Archive of Our Own

Luke kept to himself while he made his way down a busy street in LA.

The sun had just disappeared behind the horizon and big shop windows washed light over him every other moment while he hurried from neon sign to neon sign.

One converse in front of the other.

C'mon Luke.

You can do this.

Truth was, he most certainly could not do this.

The last twelve hours were scary and haunting and confusing and Luke was terrified and anxious and didn't know what the fuck to do.

He didn't know what the fuck was going on.

Yeah, no.

He knew exactly what was going on.

He just chose to be in denial about the whole situation.

Ten years of friendship with his best friend Michael had prepared him how to fight a vampire if he ever encountered one.

Michael had never told him what Luke should do in case he ever found himself becoming one himself though.

Luke didn't even really believe vampires existed until last night. He thought Michael had a weird hobby and an obsession with the goth and emo scene.

Not that he ever told him that.

But then he woke up in a ditch this morning and everything hurt and he was thirsty and cold.

And then his apple watch was yelling at him. 

Apparently he had no heart beat.

And when he checked, he had no pulse.

And that could only mean one thing, right? He was dead, but he was alive.

So he was undead.

Maybe Michael wasn't as crazy as Luke thought.

Luke didn't know how much time he spent freaking out before he limped home. He was exhausted and felt like death and all he wanted to do was curl up in his bed and sleep forever.

And that's exactly what he did. Luke went to bed at noon and woke up some 28 hours later.

His phone was blown up by messages from his roommate Michael, his boss at his student job and Calum.

Fuck. Fucking fuck. Calum.

Luke realized that he was supposed to go on a date today.

It was a third date with this super hot guy he met on bumble a month ago. It honestly surprised him they hadn't hooked up yet.

Groaning, he heaved himself out of bed.

If he indulged in the premade plans of his former self, he might end up waking up from this nightmare. Right?

In any case it would offer him distraction.

One foot in front of the other.

This was a good idea.

Right? Right.

He convinced himself that this was a good thing to do for about thirty minutes.

That was until he arrived at Calums side in front of the bar they had planned to meet up at and Calum tensed up immediately.

"Hey-"

Without a word Calum yanked him into an empty ally.

"What the fuck is this?," he growled and slammed Luke back into a wall.

Luke winced.

"What the fuck, Calum?," he rubbed his head.

"I am not playing, Hemmings," Calum bared his teeth, still holding Luke by his jacket, "you're a fucking vamp now??"

Lukes eyes widened. He opened his mouth, then closed it again.

"Fucking talk!," Calum yelled and shook Luke.

Luke involuntarily shrunk into himself.

"I don't know," he whimpered, "I swear. I don't know what's happening to me."

"You are dead, that is what's happening to you!," Calum snapped.

Luke swallowed. "Shit. Am I really a vampire?," he whispered.

Calum was still glaring at Luke but he seemed to see something on the younger boys face that made him release Luke.

"Follow me," Calum growled, "and don't try to run. Trust me, wolves are faster, stronger and deadlier than vamps." He flashed his eyes at him.

Lukes heart sank. "You...?"

"Shut the fuck up, will you? Walk."

Luke immediately scrambled to follow Calum.

Calum led him down the street and into another side ally. He drew a plastic card out of his wallet and unlocked a door after punching in a code.

A moment later, he found himself standing in a small, empty gym with the only light source being the lights of the city seeping in through the big windows.

Calum's steps echoed in the empty room.

He whipped around and glared at Luke.

"What the fuck do you want?," Calum snapped.

"Nothing!," Luke immediately jumped in, "we... the date-"

"How long have you planned this?? A fucking vampire? Fuck man," Calum snapped and threw his hands up in frustration.

„I don't even know if I am a-," Luke whimpered.

"Of course you fucking are!," Calum snapped, "you reek like ten of them!"

Luke swallowed hard and felt his heart fall through his body and onto the floor.

"I don't-," he stuttered, "I didn't mean... What the fuck?"

"Well, you should've thought about that when you-," Calum broke off, "wait, how did you get turned?"

Luke swallowed and looked away.

"Dunno," he mumbled, "I was out partying and a guy bought me a drink and the next thing I know is I wake up in a ditch in an alley and feel like I just died."

Calum grunted. "Great. So you got assaulted," Calum scoffed, "you really do check all the tragedy boxes, huh?"

"I didn't ask for this," Luke snapped, "I wish the guy would have finished the job and killed me."

"He wasn't gonna kill you," Calum muttered, never losing the air of annoyance, "some vamps pump humans full of drugs to then drink their blood and get high themselves. Fucked up creatures, all of them. They don't care how many fledglings they leave in their wake."

"Great," Lukes voice broke, "so I was used as a party drug."

Calum had the decency to look sorry for a second.

"I'm gonna cry," Luke groaned and buried his head in his hands.

"Well, good luck with that," Calum muttered.

Luke lifted his head after a moment. "Wait, why the fuck can't I cry?," he asked, "don't tell me..."

Calum stared at him blankly.

"If I can't cry then how the fuck am I supposed to have my mental breakdowns?," Luke was panicking.

"Seems to me you can get there without crying," Calum muttered.

Luke continued pacing until he suddenly stopped abruptly and was rooted to the spot.

He slowly turned to look at Calum.

"Does that mean I am immortal now?," he asked.

"Yup," Calum popped the p.

Luke let out a dry sob and buried his hands in his hair.

"I don't wanna live forever," he sounded genuinely scared.

"Can you stop whining for one damn second?," Calum rubbed his temples.

"I can't-," he stumbled over his own words, "I..."

"For fucks sake," Calum groaned.

Luke took a shaky breath.

"Can vampires die?," he asked.

Calum barked out a laugh. "Yeah, of course. What'd you think vampire hunters are for?," he snickered.

"How do you kill a vampire?," Luke asked, his full attention on Calum.

"Well, first you have to-," Calum broke off when he noticed the intensity Luke was hanging on to Calums lips with.

"Whoa," he lifted his hands up, "fuck no, mate."

"No!," Luke snapped, "tell me!"

"I will not give you a step by step guide on how to kill yourself, Luke!," Calum snapped.

Luke broke eye contact and had the audacity to look embarrassed.

"Go home," Calum muttered, "and don't do anything stupid."

Luke sank down on a weight bench and put his head in his hands.

"D'you wanna know the most fucked up thing?," Luke asked to the tips of his converse.

Calum sighed. "Do I?"

Luke pushed his hair out of his face and looked up at Calum.

"I don't think I do, man," Calum said.

"My roommate, my best friend Mike," Luke stopped and waited for Calums nod, "he's a vampire hunter."

Calum groaned and closed his eyes. "For fucks sake."

"Yeah," Luke whispered.

"Tough luck," Calum muttered.

Luke glared at him.

"Professional hunter?," Calum asked.

"No, he's in Uni. It's a hobby, but he's really good at it," Luke mumbled.

"Has he caught on yet?," Calum asked.

"No," Luke shook his head, "i told him yesterday that I wasn't feeling peachy after being drugged. But I am scared he will catch on, especially since I don't even fucking know what is suspicious behavior and what isn't."

"Can't be that good if he doesn't notice a vamp under his own roof," Calum muttered under his breath.

"Probably good enough to notice when I get back, so I need to go. There is a stake with my name on it waiting for me," Luke snapped, fed up with Calum's snarky behavior.

"That would almost be funny if I didn't know you are being serious right now," Calum commented.

"Nice knowing you, Cal," Luke said coolly and walked toward the exit.

"Luke, what the hell? Where are you going?," Calum shouted after him.

"I am going home," Luke snapped without turning around.

"Are you serious? You'll get killed!," Calum snapped.

Luke turned around and glared at Calum.

"Exactly," he said sharply. They glared at each other for a moment before Luke turned back around and walked again.

"Alright," Calum stood up, "Luke! Wait!"

Luke didn't stop.

"Luke, for fucks sake!," Calum snapped and jogged up to block Lukes way, "you're the most annoying blood sucker I've ever fucking met!"

Luke shoved at Calum and tried to push past him but Calum had twice the muscle mass Luke had.

"I have a guest bedroom," Calum said flatly.

Luke snorted. "No thanks."

"Do you have a better idea?," Calum raised an eyebrow.

"I have an apartment??," Luke snapped.

"You are a vampire with a vampire hunter roommate," Calum said flatly.

"Mike is my best friend," Luke said stubbornly.

"Do you know if you have any silver in your apartment? Probably, since he knows what he is doing. Holy water? You touch it, you burn. Have you eaten yet?," Calum listed off.

"I had breakfast," Luke said, ignoring the other good points Calum was making and the possible explanation why he was feeling like shit this morning.

"That is not-," Calum threw up his hands, "have you drank any blood since you got turned."

Luke flinched. "Hell no."

"Well," Calum muttered, "fun. So that is still ahead of you. You sure you wanna be with your human bestie when you get blood thirsty?"

Panic bloomed in Luke again. What if he ended up hurting Michael?

„Okay man, listen," Calum said calmly, "I didn't mean to freak you out further. I just don't want to walk away from this knowing I could've... prevented something from happening. Believe me, this is not about you. This is me being selfish."

Luke glanced at Calum. "You hate vampires," he mumbled.

Calum sighed. "Again this is not about you. I just don't trust you to not reveal yourself to Michael to have him crucify you. Or for you to do it yourself."

Calum paused for a moment. "Or for you to drain Michael."

That hit home.

"How do I know you won't kill me in my sleep tonight?," Luke asked quietly.

Calum shrugged. "You don't. All I can say is that I know what it's like to be thrust into this world unprepared and that I know how overwhelming it all is. Especially when you are on your own."

"I thought werewolves are born into it," Luke said.

"Not always," Calum shrugged, "sometimes humans are at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Luke opened his mouth but got cut off by Calum again.

"I am not sharing my life story with strangers," he said.

Lukes eyes widened. "But I told you mine!," he whined, "and we're not strangers!"

Calum shrugged. "You have plenty of time now to work on your naivety and trusting nature" he mused, "so, are you coming?"

