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The wind kissed his dead skin, scratching his body with thorny roses. He hissed softly, trying to keep his composure against the burning ache of a harsh storm. This was nothing he couldn’t handle; he’d been at the center of far worse in the millenniums he's lived.
Gritting his teeth, Scott pushed forward, the distinct smell of smoke infiltrating his senses. That’s why he was out here tonight, not out hunting, not luring humans to their doom, not even taking creepy walks through the forest where he knows the human race will catch a glimpse of his silhouette. He was walking towards an oh-so-painfully familiar town—Oakhurst.
Maybe fate had finally struck again.
Flames roared in the distance, burning the cursed town to the ground once again. Really, it was a wonder why people still insisted on settling there; everyone who had ever set foot inside hadn’t come out alive, or at least not fully. Scott supposed he had to be slightly grateful for the humans' idiotic behavior—otherwise, he would’ve never met his fledglings. He never would’ve felt pain either, though, if they just stayed away. Oh well, the past couldn’t be changed now… but maybe if Scott had stayed with him instead of leaving, he would still be alive- No. There was no use thinking about it; he was on a mission to discover the fall of Oakhurst again. The two-hundred-year mark had hit, and another massacre was destined to destroy the town.
Honestly, Scott didn’t know who or what had devastated Oakhurst this time, though, he had suspected it would be him, growing bored with the humans or them hurting one of his coven members, but nope, this town was forever unpredictable.
As Scott neared the now crumbling stone walls of Oakhurst, he couldn’t help but giggle at the stupidity of humans; they really thought all it took to keep creatures of the night out was a measly wall. At least it wasn’t wood this time, Scott still remembered the sick joy he got from watching fire destroy those annoying humans' walls two hundred years ago. That was also the night before Av-
“HELP!” A frail voice in the distance screamed out, terror coating their speech. Scott smirked and slipped into the shadows, paying no attention to the flames licking his skin. He would definitely not be helping this person. What would that earn him besides the wrath of a possible monster? Yeah, thanks, but I’ll pass. Scott thought, grimacing at how his every footstep was dragged down with sticky, hot blood. The streets were empty, and all that remained was an endless pile of bodies along with a river of crimson.
Scott continued forward, humming in approval at the long, deep scratches scarring every person's corpse. So some type of creature had done this… interesting. Last he knew, no werewolves or vampires had any personal vendetta against this town besides the obvious, but maybe he was wrong, a rare occurrence but still possible. He wondered what his family would say when they found out that Scott was wrong about something. Drift would probably tease him while Shelby added another tick to the board of his miscalculations before also joining in and teasing Scott. They were a troublesome pair, but he wouldn’t change anything about his fledglings.
His thoughts were interrupted by another scream, and Scott realized that it was coming from the very center of Oakhurst. With supernatural grace, he quickened his steps, eager to see who had caused this massacre.
When Scott finally reached the center of town, the world around him came to a screeching halt, and loud, painful ringing started up in his ears. What he saw was impossible—a figment of his imagination because no, Scott felt his soul being ripped apart. He couldn’t be back, not now and not ever. But then how could Scott explain the monster that was in front of him? It couldn’t be him, IT COULDN’T BE!
The imposing figure was gnarled and infected with a bubbling black substance that spread across its skin like a fish to water. Sharp blood-tainted claws swung wildly as the final civilian fell to the raging creature, leaving a mess of red and broken bones in its wake. A large horn—not that different from a demon's—sprouted from its skull and curved forward like a dagger; it too was covered in warm, delicious crimson liquid. It was the picture of a monster, and yet Scott felt tears of blood well up in his eyes, not from fear—no, nothing scared Scott Goldsmith, elder vampire he was—but from genuine despair and emotion because this ‘creature’ was wearing a painfully familiar outfit.
The cloak was still red, of course it was, only a slightly deeper shade with fresh blood added to the mix, and it matched Scott’s own so perfectly, minus the color. A black vest was torn in the front, a huge gaping hole leading straight into the monster's chest with splinters of wood wedged painfully in its skin. There was only one person he knew that had ever worn that outfit besides himself so many years ago, and that person was dead, staked through the heart, but what was this if not him?
“Avid…?” Scott whispered into the wind desperately, his mouth moving before his thoughts could catch up in something so untypical of him. A Goldsmith never spoke before they could think it through; complete silence was better than giving away what you felt. Even back then, before he’d slaughtered his traitorous fledgling, Scott had kept quiet in the wake of Avid’s fate—loud ringing echoed his thoughts, but still, Scott was patient and silent. He could wait for revenge, no matter how long it took; Scott was going to kill them for Avid.
