Chapter Text
Legundo awoke dazed, a bit lethargic, but he awoke all the same. Dragged from his sleep slowly as he pushed himself to sit up, a hand lifted to his eyes as he rubbed them, Wincing as he swallowed thickly, his tongue felt like sandpaper, and his throat was drier than the desert. His memory was…hazy at best. His mind was still trying to put the pieces together.
Martyn and Ren were planning something, they had plans to burn down the castle the vampires resided in. He had confronted them, he had tried to talk them out of it. There had been a fight, verbal first, but then quickly turned phyiscal. A sword had…
He had died.
Legundo’s eyes snapped open, shoulders tensing as he realised that he had died. Fully died. Not gotten hit and passed out. Not gotten a limp and managed to drag himself back to bed. He had fully died. He scrambled to get out of the bed he was realising now was not his. Blankets tangled around his legs, restricting his movement, causing him to crash to the floor. Palms smacking against the wooden floors as he slammed into it.
His heart. Why wasn’t his heart racing?
Legundo staggered to his feet, slamming his back against the wall as two of his fingers pressed against his neck. Trying to find his pulse. Then to his wrists. Then over his heart. Each time, nothing.
Nothing.
He was dead.
Legundo ran a hand through his short hair, legs shaking as he sank to the ground. Despite not feeling the urge to breathe anymore, his breathing was shaky. He remembered the wound that had been too fatal, too deep for a human to walk back from. He remembered the taste of iron coating his tongue. He remembered the sharpness that came with every inhale and the ache from every exhale. He remembered the numbness and the cold that had started to seep into his bones.
He had been dying.
He had died.
Something brought him back.
Someone had brought him back.
“You’re awake!” Legundo’s head snapped up to see possibly the last person he wanted to see right now.
Owen.
His dark red eyes were beautiful, bright and, perhaps for the first time in a long time, they were alive. Owen rushed to Legundo’s side, a hand wrapped around his waist as the other took one of the doctor’s hands. “You shouldn’t be out of bed yet, you’re still healing.” Owen’s tone was gentle, kind even. Hushed as he stood effortlessly, all but carrying Legundo back to the bed. “I-I know you must be confused, but I was so worried. I-I’ve never turned someone before and I thought I had done something wrong when you didn’t wake up after three days.”
Three days? Owen didn’t seem to notice Legundo’s hitch of breath as he set the doctor down. Taking the blanket that had fallen in Legundo’s abrupt awakening and laid it over his legs again. “I didn’t think it’d work,” Owen continued, “I-I thought I had taken too much o-or I wasn’t fast enough. But you’re here! You’re here.” Owen’s rambles fell on deaf ears as Legundo tried to process everything.
“Owen…?”
“Right, right! Sorry, you must be hungry.” Owen laughed breathlessly, “H-hold on, I…let me find you some blood. You must be starving and I–” Owen stopped, freezing when he felt Legundo’s hand grab his wrist and squeeze. “Doctor?”
“You turned me.” It wasn’t a question. It wasn’t accusatory. It just…was. “You…you turned me.”
“I did.”
Legundo stared at the blanket thrown over his legs. His hand gripped it tightly as he inhaled sharply. “Why?” If he was a stronger man, maybe he wouldn’t have broken with that one question. Maybe he would’ve been able to muster up enough anger. Maybe he would’ve had the strength to push Owen away. “You…you knew what my stance on your…on this was.”
“You were dying, Legs,” Owen said simply. As if it explained everything. As if it fixed the shattered trust that laid between them now. “I…you were dying. Ren had taken a sword and stabbed you in the back with it. If you’re expecting me to apologise for saving you from a meaningless death, you won’t get that. Not from me.”
“I know.” Legundo knew that. He knew that Owen wouldn’t feel the smallest bit of remorse for what he had done. He had been so insistent that Legundo take his “gift” in the first place, but…he thought Owen would respect his decision. Legundo let go of Owen’s wrist, taking both hands to cover his face. Sighing into his hands as he dragged them down his face. “I should be angry.”
