#but i definitely think i lost her with everything after 'vampire turf war'

[genderqueer-karma]

tried explaining bara no konrei to a friend this morning and the confusion in her voice and on her face was truly poetic

#yo it's d :) #malice mizer #bara no konrei #(banger film. love it so much) #she knows about my hyperfixation so it wasn't a surprise that i was talking about the guys #but i definitely think i lost her with everything after 'vampire turf war'

[moretomhardy]

Another random sterek AU because why not

Fandom: Teen Wolf
 Pairing: Derek/Stiles 
Words: 1,974 
Rating: General/Teen 
Content Notes: TW for self-harm, since werewolves are careless with their bodies

Summary: The Hales host a bi-annual gathering of supernatural creatures at their home. This is the first times Stiles shows up.

“Derek, sweetheart, we’ve just had a family of kelpies arrive -- you don’t happen to have any seafood in here, do you?” Mom burst through the door and swung open the fridge door, shuffling through the contents.

“Mom, relax.” Derek nudged her out of the fridge and shut it. “Kelpies tend to eat everything and usually have a preference for turf over surf. Did anyone ask them what they wanted?”

“That’s a relief,” Mom sighed, leaning back against the counter. “Laura’s talking to them now, she should be down any minute with specifics. I was afraid we were going to horribly offend them by not having fish on the menu.”

“I bought some salmon in case of emergency,” Derek returned to stirring the pot of sauce he was reducing, “but the water sprites are the only creatures that I know of in our area that will demand fish, and I have their minnows ready to go.”

“Good, okay.” Mom took a deep breath and let the tension bleed out of her shoulders.

“This isn’t my first rodeo, Mama.” Derek stood on his toes to peck a kiss to the top of her head. “Now get out of here, people are going to start missing you.”

Mom wrinkled her nose. “Are you sure I can’t stay down here with you? It’s so quiet and peaceful.”

Derek barked a short laugh. “I can give you something to chop if you want, but don’t fool yourself into thinking you won’t be terribly bored in less than five minutes.”

“Sometimes I hate that I raised intelligent children,” Mom sighed. “Fine, I’ll get out of your hair.” She reached out and rubbed a hand over Derek’s neck and shoulder. “Let me know if you need any help and I’ll send Cora back.”

“I’m fine for now, but I’ll let you know.”

Mom nodded and swept her hair out of her face before sweeping herself out through the swinging kitchen doors.

Derek pulled out the fifteenth head of cabbage for the afternoon and started chopping.

--------------------

Laura charged through the doors maybe twenty minutes later, eyes bleeding red around the pupil.

Derek dropped his knife and wiped his blood-smudged hands on a towel before reaching for Laura. She met him halfway, pulling him into her chest and rubbing her cheek along Derek’s face.

“Sorry,” she murmured, hands squeezing bruises into Derek’s torso. “Just met my first vampire and I’m having this powerful urge to run him out of our territory.”

“It’s okay.” Derek pressed himself closer to Laura and let her tuck his head under her chin, even though it was awkward position now that he was taller than her. “He wouldn’t come to a peaceful gathering to try and start something.”

“I know that.” Laura buried her face in the crook of Derek’s neck and took a deep, bracing breath. “He feels too settled here, like he’s trying to claim the land. It pisses off my alpha side.”

“He is allowed to live here, and even claim territory as long as it’s not within the preserve.”

“I never claimed it was a reasonable urge,” Laura grumbled. “I just have to get used to him. I made Cora go talk to him so that I wouldn’t start a turf war.”

“That was a good idea.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Laura loosened her grip on Derek. “I think your sauce is starting to burn.”

“It’s definitely burnt.” Derek rubbed his cheek against her collarbone one last time before pulling away. He wrinkled his nose as he pulled the burning sauce off of the stove and dumped it down the sink. Cora pushed her way through the doors as Derek was rinsing out the pot to start over.

“Laura’s vampire said he’s good with a steak as rare as you can get it while still making it look cooked, plus any root vegetables you might have on hand.”

“That’s doable.” Derek stepped over to the fridge to see what he could find in the way of the vegetables. “Did he say where he was from? I didn’t know we had any vampires in the area.”

“He said he had moved back home to Beacon Hills recently. I kinda got the feeling that he was turned against his wishes while he was away.”

Derek frowned as he started chopping the handful of beets and new potatoes he had found. “Do you know how long ago?”

Cora shrugged. “He said he grew up here, left for college, and had to stay away until he got a handle on the new lifestyle. I didn’t want to push too hard on the details.”

“If he grew up here, that explains why he has such a strong connection to the land,” Laura said. “That’s a relief, I thought we were going to have some trouble on our hands.”

“Just because he grew up here doesn’t mean he isn’t going to start trouble.” Derek drizzled some olive oil and spices on the diced vegetables before throwing them into a skillet.

“Yeah, and just because he makes Laura’s alpha senses tingle doesn’t mean he is going to start trouble, either,” Cora snorted.

Derek frowned at Cora and then at the flatiron steak he had pulled out of the refrigerator. “You think I should season it?” he asked.

“How should we know,” Cora rolled her eyes, “you’re the big fancy chef.”

Derek scowled at her before turning to Laura, who shrugged.

“I’m seasoning it,” he decided. “If he doesn’t like it he can send it back.”

“That’s the spirit,” Laura chuckled while Derek rifled through the spice drawer. He had never intentionally tried to enhance the flavor of blood in a steak, so that was something new; he rubbed in the spices and threw the steak into a hot cast iron skillet.

Derek stirred the vegetables while watching the steak. He flipped it after a minute or so. The other side got the same treatment, then Derek popped his claws to hold the hot steak vertically and get a sear on all of the edges. After that, he deemed the meat done and set in on a covered plate to rest while he finished up the vegetables.

Cora had drifted away while the steak was still cooking, bored with the situation. Derek looked over at Laura while he finished up the vegetables and got everything on a plate.

"Are you up to seeing the vampire again?" he asked.

Laura hesitated, chewing on her lip.

"Don't worry about it," Derek said, "I'll take it up to him."

"That would probably be for the best," Laura allowed. "He gets my hackles up for some reason."

"No need to take an unnecessary risk."

They both cocked their heads toward the door as Mom called for Laura upstairs.

"I'd better go see what that's about." Laura hurried out of the kitchen and Derek pulled some cutlery and a napkin out of a drawer. He thought about bringing up a glass of water to go with the food, then thought he could offer the vampire something he might find a little more appetizing. Derek grabbed an empty glass and made his way upstairs and out to the backyard where the guests were seated.

He looked around the yard, feeling a little stupid that he hadn't gotten at least a description of the vampire from Laura before she left. Then his eyes caught on an unfamiliar, pale young man sitting alone at a table on the edge of the lawn and figured he might have found the vampire anyways. He wasn’t able to pick out the sound of any heartbeat as he walked over, which was a point in favor of his theory. He stopped at the edge of the table and the man looked up at him, smiling slightly.

Derek realized he was also missing the vampire's name, something else he should have gotten from Laura before coming up. "You're the vampire?"

The man grinned. "That's me. I usually go by Stiles, though."

Derek grunted and set the plate down in front of Stiles, keeping a hold of the glass for now. "Cora said you wanted a rare steak and some root vegetables, so I did my best. I haven't cooked for a vampire before, so I'm not sure what your stance on seasoning your food is. If you don't like it I can take it back and do it again plain."

"This looks great," Stiles's smile had widened during Derek's speech. "Beets are my favorite vegetable, actually."

"I figured a vampire would like beets. Red, rich, vaguely fleshy texture."

Stiles snorted. "Well, thanks, dude."

"It's Derek. And." Derek slammed the glass down on the table before he lost his nerve, keeping his hand over the top of the glass and turning the inside of his wrist towards Stiles. "If you want, I could offer you something to drink."

