#and i love vampire vax aus

[timaeusterrored]

Can't stop thinking of that Vampire AU with Vampire Kerry and Venus, both using mortal Vax to feed off of~♡ Ker would tease Vax by grazing his fangs against his neck, whispering just how beautiful of a vampire he'd be~♡ Being able to hear Vax's heart rate picked up out of either fear or lust~♡ Venus making sure their blood bag is kept fed and hydrated, along with getting plenty of rest~♡ They'd live in a stone castle, and even have a coffin shaped bed. I can see Vax walking down the vast stone staircase, illuminated by moonlight, wearing a vintage, long, flowy, white, sheer gown~♡ The summer breeze catching it, making his gown flow behind him as he walks down the steps to the main hall~♡

If you want to make it extra spicy~♡ Make Vax a skilled vampire hunter, one that has successfully disposed of countless vampires. Playing the game of a mortal who'd fallen prey to two vampires. His mission was to slay the two; much like his other jobs, but over time, he started to develop feelings for them. Making the job harder to carry out~♡ Ker and Venus are aware of what he did, much without Vax's knowledge. It wasn't a random choice. They spotted him and singled him out. So as a form of revenge, they made him fall for the creatures he swore to hate~♡

I love the idea of them draining him a bit too much, especially at first, to the point where Vax is weak and lethargic. Vax is lying on the bed while Venus kisses over his neck and chest. Ker reaches over, caressing Vax's cheek lovingly and simply tells him. "We know what you did." And just leave it at that~♡

This was amazing to come home too oh my god

“We know what you did.” Then kisses his forehead as he falls asleep, confused.

God Vax in the nightgown too!!!😭

I’m imagining Venus in some gorgeous outfits as well, lots of him and Kerry always touching each other. Him taking care of Vax while he sleeps. Wearing floor length sheer robes that show his chest.

Vax falls in love first, obviously. But in Kerry fashion, it takes him a while to realize he’s fallen for Vax as well. I can imagine him laying in bed with Vax, watching him sleep realizing the ‘plan’ has been going on for far too long.

[blorbologist]

S3 eps 7-9 thoughts below the cut

This is all fresh after the episode and I gotta be up in a couple hours so it won't be fully thought out but...

I love a lot of the creative choices being made! But I think many weren't implemented well, or balanced nicely.

Just! as someone who has deconstructed Campaign 1 and made deviations to the timeline of events and etc (mind you, without the same goal of condensing things for television… but somehow the show has an equivalent perc'ahlia focus to a ship-centered fic?) I think… I can see several avenues of narrative choices that would strengthen the ideas they're going with instead of weakening them.

(My credentials here are 'almost 300k canon divergent AU that converged on a handful of similar plot points to TLOVM', but also the aims of an AU fanfic =/= that of a show. I understand and respect that challenge the team faced. But when a single amateur can point out issues that would be pretty easy to solve and detract from a very enjoyable experience... there might be a Problem)

Ripley doesn't need a sob story, she's getting a book anyways leave it there. Fully agree with @/aq2003. The whole point is that she's monstrous and evil and got her PhD out of a fucking cereal box. Percy is less like her than he thinks. But he dies and she just??? escapes??? IF Percy had to die without VM being present, having Ripley either die of her wounds right after or be unable to flee and get torn to shreds by them would have been excellent.

On that note - only Vex and Cass seem to show strong emotion about his death. Keyleth's supposed to be his best friend, and he and Grog were close this season, but. Well, not like we have any platonic relationships. Everyone's just Kinda Sad.

MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE OF THE MUSIC OVER PERCY'S DEATH HUH. Flashbacks to watching Vampire Diaries as a teenager and pop songs coming on over the end-of-episode drama.

Again just. All the platonic, non-familial (Pike n Grog count. to me. buddies <3) relationships are so scant, which is especially hard on characters who lean on that so hard! Grog and Keyleth especially are hurt by this. Does Keyleth have a single conversation (not quip, conversation) that isn't with Vax? And in group contexts she only loudly brings up her distrust of Raishan without any of the solid backbone it has in fact. (Also her going from Raishan was right last time we should trust her now / She betrayed us! Knew it! / oh maybe she didn't and I should apologize. girl. come on. please)

I have Concerns about 'late Game of Thrones teleportation' syndrome happening here. Scanlan goes from Wildemount back to Whitestone (which are completely different continents) with no explanation. Kash and Zahra make it to Emon (again, different continent to Issylra) just in the nick of time. Which, sure, would take a couple of days to carve Percy a nice likeness (but you have a druid who can manipulate stone right there), and if Kash and Zahra changed their minds and set out as soon as Vax talked to them they might make it! But uh. There's a lot of transport that's omitted, while the scenes give the impression everything is happening within a short period of time. And a lot of these conversations are one-on-ones with the relevant characters without acknowledging they couldn't be there without magical transport. Where is Allura or Gilmore or Keyleth in the back of these shots twiddling their thumbs 'hey can we teleport to the next person on our HELP US list'?

IDK what's going on with Kash. He's likely gonna be used as a lead-in to Something to rez Percy (and him?) but. That quick buildup of him being too carefree to getting smushed was very transparent and Zahra's grief didn't feel earned (though it WAS baller. yes they made them bleed girl <3).

The fact Vax didn't ask him At All about the resurrection ritual in the Tomb stuns me tho. You think Vax remembered the offhand comment Kash made about the body needing to be warm while his sister was dead? We as an audience could have used a reminder, and Vax too. Because anyone who Doesn't remember this one line from S2 is Extra frustrated at everyone for being stupid.

Raishan or Ripley being moved to be the 'Vox Machina, united, with all their Vestiges' fight is... hmn. You could argue Raishan has solid buildup (what with the cameo in Brimscythe's lair), and it does follow campaign canon. She lacks the devastating power to justify the use of all the Vestiges (tbh given Thordak it might feel like a curbstomp unless her necromantic plans are successful)... but I could see it working. But why the fuck has Ripley escaped A THIRD TIME. Percy even duped her twice! How many times are we gonna do that song and dance?

If anything, I'd have moved some Ripley stuff here. If she escapes so be it but VM putting the fate of the world on hold to avenge their friend, THEN have Percy be back for Thordak, would be tasty.

... wait does this mean Percy might not have Cabal's Ruin by the final dragon fight of the season? ffs-

DID NO ONE LOOT CABAL'S RUIN FROM THE FACTORY.

Thordak fight was baller, having all our NPCs there to worry about? a bit much. Cass why are you here. Go home before Whitestone loses its last de Rolo.

Also. Thordak my dude I know you're insane. mad even. but uh... you sent your children into battle. A TON have already died by the time you sadly nuzzle the hatchlings. This was kinda your fault. There's a reason animals don't send their babies into combat. then again you're a large reptile who talks about milk so what do I, a reptile researcher, know -

(Don't give me that crap about reptiles being bad parents we have several snakes who require maternal attendance after birth or they're Asocial Weirdos, crocodilians are VERY goo parents, and there are social lizards too.)

'fix him - FIX HIM' being gutted fucking killed me :c

I sure hope Pike's 'IT'S ME' was uh. about faith in herself. Not abandoning the god she spent all of S1 figuring out how to devote herself to. While wearing the Vestige associated with another god. the vestige that explicitly made this possible and not a nuke fire falls u all die tpk. haha. ha. (@/burr-ell)

Yes yes yes I know the voiceover and visuals fill in for 'I hear my mother in the morning. Fuck you'. but. idk. Felt like the grief of that moment was taken out of it? Also it's a banger line

Raishan's little killsteal attempt being bumped from Vorugal to Thordak was tasty! Go green girl go! ... except it did nothing but set up a few quiet moments before she turned on everyone again.

The amount of times I'm seeing things happen Again in this is... not great.

Glintshore is Not Glinting. Where is my broken glass difficult terrain?

Perc'ahlia arc fuckin impeccable tho. Delicious

And Pike got lots of fun and stunning moments so far! And Grog takin down the lair!

I love a lot of this though. The hallucination gas. Percy vs Ripley in the factory was so cool. Percy downright being Put in a Box for a while. VEX'S CONVERSATION WITH SYLDOR!!! SO MUCH!! Her being the leader and feeling so responsible for all this, and seeing herself become her father! ELAINA BACKSTORY! Scanlan leaving the party only to miss Kaylie too! Thordak being A Dad! Percy's death/Vex's grief being the catalyst for Vaxleth! The animation was fucking stellar - Vax killing Thordak, Percy's death, Pike mastering the Plate.

