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It had started out all according to plan. Abolish had made so very sure that no vampires were in the castle before he went in, waited for a moment when he knew they would be distracted by the humans converting a beacon. It was a simple job: just get in, kill everything in there that still had a pulse, and get out. That part had gone remarkably well, the animals not even hidden, kept in plain sight in the courtyard. They had quick enough to slaughter, making sure that the majority of their blood soaked into the ground before getting a move on.
Shelby had been a nuisance, at best. She had clearly meant no harm, but Abolish was far too focused on his task to care for her kindness, and letting her go would set a bad precedent, in the eyes of both town and the vampires. He'd made it quick, as much as he could, the cobweb and silver trap doing a great deal of weakening. He tuned out their pleas as his axe struck them down; it wasn't death and both of them knew it. Guilt was of no purpose here.
He hadn't expected Scott to be there.
Scott was a bother even on the best of days. Vampires hardly survived as long as he had, and the longer Abolish spent here, forced to fight him, the clearer the reason for his survival became. Scott was slippery, always able to run slightly faster or stall until he could make a safe getaway. He was so good with words even Ren thought he might have powers, other than vampirism, that allowed him to charm his way into people's minds. No such thing existed, at least none the vampire could have access too, but his charisma was undeniable.
Even now, catching Abolish red-handed right after killing one of his coven’s fledgelings, Scott didn't fight back immediately, preferring to ask for a chat, for a civil conversation. Abolish knew better than to fall into that trap. He had a hard enough time getting through close quarters without being distracted — he wished that stupid attraction would just leave and let him do his job already. Letting Scott open his mouth at the risk of being talked into a trap was far too great a risk.
He focused on the fight, instead. Catching up to Scott through the castle, catching up through the dimly lit ballroom, tailing him to make sure he didn't escape. He lurched forward, using the power found in one of the books to propel him further; it missed. Scott took that as an opportunity to engage, turning around, claws swiping out. He missed, barely, tried to retreat back into the ballroom. Abolish read the move and punished it, following close and landing a few good blows, taunting to get the vampire to remain on the offensive. This was the perfect opportunity to weaken him; Abolish wouldn't need to kill him now, just get him low enough that he wouldn't want another fight.
None of that could happen if Scott kept on healing through his wounds, though. Since had just finished getting rid of the cattle, there was no telling just how fed Scott was, or how much crimson he still had at the ready. Abolish grabbed his last vial of holy water, shattering the glass onto Scott's chest. Let out another taunt as Scott tried to retreat again that had him stop and fight again. There was another exchange, another good few hits landed on the vampire, who didn't care about getting hurt quite as much as he should be, especially with the holy water barring him from healing. Scott's carefully calm facade was cracking; it was personal now, anger getting the better of him against a human who wouldn't seem to die.
Unfortunately for Abolish, the vampire had the advantage of endurance, and this fight was already drawing on for much longer than it should have. Scott's offensive was far too aggressive to keep up with, and he felt himself being cornered towards a wall, but didn't manage to get away fast enough. All it took was a slip of attention for Scott to push past his defence, grabbing Abolish by the wrists, pushing him back.
And just like that, Abolish was done for, both hands pinned by the vampire's unnatural strength. Trapped. There wasn't much he could do here that wouldn't immediately result in death.
Already exhausted by the fight, he could barely catch his breath; Scott's proximity wasn't helping either. He couldn't get his breath back under control, the press of Scott's hands against his wrists and the few inches that separated them the only things he could seem to focus on. Scott twisted his sword out of his hand, the metal clattering against the ground, hand brought above his head against to the cold stone behind him.
"Got you," the vampire chirped.
Abolish kept his eyes fixed on a point behind Scott, refusing to look directly at him; but the breath puffing across his face was more than enough for his heart to skip a beat, heat rushing through his body. This situation right here was why he tried to avoid a direct fight with Scott whenever he could get away with it. Abolish wasn't shy about his likings, but he never allowed them to interfere with the mission at hand; taking a fancy to the leader of the vampires, and one who was more than willing to fight, was unfortunately a bit harder to deal with than what he was used to. But lust was just lust, and at the end of the day was an emotion like any other. Abolish kept his emotions as far away from his job as he could, but clearly things weren't going his way here.