Luke narrowed his eyes at him. "I don't trust you."

"Good," Calum smiled and walked towards the door.

Luke hesitated a moment before he rushed to follow him.

Calum glanced back with a grin.

"Were you always this pale or is that a side effect?," he asked.

Luke scowled at him. "Were you always an asshole?," he grumbled.

Calums grin brightened. "Born and raised."

*****

"Your apartment looks normal," Luke remarked.

Calum scoffed. "What did you expect? Photos of the moon? Artsy pictures of wolves? Stuffed rabbits? A dog bed?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Sorry for being dumb."

"Let me guess," Calum opened the fridge, "you watched twilight."

Luke flushed. "Everyone watched that!"

Calum gave him a look. "Sure. Well, do you sparkle in the sun?"

Luke crossed his arms. "Nou," he admitted.

Calum hummed. "Need I say more?"

Calum held out a beer for Luke.

"Can I even have beer?," Luke asked.

"You can have anything humans can have," Calum said, "didn't you say you ate breakfast this morning?"

"But I am dead," Luke said flatly.

"Don't fuckin' ask me about the body functions of vampires, okay? I don't fuckin' know," Calum scoffed, "did you take a shit today?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well if you have to shit that means your digestive system is still functioning," Calum shrugged.

"I..," Luke frowned, "did not yet take a shit. I will let you know when that happens."

"Please don't. D'you want the beer or no?"

Luke took the bottle from Calum.

"Does alcohol work on vampires?," Luke asked.

"Oh hell yeah. Most vamps I have encountered were alcoholics," Calum rolled his eyes, "guess they have nothing to lose."

Calum saw sadness flash over Lukes face again.

"Sorry," Calum muttered, "that was uncalled for."

Luke made a noncommittal sound. "D'you have tequila?"

Calum held Lukes gaze for a moment before he walked over to a cabinet to draw out a bottle.

"So nothing in twilight is true?," Luke asked while watching Calum pour the shot.

"Pretty much all crap, yeah," Calum said and sat the shot down in front of Luke.

Luke eyed the glass. "One shot won't do much, I have a pretty high tolerance. Not that I'm proud of that."

"Trust me, this will be plenty. You're taking this on an empty stomach," Calum took his beer, "you need to feed."

Luke threw back the shot and washed it down with a mouth full of beer.

"I'm not drinking blood," Luke said stubbornly.

Calum sighed heavily. He turned back to his fridge and grabbed a tupperware box from it.

He held it under Lukes nose before opening it.

Luke registered the image of a raw bloody steak a second before the smell hit him.

The sweet irony smell of blood went from his nostrils straight to his head and flicked a switch. Luke could feel his senses sharpen, his stomach growling and saliva building in his mouth.

A moment later he tasted blood.

Calum drew the box back and sealed it before putting it back into the fridge.

He crossed his arms and leant back against the fridge.

"Nice fangs," he grinned.

Luke snapped back into reality. His body was tensed up from head to toe but he could focus on Calum, other than the desire for that bloody steak.

Luke blinked at Calum.

"You're bleeding," Calum muttered.

Luke frowned and brought a hand up to his mouth, finding the edge of it red and bloody.

"But I am dead," Luke sounded defeated.

Calum shrugged.

Nice fangs.

Lukes brain kicked back into motion and he sprinted over to the drawer in the far corner where a mirror hung on the wall.

He inspected his fangs in it.

"Fuck," Luke breathed out, "what the fuck."

"Yup," Calum came over to the couch and sat both beers on the table, "like them?"

Wide panicked eyes turned to look at Calum.

"I don't want them," Lukes voice was trembling, "how do they go away? I want them gone." His voice broke. "Please."

This time Calum looked genuinely concerned.

"I think they just go away when you stop thinking about blood," he said, "stop thinking about it."

"How?," Luke panicked.

"Dunno? Are you hungry? We could go feed you now?," Calum asked and plopped down on his couch.

"I don't want to feed!," Luke snapped. 

"Well too fucking bad you have to," Calum snapped back, "welcome to your new reality!"

Luke's whole body was shaking now.

"Luke, are you having a panic attack or is your body trying to get you to eat?," Calum frowned.

Luke clenched his teeth and looked away.

"Both, I think," he admitted.

"Alright," Calum sighed and got up from the couch. He took a last big gulp of beer, "lets go on a little walk and get this over with."

"I don't want to drink blood," Luke protested weakly.

"Stop whining, for fucks sake!," Calum snapped, "holy fuck what is wrong with you?"

"Fuck you! You can't make me drink blood!," Luke snapped back.

"Well, if you don't suck on a rat within the next hour you might drain your uber driver tomorrow. Your choice," Calum threw his hands up.

Luke looked close to passing out.

"Rats in LA all have a bunch of diseases," Luke groaned.

"What's gonna happen, huh?," Calum asked sarcastically, "scared you'll die from food poisoning?"

Luke glared at him.

"C'mon, man. You got this," Calum muttered and gently but firmly pushed him towards the door and into the elevator.

"The good thing is that we are in LA," Calum said and pressed the button for the ground floor, "so feeding is easy. There are enough rats, squirrels and racoons you can have for dinner."

Lukes eyes widened and he swallowed.

"But I love racoons," he mumbled softly.

"Jesus Christ," Calum sighed and rubbed his temples, "Luke, listen. When you are hungry you will not be yourself. The vampire in you will take over. You will act on instinct and thirst and nothing else. And it's important that you don't fight that, okay? Even if it's scary. Don't fight it."

Lukes wide blue eyes looked scared.

"You got this, mate," Calum said, "once you start it's not that bad."

"How would you know?," Luke muttered.

"I don't," Calum shrugged, "I am just saying shit to make you do what you need to do. Is it working?"

Luke rolled his eyes.

"Now the downside of LA," Calum led the way out of the elevator, "there are plenty of vamps in LA. I mean, it's LA."

"Are they gonna try to hurt me?," Luke asked small.

"No, I don't think so. There's usually just quarrel about food. No actual hate between the vamps. The fights happen between species. Vamps and werewolves, mostly," Calum explained.

"Are there a lot of wolf packs in LA?," Luke asked.

Calum nodded to the security guard and waited until they had slipped into the cool night before answering.

"A couple," he said, "there are some big ones outside the city. Malibu has a big pack, and Santa Barbara, Laguna Beach, San Diego. The biggest one in LA is the downtown pack. The rest are small and scattered."

"Where is your pack?," Luke asked.

"I am not part of a pack," Calum said, "I prefer solitude."

"Sure, edgy sad emo boy," Luke huffed under his breath.

"Speak for yourself," Calum muttered.

Deciding any place in LA would be good enough to find at least one rat, Calum led Luke to the back of a McDonalds one block down.

They stood side by side, eyeing the trashcans.

"Now what?," Luke asked flatly.

"Go for it," Calum gestured to the containers.

"You want me to dumpster dive for rats?," Luke frowned.

"Yes, Luke, I want you to put your stupid supernatural skills to use for one damn second now and go hunting," Calum snapped, more than fed up with Luke at this point.

"How do you even find rats?," Luke put his hands on his hips.

"Dude," Calum groaned at rolled his eyes, "I can hear at least three of them left of that fuckin' dumpster!"

"How the fuck do you hear rats??," Luke asked.

Calum looked about a second away from punching Luke in the face.

"Hemmings. For fucks sake. Shut the fuck up and concentrate. Remember that feeling from earlier when you were about to suck my steak dry. Just fuckin' let your instincts take over or whatever. I don't fucking now," Calum snapped, "I will wait around the corner. Knock yourself out."

*****

Calum waited for at least twenty minutes before he carefully crept back around the back of the fast food restaurant.

He saw Luke cowering in the shadow of the building. Wet sucking noises echoed through the night and Calum spotted a decently sized pile of animal bodies a few feet away from Luke.

The thick tinge of iron hung heavy in the air.

It took everything in Calum to stop himself from vomiting all over bis feet and he quickly shuffled back to the front.

He gave Luke another ten minutes before he felt like he ought to step in before Luke drained the whole food supply of the LA vampire community.

When he walked around the corner a second time, Calum pulled up short when he didn't see Luke sucking on another animal like he had anticipated.

Instead, Luke was pacing. His hands were buried in his hair, his breath came out labored and Calum was very aware Luke was on the edge of what looked like a massive panic attack.

"Luke," Calum said quietly, trying not to startle the younger man.

Luke was rooted to the spot immediately and turned to look at Calum.

The two men were staring at each other for a moment, faces only illuminated by a flimsy yellow street light above their heads.

Calum took a step towards Luke and Luke immediately staggered back.

"No! Stay away from me," Lukes voice was shaking.

Calum put his hands up in surrender and stopped. To be fair, Luke looked a bit intimidating with blood smeared around his mouth and eyes bright and intense.

"Look," Luke was radiating anger and confusion and sadness, "I did that. I-... I just..."

He gestured to the pile of bodies and let out a dry sob.

"Luke-"

"No, no, please," Luke whimpered, "please kill me. Please. I wanna die. I can't do this. Please, Calum."

Luke looked back at the pile of bodies he left in his wake.

"Hey, man, I am gonna come over now, okay?," Calum said slowly.

"No! I'm gonna hurt you!," Luke immediately said.

"Yeah, dude, I am not worried about that. I can handle myself. Just don't attack me, because I really don't want to hurt you," Calum said drily.

Luke swallowed but made no attempt to move away when Calum started walking towards him.

Admittedly, Calum felt bad for Luke. He was shaking and pale and his eyes looked haunted.

"Hey! Hey, okay, Luke. It's okay, you're okay," Calum mumbled and gently guided Luke out of the alley and sat him down on a bench before his legs could give out under him.

Lukes whole body was shaking.

"It's okay," Calum said again and crouched down in front of Luke, "you did what you had to do."

"I think I murdered a cat," Luke chocked out.

"That was not a cat," Calum said dismissively, "it was a possum."

Calum didn't actually know if that was true but it seemed like the right thing to say. Calum handed Luke the beer.

"Wash out your mouth."

