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[somepoorsoul]

The night is damp and chilly for May, but that has not stopped the university’s young revelers from stumbling about in drunken celebration, even past midnight. Athos only ever comes this far north to visit the stables, and it is strange to be here so late at night, amongst the older, more scattered houses, stuffed full of students nine months out of the year. Outside the university, neighborhoods fall away to countryside fairly quickly; it is no surprise that so many could so easily go missing.

Athos has spoken little during their late-night trek to the edge of campus, thoughts focused, as best he can, on the task at hand. Is he glad that Porthos agreed to come along, or nervous? He still trusts Porthos with his life, and always will, but he fears that the man has been guilted or coerced into this venture. Believing what he does (knowing what he does), why would he follow Athos anywhere?

But they are here now. Athos leans against a lamppost that leaves him half-illuminated. Celebrants are now stumbling home in ones and twos, and fewer of them seem out and about. If the vampires intend to strike tonight, it will likely be soon, now that most students have gone home, leaving the more foolish (and the more drunk) to venture into the darkness alone and vulnerable. He glances at Aramis, their "bait" for the night, and then, briefly, meets Porthos' gaze. “Still up for this?" he asks them both.

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[du_vallon]

Porthos bites back the shout on the tip of his tongue, intending to scream at Athos to be cautious, but he's got people to help. Now that the area is cleared somewhat, he rushes to them to start trying to get them out of their miserable situation. "Easy now," he coaxes. "Shout if I need to kill anything behind me. Athos, Aramis, same goes for you."

[afineseamstress]

Their voices echo down the corridor to him, and Aramis spares a dart of a glance to Porthos' shape moving towards him, someone in his arms. If he can't dispatch these new vampires, Porthos will be leading them from one feeding den to another, and he pulls out his pistol, firing two shots that strike each vampire between the eyes. It's not the sort of noise he wanted to make, but the need was greater than that of discretion.

"Let me see," he says, hurrying forward to examine the woman in Porthos' arms. "Leave her, Athos needs you," he says, helping her down to the floor.

[somepoorsoul]

Even before Athos reaches the top of the stair, other vampires are emerging, surely warmed by the commotion in the basement. Athos fires his pistol at the first one, felling it – he may not be the shot Aramis is, but the distance isn’t far, and he has been learning to use these modern guns – and then throws his knife into a second. “Porthos!” he shouts, for there are more vampires still. He prays that Aramis is doing well enough on his own.

[du_vallon]

Porthos hands off the woman to Aramis and hurries back, sprinting with all his bearing leaning in. He tackles two of the vampires to the ground, struggling when one of them manages to get atop him, but his blade makes quick work. The second, though, isn't quite so eager to go down. "Athos," he calls out. "Could use a shot," he suggests.

[afineseamstress]

"Here, now," Aramis murmurs, doing his best to stay focused on the injured students before him. He's brought his kit and what supplies will fit in it, and he hands each a small bottle filled with water and electrolytes before he examines their bandages, exchanging old, dirty scraps for fresh, clean bindings after he's looked over each wound.

"Here is my phone," he says, handing his mobile to the most alert. "Call for help, I need to make certain my friends are alright." It's easier, now, to contemplate going deeper into the dark knowing that Athos and Porthos are still in the fight. "Does anyone know how to shoot?"

Aramis hands a pistol to the one boy who raises his hand. "These bullets will bring down a vampire, but use them sparingly, and be certain," he says. "I'll return as soon as I can."

And with that, Aramis steels himself and plunges forward into the tunnel, following the sounds of battle.

[somepoorsoul]

Athos is kneeling to yank his knife out of one dead vampire; at Porthos’ call, he turns and fires, smiling grimly as the creature drops to the ground. Though he has always craved danger, he doesn’t like to think of himself as one who gets satisfaction from killing. And yet these monsters, with their evil hungers and soulless tactics, deserve only death. Athos is glad to see them gone from this world, and glad to have been the one to help them along.

The ramshackle building is finally quiet, and no more creatures emerge from the shadows. Slowly he rises to his feet, still too suspicious to declare victory outright, but prepared to say that they may have cleared the nest. “Porthos,” he begins, peering into the room’s dark corners to ensure that no more shapes lurk there, “Go check on Ar-“

Without warning, something tackles him from behind. Athos falls with a shout, his pistol flying out of his hand and skittering across the floor.

