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rn-zane · 2 years ago

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alternative title: if we were a movie TIMING: couple of weeks ago SETTING: drive in movie theater SUMMARY: chance made zane promise they'd hang out after the miscommunication at the er.

Chance wasn’t a huge movie goer anymore. Especially drive-in theaters, which almost always meant double feature movies. Sitting still for back to back movies wasn’t something Chance typically looked forward to, but he was still excited for the night. He wasn’t quite sure what it was about Zane that had grabbed his interest. The two didn’t seem to have much in common, in fact he was pretty sure that Zane would condemn half of the things Chance did for fun nowadays. But the two had managed to have some fun back and forth between their chats online and in the hospital. Chance hadn’t gotten bored talking to him then, so he considered it a reasonable and logical deduction that the two could find things to talk about during two movies if it got too boring for him. The only deal breaker now was if Zane hated movie talkers. If that was the case, Chance was totally screwed.

Pulling up at the address that Zane had given him, Chance shot the man a quick text and then leaned back against the driver’s seat, staring up at the ceiling of his truck and waiting for Zane. He wasn’t planning on letting himself be nervous. Sure, Chance usually relied on clubs or something when going out. If Chance couldn’t carry a conversation there he could disappear into the music or even dive off a damned cliff. He didn’t have any escape plans at a movie theater. The only defense Chance would have on his side was his humor. He wasn’t sure an authentic Chance was something anybody was actually looking for.

That depressing train of thought was thankfully broken by the sound of a car door opening. Chance peeked an eye open, noticing Zane before breaking into a smile and lifting his head, “What up, dude?” He shifted his body to face the man, welcoming him into the truck by reaching over to turn down the music a few notches. “I hope you brought your A game for snacks. I know you said no criticism, but I don’t feel like I made any strong promises.”

—

Was he overdressed? Underdressed? What did you even wear for a drive in theater with someone you’d met once, barraged with criticism about their (admittedly stupid) decisions and ended up as friends with? Zane was overthinking this, not entirely unexpected but still frustrating as he ripped off yet another sweater, defeatedly staring at himself in the mirror. This was so, so dumb. This somehow felt worse than that one time he’d given dating apps a chance and spent an hour deciding on whether or not to go. He actually wanted tonight, whatever the heck it was, to go well. Chance was nice and funny and Zane could probably put up with his rash decisions if it meant hanging out more.

When he heard the sound of a car pulling up into the driveway followed by a text, he cursed under his breath and threw on the first sweater he’d tried on before it all went to shit. Jacket in one hand and small bag in the other, he rushed out the door, giving no one a chance to ask where he was going. True to his word, Chance had shown up in a pick up truck and greeted Zane with that genuine smile that made his whole face light up. Trying to find the sense of cool he managed to portray in the hospital and online, Zane clambered in, shaking the bag in his hand as proof of the promised candy. “Oh, I have options. And I will definitely lie and claim I brought some duds as well if you end up hating my favorites.” See? Easy. Nice and chill.

“And,�� Zane added, regretting the thought as soon as it was time to deliver on it but too late to back out now, “I also brought bribes to make sure I don’t get thrown out of the car.” The pad of stickers appeared from the bag, dinosaur ones of course, but these with a thin line of glitter outlining every single one. “Thought about giving you the whole thing but it’s probably better if I hang on to it. Give you one if your driving gets us to the theater in one piece.” So he’d maybe decided on this quip beforehand, coming as close as to write it on his hand to make sure he didn’t throw the stupid stickers at the man and fumble with his words. Sadly, that was all the material he had prepared. The rest of it was up to fate and attempting to keep his mouth in check before his brain had a chance to catch up.

Chance didn’t start driving immediately, opting instead to keep the truck in park so that he could continue to face Zane while the man talked. He grinned when Zane broke out the dinosaur stickers, snickering to himself at the stipulation that Zane set for Chance to win the first sticker. “Wow I’m really being treated just like the kids in your emergency room.” Chance scoffed, feigning insult at first. He corrected himself quickly though, remembering that the last time Chance pretended to be offended Zane took it way too seriously. Chance would have to work on the sarcasm. “Luckily for you I thrive on reward systems. Plus, I’m a great driver for the record.”

