Chapter Text
Dennis sat at the kitchen table, staring into the swirling cup of tea in front of him. Robby and Jack sat across from him, nursing similarly filled mugs. They had moved him to the table, waiting until his head cleared and his panicked false breaths stopped.
“So,” Robby started. “Want to tell us what the hell that was about?”
Dennis sighed. “Not really.” The words came out hoarse, his throat raw. Praying had burnt it.
“Well tough.”
“Robby, give him a second.”
“It’s okay. I’m okay.” Dennis pushed his hair out of his face. He had meant to ask Trinity to trim his bangs.
“I ran out of blood bags. Two days ago. I thought I would be fine. And, I was fine. For a while. Then, uh, there was a woman outside. I could smell her. I could smell her blood under her skin, and I wanted it. I wanted to drain every drop.” He held a steady gaze on the other men. Jack’s expression was neutral, warm eyes and pursed lips. Robby’s face was cloudy, eyebrows pinched and frowning.
“And your response was, what? Self-flagellation? Why didn’t you call us?” Robby’s tone was barely containing his upset and pain.
“I didn’t want to bother you guys.”
“You should have.” Robby scoffed. “Instead, you did something stupid.”
“Michael.” Jack warned.
Dennis' jaw flexed. “I did not want to hurt that woman, okay? Or anyone else who walked by. I didn’t want to give in, to be the monstrosity that’s been forced on me. So, I prayed that I wouldn’t. And, yes, it hurt. The pain was a distraction. It worked.”
“You could have seriously injured yourself. Fucked up muscles. Lost movement in your hands. Messed up your voice. Weren’t you in med school?” The patronizing words stabbed through Dennis’ heart.
“Okay, enough.” Jack cut through. “Robby, go run a bath. There’s been enough excitement for one night.”
“Fine.” The taller man got up, moving to go upstairs. Jack caught his wrist and tugged Robby into a chaste kiss before he left. Dennis looked away.
“He’s mad at me.”
“I think he’s more mad at himself, for leaving you alone.” Jack reached across the table, patting Dennis’ hand where they were still wrapped around his mug. It was the same hand that had grabbed Robby’s for the kiss. “And, if it makes you feel better, he’s a hypocrite. He’s the biggest self-flagellator there is.”
Dennis chuckled. “It does actually.”
—
Dennis closed his eyes and sank under the water.
He didn’t need to breathe anymore. He could stay under here forever. In the dark, surrounded by warmth. Not have to go back to reality.
He sat back up, shaking the water off his face. Robby had drawn him a warm bath, full of lavender epsom salts and bubble bath. He couldn’t see his body past the surface of the water. Robby had let him in the master bathroom, handing him a fluffy towel, and left him with a hand running along his lower back. It had made him shiver.
It wasn’t an apology but it was a close thing.
There was a knock. “It’s Jack. Can I come in?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
Jack entered, moving to sit on the closed lid of the toilet with a small pained groan. He pulled his right pant leg up, revealing his prosthetic. It was made of silver. There was blood splashed on it. Dennis had seen glimpses of it before. Jack undid the lock mechanism, pulling it off, and rolling off the sock. He put the leg in his lap and grabbed a cloth, carefully wiping the blood off. Dennis watched, quietly, not sure what to say.
This felt vulnerable.
“You want to know what happened. Vampires happened.”
Dennis winced. “I’m sorry.”
Jack set his leg back down, making deliberate eye contact with Dennis. “There was a time where I would have blamed you. I blamed vampires for everything, whether they were guilty or not. Vampires killed my family. They took my leg. I killed so many in return. I didn't care. I was so consumed by blinding rage and grief that I couldn't see when there was a good person in front of me.”
Dennis held his breath. This was the most Jack had ever revealed to him.
“When you crashed into our life, you know what I saw? A good person. One who needed help, who needed safety, who needed saving. I've known monsters, Dennis Whitaker, and you are not one of them.”
