xavi had ali pegged as easily convinced – gullible – from the moment he’d laid eyes on him but, still, he hadn’t expected it to be this simple. a few more bats of an eyelash and he thinks he’d even have himself a secure place to stay for a night or two, maybe more. sometimes, his own skills frighten himself. unfortunately for ali, xavi’s not yet learned his lessons of remorse; he doesn’t experience guilt for playing his cons, not even when his magical banishment had come with a warning to atone for his actions, past present and future. no, xavi doesn’t feel bad. he does, however, like ali which is… new. and fast, for xavi anyways. he doesn’t miss out on the easy flush to ali’s cheeks and it makes his own smile grow, though he tips his chin downwards to keep the expression coy. “well if you think i’m cute, it must be true,” he hums, hands folding in the very picture of docility. xavi assumes a place at ali’s side, gaze trailing after the other’s hand as it pulls out his wallet. he feels like a proper little sugar baby and, if he still had any magical ability, he’d have called upon an all-knowing sight to get an idea as to just how much fun he could have on an ali sized budget. as it stands, he doesn’t want to push his luck too far; even his forward nature has the potential to scare off someone as genuinely nice as ali. it’s impossible to resist just that bit of overstepping though and he dances a hand down to tangle with ali’s and nudges his head against the other’s shoulder as they reach the front of the line. if ali was going to offer to step in for this fake no-show date, who was xavi to deny him all the perks that come along with it? he takes care to treat ali to a cautious glance. is this okay? it reads, aided by a wide-eyed blink and a still present innocent flush to his own cheeks. “can i do the egg white and spinach breakfast sandwich please? on an everything bagel?” xavi speaks softly as the barista addresses the pair. once again, xavi’s eyes stray to the drink menu. whatever you want rings fresh in xavi’s ears and he gives ali’s hand a squeeze before nodding to the sign. “one of these too?” he whispers. as he waits for his answer, he turns to explain to the barista. “he’s paying; isn’t he the sweetest?”

       it’s  hard  to  feel  anything  other  than  a  sense  of  whiplash  from  how  quickly  his  day  shifted  from  one  he  could  expect  to  having  the  rug  pulled  out  from  under  him.  ali  never  really  understand  when  he  heard  others  compare  meeting  someone  to  that  of  a  hurricane,  but  standing  beside  xavi  it  was  starting  make  sense  despite  his  lithe  stature  and  innocently  blinking  doe  eyes.  something  was  shifting  underneath  his  feet  and  though  he  couldn’t  tell  exactly  what  this  change  was  or  what  it  would  bring,  ali  had  a  feeling  this  wouldn’t  be  the  last  time  he  would  see  xavi.  especially  when  ali’s  curiosity  was  piqued  at  the  lack  of  an  aura  the  other  boy  was  giving  off.  he  wasn’t  sure  what  exactly  it  meant  or  had  time  to  figure  it  out  when  their  conversation  was  constantly  pushing  him  in  a  new  direction,  leaving  ali  mildly  overwhelmed  with  how  things  were  progressing.  listen,  ali  was  only  human,  okay  ??  well  ...  a  witch  but  still.  the  point  still  stands.  he  fumbled  around  cute  boys  on  the  daily,  although  it  was  mostly  always  him  admiring  from  afar  without  ever  garnering  the  courage  to  go  start  a  conversation.  clearly  xavi  picked  up  all  the  confidence  that  ali  had  dropped  because  the  last  thing  he  expected  was  flirting  —  wait  ...  was  this  flirting  ??  were  they  flirting  ??  ali  suddenly  felt  the  remnants  of  his  headache  kick  back  up.  oh  no.  ❝  i  —  ❞  he  cleared  his  throat  and  brought  a  hand  up  to  rub  at  the  back  of  his  neck.  maybe  if  he  willed  away  the  heat  on  his  cheeks  hard  enough  it  would  go  down.  ❝  i  doubt  i’m  the  only  one  person  to  have  called  you  cute  before.  ❞  ali  offers  as  a  reply  all  the  while  fiddling  with  his  wallet,  giving  him  something  to  occupy  his  racing  mind  with.  he  opens  his  mouth  to  speak  again  only  to  be  silenced  from  the  sensation  of  xavi’s  hand  slipping  into  his,  paired  with  the  light  weight  on  his  shoulder.  ali’s  mind  feels  like  its  been  consumed  by  that  static  tv  noise  and  he  can  only  imagine  explaining  this  situation  to  milo  later  on.  it  took  a  moment  for  ali  to  gather  any  semblance  of  coherent  thought  before  sparing  a  glance  down  to  xavi  and  squeezing  his  hand  lightly  in  confirmation  to  his  silent  question.  what  on  earth  had  today  become  ??  definitely  whiplash.  it  seemed  better  to  go  along  with  all  this  than  risk  putting  space  between  them  both  and  hurting  xavi’s  feelings  as  a  result.  ali  barely  has  time  to  realize  they’re  up  next  to  order  before  xavi  speaks  to  the  barista,  all  the  while  ali  is  heavily  aware  of  xavi’s  hand  in  his  and  his  presence  beside  him.  xavi’s  next  words  have  ali  peering  over  and  offering  an  encouraging  smile.  ❝  whatever  you  want.  i  promised,  didn’t  i  ??  ❞  ali  was  sure  his  blushing  fit  was  over  and  done  with  until  xavi  addresses  the  barista  again  who  in  turn,  fixes  her  gaze  on  ali  with  a  warm  expression  and  his  cheeks  light  up  again.  his  mind  fumbles  with  a  proper  response  and  automatically  juts  out  his  debit  card.  ❝  i’ll  just  have  a  medium  iced  caramel  macchiato.  please.  ❞  as  an  afterthought  he  adds  on  softly.  ❝  also  whichever  drink  he  wants.  ❞

       the  last  place  ali  wants  to  spend  his  free  is  in  the  school  library  of  all  places  when  the  days  in  the  city  are  just  starting  warm  up  enough  where  he  can  get  away  with  wearing  a  short  sleeved  shirt  without  a  jacket.  there’s  a  number  of  spots  he’s  been  wanting  to  bring  milo  along  to  so  they  can  have  fun  and  ali  can  introduce  him  to  some  new  things  that  maybe  milo  isn’t  all  too  familiar  with.  maybe  ali  can  blame  himself  for  blacklisting  the  thought  of  his  business  communication  paper  from  his  mind  because  it  sucks  and  the  class  sucks.  everything  about  his  major  sucks  and  ali  wants  to  so  desperately  drop  out,  but  he  knows  once  the  information  reaches  his  mother  he’ll  be  choked  out  the  moment  he  goes  back  home  following  her  summons.  so  right  now,  ali  will  settle  for  crying.  a  good  cry  sometimes  does  the  trick  when  he  thinks  too  hard  about  his  upcoming  microeconomics  project.  tangent  aside,  ali  had  planned  to  take  milo  along  to  the  boardwalk  in  coney  island  to  show  him  the  cool  aquarium  and  the  fact  that  he  had  to  cancel  that  idea  last  minute  once  his  phone  lit  up  with  reminders  of  his  impending  paper  was  a  doozy.  so  ...  yeah,  college  sucks.  and  ali  feels  bad  for  making  such  a  promise  to  his  familiar  and  instead  dragged  him  to  his  school  library  full  of  fluorescent  lighting  and  stale  air  condition  that  always  ran  a  few  degrees  too  cold.  at  the  thought,  a  shiver  runs  through  ali  despite  his  oversized  hoodie  and  his  fingers  clench  around  the  fabric  hanging  low  past  his  knuckles.  he  feels  milo  shift  behind  him,  having  long  fell  asleep  behind  ali  while  using  his  shoulder  as  a  pillow  and  clinging  to  his  back  like  an  octopus.  not  that  ali  really  minds  all  that  much;  cuddling  with  milo  is  a  favorite  past  time  and  the  other  tends  to  run  warm.  which  is  why  ali  finds  himself  leaning  back  into  the  touch  while  a  hand  drops  down  from  the  keyboard  of  his  forgotten  essay  and  encloses  around  one  of  milo’s  hands  which  have  snaked  around  his  waist  to  pull  him  closer.  ❝  hey,  milo.  you  up  ??  ❞  ali  asks  softly,  tone  just  above  a  whisper  and  feeling  slightly  needy  for  the  attention  of  his  familiar.  ❝  i  miss  your  voice  and  i’m  cold.  ❞  a  sigh  passes  through  his  lips  before  he  leans  his  head  lightly  against  milo’s.  ❝  don’t  ever  pursue  a  business  degree  ‘cause  it  blows  and  i’m  slowly  losing  my  mind  with  this.  i’m  sorry  about  the  aquarium  —  we  can  go  tomorrow  though  ??  if  that’s  good  with  you  ??  i  can  buy  you  cotton  candy  to  try  and  you  can  see  all  the  cool  fish.  ❞

