The Blood Awakens
Author's Note: Enjoy this Vampire AU with Vaderkin and Obi-Wan! Also, this is for the Obikin 2023 bingo. :D
~ Amina Gila
Vader was expecting one of them to die here, and he thought it would be him, but somehow, not quite like this. He knew Obi-Wan would hurt him again, either way, but not – not this badly. But after Mustafar, he isn't exactly surprised by it either, no matter how much it hurts.
It hurts achingly, in a way even worse than the burning pain across his back where it was cut open, or the hammering headache in his head. It feels like his head was literally split in two, and from how he can feel the blood – even if not much yet – trickling from the wound, that might not be too far from the truth.
He's expecting Obi-Wan to respond to his last threat to destroy him – he doesn't think his former master has realized what he really means by that, that he intended to make him Fall here, to... something, in the stupid, foolish hope of having him back, but that's never going to happen now, when he's not in any more control of the situation than he ever has been between them – but instead he's just looking at him, something calculating and assessing in his eyes.
Vader loathes that look, as much as it scares him, because he has no idea what Obi-Wan's thinking, what he's planning to do. They've been apart for years now, and they've both changed, so he doesn't quite know what to expect.
To be fair, it couldn't be anything worse than what he's already done, but why isn't he saying anything?
The Force tenses around him, warning of a sudden attack, but he's not quite expecting it when it does come.
Obi-Wan lashes out, ripping his lightsaber away before he can stop it. Though Vader nearly throws himself off-balance trying to stop it.
And then, he jumps at him again, the same way he did only minutes ago when he cut his head open, except for some entirely unfathomable reason he extinguishes his lightsaber midway. Vader has half a mind to duck, to wildly throw him back to spare himself from something more, something worse, even if he just as much hopes that this will finally be the end.
He wants it to be over, even more now than he ever has before, because he's lived with being haunted by what happened on Mustafar every second for years, and this –
Obi-Wan slams into him, throwing him off-balance entirely. He falls, landing unceremoniously on his back with a strangled cry. The pain that shoots through his back and head at the injury is nearly agonizing, and it was hard enough to breathe already without that.
Obi-Wan is sitting half on top of him, whatever in the name of the Force he thinks he's doing, but if he's planning to kill him, Vader wouldn't have the mind to stop him. Not that he'd care to fight it anyway, when it's what he wants.
"Hold still," Obi-Wan requests, or at least it half-sounds like a request – also, the stupidest one he's heard in his life.
It's not as if he can do much else when this is a nigh impossible position to get up from, which is why he's always has to be so careful not to get knocked down in fights, and when everything hurts so much all he wants to do is cry. Or maybe smack Obi-Wan in the face again like he did earlier in their fight, just... a lot harder.
His former master reaches for his helmet, and it only takes a second for the blinding panic to set in. Yes, he might want to die, but not like this and why is he not just doing it, stabbing him or something, not this –
His helmet comes off without the usual hissing sound of releasing pressure, seeing as that was already damaged. A light wind whips against his face, entirely open to the air for the first time in so long.
Not that he has the mind to care about that right now.
He would've shoved him off, but Obi-Wan's hand lightly touches the side of his face. A strangled noise escapes him – he's so rarely touched; for years, it's only been by Sidious sometimes, when he's in severe pain from being operated on.
The situation feels nearly identical right now.
"Obi-Wan – " he rasps out finally, a little desperately, even if he has no idea what he's trying to say.
Obi-Wan's gaze meets his for a moment. There's a flicker of something there he can't quite read, aside from... seeming horror at what he looks like.
As if it wasn't Obi-Wan who did this to him.
His touch feels oddly gentle, though, as he turns Vader's head slightly to the side and then suddenly leans forwards.
What –
His head is right next to Vader's neck – the sensation of being touched momentarily freezes him again, until he feels a sudden stinging pain blossom in his neck.
Did he just bite him?
Vader jerks forwards, wrapping his hands around Obi-Wan's neck and yanking him off. He feels the bite rip open even worse, a sharp pain running through it at the suddenness, not that it concerns him half as much as the fact that Obi-Wan seems to have entirely lost his mind.
Not as if he's too surprised about it, but still. This is not normal, even for Obi-Wan, and Vader has seen many bizarre things in his life, but not this.
It felt... sharp. And deep. And it's probably just that his skin is severely hypersensitive, because that's not possible either.
