#vampire king nightwing | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ariaachillesaphrodisia · 2 years ago

Text

To Kill The King Upon His Throne - Vampire Nightwing x Reader - DC Vs. Vampires Fanfiction - CHAPTER TWO

Rating: Mature

Content Warnings: Violence, character deaths, blood drinking, gore, blood, hunting (of humans), manipulation, discussion of past trauma and past character deaths, and use of sedative.

SPOILER WARNING:: Spoilers for all of DC vs. Vampires, but especially spoilers for Issue #6 - #10.

Both your movements were perfectly timed with the music in the background. He was a very skilled dancer, though this came as no surprise to you. You were by no means an expert in ballroom dancing, but you were not exactly clueless either. You had taken lessons in ballroom dancing years back, and while you had not continued with it and while it had never progressed past a simple hobby, you had learned a thing or two. Enough that you were able to keep up with his steps and movements. The gentle touch of his hand on the small of your back helped to guide you as well. You had been dancing for a couple minutes now, and yet time seemed much slower than that. It felt as though you had been dancing for an eternity. It was his eyes, you thought. Something in them… they made it feel as though you two were the only things that existed in the world, and it messed with your sense of reality. Sense of time. Sense of being. You tried to avoid looking into them for too long, switching your gaze between the floor and his eyes. You didn’t want him to be suspicious of you, so you knew you could not avoid his eyes entirely, but you could also not stand the dizzying effect those dazzling eyes held, so you had no choice but to try and divide your gaze evenly between the floor and him, and you just tried to focus on not losing yourself in his eyes. It was a trick, you thought. Or some sort of magic. Something was messing with your head. You weren’t sure what but all you had to do was ensure that you didn’t stare into them for too long. Just keep focusing on diverting your attention…

“You needn’t be so nervous,” he said to you with a chuckle. It seemed that your shifting focus had not gone unnoticed. However, from the amusement in his voice, it appeared that he did not think it was due to any attempts to avoid his… sorcery. No�� he seemed to really believe it was nerves. “I understand why you might be, but really, there isn’t any need for it. Forget my title for a moment. Let us just be… two people enjoying each other’s company, shall we?” he asked you, and you decided to play to his ego. You offered him a shy smile and averted your gaze to the floor once more.

“That is most humble of you to say, my Lord, but such things are not so easily forgotten,” you responded. You nearly gagged forcing the words out of your mouth, but if you were going to try and ensnare this man, you knew that honey would be more effective than vinegar. Plus… everything about him screamed both drama and ego, so you were fairly positive that flattery would be an effective tactic here. Your words drew out a chuckle from him, and you would yourself involuntarily blushing. His laugh… it was a sweet sound. A charming one, even.

“No, I suppose they are not,” he laughed. He then flashed you that captivating smile once again. “But it is hardly fun to dance with one who will not stop averting my gaze. Don’t make me think I chose the wrong dance partner,” he told you with a wink, and a question bubbled to your mind.

“Why… why did you ask me to dance with you? I mean, there are plenty of other people here. Many of whom I am sure would love the chance to dance with you. So, why chose me?” you asked him, and he considered this for a moment before speaking.

“Well… if I am being honest… I chose to dance with you because I wanted a chance to talk,” he told you, and you raised your eyebrow at this.

“Talk, my Lord? About what?” you questioned. You shivered a little when he leaned in close to your ear to whisper his response.

“About why you are here, especially considering I’m fairly certain you don’t exactly belong here, do you?” he purred, and you froze. You could not keep a small whimper from passing through your lips.

“I… I’m not sure what you mean,” was all you could think to respond, and you cursed yourself for it. How did he know? Had… had you missed something? Was there some tell that you had failed to cover up? Some sign that you had missed that would give you away? Could he read your mind? No, that didn’t seem likely. If he could, why bother with asking you to dance? Why bother talking with you at all? So… what was it? It couldn’t be the scent thing, because then everyone would have noticed the moment you walked into the room. You hadn’t been cut on anything. Even if you hadn’t noticed the cut, all the vampires in the room certainly would have, and everyone would have known. But… but then what could it be?

“It was rather easy to tell, though I suppose there was no way for you to know that. I imagine you would have thought it would be easy to blend in. What, with the invitations bearing no name and all that,” he began, and you felt dread beginning to fill you. He pointed then to a woman standing in the corner of the room. She was dressed in a flowing crimson and gold gown and had a tiara on her head. You gasped when you recognized her. Wonder Woman. Formally of the Justice League… and now, it seemed, a victim of the vampire curse. “Diana is one of my closest confidants and my head of security. She is the one who assists with most of these events, though, I swear, she enjoys these things more than I do,” he told you with a chuckle, and you wondered if this introduction to her was a thinly veiled threat. “A number of the people here tonight are my close companions. People who have helped me with… well… my success. I am quite close with all of them. I owe them so much, so it is only natural I be close with them. As for the others… while the invitations do not bear any names upon them… I do happen to know exactly who is going to be coming to these events. It is a very exclusive venue, after all. So… though I might not be friends with everyone here, I do know most of the faces as they are regulars… or people I have selected or approved to be here tonight. You… on the other hand…” he said before brushing a hand along the side of your face, “you are not someone I recognize. I don’t remember selecting you, nor do I remember any of my companions asking me to extend an invitation to you. So… that must mean that you somehow obtained an invitation without my permission and got in here tonight,” he explained, and you swallowed hard.

