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halcyonicreveries · 10 months

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Do you like AUs with vampires and witches and ghosts (and also maybe werewolves and other exciting things in future chapters), because I sure accidentally started writing that!!

Precious - Chapter One

under the cut or on ao3

M/M Aymeric/WoL, Teen rating at the moment for descriptions of big ouchies and vampire bites.

Encouraged by their mutual friend Haurchefant, a witch from the Black Shroud helps an injured vampire that takes refuge in his shop one night. Aymeric is handsome and kind, and Augus'to can't help but be drawn to him, but will going out of his way to help the other man call the past he's been hiding from out to haunt them all?

To the northwest of Ishgard is an old Coerthan city. Traditionally a quiet place where the well-to-do and nobles of the past had built their indulgent summer homes to retire near the great lake during the hotter part of the year, it had recently seen an influx of tourism and and new residents inspired by it's cozy old timey atmosphere. This, in turn, brought a modernization that contrasted with the style that had attracted people in the first place.

The bit of town where Augus'to lived was in an area where this was particularly well exemplified. His own place was a comfortable apartment behind a little shopfront, in a remodeled old home. From the street it was hardly recognizable as a retail building, retaining as much of the original character as possible and hidden behind an beautiful but sturdy old wrought iron gate. The garden landscaping, containing a mix of both decorative and useful plants, helped to give the appearance of a homey residence.

Several surrounding blocks had once been similar houses and many of them, like Augus'to's shop, still stood in some form or another. Others had been completely razed, replaced with modern tourist shops, small restaurants, and parking lots. A few looked as if they had never been touched in years, and even the locals debated if anyone was still truly living in them, or if they were occupied only by ghosts of the past. He loved the curious contrast of the bright corner store next to a melancholy old house, it's garden still perfectly neat and trim behind decorative fences. It left a feeling as if ringing the bell would bring a neatly tailored butler in full proper dress just as easily as you would find a colorful clerk one building over.

It wasn't particularly unusual to be stirred to wakefulness by a bump in the night. Be it out of towners, stray animals, or kids playing pranks to see if the foreign witch from the deep woods would try to catch them; there were plenty of distractions even in the darkest hours of the day. The Miqo'te had grown used to to reaching out and checking the properties' wards quickly at their warning before falling back asleep once he'd ascertained everything was safe. Nothing worse than harmless trouble had come of it yet, and the few who made it as far as the front porch were run off quickly with a new ghost story to tell.

It was a strange part of town, and sometimes that came with sounds and distractions from the street, or even the yard when the kids were brave.

Waking to those bumps and noises coming from inside the house was a new and considerably more alarming experience.

Augus'to tensed under the covers, ears turned up and alert. It had come from inside, hadn't it?

There was another quiet thud, like something heavy bumping into the wall. It sounded like it was coming from the shop.

Why hadn't he felt the wards being crossed? They weren't physically able to stop anyone, but they were strong and something had gotten in the house his realizing. Something besides Haurchefant, who couldn't interact with solid objects anyway. He could become corporeal enough to spook trespassers and perhaps flicker the lights or give them a chill. That was it.

Should he call for him? Should he find his phone and call... no, he didn't want to deal with the authorities if he didn't have to. They were slow, and often nosier than they were helpful.

Instead, quietly as possible, ignoring the speeding of his heart, he slipped from his bed and made his way from the room.

He tried to keep his breath as calm and steady as possible, listening for any other noises as he crept to the front of the building. Everything was silent again, and he prayed it had been his imagination that something had gotten in. If something dangerous had gotten past his barriers and into the house, surely it would have done something else by now.

Passing through the kitchen area that was the threshold between the apartment and back entry to the shop, he grabbed one of his brooms. It wasn't much, but it felt a little better to have something firm in his hands. At the very least he could flail around with it to keep an attacker at bay.

The moonlight was dim, and he didn't want to risk turning on a light that would make it obvious he was up and alert. Instead he cast his eyes about the main shop, searching through the dark for anything out of place. The door was closed. Large dark areas of space stood where cupboards full of homegrown herbs and other supplies were locked up for the night. It was difficult to see specifics in the dim lighting, but nothing appeared to be moving.

