Date / Not Date

[Saiketsu]

After the past few minutes of tense conversation, his joke struck Quinn as laughable. "Wow." He put his arm up on the table and held his forehead, looking at the vampire with adoration and temporary defeat. "Who let you out in public?" Quinn chuckled and he shook his head.

Their night passed easily, with no more mentions of Jeremiah Peterson or anything else that stood between them. There was gratuitous amounts of laughter, a bit of wonder at the ease of their conversation, and more drinks - which Quinn allowed to be paid for by the other, though each time it was met with a resistant remark and a full glass of water. They spoke of food, music, some of Malakai's latest projects, tropical fish - because of course they both had an aquarium at their respective homes, though Malakai's was considerably larger than Quinn's - and topics that he couldn't quite remember, let alone how they came upon them. There was still blushing, but now it was based on the cute things that Malakai was saying, or the passion in which he expressed something rather than embarrassment or bashfulness. He had forgotten how much he liked being around Malakai, and being alone with him was definitely better than having to share him with others, the newness of it thrilling and almost intimate.

Hours passed easily and the bar started to empty around them. Tiredness crept into him and the urge to yawn was too difficult to resist. He looked down at his phone. "Oh, man. We've been here for hours. I hardly even noticed the time passing." Quinn smiled and stretched his sore shoulder muscles. He frowned crookedly. "I really should get going." But I don't want to, was the undercurrent of his message. "I had a really fun time," he admitted relieved. Not that he wasn't expecting to, but he was glad that the earlier awkwardness was long gone. Quinn folded his arms, one on top of the other as he looked at Mal with a soft smile.

[The Cedar Witch]

"Oh, shit, my bad."  Mal glanced at his phone that had been laying between them face down on the table, then up and around at the steadily emptying bar.  "I was going to see if you wanted to grab something to eat.  Next time, I guess."  He offered a sheepish smile and began to play with his phone absentmindedly.

While the evening didn't go anything like he'd imagined it to, it was the nicest time that he'd had in a long time.  If anything, tonight cemented the fact that he really had missed Quinn.  He wasn't exactly looking forward to going home since they were having such a great time, but he couldn't keep Quinn out all night.  Especially not with him yawning like that. 

"Me too," he glanced at Quinn's hands because they were moving, and then to his lips before reaching his eyes.  "Do you... I could give you a ride home if you wanted.  Or wait for an Uber with you, or..."  he trailed off, face a little screwed up with trying to figure out what was most appropriate.  Come to think of it, he didn't have any idea where Quinn lived--if it was even in the same district or what. 

[Saiketsu]

Quinn smirked, remembering the last time he had let a vampire take him out and drive him home on a not-date and shook his head. Did he honestly think Malakai would try to come home with him? No, of course not - that was a Jerry move without a doubt. Still there was something he liked about going home alone and reflecting on the pureness that was this night. No, Quinn decided. He didn't want to sleep with Mal, at least not yet. He wanted more of this, more dates, more talking, more laughing. The past two years had tainted sex for him, especially now. For a long time sex was like scratching an itch for Quinn, rather than an actual connection. What he was having right there with Malakai, at that exact moment... it didn't need to be ruined by a single tumble in the bedroom. That's how friendships were changed, destroyed. Well, for Quinn anyway.

He shook his head. "The trains run late - immortal city and all that." He stood, watching as Mal did the same. "Besides I already caved in and let you buy me drinks, remember? And this wasn't even technically a date." He gave the vampire a crooked smile, knowing that he was contradicting himself from a previous comment purposely to fuck with him.

They left the bar, after giving a wave and another thanks to the bar staff, and Quinn hit the pavement first, Mal close behind. The city was relatively quiet, many of the buildings closed and the lights off, though several down the block still remained open.  Quinn was fond of the warm breeze that tossed his hair and edges of his clothes around. The moving air was a pleasant change after hours of sitting in a bar, the street lamps bright enough for him to easily find his way to the subway station - a block and a half away.

He turned back to Mal, enjoying the way the night lit his face and shined in his eyes. "Alright, so... next Tuesday at seven-thirty?" He said hopefully, a joy echoing in him after such a good night. "Last chance to say 'no' and get out of it." He chuckled to himself, though kept his fingers crossed that Mal didn't feel such a way.

[The Cedar Witch]

The fact that Quinn kept dropping these hints that he was so unsure about their actual date (almost like he was self-deprecating) was driving Malakai crazy. 

Before answering, Mal closed the distance between them and pulled the human in for a hug.  "Wouldn't dream of it," he murmured, finding that their physical contact after a long night of gut-spilling was anything but awkward.  The hug might've gone on longer than the vampire intended, being drawn into the warmth and the scent clinging to Quinn's skin too much to pay attention to what he ought to do.  He pulled away when realizing it--or when he felt the human start to, whichever came first--and grinned.

"Guess I'll see you next Tuesday, then?"  He tried his very best to keep a straight face but it cracked as soon as Quinn gave him an admonishing look.

[Saiketsu]

"Oh, m'God! You suck, y'know that?" Quinn glowered at him, pulling away farther, though he instantly missed the closeness of him. "You're dismissed. Goodnight, Malakai." There was a tone of playful anger in his tone, though he knew he should have expected such a smartass remark. See You Next Tuesday. What a Dad Joke. He walked backwards a few steps away from the vampire, enjoying the sight of him for just a few seconds longer before turning back towards the subway station with the warmth and comfort of the hug on his mind, the smile and blush set firmly on his face.

He felt light as air.