Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Vampires never typically interacted with anyone besides their own kind.

There was a blanket of coexistence set between supernaturals, and humans. And yet, despite that- and despite the opportunity to make friends being constantly right around the corner- vampires usually just kept to themselves.

In a small town like Rockfall, it was easier to keep to themselves. People worked their jobs, and basked in the light- and at night, when they all turned in, vampires came out, and started doing some roaming of their own- until the sun rose again, and suddenly, they were switching off again.

William certainly thought that he'd never befriend anyone that wasn't a vampire, like himself. Not only did he avoid people like the plague, but he similarly avoided everyone else. He didn't have a house, nor did he go into any stores, or public gatherings- he didn’t even live in Rockfall, technically- and he didn't try to act human in the slightest.

William Wisp hopped from place to place. 

For the past few months or so, he's been living in an abandoned building on the outskirts of the city. Past all the broken glass, and dirty floors, there was a storage closet in there that was covered in cobwebs on the inside of it- and as the sky would lighten up, and the sun would start to peak over the horizon, William would cross his arms over, press his back flatly against the wall, and wait for the sun to set again.

He slept most of his days away. When he was awake, he was always tired- shambling from place to place, like a zombie… but despite his strange set of circumstances, it was his day to day. 

And for the longest time, he was fine with the comfort of familiarity. Even if it wasn't that thrilling.

-

One night, as William peeled away from the wall, and prepared for a day of walking around town- he swore he heard someone… crying. 

He wasn't sure how else to describe it. It was high in pitch, and he couldn't tell if it was coming from a human being, or an injured animal. And then, when that sound paired with shuffling- the unmistakable sound of debris moving around on the other side of his door- it only made him more curious.

So he pushed open the door, and poked his head out.

William smelled blood. The minute he opened the door, and expected an inhale of fresh air- it hit him before the sight of the animal did. It made the hairs on the back of his neck completely stand on end, and it made his teeth ache-

Then, as he stepped out further, he saw the cause of it- just a few feet away, a dog got caught and tangled up in what looked to be a bunch of wiry garbage. It was hard to tell from where he was standing, but whatever it was had caught his leg, and was preventing him from moving.

It tried to move. In fact, the minute it saw William, it tried even harder- paws slipping against the ground, and attempting to pull itself away from the pile it was tangled in- but to no avail.

He approached it slowly.

…it wasn't how William usually fed. 

But for a minute, he was tempted. It was restrained, and already bleeding- and there'd be a slight pain, before he was let go, and didn't have to come back. He was a vampire who hadn't fed in days, and a meal was laying right there on his doorstep…

But then, in the next minute- with a sickly sweet soft spot for dogs- William had given up on feeding. And instead, while the dog was still desperately trying to pull itself away from him, William slid in further, and tried to get it unstuck.

He didn't need to breathe. So for most of it, he was holding his breath to avoid inhaling the smell- laying his hand on the dog, where multiple things seemed to wrapped tediously around its calf-

But the dog was in pain, William couldn't explain his intentions to it, and maybe, his arm moved too quickly- whatever it was made the dog panic. 

The minute William touched it, it snapped around to meet him, and bit him. 

It wasn't free immediately. The pain set in as it clamped down, and William hissed as it got worse- but then, haphazardly, William ripped the garbage away from the dog's leg. The minute it was free, the dog pulled off, and backed away.

The dog was free now. But William was hurt.

It was somewhat of a gross sight. A chunk of his arm was covered in marks from teeth that definitely hit his bone. It wasn't as graphic as he was expecting it to be since there was no blood in his system, and there was no tear, but was still worrying.

His first thought was- rabies. If he was human, he'd have to worry about getting the wound checked out by a doctor, before he could catch any sort of disease that the dog might've had.

His next thought was- this is going to take a very long time to heal. He wasn't going to die from it- William had already died a very, very long time ago, and something like this wasn't going to send him back into the grave- but it still hurt. And it was still going to ache, as the wound slowly stitched back together. (Not nearly as long as it would've taken if he were still alive, but still.)

When William looked back up, he found that the dog almost seemed to be… remorseful. Or, at least, it wasn't nearly as aggressive as it should've been. William expected it to bite down, and never let go- but ever since he set it free, it's kept its head down, and backed away from him.

He could still smell the blood coming from the wound on its leg. That, combined with the new injury it just gave him… 

William wasn't going to feed from it. He knew that he didn't want to. But he really didn't want to keep it around.

“Shoo.” He said, and his voice caught in his throat. He hadn't spoken in a while- a really long time, now that he was thinking about it- and because of that, his throat felt dry.

The dog stared at him. 

William's mind raced with what to do- with some animals, you were supposed to play dead. With others, you'd make yourself big and scary, and make loud noises to scare them away. 

With dogs- William had a dog, once. A long time ago. But all he could remember, really, was that he was playful. And if William was running around anywhere, then he'd take it as a cue to play, and chase him for as long as he wanted to run. 

It didn't really help, now. So William breathed out a really heavy sigh. Squared his shoulders, and made himself bigger, “Shoo- get out! Out!”

He got louder, and closer- and only when he started waving his hands around did the dog actually seem to listen, whirling around where it stood- seeming more confused than anything else, but still following along with what he was doing.

William found an entrance with a door. As soon as he opened it up with his good hand, the dog went sprinting out like it wasn't injured at all.

-

The next day, during the day, William heard someone entering his building.

It was hard not to. William's entrance was hidden away, and quiet- but if you entered through one of the main doors, there was this one door that opened with a horribly piercing squeak- and that squeak was just loud enough to disturb William from his slumber.

He planned to stay hiding away. He closed his eyes, and waited for whatever- whoever- it was to pass him by, and leave-

Then he heard a knock on the door of the closet he was in. 

His eyes peeled open, and widened- and stayed wide, as he stared at the door.

Knocking? In here?

Not just inside the building- it was on the door of the closet that he was hiding away in. He blinked, imagined that he dreamed it- like it was some kind of night terror, jolting him from his sleep, and convincing him that there was actually someone there-

Then the knock sounded again. Three rapid taps, making him jump.

If it was a stranger- a curious teenager, or adult, or someone- they probably would've just opened it. Whoever was on the other end knew that he was in there, and… despite every urge in his body that he had to hide in there, and not answer it-

William was too curious for his own good, sometimes. 

He pushed the handle, and slowly creaked the door open. Light flooded in the limited space he was sleeping in, which temporarily blinded him-

But through the blurry haze, William saw bits of the man standing on the other end of it. Red hair, a flannel that was around the same color- as his eyes adjusted to a light that he hasn't seen properly in ages, he saw a little more. A tanned face, with various scars spattered across it. Bright, golden eyes that crinkled slightly when he smiled- sharp teeth poking out from behind a scarred lip…

A stranger, nonetheless. 

Because there was no direct light peeking in, and none of it was really hurting him, it was easy for William to peek his head out a little further.

“Hello! I'm Dakota Cole.”

William blinked owlishly at him. 

His eyes couldn't help but wander around the space behind him as well, like he was expecting more people to come popping out of the shadows to introduce themselves- and then, even as it seemed like it was just the two of them, his eyes couldn't seem to fix very well.

“...hi.” William said, eventually, because he couldn't think of anything else to say.

The stranger's smile wavered. He got straight to the point.

“I bit you last night.” He said, a little sheepishly, “I was the wolf- I'm a werewolf. And I wanted to find you before you started changing. In case we should… look into reversing it…”

“...” William’s mouth opened, but nothing came out at first.

“...” Dakota's eyes trailed upward, “...do you actually live here?” He asked. The curiosity outweighed the judgement.

William snapped out of his temporary stupor. “You don't have to worry about me turning into anything.”

Dakota squinted a little. William thought it'd be obvious- with the sickly pale skin, and sharp incisors that must've shown every time he spoke, and the cobwebs that were still stuck in his hair no matter how many times he tried brushing them out- but, maybe, he might not have been so observant.

“I'm a vampire.” William waved his fingers around, and even he wasn't sure if he was trying to be terrifying or not. The man's eyebrows raised- not out of fear, but surprise. “And you've disturbed me here, in my… domain.”

The man looked around at the building with a critical eye.

“Here?” He asked, like he was clarifying.

“Yes. Here.”

Dakota sighed in relief.

“Okay!” He said, and William dropped his facade when Dakota seemed to be completely unfazed by everything he just said. “I thought you were a ghost- last night- and then I bit you, and I didn't go through you- and you don't smell alive- or look like it, really- but you didn't smell like a vampire, and I just wanted to be sure…”

The more he spoke, the further William's head sank into his shoulders. He felt tempted to sink away into the shadows again, and disappear for the rest of the day. Maybe even the rest of the month, with how this was going…

Maybe a scarier and much more intimidating vampire could've scared this friendly stranger off. Demanding some kind of penchant for a werewolf trespassing, biting them, and then having the audacity to just invite himself in afterwards.

William felt that frustration welling up in him. As if he'd square his shoulders, and actually have the balls to do something like that. But then, just as the thought crossed his mind, he lost it.

“Sorry I bit you.” Dakota said again.

“It's fine.” William assured him, “I'll heal from it eventually…”

His door slowly started to close. Dakota's head moved along with it, like losing sight of William's face would mean that the conversation would end entirely.

“Don't you want to heal from it now?”

William paused. Inhaled, but there wasn't any blood that he could smell.

“What do you mean?”

“You can bite me.” Dakota held up his arm, and despite himself, William opened the door a little wider.

“What?”

“That's how you guys heal, right?”

“Yeah- but that's-” He stammered. The offer was tempting- he was hungry. And in pain. And all it would take was one bite, to wash all of it away- William shook his head, “You can't be too trusting- you don't even know me.”

Dakota rolled his eyes, and William could've sworn that the motion was playful.

“I'm not trusting anything.” He said. “I'm making amends. You helped me get out of that mess, and I bit you, and now you're biting me-”

“It's fine-” William tried, but he kept going.

“-You take some of my blood, heal from the bite, and then we'll be totally square.” He promised. 

And then, as if trying to tempt him further, he held his arm up.

…Maybe Dakota was naive.

Maybe he thought that he could take William in a fight if something did happen. And, maybe, William not jumping at the chance to bite him back gave this stranger some strange sort of confidence- either way, William sighed, carefully held this stranger's arm in his hands, and sank his teeth right in.