You remembered the vampire whose invitation you had stolen. You remembered how he had been bragging to his friend about being invited. You remembered him telling you that only certain people had been invited to attend the masquerade balls and that the invitations were very exclusive. You had known all of this. But he had also told you that no one knew why in particular people were chosen and that no one was sure exactly how the selection process was done. So… so you’d had no way to know that when he said it was exclusive, he meant really, really, exclusive. Handpicked or approved by the Vampire King himself level exclusive. And you had walked right in there, thinking that holding the invitation itself would be enough to waive any suspicion regarding your position at the ball. You hadn’t even entertained the possibility that perhaps the invitations were sent to those chosen specifically by the King and his inner circle.

“I wasn’t sure why you would do such a thing. After all, what was there to gain from crashing my party?” his voice broke the silence and you winced at the sound of it. “You could have simply been looking for some way to spend your time. A party to attend. But this is hardly the easiest place to get into, and even if you overheard how lavish the parties are… is it really worth the risk? So, simple entertainment is likely out of the question. What then? What would possibly be motive enough for you to risk being caught breaking into a party hosted by the Vampire King himself?” he posed, and you swore you could hear your own heartbeat pounding in your chest. You waited for him to continue speaking and surely enough, he did. “I pondered this from the moment you walked in. And then it hit me. Why would someone sneak into this party? Simple. Networking,” he explained, and you could have wept at this. He thought you were networking! Thought you were here to mingle and rub elbows with the inner circle of the Vampire King! Oh, well, that was a relief! “I know many here only attend these events either to avoid risking upsetting the royalty, or to network, with the majority being part of the latter, so I suppose I should not be surprised. Still though… you are the first to actually steal an invitation. I must admit, I am impressed,” he told you with a chuckle, and you sighed. You tried to make it sound like a sigh of disappointment.

“I apologize, my King. I meant no disrespect. I merely heard on the streets that this venue was one where a vampire could come to…” you tried to recall what the vampire whose invitation you had taken had told his associate about the party and how it could improve social status, and then stole his words, “to help them raise in terms of their power and status. So… yes… I did take the invitation. As I said, I did not mean to offend you. I merely… it is… it is difficult for a vampire out there when one has no status or power to their name. I thought that, by coming here, perhaps I could… turn things around,” you lied, putting on the best performance you could. It seemed to work, and though your explanation had not drawn any sympathy from him, he didn’t appear as though he was going to kill you either. Instead, he just let out a deep sigh.

“I suppose I should have expected that,” he said, and you raised your eyebrow at this.

“Pardon?” you asked, unsure why that would have been the case. You weren’t sure what you’d expected but… you didn’t expect his face to suddenly fall, and his hands to tremble.

“You are the first to sneak into the party in order to try and gain power and status, and I give you credit for that because… well… not everyone would have the guts to pull off, or attempt to pull off such a little stunt. But you are hardly the first to attend these events because of it. In fact… as I said… most people here are only here for that reason. It isn’t only that though. Most people in my life now are only around me because they think it will benefit them in some way. There are a few who are close to me because… well, they wish to be… most are only around me because of the power and perks of being associated closely with the Vampire King,” he told you, and the way he spoke… it betrayed his anger and sadness at the reality of the nature of his relationships. “Everyone has something they want from me. Whether it is protection, wealth, status, or power. Access to more… interesting hunting grounds or just freedom to be a bit more chaotic than the rules would typically allow for. Even those here out of loyalty are only loyal to me because I am their king. They don’t care about the person behind the title – only the title,” he continued on. You looked down.

“It… it must be lonely,” you whispered. You understood that loneliness. You were doing fine on your own. You knew that. You were a good hunter. A great one, even. You were surviving but… you weren’t living. You missed companionship. You hadn’t realized how much until you had heard him speaking but… you did miss it. And you could he did too. Not only from his words… but from the far-off look in those dazzling eyes of his.

“It is. More than you could know,” he softly spoke. “But… it is a pain I’m used to; I suppose. It wasn’t as though this didn’t happen before,” he grumbled, and you tilted your head at this.

It occurred to you then that, despite the time you had put into getting to this moment… despite the dedication you had had for taking down the Vampire King… you actually knew very little about him. You had no idea who he was, as you’d only really heard about him in whispers. You assumed from him calling Wonder Woman “Diana” that he must have been close – or at least somewhat close – to the Justice League, but… who was he? The mask certainly wasn’t helping either, as you could not make out any distinct facial features that could clue you in to who he was. Luckily, you didn’t have to play detective to figure it out, as he was apparently more than willing to share.

