You'll realise monsters have nightmares too... //romance OxO CLOSED//

Laedita sat back on her haunches and watched the two warily, filing away the vampire's name with half a thought. She didn't interfere, however, even if she was ready to defend her brother if need be. Her hands rubbed at her scarred arms unconsciously, then stopped when it attracted her brother's attention.

Meleki pouted in thought, then lit up and held up a finger towards Cass in a 'wait here' gesture before scurrying away. It didn't take long for him to come back with a stemless flower in his palms. Its coloring was a pale green, its veins a neon blue that blended into the soft gradient at the tips of the soft petals. No areas for pollen meant no allergies or getting pollen everywhere. His sister furrowed her brows in confusion but said nothing as she watched the interaction.

"Dee takes care of me all the time," Meleki said as he stood in front of Cass, full of confidence and devoid of fear, a strange combo for someone his age, "but she doesn't take care of herself." He looked down at the flower, stroking its petals fondly. "I promised mommy to take care of her any way I can." He held out the flower to the man, big green eyes full of light. "I asked Dee to make this for me. It's my lucky charm. If you promise to take care of her, you can have it. I'll be a sign of our contract." He smiled, while Laedita turned away from them both and covered her face with her long hair and a hand, feeling her cheeks heat up. Why was her brother so friendly?

He glanced over at Laedita and saw her facial expression before turning away from the two.
Cass turned to the boy with a tang of pity and compassion swelled up in his chest as he nodded.
“Oh course i will. She is my friend after all” he smiled rather mischievously “But-“ he hesitated “are you sure i can have such a lovely flower?” He asked, his eyes wide and enthusiastic as he was when he talked to kids.
He looked down at Meleki’s small hands holding the fragile flower with such care and his voice sounded so sincere. He already loved this kid. He was so adorable, he would do anything for him.
It wasnt often when he got to interact with kids, let alone one like this.

Walking down the streets especially at night, he did seem rather scary. It was one of the only times he went out so that was probably one of the reasons he never did see kids.
If so, their parents always pushed them past him, rushing them away. His eyes did practically glow in the dark due to how light they are. Since they had inhanced vision, his eyes are always trying to gather any light they can, therefor looking as if they glow in the dark. Kind of like a cats. Whenever a picture is taken of him his eyes tell him apart from everyone else, having a red color to them just like an animals to a camera.
He tried to avoid pictures at all times. Which hes gotten decently good at.

Meleki smiled back and nodded. "I can have Dee make more! She's really good at making stuff, like Tulip! He's my cat." The little boy hummed and rotated his body back and forth, petting the petals again. "I asked her to make a flower for me that never died." His eyes flicked over to his sister, who was peeking through her fingers to watch them both. She smiled sadly, knowing what he was referring to with that particular request he had come to her with.

"And," he continued, looking back up at Cass and pointing up at his mouth. When the vampire had smiled, the little boy had caught a flash of sharp teeth. "You are a vampire," he stated, fingers still loosely curled around the flower. Laedita tensed up, very much ready to protect her brother, but was surprised by his legitimately calm expression. "Do you hurt mommies and daddies like the ones we met?" he then pointed to his sister's arms, "Will you hurt her like them?" At that, Laedita curled her arms to her chest and avoided looking in the vampire's direction. She would rather keep their past a secret, but Meleki—for some gods-awful reason—trusted this one. So, like a good sister, she stayed quiet and let him make his own decisions.

His his cold heart twisted and turned in every which direction as he listened to the boy talk.
The flower that would never die… he thought it was sweet yet sad. He figured he’s had someone die in his life. How unfortunate for that to happen to someone at such a young age.

His breath stopped and his head pounded when the boy said those words. “You are a vampire”
So calm too? This was what she was talking about when she said he wouldnt like it.
But Meleki wasn’t running away in fear or crying like he thought he would. This kid was different.
“I’m a nice vampire” he says warily with a smaller smile, careful not to show any aggressiveness towards the boy. Not that he had any. But if a vampire hurt someone he loved when he was younger.
So much as seeing a vampire could be traumatic for a child. Even to some adults.
“I dont hurt mommies and daddies, nor sisters. And i wont hurt her nor you” he held his pinky to the boy as a promise. A pinky promise is what his mom would call it all those years ago.
He was still astonished at how calm this boy was. Meleki has been hurt pretty bad, along with Laedita, he could tell. He was a monster just like those who hurt this poor family.
Now regretting being such a jerk to her earlier, he gave her an apologetic look before turning to the boy

Meleki smiled and hooked his own pinky around Cass' sealing the promise before handing the flower over to the vampire again. "I believe you. Here." Unlike his sister, Meleki didn't judge based on a commonality, and he had been so young when that incident had happened that he could only remember the barest of details. His family being hurt, and then he and Dee moving—without their parents. It took her a bit to tell him that they were never going to see them again, and he was sad, but he still had his sister, and that was all that mattered.

