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You should have known better than to get involved with Kuroo Tetsurou. You should have known better in general, really. He was a Vampire, and you were a Werewolf. Your two species were enemies, destined to meet only in violence. You didn’t know why, exactly, you’d given him a chance, especially given the circumstances you met under. Then again, maybe you’d wanted to believe that not every Vampire was an evil creature. Your mistake, you supposed. You’d been injured by a Hunter - a human who tasked themselves with finding and exterminating Vampires and Werewolves alike - the night you met Kuroo, and you’d managed to get away and stumble into an alley to try and get your bearings. The bastard had shot you in the right calf, and you were in the middle of cursing yourself for being so careless and ripping up the bottom half of your shirt to make a tourniquet when you smelled it. Vampire. Vampires technically had no smell, it made them excellent predators, but for Werewolves, most Vampires smelled something like burning chocolate, sometimes with a bit of cherry mixed in. It was disgusting, and it was what you had smelled in the alley that night. You’d tensed, preparing to leap to your feet if necessary, poised to attack as best you could from your position on the ground. Then the Vampire had appeared. He was tall and lanky, with hair that stood up at such odd angles it was almost its own fashion statement. But he wasn’t in full Vampiric form, and that gave you pause. You’d sat there, frozen, eyes narrowed and locked on the man in front of you.“Here to finish me off, blood-sucker?” You spat the words, knowing you couldn’t outrun him in this state. You would have to fight, or you would die. But, to your surprise, the Vampire shook his head.“No, there’s nothing in it to kill an enemy when she’s not at her full strength. I saw the Hunter shoot you and thought you might need help. You didn’t howl for your pack like most of you mutts do.” He was smirking when he said it, and though you bristled at the name, your pride smarting, you sensed it was a shot back at you for calling him blood-sucker. But that was the least of your concerns.Well, now, you thought, this reeks of a trap.“You really expect me to believe you’re actually here to help me?” He had almost looked hurt for a moment, but the look had gone almost as fast as it appeared, and was replaced by amusement. The sight of amusement on his handsome features pissed you off.“No, I suppose I don’t, but I did bring you a sort of… peace offering, if you will.” You cocked a brow, but didn’t let down your guard. He tossed something at your feet, and it landed with an odd ‘thump.’ You had leaned forward, smelling the air, and noted two things. First, the object was a hand. Second, it was the hand of the Hunter that had shot you. “He made quite a delicious midnight snack, I must say.” You narrowed your eyes.“Why?” He merely shrugged in response.“My best friend is a Werewolf. His name is Bokuto Koutarou, maybe you’ve heard of him?” Of course you’d heard of Bokuto. He was leader of the largest pack in the city. Everyone knew Bokuto. At least, every Werewolf did.“You thought I was part of his pack.” It all made sense then. Vampires could be friends with Werewolves, it wasn’t expressly forbidden, but it was a matter of status for them. No Vamp high up in the social hierarchy associated with a Werewolf unless it was absolutely necessary. But if this Vampire had truly made friends with Bokuto, he would want to stay on his good side - presumably so his head wouldn’t get ripped off by several different wolves - and protect members of his pack from Hunters. You were suddenly glad that you’d chosen to walk through his territory that night.“I thought it was possible,” he admitted, “since this is his territory.” He shrugged again, then knelt in front of you. You flinched, scooting back a bit reflexively, but he only gestured to the ripped fabric in your hand. “May I?” You stared at him a moment, then nodded hesitantly. No one just threw around Bokuto’s name, not unless they sought the wrath of one of his lieutenants, or his Witch partner, Akaashi Keiji. Hearing his name from the Vampire’s lips had been odd, but it had earned him a small measure of trust. You remember hoping that you didn’t regret that. You watched warily as he created a tourniquet for your leg to slow the bleeding, anxious at the touch of a Vampire. You bit down on your lip hard, growling softly despite yourself as he tied the tourniquet tight, taking your eyes off him long enough to lean your head back and let out a string of curses in the direction of the stars.“Quite the colourful tongue,” he said, and you could hear the laughter in his voice.“Ha ha.” You gritted your teeth, eyes back on him. “ Very funny.”