"Fine, I get the picture. You want boring. What about physical appearance?"

 

"Oh, that doesn't matter much."

 

"It doesn't? Okay, one Quasimodo coming up."

 

"Physical appearance isn't everything, Tephros! Are you so shallow that a person's face and body means more than their personality or heart?" Alex surprised himself at the acidity in his voice. He couldn't help it – Tephros unknowingly touched on a sensitive nerve. Alex knew he wasn't hot, wasn't brilliant, or fascinating. He was an average guy with an average life and interests, but that didn't make him unlovable. At least, that's what he told himself when he looked into the mirror each morning. He admitted it was more difficult to believe at night, when he went to bed alone.

 

"Whoa, relax, Alex. I'm playing with you. People have wished for lovers before, but they've always been very clear about what they wanted in that person – perfection. I can tell you, they were never satisfied because perfection doesn't exist. Everybody has flaws, either inside or out, and quite often, both."

 

Alex didn't know what to say to that. He was flawed, and he knew it - too serious, too quiet, too skinny, too bookish, and too backward in social situations. Now that he thought about it, aside from a visible hump, he was Quasimodo.

 

Tephros clucked his tongue, as if he could read Alex' mind. He stepped closer, ducking his face close to Alex. "What sort of man would you like, Alex? Tall? Dark? Fair? Sweet? Macho? Do you want a power-bottom who'll turn ass-end up for you whenever you wish, or are you looking for an alpha male, who'll throw you down on the bed and fuck you until your eyes roll around in your head like a pair of marbles?"

 

Alex gasped, feeling his entire body flush. Tephros' unique scent was filling his nostrils, making him dizzy, and the heat rolling off his skin was blistering. He caught sight of a single drop of sweat sliding across Tephros' blue skin, following the curve of his jaw, and had to clamp his jaw shut tightly to keep from touching the tip of his tongue to it and sampling Tephros' flavor. When Alex was finally able to speak his voice came out as a croak. "Both?"

 

A wide smile showed all of Tephros' straight, blindingly white teeth. "Perfect." He refused to move away, still breaching Alex' personal territory bubble. "What's your favorite color, Alex?"

 

Caught off guard, Alex blinked. "Uh…blue. I like blue," he whispered, mesmerized by the silvery swirls threading Tephros' skin.

 

"I know exactly the type of lover you're looking for," Tephros replied, his black eyes sparkling. He finally stepped away, allowing Alex to breath freely again. "Let's go. It's time to fly."

 

Alex gulped, his eyes scanning the room. "Fly? Where? You're not going to pull out a flying carpet or something, are you? I don't do heights well, and I definitely don't ride in vehicles without seatbelts."

 

Tephros snorted. "Please! Give me a little more credit for creativity than