The Wendigo

The Wendigo

Here’s my submission for the @starkersecretsanta, been a busy day but I wanted to get it out. My gift was assigned for Dryce, or @less-than-wholesome-shipper, I hope you enjoy, I hope I did the request justice.

The Prompt was: Tony's Winter Holiday vacation was getting kinda boring so he pushed to go search for the elusive Wendigo that supposedly lurked in the snowy mountains nearby. What he finds instead is a young boy who was believed to be lost for years. Now if only the crew would stop disappearing, Tony could write this trip off as a success.

Word Count: 6.5k

Fic is up on AO3, over here.

From the bottom of my heart I hope 2020 is a better mental health year for everyone

Writing about a child rapist did not make Vladimir Nabokov a child rapist.

Writing about an authoritarian theocracy did not make Margaret Atwood an authoritarian theocrat.

Writing about adultery did not make Leo Tolstoy an adulterer.

Writing about a ghost did not make Toni Morrison a ghost.

Writing about a murderer did not make Fyodor Dostoevsky a murderer.

Writing about a teenage addict did not make Isabel Allende a teenage addict.

Writing about dragons and ice zombies did not make George R.R. Martin either of those things.

Writing about rich heiresses, socially awkward bachelors, and cougar widows did not make Jane Austen any of those things.

Writing about people who can control earthquakes did not make N.K. Jemisin able to control earthquakes.

Writing about your favorite characters and/or ships in situations that you choose does not make you a bad person.

It’s a shame that in this day and age these things need to be said.

Oct 26: Vampires

Tony checks the neck of the victim and stands back upright, “Can’t say I’ve seen an attack this messy in years,” new Vampires weren’t really his thing anymore (a man of his talents was often called on to handle the real threats), but he was in town and he had time to kill.

The people of Sweet Hollow were shaken by such an attack in what was normally known as a safe settlement.

“Not even a day old,” he shakes his head as he stares down at the young woman, “And they’ve already started a body count.”

He takes his gloves off and turns to the crowd of police standing back yards away, as if the corpse could jump up and bite them at any moment.

The thing that bothers him most is that he’s sure this isn’t their first kill. There was likely a victim somewhere else in town that they don’t know about, and this one just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

It’s up to him to determine if the fledgling is salvageable.

This woman’s death wasn’t premeditated. It probably came with the Vampire’s first real sense of thirst. Likely, it saw the lining of her neck and couldn’t hold itself back. And then fled quickly afterward in shame, tearing off into the night for fear that it was going to be hunted down like an animal.

Tony could be sympathetic if he had to be, but that would have to wait to be seen. If they were remorseful, or felt any kind of guilt, they could be an asset instead of another notch on his knife handle.

“She won’t be back up,” he assures them, but the still cower back, “She’s dead for good, and this fledgling is probably sire-less, unguided, and out of check by his kind. They didn’t even drink much from her, so they’ll probably attack again within the next twenty-four hours. But, if you’re feeling squeamish, you can dispose of her properly and I’ll lay in wait. Any chance you men have someone that’s not afraid to get their hands dirty?”

The men all look at one another, muttering amongst themselves before the one at the center speaks up.

“There’s an orphaned man that lives down by the lake with his Aunt to the west of here,” he says, “He’s young and strong, and he does all sorts of odd jobs for the town. If you need someone to assist you, he would probably be the best chance, as he doesn’t have a profession or any obligations to speak of.”

“I’ll pay him a visit,” Tony walks to his horse and climbs up, glancing back at the men, “If you need me, send word there. If not, I’ll be back at the local inn, or your pub. But I hope not to see any of you ‘til morning.”

<hr>

The lake wasn’t too far West, and Tony was familiar with the area, having been there a few days already. But it was getting dark and the forest outside the town was eerie and fogged from the last rain.

Fortunately, there’s only one house out here and Tony breathes a sigh of relief when he sees that there are candles still lit in the windows. He stops his horse at the steps going up to the front door, tying her and making his way across the deck.

The door opens before he even reaches it and a young man peers out from the darkness within.