Stiles looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Chef special," Derek added when Stiles stayed frozen. He hoped he hadn't offended him.

A giggle slipped out of Stiles' mouth. "Oh my god, dude, Derek, are you just casually offering me your blood?"

Derek shrugged. "I've got some to spare."

"This is -- okay." Stiles took a deep breath. "That sounds delicious, thank you, Derek."

Derek nodded and popped the claws on the hand not covering the glass. Stiles watched with fascination as Derek dug two claws into his arm and dragged upwards, opening up a good-sized gash in his arm that bled freely for several seconds. Stiles' glass was only a third full when Derek's body mended itself so Derek repeated the cut, going a little deeper and longer than before. That slice got the glass pretty close to full by the time it healed. Derek was about to wipe his fingers and forearm on the towel he still had slung over his shoulder when Stiles make an abortive motion and asked,

"Can I... clean you off?"

Derek frowned and looked between Stiles and his bloody arm, where Stiles' attention was fixed. "You want to lick me?" Derek asked.

"In so many ways, yes."

Derek felt his face flame into a blush. "Um." He looked down at his bloody hands.

"Sorry," Stiles said when the silence between them started to stretch. "That's probably super inappropriate. Forget I said anything, please."

"That's, um." Derek cleared his throat and pulled his towel off of his shoulder, slowly wiping off his hand and forearm. "Maybe another time, somewhere less public."

"What, really?" Stiles asked. His eyes were wide when Derek chanced a glance over at him.

"Yes," Derek decided. Laura was always telling him he needed to take more chances, after all.

"That's -- wow, uh, can I give you my phone number?" Stiles scrambled to pull his phone out of his pocket.

"How about I give you mine." Derek plucked Stiles' phone out of his hands as soon as he had it unlocked and made a new contact for himself. He smiled as he handed the phone back to Stiles.

"Awesome." Stiles took his phone back. "You'll definitely be hearing from me."

"Are you gonna try it?" Derek gestured at Stiles' plate.

"Yes, definitely." Stiles picked up the glass of blood and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath over the mouth of the glass. He took a long sip and groaned in satisfaction as he swallowed.

Derek stared at Stiles as he opened his eyes and grinned up at him. "Delicious," Stiles said, blood staining the crevices between his teeth.

"That's --" Derek swallowed hard and crossed his hands in front of his hips as his blood started rushing south. "That's not what I meant."

"No?" Stiles' grin widened.

"Um, I've got to get back to the kitchen." Derek turned tail and fled before he could make a fool of himself any further, the sound of Stiles' laughter following after him.

#sterek #sterek fic #eternalsterek #vampire!stiles #chef!derek #convention au #mth writes #self harm

[cinnamonsugarsheith-blog]

Haven

Pairings: Sheith, BG allurance

Rating: Mature

Warnings/Notes: Werewolf/Vampire AU. vampires so blood stuff, implied character death, werewolf courtship, this got weirdly plotty and I don’t want to talk about it, werewolves don’t mess with clothes, twisted for my own use lore, Alpha wolfs, mating, Vampire Sire/Fledgling mmmm yep.

When Shiro wakes up he reeks of stale vampire blood. His neck and abdomen are coated in it. He's doesn't recognize the cabin he's in or the cot he's on, but there's an unopened bottle of water and a bottle of aspirin sitting neatly atop a set of jeans and a thick flannel on the nightstand. Socks and boots sat on the floor below.

"You should be safe here until your pack find you" the note next to it reads.

As if he is going to wait for his pack to find him to leave.

He crumples the note and stumbles into the bathroom. He looks like shit. "The hell did I get into?"

He cleans up, nose crinkling at the scent of the blood and sweat he's caked in. At least the water works in this place.

He noses into the flannel, trying to figure out who brought him here. He vaguely remembered running with Matt and Pidge to his left, and then they split up to surround something. A doe if the scent was right. And then there was a fight and a hunter and there... The smell was on the flannel too... Burnt pine and sorghum and the faint hollow scent of death than clung to vampires and something else he couldn’t discern. Why would a vampire bring him here? This had to be a trap. And he needed to find Matt and Pidge. Before the vampire’s nest did.

He tugged on the clothes in a hurry. Thankfully it was near nightfall again. He was deep in the woods now, but not so far that he couldn't make out the river nestled in the crux of the foothills that would lead him back to town.

So he started off. As soon as the stars rose he'd be able to adjust to get back to their home more easily. He was hesitant when he got to the quiet little farmhouse. There was a light on in the kitchen and he could hear their cow mooing in the field. That was a good sign at least. When he crept onto the front porch Black and Rover rubbed against his ankles. He could hear Katie yelling inside and felt the hair on the back of his neck rise as he stepped across Hunks ward barrier. Hunk had old fae blood somewhere in his family and his protective charms had been invaluable in keeping their secrets secret. He wasn't a wolf, but he was definitely pack.

He had just barely gotten his fingers on the door when it opened. Katie launched herself at him. "What happened to you!?" He patted her back, letting her hang off him as he stepped through the threshold. He offered Matt and Hunk a smile and nodded a head towards the living room where he settled onto the worn sofa, the littlest packmember resituating herself into his lap. Matt curled up to his left, throwing his arms around Shiro and his little sister.

"We thought they got you too..."

Shiro could hear the tears caught in Matt's throat.

"I don't know what happened." He kissed the top of Katie's head and rested his forehead against Matt's. "But I'm here. I'm safe..."

Hunk brought in a tray with mugs of coffee and tea and cocoa and sat down on Shiro's right. Katie quietly moved herself out of Shiro's lap to snuggle against her brother's side.

Shiro took a cup of coffee. "Do you know what happened?"

"Pidge saw more than me," Matt admitted.

She told him about the huge Hunter who had pounced on him. How she and Matt we're on the edge of a clearing when a vampire blurred out of nowhere and told them to run, there were more coming. She had told him to get away and he'd said you would be safe Shiro... And they had to leave and I was so scared I thought it was gonna be like mom and dad...

Shiro shushed her gently. "It's okay. I'm here. You and Matt did exactly what I would have wanted you to."

She took a shaky breath and nodded.

"Katie, do you know what the vampire looked like?" He needed to know what he was dealing with. Why he woke up covered in a vampires blood. Why he'd been saved.

She shrugged. "It was dark. He was short for a vampire. Black jeans, red shirt, ummm black hair, real shaggy. Really dark eyes. They weren't that weird bright blue that vamps always are…

Shiro patted her head in thanks. "And everything here is safe?"

Matt and Hunk nodded.

"Good. I'm gonna shower. And then I want to sleep. Bed?"

Shiro showers the last of the smell of blood off of him. He'll still be smelling it for days. He looks longingly at the prosthetic he'd left on the dresser before he shifted last night, but knew his pack needed the comfort of him shifted now. He tosses his towel in the hamper and rolls his shoulders, letting the energy of the mostly full moon guide his shift until he dropped to all three and shook his body fully.

When he goes to the den Matt and Pidge are curled up together under one of Hunks arms. Pidges snout is tucked under Matt's and Shiro is sure her boney legs are jabbing his soft belly. He situates himself over them, his head on Matt's hip and his tail curled around the siblings heads. Hunk reaches out and sets a hand atop his head, thumbing over the white spot there with a magic of calm that he seemed to instill in everything he touched even though he tended to be a nervous wreck.

"I'm so glad you came back, Shiro. Matt and Pidge... They need you." The 'I need you' was left unspoken, but Shiro nuzzled the inside of his wrist. He understood. He needed them too.

-o-

"What in blazes were you thinking?! He could have killed you, Keith!"

"Allura, he was gonna kill him. Hunters like Sendak are dangerous to us too. We can't just let them--"

"Dude, Allura's right you put the whole nest at risk. What if his pack had come after us?!"

"Well they didn't, did they, Lance?"