from within the safety of his raised hood, jace feels more confident. not by much – he’s still a rather shy boy and the floppy bunny ears don’t tend to help with that besides providing him an extra something to hide behind – but still. enough to calm down a fraction of the flush that’s naturally risen to his cheeks. hybrids aren’t terribly common. he only knows a handful and they aren’t terribly close. he gets on better with his fox spirit best friend and witches familiars, if he’s being honest. that doesn’t mean his curiosity isn’t sparked by this anomaly who has found his way into the shop. quite the opposite, actually. “thank you?” he intones, a bit perplexed by the compliment. jace feels his nose scrunch, a habit of his he tends to associate more with his bunny tendencies. “it puts food on the table, anyways.” with one last hesitation born of his shyness, jace steps around the counter and gestures for the other to follow. now would ordinarily be the time where he’d ask whether or not the cat in question had short fur or long fur or somewhere in between but a few context clues tells him that his question might be moot giving the situation at hand. judging by ears alone, he’s guessing at medium length and he leads the man accordingly.  “this one’s really gentle,” jace points out a brush. “the kittens we have in tend to love it but they also don’t get too tangled. if you’re, uh, more active and have to deal with matting or knots, i recommend a wire brush. there are some with mechanisms for easy cleaning too so…” hands tug down his sleeves as he takes a step back, letting the other hybrid have his ponder. “what kind were you using before?” jace asks after a second, confusion returning to his features. as a born hybrid, he can’t imagine not having such a basic item of self care. it’s all very strange. “i’m jace, by the way.” a finger jabs up at his name tag and he assumes a polite little smile along with the gesture.

       as  someone  who  prefers  to  be  in  control  of  situations  he  finds  himself  in,  zane’s  been  noticing  since  his  arrival  in  new  york,  the  city  has  been  challenging  that  aspect  of  his  personality  quite  often.  especially  so  in  the  form  of  chaotic  dragons  to  which  zane  finds  himself  indebted  to  until  he  manages  to  clean  the  slate  of  whatever  bullshit  his  father  managed  to  wrap  himself  up  and  piss  off  xiaoming  substantially.  those  seem  like  the  days.  it  honestly  seems  like  a  lifetime  ago  where  zane  woke  up  on  his  eighteenth  birthday  to  find  himself  staring  at  his  reflection  in  the  mirror  with  a  fluffy  tail  and  ears  to  match  poking  out  from  newly  white  locks.  even  with  the  years  that  have  passed  since  acquiring  his  catlike  qualities,  he  never  encountered  another  hybrid  —  the  thought  wasn’t  one  he  dwelled  on  much,  assuming  himself  to  be  the  only  unfortunate  person  cursed  with  such  a  life.  but  now  this  changes  things.  the  fluffiness  of  his  tail  twitching  swipes  against  his  skin,  providing  an  uncomfortable  ticklish  sensation  that  breaks  zane  out  from  his  train  of  thought.  he  merely  nods  in  response  since  he  knows  the  struggle  well  enough.  maybe  a  pet  shop  would  have  been  easier  than  stuffy  nights  in  a  packed  bar  mixing  drinks  while  his  ears  strained  painfully  from  having  been  shoved  underneath  a  beanie.  seldom  were  there  ever  pets  allowed  in  the  zhao  household,  so  it  took  some  time  figuring  out  basic  cat  hygiene  since  his  basic  brush  wouldn’t  do  too  good  now  that  he  had  a  tail  and  ears  to  consider.  whatever  he  used  it  felt  weird  and  zane  doubted  he  would  ever  grow  accustomed  to  cat  products  after  having  been  predominantly  human  for  majority  of  his  life.  nevertheless,  zane  feels  as  though  it’s  safe  to  assume  this  boy  has  more  knowledge  on  these  things  as  a  pet  store  clerk  than  the  google  searches  zane  has  previously  done.  so  he  follows  close  behind  in  his  movements  to  said  aisle.  ❝  yeah,  i’ve  kind  of  just  been  going  with  whatever  feels  less  harsh  on  my  skin.  ❞  zane  pauses  for  a  moment,  absentmindedly  bringing  a  hand  up  to  scratch  at  his  cat  ears  in  consideration  before  letting  his  fingers  rub  at  the  delicate  hair.  ❝  i’m  —  uh,  long  hair  i  guess.  that’s  what  google  tells  me  from  my  own  research  and  at  least  what  i  think  i  am.  gets  kinda  knotty.  ❞  he  clears  his  throat  and  uses  his  thumb  to  gesture  to  his  back.  ❝  especially  the  tail.  ❞  zane  isn’t  sure  why  he  feels  as  embarrassed  as  he  does  when  this  boy  is  clearly  a  hybrid  too.  it’s  been  a  while  since  he’s  openly  spoken  to  somewhat  about  this  considering  most  of  his  conversations  regarding  his  new  ...  features  were  only  spoken  with  disgusted  tones  from  his  parents.  the  boy  soon  introduces  himself  and  zane  lets  his  gaze  fall  down  to  the  name  tag  before  meeting  jace’s  eyes  with  a  small  smile.  ❝  nice  to  meet  you,  man.  i’m  yanzhen,  but  you  can  call  me  zane.  ❞  he  replies.  there’s  a  brief  pause  as  zane  considers  the  brushes  before  his  curiosity  gets  the  better  of  him.  ❝  how  long  have  you  —  you  know.  ❞  zane  gestures  dumbly  to  jace’s  bunny  ears  as  a  pink  flush  lightly  tints  his  cheeks.

the reaction sol provides happens to be exactly the affirmation sage is seeking, so if he feels inclined to exaggerate the success of his encounter with wesley for more of that indirect flattery, nobody has to know. sage reasons he does have something to be proud of – he’s managed to turn one of his fantastical daydreams into an actual face-to-face… something. he’s finally met the man he’s been thirsting after from a distance. even if this is as far as things go with wes and all he’s left with is a phone number, a set of clothes (that are deliciously too big for him in all the right ways) and the memory of a morning, something is better than nothing! “i was getting there!” sage whines with a pout that quickly melts into a smile. “patience!” sage snuggles back into the embrace with a giggle as sol finishes off the dainty braid. then he’s clasping his ankles and facing his friend, cross-legged and eager to share. “so i’ve gone out to appreciate the view a few times, right? always teeny tiny so he can’t spot me and usually in my jammies because i’m not about to get ready for the day before seven in the morning! well, i made the mistake of getting a little too… invested in the sight, shall we say, and may have taken a tumble out of the tree.” while he knows sol won’t judge, it still feels a bit silly to admit out loud. he’s lucky he didn’t get hurt. “the plants kept me cushioned but he was already coming over to me! i couldn’t let him find me in fae form so i just sorta… ad libbed. i pretended i was out partying the night before and things got a little wild. to explain why i was underdressed for the outside and without my phone, of course.” sage sighs wistfully, tempted to take out said device just to ogle the newest contact. “god, sol! he was practically a knight in shining armor! he immediately sympathized and started taking care of me? instead of writing me off as some ditzy drunk, he offered to take me home. to his home! not even mine!”

       sage’s  whines  manage  to  placate  sol  for  the  time  being,  knowing  well  that  if  he  wanted  more  details  then  he  was  going  to  have  to  sit  quietly  and  let  his  friend  continue  on  in  his  story  telling.  but  that  was  so  hard  !!  especially  when  sol  had  so  many  questions  on  the  tip  of  his  tongue  that  he  wanted  to  ask  sage  in  rapid  fire  curiosity.  though,  sol  knows  his  friend  well  enough  and  merely  sulks  quietly  as  he  finishes  up  the  delicate  braid,  bottom  lip  jutting  outward  as  he  withholds  his  questions  for  when  sage  is  done.  ❝  okay.  i  promise  to  be  quiet.  ❞  he  replies.  it  must  be  good  if  his  friend  is  this  excited  !!  not  to  mention  the  boy  must  be  incredibly  cute  and  charismatic  enough  to  capture  sage’s  attention.  the  pout  on  sol’s  features  contorts  to  an  expression  of  wonder  as  the  two  sit  cross  legged  in  front  of  another,  chocolate  hues  widening  as  he  leans  places  his  hands  on  the  ground  in  front  of  him  and  leans  forward.  sol’s  come  to  find  that  sage  always  manages  to  meet  the  most  interesting  and  cool  people  in  equally  as  interesting  and  cool  places  !!  it  makes  sol  wonder  if  he’ll  ever  come  across  someone  as  lovely  as  this  boy  sage  is  describing.  instead  he  blinks  back  the  intrusive  thoughts  and  sharpens  his  focus  on  his  friend.  ❝  oh  no  !!  you  weren’t  hurt  though,  right  ??  you  didn’t  hit  your  head  ??  ❞  his  worries  that  tumbled  out  in  a  rush  past  his  lips  were  soothed  by  sage’s  next  words,  nodding  lightly  as  he  continues  along  with  the  story.  the  last  bit  takes  a  few  moments  to  process  in  sol’s  mind  before  he’s  offering  sage  an  enthusiastic  smile  and  leans  forward  to  squeeze  one  of  his  friend’s  knees.  ❝  that’s  amazing  !!  you  found  yourself  a  real  life  prince  so  easily  !!  who  knew  all  it  took  was  falling  out  of  a  tree  to  find  one.  ❞  sol  giggled,  pulling  back  his  hand.  ❝  but  what  next  ??  you  can’t  leave  off  there  !!  did  he  bring  you  to  his  place  ??  what  did  you  guys  do  ??  did  he  give  you  ice  ??  better  yet,  he  should’ve  offered  to  get  you  looked  at  after  your  fall  !!  ❞  there  were  newfound  questions  bouncing  around  his  head  which  shot  out  of  him  in  rapid  fire  succession,  making  sol’s  cheeks  tint  peek  from  how  passionate  he  sounded  from  it  all.  it  was  for  his  friend’s  best  interests  !!  ❝  do  you  need  me  to  get  you  an  ice  pack,  though  ??  ❞  sol  adds  softly.  ❝  you’re  okay,  right  ??  ❞

