Chapter 97
Previously: The Rose of Whitby – Chapter 96
This didn’t go as Quincy had intended it to. And he is not okay with that!
First Cobb vanishes for most of the day, and then he shows up for the most inept ‘checking in’ Quincy has ever seen. He doesn’t even really make it fully through the checking in about, yes, Quincy’s supposed father just died in front of his eyes, before he’s off on a tangent about his own terrible life and how he lost his father, too.
But Quincy’s not going to lie. He prefers that. He doesn’t really want to engage with his own weird reaction to Harker’s death. He feels much more in his element by taking care of the sudden episode Cobb is having. He clearly can’t quite get in contact with his own emotions; he seems to want to dissolve into tears but also appears to be unable to. Some men are idiotic like that.
And how did he just jump from ‘his poor dead parents’ to ‘poor me had to even prostitute myself’? Not that Quincy minds the ammunition. Yes, give him power; give him things that he can use as bargaining chips. But still, wow, is this the world’s worst attempt of getting him to pity Cobb? The words don’t seem to help much, okay, a hug might do more.
Where the hell does Cobb think his hands are going there?! Uh huh, sob story indeed. For bloody hell’s sake, that one needed to ask for money to have any kind of ‘game’! Quincy’s not the whore here.
He tries to push Cobb off, but he’s also at the edge of the roof and shit shit shit! Cobb pushed back and that was Quincy’s footing. He doesn’t want to die!
The impact comes far faster than he thought, faster than he even has time to scream.
Did… did Cobb just save him? Quincy realises that he shut his eyes tight when he felt himself toppling backwards, Cobb’s arms still were around his waist. Arms that feel different now. Larger. And when he opens his eyes he is tempted to scream after all. Scream right into that grinning tiger face split open to show way too many sharp teeth and those ever-hungry eyes on him.
But… they’re not on the ground. Is this a balcony? Did Cobb catch him? This is still Cobb, right? Just a bigger cat form… Please, Divine let it just be a bigger cat form. Those eyes are upsetting, that deep rumble of a chuckle at Quincy feeling terribly small and helpless all of a sudden.
“Let me down.” He hates how weak his voice sounds, and that makes his temper spark so he says it once more, louder. “Let me down! You shoved me! This is your fault in the first place!”
Those hungry eyes are still on him and really, really? What the hell is wrong with him? Why does the jitters hitting him belatedly and the look on Cobb suddenly make him giggle? What is that sense of feeling so bloody alive all of a sudden?
“Let me down. Turn human and I might thank you.” That worked. Thank the Divine, because Quincy wouldn’t know what else he’d do. And yes, he still feels alive and a bit light-headed and okay, he shoved first, the airhead probably just didn’t realise how close to the edge of the roof they were.
And huh, his anger is… gone, poof, like it got sucked out of him… Really brain, thanks for that horny quip. And yes, obviously it would be nice to have other things sucked. Still. One kiss will do. He wouldn’t… woah, and that’s Cobb’s hands right back to where they were before. One kiss, he growls.
Oh no, that guy doesn’t get to decide what he’s comfortable doing! And somehow he’s still giddy, light-headed, and bloody hell, those hungry eyes, all that desire, oh no, no, if they are doing this, it’s on his terms, and he remembers the reaction to yesterday so that short patron of his had better not think he can get away with this!
It wasn’t his idea and he really only meant to give a kiss, but if they are playing like this ,then he’ll be the one deciding the tune here, so he grabs both of Cobb’s wrists and turns them around, pushes him over the balustrade and gets his free hand places.
~~~~
Arthur and John arrive to the dining room after another note to find Darcy looking torn between being proud and being nervous, which makes Arthur think that yes, she made the dinner(?).
It smells really nice, anyway. They take their seats, and Darcy tells them she hopes she did it right- it’s something called “Hunter’s Delight”, which Arthur doesn’t think he’s ever had. Then she adds that it’s made with pheasant, which means, no, he really hasn’t.
Pheasant is one of those things he’s only ever read about noble people or people in adventure books eating, so he’s curious to try it. It’s fried, with mushrooms and gravy, and after a bite, he smiles at Darcy, and assures her that it’s good! He really likes it!
That makes Darcy beam back at him, and John concurs with a grunt and a nod and decided eating.
~~~~
They’re interrupted a bit later by Quincy’s arrival- with Gregory.
A Gregory in a very good mood, and… and Arthur thinks that should make him be in a good mood, but instead… instead, Gregory is the only one, and Arthur can all but feel a heavy blanket of awkwardness settle over the table.
That is, until, only a few moments after Gregory and Quincy have taken their seats, Darcy puts down her napkin and leaves with barely a mumbled apology. John glares at Gregory, and follows right after her, and Arthur finds himself alone with Quincy and Gregory.