I don't have concrete thoughts on how I'd restructure the episodes/season (seasons?) to better balance platonic and romantic relationships, and utilize the changes to their fullest potential. But damn if the temptation to do ANOTHER canon divergence rewrite / exploration of cause and effect to make things hit a bit more nicely... make myself a challenge to only use X amount of scenes per episode/chapter, to try and match the difficulty of adapting this to television... idk

[demigoddessqueens]

Main masterlist 8

Staring at them in admiration

Critical Role 🎲

Vox machina - dancing with Percy / truth or dare? // the party with vampire!reader // but why me? // Vax and his fighting “buddy” // hand kisses // feeling “flirtatious” // love you?? // love me as a wyrm // Bloodborne!reader // the boys + dentist appointment // I love you 🥺 & I love you too 😄💕 // the love letter 💌 // Vax + writing prompt //

PercyxVex week 🩵🤍💙 - ao3 series

modern s/o series, canon/AU - Percy 💙 + others //

Mighty nein - modern AU //

Mollymauk Week - ao3 series

Bells 🔔 hells/Crown 👑 keepers - orym and his crush // Ashton x reader who likes pink things // spin the bottle //

Song fics (all fandoms) - keyleth song fic // BR batch 3 // songs for boys 1 // grog song fic //

Castlevania 🦇- Dracula with a colomba!reader // but why me? // hand kisses // facing BBG + CR // Dracula drabbles // Castlevania “I love you” prompt // Trevor + jealousy // Dracula and his love //

Marvel - boxer!Miguel // ares x Aphrodite // incorrect quotes // magician ✨friend // single dad!Miguel // incorrect quotes: swoon // incorrect quotes 3 //

Monster lover(s) 💕😈🥺 - hand holding prompt //

The dragon prince - aaravos x monarch!reader // aaravos + reincarnation //

Baldur’s Gate 3 - I really like the vamp // be nice to him ☹️ // I like Gale and 🦇 a lot // Astarion angst // incorrect quotes // astarion fluff // Gale + Wyll + Halsin fluff // Shadowheart and Karlach fluff // poly headcanons // romance novel // incorrect quotes // Gale + prompt // Astarion + prompt // Blood Lycan Tav // sun and moon + Astarion //

Blood of Zeus ⚡️- Hermes with grumpy!reader // Apollo x god!spouse of different pantheon //

Assassin’s Creed - July codexmonthly “Eden” // arno birthday headcanons // August codexmonthly // shay birthday headcanons // belated birthday headcanons // Haytham + angst headcanons // he needs a good cry // but why me? // smutty 🔥 Haytham // pregnant headcanons // snowed ❄️ in // sleep seggs // oc daughter // at the ball // learning languages // drunk Haytham // sleep seggs part 2 // hand kisses // Ezio drunk 🫠🥴 // September codexmonthly // Haytham proposal 💍 + wedding night // haytham sloppy toppy // assassins and “I love you” prompt // soft Haytham // more assassins fluff // Haytham + Ziio & reader // Frye birthday 🎉 headcanons // dullahan shay and vampire Haytham // boyfriend headcanons // November codexmonthly // Haytham smut

Codextober 2023 // ao3

Dragon 🐉 Age - why I like mages // Cullen + writing prompts //

Genshin Impact - I like the new guy 🩵🤍💙 // hand kisses + Miguel //

Star 🌟 Wars - touch starved + others // Ezra bridger //

The Last of Us - Joel + kisses //

[waltwhitmansbeard]

🫂 (comforting hugs) with Percy and Keyleth? always need more of these two’s friendship in my life.

Send me emoji(s) and I'll write a drabble gonna set this one in my vamp machina au.

Percy drops the groceries onto the kitchen counter with a sigh. A third-floor walk-up is a bitch when he's got a week's worth of food for two in his hands. He starts to unpack the first canvas tote, calling, "Keyleth, can you help me with these?"

There's some shuffling from behind Keyleth's closed bedroom door, and then it opens, and she's smiling a too-bright smile that doesn't reach her eyes, which are red and swollen. "Hey! Didn't hear you come up." She quickly comes around into the kitchen to begin putting the refrigerated stuff away.

Percy frowns. "Are...you okay?"

She keeps her head buried in the fridge. "Yeah! How was the grocery store? Did you get the kefir or were they out again?"

"Keyleth."

She's moved up to the freezer now, stowing away a few bags of frozen vegetables. "It's fine if they were out, I just like the probiotics, you know—"

"Keyleth, why were you crying?"

She scoffs. "I wasn't crying."

He puts a hand on her shoulder, and her whole body freezes. "I didn't think we had to hide this kind of stuff from each other."

Which was apparently the wrong thing to say, because she wheels on him, the façade dropped entirely. "Really? You think we don't hide things from each other?"

Percy's stomach sinks, and he can feel the heat starting to rise in his neck. He drops his hand. "So that's what this is about."

The tears come so fast, seemingly always waiting just below the surface. "That's what I thought." She turns back toward the fridge. "You don't want to talk about it, and so we won't." She sniffs and begins shuffling the food around to make room for the new groceries.

Not since his sisters were murdered has someone managed to make him feel like such shit in so few words. What is he supposed to say? Yes, Keyleth, please tell me all about the status of your relationship with the undead monster you refuse to let me kill. He is, of course, deeply curious as to what had her crying alone in her room, but he'd be lying if he said a big part of why wasn't that he was looking for an excuse to finally sink a stake into Vax's heart.

"Did he..." The words taste like ash on his tongue. "Did you get in a fight?"

Keyleth brushes past him, rolling her eyes, to pick up another bag off the counter. "No." She returns to the fridge. "We didn't fight."

This conversation is going to be like pulling teeth, apparently. "Then why..."

She slams the fridge door shut. "Because I miss him! Because it's bright fucking daylight and I want to go walk around the park with my boyfriend and I can't! And I can't say anything about it because he already feels like shit over something he can't control or change, and I could go without him but then I'd see all the other happy couples enjoying the sunshine and I'd feel terrible, and crying doesn't solve anything but I don't know what else to do because I love him and this whole situation just sucks and I can't talk to my best friend about it because he's a dick!"

The tears are flowing fast by the end, and she claps a hand over her mouth to keep a sob in. Percy doesn't even think about it, just steps forward to wrap her up in a hug, both arms squeezing her in tight as she falls apart into his shoulder. "I'm sorry," he whispers, running a hand up and down her shaking back. "I'm sorry that you miss him and I'm sorry that the situation sucks and I'm sorry that I'm a dick."

He holds her as she cries, lets the ice cream start to melt and the butter start to soften and the rift between them start to close. He's not ready to make nice with her vampire boyfriend, as important as he is to her, but even he can admit that he can make some strides to stop making an already difficult circumstance even harder for her. He does not approve, cannot approve, will not approve, but she is her own person, wiser and kinder than he will ever hope to be, and if this...vampire is what makes her happy, then he can at least hold his tongue and let her be happy.

After some time, he murmurs, "If...you would like, I can clear out of the apartment tonight. Give you two some space."

She sniffles, straightening up and wiping at her eyes. "I think we're going to go out, actually. Vax thinks I spend too much time cooped up inside." She rolls her eyes with a smile, and Percy's stomach sours at the thought of this undead thing knowing his best friend as well as he does. "But...I just don't want to have to hide from you, Percy. There's so much hiding already. So much fear. It sucks when it comes from one of my favorite people in the world."

He presses a kiss to her forehead. "You're right. I'm sorry. I...cannot promise overnight change. But I can try to be better."

She smiles hopefully. "Thank you, Percy. I really don't ever want to not have you in my life. You're my family."

"You're my family, too." He tips his head toward the groceries. "But we're gonna starve if we let all this food rot on our counters."

They resume stowing their groceries, and though the river between them remains frozen, the thawing ice gives Percy hope for a spring yet to come.

[ravenquingvax]

~ Weekly Writing Check In ~

PAIN

Yeah, no, I don't wanna talk about it. Last week was rough.

Um... Let's aim for 3,000 words next week, and maybe I'll get some progress done on a few different stories. Have 2 new ideas I want to start writing.

The roster;

Crown Of Thorns - an AU that explores a world where Hotis successfully got his revenge against Vax'ildan, how his friends react and what could come next.

Drowning - a sequel to That Sinking Feeling exploring how Vax'ildan navigates his new responsibilities while also facing dragons, a crisis of faith and lots of trauma.

Not My Mark - a A/B/O AU where Vax'ildan is a closeted Omega and is caught by the Briarwoods while in heat, resulting in a shameful sacrifice that causes strain amongst Vox Machina and that eventually results in poor Vax having to make a very difficult and very life changing choice.

Ring For Me - an exploration of Vex'ahlia and her guilt over getting married to Percy without telling her brother and how she handles his sudden death.

Separation Burns - an AU where Vex'ahlia abandoned Vax'ildan in the woods after they fled from Syngorn and Vax'ildan fell into the hands of Professor Byron Anders.

Spider Lilies - originally a fic exploring Laudna and Orym bonding over their trauma, might end up more Laudna centric though - still unsure.

Stars In Your Eyes - an AU that explores Allura falling in love with Vax'ildan but being unable to tell him this.

Thorned Feathers Make A Man - an AU where Vox Machina didn't arrive in time to save Vax'ildan from his first meeting with the Briarwoods... But Vax wakes up later on, just different. (Vampire Vax For The Win!)

Growing Pains - an AU where The Chroma Conclave arc doesn't happen and Vox Machina find themselves turned young again by a cultist of The Whispered One during their mission to wipe The Whispered One's cult off of the face of Exandria.

Snowdrops - a slightly Canon Divergent fic that explores Vex'ahlia's grief over losing her twin brother on their first birthday since his death and ascension.

Links to fics already on AO3;

and the prequel to Drowning;

[ogdoadfates]

Little thing for my supernatural au! Vax gettin in trouble with Vex a lil bit :’3

“Where have you been?” Vax’s sister's biting words are the first thing he hears when he enters their apartment; he sighs as he closes the door behind him.

“Out.” He says curtly walking over to their couch before he’s grabbed, Vex sniffing his jacket, growling a little when she picks up that weird cloaking scent before he pulls himself away from her. “Fucks sake fine, I was hanging out with Kiki! Happy?” He says finally being able to plop down onto the couch, Trinket walking over looking to him for head scratches which he is all so happy to give the hound.

Vex huffs in agitation, pacing back and forth in front of the couch a bit before stopping.

“Does it not bug you that we don’t actually know what she smells like? I mean we know what Percy smells like and he’s a hunter for fucks sake, he’d be the one person to know and to hide his sent.” Vex says a bit more calmly yet she is unable to hide the slight annoyance in her voice. 

They’ve had this conversation before, a few times really. Out of everyone in their group the only person who hides their smell is Keyleth, who as far as the twins know doesn’t even know about them being vampires. But she’s also best friends with a paranoid monster hunter who's most likely made her something like that to keep her safe, the only flaw in this logic that Vex LOVES to point out is then why isn’t Percival also using it.

