Chapter Text
They had thought it would be easy. It was what they had trained for after all; to rid Santa Carla of all the blood suckers. They thought they were well prepared when they went down to the lair that day; they were armed to their teeth with stakes. Staking the small one was supposed to be the easiest to start with but they had not expected for the others to wake up and attack them. Alan, Edgar and Sam had fled in a panic with the vampires literally at their heels. They could see the sunlight at the exit of the cave and Alan watched his brother crawl out and reaching back to grab Sam’s hand, pulling him through as well. Alan was right behind them; he could feel the sun on his face when he felt a hand, or maybe it was a claw, grab his ankle in a vice-like grip. He felt the sharp claws digging through his clothes and skin as he was pulled back. He tried to kick the creature behind him to get free but the grip only tightened and he screamed out in pain as he felt his bone crack under the pressure. He saw the panicked looks on his brother’s and Sam’s faces as they tried to reach for him but he was quickly pulled out of their reach and back into the darkness, hearing his brother calling out his name after him.
Alan was gasping for breath as he was pulled back in the cave and he felt a claw-like hand grab around his neck as he was held mid-air, facing the vampire with the platinum blond hair.
“You fucking little shit,” the vampire hissed, his fangs exposed and his golden eyes glowing in the dark. The vampire’s face grew softer as he kept inspecting Alan’s frightened face. He grabbed the beret from Alan’s head and threw it aside.
“You’re one of the little brats from the comic book store, aren’t you?” the vampire spoke with a smirk on his face which was slowly morphing back into something more human. “I’ve seen you and your brother, calling yourselves vampire hunters.” Alan whimpered as the vampire pulled him closer while he clawed at the hand that was still pressing against his windpipe.
“Look at you now ‘hunter’,” the vampire continued mockingly as Alan trembled in his grip.
“P-please,” Alan gasped out. “D-d-don’t kill me.” The vampire’s smirk only grew as he met Alan’s panicked gaze.
“Give me a fucking reason why I shouldn’t,” the vampire hissed, his breath hitting Alan’s face. “You tried to kill my brother.” Alan was crying by this point; he was going to die down here. His only comfort was that his brother would live to avenge him.
“David.” The tall, dark-haired vampire came towards them. He looked tired and angry as he gazed between Alan and the other vampire, David, who Alan guessed was the leader. Maybe he was even the head vampire.
“How is he?” David asked, pulling Alan’s body closer, his hand still gripping around his neck although not as tightly and the other arm was wrapped around his arms and torso. The brunet vampire sighed and pulled a hand through his hair.
“Luckily, those little shits also have shitty aims so the stake missed the heart,” he explained and Alan silently cursed. “He’s still in a hell of a lot of pain though. Paul and I let him drink from both of us but he’s not fully healed. He needs fresh blood and fast.” At the last statement the brunet gazed down at Alan who whimpered and began to struggle against the grip on him as he tried to protest. He did not want to be a meal for these creatures.
“Shut up, brat!” David hissed and pushed Alan over towards the brunet. “Hold him, Dwayne.” Alan stumbled on his injured ankle before the brunet, Dwayne, caught him, holding Alan’s back flush against his own body while he covered his mouth with one of his hands. Alan whimpered again, his feet barely touching the ground as he was brought further into the vampire lair where the other two were. The small one was still laying on the floor, covered in blood and with a large wound in his chest where the stake had been. The other blond was sitting beside him with a sour look on his face.
“Did you get them?” the taller blond asked as he rose to his feet when he noticed them approaching. Dwayne pushed Alan in front of him and this time there was no one to catch him and instead he fell to the floor as his ankle refused to support him. He whimpered in pain as he pushed himself up by his elbows while the three uninjured vampires surrounded him, looking down at him like a pack of demons or hungry wolves.
“Marko, can you move?” David asked as he gazed at the smaller vampire who moaned as he covered his wound with his hand as he struggled to sit up. Dwayne kneeled down next to Alan, ripping his jacket off his shoulders and using it to tie his arms behind his back and then pushed him towards the small one who caught him in his arms, almost in a mock embrace. Alan’s mouth was open in a silent scream as Marko bit into his neck and he felt his blood being forcefully sucked out of his veins.
“Don’t kill him, Marko,” David warned as he and the others watched them. The only indication given that Marko had heard him was a low grunt as he continued to drink. Alan’s body grew weaker and his tanned skin grew paler while Marko’s wound slowly began to heal.