Feeling a little more confident he finally flipped the main lights on. Walking into the open space, the Miqo'te's fur stood on end and he found himself holding back a shriek as he saw the scene in full.

There was what appeared to be a young man, clothes torn and bleeding, propped up against the font of the cupboard. Slumped forward, his head lolled to the side and both arms fell to his sides like he'd been tossed there without the energy to right himself. Even hurt and curled in on himself he was clearly must taller than Augus'to. An Elezen, judging by the ears poking through his wavy black hair.

With the figure so still in the dark, Augus'to had been unable to see he was there. He hadn't even moved when the light had turned on, surely he wasn't -

Augus'to crept closer, heart beating so hard he fancied he could hear it himself.

"Don't," a voice from the man warned, strained but sharp and clear. "Don't get any closer."

His lips barely moved enough to speak, and Augus'to realized that otherwise he was perfectly still. Was he even breathing? The Miqo'te shuddered, gripping the broom handle tight as a safety blanket, the fur of his tail still fluffed as it held cautiously still.

"How did you get into my house?" He finally asked, desperate to fill the silence with something other than his speeding heartbeat.

For a moment he thought there wasn't going to be a response, but finally there was a quiet reply. "This is Haurchefant's house. Who are you."

Augus'to got the impression that if the man had had more energy there would have been considerable emphasis on the you. Possibly accusatory.

"...Haurchefant is dead," he replied flatly, not able to think straight enough to put it more delicately. "and I bought this house, it's mine. How did you get past my wards?"

"So am I. And it's still his house, he gave me permission long ago," the man growled back and then groaned. Finally moving, he leaned his head back to rest against the door behind him.

Augus'to's mind ran through the information frantically. Past permission was enough to allow him through the wards without even causing enough of a fuss to wake him? And he really didn't appear to be breathing, aside from when he spoke, his body eerily still. And oh gods, his neck was...

"Are - are you okay?" Augus'to stammered, once again moving closer despite himself. When it came down down to it, it was simply in his nature to help someone who was injured, even a complete stranger who had somehow gotten into his shop to bleed all over it. And he was certainly bleeding. The witch wasn't particularly skilled at anatomy, but that he could speak clearly was surprising given the gash in his neck. Now that he wasn't as hunched over it was clear that his torso wasn't faring well, either. In fact, it was likely none of him was in a good state at all. It hadn't sounded like he'd been kidding when he said he was dead, but...

"Where's Haurchefant?" The man ground out in lieu of answering.

Where was Haruchefant? It wasn't as if he showed up at every disturbance, but he had been up for a while making noise at this point and even when he wasn't present he still existed somehow, tied to the house. The easiest way to find him would be to go up to the attic and poke around in the corner he'd taken to hanging out in, but there was absolutely no way Augus'to was turning his back on this man, even half-dead, or actually dead, or whatever he was.

Instead, he backed up, took a deep breath, and bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"HAURCHEFANT WAKE UP AND GET DOWN HERE OR I'M CANCELING ALL THE NAUGHTY CABLE CHANELS YOU DON'T SEEM TO REALIZE I'M THE ONE PAYING FOR."

The stranger bleeding out on his floor managed to look up at him with wide, shocked eyes at the sudden shout.

When he felt the slight draft and strange, static-y feeling that made his fur feel funny and meant the ghost was around Augus'to shrugged self-consciously. It had worked, hadn't it?

"Those cost extra? My apologies, I wasn't aware," Haurchefant apologized breezily as he faded into view. Following Augus'to's line of sight, his own eyes widened in surprise.

"...gods. Aymeric, is that you?"

The possibly dead man maybe named Aymeric grunted in what Augus'to assumed was assent.

"How long has it been? And you finally drag yourself here all torn up. What am I supposed to be able to do to help you when I'm like this?" It was the saddest Augus'to had ever heard the ghost, and he wasn't sure if that should endure himself to the stranger or not. Haurchefant seemed to care for him, but that didn't mean he was a good person, and he didn't like hearing the ghost so upset.