As much as Vax tires of this conversation he understands Vex’s worry, if a monster hunter's friend is cloaking their scent but the monster hunter himself isn’t then what exactly are they? Mysteries of the supernatural kind aren’t a good sign and usually spell danger, yet Vax can’t see how Keyleth could be a danger. She was the first person to show them true friendship and kindness in this town and even introduced them to all of their other friends, the idea of her being secretly malicious just doesn’t sit well in his mind.

“Stubby, if anything were to happen wouldn’t have happened already?” He says to his irritated twin who just huffs and rolls her eyes at him. Vax leans his head back to stare at the ceiling. “She’s been nothing but kind to us sister, I don’t think she deserves your ire.” He pleads to her.

Without even looking he could tell she was glaring at him.

“I know your enamored by her brother but for fucks sake for all we know she could be some holy fuck laying in wait to smite you. I get it you like to flirt with danger but I’d rather you not be reckless when you do.” She spits and oh doesn’t the profound irony of his twins statement open the door to his greatest counterpoint.

“Says the one flirting with the hunter.” And with those few words, his sister bounds out of the room; the resounding sharp thud of her bedroom door slamming shut behind her leaves the apartment in utter silence.

Vax’ildan takes one big breath in and slowly lets it out, looking down to a poor, concerned and divided Trinket. Vax just gives him a smile and a pat on his head before getting up to head to his own room but he finds himself stopping at his sister's door.

He thinks for a moment before an idea strikes him, one that he himself is surprised to have never thought of or considered. He knocks on the door and like a raging bear Vex opens it and stares at him. 

“Tomorrow. Why not we ask Pike and Grog tomorrow if they know why Keyleth hides her scent.” Vex’s body relaxes ever so slightly and she runs a hand down her face while nodding.

“Okay, okay.” The two of them just stand there for a moment, Vex in her bedroom doorway and Vax in the hallway.-Trinket padding and squeezing his way into Vex’s room.-”I just worry, Vax. I don’t want your heart to get ripped out, both figuratively and literally.” She says looking at him with a tired expression. Vax’s shoulders slump and he gives her a small smile.

“Believe me, I share those same worries but for you.”  He says, enveloping Vex in a hug which she gratefully returns. 

Eventually their embrace ends and they turn in for the rest of the day. He hopes they can get some answers out of Pike and Grog tomorrow, at least for Vex’s sake.

[romeoandjulietyouwish]

not to be the most basic bitch about it but were-kiki does naturally lead me to vampire!vax bc i will always adore an odd couple dynamic. he doesn’t drink humanoid blood bc it feels too invasive and intimate so they go hunting together on full moon nights. he’s upset bc he can’t be with her out and about during the day but she says it’s not fair to him that sometimes his girlfriend is a goddamn wolf so they just deal. he thinks he’s a brooding creature of the night but then she brings him dead fauna to eat with a wagging tail and he melts bc ofc he does. i imagine a very andy and april “someone will die—of fun!” dynamic.

This is so cute oh my goddd

[shadowofmoths]

honey don’t feed me (i will come back)

Vax'ildan is fucked. He didn't think before rushing in to confront the Briarwoods, and now he has to deal with the consequences. Percy...helps. (6.6k, Perc’ildan Vampire AU)

read on ao3

Vax’ildan is fucked. He knows that—he’s man enough to admit when he’s made a mistake, and this—well. This is a big one. He had been reckless, and foolish, and everything that Vex would no doubt accuse him of being if he somehow managed to see her again. But he isn’t counting on that. Vax is going to die here. That, or something worse. Delilah Briarwood stands before him, eyes dark and flashing. Vax lets out an involuntary hiss of pain through his teeth as her husband’s incisors dig needle-sharp into his neck. Unwilling to lose face in what may very well be his final moments, Vax flashes a smirk, albeit a weak one, at his assailants. He can feel his blood beginning to drain from his body as Sylas feeds, feels his collarbone beginning to bruise and go numb where the vampire’s teeth cut into him.

“Man,” Vax laughs, slightly hysterically. “You guys are into some weird shit.”

Neither Briarwood reacts, save for Delilah’s dark gaze somehow growing darker. Vax closes his eyes. My sister is going to kill me, he thinks. He can no longer feel Sylas’s fangs bearing into him, numbness spreading through his right side. As his thoughts begin to grow hazy, he thinks of his family—of Vex, young, sitting with their mother; he sees her older and striding through the forest as though it knows her by name. He remembers Keyleth, beautiful, her red hair like a halo in the fading sunlight. He sees Pike, glowing and gleaming in battle, Grog bloody and boisterous at her side; Scanlan smiles, lively and taunting. He thinks of Percy. Remembers his laughter, his anger—his face streaked with grease and soot as he emerges from hours locked in his workshop. Remembers how his face turned hard-set and stony at the mention of the monsters that took his family.

“Sorry, Freddie.”

And the world goes dark around him.

What Vax doesn’t see is this: Vox Machina bursts into the Briarwoods’s chamber, sees him limp and bloody in Sylas’s grasp. His sister screams—not piercing, but powerful; a rage to rival Grog’s. She unleashes a volley of arrows into the vampire and his wife as Keyleth and Scanlan back her up with their own attacks. The Briarwoods sustain heavy damage before fleeing, Delilah ripping open a tear in reality and pulling Sylas through, leaving Vax’s body behind. Scanlan skids to a halt at Vax’s side, summoning what remains of his energy to sing a song of healing, shaky words replacing his trademark confidence. His healing does nothing. Vax does not stir. Scanlan pulls the collar of Vax’s tunic to the side, sees the bruise on his clavicle, mottled blue and purple—sees the puncture wounds. Vax’ildan isn’t bleeding.

“We need to get him to a temple,” Scanlan says, voice tight. Without another word, Keyleth shifts, skin rippling with white fur, and Minxie nudges Vax onto her back with her nose. With characteristic gentleness, she plods over to the door of the chamber where Vex stands. Vex does not appear to be moving, remaining frozen in the doorway. Her gaze is vacant, unfocused. But Keyleth notices her shaking, sees the white-knuckle grip she has on her bow, the tears threatening to spill from the corner of her eyes. Keyleth nudges Vex with her nose, makes a soft purring sound as she does. Almost absently, Vex’s right hand uncurls from a fist and comes to rest on Keyleth’s head. Scanlan comes up on Vex’s other side, pries the bow from her grasp, and takes her free hand in his.

“Come on,” he says. Vex doesn’t meet his eyes, even as he and Keyleth begin leading her out of the Briarwoods’s room. “We’ll swing by and grab Trinket, and I’ll message the others and tell them where to meet us, okay?” He gets no response. “Vex?” “Alright.” She doesn’t make eye contact, and her voice shakes. They keep moving. None of the healers at the temple of Sarenrae know how to help Vax. Father Tristan, at once gentle and severe, examines him, face grim. “If his attackers were what you think they were,” he sighs. “I’m not sure that there’s anything we can do.” He breaks eye contact to stare at the stone floor, mouth pressed into a thin line. “I couldn’t tell you for sure, but it’s possible, certainly that he may…wake up.” Vex—who had been absent through the cleric’s examination, pressing herself against Trinket as though she wanted to disappear into his fur—blinks back into the present. She fixes Tristan with her steely, calculating stare. “He could what?” “Well, knowing only the—the myths, the rumors about these creatures…it is not impossible that whatever they did to him could, ah, have some sort of necrotic element attached to it.” “He could be a vampire,” Vex spits, harsh and blunt. Tristan sighs again. “Yes.”

They take Vax home. Keyleth, shifted back into her half-eleven form, allows Grog to carry him. Vex continues to lean heavily against Trinket, Keyleth holding her hand and speaking to her softly. Scanlan, feeling unusually restless, splits off from the group to figure out how to get a message to Pike. Percy is silent. The walk home is grim, a pressing sadness hanging over the group. When they arrive back at Greyskull Keep, Grog and Vex lay Vax in his room, and Vex posts herself as guard outside. Percy retreats to his workshop, refusing to say a word or look anyone in the eye. Grog, Keyleth, and Scanlan find themselves downstairs, drinking in relative silence until Grog and Scanlan collapse asleep on the table. Keyleth gives a small smile and leaves them there, darting back to the kitchens to swipe a loaf of bread and some other simple foods. By the time she has prepared this simple meal, the sun has long since set, and the moon is high and bright in the dark sky. Keyleth brings the plate of food up for Vex’ahlia, finds her still sitting against Vax’s door. She wouldn’t have thought Vex had moved at all, save for the tear tracks on her face. In her pale and still-trembling hands she holds one of Vax’s daggers, flipping it absently over and over. “Hey, Vex,” Keyleth keeps her voice deliberately soft, standing several feet away. To her credit, Vex’ahlia only flinches slightly. She gives a brief, toneless murmur of acknowledgment as, anxious, Keyleth sinks down next to her. “I, uh, I brought you food,” she says, setting the plate down next to Vex. As soon as her hands are free, Keyleth begins to fidget anxiously, fingers twisting around each other and into her hair. Vex’ahlia seems to break from her own headspace for a moment as she notices Keyleth’s hands moving frantically as she tries to think of something to say. Wordlessly, she passes Keyleth the dagger. The druid stills immediately, running her fingers slowly over the cool metal. Vex’ahlia breathes out, shakily, as Keyleth sits next to her in silence. “You should—you should eat something,” she says after a beat, gesturing to the plate she brought up for Vex. “I’m not hungry.” “I know. B-but, Vex, you can’t help him if you’re not taking care of yourself, too.” Keyleth doesn’t make eye contact, her fidgeting becoming more agitated. Vex falls silent again, her face twisting into a grimace. The silence lays heavy over the hallway before Vex breaks it.

