Matthew Joshua Riley (badnewstravels) wrote in st_margarets, @ 2013-11-09 18:13:00 |
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Current mood: | restless |
Log: Sure Fire Win
WHO: Matt Riley and Valentin Graff
WHERE: The Raconteur
WHEN: 7th November 2013
RATING: PG
It was a school night, so the Raconteur wasn’t particularly crowded. What was even better was that there weren’t any teachers around, so they were free to use their fake I.D.s, should they want to. Tonight, that wasn’t necessary, fortunately. Valentin had procured a bottle of whiskey from one of the Ladonites who’d been willing to part with some of her stock following Halloween. In return, Valentin had fixed her television so that it was compatible with her new Wii.
He returned to their table with two cokes and took as sip out of both before sitting down in the low chair with the big cushions that had been set up in this corner of the bar. Lounging was a thing in the Raconteur.
Valentin looked around, established that no-one was looking and then retrieved the bottle from his messenger bag before topping off their drinks with some much-needed liquor. “Think we might both need that,” Valentin said. “How was your Halloween?”
***
Matt really felt like everything was on high alert and it was definitely getting the best of him, causing him to lose focus in class, not that he was great at focusing in those as it was, but whatever. This whole being a wolf thing was seriously beginning to affect his calm, especially as there were some aspects to it which combined with being a teenage boy were... challenging to say the least.
He was grateful to Valentin for offering to go with off school grounds and for putting up with what would be inevitably a weird evening, especially as Matt's eyes were ticking over the unfamiliar faces and his tongue found its way to the sharp edges of his teeth as he inhaled and exhaled, ignoring the thundering sound of his heartbeat in his head.
Was it hot in here or was that just him?
Growling faintly he unbuttoned the buttons of his collar and pushed it open, just willing his body to chill the fuck out and relax already because this was getting beyond ridiculous. Thankfully Valentin was coming back so Matt could focus his attention on anything other than the feeling like he wanted to rip his skin off.
"Halloween?" He repeated, voice slightly gruffer than it was normally. "It was alright, spent most of it hanging out with my brother and staring at ghosts. First time for everything." Matt shot Valentin a smirk as he topped their cokes up with whiskey and he took a healthy sip, hand now threading into his blonde hair. "Yours?"
***
“Mine was alright,” Valentin said. “It was fun, like -- good atmosphere. Though my evening sort of had an odd turn when Darius sort of got infected with a ghost, but all of that got turned around and then it was quite a nice evening still.”
He noticed how restless Matt was, how much the boy was moving around. Like there were bugs under his skin. Valentin had to admit, even when his thirst was at its most extreme, he wasn’t this antsy. Valentin got more focused and calculating when he got overtaken by the hunger, but the werewolves… The werewolves just seemed to get more primal.
Valentin took a quick sip when Matt loosened his collar, exposing a little more skin. Maybe they exuded that whole primal thing too. “Are you sure you’re fine? Maybe we should’ve gone dancing, burn off some of that energy.” He blinked. “Or maybe we should get you a sedative.”
***
Wait, what? Darius got infected with a ghost, they could do that? Nobody had mentioned that to Matt. Note to self, avoid the ghosts.
Primal was definitely one way of describing the persistent gnawing in Matt's gut and the all consuming need and want which was really fucking distracting. "I'm starting to think you may have a point," Matt remarked as he pulled his lower lip into his mouth and swallowed, forcing the lump in the back of his throat back down into the pit of his stomach.
C'mon, Matt, pull yourself together already.
He took a further sip of his drink and pushed his hand under the edge of his shirt, smoothing his palm over his shoulder and dragging his nails there. Distraction was key or so he'd discovered.
"Told you I'd be acting weird."
***
Valentin shrugged. “You could be weirder. Back when I wasn’t a vampire, me and my mates had some spacecake and went to Mauer park, to listen to the kareoke? Anyway, Hedda had this massively wrong reaction to the drugs and she went all apeshit, trying to strip out of her clothes. At one point, she ran down the stage and wrestled the mic from the guy doing Meat Loaf, just because she wanted the female part. So, this is nothing.”