“It’d be your right.” Owen’s tone was back to what it was before. Frustratingly neutral. Unbearably calm. Like he was accepting what was in front of him with no questions, no fight left in him. “I…I meant it…what I said in town. If you…if you wish to continue searching for your precious cure, I won’t stop you. I won’t stop you from trying to research it, from trying to cure yourself of our gift. If that is what you wish. You…if you’d like, you can even drive the stake into my heart. If that is what it requires.”
“You…” Legundo stared at Owen with wide eyes, “What?”
Owen shook his head, inhaling shakily as he reached for one of Legundo’s hands. He wondered if it showed just how far gone he was when he didn’t pull away from Owen’s touch. Watching Owen link their hands together before sinking to the ground. Pressing Legundo’s hand against his forehead as he spoke. “I took your choice from you. If you wanted to kill me…I’d deserve it. I deserve whatever punishment you think fit for me. I…I just need you to understand, Legs. I…I couldn’t lose another. Not again. Not to that damn town. I…I don’t want to be alone again, that’s all I ask.”
“Owen…”
“Please don’t leave me. Please don’t make me go. Don’t make me go back into the dark alone again. I can’t…I can’t handle it. Not again. I won’t…I won’t last. Please,” Owen’s voice broke on the last plea. Legundo had never heard Owen sound like this, not ever. Not even when he talked about Lewis.
Legundo took another deep breath, steady, calm, trying to find his center in the mess that he was now in. He was good at that. At compartimentalising. At looking at a situation and determining who or what took priority. He squeezed Owen’s hand before he finally spoke. “I’d repeat my oath to you, but I fear I…might have already broken it.” He admitted sheepishly, a weak chuff leaving his lips when he saw Owen’s head snap up. Staring at him with his beautiful red eyes, it pushed for him to explain a little more. “I…might have punched Martyn a few times. And…and was going to kill him before Ren…” He bowed his head, inhaling shakily as he remembered the blood had stained his hands. How strong he had felt in the moment. How willing he had been to kill again. He let go of Owen’s hands to cover his own face. Shoulders tense, muscles tight as he let out a slightly unhinged laugh. “I…almost killed Martyn. I-I was going to kill Martyn. I…what’s happened to me?” What have you done to me, Owen?
“I…didn’t know that,” Owen said. Quiet, hesitant, but not fearful. Just…surprised.
Legundo lowered his hands, turning to stare at the vampire. “You weren’t watching?”
Owen shook his head, “I…I saw the fire…the…the flames. I don’t–” Owen pressed his lips into a thin line as he furrowed his brow. “I don’t do well with fire.” A look of shame crossed his face as he shook his head. “I…I wanted to get close, I should’ve been able to. It would’ve been so easy to, but I- “ Owen’s jaw tightened as he let out an angry hiss. “My stupid fear had me on the outskirts until those blasted flames died. And by then you were–”
Legundo shifted, turning his body to cup Owen’s face in both his hands. “Firstly, your fear is not stupid.” It felt like a good place to start. Short, to the point, and firm. Legundo hadn’t known that Owen didn’t like fire, but he wouldn’t push it if Owen wasn’t willing to discuss it. “Fear…fear is good. It keeps us alive, having a bit of fear is healthy.”
Owen laughed weakly, “Fear is what took him from me.” There was no question who he was.
“That kind of fear is dangerous,” Legundo agreed, “but small amounts, worrying about the dark because you may lose your way. Fear of heights because you might fall and hurt yourself. Things like that aren’t…they aren’t bad things. A little fear is good, keeps your mind clear. But the fear that took…that took him from you, that was wrong. That was wrong and I’m sorry you had to experience that. But your fear of fire is not like that. You fear fire because of what was done to you, that is…that is normal and is nothing to be ashamed of. Do you understand?”
Owen stared up at the doctor before a weak smile spread across his lips. “Always so practical, aren’t you?”
