"Would you mind signing this?"

Phil asked the question while walking past the dinner table on his way to the fridge, throwing a card down in front of Techno. It slid over the polished wood until it bumped into the edge of Techno's textbook and Wilbur snorted lightly.

"Seriously?" Wilbur asked.

"It's only polite," Phil said.

Techno picked up the card. The writing on it was so clean and elaborate that Techno hardly recognized it as Phil's. The way the s was curled around the bottom of the preceding letter gave it away in the end, but Phil must have been putting exceeding effort into his penmanship being extra legible when he wrote this. Techno read the text.

"Is this a thank you card?"

"Addressed to Bad's coven. To formally express our gratitude for their help during that whole shit show." Phil took out a bottle of sparkling water and turned around. Techno cringed at the reminder of Schlatt's party a few days ago.

After Phil bit him, Techno's head wound healed practically overnight. He barely had a scar, easily covered by his bangs. Bangs that were starting to show more light brown than pink again, he needed to dye his hair soon. But the embarrassment over what happened? Yeah, that hadn't faded at all.

"It's a bit overkill, isn't it?" Wilbur said.

Phil shook his head. "Some covens really care about the formality stuff. And we can't afford to lose any allies right now. If a quick letter can keep them in our corner, that's not a lot of effort."

Techno was inclined to agree. He picked up a pen and tried to scribble his name near the bottom of the card in a way that didn't completely demolish the thank you card's fancy appearance when viewed next to Phil's, Kristin's, and Tommy's more neat handwriting. He was halfway successful at it. He handed the card over to Wilbur when he was done, assuming the entire coven was supposed to sign it. That seemed to be the norm for vampires.

"Speaking of…" Phil started, then left an ominous silence. He was looking at Wilbur pretty intently.

"What?" Wilbur said, grabbing the pen so he could write his own name. In his case, it was more of an autograph. Dramatic as usual.

"You need to write an apology letter, Wilbur."

Wilbur's flourish ended in an ugly, jagged line as his hand slipped in surprise. Completely unnecessary if you asked Techno, and completely ruining all the effort he put into his legibility. Wilbur noticed too and sighed, trying to make it look intentional by putting two diagonal dashes through the gross smudge.

"I'm not writing a fucking apology letter to Schlatt," Wilbur said through clenched teeth.

"You damaged his estate and attacked a guest during his event," Phil said, calm yet stern. And also kind of looking like he was trying not to laugh at Wilbur's expense. Failing at it too. "You're writing an apology letter. Now."

"But-"

"There are a few ways this can go, Wilbur," Phil added. "Don't pick the hard way."

"Fine!" Wilbur snapped. He ripped a blank sheet of paper out of the notebook Techno was using for his homework - without asking mind you - and started hastily drafting out loud. "Dear Schlatt, I'm sorry your terrible, horrible stairs hurt our human-"

"Wilbur," Phil groaned, pinching at the bridge of his nose in pure exhaustion.

"And I'm really sorry that your poor little wall got cracked while I was trying to protect my coven. Truly, I don't know if I can ever apologize enough. Next time, I'll be sure to let Techno be eaten as my sire requests."

Phil seemed unable to decide whether he should start laughing or crying, so he wasn't doing either, simply standing there in vague disbelief. Wilbur stared up at him, holding out the note with a most innocent expression on his face. Techno coughed in a horrible attempt to cover up his own laughter.

"Are you done?" Phil asked after a moment, taking the note. "Got it all out of your system, mate?"

"Seems so," Wilbur said.

Phil balled it up and threw it at Wilbur's head. "Then write a proper one. And you're hand delivering it to him. He's staying at his condo downtown this week."

"Fine," Wilbur groused. "But Schlatt better come bail us out if we're ever under siege or something."

"Is that a realistic concern to have?" Techno asked, unable to tell. On one hand, it sounded too comical to be true, on the other hand, ancient vampires could have a penchant for medieval warfare. Techno's university classes might see a very practical application soon.

