Archive of Our Own

[Camera starts rolling at 19.35 am]

“So, we did manage to get some sleep today”, Vladislav slurs. “I think we got a couple of hours of sleep each.”

“Speak for yourself”, Deacon says irritably. “I didn’t get any. We should’ve dumped this little rat when we had the opportunity.”

Viago opens one eye. The other stays firmly closed. “Now, Deacon”, he chides. “Don’t say that. You don’t mean it.”

Deacon crosses his arms. “Of course I mean it. I always mean things”, he mutters. As he speaks, he carefully continues knitting what looks like a bib in bright yellow yarn. “We should’ve left him in New York.” 

Viago groans. “I want to hiss at him, but I can’t find the energy.”

A soft cooing sound follows his comment. 

Viago automatically bounces his right leg, where a toddler is perched.

The baby is wearing an old-fashioned white gown with a matching bonnet and a set of Batman socks. 

He’s chewing happily on the head of a stuffed doll and appears indifferent about his impact on the sleeping schedule of the other vampires in the room. 

“Good job, sweetheart”, praises Viago, eyes still half closed. “Give it a good munch.”

Vladislav blinks slowly. “We should teach him to aim for the neck, you know.”

Viago yawns. “When I’m feeling less sleepy, maybe. In any case, biting on the head is not a bad place to start.”

+++

[Footage acquired with permission of the Staten Island crew]
[A week earlier]

“... Then the sun is slowly going to come up and they’ll die a horrible death.”

“It’s a very horrible way to die.”

“Very dramatic way to die.”

Deacon chuckles. “Yes.” 

Viago gives him a pointed look. Vladislav does the same. 

Deacon, however, appears unconcerned if the sheer delight on his face is any indication. 

Then he squints at the camera. “You don’t look much like Amy.”

“Amy was one of the members of our crew”, Viago explains. “It’s actually very nice that our documentary inspired another. Even if I think they could have asked, you know, before exporting the format.”

“Should’ve been the first motivation to put those idiots to death”, Deacon mutters. 

Vladislav nods. “We should impale them first and then expose them to sunlight. Possibly, raid and loot their home.”

“Maybe eat that delicious-looking human they brought with them.”

“Anyway”, Viago says loudly, interrupting the brainstorming. “She doesn’t look like Amy because she’s not our Amy.”

Deacon frowns. “But the tag says her name’s Amy.”

“Yes but not our Amy...”

“They copied even Amy from us, that’s what they did”, Deacon grumbles. 

“And they’re gonna die for this”, Vladislav says placidly. “Mainly for the vampicide, but also for this.”

“Yeesh, sunlight’s gonna hurt”, Deacon agrees, delighted. 

Viago grimaces a little at the words. He fidgets a little with the high-collar of his white robe. “We should go see Tilda”, he says in a clipped tone. “There are other matters to discuss.”

He swiftly transforms himself into mist and promptly disappears. 

Vladislav sighs deeply. Even Deacon looks a little chastened.

“You see,” Vladislay says in a confidential tone. “Viago is still a little sore about what happened some time ago. His girlfriend Katherine died in a fatal sunlight accident.”

Deacon throws a look over his shoulder, checking his friend is still well gone. “I mean, to be honest it was a bit predictable. It’s risky to transform old people into vampires. They’re not right in the head anymore.”

Vladislav nods solemnly. “When I was young, we didn’t let people age so much. It’s indecorous for them. They piss themselves, they shit themselves… death is a more merciful solution. And if you get transformed into a vampire, you get stuck into that age forever.”

Both vampires shudder. 

“I mean, when you’re old, you think that well, at some point I’m going to die”, Deacon muses philosophically. “But being immortal when your joints creak at every step? It is a curse.”

“Katherine lasted for about a year”, Vladislav says. “She stayed with us at the house and I think that, at the very least, Viago made her happy”, he shrugs. “No one ever went to visit her in the clinic, so it’s not like she was being missed. But one day, she forgot she was a vampire and…”

Vladislav draws in a shaky breath, grimacing. “Sorry, it’s a very sad story.”

“She walked out in broad daylight, the nut”, Deacon finishes unceremoniously. “Burned down to a crisp. What?” he mouths at Vladislav, who is giving him a Look. “It’s been four years!”

Vladislav sighs. “Sometimes Deacon, you’re pretty insensitive.”

Deacon smirks. “I know I’m pretty, but as you know I’m taken.”

“I said, pretty insensitive, not that you’re pretty.”

Deacon shrugs. “I’m focusing on the positive here.”

+++

“Does the crew stay?” Tilda, the head of the vampiric council, whispers to Vladislav at her side.

The vampire shrugs. “They’re recording for posterity. I suppose that after we killed their employers, the least we could do was to let them finish their shooting.”

“Or we could kill them”, suggests Tilda. “No offense, of course, but this council business drags out quite a lot even for the immortals and at some point you feel a little peckish.”

She smiles politely, her fangs shining in the dim, artificial light. 

The camera indulges for a moment on the damp patches on the walls of the room. 

“Not the best accomodations, I know”, she sighs. “But we’re on a tight budget here.”

Viago clears his throat. “What was the matter you wished to discuss, Tilda?”

She waves a delicate white hand. “Well, there’s the matter with the Child.”

Both Vladislav and Viago turn to look at Deacon. 

“I didn’t do anything!” he protests, baring his fangs. “Stop looking at me like that!”

Tilda frowns. “Who’s looking? I wasn’t talking about you. I was talking about the actual child. The baby boy who was turned 90 years ago.”

“What about him?” asks Viago, confused.

“Well, you see, he was entrusted to a human family in the Bronx, who apparently was experienced with occult beings like us. Of course, since it is forbidden to turn babies, they didn’t really know how to handle baby vampires. It ended in a bloodbath.”

Deacon snorts. “Sounds fun.”

“It was a lot of paperwork”, interjects the shrill voice of the Guide, materializing herself in the room. Vladislav, Viago, Deacon and Tilda all startle.  “It was nowhere as fun as it sounds.”

In her arms, she’s holding a toddler. 

He looks like a regular baby boy, maybe one in desperate need of a walk in the sun to gain a little color in his cheeks, but a little boy nonetheless; or rather, he would, if it weren’t for the pointed fangs jumping out of his tiny mouth. 

“Hello little one”, Viago says, waving a little at him. “You really made quite a mess, didn’t you?” 

The baby vampire looks at the newcomer with huge, doe eyes. He waves a tiny fist at Viago who beams in response. 

The Guide follows the interaction with a raised eyebrow. Then, she moves swiftly forward and dumps the child in Viago, promptly extended, arms. 

“I guess that settles it”, she observes, before dramatically raising her arms and dissolving into mist. 

“What the hell?” Deacon snaps. 

“Is she always so theatrical?” asks Viago, holding the baby awkwardly on one arm. 

“So cool”, says approvingly Vladislav, before addressing Tilda. “What did she mean with that?”

Tilda stares at them for a long moment. When she speaks, her voice has the final, authoritative tone that reminds all the present vampires (and camera crew) why exactly she’s the head of the International Vampiric Council.

“This little boy cannot stay here in New York any longer; too much attention has been drawn to him. He needs a family and we are actively looking for one. But, in the meantime, he needs someone to take care of him and we have decided that you are the vampires for the job.”

The camera zooms on the three vampire’s faces. 

It’s a good thing that vampires can’t suffer from low pressure, because Viago, Vladislav and Deacon look like they’re about to faint.

+++

“You see, Tilda said ‘we have decided’, but who’s we? We are on the vampiric council and we weren’t consulted”, Deacon tells the camera, each word punctuated by a click of his needles.

“We are not going to give him back”, Viago repeats tiredly. 

His right eyelid seems to have lost the battle against gravity and it’s now fallen shut.

“He doesn’t even want to give him back”, Vladislav points out. “He’s hissing at every person who comes too close to him.”

Deacon knits irritably. “Someone has to. Always cooing and drooling all over him. That can’t be sanitary.” 

Viago mumbles something intelligible. 

The baby, noticing that his caretaker is steadily falling asleep, chooses that moment to bounce on his leg. 

Viago wakes with a startle. “I’m sorry, little one, but Daddy is really tired. Really, really tired. Why don’t you go to Papa? Yes, you want to go to Papa.”

To his credit, Vladislav automatically takes the toddler off Viago's legs while the other vampire slumps on the backseat of the couch with a groan. 

“Normally, I wouldn’t be bullied like that”, Vladislav informs the camera. “But Viago has stayed up longer than any of us tonight, so I’ll let it slide.”

Viago soft snores fill the room. Vlad peers at his sleeping form. 

“Besides, Nick said that he’ll be along shortly and he’s quite good with the lad.”

Deacon hisses. 

Vladislav shrugs. “It’s still true.”

“Whatever”, Deacon says mutinously. “He’s going to bring all those dogs with him…”

Viago stirs awake for a moment. He blinks owlishly and points a finger at his friend. “Don’t be a dick”, he says seriously at Deacon, then promptly falls asleep again. 

Deacon snarls and flies away angrily, a thread of yarn trailing behind him. 

The two vampires, adult and toddler,  watch him go. The Child, unprompted,  giggles.

“You are a strange little fucker” Vladislav tells him. “I think it’s time for your bottle, anyway.”

+++

B-roll shows five men in a room. Four are vampires; the other is a werewolf. 

Vlad, Viago and Deacon are sitting on chairs, a serious expression on their faces. Nick is slouching mid air. Stu is curled up on the armchair. 

They’re all staring at the Child currently seated on their sofa. 

