Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Everything was warm and comfortable as Avid slowly woke up. It smelled like home, not like the castle, but truly like home. He could hear someone humming from the other room a tune that was so familiar and he knew that only she knew it though it couldn’t be her. He thought for a single moment that he was dreaming though that couldn’t be the case. Vampires couldn’t sleep after all unless he was cursed like Scott was.

Then he realized that he woke up, which shouldn’t be happening. There wasn’t the constant pain in his neck that was always there before he was turned by Shelby so everything in Oakhurst couldn’t have just been a dream. He could still faintly feel that constant hunger that came with being a vampire though it was less. It was so much less than it should be which wasn’t right. None of this was right. He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be home.

He should be dead in the crypt. In the grave that he dug for himself. He shouldn’t be hearing her humming come to a stop as he begins to panic and steps rush towards him. He killed her and he didn’t deserve any form of comfort after everything he’s done. He didn’t deserve an afterlife much less one that he could share with her.

“Avid, calm down. Everything is fine. I know it's a lot to adjust to though everything is fine. I’m here and I’m not going to leave,” said Elle as she brought him into a hug which was only slightly comforting.

He took in a breath despite knowing it was completely unnecessary. “Wh-what’s going on?”

“It’s hard to explain, Avid. Though we’re both fine and we’re here again.” Elle pulled away and he could only focus on Elle for a moment before he saw the darkness that covered her body. The same darkness that infected the wound on his neck now covered Elle’s body in blotches and she had a horn. He knew if his heart still beat it would have been going miles a minute. “It’s not your fault, Avid. It was never your fault.”

“I should be dead, Elle. He put a stake through my heart.” He realized that he had done the same to her months ago though that was different. She wasn’t a vampire, but he was.

“I thought the same when I first woke up though we aren’t. We’re together again and I’m not going to let anything else separate us,” muttered Elle as she went back to hugging him. It was nice to feel warm and comfortable for a moment. He hadn’t felt that in a long time and it was even longer since she hugged him. “Come on. Let’s get up and you can talk about what happened whenever you want to.”

Avid nodded and let Elle lead him to their dining room table where there was only a little bit of space that wasn’t covered with what he quickly recognized was his research with a few additions. There were going to be things that he needed to change now after his time in Oakhurst. “I don’t even know where to start, Elle. It… it was complicated and… yeah. I’m sure you can figure out some of the rest.”

“Was the guy at least good looking?” asked Elle with a sigh as she took a sip from her tea which Avid didn’t even notice.

“I-I don’t even know what you're talking about,” squeaked Avid and it really did remind him of the bats that were constantly hanging around Oakhurst. He thanked whatever higher being existed that it was Elle with him instead of anyone else.

Elle started to laugh and leaned forward like nothing had changed and for a moment Avid forgot that anything had happened. “I mean I didn’t see a tailor in Oakhurst and I know you never owned anything like that. So who did you steal the outfit from because I assume he also turned you too.”

“He didn’t turn me,” responded Avid as he tried to not think about Scott. He didn’t want to reach out to his bond with the rest of the coven to feel nothing. He didn’t know what happened after his death and he didn’t want to reach out into nothingness caused by either their deaths or whatever happened to him to make it so he was like this.

“So he was good looking.” Avid really hoped that he wasn’t blushing and that maybe he still couldn’t blush because of the amount of time was a vampire.

The two sat in silence for a while before he couldn’t let the question linger on his mind any longer. “What was Oakhurst like when you took me away from there?”

“Quiet. Didn’t see anyone when I dragged you out of that place. I felt people though I never saw anyone. I just wanted to get you out of there so you wouldn’t be alone,” admitted Elle after a moment of thought.

“Then they could still be alive,” said Avid as he perked up slightly. There’s still the chance that Scott, Drift, and Shelby were alive. He forced himself to not think that there was equally as high of a chance that Owen and Pyro were alive because he needed to focus on some little sliver of hope that some of the people he cared about back there were alive or as alive as vampires were.

