"Shall I wear this one?" Fox held up a black shirt showing Cheshire's teeth and eyes, followed by a white one with brightly colored cassette tapes. "Or this one? Or..."

With a loud grunt, Safira laid back on Fox's bed. "You're even worse than the girls from my House," she complained, staring at the ceiling. 

She already regretted promising Fox to take him to the party. On the brighter side—the more time it took him to finally decide what he was going to wear, the shorter they'd be at the party itself. On second thought, she believed it was a very bad idea to introduce him to Kris. They would only make fun of him. 

Fox heaved a deep sigh. "I'm so nervous it makes me feel sick."

"Let's stay here," Safira tried, feeling hopeful. She sat up straight. Her friend did look pale. She wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't been able to eat all day. "Let's watch the Maze Runner."

Fox shook his head. "No—I just need to bite the bullet. Otherwise, I'll never be with him."

You're never going to be with him anyway.  

She however kept her thoughts to herself. She could tell it to him a hundred times; it didn't land anyway. 

In the end, Fox pulled the dark shirt over his head and stood in front of the mirror. 

"If you change shirts one more time I'll jump out of the window."

Fox stuck out his tongue. "That's little impressive for someone who can change into a dragon."

He seemed to be content with the Cheshire shirt and raked his fingers through his curls. "I came up with four topics to talk about. Superheroes, interesting places to visit, food, and music. That's a good start, right?"

"I never thought that you would need a supply of conversation topics," she noticed. 

His cheeks flushed. "Well—I hope it helps me deal with the nervousness."

Safira suppressed a sigh. His expectations were way too high. She already felt sorry for him and they hadn't even left the bedroom. 

"What you're gonna do when he doesn't want to talk to you?" she asked. "Sometimes... he's in a mood like that."

"Is he often sad?" Fox asked. The innocence on his face almost physically hurt her. "Maybe I can cheer him up with my gift! Everyone feels better after cuddling a kitten or a puppy, right?"

Oh Fox... she thought, sighing. Kris would rather throw puppies than cuddle them. 

"No," she answered. "Not sad. Sometimes he's just a jerk."

"But that has to be for a reason too."

Frustrated, Safira ran a hand through her hair. Pretending to be a shrink sounded like a very bad idea. Why was it Kris he liked—of all people? What was wrong with a small sweet girl or a shy boy? Someone who blushed just as easily as he, who would smile about every stupid joke? No—instead, Fox went after a dude with a bad boy vibe one could feel miles away. 

"Let's go," she muttered. "And don't let 'em get to you, huh. Don't drink too much alcohol, no matter how pushy my classmates are. You're only 15."

"No," Fox said quickly. "I don't want to puke over his shoes. Like I did with Fire when celebrating my first exam. Although I'm sure it will leave an unforgettable impression."

"Trust me, transforming into a piggy left quite an impression too."

A red glow spread across his cheeks. "I hope he forgot about that."

"Repeating it four times is a bit persistent." She kept to herself that she heard Nish call him Piglet one time and stood up from the bed. Stepping past him, she laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "You're an amazing guy, Fox. If he can't see it, he's stupid. Don't try to be someone you're not."

Fox took a deep breath and nodded. He smiled nervously. "Things will be alright."

☆☆☆

Fox's heart beat like crazy. His ribs must be bruised. He suppressed the urge to grab Safira's hand when they went inside the party tent, but he craved a reassuring squeeze. Tonight it needed to happen. 

Just... something. 

Something he didn't have to feel ashamed about, that is.

He just wanted to move past this stupid shyness. That was not like him! He never found it hard to talk to other people, he didn't even care if they were listening or not. But this boy seemed to have the gift to silence him. Just like that, without notice. 

His glance wandered across the tent. Safira told him it was someone's birthday. 

It was a bit strange to go to someone's birthday without knowing them, but Safira had decided he could come with her. The other girls took their flings all the time, so she could make the evening it bit more fun for herself too. 

Fox asked her if he needed to bring a gift, but Safira had shaken her head. His presence was more than the girl deserved, according to his best friend. 

Fox froze. There he stood—his lower arms leaning on a high table on which the drinks were presented. Fox couldn't keep his eyes off him. He wore dark jeans with a black and red checkered shirt, and a leather jacket with silver studs on the folded parts. 

Even though Safira told him Kris was only two years older, he looked super masculine. All sorts of things squirmed, tickled and fluttered in his stomach like there was a complete insect house inside him and he was sure he would have been standing there staring for over an hour if Safira wouldn't have nudged his shoulder. 

"Quit staring."

"But he's so handsome and cool!" Fox whispered back. "How can I not stare?"

Yet, he tore his gaze away from the boy, just in time to see Safira roll her eyes. 