He leaned in closer. “Besides, what is weird these days? I swear, the other day, I saw this girl who had snakes for hair! Apparently, Gorgons are a thing! How is that even possible, right?”
He took a sip of his illicit whiskey’n coke. “So, what do you usually do when it gets this bad?”
***
Matt listened to Valentin’s tale and broke out a deep laugh, rough, warm and clearly amused. “Hell, that’s quite something.” And it was, certainly put his acting weird into perspective, especially as thus far he’d manage to behave himself. Even if he could smell everything and feel everything. He just had to breathe, ignore his base instincts and push impulse to one side even if it would feel really fucking good to just give in.
But then could he trust himself? He honestly didn’t know.
As Valentin leaned in closer Matt’s eyes flicked upwards to rest quite the intense gaze on his vampire friend, eyebrow lifting at the mention of a girl who had snakes for hair. “Like Medusa?” Well, fuck him sideways, the school was just full of surprises. “Shit, I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side.”
What did he do normally?
“I exercise,” he shared with a lift of his broad shoulders. “Like to a ridiculous extent. Helps burn off the excess energy but does fuck all for all the primal urges that’s for damn certain.”
***
Valentin gulped at Matt’s eyes on him. He’d always had a thing for eyes. A boy could glance at him with just the right sort of look in his eyes, and Valentin would already be half-convinced he was in love. Matthew Riley definitely had that look down pat.
Something inside Valentin twitched. He quickly suppressed it, knowing full well he’d drank enough blood to last at least this night. Problem was, in his mind, he imagined Matthew exercising without a shirt, a sheen of sweat on his torso, and…
Valentin downed his drink. Being a vampire somehow meddled with his hormones, he was sure of it. He hadn’t been this much of a horndog before he got turned.
“So, what helps with the primal urges? Getting into a fight, or…?”
***
Had Valentin still had a heartbeat Matt’s sharp hearing would have picked up on the change in its pattern, but luckily for him he was spared that particular fate. He watched Valentin down his drink, head tilting ever so slightly to watch the movement of the other boy’s throat until he caught himself, forcing his attention back to the topic at hand.
“That or sex, apparently. TJ says I should just find somebody and get it out of my system, but I haven’t ‘cause I don’t really trust myself right now.” He’d always been a dominating lover with a penchant for biting and marking but that was back when he’d been human and now that he wasn’t Matt had no idea of what he was capable of.
He tipped his glass to his mouth and downed his drink in one fluid movement, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth.
***
Some of the drink caught in Valentin’s throat, and he coughed, trying to clear it. He wasn’t a prude, he really wasn’t, but the casual way Matt said this, juxtapositioned against the x-rated thoughts Valentin felt he could be having (because if you exercise without a shirt, why not exercise without pants, too?) made the young vampire feel as if Matt was looking right into his mouth.
“That-- I mean, I-- I mean, what?” Yeah, nice save, Valentin. Good job of covering up the fact that you’re still a virgin.
At least vampires couldn’t blush.
***
Matthew lifted an eyebrow as Valentin appeared to struggle with swallowing, but thankfully he wasn't a mind reader so the vampire was saved his knowing too much.
"You know, sex?" Matthew said as if it were the most obvious thing ever. "Haven't had any in a while and starting to learn that it's way worse being sexually frustrated as a wolf than just a regular teenage boy."
He looked mournfully at his empty glass and resumed the movement of hand over his shoulder then the back of his neck.
"So yeah, that's distracting."
***
“I know sex,” Valentin sputtered, a little too quickly, a little too fiercely. He heard how it sounded: like a lie. Valentin wasn’t even ashamed about the fact that he was still a virgin, it was more that he didn’t know how to feel about Matt yet. Friends could know he was still a virgin, but a potential b-- a potential whatever could not know that yet.