With that, Chance shifted his truck into drive and started towards the theater. Zane had read Chance easily. Chance wasn’t exactly the epitome of safety. Though he tended to keep his most reckless habits at a distance where others couldn’t get hurt in the crossfires. Just because Chance had a reset button didn’t mean that others were that lucky. For Zane’s sanity, Chance made sure to drive extra carefully across town.

Chance hated small talk, but he hated silences even more. It felt too much like being alone, something else that Chance was particularly fond of anymore. “You helped any other idiots in peril recently at work or am I just special?”

—-

Even though he didn’t have much of an idea on how the younger man ticked, it seemed that Zane had gotten his humor down pretty accurately. Which was a huge relief because bribing someone with stickers was a silly and risky move. That had apparently done the trick. “Walks like a duck…” he trailed off, a grin to match Chance’s making its way onto his face. “Hey, I’ll be the judge of that, with my qualifications of never having driven a car in my life.” Hopefully Chance wouldn’t find that odd, the afterthought that a 25 year old without a driver’s license was definitely uncommon. No turning back now, though.

There was silence for a moment, only the rumble of the car and the faint song on the radio to break it. Chance beat him by a second, which Zane was grateful for since he honestly had no clue which dumb ice breaker would have tripped out of his mouth if he’d been allowed to go first. Laughing at the question, he settled more comfortably into the car seat. The nervous tension was still there, bubbling under the surface, but joking around was definitely his preferred method for loosening it. Well, that or a run which was not an option at the moment.

“Plenty of idiots. None of them have sort of blackmailed me into doing something fun with them afterwards, though. Guess that still makes you special.” Zane’s head had been turned for every sentence passed between them, always gauging for a reaction, trying to figure out if his words were the right ones. Not that Chance seemed to give much away in his facial expressions. His gaze did linger, though, a nice opportunity with the other’s head turned to the road (thankfully). Not that it was lingering on purpose, simply caught up in actually looking at the man since the last time his focus had been honed on the busted arm.

He definitely looked nice, with a strong jawline accented every time they passed under a lamp post and the car’s interior was momentarily lit up. Still holding that gleam of being young while somehow looking a bit dragged down by the troubles of someone much older. He couldn’t be sure but Zane also thought he’d spotted the glint of jewelry in the other ear, now hidden from view as Chance drove. The automatic timer in his head, useful for warning him whenever he zoned out or stared for too long, went off and his attention was torn back to the passing street lights. “I’m liking your odds for that sticker.”

“Blackmail is such an ugly word. I like to think of it as a mutually beneficial alternative.” Chance laughed, “but I will take being called special.” As Chance continued driving, he could feel Zane’s gaze on him. He decided to ignore it, mostly because he couldn’t think of anything to say to make a joke out of it. God forbid Chance say anything that might evoke a genuine response from anybody. “So you’re telling me you don’t go on movie dates with every person that comes into your ER and gives you anxiety by association? I must be really special in that case. Just like my mom always told me.”

Zane promised Chance a sticker which elicited another smug grin from the boy, risking another glance in Zane’s direction as he pulled onto the road that led to drive in. “Can’t believe you had so little faith in me. I told you I was a good driver.” He bought his tickets and then navigated to an open spot among the cards. They were running close to start time, and a lot of the closer spots had already been taken, but unless Zane had exceptionally bad eyesight, they should be able to see the screen just fine.

Throwing the truck into park, Chance hopped out of the truck and began ruffling in the back seat, eventually pulling out a few blankets and pillows, “There are more pillows behind you. Grab some of those, yeah?” He circled around the back and popped open the latch, hopping into the bed of his truck and spreading out the first blanket and then dropped a few pillows. “Spread a few more out. The truck bed is uncomfy as hell so your back will thank the excessive amount of pillows I packed.” Eventually, the set up was done, with two layers of blankets and pillows across the truck bed and another group of pillows and blankets for the two to use at their leisure. “Ta da! Don’t lie, I know you’re hella impressed.” Chance was overly proud of himself, just barely refraining from literally patting himself on the back. “I think we need popcorn and soda. Thoughts?”

—

“Hey, I’m stubborn but I’m usually open to being proven wrong.” Zane had a funny feeling that he definitely hadn’t seen the extent of Chance’s driving skills but he didn’t have a problem with that. Besides, at least the younger man could drive. A fleeting thought, wondering who had taught the man to drive, whether it had been a fun experience or not, passed his mind. Teaching a foster kid to drive wasn’t high up on many people’s list, risking your precious car for some stray who wouldn’t stick around for long.

