Techno woke up the next morning with the most impressive pounding headache he had ever experienced.

And the strange thing was, he didn't feel bad exactly. Not like he usually would when he got a migraine. Those also tended to hit him in the morning, but they made him flinch away from the light and feel vaguely nauseous. This headache was unpleasant but dull. Fuzzy. As if his thoughts needed to struggle through several feet of quicksand before they could properly form.

Wilbur fed on him. Techno stared up at the ridiculously plush canopy of the bed he was lying in while that memory slowly came back. Wilbur fed on him and Techno was subject to his weird vampire poison. The reason he felt so drained probably had something to do with that. He couldn't remember the last time he slept so soundly, but neither did his body and it was thrown off by the experience.

Well, it certainly was one way to get rid of all those years of sleep deprivation his university classes had forced him to accumulate.

From each of the canopy's four corners, a curtain of sheer green fabric draped down. Somebody had come into the room and drawn them closed. Techno didn't think they were when he went to sleep anyway. Actually, looking around he was struck with the realization that his bed didn't have a canopy at all. It was definitely one of those robust antique pieces of furniture, but it didn't have drapes.

But this wasn't his bed, was it?

Wilbur had brought him to the nest.

Techno winced when sitting up as fast as he did made his head twinge painfully in protest. It faded pretty quickly, replaced by an echo of that warm, hazy feeling from the venom that was already wearing off. Wilbur did mention his reaction to it was rather strong. The aftereffects must also be lingering longer than expected. Despite this, Techno threw back the covers and got up.

He wanted to get out of there.

And not only because it would be very embarrassing for Tommy to catch him sleeping in the nest after Techno made such a big deal out of not being in it.

No, while it had become increasingly obvious to him that his presumptions had been blowing the nest thing way out of proportion - it was clearly not forbidden for him to be in this room, quite the opposite really - Techno didn't know if he wanted to be in there.

Part of him still didn't believe he was allowed to be, no matter what Wilbur said.

Because Wilbur had said something, hadn't he? Techno couldn't really remember clearly, he was pretty out of it by then. But trying to recall it made him feel off. Like something was grabbing him by the throat and refusing to let go. Maybe that was a good description for what the entire room made him feel like.

On trembling legs, Techno got up. All the blood rushing out of his head made him dizzy at first, but then it helped make him feel his limbs again. Definitely an improvement. He was a bit unsteady, though that should clear up soon enough. Whoever had closed the drapes on the bed had also adjusted every other curtain in the room. The dark green heavy fabric almost completely cut out the light from outside, only allowing a thin sliver of noon sun to cut through. There weren't any clocks in the room so Techno couldn't tell what time it was. He must have slept for ages.

Above one of the dressers hung an antique silver mirror. Techno looked into it, almost cringing at the mess of his hair. This was why he usually braided it before bed. He rubbed his face to try and wake himself up faster, pressing his fingertips into the pale skin of his cheeks. When he did, his sleeve slid down and revealed the bite on his wrist.

It had left a mark.

Wilbur had closed the wound, a good thing because Techno didn't much fancy bleeding all over his clothes and the nest. But there were still two small red puncture wounds, with the slight indent of blunt human teeth surrounding them. Wearily, Techno rubbed his thumb over them. The mark was very light, he doubted it would even scar.

With a sigh, he turned around and leaned on the dresser, too weak to brave the walk to the living room quite yet.

If Wilbur was going to make a habit out of feeding on him, Techno should probably ask him to bite a little higher along his arm. That'd be easier to cover than his wrists. And maybe also to take it a bit lighter on the vampire poison because Techno had only drunk alcohol a handful of times in his life but this was already ten times worse than any hangover.

