Ryker's Guide (Mild)

Spooktacular

Carbry

Carbry felt like an ass wearing the golden crown and crushed red velvet cape trimmed in black and white fur. Naturally, Mer had picked out his costume. His mate had initially planned on dressing as his queen for the adults only Halloween party she and Liza had encouraged him to host for Knight Corp employees. Then Mer had gotten another costume idea in her head, one she wouldn't tell him about. A costume that apparently involved her cowboy best friend.

Car ignored the apprehensive glances from his people who always seemed to have difficulty cutting loose when he was around. In fact, hardly anyone had made use of the open bar which he'd ensured was stocked with the best alcohol money could buy. It just made little sense. He wasn't that intimidating.

Was he?

Just as Car was about to go ask the DJ to play something more upbeat in an attempt to liven up the crowd, he caught the scent of his own best friend entering the ballroom of the hotel he had rented out for the event. Ryke's gaze seemed to seek Carbry out, and when the younger man finally saw him standing disinterestedly against the far wall, Carbry saw the momentary relief flash across Ryke's face.

He'd soon joined Car's side and regarded him with a critical look before laughing and saying, "You look ridiculous, and this party is lame."

Car took in the other man's 'costume,' which comprised plain clothes and a black cape. "Give me some credit. The party has only just begun. And I think I look quite regal. Unlike you. You are...?"

Ryke smirked. "Isn't it obvious, old man? I'm a vampire. Look, I've even got fangs."

Still grinning, his friend dug through his pockets until he pulled out a pair of fake plastic vampire fangs and popped them into his mouth.

Carbry snorted before crossing his arms and returning his attention to not only the crowd but also the security teams who were watching the event with eagle eyes. "You look like a jackass."

"A debonair jackass." Ryke replied with slurred words because of the plastic in his mouth. "All the people are super into this Twilight, sexy normal-like vamp shit."

Car rolled his eyes. "First, that series is a shitty, misogynistic imagining of vampires. Second, that was 2005. Twilight is completely passee."

Ryke chuckled, pulling the fake fangs out of his mouth before saying, "Oh, here comes the king on his high horse. Hey, when are my cowboy and your zombie princess supposed to get here? I'm dying to see the costumes we weren't allowed to know anything about."

Car checked his watch. "Any minute now, I believe. They tend to be fashionably late."

Ryke was about to open his mouth to say something more when both their gazes cut to the ballroom doors as they finally sensed the arrival of their mates. When Carbry finally laid eyes on the two of them, his breath caught. After a few long moments, he managed to tear his gaze away from Mer as she pulled a cuffed mostly naked cowboy-turned-prisoner behind her. Curious, Car glanced at Ryker.

The man's expression betrayed his confusion... and arousal, and Carbry nearly chuckled at the man's conflict over seeing the two best friends together. Meri grinned when her gaze found Car's, and she began pulling the cowboy towards them with a single-minded determination. As pleased as Carbry was to see her happy, though, he found himself on edge thanks to the stares their two mates were garnering.

Daryl was dressed in what had to be a prisoner costume designed for a woman, and the orange 'jumpsuit' comprised a crop top that barely even covered his nipples and left the man's toned stomach exposed. The micro hot pants and fishnet stockings didn't help the situation.

As for Mer, it appeared they had attempted to make her costume the more conservative one. She was dressed as a cop, complete with a hat and a duty belt, but she'd done her hair and makeup, which she generally hated doing. Adding to the sensuality of her comparatively benign costume, the top few buttons of her 'uniform' were undone, leaving her breasts and a tiny bit of the black fabric of her bra just barely visible under the cheap navy blue polyester material of her outfit.

When they reached Ryke, Mer stopped marching the cowboy along and said. "Halt, prisoner 42069!"

Smiling, Meriwa uncuffed him from the cheap plastic cuffs, and Ryke, seeming to have recovered from his shock and confusion, pulled his cowboy close and slipped his arm around his waist before exclaiming, "Fuck. Why are you two dressed like we're back at the strip club?"

Mer laughed, flinging herself into Car's arms and kissing his cheek before she replied. "We decided we want to scandalize all the people at Knight Corp."

"Think it's working?" Daryl asked, resting his head on Ryke's shoulder.

Ryke scowled. "I think most people here are having inappropriate thoughts about my cowboy and the princess."

"Yay! So it's working." Meri grinned as she wrapped Car's arms around her waist and turned to face the crowd.

"Meri beat me with her baton." Daryl complained with a smirk as he nuzzled Ryker's neck.

"Only cause he was talking back to me! And it's a fake baton!"

Ryke cast his eyes to Meri's waist, and Carbry didn't miss the man's gaze lingering for a fraction of a second too long on Meri's chest. "Is that pepper spray?"

Meri snorted and pulled the black spray can from the holster at her waist and aimed it at Daryl and Ryke, pushing the button on the top of the can down and letting loose a spray of bright green silly string, some of which hit Ryke. The majority, though, was aimed at the cowboy.

"Stop it, Meri!" Daryl was laughing as she freed herself from Carbry's grasp and walked towards the cowboy, continuing to spray.

"Prisoner 42069 is resisting arrest!" She finally stopped spraying him and returned the silly string to her duty belt when Daryl held up his hands in surrender.

Car chuckled. "Technically, you already arrested him, Mer."

She shrugged. "Semantics. Come on prisoner cowboy. The bar is calling our names. Party is lame. We need to light it up."

Daryl offered Ryke and Car a smile before letting Meri link her arm with his and start dragging him towards the bar. "Booze then snacks?"

"Are you back talking to me, prisoner?"

"Course not." Daryl laughed as they merged with the crowd which was finally starting to seem livelier.

Beside him, Car sensed Ryke restraining himself from getting upset about all the people ogling his mate. "Your zombie is totally corrupting my cowboy."

Car snickered, crossing his arms once more before leaning back against the wall to watch the show. "I believe they may be corrupting each other."

"Fair enough." Ryke smiled before also leaning against the wall, shoulder to shoulder next to Car. After a moment, he started picking silly string out of his hair. "I think I'm gonna need some whiskey to get through tonight, old man."

Car smiled. Now Ryke was speaking his language.