again to think over your options, your eyes caught your figure in one of the mirrors in the room. One near a dresser meant to look over outfits, you presumed.

Though you couldn’t help but scrunch up your face when you noticed your reflection.

You looked awful. Felt it too, even if your injuries were doing better.

Despite this, Dracula still treated you so gently, and with respect.

As you were deep in your musings, you ended up jumping a bit when you heard the familiar brisk knock at your door.

You knew right away who it was, having memorized just how particular Dracula had been knocking on your door.

Perhaps it was on purpose? A knock you would grow to recognize in case someone else knocked on your door?

Regardless, you didn’t keep him waiting, telling him to come in.

You would admit though, you never got over the slight surprise you had as he entered your room each time.

His presence alone was intimidating, even as he made a point to try and not be as such. How he seemingly called for attention as he entered a room, even if he didn’t utter a word.

It was both impressive, and you weren’t entirely sure how to feel about it.

Nervous? Sure. Into it? You had to mentally smack your brain a little to avoid your thoughts going in that direction as he was in the same room as you-

“Good afternoon.” He spoke as he closed the door behind him, his voice deep and quiet. You know for a fact he had a voice that could lead an entire army, or gently put you to sleep.

A dangerous voice, one you liked a bit too much.

-Nodding to him, you gave him a small smile. It was strange, how relaxed you were becoming around him with each visit.

A part of you still yearned for it to never end.

But your phone weighed heavy in your hand, a solid reminder you couldn’t stay. Unspoken consequences idly rolled around in your head, which was beginning to make you grow queasy.

Dracula’s eyes seemed to see through you, and you wondered if he could read your mind with how his gaze seemed to look at your very soul.

You certainly hoped he couldn’t read your mind, otherwise things would be pretty awkward with all the suggestive thoughts you have been mentally fighting off with a bat that floated through your head.

Thankfully, Dracula didn’t say a thing about that, simply sitting down in the chair you decided to keep next to your bed.

“Are you feeling well? Has the potion helped?”

He asked, bringing you out of your thoughts.

Heart pounding slightly, you smiled a bit wider.

“Yes! It has helped tremendously. My head no longer feels as if someone hit it with a hammer, and I’m mostly just sore at this point.”

Granted, that didn’t mean you were out of the woods yet. Your pain tolerance was higher than most. Just because you felt better, didn’t mean you were greenlit to go do any serious activities or hunting.

Despite your inner musings, Dracula seemed pleased.

“Good, good…”

He then reached into his cloak, and pulled out what you assumed to be another bottle filled with potion.

It had been a little while since he gave you that first dose, so it should be safe to consume more..

Potions could be taken in large quantities, but it wasn’t exactly recommended.

The concoctions filled a person’s stomach, but didn’t offer any nutritional value other than healing wounds. It could even make a person sick if consumed too much without a break or food in between major doses.

Not that it stopped you before. You didn’t exactly have the luxury of being picky at home when constantly fighting illness and injury. Growing sick from too much potion was a risk you often had to take.

You decided to keep that thought to yourself as you took the bottle from Dracula’s hands.

“If your healing continues to progress, you should be completely healed in less than a week. Maybe even sooner once those other potions are finished.” Dracula spoke, drawing your attention back to him.

A week? You didn’t think you had that kind of time. You’d probably need to be home at most, three days from now.

Dracula gave you an odd look.

“Is that not satisfactory?”

You blinked, eyes widening slightly.

“Oh, no! That… that isn’t the issue at all. It’s… It’s just…” you stumbled over your words, running a hand through your hair as you tried to figure out how to explain without seeming unthankful.

Dracula remained patient, letting you figure out what to say. His gaze was cool, yet curious.

A part of you also swore you saw amusement as you fumbled your sentences together.

Nervously, you began to wring your hands together, and fiddle with your shirt.

“…I just… I’m uh, I’m expected to be home soon…”

Dracula raised a brow at your small explanation.

Immediately, you also felt the temperature of the room drop. Enough to make the hair on your neck stand on end, and send a shudder down your spine.

You hoped you hadn’t pissed him off by saying that…

The gaze on Dracula’s face shifted, going from barely concealed amusement, to something… darker.

Old instincts began to wake, and you seriously hoped this wouldn’t be the end of the small little bit of peace you have had up until now.

The last thing you wanted was a fight.

An intimidating silence took hold of the room, and you forced yourself not to reach for your whip out of nerves. After a few moments, Dracula then broke said silence.

“This home of yours…”

He leaned close to you, his eyes bearing into your own.

“…Is it the same place where you received these injuries?”

For a moment, it felt as if the wind had been taken out of your sails.

“…Huh?”

You were confused. Was he… not upset with you?

Dracula tilted his head, those same ruby eyes flickering over where you were still injured.

“Forgive me for being presumptuous, but is that not where you were attacked? Was it within your own home?”

The question had your eyes wide.

“I uh-“

Dracula leaned back, though the odd feeling in the room didn’t settle.

“Of course, you don’t have to answer. But if I am right, is it that pressing to return before you are fully healed to handle whoever, or whatever dealt such blows?”

His questions had you pausing, and you felt your mouth run dry.

If you didn’t know any better, you’d say Dracula seemed apprehensive about you returning home where you were hurt.

Almost as if he cared.

The very thought had your mind whirring in overdrive. If someone had told you months ago that Dracula himself seemed to care about you, you would have laughed in their face.

But with everything he has done for you… was it really that far fetched?

If anything, you could at least argue he’d hate to see all the hard work done in healing you go to waste, but you were certain it was more than that.

Again, not good for your conflicted feelings on Mr. Lord of the Night himself.

Rubbing the back of your head with a sigh, you felt yourself droop a little.

“It’s… complicated, but yes. I have to return home soon, or things might get messy.”

The very thought of what might happen if you disappeared too long left a sour feeling in your stomach.

Your eyes flickered up to meet his, and he held your gaze for a few moments.

“…I assume you can’t put this off then? That it must be urgent?” He asked, his voice low.

Nodding, you tried to keep holding his gaze, not wanting to seem weak about it.

“Unfortunately. I… I risk a lot if I wait too long.”

Dracula’s eyes narrowed on you, before he closed them with a sigh.

“Like I have mentioned before, you are my guest here. You are free to leave at any point you wish, nor are you to be attacked as you do so. However…”

Your head tilted slightly, heart picking up at the end of his sentence. However…?

“Are you… certain this is wise? That there is nothing else that can be done?”

Shaking your head, you finally looked away.

“…Will you be hurt again?”

You stayed silent, telling Dracula all he needed to know, even if you refused to elaborate.

Why bother making an empty promise? Even if you don’t get hurt this time when you head home, what about the next? You knew all too well it was practically a waiting game until you were sick or injured again.

With your silence, the room somehow became increasingly colder.

Daring to look up, you were surprised to see the red of his eyes glowing slightly, much like how he had found you.

He really didn’t seem to like the implications you left him with.

But what could you say?

‘Yeah, my step family might try to beat the shit out of me or leave me the rotten leftovers to eat, or even make me do the yucky missions. No doubt I’ll be injured or sick again by the end of the month!’

Yeah… that probably sounded a bit pathetic. Some Belmont you were, allowing your own ‘family’ to use you as a punching bag.

Dracula eventually let out a sigh, and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He looked frustrated. Or worried? You couldn’t be too sure.

A moment passed. Then another. You weren’t entirely sure what to say.

Another sigh left his lips, and when he moved his hand to look at you, his eyes briefly glowed once again, before returning to their same ruby red they were before.

The room remained cold, though the look in his face wasn’t quite as scathing or irritated.

“Very well then. It seems this is personal and important to you. Whenever you wish to leave, I will personally escort you out of the castle.”

A part of you grew warm and fuzzy at that. And they say chivalry is dead.

However, before you could bask in that warm, fuzzy feeling, his voice rang out once more.

“Before you leave however, we have much to discuss.”

You blinked.

“Huh?”

As if a switch had been flipped, his entire posture seemed to shift.

His back was up straighter, and he crossed his legs. He then rested his elbow on the arm of the chair, resting his head on his fist.

His eyes seemed to sharpen as his gaze then zeroed in on you.

Your mouth went dry.

It was as if his entire demeanor changed.

Hair on your neck stood on end, and out of nowhere, it was as if a stone settled uncomfortably in your stomach.

“You had mentioned wishing to talk back when I was… imprisoned. If you are going to leave, I imagine you would wish to discuss this before you do so.”

You felt your blood run cold.

Ah. That.

Now you understood why his demeanor had changed so much in a matter of seconds.

No longer were you just talking to Dracula, your polite host.

You were now discussing terms with Dracula, King of the Night.

[onestepbackwards]

Streamer AU thing again because I love it!

Streamer protag accidentally streams their battle with Volo. People see, and wow! This man looks oddly similar to a certain champion. Certainly Emmet won’t jump to conclusions.

You don't mean it, it just so happened you were streaming before you met up with Volo, and thought you turned everything off.

But due to everything that had been happening... you didn't hit end stream like you thought you did. Whoops?

Your chat is going wild at the fight. It's clear whatever Volo is doing is Not Good. This is a fight that has weight to it, that lives are at stake.

Of course, this is only confirmed when fucking Giratina emerges from the shadows to fight you. The website you stream to ends up breaking once after Giratina goes into their second form due to the influx of people watching.

The site managed to fix it, but it was after everything was said and done.

You were shocked to see you had been streaming, and ended stream pretty flustered and worn out.

People were rightfully confused and worried. Especially when people started pointing out the similarity between Volo and Cynthia while the streaming site was down.

It was eerie.

Not only did they look the same, but Volo's team was almost exactly like Cynthia's, except for one pokemon.

Of course, many different people began to question things. Was Cynthia aware? It felt very odd how... similar everything was. Only difference was Cynthia helped fight to stop something similar happening with Cyrus.

