"Well?"
"Oh, sorry.." Dwayne stretched, knowing that Paul was desperately waiting for the sordid, dirty details "...thanks for moving my bike"
David laughed heartily and Paul pouted, "suck my dick, man"
Dwayne grinned, "hard pass.."
"Come on, dude. Give us a hint at least?"
"Of what?" Dwayne asked.
"What happened?" Marko asked, watching Dwayne with a curious grin.
"Cherry? She was cherry, right?" Paul said with a huge grin.
"Would you ask her that?" Dwayne asked with a primness that made David smirk.
Paul pondered for a second, "would I ask her if she was cherry? Probably not-"
Dwayne nodded in satisfaction, but of course the conversation wasn't over. It never was, with Paul.
"-would I ask her if she boned you and go from there? Fucking definitely!"
Marko chuckled, there was no doubt in his mind that Paul would do it. If he wanted something, they all knew he wouldn't stop until he had it - women, money, information..they all knew what he was like and what he was capable of. He was dedicated and bull headed but his charm always balanced it out and worked in his favor.
"Don't" Dwayne warned.
"Then you tell me" Paul responded, "was she tight? Was it bloody? Did you bite her?"
Marko and David waited patiently, watching the two boys watch each other.
"No"
"No she wasn't tight? No it wasn't bloody? No you didn't bite her?"
"Just no"
Paul shot an exasperated, 'can you believe this?' look at David and Marko before trying a new tactic, "fine. I'll ask her tomorrow.."
"Don't embarrass her"
"'Don't embarrass her'" Paul mimicked and Marko laughed, "come on, dude. Give us a fucking break-"
"-are you really that horny?"
"-just fucking tell us!"
"Why?"
"Why?" Paul rolled his eyes, "you find your mate. You finally fucking fuck your mate and you-"
"-but why do you want to know so badly?"
"Why are you holding out?" Paul responded, "this is a big deal!"
"You sound like a teenage girl"
"David!" Paul protested.
He wasn't used to this level of stubbornness from his pack mate.
"It is a big deal" David reasoned like a patient father and Dwayne shot him a look.
"Look, I'm not even a little tired" Paul said, crossing his arms, "I can fucking hang here and annoy you-"
"-yes"
Both Marko and David looked at Dwayne in surprise.
"Yesssss...cherry yes?" Paul wheedled, dropping to his feet "or yes I can annoy you yes?"
"I'm really not in the mood to joke about it"
"Who's joking?" Paul asked seriously.
Dwayne sighed.
"I can be serious" Paul said, the twinkling of his eyes belying his words just a little.
Dwayne looked between David and Marko for advice before glancing over at the perky blonde again. He saw as David shrugged in an elegant, cat like way and Dwayne sighed. He knew they all wanted to know. He would too, if the tables were turned.
"It's not your business and I think she'd be hurt if I shared the details" Dwayne said with a hard look at Paul, "but she's mine"
"Yours yours?"
"Jesus Christ, Paul!" Marko rolled his eyes, able to take no more "obviously yes, virgin yes.."
"Hot" Paul nodded before leaning against a heavily gratified wall, "so when you biting her? I'm super excited to have a sister.."
"Seriously?" Marko asked as Dwayne rolled his eyes in frustration.
"What?"
"That's all you have to say? Hot?"
"What do you want me to say, perv?" Paul asked, shooting a disgusted look at his friend, "Elizabeth happens to be my very good, close, personal friend and I don't think her womanly flower is any of our business" he pointed a ringed finger at both Dwayne and Marko, "for shame.."
He turned away from the two men and winked at David, who chuckled lowly. As Dwayne silently debated what to do and Marko watched with a stunned bemusement, David's low chuckle turned into a deep, rumbling laugh.
Paul snorted a laugh along side him, unable to keep up his facade.
"'Womanly flower?'" Marko repeated with a grimace of disgust, "that's hideous"
Paul barked a laugh again, obviously enjoying himself, "bet Dwayne didn't think so!"