“Fuck you,” she sighs. There’s no real venom in her voice, despite her expression, just a deep sort of exhaustion in her tone. Keyleth stutters for a moment, tapping the dagger rhythmically against the armor on her chest. “I—sorry,” Keyleth trails off, voice lifting as though she’s asking a question. “No,” Vex’ahlia sighs, leaning heavy against the wall and slumping her shoulders. “No, you’re right, I just don’t like it,” “Yeah.” Keyleth sounds as tired as Vex feels. Relenting, the ranger tips her head, leaning on Keyleth’s shoulder. Without pause, Keyleth tucks the dagger into her belt and brings her hand up to card it through Vex’s hair, which already was coming loose from its braid. They lapse back into silence once again, but despite their exhaustion the lull feels comfortable, the two finding safety and sympathy with each other. “I’m so tired, Keyleth,” Vex says eventually, her eyes having slid shut as Keyleth combs ever so gently through her hair. “I, uh, I’m fine to take watch if you need to rest—“ “It’s not that kind of tired.” “I know.” Keyleth pauses, her hand hovering nervously above Vex’s hair. “The—the offer stands, though. I’ll be here.” Vex smiles into Keyleth’s shoulder, reaching up to grab one of her hands and threading their fingers together. “Thank you.” She gives Keyleth’s hand a brief squeeze, feeling a brief rush of affection go through her when the druid reciprocates. The two sit there, leaning against Vax’s door and each other, until Vex’ahlia falls asleep. Keyleth can feel it when Vex’s breathing evens out, and sits there for as long as she can before she gives up her own sleep as a lost cause. Very, very gently, she moves Vex’s head from her shoulder, laying her carefully on the floor. There is no movement from the half-elf, and Keyleth sighs in relief before going to fetch her a pillow and a blanket. She tucks the pillow under Vex’s head, and then tucks Vax’s dagger under the pillow before laying the blanket over her sleeping friend. With a soft smile, Keyleth leaves, slipping into her Minxie form as she heads to her own room. There, curling up on a cushion she keeps by her hearth for this very purpose, she finally sinks into sleep.

Vex’ahlia dreams. She is home, in Byroden, sitting on her mother’s lap. A fire crackles in the hearth, and her mother sings softly to her and Vax as she braids their hair in turn. Vex is warm and content, and she leans against her brother, taking his small hand in hers. Everything is soft and lovely, Vex feeling a safety deep within her that she hasn’t felt for ages. And then—her mother screams, horrified. The warmth drains from Vax’s touch as he goes deathly cold in her grasp—his face begins to crack and shatter like fragile porcelain. The fire in the hearth roars, licking up Vex’s back, as it becomes the maw of a great red dragon who grins razor-sharp and swallows her family whole. As fire takes the house, she hears her brother calling out for her. Vex wakes with a start, breath quick and heart racing. There is no fire, no dragon, and she relaxes for a moment before she notices one thing that did not stay confined to her dream—her brother is still calling out for her.

“Vex? Vex’ahlia?” A gentle tapping accompanies the voice from the other side of the heavy wooden door she is leaning against. Vex is awake in an instant, returning suddenly and painfully to reality.

“Vax?” Even to her own ears, her voice sounds desperate.

“Oh, thank the gods,” he breathes. Her brother. She can picture him so clearly, knows the way he would have slumped against the door in relief. Before Vex is even really aware of it, there are tears streaming down her face. Of their own accord, her hands go rifling through her pockets, producing the ring of keys she had locked Vax’s door with earlier that evening. Despite her violently shaking hands, she manages to unlock the door, and Vax has the sense to step back as she bursts in, heedless of consequences as she all but tackles him to the ground. Her arms flung around his neck, she sobs helplessly, face buried in his shoulder. Immediately, Vax’s own arms come up around her midsection, pulling her closer.

“Vax,” she chokes. “Vax’ildan, we thought you were dead, we thought—I thought—Vax,” She can feel Vax’s own tears, damp as they fall on her hair.

“Vex’ahlia,” he breathes. “I’m here, Vex. I’ve got you, I’m here—“

“I came in that room, Vax, and you were dead, no one could do anything, I—“ she cuts herself off, sniffling into Vax’s shoulder as he rubs soothing patterns on her back.

“Hey,” he says, voice gentle. “It’s going to take a lot more than some pasty bastard in an ugly cloak to keep me from coming back to you, alright? I’m here, Vex. I’m—I’m okay.”

“Okay. Okay.” Vex breathes out, slow and steadying, trying to wipe some of the tears from her face. She lets herself hold on to Vax for a long moment before she speaks again. “Are you really okay, though? How…how do you feel?” Vax grimaces.

“Cold, mostly.” He laughs, quiet and humorless. Impulsive, Vex reaches up and cups his cheek in her hand, pushing back his upper lip with her thumb. Vax sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, hissing softly as Vex brushes up against a fang.

“I’d really rather you didn’t, Stubby.” This earns him a searching, scrutinizing gaze from his sister, as she looks for some sort of answer in his dark eyes.

“Alright,” she says finally, soft as she shifts her hand to run it through Vax’s hair instead. “Will you let me fix your hair, at least? It’s a mess.” Without pause, Vax turns around, pulling his hair out of the loose, half-up ponytail it had been in and passing the tie to his sister. He settles comfortably against her knees as Vex, unwilling to stand up to find a comb, resorts to pulling her fingers through his hair until it’s more manageable before twisting it into a loose, simple braid.

“I thought braiding hair was my thing,” Vax jokes, and Vex laughs.

“Hush, you, I’m trying to be nice.”

“And you’re doing a wonderful job of it, sister.” Sensing his sarcastic tone, Vex sighs, allowing them to lapse back into silence until Vax breaks it again.

“How is everyone doing?”

“I don’t honestly know. Keyleth seems okay, she brought me food and stayed with me while I was keeping watch outside. It helped, she helped keep me from falling apart—” At that, Vax makes a soft, wounded noise, but allows Vex to continue. “—but she still seemed more restless than usual. Other than that…I don’t honestly know. I haven’t been focused, really. I sort of…went away, for a while. Just while I was sitting out there, it felt like I just…left. Like all of this was happening to someone else instead of me.” She finishes the braid and ties it off, just as Vax turns around and pulls her in close again, arms around her neck. He is far too cold, but Vex does her best to ignore it, allowing herself to be held.

“I’m so, so sorry, Vex’ahlia,” he murmurs, and Vex knows too well the pain in his voice—its the same pain she has been holding onto all these hours. “I was reckless, and foolhardy, and all of it, and I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you.” Vex pulls back, taking his face in her hands and looking straight into his eyes, open and earnest.

“You are a stupid, impulsive, foolish man, Vax, and you did a ridiculously thoughtless thing today.” There is a pause, and Vax nods, brow furrowing. “And I love you very, very much. And I forgive you. But if you ever try something like that again, I’ll kill you. Because you’re—you’re all I have. I couldn’t ever be without you. Alright?” Tears are shining in her brothers eyes when she finishes.

“Yes—yes to all of it. I was stupid, and I love you, and I promise I’ll be more careful. I promise I won’t leave you. Never again, Vex’ahlia, I swear it.” He covers her hands with his and leans forward, tilting their foreheads together. Vex gives a laugh, verging on hysterical.

“We’re going to be okay,” she tells him. When he grins back at her, tears still in his eyes, she can’t help but notice his fangs.

“It’s you and me, Stubby. Always.” There is a brief moment of quiet as they breathe in unison, leaning against each other as the stress of the day sinks into them.

“I’m scared of this,” Vax whispers. “Whatever this is. Whatever…whatever I am.”

“It’s you and me, brother,” Vex echoes. “We’ll figure it out.” Vax smiles, and though Vex still sees his tension there is relief there, too. As they realize they have nothing left to say, and as the night grows closer to morning, they get ready to sleep. Though the twins have grown used to sleeping separately as of late, they know without. having. to speak that Vex is staying. The two pull all the pillows and blankets off of Vax’s bed, arranging them on top of the rug that he has in front of his fireplace. With a fire crackling in the hearth, the twins fall asleep together in a way they haven’t in years, in the way they used to sleep at home in Byroden—curled into mirroring half-moons, facing each other. Vax clutches his sister’s hand, holding it to his chest. He doesn’t sleep, even as Vex drifts off, filled with some unidentifiable restlessness. He watches her, tries to match her slow breathing, but its a fruitless endeavor. For the few remaining hours before sunrise he simply lays still, trying and failing to will himself to sleep until the sun begins to beam over the horizon.

When Vex wakes up, Vax is not beside her. Immediately, she is hit with the dread that the night prior was a dream, that he truly is dead, and she sits up with a racing heart which only quiets when she hears a voice from behind her.

“Morning, Stubby.” Vex nearly wants to cry from relief.

“Morning, brother. You’re up early.” She swivels, stretching her sore back, and looks to Vax where he’s perched on his bed. He winces.

“Didn’t sleep,” he admits.

“Because you’re worried, or because of…?”

“Either. Both, I don’t know, Vex’ahlia—” He tugs at the end of his loose braid nervously. “I have no fucking idea whats happening to me, I don’t know what to expect, I’m counting the hours until I turn into some bloodthirsty fucking beast—”

“Vax, breathe.” He does, shaky. “ I promised that we’d figure it out, and I meant it. But right now you’re exhausted. And don’t give me that look, you dick, you’re my brother, I can tell. So you just…stay here, and sleep, or at least try to rest or…or something, and I’ll go talk to the others, and we’ll figure this out, alright?” When Vax sighs, she can see the tension in his frame. “Alright?” she repeats.

“Alright! Alright, asshole, have it your way.” He flashes her a brief, playful smile at her as she heads for the door.

“Get some rest, Vax.”

“You’re younger than me, Vex’ahlia!”

