Families of any kind - monster, human, unicorn, whatever - always stick together when it's necessary. They may not always be around but they have one another's backs when it matters most. They may sometimes be of extremely different backgrounds, but they easily set that aside when it truly matters.

And, when it comes to the endearingly stubborn individuals who sometimes come off as just plain irritating... Families know how to team up and help those headstrong creatures accept a little love.

More often than not, that is.

Sometimes, they just end up having to match the mulish attitude and push some of their own obstinate love into the situation.

Take this particular familial moment, for instance...

_._

For the first time in a long time, Dracula felt well-rested. Content, even. As though his body had finally recovered from the stress of the last week. And, as though he had never fallen in the first place.

The vampire stirred, catching the sounds of excited whispering. A whiff of something familiar was soon caught as well.

"Drac?" What's Frank doing here?

"Papa Drac?" Denisovich?

"Dad?" Oh, my darling-

"Mavis?" He finally called out through some form of a croak. Sore throat aside, he really was just too curious to keep his mouth shut.

But, judging from how the atmosphere seemed to have changed with just a word, he was beginning to regret cracking open his eyes.

Oh, who was he kidding? Curiosity may have killed the bat, but satisfaction always brought it back.

Though, in this case, he found himself more shocked than curious. So shocked was he at the sight of all of his closest friends and family, a yelp escaped him. Unfortunately, it was followed by a minor cough session.

Minor meaning he only had to hack for a good ten seconds instead of the usual twenty he'd been suffering through for the last week.

"Dad, take it easy! Everyone, give him space!" Everyone, excluding Dennis and Mavis, immediately stepped back as the coughing faded. A small vial of blood was given to sooth the throat, and soon Dracula's phelgmy cacophony subsided.

"But, what are you all doing here?" At this, he received several glares. But, Dracula was occasionally clueless when it came to social interaction. And, so, he barrelled on. "Wayne, didn't you have a Bark Mitzvah to go to? And, Mavis, Johnny, this was supposed to be your vacat-"

"Dude," Johnny brazenly interrupted his father-in-law, a sure sign that the last week had not been normal in the slightest. "When we had found out you'd fallen, we couldn't just leave you here."

Dracula paused, searching his memories for what exactly Johnny was talking about. The fact that he had to do so was concerning for everyone else.

The benefit (and drawback) of being incredibly run down is that you tend to miss those sorts of things - noticing everyone else's reactions, remembering unpleasant memories brought on by stress.

"Oh, that?" It took him a little longer than he'd have liked, but that particular incident was now coming to mind. "That was hardly anything! Just a little stumble through the clouds." And while vampires couldn't really blush, they could pull off the incredibly flustered look quite well. "Hardly worthy of mentioning! Really, if that's all that brought you back-"

"Dennis saw everything, Drac." Frank said, his tone unusually sharp. "And, you and I both know that vampires don't just fall."

A weak chuckle escaped the vampire at this, who was now sheepishly casting his gaze onto the floor. That is, his gaze remained there until the statement was fully absorbed.

"Denisovich, is this true?" It was at this point that Dracula noticed the little boy was unusually quiet. That he was currently tearing up and frowning at something. "Denisovich, my little blood drop, what's wrong?"

Whatever Dracula had been expecting as response, it definitely wasn't being bowled over by a sobbing child who couldn't help but tightly hug him through the tears.

"Please don't scare me like that again, Papa Drac! Please, please, please!" Shaking arms wrapped themselves around the vampire, who in turn immediately scooped up the little boy.

"Shh, my little devil dog, everything's alright. Papa is already back to okay." At this he received another glare from everyone other than Dennis.

"What?"

"While everything is getting better, you're certainly not "okay" just yet, Dad." Dracula sent a glare of his own at this, while Dennis continued to cry - oblivious to the harsh exchange of looks. The count was not only irritated with everyone's "unnecessary" concern, he was even formulating a response.

That response was put to a stop when the half-vampire in his arms curled further into the familial embrace.

"Please let them take care of you." Was Wayne really giving his grandson lessons in the art of puppy dog eyes? Or was the little boy just at that age where his eyes were always going to be that irresistibly adorable?

"Please, Papa Drac."

The vampire in question glanced up at the crowd of loved ones that still surrounded him. He then fixed his gaze on Dennis, a smile beginning to emerge ever so softly. Feelings of frustration and stubbornness clawed at him for attention, but every time he focused on his sweet grandson he couldn't help but give in.

"Alright." The room paused, knowing that he wasn't finished. But, unbeknownst to him, Dracula was caught up in a moment of similar sentiment - a moment where he was the calming force that took over. Where his feelings took precedence over the situation and where he just so happened to save his sweet grandson from falling to his death.

Where the similarities between the scenarios laid exactly, Dracula could not be sure.

But...

The feelings run through a similar vein.

"For you, my little Denisovich."

The boy's face returned to its normal exuberance as everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Dracula finally allowed himself to lean into the pillows he'd been propped on, focusing on enjoying the child's presence and on letting go of the tension that had grabbed hold of him for the last few weeks.

"For you."

_._

A/N: Fluffy sick-fics. Get me every time.