Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1
Fresh Start

Luggage? Check. Toothbrush? Check. Cabbie leaving you in the middle of damn nowhere? Big fricken check. Caleb Jones in generally speaking, was tired of all and any bullshit. Wasn't life supposed to give lemon and not faulty cabs? If so, life owed him a lot of lemons. And not the fanfiction kind either! " Great going. You bought a house online and you don't know if it even exists! Wonderful fresh start. Sunshine to whisk away all your sorrows my ass." By now the snow had started to pick and- WAIT. Was it thundering too?! Caleb shook his head vigorously.  He refused to think about the possibility of a non existent house and the dampness settling into his coat.
Although, a spark of hope was given as crest the Small hill. Black shapes began to take form of small buildings but as quickly the hope came, it left. Those were not buildings they were tombstones and mausoleums. How wonderful a cemetery. Achoo! Turns out sneezing while you're nose is frozen is a painful bloody mess. Perhaps one of the residents in the mausoleum has a box of tissues to spare? On the bright side the slushy snow gave way to a cobblestone road. Which was quite old but still so much better.
Suddenly, a pair of headlights appeared behind Caleb bathing him in yellow light. He didn't know if he should be overjoyed that someone found him or panic. Maybe he should stick his head in the snow? There wasn't much time to think about it because the rickety farm truck rolled to a stop next to him. A burly man with a puffy chestnut beard wound down the window, giving him a toothy grin. " You must be the new kid!" Caleb sent him a weary look... The best he could with chattering teeth anyway. "H-how did you know?" The driver abruptly belt out a jovial laugh. "Well for one thing there was only one house for sale and well visitors are a bit scarce in these parts."
   As the man continued to laugh, a smaller figure arose from the seat where he was presumably sleeping. He adjusted his cap and whacked his friend on the arm while he scolded him in a foreign language. The laughter stopped after whatever the man had said to him. "Good Lord,lad! You're soaked to the bone, should've said somthin' sooner." He jumped out of the truck and yanked the back door open. It was against his better judgment but it felt like hell froze over twice. If he were to die, he'd rather be warmer so he numbly climbed into the backseat. The cab was indeed warm. In fact he could have face planted on the vent it felt so damn good.
The smaller male pivoted in his seat and stuck out his hand. "The names Arthur." The man was more quiet than his counterpart but he had the same mischievous glint in his eyes. "Caleb Jones." Arthur withdrew his hand in surprise. "Geez,you're like a popsicle! Here take this." He dug underneath the seat for a second before tossing him a thick blanket. Caleb took it with grateful nod as he quickly wrapped it around his shoulders. Burying his nose in the bundle he let out a sigh of content.
   "Oh, I almost forgot, this guy is Blake!" Arthur stated while he playfully slapped said man's shoulder. "I'm a pretty clever handyman if I do so say myself!" Blake chuckled.  The ride was silent other than the occasional bickering of the two in the front seat. They were a unique pair. Caleb wondered how they became friends. As the old truck rattled through town, he noticed most of the windows emitted a warm glow which gave it a lively air. "Hope you don't mind we'll be stopping by the old work place. It's closer than your home." Caleb jolted awake as he was dozing off and blinked owlishly.
  "No. No, that's fine. I hope I didn't make you late." Another laugh boomed through the cab. "Oh, no you're just fine! Cranky Bones  can handle things by himself for a bit." Arthur chimed in with a groan. "It's Friday, the Nebasky family always show up. Trust me, he'll be more than cranky. The man's a poster child for Midol!" Who was that? Hearing the two men banter about him  piqued Caleb's curiosity. But hey,curiosity killed the cat. Right? " Who's Cranky Bones?"
     Blake waved his hand randomly in the air as he spoke. "The man is meaner than sin itself. Every morning his feat hit the ground the devil flees! Just the other da-"  Blake's tale was put to a halt when Arthur pinched his chest. He shoved the offending hand away and continued talking. " You'll meet him soon enough,lad. Who knows maybe old Bones will take a liking to you."  The remainder of the ride was quite, leaving Caleb to his thoughts. What kind of man was Bones? Was he really that hatful or did something happen to make him like that?
  Soon the three arrived at their destination... a pizza parlor. Something odd caught his eye. Nah,that couldn't be a hearse. Oh God it was! Following his gaze Arthur let an amused smile grace his features. "Don't worry about it. It's never carried the deceased." Caleb nodded slowly. Where he was from, a hearse was a bad omen. So what did it say about one at a pizza parlor? "Arthur,don't lie to him! The man who drives that beast is dead." Blake ducked out of the truck before his friend could pinch him again. Rolling his eyes Arthur turned to face Caleb. "Don't listen to that lovely twit,Caleb. Bones is a good man, he just has a battered heart that needs a little care."
