Somebody was touching his face.

Techno groaned, trying to peel open his sticky eyelids. Literally, because he could feel the half-congealed blood that was clinging to his forehead and cheek. Pain radiated through his skull from the same spot the blood seemed to be coming from, and while his memories were a bit hazy at the moment, Techno was gradually piecing together what had happened. He was on the stairs, looking for a bathroom or something. Dizziness had overwhelmed him and he fell, hitting his head on the marble. And then-

Techno flinched when the person who was touching him prodded at a wet spot along his hairline, causing another sharp jab of pain.

"Sorry." The person poking him drew back. Techno blinked a few times to clear his vision, noticing that whoever this was also dragged him the rest of the way up the stairs and rolled him onto his back. He was staring up into a face he did not recognize.

A vampire.

Techno noticed the fangs peeking out from between their slightly parted lips, though even the process of elimination made it straightforward to come to that conclusion since he'd been at the vampire event thing when he passed out. Despite the pain, he could recall that clearly enough. He hadn't eaten all day and only had a coffee this morning. And then some orange juice Phil managed to acquire for him. Not very surprising that Techno fainted.

"Are you awake?" the stranger hovering over Techno asked him.

"No, I'm sleeping with my eyes open."

"Hey, you'd be surprised with these guys." The man tilted his head. His hair was cropped pretty short, a dark shade of brownish-black. His eyes had a similar piercing blue color to Phil's. He was young, probably around Techno's age, though even in the vampire sense Techno got the impression this man would be on the younger side. Not a fledgling anymore, but also not ancient nor nearly as old as somebody like Wilbur. The man's clothes were pretty modern too, and decidedly one of the least formal things Techno had seen all night.

With a grunt, Techno pushed up on his elbows. The man sat back to keep their foreheads from bonking together, a frown on his face seeming to indicate he wasn't entirely comfortable with this situation.

That would make two of them.

Techno swayed a little, the vertigo coming back full force when he tried to get upright. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. The reason he was looking for a bathroom was also vividly coming back to him. He felt sick enough it was almost more of a miracle he hadn't puked already, but with a push of the vampire's hand against his shoulder he fell onto his back again.

"Dude, don't move. You totally cracked your head on the stairs just now. Humans are so fucking fragile." The man clicked his tongue slightly, annoyance that did not feel very sincere.

"I'm fine," Techno said firmly.

The man stared at his face, particularly the parts of it covered in blood, with an above-average amount of judgment. Techno ignored him. Out of all the things that happened tonight, being called 'fragile' was probably one of the least offensive and it still rubbed him wrong. He was getting pretty sick of vampires looking down on him.

Motivated by spite, Techno gritted his teeth and pushed up again, this time managing to sit without tipping over. His head was pounding, and the nausea wasn't completely gone. But the vampire also didn't try to get him to lie down a second time, maybe because Techno was glaring at him a bit.

"You're Kristin's human, right?" the man asked.

"I'm-" Techno stopped himself. Easy as it could be to take that as another slight, the insinuation being that he wasn't his own person and rather that he belonged to somebody else, he also caught on to the fact that this was just how vampires often referred to each other. All night he'd heard them speak about Tommy as 'Kristin's fledgling'. Especially higher ranking vampires seldom said Tommy's name.

So maybe this wasn't the hill he needed to die on.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm Techno."

"Skeppy. You probably don't know me, I don't usually come to these sorts of things. They're so fucking boring." He faltered there. "Am I allowed to say that?"

"Beats me. I don't normally come to these sorts of things either," Techno answered.

Skeppy chuckled slightly. "I can't imagine why." His darker skin tone made his eyes seem to glow brighter than they should. He also had little shame about staring at Techno, as he continued to do so for several more seconds. Techno sat back a bit, resting his weight on his wrists. He wasn't super intimidated, he had the bracelet and also this Skeppy guy looked a head shorter than him and like a lightweight. Techno had little doubt he could punt him even in his current weak state.

Besides, if Skeppy had wanted to hurt him he'd have done so while Techno was unconscious.

He carefully touched the place on his forehead that was hurting the most, wincing at the brief but intense pain that was his reward. His fingers came away wet with blood. Techno looked at them, thoughts a bit too sluggish to catch up with why that should concern him. Well, concern him more than the average amount of worry one should feel at a heavily bleeding head wound.