But he can, in fact, see his blood on Obi-Wan's mouth, as his former master tries in vain to shake off Vader's metal grip, and it's more than a little disturbing to see. He also notices for the first time that his teeth look... weird. Unless it's just the lighting or Vader's suffering from severe brain damage – which is the truth – because it literally looks like Obi-Wan has fangs.
Obi-Wan finally reaches up, prying Vader's hands off his neck, enough that he can pull away.
Vader freezes, just staring at him, because what? How did he do that? It shouldn't even be possible – his hands are metal, and he's too strong for someone to free themself, even if he wasn't exactly trying to hurt him. He was just trying to make him stop.
"You need to let me stop the bleeding," Obi-Wan says, sounding irked, as he eyes the bite on Vader's neck.
So nice of him to be concerned about that now. His head is of far greater concern than a stupid bite. And speaking of that, why is it burning so much? Something about it feels wrong, like there's something starting to spread through him, whatever that means.
Nothing about this makes sense, and he really, really just wants it to stop hurting so much.
Obi-Wan reaches for him, and Vader smacks his hand away. "Do not touch me," he snaps, for all that he wants it, because it's only going to bring more pain.
"Now is not the time to be stubborn," he replies, and it's so much like something that he would've said a lifetime ago that it hurts as much as it angers him.
Vader glares back at him, twisting half onto his side as he tries to sit up. The move is nearly agonizingly, and he's only half sure he's going to make it upright at all when Obi-Wan leans closer, hands resting on his shoulders as he helps him up.
Why he's suddenly acting like this now, Vader has no idea. It's not like – not like he cares.
And the strange burning sensation from the bite is starting to spread through him now. It's doing something to him, changing him, and he doesn't know what. "What did you do?" Vader demands.
"I turned you," Obi-Wan replies, though he seems to be feeling slightly uncomfortable, "You are becoming a vampire, like I am now."
What? He may have heard that term in passing once long ago, something from legends that definitely wasn't real, but... he has no idea what that means for him or why Obi-Wan would even do that. "What does that mean?" he demands, trying to keep the fear in his voice hidden. He's so lost and confused right now, and he loathes it.
Especially when the changing sensation is only growing stronger. It burns, and it hurts, and it hurts that Obi-Wan did this to him, which is stupid. Obi-Wan has hurt him many times over now.
"You're transforming," he supplies, as though that answers anything, "It... doesn't feel pleasant, but it doesn't last over a day."
Not pleasant? Is that what he calls this? Is it supposed to hurt this much? He can't imagine Obi-Wan being so flippant about the whole turn if it was, but it's hard to say. "Why?" he demands instead, because it doesn't make sense why Obi-Wan would turn him like this.
"I'm not letting you go back to Sidious," Obi-Wan replies, firmly.
... That's what this is about? How biting him was supposed to help with that, he has no idea, unless there's something more to being a vampire he hasn't realized yet.
It makes him tense instantly, because he's not going to just leave the Empire. He's not really being asked, though. (That doesn't stop the quiet whisper in his mind, that does this mean Obi-Wan actually wants him? He's wanted that for years, agonized ceaselessly over how his former master could've left him there on Mustafar, and he was afraid it was about to happen again, but he... wants him. Though after everything Obi-Wan just did to him, Vader's afraid to know what that would mean. It's not as if their relationship was painless, even before.)
"I cannot leave," Vader objects. Maybe he wanted a different master than Sidious, but he can't abandon the galaxy either. Not after everything he's done. It was all for... this, and he can't walk away now.
"You don't know how being a vampire works," he points out, bluntly. "You'll have to come with me until you're used to it."
Vader can't help glaring back at him. He's not wrong, and he can't truly say he doesn't want to go, but he doesn't know that he does, either. He's – he's scared of what it could mean, and it's not like he's the person Obi-Wan wants to see anymore.
Pain spears through him again, and he nearly whines audibly. It's getting worse, and he wants it all to stop –
"Here," Obi-Wan says, scooting closer, laying a hand on his shoulder – not that he can feel it. Vader tries not to instinctively jerk away when he leans closer, pressing his mouth against the wound.
Presumably, stopping the bleeding like he said he would.
And he had better not be licking the wound, or – or whatever. That's disgusting. So what if that's what vampires normally do?
The wound itself doesn't really hurt anymore when Obi-Wan finally pulls back, but it hardly matters in the face of how everything else does.
"Let's get you back to the ship," he says, helping Vader stand. He barely can stand right now, at least not without leaning much of his weight on his former master.