"All right. All right. Everybody settle down. It wasn't the smartest decision, but we are okay. Let's get some rest for today and talk about it tomorrow evening? Hmmm?"

"That's an excellent idea, Coran." Allura pulled a pin from her hair and let it fall down her back. "Come along, Lance."

"Just go to bed. Don't make any other rash decisions." Lance glared.

Keith rolled his eyes and stalked off to his room. He was... New at this. The vampire thing. He didn't know who turned him or what exactly happened, but Allura and Lance had found him wandering the streets, sick as sin and not sure what was happening to him. By the time Coran had gotten him back to good health, he wouldn't have even known his name if not for the school ID in his wallet. Kogane, Keith 10th grade Balmera High School The Keith in the picture had a crooked unsure smile and his hair fell into his eyes. He had on a hoodie and a red t-shirt. He didn't know who that Keith was, but at least he still liked red... And figured he'd been 15 or 16 when he'd been turned. But no matter how many times he googled himself, it was like he didn't exist except for that.

Coran suggest he may have been a ward off the state. He decided it didn't matter much anyways now.

And the four of them tried to stay out of that vampire-werewolf turf war shit. They left wolves along, wolves left them alone. But that didn't mean they should let them get killed... Hunters were dangerous to all of them. Wolves, Vamps, Fae. Didn't make much sense to Keith.

Plus. Something about that wolf... Keith could tell from his size he was the pack’s alpha. And it was a full moon, so the others had to be nearby. But that meant the forest was full of hunters out searching for them and vamps out searching to settle scores in the stupid rivalry.

Their nest had had a few close calls with Sendak before, and when Keith saw him attack the wolf. Well. He didn't have any issue settling a score with a hunter. When he appeared two copper colored wolves had jumped out of the brush, and he'd yelled. For some reason they listened... And he had been able to mail Sendak and escape. But not without almost getting killed himself. The wolf was heavy, but he'd managed to get him settled on the cot in the cabin and wipe off some of the blood he'd gotten on him. It was a lost cause with his furred form though. He set out clothes and had left. He needed to feed so he could heal. Besides he'd said he was going on a walk. The nest was probably looking for him since sunrise wasn't far off at this point.

But of course, now he just dreamt of giant black three legged wolves chasing him. It was a fitful rest.

Shiro and Matt and Hunk work at a bar. A wolf haven. "The Den," it's called. It’s filled with smoke and musk and the owner, an old Alpha by the name of Kolivan let's Pidge do her homework in the office while they're on shift. They know 14 is old enough to be home alone, but it's hard with all the trouble that's stirred up around town lately.

He was wary about hiring a part fae, but the customers loved Hunk's cooking, and with his bouncer (Shiro) and bartender (Matt) claiming him as pack there wasn't much he could do but let it happen.

When Shiro and Matt came to ask him if he'd heard about a little vamp with dark hair and eyes, he honestly didn't know, but he said he would ask around. Half the patrons had their vamp tallys tattooed on them. Someone was bound to know something.

Of course, all he needed to do was ask his packmate Thace to send his partner Ulaz a text.

The Marmora were the most secret of secret between the feuding monster clans. Wolves and Fae and Vampires working as a team to take down hunter factions and dangerous groups of their own that threatened to expose them to humans.

Some things are better left unknown but to a few.

Ulaz didn't know anything, but said he'd keep his ears open.

Shiro had Katie hack into the security feeds at the local blood banks, hospitals, and other vamp hot spots. Wandered the streets trying to catch a whiff of burnt pine.

He needed to know why him and if his pack was at risk.

"Maybe you should let it go?" Hunk said one day.

"Not until I know you're all safe," Shiro insisted

"Katie said he was short. What if he's just a kid? Doesn't know shit?" Matt tipped his chair back a.bit so he was balancing on the back legs.

"Just cause he looks like a kid doesn't mean his is one. Vamps don't age normal like we do," Katie piped up from behind her textbook.

"Guess that's true."

"Whoever he was he wanted me to wait for my pack. It seems too much like a trap."

"Yeah..." The other three sighed together.

"We could always go back to the cabin?"

"Absolutely not."

"But Shiro--"

"No, Katie."

She growled softly in response but dropped it in favor of shoving another forkful of potatoes into her mouth.

"I could call Lance?" Hunk said quietly.

"Dude, that's a worse idea than going back to the cabin!"

"He doesn't have to know I'm pack." Hunk looked to Shiro now. "I could just say a friend saw something weird. Wanted to make sure nothing crazy was happening..."

Shiro looked thoughtful for a minute. "He would smell us on you."

"I haven't actually seen him in years... Just a call. His number may not even work anymore to be honest... Just so we can try to get you an answer. I want to lay this to rest..."

Katie snorted. "Pun unintended?"

Hunk smacked his forehead. "Shit. Uh yeah. Definitely unintended."

Shiro shoved the peas around his plate like they were going to help him make up his mind.

"Yeah... We will skip town for a few days. He hasn't seen you in years. He'll want to visit your grandma... The farm..."

"I promise it'll be okay." Hunk put his hand over Shiro's.

-o-

"Hey, Thace"

"Hey kid, you got our order ready?"

"Yup, it's all here. Threw in a couple of good cuts for that magical chef you're always on about." Keith hefted the box into the back of Thace's SUV. There were already crates of produce stowed in the back seats.

"I'll be sure to tell him!" Thace reached out to ruffle Keith's hair. He was definitely a runaway, but he seemed sweet. If Thace thought he had any intention of sticking around longer than the summer he'd be trying to pick him up for The Den.

Keith knew Thace was a wolf. But he gave Keith that fond smile that Keith thought dads were supposed to give to their kids. Coran always gave it to Allura anyways, and even though he wasn't her dad he was close enough. He'd turned her.

"Same time next week, right?"

"Yeah, want me to look out for anything for you?"

"Nah, but here." Thace handed him a $20. "Come by the bar sometime. On me. I'm sure Hunk would love to meet our supplier."

Keith stuffed the bill into his blood spattered apron pocket and gave him a sloppy salute. "Sure thing." He ducked back into the back door of the butcher shop and sighed heavily. Wolves were so friendly. Coran and Allura and even Lance we're great but there was a lot of... boundaries. They never touch each other aside from Allura and Lance. And Lance was her fledgling so it was acceptable. Coran occasionally touched Allura, but only for the briefest of moments now that she had a fledgling of her own. He'd touch Lance and Keith too, but only if necessary. Clinically. Not like how Thace ruffled his hair and clapped him on the shoulder and squeezed the back of his neck. It was nice.

He could never see Thace not cloaked in the scent of animal blood though. He'd know what he was. And even though Keith didn't have anything against wolves, he didn't know if Thace had something against Vamps.

"That's the last pick up, you guys good?" He called to the guys up front. He gathered his things after their noncommittal agreeances and headed back to the airbnb they were using as their nesting grounds.

Allura and Coran weren't back from their shift at the blood bank yet and the note on the whiteboard said Lance was going to be late from the boats. So that left him on his own.

So when he heard a cell phone ring it surprised him. He found Lance's phone wedged between the couch cushions and debated on answering for half a second  before his thumb clicked accept.

"Lance?" It was a soothing male voice. "I'm surprised your number still works buddy! How have you been?"

"Ah... Actually, Lance forgot his phone. I'm Keith. His...um. Roommate?" He hadn't meant it as a question, but it had come out that way.

"Oh" the voice on the other end snickered "Roommate. Got it. Well, roommate Keith, I'm Hunk. Lance and I go way back!! I was gonna ask him a quick question. See if there was..." He paused "um.. anyone /new/ in town. A friend saw something kinda weird around Nana's old folks home, just want to know if I need to /add on some extra layers of protection/ or anything. Ya know, man?"

Yeah. Keith know exactly what he meant. Hunk was a fae. He knew about Lance. Wanted to know If Lance knew something.

