Archive of Our Own

Tommy has been bitten. And then he was beaten. Well, not exactly at the same time but the result has definitely led to his current… problem. 

To be a vampire, which Tommy now was, who is unable to hunt using the “traditional way” is certainly an embarrassing problem to say the least. However the great Tommy Innit can get creative and while losing a couple teeth might slow him down, it does not mean he is about to die on the spot. If he can’t paralyze his meal of the week, so what? There are other ways to get a drink. Other methods to get a belly full of blood.

He has been doing this for a couple months now. “The other method”. And it is definitely not the most convenient way of hunting but if it works it works.   

Now you might be asking why he is just not stealing blood bags to end his thirst if finding a suitable victim is inconvenient. Well, let's just say that while the common public is mostly unaware of the existence of vampires, the blood banks are suspiciously secure places.

Smuggling blood is nearly impossible for a teenage boy to do. Trust me, Tommy did try once. That smuggling attempt ended up with him being chased away by the cleaner of the blood bank. A very fierce cleaner with a mad good broom-hitting skills. Poor Tommy got a splinter on his cheek.

Maybe if the boy had an accomplice things would be easier. Tommy however has been alone for a while. And most importantly, he has not met an another vampire ever since that faithful day that fucked his life around. Furthermore, there is no way he would trust a human to help out with his problems. They deserve to stay out of his business. Our awesome Tommy therefore has been relying on the other method. And that has led to him becoming quite famous in the area.     

TV is playing the local news in the background of the bustling downtown cafe. Some customers frown as the anchor relays information of yet another victim that has come forward. This has been the fifth one and while no one has yet gone to meet death, you can’t say that that day will not come in the future. 

Tommy however does not pay much attention to the news being broadcasted. His hands are currently full with warming the milk, making espresso and cashing the customers their orders. A coworker who usually shares the afternoon shift with him had called in sick this morning and the boss was also currently out. Tommy couldn't help but swallow some curse words as the line behind the counter was slowly getting longer and longer. This time slot definitely was not a one man’s battle and Tommy’s smile muscles had to fight hard to keep up the good customer service.   

“Yes ma'am, I will not add oat milk to your oat milk latte.”

“Of course mister, I will make sure to add exactly five sugar cubes to your espresso.”

“Please forgive me for being late. Here’s a cookie for your patience.”

Customers were not even Tommy’s worst problem. His productivity was not the best these days. Feeling of fatigue in his bones, constant headaches and empty belly left him feeling exhausted. There were days when Tommy had an especially hard time to just move out of his bed to go to work. Everything in his body screamed him to just lay on his bed and never move even a strand of hair anymore. But life goes on and a child without a parent has to become an adult fast to ensure their monetary stability. Money does not grow from trees and Tommy has to get up from the comfort of his bed to make coffee for the customers. 

People used to always say Tommy was an especially childish kid, that he would never become a proper adult. Always fooling around and getting into trouble like a brat. Now Tommy wonders if he will ever grow up, physically that is. Maybe those people were actually right about being a child. His mind however already felt like one of adults. 

“Tommy!” A familiar sound comes from the back. A woman with pink hair stumbles next to the cash register holding two big Ikea bags filled with flour. She almost falls as she puts them down making Tommy wonder how she managed to carry them here without any casualties.

“You got them, boss?” Tommy says while wiping his wet hands on the apron tied around his waist and pouring some water for the woman. She takes it greedily and drowns the glass in one go. 

“Yeah! Gosh I will never let Jack make orders before checking them myself again.” Boss sighs while waving her hand towards the bags looking slightly frustrated, her brows furrowing.

“Relax Niki. I mean if you think about it, Jack was kinda right. We had enough for the bakery today. He just forgot you had a catering order for the night”.

“And now the man is sick…” Niki sighs again. However she quickly turns her lips upward and lets out a breathy laugh “However things took a positive turn when I was out. I made a call to a friend who owns a bakery a couple blocks east. You know the bakery that specializes in muffins? The owner is an acquaintance of mine, we go way back… and he, he agreed to help me out to bake what is needed for tonight. So…”

”So?” Tommy raises his eyebrows. Niki’s voice is full of mischief as she continues.

“So… you don't have to stay overtime! You'll get the evening off isn't that great” She chuckles. “I mean, baking is not your forte anyway so I’m benefitting too. ” 

“Hey!” Tommy shouts with false anger in his tone. “I'll let you know, boss, that I, the amazing Tommy Innit, am a superb baker. Other people just don't have taste.” 

“Yeah yeah,” Niki waves her hand dismissively and turns towards the cash register looking through the list of orders “Go put the flour in the kitchen, yeah? I will be at the counter. Your shift will end soon anyway so clean up a bit for me and then go home.”

“Got that miss boss!” Tommy shouts over his shoulder and turns to the kitchen while carrying the two bags of flour while his steps are wary due to the weight. As he enters the back, his tummy rumbles painfully causing him to flinch while loading the flour on the counter. The cheerfulness he just had when conversing with Niki is suddenly all gone and the walls he had been keeping up the whole day keep getting weaker. Damn, today he needs to get some blood to pacify his stomach.

Human blood is something Tommy can’t live without. This is something he knows for a fact. When he first got turned he tried cow’s, pig’s, even duck’s blood hoping it would work as a substitute. The local butcher shop’s owner was probably terribly confused when he one day arrived and demanded all the blood types that were available at the store. However after just a glass of animal blood he found himself gagging before a toilet bowl. Nothing he tried was staying down, not the animal blood nor the normal food. It did not take long for his cheeks to sink in.

Human blood on the other hand, it called for him. There was this almost primal instinct to push his teeth into every person on the street, men and women, children and adults. The smell of blood lingering in the air, slight sounds of different heart pulses around and the blueness of the veins on peoples neck and hands made his mouth water. It was almost instinctual. He knew he should, or one could say he felt the urge to, sink his newly grown canine teeth to a human.

Animal blood was just not cutting it, and he hated himself for that. 

Tears had saltied the blood the first time he had sunk his teeth into a human. The newly erupted canine at the time had felt sore and uncomfortable to use but oh how good the blood had felt in his stomach. 

Everything had felt at first like he was in a dream, or high, or drunk. There was this overwhelming feeling of satisfaction and happiness that made his eyes water. It tasted so good…

However soon following the high, in the back of his mind something was shouting at him to stop. Hammering his temples as he drank, never giving him a chance to fully relax. Despite the liquid euphoria filling his tummy Tommy knew deep down he shouldn't stay for long. 

This something, that didn't allow him to drown in the pleasure, in the end allowed Tommy to tear his teeth out of the homeless man just in time before he would have committed a great sin. 

He had stumbled back upon a concrete wall breathing heavily and mouth full of the wonderful taste of iron while the man he had bitten slouched down with hazy eyes. The venom had done its job maybe a bit too well. 

As he looked at the man before him, Tommy had tried to stop tears from falling down to his cheeks with little success. An incoming panic attack was creeping in his mind while the euphoria slowly wore off. His irregular heartbeat was going the fastest it had ever done.

“What the fuck have I done?” He had mumbled while keeping his eyes fixed on the man lying on the ground. His meal was still breathing steadily, still alive. Tommy swallowed and let himself slowly stand up from the ground trying to get his thoughts together. Then he ran.    

It took two weeks before he had dared to try again. Only after the hunger bangs had made him unable to function did the boy swallow his fears and pride. He set out to hunt once more. Sadly for Tommy though, the next homeless man he had encountered was not as docile as the first. Nor was this one alone. Therefore, Tommy got to use his brand new vampire teeth only once. Truly unfortunate.

Days were getting shorter and shorter as the winter approached. When Tommy finally left work after sorting out the flour it was already dim outside. He bid Niki goodbye before stepping out, wishing her luck with the catering order. She gave him a wink and ushered the boy to hurry up with a reasoning that there had been a “weirdos” out recently. Little did Niki know.

