We Are Bulletproof

Hmmmmmmmm. Kylar couldn't help it. Even after he asked if they were boyfriends and they denied it, Kylar couldn't stop seeing it. They sure seemed like they could be boyfriends. Or that they were really into each other. They both had significant others, so that must have really complicated things. But man! The chemistry was there. It was cute! It was like watching teenagers back in high school dancing around the truth of their attraction.

Kylar might have been tipsy but even he noticed the way those two drank. They didn't sip like Hanale and Kylar did. They drank like they were trying desperately to either get drunk real quick or to erase something bouncing around in their heads. HMMMMMMMMM indeed! Kylar looked over at Hanale and exchanged what he thought was a secret Look. Surely he wasn't the only one noticing this?!

"Yes, yes~" Kylar sang as he stood a little too quickly. His head spun and he laughed as he leaned against the counter.

"That thing out there?" Edel asked sounding somewhat amused. "Are we going in full nude or...? I forgot to bring something to swim in."

Kylar blushed despite himself. "Wh-what? I... I have swim trunks. But I only brought one pair..." He glanced at Hanale. Did he have extras...?

"Um..."

Kylar glanced over at Hanale with a tinge of heat in his cheeks. Wow, Cris didn't pull any punches, did he? But then, they must have looked like a couple, what with all the... the hand holding and such. Boyfriends, though... They just met. They were on a date, this whole weekend... it was a date, right? But boyfriends?

"Well, we're kinda--"

He cut himself off when he saw a cab pulling up to what he presumed was Cris' place. Watching through the window, he saw him waving goodbye to the driver. No luggage or anything, though. It looked like all he had on him was a backpack.

"Is that him?" Kylar asked. "Your friend?"

He laughed. Of course, of course. It was magic! And let it be, because he liked the idea of magic. Of course he did. Witch blood. But this was a different kind of magic and he wanted to say so but... He took another drink--this time a slower sip--and let it burn down his throat. It went a little smoother this time, but he still lightly coughed after he swallowed.

His smile only grew as Hanale laced his fingers in his. It felt... nice. Warm. Connected. Affection was practically shining out of his face, but he didn't really mean for it to. It just... sort of bubbled up out of him.

Meanwhile, Cris seemed to be struggling. Not with his language, though there was that, too. But he drank like... he drank like somebody that drank a lot. Like he was very familiar with holding the glass, with the taste, the sensation. Like that one glass was not going to be enough for whatever reasons he had for drinking it in the first place.

"We're glad to have you," Kylar said, feeling somewhat sorry for him, whatever his plight might be. Are you okay? He was seconds from asking it, seconds. But he didn't want to bring the guy down if he was clearly already down. Maybe he just needed to chill and relax and have a good time. So instead, he laughed and said, "Yeah, that rainbow is something special, isn't it?"

"I might..."

He might want him to do him dirty. Might. There really was no might, actually. He kinda maybe a little bit was dying to kiss him right now. With that smile, that grin. That laugh. Be still, his heart. Honestly, Kylar couldn't even remember the last time he'd crushed so hard on somebody before. Maybe because there was too much serious crap going on in his work life. Maybe because he did need a break and some time with somebody that wasn't family.

So Will and Mik were right.

Pulling the drink closer, he stared at it. "How did you make it do that? It's so pretty!" He was almost afraid to drink it but... It looked so good at the same time. As he lifted the glass to take a drink, Cris finally joined them and smiled. Kylar smiled back. It sounded like he knew mixed drinks. He looked so clean and proper, it was hard to imagine him partying. Kylar's image of party boys were the ones with the wild hair and tats and leather jackets.

"It's all good," Kylar said cheerfully, before taking a drink. And WHOA. The rum part was strong, though! He coughed a few times. "So you have a friend coming?" That was good. At least the poor lonely guy wouldn't be alone anymore. "We can keep you company until then!"

Kylar couldn't imagine being alone for a long time; he loved being around people. People were his jam. He wasn't like, clingy and needy about it but he absolutely adored people. It was probably from growing up in his big family and extended family and all the people around him that might as well have been family, too. Everybody was family or friend to Kylar.