“I used to be a hero. Not a superhero… just… a… a hero. I guess. I worked with one of the Justice League members. He took me in when I was young… raised me to be his apprentice. He was… strict. Really strict. I always used to think it was because he wanted me to be safe. Because he wanted me to be protected when I was out on patrol… but now I wonder sometimes if it was because he just wanted to ensure I was his perfect copy. Able to do all the things he was… cause if I was going to be his legacy… then I’d better be a good one, right? Sometimes I think that is all he wanted from me. Just… a legacy,” he shared. You frowned.

“You said he took you in when you were young though. He… he must have cared if he did something like that, right?” you countered, and he laughed sadly.

“You’d think so… but here’s the thing: he gave me a roof over my head, food to eat, and a bed to sleep in, but never actually adopted me. I was nine when… when my parents died…” he began, pausing for a moment. His voice cracked slightly when he mentioned the death of his parents. He did not cry though. No tears fell from those bewitching eyes, and you knew it wasn’t because he couldn’t cry. He forced back the tears, you knew, with all the expertise of someone who had been doing it for tears. Someone who had taught themselves since they were young not to show any fears… or sadness… or emotions. “They were good people, my parents. Loving people. They died in an accident. I was there. Saw the whole thing,” he continued on, and your heart broke for him. You couldn’t imagine what that was like. Someone so young… seeing their parents die…

“I… I’m so sorry,” you quietly interrupted, and he nodded in appreciation.

“It was a long time ago. I… I was devasted. Still am. Then Br… then he came into my life. Offered me a place to stay. A home… which began to feel more like a training camp,” he continued on. He paused again, and then resumed, “I fear I’m painting too cruel a picture of him. He wasn’t a bad man. At least, not to me. Not really. He was simply… cold. He didn’t know how to… be there for a child. He knew how to take care of a child, but not be there for one. Not love them or comfort them. I think it was because he never really had that. He lost his parents when he was young, you see. And I wonder often if that is why he took me in. Because he was something in me that reminded him of himself. That makes it worse though… because it means that he always expected me to be him. Not only in our roles as heroes but also when it came to the sort of man I became,” he shared with you, and during this entire part of his tale, his eyes never left the ground as you two danced. “When I was his apprentice… everyone only saw me as that. His “sidekick”. That was all I was. I had a role to play, and I learned to play it well. And it was an important one. I helped people. Saved people. But… at the same time… I was so young. Just a kid, you know? I never got a childhood. Just the cape and the crusade. It was only when I got older that I even knew to mourn it. And… I did. But I couldn’t exactly quit. Not only because I knew it would disappoint him but… because the life was all I knew,” he told you in a hushed voice.

“I…” you started to say, but you weren’t sure what to respond to that. After a moment, you decided to say nothing and just let him continue.

“I left the name behind. The one he gave me when I was his apprentice. I took up a new one. Thought that would change things. But… it didn’t. People just saw me as that. Expected that hero instead of the other one. But still expected a hero. I wasn’t allowed breaks. Wasn’t allowed to make mistakes because people depended on me. I would go out with people cheering for me as I swung by from roof to roof, and I’d wave, and they’d yell in support for me. Then I’d go home and… I would be alone. Entirely alone. So many people out there, supporting the title but… not me. No one knew me. I was so alone. The man who had taken me in… he took in another boy… and then… that boy died…” he explained, and you drew in a sharp breath.

“I… my gosh…” you breathed, and he nodded.

“The man who took us both in took it really hard. Got… cold. Closed himself off. I… I… he was hurting. He blamed himself. I get that but… he… I needed… I was hurting too. I lost a brother when the boy died. And… and no one was there to comfort me. I had to comfort him. And I get it, like I said but… I just… wanted someone there to hold me while… while I cried, as I did for him. But there was no one. And then another boy came into the picture. Smart kid. The man who took me in took him on as an apprentice… and I was thrown to the wayside. Like a tool that was no longer useful… and I guess that was what I was. What we all were.”

“The boy who died came back a little while later. Well, came back into our lives. He… magic, you know? And you’d think the man would have done everything he could to keep him close after losing him and getting a second chance… but he didn’t. See, the thing that brought the boy back… it… messed with his head. Left him angry and hurting. He… did some things that were very against the rules, and our old man… he pushed the boy away because of it. I never understood that. I was so happy that the boy was back. My brother… who I thought was gone forever… he was back… we had a second chance… and our “father” was just so willing to throw it away. Throw him away. And then his son showed up… biological son this time. There was always such competition between all of us. I sometimes think that… if he’d… if he’d paid more attention to us… or bothered to make us feel like family… then perhaps… perhaps there wouldn’t have been. I think I got the best of it. I was the first… and even though it meant I was jealous of all the others because they were… because slowly over time he paid more attention to them than me… I learned that it was just how he worked. Always focusing on the one who was newest… and then forgetting them. The others… saw me as either something to live up to or this unreachable standard that they were being forced to live up to. The first of the name. It wasn’t like I was perfect… but I think… he just expected we’d each be better than the last, so he pushed us harder and harder… and we resented each other for that because… it was easier than resenting him. And because… he was our father. And we loved him. And we wanted his respect, approval, admiration, and affection. And he did love us, but he was never the best at showing it. And so, most of the others began to assume, I think, it was because he loved the others more… but the truth was he was just as bad at sharing his emotions with any given one of us as he was with the rest.”

