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“Ah, so we meet again. Didn’t expect to see you here, hunter. Is this supposed to be your disguise?” Kevin leans down, tugging on the vampire hunter’s denim jacket. He steps back, scowling. “It suits your complexion better than the all black, I must say.”
“I think you’re confused.”
“I’m keeping to the agreement. I’m not hunting on your grounds. Why are you following me?”
“Yeah. You’re definitely confused. I’m not Andrew, asshole.”
“You’re- What?” Kevin goes still, but there’s no sense of falsity about this not-hunter.
“Twins. Evidently. So you can fuck off now.”
“Twin.” Kevin’s mouth curls in a smile. Now that he’s closer, he can smell the difference. A subtlety in their blood. Less sugar in this one. More iron. Kevin’s gums throb. His fangs ache. He runs his tongue over them soothingly. “What are you doing out in these woods so late if you’re not a hunter?”
“I’m a doctor, and I’d advise against threatening me.”
“It was a question. Not a threat.” Kevin leans closer. “You would know if I were- Oomph.”
Suddenly Kevin is knocked to the ground by a significant weight. It takes him a moment to get his bearings. He hisses, pupils dilating, fangs sliding further down. As he tries to wriggle onto his back to get a better look at his assailant, he feels claws pierce through his clothes and rip his skin. A loud caw sounds by his ear. Kevin flinches.
“It’s okay, Miles. He was just being annoying. Not dangerous.”
“Fuck.” Kevin scrambles back as the weight shifts off of him. A giant hulking shape covered in jet black feathers raises itself up, blocking the light of the moon, ruffling out massive wings. Two big red eyes flash down at Kevin, illuminated by the glow of the doctor’s torch. “You know the Mothman?”
“That’s not his name,” the doctor says, holding out a placating hand towards the towering bird-like figure. “It’s not even accurate. If anything, Miles resembles more of a bird than a moth. That’s just the name the media gave him because of the reports he follows car headlights.”
“Which I don’t,” Miles says, in a voice that is surprisingly higher than Kevin was expecting from him. He had expected something low and guttural, but Miles has a soft, warm voice, pitching up at the end of his sentences. “But you try flying after having bright beams glared in your light sensitive eyes.”
“C’mon.” The doctor starts to walk on. He pauses. He looks back at Kevin. There’s some conflict across his expression, before he sighs loudly and walks back to him, offering a hand. Kevin is more than capable of pushing himself to his feet, but he cannot remember the last time someone extended a kind gesture to him that was not under his thrall. When he just looks at the hand blankly, the doctor opens and closes it impatiently. Kevin finally takes it. He is surprised to find the skin not much warmer than his own. The doctor drags him to his feet. Kevin hisses. “You okay?”
“Hurts.”
“Yeah, getting your back clawed open will do that.”
“It’s not healing.”
“It’s an injury from another supernatural entity. It’s going to take longer to heal. Look, I’m staying in the ski lodge at the edge of town. If you meet me there afterwards, I can have a look at that for you. I might have a balm that will help.”
“Why can’t I come with you now?”
“It’s not my home to invite you to.”
Kevin looks towards Miles. He has gone very still. His eyes are glowing red again, even though the light is not aimed towards them this time. Slowly, they dim.
“He can come,” Miles says after a second, ruffling his feathers up.
“You have a vision?”
“Yes. It’s okay.” Kevin can’t really tell bird expressions, but he swears that Miles is smiling. It definitely sounds like it in his voice. “But I’m not inviting you inside.”
“That’s not actually a vampire rule,” Kevin says.
“It’s politeness.” The doctor glares at him. They trudge on through the pines. Miles is surprisingly light footed for his size. Kevin could move much quieter, but it often unsettles humans, so he lets his feet fall without thought. Aaron is the loudest, twigs snapping and dry leaves crackling beneath his feet.
