Writer/Designer

At the time premature babies were considered genetically inferior, and were simply left to fend for themselves and ultimately die.

Dr Martin Couney offered desperate parents a pioneering solution that was as expensive as it was experimental - and came up with a very unusual way of covering the costs.

It was Coney Island in the early 1900’s. Beyond the Four-Legged Woman, the sword swallowers, and “Lionel the Lion-Faced Man,” was an entirely different exhibit: rows of tiny, premature human babies living in glass incubators.

The brainchild of this exhibit was Dr. Martin Couney, an enigmatic figure in the history of medicine. Couney created and ran incubator-baby exhibits on the island from 1903 to the early 1940s.

Behind the gaudy facade, premature babies were fighting for their lives, attended by a team of medical professionals.To see them, punters paid 25 cents.The public funding paid for the expensive care, which cost about $15 a day in 1903 (the equivalent of $405 today) per incubator.

Couney was in the lifesaving business, and he took it seriously. The exhibit was immaculate. When new children arrived, dropped off by panicked parents who knew Couney could help them where hospitals could not, they were immediately bathed, rubbed with alcohol and swaddled tight, then “placed in an incubator kept at 96 or so degrees, depending on the patient. Every two hours, those who could suckle were carried upstairs on a tiny elevator and fed by breast by wet nurses who lived in the building. The rest [were fed by] a funneled spoon. The smallest baby Couney handled is reported to have weighed a pound and a half.

His nurses all wore starched white uniforms and the facility was always spotlessly clean.

An early advocate of breast feeding, if he caught his wet nurses smoking or drinking they were sacked on the spot. He even employed a cook to make healthy meals for them.

The incubators themselves were a medical miracle, 40 years ahead of what was being developed in America at that time.

Each incubator was made of steel and glass and stood on legs, about 5ft tall. A water boiler on the outside supplied hot water to a pipe running underneath a bed of mesh, upon which the baby slept.

Race, economic class, and social status were never factors in his decision to treat and Couney never charged the parents for the babies care.The names were always kept anonymous, and in later years the doctor would stage reunions of his “graduates.

According to historian Jeffrey Baker, Couney’s exhibits “offered a standard of technological care not matched in any hospital of the time.”

Throughout his decades of saving babies, Couney understood there were better options. He tried to sell, or even donate, his incubators to hospitals, but they didn’t want them. He even offered all his incubators to the city of New York in 1940, but was turned down.

In a career spanning nearly half a century he claimed to have saved nearly 6,500 babies with a success rate of 85 per cent, according to the Coney Island History

In 1943, Cornell New York Hospital opened the city’s first dedicated premature infant station. As more hospitals began to adopt incubators and his techniques, Couney closed the show at Coney Island. He said his work was done.

Today, one in 10 babies born in the United States is premature, but their chance of survival is vastly improved—thanks to Couney and the carnival babies.

https://nypost.com/2018/07/23/how-fake-docs-carnival-sideshow-brought-baby-incubators-to-main-stage/

Book: The strange case of Dr. Couney

New York Post Photograph: Beth Allen

Original FB post by Liz Watkins Barton

Steve: "A date."

Eddie: "Food."

Robin: "Murder."

Hey, so I got kind of inspired by a imagine I saw on here. I’ll put the link under this little note.  This might be kind of crappy, out of character, and weird. But, whatever! I plan to have a James Conrad imagine up soon [if I can fucking finish it]. So stay tuned for that! Is this any good? Let me know! 

Also thank you so much on all the feedback on my last two Adam imagines! It means so much to me! Thank you!!! <3 

Warnings: Stomach flu symptoms [might be a tad gross, no major detail], cursing and probably out of character Loki, grammar/ spelling errors 

Check this  imagine out as it was the inspiration! 

[Not my gif, credit to owners!] 

Loki never got sick, ever. He was a God after all. He never did anything improper, as he was also a prince with high standards to maintain. And then he came to Midgard to stay at the Avenger’s tower and be carefully monitored, so he wouldn’t threaten world domination again. 

The God remained prim and proper, until the day he caught a nasty stomach bug. Prim and proper had completely gone out the window. And the only person available in the tower happened to be Kyler, the newest addition to the team. She mainly helped Tony with suits and weapons. She hadn’t been out on many missions and that was totally fine with her. Solitude was her thing anyway. 

