The Making of Owen Harper

[Trillian]

Owen got his wish, because Travis looked at the pop-tarts with surprise and embarrassment.  There was a soapy smell that clung to him that Owen would recognise as their bathroom soap upstairs, that Travis had obviously washed up with.  Beneath that was the wet smell of semen.  When Vincent got close enough to Travis in order to thank him for coming and that he shouldn't feel obliged to eat the pop-tarts, he got a whiff of those two smells and was momentarily thrown for a loop.  He faltered and 'ahh'd a couple of times while looking at Owen before finishing off his thought.

"I'll see you in a month?" Travis asked, once the three of them had completed their niceties and Travis was about to leave their house, after quickly consuming the juice but not the pop-tarts.

"At your place, yes," Vincent answered the unasked question as well.

Travis nodded, gave a half-smile and left for his car.  Vincent shut the door and gave Owen an appraising look.

"I think, if you're anything like I was when I was first sired, that it would be prudent to have you fed both when you wake up and before you go to sleep," he advised.  "This will help your focus for other things, I should think."

[Existentially Odd]

"Other things?" Owen giggled, grabbing Vincent's hand and dragging him through to the kitchen, where he dumped the pop tarts in the bin and left the plate on the bench before heading for the basement stairs.  "So who will be coming tomorrow night so I can start my night off before these 'other things' take place?" he joked.

In all honesty, he didn't care about anything beyond who he'd drink from, despite being able to play around with Vincent and tease him about his wording now.  He didn't technically feel thirsty, but the notion that there was new blood, from a whole different person with yet another flavour in his near future, certainly caught his attention and was already pressing his imagination into new shapes and colours.

[Trillian]

"Nobody else will be coming to the house, tonight was a special exception," Vincent said, and was fairly sure that Owen wouldn't object to this rule.  It was for both of their protection, now.  "We'll have to hunt for our food.  The modern way, though.  Going to the vampire club in town is easiest," he said, which was only a short drive away on the highway - twenty minutes at most, he deduced.  That wasn't too long to wait for a meal, as long as Owen was quick about getting showered and dressed.  He didn't know what true hunger was - but waking on the first night of his new soul would show him well enough.  Vincent dreaded what was coming, but he would be there to see Owen through it.

[Existentially Odd]

Owen pouted his consternation that everything wouldn't be handed to him on a silver platter the next night but since he was ahead of Vincent going down the stairs, his lover wouldn't see it.  It was gone soon enough, as the idea of 'hunting' was extremely intriguing and he was eager to try that next.  He put it out of his mind as they arrived in their bedroom and he turned to grasp Vincent's other hand.

"I have something for you!" he said with an excited grin and led Vincent to the bed, sitting him on the edge of it before he knelt between his feet.  He leaned over and slid open the top drawer of his bedside table and withdrew a box, which he promptly handed to his lover.  "Open it!" he instructed needlessly, tabling his arms across Vincent's knees as he sat back on his heels to watch his lover do as he was told.

Inside, Vincent would find a ring exactly the same as Owen's, made of the same metal and with the same engraving on it.  He'd taken his to a jeweller a week ago and had it matched.  The one difference - which Vincent would likely notice as soon as he withdrew the ring - was on the inside of the band.  Owen had had their initials engraved inside, as well as the date 22.11.11.  He'd given specific instructions for the engraver with regard to their initials, insisting that it had to be made to look like they were entertwined.  As a result, the bottom of the 'O' was complete, with the 'V' bottom extending behind it, while the top two arms of the 'V' were superimposed over the top of the 'O'; a minor difference, but it had satisfied Owen's mortal eyes when he'd paid for it.  He hoped it would do the same now.

"I don't have a beautiful speech to go with it, like you gave me," he said affably, watching Vincent's face with shining eyes and a tender smile.  "I just love you and want you to be the same as me.  Like you always wanted; we're equals now.  Well, I put something extra on the inside, though," he shrugged.  "Don't you think it's kind of cool that I'm twenty-two on the twenty-second and both the elevens add up to twenty-two as well?  Maybe there's something kind of cosmic about this, huh?" he grinned.

[Trillian]

Vincent was already bouyed by Owen's excitement, and he grinned before being positioned.  As soon as Owen knelt before him, he guessed what was coming.  Watching his progeny grabbing a box didn't surprise him at this stage, though his heart - already filled with love - swelled in his chest, warming him.  Vincent took his time with the moment, holding the box and taking note the material that was used on it - whether velvety or shiny.  He looked into Owen's eyes and grinned more broadly at his impatience, then did as requested, opening the box to savour another kind of moment.  He lifted it out and saw the engraving, and the workmanship of it was impressive - though obviously done with mortal hands.  He wouldn't have it any other way, because the imperfections of the work reflected a time when this was created for him by a mortal Owen.

"Maybe," he agreed, not thinking about 'cosmic' because all of his thoughts were about love and equality.  The vampire who'd planned for this to happen (though knew the frail structure of such plans because it had depended very much on the human part), would not consider anything cosmic.  He'd worked hard for this, not the universe.  Him.  He could hardly share such things with Owen however, who would only take it the wrong way and not understand it made him even more special.  Perhaps it was cosmic then, that he'd been the one selected.

He slipped the ring onto his finger and could feel the engraving against his skin.  Looking at it and admiring the fact he had a matching ring with Owen made this night more special.  He'd not considered Owen would've planned such a thing.  He was a beautiful, warm-hearted and compassionate young man - no, young vampire.  The best kind of vampire to be.

"My love for you knows no end," he said quietly, and leant down to scoop Owen up to his feet, standing with him, so they could embrace tightly.