Kevin doesn’t really understand how they get to the den. One moment all he can see is the expanse of trees stretching on and on, and then Miles takes a turn and says here we are and suddenly he is within a circle of tall trees, with thick trunks, their branches interlocking above to hold up a massive treehouse. Miles takes off, flying up. He drops a rope ladder down a moment later, and the doctor starts climbing his way up. Kevin watches his precarious ascent. It takes him a moment to realise he’s stood ready to catch him. He doesn’t know why. He owes this human nothing. If anything, he’s mostly only still here because it will irritate Andrew terribly to know Kevin has been hanging out with his brother.
Despite saying he does not need to be invited in anywhere, Kevin does linger at the base of the tree. It’s not so much politeness, as the doctor said, than not wanting to irritate a cryptid that is much larger than him. After a moment, Miles’ head appears over the edge of the deck surrounding the treehouse.
“You may come up. If you wish.”
Curiosity has Kevin hauling himself up the tree. He feels terribly undignified as the ladder moves beneath him. He could have probably just climbed the tree if he really wanted, but it seems good form to take the method offered to him. Also the slashes on his back hurt quite badly, even from this movement. He pats down his clothes and smooths his hair once his feet are back on solid wood. The doctor gives him a blank look. Kevin flashes him a fanged smile. He rolls his eyes.
If Kevin were startled by the sight of Miles, he is taken even further aback by the being in the treehouse. They are a tall, gangly figure. Near skeletal, Kevin would guess, though their form is covered in bulky clothes. Their head would not look out of place in a Georgia O’Keefe painting. An elongated skull similar to a deer, perhaps, with large branching horns sprouting from the top. For a moment Kevin wonders if they are merely some sombre decoration, but their head moves to track the doctor’s entrance.
“Aaron.” The voice that comes out of the creature is low and smooth.
“Hello Finn. Miles says you’ve been having some pain?”
“Yes. In my skull. Here.” Finn points to a point below their jaw. The doctor - Aaron - crosses to them. He shrugs his jacket off. He washes his hands thoroughly in a sink that Kevin did not initially notice behind Finn. Aaron dries his hands off and opens his bag. He takes out a folding step ladder. Kevin muffles a laugh behind his hand. Miles turns his head towards him, and the expression does not translate in the same way it would on a more humanoid face, but Kevin is sure he’s being glared at.
When he looks back, Aaron is at the top of his steps, which raises him enough to examine Finn’s skull. Kevin watches him feel around it, humming thoughtfully.
“Can you open your mouth for me? Wide as you can.” Aaron leans into the gaping stretch of their skeletal mouth. He holds up a small torch. He shines it around. He reaches out and gently probes at something with his fingers. “Does it hurt here?”
Aaron must press harder, for Finn emits a high pitched sound that is somewhere between a roar and a scream. It’s a vicious, animal sound. The glass in the window frames shakes. Finn jerks back, and Aaron’s step ladder wobbles vicariously. He tries to right himself and oversteps. Kevin can see the movements as if they are in slow motion. He’s across the room in a second, catching Aaron easily as the step ladder topples sideways. Kevin hoists Aaron up in his arms, catching the ladder with his foot and righting it.
It takes Aaron’s slower human reactions a moment to catch up. Then the shock melts away from his face and he glares up at Kevin. The glare is somewhat undermined by the pink flush of his cheeks. Kevin can smell his blood even more potently now. It is close to the surface. It is warm, metallic, so, so, inviting. Saliva pools thick in the back of his mouth.
“Put me down,” Aaron says flatly.
“I just saved you.”
“I would have fallen over. It’s not like I would have died.”
“You might have broken something. Humans are fragile, you know.” Kevin grins. Aaron pushes at his chest. With a sigh, Kevin sets him back on his feet. Aaron continues to glare at him until he moves away. He turns back to Finn.
“You’ve got a broken bone fragment caught between your teeth. I think that is what is causing the pain. I can remove it, but it is going to hurt.”
“That’s okay, Aaron. I apologise for startling. I was not prepared for the intensity of the pain. I will be settled this time.”
Aaron gets a tool out of his bag. It looks similar to pliers. He puts a head torch on, his blonde hair catching beneath the strap and sticking up. It is oddly endearing. He is so very human. It is not often Kevin takes his time to just observe humans. He watches Aaron turn the torch on and lean back into Finn’s open mouth. So trusting despite the reaction last time. Quite the contrast to Andrew. Curious, that they have ended up doing such different work.
