Chapter Text
Chapter 1 – When you ask how I’ve been, I know you mean well
~
“Otto said you were bringing some people home with you, boss, but I didn’t expect it to be a whole fucking soccer team.”
Awsten hears that comment before he sees the person who makes it. Dallon has moved towards the front door, but Awsten has remained frozen in place next to the car, staring up at the house with wide eyes – it looks even more impressive up close. How is this where he lives, now?
Curiosity, however, drags his attention away from the massive building and to the guy who just spoke. He’s tall – definitely taller than Awsten, but not as tall as Dallon –, with messy, side-swept brown hair and mesmerizingly blue eyes that strike Awsten as kind and alert. He wonders which member of the clan he might be, since he only knows their names, but he doesn’t have to wonder too long.
“Well Geoff, you’re always telling me to make more friends,” Dallon comments with an amused grin. “I made more friends.”
Geoff just laughs in response to those words as his eyes sweep the newcomers, but they stop abruptly when he sees Ryan, and his expression grows a little uncertain. “Is that--"
He doesn’t get to finish the sentence, because another vampire joins him, and he looks decidedly less pleased. “What the fuck is Ryan Ross doing here? And the rest of Urie’s sidekicks too?” The vampire looks at Dallon, a mix of anger and confusion clouding his expression. “Have you lost your damn mind bringing them here?”
“Lucas, calm down,” Dallon responds with a surprisingly patient tone. “They’re with us.”
“I can see that they’re with you,” Lucas counters, demeanor still confrontational. “And I’d like to know why.”
Awsten feels a wave of something hit him, then, something heavy and freezing and angry, and he realizes it’s Dallon’s aura; he’s clearly growing irritated at being addressed this way, at his decisions being questioned, and it seems Lucas figures it out too, because he steps back and stops talking. Awsten takes advantage of this moment look him over; he’s even taller than Geoff, with long blonde hair tied in a bun at the back of his head, a short beard and green eyes currently glaring at Ryan Ross with burning resentment.
“I’ll explain everything.” Dallon’s voice remains calm, because with the effect his aura instantly had on the other vampire, there is no need for him to raise it. It’s impressive, really. “But can I at least get into the fucking house before you start nagging me?”
“Of course,” Lucas mutters, and while he’s clearly still not happy, at least he looks a little remorseful about his outburst. Ryan, Spencer and Jon, on their part, still haven’t moved from the side of Otto’s car, clearly waiting to see how the exchange ends. “Sorry, boss, welcome home.”
Surprisingly, the next person who speaks is Mikey, who just shakes his head with a small grin and says, “Every time I see you, Lucas, you burn a little hotter.”
Awsten is surprised to see that the comment doesn’t irritate the vampire, but instead seems to defuse his anger, and he gives a soft chuckle. “You, I’m happy to see,” Lucas finally responds, offering Mikey a smile.
Right then, before they can do what Dallon is clearly eager to – move the conversation inside the house – someone else steps out of the front door. Michael, Awsten assumes, given that he’s the only one missing. And fucking hell, did Dallon hold auditions or something? Why are they all attractive and so damn tall? Awsten’s going to feel like a fucking garden gnome in this house. At least Otto is a couple of inches shorter than him – small mercies, really, because apparently, the rest of the clan is made up of fucking giants.
Michael, as it turns out, is about the same height as Geoff, with mid-length black-and-blonde hair styled in a messy layered haircut – it gives the effect that he just rolled out of bed and yet somehow still came out looking unfairly good. His very pretty green eyes widen a little when he sees just how many people are standing in the front yard, but he looks surprisingly entertained as he scans the newcomers.
Unexpectedly, his focus skips over Ryan and instead stops on…
“Who’s the puppy?” Michael asks with a grin, nodding his head in Awsten’s direction.
Awsten is about to protest at being called a puppy – what the actual fuck? –, but then realizes that Michael’s question has effectively shifted Lucas and Geoff’s attention onto him. Great. He keeps quiet instead, and just watches them with a sullen frown.
It’s Dallon who thankfully answers the question, and he does so with a smile. “That’s Awsten, he’s my kindred.”
