Archive of Our Own

When the first petal came fluttering out of his lips, Doctor Legundo didn't know what to make of it. It was rather unassuming with its size and quiet beauty. It was a jet black with small lines of striking yellow running through it, the petal revealing a similar color tendril as it unfurled.

With a single, slightly choked breath, Legundo crushed it in his hand. It hadn't come out of his mouth. It couldn't have. It was impossible for the human body to harvest and store flowers. Maybe he had accidentally swallowed it while walking in the forests? Yes, that has to be it. A mere coincidence I hadn't noticed it until now.

As the days went on, however, more and more petals came out of his mouth. They slowly collected around the area and Legundo found himself more and more ashamed of their presence. He was a doctor, for goodness sake, he couldn't be sick. Much less stricken with some strange ailment of producing petals.

Legundo searched through all of the crypts and local bookshelves to try and find answers on what could possibly be causing his condition. When that fell through, he went to logging his symptoms and noting when they increased. Next, he tried to find information on what type of flower the petals could be coming from. Naturally, he would have to ask an expert. Given that Cleo spent most of their time growing crops or complaining about having to grow them, they were a pretty good place to start.

When he handed over two petals, Cleo snorted loudly. "Is this a joke?"

"What? No, I just found these in the forest. They're pretty. What kind of flower do they come from?" Cleo shook her head and handed the petals back to him.

"Okay, that's definitely either a coincidence, a quirk of Oakhurst or one of the vampires playing tricks on us. Because, Legs, the flower these come from are called Dracula vampira."

⋆˚✿˖°

As more of his symptoms were logged and as he ruminated over the options, the doctor did not like his conclusions.

It didn't help that there was damning evidence after Scott found him in the forest. He had tried to run in vain and while the adrenaline had ceased, the steady thumping in his heart hadn't. Worse, the more he talked to Scott, the more he could feel his chest tightening with the presence of petals.

He found himself staring at the vampire a little too long. Found himself unable to look away even as Scott moved in the grass, offering stupid things like a road to absolving his sins that he would never accept.

It was complicated, sure, but it seemed like the presence of Scott worsened the flowers. Even more, just thinking about Scott nearly sent him into coughing fits.

Despite how unfortunate the conclusion was…Legundo had confirmed that the flowers seemed tied to his…ridiculous and unfounded infatuation towards Scott that burned in turn with his hatred and intrigue for the man. A cocktail of disappointment.

Therefore, it seemed the only way to stop the flowers was to stop having any sort of feelings about Scott Goldsmith. And god, he tried. He especially tried his hardest whenever he had to duck away from a fight or a turning of a beacon to spit out flower petals that were slowly growing more and more clumped together. Naturally, that was always the time Scott appeared, nearly causing him to just swallow the flowers on multiple occasions.

If Legundo didn't know better, he could claim that Scott was following him.

But he had greater things to worry about. People were turning against the town or peeling off on their own more and more. There was tension in the militia and he was constantly needed in town to either peace keep or patch the soldiers militia members up.

So, he ignored Scott and the condition. Instead, he focused on using honey-infused tea to soothe his aching throat and carried a small pouch with him at all times to hide any petals he could.

This, of course, was a mistake.

"What's the pouch for?" Scott popped up out of nowhere as Legundo tried to simply walk six feet from the town to get some air. He wasn't sure if Scott was being annoying as a tactic or out of boredom. Either way, there was a high chance the man would just kill him, so he had to be wary.

"Herbs," Legundo answered with a clipped tone. "Excuse me."

"For what?" Scott continued to follow him even as he let the doctor pass by.

"Medical…stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"You're like a child." Legundo rolled his eyes. "And it's between my patient and I. Part of my oath." He sat down by one of the many trees that lined Oakhurst and tried his best to not cough up any petals. Scott didn't sit down, but he didn't walk away. "Can you go away?"

"I have every right to be here as you do. We're in no-man's land." Legundo felt his eye twitch slightly at the phrasing. He found himself looking back at Scott every few seconds and soon closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. Maybe the trick would work to dissuade the vampire. When he heard no sounds for a few minutes, he tentatively opened his eyes again.

Scott was nearly nose to nose with him as he watched the doctor sleep, bending down with little effort. Legundo nearly jumped and then gagged when he felt the petals in his throat get so bad they clogged his airway. Legs quickly got up and ran the other way towards the forest, hoping that the elder vampire wouldn't follow him.

"Bye!" Scott yelled at him airily and Legundo found himself imagining the stupid smirk on his face as he did so.

When he finally found a tree to hide behind and threw up the flowers, he shouldn't have been surprised when specks of blood accompanied them.

The disease was progressing and it was going to be fatal.

⋆˚✿˖°

Legundo trudged his way through the woods as he rested a hand against the bite wound Owen had given him. He felt a little dizzy, but it was nothing rest, food and water couldn't fix.

He felt like he had done something well, at least. Maybe he had not fully earned Owen's trust, but he had gotten him to talk again without immediately swiping his claws, so that was something.

He was so close to town. Just a couple more steps through the trees and he would be safe to run across the open area and go through the gates.

"Someone got biiiiiiit!" A voice sing-songed from above. Legundo looked up to see a familiar looking bat perched on a branch above him. The bat flew down to inspect the wound and landed perfectly on the doctor's shoulder. Legundo resisted the urge to smack the bat off of his shoulder. He was certain Scott wouldn't appreciate it much if he did so. "It was Owen, right? This looks messy enough to be his." Scott craned his little bat head to stare Legundo directly in the eyes. "Interesting, isn't it?"

"Not really." Legundo felt like there was an implication he was missing. "I got information. He got information and blood. An equal exchange."

"Nothing more than that?" Scott squinted at him, which was unfortunately adorable in his bat form.

"Are you-?" Legundo laughed at the irony of it. "Do you think-no. Not him." Scott blinked before a smirk appeared on his fuzzy face. "What?"

"Nothing." Scott hopped off and flew upwards. "Continue your journey, Doctor! Safe travels!"

Legundo watched as the vampire flew away and found himself unable to shrug off the feeling that he had missed something. The feeling that Scott was two steps ahead of him and he didn't know why.

He didn't have time to worry about such things. The townspeople needed to be looked after and bandaged and any spare time he had was used on researching his disease.

Protect the town. Do whatever you can. Do good.

Be useful.

⋆˚✿˖°

Nobody came this far out unless it was to try and change the beacon. It was the perfect place for a man who didn't want to be found.

Legundo sat himself by the river and shivered. The disease has progressed more and more since he had realized how dire it was. The townspeople had been questioning his whereabouts, questioning what he was hiding from them, especially Cleo. He couldn't tell them. He couldn't. He didn't want them to think any less of him. His body was so weak like this, the flowers stealing the nutrients and energy and life from inside of him. Almost as if on cue, he could feel another flower threatening to escape his throat.

God, he was so tired. How long until he was nothing but skin and bones and flowers? A living husk? How long would his usefulness last?

He stared blankly into the water's reflection. He looked pitiful. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder despite the reflection showing he was alone. Legundo scrambled away, breath catching when the unknown person laughed. "Relax, Doctor. Remember, if I wanted you dead, you would've never noticed me."

"Sco-Mr. Goldsmith." Legundo breathed as he tried to harden his heart. Tried to smother the stupid, twisted, unfounded love that withered in his chest.

It probably wasn't working.