   Caleb had a feeling that if he left the truck something would change his life. Good or bad he wasn't entirely sure but it was waiting behind those doors. He was hope it was a lifetime supply of breadsticks. With that he hopped out of the cab and joined the others.

Chapter Text

   As soon as Caleb stepped through the pizza parlor door the scent of fresh bread and herbs filled his thawing nose. Rock music blared out of the old jukebox that claimed the wall by the entrance. It reminded Caleb of that time he snuck out to catch a Warped Tour concert. But Blake didn't seem to appreciate the racket though. "V! Turn that shit down we have company!"
    To the person's credit, they did lower the volume until it was just a hum. Chuckling as he placed his winter cap on a hook, Arthur spoke over his shoulder. "Bathrooms are that way if you want to change and you can sit anywhere except the roof and at table eleven." Arthur gave a small salute as he disappeared into the back. What's wrong with table eleven? Caleb leaned around the wall to gaze at the back and he wished to God he didn't.
   The table was nearly unrecognizable due to various smears of food covering the surface. Six small children screeched at an unholy volume while half of them ran around the room almost knocking into Blake carrying a tray of drinks. Caleb tore his gaze away from the pizza massacre in favor of dry clothes. They must be the Nebasky family. No wonder why Cranky Bones was well,cranky.
   He locked himself in a stall but curiously stopped to listen to the rest of the song. Caleb was never one for rock music but he really liked this one. Maybe he'd ask Blake or Arthur if they knew the title. As carefully as possible he began to peel the soggy sweater off though the  carefulness still brought a flash of pain to his injuries. The colorful bruises splotching his ribs and stomach were still tender but at least there wasn't any internal damage.
    House or no house he was extremely happy to leave all the toxic people behind. And blissfully so. Suddenly there was a loud clatter of metal  pans crashing to the floor along with a string of curses. A name was being yelled but Caleb couldn't quite make it out. He hastily chose a red sweater and the thickest pair of jeans he owned. Not to mention man's greatest invention. Thermal underwear. He  exited quickly and found Blake with his arms locked around a lanky man,who looked to be giving the bearded man a time.
Was Arthur trying to shield him from the struggling man's view?  Too late now, the man had broken free from Blake's vice grip and made a beeline towards him. The stranger pushed Caleb onto  the table and pressed his nose flush against the hollow of his throat. Inhaling deeply, a growl of pleasure fell from his mouth without a care. His lips barley brushing Caleb's skin causes goosebumps to immediately rise.
Then the feeling was gone. Blake had grabbed the stranger by the back of his black work shirt and hauled him off with a shout. "Valentine, out you go!" Launching him outside along with what looked like a pack of cigarettes, he locked the door securely after he had heard a reassuring thud. When he finally looked at Caleb, a small stab of fear made itself known. Why did Blake suddenly have wolf eyes? That wasn't there before...
"Don't worry about him he's just actin' a bit off,lad." At that exact moment the owner and chef waddled out of the kitchen to see what chaos ensued in his establishment. Caleb nearly fell of the table from what he saw. The chef didn't have normal legs but had those of an octopus. With wide eyes Caleb stared at Arthur as if he sprouted horns.
When Arthur did look at him, alarm was written all over his face. " Deep breaths Caleb!" He didn't even notice he forgot to breathe until a choked breath forced itself through. And damn did it hurt like hell. Blake was the first to step closer to prevent Caleb from fainting and possibly bashing his head but he leaped from the table in a flash. He ran to the back door in a speed Usain Bolt would be proud of and flung himself out to the small ally with grunt.
   Fuck,fuck ,fuuuck! He would take his chances with the man who had been smelling him than whatever was happening in there! Free breadsticks were definitely not the life changing thing. He was frantically running for the mouth of the ally when someone snagged him by the turtleneck. A undignified yelp left his mouth as he was pulled closer until his rump landed on a old picnic table top. If Caleb recalled correctly, the man's name was 'V'. He had wavy black hair that stopped at his jawline which fell over his right eye. The one eye that was exposed was a bloody red in color with thick lashes framing it.
A lit cigarette dangled between two thin lips that were almost as pale as his skin. " If you don't calm the hell down you're going to pass out on this nasty ally floor." V's voice was strangely feminine yet a touch of masculinity. It wasn't unpleasant in the slightest.
"I. I think that would be my best bet right now. Maybe I'm just dreaming." Smoke billowed into the crisp night air when V gave a hysterical huff. The usual smell of acrid smoke wasn't there but instead  notes of licorice wafted in the air. The raven casually reached across and pinched Caleb's thigh harshly. Which he quickly swatted away. " Ow,damn! Why did you do that?!"
