Work Text:
Eli stared at the waiter across from his seat at the table.
“Uhm.” He shifted, a little nervously, under the weight of Eli’s stare. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t seem to catch that last part.”
“I said,” Eli sighed, eternally suffering, “what can you recommend.”
“Oh-“
“With garlic.” Eli stared Douxie down. “Lots of garlic.”
Douxie’s expression went from nervous to confused. “I don’t eat garlic much. Maybe spaghetti and bread, if you have a craving or something?”
“I don't have a craving,” Eli said, “But you might. For something else.”
“No… I’m allergic to garlic.”
Eli had risen up from his chair sometime in the conversation, and sat down with a satisfied expression on his face.
Knew it.
Douxie looked like he was having an aneurysm, and he had shifted nervously, thoroughly freaked out.
“Okay!” Eli was sure he had a creepy smile on his face that he tried (and failed) to smother. “I need to go.”
“What-“
The older teenager didn’t have time to finish his sentence before Eli was rushing past him and running out the door of the restaurant, into the streets.
Even when the cool air of the night hit his skin, Eli didn’t stop running until he got to his bike, and he kept biking persistently until he got to his home.
He ran inside and locked the door, before a relieved smile crept onto his face.
He knew that the worker at Mr. Benoit's French Bistro and GDT Arcane Books was a vampire, and today he had proved himself right.
No one had believed Eli when he told them about Douxie- but now he had irrevocable proof.
He’d wait until the night was over, because everyone knew vampires were creatures of the night, and Eli wasn’t going to compromise everything he had worked on for years just to let some vampire ruin it all.
He had been right about trolls, monsters, AND Akiridions. Douxie would have to sleep with one eye open. Or maybe two, because Eli still wasn’t sure how vampires slept.
He tucked himself into bed after writing down the evidence he had compiled over his mission today. A smile crept onto his face, and this time, Eli didn’t bother trying to keep it off his face, and let it spread.
It was a gleeful and peaceful sleep- the first since he had discovered vampires existed in Arcadia, and he knew one.
.
“Guys! No- No, I’m serious!”
“Serious like you were about bigfoot, Eli?” Steve had lost the sneering tone he used before they had become the Creepslayerz, but his lips twitched up and his eyes were teasing.
“Yes!”
“Eli…” Jim glanced up from where he was dicing vegetables across the kitchen. “I don’t think he’s a vampire. I don’t even think vampires exist.”
“We never see him out during the day! He said he was allergic to garlic last night! And he always has bags under his eyes!”
“Actually, I’ve seen him out during the day.” Toby interjected. “That time he was giving out those flyers for the battle of the bands.”
“Oh, yeah.” Claire’s mouth flickered up and her voice took on a fond tone. Jim looked like he had eaten a lemon.
“Yeah. That guy.” Jim’s voice was uncharacteristically bitter for someone usually so sweet. “Anyways, Blinky would have told me if vampires existed.”
Aja had been setting up the game enthusiastically on Dr. Lake’s coffee table, and had roped Steve into helping her. She grabbed a piece of the elaborate jenga (that almost defied physics) she was building. “Maybe the Blinky doesn’t know.”
“Yeah!” Aja was always reliable. Eli thought it would be a little petty to declare favorites, but Aja was his favorite. “And Douxie could have turned after that.”
Toby looked doubtful, but he hadn’t ruled out the possibility like he had before.
Krel interjected, “What is a vampire?”
Eli’s eyes lit up. He had waited all his life to answer this question. “They’re gorgeous, immortal, former humans that suck blood and can’t go out in the daylight.”
“Wait,” Claire looked amused. “You’re accusing Douxie of being a vampire because he’s pretty?”
“Not just pretty!” Eli protested weakly. “He avoided garlic and we haven't seen him in the daytime!”
Steve paled a few shades. “Wait….”
“Steve, don’t tell me you believe too..” Jim looked tired.
It wasn’t his fault that they didn’t believe him. Eli had been right about everything so far- When Eli defended himself, Jim looked guilty.