As soon as blood hit William's tongue, the ache in his arm wiped away completely. 

He could briefly feel his skin stitching together before it scarred, and stretched taught over his muscle- until it was normal again, like it never happened in the first place. That humid, anxious air that'd been caused solely by the daylight seeping into the abandoned building washed away any sores that might've been in his body as well.

William felt like a plant being watered for the first time in centuries. Or like he was still alive, and after running a marathon, he grabbed the first cold bottle of water he could find, and drank half of it in one go- alleviating most of his pains in an instant, and leaving him feeling refreshed…

But he's been a vampire long enough to know when to stop before it became too much. As soon as he was healed, he pulled away- wiping his sleeve across his mouth, and cringing when he realized that he must've just left a smear of blood across his face instead of clearing it off.

Dakota seemed to be fine. He hardly flinched… it was a little unsettling, honestly, how completely normal he was being about it.

“Sorry.” William said, anyway, and Dakota waved his hand.

“No- look. See?”

William watched as Dakota’s wound seemed to close up just as easily. It was a lot slower than William’s- but in half a minute or so, it was already making good progress.

As it closed, and as that scent of blood seemed to seep away with it, William sighed.

“...thank you.” William then said quietly.

Dakota apologized to him again before he left- shoulder-checking a doorway on his way out, to indicate to William that he was a little more woozy than he let on.

William watched him leave. Then, after he was gone, William went back into his closet, and fell asleep for the first time in a very long time without the usual headache accompanying him.

-

The next time Dakota came over, William woke up- and he rolled his eyes at the sound of familiar movement on the other side of his door.

He didn’t often keep track of what day it was, but it’d been a while at that point, and he wasn’t surprised to see that it was already the full moon again. 

When he creaked open the door, the dog- the wolf, Dakota, now he knew- was already inside. And aside from briefly freezing up at the sight of him, he was quick to go back to trotting around the building.

William’s eyes narrowed. 

It looked like he jumped into a pond. His coat was wet, and stringy- he was tracking mud everywhere inside- and although he didn’t really care much for upkeep, William wasn’t going to clean it. It was going to stay there for a long while after.

“Why are you wet?” He asked, quietly- as if he could respond. For some odd reason, it seemed, William had a much easier time talking to this stranger while he was running around as a wolf.

Dakota blew a frustrated breath through his nose, and it sounded close to a sneeze. 

If William had to guess, he probably got in, and couldn't find his way out again. 

Figuring that it was the middle of the night, and that he was supposed to be awake anyways- William walked out of the storage closet. Dakota was hot on his heels in an instant.

“I don’t know how you keep getting in if you can’t find your way back out again…” He said. Dakota huffed like he understood him, and was similarly frustrated.

Then, on the walk over, Dakota stopped and shook his body- and William winced, as a few drops of water hit his face. He leaned away, as if it’d save him from getting wet- and then, even though he couldn’t entirely tell, he swore that he could see Dakota smiling.

When he pushed open the door- making more than enough room for Dakota to slip out- William saw that it was raining. Not heavily enough for him to hear it until the door was open, but it was pretty bad, and only getting worse.

“Huh.”

Dakota stayed where he was- looking up at William, like he was expecting him to make something out of this. (Or, more accurately, like he was still expecting him to kick him out anyway. He was just waiting for the verdict.)

William sat down by the entrance, leaning his knee against the door to prop the door open. 

Dakota quietly sat down next to him. He kept his distance, but he did that weird huffing thing again- like he was sneezing.

“Fine.” He murmured, mostly to himself, “You can stay until the rain stops.”

Dakota’s eyes rolled over to look at him, and likely take in whatever he was saying. 

William knew that he could remember it when he was human again- he remembered which building he was in, and who he was, and why he did it- but he wasn’t sure how much he was picking up in the moment.

Either way, Dakota put his head down, and William guessed that he picked up on it anyway.

-

Dakota kept coming back. And it became somewhat of a routine. 

Every once in a while, usually during full moons, Dakota would visit him- even if it’d only be for a little while. William saw him around his home, or in the woods around their town- trotting alongside him, sometimes, as he took his walks. 

But because William never ducked into any of the buildings, or peeled off to do anything important, these walks usually ended with William going back home, and Dakota looking at him before running off, and doing his own thing for a while.

Sometimes, Dakota did this weird thing whenever he met up with William in his wolf form- leaning over, running around him in a short burst, and blasting off into the woods for a couple seconds- all before running back towards him, and doing it all over again. 

It was like he had too much energy to contain, and needed to let it out- and like he was quietly asking William to run around with him.

He entertained Dakota as much as he could from a distance, but he never followed him into the woods. And every time they split off, William barely glanced at him, just to make sure that he was actually leaving.

One time, while the two of them were loitering around this empty park- creepy during the night time, with only one streetlamp lighting up the tiny parking lot next to it- William was startled by the sound of Dakota trying to climb up a slide.

And, usually, William wouldn’t entertain these hijinks- he’d watch from a distance, and move on, and Dakota would end up trotting behind him moments later- but this time, he huffed out a little laugh as Dakota seemed more and more determined to get up that slide.

He tried his best to help him this time. As Dakota was slowly sliding down, and trying his best to find some kind of purchase, William walked up to him, and helped him up as far as he could reach.

With his help, Dakota scrambled the rest of the way up. He circled around this small platform at the very top, just before where the slide was-

And then he laid down, pressed against the slide, and William watched as he slowly slid back down, and sat a little anticlimactically at the bottom.

“Was it worth it?” William asked, but he couldn’t keep from smiling.

In the blink of an eye, he was human again- sprawled out at the end of the slide with his feet kicked high above his head- and he was smiling, too.

-

One night- a little earlier than he was expecting- William opened his door, and caught Dakota already in his home- trotting around as a wolf, and pausing when he saw William.

There was something in his mouth that he dropped by William's feet. Two things- small, and dark- and it took him a while for him to realize that they were squirrels.

“What’s this…?” William whispered. He tapped one of the squirrels with his foot, and it turned over along with it.

“One of them’s for you.”

He briefly jumped at the sight of Dakota standing there instead of the wolf.

Not a full moon, then- and he wasn't stuck in his wolf form. He was just… visiting. Like a regular person. Kneeling, and sitting on his legs- taking the squirrel closest to him, like he was getting ready to eat it.

William looked back down at his own squirrel. 

It didn’t move. If he focused on its tiny heartbeat- wildly overpowered by Dakota’s heartbeat, which was faster than any heartbeat he's ever heard in his life- he'd see that it was close to dying, if it wasn't already dead.

So he sat down, and Dakota sat across from him. 

“What's… the occasion?”

Dakota shrugged. “Peace offering. Thanks. For letting me stay… I can't really get anything else that you'd eat.”

It wasn't really letting him stay- it was moreso just… not bothering him, whenever he wandered in there during a full moon- but William didn't care to correct him.

He took the squirrel, flexed his jaw, and bit into it- tilting his head up, and letting its blood pour smoothly down his throat. He squeezed his eyes, and imagined it as a peach, or some other juicy fruit, instead of what it actually was.

He didn’t put his mouth on it. He barely put his teeth on it. Dakota watched, like he was fascinated with the process- and then, when it was completely drained, William closed his mouth, and wiped his face with his sleeve.

Dakota scooted forward a bit.

“Do you eat the squirrel after?”

William shook his head. “I can’t eat anything.”

“Really?”

A lot of Dakota’s teeth were sharp. There were a few flat ones at the front, but further back, they were all sharp- and the more Dakota spoke, the more William got interested in seeing his teeth as well. 

He’s felt those teeth on a different jaw clamping around his arm. His teeth were made to clamp down, and chew- while William’s teeth were only made to puncture skin for what was underneath it.

He frowned.

“Do you normally explore abandoned buildings?” He asked, curiously, and he could only hope that he wasn't pushing. “When you're a wolf, I mean.”

Dakota shook his head. “I love running around outside. It's nice- especially during a full moon.”

He finally started to eat- bones and all- and William watched it with a morbid sort of fascination. He frowned.

“Why do you keep coming over?” He asked, and he tried sounding friendly about it, but his tone was always just sort of… bad for that sort of thing.

Dakota didn't seem to think very hard about it. “It was an accident. At first.”

“I know.”

“Then… I don't know. I liked your company. I think- I'd like to be friends.” He said, succinctly.

William paused. Then, he handed the dried squirrel over to him.

“I don't mind the company, either.” He said, a little sheepishly, and in turn, Dakota beamed.

-

He kept coming back. Not just during full moons, and not just on accident.

Sometimes, Dakota was in his wolf form, and he was following William around- and he'd start idle conversation with him, knowing that he wouldn't respond, and that for some reason, it was much easier to talk to him like that. Sometimes, Dakota would just walk in, and knock on that door to his storage closet- pulling him out of whatever dreamless sleep he was in-

And he didn't mind it. He wasn't lying- he really did enjoy the company. He enjoyed Dakota's company, more than anything else as well.

It was just… jarring. Even after weeks and months of Dakota coming over every once in a while, William still felt like he wasn't used to having a consistent friend, like this. 

For the most part, it was nice.

But then, sometimes, William was not used to certain things- like how, sometimes, he'd interrupt his sleep. And then, eventually if it wasn't much trouble in hindsight, he'd have to deal with a delightful ball of energy while he was still tired, and reminding himself how to function.

And usually, aside from just calling him moody, and waiting until he woke up properly- Dakota didn't really say much about it.

But then, one night, they were gonna go on a walk around town together, and William asked to stay behind for a bit- and suddenly, with the sort of attentiveness that he hadn't really noticed in Dakota before, he squinted. William was almost worried that he was seeing right through him.

“Why are you so tired?”

He hadn't fed in a while. 

Now that Dakota regularly came over and brought him something to eat, and his body was getting used to him functioning regularly, his hunger's grown. It was feeling more and more tempting for him to leave, and try and find some food on his own, despite the difficulties…

William’s face pinched. He was expecting him to come over, critter in his maw, and insisting that they'd share a meal together. Or, at least, if they were going to go on a walk together, then William needed a minute- until his headache went away…

“I just haven't eaten yet.” He said, quietly, “It's fine.”

