"You've got to be kidding me," Vinny said before crossing his arms. "No, I'm not doing it"
His parents asked if Vinny could take John and start teaching him everything he should know about being a vampire.
"We know he's being difficult, but spending time with you might do him good"
Vinny shook his head.
"Putting us in a room together is not a wise thing to do"
"Yes but that's the point. If there's anyone who can knock the sense back into John, it's you" Duke said.
Vinny knew his parents are aware that he may get violent with him, but they were prepared to let that slide.
"I don't want to" Vinny could still feel Oliver's pain.
John has been home for only an hour and already his son is hiding in the bedroom.
Oliver shouldn't be the one to feel this way. If anything, John should apologise.
"Please, Vinny," Duke said. "This could help"
Vinny sighed, part of him would enjoy patronizing John but at the same time, he hated that he can get so angry and lash out at people.
But did John deserve it?
In his eyes, he hurt Oliver and made him suffer. Violence is never usually the answer but in this case, he couldn't see any other option.
John seemed like such a nice person in the beginning, why did he distance himself and become so bitter?
"Fine" He mumbled.
"Good lad" Duke smiled before putting a hand on his shoulder. "Just do what you have to do. John is already waiting in the gym for you"
Vinny nodded.
"Okay. Just do me a favour and keep Oliver company please"
"Of course" Madison smiled.
Vinny softened his gaze at them both before turning and heading out the room.
They watched him leave, knowing that what was about to go down, was the right thing.
Hopefully.
But Vinny was a big built person and he could handle John, even if he got violent too.
* * * * *
As Vinny walked down the corridor, staff were giving him sympathetic looks. Everyone had heard about Oliver's breakdown and he was annoyed that they felt the need to be involved.
"What?" He snapped, making them look away and scurry back down the hall.
He then took a breath as he stopped outside the gym.
He was ready to do whatever he had to do. He wasn't going to hold back his feelings. He had to show John just how angry he was at his pathetic grudge.
He then slid the grand door open and walked in.
Just like every other room, this was huge.
The gym equipment was spread around the edges of the room which left a huge space in the middle for Duke and Vinny when they sometimes play fight with each other.
But it has been a long time since they have done that.
John was leaning against the back wall but stood up straight and walked slowly into the middle of the room.
Vinny glared at him as he walked over.
John didn't know how to explain it. Ever since he woke up he has felt angry. He was told what his son had gone through but for some reason, he didn't care.
He knew he should care but he simply didn't.
"I can tell you don't want to be here," John said whilst crossing his arms.
Vinny's expression remained calm as he casually rolled up his shirt sleeves.
"I just don't want to be around you"
John scoffed at that. He was feeling particularly cocky. He knew testing this vampires anger was something he shouldn't do, but he couldn't stop himself.
"So, what have you got to teach me?" He asked as he gazed around the room.
Vinny didn't even want to look at him. How can he be so relaxed when his son is feeling so down?
"There are certain things you need to control," Vinny said as his dark glare did make John slightly uncomfortable. "Like your strength"
He then did what all Vampires could do and travelled at impeccable speeds. John didn't see Vinny coming as he stopped right in front of him and pushed him with incredible strength.
The force flung John through the air before he landed about five meters away from Vinny, who walked around like nothing happened.
"You see" He continued as John slowly sat up. He wasn't injured, just more frustrated. "You are now very different to a human"
John stood up and watched Vinny with an angry frown.
"I'm better"
Vinny almost broke a smile. John is witnessing extreme denial.
"physically yes, mentally no," He said.
"Why are you such an angry kid, huh?" John asked as Vinny clenched his fists.
Kid? Vinny's mind and soul were thousands of years older than John, it's just his body that wasn't. But he is still young in the eyes of Vampires.
"Now that you're a vampire, you need to learn that we are dominant to humans but our minds are equal," Vinny said, ignoring his question. "Tell me, John, what's going on in your mind?"
"Oh I see what you're doing here" John chuckled. "You're trying to psychologically break me"
"Yes," Vinny said simply as he stopped moving and stared at him. "Why are you not speaking to Oliver?"
John's face then turned serious.
"He was going to just let me die, but when I woke up and instead of letting me simply drink his blood, he knocked me unconscious"
"Because he was scared. He just nearly lost you and then you tried to attack him. Put yourself in his situation" Vinny said. "And why would he let you drink his blood. You know that is very wrong, right?"
John knew he was right, but his mind was all over the place.
They both stared at each other and Vinny couldn't quite understand what he was thinking.
But suddenly, John then collapsed to his knees and clutched his chest. He yelped in pain.
Vinny narrowed his eyes, was this a joke or was John having another heart attack?
"John?" He questioned whilst taking a step forward.
He only winced more. Vinny then decided that yes, John was being a terrible person but that doesn't mean he was going to watch him potentially die again.
So Vinny ran over to him.
But just as he was about to crouch down and help, John looked up and punched Vinny straight in the face.
He fell back against the floor but was quick to defend himself as John jumped on top of him.
He elbowed him on the side of the head and kicked him in the stomach, making him fly back a few meters.
"You need to snap out of this" Vinny growled as he stood up.
He was unharmed, so far.
"Why?" John spat as he wiped the blood from his nose. "Am I annoying you"
"Why are you so angry?" Vinny asked. "What's making you like this?"
"You," John said but Vinny knew he was just trying to push his buttons. "I hate you"
Vinny sighed and shook his head.
"John, this isn't you"
He watched him stand up and chuckle.