@premcnition​ / 𝙹𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙲𝙷𝙾 ! 

caspian hadn’t ever really been to a party on land before. but apparently everyone who is everyone got an invite. which meant that he didn’t get one but jinx got one instead. but it just so happened that jinx was out of the house when the mail came and caspian was really nosy about the pretty invitation. so because he found it before the chaos witch he was able to pester the other about it. who were the hosts? why was it so important etc etc.. 

after enough questioning he was able to pester jinx into letting him come along as a plus one. though there was the question of some clothes, not like caspian had much money or anything at the moment ( also thanks to jinx ). luckily however caspian had managed himself some friends willing to take him shopping for something fun. he really liked the suit they all ended coming on an agreement on. despite the merman’s shy nature, the low cut of the suit didn’t really bother him all that much. he was used to being bare chested more then not so it was more covering up then normal. 

however...even if he was technically still going to the party because of jinx, it appeared one of his more protective siren friends wasn’t going to have all of that. not that caspian really minded, it would be more fun with more people he knew. so he had changed into his outfit and coming out with a beaming smile he turned to jericho. of course he was typing on his cell phone as fast as possible. 

‘ do you think it really looks fine? i know i said i liked it at the store…but it should be fine right? you look really good too!! :D  ‘ 

       jericho  can  easily  think  back  to  his  college  days  where  the  promise  of  a  party  with  free  alcohol  at  the  end  of  each  week  was  what  kept  him  going  through  mass  amounts  of  homework  and  a  shitty  part  time  barista  gig  at  the  library  cafe.  not  that  he  ever  really  went  overboard  —  more  so  a  general  desire  to  be  a  part  of  something  exciting  and  like  he  was  included  in  something  bigger  than  himself.  which  ...  looking  back  jericho  realizes  how  much  he  felt  like  one  of  those  annoying  protagonists  in  some  indie  film.  definitely  regrettable.  though,  he  supposes,  it  was  hard  to  be  anything  else  when  he  grew  up  with  both  parents  breathing  so  heavily  down  his  neck  that  at  the  earliest  sight  of  freedom  through  college,  jericho  booked  it  to  the  coast.  his  parents  had  been  worried  about  the  near  three  hour  distance  between  them  considering  jericho’s  sickly  state  that  appeared  consistent  from  childhood  into  adolescence.  even  so,  he  made  his  choice  and  looking  back  now  with  his  relatively  newfound  knowledge  on  his  siren  ancestry,  it  made  all  the  more  sense  why  he  spent  so  much  free  time  by  the  beach  and  how  it  had  felt  finally  being  able  to  take  a  deep  breath.

       following  the  ...  incident  of  his  junior  year  and  all  of  which  ensured  after,  the  allure  of  parties  quickly  faded  despite  the  pleas  of  his  friends.  when  the  decorated  envelope  appeared  in  his  mail  with  loose  script  describing  the  party  in  detail,  jericho  was  sure  that  he  wouldn’t  be  in  attendance,  chalking  it  up  to  another  party  missed  for  fear  of  what  he  may  do  with  too  much  alcohol  in  him.  though  leave  it  to  caspian  to  twist  jericho’s  stance  on  its  head.  maybe  he  was  a  little  bit  protective  over  the  mermaid,  but  he  had  reason  !!  objectively  speaking,  caspian  was  very  attractive  and  jericho  had  fully  functioning  eyes  so  it  would  be  dumb  of  him  to  try  and  state  otherwise.  throwing  in  the  fact  that  he  could  come  across  as  rather  naive  with  blinking  doe  eyes  and  his  quiet  exterior,  it  solidified  jericho’s  decision  to  come  since  he  knew  jinx  wouldn’t  be  much  help.  compared  to  caspian,  jericho  isn’t  dressed  as  elegantly  —  an  all  black  ensemble  of  ripped  skinny  jeans  with  some  loose  blouse  he  found  on  a  mannequin  when  he  went  shopping  for  new  shoes  the  other  day.  what  he  hadn’t  accounted  for  was  the  level  of  sheerness  attributed  to  the  fabric  that  had  him  feeling  more  self  conscious  than  he  should.  his  initial  goal  was  to  blend  in  enough  that  he  could  keep  close  enough  to  caspian  without  distraction  while  giving  his  friend  ample  room  to  have  fun.  but  he  wasn’t  quite  sure  how  well  that  will  work  with  his  shirt  now  factored  in  to  the  situation.

       it’s  easy  to  know  he  made  the  right  choice  in  deciding  to  attend  for  his  friend  when  caspian  comes  out  of  his  room  in  his  ensemble  and  a  bright  smile.  it’s  almost  cute  seeing  how  excited  the  other  is  for  the  party.  he  watches  as  caspian  types,  lips  twisting  up  into  his  own  smile  before  peering  down  to  see  what  he  wrote.  ❝  you  look  great;  don’t  worry  about  it.  you’ll  knock  everyone  dead.  easily  the  best  dressed  there.  ❞  jericho  assures  him  with  an  affirmative  nod.  the  last  part  eases  his  own  bit  of  nerves  but  his  gaze  still  glances  down  to  his  blouse  and  the  mild  exposure  of  his  torso  from  the  sheer  fabric.  ❝  you  think  so  ??  i  grabbed  this  last  minute  the  other  day  and  i’m  not  too  sure.  guess  it’s  my  own  fault  for  not  trying  it  on  before  i  bought  it.  ❞

       with  the  morning  that  charlie  had  at  work  that  only  seemed  to  progress  from  bad  to  worse,  his  lunch  break  was  something  he  was  anticipating  in  such  fervor  that  it  reminded  him  of  his  high  school  days.  the  tylenol  he  took  fifteen  minutes  prior  while  giving  the  new  hire  a  quick  rundown  of  what  to  expect  when  he  was  left  alone  and  that  he  would  only  be  a  phone  call  away.  truthfully,  charlie  did  not  want  to  be  a  phone  call  away  and  would  very  much  like  to  plunge  himself  into  self  induced  social  seclusion  for  the  next  hour  while  he  shoved  a  deli  sub  into  his  mouth  from  his  favorite  bodega  two  blocks  down  of  the  library.  he’s  passing  a  hole  in  the  wall  coffee  shop,  barely  turning  his  head  in  the  name  of  people  watching  when  he  catches  a  familiar  face  ...  almost  ??  is  that  dae  ??  eyebrows  furrowed,  he  stops  in  the  middle  of  the  sidewalk  to  step  closer  to  the  glass.  that  definitely  looks  like  dae,  but  that’s  for  sure  not  prim  —  unless  prim  suddenly  cut  her  hair  into  a  crew  cut  and  masculine  features.  curiosity  aside,  a  shot  of  excitement  pulses  through  charlie  from  seeing  his  close  friend  and  any  negativity  he  experienced  prior  was  now  gone.  his  feet  carry  him  through  the  door,  ignoring  the  ring  of  the  bell  and  walking  up  to  where  dae  was  sitting,  smile  etched  across  his  features  and  eyes  crinkling.  ❝  dae  !!  what’s  up,  dude  ??  ❞  he  greets  and  claps  a  shoulder  down  on  dae’s  shoulder.  did  he  grow  his  hair  out  ??  brown  hues  shift  to  the  guy  across  from  dae  and  charlie  suddenly  feels  as  though  he  stepped  in  on  a  moment.  the  random  dude  was  definitely  good  looking  in  an  odd  way,  though  charlie  wasn’t  the  best  to  throw  out  a  definitive  answer  since  everyone  who  wasn’t  shiloh  seemed  to  pale  in  comparison.  ❝  how  did  your  hair  grow  out  so  long  ??  when  i  saw  you  the  other  day  i  swear  it  wasn’t  this  unruly.  ❞  no  better  way  to  ignore  his  growing  embarrassment  than  throwing  out  more  questions  to  keep  dae  talking  and  not  just  himself.  calloused  fingers  lift  his  palm  from  off  dae’s  shoulder  and  brush  lightly  at  the  ends  of  his  friend’s  hair  before  dropping  it  to  his  side  with  a  thoughtful  hun.  ❝  you  pull  it  off  though.  ❞  he  pauses  and  grins,  nodding  his  head  to  the  stranger  across  from  dae.  ❝  i’m  charlie;  nice  to  meet  you,  man.  you  guys  on  a  date  ??  ❞