Tommy made his way to his studio apartment in the cold evening wind which did not bother him as much as it did previously. Being a vampire has its perks. The studio he lived in was close to work and rent was surprisingly manageable. A lot of students lived in the building and therefore it was not the most silent option but what it was worth, he was satisfied. A couple of loud exchange students upstairs did not ruin his nights either, even though they had a habit of throwing parties at three in the morning. Furthermore, due to Tommy’s recent “changes”, he felt that nothing could wake him up anymore when he finally managed to get some sleep.

There was a high school a couple blocks away which was the original reason for getting this flat. Tommy used to attend school there but dropped out after the incident. Not the vampire incident but rather his monthly allowance getting cut off after his aunt passed away. Schooling was not required after middle school so he decided to work and get the education later when his situation would get more stable. 

Tommy wonders if it’ll ever get stable though. This time the reasoning is the vampire incident.

His keys, stuffed with multiple funny trinkets, made a clanging sound when hitting the door  Tommy opened. Trinkets were mostly for functional reasons as he had a habit of leaving stuff behind. Bigger keys were easier to find if lost and more physical to feel in pocket. Tommy always saluted for women, whom he very much appreciated, who sadly had to wear jeans with miniscule pockets. Truly a great tragedy of our time. Tommy’s keys would never fit in that tiny space.  

But what was also functional about having big keys is that you can hang not so nice things in them too. Like a pocket knife for example. And this is what Tommy did when he got inside and he made his way to his old toolbox. His little pocket knife found inside was freshly sharpened and could easily be hidden due to being bendable. This pocket knife, bought at a local hiking shop, had been his trusty companion for these recent hungry nights. The most important item for the meal.

Change of clothes was also necessary when preparing for a hunt. Something easy to wash was a must if he ended up making a mess, as blood did not come easily off from certain fabrics. Tommy had had to throw away some shirts that ended up getting bloodstains that just would not come off. What he wore also needed to be silhouette-hiding as he had caused some unnecessary commotion and did not want to get caught. The worst mistake to make is to go out looking like yourself. 

Choosing a victim was first hard. He had fumbled a couple times before and in his mind he knew that those fumbles were the reason he was now starring in the news. Now he knows, his meal needs to be gone, mentally. Drunk, high, asleep. Something that makes them less alert, if all, when he approaches them. Therefore older men, usually passed out drunk, were his meal of choice. Men did not go home together unlike women. They also did not worry about their surroundings, walking like nothing can hurt them even when they are drunk out of their mind. Tommy can’t help but laugh a bit sarcastically when he thinks about his previous meals. Well, they did not expect a cunning vampire to take a bit of blood-tax anyways.

After doing some mental preparation on the bed the whole evening, Tommy sighs as he declares himself ready for the night. It could be long, could be short. Depends on how fast he can find a victim. He hesitates a bit, wondering if he should wait a couple hours more but the tingling feeling under his skin and hunger making his head hurt keeps Tommy restless. He needs to move his body. Make it think about something else before the meal. Distract it.

As soon as his nose meets the outside air, Tommy feels like he is alive again. There is something inside him that makes him alert. It’s like his brain knows soon there will be a meal. Tommy considers this to be some sort of instinct as well. His legs know his needs more than his brain does.

The high of being on a hunt does not disappear even though Tommy has already walked for hours. The streets are narrow and high in L’manburg, making them perfect for some criminal activities. In his mind Tommy can't help but compare himself to a tiger in a maze. Endlessly searching for food in the shadows only to find just another dead end. His nose picks up even the slightest smell of blood in the air. It is quite convenient in his opinion since this way he knows when he is alone and when there are people nearby. Perks of being a vampire. For introverts, this might be heaven. For Tommy, it means survival. 

As Tommy wanders through the alleyways, he cannot help but let his mind run a bit. Although he is now a vampire, he does not really know why. Or if what he is is called a vampire. He considers himself to be one due to horror stories. His only source of information about the topic. 

Although Tommy, for all he knows, is completely fine with garlic and silver. He has not tried crossing a river yet so not sure about that stereotype but otherwise he just seems like a normal human. Except for the new found hunger, deep sleep, instincts and heightened senses, irregular hearbeat… Okay, maybe that is quite a lot. But it still does not answer his question. Why are vampires like… a thing? What is the purpose of him being one. And how come he hasn't met another vampire yet after being bitten. Or has he? Can vampires recognize each other? 

These questions make him angry and Tommy shakes his head frustrated. It's not like he's gonna get the answers just by making his fuzzy head even more fuzzy. Tommy is not built like that. He is built to go, not to stay. Thinking too much is for the pussies, as he would say.

It is already 4 o’clock when he finally spots a candidate. A business man currently lying on the side of the road blacked out. Tommy does not necessarily go for that type as they seem… important. If the victim is too high standing they might make things difficult. But this man. He is in such a good spot that it would be a crime not to take a bite. 

Tommy sniffs the air searching for other people. None. The area is utterly empty. The business man had probably come from a pub some kilometers back. Maybe a company “wellness” evening. Tommy feels a bit bad for what he is about to do to him when eyeing the guy and his surroundings. The poor man will not have any idea what’s going to happen but it's not like Tommy’s gonna kill the guy. That's not necessary and Tommy thinks he would rather starve to death than actually murder somebody. That first bite he ever took out of a human still gives him cold sweat whenever he thinks about it. It was something that shook him to the core. 

Also, killing is just not cool! Only wrong’uns do that. 

“Fuck you are heavy, big man.” Tommy curses under his breath. 

Dragging the businessman behind a dumpster for some “privacy” turned out to be a bit of a physical exercise but the sheer power of hunger was giving Tommy some strength he didn’t know he possessed.  

“Okay…” He sighs. “Okay this is fine.” Tommy mumbles and tries to focus on catching smells around. Still no one. Good. He has to be quick now.

Tommy starts to strip the man's already a bit loose dress shirt. He fishes out the left arm and tries to look for veins on the upper part. When he surfed the net he found out that the upper arm has pretty high pain tolerance. And if he is gonna drink, it should be from an area that won't send the man straight awake from pain. 

When he located a good vein, it was time for the pocket knife. The boy reaches for his jeans and pulls his keys out. The pocket knife opens smoothly and is quickly ready for some action. Time to prepare a five-star meal.

Tommy’s heart is pounding and body tingling as he tries to steady his hand holding the knife. He needs to keep his eyes on the arm. Even one mistake will be the end of him.  

His ears are ringing from the blood that flows in his victims veins. It almost sounds like a river. Calm yet powerful. 

He needs to stay focused.

The tingling reaches to his mouth, to his long lost canine teeth. Soon. Soon he will. 

The knife slices the skin.

He sinks in. 

The ringing is slowly dimming away in Tommy’s ears. Time feels frozen as he desperately sucks the blood from the wound. Saliva and blood drips from the corner of his mouth. Despite the boy's best efforts, he has a hard time keeping his mouth still on the wound as he feeds. The teeth that should help with that are gone, making his mealtime a sloppy mess. Tommy however does not care that much as long as he can get some calories inside his system. And oh how good does the blood feel on the bottom of his tummy.

After a bit, he slows down. While some alertness has faded away due to feeding euphoria his nose still is working hard like a bee. Making sure no one will disturb his meal. The street is still empty so he lets himself enjoy the moment a bit longer. The man on his lap makes no signs of waking up thankfully, only snoring slightly. Truly, drunk people were the best meals. Making him feel more secure than trying out a drug addict. Who knows what would happen. Or how the blood will be.

