Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The day had started out like many before. Kitten was one of the first to rise from bed, or at least the first to be seen in the kitchen. Cooking for the family tended to fall on Kitten’s shoulders, but Door would pitch in from time to time. Frankly, it was better this way. D and Marckus weren’t as skilled in the ways of meal prep, and Kitten had grown tired of pulling random pharmaceuticals out of his eggs.

Cracking an egg into a waiting, hot, pan, Kitten heard Sir D before he saw him. The towering building of a man like D was hard to miss as he came clobbering into the kitchen; gigantic smile on his face as always.

“GOOD MORNING SON-IN-LAW! I hope you slept well.” D’s booming voice could wake the dead if the dead cared to listen to his rambles. After living in this family for some years, though, Kitten had grown used to the boisterous volumes of his father-in-law.

“With one eye open.” Kitten chuckled and it made D laugh loudly as well.

“Good, Good!” Sitting down at the kitchen table, Sir D had in his hands the newspaper and a manilla folder. “We need to be well rested for what is in store!”

“Oh? Has something popped up?” Kitten began to gather everything needed for Sir D’s eggs, but kept an open ear out to hear the older man.

“Quite indeed something has pOpped up Dear Son-in-law. Lately, I have been perusing the properties listed in the newspaper, and noticed something.” Sir D opened the newspaper to the home listings page, and pointed a big finger at it. “A house has just been put on the market!”

“… Yeah, that tends to happen Sir D. People move out or die, and the house gets sold to someone new.” Kitten wasn’t sure about this the more he listened to Sir D, but reminded himself to keep an open mind. Sir D was smart, if he said something was fishy about a house, then by golly the fish smell was permeating Kitten’s balaclava.

“Yes, this is true, BUT this house has been bought and sold a total of seven times in the last year.” D then proceeded to dump out the manilla folders contents. Pictures of the house, the multiple for sale/sold signs, the people who lived in it, and there was a lot of people. Kitten counted about a total of seven different families, which made sense considered D said the house had been put on the market that many times.

“That is a lot of people moving in and moving out of this house.” Kitten picked up a picture of the home in question. It looked like your stereotypical British style home, ivy on the building and a tall chimney; nothing special about it.

“Yes, and after monitor it in my spare time between eggs and the lavatory, I have come to the conclusion that the people who move in are never seen again.” D sounded very serious as he spoke now. “I have even had Markus double check for me on the interwebs if there was anything about these people, but he has come up with nothing.”

Now Kitten was a little worried. Whatever was causing these disappearances had to be powerful. Not only were all these people missing, but the police didn’t appear to be involved. With this many disappearances, surely someone had to report a loved one missing, but with all the evidence D had spread out on the table that was probably not the case.

“I would like you and Markus to set up a date to go view the home,” D looked at Kitten with a serious gaze before tapping the picture the former held. “Be my eyes and ears, and tell me if anything looks suspicious inside the home. If you find anything, then we shall further the investigation.”

“Right away Sir D. After breakfast I’ll get Marckus, and we can get right on that.” Kitten nodded his head before pocketing the picture of the home. “But first let me finish your eggs.”

“Good lad! Can’t go hungry when the hunt is calling.”

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It had taken some time before Kitten and Markus could see the home, but eventually a date was set. Kitten had taken the time to tidy the both of them up, mostly Marckus, and both were soon walking to the house. As much as Marckus complained about walking the fifteen-minute trip to the house, Kitten didn’t want to bring the Golden Goose too close. It was too much of an eye catcher, and could spook off whatever was lurking in this picture-perfect home.

“Are we there yet?” Marckus whined as he held onto Kitten’s hand as they walked. “I still think we could have drove.”

“Bringing the bus to the home would rouse too much suspicion. It’s just up ahead anyway, you’ll survive.” Kitten rolled his eyes behind his goggles, but gave Marckus’ hand a firm squeeze. “Remember the plan?”

“Yup! We’re a young couple, looking to buy our first home, and saw this stellar abode.” Marckus sighed as the home did come into view as they talked. “Honestly the price they are selling it for is astonishing. I’m surprised no one has already snagged it before our viewing.”

“Lower price means someone will move in quicker.” Kitten pointed out, but quickly dropped the conversation once they were in front of the home. Standing outside the stone fence, Marckus and Kitten didn’t get any bad vibes right off the bat, but something did feel off.

“Well, let’s do this Love.” Marckus smiled as he planted a kiss on Kitten’s head.

“Yes, lets.” Kitten smiled back, and opened the gate to the property. It squeaked louder than a rat having its cheese stolen, which made Kitten take a mental note for later. No going through the gate then.

The noise must have been loud enough, as the door opened up, and a thin, old, man stepped out into the sunlight. He was wearing a fancy suit, but it appeared to not be a modern one; It looked old, well worn.

“Welcome, Welcome! You must be my two thirty showing. Please, come in.” The man spoke and waved for them to come inside.

“Here we go.” Kitten whispered to Marckus, and the two stepped into the house.

First thing the two would notice was the large number of artifacts scattered all around. Just in the living room alone, Marckus spotted two small, but bulbous looking statues. There were also ancient looking weapons, a few framed manuscript pages in foreign languages, and ancient looking jewelry hung up on the walls.

If their hunter senses weren’t on high alert before, they sure were now.

“Woooow. The current owner sure loves old… stuff?” Marckus walked over to one of the statues, picked it up, and turned it around in his hand.

“Ah, yes. The owner is a collector, though I do not have the knowledge to tell you more than that. I am not as wise as he is.” The older man walked up to Marckus, took the statue back, and set it down. “All I know is that everything here is old, and very expensive.”

“… right, no touchy the stuff then.” Marckus chuckled nervously. “Mind showing me the upstairs?”

“Of course. With your partner be joining us?”

“I will shortly, I want to look around the lower level first.” Kitten didn’t like splitting up, but with the info they had it felt safe enough to do so. No one went missing until they bought the house. By that logic, since they were only viewing the home, Marckus and Kitten should be safe.

“Very well. Please try not to touch anything.” The older gentleman smiled before leading Marckus up a flight of stairs.

Now alone, Kitten pulled a small camera and began to take a few pictures of the various artifacts around the room. The Arcanum would have a loved to examine everything in this room, but Kitten didn’t have time to fully study everything. He could study the images he took later to fill his curiosity.

After that Kitten poked his head into the kitchen. It looked normal, had plenty of cupboard space, and had a nice spice wrack that went from ceiling to floor. Nothing out of the ordinary, so Kitten only took one shot of this room.

Once Kitten had taken enough pictures, he quickly made his way upstairs to join Marckus. Said man was currently in one of the smaller rooms, and trying to act like someone wanting to buy a house.

“Oh yes, this room will do lovely for the kids.” Marckus smiled as he spotted Kitten. “Hey love, you should see the master bedroom. The room is HUGE.”

“Is it now?” Kitten chuckled, but nearly jumped out of his skin when the older gentleman suddenly appeared next to him.

“I can show you if you would like.” The man smiled before leaving the room.

“… That was… unsettling.” Kitten sighed as he tried to calm his racing heart.

“He’s been like that the entire time.” Marckus responded as he took Kitten’s hand and began to walk out of the smaller room. “Almost ghoulish wouldn’t you say?”

Kitten shushed Marckus as they neared the master bedroom. If this man was indeed a ghoul, they didn’t need Marckus tipping him off.

Thankfully the rest of the showing was uneventful. Marckus and Kitten told the man they would be in touch, saying how they were very interested in the home, and that made the man smile.

“I will let the owner know someone is interested. Thank you for stopping by.”

Once outside the house and out of the yard, Kitten let out a breath he had been holding for a moment. With how calm and normal the viewing was, it had put Kitten on edge just waiting for something to happen. Marckus has been a bit worried to, but not as much as Kitten had been. Placing a hand on his fiancé’s shoulder, Marckus gave it a gentle rub before speaking.

“That wasn’t so bad. It’s honestly not a bad house either. If I had the money, I’d say we actually buy it. Got enough rooms that even Boy would have his own space instead of always bunking with Door.”

“Yeah, but we don’t have the money, and our current home is safer for us.” Kitten wrapped his arm around Marckus and the two started walking. “It’s got landmines and the location couldn’t be better.”

“You have a point. Plus, were on earth would be put Horse? I am not bunking with him ever again.”

“I rather not have Horse bunking with us either. Sharing a bed with you is already difficult, I don’t want to even imagine sharing one with Horse.”

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“The photographs are amazing Son-in-Law! I can read the manuscript hieroglyphs clear enough that they could be here in my hand right now!” Big D chortled gleefully as he flipped through the pictures Kitten had developed from his trip with Marckus to the suspicious house.

“Thanks, it’s the latest model of digital camera. They come in a lot clearer now.” Kitten blushed at the praise given by D, but quickly turned back to the topic at hand. “Do you happen to know the language Sir D?”

“DO I?! OF COURSE I DO!” Big D beamed with pride as he looked at the photo in his hand. “It originates from Mesopotamian times. The Sumerians really flourished back in the day, as did their polytheistic Gods.”

“Aaaaaaand what does it say?” Marckus sighed as his dad’s indirectness was acting up again.

“Oh that? Why, it’s only talking about the Goddess Inanna. She was a Goddess of War, Love, and oddly enough fertility!” Big D smiled as he looked to be thinking about something. “A lot of different religions have Gods like that. They saw childbirth as difficult as it was going to War! Even with the Aztecs, woman who died during birth were revered as warriors, and said to become companions for the Sun God.”

“These artifacts have to be well over 5,000 years old.” Door was inspecting a photo Kitten had taken of the Bulbus statues. “The Sumerian civilization took shape in southern Mesopotamia around 4000 BCE. All of these artifacts if sold would be enough to send Boy and Marckus to college; possibly three times.”

“Wow… I doubt whoever owns that house actually bought them though.” Kitten pointed out, and Big D nodded his head.

“You are more than likely correct Son-in-Law. With what I am seeing I think we are dealing with a Pander; a very old one at that.”

“A Pander?” Boy asked as Door handed him a picture he had been trying to get at, but his arms were much to short to reach the inner part of the table.