"Then who am I?" He asked whilst throwing his hands in the air. "Actually, who are you? Vinny Vanderwood"
Vinny crossed his arms. This was hopeless. He was either going to beat the hell out of him or talk him out of having such a cocky and stubborn attitude.
"Oliver needs you, the old you"
John blinked at him and for a split second, that seemed to register.
"Oliver's a grown boy, I'm sure he can get over it. He was happy enough to let me die"
"He loves you and he misses you. He needs his dad back John, can you not see that" Vinny grumbled, he was beginning to grow impatient.
"To hell with him" John then yelled. "He doesn't need me, he has you. He has made that pretty damn clear"
Vinny saw the rage in his eyes, John was losing his anger too.
"You're so selfish" He muttered. "Oliver would not have coped if he lost you. I can't believe you would make him feel this way just because you're jealous. And that breakdown he had, it was because of the pain you put him through"
Vinny was stepping closer and John knew he had unleashed the anger he was hoping to see.
"Well I'm sorry that my son is so emotionally unstable that he can't even deal with losing someone"
"Do you even hear what you're saying? Any normal person would act that way if they almost lost the person closest to them"
"I wish I had died!" John screeched. "Then it would've shown that boy what I really mean to him. He takes me for granted and I'm sick of it"
John's eyes were now red and his fangs were showing.
"I wish you had died too," Vinny said blankly. "Then in time, Oliver would've gotten over you and heal. But now you're just going to hurt him time and time again. I'm not going to let that happen"
John's breathing was irregular as his anger flowed through his bones.
It looked like Vinny was going to knock some sense into him after all.
"You can't stop me"
Vinny didn't even think John knew what he was saying anymore.
But without warning, he lunged forwards and knocked him to the ground. John was stunned as his head hit hard against the floorboards.
Vinny punched him in the face before he had time to register anything.
And then he punched him again, and again, and again.
Vinny had lost it and was pouring his anger out of him because that's what he did best.
Each hit to John was like a fuse of electricity to his brain. He was starting to feel something... normal.
The angry Vampire lifted his bloody fist one last time.
"Vinny!" John then yelled as his eyes grew fearful. "What the hell are you doing?"
Vinny frowned at him, his breathing was heavy.
John suddenly looked incredibly confused, sore, and quite scared.
"What do you mean what am I doing?" He asked. He was extremely cautious.
"Why are you hitting me? Why am I in the gym?"
Vinny then realised that in fact, he really did knock the sense back into him.
"What? You don't remember?" He asked carefully before getting off of him.
John slowly sat up as he blinked in confusion.
"I was in the hospital" He whispered. "I think I had a heart attack"
Vinny opened his mouth with shock.
"Wait... you don't know what happened?" He asked. This was crazy.
"I don't understand, why am I here?"
Vinny let his eyes wander around him before sitting back down.
"You're not going to hit me again are you?" He asked whilst narrowing his eyes. He was still a little bit on edge.
"I was hitting you? Is that why you were hitting me?" John asked. He did look very scared.
"You really have no clue do you" Vinny now felt sorry for him. Clearly all that anger was a side effect. Why did nobody see that coming?
John shook his head as he felt his face. His nose still had trickles of blood coming from the nostrils, his lip was cut and his eye was a little bruised.
Vinny sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He knew that angry John wasn't the real him. He was just too different.
"You did have a heart attack. And you very nearly died, in fact, you did" Vinny said. "Before you ask questions, let me tell you everything"
John was silent, telling Vinny to continue. To say he was confused would be an understatement.
He listened as Vinny told him how the doctors couldn't do anything and they waited a full night so Oliver could say his goodbyes. He told him how they turned off the life support machine and everyone thought he was dead, but then he started breathing on his own. He told him how he tried drinking Oliver's blood and then Oliver had his meltdown and knocked him out then continued to smash up the room.
"So we stayed in the hospital for five hours until we decided to get Oliver home so he could have some rest. You came back this morning and completely ignored him, which is why we're here. I was trying to teach you things about Vampires but you were so angry and you made me angry. In all honesty, I wanted to hit you for what you did to Oliver this morning" Vinny began to feel quite bad now. "But I understand that it wasn't you and I'm sorry for hurting you like this"
John was speechless. All that had happened and he couldn't remember a single thing. But the thought of Oliver blew up warning signs in his mind.
His son had a breakdown because of him and then he was horrible to him this morning. He had to put things right.
"Where is he?" He asked before slowly getting up.
"In the bedroom," Vinny said. "but you should probably clean your face first" It was bloody and Vinny also had his blood on his knuckles.
"Yes, of course" John looked shaken up and very panicked. Vinny still couldn't believe he didn't remember anything. He had to tell his parents what had happened and they can assess the situation.
He didn't want angry John to come back but he didn't think he would.
Not now.
They both then headed out the gym, feeling confused and quite stunned.
Jed was standing outside the door.
"Why are you not with Oliver?" Vinny questioned.
"He's with your parents. They told me to keep an eye on you" He said.
Vinny nodded as Jed looked at John's face and then his knuckles.
"I think it's safe to say that it wasn't you who needed looking after"
John let out a big puff of air.
"Trust me, by the sounds of things I deserved this"
Vinny did feel a little bad but it was true. Angry John was like a thorn to his skin.
"You'll be healed by tonight," Vinny said as he watched John process that.
"I better be, your fist felt like steel," He said, but couldn't bring himself to laugh about it just yet.
He needed to see Oliver. He had to hug him and to show him he was right here. He had to make things better. He had to be his dad again.