He wouldn't have a problem with it, if it wasn't Obi-Wan who did this to him. He doesn't want to have to be this vulnerable in front of him, not that there's a choice.
At least he's helping him at all, Vader thinks morbidly, as they slowly make their way back to Obi-Wan's waiting ship.
**w**
Vader never thought to ask where they were going. He feels the ship jolt into hyperspace, but he can scarcely care where it's going at this point. All he does care about is that everything hurts, and that he's... hungry.
It's a sensation he hasn't really felt in so long, since his suit injects him with nutrients automatically whenever needed. But it's not helping now. It's not even normal food he wants right now. It's –
Blood.
And he can smell Obi-Wan's in the cockpit – that he can smell him from here is bizarre, but he doesn't have the mental capacity to think about it right now – and it's only making him hungrier.
There's also the strange bond that's forming between them, something different than a Force bond. It's making him feel an overwhelming amount of devotion and loyalty to Obi-Wan. Sire his mind whispers, when he thinks about it.
It must be a result of the vampire thing, and it's... not wholly unlike how he's always felt towards his former master, but it's different to feel it so strongly suddenly, after everything that's changed between them. He can't trust him, no matter how much this new bond insists otherwise.
"Anakin?" Obi-Wan asks, approaching. He's frowning, and Vader can sense his concern, and... guilt. Before, Vader wouldn't have been able to feel it, through Obi-Wan's shielding. It must be from their other bond. "It's not supposed to hurt this much," he says, finally.
Vader only whines, quietly. It's a small measure of... comfort that this wasn't intentional, but it doesn't make this stop.
All he wants to do is bite him, as ridiculous as that is. Even if he shouldn't, because Obi-Wan is his sire, and he –
"I'm sorry," he says, finally, and Vader blinks at him, remembering when he'd said that before, at the end of their fight. He still doesn't know how to feel about that; Obi-Wan's never done that before. And he has no idea how to deal with the fact that it just happened again. Doesn't much have the mental capacity to think about it, either.
Obi-Wan is saying something else, but Vader doesn't really care what. He's hungry, and he's half a mind to try jumping Obi-Wan despite the risk. Though, it would hurt too much, which is the only thing stopping him.
Obi-Wan deflates after a moment, stepping closer and tugging down his sleeve, almost awkwardly holding his arm out. "Don't go too far," he cautions.
Vader looks up at him, momentarily disbelievingly, but he doesn't wait, snatching it and sinking his teeth into it. His former master makes a grumpy noise at... probably the sting and messiness of it, but Vader doesn't much care.
He's the one who made him into this thing. (For a second time.)
Vader's tasted blood before – like that time Watto hit him in the face hard enough that his mouth was bleeding – and it always tasted repulsive. So, he's not quite expecting it to... taste the opposite now.
And it gives him a strange feeling of safe protected even if that doesn't really make sense, because he can't truly feel that around Obi-Wan.
But all he cares about right now is that his blood tastes good. Like him, whatever that means. But it reminds him of a lifetime ago when his rain of a Force presence – though now it's far stormier, unlike it ever used to be – was always at his side.
He also has the desperate, inexplicable urge to snuggle which is hardly unusual with how much he misses being touched, but he already long since accepted it's impossible, so he doesn't know why he wants it so badly right now. And he can feel a similar sensation in his mind, which...
Wait, is Obi-Wan feeling like that, too?
How... bizarre.
Obi-Wan's hand suddenly lightly touches his head, away from the injury. Vader leans into it a little, wishing he could curl even closer, as he keeps feeding.
At least it's taking the edge off the pain and his hunger, but he still needs more.
"You'll have to stop soon," his former master says, finally.
Vader makes a grumpy sound, refusing to pull back, at least until he realizes the wound isn't bleeding quite so much anymore. Obi-Wan tries to tug his arm away, and Vader whines, yanking him closer and biting again, a little further up this time.
Obi-Wan lets out a yelp of protest. "Anakin," he whines.
What?
He's hungry,and this is Obi-Wan's fault, anyway.
Distantly, he thinks maybe it's hurting his former master but he's... he'll be careful. He just needs more, first.
He tries to pull away again, and now, he actually seems annoyed, but Vader is getting annoyed, too, because he's hungry,and Obi-Wan is the only one here, and he did this to him, so he should at least let him finish.
"How can you still be hungry?" Obi-Wan asks, irked.