With a light laugh, Vex descends the stairs, tugging at her earring to rouse the rest of Vox Machina for a team meeting. She finds herself in the dining room, where Scanlan and Grog are passed out face-down on the table, and sighs, sitting across from them. They wake up soon enough, hangover but aware. Keyleth, having received Vex’s message, comes stumbling into the dining room soon after, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Her hair is sticking up wildly, and Vex almost smiles—she is adorable. But rather than acknowledge that, she shakes her head and gets down to business.

“Vax’ildan is awake,” she says, abruptly and without preamble. An immediate silence hits the room. Keyleth’s eyes go as wide as saucers, while Grog’s brow furrows in evident confusion.

“He is alive. Or, he’s, well, he’s…something. He is awake, anyway, and he’s sane, and if any of you so much as thinks as laying a hand on him just because of what happened I will have an arrow through your heart before you can even say ‘Jenga.’ Are we clear?” The three in front of her nod, clearly intimidated. “Lovely,” Vex says. Her smile is tense. “Any questions?”

Keyleth nods, raising a meek hand. “C-can I see him?”

“He’s resting, right now,” Vex tells her, voice finally gentle. “But yes, just…give him a couple hours, maybe?”

Keyleth nods again. She gives Vex a small smile. “I’m glad he’s—better.”

This time, when Vex smiles, it’s genuine.

When Keyleth knocks on Vax’s door, the sun is just beginning to set. Golden light spills into the rooms, peeking through Vax’s curtains. Keyleth notices, in spite of herself, how Vax sticks to the shadows of the chamber.

“Vax? Are you awake?” She knows that he is, can see the dark glint of his eyes, but she asks anyways.

“Keyleth?”

She smiles, soft. “Yes. May I come in?”

“Of course,” Vax says. Keyleth can’t see him, as dark as the room is, but she can imagine him smiling crookedly at her nonetheless. She enters the room and pushes the door shut behind her, sitting at the edge of the bed. Vax, for his part, has pushed himself into the darkest corner of the room, hugging his knees to his chest. He is nearly hidden, darkness shrouding him, his dark hair and black cloak helping camouflage him. There is a brief, terrible silence before Keyleth speaks. “How are you feeling?” She winces immediately. “That’s—that was a stupid question.”

Vax barks a laugh. “It wasn’t. It’s not. I’m, well, I’m tired, and I’m a lot colder than I’m used to. But I’m fine, Kiki, really.”

Keyleth squints at him, distrusting. “You’re not.”

“Do we have to talk about this?” He asks, a sort of misery in his voice. “Are you going to walk away from me, Vax?”

Vax sighs, dropping his head onto his knees. “No,” he tells her. “But really, I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Then what can I do, Vax?” Keyleth asks. Despite her words, she is sincere, voice gentle rather than exasperated.

“Will you—“ Vax cuts himself off. “Could you come here, maybe?”

Keyleth does, and as she slides down the wall to sit next to Vax, he practically throws himself into her arms. He tucks his head under her chin, his arms going around his waist. Keyleth lets out a little, shocked, oh! of surprise, but lets it happen. After a moment, she begins to comb her fingers through Vax’s hair, while her other hand rubs soothing circles on his back. It takes her a long moment to realize he’s crying.

“Oh, Vax,” she sighs.

“Keyleth,” he murmurs, voice thick. “Keyleth, I’m fucking terrified.” Silence falls as Keyleth waits for him to continue. “You know what…you know what those bastards have done. Those monsters. They destroyed Percy’s family, and who knows how many others—how long until I do the same? I can’t hurt you, Keyleth, I can’t hurt any of you, I—“

“Vax.” Keyleth’s voice is quiet, but clear. “You are a good man, Vax’ildan. T-the fact that you don’t want to hurt anyone—that’s what counts. The Briarwoods are evil, horrible people. But you…you would go to the ends of the world for the people you care about. That’s the difference, Vax. You could never be like them.”

Vax’s voice is weak; it cracks when he replies. “How can you know that?”

Keyleth’s bright eyes meet his, intense in a way she rarely is. “Because I know you, Vax’ildan.”

He looks away. “You can pretend all you want, but I do. We’re…we’re friends, Vax. I care about you. And I know you would never hurt any of us.”

Vax ducks his head, breathing shakily. “I don’t want to, Keyleth, I really don’t but after everything—Keyleth, you know what they did. You know what I could do. How can you trust me?”

“Don’t be an idiot, Vax.”

He laughs humorlessly. “That’s never been my strong suit.”

“You know what I can do,” she says. “You’ve seen my magic, you’ve seen me fight. You know that I can be dangerous. So why do you trust me?”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” Vax scoffs. “You would never use your abilities to hurt any of us—oh.” The realization hits him, and Keyleth smiles.

“Yeah.” She smiles. “See?”

“Yeah,” he sighs. The tension begins to leave him, slowly, and he leans against Keyleth. “Yeah. Thank you, Keyleth.”

Giving a soft hum, she tilts her head against his. “Of course, Vax.”

As soon as their team meeting had ended, Vex stormed down to Percy’s workshop. As far as anyone knew, he hadn’t left it since their return after the incident with the Briarwoods. No one had seen him, and Vex was sure he wasn’t eating or sleeping. She understood, to an extent. But she was tired, and if she couldn’t isolate herself, neither could he. So down to the workshop she went. Percy seemed not even to notice as she entered, until she slammed the door behind her.

“Percival.”

He flinches, startled. Even still, he doesn’t meet her eyes. He doesn’t respond.

“You can’t keep avoiding this.”

At that, he huffed a harsh laugh, continuing to work on some project that had left his face streaked with black powder.

“Well, I can certainly try,” he tells her.

“Bullshit, Percy. Do you think that we’re just going to let you stay here, isolated, working yourself to death?”

“Well, it’s worked so far.” His voice is tight, brittle.

“My brother died, and you’re going to blame me for—for taking a day to come down here, to try and get you out of this self-punishing spiral that you’re in? For all the good that that’s done, when you won’t even look at me, gods—”

“Vex, no, I didn’t mean—”

“Well, it’s what you said, Percival.”

Percy sighs, defeated.

“I…I’m sorry, Vex.” He drags his hands over his face, streaking it with even more soot. “Gods. I’m sorry.”

“Percy, you need to talk to us. Don’t leave us like this, please.” “Why?” Percy sounds exhausted, his voice weak.

“You’re our family. We love you. Ignoring us, it’s—it’s just going to hurt all of us.”

“I don’t know what else to do.”

“Just talk to me. Talk to him, when you’re ready. Please.”

“I can’t talk to him, Vex. It’s my fault, what happened, I can’t—“ He shakes his head violently, pressing his fingers to his temple.

“Percy.” Something about Vex’s voice finally convinces Percy to make eye-contact. She looks wrecked, exhausted, but manages to maintain her quiet, intense composure anyway. “He blames himself too.”

Percy looks away.

“I’ll talk to him.”

It is well past sunset by the time Percy leaves his workshop, and the stars are beginning to peek out from the darkness. He doesn’t want to talk to anyone. Had he not promised Vex, he wouldn’t be. Despite taking the time to calm down in his workshop, he feels stretched-thin, on edge. Volatile. His knock on Vax’s door is hesitant—he wonders if Vax even hears it. Part of him hopes that he doesn’t.

“Come in,” Vax says. Percy has to resist the urge to bang his head against the door before he pushes it open.

The light in Vax’s room is dim and grey, making Vax look even paler than normal. The curtains have been thrown open, and the weak moonlight makes the shadows on his face stand out even more. Even in this lighting, Percy can see how exhausted Vax looks.

“Percy?” Vax blinks a few times, as if to clear his head.

Percy clears his throat, awkwardly. “H-hello.”

“What are you….” Vax trails off, unsure. Percy fidgets.

“I thought we should talk.”

Vax drags his hands down his face. His answering smile is wry and edges on sadness. “Alright.”

The door closes behind Percy as he steps into the room, gesturing at the foot of Vax’s bed. “Can I…?”

“Oh, yeah. Yes, go ahead.” Percy sits. His fingers twist anxiously, though he tries to hide his fidgeting as best he can. There is a long, tense silence, before Vax sighs.

“Why are you here, Percival?”

Percy ducks his head, as though trying to hide himself within the tall collar of his coat.

“Your sister—“

“Ah.” Vax smiles that humorless smile that Percy has so often seen from him. “Say no more, my friend. We can just not talk, and tell her that we did. Problem solved. Terribly sorry to be an inconvenience to you—”

“Vax’ildan.” The worried set of Percy’s shoulders shifts; he looks directly at Vax and Vax cannot find it in him to look away. Percy’s eyes are grey-blue and unyielding.

“Percival,” he teases, but Vax’s humor is not able to ease Percy’s gaze.

“I came in here,” Percy says, maintaining the now too-long eye contact. “Because your sister let me know that I was isolating myself. Some of the things that I said, well—evidently she thought it would do us both good to talk things out. So I am here because I trust your sister’s judgement.” He pauses, and his voice is low when he speaks again. “And…because I was worried about you.”

Vax makes a low sound at that, a hum trapped in the back of his throat. “I’m fine, Percival, I swear. No need to worry.”

“Somehow, Vax, I sincerely doubt that.”

“Why does everyone keep asking me about how I’m doing? How the fuck do you think I’m doing? Gods damn it, what do you want me to say, Percy? That I can’t sleep, day or night? That I’m completely fucking terrified that I’m going to lose control and hurt one of you? That I—” Vax’ildan cuts himself off abruptly, pressing his lips into a thin line.

“That you what?” It isn’t a good idea to push him, Percy thinks, but he does it anyway.

“Nothing. I’m fine.”

“Vax.” Impulsive, Percy moves closer to him on the bed, and raises a hand to rest against Vax’s cheek. Vax’s eyes widen; he sucks in a sharp breath. “Tell me.” Vax’s eyes flutter shut, and Percy can feel the half-elf’s breath quicken as Percy brushes his thumb over his cheekbone.

