People Like Us, a Spirou and Gaston fic

[kadytheredpanda]

Title: People Like Us
Author: Kady the Red Panda
Fandom(s): Spirou et Fantasio, Gaston Lagaffe
Pairing(s): gen
Rating: K
Warning(s): mention of suicide
Summary: vampire AU oneshot. Two humans in a sea of vampires, sharing a heart-to-heart.
Word Count: 1100
Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters. That’s a good thing IMO.  This is only a story written for entertainment; the author is not associated with the copyright holders.
Other tidbits: More vampire AU. I figured it'd be appropriate to have Prunelle here with his side of the story since he was mentioned in "When Fantasio Returned."

0000

 

Fantasio remained in his seat on the other side of the table. He continued observing Prunelle, increasingly purple, and the green jumpered office boy nibbling on his neck. How deep or sharp Gaston's teeth were was a mystery but from the looks of it the glassy eyed vampire wasn't exactly intending to feed.

"Gaston..." Prunelle said, a thread away from losing all calmness. This was the second time he said the boy's name in the vain hope he'd at least pay him some attention. Instead Lagaffe didn't miss a beat. Lebrac, meanwhile, continued brewing coffee for whatever reason behind all three of them without once turning his head.  Jef came in a couple minutes earlier right after it began and departed straight after grabbing a handful of napkins. Was this really that common an occurrence? Fantasio sipped from his own coffee filled thermos.

Gaston's head tilted closer into Prunelle's neck, still gnawing. Finally his victim snapped with a guttural growl.

"Rogntudjuus Gaston!" With a straight elbow jab into his chest Gaston appeared to come to. His head, complete with bug eyes and agape mouth, jerked side to side.

"Will it kill you to quit chewing on my head?!" Prunelle yelled, rubbing his reddened and hickeyed neck.

Gaston inspected the area. "Are you sure it's your head? It looks more like your neck."

More frustrated grunts erupted from his superior. "You know what? I'll let you vent on your own, Prunelle. I'll be napping if anyone needs me."

"He's newly turned," Lebrac stated once Lagaffe left. Never once did the dripping coffee leave his sight. "You should be just a little easy on him."

"He turned Miss Jeanne at her insistence and she's much better at controlling herself than him."

"Léon," Fantasio said, "I don't think he even realized what he was doing."

"That does happen. It definitely happened to me a few times the first couple years after I turned."

"When was that, Lebrac?"

"Uh..." He crinkled his face and stared into space. "Fifty, fifty-one years ago?" He shrugged. "Time's pretty much nothing when you're undead..."

The second the door shut behind Lebrac Prunelle covered his face and sighed. "I know shouldn't have snapped at him, but it's the third time he's done that in four days and it drives me nuts."

Fantasio relocated to the chair by Prunelle's right. "It happens that often?"

"What you just saw? That's actually how I found out about all the vampire mumbo jumbo. I really hope Spirou didn't tell you this--" he lowered his head despite both being the only ones in the room "--and I pray you don't tell a soul, but you know how I went to the hospital at work last year?"

Vaguely. "Uh huh..."

"And I was gone for like three days on suicide watch?"

Fantasio frowned. He remembered the days off but didn't know about that. "Uh huh..."

"That's why I went. It was pretty bad. I don't know, it was like my entire world turned upside down, and by the time we arrived at the hospital I just..."

Considering his reaction he couldn't blame him. He nodded. His hands covered Léon's. "Don't worry. I won't. Spirou definitely didn't."

"Great. And thank you. Last thing I need is for everyone to know."

"I'm not sure the best way to ask this, or if I even should, but... Why are you still working here if it upset you that bad?"

Prunelle lowered his head. His opened mouth didn't reveal anything at first. After some lip licking he replied: "I mean, I have friends here. Or at least, if you can call them friends. I don't get out much. This, working here, is pretty much is my life. I live alone. My family's basically the people I work with. And I've been at the hospital a couple other times so I'd rather not just leave and lose everything because I had a breakdown, as embarrassing as it is." His head tilted upward. "How about you?"

Fantasio pointed to himself. "Me?"

"Mm-hmm. Why are you staying? You only found out a week ago, right?"

"Less than, actually." He drank more lukewarm coffee. "Kinda the same reason as you. Spirou's my friend. I even consider him my dearest one. It was frightening at first, but as bizarre as it sounds I'm already getting used to it."

"I've gotten used to the concept. I just haven't gotten used to the execution." Strangely, Leon appeared to tell the truth, given how anxious his nature was. "You know why both of us were fooled for so long?"

"Blood feeding, right?"

As his friend explained the day prior, well fed vampires better resembled healthy humans, complete with functioning systems. If Lebrac attempted to drink that coffee as a hungry vampire, for instance, it would digest through his gullet normally but he'd not absorb any nutrients or whatever else was in coffee besides caffeine properly. The effect didn't last long, about four maximum if one fed exceedingly well. After that all the vampire employees at the magazine would need to hunt animals (or, occasionally, humans) to repeat the cycle. Many, but not all, were from the same, Spirou led, legion and were turned by fellow members. They fed mostly together with some shifting in turns or days. Considering how many people worked at there, however...

"Like a feeding frenzy, but even gorier. It's far worse with the newer ones especially. That's what Gaston said and frankly I just want to take his word for it and nothing else." Prunelle shuddered in the warm room.

The blond didn't even need Gaston's word. He'd seen it, heard it. The faint flashback of the smell churned his stomach.  Even if his coffee was still warm he doubted he could finish it now.

"At least most of them are well fed and well behaved. And as I already said, I consider a few friends like family either way. Although to be honest, I'm glad to know you're not one of them, Fantasio. I feel a little less lonely knowing I'm not the only non-bloodsucker around here. It's bad enough feeling like a freak among humans, let alone undead ones."

His situation was not the exact same as Prunelle's. Yet, he understood part of it. He felt he could trust Spirou more now that he knew the truth and situation, but he also felt slightly out of place. A familiar place and familiar people shifted into more alien ones. He considered Prunelle a friend, and one he felt more in common with than ever now. If anything, knowing that information would benefit Léon more than him. Anything to reduce his anxiety levels. Fantasio, smiling, nodded and agreed out loud.