Chapter Text
It wasn’t that you liked going around and passing out in alleyways, but you’d underestimated the effects of taking two of your anxiety emergency pills and hadn’t had much of a choice of where you lost your balance and took an involuntary nap.
You normally only took a half pill for the panic attacks your shitty boss gave you, but you’d needed to be calm NOW. Unfortunately, you hadn’t been able to calm down fast enough to keep said boss from sending you home when you didn’t come out of the staff bathroom for half an hour.
That’s what sent you here, waking up to a sharp pain in your wrist. You were so groggy, but you could tell you were outside and that meant you’d probably been bitten by some sort of animal.
Great, you’d probably pass out when you had to go get that rabies shot, too. Needles did that even without being over-medicated.
But the bite wasn’t hurting, and the initial sting had helped you wake up enough not to just go back to sleep. But you heard voices before you could get your eyes open and decided to play possum for a while.
“STOP THIS AT ONCE, BROTHER! I KNOW WE’RE HUNGRY BUT YOU’RE GOING TOO FAR!”
No response, but you thought you heard a loud gulp and a whine.
“I KNOW IT’S HARD TO…TO RESIST THE NEED, BUT YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT’S IN THEIR BLOOD! THEY COULD BE DRUNK AND I CAN’T CARRY YOU, DESPITE MY GREATNESS!” The voice was a stage whisper, but clearly worried, sounding like a boy’s voice. So a boy trying to talk to his brother out of something to do with your blood.
YOUR BLOOD?!?
Before you could move, you heard a sigh and a tingling went across your wrist. Whatever had happened was not happening again, so you quickly sat up and pulled your arm against yourself.
Turning, you saw….bitties? You’d heard of the little skeletons before through your hobby, but these two were…not the types you remembered from the small article you’d read online.
One had odd legs and hooved feet, a tiny spade tail lashing as he curled damaged black wings around himself in fright, “D-D-DON’T MAKE ANOTHER MOVE, HUMAN! YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO MATCH MY STRENGTH!”
This was the reasonable voice. So…you looked at the other bitty, who was sat cross-legged on the ground, panting with blood on his golden fangs. He was leaned back on his hands, looking dazed as he goggled up at you, his tattered long-coat not covering his body nearly enough to be comfortable.
Reasonable voice grabbed one arm and shook his brother, “LET’S GO! HURRY UP!”
But the one on the ground (you guessed he’d be taller than the reasonable one if he was standing) just smiled dopily and leaned on him, starting to snore.
“OH STARS, YOU ATE TAINTED BLOOD AGAIN,” whimpered the hooved bitty before drawing his brother close and glaring at you with fierce purple eyes “DON’T GET ANY IDEAS! JUST BECAUSE YOU DRUGGED MY BROTHER DOESN’T MEAN YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH IT!”
You weren’t paying attention, really, to what the little skeleton said. You were too busy looking at two tiny pink scars on your wrist. They were perfectly positions on the big vein just before your hand, and the same distance apart as the sleeping bitty’s fangs. He was a vampire.
“ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING HUMAN?”
You jolt, then shake your head, “Sorry, bitty, I just….I-I’m sorry your brother’s passed out but I couldn’t exactly warn him since the meds did that to me, too.”
“SO YOU DON’T USUALLY DRINK ENOUGH TO SLEEP IN ALLEYS?” he was suspicious of you, and you didn’t blame him.
“I’m not drunk, I took too much anxiety medication.”
The little hooves stomp the ground in frustration, “WHAT WOULD A WELL FED HUMAN KNOW ABOUT ANXIETY?! YOU HAVE A HOME AND FOOD AND ARE BIG AND POWERFUL! NOT AS POWERFUL AS ME, BUT STILL!”
There were purple tears filling up his sockets and spilling out over his dirty cheek, dripping on the tattered black clothes he wore.
You also noticed there were bite marks similar to the one on your wrist all over his body. “Do…do you guys not have an owner?”
“OF COURSE NOT!” He sniffled and hugged his limp brother to him, “W-WE’RE WILD AND FREE! NO MERE MORTAL CAN CONTAIN OUR COMBINED POWER, MUCH LESS JUST MYSELF.”
Worried, you look around. No sign of any box or anything they could have been dumped in, no defining features here…no collars or bracelets on the bitties….oh stars.
