That night's meeting was being held in a rec center, though how the group got the gym was beyond Caim's knowledge.
The minute that Caim stepped in through the back doors his name was called.
"Kyle!" Riley waved to him from across the room where he was helping to set up a couple of speakers. Caim let himself smile as he walked over. "Hey," he greeted. He was glad to see Riley as he hadn't seen the snake-boy in a couple months since a meeting in Virginia.
"It'sssss great to sssssee you," Riley said in his snake-like lisp, smiling.
You have no idea. "Same here." Caim looked around. "How did you guys get the space?" He found that he had a habit of speaking without thinking around the snake-boy.
"My boyfriend volunteersssss here a couple timessss a month, sssssso he assssked if he could rent the sssspacccce for the night."
Caim blinked. You're gay? And you have a boyfriend? Of course you do… "Who's your boyfriend?" He looked around.
"Aaron. He'ssss the one with the blonde hair over by the tablessssss at the back."
Caim located the blonde that Riley was mentioning and nodded. "Cool. He looks nice."
"He isssss."
Caim looked over at Riley who was smiling at him, showing a set of fangs that protruded from where his canines should have been.
"Is there anything I can do to help? I know the meeting won't start for a while," Caim asked.
Riley laughed quietly and jumped down from the stage he had been standing on. He looked Caim up and down and Caim looked away. I must look like something that just crawled off the side of the highway... Dang, I am something that just crawled off the side of the highway. He resisted the urge to run a hand through his hair.
"What happened?" Riley asked, touching the gash on Caim's head.
Caim pulled his head back and went to open his mouth when Riley interrupted him.
"Don't tell me 'nothing'." Riley's green eyes appraised him again and Caim focused on anywhere but those two orbs. He noted the snakebite piercings below Riley's bottom lip and the eyebrow piercing above his left eye. He wondered whether his green bangs were died or if they were natural and he couldn't understand how Riley could keep his hair so long that it was pulled into a ponytail.
"Wow. You two are practically undressing each other with your eyes." The new voice laughed. "Is there something I should know, Riley?"
Caim looked away from Riley to find himself looking up at Aaron. Riley's boyfriend was a few inches taller than Caim with calm grey eyes that seemed to be reading Caim even more than Riley's eyes were. Whoa. He quickly looked away, his hands twitching at his sides.
"Aaron, this is Kyle, an old friend. We met about sssssix or sssssseven monthssssss ago at a meeting in Bossssston."
"Oh, this is the guy that Marrow was telling me about."
Caim glanced around to see if the pink haired girl was present.
"Well it's good to meet you." He held out a hand and Caim took a small step back. Riley raised an eyebrow but his kind smile told Caim that he wasn't upset. "Kyle'sssss not really a sssssocial guy," Riley explained, taking his boyfriend's hand.
"Oh, sorry," Aaron said.
Caim shook his head and as he did he felt something in him shift. It felt unnatural, like a switch had just been flicked on in his head, and despite the sudden relaxation that he felt he couldn't help but want to run. That thought soon eased away and Caim shifted into a better stance. "It's alright," he replied.
Riley smiled and let go of Aaron's hand, instead reaching to take Caim's. Caim would have jerked away instinctively as he had done with Aaron but instead he felt himself allowing Riley's scaled hand to close around his gloved one and walk him across the hall while Riley shouted over his shoulder, "Be back in a minute!" He led Caim out of the gym and down a hall to the washroom. As they stepped into the white tilted room Caim felt the switch return to normal and he quickly pulled his hand away, stumbling back a step from the other male. Riley turned to look at him, a small smile on his lips. "I guessssed that Aaron got in your head."
Caim felt his eyes widen. Got in my head? He felt as though all the air had been sucked from his lungs and he couldn't take in any more. The idea of having someone in his head made him feel sick and he had hoped that Aaron hadn't seen anything-
"Easssssy Kyle." Riley reached a hand to touch his shoulder but stopped it a couple inches from Caim's body. "He'sssss not a mind reader or anything, jussssssst an empath."
Empath? What the hell is that? He took another step back towards the door, wanting to get outside and get some air.
"An empath is able to ssssenssssse other'sssss emotionsss and change them. He musssssst have ssssenssssed how tensssse you are and tried to help you."
Caim swallowed. So he wasn't really in my head… He took a breath and felt that his lungs accepted it. Riley gave him a kind smile. "Do you want ssssome help getting cleaned up before the meeting?" he asked.
Caim shook his head once. "I'm fine."
Riley met his gaze and Caim felt that he couldn't break away from the other male's unblinking stare. Do snakes blink?
"At leasssst with that cut. It looksssss really bad."
"It wasn't. I fell the other night."
"And you got that?" Riley nodded. "Ssssure." He turned to the sink and grabbed a handful of paper towels, running them under the tap. "Come here."
He's different than last time… Riley had been flirty the other two times when they had hung out together, but maybe that was before he had gotten together with Aaron.
The thought disintegrated when Caim didn't move and Riley spoke. "Come here," he repeated. "I don't bite." He turned his head to look at Caim and smiled, showing off his fangs again. "Not unlesssssss you want me to."
So maybe he's not completely different.