vampiredarrell.
âMaybe I am. You weigh, like, four pounds,â Darrell teased him, poking at the very tip Brynnâs scrunched-up nose. He really had a tiny human to look after, one that came up to his shoulders and was easier to pick up than a kitten, but his watchâs size only made the vampire more determined to protect. So many creatures could take advantage of Brynnâs size and gentle nature; the thought that maybe sitting outside in the dark in the cold wasnât really the best idea crossed Darrellâs mind, butâŠno, heâd just have to do his job as a protector. And that meant not only keeping him safe, but making him happy. âMy jawline and browbone.â He couldnât do much more than repeat the compliments, unsure if the human really knew what he was talking about. âAfraid I donât know much about royal jaws and hands, but if you think I have themâŠâ He tried to sneak a glance at his hands, trying to figure out what in the world Brynn meant. They were big compared to his bondedâs, sure, but royal? Next thing he knew Brynn was chattering questions, queries about his human days, and Darrell was very much an old person in that he loved talking about the days when he was young. He was still young, he supposed, but it wasnât the same. âHippie days, you could call them,â he said which a fond chuckle. âYou wouldnât believe how long my hair was then. I probably coulda donated it, it was so long. I did go to Woodstock, but that was after I turned. I turned in 1963, afterâoh, shit. Where was that concert? Anyway, it was Joan Baez, and she was likeâŠwell, you probably know who she is, she hung out with Bob Dylan a lot, but back then she was, like, the folk musician for the intellectuals. If you were smart, or were pretending to be smart, you listened to Joan Baez. Like if there could have been hipsters before todayâs hipsters. It was after her concert, and I was with some friends and we got high and I wandered off and, yeah, a vampire found me wandering around alone. Moral of the story is, have better friends who donât let you wander off when youâre high,â he joked, realizing just how long heâd talked for. It wasnât that he didnât like talkingâheâd gladly tell Brynn everything he wanted to know about himselfâbut he didnât want to bore his human, or sound stuffy. So he watched Brynn turn the ring over in his hands instead, glad for a change of topic. âI mean, I liked it at one point, obviously, but I donât really feel connected to it anymore. I think youâd make a lovely nymph, being one with nature and all that,â Darrell teased. âReally truly, you canââ If he could blush visibly, he definitely would have, nose crinkling up as Brynn kissed his cheek. âIt reminds me of you. Tomorrow, do you want to come to the shop and help me pick out a new one?â
Every time Darrell touched Brynn it was with a softness the small human didnât even know a vampire possessed. Even when he was being wrestled into staying inside, it was always gentle and Brynn never once felt like Darrell was aiming to manhandle him into something -- he absently wondered if it took a lot, holding himself back like he was. He kind of wanted Darrell to keep touching his little nose, maybe brush a fingertip along the bridge like heâs some kind of content cat but that seemed weird to ask so he just blinked over at his bonded, attention now entirely on the other. Why watch a movie when you could look at art? Beautiful, classic, royal looking art. âI donât think you have them,â Brynn insisted with a sniff. âI know you have them. Is the thing about mirrors true? Can you really not see yourself?â It seems like a tangent but it kind of relates. If Darrell didnât know how graceful he looked, perhaps he wouldnât think Brynn was right (which he definitely and certainly was, thank you very much). The vampireâs gaze dropped down to his own hands and Brynn took that as permission to slide his smaller one in next to Darrellâs long fingers. His own were dwarfed in size and looked stubby, like a childâs hand, but thatâs always how Brynnâs felt anyhow. âSee?â He flexes his fingers to make his point before withdrawing to set his hands primly in his lap (though if Darrell actually can glean the point Brynn is trying to make from just that little gesture, he may just be a mind reader). A rapunzelline pre-vampire Darrell hanging out with his friends at a concert is a nice picture for Brynnâs mindâs eye and he made an interested chirp of a sound to indicate for his bonded to go on. He doesnât actually know who Joan Baez is by anything other than name but letting Darrell ramble when it was usually his own way too energetic and high-pitched voice filling the silence between them was a nice change of pace. The vampireâs timbre was very soothing. Brynn could happily listen to it for hours, maybe even fall asleep to it. âIâve never been high,â was the point Brynn chooses to make when Darrell finishes his story. âUnless you count being up high on the roof! Or high on a piggyback ride -- I like those very much. But I guess that means I will never become a vampire.â He looked down at the sun protection ring again where it sat upon his slender finger. It really was so pretty. Heâs a very happy little human. âThis is a very lovely gift, Darrell,â Brynnâs voice is even softer than usual and he hugs his ring-covered hand to his chest contently. How fated that Darrell chose a ring that would eventually come to remind him of his bonded. Maybe they were meant to meet each other for reasons above and beyond the protective bond. âI would very much like to go to the shops with you! I could get a chain for my ring!â They both know that itâs not going to fit to Brynnâs finger without slipping off but he wanted to wear it as a necklace. It seemed like a good idea, keeping something of his vampireâs with him at all times. Brynn didnât even remember there was a movie on as he snuggled in close to his bondâs side, all kinds of happiness radiating off of him.
