The Human Experiment

Lunchtime was just like usual as he swung from the swing set behind his home. Well, it wasn’t really a home as much as a place for kids who didn’t have one. He didn’t really remember his parents, but he did keep the one thing they had left for him when they dropped him off on himself at all times. Glancing down at the small stuffed bear in his lap, he smiled slightly. It was the only thing they’d given him besides his looks, which were somewhat normal. Rolland had light brownish-blond hair and chocolate brown eyes. He’d thought over the years that if his parents had given him the bear to remember them by, then they were coming back eventually.

That’s what he had thought when he was growing up at least. Every day he’d waited for them to walk through the big double doors at the front of the orphanage building. They would ask the head lady, Mrs. Spryfield, how he was doing, then adopt him back to them. He’d have the family he’d always wanted and get to live in a house, maybe even have a pet. That wasn’t the reality that he got, though. Rolland had lived at the orphanage all of his life, and that would be seventeen years come next week.

At least he’d gotten to find some solace in school. He was homeschooled during elementary because of his handicap, but come middle school, he had been allowed to go to public school with everyone else. Of course, he had to take a white board with him along with a few markers to communicate, but it was totally worth it to be out of the orphanage for a while. With the board, though, came the bullies, but he was already familiar with them. They came at him in droves, especially because he hardly ever spoke and couldn’t hear at all. Rolland thought it made them pathetic, but when he wrote that down and showed it to one of them, he got kicked in the face and beaten to the ground, making him quickly realize he shouldn’t do that again.

He had just come home from school on the bus and was enjoying the swings before the more aggressive kids got home—mainly the younger ones that would bite—when he felt eyes on him. Granted, he couldn’t hear, but it was like the saying that if you lose one sense, your others will grow. He could almost sense when people were looking at him or close by. It was handy, especially when he couldn’t hear them approaching.

After a minute, Rolland let his gaze lift until it met Mrs. Spryfield’s. Having her come find him was surprising in itself, but when he looked right behind her and saw a man and woman following, he was a little confused. Are they social workers? I didn’t do anything bad, he thought to himself nervously. Without really thinking, his hands went to his stuffed bear, wrapping it in a hug against his chest as the three stopped in front of him. Mrs. Spryfield pulled out a small whiteboard that was tucked under her arm, then a marker, and began writing.

“Hello, Rolland, these nice people would like to talk to you, is that alright?”

People actually want to talk to me? He could talk, kind of, but being deaf, his voice was extremely quiet and sometimes sounded funny to others, so he had learned to keep his mouth shut. Thus, he just grabbed his own whiteboard kept on a small chain hanging around his neck and removed the magnetic marker to begin writing. When he’d finished, he turned the board around and gave a slight smile.

“Okay.”

Mrs. Spryfield turned to the people. “Do you need me to stay?” The two shook their heads, then pointed to the whiteboard Mrs. Spryfield had. After a moment of thought, she shrugged and nodded, handing over the item along with the marker that went along with it. She then walked away, waving to Rolland to signal that’s what she was doing. Wait… she is leaving me with these people? But she didn’t even tell me who they are.

He glanced at the two adults, not really knowing what to do in this situation. The woman had light brown eyes and dark brown hair that reached her shoulders and was styled well in slight wavy curls while the man had short blond hair and bright blue eyes. They couldn’t be interested in adopting him. He was almost seventeen and deaf. Every time someone had come in to inquire about him, Mrs. Spryfield only had to say that one word and they would quickly redirect their interest to another kid. Not that he was bitter, far from it, he’d just gotten used to thinking that this would be his home until he was eighteen, then he’d be on his own.

Returning his focus to the two, his brow furrowed when they actually sat down in the grass in front of the swings. Huh? They were wearing fancy suits and didn’t appear to be worried about getting them dirty.

Rolland quickly turned his board back around and wrote out, ” Why are you sitting on the ground in nice clothes?” **** Then turned the board around for them to see. Both of them smiled and the woman quickly wrote a reply back. “We wanted to sit down and have been inside enough today.”

Oh. Well, he guessed that makes sense. Still a bit odd not to go over to the picnic tables, but that was their choice. With a small nod, he erased the words on his board and wrote again, flipping it when done so that they could see.

“Okay. What did you want to talk to me about?”

The man smiled and took the marker, writing out a quick reply before showing Rolland.

“We wanted to get to know you.”

What? Me? He thought in disbelief as his hand fumbled with the marker before he scribbled out a response. **** “Why me? There are many other kids that are better. Didn’t Mrs. Spryfield show you them?” **** They both looked at each other, then back to him before the man replied on the board.

“Yes, we met a few of them, but we saw you first and still wanted to meet you. We don’t care if you’re deaf.”

Rolland had to blink back tears to keep them from feeling sorry for him. He didn’t want to guilt anyone into taking him. That would be worse than living at the orphanage for his last year.

Pulling himself back together with a deep breath, he calmly wrote them back. “What would you like to know?”

The woman took the marker from the man and erased the board with her hand, then replied.

“How old are you? When’s your birthday? Favorite color? Do you like school?”

Random questions, but he definitely didn’t mind answering. It was kind of nice to have someone interested in him, even though he knew they weren’t going take him in the end. Rolland wrote out a quick reply to each and turned the board around.

“I’m sixteen. Seventeen next Friday. My favorite color is red, and I love school!” They both smiled and the woman replied on her board. “Can you talk?” That immediately had Rolland’s good mood going south. They noticed his frown and began writing, but he managed to get an answer out first. Once they heard his voice, they’d probably be done writing with him so he figured it was better to do it fast and just rip off that Band-Aid.

“A… little _.” _

Everyone said his voice was way too quiet and often scratchy, which is why he hardly used it. Rolland waited for the man and woman to make a face and walk away like everyone else, but when they went back to the board and wrote a reply, then turned it around, his eyes went wide.

“You have a beautiful voice.”

He felt his face heat up right away as he replied.

“Thank you very much.”

The man looked at his watch, then at his wife. “We’ve got to head out.” She frowned but nodded before writing on the board and turning it to face Rolland.

“We have a meeting soon for work. Will you be here tomorrow around this time?”

They wanted to come back? Rolland nearly dropped his marker as he hastily scribbled out a fast response. ” Yes!” **** They both chuckled as the man got up, but the woman responded. “Okay, we’ll see you again tomorrow. It was nice talking with you, Rolland.”

Rolland got up from the swing after putting his board back around his neck and grabbing his bear, then stepped forward and offered his hand for a shake. They both smiled and took it in turn, shaking once before waving good-bye. He couldn’t really help himself as he waved back with a good amount of enthusiasm he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

The next day, he got home from school with a new outlook on what he might actually be able to have. A hope that those people would come back and might actually want to take him home. He knew it was a long shot, but he hadn’t had anyone interested in him in over a year and they were the first to bother talking to him instead of just Mrs. Spryfield. Rolland waited out on the swings, where he had met them the day before, until the younger kids returned from school and took over. Then he moved to the picnic tables near the front gates. They were always locked to keep the residents from running off, but he still dreamed of walking out of them one day. Of course they left through the actual building when adopted or leaving for school, but he liked his idea better.

When dark came and the other kids were called in, he quickly got up and followed, though his feet were heavy in the grass with a fact he didn’t want to register.

They didn’t come.

That thought actually made him laugh. Of course they didn’t. He knew they wouldn’t. No one ever wanted him. They didn’t want the extra responsibility. To put in the extra effort it took to raise a deaf kid. His parents hadn’t; all those people before who’d noticed him but then changed their mind hadn’t. At least those two actually talked to him for a few minutes. That had only happened five other times in his life.

Well, since it was almost bedtime, Rolland ran off to shower with the few other guys who hadn’t taken one yet, then dried off and got dressed in his old pair of red and black checkered pajamas. They were worn and had a few holes near the knees and elbows, but he honestly loved them because, unlike just about everything else, he didn’t have to share them. They were his forever. Just that thought had him smiling as he climbed into his cot. He felt it creak with his light weight, but once he settled, it did as well. He didn’t need those two. He had his bear, his pajamas, and his bed. That was all he needed until he was eighteen and free of this place.

Rolland was just beginning to drift off to sleep when a small sliver of light from the doorway caught his attention. Mrs. Spryfield was at the door, peeking in. She noticed he was still awake and motioned him over. It took him a second to get out from under his small but warm blanket, grab his board and bear, and saunter over to her barefoot. Taking out the marker, he stepped into the hall, then wrote a small message.

“Is something wrong?”

She leaned over, borrowing his board for a moment to write since she seemed to have forgotten hers. “Those two people from yesterday are here. They want to talk with you.”

What? They came back? But it’s so late! But they came back!

He grabbed the marker back and quickly replied as his mind went crazy, wanting him to run downstairs right away. **** “Okay!” **** She almost seemed upset but nodded and grabbed his hand anyways, pulling him down the hall and stairs, then into the main meeting room near the entrance. As Rolland walked in and sat down, he noticed the other people already had something written on their board, and once he was comfortable with his bear in his lap and his board on the table, the woman flipped it toward him with a small smile.

“Would you like to come home with us tonight?”

He was crying. No, not just crying. Bawling his eyes out. It was embarrassing, but when arms came around him in a comforting hug, then another set from behind, he just couldn’t hold himself together. A hug. He’d only gotten a couple in his life, and none had ever felt real. This one, though, this felt like the first true one, and it was just for him!

It took Rolland a few minutes to pull himself together enough to straighten up in his chair. He was still sniffling, but at least he’d managed to stop the waterworks. When he looked over at Mrs. Spryfield, she was holding up her small board with a question.

“It’s up to you. Do you want to go home with them? They are already approved to adopt, but since it’s late, they will fill out the papers tomorrow if everything works out and you decide to stay.”

After one more glance up at the woman and man standing to either side of his chair, Rolland smiled and quickly nodded.

Mrs. Spryfield wrote another thing on her board and showed him, making him all giddy.

“Go get your stuff and then come back down.”

He hopped up and down twice, then bolted out of the room with a quiet shout. “Yay!”

Every kid was given a small suitcase when they first arrived at the orphanage to help them believe that they would get adopted one day. Rolland found his in the closet covered in dust when he ran into the bedroom he shared with the rest of the boys around his age, but he quickly brushed it off and tossed his few clothes, books, and teddy bear into it. He never thought he’d need it, but here he was, going home!

After ducking out of his room, he ran back down the hall with the small suitcase in his left hand. With the speed he was going, he easily stumbled on the stairs, skinning his knee slightly, but that wasn’t going stop him. When he got to his feet, the three were staring, his new parents grinning as Mrs. Spryfield yawned. She handed him his board and marker, and Rolland quickly scribbled out a message he’d wanted to write since he’d learned to do so.

“I’m ready to go home!”

The entire ride home his new dad sat next to him in the backseat, writing back and forth with his board.

“What’s my new last name?”

“Lerent.”

“I like it!”

“I’m glad.”

“Do I have any siblings?”

“Yes. Two twin brothers, Dartanian and Bryce. They will be eighteen in a few months but started school late, so they’re juniors.”

“I’ve seen them at school a lot, but I haven’t really had a chance to talk to them yet. I hope we can be friends.”

The man chuckled and replied. “They’ll be home tomorrow so you’ll be able to meet them then.”

Rolland grinned and erased the board with his arm, then wrote, “Yay! Do you have any pets?” That made the man grin, though Rolland wasn’t really sure why.

“Not at the moment but it’s not out of the question for the future.”

“Awesome!”

He had a lot more things to ask, but his hand paused halfway to his board when he felt the car turn and they pulled into a huge driveway.

Oh my god.

Rolland darted a glance at his new dad, then back to the house, then back to him before scribbling sloppily on the board.

“This place is huge!”

The man smiled wide and took the marker, writing something before patting Rolland’s hair gently.

“Welcome home, Rolland.”

There wasn’t much time for a tour since it was so late, but they did show him the kitchen, living room, dining room, and one of the bathrooms, which was right next to his new room. Rolland stepped into the bedroom with hope, and it definitely did not disappoint. The bed had to be a king, or queen, or whatever the biggest version was. Either way, it dwarfed his dingy cot back at the orphanage beyond belief.

“Wow…” he whispered before running over to his bed, climbing up, and bouncing a few times on his knees. After a minute, he turned to grin widely at his new parents who stood in the doorway. The woman smiled and began moving her hands. Oh my god! She knows sign language?

“Do you need anything else before we go to bed?”

Rolland was so giddy that he wasn’t sure he’d be able to sleep, but he didn’t want to keep them up so he replied with a shaky blur of his hands. “I’m good. Thank you and have a good night.”

“Alright, have a good night, Rolland. We’ll see you in the morning,” she responded. He nodded before crawling under the huge comforter. He didn’t think he’d fall asleep considering how wound up he was, but he drifted off right after his new mom turned off the light and closed the door behind her and her husband.

Rolland’s eyes blinked open as the need to go bathroom brought him back to reality. He glanced over at a small clock on the nightstand, its glowing numbers telling him it was one in the morning. At first he abruptly sat up, a bit confused as to where he was, but then a big grin spread across his face as he remembered.

Home. I’m home.

His previous excitement got him out of bed fast. He slipped out of his room and turned to the right where the hallway dead-ended to the bathroom, using the light from the window in his room to guide him. His hand landed on the handle and he was just beginning to turn it when he felt a familiar sensation—someone was staring at him. But it’s one in the morning, he told himself in confusion. With a very slow movement, he turned around, and sure enough, there was a shadow at the far end of the hall, standing by a door on the right side. He couldn’t really tell anything besides that the person was a male. Maybe one of my new brothers? That thought made him smile faintly, but why wasn’t he moving?

Taking a hesitant step forward, Rolland suddenly froze when the person’s head turned toward the other door across the hall and he saw the silhouette of his lips move. The person was talking. But not to me with his head facing away… then the other brother?

After a moment, the person turned to look back at him, then a second later, another person who was the same height walked out of the room on the left side of the hall. Now Rolland had them both staring at him, but still, neither one was moving, just watching.

Well, since they didn’t seem to be interested in meeting him, he figured he’d just go to the bathroom and then back to sleep. He gave them a slight nod before turning, only to walk right into a rock-hard chest.

What the…?

He stumbled backward a step out of sheer surprise but was stopped from going farther as his back hit another solid mass. Rolland felt a quiet gasp slip from his lips as he turned, looking up at one of the boys before glancing back at the other. How did they get over here so quickly?

“Hey, Dart, you think this is the person Mom and Dad were talking about getting to try to tame our bloodlust?”

Rolland could tell the guy to his right was talking, but of course, he couldn’t hear anything. When the boy’s lips stopped moving, he looked over to the other, and sure enough, he was replying.

“Hmm, maybe. I was expecting someone a bit bigger.”

Rolland’s brows furrowed as he stepped to the side, then turned to face them both, standing a bit straighter as to not show them that they had freaked him out. Their eyes followed him lazily as the one now on Rolland’s right, still standing between him and the bathroom door, licked his lips and spoke.

“He does smell good, though, and we haven’t fed in a few days.”

Rolland glanced at the other as he replied immediately. “Yeah, that trip was a pain. Never had any time to hunt.” The boy made a sniffing gesture, then his mouth moved again. “I think he hurt his knee earlier… mmm.”

Rolland continued to stare at them in confusion as they spoke, but when they both stopped, he took a step back, then turned to go back into his room. Except that he just bumped into another body and stumbled back into strong, vise-like arms, which easily pulled him against a hard chest. Okay, something wasn’t right. Why are they messing with me? He knew brothers played pranks on each other since there were a few at the orphanage over the years, but it was one in the morning!

The one in front of him leaned over a bit so that he was closer to his face, a faint smile stretching along his lips.

“He’s not bad looking at least and should last a few meals.”

When Rolland didn’t react, the boy glanced up at his brother, then back to him.

“What, are you stupid? Why aren’t you pissing yourself yet?”

Rolland blinked a few times, not really sure what to do. They kept talking, and whichever one had him in his arms obviously decided he wasn’t letting go anytime soon. While he hadn’t wanted to tell them his problem so soon, Rolland really didn’t want to get in a fight when they thought he was ignoring what they were saying. So he licked his lips nervously and quietly spoke.

“I… am deaf.”

The boy’s face in front of him lit up with a laugh as he glanced up at his brother, whom Rolland knew was laughing as well since his chest was vibrating with the action against his back.

“Seriously! Mom and Dad got us a deaf human?”

“No wonder he isn’t afraid; he can’t hear us,” the boy behind Rolland replied, the vibrations in his chest telling Rolland that he was speaking at the moment.

“Well then, I guess we should tell him in a way he can understand,” the one in front responded. They both laughed before the one leaning close to Rolland began to sign. That got the smaller boy really excited as he easily deciphered his words… but then his stomach dropped in fear.

“We’re going to enjoy draining you to the last drop of blood.”

Rolland’s face paled immediately and he began to struggle, but both of the other boys just laughed before the one in front of him smirked, revealing two exceptionally white, pointy teeth. What the…? Rolland wanted to sign back and ask what they were talking about, hoping that they were just joking, but he never got the chance. The boy in front of him leaned closer, then nuzzled at his neck for a moment before he felt a sharp bite. A second one was quick to follow from the other side, and even though he tried his best to get free, darkness overcame his vision in just a few seconds.

The Monsters In Your Head

“Hmm?”

Rolland felt something pressing against his side through the blur that was his sleepy mind. For some reason, his eyes just wouldn’t open, though. When he tried to swat the feeling away, it returned on the other side of his body, then slowly moved beneath his pajama shirt and upward. As he was trying to focus on pulling his thoughts together enough to try to push it away again, he felt a sharp spike of pain at his shoulder.

Ow!

He finally managed to get his mind together after another minute and opened his eyes. He honestly wished he hadn’t. Glowing, dark red eyes glared over at him from where their owner was biting into his skin. Fear radiated through his stomach, freezing him in place like an animal trying to hide from a predator that was too quick for escape. But he was already caught. Rolland couldn’t manage to lift his arms enough to try to push him away so he let his eyes wander to his right. Sure enough, there was another set of equally terrifying eyes looking him over. Thankfully their owner wasn’t biting, though, just holding him still. Rolland opened his mouth to try to beg his way out of the disturbing situation, but when he tried to move his mouth and form the words, he could barely open it and didn’t sense the vibration in his chest that normally occurred when he was talking. Why can’t I talk? No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t get his lips to move!

The eyes to his right suddenly began to get closer until he felt a nose against his neck, then a wet tongue lapped along the warm skin there.

Don’t! Why can’t I move? What’s happening?

His teeth clenched as he shut his eyes in panic, trying to will himself to move. He couldn’t just lie there while two things bit at him!

It took nearly a minute before he could feel control slowly returning, allowing him to shake his head back and forth. That thankfully got both of the things to release him, only to have a strong hand grab his chin, holding it still as he felt a kiss press against each of his cheeks. Then he woke up, screaming his head off.

Rolland’s new mom was in the room in seconds, wrapping him in a strong hug as his new dad rubbed his back. He didn’t hesitate to bury his face into her clothes as he tried to calm himself down. He felt his hair being gently brushed aside from his neck, almost as if his father was checking for something. He leaned back a minute later and wiped tears away with the sleeve of his pajamas.

When he lowered his arm, his mom began to sign. “What happened?”

Rolland quickly got his shaky hands up to reply. “Nightmare.”

She glanced over his head at her husband, then returned her gaze to me. “What about?” she questioned. Rolland was about to sign a response when something in the doorway caught his attention. Two sets of eyes were staring at him, well, them. Both seemed relaxed. One boy was leaning against the doorjamb while the other stood nonchalantly with strong arms crossed over his chest. His new mom noticed him staring over her shoulder and turned. A scowl formed on her face as she began talking to them.

“Did you two do something to him, boys?”

They both looked slightly surprised, but there was something else mixed in. Sarcasm, maybe? Rolland wasn’t that great at telling when someone was using that specific emotion because a lot of it was from tone of voice from what he’d been told.

“What are you talking about? We just got home a few hours ago. We even had dinner downstairs before going to sleep.”

Rolland could see her trying to figure them out, but after a moment, her attention returned to him, although his eyes stayed on the door for a second more. Just long enough to see the twin against the doorjamb run his tongue along a disturbingly sharp, white tooth.

Oh god.

Seeing hands moving in his peripheral vision, Rolland quickly snapped himself out of his panic and paid attention.

“Are you okay? Your face is getting pale. Do you need some more rest?” his mom signed.

“No, thank you. I suppose it is just my nerves… first night in a real home,” he replied with a smile to show his sincerity. That seemed to relax her a little. Good, he didn’t want her to worry, and surely the two boys near the door couldn’t have really done what had happened in his nightmare. No one moved that fast or drank blood.

“If you are feeling up to it, we thought you’d like to go to town with the boys and get some new clothes?”

New clothes? I’ve never gotten new anything before! he thought as his previous fears were immediately forgotten and he gave a genuine smile, then signed back, “I’d love to!”

“Alright, get yourself a shower and dressed, then meet the boys downstairs when you’re ready.”

Rolland nodded quickly, receiving another hug and a pat before his new parents walked out, leaving him alone with their two sons. The memory of his nightmare came back to cloud his thoughts, but he pursed his lips and shoved them aside. It was impossible to think it was them. It was just a nightmare. Cementing that thought in his mind, he turned his attention to his new brothers. Best to make a good first impression. Err. Well, it would be a second impression after having woken everyone up from his nightmare.

“Hi, I’m Rolland… what are your names?” he asked with his normally quiet voice. The brothers looked at each other with smug expressions for a moment before turning their attention back to him. They both then surprised him by signing nearly at the same time. __

“Bryce.”

“Dartanian.”

“Those are nice names,” Rolland replied lamely in sign language, feeling a little self-conscious of his voice.

The brothers both grinned, and Dartanian signed to him. “Come here, Rolland.”

He slid out of bed, a bit unsteady on his feet but managing to get his balance and walk over after a moment. Stopping right in front of them, he began to sign but stopped as Dartanian reached over and rubbed along the side of his neck. His thumb pressed gently against his skin and began to massage, sending small shivers through his body, which only partially had to do with his previous nightmare. Suddenly there were hands on his hips as well and another set of thumbs massaging his thighs. He squeaked and quickly stumbled sideways out of Bryce’s grip, then whirled around to face them.

Huh? Where did they…? he thought right before hands suddenly grabbed the hem of his shirt and pants, one set pulling the shirt up as the other yanked his pants down.

“W-Whoa!”

His arms quickly wrapped around his chest as heat flared in his cheeks.

“Kid thinks he’s got something to hide with that stick of a body.”

They both laughed at Rolland as he glared at them, no doubt because of his body. With a grumble, he stomped past them, heading for the bathroom as he spoke. “I’ll get bigger than both of you soon. I just haven’t hit my growth spurt yet.” Of course he knew that wasn’t correct, he had grown quite a bit that year, but the crummy food at the orphanage didn’t help much. Hopefully with his new home, there would be more nutritious food. The thought of something actually healthy had him smiling as he tugged off his boxers and climbed into the shower. It was his first shower without a bunch of other boys poking fun at him, and it felt like heaven!

Looking around the big shower stall, he found two bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and bodywash. Do the twins use different stuff? That seemed odd, but it also gave him an idea. With an excited, childish giggle, he grabbed each of the shampoo bottles and added a little to his hand, then mixed them together and scrubbed his hair. Once rinsed, he did the same with the conditioner and borrowed a small hairbrush he found behind the soaps to brush out his hair quickly before rinsing it again. He noticed two washcloths hanging on the bar at the far end of the shower but decided that was going a bit too far… didn’t need to share that. With a slight grin, he took a little bodywash from each bottle where the shampoo and condition had been and scrubbed himself before giving a quick rinse and hopping out.

There were two towels hanging up on a bar on the left, one dark red, the other dark blue. They were probably the twins’, too, but he needed to dry off so he grabbed the dark blue one and did just that. Once nice and dry, he wrapped the soft towel around his waist and sauntered back to his room, feeling much better than he had before the shower. It had been refreshing, and the bodywash and shampoos left him smelling like a mixture of almonds and rain. Curiosity took over his attention as he got dressed, thinking about which brother each scent belonged to, but he didn’t dwell on it for long.

---

“He used our stuff.”

“And my towel.”

Bryce slowly walked up behind Rolland and leaned over, his fangs beginning to extend without Rolland’s knowledge that he was even there.

“Don’t. We can’t mess with his head again so soon or Mother will know we’ve already fed from him… twice.”

“He smells like us,” Bryce stated quietly.

“He didn’t know what he was doing. It’s not worth getting in deeper trouble, yet,” Dartanian replied. Bryce growled but backed away, returning to his brother’s side right as Rolland turned around.

---

“Hey,” Rolland signed, slightly surprised as he turned around and noticed both boys were standing in his doorway dressed in black jeans, white tank tops, and jean jackets. Darn, they looked so similar. Definitely doesn’t make it easy to tell them apart. Thankfully he was pretty good with catching details about people. Dartanian smiled calmly as his brother turned and walked out the door.

“Are you ready to go?” he signed, then pointed to his watch, making Rolland nod before he turned to find his jacket in his suitcase. Err… did I forget it? After another quick look around and a second dig through his suitcase, he realized that he had indeed left it at the orphanage. Darn it! Rolland glanced back at Dartanian, who began to sign when he had his attention.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find my jacket,” Rolland replied with a frown.

Dartanian grinned at that. “We’ll get you a new one. Come on, Bryce already has the truck started.”

It looked pretty cold outside his window overlooking the backyard, and there was a faint dusting of snow on the ground even though it was only late August, but he guessed he could just suck it up until they got in the truck and the heater thawed him out.

“Okay, I’m ready then,” he signed after turning back to face Dartanian. The boy smiled again, making Rolland return the gesture automatically before they walked out of his room and headed downstairs, then outside. Oh man, Cold! His teeth began to click together immediately as he bolted to the truck… and promptly slipped on some black ice.

“Whoa—oomph!”

He thought he was going to land on his backside and sport a nice bruise later, but instead he felt a strong arm wrap around his middle just in time to keep him off the ice. The scent of almonds swam through his senses for a moment before Dartanian tugged him up and set him back on his feet.

The harsh cold was forgotten for a moment as Rolland turned to Dartanian and signed in relief. “Thank you, Dartanian.”

The boy’s brows rose slightly before he replied. “You can tell us apart?”

Well, he wasn’t really sure how, but subtle differences in their behavior, posture, and now, smells, helped him figure that part out. That, and Bryce was already in the truck. “Yes.”

“Hmm, you’re an interesting kid. Most vampires can’t even figure us out.”

It was his turn to raise his brows slightly. Why was he talking and not signing? Unless he didn’t want him to understand. “What are you talking about?” Rolland signed, curious.

Dartanian just grinned and reached over, mussing his hair before grabbing his wrist and pulling him toward the waiting truck. Guess I’m not going get an answer… oh well . He was used to that. His attention went to the truck, though, and the promise of a heater. Except that when he climbed up into the cab and was quickly sandwiched between the twins, he realized there was no heat on.

They were on their way shortly, and he did his best to keep himself from shivering as the twins had a conversation.

“He could tell us apart.”

“Probably just a lucky guess, no one can tell us apart. Mom and Dad get it wrong half the time.”

“He seemed pretty sure…”

“He’s just a stupid human. He’ll be dead in a few days so it doesn’t matter either way.”

Dartanian glanced down at him, and Rolland tried to smile without letting his teeth chatter. Dartanian returned his smile slightly, then looked back over at his brother as he drove.

“He’s really cold.”

Bryce glanced down at him next, but when Rolland smiled, Bryce just looked back over at his brother.

“So what? We’ll be there in about fifteen minutes, he can deal with it. It’s only thirty out, he won’t freeze.”

Rolland saw Dartanian roll his eyes before reaching over and turning a small knob near the radio. Heat blasted from the vents in front of him, immediately making his body relax and a sigh slip from his lips.

“Thank you,” he said. Dartanian nodded before taking out his cell phone to text. Guess that’s the end of our nonexistent conversation . Oh well, he was content to just warm up and enjoy the ride.

“Hey, B, there’s a party tonight at Jared’s.”

“Oh? Sounds good.”

Feeling two sets of eyes on him, Rolland glanced at both brothers, but they obviously didn’t see a need to fill him in on what they were saying as they went right back to talking.

“No doubt Mom will want us to babysit her new human.”

“Damn, yeah. Didn’t think about that.”

“I guess we could take him…”

“No. You know he’ll just be a damned crutch! And look at him!”

Dartanian looked down at Rolland again, meeting his eyes for a moment before he laughed and nodded to his brother. Why does it feel like they’re making fun of me?

“Yeah, right. He looks like a hobo with those crappy torn clothes. At least we can try to fix that. Maybe we can just bring him, get him drunk, and go do what we want.”

Bryce chuckled then, looking over at Rolland for a second before returning them to the road, licking his lips, and saying, “Becky…”

“Mmm, Maren,” Dartanian replied. “Fine. We’ll get him some good clothes and then either get him plastered or slip him something. That way we can enjoy our night without the baby to watch… and enjoy an easy dinner when we’re done.”

“Sounds good.”

They pulled up to the mall, and Rolland’s mouth dropped open. He quickly tugged on Dartanian’s sleeve to get his attention before signing.

“We aren’t shopping here, are we?”

Dartanian gave him an odd look as Bryce turned off the truck and slid out of the driver’s side, slamming the door behind him.

“Of course we are.”

“But these stores are really expensive.”

Dartanian grinned and signed back before sliding out of the truck. “Not to us.”

Rolland’s belly filled with awkward hesitation, but Dartanian joined his brother and then they both turned, looking expectantly at him, he quickly slid out of the truck and pushed the big door shut. A vibration from the metal into his hands told him that Bryce had hit the automatic lock so he didn’t bother to sign if they needed him to lock it. The parking lot was packed with cars and trucks of all sorts, as well as people coming and going. He quickly ran after the brothers, surprised that they could walk so fast. Right as he was catching up, something caught his attention from the corner of his eye—something pulling through a parking space that had been empty when he’d first looked to run across it. Now there was a giant SUV roaring through it… and right at him.

---

Bryce turned right as he heard a loud rumble behind him.

“Of course,” he said in annoyed boredom. Dartanian turned just in time to see his brother vanish, then reappear in front of Rolland for a split second, then vanish again before returning to his side with the younger boy in his arms.

“Freaking babysitting.”

---

What just happened…? There was a car, and Rolland knew he was supposed to get hit! The brothers had been way too far ahead and not even facing him, but somehow he was now being set down from Bryce’s arms. The second his feet touched the ground, he was signing to ask what had happened but was grabbed abruptly by Dartanian, slammed to the icy ground, and shoved under someone’s Hummer car.

“Wh-What are you doing?” he shouted, but Dartanian didn’t seem to hear, or care in the least as he crawled under the car with him and head-butted his chin back, making the back of his head smack against the hard asphalt, then bit down on his throat.

“Careful, Dart, we can’t take much more outta him without causing problems. Just take enough to wipe his short-term memory again.”

Rolland felt a rumble move from Dartanian’s chest into his. Did he just growl? Panic surged through his chest as he tried to shake his head to get free from Dartanian’s teeth, but it didn’t even seem to faze him.

“D-Dart!”

Dartanian bit down harder as that rumble vibrated through him again, then everything went black.

---

Bryce tossed another pair of jeans into the cart, which was already beginning to fill up, when he heard a quiet whimper. He looked over at his brother and noticed Dart was already looking down at their new pet human. Stupid things were so fragile. He was lucky that car hadn’t killed him, and even luckier that he had stopped his brother from losing control. The kid tasted good, that was at least something positive about him.

“Is he waking up?” he asked with minimal interest in his voice. It would be nice if he just stayed asleep so they didn’t have to worry about him wandering off to get hit by any more cars.

“A little,” his brother replied.

“Good. He’ll probably be sick tonight, but we can just leave him in one of the extra bedrooms during the party.”

Dartanian nodded as he followed Bryce, who was pushing the cart back toward the dressing rooms. One look from the girl who worked in the back had them immediately in the biggest room without a limit tag on the clothing.

“She was pretty hot,” Dart mumbled as he stepped inside the room with Rolland in his arms.

“Nah, needed a ton of makeup and that acne,” Bryce replied as Dart made a face and he snickered. Once he got all the clothing set down, he began to rub Rolland’s back, waking the kid up the rest of the way… or at least enough so that he could stand on his own two feet.

---

Oh man, my head hurts so badly. Even thinking was painful, almost as if he had gotten hit by a truck. Feeling a tap on his shoulder made him squint open his eyes just enough to read Dartanian’s signing.

“Arms up, Rolland.”

His hands were shaky when he responded.

“What happened? I don’t feel well at all and it’s really cold.”

Dart looked over his shoulder where Rolland assumed Bryce was.

“I may have taken too much, he said he’s really cold.”

“Just put on one of the shirts so we can be sure it’s the right size, then he can just wear a sweatshirt while we check to be sure the pants all fit.”

Rolland saw Dartanian nod to his brother before looking back down at him and reaching down to the hem of his long-sleeved shirt. It was yanked up and off before he could sign for him to wait, then a brand new gray and black one was tugged over his head. Rolland’s eyes slid closed in contentment when a soft gray, black, and white sweatshirt was promptly pulled down overtop it. His headache was still terrible, but he was definitely beginning to warm up now. He felt arms come around his waist and gladly leaned back against the solid chest he knew was there.

“I don’t think he’s going to be much help in this endeavor.”

“Not surprising, just hold him up.”

Rolland was nearly asleep when he felt something tug at the button on his pants, then undo it and yank them down. His eyes immediately shot open, the dim light in the dressing room ramping up his headache as he reached for his pants.

“Okay, definitely needs new underwear, too. We’ll just grab him some on the way out.”

“Let go.” Rolland gasped quietly as he tried to squirm, but Bryce easily held him as his brother grabbed a pair of pants and pulled them up his legs . I can dress myself, he thought angrily.

“Way too big. Figured.”

The pants were pulled off and another pair replaced them, making him feel like a Ken doll during a three-year-old’s Barbie fashion show.

“Those are a bit better, let’s see if they button well.”

Rolland tried to kick Dartanian when he moved in to mess with the button on the new pants, but he easily shoved his foot aside and buttoned, then zipped them up.

“Nice, those look much better.”

Dartanian gave a sharp tug on the pants, but they stayed firmly around Rolland’s waist.

“Perfect.”

“Good, let’s exchange the other stuff for the right sizes then head out, I want to go get ready for the party.”

“Got it.”

They undid the new pants and quickly got them off him, replacing the pair with his old ones. Before he could sign anything he was back in Dartanian’s arms as Bryce opened the door to the dressing room and got busy tossing some stuff on the return rack and getting new things. By the time they got to the register, the cart was fully loaded with shirts, pants, sweatshirts, underwear, and even a new pair of tennis shoes. The girl who rung up everything, including the two tags of the shirt and sweatshirt he was still wearing, kept staring at Bryce, but he didn’t seem to care as he pulled out a debit card and paid the total.

Rolland caught a glance of it and nearly passed out again. Five hundred and eighty-eight dollars!

Bryce took both huge bags, and soon they were out of the store and heading back toward the exit… except Rolland’s stomach grumbled and he assumed it was loudly, because both brothers paused in their walking to stare at him.

After a moment, Bryce sighed and spoke to Dartanian. “Crap. I guess we should feed him.”

A deep chuckle resonated through Dartanian’s chest as he replied to his brother with a roll of his eyes. “Yeah, fine. He better eat fast, though.”

They turned abruptly and headed toward the middle of the mall. After a minute of walking and Rolland being carried, they were just turning into the food court—which smelled wonderful by the way—when a group of kids walked up to them and began talking with the twins.

“Hey, boys, whatcha got there?”

Bryce glanced at Rolland, then looked back at the group of three girls and two guys to reply. “Just a kid we’re looking after.”

One of the girls stepped up a bit too close and smiled. She had bleached blonde hair, brown eyes, and a skirt that was way too short.

“Aw, he’s adorable, but is he sick? His face is really pale, and he’s obviously old enough to walk… and do other things…”

Bryce rolled his eyes, and Rolland felt Dartanian chuckle.

“He’s sixteen but will be seventeen next week from what I remember our parents telling us. And no, he’s not feeling very well right now,” Dartanian replied to the question she seemed to have asked Rolland, judging from the way she was watching him when she spoke.

“Aw, we’ll have to throw him a party!”

Both the brothers looked at each other and groaned, but when Rolland looked back at the girl, she seemed to be laughing.

“You both love my parties. Don’t lie!”

He felt Dartanian laugh again and saw Bryce mirror him.

“Yeah yeah, sure,” Bryce replied to her.

“So, what’s your name, cutie?”

Rolland knew she was talking to him now, but he was too embarrassed to reply. Thankfully he heard the rumble from Dartanian’s voice as he spoke for him.

“His name is Rolland, and he’s deaf.”

“Wow, poor guy.”

The rest of the group nodded and looked sympathetic. Darn, no doubt Dart had just told them about his problem. He guessed he couldn’t really hide it unless he wanted to look like an idiot… Okay, deaf wasn’t so bad.

“Are you guys here to eat? Can I try signing with him?”

“Uh, I guess so, Amanda. Just don’t scare him.”

The girl crossed her arms over her rather large chest and stuck her tongue out at Dartanian. “I’m not mean!”

“Hah, if he had pimples and was a bit plumper, I’m sure you’d be bullying the hell out of him.”

The girl pouted but then smirked as she grabbed Bryce’s wrist and pulled him toward a pizza place. They followed her over to the counter, and Rolland was set down so Dart could sign to him, asking what he wanted.

“Pineapple and mushroom please,” he replied with a smile. Dartanian nodded and took out his wallet, paying for two slices and a root beer before handing Rolland the tray and nudging him toward a table that everyone had claimed while they’d ordered. Rolland noticed the girl from before patting the empty seat beside her, and walked over to take it. At first he was hesitant to even look at her, afraid to screw up, but as soon as he sat down, she began to sign and he immediately relaxed.

“Hi, my name is Amanda. You’re Rolland, right?”

His headache was quickly forgotten as he replied with an ecstatic grin.

“Yes!”

“I’m taking sign language so tell me if I mess up, I don’t want to look stupid.”

She smiled, and he laughed, drawing quite a bit of attention, especially from his new brothers, which caused his cheeks to redden a little. Ignoring them, though, he kept his attention focused on Amanda.

“You are doing great!” he signed.

“Thanks. So, what year are you in?” she asked, leaning forward a little bit.

“Sophomore,” he replied.

” Cool, I’m a senior.”

Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Rolland straightened slightly and turned to look at Dart, who was sitting on his left. “Eat before it gets cold.”

Oh, right.

Quickly turning back to Amanda, he signed with an apologetic frown on his face. “Sorry, I need to eat.”

She nodded, responding with “No problem. Enjoy,” before turning to her other friends to chat. Rolland smiled at her and began to devour his pizza, suddenly starving after he took his first bite. The pizza was gone in minutes, then he chugged half the soda, holding the cup carefully with both hands before sighing out in contentment.

“Hey, so are you guys going to be at the party tonight?”

He saw Amanda speak to Bryce and Dart from the corner of his eye, but since he couldn’t hear and she hadn’t signed, he didn’t bother interrupting them.

“Yeah,” Bryce replied to her.

“Are you bringing Rolland?”

All eyes turned to him, and he smiled like an idiot. His belly was full, and he was getting tired again. Not to mention his headache was coming back, so he really wasn’t interested in what they were talking about.

“Yeah, he’ll probably be there.” He saw Dartanian speak, glad that he didn’t sign. Amanda nudged his side, though, drawing his attention to her as he set down what was left of his drink.