You eventually caught wind when you did a stream not too long later, and were a bit upset about it.

"Cynthia would never! If anything, it's just a weird twist of fate. I don't think it's fair to hold the sins of the father over the child. Or uh, in this case, great great great great grand daughter, or whatever."

Emmet is frozen mid stream booking a plane ticket to Sinnoh to confront the Champion himself.

He ends up sighing, before picking up his phone and calling Elesa. Perhaps he should think before being so hasty, but he is really running out of legal options just short of hunting legendary pokemon himself.

But it isn't just Emmet who has concerns. But at least you are adamant that Cynthia is innocent. It wasn't fair to throw her under the bus because maybe an ancestor did some dumb mistakes.

Cynthia is privately very thankful at least you are backing her up, even if you are strangers or not. If anything, it pushes her into wanting to help out figure a way to get you home.

[onestepbackwards]

Love That Bites Pt. 11

Hi! Here's part 11 to my Dracula x Reader series! I apologize for the huge delay, I've had a lot going on IRL, so I haven't has as much time/energy to write as I would have liked. Still, I hope you enjoy! I hope to have more happen in the next chapter as well, hopefully some action! Summary: Dracula finally manages to get things running somewhat smoothly, only to run into a snag when it comes to the potions he's had made for you. Thankfully, it isn't as big of a setback as it could be, so long as he can see you beginning to heal. During all of it, he begins to recognize some old feelings...

CW: Injury mention, death mention, brief description of injury, thoughts of murder,

Word Count: 6244 Words!

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Tag List: @pumpkinvampie, @bethleeham, @mshope16, @sixsixtwenty, @haleypearce, @rvautomatic, @tinystarfishgalaxy, @marshmelloe, @maorizon, @ursamajor17, @sapphicsfordracula, @dame-sunflowers, @sleepyendymion, @starrlo0ver, @onewiththebeanbag First: Here! Last: Here! Next: Here! - - -

Dracula was beginning to wonder just how you had managed to survive so long on your own.

He wasn’t doubting your skills. In fact, Dracula could tell from a glance you were a powerful fighter, much like your ancestors had been. He wouldn’t be surprised if you were one of the strongest Belmonts yet.

No, he was concerned over how you seemed lacking when it came to taking care of yourself.

Sure, you had bandaged yourself on the way to his castle, and he was thankful you seemed to have some sort of survival instinct.

But he noticed you didn’t put in too much effort though in your own health overall.

It wasn’t just from how you came to his castle recently, but something he had noticed long before he had been freed.

After the first few times he saw you, it was clear to him. You would briefly mention your headaches, and your homelife, how you just ‘dealt’ with it.

You had mentioned to him in a joke how even though you had been sick at one point, you just pushed through it while sleeping in your car for a week.

He couldn’t ask you at the time why you did such things, being trapped in stone. Now, he felt it would be counterproductive to ask you. Not until you were comfortable around him.

But it was a horrifying thing you mentioned offhandedly while eating a sandwich, and you refused to elaborate. Why would you put yourself through that?

Add that to his mental list of reasons why he had to investigate your home life. If anything, that was blatantly unhealthy. How the hell was your immune system putting up such a fight on its own if that was how you handled being sick at your home?

How did you handle most injuries before you met him? A part of him really did not wish to find out, but he couldn’t help but feel the desire to know.

Dracula was at least thankful you mentioned a small cabin once. After you had mentioned it while he was stone, you realized what you had said, and were quick to try and change the subject. You had not meant to tell him about it, it seemed.

But he was thankful at least that you had a small place nearby to rest.

At one point throughout the day as he checked in on you, he briefly considered going to see this cabin, or sending a scout to see where it was. However, he dismissed this idea almost as soon as he had thought it.

You’d no doubt be upset if you found out he had done so, and he would be willing to bet you had traps all over the land leading up to your small sanctuary away from your home.

It was only logical to assume so. You had found his castle nearby your own property.

Something he didn’t fail to see irony in. Of course his castle would choose a place nearby a Belmont’s property.

Still, if it had been him in your situation, he would have placed traps on top of traps once finding out such a thing. Sending an underling was just asking for it to either be captured, destroyed, or injured. Or for such information to spread to less enthusiastic minions who were disgruntled about your stay here.

No doubt when you inevitably left, you would check the traps, or at least notice one out of place, if not finding a dead monster's remains on your land. Dracula couldn’t afford to have you lose trust in him just because he was curious.

Yes… Dracula would wait, and put his patience to the test. He’d try to get you to open up to him, and show him yourself.

You already were showing you didn’t detest him, something that was bringing an old warmth to his cold heart.

He’d even wager you opened up to him just a little earlier, when you had mentioned your injuries had been from something personal.

Sure, it wasn’t a large amount of information, but it was progress.

Now, he just had to keep this progress going forward, something Dracula knew was not going to be smooth sailing as he had hoped. There was already unrest in the castle, he could just feel it.

No one had said anything to him, but Dracula was more in tune with his castle and its magic than people gave him credit for. Every being here had energy that was woven with the castle’s in some way shape or form.

And people were anxious.

Some were restless, some were afraid. Many were irritated.

A Belmont being treated as a guest? He knew it would only be a matter of time before someone or something acted out.

Dracula just hoped it wouldn’t be at your expense. He could clean any other mess as need be, but he wouldn’t stand you being injured further.

Alas, he couldn’t act unless someone else acted out first, or he could see they were planning something that involved you. Dracula, loathe as he may to admit it, would only cause more unrest by acting too hastily.

That was fine though, he could bide his time.

The only thing that had him on edge was your current injuries. Or rather, he didn’t want you fighting with your injuries and making them worse, especially after your healing has been progressing nicely.

Speaking of which, You were healing incredibly quickly. If it wasn’t for your lineage, he would have guessed you had some sort of distant supernatural blood in your veins, such as vampirism.

Still, even though you were healing at an impressive rate, it still wasn’t enough. Your injuries by all means could have killed you, and they were still deep and fresh.

His fingers tapped on the wood of his desk in his study, concern no doubt etched clear on his features.

Those potions should be finished today, or at least the first batch of them. The stronger type usually required a longer amount of time to simmer for better healing effects. Time though, was not something he could afford, so a batch of the regular sort would have to do.

Of course, he’d have to thoroughly check them himself after his alchemists were finished. He had not explained who the potions were for when he had ordered it to be done, but now, there was no doubt in his mind the ones creating the potions knew it was for a hunter.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t even trust most of his underlings with this. Even his more trusted ones, he was going to be forced to keep an eye on.

The chances of his alchemists messing with your potions were low, but not impossible. Thankfully, he knew potions very well after studying them centuries ago. Dracula was confident he could catch any ‘unneeded’ ingredients that might slip in the finished batch.

However, he hated that he would have to check.

“How bothersome…” he mumbled as he pressed his face into the palm of one of his hands.

Looking for poison itself wasn’t the issue, it’s something he’ll gladly do. It was the fact this would mean it would take longer to get the potions to you that irritated him.

If the potions were tampered with, like he worried they might be, he’d probably have to make them himself. Something he would also do without pause, but again, he didn’t wish for you to stay injured any longer than necessary.

Dracula rubbed his eyes for a moment, wondering how he had grown so protective of you like a mother hen.

The last time he could remember fretting over someone, was whenever his late wife had gotten sick, or when his son fell ill once or twice.

Back before everything fell apart.

He sighed, feeling another migraine coming on. It wouldn’t do well to think of that now. The less distractions, the better.

At least one good thing came from this. You were receptive to him checking in on you. Dracula doubted you would trust any of his underlings to do it, or at least any of them bringing you meals.

Not without him there to supervise, it seemed.

It was small, but that amount of trust you had in him was a lot for the circumstances.

Dracula felt another sigh escape his lips, and he ignored the temptation to lay his head on his desk like a daydreaming school boy.

What were you doing to him? Had the Great Dracula really fallen for a Belmont?

His eyes widened slightly at his own thoughts.

Fallen? No. Though he detested the idea of admitting he had a schoolboy crush.

He could at least admit he felt fonder for you than some human teenager just figuring themselves out, thank you very much.

Deep down however, thinking about this unsettled him.

Dracula cared for you. He could admit that in his head whole heartedly. Somehow, the Little Belmont had wormed their way into his cold, dead heart without even trying.

But he feared to think about what that meant for him. His life. His future. Your future.

The trust between you two was rocky, but it was there. Could he really push to have you trust him more? Was that really a future he could hope for? Try for? To even care about?

Was it even worth it?

Dracula ran a hand through his hair, and debated summoning another glass of blood to sooth the migraine he could already feel forming in his temples.

Himself and your family had been doomed to fight for centuries. Would even trying to open up the possibilities of at least a friendship be very wise?

Looking from the outside, it seemed like something doomed to fail.

So why did he want to try?

His fingers began to thrum idly on the desk again.

The answer was still the same as before. It was you.

You were different. Different from most Belmonts.

Was wanting to bet on that difference really worth the possible pain? Heartbreak? Potential agony?

Vlad’s eyes drifted over to a portrait that hung in his private study. One depicting his precious Lisa.

Lisa had been worth it, even if his time with her had been so cruelly cut short. He knew her time with her would have been limited, as she had wanted to stay human. It was one of the things that had made her so precious.

One of the few things he regretted was not being there for her when she needed him most. Probably one of his biggest regrets, alongside not being next to Elisabetha when she passed back when he had been human.

So perhaps… This too, would be worth it.

He could not deny that this was a golden opportunity. If, by small chance, he could change fate…

Perhaps he would not have to suffer being killed once more, and this damned cycle between him and your family could finally break.

Dracula was no fool. He was sure this cycle affected your family just as much as it did him. Ever since Leon, almost every Belmont has had to learn to fight creatures of the night. Either to be a hunter, or to avoid simply being the prey.