It really wasn’t that difficult of a trip originally to Oakhurst and even if he was weak after everything that had happened, he was still strong. He doubted whatever he became would make him weaker than he had been when he was human so traveling shouldn't be the hard part. The real problem would be if anyone… He pushed those thoughts because of course people would care that he was still alive to a certain extent. He rushed quickly to his small area and grabbed whatever might be useful to him at the moment. Some of the leftover potions he kept here must still be kind of useful to him regardless of what he was. “Avid, what are you doing?”

“I have to go back to Oakhurst. I don’t want them to think I’m gone,” replied Avid as he looked over his supplies and couldn’t help but to think what he packed was good enough. He doubted he needed much and if push came to shove he could do a little bit of hunting.

“I- They killed you there. They aren’t going to stop now that they know you’re alive.” Avid ignored Elle’s desperation because if he lingered too long then there was the chance that more could die.

“If I don’t go now then the people I care about there could die. They could do something rash and stupid because of my death and I don’t want anyone else to die because of me. I- I don’t think I can handle another person dying because of me, Elle,” cried Avid as he slung the bag over his shoulder.

He heard Elle sigh and pull out her old hunting gear. Avid purposely avoided looking at the stake that was carefully attached to her belt. It made his chest hurt and he really didn’t want to think about the fact that at a moment’s notice that stake can be driven through his chest. “Fine. But I’m not letting you go alone, Avid. Not after what happened the last time you were there.”

“Thank you, Elle. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for this,” said Avid as he hugged Elle about as tightly as he could and ignored how much dread he felt about the stake that was so close to his chest.

Elle just started to laugh slightly and he could have sworn he heard something that resembled a purr from her which comforted him more than he would like to admit. “You don’t even need to think about repaying me for a single thing. We’re partners and we do things for each other, no strings attached. Now come on, if things are as dire as you think then we better get moving then.”

“Yeah you're right, let’s get going. I really do want to introduce you to everyone there who I care about,” said Avid as he wiped away his tears and walked out the door alongside Elle for the first time in a very long time.

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The air around Oakhurst was almost suffocating to Avid and he couldn’t decide if it was because of whatever curse was entrenched into the land or if he was terrified about what might happen. He knew that Elle had noticed. He could see the concern in her eyes though he chose to believe that it was because of the land itself instead of his anxiety. It didn’t get rid of his guilt because he was the reason why Elle was here to begin with though the idea that the land was solely at fault helped.

Though the moment Avid saw the town empty and the walls still burnt he felt a small bit of comfort. There wasn’t the smell of smoke anymore and the ashes settled into the soil after what was probably many storms though despite the time that has passed there weren’t any humans still in Oakhurst. They might have all left the moment that barrier created by the beacons fell but he would rather not think about those anymore.

Avid took a deep breath and walked towards where he knew Scott’s castle was because that seemed his best option to maybe find someone. He felt some of his apprehension lift as Elle grabbed his hand and gently squeezed it. “I’m not going to let anything like what was done to you happen again, Avid.”

“Thanks, Elle,” responded Avid as he squeezed her hand back just to help ground himself more. He needed to get away from the cursed town already and hopefully back to the only people who cared about him after he lost Elle. She hummed quietly and didn’t comment on how Avid started to walk faster because he just needed to get back to the castle.

As the pair approached the castle he picked up very quickly on the scent that he knew was his coven’s. For the first time since he woke up he felt the hunger be noticeable and a small bit of annoyance from the sun. It was almost overwhelming to feel his vampiric instincts wake up without a warning though then he couldn’t stop himself from feeling relieved. He hasn’t been completely changed by being killed which he maybe should have expected considering he was still him after he was turned. The vampiric instincts were certainly less than what they had been before he was staked though they were still there which was more comforting than he ever thought that they would be.

He couldn’t help but to quicken his pace slightly because there was definitely a pull that was yelling at him to go back to the castle. He needed to go back to his home- Avid stopped completely which made Elle stumble into him slightly and he caught himself before he could fall over. “What just happened?” asked Elle as she caught up with him between gasps.

“I think the vampiric instincts woke up,” answered Avid quickly as he sorted through all of his emotions. He couldn’t help but to feel guilty as he realized that he felt like the castle was his second home even once he fully separated his instincts from his actual feelings. If anything he felt like his instincts only intensified his emotions which the more he thought back on it explained a lot.

