Chapter Text
Regulus couldn't sleep. It was the third night in a row that he had woken up in the middle of the night for seemingly no reason at all and couldn't fall back asleep for the life of him. He didn't have a nightmare, which is what usually plagued him during the night. Especially when he still lived with his parents, which hadn't been the case for four years now. The longer he was away from them, the less frequent the nightmares came.
Regulus' life wasn't perfect, far from it, but it wasn't terrible either. He had a decent job, or at least one that kept a roof over his head. He had his friends that he visited regularly enough to know what was going on in their lives if anybody had asked. He even had a decent relationship with his brother. So why couldn't he sleep through the night anymore? He couldn't think of anything that would make his mind race enough to disturb his sleep this much.
Regulus sighed as he stared at the bedroom ceiling of his flat on the outskirts of London. At least he didn't have to work in the morning like he had the last two days. He was exhausted, and yet he still couldn't stay asleep. His exhaustion was enough for Sirius to ask if the nightmares had come back last night when Regulus met him for dinner at the small cafe down the street. Regulus told him that he was fine, just a little tired, and the nightmares hadn't returned, at least not as much as they had plagued him as a kid. Nowadays, it was once or twice every couple of weeks.
After staring at the ceiling for what had to be at least an hour and trying to force himself back to sleep, Regulus sighed heavily and heaved himself out of bed. Maybe the fresh air would help; it did the other day. Regulus slipped on his boots and a jacket over his pyjamas. He would walk down to the gallows and back. At three in the morning, nobody else would be around to disturb him or ask why he was out so late.
The first time Regulus had ventured out in the middle of the night, Sirius gave him a lecture about it being dangerous to be alone at night. He claimed there were vampires around. Regulus had scoffed and told him he was full of shit and just trying to scare him like he did when they were kids. Even if Regulus didn't believe him, he still kept an eye out for anything out of the ordinary along the quiet street.
The breeze was nice. It was a little chilly for the September morning, but not too cold that it forced him back inside before he could get enough fresh air to hopefully help him sleep. The gallows were a little under a kilometre from his flat, even though they weren't used as much nowadays. That should be enough to make his body tired and hopefully calm his mind down enough for him to sleep. Regulus was walking along mindlessly, and before he knew it, he was turning down the street where the gallows were at the end.
He froze in his tracks when he looked up and saw someone sitting on the edge of them. Nobody should have been out this late. But instead of listening to Sirius' warning and turning around, his feet dragged him closer to the mysterious man. He had never seen him before. This man had golden brown skin and round gold-rimmed glasses surrounding lenses that reflected the full moon's glow off them, causing an ethereal aura to surround him. He looked at Regulus and smirked mischievously.
Turn back. He is dangerous. Regulus thought, but he couldn't get his body to listen to him. No matter what he did, it was as if the guy was pulling Regulus towards him with an invisible string. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation talking, but Regulus thought that he might be okay with it. Finding out who this gorgeous man was, no matter how dangerous he may be.
"Hello, darlin'," the man drawled low and husky as Regulus caught a split-second glance of a pointed canine.
He froze in his spot. There was no way his brother was correct. He could feel that this man was dangerous, but he was still drawn to him. No matter how much he kept telling his body to run, it wouldn't listen to him. It was like he was under a spell or something. He found himself stepping closer to the gallows after a minute. The man hadn't moved from his spot on the edge of them, although he did lean back on his elbows and look up at the frayed noose with another mischievous smirk.
Neither of them moved for a few minutes. The night was still as if it was waiting with bated breath to see what Regulus would do. The man looked back at him, and something flashed in his eyes that Regulus was now close enough to see. They were a deep blood red. His breath hitched, and he took a step back. That wasn't possible. Sirius wasn't correct. He was not standing here staring at a vampire.
Regulus turned and ran as fast as his legs would carry him. He didn't stop until he was in his flat with the door locked. He fell back against the door and slid down it when his legs couldn't hold his body weight anymore. He did not just see a vampire. This had to be a nightmare, and he was going to wake up any second now in a cold sweat.
Regulus pinched himself to wake up. Nothing happened. He did it again two more times. He was awake, and that made his breathing become a little erratic. Regulus managed to get his feet under him and stumbled back to his bed. He collapsed onto it before he squeezed his eyes shut. This was all a dream. This was a dream. This was a dream. Thiswasadream.
The words blended together as he chanted them in his head. It had to be a dream. It was the only explanation. Vampires and monsters weren't real. They were only in books. That was it. Regulus was reading a vampire book and dreamed everything up.