“I,” he said, checking his knots on the impromptu bandage, “am hilarious.” It sounded like a concession to you, and you glared at him. You pushed away after a moment, using the alley wall as temporary support.“Well, I think I’ll be going. I would rather not be here when your…” You paused, searching for the proper words. “Capacity for kindness runs out.”“I’m always this kind!” he exclaimed, pressing a hand to his chest in a show of overdramatic, mock offense. You rolled your eyes. “Do you need help getting back to Bo’s den?” You shook your head.“I’m not part of his pack,” you revealed, though you weren’t sure why. “I'm… I’m alone.” He simply stared at you for a moment, his brows drawn together.“A loner? What happened to your pack? I thought ’Wolves never left their packs.”“Vampires got some. Hunters got the rest.” It wasn’t technically a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth, either.“Oh,” he said quietly, and you pushed off the wall, testing your leg. “You haven’t tried to join another? I’m fairly sure Bo would take you in, at least.”“Why do you care?” You had your reasons, and this random Vampire didn’t need to know them.“I have a soft spot for Werewolves.”“Well, take your soft spot somewhere else. I don’t need rumors getting around any more than they already do.” And, with that, you limped away. To his credit, the Vampire didn’t follow. Despite your desire to never see him again, however, he managed to keep popping up everywhere. It was as if once you had seen him, you noticed him everywhere. Your favourite bar, a coffee shop you visited sometimes, around the store you did your shopping. You knew he had seen you - or, at least, smelled you - but he never bothered you. Not until one night: Halloween. Terushima Yuuji, the city’s most powerful Witch, was throwing a party, and anyone who was anyone was invited. You’d had dealings with Teru before, and kept in contact with him, and so you had received an invitation. You had never been to one of Teru’s parties, but you had heard about them. Apparently, they were known to be the best of the best parties, as well as so chaotic most people never knew who all was there ninety percent of the time. Despite this, Teru had strict rules. No roofies, magical or otherwise. No taking advantage of those too drunk to make their own decisions. No harassing anyone who says they aren’t interested. And, equally important, no fighting. His parties were open to every sort of monster, meaning there were bound to be conflicts if nothing was regulated. But Teru made it very clear that you break his rules under penalty of ‘something worse than death.’ You had never been sure what that meant, and you had no intention of finding out. Teru had been trying to get you to come to a party for months, and you’d declined every time, stating it wasn’t your scene. Each time, he’d sighed.“You’re no fun, Y/N. You need to live a little. Make some friends besides me. Who knows, maybe you’ll find a pack.”“Don’t push it, Teru.” He always did anyway, though. So, this time, you had reluctantly agreed to attend, and he’d been over the moon. You were regretting your decision right about now. You arrived at Teru’s party and instantly been overwhelmed. You’d never smelled so many smells crammed into one small place, and because of your heightened sense of smell it was more overpowering than it should have been. You smelled Vampires, Werewolves, Witches, even the faint scent of a Fae or two. Not to mention the smells of sweat, tobacco, and alcohol. You hoped to keep to yourself and take advantage of the free drinks, but the moment Teru saw you enter, that plan went out the window. He waltzed over to you as if you were the most important person there, slung an arm around your shoulders, and handed you a drink. You didn’t hesitate before downing the contents, aware of everyone’s eyes on you. You had gone from nobody to somebody in less than twenty seconds, and you despised it. You were not there to get the attention of others. You were there to make your friend happy, and to drink to excess, and that was that. That, however, would be hard when the most powerful Witch in the city waltzed up to you at a party and acted as though you were the guest of honor. You hated it. Teru was a good friend to you, you loved him for that, but he had no idea how much his attention affected others sometimes. You supposed that was a good thing. It meant the power hadn’t completely gone to his head. Or maybe it had and he knew exactly what he was doing. Either way, it was annoying you now. You managed to survive the night, much to your surprise, and while Teru moved to talk to someone else, you slipped away to the bar. Another mistake, you thought as you looked back on the events.“Fancy seeing you here,” a voice said, and you turned to see the Vampire from the alleyway. Of course. Of course he would be here. You wouldn’t be able to catch a break, but oddly enough his presence was a small comfort. At least you knew his face in this sea of strangers.