Since he had nothing better to do, he used this opportunity to look around the room properly. Techno had already seen it twice - one time he only peeked into it very briefly during the tour and the other time was when he tucked Tommy in. And back then Techno was way too focused on making sure the fledgling was safe and then getting the heck out of there as quickly as possible to take in the room itself. It was extremely old-fashioned, more something out of a museum than a house that was lived in. There was a light covering of dust on a lot of the furniture that wasn't the nest. Made sense, since Phil spent most of his time in his office. The oil paintings on the wall showed people, vaguely familiar.

Wait…

It took Techno a moment to notice but when he did he almost doubled over in laughter.

He wished he had his phone on him because something about Wilbur posed in a collared shirt with a cravat and wearing rhinegraves was peak hilarity to Techno. Especially with Phil standing menacingly behind him in an equally atrocious outfit, one hand clutched on Wilbur's shoulder while still being several inches shorter. Techno didn't know vampires were into family portraits.

Some of the other paintings around the room were also of Phil or Wilbur. No Tommy though, Techno supposed he was turned after this type of thing fell out of fashion. Others had people on them Techno didn't recognize. One in particular caught his eye.

It was bigger than all the rest and placed more centrally in the room, almost taking up an entire wall with its presence. The frame was elaborate, thick gold with black gems set into the curved edges. Unwillingly, Techno found himself drawn towards it, feet moving without conscious thought until he was looking up into enchanting purple eyes that felt so lifelike it almost made him uncomfortable.

She was beautiful.

Her long black hair hung over her shoulders in delicate waves, tucked in behind an ear on one side. Her hands were held in her lap stiffly, probably posing on instructions of the painter commissioned for the portrait. Yet her chin was tilted ever so slightly to the side, lips curled up into a smile that was more mischief than politeness. Betraying an underlying amusement, not the stuffiness Techno would expect. But what he was drawn to most were those purple eyes, the way wrinkles formed around the corners of her smile. How their brightness pierced the room unnaturally. He felt unable to pull away.

Until the door opened and broke the trance.

"Oh good, you're up." Phil grinned at him warmly. "We were honestly getting kind of worried, mate."

Techno's reaction was embarrassingly akin to that of a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, numbly staring at what would spell certain doom if he didn't move. Phil's presence as a sire never failed to set off some part of Techno's brain that felt disconcertingly close to that of a prey animal. And despite having more or less overcome that ingrained instinct that Phil was dangerous and Techno did not want to be alone in a room with him before, it was stubborn in popping up again when it was this room specifically.

The nest was the heart of a coven, the most important part of a vampire's home. There Techno was standing in it gaping up at a portrait he had no business gaping up at.

Then Phil walked up next to him and also looked up at the painting, the goofiest little smirk breaking out on his face. Any intimidation this man might have possessed melted away like snow in the sun when he looked like a lovesick puppy. Techno blinked, stunned at the change.

"Gorgeous, isn't she?" Phil said sincerely. Techno almost snorted a laugh but managed to contain himself. It was good to have moments like these to remind himself Phil was not a scary ancient vampire sire.

Or well, he was. But he was also just a guy.

"Your wife?" Techno asked. He felt it was a safe assumption to make considering the pure fondness in Phil's expression when he looked at the woman in the painting.

"Not quite," Phil said. Then he crossed his arms, looking at Techno sheepishly. "I mean, yes, technically. I suppose there are probably a few dozen countries around the world where our marriage is still legally binding and recognized by human law."

"How does that work?"

Phil laughed, offering him a shrug. "Every few centuries when we feel like throwing a party, we arrange a wedding. Kristin enjoys the festivity of making it official. It's been a while, actually."

At Phil's words, Techno looked at the painting again. It made sense that she was a vampire. Actually, she fit the storybook definition more than any of the vampires Techno ended up living with did. The pale, almost ashen skin. An uncanny sort of beauty that felt inhuman but also undeniable. All she needed was the red eyes and Techno was sure she'd be fit to haunt anybody's nightmares.

And Phil talked about her like any middle-aged guy who really loves his wife.

"What about vampire law?" Techno heard himself ask. Wilbur did mention they had a government.