No doubt not every Belmont liked this, and judging from the small glimpses of your home life he has seen, the Belmont clan seems to have fallen into disrepair.

There was a darkness in your eyes when you spoke about your home, one that had him worrying all over again.

That was something else he was going to have to focus on. Your life at home.

Given that your clan was full of vampire hunters, even if he did by chance get your home’s location, he doubted himself or any of his underlings would be able to get too close. Surveillance wouldn’t be an easy option, or most likely would not be an option at all.

Unless, of course, your family’s home and protections have also deteriorated. Perhaps getting close to the home wouldn’t be as big of an issue.

But alas, he wouldn’t risk most of his underlings finding your home like that. He has a few he trusts, sure, but he couldn’t in good faith let most of them know where you lived.

All it would take is one slip up, and your home would no doubt be swarmed. Even if it wasn’t monsters from his circles, it wouldn’t take much from other groups to learn and decide to exterminate you en masse.

Even if no one could penetrate your home’s defenses, it wouldn’t be hard to stage an ambush to have you assassinated the moment you left your property. Or anyone else that lived with you.

Dracula’s eyes narrowed at that thought. Oh, how that was tempting, just to see those who may have hurt you torn to shreds.

But he had to wait. He’d have vengeance for you one way or another.

Before he could contemplate who he had to murder, he heard a brisk knock at his door. Crimson eyes narrowed, and with his mask slipping back into place, he sat back in his chair.

“Enter.”

Large doors to his study creaked open, and one of the alchemists he had working on your potions stepped into the room. A young man who had answered the Castle’s magical call for power and safety.

The young man before him tried not to tremble under his gaze, barely making eye contact before looking at a different part of the room. Dracula had to hold back an annoyed sigh.

A shame those who could create potions were few and far between, leaving him with such a sniveling fool. At least he could get the job done, along with the few others he had working under him.

“Is the task I set for you and the others finished?” he asked, thrumming his fingers against the desk once again, a bored look on his face.

Swallowing nervously, the alchemist nodded, before remembering he needed to speak.

“Y-Yes, milord. The first batch of potions has finished, but…”

Dracula raised an eyebrow. He was already nearing the end of his patience.

“But?”

The young man flinched, and the vampire tried not to roll his eyes.

“I’m afraid, ah… this batch won’t be that potent, due t-to us having to rush…”

As if Dracula didn’t already anticipate that.

No matter though. What was important was getting you something to fend back the majority of your injuries. Even if it is just enough to help you fight infection and mend a few patches of skin, it was better than nothing.

“I’m aware of the effect of making potions on such short notice. Is that everything?”

For a split second, the alchemist’s heartbeat spiked, and he avoided looking at the Vampire Lord. Dracula forced his face to remain neutral.

How curious.

“That’s everything, sir.”

Almost immediately, the shadows in the room crawled forward, and the temperature dropped a noticeable amount.

Dracula stood up from his chair to his full height, and leaned over his desk. His claws dug into the wood, and his eyes grew black and red.

“Tell me, Alchemist, why are you lying to me?”

A squeak left the young man’s lips, and he physically shrunk in on himself. No one wanted to be on Dracula’s bad side.

“I don’t tolerate liars in my court.”

The Alchemist fell backwards onto the floor in a scramble, and shuffled backwards a few feet. The door magically shut behind him, and he looked as if he were to faint.

Dracula felt the air grow heavy around him, and the pathetic man in front of him began to pant and shake.

“Now, what is it you are hiding from me?”

The threat was clear as day. Should the young man in front of him lie, or do something foolish, he would not live to see tomorrow.

Swallowing thickly, the Alchemist shakily stood to his feet.

“I… As I was finishing up my batch of potions, I overheard a few of the witches talking.”

Dracula had the tension in the air lesson to a degree. The boy in front of him was willing to speak, so he may as well not make it too difficult, lest the coward faint.

Though he made sure his displeasure was apparent.

“Go on.” Eyes darted between him and other parts of the room, the Alchemist shrunk in on himself further before speaking.

“I… I overheard them talking about how they think the hunter has bewitched you. That the hunter is going to kill you, and everyone involved.”

Dracula wanted to scoff. Just mild gossip. He wasn’t surprised it was already making the rounds, though he’d have to keep an eye on it lest it fester into something unmanageable without conflict.

Rumors and resentment building would only cause unrest, and the less he had to deal with, the better.

“And just who were the witches who were discussing this?” The man swallowed. “I don’t know.” “So you didn’t think to get a look on who it might be?” He shook his head, fingers twitching idly.

“No sir. But…”

Dracula could feel the throbbing in his temples. Perhaps he should summon some wine…

“...The witches talked about wanting to do something before it was too late.”

Now that caught Dracula’s attention.

“They what?!”

The Alchemist winced, though straightened up a little now that Dracula’s ire wasn’t entirely directed at him.

“I-I have no evidence, nor was I able to follow them, but- I think some of them might be planning something, sir.”

The room’s temperature dropped further, and at the moment, the Alchemist felt like his soul left his body.

Dracula was well known for his fury.

How his anger was icy, yet his fury ran hot.

“Planning something?”

His voice was low, in a way that was like a growl. Like a predator readying to bite down on the neck of its prey. It was inviting, yet it had the survival instincts of anything around him screaming to run.

The wind picked up around the castle, and lightning began to strike across the clouded sky. The flashes of light only seemed to emphasize the anger on his face.

Briefly, The King of the Night hoped you weren’t bothered by the pick up of the storm. Surely you’d notice the change in atmosphere…

But that was something he could check in with you later.

“And do you happen to know just what they might be planning? Or which ones it even was?”

Dracula’s mind was beginning to work overtime. Which witches lingered near the Alchemy lab? He's going to have to do a sweep it seemed, and soon. At least Castlevania would give him some insight should he ask for it.

If some of his underlings were already conspiring against him…

The boy in front of him was eerily silent, and Dracula held back from snapping. Killing the fool wouldn’t solve any of his issues, especially as he needed him for now.

Then, a thought suddenly hit Dracula, and he sat back into his seat, his claws growing sharper.

“Boy, where is the finished batch of potions?”

The Alchemist froze for a moment, taken aback by the sudden question.

“Um… In the labs?”

Dracula’s eyes sharpened, almost glowing red.

“And is there anyone or anything protecting the finished batch of potions in the labs?”

“Ah…”

Running a hand across his face, Dracula fought the urge to kill something.

He was going to need that drink before visiting you.

—

Much to Dracula’s disappointment (and hidden fury), it was just as he had expected.

He had decided to check on the batch of the potion himself after that conversation, just to be sure it hadn’t been tampered with.

It was something he was already going to do, but now it was incredibly important to do so after hearing what the Alchemist had to say.

Just as he had feared, the main batch that had been left out had indeed been soiled.

The potion itself was a darker blue than it should have been, a first tell that something wasn’t quite right. Then there was the smell.

Potions already smelled a bit bland, with a hint of bitterness to them. However, he was able to catch the scent of something almost sour.

The texture itself was also a bit… thick. Closer to a cream rather than the liquid form it was supposed to have.

Dracula felt his brow twitch with thinly veiled disdain.

With a sigh, and barely hidden rage, he ended up banishing the whole batch. No point in taste testing when he could already smell the signs of tampering. The only thing he would be able to get out of a test would be what ingredients specifically had been added, but there was no point. Not when he already knew the results.

It seems he would have to keep a closer eye on things than he thought.

Even if the alchemists and potioneers he had working on this were as trustworthy as they could get, it seemed that there was only so much he could do before the rats began to poke their noses where they didn't belong.

As much as he hated to section off parts of the lab, it seems he would have to until you were healed, or he found all the idiots involved who dared try and pull a fast one on him.

Thankfully however, not everything was lost.

Dracula was thankful that moment for employing several alchemists to the lab for different batches of potions. He could just take from those, since they would have a similar effect.

The other alchemists were to keep working on different batches of potions, so he could have stronger ones brewing while the first batch was finished. This meant there would be less powerful ones, sure, but he would simply have more made.

What mattered was getting this first batch to you.

You may be healing relatively quickly and well, but he was quickly growing to dislike seeing you injured.

The shadows under your eyes, and how sunken in your face looked, added to your winces of pain… He hoped that he could help with that by taking care of your wounds.

It would be a long journey, he was sure. No doubt it would take more than just healing your injuries to actually have you looked… alive.

That was what had his cold, undead heart beating worriedly in his chest.

You didn’t look like you were living.

Sure, your blood pumped, your heart still beats, but you didn’t have a happy light in your eyes. Dracula could mistake you for one of his minions with how those eyes alone looked.

He was thankful though, seeing a spark in them. It was subtle, and only showed up on occasion.

However, he found himself yearning to protect it.

Ha. Him. Lord of the Night. King of all Vampires, wanting to protect his own supposed enemy. Even more so, with such… feelings developing.

Dracula still wasn’t sure whether to find it amusing, or pitiful.

The beast in his mind that he had embraced so long ago surprisingly didn’t fight him on it. At first, it had called him pathetic the first time he found himself wanting to help you.

But that same beast had quickly done a 180, quickly growing to respect you much like his logical side had.

And oh, how it had quickly grown protective.

Dracula felt his lips almost twitch upward at the thought, feeling the very same protectiveness stir in his soul as he approached your door.

He gave a brisk knock at the door, casting a brief glance to the living armors he had stationed near your room. Stone still as always.

After a brief moment, he heard your voice, telling him to come in.

Carefully he opened the door, and it was as if a weight was lifted off his chest just seeing you. The way you subtly perked up when seeing him, sitting up in your bed…

He tried not to let his pride get to him, how it was him that you were sitting up for.

‘One step at a time, Vlad.’

The scent of your blood though soon quickly caught his nose, and he felt himself stand straighter as he walked quickly to your side.

“Your injuries… did one re-open?” He was quick to ask, internally scolding himself when he felt the urge to have a taste.