Haze starts to lessen after some time and in return a nagging feeling takes over his head. He needs to stop soon or otherwise he will be taking too much. But he wants to drink a bit more. A bit more wouldn't hurt. It’s still not the absolute stopping point. A bit more…

“Wha… What the fuck?” A low, angry voice suddenly interrupts him.

Tommy turns quickly to his left. His useless teeth are still gripping the skin of the body and his heart is racing like crazy. “How, who, when”, the boy's mind screams. 

Tommy locks eyes with the source of the voice. Eyes staring back at him are red, sharp and the pupils look oddly blown. Something is wrong here. Tommy’s body is fully alert, legs shaking and ready to flee at any moment. Deep in his mind he knows this man in front of him is dangerous. He can feel the danger lingering in the air. Only the danger. And that makes Tommy realize something horrific.

He doesn’t smell anyone in the air. 

Technoblade was sitting in his office going through a case he was asked to review. His sour mood could visibly be seen in the way his eyebrows burrowed and mouth tsked as he flipped the pages of the case-file. Usually vampires of high status, like himself, would not involve themselves in the crimes happening in the human-side of the world if they were not directly affecting the coven itself. Humans could handle themselves well enough and truthfully, Techno had no interest in their lives. 

Humans… well humans were to him just what was flowing in their veins. Some vampires, like Techoblade’s brother, did strangely enough find humans to be quite endearing but Techno simply enjoyed the thrill of blood. And further, cooking with said human blood. His spicy blood-soup was a five star meal, even though a lot of vampires do not get the art of cooking with blood. 

As Technoblade scanned the case-file, the look on his face became more and more puzzled. This recent crime in the area was odd to say the least. In the core of it, five completely unrelated people had shown up at different times to a hospital due to an injury on their upper arm caused by a non-life-threatening knife wound. What was common in the case was that all of the victims had gotten the injury while unconscious and while one or two knife wounds would not be a cause of concern in a city like L’manburg, five similarly conducted ones on the row was suspicious. There was a clear motive to these crimes. But what that was, Technoblade could not wrap his head around it.

Victims were not known to be related to each other, all were attacked in completely different areas and no-one had any recollection of the crime due to being in some way or the other unconscious. What was curious however was that all the victims suffered from mild blood loss. However, in the crime scenes there were minimal amounts of blood to be found. Not enough for the detected blood loss. In Techno’s mind there is one clear question. What happened to that blood?

Missing blood would certainly be the key to finding the answer. However, after staring at the pile of papers in front of him for an hour, Techno still hasn’t figured out anything useful. He leaned back on his armchair massaging the bridge of his nose. 

“This…” He sighs while drawing some hypothesis in his mind “This could be the doing of a vampire.” 

While human-perpetrator is not ruled out, Techno can’t help but feel that this is something involving his kind. Rogue vampire doing some late-night-snacking is most likely not the answer here due to lack of bitemarks. Also, most vampires know not to mess around in Techno’s coven’s area. Cases of rouges here are almost zero. 

The cuts in the victim's upper arm are a mystery. The most likely in this case could be that there are some vampires who are collecting blood illegally. However the method of drawing out blood is truly inconvenient. Why not use a needle instead of making a quite long knife wound? Wouldn’t the place be more messy if the blood was regardless taken from an open wound to a container? Why use such a troublesome way to get blood considering how most covens have stable flows of blood through institutions such as bloodbanks or more traditional ways, like ties to certain human families that willingly give out blood due to being owned by the covens. The latter tradition however is considered a bit of bad taste amongst younger vampires. Techno could care less.

There are too many uncertainties to make any certain conclusions. For all Techno knows, the perpetrator could also just be a person with an extremely questionable fetish. Frustration is making his head hurt and he massages his burrowed eyebrows to ease some tension. Then he glances at the clock ticking on the wall. Two thirty in the morning. 

Work has been piling up recently and Techno can't help but look longingly at the picture of his brother and father at the desk. Two other vampires have been gone in god knows where for these couple days as well and Techno can't help but feel a bit angsty. He misses the nest and just the feeling of having his closest coven-mates nearby. While he can still sense them even now, it's not the same. The lack of intensity is making his cold heart hurt. 

Maybe he should do a tour outside to get something else to think about. Maybe strolling around a bit will give him some new wisdom of the new case. It’s been over a week since the last victim and it might be soon that they will get another. The perpetrator doesn’t seem to follow a certain sequence but the time between each has been from a week to two and a half. That gives a time frame at least.

The streets are relatively empty if not counting people coming and going from bars and clubs. As it is a weekday, the amount of parties is not big but there’s always someone who goes all out on Tuesdays. Mostly students grabbing a drink and companies hosting gatherings kept the bars open.

The sound of music and the smell of a bunch of drunkards lingers in the air, making Techno slightly annoyed after having to endure it for a while. Therefore he decides to turn away from main walking streets making his way through little alleyways. His walk should be a relaxing experience and less the people the better. 

Crescent moon is lighting up his way as Techno slowly lets himself let loose a bit. The smell of human blood is now very faint, making his head more clear. Although he is at the age of being able to control his desires, there is always a juvenile voice in the back of his head demanding for blood. Techno once asked Phil if the older ever got rid of this nagging choir to which Phil annoyingly said that everyone is unique in that regard. Apparently the old man personally stopped thirsting over blood as soon as he reached maturity. While most vampires are like Phil, it is not uncommon for the blood-seeking-instinct to stay years after reaching maturity. However, Techno is clearly late bloomer even with those conditions. Phil tells him to wait.

Techno’s calm moment however shatters when he suddenly catches a slight smell of blood in the air. And this blood is not just the one inside a person. The scent is more potent, free. What gives it a twist though is that there is this other smell almost covering it that Techno does not immediately recognize. It’s a bit hazy, like lacking some sort of substance. Techno’s eyes narrow as he takes in the smell. Something is not right here. He just can’t tell what.

Quietly Technoblade follows the faint smell of blood and that “something else”. The smell of blood has a tint of alcohol to it and Techno makes a disgusted expression when he breathes it in. While vampires do not get drunk, the alcohol in the blood is not the most high-class culinary experience. It gives this almost overly sweet taste to it. Techno in his younger days tasted an alcohol infused blood once. It had made the man gag immediately after just one gulp. 

The duo of smells got overpowering once he made it to a quiet streetcorner. He must be close. Scanning the area with his eyes the man locates a big dumpster in the corner alley. The smell was coming from there. Although the nasty smell of trash did mellow the bloody night air slightly, any vampire could easily tell that someone was bleeding over there. 

Techno keeps his steps as quiet as possible as he walks closer to the dumpster. As he makes his way there he slowly starts to hear slight sounds of breathing. There were two people there. One was breathing very evenly and slowly and the other… those tiny breaths of the other person were a mess. Sometimes way too quick and other times just… gone. 

“Yeah, something here is not correct…” Techno concludes while considering whether he should wait just a moment more or make his presence known now. 

The other smell, mixed with the blood seems to shift slightly. The haze is slowly changing into something more aggressive, like a beast protecting its young from an intruder. However no signs of struggle are to be heard. Techno ponders for a second, weighting his options. 

He should go. Something is not right. This smell is not right. He should see. The result could be revolting. But he needs to see!

And then he steps around the dumpster.

“Wha… What the fuck?”

Techno’s eyes became as wide as plates as he took in the sight in front of him. There was a child on the ground clinging to an unconscious body’s arm. With his mouth.

A small trail of blood was flowing from the corner of the boy’s mouth alongside saliva. The boy's blonde locks are messily hiding some of his face as he bites even tighter to the hand of an unconscious man. By all means, Techno must have interrupted a vampire’s meal. That was a problem of course since this was his coven’s land. Blind anger flared up in Technoblade's mind and as soon as he was about to tear the boy to pieces he caught the child’s eyes.

The wide eyes meeting his own red ones were bright blue. And in them Techno sees deep fear. 

