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***Christian's POV***

I'm not a fan of shopping. However, I'm a fan of Josie. Watching my little friend scurry through the mall, with eyes full of joy, makes me smile endlessly.

His hands plunder the shelves and racks. His fingers caress every material in complete adoration of the things that he has apparently been starved for.

I am guilty of not realizing my friend needs this. For three years he has been a wall ornament in our home. I am deeply regretful for not noticing that he needs to have freedom to move about and enjoy life.

"He's excited." Tony watches lovingly while Josie grabs an armful of clothing to try on.

"Three years Antonio. We have left him to himself for the majority of three years. What were we thinking?" I cross my arms and stare at my creator. We dropped a major ball in our lives.

"Honestly. He never mentioned needs or wants. I took for granted that Josie was just happy to escape his personal hell. I never intended to keep him in a gilded cage." Tony sighs and walks over to Josie. He pecks his lips sweetly and relieves his small arms of the heavy load he has stacked inside of them.

I walk quickly over and hug Josie. "I'm sorry." I whisper into his curls.

"What did you do?" Josie gives me those big doe eyes that could melt a glacier.

"I wasn't a good friend." I admit sadly.

"You are my best friend. What are you going on about?" Josie smiles at me. I don't feel I deserve his perfection.

"Haven't you been lonely? We should have spent more time with you. We should have taken you places and enriched your life." I cup his precious face in the palms of my hands.

"You are too hard on yourself. I was fine. I'm happy." Josie turns his face and kisses my palms.

"Why don't you go try those things on? Come out and give us a little show. Go on. Have a ball." I push my friend towards the dressing room.

"I will be back." Josie waves enthusiastically as he turns towards the dressing room.

"You know he likes feminine clothes? Correct?" I ask Tony quietly.

"I got the impression when he stared over at the girl's section. I don't mind. Let's wait for him to show us what he picked." Antonio pats my hand softly.

We wait a while before Josie's head peeks from the door. "Ready?"

"Come out love? I want to see you." Tony encourages.

Josie walks out looking like the most delicate china doll I have ever seen. His bright white legs are peaking from the thigh high striped socks. His bubble butt is cupped in a pair of spandex booty shorts and he is wearing an oversized shirt. It falls off of his shoulders.

"Meow." Tony purrs. I gasp when his body flies away from our seats in a blur. Josie giggles manically when Tony pushes him back against the dressing room door. Tony's face disappears in the crook of Josie's neck.

"Sire." Josie gasps the word out as his body is picked up and Tony cuddles him to his chest.

"All of them. We are buying it all." Tony growls the words into Josie's neck.

"Christian. Help." Josie squeaks.

I chuckle and go pull my petite best friend from his beloved's arms.

"Tony control yourself." I chuckle, swatting his bicep.

"Did you see him? Fuck. He's stunning." Tony pants the words out painfully.

"He is definitely a sight for sore eyes. The public dressing room is not the place to turn him." I gently remind Tony.

"We need to hurry and get home." Tony sits down and bounces his leg frantically.

"You have little control for someone of so many years." I chuckle when Tony glares in my direction.

"I'm a man. With eyes. How can I control that?" Tony points towards his pants that are betraying his control.

"I see. Now put it away. Please." I groan and cover my eyes.

Josie slides out of the dressing room again. I have to physically push Tony back into the seat.

"Josie." Tony growls.

Josie giggles and does a pirouette.

"Josiah." Tony warns.

Josie stands and clamps his hands behind his back, swaying his body from left to right. He smiles angelically.

"Sire. Do you approve?" Josie bats his eye lashes. I just let go of Tony. I'm not getting physically hurt trying to restrain him.

Josie's squeal comes through the air in a peal of bell tone giggles. Tony pushes him into the stall and slams the door.

I guess Tony really likes those leather leggings and fishnet shirt over that thin tank.

I look around, watching for company as I hear Josie panting in the dressing room. No doubt Tony is devouring him as I wait.

I pull out my phone and play a round of Solitaire, then another and another.

Finally, the dressing room door comes open. I quirk my brow at the lovers.

"Sorry." Tony looks apologetically at me.

"I'm good. Are you two?" I ask cockily.

Josie blushes deeply and nods his head frantically.

"You guys going for another session or are we making a purchase?" I grab the clothes from Tony's arms and head towards the registers.

"We still gotta get my shoes." Josie looks at me as if he is in trouble.

I set the clothes down on the counter and ask the lady to ring them up. I grab Josie and pull him in for a hug.

"We aren't leaving the mall. We are just going to buy these and place them in the truck. I'm not upset. At all. I'm happy you are getting what you want and need." I peck Josie's lips and hold him close to me.

"Refrain from the lips." Tony grits his teeth out at me.

"I won't. I'm not being a brat. I just won't. That's the only way Josie calms down when he's upset." I explain.

"He was upset?" Tony looks worriedly at me.

"Josie? We're you upset?" I ask my friend knowingly.

"I thought you were mad at me." Josie plays with his fingers.