"Mr. Goldsmith." Scott rolled his eyes, voice just barely on the edge of mocking. "Scott is fine. Besides, you don't see me calling you Doctor Legundo…" He frowned. "Hm. I don't know your last name. Or is it your first?"

"Nevermind that. Why are you here?" Legundo slowly picked himself up from the ground, wobbling slightly where he stood. The flowers were already getting worse from Scott's presence. If he was lucky, he'd be able to get out of the conversation before he ruined Scott's shoes.

…Though, maybe that wouldn't be entirely a bad thing. His imagined look of disdain on Scott's face nearly made him snicker.

"I know your problem." Scott stated, holding a little petal in his grasp. It had wilted long ago, which made Legundo wonder how long he had had it.

"I don't know what you mean."

"I know of the disease," Scott said it casually, like Legundo hadn't spent the last almost-month searching for any answers on the mysterious disease that he still didn't have a name to. "Hanahaki disease. It kills you from the inside out." He paused to look the doctor up and down. "You're dying."

"And?" Legundo felt himself bristle. He prepared his statements of denial, the concept that he was okay with death, okay with leaving the town behind, even though he knew it was the last thing he wanted right now. He couldn't die. Not yet. But Scott didn't need to know that.

"I don't wish to sound like a broken record, considering I've already offered this to you once." Scott reached a hand out and slowly pushed Legundo back into a sitting position, letting them sit together by the water. "You know I'm not in the business of cutting your little lives short. I already told you that much. I mean, look at Shelby and Pyro! They're happy. They're thriving. Of course…" Scott rested his chin on his hand. "Your case is more like Owen's."

"Vampirism cured his boils…" The doctor murmured. The mark on his neck was still fading from when he had offered Owen his blood. All of a sudden, his body tensed and he aimed towards the river, already familiar with his body's pattern. This time, however, it hurt far worse. He could feel himself gripping the rocky sand below him to try and steady himself. Blood pooled slightly with the two fully bloomed flowers of Dracula vampira that had collapsed into the river. Legundo took in a hoarse breath as he felt another round come on. And-

Scott's hand was on his back. His claws had been drawn back and his hand was going in steady circles. Legundo focused on the contact, on the repetition, and found his fits easier to bear.

When he finally stopped and looked towards Scott, it was like the man had never moved. His hand was still in the same position on his chin and he looked a little uncomfortable about sitting in the sand for so long.

Kindness from Scott was a rarity. In fact, Legs hadn't even been sure he was capable of it. But he thought back to the times they had interacted recently whenever they crossed paths in the forest or near the beacons.

A hand on his shoulder.

A fleeting, genuine smile.

A quick rub of his head.

A finger slightly bumping into his own.

He hated Scott. Somehow that made him more compelling.

Of course. Of course he would find the slightest bit of kindness in another monster. Another justification to keep diving deeper into the puddle with someone so twisted and depraved because deep down, he was too.

And lately, he was too tired to stop himself from continuing down into hell.

"If I don't turn you now, someone else will." Scott spoke up again. "Come on, Doctor. You're weak now. We both know it. And if something isn't changed soon, the others will know. Owen will know." His voice turned high pitched. "And oh! How perfect that the doctor has the same woe as him! How perfect that he has a chance to fix you! And I've seen how Owen has been lately. There's no guarantee he'll let you have a choice. And you'll only get worse. Better to be turned now than to be a husk turned vampire later on."

Legundo clamped his lips. Scott didn't need to know that he was only living for the town. He didn't need to know that the second he got a chance, he'd probably ask someone to stab a stake through his heart. He didn't need to know that he was curious about the sire-fledgling bond, how he imagined a bond between them and felt both terrified and intrigued. "Right." Legundo held an arm out. "Guess you're the doctor for today."

"Oh, Legs." Scott smiled, the genuine grin flashing into something cruel that disappeared so quickly that Legundo couldn't even be sure it had existed in the first place. "You should know I usually prefer the neck."

It took only a second for Legundo to react before Scott had dug his fangs into his neck.

The time between turning was blurry. When Legundo finally was able to see straight again, he felt lucky he was still on the ground. New sensations overwhelmed him so much he nearly toppled over, only being saved by the quickest of fleeting touches to his side. Bloodthirst and the constant, steady thrum of a bond shimmered through him like fire and ice. Both were intense, but there was one he preferred to feel over the other. Mentally, (or perhaps magically) he grabbed onto the bond and held it tight to his chest, using it to soothe the disorienting feelings coming from being a new fledgling. It was instinctual, a new weave of DNA now hard coded into him.

As he blearily blinked around him, he could feel the presence of Scott over his shoulder. Scott whispered something to him before there was a new sensation on his neck. He could feel the two bloody pinpricks that had been messily driven in his skin to expel his life force sting slightly as something touched them. Licking up the remains of the blood? Then he let out a gasp as he felt Scott's lips reach down over the bite mark. A chaste, warm kiss. Only one. It didn't last a single second more than it had to.

Despite that and his delirious state, Legs found himself wishing it would happen again. He imagined it over and over until he gained more of his senses back, until he no longer could tell if the first time had been real or not.

When he finally understood enough of the world to actually speak to Scott, he nearly let out a surprised noise. Scott had stood up and tilted his head so he could wipe away the blood still stained on his lips with a careful hand. "Mmm. Well, I certainly feel better. How about you?"

Legundo blinked, not expecting the sudden burst of infatuation to push more flowers into his throat. He gagged and had to turn back towards the river, watching as his slightly-darker red blood ran in a stream down the current with nearly five whole flowers to boot. He gasped, feeling resistance from his lungs as he didn't need to breathe anymore. Combined with the fact he could feel his throat slowly patching up from vampiric healing, he couldn't help but be a little satisfied. At least he had bought himself more time.

"You said it would cure it," Legundo shot at Scott, newfound fangs poking out from his lip.

"I never said it would cure it. I said you were weak and your time was running short. While Owen is no longer actively sick, he still marks the boils he wore from when he was human." Scott spread his arms out. "But! Those could possibly just be flowers from before your turning! It might just have to push it out first." He took a step forward, a finger moving down to Legundo's mouth and tapping the fang slightly. "If not…then I'll help you find a cure. My library at the castle has books that are even older than me. If you can't find it there, then I highly doubt there's anywhere else you can find it."

It was a bad idea. But Scott had been nothing but truthful so far. He hadn't killed him despite how easy it would've been, even after the turning. Especially after the turning.

The town.

You want more of him.

He was doing this to protect the town.

Do you want a medal every time he gifts you affection? Is that how proud you are of such a stupid thing?

He needed to extend his usefulness.

You're giving him a chance. There's a chance he likes you and he's just too afraid to show it. A slim chance there's a person underneath all that glitter.

That would cure the disease.

"Lead the way, then."

⋆˚✿˖°

It took him a week of staying in the castle to realize it would be inconvenient for him to go back to the town. Not as a vampire and certainly not when he was under Scott's watch.

Hastily, he got out of bed and began to write a letter to the person he trusted the most in town.

Dear Cleo,

When you get this, I hope you can understand that this is not me choosing sides or not going against the town. This is me choosing survival. If I was not turned, I would've likely died. My time has been extended and I can help. I can use my connection to the town as a bargaining chip if needed.

Please explain this to the others. I've only just now realized how my disappearance must look. If you want, I can sneak away and we can talk more. But I will not disclose the details of my disease. Please just know that I had very little other choices.