And now Dee had a friend! A friend that promised to take care of her for him! His sister was always so stubborn when it came to taking care of herself, that's why he made that promise to his mommy in the sky. He glanced over at his sister, who was still looking away, strange eyes seemingly unfocused and seeing nothing, then back at Cass and smirked mischievously. "You didn't hear this from me, but Dee loves fruitcake." He knew that his sister would need to warm up to the vampire in her house, even if Cass had claimed to be friends—she's never been one to be quick to trust anyone, especially now, and with vampires. But he wanted her to have a friend, and he liked Cass.

He let out a small relieved sigh when he hooked his little pinky to his, thankful he didn't scare the kid with his movements. He didn't know what he had witnessed or what trauma he's gone through. He knew one certain move could trigger anything, so he made sure to be extra careful.
That meant with Laedita too. He shouldn’t have been so aggressive with her in the first place.

Trying to follow the boys eyes curiously when his gaze turned to something else, though getting nothing but confusion when he turned back to him with a smile.
“Fruitcake huh? Ill remember that” he says holding the flower gently in his big dark hand.
He wasn't planning on sticking around this girl for long, just causing a little harmless trouble and pranks before leaving her to herself when she finally got too fed up with him.
But now that he's made this promise to Meleki, there was no was she was going to get rid of him.

It was going to be interesting to see what happens with this broken family.

"Mel," Laedita eventually said, swallowing a lump in her throat and standing. "Why don't you go to your room and play with Tulip? I'll be in to check in on you and take care of that mean disease you've got." Her words were light-hearted, but her smile was strained and she was trying not to freak her brother out about what was going on through her head. Her one hand clamped over her wrist, hiding some scars that blended in relatively well to a dismissive or ignorant eye.

Mel nodded and hugged her leg, then smiled and waved to Cass as he ran into his room to do as told without a fuss. She followed his departure with her eyes, then closed them once he was gone, slumping against the wall with a heavy and weary sigh. "Sometimes, he talks too much," she mumbled, keeping her hand on her wrist. She was happy that her brother wasn't completely terrified of all vampires, but she was concerned that he would trust any old stranger with that sort of logic. People were not as they seemed, even if they claimed to be different or promised to be good. Promises were eventually broken, and lies flow easily over the tongue.

He waved Meleki goodbye before turning back to Laedita. “Dee” he says with a little laugh “thats kind of cute ya know” he smiled at her, trying to make light of the conversation.
Studying her facial expressions and her body language, he could tell she wasn't in the mood for jokes. The vampire stepped up to her, looking down at her wrists, not saying anything about them though.
“You okay? I know you don't like me, and i see why you don't. Not many people do” he says calmly and gently. He wasn't going to make any excuses for how he acted. He was naturally mischievous, but he said nothing about it. “But hey, i made him a promise. After about 228 years, I haven’t broken a single promise” he says with a friendly smile and in a confident yet gentle tone.
“I wont hurt him if thats what you’re concerned about. Nor you” he said the last part a little quieter.
He knew he couldn’t control whether or not she believed him or not. And he didnt expect her to.
Cass didn't know her very well, close to none at all. But he was hopeful he could get to know her so he could protect her.

She flicked her eyes up to meet his, studying him warily in silence as he filled up the space with his words. She didn't know what to think about him right now. He was so gentle and caring towards her brother, careful of scaring him when the smart kid figured it out—side note, cut back on his teachings. He was starting to get too smart for anyone's good.

Her eyes lowered when he finished off with those quiet words, trying to sort through everything she knew. Vampires had ruined her life. This particular vampire threatened her at school, then followed her here. Mel had met this guy once and entrusted him with taking care of her. He had agreed to it, and was now promising to not hurt her or her brother. Things were so confusing.

"It's Laedita," she finally said, looking back up at him. "And it's not just you that I don't like, it's all vampires." She gestured lazily to the hall where Meleki had run down. "Now you have an idea why." She took note of him acknowledging the promise, even after her brother had disappeared. He seemed genuine about keeping that promise. She sucked in a deep breath and rubbed her hands over her face, fingers pulling at the corners of her closed eyes. "I suppose I'm stuck with you now. He likes you."

He took a deep breath, punching the bridge of his nose, annoyed when she said "all vampires"
"I threatened you because I didn't want you finding out who I am and ruining my life" he says in a soft tone, obviously holding back his slight frustration.
"I can say all spellcasters are horrible misters that destroy people's lives because one killed my dad, that doesn't mean all of them are bad. You aren't bad and I can tell. I'm not like whoever the hell hurt you alright?" he growls, turning around and taking in deep breath, the cold air rushing into his lungs then out. "if you go through life stereotyping everything it's only going to get worse" he turned back around to face her. "and yeah, you are stuck with me. Because I'm not leaving you to your own account. It obviously makes your little brother sad. You can hate me, and I can let you hate me. Keep on thinking I'm a horrible vicious monster, and I might hate you to. But if I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for him. He needs protected and his heart needs healed from everything he's gone through. You cant even take care of yourself, so you obviously are in no position to take car of him" he says clutching on fist to his side, though with his other hand holding the flower oh so gently careful not to so much as dent the petals small little fibers.