“I’m…Percy…” He trails off, bringing his hand up to wrap around Percy’s wrist. Percy’s hand does not leave Vax’s face; when Vax’s eyes open, Percy’s bright eyes are still locked with his own. Vax’s breath hitches, stutters as Percy’s thumb brushes the corner of his mouth. “Percy, I could hurt you.”

“You couldn’t.” Percy can feel Vax’s shaky exhale against his wrist. “Vax, tell me what’s wrong, please.”

“Aside from the fact that I’m a vampire?” His voice hitches on the last word, as, in vain, Vax tries to dispel the strange energy of the room. Once again, humor is his last defense against emotional vulnerability. Abruptly, Percy pulls his hand away from Vax’s face, leaning back out of his space with an almost imperceptible sigh. Vax has to bite back a whine at the loss of contact.

“I don’t know what you want from me, Vax. I—I don’t know that this is getting us anywhere,” he shifts as if to leave, and Vax is reaching out for him before he can stop himself.

“Freddie, wait.” The nickname leaves him without thinking. When Percy looks back to him, there are tears shining in Vax’s eyes. “I’m just…I’m scared. I don’t trust myself around you.” His voice is soft, like he can barely bring himself to say it. Percy sits back down, hovering just on the edge of Vax’s space. Even though Percy doesn’t touch him, Vax’s anxiety quiets, somewhat.

“Why not, Vax?”

Vax shuts his eyes tightly. “My instincts have changed, Percy. I…the things I want…the way I want…”

“What do you want, Vax’ildan?” Percy’s voice has dropped, and Vax leans closer to catch his words.

“I’m hungry, Percy.” With the emphasis that he puts on the words, Percy immediately knows what he means. Even so, he leans further into Vax’s space. Their knees are touching. Percy is so near Vax that his nose almost brushes his cheek.

“Will you let me help you?” Percy asks, breaking the brief silence that seemed to stretch on for ages.

“You—you can’t mean that,” Vax chokes. Before he has finished speaking, Percy’s hand has found its way back to his cheek, fingers brushing across his cheekbone. Overwhelmed, Vax’s eyes fall shut, and Percy hums interestedly.

“I think you’ll find that I can,” he says, his smile audible in his voice. His fingers are so gentle on Vax’s face.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Percy.” Vax’s protests sound weak, even to his own ears. They are undermined by the very audible hitch in his breath as Percy’s thumb presses against his bottom lip.

“So you keep saying. Have you considered that I’m asking you to, Vax?” The warmth of Percy’s hand seems to have ignited Vax’s entire body.

“I am trying so hard,” he murmurs. “To have some amount of self-control here.”

“And I am trying so hard, my dear, to tell you that that isn’t necessary.”

Vax forces his eyes open, fixes Percy in his gaze. There is tension in the set of the half-elf’s face, but his eyes flash hungry and wanting. “I need you to promise me that you aren’t doing this just because you feel bad. Or out of some fucked-up sense of obligation, or self-punishment. I need to know why, Percy.” The human nods back.

“That’s perfectly reasonable.” Some of the tension leaves Vax. “I am not doing this just because I feel bad. What happened to you was…regrettable. But it is something I know you can manage. And, while some of me does feel responsible for what happened to you—getting you involved in my family’s issues—that’s not why I’m doing this either.”

“Then why?”

When Percy laughs, he knocks their foreheads together. Vax register’s vaguely that his hand has, at some point, found its way to rest just above Percy’s knee. “Has it not occurred to you that I might want you, you absurd man?”

Vax starts. Eyes wide, he looks at Percy, finding his gaze, soft and sincere.

“Oh,” he breathes.

“Indeed.”

Vax sighs, finally beginning to relax in full. He tips his head against Percy’s and shuts his eyes again.

“Will you kiss me, please, Percival?”

“Well, since you asked so nicely.”

The kiss is slow, Percy is achingly gentle. Vax’s head is swimming at the soft, slick slide of their mouths, unable to stop himself from arching into it. Percy makes a low sound and his hand slides to the back of Vax’s neck. It is overwhelming how warm Percy is; the contrast with Vax’s bloodless lips almost unbearable. Vax presses closer, wanting all of Percy’s warmth for himself. One of his hands moves to rest on Percy’s chest, and he can feel his heartbeat--Vax was unprepared for the way that would make him feel. He keens into the kiss, a sound that Percy eagerly swallows with his own mouth. As Vax’s mouth falls open, Percy’s tongue presses cautious against the tip of a fang. As pressed close as they are, Vax can feel the full-body shudder that runs through Percy at that. He smiles, a wicked edge to it, and bites down on Percy’s lip. Percy’s resulting gasp is beautiful. Blood flows from the cut instantly, and though it isn’t much, Vax swipes his tongue over the wound, sucking Percy’s lower lip into his mouth for good measure. The little taste of Percy’s blood has made Vax dizzy, and he is panting hard as he pulls away. Percy, for his part, looks wrecked already. His bottom lip is swollen, puncture marks just barely visible, and he is flushed pink. Vax cannot stop himself from pressing a kiss to his jaw.

“Alright, Percy?” he asks. His voice is light, but the question is serious.

“Oh, yes, quite.”

“Can I…?” Vax hesitates. Percy moves to kiss him once more, a hand tugging just slightly on Vax’s long hair.

“I would truly appreciate if you did.” The hand in Vax’s hair scratches lightly at his scalp, and he makes a small, content sound.

“Tell me,” he says, momentarily serious, “If you need me to stop. Or pull my hair, or…something.”

Percy nods. “I will.”

At last, Vax ducks his head, pressing his lips to the pale skin of Percy’s neck. He is so warm—Vax can feel his heart beating at his pulse point and it makes him shudder. He kisses down the column of Percy’s neck, the sharp points of his teeth dragging against the skin but never breaking it. Vax becomes lost in the cacophony of sensations—the pulse of Percy’s blood, just under his skin, the hitches in his breath, the hand twisting in his hair. The more coherent part of his brain thinks, vaguely, that he could stay like this forever. That is, until a soft moan tears itself from Percy’s lips.

“Vax, please,” he sighs. And who is Vax to deny such a request? His mouth finds purchase in the space between Percy’s neck and his collarbone, and he lays an open-mouthed kiss there. Anticipation rising in Vax’s stomach, he presses one last brief kiss to Percy’s skin. And then he bites.

Vax had thought that simply kissing Percy was overwhelming. This was indescribably more intense. The taste of Percy’s blood is perfect, sweet and cloying; richer than any wine Vax has ever tasted. Percy has thrown his head back, soft sounds escaping him as Vax drinks. He kisses the wound, tongue soothing, and moans.

“Gods, Percy.” He swipes his tongue over the bite once more, notices the bleeding beginning to slow. He pulls back, making eye contact with Percy as he licks the blood from his lips. Percy’s resulting whimper brings a dangerous grin to Vax’s mouth. When Vax kisses Percy’s jaw, he leaves a blood-sticky mark there. He drags his fangs up Percy’s jaw to his ear just to hear him gasp, teasing until Percy grabs him by the neck and pulls him in to kiss him again. Percy’s other hand pushes gently on his chest, bearing him back into the headboard. He licks into Vax’s mouth, and Vax wonders if Percy can taste his own blood on Vax’s tongue. After what may as well have been an eternity, they break apart, keeping their foreheads pressed together. Vax’s hand rests against Percy’s cheek, and both are panting. Vax, for one, is glad they did this sitting—he doubts he would have been steady enough to stand. He feels sated and heavy after feeding, and Percy doesn’t look too steady himself. Vax breathes out slow, a smile on his face.

“Percival Frederickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III,” he says, and Percy laughs breathlessly. “What did I ever do to deserve someone like you?”

“Oh, quite a lot, darling.” Percy’s answer leaves a fluttery feeling in Vax’s chest, and he can’t help giving him another chaste kiss. Vax feels floaty, and warm—something about feeding, and about Percy, has left him feeling safe and nearly boneless with contentment.

“I love you,” Vax whispers. He doesn’t mean to say it, and nearly starts when he realizes that it slipped out. But he doesn’t try to take it back. He just looks back up at Percy, and smiles, and says it again. “I love you.” Percy kisses him again, sweet and gentle as he pulls Vax’s bottom lip into his mouth.

“I’m afraid I’ve been very obvious,” Percy tells him. “But I am rather in love with you, Vax.”

“Will you stay the night?”

“There is nowhere else I would rather be.”

And for the first time in nearly two days, Vax sleeps.

[arkhamarchitecture]

I kinda want to ask if you have Percahlia ideas regarding the Julius au?

I do! Actually I have a ton of thoughts re: the Julius AU that I need to put down at some point (Julius and Percy have very different personalities so it sort of inherently changes canon).

It’d be a slow build because well, Percy is stuck in Whitestone and Vex is off wandering the world, righting wrongs and righting lefts but not writing comment cards. Plus I mean, hey, that’s a vampire, maybe be a little cautious? Vax would be deeply concerned about it and also worried that when Vex starts to like Percy, it’s because of a charm rather than just because she likes him.

I think it’d really start before they went to the Feywild, because Percy loves the Feywild and wants to go so badly, but he can’t so instead he approaches Vex with all this information he’s accumulated on it over the years. He sounds like an excited puppy, there’s this and there’s that, and oh I know you’re there for a mission but if you get a chance you should check this out, and Vex can’t help but smile.

Vex starts looking into ways she could help him - she can’t cure him, that’s beyond her, but just being able to go outside during the day would make him happy and making Percy happy would make Julius happy so really she’s doing this for her family, Vax, relax, it’s nothing.

But it isn’t nothing and its definitely something the night before they leave for Thordak when Vex finds him wandering the halls (it’s hard for him to sleep during the evenings) looking stressed and hungry and manic. She takes him to his bedroom and sits on his lap on the bed and tells him that it’s okay to ask for things he needs. He laughs at her, because she’s one to talk, but he refuses to bite her.