Valentin covered up his hesitation by making a horizontal gesture with his hand, as if he were shaking an invisible can. “Can’t you just…?” It’s what the young vampire did. Quite prolifically.
***
Honestly Matt didn't really believe Valentin especially with the blatant lie which had just escaped his lips, but he'd let him have his secrets, everybody was entitled to them after all. Hell, he had plenty of his own after all.
"Oh I've done that," Matt shared with a snort as he regarded Valentin from beneath his lashes. "Trust me it's not the same thing. It doesn't sate the craving."
He growled beneath his breath and rubbed both hands over his face before threading them into his hair. "I swear to God my sex drive was bad enough when I wasn't a wolf, but ever since I became one? Through the fucking roof."
Matt was quite open about his sexual preferences and everything attached to that area of his life because sex was sex, no need to be ashamed about it.
***
“I have the same thing,” Valentin said. “Ever since I became a vampire, these thoughts… these thoughts keep creeping up on me, like I want to do all these things with people.” Valentin frowned. “And it’s not just guys. Sometimes, I can just look at a girl and I just want to… I just want to…”
Ravage her.
Valentin pursed his lips, giving Matt a look. And before he knew it, it came out. Valentin was bad at keeping secrets, even his own. “And I wouldn’t even know, you know? The difference between doing it by yourself and having somebody else sate your craving. I am-- I mean, I haven’t ever… Well. You know.”
***
It took Matt a moment or two to clock on to what Valentin was telling him, but once he did he didn’t quite know what to say because Matt had lost his virginity at a ridiculous age and hadn’t thought anything of it, but here was Valentin who hadn’t taken that step. Huh, go figure.
“Well take it from somebody who has, the DIY approach doesn’t work for an extended period of time.” It was fun and got you the right kind of tingly, but it definitely didn’t do anything for the cravings. “TJ suggested I find another…” a quick look around and then Matt leaned in closer to Valentin, dropping his voice to a whisper, “supernatural.” His shoulders lifted. “Something about them being made of hardy stuff.”
He tongued one of his slightly sharper teeth then let out a burst of rough laughter. “Sorry, man. I just realised that we’ve done nothing but talk about my sex life which I can’t imagine is a whole lot of fun for you so new topic, maybe?”
***
Valentin heard the whisper before he heard the actual words. It sighed into his ears and travelled down his spine, giving him the sort of tingly that might lead to the tingly Matt was talking about. Valentin swallowed, his mouth feeling dry. “I… I, uh…”
He ignored the bit about the new topic, mostly because he hadn’t really heard it. His ears keened more towards that laugh, all rough and masculine. “Have you… Have you decided on a supernatural?”
***
Mat shook his head and rubbed his hands together. “Not yet because hell I know what to do to get well, stuff happening, but I’m still finding my feet in the school.” He caught Valentin’s gaze and tugged on his ear a moment later. “I think he’s right though.” A quick glance around himself and Matt eyed up the company they were in, pretty certain nobody was sturdy enough for how he was feeling at this particular time.
This whole thing was definitely primal and impossible to ignore, but he’d been doing a good job of it so far. But really all he’d been doing was putting a temporary fix over a much bigger problem, he just needed to figure how what he was doing about it. TJ made it sound simple and it probably was, Matt was weirdly over thinking this whole thing.
“Definitely need somebody made of sturdier stuff.” And he didn’t tag ‘he’ or ‘she’ onto that statement because Matt was pretty laid back in regards to that, whatever worked worked and he wasn’t overly bothered. “And I think a mutual attraction is a must or else it’s just weird.”
***
“Right,” Valentin said, completely at a loss of what to say now. “I, uh… I’m gonna get us more drinks.”
At the bar, Valentin tried to get some control of himself. He was Matt’s friend, not his… Not his whatever. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to be Matt’s whatever. He wanted a boyfriend, didn’t he? Not someone who just… who just did.
And yet, you dream of getting fucked by him.
