So I realized I forgot to say something about how this is like a Monsterstuck!au, so ya there you go. Also, in regards to reviews, I love 'em and don't care if you send in some things you didn't like about this story. Just don't be rude, because that ain't professional. Good and bad reviews are welcome~
Disclaimer: If you haven't figured it out, I ain't Andrew Hussie so clearly Homestuck is not mine. Just the disgruntled teenage OC.
It was dark, all except for two pinpoints above me. They were like beacons, deceiving me into thinking they led to safety. They shined like rubies, but also glowed like burning coals still embedded in flames. I couldn't move, couldn't look away. I was enraptured by them. By his eyes. By-
"...So reckless as per usual. And you even brought a human back with you! How many times do I have to tell you to not bring your snacks home?!" My conscious comes back through as fuzz and scrambled brains. Someone is shouting and I know for a fact that it can not be Aunt Jojo.
"Quiet Karkat, you'll wake her up," That voice I know and it makes me groan aloud. Looks like I'm not in Kansas anymore. Or away from Strider.
"Dammit, see what you did? I hoped she'd stay knocked out a little longer," Strider sighs.
"Well and a fuck you too," I mumble. Slowly I open my eyes. Stalactites are the first things I see, however blurry they may appear. The next thing that jumps into my line of site is the asshole of the year. I sit up, forcing him to back away.
"That's not a-," I silence him with a look before keeling over and nearly falling off my...cot?
"Good idea," he finishes anyways as he catches me. "You've been in knock out paralysis state for the last half hour, so you're gonna feel like shit."
"And who's fault do you think that is?" I bat him away from me and manage to keep myself in a slouched position.
"Okay, I guess this human's not so bad if she hasn't fallen for any of your bullshit yet," I look around for the other voice, the one that subsequently brought me out of that 'knock out paralysis state' as Strider so eloquently put it. A short, slouchy, grey person with messy black hair and nubby horns is located. The only monster I can place him as would be a troll.
"Shut it, Karkat," Strider hisses. "And you, if you had told me that you were anemic then you wouldn't have gotten to this point, now would you?"
"I really hate reiterating myself, but zombies behind, vampire in front, chaos everywhere. So please excuse me for not immediately thinking of giving you the note from my doctor saying I didn't have to participate in this activity," Nothing like waking up to a piping hot bowl of bitching and moaning.
"Zombies? You went to a party with zombies? How stupid can you get? No, wait, I'm talking to you. You ever growing dumbass," Angry troll boy explodes upon mention of zombies. My head throbs with echoes of his words and I wish nothing more than to take a cloth to him and ask if it smells like chloroform.
"Oh, so it's all my fault?" Strider's voice is like the hammer to troll boy's wedge, cracking my skull open.
"Both of you just shut the fuck up!" I snap, holding my hands out like the guy from the history channel meme. Ah, silence is golden.
Unless I'm the one breaking it.
"Now, I have questions, and I know you've most likely got answers in riddles because everyone seems to think it's a fun game to never give me a straight answer," I cut to the chase in one breath before anyone can try to start an argument again. "First off, where the hell am I?"
Before Strider can give me some coded answer, Trollian von Douche responds in a tone as irritated as mine. "This is the Hive, a refuge for Monsters."
"Dude, I thought we went over this, it's the Bat Cave," Strider really truly needs a swift kick in the ass. Perhaps send him into next week. He can't even keep his mouth shut for two seconds!
"Dave, we are not naming the Hive after some fictional location just because you can turn into a bat," Another argument can be seen coming on the horizon. But extra information has been slipped into my possession. Now I know the true name of my would be vampire killer.
"Alright, so you're Dave the Vampire Ass, who're you?" I ask next, cutting into the segway of argument who knows what number for these two.
"I'm Karkat, and you can just fuck off, Human," He spits. Like a cat it seems his hackles appear to be raising. And then he's shrinking. Next thing I know is that I'm staring at an actual cat. A black one to be exact. So what I presumed him to be is not what he is. It seems we have a changeling in our midst.
"Hey, her name's Salem you dolt," Dave crosses his arms in annoyance. Then he flashes me a cocky grin and adds to me, "Told you I'd get your name before you left."
"Go to hell," I snap.
"Baby, I am hell," His grin widens and his fangs gleam in the dim light like he'd put glow in the dark solution on them. His defensive stance shifted open and wide as he spread his arms out from him. "And you're my new pet."
My eyebrows skyrocket further beyond my hair, and there's some incoherent swearing coming from Karkat on the floor before he turns and leaves. I don't like the way he calls me his pet. Like he thinks he owns me or something. Even though it technically has been proven vampires can do shit like that, I can literally think of a million worse things I'd rather have happen to me.
