#and he gave us a christmas card with two muffins on the front that says *seasons greetings to the both of you*

[variousqueerthings]

I live with one of my best friends and to the even mildly discerning eye obviously do not look like heterosexuals, and it’s so very funny to experience different places in the small town we live in accommodate for the nice young lesbian couple/trying very hard not to galpal us while also not saying the “l” word out loud and ofc the funniest thing is

neither of us is a lesbian, nor are we women, nor are we in a romantic relationship

[writingsbychlo]

starry night | chris beck

word count; 9241

summary; chris beck delivers flowers to you five times.

notes; this was originally called ‘candy cane lane’, but I changed it up a little.

warnings; none!

When Chris had started working in a flower shop, it was to pay his way through college. He was getting a degree in medicine and it wasn't cheap, and he needed a simple and easy way to make cash that wouldn't take too much out of him. He wasn’t big on anything social, and so working in a bar or restaurant didn’t seem like the best fit, and unfortunately for him, all the library jobs had been snapped up at the beginning of the year. Supermarkets were a no go, he hated the people that came through and how rude some of them could be, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to get a job in a coffee shop.

Working those machines might as well be rocket science.

The little flower store on the end of his campus road had been hiring, and eventually, he’d become desperate. It wasn’t his usual gig, he wasn’t sure how he felt about it, to begin with, but it offered decent money, reasonably flexible hours, and the boss actually let him study on shift when it was quiet, and so it actually gave him more free time than he had before getting a job.

Then, he’d started to warm up to it. It was always cool in the summer and warmer in the winter, keeping it temperate for the plants, and it always smelt good. He made friends with a man named Mark who came in every so often to buy new plants to study, he was becoming a botanist, and they bonded over the serene quietness of flower shops for studying and bad jokes.

Little old ladies pinched his cheeks, the tips were good, and it helped him clear his thoughts to be able to do menial tasks like spray the flowers with water every other hour to keep them wet enough, and to sit behind the cash registers. It was a simple Christmas present from said botanist friend that really inspired his passion, though. More of a gag gift, he was sure that was its intention, but he’d started to take it seriously. Chapter after chapter on the meanings of flowers, how to send hidden messages through plants, and something about the way of communicating in ways other than words had spoken to him.

After that, he’d been able to offer a service of sending messages through flowers. He’d become a more popular salesperson, and he’s shifts had increased, and he loved doing it. He loved the physical way that a message could be conveyed, beautiful explosions of colour to mean ‘I love you’ or ‘Happy Anniversary’, and so he’d started to invest his time in that. Nobody had been all that surprised when the older man who ran the shop had left it to him when he passed, not even Chris himself, and so he’d finished up his degree and started working at the flower shop full time.

Mark had taken on a part-time job there, as well as his internship in a clinical research lab, and they’d hired an extra hand at the register. It made him happy.

Less so, when he had an influx of orders overnight, and instead had to focus on building bouquets to be shipped instead of the garden expansion he was making, but happy nonetheless.

He was twenty-seven custom orders in, Mark already out running the standard bouquets for delivery, and he was stacking them by the garage door, wrapped in ribs and pretty vase-boxes, all ready to go. Licking the tip of his finger to flick the paper over, he let out a sigh, two sets of flowers on one page, his rows raising. It wasn’t unusual for there to be multiple sets on one order form, but as his eyes scanned over the list of preferences, scents and colours, as well as the messages they were wishing to convey, one of his brows rose up.

One request for the pretty set of pink roses and lilies that he’d loving crafted himself, a collection of flowers that signified an apology, and he was always happy to offer advice to any guys who came into the store to buy that set. It was usually a guy fresh to a relationship, messed something up by refusing to unfollow another girl on Instagram, or just saying the wrong thing in front of his friends, introducing a girl as his friend, that one always made him giggle. The second was curious, though, and it made his lips quirk up in a slight smirk at the insinuation of it. Red roses and tulips, a darker and more seductive bunch; new beginnings and early love, and he was willing to place his last dollar on it being an affair.

It felt even more sure when he noticed that the delivery address was that of an office block, and not a home address, a man’s name instead of a woman’s. In the personal notes section, there were no names, and so that was an option ruled out for getting to the bottom of the situation, but he wrote out gift cards, one with swirling writing for a heartfelt apology and the other with a sickly-sweet pick-up line and what he assumed to be an inside joke.

Curled ribbons and plastic wrapping, and the two bouquet were standing side by side for delivery, the van chugging as it was pulled back into the driveway, reversed up, and his blond-haired friend rounding the vehicle, looking utterly worn out, and it was only halfway through the day.

“You’d think it was Valentine’s Day, or something. This is crazy, it’s November!”

He took off his cap, running a hand over his hair and scratching lightly at his scalp, before placing the embroidered garment with the company logo back onto his head. “I’ve got something that’ll cheer you up!”

“Oh, yeah? Is it the rest of the day off?”

“Uh, no.” He deadpanned, his friend laughing as he came to stand by him, and he motioned towards the collection. “However, it is a rather exciting combination. These two-” He tapped at the boxes holding them firm at the base. “-are going to the same place.”

“And that is exciting why, exactly?”

“Because one is supposed to symbolise asking for forgiveness and all that, and the other symbolises new love and beginnings and all that. They’re being delivered to an office block, not a home address.” It took Mark a minute to process it, and Chris watched the gears turn in his friend’s head, before his jaw was dropping, and he let out a disbelieving laugh.

“Oh, and you think it’s a.. y’know.” He only nodded, and he began to load up the other orders into the van, a printout sheet of new addresses and order numbers on the tags, the delivery sheets loaded onto a clipboard to be signed for at each location. The empty van was once again teeming with bright flowers and artfully arranged bundles. Securing them all down and making sure they wouldn't tip over or get crushed during the ride there, he was confident they were ready to go, almost all of them set up, before he was staring at the two he’d recently made once again, his curiosity getting the better of him. “You want me to try and find out while I’m there?”

He almost agreed, it would have been so easy, a simple way to put his questions to rest, but he was invested in it now, and so he already knew what was coming. “No, I’ll deliver these ones myself.

Mark only nodded, slamming and locking the back of the van doors, double-checking the hatches for fresh air were open to stop them from wilting in transit, and then he was back up into the main cabin. The loud sounds of disco music exploding from the van radio as he started it back up, reversing from the driveway and setting off on his next round of deliveries.

Scooping up the first set in his arms, Chris patted down his pockets in search for his keys, finding them in his left side back pocket, unlocking his car with a click of a button, and setting the first batch on the passenger seat. The second soon followed, and he used the seatbelt to secure them in place, rolling the windows down as he set off, programming the address into his SatNav.

It was a short drive, twenty minutes maximum, even with traffic, the tall and shining office building one that he was vaguely familiar with towards the inside of the city, harsh rays of winter sun reflecting off of clean glass windows, all the way up to the top floor, and it was so tall that as he stared at it, he swore the building was swaying. With a bouquet in each arm and the clipboard tucked under one, he backed his way through the polished glass doors, a company insignia printed onto the glass, and he almost wanted to check his shoes for traces of at the appearance of the clean white lobby.

Large tiles of marble flooring, specks of grey flickering throughout them, and white leather couches along some of the walls on one side of the lobby, a waiting room. The other had various coffee and tea machines, recyclable cups and sugar packets, as well as a range of fruits and muffins, and he wanted to scoff a little at the ostentatious nature of it all. The desk was empty as he finally approached, though he could hear chatter in the background, behind reflective glass panels that he couldn’t see through, one-way glass he assumed, and as he balanced the bouquets up on the counter, an older woman, approaching her fifties he presumed, came out, a wide smile on her face as she brushed down the material of her skirt.

“My, my, aren’t those beautiful? Unfortunately, I don’t think they’re for me.”

“Well, ma’am, unless you’re a ‘Mr Robert McKinley’, I’d have to agree.” She chuckled, nodding her head as she looked at them before picking up the phone, and typing in an extension. Lifting it to her ear, she balanced it there against her shoulder, smiling at him once again.

“I’ll just have his assistant come down to collect them and sign for them for you, lovely.” He nodded his head, turning away to be polite as she chatted away on the phone for only a moment, confirming that there was a package to be sorted out, and he twisted back to look at her as she put the phone down. Manicured nails tapped at the desk for only as second, an awkward silence forming, and one of the elevators let out a small ‘dinging’ sound as it was clicked into use, the numbers on the screen above the floor counting down, coming all the way from the twenty-eighth floor. “Would you like a candy?”

He jumped a little, turning back to look at the woman who had now sat down a little distance from him, behind the computer at the desk, and she turned to him, raising up a bowl of neatly wrapped candies, and placing it up on the glass counter for him to reach. He didn’t, but she was staring at him expectantly, and so he plucked the first one from the bowl, offering her a simple nod of his head, and tucking it into the pocket on his shirt.

When a chime sounded throughout the lobby, the sound echoing off of every hard surface, Chris’ attention was drawn to the clicking of heels on the smooth stone flooring. A pretty blouse that looked like it cost more than his entire outfit and a fitted pencil skirt that was sitting just below your knees, your were a professional vision. Except, your hair was a little messy, and there was a wide grin on your face as you typed rapidly on your phone, not even needing to look up to do the walk, but your expression made you look much more approachable than the usual businesswoman.

You clicked off your phone only a few feet away from him, looking up as your gaze went straight to the flowers at his side instead of him, but it gave Chris the chance to take you in just for a moment, and fully observe you, Up close, you were even prettier, soft skin and pretty hair that shined under the lights, and whatever the shade of lipstick was that you were wearing was perfect, because it suited you like it had been made for you.

You reached out, straight past him for a second, and the receptionist gasped, reaching for the bowl of candy, but you were quicker, your hand scooping up a little collection of the sweets and pulling them back, a sound of victory sounding from you, and she mumbled under her breath playfully, rolling her eyes and threatening to start hiding the treats before she ran out, but you only chuckled, unwrapping one and placing it against your tongue, lips brushing your fingers as you turned to him, and he forced his eyes away from your mouth, a blush on his cheeks.

“Oh, wow. Check these out.” You turned to the receptionist, motioning to them, and she only nodded her head, the sounds of a printer firing up in the back room, and she disappeared to collect the sheets, leaving the pair of you alone. “For Mr McKinley?”

You leaned over the counter, snatching up a pen from the other side, and he only nodded, producing the collection sheet, and pointing out the spot that needed singing, the scraping of the pen on paper filling the silence as you signed in both boxes, handing it back to him and tucking the pen behind your ear. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Fire away.” You grinned, unwrapping another candy, leaving the wrapper on the glass alongside the other one, a cheeky move he was sure you’d get reprimanded for by the receptionist who kept a beautifully organised and clean desk and foyer.

“There are two bouquets here, both with flowers that have very different meanings. Can I ask why?”

You hummed, staring at him for a minute as you chewed slowly, before swallowing the sweet in your mouth and smirking slightly. “I’ll answer your question, but only if you answer mine first; what do the flowers mean?”

Chris grinned, unable to hold it in, because he loved getting to talk about his passions, especially when he could show off a little in front of a pretty lady, and he nodded his head. “Pink roses and lilies are an apology, but red roses with tulips are for new love.”

“And do you have any theories?”

“Just the one, but I’m waiting for it to be confirmed.” He chuckled a little at the devious look that flashed over your features as you pulled the red roses bundle toward you, nose pressed into them for a second as you inhaled deeply, a little sigh leaving you afterwards.

“I’m trusting you here, but you’re cute, so I’ll tell you.” Heat rushed to his cheeks, head ducking for just a second, before he was looking back up to catch your gaze, brows raised as he waited excitedly, leaning in to meet you as though a scandalous secret was about to be told, and he supposed that’s exactly what it was. “There’s another receptionist, and intern back in there, fresh out of college, just a year below me, and he’s definitely fucking her.” You tapped a finger against the red roses, before your gaze was flicking to the second bunch, still by his arm as he leaned on the counter. “However, a couple of days ago he had a lunch date scheduled with his wife, and he missed it. I couldn’t find him anywhere, and I couldn’t find the intern either. Not hard to connect the dots.”

“Oh, so he’s covering both of his bases?”

“For sure.” You grinned, backing up a little bit to grab the second bundle, and adjusting them in your arms for balance. “Angie had probably realised too, and dashed in there to tell the girl that she’s got flowers coming.”

You were making your way over to the elevators, and he followed after you, pressing the button to summon the lift, and it hummed to life behind closed metal doors. “You know, since we just became partners in crime, maybe I should get to know your name?”

“Well, that was smooth.” You laughed, the doors opening up, and you stepped inside, placing one bouquet on the floor at your feet and holding onto the other. You caved, giving him your name as he placed his hand over the door to stop them from closing, ad he repeated the name to you, testing it on his tongue as he learnt it. He gave you his own in return when he asked, and when you said it back, his smile widened, already liking the way his name sounded coming for you.

You typed a code into the pad on the wall of the elevator, the screen flashing green as your programming was accepted, and he stepped back, grinning as you waved your fingers at him, the doors closing as you disappeared from view. He snatched up his clipboard on the way out, unable to contain the smile on his face.

Chris Beck hated making deliveries, but this one hadn't been so bad.

There was a genuine smile on his face as he stepped through the glass doors of the lobby, smaller and simpler bouquets this time, both matching and nothing special, but he’d tasked himself with delivering them personally because he’d recognised the name and address immediately, his encounter with the cute assistant he’d met only two weeks prior flashing through his mind as he’d insisted on delivering this order himself, Mark smirking and helping him gather the flowers as soon as he’d spilled all about you.

Now, he had two sets of pretty pink flowers in different shades, and a single red rose in a sleek plastic wrapping, all wraith ribbons wrapped around them were bundled in one arm, the other holding onto his clipboard, and the desk was once again empty as he approached. A bell, sleek and shining silver, and it was a new addition, definitely not present last time, and he eyes it suspiciously for a moment, before pressing a finger against the top lightly, just twice, a little ringing sounding out around the lobby.

A head of curly hair popped out from around the glass, much younger than the previous assistant, and wearing a much tighter skirt, and she grinned widely as she stepped forwards. He couldn’t deny that she was beautiful, fiery red hair and a wide smile, lips painted with red lipstick, and she seemed sweet, but far too intimidating for him to ever consider. Her heels were so tall that he wondered how she even walked in them, long and thin points creating the stilettos.

“Flowers?”

There was an eager tone to her voice, and he put the pieces of the puzzle together, assuming this to be the intern, his eyes flicking down to her name badge for a second, reading it as ‘Clara’. “For Mr McKinley. Is his assistant free tom come and sign for them?”

The woman paused, rolling her lips a little and nodding her head, a coy look on her features before sitting down in the chair and spinning in it to face the phone, lifting it up to her ear and dialling a short connection number. He didn’t seem to need to wait long, before she was summoning you, a ‘flower delivery’ to be claimed, and she was far too excited, only confirming his doubts that this was definitely the mistress. “She’ll be right down.”

“Fantastic.” He wasn’t sure she even processed his words, before her eyes were closing in on the flowers, and he ignored it, turning back to look at the elevator, waiting for the number on the twenty-eighth floor to light up, a number flashing over the screen. It paused on its descent this time, stopping at the eighteenth floor, and then again at the twelfth, and he assumed that somebody else had joined the journey for a short while.

When the doors finally opened, you weren’t built typing away this time, a grin on your face as your eyes swept over the entrance for him, and he waved his fingers again, straightening up from the desk.

“It’s my partner in crime, back again.”

“Missed you too much, just had to return.”

“Of course, you did, because I’m awesome.” You came to a stop before him, peering up at him through bright eyes, and he swallowed thickly, a little nervous but very excited, and he tried to remember any of what Mark had taught him, his friend being far better with the women than he was, and everything from the last-minute crash course he’d been given upon leaving the shop forty-five minutes ago seemed to have gone blank. “So, what really brings you here today?”

