After being rather forcefully removed from Arthur's house, Alfred headed back to his and Matthew's flat. It was rather late and by the time he'd gotten there, Matthew had already gone out to do whatever it is he did at night.

He spent a few hours goofing off on tumblr, impulsively made a blog about his favourite DOSA comic book hero, made exactly seventeen posts, and then promptly forgot about it. He went to bed and fell asleep rather soundly just before eleven o'clock.

Alfred didn't have any plans with Arthur on Sunday, so he decided to get some sightseeing in before he had work the next day. He hadn't had a chance to be a proper tourist yet, and if he waited much longer he wasn't sure he could call himself a proper tourist anymore.

Matthew had already told Alfred that he wasn't allowed to spend any money on his sightseeing with the exceptions of getting a cab there and back, and he was allowed to ride "the big Ferris wheel" exactly once.

Alfred had already finished up all his free sightseeing and headed over to the queue for the London Eye. It was just starting to get dark, the sky turning from blue, to red, to purple as the sun set. On the way over, he passed a man who looked vaguely familiar, although for the life of him he couldn't place it.

So he did the logical thing.

He reached out and grabbed the man's shoulder and pointed at him, saying, "Wait, I know you... Right?"

" 'Fraid not, kid," the man answered gruffly, shaking his shoulder away.

The man walked off, but Alfred turned to watch after him. Alfred didn't recognise his face, per say, but he had an aura about him that just felt so very familiar.

So he did the logical thing.

He followed him. From a distance of course, since the man clearly didn't want him around. Alfred followed him for quite a ways before he realized he had no idea where he was anymore.

'Crap...' he thought to himself. The man was still a few metres away from him, he could just ask him where they were, but he figured he wouldn't be too happy to find out he'd been followed all this way. He was just about to turn around and start wandering back when he heard a voice call out,

"Alfred?"

Alfred turned towards the voice and saw Matthew looking at him with a concerned gaze, "What the hell are you doing all the way out here?"

"I had been heading to the line for the Ferris wheel, but I saw this guy and he looked familiar so I followed him."

Matthew shook his head, "You really know how to walk into trouble, don't you. Don't follow strangers into the night. I shouldn't have to tell you these things..." Matthew trailed off before muttering, "It's like looking after a five-year-old..."

Matthew led Alfred back to the house and Alfred got another lecture about not wandering off and stranger danger and all that. Sometimes Alfred felt like a five-year-old the way Matthew treated him sometimes. Alfred knew he meant well, but come on.

On Monday, Alfred met Arthur again at the little cafe for their date.

"So how do you tell the difference between a vampire and a human?" Alfred asked curiously.

"Well, vampires have a softer heartbeat than humans do, and their normal body temperature is maybe a degree or two colder than a human's. Of course, if you're close enough to notice these things, then you're probably dead. Of course, a vampire can hear a human's heartbeat from several metres away, and vampires also give off a peculiar scent, so vampires can easily recognise each other in that sense."

"Are those the only ways to tell?"

"Well, no. Most vampires, and some humans can simply tell. It's hard to describe, but it's rather like-"

"Like a sixth sense? Like an odd sense of familiarity?"

"I... I suppose so, yes."

"In that case, I think I saw a vampire yesterday..." Alfred mumbled.

"What?" Arthur asked, surprised, "Where? When?"

"Near the, uh... the big Ferris Wheel- the London Eye. It was just before sunset. He seemed kind of familiar, although I know I'd never seen him before then. I followed him a ways before Matthew dragged me back to the house. Why?"

"Word of advice, Alfred," Arthur started tensely, "In the future do not follow strange vampires who knows where- especially at night. It's a good way to wind up dead..."

"Well, I didn't realize he was a vampire then. I only thought of it after Matthew took me home and I realized he kind of reminded me of you. I mean, he didn't look anything like you, and he had a completely different air about him, but he just..."

"Gave off that sort of feeling?"

"Yeah."

Arthur sighed. "I hope you're not going to be more trouble than you're worth, Alfred. I'd hate to get attached to you only to find you dead... one... morning..." Arthur's breath caught and he trailed off.

"Gee, thanks." Alfred rolled his eyes, "Do you always measure people by what value they can be to you?"

"That's not what I meant, Alfred. I just don't want you to do something stupid and get yourself killed. I'm actually surprised you were stupid enough to follow him in the first place. Weren't you the least bit frightened?"

"Like I said, I didn't even start to think he was a vampire until after I got home."

"No, but weren't you in the least bit worried about the sense of dread radiating off his person?"

"I didn't really get a sense of dread. He just seemed familiar. He just kind of seemed like you."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. He checked his watch. Alfred would have to leave for work in 15 minutes. He had enough time.

"Come with me," was all Arthur said before he dragged Alfred out of the cafe and down the street. Alfred protested lightly, but more or less allowed Arthur to drag him god knows where. Finally, Arthur turned down an alleyway.

"Where are we going?" Alfred asked, thoroughly confused.

Not a moment later, Arthur stopped and leaned against the wall pulling Alfred's back against him and holding him in place- although leaving his arms free. With his other hand he pulled Alfred's head to one side and placed his lips on his neck.

Alfred froze, but he didn't struggle.

Arthur opened his mouth and grazed his fangs along Alfred's neck. Alfred tensed up, but again didn't struggle.

"What are you doing?" Alfred asked, cautious but not afraid.

"Aren't you afraid?" Arthur whispered close to Alfred's ear, sending a shiver down his spine- albeit for a completely different reason than Arthur was hoping for.

"Of you?" Alfred almost laughed, raising an eyebrow, "No. Not even a little."

"Alfred," Arthur said in a scolding tone before sighing. "You can recognise vampires at a distance, but you're not the least bit afraid. Instinctually, you should be afraid."

"I know you're not going to hurt-"

"It doesn't matter. Whatever you think you know, instinct overrules. Alfred... there's something wrong with you."

"What, just because I'm not afraid of vampires?" Alfred asked, leaning his head back against Arthur in order to get glance at his face. He looked concerned- maybe even a little afraid.

"But the thing is, you are afraid. You're not just so dumb to not realize I'm a predator- you saw what I can do."

Alfred shifted uncomfortably as he realized the position he was in was very similar to that girl whom Arthur had… Alfred's heart beat a tiny bit faster.

"See, now that," Arthur started, placing a hand on Alfred's chest over his heart, "is an appropriate response to fear. But that's not an instinctual response to a vampire holding you against your will," he said, drawing his lips close to Alfred's neck before releasing him entirely, "Sorry, I just wanted to test my theory out."

"It's fine, I don't mind," Alfred shrugged, "But why does it matter, exactly?"

Arthur quirked an eyebrow at him.

"What? You're not going to hurt me, and I now that I know how to recognize them, I won't go wandering off after strange vampires anymore. So no harm done, right?"

Arthur grinned a little, shaking his head, "You're like a baby calf that's never seen a wolf before."

((So, that's it for the special (not-so-special-after-all) release of this chapter! Why is is special do you ask? Well, technically speaking it's not, but this chapter has been released along with the opening of my new art/ask blog on Tumblr: "ask-au-usuk . tumblr . com" ! Exciting! It is officially open for questions today, so I hope you check it out and ask a question or two for the USUK dorks! :D

((Also, sorry this chapter is so short. For some reason in my mind this chapter played out a lot longer than it actually ended up being...))