A Reason To Stay {THE LITTLE VAMPIRE) RUDONY [COMPLETED]

Chapter 10

“Hello Tony!” Rudolph cried, flying through the blond teenager’s window a week later. He had come back the very next night after he had called Tony, to his surprise. And the next, and the next. Sometimes they went out flying, and other times, he simply sat and watched Tony do his homework. Tonight, they had a different plan. Tony had found out how to turn on the old TV downstairs. It was stuck on a rotation of three channels, and one of them had an old horror movie marathon that evening. The teenager had taken the earliest shift he could, finishing all his homework between ringing up customers and stocking shelves. He had only just gotten back, having a few spare moments to change. 

Rudolph was dressed in the clothes Tony had given him the time he had slept over, wearing his stiff leather jacket over it. 

“You look ready,” Tony said, eyeing him up and down.

“I’m excited to see my first moving picture!” he took up Tony’s hand, flying the two dangerously through the hallway and down the stairs. Tony laughed as they fell hand in hand onto the couch, leaning against each other when they simultaneously lost their balance. The two giggled, with Tony leaping up to grab some blankets and the packets of popcorn he had purchased that afternoon. He threw the mass of quilts into Rudolph’s chest, earning a yelp of surprise from him as Tony chuckled, walking to the microwave. 

He pressed each number with a loud beep, sensing Rudolph fly over curiously. The machine whirred to life and the vampire brought his face up to the small window, peering through to watch the rotating object. When the first kernel sizzled and popped, the dark haired teenager leapt up in the air. He clutched Tony’s arm for stability, who collapsed into laughter. Rudolph pouted while the blond tried to compose himself. 

“You really should warn me about these modern things, Tony,” he huffed and turned around, walking to the couch. The boy sat down, crossing his arms and bringing his knees up to his chest. Tony shuffled over to where Rudolph was seated, the obnoxious popping in the background. 

“Sorry… I didn’t think. I always forget that you’re three hundred years old and don’t understand all this weird stuff we have now,” he nervously fiddled with his hands, relaxing when Rudolph stood up, smiling at Tony. He walked past, looking at the wrapper. 

“So, what do you do with this ‘microwavable popcorn’ then?”

The blond followed him over, opening a mahogany cabinet above the charred black stove, pulling out a bowl. “We put it in here and we eat it. It’s pretty simple.” 

He beamed over at his friend, who was watching the digital numbers count down to zero. He flinched once more when it beeped, and he excitedly opened the microwave door. Pulling out the bag, he handed it to Tony, hissing at the heat of it. Tony handled it quickly, opening the bag and dumbing out its steaming contents. He smiled when he saw the mix of confusion and awe on the vampire’s face. 

He continued to stare at it as they sat down on the couch, Tony flicking on the TV. “You can eat it if you want to,” he murmured. But Rudolph was now mesmerized by the moving screen in front of them. He pushed the bowl aside into Tony’s lap, standing up. He walked up close to the screen, his nose brushing up against the glass. He jumped back when the screen met his face with a static touch, hanging in the air, panting.

“What the bloody hell is that?” he cried, sitting down close to the blond. He tucked his knees underneath his chin and stared at the TV wide eyed. 

“It’s a television, Rudy. A ‘moving picture’ or whatever you called it. It’s like your phone, you just can’t touch it. We’re gonna watch a horror movie like I said,” Rudolph smiled at him anxiously, but he quickly relaxed, leaning back into the couch. The opening credits on a black and white background displayed on the glowing screen.