Flawed By Design

"Oh, that's pretty big, huh? From what I understand, you've been with quite a few people, so for me to be the sweetest...? That seems pretty big," he giggled, pressing close to the other to avoid the rain which had only gotten harder, the squeals of drunk women being heard as they stepped out into the sudden weather. Entwining their arms, Dante took the lead to wander towards his home.

"So, your parents don't like monsters... hm. Well, that's csrtainly upsetting, I suppose. Must not be fun to bring whoever you're with to meet them, yeah? What if you married a monster, what would you do?"
 
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"If I met someone I really fell in love with, they'd have to deal with it. Like, I'm not going to hide someone I love a lot from them, even if I'm sure my Mom would start judging me and my Dad would have a heart attack. They're like most humans in the area I'm from, just... totally against the whole monster thing, which sucks, but... I dunno. Not everyone's open-minded," he shrugged, silently eyeing the drunken women across the street with a faint smile. He always found it amusing when people got that drunk, mostly because he could never let himself get to that point. He always worried that if he got drunk out of his mind, he'd try it on with some cute monster and then have all his friends judge him with unsubtle disgust. Avoiding getting wasted, then, was the wise option.

"Hey, forget about my parents. If I fell in love and married someone, I'd choose them over my judgemental parents, trust me."
 
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"That's so sweet. It's like the original 'blood is thicker than water', yeah? What is it, blood of the something is thicker than the water of the womb? Don't quote me on that," he teased as he hurried his pace just a tad to get out of the rain quicker. "My parents aren't big fans either, to be honest. My father has straight-up threatened humans before if they give my mother even the slightest glance."

His babbled ceased once in front of a rather stylish hotel. Greeting the doorman kindly, he hurried into the lobby with a shudder before wandering towards the rather impressive golden elevator, that of which was also accompanied by a guard. Whipping out a card, he handed it to the guard casually, watching as the woman swiped it in the small slot besides the door. While Dante tried to stay humble, he wasn't one to avoid treating himself to a fancy penthouse on the top floor of one of the nicest hotels in New York City.

"Hey, wanna come up real quick? I can give you an extra umbrella, I can't have my model getting sick from the rain," He suggested as the familiar ping of the elevator made its way down.
 
The fanciest thing Xavier had experienced was travelling to Barbados when he was a child on a rare family vacation, and sleeping in a 3-star hotel. It had hardly been luxury, but compared to the sheer lack of grandeur in his life, it had felt like perfection. This hotel, though, overshadowed the brief past experience completely, and while he didn't want to look like a fool, he couldn't help but to glance around in complete awe. He wanted to snap a few pictures and show off to a few friends, but then he'd have to get into telling them he was with Dante, and that wasn't a conversation he wanted to take place this time of night, over the phone.

"Uh-- you sure you want me to come up there with you? I'd love to, I don't really want to get home soaked through. My mom will flip out," he admitted, cautiously approaching, despite feeling a tad embarrassed by how incongruous he was to the setting. "...God, I look a mess in here. This place is so fancy."
 
"I know everyone told me to stay humble and to keep my grandiose purchases to a minimum, but I couldn't help but at least move in somewhere nicer. I lived in a shitty apartment complex, everything was super small and the walls were,like,paper thin. One time, I heard Mr. Marzetti and his wife screaming, right? Then the next thing I know I hear a gunshot. Apparently his wife shot him right between the eyes. I know it's selfish but I never wanted that to happen again. I paid for my parents to live up on Lake George, somewhere a little more peaceful, and I treaated myself to this place. I know it's selfish." He explained as the elevator opened. Holding the door for the other, he offered a smile of encouragement.

Sure, he realized letting in a human who he barely knew to his penthouse, completely alone, wasn't the best idea. It zeal's only a sign of his desperation to be close to someone. "Come on, then."
 
"Are you serious? If I was loaded, I'd stay in a place like this. I mean, you didn't live anywhere great before this, you deserve to spoil yourself or whatever. Trust me, if I ever make a few million, I'm going to buy somewhere nice 'cos where I live now is complete shit," he said in reply, awkwardly standing in the corner of the elevator. He wasn't really someone who hated how he looked and stressed about it. Sure, he knew he had flaws and could talk about them, but he was fine with how he looked and, usually, he was fine with where he came from.

But, right now, he felt so out of place that it felt horrible.

"So, uh... I'll just get an umbrella and be off, then? I don't want to impose or anything."
 