"You think 'vampire law' busies itself with mundane stuff like marriage?" Phil shot back, a bit scathingly - amused. Techno tried not to get defensive.

"What does it do then?" he said.

"Politics, mostly. Very complicated politics. Things changed after humans heard about our existence." Phil looked up at the painting again. Techno noticed he had reached out to hold a pendant that hung around his neck. He'd never really paid attention to that before but could see the heart shape clutched between Phil's fingers.

"She is part of that government?" Techno said. At Phil's surprised look, he felt forced to elaborate. "Wilbur mentioned you worked for somebody and since she's never here, I just assumed-" He trailed off, gesturing at the painting.

"Yeah. It keeps her busy, but then again it's always been like that even when she turned me." Phil let go of the pendant. Techno swore he could see some kind of movement there, or a glow. He was kinda woozy though so he might just be imagining things.

"She's your sire?" Techno still didn't know if that was a rude thing to ask by vampire standards, but something gave him the impression Phil wouldn't mind.

"She looks great for her age, doesn't she?" Phil answered. Techno laughed, earning himself another one of Phil's lopsided grins. Yeah, he was definitely head over heels for this woman. "When we met, I had no idea. She really tried to keep me at a distance, but I was one stubborn bastard. Things kind of blossomed from there and by the time she told me the truth, I think it was hardly a surprise anymore."

"Did you…" Techno swallowed, hoping he wasn't crossing some kind of boundary with his questions. This conversation had been going well and he relished feeling this comfortable around Phil for a change, he didn't want to ruin that. "Did you ask to be turned?"

Phil wasn't looking at Techno when he answered. He smiled up at the painting again, gaze faraway. Revisiting some memory Techno couldn't even conceive existed - something that happened long before history books kept proper records.

"I begged for it. I would have done anything for her not to lose me to the cruel passage of time."

The room was colder than it had any right to be. Techno pulled at his sleeve, tracing the bite mark on his wrist. In a few decades, he would be an old man and these guys would still-

He pulled the brakes on that thought because, yeah, not only would it spiral him straight into an existential crisis, it wasn't worth thinking about. He would have long since moved by that time.

"Even though we don't see each other as often, we're happy. And that's what matters. Eternity is a long time to be stuck together." Phil laughed, maybe failing to notice the slightly nauseated look on Techno's face. "We see each other for events, mostly."

"When you feel like throwing a wedding?" Techno asked, hoping to steer back to lighter topics.

"That too. Or actual events within vampire society. Boring formal shit, really. It's mostly for diplomatic gatherings between different ancients. But when those pop up, we don't really have a choice. The entire coven is expected to attend." Techno nodded as if he had any idea what Phil was talking about.

Vampire society sounded just as complicated as human society. What was wrong with living in a cabin and never speaking to another person again? Techno thought that would be pretty chill.

"Anyway, how are you feeling? Wilbur told me you weren't doing too good?" Phil's eyes fixed on him again, attention completely back on Techno. Not a development he enjoyed, frankly. He tried not to squirm being stared at so intently.

"I'm fine. Didn't expect the vampire drugs to be quite that hard-hitting."

Phil chuckled. "Yeah, it's probably because your body wasn't in a good state to deal with them. Not enough sleep or food. But I called Niki just to be sure."

Techno's head shot up. "Please say that's a terrible joke you're making."

"It's not," Phil said slowly. The frown on his face was ten times worse than the stare, studying Techno closely. "It's important you stay healthy, Techno."

Right, right, so his blood could feed Tommy. They had been over this. He waved it away. "I know. I'm fine, really. Niki has better things to do than give me another lecture about self-care."

"If she's had to lecture you about it so often maybe it's time you start listening, mate."

Ouch. Techno could do without being verbally demolished too.

"I told her it wasn't urgent, so don't worry. She's just coming by in a few days to give you a physical, which we all agreed she would be doing anyway." Phil did not sound apologetic. No, he sounded like a dad scolding his kid for misbehaving. Techno was an adult. Is this what Wilbur felt like all the damn time?

