Stray and Straw

The moon was beautiful tonight. The crescent illuminated the night sky, casting a long shadow through Kousuke's living room. The man was watching an old black-and-white movie on his analog TV while sipping tea from his delicate fine china. It was such a precious relaxing time for him, if not for…

A loud knock shattered the quiet.

Kousuke put down his teacup and grudgingly headed to the door, peering through the small porthole in front. Nothing. He scanned the front porch and the street; no one was there. Weird.

Then came another knock, and a faint scent of chipwood and… dried blood? Kousuke looked lower. A tuft of light blond hair peeked into his vision, and a flicker of a crimson gaze.

Kousuke sighed, unlocking the deadbolt and pulling the door open.

Standing on the porch was a young child, a preteen perhaps, though the boy was quite short for that age, standing only at Kousuke's hip. He was wearing a slightly oversized, red, meticulously buttoned coat with a hood, which reminded the man of a certain fairytale. He held a small, plastic Halloween bucket shaped like a pumpkin. Even though some households already had their decorations out, it was only August.

“Good evening, sir.” The boy's voice was bright, polite, and completely out of place at 11 pm. He offered a crisp, formal bow. “I apologize for disturbing your evening.”

Kousuke blinked. Now that they were out in the open, his werewolf senses confirmed what he already suspected: this child was a vampire. The faint metallic scent, the glimpse of a fang, and the crimson glowing eyes gave it away. Yet his demeanor reminded the man of a normal choir boy. The man coughed into his hand. “Um, how can I help you, kiddo?”

The boy looked up, widening his crimson eyes to catch the porch light in an attempt to be incredibly endearing. “My name is Yuuto. If it isn't too much trouble, may I please have a cup of your blood?”

Silence stretched between them. A cricket chirped in the bushes.

“Excuse me?” Kousuke deadpanned.

Yuuto’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second before he doubled down. The air around him shimmered slightly. Kousuke felt a very faint, almost pathetic tickle at the back of his mind—a rudimentary hypnosis attempt.

You want to invite me in, Yuuto projected, staring intensely into Kousuke's eyes. You want to give me a snack. A warm cup of blood would be lovely.

Kousuke rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Kid. Stop that. It tickles.”

Yuuto blinked, the hypnosis shattering instantly. The boy’s shoulders slumped, his polite facade cracking to reveal genuine, childlike disappointment. “It didn't work?”

“No, it didn't work. For one, your technique is sloppy,” Kousuke grumbled, leaning against the doorframe. “And two, I'm a werewolf. Vampire tricks don't work on me.”

Yuuto gasped, taking a small step back. Not out of fear, but out of precaution and a bit of fascination. “It is my first time seeing a werewolf!”

“Yes, a werewolf. And I don't suggest biting into one that can transform into a 400-pound wolf. Besides that, werewolf blood tastes terrible. Not recommended. I suggest you go trick-or-treat somewhere else.”

Kousuke tried not to look at those big sad puppy eyes, or the hand that gripped the ridiculous pumpkin bucket a bit too tightly. He closed the door and tried to go back to his couch. But seconds later, he was already at the door again, peeking through the glass to see Yuuto sitting on the porch, bucket in his lap.

Kousuke pinched the bridge of his nose, sighed, and opened the door. “You can come in,” he said, surprising even himself. He'd just invited a vampire in without being hypnotized.

Yuuto's eyes lit up, then he politely bowed. “Thanks for having me.” He entered the house, scanned it over, gasped at the deer head on the wall in awe, then took off his shoes and immediately made himself comfortable on the couch.

Kousuke stared at him, dumbfounded. He headed to the kitchen for some juice in the fridge. “It's not blood, but at least it can keep you hydrated for now.”

“Thank you!” Yuuto chirped, sipping the orange juice and humming contentedly at the sweet taste.

Kousuke grabbed the TV controller, about to change the channel to a cartoon. Before he could, Yuuto interrupted him, saying that he wanted to finish this movie—a cheesy one about werewolves vs. vampires with horrid special effects.

“Who do you think would win? The vampire, right? He has a cool cloak and he can teleport! And also, bat wings!” Yuuto raised his hand, staring at him expectantly.

“…Vampires,” Kousuke answered. Because what else could he say? It was a lose-lose battle.

“Yay! One day I can hypnotize anyone and control a bat army!” Yuuto cheered, immediately engrossing himself in the movie again.

“How old are you?” Kousuke poured himself a whiskey. Tonight was more bizarre than any nightmare he had ever had.

“Human age, 11; vampire age, not telling, as they always treat me like a child anyway.” Yuuto's hand gripped the glass tightly, his voice small.

“They? You mean the other vampires?” Kousuke sat down on the couch opposite the boy.

“The vampires in my coven are mean, and I'm just their errand boy,” Yuuto sulked, blowing bubbles into the juice glass.

Kousuke was silent for a while before putting his whiskey glass on the coffee table. Yuuto was still sucking noisily at the empty glass. When did the boy finish it so fast? He stared at the empty pumpkin bucket at Yuuto's leg then at the empty glass, grimacing. What kind of monsters would turn a child this young, and how many days has this kid gone without eating? 

“We are going hunting tonight. Get ready.”

Yuuto stared at him, dumbfounded for a second before his eyes sparkled with excitement. The spark stopped when he saw Kousuke take the rifle off the wall under the deer head.

“No, I'm not going to transform tonight. It takes energy, and why waste it when the gun can do the job.” Kousuke slung the rifle's strap over his shoulder and carried a big cooler to the car. Yuuto trailed behind him with a long face, mumbling something to the effect of wanting to see a cool werewolf transformation. But Kousuke wouldn't fold, as the kid's pouting face amused him.

An hour later, the cool midnight air bit at Kousuke's nose as he crouched behind a thick bush, a vampire child kneeling right beside him.

“Why do we have to hide?” Yuuto pouted. “Hunting is so boring.”

“First rule of the predator: the impatient one loses the golden chance.” Kousuke adjusted the rifle lens. “Be silent, be patient, be invisible, and the prey will come to you. Don't draw unnecessary attention to yourself.”

“Still boring,” Yuuto muttered, but he paid attention to how the man handled the rifle.

A rustling sound came from nearby. Kousuke signaled the boy to stay quiet. Yuuto nodded and pressed his palm over his mouth.

BANG.

The sound echoed through the forest; it was a clean shot. The deer dropped down into the green underbrush. Yuuto stayed still on the spot, his jaw dropping as he watched Kousuke hoist the deer over his shoulder like it was the coolest act ever.

Yuuto obediently followed Kousuke's instructions as he helped the man drain the blood in the garage, storing it in multiple glass jars. The boy insisted on seeing the butchering job as well, but Kousuke told him next time, as he'd need to buy a kid-sized coat for the blood spatter first.

A while later, Kousuke walked to the living room to see Yuuto using a straw to sip deer blood from the juice glass.

“It tastes funny, but that fills me up,” Yuuto said, putting the glass down. He paused for a second, then bowed to Kousuke. “Thank you, mister… may I know your name?”

“It's no problem. I'm Kousuke.”

“Umm… Kou-san, is it possible for me to stay here…?” Yuuto said, his voice small.

Kousuke rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling very tired.

“Suit yourself; you can sleep on the couch. Remember, my bedroom is off-limits.” Kousuke didn't turn around; he needed to rest and pretend he didn't hear the quiet, relieved sniffles behind him.