“But that didn’t take away the competition. The need. To be the best. Always trying to be the best. Be the most useful and helpful. The best tool in the machine… so you didn’t get thrown out. So… I got used to it. To being… useful. Replaced that with being loved. But it… the hole in your heart… the loneliness… it doesn’t go away. You might tell yourself it does. You might lie to yourself and tell yourself that you are fine with it but… deep down… it kills you. Knowing that all people want from you is your usefulness. What you can do for them, and not who you are. The title and the role are all that matter. Well, that, and what they can get from you due to your title and role. It was like that when I was Robin. It was like that when I was Nightwing. It was like that as Bruce’s… apprentice because I was never really his son. And it is like that now, with my role as the Vampire King all but ensuring that all anyone ever sees me as is a means to an end,” he finished with a long sigh, and your eyes widened.

“You… are Nightwing?!” you gasped out, and he blinked in surprise before laughing.

“Oh, right, I sometimes forget that not everyone knows that Nightwing and the Vampire King are in the same. But yes, I am Nightwing. Or, well, I was Nightwing,” he confessed, and your jaw dropped. The Vampire King was the former protector of Gotham?! Previous sidekick to Batman?! How… how was that even possible? He was a hero! He saved people! The Vampire King wasn’t even anything remotely close to that! He was a monster! He killed people! Hurt people!

“I… never would have guessed that,” was all you could think to reply, and he shrugged at this.

“I suppose it is not the obvious connection. Most people assumed the Vampire King was one of the supervillains of Gotham who had managed to get enough connections to turn the League. I’d probably assume the same if it wasn’t for, well, the obvious,” he replied.

“Could… could I ask you a question?” you queried, and he nodded.

“Of course. Ask whatever you would like to,” he permitted.

“W… why? Why do all of this? I mean… you were… you worked with Batman. And the Justice League. Why… what made you want to do all of this?” you asked him.

“What the hell went so wrong with you that you would think it was a good idea to take over the same world you were supposed to protect?” is what you really meant, but you figured it would be best to phrase it in a manner that was… a bit less direct. After all, you were still pretending to be a vampire, and you suspected that many vampires wouldn’t exactly be of the same mindset you were when it came to his actions. However, you figured that it was a safe enough bet that some of them would be curious about his change of heart, so you viewed asking as a risk you were willing to take. Nightwing hesitated before answering, thinking his answer over. When he was ready, he spoke.

“I… I wanted to change the world. I know it sounds cliché but… I did. Living in Gotham… you see the worst of the worst of humanity. People who do horrible things to others just because they can, or because they are bored. The people in charge don’t care, or worse, work with those people. Corruption is so rampant that honestly… it is hard to see an end to the violence and pain. I… when I became the Vampire King and realized that I could make the other vampires follow my commands, I thought this was finally my chance to try and… reset things. Make a better world. That was the goal, anyhow…” he answered, and you raised an eyebrow at this.

“The goal?” you asked, and he nodded again.

“It is pretty obvious the world isn’t great for both humans and vampires. I… when I started out… that wasn’t the plan. I wanted a world where humans and vampires could co-exist together. But… no one warns you; you know? About the thirst… the hunger. It blinds you. Makes you see people are just… food. Makes you vicious. Bloodthirsty. Power-hungry. Someone… someone better than I would maybe have been able to fight it. Resist it. No, not might have. I know someone who did. He… he’s more or less like the kid I used to know. Granted, he was pretty feral before but… he fights. For justice. For vengeance. For… his family…” The way he spoke led you to believe that whoever he was talking about, it was someone who he had been close to. Someone he had been fond of, even. “But I wasn’t strong enough. I let it corrupt me. I should… I should have been stronger, but I wasn’t, and I failed. I failed and now it is too late to go back. See, power and title don’t equal immunity, and now that I’m seen as this ruthless king… if I go back… they will kill me. Someone will kill me and take my place as ruler of the vampires the moment I show any weakness or any hesitation. And I have no idea if they will be worse than I am. Maybe they won’t. Perhaps they would be better than I am, but perhaps they might be worse. I have no way to tell. But… it is too late for me. Too late for me to change anything. I am damned, and that is the truth,” he confessed, and you saw that look from before. The tired, pained look of one who would be sobbing right now if he hadn’t taught himself so long ago to hide such emotions from the world.

You… you had no idea what to say to this. When you had arrived here, you would have assumed that the man you would be facing, the man you would be trying to take down, would have been a monster. Someone who held no remorse for their actions. Someone who you would hate immediately when speaking with. Someone who was beyond redemption, whose only goals in the world were gaining power and wealth, or who took sick glee in hurting others. You thought he would be like the monsters of fables and stories. Mean, cruel, and nasty. Someone who is insufferable to be around. Someone who, if you weren’t there specifically to kill, you would avoid at all costs. But…

But he wasn’t like that at all.

