Carlos begs you profusely for an alternative. He know he can't stop you from having your fun, but he's so scared of being left down there. Scared because he knows he can't die from this, nor will he get the mercy of unconsciousness. All he can do is suffer until someone decides to get him out.
He begins to inhale water almost immediately, the pain from his chains too agonising for him to fathom trying to stifle his screams. The only thing that he can be grateful for is that the cold water provides some relief from the constant burning.
Perhaps you can see a few bubbles emerging from the water, either as a result of all his attempts to breathe or the heat from his burns. It's hard to tell...
how would it play out if Carlos had gotten to see Malcolm one last time?
[Masterlist]
Content: Stockholm syndrome, past pet whump, recovery, carewhumper, vampire whumpee, PTSD/trauma, past conditioning.
Carlos is very ashamed by how much he wants to see his master, especially as he knows how Adam and Ryker feel about the man. He experiences self loathing and guilt despite Adam promising him that it's okay to want to see him. Nobody's mad.
They organise to have dinner one evening, and Carlos spends the entire lead up to it mentally reciting the rules he spent so many years learning and perfecting.
What does he call his master now? Does he know about the strange new life he lives? Will he be disappointed? Will he be proud?
Master greets them at the door when they arrive. Ryker's arm firmly hooked around his stops him from kneeling, and that's already one rule broken.
But Master doesn't get angry. He smiles at him, calls him by his name and gives his hand a squeeze as he shakes it.
He gets to sit at the table with everybody instead of kneeling on the floor. There's a fresh glass of blood that lets him know where his spot is, placed invitingly between the meals of his humans. Despite being treated like this every day since moving in with Ryker and Adam, he feels so spoilt as he eagerly takes his seat.
It's awkward for a little while. Master, or Malcolm as he was told to call him, is well aware of the bitter stares he keeps receiving from Ryker. Adam is a lot better at faking a smile as he engages Malcolm in idle, meaningless conversation to try and learn a little more.
Eventually, Malcolm turns back to Carlos, voice abnormally gentle as addresses him. "I was told you had some questions for me this evening."
It startles him. He can feel his chest beginning to tighten, wide eyes staring into Malcolm's in an attempt to figure out if he's being given permission to ask them or being scolded for it. Eventually, he reaches into his back pocket and unfolds the crumpled piece of paper with his shaking hands, scanning through the long dot point to find one he can ask.
How are you?
Will you take down those photos of me?
Why did you leave me What did I do wrong?
Can May I have a hug Sir?
Are you happy?
He skips over most of the questions. Doesn't want to ruin the evening by further proving that he's forgotten his place, especially when Malcolm is being so, so nice to him. He seems delighted to be given the opportunity to talk about himself, and as hard as he tries not to, Carlos zones out a bit. He'll regret every question he doesn't ask. He knows he will, but right now he's just happy to see a smile on his master's face. A smile caused partially by him. He wishes he could take a photo for his younger self.
By the end of the evening, Carlos doesn't care that his humans are watching. He doesn't care about the pit in his stomach from the questions he never got to ask, or the way Ryker gently tugs at him to get his attention as they leave. He makes his way back onto the front deck where Malcolm his standing and wraps his arms around the man in a tight hug that sends them both stumbling back a little.
He cries harder than he has in months, unsure if the tears spilling down his face and staining Malcolm's shirt are meant to be happy or not. There's a firm, soothing hand on his back and he can hear Malcolm hushing his cries. It's such a distant, yet familiar feeling that he only cries harder.
He doesn't want to come back. But it hurts to leave.
Ugh. I'm writing an AU for ANB and it's made me realise just how unhappy i am with how canon is currently written. Over the next few months, I may start rewriting/doing edits that will be followed by a reblog of the chapter so people can see what's changed.
Content: Put on display, vampire whumpee, carewhumper, [mentioned] blood (for the sake of food), pet whump, conditioned whumpee, [implied] multiple whumpers, stress positions, collars, gags.
This takes place when Carlos is about nineteen! He was surrendered to a shelter when he was nineteen, spent only a few months there before he was rescued by Malcolm.
-
Carlos had been with his new master for a little over a month now. It was different to his childhood home, and even more different to the shelter he was rescued from. Instead of a cold, comfortless cage, he now slept in a large pet bed with fluffy pillows and several squeaky toys to play with throughout the day. Enrichment was the word his master had used when he gave them to him. A way of keeping him entertained.