Luke took a mouth full and spit it out on the pavement next to him after a moment. He repeated the process two more times.

After he had handed the beer back over, Luke put his head in his hands and Calum let him be for a bit while he finished the beer.

After a couple of minutes Calum gently squeezed Lukes shoulder.

"Let's head back, okay?," Calum asked calmly, "you can take a hot shower. There's food. You can get some rest. Today was a lot."

Luke looked up at Calum and Calum managed not to flinch. There was dark red blood smeared under Lukes eyes.

Now with blood in his system, Luke had managed to cry.

Calum took his sunglasses out of his pocket and held them out to Luke.

"Put these on."

Luke, for once, didn't question it and instead put the sunglasses on before getting up after Calum.

They walked back in silence.

Once they stepped over the elevator threshold, Luke caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

There were dark stains on his shirt, which was fortunately dark too. He had a flush high in his cheeks and his hair was disheveled.

He took the sunglasses off and almost screamed.

"What the actual fuck?," he whimpered softly.

Calum looked up from his phone.

"Yeah. Now that you have blood in your system you're able to cry," he said.

Luke slumped back against the wall and closed his eyes.

"I'd rather not be able to cry than this," he whimpered, "I am a crier. What if I cry in public?"

"Sunglasses will be your best friend," Calum mumbled while he was manhandling the button to close the elevadoors. They finally slid shut.

Calum didn't know why but something tugged at his heart looking at the scared, miserable pile of blonde curls and copper blood Luke created in the stark elevator light.

It was probably sympathy.

"You'll feel better after a hot shower," Calum said.

Luke groaned. "I didn't bring a change of clothes."

"You can have some of mine," Calum said.

Luke looked unconvinced.

"Are you sure?," he mumbled weakly.

"Yeah," Calum said, "I will give you some as soon as we are back, okay? Are you hungry?"

Luke sighed and leant his head against the wall. "I feel sick," he mumbled.

Calum hummed. "Just a bite. I think your body will thank you in the morning."

"If I can keep it down," Luke closed his eyes.

"At least you tried then. What would you like?," Calum asked, "whats your favorite food?"

Luke shrugged softly. "Pizza?"

Calum laughed softly. "I can do that."

Luke cracked an eye open to look at Calum.

"Why are you so nice to me now?," he asked weakly.

Calum shrugged and looked away. "You've been through enough today."

"Thanks for doing this," Luke said softly, "I don't think I would have lasted the night without you."

"Don't be gross," Calum mumbled but offered him a small smile in return.

*****

Calum had barely gotten any sleep.

After getting Luke the softest and coziest clothes he could find and ordering a pizza for them, they had curled up on opposite ends of the couch and watched an episode of Brooklyn99.

Calum had then set up the guest bedroom for Luke before taking a shower and slipping into his own bed.

And then he'd been laying awake for hours.

He didn't know what to make of this situation. Usually hed wash his hands of any vampire business and mind his own.

But he knew Luke.

At least sort of. 

Either way, Luke was not a stranger. And Calum liked Luke.

Well, enough for him to feel a connection between them anyway. He had started to like Luke sometime over the past month of them texting and the first two dates they had went on. 

He even liked Luke enough to not fuck him on the first date and then ghost him.

Yes, Calum knew he was a red flag.

But now Luke was a filthy, stinking, annoying and whiny newly fledged vampire.

Calum should walk. 

He should run, actually.

But the prospect of not having Lukes big blue innocent eyes hang onto his lips when he told a story or hear him laugh at his own jokes or to wake up to random texts from him was somehow worse than the smell or the whining or the absurdity of this situation altogether.

It's been literal years since Calum had allowed himself to get to know someone on a romantic level long enough to develop a crush. 

He didn't even know if he had a crush on Luke. 

He just didn't know how else to explain what the hell was happening right now.

Calum groaned and put a pillow over his head.

He couldn't have a crush.

Not on a vampire.

Not when his last crush got him where he was right now.

After tossing and turning for hours, Calum got up early in the morning and was busying himself by making coffee.

Even though the dead person in this apartment wasn't him, he felt like death on legs.

"I took a shit," Luke announced upon entering the kitchen.

Calum heaved out a heavy sigh. "Good morning to you too. You better not have clogged my toilet," he muttered.

"Why would I do that?," Luke asked.

"I don't fucking know," Calum pushed himself off the counter and turned to face Luke, "blood generally sounds congestive to me."

Luke pursed his lips. "True."

"Can we stop talking about your poop?," Calum asked.

"Why, does it turn you off?," Luke grinned.

Calum hummed. "Believe me, when I pictured you sleeping over at my place for the first time I thought it would be way different. So your poop is the least of the turn offs."

Lukes smile faltered. "Noted," he whispered.

"Okay, that didn't come out right-," Calum realized what he had said.

"No, it's fine, Calum. I get it. I mean, I am a cold blood sucking walking disaster immortal train wreck," he mumbled, "even I am turned off by myself."

"Okay we need to get your self pity in check," Calum muttered, "but that's literally not what I-"

"Can we talk about something else?," Luke asked.

"Yeah! Yes. Of course," Calum squared his shoulders, "uh, do you want coffee?"

"That would be nice," Luke offered Calum a small smile.

"Milk? Sugar?," Calum asked.

"Both?," Luke sounded uncertain.

"Who would've guessed," Calum mumbled.

"Okay, Cal, why are you being so snappy since... you were the sweetest guy before yesterday. Was that just an act to get me into your bed?," Luke asked.

Calum groaned and pinched his forehead. "Luke, no," he mumbled.

"Then what?," Luke snapped.

"I just really don't fuckin' like vampires," Calum mumbled.

"Why?"

"I don't know?!," Calum snapped, "some preconceived rivalry between werewolves and vamps?"

"Then why the fuck did you invite me to stay here?," Luke frowned.

"Because you... because you needed someone," Calum admitted, "and I know what that's like. And also because-"

Calum huffed and threw up his hands.

"Honestly I don't fucking know. But I liked getting to know you until the point where you showed up like this," Calum snapped.

Luke pursed his lips. "I'd rather go if you keep being this snappy towards me," he said quietly, "I really liked the kind and considerate Cal I first met. I don't think I can handle this version of you on top of everything else."

Calum sighed and ducked his head. "Sorry. I'm... sorry, I didn't have to be a dick."

Luke hummed.

"For the record though," Calum added, "you are fucking whiney, holy cow."

"Believe me, that was nothing," Luke muttered and crossed his arms, "just wait."

A shiver ran through Luke.

"Am I always gonna be feeling cold from now on?," he asked mournfully.

"No, I heard that settles with time," Calum said, "but there are blankets on the couch. Get comfy, I will bring you coffee over."

Luke lingered in the middle of the kitchen for a moment, looking lost, sad and deshieveld and more like a puppy than a vampire, before he walked over to the couch.

"Despite acting like an asshole, you're actually very generous, Calum. I appreciate it a lot," he said.

Calum took a deep breath and offered him an actual smile.

"As I said, I know what it's like."

Luke peered over the back of the couch.

"Are you gonna tell me?," he asked.

"Fuck no," Calum mumbled.

Luke grunted and curled up on the couch. Calum wondered why a 6'4 giant had the urge to always fold himself up in the smallest ball possible.

"Twilight is a scam," Luke eventually muttered, "I have a reflection in the mirror."

"Yup," Calum sighed and came over with two pink mugs, "and guess what? You do show up in photos."

Luke groaned. "And here I was thinking I could go crazy and start shoplifting because I won't show up on the security cameras."

Calum chuckled and sat one of the mugs down in front of Luke.

"So what else did the story get wrong?," Luke asked, "what... what does being a vampire mean?"

"Well... there is the obvious stuff that we already covered. Like vampires don't age and can live forever unless they get killed by specific means. They survive by drinking blood. They are rumored to often have superhuman strength, speed, senses, healing, and agility. Don't know if that's true or not, let me know when you figure that out," Calum scratched his head, "uhh... well despite popular belief you'll be fine in sunlight. You might burn faster though, so use SPF. And as established, you have a reflection and a shadow."

"Okay," Luke mumbled, "important question though, am I allergic to garlic now?"

Calum frowned. "I... don't know? Pretty sure there was garlic on the pizza yesterday though."

"Thank fuck," Luke mumbled, "eternity without garlic bread would suuuuck."

Lukes phone started ringing on the coffee table.

Michaels name flashed across the display.

"Don't you wanna get that?," Calum asked.

"Absolutely not," Luke flipped the phone over, "I am not ready to deal with my life just yet."

"He's probably worried," Calum mumbled and got up to fiddle with the sound system in the corner of the room.

"I texted him last night that I am staying over at yours and that I am skipping uni today," Luke waved him off.

Music started playing softly in the background and Calum came back over to the couch.

"I have work today at three," he sighed, "I wish I could skip."

Luke smiled small. "Pizzas aren't gonna deliver themselves," he joked, "they need you Calum. What else would hungry depressed little vampires like me do in the middle of the night?"

Calum laughed. "You do know that I didn't deliver the pizza myself last night, right?"

Luke stuck his tongue out and picked up his mug. When Luke opened his mouth, the two red wounds were visible where his fangs pierced his lips last night.

"When were you gonna tell me you're a werewolf?," Luke asked over his coffee mug.

Calum shrugged and avoided Lukes eyes.

"So never?"

"How do you picture that conversation going down?," Calum argued.

"I don't know?," Luke said, "but if we would've ended up dating I would've wanted to know."

Calum played with a thread in his sweats.

"I don't date," he mumbled.

Luke scoffed and laughed bitterly.

"So you were just... looking for a fuck?," Luke asked incredulous.

"I..," Calum rubbed his face, "fuck. Yes. But then you turned out to be," he gestured towards Luke, "you. And like...I didn't want you to be just someone I fucked once and then ghosted. I wanted to get to know you for real. So I tried."

Luke pursed his lips. "Bet you regret that now."

Calum laughed softly.

"I was definitely pissed last night when we met up. Because... well, because I was having a good time getting to know you. And then you show up reeking like a vampire. But I don't regret anything now," he said earnestly, "I am glad I can be someone to be there for you in this."

