* MOON / LOYAL.

                 “ Your guess is as good as mine, ”        Elliot replies, watching as Stuart typed. He sat there for a moment, until the Googler responds to his question. He nods his head and offers a sweet smile.         “ Okay. Sounds good to me. Let’s go over it, then. ” When Stuart asked his questions, Elliot responds as honestly and openly as he can. He tries to make the process as easy for his companion as he could -- especially since he was going out of his way to help him land a better job. If he manages to work for Google ... even if it is in the house cafe ... he’ll be stoked. He writes down his email address on a napkin to make it easier for the other brunet before passing it to him. He watches as Stuart finishes his cup of coffee and closes his laptop shortly after sending the document.         “ Cool. Thank you so much for helping me, Stuart. I really do appreciate it. Maybe we’ll end up being coworkers. ”         He beams at his companion, all too happy to have made a connection with the other. However, Stuart’s question completely blindsides him. However, he doesn’t bat an eyelash with his response:         “ You’re a pretty attractive guy. But that’s why I’m giving you a discount, remember ? ”         He returns the wink, although his words definitely didn’t have any malice or false nature to them. In fact, he was being completely honest -- maybe except the discount part. That was because Stuart took the time out of his day to help him.         “ I’ll be right back with your coffee, and I’ll put in your order for chicken tenders. ” It takes a couple minutes, but Elliot returns with a fresh and hot cup of coffee, just the way Stuart asked for it. He sets it down in front of the other brunet.         “ Can I get you anything else while the kitchen works on your meal ?”

                      WHEN STUART KISSES HIS CHEEK,   his heart hammers in his chest. It’s a regular occurrence, by now, even though he’s never mentioned how he felt to the other male. From what he knew from TV   &   movies, this is exactly what love was supposed to feel like. How is he supposed to mention anything like that, in the middle of a damn apocalypse ?   The last thing he should care about is his feelings, but ... every single second he’s with Stuart reminds him of just how much he wants to be with him and protect him.         “ No problem, ”         He replies, smitten, trying to smother the huge grin trying to break out. He sinks into the hug before moving to press a kiss to his cheek in return.         “ Before we head out, I’ll rewrap it. The bandage might’ve gotten loose while we were sleeping. ” He briefly breaks out of the hug, just so he could carefully pull Stuart’s leg onto his lap. Elliot carefully undoes the bandage, mindful that Stuart’s ankle is still pretty swollen and probably still hurts pretty bad. Gingerly, he rewraps the bandage around his ankle until it’s tight enough to support him. While he’s redoing the bandage, Stuart asks about the cannibals. Elliot is silent for a moment before he speaks up.         “ Um -- I’m ... fine, I guess. ”         He says, quietly. The idea of survivors eating other survivors, becoming the very thing they were surviving from ... it terrified him. But he didn’t want to seem as bothered by it as he actually was.         “ It’s scary. But we just need to stay the hell away from them. Or -- I guess ... kill them if we come across them. ” It was a dark topic, and Elliot’s not too sure if he wants to speak on the matter anymore. So he finishes up the bandaging process and lets Stuart’s leg down gently before turning towards his companion.         “ Let’s get packed back up and head out. I don’t hear them around us anymore. ”

uhhhh did you mean @fracturedpneuma​ ???

                 Honestly,   he didn’t want to get up. It felt so   GOOD   to be in Stuart’s arms, snuggled up close to him, protected ... safe. He always felt safe with Stuart. He never had to worry about the other male stabbing him for a can of beans, or anything like that. There’s no other surviving person on this damned Earth that Elliot could say he’d die for. Stuart’s it -- if it were him or Stuart, he’d choose Stuart all the way. He groans quietly against Stuart’s chest when the he’s roused from his sleep. He sits up a bit, trying to blink the sleep from his eyes. There’s no telling how long they’ve been out ; it felt like a couple of days, but in reality, it was light outside. They’ve slept through the night.        “ Yeah. ”       He agrees, softly. After a few lingering moments, he detangles himself from his companion, sitting up and stretching his long limbs. His mind is still groggy and he could definitely sleep longer, but Stuart’s right. They’ve got to get back to the camp and tell their group what they saw. When he’s offered the bottle of water, Elliot gladly takes a gulp of it. He thanks Stuart and wipes the back of his mouth before surveying their surroundings.       “ Looks like this place held up pretty nicely overnight. Maybe they couldn’t smell us. ”       Elliot comments, eyes drifting over the interior of the apartment. He never got to truly appreciate where he was because of their circumstances. An apartment ... there were pictures on the wall, some of paintings, some of people who are probably long gone by now. Nice furnishing ... homey decor. For a second, Elliot lets himself daydream. What if he’d just woken up from a weird dream ? Cuddling on the couch with Stuart, having accidentally fallen asleep ... He clears his thoughts when he hears groaning and shuffling. The zombies aren’t alerted, but they’re still slumping around the building.       “ Let’s wait for them to pass and head out the front. We can circle around the complex and make it back to the main road. Oh -- how’s your ankle doing ? ”