The Baby doesn’t seem to be concerned by their attention, more preoccupied with sucking avidly on his pacifier - which has been previously dipped in fresh blood. 

“So… I mean, I won’t judge you guys, because you’re my mates and I won’t judge you. But how… how did you make him?” Nick asks, perplexed.

“We didn’t make him, you idiot”, Deacon snaps.

“We sort of stumbled across him”, Vladislav mutters.

“What’s his name?” Stu asks.

“We don’t know”, Viago shrugs. “They simply called him The Child or The Baby. I think Tilda mentioned “The Pest”, he states, capital letters clear in his voice. 

Nick brightens and does a flip mid air. “We should call him Renesmee. Like the creepy baby in Twilight.”

Collective groans ensue. “We are not making Twilight references”, Vladislav says firmly.

“Also, Renesmee is a dumb name”, Deacon points out. “Rene, Esme, just pick one name! Ridiculous”

“Why don’t we call him Jeff?” Viago suggests. “I like Jeff. Badass name.”

Vladislav eyes him dubiously. “That doesn’t sound badass. Borislav is a good, solid name. Means glory in battle.”

“It sounds suspiciously similar to your name…”

“That’s because it’s slavic, you moron.”

“What if we call him Lestat? Or Armand, he looks a bit like Armand”

“We’re not naming him after fictional vampires, Nick!”

Nick hisses. Viago hisses back. Vladislav hisses pointedly. Deacon hisses for the sake of hissing.

“If I may interject…” Stu says, clearing his throat. 

The four vampires immediately shut up. 

“You could always call him Robin, you know? Since he’s gonna be raised by… well, four bat-men.”

“Woah mate, that’s genius!” Nick exclaims, punching a fist in the air and turning upside down in the process. “Robin is sick!”

“It’s a nice name”, Viago considers. “Even if he’s a baby bat, not a baby bird.”

“It’s also gender neutral”, Stu adds, scratching the back of his head. “You never know with kids.”

“Ah”, Deacon nods sagely. “Like Renesmee, but cooler.”

The Child bounces a little on the couch. He looks at them with big, brown eyes. 

Viago reaches out to hold him. The Child lets a happy squeal at being picked up, letting the pacifier fall on the ground. 

“So, what do you reckon, little one? Would you like being named Robin?” 

The Child - Robin - in response bites enthusiastically on his hand. 

“Aw, he recognizes his Daddy!” Viago coos approvingly.

“Well, I guess that’s decided”, says Vladislav. “You shall be named Robin.”

Everybody cheer for a moment, the baby being passed from one man to the other and raised in the air Simba-stye.

“Now”, Deacon says, once he’s got Robin securely tucked on one arm. “How the fuck do we raise a child?”

+++

The camera follows Vladislav in the kitchen. 

“Now, I need to heat up his bottle because cold blood is disgusting”, he explains to the audience. “We have a certain supply of blood bags - it was a gift from the vampiric community here in Wellington. There’s a truly wonderful sense of solidarity.”

Robin shows his fangs at the audience. 

“That’s right, my boy. Instill fear in your enemies”, Vlad praises. 

He deposits the toddler on the counter which appears to be incredibly spotless.

“Since the boy came along, we decided to take the cleaning in this house more seriously”, Vladislav explains while he bustles with a bottle filled with a dark, red liquid. “Mostly because if the lad starts climbing the furniture and finds plates crusted in old, dried blood, he’s gonna try and lick it and it’s not the healthiest option, I reckon.”

Once the bottle is warmed enough, he picks up the toddler who starts drinking avidly from it. 

“You see, the problem with baby vampires is that they shouldn’t exist. That’s why they don’t come with a handbook”, he says simply. He moves as if to shrug, but he stops mid-motion so as not to jostle the baby. 

“Once you’re turned into a vampire, you don’t age any longer. That’s why it’s forbidden to turn children younger than five and even that is frowned upon. I mean, just because the age of consent is 16 doesn’t mean you should be a fucking pervert, am I right?” 

Robin finishes his bottle. 

Vladislav puts it away and snatches a rag from one of the drawers. He puts it on his shoulder and starts patting firmly the baby’s back. 

“In any case, little Robin will stay two years forever and he’s going to be dependent on someone else forever. Which, honestly, I don’t mind. Single dads are considered very attractive.”

Vladislav offers a sharp smile at the camera. 

Robin burps his assent.

+++

It’s a testimony to just how much Viago is exhausted that he snores through the arrival of the werewolf pack. 

Vampires usually have an excellent sense of hearing; vampires usually are also used to sleeping throughout the whole day without screaming babies to calm down, fretting that they’ll decide to start flying when you’re distracted and accidentally stumble into sunlight. 

Turns out that being a parent is fucking exhausting. 

How do humans do that all the time?

He startles awake only when someone takes place on the sofa next to him. “Sorry, mate”, Anton apologizes. “Didn’t want to wake you.”

“It’s okay”, Viago waves him off, yawning. “I’d be a very poor host if I slept all night.”

Anton snorts. “You’re a new parent, mate. You’re allowed to catch some sleep anytime you can, eh? Deacon was telling Stu that the little bat has been a little fussy.”

Viago sighs. “It’s true. We thought we’d forgotten to bring his ancestral soil back from New York, which would have been rather inconvenient, you know. In the end, I think it’s just difficult for him to adjust to a new environment.”

Anton raises an eyebrow. “Ancestral soil?”

“Well, you know, we vampires cannot slumber if we don’t have a piece of our ancestral soil under our bed”, Viago explains. “I think it’s enough having it in a room, to be honest. After all, Deacon doesn’t even own a bed and he manages to sleep just fine. It’s really bad misplacing it because sleep deprivation turns our brains into mush. But I’m rambling, I don’t want to bore you..”

“You could never bore me”, Anton says quickly. He seems to realize what he said just an instant later; he loudly  clears his throat. 

Viago ducks his head, smiling. “Really?” he asks, because he enjoys teasing Anton a little.

To his credit, the werewolf nods stoically. “It’s interesting hearing you talk about this… vampire stuff”, he says, scratching the back of his neck. 

“So, how about you introduce me to your little boy?” 

Viago stretches his arms. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Anton stands and offers him his hand. 

Viago takes it and, probably, keeps holding it for a moment too longer than necessary; he swears he can feel sparkles where his icy skin touches Anton’s warm palm.  

Anton brushes his thumb over Viago’s knuckles and doesn’t let go. 

“I think Deacon was holding the baby”, he tells him softly, before releasing his hand.

Viago is suddenly very grateful that vampires are physically impossibilitate to blush.

He nods and follows the highest source of noise in the house; it’s as good a guess as any to find Deacon without involving vampire’s extra senses. 

Deacon has Robin in his lap, one arm circling protectively the boy’s body. 

Stu stands awkwardly beside him, while the vampire scowls at the werewolves around him who seem to have brought a massive quantity of gifts. 

“Why is wearing a curtain?” Clifton asks in a confused tone of voice. Robin is, in fact, wearing an old-fashioned nightgown. “Do vampires not wear pajamas?”

Deacon bares his teeth. “Do you see me asking if you wear a collar?”

Stu discreetly puts a hand on his shoulder and the vampire relaxes if only a little. 

One of the Nathans - Viago cannot for the death of him remember which one is which - smacks Clifton behind the head. “You’re such an egg! Do you think people wear pajamas inside a coffin?”

“Well, they’re not technically dead-dead you know so maybe they want to be comfy…”

Viago notices that the man is holding a baby onesie in his hands. The question now makes much more sense. 

“We usually wear our normal clothes when we slumber”, he tells him graciously. “But I think babies also need to be comfy, you know?”

Clifton looks relieved. “That’s what I thought.” 

In the pile of stuff they brought, Viago notices also a stroller, an absurd amount of toys and baby clothes - which is not bad, since sometimes Robin’s fangs will pierce the rubber parts of the bottle causing the blood to dribble all over his clothes - and, also, a supply of diapers. 

“What should we do with these?” Deacon asks bewildered. 

Clifton looks confused. “They’re diapers, bro. Babies poop a lot.”

Deacon scoffs. “You ignorant. Vampires don’t poop. Our organs are dead. No diapers to change.”

“If your organs are dead,” Nathan - the other one - wonders. “Does that mean that you can’t have erections?”

Deacon sputters indignantly, while Stu very wisely decides to cover Robins’s ears. 

As soon as he spots Viago, anyway, the baby starts making grabby hands in his direction. 

He pushes himself forward and, for a moment, he succeeds in levitating an inch from the table; however he plops down with a soft thump.

The way he’s frowning reminds Viago so much of Deacon that he can’t help but chuckle. 

“You’ll get there, sweetheart” he says encouragingly. “That was most impressive.”

He scoops him up and grins at his friend. “Say, hi Anton!” 

Anton waves his hand with a big smile on his face. “Nice to meet you Robin.”

Robin peers at him curiously. He looks at Viago and then tilts his head on the side. 

“It’s okay, darling. Anton is very nice”, Viago reassures him. 

Anton waggles his fingers at the little boy who, with a jerk, takes it as a permission to bite them. To his credit, Anton flinches only a little. 

Before Viago can do so much as to apologize - they really need to find a way to teach him who he is allowed to bite and who is not - Robin giggles happily and grabs Anton’s finger with his little fist. 

“Well, I guess I tasted good enough”, Anton grins. “Hello buddy.”

Robin babbles enthusiastically, bouncing up and down in Viago’s hold. 

Anton nods seriously. “I’m sure you’re right, bud. Sounds very important. Really? Who would've thought?”

