Candice tilted the watering can to water the Carnation's growing in a pale blue pot on the windowsill. The two of them, Candice and Azmi, wandered around the apartment, taking care of the plants that grew freely around them.

"Thank you, kids. I've been needing help with my plants." Alma walked in with her tray full of shortbread and jasmine tea. "Azmi, did you check my Foxglove's? They're starting to droop unnaturally, and I need them for my next potion."

Alma, despite being hundreds of years old, didn't look a day over thirty. Her silver-grey hair and eyes were the only thing that showed her age.

Azmi grinned up at the old woman, setting their watering can down on the counter by the front door. "They'll be fine. Just keep them under the sun lamp and close the windows. It's just the out of season cold weather we've been having that's affecting them."

"Oh, thank god," Alma said as she set her tray on the coffee table. "Lucy, are you done with the dishes? Come out and have tea with us."

"I'm coming Gran." Lukas stepped out of the kitchen. "How come I got stuck with dish duty?"

"Because your green thumb is non-existent." She patted his golden locks like he was nine, not nineteen, and took her seat on one of the oversized couches around the coffee table. "You're better with your precious machines."

"Automatons." He dropped on to the couch next to her and picked a biscuit from the tray. "How's the treatment going?"

"Straight to the point, huh?" She sighed and crossed her legs as the other's took their seats around her.

"You've been avoiding the question for weeks."

"We're just worried about you, Alma," Candice spoke up from the seat across from her.

"Fine." Alma sighed, brushing her silver locks out of her face. "It's not getting worse, and it's not getting better, it's like I'm stuck in limbo. The headaches have gotten more frequent."

"Gran-"

"I don't want to talk about it." She got up abruptly and made her way quietly over to the kitchen. "Does anyone else want more shortbread?"

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"How can you drop seventy-five dollars on makeup alone?" Ethan grumbled as he helped Ashley carry his shopping up to the apartment, wishing Vampires really did have super strength.

"Because I'm trying to be frugal. This stuff ain't cheap."

"How is seventy-five cheap?"

"It just is. You live with a girl. How do you not know this?"

"The last time Kaili wore makeup she had the lesbian pride flag painted on her body." He answered as he dropped the shopping on top of the coffee table. "That was at last years pride."

Ashley set his shopping down on the coffee table too. "Never mind. The point is makeup isn't cheap."

"Still disappointed you didn't buy those shorts," Ethan said as he plopped down onto the couch, pulling Ashley down with him, so he landed on Ethan's lap.

"They were completely impractical." Ashley rested against Ethan's chest as the taller man's arm wrapped around his waist while the other hand moves slowly up Ashley's thigh.

"You didn't have to wear them out."

Ashley moaned when Ethan's lips meet the base of his neck, moving slowly upwards. His lips meet Ashley's eventually and the smaller boy's plump lips part against his.

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Ashley had another nightmare that night. This time he bundled up his things and walked into Ethan's room. Ethan was perched on the edge of the edge of his bed, wearing headphones and scribbling into an old notebook. He looked up and took off his headphones when Ashley dumped his things on the mattress.

Ashley wasn't shocked to see that Ethan isn't asleep; he was a vampire after all. If anything, Ashley was surprised he hadn't realized it earlier. Ethan had made no move to hide it, and with ridiculously pale skin, mostly nocturnal patterns and the way sunlight always made him wince it really should have been obvious. But Ashley didn't realize until he got a glimpse of his fangs when Ethan gave him one of his broad smiles.

But in my defence, it's been a very hectic week.

"What's wrong beautiful?" Ethan asked when Ashley flopped onto the bed after taking off his headphones. "I thought you were asleep."

"I had a nightmare," Ashley mumbled. "Can I stay with you?"

And that's how Ethan ended up lying in bed, wide awake with Ashley's head tucked against his chest, the boy snoring softly. Ethan slowly moved off the bed, freezing when Ashley shifted in his sleep.

Once he got to his feet, Ethan stretched out and glanced back at Ashley's sleeping form. He'd curled in on himself and gripped Ethan's pillow as if he'd already found a replacement.

Adorable.

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Ashley watched as Ethan and Sky played some game he didn't know the name of; it kind of looked like what would happen if Pixar created a first-person shooter. The matched ended, Ashley wasn't sure who won, and Sky got up and tossed his controller onto the couch.

"I'm going to go raid the kitchen, do you guys want anything?"

"No thanks." Ethan shook his head. "Ashley, do you want anything?"

"Something with sugar and chocolate, and a strawberry bomb smoothie, please."

"My someone has a sweet tooth." Sky remarked before ducking out.

The moment he left Ashley sat up suddenly and planted a kiss on Ethan's lips, causing him to drop. Ethan didn't question it, he just wrapped his arms around Ashley's waist and kissed him back just as fiercely.

Somehow, (Ashley rolled them over), Ethan ended up on his back with Ashley on top of him, lips still firmly moving together. Ethan was engulfed in his scent, making him feel like he was in the middle of a busy bakery.

Then all of a sudden, Ashley pulled back just as abruptly as he leaned in and rolled off him to catch his breath and straighten his hair.

"What was that for?" Ethan asked as Ashley sat up, and leaned back onto the couch.

"Just wanted to," Ashley answered as the door flung open and closed, Sky didn't seem to be able to make quite entrances.

"Ashley, I got your soda and-" He paused then glanced at Ethan, whose clothes were still a mess, then Ashley who was doing his best to pretend to look innocent. "I leave you two alone for ten minutes, and you can't behave."

Ethan just shrugged and grabbed his controller again.

🍴🍰🍫☕🍹🍴

Once Sky left, Ashley picked up more or less from where they left off, crawling onto Ethan's lap and starting with the faintest whisper of a kiss, so their lips brushed together tenderly. Soon enough, Ethan's hands drifted to hips and pulled him closer. Ashley giggled into the kiss as Ethan's hips ghosted past his waist to cup his ass.

Ethan let out a groan as Ashley started to help him out of his shirt, slipping the fabric over his shoulders and tossing it across the room.

"Ashley... wait."

"Why...?" Ashley whined, hands roaming over Ethan's chest.

"I just..."

Ethan shifted, and that's when Ashley felt... it pocking him.

"Oh... that."

"Fuck, I'm sorry I-"

"Do you need help with that?"