For a Belmont, your blood was still such an intoxicating scent…

Sheepishly, you looked away from him after he arrived at your side.

“Ah… I fell on the way to the restroom. I accidentally pulled some stitches open, but I got the wound under control.”

If he had been a human, he would have sworn you were trying to give him a heart attack at this rate. How was it you were such a trouble magnet?

Gently, he leaned over you, his hands hovering over where your shirt was. Underneath, he could already smell the irritated wound and fresh blood.

His eyes met your own.

“May I?” He asked, desiring to see how bad it had gotten. His voice was soft and tender, not wishing to push you or make you uncomfortable.

You froze for a moment, and a glimmer of emotion passed in your eyes. However, it left as quick as it came, and you carefully pulled your arms up to give him access.

Even now, Dracula was still incredibly impressed with the trust you were giving him. If this had been any of your ancestors, or any hunter, really, he would no doubt be in a fight.

Gently, his cool hands brushed against your warm skin as he lifted your shirt upwards to see the bandaged wound. He pointedly ignored the shiver you have, no doubt his cold hands most likely the cause.

At least, that’s what he told himself, also ignoring how you tensed slightly. Or how he heard your pulse pick up as he got closer.

It was not the time to let his mind wander and theorize.

Dracula would give you credit, though. Your pain tolerance wasn’t anything to scoff at, and you were taking everything in stride, even now.

He removed the bandages with a gentle ease, and immediately internally stomped down the sudden hunger he felt.

The fresh scent of your blood still somehow managed to drive him crazy, even when he wasn’t starving.

To think he’d find a Belmont’s blood so appealing?

It took a bit of his will power to calm himself, before continuing to look at the wound. Pursing his lips, he let out a hum.

His hands held your midsection still as he observed the new damage, ignoring your sharp intake of air.

“Apologies…” He mumbled, knowing full and well his hands were most likely even colder the closer they were to your feverish flesh.

“No worries…” You breathed, your voice small. His eyes flickered up to your face, and your own were wide as you watched him. Still vigilant, even now. Cute.

Eyes back on your wound, he felt a bit of relief. Thankfully you hadn’t torn open as many stitches as he had feared, and you had cleaned the wound up well.

It seems getting rest and meals was helping you both physically, and mentally. You weren’t hanging on a thread, wrapping wounds with little regard to your life now.

Really, he shouldn’t be surprised. Even if he was worried about how you thought of yourself and your health in general, you of all people would know how to properly wrap a wound when in good conditions to do so.

After a moment, he pressed the bandages back onto your injury, and stepped back.

“Despite several stitches being pulled, it could have been worse.”

You pull your shirt down, and smile sheepishly.

“That’s good. It didn’t look too bad, but I’m glad you agree.” You spoke, rubbing the back of your neck a bit nervously.

It seemed you were still on edge, though he didn’t mind too much.

He looked you over for a moment as you fixed your shirt. You really were looking better than when you first arrived. Even from when he saw you this morning, you seemed to be improving.

At least, he was definitely thankful you no longer looked like you were dead on your feet.

Clearing his throat for a moment, he nearly smirked at how you almost jumped. Most would have missed how your muscles tensed, though he decided to count the fact he wasn’t outright scaring you a plus.

“I have something for you.”

Immediately your interest was piqued.

How you subtly leaned towards him and tilted your head, you were curious.

“You do?”

He stepped back for a moment, before holding out his hand. In a flash of smoke and light, a bottle appeared in his hand.

As he held it out to you, your eyes widened as you gently took it from his grip.

“A potion? You really made some?”

Dracula crossed his arms a bit in pride as you looked over the bottle.

“Of course. You’ll find I am not fond of breaking promises, or going back on my word.”

You took a moment to look over the bottle you now held in your hands, almost disbelieving. Dracula felt a pang of something in his heart. Pity? Worry? He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t like how astounded you looked over the fact he would get you some basic potions.

“I do apologize in advance. Due to the fact your injuries were severe, I had this made as fast as possible. It won’t heal you completely, but it should heal the worst of your wounds.”

For a moment, you were silent, clearly thinking.

“If you are worried about it being poisoned-” he began, but you raised a hand to cut him off.

“No! No, it’s fine. Sorry. I trust it isn’t poisoned.” You spoke. After another moment, you pulled the cork off the bottle, and debated if you should take a sip.

“However, I do wish to warn you about something.” Dracula said, speaking before you could drink it. He may as well tell you now, before you take a drink. No doubt you’d be upset if he told you after.

You froze, looking at him expectantly.

“Yes…?”

Dracula let out a frustrated sigh, a hand coming up to his forehead just thinking about it.

“Someone has tried to tamper with one of the batches of potions I have commissioned to be made.”

Your eyes widened, flickering to the potion, but he held up a hand to try and calm you before you could panic.

“I tossed that batch out after testing it myself. I can assure you the potion you hold in your hand has been deemed clean by myself personally. That one you hold in your hand was not supposed to go to you today. It was a batch that was supposed to simmer for a few more days.”

“To become a stronger batch…” You murmured, and Dracula felt a small twinge of pride. He supposes it shouldn’t be a surprise you would know such things, given how often you probably used potions in general.

“So… Someone wanted me dead…?” You asked, still eyeing the bottle critically. Dracula’s face turned a bit more sour.

“Unfortunately so. I will not lie to you, having you as my guest has… ruffled some feathers. I’m currently investigating those I believe tried to lace the potion with poison.”

Bright eyes flickered to him, and he caught that look, one of near disbelief.

“Why? I don’t particularly blame them, I’m a hunter, after all…” You murmured once again, eyes glancing back to the bottle.

“Because you are my guest. I will not tolerate those who wish to go against my orders, and attempt to kill the company I deemed worthy to keep.”

Dracula wondered if you weren’t used to such thoughts, with the way he saw emotions flicker across your face, gone as quick as they came.

Summoning a chair from the side of the room, he sat down, placing his elbows on his knees as he rested his chin over his clasped hands.

“If you don’t wish to drink that potion, I will not force you. It will just take a longer period for you to fully recover. I will not blame you for doing so.”

After all, he just admitted someone tried to use a different batch to kill you. He wouldn’t blame you for being careful.

You seemed to think for a moment, and Dracula decided to keep speaking as you thought about it.

“I also wish to officially inform you that unrest is beginning to stir in the castle. However,” Dracula began, taking in your expression of slight alarm, “I once again wish to reiterate something. You are allowed to protect yourself. I will not vilify you if you defend yourself from an attack.”

It was the truth. He had means to see if it was self defense, or a planned attack. He doubted you would attack unprompted.

You look at him a bit confused.

“But… How would you know it was self defense? The monsters who want me dead could just lie as a group, right?”

Dracula felt the corners of his lips twitch upwards. You had clearly been thinking about this, though he could tell it was something that must have weighed on your mind.

Not so much you thinking you could get away with attacking his subordinate, rather, you were worried about being attacked and thinking ahead.

He felt his lips curl into a small, amused smirk.

“I have my ways of figuring out what happens throughout my castle without being present.”

It was through his close connection with Castlevania, really.

Thanks to his connection, he was able to loosely figure out just who had tampered with your potions. Needless to say, it wasn’t hard to get the two witches to admit it, with how weak willed they were.

His castle was now a few witches less. Not that it mattered.

It wasn’t all of them, he was sure. Dracula still had a bit of investigating to do. The two he disposed of were just the ones who admitted to it, and Dracula could tell more were involved. No doubt he would be busy later looking further into the matter.

Some certainly weren’t happy with him, but alas, that was what happened when you attempted to hurt those he was protecting.

You seemed a bit skeptical, or perhaps curious?

“Um… Is it through the power of Chaos you can?”

As soon as you asked it, a worried look appeared on your face.

“Uh, if that isn’t too personal of a question, I mean…?”

He almost wanted to laugh. You were trying to be respectful, unsure if that was too much information to ask for.

“Trying to figure out a way to one up your enemy, hm?” He asked, though his lips ticked upwards in a full grin, clearly teasing you. Dracula could tell that wasn’t what you meant.

“No! That’s not what I-! I didn’t- fuck, I mean-”

It was adorable how you sputtered, and tried to catch your words to apologize.

“Relax, I’m only teasing you. Yes, it’s partially through the power of Chaos. Though Castlevania itself is bound to my very soul. Not much gets past me, should the castle alert me about it.”

You instantly relaxed at his words, and seemed to perk up in interest.

Once again, your eyes flickered to the bottle in your hand.

“Is that how you found out the last potion was poisoned?”

Dracula hummed, leaning back in the chair.

“No. One of my Alchemists alerted me to the fact several witches were discussing how they were… unhappy about your presence. I decided to check on the potion early, even if it was finished. I simply had my castle assist me in finding out who had done it.”

Silence filled the room once more. It seemed you were unsure what you wanted to say next.

After a beat passed, you looked back at him.

“Thank you, then. For checking. And for giving this to me.”

Your voice was soft, as was your smile.

If Dracula still breathed, he just knows his breath would have caught in his throat.

That was a smile that was worth protecting.

After you thanked him, you brought the bottle to your lips, and began to drink down the potion.

The effect was almost immediate. Even if he couldn’t see most of your wounds, he could see how you changed.

You no longer favored one side, leaning oddly to the left. Nor did you hold your arm as close as before. In fact, your body seemed to relax even further, now that the worst of the injuries were finally repairing from the magic treatment.

When you finished the drink, you pulled the bottle away from your lips, a disgusted look on your face presumably due to the taste. You coughed for a moment, and shook your head a bit.

After gathering your bearings, you then looked back up to Dracula, and truly smiled.

For once, you looked happy. You looked alive.

Yes, Dracula thought. Pursuing a future where you two don’t have to fight, would be one worth aiming for, just to see you smile once more.

