Ironically enough, Marvin’s house wasn’t that far from the Mallory household. The irony of all these supernatural things being around him for such a long part of his life without him realising was something that wasn’t lost on him.

He’d always been viewed as rather bland, and an outcast at the best of days. His various scars and prosthetic leg didn’t help matters. And it wasn’t too long ago that he realised that he felt almost at home among all these people. They had accepted him, some more reluctantly than others.

Which was why he let his thoughts wander off for a moment, and replaced Alpha and Yui with Adam and CB in his mind’s eye. Perhaps a version of Marly that didn’t have a duffel bag in her hand because of the night’s events.

Sure, he once got a black eye courtesy of CB, and they still didn’t particularly like each other, but it was a salvageable situation. He hoped. Maybe, in time, Jacob and Trevon’s figures could be added in that mental picture as well. They didn’t know as much about him as the others did, but they seemed like good people and he got along with them fairly well.

A smile decorated his face. He had spent so long without any friends that he was still surprised at how many he had now. It was all kinds of scary, and he was certain he didn’t deserve their kindness, but he would make sure that he did. That he could guarantee.

“I don’t think he’s paying attention.” Yui’s voice broke the dark haired teen out of his thoughts.

“I’m sorry, what?” said Marvin, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck.

“It’s quite alright.” laughed Alpha. “I was just saying that the Association managed to capture two vampires in the last couple of months. And there was something in common during both of those instances.”

Marvin could practically feel Marly’s patience disappear with the sigh that escaped her lips. “Alpha, don’t.”

“The great Marvin Perlie.” said Alpha loudly, no doubt annoying some of the people in these houses around them. After a moment of quietness the male dhampir leaned close to Marvin, putting his hand on his shoulder. “Come on my man. You don’t really act like a hero. Trust me, I’ve been around plenty.”

And now Marvin understood Marly’s frustrations. Although he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy whenever the two interacted. They were both so much further ahead than he was in this world.

Tomorrow, he reminded himself. It would be on the next day that he would finally truly advance.

“It is truly wondrous.” said Yui, wistfully. “How mere humans can accomplish so much, to the point where they have become an integral part of the war against the vampires.”

“You say that like you’re an alien or something Yui.” chuckled Marly. “Although it wouldn’t surprise me if you were.”

It was truly an odd world. But perhaps it was because it was so odd that Marvin could actually belong there. About ten minutes of walking later, they made it to the dark haired teen’s residence where they exchanged their goodbyes.

“Give me your luggage.” said Marvin, as he took his keys out from his pockets.

“I’m a half-vampire who’s three times stronger than you, and I could easily wipe the floor with you right here right now.” smirked Marly but she didn’t make any movements to give up her bag.

“Yes, but as far as my grandma knows the red eye is the only extraordinary thing about you, and I’d get a lecture longer than your house is big if I’m not the one holding it.” Plus he really did feel bad about not at least mentioning it to her before. She was about to be rendered practically homeless for

“Fine.” huffed Marly, handing it over.

Almost immediately Marvin regretted his choice, finding the bag to be unbearably heavy. He got what he asked for, that was certain.

“Well then.” he cleared his throat in an attempt to disguise his suffering. If Marly’s barely-contained laughter was any indication, he failed miserably.

Opening the house’s door he called for his grandma, only to realise that she was sleeping after a few moments of silence. There was a note on the inside of the door however, detailing how James Mallory had called ahead and told her about how Marly would be staying with them for a few days.

A few days? Marvin supposed that should be a good thing, but could he really concentrate on his magical studies with her there.

He led Marly up the stairs, which were a challenge for him since he was still carrying the blonde’s luggage. He was a sorcerer in training who had faced off against two vampires, a powerful sorceress, and two hybrid werebeasts.

Granted he was mostly saved by others, a liability or as lucky as can be, but-but-how the hell was this bag so heavy?

“Let me grab this one, you big, strong, hero of mine.” teased Marly, easily taking the bag from Marvin’s hands.

Blushing like crazy, and having another rush of inferiority flow through him, Marvin opened the door to his relatively barren room, entering it alongside Marly. Well, relatively barren was more than misdirecting. His room had started to look more and more like Kara’s workshop by the moment with books, both magical and non-magical, as well as sketches of spell circles being scattered around.

“This is where you’ll sleep.” he gestured uncomfortably to the bed, which thankfully wasn’t too messy. God, how lamer could he get? “I’ll sleep on the couch!” he added quickly, noticing that she was about to speak.

“What happened to you tonight?” asked Marly, looking anywhere but at Marvin.

“It-it was really nothing.” said Marvin, in a vain attempt to get her to drop the subject.

He was a little shocked when Marly grabbed him by his arm, forcing him to sit on his bed as she looked down at him, still standing. Marvin was marginally taller than her, so he wouldn’t be surprised if she did that only so she could look down on him as she started her inevitable speech.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“You probably have figured this out by now, but the past few months have been the happiest of my life so far. Ava returned, and grandpa actually spent a significant amount of time at home because of that.

“CB and Adam even started getting along with each other, even if that did mean that sometimes I was left alone with the people I hang with at school, and sometimes out of it, but I can’t tell you how happy I am that they finally got their act together. You know what all of those things have in common?” said Marly, smiling brightly as she stopped, seemingly expecting him to fill in that blank.

“I don’t-”

“You, you doofus.” she sighed loudly. “CB said that it was a talk with you that got him to get over himself, and Adam started talking to us again because of you. If you weren’t there Ava wouldn’t have come back, and I know we haven’t really had any moments like in Georgia, but I enjoy hanging with you a lot. I like you, you idiot. Even if we don’t really talk in school, which is a bummer.”