"You won't be imposing," he reassured as he checked his phone casually. Sure, the first time he stepped into his home was more than a little daunting but, after a few years, he's completely gotten used to it - so much so that the fancy design didn't even phase him. Not to mention the fact that they were heading 20 stories up, the journey always being a great opportunity to check his phone.

Once the door opened, it was immediately to the designer's Home. Within it was rather simplistic designs, all of which focused on a black, white and red color scheme. It was mostly picturesque, like that of a catalogue, What with the fine leather and fireplace. Casually sleeping on the shag floor besides the fireplace were the two enormous dogs from the photo shoot that could only really be described as hellhounds to the average person. Much like monsters, there were plenty of mutated-esque animals that roamed larger cities. The two dogs had been in a shelter for nearly a year because of their large size and generally scary appearance. Meanwhile, Dante fell in love with them instantly.

"Wait here," commanded said man as he rubbed his feet on the welcome mat before hurrying into another room, leaving Xavier with the two gigantic dogs who stirred awake from their master's return. "They won't bite, I promise! They're super cute, wouldn't hurt a fly!" He reassured from the other room
 
While Xavier was definitely a fan of monsters, as all his past ex-boyfriends and girlfriends exemplified, he was not a huge fan of the 'monstrous' animals that strolled the cities. Hell, he wasn't a fan of normal sized dogs, even docile labradors, so coming face-to-face with these pets was terrifying. Despite Dante's insistence, he almost immediately backed up against the elevator in fear.

"I... need to go, I have allergies and, if you want me to, you know, work for you, I should go or my throat is gonna start closing up," he hurriedly began, despite staying rooted to the spot. He wanted to both leave in hurried fashion, but stay as long as he could to benefit from Dante's presence - it really wasn't an easy situation for him to be in.

"I'm not... great with animals, Dante-- they hate me. I have this... aura. Animals hate me."
 
"That's just nonsense," laughed Dante as he returned from his office, a casual smile on his face as one of the large dogs stretched and wandered to the monster's side, only to affectionately nuzzle his muzzle against his hand. Dante was average height, so the fact that the 'dog' was at matching height was intimidating in itself. Despite that, the designer couldn't help but respond to the affection by ruffling the beast's chest fur. Luckily for Xavier, the other didn't seem to make an effort to get up from the pile of blankets and pillows she claimed as her bed.

"This is Roscoe, and the other one by the television is Suzie. Sure, they're scary and big and whatnot but they're super lovable. They won't hurt you if you don't try and pet them - not until they know you won't hurt me. Not only are they the best security I could have but they're also such cutie-pies~!" He cooed, using babytalk for emphasis as he playfully scratched Roscoe's ears, causing the dog's tail to wag eagerly. "Look, I can put them in my room while you're over if you really don't feel that comfortable, they'll understand."
 
The affectionate display didn't do much to calm his nerves. He'd watched plenty of dogs (and cats) be affectionate and gentle with their owners, before barking or hissing at him and making an attack. If he could anger usually docile animals like that, he was pretty nervous the same could go down now.

"No, you don't... you don't have to do that. I'm here for an umbrella, right? I'm not staying here for hours on end. Just... let me borrow an umbrella and I'll be out of the way," he weakly laughed, uncomfortably nudging back further, despite that being impossible when his back was already firmly pressed against the wall. "And... uh... I can come and visit you at work tomorrow, to get me signed up properly?"
 
"Oh, ah... yeah, okay," he whispered, handing over the umbrella reluctantly. "I'm really sorry, I... I mean, I guess I should have warned you? I take pictures of them all the time so I thought you would have known before coming, but... that's okay. You know where my office is, right? Wait, you're going to need a pass to get in - I have an extra one! Once you get properly set up, you'll have your own."

Motioning the other to wait once again, he hurried back to his office where ruffling of papers could be heard. As Dante looked, Roscoe dared to approach to sniff Xavier, the bare front skull of the dog going as far as to touch the human as he curiously sniffed out the other. Luckily for Xavier, Dante returned before even the thought of Roscoe doing anything dangerous came to mind. Shooing the animal away, he watched as Roscoe reluctantly returned to his own bed beside the far more docile Suzie.

"Don't lose this," he ordered as he handed over the card, his free hand absently tapping his nails on his hip. "I can't lose another one or I'll get yelled at, okay? I... I guess I gotta wish you a goodnight, right? I'll see you tomorrow - come in at 9, okay?
 