"Come on, let's have a drink. On the other side of the table," she stressed before Fox could panic. 

Fox walked with Safira and took a drink for him. He tried his best not to look to the side; instead, he looked at Safira's other housemates. "Is there really no one who's nice?"

"Nah, they're all fashion dolls. Except for Rhyn." She nodded to a blond-haired girl who was wearing a tracksuit. "But I don't like her either."

Fox chuckled. "I guess I should feel honored that you like me."

"Absolutely," she said with a grin. Then, she shrugged. "I dunno—hanging out with guys is just easier."

"We're much more fun anyway," Fox teased. 

His eyes wandered off. 

He almost had a stroke when Kris looked him right in the eye. His eyes looked like they were made of gold. Immediately, Fox choked on his drink and sprayed it around—much to Safira's chagrin. 

"I might not care much about my clothes, but that doesn't mean I want your soda on them."

"He looked at me!!"

Fox's cheeks heated up when his intended whisper sounded more like yelling. Instinctively he looked over his shoulder—and he started to panic when the boy pushed away from the table and walked towards them.

"O no! He's coming! What should I do, Saf!" His hands felt so clammy his glass slipped out of his hands, scattering on the floor. 

"Why on earth did I agree with this," Safira complained. She elbowed his side. "If you suddenly transform into a mouse I'm gonna kill you."

He was tempted. Very. Much. 

But he didn't want to anger Safira, so he squatted and started to pick up the shards. Maybe it would help him to stay out of sight. Glass stuck to his fingers as he piled it up clumsily, hoping from the bottom of his heart that he wasn't going to cut his flesh. 

"And? Is it official between you two now?"

His voice made Fox's heart jump into a rapid. His voice had a rough edge and was much darker than Fox's bright voice. Holding his breath, he looked up. 

Kris was standing next to Safira, leaning his arm on her shoulder. His glance was aimed at Fox, who swore that even his toes started to sweat. A lost squeaking sound slipped between his lips. 

Safira crouched down next to him, taking the glass from his hands. "Before you hurt yourself," she said quietly. She got up and walked to the trashcan. 

Fox got up as well. With very wobbly legs. His hands were sticky because of the soda. His curls hung in front of his eyes and he tried to get rid of them by shaking his head, afraid they would stick to his fingers if he would use his hands. 

Say hi. Say something. 

He looked up and almost drowned in the soft gold. Heat blossomed in his chest, even reaching the roots of his hair. He smelled so good. Fox had to keep himself from sniffing. 

"So you're Safira's boyfriend?" the boy asked. 

"W-what?" he asked, confused. Only a few seconds later, the question landed and he pulled a face. "No—yikes."

"Yikes?" Safira's voice sounded behind him and she punched his shoulder. "You should consider yourself lucky with a girl like me."

"I just don't like girls that way," Fox muttered. His eyes went wide when he realized he said that out loud while Kris stood so close to him and he didn't dare to look at the older boy. Hopefully, he didn't hate guys like him. 

"Ha, if that isn't Miss Piggy."

Someone pulled teasingly at his curls. When he looked up, he saw it was Kris' best friend. 

Or perhaps they were a bit more than friends since he stood very close to his friend and swung an arm around his shoulders. But no... Safira would have told him so, right? 

Fox was glad the former topic was interrupted, but he had no idea what to say or do now. He thought of the topics he'd prepared. But how did one start a conversation like that? Should he just ask a random question? 

"I uhm—I'm Fox," he floundered eventually. 

Kris rummaged in the inner pocket of his jacket and put a cigarette between his lips. "You smoke, Fox?"

He shook his head. 

The boy lifted the corner of his mouth. "Good boy." 

He allowed his friend to grab a cigarette from his pocket too. 

"I'll see you later." Kris winked, then, he walked away. 

Fox stared at him until he was out of sight. The insect family in his stomach had multiplied by now.

"D-did he really say that?" he asked Safira. In disbelief, he grabbed her arm. "That he—that he'd see me later?"

"Just keep breathing, Fox."

She didn't seem to feel happy for him. Did he interpret his words wrong? Had Kris simply blown him off? Suddenly, his heart sank. Before he could stare at the floor in disappointment, Safira grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's dance." She pulled his hand away and wiped it to her pants. "Go wash your hands first."

"Oh, right." He grinned sheepishly and looked around. 

"Inside, in the kitchen." Safira shook her head. "I'll walk with you before those hormones of yours make you lose your mind and convince you to frolic around in a certain room."

Fox nudged her shoulder. "It's not that bad."

Except it was. Part of him indeed wanted to race to the upper floor of the house and find a piece of cloth wearing Kris' scent and keep it forever.