Chapter Text
Larry was not happy. Not like it was particularly surprising at this point but, still. A grumpy werewolf was certainly not your favorite thing to deal with. Especially when his tantrums involved carrying you over into his nest of increasingly stinky blankets and rubbing them all over you until your pores practically reeked of dog.
“Larry!” You half squeaked/half sighed as you tried to sit up, only to be pressed back into the lumpy collection with a broad, clawed hand. “It has been two weeks . Eventually you are going to have to tolerate my new smell.”
Two weeks since your first night with Ygor. Two weeks since either of you started finding any excuse for him to crawl into your bed. Since you two started falling asleep in each other's arms. The memory alone of how his nose and lips felt nestled in the crook of your neck had you smiling, even as Larry flopped down on top of you.
With a gentle “oof” slipping past your lips, you decided against fighting him at the moment. Much easier to simply run your fingers through his coarse fur, scratching at the mildly irritated skin under the metal shock collar until your self appointed guard dog decided to let you up.
At least your forced rest allowed you a bit of uninterrupted time to plan for the rest of the week. Mentally prepare yourself for the next feeding session with Dracula. Practice blocking out every snide comment he would make, yet again, about the way your new lover’s smell “desperately clung to and threatened to taint your essence” as he put it last time. Prepare for sideways glances Dr. Victoria would give you after though she, hopefully would refrain from discussing the shift in your relationship with her assistant. Hell, you could even start trying to come up with all the ways you could try to convince Ygor that you were, like always, perfectly fine after the feed. Just a bit tired.
Those things didn’t worry you too much. Well, at least not in comparison to Lyla. Your resilient little gremlin was overjoyed to have Ygor hanging around the two of you practically every waking moment. With another consistent adult finally in her life she had turned into the lab assistant’s shadow. Any mild twinge of jealousy you felt at no longer being her favorite grown-up was completely overshadowed by how adorable the pair were together. Ygor had even made her a matching set of goggles and leather apron for her to wear while they “worked” on little science experiments.
Your girl was a marvel. Which was what worried you so much.
Summer was rapidly ending. Yes, Victoria had shown you proof of her maintaining your small home financially during your extended stay, but no amount of money would make up for Lyla missing the beginning of her pre-kindergarden days! This was the time for her to get used to a classroom setting. Making friends that were her age ( and size ). Learning to read and write.
“There are other kids in this town, right Larry?” You mumbled to the now dozing werewolf as you continued to idly scratch at the base of his head. “I’ve never seen a school but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one here.” You sighed heavily, mildly amused at how his head rose and fell atop your chest. A soft giggle left you when he mildly growled and tugged your hand to a better spot to scratch. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll ask Victoria about it this afternoon.”
Turns out, the small village where creatures of nightmares came to roost was really serious about early childhood education! Who knew? Of course, it wasn’t the standard K-12 brick schoolhouse or Montessori center you were used to seeing on every web search. And since it wasn’t exactly in the same wheelhouse as monster trapping, Victoria wasn’t entirely sure on the specifics. But, she at least knew who to point you towards to find the answer.
“Ygor still thinks you and Little Lab Rat are safest back at the manor.” The man’s bright eyes darted around the relatively quiet cobblestone path as he followed you and Lyla towards the busier area of town.
“Considering that the vast majority of the world’s monsters are housed in the basement, don’t you think the opposite may be true?” You teased with a small smile and gentle elbow to his ribs. “Besides, look at how happy Lyla is. She hasn’t been off the grounds in weeks!”
You beamed as your daughter, several paces ahead, stopped for the fifth time that morning to gather a handful of wildflowers. “Look, Momma! Look, Ygor! I gots rainbow flowers for Friend! He’ll be so so happy when I give them to him!” Clutching the blossoms to her shirt, she scurried on ahead.
“I bet he will!” You called back to your daughter before slipping your bare fingers between Ygor’s gloved ones. “See? She needs this, love. You can’t keep her locked up in that electrified tower her whole life.”
