We end up awkwardly sitting on the sofa in the living room space. Neither of us is saying anything and I start feeling fidgety. It's very different to what it's usually like. There is no negative tension in the room at all, instead, it's an almost nervous silence that surrounds us.
We're not looking at each other and we're sitting on the opposite sides of the sofa, as if to avoid being too close.
I sneak a glance over to him out of the corners of my eyes and see him running his hand through his dark hair and silently sighing.
Then he suddenly turns to me and we're just staring at each other for a second, too shocked by actually meeting the other's eye to move.
'Dinner?' he asks, a lopsided grin on his face, probably to joke away the weird atmosphere. I only nod.
'Movie?' I then ask and he, in turn, nods when he stands up and gets his phone from his pocket to order.
We don't start watching the film until delivery arrives and I busy myself cleaning up the mess I left in the kitchen. I don't really know what Raphael's doing, but I'm glad he's not in the same room as me.
The absence of aggression and anger between us definitely doesn't suit us. It's awkward. Painfully so.
When the door bell finally rings, i'm finished washing up, so I go to get it, only to meet Raphael half way.
We only briefly smile, an acknowledgement of the other's presence more than an actual, honest smile, then open the door to a lanky teenager with freckles holding two giant pizza boxes and two six packs of beer.
I raise one eyebrow, not remembering him ordering the beer, but shrugging and reaching for it anyway. Who am I to decline free alcohol?
Raphael quickly pays the boy, since I didn't bring any cash, then we retreat to the sofa and TV.
We end up watching classics, like The Godfather, followed by One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.
They're not really films one would watch for a relaxing movie night, but since we're not really friends and are just trying to get time to go by, I guess it's probably the better choice to go for an actually good movie.
By the time One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest starts, we've finished the pizzas and are halfway through our beers.
We haven't really talked at all, just watched the film and somehow, it actually got quite comfortable at some point. I can honestly say it's not awkward anymore and applaud our choice to watch a movie. It at least fills the silence.
When the credits flash on the screen, Raphael found some other drinks somewhere at some point and just came back with lots of shot glasses for us to empty as well. He and I are both on our last bottle of beer after emptying everything else and we clang them against each other in a toast to who knows what. We both laugh as they only touch in passing and he almost throws his beer all over me. I can tell we're both drunk and when I'm drunk I don't worry a lot. Strangely, I'm aware of that, but it doesn't really trouble me. Which is why I laugh when a few drops do land on my shirt.
'Sorry.' he says and pats my shoulder.
It's a bit strange how we've not really talked all evening and now we're laughing and he's patting my shoulder and I don't mind.
'What's it like where you came from?' he asks, a slight slur to his voice, but barely noticeable.
'There's a lot more werewolves than here and no one cares if we run around as wolves, so I always ran to uni on four legs instead of two.' I say after I think about it for a bit, then proceed to laugh a bit at my lame attempt at a joke in the last part.
'Sounds cool, dude.' Raphael only replies.
There's silence again and I don't want there to be, so I say the first thing that comes to mind.
'Your brother's cute.'
We're both leaning back now, staring at the ceiling as we talk.
'Don't hit on my brother.' A weak slap to my arm accompanies his answer, 'He's too good for you.'
'You're like the evil step mom.' I chuckle again. And get slapped again. But there's absolutely no strength behind it so it's more like the shoulder patting form before.
We sit in silence again for a few minutes, before he decides to speak.
'You're not too bad.'
'You're not too bad yourself.' I say back and raise my fist for a fist bump.
We fail miserably when we both miss the other's fist and end up in a fit of manly giggles once again.
'You're wasted.' he observes.
'So are you.'
'Sure am.' he mumbles.
His head falls to the side and ends up on my shoulder. I tense for a second, then relax when I realise he's fallen asleep.
When he wakes up literally two minutes after, I can't help but laugh.
He looks at me, smiles, then says: 'You can change into a wolf, you know. More comfortable, right?'
While he waits for an answer, he just stares at me and it would have been quite creepy had we not both been as drunk as we are.
'Cool.' I slur and stand up abruptly, making Raphael fall onto the sofa face first.
I head to the bathroom and struggle to take off my clothes. No use ruining them. It takes quite a while, as some pieces decide to fight back and I decide to go to the toilet while I'm here anyway.
I change into my wolf form while still in the bathroom.
Blinking, my eyes look down at my paws, taking in the light beige and white marking. I do have pretty paws.
I lazily walk back to where Raphael is still lying on his face on the couch and lie down on the floor in front of it.
He's not really moving, so I figure he's back asleep. My head falls onto my paws and I close my eyes.
When I feel a soft touch on top of my head, I open my eyes back up in reflex.
'Pretty wolf.' I hear a slur from above me. It's Raphael. He's petting my head all the way down to my shoulder blades, flattening my fur and ruffling it up in a slow succession. I can't help but let out an appreciative purr-like sound.
He chuckles and just keeps going.
Somehow, ten minutes later, I find myself lying on my back with Raphael sitting next to me and scratching my belly. It's a funny thing, because at that moment, it doesn't even register to me that this is a submissive pose, because right now, Raphael doesn't understand it as one either.
He laughs for every time I purr and just doesn't stop and it feels so delicious.
Once he does stop, he just falls face first into me, like before on the sofa. He's fallen asleep on my belly.
I try not to poke him with my paws as I carefully roll over onto my side and slightly curl around him.
He only hums, adjusts his position a bit and stills again.
I would laugh if I were human, but since I'm a wolf I just settle for one more round of purring before closing my eyes as well.
Shuffling at my side wakes me and when i drowsily open my eyes, I stare right into dark grey ones, looking at me curiously. I swallow, but don't move away. I'm faintly aware that I'm back in my human form, my arm around Raphael's waist, my legs tangled with his and his fingertips on my back, tracing invisible patterns.
What holds my attention, however, is the tip of my nose touching his.
I try to calm my breathing down, concentrating on this, but he's not saying anything, moving away or looking somewhere else. He doesn't seem uncomfortable, but I can hear his heart and it's beating just about as quickly as mine is.
His eyes won't leave mine even for a second and I can feel small puffs of air on my lips every time he releases a breath.
I swallow again and reflexively lick my lips, a tick everyone seems to have when nervous. And I am very nervous.
I quietly groan in the back of my throat when I feel him slightly shifting against me and remember that I am, in fact, naked. Having changed back some time during what little sleep I got, it should have been obvious from when I first woke up, but I was preoccupied.
His eyes darken slightly at the sounds and he shuffles even closer, his arm under my head moving to grasp my shoulders.
I kiss him then.
There wasn't much of a gap between our lips in the first place, so it didn't take a lot for me to close it.
An electrifying feeling runs through me the moment my lips touch his and I can't help but let out a little moan, at the same time that he does too.
At that point, I can't hold back. Before I even realise, his tongue and mine are touching, playing, wrestling for dominance and my hands are roaming under his shirt as are his on my bare back.
Our eyes are closed now, both of us trying to relish in the feeling of being so close, so attracted.
When he pulls away to breathe, just far enough for our lips to still be slightly touching, my eyes open briefly to meet his. Just that one moment is everything. I feel as if my heart suddenly beats stronger, my body buzzes with energy and I capture his lips once again, pushing against him with all that I have, only to receive the same.
His fingers grasp my ass and I moan and that is when we both still for a second, lips separating and eyes staring at the other's wide open. I see him pale and I know I do too.
Both of us are breathing heavily, but I can see realisation cross over his face when it all sinks in for me too.
And still, I cannot stop myself from quickly glancing at his lips swollen from our kiss.