They had no idea how long they had been outside on the terrace. They would have been perfectly content to stay out there all night, but Thrax noticed that Ozzy had started shivering. It was night-time in late November after all, and he was only wearing a pair of jeans and a shirt.

Thrax took his arms from around him and cupped his chin to pull him into a kiss. "Hey, Oz, let's go inside. How does a glass of that ridiculously expensive champagne sound to you?"

Ozzy nodded enthusiastically. "Is this why you wouldn't let me open it? Jeez, you really thought of everything!"

They held each other's hands and ran down to the kitchen, dodging the few remaining candles on the landing that hadn't gone out yet. Thrax picked Ozzy up and sat him down on the kitchen island, before heading to the cupboard to get two glasses and some champagne from the fridge.

He poured the drinks, a huge smile on his face, and handed a glass to Ozzy. "To us, baby. You're absolutely exquisite and I love you."

Ozzy laughed and chugged his drink, coughing on the bubbles. "How the hell did you think of all that? I didn't know you were so… romantic! You had me ballin' like a baby back there", he said, looking into his eyes and placing a hand on his shoulder.

Thrax smirked and took a sip of his drink, while running his claws up one of Ozzy's thighs. "I have no idea. All I know is that I've never been so stressed in my life. All week I've been fretting about whether everything would work out or if you'd catch on. You came very close when you asked if the cake was a proposal… I almost shat myself."

"Oh, crap, sorry! I almost ruined it, didn't I?"

Thrax stroked his cheek and smiled softly. "Yeah, you and your big mouth." He poured some more champagne for Ozzy and told him to drink it slower this time, before topping up his own glass.

Ozzy looked down at his lap and bit his lip. "So, you kept all that stuff from my old flat. You've been carrying it around all this time?"

Thrax put his hand under his chin and lifted his head up. Ozzy smiled at him. "Thank you, I think that's the kindest thing anyone's ever done for me." He leaned in to kiss him on the cheek and Thrax pulled him into a hug.

"No, thank you, Ozzy. You don't understand how much it meant to me that day when you chose to come with me. You left literally everything behind and risked it all, for me."

He moved back a bit to look at him again. "I've always been curious, what made you believe that everything was going to be fine?"

Ozzy shrugged and looked back down at his lap as he thought about it. "I dunno, I guess I saw a parallel between me and you. I saw something in you that reflected something in me. A need for a connection, a need to be understood, a need to be accepted exactly as you are."

Thrax sat down on a chair and rested his chin on his hand, clearly interested in what Ozzy was saying. "Go on…"

Ozzy cleared his throat. "I think that's what made me save you in the first place. You were desperate to be recognised in some way. You thought you needed to get into the medical books and get the title of the deadliest virus ever or whatever, but that wasn't true at all. What you really needed was a bit of compassion and comprehension."

Thrax opened his eyes wider as he thought about what Ozzy was saying. Ozzy scooted closer to him and swung his legs over the edge of the counter, taking his hand in his own.

"And that was exactly how I felt. I had this huge ambition to become the best cop in the whole of Frank and make everyone proud of me. I dedicated all my time and energy tryna be the best I could be, but really what I was searchin' for was a bit of empathy, I suppose. For someone to actually get me and not treat me like a stupid, reckless kid."

Thrax squeezed his hand and smiled. "And I gave that to you?"

"Yep, more than anyone else ever had. Even though we hated each other, there was so much respect between us, don't you think? When I looked at you, I saw a guy with an insane amount of drive and passion. A guy who would stop at nothing to achieve his goal. A guy who didn't give a flyin' fuck what anyone else thought about him, because he knew he was the shit."

Thrax grinned and sat back in his chair, pushing his hand through his hair. "Well, you're right there, baby. And whenever I looked at you, I saw an annoying little cell who had more determination and zeal than anyone else I had ever met. Where others might have seen recklessness and insolence, I saw only bravery and resolve."

He grabbed Ozzy by the hips and pulled him closer. "As you so rightly said, I think we were both putting our energy into something that we thought we wanted, when in reality we just needed someone to understand us."

He let go of him and finished his drink. "One thing I've never understood, however, is why you took me into your flat. It was a stupid thing to do really. Even with those restraints, I could've bludgeoned you to death in your sleep or thrown you out the window for all you knew."

Ozzy laughed at that as he topped up Thrax's glass. "Yeah, I dunno what I was thinkin', I was an idiot", he said, pouring himself more champagne. "I felt responsible for you, I guess." He paused, before quietly adding, "also I always thought you were kinda hot."

