Dorian almost tripped over himself as he made his way to the door, moving to answer the knocking that he hoped was Reina. Almost falling over as he attempted to slip on one of his shoes before getting himself together. However, when he opened the door, he was shocked by what was there to greet him. Reina was standing there, leaning a little alluringly on the door frame...as a pirate...an attractive pirate.
“Hey,” she said, casually.
“Hey,” Dorian replied. “You’re looking...uh...you look great.”
“Thanks,” she smiled. “But I think there’s something else you want to say about how I look?”
“Bit early in the night to be teasing me, isn’t it?” Dorian offered, locking the door behind him. “Sure you’re not going to be too cold dressed like that?” She shivered a little in the cool night air, prompting Dorian to take off his blazer and toss it around her. “This seems awfully familiar....”
“Except this time, it doesn’t really seem to fit,” she said, looking him up and down and noting the fake blood on his school uniform. “I thought you were going to wear your Hunter’s garb? What made you change?”
“You, actually,” he shrugged. “In wounding my pride and not using the labors of my hard work...I decided to do something easier myself.”
“And you chose your yandere?” she asked. “What did you say you called him? Lover boy, or something like that?”
“My sister’s idea,” he answered, gesturing down the street. “Shall we?” With a nod and tucking the blazer around her, they started towards the school.
“I honestly thought this costume was going to be warmer than the others I considered....”
“Is that so?” he asked, giving her the fiendish smile he associated with his cosplay. “And what were you considering originally, hm? Put on a maid outfit to tease me? Sneak around me to grab your next costume?” She looked at him after that last joke. “Of course, you would....” He took his blazer back and tossed it back over his shoulders as they made it into the school, hearing the sound of music coming from the ballroom. “Fashionably late, in possibly one of the simplest costumes I’ve ever had....”
“All that’s missing is the grand entrance,” Reina finished.
Without a word, Dorian cracked his knuckles and they both pushed the doors to the ballroom open, earning the looks of practically everyone there. Dorian appreciated the murmurs as they walked through the crowd, only really catching a few words.
“Is that Dorian...and he’s with Reina?”
“Both of them look amazing. Are they here together?”
“Do you think he made her costume?”
“Did Dorian snag Reina as his date, or did she snag him?” He smirked a little as they made their way towards their friends.
“You two really like to make an entrance, don’t you?” Nina said, taking a sip of her punch.
“You sound like my sister,” Dorian sighed. “She’s always told me I could be a tad...theatrical....”
“Dramatic might be a better word,” Adelaide corrected. Dorian shrugged and readjusted his blazer. “How long has that blood been on your clothes?”
“Longer than you’d think,” he replied. “I started a few days ago and just did a quite touch up to make them look a little fresher.” He straightened a little with pride. “Now you get to see the rare male yandere in the wild....” He turned to Nina. “Anyway...where’s the punch bowl?” She pointed over towards a table.
“There’s a few cookies and things, if you want one,” she told him. Reina caught Dorian by the arm as he made to leave.
“Mind bringing me back one too?”
“Sure.” She let go of him and it only took about a minute to get two cups and get back. Everyone kinda looked at him as his pinky stuck out to take a sip, and he met their eyes. “What?”
“Since when are you all prim and posh?” Wolfgang asked.
“I’ve always been posh,” Dorian countered. “Just not around you guys....” Reina elbowed him in the side, causing him to smile a bit. “So...voting for the costume contest started, yet?”
“Did you sign up?” Analisse asked in return. “Bit of a stupid question, isn’t it?” No one said anything but rather turned the conversation.
“Come and dance,” Dorian said, offering his hand to Reina. She took it gratefully and allowed herself to be waltz onto the dance floor with everyone watching them. Dorian could feel their eyes on him, but didn’t really seem to care.
“If people didn’t already think we might be a couple, they will do now,” Reina whispered as he spun her.
“What’s it to them if we are or not?” he asked. “I mean...it would really only matter if we were, right?” He looked into her eyes and saw something behind them. “What’s that look for?”
“Maybe something we should talk about later, Dorian,” she suggested, standing on her toes to whisper in his ear. “There’s something I’m going to want to tell you....” With that, she let go of his hands and walked away, leaving him both flustered and worried.
“Everything okay between you two?” Jean asked as he walked back over to her. “Want to talk about it over a cookie?” Dorian took the one she offered with a half-hearted grunt and absentmindedly took a bite.
“Yeah, everything’s fine,” he said, less sure of what he was saying than he sounded. “She’s just got something she needs to do.” Looking for a way to change the subject before Jean got the chance to press the issue, he found it in the form of a girl. “Hey, isn’t that Abby?” Jean’s gaze followed his and he could see the shift in her posture that told him all he needed to know. “Why don’t you ask her to dance? Have a little fun...?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted, fidgeting with the cookie in her hand. “I mean...what if she doesn’t...it’d be so embarrassing....” Dorian stopped listening to her half-baked and stammered excuses before grabbing her by the shoulders and forcing her to look at him. “W-what?”
