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vanilla-bean-buttercream · 5 years ago

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You Bit Who?! - Part 1

Summary:

It's the start of a new school year! Patton, Virgil, and Roman all return to college, and Logan gets on with life as normal as humanly (?) possible. However, Patton hits a bit of a speed bump when Virgil finds out his roommate's name, and Virgil is all too eager to voice his disapproval. However, Patton is still willing to give Damian a chance, even if he is something that could potentially get him killed. One shouldn't judge by appearances, after all.

It turns out, Virgil isn't the only one that feels that way. Patton finds himself stuck in the middle of a war that has been going for the past 300 years. He's going to have to make a choice. Which side is he on? Who would he rather lose? And more importantly, how can he find a way to make everyone happy?

The only person Patton keeps forgetting about is himself, and it may come back to bite him later.

Statistics:

Pairings: N/A

Main Characters: Patton, Deceit (Damian), Virgil, Roman, Logan

Minor Characters: Remy, Emile, Thomas, Dot and Larry, a few OCs

Warnings (Part 1): arguments, food, food mentions, eating, bats, blood, blood mentions, catcalling, lying, vomit mention, death mentions, implied previous slavery, biting mentions, car accident scare, alcohol mention, death threats, a lot of bad puns, you’re gonna have a bad time reblogging this on mobile because it’s so long

Word Count: 19,279 of 40,924

Some helpful links:

- An alternate version on Ao3

- You Bit Me?! (Part 1 in the series)

- You Bit Who?! (Part 2)

———-

Author’s Note:

Well, hello there! This was a monster of a story that got waaaay out of hand. It wasn't supposed to get this long, but things happen I guess.

If you haven't read the part before this, don't worry! There are little clues throughout the chapter to catch you up to speed. However, it's encouraged you do read the first part before this if you want the full picture. It's not quite as long as this one, so it may be nice to get your feet wet before you dive in, you know?

Oh, and make sure you read responsibly! Take breaks, get yourself a cup of water, and make sure you're not skipping class. That can lead to more problems than it's worth.

-Cat

————————————————————————-

“Crunch, crunch, crunch-”

Virgil rose a brow and asked, “Patton, what are you doing?”

“I’m stepping in leaves.”

“There are no leaves.”

“I know, but I’m just pretending.”

“Besides, we’re in Florida. We don’t have deciduous trees that traditionally lose their leaves in September,” Logan said as he adjusted the box in his arms.

“Yeah, and we don’t have ones that change colors here either,” Roman added. Logan gave him a look that spoke more words than his dictionary.

Patton grabbed the two people closest to him around their shoulders and pulled them into his side. One looked rather amused while the other looked ready to bite at any time, though everyone was sure he wouldn’t.

“Does it matter?” Patton chirped, “Our second year of college is starting up. Isn’t that exciting?”

“Yippee,” the black-eyed wonder beside him mumbled as he kept in step with the other two.

Patton looked down to his right side and said, “Oh, come on, Virgil. I’m sure we’re going to have lots of fun.”

“Oh yeah, because nothing says fun like staying up for hours worrying if you’re going to pass or fail, and don’t get me started on the papers that need to be done before the deadline and the threat of being kicked out and-”

“I think he gets the picture, Nightmare in Third Period,” Roman said on the other side of Patton. Virgil made no move to acknowledge what he said, but he also didn’t continue.

“Are you excited, Roman?” Patton asked, turning his attention to the other brother.

Roman put on a charming smile and nodded his head. He caught sight of a boy he definitely wanted the number of, and a low wolf whistle floated past his lips, “Indeed I am.”

Logan accidentally- well maybe on purpose- bumped the box of things into Roman’s arm, earning a cry of surprise from Roman. Logan mumbled an apology afterward (though its sincerity was questionable).

The dorms loomed above them, and Patton hopped inside like a rabbit ready to speed through the school year. Roman and Virgil stared up at their home for the next nine months. Logan took a deep breath. The twins shared a look before entering through the doors and finding the elevator.

“From what Patton told me,” Logan said, “you three are at least on the same floor.”

“Yeah,” Virgil mumbled. He sighed and shifted the luggage in his hands, “but we don’t know who he’s rooming with. He wouldn’t tell me.”

“He didn’t?” Logan rose a brow.

Roman blinked at Logan, his eyes going wide for a moment, “Wait, you know?”

“Of course. Patton tells me everything, even things I do not wish to know about him,” Logan explained. He rounded the stairs and opened the door to the second floor.

“Well, who is it?” Virgil asked.

“Patton, glad to see you could make it.”

Virgil froze on the stairs. Roman bumped into his back and clawed to catch the box he nearly dropped down the stairs. He opened his mouth to ask what happened.

“Oh hell no,” Virgil growled.

Virgil dropped his luggage on the staircase and ran past Logan, earning quite a few shouts of his name. He sped down the hall and slid on the wax floor. Virgil yelped as he spun and landed rather ungracefully on his hands and knees. Why couldn’t dogs land on their feet too?

A door closed up ahead, and Virgil grit his teeth. He struggled back onto his feet and sped down the hallway toward the once open door. Polished nails dug into his skin as he pounded a fist on it.

There was a pause before the door handle turned, and the door reopened. Patton’s smiling face greeted him.

“Oh, hello Vir-”

Virgil shoved the door open, earning a surprised squeak from Patton as the wood squished him against the wall. With murder in his eyes, Virgil stomped up to his victim and pointed a clawed finger at them.

“Get out. Transfer. Do something. You’re not rooming with Patton.”

A pointed grin greeted him as velvet lips purred, “What’s wrong, Virgil? Angry because you’re afraid I’ll mark your territory?”

Virgil puffed up his chest and growled, “Listen-”

“Guys,” Patton protested as he closed the door, “no fighting in the dorm rooms.”

“You do anything to Patton, and I’ll-”

“Oh, Virgil, I’m offended.” They put a hand to their chest. “Patton is one of my best friends. I wouldn’t dream of hurting him.”

Virgil snarked a breathy laugh and responded, “Yeah, right, I’ll believe that when pigs fly.”

“Guys,” Patton protested as he hurried toward them.

“Well you better, because like it or not, Patton’s my roommate for the year now.” A face lowered, nearly nose to nose with Virgil’s own. The hair on Virgil’s neck bristled, and he pressed their noses together.

“Not for long you’re not.”

“Guys!” Patton pushed between them, a hand on each of their chests and spreading them wider apart. His head turned side to side, and he set his jaw into a rather non-threatening scowl- at least compared to the other two. “Now, I don’t know what bad blood you have with each other, but you’re both my friends. You don’t have to fight over me.”

A knock sounded at the door, and Patton’s attention turned to it. He called out through a strained voice, “Hello, who is it?”

“It’s us,” Logan announced.

“Oh, um, just a second.” Patton did his best to lead Virgil over to the door, though Virgil digging his boot heels into the carpet didn’t help. He struggled to open the door and met two rather annoyed abandoned packmates standing outside. He greeted them both with a smile.

“I hope you don’t think I’m carrying all your things to your room, Virgil,” Roman grumbled. He noted the lack of Virgil’s attention, and he put one hand on his hip as the other snapped to retrieve Virgil’s attention. “Hello, earth to Virgil, I’m over here.”

“Yeah, I hear you,” Virgil growled as he kept his attention on Patton’s roommate.

“Well then, do something about it,” Roman growled. He put both hands on his hips, “because I’m not going to break my newly manicured nails just because you have a bone to pick with Patton’s roommate.” He paused. “Wait, who is Patton’s roommate anyway?”

Virgil growled as Patton’s roommate sauntered across the room and leaned heavily on the doorway. He caught Roman’s eye and spread a toothy grin. Roman’s fur bristled, and he took a step back.

“Well, hello there. You must be the Roman I heard so much about,” Patton’s roommate purred.

Virgil’s head snapped over to him, “Don’t you dare.”

“I’m thoroughly confused at your sudden burst of hostility, Virgil,” Logan said as he adjusted the box’s weight in his arms. “It’s only Damian.”

“Only Damian?” Virgil snapped. He glared at Damian, who rose a brow at him.

“Yes, only Damian. Patton and he have been friends all through last year, and they have kept in quite a close contact since the school year ended,” Logan informed. He walked past a jaw dropped Virgil, an exasperated Patton, and an indifferent Damian. With a sigh of relief, Logan set the heavy box down on what he assumed to be Patton’s bed, dusted his arms off, and turned his attention back to them.

Virgil turned his head to Logan, a mix of shock and disgust raising a brow and curling his lip. His jaw hung open as he asked, “He has, and you didn’t tell us?”

“Of course not. It’s not my business who Patton decides to socialize with. I am not his guardian, nor is Patton unable to make his own choices when it comes to what company he decides to collect,” Logan responded.

“It is if they’re a fucking vampire.”

The room held its breath. Virgil once again locked eyes with Damian, who put a hand to his chest.

“Oh, Virgil, you poor misguided soul. I’m not a vampire.”

“The hell you’re not!”

“Now, Virgil,” Patton scolded, “just because you don’t like someone doesn’t make them a vampire.”

“You’re right. Being a vampire makes them a vampire.”

Damian snorted through his nose. “Obviously Virgil is delusional from lack of sleep. Maybe you should go set up your own dorm for now and stop being so paranoid.”

“I know what I saw!” Virgil lunged for Damian, but Patton stepped in between them again. Patton looked at Roman for help, but Roman for once held an uncertain expression. It was Logan who stepped in and grabbed Virgil’s other arm.

“Virgil, did it not occur to you that Damian is out in broad daylight.”

“Yeah, with a million layers of clothes and a hat.”

“It’s almost Autumn.”

“We’re in Florida!”

Patton put both of his hands on Virgil’s shoulders. Virgil stopped struggling, but his eyes never left Damian. Damian, however, grew bored and started unpacking his things. Patton moved into Virgil’s line of sight and forced Virgil to look at him.

“Virgil, I know you’re a bit of a worrywart, but I’ve been with Damian alone tons of times before, and even if he is a vampire, he hasn’t hurt me yet.”

Virgil’s jaw locked, and he swallowed hard. He took a deep breath through his nose and whispered, “But I know he’s a vampire, Patton. He smells just like one. Just look at Roman. He can feel it too. You gotta believe me.”

Patton glanced over Virgil’s shoulder and caught Roman, who still made no move to enter inside the room, and nodded his head. He patted Virgil’s shoulder and moved his hands from Virgil’s shoulders to cup his cheeks. He whispered, “I’ll call you first if anything goes wrong, okay?”

“I’d rather nothing go wrong,” Virgil grumbled.

“Patton is more than capable of handling himself,” Logan responded. Patton turned to him with a bright smile, and Logan did his best to return it. After checking to make sure Damian was still preoccupied, he continued in a hushed tone, “He handled me with no help on my first shift, after all, and look at how he parents the puppies on a full moon.”

A brief grin graced Virgil’s face, but he dashed it away quickly. He caught Damian’s eye as he sighed and lowered his head in defeat.

“One inch of a fang in your general direction, and you call me, got it?”

Patton saluted as he said, “You got it, Captain Emo.”

“Hey, that’s my line,” Roman said, snapping out of whatever trance he was in. He patted Virgil’s shoulder, his fingers squeezing a bit, and continued, “Come, Virgil, let Logan and Patton set up Patton’s dorm. We can go set up ours a while.”

Virgil took a deep breath and nodded. He exhaled through his nose in a whine and followed Roman out of the room. The door closed behind them with a gentle click.

“Well, that was exciting,” Damian said as he folded a shirt and placed it into the drawer in front of him. He chuckled before he continued, “I can’t believe Virgil still believes in monsters.”

Logan and Patton shared a knowing look as they moved onto unpacking Patton's things. As Logan predicted, Damian took the top bunk. Damian’s bed was rather bare compared to the pile of stuffed animals, two pillows, and three blankets Patton dragged with him, but one only needed a sheet and a pillow Logan supposed. Besides, Patton would be more than happy to share something if Damian needed it.

“If you’ve forgotten anything, make sure to call me, and I’ll be here as soon as I can to deliver it,” Logan informed. Patton nodded his head. He wiped a tear from his eye, and Logan rose a brow. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just,” Patton sniffled, “it’s been a really long time since I’ve been this far away from you, Lo. I just… I’m really going to miss you.”