Valentin willed the voice quiet. He returned to the table and spiked both their drinks with a very generous amount. “We should do something,” he said. “Not… not that, but something active. Something to tire us out.”
***
Matt felt a lot like Valentin was completely out of his depth in regards to this particular discussion, but he was trying which was all Matt could ask of him. As Valentin excused himself in the direction of the bar Matt's attention wandered after him, gaze trickling from his shoulders to the narrowing of his waist until Matt caught himself and he just slumped back into his chair, forcing his hand through his hair and squeezing the back of his neck.
Thankfully by the time Valentin returned with drinks in hand Matt had reined himself in and was far more focused, less animalistic. Hell, he was more than just the wolf, right?
"I'm open to suggestions," he said with a small laugh as he helped himself to a swallow of the spiked drink. "I mean I used to play a lot of sports which helped a lot in terms of working off excess energy, but even exercise is starting to wear thin.” He toyed with his lower lip then flicked his eyes up to Valentin. “What sort of active things does the school or town have to offer?”
***
“Well,” Valentin said, “as far as I know, there’s not much. The Academy offers sports, and you can ride horses at the beach, but that’s all during the day. Even the park is closed.” Though Valentin knew he could jump that fence, easily. He sometimes did so when coming back from town late at night: it was a short-cut.
He gave Matthew an appraising look. “Werewolves -- how durable are you when you’re in human shape? Are you faster, stronger? Because otherwise, it wouldn’t be much of a challenge…”
***
"I think I'm stronger and more agile," Matt said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I definitely have enhanced senses like right now I could tell you the brand of that guy’s aftershave without even blinking.” And to prove his point Matt gestured to the tall brunette stood up at the furthest end of the bar whose aftershave was filling his senses like it was going out of fashion.
“It’s Armani Code by the way.”
***
“I have no idea what that smells like,” Valentin said. He could identify the smell of blood when entering the room, and if he smelled it before, he could even identify whose blood it was. But otherwise? He didn’t have any increased senses, not like the werewolves did. “But, well, I was guessing we could race. Like, someplace where we could do something. The Dockyard, or we could sneak into the park…” Valentin thought for a moment. “...Or the beach.”
***
An hour later and the decision was made, the two boys had left the relative safety of Raconteurs and taking to the cool night, the beach had been their port of call. The rules were simple, the first one to get to the other end wins. Anybody could get that, right? And they got off to a flying start, vampire against werewolf, the age old battle that had according to the books and movies been raging for centuries. Only you wouldn't be able to tell that from the young teens tearing across the sand with the ocean chasing at their heels.
Matt was athletic as well as being a werewolf and as such he could hold his own in any race which might explain despite his being a newly turned wolf that he was able to do quite well despite not having full control over his new fangled abilities.
By the time he hit the other end of the beach he was hot, sweaty, but feeling better. Less restless, but he was still worked up, easier to ignore though.
“I think I won,” he said with a feral grin.
***
It was night. It was supposed to be Valentin’s element. He was faster, stronger, more agile, and yet….
Valentin had been tearing it across the sand as well, his shoes clutched in his hands. Maybe it was because he’d been running in the dry sand and Matt in the wet surf. Maybe it was because he’d drunk more. Maybe it was because Matt was just plain faster.
Still, he lost, and he was supposed to be a creature of the night. It wasn’t even a full moon! And so, Valentin tackled Matt, ending up on top of him and pinning the boy’s arms. “I’m stronger.”
***
Matt had not been expecting the tackle and as such it took him off guard meaning the vampire definitely had the upperhand as far as knocking him into sand went, landing with Valentin atop of him and his hands on his arms. He was in effect pinned to the beach.
"Still doesn't change the fact you lost," he pointed out with a smirk.
This position was not by any means a natural state of affair for Matthew Riley, but he'd let Valentin have it a while.
***
The wind was raging, whipping at Valentin’s hair. The beach was open and wild, a place of freedom, of emptiness. Them against the world. It made Valentin feel powerful and strong. He leaned forward, grinning.
