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The ground rumbled beneath Pet’s feet as they looked frantically around the empty room. Vega had taken off in the early morning with the army he’d gathered and left them all on their own. All that could be heard around the academy was the resounding chaos that echoed throughout the halls. People screaming saying that they were doomed. The PA system echoed out a mysterious man’s voice and mantra. Pet could barely understand it as they frantically packed a bag full of what little they had stored there in Vega's room. Suddenly the screams within the academy grew louder. The academy wasn’t far from the Imperial Spire, which could mean that the conflict had come back to them.
“Well well, aren’t you a pretty little thing”. Pet whipped their head around to see a strange person in the doorframe. Large fangs protruded from their sinister smile and they stepped closer to the shaking human. “A little timid for my tastes, but that’s just fine. Your blood will taste just as good despite it,” the person snarled. Pet cursed under their breath as they shrunk back towards the wall, the stranger drawing closer still. They berated themself mentally for not being braver, or not attacking first and trying to get away. But there was no point; there would be no way they could get away. Vampires that worked for the Imperium were bred to be soldiers, and this one was clearly under a new, more freeing management. The creature lunged and Pet let out a scream, but nothing came. No pain or blood spilling onto the floor, just a strangled scream and then nothing.
When they opened their eyes, there before them stood Vega, with a vampire laying dead at his feet. His eyes burned with a righteous anger that only dampened once they looked upon Pet. He wiped the blood from his hands and stepped over the body to make his way to his human. He raised a hand to their face and attempted to soothe their shaking form.
“ Pet ,” he murmured quietly, “ we need to go. The wolves' plan didn’t go as planned. The vampires are tearing the city and themselves apart in order to grapple for power. We need to leave. Now”.
“What? I thought you said everything was under control. Vega I-”
“ I know that I left you in the dark for much of this plan. However, now is not the time to catch you up on every single detail that went wrong. Now get your things so we can go, ” Vega growled. His body language screamed that things were far worse than what he’d said. He was angry and radiating a dark energy. He’d been soaking up as much of the sadistic feelings as he could on his way back to the academy. He needed to make sure that Pet would be safe, no matter the cost. “Come here. I’m going to carry you, alright? We’re leaving but you need to hold on ”. Pet nodded as Vega picked them up.
Now that the two were closer, Pet could feel just how hard Vega’s heart was beating. He was afraid. Or perhaps it was something else, they couldn’t tell. But the urgency that was carried in his tone and movements was enough to put Pet on edge. His hands gripped them tightly and held on for dear life as he exited the academy. His speed only increased once the carnage and decimation from the vampire that had laid siege came into view. As the world blurred past them and they made their way out of town, Pet could only wonder just how they were going to make it in their now drastically shifted world.
~/~/~/~/THREE MONTHS LATER/~/~/~/~
“I’m not saying we go back into Dahlia, but we can’t stay here forever. We’re running out of supplies. Not to mention that eventually, the vampires will find us. And if not them, then someone else I- Hey! Don’t just walk away from me! Vega!” Pet raised their voice while Vega paced away from them, his shoulders tense and tight. The two had been living out of an old farmhouse, about an hour out of Dahlia, for the past three months, and tensions were high. Food wasn’t really a problem, but they were running low on other basic needs. Pet had suggested going into town to see what the damage was, but Vega wouldn’t hear any of it.
The two were far too close to Dahlia for his liking, but Pet wouldn’t go any farther. The vampire named Sam Collins had taken over the city of Dahlia, and the vamps ran rampant. They fed whenever they wanted and partook in the pleasure of hunting humans for sport. Dahlia had basically become one big livestock pen. And that frightened both Pet and Vega. For so much of his life, he had a plan, a bigger picture. He had a cause. But now it was all thrown down the drain. There was nothing left to fight for, not that he particularly cared to fight for humanity. He was honestly pretty apathetic toward the lot of them. But now that he was stuck down on Elegy, with no way home and a dying food supply, there was little hope to be had.
He was lost, and every bone in his mortal body screamed at him to tuck tail and run. To leave behind Pet and everything else and try to get back to Aria. But his heart, oh his heart spoke differently. It whispered softly to him, telling him that even if he was safe, he would never escape the gnawing feeling that would follow his escape. Even if he got back to Aria, his thoughts and heart would forever remain on Elegy with the human he left behind.
The sadism demon sat down harshly on the sofa and let out an exasperated sigh. His gaze was fixed on the floor beneath his feet as his mind both raced and was completely silent at the same time. Pet frowned at the sight, their heart aching at the rift that had divided the two. Both parties were always on edge, constantly afraid that vampires would get through the wards Vega had set up to defend them. Pet ran a hand over their face and leaned against the dining table behind them. The wood cold and firm beneath their grasp had a somewhat calming effect. A chill ran up their arm and cooled off their temper. A thick silence filled the room before Vega stood and walked back over to Pet. He didn’t speak a word, but gently ran a hand over their hair and cupped their face.
“ I’m…sorry, my pet. I know I am not a great provider of comfort. And I know that you are scared. But…my mind is not exactly calm either. I don’t know where to go from here. I’m at a loss on how to proceed and how best to make sure we live through this. But I need you to trust me ”. Pet continued to stare at the ground but nodded their head. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust Vega, of course, they trusted him. They’d gotten this far, they weren’t about to question him now. But the fear of losing him shrouded their heart and mind in a dark shadow.
“I do trust you. Of course I trust you. But you need to trust me too. We can’t keep going on the way we have. I’m not helpless. You need to trust that”. The pair’s gazes met finally and Vega felt his heart soften at the determined look behind their eyes. Pet leaned forward and pressed their lips to Vega’s gently, their hand coming to gingerly caress his face. And for only a moment, the rest of the world melted away. No conflict or impending doom. Just the two of them standing there and sharing a quiet moment together.
“
I trust you. With everything. With all of me, my pet
,” Vega whispered softly in their mind. “
We’ll discuss this all later, alright? For now let’s just…let’s just spend some time together
”. Vega wasn’t good at expressing his feelings, or at least the romantic-type ones. He liked to keep things pretty close to the vest. But he knew if they wanted any chance at survival, he would have to show his cards to Pet. They would have to trust one another. And while it was difficult, Vega knew that he cared far too much not to let them in. He knew that they were what he wanted, and he would do whatever it took to keep them safe.