“You,” you managed to say, eyeing him. “Why are you here?”“What, no ‘nice to see you handsome stranger, thank you oh-so-much for saving my life a couple months back!’?” He grinned, plopping down into the seat you’d settled in near the drinks. You merely glared at him, taking a sip of the alcohol in your cup.“Thank you,” you muttered grudgingly, and his grin broadened.“You’re welcome. How’s the leg, by the way?”“It’s fine. I heal fairly quickly. Most ’Wolves do.” He nodded, swirling the contents of his cup. He glanced over at you then, but his eyes found your cup and narrowed.“What’re you drinking?” Thrown off by his sudden question, you blinked for a moment before your brain caught up.“I honestly wasn’t paying attention,” you admitted shamefully. You were normally so careful, but the night had been a bit overwhelming for you. You sniffed at the drink, then wrinkled your nose. Great.“I can see from that cute little nose wrinkle that you know what it is now. You don’t feel the kick now… But you will. Soon.” You groaned, leaning back in the chair. In your inattentiveness, you had grabbed alcohol mixed by a Fae. It was the strongest, most potent alcohol you could have, and most people who drank it never remembered the night before when they woke up.“I should probably get out of here before this kicks in. Wouldn’t want the last of my dignity in shreds.” You grinned at him, and he looked genuinely shocked.“Alright, I’m walking you home. You’ve just made a joke and smiled at me. You’re far too intoxicated to get home safely.” You didn’t argue, there was no point in it. Besides, Teru knew who left with who at all his parties, and if this Vampire decided to kill you in your drunken stupor, Teru would avenge you. You hoped. You gave him the best directions you could in your state, and by the time he managed to find your apartment building, you were asleep in his car. You vaguely remembered him waking you up and asking for your key and apartment number, and you gave him both.“If you kill me,” you muttered, trying to keep your eyes open, “I’m going to be really fucking pissed.” He chuckled, you thought, looking back, but your memory of you allowing him into your apartment was fuzzy at best. Waking up the next morning - or, rather, afternoon - was crystal clear, however.You were furious. In fact, you distinctly remember the first words out of your mouth being “What the fuck?!” The Vampire laying on your couch and watching your TV was not phased in the slightest.“Afternoon,” he commented nonchalantly, switching the channel on the TV, “feeling alright?”“Why are you here?” But you already knew the answer to your question. You had vague memories of him helping you home. Curse the Fae and their drinks.“You were drunk off your ass last night, darling. I did you a favour. Again. That’s twice now you owe me.” He grinned ear to ear, his ridiculous hair falling into one of his eyes. “The name’s Kuroo, by the way. Kuroo Tetsurou.”“Am I supposed to care?” You asked, moving past him and into your kitchen to make coffee. He twisted his head, looking at you from the couch, an eyebrow raised. You sighed, hanging your head and staring into your cup. “Y/N. My name’s Y/N.” It was the start of something you were beginning to regret. He left his phone number with you before he left that day, grinning ear to ear as you fumed. You were planning to simply throw it out and never see Kuroo Tetsurou and his ridiculously handsome face ever again. But. You owed him. Twice now, in fact, and that was a debt you were eager to repay. You didn’t need to owe anyone anything, and debts being collected before they could be paid had always gone badly for you. So, in the end, you called. He was a little shit about it, at first, until he figured out why.“You don’t actually owe me, Y/N, I was joking.”“And I don’t care. I won’t have a debt to anyone, much less to you, so let me pay you back.” He chuckled for a moment, then agreed. You were eager to have the whole endeavor over with. “Vamps still eat human food, yeah? I’ll take you to dinner or something.”“Dinner sounds fantastic, Y/N.” You hated the way he said your name. It sounded so beautiful when he said it, and it was the worst sound you had ever heard.“Don’t say my name like that.” The words slipped from your mouth, and you practically felt his smirk and raised eyebrows through the phone.“Like what?” You hung up rather than answer. You met him for dinner the next week at a restaurant of his choosing, determined to pay off at least one of the times you owed him. It was, of course, a disaster. Not in the traditional sense. In fact, it was pleasant, and you found yourself actually taking a liking to Kuroo. Therein lay the problem. At the time, you had no desire to get involved with a Vampire. Getting involved with blood-suckers always brought catastrophe upon you, and you were positive this would be no different. The second time you took Kuroo out, it was to a movie. It was some ridiculous horror movie that scared neither of you, but had apparently served its purpose. The entire time, Kuroo made fun of the acting and inconsistencies, making jokes and throwing popcorn. You hated to admit that it was, quite possibly, the best time at a movie you’d ever had.