“I’m only three hours away,” Logan responded.

“Yeah, and that’s a really long way away.”

Logan sighed, a ghost of a smile widening his lips. He patted Patton on the shoulder, and Patton closed the space to hug Logan around the middle. Logan rose his arms in surprise. Patton nuzzled his head under Logan’s chin and rested it there, taking a contented breath in and out. Logan patted Patton’s head, and his left cheek tugged at a smile. He caught Damian’s amused expression from across the room and cleared his throat.

“Alright, Patton, I’ll see you in a few days,” Logan said.

“A few days?” Damian asked and rose a brow. “What do you mean? Our first break isn’t until Thanksgiving.”

“I’m aware,” Logan responded as he adjusted his glasses. Patton slid off of Logan and took a seat on his bed.

“It’s a family thing,” Patton explained. “We’re a pack of party animals every month.”

Logan resisted the urge to slide his hand over his face and sighed. He nodded his head and walked toward the door.

“Good evening, gentleman, and good luck in your classes.”

“Bye!” Patton said and waved his hand back and forth quickly. Damian merely nodded his head in acknowledgment.

Logan stepped out the door and closed it behind him. For the first time, the room was left in dead silence. Damian turned to Patton on the computer’s swivel chair and watched Patton wipe fresh tears off his cheeks.

“Are you going to be alright?” Damian asked.

Patton sniffled and nodded his head. “I’ll be okay.”

“Good. Now, please take a shower. You smell like wet dog.”

Patton laughed to shake his nerves and scooped up a change of clothes. He knew the pack’s scent would be all over him, but hopefully, Damian wouldn’t notice. He probably only smelled the other three when they were in the room.

Did they really smell like wet dog? He'd have to warn them about that.

After showering and coming back to the dorm, he found Damian trying to open the window in their room. It hissed and squeaked as he pushed on it- wait scratch that. Patton wasn’t sure if it was Damian or the window making that noise.

“You need any help?” Patton asked as he came to Damian’s side.

Damian’s head snapped toward him with a scowl. Patton recoiled even if he knew Damian’s frustration was not directed at him. Damian sighed and nodded his head.

“I can’t sleep if the window’s not open,” Damian mumbled. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh, no, it won’t bother me. I have a lot of blankets if I get cold,” Patton said. He pushed on the other side of the window. With a groan, the window shot up and hit the top of the window frame. Damian stood back and put his hands on his hips.

“Thanks."

“No-”

The window slammed down. Patton yelped in surprise, and Damian pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“Maybe if we prop it up with something it’ll stay open,” Damian suggested.

“Oh! Hang on.” Patton hurried away and dug through the drawers. He pulled out a wooden ruler and showed it off. “Logan had me pack one just in case I needed one for math class.”

Damian rose a brow. “He did?”

“Yeah,” Patton’s face beamed, “It was a rule-r that I had to have one.”

Damian blinked at the pun and rolled his eyes with a light smile. He took the ruler from Patton and set it on the window sill. Together, they got the window back up, and Damian propped the ruler under the window. At first, it bent, and they were afraid it wouldn’t hold, but it didn’t budge further from its bulged spot.

“Well done,” Damian complimented.

“Well, you can always count on me if you’re in trouble,” Patton responded.

“I’ll remember that,” Damian replied. He practically sprinted up the ladder onto the top bunk of the beds and let out a content sigh. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to take a nap.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll be as quiet as I can.”

Damian peered over the side of his bed at Patton, and Patton sent a large smile. Damian smirked back, and he rolled over into the dark corner of his bed.

“Good night, Damian.”

“Good afternoon, Patton.”

With the start of a new year, Patton couldn’t wait to meet up with some friends he left behind for the summer. Of course he didn’t want to lose touch with them, and he did keep in close contact with Virgil and Roman for obvious reasons, but volunteering at the local library took up a lot of his free time.

Patton scrolled through the messages on his phone and waited eagerly for Thomas’s reply. He chewed on the skin of his lip as he sat under the large palm tree in the courtyard. Thomas said he’d meet him here, and then the two of them would get together and get some pizza while they talked about their summer.

Apparently Thomas took up a job with his aunt over the summer, but he wouldn’t go into the details with Patton. He just kept saying it was going to help people. That was a good enough thing for Patton to know anyway. He wasn’t nosy by nature.

“Well, if it isn’t Patton Shea,” a voice above him said.

Patton turned his head, and a smile lit up his face. “Oh, hey Emile! I thought you graduated last year.”

“No, I still have one more year left,” Emile informed. “You mind if I sit with you a bit?”

“Oh, no, have a seat,” Patton said and slid over. Emile did as he was told, and he rested his back against the tree. Patton wondered how Emile was wearing a sweater vest in this heat, but he knew Emile’s mother knitted them for him, and he’d never stop wearing them just because it was a little humid outside.

“So, how’s Logan been?” Emile asked.

“Oh, he’s been okay. He got a job working as a doctor at a local office.”

“Oh, that’s great!”

“Yeah. He lives up by Roman and Virgil, actually.”

Emile scratched his hair and hummed. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I know who they are.”

“Oh, it’s okay! They’re friends of mine,” Patton covered up. He sent a nervous smile.

“So, I’m guessing he’s on his way to becoming that big-league doctor he always wanted to be.”

“Oh, yeah! He’s gotten a few job offers, but he doesn’t want to move that far away yet. A lot of people are impressed with him.”

“Well, he did want to be a heart surgeon.” Emile’s smile fell a bit. “It’s the least he could do.”

The air between them grew heavy, and Patton let out a long sigh. He nodded his head and replied, “Yeah.”

“I bet his mom would be proud.”

“Oh, she definitely would. She would've shown off Logan’s report card to anyone who would listen.” He laughed. “And then there was my mom, who shut her down.”

“Oh, I remember that story!” Emile laughed.

Patton nodded his head. “I think Logan’s cool though.”

“I think so too.” Emile paused and added, “I was wondering how he made out. The last I saw of him, he was running out of our finals with an upset stomach.”

Patton raked through his memory for when that happened, but his memory didn’t fall on any specific information. He asked, “When was that?”

“Oh, the last week of school or so. I gave him crackers to try and settle his stomach, but I don’t know if they helped.”

“I’m sure they did.”

Emile sighed and nodded his head. “I was wondering. I’m going to be a doctor, but not that kind of doctor.”

“Still, I’m sure Logan appreciated it,” Patton said with a smile. “He always talked so highly of you.”

Emile lit up. “Really?”

“Yeah, and he considered you a good friend while he was here.”

The thought brought a brighter smile to Emile’s face and rivaled the sun. Patton almost brought up his hand to shield himself from the glare- figurative glare of course.

“Well, how about that.”

Running feet caught both Emile and Patton’s attention, and Patton’s own smile lit up. He stood up to greet his friend.

“Hey, Thomas!”

“Sorry I’m late!” Thomas stopped and put his hands on his knees. “I need to get in shape.”

“It’s okay,” Patton said as he held his hands out for a hug. Thomas gratefully accepted, and the two squeezed each other in a hug that would make a bear jealous. Patton could feel Thomas’s heart pounding against his chest, and he took a deep breath in. “You didn’t have to run.”

“I know,” Thomas said. He held on for a few more seconds before letting Patton go.

“So, you still want to get a slice of pizza together?” Patton asked.

“Oh do I ever,” Thomas looked over Patton’s shoulder. He smiled. “Oh, hey there. I don’t think I met you before.

“Oh, I’m Emile. I’m a friend of Patton’s brother,” he introduced as he stood up. He offered his hand to shake, and Thomas took it.

“Nice to meet you." They released each other's hands. "You want to get a slice of pizza with us?”

Emile fidgeted and bit his lip. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he replied, “Oh, thank you for the invitation, but I’m lactose intolerant.”

“Oh.” Thomas’s smile dropped, but he picked it back up and added, “That’s okay. Maybe we can hang out together another time.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Emile said with a wave of his hand. “You two go have fun. It was nice seeing you again, Patton.”

“You too!” Patton chirped. He and Thomas walked side by side in step as they headed over toward the food court. The journey didn’t last long, and they ordered their food and sat at a table in practically no time at all. Patton stopped his cheese from sliding off his slice with a swift bite, and Thomas laughed at his effort.

“Escaping cheese? How dairy.”

Patton smirked and replied, “Wow, Thomas, that pun was extra cheesy.”

The two of them laughed, and Thomas picked up a packet of garlic powder to sprinkle on his pizza. He struggled to get the packet open. Patton offered his assistance, and Thomas took it with a word of thanks. Patton struggled at first. The tiny plastic container sure put up a fight. However, Patton got a good grip on it, even if his fingers were greasy, and gave a swift yank. The packet flew open, spraying garlic powder everywhere.

“Oops,” Patton mumbled as he observed the mess he made. He grabbed a napkin and started sweeping it off the table.

“Here, let me help.” Thomas grabbed a napkin, and together they swept the garlic powder into a pile. They both walked to the trash can and sprinkled the powder inside. Thomas grabbed two more packets from the condiments stand and joined Patton back at the table.

“There is no such thing as too much garlic,” Thomas informed as he opened another packet much more carefully this time.

Patton picked up his pizza, which he noticed got showered with the great garlic powder attack of 2019, and took a trying bite. His eyes widened as he hummed. “Wow, it does taste pretty good on pizza.”

“I know, right?” Thomas took a bite of his own.

“I think this is going to the toppings of my list the next time I get pizza.”

Thomas snorted. “And you thought my puns were cheesy.”

Patton shrugged and giggled. “Okay, it wasn’t my best.”

The two of them swapped stories about their summer over their shared slices of pizza. Obviously, Patton left out the bits about him bonding with a whole bunch of werewolves, but otherwise, they had a lot to catch up on. The more Thomas spoke of this aunt who ran a special pharmacy in his town, the more Patton wanted to meet her. She sounded fun.

Eventually, Thomas and Patton parted to go their separate ways. Thomas still had a dorm to set up, and Patton had to return home and finish unpacking his stuff as well. Damian should be awake by now, hopefully, so he wouldn’t have to worry about waking him up.

As Patton opened the door to their shared space, he whispered, “Hey, Damian, are you awake?”

“I’m awake,” came a deep reply from the top bunk. Patton closed the door behind him, and he took off his shoes. He walked them over to his bed and set them under the bottom bunk.

“Okay, good, because I-”

“Patton.”

“Yes?”

“What were you eating?”

“Um, I had pizza with one of my friends while you were asleep. If you’re hungry, we could-”

“No, I’m not hungry. You just stink.”

Patton put his hands on his hips and scolded, “Now, mister, that’s the second time today you’ve said something negative about me. How about we try a positive this time?”

Damian paused. “I’m positive you’ll kill me with your smell.”

Patton sighed. He scratched his hands through his hair and mumbled, "Close enough I guess,” before flopping down on his bed. He was sure Logan would send him a text to see how he was doing. He’d make sure to mention Emile was asking about him. Right on time, Logan’s text appeared on his screen, and Patton smiled to himself.

Bro-gan: Greetings Patton. I was wondering if you were settling in well with your new roommate. Obviously the two of you are friends, so there is no high confrontation risk, but I want to make sure everything is going well.

Patton started to type out his reply on his phone.

“Hey,” Damian spoke in a hushed voice. It sounded like he spoke through his teeth, “it’s not your fault, and you didn’t know, but garlic is a trigger smell for me.”

Patton sucked in a deep breath and said, “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! I’ll go brush my teeth.”

As quickly as he could, Patton dug through his bag and picked out his toothbrush and toothpaste. He grabbed mouthwash and floss as well just in case. As Patton left the room to brush his teeth, he saw Damian peeking out at him from under his blanket. He swallowed hard.

“Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. You didn’t know.”

Patton nodded his head. He closed the door behind him and let out a long breath through his nose. Okay, so no garlic. That was fine. He could live without garlic. Besides, the last thing he’d want to do is upset Damian anymore than he already did today.

Maybe rooming with Damian was going to be harder than he thought it would.

