Ducklings
Zero made his decision.
He decided to push his vampire back, until he comes to terms with becoming a full one. He's going to eventually bond with me, making him an official family member. Until then, he will be drinking my blood, and pushing it back.
This will become a routine. Every week, he'll come to me, and feed from my wrist.
He sits in front of me, radiating nervousness. "Zero, it's okay. I promise, you'll be okay." I say soothingly.
He sighs, nodding, trusting me. I pull up my sleeve, reaching out and holding my hand out to him. He grabs it, hesitating for only a moment before biting down. I don't flinch, pain being an old friend. His eyes turn red, his body running on instinct as he feed. I can see his Vampire peeking out, watching me, and I smile softly. "It's going to be okay." I whisper.
His eyes turn back to their usual purple, and Zero releases me. He already looks better. His usual exhaustion and frustration, gone. He looks to me, eyes watering before he's wrapping me up in a hug. I chuckle fondly, holding him back. "Thank you, thank you." He whispers into my hair.
I hum, nodding. "Of course, Zero. You're family." I speak softly, rubbing his back.
When he pulls away, I grin. "Now, go get cleaned up. I promised Kain to bring you to him after."
He groans, standing and going to the bathroom. I chuckle, standing and beginning to clean myself up. I heal the bite, wiping the blood away with a cloth before pulling my sleeve back down.
Zero come back in, and we head out. I notice the sun beginning to set, telling me it's almost time for class changeover.
My ears ring at the girls screaming, and I wince. Zero crosses his arms, his usual scary facade peeking out as we pass them. "Zero! Ge!" Yuki shouts.
I look over, smiling at her with a nod. "Yuki. Doing okay?" I ask calmly as she attempts to hold back the rambunctious girls.
"Yes!" She beams, glancing at Zero worriedly.
It's like the girls freeze, noticing me. In the next moment, I'm being surrounded, questions being thrown at me.
"Who are you?!"
"Are you a new night class student?"
I flush at the attention in embarrassment, stepping back. The feel of all these hands on me, has vivid reminders of a time I was constantly riddled with pain. My chest clenches, and it becomes hard to breath. The hands leave me, and I turn around quickly, needing to get away. I run into a chest, but my vision is too blurry to tell who. "Zero." I choke out quietly. He'll understand I need to go.
I feel a large hand on my back, leading me away. Another hand grabs my own, and I follow quietly. "Breath." The deep voice orders gently.
I suck in a breath, feeling my back against a tree. The hand doesn't release me, and I hold on.
I don't know how long it's been, but when I feel calm, I wipe my eyes with my sleeve, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry. It's...I'm sorry." I whisper, looking up to not find Zero, but Kaname. I startle, eyes wide. "Oh." I breath out. He watches me, not masking the worry. I smile up at him in reassurance. "It's okay. Thank you, Kaname."
He hums, his eyes narrowing a bit as he thinks. "Does this happen often?" He asks, referring to my panic attack.
I chuckle awkwardly, feeling the need to answer honestly. "Well... yes." I sigh. Not realizing I'm still holding his hand, the contact grounding me, I look away. "My past caused a lot of..." I wave my hand. "I can't handle too much touch or noise and that was...." I squeeze the hand again, calming when he reminds me to breath.
Kaname hums. "Do not cross the courtyard during this time again." He orders, but I'm too tired to process it as one.
I nod, breathing out once more. "I won't." I whisper, before remembering what I was doing before. "Oh! I have to get back to Zero." I look up with another smile. "Thank you for this." I grimace. "So much for being the teacher, huh?" I chuckle with no humor.
He brings our joined hands up, placing his other one over it. How are his hands so big? Mine aren't that small... are they? "Everyone needs help in some areas. I enjoy your teaching." His eyes hold something I can't understand, and I ruffle my hair, a nervous tick. "Really? I've been trying to appeal to all you youngsters." Unaware I've upset him by calling him a child, I don't process his next words real meaning.