Between the general awkwardness he felt at being in such a fancy suite, to the investigative approach from Roscoe, Xavier was all ready to jump in the elevator and abandon the new job prospect altogether. He wasn't eager to become a model, and was generally dreading it, knowing how horrible he'd be in front of a camera or on a catwalk compared to seasoned professionals. That said, his crush on Dante was enough to face the inevitable embarrassment from that, and it was even enough to deal with the animal's proximity to him, even if he did so with a grimace of unsubtle fear.

Taking the pass appreciatively, pocketing it immediately, he held the umbrella hard in his hand with a forced grin. "9am, right. Got it. I... I liked tonight, by the way. Meeting you was... more than I could have hoped for. You're great, really."
 
"Thanks, you're pretty great yourself," he replied bashfully as he wandered to the coat hanger, setting his large coat on it once being able to settle down rather than run back and forth. "I'm really sorry that the dogs freaked you out, uh... I guess I shouldn't have brought you up here. I won't do that again, okay?" He reassured in a weak attempt to apologize once realizing just how much the human hated his home.

"Yeah, 9. I'll be getting coffee so, if you want some just text me before 7, okay? You've got my number, so... don't forget it, alright? It'll be a stressful day for you tomorrow, I imagine, but it's nice to have you on the team, Xavier," he insisted before offering his hand for a shake. If he somehow ruined all chances of a romantic relationship with the other, the least he could do was have a professional one, right?
 
Noticing the change in tone from generally friendly and relaxed to professional did take him by surprise, and left him staring in confusion at the other for a delayed few seconds. He wasn't quite sure what he'd done to alter the tone of the conversation like this, but he did think he must have done something, because the difference was genuinely quite drastic, in his eyes.

Realising how long he'd ignored the handshake, he quickly set about shaking his hand, even if that reinforced the professionalism and left him even more confused and upset. The only conclusion he could come to was that he'd offended Dante and ruined something developing, which was horrible, considering the week he'd spent obsessing over him and how far he'd come in that short time. Turning up for this new job opportunity, feeling he'd ruined every chance of a romantic relationship, wasn't something he was looking forward to now. He only accepted the job to be close to him, to spark something romantic, and with that ruined (or so he thought), going to this job was redundant.

Though he still turned up nonetheless, arriving to the correct floor at 9am sharp. He had neglected to text Dante, other than a good morning text thanking him for the opportunity, but he'd wanted to text him a lot more. He just felt like he'd end up irritating him and, with the apparent emphasis on professionalism, texting his boss so much didn't seem wise.
 
There was a system Xavier had to go through, a routine that Dante had hoped he would catch on to quick. First, you had to enter with the proper pass, that of which would be scanned before leading to the lobby. Every single decorative design choice could be mostly thanked Sara, as she would boast if brought up. The sleek and modern design of both the large logo in gold above the front desk and the furniture very similar to Dante's own home would be prevalent everywhere. What was a change in pace compared to other clothing design companies was the fact that the whole building was teaming with monsters of all shapes and sizes and the only human being there was one of the women working at the front end.

From there, Xavier had to take another long elevator ride up to the top of the building, to the literal and financial higher-ups. He would have to go through security, making sure not to have any possible weapons on him in addition to leaving ID behind to be picked up later on his way before finally interacting with Sara, who had her desk just outside of Dante's. She was a very casual person, sure, and had no problem lounging about... on her break, that is. During the workday, though, she was quickly tapping away at her laptop, only really glancing up once hearing the footsteps end at her desk.

"... Oh, you're the guy Dante has been talking about, yeah?" She guessed, her eyes critical as she scanned Xavier's body both to judge his fashion sense and to grimace at his... human-ness. "I'm glad you're on time, at least. I need your pass, okay?" She grumbled, holding out her clawed hand expectantly.
 
The far too lengthy process to even get to Dante's floor hardly helped Xavier. He had lost all motivation for the job the very instant Dante seemed to lose the casual tone to their conversation the night before, so heading through all the barriers and having the reality hit him that he would be involved in all this wasn't exciting; it terrified him. Every step he took was accompanied with an almost crushing desire to turn back and head out. He didn't see a point in any of this when, in his view, he had no future relationship with Dante ready to blossom.

Being met with Sara and her unsubtle glances hardly helped matters either, so as he handed over his pass obediently, he couldn't help but to shove his hands into his pockets and stare at the ceiling. He was already here, so there was no point just walking out, but he definitely had his mind set on backing out of this whole thing. He was a mechanic, from a small, disadvantaged area of the city. He had no place in an industry like this, and especially not when everyone else around him seemed to be monsters. He had no problem with them, none at all, but being the only human brought attention he really didn't ask for.

