"I'm going to find my dad, he wanted to talk for a bit," Oliver said as he exited the bathroom with Vinny closely behind.
"Okay," Vinny said, turning to face his soulmate. "I'll just be in here." He glanced at his watch and it was almost 9:30 in the evening.
"Alright, I'll probably be a little while."
Vinny nodded before stepping forwards and wrapping arms around him. They both still felt the excitement from the shared shower and it would be on their minds for a while.
"That's fine, I hope John is feeling better."
"He is," Oliver smiled, hugging him back. "He just got a little overwhelmed."
Vinny understood. It was normal for John to feel that way when everything around him had changed.
Oliver then lifted his head and planted a sweet kiss onto Vinny's cheek, which warmed them to the core. everything they did felt amazing whether it was small bundles of affection or big bursts of passion.
"See you later, if you find your way back," Vinny smirked when they pulled away.
"If I'm not back before the limit, please send help," Oliver chuckled, walking towards the door. He still got lost on the way to their bedroom, and he knew he'd have a hard time finding the dining room.
"I might," Vinny flashed a toothy grin and Oliver thought he saw his fangs.
"That's reassuring," Oliver couldn't help but return the smile. "See you in a bit."
Vinny watched his soulmate walk down the corridor until he was out of sight. Oliver could feel his eyes all over him and didn't look back, not wanting Vinny to see his red cheeks and proud grin.
* * * * *
Oliver wandered the hallways for almost ten minutes until Jed decided to come out of the shadows and direct him to the staircase. Oliver was very grateful and eventually, with help, he made it to the dining room. He thought he would be able to navigate himself around the mansion by now, but his sense of direction was terrible.
He was happy that his dad was sitting on the couch, so he didn't have to go looking for him. Oliver smiled at Madison and Duke. They were doing paperwork at the dining table as he approached his dad.
"Hey, Ollie!" John beamed.
"Hey, how're you feeling?" Oliver asked and sat down.
It was pleasing for Madison and Duke to see them maturely sorting out their issues.
"Good, actually much better. I really don't know what came over me and I'm really sor-"
"Dad," Oliver interrupted. "Don't apologise, it's completely fine."
John sat back and stared at his son. Oliver was a very forgiving person and John was proud of the man he was becoming. "So," John said, wanting to change the subject. "How are you and Vinny getting on? Tell me more about this new bond thing."
As Oliver explained, his emotions started building in his chest which Vinny could feel as he sat in the bedroom. It felt like they never really left each other. Their souls were floating together to keep the presence of one another constantly in the core of their hearts. The boys would never be fully satisfied until they made that physical touch.
John listened as Oliver tried to explain his feelings about Vinny and how they sometimes talked and moved at the same time. He could see the love growing in his son's eyes and it was very sweet that Vinny had such an effect on him.
In the bedroom, Vinny was smiling to himself because he could feel how much Oliver loved him.
"Wow okay, so it sounds like you have a lot to get used to," John said, trying to understand.
"Yeah," Oliver chuckled. It was odd to feel someone else's emotions on top of his own. "It has surprised me by how quickly we've gotten used to it."
John nodded. "You two sound like you're really getting along with your feelings and so on," he said, and Oliver could tell that he wanted to talk about more personal things. "So um, you don't have to answer... but have you gotten more committed in the relationship?"
Oliver sat back against the couch and wondered if he should be open with his dad. That was what John had been missing out on. "We're getting closer to that, but taking it slow is best. There's really no rush because we literally have all the time in the world."
John liked that two teenage boys were so relaxed and wanted to give each other time instead of satisfying their needs as soon as they felt them. "I'm glad to hear that. It's good to know that you're getting closer with, you know..." John trailed off, wanting Oliver to expand.
"We're just getting familiar with each other, I'm not going into more detail than that," Oliver grinned, feeling his cheeks heating up. He would start getting embarrassed if his dad made him explain everything, especially the shower they just shared, which jolted his heart every time he thought about it.
"Okay okay, I'm sorry," John laughed. "I'm just glad everything's going okay."