“You…” Geoff starts, evidently shocked by the news. “You turned him?”
“That’s how kindred are made, Geoff,” Michael teases him, his amusement far from gone, even though he’s clearly also surprised. “Remember the talk? The bees and the fangs?”
Geoff simply glares at Michael, refusing to dignify his teasing with a verbal response.
It’s Lucas who speaks instead, and this time his voice shows no trace of his previous anger, just understandable confusion as he asks, “What the fuck happened in Illinois?”
Dallon takes a deep breath and turns to look at Otto, who’s still leaning against the side of his car. “Otto, can you please help everyone settle in the lounge?” he asks with a note of exasperation. “Maybe if I debrief your clanmates, they’ll finally let me into my fucking house.”
Otto just smirks and gives a small nod, so Dallon heads for the front door, with Mikey by his side. The three vampires standing there make room for both to pass, and when he gestures them to follow him, they do. And really, Awsten can’t truly blame them for being curious; their famously solitary Archon just came back from a three-months-long diplomatic mission with a kindred and their former enemies in tow. And two boyfriends, but that detail hasn’t come up yet.
“Well, that went better than I expected,” Spencer comments quietly, one eyebrow arched.
“Speak for yourself, one of them called me a puppy,” Awsten quips back with a grin, and Spencer concedes the point with a chuckle.
“Alright, let’s go inside,” Otto interjects, leading the way towards the door. “I guess we can’t rest just yet.”
Jon and Spencer follow him without hesitation, but Awsten notices the way Ryan hangs back, his expression taut and uncertain. And despite the awkwardness still between them, Awsten feels a pang of pity for the vampire – he’s walking into the home of people who clearly still think of him as the enemy, and he probably knows that this debrief isn’t going to improve his situation much, at least at first.
“Hey,” Awsten calls softly as he walks up to Ryan. “It won’t be a pleasant couple of hours, but you’ve been through worse.”
Ryan looks at him then, and doesn’t even try to hide the surprise Awsten’s supportive words prompt. “I have,” he admits quietly, “But I hate that Dallon will have to defend me to his own people, when I don’t deserve it.”
So Ryan isn’t concerned about himself, he’s worried about Dallon’s position in the difficult meeting ahead; well, that’s fucking sweet, and Awsten feels his smile grow a little less forced. “Dallon knew exactly what it would mean for his clan when he asked you to come,” Awsten points out; it’s odd to be the one doing the reassuring, when he’s usually the one who needs it. “Just trust him.”
Ryan simply nods at those words and offers what in his intention was probably a grateful smile – it’s not really much more than a twitch of his lips, but it’s clear enough. With a deep breath, the older vampire heads for the door, and Awsten walks alongside him. Their own issues can wait, Ryan has a bigger mountain to climb, right now.
Once they walk inside, Otto leads them through a couple of hallways and into a large room, which must be what Dallon called their lounge. It’s an appropriate name, because it’s way too big to be a simple living room. In the center is a large, square modular sofa placed in a recessed section of the floor, sunken a couple of steps lower than room level – Awsten is pretty sure it’s called something like ‘conversation pit’, or ‘fancy shit only really rich people have in their house’.
Aside from that objectively cool detail, the room itself is also lovely. It’s paneled with warm, light wood, and on the right, a modern-style fireplace gives the place a nice, cozy atmosphere; the wall-mounted TV above it is on but muted, and just as they walk in, Geoff turns it off. Immediately to the right of the door two bookcases on either side of a padded bench form a sort of reading nook. On the side opposite the fireplace there’s a bar area with an actual counter and an assortment of liquors and drinks that’s worthy of a real pub, while on the wall directly in front of the door, there’s a large, elegant – and clearly antique – radio and record player console, and to its right sits a black grand piano.
The mix of vintage and modern works surprisingly well together, and even though it’s literally all he has seen of the house so far, Awsten has a feeling this is going to be his favorite room.