And it’s weird. He can’t remember the last time he had dinner with Gregory.
He’s not a complete idiot, he knows there’s social stuff going on here that everyone understands perfectly, while, okay, maybe he’s a bit of an idiot, because he only gets it partially. He doesn’t think it’s Quincy who upset Darcy, but that means it must be Gregory, and going by John’s look, he agrees.
Arthur really doesn’t like that John doesn’t like Gregory much, that they don’t get along, but it’s not like he can force anyone to get along. And he likes John, even if he doesn’t understand him very well.
It all makes him feel stuck and on the outside of things and helpless and confused and caught between people, and he really, really hates that.
It doesn’t get better, either, when Quincy only has a few bites of dinner, well, potatoes, surely barely enough for even a dhampir appetite, before he excuses himself as well.
And then Arthur’s alone with Gregory and has no idea what to talk to about him.
And the only thing he can think of is that it’s a shame that Darcy’s dinner is going so unacknowledged, when she put so much effort in. Well, at least he can do her the courtesy of eating his share.
Even if somehow it doesn’t taste as good anymore.
Gregory doesn’t seem fazed at all, and instead talks and laughs about how this is so much better than what they used to have, though, remember the things they used to nick? That time they got away with a whole half wheel of cheese, that was great! Or, of course, honey cakes!
Arthur really doesn’t want to remember anything associated with honey cakes, but what can he do? He doesn’t want to be a bad friend, so he nods and agrees until he’s genuinely finished with his own food, and then excuses himself to the library.
Gregory pouts, because the library is booooring, but he knows how smart Arthur is and that he’s all about the books! So he’ll go patrolling and make sure they’re all safe!
Arthur tells him to be careful, there’s probably a powerful vampire out there who can mess with your mind and memories, and Gregory assures him he’s got it. And, well, there’s not much Arthur can do when Gregory turns cat and disappears.
He just hopes nothing bad happens.
Especially since he hasn’t gotten around to telling Quincy about their suspicions on who Basarab might really be.
He really hopes that doesn’t come back to bite them on the arse. Tomorrow, he’ll definitely have to bring it up. Well, after he’s talked about it with Darcy and John, because maybe they don’t want Quincy to know? But on the other hand, Quincy kind of has a right to know…
~~~~
It feels weird to wake up in a bed alone. One he knows he doesn’t need to better get out of before he gets kicked out. And it’s not the bed in his old room… Quincy can’t even remember when exactly he slept there last, although he suspects that his mother keeps it ready for him. And with his father… Harker, he means, gone, he could sleep there again. But would he? Should he? He’s not sure.
Not for the next few weeks at the least, he has a new stray, a patron stray at that, and a new girlfriend to teach him how to be a dhampir. He’ll see which of those lasts shorter, when it’s time to let them fly again because he’s done what he could, and to take his leave, get back to his life. For right now, though, house robe and breakfast sounds good. He didn’t really have dinner after all.
He might have, if not for the awkwardness thick enough to cut in the dining room. And he would have run after Cycy, too, if her Blondie hadn’t beaten him to it. He hopes that brute fucked it better. He has no interest in being a thorn between her and Cobb. Come to think of it, he needs to figure out why she even stormed off like that, not as if she wasn’t sitting right next to them fucking the time before. He’s sure he can talk it out with her, she’s the wife, he’s just the affair, after all.
And they promised, didn’t they? Queens of the night together.
Chuckling at that formulation, he gets up, mood rising, up to the point where he nearly trips over that bloody cat! Really? Really? What is it with Cobb and doing this idiotic cat thing? And right in front of his door, clingy much? “For the last time, I’m not talking to you like this.” Stepping over the cat to get down to breakfast, Quincy makes a point to ignore the cutesy eyes, no, those work exactly zero on him, but takes Cobb’s hand when he finally turns and reaches for him. Half to make sure it doesn’t end up on his arse, instead, and half as a reward for turning human-shaped again.
~~~~
Is Gregory kidding her?! Darcy might be a bit grumbly because she got up with John, it’s early, but that’s only fair when she slept in his room. Arthur gave her such a surprised look when she walked in on John’s arm, yawning still. That was adorable, made her giggle, and tell him: It’s okay, just please somebody make sure she doesn’t end up with her face in the marmalade, that’s way too sweet for her!
It feels good to be able to joke again, and it’s all thanks to John, he calmed her down yesterday after she ran off. He reminded her that even if Gregory is being terrible, it’s not the first time, and she’ll always have John and their dreamscape and their future. He made her forget her anger and her pain, he let her drac run free again, and she… she wishes she could keep just thinking about that.