To pull his thoughts back from the past, Zane pulled off one of the stickers like promised, feeling a bit silly as he stuck it to the other man’s hand where it wrapped around the steering wheel. He decided to go with it - silly and loose seemed to be the vibe of this evening and he could attempt to hold that mood for the rest of the night. Much better than awkward and overthinking.

As soon as they were parked, another vibe made its presence known. Cozy. It was clearly a blessing that Chance had drive-in theater knowledge and as such, had come prepared. Helping out as much as he could, letting the expert control the mission, Zane joined him in stepping back to appreciate the effort. “Honestly? Very impressed. Definitely sticker worthy.” He really needed to stop with that joke before it got old. “I’ll keep my role on snack duty!” It would also make him feel less aware of the fact that Chance had paid for the tickets.

Returning with a bucket of popcorn and a drink for each of them, Zane looked over the little nest they’d made in the back of the truck. Wondering if Chance had done with this someone else before. It seemed so natural for him, making whoever was with him feel welcome and effortless and Zane envied that ability greatly. All thoughts were pushed down once he reached the car, handing the drinks over to Chance so he could climb in. “So,” he started as he slid into a comfortable position, trying without much luck to sit without his shoulder pressing into Chance’s. Stupid, broad shoulders. “I will try my best not to be offended but please lie if you don’t like these.” Pulling up the bag he’d brought, Zane reached for the bag of Skittles, handing them over to Chance.

While Zane went to get snacks, Chance climbed into his truck bed and picked his spot for the evening. It wasn’t too shabby, all things considered. He used to come here all the time with Ariadne and their parents, but since moving to town permanently he had only been here a few times. Luckily, the memories of how him and his cousin used to pack all their blankets and pillows to build this cozy palace reminded him to make sure to pack plenty this time too. If they were lucky, Chance wouldn’t even pass out halfway through the movie like he always did as a kid.

Chance was so busy studying the dinosaur sticker on the back of his hand that he didn’t even notice that Zane had come back until the drinks were being offered in his direction. Grabbing onto them, Chance scooted over to give Zane as much room as possible, handing the drink back off to him once he was settled in. “For the record, I was promised a second sticker.” Chance declared, flashing his hand sticker off to Zane as a reminder.

“I’ll be honest dude, I’m kind of a shitty liar.” Chance laughed. He didn’t have much time for lying anymore. Carpe diem and all that bullshit. “Luckily for you, I love skittles. So no lying needed.” Chance poured a couple of skittles into his hand before reaching over to grab some popcorn and mixing the two together, popping them all in his mouth. “Don’t doubt the salty sweet combination.” Chance could barely remember now if old him would have combined the two. He used to be such a food snob, back when he was actually serious about becoming some fancy ass executive chef. Now, Chance just enjoyed eating all the trashy junk food he used to deny himself.

With some spare time left before the movie, Chance leaned back against his truck, raising his arms and resting them behind his head to support himself and get a good look at Zane. “So I know you’re a nurse, you don’t have a car, you keep an absurd amount of dinosaur stickers and that you disapprove of my actions. What else should I know about you?”

—

“Don’t worry, I’m keeping track of the sticker situation,” he chuckled, enjoying the warm feeling in his chest at the experience of having an inside joke with someone again. It had been a while and the fact that this particular joke was silly and childish only made the situation better. Zane watched the colorful combination of sweets and popcorn vanish into Chance’s mouth, smiling as the man defended the mix without a single word from the vampire. “Hey, weirder things have been combined. Probably by me,” he admitted, raising his hands in mock defeat before grabbing some of the sweets for himself.

He’d been busy uncovering the rest of the snacks he’d brought - Reese’s pieces, sour gummies, some hard candies and a bag of caramels - when Chance spoke again. “Well…” Candy laid out on the blankets in front of them, Zane leaned back as well to meet the other’s curious gaze. “I’ve… never traveled out of the US, I like running, originally from Nevada - they have a terrible foster system, by the way. And…” I have no idea if this is a date or not. “My first and only stage debut was as ‘man on sidewalk’ in a high school production of Annie.”

