Olden New of a Kind
Bakudeku. Vampire AU
A couple of centuries has passed in the span of human time, but for a vampire that's been around for several of those, it was barely noticed. In the olden days, villagers stayed clear because they feared the tales of ghosts or the supernatural. Misguided and superstitious townsfolk. Not that the rumors weren't true, but the tales were quite a bit exaggerated.
For Izuku was not the version of a vampire you'd expect. Quiet and shy, with forest green hair and eyes, freckles, not to mention on the shorter side. An older vampire had turned him centuries ago to become a companion, then left him one day and never returned. Because of the villager's fears, Izuku kept to himself in a lonely castle at the edge of the forest. He had money, and that was enough to keep one loyal family serving as day watchers and up-keepers. But other than that, he was alone most of the time.
"Goddamn freak storm!" The man gritted his teeth and pulled the hood of his jacket tighter around his face. He was an idiot for deciding to trek some backwards little village and forest in the Fall season. As he rounds another bend in the dirt road, he sees a darkened structure less than a kilometer ahead. Through the patchy haze of blinding rain and fog, the castle was large and ominous, with no lights on that he could see. Nothing surprising, most castles built of its era were long forgotten and many without modern electricity. But at least it was shelter from this storm and coming morning.
The man was surprised to see the grounds were plain but maintained. Ivy vines grew along many of the exterior walls, but the walkways around the front were clear or swept. A caretaker no doubt comes by, he assumes. Technically he'll be breaking and entering, but hopefully no one will care since he'll be gone as soon as the storm passes. He tries the front doorknob and notices something peculiar, it's unlocked. Why would they maintain this castle yet not keep it locked up from vagrants or thieves?
Hesitatingly, he opens the large wooden door and peeks inside. There are no light's on anywhere he could see. The large foyer opened into an expansive parlor. It was grand but with old furniture and furnishings, some covered with sheets and scattered around in an orderly manner. He walks around. 'Not bad,' he muses, who ever lived here was certain wealthy.
In an upstairs bedroom Izuku looks up from the books he's reading. He hears the faint sounds of footsteps below. 'No one should be here.' The caretaker's always leave before he awakens, and villagers don't set foot on these grounds. Curious, he closes his book, stands up, and heads downstairs to investigate.
From around a hallway corner, he sees a man slowly looking around the parlor. With his enhanced night vision, he can make out some details. The stranger was taller than he with a more robust build, yellow hair, and pack he carried on his back indicative of a traveler. On occasion, these types stumble into the castle, but most leave once they realize it's likely not empty. 'How strange,' Izuku muses, this one must be bolder than most, for the man showed no signs of apprehension. In fact, there was certainly something odd that he couldn't put his finger on, like how was he able to see in the pitch-black room? This strange man never hesitates when touching anything around him, and oh look, he's taking off his pack now and making himself at home on a couch!
Izuku figures it best not to startle the man, that would be rude of him despite it being an uninvited guest. Loneliness can trump such emotions and besides, he may be smaller, but he's a lot stronger than a mere human. He goes first to the kitchen and finds a small oil lamp, before returning to the parlor. But as he makes his way towards the couch, the man speaks first.
"I had a feeling I wasn't alone, but you're so fucking quiet I wasn't sure." The stranger sits up from the couch. "Damn, you're like an old-school vampire." He looks Izuku up and down, noting fine, but dated outfits from over decades ago. "Young though, you look my age."
Izuku's jaw drops slightly. "H-How did you know, who are you?!"
"Tch," the man jumps to his feet and saunters up to Izuku. "What? So, sheltered you can't even tell your own kind?" He tips his head smugly. "Names Katsuki," a cocky smirk forming, "now who the fuck are you?"
This stranger, this vampire named Bakugou, with piercing red eyes causes Izuku to flinch back a step. The first person he meets in a couple of decades face to face is a vampire?! Well aside from his victims. He does have to feed every once in a while, but those people are left unharmed and unawares of what happened to them when he's done. No one's ever learned his true identity, until now.
But how does this Bakugou survive living out there amongst the humans? Doesn't he worry about being found and destroyed? What about the daylight? As a traveler, it would be dangerous to be caught outside when dawn breaks if there's nowhere to hide from it light. 'None of this makes sense,' Izuku ponders to himself. Nothing from all his years of dealing with humans would give him the desire to take such chances or leave himself vulnerable. He'd always assumed the reason his master had never returned was because of nefarious human agents.
"Oi! I asked you a question! What are ya, mute too?!"
"Oh," Izuku shakes the thoughts from his head, "I'm sorry my name is Izuku Midoriya."
"So, this is your place I assume," Katsuki plops back down. "I needed a place to stay out of the rain, you don't mind right?" Though his tone was clearly rhetorical in nature.
"N-no, I guess not." Izuku steps a little closer, still nervous about meeting another vampire after all these years alone. "I'm sorry, but, how do you… I mean you travel? Aren't you worried about, you know, getting stuck out in the open? What about being captured?"
"First off, I'd get bored if I was stuck in one place for too long, and I always find somewhere to crash during the day. But what the fuck are you talking about, getting caught by who?"
"The humans." His voice starts off strong, slowly petering out as the amused look on the other man's face grows. "They used to kill our kind if they got the chance."
That sends Katsuki into hysterics. "Geez, how long have you been cooped up in this castle?! You're talking like medieval times! They don't burn witches at the stake anymore either!" He flops onto his back on the couch holding his stomach from laughing so hard. "Wow, it's kinda sad you know so little about this era."
Izuku just stares at the man completely blindsided. It seems everything his understanding was built upon was nothing, but history left to the sands of time. He stumbles over to an adjacent chair, all while the man tracks him with his eyes, but he didn't care. He sits down, placing the lamp on a table. What should he do now? This castle was all he knew.
"Look," Katsuki sits up, bringing one foot up on the couch to prop his arm and head on his knee. "You strike me as a real skittish type. I don't really care why anyone would make a vampire like you, but if you stay here, all you're gonna do is rot away. What's the point of living forever if you can't enjoy it?"
"I—I wouldn't know where to begin." Tears we'll up in Izuku's eyes. "I didn't even want this life at first, but my master turned me because he was lonely."
"Then where's he now?"
Izuku shrugs his shoulders, "he left and never came back."
"Bummer." Katsuki almost felt bad for this mouse of a vampire.
"Would you stay… here?" Izuku asks even though he assumed what the answer would be. It would be nice to have company again.
"Hell no, at least not forever. What you should do is leave. I mean damn, it can be your home, but get out and see what you've been missing."
"But I'm scared… I-I don't think I'll understand anything," he glances at the window, "out there…"
Katsuki groans and runs a hand down his face. The man's answer didn't really surprise him, but his response was about to. "Tell ya what. After winter… I'll let you come with me. But I swear to hell if you cause any trouble, I'll ditch ya!"
Izuku's eyes brighten and wide smile flashes onto his face. He jumps on the man, hugging him tightly. "Thank you!"
"Yeah.. yeah," Katsuki gripes, but a slight flush filtering onto his cold cheeks give away his feelings. He was probably gonna regret this.