"I'll pass," I say, hopping off the cot. "Doubt I'd make a good 'pet' anyways."
"Funny how you think you've got a choice," He chuckles darkly. I blink and he's in front of me. Just like last time, he did that faster than you can recognize thing. It's a bit uncanny.
He reached for my neck, alabaster fingers splaying out. The closer they come, the more frozen I feel, though desperate as I am to move. Those carefully curved nails brush my hair out of the way like a gentle breeze fluttering through. He touches the bite mark, and a frigid tingling sensation follows everywhere he traces.
"I've marked you. You do belong to me," That's what he meant by pet. I was branded like cattle to him. Those stupid fangs of his bit into me and suddenly it makes him my owner. Monster branding is weird as hell.
When I filled out my goals for the future worksheet over the course of high school- you know the ones they make you go over thousands of times until you can repeat your answers like a droid because of how sick of it you are- I actually did have my future decently planned. I was going to got to community college and get a good transcript going so I could make something of myself later on. Go into a medical field that dealt with animals. Live my life secluded and not bother myself with relationships. A good, solid plan.
Nowhere in that plan did I put "Become an asshole vampire's pet."
Dave backs away and his cold fingers retract from my neck. With it the feeling of time begins to flow again. He continues speaking. "Besides being sickle cell anemic, you've got quality blood- Type O to be exact."
Type O is rare blood, the universal donor to be exact. If I didn't have my condition I'd go in monthly to donate, because I don't have anything against helping people who actually need it. But giving my blood to a vampire just because it was "good quality" doesn't cut it for me. I don't want to be harvested when I'm not in my terribly anemic state.
"So what, I'm a food bank for you?" I sigh.
"Bulls eye!" He mocks shooting me with a finger gun, blowing the imaginary steam off. Asshole, vampire, and childish! Wowee wow this guy's list of charming qualities just keeps expanding.
"And just what am I supposed to do? I do actually have a life despite whatever it is you might be thinking."
"Oh I didn't say you had to stay here forever," He comes back and loops his arm over my shoulders. I cringe at the physical contact. He ignores it and proceeds to lead me out of the room. We walk down a glowing hall. Veins in the walls glow brightly, like tiny rivers of stars. If it weren't for my current undesirable company I might have actually enjoyed myself.
"You can go back to living your dull life where everyone except your Aunt Jojo ignores you. I won't stop you from living that dream," he laughs like he told a funny joke. Then again what he just described might as well have been. Damn vampires thinking they're a superior race. "But it won't stop me from dropping by for check ups, and you'll be coming back here every once in a while."
I sigh again, deep and long. This is not how I intended to squander my time. And it's definitely not who I want to be squandering it with. He doesn't need to know anything more than he somehow managed...to...find out. How in the hell did he find out about Aunt Jojo?!
I'm about to ask about his invasion of my personal life when I'm cut off by the baying of a dog. Then not even two seconds later this streak of fur comes barreling down the hall, straight at Dave. It's a miracle, because instead of him being draped all over me, he's now sprawled on the floor with a huge wolf on top of him.
"Jade! Jade! Jaaaaaaddeee!" Dave gives something akin to a laugh and a groan as he tries to push the she-wolf off of him, or at the very most keep her from slobbering all over his face.
This 'Jade' has to be a wolf blood, since the full moon was last week. She's a really pretty one too. The top half of her fur is a mottled collection of browns and grays, like winter vegetation. Her lower half is like powdery snow. I'm sure if I were to pet her, she wouldn't feel as soft as she looks. She's built nicely as well, tough even. She'd probably be someone you'd like to ride out into battle with, in a fictional sense.
"See ya sucker," I mutter under my breath before turning around and strolling quickly away. I have no clue what so ever on how to get out of here, but I'm sure someone will be nice enough to give me directions. Maybe I'll run into that little ball of wrath, Karkat, and he'll swear the directions to me. If not I'll just turn into a hermit fugitive and avoid Dave at all costs whilst filching food from wherever. The possibilities are endless!
"Psst!" I flinch in surprise. To my right is a girl with a rather fabulous hairstyle sticking her head out of a hole I'm pretty sure was not there before.
"You're Dave's new pet, right?" she asks, nodding back at the guy who's currently wrestling with the wolfblood.
"Ugh," I am defeated. There's really no way to get out of this it seems. Whoever all lives here apparently knows me and my newly acclaimed "status", and obviously sees me as nothing else.
"Name's Roxy, an you're comin' with me!" More of her body emerges from the hole and she grabs me by the crook of my elbow. I don't even have time to ask some stupid question before she's pulling me into it with her.