Really, he had nothing to complain about. Master was so kind to him. He was fed regular meals and groomed every week to make sure he always looked his best. In the evenings, while Master watched movies, he’d invite him up onto the couch with him and stroke his hair or let him sit by his feet if he wasn’t feeling affectionate. Punishments and pain were only ever given when he misbehaved, but he was a good boy. At least, he always tried to be.
Tonight, Master had a special event planned that involved Carlos as the main form of entertainment. While he hadn’t told him exactly what he was going to be doing, he was not shy about giving him a long wash and making him look as presentable as possible.
Afterwards, the man escorted him back to the living room, where a large glass box now sat on the coffee table with a pillowed pedestal inside. Someone had obviously set it up while Master had been getting him ready. Perhaps his friends were already here?
“Alright, pet,” Master began as he carefully lifted the bottomless glass box up and set it aside. Now just the pedestal was left, but something told Carlos that wouldn’t last long. “Come here and we’ll get you set up before the party starts, alright? Have you ever been put on display before?”
Carlos blinked a few times, almost forgetting to give a verbal response. It wasn’t until Master raised an eyebrow that he shrunk into himself a little and shook his head as he began to crawl forward.
“No, sir,” he finally answered, his voice so small that he almost thought Master hadn’t heard him. Thankfully, however, the human smiled down at him and pet his head; lifting him up with with his arm around his stomach so he could be placed and positioned the way Master wanted him to be.
“That’s okay. As long as you obey and remain still and quiet until you’re told to reposition yourself, you’ll do great. Even you can do that, little pet. Right?”
Before he could respond, Master had pushed a large ball gag into his mouth, giving the vampire no option but to nod as enthusiastically as he could despite the discomfort of the object in his mouth. It bordered on painful, just as it did every time he wore it, but he did his best to ignore that.
“Good.” Much to his delight, Master brought Carlos’ head to his stomach for a few seconds and gave him several long, drawn out pets to show he was happy with his behaviour so far. His hand was so warm and kind, he found himself leaning into his body for more when he let him go again. “I know you’ll make me proud.”
-
There had to have been at least a hundred or so guests that attended Master’s party, none of which Carlos knew. The house they lived in was rather big, so there were people spread out across several different rooms, all waiting to get a good look at the vampire displayed in the living room.
For the first time in months, he felt so exposed and uncomfortable, forced to stay on his hands and knees as multiple people gawked and stared at him. He was grateful to have the glass as a form of protection from being touched - he knew he wouldn’t be able to stay still if it weren’t there, but a part of him dared to wish that it had been one of those one-way glass boxes. At least then he wouldn’t have been able to see everyone, too. He wouldn’t have to look into the eyes of those people and watch as they took photos of him and talked about him like he wasn’t there.
By now, his jaw was beginning to ache. For a moment he attempted to find a position that didn’t cause his mouth so much pain, but it only caused everyone to coo and pay more attention to him, thinking it was the cutest thing.
Eventually, a familiar-looking hand reached out to knock on the glass in an attempt to gain his attention. He averted his eyes towards the direction the arm had come from, only to see his master smiling at him. In an attempt to show his excitement to see him, he let out a muffled whine.
“Isn’t he adorable?” the human called out, earning a chorus of cheers and laughter that only caused Carlos’ face to go redder. He looked up at his master out of the corner of his eye, silently begging him to make it stop. His arms were shaking from the constant weight on them, threatening to give out on him at any moment. “This is what good pet ownership does! Treat your vampires well and they’ll never disobey you again!”
A part of Carlos wanted to tear up. Master was using him as an example of what good pets look like. That meant he was a good pet! The realisation only made him all the more determined to be good, and he tried to express his excitement by smiling through the gag, and earned another loud chorus of praises and positive exclamations.
The rest of Master’s speech went on for another minute or two, and Carlos did his best to smile through it all, despite how much his jaw ached in protest. His entire body was in so much pain that when he realised he was allowed to take a break, tears of relief started dripping down his face.
“You’re doing so well, pet,” Master praised as he lifted the glass up and set it down on the ground. “Just a few more hours to go and then it’s over. You’ve made me a lot of money tonight.”