“So, have you not been sleeping well lately? Kept your Daddies up all day long?”

Robin babbles some more. 

“I guess, it’s a pretty big change from New York. Maybe a bit of jet lag, don’t you think?”

Realistically, Viago knows that his heart has long stopped beating and it’s been silent for four centuries; even more so since he lost Katherine a second time. 

And yet, he can feel something, like little bats wings, fluttering inside his chest.

“Mate, you alright?”

Viago shakes himself. “Mh?”

Anton smiles gently at him. “You zoned out for a moment. You must be pretty out of it.”

And pretty into you, Viago can’t help but think. 

“I’m sorry, it’s just that even when he was sleeping a little, I couldn’t rest very well. What if I slept on and he crawled outside and into the sunshine?” he says, voicing his fear. “We tried to put him in his own little coffin, but I think that he was scared of being alone inside it.”

“Could be”, Anton agrees. “As you said, it’s a brand new place, it’s perfectly normal that he would seek you three for comfort.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Robin leans his little head against Viago’s cheekbone, brown curls soft against his skin. Instinctively, Viago holds him a little tighter. 

Anton rolls back on his heels. “Look, I don’t want to presume so you’re free to tell me to fuck off”, he says. “But maybe I could watch him during the day? So you can all rest a little.”

“Absolutely not”, intervenes Deacon decisively. “I’m not going to trust my boy into your paws.”

“Deacon…” Viago hisses menacingly. 

Anton raises his hands. “I could watch him in the morning and maybe Stu could watch him in the afternoon. We have different turns at work”, he suggests, looking at his packmate for confirmation.

Stu just shrugs. “Sounds good to me.” Then, he says something to Deacon in a low voice. 

The younger vampire sighs. “I’m not okay with this”, he points his finger to Anton. “But if there’s Stu, I’ll allow it. But I’m watching you”, he threatens. 

Viago looks at Vladislav, half draped on the couch. “Fine by me. I really need to get my beauty rest.”

“And maybe in the meantime me and the boys could seal shut the light sources around here? So you won’t have to worry about it anymore.”

“Are you sure?” Viago asks. “I don’t want to be a bother.”

Anton squeezes his arm gently. “You really aren’t”, he says. “Now, why don’t we go open the rest of your presents, buddy? I bet there’s plenty of toys for you.”

+++

“I don’t know if I want to talk about it”, Viago says shyly to the camera. 

It’s the wee hours before sunrise. The sound equipment catches the faintest thrum of strings somewhere inside the house. 

“It’s Vladislav”, Viago clarifies. “He likes to play the lute for Robin. It’s very sweet of him, but don’t tell him I said that.”

He fidgets a little with his hands. “The thing with Anton is… well, he’s a great guy, you know? And a good friend.”

“He was very supportive when Katherine passed. I didn’t want to hunt, so he would take him with him and we would eat the molesters outside the disco clubs. He would sit with me on the roof when I felt suffocating inside the house - not that I really need to breathe, you know. He even bought me a new whiteboard for the house chores!”

He sighs again. “I thought I wouldn’t be happy anymore and I wanted to go on a super slumber… in the end, I didn’t. I wasn’t sure Anton would’ve been there when I’d wake up.”

“But, you know, even if he - likes me”, he says, stumbling over the words. “It would be over in a wink. Something could happen to him. I don’t know if I can get through that again”, he jokes weakly. 

“Besides, he has his responsibilities to the pack. It’s a demanding job, you know. I don’t know if he would want to put up with me on top of that.”

Viago smiles self-deprecatingly. “In the end, I’m really glad to just have him in my life.”

+++

“Of course Anton likes Viago”, Vladislav says, an edge of tiredness to his voice.

In his arms, Robin naps peacefully. 

“I mean, he’s a handsome fellow if you’re into the dandy-baby deer kind of look”, he looks significantly at the camera “And Viago, of course, is gone for Anton. It’s quite frustrating, to be honest.”

As he speaks, he divests himself of his dark red robe, letting it fall onto the floor. 

He climbs into the coffin with the baby vampire slumbering peacefully on his bare chest.

“I read on the ethern-net that skin to skin contact is supposed to be good for babies. It didn’t say anything against having a cold body, so I suppose that’s not really a problem.”

“Anyway, I hope that Anton and Viago figure out their relationship as soon as possible, even if with those two it may be somewhen in the next decade. The sexual tension and the astonishly stupid amount of pining is driving me up the wall and not in a fun way.”

Before closing the lid of the coffin, he grabs a wolf plushie from the ground.

He sighs long suffering and tucks it beside the sleeping baby. 

“Those dogs think they’re so clever, but alas, Robin is too young to understand blatant and cheap methods to win his affections; he hasn’t left that toy for the whole night. Maybe he already takes after his other Dads, who knows.”

+++

It’s been a few days since the Arrangement has taken place.

Viago doesn’t know if it’s Anton’s presence in the house but Robin has started to sleep a little more during the day. 

He wakes up only a couple of times, screaming and sobbing at the top of his lungs - which, to have been clinically dead for almost a century, are still capable of a shit ton of noise. 

Anyway, he’s now trained to pick up the minimal sign of distress coming off Robin and, in fact, as soon as hears a quiet sniffle piercing like a bullet the silence of the night, Viago shoots up so quickly that he forgets about the lid of his coffin.

“Ouch!”, he moans, rubbing his forehead. “Bloody hell.”

He opens the lid of the coffin carefully - you never know when the sunlight may hit you - and steps outside.

The house is safely plunged into darkness. The digital clock reads 17.30, a little too early for his tastes, but late enough that nighttime has already fallen. 

The candles are already lit in the hallway, making the wooden walls glowing orange. 

Viago follows the sniffles, who have become considerably quieter since he woke up, to an adjacent, smaller room. 

The door is left ajar; Viago is about to push it open when he spots Anton, sitting with his legs crossed on the floor with Robin snuggled in his lap. 

“Hello Mr. Wolf, said the little girl”, he says as he gesticulates with Robin’s plushie. “Can you help me get to my granny? But of course, answered the wolf, who was very polite and did not try to eat little girls lost in the woods”, he adds very firmly, as if any other interpretation of the story offends him personally.

Robin cooes in reply. 

Viago very strongly echoes the sentiment. 

“Dad, you can join us, you know?” Anton says, without looking up. “Plenty of space here.”

Viago ducks his head to hide a smile. “You looked so cozy, I didn’t want to interrupt.” 

Robin squeals in delight and starts squirming in Anton’s hold. “Okay buddy”, the werewolf laughs. “Go and get your dad.”

Robin slides on the floor and grins up at Viago, little fangs shining between his lips. 

Viago crouches down, without a care for the dusty floor - it was, of course, Deacon’s turn to vacuum - and smiles encouragingly at his little boy. 

“C’mon sweetheart!” 

Robin crawls towards him as fast as his little body allows him, with the two men cheering him on. Viago scoops him up and plants a messy kiss on his face. “Good job, my darling”, he says. “You’ll be climbing up the walls in no time.”

Anton chuckles. “I guess that being able to fly will make it easier to catch him.”

“Dadadadada” babbles Robin, nipping at Viago’s face affectionately. 

Viago beams. “Close enough. Now, how about some breakfast?”

They climb the stairs down the kitchen. 

“I put roller shutters to the windows”, Anton explains. “And the boys covered all the holes we could find around here to avoid accidents. Also, maybe we should put something to keep the edges of the furniture covered for when Robin learns to walk.”

“Good thinking”, Viago approves. “I wonder when it could be.”

Anton shrugs. “Kids usually learn to walk around a year of age. Maybe Robin is just a late bloomer.”

“Maybe”, Viago muses. “I think it’s because he forgot, actually.”

“Forgot?”

Viago nods. Robin, maybe sensing his the topic of the conversation, tilts his head curiously. 

“Well, you see”, Viago says, choosing his words carefully. “Vampires technically are dead.”

Anton’s lip corner quirks up. “Kinda got the gist of that with the whole sleeping in a coffin situation and the smell of decay around here.”

Viago whines. “Let me finish… wait, smell of decay?”

“Like rotten roses”, Anton confirms. “S’ not that bad once you get used to it”, he quips.

“Said the wet dog”, Viago grumbles, which makes Anton chuckle in return. Viago puts Robin in his highchair while Anton leans against the counter. 

“Anyway”, Viago reprises, while he warms up Robin’s breakfast. “What I meant is that, being dead, we have a tendency to get stuck in our own ways, in a sense. Look at the sense of fashion that certain vampires have: it’s like they never went past breeches”, he says, shaking his head. 

“And this particularly gets worse when vampires do not interact with other undead beings. Our sweet Petyr, for example, forgot how to talk around… well, I’m not sure, since he couldn’t tell me. We are immortal, sure, but we have to be careful to not stop living, you know.”

Anton nods seriously. “I think I understand, in a way. Sometimes, when a wolf becomes a loner, they can become feral, more than usual, that is. It’s like they forget how it is to be a person and the supernatural part, I guess, takes over.”

Viago pours the warmed up blood inside a little bowl. “Exactly. And our little bat here has been neglected for the past few decades and being turned so young…”

“It’s possible that he forgot some things”, Anton finishes, gently caressing the boy’s hair. 

“To be honest, I don’t care if he doesn’t learn to walk or to speak”, Viago shrugs, setting the bowl down in front of Robin. “If he does, it’s okay. If he doesn’t, that’s okay too. He’s our boy.”

Anton smiles, warm and gentle. “And he’s one happy boy, for sure.”

As to confirm his point, Robin starts to clap his hands. Viago scoops a little bit of blood in the spoon. “Here comes the big bat”, he says cheerfully. 

