Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If Victor had learned one thing in his life, it was that you had to live up to expectations. And if you didn’t? Get pretty damn good at pretending to.

Or just don’t and live with it. Either way works.

As a Daywalker, and Son of the Commander, “Living up to Expectations” was kind of his life. Except it wasn’t. Because he, never had, and probably never would, live up to expectations.

Don’t get him wrong! He wasn’t a total failure. He still showed up to lessons, he was very good at martial arts, he went to (most) council meetings, and he hardly ever skipped school.

His problem? Well. “Good enough” was not good enough. Not in his family, and certainly not for the the future commander.

Since he’d been born, his dad had been trying to prepare him for the role. But ever since his mom died, the “preparing” had started feeling less like father-son bonding, and more like “father-yells-at-son-for-being-failure” bonding.

Did this make him spiteful? Of course. But there was always a part of him, that just wanted to make his dad proud, no matter how much he hid behind a confident mask.

The truth was, being the commander wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to leave.

And not just like, the border. He wanted to leave Sunnyside, to explore the world out there, that everyone was to scared to be a part of.

But for a commanders son? The dream of leaving? Might as well have been a shot in the metaphorical dark.

He wasn’t going anywhere.

So he would do his best. He would sit through lessons, he would always be told he wasn’t doing enough, and then would spend afternoons drawing the place he would never see, longing to leave.

Hooray for that.

Currently? It was a day in early June, and he was on the beach running training maneuvers with Ray and some of the younger Daywalkers.

He was sparring with another boy his age, but he was clearly outdoing him.

Say what you want about him, but he could fight.

Suddenly, Ray appeared next to them.

“Hey man, let me swap.” He said to the boy Victor was fighting. The boy nodded, before leaving.

Victor snorted, and got back into fighting stance as Ray took the boys spot.

“Trying to get your ass kicked?” Victor asked, throwing a punch. Ray snorted, blocking with his arm.

“You wish Golden boy. Just trying to help out a friend.” Ray said, sweeping a leg to try and knock him over, that Victor jumped over.

“Sure man. As if you could beat me.”

Ray laughed, and they sparred in silence for a few more minutes.

Ray and him had grown up together, since his dad was on the council. He was one of the few people who could occasionally beat Victor. And probably one of the only other people who had almost as many responsibilities as Victor did.

Maybe that’s why they got along.

“I spoke to madam Aelia this morning,” Ray prodded after a few minutes. He seemed to be waiting for Victors response, but when he didn’t give one he continued.

“She said you never showed up for your lesson yesterday.” Ray said. Victor just snorted under his breath, and Ray noticed and sighed.

“You can’t keep skipping class man. You have enough people scrutinizing you as it is, with your Dad as the commander. especially since you have… that.” He said, gesturing to his hair. Victor snorted.

“It’s a hair color, not a medical condition.” Victor said, throwing another punch. Ray sighed, giving him a look.

“You know what I mean.” He said.

And Victor did know what he meant. Didn’t mean he had to acknowledge it.

The thing was, that all Daywalkers had streaks of gold in their hair. It was a thing. And so did Victor.
But his actual hair color? Black. Not dark brown, not light brown.

Jet black.

Now, medically there wasn’t anything wrong with this. He was perfectly healthy, with all the same powers and abilities as other Daywalkers. But he had black hair. Most Daywalkers had a variation of blonde or dirty blonde hair, and if their hair was brown, it was a very light shade of brown, like Ray.

Not Victor. And it was because of this small imperfection, that many people believed his natural recklessness and disregard for the rules, was a genetic thing, and something was actually wrong with him. That it was the reason he was a failure or something.

Bullshit, in his opinion. Didn’t stop people from feeling that way.

“So what if I didn’t show up for her lesson.” Victor said, his punch landing slightly harder.

“It’s not like her lessons actually teach me anything I don’t already know. And I was busy.” He said. Ray scoffed.

“Doing what? Drawing on the roof again?” He asked sarcastically. Victor chose not answer this, and instead stopped sparring, clapping his hands together for everyone to hear.

“Alright good job everybody! Remember, put your whole body into it right it in the fangs!” He yelled, demonstrating, which everyone repeated.

“We’ve got to be prepared right?” He said to the older kids.

