Chapter Text
Tommy didn’t expect to wake up.
The last thing he remembered was… Phil. Phil, baring his fangs and ripping into Tommy’s neck like a starved alleycat.
Without opening his eyes, Tommy lifted a hand to his neck. There were bandages wrapped around it, tight enough to keep the gauze in place, but not tight enough to restrict anything.
Did Tommy even need to breathe anymore?
He tried holding his breath to see, but his chest quickly started burning.
Okay, he still needed to breathe. Was that a good sign? Maybe he hadn’t been turned. He didn’t have any craving to go tear out some human's throat. In fact, the thought only made him sick.
Finally, Tommy opened his eyes.
He didn’t recognize his surroundings. He was on his back, staring up at a rounded ceiling with a painting of constellations. There were a few constellations with the stars connected and an animal painted around the lines. A crow. A boar. And a sheep.
Tommy didn’t know jack shit about constellations, but the painting was pretty. He might’ve appreciated it more if he wasn’t trying to figure out if it was a part of some afterlife.
With a groan, Tommy pushed himself into a sitting position. Finally, he noted the thing he was laying on. It was like a bed, but fucking massive. It could fit a whole family, maybe two, comfortably. And there were more pillows and blankets than Tommy could count, all laid out in a specific way.
Nest-safe-safe-safe
Tommy jumped, head whipping around the room to try and find the voice who said that.
There was no one, which made Tommy’s heart race.
(His heart was still beating. He was still alive! He wasn’t a monster!)
What the fuck?
Despite logically being relieved he was alone, Tommy had an aching in his chest.
Coven?
Tommy threw his head around again. Where were they? Someone was in the room with him!
“Who’s there?” he asked the air.
Tommy’s chest rode and fell rapidly as he waited for the voice to reply. They went quiet. Fucking weird.
Whatever, Tommy needed to focus. Where the fuck was he? What happened? Was Phil around? Would he ambush Tommy any second now and finish the job?
Tommy crawled out of the giant bed thing, ignoring the sudden stab of longing. There were long black curtains on one wall– which meant a window– which meant an escape.
As he pulled himself upright, his legs wobbled unsteadily. If not for the wall, he would’ve collapsed onto the ground within seconds.
Cool. Okay. So… Tommy woke up in some weird room after being attacked by Wilbur’s dad, and he was hearing voices, and his legs barely worked.
Everything was fine.
When Tommy pulled the curtains open, he hoped to see something useful. Maybe a house nearby, or a city below him, or even simply signs of civilizations. Instead, there was nothing but infinite trees and stars in the sky.
“Fuck,” Tommy muttered, unlatching the window and pushing it open. The cold air tickled his lungs, making him cough a few times. It burned. But he had endured worse pain. And he needed to find someone and get help while his lungs still needed air. If he waited long enough for Phil or Wilbur to come around…
Nope. He quickly pushed that thought aside.
Tommy messily flailed his limbs around, trying desperately to get his legs to do their damn job. Eventually, one leg was hanging out the window, shortly followed by the other. Tommy had some upper body strength, so he could manage pulling himself up onto the window sill.
But then he had to walk through some forest for how knows long until he found civilization. He could barely walk two steps from the nest bed to the window!
Whatever. Tommy needed to survive. He’d crawl through the fucking woods if he needed to. Being scratched up and dirty was better than being vampire food.
Thankfully, the room was on the first floor, so Tommy didn’t need to drop more than a few feet onto the grass. Still, it hurt like hell when he landed awkwardly on his left leg.
“Shit,” he cursed quietly, laying flat on his back and staring at the sky. His leg was stuck under him in an awkward position, pulling on the muscles in a way that left a painful ache. Tommy gave himself a few seconds to take a deep breath and deal with the pain.
He thought about Wilbur drinking his blood until he was a cold, pale corpse.
Tommy found enough energy to roll over onto his stomach and push himself onto his elbows. The forest before him seemed to mock him. He could do it. It’d be miserable, but he’d live.