Oh, right, he was surrounded by vampires.

He was about to ask Skeppy, except when he looked up again Techno couldn't help but notice a strange… glimmer? That was the only word Techno could use to describe what he was seeing. It reminded him of a video game, which almost made him laugh out loud because clearly he had knocked his brain up worse than he thought if he was straight-up hallucinating. But the glimmer did not fade out of existence, in fact the more Techno tried to look at it, the easier it became for him to see. It extended around them in a half circle, like a bubble of soap or something.

"What the heck…" Techno tried to reach out, curious to know if it was also similar to a bubble in that he could pop it with a quick poke. Blood loss and dizziness weren't doing his impulse control any favors.

Skeppy snatched his wrist - thankfully not the one he was wearing the bracelet on - before he could touch the strange, iridescent aura surrounding them. "Don't do that. My shield is the only thing between us and a bunch of ravenous fledglings."

Techno pulled his arm back to his chest. "What?"

"Most vampires can keep themselves in check around the smell of fresh blood, but not all of them," Skeppy said. "Especially not when they're stressed and hungry. Which definitely happens to be the case at these shitty events. So I put up a shield."

"And your fancy vampire shield would burst if a human touched it? That feels like an unfortunate flaw," Techno said, tone dry.

Skeppy's features all scrunched up in displeasure again. He was pretty easy to rile up, amusingly so. "Obviously not. My power nullifies anything that can be picked up by physical senses. Everything inside this," Skeppy waved his hand at the translucent shimmer around them, "is invisible to people outside it. Unsmellable too."

"Unsmellable isn't a word," Techno said. Skeppy got even more flustered.

He did have to admit it was pretty clever. People used to say sharks could smell a drop of blood in a whole tub of water. While that was actually a myth, Techno had gotten plenty of opportunity to see firsthand how vampires had enhanced senses. Skeppy was probably right. If he hadn't come along so quickly after Techno fainted, somebody else might have found him. Somebody a lot more bitey.

"Thanks," Techno interrupted Skeppy's muttered complaints about how unsmellable was definitely a word. "For uh, not letting me bleed out on the stairs or get eaten by a stray fledgling."

"Yeah, you should be thankful. You could have unleashed a war," Skeppy scoffed. "Bad would kill me if I saw an incident waiting to happen and didn't do anything to stop it."

"A war? That's a little dramatic."

"I'm serious," Skeppy insisted. "You think it would have gone over well with Kristin if somebody murdered her human? These covens are already at each other's throats constantly."

Techno hadn't really considered that sort of thing. He shrugged, feeling a little foolish and a lot bad for almost making things worse. As a direct result of his stubborn inability to take care of himself too.

This did bring another issue to mind though.

"So what's the plan?" he asked.

Skeppy frowned. "The plan?"

"Yeah, I'm assuming we're not going to sit in this bubble forever?"

"I…" At the way Skeppy's expression fell, Techno did laugh this time. He couldn't help it. "I hadn't thought that far ahead, okay?!"

"Can you move while keeping the shield up?" Techno asked. Maybe they could sneak back into the ballroom and he could go pull on Phil's sleeve. Techno hoped that getting hurt was a good reason to convince the others to go home soon. This socialization thing was super overhyped.

He was tired, in pain, and hungry. Not a great combination.

"Sometimes, but it's too risky," Skeppy said. "If my powers flunk in the middle of the ballroom we're fucked. Man, Bad keeps saying I should spend more time on it. I hate that this proves him right."

Techno laughed again. "Just drop the shield then. We'll deal with whatever happens."

"Are you insane? What part of 'ravenous fledglings' did you not understand?"

"Unless you have a better idea, I'm not staying in here and starting a podcast." Techno rubbed at the blood drying on his face, the sensation growing more uncomfortable by the second.

"It's quite literally your funeral," Skeppy deadpanned. Techno couldn't help but like this guy. Most tolerable vampire he'd met all night, aside from Kristin probably. "Once these assholes get a taste of blood-"

Suddenly, Skeppy snapped his fingers.

"Wait, that's it!"

"What's it?" Techno asked.