“I’m sorry, Eli. I just don’t really like that guy.”
“Why?” Claire turned to him, more curious than anything. “He’s nice.”
“Oh my god, vampires are real.” Steve was completely derailed from the conversation everyone else was having, and had started talking to himself. “That model guy that works at the cafe is a vampire.”
“What does garlic have to do with anything?” Krel demanded, also derailed from the conversation.
Aja was still next to the coffee table, and was adding more and more jenga pieces with rapid succession everytime Eli looked at her, humming a familiar tune.
“Wait..” Toby tilted his head.
Eli jumped up. “You believe me?”
There were probably stars in his eyes, with how euphoric he felt.
“Well… he could not be a vampire, but he also could be a vampire.” Toby shrugged, popping a chip into his mouth.
“He is very aesthetically pleasing, as the Eli said vampires are.” Krel added in.
“Yeah, he’s kind of stupidly perfect. That’s the problem.” Jim’s brow knitted with either concentration of chopping the vegetables the way Claire was instructing him to, or irritation.
“What?” Claire said, sounding more than a little confused.
“Oh- uh, it’s nothing.”
Toby eyed Jim knowingly, but turned his gaze to
Eli. “Do you have any proof or do we need to get proof?”
“I just told you guys I have proof.”
Eli had followed the waiter around after he figured out Douxie was a vampire, which everyone in this room would know if they accepted any of Eli’s requests for them to join him.
It had been a shake of a head from Jim, who looked a little perturbed at the fact that Eli said he planned on following Douxie, and even more perturbed when Eli said he had followed them around to find out about the Trollhunter, and that it wasn’t anything new to him, so they wouldn’t get caught.
Claire had done the same thing Jim had, but she looked more amused and entertained the idea more than Jim had.
Aja had looked intrigued, but Krel had shook his head silently and dragged Aja to help him back in Mother’s lab.
Steve was too busy making heart eyes at Aja to listen to Eli for more than a few minutes.
Toby had joined him in following people around to prove his theories in the past, but this time, he had promised his Nana to help with the chores around the house.
But Eli had never needed anyone to prove himself right. He had done that all by himself.
“Guac’s ready.” Claire said as she and Jim exited the kitchen and slunk to the living room side by side.
Everyone dropped the vampire discussion, but Eli would be bringing it up later.
.
Eli, Toby, Aja and Steve sat in one booth, squished together uncomfortably, with arms jammed into each other’s bodies.
Douxie looked like he was dreading coming to their table, but there were only two workers out front at the Bistro, one of which was him.
He walked up to their table, a charming smile plastered on his face. “What can I do for you?”
“Just some… steak. Bloody.” Toby smiled. “But also some of this roast chicken. The one with spaetzle. And soda. Please.”
“And how many bloody steaks would you need?”
“Three.” Aja answered, nodding in confirmation.
“And-“ Eli jumped in, before Douxie could walk away. “Can you put that on silver plates?”
Douxie suddenly looked nervous, and shifted uncomfortably before staring at Eli with unnerving intensity.
“Is there anything else I can get for you?”
“Wait!” Steve yelled, unnecessarily loud, “Can we have some of these sandwiches too?” He pointed to a picture on a menu.
Douxie nodded and Steve looked satisfied. “Okay that’s it.”
Douxie walked off in the other direction quickly. Eli narrowed his eyes at his back.
“I think we’re scaring him.” Toby remarked offhandedly while unwrapping his utensils from his napkin.
“Most probably.” Aja smacked her lips and shook salt on her spoon, before she put it in her mouth.
Eli blinked.
Douxie came back, quick service as usual. Before Eli found out his secret, he would have felt appreciation. Now, Eli felt cold as an involuntary shiver passed through his body. Had the other teenager used his powers to get his food ready?
Douxie smiled and placed down the plates in front of everyone before smoothly saying, “The bistro doesn’t have pure silver, but I got faux ones. Just for you guys”
Eli’s eyes narrowed. “Can you give me the steak, please?”