“H-... how can I help you?” the kid asks, looking him over and then visibly tensing, “Are you… who I think you are?”

Tony takes off his hat and rests it at his chest, “That depends on who you think I am, kid.”

The young man can’t be older than twenty, twenty-three at the most, with large brown eyes the color of bark from a healthy pine tree, skin fair, but with a sickly purple tinge, and mousey brown curls atop his head that have been given free range.

“You’re… the Vampire Hunter, Tony Stark,” the kid wets his lips and Tony doesn’t miss how the gaze drops from his own eyes, but then pop right back up, “You’re a legend, I’ve seen pictures.”

“They never seem to get the eyes right,” Tony teases and smiles, pleased when the kid nods, “You know why I’m here?”

The young man’s eyes widen with fear, “I-I… no, sir! No, I don’t know why you would-... why anyone… anyone not from around here, would come to see me. How-... how can I help you, sir?”

Tony chuckles, it’s been a long time since he’s made someone so flustered. Half his days in the last several years have been spent in the deepest, darkest caves, fighting monsters with untold strengths. He’s a little rusty, but he’s sure that what the kid is experiencing is a mix of fear /and/ lust.

“The police in town said that you do a lot of odd jobs,” Tony tilts his head, “I don’t need you for anything unusual, but how well do you know this town?”

“Like the back of my hand, sir,” the kid tells him confidently, relaxing, “I know it well, sir, very well.”

“Good to hear,” Tony motions inside, “May I come in?”

Instead, the young man comes out and closes the door behind him, “I’m sorry, Mr. Stark. My aunt is… she’s very ill.”

Tony doesn’t say it, or point it out, but he can tell the kid is lying the moment the words come out.

“She’s been sick for two days already,” the kid tells him, “I don’t think it’s good you come in.”

Perhaps his aunt is fond of the drink, or that it is simply a family matter, either way, Tony lets it slide and nods in understanding.

“Then would you accompany me?” he asks patiently, “I’d like your help tracking down a Vampire.”

And just like that, the kid is tense again, “V-V-Vampire? You think there’s a Vampire in Sweet Hollow?”

“I know there is,” Tony tells him, “A young one, fresh in the world, and I need to find it before it kills its next victim. What’s your name, son?”

“P-P-I’m… I’m Peter,” the kid clears his throat, “Peter Parker, sir. So the Vampire killed someone?”

Tony nods, “A young woman. And I need your help, someone that knows this town well enough will be invaluable in my search.”

“Yes, sir,” Peter agrees finally, “But isn’t-... aren’t new Vampires a bit under your pay? You’ve fought so many more… taken down full covens. This seems like child’s play, sir.”

“For me? Yes,” Tony chuckles, “I’ve got a few days to kill and I might as well help put these folk’s minds to rest. How about you get your coat and shoes, and we’ll be on our way?”

“Yes, sir, of course.”

Peter leaves him there at the door, walking back inside and Tony heads over to his horse to free her from where he’s tied her up.

She tenses when Peter joins him, but Tony eases her back down and climbs up first, offering a hand down to the kid and hoisting him up onto the saddle with him, shifting a little to make the space more comfortable.

<hr>

Peter’s knowledge of the town is quite invaluable, but more so… the kid is painfully smart.

Tony learns as much as he can in the short time they spend hunting the tracks from the initial crime scene and setting a parameter up with the town’s defense force.

During that time, though, Peter exhibits some startling symptoms. And Tony, being who he is, pins them all as they reveal themselves.

The first sign that something his amiss is the gaze flickering when they’re face to face.

Tony could put it up to Peter being uncomfortable with talking and looking at someone, but it’s… specific, where he’s looking.

The second sign is that the boy keeps licking his teeth.

It’s an obvious symptom of Vampirism that Tony is quite familiar with and so he is always one to keep an eye out for such a thing. Some can lick their lips to relieve dryness, but Peter isn’t doing that specifically.