"I'm not. Okay. I could never be mad at you." I kiss his lips again.

Josie nods and throws his arms around me.

"Sorry." I mouth to Tony. He smiles at me and nods his head. It's not sexual, not even a little. He's my friend and he craves affection. I don't mind showing it to him.

We buy the ridiculous amount of clothing. The sales lady at Forever 21 thanks us profusely. I grab Josie's hand while Tony takes his other one.

"Josie? Would you like a new phone?" Tony asks sweetly.

Josie's eyes light up and he smiles really largely. "Can I? I don't have one. My father broke it years ago."

I feel a pang of anger at the mention of that Son of a Bitch.

Tony stops walking and turns to Josie. He looks seriously at the boy before lifting his chin with two fingers.

"I have one rule. You are my beloved. I adore you. I want you to always tell me if you need or even want anything. I apologize that I have not seen how much you have been neglected. Please speak up whenever you can." Tony leans down and pecks Josie on the lips several times. Josie smiles.

"Yes, Sire." Josie cups his petite hand around Tony's masculine jaw and pulls him close. He kisses his lips on a sigh.

"Thank you love." Tony picks up Josie as we head off towards Verizon.

"Which phone would you like?" I ask. I turn to Josie who looks confused.

"I don't really know anything about them. The last phone I had was a tracphone." Josie stares at all the Iphones in complete amazement.

"I have an IPhone. So does Christian. If you get one we will be able to teach you how to use it. Would you like that?" Tony picks up a red IPhone 11 and hands it to Josie. I open the screen and show him some of the features.

"Can I get a different color?" Josie requests.

"They come in a couple different ones. You will also have a case to protect it. What color do you want?" Tony shows the choices to us.

"Purple. Definitely purple." Josie looks at me with all the beauty of a Fae. I just can't with him. He's too fucking precious for words.

"Let's pick out a case while Tony gets the sales associate." I link my fingers with my best friend and gently push him towards the cases.

He is human so he doesn't have the dexterity, agility or the keen sense of stability that us vampires possess. Not yet, anyway. I urge him to pick out a LifeProof case to protect the purchase.

Josie doesn't like the plain colors, so I have to get one overnighted to the house from the LuMee distribution center. He chooses an Iridescent Purple Marble case. It's still shatter resistant and that's perfectly acceptable.

We stop my the shoe store and I smell the mistake before we hit the front entrance. Josie runs forward like its Christmas and that store holds the keys to Santa's workshop.

Tony blindly follows after Josie and I chuckle while Josie throws himself on the floor in front of the glitzy heels. I take a seat to the side. It's going to be a very long day.

After an hour of watching Josie attempting to try on every single shoe in the store, I get up to leave. I'm not going far. I just know that, in Josie's excitement, he has forgotten that he is human and has basic needs. I walk towards the food court and order him a large soda with a cup of pretzel bites. I ask for cheese and pickles. It's weird, but that's just how Josey eats. Weird.

I follow the traffic in the mall and make my turn to the left to get back to the shit show that is surely ensuing. As I round the corner to enter the the shoe place, my eyes land on Josie. He is in tears. His little body shaking and big red splotches littering his skin.

I rush over and bend down to pick him up. I hold him close to my chest as I sit down Indian style and rock him gently back and to.

"What happened?" I hiss at Tony.

"I don't know. Honestly. One minute he was smiling and the next, he looked around and started wailing. I tried to soothe him, but to no avail."

Tony hovers over Josey trying to calm him, but Josey just cries harder. Hiccups form and I can feel his fat tears seeping through my shirt.

"Josie, honey what is wrong?" I ask. I lean my head down to his ear so he doesn't have to work to talk to me.

"I got scared." Josie sniffles and his sobs come out less pronounced. They wreak havoc on his tiny being. He shutters in my hold.

"What scared you, baby?" Tony is now on the ground. His arms are wrapped around Josie from behind.

"I couldn't find Christian." Josie wipes his face across my shirt and snuggles down into my chest.

"Josie, you silly boy. I was bringing you these. I knew you had forgotten about your needs. I didn't want you to have a sugar drop." I wipe the boys tears and bring his nose to meet my own. I give him an Eskimo kiss and hand him the sugary drink.

He sips it greedily and I notice how his hands are shaking. He was already on the lower end of the blood sugar spectrum.

"Why does he need the sugar?" Tony asks. I roll my eyes because he is very unobservant.

"He has hypoglycemia. If he doesn't eat, he gets weak, sweaty, shaky and moody. Hence the tears." I wipe the last remnants from my bestie's cheeks and hand him the pretzels.

"Josie, you have to be more vigilant." Tony pleads.

"I'm sorry, Sire. I was excited and forgot." Tony gives him a soft kiss and Josie silently agrees to remember next time.

"Did you pick out any shoes?" I ask patiently.

Josie points to a large stack of boxes and giggles adorably. I pass him off to Tony, gather an associate and purchase all 24 pairs.

He should be set for life. Well, his human life.