Patton brushed his teeth three times, rinsed his mouth out twice (and maybe swallowed a little bit), and for extra measure, washed his hands with a bunch of lavender soap. The smell always soothed Virgil. He hoped it would calm Damian as well.

When Patton returned, Damian wasn’t sitting in his bed anymore. The sunset painted orange light across the room to try and warm Patton. He sighed and turned on the lamp next to his bed. Patton pulled out his phone and responded to Logan’s text.

Me: Everything’s going great! :D I settled in, and Damian is slee- Patton deleted what he wrote- Damian is happy I’m here. We’re getting along great. :D

Patton hit send, and he put his phone against his chest. He picked it back up and sent another reply.

Me: Miss u already :')

Patton set the phone on the counter beside him. He folded his arms against his pillow and squeezed it against his face. Hopefully, he cleared the smell of garlic on his body enough that Damian was okay. He hoped wherever Damian was, he was okay. That's all he wanted: everyone to be okay.

His phone buzzed. Patton threw his pillow onto the floor and picked his phone up. A smile graced his face.

Bro-gan: And I miss you as well. However, we shall see each other in seventeen days.

Patton sighed. After spending his life with Logan, seventeen days seemed like an awfully long time. Patton picked up a pen on the nightstand and crossed off today on his calendar. He stared at the next full moon marking like a child waiting for Christmas and let out a long sigh.

“Seventeen more days,” Patton mumbled to himself.

Patton’s first few days of school went by pretty uneventfully. A few classes he recognized people in, but not all of them. It seems quite a few people dropped out of school after their first year. Of course, education was a hard field to get into nowadays, and a lot of teachers retired early due to the rising pressure to teach what the government wanted, but Patton thought of that more as a challenge. Sure the rules were stupid, but there had to be a way to make it fun.

He just had to find a way.

Patton paused at the hot chocolate shop outside of their dorm. It’d been almost three months since he had a cup, as he didn’t want to drink it around Logan and have him accidentally ingest chocolate by mistake. He remembered those three days of misery vividly. Patton ordered himself a cup. The warm steam soothed his stiff muscles and greeted him like an old friend. As he took a sip, he wondered if Damian would like a cup as well. And after the garlic fiasco, it would make a good apology gift. He ordered a second cup of hot chocolate and scooted back toward their dorm.

Patton pocketed his hand and pulled out his keys. With a whistle on his lips and a hop in his step, he climbed the first few steps to the second floor. As Patton reached the floor landing, the door opened. Patton bumped into another person and staggered backward.

“Ow.”

“Oh I’m so sorry,” Patton said as he eyed the stranger in front of him. He noticed hot chocolate staining their shirt and bit his lip. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll live,” came the strained reply in front of him. “It’s not like I haven’t spilled coffee on myself, ya know?”

“Oh, it’s not coffee. It’s hot chocolate,” Patton chirped.

“Uh-huh.” Sunglasses lowered and stared at Patton over the tops. A wide grin lit their face. “Well, cutie, you’re lucky I’m in a good mood.”

Patton swallowed as his cheeks ran hot, and he wondered if he drank too much hot chocolate. He nervously laughed and looked down at his feet. “Well, I really am sorry. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“How about a date?”

Patton stiffened. The stranger closed the gap between them, their noses nearly touching. Patton took a step back. His foot reached the edge of the stairs, and his balance wavered. An arm reached out and grabbed him around the middle before he fell. Patton put his wrist on their arm to help brace himself, and he sent a sheepish smile.

“Thanks.”

“No problem, babe.”

“Uh,” Patton squirmed in their grip. Now he knew he was too hot, because this person practically felt like ice against his clothing. “W-well I should probably get going.”

The stranger eyed Patton over for a moment before sighing and nodding their head. They let go of Patton and nudged him in the door’s direction.

“Be more careful, m’kay?” they said as they flashed a toothy smile at Patton. Patton nodded his head and watched the stranger disappear around the second set of steps.

“Wait!” Patton cried out. He climbed down a few stairs to stare down the railing. The stranger looked up and raised a brow. He continued, “My name is Patton.”

Their devilish grin returned as they purred, “Well, hey there Patton.”

Patton waited before he asked, “What’s yours?”

The stranger descended the stairs once again and responded, “Sorry, babe, that’s first date information.”

Patton watched them disappear down the stairs and hummed to himself. He took a deep breath in and out, and he finished climbing the stairs with an all-new bounce in his step. After struggling to open the door to the second floor, Patton traveled down the hallway toward his door and completed his path. He stuck the key into the lock and turned it with a gentle click.

“I’m home!” Patton chirped. He looked around the room and spied Damian sitting on the top bunk.

“Welcome back,” Damian greeted.

Patton held out the extra cup. “And I brought you some hot chocolate.”

“How thoughtful.” Damian hopped from the bed directly onto the floor. As soon as he got close to Patton, his grin disappeared. “What’s wrong?”

“What?” Patton tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

Damian opened his mouth to say something, but he changed his mind mid-sentence, and explained, “You’re all red. Are you sick?”

Patton’s cheeks seemed to burn brighter, and he looked away. He cleared his throat and let out a nervous giggle. “Oh, this? I’m just super warm from the hot chocolate I guess. Here, this one’s yours.”

Damian hummed, the tilt in his head showing he didn’t believe Patton for a second. He took the hot chocolate nonetheless and set it down on the counter by the computer. With a heavy plop into the swivel chair, he set his feet on the desk and folded his arms over his chest.

“Now, Damian, we talked about this. No feet on the table,” Patton scolded.

“And we talked about this. I need to prop my feet up above my heart so my feet don’t swell,” Damian shot back, a playful smile on his lips.

Patton put a hand on his hip and accepted the excuse. He sat down on his bed, leaned back against the cushion of stuffed animals behind his back, and stared at the lid of his hot chocolate. Damian’s smile fell as he studied Patton, and he rose a brow.

“Are you sure it’s just the hot chocolate making you warm?” Damian asked.

“Oh! I’m sure,” Patton responded, a little too quick for Damian’s liking.”

“Positive?”

“One hundred percent absolutely positively.” Patton took a sip of hot chocolate to extinguish the burn in his chest.

“Alright, I’ll believe you. It’s not like you’d run into a stranger and get a crush at first sight or anything,” Damian said.

Patton choked on his hot chocolate. The corner of Damian’s lips curled into a smile, and he tilted his head to the side. Patton set his cup of hot chocolate on the nightstand and walked to the kitchenette to grab a paper towel. Damian’s eyes followed him the whole way. Patton wiped the escaped chocolate from his mouth, a few ghost coughs landing in the paper.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Damian asked.

“Um,” Patton leaned against the table. “I don’t know. He didn’t even tell me his name.”

“So you did run into someone.”

“I guess,” Patton played with the dishtowel beside him. “But it was an accident! He was coming down the stairs as I was leaving.”

“Well, if he lives in this building, I sure hope you never run into him again.”

“Huh?”

Damian paused. “Sarcasm, Patton.”

“Oh, yeah, gotcha.”

“Besides, it’s none of my business who you spend your time with. You’re an adult who can make his own terrible choices.”

Patton laughed nervously and set the dishtowel aside. He returned to his bed and sat down on it. A palm supported his cheek as his elbow rested on his lap. He took a deep breath in and out.

“I guess you’re right.” He stared down at the floor and kicked his feet. Would he ever see that person again? They were… charming, in a weird sort of way. The sunglasses were a nice touch, and Patton would be lying if the leather jacket didn’t help. What would he even say if he ran into them again? ‘Hello, yes, I bumped into you the other day and spilled hot chocolate on you.’ There was definitely a hidden pun or something to make that sentence better. Patton just had to find it.

If Patton was looking up, he would’ve noticed Damian casually dumping his full cup of gifted hot chocolate down the kitchen sink.

A loud slam woke Patton from a deep sleep. He shot up in bed and hit his head off the top bunk. Patton groaned and rubbed the sore spot. What was that noise? Did Damian fall out of bed? Did something happen outside?

Patton blinked the remains of his sleep away and looked around the room. The almost full moon offered a decent amount of light outside and spotlighted the floor, and Patton checked the time on his phone. It was only two in the morning.

Next to Patton’s phone were wood splinters. Patton turned on his flashlight app. He inspected the room. Wood lay broken on the floor. Patton creased his brow. He turned his light onto the window and noticed it slammed closed, breaking his ruler in the process.

“Aww, that was Logan’s,” Patton whined to himself. He stood up and picked up the two broken pieces in his hand. He’d have to buy his brother a replacement.

Patton turned his attention to the top bunk, wondering if the sound disturbed Damian at all. However, when Patton peeked up the ladder, he noticed Damian’s bed still lay made. Patton’s heart sank. He really must’ve upset Damian with that garlic bread he forgot about in his lunch. Or, maybe Damian was out partying with friends. He did stay out really late sometimes.

With a heavy sigh, Patton wrapped himself up in his blankets. Just in case, he sent Damian a quick apology text. Hopefully, Damian would see it and-

Another thump made Patton stiffen. This one wasn’t nearly as loud, but it was close. It sounded like a bird hit the window. But that was impossible. No bird was up at two in the morning, right? Patton shuffled out of bed and walked to the window. He struggled to open it and peeked outside.

Below his dorm on the ground was a mass of black. It looked like a bird, but it wasn’t moving. Patton sucked in a deep breath. He grabbed his room key and hurried out of the dorm and down the stairs to see if the poor thing was okay. Maybe it was just something someone left outside, but he would rather know that black thing was okay.

Patton opened the building door and hurried to the spot under his room. As he turned the corner, he located the black mass outside of his window. Patton tiptoed in the grass. He wondered if he should crawl toward it to look less threatening. Slowly but surely, Patton made his way in the crunchy grass.

Patton stopped a few feet away from it and blinked several times. The closer he got to it, the less birdlike it looked. If Patton didn’t know any better, he’d say it was a bat. He turned on his phone’s flashlight to try and illuminate the situation.

A soft, high pitched noise stilled Patton’s breath. The creature struggled to move. Patton watched delicate wings flail in the grass. Two black eyes found Patton and watched his every move. It must've been a bat of some kind, since it was mainly brown and had a fluffy neck and bat wings.

“Okay, okay,” Patton said as he turned off his light. “There, no more bright light. Better?”

The creature stopped struggling. Instead, it panted on the grass. Patton quick researched what to do if you find an injured bat on the ground since he was sure it couldn’t fly away on the ground. Stick. He had to find a stick.

Where would he find a stick?

Patton snapped his fingers. Maybe the ruler upstairs would help.

“Hang on, I’ll be right back,” Patton said to the bat. The poor little thing watched as Patton raced through the grass. Patton hurried up the stairs and through the hall as quietly as he could. He didn’t need anyone waking up and making this worse. Patton grabbed the broken ruler on the ground and noticed 7 inches were left. It was shorter than recommended, but it would have to do.

Patton peered out the window. He searched the ground, but the bat must’ve moved. He opened the window to get a better look, but the only thing he saw once again was empty grass. Patton hoped it flew away on its own. Perhaps it was able to climb the brick of the building to get better leverage.

As he stood there, he heard the door to their dorm open and close. Patton spun around. Damian’s eyes watched him from the doorway.

“Oh, welcome back,” Patton greeted with a smile.

“What are you doing awake?” Damian asked, his voice scratchy like he screamed all night long. He must’ve been out partying.

“Oh, uh, there was this loud thump, and I woke up. Then I saw the ruler broke and the window slammed shut,” Patton said. He held up the broken ruler to emphasize his point.

Damian nodded and sighed. He said, “Don’t worry about propping the window up tonight. I’ll figure out something better in the morning.”

Patton studied Damian as he rubbed his temples, and he tilted his head to the side. “You okay?”

“Headache,” Damian grumbled. He paused and added, “from the garlic this afternoon.”

Patton hummed and lowered his head. Damian climbed the ladder to his bunk, rested on top of the blanket, and let out a long sigh.

“I really am sorry about the garlic bread. I forgot.”

“It’s fine, Patton.”

Patton sat on the edge of his bed and squeezed the blanket into his fists. He listened to the stillness of the room, from Damian’s harsh breathing to his own beating heart. He shuffled under his blanket and squished his head into the pillow.