"Yeah man, I'll ask him to call you. I hope your friend is okay. Shit’s been weird around here lately."

"Yeah man you're tellin me. Thanks for passing it along man!"

The line clicked close.

-o-

The first thing Keith notices when they pile out of Allura's Buick is that this is it smells like cinnamon rolls. Hunk ushers them all into the old farmhouse and ever surface in the kitchen is covered in  cookies or rolls or bread of some sort. He urges them to tuck in, which they all do.

"This is Allura, and Coran, and mullet hair is Keith." Lance's shoulders are tight when Hunk hugs him warmly. "So what happened? I can't believe Nana's in a home man, I'm sorry to hear that. You by yourself here now?"

Keith crunched into a crusty roll and wished food tasted as good as it smelled. Everything smelled amazing.

"Well I have some roommates but they're with family for the weekend. And yeah. It's been. Couple of years now. But anyways yeah." He explained how one of the nurses had seen this guy just appear out of nowhere in their court yard and then she had blinked and he was gone. Keith didn't pay much attention.

"I mean, short with dark hair could be anyone... I don't really know anyone new around. We tend to keep to ourselves." Lance gave him a sheepish grin.

"Nah man, I knew it was kind of a long shot!! No worries. I know stuff’s been weird and us fae are always out of the loop. Figured it just didn't hurt to ask."

They finished out the day with Hunk showing them Kaltenecker and the hen house and his garden. He sent them home with eggs and a basket of peppers and corn and tomatoes and Keith found himself fascinated by Hunks free warmth.

Maybe it was a fae thing? But when Hunk hugged all four of them without question he hoped they visited again.

Shiro got out of the old pickup and knew.

"He was here?!" He grabbed Hunks shoulder harder than he meant to.

"Dude, yeah I told you he was gonna come visit?"

"Not Lance."

Hunk shifted uncomfortably. "Well I mean he wanted me to meet his... What's the parent vampire called again?"

"Hunk."

"His nest came with him I didn't want to say no and he get spooked!!"

"Who was with him?"

"Shiro, man, ease up." Matt put his hand on one of Shiro's.

Shiros hands dropped to his sides. "He was here. The one from the cabin."

"What does that mean?"

"The vampire who took Shiro to that cabin is in Lance's nest," Katie mumbled.

"I need you to tell me everything."

-o-

"Hey Kolivan? Ulaz thinks he has a lead on a fledgling." Thace sunk into the single extra chair in his alphas office.

"Yeah, kid who disappeared from a football game last year. According to one of our Fae who's in with the hunters he was sighted during an attack on the full moon."

"Which Fae?"

"Krolia."

"How does she know it's him?"

"Apparently it's her kid."

"Fuck.”

-o-

"He smells like burnt pine and sorghum."

"What's sorghum?"

"It's... Kinda like molasses?"

"So kinda like Hunk?"

Shiro frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe a little. Hunk smells bright. He smells richer, darker."

"So like Jack versus Brandy?" Matt supplied.

"Yeah."

"Okay but I don't drink so that doesn't help." Katie put her forehead on the table.

"You'll understand."

"Hunk, ask Lance to come over again."

"Alone?"

"His sire and hers are older. I don't want to tangle with them if we can avoid it."

"They work as nurses at a blood bank... Maybe he can invite them over when they have a drive going on?" Katie suggested.

"Good idea." Shiro gave her a smile.

"Guess we can tell Kolivan we got it covered then?"

"No we may need his help... He and Thace are strong. If things go wrong, I want them on our side."

-o-

"You were right to involve us, Shiro." Kolivan nodded in approval. "There's rumors of a fledgling that matches the description of the vampire you're looking for. He also appears to be... Important to an associate."

"What do you mean?" Matt asked.

Kolivan and Thace shared a look. "We know your pack tries to stay out of the fray entirely, so if we tell you this..."

Shiro answered without hesitation. "If it means my packs safety then I'll do it."

Thace huffed a laugh.

"You've heard of the Marmora?"

"What?! No way!! My Nana told me stories about them as a kid!!" Hunk basically yelled.

"Well. Sometimes fairy tales are real..."

"So what do you want from us?" Matt asked, skeptical.

"An alliance."

"Deal."

"Shiro--"

"I said deal. We know his name is Keith and he's a member of the Altea-Smythe nest. What do you know?"

"He's a fledgling, the Altea-Smythe nest is much like your pack. Small. Keeps to themselves. The vampire you're looking for is half Fae."

"That's so cool!!" Hunk was gushing again.

"But the older two?"

"The older two are more dangerous. Your Lance seems to be the younger sire’s first fledgling, but she is quite old. According to our source the older sire changed her at her father's request when she was quite sickly."

"Who is this Keith's sire? Aren't sires usually..." Shiro waved his hand.

"Like Alphas?" Thace laughed. "It's not the same. Alphas are compelled to protect their pack. Sires protect their own progeny."

"So where was his sire when he almost bled out stashing me in a cabin in the woods?"

"That is the question of the evening." Thace shrugged. "No one seems to know who his sire is, so their no way of knowing."

-o-

"Who even drinks this shit?" Keith grimaced at the case of PBR he was tasked with carrying up the steps to the farmhouse.

"Dude, PBR is a delicacy."

"Are you sure you just can't taste for shit? Hunks a good cook. He's definitely going to side with me."

Lance rang the doorbell and shouted "HUNK! YOU HAVE A DEBATE TO SETTLE OUT HERE!"

Something in the back of keith's mind piped up. Hunk... Wasn't that...

"Fuck!"

And then everything was burning and the world went black.

-o-

"The fuck..." Keiths head throbbed.

"How did you not smell it on him?!"

A woman and... Mmmm. Fucking shit. He could smell Lance's blood. Thace? That was definitely Thace.

"He was always covered in blood how was I supposed to know?!"

He took another steady breath. Cinnamon. Hunk. And there was something like linen and scotch... And a similar scent... But with carmel...

What what did they hit him with. He hadn't been this fucked up since he'd been turned.

"Hey guys, he's waking up."

That was definitely a girl.

And then a firm hand gripped his chin.

Smokey Maple and snow and...

The alpha he'd left at the cabin.

"I'm Shiro, and you're going to tell me everything, Keith."

He blinked slowly, trying to get six grey eyes to merge back into two.

"A thanks would be nice..." He rasped.

"Sorry, man, I think my wards may have been a little too strong. I wanted to be sure we would have enough time..."

A giant alpha put a hand on Hunks shoulder, quieting him. "Keith, we have some questions. We won't hurt you or Lance as long as you're honest."

"You won't hurt him period." The woman spoke. She had short dark hair and Keith could practically see the fae magic emanating from her.

"You know we will do what we need to." The only vampire besides he and Lance spoke up. He hadn't even realized he was there before.

"Take them upstairs," the large alpha gestured at the older of the two wolves that were clearly related. The copper ones he'd seen in the woods maybe?

He and Lance were tied to fold up chairs in what he guessed from the river rock walls was the basement of the farm house. The ceilings were low and the two dangling unshaded light bulbs threw a harsh glare over everything. It was just the two alphas now.

Lance muttered a bunch of curse words as the footsteps on rickety wooden stairs woke him

"Hey man, don't know what the fuck you got us into this time, but it's definitely your fault," he hissed at Lance.

Lance coughed a weak "fuck off mullet"

"Last full moon you saved a Wolf from a Hunter." The taller one approached Keith. "Why?"

"So not my fault!" Lance huffed.

"Because he was set up and Sendak's a piece of shit."

"The hunter. Sendak is the Hunter." Lance explained, rolling his eyes. " Keith here is new to this shit, so he doesn't--"

"Like you're more than two months older you fucking--"

"Quiet."

They glared at each other.

"You know Sendak?"

"Hell yeah. Piece of shit has been hunting us since two towns over." Lance groused.