They hadn't been going his way since the barriers fell down and trapped him in here, to be honest, but this desire for the most dangerous person here had just been the icing on the cake. At least, he had told himself, at least it was only physical, and not a crush.
Right now he would've taken the fluttering of a crush over the deafening mass of lust.
Already Scott had noticed and was pressing closer, his grip on Abolish's wrists shifting to lay clawed palms across his, grabbing his hands rather than holding his wrists. He had noticed the erratic beating of his heart, no doubt, had noticed the way Abolish's breath only seemed to get shorter the longer he stayed still. He didn't seem too intent on killing Abolish, for the moment at least. His face was, for the situation, a respectable distance away from Abolish's neck, and he wasn't leaning down for a drink.
What he was interested in was, apparently, making Abolish want to crawl out of his skin, which he achieved by leaning over — but now down, just closer still, his lips almost brushing Abolish's ear — and whispering, oh so sweetly: "Cat got your tongue?"
Abolish had taken a page out of Scott's book when it came to the taunting; of course it came back to haunting now. He let go of his head against the hard stone wall, tilting to try and catch Scott's eyes, to see what the other was thinking. He was met with something knowing, full of carefully restrained glee at the sight before him. He had lost control of his own face quite a few moments ago, but it didn't really matter. It wouldn't matter in a few minutes, at least, if the plan he'd just come up with was anything to go by. It was stupid and reckless and far too dangerous, but at the moment he couldn't think past the rational need to get out of here as soon as possible, and the intense desire to just give in and kiss Scott already.
He shifted his hands a little; Scott's grip tightened, but only for a moment, before he pulled away to look at Abolish and a grin broke out on his face. It was sly and dripping with venom and nothing needed to be said for him to plant himself square in front in Abolish, filling up his whole vision with pale skin and crimson eyes.
Abolish turned away again, sending one last mournful glance to the doorway that now felt miles away. His heart was racing, stuck in his throat.
One of Scott's hand left Abolish's to grab his head, palm cupping his jaw softly, pulling him back to centre, giving him no option but to look. In doing so, Scott had freed one of Abolish's hands. It would've been so easy, as Scott was leaning in, to reach for a dagger hidden at his waist and strike him, to hope the surprise was enough to throw him off and escape.
The back of his hand sizzled against Abolish's silver earring, but he didn't seem to mind, looking at Abolish with half-lidded eyes. He tilted his head, amusement clear on his face at the lack of resistance. Leaned in, slowly, finally. Abolish didn't reach for the dagger, made no move to escape; he craved the kiss that finally landed on his lips.
Scott, much to Abolish's sorrow, decided to take things slow. He kissed slowly, the only other points of contact his hands on Abolish's wrist and face, taking his time, no doubt enjoying the erratic beat of Abolish's heart as he pushed against the kiss. Shame had long left Abolish's mind, the very situation so far removed from normalcy he couldn't care less how needy he was. His free hand came to grab Scott's waist, gripping tight.
Then, finally, Scott urged Abolish's mouth open, harsh and demanding. He barely ever paused to let Abolish catch his breath, pressing him against the wall with his whole body like he was trying to crawl underneath his skin. Abolish pushed back against the pressure, reckless, his hand holding onto the other's waist like a lifeline. It was so much more than he expected from Scott, and not enough at the same time; it was weeks and weeks of repression bubbling up to the surface, dragging him down with it.
Scott bit down on Abolish's lip, just enough to draw blood, savouring the taste as it filled their mouths. It wasn't desperate, Scott would never stoop so low, though the hunger, not for blood but flesh, had Abolish dizzy. Time was lost on him, there was only Scott, his hands now both holding his face, lips hungry for more, hips pressing against his own. Space was lost on him, the location fading away, only aware of the bit of cold wall he was up against.
That is, until a voice broke through the spell.
"Sire?"