"So I went from love interest to charity project?," Luke looked into his coffee.

Calum sighed. "That's not what I said."

Before Calum had the chance to say anything else, Luke changed the subject.

"So, obviously, twilight is bullshit. What are packs then? Do they live together? Do they walk around shirtless in the woods?," he attempted a joke.

Calum cracked a small smile.

"The packs are almost like gangs or cults," he explained, "hard to explain. They are like a community. The Santa Barbara pack is more on the cult side. They run a few luxury resorts for yoga and alternative medicine. The downtown pack is obviously very heavy in the drug business. Some of them live together, some don't. But it's always best to stay out of their way."

"So, like a supernatural mafia then?," Luke asked.

That startled a laugh out of Calum.

"Actually? Yeah, kinda."

"Is that why you don't wanna be a part of a pack?," Luke asked.

"One of the main reasons, yeah."

Luke sighed small and leant his head against the back of the couch.

Calum and him were eyeing each other for a while.

"I don't want to be a vampire," Luke whispered.

"I know," Calum mumbled, "sorry you got dealt a shit hand."

"How often do I have to drink blood?," Luke asked softly, eyes cast down to his fingers which were fiddling with a strand in the blanket.

"If you drink a reasonable amount, like at least three rats and two possums maybe, then probably every three days to be comfortable," Calum said.

Luke nodded jerkily. "So I can stretch it to five."

"Don't do that, Luke. Especially since you are a young vampire. You need to eat. You're putting yourself and others in danger."

Luke closed his eyes. Blonde curls fell in his face and Calum was yet again reminded how unfairly beautiful Luke was.

"I wish I died that day," Luke whispered, "for good."

Calums heart hurt a little.

"Well, I am glad you didn't."

Luke opened his eyes again and looked at Calum with his sad baby blues.

"I am trying hard not to cry to not get blood on your couch," he whispered.

"Noted and appreciated," Calum nodded.

"Thanks for doing all this for me, Calum. I should go though," Luke mumbled.

"You can stay as long as you want," Calum immediately said.

Luke shook his head. "I can't avoid Michael forever."

"You can avoid him until you're ready to face him," Calum said.

Luke groaned. "That would be never," he muttered.

Calum hummed.

Luke sighed. "I don't wanna get on your nerves," he said.

"Too late," Calum immediately said.

Luke gave him a look.

"I'm kidding," Calum rolled his eyes, "seriously, stay if you want."

Luke hesitated a moment.

"Maybe just another night?," he whispered.

Calum nodded. "I think that would probably be a good idea," he mumbled.

Luke nodded softly. "I just have so many questions," he said.

"I am sure I cannot answer them all but I will try my best," Calum promised.

*****

And Luke was really still in his apartment when Calum returned that night from his shift at Dominos.

"I have a lot of questions," Luke said from his spot perched on Calums sofa, "and I am hungry."

"Hungry for human food or..," Calum shrugged out of his jacket.

"Yeah, yes!," Luke scrambled to say, "regular food, of course."

"Of course he says," Calum muttered under his breath, "well there is food in the house, why didn't you make some?"

"I'm a shit cook," Luke sighed.

"Yeah yeah, that's what they all say to get you to cook for them," he grumbled.

"I...," Luke scratched his neck, "I also didn't know... I mean, it's your food."

"Luke for fucks sake," Calum mumbled but his voice was soft, "you can take all the food you want, okay? I don't want you to starve in here."

"Well, I wasn't starving," Luke mumbled, still a bit embarrassed.

Calum softly shook his head. "I will make pasta. I take it you want some?"

"Yes please!," Luke perked up, "thank you!"

Calum fondly rolled his eyes.

Luke joined Calum in the kitchen once he started cooking dinner and poked around the room after Calum had handed him a beer.

"Who is that?," Luke asked and pointed at a photo sitting on the drawer.

"My best friend Ash, he lives in Joshua Tree," Calum paused, "I think you'd really like him."

"Is he a wolf too?," Luke asked.

"Oh no," Calum laughed, "Ash is fae."

Luke choked on his beer.

"He's what?"

"Fae," Calum said flatly.

Luke gaped at Calum. "Are you serious? I can't tell if you are."

"Did you seriously think werewolves and vampires are the only supernatural creatures that exist?," Calum asked.

Luke blinked at Calum.

"Does he have pointy ears?," Luke asked.

"No."

"Why not?," Luke asked.

Calum scoffed. "Why don't you ask him, Luke? I am sure he would love to answer that question," his voice was dripping sarcasm.

"How... what else is out there?," Luke asked.

"Bunch of shit to stay away from," Calum waved him off, "nothing you have to worry about."

"That doesn't answer my question," Luke pouted.

Calum flashed him a grin and took the pasta off the stove.

"Do zombies exist?," Luke asked.

Calum broke out into a laughing fit. "Zombies?," he wheezed, "what the fuck Luke? Zombies?"

"Okay!," Luke whined, "vampires and werewolves and fairies but zombies are ridiculous?"

Calum caught his breath for a moment. "No zombies, don't you worry," he snickered.

"You're a bully," Luke pouted.

"Do you want garlic in the pasta sauce?," Calum asked.

"Are we sure I can have that?," Luke asked and came over to the kitchen aisle.

"Dunno," Calum shrugged.

Luke eyed the clove on the counter. "Maybe I should try licking it first," he suggested.

"Licking the fucking garlic clove?," Calum frowned.

"To see if I am allergic," Luke explained, being dead serious.

Calum couldn't help the soft laugh tearing out of his chest again.

"Jesus, Luke. What the fuck am I gonna do with you?," he laughed.

Luke threw his hands up and glared at Calum.

"Better ideas??"

"Here," Calum said and chopped the clove in half before grabbing Luke's hand and putting the freshly cut side of the clove against Luke's palm.

"How does that feel?"

"Cold," Luke said, "and wet. Kinda gross, actually."

"No burning?," Calum asked.

Luke hesitated a moment, then shook his head.

"Got our answer then," Calum smiled, "so garlic in the sauce?"

"Lots of garlic, please," Luke grinned back.

Calum saluted and started chopping the rest of the clove.

Luke watched him for a while before a new shiver ran down his spine.

"I fuckin' hate being this cold all the time," he groaned, "fuck this. And also why the fuck do my fangs pop out of nowhere sometimes?"

"I think that is your body telling you to eat?," Calum said.

"But I had food yesterday! Why again? I don't wanna do this," Luke whined, "fuck all this. I want to roll into a blanket burrito and sleep forever while someone hugs me. I can't deal with this fucked up shit right now."

"For fucks sake," Calum muttered, "I've never ever met a whinier, clingier, and more dramatic vampire than you."

Luke crossed his arms. "I like hugs, okay? And it's not my fault I am insecure as shit. Been like that my whole life, guess dying didn't change that," he grumbled defensively.

"Well, hate to break it to you but I hate hugs and vampires smell fuckin' horrible," Calum muttered.

Luke instinctively smelled his hoodie. "I smell fine," he frowned.

"You smell like death," Calum muttered.

Luke stilled. "Do I really?"

Calum shrugged. "Not your fault," he mumbled, "all vamps smell like that. And werewolves have sharpened senses so I am lucky enough to pick up the scent."

Luke groaned. "Are there any upsides to being a vampire?," he asked.

"Not if you ask me," Calum poured the pasta into the sauce.

"Why the fuck did I have to be turned into a vampire. Why couldn't I be a werewolf," Luke said mournfully.

"Uh uh uh," Calum tutted, "trust me you don't want to be a wolf."

"Why not? You're strong and muscular and you don't smell like death and you don't have to suck on rats," Luke muttered.

"Well, remember the pain you went through when you got turned?," Calum asked, "imagine going through that once a month."

Luke gaped at him. "Fuck me, Cal. That's horrible," he frowned.

Calum shrugged. "You get used to it," he mumbled, "but to make your little undead life a little less miserable: pasta is ready."

Luke perked up. "Fuck yes. Food."

*****

Luke left Calums apartment the next morning after Calum had left for work. He managed to sneak back into his apartment unnoticed.

Maybe Michael was already at Uni?

Luke spent the day laying in bed, watching Supernatural and writing an essay for one of his classes.

It was well past sunset when his phone went off and Calums name flashed across the screen.

"Hey," Luke picked up the phone.

"Hi vamp boy," Calum sounded cheery.

"Please don't ever call me that again," Luke muttered and laid back on his bed.

"Sure thing, vamp boy," Calum said.

"Fuck off," Luke scoffed.

Calum snickered.

"How're you holding up?," Calum asked.

Luke let out a long breath. "It's been tough. Managed some small talk with Mike in the kitchen. We were on opposite ends though. I told him I tested positive for covid."

"That's genius," Calum said.

"Not for long. Playing sick means I can't leave the house, can't go to uni and can't come see you," Luke sighed.

"Aww," Calum cooed, "why don't you use your new swift vampire skills and sneak out of the house?"

"I would if I knew how to use them, Calum," Luke muttered, "i also got fired from my job."

"Ah shit," Calum muttered, "saw that coming though, right?"

"Yeah," Luke sighed, "who would've thought Trader Joes doesn't like their employees not showing up for their shift three times in a row."

Calum hummed.

"I..," Luke cleared his throat, "I... ate before I went home this morning."

"Ohhhh!," Calum perked up, "yay?"

Luke made a noncommittal sound.

"Though hunting in daylight is risky business," Calum said.

"Yup. It was a fucking hassle. And a lot more disgusting, too. I wasn't prepared to actually see the," Luke dropped his voice, "rat I was sucking on. The darkness conceals details very well."

Calum hummed. "Well, I am glad you took care of yourself. Proud of you, dude."

Luke picked at a thread in his blanket. 

"I feel like shit keeping the truth from Mike," Luke admitted quietly.

"I would say it's a white lie for your own safety," Calum said.

"I know," Luke mumbled, "but I am a terrible liar."