Your doctor, Legundo

Quietly, Legundo transformed into a bat (it still felt so weirdly natural that he almost hated it) and flew with the letter to town. Luckily, it was night, so most of the town was asleep when he fluttered above the walls. He dropped down and settled the letter right on Cleo and Pearl's doorstep, stopping to put a rock on it so it wouldn't fly away. Satisfied, he flapped away and prayed that Cleo would understand.

He didn't see Scott peek out from behind a wall and snatch up the letter before turning into a bat and flying away.

⋆˚✿˖°

Legundo's guest room was a mess. He had no idea when he had started considering the room any form of his instead of just a room in Scott's castle, but it was a natural progression of a mindset.

The human mind liked familiar things. The room was now familiar.

That meant nothing.

Paper was all around the room, covering the walls and the floor. It was mainly his research from the library that had been tucked into various places for safekeeping. Writing had been hastily scribbled over most of them, every section of print likely unreadable to anyone but him.

Probably for the best. Dealing with Scott during his research times was already a handful. He didn't need someone else attempting to use his results against him.

Speaking of results, his research had yielded barely any. There were plenty of missing pages in the books he could find on the disease-which was rare in the first place-and so much opinionated information filled the pages. It annoyed him to no end, being unable to trust most of the information in front of him.

It was an unique lovesick disease that could only be cured by removing the love entirely from the heart or having the love be returned in equality. It didn't specify how the equality could be reached, but he knew one thing.

He was not ready to remove his infatuation of Scott from his heart. He couldn't, not when there was a chance Scott could feel the same way and just didn't know how to show it. Not when it was starting to feel like one of the last things he had left alive in him.

Not if there was a tiny sliver of a chance he could make Scott Goldsmith feel love.

(And yet, for whatever reason, he thought he would be the one to do it.)

He picked up a scalpel and prepared to cut another slice of his skin. While he had been studying the hanahaki disease, he had also been studying how his new vampire body worked. He needed to know how long he could last with the disease or if it truly did stop the sickness entirely. Legundo lifted his shirt slightly upwards and shaved off a bit of skin from his chest, watching with fascination as it quickly healed over like it had never been there at all. However, he could tell that his refusal to drink any human blood was affecting the rates of healing. If he wasn't careful, the rate at which the flowers deteriorated his body could be quicker than his healing ability and he would end up worse off than before.

…He would try to avoid drinking human blood for as long as possible.

"Legundo?" Scott sing-songed as he flew into the room and dropped from the sky, landing perfectly on his feet. "I just came by to check on you." He tilted his head as he watched Legundo store his piece of skin into a bottle for safekeeping. "Oh. It seems I've come at a good time. Researching again?"

"Yes," Legundo muttered as he placed the bottle in a chest before he dropped it from the tremors he always got whenever Scott was around. He had learned that if there was tremors, the flowers would almost always follow if he didn't keep himself focused. Having Scott around during his work was both a blessing and a curse. It was nice to have some sort of company compared to how he usually toiled away in a dim room alone. The worst part, obviously, was that it was Scott.

But maybe today he could use that to his advantage.

"Hold this for me." Legundo shoved the scalpel in Scott's hands, whose gaze turned dark at the concept of being told what to do. He stopped and glanced at Scott's face before biting his cheek. "…Please."

"What are you doing?" Scott inquired as he traced the sharpened point of the scalpel. Legundo nearly had the mind to tell him to be careful before remembering that he had probably developed a tolerance for anything that wasn't intrinsically painful for vampires.

"I'm going to collect samples of the flowers."

"And you couldn't do that before because?"

"The flowers-" He tried to think of an explanation that wouldn't lead Scott to certain conclusions. "The flowers get worse when other people are around. It's something I've noticed." A conniving grin slowly spread on Scott's face.

"Oh, really?" And there was something so undeniably attractive about his smugness that Legs found himself having to turn around or risk the vampire noticing his expression. And then his chest lurched. Quickly, he tried to grab another bottle to collect them, but the way his body seized made it near impossible.

"The bottle-" Legundo wheezed as he restrained from coughing. Scott casually grabbed the bottle and held it in front of him as the petals spilled out of him, managing to collect most of them before they fluttered to the ground. He didn't even flinch when a few specks of dark blood splattered onto his fingers. Finally, Legundo stopped coughing and watched as Scott twisted the bottle's cork back on. He licked the blood off his hands and stared at him, contemplating.

"How much blood have you been drinking?"

"Enough." Do not think about what he just did. Do not think about what he just did.

"Mm. If you say so." Scott shrugged. "If you excuse me, I do have beacons to turn." With a flutter of his cowl, he was gone.

Legundo didn't even notice that he hadn't given his only scalpel back.

⋆˚✿˖°

Legundo had quickly learned that vampires didn't need sleep. Yet, often at some point in the night, he would find himself settling into his bed and letting his brain slip away so he wouldn't have to think about the world around him.

The only issues that arose from this were the fits. At least one or two times during the night, he would find himself disturbed by a seizing in his chest (which felt worse on the nights he had nightmares) and he would shake so violently that he usually ended up falling out of his bed. Then, the flowers would come.

And it would take them forever to stop.

One night, when he was around his third or so fit, he heard quiet footsteps enter his room. The tears in his eyes made it hard to see clearly and he didn't want anyone to see how weak he was, so he involuntarily hissed.

A confident, commanding hiss answered back and he found himself shutting up. It was easier to do so when another wave of coughing up the flowers violently washed over him. "Shhh." Scott's voice gently soothed him as he caressed his shoulders. "You'll be alright." He breathed in and out shakily (he didn't need to breathe, he didn't need to breathe, he didn't need to breathe) as the soft touch aided him through the fit. When his vision finally cleared and the flowers ebbed away, he lifted his head to thank Scott.

But there was nothing but an empty room to greet him.

The next couple of nights, the strange phenomenon happened infrequently, but it did happen again and again. Scott would tiptoe in and soothe him with physical touch before disappearing again, never staying long enough for the doctor to confirm if he was real or not.

One time, he managed to snap out of the fit long enough to grab onto Scott just as he was about to leave. For a split second, he could've sworn there was disdain on Scott's face, but he was more focused on his objective. "Don't-" He hoarsely begged. "Stay. Please. Stay."

The only response he got was a tongue click of pity before Scott was walking again. Legundo fell to the ground, the tremors weakening his body and he was already so tired from the fits, he knew there would be no way to catch up.

He stared at the door that had been left askew and wondered if he was ever going to catch up to the monolith that was Scott Goldsmith.

He didn't have an answer. But every time Scott disappeared, he wouldn't try to run after him. He would stand up and dutifully lay in his bed again, hoping that next time, next time would finally be the time when Scott stayed. He almost looked forward to when he would have his fits just for the chance of having someone to soothe him through the night.

Doctor Legundo was slowly being chipped away at.

⋆˚✿˖°

Legundo had only gone out to scrounge together a bit more animal blood-he needed to try and stay on level three or risk the internal damage of the disease not repairing-when something splashed him and he cried out in pain as his skin burned.

When he got ahold of his surroundings again, Avid, Pearl and Abolish were all staring at him. "This isn't a good look for you, Doc," Abolish noticed as he rested a hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Wait, Legundo?" Pearl questioned as she came closer.

"Oh, amazing! We came across the traitor!" Avid gritted his teeth as an expression of hurt flashed across his face.