“It comes with the profession, I believe.” Legundo chuckled softly, he fell silent. Feeling the silence hang over both of their heads. Then he sighed, closing his eyes as he bowed his head. Pressing it against Owen’s, “I…I’m not going to stop looking for a cure.”
“I had a feeling.” Owen’s hands, rough though they might be, were gentle as they took his own. Holding them in his own as he sighed. “I had hoped, but–”
“It won’t be for myself though.” Legundo cut the vampire off before he could say anything else.
“What?”
“I…am starting to realise that…you may have had some points.” Legundo hesitated for a moment before pushing forward. “I…I still don’t believe I deserve eternity, not after all I’ve done, and…trust me. Three thousand is nothing compared to my kill count, Owen.” Legundo swallowed thickly, hating the dryness of his throat. The hunger that gnawed at his stomach was far too familiar. He ignored it. “I’m going to look for a cure because I know that some of the others aren’t…aren’t pleased with the more…drastic downsides. The bloodlust, the hunger. I’m not even a day old and I already hate the hunger. I…I want to fix that, I want to curb these…these downsides.”
Owen was quiet for a moment before he spoke, “I suppose that’s…fair. I suppose they aren’t the most glamorous things to experience.” Owen hummed, “I’m surprised you’re still coherent enough to hold a conversation with me.”
“I’ve had practise.”
Owen scoffed, “Should I be concerned? You won’t starve yourself out of some misguided attempt to prove a point, will you?”
“No, just…” Legundo sighed again, “I can’t stomach meat. I’m vegetarian–was vegetarian–for a reason.” The hunger, the pain, the guilt. He was certain he’d throw up if he put a cut of meat in his mouth again.
“Bottled blood then.” Owen adjusted easily, “That’s not hard, we’ve bottled blood, we can get you that and I can eat the meat.” He rubbed his thumbs over Legundo’s own scarred hands. The texture was grounding, giving Legundo something to focus on as he forced himself to calm down. “You won’t take the cure for yourself?”
“I don’t know.” Legundo said after a beat. “Being human…I had comfort in knowing that I’d die someday. After all the hurt and pain and death I’ve caused…I wanted to die and let the world would be better off without me.” He laughed, hollow, tired, and empty. “I don’t…I don’t deserve to live forever. I don’t deserve eternity. I don’t deserve to keep living while I have so many ghosts haunting me.”
“And would you say the same for me?” Owen asked, “I have ghosts too, one in particular, but I’ve done what you have. Haven’t I?”
“I…that’s different.” Legundo tried to argue, but the reason sounded weak, even to him. Still, he tried. “You…you lost your loved one, you acted out in anger, and while I might not agree, I understand. I…I caused so much suffering. I followed my orders to the letter and it destroyed towns, Owen. I said it before, three thousand is nothing compared to the cemetaries I’ve filled.”
Owen was quiet for a moment, then took one of Legundo’s hands, pressing a kiss to the knuckles. Still bloody from his fight with Marytn, yet Owen held them gently all the same. “I think…the difference between us, Doctor…is that you feel guilty. I…when I killed them, when I raised Oakhurst to the ground, I didn’t feel the slightest amount of remorse. These people…I can see fragments of their memories when I feed from them. I…maybe that’s just a gift that I received from Lewis, but…” Owen closed his eyes for a moment, squeezing Legundo’s hand tightly as tears rolled down his cheeks. “They planted evidence of the occult on his person. They laughed as they planned to burn him alive. All for power…for status. They didn’t feel guilty that they were destroying another man, so I returned the favour.
Legundo wanted to be horrified, he was–but not at Owen. He was horrified by what these men had done, but at the same time…he wasn’t surprised. “Power makes people do awful things.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” Owen pressed another kiss to Legundo’s hand, lower this time. Right over the pulse point on his wrist that no longer beat. “You say that you do not deserve eternity because of what you’ve done, then I don’t either. But we have it nonetheless. I’ve spent mine trying to make every human feel an ounce of pain and suffering that Oakhurst delivered to me. What are you going to spend your eternity doing? You can stay trapped in your guilt, you can let that control you, like I’ve let grief control me. Or you can be better than me, you already are better than me.”