"Sure," he said and started to walk out of the room. His legs finally stopped shaking so he would take the opportunity to get out of there. "Sorry about sleeping in your bed," he joked. "It was pretty great, you should send me the number of the guy who sold you your mattress."

Thankfully Phil laughed at his lame jab, chasing away some of the tension that lingered in the air. But his voice did sound sincere when he replied. "You're welcome back anytime."

Techno quickly closed the door behind him so he didn't have to answer.


Techno was not taking Phil's advice, no sir. Definitely not. But he was having a hearty breakfast for a change as opposed to just downing half a cup of black coffee and calling it a day. His headache was almost completely gone, he felt more or less himself again. Food definitely helped.

Which meant he could deal with the newest insanity that had evaded his life: Tommy glaring at him from the other side of the table.

So far Techno had ignored him. He didn't want to acknowledge it while he was eating. He thought they had gotten over Tommy being angry at him about the nest thing, meaning he had no clue what this was about. Maybe if he pretended not to notice it would go away.

Tommy scowled at him harder.

"Do you want some?" Techno asked, holding out his sandwich.

"What did you do?" Tommy asked - well, more like hissed.

"What?"

"There's something weird about you today," Tommy continued. "It's really fucking off-putting."

"I'm tired," Techno offered. He didn't really know what else Tommy could be on about. He rubbed the back of his head, pulling down his sleeve so he could finally start to braid his hair. It was still a mess and if he left it like this he wouldn't get the knots out.

Tommy gasped.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!"

His loudness made Techno flinch. Just because his headache was gone didn't mean he was thrilled to have Tommy screaming at him from three feet away. Not that he had much time to process this because Tommy had already jumped from his chair and rounded the table faster than Techno could blink, catching Techno's raised arm in his hand.

"What happened?" Tommy asked urgently. He sounded… not quite panicked but definitely some degree of upset.

"What do you-"

And that was when Techno figured out what Tommy was even looking at. The bite mark Wilbur had left on his wrist, Tommy's narrowed red eyes honing in on it. His lips pulled up over his incisors into a snarl. For the first time since meeting him, there was actually a small trace of fright in Techno when it came to Tommy. As if he all at once seemed to get this kid wasn't human and Techno should be scared of him.

Tommy turned his arm over to look at the mark better. His grip could so easily be bruising, but it wasn't. "Who did this?"

"Wilbur needed to feed last night," Techno explained.

"He drank your blood?!" Tommy asked outraged. He was straight up glowering at the mark on Techno's wrist, but the anger did not feel aimed at Techno somehow.

"Uh, yeah. Wasn't that the point of me moving in?"

Tommy blinked, letting go of Techno's wrist suddenly. "Yeah, of course," he said quickly. He took a stilted step back. "Obviously, yeah. I'm not a fucking idiot." But there was something off about how he said it. Like Tommy was uneasy with it. Or with his own reaction.

"Tommy-"

Before Techno could get very far in whatever he was about to say, Tommy had already turned around and bolted. That seemed to be a bit of a trend for him, huh? But maybe it was a good thing since Techno had no idea what he was going to say anyway. He finished his breakfast and by the time he was done, Tommy was sitting on the couch watching his documentaries again.

He looked at Techno expectantly, so close to pouting it was a miracle Techno managed to not laugh in his face. He just shook his head and went upstairs to grab his laptop.

Whatever weird mood had gotten into the fledgling must have passed.

…Or maybe not.

Techno had gotten used to the occasional physical contact. He never was an overly touchy person, but he didn't mind it when Tommy fell asleep while watching TV and ended up shifting so he was partly leaning against Techno. Or using his shoulder as a pillow. This was on a whole other level though.

Tommy was pretty much in his lap at his point,

"Will you stop fidgeting?" the teen complained, ironically enough while also shoving his own elbow into Techno's midriff.