She clenched her jaw, refusing to look at him as he spoke. Logically, what he was saying made sense. It wasn't fair of her to automatically assume things based on past experience, mainly in this case. But to her twisted and hurt mind? She refused to believe him, refused to think otherwise. So, yes, she would continue to hate him, but tolerate him for her brother's sake. She could give that much to Meleki.

However, when he said she wasn't fit to take care of her brother, she snapped her head up to glare daggers at him. She bore her teeth and shoved at his chest angrily, hands protesting at the obvious resistance they faced, due to him being so much larger and physically stronger than her. "You don't have the right to say I can't take care of him," she hissed, stepping close to him. The veins in her arms turned a sickly greyish black, and the plants and bones around her quivered unnaturally. "I've been doing this for five years. Do you know how hard it is to take care of a three-year-old boy that just witnessed his family getting tortured, and then his parents getting slaughtered? When you're barely a teenager yourself? You don't know what goes on in my head, or in his, or what I do to protect him. You don't know what I've had to give up to make sure he never goes through anything like that again." She raised a hand as if to cast a spell, then stopped herself mid gesture, flexed her aching fingers, and let her arm hang limp. The black and grey disappeared, and the objects around the house went back to normal. She let out a breath through her nose and looked away, so many emotions flickering through her eyes. "I'm trying…" she finally whispered.

He didn't budge, bit only stood still as he hit his chest. He could say plenty of things right now to prove her wrong and to get to her. To insult her and hurt her to the core. But he didn't. He knew she was hurting and he knew she was trying.
Keeping him a secret in itself was a challenge. If he was to be found out both of them would be taken into foster care. He thought about it for a second before wondering how she does it.
Once she was done, he sighed, running his fingers through his blonde hair, yellow eyes turned away from her. "I know… I apologize. I shouldn't have said that" he says weakly as if she was the more dominant one. A way to show kindness. Ways most vampires did. They were obviously stronger than a normal human. But to show weakness was a way of showing that they would be kind and they cared. He never really used it though.
He felt the just in her voice as she spoke, making him want to hug her and you could see it in his eyes.
But he said nothing more, afraid he was going to make her burst again.

She didn't want to look at him when he apologized, nor did she want to look at him when she felt his stare. But she couldn't keep her eyes from slowly lifting to meet his. Shit. She saw that look in his eyes, heard the offer of kindness in his faint words. She was too close to a breaking point to even muster up a harsh defense, or any defense, for that matter. She was too close to breaking down yet again.

I can't keep doing this to myself.

He was right. She knew he was right. By her neglect for her own health, she was harming her brother's chances of getting what he needs. Her constant mental battles, the obvious lack of attention to her physical needs, her almost obsessive need to study and master spells, they were all products of all her devotion to Meleki, products of her doing everything she can to take care of him. She didn't have the time for herself, didn't have the mental capacity to care. "I'm sorry," she whispered, voice breaking. She sucked in a breath and rubbed at the inner corners of her eyes, looking up at the ceiling as if that would ease the obvious shine newly forming in them. "I'm just…not in a good headspace right now," she continued just as quietly, "You're right, I know, I'm just…" She couldn't even form the words to explain her twisted thinking.

Cassius didn't want to be right. He wanted nothing more than to be wrong but he knew it was the right thing to say what he did. And even if it wasn't, he couldn't have taken it back. But it was fine, because he was going to help them! Now he had even more. Motivation to find the money he hid in his old house in the woods. Which yes… Sounds really sketchy and creepy. Something a criminal would do. Which technically he was a criminal. But that wasn't what was important.

He was snapped out of his thought process when she spoke again, her voice trailing off. He took a small step forward and grabbed her hand, gently pulling her towards him before he hugged her. He moved without thinking. But he figured she could use it right about now.
"it's fine" he says in a hushed whisper before he let go. "I don't know you very well, but I want to." he says to her. Already feeling protective over the two siblings. "will you let me help you?" he looked into her eyes with concern.
"please say yes. Please say yes"

She froze up for a split second when he pulled her against him and hugged her, but didn't pull away until he did. Even then, she was too rooted to the spot to even make an attempt at getting away from him. A harsh and humorless laugh escaped her lips, chest shuddering with the shakey huff of air. "You don't want to know me," she said, but didn't say no to letting him help her. She felt a cold streak go down her cheek, and she quickly turned away and furiously wiped at her face, breathing in and out in a controlled exercise.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." A lie, a lie.

