Chapter Text
Copia slept like a rock. He was curled up beneath the blankets on the comfortable mattress, he was warm and well fed sleeping off the final dregs of the venom. When he finally woke up he had very little motivation to move, to open his eyes. He didn’t want to confirm where he was, he didn’t want to think about the night before. If he just laid there he could live in ignorant bliss a little longer, which seemed preferable to confronting reality.
This couldn’t be real, right? It had to be some sort of weird dream. He was home in his bed. That’s all. Nothing happened. There was no handsome stranger sweeping him away, there was no reality in which he was bit and carried off into the surprisingly well maintained old church.
He could not live in blissful ignorance forever, eventually he rolled onto his back and stretched with a groan. When he opened his eyes, he let out a heavy sigh. It wasn’t a dream. This wasn’t his home. The night before was real. It was blurry, disorienting, but real. Sunlight was streaming in through a crack in the blackout curtain, cutting through the darkness like a knife.
Copia slowly crept out of bed and into the bathroom, deciding to snoop around a little. The bathroom was large, adored with lavish, albeit old, fixtures. The shower was stocked with expensive smelling soaps and the towels were fluffier than most blankets he had back home. And when he turned on the taps the water was hot almost instantly. Now that was luxury. Copia took a long shower, enjoying the little luxuries he could. He didn’t have a change of clothes, but that was alright. He took a moment to stare at himself in the mirror, unable to look away from the very distinct bite mark on his neck.
Last night was real. But.. how? How was any of this possible? Vampires were meant to be scary stories, cheesy movies, not the very attractive stranger living in an old abbey. He still couldn’t wrap his mind around it. He tried to think back to the night before, and it seemed one detail stood out.
He can’t leave.
Well.. it would seem in the sunlight they couldn’t chase after him.. maybe now was his chance to run.
He slowly opened his bedroom door, peeking down the hallway to make sure it was empty before stepping out. He didn’t see any of the ‘ghouls’ mentioned the night before.. it would seem the coast is clear.
He started to slowly move down the hallway, checking around every corner before he continued on, trying to find the way out.
The inside of the old church was truly stunning. Well maintained, beautiful architecture, stained glass windows, old paintings. He would love to admire it further, but… he probably shouldn’t linger. Staying in a church full of vampires and ghouls sounded like it wouldn’t end well for him, not after one had already bit him .
He finally found a door that led outside, he hurried through it. He was back outside in the courtyard, he could see the little section he’d cleared for himself that he’d been visiting for the past month.. his escape from it all.
Did he actually want to run away? Was.. was staying here that bad? Aside from the whole biting thing, Terzo had been nothing but kind. Protected him from the other two, ensured he had a proper meal, gave him a bedroom bigger than the entirety of where he usually stayed. And he was so gentle , lavishing him in soft touches and sweetly whispered pet names.
Copia sat down on the stone bench, putting his head in his hands. He heaved out a heavy sigh, torn between what to do. On one hand, this was a very old satanic church inhabited by vampires and hellspawn, on the other there was a very attractive stranger keen on taking care of him in ways he’d never experienced before.
Copia let out another sigh, slumping where he sat on the bench. What was he supposed to do?
——————
The ghouls alerted Terzo as soon as they found Copia was missing. They had gone to bring him breakfast and the man was nowhere to be found. Terzo swore under his breath and went to find his brothers, ensuring they had nothing to do with this.
When their innocence was proven, mostly by Primo sleeping in a pitch black room and Secundo not having Copia with him. Fuck. He could be anywhere. He sent the ghouls to search the grounds while he went to get ready. He got dressed, covering as much skin as possible with an expensive suit and tailored gloves. He grabbed a large black umbrella and donned a pair of sunglasses before he dared step foot in the outer hallways this early in the day. Even with all this preparation it was risky on a sunny afternoon like this.
He was getting a little frantic, worried about Copia. He still didn’t believe Secundo wasn’t involved… oh if he pulled anything he was going to kill him.
Terzo was walking quickly down the hallway, scanning for any sign of Copia. He paused by the windows overlooking the courtyard, relief washing over him as he spotted the man sitting outside. Oh thank the dark lord below, he was safe .
Terzo tried to stand in the shadows, avoiding the light as much as possible, still hidden beneath the umbrella as he watched.