Miles moves to Finn’s side. In one of his taloned claws, he takes Finn’s skeletal hand. Finn clutches onto him as Kevin watches Aaron’s shoulders shift and move as he, Kevin assumes, removes the offending bone. Finn makes a much quieter, guttural sound of complaint this time, but they remain still. Aaron’s huffs with the effort, but eventually his arm shifts back as he pulls the irritation free. He slowly eases himself out of Finn’s mouth. He holds the pliers with the bone held between them up for Finn to see.
“Feel better?”
“Yes. Thank you, doctor.”
“No problem.” Aaron jumps down from the ladder. He leaves the bone to the side. He packs his tools into his bag. “Do you need anything else while I’m here?”
“That is all,” Miles says. “But would you stay behind for a moment. I have something to tell you. You. Leave us.”
These last words are directed towards Kevin. Kevin would be offended, but he has already been offered more courtesy than expected. He wants Aaron to help him. Not because he cannot live with the pain. He has been through worse. He will survive. But he is curious about the doctorly Minyard twin. He wants to spend more time with him. To achieve this, he has to avoid pissing him off, and so Kevin gives a curt nod and leaves the treehouse. He lingers on the deck, tempted to eavesdrop, but decides it is better to act in good faith for the time being. He jumps down from the treehouse, wincing when the impact jars the gashes on his back.
Ten minutes later, Aaron comes down the swaying ladder. He gives Kevin a derisive look, which Kevin does not think he deserves, as he has done as he is asked. Without saying anything, Aaron starts to walk. Kevin follows after him. As they leave the cluster of trees hiding the treehouse behind, he glances back for one final look. All he can see is the forest. Tall, irregularly spaced pines stretching in all directions. There must be some kind of magic keeping Miles’ den hidden.
“Do you hang out with Mothman often?”
“Not his name.” Aaron does not look back. He moves through the forest with purpose. His footsteps are probably light compared to most humans, carefully navigating twigs, fallen branches, damp stones, but to Kevin he sounds like a clumsy beast staggering through the undergrowth. His own steps are near silent as he picks up his stride to keep pace with Aaron. “Not often. When I’m required.”
“How did you get into this?”
Aaron shrugs. Wow. Kevin is learning so much.
“Quite different from your brother. A hunter and a doctor.”
“Is it?”
“Well, yes. Andrew kills supernaturals. You apparently heal them. Is that not a clash of interest?”
“The people I help do not hurt anyone. Andrew sees himself as justice against those who do. He has no qualms with who I help.” Aaron finally cuts his gaze sideways at Kevin. “He has let you live.”
“Just barely, sometimes. Are you not closer to a vet?”
“No.”
“But most cryptids are more animalistic than human. Where do you draw the distinction?”
“They can communicate with me. They have a level of comprehension and understanding animals don’t, or are not able to translate. That’s the difference.”
“So you think Doctor Doolittle was a doctor rather than a vet because animals could talk to him?”
“Doctor Dolittle did, in fact, start as a physician and went on to treat animal patients. Kind of undermines your point,” Aaron says, giving Kevin an unimpressed side eye. Oh. He’s got a clever mouth on him, and the knowledge to support it. Kevin likes that. “How’s your back?”
“It’s fine.”
Aaron makes a disbelieving sound, but he doesn’t prompt further. Kevin tries to ask him more questions; like where he lives, and if this pays enough for him to survive off of, but Aaron does not indulge him with answers. It is a fair trek back to the ski lodge. Kevin could have carried Aaron here a lot faster, but he has a feeling that suggestion would have been shut down with haste. There’s a sheen of sweat on Aaron’s forehead by the time they arrive back. Kevin can smell it on him. Salt and musk, mingled with the scent of his human fragrances - mint, tea tree oil, something earthy, sandalwood maybe. He finds the scent of some humans cloying, but Aaron’s smell still tempts him. Kevin can hear his heart beating from the exertion of the journey. The swish of his pulse as blood rushes through him. His fangs ache with the desire to bite.
