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"Sit, doc."
They were just outside the walls of Oakhurst, far enough away from the small recovering town that they wouldn't be interrupted, but close enough that if anything somehow went wrong it would be easy to return. A pile of blankets and pillows lay on the grass, along with a chess board—a hobby Legundo had started to indulge in after almost everyone else had left the town behind—already set up. Pearl and Owen were stood in a more open space and the taller vampire gave him a friendly wave.
Neither of them intervened as Legundo turned his attention to his final beloved who'd spoken.
Cleo stood with her arms crossed, stubbornly waiting, her head tilted in that way that Legundo knew from experience meant 'try me'. He also knew after a little under a year of sharing their company that this wasn't something he wanted to do, so he sat. He wasn't going to be quiet about it though.
"Is this strictly necessary?"
"Yes. The anniversary is coming up and you haven't been sleeping or eating, and those two need to blow off steam."
Okay, if Legundo took a moment to actually think, to take stock, he hadn't slept for longer than an hour or two in more than a week, he certainly hadn't drunk any blood within that time frame. He may not be searching for a cure any longer but he was still researching, testing, helping—still useful. The four of them were the only ones who'd chosen to remain in Oakhurst after… all of that; but humans had slowly returned to the town to settle amongst the ruins and rebuild around the four vampires.
What all of that actually meant is that Legundo had quickly reestablished himself as the town doctor, and as expected… he was busy. Often. So he didn't sleep. Especially not when the little sleep he did get often brought nightmares of gunshots and ghosts.
"I'm fine, Cleo,"
"Here's the deal, Legs." She ignored his obvious lie, "We play chess, they spar. If you win no harm no foul. If I win then we leave—not forever, just a week or so—and get some rest from our town. Sound fair?"
"Leave? Cleo, love, we can't leave- what if the curse comes back? What if the town gets destroyed? What if someone gets injured?"
"I sent word to M, he agreed to come visit for a few days and just keep an eye out," She sat, gracefully, on the ground beside him as though that settled the matter.
Legundo sighed, "That's wonderful but," What was the most tactful way to put this? "are we sure M is capable of protecting them? What if he loses control?"
"That's why I also asked Abolish, he said he wanted to visit the graves on the anniversary anyway and could stay an extra few days if it was to ensure the town's safety from M. I think he just wanted a holiday, really, but he'll be there too."
Cleo moved her first piece and slipped her hand into Legundo's in the same moment, letting out a fond huff in the quiet as he tried to come up with some fatal flaw in her plan.
"Come on, love, for now just enjoy a quiet half an hour, those two will be exhausted after that long anyway,"
The doctor looked over to where Pearl was preparing for the spar and Owen- Owen was staring right back at Legs with a half-smile somewhere between affectionate and so wonderfully stubborn that he couldn't help but smile back and sigh.
It was difficult to remind himself, sometimes, that the barrier had been down for a year, that most of them had made it out, that his life had changed so greatly.
The air charged with something and though no words had been spoken, Pearl launched herself at Owen: claws and fangs bared in a smile as she aimed to tackle him to the ground. The older vampire laughed, ducking out of the way; Pearl landed with a roll and was back on her feet right in time to catch Owen's claws mid-swing, he tore his hand away and they began to circle one another, red glittering in their eyes in the setting autumn sun.
Legundo turned his attention to the board, giving Cleo's hand a squeeze as he moved a pawn.
"So what do I get?"
"What?"
"If you win, we leave Oakhurst, go on a holiday. What if I win?"
Look, the doctor wasn't a stupid man, far from it, but he was also very aware that beating Cleo in this game—which he'd taught her how to play, it should be noted—was something he'd rarely been able to do, even when he wasn't sleep deprived and hungry. So the answer to this question would likely never happen, but it was fun to pretend nonetheless.
"I don't know, doc, what do you want?" Her free hand hovered over the board, "Let me guess- you want to order in new equipment for your office?"
Legundo flushed at how predictable he apparently was, opened his mouth to retort with something sharp and witty and about how no he wasn't going to ask for something so mundane but instead… he just let himself laugh,
"Okay, yes, I would love that,"
His leg was starting to ache—an old wound rearing it's head because he hadn't had anything to drink recently enough—so he adjusted position in the pile of blankets, taking Cleo's advice and relaxing at least for now.