"Your coven feeds on you, right?" Techno nodded. Skeppy grinned at the confirmation that his plan could work. "Instead of dismissing the shield completely, I'll just weaken it a bit. With all those glasses in the ballroom, it'll take a minute before your scent gets through. But a vampire that has fed on you before would pick up on it faster."

"That's convenient," Techno said. He had no clue vampire senses could be that specific.

"Yeah, makes it easier for us to track our prey after it escapes somehow."

Ah, there it was. Techno exhaled, but decided not to press the issue. Both Wilbur and Tommy had fed on him before, so unless one of the vampires at this party also happened to use Niki's clinic to get their fill and coincidentally consumed Techno's blood along the way, the odds were high one of them would come and find them before a starving fledgling could. And it beat having to sit around hoping somebody would come by, or wait for them to notice he was missing.

If his cell service wasn't so bad in this mansion, he might have tried sending a text. But knowing his luck, the others wouldn't be checking their phones anytime soon.

"Whatever works," Techno said. Skeppy nodded.

He waved his hand again. Techno didn't notice any difference in the translucency that hovered around them, but he assumed Skeppy was doing something to it. They sat for a handful of seconds in tense silence, waiting.

After a bit, Skeppy cleared his throat. "I don't think-"

Techno never would get to find out what Skeppy did or didn't think, because the next moment something slammed the younger vampire bodily into the wall. Maybe it was because of an onset concussion or maybe because it happened too fast for the human eye to catch, but it took Techno a blink or two before he realized it was actually Wilbur pinning Skeppy in place.

He had one hand wrapped in the front of Skeppy's shirt, helping to lift him several inches off the floor. The other hand was pressing down on Skeppy's shoulder so his struggling and the feeble kicking of his legs would be useless. Skeppy's hands were clenched around Wilbur's wrists, trying to pry him off without much luck.

"How fucking dare you!" Wilbur was loudly growling at the poor guy. Maybe this hadn't been such a bright idea after all.

"Wai-"

Once again Skeppy was interrupted by Wilbur pulling him closer, before slamming him a second time, with enough force for the brick to crack. If Skeppy had a human spine, it would be broken at this point.

Techno should probably do something about that.

"Wilbur, stop. He didn't do anything."

Either Wilbur was too enraged to properly hear Techno over his own anger, or maybe Skeppy's squealing was drowning him out. That was rather unfortunate. But Techno had decided in the relatively short time span that he'd known Skeppy for, that he probably liked him enough not to let Wilbur tear him limb from limb. Especially not for a crime he didn't commit.

Techno didn't trust his legs to support his weight properly though, and even if he could get upright he wasn't entirely sure what he could do against Wilbur's freaky vampire super strength. He had to come up with something else.

His eyes fell on the silver bracelet around his wrist.

Wilbur was at this point shaking Skeppy around like a ragdoll, ignoring the way Skeppy continued to claw at him and spout curse words. While he spoke, Wilbur's lips were pulled back far enough to expose his fangs. "If you ever lay a finger on my coven again, I'll find you and rip your throat out. Then I will find whoever sired you and do the same to them."

"Wilbur!" Techno tried again, raising his voice. It wasn't enough to calm the vampire down, but it made his head turn slightly in Techno's direction.

Then Techno took the bracelet that he had taken off and flung it at Wilbur's face.

Wilbur recoiled from the acidic projectile with a hiss when it touched his cheek. It barely grazed him, yet Techno could see it left behind a visible red mark where it burned him. He felt briefly bad about that too, but desperate times called for desperate measures. And Techno thought that Wilbur killing another vampire unprovoked was probably as likely to cause an incident as an overzealous fledgling mistaking Techno for a party snack.

At least being pelted by the bracelet made Wilbur's grip go slack. Skeppy kicked him in the stomach, forcing Wilbur back and allowing Skeppy to fall onto the ground.

"What- Techno? Why the fuck did you do that?" Wilbur asked. Being snapped out of his frenzy seemed to instantly make him forget about Skeppy.

"You're welcome," Techno said, as Wilbur rushed over to him. He gripped Techno's chin, tilting his head up and to the side so he could inspect the wound on his forehead. From the feel of it, the bleeding had stopped a bit ago. His entire face felt hot and tacky with it. Some of Techno's hair was plastered to his skin unpleasantly. "You were attacking the wrong person," he added.

