Shuffling sounds came from inside and then the door swung open.
"Charlie?" Brent blinked, sleep-rumpled in basketball shorts and no shirt. His broad chest and impressive bedhead wouldnormally have made Charlie feel inadequate, but today he barely registered it. "Dude, where have you been? I've been blowing up your phone!"
"Can we come in?" Charlie glanced over his shoulder. The hallway remained empty, but it felt exposed.
"We?" Brent leaned out to spot Viktor. "Oh. Yeah, sure."
He stepped back, holding the door wider. Charlie brushed past him to be hit with the familiar scent of Brent's apartment. Protein powder, clean laundry, and that fancy air freshener that didn't fit the rest of Brent's aesthetic.
"What's going on?" Brent shut the door, studying Charlie's borrowed clothes and Viktor's tense posture.
Charlie met his friend's concerned gaze. Where to even begin?
"Remember when I told you I was a vampire?"
Brent's expression shifted to exasperated fondness. "The method acting thing. Yeah, I remember. Still committed to the bit, huh?"
"It's not—" Charlie stopped, frustration building. "Brent, I need you to listen. Really listen this time."
"I'm listening," Brent said, but his tone held the patience of someone humoring a child.
Viktor made a noise that might have been a laugh. "This should be interesting."
Charlie ignored him. "There's an organization. They hunt vampires. But they also..." He took a breath. "They wanted you, Brent. They wanted a vampire to turn you, but they got me instead. By mistake."
Brent's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"I got turned by a vampire who was drunk and thought it would be funny." Charlie stepped closer. "But he was supposed to turn you. You were the target. You're still the target."
Brent's expression remained neutral. "Okay."
"Not okay. You don't believe me."
"I believe you believe it," Brent said carefully. "And I'm worried about you."
Charlie turned to Viktor in frustration. "See what I'm dealing with?"
Viktor leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Show him."
"Show him what?"
"Your fangs? Super strength? That rabbit trick you do?"
Brent's eyebrows shot up. "Rabbit trick?"
Charlie licked his lips. That might not be the worst idea. He turned to Brent again. "I'm going to show you something," he said. "And after I show you, I need you to believe everything else I tell you. Because you're in danger."
"Charlie—"
"Just... watch."
He focused inward, searching for the strange shimmer that preceded transformation. He could do it. He had to do it.
Nothing.
Charlie groaned.
Of course his powers would fail him now. How fucking predictable.
