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Silly boil. Don't you realize who you've bonded with? Making a fool out of himself and marring evenings seemed to be Alex's specialty, however unintentional it was.

Prom was, for all intents and purposes, at an end, and Alex found himself shuffling along slowly in glitter covered socks, hands shoved in pockets, mask held in one hand, and a vaisel that was much to large to be doing so perched on his shoulder. Was it just him or was Fei practically smirking at Princess Eva? Well, as much as it could look like a mini pet was smirking, anyways. When he had picked the little guy up from the mini pet area, he had been pretty much laying down in the same place that Alex had last seen him, making the zomboil wonder if he had bothered to move once all evening.

A mini pet after his own undead heart, this one.

They had walked along in relative silence, mostly, on Alexander's part, because the zomboil was almost scared to open his mouth lest some more sputtering nonsense come out as it had earlier. Now that they were alone, there was a nervousness flip flopping around in his stomach, which was odd considering he didn't normally feel this way around Yin when it was just the two of them. No, normally he felt comfortable, relaxed, and able to act more like himself. But now...well, the fact that he wasn't talking really spoke for itself, didn't it? It was...strange, to say the least. All evening he'd been having all these feelings that he wasn't used to, and he was suddenly just very hyper aware of Yin's presence beside him, and as much as he tried not to be a total creeper, he just couldn't stop looking at his bonded with a dopey smile plastered across his face. He was really probably just making himself look like a total idiot, but for some reason he just couldn't help himself.

And then there were the things, the ideas, or probably more aptly named fantasies that were running through the zomboils head. If Yin knew of what Alex was thinking of...no, that would be absolutely disastrous. He'd never had a problem like this before, never had to struggle with instincts or lustful feelings or thoughts that he couldn't control. It was horrible, and he was actually considering parting ways with Yin for the evening and just spending the night in his own dorm room so as to take a moment to figure out what the jack was going on. But that would mean parting ways with Yin, and he didn't want to do that. Surely he'd be able to just tough this out, sleep it off (so to speak) and things would be normal again by morning. Surely he had at least that much self control!

And so, they had approached the monster dorms, Alex still silently struggling with himself inwardly while trying to put on a good show outwardly that there was nothing wrong (and probably failing horribly). They went inside, navigated the maze of hallways and stairs, and finally stood outside of Yin's bedroom door.

"Yin?" Alex finally said, before the weremantis could open the door and go inside, his voice sounding slightly off, almost..strained? Oh jack, had he just forgotten to use the weremantis's full name? He made a small show of clearing his throat before he began again, "Yǐn Cáng, I mean.." Still a little..off, but not as bad as before. "Thank you for coming to prom with me," and for being amazing, he mentally finished off, somehow managing to keep those words to himself for once. He was being careful, oh so careful, but he couldn't help the look that he gave Yin, the one that really just professed all of his feelings without him having to say a word.

Yes, an enclosed space where they could finally have some privacy would totally make things go back to normal, obviously. That wouldn't just make things worse, nope, not at all.

The vaisel that had been resting quite peacefully on Alex's shoulder was suddenly becoming quite fidgety, as though impatient for Yin to just open the door. Really, the two of them could chat once they got inside, couldn't they? His tail flicked, knocking Alex's hat forward and nearly off of his head. Well, that was distraction enough away from the unsettling feelings in Alex's gut, as the zomboil cursed under his breath and snatched his hat up off of his head before it could fall to the floor.

"Why shouldn't I thank you?" Alex asked, curiously, once he was straightened up and shuffling past Yin and into the bedroom, his irratation at his vaisel clearing his mind a little bit. Fei had jumped down the second the door was open and had gone bounding off towards Lady Terror. "I mean, I am thankful that you accepted my invitation and came, and you thanked me for inviting you, why can't I do the same?" He wasn't upset or anything, just being his usual curious self. If anything, he might have sounded slightly amused, and he was smiling when he said it, as he tossed both his hat and mask onto the bed, then began shrugging out of his suit jacket, hanging it over his arm before starting in on the buttons of his vest as he made his way to the closet to hang them up. Once those were out of the way, he brought a hand up to run through his hair a few times, which was probably looking rather ridiculous after being flattened down by a hat all night long.