“Our blood fruit is dying, and we’ve got to find more if we’re gonna survive. So, back to it!” He said, clapping again, and everyone resumed their sparring.

A young girl he knew, named Aria, came up to him, tugging on his pant leg. he knelt down to her level.

“Why do I have to learn this if I’m not even allowed to go?” She asked, her big brown eyes questioning. He smiled at her.

“So you can protect the town while we’re away hotshot.” He said with a laugh. Then he held his arms out, and she hugged him with a small laugh.

He smiled at the little girls enthusiasm, her small frame squeezing him tightly.

But just then, he felt a familiar flash behind his vision, and he was suddenly pulled into a vision of something.

Crap, not right now, he thought.

But once again, he saw the familiar face of a girl, probably his age, with long red streaks in her hair, blue eyes, and red and black clothing. She was up in the clouds again, smiling at something. But before he could fully try to see what it was, a voice broke through his vision.

“Victor!” The voice said. Recognizing who it was, he stood up immediately, and turned around to see his father standing there.

“I asked you to run training maneuvers with the new recruits, and I find you doing what exactly?” He said, looking around.

“Uh… a little self reflection?” He said, phrasing it more like a question. His dad sighed, and gestured for him to come with him.

“Come with me, I have something to talk with you about.”

And Victor sighed, and followed him, because he had to.

After all, The commander makes the rules.

———————————————————————

“Victor we don’t have time for your visions,” Commander bright said, leading him through the town square.

“If out orchards are dying, the vampires may be too. They’ll destroy us to get that last fruit.” He said, looking around at the people preparing to leave.

Victor sighed, already dreading the response to his question, and said,

“Dad… how much longer can we live in fear of people we’ve never even seen?” Victor asked, as they came to a stop near the lightstone.

Victor was thinking of his visions again. He had been having them for a little over a year, and he wasn’t sure who the girl was. Still, she clearly wasn’t a Daywalker, and if his father was so set on hating every other race, he doubted he would ever find out who or what she was.

His dad turned to him, a cold disappointed look in his eyes.

“As long as I’m in charge. I know what it takes to keep our people safe. And if you want to lead one day, you’ll follow my lead.” He said, narrowing his eyes at Victor.

“I don’t,” Victor mumbled under his breath, quiet enough that the commander wouldn’t hear it.

“Victor.” He snapped, making him whip his head up.

“Can I count on you?” He asked, his tone sounding unsure. Victor straightened his shoulders and nodded.

“You can dad. I won’t let you down.”

His father nodded, like that was an acceptable answer. Before he could start another lecture on discipline, a familiar figure ran up to them.

“Ray. Great.” Victor sighed, earning him an elbow in the ribs from Ray.

“I heard we’re short on recruits to pick bloodfruit.” Ray said, turning to the commander.

“Wanted to make sure I’m up front where the action is. Any of those vampires mess with us, they’re toast. Courtesy of Ray.” He said, saluting Victors dad.

“Ah.” Victor said, trying to keep in a laugh.

“Ray.” The commander said, looking at him skeptically.

“You will follow my orders, understood?” He asked.

“Absolutely Commander bright. Good thinking!” He said, straightening himself. Victor snorted,

“Kiss ass.” He mumbled. His father gave him a sharp look, before asking him.

“You want to do the honors?”

But Victor just shook his head, gesturing for him to go ahead. As his father went to go rally the others, Victor slung an arm around Rays shoulders, laughing slightly.

“Real smooth dude.” He snorted. Ray scoffed, shoving his shoulder.

“Shut up.”

Victor laughed, as they walked towards where everyone else was prepping to leave.

As they got ready, his mind wandered to the girl again.

Who was she? And whoever she was, why was he having visions of her?

It didn’t make any sense. But all he knew was that if he ever wanted any chance to meet her, his first step would need to be leaving Sunnyside, and his only chance to do that was today.

So as they got the wagons ready and started to venture out towards the border, he couldn’t stop the smile on his face.

Because maybe, just maybe, today was the day he finally got answers.

Maybe, today was the day he finally would understand.

Chapter Text

Nova was late.

Not even just a little late. Like, oh my gosh you are going to miss the crew leaving late.