“Those who have no clan ties. Shunned by others of their own kind in both disgust and fear.” Big D spoke in a hushed tone as he addressed Boy’s inquiry. “Since they don’t work for the betterment of the clan, their desires and plans are very unpredictable, but nothing we can’t handle.”

“Should be an easy, in and out, clean up.” Marckus added as he stood up from the kitchen table and began to walk away. “I’ll start packing the bus.”

“Boy and I will aid you, Marckus. Come Boy, there is many stakes to be packed.” Door also stood up, and Boy was quick to follow him.

“Can I bring my notebook withs us?”

Now that they were alone, Kitten and Big D got to work figuring out the best course of action. They had to be precise, quick, but most of all quiet. The house was located in a very public village, and with the enemy more than likely being a clanless they weren’t going to bother with the Masquerade. So, in order to not rouse suspicion on either side, this hunt had to be swift and clean.

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Walking down the street, D, Door, Marckus, and Kitten kept their eyes and ears open for any sign of an attack. While everything seemed peaceful, they all knew better. While the outside world appeared calm and in deep slumber, there were creatures of the night lurking behind any door; it was just a mystery which door they were behind.

Well, perhaps it wasn’t a mystery tonight.

Once the home came into view, Kitten was the first to make a move. Jumping the stone fence, Kitten didn’t want to let the squeaky gate from earlier give them away. Taking his lead, the others jumped the fence before walking up to the house. Marckus was the first to reach the door, ready to lock pick it, but stopped when he found that the door was locked.

“Huh, talk about being ballsy enough to not even lock your own door.” Marckus whispered to his dad who was right behind him.

“When you are old and powerful, locking your door is the last thing you think of.” Big D whispered back as they stepped inside the house.

All was quiet, no white noise could be heard, and even the floors didn’t even creak under the weight of them all. So far so good.

“Door and I will check the upstairs, Marckus and his spouse shall search the lower level.” D ordered and no one questioned it. Splitting up wasn’t the best, but at least no one would be alone when the party halved itself.

As Door and D snuck upstairs, Marckus and Kitten made their way through the living room to start their sweep. Something Marckus picked up on was how all the artifacts from earlier were now gone; only thing left was a dust ring.

“… Wonder where they went.” Markus whispered to himself as Kitten made his way to the kitchen.

The room was the same as it had been in the viewing. Same island, stove, and large sink… but there was something different about the room now. The spice self on the wall at first glance seemed normal and not out of the ordinary. That was, until Kitten spotted the glow of light coming from under the shelves.

That was no ordinary spice shelf. It was a door.

Not wanting to raise his voice, Kitten returned to Marckus’ side before gently pulling him into the kitchen; pointing to the light. The realization hit Marckus instantly, and with a nod he went up to the shelves and gave a careful pull.

Just like a door, the spice wall swung open, and revealed a storage room with an open trap door.

“Looks like we found the real master bedroom.” Marckus whispered to Kitten before turn around. “I’ll go get Dad, wait right here.”

Before Kitten could argue about going with him, Marckus was already out of the room; leaving Kitten to guard the trap door.

“Lovely.”

Crossing his arms, Kitten decided to sulk as he waited, but stopped when he heard something. Turning his head to the trap door, Kitten heard the noise again.

The sound of a woman pleading for help.

Someone alive was down there.

“Shit.” Kitten knew better than to go down alone, but he also knew everyone else would be here shortly. Taking a dangerous leap of faith, Kitten went over to the trap door, and looked down. The ladder went down probably about three yards before it stopped at a passage illuminated by light. The cries for help grew louder now, and now were joined with pleas to stop. “… here goes nothing.”

And down Kitten went. It didn’t take long to reach the end of the ladder, and enter the tunnel it connected to. There were candles lining the walls, and dark stains that Kitten could only guess was dried blood. Yeah, this definitely a vampire’s lair.

“Please, someone help me!” The voice was much clearer down here, and Kitten could hear the pain in the woman’s voice as she cried out.

Not wasting another moment, Kitten bolted down the hall; weapon at the ready. The tunnel was long, but it eventually broke the monotony by a sharp left turn. Slowing his pace, Kitten stepped slowly to the edge, and listened. The woman was just on the other side, but clearly, she wasn’t alone.

“P-Please, let me go. I promise I won’t say a thing!”

“Be silent, or I may just have you join your family earlier than expected!” A rougher, male voice shouted at the woman, and by the reverberating echo the monster just slapped her. “You’ve interrupted the chanting part too much for it to work. So be a good incubator, and stay quiet.”

Incubator? Kitten didn’t even want to imagine what the freak meant by that, and didn’t want to let the poor woman go through whatever it meant either. Just as the male voice started chanting again, Kitten was about to just simply ambush them, but was stopped when a large hand clamped around his mouth.

“While it is brave of you Son-in-Law, don’t be foolish.”

Snapping his eyes up, Kitten spotted Big D looming over him; his hand being the one over his mouth. Behind him was Markcus and Door was right behind him. Seeing it was them calmed Kitten’s sudden anxiety spike, but it didn’t dull his fear for the woman.

“Yes, I heard her as well. If we are lucky tonight, we may be able to save her.” D gently pulled Kitten away from the edge, and handed him off to Marckus; who looked absolutely worried.

“You left! Why would you come down here alone, why not just-“ Marckus was now the one with a hand over his mouth, as Kitten smacked his against his lover’s face.

“Now is not the time to whisper shout at me.” Kitten pointed behind him and at Big D who was trying to peak over the corner. “We have a mortal life at stake here.”

“He is right Marckus. I heard her. We need to be quick, but since we are now underground, we don’t have to be as quiet.” D smiled widely, and it made Marckus smile behind Kitten’s hand.

Looks like their Silent but Deadly plan was being tossed out the window; much to Kitten Chagrin.

The first to rush out of their hiding spot was Big D, of course, and went running at full speed with his blade.

“Foul beast! Release the woman!”

From there chaos erupted.

The vampire’s chanting stopped, and they didn’t look too pleased because of it.

“Intruders! They must not interrupt the ritual!” The vampire shouted as it pointed a long finger at D, and from the walls came the older man Kitten and Marckus had met at the viewing. Their ghoul assumptions were correct it seems.

“Leave now if you value your lives.” The older man shouted as he began to remove his suit jacket.

“Ha! I think it’s your life that has no value here!” Big D chuckled as the ghoul jumped in the air and went to swipe at him with it’s enlarged claws. D easily blocked it with his blade, but the ghoul was not ready to give up. Using the energy it had gained from the jump, the ghoul soon had D falling backwards, and landing on the ground.

“Dad!” Marckus shouted as the rest of them came running, and that seemed to upset the vampire even more.

“Foolish mortals! Your vitae will line the walls as an offering to the Goddess!” The vampire shouted as another ghoul dropped from the ceiling and charged at the Hunters. “Keep them busy. I must not be interrupted again!”

Marckus and Door reach their father just as D managed to toss the older ghoul off him; the second ghoul joining the other’s side. Helping D up, Door turned to the younger looking ghoul and pointed his gun at it. The shot missed sadly as the ghoul used it extraordinary speed to avoid the bullet.

“Your gun is useless here!” the ghoul taunted Door, but Door just took another shot; just barely miss the ghoul.

“I beg to differ.”

With one ghoul being occupied, Marckus and Big D were left with the other just as Kitten joined them. The older ghoul just smiled and appeared to wait for them to make the first move.

“You two handle this one, I’ll go for the vampire.” D shouted as made a move to charge the chanting monster, but the ghoul came to stop that plan. The ghoul had a fist aligned with Big D, but sadly that fist wouldn’t last long as Kitten took a shot with his gun. The ghoul screamed in pain before turning its attention to Kitten and growling.

“I will savor your death the most.”

“Sorry but he isn’t dying tonight.” Marckus shouted as stepped in front of Kitten just as the ghoul charged. The ghoul grabbed Marckus by the arm, but before he could toss Marckus the ghoul felt something impale his arm. Looking down, the ghoul found a stake buried into his arm. “Like my new toy? Holds you in place while- “

Kitten soon appeared in the ghoul’s periphery, letting out a battle cry as he did, but it was a pointless attack. Just when Kitten was about to stab the ghoul, said ghoul used Marckus as a shield. Causing Kitten to lower his weapon.

“Shit! Marckus!”

“Oh fuck.” Marckus cursed as the ghoul lifted him into the air and then tossed him. Kitten managed to avoid being hit by his airborne lover, and watched as Marckus slammed into a large statue. It was similar looking to the smaller statues once seen upstairs, just monstrously larger. As Marckus’ back crashed into the stone surface, the statue began to teeter back and forth; clearly going to fall.

“MARCKUS!” Kitten shouted as he quickly stabbed his weapon into the ghoul’s foot, and took off towards Marckus and the falling statue. Marckus, dazed and on the ground, only groaned as a response to Kitten’s calls.

Hearing his son’s name used with such desperation, it caused D to turn away from the vampire to see the battle going on behind him. The ghoul trying to free its foot from Kitten’s weapon, and Kitten rushing to save Marckus from becoming a Hunter pancake.

“MARCKUS!” Big D shouted as he switched from fighting the vampire to going after the ghoul who was soon about to be free to go after his Son-in-law and Son.

The older ghoul managed to heave the weapon out of his foot just as B D came up behind him. The last thing the ghoul would see would be Big D’s shadow before feeling his head come clean off his shoulders.

“Marckus! Get up!” Kitten shouted once again in hopes of stirring Marckus, but sadly the red head stayed on the ground; unmoving. The statue was just about to fall over and crush Marckus when Kitten finally reached them. By some stroke of luck or a high dose of adrenaline coursing through his veins, Kitten managed to get ahold of the statue, and hold it steady while Marcus lay unconscious at his feet. “Marckus!”

“UHAND THE GODDESS YOU UNWORTHY WORM!” The vampire shotted his chanting when he saw Kitten holding up the statue, and by the rage in his voice he wasn’t happy about it. “I WILL DRAIN YOU DRY FOR SUCH DISRESPECT!”

The vampire was now charging at them, and that gave D an opportunity to attack. Switching his attention from Marckus to the vampire, D used his blade to hold back the beast. The vampire was completely lost to his rage, perhaps the beast had been released, but D wasn’t worried about him. What he was worried for was Marckus and Kitten.