The vampire’s eyes stung. “How can you be so sure? You barely know me.” His voice cracked.
“Monsters aren’t concerned with the fact that they’re monsters. Monsters don’t hurt themselves so they don’t hurt others. Monsters aren’t brave enough to face their reality.”
Dennis’ lip quivered. A tear rolled down his cheek, plopping into the water. What had he done to deserve this?
Jack got up, moving to sit on the edge of the tub. “You have suds in your hair. Hand me the shampoo. No, the red one. That’s mine. Good for curls.” He squirted some into his hand, lathering it up and digging his fingers into Dennis’ hair.
Jack was nearly clinical in the way he washed Dennis’ hair. He took his time gently pulling out knots, scratching at Dennis’ scalp, and arranging curls.
“Close your eyes.” He said softly. “Tilt your head back.”
Dennis complied and felt Jack rinse the shampoo out of his hair. When he opened his eyes, he saw the wound on Jack’s hand. Two angry red welts. He reached up, pulling Jack’s hand closer to his face, and gingerly ran a fingertip over them.
“I’m sorry.” He said, mournfully. He never wanted to hurt Jack.
“You apologize too much. Besides, I should be the one apologizing.”
Dennis turned to look at the older man, confused.
“I fucked up.” Jack twisted his fingers into Dennis’ so they were holding hands. “Fledglings need more blood than older vampires. Almost twice as much. We left in such a rush, we didn’t think to get you more blood.” He pulled their joint hands to his mouth and kissed Dennis’ fingers. “Forgive me?”
“Yes.” Dennis had never answered a question so fast. He could never blame Jack for anything. One of his saviors. A righteous warrior.
Jack turned their hands so he could see Dennis’ palm. Dennis tried to pull his hand back, but Jack was stronger.
They were no longer bleeding, but his palms hadn’t healed completely. There were twin scars running along his palms. Bumps where the beads had been clutched in his hands. You could almost make out the image of the Madonna on the hand in Jack’s. He healed quickly, but he doubted this skin would ever be smooth again.
“Jesus, Den.”
“Mary, actually.”
“You’re not funny.” Jack said, laughing. With his free hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the rosary. “I’ll hold on to it for you. Deal?”
Dennis nodded. If it protected him all these years, it might protect Jack too. The thought pleased him.
“Alright. Get dressed. Robby and I need dinner.” Jack left the bathroom with a last squeeze to Dennis’ hand.
—
Life with Robby and Jack was nice.
It was just …. the same. Every day.
Every day he sat in the house, reading, staring out of the window. He had explored nearly every inch of the house. Played all the records. Attempted to read many of the books. He had cleaned the first floor, top to bottom. Jack and Robby had thanked him when they had woken up, saying he didn’t need to.
He had gotten used to the sounds of their heartbeats. Jack’s quick. Robby’s loud. They were always there under everything, steady and unwavering.
Except when they were gone, then it was silent. They were gone more and more frequently.
Dennis was getting antsy.
Robby and Jack were eating breakfast and chatting about a hunt.
“Any confirmed sightings in the past week?” Jack asked around a mouthful of cereal.
Robby had a newspaper with notes scribbled on it in front of him. “Not yet. But, two men have been killed in West Oakland, wallets and keys taken but nothing else. One of the men, the coroner said he’s been dead a week, and yet, he was at work four days ago. They can only hold form for about a week, so it should be killing again tonight.”
“I’ll take that bet. Head out at sundown?”
“Yeah and-“
“Can I come?” Dennis interjected.
Silence.
“Absolutely not.” Robby’s tone was final. He turned back to Jack. “Do we have more of that silver netting Samira lent us?” He continued like Dennis hadn’t said anything.
Dennis felt like an admonished child. It stung.
“That’s it? You won’t even hear me out?” Dennis cut off Jack’s answer. “I’ve been sitting in this fucking house alone nearly every night for two weeks while you two go hunt. I feel useless, which was not the deal. The deal was that I help.”
