Five hours later.
"I can't take this anymore," Duke said as he paced the dining room. "You said a few hours; It has been ages!"
Madison sat at the table. She was facing the boys who were still lying on the couch. They haven't moved or shown signs of waking up any time soon.
Jasper sighed and linked his fingers together. "That's what my father said. He said he was out cold for a few hours. His bond was nowhere near one hundred per cent though. This has never happened before. I don't know what to expect."
Duke eventually sat down. The pacing was only stressing him out.
Nobody could imagine how different things might feel between the boys, now that they share their completed souls.
"Should we take them to a hospital?" Sorina asked.
"No, humans won't understand this," Jasper said and started biting down on his fingernails.
"But they'll be able to tell us if everything's fine. Can't their machines scan your brains now to see what's going on?"
Human technology had bemused the vampires.
Everyone shared a glance, considering their options, but the attention would be overwhelming if they lifted an unconscious Vinny and Oliver out of the car.
"Wait!" Madison rose to her feet. "I think Vinny just moved his head!" They all turned, just as his arm fell off the couch. They rushed towards him, noticing how Oliver started to stir too. "They're waking up!" Madison held Duke's arm and watched with anticipation.
Oliver weakly rubbed his chest. It ached like he had made contact with something hard. His eyelids felt like they were sewn shut, but the human had to open them. There was someone who he was missing with all his soul.
Vinny invaded his mind when he started to feel him in the bottom of his heart. It was like he could feel everything about him, but why and how? He hadn't experienced this before.
Their eyes flickered open at the same time. Vinny also felt Oliver's presence.
Their parents watched as the boys blinked in confusion. They looked like they woke up from sleep that lasted days. Every breath the boys took felt like they were breathing in each other's mind, not to mention that their hearts were entirely in sync. At the same time, they turned and gazed at each other like they were seeing their soulmate for the first time in years.
Vinny propped himself up onto his elbows and stared. Oliver was suddenly his whole world.
Oliver couldn't bring himself to look anywhere other than his Vampire. He could feel his heart, body, and soul flowing through him, and all without an explanation? His eyes started to water. The emotions aimed at Vinny were so powerful, and he didn't know how to handle them.
At the same time, they brought their hands up and placed it over their own hearts.
"I can feel you," Oliver whispered, "right here."
Vinny couldn't bring himself to say anything. He was surprised by the love. Instead, they climbed off the couch. Duke stepped back when the boys flung their arms around one another. Vinny gripped Oliver's jumper; they were almost trembling with excitement, exhilaration, and affection.
Their hug was like hugging the most precious object in the world. When the boys made that physical touch, it was like everything in the universe connected. It felt right.
"I love you so much," the vampire muffled into the side of Oliver's face.
His words burst Oliver's heart and sent warmth all through his veins. "I love you too," he said, tightening his arms around his shoulders.
"Boys," Jasper interrupted. Everyone could see the clear changes. "How does it feel?" he asked with eyes gleaming like they did when he was a child.
"I'm not sure I can explain it." Vinny's eyes locked on his soulmate. They refused to move.
"Do you know how much of your souls connected?" Sorina asked.
"Um, It feels like a lot." Oliver could barely resist pulling his soulmate into a kiss. He needed him.
"Well," Duke said and smiled at how they were so engulfed with each other, "your souls have connected by one hundred per cent."
Oliver's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"What?" Vinny asked in disbelief. Deep down, he knew it.
"No way," Oliver breathed. "Seriously?"
Madison chuckled and said, "Apparently so."
"I can't believe it." Vinny turned and put his hands on either side of Oliver's face. "One hundred per cent?"
Oliver grinned at the thought. "My full soul is yours?" Vinny's eyes sparkled before the human pulled him into another hug, which of course felt magical. "That's pretty greedy," Oliver muffled into Vinny's neck. He needed the humour to get through such a crazy event.
"You've taken my soul too." A smile surfaced. "But that's okay; you can have it."
As they hugged once more, Vinny's family felt very moved by their sweet nature.
"Can we sit down and ask how you both feel now that it has strengthened?" Jasper asked. He was beyond interested. In all his years of research, he never thought he would witness something so unique.
"Of course," the boys said in unison.
"Okay," Duke said slowly, looking at his wife.
"Excellent!" Jasper led them over to the table.
It was hard for them not to leave so they could get excited alone.
As everyone took their seats around the table, Vinny and Oliver sat extremely close. For some reason, they had to feel each other's warmth and comfort. It felt so natural to sit close enough to mesh into one.
"So," Jasper began and linked an arm with his wife. "What has changed?"
Oliver saw Vinny in a new light. It felt like he had known him forever and he could feel that it was in his destiny to love him as he does now. Everything in his life led up to this moment. He had no other purpose other than loving a vampire with all his soul.
"Well, I can feel everything that you feel if that makes sense," Vinny said and started into Oliver's green eyes. "I can feel everything you like and everything you don't like. I can feel what makes you happy and what makes you sad, and I can actually feel your soul. I honestly don't know how, but I know it's there."
Oliver's mind shut down at Vinny's deep voice running through him like velvet. "I feel the same way. Right now, I can feel your happiness. But I don't know how to explain it."
"So, you feel each other's emotions and so on?" Jasper asked and started jotting things down in his notebook.
"Yes."
The boys couldn't believe what was happening, It was crazy and felt like a strange dream.
"This is so weird," Oliver said, deciding if the changes were overwhelming or enjoyable.
"I just need to ask, are you both in pain at all? You both hit hard surfaces, with quite a lot of force I might add," Sorina asked.
"No," they said in unison.
"Stop doing that," Oliver chuckled.
"You think I can help it?" Vinny said with an eye roll that made Oliver weak at the knees.
"Okay, boys." Madison sat forward. Vinny could see the twinkle in her eyes. "How about you go off on your own and get to know the things that have changed."
"Wait, I have a few more questions-"
"No, just let them be by themselves for a while," Madison interrupted her father. "You can ask later."
"Come on." Vinny hurried out of his seat, knowing that his Granddad would protest.
Oliver took his hand. He felt that he couldn't bear to walk by his side without physical touch. He didn't know whether it was because things have suddenly changed and everything he liked about Vinny has become everything he loved, or if it was because the feelings are new and he's not used to it yet. Either way, they both craved each other and needed each other.
"We'll be down later," they said at the same time, again.
Everyone raised eyebrows, wondering if that would soon be normal.
"That was your fault this time," Oliver chuckled, but he knew they couldn't help it. It was almost like they could tell what the other one was thinking.
"You're going to be one of those couples who finish each other's sentences," Duke smirked.
Vinny glared before pulling Oliver away from the table and towards the door.
The vampires watched them leave, eager to be around them but knowing they needed their space. It was clear that their relationship had reached new depths. It must be confusing for them to feel so many new things and not have explanations for it.
The boys were incredibly excited and couldn't wait to figure their bond out until it was familiar to them. They couldn't wait to show off their love. They were officially complete and will be for the rest of their lives.