“Door! Aid your brother and brother-in-law, before they become a vampire’s smoothie!”

Door, who was still holding off the other ghoul, turned to see what the shouting was all about, and saw the dangerous scene before him. Kitten was holding up a well-shaped statue, Marckus was unconscious, and Big D was holding off a feral vampire.

“Our battle is over with.” Door turned back to the ghoul he was battling with, and just as the ghoul was about to attack Door grabbed them by the throat and slammed them into the ground; many times. Once Door was certain the ghoul wouldn’t be getting up, he quickly began to rush over to the statue.

Kitten was just barely managing to hold up the statue. His knees were buckling, thighs beginning to feel like jelly, and his arms felt like they were on fire. Despite all that, Kitten maintained his hold on the statue, and kept his eyes on his fiancé. Kitten was still calling out to Marckus in hopes he would wake up, but it appears as though he had bumped his head against the statue pretty hard. Kitten could see blood staining Marckus’ already red hair a deeper shade too.

Door was just about to pass D when the vampire spotted him. Before D could react, the vampire managed to grab ahold of D’s wrist, and began to spin. Soon, the laws of physics began to happen, and D found himself being pulled off his feet. Once the vampire had moved fast enough, he launched Big D at Door. The speed at which D went by was enough to send both Door and himself flying into the far away wall; kicking up a big dust cloud when they collided.

“Filth.” The vampire growled as it turned its sights back onto Kitten and Marckus.

“Bloody hell, Marckus!” Kitten watched as the vampire began to walk towards them. They both were defenseless, Marckus especially, and there was nothing Kitten could do to stop it. If he let even one hand leave the Statue, it would crush Marckus.

As the vampire toyed with them, Kitten continued to call out to Marckus. Eventually those panic cries turned into actual tears as the vampire got closer and closer. That adrenaline from earlier was starting to wear off, and Kitten was becoming desperate.

Some part of Marckus must have been able to sense or hear Kitten, though, as he slowly began to stir.

“o-ow, my head. W-w-what hit me?” Marckus slowly opened his eyes, and that was when Kitten full on started to cry.

“Marckus! Oh, thank goodness.” Kitten shouted and that appeared to wake Marckus up fully, and remind him of what they were doing. “You have to get out of there!”

“Shit! Kitten?! What are you- “

“I said move; now!” Kitten shouted through tears as his knees began to buckle.

Marckus was still processing what Kitten had told him when he heard movement in front of him. Snapping his attention to the noise, Marckus saw the vampire coming at them; now running. There was only a small window for Marckus to get out of there, and it was dropping fast.

“Shit.” Marckus groaned as he tried to get to his knees but fell when his head started throbbing.

“Love you got to move.” Kitten had started to lose feeling in his fingers, and the vampire was only one jump away!

Before anything could be done to the couple, a loud battle cry was heard, and it caused the two hunters to snap their heads to it. From the dust cloud Big D came flying out and with a stake in hand! The vampire hadn’t turned around, it was that focused on Marckus and Kitten, and that gave D enough of an opening to stake the monster through the heart; rendering it inert.

“Move Marckus!” D shouted as he came running over with the vampire in hand. “God Damit son move!”

Managing to get up without the world spinning, Marckus shuffled backwards just in time for D to place the vampire in the spot he had just been in.

“Now Son-in-Law!”

Kitten didn’t need to be told twice. He dropped the statue.

The sickening crunch of bone and flesh being pulverized was still as disgusting the first time Kitten had heard it. Even now, when the vampire clearly deserved this level of final death, it still turned his stomach. Seeing it though was a lot easier to take in as whatever was left of the vampire began to rot and turn to dust. Even the viscera that got onto D and Kitten was soon gone; leaving behind only their own blood or the ghouls.

With the vampire gone, Kitten turned his full attention to Markus, and rushed over to his side.

“Are you okay?! Of course your not, you’re bleeding. Shit, we need to get you back to the bus.”

“Oh, is that why my head feels damp?” Marckus put a hand to his head, and saw it came back a bright red. “Damn. That’s going to need about… six to eight stitches; probably.”

“Good job playing bait Marckus, but I would prefer that next time you tell me ahead of time you plan to take up that role.” Big D stood tall as he came over to help Marckus back to his feet with Kitten’s help.

Marckus was about to give his dad a rebuttal, but everyone went quiet as the screams of a woman broke the momentary silence. It was a blood curdling scream, and not long after it started there was a loud explosion. Few seconds later blood was spraying all over the room and everyone.

Turning to the alter where they had left the lady on during the battle, what they found was gory. The woman was still on the alter… just not all of her. What remained of her was her upper half and legs. The area where her middle had been was gone, and in its place was a puddle of blood and bits of human flesh.

“Oh… oh no.” Kitten held onto Marckus a little tighter as they all realized the woman was now dead.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay. Not everyone can be saved, but many more will live now.” Marckus whispered to Kitten as he pets his head.

“My God… this type of sorcery… We must leave. Door are you able to get up?” D turned to where he had been tossed earlier, and saw his eldest son standing in what remained of the dust cloud. He was holding his right arm with his left hand, and using the wall for support; standing all the same though.

“I have already risen Father. Throwing you has sadly agitated my dislocated shoulder.” Door sighed before pushing off the wall and making his way to them. “I will require aid in resetting my bones.”

“No worries, Door, Boy is a master as resetting out of socket shoulders; his skills even proceed my own.” D pat door on his good shoulder before pushing him towards the exit. “You all go on ahead. I’ll set up the dynamite.”

“Dynamite?” Marckus was now concerned as he held onto Kitten and began to pull them towards the exit. “What do you mean dynamite?!”

“A small explosion is needed to seal this area forever, or until the next archeologist comes mucking around.” Big D reached into his coat pocket and began to place the dynamite around the room.

“And you had it on you too. Good grief, come on babe we need to get out of here before things go boom.” Marckus was now fully pulling Kitten as he followed Door’s lead. Kitten didn’t seem to mind though as he didn’t argue with Marckus. Once all three were out of the secret basement and the house, Marckus let out a long sigh. “Welllll, that didn’t go so bad.”

“Marckus, you nearly got squashed by a statue. I think that’s the epitome of bad.” Kitten didn’t sound please with Marckus response, but there wasn’t a lot of venom to his words; just displeasure.

“BuuuuuuuuuuT, you saved me. I called that a good thing.” Marckus kissed the top of Kitten’s head before they all started to jump the stone fence. “You’re the best thing to ever happen to me.”

Kitten could feel his cheeks getting warm, and was thankful his balaclava hid his grown blush. Once Door and Marckus were on the other side, Kitten went to jump the fence, but with how sore his arms were he tripped and began to tumble.

“Oh, hold on Love, I got you!” Marckus was quick on his feet, and managed to stop Kitten from eating grass just in time. “Heh, there see, my debts been paid.  You saved me, I save you.”

Kitten gave a soft chuckle at that as he rested in Marckus’ arms.

“Alright, you are no longer in my debt.”

“No longer in debt, but always here if you need me.” Marckus whispered to Kitten, and it made Kitten’s face feel even hotter. Marckus must have really bumped his head to be this brazen.

Before Kitten had a chance to respond, Big D came running out of the house.

“Go Go Go Go.” Was all he said as he jumped over the stone fence, and began to race down the street.

 Door was quick to join his father, and only when Marckus had Kitten in his arms did he take off running too. It startled Kitten to being swept off his feet like this, especially since Marckus was still injured, but Marckus had much longer legs than he did; so, running was more his thing. They all managed to flee the whole way back to the bus just in time for the explosion to go off. It shook the ground a bit, caused a few cars to start blaring their horns, but overall, nothing more happened.

“I think that’s our cue to leave.” D said as Boy opened the bus doors for them.

“Whoa, are you all okay? That’s a lot of blood.” Kid pointed to all their clothes, and looked a bit paler.

Looking at their clothes, everyone had a little bit of blood on them; a mix of their own and of that lady from earlier. Kitten even found of piece of her blouse on his skirt; something he quickly fanned away.

“Y-Yeah. Most of it isn’t ours.” Kitten answered Boy.

“Unless you are me, then yes, it is most of my blood.” Marckus pointed to his head. “It’s still bleeding.”

“Oh shit, put me down, and let me sew you up Love.” Kitten protested in Marckus hold just enough to be put down, and after that he would grab Marckus by the hand to lead him inside.

“I also need assistance Boy. My shoulder has been dislocated after being tossed into a stone wall.” Door was the next to come inside, and Boy was quick to follow.

“O-Oh geez Dad. L-Let me fix that.”

Once D entered the bus, the door shut behind him, and he took to the driver’s seat. They didn’t have a moment to spare, and D was making sure they wouldn’t be here if the police should arrive.

Door and Boy stuck to the bottom of the bus, while Kitten and Marckus went to the top; that’s where the medical supplies were stored. Once they sat down in time for D to start driving, Kitten got to work sewing Marckus up. Six stitches total.

“You got to be more careful Marckus. What if something happens to you that I can’t fix?” Kitten softly scolded Marckus as he finished stitching up his fiancé.

“I am careful; enough. This will heal up shortly, and in no time at all you’ll never even notice it was there.” Marckus smiled cheekily but Kitten didn’t.

“I’m serious Marckus. I… I don’t want to lose you too.” Kitten sighed as he crossed his arms and sat down next to his lover; resting his head on Marckus’ shoulder.

“… I’m sorry Love. I don’t mean to worry you.” Marckus wrapped an arm around Kitten, and held him close. “Know that when I go into a Hunt, I am always thinking of you.”

“Same with you my red maned neanderthal.” Kitten smiled as he held onto the hand Marckus had wrapped around him.

“Well, this red maned neanderthal wants to make sure you know how much he loves you. In any way I can.” Marckus’ words made Kitten’s skin tingle with goosebumps.

“You can’t be serious Marckus. You have a head injury.”

“When we get home, we can take it easy. I can just lay there and let you have me. How does that sound?” Marckus was very persistent this evening Kitten noticed, and knowing Marckus when he got persistent there was no stopping him.