He wanted to scream at her that he wasn’t the one who did those things. That he was the person that was jealous of her happiness with Ava. Adam joined the mission because he was on a search for answers that was all his own that could very well tear their little group apart once more.

That his ‘talk’ with CB wasn’t nearly as civil as they made it seem afterwards, and that the black eye wasn’t because of sparring-which was the excuse he had gone with. He didn’t even actually do anything all that impressive. Adam’s machinations, Kara’s sacrifice. Those were the things he was getting credit for.

Why were his cheeks wet?

“Marvin?”

Shit, was he crying? “It’s, uhm-” he couldn't wallow in self pity. He had made a promise to himself. Right. Picking up a book, one on doppelgängers, he turned back to Marly.

“I don’t deserve all of this.” he told her. “But I will. Which is why I’m going to have to study and train. I’ll be here if you want to pick up where we left off in Atlanta with your tattoos, or hang out. But I-I must also do this.”

“You need to have fun, idiot.” she grinned at him. “What are you doing tomorrow morning?”

“Probably going in whatever the ‘second stage of my training’ is with Ava.”

“And I have a stupid thing with people from school in afternoon.” grumbled Marly. “I could cancel but you’ll probably need the rest anyway. The day after?”

“Jacob and Trevon invited me to go bowling with them.” sighed Marvin. “But I’m probably going to stay in and train for most of the day anyway, so-”

“No you aren’t.” Marly flicked him on the forehead. “You’ll go, and I’ll come to make sure that you do.”

Now Marvin was getting annoyed. He knew that Marly couldn’t get his issues. She never had the distance between herself and her peers that Marvin did. And she always had people behind her, whereas he stood alone.

As soon as he thought about it he regretted it. Marly had had more than her fair share of problems in life. Even if she hadn’t she had stood by him in the four months he’d known her.

Even if he didn’t have…more than friendly feelings toward her, Marvin wouldn’t be able to doubt that about her. He also had his grandma who was always by his side, little Annie who somehow always looked up to him, Eobard Kon and Kara, even Adam and CB.

“Fine.” he said, looking at the floor. “You’re right. I need to go.”

Everyone sees you for the slimy fool you are. Get up. Where’s yer’ big mouth now, scarred boy?

He didn’t remember who it was that had said it. It was someone from his previous school that had said that. These people still hadn’t figured that out, which was fine by him.

He just had to eradicate that Marvin, the weak one that was more of a liability when it came to actually doing something that wasn’t planned by an ages-old vampire and become better.

“Of course I’m right.” smirked Marly. “You’ll find that to be the case for most of your life.”

Marvin found that he had started laughing without realising it. Marly soon followed, and even their attempts to quiet themselves didn’t do much. His grandma was a heavy sleeper so he didn’t worry about her, but they did have neighbors.

Of course, the peaceful moment had to be ruined by the creaking sound of the room’s door, interrupting them.

Turning around, he suddenly wished he could go invisible as he physically felt the colour drain from his face. Walking calmly into his room, wearing a dark red suit with no tie this time, stood a smirking pale man, amusement shining in his eyes.

Amdis.

Marvin felt Marly’s hand reach for his own as he stood up, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of the monster that was there. He was holding a wine glass, filled with a red liquid that the teen was certain wasn’t wine.

“It’s been a few months, huh kids?” smiled the vampire, taking a sip from his drink.

“What do you want?” said Marvin darkly, making sure to reach for his pocket with the lighter inside.

“Your grandmother is in this house Marvin.” Amdis made a tsk sound as he shook his head.

“Kara’s dead!” said Marvin as loudly as he could. “It’s your fault!” he wrestled himself free of Marly’s grip in order to punch Amdis in the face.

Not his proudest moment sure, probably the dumbest thing he’d done to date, which said a lot, but the vampire didn’t resist him, taking the hits to his face head on for a while. He barely moved from them, but Marvin didn’t particularly care.

“Enough.” he said, grabbing the teen’s hand and throwing him back to the bed. “I did not kill Kara Snow. She was the one that helped me taste defeat.” he visibly shuddered as he mentioned that. “I felt truly alive for the first time in eons. And then her companion, your mentor, Eobard Kon gave me another chance to truly live.”

Eobard? Marvin had a billion things he wanted to say, none of them nice, but he kept his mouth shut. Eobard was the one person Marvin trusted above all others. He’d saved his life. Even more than that, there were more occasions where he wouldn’t have made it out if not for Eobard.

“What do you want?” said Marly, and for the first time Marvin actually looked at her. She looked ready to battle, with one hand near her back, probably to grab whatever weapon-most likely a knife-that she had hidden there.

“Relax yourself Mallory. You’ll excuse me if I forget which one you are.” smiled Amdis, looking pleased when Marly pulled out a knife. “As intriguing as ever children. Eobard Kon is the one that sent me here. To talk to the both of you. A rather mundane mission to be honest.”

“Why?” asked Marvin. “Why would you be working together?”

“Why should we believe you?” asked Marly.

Amdis pulled out a phone, tapping on its screen a few times, until a message played. “Amdis is to be trusted Marvin. I hate his guts as much as you do, but we don’t have another choice. But I assure you, the moment all of this is over, I will personally make sure his immortal life is hell.”

Both teens’ eyes widened. That-that was Eobard’s voice. And, apart from the clear anger at the vampire, he sounded normal.

“Things are changing, children.” he said, pocketing his phone and taking another sip from his drink. “The lines have been redrawn. Most participants have chosen their sides already. You haven’t. But the time will soon come when you’ll have to. The carnage that was postponed five years ago will finally begin. And it will do so tomorrow. And let me tell you, what came before, it will be a mere footnote in comparison.”

He raised his glass above his head, looking at the two teens with a grin on his face. “Here’s to war. And to fruitful partnership.”