"You never know with these guys," Phil said, then chuckled at seeing Techno's squinting. "Nah, seriously, it's not that big of a deal. We just like to keep good relations. You never know when it could come in handy."

"Skeppy said most covens are at each other's throats," Techno recalled.

Phil crossed his arms, shifting. He had been the one who agreed with Techno that as part of the coven, Techno couldn't be kept out of the loop. Techno hadn't lost a night's sleep over the vagrant unregistered group of vampires on the loose, even though he probably should. They hurt Wilbur. So there was reason to suspect they could hurt any of them. Phil was obviously still hesitant to scare him more.

"There are a lot of tensions," Phil said eventually. "Things used to be worse when we were all hiding. Vampires can be territorial. We also don't have many threats outside of each other, so hostility is a given. Combine that with a need to maintain secrecy and the results weren't always pretty. Especially as the vampire population has been steadily growing. Not as rapidly as the human population, but still…"

"Vampire population has been growing? Kristin told me that turning humans is uncommon," Techno said. Phil smiled vaguely at the mention of his sire. Simp.

"Uncommon now," Wilbur corrected. "And uncommon when done through the legal channels the human government imposes. Doesn't mean uncommon in the grand scheme of things."

"Besides, vampires dying is about equally as uncommon. Even if only a few hundred new vampires are born each year, if none of them are dying that counts up pretty quickly," Phil said.

Techno never looked at it that way. Vampires would never outnumber humans but it made sense their ranks slowly grew. He remembered reading a horror novel in middle school about vampires taking over the world. The book was heavily debated and eventually banned for fear-mongering and spreading harmful anti-vampire sentiment. Others still saw it as a warning to be heeded for future generations. Techno had forgotten all about it.

"Things changed after humans discovered us," Phil continued. "For a few years, there were a lot of casualties on both sides until a peace treaty was signed and terms were agreed to. I'm sure you heard all about this in your history classes. It didn't all happen overnight, Kristin spent months away from home." He grimaced at the memory. "There were ups and downs over time, but we've settled into something manageable eventually. Many covens have come together to form a truce out of necessity."

"Yeah, because we don't want humans to fucking annihilate all of us," Wilbur said lowly. He had taken another blank sheet of paper from Techno's notebook - again, without asking. At this point, it would be weirder if Wilbur did ask for permission before stealing his stuff. But at least he seemed to be writing a proper apology note this time, or one that would hold up to Phil's demands. Hopefully, it wouldn't offend Schlatt worse.

"There is strength in numbers. If we're fighting each other too, humans could wipe us out easier. So we need to form a united front. If humans and vampires went to war in the current conditions where different covens help each other, mutually assured destruction would be the likely outcome," Phil said, tone grim. Then he smiled. "So there's an incentive from both ends to prevent war."

"That's…" Techno weighed the possible words he could use. "Depressing?"

"It's functional," Phil said. Then he suddenly squeezed Techno's shoulder. "And it's also not something a lot of people are supposed to know so I trust you'll be discreet about this."

"I could post all of it on our student forum for my 'Ethics and Moral Philosophy' debate topic," Techno said flatly. Phil chuckled.

"Eh, as long as you frame it like it's a hypothetical I don't see the harm in that." He stepped away, but not before leveling Wilbur with another look. "Hand delivery, remember?"

"Do you want me to spray it in eau de cologne too?" Wilbur asked sarcastically.

"Whatever you think would make Schlatt happiest."

Wilbur made a face close to puking at that, the mere implication of groveling for Schlatt's approval enough to disgust him. Techno smiled, glad to know he wasn't the only one with a poor opinion of Schlatt. That guy was a Jerk. capital J. He turned back to his homework for the time being, until Wilbur finished his laborious and very serious undertaking of drafting an apology note that showed sufficient remorse for his impulsive actions. Granted, while Techno did not like Schlatt he could agree with Phil that damaging the wall probably was a bit much. Skeppy was a nice guy. He wasn't trying to hurt Techno.