You gasped a little as he shifted to show you the collection, sliding the clipboard closer, and you were presented with a pen from him, floral patterning woven along the body, your thumb clicking it on to sign for them. When you passed it back, you shared a look with him, both of your glances flicking over to the intern who was still admiring the flowers, completely oblivious.

“Hey, Clara?” Her head snapped up, pale skin heating with colour as she flushed, and he suppressed a chuckle. “Mr McKinley is in meetings all afternoon, but he’ll want to approve these flowers. Can you put them in water, and I’ll call to have them sent up when he’s ready?”

She only nodded, more than happy to take a gift that she knew one of was for her into the back, hands reaching over to gather them all up. He almost missed it, watching as all of the flowers were taken, too busy watching the way you rolled your eyes at her when she looked away, fond but still a little cool, and he bit at the inside of his cheek to contain his amusement. It was just as she was leaving that his mind cleared, and he cleared his throat.

“Wait, wait, hold on!” She turned back, brows raised, and he reached over, letting her take a step forwards so that he could reach, plucking the single rose from where it was laying over the top of the two. “This, uh, this is actually for you.”

He presented it to you, your eyes widening a little, and you looked between him and the flower several times. His heart was in his throat, worry you were going to reject it, before you were giving him a different smile than he had seen yet, something softer and more endearing, and you plucked it from his hands, bringing it to your nose. “You’re just a big flirt, huh, Chris?” Your eyes fluttered for a moment, before you were looking back up to him through your lashes. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem, honestly. I own the shop, the least I can do is give my partner in crime a pretty flower.”

You scoffed, but it was out of friendship and playfulness, not judgement or rejection, and silence fell between you both once again. The plastic in your hands wrinkled as you twirled it, wrapping the curled ribbon around your finger for a second, and letting it jump back into place when you let it go. “You busy? Got a packed store to run back to?”

Your question caught him off-guard, and he struggled to find words for a second, before clearing his throat and shaking his head. “No, uh, no. Clear day, actually. This was the last order.”

“So, you’re free for an hour or so?” Chris nodded his head, licking at his lips as he became a little nervous once again. “Well, why don’t I give you a tour? We’ve got some pretty cool stuff here, and I’ll fix you up with a drink from the coffee bar before you go.”

“This building has a coffee bar?”

“You bet it does.” You teased, turning on your heel as you took his question as acceptance, and he scooped up the clipboard, following after you as you made your way to the elevator, and this time when it opened, he stepped inside with you. As soon as the keypad lit up, prompting you to enter your four-digit authorisation code and make a floor selection, and you paused, finger hovering over the electronic selections. “What do you wanna’ see first, then?”

“You got an office?”

“I sure do.” You grinned, tapping for the twenty-eighth floor, and the machinery soon hummed into life, gears jerking smoothly into motion and soft music playing over the speakers in the background.

The ride was quiet, and he twisted his head as though the walls were interesting, just to take them in and hide the expression on his face as he watched you twirl the rose he’d given you between your fingers. There was a tag, one that he hadn't yet seen you read, and while all it contained was his number and a sign of his name, he was still a little nervous for your reaction to it, so he was glad to watch you place it onto your desk to be returned to later as you showed him around.

The building truly was impressive, large floor to ceiling glass windows on one wall of your office, staring out at the city below and giving a view so stunning and far that he could see all the way out to where the concrete faded away into greenery along the horizon, and he was a little taken aback by it all. Dipping the rose into a mug of water from the office kitchen, you promised to transfer it to a vase when you got home that evening, and you showed him all around.

Up and down on the elevator, proudly showing him every aspect of your workplace, and somewhere between the in-house gym and the coffee bar you’d boasted of in the staff food courts, you’d made him promise a tour of the flower shop sometime.

Way over an hour had passed in total, and he would’ve been more than happy to let that go on and on, for the rest of the day until the sun was setting, just to sit on the stools at the high tables at the coffee bar, getting refills on his coffee as he watched you drink herbals teas and chat about everything you got up to in the day, but your boss was paging you again to ask where you were, and he had his own job to return to at some point. You seemed hesitant at first, but had eventually divulged him with a guest security code for the elevator, logging him under your name, so that in future, he would be able to bring the flowers straight upstairs to you, and come and see you whenever he stopped by.

With a to-go cup in hand that had your number written on the cardboard holder, you’d escorted him all the way back to the lobby, pressing a friendly kiss to his cheek as he stepped between the doors, waving a little with what he knew was a goofy smile, waiting until he could no longer see you as the metal doors slid shut to reflect his image back at him, before he was bidding the two women at the reception desk a goodbye, and pretending not to know that they were eavesdropping, because he was floating far too high to care right now.

Chris hadn't been surprised at all when the next batch of flowers had come through, because you’d told him days prior that he could be expecting another batch of apology flowers to come through. Your work had been busy lately, you’d told him so yourself the few weeks that had slid past since you’d exchanged numbers had been filled with an abundance of texts.

Sharing texts had rapidly become phone calls in downtime, exchanging social media and sending one another dumb jokes and funny pictures throughout your workdays. He knew that your job had been getting harder lately, the run down to Christmas making everything a little more difficult, and that you’d been swept off of your feet because your boss had been, too. Eight-hour shifts had become twelve, day through to night, never seeing the light of a winter day unless it was through the windows of your office as you worked, and he had a sympathetic guilt twisting in his gut.

Two bouquets to make up for the lack of time that your boss had been able to spare for either of the women in his life and you’d looked positively exhausted as you came out of your office to greet him at the top of the elevator. You had a frown on your face that barely lifted into a smile as you saw him, even though he knew you were happy to catch sight of him. The usual shade of lipstick that projected boldness and power was gone, your face free of makeup entirely, and styled hair now just pulled up into a bun.

He wondered how long it had been since you’d had a full night’s sleep.

“Hey, sweetheart. How’re you feeling?” You only shook your head, sniffling a little as you suppressed a yawn, before taking one of the bouquets from his arms, and inspecting it carefully.

“These are beautiful.”

“I put a little extra ribbon on them, just for you.” He winked, and that had earned him a little chuckle, glancing at him over your shoulder as he followed you through to your office, and placing them down on the cabinet near the doorway to be distributed when your boss had a free second to look at them. Chris felt his own eyes widen in shock as he looked around, the stacks of paperwork littered around the surfaces were astonishing, and there was other mess scattered among that.

Stationary littered the desk, clearly trying to get everything sorted, and almost every draw in the room was half-open, your heels kicked off by the edge of the desk and there was a clear spot against one of the walls where you’d been sitting, a patch clear with papers spread out around you, wording and statements on them that made his head spin as he looked at them. Business definitely wasn’t his forte.

You rubbed a hand over your forehead, cursing a little as you tried to find a pen that wasn't a highlighter, and he didn’t miss the crack in your voice as you scoured the paper stacks. Leaning down to pick one up from the dropped pen pot on the floor, and offering it to you. A little sigh passed your lips, before you were taking it from him, clicking it into action and signing your name on both of the forms to confirm the delivery, a simple ritual of habit by this stage, as he knew that even if you didn’t he wasn’t risking any legal action from you.

You rubbed a hand over your forehead afterwards, rolling your shoulders and shaking yourself down as you tried to hit that reset button on your mood, but it wasn't working, it didn’t take a genius to see it, and so he reached out, placing a comforting squeeze to your forearm, fingers slipping a little lower to latch onto your wrist loosely.

“Okay, you’re a little overwhelmed in here, huh?” You let out a weak laugh, glancing around yourself and nodding. “It’s time for a break. Take your lunch break now, we’re getting out of here.”

“I can’t leave, I have too much to do. I’ll just get something from the food courts, a sandwich, maybe.” You slumped down into your desk chairs, the wheels on it carrying you backwards slightly, and he placed his hands on his hips, shaking his head at you.

“You have to go. It’s doctor’s orders.”

“Which doctor?” You scoffed, rolling your eyes at him, and he gasped a little, hands finding your own and pulling you to your feet, despite the whine that you let out.

“This doctor. I went to medical school, I get to give the orders. You, my dear, need one hour of rest and relaxation from your workplace, stat.” You started up at him for a second, seeming to weigh it out in your mind, but he wasn’t backing down, and he swore he saw that realisation click within your eyes, because you caved.

Slipping your heels on and grabbing your jacket from the back of the door, you logged your timeout of the building in the lobby with Angie, who cooed at you a little as she watched you go, a pitiful look on her face as she knew just how hard you were working too, before his hand was settling on your lower back.

A ten-minute walk, finding a table in a small pizzeria on the corner of a street, one that he’d been dying to try for months now, and a quick order, and you were slumping down tiredly against the table. The workload always increased at Christmas, sales shot through the roof, all the expansions of your company were filing for Christmas bonuses, parties, annual reports and then, of course, there were the usual rises and falls in statistics over the year that needed to be dealt with.

It was chaotic, to say the least.

Over a hot and freshly baked pizza, your selection of toppings, and a soda that made you wrinkle your nose from the fizziness within, you looked like there was a little more life within you when you’d been leaving.

You spilled it all to him, telling him every struggle you’d been facing, and while he didn't understand half of what you were saying, he was more than happy to just to listen. He couldn't offer much advice, or anything of the sort that might be helpful, but it seemed that just being able to talk to someone had made the day a little brighter.

The chill in the air and the biting winds had made you wrap your coat around yourself even tighter on the walk back to your work, but there was more of a pep in your step and a lighter tone to your voice, a little more chipper and slightly less drained as you began to make your way back across the carpark. His arm was sitting around your waist, keeping you pulled up to his side against the cold of the winter. Instead of guiding you over to the door, though, his first stop was his car, ensuring that you couldn't see what he had placed on the passenger seat until he was ready for you to see it.

Leaning yo back against the cold metal, he unlocked the car, making you promise to cover your eyes, and while making a few jokes about how you were sure this was how friendly guys would kidnap a girl, you did as he’d asked. You gasped a little at the rustling of fabric in the wind and under his hands, seeming to guess what it was before ever seeing the gift, because a wide smile spread over your features.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“Depends, what do you think it is?” He teased, making you wait a little longer, and you dragged your lower lip through your teeth, a hopefully look spreading over what half of your face he could actually see.

“Flowers, maybe?”

“Then you would be correct!” Your hand fell away from your eyes, taking a second to blink back into adjustment of the rays the winter sun gave off, before you were brightening up even further at the bundle he was holding in his hands.

Soft petals in different shades of yellow, some duller and some standing out to shine like the sun, but it was a stunning bunch all over, and he’d been sure to pick the freshest and best-looking plants from each pot as he built the bouquet especially for you before leaving for his delivery. He let you stare at them for a second, running a finger over some of the petals, sniffling the collection carefully, and admiring each individual plant, before finally looking back up to him, a brow raising as you waited for an explanation on the plants.

“I just thought yellow was a bright colour. Nothing particularly special about these ones, I wanted to cheer you up.”

He scratched nervously at the back of his neck, and you hummed happily, bringing them up to admire once again, before letting out a happy little sound from the back of your throat, one that made his cheeks flush with embarrassed warmth, bringing a pink tinge to the pale skin. “Don’t yellow roses mean friendship?”

His stomach dropped a little, but he swallowed thickly, and nodded. He was impressed that you knew that, a random fact to know, but he almost felt like he was being friend-zoned by the statement, even though he was the one who’d given you the flowers. It was only a few days ago that he’d realised he might have feelings that weren’t going away any time soon, the original fascination and infatuation was becoming something a little deeper, he often found himself thinking of you when he was at work and filling or orders, or at home cooking, or even letting his morning coffee. You seemed to be on his mind a lot nowadays, and he was beginning to regret the yellow rose choice, worried he’d sent the wrong message. How ironic.

“Well, I’m really glad you consider us friends, Chris. I think you’re great, and I hope we’re friends for a long time.”

He tried to contain his disappointment, nodding his head as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. Walking you up to the front door, both of the receptionists made a point of fawning dramatically over the flowers in your arms as you signed back in, exactly an hour later and perfectly on time for the end of your lunch break, but with a lot more joy and a rejuvenation for the work you were doing, enough to carry you through the rest of your day.

Standing at the elevator and waiting for it to arrive, his cheeks were warm enough as it was, the attention you were getting front he not-so-discreet spying of the receptionists making him even more nervous, but if Angie and Clara were watching then that's their choice, because he didn’t have much left to lose, now.

Cupping your cheeks in his hands, he made sure that you were looking at him, a soft and shy smile on your lips as he thumbs smoothed over your skin, trying to reassure you without using words. “Chin up, sweetheart. You’re gonna’ be just fine, okay?”

“Okay, Chris.” You nodded your head, words whispered as you agreed with him, and when he pulled you a little closer, you tipped your head to meet him, his lips pressing to your forehead in a tender kiss, his heart leaping in his chest as you did. The elevator dinged, and he snapped away from you, both of you lingering for a moment longer, something unspoken laying between you, but it was broken as a colleague stepped out of the box, excusing himself as he squeezed past you, and the moment was over.

Waving goodbye, he wiggled his fingers in response to you, and he took a moment to himself to steady his racing heart once the doors had closed with you inside. He bid his farewell to the two women ogling him with wide eyes from behind the desk, trying not to let his nervousness show, to be confident like Mark had taught him to be, and it lasted all the way to the car, before he broke it with a ragged sigh and a little cheer to himself, immediately dialling his best friend on the car’s phone as he pulled out of the parking lot.

It was the kind eyes of Angie that met him as he stepped into the building, palms sweating a little and a shake to his breath, and the flowers in his arms were practically vibrating with nerves as he approached the front desk. Placing them down on the glass surface, she admired them quietly, taking a look at them all before he was being offered the candy dish that she usually had hidden, and he took a peppermint gratefully, red and green swirls along it through the clear wrapping, the festive theme of the late December days was shining through.

“Only the one bouquet this time?”

“They, uh, they aren’t for Mr McKinley.” He mumbled, unwrapping the hard sweet and shoving it wrapped into his pocket, placing the treat on his tongue and sucking on it lightly for something to do, sweetened mint flavours exploding over his senses.

“Oh, so these are a pretty bouquet for our lovely (Y/N), then?”

He could only nod, wondering absently whether or not sweat was beginning to physically show through his shirt, and just how fast his heart was going, because he felt like he was about to pass out. “I think she’s in a meeting right now, but I can get them sent up for her, if that works for you, my dear?”

“Can I just go and drop them off in her office? It’ll make a nice surprise for her to come back to.”

She considered it for a moment, mulling over the security risk and all other options, and he was ready to give up, before she eventually agreed. “Alright, but only if you tell me about the flowers. She’s been telling me all about the pretty bouquet you make with meanings, even showed me your website.”

“She did? She does?”

Pride flushed through his system at that knowledge, and Angie seemed to pick up on it, her face cracking in an even wider smile. “Yes, and they were all beautiful, but I don’t remember this set on there.”

“It’s new, I made it. It’s a personal one, I suppose.”

“It got a name, yet?” He mulled it over, staring down at the pretty bunch in his hands. Dark shades of blue and black, splashes of purple that were speckled with white, and he decided it resembled the night sky rather nicely.

“What do you think of ‘Starry Night’?”

“Very fitting.” She confirmed, and his heart managed to slow a little in his chest as at least one thing on his to-do list became sorted. “So, blue roses, but what are the rest?”

“They would be black pansies and gypsophila.” She hummed, continuing to fix him with that curious gaze, and he knew that wasn't going to cut it. “The blue roses are for mystery, and gaining the impossible. I dye them myself. Black pansies mean broken love, which, I guess isn’t totally suitable here, but combined with the gypsophila, it’s more like the chance of a new beginning, and not necessarily unrequited feelings.”

