Yut-lung did not wake up for one long, hellish week. It was agony waiting for him to wake up, despite the fact she knew he would be fine, but it got her wondering. Why was everyone she turned taking so long to wake up? It normally only took a few hours, but almost everyone she turned took a few days to a week. More specifically, Yut-lung and Shorter. Perhaps it was connected to how her blood tasted to Shorter, and perhaps Yut-lung due to how he drank a high amount of it like most people would with something they enjoy.
When he woke up, he was very... energetic, to say the least. She woke up on the morning of day seven to the smell of something delicious, though she couldn't figure out what it was.
When she got to the kitchen, she saw a sight that made her rub her eyes in confusion. Yut-lung, standing at the stove, with an apron and wearing a sweater and jeans she put in the dresser in his room for him, humming along to a pop song on the radio while making some Chinese looking breakfast food.
Shorter was at the kitchen table, looking just as shocked. Griffin and Skip were there too, looking rather confused as well. Shorter heard her walk in, and turned to her mouthing the words 'What the fuck'.
She walked over to the purple haired man, "He's gone crazy, there's no way that's the same guy that blackmailed me. This has got to be a sign of the apocalypse, when do you think the blood rains will start?", he said mildly petrified.
Yut-lung must have heard this as well, because shortly after that he turned around and faced her with a serene smile on his face. The whole scene was rather... domestic, it made her stomach do something.
"Ah, you're awake!", he said, "I took breakfast duty off of your Uncle Elijah and Shorter, I hope you don't mind. Also, Shorter, just because vampirism didn't do jack for your mental health doesn't mean you have to be salty about it". Shorter let out a choked noise as Yut-lung practically sashayed back to the stove and started handing out serving size dishes of noodles and wontons out to everyone in the kitchen, including her.
'Damn, I didn't even think he knew the meaning of the word salty in that context.' She thought.
"Ah, thank you Yut-lung, I didn't know you could cook." she said, deciding to just give him answers to the things he asked and let him lead the conversation as she took a bite of her breakfast. Huh, it was actually really good, she thought.
He smiled brighter, "I couldn't! I learned a little bit after I woke up last night. I woke up at 3 am, but I had so much energy. I learned 10 traditional Chinese recipes, 5 American and even asked your uncle Elijah to teach me some traditional New Orleans ones. All of them the vampire versions with blood mixed in, of course. There are leftovers from all of my attempts in the fridge if you don't like wontons. I also had a few bags of blood from the freezer and borrowed one of your daylight bracelets to go shopping, I hope you don't mind that either"
He then hung up his apron and washed his hands, after which he came back over to her and took both her now free hands after eating into his. "I feel stronger than I ever have, I can hear things from miles away, see in the dark, I can even control people the way you do. I feel alive for the first time in my life, and I have you to thank."
Cassandra smiled, "I was only doing what anyone with my capabilities should have done in that situation", 'Vampirism amplified his personality a lot more than it did for Shorter and the others. He seems happier though, much more outgoing. This might be a good thing.'
Not even a second after she said that, she felt something soft on her lips and heard a chorus of shocked gasps and what sounded like breaking glass.
Yut-lung was kissing her.
If this was anyone else she would have shoved him off immediately and asked what the hell had gotten into him, but with him it just felt right. She felt like this was exactly what should be happening, and little did she know he felt the exact same way. This was how it should be. Yue, her precious Yue. That's right, he was hers just as she was his, and she would always cherish and love and protect him. She felt something primal, something feral take over in that moment.
The kiss started off slow and chaste, but soon she felt something prodding at her lips. She knew what he wanted and immediately took the lead. She wrapped her arms around his neck and carded her fingers through his long, loose hair. She pressed herself against him and allowed her tongue to explore its new found territory. His hands clutched her shirt in a death grip, and she thought she heard some of the most wonderful sounds she had ever heard coming from him.
They remained like this for what felt like eternity, until they finally broke for air. They stood there for a while, staring into eachothers eyes. She noticed his eyes weren't the black that most people assumed they were, but a deep purple that seemed to be unique to him.
