Dorian, Pietro, and Victor (backdated to 9/22/15)

[om_mage]

Dorian, Pietro, and Victor talk about dates and not-dates at Bobby's birthday dinner.



"See, seven minutes late, just like I told you." Pietro had his arm through Dorian's, chattering away pleasantly as they entered Da Costa's new place. Just over the threshold, he paused and took the place in. Distractedly, he took a glass of some bubbly fruity thing in flutes, passed it to Dorian, then grabbed one for himself. 

“Never doubted you for a second,” Dorian said as he accepted the glass. “Besides, seven minutes? Ten? Twenty? It doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t be here, so the party wouldn’t really have started yet.”

"So true." Pietro winked and sipped at his drink. No alcohol--for the best, considering the company. Beaubier was too canny for that. He swept his gaze over the room to see who was here, and with whom. Hmmm, Daniel was here--and had brought that weird kid? Maybe? Roommate? Victor and--

"Nico," Pietro said out loud in surprise. "Victor brought Nico!"

It took Dorian a moment, but then he remembered, “Oh, right. The zombie boy. Why is that a surprise?” He was cute, if you went for the whole dour, storm cloud look.

"Because zombie boy is dating Illyana Rasputin--who Vic deeeeefinitely doesn't get along with." Pietro snorted. There was, of course, also the bit where Illyana was definitely Nico's beard--and Pietro, having discovered this, was still getting regular knocks on his door for casual oral sex with her... but thaaaaaaaaaat was a whole other story. Pietro had long since assumed that Victor had a crush on Nico, no matter how often he denied it. "By which I mean to say it could be a potentially hilarious ball of teen drama about to explode--or not. Come on, let's say hi?"

Ah, of course. No dinner party was complete without secrets and intrigue. “I do love awkward social situations, particularly when they’re not my own,” Dorian responded and then gestured at Victor and Nico with his glass. “By all means, please, lead the way.”

Pietro did, drink in one hand, Dorian's arm in the other. Of course, he also could've added that Victor had dated Vance, and that had been followed by Illyana and Vance--but Vance hadn't wanted it spread around then, and he certainly wouldn't now; at least, Pietro wouldn't have spread it without asking Vance first. "It gets even more complicated, but you know how privileged information is. Basically it's a soap opera. Totally, delightfully awkward."

Dorian lifted his glass and grinned. “You had me at drama. No need to sell it to me any more.”

"It was your face that attracted me to you, Dorian," Pietro said with put-on seriousness. "But it's your easiness that keeps me around. Hey, Vic!"

“It’s what keeps everyone around,” Dorian replied. “That, and I’m amazing.”

Victor spun around towards Pietro's voice after hastily ending the conversation he had been having.

"Oh hey," He greeted warmly and then registered who was beside his friend. He tried to keep his expression fixed but his eyes did widen for a second there. "Oh, um, hi Dorian."

Deciding focusing on Pietro was best, he asked "When did you guys get here?"

"Only just." Pietro, of course, noticed the eye widening and smirked a little. "You know I like to make an entrance."

Dorian noticed the eye-widening too, but didn’t remark upon it. He had that affect on people. “And now you know that I do too. How’re you, Victor? It’s been awhile. You’re less wet and glistening this time.” He looked to Pietro. “We met in the pool.”

Victor felt his cheeks warm a little, which wasn't great since one of the few people who could easily recognise a blush on his green scaled skin was Pietro.

"Yup, we did. And I'm good thanks, looking forward to Jean-Paul's cooking. Always a treat." He was focusing on now stuttering, Pietro would have a field day otherwise. He knew better than to hope for mercy from his best friend.

"Aaaas you might imagine, I've never had it." Well, that one time JP had given him some bacon. Before they'd agreed to mutual disdain forever... or something. It was like forever ago, and Pietro doubted JP cared any more than he did, either way. 

He was far more interested in Vic's blush. He wouldn't say anything. Until next time he and Vic hung out alone, anyhow. "But that's nice that you two met while glistening. Vic glistens nicely. I'm sure you do to too, Dorian." Obviously. And if Pietro sounded like he was interested in seeing that, well, he was.

“Of course. As do you, I’ve no doubt,” Dorian replied with a grin. “I must admit I’m best viewed in the sun, though. I gleam better than I glisten.”

And that was an image Victor so didn't need, especially since he already knew he glistened very well indeed. And that was understating it. "Uhh, I guess it's our bad luck it's not summer anymore then." Victor said before having a chance to think over what he was saying.

"Winter's good for glittering though," Pietro pointed out reasonably. "Which is really more my thing. So you know, the sun sets, the moon rises. Oooh, so poetic."

Dorian chuckled, amused. “Did you just compare me to the sun?”

"Sometimes Pietro makes me sound like the intelligible one," Victor managed to joke though, like the sun, he didn't really look directly at Dorian. "It's what made us such complimentary room-mates really, balancing each other out..."

Pietro was just waggling his eyebrows at Dorian in response to that question--Dorian knew damn well that was exactly what he'd just done (and himself to the moon, thanks very much). "Victor, sometimes you have to give way to poetry, when you're on a date. Which--by the way--I am assuming you are not, unless something changed very recently..."

Dorian was curious to hear the answer to that himself. “He did bring Zombie Boy with him.”

"His name is Nico," Victor pointed out, glancing over to make sure that his friend couldn't hear them. "And he has a girlfriend, so of course he's not my date." Ok, he was 99.99% sure Yana was fact but they didn't know that.

Pietro rolled his eyes dramatically at the name correction, but then grinned. "That was what I was referring to as 'recently changed', yes. Just wondering, is all." Wondering if Pietro was no longer the 'other man' and just 'a man she's making out with on the regular'.

