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“You smell like a werewolf.”
Techno looked over the top of his phone at the two teens standing in front of his cash register. The younger blond looked to be a couple years younger than Techno’s 17, while the brunet looked a few years older. Both were smirking at him.
It’s not like they’d be the first weirdos to wander through the StopnGas. The little convenience store Techno has been working at for years was about as nice as its name was creative, and located in an area of town not exactly known for its friendly people or low crime rate. Techno had seen his fair share of tweakers and thugs, not to mention cryptids like goblins and lesser fae. There was even an orc that came in once, lost and wanting directions.
These two were … something else. He wasn’t sure exactly what, yet.
“Human as they come, bro,” Techno replied. As subtle as he could, he checked the monitor under the counter that showed the security camera feed and … oh. His eyes flicked back up to the two, smirks somehow growing like they knew what he was doing, then back to the monitor.
There were definitely three people in the small store. The camera only showed one.
“Blood in the fridge, in the back,” he told the pair. “We got a fresh batch of RedWave in a few days ago, but our guy was out of Plasma-tastic. Sorry.”
“I’m thinking I want something … more fresh,” the brunet said. The blond barked out a laugh.
Techno swallowed harshly, adrenaline suddenly surging through his veins. “Feedin’ from an unwilling human is considered assault,” he reminded them. He kept his face and voice as neutral as possible, trying to hide his fear from the two predators in front of him. But they could hear his heart start to gallop, could smell the sweat beading on the back of his neck.
The blond laughed again. “That’s only if we get caught, innit?” he pointed out.
Time to put a stop to this, now. “We have cameras,” he pointed out, “and I’m not-”
He didn’t get any further. One moment they were standing in front of the counter; the next they were behind it with him. Techno made a little hiccup noise in surprise, his all-too-human eyes not able to keep up with the speed of the two cryptids.
The area behind the register was only really made for one person, not three. They took advantage of the confined space, crowding against him. Techno cleared his throat, very carefully avoiding eye contact with either. “This is harassment,” he said. “And we have cameras. If you leave now I won’t-”
“But where’s the fun in that?” the blond asked, ducking his head to try and make eye contact. Techno, who knew better, quickly looked away. “Don’t worry, we aren’t gonna hurt ya.” The blond tried again, but Techno was expecting it and looked away again. “Come on, bitch, you won’t even remember we were here.” Another attempt to make eye contact, another dodge.
“That’s not exactly encouragin’,” Techno drawled back. Another attempt, and again Techno darted his eyes away.
Right into the waiting gaze of the brunet.
Techno could feel his entire world narrowed down to those eyes, turned pitch black by the thrill of the hunt. His head suddenly felt like it was full of cotton, but not in an unpleasant way? The brunet vampire smiled a little gentle smile at him and it was the most fascinating thing Techno had ever seen.
“See? That’s not so bad,” the vampire crooned at him. Techno tried to answer, tried to speak, but it only came out in a whimper. “You’re fine. You’re okay.” He was most certainly not fine or okay. “Shhhh, it’s okay. What’s your name?”
“Techno,” his mouth said. “Of the Blade pack.”
“I knew I smelled werewolf!” the brunet vampire grinned at Techno, and Techno sunk a little deeper into the cotton-headed feeling. The sight of the smile caused something within Techno to flood with warmth; he smiled back, and the vampire all but beamed in return. “Oh you are precious,” the vampire said. “What is a human doing living with a pack of werewolves?”
Silence for a second as Techno realized he had been asked a question. Oh. “Mother’s werewolf,” he slurred. “Father’s human.”
“A human living with werewolves?” the blond asked. He wasn’t asking Techno, though, and Techno felt his mind drifting again. “Can they do that?”
Techno’s vampire hummed in response. “They’ll probably kick him out when he comes of age,” he responded, and Techno idly nodded in agreement. “Maybe a little sooner after tonight.”
“Aww, Wilbur, I don’t want him getting in trouble!” the blond responded and Techno frowned. Something was wrong, something was distressing-
“Shhhh, shhhh, it’s okay,” his vampire crooned at him, and Techno felt himself relax at the reassurance. “Goddess, you are so precious.” Techno smiled, pleased. “And you smell so good, too.” His vampire leaned forward. Techno was sitting on top of the counter, over the lotto tickets. When did that happen? Whatever; the vampire was reaching for him and that was more important. His vampire cradled his face in his hand, caressing Techno’s cheek with his thumb, before gently tilting his head to the side and exposing his throat. Techno moved his head obediently. Did that help? Was he helping? “Good boy,” the vampire cooed. Techno felt his mouth stretch in a grin.
“I love it when they get all clingy and eager to please,” someone said. Techno jumped; he had forgotten about the other one.
“Much better than when they get weepy or pissy,” his vampire agreed, and Techno relaxed again. If his vampire was okay with the blond, then so was he.