Vader only whines in response, tightening his grip and yanking Obi-Wan closer. It throws him off-balance from the awkward angle, and he lands half in Vader's lap.
Which... is what makes him realize that this is actually the best way to bite him. He wraps his arms around him, half because he wants to snuggle even if he can't feel it, and half to keep him there – Obi-Wan seems very annoyed for some reason, and he's certainly not holding still – before leaning closer to bite his neck.
Obi-Wan tries to shove him off again.
What?
He did the exact same thing.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan repeats, and something about that tone makes him relax a little, a purely automatic response, waiting for orders, despite how hungry he is. "Let go of me."
Vader does instantly, even if he can't say why, and Obi-Wan hastily moves away from him.
He feels momentarily confused, until it starts sinking in what he just did. Did he... It wasn't a Force suggestion, because that would never work on him, but it was something pretty close to that.
A vampire thing?
Though, it also doesn't hit him until right then why Obi-Wan was insistent on him stopping. He probably has already drunk enough to start causing blood loss symptoms.
... oops?
He's still hungry, though.
"I believe your body may be... healing," Obi-Wan says, studying him.
Vader blinks. "What?"
Healing him? But that doesn't make any sense. It's... not possible. Unless the injuries Obi-Wan just gave him count, there's nothing on him that can really be healed.
He nods, expression tight, and Vader can feel his guilt again. "I need to take you to a... medbay somewhere."
"My fortress?" Vader supplies, distantly. He's hungryyy, and it's only getting worse again.
"Mustafar?" Obi-Wan repeats, incredulously.
... Never mind. At least he can still remember why he doesn't want to go there with Obi-Wan again.
"Not there," he replies, flatly, "I'll take you to... somewhere else."
Vader gets the feeling he isn't intending to tell him where, at least not right now, and he frankly doesn't really care. He just wants to bite him again.
**w**
When the world slowly comes into focus around Vader, he feels different. Everything doesn't hurt for the first time in so long that he scarcely remembers what that was like anymore, and he can feel something soft beneath him.
He's in a medbay somewhere, and... not in his suit? He's also still hungry.
The med-droid hovering nearby disappears out the door, returning moments later with Obi-Wan following. Home his mind whispers, even if he's still afraid to see him, after what happened on Jabi'im.
"Anakin?" he asks. "I assume you're feeling better."
That's not who I am he's tempted to throw back, but he's too hungry to care. And yes, he is feeling better. He hasn't felt this whole in a long time. What part of him was healed by being transformed into a vampire? He has no idea, but given that he... doesn't even have a respirator controlling his breathing right now must mean it's a lot. He's not hooked up to any machines or anything, and that – How long has it been? He doesn't want to dare think that this might mean he's out of that thing that's haunted him for years. He'll have to ask later. Right now...
His desire to feed must be obvious enough, because Obi-Wan practically deflates again. "Fine," he concedes, "But only if you stop when I tell you to this time."
"I did," he practically whines. Can they stop talking? He's hungry. Though, he's also not happy that Obi-Wan literally forced him to do something, even if it was perfectly understandable. It's unnerving to know he's able to do that.
"After I compelled you," he replies, flatly, "And... I did not do that intentionally."
So, that's what he did. Compelling.
It helps a little to know it wasn't intentional, but it doesn't change that he could do it if he did want to. Years ago, Vader wouldn't have had a reason to fear that, but he still has no idea what Obi-Wan wants with him. That he could force him to do anything is more than just unsettling. (Is that why he turned him? Or did he not realize he could do it until afterwards?)
Obi-Wan settles onto the bed next to him, and Vader doesn't wait, leaning closer to bite him, winding his arms around him. He hasn't been able to feel like this in so long, that for a moment, that's all he can focus on, even beyond how hungry he is. The mere ability to feel is so overwhelming, just as much as that he's able to... eat something, when he hasn't in so long. (He doesn't want to think about how it's because of Obi-Wan that that was ever a problem.)
After a moment, Obi-Wan loosely slips an arm around him, his other hand lightly trailing along Vader's back. He curls closer, purring.
"Did you just purr?" Obi-Wan asks, incredulously.
Vader shrugs, face still nuzzled against him. All he knows is that this is comfortable. But this is finally taking the edge off his hunger and even if he still is hungry, it's not nearly as unbearable as it was before.
He's able to think a little more clearly, for the first time since this all started.
Obi-Wan hurt him. Again.
