Sorry for the few days delay, Unimaginable got longer and took longer than I expected!
And now I have another Adam!Vlad one shot thing knocking in my head... I need to stop starting new things!
-AGU-
"You're right, it should be more stable. Go shower, get dressed for this bloody disco and come back so I can do your make up. Lest we disturb Erika and Adrian irritating Emil." That was more than he expected, so Adam nodded and pulled his shirt on, flitting off to the bathroom to clean himself up before digging out the 'vampire' outfit he had worn for the last fifteen years. He personally thought he looked ridiculous, but Jessie had sworn he looked good and Bertrand agreed in his own quiet way. By which he meant the Halloween sex was spectacular.
"Will you hold still?" "Will you stop jamming that pencil in my eye? I do like being able to see." Ingrid huffed in irritation, resuming lining his eyes with kohl. "If I wanted to blind you, I have far more creative ways. More painful ways too, and that's the satisfying part." The dark heat in her eyes made Adam almost shudder, the gaze fixing on the mark on his neck. "Part of the costume now, then I can tell breathers it was an allergic reaction to the make up when it scars over." Ingrid actually looked mildly impressed he had thought it through that much, dusting a black line over his cheeks to make them look a little more hollow - or so she said, Adam couldn't see to be sure.
"Do you still" Ingrid pressed a finger to his fangs, forcing his face to stay still so she could finish the blending foundation around his jawline, then nodded for him to continue "do you still want to be on the Council?" "Why?" Letting her dab some kind of grey balm over his mouth to take away the pink colour of his lips, Adam shrugged. "You said you were interested. Now everything is settling down, I thought I would ask." "There are no empty spots on the Council." He wasn't surprised to find Ingrid was keeping track - she was right. "I know that. But I know who I want rid of, and I do get ultimate choice in who replaces him. How are you on Vampire Law?"
If Bertrand had been interested in joining the Council, Adam would have made him head of vampire law, and simply named Ingrid his deputy but Bertrand wasn't, and Ingrid was. Not to mention she was fiercely intelligent, self confident and frankly terrifying. Whatever her place in the Council, Adam knew she would be amazing. Plus he didn't actually know what he needed a deputy for. "Not bad, I'm a fast learner though." She stepped back, declaring him done and giving him the once over before dusting makeup powder off his jacket. "Then let me know when you're ready, and you're in."
"Are you doing this so I forgive you?" "No. I'm doing this precisely so you don't think I'll do that, hold it over you until you just forget what I did. I meant it, you would be an amazing asset. You are brilliant, and fiery and intelligent and nobody has ever been able to slow you down. Our son is an absolute testament to that, you raised him alone and he is amazing, I couldn't be prouder of how you handled me being gone. The fact you even let me talk to him is a bloody miracle, and putting you on the VHC would basically be doing myself a favour. So say the word and I will give in to the urge to ram a stake through Vasilev, garlic knows I'm dying to. Undying to. Whatever." Ingrid pressed a hand to his mouth, giving him a mildly exasperated look.
"You're rambling. Do be quiet." Adam didn't get much choice in the matter when she kissed him again, and he realised he spent an inordinate amount of time being pressed into walls by vampires as his back hit a support beam. "I was going to see if you were ready" the two broke apart to find three smirking teens at the doorway "but now I see you were distracted." Both burst out laughing at Adrian, who did look quite disgruntled by the black dress he had on. "Son, you look adorable! Erika did a good job on your makeup." "Shut up dad, I look ridiculous." Both his sons had skipped on short hair, Emil had floppy blonde bangs that hung over his eyes just about, and Adrian had shoulder length hair he usually wore tied up. Right now it was hanging loose, and Erika had done his face to look soft, not necessarily feminine but it definitely headed in that direction.
"Who's keeping score on how many guys try to hit on him?" "Me!" Emil looked thrilled about that fact, tying a bandana around his head and tucking his fringe up into it. "I'll put the eyepatch on when we head down, navigating the stairs with no depth perception seems like a silly idea." Adam recognised the pirate style as more Jack Sparrow than swashbuckling eyepatch type, so he wouldn't be surprised if he ditched the eyepatch part way through.
"You two are so mean to me. I might just take one of them up on their offer and abandon you all. Might get tricky when I turn sixteen though." "Don't knock it until you try it." Adam winked, making all three of his kids cringe. "Gross. Just because we like our other dad doesn't mean we want to know about it." "Other dad? You changed your tune." Ingrid was looking at the boys in particular, Erika had always known Bertrand as a sort of parent. "He's clearly not going anywhere as long as dad is around, and he did save Emil's life. Don't forget, if you stay with him that makes you their stepmother" Erika and Ingrid both had comically wide eyes from that comment, which only widened when Adrian added "plus you're kind of her mother in law. And her aunt. Our family is weird, have you noticed?"
"I'm the only one who hasn't felt up their sister, or had any desire to. I think that's my comment to make little bro." Adrian actually had the grace to flush under his makeup then, conceding Emil's point. "But then we both know why don't we? Big brother." Emil was the one blushing then, and Adam cocked his head. "Is that your exceptionally un-subtle manner of saying Emil is gay?" "He denies it but yes." "Why Adrian? What did I ever do to you?" Emil looked genuinely upset, and he couldn't work out why. "Emil, if there was ever a place, or ever a person to not give a flying bat who you fall in love with, it's me, its here. As you said, we are really in no place to judge."
