☠︎︎...Lucifer
***
"You're here?"
I ignored the human keeper who was clearly disturbed that I was back.
"Did...Damon already-?"
"Damon isn't my pet and don't ever mention his name in front of me." I hiss in disgust, watching him lower his head immediately. I heard him apologize in muttered whispers as I look around the place.
Noticing the humans that were locked up in their cages, their collars tethered to the floor. I usually...didn't make the choice for this.
Aleksandr would come and make the choice, and I'd call the pet mine. The human would be under my name, so they were my property - I could do whatever I wanted with them despite him choosing them. I've never made such a choice.
Not to mention I don't care to be here, but...Aleksandr insisted.
After our argument last night, I don't want to anger him like that again. Where he spouts such lies...worrying me and such.
"Do you...?" I began to hear that same pathetic voice from the keeper as I could smell him come make his way towards me. "Still have the same preferences as before?"
"Those were Aleksandr's preferences, never mine." I state, sighing as I was becoming irritated. "I don't know what the hell I'm looking for! I don't need a pet, I'm only here to-!"
I stop, forgetting where I am.
"You wouldn't get it. All you do is sell humans, you don't know what it's like to have these struggles." I groan, sighing as I ignore the look the keeper began to gave me.
"You are so insensitive."
My eyes widen, watching as the keeper's eyes did too. He rushed over to the cage behind me as I turned, seeing green eyes already on me.
He had black hair and fair skin, but it was slightly tanned. This human didn't look like the other ones, he didn't look like shit yet. He must've not been here for too long.
This human was...appealing to look at and healthy. No obvious scars or bruises, and no one seems to have drank from yet. He doesn't smell bad either...
His mouth is as big as Damon's though.
"Are you talking to me?"
"Yes, who else would I be talking to?" The human looks me up and down like I was stupid. "What a dumb question."
"Ignore him, please," The keeper practically begs me, kicking the cage some as the human stood his ground, "He was just found. He was one of the humans that has been living freely and had yet to be caught initially; so, he lacks home training."
"You speak of me like I'm some kind of dog, as if you aren't human too, you piece of shit." The human snaps at him. "Why are you doing this? We should be trying to fight for our rights, our humanity back! Why are you contributing to this evil?"
The keeper avoids looking at him, but I was stuck looking at him.
He...entertained me. Not to mention he smelled nice, and he wasn't broken down and mangled.
I want...a distraction from Aleksandr's deeds. I can tell that whatever he is doing now, it's not in favor of us; but in favor of him. I won't impede on what he does because I know it makes him happy, or...whatever it makes me feel.
If I think about it too much I'll interfere again, and he'll be cruel to me again.
I don't want that.
"I want him." I just say right then and there, looking right at the sign that had his name, age, and blood type. "Morgan, twenty-seven years old, blood type- A-."
The human's eyes filling with absolute anger as he began to reach his arm through the cage.
Grabbing the keeper by the arm as he yanks him harshly against it, he collapses to the ground - as do his keys. The human grabbed them immediately and went for trying to unlock it. Until I went forward and reached right in, taking them right out of his hands.
Morgan looked right at me and sighed, gripping the cage bars as he looks me in the eyes.
"I have only been here...for three days now. I have no interest in being a slave to a vampire. You wish to do what to me? Kill me, drink my blood, abuse me? I know how your kind is, and I know what you've had some of my kind do just to protect themselves. It's sickening." Morgan's eyes moved back onto the keys, and I heard the keeper get back onto his feet.
"Sir Lucifer, I don't think you will like him. He still needs to be broken into. There are others and more better catches-."
"I made my choice." I interrupt him, unlocking the cage as I open the door.
Morgan just stood there, and I waited for him to walk out.
"I'm buying you-."
"I can't move with this stupid collar around my neck."
"Oh yeah, remove it at once." I hiss at the keeper, and he rushed to him as he did so.
Once he did, Morgan shoved him off to the side as he steps out of it. I expected him to run until he just stood right beside me. Peering up at me for a moment, just to snort.
"You are funny when you're not being an ass."
"What? You barely know me."
"I know you enough after five minutes of seeing you enter into here to now. I'm pretty good about reading people, and you are...the weirdest vampire I've seen yet."
"What does that even...?" I stop, shaking my head as I saw the keeper look at me in shock.
I know...he's not used to seeing this. Every time I came here before, I never spoke; and if I did, it was to Aleksandr or the annoying human he may have chose. I just paid most of the time, and walked out.
This time...I'm talking and making the choices without him here.
"How much?"
The keeper nods, walking us over to the counter. I saw him pull out Morgan's folder as he hands it to me and I saw his picture of when he was first caught. He looked like he was roughed up a bit...but like he didn't lose the fight either.