“You really like her, huh?”

“That obvious?” He grinned, knowing that his feelings may as well be lit up with a neon sign above his head. “You’ll get them to her after her meeting, then?”

“Of course, I will.” She took them over the desk, writing down a memo on her notepad so that she didn't forget, and he watched as the pretty bundle was carried away. “Did you leave a card, or do you want to write a note?”

“Just tell her to text me if she likes them?” She beamed, nodding her head, and he backed away, turning on his heel, a little disappointed that he didn’t get to give them to you himself, but simultaneously relieved at the fact, because he could feel his pulse racing right to the tips of his fingers with how intense it was.

You’d clearly had a busy day, because it wasn’t until Chris was shutting up shop that he finally felt his phone buzz, doing his last check over of all the systems and machines, when a text from you came in, diverting every ounce of attention that he had.

[stardust 🌌 ✨] so, do these flowers have a hidden meaning, or did you just put them together because they look good?

He grinned at his phone, shaking his head slightly as a laugh left his lips, and he leaned on the wall, fingers hovering over the keyboard as he thought out his response.

> a little bit of both.

It was a few minutes before you replied, this time, a photograph coming through, of you carrying your flower out of the building, setting off towards the elevators from your office, if he was depicting the background correctly.

[stardust 🌌 ✨] gonna tell me what it is, or do I have to google it?

He paused, not quite having got that far, and the relief of not having to explain his feelings or you before had drowned out the fact that he’d have to tell you at some point, and his heart was leaping into his throat.

He gave himself a minute, checking over the locks and windows to make sure everything was sealed up, setting the thermostat and setting the alarm, not yet activating it, but making sure that everything was done, right down to holding his keys for the main door in his hands. Locking up the building, he sealed down the metal guard, triple checking the padlock, and making his way to the car.

Engine on, heaters up, his lights being the last to flood the parking lot as he tried to man up, before finally bringing back up the unopened message, taking the notifications and opening his texts.

> long story short, I’m trying to ask you out. using flowers, because words normally fail me in times of importance.

He let out a slow breath, running a hand over his face and just hoping that it was acceptable, his phone buzzing before he’d even managed to start up the car property for his journey home. His hand hovered over where it was laying on the passenger seat, considering whether or not to pick it up, before forcing down his nerves and reaching for it.

[stardust 🌌 ✨] friday night work for you?

He stared at the message for a few seconds, confirming that they were real, and he wasn’t just making it up because it’s what he wanted to read, before letting out a loud and victorious set of cheers for only him to ever know about.

> I’ll pick you up from your work at 5.

Chris was sitting in one of the white leather chairs that had been scattered around the lobby, shifting slightly awkwardly, nerves getting the best of him. He knew you wouldn't stand him up, but as the clock ticked over past 5:10 PM, he worried a little that you were trying to find a way to let him down, having decided that you’d changed your mind on wanting to go out with him, and he tried to steady his nerves.

Brushing over the flowers in his hands, he adjusted his grip on them a little, not wanting the plastic to become damp with his sweaty palms, and swallowing thickly again. Finally, the elevator doors chimed, and he let out a nervous sigh, taking a deep breath and sliding his eyes shut as he calmed himself down, certain that his heart no longer had a rhythm and was just beating erratically and rapidly like the seismograph in a disaster movie.

Twisting his head a little, he let out a deep breath, watching as you came toward him, looking far more casual than he had ever seen you ever had before. Jeans and jumper, a striped scarf that looked suspiciously handmade in the sweetest of ways, and sneakers on your feet instead of heels, dropping your height down by a few inches, and he was so used to looking straight at you, never needing to look down, that it caught him a little by surprise.

“I’m sorry I’m late!” You looked a little flushed, sounded slightly out of breath, and he realised you must’ve been rushing, not stalling, and he felt a little calmer at that thought. Placing down the flowers on the chairs, he stood up properly, letting out a slow breath.

“Don’t worry about it. You look beautiful.”

“I thought I’d change, heels and pencil skirts are great for work, but not so comfy for a first date.” There was a bag on your arm, which he assumed your business-wear was stuffed in, and he gave himself a moment to take you in. He liked you better this way, you looked more like yourself, the version of you that he knew you to be from hours of late-night calls and texting, weeks of getting to know one another, both in-person and via messages, and the formal outfits he was so used to seeing you in were just a cover for the real you.

He realised he’d been staring too long, jumping slightly in his panic, before turning away and grabbing the bundle that he’d brought with him. “I brought you flowers. Not as special as normal guys, since I own the flower shop and it's not the first time, but I did create this bouquet design just for you.”

“I think it’s pretty special.” Your words were whispered, taking the bundle of flowers and bringing them into yourself to admire delicately, a combination of red and white roses, with green bells peppered throughout. “Okay, so, let me guess on this one.”

He only nodded his head, watching as you considered the bundle, licking over your lower lip and taking it hostage between your teeth as your thoughts whirled before his very eyes.

“White roses are innocence, right? Seems fitting for a first date. Red roses are romance, of course.” You smirked a little then, glancing up at him through your lashes, and he grinned, feeling totally at ease now that he was under your gaze. “What about the green ones?”

“Green bells. They’re for good luck.”

“Well, I don’t think you’ll need any luck, you’ve pretty much already got me wrapped around your little finger, Chris Beck.” You adjusted the flowers in your arms, taking his hand with your other one, and lacing your fingers together, and he squeezed back in security as heat flooded over his face in a warm blush. “However, I do think it’s sweet, so I’ll accept it.”

“I wanted to do something Christmassy for you, but I didn’t want to go with any of the typical ones. Holly, mistletoe, poinsettia, they didn’t feel unique enough.”

“I don’t know, I think mistletoe can be good.” You leaned in a little, his brows raising slightly as your wide smile dimmed down, the humour of the moment changing, and his free hand found your waist, fingers playing with yours on the other, and he pulled you a little closer, taking the hint that you were laying down.

“Maybe just this once.” He teased, nose bumping against your own, and he could still taste the sweet honey on your breath from the herbal teas you were always concocting, warm breath shared between you. As your head twisted to close the gap, he became acutely aware of the lingering feeling of not being alone, the both of you jumping and snapping apart a little when the loud crashing of a mug on the floor sounded out loudly.

Two sets of voices cursing followed it, Angie’s and Clara’s heads both ducking down behind the desk as they looked at the mess on the floor, and his jaw dropped as he released the two had been watching on eagerly this whole time, and he’d been so wrapped up in you that he hadn't realised there’d been an audience all along.

He would’ve been embarrassed, had it not been for the way your face pressed into his shoulder as you tried to contain your laughs, and he found the amusement in it too, his arm slipping around your waist as he matched your laugher, shaking his head as he watched the two women try and clear up the split coffee and smashed mug.

“Hey, ladies, I’ll see you Monday!”

The popped back up, sheepish looks on their faces as they nodded, and he gave them both a little wave, letting you tug him along by the hand that was still connected to your own, towards the open doorway of the building, a chill rolling in. As you stepped out, a chill took over, and his hand slipped from yours to sliding around your waist instead, pulling you closer to him, and you guided him over to where your car was parked, and he was more than happy to simply follow.

“So, what do you have planned?”

“I thought something a little more relaxed would be fun. How do you feel about a tree lighting ceremony, and some street food?” You curled into him a little more, a happy sigh leaving you.

“Sounds perfect to me.”

Unlocking the car, he let you go, long enough to put your back in the trunk and lay your flowers out on the front seat, locking it back up as you deemed yourself ready to go. “Ready to go?”

“Yes, but just one thing, first. Something I’ve been waiting weeks for.”

His brows raised, lips parting to ask you waist it was, but your hand latched onto the front of his shirt, tugging him forward as you leaned up, and he groaned a little, a soft sound but vibrating through him as your mouth closed over his, soft and warm, lips pressing together, and a shock ran along his entire body. His hand slipped to your waist, one cupping your cheek as he pulled you a little closer, pressing you back into the car as your bodies came flush up together, and he felt like his legs were going to give out underneath him as you sighed out against his mouth, a breathy moan carried with it.

Twisting his head to the side, he barely pulled back for breath before he was diving right back into you, more confident and passionate this time with his movements. He took control, feeling the way you sagged into his hands as he did, lips working with yours in an intimate dance of their own making, slow and teasing movements, before finally he was pulling away, just far enough to press his forehead to your own as the two of you panted lightly, trying to catch your breath.

“Worth the wait?” He mused, feeling your breathless giggle wash over his lips, before you were leaning up just enough to peck his lips once more, and his lips were still pouted, chasing after you as you backed away for a second, before he was licking over them and cracking his eyes open to look at the adoring expression on your face.

“Definitely worth the wait.”

[flowerfan2]

David x Patrick - Angst-fest with lots of cuddles and h/c reunion fic.

Summary - Being stuck in the Milwaukee airport is bad enough.  Then David realizes that the man who broke his heart is sitting right next to him.  After a rom-com worthy reunion, David decides he’s not going to walk away again.

Chapter 10 (spoiler - Stevie shows up).  A03.  

Patrick really does make David keep his arms around him there in the booth at the diner for an inordinate amount of time.  He knows that David can’t hug his issues away, and it isn’t fair of Patrick to expect him to.  Patrick is going to take ownership of this, and do something about it.  But even though he knows he has to do it himself, it’s also very scary.  And letting himself come to terms with his own revelation is just easier to do with his face in the crook of David’s neck.

They finally separate, and bicker amiably about the check, David sneaking off while Patrick is in the bathroom to order extra muffins to take home and hand over his credit card.  Patrick doesn’t much care for the reminder that he’s unemployed, but David does have a point that he’s living in Patrick’s house at the moment – his parents’ house, but still.  And it seems to make David feel good to treat Patrick, and if there’s anything Patrick can get behind right now, it’s doing everything he can to make this work.

Unfortunately, when they pull up to the house to the sight of a beat up red sedan with an Ontario license plate, Patrick’s heart sinks.

“Patrick?  You said your parents wouldn’t be here until January. They’re very early.”

“That’s not my parents.”

“Well, it’s not Doordash.  As much as I’d applaud planning ahead for dinner, they’re unlikely to have driven all the way from Canada.  Who’s in your driveway?”  David’s voice is rising, and Patrick is entirely too familiar with his agitated-bordering-on-panicked tone.  

“David, don’t be upset.”  Patrick shuts off the car and turns towards David.

“Mmkay, those words usually come before something that’s going to make me upset.”

They get out of the car but before Patrick even makes it to the front door, it opens and Stevie comes out.  

David turns to Patrick, a look of betrayal on his face.  “I can’t believe you did this to me,” he hisses.

“Hi to you too,” Stevie says, her voice flat.  “And don’t you dare blame Patrick, he didn’t do anything.”

“Well I sure didn’t invite you down here.”

“Right, my presence is unwanted, I get that, believe me,” Stevie says.  “But some of us have a job to do-”

“Don’t you dare come at me about work, Stevie, I’m on vacation.”

“And if you had just told me that at the beginning of the week, instead of playing hard to get like a god damned asshole-”

“Okay, that’s enough.”  Patrick finds himself next to David, a hand on his shoulder, glaring at Stevie.  He can feel David trembling under his palm.

“Yeah, like any of this is my fault,” Stevie mumbles.  She’s wearing a familiar flannel over a v-neck t-shirt, but the look on her face is like nothing Patrick has ever seen before.  It’s a deep hurt, and when he turns to look at David, he sees it there as well.  This has got to stop.

“Could we maybe go inside?” Patrick asks, sliding his hand down David’s body to the small of his back, bringing them closer together.  It’s not raining as hard as it was this morning, but the misty drizzle certainly isn’t helping the situation.

David disappears briefly when they get indoors.  “How did you even get into the house?” Patrick asks Stevie, still trying to figure out how to manage this situation.

“The spare key was in a fake turtle next to the front door, it wasn’t exactly hard.”

Patrick resolves to have another conversation with his parents about security, although he supposes their approach is slightly better than their previous practice of leaving the key under the mat.

David returns a few moments later with a different black sweater on, the hood pulled up over his head.  He looks miserable.  Patrick wishes they could go back to the diner and stay there forever, arms around each other and the aroma of pancakes all around them.  His instincts in that regard were apparently spot on.

“Tell me why you’re here,” David says to Stevie, a hand on his hip.  

Stevie backs up a step into the kitchen, fiddling with a tea towel that says “Livin’ the Dream” on it in flowery aqua script.  She looks cornered.  Patrick considers encouraging them all to sit down and have a cup of tea first, like a scene from a British novel.

“Rose Motel Group is always evaluating new territories for growing the business,” Stevie says.  “Since you declared your interest in the southeast U.S., your father suggested I come down here and check it out.”

“That’s ridiculous, I only talked to him about it a few days ago.”

“It was actually the next territory on our list, after mid-Atlantic coastal, he just moved it up.”

“That’s still ridiculous,” David mutters, looking to Patrick for confirmation.  “We hardly do any business in the U.S.”

“We do, we have a dozen motels in upstate New York and New England, and you’d know that if you ever attended the management meetings instead of pretending that your wi-fi has mysteriously gone out.  A middle schooler is better at zoom than you are.”

“Zoom meetings give me migraines.”

“That’ll be a real advantage now that you’re working remotely.”

“Is that what this is about?  I’m not on the moon, Stevie, I’m just in Florida.  It’s hardly going to interfere with my ability to place orders with the same two dozen vendors I’ve been working with for years.”

Patrick finally forces himself to move, stepping in between them.  “How about some tea?”

This causes both David and Stevie to freeze and blink at him like he’s lost his mind.  

“Go on, go sit down,” Patrick waves them towards the living room.

They take up seats on the opposite ends of the couch, hesitantly facing each other like nervous cats.  Patrick never really got to the bottom of what happened between them after his and David’s break-up.  He has a feeling that he’s about to find out.

He busies himself making tea, getting the kettle out of the cabinet and filling it with water and searching in the cabinets for the tea bags and sugar.  But the living room is only a few feet away, and he can hear the silence stretch until Stevie finally speaks up.

“You look good,” she says to David – and Patrick nearly drops the kettle, he’s so surprised to hear these words come out of Stevie’s mouth at this point.

“Thanks,” David says, sounding oddly flattered.  “So do you.”

“When was the last time we saw each other?” Stevie asks.  “Last Christmas?”

“The RMG holiday party,” David agrees.  “Almost a year ago.”

“How’s Alexis?”

Patrick doesn’t understand how they went from biting each other’s heads off to awkward small talk.

“She’s okay.  She needs more clients, but she seems happy enough.”

A pause, and then - “David, if you and Patrick are going to be back together, maybe you and I can-”

“Don’t.”  The suddenly bitter tone in David’s voice pulls at Patrick’s heart.

“But-”

“Give it up, Stevie.  It’s too late.”

“Why, exactly?  Come on, David, I’m the least emotionally mature person I know, after you of course, and even I can see that we don’t need to do this anymore.”

“What, I’m just supposed to ask you to forgive me and we’d be friends again, just like that?”

“You could try it.  And maybe tell me why you cut me off in the first place.”

“It’s better if we just stick to business.”  David stands up and starts pacing.  There’s not much space in the living room, between the couch and the armchair and the coffee table.  It cramps his style.  “That was going fine, at least until you showed up here.”

“Fine?  How is it fine, that we went from being best friends-” Stevie’s voice catches, “to <i>colleagues</i> who only talk when Mr. Rose needs me to get vendor information from you?  How is that fine?”

