Chapter Text
For a man as intelligent and responsible as one certain Silvermane Guard Captain, Gepard Landau, he could make really dumb decisions. Just like this one.
It’s been years at this point. Years of playful chases, painful wounds and last minute saves on both sides. Time they, somehow, decided to take out of their free will. And with so much time spent together come secrets, small and big. One of those secrets is that Sampo is not like most of the other citizens of Belobog. Like most of his fellow Fools that hail from Epsilon he is a notorious creature of the night, a bloodsucker, a vampire .
He never had a problem with it, on the contrary even, most of his business partners were night owls which played right into his little greedy hands. And if there was a little conflict it just needed a little snap of his fingers to resolve itself. Only if his trusty smoke bombs didn’t help of course. He still had an image to keep, after all.
And he would have kept that little part of himself away from all and everything, had he not crudely miscalculated on one of his little errand runs for Natasha. Get to the checkpoint, pay the client, take the goods back to the clinic and DONE. That’s how it was supposed to go. What WASN’T supposed to happen was that his client had backup, quite a few fellows that were unfortunate enough to fall prey to his scammings, that wanted to see him either bleed or dead. What was he to do but try to save his own skin? Sadly these men already knew some of his tactics, which meant his sleep-inducing bombs didn’t knock everyone out and bullets started flying the moment they had a clear field of sight again. While most of those missed him, there still were one or two lucky shots that hit their target. At the smell of his own blood the dual haired male knew he had to hurry, because blood meant hunger. And hunger meant losing control. And losing control was not an option.
So he drew his blades and dispatched the group as swift as the hunter he pretended not to be. But it was still not fast enough. He didn’t kill a single man, couldn’t live with the idea what a certain blond Captain would think of him, so the scent of iron grew even thicker in the air and his mouth slowly started to fill with saliva. Taking another deep breath Sampo groaned. It’s been sooooo fucking long. Shaking his head he desperately tried to keep it together, fighting against his instinct to find the next nice smelling person and just feed to his heart's content.
Just as he was about to finally turn away he heard hurried steps and yelling, the metallic sound of them being his clue that the guards had arrived. And wherever the Silvermane Guards arrive, their Captain will follow. It’s just this one time when Sampo does NOT want to see the middle Landau child, he is the first to round the corner, the first to see the blood. Clear blue eyes looked around, took everything in, until they landed on his person, saw the two gunshot wounds and connected with his own dimly glowing jade ones.
Something seemed to click in the blonde's mind and before he could say something the conman used just a snippet of his powers and simply vanished.
It wasn’t one of his best or proudest moments but he was starting to panic, ok?!
Ever since that day something had changed between the blond Captain and the thief, Sampo just doesn’t know what exactly.
Back to the dumb decision making tho.
Gepard knew Sampo was a vampire. And Sampo knew that Gepard knew that the conman needed blood from time to time. Not really often, just a sip here or there to get by, unless the older of the two were to get injured. He has told the blond so himself. Told him in detail what risks that would entail and how severe the injury would have to be before the gnawing HUNGER set in.
(It had taken them weeks, if not MONTH, to have that conversation. And Sampo still felt guilty that they had to have that in the first place.)
It had taken the arrival of the Trailblazer and the Astral Express, the sealing of the Stellaron, a new Supreme Guardian and the reunion of the Over- and Underworld for everything to finally boil over for the two of them.
Gepard and the Silvermane Guards were outside of Belobog’s save walls because of renewed Fragmented monster sightings. Which makes sense with the end of the Eternal Freeze and all that. And while Sampo knows that his favorite guard was not only good at his job but also very damn durable, he had a very bad feeling about this. So he decided to investigate a little. Bribing a few people here, eavesdropping some Silvermane Guards there, needling Seele just to be a nuisance and get info from Lady Bronya and he was on his way outside the walls. Because if there was one thing that Sampo Koski had learned during his time traveling from planet to planet, then it was to listen to his instincts.
Once there he couldn't stop himself from cussing and cursing.
There were Fragmentum monsters, alright. But these were not the small flies like a few Flame- or Frostspawns. Ohhh no no no. He wasn’t even that worried about the Imaginary Weavers he saw as well. But the Searing Prowlers and their icy counterparts? Those raised quite a few concerns. But what made this the worst that could have happened was the unfavorable mix of Decaying Shadows, Guardian Shadows and the Aeons-damned Stormbringer right in the middle of this horrendous battlefield. And even more important was the heavy scent of iron in the frigid air, the red splashed almost artistically on the white ground, and the struggling figure of Gepard Landau. Sampo was not stupid enough to underestimate the Preservation Pathfollower, having been on the wrong side of his gauntlet a few to many times and protected by his crystal clear ice shield just as often, but his once pristine uniform was torn in some places and red seeping into the white fabric. Yet he still stands strong, Belobog’s shield not yielding, still protecting the wounded Guards that try to regroup.
