The Janus Project (ONC 2020 - LGBTQ)

2. The Kiss

(Author's Note: this chapter is dedicated to SallyMason1   whose story Soul Harvester will be guaranteed to freeze your blood!)

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Light spilled from the house, shining from the windows and illuminating the steps which led up to the open door. Two men in livery stood at either side, checking the credentials of each guest as they arrived.

The man wearing a medieval jester's costume paused, straightened his shoulders and trod confidently up the steps. Clutched in one hand was the invitation which had cost him a pretty penny, he could only hope it would pass muster as promised. Scarcely pausing in his progress, he handed the invitation to the servant and passed on into the house. Although the space between his shoulder blades prickled, no-one called out to stop him and he continued up the grand staircase in front of him. He was in.

He halted just inside the entrance to the huge reception room to study the occupants. Gas lamps were placed at strategic intervals and turned to a low setting, casting a gentle, warm light over the gathering.

It seemed everyone had taken the fancy dress theme to heart. He could see numerous bejewelled courtesans and dashing pirates, as well as people of both sexes dressed in flamboyant outfits that he guessed were meant to imitate characters from popular culture. The party was in full swing, with people laughing and eyeing each other off, trying to discover who was behind the masks. Waiters moved deftly amongst the crowd, carrying trays of sparkling drinks and plates of finger food.

He searched the crowd again, looking for the other jester, but without success. One more time, he scanned the room, slowly. He simply hadn't realised how packed the place would be, but he was pretty sure that if there had been another jester there he would have seen him. He had deliberately waited until midnight approached, sure that anyone who intended to come to the party would have arrived by now, but it seemed he was out of luck.

What had seemed like a brilliant idea at the time was now turning flat. Perhaps his information had been wrong. Or perhaps his quarry had been tipped off.

He shrugged. Oh well, seeing he was here, he might as well make the most of it. It wasn't every day he had the entry to a high-society party, and besides, he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and the food smelt good.

The jester wove his way between the revellers, smiling and jingling his hat, aiming for the nearest waiter. A drink of some unidentifiable, if fiery, liquid, a handful of cheese tarts later, and he felt himself relaxing. He looked around with interest, trying to absorb all the details, aware he would probably never get such an opportunity again. Collecting another glass of the same potent drink and a second handful of tarts, he began to make his way over to a quiet corner where he could stand and observe. Except, when he got there, he was joined almost immediately by a man dressed in a vampire costume, who had evidently had the same idea.

"Good evening. Have we met?" The voice was deep, if slightly distorted by the fake teeth.

"I don't think so," replied the jester and took a too hasty gulp of his drink. The fiery liquid burned a path down his throat and he coughed. He put the empty glass down on a nearby table.

The vampire smiled, the fangs resulting in a rather alarming effect. "Not used to graffa?"

The jester shook his head. "It just went down the wrong way," he gasped.

A loud boom drowned out anything either of them might have said next, followed by two more, equally loud.

"A prosperous New Year to all!" shouted everyone in ragged unison as soon as the noise had died away.

Apparently some customs were the same here as elsewhere, because each person turned to the nearest to give them a kiss. In most cases, the lightest of touches, but a few people who knew their neighbour, or thought they did, took the opportunity for a more passionate embrace. Interestingly, nobody seemed to mind if the person next to them was the opposite sex or not.

The vampire cleared his throat and looked sideways at the other man.

When in Rome, thought the jester. "And a prosperous New Year to you, too," he murmured, stepping closer. "But can I suggest you remove the fangs?" he added with a grin. "Otherwise, this will be a kiss neither of us will forget any time soon!"

The vampire smiled again. In a second, the fangs disappeared into a pocket and their lips met. And lingered.

Afterwards, the jester wasn't sure who had slipped his tongue in first, but the kiss certainly went on a lot longer than he had originally intended. And when had his arms gone around the other man to hold him tight?

When they eventually pulled away, both men stared at each other, pupils dilated.

"Well! That was a surprise," said the jester, rather breathlessly.

"Yes." The vampire cleared his throat, again. "Let me introduce myself. Ash Calvin."

"Kai. I'm Kai Ewan."

"Kai? That's unusual. I haven't heard that name before."

"I think my mother read it in a book somewhere," improvised Kai hastily.

Ash blinked and focussed again on Kai's face. "I think we should both visit the nearest bathroom," he announced unexpectedly.

Wow! Zero to one hundred in less than a minute! That was fast... too fast. Maybe things were more different here than he'd thought. "Er... I er..." Kai's shocked expression had Ash stumbling to explain himself even while he was struggling hard not to laugh.

"I just meant... to clean up. You've got my make-up smeared all over your face, and I'm guessing I don't look much better!" He took out a large handkerchief as he spoke and tried to wipe as much of the white paint off his face as he could.

Feeling a complete idiot, Kai shuffled from one foot to the other. He didn't have a handkerchief of his own, but he supposed a jester could get away with smudged make up, if anyone could.

"Here," said Ash, pulling off the red cravat. "Use this. I don't need it any more tonight... And by the way, if I want to proposition you I'll suggest somewhere much more salubrious than a bathroom." He grinned. "Come with me."