“That’s enough, Marko. Let him go,” David ordered and Marko obeyed, albeit reluctantly, letting go of Alan who fell onto the floor, too weak now to even lift his head. He briefly wondered why they had not just killed him and feared that they would instead turn him. Maybe if he became a halfling he could kill David and then go back to his brother.
David smirked as he crouched down next to Alan, stroking his hair and cheek in a mocking imitation of affection. Alan tried to swallow, his mouth dry and his vision slightly blurry as he gazed at the vampire. He tried to speak but no words left his throat and instead he merely whimpered pathetically.
“So, what’s the plan now?” Paul asked as he sat down next to Marko again. The smaller blond was still not fully healed but he looked much better than before. “Do we go after the others?” David shook his head, his eyes never leaving Alan.
“No. They will probably be waiting for us,” he answered. “Marko is too weak to leave and we can’t risk giving them an upper hand.” He glanced at the others from over his shoulder.
“Dwayne, when the sun sets, you and Paul can go out and get us some food. We all need to regain some strength. I will head to Max’s later. I think he will want to know about this.” Alan was barely paying attention to what was said but he did hear the name Max and immediately thought of the man that Mrs Emmerson had had over for dinner the other day. But it could not be the same man; they had tested him already. He tried to think of any other Max but he was so tired from the loss of blood and the adrenaline rush from before was gone as well. He just wanted to sleep but he was also afraid that if he did he may not wake up again. Eventually he could not fight it anymore and he slowly drifted off.
He woke up with a moan. He did not know how long he had slept but his arms were still tied behind his back but he noticed that he was no longer on the hard, rock floor but instead he was on a soft mattress with silken pillows and a blanket. He also noticed that he had been stripped of all his clothes aside from his briefs. He looked around in a panic, looking for his clothes but did not see them anywhere and instead noticed the slightly transparent canopy surrounding him. He was quite certain that this was where that girl had slept when they first entered the lair. He gasped when he felt cold but firm hands on his ankle and gazed down, seeing the brunet vampire sitting beside him, wrapping up his injured ankle with a bandage. He was surprisingly gentle in his ministrations and the bandages looked clean and fresh. Alan tried to speak but his throat was still dry and he ended up coughing instead which caught Dwayne’s attention. Alan hated how pathetic he felt as he tried to prop himself up on his bound arms to better gaze at the vampire.
“What are you doing?” Alan eventually asked, his voice half-choked. The vampire raised an eyebrow as he tied the bandages.
“I’m treating your leg,” he answered. “It appears that it was just cracked so it should heal up nicely so long as you don’t put too much pressure on it.” Alan frowned as he gazed at his ankle which Dwayne was still cradling in his hands.
“Why are you…?” he began but ended up coughing again and Dwayne chuckled. Before any of them could speak the canopy was pulled aside and David peeked inside.
“Finally awake I see,” he spoke as he eyed Alan.
“What do you want? Why am I still here?” Alan asked, licking at the cracks in his dry lips. He really wanted some water. David smirked at him and kneeled down next to him.
“Have you ever heard of Blood Dolls?” he asked, stroking Alan’s hair like some pet. “Have you ever read about those in your little comic books?” Alan carefully shook his head. He had never heard the word before but he did not like the sound of it. David’s smirk grew.
“A Blood Doll is a mortal who offers their blood to a vampire,” he explained, gazing intensely at Alan who felt his heart hammer painfully in his chest. “It’s quite a lucrative deal, isn’t it? The vampire gets a willing supply of blood and the mortal gets to live.” Alan felt tears sting in his eyes as he gazed at David.
“We decided to make you into our own little Blood Doll. Meaning we will keep you alive for a very long time,” David whispered as he leaned closer to Alan who frantically shook his head, ignoring the headache it brought on.
“NO! I refuse! I’d rather you kill me than be your little pet!” he protested. David chuckled, the sound dark and menacing as he put a hand over Alan’s chest, pushing him down onto his back.
“It’s already been decided, doll,” David said as he leaned closer, his nose nearly touching Alan’s. Alan tried to glare at him but the tears in his eyes took the edge of it.
“My brother is going to kill you!” he screamed out, ignoring his dry throat. “He and the others will kill all of you and burn your asses into a crisp!” Both David and Dwayne chuckled at his outrage, making him feel like a child throwing a tantrum.