One by one, they all settle, and Awsten takes a seat between Mikey and Otto on the sofa, because if he has to be honest, he’s feeling a little overwhelmed already, and the conversation ahead is bound to make it worse, so he needs whatever comfort he can get. Dallon chooses to stand and pace in front of the fireplace instead, and once everyone is sat, he looks around the room and takes a deep breath. It’s evident that the task ahead is daunting, a lot has happened in the last three months, but he doesn’t let it stop him for longer than a handful of seconds. Rip off the band aid, right? Even if this particular band aid is going to be an excruciatingly long one.
When he begins to speak, he does so from the very beginning, from the night he arrived at Pete and Patrick’s house. He proceeds to tell his clan about Ryan’s request for sanctuary, Pete’s echoes, Maja’s intervention and Awsten’s arrival. When Dallon reveals his oracle nature and where he spent the last eight years, three pairs of eyes instantly shift to him, but Awsten ignores them and stubbornly keeps his own gaze on the coffee table in the middle of the pit. He’s not at ease with the attention at fucking all, and thankfully, Dallon moves on and tells them about everything they discovered about Shadow Pete, the half-mating bond and the true nature of Ryan, Jon and Spencer’s relationship with Urie.
That seems to shock the three vampires a lot less than Awsten expected, but then again, if they’ve dealt with Urie as much as Dallon implied, they probably know how manipulative he was – hell, maybe they even have first-hand experience, just like Dallon.
Things get a little more tense when he gets to the whole Joseph and Dun mess, and Ryan’s role in betraying, and then freeing, him and Pete. It’s clear that what little goodwill Ryan earned when his past with Urie was revealed, is now significantly reduced due to his shit decisions coming to light as well. Awsten closes his eyes for a moment as Dallon briefly explains the consequences of the warehouse incident – including Awsten’s death and turning –, and once again ignores the looks he gets from the three vampires.
He would have gladly skipped the Netflix recap, but he doesn’t yet have a bedroom where he can hide out. Instead, he seeks comfort in the form of resting his head on Otto’s shoulder, silently relieved when the vampire doesn’t push him away; not that he expected Otto to, but they’re with the rest of the clan now, with his friends, and things between them are still blurry, so he doesn’t really know where the line of acceptable behavior lies.
When he feels Otto’s arm wrap reassuringly around him, he feels relief lighten his heart a little. He notices that both Michael and Geoff glance at them, curiosity on the latter’s face and amused confusion on the former’s.
Instead of dwelling on that, he focuses on the things Dallon chose not to reveal. There is no mention of the material used for the magic bullet that killed Urie – probably a promise he made to Patrick –, and he deliberately avoids addressing the issue of Awsten’s abilities now that he’s a vampire. Awsten figures he will share that second detail with Lucas, Geoff and Michael in private, since he’s still adamantly against letting Ryan know – at least for now –, and Awsten agrees with him.
He has a feeling Ryan will understand when, and if, he discovers the truth.
Throughout the whole thing, which lasts way too long for Awsten’s comfort, there are occasional questions – mostly from Lucas –, but Dallon’s retelling is eloquent and informative enough that not many queries are necessary.
By the time Dallon is done, Awsten is emotionally drained from reliving everything he’s been through, but he keeps quiet, because he doesn’t want to complain about it and risk sounding childish.
“So you’re telling me,” Michael starts, and his eyes hold a surprising amount of amusement when they settle on Awsten, “That mint chip over there walked into the Underworld and survived coming face to face with Hecate?”
“Mint chip? Really?” Awsten mutters, glaring at the vampire.
Michael’s only response to that is to offer him the sweetest fucking smile Awsten has ever seen, and damn, he wants to punch this guy. But also he kinda doesn’t, because there’s really no malice in his expression, just playfulness. And after the heavy conversation they’ve been through, it’s honestly refreshing.
Surprisingly, it’s Spencer himself who comes to his rescue. “He did, and it’s the reason I’m back.”
“And not brainwashed anymore,” Geoff points out with a slightly interrogative tone.
“And not brainwashed anymore,” Mikey confirms confidently.
“So all three of you are here under sanctuary,” Lucas reasons, and Awsten is relieved to see that while he’s not exactly thrilled, he’s a lot less angry than earlier.
