He knew the small vampire must be terrified, given his reaction the last time someone showed up at the door, and he tried to act confidently. But he struggled to keep his facade as he opened the door, coming face to face with two men in hunter uniforms. The dark leather clothes and the glimmering silver gears made them look intimidating, but their stern expressions were even more terrifying. Raphael frowned, but didn't have time to speak before one of them shoved his phone in his face.

"This vampire. It's on the run, we've been told that it'd been seen in the neighborhood. You don't happen to know where it is ?"

It was a picture of Everest, but the vampire was almost unrecognisable. Curled up in the cell Raphael had found him in, but covered in burns and blisters from head to toes. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. There was no reasoning with these men. He took the little card he kept in his phone like a treasure, the one with his picture and Everest's, and the governmental stamp. The one that allowed his vampire to live. He silently handed it to the hunter, who frowned and scowled as he recognised it.

"It... You know it's dangerous, right? The moment you lower your guard, it will rip out your throat without hesitation. It's a monster."

Raphael held back a scoff at the idea. His vampire ? The small creature, blind, unable to process blood ? Sure. He took back his card and pocketed it, nodding politely at the hunter's words.

"Sure. I'll make sure to call you if you're ever needed. Thanks for the warning."

It really looked like the other man wanted to argue, but Raphael didn't give him time, closing the door in his face. His heart pounding, he waited a moment, only releasing a shaky breath when he heard the sound of an engine starting, and driving into the distance. They wouldn't come back, wouldn't dare to go against an official document. At least, he really hoped so.

When he was sure that they were gone, he finally relaxed, and returned to the living room. The couch was empty, of course. Everest must've heard, maybe he even recognised the voice or smell of one of his tormentors. Raphael couldn't imagine what kind of horrors it might've reminded him of, still shocked by the photograph they had shown him. And how it was normal. They considered it *normal* to torture even the most harmless vampire, just because of what he was.

The human brushed away his dark thoughts, focusing on the main problem. He took the stairs, his heart pounding as he checked Everest's room. It was empty, but at least the window was closed, unlike last time. Thankfully, the vampire was still inside the house. And he knew where.

There was this place, Raphael had already found him there a few mornings, after particularly violent nightmares. A little nest, hidden between the two washing machines in the laundry room. It was warm and dark, a cocoon of clean sheets. It felt safe.

He knelt there, pushing away the piles of neatly folded clothes, just enough to see the trembling shape curled up against the wall. Everest's eyes were open, as milky as always, but he didn't seem to notice the human. Raphael frowned, and called out in a low, gentle voice:

"Hey buddy ? Everything's alright, they're gone. They can't hurt you anymore, remember ? You're safe. You're safe."

Despite the calm repetition, the words didn't seem to reach the vampire, small whimpers slipping from his slightly parted lips. It was like he wasn't even there, locked up in his own, tiny world.

Raphael's mistake was only driven by his good intentions. He didn't know how to help, but he remembered that their nightly cuddles always calmed down Everest after his nightmares. So he reached out and took his arm, gently tugging him closer. And that's when he snapped.

A sharp pain, pulsing through his arm. Raphael stared blankly at the vampire, whose mouth was firmly clamped over his wrists, sharp fangs buried in his flesh. He was so taken aback that he didn't even try to pull away at first, absentmindedly noticing the blood slowly dripping down onto the white sheets. The pain brought him back to reality quite quickly though; Everest was biting down hard. There was no way he could pry him away.

"Y-you need to let go. You're hurting me, Everest. It hurts. A... A lot."

The human almost felt like his wrist was gonna snap from the pressure, if the vampire didn't drain him of his blood first. He was already starting to grow lightheaded. And Everest wasn't showing any sign of stopping, his blind eyes wide and blank, empty of all recognition.

But before Raphael passed out, the small creature started to tremble violently, retching as the blood reached his stomach. His fangs dislodged from the human's arm, who immediately scooted back, watching with a mix of relief and worry as Everest started to gag, the blood he had just ingested burning him from inside.

Raphael had never seen him in such a state, as the vampire sobbed and whimpered, blood dripping down his chin in waves. And he had taken quite a lot of it. He watched from his spot on the floor as Everest heaved in agony. His heart ached with sympathy, but he couldn't do anything but wait until he had expelled all of it.

On all four, the hybrid's stomach started to calm down, finally empty. He continued to retch for a moment, tears mixing with the blood on his face. And only then, he dared to look up at Raphael, his entire body shaking as his milky eyes met the human's.

The latter was reassured to see that he was back, but his heart broke at the sheer fear etched on his face. He was terrified. Raphael hesitantly reached out, feeling like his hand weighed a ton. He was cold. Everest must've taken really a lot of blood.

But as his fingers brushed against the vampire's arm, he flinched away with a sob.

He had bitten. He had bitten Raphael, the only human who had shown him kindness. He had bitten, like some rabid animal, losing all control.

So when he touched him, Everest flinched. This was it, Raphael was going to punish him. He deserved it, for being a monster, he knew it. He deserved everything that had happened to him. But he was so scared. He cowered on the floor, the blood clinging to his skin as he shook, his body wracked with silent sobs. The silence stretched, cold and threatening. And then...

"Hey sweetheart. It's okay, it was an accident, aight ? I'm fine. I'm not angry at you."

God, he sounded so tired. A nap sure sounded like a good idea right now, but it was unthinkable for him to leave Everest alone in this state.

"Let's get us cleaned up. I... I'm not gonna hurt you, you know that, right ? I swear I'll never hurt you."

Raphael waited anxiously for any kind of response. It was obvious that the hunters' visit had brought back a lot of awful memories to the vampire, and he was still processing the shock. And, for some reason, he was scared of him. The idea was horrifying to him, that the small creature he considered as the child he had never had was afraid of him. Thought he was going to hurt him.

That's why he was so relieved when he felt Everest's hands shakily gripping at the front of his shirt. He wrapped his arms around him, feeling the way his body quaked uncontrollably. Oh god, he was becoming really tired. The wound on his wrist wasn't bleeding anymore, but he could feel darkness creeping at the edges of his vision.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna need to rest a bit before I get you a shower. I love you buddy, it's insane but I do. I'd never hurt you, never."

Raphael stood up, his legs wobbling a bit. His clothes were bloodstained, but he decided that he didn't care as he stumbled toward his bedroom, Everest still gripping his shirt tightly, his expression twisted in worry and guilt as Raphael collapsed on his bed. The human groggily looked up and gestured at him to come close. As the vampire nuzzled his shoulder, he smiled and spoke reassuringly, despite the fact that his words were already slurred.

"I'll be fine, just need a nap. I didn't lose enough to be in danger."

At least he thought so. He hadn't passed out, which was a good indication. He drifted out to sleep quickly enough, too exhausted to keep his eyes open, the worried little vampire curled against his side.

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