Work Text:
December 31st, 2006
03:00:00 Till Midnight:
It had been nearly over two hundred years since the events of Oakhurst, and Doctor Legundo was still helping others.
Still doing the good work.
He supposed that Owen had been right, in the end; with his prolonged lifespan and overall lack of ability to die by his own hands, he had helped many humans in different parts of the world. For a good chunk of his new immortal life, he had made it his mission to travel to villages and leave whenever he was there long enough to be suspicious. However, as the world modernized he found himself working in hospitals instead.
It was bothersome to have to head back into medical school every handful of decades under a new identity, but he had grown used to the routine and found it useful to refresh on his knowledge. After all, along with the modernization of society came new instruments and health benefits. Legundo found himself falling in love with his work again and again as it changed and evolved, a small relief in the face of his relatively grim situation. That is, having to keep up with his blood intake.
Legundo had eventually figured out the exact measurements of both animal and human blood (not that he would drink human blood often, not when the taste of Martyn's soured blood still lingered on his lips, even after all this time) he could drink before he would change levels and would be forced to explain away his vampire features. Luckily, he had found a balance that allowed him to be full enough to not risk hurting his patients while staying on strictly on level one.
It had taken him a long time to come to anything close to content in his new life, but at least nowadays he could claim to be close to it. The hole Oakhurst had ripped out of him still haunted him sometimes (Martyn, Owen, Pyro, Ren, Avid, still gone even after all of them had agreed to be turned as vampires) but he had long since accepted it.
He had come to terms with the fact that there was no workable cure, not as long as Oakhurst's beacons remained broken. They had shattered after everyone had been turned or killed, leaving everyone to pick up the pieces both metaphorically and physically. He had spent some time agonizing over a potential cure on and off for about forty years after escaping Oakhurst, but he was no longer that frenzied man.
Some parts of him would always be broken, but as long as he was here, he would help until the fates finally decided it was his time. Hence, why he was working a twelve hour shift that absolutely nobody had volunteered for.
Given the fact that Legundo no longer needed to sleep, he had managed to finagle his fellow coworkers out of having to complete the full shift-after all, it had been slow due to most people heading to the nearby New York City for the New Year's, so surely he would be fine on his own. Luckily, his current hospital had been one of his longer stays, so his boss agreed and left him to his own devices.
However, what he wasn't expecting was a small bat to tap on the glass window of the fifth floor, where the doctor had been peacefully reorganizing his patient files. He jumped, the instinct that had been forever buried inside of him since the war and especially after Oakhurst screaming at him to fight flaring up before he noticed the colors of the bat. Their fur was a reddish brown and their eyes were a mix of maroon and gold.
It was Shelby.
Legundo's shoulders lowered and he greeted the vampire with a nod. She fluttered a little before transforming into her human-like form and sitting on the edge of the windowsill, opening it with a small smile. She was clearly on level three, her white hair falling in waves over her shoulder as she stepped into the room.
Legundo couldn't say he was friends with who was left in the coven. Currently, they had lived the closest they've been since Oakhurst: all smack-dab in New York. However, while the trio thrived in the bustling city, Legundo preferred to stay right on the outskirts. Besides, he wouldn't find the people that needed his help most in the high night life. The people who lived away from the abundant resources were the ones most desperate of need, so he found himself always gravitating towards them. However, he still enjoyed whenever Shelby and Drift managed to find him for a quick chat or when they all met every few decades on the anniversary when the beacons shattered.
Scott, however…
Legundo tended to avoid him, even in the forced proximity of Oakhurst. Scott had kept his promise (Abolish would confirm it every few years to Legundo to put him at ease) but the doctor found it hard to want to reach out to him.
They had been different people then and now. Whatever dynamic they had in Oakhurst would definitely have shifted to something foreign-Legundo had felt it starting to shift when Scott had found him at the edge of a cliff, asking him with Cleo in tow to help turn everyone so they could finally leave because there was no other choice anymore-and it deeply unsettled him.
