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Nov. 3rd, 2020 at 3:39 AM
DIMITRI VOLKOV & TOMáS ALVAREZ
some heplful advice from your local friendly neighbourhood Incubus
some heplful advice from your local friendly neighbourhood Incubus
Backdated to around Singles Night | Grocery store | PG
Singles Night had apparently been a roaring success, but Dimitri hadn’t attended. He had no need. His own were being met in a number of places with a variety of different people, some supernatural and others not. He was also of an age where watching the mating rituals of the locals was not something he really had any desire to witness.
Whilst he had no need for any actual food given how he was fed it didn’t hurt to have something in case of unexpected visitors which meant that after saying parting ways with a local wolf he’d strayed into the grocery store to stock up his cupboards.
Quite honestly he looked out of place, stuck out like a sore thumb, but Dimitri even when he was dressed down was effortlessly fashionable because if you hadn’t found and mastered your look by the time you were his age then there was literally no hope for you. Tonight it was an assortment of form fitting dark jeans, a v-neck that hinted at tanned skin, a leather jacket that complimented the broadness of his shoulders and finished with an expensive pair of boots with a small amount of scruff across his sharp jaw and cheeks.
At some point his feet have carried him to the alcohol where he was running the tips of his fingers over a number of different bottles as he tried to decide which would be the best choice. He had some very discerning friends, difficult to please and certainly wouldn’t settle for anything average. It was as his blue gaze ticked over his choices that he became aware of another’s presence, a prickling sensation across the back of his neck, which caused him to lift his head and seek out the source.
“I wouldn’t recommend that,” he murmured. “Price isn’t the only thing that suggests quality.”
“But,” Tomás asked, turning his head to look up at the other man. He wasn’t dressed quite so fancily: a simple pair of fitted black jeans and combat boots with an oversized hoodie and gloves. He had a scarf around his neck. “Will it get me drunk?”
That was really the question of the hour. Though the nightmares related to the shadow monster had passed, it did nothing for the other visions that plagued him while he slept. And, really, that was what he was looking for. Tasting nice would be a bonus, he supposed, but he’d drank worse things…
Dimitri couldn’t help but notice the layers, so many layers, and a shame too considering the face was very pretty to look at. “Probably not,” he said with a smile before he leaned in and reached across to secure another bottle by the neck, offering it to the other. “This, however, will definitely get you drunk.”
He tipped his head and searched the other’s expression.
“Though drinking alone is never fun.”
“Are you kidding?” Tomás’ eyebrow lifted, ignoring the flutter in his chest at the smile from the other man. “It’s the only way to drink. No chance of embarrassing yourself or doing something dumb where others can see you.” And no risk of him accidentally touching someone - or something - when his inhibitions were low and powers were lashing out.
His shoulder lifted, taking the bottle with gloved fingers and turning it around to look at the label.
“This does look good,” he did admit, eyes flicking up, adding after a moment with a little, awkward grin, “Do you always offer to drink with people you meet in the grocery store?”
“Only the attractive ones,” Dimitri responded without hesitation, flirtatious smile which soon turned into a playful grin. “But, seriously, it will definitely get you drunk and as an added bonus no godawful hangover the morning after.”
He offered a hand, figuring that was safe, as the other man was wearing gloves for whatever reason.
“My name’s Dimitri.”
Tomás rolled his eyes a little with the flirtatious response, probably a well rehearsed pick up line but his ears did go a little pink. “I am not worried about the hangover,” he admitted, shaking the hand that was offered, “I’m more interested in the bit that happens before that.”
Why he was sharing this with a stranger was anyone’s guess. It had been a long few days, he was tired and he didn’t want to bother Raiden while she was with her brother. And the kind of ‘I can’t sleep, dreams’ll get me’ whining didn’t seem like the sort of thing she would appreciate, either.
“Tomás,” he added, as Dimitri shook his hand firmly. Wow. Strong handshake. “Nice to meet you.”
“And that is what exactly?” Dimitri asked, curious. Honestly it had been a while since he’d last been curious so he was going to latch on and hold on for wherever this ride took him.
He snagged a bottle for himself off the nearby shelf. “Yeah, you too Tomás.”
Seven Devils was slow in a lot of ways but it had a lot of interesting people and given how Tomás was dressed the Incubus was willing to bet that he was one of those people.
“...sleep?” Tomás said, with a visible question mark behind the word. What else happened before waking up with a hangover? It wasn’t as though he needed to get drunk to do anything else. It wasn’t his proudest coping mechanism, but he didn’t have many.
He watched Dimitri pull a bottle off the shelf and drew his one a little closer to himself. He cleared his throat and felt his ears burning.
“There are much better ways to sleep than drinking yourself into a stupor,” Dimitri shared as he tipped his head and regarded Tomás closely. “I know a few. Some work better than others.”
