Young Writers Society

Lucas opened his mouth to speak, then closed it a moment later. The prince wasn't exactly wrong, but he also wasn't really right. Lucas wasn't sure about it being a blanket term for that reason, too, but the main one was that he hadn't met anyone else like him before. He knew what humans thought, but humans weren't the ones who should have been determining what term worked best.

"...Yeah," he hesitantly said. He stared down at the ground. "I...also haven't met any other supernatural people before?"

Damn.

He really was alone.

Archie quickly dispelled the concern in his eyes, replacing it with a soft, encouraging smile.

"From what Orvin said, it's possible he may know another vampire, or someone who knows more about them. This could be the perfect place to start."

Lucas hesitated for another moment, then gave a tiny smile of his own.

"I guess it is," he agreed.

He hoped Orvin did know other vampires. Lucas wasn't sure he wanted to meet another vampire. It would be nice knowing someone who could help him understand everything. But Lucas felt awkward admitting he didn't know everything to Archibald, and the prince wasn't even a vampire. How would he feel admitting it to someone who knew more than Lucas ever did?

He shifted his feet, looked up at Archibald, and then went back to staring down at the ground.

Archibald said nothing, for a little while. He stood still, and looked for solace in the sound of rolling waves.

Was this the time? It wasn't the best time. But maybe there never would be a good time.

"I believe I owe you an apology," said Archibald softly.

A fine start. Keep going.

"I failed completely to consider how my decision might have displaced you. I hope you can forgive me for that."

There. That was the important bit.

While he had meant to be considering where he ought to stop talking, Archibald instead found himself fiddling with his ponytail, shifting his eyes from Lucas, to the sea, to Lucas again while he spurted out the rest of his thoughts.

"It must be a lot to ask- a home is no small thing- I'll understand if you want more time but I, I'd like to be friends. If you were still interested."

Lucas's eyes widened at the offer.

A prince was offering to become friends with him. And while some part of him knew that Archibald running away and joining Orvin's crew meant that he was running away from being a prince, too, and wasn't all that royal now as a result, Lucas's head spun at the thought of someone like Archibald wanting to be friends with a carpenter.

...Not that anyone here knew he was one.

Lucas couldn't remember when he had last has a friend. He couldn't remember what friendships were normally like. He knew it probably wasn't normal for a prince to befriend a vampire while standing on a pirate's ship, but it felt right.

He looked up.

He liked the idea of being Archibald's friend.

He liked the idea a lot.

"I...I'd like to be friends, too," Lucas said, and he felt incredibly awkward admitting it. He shifted again and bit his lip out of habit, only remembering he couldn't do that now that he had fangs when said fangs pierced his lip.

"And it's...not the first home I've lost," Lucas admitted. He gave a tiny smile, little droplets of blood on his lip. "It doesn't make leaving easier, but I know I can start over again."

That was quick. Lucas was ready to be friends, just like that. Honestly, Archibald was a little thrown by it. Gratefully so. He looked up at Lucas like a puppy. He was caught off guard, and it showed.

It wasn't even the first home he'd- Lord, he was used to this? That was sort of unsurprising, and that made it so much worse-

Archibald bit his own lip at the same time Lucas did, and was overtaken by surprise and concern when Lucas' lip bled. Without thinking, he took a step towards him.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

He stopped, putting a hand over his mouth. This was a vampire. He could probably heal it, or something. Or was that another ignorant assumption? Damn it!

"Agh, I'm sorry, I don't mean to condescend-"

Archibald sighed.

Lucas didn't realize how concerning his lip bleeding could be until Archibald took a step forward and asked if he was alright.

Lucas, not used to being so close to other people without warning, took a step back. He frantically wiped his lip with the side of his hand. When he looked down at his hand, he saw a small, red smear. He wasn't sure what to do with that had now.

He awkwardly rested his hand at his side.

"You're not being condescending," Lucas quickly said. "I'm alright. I'm..."

