Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If Michael Emerson had been asked what he thought he’d be doing during the summer before college started, he would have never expected to be smoking weed and drinking wine in a fucking cave. He expected to be doing plenty of pot and getting drunk off his ass…but not in a cave. 

For an old, decrepit hotel from the previous century, it wasn’t bad. Yeah, it was dirty, covered in spiderwebs, and was home to a flock of pigeons (and presumably black widows, brown recluses, rats, mice, opossums, raccoons, ants, cockroaches…maybe even a few snakes), but it was a hell of a hangout spot. 

The boys had basically everything they needed in this cave—snacks, alcohol, marijuana (and whatever else Paul was on; Michael was betting on acid), a boombox (which was all they had for entertainment, because they had no electricity, since they lived a fucking cave), and…

…a giant fucking poster of the late Jim Morrison from The Doors…

…for some reason.

“Guess you guys are pretty big fans of The Doors,” Michael said, admiring Jim Morrison’s face on the wall. He took a swig from the jewel-covered bottle of wine in his hand. “I’ve heard some of their stuff. They were pretty good.”

One of the boys let out a laugh. It sounded like Paul…could've been Marko.

“No, Michael, not really,” David said, smirking at him from his wheelchair in the center of the room. “We’re not ‘big’ fans.”

“Yeah, right,” Michael shrugged him off, taking another drink. 

The poster said otherwise.

“I’m being completely serious, Michael.” David was straight-faced.

Michael raised his eyebrows. “Then why—“

“Jim Morrison—we just like him,” Paul interrupted Michael, taking a stroll up to him. Without warning, he took the bottle from his grasp to drink it. Michael watched him drink. “He was a cool guy.”

Paul passed the bottle to Marko, who was also now right beside Michael. “Yeah. He was so cool—“ Marko stopped mid-sentence to take in a mouthful of wine, “that we don’t even know anyone else in the band. Just him.”

Marko passed the bottle to Dwayne, who simply took a drink without uttering a word (Michael understood how Dwayne snuck up behind him; the guy hardly said a word all night. It was as if the other boys hired him to just sit there and look pretty). Then, the bottle was back in Michael’s hand. 

Michael peered down at the bottle in his hand. “Sounds like you really like him.” Michael hadn’t looked at anyone directly when he said that, at anyone in the small crowd that huddled around him.

“There’s no need to be jealous, Michael,” David said, voice sounding all too loud. 

Michael yelped, nearly dropping the bottle when he noticed that David was standing directly in front of him, barely an inch away from face. Now, how did he get over to him so fast? He was on the complete other side of the dilapidated hotel.

Michael backed away a few feet from the platinum blond, backing right into Paul, Marko, and Dwayne, who all simply grinned at him upon bumping into the trio. 

Did these guys even know what personal space was?

“I’m not…I’m not jealous,” Michael said, looking back down at the bottle instead of at David’s face. His face felt warm.

“Sure,” Marko said, sarcastically.

The other boys laughed. 

“I’m not!” Michael turned his head back to bark at the boys. 

They weren’t the slightest bit intimidated by him, their faces maintaining their seemingly permanent smiles. Marko even had to bite down on the thumb of his glove in a feeble attempt of suppressing his giggles. The asshole.

“That’s good, Michael,” David’s voice was soft; his comment caused Michael to face him again. Despite the fact that Michael put space in between the two of them, David was right there again, back in his original intimate position. Michael’s head dropped a tad bit downward, not wanting to meet David’s eyes. 

Michael’s breath hitched in his throat when he felt David touch his chin, lifting his head up ever-so-slightly, so Michael could look at him properly. “It’s good that you’re not jealous.” David’s eyes were liquid gold. “Because we like you, too.”

Michael forgot how to breathe.

“You do?” Michael asked in a small voice.

“We do,” he said. 

David was so close. So were the rest of the boys.

Michael could smell David’s cold breath. It was scented with the wine they all had shared. He found himself leaning into the scent further, eyes shutting. 