“I doubt that. You and your brother couldn’t even locate the heart properly,” David explained. Alan continued to glare, hiccupping as he kept crying. He wished he was back at the comic book store with his brother where all he had to worry about were shoplifters. He cried harder as he thought about his brother, his glare quickly vanishing as he hung his head.
“Please,” he begged, his voice a quiet whisper. “Please, just let me go.” David continued to smirk as he stood up again.
“No way, doll. You’re ours to keep now,” he spoke. “Which reminds me that we ought to feed you.” He gave a nod to Dwayne who stepped around the makeshift bed and picked Alan up bridal style. Alan was still crying, too weak still to struggle as he was carried to another part of the lair where the other two were sitting, passing a joint between them. Marko appeared to be fully healed by then and was snickering at some joke he had shared with Paul. They both grinned as they saw Dwayne carrying Alan over to them.
“Our little dolly is awake!” Paul cheered while Dwayne sat down beside them in an old worn out couch with Alan in his lap while David was sitting in an old wheelchair as if it was a throne. Alan kept hanging his head even though he had stopped crying. He was also cold; despite the fire burning in the barrels the air in the lair was still chilly.
“Paul, run and get our doll some food,” David ordered and Paul gave a mock salute before he ran off.
Alan had no idea how long Paul was gone; he was still tired from the lack of blood and his head hurt from crying. He did not even realise that he was leaning his heavy head against Dwayne’s shoulder as he was slowly nodding off. He was woken up again by the loud cheers from Paul when he returned with his arms full of greasy hamburgers and beers. Alan was surprised when he saw how the blond handed out the hamburgers and beers to the others since he did not think that vampires drank or ate anything but blood but they seemed to munch quite happily on the burgers. He had hoped that they would finally untie his arms but instead he was being handfed by Dwayne while Marko and Paul cooed at him like he was a puppy or something. He would have refused the food if he was not so hungry and he also knew he that he needed to regain his strength. He had already eaten three burgers when Dwayne cradled his head in his hand and brought one of the beer bottles to his lips. Alan had never had any alcoholic beverage before and the beer tasted bitter and vile. He tried to spit it out but it was hard in the angle he was in and Dwayne kept the bottle by his lips.
“It’s the only drink you’re getting right now unless you want something even stronger,” Dwayne had spoken in his ear. Alan sighed but ultimately drank down the beer offered to him despite it making him feel sick. Dwayne then guided Alan’s head back to rest on his shoulder, holding him there with a gentle but still firm grip. Seeing as he had little better to do Alan closed his eyes and drifted off again, not paying much attention to what the vampires were saying but he thought he heard the name Max again.
When he awoke again he was back on the bed and the vampires were nowhere to be seen. He quickly realised why when he noticed the faint rays of sunshine peeking through the entrance of the lair. Alan tried to sit up, thinking that this was his chance to get away but found that he could not move and as he looked up he saw that his hands were tied to the bed. He let out a frustrated scream as he struggled against the ropes that bound him, ignoring the pain as they cut into his wrists, breaking his skin. He let out a number of curses directed at the vampires and swore that he would kill them all.
For hours he struggled with the ropes which ended up being sticky with blood but they did not budge. Whoever had tied them knew their ways around knots.
As soon as the sun set Alan heard the voices of the vampires as they approached from wherever they had rested during the day. By then Alan was exhausted from struggling and his wrists were completely torn with his blood covering his arms and the sheets.
“Are you trying to tempt us, doll?” David asked as he approached the bed and pulled the canopy aside to peer down at Alan. “You make us hungry when we wake up to the scent of your sweet blood.” Alan did not respond and refused to face David or any of the others as they approached as well, surrounding him like a pack of wolves. Alan squeezed his eyes shut as the vampires kneeled down and his arms were untied. They made him sit up as his wrists were brought to hungry mouths that licked at the blood. Alan bit his lower lip to keep from whimpering as he felt fangs scraping at his wrists but not actually piercing his flesh. His heart was racing in his chest as he felt someone move from his wrist to his neck. The fangs at his neck still did not completely piece his flesh but only scraped at his skin just enough to draw blood before a hungry mouth covered the wound. Alan’s toes curled as his body broke into a cold sweat, his breaths coming out in short gasps through his nose. He refused to admit it, even to himself, that he found pleasure in having four hungry mouths lapping at his blood. He gasped and finally opened his eyes when he felt a pair of lips press against his own, seeing Dwayne leaning over him. Alan tried to pull away but Dwayne bit onto his lower lip, drawing blood and drew him in again. Alan had never been kissed before; he and his brother were not really popular with the girls at their school, and he hated that it was stolen by this vampire. He wanted to hate the kiss itself, especially as he could taste his own blood on Dwayne’s tongue but it actually felt nice the way the cold tongue massaged his own while those fangs lightly scraped his lips and tongue. He got so lost in the sensation of the kiss that he forgot about everything else, his body relaxing completely and falling limp. He did not notice when the others pulled away and he barely even realised that he had reached up his arms to wrap around Dwayne’s neck.