Had the foster care jab been too out there? A lot of the people he worked with came from situations even rougher than his and joking about it was a good way to cope. Zane wouldn’t go into details about the how and why because that conversation wasn’t really breezy and silly. Hopefully Chance would take it as the casual comment that it was. “So - frequent flyer in the ER, excellent driver, easily bribed and very humble… feels like a pretty solid list.”

—

The increased spread of candies kept Chance happy, eagerly combining different combinations of them with his popcorn while listening to Zane give some fun - if not completely random - facts about himself. “Nevada has a terrible everything, to be fair.” Chance laughed, though made a special note of his mention of foster care. The mood was light, probably not the best place to question Zane whether he ended up in foster care because of dead parents, absent parents or some mix in between. Chance liked to keep things lighthearted, and those definitely didn’t fit the bill. “Can’t believe you got robbed of playing Annie. I think you’d look great in a curly, red wig personally.”

Chance actually laughed out loud at Zane’s description of him. When things boiled down to it, the man had nailed all the important details pretty well. Surface level, Chance liked to keep things simple. “You’ve got such a solid grasp on me already, where do I even begin?” Chance ran his thumb and index finger along his chin inquisitively, overdramatizing his thinking face. “I grew up in Massachusetts. Got adopted by my parents when I was seven and started coming here to visit my new aunt and uncle. Got super close with my cousin so when I graduated high school I applied for college here so we could live together.” That paradise only lasted a year or two before it seemed to go to shit on both of their sides, but Chance wasn’t about to get into that. Zane hadn’t even had the chance to meet, befriend and eventually - prefer Ariadne yet.

Shifting slightly so that he was facing Zane, Chance continued, “I used to want to be some fancy chef at like five star restaurants. I love skateboarding, though I’m actually not great at it. And I’ve spent more time in the hospital in the last year than I have in my entire life combined.”

—

Zane had been right to presume that one off beat fact wouldn’t sour the mood - as far as he could tell, Chance seemed to make it his mission to not let anything sour it. It was fine by the vampire, for now, but did make him curious if Chance really just didn’t think on things too deeply or if he too made jokes for a less… wholesome reason. Thoughts for another time, Zane decided, lips quirking up at the jab about Nevada. “Yeah, Wicked’s Rest is clearly superior in every way.”

The facts started rolling in, cementing Zane’s suspicion (and hope) that Chance wasn’t as one dimensional as he presented to the world. Hiding, sure, but Zane of all people wouldn’t blame him for that. He’d been adopted. He had ambitions. And the last year had, for some reason, been a real shit show for him. Zane could definitely relate to some rapid changes making life more complicated than it had ever been. “What changed?” he asked softly, head turned to the side to meet Chance’s gaze, eyes searching the other’s as if the answer would lie hidden there. “About being a chef, I mean. You definitely have the spunk and adventurous taste buds to be a fancy chef. Also sorry I used the word spunk.” A faint smile, hopeful in a way, wondering if Chance would give an honest reply or joke it off. He had the chance for both and Zane would accept either but…

Yeah, chill and loose was definitely nice but Zane couldn’t help the incessant need to dig for information. Not pressuring just… giving people a chance to talk when they seemed to need it. It might have been his overactive imagination but there was something hinting at a darkness underneath Chance’s surface. The frequent hospital trips were enough to set off alarm bells but other than that, no one could be that confident all the time without faking it a little bit… right? For the first time this evening, he didn’t hang onto the fact that he was staring, too busy trying to get a read on the other to worry about ‘being caught staring’ or whatever else reason usually divert his gaze.

—

“Woah woah. Let’s not get crazy, I’m not here to gas up Maine either. The Steven King horror hype can really only get you so far.” It didn’t occur to Chance until after making the joke that foster care aside, Zane might have good memories of Nevada. He wasn’t sure how exactly, but that was hardly the point. The point was that Chance had a habit of inserting his foot in his own mouth. Usually, Chance moved too quickly to put much thought into it. He could usually win people back over, or the two would never see each other again. For whatever reason, Chance didn’t want to hang out with Zane tonight just because he needed something to do or someone to keep him from getting lonely. Chance wanted to see Zane again.

