Well. It’d looked like Berga, but it wasn’t the Butcher, not at all.
Which meant Zane could feel Pavel when he was being watched by him.
Was this a new development, or had he noticed the feeling before and simply brushed it off, unconcerned? He was so used to being stared at, especially while on campus, it wasn’t too far of a stretch to assume.
“Not that often,” he promised. “It’s easy enough to get away with stalking you as myself. You never notice me.”
“Are you…pouting?” And with the Butcher’s face? Zane rolled his eyes and stood.
“What are you doing?”
“We’re going to the dining hall.” He waved at the stuff when Pavel started to collect his things. “Leave it. None of that is useful. Berga probably memorized that textbook when he was fifteen, and he and I haven’t been given the same basic experiments as the rest of the class since Freshman year.”
Pavel grinned at him. “Oh. Rookie mistake.”
Thanks to that, Zane was more inclined to believe him when he said spying this way wasn’t common.
“Follow me,” he ordered, confident that no one would dare mess with his belongings if he left them behind. This wasn’t going to take long. They’d go grab something to eat—because as much as he hated it, Pavel was right and he was shit at remembering to refuel—they’d clear a few things up, and then they’d go their separate ways.
He could always make up some bullshit lie to Lyra later if she ever asked about the other member, and as much as he enjoyed this new type of attention from the student body, he knew it wouldn’t last. Better to put an end to this now, before his dick and the voice that sometimes whispered in his head could convince him to wait and see where this was going.
Wait and see if Pavel was as good with that thing between his legs as he was with his fingers.
“Does this count as our first date?” Pavel fell into step at his side, coming to a stop when Zane did.
He pointed at the bathroom door. “Go change.”
“Why? This face not doing it for you?”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m this close to changing my mind about spending any sort of time with you at all. You asked if I was mad? Of course I am, not about this,” he motioned to his form, “but this is nothing compared to all the other shit you’ve put me through these past weeks.”
Pavel hummed, the sound noncommittal more so than one of agreement. “But it worked, didn’t it?”
“Excuse me?” Zane frowned.
“All those things I did to you,” he took a step closer, “they got your attention.”
“Yeah.” He shoved him a full step back. “Because now I want to kill you.”
“Want to rip my heart out the same way I took Sam—”
Zane was on him in a flash, slapping a hand over his mouth as he shoved him against the bathroom door and intothe room. He didn’t follow him, growling when Pavel’s laughter trickled through the thin wooden door.
“Better?” It was less than a minute later that Pavel stepped through, still dressed in the same clothes he’d been wearing to impersonate Berga.
Zane scowled at the lab coat. “Take that off.”
He shrugged out of it without complaint and draped it over one arm, motioning with the other for Zane to lead the way. The science building had an attached tunnel on the third floor that led straight to Breaker Hall, a building that acted as a student center, with a café, convenience store, school store, and its own smaller dining hall.
The walk wasn’t long, but they drew attention from nearly everyone they crossed paths with. Zane acted the way he always did, as in he gave off the impression he didn’t notice, but Pavel seemed rather pleased by it, even going so far as to smirk and wink at a few students, and even a couple of professors.
“Since when were you this cheerful?” Zane asked softly, not needing anyone to overhear. “All of the gossip I’ve heard paints you as this dark, mysterious club owner. Isn’t Ledger meant to be the bold and chaotic one?”
“My brother and I are close for a reason,” Pavel said. “And no one is ever only one thing, Doctor. Take you, for example. If I stopped anyone here and asked them to describe you using two words or less, I bet you they’d all say some variation of cold and unattainable.” He leaned in, neither of them slowing as they entered the dining hall. “But we both know that’s not true.”
“Isn’t it?” Zane scanned his student ID code with his multi-slate and grabbed a tray, getting in line.
“Come on.” Pavel followed close behind, sliding his tray along the counter, only selecting the foods Zane had already taken. “I’ve been inside of you. I know how warm you actually are.”