"Even if you can't patch me up I'll be able to heal myself eventually with enough rest. I just need someplace to hide out of the way."

"Sure, let me dig up a coffin for you."

Despite the bitter words, he turned and looked to Augus'to, beseeching, "August, please. I can't do anything for him, but you can. Let him feed from you."

"What." Aymeric interrupted flatly. "No, I can't do that. It's fine I'll just sleep for -"

"For what, the next fifty years, starving, while whatever did that to you is out and about?"

Augus'to shuddered. He didn't know if Aymeric was strong or not, in comparison to whatever had put him in his current state, but he thought Haurchefant was right. They needed to at least know what was going on if something dangerous was out there.

He swallowed and asked, afraid he already knew the answer, "what do you mean, feed?"

"It's fine," Haurchefant assured, "he's a just a vampire."

Of course he was. Just a vampire, who could come into his shop through the barrier because even when it was closed to the public Haurchefant still considered the building his enough that his ancient permissions still granted him entry.

Aymeric scoffed. "Yes, mortals have ever considered us just vampires. I'm too hungry. It's too dangerous like this."

"Well, vampires aren't much of a step up from ghosts, now are they?"

Haurchefant sounded much too chipper for discussing his bleeding-out friend eating Augus'to as a quick pick-me-up. "Besides," the ghost added as the area immediately surrounding them chilled, just a little, in warning, "he's my friend too, and I will stop you from going to far."

Aymeric sighed heavily, and it occurred to Augus'to that given his apparent lack of need to breathe, he was doing it entirely for show, just to be petty.

"Very well. August, was it? If you would be kind enough to allow me to further take advantage of your hospitality, and you trust this foolish friend of ours enough, I would be most appreciative."

"Augus'to," Augus'to corrected, uncomfortable with a stranger calling him by a friendly nickname. Ideally he wouldn't be telling strangers his name at all. He shot an irritated glace over at Haurchefant. The ghost was watching him carefully, a tense expression on his face as he waited to hear his answer.

"I can't do much," the intangible man admitted, "but I promise if he goes too far I'll be furious enough to stop him. You're my friend, and a part of house I'm attached to. I can protect you," he swore.

Nodding in reply, Augus'to took a steadying breath.

"What do I need to do?" He asked, trying desperately to keep his voice even, if only to convince himself that he was perfectly fine with this and it was not scary at all. He had been through much worse, even.

Haurchefant relaxed at the question, though Aymeric did not.

"Come here," he prompted. "I'm afraid it would be too much effort to move someplace more comfortable."

Augus'to cautiously moved closer, kneeling and setting the broom he'd been clutching aside as he approached. "Do you need to, um," he shifted some of his long hair out of the way and motioned vaguely in the direction of his neck.

"That... would be preferable," Aymeric said carefully, "but your wrist will do if you aren't comfortable."

When Augus'to looked back at Haurchefant uncertainly Aymeric continued, "I realize it may feel unintentionally intimate, but the neck will be slightly less painful for you."

He felt like an idiot for it not even occurring to him that unlike a sexy vampire movie, on top of everything else it might hurt. "In that case, um, I think I would prefer that." He anxiously grabbed the rest of his hair and pulled it all to one side.

As he started to lean in closer, Haurchefant once again spoke up thoughtfully from behind.

"Aymeric, can't you make it feel better?"

"I - no, that's not how it -" the vampire sounded oddly flustered before catching himself. "No, I don't have the energy, even if it was appropriate. I am sorry, Augus'to. I will try to be quick." After leaning in for a moment he backed away again. "You are a witch, yes?" He questioned unexpectedly.

"I am," Augus'to replied, confusion tinging the answer so it was nearly a question of it's own.

"I thought so. I can feel it. I could barely speak when I first arrived, but thanks to the energy in your space I can move a little easier now."

"Is that not enough? Could you just soak that up instead?"

The vampire smiled wryly. "I suppose I could given enough time. Would you rather I slowly destroyed your shop and only got a fraction of the relief?"

"Oh, please don't," Augus'to didn't want to think about all the magic being sucked from his entire inventory as it was rendered useless.

