Welcome to Silk Shirts! For those of you who were originally subscribed to Silk, you may recognize a bit of the prologue, but that's where the similarity ends! 

I hope you enjoy it :)

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Porcelain clinking against silver. The rustle of fine fabrics swishing across the floor. Servants weaving between finely dressed couples. Chen could close his eyes and picture the scene. It never changed in his hundreds of years, the haunting melody of hollow talk and subvert glances that each meant so much more than they should. He knew the press of each shirt, the softness of each skirt, the smoothness of every flouncing lock. The hidden, dangerous dance of society felt like an old friend, the only other immortal in the room.

Rubbing his neck, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the thin crystal stem of his wineglass, Chen tried to pay attention to the girl in front of him. Her words twisted from in a bitter string of spite and alcohol, the deadness in her eyes mirrored by the flatness of her voice. Obnoxious perfume clawed at his senses like an offended lover. He wanted to sneeze. It would be considered incredibly rude, but she was boring and the desire remained.

Later Chen would learn she was the daughter of some important lord, a glittering prize just waiting to be won. To any other man in the room her father’s wealth would have made her interesting, but as the girl continued to drone on about the latest gossip, tangling a story of sour passion and late night affairs, Chen found himself wishing he’d stayed in the comfortable darkness of his manor that night. He owned more than enough wealth on his own. He didn’t need hers, especially not when he knew the smile draped across her lips was fake: a delicate disguise for the erted desires beneath. He had seen enough of her type since his awakening to know. She was just like the rest, a beautiful doll enthralled with the comings and goings of trifling matters and desperate to tie down a wealthy man. 

That's when Chen spotted him. He stood quietly against the far wall, dressed in blue silk and silver, awkward and slouching and used to a hard life—clearly uncomfortable in the skin of the rich. In all his years, Chen had never seen a partygoer like this. His clothes clearly belonged to the extremely wealthy—people born and raised in high society—yet his eyes begged the world to stay away. A predatory smile curled at the edges of Chen’s lips, the vampire overjoyed to see something so not-boring for once at this run of the mill social exercise. At his elbow the girl continued to chatter, having labeled Chen hers for the night. Chen broke away, momentarily soothing her ego with praises of beauty and a half-hearted promise to visit before pushing past her and her diamonds and pearls and the rubies sure to pool at her collarbone if he pierced her neck, in order to pursue the mystery man.

Slipping across the room, weaving between glossy skirts and stiff men, bowing to every important guest, Chen arrived at the other side of the room. Shrouded in the shadow of marble arches, safe from the glitter of diamond chandeliers and tinkling laughter he stood, slouched against the wall and running a nervous hand through his gelled hair, his silk shirt rippling with his movements like water. For a split second, Chen smiled. But then came the clamor: the girl he’d just left yelling angrily, throwing sparkling champagne at the weasel in a suit who’d dared to touch the jewels that weren’t his, huffing off, seeing Chen across the room, stalking toward him with a determined gait. Chen’s smile dropped, replaced with narrowed eyes and bitter internal monologue. The girl was quickly approaching, drawing curious eyes on her way. It only took a second for Chen to decide what his human self would never have considered. Living over a thousand years will do that.

The girl had almost arrived, silk skirts swishing and the click of her shoes filling the room like an indignant metronome. The man still stood against the wall, slouched, staring shocked and uncertain at the approaching fury, probably wondering what happened to interrupt his solitary corner. Chen allowed a self-satisfied smirk to slip onto his lips, waiting until he could smell the perfume of the girl before turning away, walking directly toward the man, grabbing his hips, pulling him forward, relishing in the feel of silk beneath his fingers as he leaned dangerously closer, planting his lips firmly against the other’s. Gasps sounded in a wave, indignation rolling across the crowd like forest fire. Nervous tittering broke out somewhere behind them. After a few seconds, Chen pulled away, taking in the flushed face, the young skin, the surprise in the man before him. He couldn’t be older than twenty-five. Chen smirked even wider.

“Why, hello sweetheart. What’s your name?” The man stared back at him, eyes wide, unconsciously leaning into the pressure of Chen’s hands at his waist. Behind them the girl cursed, thoroughly offended and promising to get her father to reign terror on their heads. Neither of the two men cared. Chen leaned a little closer, whispering at his ear, “I appreciate you staring at me beautiful, but I’d much rather know your name.”

A shy smile bloomed. “Lay.” His voice whispered low and breathy with disuse. “I’m Lay.”

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Hello Lay. 

Hello Chen. 

I'll see you all again soon, but I figured you deserved a taste of the finished product, as a thanks for putting up with the bumpy road till now :)

Let me know what you think! I do respond to every comment I recieve.

Have a great day! (or night or whatever, bloody time differences)

Jay