Carlos whined through the gag again, closing his eyes when Master reached out to run his hands through the vampire’s hair. He did his best to ignore the multiple sets of hands reaching out to touch and pet him, simply trying to focus on the one person that mattered.
“Are you looking to sell?” someone asked as the human wrapped an arm around Carlos’ stomach and lifted him onto the floor, like he’d done earlier. “I’m sure there’s people who’d pay good money for a pet like that.”
Much to his relief, Master rolled his eyes and snorted, reaching down to put the vampire’s collar back on. “No. I intend to keep him for a while yet. At least, until he’s no longer of use to me.”
No longer of use. That meant that as long as he was useful… he could stay? That was a relief to hear.
After clipping the leash he had hanging from his belt to Carlos’ collar, the human escorted him to his bed and instructed him to lay down, petting him as he went.
“People will come and pet you while I’m gone - you just need to be quiet and do what they say until I get back, alright?” Carlos eagerly nodded, despite his growing exhaustion. The gag was still tight in his mouth, but he figured he could handle that. As long as Master was happy with him, he could handle anything. “Good pet. Keep up the good work and you’ll get double the amount of blood tomorrow. Sound good?”
Once again, Carlos nodded and watched as his human stood up and dropped the rope by the vampire’s side to pick up later on. Then he was gone, merging into the croud of people that seemed to excited to finally not have the glass in the way.
He nervously swallowed and shrunk a little deeper into the pillows, hoping the humans would get bored of him soon enough.
Though, something told him that wasn’t about to happen.
Content: Break a dish trope (but he doesn't break anything), multiple caretakers, vampire whumpee, PTSD/trauma, recovery.
-
Carlos knew he’d made a big mistake the moment he saw the mess he’d made on the kitchen floor. All he wanted was to make something nice for Adam’s sisters when they arrived, and now there was cake mixture all over the tiles and on his clothing. The clothing that wasn’t even his to begin with.
Even as Ryker came hurrying down the hallway to see what had made all the noise, Carlos simply stood there with his mouth agape and tears already welling in his shock-filled eyes. How could he have been so stupid? All this mess, just because he couldn’t walk on his own two feet without tripping.
“Carlos?” the human called to him as he maneuvered his way around the mess. He reached out a hand the moment he was close enough and used it to bring Carlos back to reality with a gentle squeeze to his shoulder. “Hey, what happened? Are you hurt?”
It took a moment for Carlos to fully register that someone had spoken to him. When he finally did, nothing but a strained noise would come out. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight before him, so horrified by what he’d done.
“Hey, It’s all good, man. You’re okay. No one’s upset with you.”
“...but I’m upset with me,” the vampire eventually hiccuped. He squeezed his eyes shut and turned to hide his face against the human’s shoulder with a muffled sniffle, face burning with shame as he thought about how much effort it was going to take just to clean everything. How could he have been so silly?
“‘m so sorry.”
Ryker didn’t say anything for a moment, but Carlos could feel him wrapping his arms around his upper waist in a hug. He gladly leaned into him and sucked in a deep breath, trying to get rid of the sudden anxiety that was now looming over him. He just wanted to hide for the rest of the day, somewhere where he couldn’t embarrass himself further.
“I know it looks like a big mess right now,” the human eventually whispered as hooked his chin on Carlos’ shoulder. “...but I promise it’s not gonna take more than a few minutes to clean up, okay? We’ll give the floor a quick mop and wipe everything down, and I’ll put the bowl through the dishwasher for you. No one but us will even know it happened.”
He made it sound so simple. Like it didn’t have to involve beatings and punishments and all the things he’d been forced to endure for mistakes such as this. The thought that maybe he didn’t was almost enough to cause some irritation, but he was quick to stamp it out before it could get any worse. That was not the person he wanted to be, if he was going to be one at all.
“So, do we have a plan?”
Carlos gave a tentative nod and forced a smile, contentedly shutting his eyes when Ryker reached up to ruffle his rapidly-growing hair. “Yes,” he answered quietly, resisting the urge to make a small noise when the human stepped away to grab the metal bowl off the floor. He wrapped his arms around himself and shuffled on his feet a little, glancing down at the floor. “Thank you, sir.”
Between the two of them, it took them all of ten minutes to clean everything up. Ryker took to mopping the floor while Carlos wiped down the cabinets and changed out of his dirty clothes. His face was still red with embarrassment, but he felt better knowing that everything had been taken care of.