Until she caught Loki in a rather compromising position. 

Walking past the couch in the living area of the compound Kyler came upon a rather interesting smell. 

What the fuck died?  She wondered upon walking into the room. Did someone leave food in here too long? What is that fucking smell? 

The Prince of Asgard was curled in a ball on the couch dressed in black baggy sweatpants and a forest green sweater. He appeared to not be having a good time. A bucket was next to him and from the smell she encountered, Kyler didn’t have to think too hard to figure out what was in the bucket. Yuck. 

“Are you sick?” Kyler questioned. “Cause it smells like you dropped a stink bomb in here. My god.”

“I wouldn’t use the facilities on this floor for a while. You’d probably be best to step away and leave me here to rot, my backside is a deadly weapon at this point.” Loki moaned in response. 

Kyler bit back a laugh at the Gods choice of words before taking a seat directly next to the sick prince as he scooted away sheepishly. It was something Kyler was not quite used to, seeing as the god barely showed any emotion, ever. 

“Is your tummy bothering you?” She asked softly. 

Loki groaned and buried his face in the sleeves of his sweater. He wouldn’t admit this to anyone, but this had to be one of the most humiliating moments of his life. 

“I can’t stop pooping.” He replied from behind the fabric of his clothing. 

“How many times have you…gone?” Kyler asked, a slight blush forming on her face.

It’s not every day you ask someone you barely know about their bathroom habits. 

“Five times,” Loki admitted, burying himself deeper in the fabric of his sweater. 

As if on cue a rumble sounded from Loki’s abdomen and before Kyler could scoot away the loudest fart you can imagine left the prince’s behind. 

Kyler covered her mouth as the rancid smell drifted into her nostrils. It was vile.

“Man, when you get sick you really go all out huh?” She commented light-heartedly. 

It did nothing to ease the embarrassment Loki was feeling at that very moment. He would have preferred death over what just transpired. So much for making a good impression on the girl you’re starting to fancy. 

“If you’re going to make fun of me, then leave me to suffer in silence please,” Loki responded, lifting his head from the fabric of his sweater. 

His face was paler than his normal complexion and his eyes dropped with tiredness. His hair was matted to his forehead with sweat as he looked at Kyler with slight irritation. 

“Sorry, I shouldn’t joke when someone is sick and not quite used to being sick. Do you need to go to the bathroom again? Do you need to vomit? I noticed the bucket next to you so I figured you’ve been having that problem as well. I’m going to fetch you some medicine to hopefully make you feel less icky.” Kyler explained softly. 

She stood up from the couch as Loki curled into a ball tighter. The feeling in his stomach was becoming worse but he didn’t want to have to go through the hell he’d been through that morning. He wasn’t even sure he had anything left in his intestines to give the porcelain throne at this point. 

When Kyler returned minutes later, the prince was nowhere to be seen. Slightly panicked, the young woman dropped the medicine on the coffee table and headed straight for the restroom. Upon arriving at the closed bathroom door she lifted a fist and gently knocked. 

“Is everything coming out okay? Also, how bad is the stomach ache on a scale of 1-10?” Kyler rambled as she leaned her head against the bathroom door to hear. 

“My stomach pain is close to a 10. It really hurts, Kyler. “ Loki weakly replied from the other side of the door. 

A sigh left Kyler’s lips as she ran a hand over her forehead. Loki had never been sick before, probably in his life, and then he comes to Midgard and gets the worst stomach bug. Frowning, Kyler ran towards the living room and quickly began to set the couch up for a more comfortable space for the God. While getting everything he needed ready and set up on the coffee table, and the bucket was dumped and cleaned out. A few moments later Loki returned looking weak as he held his stomach and slowly made his way into the living room. 

“I’m a god! I’m not supposed to fall ill! This is ridiculous!” He exclaimed but regretted it as soon as his stomach twisted in pain once again. 

Loki bent over as he held his aching abdomen and tried not to scream. Kyler quickly ran over to him and helped guide him to the couch as she settled him in. Once Loki was comfortable on the couch with a pillow under his head and a blanket draped over his body, Kyler got to work. 

“You need to take some of this.” She stated, holding out a small measuring cup full of a bright pink liquid. 

Loki looked at her like she had two heads growing out of her body. 