"Look, can we hurry up? I just... I'll be going in, like, ten minutes. I just need to speak to Dante and then I'll be gone, so can I just scoot on through, quickly?"
 
"We have a process so people like you don't bomb our company," she replied flatly, though did press a button under her desk that made a rather loud 'pop' to signify Dante's office opening. Shooting a glance towards the door, she tilted her head as a silent motion to go in, Dante beat them both to it as he opened the door, offering an awkward smile to the other. Leading the human in, he offered a quiet thank you towards his best friend before quietly closing the door.

Unsurprisingly, Dante's outfit was on-par with his brand - sleek yet unique, as he would advertise. He knew - or, rather, strongly hoped - that Xavier would show up so like hell was he going to wear something unattractive. Hurrying over to his desk, he let out a nervous laugh.

"... Sorry about the mess, I've been trying to clean up for an hour now," he admitted as he ignored the sketches scattered about on the floor, the pile of fabrics at least in a somewhat comprehensible pile. Scooping up a coffee from his desk, he held it over with the same smile. "... I saw that you like hazelnut lattes, so... I got you one. You didn't really reply to my text so I just had to assume, sorry if it's gross. Ah... I'm also really sorry about last night. I shouldn't have assumed you wanted to see my place, it was probably annoying. I just - I guess I got a bit overexcited over you actually wanting to spend time with me."
 
If there was anything to represent just how little he wanted the job (other than his general body language and awkwardness), then it was his apparel. In contrast to Dante making the extra effort, Xavier hadn't really put any thought into what he wore. He'd spent an obscene amount on clothes, trying to buy items that, despite being relatively cheap, could be combined with one another to create something fashionable, just to impress Dante if he ever got to spend time with him.

But, having gotten it into his mind that that avenue was shut off, he'd opted to abandon the headache that choosing an outfit would have caused, opting for some simple ripped jeans and a plain t-shirt that still had immovable petrol stains on; a combination that he'd already seen people in the building snort at. It was hardly high fashion, after all.

Awkwardly taking the coffee with a quiet thanks, he spent a moment to look around the office, mostly at the terrific view of the city, before turning his attention back on the designer with a faint smile.

"I liked your apartment, it's everything I'd want if I were rich enough to afford a place. I liked it, really. Your pets, not so much, but they're cute in their own way," he began quietly, taking a sip from the drink just to give himself time to contemplate how to continue. "I just don't... want to work here. God, I sound like a jerk, right? People would die to get a job working as a model for your company, and here I am, turning it down-- I just don't fit in and I'm not an experienced model. I'm not at all... qualified to have this chance, and then there's the fact I'm one of the only humans, which has gotten me a lot of glares and... I dunno. I'd just rather be in the garage working on a car, I guess. It's shit pay and I have to deal with a lot of shit from the men there, but... it's a better fit for me."
 
"Oh, uh... yeah," he whispered, his anxious body physically slumping in disappointment at the other's words. Tapping his nails against his own coffee, he moved to sit at his desk with pursed lips. Sure, he had this possibility in his head but he wasn't hoping for it. Glancing down at the exact plans he worked hard on for Xavier's first gig, he lightly closed the notebook and offered a thin smile.

"I mean, I don't blame you. I guess I was just being selfish," he admitted as he sipped his coffee, frowning. "I just wanted you around, I shouldn't have done that. I was hoping I could spend time with you, 'cuz... I don't belong in a mechanic shop.... was it something I did? Did I push you too fast?"
 
"You just... look, you clearly just want a professional working relationship, right? That's how it came across yesterday, and... I guess that's great and all, but I only took this job to be close to you because I fancy you. If... you're just looking for a professional relationship, it's kind of a bummer and there's no point me being here. I'd happily go through the humiliation and embarrassment trying to be some super suave model if it meant we could hang out, you know? But you... look, it's fine! You made it clear yesterday, before I left, that you just wanted this working relationship, and I... I can't do that. I'm being selfish, but it'd be too awkward being around you if I couldn't, like, flirt or whatever."

Nodding firmly for emphasis, he straightened his back and pushed back his shoulders in the effort to appear confident and totally calm, even if his nervous fidgeting gave him away.

"I... I could do the job if you wanted me to, I just... would prefer it if we could be more than a boss and employee or whatever. It's cheeky of me to ask, I guess, but I like you and-- hey, if you don't think I'm attractive or whatever, and don't see me in that way, that's fine! I... just want to have some friendship with you, at the very least."
 
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