I stepped out of my bathroom, shuddering a little as the cool air contrasted a bit too hastily from the warmth of the shower, and frowned at my phone that now lay on my bed.

I picked it up cautiously, as if it would spring to life suddenly and attack me in some manner, before looking at the bed side table.

"I could've sworn I- -" I was about to say out loud when a confident tapping came at my door, snapping me from my brief moment of confusion. "Just a minute! I've just got out the shower!" I called.

"Oh come on, I've seen you naked before! Literally like five days ago!" Victoria whined, and I rolled my eyes, pulling a shirt over my head and opening the door. "Hey!" She grinned.

"V, Hi" I responded, a little wary at what her grin might be hiding behind jaws that I'd often thought should have serrated teeth, instead of the normal human ones. She strode into my room, collapsing on to my bed like she normally does, with a big huff, before sitting up straight and staring at me expectantly. "Well...?"

"Well... What?" I questioned shrugging my shoulders as she rolled her eyes in response. The gentle chestnut, curls, of her hair caressed her shoulder teasingly framed in an aura of yellow from the light pouring from my window.

"The fair is tonight. Are you going to tell me about this supposed 'other' person, you're meeting up with? Dating? Bumping uglies but hopefully using protection with?" She asked, staring at me with those oddly persuasive eyes. If I wasn't so sure that she'd never break the vow to never use her charms on me, I'd swear I was being charmed right now. But no, for as much faith I have in her and her word, I do occasionally weave a counter-charm, just in case she's being sly in her cheeky and harmless way.

I debated silently with myself for a moment. I suppose it would be right of me to give her fair warning, considering how she had reacted when she first discovered there were Vampires nearby. Not to mention she is my nearest and dearest friend. It leaves a foul taste in my mouth that I had not told her already. Especially when I now knew that Aramis had told his entire family about us.

She could no doubt tell the inner conflict on my face, as she gestured to the empty space in the bed beside her. I went and sat down, crossing my legs, adjusting the towel at my waist to keep myself covered before taking a deep breath.

Gods give me strength...

"It's Aramis." I said, bracing myself for any splashback of vengeful wrath from the best friend at my side. But instead she was composed. Smiling gently in my direction, for the briefest of moments, I wondered whether she was leading me into a false sense of security and was waiting to spring her trap.

"I'm happy for you, and angry at you. But mostly happy" She said, reassuringly, allowing me for what felt like an eternity, to relax with an exhale.

"But he's a Vampire"

"I'm aware..."

"But the way you acted when you found out..."

"Yeah... Still doesn't mean I'm not happy for you! I may not agree with it, entirely. And I'm gonna worry, oh boy, you bet your ass I'm gonna worry. He so much as raises a finger, even thinks about hurting you; I'll use a cheese grater on his dick to season the spaghetti I'll forcefully shove up his ass. But I am happy for you. You can believe that. Also believe how pissed I am for not telling me you're actively seeing someone. Fuck you for that" She laughed, to which I chuckled in response, unsure what to do with the imagery I was just presented with. But a weight was indeed lifted from my chest, and a whole lot of worry left with it. It is no doubt that this was the happiest I had been in a while, but that didn't stop the pang of worry I'd previously had when the occasional thought of telling anyone about my current relationship status.

*******

 The sprawling sound of laughter and music swept over the field and into the encroaching darkness of the evening, that was only being held back by the myriad of lights being beamed by the various rides and attractions of the fair.

A smile carved of pure wonder and fun was on the face of every passer by, as they hurriedly dragged each other from one game to the next. The sickly, sweet smell of numerous treats and foods pervaded the air like an intoxicating, curling, finger; beckoning the masses with each gesture to suckle on it's wares.

The people clutched at everything. At each other, at newly won prizes, at the whining pleads of "just one more ride".

Victoria's arm hooked with Jace's, while her other was hooked around the waist of the teddy bear she had won for herself, because Victoria always wins, and her hand held a huge, pink, cloud of candy floss, which she picked at gently, occasionally slipping a piece between the lips of Jace.