"One hundred thousand."
"That's it?" Morgan sneers, and I had to stop myself from snorting at him looking annoyed by his own price somehow. "I think I'm worth more than that."
I snort, paying whatever amount the keeper asked. When I was able to acquire Morgan's folder, we walked out of that place. And when we got into my car without any word, I was...impressed by how he just stared right at me.
Not fearfully either.
"You're not scared of me?"
"No. Out of the hundreds of vampires who have been through there in the three days I've been, you're the only one that comes off slightly...human. I don't know. Maybe I just miss my friends or something." Morgan groans, and I look away from him slowly. "Were you human before, by any chance?"
I was surprised by the fact that he was barely near me and he already picked that up. No human has ever been able to pick that up before.
Not one..all my previous pets were too preoccupied into Aleksandr to give two shits about me.
Which is fine, of course!
"Maybe."
"There's no maybe with that kind of question, it's a yes or no."
I was...impressed by him being so willing to talk to me this way, but I also kind of enjoyed it. When Damon spoke up, he was always being mocking, rude, or just plain irritating.
This is a little different.
"Yes." I chuckle, seeing Morgan's eyes brighten up in some kind of excitement. "Don't tell me you're...less scared of me now?"
"I was never scared of you." Morgan scoffs, and I found myself trying not to...be too entertained right now. "You remind me too much of my pet dog for me to be scared of you."
"Pet dog?!" I gasp, seeing a big smile grow to his lips as he nods insistently. "There's no way. How does that make sense?"
"It's the eyes I think." Morgan was clearly lying, pursing his lips in a silly way. I shook my head when he nods into continuation. "Not the color or anything, the spirit behind it. The somewhat sweet naivety behind it and the need to be cared for."
I found my own grin cracking, seeing Morgan lean against the car seat. Closing his eyes, he yawned as if he didn't just...say all of that.
"If you don't mind, I'm gonna take a nap. I haven't been able to sleep properly ever since I got caught. Wake me up when we get to your place, will ya?"
I don't respond to his request, just watching as he easily just allowed himself to start falling asleep. As if I wasn't...no, he didn't know my image. He didn't know what I was considered, how I was considered...what not.
My lips tighten together, facing forward as I was acutely aware of my own behavior. How different I was acting - if I can even say it's much different.
When I was human so long ago...I had a spirit and life to me. Now all my life revolves around is Aleksandr...and I live for him.
Now I wonder if I'm even truly myself anymore with him. Because just earlier...that was how I once behaved, as if I had a personality. Where did me - where did I go? Where did my personality go? Where did...my life go?
I look back at Morgan, seeing him already asleep so easily.
If he doesn't know anything about me and my image in this world to others...am I able to show the side of myself I haven't been for hundreds of years? Am I able?
Or will...Aleksandr ruin that for me too?
I wouldn't think so since he is so preoccupied with Damon right now. I don't think he'd care enough to interfere, but knowing him...there'll always be a reason to ruin something for someone else - and that's coming from me.
...what a shame that the person I love most...is such a horrible person, to me.
☠︎︎Aleksandr
***
"I knew you'd come to see me eventually."
I glare at William as he smiles at me. His hand reached for mine and I don't give him it. Watching as he pulls his hand back, sighing.
"I don't hate you like how you hate me. We could get along-."
"Stop. You're not fooling anybody. If you truly didn't hate me, you would've been on my side when we took over. I know what the Regularity is really for." I force a grin onto my face, seeing multiple humans playing and doing whatever they wanted in the background. "I see you still cater to a humans every whim."
William just smiles at me, turning around as he looks back at them all. I could tell he was happy to see each and every one of them. His eyes moving back onto me, his smile ceasing slowly.
"It's not 'catering', I just let them be human beings in a world that was meant to be shared by all. I can't exactly let them go out in a society and do such a thing, they'd be destroyed because of what you've made a norm. This is the best I can do, for now." William looks me up and down, only to try and reach towards me.
I dodge his hand immediately, glaring at it as he wiggles his fingers playfully.
"I am just curious to see how much you've changed on the inside. Your mindset...maybe your soul is no longer hollow-."
"This isn't about me." I interrupt him, looking back forward. "You already know who I'm here for. My own pet has a brother that you seem to have here. And don't play dumb with me, I know you do. No other vampire keeps their humans alive and refuses to drink from them, except you."
William's little grin grew larger, his hands going behind his back.
"What's his name?"
"Jerome."
I watch him smile even larger, turning away from me as he walks forwards. I follow him as I walked past all these humans who were just...doing whatever they wanted.
They all looked healthy and perfectly fine, so what was Damon on about?