The Captain's guitar case hits enemy after enemy, renews and rebuilds his shield as often as his endurance, stamina and his ability will allow him, but just this once it seems not to be enough. Sampo was still too far away to hear them clearly but his eyes tracked every little movement, so he knew the exact moment the golden Landau child ordered their retreat and the criminal would do anything to make sure that the Captain would follow his own order.
Swift as the cold wind around them he stepped up to the slowly tiring Captain and offered his humble assistance. “Need a hand, dear Captain?” If said man was surprised to see him, he sure didn’t show it, simply pushed the closest Prowler away and sighed. “I can’t believe that I’m about to say this, but yes.” And that was more than enough for the older to grab his blades and throw himself into the battle, allowing his body to move as nature had dedicated it to: swift, smooth and stealthy. Not even the slippery underground was of any hindrance to him, he simply calculated how far he would slip on the ice if he had the right speed and went with the flow, felt the adrenaline pump through his veins and let his mind drown in the Elation of the battle. And where he fell short, Gepard would take his place: freezing the enemies that got just a tad too close for comfort, taunting the monsters that were trying to go after the retreating Soldiers or starting to go a little to hard after the blue haired conman and looking to it that the shimmering ice of his shield never faltered.
So they fought and fought until one of the more able bodied Silvermanes called to them. “Captain Gepard! All soldiers are back behind the gates!” The blond gave a small sigh of relief before tensing up. Something was not right. Blue eyes flicked around the white fields they fought upon, searching for whatever raised his hackles but coming up with nothing. Not even the sudden appearance of Sampo at his side could quell this strange feeling. Tightening his hand around Earthwork’s strap he whispered to the other male. “I have a bad feeling. Something is not right here.” Sampo overlooked their surroundings again and did a mental checklist of the monsters he saw when he first arrived here and froze. Looking again through the bloodied and slowly swirling snow he just had to ask. “Gep….. Did you see or fight the Stormbringer?” The others serious voice gave the younger pause and then he screamed with all his might towards his men, still waiting at the entrance. “CLOSE THE GATES!” right as a swirling green glint shone through the glittering white.
The Stormbringer had used their distraction and locked onto the gates, where all of the weak and injured were. All the soldiers that would definitely not survive the hit of the monster's arrow, especially not a charged one. Blue met green and then nothing but chaos. The gates closed, just as ordered, but they were so slow, so fucking slow. Gepard took another deep breath, focused all of his remaining power and determination into his right hand, before forcing his gauntlet one last time into the ground at his feet and casting one last blindingly blue shield for the time being. Wave after wave of ice climbed on top of each other, layer before layer and Gepard prayed to Qlipoth and the Preservation that it would be enough. What he did not take into account in that instance, was that the centaur like creature would change targets at the last second, as if it had just waited for the Gepard to use up his ability. Because now, he was practically defenseless except for Earthwork. And while he COULD tank such a hit, had done it dozens of times and in much more severe situations, it was never without some kind of backup or a fast cooldown for his shield. Which is both rather unavailable at the moment.
Thinking fast he put his case down with as much strength as possible and put his whole weight against it, just as the creature released the first arrow. Despite being not only tired but also wounded he took the hit. But it pushed him so far back that he was close to losing his ground. When the pressure had vanished Gepard grit his teeth and moved as fast as he could, which was still faster than average, but way too slow for the current situation.
Sampo on the other hand knew the same thing. Knew without a single doubt that his very dear Captain Landau was on the last leg of his legendary endurance and could not withstand another attack without being severely, if not fatally, wounded. And that? That just wouldn’t do. Crouching low in the snow he observed for no more than seconds, watched the Stormbringer not letting up from Gepard, followed its movement as it readied another attack and pounced. He may be at an elemental disadvantage but that doesn’t change the fact that he was not human. In the blink of an eye he stood just behind the beast and slashed at its hindlegs, making it stumble right before it kicked out. Sampo used that little window to get underneath the centaur and cut its belly open in one clean cut only to disappear right after. It screeched and trashed, looking for the one that wounded it so much.
Sadly he miscalculated, again, and it stormed towards the still stumbling blond. Even bleeding and unable to walk quite right it was faster than the captain and the conman could only watch for the moment as beautiful blue grew wide. For him it happened in slow motion: Gepard bracing himself, eyes tightly shut, only to be flung to the side with way too much power for any mortal to survive, no matter if they follow the Preservation or not. At least not when that someone is already as tattered and beaten as the younger is at the moment.
