InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "nolite bastardes carborundum"

Living with Peeta had been seamless. She spent so much time at his place before the move that they practically lived together anyway. Now they had an apartment together. Bigger than the one Peeta had before but in the same complex, two bedrooms, instead of just one. They were mostly settled now, all the unpacking done. It was just a matter of getting everything organized to Caroline’s liking (except the kitchen that was Peeta’s domain) and doing the finishing touches with the decorating.

Even though the place wasn’t completely done yet Caroline still loved showing it to her friends. And her new pet, because he was the most adorable thing ever. Today Blossom was coming over and Caroline couldn’t wait. By the time there was a knock on the door Caroline had already set out some baked goods Peeta had brought home from work. Sonic was in his cage in the living room waiting to meet his new friend. Caroline opened the cage and picked the little guy up before opening the door. “Hey!” she greeted Blossom. “Come on in,” she added taking a step back to her friend could enter, Sonic nestled in her free hand. He was just so tiny.

“I brought you a succulent.” Blossom had it all prepared, in it’s little pot with the right soil and a ribbon around it, tied in a bow at the front (or what she’d decided was the front). “I already put it in a pot with a drainage hole, you just need a plate to settle it on,” it was a pretty little green one too, Blossom thought it was perfect to go with the soft peach/green succulent. “Just soak it once every few days.”

Succulents were likely far less interesting than hedgehogs though. “And aren’t you just the cutest thing there ever was?” Honestly, Blossom would not have thought of a hedgehog for a pet, but actually it made sense. The poor things probably got scared witless out in the great outdoors. “Have you named him yet?”

“That’s so sweet!” Caroline said shutting the door behind Blossom. The whole vampire thing gave her great reflexes so she was able to accept the plant with one hand. “Thank you! You mind holding him while I get a plate?” she asked handing Sonic over so she could go find a plate. “He’s a little prickly,” she added before turning and heading for the kitchen. A regular plate would do right? She could look into getting something to match later.

“Sonic,” Caroline called in response to Blossom’s question. “Super obvious right? I let Peeta pick out the name.” But it was a classic and fitting. Plate in hand she walked back out into the living room area setting the plant down on an end table next to the couch. “There,” Caroline said standing back to admire the succulent. “It looks great,” she added and it didn’t sound super high maintenance from what Blossom had said. She could probably keep it alive.

“Have a seat,” she nodded to the couch and the coffee table with cupcakes and cookies set out. “And help yourself. Benefits of living with a baker,” she laughed. “You want anything to drink? We have water, soda, beer, wine.” They had already taken their first trip to the grocery store and were stocked up on things now. Although all Caroline really needed was blood but that was kept in the minifridge in their bedroom.

The hedgehog was this mix of prickly and cute, a matter of working out just how to hold the animal version of a cactus really. “Sonic is so very fitting, why change the classics?” At least they didn’t seem to want to spray paint him blue though, that might be going a little too far. “What made you guys decide to get a hedgehog?”

A puppy she could see, or a cat, some bunnies maybe. Hedgehogs didn’t tend to be pet-pets. More like ‘I rescued this animal from the back garden where a cat was playing with it’ sort of pets. Which was just as okay as getting a pet.

“Oh, I don’t know how you manage to not balloon! I’d be the size of a house.” Because they looked delish. Sitting herself down, pressing her knees together to lay Sonic on while stroking a finger along his spikes to brush them back without poking herself, Blossom just grinned, “Water is fine, thanks.” She might need it to wash down the mountain of baking she planned on consuming the moment one of her hands were free.

No they would not be dying him blue. That’d be overkill. And it wasn’t like they got a hedgehog to remake Sonic the Hedgehog or anything. The names as just fitting. “I saw a guy giving him away on campus and couldn’t resist,” Caroline replied grabbing two bottles of water out of the fridge. “I probably should have asked Peeta first, but he seemed happy about it surprise and all. Now he totally loves the little guy,” Caroline laughed as she brought the water’s over placing them both on coffee table for now.

“It’s a dream thing,” she would never look any different than she did right now, no matter how much she ate. Although she honestly didn’t eat that much. Despite having it around all the time. Sure she occasionally got cravings for it, but probably not even half as much if she was human. Maybe now was a good time to tell Blossom what she was too. Her sister probably already knew because of Stefan. But it was still odd for Caroline to actually tell people. She never knew how they’d take it.