“People with girlfriends can go on dates,” Dorian pointed out.

"True," Victor agreed with a nod. "But straight boys only tend to go on dates with girls." The straight bit was almost definitely a bold face lie but Dorian wouldn't know that and, if he acted enough, may Pietro  wouldn't twig either. He'd never shown any sign of suspicion before, anyway.

"I am no expert on anyone's sexuality but my own," Pietro said. Of course, he knew now--though Illyana would never have said it in so many words--just what a lie that was, but it was Nico's business and that was cool. "And now apparently Nico's. Well then, it's a man-date! All bro. Got it."

Someone else’s sexuality was no business of Dorian’s either. He made no assumptions until told otherwise by the person themselves. “A bro outing?” he offered. “A bro-ting?”

"Basically," Victor nodded though added "Neither of us are exactly the 'bro' stereotype though. I just thought I'd bring a friend is all. You two, you're not 'bro-ting' or whatever, right?" He wasn't surprised, Pietro was single now and there was that old joke that if he thought someone was hot, Pietro was getting laid with them.

"Uh, no, this is a date," Pietro said matter-of-factly. "I was very specific. Dorian, date, right?"

Dorian swallowed a mouthful of his drink. “Mm,” he confirmed. “Pietro texted me asking me to come. No bro-ting here.”

"Well, I doubt you want me bothering you for too long then," Mostly he just didn't want Pietro poking too much at the Nico situation. He might be an actor but he wasn't the best liar when it came to close friends.

Pietro rolled his eyes, but not as hard as he would've had Dorian not been present. He was still in the 'vaguely trying to appear semi-mature' stage with Pavus. Kinda. As much as he ever was, anyhow. "Victor, you don't come to a dinner party for alone time, you come to a dinner party to socialize. With your date. Or bro.

"I mean, not that I've been to a dinner party before, but, just saying." He looked to Dorian, who he assumed had been to many dinner parties, for confirmation.

“He’s right,” Dorian confirmed. “It’s the third absolute of life: Death, taxes, and socializing at dinner parties. Though, depending on the gathering, the third can often be easily mistaken for the first.”

Victor laughed, maybe slightly too much but Dorian was still making him a little flustered. "Hey, dinner party newbie here too. Just don't be surprised if I use the wrong cutlery."

“Bobby doesn’t strike me as the multiple forks kind of man, but should he surprise, and I do love being surprised, just work from the outside in,” Dorian advised Victor.

"Good to know," Pietro said with a laugh. "Look at this guy, giving us the info. Sooo much more than arm candy, amiright?"

Dorian preened. “I am quite the Renaissance Man.”

"More than a pretty, you know how to pick 'em Pietro." Victor grinned, mostly proud of his lack of stuttering.

Pietro smirked. "Dorian does too."

"Eh, the jury's still out on that one." Victor couldn't not get in a little teasing of his own. 

Dorian sniffed. “I’ll have you know my taste is impeccable. I’ve been practically bred for it.”

"Oooh, you're even pretty when your feathers are ruffled." Pietro grinned and brushed at Dorian's already-perfect hair.

"I was insulting Pietro, never you Dorian. Promise." He told the other boy with a smile.

“An insult to my tastes is an insult to me,” Dorian replied airily. “But, since you intended it as a compliment, I’ll endeavor to take it as one. I can’t argue with two boys flattering me.”

Pietro, meanwhile, stuck out his tongue at Victor, then laughed. "No, never a bad thing."

Victor mimicked the action right back at Pietro, wiggling his lizard tongue pointedly.

Dorian smirked and leaned his hip against the nearby table, gesturing at Victor and Pietro. “Oh, please, you two, don’t mind me.”

"He's a tease, with that tongue." Pietro feigned sadness.

"Just because you've never been nearer to it, doesn't mean I'm a tease." Victor pointed out, after all it wasn't that he was a tease it was more he lacked oppourtunity. 

Dorian looked amused. He was enjoying watching the two tease and joke with one another. It was a side of Pietro he hadn’t seen before. A kind of relaxed, natural ease that only came from being around someone you knew well. It was a side of Victor he hadn’t seen before either, actually. A more confident side. One that worry about what he was saying. It made Dorian miss Felix, the only person he’d ever shared that kind of ease with.

“He does have a point,” Dorian said.

Pietro blew a little raspberry, this time, then laughed. "Okay, okay. We need to go do the rounds--Vic I'll be bothering you and your bro-ting more later."

Victor grinned and gave them a small wave and a "See ya!" before having a sudden thought and turning back to them. "Oh, hey, can you do me a favour? This is like the first time ever Nico's wearing colour I think and he's been worried about looking bad. Mind dropping a compliment in casually if you guys chat?"

Personally he thought the dark green, which wasn't a huge departure from black anyway, looked great but still. He wanted Nico to feel more confident if he could help it. 

Dorian leaned to get himself a good look at Nico. He grinned as he straightened and said, “That’s not much of a favor. I’d do that anyway.”

"Agreed," Pietro said. "Total cutie."

Victor tried, and failed, not to grin too much "Thanks guys." Before heading back over to Nico. 

Comments

[om_magik]

"By which I mean to say it could be a potentially hilarious ball of teen drama about to explode--or not. Come on, let's say hi?"

BWAHAHAHAHAHA

Pietro <3!

[om_hades]

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Nico's texting Yana like "this was a mistake. wat am i doing here"

[om_mage]

This is pretty tame by Dorian standards :D

[om_magik]

hehehe - pretty sure that's Nico's reaction to ANY social gathering, regardless of Dorian. :)