Chapter Text
[N]ine Lives || GaBerTom || [T]hree Souls Entangled || GaBerTom || [N]ine Lives
Title: [N]ine Lives: [T]hree Souls Entangled
Disclaimer : All rights reserved to me. Reviews are more than welcomed.
Tags: polyamory (m/m/m), fantasy, werewolves/vampires, shapeshifters, hurt/comfort, fluff, family, adoption, soulmates, married life
Main Pairing: Gabe/Berto/Tom
Side Pairings: Amaris/Phoebe, Sal/Gracie, Stefano/Julietta, Jun/Talia, Santiago/Tiana, Zohar/Tessa, Tyler/Tamsyn, Warren/Tilda, Teddy/Athena, Tobin/Anwen
[N]ine Lives Characters:
San Francisco Pack: Alberto 'Berto' Allegro, Samuel 'Sam' Raser, Julietta 'Jules' Barone, Stefano Barone, Daniella Barone, Benedetto Barone, Harold 'Hal' Armstrong, Timothy 'Tim' Jeong, Phoebe Nightingale, Luciano 'Luca' Cavalcante
San Francisco Clan: Gabriel 'Gabe' Kim, Salvador Oriol Salazar, Grace Oriol, Derek Rhys, Catherine 'Cathy' St. Claire, Amaris Douglas, Tobias McKay
Niun Family: Tomas Niun, Tilda Niun, Warren Turner, Tecla Niun, Matthew Baker
Niun-Nanami Family: Talia Niun, Jun Nanami, Tsuki Niun
Niun-Balza Family: Tiana Niun, Santiago Balza, Tulio Niun
Niun-Adam Family: Tessa Niun, Zohar Adam, Tzila Niun, Tzipi Niun
Niun-Reynolds Family: Tyler Niun, Tamsyn Reynolds, Tyson Niun, Taryn Niun, Tawny Niun
Niun-Austin Family: Teddy Niun, Athena Austin, Trend Austin
Niun-Glas Family: Tobin Niun, Anwen Glas, Taran Niun, Tegan Niun
Summary: After a bad breakup, Tomas decides to move back to San Francisco, where his family lived. Only that the married vampire and werewolf couple who had saved his life not long ago also seem to live there. As a warlock, Tomas knows better than to believe in coincidences.
[N]ine Lives
[T]hree Souls Entangled
Chapter 1: [O]ne Step Forward
Tomas was not good when he was on his own. Or so his twin-sister Talia thought. And what she thought, she also voiced. Very vocally, very often, until he would agree with her. Not that he would have argued too much on this one. Even he was aware that he tended to stumble from one relationship into the next because he hated being alone.
And his last breakup had been ugly. Made even uglier by the fact that he had moved to Los Angeles with her. Now he was here, all alone. In the two years he'd lived here with Alana, he hadn't exactly made a whole lot of friends. Then again, he always got accused of not being very social anyway. It'd only gotten worse since the breakup. Because while he was with her? He'd spent his time not just with her but also with her friends, making the city feel less lonely. Now, he was all on his own.
And even though his family lived in San Francisco, his family was catching on with his mood. That he was feeling isolated, alone. So one day, Talia suddenly stood in front of his door, giving him an earful that ended with her declaring they needed a twin-cation.
That was something they used to do. Just the two of them, going somewhere – road-trips, hikes, not always something super fancy, but just Talia and Tomas. Nostalgia and his insistent sister made him agree and just a week later, the two of them found themselves in Neirone, in Italy.
And it was great. It had really been what Tomas needed, a change of scenery, a bit of beach and shopping and just having fun. At least until he decided he needed a little me-time and took a bus-trip to the neighboring city of Portofino. All alone in a different city, he had gotten attacked by a witch-hunter. Bleeding and losing his consciousness ever so slowly, he had run into a vampire and a werewolf. They'd saved his life, he couldn't deny that. It confused him, but they had saved him.
The earful he had gotten from Talia when he returned to their hotel though. Deserved, probably.
“This isn't what we agreed on,” Tomas glared at his twin.
Talia looked utterly unimpressed by him, just pulling him along by the hand. She'd told him that while they went on their vacation, their older sister Tessa would be looking for a new apartment for Tomas. Because he needed to get out of the apartment he'd lived in with Alana. What Talia had elected not to tell Tomas was that their sister was looking for a place in San Francisco.