“Are you okay? We-”

“Completely,” blurted out Avid before Elle could push ahead of him and see just how flustered he had become. “It was just a lot to deal with for a moment though there’s no need to worry about it anymore. Everything is completely under control and fine.”

Avid started walking again and hurried his way across the bridge before Elle could protest. “It’s okay to not be alright, Avid.”

“I’m fine, Elle-” Avid really couldn’t help but to let out a squeak as Elle put a firm hand on his shoulder and made him look at her. “Just embarrassed. I just realized I did a few embarrassing things because of those instincts.”

She stood there completely still for a second before a look of relief went over her face and she let go of him. It stood out to him for a second that it should be terrifying that despite being a vampire or similar to a vampire she was much stronger than him still though any terror melted away as she started to laugh. “Just say so next time. I’m not going to question everything that goes on because you became a vampire though you really do need to update your research. I honestly thought that something like what you said in your research just happened.”

“I already know that and I’m going to be honest with you, Scott knows a lot more about being a vampire than I do and I’m sure he would be more than happy to talk about it,” mumbled Avid as he continued to cross the still crumbling bridge. He noted quickly that it was in a very similar state to what it was when he was staked but he pushed aside all of the anxious thoughts completely to the side.

As Avid walked closer to the castle he realized the pull he felt wasn’t coming from the castle but further up the mountainside. He knew that Elle said something though he really could only focus on finally answering whatever was calling him. There was a path up that wasn’t there before that stood out to him primarily because there wasn’t anything beside trampled grass that indicated it was ever traveled. He knew that Elle was still behind him though he just needed to see what was at the end of the path.

He froze the moment he saw Scott again at the end of the path looking at a grave with a single wither rose being planted by it. Even from the distance he was at he could see the words engraved into the stone. ‘Here lies Avid.’

Avid tried to say something as he took steps closer to the grave though he couldn’t muster a single word at the moment much less before he accidentally made a noise. A twig snapped before he could say anything to Scott which made the elder vampire turn in an instance to look directly at him.

“I- You made- You made me a grave.” That was the only thing that he could say as he met Scott’s eyes.

There were what seemed like a thousand emotions that were running through the elder vampire’s eyes. Though what did stand out to Avid was shock which was something that he never thought he would see from Scott. “Of course, I did.”

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For a single moment Scott thought that maybe vampires could hallucinate or dream because there was no reason for Avid to be standing in front of him. Avid was dead though here he was weeks after everyone else had left Oakhurst and before he could finally avenge him. Scott knew that he couldn’t be seeing Avid or even hearing Avid though he couldn’t help but to continue trying to talk to him. “You deserved a better resting place than what Pyro and Owen made you dig, you deserved so much better than what those two traitors did to you.”

“I don’t know what to say,” laughed Avid as he walked closer to Scott. The instance that Avid started to hug him made him realize that the other was actually here. That he wasn’t hallucinating somehow and that Avid was here with him right now. Scott didn’t know how though right now he couldn’t care about the how when his most loyal fledgling was standing in front of him. He didn’t care that Avid was technically Shelby’s because she was far too young to even think about having a fledgling so Avid was his.

“A thank you would be nice,” purred Scott as he started to hug Avid. He didn’t care as his claws dug into Avid’s clothes and could easily ruin them. It wouldn’t be the end of the world to have Avid steal more clothes from his wardrobe and it would be a worthy sacrifice to have proof that Avid was really here.

“Well then thank you,” said Avid with a smile as he looked up at Scott and he could see all the ways that Avid had changed. At a glance he hadn’t changed though if he focused for a bit too long Scott could see small black horns growing out of his head. There was a black scar on Avid’s neck that Scott quickly decided was the wound that never healed and was slowly killing Avid before Shelby turned him.

Scott gently kissed the top of Avid’s head which made the other laugh slightly. He heard someone cough and Scott’s attention was instantly drawn away from Avid for just a moment. There was a woman who was standing a distance away and he noted that she had such similar scarring to Avid along with a singular black horn. “Would you guys like me to give you some privacy?”