"What are you talking about?" Legundo asked dazedly as he tried to wipe off the holy water that still clung to his skin.

"We know you left us for the castle." Pearl crossed her arms, seeming genuinely upset.

"Pyro was talking about it the other day," Abolish explained. "Came up to town and complained about how you had asked to be turned by Scott and he agreed. How you have a room in the castle and everything." He fiddled with his chain that held his lantern, trying to disguise it as a casual gesture but Legundo knew it was a subtle threat.

He couldn't blame them for being wary. But at the same time, did they not get his letter? Did they not understand?

"I had no other choice." Legundo stepped forward and all of them instantly took a step back. With the blood from the animals sticking to his face and hands, he realized he likely looked horrific. "I was-"

Don't reveal your weaknesses, soldier. Legundo swallowed roughly. "I had no other choice."

"There's always a choice, Legs." Pearl's face was hard. "And asking Scott to turn you? Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, how did you trust him to not just kill you?" Avid laughed nervously. "Like, it's Scott."

Legundo clamped his jaw shut. Why had he trusted Scott? Why had he allowed the man to follow him so closely in the first place?

Because of his heart. Because of his stupid, stupid heart.

And then rage pulsed through him, rage that felt entirely not his own but he couldn't help but revel in the power it gave him. A strange urge to defend his sire raced through him alongside it. "What do you know about him?" He growled, and everybody tensed around him. "You think you know him better than me? You think that I didn't think things through?" He slowly circled them, drinking in the sudden adrenaline that coursed through him. "What if I like it this way?"

"Oh, you're worse than Pyro!" Avid laughed again, getting out his sword. "Come on! We all know Scott is a monster. We know he's controlling everyone like puppets. We just thought maybe you were better than that, maybe you had a plan, but you're just as caught up in his web as the rest of them."

"Come to your senses, Doc," Abolish urged. "Scott is not a good man."

Legundo lunged towards Avid, stopping just before he bumped his nose. "And maybe I'm not either." Avid gasped and slashed his sword, raking it right over his chest. Legundo yelled and stumbled back, still not lifting a hand to protect himself.

Do no harm.

Protect the town, save the body, lose the leg, save the life.

Protect the town, save the body, lose the leg, save the life.

Do no harm.

A flash of annoyance went though the bond and it surprised Legundo. Usually Scott kept his side of the bond iron-tight, never letting a single emotion slip over to Legundo. He'd do the same if he could actually figure out how. The bond was still an unknown variable in everything. But the annoyance was new. Maybe something had happened at the castle?

Legundo couldn't stay here any longer. At least if he was at the castle, he wouldn't harm anyone. "I…I have to go," He mumbled to the others before running away into the woods, holy water still numbing his abilities.

Going outside had been a mistake.

But he would still protect them. Even if they hated him now. The town needed to be protected. He needed to protect them.

There wasn't much else he could do.

⋆˚✿˖°

"Doctor Legundo," Pyro mused as he waltzed into the library. "How did I know you would be here?"

"I'm always here," Legundo floated down as he transformed back into a human, book from the top shelf in hand. He had just been trying to find anything else he could on the topic of magical diseases, especially ones pertaining to vampires. "It's really not that much of a surprise."

"I was trying to insult you."

"Well, it didn't work. And aren't you a scholar?" Legundo opened the book and frowned when he realized it hadn't been what he had expected. "I'm sure you've spent far more time in libraries instead of me." Pyro's face twisted into a frown.

"Nevermind. I see you've been getting cozy with our sire lately."

"Scott." Legundo corrected as he set the book aside and scoured the shelves for another, intentionally not glancing at Pyro. He had done well at repressing the urge to call Scott sire. He had to keep whatever scraps of dignity he had left, after all. "And I don't know what you're talking about."

He knew exactly what Pyro was talking about, because he had noticed the same. Pyro was less privy to the physical touch that Scott gave Legs but was often battered with the full force of Scott's flirting, which often caused a pathetic curl of jealousy to settle in his gut. And based on what the townsfolk had said, it seemed like Pyro wasn't happy about it either. "You know exactly what I'm talking about." Pyro crossed their arms and glared. "I don't understand why he even bothers to look at you."

"I could say the same for you," Legundo remarked dryly. "I mean…" He let himself look Pyro up and down before turning back to the shelves. Scott was certainly rubbing off on him.

"Oh, come on, Legundo." Pyro walked closer to him, slowly lifting his arms. His long white hair shimmered in the sunlight that streamed through the library's windows. "Do you really think you're somehow more worthy? What are you without the town? Because you're certainly not making friends in here."

"I am myself," Legundo grumbled as he ran his fingers alone the edges of the books. He couldn't focus on his research when the other vampire was still lingering.

"Oh, Scott! Nice of you to join us!" Pyro suddenly exclaimed. Legundo immediately whipped around, hope and anxiousness mixing in his chest along with the flowers.

Nobody had entered the room.

Pyro raised an eyebrow at him as he got closer. "Are you really, Legundo? I'm starting to think you aren't anything without him." He sneered as he grabbed Legundo's shirt. "But I know damn well he'll be just fine without you."

"Don't touch me," Legundo snapped, a little flame of hatred sparking up in his heart along with the jealousy. "You're welcome to argue with me, but I don't see the reasoning in escalating it any further than that."

"I think you can handle a bit of escalation." Pyro sneered as they hoisted Legundo in the air and slammed him against the bookshelves. "I was here first. You don't get to change the status quo around here."

"What? Are you jealous? Insecure?" Legundo laughed weakly as the bruises in his back healed over. "Don't know what to do when you're not first choice anymore?" Pyro hissed as he prepared to slam his head into a wall, but Legundo managed to aim his claws just right to slice his face. Finally, he was getting an outlet for all of the bloodthirstiness he had shoved into the back of his mind ever since he became a vampire. Pyro growled and Legundo growled back just as he was kicked in the stomach.

As he kneeled over, Pyro leapt onto him and sent him stumbling to the ground. His claws dug into Legs' shoulders as he held him down, but the doctor didn't stop struggling against him. "Oh, Legundo. Maybe I should pity you. You clearly aren't aware of the double-edged sword that is Scott Goldsmith."

"I'd like to think I'm aware." Legundo tried to pry the other vampire off of him to no avail. "Besides, you're still here."

"Sire gave me a gift. I'd be a fool not to use it." Pyro let out a little manic laugh. "You have to understand. He is always watching." They made a dismissive gesture. "But that's neither here nor there. How long do you think you'll last, doctor? When he finally decides to pick you apart? I can't wait to watch."

"Well, it seems like you two are busy in here," Scott drawled as he strolled into the room with his hands behind his back. Legundo and Pyro watched him silently as he casually selected a book from the shelves and begun to read it. When neither of them spoke, he waved a hand. "No, no. Pretend like I'm not here. If you two want to roll around on the floor and bicker like children, be my guest."

"Sorry, sire." Pyro's demeanor changed near instantly as he slowly got up and stood. The confident stance he had taken before had changed into a slouch as he set his arms by his side.

"I mean, you're free to do whatever you want, Pyro." He tapped the book against his lip. "It's our castle, after all. But if you keep biting like a rabid dog, you're going to get put down like one." Pyro flinched and Scott's cold voice suddenly changed into a pitying one. "By the townsfolk, my dear. What did you think I meant?"

"N-nothing, sire. What do you need?" Pyro awkwardly shuffled their feet.

