#also am i right in thinking that grizzly has said arthur lived in NY for a long time

[thanotaphobia]

Heyaaa!

I just wanted to give u a writing prompt :D

Me and my friend talked about what it might've looked like when Arthur first met Void. If she found him (the cutest option in my opinion, like he probably was really alone before her) or if he found her, or if he somehow made her into what she is idk :>

Anyway I thought about you and thought that i could send an ask your way, hope you have a great day/night

omg wait this is actually super cute??

like i was instantly hit with "wait i know how they met" and then had to google the rules for animal ghouls in VTM LMAO but for the sake of flavor we can add a couple details hehehe

cw / implied animal undeath

.

He finds the cat on the side of the road.

It is dying. That much is clear- its breathing is labored and quick, and Arthur can hear its heartbeat, pittering and pattering at a rapid pace in the night.

It's a little creature. Small, black. He almost hadn't noticed it and probably wouldn't have if he didn't have better hearing than any human on earth. New York is a large, bustling city, with many bright spots. But it also has dark corners- and here, in one of those dark corners, lying half in a puddle of rainwater and fur slick with oil and dirt, lies a little black cat.

"I'm sorry," Arthur murmurs, crouching down on his haunches above it. The cat's eyes are closed, but when he speaks, they flicker open. The cat looks up at him, and Arthur watches as its aura flashes between fear and pain, spite lashing through like gentle fire. For such a small creature, it still seems to have spirit. Tucked away in the dark, unable to move, it still tries to hiss at him. "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. I simply..."

Arthur sighs. He watches as the cat's eyes flicker shut, then open again. He's not sure why he stopped.

He'd gone for a walk in the rain, that's the thing. A walk towards Brooklyn, away from Manhattan, his feet pounding the pavement and watching as cars whizz by in the streets. New York at night is never quiet, but it is quieter, and that's what Arthur likes about it.

It's easy to feel alone in New York City at midnight. You can be surrounded by very many people, and yet know no one at all.

"I guess I just didn't want you to be by yourself," Arthur murmurs quietly, and then reaches a hand out. He skims his fingers down the cat's side, watching its breathing hitch in fear, but the fear drains slightly when all he does is pet the poor thing, once, then twice. He rests his hand on its little head, and the cat looks at him again, the heartbeat slowing.

And Arthur-

He's never done this before. His teeth aren't even sharp, dull and blunt, and it takes effort to bite into his own skin. But he manages to tear a little bit of his inner wrist and he watches as his own blood wells up, bubbling over the edges. It takes very little to lean down and hold his wrist to the cat's mouth. It can't lift its head so he helps, turning its mouth to his skin and finds himself smiling slightly as its small tongue scrapes over his wound, lapping up the little bit of blood he managed to squeeze out.

"I've never done this before," Arthur murmurs, watching as the cat's pupils dilate, as its heartbeat picks up again, as its tail starts to lash back and forth. It licks at his wrist again, then again. "With humans or animals. But I could not let you die alone."

It takes a little while, but sooner than later, the cat manages to stagger to its feet. Arthur reaches out and scoops it- her, he finds- into his arms. She barely weighs a thing, as light as a scrap of paper; as he holds her to his chest and stands up, tucking her gently into his woolen walking jacket, she starts to purr.

"Ah," Arthur says, looking down at her moon-yellow eyes, blinking slowly. Carefully, with purpose, the little kitty blinks back. Arthur looks back out into the street, to the light there, to the blazing artificial suns, then back down into the darkness of his jacket and the pink maw of a creature yawning, then blinking up at him again. "I think I will name you Void," Arthur says, and starts to walk, out of the light and further into the dark, "How does that sound?"

Void, for all her credit, just snuggles closer into his chest.

"Yes," Arthur agrees, something warm blooming in his heart. "Void will do."