       it  was  only  two  hours  into  his  six  hour  shift  that  sol  struck  GOLD.  and  by  gold  he  meant  the  bouquet  to  end  all  bouquets  because  it  was  so  incredibly  lovely  and  pretty  that  sol  had  to  STOP  and  wonder  how  he  could  create  something  so  beautiful.  it  was  wonderful  knowing  the  effort  he  put  into  capturing  rays  of  sunshine  for  the  flowers  in  the  shop  were  showing  such  great  results.  sol  had  been  taught  the  art  of  making  bouquets  when  he  had  first  gotten  hired  and  he  had  yet  to  ever  truly  become  bored  of  it  —  taking  something  already  so  dainty  as  flowers  and  combining  them  into  something  so  GORGEOUS  as  the  art  form  of  bouquets.  perhaps  it  was  rather  selfish  of  him  to  set  aside  this  particular  one  ,  but  as  he  fixed  the  symmetry  of  the  arrangement  ,  the  purple  of  the  orchids  and  the  pure  white  of  the  freesia  IMMEDIATELY  brought  prince  to  mind.  a  grin  was  quick  to  filter  across  his  expression  at  the  thought  ,  fully  knowing  there  was  no  one  better  to  receive  such  a  pretty  arrangement.  it  would  feel  insincere to  make  another  until  the  bouquet  was  sitting  PROUDLY  on  the  countertop  in  prince’s  kitchen  or  even  on  the  table.  sol  could  envision  it  already  !!

if he had fed recently, blood flowing more freely in his veins, shiloh’s certain that he would have blushed as the heavy denim coat is draped onto his shoulders. the fleece feels warm but, more importantly than that, it smells like charlie. shiloh can’t help but to turn his head, burying his nose in the tight curls of fabric as he maneuvers his arms into the too-long sleeves. the garment is big on charlie so it swims wrapped around shiloh’s small form. though he knows he should be rejecting the offered layer – insisting that the human of the two of them keep his warmth – shiloh allows himself some degree of selfishness when it comes to charlie. it’s been a while since he’s felt like this; since he’s had someone to make his heart race. “you weren’t waiting too long, were you?” shiloh hums his concern, prying his face out of the warmed collar in order to fix his gaze upon his friend. he knows the low lighted atmosphere and sex dripped stages weren’t to charlie’s tastes; he’s glad that they’ve moved past the days where the bouncers would make charlie fork over the cover charge, just to pick up shiloh. now, he’s on a list and shiloh feels at least that much less guilty about making charlie wait on him. “thank you,” he adds in a quiet voice, tugging on the sleeves of the jacket for clarification, “for this, i mean. i should have checked the weather before my shift.” knowing the other, he still would have brought the extra layer for shiloh and that thought makes his pulse flutter beneath his ribcage. another gust of wind has him recoiling, both deeper into the jacket and curling close to charlie’s side. realistically, they should probably just take the advice shiloh knows zara would give and get themselves an uber. she was off tonight but he can practically hear her insisting they use common sense. paying to cut his time with charlie short feels awfully wrong, though, and so they suffer. but at least they’re suffering together? it’s late, which probably isn’t helping with the chill in the air and the ferocity of the wind and sleet, but as a creature of the night, shiloh feels refreshed. his day’s just beginning but he takes another peek at charlie, just to make sure his companion isn’t too tired. “i’m glad you’re here,” he confesses with a gentle smile, wanting to match charlie’s earnestness with some of his own, “i would have missed you too much, otherwise. did you have an okay day?” shiloh asks with a tilt of his head but if the question were reversed, he’d have a hard time not blurting out that this – walking home with a boy so beautiful who made him feel warm when his whole existence had gone cold – was the only part of his day that mattered. 

       as  charlie  watches  shiloh’s  lithe  frame  be  swallowed  up  by  the  oversized  fabric  of  his  denim  jacket,  he  realizes  he’s  allowing  himself  some  form  of  indulgence  in  the  sight.  a  bigger  part  of  him  offered  his  coat  because  he  knew  shiloh  was  cold  and  the  last  thing  he  wanted  was  for  his  friend  to  suffer  when  he  could  actively  change  that  around.  though,  admittedly,  a  small  part  of  charlie  was  excited  to  see  the  boy  he  liked  wearing  something  of  his  and  allow  to  himself  the  selfish  satisfaction  of  seeing  how  cute  shiloh  looks.  and  he  does  look  cute  —  completely  dwarfed  by  the  fabric  and  at  this  point  it’s  impossible  to  keep  the  fondness  he  feels  for  shiloh  off  his  expression.  rather  than  hide  it,  charlie  merely  smiles  in  return  and  lightly  bumps  his  shoulder  against  the  other’s  shoulder.  ❝  it  wasn’t  too  long,  but  i  really  don’t  mind.  take  all  the  time  you  need  ‘cause  i  have  nothing  else  going  on  or  would  rather  be  doing.  i’m  here  for  you.  ❞  he  pauses,  taking  in  the  jacket  on  shiloh.  ❝  don’t  mention  it.  that’s  what  i’m  here  for.  ❞  there’s  a  softness  to  his  tone  that  has  charlie  feeling  awfully  vulnerable  and  aware  of  his  own  beating  heart  at  their  close  proximity.  licking  away  the  dryness  on  his  lips,  charlie  offers  a  shrug  before  turning  to  glance  at  shiloh  with  a  playful  grin.  ❝  you’re  a  busy  and  in  demand  guy.  consider  it  my  job  to  look  out  for  you  when  you  have  other  things  on  your  mind.  ❞  he’s  joking,  keeping  the  conversation  lighthearted  for  his  own  sake  rather  than  have  himself  slowly  yearn  of  how  much  he  wants  his  joke  to  be  something  true.  instead,  he  swallows  it  down  and  wraps  his  arm  around  shiloh’s  shoulder  to  pull  him  closer  when  the  smaller  boy  seeks  shelter  from  the  onslaught  of  the  chilling  breeze.  despite  how  much  he  enjoys  their  walks  hime,  charlie  wonders  if  he’s  putting  his  friend’s  health  in  danger  by  allowing  them  to  walk  back  to  their  apartments  in  such  weather.  he’s  considering  slipping  his  phone  out  of  his  back  pocket  to  call  an  uber  when  shiloh  speaks.  chocolate  hues  flicker  over  and  his  expression  softens.  ❝  i’m  glad  i’m  here  too.  ❞  he  echoes,  returning  shiloh’s  gentle  smile  with  one  of  his  own.  his  arm  suddenly  feels  heavy  around  the  other’s  shoulders  and  charlie  becomes  hyperaware  of  his  own  action,  immediately  reconsidering  if  that  was  the  correct  move  to  make.  maybe  shiloh  doesn’t  want  that  and  charlie  just  acted  on  instinct.  i  would  have  missed  you  too  much,  otherwise.  a  warmness  takes  root  in  his  chest  and  spreads,  filling  him  with  a  burst  of  euphoria  that  offers  more  warmth  against  the  cold  than  his  sweatshirt.  ❝  it  was  pretty  packed  day  now  that  i  think  about  it.  i  had  to  scan  new  shipment  of  encyclopedia’s  into  the  system  which  took  longer  than  expected  since  we  had  kindergarteners  in  on  a  field  trip.  so  i  got  to  play  tour  guide  and  read  some  books  to  them  which  was  fun.  ❞  charlie  recalls  and  stuffs  his  free  hand  into  the  pocket  of  his  sweatshirt.  ❝  how  about  you  ??  are  there  any  guys  you  need  me  to  beat  up  for  you  ??  ❞  charlie  asks  and  while  his  tone  may  be  playful,  there’s  a  sincerity  to  his  words.  if  there’s  anyone  giving  shiloh  a  hard  time  while  he  was  working  then  no  doubt  it  he  would  defend  his  friend  —  club  security  be  damned.  it’s  as  charlie  glances  down  to  step  around  a  particularly  wet  puddle  that  he  notices  the  dampness  of  the  other’s  canvas  shoes  and  looks  up  to  shiloh  with  wide  eyes.  ❝  your  shoes  !!  ❞  he  exclaims  while  his  breath  quickly  stains  the  night  air  white  before  evaporating  again.  ❝  your  feet  must  be  cold  —  why  didn’t  you  say  anything  ??  do  you  want  me  to  give  you  a  piggy  back  ride  ??  ❞  charlie’s  grateful  that  the  cold  is  already  tinting  his  cheeks  red  otherwise  the  words  which  leave  his  mouth  without  much  thought  would  do  the  trick.  all  he  hopes  is  that  he  sounds  more  confident  than  he  feels.