"Really?," Calum asked sarcastically, "I didn't notice."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Did you call me just to bully me?"

"Uh oh, you caught me," Calum mused.

Luke huffed out a laugh.

"What're you doing right now?," Luke asked.

"What, are you trying to have phone sex with me?," Calum asked.

"Fuck offff," Luke whined, "no, I want distraction."

Calum hummed. "I am rotting on my couch. I should go for a run though," Calum said, "I am getting antsy."

"Why?," Luke asked.

"Just... excessive energy as a... I was gonna say dog," Calum laughed softly, "you know what I mean. And the full moon is approaching so it's particularly bad."

"That sucks," Luke mumbled.

"Eh, could he worse. You don't get energy spurts, do you?," he asked.

"Nah, if anything I have felt more sleepy since then," Luke said.

"Well, a lot of vamps are nocturnal. But I think that has more to do with them staying away from and hating people."

"Huh," Luke mumbled, "maybe I should become nocturnal."

"What about Uni?," Calum laughed.

"Screw uni. I have all the time in the world now," Luke mumbled.

"You do realize you need a job, right? Unless you wanna be homeless in LA," Calum said.

"Urgh. I hate Uni," Luke groaned, "also... are there gonna be others like us there?"

"Oh for sure," Calum said, "plenty of creatures in LA."

"Fuck me," Luke sighed, "how do I know who to trust?"

"Easy," Calum sounded cheery, "never trust anyone."

Luke scoffed. "Well, I trust you," he muttered.

"That's because you have horrible decision making," Calum laughed.

"Well, I don't trust the wolf in you," Luke mumbled, "but I trust Cal."

"You can't separate me from what I am," Calum sounded mournful.

"Okay," Luke mumbled, "then maybe I trust both. It's not like I need a survival instinct anyway."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

"What am I gonna do with you, Luke Hemmings," Calum sounded fond, "you're the best and worst person I have ever met."

A funny feeling bubbled in his stomach and for a mournful moment Luke wished he could feel his heart flutter just one more time.

"Right back at you," Luke eventually mumbled.

*****

Luke fake quarantined for five whole days before he decided he needed to get his life back on track and go back to Uni. He also needed to face Michael eventually. Longer than just a few minute talks from other ends of the room.

With no plan on how to do it though, he decided the way to go after his first day back at uni was not going straight back home but stopping at Calums.

Calum had told him during their nightly phone calls yesterday that he'd take it personally if Luke didn't come by today.

"Luke!," Calum grinned as soon as he yanked the door open, "where have you been, loca?"

Luke laughed. "I've always wanted to be greeted like that by a handsome werewolf!," he chuckled.

Calum looked pleased.

"So, small issue: Ash decided to drop by unannounced," Calum scratched his neck, "you cool with that?"

"Yeah," Luke nodded, "he's your best friend, right?"

"Yeah," Calum smiled, "cool. Just don't ask him about his ears. Seriously, don't ask."

Luke frowned softly. "Okay? Noted."

Calum opened the door all the way and led Luke inside.

Ashton turned out to be a 6ft beefy man with hazel eyes and honey curls. He was sitting cross legged on Calum's couch and grinned at Luke, dimples popping. From what Ashton looked like, Luke guessed he was around Calums and his age.

"Hey, Luke! Nice to meet you. Calum told me so much about you!," Ashton grinned.

"No I haven't, what the fuck??," Calum frowned.

"You've offhandedly mentioned him, that is a lot for you," Ashton grinned.

"I will kick you out," Calum grumbled but plopped down next to Ashton anyway.

"Hi," Luke waved shily, "nice to meet you."

"Heard you're newly fledged. How are you coping?," Ashton asked.

Luke shifted from one foot to the other.

""It's not great, obviously. But I'm okay, I think," Luke mumbled.

"Good!," Ashton beamed, "how old are you?"

"Uh, twenty three," Luke said.

"That's a great age to be for the rest of your existence," Ashton beamed.

"Ash, what the hell," Calum muttered.

"What? He is literally in the prime of his life," Ashton said.

"Ashton, shut the hell up," Calum now snapped, "maybe he doesn't want to live forever! Not everyone is as hippy as you!"

Ashtons eyes widened and he turned to look at Luke. "You don't want to live forever?," he asked.

"Not necessarily," Luke admitted quietly.

"Damn," Ashton said astonished, "it's fun, I swear!"

"H-how... old are you?," Luke asked, scared of the answer.

"Only eighty four," Ashton shrugged, "I am still a baby."

Luke gaped at him.

"Hey asshole," Calum lightly kicked Ashtons thigh, "leave Luke alone."

Ashton raised his eyebrows at Calum and turned back to Luke who was still standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"He really likes you," Ashton stated.

Calum launched himself at Ashton but with the flick of a wrist there was a force field keeping Calum from reaching Ashton.

"What the fuck," Luke breathed.

"What?," Ashton grinned and abruptly broke the field, making Calum fall forward and faceplant in his couch pillow.

"Dickhead," Calum swore, "Luke, sit down. You don't have to be so awkward in my apartment."

Luke slowly walked over and sat down on the opposite end of the couch, so Calum served as a barrier between Ashton and him.

"You can use magic," Luke said dumbly.

"Yup. Sick, right?," Ashton grinned.

"Other than that he just smokes weed and does yoga," Calum muttered, "he's not as cool as he pretends to be."

"That's mostly true," Ashton shrugged, "but bro what else is there to do as a joshua tree ranger?"

"Keeping the park alive?," Calum muttered.

"Bro that is what the magic is for," Ashton said, "easy peasy."

"What else is out there? Magical creatures, I mean?," Luke pitched in.

Ashton shot Calum a look. "You haven't told him?"

"I am not his teacher," Calum muttered.

"Nah, I guess you're not into the whole student teacher fucking thing, are you?," Ashton grinned.

"Were not fucking!," Calum snapped.

"What a shame," Ashton sighed dramatically, "so, Luke. There are witches and warlocks. Most of them are chill and keep all other creatures in check. Some of them don't like vamps though, so be careful. But I think the high warlock of LA is overall pretty chill and fair to all creatures. If you ever have beef with other creatures, you might wanna go to him though, he will probably take care of it.

Then we have some minor ghosts and spirits which are usually victims of supernatural crimes. So for example a kid drained by a vampire. So try not to be violent towards people who hang on to their life. Then we have Dhampirs, who are the half human children of vampires. They are generally sad creatures who live between the two worlds so maybe don't sire a kid with a human either. Then werewolves, vamps and fae. And some psychics who think they have our world all figured out. Usually they are harmless until they try to interfere with us."

Luke took a moment to process this. "Fuck me. You have a whole ecosystem going," he eventually said.

"Yup," Ashton grinned, "we've existed as long as the human kind."

"Really? How did that happen?," Luke asked.

Ashton grinned. "Finally someone who asks the right questions!," he said to Calum.

Calum rolled his eyes.

"So honestly, I have no fucking clue," Ashton turned back to Luke, "but I would absolutely love to know what the fuck went wrong in evolution that made someone want to drink blood from other people."

"Or animals," Calum muttered.

"Ohh, are you a vegetarian?," Ashton asked.

"As in... twilight?," Luke frowned.

"Hell yeah, he has watched twilight," Ashton beamed at Calum, "dude this is like you all over again!"

"I was nothing like this when I got turned," Calum crossed his arms, pouting.

"No, you were a much bigger train wreck. Emo and angry at everything that moved. And very self destructive-"

"Ash, I will throw you out, I swear," Calum snapped.

"You'd never," Ashton beamed but let the topic go.

"You love me," Ashton added.

"I honestly don't know why," Calum grumbled, "but unfortunately I do."

*****

"Sorry Ash was so fuckin' annoying," Calum sighed and sank back down on the couch once Ashton left late in the afternoon.

"It's alright," Luke shrugged, "he wasn't that bad. He's actually really nice."

"He asked why we aren't fucking several times, man," Calum frowned.

Luke shrugged halfheartedly. "We did meet on a dating platform before I turned out to be the thing that turns you off the most," Luke attempted a joke.

"Luke, shut up," Calum said, "I should not have said that the other week. What I meant back then is that I thought I'd fuck you the first time I would bring you back to my place cause you're hot as fuck and have an incredible personality on top of that. But now things are different."

"Because I am a vampire."

"No," Calum said softly, "because you got hurt. And you need to figure that out before you are ready to do anything else. You need to accept yourself."

Luke swallowed. "How the hell am I supposed to do that?," he whispered, "I need to kill to survive. I don't want that. I am a wild animal."

"You're still Luke," Calum said, "remember what you said a couple of days ago about trusting me but not the wolf in me?"

Luke smiled small. "I was lying. I trust you wholly."

"That distinction that you made between me and the wolf," Calum went on, ignoring Lukes comment, "that applies to you. You are still Luke. The vampire is only a small part of you. You are still kind and funny and annoying and clumsy and you still get excited about chocolate cookies and coffee and you still love your friends and family like crazy and you are so cute when your eyes go all wide and there is still that innocence in you that fascinated me the first time I met you. Yes, you have changed. But all the important parts are still the same."

Luke broke eye contact. "You're saying stuff to make me feel better," he mumbled.

"No! Well yes, but I actually mean it. When you look at me, do you see me, or do you see a werewolf?," Calum asked.

Luke glanced up at Calum. "I see Cal," Luke said, "and everything that comes with you."

"Well, do you think I am worth less because I am what I am?," Calum asked.

Luke softly shook his head.

"No. So don't be so hard on yourself," Calum said gently.

*****

Another week passed by.

Luke was getting more confident around Michael again. He'd managed to hide for almost three weeks and maybe it got to his head.

He unlocked the front door and stopped in the doorframe.

Their hallway was a mess.

"Mike?," Luke put his bookbag down next him to the floor, "what the fuck are you doing?"

Michael was elbow deep in a drawer sorting through shit.

"Hey buddy," Michael said without resurfacing, "I thought you had afternoon classes?"

"They got canceled," Luke came to a stop next to Michael, "the fuck are you doing?"

"I am looking for-," he mumbled and pulled something out of the drawer.