I walked side by side with Aramis. Grinning sheepishly at how the glisten of fairy lights seemed to frame his form just right in a gentle glow. He was busy losing his mind in awe at the sights around him, like this was the first time he'd ever seen a fun-fair, and he'd never even thought of such a thing before. He'd point, awestruck at the roller-coasters, declaring that he must ride one. He swooned over the bumper cars, even if he briefly panicked for my safety each time out car got bumped.

He even laughed in pure utter joy when he lost at the ring toss. A game that I happened to be rather good at, if I do say so myself. Even earning a small stuffed animal which I gifted to Aramis, and he gripped it so tight I am surprised it's head didn't squeeze off.

But he seemed to accept it with a gratitude that was so heartfelt, that the inside of my chest seemed to uncontrollably melt the moment my eyes connected with his. I immediately wanted to reciprocate the kiss that he eagerly leaned into.

For one, devilish, moment, I forgot my surroundings. I forgot what people might think of me with another man. I forgot my fears and worries, and I stooped low to avoid the kiss. Snatching his hand, I didn't have time to fully register the confused look he gave in response, nor the shout out from Victoria as she questioned where we were going, as I dragged him away and towards the Ferris wheel.

"Where are we going?" He giggled, as I slowed my pace when we came towards the back of a thankfully short line to the wheel.

"Up there" I responded, rather embarrassed at how out of breath I apparently was. The concoction of Aramis sending my heart racing, and the brief moment of running I just did, apparently was enough to wind me.

I pointed a finger to the top of the Ferris wheel. "If we're lucky, we'll get a box all to ourselves"

"Well, if you wanted us to go somewhere more private, Avery. You could've just said so" He smirked coyly, immediately causing my cheeks to redden.

"Shut up" I snapped, swatting at his arm with my fist, which he snatched out the air by the wrist, jerking it forward and causing me to fall safely into his chest. His arms immediately encircling me and squishing me inwards, I was met by the spicy, warm scent of his body, and as if on cue; I instantly relaxed into it. Closing my eyes as the rest of the world faded away from the pair of us, and it was just me and him. My fingers, playfully, bunched into fists, clutching at his shirt. I looked up, barely noticing that he was still laughing. Only noticing how utterly stunning this man, who was holding me in a grip that would no doubt last forever if it could, was.

His expression seemed to move in slow motion, as it relaxed to meet my own gaze with a spark in his eyes that I couldn't quite place. It glimmered at the edge of his pupils that seemed a lot wider than before, now that they looked at me.

I pulled my own lips inwards for a brief second, hesitating for one agonisingly long moment. Before pushing myself away from his chest with an awkward chuckle. We were at the front of the line.

I sheepishly avoided the look of the attendee to the Ferris wheel as Aramis paid him, and ducked into the box that was currently at the bottom.

My expression immediately dropping into one of not only shock, but also fear upon my discovery that we would not be alone in this box. I could hear Aramis' laughter come to an immediate halt as he too saw that we weren't alone.

He gripped my hand, staring down the grinning figure before us. It was Flint. Both arms outstretched along the back of his seat, he was leaning back with a cocky expression peaking out from underneath his cap.

Aramis made to leave, with me in-tow, but neither of us had noticed that the Ferris wheel had begun to move. Turning us until we were now about fifteen foot off the ground.

"Well isn't this cute?" Flint spat dryly, flinging a glob of spit from his mouth and out the side of the box we were in. My hand didn't want to leave Aramis', but I found myself pulling it away regardless, somehow justifying it to myself that I didn't want to give this man more ammunition he could use to attack us.

"Hi, Flint, right? I'm Aramis" Aramis introduced, I could feel the wariness in his voice, my eyes were never removed from Flint. Only watching Aramis from the sidelines. Flint was glaring at me, before his attention turned to Aramis.

"I don't give a shit who you are, leech. We don't want you blood-sucking parasites around here. Consider this a more than fair warning." He snapped, an amber colour bleeding ever so briefly into the pools of blue that were his eyes normally. I could feel Aramis tense, his jaw was clenching. "We don't want your kind either, you dirty little fag."

My hands lunged for Aramis' arm, but they found nothing but the space he once was, as in gestures too fast for my eyes to follow, he now had Flint by the throat.