He didn't know when he fell asleep, but when he awoke, the sun was pouring in through his curtains, and there was a knock on his front door. He slowly rubbed his eyes before he got out of bed to answer it.
"Sirius? What are you doing here?" Regulus asked through a yawn.
"Did you just wake up?"
"Yeah."
"How could you sleep through the screaming this morning?" Sirius asked, shocked. "I swear it's like you sleep like the dead sometimes."
"What are you talking about? What screaming?"
"There was a murder last night."
"What? Where?" Regulus asked, confused.
"At the gallows."
The gallows.
Regulus was at the gallows last night, wasn't he? Or was it really all a dream? Regulus didn't realise that he stumbled back until Sirius grabbed his arm before he fell to the ground. His mind was racing almost as fast as his heart was. Could he have been murdered last night if he hadn't run? No. It was just a coincidence that something happened at the gallows after he had dreamt about meeting a vampire there.
"You okay, Reg? You went a little pale," Sirius questioned once he was sure that Regulus was stable on his feet again.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just tired, I guess," Regulus said with a shrug after he managed to calm his breathing down, although his mind was still racing. "Do you know what happened?"
"No. I heard the screaming and somebody told me there was a murder at the gallows when I went outside to see what was going on."
"Oh. Okay."
Regulus walked into his small kitchen to get a glass of water. He didn't trust himself to not tell his brother about him possibly being there last night. He was still trying to convince himself that he wasn't. He did not meet a vampire last night before he promptly ran away. It was all a dream. Maybe if he told himself that enough times, it would be true, but Regulus knew that it wasn't. He knew it wasn't a dream or a nightmare, no matter how many times he told himself that it was.
"Do you want to go check it out?" Sirius asked suddenly from the living room. Regulus stood on the threshold of the kitchen and raised an eyebrow in question. "Nothing ever really happens around here. I'm curious."
"Of course you are," Regulus responded as he shook his head.
He was already headed to the coat rack to grab his jacket and put on his boots. Sirius never took his off, which Regulus would usually yell at him for, but given the news he brought, he figured he would let it slide this one time. They left the flat and walked the same path Regulus took last night to the gallows. There were people still frantic in the streets. Women were ushering their children back into their houses while the men made their way down the street to investigate. Sirius was right. Nothing ever really happened around here, so when something did, it was a big deal.
Regulus stood a few metres away from where he was last night and watched the commotion. Sirius was looking around, probably trying to see if he could figure out who had been killed. Regulus wasn't thinking about who, but more about how. There were whispers throughout the crowd, and it didn't take long before it reached Regulus and his brother.
"It's Gideon," one person whispered.
"It looks like his blood was drained," another answered in return.
Blood was drained. Regulus tried to take a deep breath. He could have been his victim last night. He could have been the one lying on the platform of the gallows, right where the man was sitting last night. Regulus knew the man could be dangerous, but he also didn't feel like he wanted to hurt him. Why? If he was there to kill, then why did he sit on the edge of the gallows and watch Regulus as he stood there frozen by the man's beauty?
Would Gideon still be alive if Regulus hadn't run away last night? Would the man have found somebody else to feed on? Or would he have eventually fed on Regulus? Would Regulus have let him? He had too many questions floating around in his head that he couldn't get anything straight.
"Reggie?" Sirius set his hand on Regulus' elbow.
"Hmm?"
"I was talking to you, and you just stopped responding. Where did you go?"
"Oh, nowhere. I was just thinking."
"About?"
"When do you think it happened?" Regulus asked absentmindedly.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it would take a while for someone to be drained of their blood. Wouldn't it? And where is the blood? Was there a mess on the platform?" Regulus asked hurriedly.
"I- I don't know," Sirius replied with furrowed brows. "I guess it would probably take a long time, depending on the person. Right? And you'd probably need a medical background as well."
"Yeah."
Unless you're a vampire, Regulus didn't say. He didn't even know Gideon, not really. He knew him about as much as everybody else knew anybody in their small town on the outskirts of London. Is that why he came here? It was a small town. The news of a murder probably wouldn't reach the big city, at least not until it was old news. Did he know that? Or was he looking for someone specific? Maybe it wasn't even the man Regulus saw last night. There could have been others, but he seemed to be alone. Did vampires usually work alone? Regulus couldn't remember.
"Well, let's go back," Sirius said a few minutes later.
The crowd was starting to disperse. Regulus looked back at the gallows one last time before he looked at Sirius and nodded. They left before anyone else started to think they were up to no good. Sirius went back to his flat after asking him if he wanted to come over. Regulus didn't. He wanted to get back home and think about everything that had happened.