Tommy has fucked up. 

His euphoric state has almost gone down and currently he is holding eye contact with a man who looks like a goddamn fridge. Oh and the man has red eyes. Fucking red eyes. Tommy is going to crash out soon.

The unnatural fear keeps Tommy locked in place but his rational mind is clearing out. The realization that he has been caught at the crime scene by someone, who seems weird to put it mildly, is creeping to his consciousness. All of the hard work he had put into hunting would now be down the drain. He was caught and no doubt the dude is going to call the police soon enough. There is no way he won’t make a connection between Tommy and the serial-cutter of L’manburg.

There’s this one thing that Tommy can’t figure out though. Why was he staying still? Why can’t he move?

Why is the man dangerous?

“Hey kid,” The man finally, after what felt like hours of quiet staring, opens his mouth “What… What are you doing here exactly?”

Tommy keeps his mouth tightly locked on the arm. He wants to defend himself, he really does. Tell the stranger that nothing is going on and then sprint away as fast as he can’t.  But his body… It’s not listening. Tommy wonders if it's because he was not done with eating yet. Or because of the scary stranger.

Eye contact continues.

“Okay…” After futile waiting, the stranger picks up talking again a bit helplessly. His tone is slightly off and the anger that Tommy heard at the beginning was now almost gone. “How about you stop biting into that poor man’s arm so we can talk, yeah?”

While the man’s vibe is overall getting more soft, Tommy’s body is not letting him to relax. Instead he burrows his blunt teeth more tightly onto the sleeping meal’s arm. The action is making his brain fuzzy once more as some blood flows onto his tongue. 

“Fucking hell… Hey are you good, kid? Can you like, let me know you can hear me?” The man steps a little bit closer making Tommy’s heartbeat more frantic. 

Tommy gives the man a slightly bewildered stare. What does he want Tommy to do? The metallic taste on his tongue and the overwhelming feeling of danger danger danger is starting to give him a hard time. He isn’t able to concentrate. 

The eye contact is still there. The vermillion pair of eyes are still looking at Tommy. They look so pretty. Like jewels. Tommy likes jewels. He has a collection at home. Not a lot but they are all so shiny and pretty. All shiny things should be his.

Tommy’s mind is gone again.

“Damn are you high?” The jewel-eyes curses. “Okay this is what I’m gonna do now, I’m going to come next to you okay? Don't freak out!” He instructs “Man I don't even know if you can understand a single word I’m saying to you right now.”

The stranger makes his way next to Tommy and his meal. Tommy can’t help but notice that his hair is light pink, slowly swaying behind and glistening in the pale moonlight. It’s pretty. Just like the red eyes that now look at him with concern. 

Still danger. 

“Shhh, it’s umm okay. I’m not anyone bad okay, I promise. I just want to see if you are okay, yeah?” The man murmurs“ Can you stop biting the arm please? I, uh, won’t take it away from you.”

Tommy quickly eyes his meal. Would it be okay to let go? It’s Tommy’s meal. The stranger says he won’t take it from him but people can lie. Tommy would lie. However, something makes him loosen his grip on the flesh. The nagging feeling is back again. He needs to let go. 

With a small “plop” Tommy parts his teeth with the skin, however his mouth still keeps hovering over it. The pink haired man next to him, now squatting down, quickly pulls the arm Tommy parted with to the side, letting it fall on the ground. Blood and saliva surrounded the area Tommy had been biting. If you looked carefully enough, you could see the mark of a row of teeth pressed onto the skin. No skin however was broken besides the actual knifecut.

The stranger spots the cut quickly and his eyes widen. “It was you?” His voice is full of surprise and disbelief as he inspects the wound with his gaze.“Why on earth is a human kid out here cutting and… biting people?” He mumbles to himself, eyes still fixated on the victim rather than Tommy. 

Tommy on the other hand is slowly making it out of the haze again, trying his best to push away the euphoria and the fear.

“I gotta make a call to them that I found the culprit…” Stranger finally says under his breath, voice low and monotone, making Tommy shiver. “Who knew that the one behind this mess is a kid who’s clearly out of his mind.”

As he says the last sentence he turns to look at Tommy again. And Tommy, who was almost at the clear, feels his heart stop. There’s something glistening inside the man’s moving mouth. For a more untrained eye you wouldn't really pay attention to what was peeking out from the pink haired man’s gums, especially in the darkness behind the trash bin. They were not that noticeable. But Tommy on the other hand has seen a mouth like that before. Twice to be exact. Once on a man who was responsible for this whole mess, and then later when he was looking at himself in the mirror..

“Teeth.” He muttered, throat raw and voice squeaky.

“Wha..:” Man starts but Tommy quickly speaks over him.

“Tho…se tee…th. I know…” He stumbles over his words, his tongue feeling a bit sloppy. “I know”.

Tommy’s statement makes the man stop on his track and give his whole attention towards Tommy.

“Oh…” The man mouths. The worry in those red eyes was quickly turning into what one could call amusement. “You say you know. I see. Huh, have you met people like me before? Is that the reason why you're doing this?”

“Yea” Tommy squeaks “I saw once”. He doesn’t like the way the other is now looking at him, red eyes gleaming. Just like that faithful night. The sick amusement lingering.

“You saw once? What else then? Why are you biting people here like us?”

“Need to. Hungry”. Tommy tries his best to answer although his muscles protest. This man, this vampire before him. He needs to find answers from him. Tommy knows this is risque and knows that the reason why his body is so tense right now is probably because the other man is not the safest guy out there. But he needs to know.

“Hungry?” The stranger raises his eyebrows puzzled, looking at Tommy like he is trying to figure out something. “Why would you be hungr…”

Suddenly two strong hands are grabbing Tommy’s jaw, forcing his mouth open. Tommy winches and his eyes tear up from the sudden force. The stranger keeps Tommy’s jaw locked in place and starts to look into the boy’s open mouth. 

And then, Tommy can see the man’s eyes widen in shock as he takes in the two toothless spots where boys canine should be. A finger is quickly touching the empty sockets, making Tommy shiver uncontrollably. His poor tooth sockets still ached from time to time and felt sore even after the skin had healed. The pink dude touching them was not welcomed by the boy at all.

After poking enough, the man finally takes his fingers out of Tommy’s mouth. However the other hand is still relentlessly holding the boy's jaw.

“Where are your canine teeth?” The man asks with fury visible in his tone, the tense atmosphere becoming venomous. Tommy, who now realises that his body is ready to work again, quickly shakes his head trying to struggle out of the overbearing hold of the other man. The man lets his jaw go but doesn't allow Tommy to make any distance, grabbing his arm instead.

“Isn’t is fucking obvious smartass?” Tommy shouts angrily while massaging his now sore jaw with his free hand. And oh does it feel great to curse out the man in front of him finally after having to struggle in fear for so long. That makes the vampire holding him slightly awed.

“They are gone, not there anymore, fucking broken to pieces. Thank you for bringing this up, mister, as if it didn’t cause me enough problems…”  

“Gone?” The vampire takes in the information, looking more and more angry. Tommy wonders how much more angry can one pink vampire become.“And you are still hunting your own food here? God, what is your coven doing?” 

“Man needs to do what man needs to do to get by. The economic state ain’t great at the moment anyway due to governor Schlatt being one corrupted asshole.” Tommy states in an attempt to lighten the mood. The vampire next to him gives Tommy an unamused. However the anger seems to have subsided slightly. Maybe this could be a chance to-.

“What are you even saying?”

“I mean, I can’t do much with no pointy teeth so I decided to get a bit… creative, you see.” Tommy shakes his head towards the still sleeping man. It is a miracle he still hasn’t woken up. If Tommy didn’t know any better, he would have thought the dude was dead. “Eating like this ain’t as effective but still works. Pretty genius if you ask me.”

