Admin Mawile: And the first chapter of Reiji’s route is done!! It took me a little while cause I’ve been super busy with preparing to move, so hopefully it’s worth the wait!

To anyone who doesn’t already know, this fic takes place in my Sub Au, more information for which can be found on this blog. There’s going to be a route for each boy, and each route will be divided up into ten chapters.The chapters that I work on will be decided by a periodic Ko-Fi vote, which will also be done through this blog. (●⌒∇⌒●)

The warnings for this chapter include minor blood and violence, forced drugging, psychological abuse, and general DL stuff. Read carefully if any of this bothers you. 

Questions and comments will always be appreciated, and thank you so much for reading! ❤ (∩´∀`)∩

Fic below the cut!!!

You sleep for a while, dreaming of nothing. It’s not a restful sleep, and when you wake up, you feel even more tired than before.

Yawning, you get up and force yourself to unpack your things. The same scent hangs in the air of your room, unpleasant, and you feel vaguely uneasy even as you put things away, keeping yourself busy.

There’s no way you’d put it past the vampires to be watching you.

Everything in the room is nice, high quality, almost weirdly so, and you can’t help but wonder if you’re with some special family of vampires. If they have such things, that is. You don’t know anything about the creatures you’re living with, and you’re not sure you want to even try.

You don’t know if they’re going to kill you, if they’re going to try, but even the thought of what they could do doesn’t scare you like it should.

The room is more than big enough for everything you brought with you, and organizing what’s yours, making the space your own is already making you feel more calm. Like you have some measure of control.

You’re still not afraid. There’s a dark sense of resignation hanging over you, but you’re not afraid. The thought of being hurt or killed makes you more angry than frightened, furious that these beings already seem the sort to destroy a life just because they feel personally threatened.

The impression that they’re nothing but spoiled brats grows stronger the more you think about what you’ve seen of them so far.

Outside, the sky has gone dark.

There’s a knock at your door after a bit, steady and polite. You get up, open the door, and find an older man that you’ve never seen before outside of it. He introduces himself as a servant, and tells you that you’re wanted in the dining room, to come as soon as you are able to.

You nod, agree, and the man vanishes as quickly as he appeared, fading into the shadows in a way that’s completely inhuman.

Instead of focusing on it, you double check that your things are arranged how you want them, then leave the room, the door closing behind you with a rather ominous sound. The dining room, the servant said.

It’s not exactly hard to find your way to where you’re wanted, even if the twists and turns of the mansion are beyond confusing, and after a short walk through dark corridors and musty smelling rooms, you arrive.

The dining room is large and dimly lit. It’s furnished richly, and there’s a table with twelve chairs in the center of the room. It’s hard not to wonder why so many chairs are needed, since there doesn’t seem to be more than the six boys and some inhuman servants in the mansion. The room itself is nice, but as always in the house, you get an unpleasant feeling from it.

There’s food on the table, you note, just one portion, placed in front of one of the side facing chairs like it’s waiting for someone.

“So you’ve arrived,” a voice says from somewhere behind you.

Resisting the instinct to jolt, you calmly turn around. You already know better than to show fear in front of monsters like these.

Reiji stands behind you, posture so straight it could put a ruler to shame. His clothes are as neat as they were earlier, lines clean and sharp, and every part of him looks arranged to perfection, ordered.

“I was expecting you to be slightly more punctual,” he says, and his voice is calm barely hiding disdain. You bristle a bit, annoyed with his tone and the patronizing edge to it. “We’ll have to fix that later, I suppose. Now, have a seat. You will be having your meals here, understood?”

Making a fuss will only get you in trouble, so you sit obediently, trying to act like you don’t wish you could just turn and leave.

You’d sort of thought that Reiji was the rational one, but between the way he speaks to you and the odd glint in his eyes, you’re finding that you don’t have any more trust for him than any of the rest of them.

Reiji takes the seat opposite you, and spends a moment staring at you like you’re something particularly interesting, some kind of specimen.

“You’re not afraid, are you?” he asks eventually, and there’s a note of something you can’t place in his voice. You can imagine that it’s odd to them that you don’t show fear, annoying as it is that they all fuss over it.