“So,” he asked as the two of you left the theater, “are you done with me, now that you don’t owe me? Or do I continue to get the pleasure of your company?” He presented the question as a joke, and at the time you didn’t notice the genuine sadness hiding beneath his cheerful demeanor.“I guess you aren’t too bad,” you admitted, and he grinned ear to ear. You did like him, that hadn’t been a lie. He was funny, sly, mischievous, sarcastic, intelligent, and an absolute dork. He had a way of making people feel at ease, even if he did look and act shady sometimes. He managed to notice when you were uncomfortable and adjust quickly. Not only that, but he never pressed for answers you didn’t want to give. You had had all of four full conversations with him, and he was already more decent than more than half the people you knew.Looking back, you really hadn’t stood a chance.
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It really had gotten out of hand very quickly, you could see that now as you looked back. Four interactions became around ten, and ten became twenty and twenty became a lot more. Before the next summer had hit, you and Tetsurou had become good friends. Really good friends. You allowed him to introduce you to Bokuto and Akaashi, although you'd run into Akaashi before in your dealings with Teru. He even introduced you to his childhood friend, Kenma, as well as a few more people he'd come to be friends with. All were a small part of his clan who didn't mind that you were a Werewolf, and you got along well with. You could tell that somewhere along the way you started to develop feelings for Kuroo. You’d started to really notice him, to feel the attraction, to feel the way he affected you, but you had shoved it all down, down, down. You refused to have feelings for Kuroo. You absolutely refused. And then Teru found out you’d made new friends. When Terushima found out, he was ecstatic. In fact, he threw a party which you ended up dragged to. You stayed far away from the drink table that time, except to grab something you had known was normal beer. You still weren't entirely sure how you and Kuroo had come to do what you did. Looking back, you were still unsure of exactly how you had come to kiss him on Terushima's couch in the middle of a party full of people. No one had paid the two of you any attention, and you were glad of it. Especially once you had pulled away, realized exactly what had happened, and ran right out of the party. One minute you had been talking, laughing at each other's bad jokes, and the next he had been flirting, and you found yourself flirting back. Since become friends with Kuroo, you found yourself playfully flirting a lot, actually, but this time was different. This time, it meant more. Felt like more, and before you knew it his hand was cupping your cheek and he was kissing you. And you were kissing him right back. You’d kissed plenty of people, sure, but, somehow, kissing Kuroo was different. It set off fireworks in your head, made your mind go blank, made you feel like you and him were the only two people on the planet. You wanted nothing more in that moment than to melt into him, and stars, if you could’ve kissed him forever, you would have. When you’d broken away, the reality of what happened had slapped you in the face, and you hadn’t been able to stop the alarms that sounded in your head that screamed Danger! So you’d bolted. You hadn’t gone far, just outside of Teru’s house to get some fresh air. It hadn’t been hard to Kuroo to locate you once he made it out of Teru’s house. He found you leaning against the outside wall, eyes pressed closed, your fingers lightly on your lips. You needed air, you needed to think, to process. “Did I read that whole thing wrong?” He asked, making sure to stay back from you, give you the space he was sure you needed. “Do you want me to leave?” “Tetsu, ever the perfect gentleman.” You said the words quietly, almost inaudibly. He heard it, though, and you could see the surprise on his face. You had never called him Tetsu out loud before. Tetsurou sometimes, and Kuroo most of the time, but calling him Tetsu was reserved for just your thoughts. Curse his Vampiric hearing. He didn’t mention it, though, and it made you fall for him even more. “Do you want me to leave?” He repeated, and you looked over at him. What you did here would determine everything. Everything. You could tell him yes and he would go, and leave it alone, and only come around if you asked. You could avoid a whole entanglement that could lead to disaster.Or you