Ryker had even offered to help him remake the mixture, and it was as they were putting it in the oven that they heard the front door open, along with multiple sets of feet stepping inside.
Instinctively, Carlos grabbed hold of Ryker’s hand and held it a little too tightly in his own as the two exited the kitchen to greet them. His chest tightened and suddenly all he wanted to do was hide all over again.
That was until he noticed the red eyes of the shorter woman. Red eyes and the two pointed fangs that appeared each time she smiled.
No wonder they came so late in the evening.
For a moment, all Carlos’ manners seemed to fly out the window as he stepped forward and examined her through big, curious eyes. “You’re like me,” he whispered. “You- you’re a vampire, too.”
“Ah. You must be Carlos.” The vampire extended her hand with a warm smile as an invitation for a hand shake. “I’ve heard plenty about you.”
“This is Danny,” Adam informed him, resting a hand on his back as he verbally instructed him on how to shake hands. Carlos felt so awkward, particularly as he watched Ryker embrace who had to be Morgan without an issue. “Sorry I never told you. I figured it’d be a nice surprise if you ever got to meet her.”
Carlos shook his head, eyes flickering between Danny and Adam, and then to Ryker and Morgan. He was so happy to meet someone of his own kind after at least twenty years of living solely with humans.
“Would you like a hug instead?” Danny offered, opening both her arms as an invitation to step into them. Without hesitation Carlos accepted it, wrapping his arms around her neck and squeezing her as tight as he could. He hated how much speaking became a struggle when he got overwhelmed. “It’s nice to finally meet you, darlin’.”
Carlos quietly nodded against her shoulder, his voice slightly muffled as he spoke. “Yes, ma’am. It’s been so lo-ong since I got to meet another vampire. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
He was so happy. Not only was this a vampire, but she was a free vampire. Adam had said so himself, on the night his and Ryker’s friends came to visit. She was the very thing Carlos was trying so hard to adjust to. She was proof that it was possible.
Truth be told, he could have stood there for a lot longer than he was able to. It was only when Adam gently rubbed his back that he reluctantly released Danny from his grip and turned to look at his human with a small, red-faced smile.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered against the sleeve he was pressing up against his mouth, suddenly conscious of how intense he’d been. “‘m sorry, sir.”
“Nothing to be sorry for. I’m glad it made you happy.” Adam reached up to ruffle his hair as he motioned towards the taller woman. She and Ryker were chatting amongst themselves, but they both looked up the moment they realised everyone had gone quiet. “This is Morgan.”
The vampire tilted his head, frowning. “Are you…?”
Morgan shook her head before he could get the rest of his sentence out. “Just a regular old human, unfortunately.”
“Humans are wonderful, too,” Carlos was quick to assure her, and he truly believed it. “My humans are my best friends. I like the- the nice ones very much.”
Much to his relief, she smiled. “That’s very kind of you. Sounds like the boys have been treating you very well, then, hm?”
“Yes!” he nodded enthusiastically, glancing over at Ryker for some sort of reassurance that what he was saying was okay. From what he could make out, nothing was wrong. He even had a smile on his face. “I love being here very much. I get daily meals and my own bedroom to sleep in, like humans do!”
Adam responded by giving him a gentle pat on the back. “You sure do, bud. Do you think you could help Morgan put her stuff by the bed?”
“Oh, no, I got it-”
Before she could protest further, Carlos had obediently followed his instruction and easily lifted both her bag and the bedding she was holding into his arms. It weighed virtually nothing to him anymore, and he was happy to feel a difference now that he was getting better. It wouldn’t be long before he’d get to experience the full capacity of his strength as a vampire for the first time in his life.
He gave Morgan a warm smile to try and ease the guilty look on her face. “It’s okay, ma’am! I like being helpful.”
“Well, thank you, Carlos.”
Without looking back at her, Carlos beamed at the recognition, no matter how small. Thank you. Such simple words, and yet they meant so much to him. It always made him want to be even more helpful.
“You’re welcome!”
-
Carlos was extra careful in the kitchen for the rest of the evening. Ryker watched amusedly as he gingerly made his way towards the oven and pulled the cake out with an oven mitt on both hand as to not burn himself. Once it was set on the kitchen table, he let out the deep breath he’d been holding in and pulled the mitts off with his teeth to set them neatly beside the cooling rack.