She flew back home, and to the Streets where she know that Vera and Vargas were waiting for her with the rest of the crew.

Of all the days to be late, today was not it. It was th day of the harvest, and the first time she would ever be leaving Shadyside. Which was very scary and made her aunt almost sickeningly worried for her. It’s not like they had another option though.

Novas Auntie Victoria had been taking care of her for the last 9 years, ever since her parents died. She was 6 at the time, and they had been assasinated by some radicals in their home.

Once they died, her aunt had taken over as the Eldress and she had been left with her. She was the only family Nova had left.

She had raised her as best as she was able, but she had put her in leadership training much younger than was normal. Novas theory was that her parents death had scared her, and she wanted Nova to be ready for anything.

She loved her aunt, and she understood her reasoning. But ever since the orchard started dying, she had been tightening the noose on the leadership preparations. Nova had to admit, it was a little overwhelming.

She had been sitting on the edge of the cliffs, overlooking the moonlit ocean that bordered the town she grew up in.

And, she had been thinking about her dreams.

She didn’t really know how to explain it. But every time she closed her eyes, she would have dreams. Not always the same one, but the same person.

It always showed a boy, who looked about her age, and had golden streaks in his hair. Most of the time he was doing some sort of martial arts training, or he was scribbling in a small black notebook. She never really knew who he was, just that he was always kind of… there.

He has white gold and red clothing, brown eyes, and dark hair. If it weren’t for that small detail, she would have thought he might be a Daywalker. But as far as she knew Daywalkers usually had light hair.

Then again, she wasn’t one to judge.

She herself had long blonde hair. Which in the case of a vampire was extremely uncommon. Most vampires had dark brown or black hair. According to doctors, she was completely fine, and they suspected that she just had a genetic anomaly. Although where a genetic anomaly like that had come from in a long line of noble blood, nobody knew. The bright golden shade of her hair had earned her one thing though.

Her name.

She hadn’t realized how much time had gone by, when she felt the buz of her phone and Vera asking her where she was.

“Shit.” She mumbled, standing up, and dusting off her pants before flying back.

She was worried as she dropped back into town, the dark town twinkling beneath her.

Despite her hustle to get back to her friends, she couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

She really did love her town. She wanted to protect it at all costs, despite how much pressure it put on her. She wanted to be the Eldress.

She dashed through the streets, people ducking when a blur of wind passed them. She felt slightly bad, but she needed to get to the crew before they left. When she saw her friends, she immediately ran over, almost tripping into Vera.

“Nova!” she said exasperatedly, as Nova dusted herself off.

“One of my better landings.” she said with a laugh. Vera rolled her eyes as Vargas let out a laugh.

“I thought you were supposed to be our next leader. You cant keep running off like that.” she said. Nova rolled her eyes, digging around in her bag.

“Relax. I am your next leader, and because of that, I need time to myself for scheming. Besides, i got you something to make up for it!” she said, pulling a red fruit from her bag.

Her friends eyes lit up, and Vera snatched it from her hands.

“Bloodfruit!” Vargas said excitedly.

“Aw you got me a gift.” vera said, about to peel the skin back. Nova snatched the fruit back with a laugh.
“I got this for the three of us. To celebrate! We might finally have a way to save everyone!” she said excitedly. Vera scoffed.

“Are you kidding? Everyone is terrified.” she said. Vargas nodded, chiming in.

“No one wants to leave Shadyside.”

Nova nodded with a sigh.

“I mean I guess. But we need to do this for everyone! Besides, you're not even a little bit curious about what the day looks like?” she asked.

“No!” Vera said, at the same time Vargas said “Yes.”

Vera glared at the two of them just as Nova and Vargas burst out laughing.

“Hilarious.” she said, rolling her eyes and snatching the fruit back.

“By the way, the eldress was looking for you.” she said casually. Novas eyes widened.

“Vera! Why didn't you tell me?” she exclaimed, looking around the town center for her aunt. Vera shrugged.

“You didn't ask.”

Nova gave her a look, before gesturing to the fruit in her hand.

“You guys keep that. I'll catch up with you later!” she called, running off to where her aunt was assembling a crew near the front.