“Technically, no one knows I’m alive, so I don’t really need sanctuary,” Spencer reasons with a small shrug. “But if you’d rather keep me in a cell, I understand.”
“I mean, in light of what Dallon told us, cells seem a little excessive,” Geoff reasons, looking at his Archon.
“I agree,” Dallon concurs with a nod, and Awsten has learnt to read him well enough to catch a hint of relief in his voice.
“Also, we don’t have cells,” Michael chips in, smirking.
“That too,” Geoff concedes, amused.
“Well, I’m not sure I’m sold on him,” Lucas interjects with a pointed look at Ryan. “What’s stopping him from betraying us again?”
For some reason, Awsten feels a surge of protectiveness towards Ryan which surprises him to no end. Maybe it’s because he still feels like Lucas is a complete stranger and Ryan isn’t, or maybe it’s just because he knows Ryan is already broken enough, he doesn’t need to be punched down any further. So when the older vampire simply looks down and offers no defense, it’s Awsten who speaks, before his courage falters.
“I’m dead because of what he did,” Awsten mutters as he straightens, breaking the physical contact with Otto. In the silence that follows his words, he could have heard a pin drop in the snow outside; even Michael loses his easy smile and looks down for a moment. “So trust me, he wouldn’t be here if I thought he could hurt Dallon, or anyone else, like that again.”
Awsten has never told Dallon that Ryan sought his approval to come along, but it seems his sire figures it out from his words, or close enough, because his eyes show a flash of surprise. Ryan, on his part, looks at Awsten with such intense gratitude it nearly brings tears to Awsten’s eyes – damn, he’s really emotionally exhausted.
“All I want is a chance at a new start,” Ryan finally said, his monotone voice holding a rare trace of emotion as he looks at Lucas directly. “I know that I don’t deserve it, I agree that I don’t deserve it, but I’ve made a promise, and I intend to keep it,” That last part is spoken with a glance at Awsten first, and Dallon afterwards, and then his attention is back on Lucas. “I intend to prove you and myself wrong.”
Lucas, on his part, seems genuinely surprised to hear the older vampire speak this way, and his eyes move between Ryan, Awsten and Dallon for a couple of times; at last, he takes a deep breath and mutters a quiet, “Fine.”
Ryan gives a small nod in acknowledgement, but otherwise doesn’t say anything else. It’s Dallon who speaks next, and what he says nearly has Awsten in tears, this time from relief.
“I think we’ve talked enough for tonight, we all need some rest,” Dallon declares, then looks at Lucas, Geoff and Michael. “Not you three, I need a moment with you in my office.”
“I’ll help the others settle in their rooms,” Otto offers immediately, and gets a nod of approval from Dallon.
It’s Mikey, however, who jumps in and says, “Take care of Awsten, I’ll take care of Jon, Spencer and Ryan.” At Otto’s surprised look, he adds, “I know this house like the back of my hand, boy.”
Dallon seems a little unconvinced by that suggestion, but it’s ridiculously obvious that what he’s not sold on is the fact that Mikey just basically pushed Otto and Awsten together. Still, he doesn’t protest, and Otto evidently takes that as approval, because a moment later he’s on his feet, hand held out for Awsten.
And Awsten takes it with a smile.
~
“You could have led with that.”
Dallon takes a deep breath and reminds himself that no, he cannot hit Lucas, that would be wrong and unbecoming of a good Archon.
“Lead with what?” Michael interjects before he can speak. “Hi, I’m back, I have a child and two hubbies now – can you really see Dallon say something that fun? He has to be all dramatic about it.”
“To be fair, one of those hubbies stabbed him in the back and almost got him killed,” Geoff contributes, eyebrow arched and tone critical.
“Okay, first of all, stop calling them hubbies, it’s fucking weird,” Dallon protests as soon as he can get a word in sideways. “And no, I couldn’t have led with that, Lucas, because you jumped at my throat the moment you saw Ryan.”
“Fair enough,” Lucas mumbles, and he has the good sense to look apologetic as he does.
“Look, I’m being straightforward with you guys, things with Mikey are great--”
“About time you figured out he’s in love with you,” Michael interrupts him with an eye-roll. “Last time he was here you guys were dancing around each other like mating birds.”