"Who did this to you?" Wilbur asked, a dangerous undertone to his voice.

"I did."

The non-answer was worth it if only for the confused expression on Wilbur's face. His hold wasn't harsh, neither did it let up. It just lingered, one thumb absently trying to rub some of the blood from beneath Techno's eye.

"I stupidly fell down on the stairs when I fainted, probably due to my blood sugar being all messed up. I kinda haven't eaten today," Techno explained. Admitting he'd caused this was cringe but it was better than having Wilbur kill an innocent vampire on his behalf.

"See?! Did you get it through your thick skull yet?!" Skeppy snapped at Wilbur, rubbing at the front of his chest where Wilbur had grabbed him. "Next time maybe use your words before you go all hostile over your human tripping on his own two feet."

Techno changed his mind. He should have let Wilbur kill him.

"Can you pick up my bracelet?" he asked Skeppy, pointing to where it had dropped to the marble floor when he threw it.

Skeppy bent down to scoop it up without a second thought. "This one?" When his fingers closed around it, another string of expletives left his mouth and he jumped back. "Shit!"

Techno laughed. Payback was sweet enough.

"We should move this elsewhere," Wilbur said, gaze shifting to the side. Techno hadn't noticed, but there were some more vampires in the foyer downstairs, drawn towards the commotion or the smell of Techno's blood. A lot of them were staring, not very subtle about their curiosity. Others were pretending very hard that they were outside of the ballroom for purely coincidental reasons.

None of them dared to approach with Wilbur around.

"Can you stand?" he asked Techno. "I can carry you if I must." He sounded a bit cheeky about it, probably because he knew Techno would never in a million years allow that.

And Techno did indeed scoff. "I'm sure I'll do fine."

Wilbur finally let go of Techno's chin, only so he could transfer his grip to the elbow instead and help Techno upright. He was about the same amount of dizzy as before. After making sure he got his bracelet back, shoving it into his pocket for the time being, he allowed Wilbur to whisk him away from those prying eyes, and the whispers already being exchanged.

So much for not making a scene.

"Try not to blink too much."

Techno was about to quip that not blinking was a little hard when somebody was shining a bright light into his face, but the way Phil's fingers curled around his shoulder in worry made him swallow the words.

Having to explain the situation to Phil was embarrassing. And it had clearly put him in a very foul mood. Guilt was slowly edging in. Why did this have to happen in such a public place? And at an event that carried significant importance, more than these events usually did.

He might have seriously complicated their coven business by letting this happen.

The doctor - a vampire named Ponk who Techno had gathered was a rare medical expert in vampiric matters but knew enough about the field to treat a human - hummed absently as he moved a little penlight back and forth in front of him. After a few times, he flicked the light off and slid it into his pocket.

"I don't believe you knocked your head bad enough to have a concussion," he said. Earlier, he had cleaned the wound up for Techno and covered it with one of those annoying pads that was sensory hell for him. He hoped he wouldn't need to keep it on too long.

"That's good." Phil squeezed Techno's shoulder again. "Our coven is indebted to yours. We will remember this."

Kristin laughed, standing on Techno's other side. It reminded him a little of a kid being taken to school for parent day, a thought he quickly dispelled. "What my adorably formal husband is trying to say is that we're really glad you did us a solid today." Phil muttered something under his breath about social conduct in vampire hierarchy, which Techno didn't properly catch and Kristin waved away with an amused grin.

"This is quite literally my job," Ponk pointed out. "Skeppy definitely acted on impulse though. And he rarely does nice things, so he's the one you should be thanking."

"Hey?!" Skeppy crossed his arms at the insult. Ponk and Skeppy were part of the same coven, though neither of them was the leader.

"Our thanks do extend to him as well," Kristin said lightly, smiling pleasantly at the much younger vampire. "And we will be sending our regards to Bad soon."

"And an apology to Schlatt for fucking up his wall," Phil added. Wilbur would probably not be too pleased to hear it, but he wasn't in the room. Phil had ordered Tommy and him to stay outside. They were in a sort of adjacent seating area which wasn't too big so having a bunch of people in there would make things crowded. Not to mention Wilbur was already agitated and Tommy got equally riled up at seeing Techno hurt.