Vere and Vargas called a goodbye as Nova ran to go find her aunt. Generally speaking, if anyone ignored a summons from the Vampire eldress, you were going to get in a lot of trouble. She used to extend more leniency for her niece, but since she turned 15 there wasn't as much of that. After all, if she was the leader of her people she needed to be able to arrive somewhere on time.

She came up to her aunt, who was discussing something with Vera father. When she saw her niece approach, she waved him off and met her as nova stopped in front of her.

“Good to see you made it on time.” Her aunt said. Nova winced, rubbing her wrist.

“Sorry Auntie, I got… sidetracked.” she said. Her aunt gave her a look.

“You have to be more careful Nova.” she said. She hung her head slightly. Her aunt sighed, then put a hand on her shoulder, smiling slightly.

“I’m glad you made it. I have a lot to show you.” she said, guiding Nova around the yars. She pointed out all the different people designated to go, and what different supplies were being used for. Occasionally, she would ask Nova a question, then smile at her quick responses, Nova couldn't lie, it felt good for her aunt to see how hard she was trying. How hard she worked. It made her feel like she might be cut out for this job after all.

They finished loading up, and her aunt turned to her, smiling.

“Im impressed Nova. You've clearly been studying. I can tell you are ready for this.” she said. Nova beamed back, bright as her name sake, and hugged her aunt.

“Thank you auntie.” she said softly. Her aunt squeezed her back gently. She almost felt teary, because this woman had raised her for most of her life. Her pride and approval mant everything to her. And just as she thought that, her aunt whispered back into her ear.

“I'm proud of you Supernova.”

And that? That was what her mom called her. That was everything.

She drew back, still smiling, and her aunt met her gaze in a similar fashion.

“You care to do the honors?” her aunt asked. She smiled back, running up to the platform, and standing high up on it.

“Vampires!” she called out.

“It's time to save Shadyside. The harvest is upon us!”

A collective cheer erupted from the crowd, and she smiled as she saw her friends whistling form the back. And as they began to leave, Nova felt hopeful. About saving her people, finding the orchard, even discovering the mysterious boy she had visions of.

After all, what could go wrong now?

Chapter Text

Victor wasn't sure what to expect upon reaching the border. He had only ever tried to get close to it once, and as you might expect that went poorly. He still shuddered thinking of the time he had to clean the bathroom with a toothbrush.

But what he had not been expecting, was a tall boy in green clothing with green hair, stumbling onto the coast

He held out his arms, yelling and waited, as the figure stumbled closer.

“Hi! Hello!” he called, coming closer. Victor tensed, as he and his friends got into a defensive stance.

“I’m Zed! Uh, I was wondering if you had a mechanic I could use-?” he was saying.

“Vampire!” someone called out behind him, as others followed suit. One of the first things they learned about vampires was that they would use random excuses to deceive you. Mechanics? Seriously?

They all ran forward, ready to fight, and the guys eyes widened, yelling out,

“Oh,wow, waitwaitwait chill, chill!” he was saying, but before he could get the rest of it, Victor kicked him squarely in the chest, causing him to practically fly backwards with a squawk.

Victor stood there, momentarily defensive as the guy stumbled upwards, trying to right himself.

“Okay Vampire. Talk.” He said, trying to sound threatening. But honestly? It was mostly for show. There was almost no threat in him being there, and he didn’t even look like a vampire. Still, he’d rather not risk his dads wrath.

“Wha- what? I’m not a vampire, I’m a zombie.” He said, confusion entering his tone.

“How did you even get in here?” He asked in confusion, trying to figure out what the heck was going on.

“I-I don’t know. I don’t know, I was driving, then my Z-band went crazy, and all of a sudden-“

Then, Ray lifted his gauntlet, summoning a fireball.

“You’re the guest of honor at the Daywalker barbecue, he said, readying to throw it at him. But before he could, Victor grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

“Ray. Stand down.” He said, turning back to the zombie, with a curious look.

Ray glared at him.

“Victor,” he hissed, trying to not-so-subtly gesture towards his father. But Victor just shook his head, looking back.

“I want to see what’s going on.” He said slowly, his eyes roving over the boy.

Then, all of a sudden, the commander started to come towards them, as the zombie boy shrank away, in visible relief.