"Very well then. You have no reason to trust me, but you can trust Haurchefant to watch out for you. I'll be as gentle as possible," Aymeric promised, apology writ across his face. His eyes were a chill, frosty blue that Augus'to found himself drawn to at the close distance, and as he leaned and raised a hand to the witch's neck he felt the undead man's pale skin was nearly as cold as they looked.

He held perfectly still as Aymeric leaned over him, bending his head to the side, coming closer. He tensed in anticipation.

"Augus'to," the vampire murmured quietly, calmly as he tried to soothe him, "I know you're scared, but try to relax, it will hurt less."

After a few deep, shaky breaths he nodded slowly. "I'm fine. Just do it, please."

Finally Aymeric closed the last of the distance between them, the moment marked by twin points of pain on the side of his neck. He tried his best to stay perfectly still - he wasn't sure he could actually move at all, he realized as he could barely twitch the fingers on his hand. The sudden helplessness was even scarier than the pain he'd expected. There was a quiet whine in the distance, and he realized it was his own voice when a chill but comforting hand slid from his shoulder and started rubbing his arm gently.

The pain started to fade; indeed, the entire world started to fade a bit, and he could hear Haurchefant speaking briefly above him, followed by the incredibly odd sensation of Aymeric's fangs slipping from his neck.

Lightheaded, he leaned back slightly and reflexively put a hand to his neck. It was sore, but not so painful as the first puncture had been.

"It should heal quickly," Aymeric promised, his large hands, noticeably warmer now, holding him firmly in place as he wobbled. "Thank you."

"How are you feeling?" Haurchefant tutted next to him. "Dizzy? If you need something I can't do anything, but we can definitely order Aymeric around all you want now that he's all patched up!"

Augus'to's eyes ran over the vampire again and in his muddled state he couldn't help but point out, "He might be, but his clothes are... not... um... also you should take a shower." The man was absolutely covered in blood. He was probably getting it all over everything too. "Oh, Gods, my shop is going to have blood all over," he found himself whining. It was hardly the top priority at the moment but things were just spilling out as he thought them nd he was surprised to find the man in front of him respond not by rolling his eyes or brushing it off, but by suddenly looking positively sheepish.

"I'm so sorry. I promise now that I'm able I will do everything I can to help repair any mess. And I'm afraid you will probably want to take it easy for the day, but I can repay you for any lost business."

"Oh. Okay." Augus'to blinked. It was kind of nice how concerned he was.

Haurchefant was sighing off to the side.

"To be fair it doesn't really make any difference to me, but it will be dawn in a few hours," he warned. "Augus'to should get something to help with the blood loss and sleep, and Aymeric needs to at least find someplace safe from the sun, even if he isn't going to do the same."

"I don't want to impose further -"

"Yes you do," Haurchefant interrupted, rolling his eyes. "That's why you came here in the first place."

"In my defense, I wasn't aware Augus'to had taken up residency here."

Haurchefant looked like there was more he wanted to say to that, but in the end he didn't argue. "Either way, you're here now. Help August up and get him something to drink, at least."

Properly chastised, Aymeric finally rose from the floor, helping Augus'to steady himself as he did the same.

"Is there anything in particular I can help you to get, Augus'to?"

The exhaustion and blood loss was catching up to him, and the Miqo'te considered shaking his head. But that was a lot of energy, and he was suddenly starting to feel rather queasy.

"No, I want to sleep."

"I'm sorry, but you will feel much better if you at least drink something first. Do you have some juice or something similar?" Aymeric sounded fairly sure of himself, and Augus'to wondered how often he drank people's blood and then got them treats.

"Ah... no." He took a deep breath and thought carefully through the brain fog as he stared at the cabinet in front of him. The cabinet full of herbs. "Tea. Tea is good," he decided, swaying as he reached for the cabinet.

Aymeric's loose grip tightened around his arms to keep him in place as he started to fall, and Haurchefant made an accusatory noise somewhere behind him.

"Gods, Aymeric, how much did you drink?"

