euphoria

these boys are different

Felix stepped into the bathroom quickly to check to his appearance. To him, first impressions were everything, and he needed to come off as a well-mannered, strapping young lad from Britain in order to represent his country well.

As he fluffed up his gingery hair and gazed back into the mirror at his emerald eyes, he wondered if him and Calvin had any common interests. Unfortunately, they hadn't talked much over text, so he didn't know much about his host. He wasn't too worried about it, though; Felix was extremely outgoing and could easily get along with anybody. And, considering the two boys were the same age, he figured they had to be at least somewhat similar.

The only concern: Felix was a vampire. Although he wasn't like the stereotypical pale-faced, murder-obsessed monster, his diet still demanded blood. One ounce a week, to be specific. Which was controllable enough. Usually, he just fed from his neighbor's outdoor cat-- as he wasn't required to kill anyone or anything in order to take any blood-- but he hated it. Just because I have to, he'd always told himself, doesn't mean I like to. In fact, he despised the irony taste of blood. He only consumed the thick red liquid because he had to.

It's okay, Felix. You'll figure something out, he told himself, and went back to being carefree.

Just as he was exiting the restroom, he felt his phone in the back pocket of his jeans vibrate. Instinctively pulling it out, he noticed he'd gotten a text from Calvin, who was letting him know that he was at the Starbucks. He grinned and looked up, realizing he was practically there. The only problem was that he had no idea what Calvin looked like. Oh well, he thought, deciding he'd take a wild guess.

His sparkling green eyes laid on a set of steel-blue ones. Eyes were always the first thing Felix noticed about people. He took a moment to take in the boy's full appearance. His hand was leaning against his head, which harbored thousands of locks of mousy-brown curls. He had a tiny mole around his upper lip, and his nose was structured. He had to stop himself before he began to stare.

"Excuse me, are you Calvin?" He asked, approaching the male and sticking his arm out to shake hands. The boy's face flushed as he quickly put his phone away.

"Yes, um, yeah. Felix?" He asked in return, flimsily taking Felix's hand and shaking it.

"That's right," Felix confirmed.

"Pleasure to meet you," Calvin declared, standing up.

"Believe me, the pleasure's all mine! I'm absolutely chuffed to bits."

Calvin looked puzzled.

"Ah, right. I've forgotten you don't understand British slang. Never mind," Felix quickly dismissed the thought as Calvin was struggling to keep up. He was used to a slow-paced life, and he'd never met someone quite so ecstatic and energetic as Felix.

"Er-- right. I'll call an Uber."

***

"So this is it," Calvin announced, unlocking the door and twisting the knob to reveal the apartment. "Have a look around and let me know what you think."

"You aren't going to give me the grand tour?" Felix smiled, showing off his fangs.

"Oh-- well, I guess I could," Calvin shrugged, a bit caught off-guard. He hadn't seemed to notice the strangely sharp teeth the other boy's mouth held.

Calvin led the slightly taller ginger boy around the cozy flat. "This is my area," he , gesturing towards a room with a bed, a dresser, and a bass guitar. "And yours is right over here." He pointed to another room across the narrow hallway. "And of course, the kitchen and the living space are just down there."

"It's a nice place, Calvin," Felix said in approval as he turned into the doorway that led into his new room. He hauled his luggage onto the bed and began to unpack. "So, tell me about yourself."

"Myself?" Calvin asked. Of course you, dumbass. Who else would he be talking to? "Well, I play bass guitar, I like rock music, and I read from time to time." He leaned against the doorway that led into Felix's room.

"That's all? No overly dramatic origin story?" Felix teased once again.

"I'll spare you that one," Calvin chuckled a bit to himself. "How about you?"

"Well, we both enjoy rock music," Felix pointed out. "I'm a pretty big fan of the Beatles, actually. I also like to cook."

"Does that mean I'll be living on more than just fifty-cent ramen noodles?"

"Oh, absolutely. You just wait. Once you sink your teeth into some of my masterpiece dishes, you'll be begging for more."

"Don't be too full of yourself."

"You're right. We haven't even had the main course yet!"

"Do I also have to live with your dad jokes?"

"You best believe it, Calvin. And I'm not even a father."