Zane asked the exact question that Chance didn’t know how to answer. For the first time since the two settled in bed of the truck, Chance averted his gaze and stopped looking at Zane, instead opting to watch the screen as trailers finally started to play. It wasn’t like Chance could explain the zombie bite. Luckily, Zane seemed to narrow in and focus on the chef comment instead. Not that it really changed Chance’s answer. “Me, I guess?” Chance laughed, a hint of nerves escaping that Chance failed to keep tucked under the surface. He hated that feeling of vulnerability, no matter how small. “Not really sure what to say except that I was a lot different a year and a half ago. I wanted all that fancy shit and stability and the high life. Now I just want to have fun. Five star restaurants are not fun.”

When Chance finally looked back to Zane, he found the two staring directly at each other. He took the opportunity to let the confidence take back over, a knowing smirk stretching across his face, “I know it’s hard to take your eyes off me, but you’re supposed to be watching the movie.” Chance tossed a piece of popcorn at Zane, but didn’t shift back to face the screen. He shifted more so that he could face Zane more, pulling his legs up to not take up too much of his friend’s space. “Why the ER? You always want to go into the medical field?”

For a moment, Zane wondered if he’d overstepped and regretted it instantly. They could have stuck to casual ‘get to know each other’ chat and stupid jokes, but of course he’d had to start digging. Chance was looking away, probably wondering why he was being interrogated on what was supposed to be a chill night out, watching movies. When he finally answered, the speed at which relief flooded Zane almost gave him whiplash. He kept quiet, kept his instincts, begging him to reach out a comforting hand at the slightly pained laugh, in check. Wondered what fun meant and why. Deeply hoped that Chance wasn’t trying to fit experiences into his life because he didn’t have too much time left. “I wouldn’t know, I’ve never been to one. If you ever go back to the chef thing, I’ll have to change that, though.”

He wanted to keep digging so bad. Ask about this ‘before’ Chance in question and what had happened to derail his life. Before he could come to a decision about whether or not to pry further, eyes twinkling with humor had turned back to him. Zane almost choked at the comment and that smirk really wasn’t helping. The assaulting popcorn hit the side of his head, Zane having done as suggested and turned his head back to the screen. He wanted to have a quip at the ready to fire back but all he could think was ‘you are, shut up,’ so he settled for a counter attack with some skittles instead.

It seemed that even though they were supposed to be watching the movie, apparently, Chance didn’t seem very prone on listening to his own advice. Zane’s head dropped back onto his shoulder, turned to risk looking at his companion again. “Honestly? I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life until I was like… twenty. Side effect from being told the world is ending the first fifteen years of your life, I guess.” A pause. “Long story. Anyway, fell in with a group of people providing some very basic health care all over and it just… clicked, I guess.” His eyes turned back to the screen for a moment, seeing the opening credits start to roll and not really caring. “What have you been doing to try and make your life more fun, then?”

“Now shitty diners and a few half assed cooking classes are the only ones getting actual meals from me. I’m sticking with the program, but adjusting my end goal.” Chance still loved cooking, though he didn’t do it as often anymore. He used to spend entire days prepping meals and slowly cooking them, making sure everything was cooked to perfection. He never had the patience to cook anything that involved anymore. But he still loved cooking for others, so when the opportunity presented itself in the form of Zane definitely not even asking, Chance hopped on it. “Don’t waste your money on ‘em. I’ll cook a five star meal for you, free of charge.”

Chance could hear the sounds of the movie, but it felt like background noise. Off in the distance and mostly inconsequential. He was far more interested in the conversation with Zane. “I guess we’ll put a pin in the whole ‘world is ending saga’” Chance relented, raising his eyebrow at Zane, but not pushing any further. Zane had extended that kindness to Chance a few moments ago, returning the favor was the least Chance could do. “How noble of you. Dedicating your life to fixing idiots that dive off cliffs.” He mostly wanted to joke around, but figured that he could afford to be serious just this once, “But seriously, that’s pretty cool. Very selfless. And you’re good at it, which is a plus. You think you want to do it forever?” Chance liked to refer to his own actions as self-care, but when it really boiled down to it he knew he had spent the last year and a half being selfish. It was probably why his own cousin had distanced herself from him. Eventually, he assumed that Zane would figure it out and do the same thing. Which meant that Chance had to enjoy the moments while they lasted.