“Well, if you ever want to talk about it,” Patton yawned and let his eyes slip closed, “I’ll listen.”

Silence answered him. Damian snored, and Patton wished he could fall asleep that fast. He let out one final sigh and let his eyes slip closed.

Hopefully, that bat was having a better day than he was.

The unclosed curtain let the morning light into the room. Birds chirped and chattered as they dug in the grass for breakfast. A few kids spoke to one another as they headed to their morning classes.

Patton cracked his eyes open. He blinked and yawned, stretching his hands over his head. Usually he loved the morning, but this time, he felt sluggish and tired. It must’ve had to do with last night.

Patton sat up and checked the time on his phone. Thankfully he didn’t have any classes today, so he could spend the whole day being lazy. A shiver rose up Patton’s spine. Maybe he’d get some hot chocolate to treat himself this morning. It would definitely pick up his mood.

Motion above him caused Patton to look up, and Patton whispered, “Damian, I’m going to get some hot chocolate. Do you want anything?”

A grumble answered him. He couldn’t quite make out what Damian said. Patton shimmied out of bed and climbed the ladder to get a better look.

“Sorry, Damo. DIdn’t hear you. What did you-”

Patton nearly lost his grip on the ladder. He took a sharp breath and held in a scream. Patton wondered if the top bunk would hold both his and Damian’s weight.

“Damian!” Patton cried. He shook Damian’s foot. “Damian, are you okay?”

Damian cracked an eye open, and he groaned. He sat up and narrowed his eyes at Patton. “What do you want?”

“Your face! It’s all full of-” Patton swallowed hard. “It’s all bloody.”

Damian squinted at him. However, the realization of what Patton said woke him up, and Damian wiped a finger at his face. Nothing came back. He scratched, and flakes of dried blood sprinkled onto the blanket.

“Oh,” was all he said.

“Are you okay? Do I need to take you to the nurse? Did you vomit in bed?”

“Patton.”

“I mean, I know you didn’t feel good last night, but did anything else happen to-”

“Patton, wait-”

“-you last night? I don’t know much about doctoring, but I know vomiting blood isn’t a good thing-”

“Patton,” Damian shuffled to the edge of the bed and put a hand over Patton’s mouth. “Shut up.”

Patton nodded his head up and down, and he took deep breaths through his nose. He watched Damian run his other hand through his hair. His brown eyes wouldn’t meet Patton’s own. Slowly, Damian let his hand slide off of Patton’s face, and Patton stayed quiet. He watched Damian swing his feet over the side of the bed and land on the floor with barely any noise at all.

“Where are you going?” Patton asked.

“To meet the president,” Damian responded as he walked toward the kitchen sink. He turned the faucet on and started scrubbing hot water on his face.

Patton observed Damian’s bed. Damian’s pillowcase had smeared blood on it, but other than that, there was no sign of Damian getting sick in his bed at all. Patton would have to let that soak in cold water. He learned that the hard way when he tried washing his clothes in hot water after the fiasco with Logan and his aunt.

Damian finished washing his face and patted it dry with a paper towel. He watched Patton’s movements as Patton stripped his pillow of its case and let it flutter to the floor.

“Oh, good, it didn’t soak the pillow,” Patton observed.

Damian leaned against the counter and tapped it with a fingernail. His eyes followed Patton down the ladder and to the soiled pillowcase.

“I know what this looks like, but trust me when I say I’m fine,” Damian said.

Patton didn’t look at him. He grabbed the pillowcase and headed to the door.

“Patton, wait-”

The door closed. Damian recoiled and pressed his palms into his eyes. How was he going to explain this? He scrubbed both of his hands over his face and grabbed his phone. Damian scrolled through his contacts until he found the name he was looking for. He took a deep breath and thumbed his message into the keypad.

Me: Patton saw me with a bloody face what do I do?

Damian hoped he was awake by now. He would need an excuse quick if Patton came back before an answer returned. However, he might also be in class, so there might not be an answer for at least an hour. Damian set his phone on the counter and cradled his head in his hands.

He liked Patton. He didn’t want to scare Patton off by telling him what he is. Of course, he knew Virgil and Roman were werewolves (and possibly Logan but he didn’t have confirmation on that one) so maybe Patton was okay with monsters. However, there was a real possibility that Patton didn’t know werewolves and vampires and witches and ghosts really existed, so he might not believe Damian even if he told the truth. Damian snorted. With how much he lied, it was a surprise Patton believed anything he said by now.

The phone vibrated, and Damian picked it up. He pressed on the text message and held his breath.

Doc: Come clean.

Damian squinted. Was that a pun? This was no time to be joking- another text followed.

Doc: Sorry, that wasn’t funny.

Me: You’re damn right. I’m freaking out. What do I do?

Damian’s finger tapped the side of his phone. He squeezed it in his grip. Maybe this was all part of a bad dream. Maybe when he woke up in the afternoon, Patton wouldn’t know anything. He hoped to every deity he didn’t believe in this was the case.

The door opened to the apartment, and Patton closed it with his back. He stared down at the floor. Damian’s heart pounded in his chest. For a while, Patton didn’t say anything.

A new text arrived. Damian glanced down to read it.

Doc: I can make him think it was a bad dream if you need me to.

“Damian?”

Damian’s head snapped up as Patton said his name. Patton still didn’t look at him. He looked tired- well considering Patton woke up in the middle of the night and probably didn’t get to sleep until much later that was understandable. Patton’s eyes finally- slowly- made their way to Damian’s face. There was no signature smile, there was no light in his eyes, there was no peppy happy Patton that Damian so desperately needed right now. He looked like a mother disappointed in her child for eating the last cookie before supper.

Damian put his phone down. He held onto the counter for support. “Yes?”

“Please, please be honest with me,” Patton said. His eyes stared into Damian’s soul, searching for any hope, searching for the truth, searching for the good inside, and Damian felt shame for every lie he ever told. Patton’s throat bobbed before he asked, “Are you okay?”

A long sigh left Damian’s lips. He swallowed hard and glanced down at the floor. He responded, “I’m fine, Patton.”

“Look at me!”

Damian’s head snapped up. Patton’s shout would’ve started his heart back up if it wasn’t dead for so long. Patton’s eyes were still cold, still judging, still picking his words carefully. Damian hated it. He wanted to crawl under the covers and hide.

“I’m looking,” Damian said to try and break the tension. It didn’t land, and Patton continued to stare. Damian mumbled, “If there's a trial I’d like a lawyer.”

Patton took a deep breath in. He leaned all his weight against the door, his feet sticking to the hardwood below him. He looked away from Damian, but it didn’t relieve any of the tension in Damian’s chest. He walked over to his bed, rolled into the blanket like sushi until his back faced Damian, and let out a long sigh.

For a while, the room held its breath.

“Patton-”

“I’m still tired. We’ll talk about this later, okay? I promise.”

Damian’s jaw shut with an audible click. He waited until Patton’s breaths evened out, and Damian ran a hand through his hair. He picked his phone back up and woke it from its sleep instead. His eyes read and reread the message over and over. Finally, he gathered his thoughts enough to respond.

Me: He fell back to sleep. Maybe he’ll think it was all a bad dream on his own.

Damian waited for a reply.

Doc: Okay. Let me know if you nedd me, okay? I know humans finding out is tough especially if it’s someone you care about.

Doc: Looks like I nedd spell check uwu

Damian blew a strong puff of air through his nose. He observed Patton sound asleep in his bunk. He hummed. Patton liked hot chocolate. Maybe if he bought Patton hot chocolate, it’d make him feel better. It might win Patton back on his side. It might make up for waking up to see your roommate covered in blood, which probably wasn’t pleasant for anyone, monster or human.

Damian grabbed his key from the dresser. He stole one more glance at Patton before locking the door and his problems inside.

Okay, why were there so many different versions of hot chocolate? What ever happened to the days where people put powder in a pot of water and that was hot chocolate? Why couldn’t someone just tell him the difference between a triple-sweet hot chocolate and a french vanilla hot chocolate? Why did humans have to make the flavors so weird? Though, he was partial to the death-by-chocolate flavor.

Damian must’ve stood there for a while because the barista kept watching him. He could feel their annoyance radiating through him, but he didn’t care. He had to pick the perfect flavor for Patton. But which one?

“Wow, never thought I’d see you here,” a voice spoke beside him.

Damian let out a long sigh but didn’t remove his gaze from the side, “What do you want, Remy?”

“Yikes, babe, relax. I’m not here for you. I come here for the java,” Remy replied, also not taking his eyes off of the sign.

“You drink coffee?” Damian asked with a raised brow.

“Yeah, don’t you?”

“Not particularly. Tastes like cinders and water.”

“Yeaaah not gonna lie, I’m not crazy about the taste anymore, but it,” Remy paused, “it makes me feel normal again, ya know?”

Damian did look away this time. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Remy, who continued to stare at the sign like he said the most normal thing ever. Damian sighed and turned his attention back to the sign.

“Wouldn’t know. I forgot what that’s like.”

“Well, what did you drink back in your day? Sweet tea?”

“Water, mostly,” Damian responded, “when we could get some.”

“Yikes,” Remy hissed through his teeth. He stepped up to the counter, the barista lighting up when he leaned against the counter and sent a smile. Damian watched him work.

“Hey there, babe,” Remy said with a wide grin, “You got any good stuff today?”

The barista giggled, and they shrugged their shoulders. “That depends. What do you want?”

“Oh, the usual,” Remy replied. He lowered his sunglasses a tad bit and peeked over the rim, “only this time with some extra whipped cream. I need something sweet to remind me of you.”

The barista’s cheeks lit up, and they rung up Remy’s order. Remy paid for it and leaned his back against the counter, held himself up with his elbows, and casually slung one foot over the other in a reclined position.

“You still haven’t told me why you’re here,” Remy mentioned.

Damian sighed and walked a little closer. He answered, “I’m here for… my roommate.” Remy peeked over his sunglasses and waggled his eyebrows. Damian’s cheeks lit up, “I’m not trying to romance him!”

“Sure, sure,” Remy replied with a head nod. He put his sunglasses back where they belonged. “You never seemed like the romance type anyway.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

The blender whirred, drowning out Remy’s response. Whatever it was, it made Remy laugh. Damian, however, grimaced and bared his fangs.

“Easy there, babe. I don’t wanna fight,” Remy mumbled.

Damian lowered his lips when the barista turned the blender off. He ran a hand through his hair and chewed on his lip. “He saw me.”

“The barista?”

“No, my roommate. He saw me after I fed.”

“Double yikes. What’re you going to do? Did you tell Doc?”

“He knows, but I don’t want him to do anything yet. I… It’s not that I like him or anything, but it’s… nice to have a… friend.”

“Oof, was it that painful to say?” Remy put a hand to his chest. “And what about me? Aren’t I your friend?”

“Not by choice.”

“Triple yikes. Ya know, for that one, I’m not gonna help you out with your roommate.”

Damian blinked. “I didn’t ask-”

“Babe, plz, I know you can’t tell the difference between an espresso and a chai and a latte.” Remy took pleasure in how Damian’s face tried to comprehend each coffee blend. He added, “Alright, so I’m feeling a little generous for once. You should probably get him a cappuccino. You can’t go wrong with a good cappuccino.”

“Actually, he likes hot chocolate.”

“Ooooh, that makes this so much easier! Definitely get him the dark chocolate with sea salt caramel.”

Damian rose a brow. “Why?”

“Ya know, because if he’s a monster, it’ll tell you right away.”

Damian opened his mouth to hiss a reply, but the barista returned with Remy’s drink. Remy gave a sly smile and took it, humming as he read the number written on the side of the cup. He purred a quick “thanks, babe” and walked away from the stand.

Damian watched him and growled under his breath. He didn’t want to hurt Patton. If Patton was a monster like him, he’d want Patton to tell him in his own way. He didn’t deserve to be outed like that. Damian’s eyes scanned over each of the hot chocolate names again, and he sighed through his nose.

“Hey, are you ordering or not?” the barista grumbled, their mood changed from Remy’s departure.