could tell him no. It scared you that you wanted to tell him no, wanted to tell him to hold you. You wanted him to tangle his fingers in your hair, to laugh and joke with you, to stay. You wanted to tell him to kiss you again, and to keep kissing you as though you were his oxygen. Not that he needed oxygen.It was terrifying just how badly you wanted him to keep kissing you. It terrified you even more that kissing him had, for even a moment, had you believing in soulmates. You had never subscribed to the whole ‘soulmates’ thing, but, if you had to guess, Kuroo felt a whole lot like one. Over those months leading up to that moment, he had begun to feel like home to you. Something you hadn't admitted to yourself until that moment. You hadn't had anything to call home in a few years, not since your pack had been killed, and the fact that a Vampire felt like home now was almost too much. “What do I smell like? To you?” He merely blinked at you for a moment, startled. It wasn't the response he had expected. It wasn't the response you wanted to give. But to admit you wanted him to stay would be to let go of a part of you that you weren't prepared to part with. “Well, all ’Wolves smell like dog to Vamps, but each one has their own human scent, if you will. Yours is strawberries.” He paused, just for a moment. “It's really not very you at all.” “So dog and strawberries. You're right, that's not very me.” But it is appropriate, you thought as you looked back on that moment. Strawberry was Kuroo’s favourite, you knew that now. You wish you didn’t know it. “How do you stand it?” He eyed you, then ran a hand through his hair and making it even messier than it had been before. “I imagine you could smell like a raging dumpster fire and I'd find a way to stand it.” He shrugged, looking away. “You're different.” “Hmmm,” you hummed, then closed your eyes and leaned your head back against the wall of the house, “I'm different. Must be why I don't mind smelling burning chocolate and cherry so much.” “Is that really what I smell like?” “All Vamps smell like burning chocolate. Sometimes there's cherry, sometimes there isn't. Sometimes it's a hint, sometimes it's a lot. Yours is… just right.” You hadn't known why you were telling him that, why you were admitting it. The two of you had stood in silence for a long moment before, finally, he broke it. “Y/N.” There it was. The way he had said your name then had you melting, ascending into another plane of existence. The first time, it had been different. Less. But this time, this time was so much more. He said it as if you were the only thing he ever thought about, as if you were the most exquisite creatures on Earth. “I thought I told you not to say my name like that,” you'd opened your eyes to look at him then, and he'd smirked a bit. “Like what?” You couldn't exactly hang up this time. “Like you’re in love with me.” He looked at you for a long moment. “What if I am in love with you? The part of you that I know, at least. What if I wanted to get to know all of you? Fall even more deeply in love? What if all I'm asking for is a chance?” This had been it. The moment that determined it all. Don't, you had wanted to say, don't love me. You'll ruin us both, you and your love. Because I think I'm in love with you, too, and I know it won't end well. It never ends well- “Then kiss me again,” was what you actually said, your heart winning out over your head, over your fears, “and take the chance.” He hadn't needed to be told twice. He moved toward you, cupped your cheek with one hand and brushed back your hair with the other. Then his lips pressed to yours and you had forgotten where you were. Nothing had mattered except his lips against yours. It really was a wonder that the two of you hadn't been caught sooner. You had kissed twice in a public setting, surrounded by so many people who could have exposed you. Maybe it had something to do with Teru. You had no clue, even now. After that night, things had only escalated. Hanging out started to include dates, which had to look like hanging out. If anyone of consequence found out about you and Kuroo, there would be trouble. In fact, it was very likely that you, as the one without a pack, would die. You hadn't dwelled much on that fact, you forced yourself not to. You had no intentions of dying anytime soon. You had plans to complete before that could happen. Of all the things you could have expected, this was the last of them. Falling head over heels for a Vampire had never been part of the plan, on fact it was so far off your radar that it was laughable. But you supposed the universe had fun making a mockery of the plans of those who lived in it. So here you were. Dating a Vampire. With sincerity. Stars above, you were screwed. You were incredibly fucked. You really should have known it would come crashing down, hard, but you'd gotten careless. You let yourself be happy. You