Warnings: A little bit of violence. 

Dara

He was going to kill them 

From all the people in this city, from all the victims they could have chosen... they went and messed with that boy. 

Apart from the conversation they had a few days ago, Dara didn’t know a thing about the shorty. He didn’t even know his name. But he felt... Dara didn’t know, he just couldn’t stand the thought of him getting hurt. These people weren’t playing. If their victims gave them what they wanted, they would let that person go. But the other boy wasn’t like that. He would stand up, he knew, he could feel it. From the start he had been stubborn and sarcastic, as if it was his nature to be like that, like he was born to fight back. And that was okay, it was adorable at some point, but now? This wasn’t the right moment for that.  

They could do something horrible to him. They could kill him, just for the heck of it. Their minds were ruined, they were twisted.  

“And you are right here, with them.” 

Dara did a lot of bad things in the past, but he would never kill an innocent. And he wasn't going to let anyone do it on his sight. One thing was robbing some unlucky soul, or harming a person who deserves it. But, doing what they were doing... never. 

He regretted his decision. He shouldn’t have come back. 

He felt the anger piling up. He felt the exhaustion of being day after day with people he absolutely despised. He felt the hate, the disappointment with himself. What the fuck was he doing.  

He growled. 

Dara loved to use magic, but that was something he had to refrain from doing when in others presence. Usually, he would do some small tricks to annoy people, but that was just his nature. He was a fae, after all. They were known for using magic to have a little fun. And it was even more tempting in the human world, having so many humans around who didn’t know a thing about the supernatural beings that surrounded them... it wasn’t easy to restrain himself. 

And when he reached that point when everything became too much? When a little drop made the glass overflow? When he couldn’t hold back his feelings, his hatred, his insecurities... his power? 

Then, he turned into the Dara that everyone talked about.  

The first guy that noticed was the one holding the petrified victim. He held the knife on his hand with pride, after all it was the proof of his courage and power over someone else’s life. And they loved it, they got high on that feeling as much as on drugs. To do dangerous, horrible things, and getting away from any rule or punishment? To show the world that once had their back on you that you were better than them? To hold their lives and feelings in your hands, as if you were some kind of god? It was incredible, better than money, better than any drug. 

He knew that feeling. 

He hated the look on the guy’s eyes as he looked down on the shorter boy. A twisted smile appeared on his face when he saw the brown eyes filling with unshed tears, and he seemed almost hungry. “Now, now, you really have nothing for me? I’m not patient man... right, guys?” The others just laughed, used to the sickening show in front of them. Dara could see the knife digging deeper on the boy’s flesh, drawing a drop of blood that went down his neck. 

He made another unnatural noise, and this time he didn’t hold back his magic. 

It flowed through and outside him, running through his veins like it was blood, concentrating on his fingertips and making them tingle. This was an offensive-like magic, not like the little mental tricks of making things disappear. The air around them changed, and now the guys were looking at him with terror. How could they not? He was surrounded by magic, absorbing it from the life around him. It made his aura visible in different colors, merging and twisting, a living force that now he directed at will. And they knew it, even though they didn’t understand. They knew he was dangerous. 

He closed his hand, and the air around the guy holding the knife tightened, squeezing his neck and restraining his breath. The same went on with his right hand, and soon the weapon was dropped to the ground with a metallic sound. Now free, the brunet ran off to the other side of the alley, but Dara’s attention wasn’t on him. 

It was on the guy trying to hold the air around himself, without avail. Only Dara’s magic could make the energy around himself take a solid form, and he could make others feel it only if he wanted. It was kind of a trick, too. A more twisted, cruel trick.  

If he couldn’t end that bastard’s life, then he was going to end his sanity.  

The pathetic human kept on trying, moving his hands around, trying to get a hold of something, of someone. Between choked sounds, he cried for help. 

Most of his friends had fled when they saw they couldn’t win against the white-haired guy. The other two were paralyzed on their places, with fear of making a wrong move. 

Dara just smiled... it was easy. So easy. They loved to feel like gods, but when the time came, they acted like the scum they were. Nothing more than cowards. Nothing more than trash. 

“Did you like it? Feels good, right? Having the power to make others fear you, and do what you want...” he finally said, looking at the struggling guy in front of him. But he couldn’t respond. Ah, that was boring. 

“Well, I don’t want to do a villain’s monologue or something like that. It’s fucking dumb, and cringing. Isn’t it embarrassing when you see it on a movie? Makes me want to throw up.” 

He finally let the guy go, and soon he was on his knees, gasping and coughing. Dara looked right at him, and he loved the horrified expression on those eyes... right now, he was seeing his true form, with completely dark eyes with no pupils, something that the humans described as soulless. “If you dare go near him again, I will make your life so miserable you’ll just want to end it yourself to escape, okay?” 

He didn’t wait for an answer. He heard them running off, as he made his way back to the scared boy. He was crouched on a corner, with his hands on top of his head. He looked like one of those bugs that made themselves in a little ball, but then he recalled the situation they were in “Hey, are you... okay?” He asked, like an idiot, because it was obvious: he wasn’t okay at all. He tried to get closer, but the guy just curled up even more, and Dara felt terrible. He looked so small... 

“I know. You must be scared... but I promise, I mean no harm. And they won’t come back. They will leave you alone.” 

The brunet didn’t say anything for a good minute, that felt like an eternity. Then, suddenly, he talked: “Just... just go. Leave me alone.” 

“Look, I just want to help, okay? I won’t do anything to you-” 

“LEAVE ME ALONE!”, he shouted. And then, Dara noticed... something was off. 

Humans didn’t have cat ears, right? 

“Wait, you... are you not human?!” 

The boy didn’t say anything, but little by little he lifted his head.  

Where human ears should have been, there were a pair of fluffy, brown cat ears. They were a tone darker than the rest of his head, but... they were cat ears. 

It. Was. So. Fucking. Cute! 

“What... stop looking at me like that! I know you’re not human either!” He looked a little ashamed, his plump cheeks getting a beautiful pink color while he tried to cover up his ears. Then, like having a revelation, he put on his hood. 

His ears sticked out. 

“UUUGH I HATE THIS!” 

“So... your ears show when you’re scared?” 

“None of your business.” Said the shorter guy, standing up and evading his gaze. 

“Oh, c’mon! It’s fucking cute!”  

“Shut up! And... what on earth are you? What was that power?” 

For a second, Dara looked serious “I am... a vampire.” 

The "catboy" raised an eyebrow. 

“You do not believe me?! How could you be so cruel as to not acknowledge my existence?!” 

“Because you’re not a vampire, I’m not that stupid.” He started to walk off the alley, and Dara went right behind him. 

“What’s your name, catboy? Can I touch your ears?” 

“Oliver. And no, if you touch them, I’ll bite you.” 

“REALLY? Awwww, so cute.” 

“You really are an idiot... if you’re not telling me what you are, Dara, then I’ll just believe you’re another dumb human and what happened in the alley was you being too high on drugs and energizing. But, in return, you’ll keep your mouth shut about the... ears, and all that.” 

They went out the alley, and stayed right on the edge, one in front of another. The lights on the roadside washed them in shades of orange, and Dara just smiled. 

“Then, I’ll let you believe that.”