As Cleo considered her move (and Legundo was fairly certain she was delaying for some nefarious reason by this point, though he couldn't see what it may be) the doctor glanced back over to where his and Cleo's other halves sparred.
They moved beautifully, an unnatural grace making their swings, dodges, trips seem like a dance that only they knew the steps to. Even after a year it felt impossible to get used to a fight being something so beautiful. Pearl caught Owen's arm and pulled him off-balance just to catch him before he hit the floor; Owen used her accidental support to slam a foot into her stomach and throw her over his head. He vaulted himself up from the floor just moments before she lightly rolled off her back onto all fours.
"Doc? You still with me?"
Legundo blinked and saw that Cleo had finally made her move. She was smiling like a plan was coming together, and perhaps one was because he had needed a rest, and whilst he'd zoned out she'd moved closer, the chess board now more in front of the pair of them than between them. A nap suddenly felt like far too enticing an idea.
"Sorry, sorry," He scanned the board, pondering the best route to take… but in the end he simply moved another pawn. He sighed.
"Has it really been a year? Sometimes it feels like yesterday…"
Now it was Cleo's turn to laugh, a hollow tired noise he only heard when she was really tired. "It's real, probably the nightmares making it feel more recent,"
"I'm not having-"
She gave his hand another squeeze. "We all get them, doc, it's not shameful."
Owen's claws connected with Pearl's side. She'd need an extra bottle of crimson to heal that.
"You're not just a doctor, you know that right, Legs?"
Pearl bit down hard on Owen's shoulder. He'd need blood fast after this in case she'd cut something vital.
"It's hard to remember sometimes," Legundo finally replied, letting the weight drop from his shoulders, resting his head on Cleo's shoulder.
She moved a piece without even looking at the board, her full attention instead on Legs, concern morphing to a gentle smile with his next words;
"Easier with you three, certainly,"
She reached over with her free hand and turned his head to press a gentle kiss to his forehead and he could feel her smile against his skin as he let some of the tension melt from his body.
Owen and Pearl had returned to their more graceful dance of a fight, the momentary brutality forgotten.
Legundo looked down at his and Cleo's interwoven hands, both rough and calloused from years of work, both bearing blood, both self-taught to be gentle. Both still here. If not alive still present, still existing, still in this world. He hadn't thought it would happen, to be quite honest.
He didn't even want to win their little bet anymore, but he wasn't going to give it up easily so tore his eyes away from their joined hands back to the board, looking for a move to block the play he could see Cleo had been so nonchalantly setting up. He found one and lifted the piece there; if he wasn't going to win he'd at least give her a real challenge.
"We really lucked out with them, didn't we?" Cleo was watching the sparring match now, her eyes tracking Pearl's moves closely, and Legs laughed.
"You certainly did, I found the only two people in Oakhurst with scars like mine and by some miracle we're all still here, that doesn't feel like what people mean when they say they're lucky with love,"
Cleo laughed—a real laugh this time, one that made warmth unfurl in his chest at how wonderful it was—and moved a bishop to set up a new play. Legs could see a few pieces he could move to set up an easy mate of his own, win the game, the wager. Instead he moved another piece specifically to block her attempt, even though it left him open for several easy routes to be trapped.
Owen and Pearl were snarling, wrestling each other in the grass and fallen autumn leaves, but Pearl was laughing and Owen was smiling and Legundo couldn't smell any new blood in the air, only the breath of cold that the end of summer always brought.
Pearl and Owen broke apart from their spar, both clearly exhausted. Cleo moved a final piece and knocked over his king with a flourish. Legundo smiled and lifted a hand to wave over the pair to join them.
Owen flopped down at his side like a cat claiming the perfect spot to nap, tugging his collar down so Legs was within kissing distance without the vampire having to move from his spot; Pearl gave Legundo's shoulder a squeeze before settling next to Cleo, her partner kissing her cheek.
Legundo didn't like to think about the anniversary—none of them did—but he could handle it just a little better with these three beside him, all he could do was offer them the same comfort they granted him and at least try to get some sleep.