Zap! The final body dropped, twitching at my feet. My eyes darted from the tangled mass of limbs before me to either side of the street. A cold sweat ran down my neck, and I wiped my forehead with my sleeve.

"Al…d…fred…" The radio at my belt hummed with static. "Alfred! Are you there? Respond if you can!"

A smile crawled to my lips, and I lifted the walkie-talkie to my lips. "What's wrong, Artie? Miss my beautiful voice already?"

A snort was heard from the other line. "Hardly," the accented voice replied, "it was just reported that there were walkers spotted near the store that you went to retrieve supplies from and I was checking on you."

"Aw, is that concern I hear?" I couldn't resist teasing my boyfriend, flipping a can of stew into the air and catching it skillfully. "Don't worry, babe, I handled them."

He would object to having done this later, but I heard him sigh. "Were you able to get everything?"

I nodded, pulling out a list and sifting through the bags I'd filled. The place was still decently stocked, as I had predicted. I'd found everything from food to clothes, books, weapons, and an extra pair of glasses in my prescription. They even had Artie's suppressants still; had being the keyword.

"Alfred, you know that I can't see you, right?" he remarked, and I could practically see his arms cross in annoyance.

"Sorry, babe, I forgot," I mumbled absently, ticking items off of the list. I exhaled upon crossing the final entry off. "We're good to go!"

"Thank goodness!" Arthur breathed. I could hear his fingers typing away on a keyboard. "It seems as though the Western Trail is clear. I'll meet you halfway."

"Sounds like a plan! I'll start moving now. See ya soon!" I took a final weary look around. Certain that there were no more predators to deal with, I pocketed my laser, and hefted the largest bag onto my back, slipping the others around my arms.

"Great, I'll do the same. Take care, love." Static buzzed in my ear as Arthur switched his radio off.

A dopey smile clung to my face as I began the trek back home. 'At least I'll have Artie's company for half of it,' I reminded myself, humming an old tune as I walked.

True to his word, my boyfriend met me near the halfway point. His blond hair glittered gold in the fading sunlight, vibrant green eyes trained on the bags hooked to my arms.

"Bloody hell, Alfred, you didn't have to clean the place out!" he quipped, reaching for one. "What if something or someone attacked you?"

I smiled brightly at his excessive fretting, pulling him into a hug. "I trusted your word; if you said that this path was clear, then it must have been clear. And it was!"

His pale face reddened at my praise. "Just hand over a few bags, git."

The walk home was peaceful. I recounted my altercation with the walkers in front of the store, and Arthur told me about the adjustments he'd made to the home security system.

"I was able to further tap into the electrical circuits still connected to the building, and managed to install a remote keypad, like they had before the apocalypse!" he stated proudly. "Now, we can both go out for longer periods of time and arm the apartment so that it will remain safe!"

"That's amazing, babe," I commended honestly. His intellect was just one of the reasons that I considered myself lucky to have him. "Maybe we can actually go on a date…"

He paused, contemplating this for a moment. "I suppose, but where would we go?"

"We could go for a walk in that park near our apartment. I mean, man-made attractions may have been ruined in wake of the incident, but nature will always be nature." I hadn't noticed when we neared our building, but we were suddenly at its doorstep.

Arthur held a hand out to stop me, pulling a remote from his pants pocket. He pressed one of the many buttons, causing a force field to ripple and vanish.

My jaw dropped as he casually unlocked the door and opened it.

"What?" he asked innocently, glancing from the doorknob to me.

"I didn't know we even had the equipment to make a force field!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up for emphasis. The bags around my arms knocked against each other, and Arthur reached out to separate them.

"Be careful! We can't risk losing the food you've collected."

I nodded, gently lowering my hands and entering the building. We climbed eight flights of stairs to the top floor, (I wanted a room with a view and Arthur thought that a high room would be safer).

Before entering our floor, Arthur punched a code into a keypad that I wouldn't have noticed had he not pointed it out. It was crudely attached to the wall, hidden beneath a sheet the same color as the wall that I assumed he hung over it to keep it inconspicuous.

"I'll give you your own remote and all of the codes once we're inside," he assured me, yanking the heavy door open.

All I could do was nod, walking up to our room. Being the only occupants of the building, we took the liberty of expanding a little, so that our room took up the entire right half of the floor. I was still trying to convince Arthur to renovate down into the seventh floor, too, but he refused to take on "such a large project."

He punched a code into another keypad installed on our door. A panel slid open, and he pulled a card out of his coat pocket and scanned it. A click followed, presumably the door unlocking.

"You were very thorough with this," I remarked, waiting for the steel door to slide open.

Arthur's cheeks were tinged pink. "Well sorry for trying to protect the one I love," he grumbled, slipping past the door.

I rolled my eyes at his sarcasm, leaning in and kissing his cheek. "It's incredible, honey."

He flushed, retreating toward the freezer. "We need to pack the food away quickly before it goes bad."