“You’re really brave to face a human alone for so long,” you say honestly. You know they’re probably abandoned bitties by how rough they look, and how they have clothes at all. Poor guys. “Especially carrying someone else.”
“YOU…” his cheekbones blushed purple, “YOU REALLY THINK SO? NOT JUST TRYING TO WEASLE YOUR WAY OUT OF MY WRATH?”
“No,” you sigh as you carefully sort yourself out. You weren’t robbed while you were out, thank goodness, but your hands and legs were scratched up and would need cleaning, as would your clothes. “You’re a very good brother and a courageous soul for doing this. For all you know, I could be a violent criminal or something. But you stuck by your brother even after he passed out. That’s a really admirable thing to do.”
The winged bitty seemed to shudder, and more tears filled his sockets before he drug his brother forward and laid both him and himself against your leg, “I’M NOT GOING TO BEG. YOU WON’T GET ME TO! BUT….EVEN IF YOU ARE A WICKED THIEF AND HIDEOUS WRETCH, OR SOMETHING WORSE, I….I INVITE YOU TO TAKE US HOME WITH YOU.”
He was too proud to ask, you realize, but his face was filled with desperation and you couldn’t say no to that. Not that you’d wanted to after you saw the bites. He’d been feeding his brother off his own magic to keep him alive, and now that someone could offer them both a better, safer home, he wasn’t going to lose that chance.
“I’d be honored. Do you two have names?” You very gently scooped them up and set them inside your backpack to stay safer and more hidden.
“N-NO! AND EVEN IF WE USED TO, WE’D NEVER USE NAMES GIVEN TO US BY SOME PEASANT…” you thought that sentence ended in something else, something too mumbled to hear, but that wasn’t your business.
“Alright. If you think of something you’d like to be called, I’d love to hear it. I’m sure you’ll come up with a very handsome name for the both of you.” Flattery seemed to get this bitty complacent and keeping him happy till you got home and could take care of both brothers was key.
“YES. I WILL SPEND THE TRIP CONSIDERING IT, HUMAN.”
There. You made sure to be quiet so he could think and his brother could sleep the drowsy side effects of your medication off.
--
How he’d deal with this human, he didn’t know.
A name?
Conrad had been his name with the first vile pig who’d had them, but he hated that name now as much as he hated the man who’d thrown them both away like so much garbage in a cardboard box. No. There was no Conrad and Conan now.
He liked…
Well, a lot of these names on the human’s computer were nice. They’d opened their laptop as soon as they’d come home and brought up a list of names once he’d said he could read.
Of course he could read! He was a full grown adult bitty and a magnificent specimen of a Lucirazz. No one could match his intellectual prowess!
But…he did have to pick out names for them. And that meant he had to consider what his brother would want.
The lazybones was out cold still, though some of that could be attributed to the fact he was full for the first time in weeks and that it was still noon. His brother was a night owl, and had only been awake during the day recently because of how hungry they both were and trying to survive out in the streets.
Hearing footsteps, he turned and saw the human. They were carrying a shallow bowl of water and some washcloths, and they sat these down on the table with him and his brother.
“Have you picked some names yet?” they asked, smiling. They seemed to enjoy looking at him, since they were always smiling when they did.
“YES.” He had two that he felt fit them best. He hoped his brother would approve. “AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION, I HAVE DECIED MY NAME IS DESMOND. MY BROTHER SHALL BE REGIS.”
“Those are some good names,” they say, and he feels better. He did good. “Now, I’m really sorry, Desmond, but I’ll need your help to get your brother clean. It’s not healthy for anybody to be all gritty.”
Blushing, Desmond nodded, “OF COURSE YOU WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO DO SUCH DELICATE WORK YOURSELF! ALLOW ME TO DISROBE AND WE SHALL GET TO IT!” He didn’t want to get undressed, but he agreed with the sentiment of not wanting to be filthy any longer. The human had been cleaning their cuts and changing their clothes while he searched for the names, so it was most definitely his own turn as well as Regis’.
Once the rags he’d worn were off, Desmond couldn’t even stand looking at them. How had he demeaned himself by wearing such refuse? And his brother…he quickly took the hideously ruined garment off him and helped the human move him into the bowl. Desmond hopped in himself and took the small chip of soap the human gave him, using on Regis first. His brother’s bones were stronger than his, if only because they were thicker. His group had been born first, with his brother being six days younger. Because of that, he’d never let his brother go hungry. NO HONEST OLDER BROTHER WOULD!!!