“I don’t really wanna answer the questions bringing you through reception is gonna raise. Can you just get up to my window and I’ll let you in? It’s along this side. If you gimme a minute, I’ll go open it up.”
“Sure,” Kevin says, uncharacteristically agreeable. Aaron is, after all, helping him. Even though he doesn’t have to. Kevin didn’t request it. Is he going to expect payment? Kevin has plenty of money, that is no issue. He’s curious what this will cost him.
After a minute, he sees a light go on in one of the windows above him. The shape of Aaron moves into the frame. He cracks the window open. Kevin jumps most of the way, catching himself on the edge of the balcony. He pulls himself up, swinging a leg over the railing.
“Shirt off,” Aaron says. His voice is clipped, firm. Professional. Demanding. Kevin likes that. He removes his shirt, tsking at the tears down the back of it. What a waste. “Come here.”
Kevin follows like an obedient dog as Aaron leads him to the bathroom. He has Kevin sit on the closed toilet seat as he fills the sink with hot water. He uses a washcloth to rub the blood from Kevin’s back. It is oddly intimate, having someone wash him down like this. It has been a long time since Kevin has indulged in this kind of touch. Since he has interacted with any human for more than just the need to fulfil his hunger. Aaron’s hands are not gentle, but they are careful. They are firm and sure, but don’t cause Kevin unnecessary pain. He is so close. His hands have warmed with the hot water. His skin is still flush from the walk. Kevin closes his eyes and presses his tongue hard against the back of his teeth.
“I have a salve that might help with these,” Aaron says quietly. Kevin can feel his breath against his back. Every hair on his body feels like it is standing on edge. “But they’re less closed over than I expected by this stage. When did you last feed?”
“Five days ago.” He’s due again. That’s why the scent of Aaron’s blood is hitting him so hard. It must be. Kevin has good self control. He’s harnessed it over the years of his vampirism. He won’t bite, but the temptation is worse than usual. He didn’t realise he was so hungry. That, or it’s his body demanding more sustenance to heal his injury. He doesn’t usually drool over the mere scent of blood through the skin. Not even a cut. Not even the smell of it in the air.
Aaron’s expression is pinched. His eyes are narrowed, flicking over Kevin’s face, serious contemplation. Kevin can almost hear the whirring of his brain. He purses his lips. He sighs heavily through his nose. He drops the washcloth soiled with Kevin’s blood in the sink and goes to retrieve something from his bag. When he returns, he’s holding a small blade. Kevin turns on the toilet seat, facing Aaron now. Aaron steps closer. Kevin parts his legs so he can step between them. Aaron frowns at him, but he starts to put the blade to his wrist.
“Stop.” Kevin catches the wrist of his right hand. “What are you doing?”
“You need to feed. It will aid the healing.”
“Don’t cut your palm. It’s painful and bleeds shallowly. I don’t know why it’s always the palm-”
“I wasn’t going to cut my palm. I was going to cut my wrist.”
“That’s a hazard with your veins there.” Kevin turns Aaron’s arm over. He trails a finger along the blue lines beneath Aaron’s pale skin, running down his forearm. He feels Aaron’s pulse skip beneath his finger. “If I bite you, my saliva will heal it better. It can feel good too. If you let it.”
“I don’t know.” Aaron is looking at Kevin suspiciously. Kevin lets go of his hand.
“I’m just advising on how best to go about this, from my experience, but you owe me nothing. You don’t have to do this.”
Aaron puts the blade down on the bathroom sink. Kevin feels his stomach drop, disappointed. So close to having a taste of Aaron’s blood and he’s spoiled the opportunity for himself. There’s a temptation in him to extend his thrall, but as he looks at Aaron’s set expression, he decides against it. Not because Andrew will probably kill him later (he will), but because Aaron has helped him for no reason when he did not need to. So Kevin will not repay that with hurt.
“Fine.” Aaron holds his arm out, his wrist turned up in offering. Kevin stares at it dumbly for what feels a long moment to him, but is probably only a blink to Aaron.