"Shelby needs someone to come with her to turn one of the further beacons. I think you can handle the job well enough." He angled his head towards the exit of the library. "She's down in the main hall."

"I will, sire." They scurried away through the door and soon it was like they had never been there. Scott's gaze shifted over to Legundo.

"Get up. It's embarrassing that he got you pinned down so easily, doctor. I thought you were more of a fighter than that." A flicker of embarrassment flashed through him as he pulled himself to his feet. He had gotten too absorbed in the freedom of being able to finally maim that he had failed to strategize.

Do no harm.

Scott walked over and pushed the book he carried into his chest, allowing Legundo to take it from him. Scott reached a hand over and brushed something off of Legundo's shoulder as he spoke. "This might be close to what you're looking for." It was a book on vampire anatomy and diseases, even if some of the pages were ripped out or scribbled over, perhaps from a crazed villager back in the day. How Legundo had missed it earlier, he wasn't sure.

"…Thank you." He tucked the book under his arm.

"Anytime." Scott brightly smiled. "Whatever would you do without my help?"

Whatever would I do?

⋆˚✿˖°

When Legundo woke up and saw a note slipped under his door calling him to the main hall of the castle, he wasn't sure what to expect. He barely spent any time in the castle out of the library and his room, so it was odd that Scott was summoning him to talk when he had had no problem of simply conversing with him in his room before. So, without any way to tell what was going to happen ahead of time, he settled on feeling stomach churning anxiety.

It got worse as he entered the room and saw Pyro, Shelby and Owen sitting at their respective chairs. Equal looks of confusion (minus Owen, who simply looked inconvenienced at the summon) were on their faces, even more so as Legundo entered the room and took a seat furthest away from all of them. He purposefully avoided the three of them as much as he could, not wishing to see the mocking pity on Owen's face or dealing with how Pyro did their best to bury themselves into his skin because they knew how he acted about their si-Scott. And with how much he avoided her, he was certain Shelby thought he disliked her. It was better to not look at the three of them, otherwise he would pick apart exactly how he had failed all of them. He still felt ashamed of himself for how easily he rose to Pyro's goading in the library.

The town, He weakly tried to justify to himself. I'm doing this for the town.

"What are we having? A family dinner?" Owen asked sarcastically as he leaned back in his chair, the ones he had offhandedly mentioned he carved himself.

"With what food?" Pyro snorted. "With the new blood popping up, we're already running out of meals."

"Hence the sarcasm," Owen muttered. Clearly, the lack of food had put them all in a bad mood. "Sometimes you're just so dense."

"Let's not tear each other apart before the man who summoned us even gets here," Legundo interrupted, surprising himself. Old habits of being a peacekeeper in the town, he supposed.

"Legs is right!" Shelby nodded enthusiastically despite the gnawing hunger that visibly ate at her and exhausted her eyes. "Let's just…not talk. Yeah? Let's not talk."

They all sat in silence until Scott Goldsmith dropped from the ceiling and landed perfectly in his throne that he had demanded be at the table instead of a normal chair. "Hi!" He greeted, like he hadn't been there the whole time. Pyro's comment about him always watching came to his mind again. "You're likely wondering why I've all brought you here."

"Yeah. We are," Owen grunted. Scott shot him a look and he pretended not to notice.

"See, as we are a coven, it's important for us to talk on how we can help each other escape Oakhurst," Scott continued, clasping his hands together and sounding far too cheerful for probably anyone in the room's liking. "We are a unit-" And that word itched at Legundo, reminding him of a time he thought he had left behind, "-which means that we all contribute to our success. Equally." His gaze turned sharp. "And if they don't, then maybe we discuss how to deal with them."

And there was the catch. Legundo swallowed as Scott's gaze lingered on him. And even as his gaze switched to someone else, he couldn't help but feel as if he had done something wrong.

Scott was silent for a minute longer, letting the implications sink in. Everyone's demeanor at the table became nervous, agitated. Legs could tell they were all thinking the same thing: someone had been slacking, and they'd be dammed if it was themselves. Scott leaned forward, the sound of it finally breaking the stalemate they had all created with one another. "Legundo." Scott beckoned him to his side with a crooked finger and the doctor couldn't help the pure terror that leaped into his heart, not from what Scott could to do him but rather from the disappointment that drenched his voice. "Stand here."

Legundo walked over and stood at the indicated spot, now at the front of the table instead of the back. All eyes were on him and he couldn't help but squirm. Pyro had a glint in his eye as he tracked the man's movements, making him more uncomfortable. He folded his arms together at his back and tried not to dig his claws into his own skin. Scott didn't look at him, gaze still laser-focused on the others at the table. "I-"

"Who do you think you are, Legundo?" Scott's voice was perfectly even. "Really, tell me. Because what I see is an ungrateful, pathetic man who does nothing but waste away in my home and chips away at my time. You get into petty fights and disturb me whenever I'm at my busiest because you're by yourself most of the time. I agreed to help you, I gave you a gift, and so far you've done…what?" He threw out his arms, still not even glancing at Legundo. "Have you even turned a beacon? Have you even been out of the castle? Have you even cured any of that disease that you try to hide?" His voice was cold and bordering on angry. Legundo couldn't help but scrabble for excuses.

"But my connection to the town-"

"Is worth nothing to us. The town does not need to be conversed with unless we are trying to turn them or fight at the beacons." Guilt and embarrassment filled Legundo, so much so that he was worried he would drown in it. "I have been so kind to you-all of us have, really-and this is how you've repaid me?"

"I'm sorry-" Scott snapped his head over to him, disgust filling his features.

"No. You are a drain on us. A parasite. Really, why should I keep you here? If you like the town so much-I mean, definitely more than us, right?-I think we should send you back there." The disappointment on the townspeople's faces flashed in his mind and desperation crawled at his throat. The idea of Scott being forever disgusted by him and kicking him out when he had nobody else who could even tolerate his company was so heart-achingly awful that he felt like he could cry. "Now, go on. Tell me why we should keep you." Shame screamed at him, yet he slowly lowered himself until he was almost parallel to the floor, forehead touching the tile. He had a feeling Scott wouldn't accept any less from him. Not if Scott barely accepted Pyro's groveling apologies on his best days.

"Please, I can't go back there," He gasped, his inherent instinct to breathe air overriding any of his vampire or diseased features. "I-I can't. I'll be better. I'll do better."

"What use are you?" Scott sighed, almost looking bored. "I mean, clearly you don't even respect me enough to use my proper title."

"I'll do better, sire. I promise. Please. Just one more chance." Legundo hated the title, like he was giving up one more piece of himself to the man he unfortunately loved, yet the feeling that burst through the bond was worth it. The bond preened in satisfaction, like it was rewarding him for being so pathetic. Like it was rewarding him for being a puppet in the play. "I'll go out more. I'll hunt for everyone, if needed. I'll-" He felt sick, but he couldn't stop himself, not when he needed Scott's face to change into something good, "-I'll be useful."

The silence dragged on as Legundo's knees and elbows digged into the cold, unforgiving tiles. Yet, he stayed there, too afraid to move or risk incurring his wrath again. "I'm glad we understand each other, then." Scott sounded like he was smiling, voice sweet as sugar. Legundo didn't move until Scott reached over and pulled him up on his feet gently, like he was actually something worth handling with care. He stopped to straighten his collar before nodding towards the back of the table. "We still have much to discuss. I expect you to keep up, darling."