Douxie moved to give him a plate, but glanced down uncomfortably at the bloody mess on the plate. (It was gross.)
Douxie gulped, and he came closer to Eli, before placing the plate down in front of him.
Yeah. He was a vampire. Eli had him now.
There was a little shame and humiliation burning in his throat from having not noticed earlier, but pride thrummed in his veins, something addicting.
It was very, very incredibly obvious Douxie was a vampire. The unnatural and seemingly otherworldly beauty was the first indicator. His facial features perfectly complemented each other. With high cheekbones and sharp angles, a hooked nose, uncanny golden eyes, and light brown skin, Douxie seemed almost ethereal.
Almost.
When Douxie moved, the restaurant light hit his hair, and the black strands took on a blue and purple tint, changing like it couldn’t choose which color to settle on.
His eyes were just a little too yellow to be natural, and Eli felt pierced with them, like he couldn’t move. Eli shifted uncomfortably.
He didn’t actually know what Douxie was capable of. For the first time, he was hyper aware that there was a supernatural next to him.
“Okay, thanks, Douxie! You can go now!” Toby pulled an obviously false smile, and waved him off.
Douxie looked weirded out. Eli felt weirded out.
Douxie finally reacted, a small shrug and quirk of his lips, and left the table.
“So,” Toby said. “You all saw that too, right?”
Steve’s face looked like his blood had left entirely. He was sheet white and Eli could see the veins under his skin.
Aja saw it too, and lightly shook him, delicately wrapping her fingers around his wrist. It seemed to ground him, because when he met Aja in the eyes, he seemed more bare than Eli had ever seen him.
They smiled at each other, delicate and raw and emotional and loving.
Toby turned to Eli. “That was.. You were right.” Toby sounded mystified. “Vampires.. They’re real.”
“That’s what I was trying to tell you!” Eli whined.
“I’m sorry. I just meant that, like, when we first got into the Trollhunter stuff, I thought I knew all that happened in Arcadia.” Toby amended quickly. He glanced at Aja, who didn’t notice him, too busy talking to Steve. “Obviously not.”
Everytime something reminds Eli that he figured out about Trolls, the Trollhunters, and Akiridions, a rush of self satisfaction shoots through him. Now he could add vampires to the list. The familiar sensation of being right made Eli feel like he was floating.
Steve and Aja had turned their attention back to the conversation Toby and Eli were having.
Steve cut in, “And now what do we do about him?”
“What?” Toby asked.
Eli responded quickly. “I bought a stake, and I stole some holy water from the church a while ago.”
“I brought my bat.” Steve said. “That counts as a stake, cause it’s wood.”
Aja looked confused. “I do not understand. Why are we attacking him?”
“Because,” Eli said in a ‘obviously’ tone, “vampires attack and kill people. For their blood.” He said the last part under his breath, lowering his voice.
“He’s the creep in our Creepslayerz, Babe.”
“Oh.” Aja breathed.
“Wait.” Toby said. “We can’t just attack Douxie.”
Eli’s eyebrows scrunched up. “He’s a vampire.” It was self explanatory, Eli felt.
“Yeah, and Aargh is a troll! Aja and Krel are aliens!“ Aja made a sound of protest. Toby winced. “Sorry. Akiridions. Anyways, you can’t just assume everyone is evil just because they’re not human!”
Toby had a point. Eli deflated. “I guess..”
Steve said through a mouthful of sandwich, “So we’re not going to attack him?”
“No.” Toby and Aja said firmly in union.
“Alright.” Steve shrugged nonchalantly. He went back to eating his sandwich.
Everyone followed his example, digging into the sandwiches and soda. Eli avoided the bloody meat piece next to him. He gagged slightly when the stench from the meat wafted into his nose.
.
Eli let out a nervous exhale, breathing white against the cold, dark night. The only light source was the street lights and flickering fireflies overhead.