Robin dutifully opens his mouth and swallows the spoonful greedily. 

While Robin is busy wolfing - no pun intended - down his breakfast, Anton lets out a huge yawn. 

Viago shoots him a worried look. “Now, who’s the one that doesn’t sleep properly?”

Anton waves him off. “It’s nothing. I don’t need to sleep like a regular human being, you know.”

At Viago’s pointed look, Anton relents. “Alright, maybe I just wanted to see you both tonight, so I am a little sleep deprived.”

Viago ducks his head to hide his smile. This man, honestly.

“I’m happy to see you”, he admits softly. “I always am.”

He hears Anton’s pulse quickens a little. “Yeah?”

Viago swallows and nods. “Besides, Robin likes you, don’t you sweetheart?” he adds, watching Anton smile in return.

Robin cooes enthusiastically, looking away from his breakfast which is a compliment in itself 

Anton laughs. “Thanks, buddy. I like you too”, he adds a beat later, his eyes fixed on Viago. 

Viago feels his breath stuttering in his throat. 

He might be dense, sometimes, but even he can recognise a confession when he hears one.

If that was a confession, that is.

Was it?

“Anton, I…”

He’s interrupted by a sudden crash from outside the window, followed by a painful moan. 

“What did you put those boards up for?” Nick whines. “Not cool, bro, not cool at all.”

Viago hisses frustrated. “We told you you don’t fly through the windows!”

“Yeah man, what if the neighbors see you?” Anton adds in his best alpha-male, disappointed dad kind of voice. 

“That’s what we’ve been telling him for ages, but he just won’t get it…”

Nick enters the kitchen, a bruise fading already on his nose.

Seeing him, Robin splashes the spoon in the bowl to wave his hand at him. 

“Hello bro”, Nick says. “Want to play xbox with me?”

“He’s two!” Anton protests at the same time Viago says, “We don’t even have an xbox, Nick.”

Nick shrugs. “What am I supposed to say to him? He’s a kid.”

Viago and Anton exchange a Look.

From upstairs, they hear Deacon and Vladislav also getting ready to start the night. 

“Well then, I’ll take that as my cue”, Anton says, standing up. He plants a noisy kiss on Robin’s curls and smiles softly at Viago. “I’ll see you guys around.”

Viago watches him leave with something like longing in his heart. 

+++

“I think it’s cool that the guys made a baby”, Nick tells the camera. 

He’s slouching on one of the chairs in the kitchen, red jacket and fangs necklace proudly on display. 

Every now and then he spoons him a little bit of blood while making helicopter noises. Robin giggles.

“I mean, they told me they really didn’t make him, which I think it’s true. I think I’d have noticed if one of them had a baby bump.”

He dips a finger inside Robin’s bowl. He licks it experimentally. 

“Mh, it’s not bad. I thought it would be like baby food. I mean, human baby food”. He points the same finger at Robin. “You’re lucky, bro. That tastes like shit”. 

Robin gurgles in assent and bites at Nick’s finger. 

“I think it’s very brave for them to be dads, especially in this economy. With global warming and catholic fundamentalists, it’s not easy to be a vampire.”

He makes a fist and holds it expectantly in front of the child. 

Robin eyes it curiously, then takes a look at his own hand.

He makes a tiny fist and bumps it against Nick’s.

“Cool, bro”, Nick beams. “You got your uncle’s cool”.

Viago enters the kitchen. He’s changed into a blue velvet coat and carries a set of baby clothes with him.

“We’re going out”, he explains. “It’s good for Robin to see something else beside these four walls.”

“Aw bro”, Nick complains. “I thought we’d go dancing.”

Viago tuts. “It’s not a good place for a child.” He taps his chin with a finger. “Maybe next time. We could ask someone to babysit him for a while.”

He ruffles his hair fondly.  “Even though, I’m not very keen on it, you know. I’m a bit of a mother hen, so to speak.”

By the time Robin's done eating his breakfast, Deacon has come down the stairs, already dressed in what looks like an exact replica of Nick’s jacket, if a little worn out on the elbows. Vladislav, on the other hand, has decided to come down in bat form and he’s now lazily flying circles above their heads.

“Hello Vladislav”, Viago greets politely. “I would recommend you don’t fly too low otherwise… oh dear.”

Camera follows in slow motion as Robin, excited by the sudden appearance of his bat-dad, reaches up with his chubby hands to grab said dad by the middle. 

For being a toddler, he seems to possess a surprisingly strong grip, if the whimper that escapes the bat is testimony. 

Vladislav’s face pops up in place of the bat’s one. “My boy, put me down”, he yelped. “It’s a good skill to catch your enemies mid-air but not if it’s your father you’re catching.”

It turns out to be a terrible decision; Robin, clearly scared by the sudden change in the bat’s anatomy, takes Vladislav's request literally and throws the bat on the other side of the room.

Vladislav lands on the opposite wall with a soft thump. 

Deacon and Nick, for once on the same side, snicker. The latter scoops up Robin, who blinks away some tears, and peers curiously at the bat prone form. 

“Good job, little brat”, he tells him, pride clear in his voice. “Thrown it like a professional.”

It takes Vladislav a long moment before changing back into his human form. 

“Well, I suppose I brought this upon myself,” he grumbles, staring at the ceiling. “Raising him to be a warrior has its consequences.”

Camera zooms on his figure. He raises a thumb up. “Just resting a little, boys. I have to boost my young combatant’s self-esteem, after all.”

The young combatant in question seems to be very busy choosing which sweater he has to put on for the cold, summer night. The choice is between a gray one with the Barbie logo and a red one with tiny ducks on it.

Viago spares a concerned glance at his friend. “I do hope he hasn’t hit his head too hard.”, he whispers. “Robin has crocheted bats hanging above his little coffin, which Deacon made. He likes to try and catch them”. 

Viago looks pointedly at the camera. “I think he mistook Vladislav for one of them”, he adds. “But it’s best he thinks it’s Robin’s warrior spirit; he would be terribly disappointed to be compared to a crochet puppet.”

+++

“So, I must admit, this arrangement with the wolves is working out okay”, Deacon says begrudgingly.

The camera follows him down the street. He’s pushing a stroller; Robin is sitting inside it, chubby little hands wrapped around his wolf plushie. He seems to have chosen the Barbie sweater in the end.

The child looks curiously at the camera and waves his hand at it, babbling enthusiastically. 

“They’ve done a good job at fixing possible breaches. They put some sun stopper thingies in front of the windows.”

“They’re called roller shutters!” Viago supplies helpfully. “Anton told me.”

Deacon looks at his friend with open scorn, then shakes his head. “I’m more interested in the magic box that can wash the plates. Anyway, Robin is sleeping a little better so I reckon they won’t need to come this often to the house anymore.” He gives Robin a thumb-up. “Good job, brat.”

Viago tuts. “Deacon, don’t call him that. It’s not very nice.”

Deacon shrugs. “He’s a baby, he doesn’t understand shit.”

A couple passing by gives him a disapproving look, which goes completely amiss.

“Besides, he needs some tough love, otherwise he’ll grow up spoiled”, he adds, while crouching down to fix the baby’s wool cap and scarf.

Viago wisely decides to not to call him out. “He won’t really grow up, you know.”

“Same thing. Now, where’s the street Vladislav has mentioned?” He smirks at the camera. “He said he was going to examine the territory. I think he was just embarrassed that a toddler threw him across the room.”

Viago taps a finger against his chin. “I think it’s this way. I recognize something in the air. It’s dinner time”, he adds, for the benefit of the camera. 

Hearing the word dinner, Robin starts squirming in his seat.

Deacon nods approvingly. “Healthy appetite is good for little boys. My grandmother used to say this when famine hit our hometown and we had only potato skins for dinner.”

“Wise woman”, Viago concurs. 

They stop at the entrance of a blind alley. It looks exactly like every blind alley you would see in a comic: the camera zooms on the overflowing trash cans on the sides and the faintly buzzing lamppost which serves to outline an ominous, looming shape in the background.

The sound of ragged breaths and progressively weaker whimperings complete the picture.

Deacon cheerfully pushes the stroller forward. 

“Hey guys”, Vladislav greets. “Sorry I’ve started without you, but these three wouldn’t stop making noises.”

Viago waves him off. “Better not let the food go stale. Look, Robin! It’s Papa Vladislav!”

Robin stops chewing on his plushie and claps his little hands. 

Vladislav pushes his chest outside. “See? My boy can already recognise a true talent at work.”

Viago picks the toddler up and keeps him hanging above one of the bodies. “Go on, sweetheart. It’s time for din din.”

Robin shrieks happily and bites decisively on the head. 

Vladislav gives Viago a pointed look. “Told you we should’ve taught him to aim for the neck.”

“Leave him be, he’s doing his best. Besides, it’s close enough.”

He gently detaches Robin - who seems very interested in sucking whatever little blood is coming off - and places him on the open wound on the neck. 

Robin licks it clean, splattering blood all over his little face in the process. 

“There we go, all done”, Viago says, pulling out a tissue from his breast pocket. 

The toddler makes a satisfied burp. 

“Shotgun!” shouts Deacons and plunges his fangs into the neck of one of the victims. 

A sudden jet of blood shoots fountain-like in the air. Deacon closes his mouth upon it, drinking avidly.

Robin giggles brightly. “Dea-cy!” he cries, clapping his hands again. 

The surprise is so big that Deacon lets the body thump on the ground and turns himself into a bat.

Robin turns his head questioningly at Vladislav and Viago. “Deacy?” he asks as if to say where the hell has he gone now.