“I read somewhere that it helps to maintain cohesion in the home if both parties are in agreement about new additions or changes,” of course maybe if Caroline and her boyfriend were that settled, Peeta might not mind whatever made Caroline happy. Especially when it was as adorable as the little hedgehog on her lap right then.

“Like, you work it off in the dreams? Or is it a metabolism thing from them? I think Buttercup is a little like that, but it might just be all the working out she gets.” Since Butts was a fighter in general, her activity levels were way more than Blossom and Bubbles’ put together. But it was what Buttercup liked. “She burns it off a hell of a lot quicker than anyone else I know.” It would make sense at least. “Maybe with dream-crime fighting, we’ll be like that too!”

Caroline nodded. That made total sense to her. But she was pretty sure if Peeta didn’t want the hedgehog he would have said so and she would have accepted that. But when she had brought the little guy home he seemed both amused and happy. Then he sprang into action on what they needed to do to take good care of him.

Then she laughed as Blossom went on about metabolism and super hero dreams. “That’d be pretty cool if that happens,” Caroline agreed happily. She wanted to ask more about Blossom’s super powers but first, she got more serious. “I’m actually not human.” Hopefully that didn’t scare Blossom too much. “The dreams sort of changed me.” Well not sort of. They did, but still.

“Oh,” it sobered Blossom a little, a small frown on her features. “So like… not human, what does that mean, like… I’m coming up blank on examples because I don’t want to offend you.” Blossom’s dreams consisted of being made in a lab explosions, she wasn’t sure she was the best to really offer up examples of non-human lifeforms. Her first dream revolved around monkey-thing turning everyone into dog-people. She still wasn’t entirely sure just what Mojo-Jojo was.

Really though, the dreams did weird things, and if it did turn Caroline into a non-human, well, it wasn’t like she didn’t start as a human, possibly. And either way, it just added to Blossom’s theory that they’d get powers from these dreams eventually too. “Is it… a bad non-human? Because, I really don’t get bad-non-human vibes from you. Other than the shoe obsession, but everyone likes shoes.”

Caroline wouldn’t be offended with any of Blossom’s guesses. Especially since she didn’t get the bad-non-human vibes from her. Caroline didn’t think her guesses would be that horrible with that mentality. “If loving shoes makes me a bad-non-human than I’m probably evil,” she joked before getting more serious once again. “But I guess you could classify me as a bad thing,” Caroline said beginning to ramble. “I mean I’m not bad, but like it’s not thought of as necessarily a good thing. Like if I was a superhero like you or even a witch or something. I’m actually a vampire, but I don’t hurt anyone.” She rushed that last part out making sure Blossom knew she was safe. “I mostly drink from blood bags.” Gross to think about but it was how Caroline survived.

“....vampire?” Okay, Blossom was officially stumped. Up until super recently she wasn’t even convinced that supernatural things existed. Blossom was the logical sort, her dad was a scientist, they examined things from the logical point of view that every hypothesis should be examined and tested to find a success or failure. There was no shame in failing to find the right answer, but an answer was almost always found.

Vampires didn’t really work into that view, but suddenly now Blossom had heard of two people being vampires. “Okay, but… you were at the mall, and it’s sunny right now. So, is that whole sunlight thing a myth?” A myth, you know, like vampires were? “I mean, presumably the blood drinking, living forever thing is… well a thing?”

Blossom wasn’t so much weirded out, or even all that worried. She was just curious.

Blossom seemed to be taking it okay. Most people did. Caroline still couldn’t help but be worried. But still she hoped that once people knew her they would know what kind of person she was. That she really wouldn’t hurt anyone. That was why she waited to tell people what she wast. Plus it wasn’t exactly the best opener.

“It’s not,” Caroline responded honestly. “I have this ring that keeps me from bursting into flames,” without it she couldn’t go out on the sunlight. “Only some of the vampires in my dreams have them. You have to have this special stone and a witch has to cast a spell on it specifically for you.” So it wasn’t like someone could steal her ring and it would work for them. She wasn’t sure if Blossom wanted to know all that, but she had asked about the sun. “Yeah, I’m basically immortal,” the sun could kill her, obviously. She had just said that. There were a few other things, stake to the heart, decapitation, fire, and werewolf bite. “And I do need blood to survive,” she frowned at that but she had already explained about the blood bags she didn’t think she needed to again. She hoped not.

It seemed fairly reasonable, all things considered. What you sort of read about vampires seemed to translate over, although the witch spelled stone likely made things much easier for people. Or not people, for vampires.