[du_vallon]

"Athos!" Porthos shouts in panic, instantly turning away from the dust and corpses left when Athos' weapon goes scattering. He growls, a feral and dangerous thing as he cracks all his knuckles, hauling off the vampire. "Get off my boyfriend," he snaps at the thing, not a hint of mercy in him as he pummels the thing in, its fangs making his knuckles bleed. Finally, when he feels abject pleasure that he's gotten his delights, he drives the stake into its heart, sagging backwards.

"Please tell me that's all of them," he murmurs.

[afineseamstress]

"Yes," says Aramis, arriving breathless from his sprint at the top of the stairs, "Do." He looks between them, going first to Athos' prone form, deciding that if Porthos is upright and able to pulverize vampires with his fists, he's the healthier.

"Are you hurt?" he asks, helping Athos up to lean against Porthos where he can look at them both, eyes sweeping up and down for injury. "I have the children stabilized downstairs, but we must get out of here."

[somepoorsoul]

The fall knocks the breath out of him, but by the time the vampire is dead at Porthos’ hands, and Aramis is pulling him to his feet, Athos is recovered. He nods, carefully feeling his tender skull and finding a bump, but it’s nothing that won’t heal.

“How many are there?” he asks of the children, adding after a beat, “alive?"

[du_vallon]

Porthos wraps his arm around Athos' waist to keep him standing, balancing him in place for Aramis to look after. "I think I saw two or three still moving and well," he says, grave given all the lives they couldn't save. "With luck, no one else will suddenly go missing around this area." He gives Athos a fond look. "You did good, researching this, figuring it out."

[afineseamstress]

Aramis reaches ginger fingers over Athos' scalp, shining his torch in his eyes when he feels a bump. "We shall have matching lumpy heads," he assesses, "But we will survive."

Stepping back, Aramis turns for the stairs. "And there are three conscious, I must check the others for signs of life now that the danger has passed. An ambulance is coming for any survivors. Porthos, do not let him attempt the stairs on his own just yet."

[somepoorsoul]

“I’m fine,” Athos feels the need to call after Aramis as the man descends the stairs. Nevertheless, he is inclined to remain with Porthos, leaning up against him, drinking in his warmth and his kindness. He isn’t sure he deserves either, but he is tired of resisting their call, whatever tensions might still exist between them.

“Tomorrow I will need to telephone the parents of those who were caught by these monsters - the living and the dead. They deserve to know what really happened.” His gaze flickers to Porthos. “Will you help me?"

[du_vallon]

Porthos fusses a little with the hair around that bump on the head, giving himself a chance to inspect it and see how bad it is. He rubs a hand up and down Athos' shoulder for comfort, even if he might not think he needs it. "Of course," he promises. "Only, what is it you think we'll say? The truth about the vampires?"

[afineseamstress]

"Say they were taken by some sort of predator," calls Aramis as he searches through the bodies, his forearm over his nose and mouth. "Heaven knows they bear every sign of it. And the hospital will alert their families that they are alive, at least." It's the calls to the dead children's families that gives Aramis real pause.

Examining still form after form, Aramis eyes are burning with grief and with anger when he stands, holding the ravaged form of a single girl, the only one among them all left alive. He strides with her to where the other victims huddle, not certain she'll even last another hour, let alone until tomorrow, but he won't let her die in this hole.

[somepoorsoul]

“They were taken by some sort of predator.” Athos gently extricates himself from Porthos’ arms, however warm and inviting, in order to descend the stair and help Aramis. The sight below is still too terrible, too wretched. “They should know what sort.” Even if they do not believe us, Athos thinks. Better the truth than the lies the police and hospitals will feed them.

Pausing to give Aramis’ shoulder a squeeze of thanks for all he has done, Athos returns to the narrow passageway, and the opening to blessed fresh air. “Bring them this way,” he says. “I will lift them out."

[du_vallon]

"No," Porthos replies gently, "You won't. You took a good hit to the head and I'm stronger, anyhow," he points out. "You can help me get them out at the top, but I'll do the heavy lifting." It is, after all, what he's best at.