"I swear, it wasn't much," the vampire promised, voice tight. "As tempting as it is, his blood is so strong it was easier than I expected to refrain."

His tone softened as he turned to the smaller man in his arms. "Augus'to, if tea will help just tell me what you need, and I will make it for you."

Instead of answering, Augus'to leaned against him in a daze. He was very tall, the witch noted absently. Well, for an Elezen he was probably about average, but compared to himself, smaller than normal for a Miqo'te, he was huge. Not huge enough to be scary though, not like - he cut the thought off abruptly with a shudder.

There was a chorus of concerned questioning from both men, prompting him to focus long enough to reply coherently. He directed Aymeric to the herbs he wanted, a comforting mix that would help him recover, and let Haurchefant walk the vampire through finding the kitchen and most of the actual brewing.

The ghost hovered, clearly frustrated at his inability to do more, as Augus'to curled up on one of the dining chairs. He stared mindlessly at Aymeric's back as the man fussed over the kettle, and the mugs, and the rest of the unfamiliar kitchen, until finally he had deemed it steeped long enough. After finishing the drink he crossed the room, carefully handing a hot mug over.

Steam wafted it's honey-sweetened herbal scent and warmed Augus'to's face as he accepted the finished drink with trembling hands.

"Thank you," he whispered. "I don't know why I'm suddenly so..." instead of finishing the thought he just closed his eyes and took a grateful sip of the beverage.

"You're welcome. Please, there's no need to apologize." Aymeric took the seat across the table as he spoke. He sat more elegantly than the Miqo'te, but he was so tall in his chair that he might as well have been curled up as well.

Augus'to took another sip. It was nice. The heat was grounding as it spread though his body, warming him. He looked across the table.

"Oh. You still need someplace to sleep as well," he remembered. Turning to Haurchefant he intended to ask his opinion on where to set the man up, but instead come out with nothing but a huge yawn.

The ghosts lips twitched up, but he was either kind or distracted enough not to laugh in the moment. "Usually I wouldn't be so rude to a guest, however to play it safe for the day, perhaps he could stay in your closet?"

Augus'to frowned at the suggestion, but had to admit it was probably the best choice in a pinch. Which they were certainly in. He looked back over, who didn't seem particularly impressed with the idea either. After another yawn the Miqo'te assured him, "don't worry, it's a walk-in, so there's enough room to lay down."

For a moment he thought the man might argue, but he only nodded politely, thanking them for the consideration.

"You um, you do need to take a shower first though. You can't sleep on my floor like that." The blood he had donated seemed to have healed his wounds, but it had certainly not healed his clothes, nor put the blood soaked into them back where it had come from.

"Of course. I would be grateful for the chance to clean up, though I don't suppose you have any garments in my size I could presume upon you to borrow?"

"...no," Augus'to replied slowly, desperately trying to think of something and coming up empty of ideas. As Haurchefant wasn't corporeal he had no clothes. Even the Miqo'te's largest oversize sweater was unlikely to fit. One of his robes might, though. He had one from a bit before he'd come to town, made for a person larger than him, packed away. "I guess we will have to get you some real clothes tomorrow. I'll dig out a robe that might fit and some blankets while you shower."

"I would be grateful, thank you. Are you sure you are up to it?"

"... yeah," Augus'to sighed. "I'm sleepy, but my head is clearer now."

Their plans made, Aymeric was shown to the bathroom while Augus'to finished his tea after assuring them it was fine to go without him, and to feel free to use whatever was in the shower. Listening to the two old friend's quiet discussion fade away as they left, the witch sunk even further into his seat. His head was clearer, but the walk back to his room, short as it was, sounded terribly unappealing. He finished the last of his drink at an unenthusiastic pace.

Slowly, carefully, he peeled himself back up off the chair, dumped the empty mug in the sink and padded back to his room. Even though the item he had in mind was packed away, it wasn't buried deep in the attic storage, but tucked away on a shelf in his closet.

Passing by the bathroom he could hear the soft patter of the shower echoing through the door and Haurchefant, hovering nearby, greeted him with a cheerful pout.

"He kicked me out!"