I chuckled, moving to follow his lead. He always became flustered when I complimented his handiwork, something I found to be incredibly endearing. "Can we go for that walk when we're done?"

Arthur sighed sorrowfully, eyes finding mine. "I'd love to, dearest, but I've run low on my suppressants and I don't want to risk losing control and biting anyone. I'll have to take a rain che-"

I wanted to laugh at the expression on his face when I pulled one of the boxes of medication from the bag in my hand. "The store had a whole shelf of these, so I loaded them into this bag."

The Englishman was suddenly in front of me, his speed a clear sign of the dwindling effects of the last suppressant he took. His hand grasped a fistful of my collar, and he reigned me in for a kiss. "I love you," he whispered, pulling back after a moment.

I blinked a couple of times, trying to shake off the fog that the unexpected kiss had thrown me into. When my cobalt eyes focused on his face again, I caught him smirking, fangs bared and eyes red.

"Okay, Artie, I think it's time for one of these," I said nervously, rattling the box still in my hand.

He shook his head, accepting the box and returning to the kitchen. After pouring himself a glass of water, he downed a pill, sighing when it took immediate effect.

"Better?" I asked warily.

"Better," he confirmed, eyes returning to their rich emerald color.

We'd brought our stun guns tonight, knowing that most of the creatures we may encounter would be real people capable of dying, not the walkers that we regularly shot during the day.

It had all been a result of a nuclear test gone wrong. The government had irrationally constructed a new nuclear plant within our city. They assured us that it would only develop harmless energy. Everything ran smoothly for about fifteen years, when a sudden explosion sent whatever chemicals they'd really been experimenting with into the surrounding air. All of our DNA was genetically altered.

We became mutants- some of our abilities triggered by night, others by day, few at all times. Arthur was a real-live vampire; I was something of a werewolf. I only went into full transformation through the full moon, so I only had to take suppressants once a month, (thankfully, I could still enjoy the benefits of my mutation during the rest of the month, like super strength and superior smell). Arthur, on the other hand could be set off at any time, which was why his medication usually ran out faster than mine. Our physical traits weren't incredibly altered: I had a dirty blond tail and wolf ears atop my head, and Arthur had fangs and was fairly pale.

As for the walkers, the government was completely responsible for them, too. They'd tried, initially, to make it work. We were all inspected and given tracking chips so that they could "monitor our vitals and ensure that what [we] were given treated [our] conditions properly." The scientists at the nuclear plant had engineered the suppressants conveniently in case of such an emergency. They mass produced them and distributed them in pharmacies and supermarkets.

Eventually, though, they saw this as an opportunity for a social experiment, of sorts. They sealed us off from the rest of the world and sent the walkers in as a means of population control and to keep us contained. Every couple of months, they sent a fresh shipment of food and other supplies in for the survivors. Using the chips, they could keep track of which mutants stayed the course, which took suppressants, which were too dangerous and needed to be eliminated, and which seemed to be superior.

Arthur had found a way to hack into the government's database and monitor their knowledge and course of action, as well. It was using this that we were able to, for the most part, stay one step ahead of the game.

A rustle in the nearby bushes had our senses on high alert. We silently drew our guns from our belts, flicking them on. A slight whirring could be heard as they awakened to full power.

The rustling halted, and I stepped protectively in front of Arthur in case whatever was in the bushes decided to pounce. I sniffed the air, trying to pick up on the creature's scent. My ears twitched, picking up on the creature's trembling.

"It smells like a… cat?" I whispered to Arthur, resisting the canine urge to chase it. "I think it may be a neko."

Arthur immediately lowered his weapon, approaching the shrubbery silently. I could tell that whatever-it-was had very sensitive ears, because with every step its trembling increased.

"You can come out," my boyfriend cooed softly. "We're not going to hurt you, I promise."

A small head popped out of the bushes, feline ears twitching. The boy was probably no older than eight, meaning that he was born into this world after the incident; born with his mutation. He seemed to resemble Arthur, but his ocean blue eyes looked a lot like mine.

"Whoa, he could be our kid!" I declared in amazement, tucking my own gun back into its holster. I, too, carefully approached the kid. "What's your name?"

He studied me skeptically, probably trying to figure out why I wasn't attacking him. "P-Peter," he stuttered.

Arthur reached a hand out to him, offering a gentle smile. "I doubt that shrubbery is comfortable," he joked.

Peter nodded, taking the hand and gingerly climbing out of the hedges. His arms and legs were slightly cut, probably from thorns. He winced as he shook a loose branch from his tail.

"Those cuts look like they could use some first aid," I muttered, looking to Arthur. He nodded, turning back to Peter.

"Would it be alright if we take you back to our place?" Arthur gestured to our building, only a few yards away. "We have some bandages and stuff that I could clean your wounds with."

The boy observed us cautiously before consenting. He took a step forward, wincing again as his cuts bled further.