Talking to Scott would be like finally putting Oakhurst behind him. Like forgetting the horrors that had happened in the walls.
He wouldn't allow himself that sort of mercy. Not yet.
Shelby walked over to him before placing an envelope in his hands. Legundo raised a brow at them before slowly opening it.
The invitation was gold with a beautiful font, formally inviting him to an area far outside the city. Apparently, Scott was hosting a New Year's party. In the middle of nowhere.
If that didn't send all of his alarm bells into overdrive, he didn't know what would. He rushed to put the invitation back in the envelope, but Shelby stopped him with a single finger. "Please come. Drift and I…we need your help. Something's going on with Scott." Her face crumpled slightly. "He's-I don't know how to explain it. You'll have to see for yourself."
"Is he presenting a danger to anyone?" Legundo asked, tone on edge. He knew the answer, because there was certainly a reason Shelby was contacting him and not Abolish.
"Not currently. He's just-he's being weird." Shelby turned back towards the window, preparing to take flight. "Party is in a hour. Wear something nice or else he might just kick you out." At least that part sounded normal for Scott.
As Shelby exited through the window, Legundo looked down at his files and sighed. There was a infinite amount of possibilities of things that could be amiss with Scott, but Shelby asking for his help certainly narrowed down the options. Perhaps there was a strange vampire sickness going on and there was nobody else they could ask for assistance.
Either way, all signs pointed to a patient in need. Even if that patient was Scott Goldsmith. He turned off the lights, preparing to close the small hospital for the night.
…He probably wasn't allowed to do that. If Scott was the reason he lost his job, Legundo would slam his head into a nearby road and-
He shook his head and went back to closing up. It was time for him to head home and find some formal wear.
If he was lucky, he'd be back in time to act like he had never left the hospital in the first place.
.☘︎ ݁˖
02:00:00 Till Midnight:
Lights flashed around him in an array of blue, purple and white, the flashes dancing in time to the beat of the music that engulfed the entire area. Legundo navigated through the swirling crowds of dancers and drinkers, finally making it safely across the imaginary shore to where there was food and drinks on a huge table in the corner. He had been expecting all of this, of course.
What did surprise him was the fact that this was all taking place inside an old castle.
Scott made a point of avoiding Oakhurst's castle, even steering clear of it whenever they passed by it during their grave visits. While he had kept up with being the equivalent of a high class nobleman in the modern age (Legundo always noted Scott's subtle but expensive looking jewelry during his visits) the elder vampire avoided anything that reminded him of his ruling years like they were the plague. Especially castles.
(Sue him for being observant. It didn't help that Scott never shut up about himself.)
Shelby had been telling the truth when she had claimed that something was up with Scott. Whether or not this can be traced to medical abnormalities, though, I'm unsure. Legundo mused as he grabbed a cup of sheep blood (he had smelled it just to be sure, despite the label claiming it to be some sort of nonsensical liquid that had been clearly made up to dissuade humans from drinking it) and sipped it quietly. He adjusted his black suit and stood watch at the table, eyes flitting from person to person as he tried to find a hint of Shelby or Drift. He needed more information before he could begin, and Shelby had promised him a conversation.
He watched as people did their best to keep up with the music as it got faster and louder, some failing to do so and laughing as they sprawled on the floor. It caused a slight ache to rise in his heart, reminding him that he was alone. Anyone he knew that would stick around long enough would forever have ties to the tragedy of Oakhurst, and he refused to turn anyone else. The reality hurt, but it was reality.
Doctor Legundo found himself far too lost in his thoughts to realize he had been whisked away before he was already out and exposed on the dance floor. He blinked as the colored lights whirled around him, body moving seemingly on its own into a dip. It took him a second to realize there was an arm wrapped around his waist, holding him steady. Legundo's gaze drifted up into sparkling red eyes, so stunned by the sight of them he felt like his nonexistent breath had been taken away.