Damian contemplated baring his fangs to scare them, but he decided against it at the last minute. Instead, he responded, “I guess I’ll take a double fudge chocolate.”

The barista shrugged and rang him up. Damian waited for his order, and he mulled over about what Remy said. What would make him feel human again? He was dead for so long, it would almost be impossible. Not to mention, he didn’t exactly have a happy humanity. It was rather hard to grow up as a black man in the 1800s, even in somewhere as tame as Georgia. Still, every time he moved away from the state, he always wanted to come back. It felt more like a home than any other place he’d been.

Maybe that’s because it was where he died. His body wanted to be there to rest.

The barista tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention, and Damian took the cup of hot chocolate into his hand. He sent what he hoped was a smile and walked away. The cup didn’t warm his cold skin. In fact, it almost burned. Burned like the dread in his gut. Burned like his first house. Burned like ice-cold hands holding his cheeks and praying he was still alive. Burned like the pain in his neck.

The walk to the dorms took too long and too little at the same time. He climbed the stairs to his room and stood outside the door. His key hovered over the lock, waiting for permission to enter. He took a deep breath in and out. He didn’t need to, but it calmed him in a strange kind of way. His hand shook.

What was wrong with him? Just stick the damn key in! Damian squeezed his eyes shut. He forced the key into the lock and turned the handle.

Gentle breaths greeted him as he stepped inside. The pull to leave and protect himself twisted in his gut like a knife, but he forced his legs through the door. Patton still laid on his side, his back facing Damian. Turning away from him. Leaving him alone. Perhaps he was preparing Damian for the future-

No, Patton said no matter what was wrong, he’d listen. Damian had to at least give him a chance. Patton was like no other human he met, at least not for a long time, and he wasn’t even human.

Still, he didn't expect even someone like Patton to stay.

Damian set the hot chocolate on the desk and plopped into the swivel computer chair. It hissed in protest. Damian grabbed onto the armrests to ground himself as his butt slid further and further. His spine rested against the seat, and the chair pushed against the desk. It wobbled under his weight.

Wait.

All he could do was wait as the weight of his situation weighed on his mind.

At least Patton being asleep gave Damian time to think.

He could gather up a fake story about how he got into a fight protecting some girl’s honor from a creeper and got a bloody nose. He didn’t realize it was bleeding until this morning.

He could make up that it wasn’t blood but barbeque sauce because he bit into an extra rare hamburger last night with some friends and was already hungover from drinking, therefore not cleaning himself.

He could fabricate that he was going to a Halloween party- like really early- no, they were practicing painting his face for a Halloween party to make it look as authentic as possible, and it was all fake blood and he forgot to remove it before he stepped into the room.

Patton stirred on the bed. He rolled over onto his back, and Damian held his breath. Patton’s eyelashes didn’t flutter open. His heart stayed in the steady beat of REM sleep, the same with his breathing. Pale skin looked paler washed out by the late morning’s sunlight and almost made his skin glow like a divine being.

Damian sighed. Or, he could just tell Patton the truth and deal with the consequences for once.

Patton’s eyes opened thirty-seven minutes after Damian sat down. His eyes scanned the room before they fell on Damian. A gentle smile graced his face. However, the longer he stared at Damian, the farther that smile slipped away.

Damian stood up from his chair and grabbed the cup of now lukewarm hot chocolate. He set it on the nightstand beside Patton, like offering food to a scared animal, and backed away.

“Thought you might like some,” he mumbled.

Patton sat up, and two blankets pooled around his waist. He took the cup and gave a loving sniff. That smile returned.

“Aww, Damian, you didn’t have to buy me a hot chocolate,” Patton said, his voice heavy with sleep.

Damian shrugged. He looked at the floor and responded, “I know you wanted to get some this morning, so I thought…”

Patton waited for Damian to finish his sentence. He shifted his weight until he sat criss-cross with his back against the wall and cushioned by pillows and stuffed animals. He took a trying sip of his hot chocolate. The warm liquid soothed his nerves a tad bit.

“That was sweet of you,” Patton said at last.

Damian took a moment to decipher if that was a pun or not but decided it wasn’t. He nodded his head and forced a smile onto his face.

Patton put the cup down and leaned back in his spot. His gaze would have warmed the cooled chocolate. He placed a blanket over his lap and patted the empty space beside him in invitation, but Damian declined. It didn’t offend Patton, who nodded his head and brought the blanket over his shoulders.

“What… happened this morning?” he asked.

Damian froze. Did Patton really believe it was a dream? Was he testing Damian to tell the truth? Those eyes still held no judgment. They still trusted him, so maybe- no. No, he had to come clean. If Patton caught him in a lie, he might never trust him again, and somehow that hurt more than Patton finding out what he was.

“Well,” Damian started. He glanced at the floor, “what do you remember?”

Patton’s eyebrows pinched together. He tapped the cup of hot chocolate with his right index finger and exhaled all the air in his lungs. After a pause, he took a deep breath and spoke.

“I remember waking up and seeing you covered in,” Patton’s eyes flicked up to meet Damian’s face, “blood. That was blood, wasn’t it?”

Damian sighed. He grabbed his hair and looked away. It would’ve been so much easier if Patton thought this was all a dream. Why did he have to remember?

Patton added, “I told you if you ever want to talk about it, I’d listen, and I meant it. Just please tell me the truth.”

Damian’s eyes looked straight into Patton’s own, and for someone who claimed he had no heart, Damian sure felt like his was aching. More than likely it was his nerves clenching his chest, but it was new territory. He hadn’t felt this stressed in a long time.

“I,” Damian started, but his throat locked up before he could say anything. He cleared it and tried again, “I might… have been lying to you.”

Patton forced himself to breathe evenly. Damian didn’t miss the spike in Patton’s heart rate. Patton asked, “About what?”

“About being… human,” Damian’s eyes glanced down at the floor. That was it. He couldn’t handle Patton’s scared or repulsed look.

“Oh,” was all Patton said.

“Oh?” Damian’s head snapped up. He almost felt… angry. But why? Isn’t this what he wanted? He continued, “Oh?! What do you mean, 'oh'?! Do you think I’m making this up? This isn’t a joke!”

Patton held his hands up in defense and stammered, “No, no, I believe you! It’s just… Virgil said that you’re- uh- you're not the first supernatural person I’ve run into, and I… I told you I’d listen.”

“What?”

“Yeah, I mean… I know at least three of them-” which wasn’t a lie- “so you’re not my first there, Damo.”

“So you don’t… care that you could wake up to me sucking on your neck one morning?”

“I mean, yeah, but you haven’t done that yet,” Patton’s smile slipped a little. “Have you?”

“No.”

“Alright, then.” Patton’s smile returned. “I trust you. I mean, you haven’t hurt me, so why should it matter if your a vampire or a human?”

“Why should it matter?” Damian jumped onto his feet. “Why should it matter?! Because I can kill you, that’s why it should matter! You should be upset about this. You should be telling me to leave or sick Virgil on me or getting as far away from me as you can before I hurt you. You’re gonna get yourself killed, or worse turned into one of us with that attitude!” Damian’s voice lowered. “Maybe I should get it over with and stop playing with my food.”

Damian bared his fangs and let out a hiss, making Patton jump. He stalked forward, using half of his normal speed, and towered over Patton. Patton scooted back a bit in his bed and held the hot chocolate closer to his chest. He watched Damian with wide eyes, fearful eyes, eyes that Damian for some reason felt relieved and hated to see. Maybe now Patton understood he could hurt him. Maybe now Patton would-

“I know you’re scared, Damo, but I’m not going to hurt you,” Patton whispered.

“Hurt me- Patton I’m gonna hurt you!” Damian snapped.

“No you wouldn’t, or you would’ve hurt me already.”

Damian growled and tore at his hair. He paced back and forth. “Patton, I’m gonna bite you! I’m gonna drain your blood when you’re sleeping and you’re going to die! Doesn’t that scare you? Doesn’t that bother you?”

“A little, yeah.”

“Then what’s your problem? Why aren’t you afraid of me?”

“Am I supposed to be?”

“Yes!”

“Why?”

“Because!” Damian slammed both his fists down on the computer desk, making Patton and the keyboard jump. The tension in his shoulders disappeared, and Damian fell to his knees. He let his forehead rest against the wood. “Because I’m a monster.”

The room held its breath, or at least, everything but Patton held its breath. Patton tried to keep up with his heartbeat and bring it back under his control. Nothing else moved. Nothing else dared to. Not even the clip-clop of footsteps on the wooden floor outside of their room infiltrated their space.

The bed shifted, but Damian couldn’t bring himself to look up. He squeezed his eyes shut. A warm hand placed itself on Damian’s shoulder, and he flinched. It moved away as if burned. After a few seconds, Patton’s gentle voice spoke to him.

“I don’t care what you are, Damian. You can be mad at yourself for being a vampire all you want, but you’re my friend, and I’m not going to leave just because you are a little different.”

Damian blinked. Oh. Oh. He wasn’t mad at Patton. He was mad at himself. He felt ridiculous from hiding something from someone who would accept him. He felt guilty for keeping it in the first place. He felt shame that Patton trusted him so much and he wasted it on lies.

Damian’s weak chuckle shook his shoulders, and his eyes stung. He stood up, his back still facing Patton, and let out a long sigh.

“What did I do to deserve you?”

Patton shrugged and replied, “Just lucky I guess.”

“As much as I’d love to talk about this more, I have to go to class,” Damian announced. He grabbed his hat off the desk and placed it onto his head.

“Okay, I promise I’ll be here to listen when you get back.”

Patton’s infectious smile brought one to Damian’s lips as well, and he nodded his head. He opened the door and locked it behind him. He pressed his back against the wood for a moment. Damian woke his phone and stared at the screen. He sent a quick message before putting it back into his pocket one last time.

Hopefully, Patton would forgive him for one more lie.

He couldn’t believe he was have a casual twenty questions session about being a vampire with a human, but Damian wasn’t about to question it. After all, if anyone was going to accept him for being… this, it would be Patton.

“So, do you wear a lot of sunblock so you don’t burn up in the sun?”

“We don’t burn up, but we do get a rash.” Damian paused. “I think humans call it ‘sun poisoning’ or something like that.”

“How come I didn’t see your fangs before?”

“They’re retractable. They usually only come out when I need to protect myself or want to bite.”

Patton hummed. “Do you drink blood every night?”

“Not every night, no. Maybe every other night.”

“Is it human blood?”

“Humans taste better, but sometimes I like cows or pigs.”

“Do you,” Patton swallowed, “do you drink all of their blood?”

“No,” Damian said with a laugh. “At least, I haven’t in a long time.”

“How does it work? You know, the whole biting thing? Is it like the movies?”

Damian grinned. “I could show you.”

“Okay.”

His grin fell. “Patton, you’re not supposed to say yes.”

“I figured I’d bite.”

Damian groaned. He got out of the computer chair and sat beside Patton. For a moment, all he did was stare at the floor.

“I’m not really going to bite you. Virgil would kill me.”

“Oh,” Patton’s face fell.

Damian snorted. What was that reaction? Did Patton really want him to bite? If Patton turned this into one of those crappy teenage monster boyfriend dreams, Damian was going to lose it.

Patton probed again, “Well, how does it work?”

“First, I lick the spot I’m going to bite. I have anesthetic spit.”

“Really? Oh! That means that it makes you forget, right?”

“That’s ‘amnesia,’ Patton.”

“Well then, I am-needs ya to explain that word.”

Damian blinked. Did he mix up the words just to make a pun? Still, he humored him and replied, “It’s when a part of your body goes numb, like… like you know when humans get their wisdom teeth out?”

“Oh, yeah, I had that happen to me.”

“When they make your mouth go numb, that’s what that is. Novacaine is an anesthetic.”

Patton nodded. “Okay, I think I get it now. Does the novacaine spit go into my body like a shot?”

Damian smirked and shook his head. Carefully, he picked up Patton’s wrist and cradled it in his hand. He glanced over at Patton, asking for permission. Patton nodded his head, and Damian swiped his tongue three times over Patton’s wrist. After about thirty seconds or so, Patton shivered.

“Wow, it works fast. I can’t feel my fingers. How long does it last?”

