For Eternity II: Clandestine Preceding (Vampire! 2p! Italy x Reader)

Extra #5 - Romulus' Past

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Romulus was born on April 21, 752 BC to a farmer, Gaius Vargas, and his wife, Flavia. They lived as comfortably as farm folk could far the time period and lived very close to the newly found city of Rome. Romulus, until he had finally developed all of his teeth, was a very sickly looking boy. He forced down the milk from his mother, but he always vomited it back up or became sick. The results were the same when he reached the age that he could eat solid foods. His parents grew worried and attempted to secure the aide of doctors, but none could cure or even figure out what ailed him. By the time he was six, he could barely leave his bed to to how weak and malnourished he had become. Finally, shortly after his seventh birthday, Romulus figured out on his own what was wrong with him.

Gaius had brought the boy out of the house for some fresh air and set him on a stack of hay near a cow stall that was open. The rashes he had acquired over the years looked like they grew worse from the short trip through the sunlight. The elder male then left to tend to some of the other animals. Romulus stared at the cow blankly as the cow stared back at him. It moved out of its stall and walked over to the boy, nuzzling his head gently. He lifted a shaky hand slowly and pet its head. He caught a whiff of something though. It smelled metallic, but it smelled good. He leaned his head towards the cow's neck and sniffed. Yes, the smell was coming from the cow. something overtook his instincts, and he bit the cow. Naturally, the cow panicked, but Romulus somehow calmed it down so that it stood stalk still. He felt and tasted what he figure was blood as he gently sucked on the patch of skin he had bitten. It was hot and tasted sweet, at least to him anyway.

He pulled away as he had his fill, feeling the best he ever had in his entire life. He looked at the puncture wounds that he inflicted upon the cow. Droplets of blood leaked out, so he licked them away. No sooner had he removed his tongue from the spot, the wounds were gone. His eyebrows furrowed at this. He then looked at his skin, being able to move much easier now than before. His skin was clear of any flaws. The rashes, or what the doctors called such, had disappeared, leaving his skin soft and smooth. He stood up slowly from the hay and took an awkward step forward, but it didn't fell awkward. It felt normal. He took a few more steps until he was at the edge of a shadow caused by an over hang from the barn roof. He stared at the line that separated him from the daylight.

Romulus stuck a hand out into it but quickly retracted it with a loud hiss. His hand was blistered and ashen looking. Just as before though, it healed to the point that it looked good as new. At that moment Romulus decided that sunlight was evil and should be avoided. He needed to return to the house at some point, so he decided it was best to wait until sundown. His father had other plans though. Gaius came into the barn to grab a shovel but stopped when he saw his once frail son standing tall and proud near the entrance. No words were exchanged between the two for a few moments. The cow from before mooed to break the silence. It came back like a thick fog on an early morning in a bay. Gaius spoke lightly towards the boy as if it wasn't actually his child.

"Romulus? Meus filius?"

"Sic?"

"You're standing! You're standing on your own, and you're not covered in rashes!"

"It's not that big of a deal..."

"It is a big deal! You've been bedridden your entire life and now you can walk! This is a true blessing from the gods. I must go tell your mother."

Gaius ran off to the house to tell Flavia of the good news. Romulus only stood there with a rather bored expression on his face. His gaze drifted to the sunlight on the ground and huffed. He wasn't going on the house any time soon, not with how his skin reacted to sunlight. The boy sighed and walked over to the cow he had fed off of and patted its side before sitting back in the hay. The cow laid down next to him. Romulus had to devise a plan for the rest of his life. His father would expect him to help on the farm now that he could walk, but he couldn't do it during the day. He had to do it all at night That meant sleeping during the day, but he was accustomed to it already. Feeding was also an issue. He knew he needed blood now. His only option was the cow in front of his, but he could find something else eventually.