Egbert

Out with a Bang

I'm monster hunting with Batman in Gotham city. This is going fantastic. We have the Joker cornered when all of a sudden he stops backing into the alley and starts laughing at me, squealing "You forgot the biggest monster of all" and he holds up a mirror to me. My reflection looks damn fine in a mask and tights but when I look away from admiring myself Batman has turned his ray gun on me and suddenly the entire Justice League is staring me down with their weapons. When Wonder Woman wraps her lasso of truth around my throat I jolt awake.

Clearly the dream means something. It means I need to stops reading my comics while watching science fiction because Batman does not use a ray gun.

The middle of the night has passed and it's officially extremely early morning. People are still sleeping and the town is silent as I walk through the streets, but a few birds are beginning to wake up to annoy them. My final outfit for the wedding is slung over my shoulder in a suit cover and my wedding gift to Aaditiya is tucked safely in an envelope in my pocket. It's an all expenses paid trip to Hawaii to be booked when they want, as well as a very tidy cheque that I'm going to insist is from my parents and he has to take lest he incur their wrath. I'll going to wait until he's along to give it to him, so he doesn't feel pressured by his parents to return the gift and say it's too much. If it's just us I know he'll accept it.

My thoughts seem to scatter when I notice the figure outside of Vikram's house, leaning against the street sign and looking up at the windows. I take an extra loud breath to let them know I'm here but that doesn't seem to bother them. So instead I saunter over and lean next to them.

"Hans"

"Egbert." He greets back.

We settle into quiet while I decide which one of the many questions I'm going to ask him first. There's the small matter of where the hell he's been for the last two days and why he thought it was okay to abandon my best friend. Or perhaps why he's standing outside his window like the Slenderman at this godforsaken hour?

"You were here yesterday." I opt for the dramatic, make him feel bad, question. "You were here, and then you left. Why did you do that? Do you know how sad you made him?"

"I know. I didn't mean to."

Five minutes is the politest amount of time I can give him to add anything else to that but he remains mysteriously silent even after the time limit.

"D-"

"For the longest time it's always just been my mother and me."

My mother and I. I guess grammar as well as not interrupting people when they talk is something he was never taught. I was, however, so I listen silently to him.

"My dad left and I never thought about him unless I had to. Like when I went through the change. You know, I think I became a vampire to spite him. But it's just been us and I was okay with that. But then Vikram he... He came into my world- this scrawny guy that never knew went to shut up. I was so badly enthralled with him that I didn't know what to do about it. I lashed out at him, at you too Eg," I'm just saying he could take this moment to apologise for that, but again it's not my monologue, "until I changed and I realised the reason why I acted like I did to him. It's because I love him Egbert. And I didn't' know how to process that. Now I do. And I know I'd do anything in this world for him, even if that means letting him go and live a normal life without me."

"Hans..."

"Be honest with me Egbert, do you think we get a happy ending? Vampires and humans don't work out well. And even if we did, he'd lose everything, his humanity, his family. I don't think his parents would ever speak to him again. He's better off without me."