“I…I’m not better than you, Owen.” Legundo protested, “I’m just…I just didn’t want to see you suffer, not when I could’ve done something to help.”
Owen laughed weakly, “And that is exactly why you’re better than me.”
Legundo stared at their joined hands, stared at Owen’s lips pressed against his wrist. Then he closed his eyes, “I don’t know where to start…I…how do I make peace with everything I’ve done? I…I poisoned an entire town’s water supply, I’ve committed so many atrocities. I–” Legundo faltered, “I don’t know how to be better.”
“And you think I do?” Owen questioned, laughing softly. “Did you forget Doctor? I turned you because I was tired of being alone and I couldn’t accept you dying. Not while I could do something to fix it. That choice, my reasoning, it was all selfish. I feared you dying, I fear death, and I fear being alone. I’m no better, I may be worse, even.”
“We could go back and forth for hours.” Legundo pointed out, laughing weakly as Owen smiled weakly at him. “For all eternity, if we wanted.”
“We could if you prefer.” Owen chuckled, slowly rising to his full height. “But then what would get done? You have an opportunity here, Doctor. Eternity is a long time to practise medicine, and soon enough, we won’t be trapped here anymore. We could go anywhere you’d want.”
“We?”
Owen’s cheeks turned pink, the blood he fed colouring his cheeks faintly. “I…if you’d be alright with a monster like me beside you, I’d…I’d like to see what’s changed. Oakhurst…it was painfully small during my lifetime, and even now, it’s not exactly a flourishing town. I…fear I might fall into less stellar habits if I explore on my own.” He bowed his head, “But…if you wish to leave after all of this, I wouldn’t blame you. I understand that perhaps you’d rather not be around me, especially after how I’ve broken your trust.”
Legundo should have said no. He should have pushed Owen away, claimed that he didn’t want anything to do with the person who had taken his trust and thrown it back in his face. But…well, Legundo’s feelings didn’t go away just because Owen decided to be selfish. He was upset, yes. But was he willing to leave Owen alone after the lumberjack poured his heart out? Legundo didn’t think so. Eternity was a long time to hold a grudge anyways. “As long as you can reframe from killing innocents, I don’t see why you cannot travel with me.” He said, a weak smile on his lips when Owen’s eyes widened.
“You mean it?”
“I’m not going to leave you, Owen. From what I understand, your life has been…lonely and wanting connection with another person is not a crime. As long as you don’t actively go out of your way to hurt someone, I see no reason to refuse your offer to travel with me once the barrier is down.”
Owen stared at him, silent, almost like he was trying to figure out if the doctor was lying or not. Then he nodded, letting go of Legundo’s hands, “I’ll get that blood for you, I’ve let you starve for too long. After that…I’ll teach you everything I can about being a vampire.”
“What about the others?” He asked, “Martyn and Ren are still planning on burning down the castle.”
“I don’t care what they do anymore,” Owen responded, moving across the room, “I’ll let Shelby know, I’m sure Scott will handle it. You’re more important.” With that, Owen left. Legundo stared at the door as it clicked shut before rubbing his face again.
Things weren’t perfect, not by a long shot. Martyn and Ren were still a threat to everyone, human or vampire. Scott was also still an issue, if Drift wanted a cure, he’d have to die. Which…complicated things with others. He’d have to return to his clinic, find his notes, assuming Martyn and Ren didn’t burn it down. He needed to find Abolish, he hoped that the man had gotten the answers he wanted, he hoped Abolish was still okay, and he hoped that he had gotten the closure he needed. So much to do, so much was broken. But Legundo was a doctor, he fixed things. He could fix this. He could fix this.
He had to.