As Legundo went back to his seat, he couldn't help but feel the eyes on him.

It wasn't the begging or the berating that had been the punishment. It had been the humiliation. Whether or not Legundo played along, the true consequences laid within just how much Scott could ring him dry in front of an audience.

If you slack off again, it's going to be worse than this, were the clear words left unsaid. He had gotten off lightly. And it had been deserved. How could he have possibly thought he could get away with sitting around in the castle? How stupid was he?

Pyro had a smug expression that he smothered to hide before Scott noticed. Luckily for him, Scott was still talking. The world blurred around him, but he still tried to listen.

After all, he knew Scott was watching.

⋆˚✿˖°

When he woke up from his slumber, the first thing he noticed was the emptiness in his gut. He had been forgetting to drink and must've slipped off of stage two to one at some point in the night. It saved him the trouble of having to force himself to kill animals for the coven.

The second thing he noticed was a shiny golden ring by his bed. The second thing made him sit up faster than the first, taking the ring into his hands and cupping it carefully like he was afraid he would break it. As he turned it over in his hands, he noticed an inscription on its metal.

Amor tussisque non celatur. -S.G.

Legundo recognized the Latin. A love and a cough cannot be hidden. And he knew exactly what kind of ring it was.

A promise ring. He had heard about it in the military, when couples would be forced to be away during the era of service. Many of the men would keep their rings on them and talk about their girlfriends that were not yet wives, fondly promising to return and marry her someday. Some of them hadn't even started their relationships before they were recruited, yet they had had promise rings exchanged between the ones they loved all the same.

Promises that most of them did not live long enough to fulfill.

But the ring in front of him had to mean something. Hope flickered in his chest as he traced the ring's surface. He couldn't dare. He shouldn't. There was a chance that Scott had no idea of the meaning behind the rings-after all, he was a vampire-and had just wished to give him some fancy jewelry.

But he couldn't just ignore it. It was a piece of kindness. Carefully, he walked over and grabbed a long string of twine from his desk, threading it so the ring fit perfectly onto it. Then, he sat down at his desk and pulled the necklace over his head. It fit perfectly and he couldn't help but hold the ring close to him.

There was still a chance. There was still a chance it could be worth it. Even when his body shook and more orchids came spilling out of him, he felt alright.

"You're so cruel," He whispered as he fiddled with the ring. "God, please don't let me hope."

⋆˚✿˖°

When he came back from his hunt and successfully delivered his spoils to the dining room, he didn't expect to run into Owen in the hallways. Owen was the last person he wanted to see. But the man instantly blocked his path, a scowl on his face.

Legundo's ears twitched in annoyance. "Excuse me."

"What happened to you, Legs?" Owen demanded. "Because I don't think the sniveling, pathetic, bloody mess of a man in front of me is the doctor I met a few months ago."

"A lot has happened since then," Legundo said in lieu of an explanation.

"Like falling in love with the absolute prick that is Scott. Are you stupid? In what world would he ever love you?"

"He turned me in order to help me. To cure my disease." Legundo raised an eyebrow. After doing nothing but kill animals for the past hour, he was just exhausted. He wanted to lay in his room and hold onto his ring and not have to exist in reality. "Doesn't that sound familiar?"

"Don't bring him into this," Owen snarled. "God forbid I try to make you see sense. I tolerate Scott for the sake of our goals, but you practically melt every time you see him. That's not normal."

"How long did Louis live before he met you? How did you even know he wasn't acting and actually loved you?" Legundo tried to get past Owen again but the other man stood rock-steady. "Why did you think you deserved him?"

"I didn't. I never deserved him. He was far too kind to me. Louis loved the town, more than needed." Owen pointed a finger towards the doctor. "Scott has none of that."

"Scott has been kind to me. I don't deserve it either. But I cannot just sit and take from him when he has given me no reason to bite the hand that feeds me." He just needed Owen to go away. He didn't need these sorts of questions that would make him doubt, make him afraid, make him feel worthless. "Would you have refused such a thing either?"

"This isn't about me."

"I don't have much left outside of these castle walls. I imagine you didn't have much either." His hands shook violently as he spoke. "If I don't have Scott, then I don't know who else I am but a failure."

"Better to be a failure than a husk. You're downright pitiful."

"And you're still living on the whims of a man who's been dead for more than most humans have been alive." Legundo snapped. "I don't think I want to hear anything from you."

"Fine!" Owen angrily moved to the side and gestured behind him. "Go! Crawl back to your room and await yet another scrap of attention from him, good or bad!" With that, he stormed off. Legundo glared after him before going into his bedroom and crawling into his bed. The blood stained slightly onto the covers, but he found himself too exhausted to try and clean himself up.

He had done good today. He had done well.

(He remembered when doing good meant saving a life. Now it meant taking one. Like a circle, he always managed to slink back to the monster he had been and the monster he would always be.)

Protected the coven. Sire will be happy. The bond and his instincts purred. Ever since Scott had reprimanded him in front of the other vampires, the more instinctual side of his brain that existed now had become ridiculously prominent. Like finally letting his last grievance with Scott go had been the key to no longer repressing his vampire side. He wasn't sure he entirely liked it.

It felt like it was controlling his actions more and more lately.

As he laid in bed, he slowly reached down and picked up the necklace, holding the ring between his thumb and forefinger.

A piece of hope.

Save the body.

Save the body.

Save the body.

⋆˚✿˖°

"We're going outside today," Scott walked into his room and immediately walked out. Legundo scrambled from his desk and ran out of his room, just barely managing to catch up with Scott as he strolled down the hallway. He bit down the questions on his tongue and simply followed him as they passed by several extravagant vases. Legs had to stop and blink at them.

They were all filled with Dracula vampira.

"Do you like them?" Scott asked as he suddenly appeared behind him. Surprisingly, he had turned around instead of continuing on. "I've been collecting them from you whenever I can. They really do quite match the decor."

"These are mine?" Legundo asked dumbly.

"Of course they are, silly! They're beautiful." Scott ushered him along, not stopping even when his heel crushed a few of the petals that had fallen to the ground. "But we do have to get going."

The possibility that Scott had seen the most troubling ailment of the disease as something worth keeping, something beautiful, made his heart so fuzzy that he didn't question where they were going until they were already deep into the woods.

"Isn't it nice to get away from it all?" Scott mused as he matched Legundo's pace, seemingly more relaxed now that they were out and about.

"It is, sire," Legundo agreed sincerely. It was nice to be in the woods and not have to worry about seeing others or preparing for a fight. Somehow, with how quiet it was and with Scott by his side, he trusted that it would be the two of them for a while. A flutter rose up in his chest as he thought the idea of them walking in the woods together with nothing but each other for company.

Could this be…some sort of date? At the very least, it felt like something important, even if he wasn't entirely sure why.

"I don't think we do things enough with just the two of us." Scott crossed his arms behind his back as he scanned the woods around him. "I'm lucky you came out here with me today." He turned around to look at Legundo, eyes crinkled up prettily and smile glistening in the afternoon sun so brightly that one could forget the fangs that laid beneath it. Legundo couldn't help but cough out a few petals.

"Thank you for bringing me out here."

"Anytime. Hm." Scott tapped his chin. "I'm hungry." A sheep wandered in, slowly circling a tree as it hunted for good grass. It had likely gotten lost from its herd. Scott lethargically pointed a perfect claw towards it. "Kill it for me."