Not-safe!
Tommy snarled as a knee-jerk reaction, trying to find that stupid ass fucking voice. He’d kill them.
But seeing as there was no one around, and the owner of that voice wasn’t physically stopping him, he’d kill them another time. He’d escape first, then kill Wilbur and Phil, and then kill that dumb voice pestering him.
Tommy reached one arm forward, digging his nails into the dirt and pulling himself forward a few inches. His leg twitched enough to give a little push forward. He just had to keep going.
“Come on,” Tommy huffed, a determined look on his face. “Fuckin’ work legs!”
It was going to be a long night.
♡
Thankfully, as time passed, Tommy regained feeling in his legs. They were still wobbly like a newborn fawn, but he could walk now! Kinda.
And he only had to crawl/walk for about two hours before he found a sign of a town.
Tommy smiled as he saw the road leading to a poorly lit city. He’d escaped! He lived! He did it! He fucking did it!
A manic laugh escaped his throat as he stumbled forward, picking up his pace. He knew he looked stupid, probably like a zombie from one of those shitty movies he used to watch with Tubbo. But Tommy couldn’t give a singular flying fuck. He escaped goddamn vampires, for fucks sake!
As Tommy approached the town, he didn’t recognize any of the street names, or businesses, or the layout. Wherever the vampires took him had to be far from where Tommy used to live, which wasn’t great, but he’d work with it.
He staggered past several closed stores, all of which looked family owned. There was some sort of bakery, a printing shop, a flower shop, and tons of other crap. None of it was useful. Tommy needed another person.
If he could find someone in the town, he could use their phone and call… someone. Maybe Tubbo? Wilbur used to be his go-to person, but obviously, that turned out well.
He’d cross that bridge when he got there. Finding another person came first. So, dizzy and exhausted, Tommy continued walking blindly through the unnamed town in the middle of fucking nowhere.
It seemed like hours, though it might’ve only been minutes, that Tommy wandered around without seeing anyone. Eventually, the exhaustion caught up to him. He’d just take a minute to catch his breath, then he’d go on.
Tommy found the nearest alley, only walking in a few feet before sitting against the wall. The air in his lungs seemed unusually heavy, and his heartbeat felt unnatural. His legs were practically numb, but at least they sort of worked.
Tommy had to take whatever little victories he could get.
He put his head on his knees and tried to keep his thoughts at bay. But that only worked for so long. He knew he’d have to address everything eventually, but he wasn’t ready.
How did someone just process their best friend kidnapping them? And then keeping them to use as a blood bag? Was that what Wilbur wanted him for? He was sick of having to go out and hunt, so he wanted a pet human to make it easier?
Tommy felt nauseous.
How did he not notice it sooner? The red flags were all there! Wilbur never did have it all together. Tommy should’ve tucked his tail and ran as soon as their eyes met. None of this would’ve happened then.
He was so fucking stupid! Tommy didn’t know if he wanted to cry or scream. Both seemed justifiable, but they also sounded like a lot of work. Instead, he sighed.
How did his life come to this?
“Hey, man.”
Tommy’s head shot up, a rush of adrenaline pumping through his veins. A person! Holy shit! There was another person! He could get help! Wilbur wasn’t going to find him and eat him!
(For a split second, Tommy’s gut tightened. He thought he heard that stupid voice mutter something about danger-danger, but it was easy to pass off as a figment of his imagination).
“You alright? You don’t look too hot,” the stranger commented as they approached. They were on the shorter side with dark hair poking out from under a beanie. It was hard to make out any features in the dark, but Tommy didn’t care for details. It only mattered that this man was his saving grace.
Tommy gasped, wincing as he inhaled sharply.
“You need to help me,” Tommy spat suddenly, trying and failing to get to his feet. The man stopped approaching, eyeing the blonde up and down analytically. “I need help, please. You’re the first person I’ve seen since– please, just– I need a phone or something.”
