#PLEASE DON’T | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

chaotic-orphan · 7 months

Text

Febuwhump: Day Nineteen

Prompt — “please don’t.”

*~*~*~*~*

Hero let out a sigh as they got home, closing the door behind them then turning to rest their head against the wood and decompress. They only needed a moment before they righted themselves and dropped their bag at the door and took off their shoes.

They just needed to see Lover right now, and then everything would be fine. The shitty day would turn good and Hero could smile freely again.

“Lover? You home?” Hero called. They shedded their coat in the living room and left it on the back of the couch. It wasn’t like Lover to be home after Hero, their job finished at five everyday. Hero’s finished at six. Hero frowned and switched on the light in the living room.

Then they heard Lover’s voice flowing from the kitchen. “Yeah, we’re in the kitchen!”

We?

Hero wanted to groan and curse the sky, they really didn’t want to entertain any of Lover’s friends right now, but it couldn’t be helped. They sucked it up and walked into the kitchen with a smile on their face.

“Hel—” Hero began but the words and smile died on Hero’s face, fear gripping their heart.

“There you are, you didn’t tell me your work friend would be joining us,” Lover chided lightly.

“Hello Hero,” said Villain with a pleasant smile on their face. Hero was frozen in the doorway, eyes locked on Villain who was sitting at their kitchen island with Lover, a cup of coffee between their hands. “Such a lovely home you have.”

Hero clicked into a more confident posture, walking towards their Lover and kissing them before they walked to the kettle.

“How was your day, Lover?” Hero asked idly, thumbing down the switch and grabbing a mug from the cupboard above the kettle. Hero swallowed, they had a weapons stowed around the house, they could fight if they had to, but Lover was here.

Villain had taken it too far. Their relationship is strictly professional.

“Oh you know, same old, same old!” Lover said, voice light and airy. They had no idea what monster they had welcomed into their home.

“Does anyone need a refill?” Hero asked, pouring their coffee and immediately turning to sit beside Lover.

“No,” said Villain. “Thank you.”

“What are you doing here, Villain?” Hero asked once they had Lover within their grasp. “I thought you were working late tonight.”

Villain smiled, but it was anything but friendly. It looked so strange on Villain’s face that was sculpted from alabaster, cold and beautiful. The smile didn’t put Hero at ease, in fact, it put them on guard. What were they doing here? How did they find Hero’s house?

Hero had to remain calm. They had to if they were gonna get Lover out of this.

Villain didn’t look at Hero, instead they touched Lover on the arm with their smile that hid so much danger.

“Hero’s always getting on me to stop working late, but I can’t help it. I’m a night owl,” Villain said with a blasé shrug. Lover laughed and turned to smile at Hero.

“Yeah, that sounds like something they’d do. Always worrying about other people more than themselves.”

Villain’s cold eyes fixed on Hero’s, and Hero thought their heart was going to stop in their chest. “Yes. It’s something of a weakness I’ve noticed in them too. You care too much, Hero.”

Hero’s heart pounded against their temple as Hero swallowed, their mouth going dry. They didn’t know what to do. Lover didn’t know. They didn’t know who Hero was, well… the Hero that Villain knew Lover didn’t. They didn’t know they risked their life to save the city, they thought they worked as an accountant.

“I thought it was a quality you liked, Villain,” said Hero tightly, their knuckles turning white from their grip on their mug.

“It was,” said Villain, tilting their head to the side, soulless eyes staring through Hero’s into their soul. “Now it has become a nuisance.”

Lover sat back, eyes flickering between Villain and Hero before glancing at Hero, brows furrowing in question.

“Lover, you need to get out of here.”

“On the contrary, Lover, darling, you should stay.”

“Hero?” Lover asked, their hands shaking as they tried to stand but Hero realised with a sickening clarity that Villain had compelled them to stay sitting.

“Please, don’t,” Hero pleaded, eyes on Villain’s as they spoke. “Please let them go, you can have me. I’ll do whatever you want, just… please.”

Hero was no match for Villain right now. They could barely string two sentences together but seeing Villain in their house. Their sanctuary and Lover having invited them in, Hero didn’t know what to do other than beg.

“Hero?! What’s going on?” Lover asked, fear now dominating their voice. Then they looked at Villain, that stubborn expression that Hero loved so much on their face. “You absolutely will not have them! Now tell me why I can’t move?!”

“Do you want to tell them, Hero? Or shall I?” Villain asked with a smile exposing their fangs. Hero’s eyes stayed on Villain, helplessness rendering them speechless. They didn’t want Lover to ever find out about vampires, let alone like this!

“Hero?” Lover asked, fear clouding their voice and it dragged Hero’s attention from the lethal monster at the end of the table. Lover’s face was too much for Hero to bear. “What’s going on?”

Hero swallowed hard. “Villain… is a vampire,” said Hero, their voice defeated. “They— fuck, Lover, they compelled you not to move.”

“What?” Lover asked, voice too high, too shrill. “What? That… what is this twilight?!”

“Oh god no,” said Villain with a smile, resting their cheek in their hand. “I was team Jacob the entire time. The Cullens… blegh! Vegetarian vampires? Boring. Although if it helps you to compartmentalise, Lover, you can think of me as a carnivore.”

