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It had all started as a way to get back at that foolish vampire hunter.
Owen had been coming back from the woods after a few hours of cutting down trees to give to M to help build their house. It had been quiet, silence only interrupted by the wildlife roaming among the trees. Until shrieks in the distance cut directly through the lumberjack's sensitive hearing. He growled under his breath. Avid. The self-proclaimed vampire hunter was yet again spewing his spiel against vampires to someone who had tired of it. It was literally all that pest spent his time going on about.
Owen had gotten closer to the noise, being unfortunately being as much curious as he was bothered. He quietly put down all the wood he had gathered and stepped behind one of the trees. After making sure to make himself invisible, he looked out from his hiding spot. As he had expected, there had been Avid, trying to loudly convice the doctor about the positives of always keeping garlic on their person and eating it every so often. And, just as expected, the expression of Legundo's face communicated quite clearly the wish of being literally anywhere else other than here.
"Come on, Legs!" Avid had practically begged, his amethyst eyes looking at the doctor with such earnest desperation. "Garlic really does have positive effects on your health! Would it really so bad to carry some with you?"
Legundo tiredly put a hand on his face, slowly dragging it over his eyes. "I told you already, Avid. I'm not going to do that just to entertain you and your conviction that vampires exist."
Owen had let himself have a small amused huff, staring at the two continuing the rather one-sided discussion. Poor little Avid, always so easily dismissed. If he didn't constantly yell about killing vampires, Owen might had felt bad for the guy. A sudden flicker of irritation had started to stir inside of him and, along with it, had come an idea. He had stepped closer, still invisible, right behind the vampire hunter and waited for the right moment.
"But-" Avid had started to speak yet again and Owen had taken it as the perfect time to strike.
He had grazed his fingers with the back of the man's neck, vampiric cold briefly meeting with living warmth, and Avid had immediately jumped in the air and let out the loudest squeak.
Owen had quickly taken a few steps back, watching amusedly as the man wildy turned side to side to try and catch what had touched him.
Legundo had turned to look at Avid, worry taking place of the annoyance that had rested on his face. "Are you alright, Avid?"
Avid had kept on turning, voice answering the doctor shakely. "S- something touched me! Something touched me! It must have been a vampire!"
Whatever care the doctor had had for the young man in that moment, had immediately trickled away, silently starting to walk off. Owen had stared with a large grin as Avid ran after Legundo, shouting at the older man not to leave him there alone.
Ever since then, Owen had taken to, every so often, bothering Avid while invisible. Even after he left the town behind. A touch here and there. Sometimes with more claws and others with less. And every single time the vampire hunter had reacted just as loudly and dramatically as the first.
It was honestly endless fun.
There was also the added benefit that it had all ended up making Avid even more paranoid and unhinged. Owen hadn't even thought it was possible! With his worsening behavior, even Drift had started to look at her roommate with a certain distrustful hesitation in her eyes.
Scott had raised one eyebrow at Owen's way to entertain himself, asking why he bothered to wasting this much time to scare the hunter like that. Owen hadn't answered him, walking off without a word. If Scott can have Pyro to mess around with, he can have Avid. And, honestly, the elder liked to scare that pest just as much as he did. Why is there a problem if Owen likes to do it a bit more often than him?
Fucking hypocrite.
And now, Owen finds himself yet again in a similar situation, walking out of the woods, carrying a haul of blood vials to storage this time. And, yet again, the shrilly voice of that loud pest starts to grate his ears. Owen rolls his eyes at the sound. Does Avid ever shut up?
He steps closer, sort of disinterested… but still wanting to spy upon whatever the hunter is doing. To his surprise, the vampire finds him on his own. Or, well, not exactly. In front of Avid there's a gored open carcass of a sheep. The man is on his knees on the ground, whisper yelling something to himself about 'certainties', but he's speaking too fast for Owen to properly understand.