“Last time he was here, he was on an intel-gathering mission, there was no damn dancing around each other,” Dallon reminds him, summoning all the patience he has got left.
“Sure,” is all Michael says in response, clearly amused and absolutely unmoved from his previously stated opinion.
“As I was saying, things with Mikey are great, but things with Ryan are still… well, we’re working on it, obviously,” Dallon continues, choosing to ignore Michael’s teasing. “I’m just asking you to give him time and a chance to prove himself.”
“Look, boss, you’re not an idiot,” Michael says, and this time, his tone is genuine, no teasing in it. “You wouldn’t have brought him here, if you thought there was even the slightest chance of him pulling another trick like that.”
“I believe he’s genuinely sorry, yes,” Dallon confirms, and feels a little smile pull at the corners of his mouth at Michael’s show of trust. “And he’s a prickly asshole at times, but anyone would be, after enduring what he did.”
There’s no need to spell out that he means the nearly five hundred years he spent under Urie’s thumb, being tormented and blackmailed, and his remark hits the desired target, if the others’ expression are anything to go by.
As it often happens, it’s Michael who takes it upon himself to lighten the mood of the conversation. “Plus, he’s hot, so he gets that pretty privilege pass.”
Dallon chuckles despite his best efforts not to, and while the joke is not Michael’s best, it’s funny enough to break the tension, and he certainly appreciates that.
“There’s something else I need to tell you,” Dallon continues after a moment, expression once more serious. “Awsten’s abilities as oracle are… well, not completely gone. We’re still figuring out how much he can still do, but some of it is definitely still here.”
“Why didn’t you say that before?” Lucas asks, genuinely curious.
“Awsten and I agreed to keep it from Ryan, Jon and Spencer for now,” Dallon explains, and he can see the perplexed look on the younger vampire’s face. “The fewer people know this, the safer Awsten is from assholes like Joseph and Dun.”
“And Ryan hasn’t earned back full trust yet,” Geoff finishes for him.
“Exactly,” Dallon confirms with a solemn nod. “It’s up to Awsten now, he’ll rope him in when he feels comfortable.”
“Won’t Ross throw another tantrum when he finds out you kept it from him?” Lucas doesn’t sound confrontational about this, which Dallon is immensely grateful for, but he does sound genuinely concerned.
“He won’t,” Dallon reassures him. “He shares my concern about making sure Awsten gets agency over his own life again.”
“I still can’t believe his own family locked him up that long,” Geoff mutters quietly, evidently disturbed by that detail.
“Fucking piece of shit family he had,” Michael concurs with a frown. “Are you sure they won’t come looking for him?”
“Mikey had an obituary published after he was turned, so as far as his human family knows, he’s dead,” Dallon informs, although he has to admit he appreciates their concern about it.
“Well, even if they do come looking, lake’s deep enough to hold a couple of assholes,” Lucas observes with a small shrug. “The kid’s one of us now, they ain’t touching him.”
Dallon’s smile grows a little easier on his lips at Lucas’s show of support – the vampire might be grumpy and quick to anger sometimes, but he’s loyal to a fault and devoted to his own. And Awsten falls into that category now. And really, Dallon expected the pushback on Ryan – he actually thinks the whole thing went better than he hoped –, but his main worry was seeing their reaction to Awsten’s addition to the clan. Much to his relief, all three of them don’t seem to have issues with it.
“Speaking of Awsten, what’s with him and Otto?” Geoff asks with a barely restrained grin.
“I left them alone for five fucking seconds and now Otto’s whipped and Awsten’s infatuated,” Dallon complains with a groan and an exasperated roll of his eyes. “Which is bound to end in tears, so please don’t encourage it.”
“C’mon, maybe Otto is serious about this,” Geoff offers with a hopeful smile.
“Until he isn’t,” Michael mumbles, and it would appear at least someone shares Dallon’s concerns. “Look, I love the guy, but he hasn’t got the best track record with stuff like this.”