“… You still have a head injury. If anything feels off you let me know.” Kitten was sure Marckus could feel his blush through his balaclava now, and that was only made certain by the soft laughter Marckus responded with.

“I promise to let you know how I feel tonight, Love; all night.”

“Christ Marckus, everyone is just below us. Keep it together till we get home.”

The drive home wasn’t fast enough in Marckus’ opinion, but with his dad’s track record of bad driving he didn’t want to tempt fate.

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By the time they reach home, Boy had fallen asleep in his father’s hold, D was ready for a bath, and Marckus was beyond ready to get Kitten alone in their bedroom. Kitten was beyond flustered as they all filed out of the bus. Marckus wasn’t an exhibitionist, but damn was Kitten having a hard time making sure Marckus kept his pants on.

There was always the rumor about certain Hunters getting their jewels off after a successful hunt, but Kitten never took Marckus for one. He had never reacted like this before after past hunts, but there was a first time for everything.

“I am going to put Boy to bed now. Make sure to monitor your head injury Marckus, we don’t need an impromptu visit to the hospital.” Door yawned as he was the first to enter the house.

“Don’t worry Door. Kitten and I have plans to stay up for a little while longer anyways.” Marckus smiled as he gently poked Kitten in the side.

“Yeah. You don’t have to worry at all Door. I will keep an eye on him till it’s safe for him to sleep.” Kitten tried to hide how flustered he was getting, and thankfully Door didn’t seem to notice.

“That is good of you Captain to stay watch over him. Goodnight to you all.” And with that door walked up to his and Boy’s room.

“And I am going to take a long shower. I fear I have some carrion stuck in my hair.” D didn’t wait a second longer, and made his way to the bathroom.

“… I could have gone without knowing that.” Kitten sighed, but quickly gasped when he felt Marckus grab at his ass. “Marckus! Let’s get to our bedroom first!”

“Lead the way Love.” Marckus smiled while bowing and holding his hand out for Kitten to lead the way.

“Okay now you must have brain damage.” Kitten chuckled and decided to just go with it from here on out. Taking Marckus’ hand, Kitten led the taller man up the stairs to their room.

“So, what if I do? Brain damage or not, I find you very hot.” Marckus kissed Kitten’s hand before continuing. “And having you save my ass makes you extra hot right now.”

“Oh, is that so?” Kitten smirked under his balaclava as they reach the top of the steps. “Perhaps I should come save you more often then.”

“Yes please.” Marckus moved swiftly and slipped his fingers under the edge of Kitten’s balaclava, and lifted it just enough to plan a kiss on his lover’s neck.

“Marckus.” Kitten felt his body shiver at Marckus’ gentle touch, and he had to hold back a moan as Marckus began to suck on his neck. “Room Markcus.”

“Open the door than Love.” Marckus broke the suction he had on Kitten’s neck, and it was clear Kitten was going to have a hickey after this; possibly more.

Kitten held out his hand, and brushed up against the doorknob to their room. Marckus must had been guiding them towards their room without Kitten realizing it. Grabbing it forcefully, Kitten turned the knob and allowed the door to squeak open before Marckus pushed them into their room; making sure to shut the door with his foot.

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Big D found himself in thought as he showered out the viscera from his flowing locks of raven hair.  His Mesopotamian was rusty, but if he understood what the vampire was saying during his chanting correctly it piqued his interest. The vampire was asking the goddess to be reborn, to wash away his many sins, and give him a mortal body once again. A strange request from a Goddess like Inanna.

Inanna was a Goddess of love, war, and fertility, but she was also one of wisdom and justice. Perhaps the vampire was seeking her wisdom to find a way to be reborn? Foolish idea really, but then what role did the woman play in all this? Something diabolical happened to her, that was beyond obvious, but the reasons why were missing from the equation.

The more D thought about it, the colder the shower got. Eventually the shower became too cold for even D to stay in, and he eventually stepped out.

“… Reborn… Why did he want to be reborn...? How was he planning on being reborn?” D wrapped a towel around his hips before tapping his finger on his chin.

A couple loud thuds from above D’s head snapped him out of his thoughts. Marckus and Kitten had been acting off before D ventured to the bathroom. With the vampire’s chant on his mind and remembering what Goddess what addressed tonight, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what those lads were doing.

“Oh, to be young and fruitful, and Thank Gaia I don’t have to worry about accidental grandchild with those two!” D chuckled as he exited the bathroom, and headed up to his room.

Chapter Text

The next morning felt like it came far too early; at least it did for Kitten. Opening groggy eyes, Kitten saw the familiar ceiling of his bedroom, and he could hear Marckus snoring next to him. Slowly turning his head to the clock, Kitten realized why it felt like it was way too early to be up.

It was 4 am; the witching hour.

Silently sighing, Kitten could already tell he wouldn’t be going back to sleep, not with how he was feeling. After yesterday’s hunt, and the events after it, Kitten’s body was pushed beyond its limits. His muscles hurt, his bones were aching, and he could feel a few hickeys here and there.  A shower would probably help, and a lot of pain meds.

Before that though, Kitten would roll onto his side, and gently snuggle into Marckus. Kitten wanted to hang onto last night a moment longer before starting the day. Marckus wasn’t lying when he said he would tell Kitten how he felt all night long, and all night long they did.

It had been fun; more than fun even. Kitten couldn’t remember the last time Marckus and him had been that energetic when wanting to shag. Sure, they had a healthy sex life as most couples do, but it was like someone had slipped them both an aphrodisiac. Kitten wasn’t complaining, especially not about last night, it was just… waking up and remembering their lives as Hunters always soured the mood for Kitten. These blissful moments never lasted long enough.

Kitten felt Marckus’ arm wrap around him just as Kitten placed his head on Marckus’ chest. Marckus was still snoring softly, sleeping peacefully, and it made Kitten smile. Marckus always did this in his sleep, embracing Kitten whenever he snuggled up close, and only Kitten knew about it. It was something Kitten cherished, and just showed how much Marckus cared about him.

Kitten would lay there for about ten minutes before getting up. He would have stayed longer, but Kitten’s stomach had other plans. It was clenching in such a way that Kitten knew he was going to sick; just not yet. He had enough time to get up, grab some clothes to change into, and go to the bathroom before racing towards the toilet.

He didn’t have his balaclava on during his porcelain throne sprint, so whatever bile come forth didn’t get blocked. The moment his face was towards the bowl, Kitten aggressively coughed a few times before he vomited. The acid burnt his throat, the smell stung Kitten’s noise, but thankfully the retching wouldn’t last forever. The whole experience did leave Kitten a little dazed though.

Probably from the adrenaline rush yesterday, Kitten thought to himself as he just kept his eyes shut to regain his bearings. Thanks to that, I could hold up that statue long enough to keep Marckus from becoming a crepe. It’s also thanks to the rush that I’m vomiting now; lovely.

Without opening his eyes, Kitten flushed the toilet as he got up. Once he was certain he wasn’t going to fall over, he opened his eyes and carefully walked over to the sink. He desperately wanted to rinse out his mouth. Once there, Kitten grabbed the cup on the sink, filled it with water from the tap, and then proceeded to wash out the vomit flavor from his mouth. Repeating it once more was enough to rid the flavor, and after a quick use of his toothbrush it was as if it wasn’t even there.

“That’s one way to start the morning I guess.” Kitten sighed as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. “Maybe a shower will help. At least help relax my muscles a bit.”

Hopping into the shower, Kitten would let the warm waters wash over him for as long as it would take to feel better. Which was usually 45 minutes before the heater ran out of hot water. Kitten wished it could last longer, but the shower did help in the end. After drying and redressing himself, Kitten would grab a bottle of pills that was in the medicine cabinet. Popping a few of the pills into his mouth, Kitten grabbed the cup from earlier to fill it with water, but stopped. On the rim of the cup, where Kitten’s mouth had been earlier, had a noticeable amount of blood on it.

… Yeah, overdid it yesterday; for sure. Kitten didn’t want to over think the blood stain, and just washed it off before filling the cup again. Definitely going to take an easy day today.

 Downing the water and pills, Kitten left the bathroom and quietly went over to his bookshelf.

He needed something to pass the time until Marckus woke up, and reading one of his books should help.

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It was nearing noon when Marckus eventually arose from his deep sleep. The red head blinked his eyes lazily, before closing them again, and turning on his side; facing Kitten’s side of the bed. Marckus could feel Kitten’s weight next to him, but found his fiancé was sitting and not lying down when his arm wrapped around legs instead of a body.

“Morning Marckus, sleep well?” Kitten’s voice was always the best thing to wake up to in Marckus’ opinion, that or breakfast in bed, but Marckus could hear the exhaustion in the other’s voice.

“Yeah, yourself?”

“Eh, could have been better. I woke up feeling right bloody awful to be honest.” Kitten lowered the book he was holding as he gave Marcus his full attention. “Last night’s hunt took a lot out of me.”

“Sorry about that Love. I promise to try and avoid being tossed at fertility effigies in the future.” Marckus snuggled up closer to Kitten to the point his head was on the other’s lap.

“Oh, and how to you plan on keeping that promise?” Kitten chuckled as he combed his hand though Marckus’ hair.

“… I don’t know how, but it’s a promise I intend to try and keep.” Marckus sounded overly confident in himself, and that made Kitten smile.

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it.”

“My word is the best out there.” Marckus snickered and felt himself relax as Kitten finger combed his hair. “Whatcha reading?”

“Mysterious America. Found it at the store a while back.” Kitten used a finger to bookmark his page, before closing it to show Marckus the cover. “Was reading a story that is clearly about a Big Foot.”

“That was one thing I wish I had seen while living in America. Big Foot. The beast, the myth, the legend. I doubt I would have been able to kill it, but just to see that thing would have been awesome.” Marckus sounded very enthusiast about the topic, and it eventually led to the two talking. For about an hour the two just sat in bed talking, which eventually led to Kitten reading his book to Marckus.

The two wouldn’t leave the bedroom till it was close to two in the afternoon, but that was fine. They had no plans, and neither did the rest of the family. Door appeared to have taken it upon himself to make breakfast earlier this morning, and left a note for Marckus and Kitten saying their meals were in the fridge.

