Number thirteen: Life.
Pairing: None.
A/N: Nothing much to say about this, except that it's pre-book.
Disclaimer: See chapter one.
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"Van Helsing!" Steve shouted happily, pointing roughly at his book, "Now he was a great vampire hunter."
Darren looked up from his own book – squinting in the dim light of Steve's bedroom – and gave him a quick grin before turning his head back down to the book. Steve watched his friend for a moment before stretching and sighing, "I would love to be a vampire hunter."
"I thought you wanted to be a vampire?" Darren asked uncertainly, knowing how heated Steve could make these little conversations, "You know, with the fangs and killing people."
"Well," Steve started, grinning over at Darren, "I did want to. But I think vampire hunters are cooler." He looked back down at the book resting in his lap, "Don't you think that too?"
Darren hesitated, "I guess."
Steve smirked, "Oh yeah, I forgot. You want a boring life."
"Not boring!" Darren defended, "Just..."
"What you want," Steve started, standing up and looking down at Darren with a strange glint in his eyes, "Is a safe life: where you go to collage, and university, and get married to a boring wife and have boring children." Steve snorted in disgust, as if the very idea of a normal life made him sick.
Darren stared at the floor, "What's wrong with that?" He asked quietly.
"Where's the fun?" Steve exclaimed, crouching down in front of Darren, "Where's the excitement?" When Darren just shrugged in reply, Steve sighed but continued, "Why don't you want to do something exciting with your life? Like, wrestle crocodiles, or...climb Kilimanjaro, or get into a dangerous situation and only escape by the skin of your teeth!" Steve's eyes were alight with excitement, with adventure, with danger.
"That all sounds great," Darren coughed uncomfortably under Steve's stare, "But it's not for me. I mean, c'mon. I've never been one for adventure or anything."
Steve grunted and stood again, glaring out of the crack in the curtains, scrunching up his eyes against the bright ray of sun that filtered through. Darren stayed still on the floor, watching Steve for any signs of movement, and after five minutes – with still no movement from Steve – Darren finally got bored: he picked up a nearby cushion and flung it at Steve's head.
The cushion connected, Steve let out a startled shout and turned on Darren, a dangerous glare in his eyes. Darren raised his hands in peace and grinned, "If you want to be a vampire hunter, you should get some practice." Steve gave him a confused look, so Darren elaborated, "Dude, a cushion freaked you out!" Darren laughed, and finally Steve smiled too, his dangerous side slinking back into the shadows, resigned but knowing that later in the young boy's life it would get a chance to shine.
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A/N: Ending...I have nightmares about endings, by the way. They scare me *shivers* But, hey, reviews would help me overcome that fear :P