“I’m not,” you reply, keeping your response simple and polite. You have the feeling that this one wouldn’t take well to rudeness.

Another moment passes, Reiji staring at you with cold eyes. It feels like he’s taking you in, trying to make sense of why the human doesn’t fear him, and you find yourself slightly annoyed by the judging, analyzing gaze.

“I instruct you to remember your place,” he says calmly. “You are the only human in this mansion, and harm may very well come to you if you act out of line.” There’s something in his voice that implies that he’ll be the source of said harm. Your annoyance spikes a bit at the arrogance.

“Now,” he continues, “as for what will be done with you. My brothers and I attend night school, but considering your age, it would be silly to expect you to. You will be expected to keep a nocturnal schedule, but otherwise, you will have much time to yourself. I’ll go over where you are allowed and not allowed to go, and what things you may do.”

Reiji launches into something that feels disturbingly like a lecture, listing off what you’ll be expected to do while you’re here.

His instructions for you are only interrupted by the occasional irritated comment about how poor your posture is, about how you need to show that you’re listening better, and you feel more annoyed by the second.

When he finally finishes, he looks at you like he’s expected you to retain every word. “Any questions?” he asks, and he says it like you’re something so simple he’d have to repeat himself. You bite the inside of your cheek to stifle something rude and respond that you understood.

“Good. Listening properly is a valuable skill for a lady to have.” Something about Reiji’s tone gets under your skin. It’s patronizing, but not openly so, and you don’t quite know how to respond.

Fighting back would obviously get you killed, but sitting here and taking it is also a highly unpleasant option.

You take the closest thing to a midpoint you can think of, meeting Reiji’s eyes without a hint of fear, keeping your posture almost as straight as his, and refusing to let him intimidate you for even an instant.

Reiji’s gaze is sharp and collected, not a hint of emotion slipping past whatever carefully constructed defences he has in place.

For just a moment, you wonder what he could be hiding.

“That sort of disrespect will not stand, you know,” Reiji says, standing. “You will be expected to recognize your position in this place and act accordingly. Such a prideful expression will only serve to bring you trouble.” He’s threatening you, you can feel it, even through cool words.

Reiji’s speech is polite, but his words are unpleasant and dripping with superiority. You’re already getting the impression that he conceals disdain with propriety and refinement, keeping his true feelings neatly hidden behind a veil of proper words. It’s annoying already. Dealing with his posturing is unpleasant, and you’ve barely been there for a day.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” you reply, polite as you can manage. “Thank you for the warning.” You see a flicker of something in Reiji’s eyes.

The conversation comes to an end nonetheless, and Reiji vanishes from the room in a way that you can only imagine is meant to frighten you. Instead, you barely resist rolling your eyes at the failed intimidation.

You have absolutely no idea what to do with yourself now. Reiji gave you a long, detailed list of what was permitted, but it wasn’t much.

You get the feeling that they have no idea how to keep you occupied.

Actually, you get the feeling that anyone who has been here in the past didn’t make it long. The vampires seem downright predatory, and you wouldn’t put it past them to have killed whoever entered their home after they became more of a nuisance than they were worth.

It’s not unlikely that you’ll be next. You’ve resigned yourself to that idea already. It doesn’t scare you. It still doesn’t. There’s nothing you can imagine them doing that will make you feel differently.

The worst they can do is hurt your body. You won’t let them force their way any deeper than that, no matter what they try to do to you.

You decide that the best thing to do is eat the meal that was left for you, hope for the best that it wasn’t drugged, and figure out what you’re going to do next after that. The food itself tastes good, with no signs of it being off, and it appears to be as normal as anything you could expect.

After you’re done, the best thing to do seems to be having a look around the house. You know where you’re “allowed” to go now, and it’s not like you can think of anything else to do all alone in a mansion.

You take a deep breath, remember that you have to keep yourself calm, and set off into the nearest dark hallway you can find.

…

After wandering around the house for a while, searching for anything decent to do, you figure out that you are truly and thoroughly bored.

The mansion is old and richly furnished, fancy, but dull. There’s an odd smell in the air that you can’t place, something sickly and unpleasant, and the atmosphere is dark and unhappy. It’s downright repulsive.