He caught himself sniffing out Matt’s scent and bolted upright again, coming down from his runner’s high. He was not to lose control.
“I want a rematch,” he declared, trying not to realize how good it felt to have Matt squirming under him.
***
Matt’s eyes flicked from Valentin’s eyes to that grinning mouth and he’d been about to say or do… something, but then the other teen had hurriedly pulled away and Matt just pushed a rough burst of laughter out of his chest, eyebrow lifting and lips curling.
“Uh huh, sure you do.” He freed up an arm and placed his hand, full and splayed on Valentin’s chest before his grip tightened and he shifted the control, forcibly pushing the other teen over onto his back before baring his teeth as he wiggled his eyebrows.
“Best two out of three?”
***
With a whump, Valentin felt the air rush out of his lungs, Matt now on top of him. He laughed. He had to admit, Matt on top of him felt good too. Later on, this would be the point where Valentin would look at his past actions and say: this is where you should have stopped. Because only an idiot could not see where this was going on.
Valentin, sadly, was very good at being an idiot.
“I’m not running again,” he said. “‘Cause I’d lose again. Let’s go for a swim.” Gotta love that vampire’s lack of having a temperature.
***
"Seriously?" Matt questioned, eyebrow lifting and head turning to regard the ocean. It had to be fucking freezing by all counts, but then when had something sensible like that stopped him from doing anything stupid?
Whatever, you only lived once.
He shifted, releasing Valentin from his grip and from beneath his considerable build, and slowly got to his feet. Yeah, this was most definitely a bad idea. Like ridiculously bad idea. He was so going to regret this.
But, fuck it because hell if ice cold water didn't sort out his problem then nothing else would.
Matt kicked off his trainers and peeled off his socks, already feeling the chill on his skin, but doing his best to ignore it. He caught the edge of his shirt and tugged it over his head, revealing a very naked back and chest that Valentin wasn't unfamiliar with considering they'd gone to gym together that first day.
Matt was known for doing stupid shit like this all the time, just for the rush.
***
In Berlin, Valentin generally wasn’t known for doing stupid things. His friends would point out that he was the sensible one, the responsible one, the one who get them all back home at the end of a wild night. Except, they would not, whenever there was a cute boy involved. Then you didn’t know what he would do.
Valentin was pulling off his shirt and then went for the fly of his jeans, very pointedly not looking at Matt. Except he was. A little. Because goddamn, baby got back. It was unfair: if he had no heart anymore, why did it seem to skip a beat? Very soon, the lean vampire was standing there in nothing but has black boxer briefs. They seemed skimpy now.
Valentin didn’t even seem cold: he didn’t huddle his arms around him to preserve heat. “Let’s go to that buoy and back,” he said, pointing to a small one, not that far into the water. “Agreed?”
***
Matt stole a look at Valentin over his shoulder as the other stripped, grinning a little when the vampire caught his gaze then stripped out of his jeans to the dark boxer briefs which clung to well defined hips and thighs.
Fuuuck, it was cold.
But it would be nothing compared to the water, that much Matt knew for certain. Well, too late now, it was both feet in or nothing at all.
"Alright," he said with a nod of his head. "To the buoy and back."
***
“Go!”
The water was still fucking cold: Valentin wasn’t affected by it, not really, but he could still feel it. It was salt, icy and wild, the waves going higher and higher the deeper you went. Nevertheless, Valentin was quick, using those lean muscles to cut through the water like a sleek dolphin.
Valentin touched the surface of the buoy, feeling the slippery algae just below the waterline. He doubled back now, this time aided by the choppy waves. They delivered him back to the shore, though he was a few feet away from his pile of clothes.
He crawled onto the beach, panting, knowing he’d given a lot, and then looked around for Matt.
***
Matt unlike Valentin was very much affected by the cold and for the first few minutes of being exposed to the water he was fine, but it was some time after that when things became difficult. His muscles froze up, limbs refusing to do as his brain commanded, but Matt was nothing if not stubborn so whilst he might not win this round he was determined to at least finish.
