Out, out, brief candle.

He nodded “okay,” he said walking into the castle with him. He chuckled “which takes years to learn.” He said to him.

Matthew chuckled. “Not years, I wouldn’t say. Certain things will take longer than others, that’s for sure. But you’ll be a pro at this in no time. And...” he dropped his voice to a whisper. “Just think of how hard we can go tonight.”

He looked at him “yeah?” He asked him listening to him. “That’s how I feel right now,” he said to him. He nodded “okay,” he smiled “thank you, I’m glad we’ll be together forever,” he told him softly. He chuckled “it feels so… weird.”

“That’s normal,” Matthew reassured him as they walked up towards the castle. “I’m glad too. I know it feels weird, but you’ll get used to it, I promise. It’s a huge learning curve.”

James gripped him,his senses going wild as they walked. He could hear everything, see ten times better. It was so strange he almost felt a bit sick from it. He looked at him “it’s like you’re reading my mind,” he told him simply. “Yeah, good idea.”

He smiled softly. “I remember what it was like when I triggered my gene. I remember being starving and overwhelmed. When we get home, we’ll make it nice and dark so you don’t go into sensory overload. And we’ll pace your blood intake.” He kissed the back of James’ hand. “You’re gonna do great.”

James groaned a bit, the hunger was the hardest part with this. He took a breath and gripped Matthew’s hand. “Okay,” he said kissing him back deeply, he smiled at him when he said that “I’m okay… weird… different..”

He started walking James back to the castle. “It’s going to feel very weird for a while because you’re adjusting. But I’m here, I’m going to help you through all of this. Right now we have to get your hunger in check.”

James whined “no, no I want just a bit more,” he breathed begging him. There was blood all around this place and he could smell it with ease. He groaned and breathed hard “okay,” he said “blood bags,” he nodded thinking about that. Trying to focus. He looked at the ring “you did?” He smiled at him softly. He nodded “okay,’ he said “yeah okay, you’re right I won’t take it off,” he said putting it on him now and looking at it. He smiled at him “thank you for this.. I love you too.”

“I know, baby, but she’s getting faint. You’ll learn to control it better with time.” He took James’ hand in his and gave it a squeeze as he pressed a long kiss to his lips. “Welcome to eternity, my love. How are you feeling?”

James bit his lip nervously. He nodded “okay,’ he said and he leaned biting into her again and drinking hard. He groaned a bit, enjoying the taste of blood now. He could feel it filling his hunger thirst but he didn’t know when enough was enough.

Matthew watched his fiance drink from the blood doll. When he noticed her getting a bit weary, he pulled James off of her. “Alright. That should be enough to get you back to the castle. Then if you’re still thirsty we have all those blood bags. Here.” He pulled a ring out of his pocket. “I had this made for you the first time you asked me to change you. It’s a sun ring. You do not take this off. Ever. Understand? You saw how much pain I was in when the sun rings malfunctioned, it would be even worse for you since you’re new. I just want you to be safe. I love you so much. You did so well.”

James breathed hard and groaned “I need more blood i think,” he told him. The thirst and hunger bubbling up through him. “Yeah, I know, you’re all I need,” he told him. Glad that he had someone to help him through this.

Matthew waved the doll back over. “Okay, baby. Drink. But if I think you’re taking too much, I’m going to stop you. I don’t want you draining anyone. You don’t want that on your conscience.”

James nodded as he gripped onto him, taking breaths. He gripped on harder, his grip tightening as he changed form, changed who he was. He smiled feeling him “I love you too.”

Matthew hoped James wouldn’t regret this decision. He ran his hand through James’ hair as a comforting gesture. “You’re so good, baby. I’m so proud of you. I know it’s scary. I’m right here.”

He pulled back and shook with weird feelings in him. He gripped the seat and groaned holding his head as everything changed for him. His senses were even worse, changing as his body changed. Was he dying? He didn’t actually asked what vampires were, were they dead? Were they just weird people with issues? He breathed hard “Matt.” He pushed into him gripping him.

“I’m right here, baby,” he whispered as he kept James held close. “I know, my love. I know it’s so scary. But you’re doing great. You’re almost there. I love you so much.” He pressed gentle kisses to any skin he could reach. 