Thrax did a double take and smiled. "You did?"

"Yeah, you were so tall and suave, and you were wearing that cloak of yours that you know I love. Back when you were holding that meeting in Frank, you were so dominating and you spoke all fancy-like, it was awe-inspiring... oh, and when you were straddlin' me and gloatin' about taking down Shane, I was terrified, but also kinda aroused at the same time..."

"Ozzy! You naughty lil' freak… so you're saying that all it takes to get into your pants is a bit of strangling and domination? That's why you slept with me after only twenty-four hours of living together. Now it aaaaall makes sense."

Ozzy pushed Thrax's shoulder, a faint blush spreading over his cheeks. "Hey, you'd been throwin' flirty lil' compliments my way and takin' each and every opportunity to get as close to me as possible! Don't pretend like you weren't jonesin' for a little osmosis."

He sat back and grinned smugly. "Anyway… need I remind you that it was you who made the first move?" He ran his hand through his hair and paused for a moment. "But... why the hell did you kiss me that day? It was a pretty big risk. It could've very easily ended up with me kneein' you in a balls or shootin' you in the stomach... or just straight up shootin' you in the balls." He made a gun shape with his fingers and pretended to shoot Thrax in the crotch.

Thrax thought for a moment, tapping his claws on the table. "I guess it was a mix of the adrenaline, the tension between us and how sexy you looked in that v-neck T-shirt. One of us had to make the first move, it was inevitable, the hormones were practically ricocheting off the walls in that tiny flat. It was suffocating us both. If we hadn't slept together, one of us would have ended up dead, I'm sure of it", he said, laughing.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I still get shivers every time I think about our first time, by the way. The build-up... the tension... the desire... that look you gave me...ahh", he shut his eyes and shuddered.

Thrax smirked and leaned in. "Me too, baby. You were absolutely incredible that night. Whenever I think about the way you looked when you were on top of me... and the noises you were making... fuck...!" He took a sharp intake of breath and gripped Ozzy's thigh.

Ozzy shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Ahem, anyway, on that note…" He lifted his glass and clinked it against Thrax's. "Cheers to us fuckin' instead of killin' each other."

"Cheers, baby." They finished their drinks and Thrax started running his claws up Ozzy's leg. "How would you feel about going out and celebrating tomorrow? There's this huge club on the cheek that looks absolutely disgusting. We'll be able to blow off some steam and might even find some alcohol there."

"Sounds good, daddy-T. Count me in!"

The next evening, they were getting ready to go out. They had both chosen their own outfits this time, not wanting to risk having to wear whatever the other one would pick out for them.

Ozzy pulled on a pair of tight, grey, very low-cut jeans, pairing them with white trainers and a black, sleeveless top that stopped just above his belly button. He was wearing the hypothalamus chain around his neck and his new engagement ring on his finger. He whistled at himself in the mirror and slicked his hair back.

Thrax came over and immediately ruffled his hair to make it go back to normal. "You look like a douche with your hair like that." Ozzy turned around to have a go at him, but was stunned into silence when he saw what he looked like.

"H-holy shit, you look amazing", he managed to say under his breath.

Thrax was wearing a pair of white jeans, a brown belt and a dark blue shirt. He'd left three buttons undone, so that you could see his chest, and had rolled up his sleeves, making his arms look even bigger than normal.

To top it all off, he'd taken his braids out and tied his hair back into a messy ponytail. Ozzy stared up at him with his mouth open. He grabbed him by the hips and pulled him closer. "I can't wait to get into that club and show you off, I'll be the envy of the whole city."

The club was everything Thrax had promised: it was sticky, grimy and full of the most degenerate looking cells that Ozzy had ever seen. Did it matter? Hell no. The music was good, the bar served alcohol, and he was here with the hottest virus in the whole city on his arm.

They headed to the bar and Thrax ordered two shots. As he was paying, Ozzy felt an unfamiliar hand on his shoulder and spun round to see a white blood cell leaning over him with a sleazy smile on his face.

"I'll get your drink for you, honey", he uttered, as he lightly pushed him against the counter and put his hand on his cheek.

Thrax growled and shoved the cell into the wall. He towered over him and lit his claw up dangerously close to his jugular. "Piss off if you know what's good for you, honey."

