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"Central Park is best place for sunbathing if you are knowing where to go," he replied, deciding that he would pay the Park another visit the next day. Thinking about it was just so enticing and he wanted to be sure he soaked up as much sun as he could before fall began to roll around and steal the warmth. "There is small yard and balcony at my home too, but they are not so good as the Park."

He simply shrugged at her condemnation of the world. He had found that even the most progressive places often still had underlying currents of discrimination, even if they were slowly dying out. "Maybe it is easier for others. Many people are not liking snakes so much, so is maybe just me." Not that he had looked all that extensively, or possibly in the right areas. Maybe somewhere like the zoo would be more open to hiring someone like him. He'd have to remember to check if he ever needed a steadier income.

Aleksandr smiled at her enthusiasm over his modeling. He hadn't done anything big, but he'd been pleased with the results that he'd seen and he'd truly been in his element with so much attention directed at him. He cold pose for hours without getting bored of it. "You can maybe find them online. Everything is online now." He couldn't quite remember what they photos had been for. A magazine or a news article maybe. But photos almost always ended up on the internet somehow and they could probably be found with a little digging.

"You have found places that are good to mutants?" he asked, more out of curiosity than any interest in seeking them out for himself. Finding jobs and housing was probably easier for her since she wasn't a visible mutant, but she also looked young which could present its own challenges.

"Are you needing a new drink?" he added, motioning to the bottle in her hand. A beer only lasted so long.

"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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

"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.