On the other hand, all Wilbur knew in the moment was that a stranger was with Techno and he smelled of blood, so the reaction was warranted.

Kind of similar to his bout of pneumonia when Techno realized that he had no idea how it really felt to be fussed over but that it wasn't an entirely unpleasant experience, the situation at the party made him feel similar in hindsight. Under the layers of guilt for complicating Kristin's job, at least. Techno could take care of himself. At no point was he scared nor did he feel in danger. But he hadn't experienced before what it was like when somebody cared enough about him to be protective of his well-being. And he found it was… not terrible.

Not something he was used to either. He wondered if that feeling would grow on him.

"There. If that asshole doesn't think I'm being sincere now, he can shove it up his ass," Wilbur said, finishing off his note. "I'm going to bring it to him right away so I'll forget his smug face faster."

"I'll walk with you," Techno said, closing his laptop. "I need to go shopping before class."

"You don't want to join me on the courtesy visit itself?" Wilbur asked, then laughed when Techno glared at him.

Despite his bravado, Wilbur started dragging his feet by the time they got downtown. He followed Techno into the grocery store, then the drug store where Techno always bought his hair dye. Then he just kinda stuck close to Techno's side as he meandered before class was supposed to start. Techno would usually grab a coffee or something, but he'd promised Phil to cut back on the caffeine since Niki said too much of it was bad for him.

"You can head over to Schlatt's place, I'll be fine on my own," Techno tried. Wilbur glowered silently, hovering behind him as Techno stared through shop windows just to kill time at his point. A shadow slinking along his back. Drawing more than a few glances, but they often did since Wilbur was a vampire.

"I'll go once you get to your class," Wilbur practically whined. Techno got the impression Wilbur would literally be clinging to him if they weren't in public. As much as Wilbur wanted to act better than Tommy, deep down they were very similar. And very reluctant when forced to do something they didn't want.

Feral undead cats, Techno reminded himself.

"Let's go in there," Wilbur said, grabbing his wrist suddenly. Techno allowed himself to be dragged in the direction of a record store. The inside was pretty crowded, vinyl being back in fashion for a few years.

Techno browsed a couple of the boxes filled with LPs, though he knew little of contemporary music and wasn't familiar with many bands. He barely listened to music unless the radio was on in the background somewhere. He gave up pretty quickly, glanced at Wilbur to find him engaged in a heated debate with the store owner trying to buy eight different records, then decided he wasn't going to involve himself with that mess. A small corner of the store was dedicated to second-hand instruments so Techno drifted over there.

Guitars, a few keyboards. Techno's eye was quickly drawn towards a smaller black case stuffed into the back. The leather was dusty when Techno moved his finger over it. He undid the silver clasps to look at the violin inside.

Techno sold his violin to afford his schooling.

The instrument was inherited from his parents, one of the few valuable items they left him with. Nothing too fancy, though it was a good brand, and despite being used a decent amount, age always made violins go up in value if you had the right kind of instrument. Techno's mother used to play. Techno did also play - more of a casual thing, really - though his uncle got annoyed at the noise more often than not when he was home. This violin was not the same as the one Techno used to have. Just similar enough to bring back some memories.

Techno plucked one of the strings. Not that he would play a violin by plucking and the noise it produced was more of a dissonant pang than anything proper. Somehow, it still brought a slight grin to his face. Wilbur appeared at his side as if summoned by the noise. More likely he was just done with his shopping.

"Do you play?" he asked curiously.

Closing the case again, Techno turned towards him. "Used to," he said absently. Then he checked his watch. "Let's head out, I need to get to class."

Wilbur followed without a word, hovering just a few steps more behind.

Whenever Tubbo and Ranboo were around, Tommy's illness did not seem to bother him half as much.