“I don’t know how this is going to end up,” David says, waving his hands.  “I’ll probably fuck it up again somehow.  No matter how hard I try, that’s always what happens.  I don’t want to, I really don’t want to, but I’m very familiar with my life, Stevie.  I ruin everything.”

Patrick realizes with a pang that David is talking about the two of them.

“And when I do,” David goes on, “Patrick’s still going to need you.  I’m not taking that away from him.  I gave you to him, and it’s going to stay that way.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”  Stevie says, her voice going even quieter.  In Patrick’s experience, this indicates that she is truly furious.  “You can’t <i>give</i> me to someone.”

“I had Alexis.  Patrick didn’t have anyone.  He even lost the store.  He needed you more than I did.  I couldn’t take you away from him.”

“Did it never occur to you,” Stevie says, snapping out each word, “that I might want a say in the matter?  That I might not want to lose either of you?  That maybe, I don’t know, I could stay friends with you both?”

“That’s not how it works in a break-up, and you know it.  Everyone chooses sides.  I needed you to choose Patrick.”

“So you ditched our friendship and stopped returning my calls so I would take Patrick’s side?”

“I wasn’t exactly thinking straight at the time!”  David yells, and Patrick feels like his heart beats out of his chest with pain as David deflates, his head in his hands.  “I just needed you to be there for him,” he says softly.

“You really are a fuck-up, David Rose,” Stevie says, her voice calmer.  “But I’m going to be the bigger person here, and not let you fuck this up any more.”

Stevie stands up and moves over to David, who reluctantly takes his hands away from his face to watch her approach.  As he looks around, David catches Patrick watching them.  His eyes grow wide as he realizes that their conversation has been overheard, and he grabs Stevie’s arm, rapidly ushering her out the front door.

“What the hell, David?”  Stevie protests, but she goes along with him.  

Patrick watches through the kitchen window, unable to drag his eyes away.  David and Stevie are standing near the end of the driveway, and he can see David’s hands waving, and Stevie shaking her head at him.  Then Stevie drags David into a hug, holding him tight as he squirms before accepting it.  David’s head finally drops onto her shoulder, and they stay that way for a long moment.  When they pull apart, Stevie punches him – fondly? – on the chest, then gets into her car and drives away.  

Patrick goes outside, joining David at the end of the driveway as they watch Stevie’s car go around the corner.

“She has an appointment at a motel,” David says.  “She’ll be back in time for dinner.  She told me to order Thai, and get both kinds of satays.”  David seems almost stunned at how he’s able to talk about Stevie like this now.  

Patrick puts a hand on David’s shoulder.  “You okay?”

David shakes himself, looking skyward and then back off in the direction of the road.  “A little… fizzy.”

It’s not a word Patrick’s heard David use before to describe his state, but Patrick thinks he gets it.

“Too much emotion?”

David glares a little at Patrick.

“I’m going to make it worse,” Patrick says, biting back a smile as David’s glare intensifies.

“I really don’t need that right now.”  David takes Patrick’s hand from his shoulder and holds it firmly, walking them back into the house.  This time Patrick actually closes the door behind them, and then turns to David, who is fidgeting with the sleeves of his sweater, pulling them down over his fingers.

“David.”  Patrick catches his gaze.  “It takes two people to tank a relationship.”

“Sure.”

“No, really –  what happened between us was my fault, too.  You know that.  You can’t take it all on yourself.  And it’s not all on you to make it work this time, either.”

David purses his lips, looking down at the floor.

“Hey.”  Patrick moves closer, his hands squeezing David’s shoulders.  “I’m in this, too.  As hard as you’re going to try not to fuck this up, I’ll be right there with you, okay?  This is important to me, too.  Really important.”

David nods several times in succession.

“And there’s one more thing.”

David glances at him.  “What?”

“I don’t agree with your methods, but…” His mind flashes back to those days and weeks after their break-up, when it hurt just to breathe, when he was so lost and miserable, save for a friend who showed up with whiskey and ice cream and helped him through it.  

“But what?”

“You gave me Stevie,” Patrick says, gratitude in his voice.  After Patrick broke David’s heart, David gave up his best friend because he still cared about Patrick and didn’t want him to be alone.  <i>That’s not nothing,</i> he hears in David’s voice.

“Are you going to lecture me about that too?”

“No.  I should, but – nope.”

David looks at him, his gaze open and disbelieving.

“And probably Stevie would say she can take care of herself on this point.”

A smile creeps into David’s cheek. “Hmmph.”

“Instead,” Patrick pushes David up against the kitchen island and cups his face in his hands, “I’m just going to say one thing.”

“What’s that?” David asks, his eyes alight.

“I love you, too.”

[reginageorgesgirlfriend3020]

Gilmore girls - Early Christmas shopping (Part 1)

"Pizza?" Said Rory.

"Check!" Said Lorelai.

"Garlic knots?" Said Rory.

"Check!" "Said Lorelai.

"Soda?" Said Rory.

"Check!" "Said Lorelai. "Thanks dude". She said to Luke.

"Thank you Luke". Said Rory.

"You're welcome". Said Luke. "Come on put the game on. We're gonna miss it". He said.

"Basketball?" Said Rory.

"Yeah" Said Luke.

"Ugh I hate sports!" Said Lorelai.

"Not the way this team plays". Rory said to her mom.

"Can we watch something else?" Lorelai asked.

"We can watch the movie the strangers after the game". Rory said to her mom.

"Ooh yay!" Said Lorelai.

"The scary movie the strangers?" Luke said. "Doesn't scary movies give you both nightmares?" He asked Lorelai and Rory.

"Yeah" said Rory.

"Yeah, but we like to be scared haha" Said Lorelai.

Luke sighed. "Alright. Game time".

Rory heard her cell phone ring. "Hello?" She answered.

"Hey babe". Said Paris. "Do you like poetry books?" She asked her girlfriend.

"Uh yeah kinda. Why?" Rory asked.

"Just asking. I wanna get my baby something nice for Christmas". Said Paris.

Rory smiled. "Aww!"

"What?" Said Paris.

"You called me your baby" Said Rory. She giggled.

"No I didn't!" Said Paris.

"Yes you did!" Said rory.

"No I didn't!" Said Paris.

"Yes you did!" Said Rory.

"No I didn't!" Said Paris.

"Paris!" Said Rory.

"Fine. I call you my baby. That's because you're my baby". Said Paris.

Rory giggled. "Cutie!" She said to her girlfriend.

Paris smiled. "How about Scary books? Do you like scary books?" She asked her girlfriend.

"Yeah kinda". Said Rory.

"Great" Said Paris.

"Shoot the ball!!" Lorelai yelled at the TV.

"What was that?" Paris asked.

"My mom yelling at the tv". Said Rory.

"Alright that's all I needed to know. Thanks babe. Night". Said Paris.

"Night". Said Rory.

"Love you". Said Paris.

"Love you too". Said Rory.

They both hung up.

Rory picked up a slice of pepperoni and sausage pizza and started to eat the pizza.

They heard a knock on the door. It was a cold night in December.

"Oh,I think that's Lexi!" Said Lorelai.

She got up and opened up the door. "Baby!" Lorelai yelled.

"Hey hey!" Said Lexi.

Lexi jumped in Lorelai's arms as Lorelai held her girlfriend in her arms.

"Girlfriend?" Luke asked.

"Yeah" Said Rory.

"Ooh is the game on?" Lexi asked. Her and Lorelai were holding hands.

"Yeah", said Luke. "The bucks are winning".

Lorelai was holding her girlfriend in her arms. Lexi smiled. "Ooh what a block!" Both her and Luke yelled at the tv.

"Hey Lexi!" Said Rory.

"Hey Rory!" Said Lexi. Rory got up from the couch and gave her friend a hug as Lexi hugged her back.

"Do you want some pizza?" Rory asked Lexi.

"Yeah! I'm hungry I havent eaten dinner yet". Said Lexi.

After the basketball game was over Luke, Lorelai, her girlfriend Lexi, and Rory started to watch the movie the strangers.

"Do scary movies give you nightmares?" Lorelai asked Lexi.

Lexi frowned. "They do".

Lorelai hugged Lexi tight as Lexi hugged her too. "We can watch another movie".

"Can we watch the movie the woman by the window?" Lexi asked.

"Alright, I'm gonna drive home. Gotta go Christmas shopping tomorrow. Ugh". Sais Luke.

"You sure you dont wanna watch the movie with us?" Lorelai asked.

"No that's okay". Said Luke. "Night Ladies. Night Lexi". He said. He got up and put his winter jacket on.

"Night Luke. Thanks again for the pizza". Said Rory.

"Night Luke". Said Lorelai.

"Drive safe". Said Lexi.

After he left Lorelai locked the front door.

Lexi sat on her girlfriend's lap as Lorelai cuddled her. Rory started to eat the popcorn too.

After the movie was over Rory went to her room to sleep and Lorelai and Lexi slept in Lorelai's room. Lexi had her head on Lorelai's chest and Lorelai wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.

"Do you know what you want for Christmas yet?" Lorelai asked Lexi.

"An iPad. The iPad air. How about you?" Lexi asked.

"An air fryer. I think it makes the mozzarella sticks even more yummy". Said Lorelai.

As Lorelai slept she saw a note from Lexi. 'Hey babe! Going Christmas shopping! I'll meet you at Luke's diner for lunch. Love you. Xoxox'

Lorelai smiled. She brushed her teeth, took a shower, changed her clothes, and put on deodorant. She put on her winter coat and some gloves and her boots and went to buy Lexi the ipad air.

She walked into the store and saw the cashier. "I'd like to buy the iPad air please". She said. "Great". Said the cashier. "Niko will be with you shortly".

"Thanks". She said.

After 5 minutes she saw a man in a blue shirt with the name tag 'Niko'. "Hi. May I help you?" He said.

"I want to buy this ipad air. The one that's $319".

"Great. Here you go. Who's it for?". He asked.

"My girlfriend". Said Lorelai.

"Your girlfriend?" Niko gave her a weird look. "That's strange. Woman should only date men".

Lorelai grabbed the ipad. "Well guess what captain shit face? Lexi is a great girl. Shes my girlfriend. Do not speak about her like that and do not talk to me like that. Okay? Thanks". She said. She put the iPad air on the counter.

"$322". Said the cashier.

Lorelai paid with her debut card and grabbed the ipad air and left the store.

Lexi bought Lorelai an air fryer and a gift card at applebees.

Rory was at the bookstore looking at the books. She heard someone say "Hello beautiful".

'What in the world?' Rory thought to herself. She turned around saw her girlfriend. "Paris! Hiii!". She smiled.

"Hey baby". Said Paris. She gave Rory a kiss on the lips. "I bought you your Christmas present".

"Ooh! Give me! Give me!" Said Rory.

"I can't. You have to wait til Christmas". Said Paris.

"Aw man!" Said Rory.

"Come on babe. Christmas is 2 days away". Said Paris.

"That's true". Said Rory. "Where you headed to now?" Paris asked.

"To get coffee". Said Paris.

"I'll walk with you". Said Paris. "I want a muffin". Rory and Paris held hands as they walked to Luke's diner.

- At Luke's diner -

Lorelai opened the door to Luke's diner and said really loudly "Ohhh Luuuuuuke! Guess who needs coffeeeee?".

"Oh Great". Luke mumbled.

"Hey mom". Said Rory.

Lorelai turned around.

"Hey Rory! Hey Paris!" Said Lorelai.

"Hey Ms. Gilmore". Said Paris.

They saw Lexi on her laptop working.

Lorelai sat next to her. "Hey you".

"Oh, hey!" Lexi said to Lorelai. "What you up to beautiful?"

"Oh nothing. Sitting next to the most prettiest lady in the world. And...and I got you a Christmas present!" Said Lorelai.

Lexi smiled. "Aw yay! I'm just about done working on this website. It's a website for turf. Its basically people that do the turf for the playgrounds and for the basketball turfs too". Said Lexi.

"Fancyyy" Said Lorelai.

Lexi laughed.

2 more days til Christmas. Just two more days.

[nomorelonelydays]

kick your pretty feet up on my dash

Part 1 | Part 2

 -

Two days after the Instagram account opens, Sidney unofficially gets put on naming duty.

 The strawberry shortcake biscuit is named The Taylor.

 The cream cheese-stuffed banana muffins, crusted with dark chocolate ganache, is The Fleury.

 The slice of warm spiced peach cobbler (available for just two weeks), topped with a generous portion of thick, whipped cream and vanilla ice cream, is The Deidre.

 He shares the account password with her, but she seems more interested in digging up her mom’s old recipes from an ancient box filled with yellowed index cards than photographing.

 “I’ll leave that up to you,” she says, then passes him a card titled, ‘Cherry Layer Chocolate Cake.’ “I think I’ll make this for the holidays. What do you think?”

 Deidre makes just one and a half cakes for a trial run (the other half, which had come out lopsided, is sitting in the back of Sidney’s fridge). It’s another instant hit.

 Sidney watches a couple, two teenagers who are making it pretty painfully obvious that they’re on their first date, split a slice in a corner seat. She’s chasing the cherry around the plate with her fork, and he watching her like she hung the literal moon. He laughs a little too hard at her jokes, his eyes crinkling like Geno’s when he’s chirping Sidney. But with the way she’s beaming, it’s clear that she doesn’t mind at all.

 He’s not jealous—or, at least, he doesn’t think he’s jealous. Having hockey and having a boyfriend have always been mutually exclusive. But now, with no obligations to the NHL, he’s supposedly free to do everything that he’s wanted to. He doesn’t dwell too long on it though, because the last thing he needs is to have an existential spiral in Deidre’s store over whether or not he’s missed his his golden hour to be happy the exact minute the Penguins drafted him all those years ago.

 He finishes lettering the card for the cherry chocolate cake and slides ‘The Jack’ neatly into its proper holder.

-

Geno calls him on Thursday nights now, like clockwork. He’s grateful for the routineness of it, especially when he knows how much Geno lives on spontaneity. It’s always the same—updates on how the team is doing (good, the weather over in Pittsburgh (not so good), another dumb prank the rookies are trying to pull (hilarious, but slightly unoriginal with the shaving cream), even though it’ll never be as good as the ones Flower used to plan.

 “How are you?” Geno asks one night, while Sidney is puttering around the kitchen to figure out what he wants to make for dinner. “Your tomatoes grow?”

 “I think those are a goner,” Sidney grimaces. The entire plant had shriveled up weeks ago, despite Sidney faithfully watering them. “Guess I’ll just have to stick with the storebought ones.”

 Geno is silent for a bit. Then, “Is quiet in locker room without you.”

 Sidney pauses. “I doubt that’s true.” There’s plenty of rookies every year, eager to prove themselves on the ice and to establish themselves as a personality on the team. Besides, Sidney has never been the life of the party—that’s always been Geno himself.

 “No, is quieter.” Geno sounds like he’s swallowing a yawn. “Different without you.”

 Sidney’s heart flounders, and he has to blink a couple of times before his throat unclogs. “Maybe you should get to sleep. It’s pretty late over there.”

 “No, I’m not tired,” Geno mumbles, sounding very drowsy. Sidney can almost picture Geno, hair-mussed and sleepy eyes about to close as he curls up on his mattress. “Want to keep talking.”

 “I know you have practice tomorrow, G,” Sidney says. “You have the C now, you can’t get there two hours late anymore.”

 “I’m never late,” Geno huffs. “You too early.”

 “Get some rest,” Sidney says gently. “I’ll still be here next week, same as usual.”

 “Maybe I call tomorrow.’

 “I won’t go anywhere.”

 “Wish you still here, Sid,” he murmurs. “Miss you so bad, some days.”

 Sidney doesn’t miss a beat. “I miss you, too,” he whispers, because any louder and he knows his voice will crack. “I’ll be here tomorrow. And the day after, if you still want to call.”