"Hi there, handsome. Did I take you by surprise?" Scott Goldsmith grinned as the gold ear cuffs that encapsulated his pointy ears shimmered under the swiveling disco ball above them. He was wearing a silky red shirt that dipped low near his chest, only being covered up by the inky black cowl that gave him the imposing silhouette Scott had back in Oakhurst. The long, flowing cape swished with every step he made, creating a picture of elegance. His jewelry was no longer subtle; it nearly bathed him in every aspect of his body. Each and every piece was noticeably gold instead of silver. Scott slowly took the cup from his hand and set it down in a place that was in the blind spot of Legundo's vision.
Not that he cared to look at the cup. Legundo could only stare at Scott's face as he screamed at his body not to fight. They weren't in Oakhurst. They weren't, not anymore. However, the style was so uniquely Old Scott that it twisted his panic back around to being concern.
Scott tilted his head just as Legundo realized he was taking too long to answer. "Must be a yes, hm? I'm glad someone like you is here. I was starting to get bored." Scott lifted Legs up from the dip, taking them into a steady, even dance as the music picked back up again. Legundo continued to stare at Scott as he let the elder vampire take him through the motions, head whirling with every new direction he found himself in.
The feeling of wrongness did not leave him.
"Mr. Goldsmith-" He started, trying to wrestle some semblance of normalcy into his blunt claws.
"Please. You can just call me Scott. I'm enjoying your company, after all." Scott interrupted smoothly as he adjusted his grip on Legundo's waist to be less tight. "What's your name?"
The question nearly made Legundo stop moving entirely.
Scott didn't know who he was.
"It's Legundo. Just call me Legs. Where's Shelby and Drift?" Legundo swallowed.
"Nearby, I believe. I last saw them in the gardens. They claim to be friends of mine."
"They are."
"So they must be the ones that invited you!" Scott laid a hand on his chest. "How lovely."
"I-" He needed to talk to the two. He had been completely blindsided by this development. "I have to go talk to them. I'll be back. I just want to thank them for inviting me." Legundo watched a small flash of irritation flit across Scott's face before he stopped their dance and nodded.
"Of course." He stepped back, heels clacking against the smooth floor. His face was fitted into a porcelain smile, corners never wavering. "I'll be waiting."
.☘︎ ݁˖
01:30:00 Till Midnight:
Legundo found Shelby and Drift sitting outside in the gardens, just as Scott had said. He walked up to them, not bothering to try and hide the sound of his footfalls. "What, exactly, have you pulled me into, Shelby?" He forced his voice to sound even, lest he risk his confused emotions spilling over like a boiling pot.
"Legs!" Shelby jumped up, cheerful expression fading as they took a look at the doctor. "…Oh."
"Did he find you first?" Drift asked as she joined the two vampires in standing.
"What happened to him?" Legundo could already feel the buzz in his brain he got when he was subconsciously trying to diagnosis a problem. Vampires don't get brain damage, maybe a spell could do it? But magic isn't around as much anymore-
"We don't know. He came back late one night into our apartment and when I checked on him in the morning, he had no idea who I was. It seems like his last memory is waking up in Oakhurst." Shelby twisted her hair anxiously. "It's weird, though. He still seems…nicer? Than he was? But he could just be pretending like he did back then."
"This only happened yesterday. As soon as he realized it was New Year's Eve, he threw himself into hosting a party." Drift picked up where Shelby had left off,
"We tried to talk him down, but it was like he had tunnel vision." Shelby sighed. "We don't know where he went that night or what he did. That's why I decided to invite you. Not only are you good at getting to the root of the problem, but you won't let Scott take a single inch unless you want him to. You can get actual answers!" Legundo closed his eyes to wane the oncoming headache.
He had a feeling he wasn't going back to the hospital anytime soon.