minjae enjoys watching other people do their craft. even if it was just a hobby or something that people claimed that they weren’t too interested in. perhaps it comes from the long standing wanting of being able to do what he was truly passionate about. pushing those feelings aside for so long left some quirks in jae. in this case however, minjae simply wants to know what draco is drawing. he’s trying not to be awkward about that stupid double date and focus on well literally anything else. 

perhaps it is a combo of those two that has minjae just staring at the canvas with furrowed eyebrows and blocking out the questions. sadly he has a habit of doing that as well, zoning out completely and then coming too later. it was a miracle that he passed any of his classes when he was back home with how often he just didn’t pay attention. blinking for a moment and then looking back at draco, “uh..” recalling something about staying for a moment, he pulls a chair over and probably looks like an idiot for a second. “ oh, i was dropping off my brother to class. i needed somewhere to i guess hide til he comes out. didn’t mean to bug you though..” he rubs the back of his neck for a moment. “what are you drawing?” he asks. 

       the  passing  moments  following  his  questions  seem  to  slowly  stretch  on  and  draco  can  only  raise  an  eyebrow.  he  can’t  quite  tell  if  the  amicable  nature  he’s  hoping  to  radiate  is  being  picked  up  by  the  other,  or  if  things  had  truly  taken  a  nose  dive  from  that  shitty  double  date.  truth  be  told,  draco  wouldn’t  at  all  blame  the  other  boy  for  any  shift  in  sentiments  considering  how  much  of  a  train  wreck  that  night  was.  but  draco  was  selfish  —  his  desire  toward’s  minjae’s  dreams  and  vivid  imagination  fueling  the  ache  in  him  for  something  of  sustenance,  and  the  promise  of  such  made  it  all  the  more  difficult  to  give  up  in  his  pursuit.  brown  hues  follow  minjae’s  movements,  head  cocking  to  the  side  as  notices  the  pair  of  eyes  on  his  canvas  but  stays  silent  when  minjae’s  voice  fills  the  room.  draco  can  feel  his  fingers  twitch  at  the  thought.  instead,  he  clears  his  throat  with  a  nod  before  tossing  the  two  broken  bits  of  charcoal  beside  him  on  the  ziplock  bag  he  typically  kept  them  in.  ❝  trust  me,  i’d  let  you  know  if  you  were  bugging  me.  you’re  fine;  i  don’t  mind  in  the  slightest.  ❞  draco  replies  smoothly,  letting  his  charcoal  stained  hand  fall  limp  to  his  side  while  the  other  holds  the  canvas  in  place  on  his  lap.  his  gaze  briefly  flickers  over  to  minjae  before  back  to  the  drawing.  he  shrugs.  ❝  not  really  sure.  i  let  my  mind  wander,  but  reminds  me  of  a  nightmare  i  had  a  week  or  so  ago.  ❞  well  ...  that  was  a  partial  truth.  more  so  a  nightmare  he  had  ate,  but  he  digresses.  he  studies  the  drawing  and  remembers  it  more  vividly  —  running  in  the  woods  away  from  an  unseen  force,  gnarled  tree  branches  enhancing  the  already  prevalent  darkened  shadows  when  they  came  across  a  clearance,  thinking  themself  safe  from  the  dark.  draco  knows  what  happens  next,  he’s  the  one  who  created  the  nightmare.  though,  whereas  he  knows  it  continued  to  a  sudden  attack,  his  drawing  only  shows  a  shadow  much  larger  than  the  small  boy  he  had  drawn  ready  to  engulf  him.  a  thoughtful  hum  passes  through  his  lips  and  he  offers  the  canvas  to  minjae.  ❝  it’s  pretty  shit,  but  here.  you  can  check  it  out  if  you  want.  ❞

       the  fan  above  her  bed  spins  slowly  on  the  lowest  available  option  and  artemis  counts  up  to  its  eleventh  spin  when  she  senses  her  staccato  breathing  start  to  return  to  normal.  letting  out  a  deep  sigh,  her  gaze  leaves  the  ceiling  fan  as  she  turns  off  her  back  so  she’s  facing  zara  in  the  bed  beside  her.  they’ve  been  quiet  in  the  last  few  passing  moments  since  their  latest  tryst  ended,  catching  their  breathes  as  they  come  down  from  euphoric  highs  and  though  artemis  would  never  say  it  out  loud  in  fear  of  being  called  soft,  it’s  with  the  dim  light  filtering  through  the  blinds  and  illuminating  sections  of  zara’s  skin  like  an  impressionist  painting  where  artemis  thinks  she’s  most  beautiful.  instead  of  voicing  her  thoughts,  she  swallows  down  the  words  and  props  herself  up  on  her  elbow  so  she’s  looking  down  on  the  other  with  a  coy  smile.  ❝  well  that  was  a  fun  addition  to  my  day.  ❞  artemis  speaks,  breaking  the  silence  while  her  fingertips  ghost  the  exposed  skin  of  zara’s  shoulder  down  her  arm  and  back  up  again.  as  a  vampire,  the  cold  is  something  she’s  gotten  accustomed  to  and  notes  more  as  a  flippant  observation,  but  the  slight  chill  from  her  fan  and  the  coolness  of  the  silk  sheets  against  her  naked  skin  have  her  press  closer  against  zara  for  warmth.  ❝  who  knew  you  had  all  that  pent  up  frustration  in  you.  not  that  i’m  complaining  of  course.  ❞  nimble  fingers  pause  in  their  movements  and  artemis  peers  at  zara  through  her  eyelashes  before  dipping  her  head  to  press  a  kiss  in  the  juncture  connecting  her  shoulder  and  neck.  ❝  have  anything  else  up  your  sleeve  today  ??  ❞

@premcnition​ | charlie.

leftover smudged work makeup makes shiloh’s eyes itch but as he walks past several steamy frosted club windows he thinks maybe his sight is failing him. snow? it’s april; it wasn’t supposed to snow. by the time he makes his way to the table where charlie’s waiting, a pout has worked itself onto shiloh’s lips. it’s not that he hates the winter but, as a vampire, he naturally runs colder than most humans and other supernaturals – when the temperatures drop, shiloh never feels like he properly warms up. he’d thought they’d gotten fully past that intolerable time of year but, evidently, it was making its reemergence. “it’s snowing?” he whines instead of a greeting, nudging his chin towards the back exit – staff only. the fact charlie’s even come out when the weather was so bad is nice but that doesn’t mean shiloh wants to walk home in it. he doesn’t want either of them to walk home in it, really. oh, and he hasn’t even brought a coat or appropriate shoes. “how long has it been snowing?’ the whimpering tone of his voice worsens and he’s about one protest away from stomping his canvas shoe covered foot on the concrete floor. thankfully, he has some self respect and doesn’t want charlie to feel like he has to baby him or anything. that wouldn’t be fair. the back door of the club is pushed open and a gust of wet, wintry air proves immediately why shiloh dislikes this weather. “i wouldn’t have blamed you for staying home.”