"He's the one who should be sending you a 'thank you' note for livening up this dull party of his," Ponk said. He backed off and cleaned his hands again. Two small towels were already stained with Techno's blood from washing his face. The off-white looked a pinkish color, saturated and gross.

"I suppose it is one of the most memorable ones he ever threw," Phil said.

"I will let him know you'll be taking your leave," Kristin said. Her hand lingered against the back of Techno's neck for a moment, a gesture of inattentive affection. "I'm sure that after what happened, nobody can fault you for retiring early."

"I really wouldn't give a fuck if they did," Phil told her.

When she opened the door to head outside, Tommy and Wilbur seized the opportunity to come in. Tommy pretty much draped himself in Techno's lap, only to be pulled off by Wilbur grabbing him by the collar of his shirt.

"Don't get stains on your clothes," he scolded.

Techno frowned while looking down at himself. He completely forgot he actually borrowed clothes and got blood on them too. His face might have been cleaned up, but the rest of him hadn't been. He needed to change.

"Are you feeling better?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah. Pretty sure I'll have all my blood back by the morning." Techno got up from the chair. "Thanks again, Ponk."

"Don't mention it. Always a fun change of pace to work on a living patient." Ponk was clearing up their medical supplies. Techno wondered why they'd had those on them if they weren't expecting to treat anybody. Maybe it was better he didn't ask.

"We're going home now, right? I think we should go home." Tommy squirmed out of Wilbur's grip. "I don't wanna be here anymore."

"We're going home," Phil confirmed curtly.

They only had to wait a few minutes before Kristin returned. Techno made sure to thank Skeppy again too, and then Kristin saw them all to the door. Schlatt was there. Techno wasn't really looking forward to speaking to him once more, but he supposed it was expected.

For some reason, Schlatt shook his hand this time. His grip was firm and cold, unpleasant too. He pulled his nose up slightly when he spoke.

"Thanks for the reminder of why we usually don't let humans into these things. What a mess."

Techno gritted his teeth, just wanting to get out of there without accidentally making things worse. Both Phil and Wilbur seemed about to say something, but Kristin smoothly undercut them.

"Complacency does not become you. We've discussed this, Schlatt. Our negotiations were fruitful, weren't they?"

She too had slipped back into the overly stuffy way of words for a moment, and it made Schlatt draw up his eyebrows.

"Yeah, yeah. I see what you're saying." He let go of Techno's hand.

Techno didn't see what they were saying, though he was also too tired to care at this point. He waited until the door closed behind them and the cold outside air of the countryside knocked some sense back into him, before opening his mouth.

"Sorry," he said.

Kristin regarded him with a puzzled expression. "Whatever for?"

"I'm… not really sure," Techno decided. "Whatever I did that made the night a mess, I suppose."

"Nonsense." She grabbed his face unexpectedly, cupping his cheeks in her hands. Her skin was cold, much like Schlatt's, but Techno found the sensation not half as bad when it was her. "Our talks went perfectly well, I assure you. Don't worry your head about it, dear." She brought their foreheads together briefly, so they were nose to nose. "It was lovely meeting you, Techno."

She let go then, so she could proceed to give her goodbyes to the others. Techno was left reeling a little from the exchange. He barely caught Kristin promising that she'd try and clear her schedule, making time to be around the home soon. She waved them off from the front steps of the house, staying there when the car pulled up and they got in. Techno didn't see her move until she was a speck in the rearview mirror, blending into the darkness.

On the drive over, Wilbur had been sitting up front. For some reason he had piled into the backseat now, leaving Techno to be squeezed between him and Tommy where he was sitting on the middle seat. He rested back into the plush cushions. Phil caught his eyes in the mirror too, seeming deep in thought.

He looked pissed off beyond belief.

But it was a strange sort of anger, especially for somebody like Phil. Phil, who was all silent storms and a fury that stung with the coldness of ice. This agitated demeanor was unlike him.

"I'm sorry for all that," Techno said vaguely, awkwardly. He was never the best at apologizing - he felt like he didn't have to do it a lot because he usually managed to keep his shit together enough for it not to be an issue - and not knowing exactly what had Phil ticked off only made it worse.

