"After shedding the scales are very shiny, but they are very sensitive also. I do not know that the itching is worth it." Or the peeling, or the impairment to his vision. Aleksandr would much rather spend some extra time scrubbing his scales under the shower to give them a nice shine than spend several miserable days peeling his own skin off.

He gave a nod in response to Derek's surprise over the hunting comment. "Oh yes, is very exciting. Fresh meat is always better than what is at the store," he said, finding the whole thing to be very natural. He was a predator after all, and predators hunted. Even humans hunted, though their methods weren't often so hands-on.

So he was a mutant. The 'animal charmer' comment made much more sense now in hindsight, too. Aleksandr wasn't entirely sure where he stood on the concept of fate but with all the odds that were already being met, being a snake man and pairing off with an animal influencer for a night seemed to be a bit too sensational for mere coincidence.

"How does this work?" he asked, curious now and using the opportunity to do a little digging like Derek had been doing with him for most of the evening.

He clicked his tongue and lightly swung the hand that was holding his socks and shoes. He couldn't imagine having to deal shedding his skin completely off three times a year. Luckily for those who didn't have scales or fathers, skin cells flake off every three to four days. Derek glanced over at Aleksandr and studied his scales slowly. With the arm that was around Aleksandr's waist, he moved it back and forth to feel his body against his own.

"...Huh. What kind of things do you hunt? I'm guessin' rodents, birds?" He paused, "small children?" Derek teased with a grin.

"Uh, it's hard to explain, but I'll try," Derek stopped walking and turned to face his date, "so, communicating with animals is like talkin' with another human, but it's different. It's more about body language and behavior of anythin'." He chewed on his lip while looking up at Aleksandr, "influencin'...that's different. It's like..." He tried to search for the word. Derek stared into Aleksandr's golden eyes and tried think, but he just couldn't. He forced himself to tear away from the naga's face.

"I-I'm sorry. I got lost," Derek shook his head, "what were we talking about?"

Aleksandr chuckled at the gentle teasing. Not very many found the idea of hunting or ingesting raw meat to be a very peasant one. Knowing how snakes ate their meals probably wasn't a very pretty picture when applied to the mutant, either. "Children not so much. Usually they have parents attached that are always making a big fuss," he said with a small grin. Even when he was simply lounging in an area where children might wander parents gave him a very wide berth. "But yes, mostly the small mammals. Sometimes a little deer if I can catch it, but that is only sometimes. Even small deer is too much for one meal." At least the local scavengers didn't go hungry on those occasions.

The snake man listened attentively as Derek tried to explain his abilities, stopping when he did and letting his arm slip from the young man's shoulders. He could appreciate how difficult it was to explain a mutation, especially the ones that weren't physical like his own. Body language he could understand, being a very physical kind of creature, but it was hard to imagine using it to command another animal. There had to be some kind of mental aspect to it all. Maybe Derek was one of the psychic mutant types?

Blinking slowly and with a slight tilt of his head Aleksandr waited patiently for the young man to begin again after he trailed off. However, it seemed as if his train of thought had come off the tracks. An amused smile slid onto his face and he swerved just a little to find where the young man's gaze had moved to.

"Maybe details for explaining are not so important," he said, reaching out to gently take a hold of Derek's chin and tilt his face back up. Holding a conversation was more engaging when eye contact could be maintained, but even more than that it was so entertaining to watch Derek start to melt if he looked at the serpentine face for too long. Very carefully he swiped a nail across the young man's lower lip, wanting to see what kind of reaction it would draw out. "Is the body language that sounds like the fun part."

With a sly smirk he bent to press his lips to Derek's.

Derek nodded his head slowly as he listened to Aleksandr describe his eating habits. "That's very interestin', Aleksandr. Now, with your prey do you...strike quickly and injectin' a paralyzin' dosage of venom or you more of a lay and wait type until they get close enough to cool around and suffocate?"