The word fell on Abolish like a cold shower, knocking him out of the daze and the heat of the kiss. Scott froze, then made a move to pull away, trying to turn around to look at his fledgeling. Abolish grabbed him, both his hands snaking up the vampire's back, clutching tight onto the fabric of the vampire's coat. He was breathless and his head was spinning and his body was on fire and the last thing he needed was for Scott to leave him here. Scott stopped his movement, turning back towards him. Abolish let his head fall to the wall, closed his eyes, swallowed thickly. Felt Scott's eyes follow his every movement. The silence was deafening, only broken by Abolish's desperate attempts at getting his breath back to normal.
He opened his eyes again, threw a tentative look to the vampire who no doubt wanted nothing to do with him. He was instead met with blood red eyes darkened by lustful hunger, lips reddened by use and gleaming with spit. He was breathing heavily too, despite vampires not needing to.
Scott tightened his hand on Abolish's face, tilted his head up, ran his thumb under Abolish's lip. Abolish let it guide his mouth open, just a bit, the touch concentrated lightning after such an abrupt stop. Scott considered him quickly before answering.
"I'm busy." It was a simple thing, but the detachment so common to Scott's speak now sounded forced, the simple words coming out sticky and jagged. Abolish wasn't sure what it meant. For his own sake, he hoped he'd never have to find out.
Scott was standing over Abolish, and as such blocked Abolish from seeing where Pyro had come from, which meant Pyro couldn't see him, either, at least not his face. Not that it mattered much, seeing as Abolish was the only one of the bunch trapped in Oakhurst that wore gloves or a suit in the first place. There was no mistaking who it was Scott had pinned against the wall.
Pyro cleared his throat. "Right. I'll... I'll be back later."
Scott didn't answer; he didn't need to, nor did he seem to want to. The elder vampire's complete focus was on Abolish, all but devouring him with his eyes. Neither of them moved as the echo of Pyro's footsteps faded away. He still fully expected Scott to walk away by now, for the act to drop, despite the signs indicating otherwise. The vampire had gotten everything he could've wanted from this. He now had leverage against Abolish, knew of a weakness he could exploit to not only discredit him in the eyes of town, but also make him less of a threat to the vampires. With a witness, even. But Scott wasn't letting go, and his gaze was unwaveringly strong still. One of his hands dropped to Abolish's waist, fingers tucked into his waistband, the other still holding on to his face.
"Maybe we should —" he started, playful. Abolish didn't let him finish that thought.
"No." He knew exactly what would be suggested, and as easy as he was right now, he could still recognize an exceptionally bad idea. He couldn't let that happen. Staying here, against the cold castle wall, was more than enough; there was no need for plush cushions or soft bedding that would only invite more.
The rejection had Scott frowning, his jaw clenching for a moment. Abolish didn't loosen his grip or make any attempts at getting away, if anything pulling Scott even closer still, impossibly so.
"Here's fine," he added instead.
Scott got the message, though he made his disappointment obvious as he pulled Abolish back into a kiss. His mind was set on something.
Scott's mouth soon left Abolish's, following instead the line of his jaw, nipping at the skin, no doubt leaving a trail of bruises that would be hell to explain, and Scott’s goal quickly became obvious. Abolish let him, holding on only tighter, letting his head fall to the side as Scott's lips drifted further down onto his neck, laying soft kisses across the tender skin. Abolish felt the vampire's mouth open wide, preparing for a bite; fangs starting to catch on skin, ready to tear through with just a movement of the jaw. He grabbed hold of Scott's hair, pulling softly at first and then harder, knowing the trap he'd just fallen into and hoping, somehow, he could stop it.
Scott didn't budge, of course, the pull only serving to make him hold on tighter. Human strength was far from enough to move him, and immortality often did wonders on pain tolerance. He was taking his time with it too, savouring the rare moment when a victim had all but fallen into his arms, willing and (mostly) fearless. His hand tightened on Abolish's cheek, holding his head in place. Abolish could feel the anticipation, the exact moment Scott made his decision and started to snap his jaw shut.
But instead of a mouthful of warm, human blood, Scott received a stake to the back.