Well…it meant he was very depleted now, while Regis was relatively healthy. He hadn’t been able to eat a lot, just because he refused to hurt him, but Regis had eaten regularly while Desmond had not.
The human held Regis’ head above water, keeping him still and safe while Desmond carefully scrubbed him down. Once he was cleaned, the water was filthy, and the human carefully placed them both on the dry washcloths. “Let me just dump this old water and we’ll get you fresh, Desmond. You deserve a warm bath and clean bones after all you’ve been through.”
“I DESERVE IT ALL THE TIME, BUT I’LL TAKE YOUR ATTEMPT AT A COMPLIMENT KINDLY THIS ONCE.” Desmond was not about to drop his pride now. Not after all that. He’d stand here naked and proud, stars blast it all!
They return and help him up into the bowl, “I’LL LET YOU FEEL USEFUL,” then give back the soap chip and let him bathe himself while they go to make dinner for them to share. That gave him time to think as he watched his brother cuddle deeper into the washcloth, smiling slightly. His little brother meant more to him than he ever would confess, and now that the human had taken them in, well…he hoped this would go better. The man before had been planning on doing horrible things, he could feel it, and thus he had thrown the biggest fit he could as soon as the man touched him. He’d been lured in by the promises of raspberries and chocolate, yes, but he should have known better once the man grimaced when his brother came along. This was not someone who wanted to treat bitties as people, but as objects, and when his “plaything” had not agreed, he threw it away, especially since as he’d said, he was planning on doing that to Regis anyway.
Now, this human has bathed them and rescued them, fed his brother (though unknowingly), and was making food with all intentions of feeding him, too. Their soul was not dark, as he reached out tentatively with his own. Theirs was tired, and scared, but loving and exceedingly honest, its glow blue with the light of INTEGRITY.
Yes, this was a good human. He knew they existed, but he’d been very hurt by that first betrayal and was starting to wonder if the bad ones might not be the majority.
Coming back to reality, Desmond did wonder what they were going to wear now that those disgusting tatters were gone (the human had taken them with the dirty water bowl), but that could wait.
The human returned, rescuing him from his own dirty water and wrapping him in yet another clean cloth, “You were very quiet, Desmond. Are you alright?”
“OF COURSE I AM! A FASCINATING SPECIMEN SUCH AS MYSELF CANNOT HELP BUT FLEX HIS MENTAL ACUITY WHILE IDLE OTHERWISE.” He had to impress this human, make sure they knew he was a catch of a bitty and would be invaluable to someone so clearly feckless and lacking leadership.
“Oh you were thinking? Can I know what about?” They picked up the bundles that were him and his brother with the softest of touches, and held them to their chest as they went toward a new room.
“MOSTLY ABOUT HOW YOU CAN POSSIBLY HOPE TO CLOTHE SOMEONE OF MY CALIBER, AND MY BROTHER AS WELL. HE IS THE MOST EXCELLENT OF VAMPYRUS’ OUT THERE, SINCE HE BELONGS TO THE ONE AND ONLY DESMOND.” Yes, sell them on his brother as well. They’re a package deal, and what a deal that is! To be able to be in his company at all times and have someone as soft spoken and caring as his brother on top of that!
“Vampyrus? Is that his bitty type?” they opened the door and stepped into the dark for a second before turning on the lights.
“YES THAT-“ Desmond felt his jaw drop. All around the room were mannequins matching bitty sizes to a t, and they were covered in the most gorgeous clothes he’d ever seen. “HUMAN. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?” He couldn’t suppress the awe in his voice no matter how much he wanted to.
“I work at the book store, sure, but I started making clothes for dolls years ago. Then bitties became a thing and people who used to commission me to make doll clothes started asking for bitty clothes instead and…well, it’s so much nicer making clothes that are going to make someone happy to wear than just look pretty. It’s just my hobby, but it gives me good spending money.”
Well he wasn’t worried about how to get clothes anymore.
--
Whatever that human had in their blood, he didn’t want any more of it.
Still, now he was warm, and something soft was covering him up and…wait.
That is not how outside in the alley should feel.
Groaning softly, he sat up and looked around. A…a bed?