The werewolf touched the buoy then grunted as he forced himself back into the choppy water, willing the rebelling quivers that ran through his every limb to go the fuck away especially as they were giving away the effect the water was having on him.
Yeah, this had been a really dumb fucking idea.
Oh well, too late now.
Matt finally made it back onto the beach, but he wasn't really focused on who had or hadn't won as holy fucking shit he was cold. So much so that his teeth were chattering and his entire body was shaking.
"Fu-u-u-ckk, th-that w-was fuck-king cold."
***
One look at Matt, and Valentin was scrambling to his feet, sobering up rapidly. He gathered their clothes, already cursing himself for this plan. “Your lips are blue,” Valentin said, worried. “Here, use my shirt to… towel off, I don’t know.”
Valentin went to apply the garment to Matt’s back. It was cotton, so it absorbed some of the droplets on the boy’s skin, but it wasn’t a towel. “This was a stupid idea,” he said, worry shining through his voice, “I’m sorry, this was dumb. We need to get you warm, like, right now.”
Valentin looked around, weighing his options. In the distance, near the pier, he saw a squat, square building: in the summer, people showered off there. Of course, that wouldn’t have warm water… Damnit. “We could go back to the school, run,” because Camden Wharf had one taxicab and it was usually a mystery where it was right now, “or we could go to the diner. It’s closer, and the owners like me. What do you think?”
***
Matt was trying really not to shiver, but it was impossible. His skin had prickled into goosebumps and each droplet of water catching on his already rebelling body felt like he was being plunged into an ice bath.
"D-Don't w-w-orry ab-about it," he managed between chattering teeth. "Di-i-dn't e-e-xactly f-f-force me." He could tell Valentin was concerned and probably had reason, especially if his lips were blue. Fuck, he was cold, so very cold.
Between running back to the school and the diner, Matt definitely thought the closer option was the best one, especially as he couldn't feel his toes or fingers.
"I sh-should g-g-get dressed," his lips were tremblng and his entire body was doing an impression of what he might look like if he was electrocuted, repeatedly. “Diner,” he managed a moment later.
****
“Mrs. Duke?” Valentin called out as he half-dragged, half-supported Matt’s frozen ass through the door. “We may have a situation h-- hi.”
There were three truckers in the corner. They looked up briefly before returning to their food. Mrs. Emily Duke emerged from the kitchen, an apron spanning around her ample waist. She looked put out, but then she recognized Valentin and she began smiling. “Valentin! What’s going on?”
“We, uh, I fell into the ocean, he got me out, and now he’s freezing, and this was close by, so…”
“You fell into the ocean?”
“By the pier.”
“Right.”
“Look, he’s freezing -- look at his lips, he’d like…”
Emily Duke sighed, before pointing at a door that said: personnel only. “Behind that door, there’s a stairs. Upstairs, then to the left, there’s a bedroom and a shower.”
Valentin grinned, scrambling for the door: “Thanks, Mrs. D!”
“Don’t upset my laundry.”
Upstairs, in the bedroom, Valentin left Matt to fend for himself while he went into the bedroom and started the water. “Don’t worry Matt, we’ll have you warmed up in no time!”
***
Matt was unusually docile in the fact he was letting Valentin take the lead, but that could be because he was in fact turning into a human popsicle. Entering the diner was a startling contrast and he made a mental note to say thank you to Mrs Duke for being kind enough to let him into her home. If he didn't his mother would have his ass, frozen ocean or no frozen ocean.
He was soon ushered upstairs and as Valentin hurried through to the bathroom he began to peel his clothes off, hating how his hands were shaking and his teeth were still chattering together. Jesus fucking hell. On the bright side he was so preoccupied by the cold in his bones that he'd stopped thinking about the other thing that had been bothering him.
"Sh-She seems ni-nice," he managed as he tossed his shirt off and unbuckled his belt with the intent of removing his jeans as his trainers were already off.