“Whatever is offered to me?” Chance said it more as a question, but really only because he couldn’t easily narrow down the things he had started doing. “Going to parties, trying new things. Cliff diving, obviously. All the things that I would never have done a few years ago.” Chance was acutely aware that his explanations only made it increasingly more obvious that something had gone down in Chance’s life that made things change. But even if Chance did want to explain it to someone, who would believe that Chance was destined to be reborn after death because some girl bit him by accident? “I just like experiencing new things now.”

—

Zane wasn’t completely confident in whether or not the offer for a home cooked meal was just another of Chance’s “say it because why not” things or a genuine offer. The thought that he hadn’t messed this whole meeting up enough to make a second hang out impossible was nice. Even though Chance would be wasting his cooking skills on a vampire, Zane would do his best impression of someone tasting food like a normal human, if the opportunity really did present itself. “Thanks,” he replied sheepishly to the offer that he did hope was an actual offer.

Of course Chance was interested in knowing more about the countless almost-apocalypses. Who wouldn’t be. Opening up that can of worms would inevitably lead to why he was no longer staying there and that would lead back to foster care and a depressing conversation that Zane didn’t want to go into now. “Yeah, I do an alright job, I guess,” he deflected, busying himself with opening a fresh bag of candy to avoid the compliment. “Surprisingly good with people in the hospital which is probably where I use up all my normal social skills that other people can whip out in regular scenarios.” Zane thought about the question, if he wanted to do this forever. It made him wonder just how long he could actually stay here, work at the same hospital, before the fact that he didn’t age would catch on. “I mean, probably? I’d like to expand on what I know at some point. Maybe work someplace else. Somewhere more out there, maybe. Like a doctors without borders thing but for nurses?”

It had been a while since he’d thought so hard about his future, thoughts and plans Zane hadn’t even been aware of making spilling out. Chance seemed to be opening up, too, the uncertainty in his voice cementing the fact that he’d probably never been asked that exact question before. “That’s good. Experiencing new things, I mean. Never too early to try and change your life.” Not as big of a change as literally stepping into the undead life but a much more positive change, still. “You ever need a plus one to any new things, I could definitely do with some of those. Either to join you or be on the sidelines with a first aid kit.”

It wasn’t surprising to learn that Zane didn’t consider himself a social person. Chance had clocked that almost immediately, though Zane had managed to hold his own in a conversation when the two were in a hospital room. “I think you’re doing just fine right now,” Chance interjected, considering the comment for a pause before adding in, “but maybe that’s just because we met in a hospital. In which case, have you considered just holding some sort of socials or speed dating there?” An ER wasn’t exactly peak romance, but at least it would be an unforgettable blind date experience. “That mean you don’t do a lot of dating?” Might as well finally get that out on the table. “Oh shit, that’d be awesome. I’d take any excuse to take a trip outside the US, honestly. I haven’t done a ton of traveling.”

Despite his best efforts, it seemed their conversation had taken a turn for the sincere. It all seemed to happen against Chance’s better judgment - who generally avoided any sort of deep, meaningful conversation especially when he was first getting to know someone. And since Chance’s friendships seemed to stay pretty surface level, he never really risked those deep conversations in the first place. “That’s a very different opinion from the nurse that berated me for cliff diving.” Chance teased, but moving on quickly to avoid another guilt ridden scene like in the hospital, “But hell yeah. You’re invited anytime. Always down to try new things.”

—

The idea of in-hospital speed dating had Zane laughing. A part of him had once believed in the hospital romance portrayed in… well, every show set inside a hospital, ever. It hadn’t taken long to realize just how much you weren’t thinking about romance when you were surrounded by infections, pain and people almost dying. Still thinking about just how hilarious Chance’s joke really would be if it were a reality, the question that followed caught him off guard. “Oh, uhm…” His eyes turned back to the screen, giving himself a moment of watching a scene that should have been funny but he currently had no context for. “Honestly, not really.” He found it easier to keep his eyes on the screen as he continued. “Tried for a date of an app a while ago and he wasn’t… well, it didn’t work out. Been out of the game since then. Which is fine, work keeps me busy so…”

Thankfully, Zane had gotten a better read on Chance’s teasing since their first meeting, knowing now that the other man really couldn’t have cared less about what some nurse thought about his safety. So he shrugged, a playful smile sliding onto his face. “What can I say, maybe you’re a bad influence.” It sounded way too close to a come on in the teasing tone, mirrored from Chance but not quite as natural coming from the vampire. Instead of scrambling to explain that he hadn’t been hitting on Chance while also making sure that it wasn’t because the man wasn’t someone he would be willing to hit on, Zane stuffed his mouth with some skittles.