The man sighs, even deeper now. “Who is your sire? I need to say to him a piece of my mind. I mean who lets a disabled coven member wander alone at night anyway especially in our territory. Your blood-drunkenness is telling that maybe there should still be someone taking care of you, even with a disguise as good as yours.”

“Sire?” Tommy questions. That term was not familiar to him at the slightest.

“Yes, your sire. Do you have his number or something? Honestly you looking this young makes me want to meet with him even more. I guess you were not the most conventional turnling, yeah?”

“Wha… Listen big guy, your words are Hebrew to me at the moment. You know, I don’t really get this vampire shit just yet. New vampire and all that, yep.” Then Tommy curses slightly under his breath. A fundamental error has just passed his lips. “Oh, umm, are we vampires? Is this like the name bloodsuckers are called? Or is this just a media hoax? I know nothing of this so all the things I have learned are from this “How to spot a Vampire” book I got from the library down the street, you know the one ugly tile building that looks like a pool. Great collection of books. Didn’t tell me shit though…”

Tommy’s rambling makes the pink haired vampire’s mouth drop.

“Wait wait wait little guy.”

“I’m not little-!” Tommy tries to cut him but the stranger continues.

“What do you mean are we vampires?! What are you on about? Are you still blood-drunk?” 

The pink vampire attempts to drag Tommy almost to his lap as he tries to examine the boy's face, most likely to see if he truly was still out of it. Tommy tries to wiggle out of the hold but the man’s grip is like steel.

“What do you mean what do I mean? I think I am being perfectly clear here with my question. And respectful. Wouldn’t want to offend a group by calling them something offensive?” Tommy barked back, tone filled with spunk. Is this pink guy an idiot? “I have never met a vampire before you. Except one but he was a wrongun…”

“You what?!” 

“Never met a vampire. Yeah that’s a funny story, you know. Just never happened after I became this… bloodhungry fella. But hey, first time for everything. I mean I’m glad it was your kind and not the police that found me this night. That would have been mad awkward.”

The other vampire was currently looking at Tommy, like he had killed his whole family, and the family goldfish, mouth open and a variety of emotions ranging from fury to pure confusion going through his face. 

They were back at staring at each other and Tommy was feeling uncomfortable. If he had known that the other would be this shocked he would have softened the blow a bit. Tommy however had been a bit excited once he got his body functionality back. I mean who would have thought he would meet a real vampire. He really should not blow this up more.

“So uh…” Tommy had had enough with the staring. “I was thinking if you would like, let me know a bit more about this whole vampire thing yeah? Help a man out?” Putting on his best puppy dog eyes Tommy tries to appeal to the man crouched before him.

“I…” There was this tension growing again. “When did you get turned?”

“Like when did the guy who bit me feed me his blood? Like six months ago? Been alone since.”

“Six months ago?” The man growls out and Tommy feels the grip on his arm tighten. “Six months ago and you're just walking here with no problems at all?” 

“Yeah? I mean I do get tired and all if I haven’t eaten for a while but i just cannot go to a supermarket and ask for some human blood…” Tommy squeaks out, trying to explain himself to the man who is now nearly crushing his poor arm.

A snarl. “You’ll be leaving with me. Now!” He gets up with force, pulling Tommy with him, making the boy yelp. The ground feels unstable after sitting for so long with a body on his lap. Tommy stumbles next to the tall vampire. Tommy is not a short young man by any means but the pink haired guy was like a tree, making Tommy feel inferior next to him.

They start walking quickly, or more like the man is dragging the wobbly Tommy behind him while still holding tightly making sure the boy ain’t disappearing on him. With his other hand, the man fishes out a phone and starts making a call.

The call picks up quickly.

“I need a car, now!” Pink hair growls to the phone. “You can see my location. Be here in five or else.”

“Who’s that?” Tommy can’t help but ask although they guys' angry demeanor makes him angsty. He’s not safe.

As if the man could tell Tommy’s apprehension, he relaxes his shoulders, takes a few deep breaths and, with a much softer tone, answers the boy.

“Just someone who works for me. You don’t need to know fledgling. Just, focus on me yeah? I’m going to take you to see someone who will… help you out.”

“With this vampire stuff?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. Another vampire?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

They walk until the bigger vampire finally stops at a streetcorner. Tommy feels how he nudges the boy closer to him. Quickly Tommy finds himself under the man's arm, securely hidden. That… was definitely mad weird. 

The gleaming red eyes look sequentially between Tommy and the street, never letting the boy relax. Tommy feels a bit uncomfortable. While there was something so safe being close to the man, danger danger danger kept pounding in the back of his head. And his rational mind also was questioning why the fuck was this dude keeping him so tightly next to him. Tommy was starting to fear he had met a creep. Maybe all vampires were?

“What’s your name?” To ease the conflict going inside Tommy’s head he tries to strike a conversation again. Maybe asking some questions would get him somewhere.

“Technoblade”.

“Techno…blade? Your parents got some weird taste.”

“Is that so? Then what are you called fledgling? What could be better?”

 Fledgling?

“Tommy. I am the great Tommy Innit and it is certainly a very pog name, thank you very much.”

The guy, Technoblade, lets out an amused huff. “Are you always like this?”

“Like what?”

“This enthusiastic? Fledglings are usually much more meek. It takes time for them to be this… active.” 

Technoblade tightens his hold over Tommy slightly as a lone car goes past. Not their drive it seems.

“I’m always like this. Life is too short to mop around even when having as short of a luck as I have” Tommy explains, “I mean, after this whole vampire thing I have been hella tired but I think that has more to do with the fact that I can’t eat much. You know it’s bloody hard to get a meal for quite obvious reasons.” Tommy smirks, flashing his gums to Technoblade who cringes at the sight. 

“My brother mostly slept the first year of fledglinghood so you being tired isn’t unusual. Being able to function without a sire is.” Technoblade mumbled softly, more to himself than Tommy, while looking at the boy trying to find something.

“Umm sure. What’s with the vampire only lingo? The sire thing, the fledgling thing. I’m not the most educated man about vampires.” ‘

“Ah. I guess you wouldn’t know if you truly have been alone. Sire is the person who turned you. Your uhh… parent of sort. Once you have been turned, you will be bound to him for eternity. Fledglings are vampires in the stage of infancy, like you. Just turned and heavily reliant on their sire.”“My sire is not doing a good job it seems.” Tommy jokes, earning a piercing look from Techno. “Well I’m managing just fine alone, big man. No need for a sire here.”

“Don’t say that” Technoblade snarls. “No fledgling should ever be alone when this young. To be honest I’m not even sure how you're still alive.”

“Hey man, no need to shout. I am completely fine and breathing, kinda. Besides, my sire is long gone.”

“Gone?”

“Yeah… Dropped dead immediately after forcing his blood down my throat. Couldn’t really ask him shit.” 

Tommy’s eyes grew distant as he remembered that night. The teeth on his shoulder and the taste of metal as the man before him collapsed on top of him… The scar never disappeared. 

Technoblade’s face morphs into a shock and hand holding Tommy tries to tighten the already suffocating hold. The man opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a car parking in front of the two. 

Technoblade moves toward the car, opens the door and stuffs Tommy with him onto the backseat. Tommy can’t help but stare at the rather flamboyant vehicle. The seats seemed to be very comfortable leather, windows dimmed and this pleasant smell lingered in the air. Tommy concludes that money clearly was not an issue for Mr. Techno Blade. He shivers slightly.

“Home.” Technoblade orders the driver, who quickly presses the gas pedal down without giving a single glance towards the two passengers.

“Yes sir.”

Tommy eyes the driver and notices that while the car itself was scented rather nicely, the man in front did not emit any smell. Another vampire it seemed. Less dangerous than Technoblade for sure but Tommy still felt slightly nauseous. He could see the driver's eyes from the front mirror. They reflected the traffic lights, making them almost glow in the dim car. 

