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“Hello, Owen.” Scott’s voice called out, startling Owen. He sighed, he had been on edge all day, did he really need to deal with Scott?
“Hello, Scott.” Owen said, passively. He flinched as Scott came closer.
“Do you know what a blood bond is?” Scott asked. Owen blinked at him. Why did he even bother asking at this point? He knew Owen didn’t know anything about vampires, not really.
“I’ll bite.” He said resignedly. He was smart enough to understand it was what Scott wanted. “No, what is a blood bond?”
“Hmm. I forget how little your sire taught you.” Scott started. Owen frowned, resisting the urge to hiss at Scott for bringing up his sire. It wouldn’t do much to the elder vampire apart from make him laugh. “When any creature that is not a vampire, including humans, drinks a part of a vampire's blood close to being drunk from it creates a bond, regardless of whether or not venom was used.”
Owen froze. He had given the doctor a small portion of his blood in order to work on the cure after drinking from him. He said it was eye for an eye, blood for blood. He knew it might have contributed to a cure, but he was also so sceptical at the time that it didn’t matter.
Wait, if what Scott was saying was true, it all relied on Legs drinking Owen’s blood. He was a doctor, he was all about sanitary practices. He wouldn’t have done that right? But if he thought it would contribute to a cure…
“This turns them into a problem when turned by another, because the first bond will attempt to fulfill instead of creating a new one. And fledglings can only drink the blood of their sires.” Scott elaborated. Owen didn’t understand what he was getting at.
“I’m not turning Legs for you. Not against his will, anyway.” Owen stated. While he would love to be able to turn the doctor, he would not do it without consent. What Scott was doing with his coven was strange and unnatural.
“You don’t have to, I already did. I just need you to collect him.” Scott stated simply. Owen was overwhelmed by a sudden wave of instincts.
MineFledglingMineDon’tTouchBadMine–
He didn’t even realise he was growling until Scott started to laugh. He wanted to punch him, or maybe bite him and drain him for all he was worth. Legs didn’t want to be turned. They all knew that. He would rather die than accept the gift, no matter how many people he could save or amazing things he could do.
“Territorial over my fledgling are we?” Scott teased. Owen’s stomach flipped at the term ‘my’. He instinctively knew Legs was his, and he shouldn’t be within a hundred feet of the likes of Scott.
“Fuck off. Where is he?” Owen asked, the need to find him overwhelming the desire to not succumb to Scott’s manipulation.
“Plenty eager now. I just had to trigger your instincts a little bit.” Scott said with a shit eating grin.
“Please, you’d be the same if I told you I bit Pyro.” Owen stated, rolling his eyes.
“Pyro in particular?” He asked, feigning casualty. There was a flicker in his expression that gave it away, the same deep rooted possessiveness that was there in all vampires. He wasn’t above anyone.
“We both know you don’t give a shit about Drift or Apo.” He said, continuing just to tick him off a bit more. “And Shelby isn’t even actually yours.”
“Now who’s being obnoxious? Anyway, you know where the nesting room in the castle is. Go in there and claim him properly.” Scott instructed casually. Owen could see through him, he was still seething a bit, but Owen didn’t need to be told twice.
He immediately transformed into a bat, flying towards the castle. He knew what it was like to go through your first day or so without a sire, and that wasn’t a fate he’d inflict on his worst enemy. Except, actually, maybe it was. A lot of people deserved that shit.
He flew through the window, landing in the pile of blankets and turning back into his humanoid form. He immediately spotted Legs curled in the far corner, curled as tightly into a ball as the man possibly could.
Owen approached slowly, trying not to be overwhelming to Legs’ new senses. He wasn’t quite sure if he would register as safe or an outsider in Legs’ mind, so it was better to be slow and cautious.
“Owen?” Legs whispered, pushing his head up slightly. He looked so pathetic like that, squinting up at him from the floor.
“I’m here.” Owen whispered back, not wanting to overwhelm him. He needed to be gentle here.
“Scott turned me, but you feel like sire. Why?” Legs said slowly. Owen tried to think about how to explain it to his fledgling mind.
“He did, but…” Owen reconsidered when he saw Legs blinking up at him in confusion. “I’ll explain later. You’re probably hungry.”
“No. I’m not. No.” Legs insisted, sitting up and moving away from him.
“It’s okay.” Owen said quietly. He didn’t want to force him, but he would if he had to.
FeedClaimFledglingComfortNow–
“Scott was bad.” Legs mumbled, curling in on himself. Owen wanted to hold him.
“I know, but I won’t be.” Owen said, even if he didn’t really know. He had never had a fledgling before, hadn’t even been on the other end of taking care of a fledgling. What if he messed everything up?
He offered his wrist anyway, watching Legs’ pupils dilate like a cat. The older man looks up at him, as if asking permission. Owen does his best attempt at a reassuring smile.
In a flash almost too quick for Owen’s eyes to pick up, Legs sinks his fangs into Owen’s arms. It’s a bit more painful than it normally would be, new fledgling fangs naturally grow sharper over time, but Owen was used to pain.
What was more overwhelming was the click of the bond forming between them. A wave of emotions overcame Owen far too quickly for him to suppress.