—-

“Yikes. Sorry to hear that” Though Chance did hate hearing that Zane hadn’t had much luck romantically, he couldn’t completely ignore that there was a tiny twinge of excitement at the realization. Not that Chance himself had really been looking for anything serious either. Even since his new found freedom, Chance had never been looking for anything romantic. Probably because it had bitten him so hard in the ass the last time. Or shoulder, rather. “Yeah I’ve really only ever had one serious relationship. And it was such a spectacular shit show I haven’t tried anything since.”

That bit of what Chance could only explain as flirting was so unexpected coming from Zane that Chance couldn’t stop himself from letting out a single, loud as hell laugh. Admittedly, Chance was impressed by the guy. Chance could come off a bit strong and had purposefully instructed himself to reel it in tonight knowing that he wasn’t going to hang out with the usual club types he typically ended up partying with. But Zane kept on surprising him. “I can only say that I’m thrilled and honored to drag you to the dark side with me” He leaned over, purposefully digging into the skittles that Zane was holding instead of a box of his own, so that he could steal a few from the man personally. “I think we can compromise. The two of us can find ways to have some fun without getting into too much trouble.”

When Chance opened up as well, Zane finally found the courage to actually look back at him. This was most likely the realest thing the younger man had said all night and he wanted to respect that trust provided to him out of the blue. Craning his neck to the side had started to feel weird so he finally dared to shift despite there not being too much space, settling cross legged so his knees bumped into the other’s. “Can’t say I’ve ever had an actual breakup but I can imagine that it really, really sucks.” Again, words of comfort demanded of him to pair them with a gentle hand on Chance’s person but Zane resisted.

Here, in the dusk of the evening only lit up by the movie screen far away from them, Zane found that his jokingly flirtatious words slipping out weren’t the worst possible thing to have happened. It was easy when the person in front of you took everything in stride and matched every stupid word with a quip of his own, usually funnier and stepping even closer to the invisible line drawn over every conversation between two people. He didn’t know which way Chance swung, if Zane was even his type, but no matter the reason for stealing candies and suggestive comments, the vampire found that he definitely didn’t hate it. “Like going to the movies and totally missing all of it?”

Chance fixed his own posture now as Zane readjusted himself. The two now basically sat across from each other, Zane with his logs crossed and Chance with one leg tucked under the other that stretched off to the side. It wasn’t the closest Chance had been to someone since his last relationship ended, but it damn sure felt the most intimate. Instead of dwelling on it, Chance simply grinned at Zane before stuffing a handful of popcorn into his mouth and offering the bucket to his buddy. “Eh. I’ve moved on.” That was more or less true. He had definitely moved on from the relationship itself. Its aftermath was a bit more questionable. As with most serious topics, Chance didn’t like dwelling on that either.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every moment of Jumanji” Chance joked, fully aware that the movie they were seeing was definitely not Jumanji. In reality, Chance wasn’t sure he had really seen much of the film at all. He probably couldn’t describe a single scene. He had been more focused on the conversation. “You can just be honest and tell me if you hate movie talkers. Though I’ll confess, and this may shock you” Chance paused to add on the sarcastic quip, “But I’ve been told I don’t know when to shut up.”

—-

Zane laughed, faintly trying to remember how long it had been since one person had made him laugh this often in the span of one evening. It helped that being awkward didn’t have any affect on Chance, who simply met awkwardness with a joke - never really in a mean way, though, which was appreciated. His smile felt glued on, paused only for a mock expression of surprise. “No way!” He pushed at the other’s shoulder playfully. “It’s fine. I’m not good at shutting up either.”

True to their characters, neither boy was quiet throughout most of the film. With most of the plot missed, they’d ended up attempting to figure out the plot points themselves, each idea getting more ridiculous than the rest. When Chance had eventually gone quiet, Zane hadn’t commented. Hadn’t commented on the head that had drooped onto his shoulder either, followed by the sound of quiet snoring. And if Zane pulled the blanket higher over Chance and let him rest for a little longer after the movie finished, neither of them commented on it on the drive back.

#justtakingchances #salty and sweet #chance.002 #writing #p:chance

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