Michael’s lips lightly brushed against the other boy’s.

Then Michael found himself falling onto the floor of the sunken hotel, landing with a harsh crash .

It could hardly be considered as a kiss. Maybe it could qualify as a peck. 

Still, he managed to feel David’s lips against his own; they were horribly chapped, as if the guy had been parched for a glass of water for days. 

David chuckled, shortly followed by the rest of the other boys. 

From down on the floor, Michael peered up at the crowd of assholes in front of him, but mostly at David, focusing in on that asshole in particular. 

He felt so small.

David had the wine bottle in his hand and a smirk plastered on his face. Michael hadn’t even realized that David had stolen it from him. 

“Lose your balance, Michael?” he asked with a sly tilt of his head, before taking a swig from the bottle.

Chapter Text

Michael lifted the bottle up to his lips and then immediately stopped. He peered down the neck of the bottle and frowned. Michael disappointingly turned the bottle upside down, watching nothing but a single drop fall out. 

They had all taken too much, leaving little for Michael to have for himself. Nevertheless, he’d still turn. It didn’t take much to turn a human into a vampire. Michael would have only needed to swallow a single mouthful of David’s blood to turn him, and he ended up drinking much more than that. 

However, that didn’t stop Michael from wanting more. He kept attempting to drink from the empty bottle, but all he received in return was air.

“No matter how many times you try, Michael, the bottle isn’t going to refill itself,” David informed him.

Michael shot him a glare.

Oh, he’s pissed at you, Davey, Paul said.

Gee, I wonder why, David said, full of sarcasm.

David had stolen the last bit of blood from the bottle. Of course, Michael hadn’t complained when Paul hogged the bottle for a full minute—

It wasn’t even close to a minute! Paul interjected.

Michael hadn’t complained when Paul hogged the bottle for less than a minute—“allegedly”—but when David had less than a couple shots—

You drank way more than that, dude! Paul interrupted again.

Which was beside the point.

What David was trying to say was that Michael had no reason to be pissed off at him specifically, when the rest of the boys also drank from the same bottle.

You knocked him on his ass, David, and didn’t even give him a kiss after, Marko said.

Well, there was that, too, but that wasn’t the thing that Michael was mad about…currently. 

“Michael?” David tried. Michael didn’t acknowledge him, continuing to drink blood that didn’t exist out of the bottle. Marko, toss me the switchblade.

Can’t you make Paul or Dwayne do something for once? Marko complained, not wanting to step away from his prized pigeons.

Stop whining and get it already, Dwayne said.

Or what?

You’ll wake up tomorrow with one less pigeon, Dwayne threatened.

Marko got him the switchblade.

David flipped it open and ran the blade across the flesh of his palm. Michael’s head shot up immediately at the scent that arose from the new bloodied wound. He wasn’t a vampire yet, but the smell of vampire blood was always irresistible.

“Do you know what a Blood Brother is, Michael?” 

“Yeah…” Michael said, eyes not leaving the sight of David’s bleeding hand. “It’s when…” he bit his lip. “…two people share blood with each other.” 

“Have you ever had a Blood Brother before, Michael?” David asked.

“No.”

“Would you like to?”

“I don’t know.” Michael’s thoughts danced around the idea, and then he ultimately found a reason not to. “I shouldn’t. It’s not safe.”

“Not safe?” David tilted his head at Michael. “You were offered a drink from a strange bottle by a strange person you hardly know; you drank from the bottle with no hesitation; but now you’re afraid to share blood with me. I very well could have poisoned you, Michael. Did you stop to think that?”

“No,” Michael said. “But, I should have…Did you poison me?”

“No, Michael. I didn’t poison you.”

You kinda did, David, Paul said. 

Shut up, Paul, David remarked.

“Why should I believe you?” Michael asked.

“We all drank from the same bottle, Michael,” David reminded him. “Why would we all poison ourselves?”

“You could be some kind of suicide cult,” Michael suggested.