The vampire is surprised someone left their prey abandoned like that, out in the open. He thought Scott had taught the fledglings in his coven better than that. Going by the smell wafting from it and the vibrant, flowing blood, it has to be a recent kill. Maybe they just had to run off before the 'vampire hunter' could catch them. Owen also isn't quite sure why exactly Avid is freaking out so much about it. As much as it cannot be easy on the eyes, it's not anything to panic this much over.
Oh, well… It doesn't really matter, does it? What does is that a new opportunity to scare the life out of the man has just presented itself in front of Owen.
He grins as he turns himself invisible, taking slow, measured steps to get closer to Avid's shaking back. Owen taps his shoulder and he jumps around, twisting himself to unknowingly face the vampire. As he does, Owen is treated to the sight of Avid's eyes full of tears and the lower part of his face completely covered in blood.
Now, isn't that interesting?
Owen keeps on watching, his attention rapt on the trembling hunter as he looks from side to side anxiously, both his heart and breathing picking up loudly. "W- who's there? Show yourself!"
Avid pulls out a stake, remaining in the weak hold of his hand through sheer miracle. "I- I'm not scared of you!"
The vampire can't help but let out an amused laugh and Avid quickly turns back towards his direction. He does his best to tighten the hold on the stake in his hand and his eyes roam, looking for something he won't be able to see.
"C- come on!" The hunter yells out, his voice getting louder but not the confidence in it. "Come out a- already! I h- heard you!"
Well… why not give Avid exactly what he's asking for? He seems to want it so bad. But simply coming out of invisibility and showing himself is not fun. No, Owen has other ideas.
He grabs the hunter's face between his hands, feeling him jump under his touch, and before the human can scream anything else, Owen starts licking at the blood around his mouth. It's enough to freeze Avid, whatever annoying thing he wanted to say dying on his tongue.
Owen doesn't make himself wait before he licks off another bit of blood and then pushes the hunter to the ground. Avid goes down with small yelp, the stake he was holding falling on the grass with a dull sound. The vampire straddles his waist, one leg at each side of it, and then pins down the human's arms.
Avid makes a pitiful, pained noise. Owen might have used a little bit too much of his strength while subduing him. He doesn't really care. Hearing Avid suffer makes a certain thrill travel down his spine. He needs more.
Being forced down must have been enough for Avid to get out of his stupor as the man beneath him starts to complain and struggle uselessly against his hold. "Let me go! D- don't eat me, I don't t- taste that good! And-"
Owen rolls his eyes as he hears the beginnings of the man panicked ramble. He doesn't want to hear it go on for long. The vampire leans down until he is next to Avid's ear and hisses out in it one singular word.
"Quiet."
Avid stills, gulps and lets out a few more panicked words. "O- okay, a- a- alright. I- I'll stay quiet, I-"
Owen doesn't let him end, pressing his claws on the human's arm, not enough to break skin but enough to threaten, and hissing out more sharply. "I said QUIET!"
This time the hunter does actually listen, silently trembling like a leaf beneath him. Not good at listening to orders this one, huh? Owen can't say he is surprised. He stares down at him and the delicious terror on his face. Avid's eyes are extremely wide, enough Owen isn't sure they aren't going to pop out out of his head. More tears have trickled down his face, mixing with remaining blood still staining the human's skin. He licks the mixture, Avid's breath itching at the contact, and lets out a low hum at the taste of it. He can feel the fear and the adrenaline in the human's tears mixing with the animal blood and he loves it.
Whatever common sense had made Avid listen to his warning must be wearing off as Owen can start to hear the pathetic attempts of the hunter trying to form words. How one human can be so foolish, he doesn't know. But the vampire will have to teach him better than disobey and, looking at the carcass laying next to them, he knows exactly what to do.
He groups both of Avid's arms in the hold of one of his hands, solidly holding him down in the dirt by his wrists. And with his newly free hand, Owen reaches out to the body of the sheep and tears out a chunk of bloody flesh. Avid stammers back into proper silence as he stares up at what must be for him a piece of floating meat. A few drops from it fall onto his face but the human is too terrified to even realize.
"Open."
"W- wha-" Avid starts but Owen takes advantage of his open mouth and stuffs the flesh onto it. He grins widely as he watches the hunter squeal, unable to say any words with his mouth full.
