Almost half an hour went by until Oliver's dad came home. During that time, the boys didn't let go of each other's hand, not even once.
When the door opened, they both stood up from the couch.
John didn't expect anyone home so he was surprised to see the door was unlocked and the lights were on.
"Ollie, you home?" He asked before taking off his coat. He heard footsteps coming from the living-room, making him turn to see his son who looked a little nervous. He was about to ask why he was home early but he heard someone else's footsteps.
Just then, Vinny Vanderwood also appeared from the living room.
He did not expect that.
John has been completely oblivious to any news regarding the Master's soulmate today.
"Oh..." He said with a very stunned expression. "Uh... Hi." He has never seen any of the Vanderwood family in person before.
"Dad I've had something really important to tell you all day. Why didn't you answer your phone?" Oliver asked while John walked over.
"I left it at home," He said before giving him a quick hug. He couldn't help but stare at the teen vampire. He felt very intimidated in his presence. "Forgive me for asking Master but, why are you here? Wait... you haven't been fired have you?" He asked while looking at Oliver.
"No, no I just... um, it's just-" Oliver sighed. How was he supposed to say it? He thought he'd be confident and proud. But now, he was nervous and choking on his words.
"Let's sit down, I'll explain why I'm here," Vinny said when Oliver looked up at him with those big green eyes.
"Sure," John smiled before leading them into the kitchen.
They all took seats around the table after John offered Vinny all he could possibly offer. Royalty was basically in his kitchen, he didn't know what he should or shouldn't do.
Vinny watched his soulmate. He didn't want to tell his dad everything, he thought it might be better coming from his son.
Oliver could almost read Vinny's mind as he took a deep breath.
"So um, you know Vinny was looking for his soulmate?" He asked, making John frown.
"Ollie, you called him by his first name." He watched the Master as he spoke but he didn't seem phased by it.
"Yeah, Just let me explain." Oliver knew if he didn't get it out now, it wouldn't come out at all. John sat back in his chair, eager to hear what his son had to say. "So, He did find his soulmate last night but he was too worried to tell his parents," He could feel the nerves building in his stomach. "That's why we thought he didn't find her." He didn't know how to word it.
Vinny could tell he would probably keep stalling so he rested a gentle hand on his shoulder and instant warmth rushed through their chests.
"Just say it, it'll be alright," He whispered.
John frowned again. He knows the Master has a reputation for being incredibly stubborn, angry and moody. But sitting here right now, he looks nothing but normal.
"Dad-" Oliver said, making sure he had his full attention. John nodded in response. He has never seen him look so nervous so he knew what he was about to say was important.
Oliver took a big breath and looked him straight in the eye.
"I'm Vinny's soulmate."
He could hear nothing but the sound of his own heart. The world seemed muffled and distant and all he could concentrate on was his dad. What will his reaction be? Will he freak out? Will he accept it? He didn't have a clue. And that's what was panicking him the most.
John's reaction was somewhat delayed until he raised his eyebrows. It took him a few seconds to filter his thoughts. He opened his mouth but shut it when nothing came out. Did he really hear that right? He was looking at his son, but suddenly seeing so much more than just him.
"Oh my gosh," He whispered after moving his gaze between the Master and his son. Oliver was watching him intensely. Was it a good reaction, or a bad one? "Seriously?"
Oliver nodded. He started fidgeting which caught the vampire's eye.
A few more seconds went by until John stood up. Oliver became extremely worried. In his head, he was begging his dad not to walk out the door.
But to his surprise, he didn't.
He walked around the table and pulled him up and into the tightest hug known to man.
Oliver didn't even want to speak, he was shocked but extremely happy. He hugged his dad back just as tight. He felt everything relax and his mind began to settle. Some part of him knew his dad would be okay with it. But there was always a possibility that he wouldn't be.
"I can't believe it," John beamed before pulling his son back so he could look at him. "Seriously?"
"Yes dad," Oliver chuckled.
John released a big breath while he went and sat back at the table. He ran a hand through his hair and looked back up to his son.
"Right... tell me everything," He eagerly sat forwards.