The figure turned around, something so uncanny about its movements, but when Scott’s gaze met the creature's, suddenly it completely transformed. It was no longer hungry with bloodlust, and its eyes widened in shock, grief written all over its features. It was… human again- but no, that wasn’t right, he hadn’t been human in a long time. With complete certainty, Scott knew he was staring at a fellow vampire, but not just any stray vampire; no, he was so much more than that. His- something was back. Avid was back.
“Scott…?” The creature- no Avid laughed hysterically, eyes full of disbelief and pain, Scott knew his own face probably mirrored Avid’s expression despite his better judgment, but at the moment he couldn’t care less. He hadn’t heard that voice in over two hundred years, yet the slight whine at the end of his words was so unmistakably Avid that Scott had no doubt in his mind that this was his lost love.
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing—Avid had died by a stake through the heart, a vampire couldn’t come back from that, but Avid no longer looked like just a vampire… Shelby said the younger was sick when he turned. Could this monstrous form of Avid have something to do with that? Why does it matter how he’s back? He is. Scott pushed the questioning thoughts from his mind and slowly approached Avid, keeping a careful distance between them. The sticky substance of blood started to pool in his eyes, and he let tears fall down his cheeks in elegant rivers. Avid deserved to know how Scott felt after all these years.
As he neared the other, Avid finally broke out of his shell-shocked state and began shaking with anger(?), grief(?), joy(?), who knows, anything was on the table at this moment because even Scott couldn’t articulate what this burning desire in his heart meant.
Black liquid fell from Avid’s eyes, akin to tears, and with a heartbreaking smile, he succumbed, suddenly running towards Scott at lightning speed. The elder vampire tensed up only to immediately collapse when Avid barreled straight into him and buried his face in Scott’s shoulder, desperately clinging to his shirt. Avid made care to avoid hitting Scott with his horn. “You-you’re here! Sco-Scott, please, I-I don’t know how I’m alive! Pyro and Owen they-“ Acid cut himself off, crying between his words and begging for comfort.
Scott wrapped his arms tightly around Avid, his claws digging into the other's skin, trying to confirm that this was all real. Avid was freezing cold now, contrasting the hot blood covering his entire figure, but otherwise, he felt the same as he had been back then. He’s back, he’s back, he’s back. Avid’s alive. Avid’s back. My Avid is back. Scott’s thoughts echoed, his own breath stuttering as he shushed the fragile vampire in his arms. “They’re gone, my darling, they can’t hurt you anymore.” He assured, coaxing Avid to look up at him with the tip of his finger.
What greeted him was the flushed face of the younger vampire, something that could only happen after drinking an excessive amount of crimson. “Darling?!” Avid questioned, blushing such a wonderful deep red at the nickname. “I uh- ha… Is the sun coming up or is that just me?!” He sputtered, oblivious to the way his eyes were tracking Scott’s lips. He really is the same… Scott thought with a wet laugh, purposely dragging his fangs over his own lip to tease the other further. Avid made a strange noise at the action and glanced away, his face still blazing with heat and the black droplets in his eyes drying up slowly. “They’re gone? H-how?! Oh my gods, how long has it been?!” Avid asked, getting the conversation back on track.
“We killed them for you, and it’s been two hundred years since- since your death,” Scott explained, wiping his tears away before cupping Avid’s face gently in his hand, brushing his finger over the mark spread across Avid’s cheek. His heart settled in an unimaginable way, the hole in his chest finally full again.
Avid nodded along to the information with a hazy look, processing everything that was being said until, abruptly, he snapped out of the state. “What about the others?! Are Shelby and Drift okay?!” He frantically pressed, worry and care displayed clearly on his features. Scott smiled softly down at Avid, finding it easy to see how he fell for the one he used to hate.
“They’re okay, I promise. Shelby and Drift are back home waiting. They’ll be ecstatic to know that you’re alive, so expect a lot more tears.” Scott said, already imagining the reactions from his family when he returned home to tell them about Oakhurst with Avid at his side. It was sure to be quite the show. Avid sighed, his shoulders dropping in relief. “I’m glad you’ve done the impossible with your stubborn spirit and come back to us, my darling.” Scott expressed, his hand fisting in Avid’s clothes as he pulled him closer and continued to gently brush his fingers just under the other’s eye.
Avid whined, whatever or not it was from Scott’s comment or something else was up to interpretation, but the vivid blush spreading across Avid’s cheeks certainly didn’t help. “Why do you keep calling me that? Not-not that I don’t like it or anything I do!-“ Avid choked, blushing harder at his own slip-up. “Wait, I didn't mean to say that! Oh, gosh… I’ve really messed this up, haven’t I?” Avid was so incredibly adorable when flustered, it was a shame Scott hadn’t played into it sooner. Avid leaned into Scott’s hand like he just couldn’t help himself and kept glancing at the elder vampire's lips, eyes hungry and full of emotion.