He wasn't expecting Dakota’s face to light up, like he was suddenly struck with a brilliant idea.

“We should go hunting together.” 

And then, because William couldn't seem to say no to him, he nodded- and Dakota's face split with a wide smile.

-

Dakota led him to a little area in the woods.

Even as a vampire- being able to see clearly in the dark, and being one of the more dangerous things in there- it was still a little nerve wracking to just walk around this space. (Less so, with Dakota being there- but still.)

“How do you hunt?” William asked quietly, as the two of them stalked through the woods.

“I wasn't taught by anyone, so if I don't know how everyone else does it.” Dakota said, “I sort of just… run at them. And usually I catch them.”

“Not that far off.” William hummed. “Wolves are usually just… a little more strategic. And they like hunting in packs.”

Dakota's eyebrows furrowed for a second, but his smile widened. “How do you know how wolves hunt?”

He watched a documentary about them ages ago, and since seeing a wolf trotting through the snow at a speed he's never seen before, William's brain had been absolutely fascinated by them.

“... I like wolves.” He itched his nose. If Dakota wasn't a werewolf, and didn't have heightened hearing, he probably wouldn't have understood him. “They’re my favorite animal.”

Dakota’s chest puffed up, like he was proud.

“How do you usually hunt?”

He didn't, really. That was the problem.

“You know, I just…” He said, and then he trailed off, and left it there. He wasn't sure what else to say.

“Well. You can follow along with me.” Dakota bumped his shoulder with his fist, and William pulled away instinctively- as if it'd hurt. “We're like a pack, now. We can do it together.”

And then, without much more of a preamble, Dakota curled forward like he was going to do a somersault, and turned into a wolf- done so smoothly that if William blinked throughout any of it, he would've missed it.

Dakota jumped up, and sprinted further into the woods-

And then, when William didn't immediately follow him, he stopped in his tracks up ahead. When William got close, he lunged towards him, then tracked backwards- like he was chasing William, and expecting William to chase him back.

He didn't, at first. He treated it like one of their walks- 

But Dakota was relentless. And clearly leading him somewhere. And it was bad form, if he was really trying to catch something- but, slowly, William went along with it, and started picking up speed.

Dakota ran circles around him. And at one point, he seemed to be disappointed with the speed he was going at- nipping at his leg, or clacking his teeth together, like he was pretending to bite him- and no shooing drove him away- so William felt encouraged to speed up.

At his fastest speed, William could somewhat keep up with Dakota. 

Vampires were pretty fast, especially if they were feeding regularly- and now that he was doing better, the wind was whipping past his face with the sort of speed that he's, honestly, never really tested out before.

It actually felt nice. William kept an eye out for the path in front of him- branches, dead trees, the loss of their path- just so he could avoid tripping over anything. And, for a while, he was running pretty smoothly.

They made it to a clearing. The thin grass wove around the air, stringy and silky like it was the hair on someone's head, and William almost felt bad disrupting the flow by running through it-

But Dakota hadn't. He lunged, and backed up, and froze in preparation- and then, when William didn't move, he got closer, and he tried the same move again-

And because William was in a better mood, he indulged.

He froze up, and widened his stance- something he did with his old dog, back when his mom would beg him not to rile him up, and when William would do it anyway- and, like he could sense that William was playing along with him, Dakota did the same.

Lunge, back up, freeze- it felt something like a dance between them, though it was clearly unconventional, and would've looked weird to anyone on the outside looking in- 

And then, when Dakota took off, William finally ran after him. 

His ribs would never hurt, and his lungs would never beg him to take any breaths. His heart would never pound so violently in his chest that it felt like it was going to implode inside of him. 

And sure, the crash after this was going to be horrible- William wouldn't be surprised if he slept for a week after this, since they were playing around, and not actually hunting- but it wasn't going to be quite as exhausting as it would've been if he were a human-

But William couldn't find it in himself to feel upset about that right now. He wasn't moody, and it wasn't causing him to spiral. In this case, it was actually a blessing- he could run as fast as possible, and he wouldn't feel the adverse effects for a while.

He could trip over an unseen clump of dirt, and roll without much of a scratch at all- if he were still human, he would've skidded to a stop, and scraped the side of his face- but as a vampire, he could easily bounce back from it.

Once he tumbled, and got back up, Dakota circled around-

And then, William started running, and Dakota started chasing him instead.

William picked up speed- and as he did so, he couldn't help the crooked smile crossing his face, or the anticipation building in his gut as he took a sharp turn-

And then, suddenly, Dakota was colliding into him with the speed one would get with being hit by a car. The two of them tumbled out of the clearing, and into the woods- sliding across a small divot of land- rolling in dried leaves, and dirt- and by the time William made it to the bottom, he was laying on his back, and breathing out a laugh.

Laying on top of him, fully human and just as tired out, Dakota was laughing as well, and it only encouraged William’s laughs to get louder.

William pushed him back a bit. Dakota barely budged.

“We haven't caught anything yet.”

Dakota blinked. “Did you want something to…”

Dakota held up his hand. William's chest shuddered with his next breath.

It'd help him with hunting- maybe he'd even be able to catch up with him, while they were running around. And, besides- Dakota had a crazy fast healing factor… even if he took some blood, he wouldn't be tired or loopy by the end of it.

So, realizing just how dry his throat was with his next swallow, William nodded along quietly, and Dakota pressed that same arm close to him. William held it up to steady him.

He wondered, briefly, how much Dakota could feel in his arms. Back when they first met, he was hurt, and only lashed out because he thought William was making it worse- but then when he first offered his arm, and right now, as William's teeth were threatening to puncture it- he hardly winced.

He bit down. Blood started pouring into his mouth, and William's eyes closed, and he sighed in relief. He felt like he was dehydrated, and getting that first drink of water in days- it was rejuvenating, and it made every sore disappear-

And when he opened his eyes, and he saw Dakota’s face- flushed red, while he was watching him intently. With his lips pressed against Dakota’s skin, it felt weirdly like a kiss.

William's stomach swooped. He had the decency to feel a little embarrassed, as he pulled his teeth out- not taking nearly enough blood as he needed, but supposing that he could always just… get more, during their hunt together.

The night was still young. They had plenty of time.

“Thanks.” William said, a little breathlessly.

Dakota’s eyes trailed to the lower half of his face, and his brow furrowed. Then, he stuck a thumb in his mouth, and wiped it across the side of William's face- as if they were actually eating food together, and he got a crumb or some frosting on the side of his mouth.

(William imagined, briefly- Dakota actually leaning down, and closing the gap between them-)

But then, before his thoughts could completely run rampant without his say in it, William's neck craned away- and with a laugh that was more nervous than playful, he successfully knocked Dakota off of him.

-

Late at night, after they managed to catch a rabbit- William draining the blood, and Dakota eating the meat- the two of them laid down on this steep grassy incline, and stared up at the spattering of stars that were peaking in through the gaps of the trees.

It was getting late. Late, by William's standards anyway- the night sky was starting to lighten up, and sun was about to come peaking through the horizon, and aimed directly at William through these beautiful trees-

So he sat up. And to his surprise, instead of being passed out next to him, Dakota's hand caught on his elbow.

“Wait.” He said, and for once, his voice was hushed. Excited, though- full of trepidation. “The birds are gonna be up in a second.”

William's eyes darted between Dakota, and the trees. “Okay?”

“I like listening to them.” Dakota's hands patted the front of his shirt, like he was excited, and had trouble keeping it to himself. “And you don't get to, right? Since you go to bed around this time.”

“I don't…” He laid down next to him. “I didn't think you… liked animals this much.” He said, a little awkwardly.

“What? Why not?”

More often than not, Dakota was at his doorstep, carrying a rat or a bird in his maw, and insisting they'd share a meal together. William didn't necessarily think that Dakota hated the animals, and caught them because of that… but, at the same time, he didn't really expect him to be an animal lover.

Dakota shrugged.

“I need to eat meat.” He said, like it was simple. “The fresher, the better. And I try not to waste anything- that doesn't mean that I don't like animals.”

William hummed.

The two of them waited. There was shuffling in the trees above, but other than that, there wasn't even a peep coming from them.

So, William was tempted to fill the silence. Voice quiet, like he was trying not to disturb the birds.

“I think I would've wanted to be a werewolf.” William blurted. “If I had to choose.”

It was something he thought about often. Deep down, he wanted to be human again- but if he had to choose, vampire or werewolf, the choice felt easy. Werewolf was the closest he'd get to being human.

“What? No…” Dakota said, “It’s not that fun.”

“Why not?” He prompted.

“Well- you have to transform every full moon. And even while you're a human, you get all… hairy. And hungry.” Dakota said, and even he sounded uncertain when he said it- like he was still trying to come up with negatives.

“You don't sound like you hate it.” William pointed out.

“I don't.” Dakota grinned, and showed off a bright row of incredibly sharp teeth. The smile wavered. “I love it. But it's not for everybody. I guess.”

“Hm.”

“I can't bite anyone without turning them.” Dakota then pointed out, “Or- we'll have to reverse it before the full moon. But you could… bite something, and take their blood, and you'd be just fine.”

“The only thing I can do is drink blood.”

“Well…”

Dakota could have a social life without strings being tied. 

He could go out, and feel the sun kissing his skin again. He could lay down in the early morning, wait for a beautiful sunrise, and hear the birds chirping along with it. He could eat food. He could hide it, if he didn't want anybody to know what he was…

William couldn't. 

He didn't particularly crave most of that, before he got turned- but now that he was, sometimes, it was all he could think about. Everything that limited him, now that he was a vampire.

“I can't even grow a mustache, man.” William laughed a little. The complaint felt ridiculous. “I'm stuck like this.”

“Forever?”

Vampirism was like getting your picture taken- suddenly, whatever form you were in at that time- whatever wrinkle or haircut or scar or complexion you had- stuck with you forever.

It didn't matter if William stayed in a storage closet for the rest of his life. He wouldn't die. His body wouldn't decompose. If he slept for a thousand years, and emerged on the other side of it- maybe his clothes would've felt weird, and maybe he would've been covered in a thin layer of dust, but he would've been exactly the same in every other way.

