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There once was a small, distant town that was haunted by a horrible curse. Every few hundred years, the town would be wiped out by some supernatural power. It happened time and time again, and even those able to witness multiple of these massacres were powerless to put a stop to them. Still, they obediently rebuilt and repopulated the town every time, as if hoping that this time, for sure, it would stand the test of time. And every time, it would fall anyway, engulfed in hellish flames. Until one time, the efforts to restore the town were put on an indefinite pause. Clearly, this place couldn't be safely inhabited by humans -- it was better to keep it in the hands of these supernatural powers that ruled these lands long, long before people ever came here.
That town was named Oakhurst. After briefly thriving, it was destroyed once more, turned into ruins no one dared to touch, to not stir awake any inhuman power that filled this land. So, it made for the perfect hiding spot for those who didn't want to be found by the world.
A young looking man was trekking through the forest. His long, curly hair fell over his face, obscuring his features. He was dragging a dead boar by the leg, carrying it away to his nest. His claws dug deep into the prey's skin so as to not drop it.
If he was a proper vampire, he'd probably take shelter in the ruins of the castle up north from here. However, this one had bad memories connected to that place. At some point in the past, he almost lost his life fighting the greatest threat looming over Oakhurst, and was then abandoned by people who housed him for centuries. Every now and then, he would think about them. Not that he cared about what happened to them. He regained his freedom, just like he always wished for, and he never wanted to return there. Here, he had a home, safely nestled in the forest he once planted. And, above all, he finally had someone to come back to.
The revenant dropped the boar corpse down an inhabited mineshaft. It crashed against the ground several feet down, soon accompanied by the predator who landed softly right next to it. His eyes turned to a large, cosy nest in the corner of the cavern, as something stirred within it.
"Abby! I brought dinner!" The vampire called out. "You there?"
The head of a white-haired man popped out from the nest. His eyes were still closed, as if the thud of the falling body just woke him up. The fledgling murmured something quietly, before laying back down in the nest.
"I'm here, Owen... I wanna sleep..."
"Hey, don't sleep on me! You gotta eat something..." His sire dragged over their food to the nest. It was large and sturdy, easily able to contain two grown vampires. It was put together with whatever Owen could take from the ruins of Oakhurst -- quilts, towels, clothes, blankets and tarps. The revenant couldn't hold back a smile when he saw his fledgling, comfortably sprawled over the pillows lining the edges of their nest. "Come on, wakey wakey..."
Still a bit grumpy after being woken up, Abolish sat up at the bottom of the nest. He yawned widely, unknowingly showing off his sharp, pristine fangs, freshly done developing. Owen stared at him with pride. Since his fledgling returned to Oakhurst weeks after their mission went out with a bang, he's been hard at work taking care of him and easing him into his vampirism. It took a lot of patience, but the effects were wonderful. Right away, he reached out and ruffled his fledgling's white hair. It grew out a bit, almost reaching his shoulders by this point.
"How was the nap, hm?" He asked with a big, excited grin.
"It was fine... But I'm still a bit tired..." Abolish admitted. "Did you also sleep so much after you were turned...?"
Owen chuckled.
"Well, I slept for three days straight after I was turned," he explained. "And afterwards, well... I wasn't really given a chance."
"Oh... Right. I forgot. Apologies."
"You're fine! Come on, dig in. I gotta see whether you finally figured out how to drink blood properly. I left it all for you!"
"You're so nice..." Abolish chuckled, as he moved towards his sire and leaned over him. Even moving around his nest was difficult -- their mission in Oakhurst heavily scarred him and left one of his legs heavily damaged. He was getting better at walking without a cane, but it was still a struggle. "Won't you be hungry?"
"I'll be fine... You try it first. I can wait for you."
If it was him just several years earlier, he would not be this willing to share in the slightest. Most of his life, he was taught by his circumstances to fend for himself. If he managed to run away back then, he'd never share his nest with anyone, he'd never stay with anyone who could threaten his safety, and he would never, ever share his food. But this was different. That was Abolish, his fledgling and his most beloved man in the world. Taking care of him felt like the biggest privilege for Owen.
"Alright, here goes nothing..." Abolish chuckled. He leaned over the boar corpse, his fangs opened with a quiet click. Moments later, they dug into the animal's nape. A strong smell of blood filled the air. Owen licked his lips, watching as his fledgling fed.
"Good, you're doing great... Just don't choke on it, okay?"
Abolish closed his eyes, trying to focus on the sensation of blood going into his mouth and then down his throat. Shortly after getting turned, he abstained from drinking blood, finding the process gross and degrading. If it wasn't for that, he probably would've figured out how to do it properly a lot earlier. Even so, Owen was more than ready to help him.
"There you go!" The older revenant smiled brightly when his partner lifted his head with a satisfied hiss. He then started giggling. "You have blood on your face..."
"Oh, yeah, I probably do." Abolish chuckled and turned to him.
"Hold on, I gotta wash it off..."
Owen knew his fledgling could do that himself. Still, whenever there was an opportunity for him to shower his beloved with affection, he never missed it. He cupped Abolish's face and began kissing him all over his face, more so smearing the blood on his skin than cleaning him.
"Owen!" The fledgling began giggling. "I know what you're doing! You're not helping!"
"Am I really?" Owen tilted his head to the side, making an innocent face. His hair fell over his eyes, giving him a more wild, unkempt look. Abolish couldn't hold back laughter.