[onestepbackwards]

a request… idea? however you wanna call it. emmet w/ a very very short s/o. im talking like, five feet tall. he teases them abt their height (not maliciously ofc, he’d stop if they asked!), but one day. one day they have enough. they climb onto his shoulders and tell him theyre staying there for the day unless an emergency happens. what does he do.

djfl;asjdl;sfjd This is a cute idea, I love it.

Pairing: Emmet x Reader

Word Count: 559 words!

CW: Fluff!

"I swear, I am going to throw you into the sun."

Emmet of course could only giggle as he leaned against you, his arm against your head to balance himself.

"But yet you haven't."

You sigh, blowing a tuft of hair our from your face.

"Yeah yeah, ha ha. Now move, I need to grab one of the tea boxes from the cabinet-"

Emmet seemed to smile a bit more, and you could already feel his shenanigans were going to get worse.

Normally you didn't mind it, it was just teasing, after all. But he had been doing it a bunch lately, and you didn't sleep much last night due to your late shift at work.

"I don't know, seems a bit of a reach. Sure you don't need a ladder?"

Feeling your eye twitch, it was as if a dam broke.

You weren't mad, but you definitely had enough of his teasing.

"That is it."

Emmet didn't have time to react as you pulled yourself out from under him, and proceeded to climb on his back like a pachirisu.

"Wha- hey!"

Emmet tried to get you to let go, only to freeze when he realized if he tried too hard, you'd be thrown and possibly get hurt.

Especially as you clung to him even tighter with a laugh.

"Let's see how you like it, you menace!"

Emmet laughed at your words, trying to regain his balance. Had he pushed you that far? Perhaps he had misjudged how much he was toeing the line today.

"I do not think this is safe! Verrrry not safe!"

"And yet you do this shit to Ingo all the time, and you are laughing!"

"That's different!"

"Oh, it is not and you know it."

Despite everything he did, you did not let go. You firmly kept yourself attached to his shoulders.

"I'm staying right here for the rest of the day."

Emmet awkwardly craned his neck to look up at you. His smile was ever present on his face, but you could see the look in his eyes wavering at the tone of your voice.

"Ah, you aren't serious, are you?"

The grin that formed on your face nearly mirrored his own, and Emmet felt his stomach drop when he saw the mischief in your eyes.

"Oh, I'm dead serious. Unless there is an emergency, I'm not leaving this spot."

Perhaps Emmet should have dialed it back a notch, but he found himself standing up a bit straighter.

After all, he never backed down from a challenge.

"So be it. I am Emmet, and I will handle this with grace."

He seemed so determined, at least until he froze when looking to the side.

There stood Ingo in the entrance of the kitchen staring at you both exasperated.

"Is the kitchen really the necessary place to be doing such shenanigans?"

You and Emmet shared a glance.

"Sorry. We'll continue this in the living room."

Ingo looked even more done with both of your shit as Emmet proudly walked past with you still on his shoulders. Ingo was in for a long day, he could already feel it.

Rubbing a hand over his face, he shook his head as he heard one of you yell from the living room, followed by a crash.

A long day indeed. At least you both were having fun.

[onestepbackwards]

Hello, I hope you are having a great day!(⌒‿⌒)

If it isn't much trouble, may I ask for a few platonic!yandere headcanons or maybe a small writing about Emmet and Ingo with a Reader who sees them as an inspiration?

They are very open about it, too! Proclaiming that the subway bosses are the best Pokémon trainers in the whole region! Their friends may be tired and bored of how much they ramble about their admiration for the two trainers, but that will certainly not stop them from one day wishing to be just like them!

👀I hope you don't mind this as a platonic!yandere!reader ramble ヾ(•ω•`)o

Word Count: 779 words! CW: Mild yandere!reader, platonic obsessive behavior

---

Of course, it wasn’t a huge surprise to your friends when you first were awed by the Subway Bosses.

It was through the TV in a commercial. Some sort of promotional deal for the Battle Subway. That was when you first learned of it that wasn’t through the occasional word of mouth.

The Subway itself wasn’t hard to know about. In fact, it could be argued that it was harder to not know about it when living in Unova. It was practically in the center of the region, and not only promoted battles, but its rail system connected most of the region’s towns and cities.

But it had been your first time catching an ad for it, and deciding to do some research.

Who knew doing so would change the trajectory of your life going forward?

You ended up falling down a Bunnelby hole, looking into everything you could find about the Subway Bosses. How they were arguably some of the best trainers in Unova, possibly even more so than the Elite Four, or even the champion!

Their synergy and technique was something to be admired. No doubt you could learn so much from them, and become a better trainer.

That was when your new interest obsession began.

Your friends didn’t mind, not at first. You were a passionate trainer with a thirst for proving themselves. It was the same old song and dance.

They expected you to fixate on the Subway Bosses a little bit, trying to learn from them, and then applying what you learned in battle before moving on.

None of your friends expected you to grow this obsessed.

Slowly, your walls became littered with merch, and your conversations slowly became almost nothing but the Subway Bosses.

“Come on! Just look at how well they work together! Oh… should I try mixing my team up? Then again, I usually battle solo…”

Your friend blew a tuft of hair out of their face.

“How many times have you mentioned them today? Five?”

You can only smile sheepishly as some of your group laughs, forgetting your friends aren’t as into the way the bosses battle like you are. Oops.

It wouldn’t be the last time you mentioned them that day.

At least your fascination wasn’t for nothing. You truly learned a lot studying over their battle styles and how each twin manages to improvise.

Your win ratio for battles had gone up extensively since you started studying the twins' techniques. In fact, you even considered taking on the local gyms to see your progress. Though unfortunately, you had work to worry about…

But you could at least try out the Battle Subway in your free time.

If your friends thought you were obsessed before, it was even worse after doing so.

You actually managed to reach one of the twins in a battle, and nearly got close to winning. It was one of your best achievements, but you still had a long way to go.

After all, you still had to win once to gain access to the tougher subway that ran on some days.

But for now, it was all you could talk about. Especially after Ingo had praised you that day for your efforts, even if you failed.

“Seriously, why not just ask one of them out on a date since you think about them so much?” one of your friends asked, almost exasperated.

Your face scrunched up.

“I’m not interested in them like that. I just want to be a better trainer.”

That had truth. You just wanted to learn everything you could about them, and apply it to your future battles.

Another friend lightly laughed.

“Yeah, sure. Any normal person talks about someone like you have with the twins, and doesn’t want to marry them? I think all the battling has gone to your head.”

“At this point, maybe you should just dress like them, and become their long lost triplet. Ha!”

Your friends laughed at the image, and you gave it some thought.

“Oh no, don’t tell me you’re considering it?”

You laughed, before waving your hand.

“Nah. Dressing like them won’t have any benefit in a battle.”

Another friend playfully rolled their eyes.

“Yeah figures. The only reason you aren’t is because it has no benefit for winning.”

You easily laughed away the comments, but they were right.

Looking like the twins would be pointless. You may have taken a liking to their battle style, but you weren’t that infatuated. Just obsessed.

After all, you would simply become the best trainer you could be with their help.

You just hoped the twins didn’t mind you taking inspiration from them to do that.

[onestepbackwards]

Love That Bites Pt. 7

This fic has me by the throat a lil bit. Though it was never my intention to write the chapter to be this big 😅 it kinda did what it wanted.

Summary: Things seemingly were beginning to go well for you. Of course, you should have known it was only a matter of time before things went horribly, horribly wrong.

CW: Multiple injures, blood loss, panic attacks, abuse, irresponsible injury treatment, cursing

Word Count: 7111 words!

Wanna help support me? Come follow me here!

Reblogs and comments appreciated!

Taglist: @onewiththebeanbag

@starrlo0ver

First: Here

Last: Here

Next: Here

It was only a matter of time until things spiraled out of control.

You supposed you shouldn’t be surprised.

Given that you were a Belmont, you knew your luck could only go so far, especially with how you had been cruising what little good luck you had left until now.

In hindsight, you really should have put forth an effort to further anticipate this.

After all, it was only a matter of time before you were heavily injured by your ‘family.’

Things had briefly gotten admittedly better, before things took a turn for the worst.

It had been too good to be true. You relaxed too much. Let yourself get too comfortable.

A little over a week before this had happened, your family had seemingly backed off. Something that you had admittedly been relieved about at the time.

They gave you space, well, about the same amount of space before you started sneaking away even more to see Dracula’s statue.

Jason had no longer been up your ass complaining and trying to instigate a fight.

That itself had been a huge weight off your shoulders. Your step brothers you could handle, but your step father? He had quickly grown into a short fuse over the years, and had especially been reactive as of late.

With Jason backing down, your brothers seemed to follow his lead.

Seth had taken to lingering in the background when you were around. Ever present, watching you, but never saying anything.

His gaze unnerved you, but hey, it was better than talking to him most of the time.

Mark meanwhile had barely been around the house. When you did see him, he seemed pissed off. Angry, just like his father.

He especially seemed mad at you, but would storm off before he would yell.

That had you concerned at first, and you worried you would have to watch your back for him instead.

Nothing ever came from any of them. Just the usual shit from about a year ago. Avoiding you, still making you clean, and having you take dirty jobs.

You could live with that.

Even if it was still poor treatment, it was better than whatever had originally pissed your step father off bad enough to hit you outside of training.

With them not all constantly down your throat, you were beginning to feel a lot better too.

Sure, you still weren’t getting as much rest as you’d like, but now you were at least able to rest.

With the lack of immediate stress, and some actual sleep, you actually were beginning to feel a little better.

By the end of the week, you’d dare even say you had felt somewhat good. It was a wonder what a lack of migraines and puking your guts out could do for your health and overall well being!

You had even taken a trip back to your cabin to check up on Dracula at the end of the week. With each bout of sickness, it had been harder to head over there without issue.