“You've been mopey in LA since the breakup. Heck. Before that,” Talia huffed. “You don't like it there, never did. You just moved there because of her. So. You are moving back home.”
He groaned a little, knowing that he got no room to argue with her. Not when she dragged their older siblings into it too. Tessa turned to face the two of them with a smile.
“Stop pouting or we will have to tell mom,” warned Tessa. “Now, give the place a chance.”
They were in an apartment building with a beautiful miniature park behind the house, nestled between four apartment buildings. Private, shared by only the tenants of those buildings. With a little playground, including a patch of grass with two soccer goals set up, a flower garden a bit off from the playground. It was gorgeous. Not that he had kids himself, but he had a lot of nieces and nephews, so this would be nice for when they came over.
“There are eight units in each building. I know you've never been a fan of big places and many people,” offered Tessa as she unlocked the apartment door. “Bedroom, office, living room, bathroom, an open-style kitchen and a balcony facing toward the green space.”
It was bare. Tomas didn't like bare, because it made the place look so much bigger and emptier. Yes, of course it was bare and empty, because nobody was living in it, but Tomas just didn't like it. He'd quite honestly prefer moving into a fully furnished apartment.
“He'll take it,” declared Talia before Tomas had a chance to speak up.
“Why must you be so bossy?” Tomas heaved a sigh. “I haven't even seen all the rooms yet.”
Talia just pulled him along toward the window. “Look over there at the balcony.”
Tomas squinted, confused. There were two people, but... His eyes widened when the two waved at him. Those were Jun and Tsuki; Talia's husband and daughter. The apartment building was right opposite the one where Talia lived with her family.
“Seriously?” Tomas grunted as he waved at his niece.
“It was Tessa's idea,” offered Talia. “Tiana actually wanted you to live with her and Santiago for a while. Make sure you're not staying alone. So, thank us that you don't have to move in with Tiana.”
As much as he adored Tiana and got along with her husband Santiago, it sounded absolutely unbearable to live with them. Those two were so lovey-dovey, it was exhausting.
“At least it's not the same apartment building,” offered Tessa, patting him on the back.
“Small mercies,” muttered Tomas beneath his breath. “Okay, fine. I'll take it. I'll take it.”
/break\
“I am so—o excited that you're gonna live right here, uncle Tom.”
Tomas smiled softly as he followed his niece into his new apartment. At least he had some help moving now; not that he had a whole lot of stuff yet. He'd driven back to Los Angeles, packed everything up and driven his most important possessions to San Francisco himself. Everything else would be delivered within the week. Jun walked in behind Tomas, carrying a box too.
“We all are,” offered Jun with a happy smile.
Sometimes, Tomas was surprised that Jun and Talia even worked out. Talia had been the mean goth queen at high school and honestly, Jun was the type of guy she used to bully in school. Because he was an inherent optimist, always smiles and laughs. She used to find that attitude obnoxious, but somehow, with Jun, Talia found it endearing and contagious.
“Thanks, guys,” Tomas offered them a thin smile.
“Bloody damned bed-frame, I-”
They paused and exchanged a look before all three headed into the bedroom. While he took most of his furniture from home, Talia had put her foot down and told him he had to get a new bed. For one so he wouldn't have to sleep on the ground until his furniture arrived, but also because it made no sense to keep the bed he used to sleep in with Alana. New start, new bed.
Talia was sitting on the ground, battling the bed and obviously losing said battle. Heh.
“Having trouble there, sis?” Tomas smirked and crossed his arms.
She flipped him off. “This thing is a monstrosity and can not be put together.”
“You could just... use magic, love?” offered Jun reluctantly.
“No magic,” Talia stabbed the air into his direction. “It's bad luck. You have to put a bed together by hand to bless it, if you cheat with magic, it won't bring happiness in the bedroom.”
“Like nightmares?” asked Tsuki concerned.
For a moment Talia paused. Sometimes she forgot that kids didn't have to hear everything. Which was why Talia and Jun had to come to Tsuki's pre-school back in the day because she cussed like a sailor already, having learned well from her mom.
“...Sure,” Talia grunted and cleared her throat. “Yeah, nightmares, bunny.”
Tomas heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes. “That's old superstitions, but do what you must.”