“It only lasts about ten minutes, don’t worry. Of course, the longer I lick it, the longer it lasts. My spit also stops your blood from clotting, which makes bleeding easier. That’s why I don’t bite anyone in a major artery.”

“Yeah, I bet that could be a major pain.”

“Especially if they die. That’s harder to explain nowadays.”

Patton’s expression fell. He furrowed his brow and asked, “Did you stop killing people because it’s harder to hide it?”

Damian sighed. He looked away, his hands squeezing together to relieve some of the tension in his muscles. “I’m not exactly… proud of the way I acted when I was younger.”

“But you did it out of self defense, didn’t you?” Patton’s voice wavered. “I mean, you didn’t kill all those people on purpose, right? You didn’t know any better.”

Damian’s sad smile answered him, and he ruffled Patton’s hair. Patton didn’t pull away, but it was obvious by the frown he didn’t appreciate the touch. Damian brought his hands back into his own space.

“Never stop believing the best in people, Patton. Someone could use that one day.”

Patton’s smile infected him, and Damian’s stomach sickened. That was exactly what he saw happening to Patton one day.

“So,” Patton eagerly changed the subject, “was that you as the bat the other night, or was that a coincidence?”

“That was me.”

“Is your head okay, kiddo? You hit it pretty hard.”

“Don’t-”

“Must’ve been a huge pane.”

Damian fought to hide the smile. It wasn’t funny. It wasn’t.

Okay, maybe it was a little funny.

Damian shook his head, the smile shaking onto his face as well. He sighed through his nose and looked straight ahead. Patton sighed with him, and Damian rose a brow.

“Figures I’d find out right before the full moon,” Patton said. “Logan’s coming to pick me up later tonight.”

“Ah yes, your family get together. I’m well aware,” Damian said with a hum. He eyed Patton out of the corner of his eye. Patton didn’t smell like a werewolf. Patton didn’t act like a werewolf before the full moon. Patton didn’t find Damian repulsive for being a vampire, so what was the deal with him leaving the night of the full moon with a werewolf, and how was Damian going to find out without directly asking?

“It’s… more than that,” Patton started.

Oh, apparently he didn’t even have to ask.

Patton continued, “It’s a long story, but, Logan got bit by Roman, who accidentally turned him into a werewolf. And then, when Logan changed- that’s the night you said I smelled bad- he kinda pulled me into the pack. I’ve been going to their shifts for the past two months. They really have a big pack.”

Damian snorted and nodded his head, “Well, that makes sense now.”

“It’s… a bit lonely sometimes though. The first shift, Logan clung to me like a lifeline, but when we started showing up at Roman and Virgil’s house, he started to hang out more with Roman than he did me.”

“Are they-”

“No, not that I know of, but he depends on Roman a lot to teach him about being a werewolf. Which is fine! I mean, it’s a lot to take in, and there isn’t exactly a book he can read.”

“I know that feeling,” Damian mumbled. He massaged his neck.

“Well, if Logan’s happy, that’s all that really matters to me.”

Damian blinked. The longer he stared at Patton’s smile, the more he wondered if there wasn’t something Patton was telling him. He rose a brow and asked, “But what about you?”

Patton blinked. “What about me?”

“Well, are you happy? If Logan doesn’t need you, then there’s certainly no reason for you to force yourself to these pack meetings.”

“I’m happy,” Patton protested, but even he knew it was a lie. He played with his fingers, “Well I mean, who wouldn’t be happy to play with puppies all night long.”

“Well, when you put it that way,” Damian responded. “But I mean, no one forces you to go, right?”

“Oh, no, it’s not like that at all. I promised Logan I’d always be there for him.”

“Even if it makes you miserable?”

“Yes.”

The solidarity of that statement was enough to make Damian sigh. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Patton to go. Patton was his own person. He just hoped Patton was doing it for the right reason.

Patton added, “I have a howling good time. My night really goes to the dogs. It’s paws-itively fun.”

That time, Damian did laugh.

Since Patton didn’t have any classes, Logan drove by early to come pick them up. Patton offered to drive home, since he could already see the full moon fraying at Logan’s nerves, and Logan happily agreed.

Though, when Logan set eyes on Damian, his reaction was rather different than the first day they met. He constantly put himself between Patton and Damian, sometimes even growling when Damian got too close. It seemed to amuse Damian, who kept pushing his boundaries and seeing how close he could actually get. Patton’s nerves shot higher and higher. Damian was going to get bit at this rate, and who knew what would happen then.

“My, my, your brother sure does get possessive around you this time of month,” Damian commented. Logan returned it with a sharp glare.

“No, I think he’s just over-protective,” Patton said. He scooted over to give Logan some space, and Logan pressed back up against his side. He let out a long sigh.

“Protective, possessive, there’s not much difference,” Damian replied with a shrug.

“Can we leave yet?” Logan asked through strained teeth.

Patton glanced at his phone. He told Virgil to text him the moment he and Roman got out of class. He hoped it would be soon. He was starting to crack under the pressure in his dorm room.

“Not yet,” Patton mumbled in reply. Damian leaned forward to get a look at Patton, but Logan blocked his view to stare at the phone. He huffed. Annoying Logan was fun at first, but now he was getting annoyed.

“Alright, I’ll take a hint. I’ll go for a walk or something,” Damian said and stood up from his bed. Logan’s eyes never left him as Damian strolled across the room. Damian picked up his keys, twisted them around his finger and informed Patton, “Tell me when you leave so I can come back into our room, because you know, you’re my roommate.”

He didn’t miss the hairs on Logan’s neck bristle. He could leave on that note. With a wink, Damian closed the door behind him and locked it.

“How did you tolerate the last month with him?” Logan spat through clenched teeth.

“Oh, he’s not so bad once you get to know him,” Patton replied. He stood up, but Logan’s wrist on his arm pulled him back onto the bed. Patton gripped the sheets into his fists and sent a reassuring smile to Logan. “He hasn’t hurt me.”

The grip on Patton’s arm slacked, but Logan kept it there. Patton wondered if the skin bruised under Logan’s grip. For a while, all Logan did was stare at the door. Patton prayed his phone would alert him of a new message soon. He played with his lip between his teeth and took a deep breath in and out.

“So, what have you been doing while I was away?” Patton asked.

“Work, mostly,” Logan said with a shrug. Patton waited for him to continue, but even he knew he was wasting time. He took a deep breath through his nose and let it out in a long hum.

“Classes have been going pretty good for me. I even have one with Thomas.”

“That’s nice.”

“Yeah. It’s only English though, you know, because we both have to take it to graduate.”

“I’m well aware.”

Patton made a light pop sound with his lips. Logan flinched. Patton cursed himself for the sudden noise, remembering how high Logan’s hearing was now, especially right before the full moon.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. He got no reply back.

Thankfully his phone dinged and saved the conversation.

“Oh, they’re done,” Patton announced.

Logan stood up and straightened out his outfit. He mumbled, “Good, now let’s go home.”

Patton stood up behind him and made sure he had his roomkey in his bag. He let Logan out first, closed the dorm door behind him, and locked it. He caught Damian watching from down the hall, and offered a small wave. He didn’t expect one back. Damian’s ‘thumbs up for good luck’ was enough.

Logan and Patton walked out of the dorms and toward the Science wing where they’d find Roman and Virgil. The two twin brothers were heading out, Roman complaining about something while Virgil looked like he was ready to fall apart on the sidewalk. Patton ran toward them waving his arm, and the two of them relaxed a little on sight.

“Ready to go?” Patton asked.

“As long as you’re driving,” Virgil mumbled and eyed Logan over.

“Excuse me, but I am an excellently defensive driver,” Logan snapped.

“Now, boys, you can fight it out later,” Patton scolded. He took the car keys out of Logan’s hand and walked back toward their car. “Besides, we still have a few hours until the full moon, so who wants to stop and get something to eat?”

He met a chorus of approval from all three pack mates and giggled.

At some point during their drive, Logan and Virgil fell asleep in the car, leaving Patton and Roman to the silence of a Disney sing-along competition. While Patton envied when Roman reached the rather low notes, Roman got physically angry when Patton could reach the high tenor notes. Patton eventually decided to leave the sing along songs fall away to radio silence.

For about three miles, the two of them didn’t say a word to each other.

“So,” Roman said, if nothing more than to break the tension, “you and Damian seem to get along just fine.”

Patton nodded his head with a hum.

Knowing he wasn’t going to get a conversation out of that avenue, Roman tried again by asking, “What do you plan on doing tonight?”

“Well, um,” Patton paused. What was he going to do tonight, “I’ll probably just… be on my phone or take a nap with the pups I guess.”

Roman’s grin widened, “Ah yes, the triplets. They can be a bit of a handful, but Aunt Cora is sure thankful she has the best babysitter in town to watch out for them.”

Patton giggled. He added, “She still watches us though.”

“I’m sure in time she’ll grow to trust you more and more. She already does. They all do. You wove your way right into our wild hearts.”

The sentiment brought a wide smile to Patton’s face. He remembered why he liked to go now. It was like being adopted by a pack of wolves in the wild, only they were all in the living room instead of the woods. It wasn’t just Logan he showed up for anymore. He had another family that looked forward to him coming.

“Aww, and here I thought it was puppy love,” Patton joked. He caught Roman’s smile in the rearview window. The two of them drove in another bout of silence a mile long.

“Hey,” Roman started the conversation again, “you might not want to mention anything about Damian while we’re there.”

“Why not?”

“Werewolves and vampires don’t exactly have the best reputation of being friends.”

“Why’s that?”

Roman let out a long sigh. He caught Patton's eyes through the rearview mirror and released them just as fast. Patton rose a brow in interest.

“Well,” Roman explained, “A long time ago, when humans were first becoming the dominant species of the earth, werewolves and humans lived side by side. We were their protectors. You see, back then, we could shift whenever we wanted, not just during a full moon.”

“Why can’t you now?”

“It’s ancient magic. Legend says that a powerful witch granted the wish of a wolf pack to become the brethren of humans, to be their guardians, and she turned them into powerful half human and half wolf creatures. The humans practically worshipped them. In return for their protection, the humans gave them some of their food as a gift. It was a wonderful partnership.”

Roman grew quiet. Patton checked several times in the mirror for his continuation, but Roman’s thoughts went out the window and stared at the fast traveling landscape.

“Well, what happened?” Patton asked, his mind reaching a conclusion already.

“Vampires happened,” Roman growled. He rested his head against the window. “A horde of vampires attacked the town and ended up killing the human chief and our pack leader, and you know, there went our alliance. From that day on, humans hunted werewolves, and to protect ourselves, we stopped changing into wolves whenever we wanted. However, the witch’s magic built up inside us, and if we didn’t use it, it would kill us. That’s why we change every full moon and why we’re so… animalistic the week leading up to it.”

Patton sucked in a deep breath. “Couldn’t the witch take the magic away?”

“We tried to find her, but by then she was long gone. We had no idea if she had any surviving relatives or not to help, and it was too dangerous to stay in the woods with those humans anyway. So, we ended up moving as far away from home as we could get.”

“That’s so sad.”

“Well, not all legends end happy, unfortunately.”

Patton let out a long sigh. He kept his eyes on the road, though his mind still wandered to Roman’s story. Was his Aunt Alice a descendant of these people, and that’s why she was a monster hunter? Was he one of them too? Would he be sworn into a path of hunting down the pack he grew to love?

“Patton, the exit!”

Patton’s attention swerved back onto the road and into the turning lane. A horn blasted behind him, and the jolt woke both Virgil and Logan from their sleep.

Virgil’s head snapped about like a bird as he yelped, “What happened? Who did we hit?”

“No one,” Patton quickly confirmed. He squeezed the steering wheel so tight his fingers turned white. His face was just as pale.

Logan’s gaze shifted to Patton, and he took a deep breath. His hand reached over and patted Patton’s thigh. Patton’s shoulders relaxed, and he let out a long sigh.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking,” Patton mumbled.

“It’s not your fault,” Roman said behind him. Virgil shot him a glare, and the two brothers had a silent conversation in the backseat with their eyes.

Logan caught sight of the car behind them, who gave them quite a bit of space. He turned his attention back to the road signs.