“Do you want to hang out at the party tonight?”

Party? We were going to a party?

He looked over to Dartanian, and got a grin in response as he signed. “Big party tonight. Figured you would want to go. There’s a huge pool, and you can just relax and meet some new people.”

He’d never been to a party, but it didn’t sound very relaxing. Rolland didn’t want to ruin their night after what they had done for him, though, so he nodded. “Sure. I’ll come.”

“Good. You look tired. Do you want go home and rest some before we go?”

He really didn’t want to leave after just making a friend, his first one to be exact, but he really did feel exhausted so he nodded again. She was going to be at the party later anyway. Dartanian gave his hair a pat, leaving his hand on his head as he spoke to the group.

“Alright, guys, we’re going to head home. Rolland is really tired so he’s going take a nap before tonight’s party.”

Everyone nodded toward the twins as they got up, and Rolland quickly followed. Bryce grabbed the bags and started off as Rolland followed Dart, waving for a moment to Amanda, who waved back with a smile. Cute.

“See you tonight, cutie!”

He smiled happily, though he had no idea what she had just said, before hurrying after his new brothers.

Hurt

After getting a bit of help back into the cab of the brothers’ truck, Rolland settled in, buckling the seat belt before hugging himself. He was wearing the new sweatshirt the twins had tugged on him earlier, but it was still pretty cold outside. When Bryce got in, he quickly buckled his own seat belt and started the car, which in turn made the heater blast on Rolland.

Mm, feels good.

Dartanian scooted in beside him, and they were off as soon as he got the door shut. Rolland wanted to tell him to put his seat belt on, but he wasn’t really sure if they were even on good terms yet. They seemed to tolerate him, but was that emotion heading in the positive or negative direction? He didn’t know.

After a few minutes, he bit his lower lip and leaned across Dart to grab the belt, then tugged until he could click it into place. He could feel eyes on him, but he didn’t dare look up. Instead, he relaxed back against the seat, only to doze off a moment later from the heat.

---

“He’s leaning on me…”

Dartanian snickered as he watched his brother’s face darken with annoyance. He was getting pissed with the scrawny little human sleeping against him. He didn’t even like when girls he was doing in bed tried to be affectionate, so this was honestly hilarious.

“Aw, he wuvs his big brother,” Dartanian said with a sarcastic tone.

“I’m going to kill you,” Bryce replied, no joking tone in his voice whatsoever.

“But I’m already undead!” Dart shot back with a laugh.

“Oh don’t give me that shit. We were born this way, not raised from the dead like some retarded zombies.”

That made Dart laugh louder, especially since his brother was leaning to the side to try to get farther away from the little human sleeping against him. Too bad everything he did just made Rolland snuggle in closer.

“Come on, bro. Get this darn kid off me.”

Oops. He’s growling now, guess it’s a good idea to do as he says.

“Fine, fine. Geez, it’s just a human, you’ve gotten a lot closer, and inside, plenty of them.”

“Yeah, but this one is freaking broken and a guy.”

Dart rolled his eyes but gently reached over and tugged Rolland back to the middle. He tried to sit him up or lean him back so he could sleep off of them, but after a moment and a turn of the truck, he ended up falling over into his lap.

“Dammit,” he hissed, lifting his arms to keep from touching the kid.

“Looks like you got a bag of blood in your lap, bro,” Bryce chided with a smirk. Dartanian glared at his brother as his fangs slowly began extending. He didn’t have nearly as much control as his twin, and it wasn’t easy not touching food lying defenseless in his lap.

“Keep it together, Dart. We’re almost back.”

“We should just kill him now. This is a waste of time.”

“As lovely as that sounds, I’d like to keep our truck.”

Dart sighed and moved his left hand to Rolland’s shoulder, shaking slightly to wake the kid, but it didn’t work. After a minute, he shook him a bit harder and finally got a response.

---

“Hm?”

Did I fall asleep?

Giving a huge yawn, Rolland nuzzled into the pillow… then realized it wasn’t a pillow. His eyes flew open and he sat up with a bit of effort. Darn, he really had fallen asleep. And in the truck, no less.

Realizing that he had been sleeping on Dartanian, he quickly leaned back into his seat and signed an apology. “I’m sorry.”

Dart grinned and replied with a chuckle. “It’s alright. You’re cute when you’re asleep.”

Rolland’s cheeks warmed as he pursed his lips. Is he teasing me? He has to be teasing me. Wait a second… we are brothers now, so maybe this is what we are supposed to do. Mess with each other.

With a cheeky grin, he looked up at Dartanian, making his brows raise as Rolland signed back, “Aw, thank you.”

Dart snorted, raising a hand to try to cover the action, but Rolland caught it and mentally gave himself a pat on the back for catching him off guard.

“What?”

“I told him he looked cute when he was sleeping, and he totally just threw my joke back at me by flirting.”

Dartanian’s eyes glanced over at Bryce right as he laughed, then looked down at Rolland.

“I’m actually kind of surprised. He doesn’t look like much, but I guess he’s got a sense of humor somewhere in there.”

Rolland wasn’t really sure what they were talking about, but didn’t bother asking since they were pulling up to the house at the moment. Bryce and Dartanian both hopped out quickly while he unbuckled his seat belt and carefully slid from the cab. Once his feet hit the driveway, he realized just how tired he was because his legs almost buckled, making him stumble a few steps before he could pull himself together.

When he looked toward the house, he saw Dartanian walking in his direction, signing. “Need some help, Rolland?”

Rolland quickly puffed up his chest and shook his head. “No, I’m fine.”

Dart stopped, grinning at him like he knew he was lying, but he wasn’t going to let his brothers keep carrying him around. He had two feet and they worked. Dart shrugged after a moment and turned, running back into the house as Rolland followed. As soon as he got back to his room and saw that huge bed, he didn’t even hesitate to fall into it. He knew he should take off the new sweatshirt and shirt he was bought, but he was just so tired that sleep overtook him in seconds.

---

“Hey, Bry?”

Bryce turned, looking over at his brother in the doorway to his room from where he stood on the balcony.

“Yeah?”

“Mom just called.”

Bryce rolled his eyes and strode inside, shutting the double doors behind him.

“What’s she want us to do with her new pet now? We already took it out, bought it stuff, and fed it. There isn’t much else I’m willing to do with that human.”

His brother smirked and grunted a laugh but shook his head. “She’ll let us take him to the party, but if he comes home drunk or drugged, we lose the truck.”

“Tsk, of course.”

They fell into a companionable silence for a minute before a loud yell had them looking toward Rolland’s room. When their gazes locked again, they both sighed.

“Do we have to go care about that, or can we just let him cry himself to sleep?” Dartanian asked, unfortunately already knowing the answer.

“Mom is going to be home in an hour or so, and if she finds out that we let him sit there being miserable…” Bryce replied as a headache started to throb against his forehead.

“Dammit all, I’d rather have a darn puppy than this human,” Dart snarled.

“Hah, right? I guess the only benefit of this kid is that he’s already potty trained.”

Dartanian made a face as they started out of Bryce’s room, heading for Rolland’s.

“If he wasn’t potty trained, I would just kill him, screw the truck,” Dart grumbled, making his brother laugh before he replied, “True story.”

They both turned and entered the doorway to Rolland’s bedroom at the same time but didn’t really see the kid since he was hiding beneath the blankets. Dart let out a quiet growl as he noticed Rolland shaking. His feet started moving without a second thought. Why not build onto the nightmare? He could just mess with his memory again and get some delicious lunch.

He was stopped right before he got close enough to reach out and remove the blanket. A hand firmly locked around his wrist was the culprit, but it wasn’t really what kept him from grabbing the kid. It was his twin. Dartanian was slightly more compulsive than Bryce and often times lost himself in stressful situations.

“Dartanian, don’t. We’ll get some bags downstairs in a minute.”

His eyes burned a dark red as he looked between Bryce and where Rolland was hiding, then licked his lips.

“Just wait for a few minutes, okay? We can’t kill him right now.”

Dart grumbled but slowly allowed his fangs to retract before Bryce walked over to the bed and pulled the blanket away from Rolland. Of course Rolland whimpered, thinking that they were part of his nightmare, which technically, they were, but not at the moment.

“Hey, Rolland, is everything okay?”

He blushed at being found out and quickly nodded before falling over so that his head flopped back down onto a pillow. However, Bryce didn’t let the subject drop yet.

“You are very bad at lying, Rolland.”

His face burned brighter, making both brothers snicker. Dartanian was about to pick Rolland up, but his brother promptly moved in front of him and gently lifted Rolland into his arms.

“Get his blanket.”

Dartanian growled, but Bryce just started walking out of the room, intent on going downstairs.

“You know you would bite him if I let you carry him. Don’t try to argue it, take the blanket to the sofa, then go grab something to drink.”

“Whatever,” Dart replied as he stalked past Bryce with the blanket, then blurred down the stairs when he was sure Rolland wouldn’t see. A moment later and he was in the kitchen, sipping from a cold blood bag. They never tasted as good as fresh blood, but their mother would probably make good on her deal of getting rid of the truck if they killed the darn kid.

While Dart drank, Bryce settled down onto the sofa, turning the television on before wrapping Rolland up in the blanket. He tried to get the kid to lie down next to him, but after a bit of squirming, he gave up, letting Rolland use his lap as a pillow as he sleepily stared at the huge TV.

Lord of the Rings was on, and after a moment, Rolland shifted onto his back so he could sign. “Bryce, can you turn on the subtitles please?”

---

Bryce looked at Rolland funny when he asked, but he really liked this movie!

“Please?”

Rolland’s attention was taken away when he felt his feet being lifted, then set down again. When he looked, he saw Dartanian sitting down, sipping from a bag that looked kind of like a Capri Sun container.

“He wants to watch the movie now.”

Dart glared sideways at his brother before moving his mouth from the straw.

“No shit. You took him out of bed. Last I checked, that’s where people sleep.”

Rolland glanced up at Bryce, watching his face get a little annoyed.

Are they arguing?

“He’s definitely tired… but maybe not enough.”

They both looked down at him, and he glanced between the two, confused. He was just raising his hands to sign to them, but suddenly the blanket was yanked down and pulled back.

“W-wai—!” Both of their hands were now tickling him senseless. It was totally cheating that Dartanian tickled his feet while Bryce got under his armpits. He couldn’t keep from laughing out loud, begging for them to stop between breaths. They were both smirking like devils and completely ignoring his pleas, though. Heck, Bryce was even moving down to his ribs. As soon as he got to his target, Rolland was squirming and kicking like crazy but still getting nowhere.

It was a good few minutes later when they finally both stopped, at the same time even. Rolland was nearly out cold from just the lack of air. His sweatshirt had been pulled halfway up and the shirt beneath it askew. With the amount of squirming he’d done, his pants were also tugged down a bit, revealing his hips. He wanted to tell them that he was pissed that they’d done that, but after he gave a good stretch, he felt himself drifting off. After another minute, he decided to just be mad at them when he awoke.

---

Dartanian removed the bag of blood from between his teeth where he’d held it as they tickled Rolland. He was having trouble keeping his gaze off of Rolland’s skin, though, even as he took a sip from his warming blood bag. Looking over at his brother, he noticed that he was having trouble with the exact same thing. They both wanted it… to sink their fangs into that soft, smooth skin again. Dartanian slowly leaned over and licked Rolland’s stomach once, then glanced up to see that he hadn’t stirred at all. When his brother didn’t stop him, Dartanian licked again, then again, slowly allowing poison from the glands beneath his tongue to mix in with his saliva. It was used to numb prey where a vampire intended to bite if the predator didn’t want to wake or hurt the human they intended to feed from. Normally Dartanian didn’t care, but Rolland already had enough nightmares because of them so it was best to do it this way.

Bryce was doing the same thing with Rolland’s neck after having lifted him into his arms a little. They were both so into it that they didn’t even hear the front door opening or their mother walking in until she stopped right in front of them.

Oh… _Bryce thought with a hint of frustration. _

…shit, _Dart finished, rolling his eyes. _

“What do you think you’re doing to your brother?” their mother asked, her voice deadly quiet as both brothers slowly backed off from the slightly red and warmed skin they had intended to bite only a moment ago.

“Mom, you can’t expect us not to bite him!” Dart shouted suddenly as Bryce nodded, though he wasn’t as animated as his brother, who was waving his arms, his brow furrowed.

“He’s right, Mom. You put a human here to try to teach us to respect them, but come on. He tastes like freaking candy,” Bryce replied angrily… then realized his mistake and sighed.

“So you did feed on him. I knew you boys were lying,” their mother nearly yelled in frustration. Her hand extended to Bryce as her eyes narrowed.

“Give me those keys, Bryce. Right now.”

“But Mom! This is unfair! We didn’t kill him,” both brothers yelled in unison. She growled, making Bryce immediately cave and fish the keys out of his pocket to hand over. He knew better than to keep arguing when his mother was mad enough to growl. She hardly ever showed that she was a vampire, even when feeding. She preferred those disgusting bags over the delicious warmth that they had taken from Rolland.

“You boys aren’t going anywhere tonight. You’ll stay home and take care of him, then do what he wants when he wakes up.”

“What?” Bryce said in disdain as his brother all but growled.

“Aw, come on!”

“I gave you incredibly simple rules, and yet you both still broke them. Suck it up and take your punishment.”

Dartanian rolled his eyes and grumbled, “Whatever.” We were just about to ‘suck it up’ but you had to walk in!

Both brothers got up and went upstairs, not interested in being around their mother or Rolland any longer.

---

Rolland awoke sometime around seven, stretching out on the sofa. Huh? Sofa? Sitting up, he glanced around to see his new mom sitting in a recliner nearby, watching the news. But where are Dartanian and Bryce?

She noticed him move and looked over, signing with a small smile. “Good evening, Rolland.”

He smiled back and replied, “Good evening. Where are Bryce and Dartanian? I thought they were here.” He noticed her smile slip a little, but she quickly put it back together and responded.

“They went upstairs a little while ago. They decided against going to the party tonight.”

Really? But they were so set on going. Rolland thought to himself before he quickly thanked her for answering and got up, dragging his blanket up the stairs and into his room before he went to find the brothers. Bryce’s was the first room he walked up to, but he quickly noticed Dartanian was sitting on his bed while Bryce sat at a computer. The second he was in the doorway, they both turned and glared.

What? Did I do something wrong?

They both signed at the same time, making him even more confused.

“Get out.”

“Leave.”

He took a step back and looked at his bare feet. He wasn’t against leaving, but he really wanted to know why they were both mad at him all of a sudden.

Deciding to stand his ground, he quickly signed back. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what I did. I’ll try to stop if I did something wrong.” They both looked at each other, then back to me before replying the exact same thing.

“Then get out of our house.”

---

After Rolland ran back to his room, Bryce got up from the computer and stretched, then headed downstairs. Dart was quick to follow, and they both went for the fridge to heat up some blood bags. They felt their mother’s gaze on them but just ignored her as they worked on getting their meals ready.

“Where is Rolland, boys?” she asked as she walked in.

“Probably in his room,” Dart answered as he tossed two bags in the microwave and started it.

“I want you both to go play with him or help him with homework, whatever he wants to do, once you finish your dinner.” Both brothers bit their tongues on sarcastic replies, knowing that their mother wouldn’t humor them in the least right then.

“Whatever.” Dart growled while his brother sighed.

“Fine.”

“Thank you.”

After taking an extra-long twenty minutes to drink their blood, both boys tossed the empty bags in the trash and headed back upstairs.

“This is seriously going to suck. What the hell do we play with a human besides sex?”

Bryce snorted at his brother’s answer. “Mom would probably get pissed with us if she even heard that.”

“Whatever, let’s just get this over with. Maybe we can tie him up and pretend to play pirate or something.”

“Sounds good to me… or maybe hide and seek, and just never bother trying to find him.”

They were both grinning as they walked into Rolland’s empty room.

“What the…?” Dart questioned as he walked over to the bed that was freshly made, finding all the clothing they had bought Rolland earlier folded neatly with the receipt on top of the pile. He looked around on the floor, but there was no small suitcase or shoes. Bryce walked over by the open window, then stared back at Dart. It would be an easy climb to get down from the window with the oak tree right next to it.

“Shit,” Dart hissed as his brother mirrored his frustration.

“Dammit.”

“We need to go tell Mom,” Bryce said, rolling his eyes as they turned from the window.

“This is ridiculous!” Dartanian fumed in agreement. Both brothers started for the stairs, growling until they got within earshot of their mother. Oh great, their dad was home now, too.

“Uh, Mom,” Dart mumbled. She looked up at them with a raised brow while lowering the book she had been reading. No doubt another stupid romance, one where a vampire fell in love with a human. Like that would ever happen.

“Yes, Dartanian?”

“Um… we think Rolland ran away.”

Their dad’s voice boomed out from the kitchen before he stomped around the corner. “What?”

Both boys flinched, but Bryce quickly replied. “His window was open and his stuff is gone!”

Their mom was up by then, too, and definitely not happy.

“What did you boys say to him? He went upstairs looking for you earlier, and I told you to play with him, what happened?”

“Dammit, Mom! We don’t want a stupid human here! We told him to leave us alone, but he asked what he did wrong and how he could fix it…” Dart shouted in frustration. Their mom didn’t seem fazed in the least as she put her hands on her hips and bared her fangs.

Shit.

Crap.

“And I suppose you told him he could get out of your house, am I right, Bryce? Dartanian?”

Both boys pursed their lips but slowly nodded. Well, that set their mother off. She got right in their faces and growled out orders. “You boys will go find him right now, and if I—”

“Dear…” She paused, glancing over her shoulder at her husband. “Hun, maybe it’s for the best that Rolland goes back to the orphanage.”

Both Bryce and Dartanian sighed with relief, but that got a glare from their mother before she looked back at her husband. “B-But—”

“They aren’t ready to deal with a human here. Not that they won’t be punished for disobeying, but it will be much safer for Rolland if we took him back after they find him.”

They expected their mother to argue with him, but she actually gave in after only a minute with a tired sigh. “Alright. I guess it was still too early to trust—” She glared at her boys, who at least looked a little embarrassed. “—them to deal with a human who wasn’t meant to be just a blood donation. Dartanian, Bryce, please go find Rolland and bring him back. We’ll take him back to the orphanage tonight.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Bryce replied at the same time Dart answered.

“Okay, Mom.”

The brothers both turned and ran out the door. Thankfully Rolland hadn’t been gone for long so his scent trail was easily traceable. They found him only a few blocks away at a small park, swinging on an empty swing set on the playground area.

“Time for one last show…” Dart stated, putting on a fake smile as his brother agreed.

“Yeah.”

Dart and Bryce both walked over, being sure that they were easily visible so they didn’t spook Rolland. He looked up, having noticed their shoes. His face showed fresh tear tracks and clear surprise. Evidently he hadn’t thought anyone would come after him. Honestly, if they weren’t ordered to, they likely wouldn’t have. Rolland’s feet skidded in the gravel beneath the swing, stopping it so he could stand up.

“Rolland, let’s go.” Dartanian signed, hoping to resolve this easily and get the kid back to their house so their mom could take him back to the pet store. Unfortunately, Rolland quickly shook his head and backed up, making both brothers step forward out of instinct.

“Rolland, come back, please? We’re sorry,” Bryce tried, adding a bit of extra fake enthusiasm to his smile. Rolland hesitated for another moment but then finally gave a slow nod. It wasn’t like he could really go anywhere else. He didn’t have a car, or a job, or really anything besides the small suitcase of old clothes beside him.

Both brothers didn’t have to act relieved as they grabbed his hands and walked him back home.

---

I can’t believe they actually came to find me . Rolland thought they didn’t want him there, hated him even. Each time he looked up at either of them, they gave him a small, reassuring smile. Maybe I had just slept in too late or something like that, and made them miss the good part of the party.

They were back home in a few minutes, but as soon as they stepped in the door, he could tell something was wrong. Dartanian set his suitcase down by his feet, then went upstairs. Bryce quickly followed, not bothering to sign anything to him or talk to their parents, who were waiting right inside the hallway.

“Um, what’s wrong?” Rolland signed hesitantly.

His new mom smiled sadly and walked over with his dad. “Rolland… we’re sorry, but it doesn’t seem like our sons are quite ready for a new brother yet.”

What?

The next thirty minutes were a complete blur. His mind clouded over the second she told him those words. She didn’t need to say the obvious ones because he translated them easily enough. They were taking him back. Everything was blank until they got to the orphanage. He wanted not to believe it, but when he finally got out of the car and lifted his head, that’s where they were. He had ignored his… he didn’t know. The people, signing throughout the drive, but now he finally looked up at them, maybe hoping beyond belief that they might possibly want to try again.

“Rolland, we’re so sorry.”

Rolland faked a smile as the woman signed and nodded before turning and walking down the small sidewalk leading up to the door of a place he’d hoped he’d never return to. It was always locked after six so he lifted his hand and knocked twice. He had taken his old stuffed bear out of his suitcase on the way over and his hand clenched around its worn paw as Mrs. Spryfield opened the door.

His heart sank at the look on her face. She hated being disturbed after closing hours, but besides that, she looked like she wasn’t surprised at all to see him back. He gave another fake smile and stepped inside when she moved to let them in. As soon as she closed the door, she was speaking with the people returning him.

“I figured he wouldn’t do too well, thank you both for trying.”

They both smiled, but it looked forced. When they turned to him, he couldn’t really find the strength to muster up another fake smile.

“We’re sorry, Rolland. We do love you.”

He straightened his shoulders and pursed his lips at that, blinking back tears as he replied with shaky hands, right before running upstairs to his room.

“No, you don’t.”

of the$r>3

A Little Light In The Darkness

(Uploaded the unedited chapters by mistake for 1-3. Just fixed them, highly suggest going back through them before reading this one :3)

Rolland was in a daze for the next several days as he dragged himself about doing his chores and going to school. His mind only ever seemed to wake up when he stepped into his sixth period art class. It was his last class of the day but always the best. The teacher couldn’t have been nicer and often brought him a new colored marker for his board or gave him spare sketchbook paper from her supplies to take home. It probably wasn’t much to most kids, but each time he got a new color, he couldn’t help but get excited. Half the time, he stayed up way too late drawing and got yelled at by Mrs. Spryfield. It was totally worth it, though, because the next day he came to school with his drawing and showed it to Ms. West. She always loved what he did, even if it was just basic outlines or playing around with the colors he had.

His smile stretched across his face for the first time in almost a week as he took his seat in the front of the class. Ms. West stepped out of the back room and smiled at him, waving as she made her way to the front of the room. There was a big white plastic bag in her left hand that she quickly tucked behind her desk before turning to the settling class.

“Alright, class, today we will be drawing your choice of a fantasy creature. It can be anything from an elf, to a dragon, to an alien. They are due at the end of the period so don’t worry about backgrounds or a ton of detail, I just want to see the basics for this assignment. We will elaborate on them in the next class.”

Everyone began working except for Rolland, who sat quietly until Ms. West walked over with a small dry erase board to let him know the assignment.

“Good afternoon, Rolland. Your assignment is to draw a fantasy creature. Anything that comes to mind is fine. There is no background for this assignment, and it can be a general outline. Whatever you get done by the end of class is fine.”

He nodded and quickly got up to fetch himself a piece of sketch paper. When he returned to his seat, he got busy on the assignment, forgetting about everything else for the next hour. This was his time to just relax in school and have fun, and he intended to do just that. He had a thing for dragons so that’s what he decided to draw. It was a huge one that was flying toward you through a thunderstorm. He knew she said a background wasn’t necessary, but she always let him get away with stretching the assignment a little.

After about fifty minutes, Rolland noticed several students beginning to get up and turn in their drawings so they could pack up to go home. He was never in a rush to leave art, though, so he worked through the last ten minutes before finally putting his pencil away and getting up. By then most of the kids were gone, though he noticed a couple came in, he supposed to ask the teacher something, but since they were standing farther back, he assumed he was fine to go show Ms. West his work so he could leave.

With an excited smile, he nearly ran up to Ms. West’s desk and offered her his drawing. She took it with a grin and held it out so she could see. The enthusiasm that lit up her face made Rolland giddy with excitement. He loved it when she liked his stuff. Mrs. Spryfield never bothered to comment besides the basic it’s okay or good job , but Ms. West always gave him amazing critiques and ideas to get better. When she set his drawing down on her desk and grabbed her writing board, he anxiously waited for her to write.

“That was gorgeous, Rolland! The lighting was much better than your last try. Proportions for the head and front arms were great but be sure to check the back ones. Look up a reference if needed to double check the distance. Also, I have something for you.”

Huh? For me?

He smiled again, bouncing on the balls of his feet slightly as he watched her turn around and grab that big bag she’d brought from the back room earlier. His gaze followed as she set it on her desk, then carefully pulled out something big and offered it to him.

Oh… my… god!

His eyes were like gigantic saucers as he looked up at her, then back to the giant canvas that had a gorgeous red ribbon tied around it. Shrink wrap secured a very nice looking set of paints and brushes together with the larger item. He had no idea what to say. When she nudged the big canvas into his hands, he quickly took it, then watched as she wrote on her white board and turned it to face him so that he could read.

“You’re an amazing artist, and I hope this helps you along in your journey to get even better. Happy Birthday, Rolland.”

Rolland reacted automatically, ignoring the obvious steps that should be taken to accept such a gift. Instead, he leaned the canvas against her desk and then fell into her arms with an ecstatic “Thank you!” This was the best gift he had ever been given, and he couldn’t wait to use it as soon as he got back to the orphanage. When he finally leaned back and wiped at tears that had sneaked from his eyes, he watched Ms. West quickly write down something else for him to read.

“I’m really glad you like it, Rolland! I can’t wait to see what you make. :)”

Rolland quickly pulled his board around and shakily wrote, “You’ll be the first to see! Thank you so much!” She smiled and nodded before he gave her one last hug and hurried to get his bag, then grabbed his new art supplies and ran out the door.

I can’t believe I got a canvas. And paint stuff!

He was definitely running straight home since the bus had likely already left, but he didn’t care. He was just super eager to get started. Rushing into a painting was never a good idea, but he had his own painting supplies! His mind was so abuzz with everything he could put on the big canvas and all the colors he could make, he hadn’t been paying much attention to where he was going or who he was getting too close to until he felt his backpack suddenly get yanked on, hard, forcing him to drop his art supplies and stumble backward.

“Well well, look who it is. Our little punching bag, the smart ass Rolly-Polly!”

Aw, darn it. Why did Ret and his friends have to be here right now?

Rolland tried to squirm out of Ret’s clutches, but Ret easily got him around the waist and tossed him over his shoulder before heading toward the bathroom.

“No!” Rolland shouted, but was of course ignored. Ret threw him inside, then grabbed him as he tried to scramble to his feet and dragged him into the handicap stall.

“Remember this, Rolly-Polly? Our favorite pastime.”

Rolland couldn’t hear him at all, obviously, but he knew what he was saying was never a good thing. “No!” he tried again, but his shout was cut off as his head was promptly shoved into the toilet bowl several times, then Ret reached over and flushed it. He was fighting as hard as he could to get his head above water, but each time he felt himself starting to get a breath, he was promptly shoved back down into the swirling disgusting bowl.

He didn’t need to hear anything to know that the boys were all laughing at him. What was so funny about nearly drowning someone in a toilet bowl, though? He didn’t understand.

“Hey, can you guys move? I need to piss.”

---

Dartanian sauntered into the bathroom with a bored expression clear on his face.

Ret whirled around, releasing Rolland before he walked over to the slightly taller male.

“What the hell? How did you get in here? The door was locked!”

Dart raised a brow, obviously not very impressed by Ret’s shouting.

“No, it wasn’t. Now will your group get out so I can piss, or do you want to watch?”

The group of four boys looked at each other, then all attention focused on Ret. He looked back into the stall where Rolland was lying, then growled before turning back around and storming out of the bathroom. His posse quickly followed after him while Dartanian glanced into the handicap stall.

“He inhaled some water,” Bryce said as he stepped up beside his brother, eyeing the kid on the floor of the stall.

“Yeah, his face is slightly blue,” Dartanian agreed. They both walked inside and squatted beside the unconscious kid, not quite sure what they wanted to do.

“He might live without CPR,” Dart noted.

“Or we can just leave him here and not care either way,” Bryce added. They were both silent for a long minute before sighing in unison.

“We can’t leave him here,” Dart grumbled under his breath before his brother finished his thought.

“If he dies, Ret will tell the principal that we were the ones here last.”

Dartanian rolled his eyes and groaned. “Then we’ll get expelled, and Mother will have a fit.”

“Absolutely.”

Bryce shook his head but leaned over, putting his hands on Rolland’s chest, then carefully began to push. It was hard not to break ribs with his strength, but thankfully he had practiced touching humans quite a bit, so he managed it decently well. After ten or so reps, Dartanian reached over, grasping Rolland’s wet chin, pinching his nose, and tilting his head toward himself before leaning down. His lips pressed gently to Rolland’s as he calmly blew air into his mouth.

The two took turns throughout the next three minutes with Bryce pumping Rolland’s chest and Dart blowing air into his mouth when his brother paused. They finally got a response as they were coming up on four minutes. It was a small cough but quickly grew into a painful sounding hack as water began to run over the edge of Rolland’s mouth. Bryce quickly grabbed his torso and turned him right as the kid began to throw up.

“Oh lovely,” he stated in a bland tone.

“Indeed.”

As soon as Rolland was finished, he blacked out, making Bryce pull him back fast before he fell right into the nasty mess he’d just left on the floor.

“We should just leave him here now, he’s not going to die,” Dart suggested even as Bryce stood up, lifting Rolland into his arms so he could carry him more easily.

“We can’t. Mom will smell him on us even if we shower.”

“Dammit all, she’ll know we lied if we say we took him back, but we left him on the floor.”

“Yup.”

“Alright. Let’s just take him back to the orphanage. The person there shouldn’t recognize us since we weren’t home when they came to check the place out for the app to adopt and we never went to a meeting.”

“Sounds good.”

Both brothers headed out with Bryce holding Rolland, but when they got into the hallway, their brows went up slightly. There was paint everywhere, along with a broken canvas and brushes. Dart walked over and picked up Rolland’s old backpack, but it, too, had been torn up. Thankfully the kid had left all of his text books at home or in his locker that day, so just a notebook was painted on. He contemplated just leaving it there but then figured Rolland would want it. The kid didn’t have much and had just lost the present they had seen Ms. West give him.

“Come on, we can’t erase his memory with him having almost drowned. It’ll be too detrimental,” Bryce said as he started toward the front of the school. Nodding, Dartanian stood up, holding the bag away from his body to keep his clothing from getting paint on it, and followed.

---

“Ouch…”

“Why did you just throw him over the fence? I thought we were going to take him inside.”

“He was waking up. He didn’t break anything… I think.”

My head hurts so bad.

With a groan, Rolland forced himself to sit up. Something felt odd right away, though. Is there something on my face? He spat a few times, then rubbed his arm along his mouth.

Grass?

Wait a second… Looking around, he quickly noticed that he was back in the orphanage’s yard. What the heck happened, though? He remembered getting a swirly by that idiot Ret, but then everything went black. Did they bring him back? He wouldn’t think they would care in the least about his safety… but then what the heck happened?

“He looks so confused. Stupid human.”

Rolland glanced around, feeling a good headache starting but altogether not terrible. He knew he needed to wash his hair and face, and brush his teeth, judging from the disgusting taste in his mouth, but at least he wasn’t hurt like last time.

Giving a tired chuckle, he shrugged his shoulders. Best to keep looking up. A little bullying wasn’t going to get him down.

“I swear this kid is an idiot. He’s laughing after getting a swirly and blacking out.”

Hang on a second… It feels like someone’s watching me. His head tilted slightly when he didn’t see anyone in the yard. The sky was clouding over so they likely went inside. Then maybe by the fence? People did often look in at them, most of the time in sympathy. He got himself to his feet, then turned. No one.

Odd.

Oh well. He reached down and grabbed his bag… then realized the paint all over the torn-up fabric.

“My paints…”

His lower lip began to tremble, but he bit it and ran inside. Crying wouldn’t bring his present back.

Later that night, he lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to keep from remembering what had happened earlier in the day. Mrs. Spryfield forgot his birthday again, for the tenth time, even though she always remembered everyone else’s. He wasn’t bitter, though. Ms. West made his birthday amazing. Although he wouldn’t be able to use the present she gave him, it was the thought that made him happy. He smiled at that and finally managed to relax into sleep a few minutes later.

A soft tap on his shoulder woke him up early the next morning. It took a moment to get his eyes to open, but when he saw a small white board in front of him, he shifted into a sitting position and read as his left hand rubbed at his eye.

“Rolland, someone left something for you downstairs. I thought you may want it now.”

Left something for me? In the middle of the night?

He wasn’t really sure what she was talking about, but he got up quickly and ran downstairs in his pajamas. His bare feet were cold on the worn wooden floor, but that didn’t faze him in the least when he saw what was leaning against Mrs. Spryfield’s desk.

“How?”

There was paint all over his backpack so the stuff Ms. West had given him had to have been opened, but this art set was sealed! He quickly turned to Mrs. Spryfield, but then realized he hadn’t grabbed his dry erase board. She noticed what he was looking for and handed over her own small one, along with a marker. Rolland took the lid off and set it on her desk before scrawling along the board as fast as he could.

“Who brought this?”

She took the board back and replied, “I don’t know. It was here with a card when I came in.”

She handed the card to him, and he opened it, thinking there would be a lot of writing from Ms. West. Because surely she was the one who had brought it in. But the card only read simply,

For Rolland.

Weird. Ms. West would have let him know she had replaced it. He pursed his lips in thought but eventually just shrugged and wrote a quick thank you to Mrs. Spryfield. Then he handed her the board back and grabbed his art set before running back up to the room he shared with four other kids. When he stepped inside, however, his hands nearly let the wrapped canvas, paint, and brushes slip to the floor. There were four more canvases and an easel near his cot!

“Oh wow!”

He hopped up and down, his excited shouts waking the other boys in the room. They got out of bed and walked over, honestly surprised that he had presents. No one ever gave him presents. But he had such awesome stuff all of a sudden.

One of the boys, a red-haired kid who was a little taller than him and knew sign language, walked in front of him and asked, “Who gave you this stuff, Rolland?”

He was so giddy that it took him a moment to answer.

“I don’t know, but I’m so happy.”

The boy chuckled and then signed as the other boys came closer.

“We have something for you too, though it’s not much.”

Rolland’s eyes widened in surprise as he stared at his roommates. They actually had something for him? But they hardly ever got anything, what could they possibly want to give him that they didn’t need themselves? The red-haired boy smiled and reached over to take something from a smaller brown-haired boy, then offered it to him.

When he took it, the boy signed, “We found it outside in the yard, but since we often get presents, and Mrs. Spryfield is mean for not getting you anything during your birthdays, you take it.”

Rolland looked down at the money in his hand, eyes widening when he saw that it was a twenty dollar bill.

Holy crap. It’s so much money!

When his gaze rose to all the boys, they smiled and patted his head or shoulder before returning to their bunks. He couldn’t help but be a bit giddy as he turned to the last boy still standing in front of him.

“Happy birthday, Rolland.”

Rolland smiled and expected another pat on the head or a hug, but instead, the boy leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

Huh?

Troublesome

It was too dark in the room to tell if Rolland was blushing— Thank god— but he was sure he still looked entertaining with his mouth wide open. The boy in front of him raised his hand up, pressing a few fingers against his lips as his shoulders shook. He’s laughing at me!

His hand slowly reached over and gently nudged Rolland’s jaw closed, then signed, “You’re really cute.”

Cute?

Rolland’s hands waved crazily as he tried to sign. Which could probably equate it to the verbal version of stuttering.

“I am not cute.”

The boy smirked and stuck his tongue out as he signed back, “You’re adorable then.”

Rolland’s mouth fell open again, but he was able to close it himself this time as he replied, “No.”

“Gorgeous?” the boy tried, making Rolland fume. He stamped his foot, hands fisted at his sides as he scowled at him, but the boy just laughed and tugged Rolland into a strong hug. They were just about the same height, maybe the boy had an inch or so on him, so it wasn’t odd or anything. Well, unless you count hugging another guy odd? Okay, this is odd, but somehow… nice. Rolland snuggled in after a moment of hesitation, wrapping his arms lightly around the boy’s back since his were around his arms. After a long minute, the boy tapped his arm gently and began to sign one-handed when he had his attention.

“I’m really sorry about what happened with those people… but I’m glad I got another chance.”

Chance? _Rolland thought to himself in confusion. _ The boy looked at him with a smile and spoke. “I like you, Rolland.” His eyes glanced down as he continued. “I’ve actually wanted to talk with you for a while, but I wanted to be sure I knew sign language really well first… guess I almost waited too long.”

Rolland’s brows furrowed when the boy looked back up and grinned.

“What did you say?” Rolland signed, a bit frustrated that he hadn’t bothered to sign it to begin with.

The boy chuckled and replied, “I like you, Rolland. Will you go out with me?”

Rolland’s eyes went wide as he backed out of the hug, though he felt a little cold afterward.

“We’ve been roommates forever, Luke. Why now?”

The boy smiled again and signed back, “I’m sorry. I was afraid to talk with you because I wasn’t good at sign language yet. I didn’t want to seem stupid when I spoke to the guy I liked.”

That made Rolland chuckle a little as Luke ran his fingers through his short dark red hair.

“I guess that sounds kind of stupid, huh?”

Rolland smirked and responded without much hesitation. “Very.”

Luke smacked his face and fell back onto Rolland’s bed dramatically. Okay, that was kind of funny. Rolland followed him, jumping onto his old cot. He glanced over at Luke’s still form, wondering if he was dozing already. Rolland got up on his hands and knees, leaning over Luke to try to see his face in the dim light. In a blur, Rolland was on his back, a gasp slipping from his lips in sheer surprise. How had he moved so quickly? Luke’s hand rose in front of his eyes and signed, “So, will you go out with me, Rolland?”

“I-I…” Rolland stuttered out, failing epically at getting any kind of actual response through his lips.

“Here, let me help convince you.”

Convince me?

Luke leaned down, and Rolland tensed, feeling a sharp bite against his neck… then everything went black.

“Hm?”

Someone shook Rolland’s arm, making him sit back in his chair with a yawn. When he opened his eyes, he flinched, smiling apologetically up at his calculus teacher. Crud. He had fallen asleep again. The teacher held up his whiteboard with an already-written message scrawled across it in angry handwriting.

“Detention after school today, Rolland. You know better than to fall asleep in my class.”

Rolland frowned and slouched with a sulk. Yeah… He knew better, but he just couldn’t keep his eyes open today for some reason. Heck, most of the weekend felt like a blur. He hardly remembered anything that had happened. When the teacher handed him his board back, he quickly wrote out an apology and showed him.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Randel, I’ll be at detention after school.”

Mr. Randel nodded and turned to walk back to his desk, and Rolland got up, shoving his notebook in his bag before pulling his board back over his head and running out. Thankfully he had lunch this period, because he was seriously starving. He had woken up late and literally just barely caught the bus. Which also meant no breakfast. He strode into the lunchroom and headed for the line. He wasn’t a huge fan of the cooked food there so he grabbed a salad, pudding cup, and a bottle of water. Free lunch was really the only benefit of not having a real home that he could be positive about. When he turned around to find a place to sit, he noticed someone waving at him. It was the girl from the mall, Amanda. She signed for him to come over, making him smile as he began to do just that. Except he stopped abruptly when Bryce turned around in his seat to look at who Amanda was waving at.

Oh… right. They are friends.

Rolland looked down at his feet, then back up to see Amanda signing again.

