Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

All of Love wasted no time when he heard the scream. A girl, no older than 13 and probably younger than ten—All of Love hated how easily he could tell so much from such a short sound. His heart broke a little every time he found another child, another life snuffed out far too soon or another soul who hadn’t gotten the love they deserved.

The girl’s heartbeat had already faded by the time All of Love reached her. Her clothes were torn and dirty; a runaway perhaps, or maybe her family had abandoned her.

No human could save this child.

Luckily, All of Love hadn’t been human in a very, very long time.

A few drops of his blood dripped down the girl’s throat, and only moments later, she took a shaky breath. Her eyelids fluttered open; it took her a moment to realize she was alive—and once she did, she flinched back, putting as much distance between herself and All of Love as possible. There was fear in her eyes, and her body was tense, ready to flee at the slightest movement.

“It’s all right,” All of Love said. “I won’t hurt you. You’re safe with me.”

The girl relaxed ever so slightly. All of Love wasn’t sure whether that was a side-effect of becoming his Subclass, or whether he just had an air of harmlessness about him.

“Am I… dead?” the girl asked.

All of Love shook his head. “Not anymore. Have you ever heard of vampires?”

“I’m a vampire?” The girl opened her mouth and felt for her canines, which had turned into fangs. “I’m a vampire!”

All of Love smiled at her marvel. For all the bad she’d had to bear, she hadn’t lost her sense of wonder. “What’s your name, little one?”

The girl crossed her arms and looked away. “Doesn’t matter…” She shook her head. “Don’t have one.”

“Do you mind if I give you a new one, then? How about Kate?”

“Sure, why not.”

“So, Kate.” All of Love waited until she looked at him. “Do you want to come with me? I live in a big house where you’d have many siblings your age to play with, and of course a warm bed and new clothes.”

Kate hesitated. “Do you have a big garden, too? And toys for everyone?”

“More toys than you could ever wish for, and a garden big enough to fit a whole forest,” All of Love promised. “So, what do you say?”

Kate thought for a moment longer before she nodded. “Then I do want to come. Are my siblings nice?”

“The nicest children you’ll ever meet.” Or perhaps All of Love was just a little biased towards his children. “Come here—It’s a little far, so I’ll carry you, okay?”

“Okay,” Kate answered, and All of Love picked her up; she was so light, All of Love felt like he might as well be holding a newly hatched bird that had fallen out of its nest. She clung to his clothes, silently asking for protection as she eyed the surroundings warily. All of Love held her close, gladly offering the safety she deserved and should have gotten all her life.

They were already halfway home when rustling in a nearby bush drew All of Love’s attention. He stopped, and just barely saw the tip of a scaly tail disappear between the leaves. Could it be…?

“What’s wrong?” Kate looked around, scared. All of Love had to take her home before he did anything else.

“It’s nothing,” he answered. “Don’t worry, we’ll be there soon.”

Kate nodded, pressing herself tighter into the safety of his arms.

All of Love went to look for Doubt Doubt the following night. Maybe it was silly; it might have been—probably had been—a completely normal black snake. As far as All of Love knew, he was the only Servamp in Japan. How long had it been since he last saw any of his siblings? Decades, maybe a century or two?

There was a quiet alley not far from where All of Love had spotted the snake. Doubt Doubt liked to hide; if he didn’t have an Eve or another place to stay, he’d might be there, somewhere he could escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

At first and even at second glance, the alley looked empty. It was a foolish plan. Doubt Doubt had no reason to be here—not in Japan, and certainly not in a big city like Tokyo—and even if the snake had been him, he could be long gone.

And yet, All of Love couldn’t make himself turn away, not before he made sure his brother wasn’t here.

“Doubt Doubt?”

No answer.

“I know that you’re here.” A bluff, but if Doubt Doubt did hear him, maybe it’d convince him to come out.

Still nothing.

Then All of Love had to search the old-fashioned way, looking behind garbage cans and under old cardboard boxes. Finding, say, The Mother would have been easier. Doubt Doubt’s animal form was perfect for hiding.

All of Love was not even halfway done when someone stepped out from behind—or under? Hard to tell—a large container.

“What do you want?”

The voice was undeniably Doubt Doubt’s.

And it was a good question. “I saw you last night, and…” All of Love’s voice trailed off. And he’d missed his brother? And he’d wanted to make sure he had a home? “… and I was wondering what you were doing here.”