V lazily shrugged his shoulders while he pushed the hair away from his eye. "Well you're not dreaming." Caleb shot him a incredulous look. Getting a better look at V he noticed there was a scar at the right corner of  his mouth. It curved upwards ever so slightly to give him part of Cheshire smile. The man caught his gaze and reacted just how Caleb imagined. V flipped him a bird and thrust it to his face. Apparently he didn't like to be stared at. "If you keep sticking your hand in my personal space I will bite you,V!"
A smirk quirked at the corners of the raven's lips as he took the last drag from the cigarette before snubbing it out in the snow. "Best you go inside human. You're lips are blue." They did in fact feel numb but did V just call him human?! Well, not that he wasn't but still.  "Come on, back inside you go."
   Caleb straightened his back and lifted his chin. "No thank you now if you will excuse me, I will be on my way." V humphed as Caleb turned his back.   
     Caleb didn't get very far before something black wizzed pass his vision and in a blink of an eye, V appeared in front of him. Wounding his arms around Caleb's knees the man slid him over his shoulder with ease. "Hey put me down! I am not going back in there! I'm not a sack of potatoes either."To his surprise (or not) V smacked his rear lightly which earned another undignified sound.
    " Too bad,right now you don't have much say in the matter.  It's not safe to traipse back to wherever they found you,it won't bode well for you." Caleb clung to the nearest object which so happened to be a steel pole. " Please let go! I don't like feeling like this." As he was holding on to the pole, his sweater pulled up over his abdomen showing all of the bruising but when V noticed them he immediately placed him on the window sill.
   He lifted he shirt with upmost care and firmly pushed Caleb's protesting hands away when he tried to pull the shirt back down. V placed his hands on the worst bruise that stretched from underneath his left pectoral to his navel. The man's hands felt like they had fire underneath the skin just waiting to erupt. How is he still so warm? It's freezing out here and he's like a furnace.
   Caleb hadn't meant to whine at the pain but it was still so freaking tender. V laid his palms flush against the injury. Impossible. Even more heat radiated from his palms, soothing the bruising to a throb. "Who did this to you?" V demanded as he examined the others. It took every ounce of will power to not let his head loll back at the heat penetrating discolored skin. " Just some asshole at my old job. It doesn't matter now because I'm far away from all of that. Besides, I will heal." Caleb solidified his answer by shaking his head sternly.
V looked up from checking the splotches and gave him a sour expression. He yanked the red fabric down and gripped Caleb's jaw in a firm hold so he would look him in the eyes. "Hear me now human. It does damn matter because whoever the pathetic asshole is they will never touch you again,that's a promise. So go back inside,Caleb."
The authoritative tone sent an unsuspecting shiver down his back. Unwanted fear and doubt seeped through his brain as he tried to think clearly. You should have never left just like your mother warned. Buying a house was a mistake. These people will never care for you. "I- I just need a map and I'll be on my way." V sighed deeply as if he knew Caleb's internal turmoil.
"I understand you're scared but I can't let you go back there. Caleb, out of all the people to trust in your life, Blake and Arthur are the ones. If I'm mistaken they already consider you family." Caleb stared at V with uncertainty. He felt trapped knowing he was the only human in this town but he didn't feel quite right back in Kansa either. He said he could trust Arthur and Blake but what about the man who was standing so close?
"What about you,V? Can I trust you too?" Those red eyes seemed to soften upon hearing Caleb's whispered question. There was a pause before V spoke again. " I'm going to have to leave that for you to decide but I promise that I will not let any harm come to you. Be it your own demons or people."
The raven carefully maneuvered Caleb off the window sill and guided him back inside,once more the warmth enveloping him. Both Blake and Arthur scrambled to stand from their seats  at their arrival. "I'm sorry,lad. I didn't mean to give ya a fright." V gently nudged his backside with his knee,urging him to sit in the booth with the others. As Caleb did so, V disappeared quickly into the kitchen returning just as quick with a glass of iced tea and breadsticks.
  Due to his nerves, Caleb's words were almost a indescribable jumble. " I'm so sorry for the troubles I've caused! Please don't go out your way to hospitable-" His babbling was cut short by a warm squishy breadstick being shoved in his mouth. "You're not causing problems and you are not paying for damn thing. Now eat, I know you're hungry Shortcake."
