Johnny sighed happily while Cole played with his hair. Even with his worries and fears, that simple comfort reminded the teenage vampire of his brother's love. He cuddled with his big bro until a little while after Cole fell asleep.
Thanks to his change, Johnny couldn't sleep in the normal way anymore. During the night, he was constantly awake. When the sun rose, he would fall into a deathlike sleep and be unable to wake up until sunset. It had been very worrisome to Johnny since anything could happen to him while he slept, and he wouldn't be able to wake up.
The rotten bastard who had changed him had implied that as he got older, Johnny would be able to resist the sleep for at least part of the day and even be able to wake up if he needed to. But right now, Johnny couldn't do that.
Once he tucked Cole and made sure he was comfortable, Johnny went around the apartment cleaning and doing chores as quietly as possible. He thought that since he couldn't sleep, he could at least do something nice for his big bro.
After feeding and the sex, Johnny felt more in control of his instincts. He was more the boy he had been. Though even now Johnny was still a predator. He knew he could never go back to being human, but Johnny wanted to do all he could to hold on to the good traits he'd had as a human.
Johnny knew that he still loved his family. He knew that he still valued human life as more than walking food that could talk. The young vampire knew that he was stronger and faster than normal humans, but he tried to not let that newfound power corrupt him. He smiled softly as he thought about Cole. Johnny knew that he could count on Cole to do the right thing, no matter what. The teen trusted that his big bro wouldn't let him turn evil.
Johnny finished the dishes, picking up stuff, taking out the trash and dusting before he felt his body start to slow down. Dawn was not far off, and he needed to prepare for his daily coma.
The closet in the unused bedroom was empty. It had a sliding door that doubled as a full length mirror and seemed pretty lightproof. There was room enough for him to lie down inside, and Johnny made a bed of old newspaper for himself. Blankets would be nicer, but Johnny had reasons for using the discarded paper.
Before he went to lie down, Johnny left a note for his brother.
Dear Cole
I'm sleeping in the closet in the empty bedroom. I won't be able to wake up during the day, but I'm ok.
I love you, bro. I'm always going to love you, no matter what. I trust you to do the right think, whatever the right thing is. You're the best brother a guy could ever have.
After Johnny placed the note on Cole's nightstand, he went and got into the closet. The way the mirror refused to show his reflection creeped the young vampire out, but he tried to ignore it. He didn't bother putting his shirt back on. It wasn't as if he could catch a cold. Besides, if Cole decided that it would be best to destroy the vampire, it would be a shame to get blood all over his favorite shirt. The newspaper was also in place to make cleaning up easier if that was Cole's decision.
As the sun rose and Johnny's mind shut down for the day, his last thoughts were of his brother, and how much he loved him. Johnny's heart slowed down almost to a complete stop. Even a doctor might mistake the pale youth for dead.