“Mmm, Boar bacon with a side of biscuits, gravy, and more bacon.” Marckus went straight to the fridge after they found the note. Kitten on the other hand didn’t look so enthusiastic about the meal.

“You can have my helpings, Marckus. I’m not all that hungry at the moment.”

“You sure? Not even one piece of bacon?” Marckus already had the plates out and waved a cold piece of bacon at Kitten.

The sight of the bacon made Kitten’s stomach turn, and Kitten wasn’t going to mention the smell. Normally, Kitten had no issues with Door’s Boar Bacon, it was good when cooked properly even, but today it just wasn’t appealing.

“Yeah, I’m sure. I’ll make sure to eat something later.” Kitten pushed the bacon back towards Marckus, and said man shrugged.

“More for me then.” Marckus smiled as he chomped down on the cold bacon before putting a plate in the microwave. “What do you want to do today? I say we do something easy. Any game sound good to you? We can work on our house in the Sims or you more in the mood for some Zelda?”

“Hm, Banjo-Kazooie?”

“Banjo-Kazooie it is then.

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The remainder of the day went by uneventful, and to Marckus and Kitten that was perfect. They spent most of it playing video games, talking about local myths and monsters, and even worked on painting some mini figures. Overall, not a bad day.

When it got later into the evening, Kitten offered to make dinner. He felt a little better than this morning, so Kitten didn’t mind. Doing stuff like this, cooking a hot meal for the family, had his mind thinking of moments from years ago. Back when his parents were still alive, back when his brothers and sister were all under one roof, and how good to felt seeing all their smiles.

He recalled saying to his parents how he wished to one day have a family of his own to share moments like this; sitting together, eating, and enjoying everyone’s company. Kitten then remembered one of his brothers making fun of him for being so mushy and sensitive, but stopped when Kitten’s sister tossed a piece of broccoli at their brother. From there the whole table was snickering, even Kitten and his teasing brother; they never could stay mad at each other long.

In a way, Kitten still got that wish. Just… not in the way or dynamic he was expecting.

His early ideals of a family were of a loving partner, maybe a few kids, and perhaps some pets. What he had now was close to that, but it was more akin to bonsaiing an apple tree. It still was an apple tree, but not a conventional apple tree. He had a loving partner, but instead of children he had his spouse’s immediate family, and while they didn’t own pets there was Horse.

Kitten saw it as a win. Sure, Marckus’ family wasn’t the definition of sanity, but that didn’t matter. They all cared for each other, and were willing to go to great lengths to keep each other safe. For a family of Hunters, the Big D family was alright in Kitten’s mind; for the most part.

Kitten was so overtaken in his thoughts he hadn’t heard Door or Boy enter the kitchen. Only when Door addressed him did Kitten break out of his mental focus, and turn to face the two. Boy had a notepad and pencil, appearing to be drawing something, and Door… had a dead beaver in his hand; holding it firmly by the tail.

“… Why do you have that, Door?” Kitten asked as he stared at the deceased animal, and felt his stomach starting to clench up like it did this morning.

“For sustenance of course. While out hunting for a meal fitting for Boy and myself, we found this rotund Castor fiber* waddling in the forest not far from a river.” Door seemed rather pleased with himself as he held up the large animal closer to Kitten. “Boy took it out marvelously!”

“I found a big rock and made a fall trap.” Boy giggled as he continued to draw.

“Indeed, you did Son, and I applaud you for your ingenuity. I saved a bullet because of your accelerated thinking.” Door pat Boy on the head before turning back to Kitten. “I plan to skin and gut the creature, and if it’s alright with you I will cook it. I trust your culinary skills Brother-in-Law, but cooking Castor is very tedious and could end very poorly if not prepared properly. I also want to try and salvage the castor sacs to try and make ice cream. I’m sure Boy would enjoy the-“

“Y-Yeah, sure Door. I already have a dish in the oven for everyone else if they aren’t as... adventurous to try Beaver. G-Go ahead; kitchen’s all yours.” Kitten was trying his hardest to not gag as he made a quick exit from the kitchen. The smell of that beaver was overwhelming, and downright atrocious. Kitten could hear Door saying his thanks, but didn’t stick around longer to hear more; the smell was that bad.

Kitten normally didn’t have such a sensitive nose, but that Beaver… Kitten could smell the mud, the river water, the caster sacs, and the blood that dripped from the animal’s nose. All of those scents put together in one small space was making Kitten rethink having dinner with the family this evening; evening staying in the house tonight. The animal probably left its smells all over from when Door walked into the house with it, and that thought alone was too much for Kitten.

Bolting out the side door, Kitten managed to shut it behind him before racing over to the porch railings and vomited over the edge. Kitten never ate today, so most of it was acid and bile, but the experience was still unpleasant. Eventually the vomiting stopped, but left Kitten dry heaving for a few minutes. Once that stopped, Kitten spat a few times to get rid of the flavor in his mouth; at least trying to.

Perhaps I am not as well off yet as I thought Kitten pondered as he pulled his balaclava back down, and leaned against the railing; head resting in his hand. Or that beaver was just that bad.

Kitten would stay outside for about 5 minutes before he heard the side door open again. Lifting his head up slowly, Kitten turned to see Marckus stepping out of the door, and making his way over.

“Hey, Door said you left the kitchen in a big hurry. Figured I should come out to check up on you.” Marckus walked over towards Kitten before leaning his back against the railing. “You doing okay? This morning you said you weren’t feeling all that great, and now I find you out here with a puddle of spew.”

“… I think I’m still coming down with Adrenaline shock is all; just need to relax for a while. Also, didn’t you smell the beaver Door brought in? It smelled atrocious.” Kitten sighed as he turned his back to the railing, and found himself leaning against Marckus’ shoulder.

“Eh, it could be worse. Door thankfully didn’t cut the stink glands, this time, so the kitchen won’t need to be deep cleaned. That said, I… don’t think you’ll want to enter the kitchen for the rest of the night. Door decided to boil the beaver to help with the gamey taste.”

“Lovely, the kitchen is definitely going to need to be aired out later.” Kitten sighed and Marckus wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

“I’ll make sure to do that before bed. Speaking of bed, that is where you should be.”

“I’m not that sick.”

“No, but I rather you not get sicker by standing outside in the cold. I rather you stay in bed, read your books, and rest.” Marckus rubbed his hand up and down Kitten’s arm. “If I have to bribe you, I will.”

“No, I don’t think I need any bribery.” Kitten chuckled as the two enjoyed the quiet of the night around them. “I will probably have to go through the back door to avoid the Beaver tainted kitchen.”

“I’ll walk with you.” Marckus made it sound like it was an offer, but Kitten knew it wasn’t. Marckus was going to make sure Kitten got to their bed.

The two would quietly walk around the house to the back door, rapidly go through the house, and make their way up the stairs to their room. The moment they were in the house, though, Kitten was starting to dry heave again. Both managed to make it to their room before the smells overwhelmed Kitten, and Marckus quickly shut the door behind them. Kitten continued to dry heave for a moment, making Marckus a bit concerned, but it eventually stopped.

“I think, I’ll be stay in here for the remainder of the night.” Kitten groaned while rubbing his hand against his forehead before sitting at the edge of the bed. “Maybe even tomorrow.”

“You want me to bring you something to eat? Minus the Beaver of course.” Marckus sat next to Kitten, but Kitten shook his head.

“Just a large glass of water please.” Kitten was terrifyingly certain if he tried to eat anything it would come back to see him sooner than it properly should. Even the thought of food was slowly turning his stomach.

“Sure thing Love.” Marckus gently pat his hand on Kitten’s lap before getting up. Instead of leaving, though, Marckus walked over to their bookshelves. “Want something to read? We never finished that book from this morning, and I know you got a few other books here you’ve been reading on and off.”

“Surprise me.” Kitten started to lay down on the mattress while Marckus grabbed a random book. When Marckus returned to Kitten’s side and offered the book he chose, Kitten smiled. “Brothers Grimm. Good choice Marckus.”

“I figured there is enough stories in there to keep you busy until I’m back after dinner. Before that, I’ll go get you that glass of water.” Marckus smiled before heading towards the door. “Love you.”

“Love you to Marckus, and thanks again.”

“No need for thanks. It’s my job as Fiancé to make sure you rest up and not end up on the floor like a rug.”

And off Marckus went to get that glass of water; leaving Kitten to his book. The Brothers Grimm were stories almost everyone knew, but Kitten still enjoyed the stories. Now as a Hunter, revisiting stories from Kitten’s childhood was like reading a whole new story, or at least looking at old stories with new eyes.

Skimming the index, Kitten would eventually find a story to read, and tried to relax for the evening.

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After dinner was over and done with, everyone went off to do their own things. Door and Boy were off cleaning that beaver hide, D left without being clear as to where he was going, and Marckus stayed in the kitchen. He remembered the whole situation with Kitten out on the porch, and recalled his fiancé’s comment about airing out the kitchen. So, he was doing just that. Marckus wouldn’t leave them open all night, that was just asking for trouble, but an hour or two would probably get rid of the smell.

Marckus would play with his DS for about an hour, but eventually was interrupted when his dad came bursting into the room in his pink, fluffy, robes. Apparently, he had gone back to his room to get dressed for bed.

“Ah Marckus, just the son I wanted to see!”

“Oh, hey dad. You need something?” Marckus closed his game before turning to his father.

“Not so much a need Marckus, but more of an inquiry on your M.I.A spouse. Son-in-law did not join us for dinner, and I am curious as to why?”

“Kitten just over exerted himself yesterday is all. Something about… Adrenal shock or something like that is what he called it.”

“Aaaaah, yes! Adrenaline shock. The harbinger of unpleasant times after pushing yourself past your body’s normal limitations! To have super human abilities thrust upon you, chemicals pumping in your brain to push you over the edge, only to have it come bite you in the ass after the rush is over with.” Big D sighed happily as if he was reliving a fond memory, and perhaps he was. “It happens to the best of us, and the next time won’t be as bad. It’s good to hear that is what is ailing my favorite Son-in-Law, and not some unholy sickness that could spread to the rest of the family.”

“… yeah, I’ll make sure to let Kitten know you are concerned for him. Also, he’s your only son-in-law.”

