A/N: this was how I was originally going to do the second chapter of Zinging in the Train, but I realized that Hiromi wasn't really needed to make this work. But this should still be a fun ride.

Birthday Bash 2020

Prompt 6: Midnight Snack

"This is a bad idea," Hiromi whimpered as she clung to her best friend's arm, staring up at the giant castle.

"You didn't have to come with me, you know," Haru crooned, looking up at the castle with an equal measure of joy.

Hiromi managed a scoff through her terror. "Like heck I'm going to let you walk into the lion's den by yourself. We are going to be those cool old ladies that cackle at everything in fifty years, one way or another."

Haru couldn't resist a fond smile as she gripped her luggage with her free hand. "Get your luggage, Hiromi. We're going in, and we're going to be fine."

The tawnier girl bit back another whimper, but still gripped her own bag as Haru once again thanked the driver that had brought them from the airport.

Haru's own heart was pounding, but not for the same reason as her friend's.

It was finally time. After seven years of wanting to see Hotel Transylvania, she was finally here! It was just a shame that that her mother wasn't able to accompany the pair for their graduation present.

All thanks to a self-righteous boss that thinks like a Van Helsing.

But at least Haru got to share this experience with her best friend.

It was slightly awkward to navigate both of their bodies and their rolling luggage since Hiromi refused to let go of Haru's arm, but it was managed for the two seconds that were needed for the rotating doors.

When they almost exploded through that door, it was everything Haru dreamed for, and more!

There were more monsters than she knew names to, and they were walking around like it was perfectly normal!

Which they had every right to. They've certainly waited long enough to be treated as equals. It was a bit strange to see the modern touches like big screen TVs to show what all the hotel had to offer. Haru had secretly been hoping that the inside of the castle would look as traditional as the outside, but…

Well, it wasn't her hotel to make decisions for, and it was still plenty impressive. She happened to look beside her at Hiromi, and immediately had to suppress the urge to laugh at the complete horror on her friend's face.

They probably looked like the smiling and frowning masks from the theatre.

"It's going to be okay, Hiromi," Haru reminded her friend with the most soothing voice she had, urging her forward with the arm that was still being clutched like a child's toy. "Just stick with me and let me do the talking. For once," she added with a sly smile.

As nervous as Hiromi was, she was able to laugh at that as they used their free hands to roll their luggage towards the line for the front desk. "Well, why don't you be the talkative one with monsters around? Everything else about us is opposite. I'm loud, you're quiet. I'm strong, you're smart. I'm a tomboy and you're a lady."

Haru rolled her eyes at that last one. "I think 'lady' is a bit of a stretch, Hiromi. I just know how to be quiet until people need me to not be quiet."

Hiromi stopped so that she could let go of her luggage long enough to point a finger at her friend. "Exactly!"

Haru grinned while secretly hoping that her best friend would keep talking. The more she talked, the more comfortable she was with her surroundings.

Which was the biggest reason slumber parties together had such limited success.

Hiromi grabbed her rolling bag again, obeyed Haru's prompting to let some brains fly by, and then took the last ten steps needed to join the end of the line. "I bet you're going to love the excuse to finally stay up all night."

"Maybe," Haru responded with a playful smirk, now studying the skeletal mariachi band playing happily from their designated spot. 'Oh, I can't wait to see all the options for things to do here!'

"I'll try to stay up the best I can, but I don't think I'll be able to last as long as you," Hiromi yawned, getting sleepy at just the thought. "You're not going to leave me in our room to sleep alone, are you?"

"I already said that the sleeping schedule shouldn't be that different from Japan's," Haru reminded her, wrapping the squeezed arm around her friend's shoulders so that Hiromi would let go and allow circulation to return. "With the time difference, you're not going to have as hard of a time staying up all night as you think."

"You didn't answer my question," Hiromi pressed, nervously looking around at all the monsters. "You aren't really going to just leave me in our room so that you can go out and have a turn at being the social butterfly?"

"I just explained why that isn't going to be a problem," Haru repeated herself while squeezing those trembling shoulders. "All you have to do is trust me, and our time here is going to be-"

She cut off at feeling a sharp gust of wind billow behind her, making her loose brown hair fly around for a second. It sharply reminded her of the time not that long ago when she was almost hit by a truck while saving a cat. Since she wanted to know if it was a wind monster, Haru turned around to see the culprit.

She saw dark attire partially covered by a black cape. Her heart sped up even as she craned her head back a bit to look up at the face, already knowing exactly who it was.

Count Dracula.

He was staring at her, his blue irises turning into pinpricks as his mouth fell open in disbelief.