“The kid was turned weeks ago, he’s young and vulnerable and dealing with being a newly turned vampire as well as everything else he’s been through,” Lucas comments with a sigh, and Dallon couldn’t have said it better. “He doesn’t need his heart broken too.”
“Leave it to me,” Dallon decides, head moving in a slow nod. He’ll talk to Otto, just not yet.
Awsten is clearly still recovering from his turning, his nightmares are worsening – although the kid probably thinks he hasn’t noticed – and Otto has been incredibly supportive so far; it’s not lost on Dallon how close they’ve grown, how Awsten’s mood lifts when he’s with Otto. So he’ll leave them alone for a bit, at least until Awsten has settled into this new life. But then he’ll sit Otto down and have a talk. He’s not opposed to the relationship per se, he’s opposed to Otto reverting to his old habits and breaking Awsten’s heart in the process.
To distract himself from that thought, he looks at the other vampires again and asks, “So, wanna update me on what I missed?”
“You’d better sit down,” Lucas answers, and his quiet tone does not bode well. “It’s not all good news.”
Great.
~
“Otto, stop messing with me, it’s not cute.” Awsten turns around to look at the other vampire, hands on his hips as he stands in the middle of the bedroom Otto is showing him. A large, beautiful bedroom that’s way too fancy to be his – what would he even do with all this space?
“I’m not messing with you,” Otto insists with an amused smile. “It’s down the hallway from Dallon’s quarters, and--”
“Dallon’s quarters? What is this, a fucking castle?” Awsten turns around as he speaks, and walks over to one of the windows to peek outside, but it’s blocked by the solid wooden shutters. Right.
“That’s what we call his bedroom, office and sitting room,” Otto explains, then walks over to the window as well.
Awsten glances at him, perplexed. “He has his own sitting room?”
“He likes to be by himself,” Otto pauses just long enough to chuckle, then adds, “Well, liked. Hopefully this experience has made him a bit less of a loner.”
“And that’s down this hallway?” Awsten walks back to the door, and looks to his right. His door is the last one before the end of the hallway, where a double door probably leads to what Otto called Dallon’s quarters. Which still sounds ridiculous to him.
“Yes,” Otto confirms, but doesn’t join him at the door and remains by the window instead. “Down the other way there’s the bathroom, then Michael’s room, and then mine in front of it. Lucas and Geoff are downstairs, and Jon and Spencer probably will be too.”
“I assume Mikey will share Dallon’s room,” Awsten reasons, turning to look at him once again. “And fuck knows what they’ll do with Ryan.”
“That’s for Dallon and Mikey to figure out.” Otto doesn’t seem too invested in the matter. “But I’d rather you take this room, this way you’re near Dallon and me, if you need us.”
You mean if I wake up screaming like a lunatic. Awsten almost says it out loud, but stops himself and instead walks back into the room, once more looking around. “It’s way too fancy for me,” he comments with an embarrassed smile.
“Okay, first of all, you deserve fancy, and you deserve a room that doesn’t make you feel claustrophobic,” Otto reasons as he walks closer to him, and Awsten has to admit, the bedrooms in Patrick’s house were definitely smaller than this – probably because the house was much older.
In a couple of steps Otto is there, and his hands settle on Awsten’s hips. His touch is almost enough to distract Awsten from his next words. Almost. “And second, you’re royalty now, so get used to fancy.”
“What the hell do you mean I’m royalty?” Awsten gives a confused laugh after his words, but still moves his arms up to rest on Otto’s shoulders, hands locked behind his neck. This is the most contact they’ve had since his surprise party, and Awsten isn’t going to waste this chance because fuck, he’s missed this.
“Dallon is Regent vampire here, and that’s as close to royalty as it gets for vampires,” Otto explains with his usual, lovely quiet smile. “The only reason they’re called Regents and not kings is because they have to answer to the High Council.”
“And I’m his kindred,” Awsten concludes for him.
“His only kindred.”
Awsten didn’t know that, he has never asked, so he’s only now finding out that Dallon doesn’t have any other kindred; the reason that his mind comes up with to explain why, however, makes his stomach drop a little. “Did Urie…?”