The vampire watches him struggle for a few moments before he leans down and bites onto the part of meat still poking out. He takes his time as he eats, enjoying the pure terror on the human's face who is still trying to catch with his eyes the invisible threat on top of him. Adorable.
"Aren't you going to eat, Avid?" He asks with a casual tone. "It's bad manners not to finish one's meal. Did no one teach you that?"
Whatever the hunter might have said in answer, it's blocked by the obstruction occupying his mouth. It was probably going to be something foolish yet again, so, not much of a loss.
"Come on, Avid. Chew." Owen orders him, excitement slipping into his voice.
He must have properly scared the hunter into submission as he watches Avid hesitate only a second before he tries to bite down on the meat. It must not be easy with those dull human teeth, Owen wonders how exactly Avid had managed to do it before. He cares less about the why (okay, maybe he isn't being fully honest about that, but sue him. It's not everyday a human just decides to go feral like that and he is slightly curious).
He observes Avid's jaw move as it tries to wear down the tissue, more blood dripping down his skin the more effort he puts into it. Owen makes a low chuckle and puts his free hand against it, aiding in its movement.
"Slow down and chew carefully." He tells the poor hunter, the glee in his voice growing. "Wouldn't want you choking for rushing to finish your meal, would we?"
At his words, Avid visibly slows down his movement, taking more time and care each chew of the meat. It becomes a slow and torturous process. The human closes his eyes, pushing his eyelids against each other to the point of pain as he focuses completely on the tasks like his life depends on it. In a way, it does. If he doesn't follow his orders and entertains him as he wants, Owen has no qualms about killing him right here.
It takes a long time before Avid is able to entirely push down his throat the chunk of meat. After he has, the human lays there panting, looking a bit sick, his eyes still closed but without the same strain on them. His chest rises and falls desperately, his lungs struggling as they push against his ribs from both the effort and the no longer reduced airflow. Breathless is a nice look on Avid, almost enchanting. Owen wants to see more of that.
And so he leans down, finally letting go of the invisibility, kisses Avid's mouth. The hunter lets out a small startled noise Owen immediately swallows down. He keeps moving foward, moving both of his hands to hold Avid's face in place, and pushes his tongue in. He can taste the remaining blood and he chases after it with gusto. Delicious. So so delicious.
The entire time Owen leaves his eyes open, watching as Avid reacts to the kiss. His eyes grow triple their size and his cheeks flush violently red, the color managing to reach the root of his hair and bringing out the purple in his eyes even more. His newly freed hands go to the vampire's shoulders, desperately trying to either push him off or grab onto him, to somehow anchor himself before he gets overwhelmed by the sensation.
Teeth press against his tongue and Owen pulls out from the kiss. Avid gasps and sputters as he tries again to catch lungfuls of air. He turns his big eyes up towards the vampire, staring at him, scared out of his mind. That was bold. Foolishly bold. If this wasn't Avid, cowardly, reckless and stupid Avid, Owen might have even called it brave.
He pulls up Avid's head from the ground, piercing his claws into his skin, and stares the hunter down with a heavy frown and a bloodthirsty grin. "If you try to bite me again, I will tear those teeth of yours out. Understood?"
Avid doesn't even have the time to finish his frantic nod as Owen makes their lips meet again, this time letting his eyes flutter close. He focuses more on the sensations. The rough feel of Avid's cracked lips. The smoothness of his teeth as he passes over them with his tongue. His tongue wrapping itself around way warmer one dragging it into his mouth.
His arms slide away from Avid's face, one wrapping itself around his waist and the other settling itself at the base of the human's skull to better hold him up. He doesn't want to let go of him. Owen tightens his hold, caging him up with no way out. Not that Avid would have even had the strength to do it before.
He abandons Avid's mouth and as he listens to his panting breath he travels down his throat. He moves his head to the side and roughly tears out the bandages with an annoyed growl, giving himself more to kiss and mouth at. Owen must have really overwhelmed the hunter as he doesn't outright stiffen when the night air meets his neck. Avid even lets out a feeble whine as he sucks in a mark on it. He does however stiffen when the vampire starts pressing in the sharp points of his fangs against his skin.