“It’s quite alright. We’re nearly home,” he said.

“Thank god,” Virgil grumbled.

“Oh, I can’t wait for Aunt Cora’s pumpkin spice pie,” Roman sighed in the backseat, “or her orange sponge cake, or her apple fritters, or her-”

“Stop, you’re getting drool all over the car,” Virgil interrupted. Roman’s high pitched whine of irritation and hand pat to his chest brought a grin to Virgil’s lips.

“I am not drooling!” Roman argued.

“But you were going to.”

Roman opened his mouth to speak, but he shut it soon after. He rested his forehead against the window, earning a snicker from Virgil, and resisted the urge to kick him.

“I would appreciate no salivation on my car, thank you,” Logan grumbled.

“Oh, come on, Logan. It’d be the icing on the cake for such a sweet ride.”

Logan resisted the urge to throw Patton out the window, simply because Patton was driving, and he didn’t want to get into a car accident.

The rest of the ride home took practically no time at all. Within a few minutes, they were all filing out of the car and ringing the doorbell to Roman and Virgil’s house. Their mother opened the door and flung her arms around both Roman and Virgil.

“Oh my boys!” she chirped. The two of them returned the hug. “Larry, get down here! The boys are home!”

“Hey mom,” Roman greeted, his voice strained from being squished.

She eyed the other two behind Roman and her face lit up. She let go of Virgil and Roman and said, “Oh, I know it’s only been a few hours, but come give me a hug Logey bear!”

Logan stiffened but didn’t say no. He knew resistance was futile, so instead he gave her two swift pats on the back with his hand, and she released him the minute he did.

“Oh, and Patton,” she said as she held her arms out wide. Patton smiled and practically rushed into her arms. She buried his nose into his hair. Two sniffs, then three, then four, and Patton started to wonder what was going on. “Oh, Patton dear, I think you need a bath. You smell like death.”

Roman and Virgil stiffened, and Logan watched her every move. Patton gave a nervous chuckle and wiggled out of her arms.

She added, “I have a lavender bath bomb you can use.”

“You really don’t have to do that, Mrs. Lycaon.”

“Honey, how many times do I have to tell you, call me Dot, please.” She yelled over her shoulder, “Larry! Get the bathwater ready!”

“I’m in the kitchen,” her husband, Larry, called back.

“Oh, alright,” she mumbled. “I’ll do it. You boys just come on in and make yourself right at home, okay?”

“Thanks mom,” Virgil and Roman said at the same time, sounding like a stereo speaker. It was moments like that they remembered they were twins and frowned at each other.

Logan followed the other two in, followed by Patton at his heels. Dot closed the door behind her and headed up the stairs to the bathroom.

“I hope you boys are hungry for ham,” Larry called out as he wiped his hands on a paper towel, “because I’m starving.” The three werewolves practically perked up at the mention of food. Patton, however, started to feel sick.

Mrs. Lyca- Dot could smell Damian on him. Would the others smell him too? Would they cast Patton out of the pack for what their ancestors did?

No, he was being silly. They were part of his family. They wouldn’t do that to him.

Right?

The water turned on upstairs, and Dot came down the stairs with a purple and white spotted ball in her hands. She placed it in Paton’s hands and said, “If you need anything, just give a holler.”

“Don’t you mean a howl-er?” Patton asked.

Dot cracked a smile, and she guided Patton toward the stairs. She said, “I’ll have one of the boys bring your stuff up from the car and get your bed ready, okay? And don’t let the puppies chew my pillows up this time, okay?”

“I feather not,” Patton responded. He climbed up the stairs and took a deep breath. The smell of the bath bomb in his hands did soothe him a little. Maybe if he stayed under the water for a while, Damian’s smell would wash away entirely.

Patton pulled himself out of the bath two hours later when he started to shiver from the cold. Their bath was practically a pool, so he didn’t mind staying in it for hours. It had jets and everything. If he had his choice, he’d never leave it.

Patton dried himself off and stared at his reflection. His blue eyes blinked at him, and he scrubbed the towel over his hair. When he finished, his hair stuck up in every direction. Patton giggled and smoothed it all back down into place.

A gentle knuckle knock called from the door, “Patton, you alright in there?”

“I’m fine, Virge,” Patton called back.

“Dad wants to know if you want any food.”

Patton paused. He replied, “Ah, no thanks, kiddo. I’m not all that hungry.”

“You sure?”

“Yep! Go ahead and pig out on the rest.”

Virgil snorted. He replied, “Alright. Meet you downstairs. Just know the triplets have been asking for you for about a half-hour now.”

“Oh,” Patton replied. He remembered them arriving sometime after he got into the bath. The three of them thundered up the stairs and would’ve opened the door if Patton didn’t lock it. They whined and whimpered for him to come out until their mother chased them away and apologized for their manners.

Patton didn’t mind. They were only four, and Patton was practically a new toy every full moon.

Patton dressed himself in a loose fuzzy white sweatshirt with a big pink heart in the middle and blue sweatpants. He only wore them around the full moon, because the dog hair would set his dad into a sneezing frenzy. They were his softest pajamas, nice to cuddle up to, and warm too. Patton drained the bathwater and exited the bathroom. He made it down three stairs before the triplets caught sight of him.

“Patton! Patton!” they chirped. They thundered up the stairs. Patton was able to back up onto the second floor before they crashed into his legs. Patton cried out as he tumbled onto the ground. One latched onto his legs, another around his chest, and the third pulled up his glasses to kiss his cheek.

“Hi, nice to see you three again,” Patton said through his laughter.

“Girls!” he heard their mother snap from below. “Let poor Patton go.”

The girls’ heads all perked up at the same time, and their faces all pouted down at their mother.

“But mooooom-”

“No buts. He didn’t even make it downstairs for goodness sake.”

The three girls whined before they all released Patton and walked down the stairs. He followed soon after.

“Oh, I don’t mind being dogpiled every once and a while.”

The girls giggled, but their mother didn’t look as pleased. Patton cleared his throat and took a seat on the couch. The girls jumped up after him, one on his right, one on his left, and the other struggling to sit on his lap. Whether he wanted to or not, Patton was practically pinned for the next hour or so.

Not that it was the first time he was pinned by a werewolf.

“Aunt Cora,” Roman said as he poked his head into the living room, “did you want any wine before the shift?”

Cora waved him away and sat back on the rocking chair. “No, Roman dear, I’m trying to give up alcohol.”

“Oh okay.” Roman glanced over and caught sight of Patton on the couch. He snorted through his nose. “Wow, it didn’t take long for them to find you, did it, Mogli?”

“Not really,” Patton replied as of the girl on his lap, Anna, nuzzled her head under his chin. The other two, Cena and Rose, clung to his arm like he’d get up and leave them at any moment.

“So, Patton,” Cora spoke and rocked back on the chair, “you’re learning to become an educator, right?”

“I am,” Patton replied.

“How’s that going?”

“Oh, you know. It’s educational.”

The corner of her lips perked up, and Patton returned the gesture. She let out a long sigh through her nose and explained, “Because I’m thinking of having the girls homeschooled.”

“Oh?” Patton tilted his head to the side. “Any reason?”

“Well, I saw how much Roman and Virgil struggled in school, and… it’s so much different than when I went to school. Back then, you could stay out of school for three days and no one would bat an eye, but now, now they want a doctor’s note every time a child is sick. I can’t have my girls going to the doctor every month when there’s barely anything wrong with them, you know?”

“Well, Logan’s a doctor. Can’t he-”

“That could be considered malpractice,” Logan called from inside the kitchen. Patton’s head snapped over to the kitchen. He forgot they could all hear what they were saying.

“Oh,” was all Patton finished his sentence with.

Cora nodded her head. She replied, “Plus, it would be easier. You know what it’s like for us around the full moon. Our emotions are definitely set on maximum. I don’t want my girls getting into a fight and- heavens forbid biting them.”

“I see your point.”

“So, I was hoping you would help me teach them. I only want it to be people I trust, and since you’re already going into education, I figured you’d be a good candidate.”

“I’ll,” Patton paused, “I’ll think about it.”

“That’s fair. It is a heavy responsibility, but I know my girls like you, and I only want the best for them, as any mother would.”

Patton beamed at her compliment, and she sent him a smile back. The kitchen clock started to chime, warning them that the full moon was coming, and she stood up from her spot on the couch.

“Is it time?” Rose chirped.

“Mommy, what time is it?” Cena asked.

“It’s almost time, yes,” she answered. The three of them filed off of Patton’s lap and followed their mom into the kitchen.

Patton pulled his legs up onto the couch and hugged them. Now, the family would go down into the basement for their transformation. Now he waited. Patton hated sitting on the couch and listening to the sounds of the whole family going through the transformation. It was bad enough listening to Logan, but now he got to listen to nine people yelling out instead of one.

The grandfather clock behind him ticked the seconds away.

The first yelp came from one of the girls. Patton laid down on the couch and squeezed a throw pillow against his head. Theirs hurt him the most. He heard more, muffled and haunting. Patton bit his lip. However, he kept reminding himself it would soon pass. They’d all transform into werewolves completely unharmed, and they would come get him when they were done.

Thundering paws up the stairs caught Patton’s attention. He barely had time to sit up before three balls of gray fluff and pink tongues started licking at his face. Patton laughed and pushed their heads away.

“Aww, come on girls. I just got a bath,” he said through their licks. One landed in his mouth, and Patton attempted to spit out their germs.

“Girls!” their mother snapped from the door. Her loud growl preceded black fur with white patches around her muzzle, belly, and paws. “Leave Patton alone for heaven’s sake!”

The girls whimpered and hopped off the couch. They laid down on the floor as their mother approached. She nuzzled her head into Patton’s hand.

“I’m alright,” Patton said. She eyed him over before laying down on the rug. The girls continued to watch Patton, their tails thumping on the rug below him. Since they didn’t know how to speak telepathically yet, like Logan didn’t, they almost resembled really big puppies.

“Patton,” Virgil’s voice called next. He entered the living room. Logan followed behind him, caught Patton’s eye, and disappeared back into the kitchen. Patton’s heart fell.

“I’m here,” Patton mumbled.

Virgil hopped onto the couch next to him and flopped down at his side. He folded one paw into his chest while the other dangled over the side of the couch. His ear swiveled toward Patton before he explained, “Logan’s going to try and learn how to communicate with Roman again.”

“Okay,” Patton replied.

Virgil rested his head down on the couch. “I’m supposed to watch you while he’s gone.”

“Always vigilant,” Patton commented. Virgil didn’t respond. Patton pulled out his phone and noticed a new message from Damian.

Damo: Hey, not worried or anything, but did you make it there ok?

Patton typed a quick reply letting him know that they were safe and sound at the pack’s house. Patton pocketed his phone and leaned back on the couch. He sighed through his nose. Virgil sighed with him, and Patton ran a hand over his fur. Virgil’s scruff always felt fluffier than the others, like his hoodie meshed with him and became fur. Maybe it was Patton’s imagination. Maybe it wasn’t. Still, running his hand through Virgil’s fur calmed them both, so he tried to do it as much as he could.

Dot and Larry soon joined the rest of the pack in the living room, taking their respective spots as well. Dot started grooming her dark black fur while Larry's stark white fur practically glowed in the window's moonlight.

“Everyone okay?” Dot asked.

Cora nodded her head and replied, “The girls are too.”

“Good,” Larry answered. He turned his head to Patton and caught sight of Virgil on the couch. Virgil huffed, and Larry almost seemed to smile, though Patton was sure that part was his imagination.

“So, how long were they your neighbors?” Dot asked, turning her attention to Cora.

“Oh, not long. I chased them out the best way I could,” Cora responded. Her head rose proudly. “A few threats and they were packing for the hills before they could even take a bite.”

“Gosh, you’re braver than I am,” Dot commented.

Patton looked between the two female wolves, his eyebrow raised.

“Drama,” Virgil mumbled, sensing his unease. “Just drama.”

Cora snapped her attention to Virgil with a wrinkle in her muzzle. She growled, “It wasn’t just drama. They could’ve hurt my babies!”

Virgil didn’t respond, but the comment caught Patton’s interest.