In the beginning, John was worried about Vinny taking advantage of his son, but he knew now that Vinny would never do that. Despite Oliver being a human, Vinny highly respected him, and John appreciated that the most.
"Yeah, everything is so great," Oliver was beaming from ear to ear. Just the simple thought of his soulmate sent warm shivers down his arms.
"I can see." Even though Vinny was who Oliver spent most of his time with, he was happy because Oliver was happy. As long as they did more things together as father and son, whether it was talking deeply or spending days with his son and soulmate, John knew it would keep them close.
"What about you?" Oliver then asked. "Why don't you think about dating again?"
John shuffled on his seat. Since his separation with Oliver's mum, John had dated a few times, but nothing turned serious and he had a hard time committing to the relationship.
"I'm not sure," he said with honesty, "but I guess, meeting someone wouldn't be a bad thing, maybe when this whole new life thing settles, then I might consider it." They looked at each other as the topic of John turning to a Vampire sprung to mind. Oliver wasn't going to ask about it, but John thought it was time. "And about the Vampire thing, I think I'm ready to make a decision. I spoke to Duke earlier and he talked me through the process and told me everything I should know if I was to agree to it."
Oliver filled with suspense.
"I've decided to go ahead with it." John watched as Oliver breathed a sigh of relief.
"Are you sure? You don't feel pressured do you?"
"No. This was my own choice, and I want to live a long life with you and experience seeing my son growing up. I don't want to pass away from old age when you're still eighteen because I was too stubborn to make that change."
"I'm so happy to hear that dad, I really am!" Oliver practically jumped on him with excitement.
John wrapped his arms around his son. There was no rush to turn into a Vampire, but he knew that the sooner Duke turned him, the sooner he got that maximum lifeline.
"Good, You can't get rid of me that easily," he said and they chuckled.
They then started talking more about life in general and how John was doing at work with the new publicity. It was nice for them to talk and laugh like nothing had changed, just for a little while.
* * * * *
An hour and forty-five minutes went by since Oliver started talking to his dad. They didn't realise how much time had past until Oliver started really missing his soulmate. The pain in his chest was growing.
"I'm going to bed," Oliver said before standing up and stretching.
"Okay son, I'll see you in the morning?" John asked. They both knew that wouldn't happen. Oliver wouldn't voluntarily get out of bed early unless Vinny forced him or it was some sort of emergency.
"Yeah, I don't think so," Oliver mumbled, making his dad chuckle. "Night dad."
"Night son," John smiled and watched him slink out of the room with eyes half open.
Oliver asked Jed for help with finding the bedroom. He was too tired to get lost and he couldn't really afford to; the soulmate limit had nearly reached its limit.
"Night Jed," Oliver whispered before opening the door.
"Good night Oliver, sleep well." Jed flashed his angelic smile before moving down the corridor to where he usually stood. He never waited right outside the bedroom; he would rather not hear their nightly activities.
Oliver slipped through the open door to see Vinny in bed with a book in his hand. He shut the door and hurried over. Their bond was pulling on their chests and they had missed each other from when Oliver first left.
Vinny lifted the covers and Oliver climbed on the bed. He couldn't help but sit in between Vinny's legs and rest his back against his chest. Vinny immediately wrapped arms around Oliver's stomach and planted a kiss into his hair.
There was something very special and comforting for Oliver to be wrapped in Vinny's arms. Oliver tugged the duvet up to his chest and his soulmate started reading his book again.
They didn't need words. Vinny could feel that Oliver was tired. He would soon fall asleep.
As Oliver rested his head against the side of his soulmates neck and closed his eyes, Vinny submerged himself into his book like he did every night.
They weren't aware that the paperwork Madison and Duke were looking at downstairs were contacts of family and friends. They decided that Oliver needed to meet everyone because the boys didn't get the chance when they arranged the party for the arrival of Vinny's soulmate.
Madison and Duke were going to put together an event to properly introduce Oliver as a new and official member of the Vanderwood family, and their events were always the main talk of the city.