“He… turned into a bat, sweetheart”, Viago supplies unhelpfully.

“I cannot believe that he said Deacon’s name first”, Vladislav pouts.

Deacon reappears with the dazed expression of someone who has been hit with a baseball bat behind the head. 

“Little brat said my name”, he says amazed. Then he punches his fist in the air. “Little brat said my name!”

“Deacy!” Robin repeats enthusiastically.

Then, probably in the name of what’s fair and just, turns his head toward Viago and says: “Daddy!”

Viago beams and plants a big kiss on the child’s cheek. “Aw, darling boy.”

Robin, finally, looks at Vladislav and says: “Papa!”

Vladislav emits a strangled sound in his throat. 

“I’m not crying!” he maintains despite his voice wobbling. 

The camera fades out on the scene of three vampires and a baby happily bleeding their victims dry.  

+++

“These past few days have been of great importance for our Robin”, Vladislav tells the camera solemnly. 

B-roll footage shows the little boy hanging upside down beside Deacon, both of them peacefully asleep. 

In the recording, Vladislav points at the sleeping toddler.

“It’s the second night in a row that he doesn’t wake up”, he explains. “Maybe the lad just needed to find his sleeping position. I don’t mind myself getting upside down, but not so much for slumbering; however, it gives you a different perspective when practicing other types of activities.”

The camera cuts back to Vladislav sitting with his arms crossed on the couch. A stack of parenting books can be seen next to him. 

“Of course I don’t need them”, he specifies in a haughty voice. “People didn’t have books about parenting in my time. It’s also true that a lot of people couldn’t read and the press hadn’t been invented yet”, he muses. “In any case, I acquired them because according to the ether-net you need to be prepared with children.”

The camera zooms on the screen of the old computer Stu had installed at the vampire residence. 

Apparently, poker_papa is the darling of multiple parent forums. His inbox is full to the brim of messages of gushing mothers and fathers. 

Vladislav shrugs. “It’s also a good way to find victims. Of course they can’t be virgins, no matter what the Church says around, but you have to do with what you have at your disposal.”

He types a string of heart emojis  under the photo of a pregnant woman. 

“Becky is having twins. I told her that her belly looks like a delicious ripe watermelon. I think she was very impressed by that, actually.”

Outside, Robin is running around with all the speed his tiny legs consents him. Nick the Vampire flies lazily behind him in the courtyard. 

“Since he remembered how to walk, we have to be extra careful around here”, Deacon tells the camera, a watchful look on his face. “He’s a nosy brat, that one.”

A b-roll footage shows Deacon catching Robin by his middle as if he were a rugby ball. The little boy shrieks and kicks his legs.

“You don’t go there, brat”, Deacon says firmly. “That’s Papa’s torture chamber for when he’s in a bad mood. If you impale yourself on something, Papa and Daddy will throw a fit and I don’t want to get blamed when that happens.”

The shot cuts on said brat now holding hands with Stu. 

“Deacy!” Robin raises his arms. “Up!”

Deacon sighs but picks him up anyway. Robin babbles about his day while the adults listen. For some reason, he seems very excited about a slug. 

Deacon frowns. “I really hope you don’t turn yourself into one. They’re sticky and I don’t like sticky.”

Robin nods. “Sticky bad”, he agrees and that seems to settle it. 

Meanwhile, Viago and Anton emerge from the inside of the house, the former carrying a bucket full of bloody clothes. The werewolf, a jug of detergent and a box of baking soda under one arm, is talking animatedly with the vampire.

Camera zooms on their twin besotted expressions.

“Since we don’t have a familiar anymore, Viago has taken to doing the laundry himself. He and Anton have opinions about detergents, apparently.” Deacon scoffs. “That’s gay.”

Stu gives him an amused look. “Do you know that us being together means we’re gay too?”

“I prefer to define myself a freewheeling bisexual”, Deacon points out. “I like boobs and dicks an equal amount. I don’t think we’re that gay, though.”

Stu sighs. He’s currently wearing a whole set of clothes Deacon has knitted for him. In the pocket of his jacket, a bag of bloody gelatines - AB positive, Deacon’s favorite - can be easily seen. 

“The fact that we’re together sometimes astonishes me.”

Deacon smiles, no trace of his usual sardonic edge. “Aw, babe, there’s no need to flirt. I like you already.”

Robin squirms in Deacon’s arms until the older vampire puts him down. 

The little boy toddles in Nick’s direction, who’s laying on his back and playing with his Nintendo DS. A normal picture if you ignore that he’s floating mid-air. 

“‘Sup, bro”, Nick greets the toddler. “Want to play Super Mario with me?”

Robin giggles. “Up!” 

Nick, completely unfazed, just reaches down with one hand, grabs a piece of the boy’s sweatshirt and swings him above.

Robin lands securely on his chest with a happy shriek. 

Nick adjusts the console higher so both of them are able to watch the game. “Let’s go save a princess.”

The relative quiet is broken by Vladislav some minutes later. “Becky’s waters have broken!” he bellows from upstairs.

“Call her a plumber!” Deacon replies irritated. 

The final shot focuses on Stu, giving an extremely exhausted look at the camera.

+++

“Come on in, come on in!” Anton greets the group of vampires. “You lads, watch the step. Don’t want any accidents with those cameras, eh?”

The rest of the werewolves are still assembling food for themselves and ice buckets with fresh blood bottles for their guests.

Nick the Vampire is already sprawled across the sofa, talking animatedly about video games with Declan.  

“It’s movie night”, Deacon explains solemnly at the camera, entering in the open space and making a beeline for Stu.

Vladislav finishes closing the stroller, then produces his phone from the back of his leather pants. “I need to text my good friend Becky. The twins won’t stop crying during the nights. I suggested giving them some valium until they’re quiet again. That’s what we did when we journeyed from New York with Robin anyway.” He frowns at the screen. “For some reason, it amused her a lot.”

On the pristine white wall behind the sofa can be seen “About to snap? Have a chat as a pack” painted in flashy, colorful letters. 

“Oh yes, Sam made it” Anton has the proud expression of a dad who’s showcasing his toddler’s drawings. “She’s very good, don’t you think?”

A teenage girl with straight purple hair face palms behind him. “It’s nothing is what it is”, she mutters embarrassed. “‘S just a little spray.”

“It’s beautiful”, Anton says firmly. “You should be really proud of yourself, Sam, you have talent and… well, hello there!”

His speech is cut short when Robin slams bodily into his legs in his haste to hug him. “Hi!” he chirps happily. 

Anton swings him up on his shoulder, making the toddler squeal in delight. 

“What do you think, eh buddy? Want to ask Sam to do your bedroom next?” he asks seriously.

“Sam charges double for vampires and their offspring!” the girl bellows in reply. 

“That won’t be a problem. This art looks quite amazing.”

Camera cuts to Viago, coat folded neatly on one arm. He’s smiling fondly at Anton and Robin. “Hello.”

Anton beams. “Hello yourself.”

They gaze at each other with stars in their eyes, until Robin shrieks “Daddy!” and attempts to fly down from the top of Anton’s head. 

Almost everybody in the room painfully avoids looking at the pair. 

“I mean, I don’t really want to think about Anton’s romantic life”, Dion says. He’s the youngest after Sam, just shy of twenty-five. “It’s like thinking about your parents having sex. It’s weird. But…”

“They should just bone already”, Sam finishes for him.

Dion winces. "Yeah, what she said.”

The shot goes back to Anton and Viago, who are now seated on the sofa next to each other, and are chatting pleasantly, while Robin is drinking from his bottle between them. 

Dion sighs. "It's like they're already at the old married couple stage without even dating."

"Disgusting", agrees Sam.

A few minutes in, Deacon scowls at the screen. “Why are there always dogs with you lot? Why can’t we watch another animal cartoon?”

“Balto is a great animation movie”, Clifton replies hotly. “The fact that the main character happens to be a wolf doesn’t imply…”

“I’m not saying that it’s not good, I’m saying that it’s always the same thing…”

“Enough!” Anton snaps. 

Clifton shuts his mouth immediately. Deacon looks belligerent, but decides wisely not to talk back; Stu is half-way to produce his disappointed face. 

Anton rubs at his temples. “Now we’ll watch Balto, because it’s already playing and Robin is liking it. Then, we’ll let Deacon choose another film. Alright?”

Both werewolf and vampire mutter a sullen “alright”. 

“Thank you”, Anton sighs, starting the movie again. 

The camera zooms to Viago discreetly putting his hand on Anton’s knee. Anton spares him a grateful look. 

The almost fight is soon forgotten. Everybody peacefully watch the movie, cheering at the animated dogs on the screen. 

“Stupid wolf did it!” Deacon bellows in the end, when the medicine arrives safely at the hospital. 

Clifton sniffs loudly. “Aw bro, this part always gets me.”

Robin claps his hands enthusiastically. “Good wolfie!” he says, pointing at the screen.

“Yes, very good, sweetheart.” Viago agrees. 

When the movie ends, Sam produces another dvd. “Are you all familiar with Anastasia?” she asks to the room at large.

“I used to shag a witch named Anastasia”, Vladislav muses. “Lovely girl, until she tried to squeeze all my semen out of me to make deaging lotion.”

Sam grimaces. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Anyone? Oh why, do I even try.” She grabs the DVD anyway. “This is about a bat, so Deacon won’t complain.”

“Don’t patronize me”, Deacon retorts grumpily. 

While the tv is set, animated chatter fills the room. 

