Chapter Text
Mark carried Raven back to their dorm, Rev was grumbling to himself, as he often did. Mark really hoped Rev was actually a softie on the inside, otherwise his words might hurt.
They still kinda did.
“Right, so I’m going to go the baths and get ready for bed, did you wanna come with?” He sat Raven down in his coffin, who instantly laid down like the cutie she was.
“No,” Rev stated plainly, lying down in his bed and facing the wall without bothering to change.
Rev was scarier when he was quiet. Mark didn’t like it. At least the yelling, the declarations of hatred, they were still emotion.
Mark frowned, glanced at Raven’s collar, then back at him. “I’m sorry.”
Rev scoffed, “For what? Screwing up my plan in every which way?”
Mark felt his shoulders rise, “Yes! I really, really tried to help, be useful.”
“Yeah, well you weren’t!” Rev swiveled to look at him, sitting up.
“Why are you so adamant about pushing everyone who wants to help you away?!” Mark finally shouted. He then shot his eyes up to him and tensed, preparing to be yelled at again.
Rev looked away. “I don’t know, okay? I don’t.”
Mark sighed, he knelt down onto the floor beside his coffin and fidgeted with his fingers, swallowing thickly. “It must suck. I mean you found out you were a revenant so late into your life. I’m not going to lie and pretend I know how you’re feeling, but I’m immortal too. I’m a vampire.”
“And?”
“And I’ll lose everyone I’m close to, too. I don’t know if that’s crossed your mind yet, but it certainly has crossed mine. Once, I thought, it’d be better to push everyone away. But… you and I? We can be best buds, immortal together. We wouldn’t have to lose each other,” he looked up at him with conviction.
Rev stared at him, for a moment Mark could convince himself he got through to him, then, “As if. I don’t want any of this! Not this school, not being immortal, not you.”
Why was he even trying? Mark sighed. Because if everyone gave up on Rev, he could’ve turned out just like those ghouls from the graveyard.
“Okay,” Mark acquiesced. “I’m gonna go now,” he stood, “sleep well.”
Rev just laid back down.
Mark closed the door behind him, quietly walking to the communal bath with his mind swirling.
He didn’t bother looking in his reflection, didn’t have one, and went straight to the showers, pulling the curtain closed after undressing and letting the water hit him. He liked hot showers, made him forget about the chilled bones that came with being undead. He wondered if Rev agreed.
The shower was simple, brushing his teeth was even simpler. When he came back to the dorm, it was empty and his heart sank.
Not again. He whined.
He ran back down the hall, practically skipping multiple steps, and burst into Professor Lovecraft’s classroom.
“Mr. Dracula, it’s quite late, though I suppose you’re more inclined to be nocturnal than most. What is it you require from me?” He was packing up papers on his desk and Mark felt a little bad about interrupting him.
“Rev is missing again!”
Lovecraft sighed heavily, “Maybe you should consider giving him more independence? It is not against the rules for students to wander around the halls at night, as long as they’re being quiet.”
Mark bristled, “Well- yeah! But before I left for the baths, he was acting all weird again. You know… quieter. I figured he was feeling like killing himself again, but when isn’t he? Oh, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have left him alone,” he was pacing, “it’s all my fault-“
“Cease that train of thought now,” Lovecraft quickly walked over, resting his hand on Mark’s shoulder, “It is admirable that you care for Mr. Vennett so much, but in no way is it your fault he’s so adamant on finding a way to leave. You’ve only known each other for a short amount of time, Mr. Dracula. And in no way is anyone expecting you and you alone to rehabilitate Mr. Vennett.”
Mark felt his shoulders drop, “I’m being pushy, aren’t I? Professor Lovecraft, be honest, am I making things worse?”
He sighed, “There’s no right way to go about this. Not for someone as stubborn as him, not for someone as caring as you.”