William, like many others, was bitten and turned in a very poor time in his life. If he could see his own reflection, he'd probably see the same sickly, tired face that he's been seeing for the last few years of his life. The one ear that had a piercing in it. Shaggy hair, always in need of a haircut- the only difference, really, would be seeing red eyes, instead of his usual brown.

“Forever.” He repeated. “Or, however long I live. I guess.”

“Aren't you guys immortal?” 

“There's no guarantee that I'll live forever. Vampires can die on their own. Without any… external factors.”

Dakota looked curious. “How?”

William's mouth opened to tell him. Then it closed. Then it opened.

“When we… die.” He said, slowly, “It's more like we just… sleep for a very long time.”

It went a little further than that, and as Dakota remained quiet, William let himself clarify.

It was similar to the decline that a regular person would have- only it was intentional. If they were in a coven, they distanced themselves. They stopped eating, and they stopped going out, almost like they were sick. And one day, they slept, and they refused to wake up again.

Dakota didn’t seem to think too hard about it. William similarly tried not to- 

Because it wasn't that he was intentionally squirreling himself away in a tiny corner- hiding away from the rest of the world, and refusing to eat… He just forgot. Sometimes, getting food was a lot more difficult than just standing by. 

He could try buying his food, but he had no money. He could try hunting animals, but then, on his own, it was much more trouble than it was worth… Or, he could go back to those traditional vampire roles, and start hunting people on the streets. But that wasn't classy, and it was highly illegal… and it would require him to actually go after people. And if he could barely manage to talk to one, then he wasn't going to do something crazy like hunt them-

So then, with no burning hunger or incentive to suck it up and find a way, William happily slept for days at a time, and felt groggy through the nights that he was awake. And maybe, if he slept one night, and continued sleeping peacefully for the rest of his undead life… he wouldn't mind it very much.

“Do you have a coven?” Dakota asked, curiously. His voice was strangely quiet- as quiet as it could be, anyway, coming from him- but it sounded like he was thinking.

“No.”

“Have you ever- had one before?”

“I’ve never been in a coven.”

“Why?”

William winced. “It's complicated. But I don't want to be in one.”

Dakota scooted towards him a bit, and smiled. Strangely attentive. William rolled his eyes.

He tried explaining to him that covens were more trouble than they were worth. 

It was like choosing your own family- and then, once you did choose, it was nearly impossible to break out of it, or join a new one. That paralyzing choice- who are the people you want to surround yourself with, for the rest of your immortal life?- was too much.

Dakota's face pinched the longer William tried describing it to him. There were no positives he could give because there was none that could be found.

“But if you're on your own…” Minus the disadvantages, “Then you can do whatever you want. I guess. So I'm not joining any.”

Maybe it would've been easier. Maybe, even in his worst case scenario, there would still be food on the table at the end of the day, and he wouldn't be rotting away in storage closets, and becoming friendly with spiders- but for some reason, the latter was much more appealing.

The freedom, or whatever. It felt nice. He didn't choose to be a vampire, but he could choose to do whatever he wanted with it.

William felt himself zoning out. The moody atmosphere lifted as he cleared his throat- and though Dakota seemed fine, quietly waiting for the birds to start singing, William still felt the urge to be polite.

His first instinct was to ask an inappropriate question- How do werewolves die? What's your own life expectancy?- But even though he was nervous, he thought better of it.

“Um.” He started eloquently, “What about you?”

He couldn't think of anything else to say. Nor could he think of a better way to ask.

“What about me?” Dakota repeated with his mouth full.

“Werewolves usually… roll around with their own crew during the full moon-”

“Their pack.” Dakota interjected, quickly but not harshly.

“-but you keep coming back. Alone.” William frowned, and sat up a little. “We're not surrounded, are we?”

Dakota closed his eyes. Shook his head, and sat up alongside him

“My pack- my friends- they're not like me.” He said, simply. “So I just… run around on my own. I guess we're the same, like that.”

When Dakota grinned and elbowed William, it hurt. If he needed to breathe, it probably would've winded him.

“Didn't know you had friends.”

He said it to be teasingly mean. Dakota sounded painfully earnest in his response.

“You should meet them.” He offered. “I love my friends.”

William hummed. “If we're going to keep seeing each other, we might as well.”

Dakota scooted closer, leaning his head against William’s arm, and smiled pleasantly. Even with how cold it was at night, there was a warmth that radiated off of him.

When Dakota looked over at him, William mirrored him, and smiled with a few too many teeth- and Dakota immediately tried to copy with his own awkwardly wide smile.

Almost 10 minutes after they went quiet again, color started bleeding into the sky. The stars disappeared- but the air filled with the pleasant sound of birdsong.

They stayed there for a while. Dakota was right, in that William usually didn't get to have these moments- not since he was a teenager, talking walks around his town in the early morning- but it was nice to enjoy it now.

They waited until it became concerning. Then, hand in hand- maybe a little too late for their own tastes- the two of them sprinted back over to William’s home, and made it just in time, before William was at risk of getting burnt up by the sun.

-

Being friends, and still in that stage where they were still getting to know each other, William found that Dakota was curious.

Not in the same way that William was- he didn't unearth every possible secret in the hopes of finding something out, since his skin itched, at the thought of not finding everything out…

But Dakota asked him a lot of questions. And, sometimes, a lot of those questions were personal- but because their friendship was steadily growing, he had no qualms about answering it.

Why don't you go outside unless I'm there with you? (If he wasn't sleeping, or going on walks around town, then he wasn't doing much of anything- that was just his life.) 

Why don't you feed a lot? (He didn't have to, before he met Dakota. Now that their favorite pastime was hunting together, that changed.)

Why don't you make other friends? (Well.)

Do you want to meet my friends? (Tempting. Maybe soon- but William couldn't see himself connecting with strangers.

Then again, that was how he felt about Dakota, before they became friends. So who knew, really, what William was capable of?)

Then, Dakota frowned, like he was stuck on a particularly difficult math problem.

“Don't you have any friends from when you were human?” Dakota asked. And even though he didn't really ask these personal questions with the same care that William might've asked him, he still sounded strangely uncertain.

That one actually gave William pause.

They were walking around town- which had quickly become one of William's favorite activities- and for a while after asking, while William was thinking of how to respond, they just kept walking.

“...I did.” Then, Dakota's face crumpled, like he was on the edge of his seat, and waiting for William to tell him that he bit them, or something. William was quick to assure, “It's- I just haven't seen them in a long time. They don't know I'm…”

A vampire- Dakota probably thought he was going to say, when in actuality, the ending of that sentence was- alive.

“They're also very far away.” William added on, when Dakota hadn't responded, “I'm from a little town called Deadwood. It's pretty far away from here.”

“What are you doing all the way out here?”

William shrugged.

“I got… kind of stuck. Here.” William winced, “It's just a difficult trip to make, and if I wanted to, I could, but…”

But he had no money, so taking a bus or a plane was out of the question. He didn't know what person in their right minds would've picked up a vampire if he went hitchhiking- he didn't see any way to get there without the help of other vampires, who might've made long trips like that.

It didn't seem worth the trouble. So he didn't make any trouble.

“I could help you get back there. If you want.” Dakota said.

He didn't really feel the urge to go there. And yet, the offer was just sweet enough to make him consider it.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think you'd be happier over there?”

“Well…”

Deadwood would've been a much better place for him to live in. 

It was crawling with supernatural creatures just like him- dead was in the name. The days were short, and the nights were long. It was constantly cold, and cloudy- through all of his years living there, he couldn’t remember a single day where it was sunny outside…

That didn't mean it was safe to wander around outside, during the day. But it probably would've been more enjoyable.

“It would be… nice.” He said, after Dakota stared at him expectantly. “It’s very gloomy. It’s fitting, for vampires.”

Dakota nodded. Then, he moved a couple steps ahead- and the two of them stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

“I can get you to Deadwood- the entire way, without you burning up. And you have to promise that you won't die when you're over there.” Dakota held up a pinky, and William eyed it, “You gotta make some friends…”

“You think I should stay?” William asked, and he couldn’t help his tone.

“If it's better.” Dakota said. William pulled a face, and he quickly assured, “I'll visit you. All the time.”

Since when did that become a concern?

William’s mouth quirked up into a smile. “Every full moon?”

Dakota humored him. Or, maybe, he was wearing his heart on his sleeve, and being painfully genuine. William didn’t think he could handle the answer.

“Maybe even more than that. And if you have trouble finding food, we can hunt together again.”

William thought of their outings. 

Then, he thought of the same sort of thing- but this time, doing it in the spindly, cold forests of Deadwood. He imagined Dakota taking down an elk that was three times his size- maybe one that was possessed, or had a few more heads than it should've- the fear, and excitement…

And it didn't sound bad. It shouldn't have sounded bad- William should've been eager to wrap his pinky around Dakota's, with promises of being anywhere but there- and yet, despite it, it didn't feel right.

Dakota wouldn't be able to come over for those brief nights- having dinner right before he had to sleep. Deadwood was hours away, even if he ran towards it at full speed- and William thought, even if Dakota enjoyed his company enough to come over every once in a while, he surely still has priorities. He still had a sleep schedule he had to maintain.

William still interlocked pinkies with him. He still winced as Dakota seemed to forget his own strength, and shook their hands wildly. 

But then, as Dakota grinned at him, William's smile felt weak in turn.

-

The trip to Deadwood was… long.

They got on a bus, first and foremost. Being his first time on one of them in a very long time, William felt completely out of place- almost like the bus driver was not just looking at him but seeing through him as well- and he couldn't tell if the cold look on his face was because of William being a vampire, or him being there in general.

There were a lot of windows on the bus. For now, the outside was dark, and it was fine- but in the morning, they'd be flooded with light, and William didn't really see a way to avoid it.

Still, Dakota led him to one of the seats in the back, and William followed with his head tucked between his shoulders.

For the first few hours, it was fine. 

He wasn't very fond of the blinding artificial lights, and there wasn't much to see outside as they passed- nothing but trees, and signs that he could barely read- but they kept each other company.

Then, at one point, Dakota fell asleep. He didn’t nod off, and his blinks didn’t slow down significantly- one moment, he was awake, and the next moment, he was pressed against the seat, head tilted back, and snoring softly.