“Come on, Rolland. Ignore the sourpuss.”

He glanced over to meet Bryce’s gaze, but Bryce just turned back around, ignoring him completely. Well, he figured that meant he was at least allowed to sit down. That, however, was easier said than done. As he began to move again, his feet felt like they had suddenly been tied down with bricks, each step harder to take than the last. When he finally sat down at the only available seat, next to Bryce, he gave Amanda an awkward smile from across the table and started eating his salad. He realized immediately from the dry mouthful he got, that he forgot dressing, but he wasn’t going to trudge all the way back to the counter to get it.

As Rolland ate, the kid to his right got up, dumped his tray, and left the cafeteria, leaving the seat empty for all of two minutes. When he glanced sideways to see who had sat down, his heart sank.

Dartanian.

He had a salad in front of him along with a bottle of water but wasn’t eating any of it. In fact, after he glanced down at him, or, well, glared, he tossed a packet of dressing at Rolland’s tray. Rolland eyed it for a moment, but when Dartanian didn’t take it back, he grabbed it and tried to open the plastic packet… except, he failed. The darn thing just wouldn’t open. Even though he was pulling at the perforated sides. Oh, screw it . With a quiet growl, he bit the corner and started tugging. He was just starting to get the thing open when he felt a finger shove its way into his mouth, specifically under his right canine tooth, and lift up. The movement forced him to open his mouth as it tilted his head back suddenly.

What the heck?

Dart removed his finger after just a second, but Rolland couldn’t help but stare at him in confusion. Why the heck had he shoved his finger in his mouth? He was just beginning to sign that exact question to Dart when he put his left hand on his head and shoved it downward, making him nearly fall out of his seat! Thankfully his left hand caught the edge of the table, but he was seriously getting annoyed.

---

Dart shoved Rolland down so he could lean over and whisper to his brother.

“Someone bit him. Did you notice any marks on him?”

“Yeah, he has two holes beneath the collar of his shirt. They aren’t even healed, so either someone doesn’t know what they’re doing or they want every other vampire to know he was claiming him.”

Bryce sighed, and Dartanian quickly mirrored it.

“What are you guys doing? Let Rolland up!”

They both looked at their annoying friend Amanda and rolled their eyes, but Dart leaned back and let go of the younger kid. He watched Rolland sit up and scowl at him, then turn toward his salad and frown. Oh, right. When Dartanian had startled him, Rolland had dropped the dressing he’d finally managed to open. After a minute, Dartanian tapped Rolland on the shoulder, waiting for him to straighten up and give him his attention before signing.

“What did you do this weekend?”

Rolland gave him an odd look but eventually responded.

“Not much.”

That made Dart narrow his eyes, a slight hint of annoyance showing. He really wasn’t a fan of humans… especially when they were being difficult.

“What did you do?”

The repeated question seemed to bug Rolland, but again, he answered.

“I don’t remember, okay? I was tired.”

Dartanian glanced over at his brother, the two sharing a silent thought before turning back to the conversation going on around them. Amanda reached across the table and poked Rolland, wanting his attention.

“Hey, cutie, did you do anything fun for your birthday Friday?”

---

Fun?

“Not really.”

She frowned and quickly signed back.

“You should come to the party tonight, it’s going be awesome!”

“No.”

“Not a chance.”

When Amanda scowled to his right and left, Rolland followed her eyes, noticing that both twins were scowling back at her. Bryce had his left arm on the table, leaning against it, facing him slightly while Dart held the same position, but was using his right arm.

“Is something wrong?” Rolland asked Amanda.

She smiled and shook her head before replying, “Nah, the twins are just grumpy that they can’t have you to themselves!”

What?

“Do you want to come to the party tonight? It starts around seven.”

Glancing sideways at both twins, Rolland noticed them glaring at him. They don’t want me to go? Just to be sure he knew exactly that, they both signed at him, starting with Bryce.

“You aren’t going.”

“Don’t be stupid, it’s no place for you.”

Who are they to tell me where I can or can’t go? I’m not even their brother. They don’t even want me to be. Grinding his teeth in anger, Rolland turned back to Amanda and quickly signed with a smug grin on his face.

“I’ll be there.”

“Awesome! It’s at forty-seven twenty-three Denten Lane. Just a few blocks from school.”

“Okay, cool.”

Both twins got up as soon as he replied and left the lunchroom. Well, good riddance. They were being rude telling him what he was supposed to do when they didn’t even care about him.

Lunch ended on a comfortable note without the two frustrating brothers looming over him. He fell asleep again in art, which he repeatedly apologized to Ms. West for. Thankfully she was much more forgiving and just told him to get some rest that night. He smiled and thanked her with a hug, then grabbed his stuff and ran to detention. This was his first time being in trouble so he wasn’t too sure what he was expected to do, honestly. When he got there, he found Luke sitting in one of the front desks while a random teacher he didn’t know wrote on the board. He didn’t have much of a memory from his weekend, but he definitely remembered all the attention from Luke and especially the gentle kisses he gave. Rolland’s face heated at those thoughts as he walked over and sat in the desk beside his.

“Hey,” he signed to Luke when the teacher wasn’t looking.

“Hey, Rolland. I’m surprised to see you here, what’d you do?”

“Fell asleep in class.”

Luke grinned as if there was some hidden joke within his bland explanation but then replied, “Ah, that sucks. The calculus guy?”

Rolland nodded, smiling faintly before Luke pointed over to the board.

“Welcome to detention. You are both to write a five page paper on a subject from the class you got in trouble in.”

What! A calculus paper?

Rolland groaned as the teacher wrote something else on the board.

“You are dismissed. This paper is due tomorrow to the class in which you got in trouble. The teachers have already been notified and will be expecting the assignment.”

Grabbing his bag, Rolland got up and stretched. Luke walked over and signed, drawing his attention to him as they walked out.

“I’m going to go home to work on it. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to go to the library down the street. I’ll see you at home later?”

“Sure.”

Before Luke left, he grabbed Rolland’s wrists and tugged him close for a soft kiss, then winked and walked off. With a stupid grin plastered on his face, Rolland headed outside and down the street. The public library was often where he had to go to do assignments since they only had one slow computer at the orphanage. If Luke was using it, Rolland definitely wasn’t going to have enough time to do his assignment, too. Thus, about fifteen minutes later, he was sitting down at one of the library’s computers and pulling out his calculus notes, though he had no idea how he was supposed to write this paper. Either way, grumbling about it wasn’t going to get the thing written. He decided to try to focus and slowly began to get a document typed up.

He didn’t remember how or when he fell asleep, but he was slowly awakened by a vibration near his face as it pulsed through the wooden desk. Blinking open sleepy eyes, Rolland sat up, rubbing his left one as he reached out to take the cell phone on the desk near his closed notebook. I don’t remember closing it… weird.

Looking down at the phone, he flicked the screen on and raised a brow.

Amanda: Hey, Rolland! Where are you?

Huh? How did she know my number? Wait, why was this even here? I don’t have a number. Or a phone!

Rolland nearly dropped the phone in sheer confusion before he whipped his head around, searching the library. There were only two other people besides the librarian, and neither were paying him any attention… and considering their ages, he doubted they knew Amanda. Okay, so where does that leave him? He evidently had a cell phone now…

It buzzed again in his hand, making him jump and toss it in the air. He snatched it right before it could hit the ground, sighing as he checked the new text.

Amanda: Do you need us to come pick you up?

Looking up at the clock on the wall, Rolland winced. Crap, it was already eight o clock and he hadn’t finished his paper . Darn it! Reaching over, he moved the mouse to wake up the computer screen and nearly had a heart attack when it was on the print screen with five pages written.

What the heck!

He knew he hadn’t finished it, but it was done. With a shaky hand, he clicked Print, then went over to the printer as the papers began coming out. Bringing it back to the desk, he sat down and glanced over it. It was really well written and actually made sense. Well, he guessed he’d just take it as a blessing because he knew he wasn’t going to be able to stay up all night redoing it.

After putting all his stuff back in his bag—which he had to safety-pin shut because of Ret and his friends—he picked up the phone again and managed to text Amanda after taking a moment to figure out the keyboard.

Me: Yes, please.

Sure he should decline and just say he was too tired, which he was, but those darn twins had irked him at lunch so he was going, even if just for a short time. Her response was nearly immediate, making him grin as he read the message.

Amanda: Yay! Okay, where are you?

Me: The public library.

Amanda: Ew, okay! Coming, wait outside for us. We’ll be there in a minute.

Me: K

Rolland got up, grabbing his stuff before heading for the door. As he waited outside, he flipped through the phone, finding the contacts page. There were only three numbers… Amanda’s, and two just written as Emergency Use Only. Weird… He kind of wanted to text the numbers just to see who they belonged to, but if for some reason he needed them in an emergency, he didn’t want to have called wolf and lost the opportunity for help. Thus, he let the numbers be for now and shut his phone.

Not five minutes later, a gorgeous silver convertible zoomed around the corner, skidding to a halt in the library parking lot.

Err… do I really want to get in that car?

Amanda stood up from the driver’s seat and waved as two other unhappy sets of eyes landed on him. Of course, she did say we so why was he surprised to see the twins again? Putting on a fake smile, he ran over, tucking his new phone into his jeans pocket before realizing something. There wasn’t a backseat in the car.

“Um…”

Before he could back up, Dartanian opened the passenger side door and grabbed Rolland’s wrist, easily yanking him into the car. He tried to scramble out, but Bryce had him upright in his lap in vise-like arms within seconds. Rolland noticed Amanda laughing beside them before flooring the car, making him scream like a little girl.

The next five minutes were the most terrifying of his life. He would definitely never get into a car with Amanda at the wheel again! Thank god Bryce had a seriously strong hold on him so even when Amanda slammed on the brakes, he didn’t budge more than an inch. He wasn’t sure why, but his neck felt a bit cold, almost as if it was wet, but that was impossible so he quickly brushed that thought aside as Dartanian slid out of the car. He followed after Dart, scrambling to get himself back onto solid ground.

Amanda came up alongside him and slid her arm around his waist, ushering him toward the huge white house in front of them with both twins following behind. Rolland only glanced back at them once because they looked absolutely furious… and he was pretty sure he was the reason why.

Well, the tension was quickly replaced with exhilaration as Amanda rushed him through the house. Several people greeted her by raising red cups or nodding, but she seemed dead set on getting them to the kitchen before she spoke to anyone.

When they finally got there, she shoved a red cup, full of something that looked like it had soda in it, at him, then signed. “It’s beer. It’ll taste bad at first, but once you finish your first cup, it’ll make you feel awesome!”

Beer? He’d heard it was bad to drink and messed with your head, but everyone here was drinking it and they looked fine. With a hesitant smile, he upended the cup, chugging the nasty stuff before finishing with an exhale. When he blinked his eyes back open to see Amanda’s response, he was suddenly surrounded by guys and being patted hard on the back. They looked like they were cheering. Why? Cause I drank a beer?

Suddenly there was another cup in his hand… With a shrug, he drank that one quickly too, crushing the cup when he finished with a triumphant grin. He had no idea where that had come from, but he actually felt pretty good, considering how tired he had been earlier in the day.

“Awesome, Rolland. Come on, let’s go play.” Amanda signed before handing him another cup and tugging him through the house. His vision was getting a bit funny, but he just smiled and sat down where she told him on a concrete lanai by the pool where a bunch of kids sat in a circle, spinning a bottle. There were clothes scattered everywhere, and some of them were half naked while others were still fully clothed, but a good portion of them were laughing from what he could see. Well, if they are laughing, then this game is fun, right?

Amanda grinned and quickly explained the game.

“This is called Strip Spin the Bottle. Basically, when the bottle lands on you, you have to remove an article of clothing. You don’t have to get completely naked if you don’t want to, it’s just for fun.”

Rolland blinked and tilted his head a little, but signed back after a moment, “Okay.”

As the bottle spun, he took a long drink from a new beer he had been handed randomly. It landed on Amanda, and she smirked at him, winking before tugging off her shirt to reveal a light purple lace bra. Err. His face turned bright red, and he quickly looked away, getting a pat from her as she tossed her shirt somewhere behind her, then gave the bottle a good spin.

It landed on two other people one of whom tossed off a pair of shoes, then the other a pair of pants, before finally landing on him. His head was getting really cloudy now, but he just went along with the game, giving a slight laugh as he reached for the hem of the gray sweater he had on and tugged it off. He did what the other kids did and tossed it over his shoulder, getting cheers from around the circle and a hug from Amanda, who was definitely pretty drunk by then… as he probably was, too.

The game continued for another ten minutes before the bottle landed back on Rolland. Okay, um, pants! He thought with a weird giggle. He hopped up and started undoing the button to his jeans, but before he could get the zipper down, there was a rough hand on his elbow, whirling him around dizzily. His blurry vision landed on a very pissed-off looking Dartanian, but when Dart started signing to him, Rolland got pissed.

“You’re going home, now.”

The hell? Who was Dart to tell him where he was going to go? With a sneer, Rolland shoved him, though he didn’t budge.

“Who the hell are you to tell me what to do? And I don’t have a home! Remember?”

Dartanian’s eyes widened a fraction before he bared his teeth and grabbed for Rolland’s elbow again. Rolland yanked his arm away, but when he stepped back, his foot landed on a beer bottle, sending him stumbling backward right as Dart tried to pull him forward. The result had him falling forward with his backward momentum, and he stumbled sideways when his drunken mind tried to right his body and avoid stepping on the other kids, taking them both into the icy pool.

---

Dartanian surfaced holding a freezing Rolland in his left arm. Bryce was over by the pool right away, reaching down to take the soaked kid from his brother so he could climb out.
They rushed past everyone staring in shock and ran upstairs to the first bedroom they could find. After unceremoniously tossing out a couple who had been about to use the bed, Bryce set Rolland down on his feet, holding him up as his brother promptly yanked the kid’s pants and boxers off. There wasn’t much resistance from him since he was shaking like a leaf with his eyes closed.

When the first comforter came around him, Rolland immediately grabbed for it to pull it closer for warmth. Soon two other comforters joined the first, then he was lifted into the bed and a final blanket was added to cover the other three. Not long after, he was drifting off, curled deep within the mound of blankets.

“Fuck,” Dart groaned as he tossed his clothing off and tugged on a pair of black shorts he’d found in the closet before falling into the bed.

“I can’t believe he tried to stand up to you,” Bryce said with amused laughter in his voice.

“Right? I’ve killed plenty of people for disobeying what I’ve told them to do.”

They both glanced sideways at the mound of blankets that was Rolland, then sighed.

“Such a pain,” Bryce noted.

“I’ll second that… but I’m curious.”

“About the vampire feeding on him?”

“Yeah.”

“Probably some novice, unless he’s trying to pick a fight with us.”

Dart stretched as he stared up at the ceiling.

“True… but…”

“It pisses me off.”

“Yeah. We marked him first. Even if the bite wounds disappeared, he still has our scent on him.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh my god! Guys! Is he okay?”

Both twins rolled their eyes and looked toward the door right as the light was flicked on. Dart sat up to glare at the girl, but Amanda just brushed him off, like usual, and walked over to Rolland. She checked his temperature and sighed before turning to the twins.

“Thank god. That water was freezing!”

“Thanks, Amanda, I’m glad you’re so worried about me freezing my ass off, too,” Dart said sarcastically. She just glared, crossing her arms over her still-partially bare chest.

“You’re fine, idiot.”

Dartanian smirked, and Bryce chuckled before they both headed for the door.

“Hey, where are you going?” Amanda shouted at them.

They both turned, raising a brow. “What? You can deal with him. It was your idea to invite him, so you can clean up the mess you made while we enjoy the party.” Bryce waved as he finished speaking and ducked out of the room.

“Have fun, love, we know we will!” Dart cooed before he, too, vanished, leaving a very pissed off Amanda to deal with Rolland.

“You’re both bastards!”

Something More Important Than Yourself

“Guys, are you ready to go home yet?”

Bryce laughed out loud, hanging onto his brother with his left arm, though he was about to hit the floor. Thankfully Dartanian was slightly more sober. Or, well, at least enough so that he could stand up without help.

“Heeey, weee’re good!”

“So good!” Bryce shouted before falling to the floor. It took a lot to get a vampire plastered, and they made sure they drank three times that much. He lifted a foot, then flopped it back down before groaning into the carpet. “I godda peeee.”

Amanda glared at the boys.

“You’re both completely useless. I have no idea why I even hang around with you!”

“Cause we’re hoddd,” Bryce said, laughing as he rolled around on the floor with a disturbing smirk on his drooling face.

“Alright, that’s it. Get Rolland’s butt up out of bed and let’s go!”

Dartanian sauntered over to the bedroom and started searching blindly beneath the blankets with his hands. Aha! A passed-out Rolland was suddenly yanked out from under a comforter and tossed over Dart’s shoulder.

“Les’ go, Bryce.” He walked over to where his brother lay and promptly kicked him, bringing the guy partially back to his senses. After a few stumbles, Bryce finally managed to get to his feet, and the four of them left the bedroom. Amanda had grabbed her shirt from the pool area along with Rolland’s clothing and was still grumbling at the boys under her breath as she walked behind them, then slid into the car as they did the same.

“What’s Rolland’s address?”

The twins looked at each other, then at Rolland’s backside. Wait a second… backside… oh, right. He was still over Dart’s shoulder. Dartanian snickered and sloppily pulled Rolland forward until the kid was in his lap, then wrapped him in a strong hug.

“Dun rememberrr.”

“Well, I can’t have a guy staying over at my house while my parents are there, especially since he’s naked, so he’s all yours.”

Bryce tried to argue, but Amanda was already skidding into their driveway by the time he could come up with a decent argument… and he was still way too drunk to form a completely logical sentence. So, he got out of the car and grabbed Rolland from his brother, tucking him beneath his arm like one would carry a puppy before heading for the door. The sound of wheels peeling out told the twins that Amanda was gone as they stepped inside… but it also woke up their parents.

Of course Dad would send their mom to confront them, too… great. When she walked around the corner, Bryce gulped and nearly dropped Rolland. Now they remembered where they were and that they had the human kid when they shouldn’t. Not to mention they were both obviously drunk.

“What are you two doing with Rolland…?” their mom asked as she looked over at the clock hanging on the wall and growled. Her attention quickly returned to her sons. “At four in the morning?”

Bryce and Dartanian looked at each other, frowning when neither could come up with anything. After a minute, they sighed and shrugged.

“We’re drunk as hell, Mum. He fell in the pool at the pardy an’ it’s four in the morning…” Dartanian quickly added to that. “An’ we didn’t bite him.”

After a tense moment of silence, she walked over and gently took Rolland from her son, then ordered the boys upstairs, but not before dishing out a punishment.

“I don’t know what actually happened, but you both are going to stay home with him tomorrow and make sure his hangover goes away and that he doesn’t get sick from the cold water. You can take him somewhere using the truck only if he asks to go out. Do I make myself clear?”

The brothers grumbled but nodded before vanishing.

---

“Man, how long do humans sleep after drinking?”

“I don’t know, never been human.”

“Dork.”

Something soft was pressed against his cheek, but he was at a total loss as to what it could be. His pillow back at the orphanage felt like a piece of cardboard, but whatever this was felt like the definition of softness. His head felt a bit hot, but he pushed that thought aside.

“I think he’s waking up.”

After a minute, Rolland’s eyes slowly opened. At first he was confused as to where he was, but when Dartanian and Bryce stepped into his line of sight, he flinched and ducked a little farther beneath the warm comforter draped over his body.

Am I back at their house? I can’t remember what happened after I started drinking that disgusting beer last night.

“His face is red…”

When Dart leaned over and reached for Rolland’s face, Rolland quickly ducked his head beneath the blanket. Too bad Dart didn’t care about being gentle and just grabbed Rolland’s exposed hair and yanked before pressing his free hand to his forehead.

“He’s really hot.”

His hand was nice and cool at least. It felt really good.

“Of course he’d get sick after being in that pool for a damned minute.”

Rolland reached out and gently grasped Datanian’s hand with both of his, hoping that the action would show him that Rolland wanted him to keep it pressed against his warm forehead.

“Go get some medicine from downstairs. Mom usually keeps some in the cupboards above the stove in case humans come over.”

Bryce nodded and walked out of the room, only to reappear a minute later with a bottle of cold suppressor. That was fast. He walked over, and after looking at the directions on the bottle, took out a big white pill and handed it to Rolland. Rolland released Dart’s hand to take the thing, but then just looked up at the brothers.

“Why isn’t he taking it?” Dart said to his brother, who responded, looking none-too-happy.

“Tsk, probably wants water. Stupid humans can’t even take pills without help.”

Dartanian made a face, though Rolland wasn’t sure why, then went into the bathroom right outside the bedroom door. A moment later, Rolland had a paper cup of water being shoved into his free hand.

“Thanks,” he croaked out, wincing. His throat felt raw. The dry roughness sent him into a coughing fit, making him spill a little water onto the blanket as his body shook with each cough.

“He sounds like shit.”

“And looks like it.”

When Rolland finally caught his breath, his eyes were watery and his nose burned as he sniffled.

“Okay, screw this. I’m not a nurse. Call Mom and ask if we can just take him to the hospital, or doctor, or whatever.”

Bryce took his phone out and started dialing someone’s number.

“Hey, Mom, Rolland’s sick, can we take him to a doctor?”

“Yeah, he just woke up.”

“Yeah, okay. We will. Thanks. Bye.”

Bryce tucked his phone back into the back pocket of his jeans as he spoke to Dart.

“We’re good to take him, let’s go.”

Rolland was just beginning to sign to them and ask what was going on, but he was suddenly lifted into Dart’s arms and had to use his hands to hold on as Dartanian quickly walked out of the room and toward the stairs.

“He’s definitely got a fever.”

“Stupid frail humans.”

“Right.”

When Rolland realized they were going outside, he fidgeted.

“Wait.”

They both stopped and glanced down at him.

“Clothes.”

Bryce rolled his eyes and grabbed a random sweatshirt and the pair of pants Rolland had been wearing, which had been left on one of the chairs at the dining room table, likely to dry. The sweatshirt was way too big on him, but at least it was warm and he wasn’t naked anymore. Once Rolland had the clothes on, Bryce grabbed an umbrella and they headed out. He held the thing over their heads after Dart had picked Rolland up again to keep his feet dry, though he didn’t seem to really care if he himself got wet. Bryce opened the passenger side door for Rolland, and he quickly climbed in, followed by Dartanian. Once he shook out the umbrella and closed it, Bryce hopped into the driver’s side.

The second the truck turned on, the heater blasted and Rolland relaxed a little, besides a few random coughs that slipped through his parted lips. He thought the heat would be great, but after a minute, it started to get a little too warm. Well, he bit his tongue since it was their truck and they already didn’t like him. Besides, something caught his attention that was much more important as they rounded a corner and Bryce began to accelerate the truck back up to the speed limit.

“Wait! Stop the truck!” Rolland shouted. The brakes were slammed, making the seat belt constrict around his waist painfully, but he ignored that and quickly unbuckled before climbing over Dart to get out. His bare feet splashed into an icy puddle as he landed in a roadside drain and began running. He knew both brothers would catch him in seconds, but thankfully he got to the dog before they did. It was on the sidewalk with one leg extended at an awkward angle… poor thing had been hit by a car. He wasn’t too sure what kind it was, but he did know that it was now the kind that needed help. With a determined grunt, he started trying to lift it, but the dog was weighed down with a soaked coat and seemed like it hadn’t missed many meals. Dartanian was beside him in the next moment, trying to get him to let go of the dog. No way.

“No!” Rolland shouted as Bryce quickly squatted down right in his line of sight and signed. “It’s going to die, just let it be.”

“No.” Rolland repeated as he hugged the dog to his chest.

“Dammit, I don’t want that darn thing in our truck.”

“Mom’s going to kill us if he gets worse from being out here, though. Just take the stupid thing and toss it in the back. We’ll dump it at a vet and just tell them it was a stray and to put it down. Rolland won’t know.”

Right as he tried to lift the dog again, Bryce suddenly grabbed it and easily ran over to his truck, dropping it in the back. Rolland wanted it to be in the cab with the heater, but he’d take what he could get since it was obvious the brothers didn’t want to help it. With a small grin, he ran back to the truck and jumped in with both brothers following seconds later. Then they were off.

On the way to the vet, Rolland began coughing again and his nose was running like crazy, making him sniffle nonstop, but he was determined to deal with it because the dog was in much worse shape. The second they pulled into the parking lot, he shoved his way out again and ran to the back of the truck to pull down the latch. Dartanian was there the second he had finished and slid the dog out before they all ran inside and out of the freezing rain.

“Hey, doc!” Dartanian shouted as he looked around. Rolland had never been to a vet’s office, but it seemed pretty much like a human one, of course with animal products and pictures instead of human ones. An older man with slightly graying hair hurried out from a back door, drawing Rolland’s attention to him. He grabbed the dog and disappeared back into the other area right away, but returned after a few minutes without it.

“Well, that was quite a surprise on a rainy day. We’ve got him hooked up to IVs and piled with blankets. He was definitely hit by a car. Is he yours?”

Rolland noticed both brothers shake their heads then respond to the older man.

“Our friend saw him on the side of the road and made us stop.”

“Ah.”

The vet turned to Rolland, and Rolland quickly stepped forward, holding out the crumpled and dirty twenty dollar bill the kids at the orphanage had given him for his birthday, suddenly glad that he was wearing the same pants from the night before and the brothers hadn’t bothered to give him something clean.

“Is this enough t-to save him?” he asked a bit frantically. He thought tears were now mixing with the trails of frigid water running down his cheeks from his soaked hair, but he didn’t care. “Please? Can you save him?” he tried again since the man didn’t reply. When he did finally start talking, Rolland shook his head, making him look at the twins.

Bryce replied, followed by Dart. “He’s deaf.”

“We know that’s not nearly enough to do anything for it. You can just put it down.”

The man looked back to Rolland and frowned, making him purse his lips and try to blink away tears. He sighed, then glanced at the twins again.

“Normally twenty dollars wouldn’t be anywhere near enough for the time it’s going to take to help him, but since we have no patients scheduled for a while…”

He looked back at Rolland, who hesitantly offered his money again with a shaky hand. The man smiled and took the bill.

“Tell him it’s just enough.”

Both of the twins looked at Rolland abruptly, their faces showing obvious shock. Dartanian was the first to recover as he slowly signed.

“You had just enough money. He will take care of the dog.”

Rolland’s whole body immediately began to shiver uncontrollably as he gave a huge sigh of relief. Now that the dog was in safe hands, he realized just how cold he actually was, and thanks to his stunt, completely soaked.

Dart tapped him on his shoulder and signed right before Bryce picked him up.

“We’re taking you to the doctor now. You can come back and see the dog later if you behave.”

If I behave? I’m not ten, Dart.

Though Rolland guessed it made sense as he probably made his encroaching cold that much worse by running around in a winter rainstorm. He let Bryce carry him back outside and into the truck, where he happily welcomed the heater.

They were at the doctor about fifteen minutes later. Dartanian took Rolland in his arms and quickly walked inside the quiet building. Rainy days were evidently slow for normal doctor’s offices, too. The twins walked up to the receptionist, instantly taking the young girl’s attention and drawing a blush onto her face. They sure knew how to use their charm, even when barely trying.

After signing in, they only had to wait five minutes after Rolland filled out the paperwork and handed it back before they were called back. Thankfully Dart let him walk, but he did insist on holding his hand… Rolland figured it was just in case he fell? When they got into the examination room, Dartanian lifted him up, then set him down on the papered table as the doctor came in, flipping through a few pieces of paper on a clipboard.

At first the doctor smiled at Rolland and began speaking, but the twins quickly stopped him to tell him about his issue. The doctor gave Rolland a sympathetic look before turning his attention to the twins.

“We can sign for him, just talk to us and we’ll translate,” Dartanian said to the doctor, and the man smiled and nodded before looking back at Rolland.

“Hello, Rolland. My name is Doctor Willem.”

“Hi,” Rolland said quietly after reading Bryce’s signing, figuring it would be best to speak with the doctor instead of making the brothers do more work. He gave the doctor a smile and offered his arm when he took out his blood pressure cuff. After the man got that set and started the meter, he spoke again as the machine worked.

“How do you feel right now?”

Dart translated, then Rolland looked back at the doctor to answer.

“Hot, and my nose and throat hurt.”

He chuckled and nodded, writing down what Rolland had said before opening his mouth, signaling for Rolland to mirror him. He did and the man set a thermometer beneath his tongue before he closed his mouth to hold it there. When the doctor took it out a minute later and glanced at the screen, his brows shot up. He wrote down the temperature before setting his clipboard down.

“You have quite the fever, Rolland… and where are your shoes?”

Rolland glanced at the twins as Dart signed the question. Surely they had gotten them from the party last night and just forgotten?

“Um… long story, but we need to go buy him another pair,” Dart decided to answer.

The doctor looked perplexed, but instead of questioning them further, he turned back to Rolland and put the ear buds for his stethoscope in, then gently lifted the damp sweatshirt Rolland was wearing to check his breathing. Rolland knew to breathe in and out, so the doctor didn’t bother telling him as he moved the cold end-piece around.

He coughed after most of the exhales, though he really tried not to. The doctor didn’t seem bothered by it at least. After scribbling a few more things down, he turned to the twins.

“Well, he’s got a fever of one hundred and one, but his lungs sound fine, so thankfully it’s not pneumonia. I’m judging from the smell on him that he was drinking at a party last night. I’d recommend no more of that for a while. He needs bedrest for at least a few days so it doesn’t get worse. I’ll send him home with some medicine and cough suppressant. If he gets worse, please bring him back right away, or if he starts having trouble breathing, take him to the hospital.”

Rolland’s nose tickled, making him sneeze and draw their attention accidentally. The doctor smiled and nodded to the brothers to sign to him. Dart did this time. “You have a good fever, but a few days in bed should take care of it. He’s sending you home with some medicine to help with your cough and to clear your nose.”

“Thank you.”

The doctor nodded before leading us out of the room. Bryce paid as Rolland was picked back up in Dart’s arms and they headed outside. Thankfully the rain had slowed to a drizzle so they weren’t soaked again as they got into the truck. Rolland felt Dart nudge his shoulder once they were back on the road and turned his head so he could watch him sign.

“We’ll go check on the dog tomorrow.”

Tomorrow?

“Aren’t I going back to the orphanage now?” Rolland asked after having to take a moment to cough before he could focus on his hands again.

“Will that woman take care of you?”

Rolland’s expression fell slightly, but he didn’t need to think about that much before replying.

“No. She doesn’t like me.”

He didn’t know why he added that last part, but it seemed to catch Dartanian’s attention because he quickly signed back. “Why?”

Pursing his lips, Rolland shrugged and replied nonchalantly. “Probably because I’m weird.”

“We’re going to take him home for the night.”

“Really? Why not back to the orphanage?”

“‘Cause that woman won’t take care of him and his fever can get worse easily if he doesn’t get the appropriate rest.”

“Fine. Yeah. Those beds, if you could even call them that, were pathetic.”

“No wonder he slept till nearly three today.”

Dartanian looked back down at him after having spoken with his brother for a minute and signed, “You aren’t weird. You’re different.” Rolland laughed a little, but it ended in a cough so he covered his mouth.

“You sound like crap.”

He didn’t know why, but that made him grin, then stick his tongue out at Dart… except when he did it, Dartanian leaned forward with surprising speed and bit it. “Ow!” The tang of blood let him know that Dart had bitten hard enough to draw it, but it didn’t bother Rolland at all. Heck, it almost felt normal, as if they were actual brothers messing with each other… but why is it that his lips were now tingling from the memory of the accidental brush against Dartanian’s?

The Brothers; Grim

---

“He’s been asleep forever. Mom said we could bring him downstairs so we don’t have to sit in his room waiting for him to wake up, but if we move him and he wakes up anyway,” Dart said before they both cringed, remembering the time they had taken care of Amanda when she was sick. Speaking of, she had already come by and returned the kid’s backpack. They all had completely forgotten about it because of the party the prior night. If he had to turn anything in, it would just have to wait until he was feeling better, though. Eventually they decided to bring him downstairs so they could watch TV. Thankfully the move didn’t wake him. Rolland didn’t even stir for over an hour after the brothers had gotten settled on the sofa.

“Hey, I think he’s finally starting to wake up,” Bryce noted as he glanced down at Rolland, who had his head in his brother’s lap. He was completely bored at having to babysit instead of going to school, which was an utter shocker. Something more boring than school? Right here, having to take care of a sick human that sleeps forever.

---

“Hm?”

Nuzzling against the softness he felt on his cheek, Rolland let out a quiet sigh and blinked open his eyes. At first he was confused as to where he was, but when he saw the big TV, he knew he was in the twins’ house. Some random football game was on, but he didn’t care much for the sport so he ignored it. His body ached pretty badly, and he was soon considering just going back to sleep, but then Bryce appeared in front of him on his knees, signing, “Good afternoon, Rolland.”

“Afternoon?” Rolland mumbled sleepily.

Bryce grinned and replied, “Yes, it is almost four o’clock.”

That had Rolland sitting up, or at least trying to. He ended up leaning against Dartanian’s shoulder as his vision swam.

“He still doesn’t look too good.”

“Yeah.”

Rolland felt one of the brothers’ cool hands against his forehead and sighed.

Feels good.

“His fever has gone down a little at least.”

As soon as he felt the hand against his forehead withdraw, Rolland began to cough. He felt a strong pat against his back as another pair of hands gently helped him lean forward, but he just couldn’t stop. The hand patting his back left suddenly but returned a minute later with a cup of warm water. He drank it eagerly, feeling the lemon juice and honey that had been added soothe his throat. He gave a tired sigh of relief when he finished the drink, ridding him of the tickle in his throat. With his cough subdued, Rolland flopped back against the sofa and blinked his eyes back open. Bryce was standing in front of him, and Dartanian was releasing his waist. With a bit of careful shifting, he got onto his back and lifted his hands to sign.

“Thank you, both.”

They both smiled and Bryce replied, “How are you feeling?”

“Hot, but not as bad as before. I think I might fall back asleep soon.”

They glanced at each other, sharing a look that he didn’t understand, then returned their attention to him. “Will you be okay if we go upstairs to shower and change?” Bryce asked.

Rolland’s brows went up slightly, then he snickered. “I can take care of myself, it’s just a little cold. You guys go ahead, take your time.” The twins both chuckled before Bryce headed for the stairs, quickly followed by Dart.

After the football game went to commercials, Rolland hopped up and hobbled into the kitchen. The water had been nice, but he definitely needed something else. Eating wasn’t that high on his list since his stomach was upset from the cold, but maybe some juice or something of that sort would help. With a small smile, he opened the fridge and glanced around. There was a bunch of random food in no real order, but he couldn’t see any kind of drink anywhere except for a gallon of milk. Ew. He began closing the door and immediately noticed a button right above his hand on the handle. Oh. It’s one of those double fridges that had a separate door in the door for storing smaller things. He shut the door and then pressed the button, opening the second part of the refrigerator.

He was expecting to find some juices and perhaps some premade things, but all he saw in the entire second smaller portion of the fridge were weird silver bags that looked like Capri Sun pouches. None of them were even labeled. Well, obviously they were drinks. Maybe the twins ordered their own protein drinks or something of that sort. Either way, he needed something, and food wasn’t going to settle in his stomach right then. So, with a slight shrug of his shoulders, he reached in and grabbed a bag, then shut the fridge before fiddling with the orange straw connected to the outside of the container. It was about twice the size of a normal juice pouch, but that was good because he was still pretty thirsty.

It took a moment to get the straw into the top, but as soon as it slid through, he lifted it to his lips and took a big sip. When he finally stopped drinking to take a breath, then inhaled to taste what kind of juice it was, he promptly dropped to his knees and threw up all over the floor.

Blood!

Rolland didn’t want to believe it . Maybe it’s just bad? But when he looked at the bag he had dropped near his right hand, it was slowly spilling out a thick, dark liquid from the straw that definitely was not juice. His stomach emptied completely in a few moments, leaving him feeling drained as he shakily looked up. The twins were standing motionless near the entrance to the kitchen. Dartanian had a towel around his waist, but Bryce was completely naked. Both, however, had fully dilated eyes and disturbingly calm expressions, especially considering that he had just found out that they drink blood!

When Dartanian stepped forward, Rolland flinched and started crawling backward. Dart stopped right in front of the bag Rolland had spilled and knelt down.

Please don’t pick it up. Please don’t pick it up. Please don’t pick it up!

If Dart didn’t drink from the bag, he might have been able to make himself forget about the blood, just pretend it was something they used for transfusions for one of the twins or maybe their parents. That would make perfect sense. Or at least more sense. But no. Dartanian picked the bag up slowly and took the tip of the straw between his lips. Rolland’s whole body began to shake as he saw Dart steadily swallow what was left in the bag, then stand to walk back to his brother and toss the pouch in the trash. That brought his attention to Bryce, who had gotten his phone from the counter and was now talking with someone.

“Hey, Mom, uh, we have a situation.”

“Yeah… um… he, uh, found the blood in the fridge and kind of… drank a little.”

He glanced toward me, and I flinched, backing into the corner near the sink to be as far away from them as I could get.

“He’s freaking out in the corner of the kitchen.”

He heaved a sigh and pursed his lips.

“We were upstairs, showering.”

“No. Sorry, we didn’t think he would get up and go find our blood in ten minutes!”

Oh god, what if they’re cannibals? That’s the only reason they would drink blood, right? Did they adopt me to drain my blood, then eat my body?

“We can’t mess with his mind the way he is. He’s seriously shaking in the corner like a damned beaten dog, and he has a bad cold.”

“Shouldn’t we just kill him? This is ridiculous.”

Rolland glanced over to the freezer, noticing that it was decently big… Oh man, I could fit in there.

“Alright, we’ll do it and leave him to you when you get home.”

Bryce put the phone back on the counter and turned to talk to his brother. A second later, Dart was gone, returning almost immediately with a strong looking rope… oh god .

“D-Dart?” Rolland stuttered in his quiet voice, hoping that they would explain that they were about to play some weird game with that rope and it wouldn’t involve him being tied up. Both boys looked over at him, their faces nonchalant as they started forward.

“Bryce?” Rolland squeaked frantically. His mind wanted to pretend that this was all a dream brought on by the fever, but the coppery taste in his mouth and the encroaching twins made it all too real. With one last-ditch effort, he jumped up and onto the black granite countertop, trying to get over to the other side where the hallway leading to the front door started, but of course the brothers got to him before he even had the chance to get partially over.

“Stop!” he shouted as he felt strong hands grab his legs and yank, easily throwing him onto the kitchen floor, stunning him from the impact. They grabbed his shoulders and flipped him onto his back as he tried to get his vision to clear. Seconds later, he felt another pair of hands pull his wrists together, flipping him onto his belly at the same time. Then one pair left only to return a moment later to wrap his held wrists tightly with the rope he’d seen in Dartanian’s hands.

“Stop, please! I’m sorry!”

Tears escaped Rolland’s eyes, but he wasn’t paying them any mind. He was much more focused on where he was now being dragged. Bryce had his ankles in his hand and was easily pulling him through the house like one would drag a dirty blanket on the way to drop it off at the laundry room. When they stopped, Rolland thought they might actually untie him, but then Dartanian opened a door and he was quickly met with the musty scent of a basement before Bryce headed down the stairs.

Rolland managed to turn onto his side, but his shoulder knocked on each step and his head hit a few, nearly making him pass out by the time he was finally released on the cold concrete floor in the dark basement. He could faintly see the twins staring down at him through his blurry eyes, but they soon stepped over his sore body and headed back upstairs, shutting the door behind themselves to take the last tiny bit of light from him.