Shock froze him, and he didn't have time to move or speak before dying, the dust of his remains swirling in the fading sunlight, pushed around by the harsh blow of Abolish's breath. He'd been close enough some caught on Abolish's neck, still wet from the kiss; he wiped it off quickly, checking the side of his neck for a wound. There were only two small pinpricks, barely even bleeding; Scott hadn't had the time to fully bite. There would be no ash in the wound then, and no immediate crisis of a wound. He was fine as long as no one else came in.
Pyro had been a godsend. If he hadn't interrupted the moment, Abolish was pretty sure he wouldn't have had the mind to remember his plan, let alone notice Scott's bite. Already he'd only been able to notice the lack of silver hissing thanks to the silence the fledgeling had brought; the thought had fully slipped his mind before that.
He bent down to get his sword, the movement slow and careful, letting the stake fall to the ground. He was a mess, his mind still addled with lust still, the cold shower of murder only worsening his distracted state. Sword in hand, he took a moment against the wall, holding himself up, slowing his breathing in a last-ditch attempt to centre his thoughts. When that didn't work, he pushed himself off the wall, dragging himself to the door. He needed to leave before Pyro came back.
If he couldn't get his mind in working order, at least he could get his body to pretend it was; with every passing step, he straightened his posture a little more into the rightness he'd become accustomed to. With it the character came back, and his mind cleared, if only a little bit. He sheathed his sword and prepped another stake to hide in his sleeve. This was the first time he'd ever needed to use that trick, and hopefully it would be the last. In his peripheral, he saw Shelby, hiding behind a corner, worriedly watching him. He wasn't sure how long she'd been there for. She jumped and scurried away when he caught their eye, and that was it.
Just outside the doors, on the edge of the bridge, stood Cleo, Drift and Sausage. Abolish cruised past them without so much as acknowledging them. They didn't call out to him or try to stop him; that was that.
He left the castle otherwise unimpeded, finally allowing himself to relax once he was out of sight of the bridge. Past the bridge and into what was left of the forest. Every vampire was accounted for and so long as one of them didn’t bat out to stop him specifically, nothing would be a major threat. Night was falling, and the undead weren't kind, but they were far less of a danger than any one vampire could be. It was a good thing they were so slow, too.
Now that he was alone, thoughts of Scott filled his mind, refusing to leave him be. He'd hoped the kiss would've been an outlet, that it would've made this easier to deal with, but right now it felt like the only thing that had accomplished was breaking the dam he'd worked so hard to put up. Thoughts — images — flooded his mind, burning a hole through his chest and catching his face on fire, no matter how hard he worked to push them away.
The ache of the bruises on his neck didn't help either, ghosts of Scott's tough lingering against his neck, longing for something that would never happen again. He had nothing to hide them with; hopefully the town wouldn't ask too many questions.
Hopefully Scott would leave his mind before long.
No one was in town when Abolish came back; at least there were still small mercies in the world.
Abolish stopped by his house first, to get what he needed and regroup for a moment. The mirror was, for once, not a welcome sight, showing him just how obvious the trail of bruises was down his neck. There was no way he could explain them without making anyone either really mad or really worried, especially not with the context that came with it.
A quick inventory told him that he was wearing the last set of clothes he'd brought. He would have to clean it up and mend the tears and take the time to make it presentable again, even if his stay in Oakhurst would probably end soon.
Settling by the town fountain, in retrospect, might not have been the greatest idea, especially if he was looking to avoid questioning. But to wash his only set of good clothes meant putting himself in a rather vulnerable position, and he'd rather be in tow, with a clear view of his surroundings, rather than by a river in the forest with little way to tell who was approaching.
He was cleaning the blood off his shirt when a first pair of footsteps approached him, even and strong; Legundo was here. Abolish questioned whether or not to greet him and decided on the latter. It sounded like the doctor was headed for him regardless.
Legundo greeted him first, anyways, immediately catching sight of the sorry state Abolish was in. He always did. "Everything alright, Abolish?"
Abolish nodded, wringing out his shirt. "I caught a skirmish in the castle while I was getting rid of their livestock. I'm fine though."