Not that Techno thought Tommy's symptoms literally vanished or decreased when he could spend time with friends. It was simply an amusing thing to witness. All day, Tommy had been whining and complaining, lying on the couch like a deflated pool toy. He'd lament his condition loud and clear to anybody who would listen - which was mostly Techno since Wilbur was out for an errand and Phil locked himself in his office again. But as soon as the doorbell rang he sprang up and basically sprinted over. Techno could hear animated voices carry into the living room as they talked, and then Phil came down the stairs to join them. They were probably going to practice with their powers again. Techno had been thinking about popping down to see that sometime. He had become curious to see this whole 'vampire training montage' thing in action, it sounded kind of wild.

Then he realized that this was his one chance to work uninterrupted without Tommy disturbing him and he decided against it. He could get a peek next time when he didn't have any deadlines due.

He finished most of his essay by the time the others came back, and Phil said something about going with Tubbo and Ranboo for a while but promised to return later. Techno was honestly not listening as closely as he should have, he'd been living with vampire roommates so long he'd gotten used to their odd schedules. It wasn't like he needed to wait for them before having dinner or anything.

"Ugh!" Tommy threw himself onto the couch again, almost physically morphing back into the very picture of misery the moment they heard the door close behind Phil. He grabbed the nearest pillow and squished it into his chest and face. "I feel like I'm dying… again," Tommy complained.

"You could go up and rest," Techno said. If Tommy went to wallow away in the nest, he'd feel better and he wouldn't be distracting Techno. Two birds with one stone.

"Can't sleep. I'm too hungry," Tommy said miserably, muffled into the pillow.

Oh… Techno sat back awkwardly. "Phil is going to draw some blood from me later."

With the party betraying Techno was in poor health and all, they'd once again postponed draining Techno for a few days. And once again, that meant Tommy was the one left hanging. At this rate, he wasn't really upholding his end of the contract anymore. And while these guys were too nice to kick him out over it, Techno knew Tommy deserved better.

"Yeah, yeah, he told me." Tommy's eyes narrowed a bit as he stared at Techno's wrist. The mark from Phil's bite hadn't faded yet, though the sight did not seem to cause the same jealousy in Tommy as Wilbur's bite had. Probably because Phil was Tommy's sire. He didn't feel as if his prey was being stolen. "Waiting sucks."

Techno hummed in agreement, going back to his essay. Only to then be hit in the temple with the pillow.

"Wait, why the fuck are we waiting?! I could feed on you right now!" Tommy sat up on his knees, eagerly leaning into Techno's personal space as usual.

Techno put a hand on Tommy's forehead and pushed him away. "And risk you giving me nerve damage by jabbing me with a needle in the wrong place? I'll pass."

"We don't need the needles and the bags and all that shit," Tommy scoffed. "I'll bite you. Like Wilbur and Phil."

"No," Techno said, shoving Tommy over fully. And knowing full well that Tommy would not have been pushed over if he didn't want to, given the vampire's strength and all. Tommy flopped onto his back with a huff.

"Why not? We're not in public."

"That wasn't my only issue with it," Techno told him.

"Then what else?" Tommy asked. "You let Phil and Wilbur do it, so what's the big deal?"

Opening his mouth to respond, Techno couldn't come up with an answer. Tommy wasn't wrong technically that Techno had even offered to let Wilbur feed on him directly before. And he didn't put up much of a fight when Phil did it either. So what was his issue with it? Feeding directly from a human was healthier and tastier for the vampire. And it didn't harm Techno in any way. A win-win situation. Or at least a win-neutral. Techno still thought it would be weird to do for a complete stranger, but why the hesitance in doing it for his friends?

"It's really unfair, you know," Tommy added forlornly. "If you let them do it and not me, I'll start to think you like them more." He rolled over so he could pout up at Techno more effectively. Like a puppy that Techno kicked after it was already down on its luck. Oh, the humanity.

"Maybe I do like them more," Techno said without missing a beat. Tommy's bottom lip wobbled. "You're a terrible actor," Techno added. Tommy's sad, pathetic expression fell away into one of general annoyance.