“You know,” he lowers his voice to a seductive murmur as he reaches up to ghost his nails over Aaron’s throat. “It feels better from here.”
A shiver runs through Aaron. Oh. Sensitive little thing. It will feel even better for him then. His cheeks flush. The scent of his blood rushes around Kevin once again. Aaron’s pulse beats hard and steady beneath Kevin’s touch. He steps back, turning his head away. This is supposed to be discouragement, but it reveals the pale line of his throat. Kevin licks his lips. Aaron flicks him hard in the nose.
“Ow! Hey.”
“Behave. It’s good enough for me to let you feed at all. Stop pushing your luck.” Aaron presents his arm again. Kevin glances around the bathroom, then moves swiftly, scooping Aaron up in his arms and carrying him through to the bedroom before he can protest. There’s a chair in the corner of the room that has Aaron’s jacket draped over it. Kevin sits, perching Aaron on his lap. Aaron smacks his chest. He is very flush now. “Put me down.”
“Too slow, we’re already sitting down.” Kevin smirks. Aaron glares at him. Kevin finds he enjoys riling him up quite a bit. It’s so easy to bring that delicious flush to his ears. Aaron tries to squirm off of him, but Kevin holds him in place. “This is better in case the blood loss or something else makes you lightheaded.”
“Something else?” Aaron’s glare shifts into something suspicious. Kevin lifts his wrist to his mouth. He inhales, breathing in the smell of his blood so close. His lips brush against Aaron’s pulse point.
“Have you ever let a vampire feed from you?”
Aaron shakes his head.
“I told you. It can feel good.” Kevin trails his teeth over Aaron’s wrist bone, onto the soft skin beneath it. Aaron’s heart beats harder. Kevin can hear it so clearly from this close. Can hear the frantic swish of his blood. “Can I bite you?”
“I already said you can.”
“Last chance to change your mind. Are you sure you don’t want the throat instead?”
“Just get it over with.”
It was worth a try. Kevin’s eyes track the way Aaron’s throat moves as he swallows. He really would have liked to sink his teeth into it, but no point being greedy. He is already being offered more than he anticipated. He drags his tongue over the skin of Aaron’s wrist, suckles some of it into his mouth.
“Wait,” Aaron says. Kevin freezes immediately. It takes everything in him. His teeth pulse, agonised need. He looks up at Aaron, his pupils blown out, the start of his thrall starting to uncurl. Just let me- Kevin pulls it back. He’s not going to do that. Not to Aaron. “What’s your name?”
Kevin laughs. He presses a kiss over the saliva damp circle he left on Aaron’s wrist, so wickedly charmed by him. He sits up straighter to look him in the eye.
“Feels like I should know that. Considering.”
“It’s Kevin.” Kevin is grinning. He can’t help it. He feels giddy. Maybe it’s from how close he is to feeding.
“Kevin,” Aaron repeats. “Not a typical vampire name.”
“What’s a typical vampire name? We were all human once.”
“I guess.”
“You were going to let a stranger bite you. Why? Are you brave or foolish, doctor?”
“Neither. Miles says you won’t hurt me. I trust him.”
“How would Miles know what I’m going to do?” Kevin bats his lashes at Aaron innocently, but in contrast he bears his teeth. A reminder he is playing nice, but he’s still a dangerous creature.
“He has powers of premonition. Clairvoyance. He can see the future. That’s what he wanted to talk to me about.”
“And you think that future is not subject to change, now that we know?” Kevin tilts his head. Aaron shrugs. “Bit of a gamble to take. I could drain you dry.”
“I’m not helpless. Andrew is my brother. I do know how to defend myself, but I don’t think you will. You’ve had ample opportunity already.”
“Maybe I like playing with my food.”
“I don’t think Andrew would have left you standing if you were a real threat.” Aaron cuts Kevin off when he opens his mouth to speak again. “Are you going to feed or not? I’m withdrawing the offer if you don’t hurry up.”