“Yes Yes, you are of course correct Marckus. Why don’t you go join him actually. I will finish airing out the kitchen for you. Go! Go be with your significant other.” Big D smiled as he began to push Marckus out of the kitchen.

“H-Hold on, how did you know I was-”

“Son, I do enjoy beaver from time to time, but even I know it has an odor to it.”

“…”

“…”

“… Yup, I’m going. Not gonna argue or make a comment, NOPE, nada, nuh-uh.” Marckus shook his head as he tried to not laugh before quickly leaving the dining area.

D would smile to himself before taking the spot Marckus had just been in, and then pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. Big D had jotted down the chanting from the night before that the vampire had been shouting, and the pictures of the Mesopotamian manuscripts were paperclipped to it. Something about it all made D think this wasn’t over with. That vampire went down too easily, the ghouls were more of a threat than the vampire, and the only reason the vampire stopped the ritual was because of Marckus and Kitten.

Those two toying with the fertility statue really upset the vampire. The statue and the goddess it represented also left more questions than answers. Most vampires were Cainites when it came to their beliefs, so to see such an old vampire asking a that Goddess for help was intriguing.

Big D would get his answers though. He was too stubborn and determined to let this mystery slide.

If a vampire had found a way to be reborn…

That would be disastrous.

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Marckus was snickering all the way up to his and Kitten’s bedroom. He couldn’t wait to tell Kitten what his dad had just said. Marckus knew his dad said some outrages shit at times, but this one was a comedy goldmine; worthy of sharing.

Opening the bedroom door, Marckus opened his mouth to call out to Kitten, but stopped.

Kitten had fallen asleep. He was laying on his side, goggles askew, and he had his hand inside the book Marckus had given Kitten earlier; acting as a subconscious bookmark. The sight shut Marckus up, but for once he was okay with being silent. Seeing Kitten like this was really cute, and made Marckus want to take a picture.

Spotting Kitten’s new camera on the nightstand, Marckus couldn’t help himself, and swiped it. Turning it on, Marckus pointed the lens at Kitten before pressing down on the capture button… resulting in a flash.

Kitten groaned tiredly before groggily speaking.

“Marckus? What are you doing?”

“N-Nothing Love, I was trying to put the camera away, and my fingers touched the button. Go back to sleep.” Marckus hoped his fib would be enough for his sleepy partner, and thankfully it seemed it was.

“Mkay.” Kitten yawned before looking at the book chomping down on his hand. “Oh, I didn’t finish my story.”

“Want me to finish reading it to you?” Marckus asked as he took the book off Kitten’s hand gently.

“… You know, sure. I’m too tired to finish it without falling asleep, but I wouldn’t mind hearing it from you as I do.” Kitten pulled at Marckus to have the red head join Kitten in bed.

“Alright.” Before Marckus would join Kitten, he would help the other take off his goggles. Kitten always complained after sleeping in them, so Marckus was going to prevent that annoyance before it happened. He was also doing it because he loved Kitten, and wanted him to sleep better tonight.

After the goggles were off, Marckus sat on his side of the bed, got under the covers, and allowed Kitten to snuggle up against him. Once Kitten was comfortable, Marckus opened the book to where Kitten had bookmarked it earlier.

“Rumpelstiltskin. An interesting tale for sure.” Marckus heard Kitten mumble as a response, and just chose to start reading from the beginning.

“Once there was a Miller and his daughter. On a night of heavy drinking, the miller told stories of his daughter spinning straw into gold. Those stories soon reach the King, and the King demanded to see the girl spin straw into gold. The King eventually locked the girl in a room with a spindle and straw, and ordered her to spin till morning came.

“The girl began to cry, and from the darkness came a little man; a funny look man. The tiny man said ‘Good evening, miller's daughter; why are you crying?’ and the girl told him of her plight. The small man responded ‘I will spin the straw into gold for you, but my work comes with a price’. The miller’s daughter took off her jewelry and offered it to the small man. ‘Take these as payment’ said the miller’s daughter.

“The little man did, and began to spin the wheel. Sometime during the night, the Miller’s daughter fell asleep, but when she woke up again the straw was now gold, and her little friend was gone. The King was not satisfied though, and demanded it be done again. The King said He would make the miller’s daughter his Queen if she wasn’t lying about her powers. Once again, she was locked up, and once again the little man returned.

“When he asked for payment, the girl sadly had none. The little man then offered her an idea. ‘Give me your first born, and in return I shall teach you how to spin the straw yourself’ and the girl accepted.” Marckus paused to scoff. “And this is why we don’t make deals with the fae. They take more than should ever be asked.”

“Sssstory Marckus.” Kitten yawned loudly as he asked for the story to continue.

“Right, sorry. Well, the little man showed the girl how to spin straw into gold, and by the next morning they had made triple the gold originally made. When the King came and saw all the gold, he was beyond pleased, and married the girl; making her queen. In no time at all, the Queen was with child, and she remembered her deal. Not long after the child was born, the little man appeared to the girl; demanding his payment.

“The Queen begged the little man to let her keep the child. The little man paused before speaking. ‘Guess my name, and you shall have them. I give you three days to figure out my name.’ and off the little man went. The Queen was devastated, and spent the first two days saying every name she and the Kingdom knew, but none were the name of the little man.

“On the second night, the Queen sent out a loyal servant to follow the tiny man. From there the servant watched as the tiny man drunk the night away before he started singing. ‘Today I'll bake; tomorrow I'll brew, Then I'll fetch the queen's new child, It is good that no one knows, Rumpelstiltskin is my name.’

“The servant was quick to return to the queen to share the good news, and she-“

Marckus stopped reading when he began to hear Kitten soft snores. He wasn’t surprised Kitten didn’t make it to the end of the story. It was clear, even to Marckus, that Kitten was exhausted, and needed the sleep.

Closing the book, Marckus would put it away before snuggle up next to Kitten. It wouldn’t take him long before he too was out like a light.

Chapter Text

Usually when one wakes up from sleep, they tend to be better rested than they did the night before. A good night’s rest was the best way to reset one’s mind, and feel refreshed for the new day.

Sadly for Kitten that is not how he felt upon waking up. He felt the exact opposite frankly, and would describe his body feeling terribly off. Kitten wasn’t sure what had woken him, aside from the off feeling, but with how groggy he felt it was obvious Kitten hadn’t slept his full sleep routine. These past couple days of waking up earlier than normal were bullshit, and Kitten groaned softly about it. Opening his eyes, Kitten wanted to see how early he had woken up this time, but it took a moment as he struggled to read the clock.

Once his vision focused, Kitten wished he hadn’t looked at all.

4:02 am.

… wow, two whole extra minutes compared to yesterday. Kitten groaned again as he slowly sat up in bed; surveying the room. Marckus was next to him and snoring, one leg off the bed, and hair clearly already a rat’s nest. Nothing else looked out of place, so what had woken him-

A gut clenching pain had Kitten out of bed quickly as he raced out the bedroom to make it to the bathroom.

Kitten would make it, just barely getting his mask off in time, before his body evicted everything from his stomach. Most of it was stomach acid, but that just made the whole ordeal that much worse. Kitten could feel the acid burning his throat, the sudden taste of vile and iron on his tongue, and he just wished it would stop. It would continue for much longer than the day before, and it left Kitten void of energy.

Half way through the distasteful ordeal, kitten felt a hand on his back, and soon a voice to answer who it was.

“I think you are actually sick now, Kitten.” Marckus’ voice was calm and soothing as he rubbed circles on Kitten’s back.

“Y-Yeah, I think so too.” Kitten coughed into the toilet before continuing to empty his stomach.

This went on for a little bit longer before Kitten finally felt empty and done. He would stay leaning against the toilet for a few moments before attempting to stand up. Marckus was there to help, and thankfully so because Kitten soon felt affected by vertigo. His vision went blurry and his head felt heavy, but thankfully it only lasted for a moment. He did dip forward a bit once he was fully standing, but with Marckus there to hold him up Kitten didn’t fall.

Marckus would help guide Kitten to the sink, allow the latter to rinse out his mouth, and then they left. Once back in their room, Marckus helped Kitten get back into bed; gently tuck him in. Kitten not once arguing or telling Marckus to stop. He was genuinely too exhausted to do anything at the moment.

“I think today I’ll stop by the store to get you some medicine. Maybe some ginger ale too. Think that will help?”

“Yeah… I don’t think I’m getting out of bed for the rest of the day.” Kitten sighed as he tried to get comfortable. “I feel awful.”

“I don’t think you ate yesterday, Love. That’s probably not helping either. You should at least try to eat something later today; even if it’s just crackers.” Marckus was now more than a little worried about Kitten. Seeing his partner in such a state, and not being able to help him was upsetting.

“I’ll try to, but I make no promises I will keep it down.” Kitten held onto Marckus’ hand before yawning loudly. “Sorry to have woken you up.”

“Don’t be. Just rest up. I’m going to hop in the shower since I’m awake. First dibs on hot water is always nice” Marckus rubbed his thumb over Kitten’s hand before letting go. “When I’m back, I’ll mess on the computer and figure out the best stuff to get at the store… You going to be okay while I’m gone?”

“I’ll be fine. I doubt you are going to take a five-hour shower Marckus. If anything happens, I’ll come get you.” Kitten could only offer that much to Marckus, but it thankfully was enough to calm Marckus’ nerves; a bit.

With a quick goodbye, Marckus would venture off to take that shower. Most of the shower was spent detangling his hair, and Marckus thinking about what could be wrong with Kitten. The most logical reason was that adrenaline shock being the culprit. It may have left Kitten susceptible to an actual illness, and that was a normal thing to suspect. That being said… what if it wasn’t a normal illness?

Marckus would rather start worrying in small doses before letting his mind get the better of him. If the medicine from the store fixed Kitten’s issues, then there was no need to worry… If it didn’t, they’d go from there. Kitten was usually the one to come to when someone was sick. He had the brains to think about what someone needed when sick; not Markcus. So, this was new terrain for the red head.

By the time Marckus had detangled his hair, the water was starting to lose its heat. He would sprint through the rest of his washing routine in order to stay warm, but Marckus still came out clean. After drying, dressing, and leaving the bathroom, Marckus would head back to his bedroom; only to find Kitten sleeping. Not wanting to disturb his lover, Marckus would quietly walk over to the computer, taking a seat at the chair, and turn it on.