He also took him, which – it must mean he... wants him, or at least wants whatever he wants Vader to be, but he left the Empire. He left Sidious, and it instantly floods him with a chilling fear. He just walked away from him, and he has no idea how his master is going to react, because he's definitely figured it out by now.
Yes, Vader was considering it when he started seriously looking for Obi-Wan in the first place, but it's different now that it happened. And he doesn't know what his former master is going to want with him now that he's here.
The proximity is suddenly too much, even if he doesn't want to pull away, because he hasn't been touched in so long. Even if their vampire bond is insisting Obi-Wan is going to protect him. He – he believed that once.
Vader reluctantly pulls away, even if he misses the contact instantly. He can somewhat sense Obi-Wan's emotions, too: a mix of guilt, longing, wariness, and some anger.
"What do you want with me?" Vader asks, finally.
He can sense Obi-Wan's flare of longing, that he... missed him. (But then how could he have done what he did on Mustafar? How –) Probably, Obi-Wan can sense his own echo of that, of how much he missed him, too.
"We spoke of that before," he replies.
As if. He doesn't know that he minds being here, unless it's just the vampire bond talking, but he hardly came of his own free will, and that makes it... Already uncomfortable. "No, we did not," he says, shortly, "My transformation is finished now."
Obi-Wan eyes him, though Vader can tell he's feeling uncomfortable now. "You used to be something more than a Sith."
Is that what this is about? "The person you want to see is gone," Vader throws back, sharply. And he can't be what Obi-Wan wants of him, even if he desperately wants to be. (Probably, also partly his vampire instincts talking. Maybe. He doesn't want to lose him again, even if he can't say he really has him back, either. Obi-Wan hurt him, and Vader has no doubt that he could do it again.)
"You are still him, even if you've changed," Obi-Wan replies, studying him.
He's tempted to argue again, because really, he's not the same, but – There's hardly a use intentionally antagonizing him, not knowing where it could go. And besides, he can feel the silent whisper of mine from Obi-Wan's side of their bond, as if what they used to have suddenly matters so much now, and he doesn't understand. "Why does it matter now, when it didn't before?" he can't help asking, bitterly. On Mustafar.
He feels Obi-Wan's flare of guilt – it's in some ways unsettling to know he can probably sense Vader's emotions just as clearly. "I was... angry," he answers, finally, "I wasn't... thinking about you then, but I would like to right that, if I still can."
For a long moment, Vader can only stare at him. He just... Obi-Wan's never said anything like that before – aside from his brief apology, which hardly felt like it meant much when he'd jumped him only seconds later – and he hardly knows how to feel. Vader wants him back, misses him desperately, even if he fears being near him just as much. But if Obi-Wan's actually offering a chance for that...
"Stay with me," he requests, before Vader even can reply, "We can work this out."
Can they? Vader can't say how badly he wants it; he never expected Obi-Wan to actually be receptive of that, though. No matter how much he longed, he never expected to see any true form of consideration from him again. (Even if it doesn't change that Mustafar and Jabi'im will still haunt his every moment, forever.) But he's getting it now, and he can't say no to it. He's been alone for so long.
But it's not really practical, is it? "Sidious will find me," Vader replies finally, looking away.
"He would never know where to find you."
It feels too uncoincidental, that it's that very moment he feels his master nudging at him, and he hastily reinforces his shielding. Probably, Sidious already figured out what happened though. "He seeks me, even now." And the mere thought of what Sidious will do to him if he resists is – It floods him with an unchecked terror, something that's consumed his every moment from when he first kneeled to him that day. That's why he always obeys him unquestioningly. (He'll never forget the agony of the lightning crawling across his already burned skin, only right after Mustafar. It's hardly the last time Sidious has used it on him, but in a lot of ways, it's the time that sticks out the most.)
Obi-Wan's staring at him now, the faintest hint of horror in his eyes. "I... never realized you were this afraid of him."
Right. Because he can sense what Vader's feeling, and it's unsettling. And how does it matter? "He is my master," Vader replies, sharply.
Obi-Wan twitches, and he can feel his instant surge of anger and bitterness, over that – that title being used for someone else. "Did he force you to join him?" he asks, evenly.
That – every time he thinks back to that day, loathing himself for every choice he did and didn't make, he just... Remembering the sheer panic of that moment, knowing he could never stand with the Jedi, he saw no other way out. But it still was on him. It – he still hurt Padme and his child, and the Jedi, and – "I saw no other choice."