knew it was destructive to think that way, to think that every time you were happy it would be crushed, but you couldn't help it. Your life had been that way for so long that you expected things to rain on your parade. But you were actually genuinely happy with and around Kuroo. The two of you communicated well, worked together well. And damn could he kiss. But he was more, too. Kind and affectionate and teasing didn't even begin to cover the list of adjectives you could conjure to describe him, and he liked several of the same things you did as well. You had several common interests. Beyond that, he paid attention when you spoke, even if it was about something he didn't know about or something he wasn't interested in. You really, really should have known better than to get comfortable. One day, the two of you were hanging out, watching another ridiculous horror movie - one of your favourite shared passtimes - when he received a call. He'd answered, gotten an odd look on his face, glanced at you, and left. He hadn't come back. You knew what that meant. At least, you thought you did. You hadn't waited around to find out if you were right. You had gone immediately to Teru's place, and he'd let you in without question. Well, without much question. "Y/N? I wasn't expecting you-" "I need a place to lay low for a bit," you cut across him, put some urgency into your voice. "Is it okay if I stay with you?" "You know it is, but… what happened?" His eyebrows were drawn together with concern, and you glanced around before answering. "I'm not totally sure but… well I think I've been found out." He hadn't wasted another second before letting you in and locking his doors and windows. “Spill. Now.” He turned to look at you, an eyebrow raised. You took a deep breath, closed your eyes, and opened your mouth. “He left and didn’t come back. Vampire summons.” You had then explained to Teru about the odd look he'd gotten on his face, the way he’d looked at you. By the time you had gotten done explaining it all, and your suspicions, Teru was shaking his head. “I thought I heard something a day or two ago, but it seemed unimportant at the time.” He turned away from you, crossed his arms. “Hindsight is twenty-twenty, isn’t it?” You’d sat there, numb, as Teru explained to you how he heard a Vampire casually mention ‘cleaning house’ two days earlier, how he’d heard the phrase enough times that it seemed harmless. Only on that day, with the new context you brought him, did he see what it meant. “Well,” you had said, trying to keep your voice steady, “I’m going home now.” If Teru’s eyebrows could have risen off his face, they would have. You stared him down. “Listen, I’m not about to cause trouble for you. I don’t want Vampires descending on your house. Besides, this was all my choice.” You turned and put a hand on his doorknob, turning it to walk out. “It’s about time I faced the consequences.” ~ What you didn’t know was that, in his own apartment, Kuroo Tetsurou was hatching a plan. He’d been given the ultimatum: Kill you and reclaim his position in the clan, or die. Simple. A simple, easy choice. Or, at least, it should have been, if the rest of the Vampires were to be believed. To him, though, it was anything but easy. He loved you, really, truly loved you, and to have to decide whether to put his clan before his love for you was a harder decision than he cared to admit. It wasn’t simple, not at all. He was immortal, you weren’t. Werewolves lived a long time - much more than a typical human - but it wasn’t eternity. He’d have to watch you die eventually if he stayed, and then what would he do? He would have forfeited his place with Vampires, and he’d be alone. So, he had to ask himself: were you worth it? It hadn’t taken him long to reach his answer, not really, and as soon as he’d realized what he wanted, he’d started forming a plan. It was dangerous, reckless, and he wasn’t even sure if it would work. But he had to try.He just hoped you would forgive him when all was said and done.
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Of course. Of course it would come to this. Of course it would come to you and Tetsurou circling each other, prepared to lunge, to wound, to kill. Of course. You really, truly, should have known better. After what happened before, you should have known. Should have expected this. But instead, you had allowed yourself to do something stupid. Not only had you allowed yourself to have feelings for a Vampire - granted, this wasn’t exactly something you could control, but still - but you had also given in to those feelings. As you stalked around Kuroo, you couldn’t help but marvel at what a damned idiot you were. After leaving Teru’s apartment, you had known your time was short; you had to either find a very good hiding place, or find somewhere to wait. Somewhere of your choice. If it was to be a fight, you were determined to have it on your terms. So you’d found a place, and waited. It hadn’t taken long for Kuroo to come to you. You had both heard and smelled him coming; he had made no effort to hide it. You hoped that wasn’t arrogance that drove him, because, if so, he was in for a nasty surprise. “Y/N,” his voice had sounded from behind you, and the tone he took sent your anger skyrocketing.