"Right," He managed. "Right. I can ask him some questions without making him realize things are off. Currently, he seems…" Legundo bit his lip as he tried to come up with a word that wouldn't seem absolutely embarrassing to say. "…fixated on me, for now. I'm sure I'll at least get something from him."
"Thank you, Legs." Shelby went in for a hug, but stopped when she realized how random it would be and settled for an awkward shoulder part. "Really. Sorry for dragging you into all of this."
"It's fine." Legundo cracked a tiny smile at them. "I'm here to help."
He was no longer in Oakhurst. He was a doctor, not a soldier. There was no looming danger of failure, just the potential disappointment and permanent altered state of Scott.
…Honestly, he could live with those stakes.
.☘︎ ݁˖
01:15:00 Till Midnight:
As soon as Legundo entered the castle, he was back to being submerged in the waves of people that moved throughout the ballroom. He did his best to navigate his way through the mess again, having a harder time as more and more people became dizzy and did nothing but focus on the person in front of them as they danced. Legundo had just made it through another round of people when a man clumsily spilled his drink onto the doctor's suit, causing a chill to run through him as the icy liquid seeped through the fabric. The culprit continued to stagger throughout the busy room, not even realizing his actions.
The only fancy thing I own, ruined. Legs narrowed his eyes as frustration bubbled through him. Parties were not his thing and never would be, even after hundreds of years. People let their guards down too far and got injured or hurt others without realizing and it was mind blowing.
Really, it was just a different kind of battlefield. A fact that was proven once again as he took a step back and ran into Scott Goldsmith. "Welcome back!" Scott greeted with an almost unnatural amount of cheer. "How was…" His eyes glued onto the stain instantly. "Well, that won't do."
"It's fine." Legundo mumbled as he began to shrug the jacket off.
"It's not. You're uncomfortable." Scott scoffed as he gently took the doctor's wrist and started making his way through the crowd. "Here, I have some spare outfits upstairs."
It didn't take long for Scott to lead him up the stairs and into the second, empty floor of the castle. Scott went into a huge closet that was tucked away in the corner, humming as he sifted through the clothes. Legundo awkwardly watched from afar, now holding his damp jacket in his arms. The drink had spilled through his white shirt as well, but he was hesitant to take it off in front of company.
Somehow, Scott's actions had gotten even weirder. Before, he had felt familiar; a strong barrier between the Old Scott and the New Scott could be easily drawn between them. But now, they seemed to be mixing together. It seemed like Scott's growth had stayed with him, but his memories had not.
Which made zero sense.
Memories made up people, after all, and if Scott only had his memories before Oakhurst, he would be acting a lot like the Scott that had taken it upon himself to divide a line between him and the peasants and then spat on it.
Something unfamiliar had to be at work here, and Legundo was unfortunately leaning towards a magical answer. However, that was certainly more Abolish's expertise, meaning he no longer had to be here.
…He had already made it this far. The least he could do was gather some more information before he left.
Scott came out of the closet holding a dark black vest and buttoned-up shirt. "I found something close to what you wore earlier. Go put it on." There was a edge in his voice, so Legundo simply grabbed the clothes and disappeared into the closet to change.
When he came back out, Scott took a few minutes to walk around and inspect him. Legundo stood still, analyzing the other man in turn. It didn't seem like anything was off about his physique. No marks of curses, signs of a struggle or mind control. Scott caught him looking and immediately gave him a wink. Legundo resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Thank you for the clothing, Scott."
"You're welcome, my dear. Now, where would you like to go next?" Legundo blinked, trying not to focus on the fact that if he thought about it too much, it almost sounded like they were on a date.
"Don't you want to go back to the party?" Scott let out a sharp laugh at that, doubling over slightly.