Fei was quite taken aback by Princess Eva's very unprincesslike behavior. Was this supposed to be some kind of payback for earlier? He narrowed his eyes at her, letting out a very quiet, but very uncharacteristic hiss. He hadn't even done anything that bad, really. She needed to learn to lighten up and take a joke! Still, he took a couple of steps back away from her, and sat down on the floor, flicking his tail back and forth, watching her carefully. If she didn't get over it soon he might just go and shed all over her precious bed.

Meanwhile, Alex was shuffling his slow way back towards the bed so that he could pick up his hat and mask and find a better place to put them for the night, listening to Yin's explanation as he went, smiling to himself. "Yes, you did, and I'm glad you had a nice evening." He said, before Yin's next words had him pausing, hand stretched out towards the bed. He needed help with his tie? How had he managed to get it on if he couldn't get it off again? Really, untying it was the easier of the two.

Well, if Yin needed help, who was he to not lend some assistance? The zomboil turned around, murmuring "Of course, though I think you know I wouldn't mind if you just left it on." Before making his way back towards Yin, stopping when he was directly in front of him, again finding himself completely smitten by the boil as his gaze slowly passed over him. The nervousness was returning, and he had no idea why, as he reached out to undo Yin's tie. The knot at the top had gotten quite tight at some point, probably from Yin constantly pulling on it, trying to loosen it but doing so in the wrong way, so it was a little difficult for him to work at untying it, and he didn't want to yank on it or anything so it was going to take some time. Unconsciously, he shifted himself forward, leaning down to get a closer look at what he was doing, which only brought his face closer to Yin's and brought there bodies together so that they were barely touching.

"Just a second." He said, quietly, his mouth suddenly feeling quite dry. Why was he having so much trouble focusing? This was really taking much longer then it should have. He could practically feel the warmth coming off of Yin and it only distracted him further. This felt..awkward, for some reason, and before he could stop himself, he had opened up his mouth to speak, which was never a good idea when he was feeling flustered.

"You know I--I meant what I said earlier..about lovin--" Before the words were fully out, he decided to glance up from the tie in his hands to Yin's face, though he wasn't sure why he suddenly felt the urge to do so, and he most definitely didn't know why he was saying these things again. Had his brain just completely left the building again? It really seemed as though it might have, as his words completely died on his tongue, and he just looked at Yin, his fingers stopping their movements on his boilfriends tie, even though he had nearly gotten it undone now. Their faces just inches apart, and it was like Alex had just completely frozen up.

Princess Eva was going to have to wait a long loooooong time for an apology. As far as Fei was concerned, he had done absolutely nothing wrong. He had only tried to help Princess Eva make a new friend. She was just being picky. His tail continued to flick around as he continued to stare at her.

The time in which Alex just stood there, not doing anything, seemed to last for an eternity. On the outside, he was stone still, but on the inside it was absolute chaos. He couldn't believe what he was doing, but yet somehow just couldn't stop himself. It wasn't until Yin spoke that he was finally able to look away, the back of his neck starting to feel a little bit warm as his eyes dropped back down to the tie that he still held. Did Yin really think that he was just speaking about the tie? That didn't even make any sense. He had been referring to something he had said earlier, and when had he ever mentioned Yin's tie all evening? No, it was the weremantis that he had feelings for, not this silky strip of cloth in his hands. Now the question was whether or not he was going to correct Yin.