"The children enjoy it greatly. I enjoy it as well." He comments.
I look back up to him, smiling with a nod. "Then I'll see you in a bit, Kaname."
I release his hand, feeling a chill for some reason. I leave, making my way to Kain and Zero.
When I get to their office, I'm fussed over before waving them off and beginning to update Kain on Zero.
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Sitting in the courtyard, I look up with someone stands in front of me. Seeing Ruka, I smile gently, patting the spot next to me, where I'm sitting on the fountain. She sits, smiling shyly. "How can I help you, Ruka?" I ask.
He plays with her fingers, before turning to me. "I can't get my hair to do what yours does!" She complains.
I freeze in shock, before laughing. She flushes, and I reach out, patting her head. "Would you like me to help you?" I ask gently.
She perks up, nodding quickly. I nod. "Alright, wait here, I'll be right back."
Heading home, I grab a few hair products as well as tools and a blanket. When I get back, I set the blanket down, before sitting back on the fountain. "Alright, come sit."
She sits down on the blanket, and I begin on her hair, speaking quietly as I do. "So, I always go from the bottom up." I explain as I brush. "Now this oil is first, it's for growth and to keep the hair strong." I add it, before moving on and adding the different products. When I've finished, her hair is soft and shiny, the subtle waves more pronounced. I style it before holding a mirror in front of her.
She gasps. "Amazing." She breathes out.
I chuckle, nodding. "You have beautiful hair, Ruka. Here, take this." I hand her the bag of products I brought. "Don't hesitate to come to me if you want me to do it again." I smile.
She stands, hugging me quickly. I laugh, hugging her back and patting her head. Duckling acquired.
She leaves, preening for the whole day, telling everyone who will listen that Hadiran did it for her.
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I'm walking through the halls of the night classes when I hear muttered words. "Stupid. Kaname-Sama won't want an illiterate in his circle for long." Is spat out, before I see an older boy leaving the empty classroom.
I walk over to it, seeing Hanabusa, and frown. His head whips up, noticing me, and he turns away, wiping his eyes.
I hum, walking in and closing the door behind me. "Hadiran." He mutters.
I nod, coming to sit in the chair next to him, grabbing his book and noticing it's one I recommended in his aid. "Let me help? It's kind of my job. Plus, I'm bored right now, won't you spare me?" I tease.
He sniffs, but his lips twitch as he nods, and I count it as a win.
I grab a piece of paper and a pencil, setting it in front of him before opening the book and beginning to teach.
I help him sound out the words, before spelling them.
We work for hours, the time passing quickly. When I notice the sun is about to rise, I close the book. "I'll come to you every night before bed, or you can come to me. We'll alternate on reading to each other. It will help and before you know it, you'll be a pro." I grin.
He looks at me with wide eyes, his cheeks flushed. "Really?" He whispers shyly.
I nod, ruffling his hair. "Yeah, kid. Really. You know where I live, come by whenever you want, but you need to come every night so we can work on this, okay? No one needs to know if you don't want them too."
He nods and I can't help but wrap him up. He's so young, for all that he's important in the vampire world. He sags into the hold, and I rub his back, giving all the comfort needed.
We part with smiles, and from that day forth, I have another duckling.
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I pass through the forest, before pausing when I hear stuttered breathing. I make my way over, seeing Senri sitting on the ground, his legs pulled up to his chest. Worried, I go to him. "Senri?" I ask quietly.
He flinches, and I sigh, sitting next to him. I don't speak, only giving him the option of seeking me out.
"I'm tired." He mumbles.
I nod. "You're a model, if I'm, correct?"
He nods, burying his face into his legs and I hum. "Do you not want to be?" I ask.
He shakes his head. "I enjoy it, but my manager allows too much at once." He whispers. I hum as he continues. "I've tried asking for a break, but he's so... mean." He chokes out the final words.
"Come here, Senri." I say soothingly, opening my arms, feeling the need to comfort once more. He doesn't hesitate, leaning into me, and I wrap my arms around him.