“Relax, kid,” the man answered carefully. “I’ll help you, just take a deep breath or somethin’ real quick.”
Tommy couldn’t.
“No, no, you don’t understand. I’ve been searching for anyone all night, but there was no one. I looked in all the shops– I thought I was going to– there’s no one– I was– I got– I thought–”
“Hey, hey,” the stranger approached, two arms suddenly grabbing onto Tommy’s shoulder. He found himself staring into the eyes of this new person. He had a rounded face with dark brown eyes seeming full of concern. Tommy basked in the attention. “You’re okay, man. Deep breath, okay? Like this.”
For a few breaths, Tommy tried to mirror him. It hardly worked. His lungs burned more with each breath, but he supposed his heart stopped racing as much.
“There, that’s better, right?”
It wasn’t. Everything still hurt.
“I guess,” Tommy sighed, noticing a slight shake in his hands.
“You’re not from around here,” the guy accused.
Tommy shook his head, confirming his suspicion.
“Alright,” he hummed. His eyes fell away from Tommy’s face, landing on the bandages wrapped around his neck. He didn’t say anything, but Tommy could feel the question lingering in the air. He stayed silent, despite the discomfort. “I’m Quackity, by the way.”
“Tommy,” he introduced, grateful the awkward moment passed. Quackity scanned Tommy over, probably looking for any other injuries or bandages. He stared at Tommy’s hands for a few seconds too long, but then their eyes met again.
“Passing through?” Quackity asked, standing up and offering a hand to help Tommy up as well. The blonde gratefully accepted the help. As he stood up, his vision blurred for a few seconds and his legs threatened to give out. Thankfully, Quackity was there to keep him upright. He threw an arm over Tommy’s shoulder, giving him something to lean on.
“Thanks,” Tommy mumbled, relying heavily on the shorter man to use as a crutch. “And, yeah. I can’t stay here long. I need to get back home.”
“You need medical attention first,” Quackity pointed out, leading them out of the alley. Tommy sighed, feeling every ache in his body. He wasn’t wrong. “You’re lucky I found you, not something else. Can I ask what happened?”
“Uh,” Tommy stammered, unsure how or where to start. What did these people think about vampires? How much should he say? How much should he lie about? He didn’t want to put himself in more danger than necessary. Wilbur and Phil were probably looking for him, or they would be soon if they hadn’t noticed he was missing yet.
But allies would also help. Maybe Quackity knew something. He might be helpful. Tommy had no idea, but he could figure it out based on his reactions.
“I was just passing by, hoping to get something to eat before I kept going. But then these… these things attacked me. It was dark. I- I don’t really know what happened. There were- it’s blurry. I don’t know how I’m alive, honestly.”
Quackity clicked his tongue, nodding along.
“Sounds about right. Notice how there’s no one else out here?” Quackity pointed out. And yes! Of course, Tommy noticed! There was no one when he was frantic for help. The streets were empty, except for Quackity, who just appeared.
“Yeah?”
“We have a curfew in this town,” Quackity explained. “No one stays out past dark.”
“Why?”
“It’s too dangerous. You’re a prime example of why it’s not safe. Those things that attacked you… you ever heard of a vampire?”
Tommy tried not to flinch, but he didn’t know how well he hid it. Quackity didn’t say anything about it, though.
“Vampires?” he repeated with a clenched jaw. All his muscles became unconsciously tight. Tommy couldn’t relax them no matter how hard he tried. “I thought those were urban legends.”
Quackity laughed. “Interesting.”
Tommy thought it was anything but.
“Yeah, those monsters are real as you and I are, my friend. There aren’t too many of them left. They’ve all gone into hiding. Luckily, we’ve hunted most of them to near extinction.”
Quackity’s hold on Tommy’s shoulder tightened as they walked. Tommy didn’t notice.
For a few seconds, the thought of Wilbur being impaled by a wooden stake or burned alive flashed through Tommy’s mind. He hated Wilbur and Phil for what they did… but did he want them to die? That seemed kind of extreme. They were still capable of feeling things.