 “Okay,” Geno says. “Okay.”

 -

 Sidney’s restocking the brioche rolls when Deidre’s voice casually pipes up from the coffee machine, “You have a secret admirer, you know.”

 “I know. It’s Samantha. PTA President,” Sidney says, trying to not sound exasperated. He only knows her name and title because she must’ve giggled it at him as a greeting every single time she’s marched in. “She asked me what the main ingredient was in the banana muffins and I told her banana like, three times.”

 “She just likes to hear you say banana. And no, it’s not Sam.” Deidre makes a come hither motion with her hands and slides a napkin towards Sidney. “Yesterday afternoon, there was a young man, maybe around his 30s, who stopped by for a latte and he asked where you were.”

 “Oh.” There’s something he can’t name fluttering in his stomach. The words on the napkin scrawled out, Jeremy, and a string of numbers. “What did you say?”

 “I told him, ‘He’s a cute one, isn’t he? He’s the store eye candy, bringing in all the sales.’”

 “Dee, you didn’t.”

 “I did, and he went full red. It was adorable. And I told him that you pop in in the mornings and in the afternoon to help with opening and closing.” She leans forward, grinning. “I’m just saying, think about it.”

 He thinks about it.

 At night, he tells Geno, “I think I have a secret admirer. Or a stalker.”

 Geno’s voice suddenly becomes infinitely more awake. “Have what? Someone stand outside your house? I read about this before, you need call police.”

 “No, it was at the bakery. I got his number on a napkin. Well, the owner gave me his name on a napkin, so I don’t really know what he looks like. He could be 100. People in this town are usually…around that age range.”

 Geno still sounds perplexed. “So say no.”

 “What?”

 “Say sorry, only go on dates with girls. But thank you.”

 Sidney’s brain feels like it’s stuttering to a pause. “Geno, what the fuck?”

 “What?”

 “I don’t ‘only go on dates with girls.’ I—” Well, to be quite fair, he hasn’t gone on any dates at all. “You know this.”

 It takes a full ten seconds for Geno to crackled back to life on the line again. His voice is hesitant. “You only bring girls to events. Like Halloween, or—”

 “They’re my friends, I’ve told you. I’m not going to bring a guy in front of you guys,” he exclaims, then reigns in his voice. His heart is beating like a jackhammer boring straight through. “Hey, listen, I have a pretty early day tomorrow, I’ll talk to you next week, okay?”

 “Sid, wait—”

 He hangs up and puts his phone face down on the nightstand. It’s not his proudest moment.

 -

 I’m sorry(((, the text reads. The timestamp indicates that the message had been sent at 2 AM. You should go on a date with secret guy. Maybe he’s secret Ryan Reynolds.

 Geno’s texts are never longer than five words, usually cryptic versions of a yes or no, accompanied by eyeless smilies. Sidney wonders if he’d been painstakingly worrying over each word since Sidney hastily ended the conversation.

 I don’t think he’s Ryan Reynolds, Sidney sends back. Besides, no one in this town knows hockey. That’s gonna be a problem.

 Geno’s reply is instantaneous, as if he’d been waiting.

 Picky)))))

More messages follow in quick succession, before Sidney can even start typing. 

But always best for u. Deserve the best only.

 He laces up his shoes and heads to Dee’s.

 -

 It snows a little mid-December.

 He helps Deidre with the decorations, hanging up tinsel and little snowflake cutouts on the window. She has a box of Christmas lights stored away in a dusty box from the attic, which definitely looks like they haven’t been disturbed since the 80s, but the one of the bulbs dies with a sad fizz the moment Sidney plugs it in. So they have to make do with the other nonflammable options.

 The store looks nice. ‘Well-loved’ is a better word for it, with its mismatched decorations and ancient garlands. He snaps a photo of the mini tree on the counter for Instagram before he goes to help Deidre frost the rest of the ornament-shaped sugar cookies.

 There’s commotion on the streets from all the tourists and families coming back for the holidays. He thinks about flying to Nova Scotia for the holidays, but then he realizes that none of Deidre’s children will be coming to Cardwell Point.

 “They’re busy,” she shrugs indifferently, but she turns her back to Sidney as she busies herself with rearranging the shelfs. “It’s alright. That’s what Skype is for, right? Besides, I have to watch the store.”

 He thinks about Geno, who’s probably headed to Florida soon to escape the onslaught of winter chill that he absolutely abhors, no matter how much he loves the city. He could Skype Geno, or Facetime him. Except Geno would always have the angle wrong, and Sidney’s sure he’d just get an on-brand mugshot of Geno’s nostril from the bottom up for the whole conversation. 

He did ask Sidney if he wanted to go to Florida, except the way he had asked had felt like a given tagged with a question mark at the end (Florida w me this year?). Nonetheless, Sidney had been tempted.

 But he also wonders if he’d feel even more homesick when Geno is physically standing in front of him again, all tall and loud and too big, too much, too many years of his unrequited love staring at him and making Sidney think that he has a chance. He doesn’t want to go to Florida to watch Geno pick up strangers at a club.

 “I’m not going anywhere, either,” he tells her.

 She looks over, finally, pursing her lips like she’s trying to hold back her smile.

 @DeesBakeryandCafe

Season’s greetings and a happy New Year to our wonderful customers and families here in Cardwell Point. Hope everyone is spending time with their loved ones this holiday season.

-

 Winter refuses to go. The clouds hang over the streets stubbornly, and each days trudges on like it’s dragging its feet.

 He misses skating.

 He misses Geno. Especially as it gets closer to February and teenagers and adults alike start coming to the shop in twos, their gloved hands clasped together as they squeeze through Dee’s tiny corridor when it’s really much easier to be in a single-file line.

 He’s not jealous. He is not.

 But he is lonely. And really fucking cold.

 He serves up at least thirty slices of The Jack, which is apparently the most popular item these days thanks to Instagram. Deidre switches up the decoration, so the cherry-glazed design in the middle forms a big, gaudy heart. The Internet completely eats up. Sidney doesn’t understand it.

 “It’s like a Titanic reference, right?” a customer asks, as he picks up the cake for his wife. “Like, an ‘I’ll never let you go,’ kind of thing. Jack and Rose?”

 “Sure,” Sidney says. It’s really for his first childhood crush, but he can work with the Titanic.

 The moment Deidre fills her last custom order of The Jack (and there had been plenty of those, for anniversaries to birthdays to just becauses), she tells Sidney that she’s figured out how to make her mother’s cheesecake.

 “Finally worked out how to stop the goddamn filling from clotting,” she says, cutting him a slice. The cake has a brownie bottom, and the inside is perfectly creamy and smooth and dotted with dark chocolate chips. “What do you think?”

 “I’m biased,” Sidney says, trying to not scarf down the whole thing like an animal. “I love cheesecakes. This one is my favorite so far.”

 “Good,” she tells him. “You can name this one, then.”

 His fork stops mid-air. “Weren’t you going to call it ‘The Lily’?”

 She pats his arm affectionately, not unlike the day she did when Sidney told her why he ended up at Cardwell Point. “I figured she wouldn’t mind. This can be our second February special. God, I’m sick of The Jack.”

 The next week, Sidney carefully slides The Geno in its display cabinet.

 (Deidre doesn’t ask about the peculiar name. She never does, and Sidney is grateful.)

 After over a decade in the NHL, he’s well aware of what he can and can’t have. But lately he’s been feeling selfish. He snaps a photo of the cheesecake and sends it to Deidre.

It’s a good photo.

-

 “I got invited to a neighborhood potluck yesterday,” Sidney mumbles into the receiver, when Flower asks him how retirement is treating him. “I don’t know what to bring. Maybe I’ll bring something from the bakery.”

 “Do you officially work at the bakery or are you just there because the owner is blackmailing you? Does she know who you are?”

 “I just help out when I can. And no, I told you, it’s not a hockey town. They do have competitive knitting here. It’s a thing.” Sidney doesn’t have much to do these days, aside from working out and catching up on reading, which means that he does end up doing most of the latter in the café. Maybe he should take up competitive knitting. “I started an Instagram for her shop. We just hit 200 followers.”

 “You know how to do that?” Flower asks, because he’s a little shit. “I’m kidding, I know you’re not actually a senior citizen.”

 Sidney rolls his eyes. “I haven’t checked it in a while though. I let Deidre handle the posting now. It’s her shop, anyways.”

 “What’s the handle?”

 He tells him. Flower is quiet for a bit as he searches through the page. “Pretty cool, eh?”

 “Yeah,” Flower says, his voice slightly off. “Yeah, it’s—it’s good. Looks like the real deal.”

 “What’s that supposed to mean? Of course it’s the real deal.”

 Flower makes a noncommittal noise. “Nothing. Cheesecake looks good. Does Geno know?”

 “No,” Sidney says. “I mentioned the bakery once or twice. He didn’t ask. Not, uh—not after I told him about Jeremy.”

 “Secret napkin man?” Flower remembers. “You didn’t go on that date?”

 “No, I didn’t go on a date with ‘secret napkin man,’” he mimics. “I don’t think he’d care.”

 “I think he’d care.” Flower always sounds so sure when he wants to be serious, and it’s one of the things Sidney missed most when he left for Vegas—there’d been a metaphorical hollow within the team for a good few months following his departure, and that void never quite got replaced no matter what.  

 “Maybe.”

 Sidney can only hope. But he’s a little too old for hoping these days.

 -

 Foot traffic is slower when they hit March, but Deidre promises that it’ll pick up when Cardwell Point’s 11th Annual Theater Festival starts in the middle of the month, because that’s apparently the other big thing aside from the 4th of July Carnival Bash. Sidney has just packed up another dozen of red velvet cupcakes for Samantha the PTA Queen when the front bell jingles.

 “Hello? I’m look for—”

 Sidney heart leaps to his throat.

 “Sid,” Geno says softly. He looks like the wind knocked him in (it probably had), mismatched Frakenshirts and all. “Hi, Sid.”

 Samantha may as well not have even walked into the store at all.

 “How are—“ He must be imagining things. But Geno takes another step, until he’s right in front of the counter and Sidney can reach out and touch just how real he is. He hasn’t changed much--still the same eyes, the same nose and lips, and maybe his hair is a bit thinner but he still makes Sidney’s chest feel too small and too big all at once. “Where did you—how are you here?”

 “Fly,” Geno says sheepishly. “Wanted to see you.”

 “What about—”

 “No games until Friday.” He’s staring at Sidney like he’s looking his fill and he can’t get enough. “I—I see your post, and I just—buy ticket.”

 “What post?”

 Geno pulls out his phone and flips through it until he lands at a familiar Instagram account. He passes it over to Sidney, his hands warm as it brushes against Sidney’s fingers.

 @DeesBakeryCafe

‘I love you’ tastes a lot like our chocolate chip cheesecake, The Geno.

 “Oh,” Sidney breathes. “Oh.”

[words-are-like-colors]

Title: Stuck Together {1} “Where did we go? What did we do? I think we made something entirely new.” AO3 Word Count: 11,389 words Rating:T Relationship: M/M Chapter: 1/? Tags: Edward Elric/Envy, Edvy, Edward Elric, Envy, AU, Modern AU, fake boyfriends, slow burn Summary:Airports are the bane of his existence– arriving late, TSA, canceled flight, baggage claim, etc. It was just another Christmas for Ed. Just another day when he forget the time for his flight and arrived late, or at least would've been late unless the flight was previously canceled. This is how he reached this predicament of tripping and falling at a stunning man's feet. Notes: Hello! If the title of this chapter seems familiar, you’re right. It comes from the song Something Entirely New by Rebecca Sugar. I’ll be using lyrics from that song for upcoming chapters as well. Also, thank you so much Magnosaurus for beta-ing my fic! It means a lot to me. THANK YOU!! Enjoy!

Additional notes at end due to spoilers

My thick soled boots pounded loudly on the sleek white tiles of the terminal floor as I weaved through the crowd of waiting passengers, my messenger bag and leather jacket bouncing against my body at each stride. So close! I zoomed around a group of people when I finally spotted my gate– E18. People surrounded the area around the sign and door. So I wasn’t late! Thank god! Just one more step… one more step onto my shoelace, sending me tumbling to the floor. THUMP!

“I made it!” I cheered still on the ground, ignoring the obvious glances and questioning looks from the crowd around me but what I didn’t expect was one to click their tongue at me and nudge me with their shoe.

“Get up. You are late. We all are.” The neon purple toe of the man’s sneaker poked at my side. “The floor is already dirty, even without an ant like you laying on it.”

“Eh? You callin’ me short?” I flashed a warning glare up in the man’s direction as I clambered onto my feet, straightening out my shirt before going back down to lace up my boots and tuck the jeans in.

A small chuckle came from the man. “I ain’t lying, just pointing out the truth.”

Rolling my eyes, I stood back up and looked at the man, and what I was met with was something I didn’t expect. The said man had an agitated look on his face. His sharp purple eyes matched his sneakers while his palm tree like green hair matched his… tight tank top, and a black cropped jacket stood out against the dark green. My eyes traced where his earbuds were feed up under the tank top; the top stuck to him perfectly, all the way down to his jeans where it was slightly bunched up by the blockage of his black belt. He looked kinda… good looking? In an odd way… wait what?

“A picture would last longer you know.” His snippy voice pulled me out of the trace. A blush instantly bounced up onto my cheeks at his words.

“N-no thank you.” I stuttered out. Shit shit shit! Not again! Last time I met a guy who was remotely hot (not saying that this guy is hot or anything… okay. I’m lying but that’s not my point) it turned into a mess in a quick few days. Roy was my ex’s name. We were together for a whole solid year, a year of happy smiles and kisses. I was about to move into a new apartment with him when I found him sucking a chick’s face off. A damn girl , yet he was dating me, a guy . After that, I had turned into a pile of crap. I skipped class, drank and even tried to hit it off with a few douchebags before I got over him.

The man smirked and shook his head. “Anyways. The flight was delayed for who knows how long. If you haven’t noticed, it’s pouring out and it’s snowing in Boston.” He stuck an earbud into his ear before I could reply and pressed the buttons on the earbuds, presumingly changing the song. I sighed as I watched him bend over and pick something off of the floor. “Hm? So your name is Edward Elric… pathetic.”

My wallet was tossed at me. Frowning, I noticed that a few of my things had fallen out of my pockets during the fall. Oops. I shoved everything into my bag and grimaced at my ticket; I had apparently crumpled it up when I had rushed during the TSA scanning, which explains why my boots were untied. “Well, what’s your name then? You got mine, so I should have yours.”

“I don’t hand my name out like candy, shrimp. I don’t need the whole world knowing it.” He huffed, fixing his backpack on his shoulder before wandering over to some empty seats farthest from the crowd of people demanding why they couldn’t leave for Boston now. He tossed his bag underneath the seat and flopped down. “Still following me?”

“Want do I need to do to get your name? And DON’T call me ‘shrimp’.” I put my hands on my hips in a definite manner to try and show that I hated being called that but that didn’t seem to work.

“Okay, shrimp . I guessing that you also want my number as well– seeing that you were staring at me for a minute and a half. Buy me something good to eat then we can talk. I’m starvin’.” The jerk stretched his arms out over his head before dropped down them into his lap while he crossed legs. A slick smirk appeared on his lips, it oddly made my heart flutter like a school girl’s would.

“Fine!” I pushed my golden hair out of my face as I started my quest to find this guy– no, I’ll call him Palm Tree because of his hair– a decent meal.

After looking around for a cheap but decent place to get food, I found Starbucks. Palm Tree must like Starbucks right? I cringed at the mile long line before stepping into it.