But when you were feeling better, you left with no hassle. Not even a peep from your step family when you left in the evening!

That should have been another warning.

They always have something to say if they catch you ‘sneaking’ out. If not a snide comment, it’s usually yelling and screaming as they followed you to your car.

The visit itself had been uneventful, but you had brought some snacks, and happily talked on about how you were feeling better for once.

You knew better than to tempt fate like that, yet you still did it, too happy and in bliss.

It had even felt like you were welcome. The Castle hadn’t felt intimidating in a long time. It felt, dare you say, somewhat welcoming.

Or that was just your hope and delusions talking.

Dracula hadn’t moved at all, though you did notice his eyes still changed positions on occasion, still solidifying he was somewhat aware of you.

You had left that visit happy, and feeling a bit lighter.

Of course, all good things must come to an end.

The few days afterward were similar to the last, and you didn’t suspect a thing. You only became wary whenever Mark would get upset, but like before, he would turn and leave you alone.

It wasn’t until an average Monday afternoon that things turned sour.

You had been writing in your journal, noting your visits with Dracula inside it in code. It had become a pastime for you when you arrived home, and figured detailing your visits wouldn’t hurt if you needed them in the future.

As you had been writing, you heard the familiar sound of footsteps walking up stairs and towards your room.

Quickly, you hid your journal, and pulled out another to pretend to write in.

Moments later, your door opened, with not even a knock.

Jason stood there, an odd look on his face. It almost seemed… gleeful.

That unsettled you, but you kept your face blank.

“Get your things. We need you for a training session.” He said, though you knew it was an order.

One of the few things you couldn’t talk your way out of in this house.

“Alright. I’ll be there in a minute.” You said with a sigh, closing your mock journal.

Jason didn’t waste another moment, and turned and left, not even closing your door behind him.

Jerk.

You made sure you had your whip with you, and changed into some comfortable gear to dodge in. It’s not like they’d let you actually attack them, anyway.

Quickly, you then headed to your family’s training area, drrad an annoyance in your stomach.

That wasn’t unusual. You never enjoyed training with them, with how aggressive and temperamental they could occasionally be.

Not to mention, this was just an excuse to use you as a punching bag to take their anger out on.

With how temperamental Mark had been lately, you had a feeling you would be leaving this ‘training session’ with a few more bruises than normal.

It started as normal. Your step brothers were allowed to choose whatever weapon they wanted, same with your step father.

Any weapon, except for your whip.

Anytime they asked (read: demanded) to use your whip, that was the one line you never let them cross.

Even in the past, when they physically threatened you, tried to take it forcefully, and tried to intimidate you by threatening to evict you, you held firm.

The Belmont family whip would stay in the family. It’s not like they could awaken and use its power properly anyways.

…Not without killing themselves in the process, at least. The whip was very picky, apparently.

Since you had your whip, they often argued you didn’t need any other weapon. That was the downside of keeping it on you around them.

“If you were so great at fighting, you wouldn’t need them anyway, right?” They’d always say.

It wasn’t too different this time, though you just decided not to bother asking for a chance to use something else.

Best to skip the ‘formalities’, after all.

As usual, Jason instructed you where he wanted you to stand, and that your step brothers and himself would be practicing weapons they weren’t the best with.

“Better to practice with a live target, right?” Seth had spoken, grabbing an old battle ax.

The look on his face made you shudder.

Those words, and the weird look made your gut churn.

You didn’t like that, not one bit.

Glancing to the side, Mark stared at you with a steely gaze. That iron hot anger simmered behind his eyes, and you felt yourself beginning to sweat.

He was silent, and alarm bells were ringing in your head.

Mark was always the loud one of the two brothers. His silence spoke volumes.

Him also holding a spear with murderous intent didn’t help.

Jason was in front of you across the room, as if to act as a referee. You knew damn well it was only for show. He only stopped the fights if you fought back, just to yell at you for daring to ‘attack his precious sons.’

He also would join in if he really felt like it. If he ever was in a foul mood, or felt you weren’t taking enough aggression, he’d try and sneak into the fight. Something he only started doing after your mother had passed away.

If he had tried that shit when she was alive, even if she was ill, she would have torn him to pieces.

Stars, you missed her.

Taking a deep breath, you tried to settle your nerves.

Jason was staring at you, a focused look on his face. You gripped your whip tightly, your stomach beginning to churn.

Something was wrong.

Every instinct that had been drilled inside you was screaming at you to run.

You weren’t the hunter here. This didn’t feel like it was going to be a regular training session.

You were now the prey.

In an instant, Mark sprang into action, and threw his spear at you with alarming accuracy. You let out a yell of surprise as you jumped back, the weapon narrowly missing you by a few inches.

Jason hadn’t even given the okay. That had been an attempt on your life, you were sure of it.

You didn’t have much time to think on that, with Seth running up to you with a yell, swinging the ax at your neck.

The weapon came down at a vertical angle, and you hissed as you dodged to the side.

“What the fuck is your problem!? If that had hit me, I-“ you yelled, though let out a curse mid sentence when you spotted Mark out of the corner of your eye, trying to stab at your mid section.

Your free hand came up just in time, and you managed to parry the spear, sending it to the left.

Seth was in front of you again, and you panicked. With Mark behind you to your left, you had very little room to dodge the ax once again headed your way.

Before Seth could bring down the ax, you pushed forward, taking him by surprise as you got in his personal space.

With no room for him to swing, you ducked under his arm, trying to get away and put some distance between you and them.

Before you could run, you felt a hand at your back, grabbing your shirt, and tugging. With a yell, Mark threw you backwards behind them both, and the force knocked you to the floor.

You didn’t have time to even acknowledge the air being knocked from your lungs as you quickly rolled to the side. Where you were just a second prior, Seth’s ax was lodged into the ground with a worrying thunk.

As Seth tried to tug the ax from the ground, you saw Mark running at you, fully intending to gut you with his spear.

Swiftly, you kicked his legs out from under him, rolled backwards, and landed onto your feet.

Mark fell to the ground, landing on his lower back with a groan. A curse followed as his spear tumbled out of his hand, and part of the handle landed on his face as he struggled to grab it.

Shaking from the adrenaline and slight panic, you looked between the two siblings, bewildered.

Sure, they loved beating the shit out of you, or trying to during the ‘mandatory’ training sessions Jason would throw at you. But this?

They were trying to kill you.

Every attack had been an attempt to end your life, not just break a bone or two and cover you in bruises.

“Just what the fuck your problem!? It’s not training if you’re genuinely teaming up to kill me you asshats! Jason, this is going too far, even for-“

You paused as you panted. Jason was not where he was moments prior.

“…-you?”

In a split second, it was as if time slowed down. Your instincts once again screamed at you to move.

Without thinking, you dived to the right. Your body felt like lead, but your mind moved at a thousand miles an hour.

You felt it before you saw it.

A sharp, striking pain erupted in your left side. You could feel it practically burn your nerves alive as the pain slowly spread.

Landing with a roll, you let out a pained yell as time seemed to finally catch up with your senses.

You gripped your side, and looked where the pain was, and your shirt was quickly growing soaked with red.

Blood.

There was a tear in your shirt, though you couldn’t properly see the wound from how you sat.

However, you certainly felt the pain, and could see the blood both dripping down onto your pants. Your shirt was quickly becoming soaked with red, and you were instantly concerned with how bad the wound must be to be bleeding that quickly.

With a hiss, you cupped the wound, wincing as you tried to stop the blood flow.

You turned to look behind you, and you grimaced when you saw Jason holding a bloody hunting knife.

“Motherfucker, did you just-“ you cursed, and Jason simply clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“You’re getting rusty. That should have been easy for you to dodge.” Is all he said, and your eyes narrowed.

He lazily swung the knife in his hands, as if admiring it.

“You fought back against Mark, so I figured you needed a challenge. It seems I was right, if I was able to hit you.”

A grin grew on his face, and you felt dread build up in your chest as Seth and Mark began to close in on you, both having recovered from earlier.

“After all, without a challenge, how can you ever hope to improve?”

Shakily, you stood up.

Gripping your whip with one hand, and holding your side with the other, you glared at the three.

“This is nuts! You really think critically injuring me is going to help me improve?” You spat, your mind swimming as pain filled your senses.

Your step father gave you a disgusted look, as if you were nothing but the scum on the bottom of his boots.

To him, you most definitely were.

You let out a yelp when Seth’s ax swung down at you, and you stumbled back.

Twisting to the side with a grunt of pain, you narrowly dodged another wound in your side from Mark. However, you cursed when you felt the edge of the spear cut your right arm.

“Who said it was just you needing to improve.” Mark spoke, and pulled his spear back to stab you again. Seth dashed at you at the same time, trying to take you off guard.

Bobbing and weaving, you barely managed to avoid both weapons. Though your eyes widened when you felt a bit of air next to your ear from behind you as you ducked.

Jason, the fucker, had aimed for your damn head.

You licked your lips as you struggled to figure out what to do.

They weren’t the best fighters on their own. Deep down, you think they all knew this as well.

It’s one reason you always got the icky jobs. They were never tough enough to handle them alone.

But together? They were annoying, and an actual threat since they were actually trying to kill you.

Sure, they were disguising this as training, but you knew they were aiming for that ‘lucky’ hit to put you out of commission at best.

If you were to die? Well, you were from a family of hunters. Accidents happen, after all. It unfortunately wouldn’t be the first time a hunter died from an accident in training.

You had to do something, figure out a plan. This wasn’t good.

Your mind was growing a bit foggy. Moving was beginning to get harder too, not just from the pain. The blood loss was beginning to slow you down.

Jason was right, much to your dismay and disgust.

In a way, you had let this happen. You weren’t paying enough attention, and you might end up gravely paying for it.

Letting your guard down and thinking this would be regular training was your biggest mistake.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t be your last.

You moved to back away, and gasped in pain when one of them kicked you in the back, sending you toppling forward.