Suddenly Tommy found his face getting pushed to rest against Technoblade's shoulder, who seemed to have noticed that the boy had gotten distressed. Tommy tries to resist but his attempt was rather futile. Although Tommy quickly finds out that not focusing on the driver did make his instincts quite down. At least a tiny bit.

A moment of silence goes by until Techno decides to indulge Tommy again. 

“Fledglings don’t do well with vampires outside their coven. That’s why they rarely are let out without the sire’s constant attention. It can be “distressing” to developing instincts."

“Then why the hell are you holding me like a fucking teddy-bear huh? We aren’t vampire-related.” Tommy bites back, trying to meet the vermillion eyes of the other “I am extremely, 100 percent distressed by being squeezed by a tall ass vampire.”

Technoblade only snorts and holds Tommy more tightly. 

Tommy’s body stays tense. 

“How curious.”

There is a blonde vampire ogling Tommy’s face with an awed expression in his deep red, almost black eyes. The vampire’s hands come to hold Tommy’s cheeks, making avoiding eye-contact impossible. Tommy feels that this wrongun is way too touchy, giving Tommy a very hard ick.  

The vampire’s fingers however move from the cheeks quickly towards Tommy’s mouth, moving his upper lip to see better the damaged frontal teeth. He doesn’t touch them though, unlike Technoblade before who poked way too much Tommy’s poor gums. The man then proceeds to turn the boy’s head left and right as if to see if it would change something. He keeps making the same uncomfortable eye-contact with Tommy, seemingly fascinated by his blue eyes. 

Vampires seem to really enjoy intense eye-contact it seems. Maybe a cultural thing? What would Tommy know about these things?

“So you are the small troublemaker that has been terrorizing the human population?” The man chuckles, “I’m amazed that you were able to stay under cover for that long, mate.”

Tommy hums noncommittally and tries to move slightly away from the vampire’s overbearing touch. Unlike Technoblade, who is, do not get him wrong, very nerve wrecking , this blonde man before him touching his face, Philza as he had been introduced, is next level scary. Tommy’s instincts hate him. And while Philza doesn’t look scary, dressed in funky green robes and wearing this kind smile, there is something off about him. Tommy’s knees shake. This was a bad idea.  

Philza is, as Tommy has learned, Technoblade’s sire. Furthermore, he seems to be the big guy here, sitting in a fancy leather office chair waiting for Tommy and Technoblade like a mafia boss. He is only lacking a white fluffy cat to stroke.

Tommy has never seen such a fancy apartment that the vampires seem to reside in. It is decorated with mahogany furniture, intricate persian rugs and expensive looking treasury. What strikes Tommy’s eye though is that Philza’s whole office is filled with these small crow statues made of seemingly gold. They are put almost everywhere but every piece seems to fit perfectly to its position. 

One small crow is placed right next to the sofa Tommy is sitting on. Its button-eyes look like they can see straight through the young boy. Shivers run through Tommy’s back and he tries to avoid looking at the small golden crow, fearing that if he stares too long it will come to life.  

Philza seems content with examining Tommy after a while, speaking out a question.

“Hmm he seems to have lost his teeth quite a while ago? How have you been able to eat, fledgling?” 

Before Tommy can answer the man, Techno’s displeased voice suddenly comes across the room. “Found him sucking on a wound in a dirty alley way. The guy he drank from was drunk. I don’t understand how he could feed off something like that…”

“Oh. Well that I guess does the job huh. It's a bit unhygienic though… Well for a vampire it doesn’t matter much, usually...”

“Phil” Techno’s voice cuts the man’s sentence off, “He is six months old. I think there are more dire things to discuss than that? How is he even alive now? He should only be able to consume sire’s blood for the first five years of fledglinghood.” 

Alive? He shouldn't even be alive? 

“Ah yes, that is an excellent question indeed. I wonder why?” Phil smiles creepily.

“So you don’t know?! Is that what your words mean?!"

“I mean I am not sure, Techno darling. Calm down. The boy is not going to drop dead.” Phil assures the hotheaded pink-haired man, giving him a glare which makes Techno’s shoulders drop. Then he turns back to Tommy, face full of mirth. “Tell me a bit about your turning, fledgling? Can you do that?”

“I’d rather n-” Tommy cuts himself off, seeing how Phil's smile drops just for a second. “I… It's just a bit of a long story. And I wouldn't want to bore you guys. I am doing fine anyways haha” Tommy laughs nervously.

“We have an eternity to talk. Speak, please.”

Techno gives Tommy an encouraging shrug. Tommy tries to remind himself that they are here to help him, not to bury him alive or some shit vampires are known for. Hopefully.

“It was nothing too crazy. Just, I was walking back home from work that evening. Jack got food poisoning and I had to work overtime, nothing new. And then, uh, I decided that I should have some nuggets to treat myself, went to Mc’Donalds and took a different route home.” Tommy swallows. That night's memories feel heavy, like he is holding the weight of the earth on his shoulders… Tommy decides to just rush, trying to talk it all out in one go.

“And then on the way, this bastard just comes from nowhere, bites my neck, making me fall down from the stuff he injected in me with his teeth. After that, that crazy rogue bites his own wrist, feeds me the blood  and dies on the spot. And there I was, a dead vampire on my lap… You bet I ran fast after I got my senses back!” 

Silence.

Tommy licks his gums anxiously, tracing the empty sockets.

“So it’s like this…” Philza finally mumbles, eyebrows burrowed. “It’s not uncommon for sire to die after turning somebody, although not so soon though. I wonder…”

“We have not registered any dead vampires in our area for years. Someone must have come and picked up the body. And they have not informed our coven…” Techno states passively, looking very unimpressed at the stunt the trespassing vampires have caused.

“Ah, yes we need to look into that. It would do good to know who our fledgling’s passed sire is.”

Tommy nods, although he thinks knowing that would not give him any real compensation. Guy is dead and harm is done. Maybe he would be given some money though? That would be nice. The least a dead guy can do for possibly ruining Tommy’s life.

“Maybe being bonded to a dead sire has caused you to be underdeveloped” Phil suddenly drops a sentence, which to Tommy sounds suspiciously backhanded. “Never seen such a thing but considering that there has been no chance for the link to form, that is our best bet. Or maybe the blood was corrupted by the death, making your body lack perfection.”

“Hey what does that mean you fucker?” Tommy bites back, annoyed by Philza’s belittling choices of words.

Phil doesn’t even seem to be bothered by Tommy’s cursing, eyes full of mirth instead.

“Calm down fledgling. This might be fixable. Never in my thousand years of living have I come across a case like this but we can form a hypothesis.” 

“Which is?”

“Imperfect turning has caused your body to react to sire’s blood differently, turning on some sort of survival mode. You are able to feed from humans, well need to feed on them. However you lack some basic vampire traits. Most obviously the red eyes but I would guess other things as well. What though, we cannot be sure… Some can be tested, some not.”

“His eyes? Wait, are you saying that they are actually blue Phil?” Techno perks up and starts walking closer to the other two, eyes wavering over Tommy who is trying to press himself as deep into the sofa as possible. 

“Yes.”

“What? Bruh I really thought he was wearing just some contacts.” Techno scoots closer to see Tommy’s eyes better, a fascinated look on his face like he is seeing some sort of new, unknown species. They make eye contact and Tommy could see Techno’s pupils sharpen as they took in the apparently unusual sight. The gaze holds amazement.

“They really are blue. What should we do then Phil? Leave him like this? But you said this could be “fixable”.” 

“Hmm. If my hypothesis is plausible, bonding him to a sire again should stop the survival mode and complete the turning.”

“We don’t know what it would do.” Techno raises his eyebrows sceptically.