He was charming, witty, and pleasant to be around. He was sincere and honest. He’d opened up about all of that personal stuff. His past and his insecurities. He was so… in tune with his emotions. He was smart too. He’d figured you out… well… somewhat. He had known pretty quickly that you weren’t supposed to be there, and while he hadn’t figured out exactly what your intentions were, he had come up with a pretty logical reason for you being there. And even though he knew you had stolen an invitation and snuck into the party, he had let you stay. He could have called for his guards to have you escorted out. Could have told everyone that you were not invited to the party in an attempt to single you out. He could have even told them to kill you. But he hadn’t done any of those things, instead choosing to continue dancing with you and talking with you. No, he wasn’t like you pictured at all.

Which made things very complicated when it came to your plan. He had still done so many awful things. He might have started out with good intentions, but he had said it himself: he let the bloodlust and power corrupt him. How many had died because of vampires under his command? But… at the same time… perhaps he didn’t know? Perhaps he wasn’t aware how bad things truly were out that? The man before you didn’t seem like the type who would just overlook all that. When he was talking about wanting a better world, he sounded sincere. Sounded like he really did want that. So, perhaps he really wasn’t as aware of the state of the world as you thought? You knew that Gotham had been chosen as a hunting ground because it was where the Vampire King resided but… perhaps he didn’t know that? Maybe he didn’t know about the blood farms. It was possible his people were lying to him, or at least not telling him the full story about how bad things were in the world for humans. If that was the case…

Then maybe you could work with him. Maybe you didn’t have to kill him. If he was willing to work with you to make a new world – a better world – that worked for both humans and vampires, then maybe there was a way to fix the world without more bloodshed. And there had been so, so much bloodshed. So much loss. So much suffering. But maybe the war didn’t have to end in more of it. Maybe you could convince him there was still a better way. There was still hope. He said that he thought it was too late for himself, but maybe it wasn’t? As long as he still wanted to better the world, which it seems like he did from how he was talking, then perhaps there was hope! A small sliver, perhaps. You weren’t even sure it was there. Maybe you were just seeing something that wasn’t there. Maybe his charm was getting to you more than you cared to admit, no matter how much you told yourself you weren’t falling for it. But… there was a chance, wasn’t there? A chance that he did still want that bright future he had talked about before?

And wasn’t it worth a shot bringing up the idea? You wouldn’t even have to reveal that you were human. At least, not at first. You could tell him you are just passionate about the issue despite being a vampire. Or even tell him you have friends that are human who you want to protect. He did say there were vampires who had fought their thirst and had kept their previous way of life. You could pretend to be one of those vampires. It would be difficult, sure. There was the challenge of having to keep up the appearance of being a vampire, and then the added difficulty of not getting found out by any other vampires in the area. Not only that, but if everyone was drinking blood and you were offered some, you would have to find some way to excuse that. But you could always say you are shy about drinking due to your more human side. You could even make up some tale about having embarrassing drinking habits. There were plenty of ways around it. And yes, it was risky, but so too had been your original plan of trying to kill the Vampire King! There wasn’t really a plan in this situation that didn’t involve some sort of risk. You are living in a world full of vampires! Just existing carried its own set of risks! But some of those risks had to be worth taking, right? Especially if you wanted to change the world. So… maybe… maybe this was one of those risks?

“Ruined the mood, didn’t I?”

His voice startled you back to reality and you blushed deeply. You weren’t sure how long you had been staring off for, but clearly, it was long enough that he had taken notice. You bowed your head in a silent apology.

“Not at all. I just… was not expecting all of that, my King,” you began, before worrying that that might come across the wrong way, so you added a quick, “But I appreciate your honesty, and am honored that you would share such things with me.”

“Well, I appreciate you taking the time to listen. Not many would. Well… they would, but only because I am their king, and even then, they wouldn’t listen. Not really. But thank you for actually hearing me,” he acknowledged, and you found yourself smiling at him. But unlike before, this was a real smile. A fully genuine smile.

“It is my pleasure,” you told him, and you meant it. He smiled at you, but then frowned suddenly.

“The song is nearly over… shame. I did rather enjoy talking with you. It was… unexpected, but lovely all the same,” he said.

“The song is nearly over… he will be going off to dance with someone else or do something else… this is it. It is now or never. Ask him or don’t…” you thought to yourself. You drew in a deep breath for confidence and then spoke.

“My King… if I may... would it be possible for us to meet somewhere more private later on?” you blurted out, and his eyes widened. A mischievous smirk then appeared upon his face.

“My, my! That is rather… forward of you. Not that I don’t enjoy your company, and not that this wasn’t a lovely little chat, and not that you are not lovely yourself. I am very flattered but… well… we hardly know one another,” he responded. You furrowed your brows at this, unsure what he meant. Until a moment later it hit you and you gasped.