Robin slides down Viago’s legs and joins the midst of the werewolf group. He shows them proudly his fangs, producing a choir of ooh and aah and basking in the general attention. 

Dion and Nathan G dare each other to see who can fit more marshmallows in their mouth.

“I bet I can fit there fifteen”, Dion says.

“You’re a hazard to society”, Nathan G replies, having reached the limit of ten.

“And a coward. Do 20”, Vladislav chime in. 

With everybody distracted, the level of noise in the room grows exponentially. 

The camera catches a glimpse of Anton’s pinched face, before the man stands up from the sofa and quietly leaves the room.

No one seems to notice  his departure for a moment.

“Maybe don’t follow him there”, Viago tells the camera. “I don’t think he’d appreciate it. I mean, not everything must be filmed, you know.”

He gazes uncertainly at the door “I should check on him, though”, he murmurs softly.

+++

After a second of hesitation, Viago follows Anton outside. 

The weather outside is verging on stormy, the clouds thick and full of rain in the dark sky; however, Viago’s eyesight allows him to recognize the almost full shape of the moon behind the mist.

He finds Anton on the roof, hunched over his knees with his chin resting over his hands.

Viago flies up to his level, floating gently in the air in front of him. 

He’s relieved when Anton looks at him with a smile on his face. “Hey”, he says tiredly. “Fancy seeing you up here.”

“Hello”, Viago answers politely. He’s trying very hard not to be swayed around by the wind; the tails of his coats are flapping quite dramatically behind himself. “May I join you?”

Anton pats the spot next to him. “Of course.”

Viago lands softly at his side. “Is everything alright?” he asks hesitantly. 

Anton shrugs, shifting minutely closer to him. Viago doesn’t mind at all.

“It’s nothing”, he sighs. “It’s just the moon being close. PMS, remember?"

“Pre-Moon Syndrome”, Viago recited dutifully. They’ve been friends for long enough for him to have learnt some things about lycanthropy. “Too many people in one room.”

Anton nods. “Every sense is heightened before the full moon and being the alpha… well, the urge to be in control doesn’t mix well with the chaos down there.”

Viago inches closer to him, their shoulders brushing with each breath they take. “I’m sorry, I think that maybe we should’ve skipped movie night.”

“Nah, man”, Anton shakes his head. “You made tonight bearable, at least.”

Viago can’t help but grin. “Did I now?” He bumps his shoulder against Anton’s, making him chuckle.

He pushes back for a moment, which makes Viago giggle in return. 

Then, unexpectedly, Anton drops his head onto Viago’s shoulder. “Then again”, he whispers, his voice almost getting lost in the howl of the wind. “You always do.”

Viago can’t resist and does what he’s been itching to do for the entire evening; he puts an arm around Anton’s shoulders and pulls him close to him.

He curls his fingers at the nape of Anton’s neck, petting the short hair there; Anton makes a deep, guttural sound in the back of his throat. Then he slips his right arm around Viago’s waist, gripping the fabric of his coat as if it were a lifeline.

Viago swallows. “I’m glad”, he whispers back. 

So close, he can feel the warmth of Anton’s body almost bleeding through the layer of clothes and into his own body. 

So close, he’s acutely aware of his heart beating strongly in his chest, a little faster than average human beings. 

So close, and still, Viago yearns. 

Anton breathes deeply in the hollow of his neck. 

“Did you just sniff me?” Viago asks, amused. “I thought I smelled of decay.”

Anton chuckles. Its rumble reverberates through Viago’s chest. “Good decay”, he mumbles. “On the surface anyway, like all vampires. Below, it’s just you.”

Viago smiles and he keeps petting his hair. “And what’s that like?”

“Clay, candle wax and that lavender soap you like for the laundry”, Anton says fondly. “You borrowed it from me once, if I remember correctly.”

Viago nods. “Yeah. Your clothes smell like that too.” He pauses, the wind biting at his face and his mind suddenly clear and resolute.

To hell with it. 

“That’s why I asked for it, you know”, he says, his voice steady. “I wanted to know what it was like. Having you all over me.”

Anton raises his head sharply. He stares at him, his pupils dilated.

“Viago.” Anton grabs his jaw, his fingers splayed on cold skin. He seems lost for words for a moment. “Do you mean it?”

Viago covers Anton’s hand with his own. “Yes, I mean it”. He turns his face into Anton’s palm, pressing a kiss on his skin. “The question is, what are you going to do about it?”

Anton doesn’t need to be told twice. 

They fall into each other, like a body in a grave.

Anton kisses him hard and commanding and Viago gladly melts under the warmth of his mouth. He cradles his face in both hands, surging forward and ending up in Viago’s lap in the process. 

“You can’t say things like that”, he says, punctuating each word with a kiss. “You have any idea..? It feels like I’ve claimed you somehow”

Viago chuckles in his mouth. “I don’t mind being claimed by you.” He nips at Anton’s lips, careful of his fangs, and enjoying his whimpers. “That was rather the point.”

“You menace”, Anton growls, but his tone is fond and full of affection. 

Viago feels he’s rapidly getting addicted to the taste of Anton, his kisses and the occasional bite going to his head faster than blood. 

When eventually Anton has to breathe, he keeps peppering his face with kisses, until Anton starts to chuckle and Viago can’t help but laugh with him.

He pushes their foreheads together, winding his arms around Anton’s neck. “That was very good”, he says softly.

Anton hums approvingly, as he strokes the vampire’s back. “More than good, if I may say so myself.”

Viago giggles. “Excellent, even.”

To better prove his point, Viago kisses him one more time. Then he kisses him again, just because he can. 

And again. 

And again. 

There’s very little talking after that. 

Eventually, however reluctant, Viago has to pull away; his skin prickles uncomfortably. The dark of the night is slowly but inexorably dissipating into the grayish tones that anticipate dawn. 

Nevertheless, he revels in the way Anton sways forward chasing his mouth.

“It’s getting late”. He sighs mournfully. “I have to go back.”

Anton nods. “I’ll walk you down”, he tells him. 

They climb down the stairs. Inside, the living room is a mess of pizza boxes and half-finished bowl of chips, the end credit of Bartok playing softly on the television. 

Stu is curled in one of the armchairs, a blanket Deacon knitted for him wrapped tightly around his body. Dion is snoring softly on the floor. 

Only Clifton and Sam are still up and about, gathering the empty bottles of beer and blood. 

“Your friends went away a while ago”, the teenager informs him. “Little bat was getting fussy and they didn’t wish to interrupt you two”, she smirks knowingly. “

Viago and Anton exchange a look. 

Sam sighs. “You do realize that we all have super hearing and the roof is just, you know, up there?”

“Yeah boss, congrats”, Clifton says, clapping Anton on the shoulder.

The werewolf blushes  faintly - which Viago finds a lot endearing. 

“Thanks”, he mutters. “Forgot that super hearing goes hand in hand with nosiness.”

Sam tsks. “As if we weren’t one loving eye gaze from locking the both of you in a coffin.” She rolls her eyes. “Can’t believe that took you so long, bloody hell.”

Anton opens his mouth to reprimand her, but decides against it. “Guess I brought this upon myself”, he shakes his head. Then he smiles shyly at Viago. “Can’t say I regret it, though.”

Viago beams. “Neither can I.”

Sam fake retches behind them. Clifton sagely disappears muttering something about throwing away the recycle. 

On the threshold, Anton grabs Viago’s hand and brings it to his lips. “I’ll see you after the full moon”, he says, deposing a kiss on his knuckles. 

Viago feels very close to swoon, but with the sunrise approaching he must hurry back home. 

It would be a real bummer, he reasons, if he got sizzled to a crisp when he’s finally managed to make out with Anton.

+++

The camera follows Viago back into the vampire residence. 

He doesn’t seem to be aware of floating some inches from the ground. 

The camera zooms on his face; a small smile is still playing on his lips. 

He stops briefly to check on Robin - today peacefully slumbering in his own little white coffin, wolf plushie tightly clutched in his arms. 

Viago strokes lightly the sleeping boy’s curls. Robin smacks his lips in sleep and hisses quietly between his teeth. 

“Sweet boy”, Viago murmurs. 

Then, he goes to his own room and climbs into his coffin. 

He fishes his phone from the front of his coat. 

“Anton texted me sweet dreams”, he gushes. “Of course, vampires don’t really dream. We really do sleep like the dead. It’s a nice thought anyway.”

He giggles and clutches his phone to his heart, cunningly resembling a thirteen year old schoolgirl. 

“I’m very happy”, Viago declares, before closing the lid of the coffin.

The scene quickly fades out when said coffin starts to shake suspiciously.

+++

No matter how much care Anton put into preparing himself and the pack, the day after the full moon is always rough. It feels like a mixture between the most head splitting, gigantic hangover and having been passed over by a truck, back and forth, multiple times. 

Sort of. 

Turning back into human form was almost as bad as transforming into the wolf. Once the unpleasant sensation of his bones and muscles shrinking back in their place has passed, Anton shakes his head forcibly, trying to clear it as much as possible. 

He makes a quick check of his body - no evident injuries, just a general sense of exhaustion - Anton proceeds to check over his packmates.

Sam lies in the foliage, her slim figure once again engulfed by a tracksuit three times her normal size. “Alright?” he asks her, crouching down, which - ouch , his ribs.

She raises a thumb up. “At least no school today”, she mumbles and promptly falls asleep.

Anton snorts; he can’t really blame her. Some of the lads, like Nathan M and Declan, are already stretching up in various states of post full moon hangover.

“I can’t believe I ripped another pair”, Clifton whines, holding his shredded jeans. 