"He's been hunting my pack for a while now too." Shiro flexed his prosthetic hand. "He's why I have this. Why my pack is two short."

"Yeah, well, happy to help or whatever. I wasn't trying to hurt you." Keith's voice was thick. "Or your pack." He added.

"How do we know you aren't lying?" Shiro looked like he hated asking.

"Uuuuuugh." Lance groaned.

"I don't know you, you don't know me. But no one likes that creep. I figure it's common ground."

"He is his mother's son."

"You know my mother?"

"I didn't think you recognized her."

"Dude he wouldn't know his name if he hadn't had a school ID in his wallet when we found him wandering the rail yard."

"Thanks, Lance. Real sympathetic of you."

"Krolia!"

Light steps came downstairs and the woman from before cupped his chin when she got close enough. "Keith..."

A wave of her hands and the itching feeling that bordered on painful over his body stopped, the last of the wards released.

She pulled him up from the chair slowly. "We have a lot to talk about."

"How do I know this isn't made up to get me to cooperate or whatever?"

"Same way we know you aren't lying about why you helped Shiro," she quipped.

Keith frowned.

She waved her hands again and Lance fell forward, being released. Keith offered him a hand, but he didn't take it, pushing off his knees instead.

"Well. I guess that's a start." Keith looked back at the woman, Krolia.

"I know it's difficult to understand, but you never should have been able to be turned... I left you, and that left you vulnerable. But I'm not leaving you again. I'm sorry, Keith." She held her hand out to him.

Keith looked between Lance, arms crossed and face suspicious.

"You can't possibly be his mom. If he's fae, he wouldn't be able to be turned."

The bigger of the wolves stepped forward. "It's possible, rare and dangerous, but it's possible."

"How?" Shiro asked.

Keith startled. When the hell had he gotten that close to him?

"By another vampire who has Fae blood," he explained.

"There aren't many..." Krolia looked at him.

"Lance, how long ago did your nest find Keith?"

"About six months..."

Krolia growled.

"Lotor."

They were herded upstairs where  Hunk flung himself at Lance, bawling.  

Lance patted his back and teased him about having a pack.

Keith took a glass of tea from the girl -- "Katie, unless I'm Pidge, thanks for... Saving Shiro." -- and settled on the couch between her and the woman claiming to be his mother. The bald vampire was hip to hip with Thace in front of the fire place, Kolivan just to their left. Lance had peeled Hunk away from him and was slouching in a chair and Shiro stood behind the other end of the couch where the girls brother sat with Hunk at his feet.

"Call your Sire." Kolivan gestured at Lance.

"Not until you tell us who the heck Lotor is and what we are supposed to do about all of this."

Kolivan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Nothing. You need to go back to your nest."

"No," Keith protested. "If he's who changed me then I have a right to know, don't I?"

Kolivan, Krolia, Thace, and the strange vampire all looked at him with a chorus of "Nos"

"I think he does." Shiro challenged. He put a hand on Keith's shoulder. "What makes Fae Vampires so special that he's making more, if they're so difficult to turn?"

"Fae have to be drained completely before they're turned. It usually doesn't work because the timing between when the body is drained and can be turned is short. Usually it's just death." Krolia sighed. "You're lucky, Keith..."

"Okay..." He sure as shit didn't feel lucky.

"Usually when they turn they..." Krolia grimaced.

"They aren't the same after they turn." Kolivan supplied. "They attack."

"Keith isn't all Fae. That much be why..."

"What else am I?!" Keith wasn't really sure how many more surprises he could take.

"Your father was human. I'm fae. Now you're a vampire."

"Kid." Thace looked him square in the face and he was suddenly thankful for Shiro's hand still on his shoulder, grounding him. "You're whatever you want to be, but I think you should think about being Marmora."

Krolia and Kolivan started yelling at him at the same time. "What's Marmora?"

"Magic spies," Katie mumbled next to him. She stood up and walked out.

Lance followed her and Hunk followed him. Matt shrugged and looked at Keith.  They both stood and followed the rest of the younger half of their group.

"Hey," Shiro's hand fell on his shoulder as he was about the join the others on the porch. "I um... Wanted to properly introduce myself--"

"You're Shiro, I have to tell you everything I know," he mocked back the words Shiro had growled at him when he woke up in the basement, tilting his chin defiantly.

"Yeah... I'm sorry." He had the decency to look sheepish. "It's ah... An alpha thing...."

Keith gave him a crooked smile. "You said you'd lost some of your pack... And thought I was a threat. I get it."

"Well I appreciate that. And I wanted to properly thank you for saving me." And the Keith was scooped up into a hug that was warmer than anything he could remember experiencing. "Thank you for helping me.. my pack." He released the vampire. "You were hurt. Are you...?"

"I heal fast."

"What happened?"

Keith pulled his shirt collar to the side to reveal a neatly knitted scar over his shoulder and collar bone. He smirked. It was a pretty impressive scar.

Shiro flushed dark red. "Keith!" He grabbed the hand pulling at his shirt collar, sputtering. "That um. Sorry. Your shoulder is. That's a /thing/."

"Thing?"

Shiro let go of his hands. "Its... Um... Like flirting."

"Oh." Keith blushed. "Sorry. Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"No, you uh... Didn't know." He let go of Keith's hands abruptly. "I didn't mean to grab you, I know... Vampires don't like that."

"I do."

They locked eyes and Keith stammered, realizing how that sounded.

"I don't mind... The touching... I mean."

"Yeah?" Shiro's eyes lit up a little before he clapped a hand on Keith's shoulder. "Cmon, Matt's going to make jokes for days if we don't join them."

-o-

Keith was unintentionally distancing himself from his nest over the next month. Much to his mother's chagrin he had determined the Marmora were a good fit for him, and as a result most of his things had migrated to Thace and Ulaz's spare bedroom.

Lance and Hunk’s friendship had rekindled despite Allura's hesitance to fraternize with wolves and Allura was slowly forming a tentative friendship with Katie as the lone women of their respective families.

And Shiro found himself drawn more and more to the quiet early morning meetings in Kolivan’s office where  Thace and Ulace would squish themselves into the lone armchair while Krolia perched on the corner of the desk and Keith would sit with his back pressed against the door and his arm against Shiro's. Shiro was still drawn to his smell even though he knew who Keith was now. And when they mingled during their meetings, it always made what the Holts would call his “inner puppy” wriggle with delight.

Shiro knew he had a crush. He just didn't know what to do about it. He hadn't found himself attracted to anyone since before he'd gotten attacked by Sendak.

But Keith was... Refreshing. He was young and sometimes painfully blunt and kind and he didn't seem to care a single but about speciation which gave Shiro more hope than he cared to admit.

Plus he fit in so well with his pack, and his nest was starting to as well...  Hunk and Lance we're friends, and Coran simply adored the farm. Had all sorts of stories about his families in England that hunk and Katie ate up. Allura was... Polite. She seemed to want to mentor Katie. She kept Lance and Matt in check too which was nice. Matt and Keith and Lance seemed to love to antagonize each other, and though he knew Keith understood none of it, he was always happy to keep Katie company while she did her school work and shuttle Hunk's snacks between her space and the kitchen for her.

It was simple and harmonious and he wanted to cement it.... But he didn't want to scare them away either.

So he did the only thing he could think of-- asked Krolia for permission.

"Absolutely not."

"I--"

"You may not court my son."

Shiro swallowed down his growl. "May I ask for your reasoning?"

"He's Marmora."

"You had a son... You must have had a..." He blanked on the fae word.

"No. There were stolen moments between assignments. Keith was a mistake. I left him with his father because I wanted him to be safe. If his father couldn't when he was an infant, you certainly won't be able to now that he's Marmora."

Shiro could feel another growl rising. "What if Lotor’s gone?"

"It's awfully bold to think that you'll be able to do what the Marmora have been trying to for years."

