Chapter 35 - CHAPTER 34: Gay Wolf and Sassy Vampire!

🐺Dominic's POV :

What the hell got into me?! Did I actually ask him out for a movie night? It's not a date, right? I didn't say I like you or anything… Damn it, this is complicated. Can't back off now either—the kid's probably already doing cartwheels of joy in his head. If I bail, he'll either cry glitter or go feral and suck me dry. (My blood you dirty bastards!).

"Fine, Dom. Just roll with it. Not the first time you've gone out with someone."

Yeah—except they were all women. This? This is different its full Grown Male Vampire with a personality of Capybara. And I… kinda, sorta, like him too. Not hookup-like. Real-like. Which is worse.

Anyway, I'm late. Mr. Woods is already in class. Okay, wolf instincts: sneak in through the back door.

Oh, look. Ray. Poor bastard still has bruises from his psycho girlfriend.

"Hey, Ray," I whisper.

Nothing.

"RAY! LOOK HERE, BASTARD!"

Heads turn. Damn it.

"Quinn, what the hell are you doing?!" Ray hisses.

"Shut up and cover me. Catch my bag!" I slide my backpack at him, and he tucks it under his desk.

"Keep an eye on Woods," I signal with the universal bro-code nod. He nods back.

I drop low and crawl in like a damn army recruit storming Normandy.

"Ray! Pull me up when Woods turns!"

Instead of pulling me up, the dumbass slips, lands straight on my ass.

"Vamps!!" I snap. "Can't you not trip for one second?!"

The entire class freezes. Woods freezes. Everyone is staring.

"…Vamps?" Ray blinks.

Shit. I called him Vamps. Out loud. Because Lean has me so screwed in the head I'm mixing names.

"Never mind!" I grunt.

"QUINN! MILLER! OUT. NOW!" Woods bellows.

Perfect. Kicked out again, well I was never in at first. At least his class is so crowded he probably won't notice if Thanos teleported in—he'd just mark him present and thinking he is having Shakespeare hallucinations. Attendance secured.

Now it's me and Ray outside, and he's giving me that look. That knowing look.

Well I don't believe in kinda best buddies, but well he is the Guy who I hang out with when I am not playing football or hitting up girls! So he claims he knows me well, his words not mine,

"What the hell are you staring at?" I growl.

He smirks. "Okay, spill. Who is she?"

"Who the fuck—?! There is no she!".

"Then whose name did you just shout? Huh! Omg—fuck. The fuckboy is blushing! Quinn, you got smitten or what? You're acting weird, man. Real weird."

"I'm not—" I bite my tongue. Too late. My brain had already queued up Vam—

I cough so hard it feels like my lungs will eject themselves. "—V-volleyball practice. Been skipping it. That's all."

Ray raises a brow. "Uh-huh. And the mysterious 'V' is for volleyball now?"

"…Yes." I glare at him with all the intensity of a wolf about to maul.

"Right. Sure. Totally buying that." He crosses his arms. "So… no new girl?"

I freeze. "Ray." My voice drops low. Warning low. "Choose your next words carefully."

He grins like the bastard he is. "Just saying. Would explain why you called me Vamps in front of the whole class."

"Or maybe," he adds, lowering his voice, "it's one of those weird wolf things?"

Yeah. The bastard knows. Don't ask me how. He's… kinda my wingman? Saved my ass a few times when hookups went nuclear. He's the only reason I haven't killed him yet. Once even yanked me out of a feral episode when people had their rifles pointed at my furry ass. Long story. Not telling.

I rub my face. "Okay, first—don't freak out, or I swear I'll tell Linda you were flirting with Jessica."

He just snorts. "After Linda, nothing freaks me out anymore."

Poor guy. He deserves someone better.

I sigh. Deep. Heavy. "Alright. So… where do I even start?"

🧛‍♂️Lean's POV:

Gurl, my brain is fried. All I can think about is the movie night. What do I even wear? Cute but casual? Casual-but-oh-wow-he's-hot? Do I spritz cologne or just let my natural "forbidden sunshine" aroma do the work? And the hands. THE HANDS. What if our fingers brush in the popcorn bucket? Do I linger? Do I gasp? Do I pretend it was an accident and then immediately plan our wedding? Aghhh!!! Somebody sedate me.

Olivia yeeted herself out today—apparently "college admission papers" are more important than babysitting me at the shop. Her family moved here last year, blah blah late applications—good for her, tragic for me.

Meanwhile Bun-Bun (the shop's corgi, side-eye overlord, king of dramatic sighs) started World War III with the husky next door AGAIN. I'm running this place solo, and guess what? Crickets. Nada. Only one sweet grandma wandered in with a busted grinder. Fixed it in five minutes, she gave me a toffee. I almost cried. I miss my granny—she literally chose afterlife after 200 years because she couldn't stand missing grandpa anymore. Queen behavior.

And then—ding-dong. New customer. Finally! My time to shine. I toss my hair, slap on my brightest customer-service smile.

"WELCOME TO ALPHA ELECTRONICS, HOW CAN I HEL—WAIT. YOU—"

My eyes did a backflip.

It's her. The Karen. The Devil in mom-jeans. And strapped to her hip? The snotty gremlin spawn who got me kicked out of the kindergarten job because apparently, I was diseasing her child with my gayness.

Oh. Hell. No.

"You! The pervert! What are you doing here?!"

Okay, listen—I don't like killing people. That's Puppers' department. But did I ever say I can't? Lady, I'm Count Dracula's great-great-great-great-grandson. Try me.

"Ah, yes, ma'am. Good memory! Guess you're into perverts. Anyway—how can I help you today?" I beam, customer-service mode ON.

"What did you just say?!" she screeches like a rooster on espresso. "I want your manager!"