A subtle nod to the other two had them clearing off, leaving Emil alone with Adam and Ingrid. Who looked very invested in going through her wardrobe. "Is this another one of those things Erin made you feel bad for?" The teen shrugged, looking at the floor. "Emil, your mother was a lunatic. I am so sorry you spent fourteen years paying for my mistake, but I am never going to run out on you again. Even if Ingrid gets mad at me and chases me with garlic. I literally won't care if you step into the sun and decide to date twelve guys at once, so long as that is what makes you happy. You're my son, and I love you. No matter what. Ok?" "Ok. I'm going to go stop those two ruining Adrian's makeup, good talk." "Tell Adrian I want to talk to him. Alone." Emil nodded, disappearing and Adrian turned up a moment later.
"I know I'm still earning my stripes as a father here, and that driving your siblings mad is part of growing up. But if Emil wasn't ready to come out, you shouldn't be teasing him for that. He didn't have to be supportive of you and Erika but he's trying." Adrian's jaw tightened, but Vlad was fairly certain Ingrid glared from behind him at their son. "You're right. I wasn't teasing him for that, I swear. I don't care he's gay, I just wanted to get him to admit it so he can see nobody cares and that his mother is... was a nutjob." He understood that, to an extent but Emil was still upset by being 'outed'. "Tell him that, and apologise for bringing it up when he wasn't ready. Alright?" "Got it."
Letting Adrian return to his siblings, Adam sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair, then got a swift slap to his wrist from Ingrid. "I just fixed your hair you garlic bulb. Sit." Rolling his eyes in a long suffering way, Adam sat and felt Ingrid put his hair back in place. "Baby daddy is in the building, I don't think I've ever seen you say a stern word to them before." "The whole dynamic had changed, their mother is dead and Emil is now seeing his brother and sister together. The last thing he needs is to feel pushed out by Adrian picking on him. He feels different enough, he doesn't need reminding." Ingrid hmmed noncommittally, then threatened him with a UV bomb if he messed his hair up again.
"I never had your slayer ex pegged as a homophobe." "Me either. She knew I had been with Robin before her. Well, at the same time. Sort of. And she even used to make jokes about whether or not I missed having a male lover. I don't know, I don't think I ever really knew her at all." Ingrid let him stand again, meeting his eyes. "You loved her." "Loved being the operative word. I was a messed up kid in way over my head with a girl who originally planned to kill me, me and Erin were burning ourselves out before I... left. By contrast, I never stopped loving you for a second, I missed you so much it was physically painful every single day. I wouldn't change being with Erin, because I wouldn't have Erika and Emil, but that's the only reason."
Ingrid looked surprised by his honesty, pressing their mouths together softly for a moment. "I really wish you weren't so hard to stay mad at." "I'm not trying for that, I just prefer being honest. As unvampiric as dad says that is." Pointing out the time, he wasn't sure if Ingrid was dressing up or not. "You assume I'm going?" "Our son is in a dress, I assume you'll be taking photos." Ingrid conceded his point, kicking him out so she could get ready and he found the three teens sat in the throne room, tension gone again and Emil was smiling. "Where's mum?" "Getting ready. Bats if I know what she's going as." Adrian nodded, glaring at the straps of his dress as they kept falling down. "How do women do this?"
"Witchcraft. Women are magical." Erika grinned, as though her answer was sufficient and sat sipping at her goblet of blood. "Ironic I'm drinking real blood and wearing fake blood. Which looks more like real blood than if I splattered this on my t-shirt." "Well even if you used real blood on your shirt, which I'm glad you didn't, I still wouldn't drink fake blood." They waited around another few minutes for Ingrid to be done, and Adam was amused by her choice in outfit. "I wasn't actually aware you owned anything pink." Ingrid was dressed in what was essentially her usual outfit, except instead of black it was baby pink. "Horrifying isn't it?" There was even blusher on her cheeks, making Ingrid look slightly shy and it was bizarre.
"Can we go? Before its over would be good." Rolling his eyes, Adam indicated the stairs. "After you impatient pirate boy." Ingrid stood out amongst the crowds naturally, but wearing baby pink amongst so many black and red and half-dead costumes, she looked especially unique. Adam made sure to memorialize it on camera while she laughed and did the same to Adrian, who was indeed confusing multiple male students in his dress and makeup. A mild sense of dejavu hit Adam when he was accosted by Ingrid in a nearby locker room - thankfully a clean one - much like the Valentine's disco back at Stokely Castle.
"Will you kill me if I said you look cute in pink?" "I'll definitely consider it." He had no idea what Ingrid saw their relationship as now, or even how she felt towards him at the moment but she was grappling with his jeans and straddling him on a bench, so Adam let the concern fall away for a moment. "I forgot to say yesterday" Ingrid whispered against his neck as he held her after "happy anniversary." That made tears spring to his eyes, which were in danger of ruining his makeup but Adam didn't care, kissing Ingrid gently. "Seventeen years." Realising they risked getting caught the longer they hung around in here - and it wouldn't be hard to work out why they were there - Adam eventually convinced Ingrid back out to the disco.
"What's wrong with them?" Ingrid pointed out the three vampire teens, who did look a little less than thrilled and were clearly conducting a rushed, quiet private chat. "Not a clue. Shall we?" Ingrid nodded, following him over to the trio. "What's up with you three? You're supposed to love today. Apparently." "Uh... " None of them looked enamoured with the idea of answering, but that only piqued his interest more. "We kind of... Kind of met someone." "All three of you? Thats... Different." Emil rolled his eyes, hissing out "gross dad" so nobody overheard. "I think..." Adam turned expectantly to Erika. "I think he's our cousin." If his heart worked, Adam thought it might have stopped. "Where? What? Who? Why?" They pointed out a boy of about eleven, and recognition seemed to hit Adam like a UV grenade. "Fuck, he looks just like George." "Yeah, and his name is Michael. Michael Giles. Oh, and he goes to this school. That's kind of obvious though I guess."
-AGU-
I realise it seems like I put a cameo of the humans in a few chapters back and it looked like it had no purpose, but I wouldn't do that to you guys!