---

“Do you have the syringe and line, Dartanian?”

“Yeah, got ‘em, Mom.”

Bryce flicked on the basement light before being followed downstairs by his dad, twin, and mother. At first they seemed surprised to not find Rolland at the bottom of the stairs where he’d been left, but they easily located him after a few seconds, tucked in the far corner between the dryer and the wall. They could just barely see his toes from where they were by the stairs, but as they walked closer, even those were pulled back in the hope that he wouldn’t be seen. When they stopped near the dryer, Dartanian and Bryce moved to grasp the machine.

“Want us to move it?” Dart asked, looking over at his parents. Their mother glanced over to Rolland, shaking like a leaf in the corner, then back to her sons.

“No, let him have that little bit of comfort.”

The brothers shrugged and stood back as their mother knelt in front of the smaller boy and began putting together the line and syringe. When she finished, she set it down on a small dish towel she had brought down, then signed to Rolland.

“Rolland, sweetie, I need you to talk to me, okay?”

He flinched and whimpered, not moving an inch toward her. That had the woman sighing, but she wasn’t going to just leave him. She couldn’t after what he had found out.

“Please come here, Rolland.”

She waited for a minute, but again, he didn’t move an inch.

“I’m sorry for this.”

Her arm shot forward, hand grabbing his ankle before yanking him out from his hiding place. Rolland instantly started squirming to get free, kicking at her hand as much as he could manage. Unfortunately, the twins were there in a blur, pinning him down on his stomach before he could do much of anything. His right hand was gently grasped in hers as she carefully slid a needle into his wrist. Dartanian quickly handed her some tape he’d left nearby, allowing her to secure the IV. Once done, she nodded for her boys to let Rolland up.

---

Rolland stumbled back into the corner next to the dryer the second he was released. At first he thought they had put the IV in to sedate him, but when he looked down at the line leading to a silver bag on the floor, he noticed that it was taking something out, not putting something in.

“He’s not going to keep that in.”

The twins’ mother was watching him, her face the only one showing any kind of remorse for what they were obviously doing to him.

“I’m sorry, Rolland, but we can’t let you go after what you’ve seen.”

Then they are cannibals.

“Are y-you going to eat m-me?” he asked shakily. He would have preferred to sign, but considering that his hands were tied tightly behind his back, that was impossible. She looked a bit surprised by his question, but then glanced sideways where he had seen the other three sit down and sighed.

“Rolland… we aren’t cannibals.”

He glanced down at the IV line running past his foot to the bag, then raised his gaze to her to emphasize that it looked pretty much like they were cannibals.

“Rolland, we— We are vampires.”

That got a weak chuckle out of him.

“Vampires aren’t real.”

“You saw the truth, Rolland. That first refrigerator was just a fake. We don’t eat any of that stuff, which is why most of it is processed so we don’t have to keep wasting money buying fresh things. The second fridge, the one that you opened, is what we drink.”

Deciding to leave that alone for now, Rolland pursed his lips and coughed a few times before replying, “You’re going to kill me.”

It wasn’t a question. He didn’t feel the need for it to be one, because he was fairly sure he knew the answer. Her gaze fell, telling him what he had figured since he was thrown down to the basement earlier.

“Can’t you just kill me now? Draining my blood is cruel.”

Her head snapped up, and he was surprised to see tears in her eyes. She had no right to cry if she was going to drain his blood slowly until he died.

“We can’t have blood on the floor and this is one of the more painless ways. We can retile the kitchen, but it’s much riskier to bring you back up there, and redoing the concrete down here is too suspicious.”

“Then give me some pills, I’m sure any would work as long as I got enough.”

Her face paled, but he still didn’t feel any kind of sadness for her. She was going to kill him, after all. He saw her husband walk behind her, helping her up as he signed to him with his free hand. “Right… we will go see what we can find.” Rolland gave him a fake smile and let his head thunk against the dryer.

Ow. Stupid headache.

His nose was stuffed up, making him sniffle a few times to try to keep it from running as they started up at the stairs. He couldn’t quite see the door at the top, but he knew they had left it open because the light was a little better. Wait a second… Bryce and Dartanian hadn’t followed them.

“Dartanian? Bryce?” Rolland questioned. He waited for a minute before Dartanian walked into his limited line of sight and sat down. He looked a little tired but besides that, just fine. They sat in silence for another minute before Bryce joined him on the floor. He had a scowl on his face, obviously not very interested in what was going on. That had Rolland smiling a little.

“That first night… you guys were there, weren’t you? That wasn’t a dream?”

They both slowly nodded, though Bryce’s was more of a shrug.

“Does feeding on me make me sleepy?” Rolland asked, curious. Dartanian answered with another nod as Bryce leaned against the wall, staring at something across the room that Rolland couldn’t see.

“Then that kid from the orphanage… that explains what happened that weekend.”

Dart nodded again, even though Rolland hadn’t asked a question.

“He is a vampire.”

“No wonder I kept falling asleep and forgetting things.”

Rolland shook his head, biting his lower lip till he could taste copper again. Their parents would likely be back any second now, so he guessed he had to ask the question he had wanted to since he’d been returned to the orphanage a week ago.

“Can we pretend that we’re brothers again, for just a minute, before I…”

He couldn’t really finish that sentence, but he was pretty sure they knew exactly what he was talking about. They waited again for another minute before Dartanian looked at Bryce, said something, then turned to Rolland with his arms open. Rolland’s heart flip-flopped at the simple gesture. Even with his bad cold, he forced himself to get up and stumble forward until he was in Dart’s strong arms. He knew he should have been afraid, but he had given up that fight. There was nothing he could do about his predicament besides enjoy these last few moments with the boys he had hoped would be his brothers.

Dartanian squeezed him gently before he felt the ropes around his wrists being sliced through. The second they were freed, he wrapped his arms around Dart’s neck and snuggled in as Bryce began to rub his back, his forehead resting against Rolland’s left shoulder.

“Boys?”

Rolland felt Dartanian shift to look behind him and tried to lift his head, but it was quickly pressed back down. Dart’s chest soon began to rumble, letting Rolland know that he was talking to someone… likely his parents.

“He asked us to pretend we were still brothers until you got back.”

Bryce’s forehead left his shoulder, but his hand didn’t stop rubbing against his back.

“Did you find anything that would work?”

---

Both brothers watched their parents shake their heads as they walked down the rest of the stairs, having paused when they saw their sons.

“No, the only thing we have upstairs is a tiny bottle of cold medicine and the few pills the doctor gave him, there’s no way they could cause an overdose.”

The brothers sighed as Dartanian rewrapped his left arm around Rolland.

“We can’t go buy random pills or just leave him down here to drain… it’ll take hours, possibly longer since he’s so stressed,” he mentioned.

Bryce pursed his lips and nodded in agreement before adding, “He might be annoying and a human, but he doesn’t deserve to sit down here and die slowly. Even the people we’ve killed before hardly ever got this treatment. They died fast unless they deserved this.”

Their parents blinked in surprise at their boys. Their sons, who, not even a week ago, would have loved to see the human child drained, now were actually wanting him not to suffer.

“Dartanian? Bryce?”

The boys looked up again, and moments later, Rolland did as well, his eyes watery and partially hidden by Dartanian’s shoulder.

“Do you want us to kill him?”

The brothers looked at each other, then back to their mother with a simultaneous nod.

“That’s not answering me.”

She walked toward them but stopped when Rolland squeaked and began shivering in her son’s arms. He tucked his head again, and Dartanian immediately leaned his head down a little to gently nuzzle against the boy’s hair.

“You wanted to kill him last week… now’s your chance, boys. You could break his neck. He would only feel a little pain,” she said, watching them both carefully. Dartanian swallowed hard and nodded, slowly moving his hands to carefully unwrap Rolland’s from around his neck. He set them down in his lap, then met his curious eyes.

With a faint, sad smile, he began to sign. “I’m going to break your neck, Rolland. It will only hurt for a second, then you’ll sleep.”

Rolland took a shaky breath but then nodded up at him with determination. “Thank you, Dartanian.” Dart nodded and gently ran his hands up along Rolland’s shaky arms and neck, finally coming to rest on either side of his face. He had to give the kid props. Rolland met his eyes and wasn’t crying any longer. He had accepted what was going to happen.

“You’re very brave for a little human.”

Rolland frowned a little, making Dart grin, knowing that he was confused as to what he had just said.

“I’m not telling,” he said again with a small smirk. Taking a deep breath, Dart slowly began to put pressure on Rolland’s cheeks with his fingers, getting ready to do what needed to be done.

---

Feeling Dart’s fingers press against his cheeks made things become more real. He was going to die right now… but for some reason, Rolland just didn’t feel negatively about it. They had a secret they needed to keep, and he had messed up and revealed it. This was all they could do to protect themselves.

With one last look at his former brother, he took a deep breath and blew it out through his mouth, then let his eyes slowly close.

When Dartanian added pressure to the point of it hurting, Rolland knew he was about to do it. So, when Dart suddenly jerked his head forward instead of sideways, Rolland’s eyes flew open in confusion, catching Dartanian leaning in right before he pressed his soft lips against his own.

Turn On The Lights

Scooting his knees close, Rolland carefully wrapped his arms around them and rested his chin between the two. It had been around two or three hours since he was supposed to die, but after Dartanian had kissed him, everyone seemed to just forget about him. Which he guessed was good, but he was pretty sure if they came back down now and tried again, he’d probably pee himself in fear. The whole I accept it thing wasn’t really true. That was just him trying to put on a brave mask right over a very terrified face. He really didn’t want to die, and especially not in the basement of the family he was supposed to have had loving him right then.

Sighing, he shook his head slightly. Why couldn’t I have just drunk the milk?

A faint beam of light had him glancing up toward the stairs a few minutes later. It should be dark outside, and considering they had turned the basement light off when they had gone back upstairs, he had been left with just a tiny hint of moonlight from the small, dirty window on the far wall. If only it had been big enough to actually climb out of.

When Bryce and his mother came down the stairs, he fidgeted, silently wondering where Dartanian was. The two had a few things in their hands, which they set down before Bryce signed to him.

“Come here, Rolland.”

Since his hands were now free, Rolland lifted them and replied in sign language.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this part before. It’s a trap, so I think no would be the best answer.”

Surprisingly, instead of getting annoyed, Bryce actually smirked, his shoulders rising and falling once to show that he had also chuckled a little.

“I’ll drag your butt out of there if you don’t come here, kid.”

Ah right, I remember that part too.

With a quiet grumble, Rolland leaned forward on his hands and knees and crawled out of his tiny sanctuary. Bryce quickly grabbed his hand and got busy unwrapping the IV line. As he worked on getting the bandages off, Rolland glanced over to see Bryce’s mother signing to him.

“Why did you leave that in?”

Since one of his hands wasn’t available, he decided to just speak, though he knew his throat was sore and most likely still scratchy.

“I don’t want to cause trouble.”

Her face fell slightly, but his attention was taken away when he winced, hissing as Bryce slipped the needle from his wrist and set it on a paper towel. He then leaned over and licked at the small bleeding wound a few times and surprisingly, it stopped.

“Wow.”

Rolland guessed he shouldn’t have been surprised, but that was pretty darn cool. Bryce glanced up at him, brows raised as he grinned. Rolland returned it with a small smile before looking back at his mother.

“Rolland, you are to stay down here until we figure out what we are going to do. There will always be someone home, so please don’t try to leave.”

When Bryce finished wrapping his wrist, Rolland signed back. “Yes, ma’am.”

She frowned but hid it quickly as she reached behind herself and brought a plate around, offering it to him. There was a premade half of a sub sandwich on it with turkey. It looked good, but his stomach churned just at the thought of taking a bite.

“I’m not really hungry.”

He glanced down for a moment before returning his gaze to hers. She looked worried, though he wasn’t sure why.

“Why are you offering me food, ma’am? I thought I was going to die.”

She sighed and looked over at her son, then back to Rolland.

“We don’t want to have to do that, especially after what Dartanian did.”

His mind flashed back to that kiss and what had happened afterward. Well, it all happened rather quickly right after. Dartanian shoved him into Bryce, who had barely caught him before he fell to the concrete floor of the basement. Dart and his father were gone when he sat back up and the boy’s mother looked confused but almost hopeful. Then everyone left him alone without a single word as to what had just happened.

Rolland coughed a few times before replying to her, “Okay.”

There wasn’t much else to say. He was trapped down there until they decided what to do with him. Hopefully that didn’t involve their previous intentions, but he couldn’t be too sure of anything after having found out that they were actually vampires.

“I’ll leave this down here in case you get hungry. There’s a cup of water, too.”

Rolland gave her a small fake smile and nodded.

Once they had both left, he crawled back against the dryer and he thought he passed out because the next time he awoke it was from being startled by a vibration through the dryer he was leaning against. When he looked up, the only thing he could see was a pair of glowing red eyes in the darkness. He must have made some sort of sound as he scooted as far against the wall as he could, his braveness level obviously having depleted over time, because the bright eyes moved slightly. His eyes needed a minute to adjust to not having any light, but the pair of bright red ones obviously didn’t. Whoever they belonged to slowly moved up against the wall near him, then knelt down. He could tell the person next to him was moving his arms a little, maybe signing, but he couldn’t see anything except a very faint outline right then.

“I-I can’t see you… Dart?”

The person stopped moving for a moment, then he noticed the eyes begin to get closer. Rolland tried to scoot farther back, but a hand suddenly snagged his ankle and started to pull, hard.

“Hey!”

He felt himself slide on his back several feet before the lights flickered on. The hand was gone, along with whomever had been pulling him, but then Dart, Bryce, and their parents were running down the stairs, looking quite like the species they were. Nice fangs . Rolland was just going to run the hell back to his hiding spot now…

---

Bryce was over by the window in a blur.

“They carved out the window, then tore out enough bricks to get inside. Someone seriously wanted him.”

Dartanian sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“I smell that orphanage.”

“Then it could have been that kid who was feeding on him from before… dammit, we didn’t get any blood on the floor, but he still managed to find him.”

The brothers nodded simultaneously as Bryce stopped next to Dart and the group of four looked at Rolland cowering in the corner. His back was to them, hunched over and shaking. The brothers looked at their parents, wondering what they should do. Obviously Rolland couldn’t stay in the basement anymore, but then they were stuck on where to put him.

“Boys, are you okay with keeping him in one of your rooms tonight? It’s late,” their mother said, sleep still evident in her voice. The brothers looked at each other, then shrugged.

“Sure, whatever.”

“Fine.”

Dartanian walked over to the dryer and knelt down, reaching forward to tap Rolland on the shoulder. The kid flinched but didn’t turn around. Okay… He poked him again, and again, until Rolland finally glanced over at him.

Taking that opportunity, Bryce quickly knelt near his brother and signed, “Someone broke in to try to hurt you. We aren’t sure who yet, but please come here. You can’t stay in the basement tonight.”

---

Rolland weighed his options. Which was basically just one. Even if he said no, they’d just pull him out of his pathetic hiding place anyway. Besides, if that person came back, he’d likely not escape being taken a second time. With a deep breath, he shifted until he was facing the family, then slowly crawled out and right into Dartanian’s arms. He lifted Rolland with ease and pretty soon they were upstairs. He noticed Dart’s mom carrying the meal he still hadn’t eaten as her husband and Bryce followed.

“Why don’t you guys stay in Dartanian’s room for the night? I’m not too sure if he’ll be able to sleep so you can use the TV to keep him calm.”

“Okay, we’ll let you know if anything else happens,” Bryce said, and their parents nodded before their mom tossed the sandwich in the trash and then followed her husband back to their room. Once their parents were out of sight, the twins took Rolland upstairs, but instead of going to one of their rooms or his, they took him to the bathroom. When he was set on his feet, he lifted the toilet seat and started undoing his pants.

He had totally forgotten about how badly he evidently had to pee during all the stress, but his fingers paused on his zipper when he noticed Bryce smirking at him.

“It’s not nice to stare.”

Bryce’s smirk widened as he signed, “I’m not nice.”

Rolland rolled his eyes and turned, giving Bryce his back just enough so that he couldn’t see and he could still aim. Thankfully he didn’t have much to pee, but once he finished, he noticed Dartanian sitting against the tub, arms spread out on the porcelain as a cocky grin danced on his lips. When he saw Rolland look, he winked and signed. “Don’t mind me, just enjoying the view.”

With a deep blush on his cheeks, Rolland quickly yanked up his zipper and turned to Dart, pointing at him with determination.

“You know, even though you’re both vampires and could kill me in a second, I’m not afraid to teach you some manners about peeping!”

Dart’s brows shot up, but he didn’t seem to be bothered by Rolland’s declaration. In fact, he began nonchalantly signing to him, that smug smirk still stuck on his lips.

“Oh, little Rolland? Why don’t you teach me first?”

Rolland stammered, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly as he tried to think of something witty to say in response, but he was pretty sure he just looked like a fish now.

Wait a second… are they making fun of me?

He glared down at Dart before crossing his arms over his chest and jutting out his chin.

“I know what I’ve got is bigger than either of yours!”

Dartanian’s shoulders shook before he pointed behind Rolland. He was just beginning to turn and see what Dart was pointing at, but suddenly there were arms around his waist and a definitely-not-small item nudging against the small of his back through a thin pair of boxers.

“Ah!” Rolland abruptly ducked out of the set of arms and jumped into the shower, having not realized that Dartanian had started it while he was peeing. Darn you, ocean print curtain that isn’t see-through! No wonder he was smirking so much.

Well, now he was soaked and standing in a hot shower. The twins were obviously waiting for him to jump out like a wet rat, but he figured he might as well just take a shower since he was there. He grabbed the bottom hem of his shirt and tugged it off, peeking around the curtain before he chucked it at Bryce’s back. He quickly ducked back behind the curtain, snickering to himself only to be grabbed around the neck and pulled back against a firm, muscular chest. His hands shot up to scratch at the arm around his throat, but pretty soon he had a much bigger problem to worry about.

“Hey! Nooo nuggie.”

To make matters worse, he felt fingers begin to tickle along his ribs, making him kick out, but of course, not hit anyone. He did, however, smack his foot against the soap holder twice and the wall a good few times.

“You’re both evil bastards!”

Both the tickling and nuggie stopped immediately, allowing him to finally start catching his breath. Dartanian leaned over his shoulder a little and lifted his chin with a finger as Bryce signed from in front of him.

“That’s what brothers are supposed to be.”

Rolland’s eyes went wide at Bryce’s comment, and his jaw would have likely dropped if Dart wasn’t still holding his chin.

“Also… we tend to get jealous when our twin doesn’t share.”

Share?

He was just getting his hands up to sign when Bryce reached forward, taking them both in his before he leaned in and pressed his lips against Rolland’s. His mind steamed-up just like the bathroom so he didn’t even notice when Bryce backed away and grabbed a bottle of shampoo and squirted a little in his hand, then grabbed the other bottle and added the same amount. Once the soap was mixed between his hands, Dart nudged Rolland out of the spray of water and Bryce attacked his head with the mixture of their amazing smelling shampoos. He was also pretty sure Bryce was using claws, but they felt literally amazing so he wasn’t against it.

As Bryce went at his hair, he felt Dartanian slowly skimming his hands down his wet skin, stopping at the side of his jeans before he promptly yanked them down. Rolland was going to tell Dart to leave his boxers on since both of them still had theirs, but when he moved his hands away he figured he understood. Thank god.

Dart’s hands left his body, letting him focus completely on Bryce’s nails against his scalp. A moment later, a washcloth was running along his belly. He was nudged back under the water and his hair was rinsed before he was moved right back out. As Bryce got busy working a good handful of conditioner into his hair, Rolland felt Dart’s hands return, this time with two washcloths. He scrubbed him to the bone, making Rolland feel cleaner than he ever had.

Dart started slipping one soapy cloth between the waistband of his boxers after a minute, but Rolland quickly grabbed his fingers and tugged them out. He felt him chuckle against his back a little before he pushed one of the clothes into his hand, then pressed his hand against his abdomen. Rolland slipped it into his boxers and cleaned what he hadn’t gotten to, glad that Dartanian had let him do it himself instead of fighting him on it.

When he was put back beneath the water, Rolland swayed a little, letting the conditioner and soap be washed away before Dart reached behind him and shut the water off. Rolland turned and tugged the shower curtain aside so he could step out, but arms came around his waist, hoisting him up before his boxers were pulled down.

“Hey!”

“Oh hush you.” He saw Dart talking and scowled as he tried to kick him. Dart caught his foot easily— Stupid fast vampires. But then grabbed a towel and wrapped it around Rolland’s waist.

“Uh, thanks,” he mumbled.

Dart winked and signed. “I knew I was bigger.”

“I-It’s not the size, it’s the motion!”

Dartanian glanced over Rolland’s shoulder at his brother, who Rolland knew was laughing because his chest was shaking against his back.

“You keep telling yourself that,” Dart signed while snickering. Rolland was about to reply when Bryce set him on his feet on the tile, then grabbed a towel and speed-dried him using his powers. Show off. Both brothers dried off as he stomped past them, heading for his room. It seemed he was sleeping upstairs tonight from what their mother had said, so at least he’d get to have a real bed, if only for the night.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Giving a quiet gasp, Rolland jumped back, his doorway suddenly blocked by a slightly damp Dartanian.

“To bed?”

Dart’s lips curved into a cocky grin, making Rolland’s eyes narrow.

“Guess what?”

Rolland took a step back, feeling a firm, damp chest against his shoulders. _Of course.Deja vu much? _

”…What?”

Bryce’s hands gently held either side of his waist as his brother signed.

“You get to spend the whole night with your amazing big brothers.”

Rolland’s face paled and he swallowed, hard.

“Is it too late to go back to the basement?”

Play With Us, Little Human.

“The basement? No no…that would be so rude of us,” Dartanian signed back. His disturbing grin told Rolland he could have cared less about rudeness, but he wasn’t going to argue with a vampire. Learned that lesson fast.

“Okay.”

Bryce moved his hands to Rolland’s shoulders and turned him toward their rooms, then nudged gently to get him walking. When they got between both rooms, he was turned toward Dartanian’s. He hadn’t been in that bedroom yet, or really looked in it at all, but as he was lead inside, he could see that the twins had pretty similar tastes. There were a few slight differences, though. Dart had a dark red bedspread and pillows while Bryce had dark blue. He also had a small flat-screen television and a laptop instead of a desktop computer. Judging from the look of the dust atop the computer, he didn’t use it very often. For a teenage boy, his walls were surprisingly bare, the only thing present was hanging above where his laptop sat plugged into the wall… a plain black clock. Err, it was ten already.

At first, Rolland thought he needed to get to bed right away, but even after being sick and not eating, he definitely wasn’t very interested in sleeping in the same bed as either brother. They would probably try something like they had the first night he’d been there. Which reminded him of Luke… I wonder if it could have been him downstairs. He shook his head, feeling it begin to get heavy with overthinking like it often did when he wasn’t feeling that well. Guess he was a bit more tired than he had originally thought. Glancing at the bed, he nibbled at his lower lip for a moment, then decided he might as well.

He was just about to climb into Dart’s bed when he realized he was still only wearing a small damp towel.

That definitely needs fixing before sleep.

Turning, he brought his hands up to sign when he noticed both brothers standing a few feet away, each holding a pair of boxers with cocky smirks on their faces. When Rolland looked from one to the other, they raised their brows, silently asking him to pick? Weird, but whatever…

He reached out and grabbed a pair of dark red checkered ones and slid them on beneath the towel, then unwrapped the damp towel from his waist.

“Where do you want me to put this?” he asked, holding the towel in his hands.

Instead of answering his question, Bryce lifted his hands and signed, “Get in bed, Rolland.”

Oh well, I’ll just put it on the dresser . Turning to do just that, Rolland jerked back a step, surprised to see Dartanian standing between the dresser and himself. His hands came up slowly, signing the exact same thing his brother had.

“Get in bed, Rolland.”

Okay…

Rolland hesitantly let the towel slip through his fingers before turning partially to the bed and climbing in. He made sure to keep both brothers in his sight as he scooted backward slowly. They were both deathly still, but he wasn’t going to take his gaze off of them after they had been acting so weird. That was until he noticed something flit across the balcony out of the corner of his eye. The one slight glance he let slip, he immediately regretted.

Bryce was over the top of him before he could even look back at either of them. Rolland had been resting his weight partially on his elbows and they quickly dropped from shock, making him flop down on Dartanian’s soft comforter.

“B-Bryce?”

He slowly began to lean toward Rolland with a smile that no longer hid his fangs. Oh crap! I can’t afford to lose any more blood right now. With a mute whimper, Rolland shoved himself backward toward the head of the bed but was suddenly yanked up against a hard chest where he could have sworn the pillows had been.

“Dart?”

Looking over his shoulder, he gasped and shivered as his mouth was abruptly silenced by Dartanian’s. His heartrate shot through the roof but stumbled abruptly when he felt Bryce’s hand press against his chest right before his lips replaced it. __ Strong fingers then began grasping at his sides making him squirm as the sensitive skin was slowly massaged by Bryce’s thumbs.

“B-Bryce! Sto—!”

Dart grabbed his chin and forced his lips back onto Rolland’s. His arms were still free, but they did nothing to remove Bryce’s hands from where they now rested on his thighs or get Dartanian to stop kissing him. Thankfully Bryce withdrew his attention after another minute and Rolland quickly tried to turn and hide his embarrassment as Dart did the same as his brother. When Rolland looked back up to try to find them, he saw a big red comforter being thrown over him and yelped.

---

They knew it was only a matter of time before the cocky bastard reacted. Too bad, they had been having fun with their little human. The lock had been broken off the double doors to the balcony by a rather angry looking Luke, but that had been the plan. The two brothers knew the smaller vampire was surprisingly faster, but they had the upper hand once he entered their territory.

With a loud snarl, Dartanian and Bryce both vanished as Luke ran for the bed to retrieve his human. Well, he picked the wrong one to claim.

Dart blurred behind him, grabbing his arms in a vise-like grip while Bryce caught his throat and squeezed playfully, only breaking the windpipe a little.

“You’re here for something that doesn’t belong to you,” Dart hissed.

“I claimed him first! There was no mark on him so he’s mine!”

Bryce tilted his head slowly, then bared his fangs in a friendly smile.

“I don’t think you understand. Rolland belongs to us. There is no claiming or anything of that sort. He’s mine,” Bryce said in a no-nonsense tone as his brother followed up with, “And mine.”

“And you’re,” Bryce continued.

“Just going to have to deal with that.” Dartanian finished.

Luke struggled in their grasp, but both brothers were able to hold him with the addition of a little effort. “Cold day in hell!” Luke shouted when he realized he couldn’t get free.

“Ah, well, you have good timing then. You’re now in your own personal hell, and hm, it’s nice and cold outside!” Bryce said. He humbly intended to slip his fingers straight through the annoying vampire’s chest, but right before his claws began to pierce Luke’s skin, he vanished.

Bryce clenched his fist, pressing the small amount of blood from the cuts he’d given Luke against his palm. “Of course he teleports. Pathetic skill for cowards.” He growled under his breath, frustrated that they were going to have to watch for him now.

“Whatever. He might be able to teleport, but he sure as hell couldn’t fight,” Dartanian added with a roll of his eyes.

“True.”

---

Finally fighting his way out from under the blanket, Rolland glared at the twins standing over by the open balcony doors. They both turned to look at him with raised brows.

“Uh, why are the doors open?” he asked in confusion. They had wanted him in bed so badly, then just messed with him. Now they want to get some fresh air?

The brothers looked at each other, then glanced back at him before Bryce signed, “Fresh air.”

Rolland’s face deadpanned, but Bryce just sauntered toward him as Dart grabbed a broom and nonchalantly swept a bit of dirt out onto the balcony.

“Should we tell him that we just tried to kill his friendly orphan bloodsucker?”

“Nah, that might make him start crying,” Bryce finished their short conversation, then made a face. Rolling his eyes, Rolland gave a big yawn, then looked back over toward the balcony. Dart had finished sweeping out the dirt and shut the doors, and Bryce was now standing nearly right in front of him.

Oh, wait. They were just being super perverted messing with me. Maybe I should have taken the time I’d used to question them and tried to go to another room.

Rolland shifted aside a little as Bryce fell into bed on his stomach abruptly.

Huh?

Since he knew he couldn’t run from the brothers, he figured he might as well try to relax a little. So, with a slight grin, Rolland growled and pounced on Bryce. He thought he might be spooked or at least a tiny bit surprised, but when he looked up and met his eyes, Bryce just rolled them and signed with one hand over his shoulder.

“The hell are you doing, Rolland?”

Rolland pursed his lips and rested his chin against Bryce’s smooth back as he replied verbally. “Wrestling with my big brother.”

Bryce’s body blurred out from under him, causing his own to flip a few times before it was pinned down. Bryce’s eyes glowed a faint red as he leaned over Rolland, one hand easily holding both of his against the soft blankets above his head before he signed with a smirk.

“You want to play with two monsters that are superior to you in every way?”

Well, when you put it that way.

“Yeah… ‘cause you’re my brothers. Or at least I can pretend you are for as long as I’m still alive.”

Rolland felt the bed dip to his left and glanced over to see Dartanian crawling on his hand and knees toward them.

“What’s he talking about, Bry?”

“I asked him if he wanted to play with monsters that could basically beat him in everything, and you heard his response.”

“Man, this kid is so weird.”

“Absolutely, but…”

Rolland watched as Bryce moved off of him with a challenging grin on his face. When he didn’t move, Bryce signed. “Well? You said you were going to wrestle…or is this the kind where Dart and I do all the work and you just enjoy the pleasure?”

He winked, and Rolland’s face burned as he quickly got himself up and tackled Bryce. He completely expected to hit a figurative brick wall , but as he crashed into his chest, Bryce actually fell back. Rolland might have giggled from sheer surprise, but whatever. Bryce was actually playing with him!

He was just getting ready to back off when Dart grabbed him around the waist and tossed him to the head of his bed. Rolland bounced on the pillows but quickly recovered to charge at Dart. He fell over with the impact too, but instead of just lying there in surrender, he grabbed Rolland’s arms and flipped him over. His normally insane strength was nearly gone right then, letting Rolland push him off and then meet Bryce in a full-on tackle as he saw him coming.

They collided, and Rolland grunted as he wrapped his arms around Bryce’s shoulders and tried to push him down. He was just about to get him onto his side when Rolland felt Dart pull his feet back, effectively making him flop to his stomach and give Bryce the chance to pin him. Darn!

“Cheaters,” Rolland growled quietly as he scrambled back up. Instead of ashamed faces when he looked at the brothers, he saw them both smirking, and Dart even had his tongue sticking out.

The next hour was full of him trying to knock over the brothers as much as he could while they put up with it and tossed him around a good billion times. He even got the blankets involved, trying to trap them beneath them but never quite succeeding. He was pretty sure he was annoying them to no end, but by the time he was finally passing out, he couldn’t have been happier.

---

“He’s falling asleep in my lap with a stupid smile on his face, somehow still not caring that he will be dead very soon.” Bryce slowly ran his fingers through Rolland’s damp hair as he spoke, calm gaze watching the boy sleep peacefully, lying on his likely soon-to-be murderer.

“He’s definitely not what I expected when I saw that little kid looking clueless in the hall over a week ago,” Dart added. Bryce gave a short laugh and nodded as his fingers gently trailed down Rolland’s cheek, his thumb resting against the boy’s lips.

“I know he’s still afraid of what tomorrow is going to bring or if he’ll get a tomorrow when he wakes up each morning…” Bryce whispered quietly.

“But he still wants us as brothers,” Dartanian finished.

Bryce smirked and shook his head. “Seems so… I haven’t played like that since we were five.”

“Hell, I’ve never played like that. I hated wrestling with you and Dad. It seemed like a complete waste of time.”

“You still think that, Bry.”

“I do.”

Bryce’s hand slowly moved down to grasp Roland’s chin and tilt it up slightly as he leaned down. Dartanian moved in from where he sat, pressing his lips to the left side of Rolland’s as his twin took the right.

Bryce leaned back after a moment and carefully got Rolland beneath the comforter before he and Dart laid down on either side of him. He turned away from the kid but made sure that his back was lightly touching his arm, while Dartanian wrapped his arm around Rolland’s waist and nuzzled against him comfortably.

“Good night, Bryce.”

“Night, Dart.”

“Good night…”

“Night…”

“Rolland,” the twins said in unison.

Memories

---

A faint hint of light peeking in through the balcony doors brought Rolland out of his doze. He had been kind of awake for a bit, but being between the twins in a super comfy bed without any negatives was too good to end until it absolutely had to. Well, he really had to pee, so he supposed that was the had to.

He quickly slid out of the twins’ bed and ran quietly to the bathroom at the far end of the hall. A content sigh slipped from his lips as he went, then washed his hands. Before he got back to Dart’s room, though, he noticed the brothers’ parents coming up the stairs, then stop between Dart’s room and the bathroom. He definitely hadn’t forgotten what had happened yesterday, and quite frankly, he didn’t want to be anywhere near their parents at the moment. Thankfully, they only gave him a small smile and wave before leaning in and knocking on Dart’s door to wake them both up.

“Boys, we’ve decided on what to do. We spoke with one of the elders on the phone about the situation, and he agreed it’s for the best, and the only way to really keep Rolland alive.”

Dartanian and Bryce came stumbling out of their room as their mother spoke. Both still looked half asleep, but when they saw Rolland, their eyes bugged out and they began to walk over, but were grabbed by their parents and turned around as their mother spoke again.

“We have to erase his memory, and yes, I know it’s dangerous after you two have already done it multiple times and he’s still sick. That’s our only out, though, without killing him.”

Dart sighed and turned, walking over before gently taking Rolland’s hand and tugging him down the hall. When they stopped near his parents, Rolland hesitantly sidestepped, hiding behind Dart slightly. He then glanced over at Bryce, but his expression gave away nothing, as usual, so he changed his attention to their parents’ right as their mom began to sign.

“Rolland, we’ve decided what to do, and I’m very glad to say that you won’t be killed.”

I suppose that’s good, but then what does she have planned for me?

When he didn’t reply, she continued. __

“We’re going to wipe your memory. We can’t just do short-term considering we think it’s best that we are erased from it entirely and it has been over a week since we met you. We’ll try to be careful and you should still be able to communicate and possibly remember some schooling, but we definitely won’t be there.”

Rolland wasn’t a fan of losing most of his memories, but if it saved his life, there wasn’t really much of an argument to pose. So he took a deep breath and gave a small shrug. There was no fake smile, but he was sure they knew he appreciated getting to at least live. His gaze cut to the side, then down as Bryce walked in front of him and knelt, then signed.

“Who would you like to do it, Rolland? It requires that one of us bite you. Our parents are probably better at it, but I’m fairly good as well.”

Rolland looked at Dartanian, but he frowned and shook his head before his attention returned to Bryce.

“He’s only good at short term. It would be too risky to let him try this.”

So his best chances were with their mother or father, but as he looked at them, he just couldn’t find it in himself to let them close enough to bite him. Instead of walking over to them, Rolland waited for Bryce to stand back up, then wrapped his arms around his chest.

“We’ve got him. I’ll make sure Bryce is careful,” Dart said as Bryce wrapped his arms around Rolland for a reassuring hug before he let go and he and Dart led Rolland back into Dartanian’s room. The door was shut. Rolland felt both brothers’ gazes on him as he carefully climbed into the bed, then turned so that he sat with his legs hanging over the edge. They just stared at each other for several long moments before Bryce finally slowly stepped forward, climbing onto the bed and crawling over to lean against the headboard. Rolland watched until Bryce patted his leg, telling him that he was expected to go to him so that they could start, but he couldn’t get his body to move. Doubt settled like a brick in his stomach, followed by worry and fear. __

I don’t want to forget.

The idea to run sparked into his mind again, but before he could even talk himself out of bothering, he was lifted into Dartanian’s arms and carried around the side of the bed, then set down next to Bryce. His body began to shake as he felt the bed dip beside him as Dart got in. Rolland thought they would just hold him still and bite, but when Dartanian gently pulled him into his lap for a strong hug, Rolland melted against him, feeling tears he hadn’t known were building run down his cheeks. He felt Dart’s face nuzzle against his hair and sighed when his chest vibrated with speech.

“I’m sorry, Rolland. We’re from two different worlds. You’re really brave, though, definitely caught us off-guard. You were thrown to two lions, and you’re still here.” He laughed lightly and very gently undid Rolland’s arms from around his neck, where he’d wrapped them when he’d pulled him into the hug.

Soon Rolland found himself in Bryce’s lap, in another hug, though it wasn’t as strong. He still felt his emotions through it, though, and thanked Bryce by returning the gesture. “Such an odd little human, to have tamed two killers.” Rolland felt Bryce’s chest rumble with words and smiled.

I bet they’re making fun of me. It didn’t matter, though. He was happy and he would be allowed to live. He would have to go back to the orphanage, but at least he might get adopted again. The thought that another family of vampires might take him had a quiet chuckle leaving his lips, but then he realized something and quickly leaned back so that he could sign.

“What about Luke?”

The brothers looked at each other in slight surprise. “We hadn’t thought about that. He’ll be going right back into that idiots reach,” Bryce said to his brother, who hastily replied, looking frustrated.

“Yeah, and we can’t just walk in there and try to kill him.”

They both appeared to think for a moment before looking at Rolland. “We’ll get him adopted, somehow… but he can’t stay in this town.” Bryce nodded as Dartanian began to sign.

“We will take care of him if he becomes an issue.”

Rolland wanted to reply, but Dart pressed his fingers against his lips with a reassuring smile as Bryce leaned over and Rolland closed his mouth. He thought Bryce would bite right away, but he began to lap at his neck gently instead, making an odd tingling sensation start up. When he glanced at Dartanian for an explanation, he was already signing. “Numbing you. This takes a while, and he doesn’t want it to hurt.” That gave him a little relief at least. It hurting had been the least of his worries, but he was glad it wasn’t going to either way.

When the entire right side of his neck was numb, Rolland rested his left cheek against Bryce’s shoulder and sighed, closing his eyes. He felt the bite, though it wasn’t really painful. He was much more focused on Bryce’s strong arms wrapped around him, and Dartanian’s fingers as he began to sift them through his hair. He felt his mind begin to cloud over as Bryce pulled him under. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep were the faint scents of almonds and rain.

Who Am I?

“Has anything changed with him?”

“Not much, Doctor. He seems to be more stable today, but there’s no sign of him waking up or a change in brain activity.”

He felt something cold press against his chest. It moved around a few times, then disappeared. His head throbbed from a headache he’d felt since earlier in the day, but no matter how much he tried, he just couldn’t get his eyes to open or his body to move.

“He was severely anemic when he came in so it’s good that his body is accepting the transfusions. I just wish we had a darn name on him so we could find his parents. I have no idea how they couldn’t be looking for him.”

Someone grabbed his wrist and turned it over, removing something that felt like a needle before wiping it down with something wet and rewrapping it in some type of bandage.

“He should have enough blood now to be out of the woods. Please let me know if anything changes.”

“I will.”

His mind began to grow dark again even as he tried to force his eyes open. Eventually he just let it take him away back into sleep, too tired to fight.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been out, but when he was finally able to break free of the sleep weighing his mind down, he managed to open his eyes. It wasn’t much and they were really blurry, but he did notice something move quickly around where he was lying and hit something on the wall by the door.

“Doctor Oren to room twelve please.”