“Shit.” Victor muttered under his breath.

“Commander.” Ray said, straightening, and glaring at the stranger.

“How do we know this… thing. Isn’t a vampire spy.” He said. His father turned to him, a disappointed look in his eye.

“Victor,” he said, his tone clipped, and he tried not to flinch at the tone.

“I hope you have a good reason that this intruder wasn’t immediately destroyed.” He said, his gaze accusatory. Victor inhaled heavily, trying to muster up enough courage for what he was about to do.

“Father. I don't think he’s a vampire.” He said, his voice certain. His father raised a questioning brow, his gaze hard and frustrated.

Kill first, ask questions later.

“Zombie.” Victor said, Turning to said intruder

“Smile.” He ordered. Immediately, the Zombies face broke out into a forced grin, putting his teeth fully on display. His fang-less, normal teeth.

“See? No fangs.” He said, trying to sound sure of himself.

“Yeah, yeah for sure, no fangs. Does this mean I can stop smiling?” He asked. Victor gave him a sharp glare, and he stepped back, looking chastised.

“We could use another recruit.” He said hopefully, looking at his father. The man studied him for a minute, his expression unreadable.

“Fine.” He said, stepping forward.

“He’s your responsibility. But if anything bad happens…” he said, his words trailing off menacingly. He swallowed, and nodded stiffly.

“I understand father.”

He nodded once, before returning to his group of advisors, and the other teens pushed past Victor and the Zombie guy, Ray shoving his shoulder.

He glared at the back of his friend who was leaving, as he bent down to pick up the sketchbook that fell out of his pocket.

“Wow. Who’s that?” The guy asked, looking at the sketch of the girl that the book had fallen open to.

“No one.” He said, putting it in his pocket hurriedly. The guy gave him a look, and he sighed.

“I’m not sure. Someone I dream about.” He said, looking out wistfully. The guys nodded, as if that made sense.

“Well thank you. You really saved me back there.” He said, with a smile, holding out his hand.

“Zed.”

Victor smiled, taking his hand and shaking it.

“I stuck my neck out for you. Victor.”

He dropped his hand, and sighed, looking back at the caravan of people.

“But, enough about me. Shall we join the parade?” He said, looking back at Zed. But before the zombie could even answer, he was dragging him back to the group, trying to mentally prepare for the amount of scolding he was about to get.

———————————————————————

Nova was honestly a little distracted as she headed towards the unknown.

Obviously, she was mildly excited. She finally had a way she might be able to help her people! But on the other hand. She had no idea what was waiting for her on the other side of the barrier.

Vera, who had apparently caught on to her current mood, jogged up next to her, sticking her hands into her pockets.

“Hey.” She said, looking out at the ocean, and the barrier that got closer with every step. Nova gave a light smile.

“Hey.”

Her friend looked over at her, her eyes noting the fidgeting of her hands and the rigidness of her posture.

“What’s got you so tense?” She asked, her tone light, but her eyes were more serious.

“I’m fine, it’s nothing.” Nova said, brushing it off as she always did. Vera rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything else as they walked in silence for a few minutes.

“Where did you go earlier?” Vera asked finally, giving her a sidelong glance. Nova tensed slightly, before trying to casually respond.

“The cliffs.” She said finally, trying to sound normal. But Vera smirked, like she knew something.

“So something big was on your mind.” She said. Nova didn’t respond, but the silence was answer enough. Vera seemed to hesitate, before asking.

“Was it another dream?”

Nova tensed, not knowing how to respond. She had told Vera about her strange dreams of boy a few months ago, but she didn’t know all the details. Didn’t know that the dreams were now practically every night.

Didn’t know, that Nova had a suspicion of who, (or rather, what) he was, based on the light streaks of gold hair, and the golden sheen in his soft brown eyes.

Still, she knew enough to know it was bugging her.

“Yes.” She finally said, her eyes glancing outward.

“I guess I just don’t know what to do. I don’t know what they mean, or what message they are trying to send.” She sighed, glancing down at her hands.

“I have too much at stake right now, I can’t let this distract me.” She said with frustration, angry tears threatening to build in her eyes.

Vera hesitated, before placing a hand on her friends shoulder.