Aleksandr definitely had Derek's attention. The way he held his chin and the way he spoke with his thick Russian accent. The way he did everything made his knees feel week. "Body langua--?" Derek was cut short by the serpent's lips against his. An involuntary moan escaped his lips as his hands reached up and placed themselves on either side of his neck and kissed him deeper.

The longer he kissed him, the quicker the ends of his fingers throbbed. Unfortunately thoughts just to sink into his brain and he forced himself to pull away. Derek slowly slid his hands down from Aleksandr's neck to his chest. He rested his forehead in between his hands and let out a shuddered breath.

"D-don't tease me, please." He pleaded in a whisper, closing his eyes, "don't play with my emotions..." Derek had been down the path before and it didn't feel good.

Kissing a snake had to be an interesting experience. Aleksandr no longer had lips in the traditional sense, but his mouth still functioned mostly the same. He wasn't sure how appealing the feeling of his scales were, but then he hadn't had too many complaints in the past. He was also incredibly aware of his teeth an tried to be as careful as possible so he wouldn't accidentally hurt the young man. Nothing ruined a good kiss like a bitten tongue or a split lip.

He smirked into the kiss and leaned in a little further as Derek moaned and grabbed for his neck, taking it as encouragement. He was enjoying the way the young man melted under his touch and how hot his face felt. He reveled in the rising body heat and the tastes and smells that came with it.

When Derek finally pulled away and quickly hid his face, the smirk gradually slid from Aleksandr's expression, worried that perhaps he hadn't been quite careful enough with his sharper bits. "You are not hurt, yes?" he prompted, running a hand up and down Derek's back in an attempt to be soothing.

The next words were soft and a bit muffled against his chest, but the snake managed to catch the majority of them. "Are you not having fun?" he asked, confused over the sudden shift into seriousness. He thought they had been enjoying themselves, playful teasing included. Had he perhaps misread the signals a little? Maybe his timing was off?

"I do not mean to tease or play in a bad way," he continued, concerned that the night may be coming to an unexpected halt. Aleksandr hadn't been intending to do any emotional damage, nor had he even considered it. As far as he was concerned it was just a night of fun without any kind of future set in stone.

"No, no, it's not you. It's just that," Derek huffed and looked up at Aleksandr. He has been nice to him the entire night. There was no reason for Derek to act this way. "I over complicate thin's. It's a fatal flaw of mine. Sometimes I project into the future o-or do crazy s---."
Derek cleared his throat and looked down at his chest.

"...I hope I haven't made thin's weird or make this night go sour," Derek looked back up again and tried by a smile, "you're also a pretty great kisser? It was a little different, but...good."

So the problem wasn't that Aleksandr hadn't been careful enough with his teeth. That was good. As much as he tried to be mindful of the fangs sometimes he did slip up and not many people appreciated being bitten by someone like him. A trip to the hospital for stitches or worse really would have ruined the night for the both of them. And possibly any mundane other run-ins at Honeycomb, too. Nothing like sharing a building from someone that accidentally poisoned you.

From the sound of things it had just been a case of jitters and overthinking which, as bold and relaxed as Aleksandr usually was, he wasn't always entirely immune to either. Things were still relatively on track, they'd just been momentarily derailed by insecurity and what-ifs. That was a lot easier to deal with than trips to the hospital. A lot less messy, too.

"No, nothing is sour," he assured Derek, chucking at the attempted recovery. "Maybe I should have given warning. Not everyone is liking the feeling of scales." Or a forked tongue. Or the lack of human lips in general. Kissing a snake had to be an unusual experience. Most people didn't like the idea of touching snakes with their hands, nevermind doing it with their lips. At least Derek was being a good sport about it.

"You are wanting to go home now?" he asked again, wanting to give the other young man the option in case he wasn't comfortable staying out any longer. Aleksandr had no problems with how the night was progressing, despite the hiccups, but nerves could be difficult for some people to deal with and he knew having options and exits could sometimes be appreciated.