A light turned on above the door, and not a moment later, a man rushed in with a clipboard in his hand and a pen between his teeth. He quickly grabbed the pen and shoved it in one of the big pockets on his white coat, then began firing questions at him as the woman, who he could now see somewhat-clearly, removed a plastic mask from over his mouth and nose.

“Hello, welcome back. How are you feeling? What’s your name?”

He blinked and tried to move his hands, but they wouldn’t obey. The doctor tried a few more questions, then figured out he wasn’t getting a verbal answer and grabbed a piece of paper. A minute later, he was holding it up so that he could see what he’d written on it. __

“Blink once if yes. Twice if no. Understand?”

He blinked once, slowly, and the doctor smiled. “Alright, good.” He set the paper down on a small table that wheeled around, likely to hold food trays or shot syringes, and began to write. When he lifted it back up, he read what he had written.

“Do you remember what happened?”

He blinked twice, and the doctor frowned, then wrote something else and held it up.

“Are you over eighteen?”

He had to think for a moment about that, but then blinked twice. When the doctor went back to writing, he tried to flex his fingers. It took a minute to get a response, but it was a huge relief when he finally did. The doctor holding up another message stole his focus for a moment, and he narrowed his eyes on the words as he tried to read them clearly. __

“You were found in the local park with your throat slit. Do you have any idea who could have wanted to hurt you?”

He blinked twice, his stomach quickly twisting into knots at what the doctor had written. I was found in a park? He could barely remember anything, not his school, his family, his name. He had a feeling it started with an S or an R, but he just couldn’t put his finger on what it was. He was beginning to freak out when the paper was put in front of him again, forcing him to look at it. __

“Calm down. You’re panicking. It’ll be okay. You’re safe now. I promise.”

When he began to take deep breaths, the doctor moved the paper and wrote something else before showing him.

“My name is Doctor Oren, and my nurse is Patricia. I have to go help a few other people, but if you need anything, please let Patricia help you. Remember, stay calm and relax. You’re going to be just fine.”

He left after handing his nurse the paper and pen. She sat down next to his bed and began writing. Throughout the hour that he was able to stay awake, she tried to get as much information about him as possible, but he couldn’t give what he didn’t know. In the end, she told him that he probably had amnesia from the trauma he had suffered and left it at that with a smile. He wasn’t really sure how she could smile about what had happened, but as he drifted off back to sleep, he pushed the thought aside so he could rest more.

---

Dart shifted slowly in his bed, stretching out with a good fanged yawn. He was about to snuggle back in to sleep more when his outstretched hand brushed against smooth, cool skin. His eyes snapped open, readying his body to attack, but when the blurry image of his brother cleared in his eyes, Dart relaxed back into his blanket and sighed.

“Bryce, what the hell are you doing here?”

Not that he minded, but he had no idea why his brother was in his bed when he had a perfectly good one across the hall. They never slept together, the previous night having been their first time and, he thought, their last. The night before flashed through his mind, making his chest feel weird.

Rolland.

“Why are you staring at me?”

Dart blinked, his gaze meeting Bryce’s now opened eyes.

“Um, what are you doing in my bed? It’s six in the morning.”

Normally he’d be annoyed about his brother invading his personal space, one of the few places he could actually just relax by himself, but for some reason, he just wasn’t feeling very confrontational.

“I don’t know.”

Dart’s eyes narrowed at his brother, obviously not believing him.

“You’re lying through your teeth, bro.”

“Shut up.”

A smirk tugged at his lips as he rolled over, nudging his brother’s chest with his back. Bryce grumbled and shoved him back over, but Dart just rolled again, this time pushing his brother onto his back with a chuckle.

“What the hell are you doing?” Bryce growled as he shoved Dartanian backward, making him grunt a bit as he flopped down onto his back. Dart figured Bryce would just continue to pout and not answer his question, but suddenly he was tossed himself into the pillows, then nearly bounced off the bed when thrown again.

“What are you doing, dammit?”

Deciding against verbally answering for a second time, Bryce lunged again. This time, however, Dart blurred out of his way, then returned to tackle him right off the bed. Both boys grunted as they hit the carpeted floor, but that didn’t faze them in the least. Dart was up first, but Bryce was quick to follow. They fought for dominance on the floor and bed, snarling as they wrestled for a good thirty minutes. By the time they had run themselves ragged, both boys were panting on their backs, splayed along the carpet.

“What the hell did we just do that for?” Bryce asked with a quiet grumble. Dartanian laughed at his brother’s dull monotone. It was a good question, though. Bryce hated wrestling, as he had stated many times in the past, yet they had just grappled like freaking animals trying to win the rights to breed a female!

With a roll of his eyes, Dart sighed out a breath. “Dunno, felt good, though.” Bryce just huffed in response. A knock on the front door had both boys sitting up, then looking at each other with hesitant expressions.

“Amanda.”

“Of course.”

“Wanna guess who she’s gonna ask about?”

Dartanian hunched his shoulders, fingers playing with themselves in his lap.

“Someone who doesn’t exist anymore.”

The room was suddenly too uncomfortable to stay where they were and that darn knocking… Giving a fake smile, Dart got up and headed downstairs, his brother quickly following behind him. Without bothering to put on clothes, they yanked the door open and smirked at Amanda’s bright red blush.

“What? Never seen models in their boxers before?” Dart teased. After pulling herself together, she matched their smirks with an impressive one of her own.

“Right, keep telling yourselves that… while I take pictures and hang them on my wall tonight.”

Dart snickered and stepped back, letting Amanda walk in before shutting the door behind her.

“So, what’s up?” he asked casually. Amanda turned around to face them the second the door clicked shut, her face anything but casual. “Alright, boys, I went by the orphanage after a very bad GPS drive halfway to the next town, but the lady said Rolland hasn’t come home in several days.”

Bryce shrugged, giving a worried expression that was only partially fake. “Sorry, we don’t know where he is.”

Amanda looked from twin to twin, pursing her lips before giving a tired sigh. “Alright, but if you see him, can you tell him I’d like to know he’s okay?”

“Yeah,” Bryce said, making Amanda smile slightly and nod.

She then walked back to the door before glancing over her shoulder. “Alright, thank you, guys. I assume you won’t be in class again today?”

Dartanian reached around and opened the door for her as he answered. “No, we won’t. We have some family issues to deal with still. Will you take notes for us again and just email them?”

Amanda rolled her eyes but agreed, “You boys owe me a ton.”

“Alright, we’ll get you a ton of something,” Bryce noted with a cocky smirk as Dart winked and Amanda flipped them off as she headed out to her car. Once Bryce shoved the door shut behind her, he pressed his forehead to the worn wood and glanced sideways at his brother.

“I feel like shit.”

“Absolute.”

“One ton?”

“Give or take.”

“Road trip?”

”…Dammit.”

---

He had spent his night staring up at the ceiling, unsure of what to do. Well, there wasn’t much to do , so he guessed this was it. The faint light struggling through the dark curtains to his right danced on the motes of dust swimming through the air.

Morning then.

Catching motion in his peripheral vision, he glanced over to see the door swing open and Dr. Oren walk in.

“Good morning, Sir,” he said, making the man pause midreach for the sheets pulled up to his chin, likely wanting to check his heartbeat again.

“You can talk now?” the doctor said something, hope on his face that he would likely be able to remember things now. Time to disappoint.

__ “I can’t hear you, and I’m sorry, I can’t remember anything.”

The doctor’s expression fell, but he soon picked it back up with a big smile as he wrote on a new sheet of paper, forgetting about checking his vitals for the moment. When he lifted the sheet again, he felt his heart speed up. __

“Since you’re doing so well now, we can’t keep you here much longer. So, we’ve contacted the local orphanage and found a family willing to foster and possibly adopt if we can’t find your family. We’ve also sent your information out to everyone, along with a photo, but no luck yet.”

The thought of not having a family looking for him, worried about where he was, hurt, but the doctor was right. He couldn’t just stay in the hospital when he didn’t need to. So, with a small shrug and a forced smile, he nodded. Dr. Oren mirrored the action before setting the paper aside and continuing to check his vital signs. He finished with a smile, so at least he knew he was likely in the clear as far as his life being in trouble. It was a relief, even if he didn’t have a family right then. The doctor set aside his clipboard that he’d been writing notes on and scribbled on the paper again, then held it up.

“Everything looks good. You have an injury on your neck that I already informed your foster parents about. It will need taking care of regularly, but for now you are good to go.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” he said, honestly thankful for what he had done for him. Dr. Oren gave his head a light pat, then a thumbs-up before handing the paper and pen to Patricia and walking out to tend to another patient. She scrawled something small at the bottom of the paper and handed it to him before rushing around the room getting a set of clothing and some papers together.

“I’ll take you downstairs to meet your fosters in a minute. They understand that you have hearing trouble or might be deaf. They know some sign language.”

He thought to himself about being deaf. He couldn’t hear anything, and he didn’t think having his throat cut would have stopped his ability to hear. As he set the paper aside, he lifted his hands and the gestures came swiftly and easily. He already knew sign language… I’m deaf. He thought the realization would scare him, but he really didn’t mind. It was probably because he had been deaf all his life and it just didn’t faze him, even when realizing it for a second time. __

The nurse handed him the clothing she’d found, and he carefully got himself out of bed and dressed. He was a bit unsteady on his feet, but that was to be expected. When he managed to straighten in his plain blue boxers, blue sweatpants, and white shirt, the nurse was already holding up the paper with something new written on it. __

“Do you happen to remember your name?”

He thought about that for a moment. He was still pretty sure that it started with an R, probably not S. He told her that, and she wrote down something on the paper and held it up. __

“Maybe Roger? Ray? Riley?”

Riley. That sounded familiar. Not exactly like it had been his name, but like it had at least been close. Conceding that it was better than nothing, he told the nurse and she smiled happily before reaching a hand out to him and gesturing toward the door with a nod. He took her offered hand and awkwardly walked out into the busy hospital hall. His legs were still shaky, but thankfully she was patient and didn’t drag him. When they finally stepped out of the elevator on the bottom floor and she walked him to the lobby, he looked up, his gaze meeting a very nice looking couple who were beaming right at him.

My new family.

The woman walked toward them, quickly followed by her husband. Both looked to be around thirty or forty years old and had brown hair with blue eyes.

When they stopped a foot or so away the woman smiled sweetly and signed, “Hello, my name is Carla, what’s yours?”

Riley gave her his best smile and replied, “Hello, my name is Riley.”

“We are interested in fostering you until your family can be found. Would you like to talk with us for a little while?”

His heart swelled at the offer. He might not remember who he was or what he had lost, but getting the chance to have a life again was definitely nothing to take lightly. “Yes, please.”

They talked for about an hour before Riley finally accepted their offer. He would stay with them for a week, then a law enforcement officer would come and check up on him and also give them an update on if they were able to find anything out about his family. If he was happy and his parents were never found, his foster parents would be able to adopt him, which they agreed they would right away if the circumstances ended up leading to that situation. It was the best that he could hope for, and he was grateful as he walked out of the hospital with his foster parents.

Excitement made Riley’s first few days with them go by in a blur. He was enrolled in a local school and thankfully wasn’t too far behind. His father, whose name was James, helped him catch up in the one class he was having trouble in, math, since he was a marketing accountant. Every night, they sat down for an amazing dinner that his new mom cooked. She was incredible in the kitchen and could even make simple meals absolutely delicious. The best part about all of it, though? He had his own huge room. Their house was two stories and had quite a few bedrooms. He had been given his choice of three and, of course, had to pick the one with the balcony that overlooked the gorgeous backyard and pool.

The bed in it was really nice and comfortable, but every morning he woke up and felt slight dips on either side of him. There was also the faint smell of almonds and rainwater that seemed to cling to those spots. It was odd, but he got used to that after a few days.

Right then he and his dad were finishing off a big breakfast his mom had left them before she went to work. When his dad finished his last bite of eggs, he signed to Riley, making him shove his last forkful into his mouth.

“Ready to go play some basketball?”

Riley’s head jerked, nodding fervently as he jumped up from the table and grabbed his brand new ball from the table by the door. They had gotten it for him as a coming home present, and he couldn’t be happier, especially since his dad was off that day to play with him.

“Come on, Dad!”

Riley saw him laugh over his shoulder right before he ran outside into the warm, midday sun. It was a gorgeous Saturday. As soon as his dad came outside, Riley started shooting his ball toward the hoop they’d put up together earlier in the week. It was right above the garage and the perfect height to shoot at for fun. They played for a good while, taking turns retrieving the ball before Riley saw it bounce into the street.

“I got it!” he yelled as he dashed for the ball. Everything happened so fast he couldn’t even understand that he wasn’t dead until he was being smothered in a hug behind his dad’s black SUV. The faint smell of almonds was what started bringing everything back into perspective.

“Riley!”

He had almost just gotten hit by a white truck. He hadn’t seen it coming when he ran to grab his ball, and the person who was holding him tightly… They smelled just like the right side of his bed when he woke up every morning. Curiosity had him trying to lift his head, but the person who had helped him kept him from lifting it more than an inch or two with a strong hand.

“Who a-are you?” Riley stuttered before feeling the person’s arms loosen slightly, but then the person suddenly shoved him backward onto the asphalt. Before Riley even landed on his back, he was trying to get a look at the person, but they were gone. “What the…?”

His dad suddenly ran around the side of his car and dropped to his knees in front of him, pulling Riley’s shaky body into his arms. He could feel his dad’s tense body relax with relief, and after a moment, his own did the same. There wasn’t much he could do about the person who had saved him since they were gone so quickly, but he definitely appreciated what they had done. After a long minute of hugging, his dad ushered him inside and made him sit down on the couch, checking over the few bruises he had still managed to get before giving a stressed sigh.

“Riley, I told you not to go into the street, you could have been killed.”

“I’m really sorry, Dad. I wasn’t paying attention.”

He gave Riley a slight smile and nodded before leaning forward to press a kiss to his forehead.

“Go to the bathroom and rinse off your knees and hands. I’m going to start an early lunch and call your mother.”

Err, she wasn’t going to be happy at all. That was the one thing she had always pushed at him not to forget. Looking both ways because he couldn’t hear cars coming.

“Don’t worry, best to tell her now than to surprise her when she gets home,” his dad said with a reassuring smile.

True.

“Okay.”

Riley nodded and got up before heading upstairs to rinse off. His body felt a bit sluggish, most likely from the adrenaline draining from his system. He was walking through his room to get to his private bathroom when his feet paused midstep, catching sight of something he hadn’t noticed before on his bed. Walking over to the right side, he reached down and gently picked up a very old looking teddy bear. It was stained and its left eye was just barely hanging on, but for some reason, it just didn’t seem like garbage to him. Noticing something on his blanket, he glanced down, picking up a small folded card with a string tied through a hole in the top corner.

Huh, must have fallen off the bear’s arm.

Either way, he sat down on his bed, rinsing off momentarily forgotten as he carefully flipped open the card. Inside, the writing was definitely not what he had expected. There was no typed message, but instead, a very beautiful cursive was scrawled in perfectly straight rows all the way down the tiny card. He glanced up at his open door, then back to the card before beginning to read out loud.

“My name is Rolland. I am a very sweet bear looking for someone to take care of me for a little while. My owner will eventually come back for me, but right now, could you take care of me, Riley?”

During the next few days, Riley found little hints that someone was around, but he could never quite figure out who or honestly, why. The smells were still there every morning, along with the dips in his bed where two bodies had definitely lain the night before, but each time he tried to wake up early to see them, they were gone. One night, they had even gotten up so quickly that they’d tugged part of his blanket onto the floor, likely from getting a foot caught.

He’d also found three new bottles in his shower the day before. One was an almond shampoo, one a rainwater conditioner, and the third was a bodywash that smelled like a mix between the two.

The one thing that he kept looking forward to, though, were the tiny notes that kept changing each night from Rolland. Every time he woke up, the bear had a new card tucked beneath his arm. So far, he had gotten six messages. Each new one, he read, then tucked beneath his mattress so that his parents wouldn’t see it. His mom had questioned where he had gotten the bear, but he’d just told her he had found it in the yard one day. She checked with the neighbors to see if anyone had lost it, but when no one had claimed him, Rolland became his.

Riley had to be a little more careful about the soaps, though, and didn’t start using them until his parents let him get the same scented ones at the store three days later. That night, though, when his parents finally went to sleep, he decided to try to meet the two who kept visiting him each night. Once he finished his bath, he pulled on a pair of loose red checkered boxers and a pair of flannel pajamas, then hesitantly unlocked his balcony doors and pushed them open quietly.

His parents’ room was right beneath his so he was extra careful not to make any noise as he tiptoed to the railing and looked out over the backyard. The temperature outside was somewhere around fifty degrees, but after sitting in hot water for a while, it didn’t quite bother him yet. Either way, coming out there without a shirt was on purpose.

“Hello? I know you are both there. I want to see you.”

He had Rolland tucked in his arms, not for moral support, ‘cause he wasn’t scared… much, but he figured bringing him would make his chances of meeting the two a little better. Maybe?

This was a stupid idea. They’ve never showed themselves before.

Well, that wasn’t completely true. That person who had saved him from getting hit by that truck was one of them. He was the one that smelled like almonds. He always slept a little closer than the one that smelled like rain.

“Please come talk to me. I-I won’t go back inside until you guys show yourselves, ‘cause it’s not nice to sneak into someone’s room at night without even knowing them.”

When Riley finished speaking, he glanced around, but then sighed when he saw nothing move in the dark yard below. His gaze wandered down to Rolland, a small smile finding its way onto his lips.

“Guess it’s just you and me tonight, again. Maybe one day they’ll talk to me…”

He lifted his head to take one last look around the yard, but he didn’t need to. Two amazingly similar and amazingly handsome boys were right in front of him, not even a yard away. One looked relaxed as he sat on the railing, feet dangling. The other seemed a bit more apprehensive, like he didn’t want to be there, but his gaze was locked on to Riley, just like his twin’s.

“Who are you?” Riley asked, his voice cracking slightly from surprise. The boy sitting on the railing began to sign, making him focus on his hands since the light coming from his room stopped a few feet before him.

“Friends.”

“Are you the boys that have been leaving notes? Is Rolland yours?” Riley asked as he held the little bear up, proud that he had taken very good care of it, even in its frail state.

“No, Riley. He is not ours.”

No? But…

“But you gave him to me to hold, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

His brows furrowed as he tucked the bear back against his chest in a hug. The cold was starting to get to Riley, but he really wanted to keep talking.

“Do you two write the notes from him?”

The other boy leaned against the railing and grinned, shaking his head slightly at the floor.

Was that a yes?

“Who owns him?”

The boy on the railing smiled this time, signing as he slid off to stand.

“A young boy we used to know.”

His stomach churned, the dinner he’d previously inhaled no longer sitting too well in it.

“What happened to him?”

The second boy who had been leaning against the railing turned, taking over signing for the moment.

“Bad things.”

Riley swallowed, hugging the bear even tighter as he took a small step forward. “Is he…?”

“No.”

He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding after he’d spoken, then nodded.

“Can I give it back to him? I’m sure he would appreciate it.”

The boys looked at each other, their faces solemn before they returned their gazes to Riley.

“He wouldn’t remember him. The bad things took his memories away.”

The bad things? Memory?

His gaze darted down to the little bear in his arms, then jerked back up… only to see the backyard, and nothing else. A strong hand on his shoulder had him jumping with a surprised squeak. He quickly turned, calming down after a moment as his attention landed on his mom.

“Are you okay, Riley? What are you doing out here so late?”

Riley pursed his lips, licked them, then shrugged. “I was feeling a bit hot from being in the bath for too long, but now I’m cooled off. Sorry to worry you, Mom.”

She smiled and shook her head, tugging him into a hug before leading him back inside. He helped her shut his balcony doors, then gave her another hug goodnight. As soon as she was gone, he ran back over to the balcony doors and unlocked them, then climbed into bed. Riley had intended to wait for the two boys that night, thinking maybe they would show up before he went to sleep, but after only five or so minutes, he was snoring quietly, his bear tucked comfortably in his arms.

Trying To Close The Door You Couldn’t Open

“Dart!”

Riley tackled the guy who was sitting on his bed with a shout. He had just come home from a late study session and was beaming to see one of the boys there so early. Granted it was nearly seven o’clock, but still. The sun had gone down, and his parents were out to dinner so he didn’t have to worry about them being seen. The boys had even told him their names the week before, four months after he had met them on the balcony. A few people from the local orphanage had also come by a while ago and now he was officially adopted by his parents, too.

He jumped into Dartanian’s arms, loving the way he hugged him to his chest. Dart had flipped the TV on, which Riley’s parents had bought him. It was hung on the wall across from his bed so he could watch it before he went to sleep if he wanted. Lord of the Rings was just starting, and Dart had already put the subtitles on. Bryce came walking in from the balcony right as Riley was getting comfortable in Dart’s lap.

“Hi, Bryce,” he chimed to him with a big grin. The more docile brother gave him a small smile before climbing into bed right next to them. He reached over, once comfortable, and gently pulled Riley out of Dart’s lap and into his own. When Riley got situated, he noticed Bryce’s hands in front of him, beginning to sign.

“We brought something for you, Riley.”

Riley tilted his head back against his chest, a big smile on his face.

“Me?” he asked before Bryce rolled his eyes, then tapped his shoulder. When he looked, he pointed down. His gaze followed until they came across… “Oh my gosh. A dog!”

Riley flew out of his lap, scaring the crap—thankfully not literally—out of the fuzzy, chubby, brown and white basset hound mix when his bare feet thumped onto the carpeted floor right in front of its nose. The dog waddled toward the balcony to try to escape Riley’s noise, but Riley easily caught up and tackled him in a big hug.

“You’re so cute,” he cooed as he tried lifting him but only managed to drag the dog a few inches before it flopped back down to the carpet, then rolled over promptly, giving him a belly that he didn’t hesitate to rub. As his nails were busy, Riley looked up at Dart and Bryce.

“What’s his name?”

The brothers looked at each other, then back to him with two identical shrugs.

“He doesn’t have a name?”

They shook their heads, then Dart signed.

“You can name him if you’d like.”

“Really?”

They both nodded, and Riley quickly looked down at the dog.

“I’ll call you Dyce.”

The dog rolled back over, passing out in seconds. That brought a smile to his face as he looked up at the brothers.

“I think he likes it.”

Dartanian slid to the edge of the bed, putting his feet over the side.

“Rolland saved him a little while ago.”

“He did?”

I had a feeling that they were referring to me, and that my old name might be Rolland, but the twins never gave me a straight-enough answer to solidify that thought.

Dart smiled and nodded, then slid out of bed to squat beside him.

“He’s all yours if you want him, but Riley, we have to go for a little while. We’re both in school and can’t afford to miss much more.”

His heart sank knowing that they wouldn’t be in his bed each night. Dart seemed to pick up on his emotions because he quickly dropped to his knees and tugged Riley into a strong hug. As he wrapped his arms around his neck to snuggle in, he felt Bryce’s hand gently begin to rub up and down his back, soothing him just enough to keep the tears from coming.

“I-I don’t want you guys to go.”

It was selfish of him to ask them to stay, especially if they had been skipping school, or at least some classes, just to stay with him. Dartanian slowly released him, and Riley sat back down, his lips trembling as Bryce reached over to wipe away a single tear and sign with his free hand. “Don’t be sad, Riley. We’ll be back, we promise.”

Dartanian nodded, signing right after his brother. “We’ll be back, but until then, please take care of Rolland and Dyce for us, okay?”

Giving a shaky nod, Riley lunged into Bryce’s arms. He guessed he wasn’t used to hugs, because he froze-up for a second before wrapping his arms around him like Dartanian had. The strong smell of rainwater washed over his senses, bringing on a whole new wave of sadness.

He got ahold of himself after about five minutes and hesitantly let Bryce go.

“I-I’ll be waiting, s-so don’t forget to come b-back for me.”

Bryce grinned and mussed his hair before standing along with his brother. He walked out, but Dart signed one more thing before vanishing back into the night. “We won’t ever forget you, Rolland.”

What Was Lost

Riley couldn’t believe the time had finally come! He was graduating high school that night and the giddiness was making him fidget so badly as they rehearsed the name-calling thing where he would walk across the stage. Of course the person to his left was tasked with nudging him when it was his turn to go up, but he had it down pat after the first few tries.

He was now eighteen and actually had received a scholarship letter to SC University the previous month. A few of his friends also got scholarships to the same place, so they were all planning to meet up after their college classes. Feeling a nudge against his arm, he quickly jumped up, then hurried up on stage to pretend to take his diploma for the fiftieth time that week.

Once practice was over, a friend dropped him off at home, where his parents were already waiting with banners and embarrassing Congratulations! balloons everywhere. Riley couldn’t be annoyed at it, though, because they had been the best parents ever. They had let him keep Dyce and even got him a nice black car for his eighteenth birthday. Though he tried not to use it as often as possible since he didn’t have a job to pay for the gas yet.

As he stepped through the door, his dad grabbed him in a strong bear-hug, then set him down so his mom could kiss his cheek.

“We’re so proud of you, Riley!”

“Thanks, Mom, I can’t wait to graduate!” he said cheerfully.

His parents grinned and patted his shoulders, then his dad signed, “You’re going to college really early. Are you sure you don’t want to stay for a few more weeks?”

Riley knew they wanted him to stay, and honestly, he really did too, but each night he slept in his bed, it reminded him of Dart and Bryce… and that they were never coming back. It had been over a year, and yet he never woke up again with those familiar scents on his blankets or the faint depressions on either side of him in bed.

“I’m sorry, but I really want to scope out the campus and relax before classes.”

They nodded, but Riley could see a small tear nudge its way into the corner of his mom’s eye.

“I-I’m gonna go upstairs and make sure I’m all packed to leave tomorrow,” he said before turning for the stairs. After running up to his room, he quickly realized that the next day couldn’t come soon enough. He knew it was odd to miss two people he didn’t really know and who had technically entered his room every night for several months without even meeting him face to face, but he didn’t know. It felt like he had lost two brothers, not two strangers, and if getting out of the house was his only way to possibly move on from them, then that’s what he would do.

Walking past his bed, he fought himself against sinking into it before they left for the real graduation. Snapping his head toward the bathroom, he quickly checked that he had all his toiletries, being sure to leave the shampoo, conditioner, and bodywash he had bought in the shower. With a determined but shaky breath, he walked out, grabbing his suitcase before heading downstairs. Dyce was trailing on his heels, his big floppy ears swishing dust along the floor. His mom had fallen in love with the dog’s dopiness, and after Riley managed to get him to drop some pounds by playing ball, he had gotten a lot more mobile and didn’t mope around… as much.

When Riley got back downstairs, he snagged a bit of leftover spaghetti before heading out to his truck, calling back to his parents, “Heading back to school to get ready. See you there!”

They waved from the door, his mom leaning over to hold Dyce’s collar, keeping him from following. Dyce was coming with him to SCU, but not to the graduation ceremony. With a quiet chuckle, Riley tossed his last suitcase into the backseat, then climbed in and headed off to the most important, and most rehearsed, night of his life.

The actual ceremony was a blur. He thankfully paid attention and walked with pride as he received his diploma, and the second he was off the stage, he was a bad kid and ducked out of the line returning to their seats and ran to his parents. Yeah, he got a few glares from teachers lurking around, but whatever. They couldn’t do anything about it then and he wanted a hug! His dad stood up, enveloping him in his arms before he quickly sat down and his mom joined in on the hug.

“I love you guys so much,” Riley whispered, closing his eyes against the tears starting to worm their way out. After the ceremony had ended, they went out for ice cream and pizza, then it was back home to crash before he left early the next day.

Come morning, he was finally ready to do it. He stood at the foot of his newly-made bed and took a deep, steady breath. The bear the twins had given him, Rolland, sat against his pillows right in the middle. All six of the notes he had received, he had shredded in his dad’s office while he was out, just in case they moved the mattress at a later date. Didn’t need to bother them about things that wouldn’t change. He was going to be their son, Riley, and that was that. There was no Rolland any longer… and there were no twins.

Squaring his shoulders, he quickly turned and left behind the room that held so many memories. He locked them within it as he shut the door firmly behind him.

I can move on from them. From everything. I am Riley, Riley Parker, and that is that.

Putting an excited smile on his face, he ran down the stairs and into his parents’ waiting arms.

“I’m going to miss you guys,” he said as they hugged him.

They signed as they let go, his mom going first. “Text us as soon as you get there, but not when you’re driving.”

“You can use the debit card until you get a job you’re comfortable with.”

“Thank you both, for everything. I’ll text you as soon as I get to the dorms.”

They both nodded, tears starting in their eyes. He quickly stuck his tongue out at them to break some of the tension, then ran over to the hook near the door to grab his keys and Dyce’s leash.

“Come here, boy!” Riley called. Dyce stood up, drooling a little as he waddled over so Riley could hook up his leash. “I’m taking your dog,” he told his mom, who laughed and walked over, giving him a kiss on the cheek as his dad walked up behind her.

“Have a safe trip, Riley. Be safe.”

He nodded to them, then turned and headed out to his car. Dyce loaded up easily in the front seat, flopping over immediately to get back to his nap. Once Riley got the door shut, he turned to his parents standing in the doorway and waved one last time.

“Bye! Love you both!”

The drive was a bit of a pain, considering Dyce never held his bladder well in the car. So, after six stops, they finally pulled up outside of the huge brown and dark red dorm buildings. Most students weren’t around so Riley quickly got Dyce up to his room on the third floor after turning in his therapy paperwork to the front desk so he could legally have him there, then ran back down to grab his two suitcases. The place was already furnished with two small beds, one for him and he was assuming one for his roommate. There were also two little computer desks with chairs. The room was tiny, but it would do.

He felt Dyce nudge at his leg and grinned.

“Bet you’re thirsty, aren’t you, boy?”

He licked his lips, drooling a bit in agreement.

“Ok, let Dad get you some water.”

After a quick dig through his suitcase, he found Dyce’s water bowl and got it filled, then set it down in the small bathroom near the entrance of the dorm room. Once he was taken care of, Riley decided to rinse off quickly before taking a good nap. The shower was thankfully much better than he had thought it would be; the pressure, for one, was amazing. After washing himself with some generic soap he had picked up the previous week, he stepped out of the shower and dried off. He tossed the wet towel on the bar near the shower to dry, then tugged on a pair of boxers he’d brought in before stepping back out into his room. The cool air hitting his reddened skin made it tingle pleasantly, but any pleasantness left with a cold shiver as he stopped in front of his small bed.

Dyce was resting right next to where he had tossed his pillow, and leaned up against that pillow, was the little bear he had left back at his parents’ house.

“Rolland.”

My Brother Is The Stupid Twin; Love (kind of) Bryce

---

“He grew up.”

“What did you expect would happen?”

Bryce glared at his brother as they walked back into their room, which happened to be right next door to Riley’s. The kid was given his own room due to his dog, but he likely didn’t know it yet. How did they know this? Because they changed the room assignments the day before and had noticed no one was set to room with him.

“He might be upset about not having a roommate.”

Dart shrugged and flopped over onto his bed.

“These things are pathetic.”

Bryce gave a slight chuckle as he did the same.

“As comfortable as concrete.”

Dartanian grunted in agreement as he stared up at the ceiling. Both brothers were silent for the better half of an hour before Dart mumbled, “He’s legal now.”

Bryce glared sideways at his brother as the back of his head rested on his folded arms.

“He’s going to be pissed at us for leaving him last year.”

“We were at his graduation and came back once in a while, just didn’t come inside or really show ourselves.”

Bryce sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache coming on.

“You do understand that will mean nothing to him? We lied and disappeared. You saw how hurt he was when we checked up on him four months later. He won’t just fall into your arms because you can now legally bang him.”

Dartanian grunted again and turned to face away from his brother.

“And since when have you cared when something was legal? I remember us being the most feared vampires in Detroit not even two years ago, and now you want to tell me that you’ve been waiting to have sex with the kid until he was legal ?”

Bryce watched silently as his brother grumbled at the wall, but then did something he was actually shocked to see. His younger brother, by about four minutes, rolled back over and sat up. He had the most serious looking expression he’d seen on the joker in a good while, making Bryce slowly get himself into a sitting position so they could talk.

“I want him,” Dartanian said quietly. Pursing his lips, Bryce fidgeted on his bed a little before leaning his elbows on his knees so he could look at his brother directly across from him.

“Well, what made you hold back this long? You never cared before.”

“Bryce, I want him. Like, I don’t want to just have sex with him… I-I don’t even know what the hell I’m saying!” Dart groaned and fell back, his mattress creaking with the sudden shift of weight. “I waited because I didn’t want to have to go away… to make our parents and the elders mad and get into more trouble.”

“You didn’t want to make him a promise and then be forced to break it.”

Dart squeezed his eyes shut and nodded as he felt his bed dip right next to his left leg.

“I just don’t know how. He’s in the next room. Well, Riley’s in the next room. Damn rules!”

Dart rubbed his face feverishly with his hands until he felt his brother’s palm gently stroke his hair back. After a few deep breaths, he sat up, hunching a little as he tried to think.

“We need to get Rolland back,” Bryce said, determination in his normally-stoic voice. Dartanian nodded, then leaned against his brother as he felt an arm wrap around his shoulders.

“Well, we could always give him the memories back… but they would be from our point of view,” Bryce thought aloud.

“No.”

“I didn’t think so.”

Dart was just opening his mouth to reply when both brothers snapped their heads to the side, looking toward the door. There was a light scratching sound, followed by a whimpering woof.

“That stupid dog,” Bryce grumbled, followed by his brother. “Dumb mutt.”

A heavy thump against the door made both brothers sigh and get up. Neither walked toward the sound, but they didn’t need to. They had left the door unlocked and as the handle turned, they knew exactly who was about to walk inside.

---

Riley had been heading off to look for the twins when Dyce yanked him toward the room next door. The dog started scratching at the door, making Riley tug on his leash in the hopes that he’d stop. He didn’t want to have to pay to replace a door on his first day here. Dyce looked up at Riley after a moment, his little gray therapy jacket drooping slightly, then turned to head-butt the door. Riley’s gaze rose to the door handle, and he pursed his lips.

Are they behind this door?

Riley glanced sideways at his own room, then back to the door in front of him. He wouldn’t be surprised if it was them. They always tended to sneak in and out with ease, so they could probably get themselves a room right next to his without any problem. That thought kind of annoyed him.

His right hand clenched around the stuffed bear he was holding along with the leash as his right one reached for the doorknob. Everything around him seemed to blur other than his hand turning the knob. He was going to tell them that he was done with this. With being their Rolland. With having them as… friends? He didn’t even know what they were. If anything, stalkers was much more logical to put into that word slot.

Yeah, that’s all they are. Just stalkers. They might have known me before, but they refused to tell me about it and I can’t remember. So what else am I supposed to do?

Anger boiled up as he talked himself into pushing them away. They had left him when they said they’d come back. They weren’t his friends. With a strong nod, he shoved the door open… then froze.

Both brothers were actually there. They weren’t hiding and hadn’t run away. A storm of emotions rolled through Riley’s mind, but he quickly bit his lip and stepped inside, holding his head high as he met their eyes and reached forward after taking Dyce’s leash in his other hand.

“Take it.”

They looked down at Rolland with blank stares, then returned their attention to him without bothering to take the dilapidated stuffed animal.

“Take it!” he half-shouted. Dartanian took a step forward, but Riley stood tall where he was. He wasn’t going to trust them again. Not going to happen. With a growl, he threw the stupid stuffed animal at their feet and turned to stomp back to his room… only to run right into Bryce’s chest. Okay, he expected that, but he wasn’t going to deal with their stupid disappearing tricks anymore.

“Move, Bryce.”

Riley’s eyes widened for a second, then narrowed as he signed.

“I am not Bryce.”

Everything in Dartanian’s demeanor changed after that one sentence. Riley did take a step back now, not daring to try to push him out of the way. His attention was so focused on Dart that he didn’t notice Bryce moving behind him until he felt hands on his waist. With a harsh jerk, Riley freed himself from Bryce’s hands and bolted for the closet. He slid it open just enough to squirm inside, then slammed it shut. Giving a good deal of effort, he put all his weight against the handle, praying that it stayed closed. With his attention completely on holding the door, he flinched harshly as he felt a sharp nail tap his bare back. Before he could react, he was slammed against the wall and glowing red eyes bore down into his.

His heart was thrumming in his chest like a hummingbird as the dark red eyes closed in.

“D-Dart?”

Riley tried to scream as he felt two fangs slide into the right side of his neck but couldn’t feel the vibration in his chest telling him that he was actually making any sound. Dart was biting him, and he sure as heck wasn’t doing it gently. Riley’s wrists were soon in Dartanian’s hands, bruising from his strength as he held him still.

“Dart! You said you weren’t going to do it!”

Riley felt Dartanian snarl through every bone in his body and whimpered when he bit down harder. Pain was starting to steal his vision but not until images started flashing behind his wide, terrified eyes.

They both laughed before he began leaning close to him and started to sign. The boy got really excited as he deciphered the words, but then the look of fear…

“We’re going to enjoy draining you to the last drop of blood.”

His feet started moving without a second thought. Why not build onto the nightmare? He could just mess with his memory again and get some delicious lunch…

Moving over to the bed that was freshly made, where all the clothing they had bought him earlier was folded neatly with the receipt on top of the pile. He looked around on the floor, but there was no small suitcase or shoes…

He was out in the rain, trying to pull a kid away from a dying dog on the sidewalk. It eventually ended up tossed in a truck…

Hungry eyes staring down at a kid who was where he shouldn’t be. There was a spilled bag of blood on the floor, but the focus was on the boy…

---

Bryce could hear the kid screaming from the other side of the closet door. He had closed the door to their dorm room and brought the dog inside, then just leaned against the wall and waited. Dartanian had said he wanted Rolland back, but doing it this way was likely the worst way of going about it.

When the screaming died down and he heard a thump from Riley’s body hitting the floor, Bryce rolled his eyes and spoke.

“You do know that you just reset everything, right? You gave him your memories, not his.”

Dartanian shoved the door open and stomped out, ignoring his brother and instead walking straight into the bathroom. The shower started up, making Bryce sigh. Guess he would have to talk to him once he’d calmed down. Deciding to ignore his upset brother for the moment, he turned his attention to the crumpled human lying in their closet. Squatting down next to him, Bryce gently ran his fingers over Riley’s soft hair. He was definitely unconscious.

“Hmm, alright, let’s at least get you comfortable and away from us so you don’t have a heart attack when you wake up.”

With a shake of his head, Bryce stood and shoved the closet door open all the way. He then quickly got to work tossing their shoes and empty suitcases out into their room. When the floor was completely clean, he grabbed a gray sweatshirt that was hanging above his head and crawled over to the kid. It took a bit of effort, but he managed to get the clothing on him, then scooped him into his arms.

“I know he was an ass, but he really did mean well… sort of.”

Bryce smirked and leaned down, lapping at the injury his brother had forgotten to seal. Once he was content that it would heal up and disappear, he carefully laid the guy down in the far corner. He then grabbed one of the comforters from his bed and tucked it around Riley before quickly shutting the door.

It was about four hours later when the brothers’ attention was drawn back to the closed closet. Bryce looked over at Dart, who had a book open but obviously wasn’t reading. Hell, he was holding it up in the air as he lay in his bed on his back. There was no way he would ever read that way.

“Well?” Bryce questioned.

Dart glanced over with a raised brow. “What?”

“Oh come on. You just force-fed the guy most of your memories of him, of which a good amount were negative, and now, since he accidentally mistook you for me, you suddenly don’t want to deal with him anymore? He’s not just going to love you, or hell, probably won’t even like you now, if you don’t put in some positive effort.”

“I know that. I just, it pissed me off!”