“Don’t,” you snarled the word, “don’t you dare say my name like you love me when I know you’re here to rip my guts out.” He hadn’t said anything after that, and you had simply stood and turned to face him, letting the anger and betrayal burn brightly in your eyes as you stared him down. “I should have known. I should have known better than to trust you. It was always going to come to this, and I was stupid enough to believe that maybe it wouldn’t. Stupid of me to expect the past not to repeat itself.""Y/N, I don't-""Have a choice?" You cut him off, teeth practically bared. "Don't give me that bullshit. There's always a choice." You pause, scoff, roll your eyes. "Then again, it was choices that got me into this mess, wasn't it? I should have known better than to trust a vampire again after what your kind did.""Y/N-""Shut up, Blood Drinker." You look at his eyes, at the barely masked pain there. You could let him speak. Give him time to explain. You could. But you're too busy remembering what happened before, what led you to this entire situation in the first place. You almost laughed at the parallels, at the sheer twist of fate that caused this. What happened before, before anything to do with Tetsurou, it made you so beyond angry at this entire situation. Angry at Tetsurou, for being a Vampire. Angry at your former pack leader, for being naive. Angry at yourself, for being a complete and utter dumbass. So he doesn't get to speak, to explain, you decide. He's here to kill you, why should he get to explain himself? You feel your teeth elongating, your nails growing as you began to slowly move to the side. Kuroo copies the movements, backing away and trying to keep you in front of him. Not that it will matter, you grin, shoving your hurt deep, deep down. Now wasn't the time for hurt, now was the time for anger. No matter how this turned out, you won. If he died, you got your revenge, your vindication. You rid yourself of him forever and you can move on. If you died, you were taking as much with you as you could. You'd make sure he had scars from this encounter, make sure he remembered you for as long as his miserable life lasted.“Y/N,” for fucks sake, the way he said your name drove you insane. Shaking off the pang in your heart at his voice, you lunge before he can say another word. Your claws graze his cheek as you practically tackle him to the ground, the claws on your other hand starting to sink into his shoulder. You see the shock in his eyes as his body reacts before his mind can catch up, and he practically launches you off of him, sending you basically flying halfway across the clearing. You land, hard, on your side, your breathing heavy, but you don’t launch back up. Especially when you hear him inching closer. As soon as he’s close enough to you, you swing your legs, knocking him over and launching yourself on top of him once more, but the glint in his eye tells you he was expecting this, and he uses his strength to turn the tables so that you’re pinned down, not him. A drop of blood falls on you from the bleeding scratches on his cheek.“Just listen to me!” His voice is rough and desperate, and it takes everything in you to ignore it.“Why should I?!” The anger is written plain on your face. The hurt. The betrayal. And you know it. Kuroo’s face is different, all frustration and determination, and then suddenly his lips are at your neck and his fangs are sinking into your skin. “Are you fucking insane?!” You didn’t know how Vampires reacted to Werewolf blood, and you weren’t sure you wanted to find out. In that moment, you were too shocked and baffled to remember that you’re supposed to be angry, but your emotions quickly boil back over, anger flushing your face once more.“Just listen for one fucking minute!”“No, you listen! You have absolutely no right to ask me to listen! None!”“Why the hell not?!” There’s a look in his eye, a wild desperation.“Because this has happened before,” you’re yelling now, screaming with anger, with every bit of emotion you have. His face changes, just for a moment.“Wh-what?” The confusion in his voice is so genuine, the shock so real. You scoff.