“Thank you for being so merciful about the mess I made, sir,” he whispered, purposely low enough that no one else could hear him confessing his accident out loud. He shuffled uncomfortably on his feet and took to fiddling with his fingers, glancing down at the ground to avoiding making eye contact with the human. “...and for helping me clean it up. I really am glad to be living here, with you and Adam and all these kind people that I get to spend time with.”
Ryker tilted his head with a smile, reaching out to ruffle the vampire’s hair again. “We enjoy having you here, too. Danny’s very excited to spend some time with you over the weekend.”
“Really?”
The human nodded. “Yeah, for sure. I think everyone’s gonna have an early night tonight, but Adam would like to take Morgan shopping tomorrow, so you’ll get plenty of one-on-one time with Danny then. Did she tell you she’s been around for over three hundred years?”
He couldn’t help but laugh when Carlos’ eyes blew comically wide. “Really? A-are- are Adam and Morgan-” There was a small pause as he struggled to find the right words. “I’m so sorry if this sounds mean, but is Danny related to them? How- how can they be sisters and brothers?”
“Not quite. I don’t think I’m the right person to talk to about the details, but she’s been a big part of their life since they were children. Not blood related, but still far better family than the people that were related to them.”
Carlos hummed, considering Ryker’s words for a moment. “Oh. I… I always thought family had to be related.”
“Not really.” Ryker cleared his throat and leaned against the bench before lightly touching the top of the cake to test how ready it was. “Family is whoever you feel safest around. That’s the rule I’ve always gone by, anyway.”
Once again, another few moments of consideration.
“...Does that mean you and Adam are my family?”
Ryker had to fight off the giddy grin that threatened to appear the moment he realised what Carlos meant. They’d been working so unbelievably hard to ensure that they were people Carlos could feel safe enough to confide in. It made him so happy to hear that it was working.
“We’d be honoured to be a part of your family,” he eventually responded. “You’ve already been a part of mine for far longer than I think you realise. It’s only fair that we be a part of yours, hm?”
The vampire smiled. “Yeah! Thank you, Ryker.” Then he hesitated, averting his eyes down to his feet once more before glancing back up again. Curiosity nearly had Ryker asking him what was wrong, but he managed to blurt out his thoughts before the question could come out. “I love you.”
Ryker didn’t even try to suppress the grin on his face anymore. “I love you, too, man.”
-
As far as Carlos could tell, everyone that ate it seemed to enjoy the cake. Danny didn’t, obviously, but between the three humans they were able to drain enough blood into two cups for the vampires to sip on, too. It wasn’t until the end that people praised him on its deliciousness, and his heart felt full as he took the empty plates back to the kitchen at the end of the night and stacked them in the dish washer for the next cycle.
I love you, too, man. The words repeated themselves more times than he could count throughout the night. He was just so happy. His younger self would never in a million years believed that he’d eventually find himself with a family. A family that loved and cared for him, and let him care for them in a way that wasn’t expected or demanded.
He wondered if that family would grow in time. If perhaps Charlie would become a part of his family, or Morgan and Danny. It was a nice thought, though if it remained the way it was in that very moment, he’d die a happy vampire.
Content: Vampire whumpee, multiple caretakers, [mentioned] torture, recovery, past pet whump, pet whumpee.
-
Carlos couldn’t remember the last time he’d been outside purely to enjoy the scenery and everything that mother nature had to offer. Now, he got to do that with the full moon shining over him and during the peak of Autumn, when the trees were slowly losing their leaves and the ground in Ryker and Adam’s backyard was covered in a blanket of every shade of orange imaginable.
“This happens every year?” the vampire asked in hushed awe as he knelt down on the grass. Ryker and Adam stood behind him on the last step of the back deck, unable to help their smiles.
“Every year,” Ryker confirmed. “It’s Murphy's favourite season, solely because it means he gets to bowl through every pile of leaves he sees.”
Adam snorted. “Found that out the hard way.”
As if on cue, Murphy suddenly appeared from the gap at the side of the house, running at full speed towards the three men as if he’d only just realised they were there. Carlos grinned and rushed to gather up a small pile of leaves before crawling towards the house a little ways.