"I don't mind the ambience of parties, but they tend to bore me after a short while. I'd much rather spend my time with someone more…interesting." The elder vampire punctuated his statement by reaching out and smoothing the collar of Legundo's new vest. "You can keep the clothes, by the way. I certainly don't need more of them." Legundo immediately crouched down and started to untie and tie his right army boot as he processed the situation. He could feel Scott's confused stare on him, but was grateful the elder vampire didn't prod. To have Scott's full and uninterrupted attention on him at all times was…strange. It caused a bubbly fizz to rise up in his stomach, aided by the complete disorientation of the situation.
Nope, focus on the facts. Legundo forced himself to stop thinking about his individual emotions. Find out more information. Get him alone but distracted. He briefly sorted through the options of location as he finished tying his shoe. The doctor pulled himself up with a thin smile, trying to match the expression with his eyes (which was impossible when one was forever an empty socket, every time he tried to put his glass eye back in it just simply popped back out, so he had long since given up on trying to hide it) as he answered. "Let's go outside. There's a fountain we can spend some time by."
"Whatever you say." Scott held out a clawed hand, a thin veil of entertainment being hidden in the depths of his eyes. Legundo grabbed the other's hand and allowed himself to be lead downstairs, eyes never leaving the tall cowl that stood tall on Scott's neck.
He would figure this out. He would fix this, so that their dynamic could go back to normal.
Back to reality.
.☘︎ ݁˖
00:59:00 Till Midnight:
"So, what were you doing before all of this?" Scott asked from where he was sitting perfectly on the fountain edge. He had hung his cape on the back of one of the nearby garden benches to prevent it from getting soaked. Legundo watched the cape flutter in the wind from afar as he waded through the path that trailed through the bushes of flowers. Scott had offered him a seat on the fountain, but Legs preferred to keep himself moving. "Had any fun New Year's plans?"
"Not really." Legundo leaned down and ran his fingers over one of the red roses that sprouted from the bushes. The darkness of the almost-midnight sky made the red almost appear to be a mix of maroon and cinnamon. "I was working when I got the invite. It was slow, though, so I just left." He could see Scott scrunch up his face slightly.
"Are you…allowed to do that?"
"Probably not. I left my number on the door, though, in case there's a true emergency. I can-" He bit his tongue to stop himself from saying "fly over" because the less Scott knew about that, the better, "-get over there pretty fast. It's not far."
"Hmm. You're still willing to risk it, though?"
"It was important for me to be here." It suddenly dawned upon Legundo that he was supposed to be the one asking questions. "Shelby says you've been acting weird. Do you know why they would say that?" Scott waved a dismissive hand as Legundo continued along the path, making his way back towards the fountain.
"Oh, I don't know. I've tried to find some answers, but they all led nowhere. I figured it was all the work of the humans that put me to slumber." Scott rested his chin on his hands as his glowing red eyes shifted with every little movement Legs made.
"Have you noticed startling gaps in your memory that you can't pinpoint?"
"Not beyond the usual.
"Did you know that I know you're a vampire?"
"It's easy to tell you are one. Plus, I could smell the blood from your drink."
"Any unusual pains? Urges?"
"The urge to be near you, yes."
"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that. What about me? How much do you know about me?"
"My, my, doctor, you're getting awfully nosy." Scott leaned forward, a devilish smile playing on his lips. "Playing twenty questions isn't exactly the finest idea for a first date." Legundo sputtered at that.
"Since when-" He stopped and played the sentence back in his head. "I never told you I was a doctor."
Scott's eyes widened. "I heard it from Shelby-"
"No, you didn't, because Shelby invited me. You acted like you didn't know who I was." Legundo took a step back. "Why are you lying to me, Scott?" A nervous laugh escaped Scott.
"I'm not-"
"Lie."
"I swear-"
"Lie. Tell me the truth."
"…I don't have memory loss. I remember everything-Oakhurst, you, Shelby, the past hundred or so years-I remember all of it. I never forgot." Scott clasped his hands together, sharp nails dragging against the other as he fidgeted. He had seen Scott be nervous before, but never in front of him like this. Clearly he hadn't been expecting this turn of events.