**
A week went by before Regulus had another sleepless night. He was staring at his ceiling again and wondering if he should risk venturing out at three in the morning again. Would he be there if Regulus went back to the gallows? Did Regulus want him to be there? Kind of. He had been racking his brain all week. Why not him? What would have happened if he had stayed? Would he stay this time if he were there? Part of Regulus wanted to know more. Wanted to know his name and if he was the one who killed Gideon.
Before Regulus told his body to, he was getting out of bed and putting on his boots and jacket. He walked the same path he had a week ago, curious to see if the vampire would turn up again. Maybe he killed Gideon and then left for a more populated hunting ground. Regulus must have gotten lost in his own head again because when he stopped and looked up, he was standing in the same spot he was the first time.
The vampire was sitting there nonchalantly. He looked at Regulus again and smirked. God, he was beautiful. Regulus couldn't help but think as he stood there transfixed. He stared back at the man on the edge of the gallows. His glowing red eyes flashed with something that Regulus couldn't place.
"Hello, Darlin'."
Regulus' throat dried up as he tried to swallow around the words that lodged themselves in his trachea. He had so many questions, but none of them were coming out. How could this man do that to him? Regulus had always been able to say what was on his mind, but when he was in front of him, nothing came out. The man just sat there on the edge as he had before. Regulus pinched his arm to make sure that this wasn't a dream. It wasn't.
The vampire rested his elbows on his thighs and steepled his fingers under his chin before he cocked his head to the side and flashed his canines again. Regulus didn't know what to do. He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't have left his flat. While the man hadn't moved from his spot on the edge of the platform, he was looking at Regulus like he wanted to eat him. His gaze was predatory, but his smile was... gentle? Was that even possible? Regulus didn't wait to find out before he turned and ran back to his flat like the coward he apparently was.
Regulus bolted the door as soon as he was inside and ran to his bed. He didn't know what to think anymore. He wanted his questions answered, but he couldn't bring himself to ask them. The man was looking at him like he was starving, and Regulus was the only food in the entire country. He sat at the head of his bed and dropped his head back until it collided with the wall. Why was he such a coward all of a sudden? What was it about the man that made Regulus question everything that he thought he knew?
He should have been surprised when Sirius turned up at his door the next morning, but something told him that it would happen. There had been another murder at the gallows. Another body was drained of its blood. Another person whom Regulus didn't exactly know. The first time, it was a coincidence that someone died after he ran away, but it had happened twice now. Was that a coincidence, or was it becoming a pattern?
Regulus didn't bother going to see who it was this time. He didn't want to be reminded that he ran away from a man who was sitting on the platform and never moved. Instead, Regulus went to work and tried to have a relatively mundane day. The bookshop was quiet today, not that he was complaining. When it was quiet, Regulus got more time to read, so that's what he was doing when the bell above the door rang, signalling there was a customer.
Regulus was about to greet them when he froze. It wasn't possible. This man shouldn't be able to walk around during the day if he were a vampire. Right? The man smirked at him before he disappeared into the shelves of the bookshop. What was he playing at? Regulus stayed behind the counter and racked his brain on what this could mean. Was he even a vampire? Did he sharpen his canines to scare people? But what about the red eyes? That wasn't natural.
"Reggie?" Pandora asked, pulling him from his thoughts.
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay? You were staring at the bookshelves."
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just waiting for the customer to come back," he replied as he glanced at the shelves the vampire disappeared behind.
"What customer? There's nobody in the shop," Pandora said with concern coating her tone and gaze.
What? Regulus watched him enter. He watched him go behind the bookshelves. Didn't he? Or was he just thinking about him so much that his subconscious was making him think that he's seeing him in places other than the gallows?
Regulus forced a smile on his face and a light chuckle before he said with a shrug, "They must have already left then."
"Maybe," Pandora replied slowly as she watched him carefully.
He felt like she was scrutinising him. He ducked his head quickly and grabbed the book he was reading before he took his seat behind the counter again. Neither of them said anything else. After a few minutes, Pandora walked back to the back room again, and Regulus was left alone to contemplate whether he was slowly losing his mind or not.
Whether he was or not, Regulus wanted answers. So instead of even trying to fall asleep tonight, he was going to wait until three and walk back down to the gallows. And he wasn't going to run away this time, no matter how much his mind told him to.