We're pretty similar in height, so it's a bit difficult to wrap him up completely, but when he's in my arms, his whole body relaxes. I begin running my hand through his hair, leaning back against the tree once more. "So, you want a break, and after you want to have less shoots back-to-back?" I ask quietly.
He nods into me, and I nod back, not stopping my ministrations. "Alright. Don't worry any more, rest."
He sags into me, eyes closing in his exhausted state.
The next day, Senri got a call from his manager, demanding he go on a break before explaining the new, more relaxed schedule to him. Another ducking acquired.
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As I'm baking, Senri and Zero sit in the living room, staring at each other. It's become a bit of a normal, as the night class duckling have begun to practically live here. It took time for Zero and the ducklings to stop fighting, but now they're more like annoying siblings... and in a way, they all are.
My door opens, Ruka and Hanabusa bickering as they enter, but another person follows them quickly, the house silencing at Akatsuki's arrival. He crosses his arms, looking between us all before sighing and shaking his head. "I've been wondering where you all were running off too." He grumbles.
I chuckle sheepishly. "Come in."
He closes the door behind him, freezing when he spots Zero. "Zero?" He asks with confusion.
Hanabusa sits next to Zero, throwing an arm over his shoulder. "Don't worry. He's actually a giant softy under all that gruff."
"You-!" Zero launches at him, the two tumbling on the ground and I sigh, turning back to mixing the batter. Ruka joins me, and I smile over at her.
Teddy walks in, greeting everyone with a smile before noticing Akatsuki. "Another one, Dad?" He asks, teasing as he holds his hand out for Akatsuki.
The boy startles before looking between us and sighing, shaking his hand and nodding. "I guess I am." He mumbles.
Teddy laughs, pulling Akatsuki behind him to the small table of chess. "Play?" He asks, excitedly.
They begin playing, Senri having got Zero and Hanabusa to calm by shoving poky into their mouths. Ruka puts the cakes into the oven, and I walk over to Hanabusa, holding out a new book for him to read. He looks over to Akatsuki in trepidation. The usual group has been open in their struggles, and no teasing about has happened.
Akatsuki looks between the book and him before looking to me. "Can you help me with math?" He asks calmly.
Ruka snorts and the tension in the room is drained. I smile at him softly, nodding. "Of course." I leave to begin grabbing a few books and papers.
Time passes before the oven goes off. Ruka gets the cakes out, Senri taking Akatsuki's place on the chess board as the boy comes to the bigger table. I sit next to him, beginning to work on the problems.
Another duckling acquired.
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As I'm walking through the town, I stop for a tea and smile at the girl behind the counter. She flushes, and I tilt my head in confusion.
I leave, walking around and enjoying the weekend. Teddy is out with Zero and Yuki, and deciding to give the kids their alone time, I figured I'd look around. I bump into a girl with purple hair and rest my hands on her shoulders. "I'm so sorry, are you okay?" I ask worriedly.
She nods. "It was my fault." She mumbles.
I shake my head. "Nonsense." I smile at her.
She flushes, and I chuckle, wanting to ruffle her hair, so I do. "Now, be careful." I smile, watching her nod before walking away quickly.
I sigh before continuing on. Seeing I've walked a bit to far as there's no longer any traffic, I turn before jumping out of the way quickly. A growl has me looking over and seeing a level D vampire.
My heart lurches, seeing someone in this state. "Dinner." He growls, launching at me again.
He freezes in place, my magic instinctively protecting me. I walk towards him, watching sadly. "I'm so sorry." I whisper as he snarls and growls, completely feral. "I-I" My eyes begin watering. I don't enjoy killing, I never have. If I don't, they'll attack the humans, if I do, I... The tears fall and I raise a shaky hand, about to finish him, when a body is pressing up against my back, a hand covering my eyes, pressing my head into their chest.
"Are you okay, Hadiran?" The man who's voice I recognize as Kaname, speaks quietly.