James gripped him, he was moving so fast but his senses were buzzing so bad he could barely focus or pay attention on what was going on. He did feel the small kisses though and it helped him try and relax but his body was completely on fire. He felt hungry and he was sure it wasn’t for normal food. He looked at the girl and then back at him, scared to. He moved to her neck and took a breath “I’m nervous,” he said and then went in, drinking slowly.

“I know you are, baby, but you’re doing so well,” he reassured as he rubbed circles into James’ back. He watched his fiance drink from the woman. He was nervous for him, even though he knew everything was going to be alright. He knew that this was a new and scary experience for him and he wanted to support him in any way possible.

James breathed hard, feeling things change inside of him. He gripped onto him and looked at him and groaned a bit as he was picked up. He held onto him and nodded “Don’t worry,” he said “I know,” he said trusting him. he was nervous and scared and sad his sister wouldn’t be in his life anymore. He nuzzled his neck and gripped him “okay..”

Matthew held James close as they made their way through town, pressing the occasional kiss to James' temple to try and reassure him. When they got to Neon, he explained the situation in hushed tones to one of the dolls, assuring her that she would be compensated well and agree to secrecy. He took her into a private room with James, and the girl nicked herself with the nearest sharp object. "Drink, my love," he said softly. "It's almost over."

James groaned, coughing a bit from the blood he had to take it. He licked his lips and breathed hard “maybe we should have done this at Neon,” he said gripping onto him. His head felt dizzy, his senses were going inside and he felt sick. He hoped once he drank from the vein he would feel better. “How am I supposed to drink from the vein I have no fangs?”

“Perhaps we should have, but I didn’t think of it. I’m sorry, my love, that’s my fault.’ He picked James up into his arms and carried him out of the room. “It’s not a long walk, you’re going to be okay. Don’t worry about how, it’ll be like when you drank from me. We’ll take the doll into a private setting. You’re going to be alright, baby, I promise.”

“Yep. I may look young and even younger than you, but I’m old enough to be a great grandfather to your great grandfathers. All of my family is around that old actually.”

“And I’m the oldest in my family,” Matthew chuckled. “You must have triggered your gene young, then. I was in my thirties when I triggered mine.”

“It’s not an easy thing to just brush off like it’s nothing, that’s for sure. It’s a gap that could extend through centuries.” He said, pretty much referring to his situation, him and Andrew’s age difference being over a hundred centuries. “Huh. With the way you were talking, I thought you’d be much older. As for me, I’m over two thousand years old. I’m two thousand and fourteen to be exact.”

Matthew couldn’t help but laugh at that. “See what I mean? Here I am complaining about being an old man when in reality I’m a mere teenager in comparison to you.”

James breathed hard, he already felt like he was on fire but he was confused on where he was going “what?” He asked him seeing the new cut on Matthew’s arm. “I have to drink from you? Why is there so many steps,” he whined a bit acting like a kid but he would do it all. He swallowed and nodded, leaning and putting his lips around his arm, slowly drinking from him with a groan. He had no idea how much he had to take but his body was heating up and he felt sweaty and weird.

When Matthew deemed that James had taken enough, he took his arm away and bandaged it up. “I know, my love, I know. But you’re doing so well.” He pressed a long kiss to James’ forehead to try and offer him a sense of comfort. “I know you probably don’t feel like moving, but you need to drink from the vein in order to finish the changing. I can carry you to Neon if you want.”

“I can understand that, especially now with us being forced to be paired up with them with these arranged marriages. So how old are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“The age difference can certainly be startling for some, this is true,” he nodded, thinking about how his own fiance was so young compared to him. “I turned four hundred this year. And yourself?”

He shook his head again, feeling a bit embarrassed now for reacting the way he did, considering his reason for asking. “Oh no. Um, I’m sure we haven’t met before. I just recognize the name as one of the royal vampire families here, is all. I’m pretty old too. Older than most people probably.”

Matthew nodded, “Yes, that’s right. It does feel strange sometimes, being a vampire here. Seeing all of the young witches, humans, and werewolves makes me feel pretty ancient sometimes, even though I’m younger than many of the vampires here.”