Only we pop out in another cave that I can only assume was actually on the other side of the wall. The bio-life is amazing in this room! There's an underground spring that shines brightly and clearly enough to see down to the bottom. It's maybe about the size of a small pool that you can buy at your local Costco and build at home, but acts like an aquarium. Something tells me it's a lot deeper than it appears to be though. It's now that I notice a girl with a similar hairstyle-well almost- to Roxy's sitting at the edge of the pool gently gliding her fingers across the surface and creating ripples in the water.
"I brought her, Rose," Roxy chirps. The girl looks away from the pool, violet eyes glowing and staring at me curiously. Her clothes seem to shimmer and change. First something a normal high schooler might wear; white skirt, t-shirt, tennis shoes. Then a black dress with something that was a cross between a skull and a squid. And finally an orangish dress with a golden sun emblem. Her crest of magic, if you will.
Roxy hops around me and joins the girl known as Rose. Her clothes don't shimmer and change like the other one's dp, but stay solid. She's garbed in medieval looking garments that range in colors of dark blue to navy, her emblem spiraling outwards. The two must be sister witches. Or at least witches in general if they're not actually sisters.
"Er...hi?" I awkwardly wave at them.
"Isn't she just adorable?" Roxy giggles, latching onto Rose's arm and bouncing up and down just a little. "She's more awkward than any of the others, it's totes refreshing."
"Quite," Rose nods, smiling at me politely.
"Oh Dave brought home another cutie? Tell 'em to come moar into the light so I can see!" A bubbly voice pipes up from the spring.
"Hold on, Feferi. Give us a chance to explain things to her," Rose doesn't look behind her to address the third party, she simply continues to observe me as she speaks.
"What's your name?"
"Salem," I can't find any reasonable excuse to refrain from stating my name anymore. Dave will probably go around telling everyone anyways. But the reaction causes the two girls to wince. Ah, right, witches, Salem trials, probably not the best name to have them address me by.
"Call me Lem if it bothers you," I supply, shortening my Aunt's nickname down. Feeling awkward about it, I shove my hands in the pockets of my jacket.
"Lem? Lem. Leeeeem. Lemo- Lemon!" The voice from the spring tests out my name, sounding victorious as she unknowingly figures out the nick name I just shortened.
"Lemon? That's really cute! I'm gonna call you that instead, hope you don't mind," Roxy declares.
"I have no need for that, I'll call you by your given name. Fear of the past only results in a stopper plugging the path to the future," Rose murmures quietly, almost to herself.
Then she straightens and moves onto what I'm assuming is more important business. "Roxy, if you'll summon the object please."
Roxy winks as she pulls out an empty rum bottle from behind her back and quickly breaks it across her knee. A ring clatters to the floor, a long, shiny chain trailing along. Glass shards twinkle and gleam in the pale light, tinkling to the floor. She carefully bends and picks through it, grabbing the necklace and handing it to Rose.
It's a simple ring, a thin silver band with a slim, colorless jewel in the center. Well it was colorless until Rose ran her hand over it muttering words in another language. Then it blossoms with a deep red. Like Dave's eyes. I can guess then what it's meant for before she begins to explain it.
"This will mark you as Dave's and basically grant you safe passage in the Hive. That and so long as you're concentrating then you can get a message through if you need help," Rose walks forward in a professional manner and slips the chain over my head. Using it for help won't be as much fun as annoying Strider by calling him only to say something just to piss him off though. But while I'm thinking about this I completely miss as Rose casts another spell on the ring until she is yet again explaining what she had just done.
"And for convenience sake that'll make it so you can't take it off," She steps back to admire the handiwork I can't actually see. While that is many pros for them, it is one too many cons for me. But I hold my tongue so I can save it for Dave's ungrateful ass later.
"Are you done? Can she come over now? I wanna see her!" The little ray of sunshine voice calls out again, more insistent this time.
"Of course, Feferi," Rose nods her head, signaling for me to move closer to the pool. I do just that. For a moment I see nothing but schools of fish and other marine life. Then she pops out with a dazzling spray of water. Getting soaked is simply just another of the many joys I can add to the list of things I'm just so happy that happened today.
"Hello Lemon! I'm Feferi, glubbed to meet you," The third party voice, known as Feferi, stretches out a wet grey hand to me. I take it, but only shake for about a milisecond after I notice the flippers waving ecstatically in the air behind her. Mermaids aren't known as a Sailor's Bane for nothing now. But I see that she has some of the same defining features as that crabby Karkat guy. Black hair, candy corn themed horns, grey skin. She must really be a changeling then.
"You really are cute. Much cuter than any of his other pets," Feferi giggles. Internally I scoff at being referred to as cute. My black hair only had about minimum curl to it, and it's constantly in my eyes-which are an icy blue. And if the hair were to be moved one would find the nightmare known as dark circles. I almost always wear worn out shorts, a tank top hidden under a light jacket, and in colors that will make me disappear. I am short and angry. What exactly is cute about that?