“What happened?” Patton asked. Virgil’s head turned to him, warning him of something, but Patton couldn’t figure out what.

Cora growled, and she turned her head away. Her girls played innocently on the floor with each other, their boredom overpowering their will to lay still like the rest of the pack. She watched them for a moment before she replied, “Vampires.”

The whole room held its breath. Patton stiffed, and Virgil pressed his fur into Patton’s side. If his aunt noticed, she didn’t say anything.

“Bloodthirsty monsters,” she added, “thought they could move down the block from us and get away with it.”

Patton’s heart ached. He asked, “But were they bothering anyone?”

“Vampires don’t just move into your neighborhood to have a polite conversation,” Cora responded. “They swoop in and make a mess, then the humans come looking for answers, and then they come looking for us. I wasn’t about to have them threatening the safety of my kids.”

“Now, Cora, Patton doesn’t know about vampires,” Dot said and glanced up at him. “He doesn’t know what they did to you, or to us. That’s not exactly something they teach in school.”

“Roman might have mentioned something about a legend on the way over,” Patton mumbled. Virgil’s ear swiveled over to him.

“Then you know how they took everything from us,” Cora continued, “how they charmed their way right under the human’s noses and then betrayed them.”

“Not… really,” Patton responded.

The story seemed to catch the puppies’ attention, who stopped to watch their mother curiously. Cora looked up at Virgil and asked, “Would you take the girls out of the room? This isn’t exactly a story they should hear.”

Virgil hesitated, but his aunt asked again, and Virgil reluctantly hopped off the couch. He gave Patton a wary look. Then, he and the girls disappeared out of the living room and up the stairs, the puppies yipping questions Virgil didn’t answer.

Cora waited until they were out of sight to start her story.

“At the time when we humans and werewolves lived in peace, a new monster started to arise. They were cursed by the same witch we were enchanted with from what I was told. They swooped in at night and started to act friendly. At first, we thought nothing of it. They didn’t harm the humans or us. In fact, some of them stooped so low as to become friends with them.”

Her tone shifted as she growled, “Then, in the middle of the night, they turned on the humans, just like that. They didn’t care if it was human or werewolf they killed. We didn’t do anything to them, and they turned on us. I haven’t trusted a flea sucker since.”

“Gosh,” Patton said under his breath. “That’s awful.”

“You haven’t seen any walking around campus, have you?” Cora’s fur rose. “I don’t want any of them getting after you or my nephews.”

Patton’s mouth opened, but his throat locked up. He responded, “No, I… I haven’t.”

“Good, because if I ever find one of them after my pack, I’ll tear their throat out and bathe in their black blood.”

“Ewww,” Dot shrieked from the rug. “Cora, please-”

“Sorry, sis, but it’s true.”

Larry’s tail twitched behind him as he responded, “I’m sure the boys are smart enough to stay away from vampires.”

“Doesn’t matter. They can smell us. The minute they catch on to Virgil and Roman being a werewolf, that’ll be it. Those boys won’t stand a chance.”

“But they can’t be all bad,” Patton objected. A sharp snap of Cora’s head and a growl locked Patton’s voice in his throat.

“Oh, but they are. Vampires don’t change. There’s no humanity left in them.”

“But what if they wanted to change? What if they didn’t even hurt any humans?”

“Patton,” Dot warned, “it’s a nice thought, sweetie, but-”

“They’re monsters.”

The phrase stiffened Patton’s body. His anger flared up in his chest, but he swallowed it back down. Cora must’ve noticed it, because she rose to her paws. She stood a few inches away from Patton, her golden eyes staring straight into his soul. Dot and Larry stood as well, keeping a close eye on their packmates.

“You don’t honestly think they’d be worth trusting, do you, Patton?” Cora asked, her voice strained.

Patton’s eyes shifted from Cora to Dot and Larry. The other two seemed ready to jump to his defense but hesitated until something physical happened. Patton would’ve swallowed if his mouth didn’t dry out.

“I… don’t know,” Patton responded.

“Well then, let me make myself clear. If you befriend one of those vampires and endanger my pack, I’ll tear you apart with them.”

“Cora, that’s enough,” Larry snapped.

Cora didn’t back down. Dot gently pushed her head into her sister’s shoulder and guided her away from Patton.

“Now, now, I’m sure Patton didn’t mean anything by asking questions. You don’t learn unless you ask, right? And he’s probably getting tired. He doesn’t stay up all night like we do, so let’s just forget the conversation happened and move on, okay?”

Cora’s eyes stayed on Patton for a moment longer, but she let him free. Patton’s breath left with her. He tried to catch it again the best he could.

“Go get some rest, Patton. I’m sure you’ve had a long day,” Larry encouraged. Patton nodded. He retreated up the stairs and onto the second floor.

No wonder Virgil hated Damian so much. No wonder Roman froze. No wonder Logan growled every time Damian got near him. It was engraved into them that all vampires were dangerous, bloodthirsty creatures. Maybe they were bloodthirsty, but Patton had been living with Damian for the past month, and he’d been okay. Damian was okay.

Right?

Patton opened his door, and the puppies yipped and brushed into his legs, eager to be pet. Virgil kept his eyes trained on Patton, and Patton sent him what he hoped was a smile.

“Now you get it,” Virgil responded, “why you shouldn’t be friends with Damian.”

Patton’s smile faded away. He nodded and let out a long sigh. Virgil brushed up against his hip, and he nosed Patton’s hand before giving it a gentle lick.

“I’m a little tired, so I think I’m going to go to bed early, okay, kiddo?”

“Yeah,” Virgil mumbled. He herded the puppies out of Patton’s bedroom and caught one last sight of Patton before disappearing down the stairs.

Patton flopped down onto the bed Dot made up for him. He wrapped himself up in a blanket and buried his head into the pillow. For a moment, all he did was lay there in silence.

Patton’s phone vibrated. He picked it up, and his stomach dropped like lead. Patton opened the message and read and reread it.

Damo: Good, because I’d hate for anything to happen to you.

Damo: I never sent that. Someone grabbed my phone.

Patton swallowed hard. He put his phone on the nightstand and curled into a ball. What was he going to do? He didn’t want to stop being friends with Damian over this, but if Damian was going to get hurt by the pack, was it worth it? He couldn’t be selfish like that. Damian’s safety came first. But how would he tell him? He just told Damian this morning he accepted him, and now he was going to say he had to stop being friends?

Patton put the pillow over his head and let out a long sigh. He tried to get some sleep, but his thoughts kept him awake.

Tomorrow was going to suck.

Patton woke up to three lumps on his blanket, and he pulled the blanket over his head. Hopefully soon, Cora would figure out her girls were missing and come get them before Patton had to try and navigate his way out of the room with his eyes closed. He chose to scroll through his phone and send a message to his parents while huddled under there.

“Oh, Patton, I’m so sorry,” Cora said as if on cue.

“It’s fine,” Patton called out from under the blanket. “I didn’t see anything.”

Cora started carrying the girls out of the room one by one. When she finished, Patton poked his head out of the blanket for fresh air and stared up at his ceiling. Cora returned in the doorway, her face pulled into a frown and staring straight at Patton. Patton pretended to send a smile back.

“I’m sorry if I scared you last night,” Cora mumbled.

“It’s okay. I know you’re just looking out for your pack,” Patton replied.

Cora sighed. She sat on the edge of the bed and folded her fingers together. “But you’re part of my pack too, and I shouldn’t have said what I did. We were supposed to protect humans, after all.”

Patton squeezed the blankets into his hands. He looked down at the bedsheet, and let out a long sigh.

“And I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have pushed you,”

Cora grew silent at that. She responded with, “Just promise me you’ll stay away from vampires, if not for Roman and Virgil’s safety, for your own, okay?”

Patton glanced up at her. He gave a short nod, and she patted his knee. With that, Cora walked out of the room and into the hallway. Patton wondered if he should take a shower this morning. Even with his two-hour bath, he felt dirty. Maybe it was all the lying he’d done recently.

“Breakfast is ready!” Larry called from downstairs.

Patton heard a few eager feet padding down the hall, each one happily chirping about scrambled eggs and bacon. He wondered if he should get dressed or go down in his pajamas. After a few minutes, he decided to stay comfy and tiptoed down the stairs.

The whole pack was at the dining room table when he arrived. There was an empty seat sandwiched between the triplets, and Patton squeezed in.

“So, did you sleep okay?” Roman asked.

“Of course,” Patton responded. He caught Virgil’s questioning glance out of the corner of his eye but ignored it.

“So, who’s driving you boys back to school?” Larry asked.

“I am,” Logan said as he took a sip of his tea. “Roman refuses to pay the parking fee.”

“Hey,” Roman said as he puffed out his chest, “I’m a broke college student and it’s a crime that I have to pay to park when I already pay so much.”

“I told you colleges were nothing more than a money-grabbing scheme,” Virgil mumbled behind his cup. Roman sent a glare, and Virgil shrugged it off. “It’s the same with the medical department.”

“Okay,” Dot said and clapped her hands together, “no politics at the table, Virgil. It’s breakfast time.”

Virgil slouched in his seat and poked his egg with his fork.

“Oh, and Patton, my offer still stands,” Cora said, “you think about it and get back to me on the next full moon, okay?”

“About what?” Logan asked.

Patton shifted in his seat and responded, “Cora asked if I’d privately teach the girls at home.”

“Homeschooling,” Logan commented. “Probably the best route so their classmates don’t face their irrational anger.”

Roman didn’t miss the way Logan’s eyes flickered to him, and his neck hair bristled. He jabbed a fork in Logan’s direction as he growled, “It was just one time! I never bit another person in my lifetime.”

“What are you talking about? You bit me tons of times,” Virgil objected.

“Yes, but you’re my brother, and chances are, you deserved it.”

“Boys. Breakfast,” Dot snapped.

“Yes mom,” they both said in unison once again. A disgusted look passed between them like salt.

“Well, it’s about time you got back,” Damian’s voice called from the top bunk. “How was your little night under the full moon?”

“Oh, uh,” Patton dropped his bag off at the door as he said, “It was nice.”

“It was nice,” Damian mimicked. “I can imagine. Nothing like several dogs all crammed into the same place. I bet it smelled wonderful, like a zoo on a hot day.”

“Aww, it wasn’t so bad,” Patton replied. He collapsed onto his bed and let out a long sigh, “but I sure am tired.”

“I bet.” Damian peered over the side of the bunk. His hat fell off and flopped onto the floor, and Patton giggled. It brought a smile to Damian’s face as well. He flipped off the bed and landed on the ground without a sound. “So, I’m assuming you’re going to be boring and take a long nap?”

“Um,” Patton squeezed his pillow in his arms. “I mean, I could.”

Damian shrugged. “Do what you want. I’m going to get something sturdier to prop the window open. Something that isn’t wood.”

“Well, I know that ruler was old, but wooden you think some wood would be okay?”

“There was enough wood in that sentence for a lifetime. Besides, if a piece of wood snaps and just so happens to make its way into my chest…”

Patton flinched. “Oh, so I guess stakes really do work on vampires.”

“Well, legends do have some truth to them."

Patton swallowed, thinking about the legend he learned yesterday. He forced a smile and said, “Well then, the stakes are really high.”

Damian sighed through his nose and shook his head, then grabbed his key off of the computer desk and headed toward the door.

“If you need anything, just call me,” Damian said. Patton flashed a thumbs up, and Damian closed the door behind him.

As soon as Patton was sure Damian left, he squeezed the pillow tight and buried his face into it. How was he supposed to tell Damian they weren’t supposed to be friends anymore? Did Damian even know about the legend? Is that why he enjoyed annoying Virgil so much? Patton took a deep breath through the feathers and sighed through his nose.

Either path he took, he was upsetting someone. If he stayed with Damian, he was betraying the trust of his pack. If he left Damian, then he was going back on his promise to trust Damian after he told him his secret. No matter what he did, he had to lose someone. Why couldn’t there be a way to keep them both without lying?

Patton sighed. He’d make this choice later when he was more awake.

Part 2 ->

#sanders sides #patton sanders #janus sanders #virgil sanders #roman sanders #logan sanders #ybm au

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