Haru's own mouth fell open, but it was more in sheer joy, and she couldn't be bothered to check how Hiromi was handling being this close to not just a vampire, but the vampire. "Hi," she greeted him happily, since she forgot which term of address a count was supposed to be given.

He responded by wrapping his arms completely around her for a tight embrace, slightly pushing the tawny-haired girl out of the way.

"Hey!" Hiromi yelled indignantly, and Haru could feel her trying to pry one of the arms off.

"It's okay," Haru assured her friend, half-muffled by Dracula's chest. "Everybody needs a hug sooner or later." She emphasized her point by wrapping her own arms around his chest and squeezing, though she was privately shocked at the warm greeting.

'Is he usually this affectionate to guests? Mom's going to be ridiculously jealous when I tell her about this!'

"… You came back," he nearly wept, still holding her close like newfound treasure. "I… didn't think you could. But you're here!"

Haru's eyes blinked in confusion, and she gave the small body signals for him to release her from the hug. "I'm pretty sure I'd remember if we'd met before. I'm Haru Yoshioka, and this is Hiromi Hashima," she introduced herself and her best friend, now wondering if he had simply mistaken her for someone else.

Dracula looked once at Hiromi, who shrank underneath his gaze to the other side of Haru. "Ah, yes. I should have suspected. The pair of you were always a package deal," he said with a certain resignation.

Even Hiromi blinked at that. "Wait, have we met? You couldn't have known that without stalking us, wait, have you been stalking us? Don't you have anything better-"

"Down, Hiromi," Haru tried not to order, keeping one hand on the pocket of her long blue jacket in case she needed the contents. She looked up at the count with a soft smile. "Hiromi and I still need to check in, but I'd be happy to hear why you seem to know us."

The resignation changed to a deep affection as he looked from Hiromi to Haru. "You haven't changed a bit," he informed her, actually grabbing her face and pressing a kiss to her forehead before marching past the line and up to the desk.

"… What was all that?" Hiromi managed to ask, but Haru could only shrug.

"More reasons for my mom to worship the ground he floats over?"

"Haru, I'm being serious. Something's up with that vampire."

"And I think he's paving the way for us to find out a little faster," Haru finished, noticing that the large fly manning the desk had flown a good ten feet into the air to get a good look at the girls. She gave him a friendly wave and smile, but that just seemed to spook him worse.

He floated back down and started tapping like mad on his computer. It could have been Haru's imagination, but the people closest to the desk seemed to be whispering to each other and straining to see the girls at the back of the line.

Dracula soon returned to the back of the line with a pair of zombie bellhops. "Mark and Phil will be taking your things to your suite," he informed the girls while handing each of them a key.

"I think my mom booked a normal room," Haru tried not to complain as Hiromi had a small tussle with Mark over her luggage. She gave her friend's leg a small kick to remind her to behave. She gave Phil a thankful smile while handing over her own luggage.

"I upgraded you on the house. Consider it a small piece of what I owe you. Now, may I introduce you to my family?" Dracula begged with a hopeful smile.

"Yes!" Haru tried desperately not to squeal as Hiromi started trembling again. "Do any public pictures of Mavis or Dennis do them justice?"

"None," he assured her with a wide grin, placing a long-fingered hand on both of their backs before pushing towards one of the stairs.

"I'll race you, Hiromi," Haru cheered as she pocketed the room key and took off running.

"Wait, Haru!" her friend cried out in worry. "You know what happens when you run on stairs!"

Dracula must have guessed, or perhaps he knew?

Either way, just before her foot touched the first step, Haru felt the vampire's arm wrap around her waist and Hiromi's arm bump hers as she managed a cry of surprise from his other arm. Then they seemed to weigh nothing at all, and Haru couldn't feel her own body as her awareness sped up the stairs and through a series of hallways.

The strange ride stopped short at one door, and the feeling of having a body swiftly returned, making both girls stumble a bit.

"Did you just turn us into mist?" Haru guessed through a laugh as she gripped Dracula's arm for support as she regained her balance. "I had no idea you could do that!"

"Please don't ever do it again," Hiromi moaned, escaping the other arm to lean against a stone wall and breathe heavily.

"I usually save doing it to others for emergencies," Dracula answered both questions, though he was still beaming happily as he knocked on the door. "Mavie?! I have a surprise for you."

"Come on in, Dad," a sweet voice answered, making the vampire excitedly open the door and glide through.

Haru looked in after him, seeing a very cozy apartment, but Dracula was right in the line of vision to prevent her from seeing his daughter.

"Do you remember all the times growing up when you wished you had the chance to meet Lucy yourself?" he asked a bit too casually, making the beautiful little boy look up from where he was playing trains with his almost identical father.