Kevin’s not sure how much Aaron means the threat, but he doesn’t test him. Not further than he already has. Not with the risk of his blood being retracted when Kevin is starving for it. He lifts Aaron’s wrist back to his mouth. This time he does not toy with him. He takes the skin between his teeth and slowly pierces it with his fangs. Aaron inhales sharply, but his jaw is tense, allowing no sound out. The first bite always stings. The venom in Kevin’s fangs hasnt had the chance to do its work yet. He means to watch Aaron, but his eyes flutter shut at the first spill of blood onto his tongue. It’s only a thin trickle, but it is warm and tangy, quickly coats the inside of Kevin’s mouth.
Aaron pants out a soft exhale as Kevin starts to suck at his wrist. The weight of his body increases against Kevin’s shoulder, a slight slump to his frame that Kevin is not sure he even realises. He forces his eyes open. Aaron is gazing down at him through hooded eyes. That lovely flush is painted across his cheeks. His lips are parted, just a bit. His eyes are glassy. His blood is spilling into Kevin’s mouth and Aaron is propped on his lap, looking utterly fucked out about it. Kevin suddenly wants to kiss him even more than he wants to feed from him, but he thinks, ironically, that request would be met with more scorn than this.
Aaron’s chest rises and falls as his breathing deepens. He bites his lower lip. Kevin can smell his arousal, the mixture of chemical hormones in his body changing his scent. Aaron shifts, just a bit, barely perceptible - but Kevin is tuned into every micro motion from him - against Kevin’s lap. A lazy rocking of his hips. There is no friction to the movement. It is not seeking any pressure. Just an unconscious response to whatever pleasure Kevin’s venom has surging through his body right now. Kevin feels like he has been drugged in response; Aaron’s blood spiked with some kind of aphrodisiac, making him feel warm right through. Perhaps Aaron has his own thrall. Kevin feels thoroughly tangled up in it.
There’s a crease between Aaron’s eyebrows when Kevin draws back. He looks confused, his eyes narrowing. Kevin drags his tongue over the wound his fangs left. He laps at it like a cat until the bleeding stops, the skin already welding itself back together. Kevin leans back, running his tongue over his teeth, trying to lick up every last copper twang of Aaron’s blood. Aaron watches his mouth as he does so, then looks at his eyes.
“That didn’t seem like much.” Aaron’s voice is a bit hoarse. There’s a husky edge to it. Kevin likes that. A lot.
“Don’t want to get greedy.” Kevin’s voice is also husky. Aaron’s pupils dilate in response. The tension is so thick it is almost stifling. Kevin pointedly looks at his mouth. Aaron automatically licks his lips. Kevin makes a soft, desperate sound. Aaron huffs.
“Feel better?”
“Yes.” Kevin rolls his shoulders back. The skin is still raw, but less sharp than it was before.
“Where are you staying?”
“I don’t have anywhere. I got sidetracked before I could find somewhere.” Kevin dares to drag his hand up the side of Aaron’s thigh. Aaron looks unimpressed, but he says nothing.
“I suppose you can stay here. It will be daylight soon.”
“Are you inviting me into your bed, Aaron?” Kevin leans in, his nose almost touching Aaron’s.
“No. You can sleep on the floor.” Aaron pulls back, scrunching his nose. “Your breath smells like blood.”
“What if I brush my teeth, can I sleep in your bed then?” Kevin is enjoying the push and pull of this too much. Aaron’s hands land on Kevin’s chest. He uses them to push himself up.
“I’ll think about it,’ he says, grabbing a pile of folded clothes from the bottom of the bed. His pyjamas. He moves to the bathroom, glancing over his shoulder at Kevin before he closes the door. Kevin leans forward, hands pressed to his mouth, giddy. It has been a long time since anyone made him giddy like this. Maybe he’ll stick around a while. If Aaron will let him. If nothing else, it’s going to annoy the fuck out of Andrew.
Kevin’s sharp ears pick up the sound of Aaron in the bathroom. Water running. Splashing. The sound of a toothbrush. After some time, the water turns off, and Aaron hums to himself. Then, so quiet Kevin wouldn’t be able to hear it with human hearing, Aaron singing quietly to himself. Kevin smiles, endeared. Maybe he’s not just sticking around to irritate Andrew. Maybe it’s not about that at all.