Derek was at leat happy that Aleksandr didn't feel like he ruined anything. He looked back up at his face and ran his hands up from his chest to the sides of his neck. He couldn't let himself get frazzled by what he thought Aleksandr was thinking. Doing that would make himself go insane.

When Aleksandr asked if he was ready to go home, Derek thought. He wanted to not be so square. To live a little and experience things that he hadn't experienced before. Clearing his throat and standing on his tippy toes, Derek killed him on the lips. There was a bit of pull back, but after that, he felt comfortable having his full lips pressed against....Aleksandr's scales. After two minutes, he pulled away.

"I...do want to go, but I want you to come back...with me. Maybe we can watch a movie? Or makeout...or cuddle. It's up to you." His chest rose and fell sharply.

Aleksandr's fingers found their way into Derek's hair as he bent to accept another kiss. Having lost his own hair years ago he now found the texture to be very pleasing and enjoyed playing with it whenever allowed. He could feel the hesitation from the other young man, though, so he reeled himself back and didn't push his boundaries quite so boldly this time. He was almost entirely positive that a snake wasn't something the young man had dealt with before and would have to remind himself to slow down a little bit. New experiences could be disorienting and overwhelming.

Once the kiss was broken and Derek admitted that he did want to start heading back to Honeycomb, he nodded and turned Derek and himself around so they could start making their way back to the Park exit. They'd be heading back to the same building anyway, but getting an invitation to visit Derek's room was promising.

"We can maybe do all of those things," he replied, the grin sliding back onto his face at the thought. Movies were always the best excuse for curling up with another person, and sharing space like that made it so easy to see just how close they could squeeze. Aleksandr was very good at squeezing. "We are going to your room or to my floor?"

"...We can go to your place since it's quiet there. Plus, my Vix is currently up and running around on the third." Vix was his little female fox friend that had helped out with him and Artair with a little mission they did.

After some time of walking, they were back at the Honeycomb Co-op. Derek was more than happy to snuggle with a giant sexy snake man especially if it meant some kissing and attention. As they walked up the stairs, Derek turned to look at Aleksandr. "I'm gonna change, then come back down. Is that okay?" He asked. He wanted to put on something that was a little more comfortable than the leather jacket, blue jeans, and t-shirt he was wearing.

Aleksandr didn't know what a 'vix' was but based on context it was probably some kind of pet. Were pets allowed at Honeycomb? He hadn't thought to ask, but they must have been if Derek had one. It was just as well. Not every animal was comfortable sharing a space with an enormous snake, particularly the smaller ones like rabbits or hamsters. Dogs weren't often so bad, but they were very high energy and any one that had a strong protective streak for the owner was disinclined to let Aleksandr get very close. Moving the party to his empty floor would make things simpler.

"Of course," he assured Derek, curious as to what the young man would change into. Probably something like pajamas. Aleksandr didn't wear them, but the fabric always felt nice and soft. The silky kind was his favorite. There was just something so luxurious about it and they tended to hold in body heat, which he loved. The latter reason had even prompted him to find a bed set made of the stuff once he'd settled into the Co-Op. If he could sleep on a sunbeam, as he often daydreamed, he imagined it would feel like silky bed sheets.

He watched Derek disappear up the stairs and then entered the second floor. Lazily he slid around the common area and collected a couple of coffee mugs he'd left lying around and put them into the sink before moving on to gather up the few blankets he had strewn across the couches and floor and condensed them into a pile which he tossed into one corner of his room. The bed wasn't made, but at least those blankets had stayed off the floor so he left it as it was.

There wasn't exactly an impressive collection of DVDs at his disposal. Aleksandr was a bit of a sucker for romantic comedies and occasionally an action movie or a Western so that was really all he had to offer. But he supposed if nothing from his small collection was to the other young man's taste there were always plenty of TV channels to flip through until they found something satisfactory. There might not even be very much time spent paying attention to the movie anyway, so it wasn't worth worrying about.