   "Shortcake?" Blake and Arthur asked in unison. The pair cut their eyes at the man in question. Most likely wondering what transpired between them in the ally. V's lips quirked into a devious smirk as he glanced at Caleb. " Mhm,well you said you weren't a sack of potatoes so now you are shortcake." Through all of this he maintained eye contact as he took a bite of his breadstick.
   What was comedic was Blake looked completely perturbed by V's behavior. Kind of like dad who's child got detention. "Now you will nearly chase any newcomer away but here you are giving this one pet names! Oh, wipe that look off your face or it'll freeze like that!" Arthur clapped his hands while he laughed. "Well it's much late for such warnings because he makes that face everyday!" V threw up his hands in surrender with an honest smile on display.
    The meddling fear gave way to peace while sitting with these three. In fact, he felt quite happy listening to their banter. Blake fought uselessly against fits of laughter. "Alright,alright on to important business. You see Caleb, the inhabitants in this town are not quite human like ourselves. Yours truly is a werewolf." Well that explains the wild eyes I guess.
    "And I am- Well shit! Mine doesn't sounds manly at all. Oh well, I'm a half merman half ghost." Arthur added while attempting to puff out his chest. With silence falling over the table, all stares fell on V. Arthur raised a expectant eyebrow. "Is there something you want to add, dead boy?"
    The man opened his mouth wide. To Caleb's amazement, V's canines lengthened until a pair of sharp fangs graced both top and bottom of his mouth. Honestly Caleb thought expecting this whole thing to be just a wild tale to attract tourists but the man's fangs said otherwise. "Is this enough proof for you,Caleb?" If possible, the fangs gave V a husky lisp that made his insides shiver. Caleb internally chastised himself for not being able to think  straight for even a minute but he nodded quickly. "Plenty."

Chapter Text

    Okay. So he did get the breadsticks but turns out said food comes with a few surprises...that being Supernatural beings. Valentine was right though, he was hungry because after he was fed copious amounts of pizza he felt a smidgen better about being the only human here.
    "Alright,lad. Your house hasn't been cleaned in quite some time so it's extremely likely a colony of dust bunnies have taken it hostage. It would be in your best interest to stay with one of us." Arthur blinked a few times while he stared at his hands clasped around the can of Cola,brows furrowing in thought. He then leaned close to Blake's ear to whisper something that was apparently troubling to the werewolf as he bowed his head seeming troubled.  "Ahh,a slight change of plans,Caleb. By chance you knew someone that preferred to date the same gender would you feel disturbed?"
    Caleb stared at the group with confusion then blinked rapidly. Was he about to out himself in front of these almost strangers? Damn strai-curvy? "Noo,that would be kind of hypocritical of me wouldn't it?" Suddenly a loud whoop split the air making Caleb jump a good amount. Looking for the source he found the werewolf grinning like a mule eating briars.
" Wonderful my boy! We are the three muskequeers...although I believe we can open a position for ya!" How strange that V had disappeared when they started to talk about this. Was he bothered by it? Then again, Blake mentioned three meaning V was part of the group. "Alright,now that we have that settled. Arthur made another point that we don't have much space but I'm sure you could bunk with V!"
   Said man poked his head around the order window aiming a scowling glare at Caleb. Those wonderful red eyes delving straight into his core. Damn it,did he just say wonderful?! "Guys I really appreciate the offer but I can't ask that of you. I'm extremely happy with a hotel so don't go through all of that trouble,please."
    "Dude you gotta sleep somewhere that isn't a hotel bed. Besides,V really needs to have someone be with him." Arthur was already pulling his winter cap over his azure hair and stomped on his snow boots. The vampire reappeared donning a thick black coat with a fur trimmed hood and tall Doc Martin's. "Lad,he's right. The vampire could use some company!"
Flipping up the hood he placed a cigarette between thin pink lips. "Arthur,you know damn well I don't know what to do with a human. I'm dead therefore the needs of a mortal bypass me." Caleb tried to stifle a laugh but didn't quite manage it. The expression of the vampire's face was a comical mix offense and usual pissyness. "Sorry Valentine it's kind of funny."  V grumbled while he looped his arm through a still snorting Caleb's to drag him along, " Fine. He can stay with me but I'll need a list of what he requires."
    "Well I'll be deadman! Have you grown a soft spot for Caleb?" Blake and Arthur continued to make jokes at V's expense as they made their way to their perspective cars. Ohh,that's right...Valentine drove a hearse. The human paused at the hood of the death wagon contemplating his life choices.