“Do we look like we’re in a cult, dude?” Marko asked. 

“No,” Michael said. “Still, I don’t think I should be sharing fluids with anyone.”

“If you think that you’re going to catch something, Michael, you’re not,” David said. “We’re not contagious.”

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea,” Michael said. “I’m going to have to pass.”

“So, you’re just going to leave me with all this blood pooling in my hand?” David asked, sounding disappointed.

Michael swallowed. “Sorry.”

“I’m just messing with you, man,” David said, smiling. “It doesn’t bother me. I have someone else to help me out.”

Let me guess… Marko said. 

“Marko?”

Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.

Michael watched curiously as Marko approached David. Marko took David by the wrist and lifted David’s hand up to his face, careful not to spill any. He licked up the blood that had coated David’s palm. 

Michael should have been disgusted by this, but he wasn’t. He was morbidly fascinated by the display. 

Marko, then, took the switchblade into his hand and sliced his own palm. His blood spilled out in rivulets across his skin, the same strong scent whiffing into the air. Marko presented his bloodied hand to David, who cleaned it off. Then Dwayne and Paul joined in.

They all shared with each other, not stopping until each one of them got a taste of each other. The action was so naturally done and casual, like it had been when they were all sharing the wine. It was like they had done this a hundred times before. They probably had. 

There were many things that were off about this. 

Why were they sharing blood by mouth instead of by flesh?

Why did it seem like they were enjoying the taste of it?

Why did their blood smell so good? 

Why am I approaching the four of them?

“Change your mind, Michael?” David asked.

“I don’t know,” Michael replied. 

David presented the knife to him. “I think you do.”

Michael flipped the blade open and advanced it towards his own palm. He hesitated before it pierced his skin. However, when David said, “Go ahead,” Michael proceeded. He winced at the feeling, but it disappeared once David ran his tongue over the new wound. 

They took turns drinking from the wound. They were taking much more blood from him than they had from each other, but this didn’t bother Michael. He didn’t understand why it didn’t bother him. It just didn’t. 

Once they had all finished taking his blood, David offered his own blood to him. “Take it, Michael,” David said with the same gold eyes. There had been no hesitation this time. He pressed his mouth over the wound and drank. Just like David’s eyes, his blood was also liquid gold. He pressed his own warm bleeding palm over David’s cold hand, keeping the blood source firmly there, secure over his mouth. 

They all tasted the same, Michael noted. He didn’t know why he had expected them to all taste different. He just did. What he hadn’t expected was the fact that they all tasted like the wine they had shared, only fresher. And this fact didn’t bother him one bit. 

Chapter Text

Max is going to be pissed, Paul said. 

It was bad enough that David had turned Michael with his own blood. Now, it was worse, because Michael had taken blood from all of them.

He should just be happy that we didn’t eat him, David said. 

David, you wouldn’t have killed him even if Max hadn’t chosen him, Dwayne said.

Would you? David asked Dwayne.

Probably not, Dwayne said. 

Mikey’s too pretty to die, Marko said, smiling at Michael, who was currently sprawled out on top of Star’s mattress. 

Which was primarily the reason that they had all been turned. The pretty ones always live. 

“Fuck,” Michael groaned, holding his head in his hands. “I feel like I’m being stabbed in the head.”

They all looked at each other in acknowledgment: the change was starting. 

It all began with a pain-splitting headache. It was all downhill from there. 

Michael would turn by tomorrow night. 

David got up from his wheelchair and walked over to Michael, who was still clutching his head in pain. Michael was too distracted to notice when David bit down on his own wrist. 

“Michael.”

Michael jolted upright, sitting up in bed, not expecting David to be right in front of him.

“You scared the shit out of me, man.”

“Didn’t mean to.”

Yeah, you did, David, Paul said. Y’know, Max wouldn’t be very happy if Michael had a heart attack before he had a chance to go through the change.

The blood is already in his system. He’d probably…be fine if he had a heart attack, David assumed.