"Wait, are you okay with me feeling this way towards another guy?" Oliver asked and glanced at Vinny who was already watching him.
"Yeah, of course. Ollie, I already knew you were gay," John said like it was mentioned a million times before.
"Oh... you did?"
His dad nodded.
"Do you remember that New years eve party we went to last year?" He asked.
"Yeah." Oliver wasn't sure if he liked where this was going. A lot of that night he didn't actually remember.
"Well, it was something like half three in the morning and I was making my way towards the beers until I spotted you," He chuckled. "And you were kissing another guy. Quite passionately I must add."
Oliver put a hand over his face.
"Okay please stop," He sighed in embarrassment.
Vinny could see his cheeks going red which he thought made him look quite cute.
"Why did you never tell me that?" Oliver asked.
"Because I didn't really care. My son is gay, So what. I knew that when you wanted to tell me, you would. I didn't want to force you to come out," He smiled.
Oliver returned a big smile. His dad knew all this time?
John's gaze then wondered to Vinny.
"I didn't know you were gay," He said politely, still remembering he was a member of the Vanderwood family.
"I wasn't." He said bluntly.
"Wow, okay. This must be a crazy day for you too."
Vinny quite liked Oliver's dad, he seemed pretty laid back. There was a lot of similarities he saw in them too. Like their hair colour and the way they speak. They were the same height and pretty much had the same smiles.
Although Oliver's was a lot brighter.
"When did you find out?" John asked.
"This morning," Oliver remembered what it felt like to have all of those emotions suddenly take over.
"How did it happen?" He asked. He just realised that this wasn't going to be any normal relationship.
"Let's go back to the mansion and my parents can explain that part." Vinny knew it would be quite difficult to describe everything.
"Okay, sure," John said before everyone stood up. "I've never been to the Vanderwood mansion before."
"You'll love it," Oliver smiled and walked to the door to putting his coat on.
"The outside is impressive, I can't imagine what it'll look like inside," He chuckled.
When they were all ready to go, with their shoes and their coats on, John opened the door.
But suddenly,
They were all hit with flashing lights and a lot of noise. News reporters and photographers were crowding around the house, trying to push their way in.
"Oliver, are you in love with the Master?" One guy asked and pushed his dad aside and shoved a microphone into his face.
Oliver didn't answer as he looked to see if his dad was okay but more and more people kept trying to push their way into his home.
"Oliver, how do you feel about falling in love with a vampire?" Another woman asked as she pulled him into the kitchen.
Vinny looked around and glared angrily at everyone. He spotted John who had been pushed over. He immediately went over and helped him up.
"Master, do you like dating a male?" A man asked but he only pushed him out of the way to get back into the house.
This has gotten out of control, they can't just barge into someone's home.
Oliver was cornered against the wall when Vinny stormed over. His soulmate looked a little freaked out and that was absolutely unacceptable. Nobody makes the master's soulmate feel that way.
"Get that camera out of his face," He growled before putting an arm around Oliver and pulling him towards the door. Oliver gripped onto his waistcoat and stayed very close. John was startled but he could tell they were mainly after his son.
So many questions were getting thrown at them. Vinny was more shocked that people were trying to stop him from walking. That has never happened before. Humans have never braved up to him like this before.
"Vinny, what do we do?" Oliver asked in a panic. There were too many people in his face and trying to talk to him. There were too many bright lights and too much noise. He was very quickly become overwhelmed again.
Vinny was on the verge of flashing his fangs until he spotted a familiar car, pulling into the street.
"We need to get to the road," He said and kept his arm tight around Oliver, protecting him from being pulled from his grip.
John was doing the best he could to help them through the chaos.
It took them almost two and a half minutes to get to the end of the drive, but thankfully the car was waiting, with the door open and bodyguards helping them towards the vehicle. The noise became louder as it was clear the paparazzi probably wouldn't get another chance to ask their questions.
Vinny, Oliver and John quickly got in before the doors were closed and the noise was somewhat calmed. Oliver looked up to see Duke Vanderwood telling the driver to go, immediately.
Vinny never thought he'd be so thankful to see his dad.