And so it was with the gorgeous new guy.

But he had to admit, he liked the way that Hanale was smiling at him as he slid into a seat across the counter as they waited for their new friend to finish with his phone and come join them. His heart skipped a tiny little beat as Hanale called him handsome, even with Cris in the picture.

"Okay, remember how I told you I don't usually do clubs and parties? I... I have no idea what's a good mixed drink and what's not. So... you pick! I know you won't do me dirty."

"Of course it is," he said back. Kylar wasn't necessarily a jealous person. He saw that the guy was ridiculously good-looking, of course. But if Hanale ended up being more attracted to him... Who was he to be an asshole and stand in their way? Personally, Kylar was still more drawn to Hanale but that was because they had spoken together a lot more and his heart was already starting to beat for him.

"I asked him if he wanted to swim with us." Kylar grinned. "And I'm okay with that. He looks lonely, right? Maybe he could use some guy time with us guys."

He tugged on Hanale's hand. "C'mon, let's celebrate new friends~!"

"Do you wanna go swimming with us?!" Kylar shouted back to the guy--Cris. He was a stunning looking guy for somebody so shy. He looked like the kind of dude who starred on magazine covers with those eyes and that posture and perfectly styled hair. Seriously, he was almost too good-looking to be real.

Kylar glanced at Hanale, hoping he wasn't out of bounds. It just seemed like the guy was... he didn't know. Maybe looking for a friend. Was he all alone over there at his place? That seemed impossible, but here he was, stealing looks at that amazing inner tube.

On the one hand, it didn't give Kylar time alone with Hanale but... he was certain they'd have time for that. Hopefully. Oh shit. He hoped he didn't just fuck that all up by inviting the new guy to hang out with them. But no, no. He and Hanale had time enough. If things were meant to be, they were going to have more time together beyond this one weekend.

A laugh escaped, despite himself. It was such a silly thing to laugh at but he couldn't help it. It was... cute. And he didn't expect it. And so was Hanale. Unexpected. This whole thing felt like some kind of strange fever dream, too good to be true. Yet here he was, standing there with Hanale in his beautiful lake house.

That was not his intention in testing the squeaky cleanliness of Hanale but... He thought it might be a bit too soon to jump onto that train. They had just met and it was true, what Kylar said. It took a little time for him to warm up. Maybe later, though. Once they settled in and relaxed and everything was more about the two of them and less about the newness of the place and the meeting and... all that.

Kylar happily took the tour and when they spied the neighbor edging up to the hilariously kitsch inner tube, Kylar had to press a hand to his mouth to keep from laughing aloud and alerting him to their presence.

"What's he even doing there? Is he going to get in it?" Kylar pressed his hand to his mouth again and turned away, doing his best not to burst into peals of laughter. It was just too funny, that serious looking man tiptoeing up to a gaudy, rainbow inner tube.

"A gentleman," Kylar said softly, his gaze on Hanale, even when he looked downward. So he took it to heart, what Kylar said. Hopefully, he would have said the same even if Kylar hadn't. It was nice to know, though. That Hanale cared. That he wasn't going to creep on him like some of those questionable past guys. He wondered if they'd ever dated any of the same guys, since they had Will in common and all. If so, Hanale had to know what it was like.

"I trust you," he said, "or I wouldn't be here."

Nervous as he was on the drive over, he wasn't afraid. Hanale hadn't struck him as a creeper. Of course, Kylar had been wrong more than once in the past but! He liked to think he learned from those times. Besides, would a creep be so madly gentle and sweet? A gentleman, indeed.

Kylar touched Hanale's face, clean as he claimed it to be. Clean and fresh. He had nice skin. Nice tone. Nice... texture. They were so close now that they could have kissed if he just leaned in a little more.

"Not squeaking though," he teased. "I thought you said you were squeaky clean, mister."