“No shit. So, how about you go downstairs and get him something to eat and get over yourself.”

Dartanian growled at Bryce, but his brother was used to it and just rolled his eyes. “Fine, whatever,” he said, getting up and stalking out of the room in frustration. While he was gone, Bryce got up and slowly slid open the closet door about a foot. Even though it was nearly pitch black inside the tiny space, he could easily see the guy hugging his knees as he shook in the corner. The hood of the sweatshirt he’d pulled on him while unconscious was tugged down, making it impossible to see his face.

Licking his lips slightly, Bryce carefully stepped inside and sat against the far wall, just a foot or so away from Riley. He wasn’t quite sure what to use for his name now, though. Would he want to take his old one back? Or keep the one that likely had much better memories associated with it?

“Th-That’s… mine.”

Bryce blinked, then lifted the small stuffed bear in his left hand. The eye that had been dangling before had finally come off, likely when Riley had thrown it at Dart. Bryce slowly held the bear out to him.

It was snatched up in a second and hugged against Riley’s chest as he whispered in a raspy voice, “Rolland.”

Giving a small smile, Bryce turned slightly so that his hands could catch the light, then signed.

“That is your real name.”

“You… both of you hate me.”

There was a long, awkward pause between them before Dartanian stepped into the closet, causing Riley to shrink back beneath the hood of Bryce’s sweatshirt. Dart glanced down at his brother, raising a brow before sitting down next to him. He had a big bowl of macaroni and cheese in one hand, and an ice cream sandwich in the other.

“What happened?” he asked.

“We were just talking a little. I gave him back his bear… and he made it clear that he knows we hate him.”

Dart cringed at that.

“I was an idiot for doing what I did.”

“Oh yeah.”

Sending a glare toward Bryce, Dart grumbled but quickly changed his focus to Riley. Setting the food down on the carpet, he gently reached over and tapped Riley’s elbow. Riley flinched back, but after two more taps, he finally lifted his head enough for the brothers to see his watery eyes.

Dartanian quickly held his hands up, using the tiny bit of light from the partially open door to sign.

“I’m sorry about what I did. I was angry over something stupid, and I took it out on you.”

Riley looked between him and his brother, then whispered, “You both hate me. Why did you keep coming back when you made me leave in the first place?”

Dart ran his fingers through his hair, and Bryce looked away with a sigh. “Dammit all, of course he didn’t get the part where we actually kissed and acted like real brothers.”

Bryce shook his head and gave a muted chuckle. “Of course not.”

Figuring his twin wasn’t going to take this one after a long moment of silence, Dartanian pursed his lips and signed. “Um, well.”

“And don’t tell me it’s because we’re brothers, because we aren’t.”

That made Dart flinch and drop his hands. “I can’t just say it, dammit!” He snarled to himself while Bryce lazily looked sideways at him and smirked.

“Yeah, you may melt from shame if you admit that you like a little scrawny human.”

“Tsk.”

“Look at him, stupid,” Bryce mumbled.

Dart glanced back at Riley, but the guy was busy staring down at the ice cream sandwich wrapped up on the floor. Dart glanced back and forth between him and it, then grabbed the cold treat and offered it without a word.

Riley eyed it warily, but when Dartanian tried to hand it to him, Riley looked like he was trying to poke him with a knife.

“Oh come on. I know you want it.”

“Hah, bet he thinks it’s a trap.”

Licking his lips, Dart grumbled and unwrapped part of the ice cream bar and then promptly reached forward, shoving his finger in Riley’s mouth and pushing his jaw down enough to push part of the bar inside.

---

Riley sputtered, trying not to choke on the ice cream bar Dart just shoved into his face. He was sure Dart would say that he got it in his mouth, but the ice cream running down the left side of his face would say otherwise. Although, what actually got in his mouth was really, really good.

They sat in, well, silence, as Riley devoured the ice cream bar. It had already partially melted while he spoke to Dart, so his hands were covered in sticky white cream by the time he finished.

“I swear I’m gonna…”

“Don’t.”

Riley set the wrapper down and quickly got busy licking his hands clean, but before he could think to wipe off his face, Dart was there. His tongue was a little rough, but Riley kept himself still, letting him do as he pleased. Not like he could have moved him, so best to just deal with it since he wasn’t being mean.

“You’re lucky he can barely see in here, or he’d find out you’ve got a bone—”

“Shut up.”

Dart leaned back after Riley’s face was ‘cleaned’ and handed him the bowl of macaroni and cheese. It was pretty cheesy and actually smelled really good, possibly even a homemade recipe. But wait a second…

Riley glanced up at Dart, narrowing his eyes slightly.

“Are you going to lick this off if I get it on myself, too?”

The brothers looked at each other, then back to him with matching smirks as Dart replied.

“I wouldn’t mind. Especially if you get creative on where it ends up.”

Riley rolled his eyes at him and quickly started shoveling macaroni into his mouth. Sure the ice cream was delicious, but he was seriously starving. After a few minutes, he finished most of the pasta, then set the bowl down in front of him and looked back up at Dart.

“So, do you both still hate me? Are you here to kill me?”

Bryce was the first to answer the question. Well, at least part of it.

“We aren’t here to kill you…”

That’s good.

Riley looked to Dart for the other part, but he surprisingly looked panicked. When he finally got his hands up and began signing, Riley raised his brow.

“We… don’t… hate you?”

“I guess I can deal with that. But why was my memory messed with? You did it, right?”

They looked at each other again, but then Bryce shrugged and signed to him.

“Your memory was only messed with because you were under eighteen and it’s dangerous for a kid to know our secrets. We gave what we could of it back, so technically now if you tell, we’re responsible for what happens.”

Riley didn’t plan to tell, so he just nodded and gave a slight grin before grabbing the ice cream sandwich wrapper and macaroni bowl, then getting to his feet. He started past the brothers, but then felt like being stupid. Dart had messed with him, so… The mostly empty bowl of macaroni and cheese promptly found its way onto his head before he darted out of the closet. Freedom was just two doors away, but of course he had to trip over his lazy, chubby dog.

“Oomph!”

As soon as he hit the floor, Riley knew he was screwed. He could see the boys stepping out of the closet from the corner of his eye and quickly scrambled to get under one of their beds. Of course his ankles were grabbed right before he could get completely under, then promptly yanked back so that he was pulled away from his hopes of safety.

“Nooo!”

He was suddenly on his back, two sets of hands tickling him half to death. He didn’t know how they managed it with the huge sweatshirt he had on, but Dart had his hands up and under it while Bryce got his thighs!

“I-I surrender! S-Stop!”

Both brothers thankfully stopped soon after he shouted, but neither of them removed their hands.

“Um… Dart? Bryce?”

Both sets of hands suddenly began moving again, but this time there was nothing funny about it. Dart’s fingers had strengthened their grip and slowly began to travel up toward his chest. Riley squirmed beneath him but could hardly move because of Bryce’s hands. Not to mention Bryce’s thumbs were rubbing circles against the sensitive inside of his thighs. Riley opened his mouth to tell them to let him go, but the only thing that came out was a deep moan.

Oh crap.

Dart straddled Riley as he licked his lips, obviously having liked the sound he’d managed to get out of him.

No.

His right leg was suddenly jerked, taking his attention away from Dart and immediately focusing it on Bryce. His grasp had also gained strength, and Riley felt a tongue begin to lick toward his privates.

“Wait!”

Bryce stopped what he was doing immediately, but Dartanian just smirked and abruptly took over Riley’s mouth in a harsh kiss.

---

“Dart. Dart, you need to get off of him.”

“Shut up. He knows I want him!”

“That parts obvious by the way you’re starting to grind on him, but did he say he wanted to have sex with you?”

Dart froze, his lips slowly lifting from Rolland’s bruised ones.

“If you like him and want him to ever like you back in any degree, I suggest you let him go.”

“Damn it all,” Dartanian growled out, frustrated.

Bryce watched as his brother slowly climbed off Riley. The guy was shaky but quick to get up and bolt out. They heard the door to his room slam shut a moment later, breaking the tension in the air.

“Shit.”

“Uh, yeah. Pretty good description of what just happened… though thankfully it wasn’t the literal meaning.”

Dart shot his brother a look over his shoulder but knew he was right. With a stressed sigh, he leaned back against his bed and ran his fingers through his hair.

“I just screwed up so badly, again.”

“You’re becoming a true master, dear brother. A true master.”

A Small Talk With A Stuffed Bear

“Hey, go take a walk and get something to eat. I’m going to go see if I can talk to him a bit.”

Dart grumbled, but Bryce just rolled his eyes and walked over, yanking his twin out of bed.

“Go, I’m not going to do anything pervy. I know you like him, too, so when we finally get him to come around, we’ll be sharing.”

Dartanian took a calming breath, then nodded.

“Yeah.”

“You are so scatterbrained right now. What happened to my scary, blood-sucking twin?”

Dartanian fought a smile, shaking his head as he sauntered toward the door.

“He found a pathetic little human that seems to have gotten stuck in his head.”

Bryce nudged his brother’s shoulder and stepped into the hall with him, shutting their door after he led the dog out with its leash.

“Alright, you go fill up. I know you’re hungry. Probably why you lost control back there.”

Dart nodded and disappeared in a blur not a second later.

---

“Rolland.”

Riley’s shoulders hunched as he sat in the corner on his bed, back leaning against the wall with his knees pulled up to his chest. He was leaning his chin atop them, staring down at the bear in his hands. It was missing an eye and looked like it’d been through hell, yet he remembered seeing him in Dartanian’s memories several times.

“I know you’re not Rolland now, but I can’t remember your name,” he whispered to the bear quietly. A sniffle interrupted his thoughts. He wasn’t sure why he bothered, though, because he knew he was crying. He had been since he’d run away from the brothers a few minutes ago. He hadn’t bothered locking his door since it was useless. They could come in whenever they wanted, and he would never know. They could also do whatever they wanted.

But then why did Bryce stop Dart?

Bryce had backed off several seconds before his brother, and Riley had seen him talking to him through his blurry eyes as Dart still tried to get him to respond. Just remembering the feelings that had raced through his body left him shivering. He knew what it was, of course. He had gone to high school after all. Gone out a few times. It was just, he didn’t know. He never really felt a need to try to go further.

Grinning, Riley looked down at the nameless bear in his hands.

“You know why, I’m sure. I wish I could remember everything you do. I now know I was an orphan before I got my new family, and that I probably didn’t live at the best orphanage judging from what images Dart passed to me. But the rest of my memories are of the brothers and my new parents, leaving a big blank portion.”

Spreading his legs to either side of the bear, Riley gently set him down on his comforter and sighed.

“I don’t know if I want these memories… they hurt, a lot.”

The little bear looked up at him with his one, dull black eye, keeping the secrets he desperately needed to finish the puzzle of his life.

“I wish you could talk… and I wish I could hear the words you’d say.”

His stomach sank a little, but before he could really get depressed, he noticed a fuzzy head looking up at him and smiled.

“Hey there, Dyce.”

The dog’s mouth opened to woof before it tried to climb onto the bed.

“Of course. You can never get up here by yourself if I’m here. Lazy dog.”

Riley stuck his tongue out at him but scooted over, letting a leg dangle on either side of him before reaching down.

“Oh man. I think you gained an extra pound in the brothers’ roo—”

Right as Riley had the dog halfway into his lap, he noticed Bryce leaning against the wall by the door. His hands immediately let go, and Dyce smacked his head against the side of the bed as he dropped back to the floor.

“Oh crap, Sorry!”

He jumped off his bed quickly and grabbed his dog’s head, rubbing at the spot that had smacked the bed before glancing over his shoulder. Bryce hadn’t moved and was just staring at him.

“Um, thanks for bringing him back.”

Riley’s face warmed a little as he continued to try to lift Dyce up onto his bed, and was failing miserably until a pair of strong hands covered his own just below Dyce’s elbows and easily helped set him atop his comforter. Everything about the situation was screaming at Riley to run, but there was nothing he could do as Bryce’s fingers gently twined with his. They stayed like that for several long moments, Bryce’s firm chest gently pressed against Riley’s back, hair tickling his left cheek.

“I wish you could hear us too, hun.”

Riley felt vibrations through his chest, telling him that Bryce was talking. His head fell forward a little, forehead resting against the bed before whispering, “I can’t hear you, Bryce…”

Bryce chuckled against him before releasing his right hand and gently pulling him to his feet. Since he was able to now, Riley turned himself to face Bryce, only to get lifted like a child up into his arms. His body froze, but Bryce seemed to ignore it as he climbed into the bed, positioning himself right in the corner like Riley had been minutes earlier but with his legs mostly down.

“Bryce?”

As soon as Bryce released him to get a bit more comfortable, Riley tried to jump off the bed, except, curse Bryce’s stupid vampiric speed! He grabbed Riley around the waist and pulled him right back into his lap.

“P-Please don’t!”

Bryce held Riley to him as he kept trying to push himself away. Unfortunately, his arms were like vises and eventually Riley had to just give up or risk wearing himself out. He fell against Bryce’s chest with a tired sigh and waited. The brothers had just tried to, well, do unpleasantly-pleasant things to him. Guess Bryce just wanted to do it by himself first.

Bryce’s hands appeared in front of Riley a few seconds later, signing. “Can we talk?”

“I thought you were gonna…”

Riley felt him laugh again through his back and grumbled to himself under his breath.

“I wouldn’t mind if you’re volunteering, but no, that’s not what I came in here for.”

“Oh. Well, uh, thanks for bringing my dog back.”

“Still not exactly what I came in here for, dork.”

“You’re a dork.”

“No, I’m a vampire.”

Riley glared over his shoulder at Bryce, but he just smirked and made a biting gesture with his fangs extended.

“Hmph.” Riley turned away, pouting that he’d almost made him laugh at his stupid face. He really didn’t want to look at Bryce’s hands since he was just being a sarcastic butt, but he knew if he didn’t he’d probably mess with him until he did. Darn cocky brothers.

“Your voice is cute.”

“Okay, something is seriously wrong with you.”

“Anyways, I’m here to answer any questions you might have about who you are.”

Riley’s lips pursed as he thought about that. Did he really want to know?

“You could just lie.”

“I have no reason to. We aren’t invested in each other at all.”

I guess that made sense.

“Um… well, how did I come to live with you guys?”

“Our parents decided to try something stupid a few months after we moved from Detroit. We were not very nice vampires there… I’ll just leave it at that for now. So, Mom decided to try getting a human to live with us. To try to train us to be a bit nicer.”

“I remember that memory from Dartanian… the one where he spoke to you in your room, then you both caught me by the bathroom.”

“Yes.”

“Did you guys know me at all before that?”

“No. We had seen you at school once or twice, but we didn’t ever speak with you.”

Riley hunched against him, not really sure what else to ask. His past before the brothers was still a complete mystery.

“I guess that’s all.”

“My turn.”

“Huh?”

Bryce suddenly grabbed his waist again and turned his whole body around to face him, Riley’s legs straddling his. Riley quickly put his hands on Bryce’s chest, thankful that he at least had a tank top on. When Bryce moved his hands between them, Riley put his down, letting him have the space to sign.

“Are you okay with being Rolland now?”

Looking down, Riley noticed a six pack through the tight fabric of Bryce’s shirt and quickly turned his attention away.

“Um, yeah… I guess.”

Bryce smiled and poked his cheek, completely taking him off-guard.

---

I never thought I’d see the day when I thought a human was cute, but Rolland’s bashful side is pretty damn adorable. Not that I would ever admit that to anyone.

It was a relief seeing the kid try to hide a grin.

Hmm, another few pokes then.

With a grin of his own, Bryce reached over with both hands and poked both of Rolland’s cheeks. Rolland swatted his hands away, but that allowed him to easily reach around and squeeze him in a tight hug.

“Got you, little human.”

Rolland squirmed and even kicked once or twice, but when he finally calmed down, Bryce shifted him a bit until he had him comfortably in his arms.

“You don’t always have to be so on guard. We won’t hurt you anymore.”

Turning his head a little so it could rest on Bryce’s left shoulder, Rolland sighed, then looked up at the vampire.

“I can’t hear you, buttface.”

Bryce smirked and stuck his tongue out… which Rolland promptly bit. The action caught him by surprise so much that he actually yelped.

---

Rolland couldn’t stop laughing. The look on Bryce’s face was priceless!

“You look so funny! I got you so go—!”

It was just a brief press of Bryce’s soft lips against his, but it immediately silenced his laughter. Bryce’s half-lidded eyes bore into Rolland’s own mere inches away, their breath mingling in the silence that stretched between them. Bryce was just leaning forward again when his left hand settled on Rolland’s waist and the first memory Dart gave him, of them in the hallway before they attacked him, slammed into his mind like a truck. He quickly scooted out of his lap, stopping only once he had a few feet between them.

“I-I don’t like you… e-either of you,” Rolland stuttered out warily as he wiped at his lips. The slight smile on Bryce’s face wasn’t surprising in any way. Why would he get upset being rejected? Rolland honestly doubted that Bryce could even fall in love. That thought helped to sober him.

“Thank you for bringing my dog back, now please leave.”

“But I want to watch the movie and eat ice cream.”

“What?”

Bryce glanced behind him and Rolland quickly turned.

What the…?

Dartanian was sitting on three huge blankets stacked on the floor, arms open with a smirk matching his brothers’. There was a small container of chocolate ice cream and a spoon near his knee, too.

“I’m not just going to cuddle with you guys and eat ice cream because you set up a TV in my room and put on…” Rolland glanced over at the TV and inwardly squirmed. Jumanji! He knew he was a dork, but that movie was so awesome. He jumped from the bed, plopping down next to Dyce, who had probably hopped down when he was pulled into Bryce’s lap. His attention was on the movie since it was literally just beginning, but of course Dart couldn’t keep his hands to himself and he was yanked sideways into his arms.

“Let me go, Dart.”

Bryce walked by as Rolland tried to fight to get out of his brother’s arms. Rolland silently wondered where he was going until the lights went off and the door was shut. When he joined them on the blankets, both twins laid back against some stacked pillows, and Dart, of course, pulled him back against him. Well, at least he handed him the ice cream instead of trying to play tonsil hockey again.

As soon as he finished said ice cream, Dart set him between him and his brother and laid down before nonchalantly wrapping his arms around him like one would a body pillow. Rolland half expected for Bryce to join in, but he seemed content enough to just relax with his arms folded beneath his head against the pillows. Neither brother seemed very interested in the movie, but their gazes were on it anyway. Darn it. Okay, if they can make the effort to at least not be mean, I guess I can deal with the hug from Dart and previous slight kiss from Bryce.

They watched the movie, with subtitles of course, for about an hour before Rolland started getting sleepy. It definitely wasn’t late yet, far from it, but when watching a good movie in a dark room, laying on blankets? A person just got tired.

“If I fall asleep, you guys aren’t gonna…?”

Bryce tilted his head toward Rolland and winked, making his belly do weird things.

Stop it, stupid belly.

“No, we won’t do anything.”

A faint warm breath against the back of his neck made him flinch, but Bryce smirked and raised a finger to his lips. Rolland wanted to look behind himself, but Bryce quickly confirmed his suspicions.

“Shh, He’s asleep.”

Rolland pouted, but Bryce just chuckled and scooted in next to him with a small yawn. The movie was still playing, but when he copied Bryce’s yawn and nuzzled against the blanket a little, he soon realized staying awake wasn’t going to happen. Bryce seemed to notice and gently rested his hand against his hair as Rolland dozed off in Dart’s arms… relaxed with the brothers for the first time in… he guessed, ever.

Work and Play

Flashing light, annoying.

Rolland reached behind himself, grabbing the blanket and yanking it over his eyes. A bulb from the streetlight outside was beginning to go out, making his room look like a strobe was going off.

“He’s holding my hand over his face like a blanket.”

“Never said he was a genius.”

“Hm… watch this.”

Something began nudging at Rolland’s nose, but he couldn’t figure out what it was because every time he lifted up the blanket, it went away. But the flashing light was seriously beginning to bug him!

“I think he’s annoyed by the streetlight outside.”

Rolland put the blanket back over his eyes, but then something wet ran along his nose, finally getting his attention enough to get his eyes open.

Wait a second… I don’t have a tan blanket.

“He’s about to figure it out.”

“Took him long enough.”

He slowly lowered his hand, along with Dart’s, to glare at Bryce.

“What? It was funny.”

Rolling his eyes, Rolland got himself up and stretched his arms out until he felt a slight pop in his back, then turned around to see Dartanian staring up at him with a smirk on his cocky face.

“What are you guys still doing in my room?”

Dart pouted, but Rolland just kept up his glare until he answered.

“We want to take you out.”

“Out?”

Rolland took a step toward his bathroom, being sure to back away with them both in his line of sight.

“You do know we can disappear whenever we want and appear behind you, whether you’re looking at us or not, right?”

“Well, you haven’t done it before when I was watching,” he mumbled, knowing what Dart signed was already true. Obviously. Just to prove their point, though, Dart vanished and not a moment later wrapped his arms loosely around his waist from behind.

Stupid fast vampires.

He turned in Dart’s arms, crossing his own arms over his chest even though it was a bit of a hassle with the giant sweatshirt he had on at the moment.

“Go back to your room, Dart. I don’t wanna go out tonight.”

Well, he did, to find a job, but Rolland definitely wasn’t interested in toting around two vampires to do that. He shook his head and pushed Dart away, glad that he let him go without a fuss. Rolland didn’t bother shutting the bathroom door after stepping inside since he knew they could just get in if they wanted anyway, but he did get undressed in the shower before turning it on. He showered quickly since he figured the twins would try to peek if he didn’t hurry up, but when he reached out to grab the towel he’d put on the bar across from the toilet…

“Dammit, Dart!”

He saw him step into the bathroom with his towel around his shoulders like a scarf, one brow raised in question.

“Give it back,” Rolland grumbled as he reached out for the towel.

“Come out with us.”

“I’m not going anywhere!”

“Then we’re staying here.”

“You’re not coming with me!”

“So you’re going somewhere tonight?”

Darn it. Totally messed that up.

With a frustrated growl, he stomped out of the shower, getting a shocked look from Dart as he swiped his towel from around his shoulders and quickly wrapped it around his waist.

“I’m going to apply for jobs, and I don’t need either of you messing up my chances of getting one.”

“Cool, we’ll come.”

Oh my god!

Rolland forced himself not to respond to Dart as he walked to his suitcase and pulled out some clothes. He didn’t have much professional stuff, but he managed to find a pair of nice jeans and a white T-shirt that looked fairly good. After tugging on some boxers, socks, and a pair of clean tennis shoes, he straightened up with a grin… until he noticed the twins had both changed into similar outfits, with Bryce wearing a pair of worn navy jeans and a black T-shirt and Dart mirroring him except that his shirt was navy blue.

“You two are not coming.”

They didn’t bother replying and instead just grinned and sauntered out of his room. Rolland quickly followed, but they were gone when he made it to the hallway. Good. They better stay gone. He was in no mood to be messed with right then, though they hadn’t been too bad during the movie earlier. Quickly locking up, since Dyce was already asleep, like usual, Rolland headed downstairs.

Noticing the brothers leaning against his car outside, he decided to at least annoy them a little and fished out his phone, sending his mom a quick text before stepping out into the dimming light. It was around six o’clock, not the best time to go job hunting by far, but he wasn’t tired and he needed cash in his pocket. Relying on his parents for the rest of his life didn’t exactly sit well with him.

“Alright, let’s go.”

He unlocked the car and slid into the driver’s lap. Wait, what? Glaring over his shoulder, Rolland saw Bryce grinning down at him.

“No. This is my car.”

Bryce raised his eyebrows as Rolland tried to shove him onto Dart in the passenger’s seat.

“You’re not driving.”

“Oh yeah?”

Rolland was just opening his mouth to begin yelling at him when he was tossed into the back with a yelp.

“Hey!”

Dart leaned over the center armrest and signed as Rolland got himself into a seated position.

“Buckle up, Rolland.”

“B-But this is my car!” he whined, even as he did as told. He knew he sounded like a child complaining, but it was his car. Of course the twins just ignored him as Bryce got it started and began backing out.

Wait a second… when did he take my keys?

Dart signed to him as Bryce drove toward the first busy area, which just happened to be a strip mall with a bunch of restaurants, but Rolland was determined to ignore him. The second they parked, he jumped out of the backseat and grabbed his keys from Bryce, then stalked straight toward the first store he could see.

“He’s about to walk out right in front of that…”

“Dibs!”

Strong arms suddenly lifted and spun him around, right as a silver truck rumbled past. His feet were back on the pavement in seconds, but Dart didn’t let him go as Bryce walked around and signed.

“Please try to be less stupid, Rolland.”

Rolland snapped his gaze to Bryce’s face, but Bryce was already turning and calmly walking toward a restaurant with a Help Wanted sign in the window. Even though Rolland really wanted to run back to the car and leave them both there, they’d probably get back to the dorms before he did. So, with an angry huff, Rolland stomped after them, looking both ways this time, before ducking inside the restaurant. He had grabbed a small white board before he left and took it out from under his arm with a message he had written on it while he was in the backseat. So, when he walked up to the hostess he quickly held it up with his best smile.

“Hello, my name is Rolland, and I’m looking for a job. I am deaf but a hard worker, may I speak with your manager please?”

The girl glanced behind him, where, no doubt, Dart and Bryce were standing, but then she returned her gaze to him and nodded with a small smile. When she turned away, Rolland looked over his shoulder at the brothers, but they seemed to just be looking around the small restaurant with minimal enthusiasm. Well, it didn’t matter if they liked it. He was the one who was getting a job, not them.

After a minute, he noticed a small, middle-aged man hobbling out from a back area, most likely the kitchen. He looked tired but happy. When he stopped in front of him and offered a hand, Rolland quickly shook it, then followed him as he led them over to a small table in the back corner. The place was pretty busy, but there were a few extra tables, so he supposed it didn’t matter if they took it for a few minutes. He scooted in after Dart and Bryce, then handed his board and black marker to the manager.

The man smiled and quickly got busy writing, turning the board toward himself. Rolland also noticed that he was talking, but since he was glancing at Bryce and Dartanian every few seconds, he figured it wasn’t to him.

“So, how is his worth ethic?”

“He’s done really well in high school and is on a scholarship to college. We don’t know if he’s had any other jobs, but considering he hasn’t brought anything in, I’m going to guess he doesn’t exactly know what he’s doing in terms of interviews.”

The man laughed, then turned the board to face Rolland after looking away from Bryce.

“Hello, Rolland. My name is Mr. Maxwell. Do you have any work experience?”

Rolland quickly took the board back as he was offered it, then began writing beneath the man’s words, showing him once he’d finished.

“No, sir, but I am willing to work long shifts and nights as needed.”

The man took the board back with a smile and began writing and talking.

“Can he speak?”

“Yes. He’s a little quiet but actually pretty easy to understand. He also picks up on cues pretty quickly so you could probably work with him easily after a few days of training.”

Rolland saw the manager glance at him and smile, which he returned in slight confusion. When Mr. Maxwell handed the board back to him, Rolland quickly read what he wrote, then smiled wide.

“I think we can work something out, Rolland. If you don’t mind working in the back, I’d love to see what you can do. Please come back tomorrow at six, and we can do some training, alright?”

“Yes!”

Mr. Maxwell looked a bit startled to hear him speak but quickly reached across the table for a strong handshake that Rolland was glad to accept.

“I’ll be here!”

The man gave a chuckle and nodded, then excused himself to head back to the kitchen. Rolland jumped up once he’d left and speed-walked until he was outside… then gave an excited shout and hopped up and down. It was childish, but he was actually really surprised he had gotten so lucky. And Mr. Maxwell sounded like a great boss. There were suddenly arms around him, but he didn’t care, in fact, he laughed happily as Dart swung him around, then Bryce stole him for a strong hug. When they finally backed up a little, Rolland noticed Dart sign and paid attention as he caught his breath… only to freak out again.

“Let’s go bowling as congratulations.”

“Really?” Rolland said with enthusiasm.

Dart smirked and picked him up, tossing him over his shoulder like a kid as he ran over to his car. Rolland could see Bryce following behind them, trying to hold back a laugh. He was tossed into the backseat again and had to quickly buckle up as Dart, now driving, floored the car out of the parking lot.

This time when Bryce leaned over the middle armrest, Rolland looked up to see what he wanted.

“Amanda is going to be there.”

Wait, huh?

He thought back to the memories Dartanian gave him and realized that she had been a friend, he thought. Maybe she knew me back then? A smile formed on his lips, and Bryce returned it with one of his own and a chuckle.

“She’ll be happy to see you and I’m sure she’d love to talk. She’s going to college for sign language… you inspired her.”

Rolland sat back with a warm feeling in his belly. He had a friend from his past life and he was going to meet them soon!

“But wait a second. How did she know we were going to be there?”

Bryce smirked and winked, making him purse his lips in thought.

“Wait, you two planned to take me there tonight?”

“Something like that. You sidetracked us with this job thing, but it still worked out.”

The car slowly came to a stop, and when Rolland turned his head to look, they were in front of a huge bowling alley. He was still confused as to why the twins had planned this out for him, but he was too eager to meet Amanda to question it right now. He hopped out of the car and… Wait a second, how did he get the keys from me again?

Rolland ran inside, fuming silently after checking both ways, and was met with a hug that could surprisingly rival Dart and Bryce’s in strength. Air quickly became a necessity, making him gently nudge her away so he could refill his lungs.

“Oh my god, Rolland. I’ve missed you so much.” Her hands were flying as she hopped up and down on the toes of her bowling shoes, then she came in for another, less-tight hug that he returned after a moment. They were tugged apart a minute later when Dart grabbed Rolland’s collar and Bryce walked right between them, sticking his tongue out when Amanda glared at him.

“Come on, you can talk with him as we bowl.”

Rolland saw her pout as he was dragged backward onto the lower bowling area, but at least she was following them. When they got to their numbered lane, Rolland literally just stopped and stared at the huge bright room.

“He’s going to start drooling soon and he hasn’t even seen the cool part.”

“I think it’s kind of lame…”

“You’re a dork. I bet you twenty bucks he’ll like it.”

“I’m not that stupid. He’s gonna go nuts for it.”

“Hah.”

A nudge to Rolland’s shoulder brought his attention away from Amanda and Dart to Bryce before he was gently pushed down into the seat directly behind him.

“What are you doing?” Rolland asked as Bryce knelt down and got busy undoing his shoelaces, then set the shoes aside and started tugging on a pair of dark red and blue shoes. Oh. They looked funny, but when he glanced over and noticed Amanda was wearing the same ones, he figured it was something that had to do with bowling and just mentally shrugged while Bryce finished tying them up.

Bryce looked up once he was finished and gave him a smile while signing, “You’re all ready and you’re first, come on.”

Rolland blanched as he looked over at the huge lane and pins at the far end, but Bryce didn’t give him any time to panic as he pulled him up and over to the ball machine on the wooden stage a few feet away. Bryce checked a few balls, then finally handed Rolland a neon green one. It was surprisingly heavy, but he managed to keep a good hold on it as he stepped around, then leaned over. Bryce placed his fingers in the three holes, and after a moment, he removed them and tapped Rolland’s right arm.

Taking the hint, Rolland quickly lifted his right hand and pushed his smaller fingers into the holes snugly. When he noticed Bryce nod, he smiled and they walked closer to the edge of the lane. It was brightly lit and a piece of shiny black tape stretched across the lane by his feet. Rolland guessed it was there to let him know that he shouldn’t step over it. Bryce knelt down beside him, and Rolland eagerly watched as he signed and pointed.

“You just need to roll the ball straight and hit the pins way down there.”

Rolland smiled and nodded. How hard could rolling a ball be?

“Okay.”

He chuckled and stood, backing up a few steps as he tried his best to copy the other bowlers’ actions and roll the ball down the middle.

---

Dartanian watched as Rolland did the best impersonation of someone failing to bowl he’d ever seen. The ball went immediately to the gutter, but he managed to stumble over the line at the same second, fouling himself before Bryce could pull him backward. He was about to laugh when Rolland turned around, but the upset look on his face instantly made Dartanian open his arms and smile reassuringly. Rolland was in them right away, tucking his head against Dart’s shoulder as he wrapped his arms around the younger guy.

“Hang on a second,” Bryce said as he ran over to the counter and spoke to a worker for a second before returning with a grin. He sat down in front of the gaming computer and reset the game as an employee walked over to their lane and set up the bumpers. When everything was done, Dartanian got up, setting Rolland on his feet before leading him back up onto the stage.

“Rolland, let’s try again, I’ll show you how to do it better… ‘cause Bryce is lame.”

“I saw that.”

Dart ignored his brother as he nudged Rolland to kneel down. He had the ball and gently rolled it forward a little like a child might, but stopped it from rolling off. Then he handed it to Rolland so he could sign.

“Try it that way, and pay attention to the pins, not the ball.”

Rolland looked skeptic, but he did as told, scooting the ball to the middle before giving it a hard shove. The ball moved slowly toward the side, but right as it looked like it was going to fall into the gutter again, it bounced against a railing and rolled the rest of the way down, striking three pins before disappearing into the dark.

Dartanian waited with bated breath, but he didn’t have to wait long. Rolland yelled and jumped into his arms, making him fall backward onto the floor.

“I hit three! Did you see? I hit them. I got three!”

Rolland squirmed in his arms, making Dart struggle to get up. He managed, though, and when he handed the ball back to him, Rolland immediately squatted down and gave the ball another good push. He hit another two pins and jumped up with excitement before following Dartanian off to let Bryce go.

---

Rolland plopped down next to Amanda as Bryce and Dart took their turns. He knew they’d knock down all the pins; it was probably pathetically easy for them. So, while they did that, he started signing with Amanda, who was all-too-eager.

“Rolland, how have you been? Dart said you lost your memory?”

“Yeah. I don’t remember much except for my last year of high school. I got adopted, though. My parents are awesome.”

Her eyes lit up as she reached forward and pulled him into a hug, then quickly leaned back to reply. “I’m so happy for you. It sucks to lose your memory, but I’m sure it will come back eventually.”

Rolland nodded before she got up to go bowl her turn. He glanced up at the scoreboard, a grin forming as he noticed both brothers had gotten strikes. Both Bryce and Dart were watching him and hm, maybe…

Rolland snickered to himself before walking over to them. Both brothers looked at each other, then back to him.

“I have an idea.”

Bryce raised a brow while Dark smirked.

“How about, whoever wins between you two gets to sleep in my bed tonight.”

Their jaws literally dropped, but he didn’t wait around for a response. Instead, it was his turn to bowl. Running over to grab his ball, Rolland glanced at the other bowlers, then tried what they were doing again. It quickly hit the bumper, but then it zoomed toward the pins and hit six! He pumped his fist into the air and was about to bowl his second go when the lights suddenly shut off, then black lights switched on and “Oh my god.” The entire place was lit up like the solar system. He totally dropped his ball, thankfully not on his feet, and whirled around on the stage. They had stars all over the ceiling and different moving lights that made it look like comets were flying around. All the lanes were lit up, too, and when he looked down to get his ball, it was bright green.

“This is so cool!”

“Told you he’d like it.”

“Simple pleasures for simple minds.”

“Indeed.”

Rolland could have sworn that he stared for a billion years, minus a billion, before the brothers nodded for him to bowl his second go. When he sat down afterward, they seemed to get pretty into their turns, nearly hitting every pin on their first try. Rolland and Amanda got so wrapped up in signing and watching them that they decided to just let them take over their brackets. Amanda also promised to take Rolland there again, so that helped his decision to just let the brothers play by themselves.

They signed mostly about what they had been doing during their senior year, as he was a bit hesitant to learn too much about himself just yet. He wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was she since they were in the same college, so there was plenty of time to get to those things.

When he noticed Bryce and Dart drop into seats across from them, he glanced up at the scoreboard. Wow, they’d gotten all strikes and spares. He turned his attention to the brothers and immediately knew who hadn’t won… the brother who wasn’t pouting with his arms crossed over his chest looking down at the floor.

“Good job, Bryce!”

Bryce winked at Rolland, making him laugh as they all got up to head outside. Amanda gave him one final hug and got his cell phone number so they could text, then the twins dragged him back to his car, and they actually let him drive. Bryce was grinning with satisfaction in the front seat while Dart glared out the window in the back.

“I should get him first.”

“Oh you should? Why is that?”

“‘Cause I saw him first, duh!”

“You sound so immature right now. You’d be rubbing it in my face if you had won.”

“That’s beside the point!”

“And I rest my case.”

Rolland pulled his car into the mostly-empty dorm parking lot and slid out, stretching his arms over his head before walking toward the building. Both brothers were quick to follow him straight up to his room, though Dart still looked miffed. Bryce, on the other hand, was all smiles, which was something somewhat rare for the stoic vampire. That just made his own grin grow wider. When they finally stepped inside his room, Bryce began to tug off his clothes as he moved toward Rolland’s bed, being careful not to step on Dyce, still asleep on the floor. He tossed his shirt off and kicked his shoes as he fell into his messy bed… and Rolland did the same… on the bed directly across from it.

“Mm, so tired.”

Rolland’s eyes closed for a minute, then he glanced sideways at a flabbergasted Bryce who was now sitting on his bed with his mouth open in shock.

“Did he just…”

“Hah! Ooooh yeah. He just played us!”

Bryce looked from his brother to Rolland, then smirked and opened his arms again.

“I’m just gonna sleep over here,” Rolland mumbled with a grin.

Bryce rolled his eyes and signed, “Come here, Rolland. You know you like cuddling with us.”

Okay, he was kind of right.

Rolland looked over at Dart, and his eyes narrowed.

“You aren’t gonna try anything, right?”

“Define anything?”

He glared and crossed his arms over his chest, and Dart quickly pouted and signed, “Fine, fine. I won’t do anything.”

Rolland’s mouth quirked up into a smile before he stood up and walked over to fall into Bryce’s arms. Bryce rubbed his back for a moment before slowly tugging Rolland’s shirt over his head. Dropping that to the floor, he leaned back against the wall and signed, “Can we have a little bit to drink before bed?” Rolland hadn’t really been planning to let them drink from him, but they had been great today, so why not?

“Okay.”

Bryce smiled and tugged him closer as Rolland felt Dart’s chest press against his back. He leaned closer to Bryce, but that just made Dart scoot even closer, his legs straddling him as Rolland did the same on Bryce’s lap. They wasted no time leaning forward to nuzzle against either side of his neck, and as their tongues warmed his skin, Rolland felt Dartanian slip his arms around him, settling right above his brother’s. His mind was slowly clouding over with calm anticipation and sleep, but he didn’t mind. Having their fangs slip through his skin made him flinch, then sigh and relax into their embraces. He should have told them to stop after a minute so he could go to sleep, but he found himself drifting off to the sensation of their soft lips sucking gently against his neck a few minutes later.

What Doesn’t Belong To You

Waking up alone actually felt… well, lonely. Rolland had expected both brothers to be snuggled up against him, Bryce’s back touching his, and Dart’s arms around his waist, yet they were both gone. The slight sensation of pressure against his back and waist told me that they had at least left recently. That brought a small smile to his face as he pushed himself up and yawned.

“Mmm.”

Dyce had his head on Rolland’s bed, eyes going full-on puppy.

“Oh man, I’m sorry I forgot to take you out last night.”

Glancing around the room, he sighed with relief when there was no indication he’d gone on the floor.

“You are the best dog ever. Let’s go for a walk.”

Dyce made a barking motion, and Rolland grinned as he hopped out of bed and quickly changed clothes, then put Dyce’s leash on. Normally he took the service jacket off at night, but again, he had totally blanked when he had gotten home from the bowling alley with Dartanian and Bryce. He flushed at the memory of falling asleep, his neck was even tingling a little still.