Or maybe that was also an illusion. Tommy couldn’t tell how much Wilbur made up. Was any of it real?
“Have you encountered one?” Tommy asked. Quackity seemed smart. Maybe he knew if vampires were complete monsters or if they had some humanity left.
“Several,” Quackity replied. “Got a lot of nasty scars from them. They’re ruthless killers. Don’t know how I survived this long, honestly.”
Tommy swallowed. Was running from Wilbur and Phil the right choice? It had to be.
“You don’t think they can be, I dunno, kind?”
“Toms!” Wilbur cheered as soon as he saw the blonde. He jumped out of his seat, running to wrap Tommy in a tight hug. The blonde found himself smiling stupidly and returning the gesture.
“Hi, Wilbur,” he sighed, breathing in the man’s addicting and comforting scent.
“No,” Quackity responded instantly and firmly, tightening his hold once more. This time, Tommy noticed. The harsh grip caused a wave of pain to flash through his shoulder, but it was mild in comparison to the rest of the aches in his body. Still, it was likely he’d have fingerprint-shaped bruises there soon. “We’re going to take a shortcut to my place. It’s just through here.”
Tommy squinted at the building they were approaching. It was massive, likely some sort of factory or warehouse. Though, from the rough condition of the outside, it seemed abandoned. Vines were creeping up the sides, somehow clinging to the walls. Bushes and weeds were overgrown, covering most of the cracked driveway.
Tommy shivered.
“You sure this is safe?”
“I come through here all the time. Yes, I’m sure.”
“Okay.”
They were quiet for a while as they approached the building. Then, Quackity asked, “do you think vampires can be kind?”
Tommy took a deep breath and bit his lip. If only he knew the answer to that question.
“I don’t know. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt-”
“One attacked you,” Quackity quickly pointed out. “You look dead because of one. If I didn’t find you, you probably would be.”
“I know, but-”
“How can you continue to defend them? They’re killers. They only want what’s best for themselves. They’re selfish creatures who use humans and give nothing in return. They’re a threat to our existence.”
Tommy kept quiet.
“They’re called monsters for a reason, man. They’re not capable of being kind or forming emotional bonds with humans. We’re just another thing for them to abuse and destroy.”
“Yeah,” Tommy submitted bitterly. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
“Yes, I am.”
Wilbur couldn’t have liked Tommy. He just needed to lure him into a false sense of security. It was all a part of his plan to get a new human blood bag. And Tommy fell fast and hard. Wilbur must’ve been experienced with making people feel special and then tearing them apart. The thought made Tommy’s chest hurt.
Quackity pushed open a metal door, leading Tommy into the dark building. As soon as the door slammed behind the pair, there was nothing but black.
The hand around Tommy’s shoulder pulled away, leaving Tommy wobbling unsteadily.
“Hey? Quackity?” Tommy called, listening to quiet footsteps from somewhere behind him.
“Just turning on the lights,” Quackity answered calmly. Right. That made sense.
Something metal scraped behind Tommy, making him jump slightly.
“What was that?”
“I tripped, that’s all,” Quackity replied a little too quickly. The response seemed rehearsed, prepared.
Tommy hobbled a few steps, testing his legs. They weren’t thrilled about fully supporting his body weight, but they managed.
“Quackity?” Tommy said, voice higher pitched than normal.
There was a click and then painfully bright lights turned on overhead. Tommy groaned, lifting a hand to cover his eyes.
“Shit, man. A little warning next-”
A sudden weight crashed onto Tommy’s back, sending him onto the cement floor immediately. He felt his skull hit the ground first. The crack rang in his ears. He would’ve sworn up a storm if not for his vision flashing white and leaving him breathless.
“You fucking lying monster,” Quackity growled, holding Tommy’s head against the ground. Tommy distantly connected the weight on his back to the person who was allegedly helping him. Why did he-
“You thought you were so clever, didn’t you? Trying to talk shit about vampires? What was your plan? Hm? Wait until I help you and then you’d tear my throat out? Were you going to repay my kindness by killing me?”