And that was how Shiro found himself at the dining room table with Coran and Katie discussing the intricacies of tracking a Sire.

"It would be easier if you knew of all his fledglings." Coran had suggested initially after hearing his predicament. "But since he only seems to try to turn Fae and most of them simply attack until they're disposed of by law enforcement that will be difficult."

"Too bad you don't have a scent to track. That would be the easy way."

Coran thought for a moment, and then started counting back on his fingers.

"Katie that's brilliant! We don't track by scent, but you do!!!"

She looked confused for a moment.

"Fledgling's bodies take close to a year to fully mature. Until then they carry their sire’s blood! It's why Matt sometimes has trouble telling Allura and Lance appart by scent. It's the same for you and Matt with us. You're related."

"Keith's blood will smell like Lotor until he fully matures!" She pieced the information together.

Keith agreed without hesitation and readily cut open the back of his forearm for the pack to get the scent. Shiro recognized it as the too sweet rotting scent mixed with ozone he'd been covered in at the cabin. Tomorrow they would begin hunting.

That night Shiro couldn't sleep. They were all curled up together in their den, but he couldn't get his mind off the prospect of finding the vampire who had turned Keith. He got up, carefully slipping out of the room and padding out to the porch.

He figured Keith was probably having trouble reconciling things too, but he didn't actually think he'd find him. But there Keith was, curled up on the porch swing and looking at the stars. Shiro padded over quietly, giving a soft wuff to get Keith's attention.

"Hey Shiro," Keith gave a soft smile and patted the swing. "Can't sleep either?"

Shiro hopped up and shook his head.

"I haven't seen you up close like this since then... Can I..?"  He reached up hesitantly towards Shiro's head.

Shiro ducked down, pushing the top of his head under Keith's hand.

"Soft...This is okay right? Not ah... Too personal or anything?"

Shiro gave another soft wuff, leaning into Keith's pets. It was, actually. No one but pack did this. But Shiro really wanted Keith to be.

"I forgot how big you were as a wolf."

Even as a wolf Shiro was bigger than Keith. The throw blanket around Keith's shoulder slipped down Shiro let out a slight growl and nosed at the bandage around Keith's forearm.

"Oh... Yeah. I uh. Haven't fed today. Makes it hard to heal."

Shiro had shifted back within the minute.

"Then you need to feed."

Keith was staring silently.

And then Shiro followed his eyes. Shiro was nude.

"Oh."

Keith quickly handed him the throw blanket. And Shiro pulled it over his lap.

"Um. What... Do you need to eat?"

Keith raised an eyebrow. "I'm a....?"

"Oh!!!" Shiro blushed. "Blood. Right. Well. Um..." He took a deep breath and raised his wrist towards Keith. "I don't know if it's... But I dont..."

"You don't what?" Keith took Shiro's hand gently.

Shiros face was impossibly red. "His smell... I don't like his smell on you... And with that not healed."

"Oh." Keith's jaw flexed uncomfortably. "I can uh... I can go hunt. It's okay."

"No!"

Shiro grabbed Keith's wrist.

"Let me do this for you..."

Shiro stood, drawing Keith close.

"You're already going to find him..." Keith could feel the blood pulsing under Shiro's skin, his heart beating. It was quick and warm and... Shiro smelled good.

"Please? It's nothing to me."

"Remember... When I showed you my scar on my neck? From that night?" Keith looked up, hand over the scar and expression caused between amused and embarrassed. "This is for me like that was for you...?"

Shiro ducked his head down and pressed his forehead and nose to Keith's.

"I know..."

Keith inhaled sharply. "You're... Sure?"

Shiro pulled Keith back towards the swing, tucking the blanket more securely around his waist.

"Let me do this for you?"

Keith snorted softly and leaned over Shiro on the swing, one knee between Shiro's thighs and the other foot planted firmly on the ground. "My nest is sleeping in your pack’s home and we are going to be hunting my sire tomorrow. I'd say you've done enough... I can seriously go pick off some drunk coming home from a bar..."

Shiro bristled at that. "No."

Keith snickered. "No?"

"Keith..." Shiro tilted his head to the side. "I'd really rather you didn't."

Ugh why did Shiro have to be to cutely possessive and accommodating and oh his hand was definitely on the small of Keiths back and Keith leaned forward. He brushed his lips over Shiro's pulse on his neck, skimming down until he found a smaller, less lethal vein. He found one just under Shiro's collar bone and licked his lips.

He pulled back. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

Keith bent his head down and let his fangs drop, sinking through skin and just nicking the edge of the vein Keith had found. He pulled them back slowly, letting his mouth fill with Shiro's blood.

Shiro gave the barest of flinches and sighed a breath before bringing his hand up to the back of Keith's head.

"That's it, baby... Drink. I've got you."

Keith made a choked noise and Shiro felt him press closer. He could understand why this was so intimate. He hoped Keith would forgive his boldness in the morning.

"Well, it's nice to see my progeny and I share a love for intermingling of species."

Keith pulled away with a start, fangs dropped again in a bloody snarl at being disturbed during a feed.

"Now that's no way to talk to your sire, little one." A man with long white hair and yellow eyes was walking towards the house.

Shiro flung the blanket aside and was transformed in an instant. He leapt off the porch, putting himself between Keith and the man who couldn't have been anyone but Lotor. Shiro growled loudly. The overly sweet smell of rot was coming off him in waves.

"You had no right!"

"Silence." Lotor waved a hand at Keith dismissively and walked straight for Shiro. "You know, I've never turned a were. Want to find out what happens?" He lunged at Shiro.

Shiro jumped to the side and circled with Lotor, looking between him and Keith. Keith took the moment to react, leaping forward and grabbing for Lotor, only narrowly missing, but giving Lotor the opportunity to shove him forward into Shiro.

"Well you've certainly developed faster than usual. Most of my fledglings couldn't dream of catching me at your age, and you were... Close."

Keith ran a hand into the ruff of Shiro's fur and glared. "What do you want with me?!"

"To create harmony between the species. Vampires, Wolves, Fae, even humans. To create as many hybrids as I can and allow us to stop squandering in secrecy like rats."

"If vampires and wolves can't get along, how can you expect all four?!" Keith shot back

"Now... Child. Your name is Keith, right? It's so hard to keep track these days with all the weaklings who die... That's why I've chosen the fae. No one minds them. They're peaceful and few. Unthreatening. And their powers cross all bloodlines."

Shiro growled and lunged again, Keith at his side. Keith at least managed to punch him in the jaw before Lotor danced out of reach again.

"I'll say, you have at least chosen a worthy partner."

Shiro wished Lotor wasn't The Bad Guy for a second, so he could have asked him for permission to court Keith instead of Krolia.

He whirled and snapped at the man's leg, distracting him enough for Keith to catch him off guard and shove Lotor toward the porch, where Hunk and Krolia had tailored a slew of wards to their weird new pack-nest.

Shiro instantly understood and rushed the man before he could catch on too. When Lotor reached up to steady himself on the porch it looked like a lightning bolt had struck him. He tensed and slumped to the ground. Shiro shifted and stepped back to Keith, paying no heed to his nudity or the blood clotting on his chest.

He leaned down with absolutely no pretense and caught Keith in a searing kiss. "Go inside. Get Allura, Coran, and Matt," he whispered against Keith's lips when he pulled back.

Keith nodded, pupils blown wide, and ran into the house without question, bare feet stumbling on the dew wet grass. Shiro hauled Lotor up by the back of his shirt collar and pulled him up the stairs. Matt was the first to the door, halting mid shift when he saw Shiro wasn't in need of that sort oh help. His tail swished slyly as he took in the punctures on his alpha, but wisely kept his comments to himself until Shiro looked less like he wanted to rip something to shreds. Allura and Coran rushed out next, Lance and Keith not far behind. Coran and Matt got Lotor secured in the basement while Allura called Kolivan and Shiro went to put on sweatpants and a shirt. Hunk and Katie had joined Lance and Keith in the kitchen. When Shiro rejoined them, he took Keith's bandaged forearm and pulled the wrapping off, making sure the cut had sealed.