That much is true, and he doesn't want to think about this anymore.
"Why not?" Obi-Wan asks, and it strikes Vader suddenly that it's the first time anyone asked that. He certainly hadn't on Mustafar, and Padme didn't either, not really. He's never thought about explaining his choices to anyone. (He can't help hoping, wildly, desperately, that it won't make Obi-Wan reject him, but it couldn't be worse than it already was once, could it? But if he walked away again, that – he knows it would destroy whatever's left of him entirely.) "I have never understood why, what would ever make you turn against the Jedi."
"They committed treason," he says, "You asked me to go against everything you taught me as a Jedi, and when I saw Windu about to break the Code, I could not stand by him anymore."
"He was a Sith. Why would that make you side with him?"
"I believed he intended to bring peace." And of course, there was his child and Padme and he couldn't fail them, but then, he's the one who killed them in the end, and he can't –
"That was all?" It's more probing than accusing, even if the question rubs him wrong for how much he doesn't want to talk about this. Of course, Obi-Wan can sense it now, and he wants to know.
"He promised me he would save Padme," Vader replies, the ceaseless pain that burns through him constantly only magnifying as he mentions her again. And his child, he can't even bring himself to add. (Hearing he was able to be a father had been the happiest moment of his life, no matter how nerve-wracking it was, and it's his fault that he lost it forever, and –) He wants to cry suddenly, but it will change nothing. It's too hard to be in Obi-Wan's presence and not remember with agonizing clarity how everything once was, and all the things he'd once dreamed for.
He also suddenly wants to bite Obi-Wan again. Very badly.
Because his vampire side insists that's supposed to help, maybe make him feel better.
"Save her from what?" Obi-Wan asks, confused.
"I was having visions," he answers, looking away. The rest is unspoken, but obvious enough.
He can feel his faint flare of horror, even if he still isn't very happy with the explanation. "You never said anything."
"How could I have?" Vader demands, though instead of the anger he expected to feel, it's more an exhausted bitterness and hurt, "And what would you have done? I spoke to Master Yoda, and he told me to let her die."
He can't decipher Obi-Wan's wildly fluxing emotions fast enough. "Then why didn't that concern you on Mustafar?"
He hasn't had the urge to smack him in the face quite this badly since mid-way through their fight when he did, and Vader jolts to his feet, moving away from him, even if the moving is so jarring when he's so light, moving without his suit for the first time that it throws him off-balance. "She brought you there to kill me!" he hisses.
Obi-Wan stands, though Vader can feel his flicker of unease. He's thinking about Mapuzo no doubt. The memory of his screams flicker through Vader's mind, and he deflates, desperate to shy away from the memory. He thought it would make him feel something, somehow make better the ceaseless, crushing emptiness tearing him apart since Mustafar, but it only made him more lost on how Obi-Wan could've done that to him.
"Anakin," he starts, "I am... sorry for how far things went there. Truly."
"How could you?" he demands. It's meant to sound angry, but he thinks he just sounds as broken as he feels, "I trusted you." And he was foolish enough, for a moment, on Jabi'im to believe it wouldn't have to end in a fight there either, and then – "I know what I deserved. I know – but I thought you would at least finish it." Now, he really wants to cry.
And bite Obi-Wan again.
For multiple reasons.
"I was going to, but I... couldn't finish it."
How what happened instead was better he can't understand. All he knows is he doesn't want to talk about this at all anymore, and he's so exhausted.
His gaze follows Obi-Wan warily when he approaches him, reaching out hesitantly to touch his arm. "There is more we should speak of, once you are rested."
"All I have been doing is resting," he objects. He can't imagine trying to sleep right now when he's here. He hasn't chosen to sleep in so long – except for the few times he practically passed out from exhaustion.
"You're still not recovered."
He breathes out heavily – it's jarring that he even can do this. "How long has it been?"
"Days," Obi-Wan supplies, "Would you like to... feed against first?"
He does, desperately, even if he can't quite imagine curling up with him again. But the hunger gnawing at him wins over any reluctance, and Vader finally nods.
They move back to the bed, and Vader sits next to him uncertainly. The bite from earlier is already mostly healed – thanks to the enhanced healing – and he leans closer, shifting so he can bite it again.
He wasn't intended to curl up against Obi-Wan like earlier, but the moment they're touching, he's desperate for more with how long he hasn't been touched, and Obi-Wan loosely wraps an arm around his shoulders, holding him there.
