FORGOT THE HORROR HERE

Jax reached down to pick up his book, and lifted it up until it was half covering his face. He knew it made it harder to hear him, but he wanted to wait just until the flaming blush died down on his face. Imagining flirty conversations with his vampire always made him turn pink, which never made it easy to actually execute any ideas when it came to actually trying to start a real conversation that wasn’t about his blood or exchanging money.

“It’s just a new text. I’m trying to see if there’s a new feed company for my rabbit. Usually she’s fine with her hay and some fruit and veggies but she hasn’t been eating as much. I think the hay company used a new pesticide or something and she doesn’t like the taste. You okay?” He asked, gesturing to well, Arnie’s general Arnie. “Late night?”

Arnie raised an eyebrow seeing his friend so obviously uncomfortable. He wondered what made Jax feel that way.  He shrugged before slipping his beanie off. Ah yes, Jax and his elusive animals. Arnie didn’t understand their purpose. He preferred the solitary company of his fish companions but he gave a warm smile. ‘‘Can’t you feed her lettuce and call it a day?’‘ He bumped shoulders with Jax. He bit his lip and nodded, leaning forward. 

He blew a gust of air and flipped his long fringe. ‘‘Yeah something like that. ‘‘ He wished he could tell Jax about Milagro, about his past and about how scared he was becoming all the time, but he knew he couldn't. ‘’I’m a little hungover, so you’re gonna have to bear with me, handsome.’‘

“Yikes, did you get all your pickup lines off a cereal box in the eighties?” Kali responded, before reaching out and stealing his cigarette, taking a drag of her own. Because why pay for your own smokes when you could get them from men. At his reaction, she let out a delighted laugh, not having expected her words to actually ring true. “Oh, not such a rumor if you’re reacting like that. Such a shame too” She mused, handing him the cigarette back, now with a distinct ring of red lipstick marking it. “A pretty face like yours should be capable of more than flopping around like a dead fish. Can you even get a girl off at all?”

''Y'know, it's not nice to assume things about strangers you don't know. '' Arnie knew he could say a few choice words about the girl but that would be extremely beneath him -- both as a man and as a Prince. Wasn't that the crux of the problem? A royal ego his size could fill quite a few pools, but he wasn't free to act on any of his natural emotions. He missed the adulation of his people, back home, speaking the way she spoke to him would be considered high treason. He missed that. He missed people doing what he told and he didn't care if people thought him weak or spoiled for that. If she had thought that her stealing his cigarette would intimidate him, she was wrong. Arnie took a drag and made sure to fit his lips right over the mark of hers. ''Why don't you ask the ladies that frequent the goth bars on 3rd and 16th street? That's where I normally troll. They have lower standards, and before you say anything, poon is poon.''

@whyarnie

He was just so pretty. 

Jax was trying to contain himself, or at least he had been. He had a book in his lap, a decent sized text book about new feeds for Holland Lops. But he stopped turning the pages about ten minutes ago when he walked in. How often had he felt those teeth on his neck? A lot more often than Jax had been able to come up with the courage to even say anything to him, other than ask for the money and  see you next time.  Sometimes he had a speech prepared, something about dinner and a movie, but it never worked out like it did in his head. 

He jumped, book falling over into the garden dirt. “Holy- you scared the crap out of me.”

Arnav was having a rough day. Milagro had snuck into his room again, whispering in his ear about ''little lost princes'' in her strange accent. She had scared him, again, and he wanted nothing more than to crawl back into the ocean and let her take him down to the depths he was all too familiar with. He sighed, before slipping a beanie on his messy mop and making his way to the rose bushes, the delicate, prize winning buds of pure ugly he couldn't stand. They calmed him in ways he couldn't explain, but sometimes destroying things was the only way to make himself feel better.

''Did I?  My bad, man.'' He plopped down besides the adorable boy before nudging his boot clad foot in the direction of the text. ''Wassat?'' He asked with a head nod.

“Dogs are little cows.” Jax said, pressing his lips in a small laugh, half trying to hold it in. Sure some people claimed cows were very smart, but at the same time they seemed pretty different to dogs. 

He raised his eyebrows at the comment, and the wink. “Yeah. I hear that’s not the most uncommon thing to do. I’m on three, you?”