What was he talking about? Tommy’s head hurt. He couldn’t keep up.
“You’re far too obvious. Your fingers are blue. Your heartbeat is way too slow to be human. The bandages around your neck aren’t very original either. That’s how every vampire covers their turning scars.”
Turning scars? No. Phil just drank Tommy’s blood. That was his only purpose. He was just Wilbur’s family’s blood bag.
“I’m not-”
“SHUT UP!” Quackity snarled, grabbing a handful of Tommy’s hair, lifting his head, and slamming it back into the ground.
Tommy’s vision blacked out for a few seconds before coming back around. The world spun. His ears were ringing. He only knew pain-pain-fledgling-hurt!
He wanted everything to stop.
“You’re disgusting,” Quackity spat. “You think you’re so much better than us? You are nothing. It’s your turn to be at the bottom of the food chain. You’re going to get a taste of your own medicine. From this point on, you’re nothing more than a tool for me to survive. Let’s see how you like it.”
Tommy whined pathetically. He wasn’t a vampire! Quackity had him wrong! This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
Sire?-need-sire!
Tommy had no clue what the fuck a sire was, but he knew he wanted them. They would keep him safe. They’d help. Tommy wanted his sire.
“This will be simple if you behave. You give me your venom, and I’ll feed you on occasion. That’s all you have to do.”
Tommy wasn’t a fucking vampire! He couldn’t make venom! He didn’t even have fangs! Quackity needed to listen to him!
“Stop,” he whimpered.
“Stop?” Quackity laughed. “I bet you didn’t stop when people begged you to. You probably bit into their necks harder, making their death messier and more painful. It’s not fun being on the other end of things, is it?”
“I’m not-”
Quackity picked Tommy’s head up and shoved it into the cement again. He yelped in pain, losing consciousness for a few seconds. He came back to feeling a jab in his neck.
This was all wrong. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go! He was supposed to get help. Quackity was meant to save him from the family of vampires, not treat him like one.
“Go to sleep, monster,” Quackity huffed, finally letting go of Tommy’s head and standing up.
Tommy couldn’t move his limbs if he wanted to. Everything hurt. And black spots were obstructing his vision again.
No, no, no, no.
Tommy had to stay awake. This was a misunderstanding! He couldn’t– no– please– not like this.
“Please,” Tommy whispered.
His eyes shut against his will.
Sire-help-sire?
♡
“Ugh, he’s so cute, Techno,” Wilbur practically drooled, leaning on his brother’s shoulder. “You’re going to love him. He’s an absolute spitfire.”
“Sure,” Techno drawled, only looking up from his book for a second.
“You will! Dad, tell him how cute Tommy is. He looks just like you too.”
Phil chuckled at his son’s eagerness. “I’ll give you that. He looks a lot like I used to. Once he wakes up, he’s going to be a handful.”
“Great,” Techno scoffed. “Just what we need: another little terror ruining the nest. Wilbur’s only just started respecting quiet time.”
“Quiet time is bullshit,” Wilbur rolled his eyes. “Unless you agree to cuddle. Oh! Tommy’s going to love cuddling. He’s so affectionate under all his swearing and shouting. He’s like an angry teddy bear.”
Phil laughed softly. “You know, Tech. I think he’s going to be a lot like you when you were a fledgling.”
Techno snapped his book shut, setting it on his crossed legs and staring at Phil over his reading glasses. “If he is, I’m leaving this coven. I just want some peace and quiet. You’d think it’d be easy to find that being immortal and all. But no. Dadza just keeps adopting the problem children.”
“I wasn’t a problem child,” Wilbur gasped.
“No, you weren’t because you still are.”
“Oi! Take that back! I’m not a child, asshole. Nor am I a problem!”
Phil shook his head and smiled while his sons bickered. Unfortunately, he’d never met human Tommy, but from the stories Wilbur shared, the boy would fit in just fine. And Wilbur’s judgment could be questionable at times, but Phil trusted him when it came to something as big as a new fledgling.