Some unknown amount of time passes like that. There aren’t clocks on the walls, and the couple of large grandfather clocks you find appear to be stopped. It’s disconcerting, and you try not to think about how much time you might have spent walking in circles, lost in confusing hallways.

You’re more frustrated than anything, and while you vaguely recognize that you should be afraid, all you feel is irritated resignation.

Finally, you stumble upon what looks like a sitting room, empty and musty smelling. Or, you think it’s empty until you notice one of the vampires stretched out on a couch, shoes kicked up over the armrest. It’s the blonde one, Shuu, eyes closed and earbuds in, seemingly ignoring the world.

You’re about to leave, avoid getting into any more trouble, when one blue eye cracks open lazily. “You, human, get over here,” he mumbles, sounding half asleep. You bite the inside of your mouth and obey.

“Yes? Did you need something?” you ask politely. You don’t want to make more trouble for yourself, even through the anger filling you.

It only takes an instant, and you’re swept off your feet, tugged down and pressed to Shuu’s chest. You didn’t so much as see him move, and he’s strong, dangerously so, where his arms are around your shoulders. Up close, he’s cold even through his clothes, feeling more like a corpse than anything alive. It’s disgusting, and you fight the urge to squirm away.

“Heh, even though you say you’re not afraid, you’re not fighting me, are you?” he asks, and you almost roll your eyes at the line.

“Of course not. You’re going to do what you want regardless; why would I make more trouble for myself?” Your smile drops, and your words come out more annoyed than you would have wanted, bitter.

Shuu just squeezes you tighter, presses his head into the crook of your neck, and bites down.

Pain shoots through you like fire, burning every nerve that it hits. You jerk, nails digging into Shuu’s arm as you struggle to stay still. As much as you want to hit him, you have the feeling it would end badly.

The bite hurts, but it’s bearable, and you almost laugh at the idea that this is the worst their fangs can do. You can take this. You’ll make it.

You get increasingly lightheaded as Shuu drains you, lapping at the fresh wound with a cold tongue. Fists clenching in his jacket, you resist the urge to shove him off of you. After the initial rush of pain, all you’re feeling is a dull ache, easily manageable, and whatever fear you might have felt is replaced with annoyance when Shuu keeps feeding from you.

Eventually, he pulls away. One last lick at your neck, and he’s backing off, grip on you not loosening a bit. His tongue flicks out over his lips, and he grins with something like smugness, superiority in his eyes.

“It’s nice to have such easy prey. For once, I’ve got a girl who doesn’t try to struggle…” he murmurs, hand tightening on the small of your back.

“So, are you afraid yet?” His cool breath tickles your neck.

“No, I’m not,” you say bluntly. You can feel the way Shuu freezes.

“You’re a weird one,” he says, something unidentifiable in his tone. “Whatever. It’s not like it’s my problem if you’re not afraid of us. You’ll get yourself killed all on your own if you keep that up.”

With that, he shuts his eyes again and goes back to ignoring you. You raise your hand, feel blood at your neck, and barely hold back a glare.

Since it appears that you’ve been dismissed, you get up and leave, forcing yourself to ignore the way the bite wound throbs. It doesn’t hurt that bad. You can take it. You’re still not afraid, and now you know exactly what the monsters you’re stuck with will do to you when they feed.

With nothing else to do, you go back to your room. You find the way well enough, remembering what paths you took through the mansion.

The pink room is as unwelcoming as ever, and even as you flop down on the bed, you feel vaguely uncomfortable. There’s still annoyance running through you, and in a moment of frustration, you punch one of the pillows.

It doesn’t make you feel any better.

More than ever, you’re reminded that you’re stuck here with six monsters, left as little more than a blood bag and forced victim of their whims. A headache pounds at your temples, some combination of anger and exhaustion making every part of you ache. It’s disgusting.

Each one of them seems to be terrible in his own way, and if even the lazy one is willing to drag you down and bite, you can only imagine what the others are going to be like. The very thought is almost sickening.

Well, it’s not like there’s anything you can do about it. You’re not exactly unbothered, but it’s not like you can’t handle it.