"Here, allow me," I smiled, scooping him up in my arms. A faint smile came to his face as I carried him to our apartment.

Arthur had made quick work of the scratches and bruises, and in such a way that Peter hadn't even flinched. He currently sat at our counter, sipping on a glass of chocolate milk from a carton I'd retrieved earlier, and munching on some cookies.

Arthur and I stood back, discussing our next move concerning the child that had wandered into our lives.

"He looks so much like us! Tell me that's not a sign," I pointed out.

Arthur rubbed a hand over his face, sighing. "I know, it's quite the coincidence, indeed… but he's only eight, and we're in our early twenties. What do we know about raising a child?"

"You're right," I agreed, "he is eight, which means he's past all of that nurturing stuff. The rest is pretty easy. Come on, Art, he's just a kid, and I bet he doesn't have a family to return to."

Arthur nodded. "I know, Al, and I really want to keep him, too. I'm just worried that we'll mess up."

I smiled at my boyfriend's concerns. "Arthur, the way that you handled him in the park and the way that you handle me every day is proof enough that you're more than capable of taking care of Peter. And you'll have me to help!"

Arthur seemed to mull this over, finally relenting. "Alright. If he'll have us, we'll keep him."

Decision made, we returned to the child sitting on our barstool.

"Pete, do you have a home?" I asked, selfishly hoping that the answer was no.

The boy confirmed my suspicions with a sad shake of his head. He looked away, sniffling.

Arthur's eyes flickered to mine, a reminder of his approval. "Hey, Peter," Arthur began, smile widening.

"Would you like to live with us?" I proposed. I moved my arms in a grand gesture around the room.

Peter's eyes widened, darting from my face to Arthur's uncertainly. "R-Really? Are you sure? You only met me a few minutes ago."

Even his accent mirrored Arthur's, and I realized that there was no way that we could let this kid go. "Of course! We have plenty of room-"

"And we would love to have you," Arthur finished. "I don't know how you've managed to survive out there on your own, but we want to take care of you from now on."

"What do ya say?" Arthur and I waited eagerly for his answer.

Peter glanced down at the bar, hand sliding contemplatively over the counter. His blue eyes seemed to fully take in the room he was in for the first time since his arrival. Finally, he looked back at us and smiled.

"I would like that a lot," he answered.

Arthur and I drew Peter into a big hug. Oddly enough, something about it made me feel complete.

I pulled away first, clapping my hands. "Alright, maybe with you here now, I can convince Arthur here to finally renovate into the seventh floor!"

Arthur glared up at me, no real fire behind the look. "Don't push your luck, Alfred."

Peter giggled at our antics, the sound having a pleasant chime to it. "You guys make a cute couple," he remarked, bringing a blush to both of our faces.

Arthur coughed to cover up his embarrassment. "A-Anyway, Peter, let me show you to your room. I'm sure you're tired."

I watched them go with a fond smile, loving the way that Arthur easily morphed into parent mode. Maybe with this weird mutation, it could be possible for us to have a kid of our own.

He returned a few minutes later, explaining that in the morning we'd have to go find clothes for Peter. He sat on the same barstool, watching me clear away Peter's dishes.

"Do you think we'll be good parents?" he mumbled, chin propped up by a hand.

I dried my hands on a towel, then came around to sit beside him. He rested his head onto my shoulder, instead, his hand finding mine.

"We'll be the best damn parents we can be in this strange world," I reassured him, squeezing his hand gently.

His soft green eyes gazed up into mine, and I leaned in, our lips coming together smoothly. I brought my free hand up to cradle his cheek, rubbing soothing circles into the soft skin.

My tongue darted out and licked at his lips. He groaned softly, wrapping both arms around my neck to pull me closer. His lips parted just enough for his own tongue to slip out.

"Gross! Are you two gonna be doing that a lot?" a voice cried from across the room.

We jolted apart, eyes wide and focusing on the child standing in the doorway in a really long T-shirt with his hands partially covering his eyes. Oh yeah, we had a kid now…

"Um, Peter, did you need something, love?" Arthur inquired, clearing his throat.

"I was just wondering if one of you could sleep with me, but it's pretty clear that you two wanna sleep with each other, so goodnight!" Flashing a cheery grin, he darted back into his room.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair, careful to avoid my ears. "Well, I guess romance is dead in this house now."

Arthur shot me a mischievous look, standing and sauntering toward our bedroom, hips swaying ever so slightly. "Are you sure about that?"

A/N: Lol, I love cockblock Peter! Too bad his plans didn't work out :3

I managed to cap this one at exactly 3000 words. And finished it at about 3:00 AM... hmm...

Anyway, a slightly shorter one tonight because this idea literally came to me at midnight. It was meant to be shorter, but the plot ran away from me. I really like this idea, though, so I may come back and finish it after tomorrow's prompt... and after I update The Fun Host (I'm so sorry if you're waiting for that, by the way, but it'll be updated this weekend, I promise! .)

One day left! See you all tomorrow!