"Will you stop trying to use me like a life-size teddy bear?" Techno asked. "I can't really work like this."

Tommy was a vampire, so he could not actually turn red. But he did splutter very comically at the accusation. "I'm not!" He shoved upright, though failed to move away from Techno. So they were pretty much glued side to side. "Excuse me for trying to get cozy."

That's when Wilbur entered the room and Tommy growled at him.

Techno did not think that was normal, apparently neither did Wilbur because he looked fairly startled. Tommy had his arms braced around Techno's middle and the hold only tightened when Wilbur looked at him.

"What are you doing?" Wilbur asked.

Tommy didn't stop making that weird growly sound deep in his chest. "Piss off, Wilbur."

Wilbur made a gesture in disbelief, desperately looking at Techno as if the human could offer some kind of explanation. Techno awkwardly shrugged back. Maybe if they ignored it, it would go away on its own.

Except in the following days, Tommy's clinginess became the new normal.

He was practically attached to Techno by the hip, following him around like a lost puppy. Even if Techno went to study in his room or the kitchen, Tommy had a tendency to follow him there and sit around watching him work. Tommy got all testy if Techno left for his classes.

He didn't say much - or not more than the normal Tommy chatter anyway - and nothing that would explain why he was doing what he was doing. Techno asked once and Tommy said something about Wilbur and Phil always abandoning him and being bored sitting around alone.

Something Techno would accept as a reason if it wasn't for the fact that Tommy didn't seem to want Wilbur around at all.

While Wilbur was drawing Techno's blood, Tommy hovered ominously inches behind him.

"Can you fuck off? I know what I'm doing here," Wilbur said.

"I'm just trying to learn how to do it," Tommy said. "It's my blood, right? So I might as well learn to do it myself."

"Last I checked it's still my blood technically," Techno said before Wilbur could answer.

"Same thing," Tommy answered carelessly. Techno knew he meant it.

Even when Niki came by to check on him at the end of the week, those two still hadn't sorted out their crap. Techno was growing tired of it. He could barely talk with Wilbur anymore without Tommy interrupting him or dragging him off somewhere. He barely had spent any time alone in days. He was on edge and exhausted in a whole other way.

The last thing he needed was for them to distract Niki from trying to do her job.

"Can I do it? I bet it's not that hard, you just pump the stupid balloon right?" Tommy leaned in closer. Techno thought Niki possessed the patience of a saint for not snapping at him for interrupting her again.

"I'm almost done," she said mildly. Wilbur took a step forward from Techno's other side, ignoring how Tommy took the opportunity to send a poisonous glare his way.

"All good?" Wilbur prodded. "I figured he just hadn't slept enough but-"

"Aw, Wilbur, were you worried?" Techno asked. He smiled up at the vampire cheekily. "That's sweet of you."

"There are two other people in this room right now who would have murdered me if I accidentally killed you by feeding on you. Not to mention Phil." Wilbur seemed to shudder at the thought.

"It's as Phil suspected. Your vitals are fine, your blood pressure is on the low end of things but that's what I'm used to from you." Niki undid the cuff from around Techno's arm. "You need to sleep more and eat healthier. Then the poison wouldn't have knocked you out so quickly."

"Eat more vegetables and become immune to vampire poison, got it." Techno nodded. He probably wasn't going to follow the advice, but he could pretend.

"I won't need to feed again for a while," Wilbur said quickly. "Though it's kind of convenient to not have to go out and hunt."

Techno wasn't surprised when that made Tommy frown. Before those two could go for another round of snapping at each other, he got up. "Wanna go for a walk, Niki?"

"A walk?" She was putting her stuff away but stopped to look over at him.

"If you have time. It's been a while since we were able to catch up?"

"Yeah, I'd love a walk."

It was nice to be out of the house. Techno didn't go outside much when he wasn't going to class and he took a lot of those remotely. Personal preference, since attending them in public made his skin crawl. But sometimes that made it easy to forget how nice it could be to simply walk around and enjoy the sun and fresh air.