"Getting rid of… What happened? You don't... look fine." The worry in his voice was palpable.
Abolish could feel the doctor staring a hole through the side of his neck.
"I got Shelby down a notch and I killed Scott, and I didn't get hurt, so I'm fine." He wasn't sure how to say anything more precise without it sounding horrible. He wasn't sure how normal Legundo would be about his attraction to men, let alone Scott. Doctors typically didn't like that very much. He wasn't sure how Legundo would feel about using that as bait, and about Scott taking that bait. There were too many things he didn't know about to venture there.
"I'm not asking if you're fine, Abolish, I'm asking what happened!" So this was how it would be, then, the two of them skirting around the issue without ever daring to say it out loud.
Abolish turned his back to the doctor to set his shirt out to dry. The day wasn't the warmest, but the sun was shining and the wind was picking up; it shouldn't take too long.
"I just told you what happened." He did; there was nothing else to say.
Legundo sighed, quickly realizing this was a losing battle. Getting information out of Abolish wasn’t easy; that was on purpose. Abolish turned back to start mending his jacket and saw him hesitating between saying something and keeping his mouth shut. He was saved by Cleo swooping in as a bat, landing in her human form next to the two of them, a grin splitting her face.
"Well done, Abolish!" they called out, laughter bubbling up in their voice. "I mean I knew you had guts, but I didn't expect you to actually get him so quick," she added, much to the doctor's confusion.
Maybe Cleo wasn’t the saving grace he thought they would be. And they had just made the matter sound a thousand times worse for the doctor, to whom killing a vampire had long lost all meaning.
"Scott's dead." Legundo's eyes widened to an almost comical degree. "Who told you it was me?" Abolish added, turning back to Cleo. Please don't let it be Pyro.
"Pyro did." fuck. "Said he caught you right as you staked his sire, poor guy." Oh thank god.
Abolish sent another blessing Pyro’s way for not telling the entire truth of their encounter. The debt he owed them only kept growing.
"How did you — he was level three, wasn't he?" Legundo's bewilderment was a welcome break to Cleo's joyfulness.
Abolish couldn't think of Scott without being assaulted by a slew of — frankly unwelcome — feelings, each more complicated than the last. Thinking about the practicality of what happened was much easier to deal with than Cleo's glee. "Holy water, a couple of taunts, lots of silver. He's hard to get a hold of when he doesn't want to be caught."
By this point Cleo had circled around to stand by Legundo's side and Abolish could pinpoint the moment she followed the doctor’s eyes and saw the marks on his neck, the air suddenly becoming suffocating him; Cleo's anger tended to be all-consuming. Unfortunately for them, the guy they were angry at was already dead, and Abolish didn't really feel like talking about it.
"Laid out a bait, did you?" she asked, her voice now ice sharp.
Abolish almost smiled at the tactful way they still skirted around the subject. He certainly hadn't intended for it to be a bait, but there was no point in correcting her; she'd gotten close enough on her own.
"I mean, yeah, I was asking for it," he replied, immediately regretting his choice of words and the levity with which he'd said it as he glanced over to Legundo, who’s worry and horror only grew tenfold.
"Not like that," Abolish quickly added, feeling himself flush, which did nothing to alleviate the doctor's concerns.
Abolish could only guess how many of these he'd heard in his time as a soldier; excuses and justifications to deflect blame, to protect the perpetrator. He wasn't sure what to add to make the situation any better for the poor veteran, who at this point was probably assuming the worst about what went down.
It's not like Legundo's theories of what happened would matter now. It was already over; besides quelling an unnecessary amount of fussing on the doctor's part, there was no point in trying to correct the situation. The glint of amusement in Cleo's eye told Abolish they knew exactly what he meant; if Legundo didn't understand, that was his problem.
Besides, with the coven's leader now out of the equation, the vampires would no doubt lose steam. With any luck, they'd realize they were fighting a losing battle and try to reach a compromise. As long as Pyro kept his mouth shut, everything would be fine and there would be no more explaining to do. Hopefully. No more reminiscing about what had happened , no more thinking about Scott—
Who was he kidding.