"Yes, you are. You know what you're doing to me."
"I can't resist it, you're the cutest... I could just hold you and kiss you for hours..." The revenant said with a teasing smile.
"Sure, we can do that... But can I eat first? I'm a bit hungry..."
Owen immediately nodded in approval. Ever since Abolish joined him in Oakhurst, he's been hunting for them both and giving his beloved fledglings snacks daily. It helped immensely with his recovery, but he recognized some damage would never be cured. Such as what Owen had to do to save his life. To restore Abolish's humanity, they'd have to kill his sire. Just when Owen's life began feeling like it's worth living... But seeing Abolish feast on the corpse of the boar, growling and hissing from pleasure, he clearly made peace with his state already. Even if his fangs and claws didn't always listen to him.
"You want a knife or something to help you?" Owen proposed.
"I'm fine..." Abolish responded, while trying to pull out a chunk of meat off the boar's side. "I can do this..."
The revenant snickered. "Did they not give you meat back in Blackwyn?"
"They did. But, uh... I didn't really want to eat. I thought I would be cured, you know..."
"Oh. Right." Owen smiled in a stupid way. "You can help yourself with your claws, they're easier to use if you want to cut off skin. And we still gotta work on your jaws."
"What's wrong with my jaws?" Abolish asked, turning to Owen with a mouthful of meat.
"I don't think they could crush skulls just yet, and that's my favorite part..." Owen responded with a smirk. "But, even so, you're looking a lot better already. Remember how small and scared you were when you got here with Morc?"
Abolish chuckled. "I wasn't scared, I was just... Tired. And, uh... Alright, maybe a bit scared. That I wouldn't find you... Or that I would just find the body."
Owen moved a bit closer to him and wrapped his arms around Abolish's chest. Usually, vampires were cold as corpses -- that one trait made revenants stand out, as their body heat was a lot higher. Thus, cuddling with his fledgling felt this much better. Abolish continued eating for a moment longer, then leaned back into the arms of his sire.
"Aren't you hungry?" He asked when Owen immediately pulled him close and laid down at the bottom of the nest with him.
"I'll be fine... You wanted a nap, didn't you?"
"I did..." Abolish whispered. He laid on his back, his eyes glued to the stone ceiling over their heads. The mineshaft they made their lair in twisted a little as they went in, so their nest was hidden under an overhang. Even when it rained, they stayed dry and cosy. "I just don't want you to neglect yourself because of me..."
"I won't. I'm not you, silly." Owen snickered and placed another kiss on his fledgling's cheek. "Although, I gotta say, you're looking better and better, at last... Finally, not so tiny and scrawny..." He whispered, pulling his hands over his fledgling's skin. "And you... You look happier, I- I think..."
Abolish turned his face to him. He still remembered when people of the organization tried to convince that Owen was a dangerous monster that didn't deserve to be seen as a person. That he couldn't be contained and controlled. And that was true -- he didn't need to be contained and controlled. When given some space to be himself, he immediately blossomed into a loving and caring sire, that would do anything for his only fledgling. He chuckled quietly when Owen lifted his hand and kissed the inside of his palm.
"I am happy with you," Abolish responded. "I never even realized I could be this happy... I thought I would stay a vampire hunter for the rest of my life. That there was nothing else left for me, after what happened. But... I'm glad things turned out like this. Even if I could do without the leg injury, and such."
"Yeah... I wish you could've seen what I did to Scott Goldsmith. His face looked like tomato puree." Owen smirked in a cocky way. "The bastard got what was coming for him."
"He did..." The fledgling sighed. "Owen...?"
"Yes?"
"Don't get me wrong, I like this place, and I feel good here, but... Do you think we could ever leave? Maybe... See the world, or something? I want to see what's out there, and... And I want you to see it too."
Whenever he spoke about what he thought, imagined or wished for, his reddish eyes lit up in this gorgeous way Owen couldn't describe. It was as if all the stars in the sky suddenly dimmed down, to give room for the incredible sparkle of his soul. At those moments, the revenant knew he would do anything for this gentle little guy. He would fly into the sky, hold the sun and the moon and put it in his hands as a humble offering. And even that wouldn't be enough to express the incredible love that filled his small frame.
"I'll take you wherever you wish," Owen whispered. "Anywhere, I promise... You'll get to see the world, and it will be awesome. And... And I want to see it, too."
"Do you think we could go to Blackwyn? Even for a moment? I... I would love to see lord Morcant one more time."
Owen sighed. That was far from his first through when it came to running away together, but...
"Sure. But I'm not talking to that guy. I still don't trust him."
"That's fine... You have every right not to do so." Abolish looked at him again. "And I won't force you into anything. You deserve better than this. Y'know?"
Owen chuckled. Every time Abolish talked to him with so much love, kindness and care, his unbeating heart swelled and he felt like he could cry. Once upon a time, he was just some weird kid that seemed to think he could control him. Then, as they grew closer, Owen discovered he was someone he could no longer live without. It wasn't the same as if he still had his own sire, of course. But if he could be to Abby what Louis was to him, that would be enough for the time being.
"You're too kind."
"I don't think I'm kind enough."
Owen wrapped his arms and legs around his fledgling, holding him as close as possible. Abolish snickered, wriggling around a little to lay down comfortably in anticipation of another nap. He should probably spend his time honing his vampiric abilities, but that could wait. For now, he was due for a peaceful, long sleep with his sire.