"Um,hey Valentine? The vampire looked over the top of the hearse from fiddling with his keys,the lit cigarette cast eerie shadows along his pale skin as it flickered. "This hasn't been in a actual funeral has it?" He could have sworn he saw Valentine's eyes absorb the sparks of the cigarette dangling from his mouth. It made his gut turn with something unfamiliar yet not unpleasant in the slightest. Deviousness painted itself across his face all but telling Caleb he was up to no good. "And if it has...would that bother you,Caleb?" Yes.yes it would but that would be hypocritical wouldn't it. After all the man was dead!
V must have noticed his scrunched eyebrows because he let out a snort,whether it was from amusement or disbelief he didn't know. "No it hasn't,little mortal. I'm the only dead man who has ridden inside." Caleb silently nodded and got in when the door unlocked. A tangle of rosary beads hung around the rear view mirror that jingled lightly as the door shut,the silver cross catching bits of light. A soft scent of flowers and anise clung to the exterior of the cab giving it a surprisingly comforting feel.
V cranked the engine with a quick flick of his wrist sending a hum of music through the speakers and warm from the vents. Alright,better settle this before he enters the vampire's house. Possibly safer too. "Can I ask you something,V?" Honestly he didn't know where to start. He was slightly afraid of reminding him of unfinished business but V couldn't possibly be that way.Right?
    "Were...you going to bite me back at the pizza parlor?" When Caleb didn't hear anything he glanced to the side to see Valentine gripping the leather steering wheel until a creek of protest came from it. V's voice was unsuspectingly soft,nothing more than a whisper when he answered. "I'm sorry,Caleb. I didn't fully expect your scent and..." He stopped himself from completing the sentence,seeming to have a difficult time looking him in the eyes.
    "I don't always get fresh blood when I need it but this I swear to I wasn't going to harm you." Did that mean he drank donated blood or did he not get eat very often? "So you're just hungry? The immortal's lips were pressed into a thin line as if admitting he were hungry was a great weakness. Caleb's grandmother always taught him to share and give to those in need even if he very little himself. Although...he doubted when she told him this she knew he would meet a vampire. Maybe he could offer some of his own blood as a 'thank you' of sorts for letting him stay.
Maybe he had been expecting a house with towers reaching well into a sky or something with a graveyard view in the backyard but it definitely wasn't this. A yellow one story house with red shudders was encased by snowy bushes and what appeared to be honeysuckle that would bloom on warm summer days. To the right was a larger brown bricked house with a pool,which he assumed was Blake and Arthur's. To the left a V'a house was the unexpected to say the least. It seemed to shock even the moody vampire sitting next to him.
    The house that Caleb had bought had collapsed. To think he could have been under that roof. He heard what sounded like many variations of the word 'fuck' passing Valentine's mouth. Well,damn. Caleb just stared at what used to be a house. He made it this far he refused to go back home because of a little obstacle!
   "Here we are, песочное печенье." Caleb scrunched his brows in earnest thought due to hearing the foreign tongue. He wanted to reply but for all he knew the man could be insulting him,Caleb's wit had failed him. "Umm,could you maybe repeat that?" V chuckled softly but instead of telling him anything more he got out of the car. Caleb watched the lithe form striding to the front door,debating if he should follow or not. What are so nervous for? It's not like there's a dungeon or blood bags strewn every where...or bodies.
   He held his breath and got out with his only bag slung around his shoulder. Relief flooded his body once seeing there were none of those things not even a skull. Three well worn chairs were placed around a sturdy oak coffee table and a fireplace with kindling waiting in hearth. Miscellaneous items were placed in no particular order on the shelf above the fireplace,a large basket of cozy looking blankets were by the cream colored chair and more sat by checkered couch. To much of his delight two thick books were stashed inside.
    "Thanks. For Y'know letting me stay with and putting up with my ass. I promise not to be a nuisance." The vampire paused midway from shrugging his jacket off to glare at him. "Caleb,if anyone is putting up with an ass it's you. So if I'm being one because though I hang around Arthur and Blake, I don't socialize very often." We'll get along just fine. When was the last time he went out anyway? Last month orrr maybe,eh screw it. He was a happy hermit. Besides,he just move to a town that basically doesn't exist so yea,they will be just fine,
    Caleb moves closer to the couch and placed his duffel bag by the foot of it. "What are you doing,mortal?" V had his head tilted as he stared past inky locks which had fallen over his eyes. Caleb returned the gaze with embarrassment staining his cheeks. His tiredness made him forgetful. "I mean I'll take the couch if that's okay because I'm happy with the floor too." The state of disapproval only deepened while Caleb continued to ramble on.
   " No couch or floor. There is no reason why we can't sleep in the same bed." Caleb sucked his head as heat bloomed through his body. "Now come,Caleb. Let us go catch some dreams." With that the vampire entangled his hand in Caleb's sweater and lead him upstairs.