“Still not fighting back, just as I had taught ya.” You heard your step father practically gloat from above you as you struggled to push up.

“At least you’re able to listen to some rules. Not a complete idiot who doesn’t know how to listen to an order.”

The wind was then knocked from your lungs as a shoe slammed onto your back, and you crumpled to the floor.

Your hands clenched into fists, and you felt hot tears welling up in your eyes.

Pathetic.

How could you let this happen?

You could level armies with just a whip. Destroy packs of demons with a knife. You trained to defeat Dracula, of all people. Your family had even praised your prowess, confident you’d be able to do so should the need arise.

Yet you let these three clowns get a lucky hit, and had you falling like a flimsy house of cards.

Granted, they had never gone this far before. You should have seen it coming.

You got lazy. Compliant. Relaxed.

How could you let it get to his? Were you really still that afraid of fighting back?

Did the fear of losing everything really hold you this far back?

“Oh look at that. They’re crying! When was the last time they’d done that?” One of them laughed above you. You were so out of sorts, you weren’t sure you could tell who it was.

One of them scoffed.

A moment later, you felt a sharp pain to your ribs, and you let out a cry of pain and surprise.

The kick had enough force to flip you over, and you cursed. They had hit you right in the wound.

You cracked your eye open, and immediately regretted it as the handle of Seth’s ax came down at your head.

It missed your eye, but the brunt force was enough to turn your vision white regardless with hot, blinding pain.

“Holy fuck-“ you cursed, curling in on yourself and trying to grab your temple.

“Shut up.”

A scream was then ripped from your throat when you felt searing pain in your leg.

This wasn’t training anymore. This was torture.

“Hmph. Look at them. How pitiful.” Seth, you think, spoke up.

One of them chuckled.

“What a disappointment. Such a disgrace doesn’t deserve the Belmont name.” Jason scoffed, and he bent down to your level.

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him reaching for your whip.

Your ears rang, and for a brief moment, you suddenly had a moment of clarity.

A growl ripped from your throat, and Jason let out a squawk of surprise when you suddenly reached out, and tossed him over your body.

Faintly, you heard his body harshly hit the floor at your side.

Mark and Seth were briefly taken off guard, and you took the opportunity to shakily stand to your feet.

“Don’t ever say that to me again. You may have taken our family name, but you three will never be Belmonts.” You snarled, holding your whip close as you struggled to stay standing.

Mark’s face twisted into fury while Seth had rushed to his father’s side. Jason had seemingly landed on his face, and was now cupping his nose as blood dripped down his chin.

You hoped he broke his nose or fucked up his jaw.

Mark raised his spear, and was about to rush you again.

Before he could, you felt the dam break.

Gripping your whip, you lashed out, and a loud crack echoes across the room, followed by a hollow clutter against the floor.

The spear had been masterfully ripped from his grasp by your whip, and was now innocently rolling across the ground.

All three of them froze.

It had been years since you raised your whip against any of them. The last time being when your mother was alive, and you were allowed to fight back during training.

The silent fury was evident in your eyes and posture. Despite your injuries, you were still standing, and ready to fight once more.

And you were pissed.

No one talked. No one moved. Their eyes flickered between yourself, and the whip in your hand.

Unknowst to you, the weapon was glowing a soft purple. All three of them could feel a rage from the whip, one that was completely different from the rage coming from you.

The temperature seemed to drop, and the three of them suddenly struggled to breathe properly. It was as if they were suffocating from how heavy the air had become.

So this was the power of a Belmont.

You hadn’t even done anything, but all three felt the immense pressure, the immense power you wielded. The immense potential you had, even after the injuries they had inflicted onto you was untold.

They were no match for you, they knew this.

Growling, you cracked your whip again, making all three flinch.

“That is enough.” You spoke, your voice echoing in the chamber.

“I’m going to leave this place to recover, regardless of your consequences. You will not stop me. If you try to attack me when my back is turned, I won’t hold back.”

Your words were cold and icy, and they could sense the frustration and fury you were holding back.

Slowly, you turned towards the exit, and began to limp to the door.

However, you momentarily paused before opening it.

“I’ll be back eventually. I recommend we pretend this didn’t happen, for both our sakes, understand?” You said, your voice even, but your rage still ever present.

The three looked at eachother, though you missed the frustrated, annoyed looks on their faces. Despite this, they did not speak.

Nor did you give them the chance to.

You opened the door, and slammed it behind you, limping up the stairs and through the house to your room.

It wasn’t until you reached your bed that you finally collapsed.

Gasping for air, you groaned as you felt the pain rip through your body.

You lost so much blood. The wounds they gave you weren’t life threatening on their own, but left unattended, and being forced to move with them had cost you.

Gripping the side of the bed, you lifted yourself up slightly, and opened your bedside drawer. Feeling around inside, you let out a sigh of relief.

…Only to groan is frustration when the potion bottle you pulled out was almost empty.

Right. Up until this last week, you had been sipping on these to help with bruises and your bouts of illness.

All that was left was about an inch of liquid in the bottle.

Not enough to fix any severe damage, but enough to hopefully slow down the bleeding.

Without hesitation, you downed the little bit left in the bottle, and proceeded to crawl towards your bathroom.

You could at least feel the wounds trying to stitch itself together, and your head didn’t hurt as much.

This is what you get for not stocking up. Instead, you had decided to go visit Dracula again, when you really should have contacted one of the alchemists you did business with.

Lesson learned, you supposed.

With a grunt, you clambered over to your desk, and pulled out a first aid kit. With practiced precision, you began to dress your wounds.

It was sloppy and rough, but it was better than leaving them open. Anything to slow or stop the bleeding, and avoid instant infection.

You could clean them up later when you got away from here. Anywhere from here.

Though you already knew where you would be going. You didn’t even have to ask yourself such a question.

When your wounds were eventually wrapped, you put a small bag together of anything you needed, and began limping back down the stairs.

You grimaced at the blood stains on the wood. You'd let them deal with it, knowing they’d care too much about the house to just leave it be.

Wouldn’t have even been an issue if they had not decided to torture you. It was their problem now.

You ended up passing them briefly on your way to the car. Your hand was still on your whip, and they gave you a wide berth as you passed them.

It pleased you to see your step father with a bandage around his nose. Fucker.

Still, that didn’t stop the glares he sent your way, or how Mark seemed to twitch in his seat in the kitchen as you passed by.

Was it bad you almost wanted him to attack you again so you could hurt him?

You decided no, it wasn’t. You’d process those feelings later when you weren’t still in possible danger and injured.

When you reached your car, you tossed your things into the back, and hit the gas as soon as the engine was on.

There was no time to waste. You wanted out. You had to get out. Had to leave.

It wasn’t until you were out of town did you notice how badly you were shaking, and how much blood was on your hands.

Your own blood.

A heavy sigh passed through your lips, and you continued driving.

The silence in your car was heavy. Your mind felt like it was racing, yet felt eerily calm at the same time.

It wasn’t until an hour into the drive that you finally pulled over, and got sick on the grass at the side of the road.

This wasn’t the same as when you were ill. This was some sort of physical response to the stress.

The last time this happened had been after your mother’s funeral, though that had been years ago.

Still, as you sat in the grass with a bottle of water, redressing your wounds as you nursed a migraine, you couldn’t help but feel your world was crumbling.

Your step family… they had finally done it. They hurt you. Intentionally. You know for a fact some of those attacks had the intent to kill.

Hot tears fell down your cheeks as you sat there, dwelling on it.

If you hadn’t fought back, finally giving in, who knows how far they would have gone when you had been a broken mess on the floor.

The fact your step father had even reached for your whip proved what it had all been about. He wanted everything. Having the house, the money, and the artifacts wasn’t enough.

He wanted to be a Belmont. He wanted your family’s legacy. The power, the notoriety, everything.

You refused to break.

Of course, you knew you couldn’t stay away forever. You’d have to go back eventually. There was no way in hell you were leaving the house to them without pitching a fit at least.

Wiping tears from your eyes, you heaved a sigh.

Everything sucked so much right now.

All you really wanted was to be in the cabin, or the castle. Run away and hide from this mess.

You would for a time, at least.

Lick your wounds before returning to what had become your own personal hell. You at least counted yourself lucky you had somewhere to go in the first place.

It took longer than you’d like to get back on your feet, but you had to keep moving. It was dangerous to camp out on the side of the road as injured as you were.

So you finished up, trying to avoid looking at your wounds as much as possible while still messily patching them up.

The less you acknowledged this at the moment, the better.

So you got back in your car, and continued to drive.

You could at least admit you felt a little better after crying a bit, but you had a sinking feeling this shit was gonna do some hardcore psychic damage to your mental health once you started processing it.

That could wait until later. Right now, your body was still tense.

It was strange. Your body couldn’t relax. Your body was still in fight or flight mode, and you could only wonder if it was the shock.

It took a while longer to reach the cabin. Longer than you would have liked, but it still somehow felt like a blur. You briefly wondered if you were losing your sense of time from the trauma.

“At least its working in my favor…” you couldn’t help but mumble as you dragged your bags into the house, uncaringly dropping them on your couch.

It wasn’t like you had anything too delicate anyway.

You ended up sitting on your bed, staring at your lap as you attempted to relax.

Even after hours of mindless driving, your heart still hammered in your chest, and your body shook.

The searing aches and pain from your wounds didn’t help either.

In fact, they kinda made you just wanna crawl into bed and die.

Heaving another sigh, you put your face in your hands, wincing when you felt the wound on your head.

“Man… I probably have a concussion too. Probably should not have driven, but…”

The words went unspoken, but even in this state, you weren’t going to take any chances of being followed. Physically or otherwise.

“What should I even…” you began to mumble, but stopped.

You didn’t know what you should do, but you knew what you wanted to do.