Once she calmed down enough, she played with some strands of her hair. "Alright…" she finally answered, nodding once. "You can help." For Meleki, who had chosen Cass of all people to help take care of her. For herself, because she didn't think she could survive another breakdown like the one she had gone through right before the vampire had barreled into her life. For the vampire that looked at her with not sadistic delight and harmful intent, but concern and a pleading for her to let him in.

He opened his mouth to protest, telling her he did want to know her, but he found it best to keep quiet.
Cass leaned against the wall once she calmed down. “Not all of us are bad. Please believe me”
Is what he wanted to say. But he could only push a more lighthearted comment out of his throat. “Sorry, I’m quite cold.” He chuckled softly referring to the hug. He was sure she was repulsed by him. She hated his guts, who he was and shes voiced it. He was just glad she was willing to let him help the two.
His golden freckled hands ran through his hair before it could fall in his face and tickle his forehead any more than it already had.

(Sorry its short)

All she could do was shrug and turn back to the books, picking out the one she needed almost immediately from her last scan of the case. She had a pretty good idea of what Meleki had, the symptoms looked familiar, but it was always best to double-check her hunches.

That made her pause. She was always telling herself to double-check what she believed because maybe it wasn't right. She was always following that little rule—except for one painfully glaring thing.

Her eyes fell to the book as she opened it, flipping through the pages while she thought. She couldn't just get rid of her hate for vampires just like that, but… Cass's presence behind her became all the more noticeable to her when the decision was made. "Alright," she murmured, "I'm giving you one chance." She found the matching list of symptoms, checked the illness, closed the book with a decisive snap, and turned on her heel to look up at him. "One, that's it. Prove you're all not the same."

He watched as she looks at the books before turning to him. A kiddish smile grew on his face when she said those words. One chance was all it took right?
"you got yourself a deal" he says happily. All he had to do was not hurt her or Meleki. That wouldn't be hard at all.
He didn't make any promises to himself, as he didn't know what the future held.

(sorry it's so short)

Her narrowed gaze darted back and forth between his eyes before she sighed heavily and discarded the book somewhere. "What have I gotten myself into?" she grumbled, brushing past him to get to her notebook. When he fingers wrapped around the notebook, however, she hesitated. "I'm going to go change," she said, curling her nose at the dress and leggings she was wearing, "Can you look for the spell for relieving the flu?" Her head tipped to the side as she looked over at him and cocked her wrist so that the notebook was facing him as well.

Lae's spellbook was precious to her, as it held almost everything that went through her head in the form of scribbled phrases, spell ideas, and drawings. Completed, tested, and successful spells were marked with a gold star sticker. Those that were still in the making had a bunch of notes written beside them for future reference and possible ideas.

In his personal opinion she looked quite good in the outfit, but it was her decision so he said nothing about it. Instead He grabbed the book with a sigh, sitting down on the floor as he raked his big hand through the blonde strands before flipping through it. Eyes skimming the pages, clearly he was already bored. He really didnt know much about spells and crap, but he made a promise that he was going to keep.
So as his headache grew, so did his knowledge on spells. Well….somewhat. He was still extremely confused about a ton of things but Cass wasnt going to complain.
He felt like he was invading her privacy with this information. It felt like something very special to her. He was ready to quickly hide it behind his back when she came back even though he knew he didnt need to.
Standing up, Cassius found a certain spell that stuck out to him in particular. He would still have to ask her about Meleki’s symptoms to actually diagnose it. He would ask when she came back.

((Hello! So, I've actually hit quite the mental block, so I'm taking an indefinite hiatus from nb to recharge my brain and get the creative juices. I hope you don't mind!))

Lae strode into her room when Cass took up the job she offered with hardly a fuss—though she knew he'd be complaining either mentally or quietly to himself. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was a complainer, at least when it came to doing things that he didn't find entertaining enough. She stripped off the dress and the leggings, then changed into a pair of black sweatpants that had an elastic band around her ankles, as well as a black tank top. While normally afraid of others seeing her scarred arms, she didn't care if Cass saw them. He knew the story, at least part of it, so if he had questions, it would be up to him to voice them.

Whether or not she would answer depended on her mood at the time.

She pulled her hair into a high ponytail to get it out of her face, though a few shorter strands fell free and loose around her face. Once dressed, she silently padded back through the hall and into the living room, finding Cass sitting on the floor. Not even a moment of hesitation passed through her before she was sitting down next to him, slightly leaning over to look at the notebook. Her lips were quirked with slight amusement. "You look like you're looking through my diary and afraid of getting caught."

(Oh not at all! I understand and thats totally fine! Take your time! <3)

((Thank you! I should be back in full force after the break))

(okay! Again, take your time)

(I'm back! For how long, I dunno, I'm just super bored)