After work, Regulus went to dinner with Pandora and Sirius. They were talking about the murder that morning, but he was thinking about all of the questions that he wanted to ask the vampire. Despite not believing in vampires before, he was positive the man on the edge of the gallows was one, and Regulus wanted to know why he was here now. It seemed like an odd time for him to show up in town.
Regulus sat up in his bed, waiting for the clock to strike three. Would he even be there tonight? Regulus hadn't tried to go back two days in a row. Maybe he wouldn't even be there. Regulus wasn't sure if he was disappointed or not by the thought of not seeing him sitting on the edge nonchalantly again. The clock chimed three times, and Regulus scooted out of the bed before he made his way to the door to put on his boots and jacket.
The knot in his stomach became tighter and tighter the closer to the gallows he got. His breathing picked up as well, although he wasn't sure if it was due to his anxiety or his anticipation. Regulus slowed his steps when he was less than a quarter of a kilometre from the gallows. What if he wasn't there? Then what? Would he have to wait until another sleepless night? Would he ever come back, or would Regulus end up going insane from the what-ifs that were swirling around in his brain?
Regulus took a deep breath and rounded the corner, where he stopped in his tracks. He was there, but he wasn't sitting on the edge like before. No, this time he was leaning against the post where the frayed noose previously hung. Now it was in his hand, and he was twirling it around. Regulus didn't move any closer, but the vampire looked up at him and smirked. He twirled the rope one more time before tossing it back up over the post and walking to the edge of the platform.
The platform itself was six metres from the ground and had thirteen steps. The vampire didn't go near them. Instead, he walked off the edge and dropped to the ground with so much grace that it appeared like he was floating. Regulus couldn't keep his eyes off of him as the vampire walked closer to him.
Run. Regulus' mind screamed at him, but his body wouldn't move. The vampire was getting closer and closer by the second. Before Regulus knew it, he was a mere metre and a half away from him. He stopped and leaned up against the building, crossing his arms over his chest before he flashed his canines again.
"Hello, Darlin'," the vampire said for the third time. Why darlin'? Regulus had never met him before last week. "I was hoping you would show."
"Why?" Regulus heard himself say.
He shrugged as he looked Regulus up and down with that hungry gaze again. Regulus thought about running, but he couldn't help but feel like he wasn't in danger anymore. If he were, then the vampire would have done something already. Wouldn't he have? Regulus stared at him while the thoughts warred against each other in his mind.
"Why, what?" the vampire cocked his head to the side as he regarded Regulus again. "You need to be a little more specific, darlin'. I know there are so many questions swirling around that pretty little head of yours. There always is every time we meet."
"I've never met you before."
"Oh, but you have," he purred as he stood taller, uncrossing his arms and licking his teeth.
"Do you mean last week?" Regulus couldn't stop the questions now.
He was more confused than when he first saw him. Regulus was positive that he had never met this man before then. Although he seemed to know more about Regulus, which wasn't possible since Regulus had never spoken to him until right now.
"No," the vampire said simply. That didn't clear anything up at all. "What do you want to ask me this time? I can see the questions floating around in that ocean that you call your eyes."
"Why are you here?" Regulus asked when he couldn't contain his curiosity anymore.
The vampire smiled full and bright. His canines glinting off the moon's light. Regulus couldn't look away from him now. He wondered what it would feel like to have those teeth pierce his skin. Regulus' eyes widened at the thought, and he shook his head to dislodge it.
"You can always find out," the vampire purred seductively as he looked Regulus up and down again.
"What?" he choked out after the vampire's words registered in his sleep-deprived brain.
Before he could get an answer, there was a loud crash down the street and cats screeching as they ran past him. Regulus turned around to see what it was. He didn't see anything right away, but he still squinted his eyes to see if there was something. He looked at the clock tower and saw that it was four in the morning. People would start waking up soon. Before he could turn around and ask the vampire what he meant, Regulus shuddered at the sudden chill that ran down his spine.
"Until next time, darlin'," the vampire whispered, and when Regulus turned back around, he was gone.
What the fuck just happened? Regulus looked back at the gallows, and it was exactly as it was when he saw it last week. The rope was hanging from the rafter, still frayed, but it looked like it hadn't moved since the last person was hanged from it. Did he just imagine everything? Was the vampire even there in the first place? Regulus shook his head before he turned and walked back to his flat. The sun would be coming up soon.
Regulus walked into his flat and fell onto his bed as soon as he made it to his bedroom. He didn't even bother taking off his jacket and boots. He woke up several hours later to pounding on his door again. Regulus jolted up and fell out of his bed before he managed to make it to the living room and opened the door to find a panting Sirius.