Page 13 of Only Fangs

How did one start a conversation like that?

Collin didn’t know. His cheeks were hot, and he was suddenly glad that his costume concealed how red his skin probably was.

Gods above…

This had seemed like such a good idea earlier, but now that he was actually in this situation, Collin couldn’t shake the fear that he would make a fool of himself.

Why would Zelos even want to bother with a no-name streamer like him?

Zelos seemed perfectly comfortable in the club, dancing and drinking and laughing along with a group of friends. He was clearly enjoying himself. Collin wished he could feel the same. Instead, he sat in the back, feeling nervous and out of place and wishing he were back at home watching a movie with Luna in his lap. He didn’t belong here, and everyone was going to realize it sooner rather than later.

Collin swallowed, about to pity himself some more when he got the oddest feeling in the pit of his stomach. Like something was tugging at a part of him that he couldn’t define.

He scanned the crowd again, and there, to the right, he spotted a group of vampires. One of them wore crow feathers in his hair, and Collin realized that it was the coven’s leader, who hadn’t bothered to dress up at all. The vampires around him all wore half-masks, but Collin recognized Mikael easily enough. It was all in the way he held himself, the way he smiled at the red-haired vampire next to him. The confidence in the way he crossed his arms over his chest, the slight tilt of his head.

Even with the mask covering half his face, he looked gorgeous, and Collin couldn’t stop staring at him.

Which was bad, because at any moment, Mikael could turn his way and notice him staring.

Collin badly needed to do something else; something that would take his attention away from Mikael.

He looked at Zelos again.

It was time to go over to the green-skinned man, and… do what, exactly?

Ask him to fuck Collin on camera? Just like that?

Fuck, that would be embarrassing. But Collin had come here with a goal, and that goal was to find a way to earn money to pay for Luna’s treatment–fast.

So Collin got up and headed toward the dance floor, trying to act casual and not like he wanted to throw up. As he drew nearer to the green-skinned man, he slowed down, hesitating again. Fuck. What should he say?

“Uhm, hello,” he said, cursing inwardly at how lame his attempt to start a conversation sounded.

Zelos turned to look at him. “Hello?” he echoed, smiling at Collin, though he looked a little confused.

Right, because of the costume, and because Collin’s greeting hadn’t been particularly clear.

“I’m, uh, I saw you over here…” Collin trailed off, realizing that he’d started the conversation without having any idea how to follow up. He cleared his throat, searching for something to say. “Your costume looks cool. Are the horns real?” he finally blurted out.

Zelos' smile widened. “Is that scythe real?” he shot back.

“Oh. No.” Collin looked down at the weapon in his hands. “It’s made from foam.” Which made it look incredibly flimsy, but it served its purpose. It was light, easy to carry around.

“I’m afraid my horns aren’t real, either.” Zelos grinned. “But other parts of me are. Want to check?” He winked and reached out to grab Collin’s wrist, pulling Collin close.

Collin froze as Zelos put his hands on Collin’s sides. This was happening faster than he’d anticipated.

“You’re a cute little reaper,” Zelos said, leaning forward. “What’s your name?” He slid his hands down until they rested on Collin’s hips.

Shit, Collin had to give him a name. Something other than his actual name, obviously, but what should he say? “Uhm, I…” Reflexively, his gaze darted away from Zelos and back to the group of vampires he’d spied earlier. Mikael wasn’t with them anymore. He stood by the bar instead, looking his way as if Collin had caught his interest.

No, that couldn’t be right.

Collin quickly looked back at Zelos, his heart hammering inside his chest.

“Sorry,” he said to Zelos, forcing himself to smile at him. “I’m just a little nervous. My name’s… Cael. And you’re Zelos, right?”

Zelos nodded. “Yeah.” He leaned closer. “So, you wanna show me what’s under that mask?” he said, his voice low.

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