It was quiet, blissfully so. It felt safe. The young vampire drank from a can of blood as he sat in his kitchen at the breakfast bar. He was alone at the moment. A book laid open in front of him, an adventure novel. He let his eyes glide across the page, escaping into the world described. He fidgeted with the empty piercing in his left earlobe, he squeezed and rubbed the little hole between his fingers. It was odd to his subconscious that there was nothing there.

He jumped at a noise. The front door opened, then closed. There were footsteps in the hallway. He sighed with a smile. The door handle to the living area was pushed down, a familiar face walked in with a big grin. “Hey!”

The young vampire snickered. “Hey. Where have you been?”

His friend walked over to the kitchen, he shrugged. “Nowhere in particular.”

“Then, why the grin?”

The taller one leaned on the breakfast bar across from the vampire. “Well, I might’ve, maybe, perhaps, gotten you a little something.”

The vampire raised his eyebrow. “What, why? What?”

“Close your eyes and give me your hand.”

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“No.”

His friend’s shoulders slumped. “Come on.”

“Hmm, no.”

The werewolf daringly squinted at him. “Don’t make me come around the counter.”

“Or else?” the vampire challenged with a smirk. His friend launched himself around the breakfast bar and grabbed the vampire. The vampire shrieked. The taller one held him against him.

“Now what?” the vampire asked.

His friend gave him a mischievous chuckle. He moved his hands to the vampire’s stomach, the vampire’s eyes widened. “Wait—” He burst out laughing as his friend tickled him mercilessly. The friend began to laugh too at the smaller one laughing and squirming in his arms.

“S-stop, Barry!” the vampire pleaded.

He stopped. “Will you close your eyes, you little rascal?”

The vampire glared, panting. “Fine, I’ll close my stupid eyes.” The friend grinned and let go. The vampire groaned, he closed them and held his hand out. He felt a small box being placed in his hand. He looked. “Was it really necessary? It’s in a box anyway.”

“Just open it.”

The vampire pulled the lid off the box and saw a little ring sitting inside it. An earring. He raised his eyebrow. “How—how did you know?”

“I noticed you didn’t have your piercing after we moved here. And that you fiddle with your earlobe a lot. So, I thought: maybe you’d like a new one. I don’t know if your other one has sentimental value, but it’s better than nothing, right?”

The vampire chuckled in disbelief. “I… I can’t believe you noticed and remembered.”

His friend shrugged. “How could I not? We’re living together now.”

The vampire teared up. He shook his head, then hugged him.

“Oh,” his friend was surprised. He smiled and hugged him back.

The vampire took a deep breath and smiled through his tears, he dug his face deeper into his friend’s shoulder.