Well, this was Alex after all, and the zomboil was nothing if not consistant in his inability to keep his mouth shut when it was probably in his best interests to do so. However, he couldn't bring himself to lift his gaze, and as Yin's fingers brushed over his own, he smiled to himself before pushing the hand gently away. He had this, and he could finish it now. "I-I don't mean the tie, Yin. I'm pretty sure you know that." He said, quietly, as he finished loosening the knot and began to untie it, slowly letting it unravel and then pulling to gently away from the weremantis. He let his gaze rise again now, and he lifted his hands up to place one on each of Yin's shoulders, before taking a deep breath, and starting again, his eyes locking on the weremantis's. Whatever nerves he'd been dealing with earlier had stilled for the moment, at last giving him a chance to speak without stumbling over his words.

"I mean you. I love you, Yǐn Cáng." He was pretty sure he did, at least. It was hard to tell when he had nothing to really compare these feelings to. He almost felt like he needed to say more, like he had to explain himself, but he didn't.

It probably would have been better if he had.

Instead of talking, the zomboil had a sudden inexplicable urge to do something else, something he'd never really given serious thought to trying to do before. And there was a reason for that, because normally he knew better then to even try. He'd learnt from past experiences that acting on impulse around Yin usually only led to to disastor. And still, he didn't stop himself. Still knowing, somewhere in the back of his head there was probably no way Yin was ready for this, he just did it anyways. He leaned down, with the fullest intent of attempting to kiss Yin in mind.

He really was an idiot, sometimes.

Whatever new tactic Princess Eva was trying, Fei was not reacting to it. In fact, he might have actually feigned a yawn, as though she were just boring him now with her petty behaviour, and he may have even rolled his eyes at one point as well, shaking his head slightly before turning and walking away from them both, pausing beside Eva's bed and giving her a very mischievous sidelong look.

Alexander wasn't even sure exactly what he was doing, or why he was doing it. For some reason it just felt right. He had professed his love, they had been together now as a couple for over four months, and they had just had a wonderful night out on their first official date. Why not do this? Was it not the perfect time? But no, before Yin even turned his head, he knew that he was making a mistake, and he hesitated, and then stopped. Yin didn't want this, he could see it, and he could feel his heart plummet down into his stomach. He had told Yin that he loved him, and had recieved no response in return, though he wasn't sure what to think of that. Had he really expected that the weremantis might return his feelings? It was really hard to tell even on the best of days if this relationship was going anywhere, or if it was progressing at all.

Biting down on his lower lip now, he took a step back, his hands not just dropping from Yin's shoulders, but almost pushing him away. He felt like he was currently riding an emotional rollercoaster. Shame, guilt, lust, panic, frustration, anger. He couldn't deal with it anymore. Still, he felt bad, and he almost apologized, almost. But then he thought that no, he would not apologize when he felt like he'd done nothing wrong. Four months and the most he'd ever gotten from Yin was a kiss on the back of the hand. It wasn't that he was ungrateful, it was just that, for once, he was ready for more, and it was not his fault that it was more that Yin couldn't give him. Hell, they'd had a discussion about this, but that had been weeks ago and since then, nothing had changed. Nothing had progressed, but still Alexander had remained patient.

So no, he found that he did not feel like apologizing this time. What he felt like doing was turning around and leaving, to go back to his own room and suffer through these horrible feelings in misery and silence on his own. But even that felt wrong, for whatever reason, and more like it would be just adding to the problem other then working towards fixing it.

At some point he realized he was still gripping Yin's tie, his hand clenched tight around it so that his nails were digging into his palm. The silence stretched out between them, and it was all he could do not to just scream in frustration, at Yin, at himself, at whatever was making him feel this way about the person who obviously didn't or couldn't or whatever excuse he had, feel the same way back. Something was burning at the back of his eyes, but he chose to just ignore it. It wasn't worth it to acknowledge the fact that he now felt like crying on top of everything else.