"Not this," Michael sighed and threw the small box on the floor next to the other things.

"Where the fuck did I put this...," he mumbled and got up to reach one of the top shelves. He pulled something small off the shelf and scoffed. 

"Well, might need that later. Can you hold this for a sec?," he asked and pressed the small pendant into Luke's hand before reaching back up.

"What the hell is-," Luke managed to get out before he let out a yell and dropped the small object. "Why the fuck is it hot??"

Michael stopped and frowned. "It's not hot mate, it's-"

Michael froze. Luke looked down at the small silver circle laying at his feet and then at his palm which was blistering up.

He was quick to hide it behind his back.

"Silver. Luke, why the fuck did the silver burn you??," Michael asked.

"What?," Luke laughed hysterically, "the silver didn't burn me. You are too deep into your hobby, Mike. You're seeing things."

"Show me your hand," Michael demanded. Luke extended his left hand, palm up.

"The other one!," Michael snapped.

Luke left his right hand behind his back and stared at Michael.

Before Luke could react, Michael had grabbed Lukes right wrist and twisted.

His angry red palm was on display.

Michaels fingers moved over his wrist quickly and with a jolt of horror, Luke realized he was searching for a pulse.

Luke janked himself free.

"What the fuck, Luke?," Michael sounded hysterical, "what the fuck? You're dead! You're-.. what the fuck did you do?"

"I didn't ask for this!," Luke snapped, "I wish it didn't happen! I don't fucking know, Mike. I don't-" He cut himself off and buried his hands in his hair.

"You're a fucking vampire," Michael whispered, "you're a monster."

"Mike," Luke said and reached out a hand but Michael took a step back.

"Stay away from me!," Michael snapped.

"Mike, please, I swear-," Luke pleaded, voice shaking.

"I said stay away!," Michael yelled, "stay the fuck away from me!"

Luke flinched and swallowed hard before he nodded.

"Sorry," he whispered before he turned around and left the apartment, his throbbing hand pressed closely to his chest.

*****

Calum swore softly when the doorbell rang.

He was in the middle of making himself lunch and didn't expect any guests.

He approached the door and listened.

No heart beat and a faint smell of death.

Calum opened the door with a big grin that immediately fell off his face when he saw Luke.

"Mike knows," Luke croaked out.

"Fuck me," Calum sighed and opened the door wider for Luke.

Luke slipped past him into the living room.

"Well, I am glad you're still alive," Calum said and followed Luke to the couch, "at least he didn't crucify you on the spot."

Luke pressed the palms of his hands against his eyes. "I wish he did," he croaked out.

"What'd he do instead?," Calum asked, plopping down next to him.

"Called me a monster and told me to stay away from him," Luke mumbled.

"You're not a monster," Calum immediately said.

"I really wish I could cry right now," Luke whispered, "it always used to relieve me a bit."

Calum scooted closer and put an arm around Luke.

Luke scooted away.

"I don't wanna hurt you," he sounded miserable.

"You won't," Calum said gently.

Luke shook his head. "I am a monster, Cal. I don't know what I am capable of."

"Bro, I am a werewolf. I can tear you to shreds if I wanted to," Calum said flatly.

Luke swallowed and shrunk further into himself.

"Hey," Calum brought up his hands and put his palms on both sides of Lukes face.

"You will not hurt me. I am not scared of you."

Luke closed his eyes, his face pinched in agony.

Calum drew Luke into his arms.

"Michael will come around," he whispered in Lukes blonde curls.

"I don't think he will," Luke mumbled in Calums shoulder, "he's been hunting vampires since elementary school. It would turn his world upside down to question it."

"But losing you would turn his whole world upside down too, Luke," Calum mumbled.

"You think so?," Luke whispered.

Calum hummed. "I know losing you would turn my whole world inside out," Calum whispered while rubbing his hand up and down Luke's spine, "and we've only known each other a fraction of the time you've known Michael."

Luke stilled before he pulled back from the embrace.

Calum offered him a small smile.

"You don't like Vampires," Luke whispered.

"True," Calum mumbled, "but I like Luke Hemmings."

"They only come together," Luke mumbled and cast his eyes down, "unfortunately."

Calum hummed. "Then I guess I need to reevaluate my Vamp hatred."

He softly ran his thumb over Lukes cheekbone.

"Or not," Luke whispered, "because vampires suck."

"They literally do," Calum mumbled.

Luke smiled weakly. "You're the worst."

Calum hummed.

Luke closed his eyes again, face pinched in sorrow. Calum could see Luke thinking and starting to spiral again.

"Luke," Calum said softly.

Luke stayed unmoving.

"Luke, hey," Calum moved his thumb on Luke's cheek again, "cmon. Lu..."

Luke cracked open an eye. "Lu?"

Calum grinned. "Thats what got your attention? Good to know. I will call you Lu from now on when I need your attention."

"Fuck you," Luke mumbled weakly.

Calum got serious again and took his face in both his hands.

"Luke, I am so glad I met you," he said earnestly, "and I know your life is scary and messed up right now. But believe me, you make my life so much better by being in it. And I hope that accounts for something."

Luke had a faint blush on his cheeks and he cast his eyes down.

"Well, you're the reason I'm still, like, here and get up every morning so...," he mumbled.

Calum hummed.

Luke cast his eyes down again. "Do you think it would be okay for me to... stay here for a bit... just, like, until I figure out the Michael situation?"

Calum smiled fondly. "I think that would be okay, yeah," he mumbled.

Luke let out a long heavy breath and buried his face in his hands.

"I really hope you're right about Mike," he whispered.

"I'm always right," Calum said and softly pried Lukes hands away from his face.

Calum sighed softly. "What the fuck happened to your palm?"

"Silver," Luke muttered.

"Alright," Calum got up and went over to the kitchen. He drew out a first aid kit from the drawer.

"I don't need that," Luke said stubbornly.

"C'mon man, let me live out my nurse fantasies," Calum grinned.

Luke huffed out a laugh. "I really don't wanna be a part of that."

"Too late," Calum grinned, "Come on, I have to work a shift in an hour, I don't have time to take care of a baby vampire all day."

"I'm not a baby," Luke pouted.

"You're a baby vamp, bro. Barely fledged," Calum mumbled and started bandaging up his hand, "I'd give it a couple hundred years before you have any street cred."

"I won't be around in a couple hundred years," Luke muttered. Calum secured the gauze with tape and looked up, Lukes bandaged hand trapped between his own palms.

"Stop saying that."

*****

Luke was a mess after that day.

He was sad and drained and barely smiled. 

Calum had to coax him to eat food - regular food and vampire food - to leave the apartment and to sleep.

The latter was the hardest.

A week in, Calum found Luke standing in front of the window in the living room in complete darkness in the middle of the night.

Calum slowly walked up and stood next to him. They watched the twinkling lights of the city for a while.

"Do you think vampires can feel alive again at some point?," Luke eventually asked into the silence.

"I think you can," Calum said.

Luke softly shook his head."I am scared the memory of what it's like to be alive will fade until it's gone."

"Go back to bed," Calum mumbled softly.

"Can't sleep," Luke mumbled, "keep staring at the ceiling. I hope the silence eats me."

"Okay, little drama queen," Calum extended a hand at Luke, "then come sleep in my room."

Lukes eyes widened and he stilled.

"What?"

"Sleepover," Calum shrugged, "my bed is warm and I will keep you company."

Luke pursed his lips.

"You hate the smell of vampires," Luke muttered.

"You don't smell like vamp," Calum waved him off, "well, you do. But there is so much Luke smell around you that I barely smell it."

Luke looked unconvinced.

"Besides, I am coming around to the smell. Smelling a vampire in my apartment usually means you are close by. And that's comforting," Calum shrugged.

Luke blinked at him.

"Are you serious?," he asked softly.

"Do I look like I am joking?," Calum asked back, voice just as gentle. He softly wiggled his fingers.

Luke smiled small and took Calums hand.

Luke detoured to the guest room to get the blanket and pillow before padding over to Calums bedroom.

A shiver ran down his spine.

"It's cold," Luke mumbled and clutched the blanket tighter to his chest.

Calum made a noncommittal sound and scooted over to make room in the bed for Luke.

Luke came over and took the left side of the bed.

"Do you always sleep with your window open?," Luke asked and pulled the blanket up to his chin.

"Yup," Calum mumbled, "get hot easily."

Luke hummed and turned on his side, facing Calum.

"It's fuckin cold," he complained softly again.

Calum rolled his eyes. "What, you want cuddles?"

"Fuck no," Luke rushed to say but Calum had already sat up with a manic grin on his face.

"Cal, no!," Luke said warningly.

Calum slowly inched a hand toward Luke while Luke scooted away.

Calum went in to attack Luke.

"Calum! What the fuck!," Luke laughed and curled up in a ball, trying to get out of Calums grip.

Calum, being a lot stronger that Luke, had no issue at all wrestling him into a full body embrace and attached himself to Luke like a koala.

"You're fuckin heavy," Luke groaned but the grin was evident in his voice.

"I'm like a heated weighted blanket," Calum muttered.

"You're dead weight," Luke said, "and you smell like a wet dog."

"Now you're just making stuff up," Calum grumbled.

"Whatever you say," Luke mumbled, "seriously though, you're squishing me."

Calum immediately sat up and climbed off Luke. He plopped down on his side again, facing Luke.

Luke was laying on his back and looking back.

For a moment they both looked at each other.

"Now I'm cold again," Luke eventually said.

Calum heaved out a big sigh and fondly rolled his eyes.

He got under his covers before motioning for Luke to come closer.

"Do you seriously wanna cuddle?," Luke asked frowning, "with a vampire?"

"I wanna share body heat so you stop whining and go to sleep," Calum immediately got defensive.

Guilt washed over Luke's face.

"I'm fine-"

"Luke, shut up and come here," Calum cut him off.

Luke slowly scooted over, blanket wrapped securely around himself. Calum draped his blanket over the Luke blanket burrito and tugged him closer with one arm so they could both fit under Calums blanket.