“I will do no such thing, mortal.” He seethed. “Now leave me to rest in p-”

Kyler quickly dumped the liquid into Loki’s open mouth and closed his jaw with her hands. The look he gave her could bring the dead back to life as he stubbornly swallowed the medicine. 

“I have this little heating blanket to place over your belly. I’m going to give this a try and see if it helps ease your pain okay?” 

Loki nodded, still glaring at Kyler like she’d insulted his homeland. 

“Stop glaring at me, Loki. I’m trying to help you not hinder you. Just lay still.” Kyler commanded softly. 

She gently lifted Loki’s sweater exposing his pale thin stomach. Drifting the blanket on his skin she heard a content sigh escape his lips. A smile grew on her face as she handed him the remote. 

“This dial controls the temperature. Right now it’s not that hot, and you don’t want it really hot or you could get yourself burned. But, if you want to adjust it, be my guest. Just be careful.” She informed him. 

Loki nodded with a hint of a smile growing on his face. As well as a red hue growing on his cheeks unbeknownst to him. Kyler had quite the effect on the God, more than he’d like to admit. 

“Thank you, Kyler.” 

“Not a problem.” 

“You know for a Mortal you’re actually not that bad,” Loki confessed with a sly grin. 

“I think I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Kyler went to move from her position at the end of the couch when Loki grabbed her wrist rather roughly pulling her back. She flopped back onto the couch as he quickly let go of her wrist. 

“I didn’t mean to grab you that hard, darling. I just didn’t want you to…go.” He admitted shyly. 

Kyler rolled her eyes as she leaned over and planted a kiss on Loki’s cheek. If his face wasn’t red before, it definitely was now. The sweet moment lasted a mere second before Loki’s stomach grumbled ominously, cutting the moment short. 

The two eyed one another with fear as Loki’s stomach only got louder. 

“You better make a run for it, Lokes. I’m not sure if that’s going to be a small gust of wind.” Kyler expressed concerned. 

Loki quickly stood up from the couch causing the heating blanket to fall to the floor. He stood still for a minute, almost as if he was contemplating his next move. Kyler watched him in anticipation from the couch. Was he going to make a run for it? Was he going to shit himself on the spot? 

The thought seemed preposterous in her mind. But, she’d also seen the Trickster God break wind right in front of her, so anything was possible. 

“I think it’s just a gas bubble, my darling. I’ll be okay.” Loki reassured as he held a hand on his stomach. 

Kyler eyed him as he went to sit down. He quickly shot back up like a rocket and darted for the restroom screaming various profanities the whole way there. 

With a roll of her eyes, Kyler fell back on the couch and shook her head. Was he always this dramatic? 

And why was it so cute? 

AN: Hello! I’ve decided to make another Adam imagine! This one is a little bit of serious mixed with humor [as always]. And of course fluff! :) 

Thank you for all the feedback on my last imagine! It blew me away the response I got! Thank you!

Warnings: mentions of blood, some probably inaccurate information on vampires,  toilet humor [super small bit] and cheesiness 

Inspired by this prompt: 

“I was always taught to put others first” 

“Yes….but this time if you don’t take care of you, there won’t be a you to care for others.” 

–

“May I ask why you chose to try to defend me against muggers? I mean, if I’m not mistaken here, you are a human. You don’t have all the powers I’ve been cursed with.” Adam concluded as he lay Rowan on his king-size bed.

A smirk formed on her features as she nestled into the soft fabric of the sheets.

“Because I was always taught to put others first, silly.”

“Yes, but you don’t have superhuman strength, a mean growl, and pointy fangs. If you don’t take care of yourself, there won’t be a you to care for others.” Adam reminded her while looking over her wounds.

“I’m not hurt that bad, Adam. Just a minor concussion, a black eye, some scrapes, and maybe a broken rib. You finished them off before they could do any more damage. Big scary vampire you are.” Rowan teased with a forced smile.

She wouldn’t admit this, but the pain was becoming unbearable. What she really needed was to be in her own home to take care of her own wounds.  Adam didn’t exactly have anything useful as far as first aid goes, or running water for that matter.

Adam rolled his eyes as he sat on his knees against the bed and gently ran his hands over Rowan’s much smaller ones. A sad smile found its way to his lips as racked his brain for a way to heal the young woman faster. She was special to him, and not just because she let him feed on her blood.  An idea surfaced in his brain but the thought made him sick inside. Would she let him?