***
Valentin tested the temperature of the water. It was tepid, not scalding. Good. Valentin remembered how you shouldn’t let a victim of the cold heat up too quickly, because that was bad. “Right,” he shouted, “it’s all ready for you.”
Valentin stepped out of the cubicle, looking at the bedroom through the open door. Where Matt was all but naked.
Hot damn. Er. Proverbially. “It’s… It’s uh, ready.”
***
Matt's hands raked through his hair and he really didn't like the way the tips of his fingers felt like ice, but that would be taken care of soon. And it had been one hell of an experience.
He turned his head to rest blue eyes on Valentin then nodded his head, tossing his jeans and moving in the direction of the bathroom, underwear being snagged by tapered thumbs with the intent of pulling them off just before stepping into the shower.
"Th-Thanks, Valentin," Matt said as he stepped into the bathroom and sure enough off came the pants and into the shower Matt went, faintly cursing at what felt like scalding water when really in any other situation he would have barely batted an eyelash.
Well, hell, this was one way to beat the itch.
***
Valentin wasn’t gonna look. He wasn’t gonna look. He. Wasn’t. Gonna. Look.
He looked. It was just a flash, but still. Almost immediately, the vampire sprouted fangs.
Valentin fled from the bathroom, looking for a distraction. The bedroom provided… very little. Didn’t these people have a bookcase or a bookshelf in here? Or even a small pile of books on the bedstand? No?
Under the bed, next to a pair of socks that Valentin didn’t touch, he found AutoWeek. That’d work. He sat down on the bed, flipping through the magazine until he found an article he could read the shit out of.
***
Matt stayed under the spray of the water for as long as it took for the feeling in his fingers and toes to creep back in and then he lingered a little longer, combing his fingers through his hair and tipping his head back. His teeth were no longer chattering and he felt something approaching human which was definitely a good start.
Once he was sure he wasn't going to get hyperthermia Matt stepped out of the shower, switching it off and reaching for a nearby towel. The same towel he used on his hair first before he eased it around his hips, securing it at dip of one particularly sharp hipbone a moment before he wandered out into the room.
Then he saw Valentin reading... AutoWeek and his eyebrow lifted. "Never pegged you for a car guy," he shared as he gathered up his discarded underwear and he began to slip it on under his towel, snapping the waistband into place a second or so later as he peeled the towel away and returned it to his hair again.
"Fuck, I feel better."
***
Valentin looked up, and his fangs came back out again, because, what the hell would your fangs do if Matt came out of the shower, wearing nothing but a towel? The guy had the body of a porn star (as far as Valentin could tell), but not the face of one. Pornstars generally weren’t this pretty in their faces.
Valentin quickly looked down at the magazine again, glad it was covering his lap. “I… I, yeah, I like cars. I like tinkering around with engines and machines. I like speed. In engines.”
Valentin closed the magazine and sort of looked at Matt without trying to actually see him. “So, uh, what now? Grab a burger and a ras-shake before heading back, or, uh, did you have other plans?”
***
Matt's keen eyes picked up on the fact Valentin's teeth seemed sharper or maybe he was imagining things? He was still recovering from ice cold shock after all. And he was avoiding looking at him which was interesting. In the old days Matt would have clocked on to what was going on immediately, but this whole becoming a wolf thing had really thrown his confidence off. Especially as he was trying to settle into his own skin again.
Matt slipped his t-shirt back on and tugged it down before catching his jeans, putting one leg into them at a time until he came to sit on the bed beside Valentin, hands reaching for his socks.
Matt pursed his lips, filing that nugget of information about Valentin away in his head. "You'd get along great with my dad. He's the exact same way, showed me and my brothers some stuff as a result of it." Which meant if they were ever to roadtrip anywhere they'd be sure not to have mechanical problems.
"Other plans?" He asked, shooting Valentin a disarming smile. "Nah, man. My whole plan was hanging out with you this evening so burger and ras-shake sounds good to me."