Vader finally gives in, sliding his arms around him again, pressing his mouth to the bite as he feeds. He wishes so much that he could feel as safe and protected as his mind insists he ought to feel.
Once, he did.
And he's ridiculously glad to be with Obi-Wan again, even if he probably shouldn't be, because of how badly this could still go. (He can't forget that blinding panic, the fear that Obi-Wan was about to kill him there, right before he'd turned him into a vampire.)
His former master's grip on him tightens. "I... won't hurt you," he says, quietly enough that Vader could almost think he imagined it, or maybe the thought was transmitted between their minds. Apparently, that's possible with their vampire bond as well as the Force one? "Not again."
It feels like the truth, and he wants to believe it is. (Even if he can never forget the times he did, any more than Obi-Wan is likely to forget the things Vader himself has done.)
Vader makes a quiet noise, pressing closer. "I missed you." He didn't mean to outright transmit the thought – it's far too vulnerable of a thing to say, no matter how true it is, and he can't risk that, can't risk being hurt again knowingly – but Obi-Wan definitely picked up on it from his sudden flux of emotions.
"I missed you, too." Obi-Wan definitely doesn't say it, but Vader still picks up on it.
It floods him with an overwhelming longing, and he tightens his grip. They're together again for the first time in so long, and their vampire bond is – it's helping somehow. He doesn't know that he can say he's glad to be changed like this again, but he doesn't really mind either. It's – it's healing him, and he never imagined that possible.
He... should probably stop feeding now even if he does not want to. He stops actively drawing blood anyway, even if he keeps his head nuzzled against Obi-Wan's neck.
He stays there for a while longer, until Obi-Wan finally nudges him lightly, pushing him back. Vader reluctantly sits up, still unable to shake the urge to snuggle. "You need to rest," he repeats.
He doesn't really want to, though he simultaneously feels like he could sleep for another week without waking, and with how long he's gone without resting, it's probably true. Vader grudgingly nods, and Obi-Wan stands to give him room as he lays down on the bed.
It feels like too vulnerable of a position to be in front of him, but the sheer stimuli of being on something so soft makes him almost not want to get up. He definitely won't be able to sleep unless his former master leaves, though.
Probably, Obi-Wan picked up on that, because he doesn't seem to be very happy, but he steps closer, tugging the blanket over him lightly.
Like – something he might have occasionally done a lifetime ago, when Anakin was still his padawan. Vader feels suddenly choked with emotion. He – he can't understand why Obi-Wan's suddenly treating him like this now. (He doesn't want to leave, even if staying here long-term is hardly practical. Right? Maybe... He doesn't know.)
"I will be back later," Obi-Wan says, eyeing him for another long moment before he moves for the door.
**w**
"Tatooine?" Vader repeats, twisting around in his seat to look at Obi-Wan. He's still mildly surprised his former master agreed to let him fly, after he was finally excused from the medbay. He's still hungry, but he was finally deemed stable enough to leave. From here, he has no idea what he's going to do, because he can't imagine staying in hiding and doing nothing for any extended period.
"That's where I've been staying all this time," Obi-Wan replies, unperturbed.
Which... He supposes it's an ideal place to hide, especially because Vader would never have considered going there to look for him.
"There's something else you should know," he goes on, and Vader can feel his uncertainty, as if he's unsure if he should tell him this.
"What?"
"Your... child didn't die when Padme did."
What?
Vader freezes, staring at him. Of all the things he expected to hear, this wasn't one of them. That – but that's not possible. It doesn't make any sense, and yet he's not lying either.
"How?" Vader asks finally, faintly. That doesn't make sense. He was certain Padme was dead – he thought that was why Obi-Wan did what he did there, and that's what Sidious told him: that he killed her.
"She didn't die there," he replies, "I don't know what she did die from."
Does that mean his vision did come true in the end? Or... "Sidious told me I did it," Vader objects, arms crossing automatically in an effort to find something to ground himself with, as he struggles to deal with the ramifications of what this means. Why would his master have lied to him about it? "And I thought that was why you –"
He can feel Obi-Wan's wince through their bond. "He lied to you," he says, instead of addressing that, "One of your children is on Tatooine, the other is... on Alderaan."
"The princess," Vader realizes, only stilling further. And she could have been hurt in Reva's desperate quest for vengeance. It came close, he knows that much.
Obi-Wan nods. "I will take you to see him – Luke – as soon as we are there."
He had twins.
