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Owen is a vampire - it's a known fact - however, most people didn't know, until roughly an hour ago, was that he was never exactly human. He was human adjacent, and perfectly able to act as a human, he just wasn't one.
How had this discovery been made? Well, truthfully it was an accident. He had been taking a walk in the forest when he came upon Legundo, Cleo, and Pearl talking near a familiar plant. Legundo was gathering some of the leaves of the plant, though a few got slightly crushed. Normally, with the distance at which he was standing, Owen would've been totally unaffected, but unfortunately the doctor noticed him.
"Owen," he'd said in that tone of voice he only ever used when he was exhausted or for Owen. "I know you're there. You can come out."
Owen paused a moment, unmoving, before he climbed down a few branches of the tree he was in. He kept his distance, he still knew the consequences of getting to close. Cleo and Pearl seemed rather indifferent on the idea of Owen being there - they almost seemed to want to leave if anything.
"For an a human of your age you have rather good senses, Doctor." Truthfully it wasn't an actual insult about his age, Owen himself was over four times as old as him. But human hearing especially did start to go off as they got older. Especially when they were veterans. In fact, he knew by now Legundo didn't have the best hearing. Yet he always seemed to know when he was near.
"Why are you here, Owen?" Legundo always had a habit of saying his name a lot. It was always the same way too, flat in a way that carried too much emotion; sometimes it carried disappointment, other times a tinge of fear, but always a lingering amount of hope that clung to every word he spoke about the vampire.
"It's a free forest, closer to vampire territory actually. If anything I should ask what you three are doing here."
"We're simply gathering plants, not like any of you vampires will be using them."
"I didn't take you for the kind of man to have pet cats, Doctor." Owen too had a habit regarding Legs' name, he preferred to refer to him by his title. It helped, in his mind, to balance the common use of his own name - he himself could not even explain his own reasoning.
"Of course you don't, you hardly know anything about me."
Owen had scoffed, his pride and irritation had taken over every bit of his logical thinking and he jumped down from the tree. He started to walk closer but his damned vampiric senses made it impossible for him to resist, immediately his mind flooded with a cloudy layer of bliss. His brain felt like mush and he already knew his ears and tail had popped out of hiding.
It was simple enough a spell he used to hide them, yet so draining for a man who rarely had enough energy to fully exist in social settings or to walk around the entirety of the castle. He really preferred not having to redo the spell. But that wasn't an option.
The next 30 minutes or so were a blur to Owen.
Legundo, Cleo, and Pearl all stared in shock. Owen had cat ears and a tail. And they already thought he was strange.
Legundo can tell from the way his pupils were dilated that the catnip clearly affected Owen, at least enough to leave him hazy.
Pearl had always known there was something a little odd about Owen, a very animalistic part about him. She was never fully sure until now, though.
Cleo didn't care much. What he was didn't bother them so long as he kept to himself.
Owen slowly blinked once before his eyes stayed slightly more half-lidded than normal. He shifted the way he stood ever so slightly and within seconds he'd pounced on top of Legundo.
Legundo - now pinned to the ground - stared up at Owen, his own eyes wide. One of the vampire's ears twitch as a soft rumbling begins to erupt from his chest.
Legs tried several times to gently nudge the purring man atop him off, yet each time failed more than the last.
And now, in the present moment, Owen was barely starting to regain consciousness. With the help of Pearl and Cleo Legundo had managed to drag him back to town.
Yet even now he clung on to him like a lifeline. His purring had died down and he was nearly napping, he probably would be if not for his inability to sleep.
Truthfully the doctor didn't mind, Owen was cold but the gentle weight of another person was calming in all the right ways. He'd be a liar to say he never thought of this, or never hoped for something like this. He'd dreamed of this every time he thought of curing him. Maybe not exactly like this - the ears and the tail were simple some cruel twist of fate.
Of course it did cause him some guilt as well, should he push him off? Was this the same as not saying no to someone under the influence? Not that Owen was acting overly weird, just cuddly.
Cleo had somehow made a call to the coven, told them someone needed to come pick up Owen, so he understood this moment was already fleeting. He didn't want it to end - gods he sounded selfish - he wanted to relish in what they could be. Maybe a better man would've pushed him off, set him in a room where no damage could be done. Or he would've taken him to the coven himself. But, at least in this universe, Legundo was not that better man.