“Rowan, I might have a way to heal you quicker.”  Adam tentatively spoke.

The subject was taboo even to him, having only heard of it through various whispers among the zombies.

“Adam, I just need to go home and rest a bit. Clean my cuts with some antiseptic and wrap my ribs. I’ll be okay with proper rest and first aid.”

The vampire shook his head as he stood up from the floor. He wasn’t taking no for an answer no matter how deranged he sounded.

“You need to drink my blood. “ He declared a determined look on his face.

Rowan’s eyes widened in shock as she tried to sit up. But to no avail, she was far too weak to sit up on her own. Slumping back on the bed with a groan she looked up at Adam.

“Have you gone mad?” She asked in astonishment.

“I’ve not gone mad, Rowan.  This is the only way I can think to heal you faster.  It’s not that crazy! In ancient times I read that many people consumed organs from the enemies they conquered. It was a way to gain their strength or traits. Even women as recently as the 17th century has drunk the blood of defeated enemies in the belief that it could increase their fertility! This has to work!”

“I don’t know about this, Adam. I could get worse! I could die!”

“I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t think it would be beneficial to you. I care a lot about you, Rowan. You’re a zombie, yes, but you aren’t as delusional or self-absorbed as the ones that exist around us. Please, let me try this. I want to make you better.” Adam whispered, his eyes boring into hers.

The pleading look in his dark amber eyes was hard to look away from.  He’d obviously picked up how to make the puppy dog eyes from his human companion.  Rowan couldn’t be mad he’d learned something modern, but she could be mad that he chose to use it on her at this moment.

“Adam, don’t give me that look.”

“What look, darling?” Adam questioned with a smirk.

He knew exactly what he was doing. He needed this plan to work, he needed her to give in just this once.

“That cute puppy dog look you’re giving me. I know what you’re doing and this is not the time to be doing it. Just let me mend myself at home.”

“I can’t. I can’t let you go home. I can’t let you walk out my front door knowing that you might not come back. You might get sicker at home, you might get mugged again and never make it home, there are so many terrible possibilities. I can’t let it happen. You have to trust me on this, please darling.” Adam pleaded.

A sigh escaped Rowan’s lips as she closed her eyes. He wasn’t going to give up. The little vampire shit was dead set on this mad idea of his. Rowan just hoped it wouldn’t turn out to be a disaster. She also hoped she wouldn’t turn out dead.

“Alright, go bleed in a cup or whatever. Thank the lord you don’t have bodily functions or I’d be afraid you’d come back with something else in that cup just to fuck with me.”

“Trying to have a bowel movement in a cup would be quite hard, wouldn’t it? I mean first, you have to find the right position, then you have to find the right time, and you wouldn’t want it to be a runny mess or-”

“ADAM!”

Rowan’s face was as red as the material on Adam’s shirt.   Embarrassment didn’t even begin to describe the feeling she was consumed with at the moment.

“Right, not the time to joke.”

Turning on his heel he made a mad dash for the kitchen in search of a cup.  Rowan let a hand slide over her red face in frustration.  A loud crash followed by several obscene curse words could be heard from the kitchen.

“Fuck! Fuck! Son of a bitch! Mother of god! Cocksucker!”

Rowan raised her eyebrows at the words leaving Adam’s lips in the other room. What the hell did he do? He was only supposed to drip a little blood in a cup. How could he possibly mess that up?

As if on cue Adam trudged into the room carrying a teacup with a grimace on his pale features.

“I didn’t think this through.” He mumbled, handing Rowan the delicate teacup.

“Did you at least give it some flavor?”

Adam gave her a look that would put anyone six feet under.  With a small nod, she took that as her cue to down the red liquid.  At first, the taste almost made her want to upchuck on the vampire next to her.  Then, with encouragement from yours truly, she was able to down the crimson substance.

“How long am I supposed to wait before I notice any effects?” She questioned, handing the cup back to Adam.

“I’m not exactly sure. Maybe a few hours?”

Rowan nodded as she tried once again to sit up. Adam gently pushed her back onto the soft sheets with his hand.

“I don’t want to take your bed from you. I can go sleep on the couch or something, really-”

Adam sharply cut her off.