"Aramis, don't. He wants this. He wants you to do it." I reasoned, standing up and resting a gentle hand on Aramis' outstretched arm that gripped a smirking Flint. Flint hadn't reacted beyond slightly tensing. He wasn't fighting back, or cursing, or anything, and I thanked whatever Gods graced me that day that I was able to spot it before Aramis did anything else.

Aramis' relaxed, looking at me with a questioning furrowed brow.

"Don't..." I whispered once again, making sure to keep eye contact so he knew how serious I was. We returned back to our seats, the first time we tore our eyes from Flint who was rubbing his neck. This Ferris wheel ride felt like it was taking forever, even as Flint glared at us intimidatingly. Goading Aramis with the occasional spat remark or insult. I held Aramis' hand with one of my own, cupping the side of his jaw with the other as we rested our foreheads together. I'd no doubt he could keep his composure all on his own, but by distracting him, I was also being distracted from the horrible excuse of a man that sat across from us.

When the Ferris Wheel eventually rocked to a stop, it became a stalemate to see who would leave first. We each stared at each other to see which one would go. Artemis gave a loud tutting sound, gripping my hand and pulling me out of the box in a hurried manner.

He pulled me along in silence, weaving through the crowd until we found a relatively secluded spot behind a food tent, before placing a hand on each of my arms.

"Are you okay?" He asked. The genuine concern in his voice caused a pleasing weakness in my knees.

"Yeah I'm fine. Are you okay?" I responded

"Yeah. You should've let me deck him. He shouldn't talk to you like that. Nobody should talk to anyone like that" He growled defensively under his breath, stepping back a little.

"I'm glad you didn't. He was goading you into doing it. He wanted you to."

"Well he certainly figured out how to get me to. Why though? He looks more like the type of guy to swing the first punch instead of wanting to take it"

"The Piece Of Four. He wanted you to give a cause to break it" I sighed, he looked at me confused, and I was suddenly reminded that he hadn't been in the area for that long. He probably didn't know, although I am more than certain his mother did. "It's a treaty of peace. Signed roughly a hundred or so years ago. Which I guess isn't all that long in terms of things. Essentially; Humans, Witches, Vampires, and Lycanthropes signed a binding contract to maintain peace to avoid needless bloodshed or war. Any act of knowing violence, based on race or with murderous intent, is in breach of that contract, and is subject to repercussions equal to double the offence dealt. Not many actually know about it, an even fewer of those are humans who tend to forget old things in time. But there is still a few who remember. But I'm willing to place a hefty bet, that Flint knew exactly what he was doing. If you'd hit him, he could quite easily claim a breach of The Piece Of Four, and either retaliate with double the force, which would probably translate to trying to kill you, which he could also argue was necessary, or at the worse end of the spectrum, just because my brain goes there, claim that it was a sanctioned attack by your race as a whole, and try to declare it as an act of war."

"Holy shit, politics? Really?" He bawked with an exasperated sigh.

"Yeah... It's why when anything that could be considered an infraction" I winced, remembering my altercation with Bethany "It's much better to talk it out after the effect rather than result to the contract... I find it odd that Flint knew about it though... He doesn't exactly strike me as the 'well read' type of guy..."

"Yeah..." He responded. We both mulled over what had been said, and it felt like there was this large, stretching cavern, threatening to swallow us whole. I didn't like the night being ruined, but a part of me felt that it was somehow justified. I'd been the happiest I had ever been, something was bound to happen to equalise it.

I felt the brisk, crook, of a finger upturn my chin. I don't know how, but I was surprised to see that the holder of the finger was Aramis. Smiling warmly at me, I smiled back. The swell of worry and self doubt, melting down my sides in shivers of that same happiness I had before. I placed a hand on the wrist that was holding my chin, as he leaned in closer and pushed his lips against mine, igniting an ecstatic fire within my chest, that crackled into a needy, wanting moan into his mouth.

I clawed him closer, as he pushed into my space while I draped both my arms around his neck. Before I knew it, my back was pressed against the food tent, as his hands cupped either side of my jaw with such a wanting passion that even the need for air seemed secondary.

"Ha! Gay" I heard a voice proclaim. I turned to glare at the would be offender, only to find it was Victoria and Jace. Jace's cheeks were blushing as he covered his eyes with one hand, his other was draped over Victoria's shoulders. Tonight might be salvaged after all.