You settle in underneath the heavy covers of the pink bed. You’re still feeling lightheaded, and at this point, you think a nap will do you good. Considering the blood loss, you’d be willing to bet that you need one. Who knows when you’ll be bitten again, when you’ll wind up even more drained.

When you fall asleep, it’s a little more like passing out than resting, a deep, unpleasant sleep taking you within minutes.

…

There’s someone standing over you when you wake up, and it take everything you have not to bolt upright and punch them.

Instead, you take a deep breath, open your eyes, and look up at Reiji standing there, a glare on his face. You almost feel yourself sigh. You do not want to deal with this again, not another one of them so soon.

You sit up and meet his eyes. “Can I help you?” you ask, still trying to be polite, even through the exhaustion weighing you down.

Reiji makes a disgusted face, one eyebrow crooking up in obvious contempt. “That is not the proper way to greet someone,” he says, looking at you like you’re stupid, and you bristle a bit. You’d sort of forgotten how annoying this one’s ego could be, and you still don’t like it.

You bite your lip to prevent yourself from saying anything rude and stay quiet. You don’t think you can open your mouth without snapping at him, and you’re well aware that that would just get you into trouble.

“On your feet, now,” Reiji orders with a condescending tone. “I expect you to be upright and paying attention when I speak to you.”

Reluctantly, you stand up, forcing your face into something that isn’t obviously annoyed. When you’d talked to Reiji before, he didn’t seem so bad, but you’re starting to realize that he’s as much of a pain as the rest.

Once you’re up, Reiji’s eyes immediately flicker to your neck.

“I see you’ve already allowed yourself to be bitten. How unseemly. It’s only been a day, and you’re throwing yourself at one of my brothers,” he says, and you feel your patience snap. He’s absolutely infuriating.

“I didn’t throw myself at anyone,” you say, meeting his gaze without a flinch. Reiji’s eyes narrow, and you feel like you may have made a mistake.

“How brave of you. I wouldn’t have expected you to be so foolish as to talk back to me, and yet, you have surpassed my expectations for human stupidity,” Reiji’s tone is dripping with disdain, and his words are the harshest you’ve heard from him yet. “That sort of behavior will have to be dealt with. I will not tolerate such rudeness from a mere human girl.”

He steps forward, and places one cool hand against your chin, tilting your head and taking in what he surely expects to be a terrified expression. You do your best not to glare, to not do anything that will anger him more.

Suddenly, Reiji’s expression changes.

“Ah, I see you’ve been associating with the good-for-nothing.” His voice is lower than before, something dangerous in his tone.

You can tell that if you press right now, you’ll get yourself into more trouble than you want. You’re very aware that you’re living with monsters, and one wrong move could cost you your life around them.

There’s something very wrong in this situation, in the way Reiji’s looking at you, and despite all better instincts, you make a split-second decision to stand up for yourself. You stay where you are, meet his gaze, and refuse to falter, keeping your posture as assertive as you can.

You don’t say anything, just wait for Reiji to make the next move. He seems to be analyzing your response. Perhaps waiting for you to act.

After a moment, Reiji turns away. The motion, on the surface, looks like some kind of surrender, but you know better. It’s calculated, trying to set you off your guard and make you think you’ve won.

“I see you are rather fearless,” he says, a note of irritation barely perceptible in his voice. “How impressive.” His voice is condescending, measured, and you tense. “This conversation will be continued at a later date. Come to the third floor study later tonight. You will be expected to be there, so I would not recommend trying to ignore me.”

It’s a trap. You can tell from the way Reiji is talking that he’s plotting something, and you don’t like it. Who knows what he’ll try.

Even so, you don’t really see how you can refuse. You don’t imagine that Reiji would take it well if you outright tell him know. You’re going to have to face whatever he comes up with. Once again, annoyance boils in your veins. He really does think he can do whatever he wants to you.

Reiji leaves, and you’re left alone in your room, wondering what he’s going to try to do to you. You’re vaguely disgusted, more annoyed than anything, and sort of wishing you could just have told him to fuck off.

Yeah, like you’d ever survive that one.

Even though you still feel tired, still feel the exhaustion of blood loss weighing you down, you decide to take another walk around the mansion.