[afineseamstress]

The children are all exhausted, malnourished and bled, and Aramis is beyond grateful for Porthos' strength when they will nearly be dead weight. "Go on," he says to Athos, nodding down at the girl in his arms. Surely it is easiest if Porthos lifts them from below, and Athos pulls from above. "I'll remain here with her until everyone is out."

[somepoorsoul]

Athos’ lips quirk into a long-suffering smile at Porthos’ tone, but he nods. They may be surrounded by misery and death, but by some strange magic, the man’s gentleness after weeks of silence now warms him. He enters the short tunnel and returns to the narrow entryway that gained them access to the basement. There – carefully, quietly – he lifts himself out, lifting his pistol as he scans the trees for any additional vampires that may be lurking. But all is quiet, save for the wind rustling leaves.

“All clear,” he calls back the way he came, putting his pistol away. His sword is still sitting on the ground where he left it, untouched, and he gratefully returns that to his belt as well.

[du_vallon]

It isn't hard to get the children up, but only because Porthos has spent the better part of his time in Darrow getting in the best shape he's been in since the Army. He's still straining by the time he gets to the last of them, grateful when he's able to lift them out and then haul himself out of that small, dingy tunnel. He's exhausted and the light is starting to come up, but for a moment, he just lies on his back.

When he finally feels his breath return to him, he leans over the hole and reaches both arms out to grasp at Aramis. "Up you come," he says, wiggling his fingers in anticipation, craning his head to Athos next. "They're going to be okay, right?"

[afineseamstress]

Aramis spares a moment to enjoy the night air on his cheeks, the open space all around them. He kneels after to check on the unconscious girl, but there is little else he can do now that the EMTs cannot do better.

"Yes," he says, even if he's not certain, "But we must leave before the ambulance comes." Already he can hear the sirens, and while Aramis wouldn't like to be discovered here by any authority, he'd like to be found by his future workmates even less.

[somepoorsoul]

Athos nods grimly in agreement. Though he hates to abandon these sad, huddled youths, he knows they must be absent when the authorities arrive. In a city that refuses to acknowledge the existence of its monsters, they will look guilty themselves if they are found. Damn it all. So many people see Darrow as a place of peace, but its injustices claw at Athos.

But before they depart, he kneels by the lad to whom Aramis offered his gun earlier, still seemingly the most alert of the bunch. “Help will be here soon,” he says. “You only have to look after them a little longer.” He nods, and Athos rises, tipping his head back towards the road.

“Gentlemen."

[du_vallon]

Porthos watches Athos deal with the young ones with a fond smile, sad that they've had to go through this ordeal, but grateful they've saved even a few of them. When Athos is finished his speech, he rights himself and pushes himself to his feet, clapping one hand on each of the men's shoulders, Athos on one side and Aramis the other, leading them onwards.

"Not bad, but I'm worn."

[afineseamstress]

Aramis nods in agreement. Now that the worst is over, his own body aches, both with the pleasant weariness of exertion and bumps and scrapes, and he longs to rest for a while. But he is proud of what they've done, even if he wishes they could have done more, somehow, for those poor students, and pleased with himself for having managed in that tight hole in the ground.

"I could use a long shower," he admits, shaking some dirt from his hair.

[somepoorsoul]

Athos makes a sound of agreement, letting himself lean into Porthos’ shoulder just a little as they walk. Like the other two men, he is tired, but triumphantly so, and entirely whole. Even the ache in his head is beginning to fade to the background. In short, he needs no help standing, but he craves the warmth of Porthos’ arm around his shoulders, after being denied it for weeks. Beneath the remnants of giddy adrenaline, he is still relieved that Porthos is here, that he is smiling, that he does not seem to detest Athos as Athos was sure he now did.

When they are far enough away from the nest to have left it behind for good, when the sirens have faded and the road back to Darrow is in sight, Athos stops and tugs gently on Porthos’ collar, pulling him close for a kiss. Then he offers a tiny curve of a smile. “Since I promised earlier."

[du_vallon]

Porthos melts forward into the kiss, hardly believing that he's still awake. His other hand clenches Aramis' shoulder that much tighter, as if he's still shocked that Athos is kissing him like this. He lets his eyes flutter shut and there's a happy sigh on his lips as he brushes the tip of his nose against Athos'.

"Do I get more of those at home?" he asks, of both men, with hope on his face.