“No, they weren’t killed, he just… he’s never turned anyone before,” Otto rushes to reassure him, his smile warm now. “He really cares about you.”
Awsten feels his heart grow lighter at those words despite how tired he feels, but doesn’t quite find the right way to answer them, because fuck, how can he? Rationally, he knows Dallon cares, he’s proven it over and over again, but getting validation and tangible proof of it is still surreal to the most stubborn part of his pessimist self. In the end, he just smiles and rests his forehead against Otto’s shoulder.
And when he does speak a few moments later, it’s to address something else Otto told him.
“Well, royalty or not, you still don’t get to call me princess,” he warns playfully, tugging at a strand of Otto’s curls.
“Try and stop me,” Otto challenges with a laugh, and the sound travels directly to Awsten’s heart.
God, he’s so gone for this guy it’s ridiculous – and maybe a little dangerous, given that he still doesn’t know where they stand. He tells himself it’s fine, that labels just complicate things, but at the same time, he can’t help being a little scared he might be reading too much into their… thing. And yet, Otto is there, being his usual sweetheart self, making sure he’s within easy reach in case Awsten needs him. So maybe Otto is holding back for some other reason, maybe it’s Dallon’s disapproval – which still doesn’t make sense to him – that’s making him keep a little more distance than he’d like. Or maybe this is all he’s interested in, right now, maybe their night together was nothing special to him and he’d rather not repeat the experience.
Or maybe – and this is what scares Awsten the most – he’s just being nice and playing his part because Awsten is a mess right now, and all he’s doing is damage control for the sake of the clan. There’s also the very real possibility that Otto did get a glimpse of his mind when Awsten was feeding on him, and it may have been enough to scare Otto off. It makes sense, because the more Awsten thinks about it, the more certainly he can trace the change between them to that single moment.
“Are you falling asleep on me?” Otto’s playful question thankfully interrupts his train of thoughts before it sinks too deep into the black hole at the center of his mind, and Awsten reluctantly pulls back.
“Kinda,” he lies with a small, tired smile. “It’s been a long night.”
“Well, let me show you something, and then I’ll let you rest,” Otto declares as he steps back. “You still haven’t seen the best part of your bedroom.”
Awsten addresses him a curious smile, ignoring the way the loss of contact makes him feel just a hint colder – which is absurd, because he’s a vampire now, he has insane tolerance for cold.
Without saying a word, Otto walks to a set of drawn heavy curtains and pulls them open, which reveals a French door. He opens it, then the solid shutters, and are you fucking kidding? His room as a fucking balcony too?
“No way,” Awsten whispers as he walks over, and Otto leads him outside.
The balcony is larger than he expected, furnished with a comfortable-looking patio sofa at each end, as well as an accompanying wooden accent table. It runs the length of that section of the house, which he assumes includes Michael’s room too, given that there’s another French door at the other end of it. He doesn’t worry about that for now, he honestly doesn’t mind sharing the balcony, especially since until a minute before, he didn’t even know it was there. And it feels surreal that this is part of his bedroom.
What truly makes it special, however, is the view; from this vantage point it’s breathtaking, the frozen lake glistens under the nearly full moon, the aspen groves stand like clusters of silent sentinels for miles around, and the sounds of nocturnal animals come across muffled by the snow. It’s like a fairytale, or a dream – and fuck, if it is, Awsten doesn’t want to wake up, for once.
He walks up to the railing and rests his hands on it, unbothered by the freezing temperature. Below him in the garden he can see a swimming pool area and another one of those conversation pits build into it – this one has an actual fire pit in the middle, instead of a coffee table.
“This is insane,” Awsten mutters to himself, and a moment later, he feels Otto step up behind him.
Otto’s hands rest next to his on the railing, his chest pressed against Awsten’s back as his arms bracket him. Awsten relaxes at the proximity, and the moment Otto presses a kiss to his cheek, he feels his expression melt into a smile.
“Welcome home, sunshine.”
Maybe it’s finally starting to sink in, maybe he’s starting to fully realize this is his life now, his house, his clan.
And for a fleeting moment, for the first time in a very long while, Awsten feels at peace. He can worry about everything else later.
He’s home.
~~