Probably? Paul asked. 

I don’t know, Paul. I’ve never heard of somebody dying before they turned, David said.

Max’s ex did, Marko said.

Which one? Paul asked.

Denise.

Oh, shit, yeah, David said. I forgot about her.

Max realized that she wasn’t the one too late. It was a shame. It was a waste of blood. 

“Here,” David offered his bleeding wrist to Michael. “For the pain.”

“How is that supposed to help?” Michael asked, wincing. 

“Just take it.”

Michael already had taken so much blood from David that he didn’t fight him over it and drank. 

David sat down on the bed beside Michael. The brunet had a strong hold on David’s arm, a grip that was capable of crushing bone. The blood was working faster than David expected it to. 

“You’re right,” Michael said in a gasp, post-feeding. “Does help…with the pain.”

Michael had David’s blood splattered all over his face, plus the blood from the rest of the boys earlier. 

It was a good look for him, David decided.

The human’s eyes were hazing over, half-lidded. 

“Sleep, Michael,” David commanded him. “You look like you need it.”

Michael agreed wordlessly, laying back down on the bed, sleep overtaking him almost instantaneously. 

Chapter Text

She returns. Star heard David’s voice in her head.

Upon re-entering the cave, the stench of human blood was faint, nearly unnoticeable. Before, all that Star could smell was Michael’s blood. It was sweet and oh-so intoxicating. Now, it mostly smelt like vampire blood and Mary-Jane. 

Due to how weak the smell of his blood had been, she had been afraid that they had changed their minds and actually eaten Michael (which she was half-right about. They definitely took some of his blood). The sight of Michael sprawled out on her bed, completely knocked out, reassured her that he was mostly okay. 

The four of them did not understand personal space, surrounding Michael like they were a wake of vultures, and Michael was a corpse. Paul and Dwayne sat on the very edge of the bed, bodies pressed tightly together, shot-gunning a joint. Marko and David were also on top of the bed, sitting on either side of Michael, guarding him while he slept.

Standing beside the bed, Star noticed that Michael had blood smeared all over his mouth and chin. She didn’t know whose it was. Everyone shared the same blood. Everyone smelled the same, including Michael. 

“He doesn’t even smell like himself anymore. He smells like one of us,” Star noted.

“He is one of us,” David said. 

“Not yet,” Star claimed. “He hasn’t turned yet.”

With how much blood he has in his system, I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned tonight, Paul said, still sucking face with Dwayne. 

“Even if he drained one of us, I don’t think he’d turn that quickly, Paul,” Marko said.

Wanna make a bet of it? Paul asked. I volunteer you, Marko, as Michael’s guinea pig.

“Maybe later. I think Michael’s a little full right now,” Marko said. “Sounds fun.”

Ignoring Marko and Paul, Star asked, “How much did you give him?” not looking at anyone other than Michael. 

“Who’s asking?” David asked.

“Don’t even start that now, David. I’m not in the mood for that game you like so much.”

“Enough.” David liked being vague. “He had enough.”

“How much is enough?” When she didn’t receive an answer, she said telepathically, David, how much? She was now staring directly at him. 

“Oh, she used her inside voice, David,” Marko said. “Star’s serious.”

“He finished the bottle, wanted more, so he fed from all of us,” David explained. 

“From all of you?” Star repeated. “Isn’t he only supposed to drink from one of us?”

“Yeah, he was supposed to,” David said. “We might have killed him.”

David had a smile plastered across his face. 

Star shot a glare towards him. “You know that’s not funny, David.”

David’s face fell. “Sorry, Star.” 

Star never could tell if David was being genuine, but he was always quick to apologize to her. 

She cupped Michael’s chin, smearing the blood further across his face. His skin felt cold. Vampire blood was unnaturally cold. If it wasn’t for Michael’s chest rising up and down, one would assume that he was dead. He wasn’t dead. “You should be glad that he isn’t dead, David.”

