Work Text:
“Owen, what are you doing?”
“Go away, Doctor, I don’t want your bullshit cure. Leave me alone.” Owen shifted to sit up, glaring at Legundo through dried out eyes, dried tears still coating vaer face.
“Are you okay, Owen?” He asked, approaching slowly.
“Yeah, I’m just peachy,” vae replied bitterly, rolling vaer eyes. “Of course I’m not!” Owen spat, trying vaer best to glare directly into the doctor’s eyes, despite how unsettling eye contact felt. The creepiness was the point, gods damnit.
“What’s wrong, then? How can I help?” Goodness gracious, Legundo was so persistent. Can he not tell that Owen clearly hates him and doesn’t want to be cured? Was vae being too subtle about it, somehow? Vae was pretty sure that vaer monologues and physical attacks had all been abundantly clear…
“I don’t need to be cured, Doctor, and nor do I want it. Leave me alone.” The more vae spoke, the more Owen felt like punching and kicking things again. Vae felt like a toddler throwing a tantrum. This really wasn’t a good look, was it?
“I’m not trying to cure you, Owen, I just want to help.”
“Yeah, and I’m the fucking king of France. I’m not looking for a cure, not from you or any of your stupid human friends.” Every word felt harder to say right. Vae already struggled enough with vaer Rs and THs, but this just made that a million times worse and every word a chore. Owen hated this feeling, and vae’d only felt it more since the humans had reawakened vam.
“Look, Owen, I’m sorry,” the doctor started, and Owen had to hold vamself back from making a stupid squeak or from shaking vaer fists like a toddler. Vae didn’t care how ‘guilty’ he sounded, the doctor had made it clear that he thought vampires needed to be cured. Owen’d had enough that for many, many lifetimes, just as a human. Vampirism had cured vam, and did not need to be reversed. “I’m not trying to cure you. You are clearly struggling; a patient. You need help. I can provide that help.”
Owen bit back a provoked hiss. Sure, he could help, that was totally believable. (And that was sarcasm; Owen loved sarcasm.) Legundo would never hold a candle to Louis. “No, you can’!” Vae yelled, not caring how childish vae sounded. “You never can an’ never will! You’e a bully! Leave me alone!”
Legs backed up, holding his hands placatingly to show he meant not harm. Good. Owen had scared him. That had been the point. Hopefully, Legundo had actually taken it, instead of just brushing it off. The doctor sighed, dropping his hands. “Owen, I-”
“I don’ nee’ fixi’, you big meanie!” Owen was about ready to cry again. Vae felt like vae should be smaller. Like a toddler or young child. Vae certainly felt like one, even beyond vaer actions. Thinking was so hard, all the big emotions clouding vaer brain too much for words.
“Owen.” His voice was stern, and Owen wanted to run away. Before the condition, when vae was still a young child, they would act like this and the town said it was the devil. Vae didn’t care for religion, but that plus vampirism could only end bad. Oh no. Oh no. “Listen.” Against vaer will, Owen perked up vaer ears to listen. “I know you don’t want it, or even think you need it, but your actions speak louder.” Okay, quick question: how the fuck do actions speak? “The way you’re acting right now is proof enough.”
Owen let out a sob. “No i’s no’!”
“Someone who didn’t need help wouldn’t be crying right now.”
“I know dat!” Vae wailed, but vae just couldn’t stop it.
“I came here to learn more about the human psyche, Owen, not the vampiric one. But, even in just my time here, I’ve realised that y’all are unstable. Volatile and apathetic.” He stopped for a breath, seemingly not noticing Owen’s shaking and silent cries. Owen silently built up vaer little courage as the doctor continued to ramble, using big words vae didn’t even want to decipher.
Slowly, Owen let vaer temper reach a boiling point, egging it on to become a violent wave of pure rage. And, like a tsunami wrecking a coastline, vae stood up, glaring, and cut gashes into the doctor’s torso with vaer claws. Vae was still crying, but now the tears were fire as they hit and punched, ignoring Legundo’s protesting, “hey! Hey! Back off, Owen, I haven’t done anything!”
“Go away! I told you ages ago now, di’n’ I? You don’ nee’ speak of anyone but your kind so wudely!” Vae glowered. “You humans, all same! Jus’ judgy, judgy, judgy!” Owen let the tears flow, continuing to struggle, trying to hit Legs even as the human pinned him still. Vae was being squished, arms tight to vaer sides and back pressed firmly into Legundo’s chest. All it did was make vam want to fight harder, to break free, because every point of contact hurt.
“Owen, calm down,” he said, and vae tried to keep fighting, vae really did, but it was in vain. Eventually, Owen gave up, letting vaer body go limp, tears continuing to flow. There was so much touching. This wasn’t a nice hug. Vae was trapped. “Are you done with your little tantrum now?” No! No vae wasn’t! Vae was still raging inside, vae wanted to kill someone, preferably the doctor, rip out his throat, and eat his flesh. But vae couldn’t. Owen was helpless, so vae went still, screaming and crying.
“Are you ready to talk about it? Without your claws, this time?”
Owen shook vaer head as strongly as vae could with how weak and tired vae felt. “Uh, uh!”
Vae heard Legundo sigh behind vam, muttering something about, “putting you out of your misery, since you vampires don’t actually die,” and then a sword went through vaer chest.
Owen woke back up in vaer room in the crypts under the castle, still feeling too little and too angry to do much of anything. Instead, vae sighed, got out a knife, and began sharpening it, since dying had reset vam back to a stage one without claws.