Tears streamed down Oliver's face as he gasped for air. He could barely breathe because of laughing so hard. Vinny pinned him to the bedroom floor and tickled him like it was a sport. The vampire did tell Oliver that he would get him back for making him blush in front of his parents. He didn't realise that Oliver was as ticklish as him.
"Please!" Oliver begged, bursting into more uncontrollable laughter. Vinny couldn't help it; there was nothing better than the sound of his soulmates laugh. Oliver tried grabbing his hands, but gave up and curled into a ball. "I'm... sorry!" he breathed. "Please!" Fresh tears fell down his cheeks, and the vampire could tell he had enough.
"I didn't hear you," he grinned, pushing down on his shoulders so he couldn't get up.
Oliver was very out of breath, so he took a moment to compose himself, wiping his eyes.
"I'm sorry, you lunatic." He then pushed Vinny away so he could sit up.
"Nicely please."
"Uh, my stomach," Oliver climbed to his feet and face planted the bed. Vinny dropped himself on top of Oliver and the human groaned. "Get off!"
"No."
Oliver gave up very quickly. He had no effort left in him.
Vinny moved his hand to Oliver's waist, tickling him again. Oliver squirmed and turned around, pushing him away and climbing up the bed.
"Don't you dare!" he chuckled.
Vinny sat back on his elbows and connected his fingers together. They both felt affection, but before they could do anything about it, the door opened and Duke walked in.
Vinny sat up with a glare.
"Haven't you heard of knocking?" he muttered.
"Yes I have heard of knocking, but it's not like you were doing anything I wouldn't want to walk in on," Duke said.
"Knock next time."
Duke smiled and crossed his arms.
"Your grandparents want you both down for lunch."
Vinny sighed. He hated anything that involved socialising with anyone other than Oliver. He looked over at his soulmate who had a twinkle in his eye. At least Oliver will do all the talking.
Vinny moved down to the end of the bed and quickly pushed Oliver off. His soulmate hit the floor with a thud.
"Are you done yet?" Oliver sighed.
Vinny thought for a moment. "Yes, I am."
"Thank god." Oliver stood up with a frown. "Now give me a damn hug."
"No. You hug me."
The human crossed his arms, and Vinny loved his stubborn side.
"You almost tickled me to death, then almost suffocated me, and now you pushed me off the bed. The nerve of some people."
Duke leaned against the door frame with a smile, letting them get on with it.
"I think you deserved it," Vinny said blankly.
"Well fine, no hugs for you." Oliver started walking past him, but the vampire grabbed him and pulled Oliver into his chest.
The human felt sparks through his body as Vinny wrapped his arms around his soulmate, moving his face closer until their noses touched.
"Hug me."
Oliver couldn't resist him; they both felt the affection rising. So he coiled his arms around him too and squeezed him tight.
Duke cleared his throat, reminding the boys that he was still in the room and waiting.
Vinny was reluctant but released his soulmate.
"I hope you're hungry," Duke grinned, holding the door open.
* * * * *
Having lunch with his grandparents wasn't as bad as what Vinny had thought. They had their own conversations to focus on; Jasper was too loud for anyone to interrupt him.
Sorina often glanced at the boys who were in their own little bubble. She wondered how much of their souls would combine, but she didn't think it would be the entire soul. It hasn't happened before, so why now?
Jasper also noticed how connected they are to each other. They may not have realised it, but they are already showing signs that their souls have deepened more than halfway. Even though they are close, they keep making that physically touch, whether it's Vinny's leg touching Oliver's or his shoulder brushing against his.
"Do not make me eat that," Oliver said and put down his fork.
"Why?" Vinny brought the olive closer to his face. "I thought you liked them."
"I just told you I hate them."
When the olive got too close, Oliver scrunched his nose when he could smell it.
He complained when Vinny dropped it onto his plate. "No! Don't let it touch my other food!"
Oliver flicked it onto Vinny's plate, but it missed and rolled off the table.
They flashed each other amused glances, and Vinny rested his arm on the back of the human's chair.
"I'm going to call you Olive from now on," Vinny said.
Oliver's brows curled to a frown.
"No. I don't mind Ollie."
"Ollie," Vinny repeated. He has heard John call him that a couple of times.
"See, that's better already," Oliver smiled and felt Vinny move his chair, so it connected with his.
Vinny, being as smooth as his velvet waistcoat, bent down and kissed Oliver's cheek. It was so warm and soft, as always.
Oliver blushed and asked, "Do you remember when you first spoke to me?"
"Yes, I was hiding from everyone." Vinny thought back to that day. It was chaos, and he could barely cope with all the attention.
"You pushed me into the wall," Oliver chuckled, and Vinny shook his head with embarrassment.
"I was afraid that the reporters and photographers would see us together," he said sheepishly while taking Oliver's hand. "I'm sorry for that."
"Don't apologise, but imagine if you grabbed my hand instead of my coat, we would've connected the bond by accident."
"I know. Then I would have had a meltdown, and you would have witnessed all of it."
Oliver watched Vinny play with his fingers.
"What did you do when you realised that I was your soulmate?"
"I locked myself in the bathroom and tried calming myself down so my parents wouldn't suspect anything."
Oliver squeezed his shoulder.
"But now, everything is just fine."
"Yes, and we are about to strengthen the bond."
"I don't know how it will feel when it get's stronger; I didn't think it was possible to like someone this much in the first place."
Vinny folded his arm around Oliver's shoulders. "Me neither." He connected his fingers together, trapping Oliver against him. He never thought he would get a strong bond with a soulmate. It hasn't happened a lot in his family tree. Although, he's glad because loving someone with all his heart and knowing they feel the same way is something worth waking up to in the morning.
Vinny also never thought that he would be lucky enough to develop a rare bond with his soulmate. Already having a strong connection is more than what he could have ever asked for in life.
When Oliver rested his head on Vinny's shoulder, Duke and Madison felt warmth tug at their hearts. They hoped that from now on, things could start moving forwards again and the boys can continue to grow in their relationship. They were aware that the person behind the kidnapping is still on the run. Even though Jasper has phoned a few people and there are a lot of organisations looking for the culprit, unless they find the person behind it all, Duke and Madison's minds will not be able to settle.