“Not at all. I apologize for not introducing myself to you earlier,” responded Scott as he stopped hugging Avid for a moment and instead just placed an arm around him. “I’m Scott Goldsmith and I’m sure you’ve deduced I’m the lord of this land.”

She shifted slightly and glanced towards Avid before looking slightly more comfortable. Scott quickly looked at Avid to see him quickly stop moving though he was still smiling at the woman. “Elle. I’m a childhood friend of Avid’s and his old hunting partner.”

Scott almost made a comment about her being remarkably relaxed for a vampire hunter despite being in front of a powerful vampire until he realized just how pointless it would be. Elle very clearly wasn’t human anymore and she obviously was fine around Avid despite the fact that he also looked like he was a vampire. Then he remembered that Avid said he killed his partner because he thought that she was a vampire with a stake through the heart. He felt himself frown slightly as he realized that there was something clearly off about the pair though he quickly went back to his carefully practiced smile. “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you then, Elle, especially since I’ve become quite fond of your friend.”

“I can tell,” snickered Elle and Scott was almost insulted by the fact that she was bold enough to laugh at him until his eyes landed on Avid. He was playing with the edges of his cloak all while avoiding looking either Scott or Elle in the eye.

Scott let out a chuckle which made Avid look up at him and smiled right at the younger vampire. “You should know better than anyone that I’m not the kind of person to hide my favor, Avid, especially since you’ve seemed so fond of my favor in the past. I mean I can stop any time you want if you just say the word.”

“Don’t,” blurted out Avid which caused both Scott and Elle to laugh. He could definitely tell that he and Elle would end up getting along especially since she clearly wasn’t a vampire hunter anymore. Which really was a good thing because he doubted that he could get away with separating the pair without all hell breaking loose and Scott wasn’t the kind of person to get into a fight with something he didn’t understand.

“Then I won’t, darling. Though we really should be heading in soon considering how early it is getting and I’m sure you both understand my dislike of the sun,” stated Scott as he started to walk down the path towards the castle.

He paused as Avid turned back to his grave and just observed him for a second to figure out what exactly the other was doing. Avid happily walked up to his grave and then gently picked the wither rose without even flinching or reacting to the adverse effects of the flower. “What? I thought it was pretty and I’ve heard they’re really useful in alchemy but I’ve never had the chance to work with them.”

It took everything in Scott’s being to not tell Avid that he shouldn’t be able to carry the rose so nonchalantly because those flowers harmed even vampires. Then his eyes were drawn to Avid’s hands. There was a thin trail of black liquid that was coming out a small cut made by the flower’s thorns. He knew that it was blood. He had seen it once before, a very long time ago, though he quickly looked away the moment he remembered where he saw it. It certainly explained how Avid was standing right in front of him despite being staked and how he was carrying the wither rose without a single care in the world. Scott couldn’t stop himself from laughing and looked directly at Avid who he knew could stay by his side forever if the other wanted. “That’s why I chose it. And it reminded me so much of you.”

“Aw, thanks.” Avid smiled right up at Scott and he was reminded exactly why he did get more attached to him than he should have. That look of adoration that was so completely unconditional even after everything that has happened will never get old to Scott and he could only hope that he would never stop looking at him like that.

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“So everyone else is in the Capitol?” asked Avid as he took a small cutting from the wither rose because it really would be a waste to not make a small garden of them considering how rare they were. It was nice to have Scott reading a book next to him while Avid was slowly making progress with planting and watering the small section of the courtyard he claimed.

Scott looked up from what he was reading and there was a slight frown on the other's face. “The majority are though there are a few who are wandering the world from my understanding. Drift and Shelby are there and they are the only ones there who I do care about.”

There was something that Scott wasn’t telling him and the more he thought the reason became clear. Pyro said that he was going to go back to the Capitol and share the gift with the people there. Avid bit the inside of his cheek and just focused on the plants for a moment. Though the whole time the word hypocrite echoed through his head until it really became loud to ignore. “Do you know if he’s turned anyone yet?”

“I haven’t felt anyone being turned so no. He hasn’t turned a person yet and neither has anyone else thankfully,” answered Scott after a long moment. Avid let out a sigh as he wiped some dirt off his pants and deemed his work good enough. “If you would like I’m sure the two of us can easily find him and ensure that he doesn’t personally.”

