A Vampire's Best Friend

Bloody Idiot

Rudolph softly sighed, leaning up against the stone wall with a worried look. "Where is he..." the night owl muttered to himself, his phone clutched tight in his hands. Ten texts, six calls, and no answers. What if something had happened to the mortal? The night was calm, and still. It was far enough from the highway that cars couldn't be heard by human ears, and city lights couldn't be seen. Rudy was standing against a small building lit by lanterns and tiki torches. It was small and cozy, with  a grass clearing in the front and a garden in the back. Tiki torches lines the property, and stood on either side of a couple of iron benches. Lanterns hung every few feet along the the roof, and a small stack of books sat neatly on the porch. Roses, daisies, and various foods grew in the garden. A sweet sort of aesthetic. 

Even in the quiet atmosphere, Rudy was nervous. "Bloody idiot..." he mumbled, starting to pace. "It's only an hour from the airport! How much trouble could he have gotten into?!" Before the raven-haired boy could continue his rant, his ears pricked up at the faintest sound of a car. Without a second thought, his feet left the ground, pushing himself up and over the forest. Wind gracefully sliced through his clothing, and made his messy hair all the messier. Hundreds of feat in the air, the vampire's keen eyes carefully searched for the familiar headlights. 

As soon as he found the familiar sight, Rudy didn't hesitate to nosedive down, keeping a steady pace with the van. But he forgot how the humans weren't used to his abilities. A wave of guilt rolled over him when his feet hit the roof of the van, and the family inside started screaming. Nonetheless, a grin spread over his face as he heard Tony laugh and cheer. 

"Rudy!" A sweet and familiar voice exclaimed, as the back window rolled down. And as soon as it was all the way open, the immortal glided in, crashing onto the seat and into his friend's open arms. 

"You dumbass! I thought you'd died or something!" Rudy scolded, eagerly pulling his friend into a close hug. 

"I blew up a vampire hunter! It'll take a lot more than a car crash to kill me," the blond softly joked, hugging the vampire back just as excitedly. 

"It's good to see you again, Rudolph," Dottie, the mortal boy's mother, said from the front seat. "And  you've grown up so much, too!" 

It was true. Rudy had grown from mismatched chains and clunky boots, to a sleek black cape with velvet lining and spiked shoulder pads. Silver piercings on the left side of his eyebrow, a septum piercing, and snake bites on his lips. His previously shaggy black hair was now cut neater and shorter, but it was still as messy as ever. His left ear was pierced all along the edge, small chains connecting them. He still wore black combat boots, with ripped black jeans, and a long-sleeved button-up black shirt. Rings shined beautifully with leather fingerless gloves. 

"Thank you!" The vampire said, letting go of Tony to instead settle into the seat next to him. Rudolph's heart thrummed in his chest as he happily shifted around in his seat. 

"How's your family?" Bob asked, looking at the boys through his rearview mirror. What he couldn't see, was how his son's hand gently reached for the vampire's, or how the vampire's clasped the blond's hand between both of his, interlacing their fingers together. 

"They're cool, I guess. Gregory mellowed out, finally, and Anna's been practicing spells and stuff more often with mother," the raven-haired boy said, looking a bit distractedly out the window at the mention of his family. But then his gaze snapped back up to Bob's, sparkling excited as he said, "And I got all my stuff unpacked!" Rudy didn't ask what they had been up to. He'd been texting with Tony all summer, after all. "How was the trip?" He asked instead, looking at his friend now. And he took that moment to really look at the other boy.