“Help us catch the coven that turned you, which is taking time. Your information has been helpful, but this is different. It’s dangerous.”
Dennis rolled his eyes. “I’m already dead. What’s the worst that could happen?”
“You’re not invincible, kid.” That word coming out of Robby’s mouth felt like a slap.
“I am not a kid! I can help, let me help.”
“How old were you when you started hunting, Mikey?”
“This is not the same, Jack, and you know it.”
“You’re right. He’s an adult. You were a kid. We could use the extra set of hands out there. Especially on this tricky of a case.”
“He’s not trained.”
“Neither was I.” Robby opened his mouth to retort but Jack pushed on. “Come on, he’s stronger than both of us combined. He’s literally made for hunting. He could sniff this thing out.”
“What if he smells blood and goes postal? We can’t have that happening on a hunt.”
“Hey,” Dennis snapped. “Stop talking about me like I am not here. And, that won’t happen.”
“It almost did.”
If Dennis had blood, it would have run cold. “That’s not fair.” He hated how small his voice sounded.
“I’m sorry, kid- Dennis.” Robby did genuinely sound apologetic. “But, it’s realistic.”
“I have a solution.”
Robby and Dennis turned to look at Jack, matching confused expressions.
“Robby, if Dennis could ensure self control, would you allow him to come on a hunt? One, just to test it out. We’ll keep him out of the fight. Show him the ropes.”
“Fine.” Robby sighed. “One hunt. If he can prove self control.”
“Then I propose an experiment. Dennis, feed on Robby. From his neck.” Jack said like it wasn’t an inane idea.
“What?” “What?” Confused expressions dropped to downright shock.
“Take just enough to be satisfied. Then, stop yourself.” Jack shrugged, like it was the easiest thing in the world. “Come here, Den.”
Dennis moved around the table to stand between the two men’s chairs, watching Jack hesitantly. Jack tilted his head towards Robby. Dennis turned, catching Robby’s endless brown eyes. Robby gave him a small smile, his hands coming up to Dennis’ waist. “Come here.” He pulled Dennis down to sit in his lap.
“Oh!” Dennis let out a squeak. His hands landed on Robby’s broad shoulders. His thighs were spread over Robby’s thicker ones. Dennis had never realized how much larger Robby was than himself.
Another hand made its way to the back of Dennis’ neck. Jack. “I’ll stop you if I need to. But, I know you can do it. Dig in.”
Dennis sunk his fangs into Robby’s bared neck. He bit at the curve where Robby’s neck met his shoulder, above the golden chain of his Star of David.
Warm blood filled his mouth.
Robby sucked in a sharp breath, his hands tightening on Dennis’ waist. His fingers nearly touched around Dennis’ narrow middle.
Dennis moaned. Because of the blood or the hands on him, he wasn’t sure.
He swallowed slowly, focusing on the goal. Control. He pulled back, licking at the blood trickling out of the wounds.
Robby was panting heavily. “Shit, Jack, you were right. Feels..” The taller man’s thighs tensed under the vampire.
Jack laughed. “I always am.” The hand on Dennis’ neck slid into his hair, Jack’s palm cradling the back of Dennis’ head. Jack pushed him back onto Robby’s neck. “Keep going. You got it.”
Dennis was starting to feel fuzzy. Almost like he was intoxicated. Robby’s blood was so warm and tasted so good. Dennis pressed harder into the man under him, feeling him arch up in response.
He never wanted to lift his face out of Robby’s neck. He heard himself moan again.
“Alright, I think you’ve had enough.” The hand in his hair tugged gently.
Right. Control. Dennis took one last gulp and slid his fangs free of Robby’s neck, leaning back. Robby’s back hit the chair like a puppet being cut off its strings.
“That’s it. Good job.” Jack murmured, moving Dennis’ face to look at him. “Knew you could do it.” Wide blue met steady hazel.
