Dan's POV

Last night, like every other, was wonderful. I was becoming more and more attached to Phil. He was perfect in every way - sweet, kind, loving, playful, and downright handsome. I didn't understand why he portrayed himself as something so ugly. He was the most beautiful person I'd ever met, and he wasn't even human.

I went to him in the night - alone, thankfully - and found him waiting for me in the usual place. "Hey," I said when I found him. He turned around and I saw his face. He didn't look ok. "Oh my God, Phil. What happened?"

"Uhh," he groaned, rubbing his tired eyes. "I didn't sleep at all last night. I couldn't turn into a bat for some reason, so I fell from the ceiling and bashed up my head. Then I had to try to sleep, but I'm not really used to sleeping on the rock hard ground. I feel like crap."

"Aww, I'm sorry. Why couldn't you change form?"

"I have no clue. That's never happened before."

"Do you want to go just get some rest?"

"I still can't change. It's like it's broken."

I thought for a moment. It wasn't fair that he lost his power. Maybe I could help. "Here," I said. "I know something that might help."

"What is it?"

"When's the last time you slept in your human form?"

"It must've been years, I guess."

"How about in a bed?"

He looked skeptically at me.

"Come with me," I said, taking his hand. I had never felt his hands before. They were so soft, but ice cold. The rest of him must be incredibly cold, but he never looked like he was shivering, and I never felt him radiating cold air either. Maybe being cold was the norm for him. His fingers wrapped around mine as he followed me out of the woods.

Phil's POV

I followed Dan to his house, when he let me step inside. It was warm, and it felt safer than a cave. "Dan," I said. "This is very nice of you, but I can't stay here. What will I do when the sun comes up?"

"I've got an idea."

He led me to a room with a bed - a human bed! With pillows and sheets and everything! He went into the closet and pulled out a thick blanket and a staple gun.

"What are you doing?"

Dan went to the only widow in the room and closed the shades, then proceeded to staple the blanket to the wall above it. "This will keep the room dark in the morning," he explained.

My heart began to hurt. I waited until he was finished before running up and hugging him. "That's the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me," I said, trying not to cry. "Thank you."

He hugged me close around my back. "Of course, no problem."

"S-so, I can sleep here?"

"And live here, I mean if you want to. We can get up at night, and sleep during the day."

"I-isn't this your bed?"

"Um, well yes. But no big deal. My sofa's pretty comfortable to sleep on. It'd be better that way."

I couldn't think of anything else to say. "Thank you. Thank you so much, Dan. You're too nice. Why are you doing this?"

Dan looked like he had to contemplate a reason. "Because that's what friends do," he decided.

I knew he was right, but deep inside, I couldn't help but think he meant something different. "Yeah," I responded. I sat on the bed. It was so comfortable and warm. It smelled safe. It smelled like him.

"Can I get you anything? Food? Another pillow or something?"

It was still dark outside, so I could go out, at least. "I want to see where you live," I said. "The town. Everyone's asleep, aren't they?"

"Probably. Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

He smiled. "Well, ok then."

Dan took me outside and walked me down the same street he said he walked down everyday. We passed a quaint little coffee shop.

"I go here about every day," he told me. "Maybe I'll bring you something from here."

"I'd like that."

He took my hand as we walked around some more. His fingers fit perfectly in mine. His hands were warm, but only because mine were cold. They were always cold. He didn't seem bothered.

"This is nice," I said. "I haven't done anything with anybody in so long."

He smiled at me. "Well, you had no one to do anything with. Now you do."

I smiled, but lost it as thoughts simmered in my mind. "Dan, can I ask you something?"

He stopped walking and faced me. "Yeah, of course. Anything."

I hesitated, but took a breath. "When you first saw me, you saw my eyes first, right?"

"Yes."

"Did you think they were... human? Did they look human to you?"

"Well, honestly, no."

I sulked a bit. "Oh."

"They looked beautiful. Unnaturally beautiful. Too beautiful to be human. They were the most intriguing sight I've ever seen. That's why I went to find you. I needed to see them again, and find out where they came from."

"Really? You think so?"

"Absolutely. I found they came from you, and I saw that the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen came from the most loving, kindest, most handsome person I've ever met. And to think that you don't think that way about yourself is absurd. You are beautiful, Phil. Please don't say you aren't."

I felt my body hitch and my breathing stick. "I... I've never been told something like that before. That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. But... I always thought that my eyes were the most human thing about me. I thought they appeared human, at least."

"Your eyes are wonderful," he said, "but they aren't the most human thing about you. Your heart is. That's the most human thing about you. Your heart is so kind, and so real. It is something from a different world, but it's human. When you became a vampire, your body changed, but your heart did not."

I looked up at him, just slightly taller than me. A small smile formed on my lips. I opened my mouth, and was about to tell him something, when a glare caught the side of my eyes. The sun was rising.

"We need to go," I said.

Dan saw it too and ran back to his place with me. I let myself into the new dark room to sleep, thanking him again, saying I didn't deserve it.

When he left, I tucked myself in to sleep out the day. I couldn't sleep. I went to the window, and pulled back a part of the blanket covering the sunlight. It was still dark. I stared out the window, watching the sun begin to rise over the horizon. A single ray came in through the window, touching my face. Before, it felt like fire, and would burn me. Now, it just felt warm. Soothing almost. It didn't hurt. I tucked the sheet back over the window, and proceeded to my morning sleep pattern, this time, with a smile. Though I wasn't sure why my resistance to light was beginning to subside, just like my ability to become a bat, I did know one thing - my heart felt warm, and my mind circled around the one mortal who made me feel like myself again.