Vader doesn't know what to think of that, or that his children are alive. He's loathed himself for years, for what he did to Padme there on Mustafar, but it – it was never real. He didn't kill her. Or his child. Children. They're alive. And he's about to see them again.
All this time he's felt lost, with no idea what to do, but if he has children, he... it answers a little of what he'll do going forward, but only a little. What matters is that he wants to see them, and he – He can't let Sidious find them. He won't let the Sith master hurt them, but Vader wants them to be together. And the only way will be if he stays away from Sidious, or if they kill him somehow. He'd thought about having Obi-Wan as his master, and maybe... maybe they can still do that. He doesn't know.
"How did you transform?" Vader asks.
"On Daiyu," Obi-Wan replies, glancing at him, "I was fighting a vampire there, and he turned me. The Inquisitor killed him later, so I am the sire now."
Silence lingers over them for many long moments, and he can feel Obi-Wan's eyes on him again. There's a familiar hunger in his eyes – it's a little like the look he gave him on Jabi'im before jumping him, just not quite the same – not promising violence, at least.
Considering how much Vader's been feeding from him, it probably makes sense that he's so hungry, too – even if Vader himself still is and desperately wants to feed again. He wants to know what it would be like to – to have that done to him, but after Jabi'im, he doesn't know if he could even handle that. All he can remember is the pain pain pain after Obi-Wan bit him, how he was struggling to breathe right before, and he can't –
Obi-Wan catches his gaze, and he seems slightly hopeful. "Would you be alright with it?" Obi-Wan asks, eyeing him.
Vader can't say why he doesn't say no right off. Maybe, it's just that he's always been used to giving in, and now, he's his sire, and he can't shake off that feeling of loyalty, of wanting to please him. It was true as Anakin, but things are different now with what happened between them.
"Just a little," Obi-Wan amends, "I know you could likely not handle more. And if it... hurts, I will stop." He sounds slightly uncomfortable at the end.
Maybe it's just that he doesn't want it to be obvious how afraid he is of it, that makes Vader hesitantly nod.
It'll be intimate, but it's not like it's any different than when he bites Obi-Wan, except at least then, he's the one in... control of it.
He can't help tensing instinctively anyway when Obi-Wan moves closer, settling next to him. That doesn't stop him though, not that Vader expected it would. Maybe, he wants to know what it's like a little too much himself.
Obi-Wan lingers a moment, reaching up to touch his shoulder. He seems uncertain, or maybe it's that he's trying to be far gentler about it than he was the first time.
He leans closer finally, and the sharp flare of fear Vader feels when the fangs lightly touch his skin isn't something he can quite shake off. If he could manage not remembering those last moments –
Obi-Wan's grip on his shoulder tightens slightly, something of an apology he thinks, before he bites down. The pain is sharp and stinging – but nothing remotely significant compared to what he's dealt with for years – though it fades just as quickly, as he feels a weird... pulling sensation.
And it – it's nothing like last time, nothing like what he expected. What he feels now is an odd sense of peacefulness, and a bit of the same snuggly-ness he always felt when he was the one feeding. And while he's also getting hungrier – and he'll definitely have to feed when this is over – his urge to snuggle is getting stronger, as is the whispering in his mind of safe protected.
He wants to believe it's true.
He just can't let himself trust it. He's still too scared to hope that he can trust it.
Obi-Wan pulls back not long later, as he promised he would, even if he doesn't seem very happy that he had to stop.
Vader doesn't really want to let go of him right now, though – even if it's just his vampire side talking, but he has missed him so much – and he twists his head to the side, lightly resting it on Obi-Wan's shoulder instead, seriously contemplating biting him back.
"It won't be long before we're on Tatooine," Obi-Wan says, finally, "And I'll take you to meet your child."
He can't wait for that, even if he's... he doesn't know what to expect. His children have lived ten years without him.
But he knows that if not for this vampire thing, he may never have met them at all, except maybe as enemies. And he'd never know who they were. He'd rather not think about how things could have gone, right now.
Not when what he's living now is... something brighter than he ever imagined he could have again.
Except for the part where he's still hungry for blood, and he'll have a very hard time explaining this to his children. (But at least there's maybe a chance he can have a family again. He's long forgotten what that even means.)
**w**
"Dad, why do you have fangs?"
"Can I be a vampire too?"
"Can't you at least bite me then?"
"Uncle Owen, can Dad bite me? Please?"
"WHAT?!"
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