“Oh my gosh! I hadn’t meant… that!” you stammered out, and he laughed. “I just… something you said… I wanted to discuss it further. I… I had an idea… and I think maybe… we could help each other out,” you tried to explain, and he snickered.

“You really need to watch your phrasing, darling. It still does sound like you are trying to seduce me,” he informed you, and this earned a groan from you.

“I… that… that is not my intention,” you murmured, and you heard him laugh again.

“Oh, I can tell. I doubt you’d be getting this flustered if it was,” he chuckled, and you were tempted to roll your eyes.

“I really do just want to talk about something,” you assured him, and he smiled softly at you.

“Then talk we shall,” he promised, and you could not help the fluttering of your heart as he said this. You heard the song which was playing previously come to an end, and the room fell silent aside from a few murmurs and whispers. “I have to do something quickly. Public appearances and all that. But I promise, after that, I am all yours,” he whispered to you, and you did not miss the wink he shot your way as he walked off.

The Vampire King – Nightwing – strolled back up to his previous position at the top of the stairs. He was looking down at everyone in the ballroom, and all eyes were on him. A waiter walked up to him and handed him a glass. It looked to be filled with a dark red liquid you could only assume was blood. Nightwing nodded at the waiter, and the man was turning to leave when suddenly, Nightwing placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back. He leaned close and began whispering something. You could not hear what they were saying due to the distance, but you saw the waiter nodding every so often. Eventually, the two finished talking, and then the waiter bowed. He then rushed off into a corridor and you lost sight of him.

“Welcome, everyone! Thank you all for being here today! I’m so happy to see everyone! You all look marvelous!” Nightwing called from the stairs, and the room erupted in applause. “As you know, these galas are very special to me. As your king, it does me a great disservice when I am not able to interact with all of you, and so it brings me so much joy to be able to host these events. To talk with you all. To not only hear your stories and successes, but any complaints which you may wish to voice. After all, a great leader listens. A great leader learns. And I want to be a great leader for you all,” he announced.

“You are!” shouted a random vampire from in the room, and this earned a laugh from a few people. It seemed like a surprised laugh more than anything. Nightwing’s laugh though… that was genuine. It was a laugh of amusement and of one who was clearly flattered, if not a bit flustered too.

“Thank you! Thank you!” he chuckled. He then fell silent, and so did the entire room. “But in all seriousness, I truly do appreciate all of you who came here tonight. You could have been anywhere else, but you chose to be here, and so, I’d like to offer you all a little treat…” he began before snapping his fingers. You saw the figure from earlier walking over to him with an empty wine glass in hand. He handed it to Nightwing before bowing and disappearing once again. “But before then, a toast! A toast to you all! To us! To our success and to our future! I would not be here if it was not for the love, generosity, and support that you have all shown me, so thank you all again!” he cheered, and the entire room erupted once more in applause. Everyone’s eyes were glued to him, and you suspected that, like yourself, many were waiting to see what the aforementioned “treat” was.

You did not have to wait long, for the figure from before re-entered the room and walked over to whisper something to Nightwing, who nodded and motioned a “bring it here”. The figure then clapped, and two other vampires who you did not recognize walked into the room. You heard the sound of echoing footsteps following those two and tilted your head in confusion. What was he planning? What required… what… five people? Five people for one surprise thing? Originally, you had thought that he was planning on serving some special drink or something of the sort, but you didn’t see any glasses in the hands of the other servers. Only Nightwing himself was holding a glass, so that theory was out. So, what was it?

That was when the other two figures entered the room… dragging between them a captive human who was bound at their ankles and wrists. The hostage was openly sobbing and whimpering, with waterfalls of tears streaming down their face. Dried blood was crusting around the ropes that were binding them, and you could tell that it was from a struggle. They’d been trying to fight the restraints. Trying to get out. How long had they been like that? It had to be a considerable length of time for the blood to pool and then dry… you couldn’t even imagine. You could only watch in horror as the sobbing figure was dragged towards Nightwing, who set the glass down on the floor and walked over to them, stroking their hair gently and cooing to try and calm them, as one might do to a frightened puppy. And then…

In a single, swift motion, he plunged a sharp fingernail into their throat.

Blood squirted from the wound like a leak in a dam, all of it seemingly rushing to get free through the newly opened passageway. The hostage’s eyes were wide, and they were trying to scream, but no sound could escape due to the damage to their vocal cords. They were fighting hard against their restraints but to no avail. All it did was open the old wounds on their wrists, allowing blood to flow from there too. you watched them as their life slowly drained from their body with each drop that fell from their wrists or each spurt that gushed from their wounded neck. The sight alone was horrifying and sickening, but that wasn’t the worst part.