"Thanks"

Shiro closed him in a hug that Keith returned hesitantly, hyper-aware of everyone else in the room. "You did it for me..."

-o- It didn't take long for the Marmora to arrive.

Krolia frowned when she took in the way Shiro kept touching Keith. A brush of fingers on his hip, calves and arms settled against each other as they leaned against the counter, hands not bothering to move away from each other during incidental touches.

"We did what you couldn't." Keith levelled the four adults with a look as they entered the kitchen.

"Keith and I did what you couldn't." It was hard for Shiro not to smirk at the glare Krolia was giving him.

Kolivan and Ulaz  ignored the posturing in favor of following Coran and Allura to the basement. Krolia looked at Keith like she wanted to say something, but stalked after them instead.

Thace congratulated them with an easy smile and a ruffle to Keith's hair. He winked at Shiro before following too.

Allura came back up shortly, muttering angrily under her breath, and grabbing Lance's arm, dragging him up the stairs to the loft they were staying in.

"You should get some rest as well." Shiro addressed his pack. "Take Keith with you."

Keith started to protest but the look Shiro gave him didn't leave any room, and the Holts were already dragging him along anyways.

Hunk flopped into the giant bed and was tackled by Katie. "C'mon Keith. New pack gets the middle. That's the best." She shucked her nightgown over her head mid transformation, he assumed to give him some sense of propriety, before the little copper wolf he had been directed to call Pidge pawed impatiently. He was really going to have to get used to the nudity that seemed to come with werewolves.

"Pidge don't lie you always get the middle and Hunk is definitely newer." Matt groused as he tossed his shorts on top of his sister's nightgown. Keith tried not to stare as he transformed, but it was so strange. Looked painful.

"Nah I get too hot." Hunk reached out to ruffle the fur between both of their ears. "C'mon Keith. Shiro says you're in here tonight."

Keith sat on the side of the bed opposite Hunk and was pounced on by the smaller Holt.

"She's just excited to have someone close to her size." Hunk laughed. "Matt's trying to convince her she's done growing."

Matt leaned over and licked up the side of Hunk face.

"Gross, man." He wiped at his face.

Keith tried to make himself comfortable and quickly found himself at the bottom of a pile of fur. Hunk smiled and shut off the light.

"Don't worry," he laughed again, "we don't bite."

"Haha so funny."

He could hear Hunk smile. "I thought it was"

He couldn't recall when he'd fallen asleep, or when Shiro had come in, but waking up surrounded by warm and pack with Shiro's heavy head on his shoulder and breath huffing softly against his neck was something he would remember forever. He'd never felt this much... This was pack.

He let himself relax in it until Shiro woke and nosed his sleeping pack off Keith, urging him to get up and follow the massive black wolf. Shiro padded over to a pile of laundry and nosed out a pair of mostly clean sweatpants before leaving the room. Keith followed, turning to give Shiro some privacy when he shifted to dress in the empty kitchen.

"Lotor's gone."

Keith poured out the remnants of yesterday's coffee and started filling it up to make a new pot. He wasn't sure he wanted the details.

"Keith? I want to court you."

His breath hitched. He wasn't sure if it had all been the adrenaline last night or not.

"I... Asked Krolia. And she said no."

Keith turned to look at him, mildly annoyed that he'd asked his mother.

"She said I wouldn't be able to protect you from him. You didn't need it."

Keith didn't know what to say to that.

"You're strong and kind and... amazing."

Well now he was definitely blushing. "Shiro... I.."

"Courtship is... Serious Keith. I wouldn't ask if I wasn't sure."

Shiro was like home. What he thought home should be anyways. Warm and safe and protective and Keith had to admit he liked his pack. He'd never quite fit in with the nest... And maybe...

He tipped his neck to the side and gave Shiro what he hoped was a playful look. "I'll let you try."

Shiro growled softly and stepped into his space, nosing into Keith's neck almost like Keith had done to him the night before.

"Tease."

Keith grinned, relaxing his shoulder further, but shifting just far enough away from Shiro to get skin contact. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You want to skip courtship and go strai--"

"Morning lovebirds." Lance shuffled into the kitchen, stretching.

Keith was glad Shiro seemed to have endless reserves of patience because he leaned in to kiss Keith, soft, but solid under his jawline, before pulling away and giving Lance a bright smile.

"Shove it, Lance." Keith turned around, still between Shiro's arms and finished setting up the coffee pot like it was nothing out of the ordinary to do so with a huge alpha wolf boxing him in against the counter.

Lance shrugged and plopped down at the table. "Think Hunk will kill me if I cut into the cinnamon rolls he stashed in the oven before he warms them?"

"What are you, an animal?" Matt was plopping into the chair beside him. "Yaaaas Keith-trucker-coffee is the best." He groaned as the drip started.

Shiro and Lance both grimaced.

"I'm inclined to agree." Allura and Coran were shuffling in now. Allura leaned down to press a kiss to the top of Lance's head.

"The Marmora leave last night?" Hunk asked as he finally came into the kitchen, yawning widely. Katie was koalaed on his back, but he deposited her next to her brother.

"Early this morning." Coran corrected

"So what now?" Keith asked what everyone was thinking.

They'd all become accustomed to being in each other's space the past month.

"Shiro and I discussed it last night. We think it would be in our best interests to form a Haven," Allura supplied.

"Haven?"

"A Haven is a collective of werewolves and vampires that functions as a combined pack or nest unit," Coran supplied. "In my fledgling years in England they were quite common."

"The Marmora is one."

"Would ours get a cool name?"

"I don't think that's the point, Lance..."

"We were thinking Voltron." Shiro did his best to keep from watching Keith directly the entire time.

"Sounds cool to me." Katie shrugged. "But we are gonna have to rearrange the house."

They spent the next several hours hashing out where they would need to rearrange bedrooms, simple ground rules, and making sure everyone understood the implications of what they were choosing to do. They hedged a more lengthy discussion on household duties and responsibilities within the haven, but stopped short of anything permanent. It was clear without being said explicitly that Allura and Shiro were in charge and that the groups safety was incredibly important to both of them.

Eventually the wolves had to leave for work at the bar and Coran and Allura were blessedly on a night rotation, leaving the three youngest, Lance, Keith, and Katie to watch shitty horror movies eat popcorn and drink the case of PBR they'd found stashed under a sink from when they'd been ambushed.

"So what exactly did I interrupt this morning?" Lance asks after his third beer.

"Dunno. Shiro wants to court me? Which is I thought he'd been doing but I think it's a wolf thing?" He'd only gotten half way through his second and Lance was pestering him about it.

"Definitely a wolf thing, mom." Katie grinned before pounding her fifth.

"Don't get cocky with your weird wolf metabolism." Lance pouted.

"Mom?"

"'mean Shiro's our Alpha. If you go through with it you'd be mated. Basically his spouse." She shrugged.

"So what....does it involve?" Keith asked. Lance leaned in too, equally curious.

"It's not too far off from human dating. Gifts, showing off to prove you'll be a good partner, wolves are very tactile, so body language and touching is important. I mean he kinda skipped straight to the end though, having you sleep with the pack." She curled in on herself a little. "That's really big and it's supposed to be one of the later official steps if you're courting outside your pack..."

"What about bearing your neck?"

And at that she turned a pretty comical shade of fuschia. She took another long drink before answering. "That's basically asking for sex."

It was Keith's turn to flush. Okay so maybe he had accidentally been more forward than he meant to be.

"Awww did Keith accidentally ask Shiro to screw in were?" Lance cackled.

Katie snickered too. "He totally did."