She thought she had felt all the betrayal she could and gotten over it, but then Gregory shows up, on Quincy’s hand! Gregory! Who never even is there when she wakes up! Who never cared enough for her to come along. All he ever did was stare at her while she slept, not walk her to breakfast on his hand. She knows she made a mistake with Eluned but… does he have to be so cruel about it? She’s still his wife! And she thought that meant at least something… but she’d not even the happily ever after anymore, is she? She thought she could at least be good for him by being his whore, by doing her wifely duties, but this isn’t like with Llew, where she got to be involved. No, he fully pushed her away.
Abandoned her.
And… and it’s Quincy. She can’t be angry at Quincy. She isn’t angry at Quincy. She’s just hurt. And she has to protect Quincy. If… if Gregory is serious enough to actually be there for him… She has to make sure. It hurts, but she takes John’s hand tightly under the table and gives Gregory a meaningful look before painting the smile on her mask again.
She even tries for a little laugh, though is sounds strained to her own ears, as she lifts her hand up onto the table, fingers entwined with John’s. “Only fair now. Good morning to you two. You look… um, nice together.” And that’s a lie, such a lie, her drac is scoffing and pacing and no, down, you don’t get to bite Gregory’s hand just so that he doesn’t hold Quincy’s.
~~~~
John gives Darcy side eye. What is his girl up to now? Although, maybe this is in his favour. Did she just declare this the official household constellation? Should he feel elated or kind of weirded out to be declared official affair? If it means Gregory never touches his girl again, then fuck yeah, he’ll take it. And he’ll ignore the slight twinge in his stomach at the idea of letting Quincy get abused like that. Sure, he’s a molly, but he’s kind of agreeable. And he has a little sister John got to look after, he feels a bit bad for this.
And the molly seems to be not too far off from his own thoughts. John thinks he can read the ‘What the fuck?’ on Quincy’s face pretty loud and clear. Oh, and that was a fast move, Quincy got his hand back and took the seat right next to Darcy, chatting to her, basically ignoring what she just said… and declaring that if anything she and John look nice together. Fuck you, molly, he’s not going to be baited that easily! Not that it isn’t kind of nice to hear it.
Still… uh, hold up, hold up, what is happening? Did that fucking molly just make a wedding joke? Darcy, no, fuck… and too late, now she let it slip that she has to get him a political marriage and the fucking molly is planning the outfits. Nope! John’s not dealing with this. He knows his proper place in this household, officially declared and everything, take that Gregory! So before they try to make him put on outfits, he’s ducking out, he has a workout from yesterday to make up for.
~~~~
Even though it’s only John leaving this meal early, Arthur isn’t sure he’d call this breakfast less awkward than dinner was. Why isn’t there some sort of manual or handbook about these social things? Sure, there’s etiquette books, and he’s read them, but none of them have explained what it means when… he doesn’t even know.
When he can’t tell whether things are alright or not? Darcy smiled, does that mean things are okay again? And her and Quincy are talking happily- about weddings, though. He really isn’t keen to deal with another wedding.
But Quincy seems enthusiastic, so maybe he’ll look after it… Does all of this mean Quincy’s one of them now? Their friend? That he’s staying?
Arthur’s not sure, but Quincy talking about some outfits he’s seen at the theatre reminds him that he wanted to warn him. After checking if the others agree, but now John’s gone and he hasn’t had a chance to get their opinion. Surely Quincy deserves to know?
Maybe he can start kind of more subtle? “Um, speaking of the theatre, I wanted to ask… has Mr Basarab been there long?” Okay, probably that wasn’t actually very subtle. Arthur’s just no good at these social things.
~~~~
Darcy doesn’t really need to hear Quincy’s words before she knows his opinion, that tone is so terribly longing.
“Oh, honey, I wish. If I’d had more than a few weeks, I so would have gotten further with that dreamboat. We need to get this idiotic situation wrapped up! I can’t possibly miss when he leaves with his troupe! I have to get my way in there! Can you just imagine? Touring Europe with that hunk.” Quincy sighs and Darcy didn’t really mean to, but she sighs right along, prompting Quincy to giggle and tease her that uh huh, Blondie is telling on her having a thing for manly men, no wonder she has her eye on Basarab, too. “I ought to get back to the theatre and let everybody know that I didn’t just vanish, before they get ideas to divide my meagre belongings between them. Want to come along and we can both flirt at him?”
Darcy feels herself getting red up to the ears, and she really should tell Quincy, but she doesn’t know what he’ll think about it. Maybe there’s nothing wrong with dhampir attraction? She means, she gets it, her papa is the perfect man, too, after all. So why wouldn’t Quincy think his is? Just, he doesn’t know. He should know, right?