"Tell Phil I want to be cremated," he said. "My ashes can be divided into three. One part is to be sprinkled in the Atlantic ocean, one part is to be kept on the mantelpiece in a little jar. And the last part you need to throw into Wilbur's left shoe specifically."

"You're not dying," Techno said.

"Well, I certainly feel like it," Tommy groaned, feet kicking idly.

"If I let you have my blood, do you promise to go up into the nest and sleep after?" Techno asked. "Because that might make me reconsider."

Tommy perked up instantly. Swiftly, he was back on his knees, leaning against Techno, one arm around his shoulder. "I'll be as quiet as a mouse," he said. "Quieter, actually. Mice are noisy fucks. Not me."

"Fine. Come on then." Techno turned towards Tommy and rolled his sleeve down. He decided to offer the opposite arm than the one Phil had bitten. Tommy took hold of his wrist and pulled him closer, inspecting the skin for a moment.

And then another moment.

Techno was already bracing for the initial pain of the bite so it took him a second to realize Tommy was making no move to actually do so.

"Have you never fed on a human before?" Techno asked.

"Hold on," Tommy answered, grip growing a little tighter to prevent Techno from pulling away. The reluctance was obvious. Techno simply raised an eyebrow and waited. If this was Tommy's first time Techno didn't want to rush him or Tommy might hurt him by accident.

A fledgling would normally also consume their sire's blood during the early stages of their creation, but Techno knew Tommy's actual sire was terrible. Who's to say that Tommy ever fed on Phil's blood? Or how different it was to bite another vampire compared to a human.

"I think I just need to…" Tommy trailed off, raising Techno's arm and then lowering it again. Before eventually bending forward and opening his mouth. He bit down slowly.

Techno hissed. Compared to the sharp and sudden pain he had experienced with Phil and Wilbur, this was more of a burn, almost gentle. Tommy made a noise of astonishment as the blood hit his tongue, adjusting his hold so he could lift Techno's arm higher. Techno felt Tommy's venom enter his veins, though it also became apparent quickly that Tommy either didn't inject nearly as much venom as an adult vampire yet or his venom wasn't as powerful as the others. Techno's arm went numb, a strange pins and needles sensation up to his shoulder that threw Techno off a little, but the rest of his body stayed very aware, and the drug-like haze he had gotten used to from the previous times remained absent. This made the act of being fed on not nearly as pleasant, though as long as it didn't hurt Techno couldn't say he minded.

What it did do was make waiting for Tommy to finish a tad more awkward. Was Techno supposed to stare at the wall until the fledgling was done?

Tommy's fangs dug in deeper suddenly, accompanied by another light wrench on his arm that made Techno's shoulder ache. The discomfort was negligible, but Techno was starting to get a little dizzy.

"Tommy?" he said tentatively. Tommy did not react.

Techno hadn't been keeping count of how long ago Tommy bit down.

"Tommy." He put his other hand on Tommy's shoulder. Or he tried to, his wrist was grabbed harshly before he could get that far, Tommy's knee lifted and pressed against his leg to pin him down against the couch. The tightness of Tommy's grip morphed from normal to bruising in an instant.

Well, that… That wasn't a good sign.

"Tommy, stop!"

Tommy made another noise, closer to a growl this time, without unlatching his teeth. Techno tried to push him off in as much as he was able to, which meant not much more than squirming at this point. The lightheadedness made his attempts to fight back even harder on top of being overpowered. A bolt of nausea shot into Techno's gut, slithering through his veins more effectively than the venom could. Techno gasped at the sickening lurch.

Something about that sound must have been what snapped Tommy out of it because he unfurled instantly, drawing back so quickly that he dropped both of Techno's arms. Blood stained his lips, some dripping down the side of his chin.

"Sorry, sorry," he said. "It tasted so good, I got distracted."