The old thing whirred to life and Marckus shushed it like it would listen. Glancing behind him, Marckus would see Kitten not disturbed in the slightest and still resting. Filled with relief, Marckus would go back to working on the computer for a few hours. In all that time, Kitten not once stirred. Marckus didn’t even hear Kitten’s normally soft snoring.

Not wanting to disturb Kitten, Marckus would let him rest as long as he wanted.

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Kitten didn’t always remember his dreams. He knew everyone dreamed when sleeping, but the few dreams Kitten did recall were usually the worst nightmares imaginable. From reliving terrifying moments of his past, to Kitten finding himself naked in the Antarctic, his brain had put Kitten through it all.

The dream Kitten found himself having at the moment though was… strangely normal. Kitten was at his house. It was a sunny, warm, day, and Kitten was hanging laundry outside on the line to dry. Nothing felt out of place in his dream, but that just made Kitten more aware; slipping from average dreaming into lucid dream.

“… strange.” Kitten thought as he touched the bed sheet his dream-self had just hung up on the line. “It feels so real.”

Taking a step away from the clothes, Kitten began to walk towards the house, but within the blink of an eye he found himself inside the house; having only taken three steps in total. That was a little jarring, but Kitten just reminded himself this was a dream it eased his anxiety.

“Hello?” Kitten called out into the house. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but hearing childish giggles was not even close to what Kitten expected to hear responding back. Looking around himself, Kitten found he was not far from the basement stairs; the source of the giggling. Following the sound, Kitten slowly walked to the basement door; of his own accord this time. When he finally made it, he would just silently stand there, and listen to the giggles… until the doorknob began to turn.

Kitten watched as the door opened, and found nothing but steps to darkness. It was an eerie visual, but what made it even more uneasy was the fact the giggling stopped the moment the door was fully open. Kitten was about to call out into the darkness, but before he could speak a new noise caught his attention. There was a something coming up from the bottom of the stairs; taking slow and steady steps.

Taking a step back, Kitten wasn’t sure what to expect, but what eventually came up the steps was the farthest thing from his mind that it left Kitten drastically confused. Defying the laws of physics and bouncing up the stairs was a small, bright blue, ball. It was like watching a video in reverse as the ball came up each step with an audible thump of the rubber material against wood.

Eventually the ball made it up the steps, and would slowly roll towards Kitten until it stopped against his foot. Kitten wouldn’t out right reach out for it, but he would eventually; after deeming it safe. The ball was just an average one, big enough to fit in his hand, but there were letters on it written with thick black lines from a marker.

W.D

Kitten didn’t recall anyone with those initials. As he tried wracking his brain for any name that would fit, the giggling started up again. Glancing back down the stairs, Kitten would hear the voice coming closer, and see the darkness ascending the stairs as the giggles did. Kitten went to move away from the door, but found his feet stuck to the floor; unable to escape.

No matter how hard Kitten tried, his feet wouldn’t move, and that just made his panic increase. The giggles and the darkness were now half way up the stairs, and getting closer. Kitten didn’t know what do to get out this situation, and did the only thing that came to mind. Kitten tossed the ball, aggressively, into the darkness, and waited to see if it did anything.

Surprisingly, the darkness stopped as did the giggles when the ball came back at it. Kitten was a little shocked that the ball had actually stopped whatever was coming at him, but his surprise only grew when the ball came back; gently being thrown at him. Instinctively Kitten reacted and caught the ball. Staring at the ball a second, while his mind muddled things over, Kitten eventually threw it back into the darkness; this time with less hostility. Not long after Kitten tossed the ball into the darkness did the darkness toss it back. This would go on a few more times before Kitten’s anxiety calmed down

I’m playing catch with the basement… definitely a dream, Kitten thought to himself as the game of catch continued. Eventually Kitten found his feet no longer stuck to the floor, but he also had no intent to leave either. After a few tosses the giggles returned, and Kitten found himself smiling as well. This game went on for a little while longer until the ball never came back to Kitten; giggles stopping as well.

“… Hello?” Kitten finally found the courage to take a step closer and speak to the dark staircase. He wasn’t really expecting a response, this was a dream after all, but… he got one.

“Hi.” A child’s voice, soft and sweet, spoke up. “See you soon.”

Before Kitten could respond, the world around him began to fade, and the tug of awareness pulled Kitten from this dream. The last thing Kitten would hear before he found himself awake was those childlike giggles; fading away just as fast as the dream.

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Kitten could feel someone shaking his shoulder as his mind slowly began to wake up from sleep. It took a moment to process it, but Kitten could also hear someone speaking to him.

“Come on Kitten, this isn’t funny. You’ve slept enough now. Come on Love, wake up.”

That was Marckus’ voice… and he sound very concerned. The amount of concern Marckus was vocalizing was more than Kitten had ever heard in the other’s voice, and it was a bit startling to hear. Kitten normally would have jumped out of bed at the level of inflection in his fiancé’s voice, but found he didn’t have the strength to do that. The only energy Kitten had was to slowly open his eyes, and just as ploddingly reach out to grab Marckus’ hand on his shoulder.

“What’s the matter, Marckus?” Kitten’s words were slurring together, clearly the tiredness hadn’t worn off yet, and his vision was a still blurry from rest. When Marckus finally was clear in Kitten’s vision, he could see Marcus looking down at him with so much fret it was dripping off him like sweat.

“Fucking hell,” Marckus visible relaxed the moment Kitten touched and spoke to him. “Thank goodness you’re okay; you were worrying me there for a bit.”

“What are you talking about?” Kitten’s voice was like a crackling fire; dry and burning his throat. Kitten started to cough after that, and wouldn’t stop until Marckus handed him a glass of water with a bendy straw. The glass was cool to the touch, and as Kitten put the straw to his lips, he found the water to be the same. The cold liquid quenched Kitten’s dry throat, and stopped the coughing fit before it got worst. “How long did I sleep for?”

“You’ve been asleep for a day and a half.” Marckus answered Kitten’s question once he was certain his lover wouldn’t start coughing again. “Nothing I did would wake you. I figured you were just that sick, but you normally never sleep that long.”

Marckus was right about that. Sleeping for a whole day and a half was far outside the norm for Kitten, and the fact Marckus couldn’t wake him was concerning. Kitten was trying to find a logical reason for this, but nothing came to mind.

“… W-Well, I’m awake now… And I sure do feel like I’ve slept for that amount of time.” Kitten groaned as he made a move to sit up, but stopped half way when his head started to pound.

“Easy Love. Don’t push yourself.” Marckus was there to help Kitten the rest of the way up, and allowed the other to rest his head on his shoulder. “You think you can handle some medicine or maybe some food?”

Oh yeah; food. The last time Kitten recalled eating was… three days ago now? No wonder Kitten’s insides felt so horrid. That being said, the thought of a big meal just made his insides tie up in knots. Kitten was starving, but overstuffing himself with a big meal would just end in disaster.

“Something easy please. I think we have some leftover soup in the kitchen.” Kitten just continued to rest his head against Marckus’ shoulder; relaxing in the aura of his partner. “I might be able to handle that with the medicine. What kind did you get?”

“Stuff to help with the nausea mostly, though now I wish I would have picked up some caffeine pills.” Marckus rubbed his hand up and down Kitten’s back for a little bit before the other began to turn on the bed. Once Kitten had his legs dangling over the edge of the bed, he would sit there for a bit before making an attempt to sit up; word being attempt.

Kitten got about five inches off the bed before he came crashing back down. If Marckus wasn’t there to catch him, Kitten would have gone back to laying on the bed. Kitten’s mind was filled with the densest head fog, and his ears were now ringing. Getting up like normal was not happening.

“I said take it easy Kitten.” Marckus gently chastised his fiancé as he held Kitten close. “If you need to get up, let me help you.”

Kitten just nodded his head against Marckus shoulder. After Marckus made sure Kitten was ready to move, the two slowly got up. Once they were on their legs, Marckus would wait for Kitten to get his bearings before relaxing his hold on the other. Kitten was still unsteady, but at least he was standing now.

“Mind helping me to the bathroom, Marckus?” Kitten asked as he tried to take a step towards the door, and found Marckus was already following close behind; hands still gripping Kitten’s arms. “I need to take a shower. If I have been asleep for a day and a half, that means I’ve been in the same clothes two and a half days…”

“No problem, Love.” Marckus opened the bedroom door for them before the two made their way to the bathroom. “Do you want me to stay with you during it?”

“No, I think I’ll be okay on my own; the brain fog is clearing up. If you could go heat up that soup for me though, I’d appreciate it.” Kitten wasn’t all that convincing, but Markcus wouldn’t press it for now.

Once the two made it to the bathroom, Marckus would set Kitten down on the toilet before making a move to leave. Marckus would say he would be right back, and would rapidly head out of the room for a moment. Kitten was a bit confused as to what Marckus was doing, but when the other came back about five minutes with a folding chair Kitten knew what he was thinking.

“This way I don’t have to worry about you falling in the shower.” Marckus said proudly as he set the chair up in the shower.

“Thank you, Marckus. I really appreciate it.” Kitten smiled under his balaclava. He was lucky to have Marckus in his life; goofball moments and all.

“It’s nothing. I’ll go grab you some clean clothes, and then go make you some soup.” Marckus came over to Kitten and plastered a kiss on his forehead. “Call for me if you need me.”

Kitten would nod his head, and after that Marckus would leave the bathroom; leaving Kitten alone. Once Kitten was certain he could get up without passing out, he would begin to take off his layers of clothing. With everything he wore, it hid Kitten’s physique very well. Kitten was not as thick as his clothing would make him out to be, but he wasn’t outrageously thin either. Without his clothes, Kitten was mostly average weight with a tiny bit of muscle, but he never complained. He liked who he was, and so did Marckus; that’s all that mattered.

That being said, as Kitten took off his jacket, he noticed something. His shirt was snugger against his body than it normally would be. When that came off, Kitten was left to stare at his now bare upper body. From the chest up, everything looked fine, but from the chest down…

Kitten’s middle looked firm and bloated, and it felt the same when Kitten put a hand on it. It wasn’t outright obvious, but enough for Kitten to notice. Even his trackpants were a bit tight on him now that he thought about it. Kitten didn’t realize he had been putting on weight, but it was a surprise he had this weight since he hadn’t eaten in days.