Jade green glowed and slowly bled to red while the pupils narrowed to slits and a deep growl rumbled in his chest. With one step he was between his dearest human and the frozen wall he was hurling towards, embracing the slightly smaller body so that his back took most of the sudden impact. The wall crumbled slightly from their speed and weight and Sampo could taste the blood that suddenly pooled in his mouth. Not only was the blond not the lightest soldier out there, crushing his whole body against the hard surface, but there were also the ragged edges of the ice they crashed into that cut deep into his back. Sliding to the ground he steadied them both and tried to look at the others face. Matted blond hair stuck to his forehead and he was coughing up red, red, red blood til it left a small rivulet at the corner of his mouth. Next the now red eyes looked further down and saw the rather huge injury in his side from where the monster put his claws to fling him away. “Fuck.” was everything that came to mind at that discovery.
Outside, the Fragmented monster was still raging, clearly searching for them and Sampo knew they didn't have much time on hand. Of course, just as he thought that it turned its head just so and locked onto them. “Oh for Aeon's sake!” Why the fuck was that thing not dying?! He knows, for a fact, that these damn monsters can bleed out. So why in the Elations name was this one still standing? A weak groan in front of him distracted him momentarily from the approaching disaster. With his left hand he pushed Gepard lightly against his chest and bowed his head so he could hear him. “Easy there Cap.” Bleary blues looked around and finally saw the Stormbringer outside of their new little cave. “Aw fuck.” was the answer to that, honestly, terrifying sight. And if the chest underneath his hand wouldn’t have such problems getting air in the connected lungs, he would have laughed. Because hearing prim and proper Gepard Landau swear? A treat like nothing else. Or at least nothing much else.
There was a strange tension between them when Gepard let his head fall against his shoulder, exposing his slender neck to hungry red eyes. Only the shuddering breaths of the other kept him from leaning down and getting a taste, because the hunger was slowly creeping up on him. And their still bleeding wounds did not help in that aspect. Then he MUST have hallucinated or simply misheard due to blood loss, because there was just no way in this galaxy that the blond in front of him just asked him that. But knowing Gepard like he did, he just had to make sure. “You did not just ask that of me.” A pained chuckle was his answer, as well as this irritating screech from outside. Right after that came another coughing fit and a pained hiss. “I’ll gladly….ask again if you want.” The sound of hooves trampling on the still falling snow kept his attention on the outside while he hissed between his teeth “Glad you finally found your humor Geppie, but I’m afraid this is no time for jokes.”
Green light seemed to focus on one spot. Another arrow that’s being charged right in front of them. “Do I look like the type to joke?” Pulling the younger just a little bit closer he chuckled. “Guess not.” The light grew brighter and time was running out. The temperature around them dropped just a little bit more as ice slowly crawled around them. Or more specifically a short distance in front of them, nothing more than a few inches away from their feet. Ice, that Sampo knew, was created by only one person. Looking at the still gauntlet glad fist, his suspicion was confirmed. Just as the wind arrow whistled through the freezing air outside, said fist clenched tight and smashed into the ground, raising the smallest shield the vampire had ever seen from the proud captain. It was just big enough to cover both of them, yet hard enough to actually withstand the attack. The only downside? Now they were trapped. One bleeding, hungry vampire and one equally wounded and bleeding Silvermane Captain. And the longer Sampo held him close the sweeter he smelled. Only Gepards next words pulled him back from the edge. “That one….. is not going to hold very long.” he said, right as more of these annoying arrows hit the barrier. Another deep but rattling breath. “So I ask again. How much blood…. would you need to get us the fuck out of here? Preferably alive?”
Just the mere idea of it, of biting down and finally tasting that tantalizing red nectar, made saliva pool in his suddenly dry mouth. Swallowing, he growled into the younger one's ear. “You are insane, Gep.” Another heavy hit and the ice started to chip away, the shield still solid enough. For the moment. “That doesn't ... .answer my question.” More attacks hit the wall and more ice started to crumble. Pulling him closer still Sampo hissed. “You want a wounded vampire, ME, to feed on an already heavily injured person, YOU, that's already been bleeding for quite some time!” Green was starting to reflect through the ice again and both of them knew that the shield would not hold out after that. A gloved hand slid along his cheek, only to pull his head down in one swift movement, bringing his nose and fangs dangerously close to the blonds still unblemished neck. It didn’t help that Gepard turned his head just slightly further away, giving him even more space and the blue haired male just couldn’t look away from the exposed skin. Swallowing again, and again, he still hesitated, much to Gepards frustration. Huffing he tried again. One last time before that damn thing just outside will ultimately kill them. “You can be angry all…….you want with me. But….. you need to get us out of here first.” Panting like a dog the blue haired one growled again, deep and frustrated, put his second hand on the smaller one's chin and turned him just slightly more to the right before grumbling “We WILL talk about this, Gepard.”