Once Dwayne began to pull away Alan was still in a daze, his eyes fluttering open as his breath came out in gasps and his arms were still lazily wrapped around the vampire’s shoulders. He licked his lips which were swollen at that point, still tasting the blood on them.
“I see our Dwayne hasn’t lost his magic touch,” Paul snickered and only then did Alan notice that the others were standing by the side watching them with grins on their faces. Alan quickly pushed away from the brunet, embarrassed with himself for what he had done and that he had enjoyed it so much. He drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, ignoring the snickers from the others.
“No need to be ashamed, dolly,” Marko said as he sank down next to Alan and wrapped an arm around his tense shoulders. “Our Dwayne may not say much but he has one hell of a talented tongue.” Alan buried his face in his knees to hide his blush while Dwayne playfully punched Marko on the arm.
Alan was left alone after that as Dwayne and the others went to amuse themselves in the lair while David had left on some errand. The young teen stayed on the bed, biting his lower lip while he listened to the others although he found that they were rather quiet and curiously gazed up to look at them. He could not spot Dwayne but he saw Marko and Paul who appeared to just be sitting around. It seemed almost peaceful.
Alan chewed at his nails as he contemplated on going over to join the others. He used the excuse that he just wanted to stretch his legs but he ended up sighing as he gazed at his injured ankle. He would probably need help to go over to the others otherwise the injury would get worse.
“You feeling better, doll face?” Alan jumped upon hearing the voice and turned to the other side of the bed where Dwayne stood; he was quite sure the brunet had not been there a second ago. Alan gaped like a fish as he tried to form words but none left his mouth. He did not even know what to say to the brunet vampire. He watched wearily as Dwayne kneeled down next to him, holding an old first aid kit.
“Give me your hands,” Dwayne said as he opened the box and fished out some bandages which he placed on the bed. Alan glanced at his wrists which he had torn up earlier, they were not bleeding but they stung like hell. He hesitated before he reached out one of his hands to Dwayne who carefully examined the damage before he reached into the box again and pulled out a small bottle of disinfectant which he carefully poured over a gauze.
“This will sting,” was his only warning before he brought the gauze to the wrist to clean it. Alan hissed and bit his lower lip as he watched the vampire work. He was so gentle and quick as he cleaned both wrists and then wrapped them both in bandages.
“How come you know this stuff?” Alan asked as Dwayne tied the bandages around the second wrist. “I mean, it’s not like you need this stuff, right?” Dwayne glanced at him, his head still titled downwards.
“Back when I was…alive, my dad was a doctor,” he explained. “He wanted me to take over his clinic so he taught me a few things.” Alan chewed his lower lip as he rubbed the bandages on his wrists; although he knew that these creatures were once human it was hard to imagine them as anything else but vampires and it was even harder to imagine them with families. He carefully eyed the vampire; he certainly did not look like a doctor’s son but then again, he had no idea how long ago that was. Did vampires change their appearance with the years? The ones in the comics didn’t but these guys blended in perfectly with the crowd with their hair and clothes. He had to admit though that Dwayne, as well as the others, looked good. Alan had never had any interest in men but he could recognise a nice face, male or female.
His breath hitched when his eyes lingered on Dwayne’s lips; they were plump, not overly so but enough that they formed a nice pout. They were soft too; Alan remembered how nice they had felt against his own. He blushed as he remembered the kiss, unconsciously bringing his fingers to his own lips.
“Why did you kiss me earlier?” he asked softly, not able to meet the vampire’s gaze so he did not see the smirk on Dwayne’s face.
