The Man With The Gloves (mxmxmxm)

10. Wild

"Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself." (Charlie Chaplin)

Nassiba was a traitor, Fayez decided, as he swallowed his fortieth beer can without feeling the slightest intoxicated.

When she had suggested they both went to the party and watch others having fun, she hadn't mentionned that she would be hooking up with a lanky red-haired girl, while he would sit on his own and try to act like he was perfectly at ease with the situation.

Well, he should be happy for her, he guessed. It might be their last night on Earth, so why should she refuse these interludes of pleasure? It was certainly more appealing than sitting with him all night and try to engage into awkward conversations.

He needed to become better. A better friend, a better man, one that wasn't so bitter and jealous of others' happiness.

That was easier said than done. He secretly wanted to turn off the too-loud music and remind them all that they might die during their mission the very next day.

He wanted to scream and throw off his gloves so that these merry drunkards would be forced to acknowledge his existence.

Yes, he had been called "the life and soul of the party" before. Obviously. That was him. That was definitely him. A pure ray of sunshine.

Fayez was tardily experiencing yet another painful truth: being the only one sober and clear-headed at a rave was another level of loneliness. Wherever he turned his gaze, there were people kissing, flirting, sometimes even openly making out.

Of course, it would have been a different feeling if he had purposely decided to act serious and remain sobber, so he could bring his friends back home safely. That would have been something very responsible to do, and he would have probably felt proud of himself for taking care of his loved ones.

What was the point in being sobber tonight, though? The party was taking place in the campus, and supernatural creatures were very hard to kill anyway. Besides, he didn't have any friends - or maybe he had, but these two friends certainly didn't need him to be their babysitter.

Why was Fayez still here? He knew he should have gone back to his bedroom hours ago, at the very moment when Nassiba had given him a sorry smile and had left with her new love interest.

He knew why he was still there, and the knowledge was making him feel even more pathetic and miserable. Nassiba had promised him that the three prefects would be there, and he still hoped they would eventually come.

It was already 2am, so the chances of meeting them were getting thinner, but what if Zephyr appeared five minutes after Fayez had decided to leave? Then, all his socializing efforts would have been for nothing.

Maybe it wouldn't have mattered that much if Nassiba had stayed by his side, and they had chatted together most of the night. Maybe he wouldn't have missed them so much, then - wait, "miss" wasn't the appropriate verb to use here.

However, as he had spent the last four hours basically talking to himself, his mood was at its lowest level and he thought that if he at least caught a glimpse of the prefects, then maybe his night wouldn't be a complete disaster after all.

Of course, he didn't want to see the mysterious three men out of romantically interest. No, he was merely curious about them, as he should, since he wanted to learn as many things as possible about the Institute and its residents. His interest was strictly theoretical.

"Wow, you seem like you're having the time of your life, darling"

Fayez startled and, as he turned to look at Zephyr, his eyes widdened at the sight of the blondie's outfit. Zephyr was wearing tight electric blue pants, a lilac crop top and a simple white pair of sneakers. His long blond hair were braided and he had applied blue eyeliner which made his gaze look sharper.