Shaking his head, he slipped on his shoes and ran out the door. Dyce had gained a few pounds, and well, Rolland didn’t mind the exercise, so they ran for a good mile before he had to drag Dyce back toward the dorms. A few people had checked out the dog’s jacket, then Rolland, probably wondering what was wrong, but he was pretty good at ignoring that stuff now. In fact, he just smiled and waved as they jogged or walked by.

Once they were back in the building, Dyce regained a bit of composure, mostly because of the air-conditioning. Thankfully there was an elevator, because even with the temperature decrease, Rolland still didn’t think Dyce would make it more than a step or two up the stairs. When they got back to his room, he was surprised, again, to see that the twins weren’t there.

I guess I just got used to them again.

Well, since he had his day to himself until six, he decided to get everything unpacked and set up where it needed to be because living out of a suitcase just wasn’t his style. Before he started taking things out, though, he ran to his suitcase and pulled out a roll of paper towels. They were mainly there in case Dyce had an accident, but he tore one off and wet it so he could wipe down any dust that had settled in the room after being vacated by the previous tenant. When that was done, he tossed the dirty paper towel on the floor and grinned when Dyce suddenly got a burst of energy and hopped up onto his stubby legs to retrieve it. Rolland knew eating it would be bad for him, which is why he was glad he never ate them. He just seriously loved to tear them up. And, since he didn’t have a roommate yet, he didn’t mind him making a small mess as he pawed at the paper, shredding it into smaller and smaller pieces. Yes, he should be using his mouth and such like a normal dog, but his dog was weird… and he wouldn’t have him any other way.

By the time five rolled around, he’d fed Dyce a good helping of kibble, had just about everything out of his suitcase, and his room looked much more like a bedroom than before. He was actually kind of proud. Looking over at Dyce, he smirked at the huge pile of paper he’d managed to create with that one piece of paper towel.

“Looks like you’ve been busy just like your dad, huh?”

Dyce gave a barking gesture, and Rolland laughed as he took him outside real quick, then filled up his food bowl for dinner before heading out, calling over his shoulder as he shut the door, “Guard my room, boy. Don’t let those evil brothers inside!”

With another chuckle, he locked the door and headed downstairs. He might have skipped once or twice before he slid into his car; his mood was just that good. He had job training tonight! Putting his car in reverse, he double checked that he had his white board and markers, and that he was wearing presentable clothing, then nodded and headed off to his first night of work.

When Rolland walked through the door with his board tucked under his left arm, he was surprised to see the place absolutely packed. The hostess from the night before noticed him right away and quickly hurried over and grabbed his arm. He was dragged through the back doors into the kitchen where he saw several chefs and line cooks running around like crazy.

She made a ‘stop’ motion with her hand, then rushed off behind another door, only to return a second later with his boss. The older man looked tired, just as he had before, but a smile quickly grew on his face as he made a ‘give me’ gesture toward his board. Rolland handed it over, along with a marker from his pocket. The markers had magnets on them, but in this type of situation, he felt he would have less of a chance of accidentally knocking them off and losing them on the floor if he kept them in his pocket. The older man scribbled as he walked around the big kitchen he’d just lead Rolland into, then stopped at a sink and showed him the board.

“Wash your hands, then come over to me.”

Rolland nodded and got busy scrubbing his hands nearly to the bone. He didn’t want to mess up, so he made sure he did it thoroughly before drying them and walking over to his boss again. He was just finishing scrawling another message across his board when Rolland stopped beside him, then held it up so he could read it.

“I need you to use the knife sitting here and cut up all of the mushrooms just like the one on the board.”

He pointed to a mushroom slice sitting at the top left corner of the cutting board, and Rolland nodded before looking back at the white board.

“Then wash the knife and do the tomatoes just like this.”

Rolland looked to the top right of the cutting board and noted the tomato slice. With a smile, his gaze returned to the man’s eyes and he nodded happily. His boss returned the gesture and motioned for him to begin after handing his board back. He knew it was just cutting vegetables, but he was excited to be left alone on his first day to try things out on his own. Well, kind of not really alone with all the chefs running around, but still.

He grabbed the knife with an excited smile and got down to business. The mushrooms were pretty easy, and he got them done in about fifteen minutes, but when the tomatoes came around, he began having trouble. He had just washed his knife off and dried it, but the darn juice was making it hard to get an even slice. He was just getting frustrated when he felt a hand slide along his arm and grasp the knife. His gaze darted over his shoulder to see a guy around his age with red hair, smiling down at him. He must have known Rolland was deaf already because he didn’t bother talking, and instead just reached around him with his left arm and grabbed the tomato, then began cutting it with his hand still on the knife, showing him the motions to do it. He had to admit it was a bit odd for a demonstration, but the tomato did cut a lot easier if he did it the way he was being shown.

Rolland thanked him once he released his hand and then got busy. The rest of the night was pretty straight forward. He constantly had things placed in front of him to cut, and, after being given an example slice, he did everything efficiently. By the end of the night, he was pretty tired, but when Mr. Maxwell came over and clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up, he grinned wide and nodded. Mr. Maxwell took his board and scribbled on it before handing it back and waving to him. Rolland flipped it around and read it as he headed to the sink to wash his hands.

“Great job tonight. Consider your shift Monday through Friday, same time you came in today. If you do well, I’ll add on more time if you’d like.”

Hugging his board, he set it aside and got his hands washed, then grabbed it and headed home. He expected the brothers to be waiting for him in his room, but again, they were gone.

“Odd.”

Giving a shrug, Rolland walked over and plopped down on his bed before fishing out his phone from his pocket. He sent his mom a quick text, telling her that he got a job and then looked at another text he’d missed from an unfamiliar number.

Hey, Dart and I had to head home to help our parents move. We’ll be back at the end of the week.

Ah, so that’s why they aren’t stalking me.

Rolland grinned at his own thought and typed in a reply, then hit send.

Okay, see you when you come back!

Just for kicks he attached a saved picture of Dyce flopped over on the floor, tongue sticking out as he slept. He was still snickering a little when the phone vibrated and he nearly dropped it from sheer surprise. The screen flashed on, and Rolland laughed out loud. There was an adorable picture of Bryce and Dart both making stupid faces at the camera and then a short message.

We are much sexier dogs!

A big smile stretched across his face as he kicked his feet and responded with another text and picture. This one was of Dyce dressed in a doggy tuxedo from Halloween, and sleeping, of course. Then he typed out a little caption beneath it.

I don’t know, he’s pretty darn hot in his tux.

The phone vibrated a minute later, and he quickly read the message and, oh my god! They sent him a picture of them in tuxes! It took him a minute to stop the drool he didn’t realize was running down his chin in order to read the message sent along with it.

Drooling yet? I think we win.

Rolland shifted awkwardly on the bed and ended up flopping onto his back, pursing his lips as he held the phone above him. They kind of had him. They definitely won, but he wasn’t going to give up that easily.

I don’t know, you guys don’t let me take you for walks or make your breakfast and dinner.

After he clicked the send button, he realized how bad that sounded. He had fed them last night. Just the memory coming back made his face turn bright red. His phone vibrated with an incoming message.

Take a picture of yourself right now, we want to see you.

His mouth dropped open. No way! He was probably as red as a tomato. His phone vibrated again.

Now, Rolland, counting to five. We want our pic.

The phone started vibrating every second, and he quickly scrambled with the buttons, hitting send right as they got to zero. Oh god, he just sent them a totally embarrassing photo of him lying in his bed, hair mussed on the blanket and face bright red! Why didn’t I send a saved one? he thought frantically right before his phone vibrated after a long minute of nothing and he dreaded looking at the text. He expected just words, but the picture they sent had blood rushing straight between his legs.

They just sent me. They sent me a. A pic of their. Oh my god!

The phone beeped again, and Rolland hesitantly glanced over the message.

Have a good night, Rolland… we’ll enjoy your picture before bed, so you enjoy ours ;)

Groaning loudly, he threw his phone somewhere on his bed, then jumped up and ran to the shower, slamming the door shut before jumping in, clothes and all, and turning it onto the coldest setting. Unfortunately, the frigid water just wasn’t cutting it. Or cooling it, for that matter. His skin was still heating up steadily as the image of their… their…

Don’t do it. Don’t do it.

His hand disobeyed his thoughts and snaked its way into his wet pants, grabbing its target with eagerness. He dropped to his knees and let his forehead fall to the porcelain edge of the tub, but the chill of the cold surface did nothing, again. So, with a shaky sigh, he slowly began to let his hand move, eyes closing as pleasure began to take over his body. His breath came in short pants, and he gave a quiet groan.

This is so embarrassing. To actually do this because of that picture.

It was all over fast as he tensed and released a moment later. Rolland didn’t really remember the last time he had done that, since he had so much stuff going on the past few weeks. Either way, his body was humming with pleasure long after he had finished.

“God. I’m such a pervert.”

The rest of the week flew by, but each time he went to work, things got more and more awkward with that red-haired line cook. He helped him the first day but was now beginning to randomly bump into him or try to help more than he really needed. Rolland didn’t think too much of it, especially since his mind was usually more focused on getting the job done well. However, on Tuesday, he felt a hand on his hip and flinched, turning around to see the guy standing there smiling. He had taken his whiteboard and was now showing Rolland what he had written on it.

“You’re adorable.”

U-Uh. What am I supposed to say to that?

“I, um… thanks?”

The guy chuckled and patted his head, then walked away after tapping Rolland’s butt.

Wednesday wasn’t much better. In fact, it was worse. He was getting really paranoid and often jumped when the line cook squeezed his shoulder or touched anywhere else, making Rolland add cuts to the ones he’d previously gotten on his hands from being randomly surprised previously. Thursday, the guy actually slid his hand down the side of Rolland’s pants while he was washing his hands in the bathroom and made him yelp, but when he turned to ask him what he was doing, the guy just laughed, winked, and walked out.

Everything happening at work seemed to translate into the texts he sent to the brothers because, more than once, they had asked him what was wrong. He thought about telling them a few times, but Rolland knew that if he did, the guy would likely be killed, so he kept his worries to himself as best he could.

Friday night was a long shift, but Rolland somehow got away without much interaction with the guy, whose name he still didn’t know. Mr. Maxwell tapped his shoulder around nine, and he jumped but turned to him with a smile when he realized it wasn’t the line cook. Mr. Maxwell handed Rolland his board and clapped him on the shoulder, making him flinch. Thankfully he didn’t notice and just walked away. Looking down at his board, Rolland smiled with relief as he read what his boss had written on it.

“You’re good to go home, Rolland, great job tonight!”

Rolland looked at the top of the board after reading and grinned widely. His paycheck! Mr. Maxwell had explained that he would pay him for his first few nights that night, just in case things didn’t work out, but the day before he’d said he’d be more than happy to keep Rolland and just gave him his check early because of his good work. Since the brothers were coming back that night, Rolland had planned to stop by the store and see if he could find something small as a ‘welcome home’ sort of thing, since they were friends, but as he stepped outside, his thoughts completely shattered. His left wrist was grabbed and he was dragged into the alley next to the restaurant, then slammed up against the brick wall.

“What are y—!”

The line cook who had been harassing him all week shoved his mouth down hard on Rolland’s, knocking their teeth and making him groan from the pain.

“I knew you liked me, such a sexy sound.”

The guy’s knee pushed between his legs as Rolland struggled to get his mouth free to yell for help. Even when he released his hands, Rolland still couldn’t manage to even push him a little! The man’s free hand shoved his shirt up and traced every inch of his skin before it dipped into his pants.

“Mm!”

Rolland struggled when the man tried to grab him and somehow managed to knee him in the groin, which thankfully loosened his grip a tiny bit. Taking the opportunity, Rolland punched his cheek with his left hand and then head-butted his throat. He knew they weren’t exactly normal targets in most situations, but it got the guy off of him and gave him that desperate chance he needed to get to his car. The line cook followed, but Rolland locked his doors and floored his car in reverse before the guy could catch him.

Rolland expected the guy to try to follow him, but he just stood in the middle of the parking lot, staring until he was out of sight. Rolland’s heart was going a mile a minute the whole drive to the store. He was a frazzled mess, but he really didn’t want to ruin his first chance to hang out with the brothers in a while so he needed to calm himself down, and he also wanted to get them something. Pulling into the parking lot, he sat there for a few minutes before feeling strong enough to go inside. He parked in one of the handicap spots right up front, which he knew was frowned-upon, but he was technically handicapped… and scared out of his mind.

Once inside the brightly lit store, he looked around but didn’t really see a whole lot he liked. There were clothes and stationery things, but that wasn’t really what he wanted. He decided to stroll around the place and just see if something caught his eye, but after nearly twenty minutes, he was just about to give up. That’s when something shiny made him walk over to the jewelry department. Yeah, he knew boys and jewelry didn’t mix, and Rolland couldn’t agree more, but he just couldn’t not buy it. Grabbing the item, he rushed to the counter and paid. It was really inexpensive, and obviously cheaply made, but he thought it would be perfect.

After grabbing his bag, he thanked the cashier and headed to his car for the last few minutes of his drive home. He was pushing what happened after work as far back as he could manage as he slammed his car door shut and bolted inside, then up to his room. When he opened the door, he saw Bryce relaxing on the spare bed and walked in with a smile.

“Hey!”

Bryce looked up at him and returned his smile with a grin of his own, right before Rolland nearly jumped out of his shoes when Dart wrapped his arms around his waist from behind. Rolland whirled around and came face to face with Dartanian as the vampire sniffed at his lips… then slowly lowered to his shirt. When his gaze finally rose to Rolland’s, there was no disguising the anger there.

“Dart?”

Dartanian slowly lifted his hands and signed in deliberate movements.

“Why do you smell like someone else, everywhere?”

His upper lip was slowly beginning to pull back, revealing fangs Rolland knew all too well.

“D-Dart, I-I… he… Ah!” Dartanian shoved him, hard, making Rolland stumble back several feet before falling and smacking his head on the edge of his tiny nightstand.

“He let someone else touch him!”

Bryce stood from the bed and began walking toward him, but Rolland quickly got up and scrambled to the other side of the room by the closet, suddenly feeling cornered by two lions.

“D-Dart, I-I didn’t… he…”

He wanted to get an explanation out, but Dartanian was already stomping out of the room with his brother right behind him.

“Wait!”

Doing what was likely the dumbest thing right then, Rolland ran after them and ended up grabbing Dart’s wrist… right before Dartanian turned around and punched him. He knew Dart had held back when he took the hit, dropping to the floor in sheer surprise. The physical pain, while bad as it throbbed through his right cheek, was nothing compared to how badly that hurt his heart. When neither of them even tried to help him up, he crawled back into his room and nudged the door shut.

---

“I can’t believe he fucking screwed someone while we were gone for just one week!”

Bryce was quiet as he watched his brother explode. Dartanian was pacing back and forth, growling and shouting every few seconds. He’d already called Rolland a whore ten times along with a few other expletives, however, Bryce just couldn’t help but think there was something odd going on. He kept his mouth shut, though, not wanting to make his brother even worse.

It was around midnight when Dartanian finally calmed down enough to sit on his bed, and that’s when they both looked toward Rolland’s room.

“He’s been crying for this long?” Dart asked quietly.

Bryce looked toward his brother, who was now growling at the floor, his body tense.

“Dart. I think there might be something else going on.”

Dartanian had half the mind to shout he already fucking knew that, but instead, he took a deep, calming breath and stood up. Bryce followed him out of the room but made sure he walked in first when they entered Rolland’s. The lights were already out, but that didn’t hinder their eyesight at all… and what they saw had both brothers swallowing, hard. Rolland was huddled in the tiny corner between his bed and his nightstand, his head pressed down on his arms, which were crossed over his knees. But what made both Dart and Bryce give pause, were the three silver necklaces clamped in his right hand with a heart, split into three pieces so that when they were put together, it made a whole.

“Stay here,” Bryce said as he took careful steps forward and his brother quietly shut the door. When he knelt in front of Rolland, Bryce noticed something else and quickly snatched it up in a blur, then tossed it back to his brother. Dart caught the bottle of pills, his face paling.

“He was going to…”

He shook it, just to be sure that it was still full, then put the bottle in his pants pocket.

Bryce wasn’t really sure how to approach such an emotional situation so he very gently tapped Rolland’s elbow. He yelped and shrunk against the wall, trying to pull his legs and arms as close to his body as he could.

“I-I’m sorry! P-Please don’t touch me!”

That left Bryce in an awkward position. He could only communicate with Rolland by signing but decided that it was best to leave the lights off since he was so spooked. Actually, there was one other way of communicating, but it would be tricky with Rolland’s sudden aversion to touch.

“Something had to have happened besides us being mad, he’s really scared.”

Bryce felt his brother get a little closer as he reached out and gently tapped Rolland’s elbow again. The boy gasped and flinched, but he had nowhere left to back away. When he calmed down a little bit, Bryce slowly allowed his fingers to wrap around his arm, then waited again. It took several pauses and a few backtracks before he finally managed to gently tug a shaking Rolland into his lap. Immediately Bryce wrapped his arms snugly around him for comfort.

The necklace had dropped during one of Rolland’s panic attacks, but as his brother began comforting the guy in his arms, Dart retrieved the three pieces of jewelry and clasped the right side of the heart piece around his neck, then put the left one on his brother. He waited several long minutes before Rolland finally seemed comfortable enough to try to give him the last piece. When his brother nodded, Dart knelt next to them and gently laced the necklace around Rolland’s neck, then fastened it before letting the weight drop to his shoulders, which immediately alerted him of its presence… and Dartanian’s.

Rolland’s wide, watery eyes found Dartanian’s, and Dart scooted back, knowing that he was definitely not the one who would be calming Rolland down after having punched him.

“God, I feel like an ass.”

He noticed Bryce grin, but it disappeared in a second when his focus turned to Rolland in his arms. Rolland had sat back in his lap, and his hand was now gently wrapped around the middle piece necklace. He was still shaking a little but at least wasn’t close to hyperventilating any longer.

“I…”

Bryce leaned over, pressing a soft kiss to Rolland’s hair, silently urging him to continue.

“I-I… h-he… he t-touched me! All week!”

Both brothers suddenly had their arms wound tightly around him.

“Whoever the fuck did this, I’ll kill them.” Dartanian snarled.

“My thoughts exactly.”

Color Me Red

---

Rolland knew this was going to be mean, but he just couldn’t deal with Dartanian being there right now. So, with a shaky breath, he looked over his shoulder and spoke in a near-mute whisper.

“D-Dart, get out.”

It was really dark in his room, but his eyes had adjusted enough to see the shocked look on Dart’s face. Rolland knew he was seriously surprised because Dartanian literally started spewing excuses at him, then realized after a minute that he was still deaf.

“You better go, Dart. You did punch him.”

Dartanian glanced at Bryce before he started talking quickly.

“But you didn’t even stop me! If you thought he wasn’t with another guy, then why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I wasn’t sure, and you’re a pain in the ass to try to get through to when you’re pissed.”

Dart bristled more, but Rolland just sunk into Bryce’s arms and glared. “Get out.”

Dart’s gaze returned to him, all the anger he had just directed toward his brother draining before he dragged himself up. It was still too dark for Rolland to see hand signals well so Dartanian just ran a hand through his messy hair and walked out, shutting the door behind him. It was a few minutes later when Bryce got up, easily lifting him in his strong arms and climbing into his bed with him.

Not so fast. I’m not an idiot.

“Bryce, you aren’t sleeping with me.”

Bryce’s eyes went wide as he paused midway to leaning over to kiss Rolland.

“I know you could have stopped him, but you didn’t. And you didn’t even help me up.”

Pursing his lips, Bryce sat back on his heels on Rolland’s bed, obviously knowing that he was right. He wasn’t as mad at him as he was Dart, but he definitely wasn’t going to be cuddling with any Rolland tonight. With a determined look, Rolland turned, leaning on his right arm, and pointed to the spare bed.

“If you want to sleep in here, you’ll do it on that bed. And if I wake up and sense any indication that either of you have been in my bed, I’m going to ignore you for a week.”

Bryce slowly bobbed his head, then slid from Rolland’s bed to walk over to the spare one. Rolland made his way to the bathroom and brushed his teeth, then grabbed a spare blanket for Bryce. He wasn’t going to be sleeping with him, but Rolland wasn’t just going to let him sleep on a bed with nothing. He set the blanket on the edge and then walked back to his bed and flopped over.

His dreams had been pretty bad recently, so it wasn’t a surprise when he jolted up in bed three times during the night. The last one had been particularly bad and left him shaky and sweating. After all the nights he had spent with the brothers, Rolland figured they’d be next to him by now, but the door was still closed with no Dart, and Bryce, while he was sitting up in bed and staring at him, was staying where he was. Rolland really wanted to go crawl into his arms but he held himself back. He was punishing them. They were in time-out for being mean. Especially Dart.

With a determined grunt, he flopped back down and tried to go back to sleep… but before he knew it, the sun was rising beyond his window and he hadn’t even closed his eyes again.

Just great.

Deciding that his chances to rest were close to zero then, Rolland climbed out of bed and hobbled into the bathroom, having to step over a passed-out Dyce on the way there. After taking a quick pee, he showered and got a towel wrapped around his waist so he could walk out without giving Bryce a show. He moved over to his dresser and tugged on a pair of black boxers, then added some tan cargo shorts and a white jersey with black stitching. After slipping on his sneakers, without socks, he grabbed Dyce’s leash and headed for the door with him. Dyce jumped when Rolland opened it because Dartanian flopped down on his back, obviously having been leaning against it. He was still wearing the same clothing from yesterday and looked like he hadn’t slept much. Rolland glared at him and stepped over his body, tugging Dyce over while ignoring Dart’s puppy eyes.

Neither brother followed him outside, but by the time he came back about thirty minutes later, they had both showered and changed clothes. Bryce was sitting on Rolland’s bed while Dart leaned against the wall right by his door, not going inside. He walked past him and inside, unclipped Dyce, then filled his food bowl before realizing something was sitting on his bed. It looked a bit funny, but as he got closer, he actually almost cracked a smile at the disturbing things on the plate.

Who thought of putting macaroni and cheese on a chocolate chip pancake?

Looking over his shoulder, Rolland saw Bryce glance toward Dart, then back to Rolland with an awkward shrug. Rolland really didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of eating what he’d gotten him, but at least he was trying to make things up to him… Okay, he plopped down on the bed and set the plate on his lap, eating the macaroni first before opening the little plastic syrup cup and drowning the poor pancake in delicious sweet bliss.

I may or may not have a pancake problem.

When the cup was completely empty, he set it aside and began shoveling big pieces of pancake into his mouth, dripping syrup down his chin but not caring in the least. He finished up the last few pieces after only a few minutes and set the plate on his nightstand before walking into his closet. His mom had sent him something a little bit ago that he hadn’t had the chance to use yet, but since he didn’t work Saturdays and school hadn’t started yet, Rolland figured it was the perfect time to just relax and enjoy his hobby. So, with a smile, he reached into his closet and pulled out a medium-sized canvas. He had been looking forward to painting since his parents realized he was good at it, but high school took up so much of his time that he only got a few basic things done on the canvases they’d bought him. This one was bigger so he had been saving it for just the right time.

And speaking of. “Dart?”

Glancing over his shoulder, Rolland watched as Dartanian stepped into his room and gave him a sad smile.

“You’re both in time-out today, but if you do what I want, maybe I’ll forgive you.”

Sure he was kind of being an ass, but he didn’t care. His cheek still hurt, and he noticed a nice bruise forming there after his shower.

The brothers looked at each other, then walked over to sit on either side of him as he propped his canvas up against his bed, making sure it didn’t slip by putting a shoe at the base. He grabbed the bag of paints he had brought out with it and then smirked.

“Put your hands together.”

Dartanian did as told, though the look on his face told him he knew exactly what was about to happen.

Payback time.

Grabbing a big tube of red, Rolland squeezed a good amount out onto Dart’s palm, then added green before turning to Bryce with a smirk. He gave Rolland a ‘really?’ look, but put his hands together, letting him add black and blue, making a pallet of paint colors out of the brother’s hands.

“He’s making fools out of us.”

“And we deserve it.”

“…we’re vampires, dammit. Why can’t we just attack him and take his body?”

“Would you, Dart?”

“Hmph!”

Rolland saw Bryce’s hands move up and down a little, telling him that he was laughing, but they were probably just talking amongst themselves. Grabbing one of his new paint brushes, Rolland quickly dipped it in the red, then moved it over to the green and swirled it a bit, tickling Dart by the looks of his hand fidgeting. That made Rolland smirk, but hopefully he hid it well. The painting went on for a few hours since he got in the zone, somewhere he hadn’t been in quite a long time. It felt nice to just forget about things and relax with a paintbrush in his hand and paint in the brothers’.

Sometime around three, Rolland looked over to get more green paint from Dart’s hands and realized the right one was missing. When he glanced up, Dartanian was just putting it back down… but now there was a huge streak of green right beneath his nose. Rolland glanced over to Bryce, who was trying so hard not to snicker, then looked back to Dart, who was beginning to glare at his brother.

“What the hell are you laughing at?”

“Nothing… sir.”

Dart paused for a moment before looking down at Rolland. Uh-oh. Rolland bit his lower lip, hard, trying to keep from cracking up.

“Okay, something’s up.”

He lifted his hands and signed, “What’s so funny?”

Rolland glanced at Bryce again, but he was turned away, laughing behind his hand. Dart’s colored hand waved in front of his face, drawing his attention back to him and renewing the humor in his green mustache. Yup, totally burst out laughing.

“Aw come on! What the hell is going on?” Dart shouted angrily.

“You’ve got a fuckin’ green mustache, dude!” his brother answered, likely telling him the truth since Dartanian’s eyes widened in sudden realization. Yup, guess Bryce spilled the beans! Grinning, Dart turned on Bryce, who was now on his back laughing. He quickly wiped his thumb across Bryce’s forehead, giving him an odd red unibrow.

“Heh, Simba!”

Bryce stopped laughing when the cold paint touched his face, then he stared over his shoulder at Rolland and gave a devilish smirk.

Uh-oh.

Jumping up, he tried to run for the door so he could find someone to keep the brothers’ from being evil, but of course, no luck. Because he tripped over Dyce for what had to have been the hundredth time since he’d had him.

“Darn dog.”

Turning over after a moment, he saw both brothers lathering their hands up with red and green paint and shivered. That was going to be cold! And stain.

“Th-That won’t wash out of my clothes. Come on, guys.”

Rolland was slowly backing away toward the other bed, hoping to at least get beneath it, but both brothers just looked at each other and nodded, then vanished.

“Oh crap!”

Before he could figure out where they went two sets of hands snatched the bottom of his jersey and yanked it up, forcing him to lift his arms over his head or risk the fabric tearing. The shirt flew off to the side before the brothers vanished again. This time, however, he didn’t hesitate to scramble for his life toward the bed. Unfortunately, Bryce’s green hands grabbed his bare arms and pulled him back while Dart’s face suddenly appeared at the tie to his shorts, easily tugging the simple knot undone.

“W-Wait! I-I don’t want to be painted!”

Dart smirked up from his position before he and Bryce both vanished and Rolland flopped down onto his back with a surprised grunt, and then his shorts were yanked off. Dart had them between his teeth, looking like a freaking serial killer with the smirk he wore along with his feral, wide eyes.

“Guys…?”

Bryce knelt down, leaning forward with a cynical smirk Rolland would expect to only ever see on Dart’s face. Perfect time to start being twins again! Bryce held his hands up and signed.

“I see an adorable little canvas.”

“Wanna make a Christmas tree, bro?” Bryce said to his brother even though he wasn’t looking at him.

“I’d love to.”

Rolland yelped when both brothers lunged at him. Bryce grabbed his arms and held him while Dart’s hand massaged up along his sides, making him squirm and blush furiously. Dartanian thankfully ran out of paint quickly, but then he got up and moved out of view, only to return, dropping several tubes of the new paint near Rolland’s feet before getting back on his knees.

“W-Wait! I-I… my parents sent me those!”

Dart winked and signed right before squirting some more green onto his hand, “We’ll get you more, because this painting thing is actually pretty fun.”

Wait. They plan to do this again?

“Cold!”

Dartanian squeezed a good amount of the tube onto Rolland’s belly, evidently deciding his hands didn’t keep enough paint on them, then began eagerly rubbing it up toward his chest. Bryce’s right hand reached over his shoulder, palm up silently asking for paint to be added.

Oh hell no!

Since Bryce only had one hand gripped on Rolland right then, Rolland thought he could get away, but of course, as soon as he tried he just ended up flipping himself onto his knees and immediately felt cold hands grasp his waist. That had him flinching, but then both brothers began rubbing the paint everywhere, just like one would soap, covering his whole chest before moving to his back while Bryce got his arms. Rolland tried to get away several more times, but just ended up by the tubes of open paint as the brothers began painting his legs with contented smiles on their faces.

Darn it. Two can play at this game! Wait. I meant three.

Grinning, he grabbed the closest tube and squeezed it as hard as he could into his hand, then tackled Dartanian, his hands grabbing his face and coloring it purple.

“Hah!”

He honestly looked shocked as the stuff dripped from his cheeks, but suddenly he had Bryce’s hands doing the same to him from behind. Oh, it’s on!

Needless to say, it was about an hour later, sometime around five? He wasn’t exactly sure when they all finally ran out of steam. Well, he ran out of steam, the brothers just recovered after a few minutes—stupid vampires. Bryce was up first and carefully lifted Rolland’s tired body before depositing him in the bathtub and getting the warm water started. He expected them to head back to their room to shower and change since he’d managed to pull Dart’s shirt off and get paint down Bryce’s, but when both brothers suddenly stripped in front of him, he thought he drooled a good few gallons.

Is it bad that I think the accents of pink and purple look hot on Dart and those red streaks along Bryce’s abdomen are also quite appealing?

The same image they had texted him a few nights ago made his face go beet read as he turned around, trying his best to stare a hole into the tile wall. No need to look at those. Nope. Not a-one.

“Hm, wonder what that blush was for?”

“I think he likes our stuff.”

“I wanna kiss him.”

“Yes please.”

Rolland silently hoped that they would both leave, but of course that wasn’t going to happen since they were already naked. So, it shouldn’t have surprised him when he felt two noses nuzzling against his neck, but it did, and he jumped, splashing some of the water filling the tub over the edge. He felt both brothers chuckle against his skin but couldn’t focus on that much since an arm was suddenly slung around his side to rest on his abdomen, then another, wrapping around the reverse direction, did the same. He expected a bite to soon follow and even tilted his head back against the side of the tub so they had plenty of room, but when two hands slid beneath his soaked boxers and grabbed him between his legs, Rolland squeaked and tried to whip his head up. Except, now there were two sets of fangs in his neck, easily preventing him from further movement.

“D-Dart…”

Rolland tried to say Bryce’s name too, but both hands gave a strong jerk, one going down, the other up, making him writhe immediately and nearly shoot into the bathwater.

“He’s about to come with just one little touch.”

“Did I mention how cute our Rolland is?”

Darn it, he could feel their lips moving against his neck and the light brushes of their hands still on him were driving him insane. When both brothers gave him another slight pump, he arched and groaned.

“Damn.”

“I want him in bed.”

A deep rumble on his left side told him one of the brothers was growling, but about what, he didn’t know… though he had a good guess.

“Fuck, we can’t.”

“Why?”

“That guy who was messing with him recently, I don’t want to scare Rolland.”

“This coming from Dartanian? Are you sure you’re my brother?”

The faint vibrations telling him that the two were talking stopped for a moment, and Rolland looked up and to the left just enough to see Dart looking down at him through a blurry haze. He’d obviously pulled away from his neck, but there was still a slight stain of blood along the bottom of his lip.

“Yeah… crazy, I know.”

“Crazy is one word for it, but okay. Let’s get him cleaned up?”

“And us. I look like a unicorn vomited rainbows all over me.”

“That would be absolutely hilarious.”

“Bastard.”

Rolland sat up when both brothers removed their hands but was soon joined by them in the tub.

“Uh, I don’t think there’s enough room,” he stated quietly, turning to face the spigot even as he spoke to try and make more room. Bryce slid in behind him anyway, more toward the back, while Dart took the front. Of course Rolland’s question was silently answered when Bryce pulled him back into his very… pointy lap. Rolland flinched and scooted away from it, getting a laugh from Dart before he signed, then grabbed a bar of soap and a washcloth.

“We won’t do anything to you tonight, Rolland… but soon.”

His heartbeat shot into his throat when Dart licked his lips, then leaned over to begin scrubbing the paint from his body, deliberately being sure to get the areas that were completely lacking paint, too.

Solving a Little Problem

The next morning was hectic, to say the least. Rolland spent most of the day trying to convince the brothers that he could handle the guy who had touched him all week, but when they wouldn’t agree, he had to scramble into their car before they left.

“I know you’re planning to kill him, but you can’t!”

Dart glanced into the backseat and smirked, signing to him from the passenger’s seat. “We don’t need to plan, silly. We’ll just kill him.”

Rolland’s gaze darted around outside as he noticed them getting closer and closer to the restaurant.

Crap. Think think think! What would get them to not go today? And more importantly, not kill someone?

They were just pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant when he shouted, “I-I’ll do whatever you want today if you don’t kill him!” Bryce suddenly hit the brakes, and a second later the car skidded into an empty parking space.

Bryce looked over at Dart, who quickly signed back at Rolland. “You will do anything we want today? Anything?”

Rolland felt his stomach drop but hesitantly nodded. They looked at each other again, then signed at the same time. He had a feeling they signed something similar to sex, but his attention suddenly focused on the person walking across the parking lot toward the restaurant. The twins noticed immediately and turned their attention to him with narrowed eyes.

“Well well.”

“Look who grew up… and won’t be living for much longer.”

Both of them looked like they were about to pounce on the guy so Rolland did the only thing he could think of and grabbed their arms. “Don’t! Please don’t kill him. Please.”

He pleaded with his eyes when they turned back to stare at him. Both brothers seemed about ready to just shove him away and go after the guy anyway, but then they looked at each other and began to talk.

“How much do you wanna bet Luke will be in his room when we get back if we feed off of Rolland in front of him right now?”

Dart said something so Rolland turned his attention to Bryce, trying to read his reaction. He smirked, which Rolland wasn’t sure was a positive or a negative, before Bryce replied.

“All my life savings. So, ambush the bastard?”

“Sounds like fun, bro.”

They both nodded, then looked back at Rolland. They weren’t out of the car and tearing the guy’s throat out, so he gave them a smile of appreciation… right before he was yanked forward by the collar of his shirt and both Bryce and Dart dug their fangs into either side of his neck. It normally wouldn’t freak him out, but now the guy who had been after him the past week was staring straight at them. Bryce’s fangs slipped from his neck, and Rolland noticed him beginning to talk again.

“Knock him out.”

Dartanian’s jaws tightened on his skin and Rolland could feel him beginning to pull harder, drawing more blood into his mouth. He tried to scoot backward, but they held him firm until darkness took over.

---

“I can sense him coming. You ready, bro?” Dartanian said as he slid beneath Dart’s bed and his brother ducked into the closet. “Yeah.”

They both grew quiet, the only sound in the room that of Rolland’s breathing. About two minutes after they had hidden, the door creaked open, then was closed and locked. A low, hungry growl rumbled through Luke’s chest as he approached. He wasted no time in climbing into Dart’s bed. Dartanian was pissed about it, but he held himself back until he could smell blood in the air.

Both he and Bryce blurred out from their hiding places the second they figured Luke was beginning to go into his drinking trance. His brother was there first, since he had to stand up and the closet door hadn’t been shut completely. That gave Bryce the pleasure of throwing Luke into the opposite wall. It was easily hard enough to dent, but neither brother paid any mind to the damage as Bryce pinned him to the floor where he fell, then Dartanian joined him.

“Nice to see you again, Luke. You got lucky last time, but you made the mistake of messing with what’s ours again. So, I believe you need to go.”

Luke was still dazed from beginning to feed, showing just how little control he had over his bloodlust, so Dartanian didn’t have to exert much effort as he slid his claws into Luke’s chest and squeezed. “Bye bye, little annoyance.”

He could tell that the guy was trying to teleport away again, but when Luke’s brain finally caught up with his body and he began to move, Bryce was there to snag his left ankle. The abrupt motion had forced Dart’s claws to tear four nice, long slices down Luke’s chest. Blood began to quickly soak the guy’s shirt, but neither twin seemed to care.

“You’re still a bit too drunk on our human to teleport correctly. Too bad for you,” Dart cooed as he watched his brother pin Luke back down to the floor. Dartanian let his brother finish the job, blocking one final attempt from Luke to land a hit to Bryce before his brother removed the heart Luke no longer needed and crushed it in his fist.

“Grab a broom and dustpan, Dart,” Bryce said as he shook a fine powder from his hand, where the heart had been, and watched Luke’s body as it began to change into gray dust. Dart had vanished when he’d asked him to retrieve the cleaning supplies but was back in seconds and began sweeping up the disintegrating body with a cheerful whistle.

---

Waking up to see Dartanian sweeping a big pile of dust into a dustpan that Bryce was holding as he squatted down was a bit odd, to say the least. “Um, what are you guys doing? Why is the floor so dirty?”

They looked at each other after glancing at Rolland, then looked back his way as Dart leaned the broom against the wall and signed. “Because dirt happens.”

Smart ass, he thought with a roll of his eyes as they finished cleaning up the dust and Dart took out the trash. While he was gone, Rolland got himself sitting up and yawned, rubbing at his sore neck. Normally the brothers sealed their bite wounds, but he felt ridges on both sides. Bryce must have noticed because he sat down on the edge of the bed beside him and signed with a smile.

“Sit still for a moment. I’ll heal those.”

He was curious as to why they had knocked him out and forgotten to heal the marks, but he did want them gone before he forgot and went back out in public so he tilted his head back for him. When Bryce’s tongue lazily swiped over each bump, Rolland felt his skin numb and held back a shiver. Bryce must have noticed a small shake because after he finished healing the wounds Rolland felt his arms slip around his waist and pull him into his lap.

Once he was comfortable, he glanced over his shoulder at Bryce. “Why didn’t you guys just heal those before? And why did you knock me out?”

Bryce frowned, licking his lips nervously as his brother sat down next to them. Dartanian tapped Rolland on the shoulder, so he turned his attention to him.

“Sorry, I lost control. We had a talk with that guy that you mentioned, though.”

He knew Dart was just trying to deflect his attention away from them biting him in public, but he did remember that the guy who had been bothering him saw them. Oh man. He must think I’m with the twins. Before he could have a mini panic attack, Dart began to sign, drawing his attention to his hands.

“After a few friendly threats, he decided that it was better to just find employment elsewhere.”

Well, points for not lying.

“Okay. I guess that’s fine as long as you guys didn’t hurt him.”

Dart grinned, and Bryce hugged Rolland from behind… then licked his cheek. Rolland’s brows went up, along with his heartbeat, but when he began to look back at Bryce to ask why he’d just licked him, Dart leaned in and pressed his lips to his. The kiss started off gentle, but soon elevated as Dartanian began to run his fingers beneath his shirt and up. Rolland thought he would be worried, but even as Bryce joined in, and took the southern route, he didn’t feel bothered, like he had with the other guy. The kiss broke after a short while, leaving him breathless and heady. Dartanian was signing in front of him, but he had to blink a few times to catch what he was trying to relay. __

“Can I have you, please?”