“Okay,” she wasn’t entirely sure what to do with the information, although she did understand now why Bubbles felt the need to sit and process this for a while. It seemed a little different hearing about it herself rather than just understanding that Bubbles knew someone who was like that. “I really don’t think I’d have ever suspected you could hurt anyone anyway.” Because Caroline was just a really great, sweet and nice person, and Blossom liked her. She had a hedgehog for a pet. Blossom doubted she’d have really worried about Caroline hurting people even if she wasn’t reiterating about the blood.

“How long have you been a vampire?”

Caroline had actually bitten people before. On accident. when she had first turned, but had always managed to stopped before any serious damage was done. And then there had been the time before Peeta knew what she was when she was too embarrassed to feed in front of him and had starved herself, he had seen her face change and offered his blood though, that was different. And again she hadn’t done enough to really hurt him. But she wasn’t going to tell Blossom any of that no need to worry her because she did have it under control.

“About a year and a half. I turned on my 20th birthday.” Now she was forever 20, even though she had celebrated her 21st she would still never age a day.

Twenty forever. Blossom wondered just how good that would be; some people would probably love it, but maybe it wasn’t all sunshine a roses, because Caroline would be twenty forever, but… presumably, Peeta wouldn’t be. Blossom knew she wouldn’t be. Oh, most of Caroline’s friends probably wouldn’t be. It would be so lonely, so sad. God, how did Caroline stay so upbeat?

“I think it’s… It’s really interesting. I mean, I won’t limit your existence to the basis of a cultural trend right this minute, especially since it’s, you know, your life now. But, with regards to you and… what you are, I think you handle it very well, and I never would’ve guessed, you know. If it’s a secret I can totally keep it a secret.”

Except from maybe Bubbles and Buttercup, who might eventually find out. But then Bubbles actually already knew about vampires. “Honestly, I think you’ve probably really helped me out too. Because now that I know that you’re a vampire, I’m much less apprehensive about my sister dating one.”

Caroline was already worried about the Peeta aging thing while she stayed the same age forever. Especially when it got to the point where he would died. They had discussed it briefly, she had even pushed him away some. But she couldn’t live her life like that, afraid to love, to get close to friends, because she would lose them. She was doing her best to take things day by day.

“Thanks,” Caroline replied honestly a genuine smile on her face. She was glad Blossom’s opinion of her hadn’t changed, relieved even. “It’s not really a secret, but not something I want broadcasted you know? Even with all the strange things that happen around here, being a vampire… I think some people still might be scared, or judge.” She honestly wasn’t sure but she didn’t want anyone to be afraid of her without even knowing her. Or with knowing her, but if they did know her there would be nothing to be afraid of. Blossom was just more proof of that.

“She’s dating Stefan, right?” Caroline had briefly met Bubbles when she stopped by to visit Blossom and she knew Stefan was seeing a girl named Bubbles. It wasn’t it was like it was that common of a name. Plus she had seen them talk on the net a few times. “He’s from my dreams too.” Hopefully that would make Blossom feel better to know he was the same kind she was, that he didn’t hurt anyone. Stefan was a little different than her, he had issues with control, fed on animal blood because human blood was too tempting. But that wasn’t exactly her place to share.

So, not a secret but not common knowledge, Blossom could work with that. Especially since it meant it wouldn’t be too big a deal if she did talk to Bubbles about it all. She knew that her younger sister had finally talked to Stefan about the whole vampire thing, that became obvious when the sour mood had lifted completely and carefree Bubbles was back. There was just something wrong about an upset Bubbles.

“Yeah, that’s him. I haven’t met him yet, but Bubbles seems to like him.” And while it was important that Bubbles get to make her own choices, and Blossom would always support her, it was just as important that Blossom one day meet Stefan and make sure he knew that she would hide his body very well should he ever hurt her sister.

Even if he could climb out of whatever grave she put him in. “So… He’s a nice a guy, right?” Vampire thing aside, it was important that he wasn’t just a jocked-up frat douche.

“Yeah, he’s a good guy,” Caroline confirmed. She could definitely understand that Blossom wanted to look out for her sister. Caroline felt the same way about her friends, Stefan included. But Stefan wasn’t the one dating a vampire. Bubbles seemed very innocent from what she knew, so Caroline didn’t feel the need to check up on her.

“What about you?” Caroline asked curiously, relaxing now that the vampire subject was out of the way. “Anyone special in your life?”

Returning to the easy stroking of Sonic’s little prickly spikes, Blossom figured that endorsement from Caroline was okay enough for her to back burner the threats for Stefan, in the end she was pretty sure it’d be easy to take him to see Buttercup fight sometime and then just remind him that sisters were bonded for life and let it go from there.