GoodFoodYesSireWarmSafeComfortCloseYes–
CareFledglingSafeProtectNestGood–
Owen sent back his own message, hoping the almost maternal instincts would soothe Legs. His mental voice was much quieter, almost childlike, nothing like what Owen would normally associate with the doctor. His heart melted a little bit over his new childe.
Legs detached himself from Owen’s arm when he was done, sitting on his heels. Owen noted that Legs never did that as a human, probably because it would jostle his bad knee. He wished that he had willingly accepted the gift and had understood all the good things that would come from it. He knew that wasn’t the reality, but he could dream.
SireUpsetConfusedFledglingBadFledglingGood–
GoodSafeNotYourFaultRelaxCalmNestSire–
ClosePleaseHoldWantSireHappyWantSafe–
Owen wrapped his arms around Legs, holding him close. The fledgling let out a happy trill, nuzzling into his shoulder. Owen tried to remember the last time he had willingly allowed someone to be this close to him. Probably Louis, but even that was few and far between.
What would Louis think of him right now, trying his best to take care of a fledgling he hadn’t even turned and didn’t even want? Well, that wasn’t right, he did want Legs to be his fledgling, just not like this. Not when Scott spontaneously forced it on both of them, when the town was probably panicking trying to figure out what happened to their benevolent doctor.
Maybe he was a little bit glad that he had been forced to claim Legs, just so he didn’t have to deal with the fallout of that whole disaster. Luckily, no one in town was stupid enough to try and attack a sire vampire with their fledgling after an incident with Scott and Apo earlier when they realised the full extent of a vampire’s protective instincts.
Legs shifted, shocking Owen out of his thoughts. He watched in confusion as Legs shifted to be in his lap, pressing his face into his neck. Owen tentatively wrapped his arms around him again, not wanting to disturb the fledgling.
—
Scott walked up to the tower with some food, knowing Owen was going to be hungry after feeding and bonding with Legs. His half-bond with the doctor had snapped, which was ideal. He was glad he was right in his assumption that it was Owen who had blood bonded with Legs, because otherwise they might have both ended up in an uncomfortable limbo until the fledgling starved. Inconvenient
“Settling in well?” Scott asked as he walked into the tower room. Owen jumped, letting out what Scott recognised as a warning growl.
Legs whined quietly, a distinct fledgling sound that made his ears prick up. Owen immediately moved to soothe him with more care than Scott had even seen him exhibit. It was strange how vampiric impulses could change someone.
Unfortunately, Owen was not far enough out of his new sire instincts for Scott to feel comfortable approaching. Not that he couldn’t take Owen on in a fight if he needed to, but it wasn’t something he particularly wanted to deal with.
He placed the bottle of blood just outside the boundary, watching Owen scramble over to it like a wild animal, inspect it, then drink it. He let out an internal sigh of relief, happy that Owen subconsciously trusted him enough to take food from him. Or that their sires were closely related enough in the vampire hierarchy for him to be considered coven. Scott didn’t know, but the first one would be funnier to lord over him later.
For now, he just had to wait.
—
Legs woke up slowly, drowsy in a way he hadn’t been in a long time. Most of the time, he woke up violently alert, having to calm himself down from whatever horrible dream he had experienced. Today, there was just a lazy fade from black to the regular colours of the waking world.
He shuffled closer to whatever he was curled against. He was cold, and a bit hungry. Not enough for it to really bother him though. Everything was good, he was with sire, and he was okay.
Sire? What? Wasn’t that what Pyro called Scott? Why was he? Who was he with? What in the world was going on?
CalmFledglingSafeRelaxPleaseYouAreOkay–
ConfusionSireWhoWhatWhereHowScared–
The strange voice in his mind was calming, but not enough as all the memories came back. Scott held him down as he fought back, pitifully using his silver scalpel to try and fight off the much stronger man after his sword broke. He was left alone in the castle in the tower, Scott muttering something about bonds and Owen. The pull he felt at the simple mention of Owens name, like something was missing and only he could fix it. Drinking from Owen and the overwhelming relief when the bond clicked into place.
And now, here he was, still pressed against his new sire, confused and afraid with no clue what was going on. Why wasn’t he bonded to Scott? Not that he really wanted to be, but the point still stood. Why was it Owen in particular that he was with now? Really, he should just ask Owen.
Except that was a bit awkward because he was still lying against the man, which was incredibly physically intimate in a way that Legs wasn’t quite sure how to process.
“You’re thinking so loud I can practically hear you.” Owen said drying, shocking Legs out of his stupor.
“I, um.” Legs stuttered, not sure what to say,
“You shouldn’t even be conscious enough to talk. Go back to sleep.” Sire Owen said. Legs opened his mouth to ask what he meant when he was suddenly overwhelmed with a smothering layer of calm and drowsiness.
SleepCalmSafeSireGoodOkayContentHappyDrowsyRelaxed–
ConfusedAnswersNoAwakeScaredWhatAreYouDoingBadSire–
PleaseSleepIDoNotWantToDealWithDevelopmentalIssuesCalmSafe–
After a few seconds, Legs forgot what he was even so worried about. He went back to sleep, just like his sire told him to.