"Fuck off. Both of you."

"Keithers I'm the werewolf encyclopedia and even if you don't remember it I think it's a safe bet that Lance has dated more than you. Utilize your resources."

When the real adults returned Keith was spooning Pidge on the couch and Lance was sprawled out on the floor, all three were passed out and reeked of shitty beer

Matt and Hunk hauled Lance to what was now his and Allura's bedroom and headed back towards the den where Shiro was depositing Katie onto the middle of the bed while a half-asleep Keith clambered into the other side.

Shiro practically wriggled in excitement when Keith shucked off his t-shirt and repositioned himself around Pidge, perfectly for Shiro to spoon behind him. When Shiro leaned down, Keith dropped his shoulder down just a little, and Shiro pressed a soft kiss above his ear. "Tease" he huffed and pressed himself close.

Keith mumbled something that Shiro thought was "not in front of the kids" before he was completely out.

Matt and Hunk were a tangle of limbs and knowing smirks on the other side of the bed and Shiro avoided making eye contact with either of them in favor of over thinking about the way Keith's hip felt like the perfect place to rest his hand.

As they eased into the new routine with double the people in the house, it was clear that Shiro was going to be in Keith's space At All Times. And if he wasn't, then one of the other wolves was. It became increasingly difficult for him to slip away to feed, and Keith knew it was becoming noticeable.

So when Hunk caught him taking what had to have been his third nap of the day, empty coffee cup balanced precariously on the arm of the chair he was curled up in, of course he had brought it up to Lance.

Lance rolled his eyes and told Hunk Keith was prioritizing them needing to be near him for this courtship stuff over his health.

Shiro was Not Happy.

And that was why Keith was curled up on his lap, looking thoroughly admonished as he drank from Shiro's wrist.

He had insisted that he could just go hunt, but Shiro had none of it, wrapping his arms solidly around Keith and anchoring him down in a way that would have much different implications had Keith not been so exhausted.

"How often do you need to feed?" Shiro had pressed gentle kisses to his temple.

Keith pulled away. "Every few days... Not as much as I am... Right now."

"We can take care of that." Shiro was practically pouting.

Keith gave him a questioning look, but lowered his mouth back to the sluggishly bleeding punctures on Shiro's wrist.

"The pack. There are four of us..."

Keith squirmed just a little. He couldn't ask that....

"I don't like when you come home from hunts. You smell like others. It's not safe." Shiro shifted to pull Keith a little closer. "We want to take care of you."

Keith knew Shiro was giving him puppy eyes. Damn wolf. He wasn't going to be able to say no.

"Just try it?"

He gave one last lick to Shiro's wrist. "Fine. But if it's too much we call it off immediately."

Hunk had been the first to offer, two days later. They'd both felt a little strange, curled up close on the couch. Hunk asked a dozen questions, nervous, but determined. He'd given Keith a woozy smile afterwards, and had thrown up when Keith returned the gesture, teeth stained red.

Matt and Katie had come to him a few days after that. Katie insisted despite Matt's protests of being the big brother that she would go first and made herself comfortable snuggled up behind Keith while he fed from her arm slung around him loosely.

Matt ruffled his hair when he watched the two tiny pinholes on his sister's arm close up. "You come get me when you're hungry, okay, man?"

And he had, hesitantly. Matt made too many jokes to try to make himself seem less nervous and Keith prodded his ribs to get him to actually calm down. "If you're nervous, it tastes bad."

Matt had launched into a series of questions about the possible effects of different hormones and physiological responses on blood palatability that Keith mostly ignored, nodding along periodically.

Shiros tasted the best anyways.

He knew that Shiro knew that he was "up next" and he was going to wait for Shiro to come to him.

Shiro did, after four days, and had bodily dragged Keith to what he was stubbornly calling their room. Keith let him, enjoying the strong arm around his waist and being pulled up and kissed gently on the forehead was nice, but he had noticed Shiro's formal Courting was leaving them both a little frustrated otherwise.

Luckily Keith had become an expert in getting Shiro to shakily call him a tease. He just had to find Shiro's limit.

"You want my wrist?"

Keith kissed him instead of answering, rough and biting. Shiro groaned and he felt his fingers twitch on his hips.

Keith pulled Shiro's head back. Exposing the column of his neck and started planting wet kisses down one of the pulsing arteries. Shiro pulled his shirt off, giving Keith the space he needed to find a place, clearly not wanting his wrist.

Keith ran his thumb across the spot where he'd first bit Shiro, and shoved the wolf onto his back.

"Baby--"

Keith hushed him with more kisses down his chest, nuzzling into the soft skin below his navel.

Shiro reached down and burried one hand in Keith's hair and started shoving at the waist band of his sweats with the other.

Keith grinned and stopped him, bringing the other hand to join the metal one in his hair.

He kissed a line over to Shiro's hip, drinking in the soft groans and "baby"s he was panting. Poor alpha.  Keith nosed against his hip bone, feeling the quick pulse of arousal thrum through the man below him. His thumb caught into the crease of his other leg and Shiro let out a broken moan as he bit down into the skin of Shiro's hip and drank.

Two days later Shiro finally could approach him without turning bright red again. He'd spent two nights snuggled between Hunk and Matt and he was all too pleased with himself.

"That was dirty."

Keith shrugged, hiding his smile behind his coffee.

"I swear I haven't done that since I was a kid..."

"Vampires can tend to have that effect on people. Weres too I guess. Nothing to be ashamed of." Keith surveyed the thoroughly embarrassed man on the couch next to him.

"Okay but I'm not 12, and I was clearly reading too much into it."  

Even his ears were red. Maybe he'd pushed too far...? Well shit.

"Shiro, we are courting, I should have asked you before doing something like that."

"I liked it..."

Keith snorted. "Well clearly." He made a vague gesture at Shiro's pants.

"Ass."

"I thought I was baby?"

They both caught each other's eye and dissolved into laughter.

"Can't wait to make you my mate." Shiro snuggled into Keith's hair. They'd launched into something half way between wrestling and a tickle fight (because Keith fought dirty, as Shiro had already discovered.) And were lazing on the couch, waiting for the rest of the Haven to return to the farmhouse.

"What's stopping you?" Keith asked.

"You're so young... And Krolia would never approve."

"Technically. I'm a Vampire. You should be asking Lotor. And since he's out of the picture, Allura." Keith corrected. "But since I've fed from you, and I sleep with your pack and you let me pet you full furred and--"

Shiro put a hand over Keith's growing smile. He was going to kill Katie and Lance.

Keith gently pushed the hand away and sat up, motioning for Shiro to do the same. Shiro let Keith situate himself in his lap, facing away, and inhaled sharply when he began carding his hair so it fell away from his neck.

Keith began unbuttoning his shirt and shrugged half way out of it, fully exposing his neck and shoulder to Shiro.

"I want this..." His voice was low and thick. "I don't care who says what or what stupid rules we are breaking... I love you, and your pack, and my nest and this... All of this."

"You're sure?" Shiro felt stunned. Keith was too perfect.

"Please?"

Shiro leaned down, pressing kisses to the pale skin of Keith's shoulder before growling softly and biting down to mark his mate.

Omake:

"Oooooh yeah, right there."

"Like that?"

Shiro keened a loud 'yeeeeeees.'

"You're so sensitive."

"Please?"

"OKAY WE GET THAT YOU'RE MATED NOW BUT--" all the wind left Lance and Matt's sails as they actually surveyed the couple.

Shiro was partially shifted, just enough that his ears and tail were wolf, and Keith's hands were both cupped softly around them, scratching.

"What the hell did you think was happening?! We are in the living room for fucks sake!" Keith growled at them.

"Ah..." They looked at each other for excuses before running out of the room.

#APU this is koshiroganes faul #I actually hate this trope #vld au #vld sheith #sheith #sheith parade #sheith au #vampires and werewolves