no  matter  how  many  nights  charlie  stops  by  the  strip  club  to  walk  shiloh  home  after  a  shift,  it’s  not  something  he  really  gets  used  to.  not  even  to  the  fact  that  he  spends  most  of  his  time  in  a  library  ,  scanning  books  into  the  system  or  putting  returns  back  on  the  shelves  on  quite  days,  rather  than  spending  his  sparse  free  time  in  at  a  strip  club.  not  that  there’s  anything  wrong  with  that  ,  of  course  !!  stripping  is  a  valid  career  option  which  charlie  is  certain  that  shiloh  probably  makes  more  in  a  yearly  income  than  he  does.  not  that  he  minds.  literature  was  charlie’s  first  love  and  getting  a  degree  in  library  science  only  seemed  like  natural  progression  ,  so  he  wasn’t  upset  to  find  himself  working  in  a  local  library.  tangents  aside,  charlie  doesn’t  know  what  to  do  with  himself  or  what  is  considered  proper  etiquette  in  a  strip  club.  the  last  thing  he  wants  to  do  is  offend  someone  or  have  them  think  he  was  just  some  creep  ogling  them  with    extra  money  from  his  paycheck  to  blow.  so  he  typically  sits  at  whichever  empty  table  he  can  find  and  plays  a  less  than  riveting  game  of  sudoku  when  there’s  pulsing  lights  and  loud  music  distorting  his  attention  from  the  game.  his  saving  grace  comes  in  the  form  of  shiloh  (  as  he  typically  is  ),  immediately  darkening  his  phone  and  shoving  it  into  the  back  pocket  of  his  jeans.  ❝  yup.  ❞  charlie  replies  with  a  pop  to  the  p  and  looks  up  to  the  smaller  boy  with  a  smile.  ❝  i  guess  mother  nature  heard  you  were  missing  the  annoying  slush  and  poor  road  conditions  so  she  called  in  a  favor.  ❞  his  tone  is  laced  in  a  playful  teasing  as  he  stands,  following  shiloh  to  the  back  staff  door.  chocolate  hues  follow  shiloh’s  movements  in  front  of  him  and  taking  into  account  his  reaction  to  the  snow,  charlie  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  shiloh  wasn’t  aware  of  the  weather  prediction  for  the  night.  on  the  plus  side  of  charlie  being  completely  whipped  for  shiloh,  he  made  sure  to  wear  his  oversized  denim  jacket  with  fleece  inner  lining  on  top  of  his  sweatshirt.  an  article  of  clothing  he  can  shed  in  an  offering  to  shiloh  since  he  was  already  quite  warm  and  shiloh  would  need  it  more  than  he  did.  ❝  it  was  light  flurries  when  i  left  my  place  to  get  here.  stayed  consistent  but  i  guess  it  picked  up  a  bit  since  i’ve  been  inside  waiting  for  you.  ❞  whatever  he’s  about  throw  in  as  additional  information  is  forgotten  when  the  door  opens  and  the  cold  air  bombards  them  ,  having  charlie  stop  in  his  tracks  as  the  chill  nips  at  nose.  shiloh’s  next  words  put  charlie  into  motion,  stepping  forward  and  in  fluid  movements,  he  removes  his  jacket  and  places  it  to  sit  on  shiloh’s  shoulders.  charlie  finds  his  place  beside  shiloh  and  offers  him  a  bright  smile.  ❝  and  miss  my  nightly  hang  out  with  you  ??  even  the  snow  can’t  keep  me  away.  ❞  was  that  too  forward  ??  charlie  doesn’t  know  but  the  idea  of  not  only  missing  out  on  time  spent  with  shiloh  less  than  desirable,  but  the  possibility  of  him  walking  home  alone  when  there  were  creeps  who  lingered  outside  the  club  wasn’t  something  he  wanted  to  risk.

he’s delighted, of course. bedroom eyes, doe-like blinks and enticing smiles across the room were fun and all but conversation was where he shined most. an extrovert through and through, han thrives on the energy of others and this stranger fae was no exception. “intimidating?” hanseul repeats in a shocked tone. “i don’t get that one very often. cute, yes. pretty, sometimes. but not intimidating!” a tactile thing, hanseul reaches over to squeeze the other’s elbow lightly. it also serves to close them off from the rest of the party. though it may not seem it, hanseul’s been working his charms all night – he’s not about to let someone come and try to steal one or both of them away. one gesture alone and he’s turning the attention on their conversation and their conversation only. “so what you’re saying is that you’re going to leave now? since you’ve accomplished everything that your friend required?” hanseul has to fight down a smile in order to plaster a puppy-dog pout upon his lips. “the party’s just getting started – surely you don’t want to leave so soon?” hand still resting daintily upon his companion’s elbow, hanseul retracts his fingers back to his side. he’s trying not to come on too strongly but it’s hard when he’s feeling so giddy with attention. not that he ever really feels out of place, but any longer lingering on his own and hanseul may have had to resort to entertaining himself with fae magic, sending tiny gusts of wind among the expensive garments and intricate hairstyles of the dragons’ guests. of course, with that, he’d risk everything going wrong – a wind fae with minimal control over the wind could get awfully out of hand. “i suppose i should introduce myself before you disappear – so as to avoid a cinderella type situation. i’m hanseul. and it’s your pleasure to meet me, i’m sure.”

sol  can’t  help  but  feel  a  bit  out  of  his  depth  as  he  stands  in  front  the  other  boy  ,  intentions  fully  clear  since  sol  can  never  keep  himself  safe  from  his  own  loose  lips  that  only  seem  to  speak  truths.  the  boy’s  next  words  have  him  nodding  ,  cheeks  still  flushed  pink  and  sol  is  terribly  embarrassed.  he  isn’t  sure  where  this  interaction  will  lead  or  what  will  ever  come  from  it  ,  but  he  supposes  that  regardless  of  such  ,  at  least  he  can  enjoy  the  company  of  his  pretty  companion  even  if  for  a  short  while.  a  breath  of  a  laugh  escapes  his  lips  ,  though  sol  still  feels  the  acceleration  of  his  heart  rate  the  longer  the  two  lock  gazes.  the  other  boy  may  find  it  silly  for  sol  to  have  called  him  intimidating  ,  but  there  no  better  fitting  way  to  describe  the  nerves  eating  away  at  sol  from  being  the  sole  focus  of  his  attention.  ❝  well  ...  ❞  sol  pauses  ,  overcome  with  a  sudden  shyness  as  he  licks  the  dryness  off  his  lips  and  offers  a  small  smile.  ❝  you’re  both  things.  cute  and  pretty  ,  i  mean.  i  guess  that’s  why  i  feel  rather  intimidated.  anyone  would  be  lucky  to  stand  where  i  am  talking  to  you  right  now.  ❞  was  that  too  forward  ??  is  this  how  flirting  goes  ??  he  can  feel  his  mind  wander  ,  trying  to  figure  out  how  far  his  friend  could  have  gone  and  if  they  could  possibly  save  sol  from  further  embarrassing  himself  in  front  of  this  pretty  stranger.  nevertheless  ,  sol  keeps  his  gaze  on  the  boy  —  the  last  thing  he  wants  is  to  appear  rude  and  like  there’s  another  place  he’d  rather  be.  what’s  said  next  paired  with  his  pout  has  sol  scrambling  ,  mouth  hanging  open  slightly  but  he  can’t  produce  a  thought  as  he  registers  the  warmth  of  the  other  boy’s  hand  on  his  elbow.  sol  briefly  wonders  if  his  companion  can  hear  the  rapid  beating  of  his  heart  from  where  he’s  standing.  ❝  no  !!  ❞  he  blurts  out  ,  chocolate  hues  widening  while  heat  rushes  back  to  his  face.  he  averts  his  gaze  to  his  shoes.  oh  boy.  ❝  i  —  i  mean  ,  if  you  want  me  to  stay  then  i  will.  ❞  after  a  moment’s  hesitation  he  adds  quietly  ,  ❝  we  were  planning  on  leaving  a  bit  later.  i  wouldn’t  ditch  you.  ❞  the  comforting  weight  of  the  other’s  hand  on  his  elbow  disappeared  and  sol  peers  up  at  him  through  the  curtain  of  his  eyelashes.  surely  sol  is  out  of  his  league  right  now.  where  he’s  soft  words  and  a  quiet  disposition  ,  this  beautiful  boy  exudes  confidence  and  a  sharp  wit.  he  wonders  if  he’s  in  over  his  head.  ❝  hanseul.  ❞  he  echoes  slowly  ,  almost  like  he’s  trying  out  the  feel  of  it  on  his  tongue.  a  bashful  smile  filters  across  his  features.  ❝  i  like  it  ;  it  suits  you.  ❞  a  small  part  of  him  battles  to  keep  what  he  wants  to  say  next  as  an  unspoken  truth  ,  hidden  only  for  sol  to  pick  apart  and  dissect  the  possibilities  of  what  could  come  from  it  if  said  aloud.  so  he  says  it  out  loud.  ❝  of  course  it’s  my  pleasure.  aside  from  the  cheese  platter  ,  tonight  has  been  a  bit  boring  so  meeting  you  and  talking  to  you  has  definitely  changed  my  perspective  on  the  night.  ❞

@premcnition​ / 𝙳𝚁𝙰𝙲𝙾 ! 

minjae was just that kind of a brother he supposes. he didn’t mind walking minkyu to class because it’s not really like he had anything else to do right now. might as well try to make up for the years where jae wasn’t there. the twin’s always had gotten along really well so it wasn’t ever like they were fighting when he came back. but of course after dropping kyu to his class, jae was awfully bored. part of him missed the school life a little bit. even if he wasn’t studying something he was passionate about, it was something.