“But Rev tells me all the time that he hates me, that I ruin all his plans, that he doesn’t want to be my friend,” Mark looked down to the ground. “I thought that, maybe, he just struggled with vulnerability. But… I also know that Rev’s the only guy willing to talk to me.”
“I’m sure none of that is true,” Lovecraft patted his head. “There’s a lot of students in this school, plenty of opportunities for friends, and Mr. Vennett can still be exactly what you thought he was, it just takes time.”
Mark let his eyes meet Lovecraft’s, slightly glossy, he nodded. “Thank you, professor.”
“Of course. It’s what I’m here for. Now let’s go find him.”
They checked every balcony and open window and couldn’t find him. They eventually ran into Sera and she decided to help for she had nothing better to do and that’s when they decided to split up and cover more ground.
Mark dragged his feet a little, his tire catching up to him. He opened the door into the kitchen and saw a leg poking out of behind the island counter.
Mark carefully approached, peering over and— it was Rev! But it was Rev with a knife in his chest, and a lot of blood indicating he bled out multiple times.
He knelt down to help.
“Don’t you dare,” Rev gritted out, sitting up in an attempt to move. “I’m trying to see how many times I can die back to back.”
“What? On my fangs, you’re insane!” Mark shot up, “Mr. Lovecraft! He’s in here!”
Soon enough, the teacher was in there and by Mark’s side in an instant, leaving Sera to peer in from the door.
He saw Rev and let out a slow, agonizing sigh, “Mr. Vennett…”
Rev just scowled at him. Lovecraft waved his arm and in a swoosh of black and teal particles, the knife disappeared from Rev’s chest.
“Tsk.”
“Tsk? Tsk?! That’s all you have to say? I was worried about you!” Mark shouted.
“I never asked for you to care, vampire.”
“Stop calling me that! My name is Mark!” He stepped forward with a hiss, fangs baring. Lovecraft held out an arm to stop him.
“Enough, both of you. Head to your dorms immediately and get some rest. Mr. Vennett, expect a lengthy talk after tomorrow’s lesson.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Rev grumbled, standing up like it was no big deal, that he didn’t just bleed out over and over again.
Mark felt utterly hopeless. He nodded and walked back to their room in a daze.
He leaned over his coffin and saw that Raven was fast asleep and taking up way more space than she needed to. Instead of moving her, he decided to lay on the ground next to it, staring at the ceiling.
“…What’re you doing?” Rev asked from his spot on his bed.
“Raven’s in my coffin.”
“So? Move her.”
“Can’t, she’s asleep. I don’t wanna disturb her.”
Rev shifted, “Why do you care so much?” It sounded less like a jab, and more like something actually vulnerable.
Mark tried not to get his hopes up, “If I don’t, what other point would there be for prolonged existence?” Mark didn’t move his gaze from the ceiling and Rev remained silent.
“I could stab myself with a stake,” he finally whispered out, startling Rev out of their silent stupor.
“…what?”
“I mean, if I didn’t care, what’s stopping me from dragging a wooden stake into my heart?” Mark laughed awkwardly, but he did not move.
Silence, the stunned kind.
Rev slowly slid out of his bed and laid down on the ground with him.
They didn’t say anything, they just stared at the ceiling together.
“Why don’t you care so much?” Mark finally asked. A part of him wanted to ask why he wasn’t enough to want to stay, but he heeded Lovecraft’s words. They hadn’t known each other for long and that was that. Maybe with enough time, he could be.
“Nunya,” Rev said instead and it startled a laugh out of Mark. Then Rev began laughing, then they were laughing together and all felt right for once since being thrust into this school.
And with Mark and Rev lying on the floor, facing each other, Mark finally felt himself succumbing to rest.
“Hey, Rev?” His voice was addled with sleep, eyes drifting closed.
“Hm?” Rev’s tone indicated he wasn’t too far away from the dream realm himself.
“…How about this, from now on, if you jump, I jump?”
“What? No!” He shot up.
“Too late…” Mark felt his words drift just as sleep hit him.