“You will do no such thing. Now get comfortable because you are going to be here for a while.”

With that, he stood up from the edge of the bed and made his way back into the kitchen. Rowan fluffed the pillows around her and got comfortable the best she could in someone else’s bed. Not long after she closed her eyes she felt the bed dip beside her as someone draped a blanket over her frame.

“Adam, what are you doing?” She whispered. “You’re supposed to be up. It’s nighttime.”

“I’m sacrificing my sleep schedule so that I can be of comfort to my favorite zombie.”

“Alright, but if I kick you in your no no square I’m not sorry.” Rowan declared.

Adam laughed as he wrapped his arms around Rowan’s frame, careful of her injuries.

“It won’t hurt, I’m dead anyway.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Before Adam could respond Rowan threw back her foot and rammed it into Adam’s sensitive area.  A small curse escaped his lips as he bit hard on his bottom lip.

“I stand corrected. That fucking hurt. No kicking!” He scolded.

“I kick in my sleep sometimes, I was only warning you,” Rowan replied innocently.

Rolling his eyes the vampire snuggled his face into Rowan’s back trying to get comfortable.  He wasn’t tired at all, but he didn’t want to leave her.  Part of him worried she wouldn’t make it through the night, while part of him worried she wouldn’t make it through the next hour. Vampire blood was strong stuff and the thought only kept him awake and alert even more.

“Go to sleep, Rowan. You need to rest.” Adam softly whispered.

“I want to keep talking to you,” Rowan whispers in return.

Her voice may have sounded sleepy but her eyes remained wide open. Roman felt like she was in limbo. Her body was exhausted but her mind was wide open.

Unbeknownst to either individual was the healing taking place within Rowan’s body. The once open wounds had miraculously closed, the broken bone was beginning to repair itself.  Even her black eye was healed.

“You need to rest, Rowan. Close your eyes, take deep breaths, and-”

Rowan cut him off in a panic.

“Adam, I feel like I have to fart. I’m just warning you now because it’s coming.”

Before Adam could get a word out a loud sound erupted between the two.

“Jesus Christ you weren’t kidding. My god!” Adam exclaimed, rolling over onto the other side.

“I warned you dumbass,” Rowan grumbled rather embarrassed.

“It smells like death!”

Rowan blushes as she buries herself in the sheets. This night couldn’t get any worse.

“Rowan, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made fun of your normal bodily functions. I forget humans have those sometimes.”

Rowan closes her eyes in an attempt to fall asleep and forget the whole situation. She’d talk to Adam when she woke and felt less humiliated.

Just as she was about to fall into blissful slumber, a soft voice spoke up.

“Will you please speak to me? I feel terrible that I upset you.”

Rowen sighed as she turned around landing right into Adam’s chest. He gently brings his arms around Rowan as she hesitantly snuggles into him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t speak. I was a bit humiliated, to say the least. I’m sorry for that disaster you had to experience. On the bright side, I do feel a bit better.” She explains.

“I feel like such an asshole. I shouldn’t have said what I said. It was not cool at all. ”

Rowan lifted her hand and ran her fingers through Adam’s tangled dark locks. It had a calming effect on the vampire as he let out a soft sigh of content.

“You said you are feeling better? Did the blood work?” Adam inquired with hope in his tone.

“I think it did. I really can’t thank you enough. I might have to use your healing technique more often.”

Adam shook his head in disagreement.

“It’s only for extreme measures, like tonight. I’m afraid if we used it more frequently it could have negative effects. Or fatal ones.” Adam explained fearfully.

“You sound scared. You are hardly scared of anything. Why is this scaring you?” Rowan questioned curiously.

“Because I could lose you.”

“Have you become fond of me?” Rowan teased with a grin.

“Shut up.” Adam bashfully replied.

He hid his face in her hair trying to hide his newfound shyness.

“Do you want to sleep, Dracula?” Rowan asked, planting a kiss on his exposed chest.

Adam’s face crinkled in a smile as he timidly kissed her forehead.

“Let’s sleep and maybe when we wake up we can discuss a new nickname.”

“Alright, Dracula. Goodnight.” Rowan whispered tiredly.

Before closing her eyes she whispered one last thing.

“Thank you, Adam.”

The vampire hummed in response as he too closed his eyes.