"You don't have to apologize," Wilbur started to say, but a short cut-off laugh from Phil stopped him.

"Yes, he does. Do you have any fucking idea how stupid that was of you?"

Techno sunk into the seat further. Great, he already got to feel the 'parents going to talk to your teacher at school' shame earlier, and Phil was now about to give him a scolding for messing up. "In my defense, I never actually said it was a good idea to bring me."

"That's not what I'm talking about," Phil said. "Techno, you didn't eat today. It's almost midnight. No wonder you passed out. You can't be doing shit like that to yourself, mate."

Oh… Phil wasn't angry with Techno for ruining his reputation in front of those other vampires. He was pissed because of the self-care fail Techno so pathetically tried to hide.

"I'm-"

"If I hadn't gotten you that orange juice, you'd have just spent the entire night being dehydrated too on top of being starved. Have you even been taking your medicines? The ones Niki prescribed."

Techno pulled up his shoulders a bit, with the conversation veering more into a lecture increasing the guilt he felt. "Mostly."

"Mostly won't cut it."

"You did agree to the contract," Wilbur added under his breath, maybe in an attempt to ease the tension a bit.

"Oh, so you're worried my blood isn't up to your nutritional standards again," Techno tried to joke.

But Phil pushed down hard on the breaks in response. Techno was very glad he always wore a seatbelt, he didn't think any of them would have benefited from him flying through the windshield. Phil turned around in the driver's seat, so he could address Techno directly.

"I'm worried because you put yourself at risk and got hurt. And that's not something I like happening to people I care about. Got it?"

Techno bit his tongue and nodded.

He would love to play it off some more, because there was no way his brain was up for dissecting that after the night he just had. Phil was pissed not because of anything to do with coven politics or how this could affect their standing. He was worried about Techno.

The silence that fell over them as Phil continued to drive was thick enough to choke on. Techno was very glad when Tommy interrupted it with a low whistle.

"Damn, we barely ever get to see Phil like this. Gnarly." He leaned against Techno, resting his head on Techno's shoulder and yawning.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Phil asked, already sounding three times less stern.

"You didn't get this upset when I almost died a little while ago," Wilbur said. "Guess we know who the favorite child is."

"You're already dead," Tommy felt the need to interject. He was digging around in his jacket to find something.

Wilbur rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

"You both have a body that can restore itself from everything short of decapitation," Phil said. "Techno skipped one day of meals and he almost concussed himself. I think my worry is warranted."

"Hard disagree," Techno put in. Phil leveled him with another look in the rearview mirror.

"From now on, I'll be properly monitoring your sleep schedule, meals, and whether you're remembering your vitamins, since you clearly can't do so yourself."

Techno wanted to refuse, but something about the way Phil said it left very little room for argument. Maybe because part of Techno did know he'd seriously dropped the ball on it this time. And Phil didn't sound like he was trying to be mean about it, his concern simply expressed itself in pragmatism. His idea of monitoring probably was just to give Techno some much-needed reminders. His easily distracted brain could benefit from those.

"When we get home, you're going to eat. And then I'll feed on you," Phil added.

"What?" Techno asked. Did Phil miss the part where Techno bled all over the stairs, he didn't think he had much extra blood to spare.

"I'll only consume a little bit," Phil said, almost as if he could read what Techno was thinking from his face. "But the venom injected during feeding will speed up your healing, which should help with your head wound. So we're doing it."

Again, it sounded like more of an order than a suggestion up for debate. Techno just nodded, recognizing the futility of putting up a fight.

"That's smart," Tommy put in. His voice was a little muffled because he was speaking around something he had stuffed into his mouth and was currently sucking on.

It was one of the towels Ponk had used to clean the blood off Techno's face earlier.

Which also implied Tommy specifically yoinked it to do that. "Gross," he said. Tommy shrugged at him, not caring.

"No point letting it go to waste," he said.

"You're concerning," Wilbur told Tommy. The fledgling ignored him.

When they arrived home, Techno went upstairs so he could change into clean pajamas. He washed his face again, getting the last few flecks of dried blood out of his hair. Then he touched the bandaged-up wound gingerly while staring into the mirror. It barely hurt anymore, so Techno didn't really think it was necessary for Phil to try and kickstart the healing process for him. But he doubted Phil would listen to him.