"Enjoy yourselves" Dwayne said, throwing his hands up a little in a gesture of defeat, "I'm going to sleep"
"You really are so menstrual, put a bow in your hair already" Paul laughed happily, coming to sit by David. The two of them looked immensely pleased, still laughing together, "for real, what's the plan?"
Marko shook his head.
"Uh, fuck you?" Dwayne replied with a shrug and a flip of his finger, propelling a fresh little wave of laughter from David and Paul.
"You're so sensitive when it comes to your girl. I love it!" Paul chuckled.
"It's cute, isn't it?" David added, looking at Paul with a faux thoughtfulness.
"Super cute"
"Endearing"
"Adorable"
"You're not going to win this" Marko told Dwayne.
They each had their distinctive charms and personalities. Dwayne was the strong, stoic one. He was handsome and burly and strong and absolutely unflappable. That's how it had always been...but now that his mate had come into the picture, a hint of nervousness and worry had come along with her. Sure, he was still handsome and burly and strong...but there was a vulnerability, too. Paul in particular was going to milk that for all it was worth.
"Join us, Marko!" Paul laughed.
"The three blondes" David mused.
"One of these things is not like the other-" Paul cackled in a sing song voice.
Marko laughed, finding it difficult not to join in, "one of these things just doesn't belong!"
"-you're impossible" Dwayne said "all of you" but his lips were twitching, a smile threatening to break out across his face.
"I can't wait for her to join us" Paul said, "we're gonna have so much fun-"
David nodded in agreement, still smiling.
"-don't embarrass her" Dwayne repeated.
"No, dude. He's gonna have fun with you" Marko added.
"Great" Dwayne exhaled a little laugh. Of course.
"When's it gonna happen?"
"What?" Dwayne asked, determined to make Paul work for the information he wanted.
"Cute" Paul rolled his eyes, "OK, I'll play. When are you intending to tell your mate that you are, in fact, a member of the undead?"
"Tomorrow" Dwayne replied.
David nodded.
"When's the bite, Romeo?" Marko asked.
"Whenever she wants it to be..." Dwayne said with an easy shrug and a little smile. It was close to impossible to be serious surrounded by his friends. He wasn't going to force her to turn, he wasn't going to force immortality on her. He trusted that she would ask for it willingly, she would know when the time was right.
"That's a good idea" David said with a nod, Marko and Paul making various agreeable gestures of their own.
"Yeah?" Dwayne was a little surprised. He had thought that David would take a hard line on the issue.
"Yeah. We've seen what a reluctant recruit gets us" David said and all three of the boys knew he meant Star.
"Liz won't be like that" Marko said with surety.
"No?" Dwayne asked.
"Nah, dude. No way" Paul said easily, as if it was nothing, as if Elizabeth joining their pack was a sure thing.
Dwayne hoped it would be.
"It'll be slow" David said with a little nod, as if he was agreeing with himself, "she's a family girl but she loves you-"
"-gonna be conflicted, sure but it's fine" Paul interrupted with ease once more, "I think she'll love us, too. Don't you guys feel it?"
They all nodded.
It felt like she was meant to be in their pack.
"Exactly" Paul shrugged.
"I really hope it's gonna be as easy as you think it is" Dwayne said, a little somberly.
"Why wouldn't it be?" Paul asked, drawing a love heart in the air, "gonna be piss easy. She loves you.."
Dwayne waited for Paul's joke, his punch line or stupid comment but nothing came.
"What?" he asked, looking between all three of his pack mates.
"Nothing" Dwayne laughed with a shake of his head.
"What?!" Paul repeated and David laughed.
"Just weird seeing you be serious" Marko explained, stretching.
"I know, right?" Paul laughed, pulling a face before he turned to Dwayne, "so tell us about the titties"
Dwayne laughed with a shake of his head and followed Marko in a long, deep stretch, "I'm out"
He was tired. Tomorrow would be a busy night.
David followed suit and all four of them made their way, laughing and jostling good naturedly, towards the depths of their cave.