Letting Reina out in front of him, Dorian removed his cape to make a show of what he’d done with the magnets in his cosplay by dramatically throwing the cape over his shoulder like Doctor Strange. There were fewer people up here as autumn had arrived and the weather had started to turn colder, but Dorian had planned for this with slightly thicker fabric.
“So,” Reina started, looking around. “Now what?”
“We wait for someone to acknowledge out creative genius and ask for pictures.”
“How long will that take?” Dorian offered a shrug.
“Might not happen at all,” he admitted. “But that’s just how it is, really. I’ve gone to events in my best stuff and not gotten a single person to take a picture, but it’s still just fun to go and see what other people have done.”
“You said you brought a camera?” Reina answered. Dorian patted his chest before feeling a tap on his shoulder. Looking over the same shoulder, he saw a girl with a camera.
“Could I get a picture of you two, please?” she asked, skyly raising the camera. Dorian smirked at Reina and gestured to the girl.
“Shall we?” he asked, offering his hand. Reina nodded before taking it and being swept around by Dorian for the picture. He held her hand out to the side while his other rested on her waist like they were dancing, but Reina kept her surprise and excitement behind Madam Sienna’s scowl. “You’ve been working on that scowl, haven’t you?”
“I modelled it after yours,” she explained. “And you’ve been practicing that shit-eating grin of yours for…how old are you again?” No one really seemed to pay attention to the back and forth going on while they got their pictures from different angles. Some even let them look at it and praised them for their posing. Dorian seemed to have a bit more fun with his single pictures, using his cape to its fullest extent.
“How’d you know your cape would do that?” Reina asked, looking at a picture of Dorian. He had his back to the camera, looking menacingly over his shoulder as his cape flew out to the side majestically.
“Get like that for the picture?” he asked. “A friend back home’s really into photography, yet another thing we have in common, and she wanted to experiment with better cameras and photographing things in motion. Could you do me a favor, by the way?” He pulled the camera from his inner pocket and handed it to the guy they were talking to. “I want to get a picture for my profile, and I just you can get it?”
“Sure,” the guy agreed, taking the smaller camera. “Just tell me when….”
“After I swing my cape in front of me,” Dorian explained, closing his eyes to get more into character. “Ready?” The guy took the photo as he was asked, handing the camera back over for Dorian to look over. “Cheers, man.” The guy went off with a quick wave and Dorian looked around, noticing only person was still close by. “Waiting for a pic or you want a pose?”
“I was wanting to ask if you two could pose like the first volume cover?” she asked.
“The one where Falesi is behind Sienna, her hands behind her to grab him as he’s ready to bite her neck?” Reina asked.
“I thought that was the third volume?” Dorian wondered. “Not the first time I’d be wrong, though….”
“That’s the one,” the girl said. “Is it too much?” Dorian and Reina looked at each other.
“We’ve done worse,” Dorian explained. “But I’ll admit we’ve never done this…give us a moment.” Reina moved in front of him, backing up and reaching back to rest her hands on his back as he leaned closer to her neck, opening his mouth a little. “Don’t you dare move back any further….”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” she said, innocently.
“Could you move a little closer to her neck?” Dorian obliged, gently brushing his fangs against Reina’s neck, hearing her gasp slightly and could see the goosebumps run down her neck. The familiar sound of the camera clicking told them they could move and, after the girl ran off, Dorian pulled his camera back out. Reina was stood stock still and her breathing was a little heavy.
“What’s the matter, Reina?” he teased. “The intimacy of that scene too much for you?”
“No,” she squeaked, but they both knew better.
“Alright then,” he shrugged, not wanting to push the issue. “I think I’m gonna pop around and see what I can find….”
“Want me to come with?” Reina asked. They both noticed someone walking undoubtably towards them.
“I think we might still have some adoring fans,” he noted. “Listen, I’ll try to be back in just a little bit. Think you’ll be alright by yourself?”
“If I’m not, I’ll make sure you know,” she said. “Might throw them over my shoulder, or hit ‘em in the gut, y’know?” Rolling his eyes and smiling, Dorian walked off as people got closer. He couldn’t really think of the last time he’d just walked around at an event and gotten the chance to really just take it all in. It really made him remember what he loved the most about this hobby…just getting to see people enjoy what they love and the product of hours and hours of work.
He spun in a circle, just taking it all in and his eyes rested on Reina. She was talking a closer picture beside a guy who had an arm around her shoulders as his friend took the picture. A low growl escaped Dorian and his teeth bared for a second before he caught himself. “What the hell was that?” He could feel something inside that felt like some slumbering creature was fueling his rage at that guy being so close to Reina. Some of the girls who had asked for pictures of him had asked for some with him, some in a dance position, others a simple side-by-side but Reina hadn’t done anything in response. “But why did I just growl…?”
The question ran through his head as he tried to distract himself by taking a few pictures before starting to walk back, seemingly unable to come up with a reasonable answer. Reina waved goodbye to the two guys before looking around and spying Dorian a little way away. He raised his camera a little hopefully and took her nod as a good sign. He watched as the friendly smile fell into a light, playful and almost seductive smile before turning to him slightly, putting her hand behind her head and pushing outwards, making her hair flow out behind her. Dorian felt his heart skip in his chest and almost missed the shot. “The hell is wrong with me?”
“You get a good pic?” Reina asked as he made his way over.
“Better than good,” he showed her. He noticed her shiver a little as a breeze blew by. “If you were cold, you could’ve told me.” Before she could snap back or protest, he swung his cape from his shoulders and on to hers.
“You don’t need to do that,” she insisted. “I’m fine, really….”
“You’re feeling cold, and I didn’t really think about that when I was making your costume,” he said, putting a finger to her lips as she tried to protest more. “I’m not letting you freeze because of my decisions. Besides, I’m sure Lord Falesi would happily wrap his forbidden lover if she was cold….” He looked at her as she realized that it was pointless to argue with him and pulled the cape around her. “So…you had a good time practically doing nothing but pose for pictures for a few hours?”
“Absolutely,” she admitted. “I just didn’t expect so many people to want pictures me….”
“I’m surprised,” Dorian admitted. “I mean, how could not since you’re a beautiful girl absolutely rocking her cosplay?” She smiled and looked away from him. “I’m honestly surprised we didn’t get more requests for more poses. There’s plenty of compromising positions people could ask us to be in…we are cosplaying as the main lovers of a romance anime.”
“Maybe we’ll give ‘em one anyway,” she suggested. Dorian’s heart started to beat slightly faster before she finished her thought. “You remember that scene at the end of volume two where they almost kissed? Before Lord Faseli got chased away by the rest of the Order?”
“Biggest tease of my life,” he answered. “Well…until you started talking to me, at least….” She smirked back up at him.
“You don’t seem to hate it,” she teased. “But maybe I’ll make good on some of them someday….” His heart felt like it was about to pound out of his chest and was certain she could feel it. “You’re so easy to fluster, Dorian.”
“Not like you really let up on me,” he pointed out. “But I suppose I don’t mind it to much….”
“Good answer….”
“Excuse me?” They both turned to look at the young woman who’d spoken. “I don’t mean to bother you two, but could I get a photo?” Dorian looked at Reina.
“Shall we?” she asked. He swirled his cape from her shoulders and gently put a hand on the side of her face. She moved closer to him, putting her hands on his chest and stepping up on her toes a little. “One last picture for the day….”
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