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Ari patrols most nights. He frequently whistles as he does so. He's on friendly terms with many of the people of the town, though some of them think he's a dangerous weirdo. (They're not wrong, but it's not very polite to say it outright like that.)
Vampires still come to Sunnydale. Because it's Sunnydale, and because vampires are idiots. The ones who live here already, though, have picked up a habit of either visiting the kosher butcher's or the bite shop, or moving to LA. Or having their heads ripped off by an excessively cheerful blonde half-Kal'shekk witch.
Speaking of the kosher butcher's, he pops his head into that alleyway. Maybe he'll see Mr. Ray, that nice vampire chap who comes by for some fresh cow's blood every Thursday. (Ari acts cheerfully oblivious to the fact that every vampire he knows is blind terrified of him. Some of them are alright when he keeps them from eating people; being unrepentantly amoral doesn't have to mean you're not a nice person.)
The seventeen-inch height difference makes kissing Ari a little inconvenient. Mark decides that this time he will solve the problem by climbing Ari. There. Now their faces are properly on a level. Kisses!
Ari cooperates gallantly with the climbing and the kissing, and less gallantly supports Mark by a convenient grip once he's up there. He checks a few times that the convenient grip remains firm. It's important to be careful about such things.
"I like to think so," Ari grins. Lacking any pretext at all, he just gooses him again. It's satisfying!
Mark chooses to respond to this indignity with kisses. Mm. What a delicious creature Ari is.
He is delicious. In fact, given he used a teeth-cleaning spell this morning and it leaves him with the slight flavor of almond extract, he could be said to be magically delicious.
"Precious and delightful and extremely attractive," he elaborates, when some more kisses have gone by.
"And you're sweet," kiss, "and adorable," kiss, "and so pretty I hardly know what to do with you. You're delightful and loverly and I want to make you as happy as I possibly can."
"You are atrociously fucking charming." More kisses are clearly required.
Ari figures it out.
Ari looks very, very happy.
After feedback has been given, Ari may feel the need to get some practice in himself. It's important to keep one's hand in, after all.
Mark has no objections. He is downright enthusiastic, in fact. Positive feedback will definitely ensue.
"You are an absolute delight," says Mark, hugging him. "A complete fucking treasure. I adore you. And I'm not even crying about it this time, look."
Mark gives up on words and instead moves straight to weepy clinging. He's been pretty good so far about toning down the vampire strength to human-tolerable levels, not having gotten a clear read on Ari's durability, but he's rather beyond that kind of self-control now. A baseline human would be in serious trouble if subjected to this much hug.
Ari couldn't exactly be said to be comfortable, but fragile he is not. Terrified vampire hugs are a pressure he can bear. He pets Mark's back as soothingly as he can.
"It's good that you love me," he manages, after a minute or so, because this is important information which should be communicated as soon as possible. "It's amazing. You're amazing. I love you too."