"Better?," Calum asked.

"Perfect," Luke whispered.

A content growl escaped Calum from deep within his chest and he draped his arm back over Luke.

The last thing Luke thought before he drifted off was how comforting the weight of Calums arm around him felt.

*****

"Pay attention to the cracked streets and the broken homes," Lukes sang under his breath, careful not to make too much noise.

He smushed down the scrambled eggs on the tortilla wraps layed out on the counter. He had woken up early this morning and after checking if Calums shoes were in the hallway, decided to take it upon himself to make breakfast.

Or lunch.

Depending on when Calum would wake up.

He felt utterly unprepared to deal with a post full moon werewolf but was determined to do the best he could to attend to anything Calum wanted or needed today.

After all, thats what Calum had been doing for him over the past couple of weeks.

"I wanna take you through a wasteland I like to call my home," he grabbed the pan handle and started loading ground beef on the eggs that he had fried off earlier.

"Welcome to paradise!," he whisper yelled and shook his ass in time with the guitar riff blaring through his left airpod into his ear.

After arranging the beef he finished by topping the burritos off with the rest of his chopped up ingredients and sauces before he moved on to rolling them up.

The song in his headphones bled into a new one and he bopped his head in time with the drums.

"Starry nights, city of lights coming down-"

"Luke?," he heard through his right ear.

Luke startled and yanked his left airpod out.

Calum stood in the door to the kitchen, bleary eyed and rumpled.

"Hey," Luke smiled widely, "how're you feeling?"

Calum blinked once, twice, then nodded softly. "I'm okay," he said, "what're you doing?"

"I, uhh," Luke suddenly felt self conscious and wondered if he did the right thing, "I made breakfast burritos? I thought... maybe you'd like some food when you wake up. It's okay though of you don't, obviously, I-"

"You told me you couldn't cook," Calum said and there was no accusation in his voice, just sleep and a bit of confusion.

"Yeah, well, breakfast burritos isn't exactly cooking," Luke scratched his neck.

Calum yawned and padded over to the counter. He winced softly and kneaded his hands in the knot in his back and Luke saw a small limp in Calums step.

"Where'd you get all the ingredients from?," Calum still sounded a bit drowsy.

"I woke up early today and... uhh, there is a small farmers market in a couple blocks down on Saturday mornings soooo...," Luke still didn't know if Calum loved or hated the fact that Luke made food and if he went too overboard.

Calum nodded softly and used his hands to rub at his eyes.

When he looked back at the food and then at Luke, his eyes were a lot clearer than before.

"You.. did all this.. for me?," he asked quietly.

Luke swallowed and nodded softly.

A string of emotions flashed over Calums face and Luke thought he could spot disbelief and adoration among them but he might be imagining things.

Either way, Calums eyes softend.

"Thank you," he whispered, wide brown eyes looking right into his blue ones, "that's.. very nice of you. Thank you."

Luke felt relief wash over him.

"Of course," he mumbled softly, "this is nothing compared to all that you have done for me recently."

Calums eyesbrows drew together in a soft frown. "I don't want you to feel like you owe me anything, Luke, I-"

"I'm not!," Luke jumped in, "I don't feel that way. I wanted to do this for you."

Calum looked back at him in awe.

"I hope thats okay," Luke whispered.

Calum nodded softly. "Thank you, Luke. I truly appreciate it," he said quietly.

Luke smiled. "It's just breakfast, Cal," he mused.

Calum glanced at him again before he averted his eyes to the half rolled burritos on the counter.

"Yeah, right," Calum whispered.

But Luke got the feeling that it was somehow a lot more than just breakfast to Calum.

*****

August bled into September and Calum was on his job delivering pizzas.

He arrived at the door to the apartment on the second floor and double checked the name on the order.

Michael Clifford

His eyes glided over to the door bell sign.

Clifford/ Hemmings

Calum rang the door bell before realization hit him full force.

The door opened before he could make a break for it or literally come up with any plan at all.

"Hi," Michael reached out his hand for the pizza box Calum was holding.

"You're Michael," Calum said flatly.

"Yes?," Michael frowned, "I ordered this."

"I'm Calum!," Calum scrambled to explain, "I'm-"

"The guy Luke's fucking," Michael said bitterly.

"We're not-," Calum broke off and sighed, "listen man, Luke needs you."

"I am the last person Luke needs," Michael muttered, "and it's none of your fucking business, dude."

"Luke is beating himself up over this," Calum ignored Michael's dig.

"So he's living with you now?," Michael mumbled.

"No," Calum frowned, "last time I checked he is living here."

"He hasn't been here in weeks so how would I know," Michael snapped.

"From what I heard you told him to fuck off," Calum crossed his arms.

"Hes a fuckin'-," Michael broke off and clamped his mouth shut.

"Vampire, I know," Calum muttered.

Michael tensed and gave Calum a once over.

"I'm not," Calum rolled his eyes.

"Why the fuck would you live with a newly fledged vamp then?," Michael muttered.

"Believe me, I can handle him," Calum said and flashed his eyes at Michael who instinctively cowered at that.

"You're a fucking-"

"Luke," Calum cut Michael off, "needs you."

"Then why doesn't he come home?," Michael snapped.

"Because you kill vampires for shits and giggles!," Calum snapped back.

"I wouldn't kill him!," Michael threw his hands up.

"Why not? Why the fuck not Michael? Why wouldn't you kill a vampire who lives in your own apartment?," Calum snapped.

"Because!," Michael glared, "because..."

Calum raised an eyebrow and Michael clenched his fists.

"Listen, man," Calum said, "I know you wouldn't hurt Luke. From what I have gathered you two have been inseparable since forever. But Luke doesn't know that. Luke is going through tough shit and he is convinced you hate him and want him off the face of this earth. So please, please, contact him once you figured out why and how you can make exceptions to hating vampires."

Calum dug out a pen and scribbled his address and his phone number on the pizza box. 

"Here," he handed Michael the pizza, "please. Luke is really not doing well. He needs you."

Michael swallowed and shut the door in Calum's face.

*****

Calum decided not to tell Luke about his encounter with Michael. But he really hoped he had made some kind of impact on Lukes best friend.

Three weeks after Michael had thrown Luke out Luke was finally doing a bit better.

He was still really sad, Calum knew that, but he was better at hiding it now. He went to Uni and did his course work and was looking for a new job.

But Luke still got drained very easily. Maybe because he wasn't feeding nearly as much as he should be as a new fledgling.

Calum knew that conversation wasn't gonna be one he was gonna have with Luke though.

He was just trying to be there as a crutch for Luke as best as possible.

And sometimes that meant watching trash TV and eating takeout on the couch.

Luke was cuddled deep in a blanket, his head resting on Calum's shoulder.

Calum knew Luke had started crying a few minutes ago. He'd looked over because his shoulder felt wet and saw silent red tears running down Luke's cheek. The faint smell of copper followed a moment after.

"You're staining my hoodie," Calum eventually mumbled.

"Fuck, sorry!," Luke whimpered and pushed himself up.

"Stop, I am kidding, Luke! Hey," Calum drew him into his arms, " I am kidding. I don't care about my hoodie."

Luke let out a soft sob and buried his face in the thick black fabric of Calum's hoodie. Calum drew his arms around him tighter.

For a while Calum just held him while he gently ran a hand up and down Luke's spine.

"What's going on?," he eventually asked.

He got no reply.

"Hey, Lu," Calum mumbled softly and started running his hands through Luke's curls, "what is it?"

"I can hear y-your," Luke sniffled quietly, "your heartbeat. You- you're so... alive. It sounds so nice."

Calum's heart broke and he drew Luke impossibly closer. He repeatedly kissed the top of Luke's head.

"Lu, listen," he said, "yeah, you're not alive in the literal sense. But you are so, so alive in other ways. You are here and you have a life and you experience all the pain and sadness and all the joy and happiness and that makes you truly alive. And even more importantly: you make everyone around you feel so, so alive."

Luke had fisted Calum's sweater and started crying harder again.

"It's okay," Calum mumbled and rubbed Luke's back, "I got you."

It took Luke a while to calm down but when he did, Calum gently guided him over to the kitchen and made him sit on the aisle while he cleaned Luke's bloody tears off his face with a wet rag.

"I'm sorry," Luke's voice was shaking, "I should be over it by now. It's been weeks."

"Luke, shut up," Calum said, "you're grieving and everyone grieves differently. And everyone has their own timeline. You will come to terms with it when you are ready. The most important thing is that you are working through it."

Luke sniffled and nodded.

"Grieving the loss of your own life is the hardest," Calum mumbled.

Luke swallowed thickly and nodded again.

"I..," he mumbled, "I don't wanna live forever. I don't want to be in this hellhole of earth forever. I don't wanna watch everyone around me die," he sounded incredibly tired.

"I know," Calum whispered, "I know, Lu. I'm sorry."

"And I don't age. What do I tell my family?," Luke sniffled, "do I have to cut them off?"

"Not really," Calum said and softly pushed some curls out of Lukes eyes to stop them from staining red, "look, you're twenty four. You can definitely blame it on botox until you're fourty."

A shaky laugh escaped Luke. "Very LA," he mumbled.

"Nobody will ask questions," Calum grinned, "trust me."

Lukes smile faded again and his eyes danced over Calums face.

"What about you?," he whispered.

"What about me?," Calum frowned softly.

"You'll age. You will turn fourty. And fifty and sixty and seventy," Luke mumbled.

"Yeah," Calum said and gently ran a thumb over Lukes cheek bone, "you will outlive me by far. One day, I will be nothing but a distant memory to you. But I promise I am not going anywhere for the rest of my life."

Luke swallowed his tears but his voice betrayed him. "You'll never be a distant memory to me," he whispered, his voice breaking, "you'll forever be the most important one."

Calum smiled sadly. "Lu, please don't ever lose your sweet innocence."

"I am pretty sure I don't have a soul anymore," Luke joked, "so that ship has sailed."

Calum just smiled gently. "I don't believe in that shit anyway," he mumbled.