“I get it. It’s okay, we’ll… figure something out.” She said. Nova glanced up at her.

“In the meantime, we’ll focus on saving our people. Then, we can deal with your existential crisis.” Vera said, some of her dry wit sneaking its way into her voice. Nova laughed a little, the humor felling familiar.

Maybe she was a bit… cold at times. But at the end of the day, she really was glad to have Vera.

They walked for a bit longer after that, the moon lowering in the sky, and the light shade of twilight taking over. Nova fell behind her friends slightly as they talked, lost in her own thoughts.

Just then, a girl came running down the side of the hill. She was wearing a royal blue and pink romper, and had blue and blonde hair. She looked around confused, before turning to the vampires.

She smiled, waving a hand in greeting when she spotted them.

“Hi! Am I glad to see you!” She said excitedly. And as she waved, a gem on a bracelet contraption sparked and glowed. Almost… almost like a-

“Daywalker!” Vera and others yelled, wasting no time to summon a massive tornado of wind, and sending it her way. The girls eyes widened, and she let out a frightened yelp as she was carried into the air.

“What’s happening?” She called out, distress clear in her tone.

Normally, Nova wouldn’t have been against this kind of treatment of outsiders. But something about the way she said it….

Daywalker or not, she wasn’t dangerous. At least she didn’t appear to be.

She was scared.

So, before Nova could talk herself out of it, she rushed forward and summoned a counter wind, dissipating Vera’s tornado and dropping her safely to the ground.

She felt the wind leave her fingertips with some degree of surprise, barely noticing the people she pushed aside. The red faded from her eyes, and she ran to the girl quickly, feeling the others follow her.

“Nova, why would you save this Daywalker?” Vera asked, her tone accusatory.

“No, no I’m not a Daywalker. I’m Addison, I’m a cheerleader!” The girl clarified, smiling excitedly.

All the vampires looked around at each other, equally confused with that statement.

“Thank you,” Addison said, looking at Nova with gratitude.

“Yeah, no problem.” She said distractedly, looking over her strange outfit and hair. Whatever she was, it wasn’t anything from here.

“Nova!” A voice yelled out, and she winced slightly, turning to see her aunt stalk over.

“What is the meaning of all this?” Then, she saw Addison, and her gaze narrowed.

“Who is this creature?” She asked, her tone unamused.

“Um, I-“ she stuttered out, but Vera cut her off.

“We don’t know. She just showed up.” She said, tone just as hard. Her aunt narrowed her eyes, and gestured for the guards.

“Throw her in the dungeon.”

“Wait-“ nova said, stepping forward, just as Addison did the same, holding out a wrist, the small contraption flickering.

“Fire gauntlet, duck!” Vera yelled, but Addison just frantically shook her head.

“No no, it’s a luma lens. I’m part alien.” She said, showing them the star mapped orb.

“Wow.” Nova muttered. Then, she straightened, looking over everyone.

“It’s alright everyone! She’s not a daywalker, she’s a part alien… um…”

“Cheerleader.” Addison supplied with a smile.

“Cheerleader.” Nova said with a smile and a nod.

“Auntie, she could help us. We always need more hands to pick fruit, what good will she do us in the dungeon?” She said, feeling stranger defensively this stranger girl.

Her aunt studied her for a minute, he gaze sharp and enquisitive. Then, a small smile peeked through.

“Fine. She is your responsibility Nova.” She said, and nova gave her a nod. Then, her aunt turned to Addison.

“Congratulations, you’ve been recruited into the vampire army.” She said, her tone sharp, as she moved on.

The rest of the young vamps followed, Vera stopping briefly to put a hand on Novas shoulder, and whisper in her ear.

“I hope you know what you are doing.”

Nova gave her small nod, and her friend moved along. And then, she was left with the strange new girl. Addison.

“Thank you so much for saving me.” She said, stepping forward. Nova nodded, smiling.

“Yeah, of course. You didn’t deserve it.” She said. Addison smiled, then looked back at the rest of the group.

“What all of you kept calling me… what’s a Daywalker? And if you aren’t that… then what exactly are you?” She asked. Nova gave a small grin, her excitement rising.

“It’s easier, if I just… show you. Come on.” She said, slinging and arm around her.

“We have much to tell you.