You probably need to calm down before you have to deal with Reiji again, before you have to willingly walk into what you know is a trap. The more you think about it, the more angry you feel.

That walk had better do your temper some good.

…

The third floor study isn’t hard to find. You feel like you’ve been figuring out the layout of the mansion already, and it’s not a struggle to track down the room that Reiji ordered you to come to.

As you stand outside the door, knowing that Reiji can tell you’re there, you take a deep breath, praying that you won’t do anything stupid.

Forcing your expression into something neutral, something that doesn’t betray how badly you wish you could leave, you push open the door and step inside. You know this is going to be a mistake already.

Immediately, a chemical scent hits you. The room appears to be normal, as richly furnished as anywhere else in the house, mostly composed of a wall of bookshelves and a few soft-looking chairs. There’s something ominous in the air, though, and when you notice Reiji sitting stiffly in one of the chairs facing the door, that feeling of dread only increases.

There’s tea in front of him; two cups, steaming. You understand instantly what he’s going to try to do to you.

That tea is, without a doubt, laced with something.

Reiji orders you to have a seat, and you obey, sitting opposite him in a position that leaves you unable to see much of the room but him. You force yourself not to make a face that will give away how irritated you are.

“I see you’re relatively on time,” Reiji says, and there’s open disdain in his voice. “Your punctuality will have to be improved, understand? I have no tolerance for things that are not perfect.” It’s arrogant. He’s arrogant. You wish you could smack the smug look right off his impassive face.

“Mhmm,” you say instead, “I’ll try to do better next time.”

You’re faking, containing yourself through willpower alone, and when Reiji’s mouth crooks into a little smirk, you can feel your eye twitch.

“Good. Compliance is to your benefit, in this house. Now, please have some tea. I was kind enough to make you a portion as well, you understand.” Reiji picks up his own cup and has a sip, as if to show you that there’s nothing wrong with it. You’re well aware that it’s a ruse.

You decide then and there that you’re going to meet whatever he has planned for you head on. You lift your own cup to your lips with no fear.

The tea tastes exactly how you would have expected; chemical and harsh, even through the soft aroma it gives off. The taste slides down over your tongue, making your lips tingle, and you swallow it willingly.

It’s not like you can back out. He’ll hurt you regardless of what you do, and you’ll at least be able to live with yourself if you face it.

Reiji keeps talking, saying something more about your manners, or lack thereof, and you focus on the way your head starts to spin. It’s probably not poison in the tea. You don’t expect Reiji to kill you off so easily, but whatever it is is likely some kind of unpleasant drug to make you suffer.

There’s a numb feeling creeping over your limbs, through your head. It doesn’t hurt, which you take as a good sign, but it’s worrying nonetheless. Your best guess is that Reiji wants to see you squirm before something.

“Are you feeling alright?” Reiji asks, and you can hear the mockery in his tone. You wish you could shrug off the drug just to spite him.

“I know you drugged it,” you reply, but your tongue feels like lead in your mouth. A flash of something almost like surprise flashes through Reiji’s eyes. You imagine that not many people have figured him out so quickly.

“And yet you still drank it,” Reiji smirks, as if you had any kind of choice. “What a foolish girl you are. Did you expect I’d stop you? Save you? Of course not. You will serve as a fine test subject for what I’ve been working on. Let’s just hope it doesn’t kill you too quickly.”

He’s bluffing. You can tell already. Reiji’s words are cruel, but his voice lacks the venom that would be there if he really intended to end you.

Your mouth has gone completely numb, your body flopping against the chair like a rag doll. You want to reply to him, but you can’t make any part of you work, so instead, you take a breath and let yourself relax.

What’s going to happen next will hurt, but you can take it.

Reiji stands, crosses the couple steps to be beside you, and looks down at you with something almost predatory. He’s trying to be frightening. It isn’t working. All you feel is anger at his arrogance, fury that makes you wish you could stand up and slap the smirk off his face. He’s not going to scare you, no matter what kinds of tricks and torment he tries.

One cold hand closes around your wrist, dragging you out of the chair with surprising strength. Reiji hauls you to your feet like you weigh nothing. Your legs shake, unable to hold your weight, and you dangle from his grip.