Jack’s thumb wiped a drop of Robby’s blood off Dennis' chin. He pushed the digit into Dennis’ mouth.
“Waste not, want not.” Jack said with a smirk.
Dennis sucked around the thumb, eyelashes fluttering as he looked up at Jack. The combined taste of Robby’s blood and Jack’s sweat made him dizzy.
Jack pulled his hand back, it going to check Robby’s neck. The wound was already clotting, ready to close. “Cool, ain’t it? One of the benefits of vampire venom.”
Dennis just nodded, not trusting his ability to speak.
“So, can he come on the hunt?”
Robby chuckled, looking like he had run a marathon. “Yeah, he can come.”
—
“I thought this was supposed to be dangerous.”
“Smart ass.” Robby huffed with a smile.
They had spent the evening in Jack’s truck. They were driving around West Oakland and listening to the police scanner. Jack was slurping on a soda from the drive-thru they had stopped at. Dennis used to love greasy fries and burgers, now the smell made his stomach churn.
“Just one more time, what are we looking for?”
“A shapeshifter. We know it’s in the neighborhood. It’ll be killing again tonight. When they kill they move in the shadows, stick to places like tunnels and sewers.”
“Oh, great.”
“You wanted to come.”
“I didn’t know sewers would be involved.” Dennis grumbled.
Jack chuckled. “Not exactly the most glamorous job out there.” He rolled the window down to throw his trash in a bin and Dennis wrinkled his nose.
“What is it?” Robby asked.
“Something smells bad.”
Robby and Jack shared a look. “Bad how?”
Dennis searched for the words. “It smells … wrong. Almost like rotting flesh.” Growing up on a farm had gotten Dennis acquainted with that particular smell. “I’m not sure what it is.”
“Where’s it coming from?”
“That way.” Jack turned the truck down the street Dennis pointed out. It hit a dead end and they parked.
Once out of the truck, Dennis gagged. “It fucking reeks. There.” He pointed to the manhole cover that the smell was wafting from.
“Down we go.” Jack and Dennis lifted the manhole cover, pushing it to the side.
Robby dropped down first, gun and flashlight in hand. Dennis followed, then Jack who slid the cover back on.
“Alright, bloodhound. Lead the way.”
The nickname made Dennis shiver, especially with the teasing lilt of Jack’s voice.
Robby passed Dennis the flashlight and he led them through the sewers, following that sickly smell.
“So, what happens when we find the shapeshifter?”
“We kill it.”
Dennis’ steps falter. He should have expected that, but it was still jarring.
“It’s killed two people already. It’s not going to stop.”
“How, um, how do you kill a shapeshifter?”
“They’re mortal so it’ll be easy.”
“Easy to kill, but hard to catch.” Jack mused, flipping his knife in the air, catching it and flipping it again.
Dennis stopped at the turn into a smaller tunnel. “In there. I’m sure of it.”
The older men stilled, postures straightening. From behind him, Dennis could hear Jack’s knife still and the click of the safety on Robby’s handgun. Robby placed a hand on Dennis’ shoulder, pushing him back down the corridor.
“Stay here.”
Dennis pushed Robby back. The taller man stumbled with a surprised grunt. “No. No, you said I could come too. That I’m strong enough.”
“Dennis.”
“Michael.” Robby’s jaw twitched.
“Fine, but you are staying behind Jack and I. Do not engage, you hear me?” Robby’s voice was gravelly, a downright rumble coming from his chest.
Dennis nodded, shrinking a bit under Robby’s glare.
“If you’re done flirting,” both Dennis and Robby turn at the sound of Jack’s voice, already having moved down the tunnel. If Dennis had blood, he would have blushed. “we have a monster to kill.”
Robby stormed ahead, his boots splashing sewer water up. The back of his neck was red.
As they approached, silence fell. Robby and Jack moved like cats with soft footfalls and quiet breaths in the dark. Dennis stayed a few paces behind, trying to copy their movements.