Dion tuts. “If you wore those track pants like Anton told you…”

“Not my fault they were in the wash!”

“Seriously bro, you should just wear ‘em dirty, ‘s not like we’re on a bloody runaway - sorry Anton.”

Everything sorted, they all pile up in Declan’s old van; Stu offers to drive and Anton slumps gratefully in the seat next to him. 

The ride is a quiet one, the silence interrupted only by some yawns and the occasional snore. 

Anton squints his eyes, when timid rays of sunlight filter between the clouds. It’s not an impressive sunrise, but still Anton snaps a picture so he can show Viago later - the vampire is still not keen on using smartphones because, apparently, “if phones are getting smarter, they could hypnotize you in your sleep, you know, and I really don’t want to spend eternity with scrambled brains.”

Anton’s lips stretch in a smile. Adorable . 

“Took that for Viago, eh?” Stu asks politely.

Anton startles. “Uhm, yeah”, he replies, feeling a bit exposed.

One thing is getting teased by your teenage packmate when you’re high on adrenaline after the snog of your life; getting asked direct questions is another. 

Has he been really that obvious? 

Stu hums. He doesn’t take his eyes off the road. “Would you send it to me? Reckon Deacon would like it.”

Anton relaxes. “Sure, mate”, he says. Then, he twists in his seat to take a better look at his friend. “Any advice on how to date a vampire?” he jokes.

At least, he hopes that he and Viago are dating. I mean, it was only a kiss, yes, but he knows that there was more to it, wasn’t it? 

God, he’s so gone . 

Stu snorts. “I suppose that depends on the vampire, really. Deacon’s always ready to start some shit”, he says, although his tone of voice is fond. “In the end, it’s not so different than dating any other person, I guess, but at least you don’t have to worry they would think less of you because you howl at the moon once a month.” 

Anton laughs. “Good point.”

Stu takes a turn to the left. Home and his nice bed are within minutes to reach. 

“To be honest, boss, you were kinda dating Viago already”, he points out, not unkindly. “You were always there to cheer him up after that business with Katherine. At some point, even Vladislav and Deacon stopped to be surprised to see you at their house.”

Anton scratches the back of his neck, feeling his face heat up. “I honestly didn’t think he liked me back.”

Stu turns his head to give him a pointed look. “Bet he thought the same thing. Vampires are very dense about these matters, that I can tell you.”

Stu parks the van in front of the house.  The clouds have dispersed a bit and the sun shines radiantly in the morning sky. 

Anton slaps him on the shoulder. “Haven’t heard you talk that much in one go. Sharing is important for a healthy relationship within the group, you know.”

“Yeah, boss, but I don’t know how much I’m willing to share, if you get my drift.”

“Fair enough”, Anton shrugs. “Alright boys and lady, time to go home.”

When Anton wakes up again, it’s dark outside. 

“Fucking hell”, he curses quietly, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands. “How long have I slept?”

“About twelve hours, I think.”

Anton blames entirely the state of confusion post moon for the undignified yelp he lets out. “Bloody hell, Viago!”

“Sorry”, the vampire smiles, not looking particularly apologetic. “I thought you didn’t swear”, he adds innocently. 

His dark eyes, however, twinkle in mirth.

“The cheek”, Anton mutters, but he smiles up at him. “Usually, I don’t wake up to find mysterious, handsome men in my bedroom.”

Viago’s smile gets impossibly wider. “Their loss.”

They stare at each other for a long moment, grinning like loons. Then, Anton’s stomach lets out a loud growl. 

Anton chuckles, embarrassed, until Viago supplies a plate with toast and jam and a cup of tea, which appears to be long gone cold. 

“I didn’t know what you would like to eat”, Viago says, shuffling on his feet. “But I thought, for sure after an entire night out, something in his belly would be good and, you know, it’s not so hard making tea and…”

“Viago”, Anton says softly, interrupting the stream of words. “Come here.”

The vampire sits next to him. Despite the initial bravado, now he looks uncertain. 

Silly man , Anton thinks with a rush of affection. 

He takes the plate and the mug from his hands and puts them down on the nightstand. Then, he cradles Viago’s face between his hands, stroking the sharp cheekbones with his thumbs, marveling at the way the vampire’s lashes flutter close. 

He wants to tell him a lot of things, first of all that he’s not used to being taken care of. That the simple gesture of bringing him breakfast makes his heart beat stupidly faster. 

Anton, however, is more a man of action so he kisses Viago firmly on the lips. The vampire moans softly in the back of his throat which in turn makes Anton kiss him harder. 

It’s a win-win situation, really.

He sucks his bottom lip between his teeth, enjoying the hissing sound Viago makes and the way he slides his slender hands behind his back. 

Anton feels the coppery taste of blood, as he slides his tongue behind Viago’s fangs.

“Had something to eat before I came here”, Viago murmurs. His cheeks, Anton notices, are faintly dusted in pink.

Anton grins, feral. “I don’t mind”, he replies. 

At some point, Anton remembers that they’re in fact on a bed and that making out while horizontal is actually a great idea. 

He looks up, from under his lashes, and the vision of Viago above him, hair mussed from his fingers, his lips plump and shiny, is enough to take his breath away.

“You’re beautiful”, he exhales. It’s probably lame and unoriginal; Viago, nevertheless, beams and it’s like watching the sun rise. 

“Thank you”, he says politely. “I think you’re very sexy.”

Anton snorts. “If you say so.”

“I know so”, Viago replies and he grinds down. 

Anton growls in the back of his throat and he flips them over the mattress, which seems to have been Viago’s aim all along if the pleased smirk on his face is any indication. 

Anton has to kiss the smugness off his face. Thoroughly.

Things are quickly going to a very interesting place, especially when Viago hooks his long legs around Anton’s waist and Anton manages to discard Viago’s waistcoat. He’s also lost his own t-shirt at a certain point. 

Coincidentally, it’s the exact moment in which Robin cannonballs himself into Anton’s bedroom. 

Viago removes his hand from inside Anton’s pants as if they were on fire. 

Oh no , Anton thinks. We’ve just scarred this kid for all eternity.

He rolls over, disentangling himself from Viago. The vampire sits, hair comically sticking up in all directions, his blouse still on only for one sleeve.

Robin seems completely unconcerned by their state of undress.

“Daddy!” he calls happily and, all of a sudden, he shoots up in the air. He flings himself towards the bed, turning upside down in the process. 

“Uhm.” Viago begins eloquently. “Hello sweetheart.”

“Did you know he could fly?” Anton asks, baffled. He seems to have missed something. 

"Recent development.”

Anton can't help it. He bursts out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Viago asks, confused.

Anton shakes his head, another chuckle escaping his lips. "Nothing, it's just… I've been mental about you for ages and when I manage to kiss you, you have a kid."

Viago pouts, his fangs resting on his lower lip. "You could've kissed me sooner."

Anton snatches his hand from the mattress and brings it to his lips. "My bad."

Viago ducks his head, a soft smile spreading on his face. It does funny things to Anton’s heart.

Robin plops down between them. 

“Hi Anton!” he greets politely, with a brilliant smile. “Cuddles?” he asks Viago, opening his little arms. 

Viago scoops him up. “Of course, my darling. Come here.”

The toddler curls himself around Viago, tucking his head under the vampire’s chin. 

"Stay?" Viago asks and Anton, of course, obliges.

He brings the food Viago had brought him with him and they squeeze themselves on Anton's bed.

He ends up with his arm curled around Viago's waist, Robin a soft weight between them. He doesn't mind in the least.

Anton chugs down his toast in a couple of bites.

Robin eyes him curiously. After all, for a baby vampire used to drinking blood from bottles, solid food must appear extremely bizarre.

"We don't eat that," Viago explains to him. "Anton likes it, but for us it's yuck ."

"Yuck" Robin repeats, scrunching up his nose, in a way that reminisces so much Viago himself.

"You're a cutie like your dad", Anton tells him, booping his nose.

Robin giggles and scuttles in his lap. "Anton, story, please?" he asks eagerly.

Viago turns on his side, leaning on his elbow. He’s the picture of contentment, the yellow light of the lamp making him look softer around the edges. 

Anton has never felt so smitten with another person before. 

“Since you asked so nicely.” He clears his throat, choosing his best narrator voice. “Once upon a time,” he begins, as Robin curls up into him. “There were a werewolf and a vampire…”

+++

At some point, Robin dozes off, his little head tucked against Anton’s chest, the rhythm of his heart certainly a soothing lullaby of its own. 

He also has a tiny satchel under his pillow where the soil of New York is kept.

“Sorry”, Viago whispers. “Probably not how you imagined the night going.”

Anton chuckles. “It’s alright. Didn’t  even plan that far, honestly.” He smirks. “Then again, I have you in my bed so I’ll count that as a victory.”

Viago swats him lightly on the arm. “How scandalous of you”, he chides half-heartedly. His smile, however, hides promises in it.

Anton cannot wait to discover them all. 

They have shifted from their respective place and are now curled like parentheses in front of each other, Robin laying safely between them. 

“Before, you said something”, Viago says softly.

Anton raises his eyebrows, waiting for him to continue.

“You said you were mental about me.”

Anton licks his lips. “It’s true.”

Viago looks like he’s fighting to keep his composure and not to smile too hard at that. He’s utterly failing, of course. 

“That’s good”, he replies. “Because I think I may be in love with you.”

Anton beams. “Good.”

They reach for each other at the same moment. Their hands intertwine, resting protectively on Robin’s sleeping form. 

Then, Anton hears a sniffle.

“That was so romantic”, a voice whispers from outside the door. 

