Parting is such a sweet sorrow {THE LITTLE VAMPIRE}

Definitely Love

Tony's alarm blared into his eardrum and he groaned, tapping his phone screen five times before he finally hit the button to shut it off. "5:00 AM" shone over Tony's lock screen image of a hero from one of his vintage, vampire comics. Ugh, he didn't want to get up. Why was he so tired?

Oh, right! Rudolph. He'd almost forgotten last night was the best night of his whole life. That date was real, right? He hadn't dreamed it? Maybe it was a dream. It was too perfect, too magical, to be real.

Tony heard music. His phone? No, not his phone. He sat up and rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands. It sounded like . . . an electric bass guitar strumming a steady beat. Could it be coming from outside the window?

Tony, dressed in his favorite blue and green striped pajamas, yawned and stretched as he got out of bed, padded over to his window, and pushed apart the heavy red curtains revealing quite the spectacle.

Rudolph, shining in the moonlight and even more handsome than Tony remembered, floated about eight feet outside Tony's window, with Anna and Gregory at his shoulders. Gregory was strumming a bright purple, electric bass guitar, which magically sounded without being plugged into an amp or anything. Anna held a light brown acoustic guitar. Behind and off to the left, Freda Sackville-Bagg held a violin to her shoulder with her chin, bow at the ready. Tony blinked, unsure if he was hallucinating or not. And then, Rudolph slowly sang, joined by the guitar and violin.

(You can listen along to Rudolph Sackville-Bagg singing "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles by clicking on this Soundcloud link)

"Yeah I'll tell you something.
I think you'll understand.
When I say that something.
I want to hold your hand." Tony's heart melted. He crawled onto the window ledge and pushed open the glass.
"I want to hold your hand.
I want to hold your hand."

"Oh, please say to me
You'll let me be your man." Tony hugged his knees to his chest as the butterflies in his stomach went nutso.
"And please say to me
You'll let me old your hand.
Now, let me hold your hand." This sort of thing didn't happen in real life. Was he really getting serenaded by the boy he loved?
"I want to hold your hand."
Tony choked on his own spit. Love. He just thought the word
"love."

"And when I touch you I feel alive inside.
It's such a feeling that my love
I can't hide
I can't hide
I can't hide.
Yeah you, you got that something.
I think you'll understand.
When I feel that something
I want to hold your hand."
Love. Definitely love.
"I want to hold your hand.
I want to hold your hand.

I want to hold your hand."

Wow. That was . . . wow. Rudolph was . . . Wow. Rudolph glanced at his sister, who gave Tony a look that made him realize he was just sitting there staring at them.

Tony applauded so vigorously his palms stung, and Rudolph grinned. Gregory gave him a congratulatory pat on the back violent enough to hurl him toward Tony's open window. He caught himself on the ledge, their faces inches apart, and Tony's heart leapt.

"Th-that was . . . That was sooo cooool." He swooned.

"Did you like like it?" Rudolph asked, his eyes round and hopeful.

"I loved it." Tony's gaze flickered down to Rudolph's lips, then back to his dazzling, ruby red eyes. He leaned forward, and Rudolph's eyelids drooped. Tony wanted nothing more than to close the space between them. He could feel Rudolph's cool breath on his lips, and his heart was screaming at him to just kiss him already. But Tony could also feel the rest of Rudolph's family watching them.

"Rudolph?"

"Yes, Tony?" Rudolph breathed.

"I really want to kiss you, just . . . not in front of your family."

"I understand that." Rudolph took Tony's hand and kissed his knuckles. "I'll wait for you in front of the castle, okay? To see you off." Rudolph blinked up at the stars, like he was trying not to cry.

Oh, that's right. Last night was Tony's final night in Germany, and now he didn't know when he'd see Rudolph next. His heart sank. He was so happy last night, it never hit him that he'd only just fallen in love and now he was forced to leave the boy of his dreams behind.

Tony nodded, brought Rudolph's hand to his lips, and pecked it, bringing a glowing smile to Rudolph's face.

"Make haste, my darling. We have but an hour of night before sunrise."

"I'm all packed. I just have to get dressed and brush my teeth, so as long as my parents hurry, I should be down in, like, ten minutes."

Rudolph released Tony's hands and floated backward to join his family. Tony addressed all four of them.

"That was awesome, you guys. Thanks."

Freda Sackville-Bagg smiled and bowed her head.

"Anything for the brave mortal who's captured my son's heart. I haven't seen him this alive since his cheeks were pink and his eyes were green." She put her hands on her heart and looked fondly at her youngest son.

"You had green eyes?" Tony asked Rudolph. He couldn't imagine Rudolph with green eyes; he loved his ruby red ones too much. There was that word again. "Loved." Now that Tony had allowed himself to think it, he couldn't stop thinking it. He loved Rudolph. He loved him, he loved him, he loved him. It felt good to think it, but Tony knew it would feel even better to say it.

"Yes, my eyes were green three hundred years ago." Rudolph raked his fingers through his hair.

"It seems like only yesterday." Freda mused with her hand on her heart. Rudolph's eyebrows knit together, and he looked down. Maybe he wished his eyes were still green.

"I like your red ones." Tony assured. Rudolph looked up at him, with that look. The one that was like he was saying, "I love you" with his eyes.

"You do?"

Tony blushed and nodded. Anna swung her guitar behind her back and clapped her hands once loudly.

"Okay, Tony, get a move on."

Tony straightened up and hopped off the window ledge into his bedroom.

"Right, right. Ten minutes! I'll see you in ten minutes!"