Personally, Tomas would just use magic to assemble it. But if the alternative was that his sister drove herself up the wall? He was absolutely not going to stop her. Grinning at his niece, Tomas lifted a finger to his lips to signal her to be quiet. A green flame started dancing around it, before jumping off his finger and flying over toward the boxes. It engulfed them and then carried them into whatever room the boxes were labeled for. What good was being a warlock if he couldn't make his life a little easier? Tsuki giggled excitedly at that.
She was only twelve, so she couldn't use free magic just yet. When a witch went through puberty, their free magic developed. Before that, all they could do was magic with potions or spells. And Tomas knew just how eager Tsuki was to finally be old enough to develop her own magic.
/break\
That night, when Tomas laid in his newly assembled bed (thank Jun for stepping in and saving the day because Talia would probably still be on it), his thoughts drifted back to Portofino. His fingers slowly wandered over his ribs, tracing the raw skin. It'd scarred over. Usually, with a potion, they could heal pretty much every injury. Not the ones caused by witch-hunters though.
One would think that the times of witch-hunting were over. No, they'd just... moved on into the hidden, just like the supernatural had too. Living hiding in plain sight. The bigotry hadn't stopped though. There would probably always be regular humans who would feel threatened or intimidated by witches, for the powers they held. Seeing them as a threat, or being envious of the power.
Tomas' eyes fluttered shut and his mind drifted of to his two saviors. The vampire and the werewolf. Married couple, Tomas' mind supplied. He'd crashed their anniversary dinner, bleeding to death.
They'd saved him. They didn't have to. Werewolves, vampires and witches lived on a thin treaty that was fragile peace born from shared oppression. They had all lost so many to hunters that their leaders had agreed, together, that they could not fight each other too. Still, there was a difference between accepting the others lived in the same city, or actively saving someone's life.
The werewolf had been tall and broad. The kind of guy who'd draw Tomas' eyes on the street. But the vampire? He had something else, a different kind of quality that Tomas appreciated in a man. The moment Tomas had felt even slightly cocky about being taller than the vampire, he had used his charms to bring Tomas to his knees, so easily. Which, that wasn't the part that got to him, the strict voice and the look in the vampire's eyes had done the trick for him.
Urgh. Tomas was glad he had left them behind in Italy and would probably never see them again. The embarrassment of fainting in the vampire's lap and the show of sinking onto his knees in front of them both, he would never live that down if he'd have to see them again...
No. Nope, he was now in San Francisco. Turning his life around, one step at a time.
/break\
“Home, sweet home,” Berto heaved a relieved sigh as he entered their house.
“We were visiting your parents, how are you sounding this relieved, my love?”
Putting down their suitcases, Berto turned toward his husband. Gabe closed the door behind them and then went to pick up one of the suitcases to carry upstairs to their bedroom. Berto picked the other one up and followed him up. Mh. The view from behind was always nice.
“Listen, they may be my parents, but they are also super exhausting, babe,” argued Berto half-way up the stairs. “Also, emotionally traumatized. Parents should not have sex.”
“...I have some horribly shocking news for you, about how you and your sister came to be...”
“Oh? Oh, are you funny now, Mister Kim-Allegro?” Berto raised a challenging eyebrow.
“Always have been, Mister Allegro-Kim,” Gabe smirked at his husband.
He turned around and wrapped his arms around Berto's neck to pull him into a kiss. Not that Gabe hadn't missed home too, but to him, Italy was... exciting. He had been there before, during his sea-faring time (pirating time, as his niece liked to call it. And it wasn't wrong). But he'd been born in Korea, had spent his childhood and young adult life there, and had then spent near a century at sea and had since then explored the Americas. He had already spent over a century on it, but there were enough countries in South America and enough states in the US that he still wasn't through all. Being an immortal, he'd never felt the need to rush. Europe was on his bucket list too, but he thought he had much more time to explore that. Not every immortal had already seen every country, as he tried to explain to his husband who had been absolutely baffled, because he was cute.
To Berto however, to Berto it was just... home. He had been born and raised in Portofino.
Honestly, Gabe was impressed by how much Berto had already seen. He was only thirty-seven, but he'd already lived in Portofino, San Francisco and New York. The way the world had changed. How much more open, how much more accessible, it was nowadays. If he just thought about how long travel between the two coasts used to be, even worse now to travel between North America and Europe with a ship, the way one used to. Now, thanks to planes? It was so... easy. Simple.