The ten minute wait soon ended and I bounced up to the counter. “Uh. Hi. Can I have a regular latte– cream and sugar–,” Hopefully Palm Tree will like the coffee. I don’t know his preference. After scanning the menu, I spotted my slice of heaven. Hot Cocoa and Chocolate Chunk Muffins. I don’t usually take pride in this but I’m a major chocoholic. “a large hot chocolate and two of those chocolate muffins.” I rambled off to the clerk without bothering to even look at them as I gave them my credit card; I was too obsessed with the thought of getting this hot guy's– not hot! Just a stinking palm tree– name.

Once I got the coffee and muffins, and after juggling the items for a minute, I managed to get back to Palm Tree without spilling either drink. “Hey. I’m back.” I announced as I stood in front of the guy. Palm Tree didn’t look up from his phone so I tried again. “Hey! I got you a coffee!”

No response.

So I kicked him, which turned out not to be a good idea. Due to not being able to keep my balance while kicking him and carrying the coffee and muffins, I ended up falling (once again) at this guy’s feet. Luckily, Palm Tree came out of his phone induced trance to catch a muffin and his coffee in the air. I, myself, managed to keep a hand on my hot chocolate but my poor beautiful muffin met its demise on the floor, chocolate chip side down.

Palm Tree laughed at my pain as I picked up my poor muffin. I sat down in the seat next to him and started to nibble on my muffin. “I hope you don’t mind the coffee choice, I didn’t know what you liked.”

“It’s fine.” He hummed and sipped at the coffee before unwrapping the Christmas themed paper from the muffin and taking a bite. “Although I was expecting a meal more than just a muffin.”

“I wasn’t hungry so I didn’t think of that. Sorry.” I mumbled into my muffin, nibbling off the chocolate chunks before the muffin part. I looked up to see Palm Tree laughing and grinned at me. “What?”

“Wow. You’re precise with your muffins eating skills.” He chuckled, his hand over his mouth to stop from laughing too hard.

“Oh come on. It’s not that funny– what’s your name?”

“Envy Alister, the man who eats muffins normally.” He stifled his laughs until they turned into light giggles.

I looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Envy? Isn’t that one of the seven deadly sins?” I hissed under my breath, normally you wouldn’t speak of these things out in public.

The grin vanished from his face at the hiss. “That’s exactly why I don’t hand my name out like candy. People ask questions. Will it make you feel better if I had a different name?” Envy brushed a loose strand of hair out of his face, huffing and sliding down into his seat more.

I quickly shook my head. The name was oddly appealing, it was strange yet interesting. Fuck it if his name is Envy, one of the ugliest sins, I liked it! “No! Envy is good.” A smile crawled up onto my face. “It's… cool.”

“Cool? Cool is what you think it is?! I think it’s a damn liability to carry such a name. You would be surprised how many speeches I get a day about how evil I am.” Envy angrily ate his muffin. I felt guilty for giving that poor chocolate chip muffin to him, the muffin doesn’t deserve to be eaten so harshly.

“S-sorry. I didn’t mean to anger you.” I mumbled, looking away. I really didn’t mean to upset him. I just thought the name was cool and unique, unlike my common boring one.

Envy just rolled his eyes and finished off his muffin before taking a sip of his coffee. “It’s fine.” He muttered into the cup.

I relaxed, relieved, and pulled my phone out of my pocket when it buzzed. “So… Why are you going to Boston?” I said, trying to make easy conversation. A message from Alphonse popped up on the screen.

Envy flicked out an earbud when he realized that I wanted to talk. “Family. They wanted me to go up there to help host a business Christmas ball or whatever.”

“Your family is rich?” I asked innocently, it makes sense; typically where you hear about fancy balls, it’s usually it’s hosted by rich families or businesses.

Envy raised an eyebrow at me. “Is that what’s you’re interested in? How rich I am?”

“N-no! I was just wondering.”

He shrugged with a light chuckle at my apology. “Yeah, my parents are. I went to college down here in Dallas to get away from them. Is that why you’re in Dallas too, shrimp?”

I bit my tongue from telling him off for calling me that so I answered. “No. I promised my brother I would go to the college I wanted to go to so I just chose a random art college and went there.”

“The Art Institute of Dallas?”

“How did you know?!” I exclaimed which received a few looks but I could care less.

“I go there too, for graphic design mostly.” Envy smirked at my enthusiasm.

“I go for photography.” I piped up but he seemed to ignore that when he asked. “Is that your brother there?” I followed Envy’s finger down where it was pointing at my phone screen.

“Huh?” I glanced down at the message I had opened but never actually looked at because Envy distracted him.

Al:

Envy smirked and sat back in his seat. “Ha! I can tell, you practically flew across the whole airport trying not to be late– then end up being late– to a cancelled flight.”

I shot a soft glare at him. “Last time I wanted to go up to them I was late for… reasons… and Al gave me hell for it.” The last time he had went to go up was when he was having trouble coping with Roy cheating and bad memories had resurfaced.

“Call him.”

“Huh?”

“He is your brother, is he not? Can’t he just come down here?” Envy asked, pulling off his black headband, letting his hair fall in front of his face for a moment before taking the hair tie off of his wrist. I knew it wasn’t the best moment to stop and stare while we were talking about my brother but wow, he’s beautiful. The dyed hair drifted in his face in long beautiful strands just before a few were quickly pulled back; his nimble fingers doing quick work of the hair band to put it up into a messy, but elegant bun.

What snapped me out of this mini trance of staring was Envy quickly snatching my phone out of my lap and taking a picture of himself. When I protested, he just rolled his brilliant eyes and said that I was staring too much.

“Hmm…” he hummed softly under his breath as he typed something onto my phone and plugged in his earbuds. He kept one for himself before tossing the phone back at me.

I shot him a weird look before glancing down at my phone to see that Envy had clicked the call button on the phone. Before I could cancel the call and tell Envy off for calling Al, said man answered. I quickly snatched up the earbud that was deposited into my lap and put it in my ear to hear.

“ Ed. You skipped your flight again. ” It was clear that Al was disappointed, his usual happy greeting of hello did come but it was instead replaced by a motherlike scolding. “I’ve told you many times to get ready the next day so this wouldn’t happen! You were probably messing around with your friends again.”

The palm tree shot me a slick smirk, hearing word for word what Al was saying. “Hi Al. I actually didn’t miss the flight this time, the flight missed me! It apparently got cancelled.” I tried to sound more optimistic than what I was really feeling. Personally, I’d rather miss the flight for some stupid reason than be sitting here in an airport full of waiting passengers, next to an annoying… hot person. “So I did good this time–”

Envy cut me off, pulling the phone closer to him so he could talk into it. “Little shrimpy here was a bit late to a flight that got cancel. We would’ve been already in the plane if it wasn’t for the weather.”

“ Ed, who’s that? ” Alphonse asked hesitatingly at first but then the questions started to barge in, eager to meet someone new. “ Is that your new friend? Boyfriend? Your last one was an ass so hopefully this one is better. You should’ve told me you were bring your new boyfriend. ”

I literally facepalmed– face, palm, and all, plus a deep blush. Why the hell does he have to embarrass me?! Envy isn’t even close to being a boyfriend– not even close enough to be considered an acquaintance.

I was about to retort when Envy stole the phone again. “Yep! We’re together. Your little bro and I are just smitten!” I nearly leapt into Envy’s lap to take to phone away from him, ignoring Al’s happy gasp and a new batch of questions. Envy managed to keep me at bay and talk at the same time. “Now, I assume Edward here hasn’t told you who I am yet so I’m open to any questions.”

“ Name? ”

“Envy Alister at your service.” He winked at me, making me pause for a moment from where I was trying to grab for the phone; Envy held it high over his head teasingly so I couldn’t reach it and stop the embarrassing call.

“ Whoa. That’s a cool name! Where did you two meet? ”

Envy laughed when I attempted to slap him and he dodged. The earbud in my ear slipped out so I couldn’t hear Al.

“ Oh, you know~ ” Envy ducked under my swinging arm. “He was just doing his thing and saw me. He thought it was a swell idea to take a picture of me and he was right. We turned out to be boyfriends!”

I couldn’t hear Al’s response but it probably mostly cooing of some kind on how that was just adorable or something sappy like that. “Envy! Stop. You ain’t my boyfriend!” I growled, ignoring the stares completely. I grabbed onto Envy’s arm and started to pull roughly, trying with all my might. “Come on, stop it already.”

“Nope! I won’t stop until you stop.” He said to me, jumping up from his seat and backing a few feet away from me. He spoke into the phone, “He’s embarrassed that I’m talkin’ to you. It’s so adorable!” Another devilish smirk crossed his face, purposefully teasing me.

I gave up at that point, hopeful that Envy would be true to his words and hand me the phone once I had calmed down. I ripped off my leather jacket and tossed it into the chair before flopping down on top of it. The small adrenaline rush still made me a little fidgety as I waited for Envy to come back over to the chairs.

The palm tree sighed and said to Al, “Aw, I have to give your pouty brother the phone. Can’t wait to see you~.”

I snatched the phone from Envy’s outstretched hand, failing to notice his painted black nails before ripping out and throwing the earbuds at the man. Huffing, I raised the phone to my ear only to hear loud squealing. “ Oh my god! Ed! He invited me up to his parent’s ball. He invited me because he felt bad for me having you as my brother. Haha! He’s a lot better than that Roy guy right? ”

I shot a glare at Envy before answering with a sigh. “Al, you know people are going to ask questions and stuff. You don’t want that happening do–”

“ I don’t care anymore, Ed. I’m not 10, I’m 18 ” Al said exasperatedly, annoyed that I worried over him. “ If the Alisters kick me out, they kick me out. I won’t blame them. ” I went to say something but Al continued. “ Brother, it’s fine. I’m used to people looking at me weirdly and such. I have automail, even I would stop and stare if someone else had it. You don’t see it everyday. I’m fine, Ed, I can explain for myself. ”

I frowned for a moment then spoke. “Oh, okay, Al. I understand. And by the way, Envy is not my boyfriend. He’s just lying to you to make fun.”

“ Oh, come on brother. You’re just embarrassed. ” Al giggled from the other side. His giggles were interrupted by a loud calling and a clang. “ Ah. I have to go Ed. Winry wants me to go eat dinner now. Please send me a picture of him. See ya later Ed! ”

“Wait! Al! He’s not my–” Al hung up the phone before I could even finish my sentence. Gritting my teeth, I shoved the phone into my pocket before half growling at Envy. “What the hell was that for?! You are not my boyfriend and will never be.”

Envy was still standing in front of me with a wide smirk across his face and hands on his hips. “Oh~ Ed~ you’ll never understand.” He jutted out a hip in sort of mocking manner which, obviously, annoyed me.

“I won’t understand until you tell me”

This seemed to peak the man’s interests which was clear from glitter that entered his striking eyes. “I’ll tell you somewhere else.” He grabbed my arm and tried to pull only for me yank it out of his grip with a small snarl.

“Whatever you want to say, tell it to me here.” I crossed my arms over my chest defiantly.

The palm tree sighed and rolled his eyes, “Do you really want other people to overhear this and get jealous? I’m freaking Envy, I know what people would get jealous over.”

Well, I couldn’t argue about that so I stood up and grabbed my things before letting Envy drag me away. He pulled me over to an empty corner by the big windows. The windows spanned from the clinging to the floor, making the already large room seem even larger. Normally when it was sunny outside, passengers can watch as their plane pulls up to the pick up stations; today, it was dark, windy, and pouring making this sight an impossible one to witness.

“Okay Envy, what do you so dearly want to tell me than you had to pull me away from our seats?” I rolled my eyes, still pissed off. Why couldn’t he just have told me when we were sitting?! Someone could take them!

The palm tree chuckled and grinned at me, flashing his bright white teeth. “You’re cute when pissed.”

“Shut up and get to the point!” I hissed, unable to beat down the faint blush that hovered over my cheeks at his words.

“Hm… this really should be obvious but I’ll outline it for you because your little bitty shrimpy brain can’t handle it.” He raised a hand to defect from my incoming outburst. “My o-so-rich family put a sine qua non on me saying that I have to get a boyfriend or girlfriend– thank god they don’t mind that I’m gay– while I’m in college or they’ll stop supporting me. So I’m asking you to–”

“But–”

“No buts Eddy boy (he ignored my growl of warning), you are coming as my boyfriend whether you like it or not. I know I could be a jerk about it and just force you to be my boyfriend but this comes with benefits. First, since this is a ball, you get everything for free from my parents; second, important people are going to be there so I can help get you a job or something, seeing that you’re a photographer, people will be pouring all over you; third, you can invite anyone you want, and we invited your brother already; and fourth, you can keep me as your boyfriend if you end up liking me.” He finished his monologue with a proud grin, brushing some loose hairs out of his face.

I huffed and crossed my arms, frowning down at the floor so not to met his eager eyes. It’s not like it was a bad offer, it was actually an amazing offer but… but what? There was no but. I had nothing else to combat with. Yes, it would be difficult getting used to being a boyfriend to some rich yet dark looking stranger but it’s not like he was disgusting or anything… “ Fine , but you have to keep up your offer and I’ll be the most goddamn perfect boyfriend you’ll ever have.”

I looked back up at him to see a wide, happy smile. “Thanks Ed.” Envy said gently, surprising me.

“W-welcome.” I blushed softly and pulled out my phone. As I tossed it to him, I said, “Text Al a picture of yourself. He’ll annoy me until he gets it.” The phone had already erupted into a texting mess from both Al and Winry asking about Envy – Al must have already told Winry that I have a “boyfriend”.

While the walking palm tree messed with my phone, I folded up my leather jacket and put it into my bag. After I slipped the messenger bag strap over my head and positioned it so it wouldn’t bounce around awkwardly, I checked on Envy who was staring at my phone with a weird look. “What’s up?”

“This?” He flipped the phone around so I could see what he was looking at. It was the contact photo for Al; the picture was from the time we went to D.C. to visit monuments and such. In the picture, Alphonse had his automail arm wrapped around my shoulders and was smiling at the camera, his green eyes were bright and happy, joyous even when this trip was so hard for him. It was hot that day, so Al had rolled up his sleeves, not caring that passersby looked at him. I can’t remember exactly where we had just came from before Winry had taken that picture but I can only assume that it was from a place with security because I looked disgruntled from telling the guys off for bothering Al.

I quickly explained that it was when we were on a trip when Envy interrupted me and told me to clarify why Al had automail.

“Oh…” I frowned and sighed. “We got into a car crash when I was 11– so Al was 7– which resulted in a dead mother, chopped-off-limbs brother, and a runaway father.” I said hotly, still bothered by the subject even when it was almost twelve years ago.

Envy have me an apologetic look then nodded. “So why did your dad run away?”

“He ‘couldn’t take that my mom died and went to find serenity’ or whatever the child services douche said. Father dumped me and a broken Alphonse at a friend’s house and took off.” I muttered out, not even knowing if Envy had heard me until he spoke up.

“Wow, he is an ass.” Envy smirked slightly yet it looked like it help a sad look behind it. “At least you have your beloved brother with you.”

I send him a confused look while asking cautiously incase this was a difficult subject for him. “Did something happen to your brother?”

I watched as he shrugged and turned to face the dark windows. Rain still battered heavily upon it, yet the sound of rain did not reach them like it normally would have. These windows were reinforced enough to keep out the sound of rain, and more importantly the deafening sound of aircraft engines. I glanced at him before taking my place next to his side to face the said windows. Envy spoke,

“I have six siblings. Yes, you could say that they are dead but they’re not. Its…” He sighed heavily and stuck his hands into his jean pockets. “They are sick– not ill, per say but money and power have taken over their minds and corrupt them. My one of my sisters, Lust, and my younger brother, Wrath, are not that bad. They are nice and considerate but it seems like they are still far away. You could probably guess which ones of us are the most sick, even their names reveals how hungry they are. Greed, Pride, and Gluttony are the worst. Sloth is… well, like a sloth, she could really care less.”