“Please just let Lover go,” Hero said, voice hard. Villain stood from their seat and walked to where Lover sat, brushing their hair from their face. Hero could only watch as Villain did it because they couldn’t do anything against Villain when they were dangling Lover’s life in front of them.

“Don’t touch me,” Lover spat. Cold eyes met Hero’s desperate ones, a horrible smile on Villain’s face.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why Hero knows so much about me and my kind,” said Villain casually. “And since they told my secret it’s only fair that I tell theirs, right? Your partner is a vampire Hunter, Lover.”

Lover went stiff, frightened eyes going to Hero’s, searching for any hint that this was all a sick prank or a hoax… or— or some fucking game! Instead Hero didn’t quite meet Lover’s eyes and that said… well that said everything.

“They are a very good vampire Hunter,” Villain purred, leaning into Lover’s neck and sniffing before letting out a happy sigh. “Mmm, sorry. Adrenaline and cortisol just smells… divine… mmm, where was I? Ah yes, Hero is one of the best vampire hunters around. You should be proud of them.”

“Please. Just leave us alone,” Lover pleaded, their bottom lip beginning to wobble.

“Oh but I can’t do that, Lover. If you weren’t such a sweetheart and didn’t invite me in I wouldn’t have been able to put Hero is this awkward little situation, would I have Hero?”

Lover’s wet eyes found Hero’s. “I didn’t know,” they whispered.

“I know,” Hero said, putting a hand over Lover’s shaking ones. “I know. I’m sorry. I should have told you before, I’m sorry.”

“Apologies, apologies. You humans love to throw that word around. Sorry. Especially when you don’t mean it. If Hero was given the opportunity again they wouldn’t tell you about vampires, would you Hero?”

“If I knew that—” Hero began, but Villain cut them off with a hiss, moving their mouth to Lover’s neck.

“No lying, Hero,” Villain growled. Then they repeated the question again, slower this time. “Would you tell Lover, if the facts were the same until now?”

Hero whispered a defeated “no.”

Villain grinned. “Wonderful, wow. We are all getting along so well! It’s crazy what threatening the life of a loved one will do for you, huh, Hero?”

“Please, Villain, please! Let them go, they’re innocent.”

Villain chuckled darkly, stepping around where Lover was sitting to get closer to Hero. Hero forced themselves not to flinch away when Villain was but an inch away from their face.

There was an ephemeral other about them. They were beautiful, their skin flawless and pale, but not gaunt and dim. Their skin seemed to glow with health, as if they had been dipped in moonlight. A stark contrast to Villain’s dark hair that they kept swept off their face, highlighting the shadows of their cheekbones and eye sockets.

Beautiful. Dangerous. Deadly.

“I won’t keep us all in suspense any longer, Hero. The reason I’m here is because you’re a little too good at your job. You slaughtered my family, so now I have to make a new one, hmm?”

“Villain—”

“Speak again, Hero, and Lover dies,” Villain said calmly. Hero screwed their lips shut. “Good. I came to give you an offer. For the start of my new family I’d like to give you the honour of becoming my new fledgling.”

Hero’s eyes widened in horror, shaking their head because they didn’t know if they could talk or… Villain couldn’t possibly be serious?

Villain reached a hand up to cup Hero’s cheek, their touch like cool marble on their skin. “Come on, Hero. It’s not like you haven’t thought about it before. You could be stronger than your wildest dreams, young forever. We could see the world together. I could show you all my old haunts. We’d be unstoppable.”

Villain’s honeyed words floated through Hero’s ears like a whimsical song, almost nostalgic. Then Hero heard Lover whimper beside them and it snapped them out of their own thoughts.

Hero opened their mouth to reply, but Villain’s finger rested on Hero’s lips. “Ah. Wait, I wasn’t finished.”

Hero swallowed, glancing at Lover, then back at Villain and nodded.

Villain’s next words destroyed them. “If you do not become my first new fledgling, then your darling Lover will.”

Hero stared up at Villain, shock flooding their system. Lover cried out a desperate: “no! No! Hero don’t you dare! I’ll never forgive you if you do!”

Hero didn’t realise but Villain gently manoeuvred them so Villain was between Hero and Lover, Hero’s hand pulled from Lover’s as Lover wailed behind Villain. Keeping all of Hero’s attention on Villain, just how Villain liked it.

Villain smiled down at Hero, and for a moment it looked genuine as they brushed hair from Hero’s head.

“I can make Lover forget. Make it like you were never here, they don’t have to know about me. About vampires, about you… you could save them an eternity of questions and hatred, on the run from hunters.”

“Hero don’t listen to them!” Lover said very distantly.

Hero opened their mouth then closed it again. They licked their lips, trying to get moisture back in their body but they just felt numb and cold.

“Can… can I say goodbye?”

Lover cried out as if they just found out that Hero was dead, like a mourner at a funeral. “No! No! No! Hero, I’ll know! I’ll know and I’ll never forgive you,” Lover wept, sobs wracking through their entire body.

Villain didn’t move or let Hero go.

“Is that a yes, Hero?”

Tears formed in Hero’s eyes at the question.

“Please… just let me say goodbye.”

“Is that a yes Hero?” Villain pressed.

“Yes!” Hero cried furiously. Then again meekly, “yes. Please, just please don’t hurt them.”

“If I have your word, Hero. You have mine.”

Lover’s sobs sent chills down Hero’s spine.

Hero swallowed, then tried their best to steel their expression. “You have my word.”