It was gorgeous. And he was pretty sure he never wanted Hanale to see where he lived. Like... ever. While he didn't live in squalor, he definitely didn't have this kind of aesthetic taste. No, no. He had the taste, he didn't have the means to make the taste appear. His place was what one would expect of a man his age: all posters and clutter and animal paraphernalia. The last part because of his work and education. And lineage.

Kylar smiled as he was gently tugged closer. His room was so close? And he didn't lock the door?

"That sounds like an invitation..."

"I'm still testing that!" Kylar declared, looking over at Hanale critically, as if he could somehow find a speck of dirt on his face. But damn... Hanale was good looking. Like... Will never got it right ever. How the hell did he do it this time? He supposed even a broken clock was right twice a day, as they said.

"And I think you're already in realtor mode," he teased. A tour, though. He half wanted to see every inch of the place and half wanted to make good on his promise to test Hanale's... uh, cleanliness.

Kylar couldn't stop looking at everything but he also kept looking at Hanale. He wasn't very secretive about it, either. Should he be? There wasn't really a point, he thought, in hiding his interest. Why else would he even be here, if he wasn't slightly interested?

Hanale was right about the room, though. As soon as Kylar saw it, his eyes widened and he let out a low whistle.

"If this is where you put guests, your room must be really nice," he said, as he set his luggage down.

"Yep, both!" Heavy and friendly. Okay, he wasn't a fat raccoon but he liked his food and he was heavier than one might assume by just looking. One had to be careful with that missing leg--too much weight on it and it would really hurt the poor thing. But if Bandit had his way, he'd eat everything he could get his little paws on!

He still couldn't believe his luck as he followed Hanale to the beautiful lake house. It was the kind of place Kylar only ever saw in magazines and online--the kind of place his family longed for but didn't have the time or money for.

"Uhh how could I not like any view in this place?" No sugarcoating it--he was appropriately impressed. "And I'm gonna say... the only person here? Unless you're not telling me something!"

Bandit trilled curiously at Hanale and Kylar could feel him moving around in the cage, probably trying to press closer to the bars in a bid to get Hanale's attention. Oh! Hey, a hug! Now he wished he had waited to bring Bandit's cage out since it made it impossible to give Hanale a proper hug. Instead, he hugged him back with one arm, too. Damn it... dummy.

"Thanks! You too." He laughed at how that sounded. "You're cute too. Um, hey!" He held the cage out to Hanale. "Do you mind taking him? So I can grab my suitcase?"

Bandit was infinitely more fun than Kylar's luggage, after all, and it would be good for Bandit to familiarize himself with Hanale's scent. (Which was nice--Kylar caught a whiff of his cologne when they hugged.)

Oh god.

As he pulled up to the lake house, all Kylar could think was that he was going to be so out of his depth. He'd grown up with a middle-class family of shifters. A father that handed his truck down to him--and the truck felt like it didn't belong here. It was an older model and a practical one, nothing cool or fancy. (But at least it was a four-wheel drive. And at least it was clean and maintained--he would have died a little inside if he showed up in one of the junkers some of the people in Hazleton rode around in.)

Still, this was a guy who had a weekend lake house. This was a guy who worked in realty. He had to be made of money. He was made of money. Look at him! Waving, casually handsome, looking just like a rich dude.

Now Kylar wondered if he looked okay in his fitted black tank top, artfully holey jeans, and red converse sneakers. Because he suddenly felt like he was way too casual, which was stupid because Hanale was totally casual, too. Just... a different kind of casual. Like effortlessly rich dude casual. No way. Kylar wasn't letting it get to him. Hanale wasn't a douchebag. He cared about the same things that Kylar did.

"Hey!" Kylar waved back as he jumped out of the truck and jogged around to the passenger's side. "Guess who can't wait to get out of his cage?"

He pulled the grey cat carrier out of the seat and held it up proudly. A pair of black paws held onto the bars of the cage. From this vantage point, he looked like any normal raccoon, but that was because his missing leg was a back leg, caught in a hunter's trap and snapped too badly to save it. Luckily, they saved his life.

NEEERD.