He faltered, suddenly feeling sheepish and embarrassed. He looked away with his cheeks warm and red.

"...not used to having fangs."

Archibald paused, confused.

"...How long have you had them for?"

Lucas did the mental math.

"...Six months?" he hesitantly replied. He had tried keeping track of the days, but he had spent more nights up because he couldn't go out easily in the day time. It was easy to lose track of the time.

The siblings talk in hushed whispers. Orvin's lips turned down and his brow furrowed, thinking about how to solve this predicament.

"Do you have any extra blankets stashed in your room? Already checked Polly's closet, none she'd recently stolen." Orthella has the same look on her face, trying to find a solution. Orvin's expression suddenly changes to one of pride.

"They can sleep in my bed."

Orthella looks a little stunned at this. but shrugs after thinking on it a moment

"I suppose that would work, yes."

Orvin walks back over, standing next to Archie and Lucas. "One of the kids got into the laundry and dirtied it all. You two will be sleeping in my bedroom tonight. I have a king bed, so there's plenty of room. I can get us some hot chocolate?"

Orthella, who had been trailing behind, interrupts him. "No hot chocolate. Chocolate before bed can cause nightmares. Ill get you three some tea." Orvin rolls his eyes but doesn't stop her. And she heads below deck to presumably get the promised drink. Orvin gestures for both boys to follow, leading them to the large captains quarters.

Oh. Oh, damn.

Why the hell was Orvin taking so long?

Archie wasn't sure exactly what age he had imagined Lucas to be in vampire years (whatever that might mean) but what he did know is that it was time to stop asking the poor fellow personal questions.

Oh, thank goodness, there he is. Archibald gratefully listened to Orvin's proposition. He faintly raised an eyebrow.

Were I a maiden, thought Archibald, this would give cause to be very suspicious of the Captain about now.

But they were all boys here, so he discarded the thought easily, and followed.

Lucas froze at the offer. Not for the first time that night, Lucas felt like he was having a sexuality crisis. Not in the way that Archibald inevitably would—and not that he knew the prince was blissfully unaware of how not straight he was.

But wasn't sleeping in the same bed a sign of being in a relationship? Lucas thought it was. It could have also been what happened at sleepovers, but Lucas seriously doubted it. He had always had the impression that involved sleeping in different beds.

Lucas took a deep breath and followed Archibald and Orvin into the room.

Lucas awkwardly stood in the doorway.

"I can sleep on the floor," Lucas blurted out.

Lucas looks nervous. Orvin wonders if he's on the same side of the isle as he, the freezing, the awkwardness, the offer, even the look of panic is a familiar flavor. Though it's much more likely to just be the fact he's lived on his own, unfamiliar with human touch and companionship. So Orvin dismisses the idea all together.

Being the way I am is uncommon, stop assuming. He chastises himself.

"There's no need. It's a king sized bed. It should fit us all comfortably."

Lucas eyed the bed. He eyed Orvin and Archibald, and then he eyed the bed again. Orvin wasn't wrong. The bed was big, and could easily fit three people.

He took another deep breath. Maybe he was just overthinking things. But sharing a bed just felt so personal when you were an adult and not a scared little twelve year old. Sharing a bed with two people that were good looking somehow felt even more daunting.

It would fit you even better if there was only two people in it, Lucas thought, but he didn't feel brave enough to voice his response.

"I'm...used to sleeping on the ground," Lucas finally said. "On wood. Because I'm a vampire. And, uh...sleep in a coffin..."

"Sleep on the floor like an animal, when there's room for you on the bed?" said Archie, scandalised.

He wouldn't stand for this. Not at all. Wasn't the whole point of running away to live at sea to let go of ones' prior constraints? The coffin thing, (maybe true?) was such a flimsy excuse, and what was worse, it seemed as though Lucas could tell.

"Nevermind what you're used to, it doesn't feel right to let you single yourself out like that.

If you're worried about the sunlight we can draw the curtains shut, put another blanket over your head, or something. Whatever helps."