And even though it was late in the night, and William was supposed to be awake, he soon joined him- slowly, at first, pressing close to Dakota, as if seeing how far he could get without waking him up, before he practically took a dive on the deep end, and just laid his head against his shoulder. Pressing close, and leeching off the warmth that was practically radiating off of him.

Several hours later, William woke up feeling like he was in a sauna.

His eyes blinked open. And, just like how he thought it would, the sun was slowly rising in the sky, and seeping in through the windows. It didn’t eviscerate him- it wasn’t nearly high enough for that- but it still hurt, and made his stomach jolt into his throat.

William’s hood was already thrown over his head. He pulled the strings, and the front sank around his face, and when that didn’t provide immediate relief, he ducked down under the window.

Dakota seemed to wake up soon after- and before he could ask what was going on, the puzzle pieces clicked together. Soon, there was a steady hand on his upper back that was helping him hide from the sun.

William curled up on Dakota’s lap. In turn, moving as quickly as possible in a half-awake haze, Dakota threw his flannel over him, and William clung onto it.

His skin healed before any serious burns could set, and with him being covered, it was easy for him to cool down, and for the AC on the bus to seep in through the underside of the flannel-

But with it suddenly being daytime, and with the sun rising higher into the sky, some dull light would seep in through the flannel. It wasn’t artificial, but it wasn’t direct, and it didn’t hurt that much. And as William poked his head out of his hood, and he unclenched his hand and wiggled it around, he stared at the light that was hitting it.

In a couple hours, once the sun hit him more directly, it would start to burn again, and he’d have to hide away in his jacket until it passed- but until then, he could stare at his hand with fascination, and briefly wonder how long it’d been since he’s seen his skin brightening up with the light of day.

-

When they got to their stop, William was covered head to toe. 

His hands were in his pockets, and then pulled in through the sleeves of his hoodie, as if holding his own skin would keep it from burning up. His face was covered, and the flannel was pulled over it-

“Sorry, sorry, sorry-” Dakota said over and over, putting a hand on his shoulder as he guided them around.

They got on another bus, and then another- William could remember him guiding him to multiple seats, and making sure that he was steady in all of them.

The whole day was spent running around, and trying to navigate their surroundings- and for a while, William couldn’t see most of it. He was guided by someone who swore that he knew where he was going- and even though he was sure of Dakota leading them the right way- William still felt anxious, since he was unable to see where he was going.

Somewhere along the way- somewhere around noon, Dakota reported faithfully, after getting off the bus, and being off for a while- William felt himself becoming disoriented.

They’d been walking for a while on the sidewalk. And even though he was careful, his ankles had started feeling a little sore, and William wished that they could stop for a little while to let him roll up his socks.

“Where are we going?” He asked, and for a second, he worried that Dakota couldn’t hear him-

But he was a werewolf in his prime. And even though there were plenty of overwhelming sensations- the sun beating down on them, the sounds of the city, or the smell of food- it seemed like his advanced hearing picked him up quickly.

A hand was on his back as it guided him around. Dakota patted him to acknowledge that he heard them.

“I found a motel!” They sped up a little, and William’s foot almost caught on the curb, “There’s almost nobody here, too…

“Did you get a room?” William asked, as his hand pressed against the sleeve of his hoodie, and waited until he’d be able to finally put his hands through again.

“... No.”

The door made a concerning noise as it was forced open. Seconds later, the front of his hoodie was grabbed, and he was pulled into the motel.

Dakota shut the door behind them, closed the curtains, and then, when the coast seemed to be clear, the flannel and the hood were taken off, and William blinked very slowly.

Exhaustion filled his bones. They’d been careful, and he’d been tossed around all day- and now, seeing a place to finally settle in for the rest of the day made him tired.

“We didn’t pay for this room.” William muttered. “If they find us, they’ll kick us out.” 

“We’ll just be a few hours.” Dakota said, but for a minute, he didn't seem to be too happy about their predicament, either.

Then, Damota's expression bled back into his usual excitement- quickly, like his guilt had already moved on- and before he could even twitch a muscle forward, Dakota leaped onto the single pristine bed- curling forward, like he was trying to do a flip. 

The momentum carried him, making him bounce off of the bed, and sent him slamming into the wall instead- which made William burst out into jittery laughter.

They spent a few hours there. William readjusted his outfit, finding rings of peeling skin around his ankles from where the sun hit it, and in that time, Dakota left and came back pretty quickly with a bag of fast food.

The two of them sat on plush chairs. And then, after setting his food down and taking up most of the room on the table between them, Dakota pulled out his phone, and handed it over to William so that they could figure out where they needed to go next.

Dakota’s screen was cracked, and William squinted through navigating it. Dakota ate while William focused on his phone- but then, as William visibly seemed to struggle, he stopped, and he frowned.

“Do you know how to work a phone?” He asked, and it wasn’t unkind. Which made it all the more embarrassing.

If William had any blood in him, his face might’ve flushed, “Yeah?”

He didn’t have a phone- but this wasn’t a newer model. It reminded him of an old phone that William had when he was a teenager… if that same phone was now only hanging on by a thread. And barely picked up his finger swiping across the screen.

“It’s fine if you don’t. Or if you’re used to older models… Like the, uh…” He paused, like he was thinking about it, “Those… rotary phones. From the 1900s.”

William paused, and his eyes finally flicked away from his screen to stare at Dakota incredulously. 

“How old do you think I am?”

“Vampires live a long time.” His shoulders pulled into a shrug, “You're probably hundreds of years old, by now…”

“I'm, like, 23.” William corrected him quietly, but he went a little quicker.

William relaxed when he found what he was looking for. His eyebrows raised.

“We’re close to Deadwood.” William put his phone down on the table, and Dakota leaned in, as William traced the path with his finger. “It’s just the next town over.”

Dakota hummed.

“What do you want to do? Once you get there.”

William clasped his hands together, and breathed out a long sigh.

“I don’t know.” He said quietly.

William felt… strange.

After years of wandering around, and staying in random places, and mostly sleeping his life away- he was going back home. He could see his parents again- even if it’d be jarring. And even if his parents would be… less than happy to see that he’d be alive, but remaining just as he looked when he was 17. Forever.

Not just looking that way, either- William reminded himself a little harshly- religion and vampirism had a notoriously heavy past- and even though he knew, deep down, that his parents would still love him… 

It was still a heavy topic. They’d probably be a little upset, even if they were relieved- and William was still dragging his feet in the dirt, and wondering if the trip was even worth it.

There was some worth to it. His first trip out of town with his new (and only) friend, and even though he was getting burned to hell and back… it was also the first time in a while that he's been out of town for a while. And he was actually having a great time.

Dakota was sweet, and doing something nice for him- and even if the end result was giving him some dread, the trip before it was nice. So.

“You hungry?” Dakota asked, gently, and William’s heart ached along with it.

“A bit.” Dakota held up one of his chicken tenders. William’s eyes squinted, and mouth curled up into a little smile, “I can’t eat these.”

“Oh. Yeah.”

Dakota wiped his hand off with a napkin, and then offered it to him. William paused, before his hands tentatively wrapped around his wrist, brought that arm a little closer- gently pulling Dakota along with him- and sank his teeth into the palm of his hand.

William’s eyes were cast downwards as he did so, but out of the corner of his eye, he found Dakota going back to eating with his other hand- casually, like they were just sharing a normal meal together. He drank, and the burns on his ankles healed- and though he wasn’t really given any more energy because it was still late for him, he did feel significantly better.

After he was done eating, William's mouth lingered on Dakota's hand a little longer- almost like a kiss, pressed there, like he was quietly thanking him.

Then, when he turned in for the night, William walked into the closet, sat down- head pressed against the wall, shutting his eyes- and enjoying the complete darkness that he couldn't get from the normal state of the motel room.

Moments later, seemingly done with his food, Dakota stepped into the closet as well. William sat up- expecting him to say something concerning, or to politely offer the bed- but then, he shut the door behind him.

It took a second for his eyes to adjust- and when it did, he saw that Dakota wasn't just keeling over, but also turning into a wolf. For some reason. It made the closet feel slightly more cramped.

“Why are you a dog?” William murmured.

Dakota curled up against him. William rested his hand against the top of Dakota’s head, threading his fingers through his fur-

And, eventually, he just fell asleep like that- still leeching off the warmth coming from him.

-

Several hours later, they were found by a couple checking in.

With shouts, and threats of calling the police, William and Dakota bolted out of the door, and both ran as fast they could away from the motel. William's skin peeled, and singed with the sun- and in his attempt to pull the strings of his hood to hide his eyes, and his skin, he accidentally ran straight into a pole.

Seconds later, as he swayed, a hand grabbed his arm, and they continued to run- flying past curbs, and down a couple streets- until, eventually, they hit a large shopping mall. 

In a spot with no visible windows pointing any light in, Dakota ripped the flannel off his head, and William took his hood off, and breathed in the cold, refreshing, air of the mall-

He couldn’t tell if he had any burns. After a while, while they were walking around, he felt fine- because he'd eaten, he was healing fairly quickly- 

But Dakota wouldn’t stop looking at him really apologetically, and in turn, William couldn’t find it in himself to be mad at him. Even if he was exhausted.

-

After the sun started to set, the two of them formally set off for Deadwood.

They took another bus. William was starting to get a little sick of it, but at least he could sit in it normally, now- sitting next to the window, and actually being able to look at their surroundings as they passed.

He got hit with this horrible pang of nostalgia, as he started recognizing the surroundings they were passing by- the ugly thin trees, and the foliage- all the sort of things he'd see on road trips, moving in and out of Deadwood- head pressed against the window, blasting music through his headphones at a volume that should've made him deaf-

He got close to it, then. He leaned back against his seat, and towards the window- and while the bright lights and lack of music on the bus didn't do much to aid him in that memory, it still felt close enough to make his heart squeeze.

They were dropped off at a bus stop that was just a little ways out of town. 

“We'll have to walk for a bit.” William muttered. “But it's just around the corner.”

“Sweet!” Dakota hopped down the bus steps, and when he thought that he'd fall, William held his hands out, to prepare to steady him-

But he was fine. And then, with the bus taking off, suddenly, he and Dakota were walking to Deadwood.