His heart jumped into his throat as he looked up at Dart’s face. The cocky vampire was grinning, as usual, but it was hesitant and a little worried. Maybe worried I will say no? He thought about it, then looked back at Bryce. He shook his head, then nodded to his brother, making Rolland feel slightly relieved. When he returned his attention to Dart, he signed an answer to his own unspoken question. __

“Just me. Bryce will be here only for support if you need him.”

Rolland blushed at that, drawing another grin from Dart before he leaned forward and gave him a peck on the lips. He didn’t move away this time when their lips disconnected, though. In fact, if Rolland moved forward even an inch, they would be kissing again. But that will be the go-ahead signal. Did he want to do it? Have sex with Dart? It took him a little while to really figure out his answer, but both brothers were calm and waited until he finally licked his dry lips and slowly leaned forward to press them against Dartanian’s.

It would have been a lie if he thought making love to a vampire, let alone Dartanian, would be gentle. It definitely wasn’t… but that didn’t stop Dart from pouring out his love every chance he got. It hurt, a lot, especially the first time he pushed inside, but Dart never ignored him when Rolland asked to let him adjust or stop for a minute so he could catch his breath. Also, whenever Dartanian got a little too into it, Bryce stepped in and either distracted Rolland with sweet kisses or managed to get his brother to relax for at least a few moments.

By the time they were both finally climaxing, he was extremely sore but also sated more than he thought possible. He was also short at least a half pint of blood from all the bites the brothers had given him, but as Dart pulled out and gently laid him down on the blankets, he felt himself smiling, even as his eyes began to close with the need to rest.

“I guess you’re getting him next time.”

“Yeah, and you get to watch, and suffer like I just did.”

Feeling the brothers shift on the bed, Rolland soon found himself pressed against both of them. Dart took the spot near his waist, arm thrown loosely over it as his nose nuzzled against his belly. Bryce had turned and pressed his back against his own, much less physical than his brother, but that was just how he was. Rolland fell asleep just like that, between two of the most important people in his life, who just happened to be extremely horny, perverted vampires.

What Are We?

Something felt… weird. Besides the burning ache in his backside, He expected that to be there. However, who he also expected to be there, wasn’t. His eyes opened to an empty bed and a completely empty room.

Well, that hurts.

Both brothers being gone wasn’t exactly how he wanted to wake up, but he supposed they had something more important to do than comfort their boyfriend?

Or wait… am I even their boyfriend? Does having sex mean we are now boyfriends?

Realization hit him like a brick in the face, but it was really just his palm.

Of course not. They probably get free screws all the time considering their looks!

He kind of wished he was delusional right then so that he didn’t come to the obvious conclusion so quickly.

Oh well. At least I know better now. Though I probably should have from the beginning.

Either way, his heart ached along with his backside as he got himself to his feet. He hurt like hell, but there was no way he was going to just lay in bed all day. The drawer to the nightstand nudged his knee as he straightened, drawing his attention to it. Guess Dart had left it open in his haste to… yeah. Rolland reached down to push it closed, but then paused.

That better not be what I think it is.

Snatching the brand new tube of lube, he held it up as anger welled in his belly like fire.

“They had lube all along, and they didn’t use it.”

Kneeling down, he snapped the lid off and began squeezing every last drop out.

---

“I hear the shower going.”

“Mm, good. I need a shower.”

Dartanian growled his words hungrily, but Bryce just rolled his eyes as he pushed the door to their room open. It wasn’t two seconds later that both brothers were on their backs, having slipped on something smeared all over their floor.

“Ow. What the hell is this?”

Dart pushed himself up with some effort, then used the doorjamb to get to his feet. When he was finally steady, he looked down at his hands, rubbing his fingers together.

“Oh damn. It’s lube,” Bryce noted with a slight frown.

”…Shit.”

“We just bought that for him, didn’t we?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You forgot about it.”

“Y-You forgot about it too!”

They both grimaced and looked toward the bathroom door, ignoring the fact that their floor was covered in sex lube for the time being.

“For once, I’m afraid to go near him,” Bryce said, his voice dead serious.

“He’s pissed,” Dart agreed.

“Really? What was your first clue?” Bryce grumbled, gesturing to the shiny gelled floor.

“Whatever, he’ll be fine.”

Dart wiped his slippery hands on his black gym shorts and opened the bathroom door. Steam smacked him right in the face, telling him that Rolland was definitely enjoying a nice, hot, and likely long, shower. Instead of getting the guy’s attention by tapping the shower curtain or putting a hand in the front and waving, Dart was his normal genius self and stripped, then hopped into the shower.

He was just bringing his hands up to sign when a certain angry someone landed a surprisingly strong kick between his legs.

“Fuck!”

Bryce poked his head in the door, grinning when he saw his brother dropping to his knees in the shower while Rolland stepped out and yanked a towel around his waist.

“I’m just gonna step aside.”

Which he did, just barely backing up in time to get out of reach as Rolland stomped through the door and left their room, slamming it shut, hard.

“Well, that went well.”

“Son of a…!”

“Oh get over it.”

“Fuckin’ hurts!”

“You should have been able to block it. You are ten times faster than him.”

“He caught me by surprise!”

Bryce rolled his eyes and leaned against the doorjamb, arms crossed over his chest.

“Well, besides the fact that we need to clean up our floor now, what are we going to do about him?”

“What else? Screw him again. He’ll get over it in an hour.”

“Um… you did just get kicked in your babymaker, right? I’m pretty sure this isn’t going to be settled with ice cream and a movie.”

“Tsk. Like I said, we’ll just go all lovey whatever on him and you can do him, then he’ll be happy again.”

“Well, as fun as that sounds, I’d prefer not to get staked.”

Dartanian glared at Bryce while pushing himself back up.

“You know that won’t work.”

“It might… if he’s got some seriously good aim, ten times more strength, and a fence post.”

Both brothers were silent for a long time before Bryce grabbed some spare towels and got busy cleaning the floor. That left Dartanian to shower and get dressed since he hadn’t earlier.

---

Rolland couldn’t believe they were such assholes! Wait, yes, he could. He’d known it the whole time he’d known them, but he figured they just caught him off guard the day before. Whatever, he wouldn’t let it happen again. Hell, maybe he should just go get a boyfriend… or girlfriend.

Wait, am I gay? Hm, maybe bi. Yeah, probably that.

Nodding to himself, he dried off and pulled on a pair of red and blue swim trunks. Before leaving, he made sure to take Dyce out for a walk and feed him, the only two things the dog ever wanted. He knew what to expect when he shut and locked the door to his room, but he made sure to straighten his shoulders and keep his eyes off of the brothers as he walked by. Just thinking about the stupid thing they did last night was making him mad, and he really didn’t like being upset. That’s why he was going to the pool to relax and exercise… also, it was heated and god did his butt need some soothing right then, even after that ridiculously long shower.

He knew the brothers were following him after only a minute, but he was going to ignore them all day. Thankfully he had his ID card mailed to him before he’d left for college so he just handed it over to one of the front desk workers and got a towel in return. The guy nodded to him and smiled, then turned to put his ID away until the towel was brought back. Obviously he’d seen the stamp on it that signaled that he was deaf so he didn’t bother trying to chat. As Rolland walked down the long hallway leading to the pool, he began to think about getting a significant other.

It’s not gonna be as easy as I’d hoped, though. Most people don’t know sign language.

Shaking that thought away for the moment, he pushed through the heavy glass door leading to the pool. The smell of chlorine was actually nice because he seriously loved swimming and the huge pool was one of the things that had attracted him to this college. With an excited grin, he quickly walked over to the main locker room and shoved his towel inside a locker, then rinsed off before walking out to the pool. Classes started the next day so there were a lot more people than there had been when he’d checked it out earlier that week. But that was actually good since the twins couldn’t mess with him if everyone was there to see.

Giving a quiet chuckle, Rolland walked over to the edge and sat down, dipping his feet in the warm water. This was definitely going to be nice and relaxing. His feet began to kick, swishing the water in circles as he drifted off into his mind. It was a bad habit, he had to admit, but when he felt hands on his knees, he quickly blinked out of his thoughts and looked down.

Oh my sexy… pardon me while I drool.

“Hey, man. What’s your name?”

His face fell from the excited smile he had put on at seeing the amazingly hot blond guy in front of him to one of upset.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

Hunching his shoulders, Rolland bit his lower lip and mumbled what he knew would send the guy away. “I’m deaf.”

“Oh.”

He gave me a small grin and swam over to a bag sitting near the edge of the pool a few yards away. Rolland was a bit confused why it was there, but it seemed that a group of people had pulled the normal rubber reclining chairs that tended to line public pools closer to the water and left their stuff there. The guy returned after a minute, holding a small pad of paper and a pen. He must have written something while over by his bag because he held up the pad of paper the moment he reached him.

“Well then, I suppose we can just communicate this way?”

He’d drawn a little smiley face at the end of the sentence, making Rolland smile back at him before he carefully slipped into the water. It was shallow and warm, perfect. He was just beginning to relax when the guy held up the pad of paper with a new message on it.

“So, what’s your name?”

“Rolland.”

“Hello, Rolland! My name is Max.”

“Hello, Max. I’m Bryce, and this is Dartanian.”

Rolland tilted his head in a nod, smile ticking up a little until he realized the guy was looking over his shoulder and seemed afraid?

Dammit!

A firm arm wrapped around his chest, tugging him back against a familiar chest, one that he was still mad at. Watching as his almost-new friend swam away, Rolland growled under his breath. Dart pulled him over to a quiet part of the pool, and of course, Bryce followed. When Rolland was set on a small ledge indentation, the brothers surrounded him, blocking his view of anyone else who was swimming.

“Rolland, what do you think you were doing with that guy?”

Normally he would be a bit afraid of them or at least hesitant to answer when he knew they would see through it and be mad, but he seriously didn’t care if they got mad since they couldn’t do anything in front of all these people.

“I was trying to make a new friend.”

Both brothers’ eyes narrowed, looking at each other knowingly.

“I could have sworn we took that title last night.”

“He’s really mad we didn’t use the lube.”

Dartanian rolled his eyes, then both of them turned back to Rolland, meeting his angry glare with nonchalance.

“Listen, Rolland, we forgot to use the lube, we’re sorry.”

Bryce nodded, making Rolland’s shoulders sag a little, his anger deflating a fraction.

“You both left me there this morning.”

He tried to make sure he spoke firmly, but he had a feeling his voice cracked a bit since it felt scratchy toward the end.

“So what?” Dart replied, being followed directly by Bryce.

“We had things to do.”

Rolland’s chest tightened, but he wasn’t going to back down from this argument. He needed to get through to them one way or the other.

“Okay, so? I want a boyfriend, not just sex.”

They looked at each other again, this time for a much longer time before turning back to Rolland and signing together. “We are your boyfriends.”

His stomach felt like it was drifting on the water’s surface as he looked down at it, whispering an answer he knew only they would ever be able to hear.

“Boyfriends don’t leave their lover alone after their first time.”

---

“Fuck.”

“We screwed up, bad. For like, the fiftieth time?”

“It’s not like we would know. We’ve never dated anyone, just uh, did them then left.”

“Somehow I don’t think he wants to know that part.”

“It’s not like we can get STDs… or at least keep them for more than a day or two.”

“Again, not something I think he wants to know. Go, uh, for a quick swim, Dart.”

Dartanian glared at Bryce but was quickly shoved away.

“Seriously. We know you suck at talking to him. Go, I’ll deal with it.”

His brother grumbled but did as told, diving beneath the water to go do some laps.

“Alright, time to be a disgustingly sweet vampire.”

Shaking his head slightly, Bryce gently slid next to Rolland on the ledge, then lifted his hands out of the water to begin signing.

“Rolland, we’re really sorry about not staying. We… actually never tried to be in a committed relationship before. But we really want to try with you.”

The look of surprise on Rolland’s hurt face made him quickly continue.

“Come talk with me, please?”

He waited a minute, but then Rolland finally nodded and turned, climbing out of the pool… and damn that butt is drool-worthy. Right, not what he should be thinking about right then. Once he was out of the pool, Bryce took Rolland’s hand and tugged him toward one of the far locker rooms. They were more for personal use so he didn’t hesitate to turn around and lock the door before following after Rolland, taking a seat right before Rolland did so he’d land in his lap. And, just to be sure he couldn’t jump up, Bryce quickly wrapped his arms around his waist.

“Bryce.”

After rolling his eyes, Bryce freed Rolland and moved his hands up so the guy could see him signing.

“We’re both sorry about what we did. We don’t want to make mistakes, but it’s unfortunately definitely going to happen. Especially with Dart.”

“Wait, where is Dart?”

Rolland glanced over his shoulder, noticing the slight smirk Bryce was giving.

“Swimming laps so he doesn’t say something stupid?” Rolland asked. A quick nod from Bryce told him that he’d hit the nail right on the head with his guess.

---

Okay, he had a point.

Rolland noticed him glancing toward the door, then back to him before Bryce shifted him in his lap so his legs straddled his, then he signed, “Dart is leaning against the door to listen in, but I locked it… wanna make him extremely jealous?”

Okay, he was still a little mad, but he supposed if the lube really was just forgotten in the heat of the moment, and they really hadn’t dated anyone officially before, he supposed he could pull back most of his anger.

“I’m still mad at you.”

“So you don’t want to make out with your sexy smarter boyfriend?”

“Well… I never said that.”

Bryce smirked at him and leaned over, pressing his lips gently against Rolland’s.

“Bryce? I can hear that! Let me in, dammit!”

Rolland felt really naughty as he got up on his knees on the bench and wrapped one of his arms around Bryce’s neck while his right hand grabbed a good fistful of his hair. For some reason, he expected Dartanian to pull a trick like what Bryce was doing, but he supposed Bryce could do it just as easily, especially if he wanted to mess with his brother.

“I’m going to kill you, bastard! Open the door!”

They broke apart after a long minute because Rolland seriously needed to catch his breath. Damn, Bryce was definitely the more reserved twin, until it came to kissing.

“You look absolutely stunning right now.”

Bryce’s hands moved back to grip Rolland’s backside where they had been resting while they were kissing, but left almost immediately so that he could sign again.

“I think Dart is about to break the door down so I best go let him in. Feel free to hit him in the balls again if he does something stupid.”

Oh right, I did that. Oops. Well, whatever, he deserved _i t. _

Bryce lifted Rolland back to his feet before going over to let his brother in. The door swung open the second the lock was turned, and Dartanian stomped inside. He was heading straight for Rolland and looked none-too-happy, making Rolland actually end up taking steps back until his shoulders hit a locker.

“Dartanian, don’t!” Rolland half-shouted at him, making him stop abruptly, only a foot away.

“Rolland, you were making out with him!”

“Uh, yeah, a little?”

Dartanian’s head jerked down suddenly, glaring at his shoes.

“That’s not fair.”

Since Rolland couldn’t exactly hear what he was saying, he glanced behind him at a grinning Bryce.

“He’s super jealous.”

Ah. Of course.

With his own sneaky grin, Rolland tilted his head forward, pressing a kiss to Dart’s lips before leaning back against the locker and winking at Bryce.

“Sorry, Dart, I played with you last night, I think your brother wants some attention… though you’re both going to have to earn back the chance to do anything with me in bed.”

He wasn’t planning to spread his legs for Bryce anytime soon, but he definitely didn’t mind continuing that kiss a little longer. Bryce, evidently, had the same idea as he shoved Dartanian out of the way and pushed Rolland up against the lockers, hungrily taking his mouth with his own.

“Mmm.”

“Dammit. I want some!”

Rolland noticed Dartanian begin to kneel down, most likely about to go after his lower half, but then Bryce did something he seriously hadn’t expected. He snarled, baring his fangs and snapping his teeth down at his brother. Dart did the smart thing and quickly stumbled back, sitting on the floor with a surprised look, though not a completely shocked one.

“Darn it, Bryce, I know you don’t like sharing when it’s your turn, but he’s ours! oouurrrsss!”

Bryce pressed his body flush against Rolland’s, pinning him easily to the lockers as a deep rumble vibrated through his chest and into Rolland’s.

“Tsk, fine. Whatever, but I get to play with him when you do him later since I let you when it was my turn.”

Instead of answering him, Bryce just turned his attention back to Rolland, slamming their lips together as he rubbed himself between his legs. Rolland quickly draped his arms over Bryce’s shoulders and opened his mouth, hungry for his attention. He knew he should be a little worried about Bryce’s possessiveness, but he didn’t know… it was kind of hot.

They made out for a good while before Rolland felt Bryce’s hands beginning to tug at his nearly-dry swim trunks.

Nope. Not happening. I might kiss you right now, but I’m not bending over. And especially not here.

“No…”

A deep rumble was Bryce’s reply, but he didn’t seem to be stopping.

“Bryce, stop.”

Again, he wasn’t listening, and Rolland’s swimsuit was about to drop.

“Bryce. Stop! You want a relationship? Then stop.”

It took over a minute and a few more growls, but Bryce finally took a step back, then another and another. He was panting heavily and obviously was ready to go further. While he moved, Rolland slid to the floor, panting to catch his own breath as he looked up at Bryce with a silent expression of thanks.

“I’m sorry, but please give me a little while longer.”

He felt bad for having sex with Dart and then shutting down Bryce, but he knew he couldn’t do it right then. He was still hurting, even if they hadn’t been in a real relationship, that didn’t mean what they did could be completely forgiven just like that.

Dartanian stepped into his line of sight as he finished that thought, making him look up at his hands.

“Since you don’t work tonight do you want to go out for lunch?”

Bryce appeared next to his brother as Rolland opened his mouth to answer. He looked much more in-control, which was definitely reassuring.

“Okay.”

Both brothers smiled and took one of his hands, helping him up before walking him out of the locker room. They stopped to grab their towels so they could get their IDs, then headed back to the dorm to change. The whole idea of going on an official date with Bryce and Dartanian was definitely making him excited. So, when they got back to the dorms, Rolland quickly went into his room and tossed off his swimsuit.

Where is it, where is it?

Digging through his stuff, he kept grumbling to himself until… “Aha!”

Yanking out the dark blue suit and white shirt, he pulled it out of the plastic bag and got dressed as fast as he could after putting on some underwear. The pants fit perfectly, though the shirt was a tiny bit big. Oh well, good enough! It had been the first fancy piece of clothing he’d bought with his own money last week. Of course, when he got it, he had the twins in mind, but it would also come in hand for future job interviews. Rolland hurried for the door, the biggest smile on his face in anticipation of knowing what they thought about him dressed up. Of course he kind of forgot they were just going out for some lunch and shopping, but he had been dying to get a reason to wear his suit so he gladly let that thought slip from his mind.

We Will Make It Work

“Oh my god, he’s dressed up super fancy.”

“Can we just screw him now? We have an extra tube of lube…”

“I believe the question is, can Bryce screw him now .”

“Whatever. Oh, uh, he’s staring.”

“Oh my god! I overdressed. I’m so embarrassed,” Rolland shouted as he turned to run back into his room, but Dartanian just grabbed him and tossed his squirming body over his shoulder with a chuckle.

“Time to go out. Thank god he didn’t wear this to the restaurant, though, I may have done something rated R in the dining room.”

“D-Dart. Argh! Put me down, you guys!”

“Technically, I’m the only one carrying you…”

“I think he thinks of us as a single entity.”

“So I should get to screw him again and it would technically be you?”

“Nice try. You aren’t getting any when it’s my turn.”

“Hmph.”

Dart set Rolland down before opening the door to their truck and signing.

“In.”

“But I wanna change. You guys are in jeans and sweaters, I’m in a darn suit.”

“Nope.”

He was suddenly shoved into the cab of the truck, then squeezed between both brothers as Bryce got into the driver’s seat and Dart smooshed him to the middle from the passenger’s side. Since he was basically stuck, he put the seat belt on and crossed his arms over his chest, pouting as Bryce got them on our way.

“Awww, look. He’s pouting.”

Dart reached over and poked Rolland’s cheek, making him growl and stare down at his lap.

“Stop it.”

He poked Rolland again. Then again. Then Rolland snapped his head to the side and bit his finger.

“Ouch! He bit me!”

“You did just poke him three times when he said not to.”

“Shut up.”

The truck stopped only minutes after they had left the dorms, making Rolland look up curiously.

Huh… Hibachi? What’s that?

He looked sideways at Bryce, but he was already getting out of the truck. Okay… He turned toward Dart.

“What is Hibachi?”

Dartanian smirked, winked, and then grabbed Rolland’s hand after undoing his seat belt, yanking him right out of the truck before shutting the door behind him and signing with one hand as they walked.

“You’ll see.”

Before Rolland could ask again, he was pulled inside, then ushered to a booth with a table in the middle of it. Curiosity had him lifting his hand, wanting to touch the weird thing, but Bryce quickly snatched it away, shaking his head before signing.

“It’s hot. Don’t touch.”

His brows furrowed in annoyance as he set his hand in his lap.

“Why would they put a hot table in front of us?”

There was a little room to actually eat on a table surrounding the hot one but still, what the heck?

“Hello, boys, what can I get you to drink?”

“Water for us and…”

Bryce turned toward Rolland and signed, “What would you like to drink?”

“Root beer.”

Bryce grinned and turned toward the girl standing by their table and gave her his order. Rolland figured that the table was for cooking, but there weren’t even any chairs on the other side of it. Does a chef actually just stand on the other side and cook our whole dinner?

It sounded really odd, but he got his answer a few minutes later anyway, after the brothers had helped him order some pasta, vegetables, and grilled chicken. He was honestly expecting to just have a plate of food brought out to him still, and maybe watch the chef cook the vegetables or something on the hot table, but when he just got an empty plate, his eyes rose to the guy who had given him the plate, who was now standing across the table from them. When the man smiled at him warmly, Rolland opened his mouth, intent on asking the guy where the actual food was, but then he saw him tossing noodles, vegetables, and meat onto the now-sizzling table.

Oh?

The chef began stacking onions while the food cooked and Rolland’s gaze became completely glued on the weird volcano-looking structure. Then the chef reached over and lit the thing on fire!

“Whoa!”

Rolland smiled widely at the brothers as the chef grabbed two spatulas and began tossing food in the air.

“This is so cool!”

The man worked with the food for about a minute, juggling the vegetables on the spatulas with ease before mixing them with the cooked chicken. Then he loaded everything up onto his plate.

This looks delicious.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looked up, then followed Bryce’s pointing toward the table again. The guy was pouring some type of batter on the table and was flipping little cookies about for a moment before setting them on a small plate near his big one. When the chef began cleaning up the hot table, Rolland quickly thanked him, then began digging in.

“Mm!”

It was surprisingly good for such simple ingredients. He spent the next fifteen minutes stuffing his face, only to stop when his plate was suddenly empty.

Boo.

Something nudged his cheek after he finished swallowing, drawing his attention to a deliciously smelling piece of a chocolate chip cookie. Without thinking, he turned and munched on it, then realized it had been perched between Dartanian’s teeth.

Rolland leaned back, knowing that he was blushing after that slight kiss. Too bad the brothers had such good eyesight that they could easily see it in the dimly lit restaurant. His attention turned to Bryce a moment later when he tapped his shoulder. He opened his mouth when Rolland looked and held up a piece of cookie.

He’s treating me like a kid.

Okay, he didn’t mind. The cookies were seriously good. He happily opened his mouth and took it, then turned to Dart when poked to take another piece. The brothers stuffed him full of sugar until that plate, too, was empty. When Rolland was finally done, his belly was nice and full and he couldn’t have been happier. Bryce slid out of the booth and took his hand, taking him out to the truck as Dart paid the bill.

Rolland expected the ride home to be calm, but darn Dart wouldn’t stop nibbling at his neck and ear. Rolland nudged him off so he’d stop biting at his collarbone, but he just came back a second later and tugged on his ear. Needless to say, by the time they got back, Rolland felt just a little hot and a lot bothered.

“You do know he’s not going to let you have sex with him again.”

“He might… he looks pretty horny right now.”

“Because you’ve been biting at his neck and ear the whole drive back.”

Bryce grabbed his hand when he parked, and they both slid out the driver’s side. He was a bit relieved and quite relaxed on their way back to his room, until Bryce walked in and shifted a bit to nudge the door shut with his foot, then reached behind him to lock it.

“Hey! What the hell, Bryce? Let me in!”

Rolland was tugged over to his bed and nudged to sit down, but instead of leaving, Bryce actually stood back up and tugged his shirt off, tossing it somewhere behind him with a grin before signing.

“Can we have a little bit of a repeat from earlier?”

He leaned over and traced his pointer finger along Rolland’s lower jaw, enticing him to open his mouth just enough for Bryce’s wet tongue to slide comfortably between his lips.

“Mm.”

Rolland felt his back being pressed against his blankets in moments, but Bryce was being so gentle that he didn’t mind.

“Bryce! Open the door, dammit.”

His body tingled as Bryce trailed his hands up under his shirt and began rubbing his nipples. Where Dart had been hungry and aggressive, Bryce was much slower and more focused. His tongue nudged Rolland’s every few seconds as it explored his mouth, no rush to any of his actions.

“Mmm… Bryce.”

Rolland knew he was egging him on by moaning his name, but it was all Dart’s fault for starting this in the truck. When he felt Bryce tugging at his shirt, he lifted his arms over his head and let him remove it, along with his jacket. It hurt a bit to know that it was being tossed on the floor, but he supposed he could just get it cleaned later. His pants were soon to follow, but he left his boxers on and instead refocused on his nipples, licking at them softly.

“I hate you, Bryce, I seriously do! You are a bastard for locking the door!”

“You could easily break it…”

Bryce’s voice vibrated against Rolland’s warm skin, making him squirm beneath him as he turned him a bit and rested himself atop him.

“We’re the only ones on this floor, someone is gonna know I broke the damn thing!”

“Hmm, too bad.”

He felt himself being shifted and allowed Bryce to do it. He moved him until he was on his belly, then began slipping his left hand beneath the waistband of his boxers to rub along his backside. Bryce’s length was obviously stiff as it pressed against him next to where his hand was rubbing, but that made him remember about what he’d done with Dart.

“Stop.”

Bryce did immediately, making Rolland sigh against his comforter before turning to look over his shoulder.

“I don’t know if I can trust you in this situation yet.”

He removed his hand from his boxers and sat down so he could sign.

“I understand.”

Rolland watched quietly as Bryce reached behind himself and tugged a small tube out of his back pocket.

Wait a second… that’s lube. He had that in his pocket all through dinner?

Bryce gave him a guilty grin and shrugged.

“I wanted to be ready just in case.”

Rolland pursed his lips right as Dart stomped inside.

“I picked the stupid lock, asshole.”

“Good for you. We aren’t having sex.”

Dart was in the middle of pulling his shirt off when he paused and looked at his brother.

“What? But he was moaning a moment ago.”

“Well, he said he didn’t want to, so I won’t.”

“But!”

“Yeah, I got to rub that for a few minutes, but again, no. Now get in bed or go back to our room.”

When Bryce began to move him again, Rolland was a bit hesitant to comply. However, when Bryce pressed his back against his after he’d gotten him on his side, Rolland knew Bryce was just telling him that he accepted his decision and just wanted to take a nap. After all the food he had eaten, he knew he should have brushed his teeth, but once Dartanian kicked off his shoes and wrapped his arms around his waist, Rolland was lost to sleep in only a few short minutes.

This Is My Life

Waking up early was never really his thing, but Rolland knew that they had to with their first day of school starting, so Rolland had set his phone alarm to wake him up with the vibration mode beneath his pillow. Granted, he hadn’t been sure if the twins would be sleeping with him, but obviously that question answered itself last night.

“Bryce… Dart. Time to get up.”

Rolland felt them both shift, but neither bothered to do more than stretch a little, then snuggle back in.

“We’ve got class, come on. Dart, you gotta let go of my waist. I seriously need to shower.”

Looking down, Rolland watched as Dart forced his eyes open and yawned, fangs lengthening then retracting as he opened and closed his mouth. That was cute and all, but he really had to get up for his early class! So…

“If you let go, you can sleep in my bed tonight.”

Dartanian’s eyelids lowered, and he smirked before nuzzling back into Rolland’s belly.

Darn it! Had a feeling that trick wouldn’t work a second time.

“Dart, please. I need to get to class.”

Dartanian glanced over at the clock and grunted. At first Rolland thought he would just ignore his request since he did technically wake them up super early, but he liked having plenty of time to get ready, but when Dart unwound his arms from his waist, Rolland began to get up, only to be grabbed from behind.

“Bryce?”

Rolland tried to look over his shoulder at him, but after feeling a wet tongue delve into his bellybutton, he immediately brought his attention back to Dart. “How much time before your first class,” he signed, not really looking at his hand as he licked sleepily along Rolland’s warm skin.

“Um, two hours?”

Dartanian smirked and got out of bed while Bryce freed Rolland and did the same.

Okay, they are definitely too excited about me getting up for class early.

“What are you two thinking of doing?”

Bryce smiled slightly and turned, walking toward the bathroom as he undid the buttons on his jeans, then disappeared into the room.

Wait a second.

“I am not showering with you two. If you don’t remember, I did kind of kick you in the nuts the other day.”

Dartanian winced but signed, “I kind of deserved it and I’m sorry. That will never happen again… and I’m pretty sure that shot, along with making us clean our floor is good enough punishment.”

Hmm, I’m not too sure about that, but then again, they did take me out on an official date yesterday and Bryce even stopped when I told him I didn’t want to have sex with him last night.

“Please?”

Dart gave him puppy eyes, and Rolland buckled, grumbling under his breath as he stomped toward his bathroom, Dartanian hot on his heels. Bryce was naked by the time Rolland got into the room and, ahem, his body was more or less, hard. In every meaning of the word. When Bryce caught him staring, Rolland flushed and watched as he signed, “Morning wood.”

Uh-huh. Sure. That’s all it is.

Rolland nodded and fumbled with his boxers. It felt a bit embarrassing to be undressing in front of them. He didn’t look bad, but they were like…

“He’s drooling a little.”

“I think he’s embarrassed.”

Dartanian suddenly hugged him from behind, wrapping his hands around his waist.

“Dart?”

Rolland tilted his head back, and evidently Dart expected it because he leaned forward and pressed his lips against his. There was no doubt in his mind that he was planning something when his fingers splayed out along his belly, but his kiss wasn’t aggressive or forceful so Rolland let himself relax against him and just enjoyed the small show of affection. When Dartanian finished, Rolland leaned his head forward and was met with Bryce’s soft lips. That kiss lasted a minute before Bryce broke it off and went to get the water started.

He checked it a few times, then climbed in. Rolland walked toward the back, stepping in with Dart right behind him. Bryce already had shampoo in his hands, waiting for him to wet his hair. Rolland shook his head and ducked under the water, then turned with his eyes closed so Bryce could scrub his hair. The brothers were weird that way, they always wanted to do things for him that he could easily do himself. He must say that it was nice to be pampered once in a while, though, especially by two hot vampires.

“He trusts us pretty well to close his eyes when we’re both hard.”

Feeling Bryce’s fingers in his hair made him relax against the wall until Dart wrapped him in his arms, pressing his hips right up against his behind.

Err.

“Dart… you’re poking me.”

Rolland felt him chuckle against his bare back, then thrust his hips playfully against him.

Should have figured this would happen.

“You’re a pervert.”

He backed up a few steps, taking Rolland under the water and helping him rinse out the shampoo before he opened his eyes and turned to see Dart signing, “Only for you.”

Rolland glared and pouted his lower lip, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I have a feeling you’ve been a pervert your whole life. You came out as one.”

“Oh my god, I love him even more just for that statement.”

“Shut it.”

Ignoring them as they argued over something he obviously couldn’t hear, Rolland got his hair conditioned and rinsed, then reached for the bodywash. Evidently their argument was over by that time, though, because both Dart and Bryce each grabbed his hand, stopping it just before he could grab the soap. They both released him after a second, but he kept looking at Dart’s hand as he signed, “We’ll do it.”

Uh-oh.

Rolland turned as he took a step back out of view, but he didn’t get all the way around because Bryce gently pressed his hand against his abdomen and pulled him against his body. He didn’t waste any time getting him against the back wall seconds later.

“Bryce?”

Rolland shifted a little, but Bryce had him easily pinned, and as he began to move against him, he knew what he was asking for. His body reacted right away, making him want to moan even though they hadn’t even started. That had Rolland licking his lips, then hesitantly nodding. Bryce had thankfully thought ahead because the tube of lube Rolland had seen last night was being handed to Bryce by Dart, and from what he could feel as Bryce began to push inside him soon after, he was using a lot of it.

“Man, just watching is torture, let me touch him, suck him, something!”

Rolland felt Bryce’s arms tighten around him immediately, then a loud rumble surge from his chest against his back.

“Tsk, fine. Bastard.”

Bryce took his time and Rolland would have to say he enjoyed it. When they both finished, he felt like a puddle of content goo… until Dart was suddenly behind him, nudging a very hard item against his backside.

“H-Hey! No!”

Rolland might have let Bryce do it, but that wasn’t a free pass for Dart! He turned on him, crossing his arms over his chest with a glare. “Not a chance, you’re still in deep shit.”

“He can be pissed at me as long as I can have him.”

Bryce pulled him away thankfully and handed him a lathered-up washcloth with soap. Since he wasn’t hurting nearly as much as last time, Rolland quickly took the cloth and scrubbed himself, then made sure he cleaned his backside well before rinsing off. The whole time he did that, Dartanian was pouting, washing himself, and even jerking off when he glanced over, likely just to show him what he was missing.

“Dork,” Rolland said, and Dart scowled at him, but he just stuck his tongue out, eventually making him grin, though he knew he was trying not to. Hah, the boys were too easy now that he knew their personalities. It had taken awhile, but with the extra memories he had been given and the emotions they’ve showed, he had them both pinned down pretty well.

Dartanian was the dorky, horny, but all-around nice guy with a bit of hyperactivity mixed in, while Bryce was much calmer but much more possessive, and he often thought things through better than his brother.

The water was suddenly shut off, or maybe Rolland had just been daydreaming. Yeah, probably that one because both brothers were already waiting for him, a towel in Dart’s arms while Bryce waited by the door. He didn’t hesitate to jump over the edge of the tub, forcing Dartanian to catch him. Not that he couldn’t. He did have super speed and strength, so it wasn’t like he was going to fall or anything.

“This guy…”

“Is our lover? Why yes.”

Dart glared over his shoulder, then looked back at him with a cheesy grin that showed a tiny hint of his left fang.

Aw.

“You look so cute with that wittle fang.”

Dartanian rolled his eyes and dragged him back into his room, tossing a pair of worn blue jeans at his head, quickly following those by black T-shirt and a pair of black boxers.

Rolland stared at the clothing in his arms before looking up at Dart.

“Um… I can pick my own clothes out, Dad.”

Dart smiled and stepped forward, his left hand resting on his hip.

“I-I mean… nice outfit choice?”

Bryce strode past him, fully dressed now, and elbowed his brother in the side.

“What? I like that outfit on him.”

Rolland quickly pulled on the clothing and added a dark red baseball cap before sitting down on his bed to pull on socks and shoes.

“Okay, I’ve gotta go to class, I’ll see you guys after?”

“Even if you try to run away, Rolland.”

Of course you would sign that, Dart.

Bryce nudged his brother aside and took Rolland’s chin in his hand, tilting it up just enough to kiss him softly. He leaned back after a moment and signed with a grin, “Thanks for letting me have you. I hope you think about it during your classes.”

He winked, and Rolland blushed bright red as he turned and grabbed his bag and phone, then bolted out the door.

Rolland walked into his room around four in the afternoon, tired from a day of chemistry and history classes. The day hadn’t been too bad, but he did end up dropping a flask in chemistry lab and had to stay after to be sure it was cleaned up completely. When he shut the door and turned to look where the brothers were, he grinned and took the kiss Dartanian gave him as he suddenly appeared in front of him. He was going to return the kiss when his pocket vibrated where he had tucked his cell phone, so he nudged Dart back and checked the text.

**Hello, Rolland! This is your boss from work. One of our head line chefs was in an accident and decided to quit in order to get better. I’d like to ask if you would be interested in training to eventually take his place. Of course you would get more money for the job since it’s a bit more than just prepping, but I’m sure you will be worth it since you are always early and great with what you need to do. **

Rolland’s eyes went wide as he read the text over again. It took a few moments to even realize what his boss was saying, but when he did, he jumped up and basically shoved the phone in Dart’s face.

“Look, look! Dart! Bryce!”

When Dart leaned forward to look, Rolland whirled the phone around so Bryce could see. He couldn’t stop waving it around in excitement so the brothers ended up just snatching his phone so they could read. They glanced over the text, then smirked up at him.

“I’m getting promoted! And thank you for not killing him!”

Dart smirked and signed, making Rolland shake his head as he watched.

“Believe me, it wasn’t for lack of trying. We hit him a bit obsessively… and kicked, among other things, but he’s alive, so we did what you asked.”

“Good idea sending that resignation note, Bry.”

“Yeah, you did. Thank you, seriously,” Rolland said, not sure what Dart had just mentioned to Bryce but not really caring. Bryce wrapped his arm around Rolland’s shoulders and tugged him in for a side hug while Dartanian leaned over for a kiss.

When Rolland leaned back, he rested his head against Bryce’s shoulder while Dart signed, “So, how was your first day of class? We had one small class but were back long before you.”

Rolland smiled, honestly happy that he had thought to ask.

“It was pretty good. My teachers were nice, and since I came from high school and didn’t take a break, I think I’m pretty-well caught up on what we are going over now.”

It was reassuring to him that he already knew a lot of the material being taught in his chemistry class. Hopefully that would make it all easier to understand when new things were added to it.

“That’s great. So…”

Dart shifted from foot to foot, chewing on his lower lip.

Uh-huh…

“No, I won’t have sex with you right now. I have to get to work in a bit.”

Dartanian’s brows furrowed, and he glanced over at Bryce.

“Am I really that bad?”

“Worse.”

“Dammit.”

Looking back at him, Rolland smirked, having a feeling about what they had just spoken of.

“I just wanted to ask if we could drive you to work?”

Okay, Dart is a horny dork, but he can also be really sweet.

“You know I don’t think he’ll be coming back to bother me anymore.”

Dartanian stuck his tongue out a tiny bit and crossed his arms over his chest. Then realized he still needed to sign and moved them back.

“Dork, I want to take you to work because I’m your boyfriend… and then I want to be there to see your happy face when you’re finished for the night. Then maybe come back here and talk about it and…”

Yup, I know what else he wants to do when we come back.

With a quiet laugh, Rolland stood up and held out his right hand for Dart to take, offering his left one to Bryce.

“I suppose I can let my boyfriends take me to work, and even pick me up… but I’m not too sure about the after-work activities yet.”

Dartanian laughed while Bryce pressed a kiss to his hair. Then they walked out of the room, arms swinging loosely, his hands in both of theirs.

“Hey, I have a little bit of time before I need to head there.”

Dart raised a brow, but Bryce signed with his free hand as they walked down the hallway.

“Quick dinner date at the place down the street from the restaurant?” Dart signed with a grin.

“Heck yeah!”

-End

1. The Human Experiment
2. The Monsters In Your Head
3. Hurt
4. A Little Light In The Darkness
5. Troublesome
6. Something More Important Than Yourself
7. The Brothers; Grim
8. Turn On The Lights
9. Play With Us, Little Human.
10. Memories
11. Who Am I?
12. Trying To Close The Door You Couldn’t Open
13. What Was Lost
14. My Brother Is The Stupid Twin; Love (kind of) Bryce
15. A Small Talk With A Stuffed Bear
16. Work and Play
17. What Doesn’t Belong To You
18. Color Me Red
19. Solving a Little Problem
20. What Are We?
21. We Will Make It Work
22. This Is My Life