jae was in strange position now. not really too familiar with minkyu’s campus but he knew that the school had a good music program. aka the entire reason why he moved away from his native korea and went to join his brother. might as well explore whilst he waits for his twin. there had to be a music room somewhere on the campus right ?

as he walks around he hums softly to himself until he think he finds an empty room. perfect, time to kill some time and… he walks into the room and there is a familiar face. one half of the “double date” he was forced on. not that jae really cared but the whole thing was so so awkward for him. “oh, sorry i didn’t think that anyone was in here.” he quickly says.

to  say  that  draco’s  mood  had  been  slowly  withering  away  right  alongside  his  ability  to  deal  with  people’s  bullshit  would  be  a  major  understatement.  not  only  had  he  been  assigned  to  work  on  a  project  with  the  complete  idiot  who  sits  near  him  in  one  of  the  elective  classes  he  threw  into  his  schedule  for  a  credit  ,  but  he’s  hungry.  and  not  even  in  a  way  that  a  simple  hamburger  or  bowl  of  ramen  could  fix.  what  draco  wishes  for  his  appetite  to  be  appeased  by  a  greasy  big  mac  and  fries  like  it  would  for  most  college  students.  rather  ,  what  he  gets  is  a  dry  spell  of  people  with  shitty  dreams  and  even  shittier  nightmares  for  him  to  feast  on.  returning  to  minkyu  was  always  a  possibility  considering  he  often  dreamed  more  vividly  than  most  ...  though  quite  unfortunately  for  draco  ,  things  took  a  turn  upon  the  realization  of  his  twin  brother.  draco’s  mind  flashes  back  to  the  monstrosity  that  they  called  a  double  date  and  the  deep  ache  of  hunger  ripples  through  him  at  the  idea  of  what  the  night  could’ve  led  to.  

instead  ,  draco  is  fucking  hungry.  hungry  and  irritable  and  apparently  only  able  to  find  a  semblance  of  peace  and  quiet  in  some  abandoned  room  as  he  sketches  in  his  notebook.  it  takes  some  time  for  draco  to  notice  the  lines  of  his  sketch  are  harsh  ,  jagged  lines  that  cut  across  the  page  in  a  stream  of  black.  despite  his  best  efforts  ,  his  mind  filters  back  to  jae  and  draco  wonders  what  exactly  it  is  about  kyu’s  brother  that  has  pulled  him  so  easily  into  his  orbit.  it’s  become  a  morbid  fascination  of  what  dreams  the  boy  has  that  draco  can  contort  into  a  shape  more  virulent.  the  crack  of  his  charcoal  stick  breaking  in  half  fills  the  air  and  he  spares  a  glance  down.  knuckles  white  and  straining  ,  draco  releases  the  tension  in  his  hand  while  a  frown  tugs  at  his  lips.

he  isn’t  sure  what  he’s  even  drawing  —  more  so  letting  his  mind  wander  ,  even  if  most  times  draco  finds  himself  staring  back  at  sharp  lines  that  form  a  loose  interpretation  of  a  nightmare  he  consumed  recently.  there’s  specks  of  black  across  the  page  and  when  draco  goes  to  blow  them  away  ,  the  door  opens  and  his  gaze  snaps  to  the  intruder.  what  he’s  not  expecting  is  to  see  jae  standing  feet  away.  though  he’s  not  complaining.  ❝  i  had  the  same  thought  when  i  came  across  this  place.  hence  why  i  stayed.  ❞  draco  replies  while  he  lowers  his  sketch  pad.  despite  his  expression  transitioning  from  a  clenched  jaw  and  accusatory  eyes  to  something  more  benevolent  at  the  sight  of  a  familiar  face  ,  his  words  sound  rough  to  his  own  ears.  so  draco  back  tracks.  ❝  you  can  stay  if  you  want.  clearly  you  want  to  be  alone  just  as  much  if  you  came  here.  ❞  draco  becomes  aware  of  the  black  charcoal  staining  his  hand  and  the  hunger  plaguing  him.  ❝  long  time  no  see  though.  what  brings  you  here  ??  ❞

oh. in a single syllable, xavi knows he’s got this witch exactly where he wants him. he’s fallen for the bait, hook line and sinker and xavi didn’t even have to shed a tear. as though in relief, his stomach gives another rather pitiful whine of hunger and he finds an arm wrapping around his own waist in an attempt to quiet it. human needs were rather bothersome to keep fulfilled, especially with no budget of which to speak. xavi’s shoulders sag as a hand comes to rest upon one – though whether that’s part of the act or just a natural response to touch when he’s been deprived of it for a little too long, he isn’t actually sure. he doesn’t draw attention to it either way but also makes no move to shake it off. “thank you,” hums xavi in an earnest tone, keeping his eyes wide and innocent as he blinks up at the witch. mirroring the other’s actions, xavi swipes his tongue across his own lips and he lets his gaze follow the retraction of the witch’s hand. it had been warm. xavi missed feeling warm. “ali,” he repeats the name gently, as though scared he’ll break it or taint it in some way. “it’s really lovely to meet you.” he gives a little nod and pauses to assess if there’s any danger in giving his real name. new york was a big place and the two may not ever bump paths again but it feels safer to stick to the truth, especially since supernatural spheres tended to be much smaller. the less lies he has to remember the better. “’m xavi. i swear, i’m not usually this much of an embarrassing wreck. catch me on a good day and i’m way more cute and confident and less…” he gestures down at himself with the sleeve covered hand not still wrapped around his stomach. “this.” he lets out what sounds like a startled giggle, eyebrows raising in disbelief. “you – you’d really do that? i mean, you don’t have to but a treat really does sound awfully nice.” if xavi’s eyes linger a little too long on the frilly drink menu, he chooses to ignore it. caramel macchiatos were not going to help keep him fed and nourished for another day of fending for himself. food. he needed food. “the bagel breakfast sandwiches look yummy. we could split one?” he’s only offering to be sweet; he finds himself holding his breath, hoping ali’s not as ravenous as he is himself. 

if  there’s  one  thing  this  just  goes  to  show  is  that  for  as  much  as  ali  dwells  in  his  own  head  about  problems  plaguing  him  (  like  the  paper  he  still  has  to  write  for  his  business  law  class  that  he  has  a  pitiful  amount  of  knowledge  on  )  ,  there  are  other  things  going  on  around.  other  people  with  other  problems  that  are  more  significant.  empathetic  to  an  almost  unnerving  degree  ,  ali  can  so  easily  see  himself  in  the  shoes  of  this  boy  and  it  leaves  a  sinking  feeling  in  his  chest.  like  a  vacuum  suddenly  sucked  all  that  there  was  until  there  was  nothing  but  emptiness.  an  all  too  familiar  feeling  for  ali  as  his  mind  flashes  to  the  times  he’s  been  stood  up  with  no  explanation  given  and  the  suffocating  gazes  of  cafe  employees  ,  filled  with  sympathy  as  another  fifteen  minutes  go  by  and  he  sits  alone  at  the  table  with  the  stuttered  promise  of  a  late  date.  ali  understands  —  he  gets  it.  so  that’s  why  he  feels  such  a  pull  to  this  boy  and  wishes  to  help  rid  him  of  such  embarrassment  at  a  vulnerable  time.  the  soft  grumbling  of  his  stomach  pulls  ali  back  to  the  situation  and  his  expression  softens.  ❝  of  course.  ❞  ali  replies  ,  tone  soft  as  he  matches  gazes  with  a  small  yet  encouraging  smile.  remnants  of  pink  on  his  cheeks  from  earlier  remarks  still  linger  and  it  flares  up  again  when  he  speaks.  ❝  you  too.  like  i  said  ,  it’s  this  dude’s  loss  more  than  anything.  ❞  he  pauses  to  let  the  boy  speak  —  xavi,  he  learns  to  be  his  name  —  and  ali  chuckles  with  a  small  shake  of  his  head.  strands  of  hair  fall  into  his  vision  though  he  ignores  the  intrusion  on  his  field  of  vision.  ❝  well  ,  it’s  lovely  meeting  you  too  ,  xavi.  ❞  he  can  feel  heat  rush  to  his  face  at  the  next  thought  and  as  he  speaks  ,  ali  truly  hopes  xavi  understands  his  words  as  honesty  rather  than  any  attempt  of  a  come  on.  the  last  of  what  he  needs  in  this  situation.  ❝  i  don’t  know  ;  i  think  you’re  pretty  cute  right  now.  so  don’t  be  so  hard  on  yourself.  ❞  the  sound  of  xavi’s  giggle  replaces  the  emptiness  in  his  stomach  with  a  newfound  warmness.  he  sure  hopes  he’s  helping  alleviate  any  previous  embarrassment.  ali  only  nods  at  xavi’s  words  with  another  encouraging  smile  ,  chocolate  hues  following  his  gaze  to  the  menu  and  noticing  the  heavy  stare  at  the  sugary  drink  section.  his  smile  widens.  ❝  i  don’t  mind  at  all.  ❞  his  tone  earnest  as  he  reaches  for  his  wallet.  ❝  especially  if  it  lifts  your  spirits.  choose  whatever  you  want.  you  were  meant  to  be  on  a  date  anyway  ,  yeah  ??  consider  me  just  being  a  shoe  in  for  this  loser.  ❞  his  head  shakes  in  response  on  its  own  and  ali  lets  his  eyes  roam  the  menu  board  quickly  before  turning  back  over  to  xavi  with  a  smile.  ❝  i  actually  ate  not  so  long  ago  so  the  bagel  sandwich  is  all  yours.  i  came  for  coffee  so  i’ll  probably  get  just  that.  maybe  a  muffin  in  a  to-go  baggie  if  i  wanna  save  a  treat  for  later.  ❞