AN: I had a surge of inspiration and wanted to write something kind of cheesy and cute for my favorite vampire. If you haven’t seen this movie I HIGHLY recommend it! Currently one of my favorites and I plan to dress up as Adam for Halloween :) 

Warnings: Adam quite out of character, FLUFF, all the fluff 

Picture at the top is mine :) 

I’m not sure who to tag so I’m going to tag @imtoooldforthiscrap and @thestoryofdani99

Hope you enjoy! 

Rowan rounded the corner and entered Adam’s ‘lair’ as she liked to call it. He spent most of his time in this makeshift living room anyway, and he was a vampire which made the nickname more fitting.  As she entered the living room she came upon Adam staring at the retro  TV across from the couch. It looked like he was watching a nature documentary of some sort, but also struggling to stay awake. It was daylight out after all and Adam really should have been fast asleep in his bed but for some reason the vampire was down here lounging about.

“Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?” Rowan questioned taking a seat next to him on the red velvet couch.

“Aren’t you supposed to be offering your blood so I can feed?” Adam smartly replied, turning to look at the dark-haired girl.

Rowan let out a short laugh as she ran a hand through her locks.

“You’ve already fed though, and you don’t want to get blood poisoning now do you?”

Adam grimaced at the thought of such an atrocity.

“We don’t speak of that. Ever.”

“Alright moody, we won’t speak of it.” Rowan replied, adding. “But, since your awake I was wondering-”

Adam immediately interjected.

“No”

“I haven’t even asked my question!” Rowan protested with a pout.

Adam shook his head,giving Rowan an irritated look.

“I know what you are going to ask, and it’s not going to happen. Today is not going to be the day.”

“I just want to put your hair in a braid or something! It looks so soft and silky! Please!” Rowan pleaded, using her puppy dog eyes.

“It only looks that way because you forced me to go to your house and actually use the shower yesterday night.”

“I mean you start to stink after a while, dude. It gets to me, you know being a zombie and all.”

“If I didn’t need you to feed I’d have thrown you out already. You zombies are so annoying.” Adam replied in a harsh tone.

Rowan swallowed thickly trying not to take what Adam said to heart. He was moody most days and the young woman had gotten pretty used to the things that slip past his lips. But, that little comment he just made didn’t exactly fit well with Rowan.  

“Well, I’ll leave you to your silence. I don’t want to annoy you or anything. When you are ready to feed just give me a shout or whatever.”

Rowan stood up from the couch and was about to make her way to the entryway leading to the stairs when Adam’s voice stopped her in her tracks.

“You can braid my hair, if you’d like.”

His voice sounded much more calmer and not as harsh as it had been minutes earlier.  Rowan turned around on her heel and retreated back to the couch.

“Let me get my things, and I’ll braid your hair. I’ll be gone for a moment.” She softly spoke.

Turning once again she made her way out of the room.  Adam stared at the TV as soon as she left. His mind was a heaping mess the more he thought about Rowan. Vampires didn’t fall in love, especially with zombies. But for some reason Adam couldn’t get her off his mind, everyday without fail. From the moment he woke up in the evening to the moment they parted ways when she returned home for a bit.  He wasn’t good with love, maybe it was because he didn’t exactly know how to express his emotions the right way. Maybe that’s why there was a wedge in their relationship, Adam couldn’t help but wonder.

Before the vampire could ponder more on the subject, Rowan returned with her supplies. Taking a seat on the couch next to Adam she instructed him to turn around so she could begin.

“I’m going to brush your hair, it’s a bit knotted. This may take a bit and you may feel some pressure on your head. “ She explained softly.

“I know what happens when you brush hair, Rowan. It’s not that complicated.”

A chuckle left her lips as she began to brush Adam’s tangled mess of dark hair.  True to her word it was very soft and silky to the touch. If only he kept it this way instead of letting it pile up with dirt and grime all the time from only washing it once in a blue moon.

“Alright, the hard part is done.” Rowan declared, setting the brush aside.

“Now the even harder part is to begin, am I right?” Adam questioned, with a cheeky grin upon his lips.

Rowan rolled her eyes with a smile and planted a kiss on Adam’s forehead. If he had blood rushing through his system at all, there would be a lovely red hue gracing his pale cheeks right now.  Instead he kept silent, not wanting to let on the effect she plagued him with when she did that.