The cell nodded quickly and ducked under Thrax's arm. Thrax watched him run off and then put his arm around Ozzy's shoulder.

"Hey, don't you get tired of men treating you like that?"

"What? No way! Normally I have to do all the flirtin', it's nice to be on the other side of it for once."

"I'd love to see you try and flirt, I bet you're hilarious", Thrax said, laughing and squeezing Ozzy's hand.

Ozzy shoved his arm off him. "Whatchu talkin' about? I was a legend, baby! Chicks used to line up to divide with me!"

Thrax scoffed as he ran his claws through Ozzy's hair. "Yeah, I'm sure the ladies love it when you use that line."

Ozzy folded his arms over his chest and frowned. "Well, I don't see anyone around here tryna flirt with you."

Thrax smirked and leant down to Ozzy's level, before uttering in his ear, "how about another one of our little bets, baby?"

Ozzy's eyes lit up, excited by the prospect of having another opportunity to beat Thrax at something. "What kind of bet?"

"A bet to see who can get the most phone numbers here tonight."

"But won't that make you jealous, seein' me with someone else?"

Thrax stood up to his full height and shook his head. "Nah, I trust you…"

Ozzy smiled softly and took Thrax's hand in his.

"I trust you not to be able to get a single number by the end of the night."

Ozzy frowned and let go of his hand to punch him on the shoulder. "You prick. Right, well, in that case, count me in! What are the stakes?"

Thrax cocked his head and thought for a moment. "Bragging rights, and the loser has to clean the bathroom for a month."

Ozzy scrunched up his nose at the prospect of having to pick Thrax's hair out of the drain for a whole month, but trusted that his charm would help him win this one. He held out his hand for Thrax to shake. "You're on."

Thrax took his hand and pulled him closer to whisper in his ear, "here's a little tip for you, baby. Don't waste your time with girls. You'll have better luck if you go for the guys."

Ozzy pulled away and frowned. "Why? What are you tryna say?"

"Nothing, it's just that you're small and cute, and you've got this vulnerable quality about you that men will find irresistible. Girls will probably just find you annoying rather than charming."

Ozzy flinched at that and shoved his finger in Thrax's face. "Hey! Okay, just for that, let's make it more interesting! If I manage to get a girl's number, I get two points."

Thrax lifted his hands up and held back a sneer. "That's fine by me."

Ozzy scowled, pulled the engagement ring off his finger and shoved it in his pocket.

Thrax inhaled sharply at this, realising now that he was sending Ozzy out into this insalubrious nightclub to flirt with a bunch of seedy, horny guys, but decided to let it go. He couldn't back out now. He'd taunted Ozzy way too much, and besides, this had been his idea.

He put his hands on Ozzy's shoulders and made him look into his eyes. "Right, Oz, I've got a few ground rules: no kissing, nobody is to touch you below the waist, and most importantly, make sure we're never out of each other's sight." Thrax looked up and spotted a girl at the bar ordering some drinks.

"There's your first number, go get her, tiger", he said with a hint of ridicule in his voice, before smacking Ozzy's butt and walking away. This is gonna be so funny, he thought to himself, as he leant against a wall and watched Ozzy from afar.

Ozzy composed himself and cleared his throat as he approached her. "Hey, look what we have here! You are lookin' fine, girl, mighty fine." She slowly turned her head to look at him and rolled her eyes.

He leant his arms on the bar and tried to make his biceps look as big as possible. "So, what's a sweet thang like you doin' in a dive like this?"

"Girls' night out", she replied coldly. Ozzy started walking his fingers up her arm and said, "how about you ditch those girls, and me and you can have a little rendez-vous, I know the perfect sp-", when she grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back.

She pinned him to the bar and pushed his head down against it with her other hand. "Don't touch me, you creep. Leave me the fuck alone." She shoved down hard on his head for good measure, before letting him go and walking off with her tray of drinks.

As she walked past Thrax, he winked at her and a blush spread across her face. She ran back to her friends and started giggling and pointing at him.

Thrax chuckled to himself as he sauntered over to Ozzy. He sat down on the barstool next to him and said, "told ya."

Ozzy was rubbing his arm and trying not to show how upset he was. "Yeah, whatever, she's obviously gay or something."

Thrax tutted and shook his head, before undoing another button on his shirt. "Don't think so, baby. Like I said, you'll have more luck with guys. Anyways, I'm off to go chase some tail. Catch you later."