And it certainly was good to be away from Tommy for a moment.

Techno felt a bit guilty about that thought popping up, but that didn't mean it wasn't the truth. He didn't know how to deal with that sort of clinginess. He never had siblings, nor even a close friend. Techno was very used to being alone.

He hadn't felt alone for a while now.

"They seem pretty lively with you around," Niki said at one point.

"What do you mean?" Techno asked.

She bit at the inside of her cheek, considering her words. "Wilbur wasn't doing very well when we met."

"Oh…" Techno didn't know how else to respond. He was glad his presence was useful. He hadn't regretted his decision to move yet. He just wished it wasn't all so complicated.

Niki smiled at him, picking up on his hesitance. "They're happy to have you around, that's for sure. I haven't seen Tommy so fired up about something in a while either."

"What about you?" Techno asked, changing the subject as smoothly as somebody with his social skills was able to.

"What about me?" Niki prodded playfully.

"How have you been?"

"I'm great," Niki said, a bit too quickly. Her hair was pulled up and out of her face, pale strands framing her features. She usually bleached it when she got restless. Techno knew this.

"Just great?" he asked.

"Once I find somebody to take the clinic off my hands, I'll be perfect." She glanced at him, watching for his reaction. "Then I'll have enough money for a downpayment on my bakery."

"You're selling the clinic?"

"I thought it was finally time, yeah." When Niki looked up, the clouds were reflected in her eyes. "I've been happy helping people. But now I need to do something I've always wanted for myself."

Techno couldn't argue with that. If there was anybody who deserved it, it was Niki. "I'm happy for you."

"Don't think you'll get rid of me though," Niki continued lightly. "I'm keeping up the house visits, at least."

Techno held up his hands. "Hey, as long as I get to be a regular customer and you give me a discount on the muffins, I ain't complaining."

Niki laughed, throwing her head back a bit. "Only if you keep giving me book recommendations. That's the deal."

Techno couldn't argue with that.


"Are you ever going to watch something else? How have you not grown tired of the raccoon documentaries yet?"

Tommy scoffed. "Raccoons are cool. I like them."

Techno watched one of the animals on the screen get stuck in a trash bag, twisting and flailing around in an attempt to get out. He smirked. "Yeah, I can see the resemblance."

"Shut up," Tommy retorted, undercut by a laugh.

Shifting around, Techno tried to continue typing. It was hard with Tommy lying on top of him the way he was. Once again, he had pretty much ended up in Techno's lap. Though he was mostly using Techno's knees to drape across him, lying down while Techno was sitting up. The position couldn't be very comfortable for Tommy, but maybe becoming a vampire gave you an inability to feel joint pain. That would certainly explain a thing or two.

Giving up on the paper he was working on for the moment, Techno put his laptop on the coffee table instead, almost pushing Tommy off when he bent forward. He had his sleeves bunched up to his elbows because it was easier to type that way. He barely paid it any mind.

Not until he felt a sharp pain in his arm, fangs piercing the flesh.

Techno reflexively pushed against the thing that had hurt him, watching Tommy tumble off the couch and onto the floor. He stayed there for a moment, staring up at Techno with wide, startled eyes.

It probably didn't help that Techno was staring back equally startled.

He gripped his own arm, looking at the two small punctures in his skin. "Did you- Did you just bite me?"

"I think so," Tommy said, quietly. Confused.

Techno looked at the bite gingerly, but it was barely a nip. Not deep enough to draw blood, meaning Tommy hadn't been trying to feed. When a vampire feeds, their jaw locks tight and Techno wouldn't have been able to push him off so easily. And if Tommy had an intention to kill him, Techno wouldn't have had a chance to fight back.

Then what the heck was this about?

"Why did you bite me?"

Tommy looked even more baffled than Techno felt though. "I don't know!"