“Oh, pissy is the worst,” the blond continued, voice rising in volume unexpectedly. “It’s all like, excuse me, bitch, I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but-”
“Tommy, you’re going to undo it,” the brunet snapped suddenly. Techno frowned and leaned back. Something wasn’t right. Something was- “Oh, no, pet, shhh,” the brunet was saying, soothing, trying to catch Techno’s eye again. For some reason, Techno didn’t want him to. He looked off to the side, but his mind was too sluggish and a gentle hand easily guided his face back forward. Those fathomless black eyes were waiting. Techno felt himself sinking again. “You’re fine, we got you.” Fingers threaded through the hair at the back of his head and pulled him forward; he hummed in contentment at the contact. “There we go,” the vampire was saying. “Just like that. Just like that. Good boy.”
Sudden pressure, something sharp and wet against the skin of his neck, before that skin just as suddenly gave way. Techno flinched away automatically, but another sharp pressure suddenly made itself known on the other side. Just a moment, just a couple moments waiting for a pain that never came; instead, the greatest euphoria he had ever experienced washed over him. He was falling, he was floating, he was flying, he was-
He woke suddenly in the storage closet he used as a break room, slouched back in the flimsy little folding chair he had dragged in there, with no memory of how he had gotten there. Or how long ago. Had he … had he fallen asleep on the job?
Schlatt was going to kill him.
That thought had him up and walking into the store before his brain could catch up. Everything looked to be okay, though. No obvious theft or vandalism. Just an empty convenience store.
His throat hurt, twin aches of pain on either side. He rubbed them absentmindedly as he went back into the storage room. Where were the lymph nodes again? Maybe he was coming down with something. It didn’t matter. Right now he needed to know how long he had been out for, and what had happened to make him go into his little break area and fall asleep.
The one lone security camera Schlatt had sprung for recorded on a 12 hr loop onto a VHS tape; both recorder and monitor were in the corner of the storage room. He rewound the tape, searching for answers, for some reason that-
Static.
The recording equipment was old and had been obsolete longer than Techno had been alive, but it was always reliable at least. This was new. He rewound the tape until he could see himself standing behind the counter and checked the time stamp.
There were four whole minutes gone from the recording.
Maybe a wire had come just loose enough to disrupt the feed for those minutes. Maybe the VHS tape was starting to get old and thin in places. Maybe it was time for the old goat to update to something made this century.
No need to worry unnecessarily. He’d keep an eye on it. As for the sleeping thing … he had been awfully tired recently, working on his scholarship applications on top of standing behind the register more hours than was probably legal. Those long hours might be starting to catch up with him. It might be time to start taking a B-complex or something.
He rubbed at his neck again as he took his position behind the counter, phone out and scrolling absentmindedly. Three more hours until his shift ended and he could go home.
Wilbur watched the werewolf halfbreed go back to his post in the shitty little gas station, leaning against the brick wall of a building a couple blocks away and happily cleaning the last of the red stains off his face. It hadn’t been his best meal as a vampire, but there was something there, some twang of flavor, that he had never tasted before. And of course there was the satisfaction to be had in a full belly. Seeing their meal up and about, confused but healthy and strong, just added to the satisfaction.
“Good find, Wilbur,” Tommy said beside him. The blond was watching the halfbreed as well, licking a few drops of blood off his finger like a cat. “I was really worried after that video store closed down.”
Wilbur hummed his agreement. The video store had been the perfect place to hunt — only one or two employees at a time and very rarely any customers. They both had mourned its closing and wondered where they would go for a wild meal now. “It beats the vape shop,” he said finally, just because he knew Tommy’s face would scrunch up in disgust.
Tommy didn’t disappoint. “Ugh, the vape shop,” he spat out. “Why do humans do that shit anyway? Makes their blood taste all weird and shit.”
Wilbur personally enjoyed the taste of tobacco or marijuana in a human’s bloodstream but the vape shop had been selling harder substances out the back, and the employees had definitely been dipping into the supply. Taste aside, illegal drugs also tended to complicate things. Much better to find a clean supply.
“Speaking of weird-tasting blood, I’m not sure about this one,” Wil continued, just because he could. He gestured towards the store. “The werewolf genes make him taste kind of gamey.”
“I think it tastes fine,” Tommy protested immediately, just like Wilbur knew he would.
“That’s because you have shit taste,” Wil shot back. “It tastes like wet dog.”
“Fur all over the furniture and rabies,” Tommy couldn’t resist adding to Wilbur’s list.
“What do you mean, rabies?” Wilbur asked, delighted. “What does rabies taste like? How do you know?”
“Rabies tastes all chemically and shit,” Tommy responded with complete confidence. “And it makes you all crazy.”
Wilbur couldn’t help but laugh at that description. “I’m glad you’re in agreement about our canine friend,” he said and ignored Tommy’s sputters of denial. “We’ll continue to visit ol’ Techno of the Blade pack.”
That decided, the two headed out, shadows in the dark, looking to see what kind of mischief there was to be had.