The human world was a big adjustment, and getting to know all the little nuances of it’s world had been a complicated process for the sea Prince. He hoped the cute boy wouldn’t think him crazy, Arnie was feelingly slightly self conscious. That was an emotion he  was new to. He bit his lip but smiled at the guy.  ‘‘I’m sure if you’re no interested now  you will be later! Ah, I’m on five. it has a private pool room so I don’t have to flop up the stairs.’‘

                ❝ y’know — cigarettes are really bad for you. maybe losing them is                      like — a sign from poseidon? ❞

artemis furrowed their eyebrows,, brain GRASPING for a name. offering a dazed smile,, they linked their arms at the elbow and attempted to TUG him in the direction of their apartment,, succeeding only in bringing them BOTH crashing to the ground and resulting in another bout of giggles. oops. ❝ wait,, no — we’re all about… like,, one god — right? that’s a human thing? ❞ whatever,, they’d google it later.

‘‘Fuck Poseidon --what did he ever do for me? ‘‘ Arnie scoffed before flipping his fringe back. ‘‘I’ll smoke until the day I die, curly. Poseidon can drag me down to the pits of his hell if he wants, he’s not  reeeal’‘ He snag with a toothy smile. He hit the ground and another fit of giggles left his mouth. ‘‘Humans are weird, aren’t there? hey -- they walk on l-legs and worship their phones. Its all quite confusing. ‘‘

they were having a GOOD time until this guy showed up, but, MAYBE he’s just having a bad day.     ❝ i DO look great — but your attitude it kiiinda ruining my vibe, prince DRACULA. ❞ they beamed, a smile always made THEM feel better when they were sad. unless it was like, at a funeral. then it’d be sad. “watch where you blow that stuff — i wanna be able to breathe when i’m old.”

He raised an eyebrow at the Dracula remark, a small bit peeved that they would judge them based on his outward appearance.  ‘‘If you even make it to old age you little devil.’‘ He scoffed before taking a long drag. He blew the smoke upwards instead of near them but it wasn’t because they asked.

“Cats are land crabs, and rabbits are seals?” Jax raised an eyebrow at the idea. “So what are dogs, then?”

He snorted. “Alcohol is a little bit different than moonlight, so I’m not surprised, really. I guess it would be easier to take the elevator.”

‘‘Little cows,’’‘ He gave a quirk of his lips, ‘‘duh’‘  Arnie nodded and pushed the button for the elevator. ‘‘Yeah, Alcohol is more fun but either I usually end up taking my clothes so it’s win-win for everyone. ‘’ He winked at the other boy as he walked backwards into the open space. ‘‘What floor is your room on?’‘

“Well, since I’m not smoking, and you are. I think that the ashes around here can pretty easily be pinned on you” Kali responded, watching him with narrowed eyes. At his words Kali just rolled her eyes slightly, a bit pleased in spite of her self. “I know I’m cute darling, no need to tell me. But I prefer showing my tits to men who either listen or are good in bed. And I know you aren’t one, and I’m thinking you wont be the latter either”

Arnie took a long drag before studying the person in front of him. ‘‘No, you’re smoking. Smoking hot,’‘ he finished with a wink. Despite the cheese he thought it was quite a good line. Arnie hardly cared if other people found the smoke or the ashes off-putting, he’d leave a trail of them throughout the building just to spite them all. ‘‘Ouch.’‘ He shook his shaggy hair to regain some of his control after the sting of that last remark. That stupid rumor was starting to spread throughout the building thanks to Juniper. ‘‘Ouch.’‘ He angrily bit his tongue before turning his head to the side. ‘‘That’s a rumor.’‘

“I never thought of Ember as a little seal.” He said with a chuckle. He picked up one of the hay blocks, following Arnie with a small smile. “I’d never set her on fire. She’s a precious lump of fuzz. Oh, you weren’t that bad, just a little funny.”

‘‘Cats are land crabs,’‘ he offered with a small shrug of his shoulders. As if that information was simply common sense. ‘‘Was I? One drop of moonlight makes me go crazy, but i can hold my own with actual liquor -- it’s weird.’‘ He grabbed another block of hay. ‘‘Are we taking the elevator or the stairs?’‘

“What do you think I’m lying to myself about?” Auggie asked. He lifted his eyebrows, taking a look. “Yeah but if I’m an annoying tenant, I’ll be the first one kicked out.”

“I’m not a Mr. Philoso-’ He flinched back, eyes peeling up wide when a finger poked his nose. His jaw dropped a little, staring at Arnie in shock. “The hay is for my rabbit. And I’m not going to set it on fire, what the hell?”

‘‘Ah, yes, Rabbits. Tiny little seals.’‘ Arnie nodded solemnly before smiling wide and walking slowly backwards. ‘’Lets go not set your rabbit on fire, after all I owe you. You saved me from myself whilst I was moon-drunk.’‘