"Why wouldn't he?" Augus'to rolled his eyes affectionately as the ghost followed.

It took standing on his toes, which had him wobbling precariously in his exhausted state as he reached to the back of the upper closet shelves, but the robe was retrieved without much issue. Augus'to held the large silk garment secure and cool in his hands. For a while it had been a comfort item, but when the house repairs had been finished and he'd moved in, he'd only wanted to put his past behind him for awhile, and packed it away. Holding it now, he was glad the memories it conjured were mostly of comfort, and he found himself staring blankly, his thoughts adrift until a gentle knock to the doorframe jerked him from his reverie.

"Oh! Aymeric," he clutched the thick robe to his chest in surprise. "I'm sorry, I got distracted."

"Not at all. I apologize for intruding, however I thought it would be better to refrain from using all your hot water while I waited."

"Right." Augus'to swallowed. The vampire had cleaned up nicely, he realized suddenly. Attractively broad shoulders, fit and lean with arm muscles and wet wavy hair dripping water down his bare - oh, that was why he was here. Clothes. He was supposed to be getting clothes for him. The man needed something other than a bath towel. "Right, um, I found this for you, I'm sorry it's all I have at the moment."

Handing the pile of cloth over, he prayed to Menphina that the man would mistake his stuttering and staring for tiredness rather than shallow blind thirst, because while Augus'to had not been attracted to another person for a very long time he was being rather forcibly reminded that that was, indeed, something that did sometimes happen. Actually, maybe Menphina wasn't the right one to pray to, if he was intending to keep away from any potential complications in that direction. He wasn't, was he?

Aymeric might not have noticed, but Haurchefant standing behind him with his smirk open and obvious certainly had. The Miqo'te's tail twitched as he thought rather uncharitably that if the man had a physical body to smack for it later, he might have.

In the meantime their visitor thanked him politely for the robe and returned briefly to the bathroom to cover himself. Augus'to rescued some clothes of his own for the next morning, so he wouldn't need disturb a sleeping vampire and risk letting light into the small room, and they finally all settled in to rest. It was nearly morning, but the witch was exhausted and if he slept the day away as well he didn't have a problem with that. The shop would survive an emergency closure.

Haurchefant didn't really sleep, as such, but he appeared to be winding down as well.

"Good night, Aymeric. Tomorrow, you will explain to us what's going on, won't you?"

He seemed satisfied enough with the vampire's agreement, and after Aymeric had been tucked away in the closet the the door tightly sealed, and rolled up socks pressed against the bottom opening of the door just in case, he started to fade away.

Suddenly, Augus'to felt horrified of being left on his own.

"No, stay. Please," he asked quietly. "At least until I fall asleep."

Haurchefant flickered back into his fully present state. Sometimes he looked solid enough a person could almost convince themself someone was really there. In the dark however there was enough of an otherworldly glow and ever-present feeling of unnaturalness that hung about him.

"Are you sure?" Even when a ghost was a friend, it could be difficult to sleep comfortably with him in the room.

"Please. You... you don't have to show yourself if you don't want to, I just want to know you're here."

Logically he understood why the wards hadn't alerted him to Aymeric, and he knew that if someone else got through them too the ghost wouldn't be able to do much to stop an intruder with worse intentions. But fear wasn't always logical, and his presence was comforting, even if that was all it was.

"Of course. I shall protect you as a loyal knight would, my friend," Haurechfant promised. Making a gallant pose while once again fading from view, his presence and voice remained.

"Thank you."

The promise was over the top, but he appreciated it. Augus'to pulled the covers up nearly over his head and curled in on himself. Hoping the exhaustion, tea, and friendly support would lead him to sleep without a struggle, he closed his eyes, searching for sleep.

The Miqo'te faded off quickly, Haurchefant's bidding of good night in his ears, and he slept comfortably until a pounding on the door woke him in the late morning the next day.

#ffxiv #aymeric x wol #augus'to #aymeric and augus'to #ffxiv fanfiction #aymeric #things i wrote #maybe not the best picture for it but I had it and I hate gposing so!!!! it's something!

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