He knew that someone would be here to drag Owen home soon, and he knew he'd likely be unable to tell when exactly they arrived - he was missing an eye and deaf in one ear, it was easy for him to miss a lot of things. So, telling himself it was his final selfish act for the day, he pressed a gentle kiss on Owen's head, right between his two cat ears.
Just then his door swung open, revealing a slightly tired looking Cleo and a frantic looking Pyro.
Legundo rushed to get up so they didn't get the wrong idea - which, in all actuality, was the right idea. He was careful not to accidentally fling Owen since he was, no matter how strong, quite underweight.
Pyro stares wide-eyed and clearly confused, Cleo obviously failed to explain exactly what happened.
"Wha- Was he hit with a spell of some kind? A curse?"
"No, of course not," Legundo was quick to assure. "He got too close to catnip, I'm assuming he's always been like this and just...Hiding it somehow."
"Hiding...That? How would he even-?"
"I don't know, you'll have to ask him yourself once he wake up."
"Okay then, uh, I guess I'll take him back to the castle."
Legundo doesn't say a word more, simply helping Pyro to hold Owen properly in a way that wouldn't cause much discomfort.
As they arrive at the castle multiple animals can be heard fleeing, and if not for the fact that he had more pressing matters, Pyro likely would've went to hunt a couple of them. He was hungry at the moment, of course. The hunger was always there, an ever looming presence that was hard to ignore.
Yet for once it wasn't horrible, their mind too clouded with a million questions to focus on the urge to consume. Was Owen actually some kind of cat person? Why hadn't he said anything before? Would he let them write about this? Where would he even go about finding information about this?
It wasn't hard to carry Owen from town to back to the castle, even as dead weight he was barely noticeable. It really did feel like carrying a cat.
They took Owen to the more normal liking of his two rooms, the one actually in the castle. The curtains were closed for maximum comfort, if any light seeped in it would only be annoying if not mildly painful.
He tried to set Owen down gently on his bed, yet as soon as he tried to leave Owen yanked on his coat and pulled him into bed with him. At first Pyro tried to wiggle his way out, but quickly enough he realized it was a fruitless endeavor. Owen was light in weight, yes, but he was also scarily strong - even when half asleep.
Pyro sighed and let the elder of the two curl up against his side. They laid together quite a while - it was peaceful and relaxing for both parties, neither had been able to relax much their whole lives.
Owen was consciousness by this point - he had been since he felt a soft his between his ears - but he pretended not to be. No one would question him for being cuddly if he was half asleep, it was better for everyone this way.
Owen didn't move - aside from occasionally grabbing their arm a little harder just to release it in moments - until he felt Pyro press a gentle kiss to the top of his head, right between his ears. He didn't understand why everyone had the urge to do that, it seemed stupid. Not he minds. He truly does love it, even if he'd never say so.
One of his ears twitches, and - just like when Legs kissed between his ears - he pretends that he can't feel the blush that's dusted over his cheeks and his more human ears at the moment.
Owen normally wouldn't let himself do this, let himself relax so much, but his biggest secret was just revealed to everyone - and what better time to act abnormal than when he's technically "under the influence?" In all honesty he just needed a little break. After all he was exhausted - he'd woken up to people invading his town and yelling and acting insane, and he was dealing with the fact that he couldn't figure out who he liked romantically. His only prior experience was with Louis and that was short lived.
Truthfully he wished he understood love better, he could see the similarities between Legundo and Louis but Pyro was different from them both. Pyro didn't want to help or fix him, he simply adored him for who he was. And he didn't understand why either. For a while Pyro followed Scott like a lost puppy, but now - since Avid has showed up as a vampire - he'd was following Owen about.
And the weirdest part? He loved it. He still loved his peace and quiet, of course, but it almost felt wrong when Pyro wasn't actively near him.
Owen's snapped out of his thoughts when Pyro brought a hand up to his head, gently scratching behind his ears. His purring picked up as he subconsciously leaned into his touch.
Pyro simply took in the moment, happy to be able to be this close to Owen for once. So maybe he got a tiny bit caught up in the moment. Owen couldn't hear him...Right?
"You're so cute when you're not being murderous." Their voice is quiet, like the second they speak too loud this will all be over.