“Really,” stated Avid and he almost went to hug Scott before he realized that he was still covered in dirt. He would thank Scott later he decided as he started to head back inside the castle. He needed to tell Elle about this because he knew that she was going to want to tag along with them. Though more important to Avid at the moment was that he got to tell Drift and Shelby that he was alive again and then introduce the two of them to Elle.

Scott laughed and followed Avid back into the castle. “Of course, I would be more than happy to finally deal with Pyro after so long, especially if it makes you worry a little less.”

“You’re the best, Scott. Though I’m a bit more excited to see Drift and Shelby. They’re going to be so happy to know that I’m still alive.” Avid quickly changed into something that was actually clean and not covered in dirt because he still did want to hug Scott and he knew very well that the other didn’t like getting dirty.

“I can assure you that they’ll be elated. Shelby will probably be thrilled to see you considering how uncommon demons are and how few are actually sociable,” said Scott as he brought Avid into a hug.

This was probably the first time that Avid didn’t completely melt in one of Scott’s hugs as he thought through exactly what he said. “What?”

“Did you not realize that both you and Elle are demons now?” asked Scott as he pulled away from him. Avid started to frown slightly at the other moving away from him so soon though after a moment Scott let out a sigh and pulled Avid closer.

“I thought that they were myths,” responded Avid as he started to get comfortable in Scott’s arms.

He smiled as he felt Scott laugh before he could hear the noise while he started to sway back and forth just slightly. “You believed in vampires though you thought that demons were a myth. My sweet, precious Avid, you really are so ridiculous sometimes. Like did you not believe in zombies before stepping into Oakhurst?”

“I- Elle was always the one on the front lines and I trusted her to tell me what exactly she was fighting against.” Avid did pull away from Scott just to make sure the other knew exactly how frustrated he was at the insinuation that the creatures he believed in were ridiculous. As Avid started to pout Scott began to laugh even harder which almost brought a smile to Avid’s face though he resisted the urge and kept on frowning slightly. “And I’ll let you know that I’ve seen zombies first hand long before coming to Oakhurst and Elle told me about them multiple times. I was the one who disinfected her injuries after getting attacked by them afterall.”

“You really aren’t helping your case,” responded Scott once he slowly stopped laughing. He had no right to still look so put together and handsome as he wiped away a stray tear from his eyes.

Avid quickly let out a frustrated huff and purposely looked away from Scott. “You act like me not believing in demons is any more ridiculous than you not believing in Bigfoot. It makes perfect sense especially since you said that demons are rare and aren’t exactly social.”

“The difference between the two of us is that demons are quite common in myth and folklore while both of us only learned about Bigfoot from Shelby.” Scott placed a hand on Avid’s shoulder and then squeezed it which did make him smile a little bit.

“I hope you remember this conversation once we find Bigfoot,” responded Avid until he realized that he might have just dug himself into an even deeper hole.

He was sure that Scott would have fallen over in laughter if he wasn’t holding onto Avid. “Since when did you start believing in Bigfoot?”

“I don’t but-”

Scott kissed Avid before he could finish and then had the most smug grin on his face. “I’m going to stop you right there, darling. I really don’t want you to go on a wild goose chase right before we head off to the Capitol. I think Shelby and Drift would be upset that I lost you before they got the chance to see you again.”

“I’m not going to chase any geese soon, Scott, so I suppose you’re safe from Drift and Shelby’s wrath for the time being,” joked Avid before he pulled Scott down into a kiss. It was nice and he smiled even more when he realized that it really would only get better from now on. Nothing was going to stop this from getting better and he would make sure of that.

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“So,” said Avid as he finally met up with Elle again after she had thoroughly explored the woods and marked every good hunting spot. “How upset would you be if I told you that we might be going to the Capitol to meet some of my old friends and also get a little bit of revenge?”

“It depends on what the revenge is for and how soon,” responded Elle with a smile on her face that he was sure would be vaguely threatening to anyone who didn’t know her. Though Avid knew better than anyone else that as long as he wasn’t seeing that smile from the other side of a sword then he was fine.