"Ah, the manager. Tragic news: I am the manager today. If you've got a complaint, feel free to email it to the address on the door—we'll shred it with great care."

"You son of a—"

If she had finished that sentence, I swear—

"Mummy, I wanna play with the dog!" the gremlin tugs her jeans, pointing at Bun-Bun.

"What did I tell you about touching dirty animals?!" she snaps.

…Okay. Nope. That's it. Nobody insults Bun-Bun.

"Yes, kid, your mom's right," I say, honey-sweet. "The dog wouldn't appreciate getting touched by dirty animals either."

Her jaw drops. "Did you just—"

"Did I just what, madam?" I tilt my head, halo practically glowing.

"You—ugh!"

"I guess you'd be happier if we got this over with." I cut her off, still smiling.

"Fine! Fix THIS!" She slams a dripping Samsung Galaxy J8 on the counter. Water leaks out like it's auditioning for The Little Mermaid.

"Oh my Dracula! Were you washing the phone? Cause some rainbow reel spawn on it?" I clap dramatically. "Either way—you just baptized your SIM card."

"No!" the gremlin blurts. "I baptized it! Mummy said the phone was evil, it makes us do wrong things, and baptism makes evil go away—so I baptized it! In the bath tub!"

Oh, poor kid. With this demon chicken for a mom? Yeah, I get it. I see you, gremlin.

"I told you not to talk to him! He's diseased!" she barks.

"Mm. Funny," I say sweetly. "There's an old saying: a pig always finds mud to wallow in. Just saying. Nothing personal."

Her face goes crimson. "What did you just call me, bitch?! I'll get you fired! I'll shut this whole shop down! Just wait until I bring my church group!" She storms out, dragging the poor kid behind.

"Thank you for visiting Alpha Electronics, ma'am! Do come again!" I chirp, waving.

She screeches back, "You'll rot in hell!"

I sigh, tucking Bun-Bun into my arms. "Sweetheart, I vacation in hell every summer at grandma's. And funny enough? The only people I saw rotting there looked exactly like you. So maybe we'll meet again on my next trip. I'll even bring my wolf.

Oh Bun-Bun you wanna go too? Ok you have to go undercover like a Chihuahua! Cause That's the only breed allowed in hell other than hell hounds." I kiss betwen his ears and he kisses me back!

"AWW! WANT A COOKIE?"

🐺Dominic's POV:

"GAY!"

The first thing he spat out of his mouth after I took my 45 minutes of patience to explain him how I found a super high vampire half dead on the wood and took him in! How he almost burn my kitchen and how i didn't end up eating him rather falling for him and how he almost killed my ass!!

Wait! He is not a homophobic! He dated guys himself before ending up with Linda! He just gets energy to annoye me!

Christ why you have to pair me with the most annoying peeps out there, first the Feral Vampire and then this guy who always saves my ass!

And I can't kill either!

"Ray I swear I if you shout that out and it's get as college headlines, you will end up in my tummy!"

"But you said I don't look appetizing! So you won't eat me!" Is thus guy lean's lost human bro?

"I will dip you in mayo that would make for it!!" I snarled!

"Really!! You will eat me!! I look tasty!!! I got certificated by the wolf to be tasty!!!" His eyes gleam up! "Linda told me I taste bad when giving me a head!"

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT I DIDN'T SAY IT THAT WAY!!!" too late he is already over the moon! Lord give me patience!

I swear Lean and Ray if they meet it would be a threat to mankind!

"So let me get this straight," Ray said, leaning across the cafeteria table with that shit-eating grin he'd probably been born with. "You—Dominic Quinn, Mr. Lone Wolf, campus' resident ice sculpture, the Playboy who slept with almost every girl of the college! Is smitten with a Blond Vampire Twink so much you let him suck you dry? And are going to the movies… with him?"

"I AM STILL STRAIGHT!! I hooked up with Bailey 3 nights ago! And he for fuck's sake sucked my blood not what you dirty pig thinks!!"

I groaned and shoved half a sandwich in my mouth so I wouldn't have to answer. Unfortunately, Ray had known me too long to mistake silence for denial.

"Well that's you just confused! I got it Man, I mean it, It was Better with guys! And You didn't even deny it! You like him Bro!!" He slapped the table. "Bro. BRO. You like him."

"I don't," I snapped. Crumbs sprayed out, which did not help my case. "It's just… he doesn't know anyone here. I'm being nice. And he is Cute I Guess!"

Ray raised both brows. "Nice? You? The guy who once made a freshman cry for stealing your seat in Library? The same guy who broke up with a girl after two dates because she chewed too loud? And You are fucking Blushing now calling him cute? I haven't seen a more fucked up heart than yours! You are basically acting as a big Puppy!! Do you even know how many times you called him kissable and cute while grunting about being straight!"

"Shut up," I muttered, but my ears were already burning.

And of course, because the universe hates me, Lean's face popped into my head right then. Him bouncing on his toes, dramatic hand gestures, that sparkly smile that makes my chest feel like I swallowed a live wire—

Nope. Not going there.

"Ok! I Like him happy? And It's not a date," I said firmly, maybe too firmly. "We're just… watching a movie. Like normal people do."

Ray smirked. "And you've been staring at your phone all morning waiting for his text because…?"

I shoved the rest of my sandwich into Ray's mouth just to shut him up.

But the truth? My notes from class looked like they'd been written by a drunk squirrel. Couldn't focus on a single damn word. All I could think about was tonight—what if Lean talked through the whole movie? What if he tried something ridiculous like holding hands? Worse… what if I wanted him to?

"RAY YOU HAVE TO SAVE MY ASS AGAIN!!"

Says the Guy who just shoved bread in his mouth!