Granted, Berto didn't see it that way. He was annoyed with processing at the airports, with having to change planes and the long overlay time. Gabe couldn't imagine how much weeks long sea-travel would have annoyed Berto. The werewolf didn't do too well on the water, so Gabe was pretty glad they could take a plane. It might have been unbearable to lock Berto onto a ship.
“Are we going to my sister's for dinner this weekend?”
Gabe raised an eyebrow at the note in Berto's voice. “Not if you don't want to. We only just got home, I'm sure Julietta would understand if we are too jetlegged and stay in.”
Amusingly enough, Berto looked both relieved and guilty. He loved his family, he just also found them exhausting. Gabe... could relate. Not in relation to his own family; he had none left. But in relation to Berto's family. Julietta was very bossy and demanding and he had more than just one day dictated by his sister-in-law. At the same time, Gabe also knew that him and Berto could always fall back on Julietta and her husband, they always had his back.
His thoughts were interrupted by an alert on his phone. Checking it, he saw it was a text from his second-in-command, Salvatore Salazar, who had taken over vampire clan leader duties.
“Wha—at is that about? We literally just got back from our vacation.”
“...I asked Salvatore to check something for me,” admitted Gabe, scrolling through pictures.
“What?” Berto furrowed his brows. “Hot blondes in your area...?”
Gabe huffed out a laugh at that, shoving his husband a little. “It's about that witchling...”
Berto made a drawn-out humming noise. He sat down behind Gabe on their bed, wrapping his arms around his husband's waist and resting his chin on Gabe's shoulder to look at the photos. Pictures of pretty blondes, all with heterochromia. Just like the warlock they had met in Portofino.
“Wait. So you meant it that he owes us one? You wanna cash in on that?”
“Not... necessarily,” Gabe spoke slowly, a thoughtful look on his face. “I mean, yes, a favor is better cashed in on when we know his name. But mostly, I'm just... Call it a hunch. There is this quite powerful and well-known witch family, the Niun bloodline. They're known for their heterochromia, every born member of them has it. So for us to meet a warlock with as mesmerizing eyes as his...”
Berto gave a noise of agreement. He'd met people with heterochromia before, like his niece's best friend, but there'd been something very enchanting about the ice-blue eyes with the one corner of brown. The brown had nearly looked golden it was so light.
“So, you asked Sal to send you pictures of that family?”
“What he could gather,” confirmed Gabe. “I just wanted to... make sure. But I don't see him in any of the pictures. So maybe I was wrong. Or he is just not one known to Salvatore.”
“You know what my nonna used to say?”
“Put more salt into the pasta?”
“...That too,” Berto grunted amused. “But not related to this. No, my nonna used to say that if you are meant to meet someone, you will. So, if we are meant to meet this warlock again, we will.”
Fate. Gabe wasn't that much of a fan of that. Too much left up to chance and it felt too much like cutting into a person's free will. Was there such a thing as free will if everything was fated to happen? But those were cultural differences, he supposed. Vampires often didn't believe in fate, while werewolves held fate and fated mates – soulmates – in high regards.
“The Niuns are a powerful and influential family in California,” pointed Gabe out. “It just, it does seem like a stretch that we would travel all the way to Italy just to meet someone from their family, perhaps... Perhaps it was just a coincident, perhaps he isn't related to them...”
“Too many perhapses,” Berto got his own phone. “I'll call Jules and tell her that we landed and got home well and that we won't be over for family dinner this weekend, okay?”
Too many perhapses. Too many coincidences. Gabe furrowed his brows displeased by both.
/break\
Tomas was squatting in front of the doorbells, replacing the sign on it to let others know he was now living here. For his own safety, he lived under his father's last name. Because if he broadcasted that he was a Niun to the world. Well, he'd seen what that had given him in Italy.
“Excuse me, what do you think you are doing there?”
Turning his head, he saw a woman. “I just moved in here. Added my name to the doorbells.”
She looked past him at the doorbell sign. “Oh! The empty apartment was finally rented out. Welcome to the neighborhood, I'm Julietta, we live on the same floor now.”
Tomas' eyes wandered to the doorbell sign next to his, reading BARONE, before he offered a smile and his hand. “Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm Tomas, Tomas Turner.”
“It's nice to meet you, Tomas. You should come by for dinner some time.”