Doubt Doubt was silent for a while, though not unusually long by his standards. “The girl… is she okay?”

Not an answer to All of Love’s question. “She’s one of my Subclass now,” he said. “She’s settled into the manor pretty quickly, and she’s thrilled to have so many siblings.” Being able to save Kate’s life would have been better, but at least she finally had a loving home.

“… That’s good.” Doubt Doubt turned away, as if he were about to leave.

“Wait!” Doubt Doubt stopped, and All of Love quickly crossed the distance between them. “Where’s your Eve? Where are you staying?”

“I don’t… have an Eve.”

Once again, Doubt Doubt didn’t answer the whole question. This time, though, All of Love could guess it meant that he had no place to stay, either. “Then why are you here?” he asked, but immediately shook his head. “You don’t want to answer that, do you?”

“I don’t.”

“Do you want to come with me?”

Doubt Doubt tilted his head to the side; his face was hidden behind a dark veil, but All of Love could feel his eyes on him regardless.

“You don’t have any other place to stay, right?” All of Love asked, and Doubt Doubt shook his head. “There are enough rooms at the manor. You can be in one of the quieter wings, if you want; no one will force you to socialize, but that way, if you want to talk to someone, you can.”

Doubt Doubt remained silent. Was he considering All of Love’s proposal, or was he thinking about turning into a snake and leaving?

All of Love continued before Doubt Doubt could choose the latter. “And… I’d be happy if you were nearby. You’re my brother, after all, and I’ve missed you.” He held out his hand. “So? Will you come with me?”

Doubt Doubt hesitated a little longer before he finally took All of Love’s hand and shook it. “I… Won’t take an Eve, though.”

As much as All of Love wanted to ask why, he had a feeling that he wouldn’t get much of an answer. Perhaps at some point down the line, Doubt Doubt would be willing to talk about it. “All right.” He let go of his brother’s hand. “Well then, let’s take off. Welcome to the Alicein family.”

It was impossible to tell whether Doubt Doubt was returning All of Love’s smile behind his veil; All of Love just hoped that, after some time, his older brother would feel just as much at home in the Alicein manor, as much part of the family, as he did.

Chapter Text

The moon was shining through Doubt Doubt’s window. Down in the garden, All of Love was playing with his children; most of them were his Subclass, but a few were normal humans. All of Love didn’t discriminate when he found a child in need of a home.

One of the children, Kate, turned to his window and waved. Doubt Doubt raised an arm in response; he never joined the games—or the Alicein family’s meals or gatherings, for that matter—but he liked watching them, see how many children his little brother had given a new chance at life, one way or another.

All of Love sent the children to bed around midnight. Not long after, a butterfly landed on Doubt Doubt’s window, asking for entry.

Doubt Doubt followed his request, and All of Love turned back into his human form to sit on the windowsill, legs dangling over the yard, while Doubt Doubt leaned against the wall next to him. They didn’t speak, just quietly enjoyed each other’s company. Doubt Doubt knew All of Love preferred to chat when spending time with someone, so he appreciated the silence even more. It was for his sake, after all.

After a few minutes, All of Love pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

“I thought you wanted to quit.”

All of Love paused, then stuffed the cigarette back into the pack. “I do.” He sighed. “At least I don’t do it in front of the children anymore. Now I just need to stop when they’re not watching, too. Will you help me with that?”

“Maybe you should ask Mikage to give you less pocket money,” Doubt Doubt suggested. “You can’t smoke if you can’t afford cigarettes.”

All of Love laughed. “Maybe… but what about taking the children to the amusement park or to see a movie?”

“I know you.” Doubt Doubt shook his head. “If you had to decide between treating the children and treating yourself, you’d pick them.”

“I wonder about that…” All of Love’s eyes were fixed on the moon above.

Not for the first time, Doubt Doubt wondered what All of Love’s life as a human had been like. He’d wondered that about all his siblings, including himself, but if any of them remembered, they weren’t talking about it—and with Old Child’s or Lawless’ love for chatter, that probably meant their memories were just as hazy as Doubt Doubt’s own.

They fell silent again, listening to the sounds of the night and each other’s breathing. Occasionally, All of Love started fidgeting with his cigarette pack; Doubt Doubt responded by tapping against the wall or windowsill, prompting All of Love to put the pack back without taking a cigarette. Doubt Doubt noticed that All of Love was reaching for it less often than the nights before. A few weeks longer, and he might finally manage to quit completely.