Steve and Aja were piled on Steve’s bike, and usually Eli would sit behind him as the motor allowed you to rest before beating creeps into the night, but on the occasion when Aja elected to join them, Eli was demoted to riding his own bike.
He couldn’t find it in himself to be mad. Just a little grossed out with how touchy-feely they are.
Toby, riding a small scooter, was cruising downhill at a fast speed, almost beating Steve and Aja on their bike.
They all pulled to a stop at a gas station, where Douxie was sitting on a curb and drinking an energy drink. He eyed them as they parked near him.
Nodding in acknowledgment at them, Douxie looked back at his phone and minded his own business. The thought was a nice sentiment, but his business was with them now.
“We know what you are.” Aja stepped forward and said it bluntly. The words seemed threatening, but her stance was open and body language was kind.
Douxie stiffened before relaxing and smiling, like he was indulging a little kid. “What, gay?” He said, in an amused and playful tone.
“Uh,” Toby said helpfully.
“I’m kidding.” Douxie said. Then his eyes blew wide open and he stumbled to correct himself. “Not about the gay thing. Because that would be really fucked up. I’m kidding about the response I had.”
“No, a vampire.” Steve said, boldly.
Douxie looked thoroughly unprepared for that answer, like he was thrown off. “What?” He said amusedly.
“A.. Vampire?” Toby said.
“I’m not a vampire.” Douxie was full on smirking at them.
Eli gritted his teeth. “You’re unnaturally pretty!”
“Thanks.”
“That’s not all,” Eli’s voice shook. “Also what do you mean you’re not a vampire?”
“That I’m not a vampire?” Douxie wasn’t taking any of them seriously.
“That’s what vampires say.” Steve said. Eli was so glad he was his creepslayerz partner.
“And you’re allergic to garlic, and you were nervous around the blood, and you avoided touching metal, and you never go out in the day time.” Eli counted each situation out on his fingers.
Douxie stood up and rubbed his eyes. “I am allergic to garlic, I was nervous because you ordered bloody steak and gave me death eyes, the bistro literally doesn’t have pure silver, and I work the night shift and I’m studying.”
“Studying what?” Eli demanded.
Douxie suddenly looked very tired, and took a swig of his energy drink. “Something my mentor told me to. It was implied, I guess.”
Steve faltered. “Eli…”
“Steve?” Eli was surprised. “What about the Creepslayerz oath?”
“Those are very valid reasons.” Toby said.
Aja looked convinced. “Perhaps the Blinky and Jim were right.”
Eli saw Douxie mouth ‘Blinky’ to himself.
“Those excuses sound rehearsed, though.” Eli stared at Douxie.
“Or maybe what someone that has nothing to hide would say?” Douxie was more sarcastic than Eli expected.
All Steve, Aja and Toby looked swayed.
“No.. Guys?”
“I’m sorry, The Pepperjack.” Aja said somberly. “I should not accuse without proof.”
“We have proof!” Eli argued lamely.
Toby snorted. “Yeah, proof he shut down literally instantly.”
Eli opened his mouth to argue, but his eye caught on a window at the gas station, where you could see Douxie’s reflection. His mouth went dry.
“Ummm..” Eli said. “Never mind. You have a reflection.”
“Do vampires not have reflections?” Aja tilted her head.
Toby shook his head before the four of them apologized profusely to Douxie.
.
“Well, that was embarrassing.” Toby said as they made their descent uphill. He sighed. “Alright, night. Nana’s wondering where I am, probably.”
Eli went home and groaned. He slapped his head, but instantly regretted it as he felt the sting of the hit.
Eli went to tear off Douxie’s picture off the vampire section, but hesitated to throw it away. He left his picture near the pile. He had an odd feeling that felt like a pit in his stomach that told himself that this wasn’t the end of the discovery of supernatural creatures in Arcadia.
(Unbeknownst to young Eli or anyone else sleeping peacefully in Arcadia, the Sisters Fate cackled as they placed the young wizard’s picture close to a half finished sketch of Merlin next to the wizards section.)