Should Have Walked Away | Aarmau Vampire AU

𝔱 𝔴 𝔢 𝔫 𝔱 𝔶 - 𝔰 𝔦 𝔵

• тωєℓνє ωєєкѕ •

When I got into the castle quad, I nearly broke down and had to rest at a wooden bench.

Aaron found me that way, trying desperately to hide my sobbing.

I was shaking, leaning my head heavily into my hands which rested over my tapping knee. My foot bounced, but every time I realized it and tried to stop, it made me even antsier.

Thoughts passed through my head, but I could only catch a few words from each if any at all. None made sense, none needed to.

Those women weren't wrong. The attacks only happened because my mother knew where I was and they would continue until I was gone or dead.

And, honestly? Wouldn't everyone here be better off?

Some time passed, and I didn't notice Aaron through my heavy breathing as he kneeled in front of me.

Once I did, I peeked through to find him, and everything around him, stark in contrasting shades of purple.

He was very clearly concerned, and even more so when he saw my eyes.

"Come on, Aph. Let's get you out of here."

Aaron tried his best to keep me out of the spotlight as he dragged me through the castle, and thankfully I was too preoccupied with my own collapsing mind to notice or care if it worked.

You're making it worse.

You're not doing them any favors.

You're hurting them.

That last thought got to me and I froze in my place, nearly collapsing with a gasp.

The prince caught me and held on while I leaned into him and still tried to suppress my tears. No matter how busy my head was, I still wasn't comfortable with most people yet. Especially with my emotions on open display.

Apparently, we were already at our destination, because Aaron moved me to sit on a comforter.

His room was just as I had expected from the moment I met him.

It wasn't plain, but the decoration was minimal. Surprisingly well-kept flowers sat on the table beside his bed, which was finished with a red blanket and sewn gold embroidery.

"Aphmau, hey, tell me what happened."

I laughed through my tears, somehow finding humor in his words as I shut my eyes tight and looked everywhere but him. "Me. I happened."

He went silent for me to continue. "I stayed. God, why did I stay? I should have left, I should've just turned and walked away. These attacks, every single one has been because of me — because I'm too stubborn to leave. Because I exist, because," I gasped for a second and ran my hands through my hair. "Because I can't escape what I am or what I've done and they'll make me do it again if I go back, I can't go back, I can't — Aaron, I don't want to leave—"

Very suddenly, I was pulled into a hug.

That was my last straw, and the wall of my mental strain shattered. I sobbed. I sobbed and sobbed, and held onto him.

"Aph, hey. It's okay."

I didn't have the strength to tell him how wrong he was.

"Focus on my voice. Do you remember the first attack?"

Focusing is hard in my mental state as it is without remembering that moment. I nodded regardless as it flashed through my mind. An army of vampires, my ball of chemical flame, and using my eyes and fangs to convince the vampires to leave. That was what started it all.

"You didn't cause that. It would have happened regardless, but you were here to help us. Yes, maybe the others were because they came for you, but you also helped them."

I shook my head and lifted it from his shoulder, looking into his dark eyes. I never noticed before how onyx they were.

After getting some tears out, I was calmer. Nowhere near okay, nowhere near content, but I could control my breathing even if my hands shook.

"I'm sorry," I breathed. It was all the strength I could give not to whisper. "I drag you and everyone here into my stupid problems and you all end up getting hurt."

Aaron moved to grab my hands and stop what I had been doing, picking under my nails that had been recently cut. "Aphmau, you haven't hurt us; no, really," he interrupted as I went to scoff.

"Do you remember the day you met Kawaii~Chan, how you didn't judge her for talking in the third person? Or how you let Cadenza do your nails the second she asked? Talking to Emmalyn for a straight two hours about books, which you clearly didn't understand?" He laughed and I did as well.

"Or Malachi?"

Sighing, I forced my hands to stop shaking by squeezing his and curling my toes. He was right, but those women were right, too, and I couldn't get it out of my head.

Regardless, I couldn't help a smile. Kawaii~Chan was nearly moved to happy tears that day, Cadenza was so excited, and Emmalyn's eyes lit up brighter with every word she spoke about the literature she so adored. He was right that I didn't understand most of it, but I hadn't stopped her because her happy smile was contagious. But that damn nagging thought in the back of my head. . .

"I've still hurt you all," his brow pinched in confusion, so I elaborated. "The day you had to take me from the market because of my burns. The day I drank from Emmalyn"—my words came quicker as another wave of panic and frustration shot through me—"When I had to drink your blood and the blood from everyone else because I was too weak to fend for —"

He broke my rant, "Hey, hey. We all did that for you gladly. We're here for you." His voice dropped, whispering as if I were porcelain. "I'm here for you."

His hands cupped my cheeks, and my tears slowly came to another stop as he repeated that to me. Hopefully the final stop.

Eventually, I was calming down more and more, and I held his hands in mine just over my cheeks.

I looked up at him -- which wasn't hard with our foreheads together — and we stared into each other's eyes.

It didn't take long before our lips met. Danced, like the night of the festival.

When he kissed me, his lips were the only thing that existed. My mind clouded and I couldn't process simple thoughts; if I could, it was incoherent and babble-ish.

Everywhere his skin touched mine was on fire, and it was as if the rest of me was frozen, wanting, needing that heat.

And he gave it to me.

⠎⠓⠕⠥⠇⠙⠓⠁⠧⠑⠺⠁⠇⠅⠑⠙⠁⠺⠁⠽
єиgℓιѕн тєα¢нєя: "тнєу, уσυ киσω — gσ σи, ѕαу ιт."
gυу ιи му ¢ℓαѕѕ, ѕмιℓιиg: "ѕмαѕн."
тяυє ѕтσяу. σℓ∂ ʝσкє. тσρ qυαℓιту.

Word count: 1144