Those two, paired with how easily Peter tries to steer him from facts about the case, keeps his hands out of Tony’s reach at all times, gets visibly uncomfortable in crowds, and is quicker and quicker to shadows as the morning passes into day are all Tony needs to begin plotting the revelation that he’s aware of Peter’s current condition.

But how to do it?

Peter could react violently if cornered, he’s got nothing to lose.

Especially against someone like Tony. Nothing to lose but his afterlife.

Tony eventually settles on a forward approach. He leads them back out to the lake for privacy, this isn’t a conversation that others need to overhear or interrupt.

The moment Peter’s started up the steps, trying to make excuses for Tony not to go inside, he hooks a foot under the vampire and brings him down to the ground in an effortless flurry of trained movements. He straddles the kid’s torso, sitting comfortably on his chest with his knees holding down Peter’s shoulders.

At this angle, there’s nothing Peter can do to bite or claw him, his legs low on the steps and unable to get any kind of leverage beneath him.

“I’ve been onto you since the moment I met you kid, but you’ve gotta level with me. I need you to be honest.”

Peter’s eyes stare up at him, wide and wild and terrified.

“You’re the vampire, but you didn’t mean to kill her, did you?” Tony asks, staring at him coldly, “Tell me the truth.”

Had Peter been human still, he would’ve cried. But Vampires don’t cry and Tony sees the strain of sadness on his face as his features twist.

“No, you didn’t,” Tony says more confidently, “It was an accident?”

“It was an accident,” Peter confirms, “I… I didn’t mean… I didn’t mean to…”

“Of course you didn’t, you seem like you’re a good kid.”

Peter stares up at him, “I…” he looks conflicted, confused, too terrified to hope, “What does that mean for me? What are you going to do?”

“Well, I suppose that depends on you,” Tony says as he rests back, still tensed for the kid to try to jump at any given moment, “You killed another person before her, who was it?”

“My aunt,” Peter confides, “I didn’t mean to with her either, I couldn’t help myself.”

“Do you wanna get better? Do you wanna be a good person? Do you even care to keep your hunger in check?”

Peter nods, “I do,” he responds easily and Tony smirks.

“Alright, well, let’s see how well you can do just that,” Tony reaches down to the boy’s face, grabbing his jaw and rubbing his calloused thumb across Peter’s lips.

The kid doesn’t do anything at first, waiting, as though he’d not sure what Tony wants him to do.

“Drink,” Tony growls out, “Drink, and take it /slow/. Not like you did with Ms. Baker.”

Peter hesitates, and then bites.

“Careful, careful with me,” Tony guides him, watching those brown eyes turn red, staring up at him as if waiting for him to attack Peter now that he’s dropped his guard, “You’re doing good.”

Peter’s eyes eventually flutter closed and he lets out a soft, whimpering moan that bristles through Tony.

“Alright, stop,” Tony says after a moment and those red eyes are back on him, longing and desperate, but letting go of him the moment he tells him to.

Tony takes his hand away and carefully stands back up.

Peter waits, but sits back up eventually, his knees close to his chest as he rocks, “So… you’re not gonna-”

“No, but we should leave as soon as we can, if we don’t want to risk the chance of you being found out,” Tony says as he wraps up his thumb, “For now, you’re riding in the front, at least until I can get you a proper mount. Call me crazy, but I don’t want you behind me, staring at my neck the entire ride out of town.”

Peter looks away in shame.

Tony huffs, “Don’t give me that, come on. Let’s go.”

The kid gets up and follows him back to his horse, “If you’re… taking me out of town… are you… gonna train me?”

“The best I can,” Tony admits, smiling sadly, “It’ll give you a chance in this world, so long as it’s what you want, and so long as you plan to do good things with what you have.”

Originally I was going to write Werewolves instead because I’m not a HUGE fan of vamps, but then I started writing this for someone in my Discord and, well, it fit, so why not? Enjoy? You can buy me a ko-fi or join my Patreon for lots more Starker stuff early and some exclusives, live writing etc…

You ever write something and you think, “I’ve used this exact sentence structure/phrasing/convention approximately eight million times before but goddammit I’m going to do it again?”

That’s about where I’m at right now.