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Tommy woke up with the worst headache ever. He attempted to pry his eyes open, but they didn’t listen. His mind screamed at him, a deafening cacophony of need and want and he couldn’t tell what was what. Sire. Need. Hungry. The thoughts repeated like a sickening chant at the back of his mind and they didn’t make sense. What the fuck even was a sire?
“Tommy! Wake up!” Tommy’s foster mom, Barb, called from outside Tommy's door, “You have to get to work. This is why I say not to party on Sunday nights.”
Tommy groaned, a keening sort of sound that felt both horribly wrong and just right. Sire-need-hungry. He shoved the nonsense thoughts away. His whole body hurt, every muscle burning, his heartbeat struggling to pound, his blood lava in his veins. It wasn’t right. Something was horribly wrong and Tommy couldn’t put his finger on it. Something was incomplete, his body flashing between too hot and too cold.
Nevertheless, Tommy stood, staggering against the too-bright light filtering in his window, even overcast as it was, it was painfully bright, and dressed for work. Barb tried to shove food into his arms before he left, but he denied it, the thought of eating sounding unpleasant despite the deep ache for something he couldn’t put his finger on in the back of his mind. He was craving something and he had no idea what it was.
He staggered into work, feeling faint, so he force-fed himself a danish from behind the café bar, his coworker, Jason, giving him a judgmental look as he washed the sickly sweet flavor of icing away with a triple shot latte. It tasted like ash in his mouth and Tommy ran a hand through his hair as the first of their customers walked in, doing his best to plaster a customer service smile on his face despite the dull throbbing in his jaw underlined with sire-hurts-hungry.
He had never been this hungover before and he couldn’t even make himself form complete words between his squinting from the dull light of the cafe and cringing from loud noises, each slamming door or scraping fork was a knife to his eardrums and his eyelids felt too heavy.
He hadn’t been working for long when he quite suddenly became aware that he was going to vomit and barely made it to a trash can in time, not even a few feet away from where he had been standing, his ashy breakfast in it’s half-digested glory evacuating his hot-cold body as if it couldn’t leave fast enough. Tommy sagged on the edge of the trashcan, an odd whine wanting to rise in his throat.
“Fun night?” Jason questioned.
Tommy shook his head, “I don’t even remember it.” Partying was his thing, much to the disappointment of every adult in his life, but he didn’t care. It was a way to be out, to lose himself in flashing lights, shitty music, and a buzz that kept him from thinking too hard about the past year. About his dead parents.
“I see you tried venom,” Jason nodded pointedly at Tommy’s neck.
Tommy didn’t even have the energy to cuss out the man, “I don’t do venom, shit’s too risky.” Venom was what people called ii when you pay a vampire to bite you just for the high. Tommy didn’t mess with it out of the simple fact that venom is way too addictive and the fact that vampires were fucking terrifying. If he had a mark on his neck… Well, who knows what drunk Tommy got up to. For all he knew, he somehow bagged a woman and had a hickey, though that would be weird because he remembered at least most of the night before and he didn’t remember any girls.
“Well I don’t know many other bites that look like that,” Jason shrugged.
Tommy rolled his eyes and pressed a hand to where Jason had been pointing, frowning at the coolness of his skin there, surrounded by the fiery hotness of the rest of his skin. It was wrong in a way he couldn’t explain, especially the four raised bumps at the very center of the spot. It was maybe the size of his palm and he sat us straighter, stomach rolling again.
“Oh shit,” he breathed. Jason was right.
“What?” Jason asked, raising an eyebrow, unimpressed.
“I fucking tried venom,” Tommy whispered, eyes wide in horror, “Holy shit, venom hangovers are fucking ass.”
Jason frowned, “Venom doesn’t cause hangovers.”
Tommy squinted up at the man, “Then why do I feel so awful?”
“Maybe you’re just sick?” Jason suggested, “It isn’t too unusual, I’ve heard some of the shit you get up to. Didn’t you lick the floor of a frat house the other day on a dare?”
Tommy shrugged. He was never one to turn down a dare. In fact, he was a notoriously stupid drunk, to the point he had really messed up relationships with friends before over things he had done while drunk. This was a new low though, trying venom. He pressed his face into his hands, flinching at the pain in his jaw as he pressed. Damn. He didn’t even remember the vampire who had bitten him, no matter how hard he searched for the memory. Not that he thought about it too hard, just thinking at all was painful, thinking with purpose was excruciating.
“Why don’t you go home today?” Jason suggested, actually sounding sympathetic, “You don’t look good.”
Tommy huffed, but he didn’t want to argue, not while sitting next to a bucket full of his vomit anyways.
Jason had to help him up on trembling legs and even let Tommy borrow his sunglasses as he began the stumbling walk back towards his current foster home. The sunlight was blinding in his eyes even through the sunglasses and Tommy whined in pain, closing his eyes as he walked, using a hand on the buildings to his right to make sure he didn’t wander into the street. This was awful and something was screaming at him that it was wrong . He was hungry, so hungry that he was weak and shaky from it, but the thought of eating food filled him with enough nausea that he had to pry his eyes open to stumble into an alley, falling to his knees and throwing up bile and whatever had remained in his stomach of his breakfast on the filthy concrete.