“I felt like it,” he stated simply as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Alan felt a hand under his chin as his head was tilted up so his gaze met the vampire’s. Dwayne was still smirking as he leaned over gently pressing his lips to Alan’s. The kiss was different from the earlier one; softer and less demanding, really just touching of lips but it still caused a shiver to run down Alan’s back. It somehow seemed more intimate than the previous kiss.
As they pulled apart Alan was breathing heavily through slightly parted lips his heart racing to the point that it was almost painful. He was sure that Dwayne, as well as the other two, could hear his heart with their supposed enhanced senses.
“Dwayne! Quit hogging our little doll and get over here! Both of you!” Paul called out, peering at them from the couch he was slouching on. Marko was grinning as he gazed at Paul.
“Are you feeling left out, Paulie?” he asked in mock sympathy. Paul flipped him off before he stood up and went over to the bed and Alan shrugged back slightly when the blond crouched down next to him. Paul seemed more unpredictable than the others, kind of unhinged in a way and it frightened him.
“How ya doing, baby doll?” Paul asked with a grin and Alan wanted to glare at him for the nickname but instead he merely shrugged his shoulders. Paul continued to grin as he took one of Alan’s hands, gazing at the new bandages.
“You better be careful from now on or you’re gonna end up looking like a mummy,” he chuckled at his own joke as he reached out his other hand and stroked Alan’s cheek. Alan shivered again, he wanted to blame the cold but he knew that it was more than that. He was worried for himself and how easily he seemed to give in to these vampires. He was weak; he always had been even though he tried to put up a brave front. He was sure that if his brother was in his situation he would not give in like this; he would fight with tooth and nail. Alan sighed. Edgar was always the stronger of them; even though Alan was the oldest it was always Edgar who stood up to bullies or shoplifters. Alan just sort of tagged along.
“Hey.” Alan was brought out of his thoughts by Paul’s soft voice as the hand on his cheek moved to his head, the fingers carding through his hair. “What’s the matter, baby doll?” Alan shook his head, tears gathering in his eyes which he furiously tried to blink away.
“I want to go home,” he whispered, hanging his head as he felt his bottom lip trembling. “My brother must be so worried. He’s going to come looking for me.” At least he hoped he would. He had hoped that Edgar would come for him the first day but he figured that maybe he was just working on a plan of action.
Alan felt a pair of arms wrapping around him as he was pulled into Paul’s lap.
“This is your home now, baby doll,” Paul whispered in his ear. “We’re your family now.” He felt a pair of cold lips press against his cheek as Paul’s hands rubbed at his back. He should not be comforted by this but he felt himself relaxing in the blond’s arms. Once again, he was being weak.
“I guess we need to get you some new clothes later so we can take you out with us on hunts,” Paul spoke after a while, once more reminding Alan that he was practically naked.
“I doubt that we can take him out for a while. We need to make sure he won’t try to run before that,” Marko commented from the side before he cooed at one of his pigeons. Paul shrugged his shoulders.
“Still, a few decent threads wouldn’t hurt,” he said as he nuzzled into Alan’s hair. “None of those shit ugly ones you came in with.” Alan frowned. He liked his clothes; they were comfortable and could take some beatings. He had seen some of the people on the boardwalk with clothes that were too tight or looked so thin and flimsy that they would probably break within the first day. His thoughts drifted to Sam and the ridiculous clothes he had worn when he first stepped into their comic book store.
“I don’t want to be a fashion victim,” he mumbled, half to himself and he heard the others chuckle, having obviously heard him.
“No one said we would make you a fashion victim but we could definitely find you something nicer than your old threads,” Marko said as he released the pigeon in his hands and skipped over to the bed, sinking down at it with a small huff. Paul grinned as he tightened his arms around Alan’s body.
“We can make you look so hot,” he whispered. “Although, you’re already fucking adorable.” Paul tipped Alan’s head back and kissed his forehead, then his cheek and finally his lips. It felt strange to get that sort of attention; not even Alan’s parents had ever called him adorable and the only one he could ever remember hugging him was his brother and maybe his mom back when she and his dad didn’t smoke so much weed that they were constantly out of it. These people however, these vampires, treated Alan like he was something precious. They did not see him as one of the freaky Frogs with the stoner parents who ran the geeky comic book store. It was actually a nice change of pace and he ended up closing his eyes, allowing himself to enjoy the attention given to him. It was not like he could escape after all.