The worst part was the reactions of the others in the room. The crowd of vampires were cheering or licking their lips with hunger and envy clear in their eyes. Some were whispering amongst themselves, asking each other whether they thought the gift was “their own personal blood bag” or whether it would just be a glass of the blood of one of the King’s “blood bags”. One had even turned to you and asked you what your thoughts were, and you forced a smile and told them you were grateful either way for the gift. It made you physically sick to your stomach to say those words, but you had to blend in. Maintain your cover. So, you could say nothing in protest as you watched Night… the Vampire King walk over to the poor bleeding figure and put his wine glass underneath their throat. You held back the urge to vomit as you watched him grip their hair, pull them forward, and position the stream of blood so that it was falling into his glass. You remained silent as the figure’s life left their body, despite rising temptation – no, need – to rush up there to help them. You knew there was nothing you could do now anyways. Even if you could go up there, even if it wouldn’t mean risking your own life and exposing yourself as human, they were gone. You couldn’t help them. Truth was… they were dead the moment they had been brought in here. There was nothing you could have done… and knowing that made it so much worse.

The Vampire King finished filling up his glass, and then he motioned for the guards from before to take the body away. They nodded and did as they were told, and then the Vampire King turned back to the crowd before him.

“Now, I know traditionally you do the toast with the drink, so, I apologize for doing it a little bit in a mixed-up order. But I trust that your treats will more than make up for it!” he exclaimed, and the entire audience was holding their breaths in anticipation. “The blood tonight is supplied by a… hmm… prize I caught on one of my hunts. I’ve been feeding them a rich diet of various juices, meats, and other delicacies that I have been assured will make their blood taste most divine. Now, my treat to all of you is a hunt of the very same!” he explained, and “ohs” and “ahs” filled the room. “The game you will be chasing have been fed the same diet. There are 20 games for your hunting pleasure. Now, I know there are more than 20 of you here, however, we wanted to make it a bit of a competition. But don’t worry! If you do not catch anyone, we have prepared some glasses of this specialty blood for you in the parlor. Now then, I believe your prizes should already be running about the forest behind the property. Please, enjoy your time, and best of luck to all of you!” shouted the Vampire King, and just like that, everyone took off outside, leaving you alone in the ballroom.

You stood there in silence, unable to move. A thousand thoughts or more were racing through your mind, and it felt as though it hurt just to think. You could barely breathe, let alone try and come up with your next move. You knew you had to. You had to figure out something. What were you going to do? You… you’d trusted him? Maybe not fully but… you wanted to believe – no, you let yourself believe – that he wasn’t like the rest of them. He’d been so kind. So… approachable. So… human. You’d let yourself believe that he was better than they were. That he was reasonable. That he could be on your side! That you could work with him and trust him! How could you have let yourself believe that?! You knew what he was! You’d known all along! Sure, you hadn’t known that he was… as evil as he was – no, is. And you… you’d wanted to believe that he was just negligent. That that was his worst crime. Or perhaps that he was good at heart, but had simply, as he said, let himself get swept up into all that happened. But that deep down, he did want to make a difference. He’d told you that before… before he did want that. He’d been a hero, damn it! He was Nightwing! Protector of Gotham and Blüdhaven! You thought that that meant something. Meant there was still some good left in him. That not all of it had been corrupted. You had to hold onto that hope… because without it… you weren’t sure what you would do. You needed to believe that the world could change. That it could get better. That things could improve. Not only for yourself but for everyone you had lost.

They were your reason for fighting. Those you had lost. They were good people, and those were rare to find, now more so than ever. You thought about them. Remembered their faces. Yana and Alexander. Jamie. You thought about the massacre. The image that you would never forget of the carnage in that place invaded your mind, and you fought back tears and sobs which threatened to overwhelm you. You thought about Rose next. Your best friend, whose fate you were still unsure of. Who you hadn’t heard from for months, and who, while all of your soul hoped it wasn’t the case, you could only presume had met the same fate as Yana, Alexander, and Jamie. You thought about your family, who you hadn’t seen in such a long time. Your heart ached when you thought of them. How badly you wanted to return to them. You’d have given anything to go back. But you couldn’t endanger them, so you had to stay away. If it wasn’t for the vampires, you could see them. Visit them. Have your old life back. But in this world, you knew that wasn’t a possibility. In this world, you were alone.

So, you kept fighting for a better world. For yourself. For your future. For the futures of everyone out there like you, who was lost and afraid and alone. For those who had loved and lost. You fought for those like Jamie, who would never have the future they deserved, or any future at all, for those like Rose, who you hoped you would one day see again. And you knew that even if it was only the slightest chance… even if it was a 0.000000001% chance that you could make a change in this world… you knew you’d keep fighting for it. Keep facing impossible odds, over and over again. Because you had to. You couldn’t give up. You wouldn’t.

A tap on your shoulder startled you out of your thought and you jumped, stifling a yelp. You turned to see the Vampire King standing there behind you. He flashed you a smile, and it took everything in you not to slap him right there and then. God, you hated that smile. That smug, cocky, arrogant, traitorous thing that formed from the curving of lips that lied as though it were as easy as breathing to do so. As though it did not weigh on one’s heart to do so, but you suspected that was not an issue for him. For in order for it to weigh upon one’s heart, one would need to have a heart in the first place. Still, you hated it. You hated him. And through this hate, through the memories of those who you were fighting and the reminder of why it was you were here in the first place, came the image of you standing over the Vampire King… a stake clutched in your hands. Dripping red with his blood as his body lies at your feet. And after this image came to mind… you found you had no trouble returning to him a smile of your own.