Just as she was about to say something, they heard someone clearing their throat. The two turned in the direction of the sound and saw the entire population of the penthouse staring at them with a range of emotions. Griffin looked mortified, Skip was complaining about not being able to see any of the action due to the fact Griffin covered his eyes, Shorter looked like he was ready to blow a gasket and was apparently the one behind the sound of broken glass as indicated by the shattered glass of what was once orange juice in his hand. Her Uncle Elijah, who she believed was the one to clear his throat, looked a mix of awkward and 'we need to talk', and Uncle Kol looked like the cat who had caught the canary.
"Uh... you know what, I don't even have a logical explanation for this other than I'm 90% sure, against all odds and reason, I am in love with the man you just saw me make out with. Now, if you will excuse us, we are going to have a nice, long conversation about what the fuck just happened, why it did and what it means. Yue cooked breakfast, and I have things to do that will take up the rest of my day so I bid you all adieu.", she rattled out as quickly and clearly as she possibly could, grabbed her lover? Boyfriend? By the hand and marched off to the nearest room with a lockable door, ignoring Elijah and Shorter's protests as well as Kol's maniacal laughter.
As soon as the door locked, she leaned back against it and let herself slide down onto the floor of what she saw was the room she had given to Yut-lung, taking him with her. Why did she feel this way toward someone she barely knew in person? She felt it with Shorter (Oh god, he must feel awful having to see that if he felt the same. She needed to talk to him too. What the hell was she supposed to say? 'Oh, I'm in love with you and another person because reasons, and I made out with him in front of you hoping you would be completely okay with the concept of polygamy.', yeah that will totally go over well.) and now Yue ('Yut-lung', her mind supplied, 'his name is Yut-lung, why do I keep calling him Yue?')
She sighed and held her face in her hands, she just wanted to save the lives of the people her visions showed her, not be caught up in some confusing love shape. She had never even kissed anyone before Yue, and had never been in a romantic relationship. In fact, now that she thought about it she had never really had a crush either. She was just going off of what she had seen of her family and friends' romantic relationships and what she had seen in shows, books and anime. God, when did her life become such a mess?
She felt someone gently squeeze her shoulder, "I'd ask if you're okay, but clearly you're not. So I'll just start off with the second elephant in the room; you said you loved me?"
She took her head out of her hands and looked towards the first half of her blight, he looked upset. She screwed up more than she thought, how could she have been stupid enough to mistake enhanced vampire emotions for love? No one forms attachments that quickly. Especially someone who had been through the kind of hell he had. "Yes, and I meant what I said. I don't know how it happened or why, all I know is that I love you with all of my being."
He smiled as tears started to fall from his eyes.
"Hey, don't cry, everything is okay. I'm sorry if I upset you, we can just pretend like that never happened and-", she didn't get to finish her sentence before she was pulled into a tight embrace.
He buried her face in the crook of his neck and began to speak, "Don't you ever, suggest anything like that again. I love you as well, Cassandra. I want to be with you, to follow you wherever you go and stand at your side. I would look at Ash and that Okumura boy and wonder why they got to have that kind of earth shattering love and I didn't, but now I have that with you. I don't know or care why or how, all I care about is if you love me as well, so I'll ask you, do you love me?"
She took her head away from his neck to look him in the eye and inhaled sharply, "Yes, I do my sweet, beloved Yue. With all my heart. But I know this is all moving too fast for it to be human. I love you and that will never change, however I believe there may be some kind of supernatural force that is driving this as well. I do not believe we are in love against our will, just that some sort of instinct or higher power is speeding this up exponentially. Do you understand, love?"
He nodded, "Yes, I do. I went through some of the books in the living room on vampires, and I read something about sire bonds. Is that what this is?"
She frowned, "No, a sire bond is when you have to follow the direct or indirect orders of your sire at all times, willingly or not, to express loyalty. A sire bond affects how you act, not how you feel. You could despise my very being but still follow my orders to the letter. It could be because of the fact that vampires' personality traits and emotions are amplified when they are turned, but even that only goes so far. What you had started to feel towards me would have only been amplified to where you would know it was romantic, but not that you were in love."
He nodded once more, "That makes sense, I suppose."