“I’ll be fine, you won’t hurt me,” she argues. “I trust you.”

He holds her a little tighter and says, “You’re going to kill a dragon tomorrow. I won’t do anything that’ll skew your odds, even a little. I don’t need you feeling tired when you fight Thordak.”

“Well I’m going to feel tired anyway because damned if I can sleep.”

Percy frowns at her in concern. “You should at least try to sleep, dear,” the pet name rolling off his tongue without his thought or consent.

Vex smiles at him, presses her forehead against his so they’re nose to nose, and whispers, “I think I’d sleep better with you, if you’d care to help me with that.”

And he does.

[timaeusterrored]

Wip Whenever

Tagged by @peaches-n-screem @katsigian and @kharonion 💕💕💕

Working on a story called Early Morning Kisses. Was making it for someone then got worried it wasn’t good enough, finally decided to pick it back up

Kerry was up first. The night had been filled with tossing and turning and swearing, and he just gave up. When he finally saw the sun, that was his cue to slip out of bed, after one final kiss to V’s forehead. The merc had just shifted a bit and fell back into his deep sleep.

The Rocker rubbed his eyes, aggravated with his lack of sleep as he started on coffee. He thought he was getting better sleeping through the night. He also knew V would notice, and be concerned. And Kerry fucking hated his concern, not that he didn’t appreciate the fact that his partner cared about him, but it felt like Kerry had gone two step forward, and three steps back.

He knew he was overthinking it, V would never think or say that Kerry’s progress didn’t matter, that he had gone backwards. V also had shit nights where he tossed and turned in a huff then got up to go smoke. Kerry would usually join him, because when V didn’t sleep, Kerry didn’t either. He didn’t expect it to go both ways though, V needed sleep.

He didn’t even hear V coming down the stairs, too lost in his mind to notice. He felt hands slide over his hips and lock together in front of his stomach. Kerry almost immediately melted back into him, resting his head back on his shoulder. The thoughts had melted away with V’s warmth around him. It never ceased to amaze him how much he had grown to truly love this man.

College Au, obviously 💕

“I got Fox and Smidt first period, uh… actually I really need to go. I’m gonna be late- I love you too, mama- Yes I’ve eaten- she has- Mom!”

Vincent loved his mother, but she worried too much. And River had been honking for the better part of ten minutes, with Mike blowing up his phone. He knew! Trust him, he was well aware of the time! Them honking and texting him wasn’t going to make Guadalupe let him go any faster. It was a mother’s duty to make her child late.

“I CANNOT BE LATE TO VIKT’S CLASS AGAIN BECAUSE OF YOUR DUMBASS NOW GET IN HERE!” Mike’s whole upper body was basically out the window of River’s truck. It had been about a week since their run in with Vincent’s ex and both Mike and Vincent’s faces had healed quite nicely. Thanks to Vik’s magic of course.

“I’m comin’, I’m comin’! You wanna tell my mother to not call me before class then be my guest!” Vincent had to squish himself into the back, his own bag and Judy’s in between the two. Mike got special treatment because he was River’s gay awakening despite the constant denial. Vincent had bets going with Panam and Aaron about it.

And some mini things: Vax losing his shit and Vampire Au

Vampire Au:

“I see…”

A vampire stood at the window, hands tucked in his pockets.

“That’s an issue.”

He turned, sitting on the two couches was a young vampire, rubbing his thighs with his palms. His nerves were obvious, and a sign of fear. Fear that could not be left to fester any longer.

Vax losing it:

Vax had always been a shadow. Willingly so, he didn’t mind being Jackie’s shadow back in their merc days, or the few months he was Kerry’s shadow. The difference was he was never in someone’s shadow.

Tagging: @moderndaycirce @vincentmatthews @elvenbeard @wilxfyre @theviridianbunny @vince-linder

[blorbologist]

Squinting at the blorbos like rats in a lab

Tags are minimal unfortunately, this is a personal blog so it’s a barrage of all sorts! I DO tag critical role spoilers with #critical role spoilers and #cr spoilers, given I often liveblog, and will tag until the episode is on YouTube. 

I also do fanfic! You can find me on AO3 at umwelt! 

My main ongoing project is my 'Age of Arcanum Perc'ahlia AU', where Vax is the Warden of Ravens, Vex'ahlia his (lonely) Champion, and Percival is the creator of aeormatons. I tag posts about the au #age of arcanum AU if interested!

Prologue ... CH 3

Cat's Cradle is currently a WIP on hiatus, under #cat’s cradle AU, a lil modern Perc’ahlia AU with foster kittens. Compiling chapters on AO3, but tumblr stays a few chapters ahead:

CH 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15

My big completed project is my 'Raven Queen’s champion instead ' AU. You can find posts about it under #vex is the raven queen’s champion AU.

Some writing, sneak peaks and ask games happen here on tumblr, too. More than some. oops.

You can [hopefully, assuming Tumblr behaves] find my writing under the tag #my writing, and ask under #ask game usually!

Like what I do? Consider buying me a coffee so I can stay sane enough to finish these WIPs! And my thesis! 

I do not take requests. Prompts are only when I’ve RB’d a relevant prompt game - I’m in gradschool, assume I’m busy by default lol

Projects:

Architect of our demise [onwards to Vasselheim!]

Cat's cradle / Kitten AU [on hiatus for Uni]

Daughters or Dolls [plotting, title is a wip]

Second chapter to My heart’s a vessel for ill intent? [not started]

Perc’ahlia travel troubles comfort fic [half-done?]

Recoil chapter 2 [dusty wip, like a quarter done?]

And so will I chapter 3, Jester [dusty wip]

Nursery rhymes as told by briarpatches chapter 4, Greypool [dusty wip, half done?]

Vex’s menial duties as Grand Mistress of the Grey Hunt [got one thing done?]

Kyssandra hide and seek fic [birthday gift for Burr <3]

Vex and Vax in the Slayer's Take in TLOVM [Vexahra for Nova <33]

AUs:

Vex is the Raven Queen’s Champion AU [One for sorrow / Two for joy]

Modern AU bottlefeeding kittens [Cat’s Cradle]

Age of Arcanum AU [Architect of our demise]

Delilah controls Laudna’s heartbeat [My heart’s a vessel]

Filles du roi Perc'ahlia AU [historical Québec au, plottin]

Ruidusborn!Percy AU [just ideas]

Leona runs off to the Cobalt Soul AU [maybe a quarter done?]

MILF and DILF Perc'ahlia marriage of convenience [posted part 1!]

Percy is the pact weapon AU [Get your hands dirty]

2/3 Vampires Bashter AU [got that one snippet to work off of]

Tiefling!Percy AU [brainchild with Essay <333]

FMA AU [A whole mess, one ficlet posted]

Fox woman dreaming AU [1/2 posted]

Just tons of random Gilmore/Vax’ildan/Keyleth shit bc i lov the thems

Perc’ahlia Atlantis AU [just in my brain and that One Screencap Redraw]

Accurate Jurassic Park AU [just vague mushing my two special interests together thots]

'The tale of Merciful and Lex' [Jester reads a smut novel 100% inspired by the de Rolos]

Ships:

OTPs are currently Perc’ahlia, Imodna and Laudmoore in that order. I usually only read fics of these ships bar rare exceptions.* NOTPs that are common enough to be worth mentioning are Widobrave, Widojest, Riprolo, anything remotely incesty or toeing the grooming line. I don’t want to interact with this content don’t fuckin make me.

Ships that aren’t my absolute feral loves, buuut that I’d be happy to write for are man. All canon CR ships, plus Beaujester, Bashter, Kiki/Vax/Gil, Callowmoore, Dorym, Chetney/Fearne, Widomauk, Kiki/Vex/Percy [with a huge *], onesided Tary/Percy, all fun! Also getting into the rarepair of Cassandra/Laudna for Reasons, and any Ace!Cass x NPCs her age.

Beyond that, just, y’know. Use basic critical thinking. Do I really need to write ‘hey! Don’t send me, a stranger, things you wouldn’t talk to a stranger about’? I have faith in y’all not to, for now ktrgnkrtnkgn

Have fun foraging through my blog - hope you find a few things of interest, writing or otherwise! <3

[waltwhitmansbeard]

Hello! as always your vampire au stays rotating in my mind like vaxilorb. the teasing thought of keyleth making vax stand right outside the door and ask Very nicely if he's allowed to come inside and she just loves taking her time thinking about it

so i definitely think the first time she invites him into her apartment, she doesn't know he's a vampire yet, so she doesn't think twice about it, but absolutely when they get a house of their own (in her name bc he's dead and can't own property) she takes her sweet time inviting him in until he reminds her that she's on her own bringing their furniture in until she does

[waltwhitmansbeard]

Hello! I just binged your vm vampire au and I love it so much. the clasp taking keyleth and making an attempt to turn her into a vampire in the most brutal way possible, and Vax saving her with the matron deal is so good, my question is, how much does keyleth remember? does she remember / was she awake during the turn and vaxs deal? or does she not know about it until later? what is her feeling on Vax making that deal?

i think keyleth remembers all of it, but like fuzzy and in pieces. it's mostly a jumble of fear and pain and the certainty of death, with percy's voice mixed in as he tried to talk to her to keep her alive. i think she has no clue about the death vax made w the rq until after, maybe a while after. and there's a lot of guilt and conflict there, bc obviously she's glad to be a) alive and b) not a vampire, but she doesn't know what it means for him to be a champion of a god. she hates that so much is being asked of him now because of her, because she let herself get grabbed, because she couldn't get herself out of trouble—meanwhile vax is just like "yes if this is what i need to do to atone for what i let happen to her, so be it"

[waltwhitmansbeard]

#1 with Vaxleth Vampire Au?