~~~~
“Um…” Arthur says, and feels really terribly awkward about it, but… but Quincy needs to know. Right? Especially if he thinks Basarab is… uh, well, attractive. That doesn’t mean he knows how to put it.
Looking over at Arthur with a raised eyebrow, Quincy chuckles. “It’s okay, I don’t think we need a chaperone. You don’t have to be anywhere close for that. No reason to feel uncomfortable.”
~~~~
Darcy slowly shakes her head, then does it again faster in contradiction of her first thought. “It’s not that, although he really shouldn’t be. If I know Arthur-dear, he probably worries that it’s dangerous.”
~~~~
Arthur bites his lip, nods, glances between Darcy, Quincy and Gregory, and then decides to just come out with it. “It’s only a suspicion, but… he might be the vampire. Or one of them. But, errr… the one you’re related to…?” He blushes and ducks his head.
~~~~
“You think he might be a vampire?” Blinking, Quincy remembers that the play Basarab wrote had some parts in it that well, yeah, those vampire things seem to fit with what he learned about dhampirs but still, Basarab a vampire? Wait, a related vampire? Eyes going huge, he shakes his head vehemently. “You can’t possibly mean he’s… he’s…”
“Maybe your mother agrees with us two?” Darcy adds, still blushing. “He would be my grandsire.”
No. Quincy refuses to believe that! No… oh Divine, please, no. Basarab… he’s the only man he ever had an actual crush on. He’s been so stubborn and obsessed with getting close to him because… because he thought maybe, maybe for once in his life, he might have a chance. Not just be a healer, not just fuck away the pain, not just a few weeks and gone. He put so much hope into that!
If Basarab is… No, he won’t believe it! He can’t believe it! He can’t give up on maybe, maybe not being bloody aromantic!
He wants to be in love! He’s never managed. He tried so many times! He had so many strays! So many attempts! Basarab… He thought it could finally work.
There are tears glittering at the sides of his eyes and he’s not ashamed of them, they are frustration, not weakness. And he thinks he just heard something whimper deep inside of him… Is that that idiotic drac of his? If it is, isn’t that bloody thing to blame?
Slamming his hands on the table, he half shouts that no, he has to try at least. He has to go and talk to him…
~~~~
Arthur didn’t expect Quincy to be… sanguine about finding out he might’ve unwittingly been around his vampire father, but that’s a bit more distress than he expected, and it makes him feel bad for having brought it up, or not bringing it up better. But, wait, why did Darcy say that maybe Mrs Harker agrees with them on the, uh, merits of Mr Basarab? Wouldn’t that, uh, contradict what they think about… well, with how Quincy happened?
~~~~
Turning towards the library, Quincy is rambling. That’s the direction, yes, if he gets ready now, Basarab goes to bed really late, as in, after most people are done with breakfast… and that would fit for a vampire, maybe. It’s okay if he’s a vampire, he doesn’t mind, that’s okay, Quincy’s a part of the night, too. Always has been, Cycy just showed him how much that’s really true about himself. Basarab gets to be a vampire, that’s okay, just not that specific vampire. Yes, if he goes quickly maybe he can still catch him awake, he has to…
Darcy reaches for his hand. “If you go, I’m coming with you! Then Arthur can’t say that we aren’t aware of the danger, and he didn’t hurt you so far.” Before Darcy is fully up, though, (or can add that the plan was to stay together anyway,) Gregory jumps on the table, as a cat at least, and declares that he can keep them all safe, be their hero. He’ll go and do the talking for them!
Even as both Quincy and Darcy turn to yell at him, he vanishes into nothing, leaving Quincy shrieking and scrambling to run after him. He can’t possibly let this airhead of a complete idiot of a patron he has ruin any and all chances he has. No, this is even worse. No, Divine, no!
~~~~
Arthur’s certainly yelling with the rest, because: Unknown potential vampire, they don’t know what he’s after! Will everyone please stop being reckless?!
~~~~
“I talked to him for weeks! He’s been nothing but… caring.” And that thought makes Quincy falter. Oh Divine, was Basarab caring like a father? He doesn’t know what that would feel like. He’s never had it. And no, he still doesn’t want to believe it, he can’t, so he balls a fist and goes to march after Cobb after all. He’d rather march to his death than give up on even the tiniest bit of a chance at love!
~~~~
“But…” Arthur trails off. He’s not the social one, the one to read the clues, Quincy’s clearly much better at it than he is. But what if it’s a long con? A scheme, a trick, something? “…Then I’m coming, too,” he says. The idea terrifies him, he doesn’t want to go anywhere near a potential (probable?) vampire, definitely not for some kind of confrontation or whatever, but… but he can’t let Darcy and Quincy go alone! He can’t sit here and wait to see if them maybe giving away that they know about Basarab being a vampire makes him decide to get rid of the dhampirs after all.