When Avid fluttered his lashes and leaned closer to Scott with only a few tantalizing inches between them, Scott snapped. Fuck it. He couldn’t hold himself back anymore; his darling was too enticing. Finally, after all these years of longing for what could’ve been, Scott finished what Avid started and smashed their lips together. The world faded away as Avid gasped softly against his mouth, eagerly returning the kiss once he figured out what was happening. It was intoxicating.
Scott’s hand snaked up Avid’s back and settled in his bloodstained hair. He grabbed a handful of white hair and tugged, listening to the delicious sounds Avid made. The smaller whimpered, wrapping his blistering cold arms around Scott’s neck in an attempt to pull him closer—of course, he followed and let Avid think he was in control of this kiss; he would soon learn.
Heat flooded Scott’s veins as Avid’s claws dug into the back of his neck, pulling a small groan out of him. Scott tightened his grip in Avid’s hair, tilting the other's head back slightly to nip at his bottom lip. It had the intended effect, and Avid shivered under his touch, shaking with need. All it took was one more bite with his sharp fangs for Avid to surrender control and whine into his mouth. Scott pushed his tongue in, sucking gently on his partner’s bottom lip and greedily reveling in the sweet copper taste that flooded his senses.
This was much further than they’d gone the first and only time they’d kissed, but that was before Scott even knew how he felt about Avid. The other had randomly pecked him on the lips and then went about his day like nothing happened, completely oblivious to Scott’s inner turmoil.
The icy wind burned his skin, and his cloak went with the motion, breaking Scott out of his trace that only consisted of Avid, Avid, Avid. With a sigh, he pulled back from his unconditional lover while carding his fingers through Avid’s hair, making sure to carefully avoid the protruding horn. Avid followed him, and Scott quietly chuckled, his warmth mingling with Avid’s. After a few moments, the younger vampire fluttered his eyes open, blinking quickly to regain his bearings. Red, red irises met Scott’s, and his heart overflowed with love—this is what they should’ve gotten to be.
Avid’s eyes held so much emotion; love, lust, grief, and shock were all so palpable. They had never gotten to be anything. Avid dying had been the catalyst Scott needed to realize his feelings, and even then, he was still so confused and unsure, with heavy grief filling his heart. He got revenge for Avid and then refused to unpack what he felt. What was the point? Avid was already gone. But Shelby, his dear fledgling, sat him down one day along with Drift, and they all just talked… Talked about everything. They helped him come to terms with his feelings, and Scott couldn’t thank them both enough for that because now he wouldn’t lose this chance. He wouldn’t let Avid slip through his fingers again.
“You’re mine,” Scott murmured into the conjunction of Avid’s neck and shoulder, feeling the other vampire(?) shiver beneath him. He nipped at the bloodied skin, and Avid let out a shuddering breath, trying to speak.
“So- like, are we together now or…? Because when I kissed you at the beacon, I never really thought it through.” Avid admitted hesitantly, laughing nervously as the silence stretched between them. Scott pulled away from his darling’s neck and rolled his eyes once he knew the other was looking at him. Oh, sweet innocent Avid.
“What do you think, Avid? I’m not missing my chance with you again. So yes, we’re together, as the humans would say,” Scott said, a fond smile worming its way onto his face. He snaked his hands around Avid’s waist and pulled him closer, euphoria bubbling under his skin when Avid leaned into the touch. He was cold, so freezing cold, but Scott didn’t care; anything for him.
“Don’t act like that’s not also what you would call this! Vampires don’t have a special word for it!” Avid exclaimed, laughing quietly under his breath before pausing in thought. “I think so at least,” He mumbled.
“How would you know? You’re just a freshly turned vampire.” Scott teased, staring straight into Avid’s enchanting eyes. “You’re also the one who said our species couldn’t love, and that doesn’t seem to be very correct.” He knew that he was riling up Avid, but wasn’t that half the fun of finally having him back? The younger’s reactions were too adorable to resist.
Avid sputtered. “I was a vampire hunter in case you forgot, Scott! And okay, maybe I was slightly wrong about that…” He trailed off, a pout sitting perfectly on his wet and reddened lips. Scott wanted to kiss him again, but they had the rest of eternity together; he could wait now after seeing a face he never in his wildest dreams thought he would again.
“Wait- love?” Avid finally realized, “Does that mean you-” He cut himself off as Scott simply smiled and let the other figure his feelings out. “I- is it too soon to say this? I didn’t tell you back then, but… I love you.” Avid declared, so much emotion put into those three words. Two hundred years didn’t seem very soon to Scott; his darling was very strange, though. Avid’s eyes were trained on him and so full of hope, but also filled with confidence, like he knew what Scott was going to say in response. Of course, Avid did, for once in his life, Scott’s emotions were written plainly across his face. Why not let the world know what this man did to his heart?
“I love you too.”