"W- wait-" Avid stammers out weakly, grabbing onto him even tighter like if he shows him how desperate he is, the hunter will convince him to change his mind. "Owen- please-"
Owen swiftly ignores his pleads, pierces through and Avid screams into the night. He sucks in a mouthful of blood and its flavor hits his mouth. It's not like anything he has ever tasted. It's way different to when he had the doctor's blood freely offered to him as a sign of trust. It's closer to Pyro's blood on one of those first fateful nights, being able to feel the same fear and adrenaline coursing through it. But there's also something underneath that, something wild, ancient and unexplainably dangerous.
It's not natural nor human.
Owen might become addicted to it.
He feeds on it more and more, trying to take as much as he can. The more he takes, the more the human weakens. The quickening of his heartbeat as his heart tries to compensate for the blood he is losing is music to Owen's ears and his breath becoming erratic is the instrument accompanying its song. His arms fall from their hold onto Owen's shoulders, hanging limpily next to him.
An unimpressed hum breaks through and Owen turns to glare at whoever dares to interrupt him in his meal. There he finds Scott, looking at him yet again with the same raised brow.
"Unless you want to turn Avid, you should stop there, Owen." The elder vampire says rather nonchalant, barely sparing a look at the bleeding human in his arms.
"Who said anything about turning?" Owen growls out. "He is the least of all to deserve the gift, Scott."
Scott just sighs at his words, shaking his head disappointed like he is looking at a misbehaving child instead of a fellow vampire. "If you kill him, it's going to upset Shelby and I really don't like that. So either you stop and we abandon him in front of Legundo's house or we have to turn him into one of us." Scott's expression wrinkles slightly, the only thing betraying how much that thought bothers him through his mask. "And I really don't want to do that. Your choice, Owen."
Owen stares back down at Avid and his now empty stare. He could kill him. He could do it. When did Owen ever care about following Scott's orders? And yes, the thought of Shelby wasting tears over this pest is not one he enjoys, but he could live with it. The young fledgling will eventually get over it after all. And yet, as he studies the soft curve of Avid's cheek and the inviting shape of his lips, Owen is not quite sure he wants to do it. Not yet anyway.
And the lumberjack just found out how good the hunter's blood tastes. It would be a waste to lose it because he was too impatient to wait for the right time to get rid of him. Yeah, Owen does not want Avid dead. He wants to be able to watch him struggle more, to scare him yet another time, to-
Owen doesn't let that thought finish and rest his head on the hunter's chest with an annoyed groan. He can't believe he actually wants him to stay alive. "Ugh, fine." He says, turning to look back at Scott. "But you do it since you care so much."
"Ah-ah-ah." Scott tuts with a way too amused grin on his face. "No can do. I didn't do this, so not my responsibility."
Maybe Owen should consider killing the elder instead.
With a roll of his eyes, Owen repositions his hands resting one at Avid's back and the other beneath his knees, and gets off the ground. He does it slowly as not to jostle the hunter too much. It would be annoying if he somehow dropped him and had to pick him up again. Scott's grin gets even wider.
Yeah, Owen really should consider that. Not now since both his hands are busy. But later for sure.
And with that, the two vampires both start walking, moving towards the direction of Oakhurst. Avid is barely conscious, not being able to do much other than slowly blink. He almost looks calm. The hunter really should stop with all of his erratic shouting about killing vampires, it does so much to distract from his boyish charm. With dark hair, big eyes and wide smile, Avid could possibly be even referred as good-looking.
Owen stops that thought in its tracks and locks his eyes forward, focusing on the road ahead. Why should he think of that? It does not matter. Now he is going to dump him into the doctor's front door and be done with the hunter for the night. And when they would meet again, the vampire would be back to tormenting him and his little friends as usual. No more ridiculous thoughts. Soon it will all be back to normal.
Out of nowhere, Scott piped up. "By the way, what's the deal with the dead sheep there?"