I nodded, understanding to the best of my abilities. It’s understandable on how someone can be so caught up in their riches that they can’t even see what right in front of them. “So, why aren’t you like them? Normally people are jealous of the rich aren’t they? Just saying.” I added the ending hurriedly.

Envy laughed slightly. “Very true little shrimpy. But have you ever thought about how the rich feel looking down upon the ones who aren’t as fortunate? Like, even when you have money and the resources to go do things with your friends, it’s still not the same as…” He paused, as if he couldn’t find the words to explain himself before continuing. “It’s not the same experience. I got jealous of other people’s relationships to each other and how strong they are. So, I decided not to just throw money around and to settle down in a college, get a job, and to do things the way I want to do them, not what other people want you to.”

“Oh…” I turned my gaze from the window and onto him. Envy was looking back at me but quickly looked away when our gaze met.

“So whatever. Don’t pity me and shit.” Envy said abruptly while grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the windows. I pleaded from him to let go of but it was all in vain because Envy ignored me and pulled me over to one of those mini airport gift shops.

“Stop doing that.” I huffed and brushed my golden bangs out of my face once he had let go of me. When I looked up to tell him off for constantly dragging me, he wasn’t there. “Envy?”

The few people in the shop mingled around the stands and around the cash register; unfortunately, they were all taller than me save for the little kid that bumped into my leg. I rose to my toes to try to see where Envy had run off to when I felt something wrap around my neck.

“Get the fuck off of– oh.” It was Envy who had apparently ran off, found something, and ran back in the matter of seconds. I hesitantly reached up to touch what Envy had put around my neck. “A flight pillow?” I shot him a confused look but he only grinned more and pulled my phone out of his pocket. “Hey! Give that back–”

One of his delicate fingers leapt up onto my lips to silence me. “Shh. You wanted me to send a photo to your brother right?” I raised an eyebrow so he continued. “So let’s make this believable right?”

“Uh… yes?”

Envy get this joyous look in his eyes which could only mean the worst as he draped an arm around my waist and pulled me close. “Envy?!” I yelped-whispered, not expecting him to pull me close like that so we were pressed up against each other’s sides.

“Don’t blush my little shrimpy~” he whispered into my ear before raising the phone and pressing a chaste kiss to my cheek.

Despite Envy’s small warning, I blushed a bright pink and pushed the man away but he kept a secure arm around me. “Get off of me.” I hissed darkly yet my heart was racing from that one small peck on the cheek. It wasn’t from surprise nor shock but from the closeness to the man– a few loose strands of his hair had prickled the side of my face for a fleeting moment.

“Aw~ I told you not to blush. Oh well, you’re cute blushing.” He cooed, a playful smirk on his lips.

“Shut up.” I managed to wriggle out of his grip, snatch up my phone, and rip the flight pillow off of my neck in a matter of seconds, not bothering to look at the photo nor pillow. The phone started to buzz as the expected texts from Al and Win started to pour in so I silenced it and shoved it into my pocket. “I said I would pretend to be your boyfriend, not be a tease toy.”

Envy’s arm that was stretched out from holding me dropped back down to his side. “But aren’t boyfriends suppose to take pictures like that?” He forged a sad pout at my obvious displeasure in the idea.

I relaxed once I was safe from his arm span. “I…” Well, he was right. Couples usually do that kind of stuff and me, myself, use to do that too; I liked keeping each picture like a memory, I treasured every one because it was proof I liked my partner. “Whatever, just don’t act weird or anything alright? We are just faking it.”

“Aw. But to fake it, something needs to be true to make it believable right?” He tipped his head to the side like he was thinking. “You have to make the lie a new truth if you want people to believe.”

There was no retort to his statement that I could think off so I just scuffed under my breath and crossed my arms. “Think what you want to think.” I swiftly turned on my heels and went to look around at the rest of the store.

Envy followed me as I looked about the small shop. He was mostly quiet except for the few comments about what things he thought were cool, pretty, or down right ugly. I completely ignored him except when he put his hand on my shoulder to direct me from a Popular Science magazine I was holding to something he was pulling off of a shelf. “What?”

The palm tree carefully lifted two delicate bracelets into the air to show me. “Friendship bracelets.” Before I could push him away, he had caught my wrist and snapped a bracelet onto me. The silver band glinted in the light, the crescent moon shaped charm dangled. The bracelet that Envy was wearing had an charm for the rest of the moon.

I groaned. “Really? Friendship bracelets .” I was about to rip it off of my wrist and throw it at the palm tree, but instead, he had grabbed my hand to keep it steady as he clicked the moons together. My hard expression couldn’t help but soften a bit as Envy clicked them together; the two moon swayed between our two hands like it showed that we are one.

A small chuckle make me look up from the whole moon and onto Envy. “Doesn’t look like you don’t like this, do you?” At this moment as the words left his grinning mouth, I suddenly became hyper-aware that I was pulled close to the man and that our hands were joined together. My eyes darted from his face and onto our holding hands then back onto his face as Envy spoke again, “Well, I take that as that you like it. I’ll buy it for you.”

“O-ok, Envy.” I had suddenly shelled out when he put the moon together. There was no real reason why I had stalled and just stared in disbelief but, like Envy just said, it looked like I liked it– at least I wasn’t pushing him off and accusing him of teasing me again.

Envy dropped my hand, my fingers had instinctively tried to pull his hand back but he unclipped the bracket from my wrist and pulled back. “You can stop blushing, ya know.” A smirk sprung up on his face as I clicked my tongue and looked away. I didn’t notice that I was blushing until he had pointed it out.

After buying a few items such as the bracelets, magazines, and quick snacks (Envy had darted back inside to get something but never let me see what it was) from the shop, we proceeded to go back to our seats only to find that they were taken by a sweet looking couple. Envy grumbled under his breath and turned to me only to point out the obvious. “I guess we have to find somewhere else to sit.”

See why I didn’t want to move?! I silently huffed while rolling my eyes. “And I doubt that there are any more open. Looks like everyone decided today was the right day to go out flying.”

“Well, it is almost Christmas. What else did you expect?”

I shrugged and looked around. It was, in fact, Christmas. Little LED lights blinked from where they were strung around poles or railings. The small airport shop was also sporting Christmas normalities; small boxes of candy canes and cheap last minute ornaments were put on display for ridiculous prices. Even the Starbucks where I had gotten the muffins was all cheered with the addition of hot cocoa to the menu and the snowman plushies sitting on the counter for purchase. I had failed to notice all of this earlier with the distractions of getting to the plane on time, meeting Envy, and the unexpected phone call to Al.

He was right about the fact that it was Christmas and that the airport was packed. “Let’s find somewhere to sit.” I didn’t care to look for an empty seat, I already knew that they were all filled, so instead I looked for a patch of carpet that looked soft.

After finding a good spot, I gestured for Envy to follow me as I lead the way over to the corner between the wall and the soundproof windows. We tossed down our bags before plopping down with Envy sitting closer to the window.

We sat in silence for a while, Envy had plugged his earbuds into ears and stared out of the window. I watched him for a moment, studying his high cheekbones and the way the loose bangs swayed in front of his face. I only looked away when Envy caught me from the corner of his eye and smiled.

After another awkward silent moment, I cleared my throat. “So… this boyfriend thing. Do we have to, you know, kiss and stuff?” I pointedly looked away from the man next to me, knowing that I must be blushing or something because I always get embarrassed over this stuff for some reason; Al always teased me over it and even now I was running my fingers through my bangs to try to find something to do with my hands.

I could feel his gaze on me as he answered. “I wasn’t going to be picky or anything about but since you asked, I’ll answer: everything.”

“E-everything? Like we have been dating for a while everything?” I whipped my head around to look at him with wide eyes only to meet his crisp violet ones.

He shrugged, then lifted a finger to trace devilishly down my jaw. “Only if you want that, Edward. I wouldn’t mind it~”

“Shut up.” I squeaked out and batted his finger away. “Just nothing too big, I still don’t know you.” And I still don’t know what I’m going here pretending to be your boyfriend. I could just go home right to my brother and have a normal holiday.

Envy mocked a frown then sighed. “I see what you mean but don’t shy away from anything in front of my parents.”

“Why not?” I asked confused, why would they want something from me?

“Hm… maybe because they expect me to have a solid boyfriend and I can’t disappoint them?”

I nodded and thunked my head against the wall behind me before closing my eyes for a moment. “Whatever Envy, just don’t be weird about it.”

“I’ll try not to.” His response came but I swore I could heard his everlasting smirk through his voice. “But at least get use to being close to me.” I cracked an eye open to see Envy holding up an earbud, offering it to share.

“I’ll try.” I muttered, taking the earbud and relaxing slightly now knowing that Envy wasn’t going to be pushy about being boyfriends. Gently, I leaned against his shoulder and the wall before closing my eyes and concentrating on the rock music– consequently, my favorite song was playing.

The shoulder shifted from underneath me and a finger poked at my ribs. “Yo, shrimp. Wake up.”

“I’m up.” I mumbled, pulling back from off of his side where I had slumped in my sleep. “Sorry ‘bout that. Didn’t realize I fell asleep.”

“Obviously.” He made sure that I was indeed awake before standing up and stretching by throwing his arms into the air to straighten out his back. I also got up but instead I clumsy throw my bag over my shoulder and rubbed at my eyes. Envy nudged me after also donning his own bag, “They are saying that the next flight is ready to take some of us, although it’s only a certain amount of people.” He gestured to the announcement desk with an agitated look on his face which could only mean that something was up.

“And?” He had started to walk over to the desk as I asked him to continue.

Envy flashed me a look from over his shoulder to respond. “ And only rows ten through twenty are allowed to get on. My ticket says that I’m row fifteen while yours is row twenty-two.”

“Eh? How did you…” I frantically searched my pockets for my ticket only to look up and see Envy holding it up.

“You’re a heavy sleeper.” He commented as I snatched the half crumbled ticket from his hands. “Let’s see if we can get your seat changed.”

We approached the counter where a kind looking lady stood at the computer. She looked up and asked, “Hi, can I help you?”

Envy grabbed my ticket from me again while I protested. “Is there any way to get his seat changed?” He jabbed his thumb in my direction and pushed the ticket over to her on the counter.

The lady frowned and looked over the information on the piece of paper. “Row twenty-two… I’m sorry, I don’t think we can…”

A voice sounded from behind me where a man had stepped in line. “Uh, excuse me?” The man stepped forward– he was one of the couple who had taken our seats. “We can trade tickets if you want. I came over to see if I can get the later flight so I could be with my wife.”

Envy and I exchanged a hopeful look. The desk lady sighed and shrugged. “I can’t say no. It’s not the best thing to do but if you truly want to, you can.” She left to call the first five rows onto the plane.

The kind man and I exchanged tickets before he bid farewell and headed back over to his wife. I turned back to Envy. “You know it would’ve been fine if we took separate planes.” I said yet it wasn’t fine with me. If we were going to pretend to be boyfriends, I would have to follow through with my half of the deal and anyways, it’s just easier to take the same plane so neither of us has to wait for the other.

The palm tree shook his head. “No it wouldn’t be, shrimpy . I want to be on the same flight as you.”

There was nothing to disagree about that so we waited by the front counter until our rows were called. Once called, both Envy and I were the first ones the scan our tickets and walk down the hallway to board. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Envy started to beam and skip down the hall. “Hm? You like flying.” I commented softly, I assumed that he didn’t hear me as he neared the airplane door but he turned around slightly and winked at me.

I caught up to him and took a step into the plane. An aircraft attendant smiled at the pair of us, her uniform looked untouched– there was no dust to be spotted on neither of her navy blue skirt or shirt, even her hair was put up in an elegant bun. This was all excepted however, aircraft attendants are suppose to look prim and proper, it’s their job to calm down any nervous passengers and to walk while flying. I would feel bad for her because this isn’t the most ideal job and that most would not want this job but she looked like she enjoyed it because her smile was genuine. She spoke up. “Welcome. You may take any seat that is available. Most people had canceled and changed flights early because of the weather.”

“Thank you!” Envy waved while I gave her a slight nod before starting down the aisle. I stuck to the palm tree’s back, not wanting to be separated and having to sit in a row next to some crying baby or smelly man. I looked up from where my eyes were fixated on his back when he let out a hum, then a small excited gasp. “I found two seats.”

We made our way to the midback of the plane. A teen, or it at least looked like a teen, was sitting on the outside of the row. She was jamming to some music, the sound was loud enough so that I could hear it. The girl looked up and slid off her headphones when I cleared my throat and waved. “Uh. Hi, is someone sitting there?”

She mutely shook her head and stood up for us. Envy took my messenger bag from me and put it up top in the storage bins for the beginning of the flight. He followed me into the row and sat between me and the girl. She slipped her cat eared headphones back on and went back to her music.

“You might want to check your messages, Alphonse might be having a fit that you haven’t replied yet.” Envy pointed out.

“Oh, yeah thanks.” I mumbled fishing my phone out of my back pocket and opening it up. Both Al and Winry had bombarded my phone with messages, thank god I’m on an unlimited plan or I would have run out of minutes.

Envy watched as I opened the messages.

Al: Holy shit Ed, he looked wild.

Al: I didn’t know that you were interested in people like that BUT JM SO HAPPY FOR YOU.

A few words were misspelled because of his excitement that just made me roll my eyes. Envy chuckled. He must be really happy because he even swore which he usually avoided doing.

Al: Good think I’m ot envious of you brother! Haha, sorry En.

Al: oh wow, Win looks like she’s about to destroy my phone. Lol.

Al: Brotherc she took out her wrench. WHY DO WE EVEN HAVE THOSE IN THE HOUSE?! I know why BUT ATILL.

Al: aw your not answering. Too shy brother?

I frowned at him and typed out. Me: I’ll text you on my computer once we get to altitude. They gave us free wifi. Then, I opened Winry’s.

Win: Alphonse just showed me the picture. Damn, good job Ed. I’m shocked you didn’t tell us.

Win: I’m gonna kill your brother. HE JUSR SAID YOUR BOYFRIEND IS HOT AND THAT HE WOULD KISS HIM TOO.

Win: Say Hi to Envy for me :)

Win: oh and, cute flight pillow by the way.

I texted her the same thing before sighing and turning my phone onto airplane mode.

“Oh. Am I that hot that even your little brother would kiss me?” Envy wriggled his eyebrows at me, causing me to look away and click my tongue in a mock defiant manner.

“He won’t. He’s not interested in guys for all that I know of. Al is just trying to mess with me.”

“Anyways, he sounds like a fun guy.” He stretched out his back before clicking his seat belt. “I’ll get out the bracelets once we get up in the air. I know you’re dying to put it back on.”

“Am not!” But yes, I was. I don’t know exactly why I liked wearing it so much, nor why I even more like the sight of seeing the moon full.

“Whatever you say, shrimpy.”

“It’s Edward, not shrimpy!”

Ding! The red seatbelt light flashed twice before going out, which was followed by several clicking of belts and rummaging as men and women got out of their seats. Envy and the cat eared girl followed in suit. My “boyfriend” carefully passed me my laptop before sitting back down with our bag of goodies.

While I quickly turned on my laptop and connected it to the wifi, Envy dug through the bag and pulled out the delicate bracelets and some snacks he bought. He stuffed the bag underneath the seat in front of him and lowered the tray table. He held up the bracelet and asked, “You want the smaller half right?”

I nodded and held my wrist for him. He went to clasp the bracelet on when I suddenly snapped back. He gave me a confused look then reached out for my hand again when I shook him head no. “Why?” He blatantly asked.