1. "I know it hurts, love. You'll be okay."

Vax should have guessed that it wasn't going to be the physical scars that haunted Keyleth. For starters, she and Pike whipped up all manner of creams and tinctures to layer over various wounds, and after several weeks of application and crusting and emergence of new skin, so little evidence of the worst thing that has ever happened to her or Vax remains. There's one crescent moon over her left scapula that still shines when it catches the light, and sometimes she inhales sharply if she sneezes too hard, but it takes a shockingly brief amount of time for the proof of his failures to fade from her skin.

But when the moon is high and they are wrapped in shadows and her mother's blanket, he sees the wounds still open, still festering. Even before he was a vampire, he always woke easily, startling at the smallest sound with an instant vigilance. Now, it's not the creaking of his father's house or the squeak of rats in the rundown shack he once shared with his sister that pulls him from sleep, but a quiet, sharp whimpering. His eyes flash open, and it takes but a moment for him to identify the source. Keyleth is twitching in his arms, eyes darting around violently under her lids. He knows a nightmare when he sees one.

"Kiki." He rests a hand against her cheek, tapping as gently as he can. "Kiki, wake up."

She lets out a small, pained whine. There's some unintelligible mumbling, but Vax manages to make out one word: hurts.

Bile rises in his throat. "Keyleth." He raises his voice above a whisper, reaching down to squeeze her hand as hard as he dares. "Keyleth, wake up, please."

Her return to consciousness doesn't happen quickly. It is a slow, confused thing, her eyes searching in the dark, the tremble of her body coming to a gradual end as she finds him curled over her. "Vax?"

He's not going to cry. He hears the quiet desperation, the broken relief in her voice, and he is determined not to cry. "You were having a nightmare."

"Oh." Her eyes slide closed again and she presses her head back into her pillow. "I'm sorry."

If she apologizes one more time for the mess he caused, he's going to scream. "You know that you have nothing to be sorry for." He rests his head onto her pillow, knocking his forehead to the space just above her ear. "I just didn't want you staying in there longer than you had to."

His arm is across her torso, pulling her tight against him, and she grips onto that arm like it's a life raft in the ocean. "Yeah," she breathes, "it...it still hurts."

And he doesn't know if she's referring to the scars or the memories, but his heart shatters in his chest all the same. He presses a kiss to the shell of her ear. "I know it hurts, love," he whispers. "You'll be okay."

There's a sharp sniffle in the dark. "What if I'm not?"

"I've known a lot of people in my life, Kiki. A lot of people who were strong or brave or tenacious or resilient, even in the face of some really scary shit. None of them hold a candle to you."

She breathes a long, shuddering breath, in, then out. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Those...monsters did what they did to you because they saw it. Because they feared it. Because they knew that you were better than them, and they had to convince you that you weren't. But I know you, too, and I know that you're not gonna let them succeed."

A silence settles over them, and Vax thumbs circles into her far shoulder, letting her stew on his words. He can practically hear the whirring in her mind, the gears turning as she tries to put all of the pieces together. Finally, she breathes, "What if I can't move past it?"

"Well, good news." He lifts his head, presses a slow, lingering kiss to her lips. "You won't have to try by yourself. You have me, and Percy, and Pike, and even Vex, when she isn't, y'know, being Vex. You have us, and we'll pull you out of the dark each and every time, I promise." He sets his forehead down onto hers.

Keyleth's eyes shut again. "Okay."

And he can only hope that she believes him, can only hope that she understands that he has a long eternity ahead of him to help her piece herself back together. He settles back down beside her, keeping her tucked in close to his chest. He knows he's not going to be able to frighten the nightmares away, bare his teeth and snarl until they cower back into the shadowed corners of her mind, but if he is to make right what he set so horribly wrong, he is going to make sure that each time she wakes, he is here, a north star for her to follow in the dark.

[waltwhitmansbeard]

Remember when I said the trust prompt list was so good I couldn't pick just one?

May I ask for number 11: asking for advice, with Pike and Keyleth in Vamp Machina? Is that okay? <3

11. asking for advice this is the au!

Keyleth's regulars feel as precious to her as her neighbors back in Zephrah. Emon is huge, and it's easy to feel like a single leaf in a massive forest, nameless and forgettable. But when her regulars come in, when she greets them by name and asks them how their last poultice or potion or charm worked out for them, the forest becomes a single tree, and the leaves become her community.

Pike is among her favorite regulars, because she is one of the only people who knows the struggle Keyleth's living with. Like her, Pike has a vampire in her life she cares for dearly, but unlike her, Pike doesn't seem to wrestle with that fact. Pike talks about Grog openly, lovingly, like having a best friend who sometimes feels the overwhelming urge to sink his teeth into someone's jugular is just a normal thing that everyone has to deal with.

Of course, Pike doesn't have another best friend who has declared it his life's mission to rid the world of the scourge of vampires once and for all. She doesn't have another best friend who lives, sleeps, and breathes vampire slaying, who treats the killing of vampires like an art form, a craft to be honed and practiced and perfected. She doesn't have another best friend who is currently reeling from a betrayal so profound it's a wonder he's survived it at all.

Still, Pike seems to have mastered a zen-like calm when it comes to the topic of vampires, which is why Keyleth nearly launches herself over the counter when she comes in on an afternoon, likely to resupply on the herbs she uses for her homeopathic healing practice. "Pike!"

She grins and waves at Keyleth. "Hey! Hope you have come comfrey leaves in stock, because I am fresh out—"

"I need your help."

Pike pauses. "I mean, this is your store, but okay."

"No." Keyleth scurries around the counter, locks the door, and flips the sign to closed. "Percy knows."

Pike's eyes bug out of her head. "Oh. Okay. Well. I mean, we kinda figured this would happen eventually. How—"

"He walked in on Vax feeding on me," she breathes, and when Pike's jaw drops nearly to the floor, shame floods her so forcefully she staggers under its weight.

"Oh. Kay." Then Pike spins around marches toward the counter. "Got any booze?"

Which is how they end up on the floor of her tiny, cramped storeroom, passing a bottle of lukewarm rosé back and forth among the boxes of inventory as Keyleth sobs out the entire story. "And I-I-I don't know what to do!" She sniffles, blowing her nose with a napkin from her favorite Zemnian place around the corner. "Percy's...he's my best friend, and he hates me now, and he's gonna...he's gonna make me move out and I'm freaking out—"

"Keyleth!" She falls silent at Pike's shout. "Holy shit. First of all, Percy does not hate you."

"But he—"

"You can only get that mad at someone when you love them. And Percy loves you."

"Not anymore," she whispers, pulling her knees into her chest. "Not when I...when I..."

"When you love a vampire?" The tears fall fresh from Keyleth's eyes. "Have you even told him that?" She shakes her head. "Keyleth..."

"I thought if I said it out loud..." Keyleth doesn't even know how to finish the sentence. She buries her head in the circle of her arms.

A few moments later, there are two stubby arms wrapping around her back. "Keyleth, not telling Vax you love him isn't going stop you from loving him."

"I know," she groans miserably. "But I was so afraid of it being true, because if it were true, then Percy could find out."

"But Percy found out anyway!"

Keyleth lifts her head. "I know, and now he won't speak to me and Vax is keeping his distance because he doesn't want to make things worse and I...I feel like my life's falling apart, Pike."

Pike hugs her around the neck, and Keyleth cries into her shoulder. "Your life isn't falling apart," Pike tells her. "You have a store that you run very well—you know, when you don't close it in the middle of the day to cry to your customers—and you have friends who care about you and you have a really hot vampire who loves you a whole lot and you have a best friend who, yes, is mad at you, but who also has shit to work out that has nothing to do with you."

"It's not his fau—"

"If you say it's not his fault I'm never shopping here again." Keyleth falls silent. "It's not his fault what happened to him but it is his fault how he handles it. He doesn't get to take out his bullshit on you."

Keyleth rubs at her eyes with the heel of her palm. "I just want things to go back the way they were."

"Keyleth..." Pike rests a hand on her arm. "Things weren't sustainable the way they were. You deserve to love and be loved openly and hiding how you feel from Percy was never gonna work. And if he can't get on board, well...fuck him. He's not a good friend."

She chews on her lip. She doesn't want to admit that Pike is right, doesn't want to acknowledge that there's a real chance that she'll have to let Percy go if she is going to keep loving Vax. (Because what other choice does she have? He is the breath in her lungs, the sun on her skin, even in the darkest night. She has no choice but to love him now, no other recourse, because he is burned onto her skin, has burrowed into her chest and made a home of her ribcage. She did not know what it was to want before she met him, and now she wants as jealously, as zealously as a dragon covets its own hoard. It is staggering, and yet so very, very simple: she loves him.)

"Will you come with me?" she whispers, wrapping her fingers atop Pike's. "When I talk to Percy?"

Pike smiles, and Keyleth wonders briefly what her childhood might have looked like if she'd had a big sister like her. "Of course I will. I ain't afraid of no vampire slayer."

And when Keyleth hugs her, she feels a little less lonely than she had before.

[waltwhitmansbeard]

ok but tell me why i can’t stop thinking about a vampire vox machina au???

the twins are vampires and they have no idea who turned them. they just woke up one night and craved blood. their go-to is feeding by seduction; entice someone in, charm them, feed on them, let them go.

percy is a vampire hunter who’s specifically hunting the vampire (and his dark witch wife) who slaughtered his family. believes all vampires are evil and must be killed. does NOT know what to do with these traitorous feelings he’s having for vex!

keyleth is a light witch who meets the twins by chance. vax is instantly in love with her but believes she is full of too much light and sun to be trapped by a man of the shadows.

grog is a vampire who has a tendency to accidentally kill ppl when he feeds, so pike and scanlan keep him in check with magic and the power of friendship.