Ygor’s shoulders dropped the moment your hand was in his, the light pink dusting crawling up his neck once more. “With the right tools I could keep you and Little Lab Rat in Ygor’s sights always.” He countered, though his tone lacked any real bite. “You could always take her home with the flowers. No need to subjugate her to those filthy Hounds.”
Cocking an eyebrow, you glanced sideways at your lover, giving his hand a gentle squeeze again. “You know I have to speak with one of those ‘filthy Hounds’ about her education. And no , for the last time, you teaching her how to reanimate corpses is not a proper substitute.” You fought the urge to laugh as Ygor chewed his bottom lip, effectively pouting. It was sweet how much he worried about you both but Lyla needed as close to a standard education you could offer her.
Approaching the battered door of The Burning Blade, you called Lyla over to your side. “The two of us will find Gregor and speak with him while you get the supplies from Ash.” You reiterated the plan more for Ygor’s benefit than Lyla’s. Poor man still had a death grip on your hand. “You remember Gregor, right Lyla? He was the one who told you all the stories about the bad monsters, remember?”
“Oh yeah!” She grinned up at you, eyes sparkling. “He’s my friend! Are we going to go see him now?!”
You turned to face Ygor, brow slightly raised as you silently passed the question onto him.
He looked between you and Lyla for several heartbeats before sighing. “Yes. We are going to see your Hound friend now.” Though the words looked almost as if they physically pained him to say, you did notice his posture and expression brightened considerably after you gifted him a quick peck on the cheek for his troubles.
The inside of the tavern was just as dark as you remembered. Gripping Lyla’s hand, you blinked owlishly as you made your way away from Ygor and towards the bar in the back as your eyes struggled to adjust. As the old hunting trophies came into focus both in your eyes and mind, you found yourself looking at them with renewed interest and respect.
“You still here, little lady?” The slightly familiar teasing tone had you both turning towards a grey fuzzy blob hiding in the gloom.
“Gregor!” Lyla’s hand slipped from yours instantly as she darted to the man, one tiny fist holding out a couple crushed flowers. “Look at what I found. It’s a whooooooole rainbow.”
“I see.” The man smiled back at her as he dropped to one knee, pausing long enough to give you a friendly wink before returning his attention to Lyla. “And none of those are poisonous either. Great job little Huntress!”
Lyla practically danced in place. “Ygor told me which ones were safe and would not give us tummy aches to eat.”
The Hound’s smile froze a bit, genuine surprise flicking across his expression. “Oh, so the rumors are true then.” Turning his attention back to you, he stood up. Gently ruffling Lyla’s hair, he closed the distance between you two, sharp eyes flicking over your shoulder for a moment. “Heard stories the ‘Doctor’ threatened someone into helping her out at the manor. Didn’t think in my wildest dreams it was you and the little one.” Glancing over your shoulder again, his voice dropped. “Say the word and the Hounds will get you safely out of there.”
You couldn’t help the chuckle that bubbled up your throat. “Goodness, no! It’s a long story but essentially Lyla here ran into Friend- er, that’s our name for the Creature- and the two caught on like twins separated from birth. Victoria’s been having me help Ygor while she puts the finishing touches on her containment field for Dracula.”
Gregor leaned back a bit, quickly eyeing you up and down as if expecting some kind of mind control device to suddenly appear. “And you’re just happily going along with this? You sure you’re not a native? Maybe adopted under mysterious circumstances as a baby” His cocky smile returned as he leaned against the bar, one hand dangling down so Lyla could weave a few flowers into the holes of his cloak.
“Pretty sure.” You returned his smile with a smirk of your own. It felt so nice to just have a conversation with someone new. Someone who wasn’t waiting on you for their breakfast or relied on your help to get through the day. Just a low stakes, no follow up, adult conversation. “Though there was something bothering me. I was hoping you could tell me more about how kids in the village receive an education. Lyla’s school year is starting and, since I’m not sure how long we’ll be here, I want to make sure she doesn’t fall behind.”
Gregor’s smirk faded to an expression of surprise, then confusion, then finally something crossed between admiration and resignation as he nodded along to your request. “Well, you're about four, aren’t ya little Huntress?”