They spent an hour or two just being together like this before All of Love broke the silence. “I should go,” he said and stretched. “Good night, Doubt Doubt.”

“Yeah. Night.” As he watched his brother fly off, Doubt Doubt caught himself wishing that he might stay here forever, that nothing would tear this attempt at a paradise apart. As a vampire, he knew it was a foolish wish, that forever was a long time, but after a few mostly peaceful decades, maybe he could dare to at least hope such a thing might be possible.

He woke up when someone threw the door to his room open. It should have been locked, which meant that whoever did so had to be part of the family, or an intruder who’d stolen one of the keys.

Doubt Doubt was alert in an instance, guns drawn. If this was an intruder, their journey would end here.

“Calm yourself,” the human said. Doubt Doubt had heard her voice before, and as she stepped forward into the moonlight, he recognized her as Lady Alicein, Mikado Alicein’s wife.

He lowered his guns. “What are you… doing here?” Now that he knew he wasn’t facing a threat, Doubt Doubt felt incredibly exposed; he’d taken off his veil to sleep, so the Lady had full view of his face.

“Make a contract with me.” She stepped closer.

Doubt Doubt stepped back and shook his head. “No.” All of Love had assured him he wouldn’t have to do so, after all. He was content staying in his room, he didn’t need—didn’t want—an Eve. He wouldn’t be good for anyone who dared make a contract with him.

The Lady shook her head. “I wasn’t asking.” She held out something, a small item attached to a long necklace. “Take it.”

“Why?” Maybe if she explained, Doubt Doubt could dissuade her from her plan. If not… Could he really refuse? He was only here on the Aliceins’ charity, so if the heads of the household asked something of him and he refused, would he still be allowed to stay here?

The Lady smiled. “There’s… something we need to take care of. A threat. Mikage is old—I’d rather not have to involve him and his Servamp, so I wanted to ask for your help instead.”

Doubt Doubt hesitated. She was right; Mikage was long past his prime, so who knew what the stress of an actual fight would do to him? And All of Love wasn’t made for fighting in the first place, so perhaps him making a contract would be the lesser of two evils.

Finally, he reached out and took the necklace. A gift.

A name.

Lady Alicein held out her now empty hand, and Doubt Doubt sunk his fangs into her wrist. Blood.

The chain formed around them, binding Doubt Doubt to his first new Eve in… How many years had it been? He looked at Lady Alicein. “Where… do we have to go?”

“Follow me. And do so as a snake, we don’t want to draw any unwanted attention.”

Jeje complied, wrapping himself around her arm as she left his wing, then the manor. Where could the threat be, if not already inside? Had they received a threatening letter? Or was there another reason why Lady Alicein knew of a future threat? Maybe one of All of Love’s Subclass could glimpse the future.

The house they went to seemed… normal. Something Doubt Doubt would have expected a family to live in, not someone who’d attack the Aliceins. But he knew that looks could be deceiving.

“Get us inside,” Lady Alicein told Doubt Doubt. “It doesn’t matter if it’s noisy.”

Doubt Doubt transformed back into a human. He summoned one of his guns, aimed at the door, and shot out the bolt. The shot echoed in the silence of the night, and Doubt Doubt could sense someone stir inside. Well, if the person inside was a threat to the Alicein family, it wouldn’t matter that they heard him. They wouldn’t get out, anyway.

“Lead me to them.”

Them? Was there more than one?

Doubt Doubt nodded and took the lead. Whoever lived here made no effort to be silent; he heard some shuffling, doors opening and closing, and… the cry of a child.

Doubt Doubt stopped dead in his tracks and turned towards Lady Alicein. “Who lives here?”

“That’s none of your concern.” She glared at him. “Keep going. That’s an order.”

Doubt Doubt felt the pull of invisible chains. He couldn’t disobey. Some of his younger siblings had it easier in that regard, more leeway in how to interpret what their Eve told them, though Doubt Doubt doubted any of them could refuse a direct order. So he led Lady Alicein further, through a dark hallway and into the room with the crying child.

There was no one here he’d have called a threat. A young woman with purple hair, and a child, younger even than any of All of Love’s Subclass. Doubt Doubt clenched his fists. If only he had refused Lady Alicein. If only he had refused All of Love back when he had invited him.

But he hadn’t, and now he was standing before two young lives who looked at him with fear in their eyes.