Luke's eyes flicked down to Calum's chest.

"I owe you a sweater," Luke mumbled.

"Shut the fuck up, Hemmings."

"And probably money. For, like, food and rent and-"

Calum swiftly took Luke's face in his hands and kissed him.

He almost immediately pulled back.

"Fuck. Shit, I shouldn't have done that."

"Why not?," Luke asked, his voice shaking.

"I can't," Calum pinched the bridge of his nose, "you're a vampire."

Disappointment washed over Luke.

"But I am so much more than that," he whispered, "you said that yourself."

"You are!," Calum scrambled to say, "of course you are, Luke. You're, like, everything. I just-" Calum dropped his hand from his face, "it's been years since I let someone in like this and the last time I was dating someone it turned my whole life to shit and made me... this." 

Luke's eyes widened. "Your ex turned you?"

Calum shrugged and looked away. "Lines are blurry, shit was messy. Ultimately she was the reason I was turned though, yeah. Point is, I have a shit ton of trauma," he balled his sweater sleeves in fists, "and you are too good to drag into this."

Luke swallowed. "This is not the time to play the matyr," he whispered.

"I'm not-," Calum broke off and sighed, "Luke, I am not playing the matyr. It's just not the time for you and me right now. I am not where I need to be and you are definitely not where you need to be."

Luke closed his eyes.

"Do we have to be so grown up about it?," his voice cracked on the last word.

"Yeah, for now," Calum said softly, "until we both figure ourselves out and... and know if we feel how we feel because we are in close proximity almost twenty four sevent right now or if its..."

Luke swallowed. "Okay," he whispered.

"You're different than me, Luke," Calum said quietly, "love doesn't come naturally to me. I have a hard time with it while love is oozing out of you and everything you do."

"That's not true," Luke protested weakly.

Calum smiled sadly and finally let go of Luke.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"I'm not," Luke smiled softly.

*****

"Luke, what the fuck?," Calum frowned, "you're bleeding!"

Luke had just come back from what he liked to call his second dinner and had walked in with a big pout on his lips and his wrist stretched out in demonstration.

"I know," Luke whined.

"What happened?," Calum took Lukes wrist and inspected the cuts.

"The asshole bit me," Luke frowned, "like straight up used his fucking fangs to do this."

"Why?," Calum was alert immediately.

"Dunno. He was a crackhead. I think he was trying to get the same rat as me," Luke pouted.

Calums eyebrows twitched.

He managed to keep a straight face for a moment before he broke out into a fit of giggles.

"You got bitten by a vampire because he wanted to eat the same rat as you?," he cackled.

"Shut up," Luke whined and yanked himself free from Calum's grip.

"Nou, Luke, c'mon," Calum jogged around to stop Luke, "it's funny."

Luke glared at him but couldn't keep the act up for long before he, too, started laughing.

"Seriously though, show me your injury again," Calum grabbed Lukes wrist.

"I'm fine. It only stings a little," Luke shrugged.

"Want me to kiss it better?," Calum asked.

"Yes please," Luke grinned. His eyes twinkled and he raised a challenging eyebrow at Calum.

The doorbell went off.

Luke groaned.

Calum laughed softly and gave Luke's wrist another pat before he walked toward the front door.

He stopped in the kitchen on his way and tossed a pack of bandaids over to Luke.

Calum janked the door open without a second thought and nearly jumped out of his skin a second later.

"Uh... hi?," Michael was shuffling uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"Hi," Calum said, still stunned.

"Uh, is Luke here?," Michael asked.

Calum pursed his lips.

"Depends on what you want, I guess," he said cryptically.

"I, uh, I want to apologize to him," Michael said quietly.

Calum felt a sense of relief wash over him. "Okay. In that case," Calum took a step back, "but if you hurt him I will hurt you." Calums smile was deadly polite.

Michael nodded softly.

"Luke?," Calum called out, "it's for you."

There was shuffling and a soft 'what the fuck' before Luke appeared in the hallway and froze.

"What the fuck," he said flatly.

"Hi," Michael said dumbly.

"What the hell are you doing here? How... How did you get this address?," Luke stumbled over his own words.

"Uh," Michael cleared his throat, "Calum gave it to me."

"Why the fuck would you do that?," Luke rounded on Calum, "and when??"

Calum raised his hands. "I will let you two talk."

"No!," Luke snapped but Calum was already halfway to his bedroom.

"Luke, listen, I am sorry," Michael piped up behind him, "I'm sorry."

Luke took a moment before he reluctantly glanced back at Michael.

Michael looked back at him steadily. "I am not losing you like this. I can't."

Luke huffed and pursed his lips.

"Well, I am dead, so..."

"Undead," Michael jumped in before faltering under Luke's glare, "but that's not the point, I guess. Luke, man, you're my best friend."

Luke swallowed hard. "I don't trust you. How do I know you won't kill me?"

"I could never," Michael looked at Luke with as much sincerity as he could muster, "Luke, I swear."

Luke sighed and closed his eyes for a second.

"Also Calum threatened to kill me and he can be irritatingly intimidating," Michael muttered.

"Come in," Luke mumbled and opened the door further to let Michael past.

Luke closed the door behind Michael and led the way into the living room.

"Why the sudden change?," Luke asked gruffly.

"It's not a sudden change. Luke, listen. I love you, man. You have been my best friend since forever and you're my literal family. You're.... You're the most important person in my life, dude. And that means I will always put you first, okay? Screw me being a hobby vampire hunter. I don't care. I know it's not gonna be easy and I know it's not easy for you right now but I need you in my life and I hope that you want me in your... well, life too," Michael barely took time to breathe during his rant and was now eyeing Luke expectantly.

"Mike, I am a monster. I drink blood. I kill animals. I literally take life. If you are telling me right now that you don't care about that, I call bullshit. Don't lie to me," Luke mumbled.

"Of course I-," Michael took a deep breath, "of course I care. But I will learn, right? I will understand."

Luke took a shaky breath. "Mike, I don't want you to change your whole life and personality for this."

"I'm not changing anything. Bro, losing you would change everything. All I am doing right now is trying to understand your new situation and figure out how to be there for you," Michael was gesturing wildly and his voice edged on pleading.

Luke swallowed and turned his head away.

"What if I hurt you," Luke whispered.

"You won't," Michael immediately said, "because you are my best friend and I could never in a million years hurt you. I don't think you could hurt me either."

That hit home with Luke. "Not on purpose," he whimpered.

"Luke, I love you and this is not your fault," Michael said softly.

Luke looked back at Michael and he saw Lukes lip wobbling.

"You know that, right? This is not your fault," Michael said again, "and I am sorry I called you a monster. I was wrong."

Luke softly shook his head. "Mike-"

"No, Luke, please. Don't-," Michaels voice cracked and he had to clear his throat, "don't shut me out. I fucking need you, bro. You're my family. And shit, I know a lot about vamps and maybe I can help you or something. Or not, if thats what you want. I just-... please. I fucking miss you."

The two men looked at each other for a moment.

"Can I hug you?," Luke asked softly.

"Please," Michael mumbled and held out his arms.

The hug Luke bestowed on Michael was long and hard and Luke tried his best to not cry so as to not freak Michael out. One step at a time.

"I forgive you," Luke whispered, "can you forgive me?"

"There's nothing I need to forgive you for," Michael mumbled back.

*****

"Does that mean you're moving back home?," Calum asked softly over dinner on the couch that night.

Luke was wrapped in a blanket and attacking his pad thai with chopsticks he most definitely didn't know how to use.

"Yeah," Luke smiled small, "time to stop avoiding my life, I guess."

"I will miss you," Calum said.

Luke put his chopsticks down.

"I will come visit," he said softly.

Calum scoffed. "You better. You can come whenever you want."

Luke smiled cheekily. "Don't say that. I might take that too serious."

Calum shrugged. "I don't mind."

"You will mind if I show up here at fuck o'clock in the morning whining about shit," Luke muttered.

"Try me," Calum grinned, "I'd listen to you whine at any given moment."

Luke snorted. "What a change of heart."

Calum smiled softly and tipped his head against the back of the sofa. "All your fault," he mumbled quietly.

Luke mirrored Calum, setting his bowl to the side.

"Well, I will come over all the time. Can't waste a moment of your precious life," he mumbled.

"Lu," Calum voice was soft and laced with exasperation, "your life is just as precious."

Luke let out a shaky breath. "You know what I mean," he whispered, "one day I won't be able to come over and annoy you anymore."

"Thats a long time from now," Calum whispered back.

Luke sucked in his bottom lip. "You don't know that," his voice cracked.

"Oh," Calum mumbled and brought up a hand to cradle Lukes cheek, "but I do. I know the time we have together has just begun." Calums thumb was caressing Lukes cheekbone.

Luke smiled softly and leant into the touch.

"Still. I want to spend as much time as possible for the rest of your life with you," Luke whispered.

Calum closed his eyes and swallowed hard. There was a moment of silence in which he brought his forehead against Lukes.

"I want that too," he eventually whispered.

"Yeah?," Luke asked surprised.

"Yeah. I... yeah. I kinda wanna spend the rest of my life with you, I think," Calum finally moved his head to look at Luke with earnest eyes.

Lukes blue eyes were shining.

"Just so you know," Lukes voice was cracking and he had to clear his throat, "I might die if I spend that much time with you and don't get to kiss you."

Calum cracked a smile. "Well, good thing you're already dead," Calum joked.

Lukes smiled faltered and regret flashed across his delicate features.

"But," Calum was quick to jump in, "me fuckin' too. And since we both don't want me dead anytime soon, I think we should kiss all the time."

That startled a laugh out of Luke. "All the time?"

Calum hummed.

"'Kay," Luke mumbled and leant in. When their lips were inches apart, Calum drew back a bit.

"Not when you get back from feeding though. You better brush your teeth right when you get back home. I am not getting dead rabies rat stuck between my teeth."

Luke scoffed. "You're fucking insufferable," he scowled but couldn't keep the fondness from seeping into his voice.

Calum flashed him another grin before pulling Luke in for a long overdue kiss.