"Another one of your games. Was it fun, Scott? Dragging me around and pretending like we could be civil together? I came here to help you, but it seems like you don't deserve it." Legundo spat out before he transformed into a bat and sped in the direction of the city.
Doctor Legundo had promised himself long, long ago that he would never be anybody's plaything ever again. He refused to be a puppet for entertainment. He had hoped that he and Scott were past that now, but…
It seemed he had been proven wrong.
.☘︎ ݁˖
November 18, 1906:
2400:10:00 Till (The) Midnight:
He had been laying down at the grave when he heard footsteps approach. Normally, he would've jumped up and addressed whoever disturbed him, but he felt so…tired.
How long had he been laying down?
"Dangit, Cleo was right. Legs?" A voice drifted towards him. "You have to get up. He's not coming back." He didn't want to listen to the voice. He wanted to stay here.
He needed to stay here. He curled himself tighter around the stone. He needed to stay here and rest with his sire.
"Legs, come on. It's been years now." Legundo hated that voice, but he also felt bad for it. It sounded so concerned. "Legundo."
He felt a hand on his shoulder. Bad, bad, it wanted to take him away, it wanted to take him away from his sire, bad bad-! Legundo bared his teeth and sunk them into the hand, making sure to grab and rip into it. "What the hell!" Legundo snarled as the person calmly lifted up their hand and inspected the damage. "You've ruined my manicure, Legs. Do you realize how hard Shelby worked on that?"
Legundo growled harder. He didn't care. He was staying here. Everything was a haze except for his instincts and he would listen to them. "Go away."
"Oh, you can talk."
"Shut up. Staying here. With sire."
"I can see that-oh. Oh." The person bent down until their face was even with Legundo's. "This is worse than I thought. Okay, Legs. Look into my eyes." Legundo purposely looked the other way. The person huffed before letting out a harsh growl that made his head turn instinctively back. Elder vampire. You listen. "There we go." The person's eyes flashed red. A strange sense of calm washed over Legundo's body. He hadn't even realized how tense he was. "Doctor. Doctor Legundo, we need a doctor. I'm bleeding and we need a doctor. Come on, doc. We need a doctor."
The haze dissipated as adrenaline filled his veins.
"Where?" Legundo instantly stood up, trying to look for danger but finding his eyes unable to leave the person in front of him. Scott. It was Scott. "What-?" His voice broke as he felt shivers wrack all over his body. "Where…am I?"
Safe.
Sit.
Safe.
Legundo found himself sitting down, the thoughts that were clearly not his own comforting him. It felt strange, coming from Scott.
After all, they hadn't talked since the beacons fell down.
Sire. Gone. It's okay.
Legundo's head slowly turned towards the grave that was next to him. Owen's grave. Today was the first time he had tried to visit it, or something like that. He couldn't really remember. A wave of emotions hit him, most of them bad, but before he could dwell on them he found his head turning back to Scott.
It's okay.
Go back to town.
People.
They love you.
Safe.
Forget this.
Go back to safe.
And when Legundo arrived back in town, he found himself with hazy memories of the past few hours and a strange sense of warmth.
It took him a long time to visit Owen's grave for the first time after that night. Perhaps he just needed to be ready first.
.☘︎ ݁˖
00:25:00 Till Midnight:
"Abolish here, what can I do for you? And why do you have my number, Doc?"
"You told us we could contact you anytime." Legundo retorted as he slid down a tree in the middle of the city park, landing perfectly next to the trunk. He adjusted the phone near his ear slightly as he moved, ensuring he could hear the other man perfectly.
"I told y'all you could contact my work number. This is my personal number."
"It's because your organization puts me on hold every time I try to call." It was true and eventually caused Legundo to crack and ask Cleo for a better way of contacting Abolish. However, it was becoming clear he had forgotten to tell Abolish that and he certainly wasn't planning to spill the beans anytime soon.