The woman hugged her child close, focusing on Lady Alicein now. “I—Lady Alicein, why—”

“Kill her.” Lady Alicein didn’t even let the woman finish.

Doubt Doubt felt the chains again, but tried to stand against them. “They aren’t threats,” he tried to reason with her.

“Please, please don’t!” Tears welled up in the woman’s eyes. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t… I wasn’t… Please, we’ll leave the city, and…”

“I told you to kill her.” Lady Alicein glanced at Doubt Doubt.

He couldn’t stop himself from summoning his gun and aiming it at her. Maybe he could convince Lady Alicein to spare the child, if he made sure not to harm it. And he could make the woman’s death painless, at least.

Doubt Doubt looked at her, trying to silently apologize, but she just stared at him in fear. He couldn’t blame her. Another gunshot echoed through the night, and the woman fell to the ground, her body limp. The child cried even louder now, clinging to its mother’s clothes, but she couldn’t hug it, couldn’t comfort it anymore.

And it was his fault. Doubt Doubt turned towards Lady Alicein. “Please… The child…”

She shook her head, and for a moment, Doubt Doubt worried that she wouldn’t listen, that she’d force him to kill the child, too. But instead, she picked it up, cradling it gently. “You’re my husband’s son…” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I’m sorry for what I had to do…” She turned to Doubt Doubt. “Make sure there’s no evidence left here, please… And then we’ll have to…” She sniffed, her ruthless demeanor all but forgotten. “We’ll have to… Tell Mikado…”

Doubt Doubt just nodded. It wasn’t an order this time, but he had nothing to gain by refusing—the woman was dead, and Lady Alicein seemed to have no intention of harming the boy, at least.

Mikado spotted them in one of the manor’s hallways; perhaps he’d noticed his wife wasn’t in their room and had gone to look for her.

“Dear… Please forgive me…” More tears rolled down Lady Alicein’s cheeks.

“What have you done?”

“You were… You were corresponding with each other.” She fell to her knees, and Mikado immediately rushed to comfort her.  “It wasn’t hard for me to find her, and the vampire of envy has taken care of her.”

Doubt Doubt flinched when she mentioned him. Behind Mikado, he spotted a butterfly; All of Love’s slight glow betrayed where he had hidden.

Doubt Doubt averted his eyes. He wanted to apologize, explain, tell his little brother that he’d had no choice but to follow Lady Alicein’s orders, but—

“… Hatred and jealousy drove me insane!”

Doubt Doubt tensed up. It was his fault. Jealousy was his domain, even if he hadn’t meant for it to happen. He only hoped that All of Love didn’t blame himself for bringing Doubt Doubt into the manor; he had just been trying to help. Doubt Doubt should have known better, should have refused, he knew what would happen, and yet he’d come along, had let the decades of peace give him a false sense of security.

He’d taken a risk, and that risk had torn All of Love’s family apart.

Chapter Text

All of Love looked up at the window of Doubt Doubt’s new room; he’d been moved to a different wing to account for the distance limit between him and Lady Alicein. The curtains were drawn. They were always drawn now, and Doubt Doubt refused to open door or window for anyone.

“When will Uncle Doubt look outside again?” Kate asked, hugging All of Love’s leg as she looked up to the window.

He gently stroked her hair. “I don’t know. Probably when he’s ready.”

“But it’s been years!” Kate stared at the window, as if she could will Doubt Doubt to open it. The two of them had never spoken to one another, but after All of Love had told her he had found both of them on the same evening, Kate had made it her duty to wave at Doubt Doubt every night.

Every night, until Lady Alicein had made a contract with him and used him to kill Misono’s mother.

“Come on, go play with the others,” All of Love told Kate. “I’ll be right there, too. And if Doubt Doubt looks outside, I’ll call you immediately, all right?”

“Okay…” Kate glanced at the window on last time before she left and joined the other children.

All of Love stayed behind, hoping against his better judgement that his brother would open the curtains. He hadn’t had a chance to talk to him, ask him what happened, tell him he didn’t blame him, tell him that he shouldn’t blame himself. But the curtains remained closed, and Doubt Doubt’s door locked. All of Love could have taken the keys or forced his way in, but he knew his brother; if he did that, Doubt Doubt would just shut him out even more.

There was nothing to do but wait. All of Love sighed and finally turned away from the window; the children were waiting for him, and staring at it wouldn’t make Doubt Doubt let him in any sooner.