"I-" I choke out a cry, before I'm being turned into him. His arms wrap around me, and I'm unable to stop myself, crying into his chest.
He rubs my back, resting his chin on the top of my head. "I understand. Killing isn't for everyone, and there's nothing wrong with it. I was here. He's gone Hadiran."
I grab onto his jacket, closing my eyes tightly. "Thank you. I-I'm sorry." I whisper into him.
He hums, the deep sound vibrating throughout my entire body. "There's nothing to apologies for." He speaks quietly.
I nod, pulling back and wiping my eyes with my sleeves, my tea having been dropped to the ground. I look up when I feel him placing a hand on my back. "Come on, let's get you another tea." He smiles.
I nod, tired, as he leads me away, not once wondering how he knew what I was drinking, as the cup is from a coffee shop.
He leads me away. small talk helping me come back to myself.
By time we're sitting down in the shop, he's diverted my attention completely. He rests his cheek on his fist as he watches me. I don't notice the fondness.
I smile up at the girl who brings the drinks. "Thank you."
She stutters, and my eyes widen in confusion once more. Are the employees here, sick? I don't see Kaname's eyes flashing red quickly. But a growl has me looking over to Kaname. He's smiling at me, but the girl practically runs away. I look back to her retreating back. "Weird." I mumble.
Kaname chuckles deeply. "Very."
I smile at him, before he's speaking once more. "I wanted to thank you for helping my... friends, out of class."
I flush at the thanks, shaking my head quickly. "It's no problem! It's my job." I laugh sheepishly.
He grins, shaking his head. "You're helping with a lot, and they've all become... better. So, thank you."
I look down with a smile. "I enjoy helping." I mutter.
He hums and nods. "Yes, you do. It's a very cute trait."
I splutter. "Kaname!" I whisper-shout when he begins laughing.
I groan, covering my red face. "You're enjoying this." I grumble.
I peek up at him, seeing the small smile and drop my hands with a sigh as he responds. "Very much."
I find myself relaxing around him, the same as all my other students, but for some reason, it feels like I'm speeding to a friend, instead of a child. Not thinking too much on it, I enjoy our time together. We spend hours speaking, teasing and getting to know more about each other.
He rests his cheek on his closed fist once more. "So, Zero isn't dangerous anymore?" He asks.
I nod, answering only because Kain and Zero have explained anything pertaining to vampires is known my Kaname to keep the order. "Yeah. For now, it's being..." I tilt my head. "Suppressed? No, that doesn't sound right." I shake my head. "More like, it's become docile. In the future, he'll be a full one and he'll have full control."
Kaname hums, nodding. "How's this being done? If you don't mind me asking." He eyes me with something in his eyes I don't understand, but for some reason, I don't want to tell him. I look away from his eyes, another nervous tick.
I chuckle awkwardly, ruffling my hair. "Oh, you know..." I trail off, hoping to buy time.
Too bad Kaname Kuran isn't a child, but in a fact a very, very old original vampire. "Hadrian." He warns.
I wilt at his tone, answering quietly. "It's my blood." He freezes, and I'm able to feel the tension in the air. I reach out, grabbing one of his hands with both of mine. "It's okay!" I whisper, pleading. "I promise. It's not a lot, and it helps! I'm a bit... different. Zero is my family." I plead, eyes watering, hoping he'll understand.
He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them and pinning me with his stare. "You will check in with me after every... session." He grits out the final word.
I nod rapidly, not even realizing I'm listening to an apparent student. Vampire or not. "Okay. I will!" I beam, glad he's understanding.
He grips my hand before resting it on the table. "You're reckless with your life." He growls, still not fully calm.
I tilt my head in confusion, and he sighs, this time tiredly. "It's alright, I'm here now." He says quietly.
I'm beyond confused, but when he pushes the plate of cookies to me, my attention is diverted. I don't even realize he doesn't let my hand go, his eyes not leaving me once.