Maybe Marckus and I should get out and exercise more Kitten thought to himself as he looked at his side profile in the mirror. They normally kept themselves in physical fitness with their line of work, the treadmill in the office helped too, so it was a bit surprising to Kitten he gained anything; though it wasn’t out of the question.

Even if it puzzled Kitten where the excess weight had come from, his mind was still too foggy to focus too long on it. Stripping off the rest of his clothes, Kitten would hop in the shower, and did end up using the chair Marckus had given him. The hot water felt amazing, and Kitten wasted most of it just sitting in the heat.

When the hot water would eventually run out, Kitten felt a lot better than he had the past few days. With no trouble getting up this time, Kitten stepped out of the shower to find new clothes on the sink; placed there by Marckus no doubt. Marckus had even taken the liberty of taking Kitten’s old clothes, and even leaving Kitten a clean jacket. Once fully dressed and covered, Kitten noticed even the pair of pants Marckus had left him were a bit tight, but they were manageable. Thankfully the jacket wasn’t snug, and left Kitten with plenty of room.

“Probably should go walk on the treadmill later.” Kitten spoke aloud as he zipped up the jacket Marckus had left him, and began to walk out the bathroom.

It wouldn’t take long to find Marckus. He was in the kitchen, standing by the stove cooking, and by the smell in the air it was the soup Kitten had asked for. Marckus appeared to not have noticed Kitten enter the room as he just kept staring at the pot. His arms were crossed over his chest and Marckus looked beyond worried; clearly not about the soup.

“Hey Marckus.” Kitten called out after just staring at Marckus for a few moments. He felt bad for worrying Marckus like this. Normally, it was Kitten worrying over Marckus and everyone’s wellbeing most of the time. Now the roles were reversed. On top of that, it took a lot to make Marckus worry. Marckus was the embodiment of ‘water off a duck’s back’ and most things didn’t cause him concern. So, to know Marckus was this out of sorts, made Kitten feel even worse.

“Christ on a stick!” Marckus shouted in shock before snapping his head at Kitten; eyes wide from surprise. “Oh, it’s you Love. You, uh, startled me.”

“Sorry. Deep in thought?” Kitten asked as he walked over to Marckus, slipping himself against the taller one’s side, and Marckus seamlessly wrapping his arm around Kitten.

“Yeah… You really did have me worried. I even asked Dad to fire off his cannon to see if it would wake you, and you just slept right through the whole house shaking like it was nothing.” Marckus went right to the core of the issue, and that surprised Kitten a little.

“The whole house shook?”

“Yeah, some of our books fell off the shelves even.” Marckus sighed as he turned off the stove and gave Kitten a big hug. “… Please don’t ever do that again.”

“I’ll try not to... I’m sorry I worried you so much.” Kitten’s quiet response showed his own worry about everything that happened. It was something out of his control if he fell asleep for days at a time, but perhaps now that he wasn’t feeling so ill, he may not have to worry about it. “I’m feeling a lot better now though so I think I’m on the mend.”

“That’s good to hear at least. How about you go sit down at the table and I’ll bring you the soup.” Marckus pulled Kitten closer for a quick embrace before steering Kitten towards the dining table.

“I could make my own bowl you know.” Kitten chuckled but didn’t argue with Marckus. Kitten may be feeling better but he wasn’t fully steady on his legs yet. He had to use the walls of the house for support, and the stair railing made sure he wouldn’t fall over just to reach the kitchen.

“Yes, but would I win brownie points if I did that?” Marckus asked coyly as he made sure Kitten was sitting before making them both a bowl of soup.

“You already have given me so many reasons to give you a trove brownie points, that I’m giving you an I.O.U.D for when I’m back to feeling a hundred percent better.” Kitten snickered as he listened to Markcus move about in the kitchen.

“Can I have that in writing?” Marckus was now full on laughing from the kitchen as he ladled soup into bowls. “Like seriously, that would be a fun card to pass between us.”

“Hm, maybe.” Kitten was smiling as wide as he could under the mask he wore. It was good to be acting normal with Marckus again. Silly little banters and playful quips were their norm, not the dense air of worry that had been around them lately.

Marckus would soon return with two bowls for them, and gently placed one of them in front of Kitten. It smelled wonderful. It was just a plain vegetable soup, but that’s what Kitten stomach needed; plain and simple. Eating something dense right now would probably upset Kitten’s sensitive stomach, and he didn’t want that.

“Eat up. You really need to. Days without eating cannot be good for you.” Marckus pointed with his own spoon at Kitten’s bowl before starting to eat his own. “After you eat, we can go get the pills. I forgot them when I got your clothes so they’re still in the bedroom.”

Kitten just nodded his head before carefully rolling up the end of his balaclava to allow his mouth to be available for soup. Stirring the soup with his utensil, Kitten was a bit hesitant at first to eat. The past few days had left Kitten overly cautious, and not having high hopes the food would stay down. He did say he would try and eat though; for Marckus.

Sighing to himself, Kitten filled his spoon with soup before just shoving it into his mouth. The taste thankfully wasn’t revolting, and after swallowing it appeared as though it would stay down too. Giving himself a minute to adjust to having food in his stomach, Kitten soon began to slowly eat the rest of his meal. Marckus was done far before Kitten was, but the former was fine with that. So long as Kitten was managing to keep something down, that all Marckus cared about.

When his bowl was finally empty, Kitten was surprised he managed to eat it all, and even more shocked that he found himself wanting more. His stomach was demanding more, and Kitten felt it safe enough to indulge. Marckus must have thought the same as he grabbed Kitten’s bowl and began to head back to the stove.

“There’s still plenty left. Think you can handle another serving?”

“Yeah, actually, I would like that.” Kitten hadn’t realized how hungry he was till after finishing that first bowl. The empty pit that was his stomach no longer wanted to be vacant, and now that Kitten could apparently hold down the food, his body wanted it all.

Kitten managed to eat three bowls of the soup before he finally called it quits. Marckus had tried to get Kitten to go for a fourth, but if Kitten did that, he would throw up again. After all that food, Kitten shockingly found himself tired, and resting his cheek on the palm of his hand; elbow on the table.

“That was good. Thank you, Marckus.”

“I’m just glad you ate something. Now I don’t have to worry about you starving to death.” Marckus gathered up their dishes before taking them to the sink.

“The average time for a human to starve to death is 2 months, Marckus. So long as you could get water down my throat, I would have lasted a while.” Kitten moved to stand up from the chair, and found he was a lot steadier on his legs now.

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t have known that. You’re the one with the brains in this relationship after all.” Marckus would join Kitten’s side as he spoke, pulling down his lover’s mask to recover his mouth, but not before stealing a kiss.

“You got brains, Marckus.” Kitten smile as the taller of the two began to lead them out of the dining room. “You also have the brawns and stature of this relationship. I doubt I’ll ever get those; especially not after eating three bowls of soup.”

“Yeah, but brains are far sexier.” Marckus chuckled as he let Kitten ascend the stairs first. “And besides, I like the body the soups in. The view is nice.”

“… is that why I’m going up first and not you?”

“Maaaaaybe.”

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D had been busying himself the past couple days with research… with uncertain results. The vampire’s ritual had been plaguing D’s mind, and the more he researched into it the more he found he didn’t like it. The ritual was like Frankenstein’s monster, in the sense that D had found multiple different rituals layered within it; many crossing different religions and beliefs. After analyzing some of the pictures taken that night, D found scriptures speaking of different gods than just the Goddess Inanna they originally came across.

The deeper D went into this, it became apparent that there were many dangerous layers to this ritual. Some of the artifacts’ spoke of rebirth, salvation, and forgiveness… while others brought up death, sacrifices, destruction, and damnation.  The more terrifying part in all of this, D found, was the connections to The Red Sign.

The Ritual of the Red Sign was a theoretical way of returning a Cainite to a state of mortality. In simpler words: A way for a Vampire to no longer be a Vampire. D had come across evidence of Red Sign activity in the past, but never seen vampires ever attempt it…

Until a few nights ago apparently, or at least the butchered version of it.

Picking up one photo, D stared at the image of the fertility goddess statue. Inanna felt so out of place the more D looked into this, and his only guess was that she was just the newest goddess the vampire had pulled into this ritual.

“If at first you don’t succeed, try new Gods.” D said in a quiet tone before setting the photo down. “Maybe the vampire was hoping for better results from a Goddess like Inanna… or perhaps just trying to get in contact with thee Goddess.”

There was a belief some Hunters had, D himself included, that all the known Gods and Goddesses in the world were all connected to the main Goddess; Gaia. They acted as her eyes, ears, and conduits to those who walked the earth. If the vampire was going through all the gods in the world just to get to Gaia, it was like calling every name in the phone book till you got the person you wanted; if they were even in the book.

Sighing loudly, D looked away from the pictures and stepped away from the table. He hadn’t slept for about day, not with his brain buzzing with questions, but perhaps he should rest soon. You can’t give it your all in the hunt if your brain wasn’t recharged properly. D could go a few days without sleep, but this needed his fully aware attention.

Speaking attention, D soon found his being pulled away when his sharp hearing heard the sound of the upstairs steps being used. Those things always creaked when more than one person walked on them in the most annoying way. Door and Boy were not at home at the moment, having gone out to get house supplies, which left only D, Marckus, and Kitten in the home.

Good to see Son in Law is awake. Marckus was starting to worry more than an orangutang without trees, D thought to himself before recalled the wonderous moment Marckus had come asking him to fire his cannon. D loved firing that thing, and would take any opportunity to do so, but knowing the reason behind the request was worrisome.

D knew his Son in Law was not well, but the ailments Marckus had spoken of weren’t adding up. Having an upset stomach after experiencing an adrenaline rush was normal. Sleeping for almost two days was not. D didn’t think it was anything to be too worried about, but something felt off about it all.

“Perhaps I should inquire Son in Law later this evening about how he feels about all of this.” D sighed before walking over to his bed. “But first, a well-deserved, drug induced, nap.”