He was walking toward his bio class when the familiar scent of strawberries and spice brushed past his senses and he found himself outside an adjunct professor’s office. This must be his temporary office.

He stepped inside.

The curtains were drawn and the lights were off, making it clear immediately that no one was inside. The room was just big enough to fit a desk and two shelves that stretched along the right and left side of the walls, stuffed with autobiographies, textbooks, and the like. One chair, made of black leather that after years of different butts shaping and reshaping the seat, caused cracks in the that reminded Maddy of old crumbly buildings, faced the door, and two less comfy looking ones were placed opposite it, obviously meant for guests.

Maddy followed the invisible trail of and traced his fingers along the edge of the desk, the back of a few books on the shelf, and eventually stopped in front of one of the guest chairs. It looked as if it had been refurbished so many times that it was mostly fabric liners rather than cushion fluff.

He stared at the leather one, let out a breath through his nose, and sat down in the seat meant for visitors. It didn’t feel right to sit in his chair. It didn’t seem right to fall asleep in his room either, but he had no excuse for why he did, other than he was tired and this was somewhere relatively quiet to sleep in. He placed his arms on the desk and tucked his head between them. A quick nap should make him feel alright again and then he’d go and find Dee.

His dreams were a repeat of last night. The fall and smack of Nanabo’s head hitting the floor. His fear-filled eyes. The urgency in his voice. His dream ended the same way Nanabo died, frantically and abruptly.

~*.*~

It was the sound of turning pages that woke him. His nose gave a twitch as he took a slow deep breath in. He could taste strawberries on his tongue followed by something spicy and crisp that reminded him of apple cider. Still half asleep he mumbled, “You smell like strawberry cider.”

“Do I now?” The response came with a low chuckle that hit Maddy’s ears like the rumbling of thunder. “And here I thought I was wearing Dior.”

“I can smell that, too,” His nose gave another twitch as his eyes fluttered open, finding it hard to blink away the last grasp of sleep. And then finally they settle on a pair of silver hues.

He was leaning back in his chair holding a book in his hands. For a moment, the only sound between them is the hum of air coming out from the vent above them.

“Good Morning,” He tilted his head to the side, a lock of his ash colored hair following. Every part of this Stranger was handsome and it only made Maddy more frustrated. People shouldn’t look this good. It wasn’t fair.

“Do you even get bad hair days?” Maddy hadn’t meant to ask the question out loud, but the words slipped out of his mouth, his curiosity once again besting his restrain.

“Not very often.” Greyson’s lips parted into a smile showing off his sharp white fangs, reminding Maddy that he was in the presence of a predator… And the he was just sleeping in his office.

He shot up quickly, his heart was making a racket, beating against his ribcage as if it were the leader of the strike, drowning out the noise around him. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to fall asleep. Well I did, but-“

Greyson lifted his hand, silencing Maddy. With another short laugh he said, “It’s alright. It looks like you needed it.” He gestured back to the seat, “Sit.”

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Maddy hesitated, his eyes lingered on the rest of him. He was wearing a brown, ribbed v-neck sweater, loose in the front and tight around the sleeves, showing off his muscled arms underneath. It was tucked into black slacks and secured with a black leather belt.

There was a flash in his eyes that told Maddy he’d been staring too long and in response he sat down rather quickly and said, “Your sweater… it’s nice… Have you seen Dee? I’ve been looking for her.”

“Thank you, and I have,” He replied holding Maddy’s gaze like a gambler happy with the hand he was dealt. "Are you okay? Your face is looking a little flushed."

Greyson asked him a second question, but it was muffled out by a momentary high-pitched ringing in his ears. Maddy assumed it was another side-effect of what ever was wrong with him.

"I'm fine," He replied.

Once again, Greyson tried to ask him a question, but the ringing in his ears had returned, muting his words.

Maddy shook his head as if it were an old TV that needed a little jostling to work again. “What?” He placed his hands on his temples, his face hot against his fingertips. He needed to find Dee. “I’m sorry, do you know where she is?”

“Yes.” He said succinctly, rolling up the sleeves of sweater, and leaning forward. "You're a bit of a mess, aren't you?"

"Subtlety isn't your best forte, is it?" Maddy huffed out. The hair on the back of his neck prickled and he couldn’t help, but feel like Greyson wasn’t just talking about his fever.

"I prefer honesty over subtlety." His fang popped out again and Maddy wasn’t so sure if he liked seeing it or not.

"Are you this honest with every person you meet, or am I just special?"

"Both."

Maddy scrunched his face. Were they- was he flirting? His heart gave a squeeze. Maybe Dee did this stuff, but not him. He pushed himself out of the chair. He didn’t have time for whatever this was. A muscle in his jaw flexed as he tried to stay balanced.

“You’re leaving?” Greyson stood as well, as if he was raised with manners and standing after someone was just a habit.

Maddy tried to stand tall at his full five-eleven height, but he was still shorter than the Stranger by a good few inches. “Yes. I need to find Dee and for someone who follows the ‘honesty is the best policy,’ you’re being rather vague about where she is.”

“Touche.” The smile on his face grew wide enough to cause dimples to form on his cheeks, because of course he had those, too. “Why do you need to find her?”

“Because she’s my friend,” Maddy replied defensively, his legs threatened to collapse underneath him. He grabbed the back of the chair.

“That’s all she is?” Greyson’s arms crossed over his chest with a puzzled expresion on is face.

Maddy narrowed his gaze. “Look- Greyson…” He paused testing the name out loud, like a new flavor of Mike and Ike. And added, “Whatever Dee and I are to each other, is frankly none of your business and she looks out for me because she cares for me and that’s all that should matter.”

“So, she told you my name?” Greyson’s eyes sparked with amusement.

“What?” Although seemingly impossible, Maddy’s face grew hotter. “Did you not hear what I just said?”

“I kind of liked being a mystery.”A heavy sigh left his lips, as if he were daydreaming of a summer’s day in May.

Maddy squeezed his hand into a fist, and immediately regretted it as pain seized in his hand and up his arm. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed.

“Have I said something wrong?” His face held a feign look of confusion as the corners of his lips curled.

“You’re unbelievable.” Maddy huffed, turning toward the door. He did his best to walk in a straight line.

“To some humans, sure,” Greyson teased. “But then again, so are you.”

The way Maddy whirled his head around so fast, it should have snapped his head from his shoulders.

What did he say? Was his fever making him hear things? His jaw dropped, but before he could even begin to deny Greyson, he heard the sound of his name booming from down the hall, like an echo from a high pitched giant.