Cassandra sighed and continued, "This is something that I have never heard of or seen, though my family might have. That being said, we should still consult another, older witch about this when we get back to New Orleans."
Realizing how final that sounded, she quickly added, "That is, if you wish to return with me and the others when this is all over."
He raised an eyebrow, "Cassandra Mikealson, in the span of 24 hours I have proclaimed my love for you, joined the undead, met two beings well over a thousand years old, and seen the faces of three people thought long dead. Do you really think after all of that, I would wish to return to the hellish life I once led as a member of the Lee family and turn down the opportunity to live happily with you, the women I love?"
She cringed, "Ah, well... I just didn't want to make it sound like you didn't have a choice, is all."
He laughed, and by god was it beautiful, "You really are something else Cassandra."
She laughed as well, "I get that more often than you would think."
He shook his head, "Of course you do."
She began to speak again, "With that out of the way, I need to talk to you about something else, though you may not like it."
He crossed his arms, "Whatever it is, I'm sure I can handle it."
'Don't be so sure about that.', she thought.
She took a deep breath, "What I feel for you is... I don't just feel it for you, Yue. I feel it for Shorter too."
She looked at his blank expression, "I see." he said.
"Let me finish, please." she said, "What I feel for you two is similar but different. I love you romantically and I also love Shorter the same way but for different reasons. I love your silent strength, your witty remarks, your feminine but never frail beauty, your intelligence. I love Shorter's courage, strength, never failing honesty and kindness. You both are the lights of my life, but in different ways. Shorter is my protective purple dragon, and you're my beautiful shining moon who is always watching over me. Do you understand what I am trying to convey?"
His expression remained blank. She began to panic, "Yut-lung... Yue, love, please answer me."
After several excruciating seconds, he smiled. "I... understand. I don't know how or why, but I understand. You love us both, and you don't want to choose and hurt one of us and yourself in the process, am I right?
She sighed in relief, "Yeah, that's exactly right. I love you both, and I want to pursue a relationship with the both of you."
He raised an eyebrow once more, "Well then why are we still sitting in here when you should be telling him these things?"
She blinked, he was right, especially when considering the way Shorter reacted to their moment in the kitchen.
"Yeah, you're probably right, but what if he doesn't like the idea of... this?", she gestured back and forth between them.
He smiled, "If he can't put his desire to be your one and only aside for the sake of just getting to be with you, then it's his loss. If I can make the sacrifice of not having you all to myself for your happiness, he can too."
"I-"
He frowned, "And don't you even think that I am sacrificing my happiness for yours, because I'm not. If you're happy, I'm happy. End of discussion."
Cassandra blinked, 'It seems being turned has matured him emotionally, he's not the same easily jealous and hurt person he used to be.'
He smiled ('he seems to be doing that more, too'), "Now go."
She raised her hands in surrender, "Alright, alright."
As she got up to unlock the door, his face lit up, as if he remembered something important. "Oh! I almost forgot, I wanted to ask you something."
She raised an eyebrow, wondering where this was going, "Yeah sure, go ahead."
"Can I... murder everyone associated with Golzine's side of banana fish?"
She blinked, once, twice, "Huh?"
He twirled a strand of his hair, "You just seem so overwhelmed with trying to take them down and get justice for everyone, as well as prevent people's deaths. I just thought I could take care of some of that for you, if you want me to, that is. It would also give me a chance to show you what I can do, how powerful I am now that I'm a vampire."
She smiled, "That's very thoughtful of you Yue, but I think it's best if we only change what we absolutely need to. We don't want to somehow cause the apocalypse due to the fact we changed too much and left too many loose ends. I already have a special sort of hell planned for Golzine and his associates, so don't worry about that. Also, you may be more powerful now, but you're still new at this. I don't want you getting in over your head."
He sighed, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense, but if you ever change your mind just tell me. I want to see if it is really possible for a vampire to rip out a person's heart with their bare hands." He said this with a sadistic smile.
She blushed, 'Holy fuck that was so hot.', "Okay well gotta go talk to Shorter, I love you k bye." she said in one breathe as she walked over to the still sitting man and pecked his lips before exiting the room fast enough to almost give him whiplash.