Pyro themself didn't have much experience with love, the most he had was talk about being made to marry some noblewoman. They never got to meet her, nor do they really care that they didn't. Other than that there was Scott. But Scott wasn't really love, his relationship with him was built on fear and any attachment formed was twisted in every sense. Yet with Owen he knew he wanted him. With Owen he couldn't help but wonder what kissing him would feel like - rough, he had decided, since his lips were always slightly chapped and he seemed like the aggressive kisser type.
They let out a sigh and accidentally voiced one of their thoughts. "God I'm pathetic."
Owen, forgetting that he was pretending to be asleep, lightly laughed. "Yes, you are."
Pyro jumps slightly and they both freeze, their faces as red as undead men can get. Pyro, as soon as he's out of his daze, tries to move away immediately.
Owen is quick to pull them back down on instinct, holding them with a firm hand on their chest. One of his ears twitch as he forced himself to stare them down.
"I- I'm sorry- I thought you were asleep-"
"You apologize too much."
"Sorry-!" They say on instinct. Maybe he's right, but it's a habit he carried from being around his parents and then Scott, it's not really his fault.
"Say sorry one more time -" he bring the hand not on their chest up to hold their chin, forcing them to look at him - "And I will personally insure you shut up."
Pyro stares up wide eyed, and that alone nearly breaks Owen's restraint. They swallow, a reaction of fear mixed with surprise- or so Owen assumes.
Pyro is too nervous to talk, well maybe flustered was a better word. He wanted to stare Owen in the eyes, or rather he should, but he pulls his gaze away from Owen's lips. They were slightly chapped as always but from here they could see a small scar on his upper lip. He can't help but wonder what his blood would taste like if he bit his lip, or tongue.
Owen stares skeptically for a moment, unsure on if they're actually listening. "Understand?"
Pyro takes a very small breath in, his gaze jumping to meet Owen's as he stutters out a response. "Yes- Yep, understood- Sorry-"
Owen's tail flicks once or twice as he harshly pull Pyro's face closer to his. They barely had time to blink before Owen's lips were on theirs. It was supposed to be aggressive, that was clear, but he was way too gentle for it to truly be anything but sweet.
It ended as quickly as it started. Owen pulled away first, of course. "Clearly you don't understand."
Pyro, senses so overwhelmed and brain lagging, can't help but mutter another apology. "I- Sorry-"
Owen sighs before pulling him into another kiss. This one is longer, Owen even taking the time to run his tongue across each of their teeth. It's not a short kiss by any means, but Pyro still wishes it were longer.
"Understand yet?"
The two had gone on like that a while, after all it was a promise of a free kiss so long as Pyro said one word.
Eventually, after the kissing had stopped, Pyro ended up asking about Owen's newer appearance - had he always been like that? why did he hide it? - until he felt satisfied.
Unfortunately, however, the doc wanted to examine Owen with his ears and tail out. Owen only reluctantly agreed because of the promise of catnip.
So now he stood, letting Legundo gently pull at his ears and poke at his tail. He only then remembered why he hated doctor's appointments, it was all the same no matter how often one promised they were different.
"How did you even hide these?" The doctor's voice has slipped from his usual Owen voice into his work voice.
"Magic, it's not that complicated."
"I guess that makes sense...Why did you hide them, then?"
"What was is supposed to do? Be even more of a freak in town?"
"You're not a freak, Owen." And there's his usual voice he uses with him.
"Don't act like you know me, Doctor." Legundo simply sighed and grabbed Owen's face, using his thumb to lift his upper lip as he inspected his fangs. And, for the second time since his secret was out, Owen almost lost all restraint.
It was dead quiet until Owen decided to break the silence. "Like what you see, Doc?"
It was meant to be a jab at how long he was taking to look at his fangs, yet Legundo blushes and pulls away. "This is a professional place, Owen."
"Do you look at all your patients teeth then? Or am I just lucky?"
"You're different..."
"Why? Because I'm already vampire or a catfolk? Either way that seems racist."
"What- No- Gahh...You're different from a normal patient, Owen, for so many reasons."
"Like what?"
Legundo, sleep deprived and exhausted, sighs before pulling Owen by the collar into a kiss. He regrets every second of it, yet he only pulls away when he need to breath.
Owen is stunned for a moment, considering, before he grabs Legundo's short hair and hugs him into another, rougher kiss. It's mostly teeth and passion, a mix of pent up emotions all poured out into one - or two, or a dozen - kisses between the two.
When Owen finally leaves he finds Pyro waiting for him at home, meanwhile Legundo was covered in small hickeys and bite marks in his house.