Only then did he bite down, hard and fast, his fangs piercing the delicate skin in one smooth movement. Sweet ambrosia filled his parched throat and there was really no other way to describe it. The taste of Gepards blood gave him a high like no other and he pushed his fangs just slightly deeper in, wanting just that bit more of it. Only the hand pulling on his hair and the small sound the other let slip shook him from his haze and he let go again. Licking every last drop from his still wet lips he couldn’t help the quiet moan that fought its way out of his throat. That right here was by far the best blood he has ever tasted. No matter which planets he has traversed, no one and nothing ever tasted like this or quenched his thirst this fast. It was an addicting feeling, for sure. Out of the corner of his eyes he could swear he saw a pretty pink dusting the Captain's pale cheeks and shook his head. There were more important things at the moment. One last lick to the wound and Sampo looked straight ahead.
Through the remaining layer of ice he could still see the gathering wind of the Stormbringer, ready to fire and shatter their last bit of protection. With Gepard’s taste still on his tongue he pushed said blond a little to the side so he could sit up a little and focus. Red eyes glowed brightly and with the boost of the fresh blood from moments ago his own powers took hold. Between one breath and the next the ice wall shattered. An arrow was let loose only to stay right in midair, right inbetween the monster it came from and its target. The Stormbringer was clearly confused why its attack did not proceed and tried to gather more wind, only to suddenly stop. If the monster was the predator for the duration of the fight and the two males its prey, it knew on an instinctual level that the tables have now turned.
First it took two steps back and shook its head, then began the slight trembling of its limbs.
The frigid air had frozen its wound shut, the bleeding not strong enough before it happened. Then it watched as its own arrow split apart into smaller pieces, which in turn formed deathly sharp blades and started spinning. With a snap they were sent flying, cutting deep into the monster's skin and even severing one of its front legs. It tried to parry, but just before it touched the blades they turned into a gentle breeze, only to reform behind its back and continue. Confused and enraged, it looked for the attacker, trying to see from where the blades were coming. But there was nothing, nothing but the cave….
Blood red met with the visor of the Stormbringer.
And in a cruel twist on the vampire's part he watched as their enemy stood frozen, probably from terror. Just outside their little cave was one big swirling mass of wind, a focused storm ready to tear anything apart. He smirked, bloodied fangs on display and eyes alight in glee as he watched its desperation to get away. All blades stilled themselves, still surrounding the beast. With another resounding snap they pierced through its thick hide, keeping it immobilized, while the small storm in front of them cut it simply in half.
Hazy blue eyes watched everything happen, from the moment the older simply stopped the attack in mid air, right to using the Stormbringers own tactic against it. And if the poor Captain found that display of power and self control rather attractive, he would say it’s the bloodloss. Because there was no way in the Preservation that he would ever admit to being hopelessly attracted to the taller male. At least not out loud….
As the adrenaline slowly faded from his system he felt the cold creeping under his wet and torn clothes, as well as the throbbing and hurting of his many wounds. With a quiet curse he tried to sit up, at least a little, but the moment he moved pain shot through his entire body.
Just as he was about to just push through the agonizing feeling, gentle hands stilled him and he looked up into still red glowing gems. He wanted to say something, opened his mouth only to close it again when the other leant in so his mouth was right beside his already reddening ear. He wanted to ask what was wrong when Sampo talked first. It was one simple word, yet Gepard felt it right down to the deepest parts of his body. “Rest.”
Shuddering, he fought to keep his eyes open but the gentle hands held him close and secure. A feeling that was as precious as it was strange to him. Shaking his head that deep voice spoke again while one of those big hands slid into his matted hair and gave him gentle pats. “Rest. I’ve got you.”
With that rare feeling of safety Gepard was unable to resist the voices pull and let himself be held. With every breath he took it got more difficult to keep his eyes open, every blink took longer than the last, till his eyes just stayed closed and his breath finally evened out.
Sampo was honestly impressed that his beloved Captain held out for so long. There weren’t many people out there who could withstand a vampires hypnotizing voice, let alone fight it.
But for now, this was the best option, for he still had to get the blond back to Belobog and to a medic. And with how severe his injuries were it was the best that his favorite human being on this planet was not awake when he moved them.
Pulling the sleeping soldier out of the cave he pulled him up into a princess carry, ignoring the blood he smeared all over himself and still trying his best not to irritate the wounds further. With one last look back over the battlefield he let the wind carry them back towards the gates and towards the still waiting soldiers. And if he used another snippet of his powers to conceal the bite on Gepards neck and force his eyes to be the right color again, no one would ever know.
(No one but Natasha and, by extension, Serval. Those women were just terrifying and scared the living shit out of him.)