The Shape of Things to Come (Hypernaturals 15)

Fangs

That did it. Liz seemed to have had enough exploding in disbelief and outrage for one night. She just sat there staring like Mom has lost her mind.

Don pivoted from face to face in the room, waiting for anyone to crack up or laugh or something.

Janie merely waited.

In every reveal we have done, and we have done a fair few, the reactions have always been different. As I watched the different reactions I mentally spun all the way back to Danny and Lori, when they found out. They were introduced via Sirens assaulting me, Jessica openly demonstrating speed and strength, and then doing the reveal. That changed the believability index upfront. They both had time to integrate a few things. They both knew they were not being told the entire truth about what went on around the house. Hell: Danny saw me lifting way too much weight early on even. I told him he had to pay it no mind. You can't really forget stuff like that.

Nothing before tonight seeded Don and Liz's ability to understand the Vampire 'extra'. Our Poly lifestyle may be unusual but humans can be Poly. Some are. More varieties and shades of Poly relationships come out into the open all the time. Another spectrum of human behavior.

This reveal is more like when we did one with Leon, Amelia, and Miranda, and even they had some subtle but-there clues via their own behavior. Having children with a Catalyst and forming a Pod, even if they did not know why. They had to. As it worked out, once all was made clear, they still wanted to. It could have been very different. Amelia and Miranda's pre-existing friendship allowed them to form the needed bonds once they came down from their Vampire high.

At the time it took Jessica making a show of her physical strength and some fangs appearing before that reveal session was calmed.

"All right. I need to ask the three of you to not be afraid of what we are going to show you next. You are in no danger. As I said, humans are in the minority here and you have been for a long time and did not know it." Mom gave me a gesture of invitation. "Adrian? Would you mind showing your siblings and Janie your dental enhancements?"

We talked about how to sell this to Don and Liz in the pre-meeting meeting. Who was going to do the show? This time around, Jessica was not going to hang anyone one-handed in mid-air. My one major contribution aside from being the giver-of-drinks to the evening. I am their youngest brother. "Liz. Don. Janie. You need to not worry. No one else in here will be amazed by these, as they all know about them. I am going to stay seated right on this chair. Look at my mouth. I am going to show you my fangs. I am not going to bite you. Are you ready?"

"Oh. Sure. Right." Liz scoffed.

"I am going to drop my fangs very slowly. They will not look like movie Vampire fangs because they are not. Movie fangs would only be good for killing and ripping. Not puncturing and drinking. Killing humans is not why we have them." Although they can be used for that. I flashed on Helen covered in blood that very first time I ever killed anyone. She ripped that one guy's throat out. I don't think she liked him very much. "The idea is to not kill. Vampires evolved a way to get what they needed but leave the host alive. In case they were needed again someday. Besides all that, killing gets noticed. Anyway: My fangs will come out right here." I pointed with my index finger to my mouth, and I slowly dropped the needle-sharp fangs into sight. No Juice dripped off the tips since I control that. That might have been more dramatic, but I am not going for a creep show here.

Liz looked horrified. Don looked very concerned. Janie was someplace over in the fascinated end of things.

After a long enough time in view to let them 'make their point', I went to part two. Talking with fangs down also requires more care to avoid stabbing my own lips. "Now: I am going to retract these and drop them down quickly. In and out a few times. This is to show you I have complete voluntary control of them."