Viago groans. “Amy, are you filming right now?”

Silence. “Just a little. For posterity”, the operator replies. “I’m sure you’ll have quite the fanbase”, she adds with conviction, before finally turning off her camera.

Viago looks at him, confused. “Why would we need a base for fans? To hang them from the ceiling?”

Anton tries not to laugh. That will be an interesting conversation.

“I’ll explain later, love. Don’t you worry about it.”

+++

“... And that’s how Anton and I got together.”

Viago ends his narration with a huge smile. 

“And thank fuck for that”, Vladislav comments. “It was becoming absolutely unbearable.” He tuts. “I hope you have lots of sex to compensate.”

Viago glares at his friend. “We don’t need to compensate anything, we have great sex, thank you very much, and…”

The shot cuts to Nick, who’s on babysitter duty. Robin seems very enthralled by the menu setting of Super Mario Kart. 

The vampire grimaces. “I just don’t want to know about my mates’ sex life”, he tells the camera. “I’m not a prude. I know vampires like having orgies, but I don’t think they’re my thing. Too much pressure, you know.” He shakes his head. “I hope Robin is down for having a younger sibling, anyway.”

On the other side of the room, the bickering has luckily quieted down.

Vladislav and Viago shake hands and pats amicably each other’s shoulders.

The camera shifts to Deacon, who’s eating blood jellies and looks bored to death. “They’ve gone soft”, he says affronted. “Once that would have escalated into a huge fight. Maybe some light stabbing. But now they insist they have to set an example”, he mimics brackets, “for Robin. It befalls upon me to make sure he doesn’t become a bore.”

Deacon whistles in the direction of the little boy. Robin’s head perks up and leaves his game carelessly on the floor.  

Nick frowns. “I don’t think it’s cool calling him like that, bro. It’ll teach him catcalling and it’s not cool.”

Deacon looks perplexed. “Why would he call cats? He already has Vladislav.”

“... Nevermind.”

Robin tugs on Deacon’s leather pants. “Deacyy”, he calls, rolling on his heels. “I want to play catch.”

Deacon huffs. “Not now, brat. We have that call to make. Maybe later.”

Robin pouts. “Promise?”

The camera gets a close-up of Deacon’s expression. The stern look is softened by a slight quirk of his lips. 

“Alright”, he concedes magnanimously. “But don’t bust my balls while we’re busy or I’ll feed you to the zombies.”

Robin cheers, totally unfazed by the threat, and hugs tightly Deacon’s leg. The older vampire pats him gently on the head.

“I think that catch is actually a very instructive game”, he tells the camera. “Robin jumps off the roof and I catch him on the ground. It’s very good for improving his dives.”

The shot cuts to Viago who is setting up the computer. “Deacon, c’mon! Put your robe on, I think the Skype is working.” 

Vladislav points at his white robe. He hasn’t buttoned it up, so a great expanse of his chest hair is on display. “We want to look our best for Important Council Business”, he explains to the camera.

After a few seconds, the image of a woman with pasty white skin and blonde hair appears on the screen.

“Dark Greetings”, she greets.

“Dark Greetings”, replies Viago.

“Dark Greetings”, she says.

“Dark Greetings”, Vladislav answers.

“Dark Greetings”, she repeats.

“Dark Greetings”, drawls Deacon. 

“Whatever”, Nick mumbles, continuing to  play with his game. 

Robin peers curiously at the screen. “Hi!” he says, waving his hand. 

Tilda blinks. “Dark Greetings, little one. I thought he was only capable of screeching.”

“He did at the beginning”, Viago says. “A lot of screeching and wailing.”

“He needed a little more structure, that’s all”, Vladislav adds. “Now, young Robin is a respectable toddler vampire.”

Robin shows his fangs and hops on the sofa. “Papa, Daddy and Deacy dressed like ghosts”, he says, looking pointedly at the camera.

“I don’t know where he got that notion”, Vladislav says, perplexed. “Ghosts are more greenish.”

Tilda follows the interaction with interest. “Fascinating. He’s even capable of abstract thoughts. I always thought that newborns were like slugs… tiny, slimy and brainless”, she muses.

Robin scrunches up his nose. “Slugs are sticky. No slugs.”

Tilda nods in assent. “Quite right, young man. So, I assume that you will continue to take care of the Child indefinitely, yes?”

“Yes”, the three vampires concur. “For more than six months”, Deacon adds hurriedly.

Tilda blinks. “Of course. I was thinking, well, for eternity.”

Deacon relaxes. “Alright then.”

Viago ruffles Robin’s hair. “Have you heard that, sweetheart? You will stay here forever and ever.”

Robin claps his hands. “I like forever!” he says happily. “After forever, can we play catch?”

“Everything you want shall be yours, my boy”, Vladislav promises. 

“Well, gentledeparted, that would be all”, Tilda says. “I was expecting a little more of a mess, to be honest, but I’m so glad it’s not the case. You spared me a lot of paperwork.”

“Yes, thank you for that”, the shrill voice of the Guide interjects. “I’m coaching the new councilmembers of New York and it’s already worth two centuries of paid holidays.”

Tilda subtly shakes her head. “She’s been asking for two decades now”, she confides. “Poor thing must be exhausted.” She claps her hands. “Well then, I’ll take my leave now. Farewell!”

She says and turns into smoke, leaving the screen to show an empty seat. 

“Uhm”, Viago says hesitantly. “I think she forgot to turn off the camera.”

They hear the heavy sigh of the Guide in the background.

“Three centuries”, she mutters. “And a trip to the mogue’s makeup department.”

The screen finally turns black.

“Now, can we go play catch?” asks Robin impatiently. 

Deacon stands up and discards the white robe. “Yeah, brat. Let’s go upstairs.”

+++

The shot cuts on the exterior of the vampire residence. It’s a nice night out, despite the cold.

At some point, the werewolf pack has arrived to hang out with their vampire friends - and lovers.

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Stu asks, standing beside Deacon.

“Course it is”, the vampire replies, with his arms already raised. “He can’t really die anyway.”

Anton, hand in hand with Viago, doesn’t look convinced. “True, but I don’t think landing facedown the lawn would be good for his health.”

Viago smiles serenely. “Don’t worry, my love. Vampire’s bones cannot break for a fall.”

Anton sighs, but seems to accept it. “If you say so, babe”. He circles Viago’s shoulders with his arm and the vampire pecks him sweetly on the cheek.

“Make sure to record everything”, Vladislav says at the camera. “I want every moment of this glorious endeavor recorded for posterity.”

Up to the roof, Nick gives them a thumb up. Robin is very close to the edge of the edifice. “We’re good to go, mates.”

“Jump, Robin!”

Robin shrieks as he dives from the very top of the roof. He accelerates towards the ground until he curves and shoots up again in the air. 

“Look Deacy!” he calls happily. He tries a few somersaults and then he lets himself fall into the arms of Deacon.

“Nice one, brat” the vampire tells him. “I’m impressed.”

The shot stays fixed on the happy group of people, wolves and undead, cheering enthusiastically for one little, immortal and happy boy until it fades to black.

Fin

+++

[Additional Footage.]

“So, I’ve decided to start my own parenting blog”, Vladislav tells the camera. “My good friend Becky suggested it.”

Vladislav shows the picture of a woman in her forties and her two baby girls. They look about two years old, with blue ribbons in their red hair. 

“We stayed friends. After all, her girls are the same age as Robin. Well, for now, anyway. I don’t think it’s going to be a problem in the future, humans look the same at whatever age they are. But I digress.”

He motions the operator to follow him in the living room. 

Toys are scattered on the floor. In the middle of the room, Robin is building a construction with colored blocks. 

“It’s a castle”, the toddler explains. 

His hair is longer, curling at the base of his neck, but as for everything else, he doesn’t look a day older than the day he was taken in by the three vampires. 

“This is me”, he says, pointing at a lego figurine. “And this is the foolish scum who tried to overtake my throne.”

“And what do we do with those who oppose us?” Vladislav prompts him.

“We eat them”, Robin answers diligently.

“Good lad”, Vladislav praises. 

He sits down at the computer. The tab is open at one “Poker_Papa’s Guide to Parenthood” . The blog counts more than twenty thousand followers.

“It’s like ruling my own loyal kingdom”, he says enthusiastically. “The only downside is that I must take my correspondance very seriously.”

B-roll footage shows Vladislav slowly typing an email, clicking each letter on the keyboard with a single finger. He has a pair of round glasses perched on his nose.

“Papa!” Robin calls him urgently. “I think Deacy has stabbed uncle Nick with his needles again .”

“Not now, my boy”, Vladislav answers distractedly. “Papa is busy.”

The shot cuts back to Vladislav scrolling down his page. 

“In the past few weeks, this particular fellow has been a very persistent correspondent.”

He points at a particular username, dilf_laszlo . In the post, he asked if it was normal for his toddler to be so interested in watching furniture auctions that escalated into fist fights.

Vladislav shrugs. “I think it’s actually a good sign of maturity. The sooner the babies learn about real life situations the better.” 

He frowns at the screen. “The only thing that concerns me is that this fellow has the same name of a vampire who I sentenced to death some time ago in New York. Alas, he managed to escape with his accomplices. A dreadful situation”, he grimaces. “Turning their familiar against their own kind.”

He shudders. “Viago tells me that they’re best to be left alone, anyway, and we should see their survival as a successful survival tactic. I think Anton’s bullshits about cooperation have messed with his mind.”

He taps his finger against his chin. “Anyway, it’s probably just a coincidence. After all, what are the odds of another baby vampire being entrusted to that guy?”