Ozzy scowled at Thrax as he walked off, mumbling insults under his breath. He sighed and started looking around for his next attempt. His eyes landed on the same cell that had flirted with him at the bar not five minutes ago, but he already had his hand up some other guy's shirt.

Ozzy groaned and rolled his eyes. What a slut. He jerked his head around in all directions, desperately trying to find someone that might give him their number.

He spotted a chubby red blood cell sitting alone on the sofa in the corner of the room. He was darting his eyes about nervously and shifting in his seat. "He looks like he could do with some company", Ozzy uttered, before strolling over.

He sat down on the other end of the sofa and remembered what Thrax had said about his 'vulnerable quality'. He stretched his arms in the air, exposing his midriff, and arched his back. He let a small moan escape his lips and glanced over at the cell to catch him staring at him.

Bingo.

Ozzy smiled sheepishly and looked away from him, feigning insecurity. He fidgeted in his seat and pushed his curls to the side, before biting his lip and turning to face him again.

The cell took the bait and scooted closer to him on the sofa. "What's a gorgeous thing like you doing in a place like this?"

Is that what I sound like to girls? Jeez, no wonder Leah never went home with me. Ozzy looked down at his lap and played with his fingers. "I just fancied a night out. I'm new here and don't really know anyone."

He flicked his eyes up to look at the cell. "You wouldn't happen to know anyone who could show me a good time?"

The cell put his arm around Ozzy and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm exactly the guy you've been looking for, I'll look after you, sweetheart."

Sweetheart? Eugh!

Ozzy fidgeted a bit, starting to regret being so forward, and the cell pulled him closer and started kissing his neck. Ozzy panicked and looked around the club for Thrax, only to see him sitting at a table surrounded by a big group of women.

Ozzy frowned when he saw that he had his arm around the same girl he'd tried to flirt with at the bar and was whispering something in her ear.

That smug bastard. He's doing this on purpose.

He was suddenly snapped out of his train of thought when the cell ran his hand down his front and started caressing him just above his belt. Ozzy laughed nervously and pulled away. "Umm, I'm goin' to the bathroom, can I get your number and then I'll be able to find you again later?", he blurted out.

The cell sat back against the sofa with a sleazy smile across his face. "I'll be right here, waiting for you."

Ozzy narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth. "Nah, I really need that number. I'll probably be in the bathroom for a while… I-I ate a huge curry before coming out and, heh, I don't want you to have to sit here waiting for me… I'll call your number when I'm done."

Yeah, good job, Ozzy, that's real sexy.

The cell looked at him with a puzzled expression, before shrugging, grabbing a napkin from the table and scribbling his number down. He handed him the napkin and stood up to go refill his drink.

"Great, thanks mate, cheers!", Ozzy yelled after him, staring at the number and grinning triumphantly, before running off to the other side of the room.

He shoved the napkin into his pocket and tried to find his next victim. He saw a group of guys dancing in the corner and sauntered over to them. He 'accidentally' bumped into one of them and pretended to trip.

The man caught him and helped him stand on his feet. "Sorry, pal, I didn't see you there. Are you alright?"

Ozzy wrapped his arms around his waist, looked up at him through hooded lids and flashed him a pearly white smile. "I am now."

After dancing with the whole group, he'd managed to bag all of their numbers. He excused himself and ran over to a different corner, grinning like a little kid on Christmas.

Right, so now I've got six numbers in total, not bad, Oz! I just need to get a girl's number and I can go shove it in Thrax's shit-eating face.

He approached a woman who was about a head taller than him and started his usual bit, but was interrupted by her putting her hand out in front of his face. "Not now, little boy. I've got my eye on that tall glass of water over there." Ozzy turned his head to see what she was looking at and groaned loudly. It was Thrax. She was lusting after Thrax.

Ozzy stood in front of her and said in a low voice, "y'know, I'd be careful of him if I were you. I heard he's a proper nasty freak, into some real weird stuff, if you know what I mean."

"Hmm, even better, thanks for the tip, kid", she said, before pushing past Ozzy, tying her hair up and pulling her top down lower to expose more of her chest.

Kid?!

He watched aghast as Thrax gestured for her to sit down at the table, which was now crawling with around 20 girls. They were hanging on his every word and two of them were stroking up and down his muscular arms. Thrax must have said something funny then, as all the girls started giggling and playing with their hair.