Legundo swallowed, hackles raising. He had killed animals before, sure, but never in front of an audience. Never in front of him. Perhaps he didn't want Scott to know how good of a weapon he could truly be. Scott clicked his tongue. "Legs, you've done this a million times. Just do it for me, okay? I can't be bothered to stain my hands today."

Legundo swallowed again before lifting his hand and using his medical knowledge to slice the perfect spot so the sheep wouldn't suffer too badly at its end. When he was done, Scott calmly picked through the body and ate the good parts, leaving the rest behind to return to the earth as he walked forward. "Good job, darling. Keep up."

When Scott finally lead him into a clearing, he wasn't sure what he expected. Maybe it being empty, perhaps.

It was certainly not.

Drift, Avid and Martyn were in the clearing, presumably heading towards a beacon. Legundo felt his heart drop as he stared at the townsfolk. Just as he was about to protest, Scott reached down and pulled his ring from under his shirt, the force tugging him forward. "Follow my lead," He whispered-an order, not a suggestion-before dropping the necklace and heading towards the three. Legundo quickly hid the necklace under his shirt, not stopping to wonder how exactly Scott had picked up on its existence before the other man was already talking. "Hi there! Where are you all going on this lovely afternoon?"

"Shit, not you." Martyn already had his sword ready. "Anyone but you and-" He blinked. "Doc?"

"Glad to see you're still doing well!" Avid gritted his teeth as Legundo stepped into the conversation. Legundo felt the urge to throttle him, but it was quickly soothed by a fleeting touch from the bond.

Wait.

Legundo settled down and prepared to wait.

"Red's not a good color on you, Doc." Drift joked nervously.

"I'm aware." Legundo kept his sentences clipped. Scott was the one who would take the lead, after all.

"We know you're here for a fight," Martyn accused. "No need to be here under false pretenses."

"We're not!" Scott cupped Legundo's chin without even tearing his eyes away from the townsfolk in front of him. "Legundo and I were just out on a normal walk."

"It's true." Legundo shrugged. And it had been.

Minus the maimed sheep.

"I don't even know why you're all trying anymore. Isn't it so tiring to get up and run around like mice all day?" Scott sighed. "To act like prey?"

"We'll stop acting like prey whenever you stop seeing us like prey." Avid whipped out his sword and sliced forward, Scott dodging out of the way just in time to avoid being sliced. "And I doubt that will happen anytime soon."

"Fine. How rude." Scott crossed his arms and a cruel smile crept onto his face. "Legundo? Be a dear and kill them for me." He instantly hissed after as holy water was thrown onto him, but the doctor was already moving out of his own accord. Like muscle memory, he locked his sights onto the three targets in front of him and began to move like he had been born with sharp teeth and claws, like they had been crafted specifically for him to use as he weaponized his body. Scott eventually joined in and between the two of them, they managed to hold their own. However, the humans were prepared and managed to cut down at them. Legundo could already feel himself draining down to level one; he suspected Scott was the same.

And Scott was pissed about it. Legundo could feel it leaking through the bond and he used it as fuel for his own fire.

Avid.

Martyn.

Drift.

Their bodies fell in succession as he stabbed through them one by one, blood pooling onto the grass. He had half a mind to use their blood to restore himself, but he felt so sick looking at the mess in front of him that he wasn't sure if he could even try. The bodies flickered before glowing and disappearing as the beacons took them back to their homes. At least he knew they weren't dead forever. It was a small comfort.

Empty bottles, a stake and blood still littered the ground in front of him. Tentatively, he picked up the stake, inspecting it. "Well, I'm glad that got taken care of." Scott flounced over the bloody area, like he wasn't so murderously angry that he couldn't even hide it from the bond. He kicked the empty bottles to the side, not flinching when they splintered into a million sharp pieces. Scott paused and looked at the doctor, who had pocketed the stake but still couldn't tear his eyes off of the mess in front of him. He walked back to him and cradled his face in his hands, eyes soft. "Good work, darling." His honey-sweet tone only caused more nausea to churn in his stomach as Scott took his hand in his own and rubbed it comfortingly. Soothing him like the whole ordeal had been caused by someone else and he had just happened to be around.

He was finally getting something concrete for his efforts: affection and comfort that was deserved because he had done what he had been asked to do. Legundo braced himself for the flowers to come.

But nothing came. They were still in his chest, he could feel them, but the usual feelings of seizing or flustered-ness didn't come with them. Because the love in his heart had faded just a little more.

And as he slowly raised his eyes towards Scott Goldsmith, the man who was currently looking at him like he was the most precious thing in the world, he suddenly realized how much he wanted the elder vampire dead. And as he remembered the stake that he had grabbed and how weak they both currently were, he realized he could do it.

Scott realized it at the same time he did. "Legundo," He started, his grip getting tighter even with his smile still plastered on his face. "Whatever could you be thinking about right now? If you want to kill more humans, you don't even have to ask. You're welcome to go to town."

Scott saw him as nothing but a weapon. Scott only rewarded him if he was able to be used for his own goals. Scott treated him like a starved soldier that only got food whenever they upped their body count. And Legundo realized he was tired of it. He was sick of the man in front of him. He was sick of choking out flowers and suffering for a man whose love was conditional-if it even existed at all.

He had been losing the game. And he wanted to quit playing. In a swift motion, he tackled Scott and held him down, holding the stake in his other hand. "I want to kill you," He hissed, ignoring how his vampire instincts cried at the notion of going against his sire.

"Wrong answer." Scott seemed relatively calm about being pinned to the ground with a deadly weapon only inches away from him. "Just because I had an off day today doesn't mean you're suddenly the one in charge here, Legs."

"You don't get to control me anymore. The world would be so much better with you dead," Legundo seethed as he aimed the stake, ignoring the trembling in his hands and the way everything in him was screaming not to do it. "I am not your toy or weapon or anything yours."

"Do you really think it's that easy to kill me? To be rid of me?"

"There is nothing left for me but to try." Legundo gritted his teeth as he held Scott down, preparing to finally stab the stake through his heart. "Just answer me this, Scott." Scott didn't have a single ounce of fear on his face. "Did you ever consider trying to love me?" Scott smirked.

"I don't know, would I?"

"Answer me." Legundo pushed the stake in closer. He needed closure. He needed just a tiny bit of proof that there was a drop of love in the monster's heart. A chance to feel just the tiniest amount of guilt over killing Scott Goldsmith.

"No." Scott smiled sickeningly. The amount of sincerity that oozed through the smile nearly made Legs ill all over again. The flowers that still rested in his heart withered and cried at the realization. "But I had a lot of fun pretending I could ever love someone like you." Legundo barely blinked before Scott latched his lips onto his own and kissed him. There was not a sign of genuineness in the kiss, not a sign of mercy or love or anything that resembled kindness. Scott Goldsmith had finished playing his game. And as soon as Legundo realized it, Scott was already trying to redirect the stake into the doctor's heart. And then came the crushing pain of guilt. It nearly sent Legundo scrambling in the other direction, away from the potential body, yet also nearly pushed him into the stake himself.

You deserve to die.

You deserve to die.

You deserve to die.

You deserve to die.

You deserve to die.

You deserve to die.