He was staying put for now, simply sitting outside. He seemed… distressed. He was struggling with something, his head in his hands. Terzo wished more than anything to go out to him, but.. he waited. And watched. He told himself it was to make sure Copia didn’t try to leave, and perhaps that was partially true… but just like before, he enjoyed admiring the man. Just every little movement was so endearing.
They were at an impasse, Copia seemed unwilling to move and Terzo couldn’t go to fetch him. He didn’t want to startle the man by sending a ghoul in his place, but he didn’t want to sit and watch him suffer all day.
It would seem Copia was.. stuck. Unable to make a decision, head in his hands as he debated back and forth. What should he do? It should be an obvious answer. He should run away from the terrifying monster, right? … right? Every last trace of self preservation told him to book it down the hillside and back into town, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Terzo wasn’t a terrifying monster.. he was kind and gentle. A bit forward, perhaps, but kind nonetheless.
Was this a trap? Was it all to create a false sense of security? Perhaps the venom still lingered, fogging his judgment. He felt fine.. but could he know for certain?
Copia slumped where he sat, and stayed like that for some time. He’d slept rather late into the day, and the day passed him by as he sat and struggled to make a choice.
Perhaps his inability to leave already answered the questions he’d been asking. If it was so awful, he would’ve run. He would’ve left already and not looked back.
The sun was setting as he slouched forward, putting his head in his hands once more.
As the sun finally disappeared behind the horizon, Terzo closed the umbrella and abandoned the sunglasses before hurrying outside. He moved to kneel in front of Copia, reaching to gently pull his hands from his face.
“Tesoro mio, you have sat here all day, what are you doing? You’ve missed all your meals, you have to be freezing, are you alright?” Terzo looked concerned, bombarding the man with questions he’d wanted to ask for hours. It had been torture to stand and wait on the sidelines as Copia clearly suffered.
Copia jumped slightly as the other appeared in front of him. He could hardly bring himself to look at him as he rambled off his questions.
“I’m fine,” he lied. “And I’m not cold. It wasn’t so bad today.”
He tried to avoid the questions, but the look Terzo gave him madd Copia sigh before trying again.
“I-I don’t know,” he admitted, shaking his head. “I’ve spent all day deciding if I should leave, to be completely honest. But… I think the fact I couldn’t says enough. I don’t know. You’re not secretly planning to kill me, are you? Because that’d be kinda shitty. You do all this nice stuff, and-and I don’t know what to do about it. What are you doing? Why am I here? What do you want with me, huh? Is this some weird game for you? Am I your pet , huh?”
Terzo was taken aback by the outpour of questions and concerns from Copia, eyes widening slightly. This was their first real conversation, and he was asking a few fair questions. He had promised him a talk, it would seem now was as good a time as any.
“No, no, caro. No. I never planned to kill you, not for a second,” he assured him, reaching up to cup his face in one hand. “I will admit, I have been watching you since you showed up here in the courtyard. You’ve had my attention since the moment you sat here and read one of your books, since you cleared yourself this nice little patch. And-and perhaps last night I was a little, ah, overeager, hm? I got ahead of myself, but never have I seen someone as enticing as you, topolino.”
Terzo offered a small smile, and Copia couldn’t help but once more notice the flash of fangs. It made his heart beat a little faster, and he wasn’t sure if it was fear or… something else. He pushed that thought down to hopefully never address again as Terzo continued speaking.
“You are here because you deserve better, sì? You deserve someone looking out for you, you deserve a safe place to rest, proper meals, warmth on cold days. You, caro mio, deserve comfort. And I wish to provide that for you, here, where you shall want for nothing, need for nothing. You say the word and it will be yours, hm? And… ignore my brothers. They are, how you’d say.. idiots. Yes. Both of them. Specifically Secundo, do not let him bother you, hm? You are not a pet, you are not a prisoner, nor a meal. You are our guest and shall be treated as such.”
Copia listened, his eyes wide. This didn’t make sense. Not even a little. It wouldn’t compute, his mind unable to comprehend the kindness Terzo seemed to shower him in. He was quiet for some time, he couldn’t think of a proper response. What do you say to something like this? Could he even believe him?
“I want nothing from you but your comfort. Please, come inside. You’re going to catch a cold, winter is just around the corner. I’ve already sent to ghouls to fetch proper groceries, I’m sure they will have dinner ready soon. Let’s get you warm and a proper meal, we can talk more inside, sì?”
Terzo slowly rose to stand up, extending his hand to Copia. He hesitated a moment before accepting, taking his and following him inside. Following him home .