“Yeeeep!” Lyla confirmed his assertion without even looking up; her fingers were currently busy trying to get a small purple flower to keep from slipping out of a particularly large tear in Gregor’s sleeve cuff. “I’m super big!”
“Course you are.” He agreed with a chuckle before returning his attention to you. “Most folks ‘round here keep the knee-biters at home until about five or so. Then the school takes ‘em until they’re about eighteen.”
Your eyes sparkled as you jotted down every bit of info Gregor gave you in the notebook Victoria lent you. Honestly, the system the town had in place sounded heavenly. The school was small so the kids were often mixed together with others around their age or a couple years above or below. To make the transition easier, the head teacher had basic packets and a loose curriculum for three and four year olds to follow. Plus, the teachers seemed to be very accommodating when students had to miss a few days here and there. Guess it comes with the territory when half the kids have Hounds for parents.
“Yeah, I’ll stick around after dropping my boy off tomorrow and explain your situation. The teacher who takes on the little ones is Mrs. Graverot. Sweet as a treat!” He grinned at you before gesturing to Lyla. “I’ll pick up the packets and drop ‘em off at the manor. Who knows? Maybe next year our tiny terrors can walk to school together.” With another wink he ruffled Lyla’s hair again, laughing when she, in turn, chastised him for shaking loose a couple flowers.
“I really appreciate all the help, Gregor. You’re doing so much to help us out.” With a smile, you reached over and lightly squeezed his forearm.
“Hey, single parents have to help each other out when we can.” He countered with a shrug and a carefully careless grin. “Especially in Darkmoor. It’s exhausting being on your own day in and out. Especially when they’re that small.”
“She is not on her own, you stinky mutt!” Ygor’s snap preceded his entrance to the conversation. With a huff, he let the overflowing sack of supplies thud to the wood floor as he wormed his way between you and Gregor. “Little Lab Rat also has Ygor to teach her important things. Like how not to grow to be a Hound.”
You could only blink in shock as you usually carefree lover all but shouldered you behind him. Standing taller than you’d ever seen him, you watched as he squared his shoulders and puffed his chest out, doing his absolute damndest to hide you behind him. “Lab Rat. It’s time to head back to the manor.” He held his hand out to Lyla though his eyes never left Gregor.
“Awwwww….” Your daughter pouted and delayed only long enough to recover some of her flowers before gently taking Ygor’s hand. “Can we come back tomorrow? Gregor was telling Momma all about the big kid school I get to go to soon!”
Your eyes briefly met Gregor’s, a pair of equally confused expressions bouncing between you two as you placed a hand on Ygor’s shoulder. “Gregor had just offered to bring some lesson packets from the school to the manor tomorrow so Lyla could keep up with other kids her age.” You explained, stepping out from behind him.
“And it seems she’ll need them if she’s got you as a constant in her life. Eh, assistant ?” Gregor gave you another playful wink. “Not to worry, Sylvia. I’ll help keep Lyla from falling behind.”
The little light clicked in your head as you glanced between the pair of men, one smirking while the other absolutely steamed. Seriously?! Seriously ?! They were going to play this game right now?
Well, not if you could end it before either of their fragile egos could take too big a hit.
Rolling your eyes, you deftly snatched Ygor’s stringy necktie. Yanking him towards you, you couldn’t help but smile at the soft yelp of surprise that left him. Catching his cheek with your free hand, you pulled him in for a quick kiss; making sure to angle his face so that Gregor clearly saw where your lips met in their now familiar dance. Only when Ygor’s tension melted did you release him; your hands gently readjusting his tie and smoothing his hair.
“Comeon, Lyla. Let’s get back to Dr. Victoria. Make sure you say thank you to Gregor. He’ll be coming by tomorrow with some fun new homework for us to do together.” Without looking at either of the men, you took your daughter’s hand from Ygor’s and marched towards the front door.
Gregor’s voice floated over to you first. “Damn. Are you sure she isn’t a local? She’s crazy enough to be one.”
Ygor’s scratchy laugh was right on its heels. “Not crazy enough to trade Ygor for you , mutt.”