"It's fine." Techno held his wrist in one hand. The wound was pulsing, too numb for the throbbing to be painful but almost as if he could feel his heartbeat in every paralyzed nerve. The same beat pounded between his temples. "Uh, can you close the wound?"

"Ah, fuck." Tommy snatched his wrist again, more careful this time. He licked along the punctures. Nothing much happened, except for it lapping up the blood still pouring from Techno's flesh. "Uh…"

"Why is it not healing?" Techno asked.

"I don't know," Tommy said. Then more urgently. "Fuck, I don't- it's supposed to heal on its own. Shit."

"Let's just bandage it," Techno said, getting up. He almost tripped over the coffee table right away, if it weren't for the fact that Tommy had held on to his arm and thus kept him upright. He helped Techno get to the kitchen without stumbling too much, blood starting to run down into the crook of his elbow. What a time to find out that Tommy hadn't unlocked the healing properties of vampire saliva yet.

Techno took a towel from the counter and rubbed it over the wound, putting pressure on it. Tommy's venom hadn't faded or anything, so he wasn't in pain. But he didn't know how much blood he'd lost between the fledgling feeding on him and the red that was rapidly soaking into the towel's fabric. He was starting to feel very floaty.

Tommy wordlessly went to grab the first aid kit from beneath the sink. Techno was actually very glad he bought that. The first time he had a headache and realized vampires didn't keep medicine or even band-aids around, he had gotten some basic stuff just in case.

"Does it hurt?" Tommy asked as he helped Techno bandage up his arm. The frown on his face spoke of guilt.

"Nah," Techno assured him. "Feelin' pretty peachy." Maybe it would be a little more convincing if he wasn't leaning his elbow on the table, waiting for the vertigo to pass. "Was it everything you dreamt it to be?"

"Wilbur was right about it tasting a lot better for sure," Tommy said. He scowled slightly at the confession. "Don't tell him I said that, he'll be insufferable."

Techno laughed weakly. Tommy searched his expression for something, frown not entirely gone. He seemed about to say something, but Techno interrupted him.

"Your eyes have changed color," he said.

"What?" Tommy blinked, dumbfounded.

"They're not red anymore."

Tommy got up and walked over to the fridge, leaning in so close his nose was practically touching the stainless steel. There was a mirror around somewhere he could use, but maybe he preferred making things more difficult for himself. Apparently it worked well enough because he turned around once he was done, smiling widely.

"Holy shit, they're not red anymore!"

Techno pressed down on the bandage a little bit. He couldn't feel if it had stopped bleeding yet. "That's what I said."

"What the fuck did you two get up to?" Phil asked from the doorway. Techno hadn't heard him come through the front door, though neither had Tommy and Techno had dull human senses and blood loss to disadvantage him. What was Tommy's excuse? Phil pinned him with a look instantly. "Why the hell are you bleeding?"

"Tommy was hungry," Techno said. Phil did not look amused.

"You should have waited for me," the sire said, moving towards him. Techno tried not to cringe back, too dizzy for sudden movements. Maybe a fledgling's first time feeding on a human was an important milestone akin to a human toddler saying its first word. And Techno had robbed Phil of witnessing it firsthand, like a daycare worker fumbling to record a child's wobbling first steps.

But no, Phil only came over to inspect his wound and then stare at Techno's face all creepily intense.

"Are you alright?" he asked. Techno nodded. Phil did not seem to buy it.

"It made my eyes change color," Tommy said, dashing over. He opened his eyes comically wide, showing off the pale blue irises Techno had been the first to notice.

"Do you think drinking directly from me did that?" Techno asked. Most vampires were able to do that, most of them feeding from bags.

"Yeah, what else?" Tommy insisted.

"It's unlikely, but not impossible I suppose," Phil said. He looked between them tentatively before smiling at Tommy. "Do you feel any other changes?"

"I don't know, I feel pumped maybe?" Tommy bounced on the balls of his feet, showing off he was energized. Techno hadn't seen him like that in a while.