After Derek entered his bedroom once he came upstairs, he ran his fingers through Vix's fur while she was playfully swatting at the toy mouse that was on a string. "What? I know I smell like snake. There's a reason for that," he said out loud with a smirk on his face. Derek quickly stripped out of his clothes and put them in the hamper. Afterwards, he slipped on a pair of black basketball shorts and orange and pink Aztec print t-shirt. That and a pair of knee socks and slides, he headed out of his room.

With each step he took, he could feel his heart rate picking up. He was so nervous that he forgot which door was Aleksandr's. Though, thankfully when he got there, the door to the naga's room was open. "Hey, Aleskandr," he announced, "I'm comin'." He peeked his head in and smiled.

"The third floor isn't as different as I thought it would be." He stated, leaning against the door frame.

Aleksandr both heard and felt Derek approaching before the young man addressed him and peeked into the room. "The door is open," he replied for courtesy's sake while he rolled his heat lamp away from the edge of the bed and into one corner of the room. The lamp had been one of his better investments, but not many others could stand to bask under it like he could so he tucked it away whenever he was sharing his space. Body heat was a good enough substitute.

"Is almost the same as other floors, but we have a balcony," he said, giving up the room as clean enough and turning to face the doorway where Derek was standing. The balcony had been the deciding factor for which floor to move into. He loved curling up out there on days when the sun was nice and strong. The natural heat was so much nicer than what his lamp gave off.

Sliding back around the bed and toward the door he motioned inward with his hand, inviting the other young man in. "No need to hover in the door. You are free to make yourself comfortable," he said, starting to rethink his decision not to make his bed. It probably wouldn't matter if it was all askew, but it would have looked nicer if he'd at least laid the comforter out on top. Too late now, though. He'd just have to live with any disapproval.

"I do not have so many movies, but maybe you will find something you do not hate."

The third floor had a balcony? Sweet! Maybe Derek would spend some time out there taking in the scenery of New York. "That's so cool! Do you ever go out there and sit?" Derek asked as he peeped into Aleksander's room. It was nice inside, but he wasn't sure if he should enter the room or not.

That was until Aleksandr told him to make himself comfortable, "okay," Derek simply said as he walked in. His eyes scanned the room around him before they fell on the serpent's face. He couldn't help, but to blush. He was so...attractive! And sexual! And snake-like! Derek smiled some and slowly made his way toward the DVD's that Aleksandr had. The African American noticed a couple of movies that he liked and decided to pick the one about two male lovers.

"This one," He turned to look at Aleksandr and waved it around, "it only feels fittin'." Derek chuckled a bit and handed the DVD to Aleksandr. The Havenite knew that it was a rated R movie, but he had a feeling that Aleksandr wouldn't mind.

"I sit on balcony almost every day," he replied, gathering his coils to make room for Derek to move past him as he entered. "Is nice on sunny days to bask at home. I enjoy the privacy." He still preferred the park for long hours spent lounging, but at least on the balcony there weren't any nervous passerbys to bother him or call someone else over to bother him on their behalf.

His eyes followed the path of the waving DVD once Derek had taken his pick, a sly smile sliding onto his face once the case came into focus. Fitting indeed. "Good choice. Is one of my favorites," he praised, gently removing the case from the other young man's hand so he could put the disk into the DVD player. He'd managed to get his hands on a nice flat screen TV and had mounted it on the wall across from the bed for lazy watching on days he was shut in. It helped to keep his mind occupied when it got too cold outside or when he was sulking while he molted.

Once he'd gotten everything turned on and navigated his way through the DVD menus he made his way back to the other side of the room, placing the remote on a bedside table and sliding onto the mattress. "Come, be comfortable," he said, motioning to Derek and patting a spot on the unoccupied half of the bed. He'd left the majority of his tail hanging over his side of the mattress and piled on the floor to leave enough room for the other young man. Derek might have wanted an excuse to get close, but even with that willingness being surrounded by a tail might have been a little overwhelming. Aleksandr would rather perch on the edge of the bed than make him uneasy.