“It’s against the guy who staked me and I think Scott was going to send a message to some of our friends in the city that he’s coming so they don’t get scared by his appearance. So I don’t know how long that is going to take though it probably shouldn’t take too long,” rambled on Avid for a moment.

Avid really couldn’t quite figure out if Elle’s reaction was a good one or a bad one considering he was sure that there was a slight look of horror on her face though it was primarily one of shock. That was better to focus on especially as Elle placed both of her hands on his shoulders. “You can’t just brush past the fact that we’re getting revenge on the guy who tried to kill you and that we know where he is.”

“Well, I only learned that he was alive today when I was chatting with Scott and I don’t know exactly where he is. Also I don’t know where the other guy who tried to kill me is so it's only half of the revenge.” Avid let out a nervous laugh as Elle sighed and let go of Avid.

“Do you at least have a plan? I don’t want anything bad to happen and then there’s… Oh god, how are we going to fit into the city?” Elle started to pace back and forth which did quickly make Avid even more anxious. “Like your horns are still easily hidden by your horn though I can’t really hide mine and my markings are so much more obvious than yours though even yours are still really visible.”

Elle was rambling and Avid couldn’t really blame her especially when he also failed to think through something as small as that. It wasn’t a problem when the two of them were traveling to Oakhurst because there really aren’t a ton of people around Oakhurst who would spot them though the Capitol was full of people. He really didn’t think anything through and he just got too focused on seeing Shelby and Drift again after so long and the whole demon thing. He forgot about the whole demon thing. More importantly he has to tell Elle about the whole demon. “You’re right and why did Scott think this was a good idea especially after what he just told me?”

Avid also started to pace and counted the precise number of steps it took to get him from one edge of the great hall to the other. “What did Scott just tell you, Avid?” asked Elle as she stopped pacing for a moment right in front of Avid. He froze completely and made eye contact with him and he couldn’t help but to play with the edges of his cloak.

“Scott thinks the two of us are demons and I don’t know how it works though he did sound pretty confident and I know he wouldn’t lie to me,” blurted out Avid before he went back to pacing. At least that was something that he didn’t have to worry about anymore and it seemed like a weight was lifted off of Elle’s shoulders.

Though she did start pacing back and forth but it was less nervous than before like his which definitely meant that she was planning. Elle did always say she thought better while moving so it clearly made sense. Unfortunately Avid still was nervously pacing because he really didn’t want to leave Elle completely alone in this castle after both of them reunited. So he also needed to start planning because he refused to leave Elle and he did want to make sure that she did get the chance to meet Shelby and Drift.

“Is there a reason you're trying to wear out the floor boards or is it just for fun?” asked Scott which almost stopped Avid in his tracks though he quickly recovered and went back to pacing.

“We have to plan for the trip to the Capitol,” answered Elle while barely glancing up at Scott. The vampire hummed and then glanced directly at Avid which made it obvious that it was his turn to speak next.

Avid completely stopped in his tracks and looked Scott right in his eyes. “Like how are we going to hide this?” asked Avid as he made general gestures towards himself and slightly to Elle. “I mean we don’t exactly pass very well as humans.”

“Do you two really not notice that you're constantly keeping up an illusion?” asked Scott after a moment before laughing. “Like I can only see through it so easily because of my age though I’m sure to a regular person you look more human than me.”

Elle stopped pacing at that and she did very clearly relax. Avid couldn’t help but to be relieved to see she wasn’t nearly as worried anymore. “That… That certainly explains why you didn’t have any concerns about us.”

“Wait, how do we just keep up illusions constantly and not even notice? I mean I feel like it should take a little bit of thought like invisibility,” added Avid.

Scott just shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not an expert in this kind of thing. Shelby will probably have a better answer or maybe someone in the Capitol will. We can go look around especially since I’m sure you two are going to want to spend some time around the university. I’m sure there’ll be some texts on the topic.”

Avid hummed because it would be nice to actually go to a library and do some research on the demon thing. Also it was a good excuse to see more text on alchemy to figure out how to make his potions slightly more potent because it would always be useful to be better at his craft. Though it did remind him that he did need to come up with some kind of plan because he doubted that Pyro would be nearly as easy to deal with as some of the other hunts he and Elle have done.