“What? Your treacherous, backhanded, slimy despot of a clan didn’t bother to tell you how they wiped out an innocent pack, minding their own business?” You like to think that if Kuroo had the ability to pale even more, he would have. “Well,” you sneer, “let me educate you. Once, there was a small clan, who lived just outside the city. They kept to themselves and bothered no one, the whole shebang. They were kind to everyone. And, one day, their pack leader fell in love. She was a sweet Wolf, cared about her pack and others around her, but love… love destroyed her. You see, she fell in love with a Vampire. But what none of us knew was that this Vampire wasn’t actually in love. This Vampire was sent to us. To destroy us. Just for being what we are. Because our pack leader dared to fall in love with a ‘higher’ being. ” The words that you spit out are filled with disgust, but old wounds that still stung. Kuroo watched your face, watched as years of anger and sadness came raging out. “One day, I was out, away from the pack, running errands, and I came back to-” your voice catches, halting and tripping over itself, “to carnage. Everyone. Everyone was dead, and the whole place stunk of Vampire, of Vampire work.” You shake your head, fighting back the prick of tears in the corners of your eyes. “I made the mistake of thinking you could be different.” Your voice is quieter now, your eyes averted, but still angry. “So, yeah. Fuck you and your clan.”“Listen,” he takes a breath, fighting to keep the disgust out of his voice so that you can’t misinterpret his tone, “for just- for just a minute, and then, if you still want to rip me apart, you can. I’ll stand here and let you.” Your eyes snap to his, and you blink a couple of times in surprise. “I had no idea about your pack, Y/N, and I had nothing to do with the horrific actions my clan took. I am not my clan, and if you’ll give me your ear - not literally-” a flash of a shit-eating grin, then it’s gone again - “I’ll explain everything.” He paused, searching your face for a sign to continue. You blinked at him again, and he could see the war behind your eyes, but you made no moves against him, nor did you speak. He took that as permission to continue. “My clan gave me the ultimatum, yes. Kill you or die. And, yes, I told them I would kill you.” Anger flashes in your eyes, but he continues, unfazed. “What my clan fails to realize is that not everyone is as bigoted and backward as them. I have no intentions of killing you, Y/N. None at all. In fact, I… I really intend to leave the clan. And I hope you’ll come with me.” His voice is almost scared, and you have to replay his words over and over in your head to make sure that you understood him.“Why?” It’s the only thing you can utter for a moment, then questions start flooding out. “Why? Why on this God-forsaken planet would you choose me, a Werewolf, over your clan? I’m not even immortal, this is the worst possible decision-” And then his lips are on yours, hesitant and soft. He’s never kissed you like this, like he’s scared and desperate, but he is now, and it makes your brain short-circuit a little.“Because,” he mutters, his face mere inches from yours, “I love you, Y/N. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone, and I’d rather be with you for however long you’ll have me than sell me soul out to beings who probably don’t even know what love it. I’d rather go through everything that comes with being with you than live one more undead day without you.” The words are pouring from his lips, flooding your ears like a tsunami. The weight of them threatens to crush you, but something in your heart leaps with hope. You struggle for words, stumbling over syllables until the only thing that manages to leave your mouth tumbles right on out.“Say sike right now.” He blinks, then starts laughing, and it's the best thing you’ve heard all day. And the most terrifying.“No, babe, there is no “sike.” I love you,” that grin, that damned grin, spread across his face, and you knew that, as much as you wanted to be angry with him, it wasn’t his fault. It was his clan’s. And he wasn’t his clan. “So, what do you say? Be a cliche and run away with me?” There were so many things that could go wrong, so many things that could backfire. There were so many risks, so many problems. And yet… you couldn’t help but think that it would be worth it. You loved him, you really, truly, did, and, if he was to be believed, he loved you, too. You were happier than you’d been since before your entire pack was murdered, and you knew it. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes, trying to teach yourself how to give in to the feeling once more. It was easy, truth be told. Kuroo was, well, Kuroo, and that was enough for you. You opened your eyes to the same easy grin, but there was worry in his eyes. You bring your hand up to his cheek, wipe away the blood, let the anger leave your body. “I love you too, Tetsu.” If it was possible, his grin gets wider, and his eyes get brighter. An expression of pure joy washes over him. There would always be complications, sure. There would be troubles and risks and things that go wrong, but you could deal with all of it, every single bit, so long as Kuroo was by your side. Perhaps his kindness wouldn't kill you after all.