Haru's heart melted at the sight of that boy, making her step lightly into the room and just missing Hiromi's frantic grab for her arm.

"Of course, Dad. She sounded like an amazing person. Why do you ask?" that sweet voice inquired as Dennis gasped at the sight of Haru.

"Aunt Lucy!" he screamed as his father gaped soundlessly. He jumped up into the air and flew at her with a big smile.

Haru wasted no time holding her arms out for him and wrapping him into a tight hug, even if he accidentally knocked her against the wall beside the door.

The action knocked all the wind out of her, but Haru didn't have it in her to get angry with him. "You want me to be your aunt? I'll happily be your aunt," she cooed after getting her breath back. She rubbed her face against his red curls and enjoyed the scent of it. "Congratulations on getting your fangs, by the way."

He beamed happily before showing them off to her. "I even beat up some gargoyles that were mean for no good reason."

Haru laughed in surprised approval. "You did? Dang, that must have been something to see. How much bigger than you were they?"

"Bigger than Papa Drac," Dennis reported proudly. "I'd have left them alone if one of them didn't throw Winnie against a tree. That's what made my fangs come out."

Haru glared at the idea before tightening the hug again. "You are definitely my nephew, and I'll fight anyone that says differently. Come on, Hiromi," she called to her friend hovering fearfully in the doorway. "I'm pretty sure that Dracula wanted us both to come in."

"…I'm not so sure," she responded as she hesitantly stepped through the door. "The only one they're excited to see is you."

Haru gave her a loving smirk. "Are you sure you want to wait outside where you could meet any monster in the hallways while I learn an interesting story that involves us?"

"Nope!" she responded immediately while slamming the door behind her with wide terrified eyes.

"Didn't think so," Haru smirked again before turning to look at Mavis.

Well. She would have looked at Mavis if the younger vampire wasn't throwing her arms around Haru's shoulders and her son.

"You're here!" she whispered like it was a miracle too good to be true.

Haru loosened one arm from Dennis to hug her back so that he wouldn't get squished between them. "I'm here," she responded in a warm tone. "I've been wanting to meet you for years."

Mavis broke down crying on her shoulder. "Ditto!"

"Okay, enough is enough!" Hiromi yelled at the top of her lungs, making Haru look over Mavis's shoulder. "Can everyone stop dropping hints that all of you know Haru and explain why you seem to know her?!"

"Would that help?" Jonathan asked while pointing at a portrait on the far wall.

Haru and Hiromi both looked at it… but couldn't believe their eyes.

It was a portrait of Haru.

Mavis forced herself to let go of her so that the two humans could draw close enough to inspect that portrait, though Haru still carried Dennis in one arm as he kept his tiny arms around her neck in complete contentment.

It was a beautifully detailed oil painting, but unlike the more usual 'posed' feel, it literally looked like a photograph taken at just the right moment in time.

It literally could have been Haru a few years from now if she dyed her hair black and got blue contacts before attending a Victorian-themed party. No, Edwardian? She gave a nervous glance down at the green turtleneck peeking from underneath her long blue jacket before comparing it to the dark blue dress in the portrait, complete with a mint green scarf intricately tied around her neck.

She was also paler, though her cheeks were pink with excitement as a dazzling smile dominated her face.

"I've never smiled like that," Haru finally noted a bit nervously. 'I'll just get shouted down if I try to say I'm not that pretty.'

"Oh yes, you have," Hiromi shot back without a thought. "Whenever you get really excited about something. That's the smile that made me want to be your friend when we met on the playground when we were about this kiddo's age." Forgetting, or perhaps not caring for the moment that Dennis was a vampire, the tawny girl patted his red curls absently.

Dennis only responded by snuggling deeper into Haru's arms with a contented smile.

"I've given up trying to get a photograph of that smile because something's always happening when you get that excited. Who painted this?" Hiromi asked while briefly touching the hat of the young woman leaning heavily against Haru's painted shoulder.

Much the way Hiromi herself did on field trips.

"Uncle Baron did. Dad, did you let him know Lucy's back?" Mavis suddenly asked, making her father flinch a little guiltily.

"I thought it would be a good idea to make sure she wasn't near anything dangerous first, and the pair of you are so much better with those darn contraptions than I am."

"Uncle Baron?" Haru asked, turning just in time to see Mavis pull out her phone and unlock it with a finger.

Mavis hurriedly took a picture of the humans standing in front of the portrait before tapping a message into her device. "He was someone very important to you when you were Lucy. It usually takes Toto about two hours to fly him here, but he'll want to see you as soon as possible. Would you mind staying with us until then? He's likely going to insist we keep you from doing anything ridiculously dangerous until he gets here." She sent the text with a satisfied smile.