As they approached the opening, Dennis could see into the entrance of the tunnel. It expanded into a large cavern, dimly lit with burning candles. It stank like that rotten smell Dennis had followed and like old blood. It made Dennis’ eyes water.
There were clothes and belongings scattered in the standing water all across the floor. There was a bundle of blankets Dennis presumed was a bed of sorts.
Robby nodded to Jack, who fanned out, scouting the perimeters of the room. Robby held a palm to Dennis. A signal to stay put. He walked up to the bed, kicking the blankets over.
“Clear.”
“Clear here too.”
Jack scooped a bag off the floor and turned it over. Dozens of wallets fell out. “Jesus. These are like fucked up throphies of its victims.”
“He’s not here. What now?” Dennis shuffled into the room.
“We gotta be able to track something in here. It might have a list of potential victims. These things do sometimes.”
A noise caught Dennis’ attention, something like a faint rustling. “Hey. Do you guys hear that?”
Before Dennis could get another word out, there was a guttural roar followed by a thud as Jack hit the floor.
There was a man on Jack, scratching at Jack’s eyes. From across the room, Dennis could just make out the glint of Jack’s knife. He watched in horror, frozen, as the two wrestled.
A shot rang out and the man tumbled off Jack. Robby had moved in front of Dennis protectively, his gun lofted in front of his face. Dennis’ ears were ringing.
“Is that-“ Dennis yelped as the man popped back up again. He rushed towards them, missing Jack’s swipe from the ground. Another shot from Robby hit his knee, but he kept running.
The man reached them. Robby’s eyes darted between Dennis and the assailant, hesitant. His balance faltered.
He lunged for Robby, taking advantage of Robby’s split focus, and grabbed the wrist that was holding the gun. With a snarl, he twisted. A sickening crunch rang through the room and the gun clattered to the ground.
“You fucking hunters never change.” He kicked, sending Robby to his knees. The man’s yellow eyes locked on Dennis.
“Don’t you fucking touch him!” Robby growled out. The man grinned.
The shapeshifter shoved Robby to the ground and swung at Dennis. He could hear Jack cry out but he couldn’t make out the words.
Something clicked in Dennis. A fighting instinct. Something that may have always been there, recently awakened.
Maybe it was a calling. A holy fire was lit inside of him, burning through his veins.
This man hurt Jack. This man hurt Robby. Dennis couldn’t let that happen again.
He caught the man’s fist and flipped him over the shoulder. His back thudded against the concrete. Dennis knelt, knee on the man’s throat. The man didn’t have time to be surprised before Dennis grasped his jaw and squeezed.
There was a sickening crunch and a splatter of warm blood on Dennis’ face. Some got in his mouth. It tasted rancid.
The man screamed, his hands clawing at Dennis’ forearm, but he was no match for Dennis’ unnatural strength. Dennis kept going. Flesh tore under his nails as Dennis dug into the man’s face. He hooked his fingers into his jaw and pulled.
Screams gave way to gurgling.
Yellow eyes went dark and the body stopped struggling.
Silence fell over the cavern once again. Dennis was still, blinking down at the corpse under him. He just killed someone. He took a life. He wondered if he should care more than he did.
A hand settled on his shoulder and he jolted.
“It’s just me.” Robby said gently. Dennis let him pull him standing. Robby pushed something from his grasp and Dennis looked down to realize he was still holding the shapeshifter’s jaw in his blood covered hand.
“Oh.”
He let it tumble to the ground. Jack made his way over to them. He had a small cut on his forehead and was limping slightly, but otherwise seemed fine.
“You okay?” Robby asked Jack, reaching out for him. Jack tucked into Robby’s side and let the taller man inspect his face.
“Just peachy. You?”
“It probably broke my wrist but I’ll be okay. But, that’s all because of Dennis.” The couple turned to him.
“Thank you.”
“What for?” Dennis scrunched his brows together.
“You saved us.”
Dennis saved them. He smiled at the thought. Maybe vampirism had a use after all.