She licked a stripe across her hand, cleaning up the mess she made from touching Michael’s bloody face. She still couldn’t tell whose blood it was. Star wanted more of it. 

“Not yet, at least,” Paul smirked up at her, no longer shotgunning the pot. “He should be joining the Land of the Dead very soon.”

“Very funny, Paul,” she said, turning her attention away from Michael. 

“I know, I’m hilarious,” Paul said.

She climbed into Paul’s lap. As if they weren’t already running out of space on the bed, Star made six. The queen-size bed would probably collapse soon from all the weight on it. “Gimme a hit.” 

Paul inhaled the joint and then lifted his face up to meet hers, letting the smoke blow into her mouth. The act evolved into a kiss. Starving, she didn’t hesitate biting down on his tongue, filling her mouth with his blood. Paul’s blood would suffice her hunger. 

This was her favorite way to feed. 

I think it’s everyone’s favorite, babe, Paul said.

“Thanks for leaving me hanging, Paulie.” Dwayne sounded slightly annoyed, jealously watching the pair kiss.

Like I’m the only one in the room you can smoke with, Paul said.

“I’m available,” Marko offered to Dwayne, grinning at him. 

Dwayne eagerly climbed over and sat down next to the curly-haired blond. He breathed into Marko’s mouth, sharing the smoke from the joint. 

Vampires liked to be close to each other, Star had come to learn. It had something to do with the blood they shared, David had mentioned to her before. He never fully explained it fully. She wasn’t sure if he understood why either.

“You think I don’t know why, Star?” David asked her, having read her thoughts. 

I don’t know, do you?

“I do.”

Care to explain then, David?

“No.”

She wasn’t looking at him, but she knew that David had a shit-eating grin on his face. 

Chapter Text

“What the hell?” Michael muttered, half asleep. 

Immediately after awakening, there were a few things to note: there were eyes everywhere he looked; the five of them were crowding him from all around, not giving him any space to breathe; and Star had her hands in his hair, petting him like he was a cat.

Michael concluded that he was a zoo animal, trapped behind a wall of human glass. He wasn’t very keen on being gawked at. 

Desperate for room to breathe, Michael took a step outside. He was surprised that they let him. 

Star followed him. He hadn’t asked her to do that, but she did it anyway. He was just happy that the rest of them didn’t join along.

“Where’d you go?” he asked her. “You just took off.”

“I took Laddie to the movies.”

It was then that he noticed that the kid wasn’t around. He followed Star around like a lost puppy.

“Is he still there…?”

“Yeah, I dropped him off.”

“Are your friends always like that?” Michael asked, changing the topic.

“Like what?”

“Clingy.”

“Yeah.” She peered down at her hands. “You get used to it, I guess.”

“I don’t think that I could get used to it,” Michael said. “I like my personal space.”

“Aww,” she cooed. “That’s unfortunate, Michael. I like company. Guess I better go back inside then…” 

Star started to leave—“Wait, don’t go!”—but Michael pulled her back. She had a smirk on her face.

“I thought you said you liked your space?” Star asked. 

“I do,” Michael said. “But I think I can squeeze you in.”

“Good.” She smiled at him.

“Y’know, I wouldn’t mind seeing a movie,” Michael said. 

Then a frown appeared on her face. “Maybe later.”

“Why not?”

Then a light was shining in Michael’s eyes, followed by the sound of a roaring motorcycle engine—four motorcycles.

“Michael,” David’s voice rang in his ears. “I thought of something fun to do.”

“So did I,” Michael said. “I was going to see a movie.”

“You’d have a hell of a lot more fun going where we’re going,” David said. “I promise.”

Michael looked at Star for support. However, she was looking at David. 

“Michael, you’ll have all the time in the world to hang out with Star,” David said. “Just give us an hour of your time.”

“Bye, Michael,” Star said, and like a wisp of smoke she was gone. He didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye.

“Looks like Star made the choice for you, Michael. Let’s go,” David said.