"Jerome usually likes to be by himself. Being around others bothers him immensely. I try to let him do his own thing and let him have his own area. When people see him they can't just help but want to help him, it's the eyes." William took me down a hallway that was completely empty, my eyes narrowing onto the back of his head. "Except when he was taken from his brother after a promise was broken that was made with a human being, he hates humans with all of his heart. He can only stand to be around vampires. Isn't that ironic, considering Damon's character?"
I don't say anything, seeing him stop before a door. When he knocks on it I watch him grin in amusement to me. He wasn't even looking at the door and continued to look at me.
"It's been so long since it was just the both of us, together. It's a shame you don't come around often-."
"Why would I?" I sneer, seeing him shrug. "You can pretend all you want, but I know you hate me with every ounce of your being because of what I did to the kind and one you loved most. You aren't fooling any-."
The door opens up, and I see William look away from me.
I was now looking up at the human who bared an uncanny resemblance to Damon. His eyes set on me warily only to move onto William, a smile growing to his lips.
"William!"
"Jerome!" He exclaims with just as much excitement, Jerome rushing in to hug him.
His brother was right in front of me, alive and he was the answer. If I...bring Jerome to him, he will-.
"I missed you." Jerome sighs, laying his head against William's as he hugged him even more. His eyes opening back up and looking down at me. "Who are you?"
"Aleksandr." I answer, Jerome pulling back from William as he looked between us nervously.
"Is this William's lover? He never brings vampires here, this has to be. Was I wrong after all? He does have someone he loves?"
I snort, seeing William look at me curiously as I shook my head at Jerome.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not here for William. I am here for you. I know...you miss Damon."
Jerome's concerned expression turned into stillness. He looked back at William who nods, only to look back at me.
"Damon?"
"Yes, your older brother? The one who-."
"The one who gave up his life for another human being. That kid, yeah...I heard. If he had won that one match, William was going to meet him and bring him to me. William was going to save him, but of course, he had to be the savior." Jerome's eyes flickered onto William, only to look back at me. "Are you the one who had the highest bid? I heard someone did, and I know his name was Lucifer. I saw Lucifer, he's black and you're not; so you're not Lucifer."
"I'm not, but I do have Damon, Lucifer bought him for me. He's alive and well and he wants to see you. I promised him that I'd find a way to bring you to him." I insist, not liking the way this was heading.
I know William said he came to hate humans, but that hate wouldn't transcend onto his brother...right?
"I'm surprised."
"Why? He's your brother. He was a wreck in the idea that you suffered. You should've seen him." I step back, beginning to glare at Jerome. "The fuck is wrong with you? Why aren't you excited about this opportunity?"
Jerome doesn't say anything,
"You remind me of a lot of the humans I live with. Annoying and selfish." Jerome tells me, my hands balling into fists. "I don't hate Damon. I still love him, but...I'm upset he would give his life for another person instead of just fighting for a little longer."
"Don't be an idiot." I snap at him, finding him irritating despite barely speaking to him. "He thought you were dead and he was tired of the systematics of it all. The person he fought could've been someone his age and I bet he would've done the same thing. He was just done. That's all."
"And who set those 'systematics' up?"
I flinch, watching Jerome just kindly grin at me.
When I tried to look in his mind again, it became apparent that I could no longer read his mind anymore. It was almost being blocked from me and that's when it became obvious.
He already knew who I was.
"I'm not mad at you, you know," Jerome nodded, leaning against his doorframe as he looked back at William, "I am aware of who you are, what you've done, that you can read minds. I'm aware of much more things than all of the humans in here because I desire to become one of you. William and the Regularity accepted."
"You accepted what?"
My head whips onto William who was already grinning up at Jerome. I look back at Jerome who was grinning at him too and now back at me.
"I am also sick. What I have will kill me, and I don't even know what it is. I will die staying human, and I accepted what comes with being a vampire; but I want to help too. I hate my kind - right now - because of the roles they had to accept to help themselves. To survive, but I want to help fix it."
Jerome began to look at me warily, my eyes beginning to narrow on him because this reminded me of a dynamic William and I once had.
When it was just the both of us originally.
"Someone just needs to change me."
I knew it.
I just stand there, my eyes slowly moving onto William who was already back to looking at me. He wasn't saying a word, but he didn't need to.
"You don't expect me...to do what we once did before and I change all the humans you want to 'help' because your venom is too strong, right? Don't tell me that you think I'll help." I got in his face, but he wasn't budging. "Answer me."
༒︎
here is William!
but have your opinions changed of him?
or...is it still the same?
Jerome is unwell, but...
he's more informed than everyone else.
how do you think that'll go?
because it can go one of two ways. 😀
or maybe...
three? 🥴
vote, comment, follow~
- yolo༒