I stared at him for a second, trying to figure out exactly why I had pulled back when it tout de suite clicked. “Because it’s girly.” I muttered out, looking away.

I could feel his gaze on me as he let out a small laugh. “So? It’s just a bracelet. No one is going to make fun of you. If anyone was to, it would be me.”

Frowning, I held my hand out to him to where he joyously clicked it on. He did his as well before breaking out a snack to chew on.

The messages box popped up onto the screen with Al’s response on it. Since I had both an apple phone and laptop, I had it setup to receive and send messages from either device.

Al: When do you think you guys will be in Boston? I could come and pick you up.

Envy, who had been reading the question from over my shoulder, turned the laptop away from me and began to type.

Me: You don’t need to worry, metal boy. I already got someone picking us up. He’s spending the night at my place since we might be getting there late. He’ll see you tomorrow, don’t worry. ~ En

I read the message over then rolled my eyes. “Do I have to?” I whined, snatching the candy cane flavored gummies out of his hand and stole a few from his bag before tossing it back at him. I popped a few into my mouth as I watched Al’s message arrive.

Al: Aw, ok. TAKE CARE OF HIM. He has a hard time at sleeping in new places.

Me: NO I DON’T

Me: Yeah yeah, I got it. He’s going to be well rested when you see him. I’ll make sure that happens. ~En

I rolled my eyes and stuffed a few more candies into my mouth. It’s so annoying how it’s always difficult to get adjusted to a new place. I don’t know exactly why it bothers me so much– maybe because it’s such a new place and anything could happen?– but it does.

Envy was smirking at me which I pointedly ignored and opened up Pandora. “So…” He started when I pushed my earbuds into the computer and stuck the buds into my ears. “What do you want to do now?”

“I want to sleep.” I muttered, which was the truth. Now that we were above the storm clouds, it was clear as day that it was night. Stars were twinkling like little clear flakes of snow that were caught in the light as they fell.

“Then sleep, it’s not like there is much else to do.” Envy sighed and ate some of the candies, he gave me a few when I held my hand out. “ Or we can play a game.”

I raised an eyebrow as he turned the computer towards him again and typed in a web address. “Seriously?” He, a grown man, had typed in CoolMathGames.com.

“What? They have cool games.” He reasoned, which I couldn’t argue against, but…

“This website is for little kids.”

“Fine.” He grumbled and typed in a new web address: ArmorGames.com. Now that was better. I watched as he clicked through the website until he found the game that he wanted. “This Is The Only Level. I’m a champ at this.”

Basically, this game is about a blue elephant on one stage that is the only stage through the whole “level”. The only change is that the controls or path to get to the tunnel at the end of the stage is changed and the only hint you get at the change is by the title of the stage. I love this game. I’ve played or even completely nearly all of the creator’s of This Is The Only Level’s games.

“Let’s take turns. Whoever finishes the stage the fastest wins.” I quickly popped up another tab of the game so we could switch and play the same stage. “Whoever wins gets to make the other person do something of their likings or gets some of the candy.”

“Deal.”

He pushed the armrest between us up so we could sit closer together to reach the laptop. The lights above dimmed as if they were timed at when I unpaused the game to start.

Stage 1: Arrow Keys Required

This stage was pretty obvious, the first level of any game is always straightforward and easy. All I had to do was use the normal arrow keys configuration to jump onto the red button (that’s located in the middle of the stage which is used to open a little door leading to the ending tunnel) and go through the ending tunnel. I paused the game again and let Envy have a go.

He did the same as me but missed a ledge and fell; he had to get back up and waste a second of time.

I smiled triumphantly and stole a few more candy cane gummies.

Stage 2: Not Always Straightforward

At first, I tried the basic configuration of the arrow keys (up=jump, down=quicker descent down, right=go right, left=go left) but I found out quickly that they keys of right and left were switched; I began to run left into the wall while trying to go right. After falling and hitting spikes several times causing me to die, I finally got use to the controls and successfully made it to the end.

Envy’s turn was much more neat, no elephant bodies had laid upon the screen unlike mine were three had fallen on the same spike. He turned to me with a wide smirk.

I rolled my eyes. “You know you have an advantage, you get to see me figure it out before it’s your turn.”

“Oh well.” He shrugged then reached across me to pluck out an earbud. “I want to listen too, you know.”

Stage 3: Think Before Doing

This one was quite obvious by just looking at the map: the door that was needed to be opening the red button was already opened and all I had to do is run through the tunnel. And I did exactly that without faltering.

Envy though, he wasn’t as lucky. He had accidentally jumped onto the button out of pure habit and had to go back to start.

I teasingly poked him in the ribs which was returned with an exasperated eyeroll and smirk. “Hm… what should I make you do?” I glanced around before an idea struck me. “Give me your jacket, I want to try it on.”

He obeyed and peeled off the jacket, which ended up not being the best idea. While trying to take off the cropped jacket, his arm had flung out and hit me square in the face. Fortunately, Envy realized his fault quickly and decided to leave it on so not to hurt the Cat-Headphones next to us. I swore under my breath at him and started the next round.

Stage 4: Alternate Control Scheme

This stage wasn’t too bad and the both of us basically tied on this stage so I just went on to the next one.

Stage 5: FreeFloating

I have no idea why I continuously died on this stage. All I had to do was to click the right key at certain moments to land on the red button and platforms. The cause was probably the obvious presence of Envy sitting so close to me and practically breathing down my neck, whether he had scooched closer to me or not will be a mystery; it wasn’t like I didn’t like it, it was just distracting me.

Envy got to pick the prize at this level. I watched as he bit his lip and stared down at the laptop until his head popped up. A mischievous look entered his eyes as he turned to me and asked in a soft, impish whisper, “Can I have a kiss?”

“NO!” I squeaked out, loud enough that the person sitting in front of us had woken up from their nap and told us to shush. I pulled away from him slightly and sent a glare. “I still don’t know you,” I said quietly through my teeth.

He grimaced and looked away, deliberately not letting me see his face but not before I saw something that made my eyes widen. “I was only joking, don’t get mad at me. It’s too cramped in here to fight anyways.” He mumbled.

I opened my month to confront him but I took it back and looked at the laptop screen. The little blue elephant was dying over and over again, I had accidently left my hand on the keyboard.

Why did you look so eager?

We ended up continuing the game after the question. Envy had asked no other embarrassing or absurd things after Stage 5, yet what I saw during that stage still whirled around in my head, bumping and pushing each and every thought out of its way; why did his face soften, eyes widen, smirk slide into a smile after he asked that question and waited for my answer? So, I reasoned with that thought. There was obviously no way I could just push it into the back of my mind just for it to fester and grow into something dangerous.

“Ed, wake up.” Envy snapped his fingers in front of my face; I had unawarely zoned out into deep concentration while we waiting to get out of the plane.

“Uh.. yeah! I’m here.” Sighing, I inched forward in the line until we were able to reach the door. I gave the flight attendant a courteous nod before stepping out of the plane and onto the walkway which I went down at a quicken pace, Envy following closely behind.

I only stopped walking once we walked out of the hallway and got out of the way of the rest of the passengers. A great yawn and a stretch came from the palm tree which made me yawn as well no matter how much I wanted to suppress it. I quickly stole a glance at my phone for it to only make me feel more tired because it flashed 1:30 am up onto the screen.

After reporting the time to a writhing palm tree, I pulled on my leather jacket to hide from the cold. As we walked over to the escalators and climbed on, I asked, “Who’s picking us up? Al is probably still up and can pick us up. I don’t want to be waiting outside in the cold, especially when you’re not wearing much for a jacket.”

“Aw~ The shrimp cares about me.” He cooed which was only answered with a glare. “Anyways, we are getting a taxi. Unless you are so insistent on getting your brother to drive us.”

I did feel extremely guilty about asking Al to come pick us up but it was definitely a better alternative than taking a beat up taxi. “Yeah, I’ll tell him.” After quickly shooting a text to Al, we stepped off the escalator and started to make our way down to the drop off/pick up station.

We decided to stay inside while waiting. Envy had wandered off to get a drink while I yawned and flopped down onto a bench, gazing wearily at the ceiling as I listened to two soft thumps of cans dropping in the machine followed by a crack and fizzle of one of the drinks being opened.

“Is your brother close?” Envy asked as he walked over and tossed his bag onto the bench by my feet before dropping down by my head himself.

“Yeah, knowing him, he would’ve been waiting at the nearest cafe incase we needed a ride.” I took the drink he passed to me and broke the seal open. I had no energy left to sit up to drink without drowning myself so I put it onto the ground.

Envy nodded and rubbed his eyes. “Let’s hope he gets here quickly…” We lapsed into a silence, it was neither awkward nor comfortable, it was kinda like there was more that could be or needed to be talked about but both of us were too tired to talk any more. I dimly watched him stretch and cross his arms behind his head through my bangs, not bothering to brush them out of the way.

After maybe twenty minutes went by, not like we were counting, my pocket suddenly started buzzing, indicating that Al was outside. “Come’n Envy, time to go.” I groaned slightly, pulling myself out of the daze and off of the bench.

I glared at him as he gave a uncalled for comment that I sounded like an old man when getting up. We throw our bags over our shoulders before heading outside into the cold.

I hope I didn’t make the wrong decision.

Alphonse’s Extra:

“Envy! Stop pushing me. I know it’s cold outside,” was the first thing I heard my brother say as he tried to clamber into the car. Ed half launched himself into the back seats with his boyfriend following close behind and slamming the door close.

“We made it!” Ed’s boyfriend– Envy– said joyously before collapsing in both exhaustion and relief.

I couldn’t help but laugh and turn around in my seat to examine who I had just picked up. Edward, hair windswept and cheeks pink, was trying to nudge off a wild looking man off of him who had sprawled out across the whole back seat. Envy’s dark green dyed hair was slipping out of its bun and falling against Ed’s lap. I raised an eyebrow in Ed’s direction, although I really shouldn’t be questioning who he had found; Ed was always fond of those different and “darker” kinds of things. It’s not like I minded the painted black nails, dyed hair, or the crop jacket. They just weren’t the kind of things I were into.

“Hey Ed, Envy. You guys better buckle up if you want to go.” I said, smiling to myself absentmindedly as they muttered in agreement and buckled themselves up– I wasn’t about to be pulled over or have someone get hurt on my watch.

After introducing myself and getting the address from Envy, I turned back around in my seat and started to drive. Ed let out a soft complaint about how cold it was out so I raised the heat for him which was followed by a sleepy Envy muttering about that he was going to go to take a nap now. The car was mostly silent except of the lowered down music still humming throughout the car.

“Hey… Ed? You still up?” I hesitantly asked.

His response came, “Yeah, I’m here. Can’t we just go home? Isn’t that closer?”

“Come on Ed, he’s your boyfriend. At least stay the day at his place first. It isn’t Christmas yet so you can wait.”

“Ugh.” A soft thump sound, presumably he had hit his head on the window. I laughed slightly before he continued grumbling, “I don’t even have anything to change into in the morning. I assumed we would be going home.”

“Oh, I brought you stuff. I’m always prepared, brother, but you should’ve asked me.” I did, in fact, bring him a small duffle bag with a few essentials inside. It’s not surprising that he comes unprepared to important stuff like this. He really needs to make a list or calendar sometime.

“Thanks Al. Oh, on that note, I completely forgot to bring your present with me. It’s still in the dorm.”

“Of course you did.” I sighed out. If I wasn’t tired and trying to pay attention to the road, I would’ve probably smashed my automail hand into my face or lectured Ed on how to stop forgetting everything.

The back of the car went silent so I guessed that Ed had fell asleep as well. I couldn’t help but to sigh again as I flexed my automail fingers against the steering wheel. It’s been over ten years since I had lost my right arm and left leg. Luckily, one of my best friend’s grandmother and parents had helped in a project to develop a new kind of prosthetic– a prosthetic that sort of looked more real (as in the size and shape of a typically arm), can lift greater weights easily, and can operate directly from the nerves where the arm is also powered. The idea to set this new technology that was still in the making onto a child that had just lost some of the most important things he would ever had seemed cruel almost from an outsider’s perspective but I had chosen this on my own. Lucky, automail had already passed animal testing and had started testing on adults, children was all that was left to be tested on and I had stepped up. I’m not incredibly brave or anything, I was just acting out of selfishness to be honest, I had just lost my mother and father and was strained with my brother. At that age, I already knew the risks and was prepared to take them on. It wasn’t like getting the automail erased my memories, it was more or less of a reminder of what happened that day, but I can’t say I was disappointed with my decision.

My eyes widened as I pulled up to a gate. Just what did the Alisters do to get this money?! Just beyond the tall black gate was a huge black and white (or at least that’s the colors I could pick out between the snow and night sky) mansion. A few lights were on and two people’s silhouettes could be seen in the through on the the great windows.

I glanced back at Envy and Ed to check with either of them had woken up but both were still sleeping. I nervously rolled down the window and clicked the calling button on the mini number pad to open the gate. Before we had driven here, Envy had told me what to say but that doesn’t mean I’m still nervous about it.

A smooth feminine voice erupted from the speaker. “Hello?”

“Uh… Hi! I have Envy Alister and his boyfriend, Edward Elric here. I’m Alphonse, Ed’s brother.” I said, trying to keep my voice clear in case the speakers were bad at picking up noise.

“Oh. Okay, I’ll let you in. Just drive up to the front door.” The box let out a click as the woman’s voice vanished.

The gate clattered as it moved aside for me to pass through– which I did and drove up right up to the front door. By the time I parked, the two people I had seen in the windows had exited the mansion and walked up to the car.

“Ed, Envy. We’re here.” I called into the back of the car. The both of them seemed not to hear me and continued to sleep, Envy still sprawled out yet kept sitting up due to the seat beat and Ed looking dead against the window. I sighed and got out.

The woman approached me. “Thank you for bringing them here. They must have had a rough time if they were here so late.” The woman was dashing, her pitch black hair delectably rolled her purple scarf and coat. Her jacket looked like it was half rushed to be put on due to it being unbuttoned and accidentally revealing a stunning black dress. “I’m Lust by the way, the one annoying your brother over there is Wrath.”

The boy, Wrath, was tapping on the car window like the couple inside was a pair zoo animals.. He, I guess maybe 15 years old, let out a soft sound of glee as Ed snapped awake and looked around.

A small ruckus came from the car as Ed woke his boyfriend up and clambered out of the car. “Envy! Stop clinging onto me, you should’ve brought more clothes if it’s was going to be this cold out.” I could hear the grumbling of Ed as he half dragged, half lead, his boyfriend out of the car and into the snow.

“Aw~ If I hold onto you, you won’t be so cold either.” The two men walked around the car for all of us to see Envy with his arms wrapped around Ed’s waist. The man looked up. “Hey Lust, Wrath.”

Lust nodded and took the duffel bag from Ed because his hands were full from carrying his stuff and Envy’s bag. “Alphonse, you may stay the rest of the night if you want. It’s too late to go anywhere now.”

I raised a hand and shook my head. “No no, I can’t do that. My brother should enjoy his first day here without me.”

“Al! Don’t leave me.” Ed’s panicked whine came and he tried to pull away from Envy to get to me.

I laughed. “You’ll see me soon, you can survive.” Ed let out another whine but I disregarded that and thanked Lust again for the offer. “I’ll get going now. Goodnight.”

Additional Notes: This chapter is dedicated to Jester-Knyght. Thank you for being my partner for the Edvy-Alliance.

Disclosure: I do not own “This Is The Only Level” nor any other of the objects/games referenced by name.

The prompt: “It’s late, the airport’s closing, and our flight just got cancelled, I have never met you before but I guess we’re stuck together until the next flight”.