"Here." He mumbled, and held out tie towards Yin then waited for the boil to take it before shuffling over towards the bed, his shoulders hunched even more then normal. He looked dejected, he felt the pain of rejection deep within his chest, an almost searing sensation that he tried very hard not to focus on as he sat down at the edge, peeling off his glitter covered socks, effectively getting the ridiculously sparkly and shiny nuisance all over his hands before he just..tossed them to the side, not caring at that moment where they landed or if he was making a mess, before he laid down on the bed, on his side, and stared at the wall.

Yes. Alexander was sulking. And he was doing a really good job of it.

Hrm. No reaction from the rabo. It was hard to hide Fei's disappointment, but when the vaisel finally noticed what was going on in the rest of the room (really by now it was hard to ignore that something was wrong with both of the boils) Fei had a better idea. Bounding away from the bed, he sauntered over to Yin, placed a paw on the boils leg, gave him big vaisel eyes, mewed very quietly, almost questioningly, and then climbed into the boils lap to curl up in a happy, fluffy blue ball. Princess Eva was going to keep him from Lady Terror? Fine. He'd just take her boil instead.

Alexander had no idea that his vaisel was acting so treachorously, because he was too busy very pointedly not looking at his bonded, at the moment. He just needed a little time, needed to be able to sift through these feelings and get to the core of what was bothering him so that he could try and fix it. But no, he couldn't or didn't have the time, because Yin was right there, and Alex was refusing to leave. He most definitely did not want this evening to end on bad note, but he was just feeling too put out to do anything about it right this second. At least he was feeling better in one regard, and no longer had any strange urges to do things with Yin that the other boil definitely wouldn't agree to. A kiss would have been mild, really.

Yin's voice cut through him like a knife. Of course he didn't know what to do. He was just so clueless. It was a both frustrating and endearing quality, and Alex knew he couldn't fault Yin for any of this. He had told the boil that he wouldn't push him, wouldn't try to get him to do things that he wasn't ready for, that he could wait as long as it took. Problem was at that time, it had been easier said then done. He wasn't sure what had changed between now and then exactly to make these things more difficult, but something had, and that wasn't Yin's problem, it was his own.

With a sigh, Alex turned over from his side, onto his back, and stared up at the ceiling. At least he no longer felt like crying, so that was a step in the right direction. "You don't have to do anything, Yin." Back to the boils nickname, because Alex was either still too upset to notice or he no longer wished to put in the extra effort. "You haven't done anything wrong." There was bitterness in his voice, and he wished he could just be finished with that, but he knew it wasn't enough.

"I'm the one who keeps messing things up, and you, for some reason, still put up with me. If that's all you do, then you're already doing more then enough." A ghost of smile was on his lips, and his voice had lightened up, though his eyes still looked a little tormented.

"Just come to bed, please, and let me hold you if I'm still allowed." And if he wasn't...well, then he'd be a good boil and keep his hands to himself.

Fei was only disgruntled when Princess Eva piled herself into the nice warm lap with him, struggling to get out from underneath her. She could really stand to lose a little bit of weight, all of those treats were really adding the pounds. Still, the vaisel had to find it funny, after the first initial shock of being buried beneath first Eva, then Lady Terror, and he began purring in contentment as he curled up with both of them, any earlier disagreements between them momentarily forgotten about. Even the chewing on his ear couldn't dampen his mood now. And then his owner spoke, and his ears perked up, his head lifting to swivel towards him. Ohhhh, should he be comforting him? Well, Alex never really seemed to appreciate it much when he tried, and this was awfully comfy, and well, Lady Terror was here, not up there.

The vaisel didn't move, not until Yin took him gently out of his lap, and even then he just went off to play with Terror, though he did feel the slightest bit guilty for it. He figured he could always curl up around the zomboils ankles later.

If Alex had any idea how much his words were just making Yin more upset, he would have kept them to himself. But it was either say what was on his mind, or remain silent, and he wasn't sure which one would have been worse. So, he had spoken, and whether or not it was what the weremantis wanted to hear, it was too late now. Yin had agreed to come to bed, but he was so quiet, and the zomboil just got the feeling that it was the last thing Yin really wanted to do, and that just hurt more. Did he not want Alex to hold him? Was he that upset or turned off of him just because he'd overstepped the boundries? Great. That was just spectacular. He had ruined things more then he had first thought.

