Birthday Gift

Disclaimer: I don't own The Little Vampire.

A/N: AU - ish

TONY'S POV

It took me several weeks to come up with a birthday present for Rudolph, and I still had nothing good when Mom came in the night before. "Still trying to think of that perfect gift?" she asked.

"Yeah. I can't think of anything."

"Well, why don't you draw him a picture?"

"Of what?"

"Y'know, daylight." Mom and Dad knew about Rudolph and his family by now, but they hadn't been easy to convince.

"Daylight?"

"Yeah, like that."

"Okay, good idea, Mom." I pulled a piece of blank paper from my stash and selected a few markers. Instantly, Rudolph's words came to me, and I put them to paper as well as I could. First, there came the grass and flowers, and then the tree with the bird in it, singing, and then there was the blue sky. Picking the color for the sky was the hardest part; it had to be exactly right. I left a little space in the corner for the sun, which I also had to get just right.

With the picture complete, I crawled into bed and fell asleep, wondering what Rudolph would think of it.

AAA

I folded the picture into a notecard and walked into the cemetery, watching out for the caretaker and Rookery, careful not to let anything go wrong. I spotted Rudolph by his favorite statue, reading. Checking around to make sure no one was there, I walked up and declared proudly, holding out the card, "Happy birthday, Rudolph." He put his book down and took the card, staring at it. He sighed and opened it, unfolding the picture.

Tears flooded his eyes, so I wrapped my arms around him. "This is just what I wanted," he whispered. "I just couldn't put words to it."

"Yeah you could. You did."

"When?"

"When I let you stay over the first time. You told me, remember?"

"You didn't take it seriously then."

"But I didn't forget it, either."

Rudolph paused, running his tongue across his lip, but not like he wanted to eat me. More like, he was scared or something. "Tony, may I ask something of you?"

"What?"

"Would you...would you kiss me?"

"Kiss you?"

"Yes, kiss me."

Without a word, I let go of him so I could tilt his chin upward, looking him in the eye. I leaned in gently, not really wanting to scare him or anything, and before I knew it, our lips met. I pulled away slowly, locking eye contact with Rudolph once again. "Thank you," he whispered.

"You're welcome," I replied in the same low voice as I wrapped my arms around him again.

"Does this...change anything?"

"Like what?"

"Is our friendship no longer? Has everything become so different as to be unrecognizable?"

"You're still my best friend, the best I'll ever have. I don't want anything else."

"Thank you, Tony." I held him for a long time after that.