“What are the odds,” a voice rumbled.
Tommy’s very being reacted to the sound, sire-need-help filling his brain, all thoughts lost under the nonsensical words.
A hand rested on the back of his head and Tommy forced his eyes open to find that his vision was blurry, only showing vague blobs, but he was fairly sure a pink haired man was crouching before him. The hand stroked down his hair and Tommy whined, high and desperate and he didn’t understand why.
“Oh, I’ve been lookin’ for you all night,” The pink haired man murmured, “Silly little one, bitin’ a vampire.”
Tommy squinted through his sunglasses, not understanding, “Wha?” His body felt distant, his mouth struggling through the pain there to move as he commanded.
“Do you remember? Probably not,” The man mused, the hand shifting to stroke fingers down that sluggish vein in Tommy’s throat, half of Tommy shot through with icy fear, the rest urged him closer, for this man to make it right , to fix it.
Tommy fumbled a hand for the man’s wrist, hands shaking. His nail beds were sensitive as he pressed his nails into the man’s arm, his body flashing hot and cold, “Help,” he sobbed.
“Of course, little one,” the man purred, literally.
Tommy stiffened, eyes widening as they focused enough to see red eyes. A purr. This was a vampire and Tommy had just begged him for help. The man’s words came back to Tommy and he realized belatedly this must have been the vampire who had bitten him and the bastard was running his claws over Tommy’ throat, as if he were considering the best place to bite. Tommy’s breaths spasmed in his chest and the motion upset his stomach again, bile once again splattering on the pavement.
The vampire crooned, “Oh, poor thing, you tried to eat, didn’t you?”
Tommy whimpered, trying to summon the strength to pull away, but the movement just seemed to remind his body how weak he was and he nearly face planted in his own vomit, the vampire’s hands catching his shoulders just in time and pulling Tommy to that cold, still chest as if he were something delicate, something to care for, not just a meal for the fucker.
“Let’s get you where you belong,” The vampire rumbled through his purr, “I shouldn’t have let you slip away, you’re probably in so much pain, only half-turned.”
Tommy’s eyes struggled to focus and the vampire pressed Tommy’s face into the crook of a cool neck, a wound coming into view. It was a bite mark and Tommy flinched away before he realized it wasn't a vampire bite. Vampires had fangs meant for breaking skin and venom to counter inflammation and bruising, but this bite was painfully human and part of Tommy’s mind flickered with recognition and the rest of him shuddered with an awful fear. Biting a vampire. No one was stupid enough to bite a vampire, swallowing vampire blood was a sure way to begin the turning process. Tommy whined, confused-sire-help . Tommy didn’t understand.
The vampire was moving, “Do you see it? It’s where you bit me,” he chuckled, “You told me it was karma.”
Tommy hid his face in the man’s shirt, hand gripping at the cloth despite the pain in his nails, “Don’t understand…” he muttered.
“You started the turnin’ process,” The vampire sounded amused, “You swallowed my blood, and even though it wasn’t enough to do much more that trigger small changes, you’re sufferin’ for it. Usually turnin’ is a much more painless process, but you really drug it out with this whole thing.”
Tommy shivered, “‘M not a v’mpire…”
“Not yet,” the vampire agreed.
Tommy pressed his face further into the shirt, the only thing he seemed capable of.
“Don’t be scared,” The purr started up again, “It’s your only option now anyways. To stop here would kill you permanently.”
Tommy flinched at that, his mind struggling through the fog of need and pain to comprehend what he was being told. He had bitten a vampire while drunk, apparently not thinking of the associated risks and had somehow started turning into a vampire. A vampire. That fact was having a hard time computing. What would Barb say? Would the foster system ditch him? It was for humans, after all. Was he homeless now because he had been a little too stupid? What even happened in turning? It made sense now, the ache in his fingernails was where he would be growing claws, his jaw hurt where he was growing fangs, his pulse was slow because he was turning. Oh shit. He was turning.
“Shh,” The vampire soothed, rubbing Tommy’s back as he walked, “It will be okay. I was thinkin’ about lookin’ for a fledgling anyways, you just made the process easier for me.”
Tommy sobbed again.
“You’ll be okay. My own sire will love you, you know, you’re so sweet. We’re going to his nest right now. Doesn’t that sound good? Goin’ to the nest?” The vampire was murmuring in Tommy’s ear as they moved.
Tommy knew for a fact that a vampire’s nest was a place no outsider ever survived seeing, one way or another, and that didn’t soothe him the way that the vampire seemed to think it would.
“Ah, not enough instincts yet, hm? No coven or nestin’ desires yet,” The vampire just seemed sympathetic, the hand on his back raking through Tommy’s hair, “I’ll fix it soon, I promise.”