He wouldn't be attempting to do such a thing again for a long, long time, no matter how much he wanted to. And why did that thought just make his throat clench up even tighter, and that stupid all too familiar urge to cry return?

He hadn't really expected Yin to climb into the bed without changing first, and the sight of him still in his nice clothes surprised him. It perhaps surprised him even more that the weremantis looked..completely humanoid. Still, he had asked Yin to do something and the boil had done it, and again he had to wonder if that's just how things were always going to be. Alex making demands, and Yin following through with them just because he felt like he had to. Did the other boil even want this, at all? Did he ever want it? Did he ever find any enjoyment in it? The more Alex questioned these things the more he could feel it chipping away at his heart.

And so, there had been a lot of hesitation, a silent lapse of time that would probably, again, be taken the wrong way by Yin, making things continue to spiral downward between the two of them. Alex did, eventually, move in close beside him, turning on his side and slipping one arm beneath the other boil before slinging his other around him, over top. Whatever, if Yin didn't enjoy it, Alexander certainly still needed it, and he wasn't going to pass it up. He pulled the boil in next to him, gently, basking in the warmth of his body even through the clothing. He loved this boil, and while he had no idea if that would ever change in the future, right at this moment he couldn't even fathom what his unlife would be like without him, and had no intention of leaving him over such a small thing. Soon he was burying his face against the weremantis, taking in a long, slow breath before speaking, his voice quiet and slightly muffled, but the words should have still been understandable.

"I still love you, Yǐn Cáng. You're mine, and I'm yours, and I don't want that to ever change. I'll try to be more careful, okay?" It wasn't an apology, not exactly, but it was still fairly close.

It was hard not to notice that Yin was obviosly uncomfortable in this 'embrace' of sorts, but jack damnit, Alex was the one who needed the comfort so he wasn't about to stop. So it was nice when Yin began to relax, after he had finished speaking, hopefully an indicator that he was saying or doing something right for once. Then again, he had just used the weremantis's full name again. Maybe it was just related to that. Yin's response said otherwise, however, and Alex smiled, something inside of him warming up. He pulled his face away from where he'd buried it against his bonded, and laid it down instead so that it was on the pillow, and he was able to look at Yin, and spend a little time admiring him. The arm he had slung over Yin he pulled back as well, though not all of the way. He brought up his hand to trace a finger over the side of Yin's face, outlining the area where his green markings usually were, that were now just...gone. He then stopped that to reach his hand back down Yin's side, fingers running over the back of the weremantis's hand before he threaded his fingers in Yin's and gripped the other boils hand gently but firmly in his own while he just sort of...stared at the place Yin's antennae would normally be. If he'd known that Yin thought this appearance made him weak he would have scoffed at him. The fact that he was even able to do this only proved that he was getting stronger. It was a tiny bit offputting, however, that if he didn't know Yin he could have easily now mistaken him for a Reaper, or worse, a human hunter.

He wanted to tell Yin that he didn't have to try harder, that he was happy with him just the way he was, but it was pretty much obvious that that was untrue now. Yin would believe he was lying, and that just wouldn't do. So instad, he leaned his head forward, and murmured. "I appreciate it." Close to Yin's ear before leaning back again, his eyes roaming over him once more, before he noticed something that made him both smile and grimace at the same time.

"I got glitter all over your face." He confessed, before glancing down towards their hands, and around the bed, that was also mostly bespeckled on Alex's side. How absolutely horrible. Glitter was a terrible thing, and was so bloody hard to get rid of. This probably meant extra showers until it was finally all gone.

Somewhere in the room, Fei was trying to entice Lady Terror into joining him in the closet.