Techno had never seen anybody that upset with worry before.

Back downstairs, he found that Phil had made food for him. A simple dish of pasta with red sauce. Considering how hungry he was, Techno wouldn't have complained about being served plain toast at this point. He was simply glad to eat anything. And after that, he'd probably sleep for a whole day. He felt tired enough for it.

"I hope your first experience with all this hasn't turned you off to the vampire world too badly," Phil remarked. He was standing at the counter, sipping placidly from a cup of tea. Wilbur and Tommy had been sent up to the nest, mostly for the fledgling's benefit. With all the ruckus surrounding Techno, they'd almost forgotten how much Tommy needed his rest too. Being out and about that long, and the commotion at the party, had probably drained him.

"Not really," Techno said. "It wasn't the worst party I've been to by a long shot. Not even the first where I almost concussed myself."

Phil grimaced slightly. "Yeah, well, let's not try for a repeat performance next time, shall we?"

"There's going to be a next time?"

"Who's to say? I think we better be prepared just in case." He put the now empty cup down. "But Kristin was right, it's nothing for you three to worry about. Are you ready to go up?"

Techno looked down at his empty plate. He barely realized how quickly he had eaten all of it. Wilbur mentioned a long time ago, when Techno moved in, that Phil was a decent enough cook. "Yeah, thanks for the food."

"It's my pleasure," Phil said. "Though maybe that should be my line?"

Because Phil was going to feed on him. Techno pushed away from the table, following Phil to the hallway and up the stairs. When they got there, Phil started to turn left, and Techno stopped.

"Uh, my bedroom is that way," he said lamely. As if Phil wouldn't know the layout of his own mansion.

"Yes, I know. But when a coven member is sick or injured they usually sleep in the nest," Phil said. An innocent mistake, a habit ingrained over centuries.

Except Phil did not actually move to head in the right direction instead.

"You make it sound as if I got seriously hurt," Techno protested. "Besides, Tommy's asleep in there already. Wilbur too, probably. I don't wanna disturb them."

While those were real concerns for him, Techno knew that wasn't the actual reason he was dragging his feet about it.

"I doubt Tommy's a light enough sleeper to wake up from us going inside, mate. And if he did, he wouldn't mind," Phil said. "If anything, you being nearby would soothe their instincts too." Techno stayed where he was, motionless, fingers tightening against the wooden banister. Phil stared back at him, blue eyes piercing. Thinking. Techno didn't know what he was searching for.

In one fluid motion, Phil swept past him and down the other corridor.

"But perhaps you're more comfortable sleeping in your own bed. Nests can be strange if you're not used to them yet." Phil chuckled at the end there, though it was a joke Techno felt he wasn't privy to.

He drew the curtains of his room closed, feeling a little awkward because he didn't know exactly what Phil's approach would be. Techno had gotten a little used to having vampires feed from him directly, he'd done it three times. Not enough to claim he was an expert. And all of those had been with Wilbur.

"You should sit down for this," Phil said, motioning to the bed. "You're probably going to pass out pretty instantly."

"Ominous," Techno answered. But he did pull back the blanket and sat down on his bed. Phil knelt in front of him. He hadn't changed yet and Techno found it oddly comical to sit there in his PJs while Phil looked like he'd be heading to a formal event after this.

"Nah, it'll be the best sleep you've had in ages. Trust me." He held out his hand for Techno to extend his arm.

"I know." Techno took the nap of a lifetime when Wilbur first fed on him.

Phil held his wrist, studying it for a moment, maybe to determine the best place and angle to bite him at. Techno was about to remind him about biting high enough that his sleeve could cover it up, but before he could, Phil dipped down and that thought was wiped away by a brief, piercing pain of teeth burying into his flesh.

Techno didn't pull away from Phil, inhaling harshly and waiting for the worst to pass. Within a few seconds he was rewarded when the pain faded and the ever-more familiar sensation of the vampire venom entering his veins took its place. Phil dislodged his fangs quick enough that Techno didn't think he had more than a few mouthfuls of blood. His vision was already blurring, and while his lips moved to form a word, no sound came out. Very distantly, he was aware of his body slumping forward, though Phil caught him so he could be laid in bed.

Techno was out long before his head hit the pillow.