"You should hear how un-cute her mouth is though," My shoulders slump and head hangs. It's too soon to be dealing with him yet again. Better yet, ever.
"Hello, Dave," Rose greets him, unphased by anything that comes out of his mouth. She's probably had to live with him for so long that she's become immune to his antics. Just the thought of living with him makes me pity her.
Mr. Asshole sidles up to me and loops his arms back over my shoulders, grinning like the cheeky bastard he is. I look off to the side in disgust. If this is the treatment I'm going to have to endure then I think I'd rather just ask the mermaid to drown me.
"She's probably got a mouth as dirty as Karkat's if I work her up enough," He reaches over and pinches my cheek.
"Fuck off," I growl.
"See?"
"Well maybe you should take her home then. Be a gentleman, perhaps?" Rose suggests, a hint of a snicker in her voice.
"Am I ever not?"
"Your very existence counteracts the definition of the term 'gentleman'," I scoff under my breath. This only seems to further amuse him.
"You're going home? Aw, well see ya another time then, Lemon!" Feferi waves goodbye with a giggle before disappearing with a splash. I experience a fleeting moment of lost opportunity to ask her to drown me while I had it. Dave turns us around to bid adieu to the two ladies behind us.
"Rox, Rose," Dave salutes them, then they disappear. Or really it's us that disappears.
And we're in front of my apartment. 307, third floor exact. It all happened in a blink of an eye.
Dave turns me so I'm facing him, a "serious" look on his face. "Now you're going to follow this schedule: Tonight you'll get a good night's rest, you'll eat a good breakfast, you'll go to school and eat lunch-and so help me I'll bring you a sack lunch and force feed you myself-, and then-"
"Woah there hot-shot, I'm not following your stupid plan. I don't even eat breakfast before going to school!" I shrug his hands off my shoulders and back up.
"Gasp, don't tell me you're one of those students!" Now he sounds truly horrified. Truly horrified and mocking at the same time. Weird how he can do both. Is this guy ever actually serious?
"I eat breakfast at school."
"Double gasp, you are one of those students!"
I roll my eyes at him. "I eat there so I can get more of that thing you call sleep, dumbass."
That and it just seems easier to get ready, even if I get smaller portions of cardboard tasting food at school.
"No wonder your blood tasted weak, you eat shitty food, and not even enough of it," Dave shakes his head. "At least lunch provides a better variety but-"
I cut him off again. "Half the time I don't even eat lunch."
"My god woman, are you trying to kill yourself?" For once I think I catch a glimpse of genuine concern in his voice. Lo and behold miracles are possible.
He grabs my shoulders again with more intensity, head bowing in frustration. All I see is a drama queen. I mean, I'm still alive, aren't I?
"I'm going to have so much work to do," he mutters. Then he straightens up, plasters a smile on his face as he releases me, and turns to knock on the door.
I freeze. He is seriously going to hang around to meet my Aunt? How the hell am I going to explain him to her?! Hey Jojo this is Dave Strider. He's a vampire I met at that party you took me to. Oh bonus, he thinks I'm his pet and is now trying to become my pediatrician!
Hahaha haha ha.
She's going to flip.
The door opens with a slight creak and a whoosh as Aunt Jojo opens the door. For a moment she stands there in her blanket wrapped, frizzy haired, tear stained glory. Looks like she's either been watching 'Days of Our Lives' again or she's seen the news. Either has a high probability of being true.
"Oh Lemon! You're alive!" she cries, rushing into my already open arms blubbering apologies for taking me to a party she knew I didn't want to go to in the first place. But I was just trying to help you get out there into the social world! I know. You needed to make friends! I know. But I'm so sorry! It's okay Jojo, it's okay.
The woman is barely taller than me, yet she honestly shrinks so much when she cries. I make what I hope is eye contact with Dave (damn idiot still wears shades even though it's night time) and gesture for him to get out of here. Of course he doesn't listen.
Jojo pulls away and wipes the tears from her eyes, sniffling to the high heavens about how she's so glad I'm okay. Then she trains her focus on Dave.
"This is Dave, he brought me home," I awkwardly introduce them to each other. "Dave, Aunt Jojo."
Aunt Jojo leans over and whispers really loudly, "Is he your boyfriend?"
Of-fucking-course she has to pull this crap on me. First guy that comes home with me and this is what she does. It takes every fiber of my being to not face palm.
And it only gets worse as Dave reaches over and pulls me into his side with the hugest, dumbest, lopsided grin on his face. "Yep!"
The facepalm can no longer be contained.