“How pathetic. You can’t even stand. I suppose it’s not so easy to face me now, is it?” Gross. He really thinks he’s going to scare you like this? “I warned you that compliance will be vital in this household, and trying to assert yourself was a truly unwise decision on your part.”

He tugs you to his chest, moving your limp body with ease. You swallow fury and wish you could spit in his smug face.

Supporting you with ease, Reiji leans down. You know what’s coming long before fangs sink into the soft skin of your neck. The pain is familiar, no different than when Shuu bit you, and once again, it’s bearable.

Reiji seems to assume that you’re too drugged to respond. He laughs against your neck, muttering something about how pathetic you are when you’re helpless before him. He bites again, a bit further up, and again, finally settling on the third wound. You can feel yourself being drained.

There’s blood dripping down your neck, a cold tongue on your skin, and a numbness all through you that blocks out everything but the pain.

You’re getting dizzy, and not just from the drug.

“I expect you to never approach that good-for-nothing again,” Reiji finally says, voice against your skin. “He’s a poor influence, and I will not tolerate any association with him.” You notice something as he speaks.

There’s something off in Reiji’s voice, something almost unstable. Perhaps this is some kind of weak point for him, something raw?
It’s the first weakness you’ve seen from him yet.

Reiji feeds from you until your head is spinning. You imagine that he’s trying to make it hurt. His fangs are painful, but you can withstand it. He’s going to have to try harder than this if he wants you to break.

When he’s finally done, he drops you, abruptly allowing your body to crumple to the floor. Hard wood hits your knees, your stomach, your head, and you would wince if you could move. Reiji looks down at you with confidence, as if he’s certain he’s just shattered you. There’s blood around his mouth, ruining the composed image he’s surely trying for.

You’re starting to feel a little less numb, you realize. You did only have one swallow of the tea, and it’s possible that the drug is starting wear off already. Twitching your fingers, you realize that you can move again.

“How unseemly,” Reiji says, nudging you with one polished shoe. “You look quite pathetic like this, you know. This is why we’ll have to work on your manners some, so that things like this don’t have to happen again.” Disgusting. He really thinks that this is going to give him control.

You swallow, try to feel how much you can move. More and more control is returning to you with every passing moment.

You sit up, then stand, forcing yourself to feet with willpower alone. Reiji takes a step back, and you wonder if you’re actually surprising him. Once on your feet, you meet his eyes, muster all the resistance you have.

“Is this the worst you can do to me?”

For a fraction of a second, Reiji’s eyes widen. You stare him down, allowing anger to seep into your gaze.

It’s unlikely that he’s ever had prey that fought back as much as you. You would guess that he’s caught at least a little off guard. From his behavior alone, you can assume that he’s used to being in control. What a shame that his tactics aren’t going to make you cower.

Something in Reiji’s face twitches. He’s annoyed, you can tell. “Very well,” he says, biting out the words. “We’ll see if that attitude of yours lasts. You may return to your room. Hopefully, you’ve learned something today.”

Oh, you have. You’ve learned for a fact that these vampires can’t scare you. You’re starting to think that this has been a legitimate effort to do so.

When you leave the room, you force yourself not to shake. You’re not going to show any weakness in front of Reiji, not after what he tried. Blood is pooling at the wounds on your neck, hot and sticky on your skin.  

You walk back to your room fuming. The longer what Reiji did to you sinks in, the more infuriated you feel. When you think of how many people he must have tried this on, you wish you could have done something back to him. If you could have gotten away with it, you probably would have.

The door to your room shuts behind you, and you finally allow yourself to stumble. You feel drained, empty, and pain throbs through every wound.

You flop back onto your bed, curling up a bit and breathing deep.

You’re going to make it. You’re not going to break. Even if it kills you, you’re going to stand up to Reiji and the rest of them Even if it means you have to do it with your dying breath.

Thinking of the self-assured smirk on Reiji’s face, of the note in his voice when he spoke of Shuu, of drugged tea and cowardly, manipulative tactics meant to scare you into compliance, you fall asleep, more passing out than anything.

This isn’t going to be the end.