A gunshot ripped All of Love from his sleep. It was one of Doubt Doubt’s guns; there was no scent of gunpowder in the air, as there would be if it had been a normal one.

He was up much faster than any human could hope to be, and rushed towards the sound. It hadn’t come from Doubt Doubt’s room. But why? Where had he gone? Had Lady Alicein told him to?

The door to Misono’s room was slightly ajar. All of Love felt his heart sink. Mikuni wouldn’t recover if he lost his brother, and neither would Mikado if his wife had killed his son—and he wasn’t sure whether Doubt Doubt would, either.

But as he got closer, All of Love could hear the quiet sniffles of a child, and a hushed voice trying to comfort him. If Misono was all right, then who had the shot been for?

The scene behind the door was grisly. Lady Alicein lay on the floor, blood pooling around her body; next to her stood Mikuni, shielding Misono and brandishing a bloody knife towards All of Love.

He raised his hands. “It’s all right,” he said softly. “I’d never hurt you or Misono. You know that.”

Mikuni slowly lowered the knife, hands shaking. Misono was clinging to his legs, trying his best to not look at Lady Alicein’s body. Doubt Doubt was standing behind the two children, avoiding eye contact with anyone. There was a small bullet hole in the floor, not far from Lady Alicein’s feet.

“You’re safe now.” All of Love slowly approached the children, careful not to startle them. Mikuni usually looked mature far beyond his years, but tonight, he looked just like a terrified teenager. “What happened?”

“Mother was… Mother was trying to kill Misono.” Mikuni finally dropped the knife, and instead stumbled forward, into All of Love’s arms. “I heard the gunshot, and came here to save him.”

All of Love carefully stroked his hair. “You’re a good brother,” he soothed. “You did your best.” Mikuni was shaking, his chest heaving as if he were crying, but he didn’t spill a single tear.

After only a few moments, Mikuni stepped back; he looked almost embarrassed at his moment of vulnerability. “Jeje and I are going to leave. Tonight.”

“Jeje?” All of Love tilted his head to the side, then looked at Doubt Doubt. “Did you…”

“We made a contract,” Mikuni answered instead.

There were a million questions All of Love wanted to ask—what exactly happened, why and how they’d made the contract, where Mikuni was planning to go—but he knew they didn’t have enough time for that.

So instead, he just nodded.

“Take good care of Misono for me.” Mikuni looked down at the child and smiled; a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. “I know my father. I won’t be able to see Misono for a long time.”

“I will,” All of Love promised, then looked at his own brother. “Jeje… Watch out for him.”

“I—” Jeje started, but was interrupted by Mikuni.

“Let’s go.” He took on last look at Misono, then headed for the door, keeping as much distance from the body as he could.

Jeje looked at All of Love one last time before he followed.

“Come back at some point, both of you, okay?” All of Love called after them. “Please?”

Neither of them answered.

All of Love turned to Misono, who looked utterly lost now that he couldn’t cling to Mikuni anymore. All of Love crouched down to his level; Misono flung himself into his arms, burying his face in All of Love’s clothes.

“Shh, it’s going to be all right,” All of Love assured him as he stroked Misono’s back. “It’s all going to be all right.” He could hear steps rushing towards the room, but Mikuni was probably long gone. He’d always been crafty, and now he had Jeje with him, too. All of Love wished that the manor could have been a permanent home for his brother, but fate played cruel tricks sometimes. Now he just hoped that at some point down the line, they could finally meet again.

Mikuni had been right. Mikado forbade anyone from even mentioning Mikuni’s name, and since All of Love had made Misono forget what had happened that night, he had no reason to look for his brother, either. It had been a week now, and most of the children had learned to pretend Mikuni and Jeje had never lived here. Kate was still pouting about that, and about Jeje not saying goodbye to her. But she, too, was getting used to it.

All of Love pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He could almost hear Jeje’s voice in his head. “I thought you wanted to quit.”

How much time would pass before they could meet again? Until he could hear his brother's voice again?

Mikuni wouldn’t return unless he had a very good reason, and All of Love had no idea where he had gone. Even if he had known, Mikage wasn’t able to travel far anymore, so unless they were nearby, they wouldn’t be able to see each other. After Mikage, All of Love would most likely become Misono’s Servamp, and Misono was barely allowed to leave the property.

Unless Mikuni or Jeje chose to contact him, it could be decades until they met again.

All of Love looked up at the now empty window, and lit his cigarette.