“I’m sorry. I hadn’t meant to startle you,” he said softly. You shook your head.

“No need to apologize. I was merely lost in my own thoughts,” you replied to him sweetly.

“You are not outside with the others. Is my gift not to your liking?” he questioned.

“Oh! No! It is most generous! Really!” It took everything in you not to vomit while saying this. “It is just that I ate already before I arrived, and thought I hate to waste such wonderful blood, I’m afraid I cannot drink anymore this evening,” you lied without missing a beat, and he seemed to buy it, for he pouted and placed a hand on your shoulder.

“That is a shame! I will have to save you some for later then. Assuming you do still want to chat?” he inquired, and you nodded eagerly.

“I’m very much looking forward to it!” you told him, and it was the truth… but only for very different reasons than when you originally suggested the meeting. He extended his hand to you, waiting for you to take it. Your entire body screamed at you to refuse. To slap it away. But you knew that not accepting would make him suspicious, and while you had managed to talk your way out of suspicion earlier, you didn’t want to push your luck. So, despite your every instinct telling you not to, you placed your hand in his and allowed him to lead you to wherever your destination was.

Your destination, it turns out, was a lavish-looking guest room on the second floor of the building. It contained within it a large bed with lavender sheets and curtains to match. The walls of the room were a deep purple as well, and the carpet was beige. There was what looked to be a writing desk and atop it sat a notebook. The notebook had a lock on it. You raised your eyebrow at this, curious as to why there appeared to be personal items in a guest room. You wondered if someone was perhaps staying there currently but then thought that that could not be the case. After all, why would he bring you to a room someone was already staying in when there had to be plenty of other rooms in the building that were unoccupied? You noticed the book had the initials “J.T.” on them and pondered who the book may belong to.

Your focus was diverted when you heard a soft sound starting to fill the room. The Vampire King had walked over to a dresser on the far side of the room and had turned on an old record player. The sound of sensual piano music began to fill the room and he smiled over at you.

“I’d ask you to dance, but I’d hate to be repetitive,” he joked, and against every instinct, you found yourself giving him a genuine smile. You turned away, inspecting the rest of the room. There did not appear to be any exit or entrance apart from the door you had both entered from. There was a single window, but it was small and not accessible. It was perfect, you thought. The Vampire King had shut the door behind him, meaning that you would know if anyone tried to get in. It also meant that so long as you blocked the door, there was no getting out for him. The room did not have a bathroom or anything attached to it, and while there was a closet, it was hardly going to be useful for him if he was trying to hide or escape. This made things much more convenient for you. Now all you had to do was lure him into a false sense of security, get his guard down, get between him and the door, and then pull out one of the weapons in your coat. You looked back over the closet and noted that while it wasn’t the best hiding spot, it could be a decent place to dispose of the body temporarily. Everyone else was out on their hunt, so it would be a while before anyone even noticed he was gone. There was the staff, sure, but you doubted they would risk interrupting a private conversation. You could kill him, sneak out, and then leave before they even noticed he was dead. Worst case scenario, if one of the staff did see you trying to leave and they asked about him, you could just tell them that he had talked you into joining the hunt and that you were going to head outside to do so, and then you could escape that way. That could work. Your gaze fell back upon the closet, and you noted that the doors did seem to be sturdy. Sturdy enough to hold up a body’s weight? Maybe… if not though, you could always push the dresser or something else in front of it…

And while this thought crossed your mind, while you were trying to troubleshoot how to hide the body of the Vampire King… you felt a sharp pain in your neck.

You whipped around to see the Vampire King standing there with an empty syringe in his hand. Your eyes went wide, and you scrambled to the door, but it was too late. Your legs gave way underneath you and you fell to the ground. You tried to crawl to safety, but your arms failed you as well, becoming putty. Fatigue hit you like a ton of bricks and you found it nearly impossible to keep your eyes open.

“You can come in now!” you heard the Vampire King yell, and you heard the sound of a door opening. You could barely make out the outline of two guards as they walked into the room. “Take this one to the dungeon, would you? I think we have some matters that need to be discussed…” he instructed, and you felt them lifting you up. You struggled against them, but your energy was rapidly fading and with every movement, you could feel yourself falling closer to sleep. You heard the Vampire King sigh as he brushed some hair out of your face.

“Such a shame. I really did think we had such a great thing going there earlier. But I suppose it was too good to be true, wasn’t it?” he pouted. You tried and failed to snarl at him. “Now then, get some rest, and when you wake up, I think you and I will be having a much-needed chat. There are a few important things we should discuss…” he began, and your eyes drooped closed. The last thing you heard before you slipped into unconsciousness was:

“The first item on the agenda being, of course, your pretty little plan to kill me.”

47 notes · View notes