It felt surreal. They passed under streetlights, and the pitch dark gaps between them- towards a path that William's gone on plenty of times before- and he was almost convinced that he'd wake up and realize that he was just dreaming of bringing Dakota over to his home town.

But the cold was biting, and William was steadily realizing that it was real- and then, as the silence prolonged, he felt just nervous enough to fill the silence.

“You didn't have to do this.” William said, and he meant for it to be said softly, but he couldn't manage it with the lump blocking his throat.

Dakota blinked. Then, he stared at William. 

“Sure I do. I want to.”

“...”

Then, he gave that same incredulous look to the ground- like William said something ridiculous, and he was still trying to process it.

Then, his face softened. And the next words that came out of his mouth shocked William to his core.

“...I worry about you. Sometimes.”

“What?” He tried laughing, but Dakota wasn't matching his energy. “Why?”

“You spent a lot of time on your own. And… you sleep a lot.” He looked down, “And- for a while, I couldn't tell if you were on your own because you wanted to be, or because you were forced to be.”

William hummed, but he stayed quiet. He sensed that Dakota wanted to say something further.

His instinct was spot on. Because, even if Dakota was taking his time with it- he did have more to say.

“I lost my parents. When I was young.” 

William was surprised at how steady his voice was. “I'm sorry, man.”

“It was a long time ago.” He shrugged his shoulders, “But- I had to be my own for a while. And it sucked, and I miss them… And then you told me about your home- and for a minute, I felt- really connected to that. And I thought… I really like being your friend. And it's nice having you around, but ...if you're happier living here, than you are in Rockfall…” Then, Dakota’s face pinched, “I don't know why you even left in the first place… but if it'd make you happy, and if I didn’t have to worry about you anymore, then I want to help you back home. Even if I'd like for you to stay.”

“...”

William nodded along. 

Then, Dakota looked at him- and William imagined him handing over the talking stick, and feeling that slight pressure to respond. His brain raced- and then, he thought- why not. They were friends. Dakota shared something personal, and he could give one back.

“I got turned when I was 17. While I was on a hike.” William said, “And…”

His mouth closed. Was he really about to unload everything?

Dakota was far from a stranger at this point. Even if the time passing didn't seem like much, they were friends- or more than just timid friends in William’s eyes, with how often they've been seeing each other-

But, still. It felt strange to talk about. The only person in the world to hear his insane ramblings and reasonings was himself in his own mind, and now that he was actually trying to fit it into words- it felt impossible.

“...” But Dakota was attentive. And nice. And if they were going all the way to Deadwood, then he should've made the effort to say what it meant to him.

“...It was fine, at first.” Understatement of the century- William could remember dying, and oscillating between wanting to live, and wanting to just get it all over with- but he wouldn’t bore Dakota with those details. “But I couldn't see my friends, or go to school… and everybody at church was wondering about me- and my parents didn't want to tell anyone what happened- more for my safety, than anything else- and…” 

And Deadwood was already crawling with supernatural creatures. William being one of them, now, wasn't anything new. If anybody found out- he didn't know what would've happened, but he imagined that some people wouldn't take too kindly to it.

There weren’t many jobs, or places he could go- unlike Rockfall, or New Haven, or any other city where it wasn't so unusual that people were awake, supernatural or not.

“...”

“It just kept getting worse.” He frowned. “And I just left one day. I started walking, and didn't stop until I got to Rockfall, since it seemed pretty far. And I haven't been back since.”

When they reached the Deadwood sign, William stopped walking. 

Behind him, Dakota did the same. He gave him a weird smile that looked strange on his face- like every smile that came before that one was genuine, and with this one, it was… not forced, just…

Right. Dakota was under the impression that this would be one of the last times that they saw each other. Unless he ran back over to Deadwood- but now that they've made this trip, the two of them finally realized just how long, and tedious it was- and how difficult it'd be to make it as often as Dakota had initially promised.

When William looked between the sign, and Dakota, at one point, he turned back into a wolf- and while he couldn't be sure why he did that, he just sat there, and waited- tail swirling impatiently behind him.

At the thought of continuing his walk- going, and staying in Deadwood- William's stomach sank.

His brain tried convincing him that there was nothing left for him there. His family hadn't seen him in so long. All of his friends must've moved on by now- if they were even in Deadwood to begin with. If he integrated now, it probably would've been fine- maybe he could find a coven, or find his family, and explain the impossible- but what was the difference between being here all the time and being in Rockfall?

The difference is that he wouldn't have his best friend here with him. 

William's stomach sank, and when he looked back at Dakota- who was still staring at him expectantly, and waiting for him to turn, and go back into his hometown, and leave him behind- he couldn't help the look that must've crossed his face-

Because for all that Deadwood could provide for him, it didn't seem worth it, in comparison to what he had now. Stepping into it felt- horribly permanent, and reminded him of why he left in the first place. And permanent felt terrifying.

So, he went with the swirling mess in his gut. He turned around, found Dakota, and his shaking hand met the top of his head.

“Let's go home, buddy.”

He threaded his fingers through Dakota’s fur, and at first, he thought that Dakota was jumping up to press his hand further onto his head-

But then, he kept rising. Under William's paw, Dakota turned back into a normal human- and his hair was ruffled, as he looked between Deadwood's welcome sign, and William.

“Are you sure?”

William looked between him, and Deadwood. He’s never felt more sure about an impulsive decision in his undead life.

“I don’t think… I’m ready to see anyone yet.” He said a little quietly. 

He didn’t think he ever wanted to, really. 

William didn’t want to see how much time had passed. He didn’t want to be here, and he didn’t want to stay, and be isolated in his old room- and he knew that he was just overwhelmed. He was here, and it’d be convenient to see his family again, and make sure that they knew he was just fine after walking out so many years ago-

But there was something keeping him from standing too close to that welcome sign. That deep pit in his gut- that loneliness of living in a small town, and having nobody else there that was like him, or knew what he was going through. The threat of that loneliness sticking.

Dakota wasn’t a mind reader. In his head, he did something nice, and necessary for him- and now- William wasn’t ungrateful- but he couldn't really find it in himself to be… happy about it.

So he pouted. “I'm not getting a tour?”

He looked back. 

At that entrance, and the sign welcoming him into Deadwood- and suddenly, the thought of Dakota coming in with him made the ordeal a lot less terrifying.

A tour. That was easy. They were already there. And, hey, if there just so happened to be a quiet little house on the way there with a very familiar car sitting in the driveway, then they could probably stop by.

“...sure.” William said, and some (but not all) of the tension lifted with his next breath. “But- after this, we’re going back to Rockfall.”

“If you’re sure.” He said, and his voice sounded much lighter.

-

Dakota was given the best tour that he could've been given on such short notice.

William regaled him with all sorts of stories- that time he and his friends found a ghost lady haunting the convenience store, always complaining about it being cold, but never wanting to get out of the frozen section. That time their school got haunted, and his friends found it before anyone else did. A church near the edge of town, with a pastor that was feeding off the town. A river that had more than its fair share of hauntings…

For a moment, he seemed to be completely in his element, talking about that kind of thing. They were at the town's school, as William was explaining most of these stories to him- William slowly rocking back and forth on the swings, while Dakota seemed to be trying to get as high as possible…

Then came the scary part. When the stories started dwindling, and William was trying his best to come up with more- winding down, and realizing that there wasn't much to tell anymore, and that there was one stop on their little tour that they hadn't made yet.

Dakota’s shoes scraped against the ground, as he stopped his swinging.

“You ready?”

William's hands fidgeted in his lap. He was hunched over, leaning against the chains holding his seat up- and he was still passively rocking.

After a long pause, he muttered. “Yeah. Sure, I'm ready.”

-

There was a neighborhood in Deadwood that looked just like all the others, in Dakota's eyes.

All the houses and cars were different colors- each had their own touch of decorations, and really, if Dakota familiarized himself with this town, he'd probably easily tell the difference- but as a newcomer, the similarities were too great. And being unable to see the street signs very clearly made it impossible for him to navigate… 

But William seemed to know exactly where he was going, and Dakota followed him confidently.

They ended up at a home that was just like all the others. Despite it being pretty late at night, Dakota could hear the television in the living room- blasting a show with a heinous laugh track accompanying it.

William paused by the door. He looked between it, and Dakota- like he was still debating on it.

So Dakota took his hand. Nodded. William nodded back at him, and rang the doorbell- and even though Dakota was sure that he was stronger than William was, he squeezed his hand so hard that it probably would've broken it, if he were human.

It took a minute, but someone answered the door eventually- warily peering at them through a screen door. And then, as that screen door pushed open, Dakota saw that he looked like William- just if he was much older, and broader, and had glasses.

As soon as the other man recognized him, William was wordlessly pulled into a tight hug. William’s eye poked out from behind his shoulder, like he was checking to make sure that Dakota was still there.

Then, his hand moved further away from Dakota. They briefly interlocked their pinkies together, grip tight, and reassuring- I'm right here, it seemed to say- before William pulled away for a moment to embrace his dad fully.

Chapter Text

There was something strange that followed William around. 

With Dakota’s heightened senses,  it was easy for him to pick up on it- the smell of sickness, and death- but not one that usually radiated from a vampire. 

When he first met him, it was strong. And for a while, it was the reason why he kept coming over- intrigued by this weird man that insisted on being a vampire, but was likely nowhere close to it at all.

And then, as they became friends, there was this pit that formed in Dakota’s stomach. Sickness. Death. There was a reason why it stuck to him. And even after asking his friends about it, he didn't get a good sense of what it was- vampires couldn't get sick, after all, and his friends weren't wolves, so they couldn't understand the distinction of smell of death between something that was dying, or already dead- or undead, like William was…

Until William told him about a specific death that a vampire could experience. The long sleep- vampires closing off from everyone, and shutting their eyes one day with no plans of ever opening them again… Then, when he brought it over to his friend Vyncent- who'd been a vampire his entire life- he suddenly had an answer for him.

“The vampires who do that sort of thing are usually thousands of years old.” He told Dakota solemnly. “You're probably just… smelling him going through that process.”

“Huh.” Dakota hadn't known how to feel about it, so he stuck to just… letting the information wash over him. 