She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, 'If he keeps doing shit like that my ovaries are going to implode', she thought as she clutched her chest.
After she managed to collect herself, she walked into the living area and saw Shorter sitting there watching The Lost Boys. He had taken to watching vampire movies and shows of varying quality since his turning so he could laugh at just how far humans were off the mark as to how they really were.
"Hey.", she said, even though she knew that he had heard her come in and had no need to announce herself.
He barely spared her a glance, "Hey yourself, Draculaura." he said, making use of the aggravating nickname he had given her after his transition.
She sighed, "Look, I know your mad me-"
"Uh, mad is an understatement." He stated as he got up off the sectional.
She furrowed her brow, "If you would let me finish, I would like to explain my actions."
He ran his fingers through his hair, sighing. "There is no need for you to explain yourself. He likes you, you like him and I was an idiot for mistaking your kindness for genuine affection. Now, if you'll excuse me, they're just about to get to the part where the 80's knockoff versions of Dracula go into a feeding frenzy.", the purple haired man sat back down, clearly done with the conversation.
She frowned, walked up to the couch, sat on Shorter's lap, proceeded to ignore his questions of what she was doing, and pulled him towards her by the collar, kissing him passionately.
They remained like that for a while, but soon Shorter forced himself to pull back.
"What the hell was that?! I thought you and Yut-lung-", she silenced him with another kiss.
"We are, but we talked about you. I told Yue what I'm about to tell you; I love you, Shorter, and I love him too. I want to start a relationship with the two of you, I want to be with both of you. Yue already agreed, and now I am asking you the same thing. I don't want to hurt one of you and myself by choosing one of you and leaving the other behind, so we decided a poly relationship would be the best course of action. If you don't think you could be okay with that kind of life or relationship, I understand, but I sincerely hope that you say yes.", Which really meant that if he said no she would probably lose it and go kill someone, timeline consequences be damned; probably that Artie guy with the fucked up do.
He gaped at her, his sun glasses slipping down his nose to reveal his brown eyes, pupils dilated.
'Why is everyone trying to keep me in suspense today?', Cassandra really wanted to know which deity decided to fuck around with her life today so she could curse them later.
"Shorter... you in there?", she said, starting to get concerned.
Shorter took a deep breath, and began to speak, "I have no idea why, but I am completely okay with that idea. I never thought I could be in that kind of relationship, but it's like when it comes to you... none of that matters."
"So, you're okay with... this?"
"Yes."
"See! I told you if he really cared he would be okay with it!"
Cassandra looked in the direction of the voice, already knowing it to be Yut-lung. He stood there with a smug look on his face and hands on his slightly jutted out hips.
'God, why is everything he does so goddamn sexy? I'm not going to make it through the week if he keeps acting like this, my heart can't take it.'
She smiled a crooked grin and looked at her two lovers, "Well I suppose all's well and ends well."
"Not quite, Cassandra." She heard the voice of her Uncle Elijah state.
She and the boys turned in his general direction and saw him standing in the walkway with a painfully blank look on his face.
"We still have to discuss my approval over this relationship of yours, I will also need to contact your parents to inform them of your choice and most likely have them come here to help me tor- I mean... interrogate these fine young men to see if they are truly fit to be with a Mikealson."
Shorter gulped, Yut-lung shuttered and Cassandra went pale. Her Uncle Elijah was one thing, but her parents? They would eat the poor men alive, possibly literally. She knew her mother would never let her father pull a 'Auntie Rebekah solution' (Read: kill and/or threaten and severely traumatize the object of her affections out of fear that she will leave him.) , but that didn't mean she didn't fear for her lovers mentally. It seemed the men in question were rather afraid as well. Good, that meant the self preservation instincts were kicking in, which meant they might have a fighting chance of getting the 'Mikealson head nod of approval™'.
"Well," Cassandra said as she got up and patted her boys (God, it felt good to be able to think that and have it be true) on the shoulder, "I wish you both the best of luck, and hope my mother has mercy on your immortal souls."
She then proceeded to sprint out of the area, both her boys following at varying speeds yelling at her to come back and help them prepare for hell as she cackled.