Realistically, you should just stay here. Redress your wounds (again), and eat, and take a long nap.

But you couldn’t. No way would you be able to rest in the semi manic state you were in.

No matter how many deep breaths you took, you still shook. Your heart still pounded in your ears. It was too hard to think. To focus.

“How pathetic…” you mumbled as you stood up, stumbling at the firey pain erupting from your calf.

“I’ve fought scarier monsters, obtained worse wounds, and walked it all off fine. Get beat up a little bit though by those… scum, and suddenly I can’t do anything right?”

You could probably go hours beating yourself up over this.

But you wouldn’t. Not right now.

Despite being at your cabin, your sanctuary, you did not feel at peace.

But you knew where you could calm down.

Was it a bad idea? Oh absolutely it was.

That wasn’t going to stop you, though. At this point, you could care less about what might happen.

“If anything, I’d rather Dracula kill me than my own step monsters.” You grumbled as you stumbled through the living area, searching for a specific bag. Grabbing it, you were out the door in moments.

Besides, it’s not like Dracula hadn’t seen you at a few lows already. What was one more?

If he still thought lowly about you, he’d at least get a kick out of it.

You pushed out the door of the cabin, your mind still feeling as if a thousand wasps were buzzing inside your skull.

So many thoughts, but it was hard to truly think about any of them. They were like water flowing through your fingers, and you didn’t care enough to cup your hands to try and catch them.

It was a bit of a walk, and it was arguably incredibly stupid to push yourself even more just to get to Dracula’s castle, but you were determined.

Also incredibly stubborn.

The walk wasn’t as easy as you had hoped it would be. Time didn’t pass as quickly as it did in the car, though the fact you were actually moving your body around instead of driving may have a bit to do with it.

You were in a painful daze every step of the way. Tremors or pain shot through your body with each miniscule movement.

But you didn’t relent.

It took a bit longer to arrive, but you couldn’t deny the wave of relief you felt when you passed the clearing to the lake.

The familiar, dark, looming castle was still there, surrounded by a vortex of storm clouds.

It was a sight that brought you an intense feeling of comfort and familiarity.

When had this cursed castle begin to feel closer to home than your own family house?

The thought was fleeting in your mind, the only thing you really cared to think of was getting inside, and getting past the obscene amount of stairs.

“How the hell did my ancestors get around this shit… Dracula, the lucky bastard, can teleport. How did anyone else get around?”

You were really regretting deciding to come here injured. Your legs were screaming at you, and you were drenched in sweat.

It was only a matter of time before your body forcefully shut down so you’d rest.

You at least wanted to be in the main tower when you inevitably passed out for a few days.

Despite everything you should have thought, it was the only place that felt safe. The only place you could pass out in peace.

Something a year ago you would have scoffed at, yet here you are.

You were sure you must have looked like a hot mess when you pulled the throne room’s doors open with your good arm.

No doubt you still had blood on you, and your wounds were still badly wrapped. Your face probably looked just as rough if the tender spot above your temple was any indication.

It was strange.

You could have sworn the energy in the castle shifted the moment you walked through the throne room door.

From the usual, comforting feeling you had grown accustomed to, the energy suddenly felt… off.

Vile? Angry? Suffocating? Hot?

But… you didn’t feel unwelcome, despite how the feeling around you made your stomach churn.

Slowly, you stepped forward, your limp becoming much more apparent now that you were here. You could relax a little.

“Hey, I’m back.” You spoke, albeit a bit weakly.

The air seemed to tighten, and you felt a bit hot.

“I know, I know. I look like shit. I feel like it too…” you spoke, your voice softening to a murmur the closer you got.

When you were a few feet away from the statue, you sighed, and dropped your bag.

Nothing had changed since last time, it seemed. Dracula’s hand was still outstretched towards where you had fallen asleep that one time.

“Ugh…” you mumbled, and finally sat down. Gripping your head gently, you opened your bag, and grabbed a water bottle.

Taking a swig, you grimaced.

“Bleh… tastes awful. Is water supposed to taste that bad…?” You mumbled, looking over the bottle, unaware of the growing distress from the other person in the room.

Your face scrunched up as you took another sip.

“Ugh. Tastes sorta like metal. Did this get left out?” You hummed as you forced yourself to drink more. You’d need the water after everything that happened, after all.

You sat there in silence for a while, contemplating what to do. What to say.

“Today was rough.” You spoke, your voice cracking.

Now that you were somewhat safe, you could feel the familiar heavy feeling sinking in your chest.

Pain. Anguish. An unexplainable sickly feeling…

That's not to mention the absurd physical pain you felt. Your injuries were screaming at you at this point.

It was probably some of the worst pain you had felt in years.

You finished your water bottle, and tossed it back into your bag with a wince.

Just turning your body hurt.

“Aw, fuck-“ you then hissed, feeling your wound on your side pull open again.

It had only been a matter of time. You had poorly treated it before leaving your family home. That, and all the walking to get here?

Yeah, your wounds reopening wasn’t a surprise.

“Son of a bitch…” you mumbled through grit teeth, and pulled the bag closer.

You may not have any potions stocked, but you at least remembered to stuff some medical supplies in this bag for when you got here.

It took a moment, but you finally found the gauze and some medicine. You hissed as you got to work.

“What a mess…” you groaned out as you started on your injury on your side.

Maybe bringing an extra shirt would have been smart. Fuck.

Still, you pushed the messy garment away, and cursed when you began to undo the bindings for the wound.

Just as you thought, the wound had reopened.

It could be worse, but it certainly didn’t look pretty. You had to clean this up, and fast.

You reached over for a bottle of antibacterial cream, only to start cursing when it slipped from your hands after picking it up.

The small plastic jar rolled on its side across the floor, until it bumped against the statue, innocently slowing to a stop at its feet.

Head hanging low for a moment, you contemplated how bad the damage would be if you just left it.

“Damn it…” you mumbled, and slowly stood to your feet.

Gripping the wound on your side, you took a few steps forward, before gripping your head.

You were so exhausted. No doubt you were dehydrated, and your body was trying to shut down to try and rest.

Standing up and trying to walk, even if it wasn’t fast, was enough to give you a headrush. It also made you suddenly feel incredibly dizzy and nauseous.

Your vision blurred, and your feet stumbled, causing you to trip over yourself.

A string of colorful curses left your mouth as you fell forward, desperately trying to catch yourself.

One of your hands flew forward, and you let out a small ‘ack!’ when your hands landed on Dracula’s statue.

You fumbled as you tried to catch yourself, your bloody hands landing on his outstretched arm as you attempted to avoid hitting the floor.

“Fuck me…” you gasped as you attempted to avoid heaving up the water you had previously drank, leaning loosely against the stone arm.

“What a-“ you began to mumble, but froze when you heard the distinct sound of stone grinding against stone.

“-…pain?” You weakly spoke, eyes widening as your head snapped back to the statue you were leaning against.

Your heartbeat thud in your ears, and you felt like you were about to choke for entirely different reasons than before.

Dracula was moving.

His head shook, and stone dust fell around him…

…And his head snapped to look at you.

“Oh sh-“

Before the words were even out of your mouth, it was as if the castle itself took a deep breath, and then there was an explosion of power that followed.

A scream was immediately ripped from your throat as you were thrown backwards, sliding on your back against the floor past your bag.

You were dazed from being thrown, but you could faintly feel the air grow thick with energy, and the very castle beneath you shook.

It was almost too much. You felt like you were going to be sick.

Almost as fast as it began, the castle’s tremors slowed to a stop, and you finally could catch your breath.

Only to choke when you attempted to sit up.

Torches on the wall began to light up with flames, one by one, and the air began to clear from all the dust in the air.

And in the center of the room, an all too familiar figure slowly stood to their feet.

You couldn’t think. You couldn’t breathe.

Dracula.

Panic began to well in your heart, and you were shaking all over again.

You were frozen. You could not move.

Dracula turned, and you felt like you were punched in the gut.

That same beautiful face you had grown accustomed to, was now full of color, and striking red eyes met your own.

Dracula was back.

You were going to die.

It wasn’t so much a thought, but rather a feeling. You knew in your current state, you were unmatched.

The silence was deafening. His gaze never left your form.

Pure, stone cold rage was on his face.

His ruby colored eyes, however, were scathing hot. Hot in a way that made you think of the fiery pits of hell itself.

The air was suffocating.

Dracula took a step towards you. Then another. And another.

Each step echoed loudly in the chamber, like a thunderclap in the eye of a storm.

Every step he took, you felt your heart attempt to jump out of your throat.

It felt slow, and so fast. Time was frozen, yet moving faster than you could understand.

Dracula grew closer and closer, and you felt yourself beginning to hyperventilate.

You weren’t ready. Of all times for this to happen, you weren’t ready.

Eventually he was right in front of you, and you found yourself frozen. All your muscles refused to move. Fear gripped your heart tight with a vengeance.

Dracula was tall. He easily loomed over you as you sat on the floor, and you had to crane your neck just to see his face properly.

This was it, wasn’t it? He was going to kill you.

You waited in bated breath for him to mock you, or at least to strike you down where you laid.

He did neither.

In fact, you nearly jumped when he began to lower himself, crouching down to your level.

He was so close… less than a foot away.

Then, he reached forward.

At first, you flinched as his hand reached for your face, and he hesitated. That nearly brought you out of your stupor. Why would he hesitate?

But then, instead of lashing out, his giant hand ever so gently reached forward, and carefully cupped your face.

Your breathing hitched, and you froze.

The action was so out of place from what you were expecting, it caused you to stop panicking from disbelief.

Dracula’s hand was tender and cool against your fevered flesh. He seemed to be looking over your wounds, which were now beginning to sting all over again.

He was quiet for a moment, and you couldn’t help but grow confused, though your heart still hammered painfully in your chest.

Finally, after a brief, tense moment, he spoke.

“Who did this to you?”