"Interesting." Phil reached out to cup a hand against the back of Tommy's head, pulling him in to touch their foreheads together in greeting. When he let go and did the same for Techno, the human couldn't be surprised anymore. Slowly, this had become how Phil greeted him more often than not. "I'll relay it to Kristin, perhaps it means something."

"Gotta mean I'm not a fledgling anymore," Tommy said.

Techno laughed more properly this time. "I thought you already weren't a fledgling anymore, big man?"

Tommy sputtered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, obviously, but I meant- I'm- fuck, fuck you!"

"It could be a good sign but let's not get overzealous," Phil said mildly. He hadn't stopped looking concerned, glancing at Techno every few seconds.

So as soon as his legs would hold up to the attempt, Techno came up with the excuse of an online class to sneak to his room so he could avoid that scrutiny. He planned to finish his essay but felt exhausted the moment he sat down on his bed.

Not up for struggling against the dizziness any longer, Techno laid down for a nap instead.

That night Techno was seriously struggling with his hair.

Dyeing it was a pain at the best of times since he grew it out. He couldn't see the back of his head, which made it difficult to see if he'd covered all of it. Having part of his arm ripped open definitely didn't help matters though. He couldn't properly reach back there without it hurting after Tommy's venom faded and he was trying to keep the bandage clean too. The last thing he needed was to get an infection.

"Would you like some help with that?" Phil asked.

Techno mentally noted this as the second time in a few hours that the sire had snuck up on him.

"You're a hairdresser now too?" Techno said. Phil surely had a diverse range of skills.

"I used to help Wilbur dye his hair. He had a goth phase," Phil said, walking up behind him. Techno was sitting at his desk with a tiny mirror in front of him, slanted so he could look at his hair better. He held out the bottle and Phil took it without bothering with gloves or any of that.

"Thanks. Do you happen to have any picture of that?" Techno said.

"Wilbur's goth phase? Somewhere, probably. If Wilbur didn't burn them all." Phil paused before continuing. "If you want to let Tommy feed from you directly in the future, maybe wait until one of us is around, okay?"

Practiced at sitting motionless while having his hair messed with, Techno didn't wince despite kind of wanting to. Of course Phil had noticed. Techno could have guessed as much.

"I don't think he properly realizes what happened," Phil added. "And we shouldn't tell him. It would only upset him. Fledglings, when they feed, can slip into a bit of a daze. They're not entirely themselves. Just something to keep in mind."

"Got it."

Phil hadn't been lying. He must have done this before, brushing his fingers through Techno's hair with ease, comforting. Techno relaxed into it, in spite of the tense conversation.

"Still, I'm sorry it happened," Phil said. "I should have been around to prevent it."

"It wasn't that bad," Techno said. He didn't get seriously hurt. Tommy was feeling better. Nothing terrible happened. Phil didn't respond right away.

Only after another minute or so of silence broken by the sound of Phil helping him with his hair did the sire answer. As he did so, he reached past Techno for the little business card on his desk.

"If you say so. I got concerned you might be reconsidering your stay with us," Phil said.

"Oh, that. Some woman gave it to me when I was out with Tommy at the arcade," Techno said. He'd forgotten he kept the card around, something about rehabilitation for ex-feeders wasn't it? He hadn't glanced at it twice since taking it from her to get her to leave him alone.

"I see." Phil's touch left him. He was probably done with the hair dye. Except then it settled again, right at the base of his neck. Cold, tender. "You can tell us if you don't want to be here anymore." The very words came out a little stilted, spoken as if the act of saying them out loud brought Phil considerable pain. "Though I'm glad that's not the case."

"It's not," Techno said. He leaned back into Phil's hand.

"Good."

It wasn't until Techno returned from his shower to wash out the hair dye that he noticed Phil hadn't put the business card back. Since Techno was planning to throw it out anyway, he didn't think it mattered.