Incubi after all could induce sleep in others and tap into their dreams, lightly playing with and toying with dreams. Most used it to feed or to influence the object of their attention to seek them out in the waking world.
“I would have thought a good looking guy such as yourself wouldn’t lack for options.”
Oh. Of course he meant sex. Tomás cheeks caught then and he cleared his throat, fiddling with the sleeve of his hoodie as he dropped the bottle into the basket resting in the curve of his elbow. Of course he meant sex, why wouldn’t a man like that immediately think about sex.
He cleared his throat again and then rubbed the back of his neck, tugging on his scarf slightly.
“Believe it or not,” he managed, accent stuttering out a little, “it isn’t that easy for everyone.” Especially for him, when touch was a very tricky, and risky, subject.
“I will give you that.” Dimitri’s lips tugged into a soft understanding smile. “I mean granted it probably shouldn’t be the first place that I go to but I can’t help myself, it’s in my… nature or DNA, whichever.”
The truth without sharing too much of it.
“Also, there’s massage, that too. Doesn’t have to have a happy ending.”
Tomás almost choked on the air. “Dios mio,” he muttered, wondering whether or not the loaded comment meant what he thought. “That would make sense,” he offered, as a potential indicator that he’d understood what Dimitri was saying. He was possibly an incubus. He was very handsome, it would make sense. And would explain why he’d flirted with Tomás, too.
“I-” he swept a hand down himself, “I do not do so well with touch.”
“Lo siento, eso fue un poco en la nariz, no?” Dimitri answered, amused smile firmly in place.
He followed Tomás sweeping gesture and once again his curiosity was piqued.
“Is it too forward of me to ask why that is?”
“Poco, poco,” Tomás replied. “Subtle it was not.”
He drew in a breath and wiggled the fingers of his free hand, chewing the inside of his lip. “Si, too forward, however it is a-” he hesitated, drawing the vowel out for a moment before he said, “-an ability related issue. Of the arcane type.”
“Lo siento?” Dimitri attempted but it was clear he was definitely not sorry, not in the slightest.
Arcane type? Witch, then. That certainly explained the prickling Dimitri had felt earlier, a crackle of energy which normally proceeded power. It made much more sense now.
“That’s a pity,” he offered, sympathetically. “I assume it’s the same with everybody?”
“It’s unpredictable,” Tomás said softly, “so I can’t really control what happens or when.” Last time it had been really bad was right before the darkness, where he’d touched a streetlight and had a seizure.
He looked at the drink in the basket again and then added another bottle, then looking down at Dimitri’s cart.
“Shopping for a friend?”
“Always,” Dimitri offered easily with a further smile. “I never know when they’re going to drop in which means it never hurts to have a surplus.” He always liked to be a good host after all.
He waited a beat before he leaned across, briefly invading Tomás’ personal space as he reached past a few of the obvious bottles and snagged fingers around the neck of a particular alcohol that he knew from experience was delicious and intoxicating in equal measures.
“This,” he purred as he presented the bottle to Tomás, “Is not something to drink alone so if you crack this open make sure you have company when you indulge.”
Tomás’ eyebrow arched when the incubus (he had to be, that was the indication he was getting anyway, some kind of demon but not a vampire: too early in the day) invaded his personal space, sort of holding his breath until the moment had passed and Dimitri had just passed him the bottle.
Gloved fingers curled around the neck of it, looking at the label.
“Because I risk alcohol poisoning if I drink it alone?” He asked, wryly, aware at least that Dimitri was trying to get a rise out of him and the warmth rushing through his face indicated that he definitely was at least a little affected. “Or because it’s your favourite brand and you’d like to share it with someone?”
“Oh, you got me,” Dimitri answered with an effortlessly charming smile that softened his features. “Am I really that transparent?” He waited a beat, caught his lower lip and then held up a long index finger. “Don’t answer that.”
He was relieved to see the flush of colour in Tomás’ cheeks, it was good to know that his attention and interest were not being focused in the wrong direction.
“So,” he drawled as he reached into a pocket and pulled out a business card that he scribbled his personal number onto the back of before offering to Tomás. “If you ever find yourself in the position where you want to crack it open give me a call and I’ll make sure you don’t do it alone.”
Taking the business card between two gloved fingers, Tomás nodded and slipped it into his pocket. “I’ll bear that in mind, Dimitri,” he said with a little smile. “And if I ever find myself feeling so lonely that I crack this open, I’ll give you a call.”
He tilted his head and looked up at the incubus with a nod.
“It was nice to meet you, Dimitri. Thank you for the suggestions.”
“Pleasure is all mine,” Dimitri assured Tomás before he said his goodbye and headed towards the checkouts with his alcohol in hand. This had definitely been a more interesting trip to the grocery store than intended.
Tags: dimitri volkov, † tomás alvarez