Yeah, it was made of blankets and something that looked to be one of those squishy neck pillows he’d seen advertised on the TV in the shop, but it was an honest to goodness bed.
His brother was beside him in the fanciest clothes he’d ever seen. He looked like an anime character. “BROTHER! YOU’RE AWAKE! IT’S ABOUT FOUR, SO THAT MAKES SENSE, BUT YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT THE HUMAN HAS DONE!”
“was that…?” had he dreamed the whole street thing? had the man actually kept them?
“LOOK, BROTHER, THEY MAKE THESE IN THEIR SPARE TIME, AND SOMETIMES FOR MONEY! I MADE A LOVELY DECISION IN LETTING THEM TAKE US HOME AFTER YOU FED OFF THEM.” Preening and (slowly) healing wings fluttering, his brother seemed pleased.
So this belonged to the human who’d been in the alley. And they’d made clothes like this? And let his brother actually wear them? All the black silk trim and bows, the deep purple satin…it was a gothic dream outfit and perfectly fit his brother’s aesthetics.
“BY THE WAY, OUR NEW NAMES ARE DESMOND,” he pointed to himself, “AND REGIS.”
Regis? Okay, he liked that better than Conan. He was no barbarian, after all. “and we’re sure they’re safe, m’lord?”
“OH YES. THEY EVEN HELPED ME GET YOU BATHED AND LET ME GET CLEAN AS WELL. WHILE I CHOSE TO DRESS UP, I LET THEM GET YOU INTO SOME PAJAMAS SO YOU’D BE MORE COMFORTABLE WHILE YOU SLEPT OFF YOUR FOOD COMA!” Oh. Yeah, he’s not telling Desmond that was a bit of a pun.
“oh,” was all he said as he looked at the, admittedly heavenly feeling, pajamas. Orange shirt with lime accents, matching the lime pants with orange accents. There was even a tiny orange embroidered on the front in a soft thread. Whoever made this was really into super cute things.
“YOU MISSED LUNCH, BUT DINNER IS IN A FEW MINUTES. THIS HUMAN EATS EVERY FOUR HOURS FOR SOME MEDICAL CONDITION THEY HAVE, AND THAT MEANS YOU CAN FEED ON THEM AGAIN IF YOU’RE HUNGRY.”
“if it’s alright with you, m’lord, I’d rather feed on your magic instead. I don’t want to end up helpless again,” he really hoped his brother went for this.
“OH DON’T BE A BABY! THE HUMAN SAID THEIR MEDICATION WEARS OFF AFTER FOUR HOURS, AND IT’S BEEN EIGHT ALMOST! SO NOW THEY’RE CLEAN AND CAN FEED YOU WITH NO ILL EFFECTS,” Desmond helped him up, “BESIDES, EVEN THE GREATEST OF EVILS HAS TO KNOW WHEN TO STOP AND CARE FOR THEMSELVES, AND I’M AFRAID I’D RATHER YOU DRINK FROM THE HUMAN UNTIL I’M AT MY FULL POWER AGAIN. NOT THAT I’D EVER BE WEAK, OF COURSE.”
Okay, so he had to drink the blood. “as you wish, m’lord. Can we at least see this human?”
“Up here, Regis.” Oh, they had a voice.
He looked up to find the human sitting in a big bed across from the table their makeshift one rested on. They were on a computer and grinned at him, “I was just looking up more information on you and your brother’s bitty types so I can take better care of you.”
What? “there’s no need, human, really.”
“SHUSH, BROTHER.” Desmond pushed him lightly, and he dutifully shut up. “THE HUMAN IS CLEARLY IN NEED OF MORE APPROPRIATE AND EXTRAORDINARY MODELS FOR THEIR TAILORING, AND WITH THE TWO OF US, THEY WILL CERTAINLY PRODUCE FAR BETTER-QUALITY GARMENTS!”
Alright, so this human actually impressed his brother instead of bribing him. That….that was worth giving a try. Especially since they had taken care of not only his brother, but him, too, even after he stole blood and passed out. They could have dusted him without a fight and instead they had cleaned him up and given him some decent clothes and a bed. Much improved from their previous house.
He nodded and gave the human a tentative smile, which was returned with a happy squeak and a burst of happy energy from their soul. Ah, now that felt good, real feelings toward them that were kind. Maybe this would be a better place for them.