And he sounded so genuinely upset at his own actions Techno couldn't hold it against him.

"What's wrong?!"

Techno winced at hearing Phil's call carry all the way across the house, followed by him throwing the door open. For a guy that was usually so soft-spoken, Phil sure knew how to raise his voice. Techno recalled the thing about sires being able to feel their fledglings' emotions. Phil must have picked up on Tommy's distress from a mile away. And his ruckus was quick to draw Wilbur to the living room too.

And that was probably the opposite of what should have happened. Because all at once Tommy's demure mood shifted. He snarled, aiming his anger at Wilbur once more. The fledgling shot up into a half-standing position, between Techno and the other two. Which, hm, Techno didn't know if that was a good thing or not. Considering Tommy had bitten him purely on instinct a few minutes ago, probably a bad thing.

"Tommy," Phil said. His voice was calm, almost amused. "Stop it."

Tommy's brow creased into a perturbed frown, caught in the stalemate of trying to square off against Wilbur and following the command of his sire. Techno was very grateful the latter won out.

"Are you okay, Techno?" Wilbur asked. He was too weary of escalating the situation to make a move but Techno appreciated the concern.

"Yeah, it's fine. It's not even bleeding." Maybe if he pretended that one of the vampires he shared a house with apparently chomping on him without warning wasn't a big deal, that'd be a good thing. He didn't want to freak Wilbur and Phil out over a non-issue.

"Claim bites aren't supposed to bleed," Phil said. He walked forward, keeping eye contact with Tommy. But the fledgling only shrunk in on himself with his sire's approach.

"Claim bite?" Tommy asked. At least Techno wasn't the only one in the dark.

"It was my fault for not explaining better. I was afraid something like this might happen after Wilbur fed on Techno." Phil reached him and held out his hand. Techno allowed him to inspect the bite, though it was hardly necessary. "Vampires are prone to leaving marks on the prey they consider theirs. We can become territorial sometimes."

Techno was not comforted at all by that statement. Quite the opposite.

"So you're saying Tommy wants to eat me later? That's great." His monotone got a chuckle out of Phil.

"No, it's more accurate to say that Tommy already saw you as his prey since he's been feeding almost exclusively on your blood. After Wilbur bit you, it triggered Tommy's instinct to claim you." Phil looked at Tommy then. "I doubt you even knew why you felt this way for the past week."

"I thought Tommy was just being a jealous bitch," Wilbur offered.

That was enough to snap the fledgling out of his despondency at least. "Hey!"

"Close enough," Phil laughed. "In a way, Tommy is jealous. Vampires can be possessive of their food."

"First of all, I'm still a person and not a walking juice box, thanks for noticing." Techno couldn't help a little bit of irritation from slipping into his voice. "Secondly, aren't covens supposed to share?"

"They are," Phil said quickly. "Fledgelings aren't in full control of their instincts yet though."

"I'm sorry," Tommy mumbled. Techno shook his head. He didn't want the kid to feel guilty when he wasn't really at fault.

He just didn't appreciate being fought over like a pack of party snacks at a frat house either.

"It's fine," he said again. "How do we keep it from happening again?"

"Give it some time and it should pass on its own. Tommy can suck it up until then," Phil answered. Wilbur had walked over at this point, reaching out a hand to help the fledgling stand up properly. Tommy took it.

That was as much of a peace treaty as those two were able to reach for the past few days.

"Unless," Phil added nonchalantly, "you want me to mark you instead?"

Techno wasn't sure if he had heard that right. "What?"

"If I mark you, it would be as sire of the coven. You'd automatically belong to all three of us, no more infighting. You'd just be ours essentially."

"I'll pass," Techno said. He'd been bitten twice in less than a week. That was plenty for him.

Phil nodded, seemingly respecting his choice as he turned back to Tommy to check up on him and assure the fledgling hadn't evoked the ire of his sire.

But Techno could have sworn that for a moment Phil looked more disappointed than anything.