“My theories are never wrong.”

“I know. I agree he should not be like this, even though blue eyes are very… remarkable. But still, shouldn't we wait a bit. Ask around.”

“Who would know Techno? If I don’t know, our chances of finding someone who could be of use are near zero.”

“But what about him-”

“I don’t want to!”

Both vampires turn back to Tommy from their slight argument. Techno looks slightly surprised while Phil seems more annoyed.

“I don’t want this sire thing. Aren’t I living well enough now? What is there to fix? My teeth maybe yeah, but if you guys are willing to help a man out, why go through something that will decapitate me for a long time. I have big man plans anyway for the next couple years. Can’t afford to do that fledgling thing. Being bound to someone just doesn't suit me. Can’t you guys just provide me some blood if you're worried?”

The more Tommy had gathered from the bits and pieces today is that he is an anomaly, obviously. But if he wasn’t, he would be holding hands with an older vampire, his sire, twenty-four-seven. According to Technoblade, the newborn vampires are like babies, in a constant need of a parent. And that doesn’t seem particularly pog. 

Phil gives Tommy a strange look.

“No.” The older man exclaims.

“No?”

“No. You are being absurd.”

“What do you mean no?”

“No means no fledgling. Your body is in a questionable state, imperfect. If something happens to you one day, no one will know how to help. We are not even sure how long you will live? Or if the lack of sire bond will start to influence you soon. There are too many uncertainties fledgling.”

“But I’m fine!”

“Are you?”

Phil’s words make him stop.

There are days… days when his bones feel as heavy as steel. Waking up makes him feel like he has just been thrown under a train, headache banging on his temples. The constant anxiety that makes him paranoid… But the blood. The blood always fixes everything, at least for a moment. 

He just needs blood. Simple. He will be fine then.

This is what he says to Phil who instead just looks at him with pity. And maybe with a glint of sadistic glee. Tommy can tell that something he just said has displeased the vampire before him. The man suddenly shifts, breaking the eye-conact, and takes a turn towards the empty spot next to Tommy on the sofa. The vampire’s moves are quick and careful but still full of electricity. It’s as if the man is attempting to move like a human.

Phil sits down gracefully next to Tommy, green silky robes folding neatly under him leaving not a single wrinkle in sight. Tommy can tell that the man truly is ancient as Phil puts his left arm around Tommy’s shoulder, finger tracing alongside his veins. There is authority oozing out of him that the vampire inside Tommy recognizes to be one of a predator’s. Instincts urge him to run away from the danger but he is surrounded. 

Technoblade is leaning against the other arm of the sofa, carefully following his sire’s actions. Technoblade’s sharp eyes are tracing every action the two people on the couch take. There is a wrinkle on his forehead. Techno also seems to have braided his long, pink hair at one point. How strange. Tommy hasn’t noticed when. The hair used to sway behind Techno in the cold night air, mesmerizing the boy's drunken state. He had wanted to touch it so badly, put his hand through the silken locks and maybe even braid it himself. 

“If it’s blood you desire, nothing will come even close to the one of coven mates.” Phil explains, hand raising up to touch Tommy’s curls. He attempts to straighten some but with little success. A small pout forms on his lips.

“Can’t argue with that.” Techno makes a goodnatured smile towards Tommy. 

Tommy is slowly coming to a realization that these two are complete nutjobs. 

“You eat each other?” Tommy’s voice wavers, coming out as small and pathetic. He hopes neither of the vampires notice the terror in his words.  

“Of course.” Phil says delighted, like it’s the most natural thing ever. “We can’t die fledgling, so taking some blood from a dear covenmate will pose no harm to anyone. And furthermore, it is all about being family. Family meals are important bonding moments, isn’t that right? Humans participate in that as well. Breakfast, lunch, dinner… ”

“I did say to you Tommy, that fledglings rely on the blood of their sire during their infancy. That is the norm. What you are doing, slicing people in the streets, feeding from that filth, is certainly not the norm.” Techno’s low voice comes from his other side, making the boy flinch. “I’m bound to do a lot of paperwork for the next few days.Causing me so much trouble, you silly fiend. ”

“Sorry…” Tommy mumbles, trying to look somewhere else than the two awaiting vampires. His eyes trace back to the golden statue of the small crow. Silly looking guy as well, apart from those all-knowing button eyes. If Tommy had seen it somewhere else than the lair of vampires, he would have cooed at it. Now instead it will see how the great Tommy Innit will say no.

“But I still don’t want to.”

“Huh?” Techno asks.

“I still don’t want to. So what if I die? So should everybody. Furthermore, I am not intending to play family with some vampires that I don't even know. Family trauma ya’know. And like I said, I am a big man who has huge things to do. Like go see my wives who are probably worried I haven’t come home yet.” Tommy stands swiftly up, avoiding the burning eyes of the two vampires and starts heading towards the wooden front door of the study. “Therefore gentlemen, it has been nice but I think I should leave now. This vampire thing is not for me. Sorry for wasting your time!” 

“You asked for my help, remember?” Techno states from the sofa. His voice has a scolding tone to it, as if he would be talking to a small child.

“I don’t need it anymore.” Tommy answers, eyes fixated on the handle.

Danger, danger, danger. He needs to leave. He knows that if he doesn’t, something bad is bound to happen. He feels it in his bones, in his heart, in his head. In his ugly empty gums, that caused him this mess. That cursed need to take just a bit more. The greed that corrupted him the moment his lips touched that poor man’s arm. Tommy prays that will be forgiven by the god if there is one. 

Every step he takes is heavy, fingers drenched in sweat. Just one more step and he is out. Tommy’s wet palms curl on the handle. It’s made of wood, like everything in this place it seems. He presses it down.

Something pierces Tommy’s neck.

And he collapses.

Sire.

Tommy was the most unusual fledgling the Craft household had ever seen. Rebellious, rude, active little vampire who gave his sire, to say it mildly, a hard time. 

Feeding him was a messy job due to the fledgling’s lack of canine teeth, especially in the beginning when Tommy was deep in his instincts. Some blood always ended up spilling on the expensive carpets and Techno’s white frilly poet shirts. Furthermore, there were always bloody fingerprints all over the nest no matter how hard Technoblade scrubbed and rinsed the area. And while that gory chaos of nestlinghood lasted only for a few months, to the Crafts it felt like a lifetime. The needy little shit, even in the delirious state, was a fucking menace. 

Newly bound fledglings would usually be very sweet and meek, clinging to their sire or coven mates and sending love-coven-love-love through the bond. Tommy was an exception. Always biting, scratching and complaining. Not a single love was to be heard. Instead it was always bite-bite-bite or coven-blood-blood. Latter was the sweeter one, though definitely not something Philza would like to only hear from his youngest. The man was on a road to getting gray hairs while trying to figure out why his little fledgling was being such a brat. His fingers were bitten through and all the green silk robes had holes caused by Tommy. The middle part of his bucket hat was pierced through. Philza had yet to buy a replacement.

The only moments of quiet in the nest were when the boy slept, although to Phil's demise, those hours were few. Way too few. Worryingly few.

Technoblade was certainly very fond of this “gremlin”, as his brother called Tommy, no matter how many of his shirts now had brown stains from spilled blood. However inside his heart Techno was glad it was Phil who sired the child. Being a first-time sire to such a difficult case would be more than exhausting. 

Techno could see it in his sire’s eyes, how nurturing the new family member ate the elder from the inside. Tommy wouldn't sleep much, always making fuss when Phil would command him to lay down. Only orders went through his thick skull and even then sleep was not guaranteed. And then there were his eyes that would stay blue no matter how much he drank from Phil. Those blue pupils would just stare at the vampires in the room mockingly, reminding them of their naivety. Reminding Phil that he in fact is not the all-knowing person he thought he was.  