"Oh yeah. They know you, Haru," Hiromi deadpanned as her friend snuck another look at the portrait. "If any of you can successfully keep her from doing anything stupidly heroic, I'll appreciate it. I'm really tired and really bad at trying to keep Haru from trying to be everyone's hero."

"Emphasis on 'try'," Haru retorted before slowly turning her attention back to a still-nervous Dracula. With her free hand, she gestured to herself, hoping that she wasn't going to look like an idiot.

"… Lucy Westenra?"

"Yes," he answered simply, still taking in her face like he couldn't believe she was in the room with him and his family.

Mavis' cell phone already pinged with a reply message, making her touch the screen with a loving smile. "Whatever you do, don't let Lucy leave your sight until my arrival. Don't show her pictures of me, don't tell her why I want to see her. I want to explain everything myself. I owe her that."

Haru blushed, although she wasn't certain why. The words themselves were plain and somewhat justified, considering how she usually acted in emergencies. But even though the words were coming from Mavis's mouth, her heart started pumping faster. 'I wonder if it's the same Baron that founded the Refuge I once read about.'

To distract from how Baron's words had affected her, Haru still made a similar gesture to Hiromi. "Mina Murray?" she asked in an equally tiny voice.

"Yes," Dracula answered again, though this time it came out more like a moan. "At least she's learned this time how not to fill every second with chatter."

Hiromi stiffened angrily, but Haru laughed a little wickedly.

"Oh yeah. They know you too, Hiromi." Since most of the attention had been on herself, the brunette didn't feel even a little bit bad about addressing Dracula again. "She's nervous about following me to your hotel to keep me out of trouble, but she'll get comfortable eventually. If her 'chatter' bothers you so much, her favorite type of gag is food. She's too polite to talk with her mouth full, and it's a lot more humane than duct tape."

His eyes opened wide. "Thank you," he said almost shortly before throwing himself at the skeletal phone next to the bed.

"Was that necessary?" Hiromi griped as an ancient grandfather clock began to chime midnight.

"Are you getting snacks out of it?" Haru smirked, knowing that her friend wouldn't hold a grudge for longer than it took for room service to reach them. "At least we already had a long discussion about how much you talk before coming here."

"Now if we could have a successful one about you literally throwing yourself in front of a truck if you see a cat in front of it," Hiromi muttered darkly.

That made Dennis snap out of his sleepy doze on Haru's shoulder. "You did what?"

Haru slapped her free hand over her friend's mouth. "You said you wouldn't talk about that! I replaced your lacrosse stick, didn't I?"

"It's not like your mom was around to hear it!" Hiromi managed to say while stepping away from Haru's hand.

"But they-" Haru said while pointing at Mavis but including her family in the gesture, "are going to meet my mom if I can talk them into it!"

"Done!" Dracula called to Haru before muttering into the phone again.

"You'll love her," Haru managed to inform him before turning her attention back to her best friend. "People who meet each other talk, and I don't want her to scream at me again because I can't and won't control my stupid hero complex!" Haru continued to yell, although she was secretly giddy that it had been so easy to talk the count into meeting his biggest fan.

"Haru, I love you to pieces, but you can't keep doing this! Don't you know what it will do to me and your mom if you…" Hiromi choked back a sob before throwing herself over her friend's shoulders.

That did make Haru feel guilty as she instinctively wrapped her arm around her best friend, feeling a bit put out when Dennis finally chose to turn into mist and reappear in his father's arms with a sad expression.

It wasn't that she didn't care if people would miss her. It was that she cared if other people were going to miss someone she had the ability to help. Even if there wasn't anyone that would miss the person in question, did that give her the right to walk away just because she was afraid?

That was Haru's deep dark secret. She was always afraid. But it was all a matter of what scared her more; an obstacle, or a soul that she could have helped, but then chose not to.

"… That's how you died as Lucy," Mavis offered in a small voice. "Protecting Dad."

That didn't improve Hiromi's tears in the slightest.

Deciding that enough was enough, Haru guided her friend to one side of the red couch, keeping her weeping girl's face to her shoulder much the same way she had done with Dennis as Dracula finished putting in a room service order.

Just to make sure that Hiromi didn't interrupt, Haru scooped up the last of the candy in her pocket and deposited it in her friend's mouth to tide her over until the extra food arrived. As suspected, her mouth automatically began chewing through her sobs.

Haru turned her attention back to the Dracula family. "Other than Baron, tell me everything."