He had a new friend that he really liked, and he was slowly dying. There was a chance he didn’t know it. (There was a chance that he did know, and just didn't want to say it. He couldn't tell which was worse.)

“I didn't know you could smell that sort of thing.” Vyncent added on, quietly, but any novelty or coolness that could've come from that discovery was washed away before Dakota could even feel it.

Like a dog picking up someone's illness months before they even realized it themselves- that's what it felt like. Sensing it, and not knowing if it was getting worse, or better, or if it was too late to do anything about it. Just… smelling it every time they hung out. Acknowledging it. And then moving on.

Thankfully, instead of it growing worse (or- stronger?) it eased every time they saw each other- the more Dakota brought food around, and the more he kept him company, the better he seemed to get- so he didn't think that he was going through that process, really, but-

It was impossible to tell.

William was impossible to decipher. 

Dakota had no way to pick apart his thoughts, and see what was happening in that head of his- and William, in turn, didn't seem like the type to come out of his shell, and talk about it- so for a while, though he was asking questions and easily getting answers, there was an air of uncertainty that haunted him every single time they hung out with each other.

Then William told him about his family. And normally, he always carried a wistful expression and tone whenever he spoke- but something about the topic matched with the look on his face made it feel like there were puzzle pieces clicking around in Dakota’s head.

For a while, Dakota was convinced that he'd found the answer. William was just sad because he wasn't at home. It wasn't- he wasn't dying, he was just sad, and it was making it hard for him to function. (Just like how his friend Vyncent would get, sometimes, whenever he talked about home. It wasn't as intense, but maybe Vyncent was just better at handling it. For him, it'd been a very long time since he's seen his family. 

For William… it was impossible to tell how long it'd been without him saying it outright, but Dakota hedged his bets on it being more recent.)

Dakota convinced himself that if he brought him there, then William would get better. It'd be difficult (near impossible) for them to continue being friends, and see each other regularly- but he'd be happy. So even if their friendship dwindled, Dakota knew that it would've been worth it.

Then they got to Deadwood. William revealed that he wanted to stay in Rockfall- and even though Dakota made room for any impulsive decisions, that want stayed throughout the entire trip.

William's parents were nice. Warm, and lovely- and just so happy to be seeing that their boy was still alive, even if getting well was something that was still a little too far out of his reach.

In turn, with joy, they treated Dakota with some of that warmness as well. 

On that first night there, they stayed up well into the night to talk, even as his parents grew increasingly tired- showed through yawns, and with his dad frequently lifting up his glasses to start rubbing his eyes.

And then, once the sky started to light up, and it was clear that the sun was about to rise, William realized the risks, his parents went to bed, and the two of them went up to his room.

“Are you tired?” William asked. “Or did you want to… run around Deadwood for a bit?”

Dakota frowned. 

Running around Deadwood was a little tempting- because while Rockfall still had plenty of trees and woodland areas surrounding it, Deadwood seemed to thrive in nature. It seemed like the kind of place where Dakota could run in, and lose the trail quite quickly- reaching spots that'd be completely untouched by any other man…

But Dakota was tired. Even if he didn't really feel it right now. He'd been keeping up a similar schedule with William this whole trip, and he knew that the minute his head hit a pillow, he'd be out like a light- and since the light wouldn't hit the inside of his room, he wasn't sure when he'd wake up again.

“We can go tomorrow.” He said.

Realistically, Dakota could go tomorrow, while it was still light outside. But he still wasn't so sure yet. William nodded.

William's old bedroom was the last one down the corridor, when you went upstairs. Because of the light coming from the hallway, Dakota was able to look around for a bit.

The walls were covered in band posters. There were bookshelves, and a desk that still had textbooks on it- his bed was nice and neat, with thick pillows, and a nice blanket neatly set on top of it- untouched, clearly, for the many years he'd been gone.

There were covers on the windows that made the room pitch black when they closed the door behind them. 

William made no move to flick the lights on, and Dakota had a hard time getting his eyes to adjust to the darkness- wondering if they'd ever adjust at all, considering how poor his eyesight was- so for a minute, he stood there, and waited-

And then- with his hands slightly outstretched, like he was going to just feel his way around- he suddenly felt William's cold hand taking his, before he led him over to the other side of the room.

“Watch your step.” He said, as if he physically could- but aside from a stray shirt that gave them both a scare, Dakota made it to William’s bed easily.

Dakota laid on top of the covers for a minute. He expected William's weight to land next to him, but after another minute passed, he heard his closet door sliding open instead- and when his eyes shot open, he saw outlines so faint that he could've been convinced that they didn't exist at all.

Dakota sat up. “William?”

“Yeah?”

Dakota took his chances. “...We can share.”

He saw William's head turning over to face him- but not much of anything else. Dakota couldn't find it in himself to feel unsettled by him, even as that shadow drew closer, and he wondered if William was actually as close as he thought he was.

The bed dipped where William sat. Dakota scooted away to make room, and then, at the quiet invitation that was pairing with the loud one, William actually laid next to him.

Dakota couldn't see him very well, but based on how still he was, he guessed that he was sleeping in the same position that a vampire would be in- completely still, arms crossed over themselves, like he was sleeping in a coffin…

“...” Dakota happily closed his eyes. It didn't make much of a difference.

“...” William inched closer. He spoke quietly, like he was afraid of his parents overhearing from the next room over. “I can't remember the last time I slept in an actual bed.”

“Was it here?” Dakota didn't have very good volume control, but William didn't seem to mind that he wasn't matching his whispering.

He paused. 

“Yeah, I think so.” William slowly readjusted himself to make himself more comfortable. “...I spent a lot of time up here. Or in the basement, at first. Wherever it was the darkest during the day.”

“And then you upgraded to a storage closet.”

Dakota sank the hook in, and William caught it by laughing- a puff of air blowing quietly through his nose.

“It was only going to be temporary. I've been meaning to move.” He promised. “Rockfall's not even the first place I stayed at.”

Dakota's thoughts cut in- wondering if William knew how close he was to dying, and how close Rockfall was going to be the last place he stayed at- but he kept his lips sealed shut, like saying anything at all would bring that horrific thought to fruition, and make it real.

“Maybe you'll get an actual bed next time.” Dakota commented idly.

“Don't get crazy, now.” His voice was bone dry upon delivery. William tugged at the blanket underneath them. “Move your butt.”

Dakota wiggled out of the way, and suddenly, that blanket was being thrown over them.

Dakota was tempted to curl into himself, and conserve that body heat- but then he noticed William drawing closer, and likely looking to warm up as well. So Dakota wrapped his arm over him, and pulled him into a weird hug.

Maybe he just didn't like sleeping in beds because it'd never warm up for him. Maybe he was just weird, and liked standing. Either way, he seemed to enjoy laying down with Dakota- and it felt nice to be wanted, in that regard.

William sighed, and leaned into Dakota's hand. 

“Your hands are warm.”

Dakota’s face felt warm, too.

Unsure of what to say, but liking the position they were in, Dakota nodded along- rubbing his arm quickly, like he was trying to use the friction to generate heat that William couldn't naturally produce-

And eventually, they both fell asleep like that- neither of them having to worry about the sun rising, and ruining this pleasant moment.

-

After spending a couple days in Deadwood, William's parents drove them out to the town next over to wait at the bus stop.

Dakota watched from a distance, as his parents seemed to fret over him. Getting in close to his personal space- scolding him for being gone so long, and wondering when he'd be back next- before his dad pulled him into a hug that lasted a little too long.

“Guys…” William complained, head lolling back, like he was still a teenager being embarrassed by his parents- 

It looked like his dad wasn't planning on letting go of him at all. His arms encircled around William, chin resting on his head- face constantly scrunching up, before it would return to normal- and for a second, Dakota was convinced that they'd be on that bus with them, going back to Rockfall.

Dakota was smiling for a bit. And then, slowly, that smile faded. (He didn't think that it was because he was sad- but, honestly, he couldn't really tell what it was.)

Eventually, William had to pull away, and with promises of returning for the holidays, William's parents left- and the two of them were finally left standing there. Alone.

“So…” Dakota's smile brimmed wide with teeth. “You're coming back for the holidays?”

“I promised.” He said. “Why, you wanna tag along?”

“Sure.”

“No plans for Christmas?” William asked, almost incredulously.

“I don't really celebrate Christmas.”

It was more of a family holiday. And Dakota-

Well, he had a family. He had his pack, his friends- and he was just brimming with excitement, at the thought of William finally getting to meet them- but nobody really celebrated Christmas the way it was traditionally celebrated. And Dakota couldn't remember what they did last year, but if he had to guess, they all probably just sat around a table, and had dinner together, like they did on most nights. 

Around the end of December… that's when his birthday was, vaguely. And that was usually why his friends were together, and celebrating something. Going to Deadwood during- maybe even before- Christmas, and leaving before the end of the month…

“We could definitely make the trip.” He decided. Maybe, if William liked his friends by the time that day came around, he could invite them all, too. 

He'd just have to figure out when it was- Dakota wasn't usually so good with remembering the dates- it was cold, he knew, but he didn't know if it was because it was getting closer to fall and winter, or if it was because they were just in Deadwood. 

He'd figure it out later. 

If he remembered, he thought grimly, as if he was above making spontaneous decisions.

“Thank you.” William said, mumbly and under his breath. Then, William leaned towards him, and Dakota stilled. 

His arm snaked around Dakota in this awkward half-hug, chin resting on his shoulder, like he wasn't really sure where to put it- or- like he was a cat, that was trying to show that it wanted to spend time with you, while also wanting as minimal contact as possible.

And, as William stayed there awkwardly, and as Dakota figured that this was as close as he was going to get, a smile split widely across Dakota’s face.

“What are you doing?” He cackled, and William shrunk away like he was embarrassed.

“Nothing.”

“Come here-” Dakota said, and despite William's immediate half-hearted complaints, Dakota pulled him into a proper hug. A good one. One that made William’s breath leave in one go- and one that made his back pop a bit, when Dakota squeezed tighter.

“Alright.” He patted his back hurriedly, and Dakota let him down. “You- you know, if I get hurt or- if my spine’s out of place, there's no fixing that.” He said, and Dakota couldn't keep the wide smile from his face, as William pointed at him accusingly- only because, even if it was strained, William was smiling too, “If a disk slips- that's it. Forever. I'm gonna have horrible back pain forever."