“You are going to go over and ask her to dance, you useless lesbian,” he told her. “You’re going to keep your chin held high and confidently strut yourself over there and shoot your shot. You are Jean Wilder, captain of the girl’s football team at Sacred Heart Academy who doesn’t back down from a challenge. You gonna back down now?” Her look of surprise turned slowly into one of steely determination after a quick nod. “Go get ‘em, tiger....” He watched he walk away before feeling someone on his shoulders.
“You gonna practice what you preach, Dorian?” Shivers ran down his spines as he looked back at Reina who had snuck up behind him.
“How much of that did you hear?”
“Enough....” He could feel her smirk at his ear. “C’mon...lets you and I go for a walk....” They snuck out of the ballroom and back to the courtyard, walking towards the fountain.
The cool night air brushed agaisnt them, lightly rustling their hair and clothes. She sat down on the fountain’s edge, patting the spot next to her. Neither of them said anything as they sat there, looking up at the night sky at the moon. “Can’t see a single star....”
“Storm might be rolling in,” Dorian suggested, sniffing. “You can kinda smell it in the air....” Reina made a noise of agreement, and they fell back into their silence.
“So...about what you said last week....” Dorian’s heart sank at Reina’s words. She’d explained to him the massive tirade he’d gone on when Cass pushed him over the edge. It hadn’t been pretty and he just wanted to forget about it more than anything. “There’s one little bit that I’m still wondering about....”
“Oh, yeah?” Dorian asked. “What about?” Reina didn’t answer right away, giving Dorian the feeling that she was trying to choose her words carefully. And so he waited in silence, adjusting his contact as his right one moved out of place.
“You said that you loved someone,” she finally said. “But...I don’t think you’ve ever told me that. In fact, you’ve almost always said the opposite....” Now it was Dorian’s turn to choose his words carefully. He’d let loose on Cass and wasn’t really thinking about what he was saying, but still kinda remembered bits and pieces. This conversation was inevitable.
“I suppose I did,” he admitted, taking a sudden interest in the nearby shrubs.
“Did you mean it?”
Dorian smiled at the question, knowing that Reina would push just a little even if she wouldn’t make him say it. It’d been the status quo since they’d met and he wanted to keep some secrets from her, but he knew he could trust her. After all, it had been him who let slip his cosplaying and ability to make clothes to the school, but things turned out alright.
“I think so,” he admitted.
“What do you mean by that?” she asked.
“I’m not totally sure if I really love her,” he continued. “I mean...I’ve only been up here for four months and, even though I’ve gotten to know her, I’m not sure if I love her, love her or if it’s just an attraction....” It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell her who it was, but he honestly wasn’t sure if his feelings were real or not. There’s a big difference between actually developing feelings because you actually like someone, and developing feelings because someone looks nice. He’d seen the latter happen before and felt like that was part of the story of him and Cass.
Reina didn’t say anything, choosing to let him go at his own pace and tell her what he wanted to. Little did she know that that was one of the many things that had caused these feelings. “Um...could you...um...?” Without a word, she scooted a little closer and put an arm around him, giving him a squeeze. Something that had always helped him get his words out. “Thanks....”
“Not a problem,” Reina said, softly. They sat there in silence for a minute, just enjoying the air and each other. “So...is she cute?” A laugh escaped Dorian at the ruining of the moment. Something that he’d expected, but still hit him like a freight train. “What? I’m just asking.”
“I know,” he laughed. “It’s just so like you to ruin such a tender moment....” She joined in with his laughter.
“I’m still waiting for an answer,” she said, sighing herself back to seriousness. “Is she cute?”
“Stunning,” Dorian supplied. “I find myself actually taking second glances when I think she’s not looking....”
“Do you now?” Reina teased. “And do you turn away if she catches you looking too?”
“She’s never noticed me doing it,” Dorian admitted. “At least...not while I’ve been looking anyway....” He leaned forward on his knees, looking down at his trainers. “But she’s not just cute...she’s smart, funny, wonderful...I think she’s everything I’d be looking for....” His voice tailed away, but Reina spoke up.
“I feel a ‘but’ coming.”
“Yeah, there is.” He took a deep breath. “Because I don’t know if I’m one-hundred percent ready to put myself back out there, or if I’m good enough for her. I mean...I’ve proven that I’m not fully recovered from my last relationship, haven’t I?” Reina’s hug around him tightened a little bit and she started playing with his hair...as much as she could, anyway. There was some fake blood in his hair to add to the effect.
While it was making him feel calmer, Dorian couldn’t help but think that it wasn’t making this any easier.
“So, you don’t know if you’re ready?” Reina asked. Dorian gave a quick nod and made a noncommittal noise. “Well...maybe she could make the first move? I mean...the date auction’s next weekend, so maybe she has noticed and wants to give you a chance.”
“Maybe,” he conceded. “But what if I’m not ready....” A hand on his chin made him look at Reina who looked eyes with him. His heart was ready to beat out of his chest even before this...and this didn’t make it any better.
“You’ll never know if you don’t try, Dorian,” she told him. “Don’t let her become your biggest what if...got it?” He was about to answer before he felt a drop of water on his head. That single drop soon became several drops, leading him to grab Reina’s hand and run back towards the school as the rain began to come down more and more. They both kinda laughed a little as the scene played out like some cheesy romantic comedy, but Dorian couldn’t think of a better way this could go....
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