You," Legundo hissed as he pinpointed where the emotions were coming from. The bond that had almost become some sort of comfort-proof that they at least had something together-had turned into an intoxicating enemy. No-it always had been and he hadn't even realized it. Scott had manipulated his emotions through the bond so many times and he hadn't even noticed.

"You're not ready to lose me yet, are you?" Scott cooed. "Good thing you have plenty of time ahead of you in hell to think about me." Despite his placating voice, his face was a sneer as Legundo pushed the stake back. "Like I said, you can't get rid of me that easily. Even if you do kill me here, I'm going to live inside of your heart." He laughed meanly as he used his other hand to gesture to the doctor's chest. "I am a parasite inside of you, taking away anything that you hold dear. Hell, I'm surprised you learned so much about the disease when I hid so much information about it from you."

"Of course you did." Legundo started to claw at him, trying to grab the stake back.

"And yet you still trusted me! It was hilarious to see the lengths you would go." Scott's eyes were manic. "But here, it's either you or me, Doctor. And I'm going to be damned if it's me. I did not work this hard to drag you along just to be killed by someone so dumb and disheveled as you." Legundo tried to ignore his words, tried to focus on getting control back, tried to ignore the waves of guilt and agony that crashed through the bond that Scott was making him feel. "Did you know blood carries memories, Doctor? I've seen what you've done. I know your memories, your soul, your heart. And it's funny that you've been so worked up over it! Because that's nothing."

I hate you!" Legundo screamed as he finally wrestled the stake back into his own hands. He was suddenly so fast and angry and terrified that he didn't even realize he had stabbed the stake into Scott's chest.

"Oh," Scott mumbled, genuine surprise and fear ripping through the bond before it slowly started to fade.

"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" Legundo yelled as he stabbed the stake through his chest over and over and over and over and over and over, because he needed him to be dead, he needed to trust that Scott would not somehow come back. "I hate you!" Tears rolled down his cheeks and he wondered how he had become like this. "I hate myself. I hate myself! I hate myself!" He had been so stupid. So, so, so stupid. It was like a dam had broken as he hunched over the body, still stabbing Scott's chest.

You feel a dark soul ripped from its human coil. Somebody has slain a member of your monstrous family...

The flowers in his heart cried and sobbed with him until he started to choke again. Petals spilled out of his mouth and he suddenly feared he would drown in them. This time, it was more violent and agonizing and it took forever as entire chunks of flowers and blood fluttered to the ground in front of him.

Finally, finally, a large spherical object lodged itself out of his throat and onto the grass and the fit stopped. Legundo coughed as his throat healed before gently picking the object up. It was a seed, obsidian black in color and it was obscenely huge for such an innocent looking thing.

In one motion, he crushed it with his palms. He didn't want to risk it growing back somehow.

It took him a while to move from the body. When he did, he pulled his necklace over his head and settled it right on top of Scott's battered corpse. He wished he had made his death longer and yet, he knew if he had, there was a chance he would've stopped. It had been so easy to get rid of him that Legundo knew he was dumb for not doing it earlier. He was dangerous, a liability. With his empty chest and the bond that gnawed at him now that his sire was gone, he didn't trust himself to not go insane and hurt others.

Like he somehow hadn't done that already.

In a daze, he pointed himself towards town and started walking there. They were the only ones who could help him now.

⋆˚✿˖°

When he entered town, (he was too tired to fly, he couldn't be reminded of how not human he was, so it was lucky that the gate still opened for him unlike how it worked for the other vampires) the townsfolk were in the center discussing plans. They all stopped and tensed as he wobbled into the area with his bloodstained hands and outfit.

"Oh, great. He's here to kill us again," Avid muttered under his breath. He looked tired and the bags in his eyes seemed heavier. Legundo didn't say anything until he was in the center, letting himself be surrounded on all sides by the people. He knelt down and lifted his hands up.

"Lock me up," He begged. "Lock me up, stake me, cover me in silver, I don't care. I don't know what happens when to a fledgling when he kills his sire but I don't want to hurt anyone else."

"You killed Scott?" Drift blurted out, surprised.

"How do we know it's real? What if this is a trap?" Martyn exclaimed.

"Doc, are you sure?" Abolish asked.

"Everyone, shut up!" Cleo waved their hands as they yelled, silencing the crowd. "Avid. Get your silver handcuffs you made and put him in the jail. If that's what he wants, there's no harm in putting him in there." She looked down at Legundo. "Where did you kill him?"

"In the clearing where I-" He shook as fear overcame him. He had killed his sire. He had done it and he was so, so, so horrible. "I-"

"I know where." Drift interrupted. "C'mon, Abolish. We can go check."

"Thank you." Cleo nodded.

When he was finally settled in the jail, Legundo felt a sense of relief.

And that was when the effects attacked.

⋆˚✿˖°

"Is he going to be alright?" Drift asked hesitantly as she watched Legundo try and fail to escape the jail. There was a frenzied emptiness in his eyes that she had never seen on any vampire before.

"He'll be fine." Abolish tapped lightly on the silver walls. "It's normal for fledglings to have a grieving period after their sire dies, especially from unnatural causes. I imagine its worse for the ones who end up killing their sire in the first place." The two of them had just come back from finding Scott's body in the clearing, which had been both a horrific and satisfying sight. Abolish briefly paused. "At least, that's what I've read in the books. He'll be back to normal in a few days." They were interrupted by the sound of Legundo throwing himself against the jail cell yet again.

"Do you think the coven knows?"

"I'm sure they do. Cleo's already headed over there to clarify that it wasn't one of the townsfolk who killed him. I don't know how they'll react."

"…Me neither." Drift smiled sadly. "But at least….at least something has changed. We've been in a stalemate for so long."

"We're going to get out of here." Abolish promised as Legundo stopped and stared blankly at him. "Yeah, sure, Doc. You too." He made a slight purring sound before laying down and blinking at the ceiling. "We have the steps to the cure. We can give it to him. It's what he wanted to achieve in the first place, after all."

With Scott Goldsmith gone, they had a better chance of escaping as humans. They were going to survive.

They were going to be okay.

⋆˚✿˖°

When Legundo became fully conscious again, he was in his old bed. His bed, the one he had first slept in when he came to the town. He blearily looked around to see Cleo watching him.

"Did you…did you ever get my letter?" He managed despite his entire body feeling battered. He had to know. Then, he shivered as the hunger hit him in full force. Cleo was already pulling up her sleeves and offering a wrist to him.

"Drink if you don't want to die. What letter?" Legundo paused before carefully embedding his fangs into their wrist and drinking. He stopped for a second to answer their question.

"I delivered it to you during my first week after being turned." He continued to drink.

"I never got any sort of letter from you. Legs, you acted weird for so long and then one day you just disappeared. Then, we get reports from others that they've seen you near the castle or Pyro straight up telling us you got voluntarily turned by Scott. We thought you were gone from us."

"So that's a no." Legundo finished drinking and buried his face into his hands. "If I had been less of a coward, I would've stopped and talked-"

"Nope." Cleo snapped her fingers. "No more drowning in self-pity. No more thinking about the what-ifs. Doc, what I need from you right now is an explanation. And if you can explain it to me, you can explain it to the townspeople. And maybe after that, if you want it, we can cure you. Your sire is dead." Legundo snapped his head up. He had nearly forgotten about his search for a cure in all of the mess, and they had found it.

He could be free.

"Okay." He clasped his hands together. "I suppose I can start with the easy part. Have you ever heard of hanahaki disease?"