@premcnition​ / 𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶 ! 

it is oh so thoughtful of the dragon lord’s to let a human or two slip into this party. junwoo was very happy to attend any sort of party where fang would be hosting. there was never a dull moment in these sorts of gatherings. not that the demon couldn’t feed upon a nice witch or two if they were floating around. but it was simply more fun to feed on someone who didn’t really know what they were getting into. there was only a thin veil of humanity sprinkled around the party which added to the excitement in junwoo’s eyes. 

he was sitting at the bar facing out into the crowd putting on his best lonely act that he could muster. however he had spotted a tall lone human and decided that he just couldn’t sit and wait. sometimes the best catches are the one’s that you go and get yourself. rolling his shoulders back and weaving through the crowd he pretends to bump into the taller man. 

“oh! im so sorry! i guess i didn’t see where i was going.” he exclaims with the ease of a trained actor. looking up through thick eyelashes and gently touching the soon not to be strangers wrist for a moment to ‘stable himself’.  just a little pinch of incubus magic through his fingertips and junwoo has already locked onto his target for the night. 

ever  since  he  was  young  ,  king  had  always  seemed  to  enjoy  the  finer  things  in  life  despite  the  beer  budget  of  his  family  that  was  completely  juxtaposed  by  his  champagne  dreams.  though  ,  king  was  nothing  if  not  persistent  and  if  it  meant  he  had  to  make  a  living  through  scamming  the  rich  out  of  their  money  so  he  could  get  invited  to  parties  such  as  this  one  then  so  be  it.  it  was  amazing  how  solid  of  connections  could  be  cemented  with  the  honeyed  promise  of  a  few  thousands  dollars  and  choice  words.  especially  when  king  had  more  enemies  than  friends  these  days  —  such  a  way  of  life  that  he  was  used  to  at  this  point  ,  but  still  never  favored  having  to  retreat  from  his  home  city  of  london  and  all  the  way  across  the  ocean  to  new  york.  there  wasn’t  much  of  a  difference  considering  both  were  dirty  cities  with  interesting  choice  of  accents  and  a  desire  to  jaywalk.

a  home  away  from  home.  king  wasn’t  as  concerned  as  he  had  been  upon  arrival  now  that  the  invisible  veil  of  ignorance  toward  the  supernatural  had  been  lifted  from  his  eyes  and  he  was  rubbing  elbows  with  all  sorts  of  beings.  king  wasn’t  one  who  typically  liked  to  be  surprised  ,  though  he  could  make  an  exception.  more  connections  were  to  be  made  regarding  protection  and  charms  ,  though  vivi  had  yet  to  make  an  appearance  and  king  wasn’t  quite  confident  in  his  reading  of  what  type  of  supernatural  being  someone  may  be  and  stepping  on  toes  wouldn’t  be  as  wise  or  amusing  as  it  usually  would  be  in  mortal  company.

in  the  mean  time  ,  king  decided  to  make  use  of  the  bustling  bar  by  cradling  a  tumbler  glass  of  whiskey  until  his  designated  witch  decided  to  make  an  appearance.  or  if  someone  more  intriguing  appeared  before  then.  it’s  after  he  takes  a  sip  of  his  drink  and  goes  to  place  it  back  on  the  counter  that  a  body  collides  with  his  ,  sloshing  the  amber  liquid  out  of  its  glass  confines  and  onto  marble.  king  ignores  the  wetness  on  his  skin  as  he  turns  ,  an  easy  smile  filtering  across  his  features  at  the  sight  of  a  handsome  man.  warm  fingers  enclose  around  his  wrist  and  a  warmness  roots  itself  in  his  chest  ,  blooming  through  his  veins  and  he  feels  drawn  to  the  stranger.  ❝  it’s  not  a  problem.  if  anything  ,  it’s  best  i  was  here  and  not  someone  less  obliging.  ❞  king  replies  ,  his  accented  words  benevolent  in  tone  yet  laced  with  a  playful  edge.  he  grins  and  gestures  with  his  free  hand  to  the  seat  beside  him  .  ❝  perhaps  you  should  sit  down  and  i  can  buy  you  a  drink.  ❞

@premcnition​ | sol.

hanseul’s noticed he’s being checked out. he likes to think he has a sixth sense for these kinds of advances but, in actuality, it’s just been glaringly obvious. he’d have to be entirely unobservant to have missed it. he’s flattered, every stolen glance a stroke to his already very healthy ego. that being said, however, hanseul has no intention of being the one to initiate. it’s far more fun playing coy, he reasons. besides, there are plenty of fun things at this gala that hold his interest: drinks, finger foods, dancing and their dragon hosts, to name a few. he’s let his attention drift for long enough that he’s surprised not to find the shy flirt and his friend where he’s left them last across the expansive room. it’s disappointing and it shows in the way his face falls. hanseul was having fun sending fluttery blinks back in response! so when he feels a tap on his shoulder, he has to perk up his expression as he turns around. with a giggle of delight, hanseul is met with the sight of his ‘suitor’ now up close and personal. “thank goodness,” he hums in lieu of a greeting, “i was beginning to think you’d never come over.”

sol  is  inclined  to  believe  that  being  surrounded  by  flowers  all  day  at  work  means  he  has  an  eye  for  admiring  beauty.  especially  so  when  he  darts  across  the  shop  floor  ,  eyebrows  knitted  in  concentration  as  an  arrangement  idea  bounces  around  his  mind  and  he’s  piecing  together  which  flowers  would  compliment  one  another  best.  he  makes  pretty  things  for  a  living  !!  so  it’s  fairly  easy  for  sol  to  recognize  beauty  when  confronted  with  it  and  he’s  never  one  to  try  and  dispute  it  otherwise.  though  ,  truth  be  told  ,  he's  much  better  with  it  when  it  comes  to  inanimate  objects  or  floral  arrangements  that  don’t  talk  back  to  him.  cute  boys  on  the  other  hand  ...  sol  is  at  loss.  the  encouragement  sol  gets  from  his  friend  to  go  speak  to  the  boy  who  immediately  captured  his  attention  when  he  turned  away  from  the  assortment  of  cheese  display  and  scanned  the  room  was  ,  in  theory  ,  nice  and  made  sense.  totally  made  sense  !!  sol  was  just  ...  scared.  this  nameless  boy  was  so  pretty  —  a  glow  practically  surrounding  him  when  he  was  all  tanned  skin  and  fluttery  eyes  ,  making  sol  blush  crimson  when  he  was  caught  staring.  sol  was  ready  to  count  his  losses  ,  imbed  this  pretty  stranger  in  his  mind  as  a  memory  to  look  back  on  as  a  what  if  because  sol  didn’t  know  how  to  flirt.  he  had  clutched  his  plate  of  cheese  and  cracked  against  his  chest  as  he  and  his  friend  became  one  with  the  wallpaper  ,  waxing  out  pitiful  poetics  about  the  boy  with  his  doe  eyes  and  fluffy  hair.  he  was  planning  on  accepting  his  fate  while  the  two  circled  the  room  and  without  sol  realizing  ,  they  had  stopped  behind  the  beautiful  boy  and  tapped  on  his  shoulder.  sol  could  feel  his  feet  cemented  to  the  floor  ,  chocolate  hues  widening  as  he  became  the  sole  focus  of  the  pretty  stranger’s  attention  and  pink  blossomed  across  his  cheeks  again.  even  more  so  at  his  words.  ❝  you’re  a  bit  intimidating.  in  a  good  way  though.  ❞  sol  offers  softly  in  response  ,  head  tilting  and  peering  up  at  the  boy  through  his  eyelashes.  ❝  i  was  telling  my  friend  that  you’re  very  pretty  and  they  wouldn’t  let  us  leave  until  i  came  over  and  told  you.  so  ...  hello  !!  i’m  sol  and  i  think  you’re  very  cute.  ❞