"Because I'm a busy man. Also, nice move from that tree. Smooth." A sound crackled through the phone that was eerily similar to the sound of wind blowing.
"What?" Legundo instantly snapped his neck around, paranoia flashing through him. "How long-"
"My job is watch Scott, remember? I saw you two at the party. When you peeled off from him, though, I figured something was up and followed you instead. Purely for curiosity. Don't look for me. You won't find any trace of where I am." Legundo sighed and leaned against the tree, using his free hand to fidget with his vest buttons.
"So I'm guessing you won't go and shoot Scott if I ask?"
"No. That won't help anyone." Abolish stated bluntly. "What helps the both of us, though, is if you tell me what happened. In as much detail as you're willing."
.☘︎ ݁˖
00:15:00 Till Midnight:
It took Legs a bit to go through the story, but once he finished, Abolish made a curious hum. "Strange. I don't think he's playing with you, though. To be frank, he wouldn't do that to any of us. Not anymore. Not without reason."
"Then why? Why would he go through the trouble to lie to Shelby and Drift and me? Why would he throw a party just to excuse talking to me? Was the party even genuine?"
"Maybe a little."
"And that's not even getting into the specifics of how weird he was the entire time. He joked that we were on a date. A date! With me! Who jokes about that?"
"Well, Scott. Clearly."
"I thought we were at least on neutral terms, but I guess not because now he's gone and done all this-" Abolish sighed, long and slow. Legundo instantly shut up.
"Doc. I hate to tell you this, but you've reached the point where I can no longer be helpful. You need to talk with him if you really want answers. Speaking of Scott, goodbye and good luck."
"Abolish-?" The line went dead just as a bat came flying into view. The bat transformed in front of him, revealing a sorry-looking Scott Goldsmith. Legundo's shoulders tensed.
"Before you start talking, let me go first." At least the elder vampire had the decency to look ashamed. "I didn't…think about what would happen if you found out. I underestimated you and paid the price." He pinched his eyes closed as he continued. "I am trying to practice having more empathy, but I failed this time. I failed you, Shelby and Drift. For that, I am sorry. I just wanted a do-over."
"A do-over? Aren't you already basically on your second life?"
"No-augh. A do-over with you. You hate me, for many good reasons. I…I wanted to somehow…help. I wanted your memory of me to not be so tainted by who I was or even who I still am."
"I don't hate you."
Scott's head snapped up, eyes wide.
"What?" Legundo sighed.
"You made a promise to me to do better. I am the last person who can judge someone for trying to be better and leaving their old life behind in order to make up for their sins. And, from what I've seen, you are doing better. You are never going to be a saint, Scott. But you are no longer the devil you were. And that means something."
"But-"
"But that doesn't mean I forgive you for dragging me around pretending to be someone that neither of us know. So I think you deserve this." Legundo stepped forward before slapping the vampire across the face. He put as much vampire strength into it as he could, causing Scott to stumble a little bit. Scott held up a hand to his face, gently touching the reddening spot on his pale face.
"I think I love you." Scott blurted out.
"What?"
"What?"
"What?"
"…I didn't mean to say that out loud."
"But you said it anyway." If Legundo still had a beating heart, he had a feeling it would be going so fast he'd be at risk of a heart attack.
"I think I love you?" Scott rubbed his face, looking slightly panicked. "I think I love you."
"Saying it more doesn't help!"
"I'm just as surprised as you, okay?!"
"Why would you love me?"
"I mean, I respect you. You and your attractiveness." Oh, God. Legundo knew his expression must look embarrassing right now.
"We're trying to have a conversation about why you shouldn't pretend to have amnesia."
"I think that's why I did it. Because I love you. Or I'm attracted to you or-something."
"Is that why you kept flirting with me?"
"I think I was hoping that you would reciprocate back." Legundo shifted slightly, hand close to his face to try and hide how absolutely ridiculous he probably looked. He was hating that the thoughts in his brain were filling him with a dizzy feeling, pulling him back to Scott. Wanting to…be near him.