Ozzy looked around him, desperately trying to find another group of guys to take advantage of, when he noticed something. As he scanned the room, he saw that practically everyone was staring in the same direction. Almost every woman and a large majority of the guys had their eyes fixed on one spot. Thrax.

Shit, piss, fuck, bollocks. That bastard tricked me. Ozzy balled his hands into fists and scowled. It had been so long since they had been around other people like this that Ozzy had completely forgotten just how magnetic Thrax could be and the way he could command a room.

Thrax was surely aware of it too, and had egged him on enough for Ozzy to accept the bet, just so he could laugh in his face afterwards. That's why he had set the stakes so high. His natural charm and charisma were going to win him this bet, and with Thrax dressed the way he was, there was nothing Ozzy could do about it.

Thrax glanced over at Ozzy then and winked at him, a mischievous grin smeared across his face, before turning back round to all the girls and stroking one of them on the cheek.

Ozzy clenched his teeth, his shoulders shaking with rage. "Right, he's gonna fuckin' pay."

He swivelled his head around, trying to find someone he could use to make Thrax jealous. He spotted a large, muscular germ leaning against a wall, wearing leather trousers and a mesh top.

"That'll do", he mumbled. He composed himself and strolled over to the germ. He leaned over the bar and made sure to stick his butt out in the germs direction.

After a few seconds, he felt someone press themselves against him. Bingo.

He went to turn around and face the germ, but his hands were pinned to the bar.

"Hey, darling", he cooed in his ear.

Darling? Why does every guy insist on giving me a stupid nickname?

The germ rubbed his crotch against Ozzy's thigh and pressed him against the bar. "You look like you could use a good time."

Ozzy immediately regretted his decision to try to seduce a germ twice his size and wiggled his hands out of his grasp. "No no no, I'm fine, really, I have my friends over there waiting for me, so…"

The germ grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the wall. "Your friends can wait, I promise you'll have much more fun with me" He leaned down and ran his tongue over Ozzy's neck.

The combination of his hot breath on his skin and the smell of his cologne made Ozzy feel sick. He scrunched up his face and shoved him away. "Man, get off of me!"

The germ frowned, picked him up by the collar and carried him to the bathroom. Ozzy yelled out for Thrax and waved his arms around to try and get his attention, but the music was too loud for him to hear, and he was apparently too engrossed in entertaining his new lady friends to look up for even one second.

"That fucking twat", Ozzy hissed and kicked the germ in the stomach as he was pushed through the door. The germ groaned and shoved Ozzy against the bathroom wall, making him hit his head. Ozzy reached down and fumbled around in the germ's trouser pocket, hoping to find something that he could use against him. The germ grinned in his face, thinking that he'd won him over, as Ozzy found a set of keys.

"Yeah, darling, have a little rummage around down there", the germ cooed in his ear, rubbing his hands over Ozzy's crotch while leaning in to kiss him. Ozzy shouted in disgust and shoved the sharp end of the key into the germ's face. It went straight through his cheek and made him yell out. He roughly grabbed Ozzy's collar and shoved him hard against the wall again, shouting insults in his face.

Ozzy bit down on his hand and kicked him in the shin, which made him let go of his shirt.

He darted under his legs and ran out of the bathroom towards Thrax. He pushed one of the girls out of the way and grabbed Thrax's wrist. "We're leaving. Now."

Thrax's cocky smile was wiped from his face when he saw Ozzy's expression and what looked like germ blood on his shoulder. He nodded and stepped over the girls to get out of the booth. "Sorry ladies, maybe next time."

Ozzy hit him round the back of the head and turned around to glare at all the girls. "There won't be a next time! And you two", he turned to look at the two girls who had rejected him and pointed his finger in their faces. "Just so you know, lovers in the past have described me as 'exquisite'. Y'all are just shallow and you don't deserve me."

He grabbed Thrax by the collar and dragged him out of the club in a huff.

"So why the rush to leave, baby? Weren't you having a good time?"

Ozzy grumbled something under his breath and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't wanna talk about it… how many numbers did you get anyway?"

Thrax counted all the napkins and pieces of paper in his pocket. "Uhh, thirty-three in total, you?"

Ozzy stopped in his tracks and stared up at him with wide eyes. "Thirty-three?! How?! How is that even possible? We were only in there for like an hour!"

Thrax shrugged and looped his arm through Ozzy's to get him to keep walking. "I think it's the claw, the ladies love it. How many did you get?"

Ozzy looked at the ground and mumbled, "I'd rather not say."