Lucien glared at Leon hard enough that, under different circumstances, it might've counted as an actual threat.

Instead, it only made Leon want to drag him somewhere private and kiss that offended expression straight off his face.

The little vampire looked dangerously close to getting genuinely annoyed.

Leon decided not to push his luck.

He released Lucien's chin slowly, though the faint red marks left behind against pale skin lingered beneath the streetlights for several distracting seconds. Leon forced himself to look away before he did something deeply irresponsible in the middle of a public square.

Instead, he dropped the candy he'd caught earlier into Lucien's coat pocket one piece at a time.

Lucien gave a quiet hum of approval, clearly accepting bribery as a valid form of emotional recovery, then turned his head with dramatic dignity.

"I'm hungry."

Leon took his hand again.

"Then let's feed you."

They kept walking through the crowd while fireworks burst overhead in violent colors, bright enough to wash the city silver and crimson between flashes. People lined both sides of the street taking photos while music thundered through the square beneath the noise of laughter and passing parade floats.

Lucien stopped walking without warning.

Leon stopped too.

Lucien tilted his head back toward the sky, eyes reflecting every explosion of light overhead until they looked almost unreal beneath the makeup.

Leon never actually looked at the fireworks.

He watched the person watching them.

The way surprise widened Lucien's eyes.The way his lips parted slightly every time another burst shattered above the buildings.The way his cheeks rounded faintly when he smiled without thinking.

Tonight's makeup didn't make him look frightening.

It made him look softer somehow.

More dangerous in entirely different ways.

"Leon," Lucien said suddenly, already pulling out his phone, "can you take pictures for me?"

"Yeah."

Leon stepped back obediently and lifted the phone.

Lucien smiled at the camera beneath the fireworks, black cape shifting around his legs while neon lights flashed across his face. He posed seriously for approximately two seconds before abandoning all dignity and throwing up a peace sign with bright eyes and an openly delighted grin.

Leon kept pressing the shutter button.

Again.Again.Again.

Way too many times.

By the end of it, Lucien's smile had started stiffening from holding poses too long.

"Are you done yet?"

Leon lowered the phone slowly.

"Yeah."

Lucien took it back and nearly choked.

"There are so many!"

Leon remained completely unapologetic.

Lucien flipped through the photos, then hesitated before glancing sideways at him.

"Do you… wanna take one together?"

Leon answered by stepping directly beside him.

"Any specific pose?"

Lucien stared at him.

"…No. Just act natural."

Which became impossible.

Lucien lifted the phone.

The front camera displayed his face perfectly and approximately thirty percent of Leon's chest.

Lucien stretched his arm higher.

Still chest.

A little more.

Still chest.

Leon watched the struggle silently for almost three full seconds before taking the phone from him.

"I got it."

Then he looked at the screen himself.

And discovered the opposite problem.

His own face fit perfectly while only the top of Lucien's head remained visible at the bottom corner like a tiny angry ghost.

Leon lost the battle against laughter instantly.

The sound came low and warm against the noise of the crowd.

Lucien whipped around in outrage.

"You're making fun of me!"

Leon straightened immediately.

"No."

"Then why are you laughing?"

Lucien's expression turned genuinely severe.

Leon paused with impressive seriousness.

"I remembered something funny."

Lucien narrowed his eyes in complete disbelief.

Before the argument could escalate further, Leon nodded toward the crowd nearby.

"Let's ask someone else to take it."

Lucien huffed under his breath but accepted the distraction, marching off toward a blonde girl standing near the edge of the square.

She accepted the phone enthusiastically.

"Oh my God, you guys look amazing," she said. "Come on, stand closer."

Lucien obeyed cautiously.

"Closer."

Leon moved until their shoulders touched beneath the capes.

"Better. Now look at each other."

Lucien nearly short-circuited.

The girl laughed.

"At this point you might as well kiss."

Lucien shook his head so fast his fake vampire collar shifted sideways.

"No no no—"

Leon looked down at him then, finally giving in to the smile he'd been holding back all evening.

The camera flashed at exactly that moment.

The girl handed the phone back proudly.

"There. Perfect."

Lucien thanked her quickly before checking the picture.

Then he froze.

It really did look good.

Fireworks exploded behind them in streaks of gold and red while the city lights blurred softly beneath the smoke. Lucien faced the camera smiling brightly, dark eyes alive beneath his makeup, while beside him Leon looked down at him instead of the lens entirely.

Not smiling at the camera.

Smiling at him.

Something in Lucien's chest skipped strangely.

He locked the screen too quickly and shoved the phone away before Leon could notice.

"We should go eat," he said fast. "I'm starving."

Leon studied him for half a second too long.

Then he nodded once.

"Send me the photo later."

Lucien increased his walking speed like pretending not to hear counted as a valid survival tactic.

Leon repeated himself calmly beside him.

Lucien finally muttered, "Okay, I will."

Leon intertwined their fingers again afterward without asking.

Lucien's heartbeat betrayed him.

The restaurant turned out to be packed with costumes too, though thankfully Leon had reserved a private room upstairs where Lucien could breathe without being surrounded by twenty-seven serial killers and three haunted nuns.

The moment they sat down, Lucien straightened dramatically.

"I'm paying tonight."

Leon leaned back slightly.

"Really?"

Lucien nodded with determined seriousness.

"You took me to the ranch before. And you cooked for me. So tonight is my treat."

Leon listened quietly, though something faintly displeased flickered behind his expression.

He didn't like hearing Lucien keep score between them.

Still, he handed over the menu without comment.

"Then order whatever you want."

Lucien opened the menu confidently.

Thirty seconds later his soul left his body.

Eighty dollars for salad.

Actual leaves.

At that price the lettuce better come with emotional support and health insurance.

Lucien continued reading in growing horror while Leon watched him calmly across the table.

The wine section nearly made him pass away entirely.

Lucien closed the menu with the composure of somebody hiding catastrophic financial trauma.

"I'm dieting," he announced weakly. "I'll just get salad."

Then he pushed the menu toward Leon with fake generosity.

"You order whatever you like."

Leon somehow kept a straight face.

He ordered several dishes without hesitation, plus dessert afterward.

Lucien could physically hear imaginary calculator noises inside his skull.

When Leon finally asked, "Want wine?" Lucien shook his head.

Absolutely not.

The last time he drank alcohol he ended up rubbing Leon's chest in public.

At this rate hard liquor would probably end with criminal charges.

So Leon only ordered sparkling water for both of them.

While waiting for the food, he brought up school again, casually mentioning that he didn't have any matches scheduled for the next few weeks.

"You could come study at my place sometime," he said lightly. "I learned a few more dishes."

Third attempt.