"Oh, no."
"What? What's wrong?"
"Unfortunately, I think I love you too." Legundo stepped forward, hesitantly hovering with his face so close to Scott that he could see the flecks of light red in the pool of crimson blood that was his eyes. He could hardly believe this was real. "Do you realize how terrible this looks for me?"
"Yeah, you don't look like you're mad anymore." Scott licked his lips slightly as he stared back at Legundo.
"Don't be mistaken. I'm absolutely pissed off at you." Legundo muttered as he slowly began to kiss Scott.
It had barely been a few seconds before Scott was hungrily kissing back. He pulled back only to whisper, "I can still taste the blood in your mouth," before grabbing the edges of his vest collar and dragging him back into the kiss.
Legundo shivered slightly as Scott's cold hands brushed his warming skin, causing the other man to grin against his mouth. He used his hands to encapsulate them against the doctor's neck, pushing him into the nearby tree while applying pressure. The contrast of the hot and cold nearly made Legs feel dizzy as he continued to kiss and bite Scott's lower lip in hopes of getting some revenge. His hands grabbed onto Scott's back, holding on for dear life like it would somehow keep him grounded from the absolute assault of emotions Scott was bringing out in him.
Then the fireworks started. Adrenaline shot through him from the first bang, causing his claws to unsheathe. They ripped slightly against the thin fabric of Scott's silky shirt-it had taken him this long to realize the vampire had forgotten his cowl at the garden-and he nearly pulled away to apologize. Scott simply lifted his hands and pushed down on the doctor's claws, digging them into his skin. "What? It's New Year's and we're having fun. I don't care if anyone knows you ripped me up."
"Don't say it like-" Legundo was silenced by another round of delicious torment.
They kissed until the fireworks stopped booming before finally moving away from each other. Scott let out a little laugh.
"Wow. You really know how to sweep a man off of his feet. Saying I'm no saint then heavily making out with me?" Legundo rolled his eyes.
"At least I know how to finally make you quiet." He leaned forward and gave a tiny, soft kiss to the edge of Scott's top lip. Scott lifted a finger to his own lips, gently tracing the bruises and slight cuts from sharp fangs that now lined them. They would heal in less than a hour, but they looked beautiful on him. "Right. I have a hospital to get back to, and you have a party along with some well-deserved apologies to Shelby and Drift." Scott pouted, his playful mask entirely back on. "We can talk more tomorrow. Talk more about…this."
"Fine, fine. I look forward to it, darling." Scott shot him a wink. Legundo groaned as Scott transformed into a bat and flew away.
He stood in the quiet of the city park, silently thanking the universe for it being empty. If anyone had seen him with Scott, he would be mortified.
It was then his phone rang. Legundo picked it up, answering it. "Hello?"
Abolish coughed into the mic awkwardly. "Next time, if you're going to make out with Scott, warn me so I can close my eyes. I thought I was going to have to prevent a murder, not…whatever the hell you two were doing." A flush of shame rolled through him.
"Sorry. Happy New Year's, Abolish."
"Happy New Year's. And congratulations, I think."
The line went dead.
…Legundo really needed to get back to the hospital.
ཐི ྐ❤︎ ཋྀ
January 1st, 2007:
00:20:00 Past Midnight:
"Right!" Scott yelled as he stood up in front of the laughing and embarrassingly drunk crowd of party people. He raised his glass, tapping it with a spoon. "Hello? Hello! Everyone! Now, tonight is a very special night for you all, because I'm giving away this castle to whoever catches these roses first! I don't need either of them anymore!" He threw the bouquet out into the audience and chuckled at the scramble to catch it as he sipped the blood in his flask.
The night hadn't turned out so bad, after all. But god, he was never hosting a party ever again.
He preferred smaller hangouts with the people he loved. Soon, he'd plan a proper date.
Soon.