The young woman began to separate Adam’s hair into three separate parts before beginning to entwine them for the final product.  The vampire sat still the entire time with a stupid dopey smile on his face that luckily Rowan couldn’t see unless she looked over his head.

“May I make a suggestion?” Rowan suddenly asked.

“What are you thinking? It better not be what I think you’re thinking.” Adam warned.

“I’d like to add some accents to my masterpiece. May I?”

A sigh escaped the vampires lips. He didn’t really want to argue with Rowan, especially because she was so invested in styling his hair. Any other time he would have promptly denied her request knowing exactly what she wanted to do. But for some reason Adam just decided to let this one go. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all, it’s just hair right?

“I mean you already braided my hair, you might as well.”

Rowan grinned as she tied off Adam’s hair and shot up from the couch. Running full speed towards her bedroom in search of one thing. When she arrived back minutes later she had a small round bowl with beautiful white flowers inside and a few red ones.  She quickly sat behind Adam once again and began adding her finishing touches to his hair.  Once she was finally finished she turned Adam around to face her. He was wearing his usual scowl as Rowan smiled brightly.

“I wish you could look in the mirror. You look absolutely adorable!” She gushed, clapping her hands together in pure joy.

“I can almost bet I don’t. I’m a vampire, I’m not supposed to be adorable.” He groaned in response.  "I’m supposed to be menacing and scary. Not cute and cuddly.“

“You might be a creature of the night with a thirst for blood and a hatred of every zombie in existence, but you can also be sweet and adorable once in a while. Sometimes it’s nice to see a different side of you.”

Adam cleared his throat as he averted his eyes to the material of the couch.  He was finding it very interesting as he tried to figure out how to form his next words. This was it, it was now or never.

“Not every zombie.” He timidly spoke.

Adam really wanted to punch himself after that line left his mouth. Could he be anymore subtle?

Rowan was surely not going to understand what he meant unless he gave her some type of context. How could he be that ignorant?

“Well most of them. Probably me the most, I know I can be unbearable for a zombie at times.” Rowan replied apologetically, finding the back of the couch very interesting.

She was caught off guard when Adam’s lips collided with hers in a flash.  Rowan, startled, took a second to respond. His lips were cold to the touch as they molded with hers. After a few minutes the two pulled away as Rowan tried to catch her breath. A hand was over her heart as it thumped wildly under her rib cage.  Adam on the other hand wore a quite bashful expression, something altogether new for him. He had a feeling he might have made a rather impulsive and stupid mistake. But, at least he got the point across.

“You need to brush your fangs. “ Rowan spoke up.  “Even vampires need to brush their teeth.”

“Yes mom.” Adam retorted, now looking annoyed.

I just kissed you and this is the response you give me? Adam thought aggravated. 

A grin fell over Rowan’s face as she touched her lips with her finger tips. A tingly feeling remained there. Adam watched her curiously wondering what her next comment was going to be. Hopefully not another shot at his lack of hygiene.

“You kissed me.” Rowan expressed.

“That would be correct.”

“Is there something I’m missing here? I thought you didn’t date zombies. Or anyone for that matter.” She asked with a frown.

“I haven’t been honest with you.” Adam confesses softly. “I’m not exactly opposed to dating zombies. “

A surprised look forms on Rowan’s face and Adam knew he’d opened up a can of worms. Maybe the wrong can too. This could go either way and from the looks of it, it didn’t look promising.

“What was that? I don’t think I quite heard you.”Rowan teases, a grin on her face.

Adam gently shoves her as a bashful grin graces his features. He was not expecting that response in the slightest.

“Stop teasing me, I’m trying to tell you how I feel!” He exclaims with a wide grin on his face.

“Adam expressing emotions? This is going down in history! Someone notify the papers!”

The vampire lets out a laugh as he grabs Rowan’s face once again to plant another kiss on her lips. This one is more passionate than the last. As they pull apart he leans his forehead against hers.

“I’m sorry, I had to shut you up somehow.” Adam revealed with a grin.

“I quite like your method there, Dracula. But, we really need to discuss healthy brushing habits. It’s not just for humans you know.” Rowan pointed out.

Adam chuckled as he rolled his eyes.

“You’re lucky I like you”