The odd similarity between Phil and Tommy’s appearances might’ve been another reason Phil found himself so inclined to turn the kid. They could’ve easily been related in another life. He had a good feeling about the boy. He’d fill that hole in the nest.
“How many more days of peace do I have left?” Techno asked, bringing Phil back to the conversation in front of him.
Techno had Wilbur pulled tightly into his lap, intentionally keeping his arms restricted. The brunette kicked his legs against the couch cushions, but it did nothing to free him from the older vampire. That was how most of their fights ended. Wilbur might have a sharp tongue, but physically, he’d never stand a chance against his brother.
“Only a few more,” Phil acknowledged. “He should be waking up in about two days or so. Maybe a little longer. He struggled quite a bit with the turning.”
“Struggled?” Techno asked with a tilt of his head. Wilbur stopped squirming, curious too.
“He’s resistant and stubborn. With you two, because you were willing turns, you both drank my blood before you passed out. Tommy fought until the last second, so he missed that step.”
“You could’ve forced him to drink it after,” Techno pointed out.
“I’m not risking drowning my new fledgling. Finishing the bond can wait until he wakes up.”
“Wait,” Wilbur interjected. “Can you not feel him? Like at all?”
“Not really. When bonds are formed, you need both vampires to drink each other’s blood so they have that connection established. So, if I only drank Tommy’s blood during the turning, I’d be able to feel some of his emotions, but he wouldn’t feel mine. That’s why it’s important for fledglings to get their sire’s blood; so the sire can calm them and help them adjust when they wake. It’s a smoother transition.
“But, since Tommy didn’t, the connection isn’t there all the way. If Tommy were awake, I’d only be able to feel his extreme emotions. It’s a very weak link without it going both ways.”
“Shouldn’t you be more concerned about the fact that he hasn’t bonded with you?” Wilbur questioned genuinely. “You seem very laid back about this. Anyone can just claim him right now.”
“Most sires would be stressed. But he’s safe in the nest, and I know no other vampires would think of coming close to our property, let alone trying to lay a hand on him. We can afford to wait and not risk killing him in his sleep. It’s a luxury not many covens have, so few do it. Vampires are so impatient and sloppy these days.”
“Oh,” Wilbur exhaled, relaxing in Techno’s grip. The moment he did, Techno shoved Wilbur off his lap and onto the ground. He screamed as he fell a few inches to the ground, acting far more dramatic than necessary.
Perhaps Techno was right about Wilbur still being a problem child.
“The fuck was that for?” Wilbur glared at his brother.
“You were annoying me,” Techno replied easily with a shrug.
“I’m going to kill you,” Wilbur stated.
Techno rolled his eyes before picking up his book from where it fell to the side. He flipped open to where he left off, casually continuing his reading. Wilbur squawked, offended that anyone would ignore him.
Phil could picture Tommy adding perfectly to the scene. Maybe he’d team up with Wilbur to try and fight Techno. Tommy seemed like the type to go for the ankles. Even with Wilbur, they’d have no chance, but it’d be amusing to watch.
Or maybe Tommy would mock Wilbur and call him an assortment of names, using swears in creative ways Phil had never heard in all his years. Techno would try to teach him more eloquent insults, but Tommy would reject them immediately and call Techno names.
Or, what Phil secretly hoped for, Tommy would be a daddy’s boy. While Techno and Wilbur fought, Tommy would curl up with Phil and they’d watch the fights together. Techno grew out of the clingy baby phase decades ago, and Wilbur was approaching that age too. It’d be nice to have a constant weight on his side, or his back, or where ever Tommy could manage to cling on.
There was something special about a needy fledgling.
Phil couldn’t wait for Tommy to wake up. Things were going to be good.
Or, that was what Phil thought until he felt a new, small nudge in the very back of his mind.
Pain-pain-fledgling-hurt!