The last nail to the coffin was the day when Tommy woke up. Technoblade had been reading in the nest while looking after the fledgling for a bit. Phil had to urgently go meet with a client and while he was in no state to be away for long due to the newly formed bond, this was not something he could let his sons take care of. They only wished that Tommy would sleep a bit longer that day.

After some hours of Phil being away, Techno suddenly felt some movement from his side. He turned his gaze from the book, fixing his reading glasses slightly to examine whether or not the fledgling had awakened. The pink haired vampire was met with Tommy’s blank glare.

“Oh, awake already huh?” Techno hummed. Fledgling-hungry? He asked while reaching out to pull the boy next to him. Phil usually fed Tommy but from time to time he let Wilbur and Techno do it as well in order to deepen the coven bond. However, only Phil was allowed to bite Tommy for the time being.

Tommy however did not answer the question, His eyes just kept studying Techno. Techno met his gaze with his own questioning one and he tried to circle his arm around the boy to see him better. Tommy however flinched back, not giving the pink haired vampire a chance to grab him. This made Techno’s eyebrows rise slightly. “Being a brat again I see. If you’re not going to drink then go back to sleep yeah?” Sleep-fledgling.

Tommy flinched again. While Techno was no sire, he could initiate commands okay enough through the bond. The boy would not sleep if he couldn’t but he would always try if commanded. Those moments were the sweetest, as if the boy was a proper fledgling.

This time however Tommy did not lay down. Instead he opened his mouth wide open and said:

“You are a bitch Technoblade”.    

Tommy would never be a proper fledgling it seems.

“Do I have to get them?”

“Yes!” Wilbur cries out. “I am sick and tired of my shirts being ruined by my own blood every time you have your snack! No matter what we try, you somehow always manage to get some on me… Even when it’s Phil or Techno you're feeding from, I am always the victim!”

“Sounds like a skill issue to me” Tommy bites back, not meeting Wilbur’s annoyed gaze and instead focusing on his game “Besides, it’s your fault for always sticking your nose to my business. If you just, I don’t know, stayed out of the nest things would look a lot brighter.”

“You child…!” Wilbur growls, burying his face in his hands. Phil laughs from the driver seat, glancing at his fledgling eyes curved.

“My my Wilbur darling, I know you are the most frustrated but soon this issue will be solved. The man I know is an expert.”

“And I am the most thankful for that.” Wilbur sighs, putting his head on Tommy’s shoulder. The boy quickly tries to shake the man off but remains unsuccessful.

“Get off of me you bitch!”

“Nope.” The older vampire laughs. Tommy turns his gaze from the game to the side to see Wilbur’s face. The evening sun is out and the man’s round glasses break the light slightly, making Tommy unable to see his eyes. Truly annoying. “You need this Tommy. Don’t try to worm yourself to the side.”

“I’m not worming myself…” Tommy’s sentence gets cut off as he feels Wilbur’s fingers curling tightly around his knee, almost drawing blood. A warning.

“Wilbur’s right runt. This is one of the few times you’re gonna be outside for now and even my heart is anxious” Technoblade chimes in, taking his brother's side.

“Why yes this is a bit unconventional. But calm thyself Techno. We are all together now.” Phil reassures, slightly altering the coven bond to ease the nervousness of the vampires in the car. “And like I said, the man is my old friend. Sadly his equipment cannot be shipped to our place, but let’s think of this as a family vacation. This might be good for our fledgling's health as well, hmm?”

“Mmm” Tommy mumble’s, feeling how his own shoulders relax under his sire’s words. Phil was a crafty bastard, always messing around with the coven bond. “Is it just gonna be canines then?”

“You have three missing teeth, two canines and one from the side. I see no reason to just do the canines. Why leave one out?”

“I just thought the reason was for me to be able to bite. Was not sure if you cared about the third one…”

“Fledgling dear of course we will fix all. Your comfort is the most important to us after all. And wouldn’t it look nice to see you smile with a full set of teeth?” Love-love-love lingers in the air, making Tommy sigh with content. 

“I bet your smile will be like a sun gremlin” Wilbur hums next to him, massaging Tommy’s knee. Love-love-love.

The feeling of the coven bond was something Tommy had hard time adjusting to. It was weird to be met everyday with this unconditional love. As long as he behaved, the air around him was in harmony, making him feel light and woozy. Loved.

“I did contact the guy beforehand. He did seem like a reliable guy.” Techno joins in again, while keeping his eyes glued to his phone. Out of all the Crafts, Techno was definitely the most overworked. Always on the grind. “I made a request to him.”

“Oh” Phil turns his gaze slightly towards his eldest, mirth in the eyes. “This is the first time I am hearing about this. And what was this request?”

“Tommy’s new teeth. I made a personal request about them.”

“Huh? Without consulting us about it? Techno I knew you were the first to find him but that doesn’t give you the right to just go and do things regarding him on your own!” Wilbur straightens himself up in the backseat, shooting daggers with his eyes towards his sibling.

“Oh calm down you drama queen. This is a request we all will enjoy.”

“Hey! This is my new teeth you guys are talking about, don’t I get a word in this?” Tommy groaned, pausing the game and finally paying attention to the other vampires in the car. “Technoblade you know if you did something stupid I will smack you so hard even Phil won’t be able to save you. You always act this way…”

“What way?”

“Like a bitch. That way.”

Techno laughs out loud, clutching his stomach. Tommy only glares at him, clearly not finding  his statement funny.

“Yes yes. If you say so.” His tone is a bit helpless.

“I do say so-”

“Well so be it. But the request-”

“Just spit it out” Wilbur barks, sharp teeth flashing showcasing his impatience.

“Well, I asked about what material the implant would be. And the guy said that while generally it would be titanium, he could adapt if we had suggestions.”

“And you had?” Tommy bends forward, trying to see Technoblade better. The pink vampire looks at Tommy with his deep vermillion eyes. There is something dark in them that Tommy cannot pinpoint. Technoblade sometimes had this look on his face. It was a look of satisfaction, that’s for sure. But it was still something unknown, scary. 

“Of, course.”

“What is it?”

“Gold. They are going to be golden.”

The mirror in Tommy’s room has carved amaranth flowers in it. They decorate the corners, falling down gracefully with every leaf in perfect symmetry to one another. Truly a prime example of excellent craftsmanship only found in castles and manors. 

According to Phil, Techno himself carved the flowers out in his youth. To keep himself occupied during the decades-long nest-age. Phil has encouraged Tommy to ask Techno to teach him as some hobbies would be good for Tommy. Or to just try out any hobby the boy would feel drawn to. Phil’s voice at that time had a very soft tone as he urged the boy. 

Wilbur says his brother chose to carve out amaranth flowers because they represent immortality. Wilbur himself also often traces his hand along the carving in the mirror when walking past it in Tommy’s room. There is always this primal greed in his eyes when he brings up eternal life, which he does frequently. That greed must have been there when he was still a human. Tommy is sure of it. 

Tommy thinks the flowers just look ugly, like a spring of blood. He doesn’t say that aloud.

In the amaranth mirror, Tommy sees himself. He can see his blue eyes shining bright as the tears flow down. His mouth tastes salty. 

His eyes are still blue. Tommy is glad.

At least that is something he is allowed to keep even in eternity.

A knock comes from the door.

Technoblade calls out for Tommy to hurry up. And Tommy knows better than to let the man wait. Possessive bastard. ‘

Hurriedly Tommy wipes the lone tears away and tries to make himself more presentable. The mop of blond hair on his head doesn’t cooperate and he has to quickly give up on that. Well it’s gonna get messed up anyways at one point. All three vampires love playing with it, like he is a mutt to pet.

Finally, before he goes, he gives one last look at Tommy in the amaranth mirror.

He smiles at it, golden canine teeth peeking out.

It smiles back.