And before they knew it, the dog had barreled his way through the pile as if it were nothing, effectively spreading them everywhere all over again in a way that made Carlos laugh. It was by far one of the nicest sounds Ryker ever got to hear these days. Pure, genuine laughter from anyone was beautiful to him but there was something about hearing Carlos’ that never failed to make him smile until his cheeks hurt.
“I think Autumn may be my favourite season, too,” he commented as he picked up a few of his favourite leaves. “Nature is so beautiful this time of year. I never got to appreciate it as a pet, but… it’s all I can do, now.”
He looked up upon hearing two sets of feet stepping onto the grass. Ryker and Adam were both coming to sit down on either side of him, and as soon as they were seated Ryker pressed his head into the vampire’s shoulder.
“You’re always welcome to come sit outside in the evenings,” he assured him, instinctively shutting his eyes the moment Carlos rested the side of his face against his head. “Not all of them will be this pleasant, though. It’s supposed to get really windy and cold over the next few days.”
A small hum. “I prefer that to the really warm days. At least I can still enjoy it from inside. I don’t feel safe when it’s hot, even if the sun is gone.”
“I don’t blame you,” Adam chimed in. “I can’t imagine the horrors you’ve been through where the sun is concerned. At least you know that we’ll never do anything like that to you.”
To Ryker’s relief, Carlos gave Adam a smile and nodded. “Yes, sir."
I have decided that I wanna participate in this year's @comfortember. It's going to include mostly ANB and SBAK things, but will also include a few drabbles with unknown characters:)
Below the cut is the prompt for every day and what story it'll be attached to, along with the ANB and SBAK taglist, plus a separate one that's just for this event.
Content: ADHD caretaker, vampire whumpee, it's honestly just fluff.
Ask and ye shall receive
-
Ryker couldn’t figure out how long he’d been sitting at his computer for now. Could have been minutes, could have been hours - even the time that sat at the bottom of his screen meant nothing to him as he continued to play his game.
It was only when he felt the presence of someone standing right behind him and a plate of assorted fruits, biscuits and cheeses being placed beside his keyboard that he finally tore his eyes away from the screen to glance up. Suddenly Carlos’ face was right there, mere inches away from his own and a grin that prominently displayed his two fangs.
Gentle fingers wrapped around either side of the headphone set he was wearing, tugging them down until they sat comfortably around his neck. “Good afternoon. Havin’ fun?”
Ryker nodded. “Yeah. How long have I been here for?”
“You were already half an hour into it when Adam left for work this morning, so… few hours, I’d say.” As he spoke, Carlos set a glass of water down on the other side of him. “You haven’t eaten or had anything to drink since yesterday. I know humans need to eat a lot more than vampires do, so I made you a- I think the internet called it a fruit platter? Except there’s more than just fruits on there, so… let’s call it a food platter instead.”
Ryker felt himself smile as he examined the hard work Carlos had clearly put into it. It only had the freshest of fruits and berries from each packet and all the cheese had been sliced up already, despite how much he knew the vampire hated the smell. It was a pleasure to receive after such an intense hyperfocus.
His stomach growled almost immediately, as if it was just now starting to realise how hungry he really was.
“You did all this for me?” he asked in hushed awe, already tossing two grapes into his mouth. He could see Carlos practically beaming out the corner of his eye, so proud to have made something worth gushing over. “You said you were looking on the internet, too?”
The vampire nodded. “Yeah! I wanted to make something you could eat while you play your game. It’s not very fancy but…” He trailed off and shrugged. “I was excited to get the opportunity to do something for you, since you’re always doin’ stuff for me.”
“I could not have asked for anything better, man. Thank you.”
After eating two more berries, Ryker reached out to grab the second wheelie chair beside his computer desk before pulling it towards him until it was positioned right beside his own. “Can I show you what I’ve been doing? I know it’s most likely pointless to you but I’m super proud of what I made.”
Carlos didn’t even hesitate to sit down, leaning forward in his chair to pay close attention to what Ryker wanted to show him. .
“It’s not pointless,” he gently argued, and those words were enough to ease whatever concerns he had about boring him with his game. “If it makes you happy, then that means it can’t be.”
"...Besides." He between for a moment, and the cheeky smile that appeared on his face when Ryker turned to look at him only caused him to smile too. "I've been around for every hyperfixation you've had since you were three. What's one more?"