“I'll just give you more blood.” He said, simply, and William sighed. 

His hand lingered on Dakota's shoulder like he was steadying himself- but then, even after he seemingly felt fine, he kept it there.

-

William kept his promise, and went back to Rockfall with him.

And though Dakota was happy- hopping on that bus, and throwing his flannel over William to keep him from burning up in the sun- there was also a slight sense of guilt that followed him.

He trusted that William knew what he was doing. He trusted that William actually wanted to go back to Rockfall, and that he wasn't just- weird about seeing his family again, and continuing to be weird about it.

There was no way to know for sure. Dakota couldn't pick his brain. He couldn't be subtle, or smart about it, and do it in a way that William would never notice-

But he could wait, and see.

And if William ever changed his mind, Dakota could make the trip back to Deadwood with him at the drop of a hat.

-

William steadily got better. 

It was a subtle progress, but something Dakota noticed nonetheless.

When he first met William, he was this unmoving corpse hiding away in a storage closet. He was timid, and moody, and would've much rather stayed in that abandoned building sometimes, rather than go outside- and for the longest time, Dakota couldn't quite explain the draw he had to him-

But once William broke out of his shell, it seemed like he was a different person entirely. In a good way.

He got his old phone back, in order to keep in contact with his parents- and anyone else he might've wanted to talk to. (He even asked for Dakota's number to put in it, which was funny, since Dakota’s phone was constantly seconds away from shattering, and he couldn't remember the last time he even called anyone- but he complied anyway.) 

William cleaned up, in a way. He started feeding more, looking and sounding better- he started leaving that building more often, even without Dakota having to come over, and pull him out of it- and as he got better, Dakota became a lot less worried about him.

He still visited often- peeling off after having dinner with his friends, just to hang out with William for a bit. They were still friends, even if their first few interactions were based solely on curiosity, and worry about what he was doing next- 

But now, when they hung out, it was just a lot easier to breathe. 

-

“Where do you live?”

Dakota actually thought about the question. 

He considered continuing their walk around town as a wolf- letting the question hang in silence, and looking up at William, as if to ask- how can I respond, if I'm not even a human right now?- 

But then, he supposed, he asked William a million questions about his own life. So he curled forward, and stood on two legs as he turned into a human again- bumping into William’s shoulder, as he readjusted his balance. In turn, William's hand came out to steady him.

“I don't have a place. Really.” Dakota shrugged. He cycled through the different options in his mind. “Nowhere permanent. I stay at yours, sometimes…” 

He was either curled up in the storage closet with William, acting as a personal heater for him, and waiting for William's temperature to jump and try and meet his- or he was sprawled on the cool floors- which was, really, only a blessing whenever Dakota was already sleeping late, and it contrasted with the warmer air outside…

William winced. “Which you shouldn't.”

“Yeah, and you shouldn't, either.” He said, pointedly, and William looked away, like the topic suddenly had nothing to do with him. “I stay with my friends, sometimes… they'll leave the back door cracked open on full moons- and I like sleeping on the couch…”

There were plenty of claw marks on the side of that couch to prove that. Dakota clenching, and unclenching his fists in his sleep- waking up with fistful of couch stuffing in his hands- but his friends never seemed to mind the damage. They never replaced the couch, either.

“Do your friends live together?”

Dakota nodded. 

“But for the most part, I'm sleeping outside.”

“Outside?” William asked incredulously.

“Well.” He said. “Where do normal wolves sleep?”

“...” William didn't seem to think about it for very long. His eyebrows raised, like- oh, yeah, duh. Wild animals- but then, that expression vanished completely from his face, and he looked back at Dakota. There was still the unanswered aspect to it.

Wild wolves were wild.

Dakota was not a wild wolf. 

“You still have cobwebs in your hair.” Dakota said, a little defensively, and William ruffled his hair to get rid of them. If anything flew off, Dakota didn’t quite see it.

“You probably still have burrs stuck in yours.” William shot back- and Dakota didn’t want to run his fingers through his hair, and confirm that it was true-

…But it was something that William had noticed before, picking through his fur meticulously, and pulling it out- all while Dakota was anxiously waiting for him to stop looking for them.

“It’s nicer than it sounds!” He continued, waving him off literally and figuratively, “You’d get it, if you were a wolf- it’s just different.”

William’s eyes rolled, “That’s it? Me, your friends, or outside?”

Dakota itched his nose. There was one other option. It just wasn’t really feasible.

“I used to have this- pack, I think. Of werewolves But it was just me, and my grandma, and…” Dakota winced- what was he to him? His grandma's son. But definitely not his dad. “My… mentor.” He settled on.

“Okay…” William leaned in a bit.

Last time Dakota saw his mentor, they'd had an argument. Dakota stormed off, ran down the mountain- and then, when he figured that he was much happier being down in Rockfall, on his own, but free from any expectations, he stayed there.

It was nice. He had friends that didn't know anything about being a werewolf, so they couldn't- and wouldn't- nitpick anything. And even though Dakota was painfully social, and usually walked around with William whenever he had that craving during a full moon, there was also something that was just nice, about being independent.

“They live really deep in the woods.” He said, “And they don't like people very much, sometimes. So they stay up there… but they’re wolves, too, so it's not really different to me sleeping outside.”

William nodded along.

“Where are you going tonight?”

He thought about it. Shrugged.

“How do you feel about meeting my friends tonight?”

“Um.” William looked off to the side- as if the safety of that supply closet would be just around the corner, waiting for him to crawl back into it. 

Despite him getting better, there was always one aspect of himself that he could never really seem to shake. Dakota noticed it on every walk they took. Every time he ducked into a convenience store, or any place with people in it, really, William would stick to his side like glue-

He didn't do well, talking to people. Dakota noticed in their earlier days that he was only really chatty when he was a wolf- and now, after so many months of being friends, he was able to get out of that shell- and he has been steadily getting better about it- but Dakota could tell that it was just something he was  always gonna lean away from. 

That's why he was surprised, when William's head dipped down, and he muttered. “I mean. It's not too late outside…”

-

Dakota had a lot of friends around the city, but in his mind, there were two that mattered the most.

First, there was Ashe- who was the closest to a human than any of them were. 

He reminded Dakota of William, in a way- he was similarly reclusive, and quiet from staying inside most of his life… And yet, when William stepped through the door, and shook his hand, Ashe carried himself with a weird sort of confidence- like he could sense the anxiety coming off of William in waves, and he just stepped up to be a little less anxious about meeting someone new.

Then there was Vyncent, who was a vampire just like William was.

The minute they saw each other, it was like they could both tell. Sharpened incisors poking through their mouths, pointed teeth, piercing eyes- Vyncent knew that William was going to be a vampire, and yet, at William's startled face, he couldn't help but match it.

Dakota was feeling a whole wash of emotion. There was that irrational worry that they wouldn't get along, being constantly pushed down by the excitement of all of his friends actually getting together, and trying-

But all of his worries went away when they moved to the living room, and they actually got to talking. 

As the night drew on, conversation was civil and casual- but William was actually participating in it, and actually talking to himself, and actually spitting out those same dry jokes that Dajota had become so accustomed to hearing-

At one point, during it, Dakota had fallen asleep.

They were sitting on the couch, and keeping too still and quiet for too long must've signalled to his brain that he was ready to sleep- but he didn't really feel the urge to insert himself. He could hear them talking, still- which was such a good sign- 

But then, in the middle of it, Dakota’s shoulder was being shaken up. And when he opened his eyes, William was hovering over him.

“Vyncent and Ashe are making dinner.” He said, “Wanna run to the store real quick?”

-

The minute the front door was shut, and the two of them were far enough away from the house to be out of earshot, William looked back at him.

“You didn't tell me you had another vampire friend.” He said, and he sounded- it was so hard to tell, with William, because his voice was always so light, and airy- but it sounded a little higher. Which might've been a good sign.

Dakota racked his brain- but William could remember details like that much better than he could. So, even if he meant to tell William that Vyncent was a vampire, it might've just slipped his mind.

“I told you I wanted you to meet him.”

“How old is he?” He then started rattling off, on their walk back to his place, “How- you kept asking me questions about me being a vampire, when you could've just asked him. What's up with that?”

Vyncent didn't tell him much, until Dakota started seeing William regularly. 

He knew that Vyncent was hundreds of years old, but slept through most of it- not that long-death sleep, like William described, but Vyncent wouldn't tell him what. He knew Vyncent used to be in a coven, but has since disbanded from it. And he knew that, even though he said that he missed it sometimes, and never really liked talking about what it was like to live there.

“He doesn't like talking about it.” He just said. It was Vyncent’s business- not his.

“...” William seemed completely dissatisfied with that response. Nosy.

“Weren't you guys talking? Why didn't you ask him?”

“I- we- talked about other things!” He threw his hands up, and Dakota laughed at how quickly that frustration amped up. “And, besides- I just met him. Maybe it's a sensitive topic! And- we talked about those kinds of things when we were getting to know each other- but what if I didn't like talking about it?”

Dakota’s voice rose to a similar level. “Then I wouldn't have asked!”

But, unfortunately, William liked answering Dakota’s constant questions, and getting his own answered in turn. Which meant that any of that “mysterious allure" that he could've had was gone, the minute Dakota started asking.

He preferred this anyway, Dakota thought, as William looked back at him, and his teeth poked out with that smile of his-

Dakota’s face stung, and his eyes redirected for a second. But he couldn't help smiling in turn, too.

William gave him this weird feeling. Like there were a bunch of ants in his stomach, and crawling all along his body- and though the sensation probably should've been awful (since Dakota’s rolled over enough ant hills to know how it usually ended)- it just made him shake his arms out a little, and hyped up when they would eventually see each other again.

He did feel sickly sweet with his friends- they were his friends, his pack, and he'd die for every single one of them… (But sometimes, on some nights, his friendship with William would be felt a little too intensely, and it'd make him just a little more pleasantly sick.)

“Are we staying at your place, or going back to mine after dinner?”

“Mine.” Dakota said, immediately. “Vyncent has a pull-out couch.”

“The height of luxury…” William shook his head, and bumped into Dakota’s arm as they were walking. “Can't argue with that.”