They walked for a while, and Tommy didn’t lift his head to watch where they went, shielding his sensitive eyes from the sun for the whole journey as the vampire murmured reassurances and purred to him the whole way.
Then Tommy distinctly felt the absence of the sun and tension he had been carrying in his spine relaxed at the coolness that signaled he could lift his head, finding near-complete darkness, though the vampire carrying him was still moving. This whole vampire thing was feeling suddenly very real and out of the sun Tommy felt stronger, allowing the fear to find purchase in the fog over his mind. He began to struggle against the vampire’s hold on him.
“Wait, no! No, I don’t wanna- no!” Tommy choked, overcome with fear as he tried to shove his way out of the vampire’s arms. It didn’t work. Vampires had an unnatural strength and it had never been more clear to Tommy than now as he was unable to make even a millimeter of progress in loosening the arms tightly pinning him to the man’s chest.
“Shh, calm down,” The vampire rumbled, purring louder, “Almost there.”
This made Tommy’s sluggish heart actually pick up the pace and Tommy thrashed, “No! Please, I don’t want to die!”
“You won’t, not permanently,” the vampire chuckled.
“Let me go!” Tommy wailed. He whipped his head around, unable to see anything in the darkness except vague forms as the vampire holding him moved through a hall and doorways. He was going to be turned. This bastard was going to kill and revive him and Tommy couldn’t do anything about it. Tears ran down Tommy’s cheeks and he hammered his fists on the iron arms around him, unconcerned with his terror.
“Hey mate, you’ve got him? He’s feisty,” A new voice said, lilted with amusement.
Tommy froze. He hadn’t even noticed them approach. Another vampire, most likely.
“Yes he is,” The vampire holding Tommy sounded almost proud, “Is the nest ready?”
“Yes,” The second vampire said, “Come along, I’m so excited to have another fledgling.”
Tommy shuddered, shrinking into the arms that held him.
Then he was placed in blankets, hands removing his shoes and dull thuds announcing that they had been tossed aside. Tommy held perfectly still, aware that he had been placed next to something that was definitely not a blanket or pillow, instead it was cool and hard next to his arm. He really hoped it wasn’t a corpse. He didn’t know what vampires kept in their nests and a body didn’t seem exactly off brand.
“Oh, is this him?” The body next to Tommy rumbled slightly with a new purr, “Oh Techno, you outdid yourself!”
“Back off Wilbur,” The first vampire, Techno, growled as a hand gently caressed Tommy’s hair. Tommy flinched away, unsure which vampire had decided to get touchy, “He’s my fledgling.”
The body against Tommy, Wilbur, apparently, stiffened with indignation and an arm draped over Tommy, a face nuzzling into the crook of his neck. Tommy froze with absolute terror as Wilbur’s nose brushed Tommy’s jaw, breath wafting his neck over his pulse.
“I said back off,” Techno snapped and the arm was ripped off of Tommy, the boy perfectly still as he was collected back to a familiar chest.
“Boys, be nice. Wilbur, don’t steal your brother’s fledgling and Techno, share,” The second vampire reprimanded with a sigh, amusement tinting his voice anyways.
Techno rumbled, deep in his chest beneath Tommy and Tommy squeezed his eyes shut, hands trembling as he felt hair brush his neck, hot breath ghosting over his throat once again. He whimpered in fear.
“Aw,” Wilbur cooed, “Hurry up, Techno. Phil, tell him to hurry up.”
“Be patient,” The second vampire sounded a little less amused this time, but definitely not irritated or even angry, “He’ll do it at his own pace, the poor thing is terrified.”
Tommy squeezed his eyes shut as the vampires casually discussed his fate, sounding just excited, if anything. A hand lifted his chin.
“The bite will only hurt for a moment, runt,” Techno murmured, “Do you remember?”
Tommy shook his head as much as he could with his chin firmly in the vampire’s hold.
“It will be fine, I promise,” Techno said, and then his fangs ghosted over Tommy’s neck and the boy thrashed, immovable arms not letting him escape as Techno bit him, almost gentle as the pain lanced through Tommy’s body, from the bite all the way to his heart, stuttering in his chest. Tommy choked on a shrill whine.
“There you go,” Phil crooned, a hand running through his hair as Techno drank his blood.
Tommy’s tears ran back with how his head was titled, into his ears and his mouth worked voicelessly as he felt a numbness leaching into his body. He was dying, Prime, he was dying.
Cold fingers wiped away his tears as he began to float, no sensation tying him down, simply a soft sort of buzz covering his mind. He stopped crying, unsure why he had been upset as he became perfectly calm, limp in the kind arms that held him. Finally it felt right. The screaming that had been in the back of his mind all day finally quieted.
Then the arms around him shifted and something dripped into his half-open mouth. He licked at it, puzzled, and found a taste that sent a thrill through his body. This was what he was craving. He fumbled half-numb hands up to pull what he discovered to be an arm to his mouth, latching his mouth over a cut and drinking deeply. It was so, so good and he fell asleep that way, content, full, and perfect .