“Um, maybe?” Of course when the subject of her love life came up, it sparked another blush. “I’ve um, I went on a date or two with this guy from college and…” And the boy was a hell of a kisser, talked about more dates and was really good looking. “It’s nice, it’s new. I think I like him.”

“Really?” Caroline asked her eyes shining with excitement. “The beginning of things are always so exciting,” she gushed. “When everything is new and you are still figuring things out and all that.” Not that being moved in with Peeta and settled was bad or boring. Far from it, she loved her life with him, loved coming home to him everyday. “But wait,” Caroline said as the last part of Blossom’s words sunk in. “You think you like him?”

Blossom did like Tyler, she knew she did. But she wasn’t entirely obtuse to the fact that lots of girls liked Tyler. She knew his upbringing was very different too, with his dad being who he was. But their date had definitely gone well, and Blossom was eager to see if it would go anywhere. “Well, I sort of know that I like him, I just… Don’t know how much he likes me.” Tyler was an athletic popular, party type. Blossom was a bit of a bookworm.

“We had a really nice date,” which was confirmed to be a date early on too, “and we sort of want another one, I think, he hinted at it.” And there had been kissing, so that was like more of a hint that there was some chemistry, right? “I just know that there’s like four other girls in my class that totally think he’s hot.”

“Well too bad for them,” Caroline said with a shrug. “He obviously isn’t interested in them if he is taking you out.” It made perfect sense to Caroline, although who knew he could be some player that took lots of girls out. If they only had one date so far it wasn’t like they were exclusive. But still it was a good start. “I wouldn’t worry about them, and just focus on the time you get to spend with him.”


“He’s fun, and I’m pretty sure he’s smart too. And it’s hard to find fun smart guys at college, they’re usually one or the other.” But Tyler was clearly dedicated to his studies, just as much as he seemed to enjoy parties. “I sort of took him to the worst ever dance performance ever because my friends begged me to show up. And he was super cool about it being terrible.” Which really, Blossom would’ve thought would be a deal breaking.

“I guess, he might be used to that stuff though, his dad is something like a governor or council man or… I feel really bad that I’ve forgotten but Tyler is just a really good kisser so I totally blanked on most of the evening.”

With the way Blossom was going on about him, Caroline could tell she really liked the guy. And the fact that he didn’t complain about the worst performance ever sounded beyond sweet. But then she heard Blossom say his name and mention how his dad was a politician. “Wait, are you talking about Tyler Lockwood?”

“Um… Yes.” Okay, was it a good thing or a bad thing when someone did that? The whole ‘wait, are we talking about this guy and you’re gushing about him but he’s actually a douche’ or a ‘wait, we’re talking about this guy who is amazing and I’ve been there so haha’ or what! Blossom usually did this stuff with her sisters, and even then, it was mostly in theory. She’d had one serious boyfriend in high school and even then it wasn’t the whole ‘you’re way out of my league’ because he wasn’t, he was exactly her league.

Tyler felt maybe a little out of her league.

“We went to high school together.” She wasn’t sure what to say beyond that. They had hooked up, yeah but that was forever ago and both had moved on. Caroline had never even been that invested, honestly. Tyler was the jock, she was the cheerleader it just made sense. He was a douche back then, nice to her but not so much everyone else. Now they were friends and he seemed to be less of an ass. Blossom would be good for him if he didn’t fuck it up. “You guys will make a cute couple.”

Oh, that made sense. Blossom hadn’t been at the same school so she couldn’t really voice in for how Tyler used to be or not. She was gauging things on how he acted with her, which all in all, she felt was fairly positive. He was nice, and sweet and made her laugh and blush -but not in a mean way. “You think so?” But if Caroline knew him, well, that was positive too. “I guess I really do like him.”

“I do,” Caroline said with a nod. She didn’t really want to say too much. Tyler was also in her dreams but given the fact that Blossom already knew there were vampires in her dreams she didn’t want her to assume that of Tyler. Or ask if he was anything in the dreams because it wasn’t her place to tell. “You’ll have to let me know how your next date goes.”

“I definitely will.” If only because it’d be nice to talk to someone else about this stuff. Her sisters were great, but she could do without the teasing in between it all. And Caroline was definitely great at the reassuring. “So, how about you tell me more about this little prickly guy and how you’re enjoying your domestic bliss?”

Blossom was not leaving until she’d consumed at least half of those cupcakes.