                    “ Strong, half a tablespoon of soy milk. Got it. ”        He repeats, a smile forming on his lips easily. When Stuart adds on that he’d like to see Elliot’s resume, the waiter nodded his head before excusing himself. It only took about two or three minutes for Elliot to return, a fresh & hot cup of coffee on a small plate and his resume in the other hand. He sets the coffee down onto the table easily, placing a couple of packets of sugar and creamer beside of it just in case.         “ Yeah, I can sit down for a little bit. The bar’s slow, and I already asked the manager if it’d be cool if I sat with you for a bit. ”         He hums, happily. He’s been looking forward to this. Even though his work wasn’t too awful, it would be better to be in a different environment. He’s not so sure he could handle drunks as well as he could before. After a brief moment, he takes a seat across from the other brunet, feeling oddly empowered. Maybe it was the fact that someone from Google wants to help him progress in his career. Or maybe it was just Stuart’s presence in general. He’s studying the other carefully, and when Stuart mentions his coworker, Elliot raises his eyebrows.         “ Oh ... you mean Kendra ? ”         He asks. And when Stuart explains what she’d said, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes.         “ She thinks it’s some kind of competition. I’m just trying to do my job. ”         The waiter shrugs a shoulder, but offers a playful smile.         “ She’s the one who came up with that whole twisted ‘attractive people tip better’ thing. ” After a moment, Elliot speaks up again.         “ While you’re looking over my resume, can I get you anything to eat ?   A burger, maybe ?   We have some killer chicken tenders here. Remember ... discount. ”         He offers another wink with his charming smile.

                 THE BRUNET rests his head comfortably on his companion’s chest. When they’re this close, he can hear his heartbeat -- and it helps comfort him. Maybe it was because it was confirmation that Stuart was alright and alive. He blinks hard and looks up at his friend whenever he returns the sentiment, a soft smile curling his lips. Elliot pushes his face into Stuart’s neck, letting out a soft breath.         “ Yeah. I enjoy every moment with you, too. ”       He replies. The kiss on the top of his head sends his heart hammering through the roof. He couldn’t help it ; he was smitten for the other male. It was pretty obvious by how much he pined,   &   how comfortable he was with displaying affection. But Elliot was pretty content like this, although there’s been times where he wishes he can kiss Stuart on the lips, or anything of that sort. He nods his head against Stuart’s neck when the other suggests getting rest. Elliot curls up a little closer to him, making sure there was no remaining space between their bodies. He tangles their legs together, and after a few moments of silence between them, Elliot falls asleep rather quickly. He’s exhausted from the events of today, and then the short disagreement with Stuart.

@fracturedpneuma

               OF COURSE,   he knew it was only a matter of time before Stuart yelled at him for the stunt he decided to pull back there. So what ?   Both of them were alive. It’s not like he was completely careless ; they were out of sight, and he wrapped Stuart’s ankle as quickly and quietly as possible. Does Stuart even know how bad it would’ve been to attempt to sneak through those cars with his ankle in the shape it was ?   What if he would’ve fallen, or twisted it more, or broken it ?   It could’ve been worse. And that’s how Elliot justifies it in his mind. But Stuart and Elliot don’t always see eye to eye on these things. Especially when it comes to the well-being of the other. So he lets out a soft breath, biting his bottom lip, allowing the other male to tear into him all he wanted. Maybe he deserved it. But Elliot sure as hell doesn’t regret it. If Stuart wasn’t so damn stubborn and let him wrap it back when they were in the hospital, it wouldn’t have been a problem. But he knows better than to argue back against the other. He rubs a hand down his own face, clearly tired. It was when Stuart mentioned pushing him out of the way and taking the bite because of his recklessness that really stung. He looks over at Stuart with furrowed eyebrows and an unreadable look in his eyes. He really looks at the other male -- studying him for a moment, just staring at him. And then Stuart apologizes and Elliot drops his gaze again.         “ It’s fine. ”        He replies, quietly, still a little hurt. The apocalypse hardened Elliot a lot, especially when it came to the judgement of others. He couldn’t give a rat’s ass if anyone in their group told him he was a disappointment, or worthless, or any of that. But hearing Stuart tear into him like that really sucked. Really sucked. And while he understands Stuart’s reasoning ... he still felt justified in what he did.         “ I’m not trying to get anyone hurt, ”       He says, after a few moments.         “ The idea of you hurt or worse freaks me out too. That’s why I stopped and wrapped your ankle. What if it would’ve broke while we were sneaking around ?   You can’t crouch on a twisted ankle and expect it to hold up. You needed compression. And I could tell it hurt, even though you didn’t want to admit it. ” Elliot sighs again, scrubbing his own face with his hands. God, he’s so tired. He blinks hard and stands up from the recliner he was sat on, moving to sit next to Stuart. He curls up against the other male, pulling him close and holding onto him tightly.         “ I used to live for me, you know ... ? ”        He says, quietly.         “ But then I met you, and it’s like ... everything I do, I do for you ... ”

                THIS ALL FELT WEIRD.   Well, of course it did. Elliot hasn’t been human in years, and it felt weird being questioned about a woman he’s been terrified of for practically his whole life. She’d been a hateful woman even when he knew Stuart all those years ago -- but he never told him just how bad it was. How could he ?   He had the chance to, sure -- but by the time he realized it wasn’t the way all mothers acted, his opportunity was gone. How could he bring up his own mother when Claudia was diagnosed with some fatal illness ?   He couldn’t. So he kept it secret this whole time. The werewolf feels oddly rattled by the realization, by the whole situation. He stares down at the wooden floor, trying his best not to succumb to the sinking feelings of anxiety. Everything was rushing around him. He could feel his heart rate begin to pick up. Yes, he’s played this scene out in his head so many times, and now he finally remembers. It’s almost too much for him to handle. He unknowingly ignores the Sheriff’s questions, and Stiles didn’t have to be a werewolf to pick up on Elliot’s anxiety. He unfolds his arms, a little uneasy, and looks to Stuart. Elliot feels his hand being squeezed and he looks up and over to his friend with wide eyes. He asks him a question and he nods, slowly, swallowing thickly. It’s what he’s been trying to communicate this whole time.        “ Bad mother. ”        He repeats again, voice even quieter and softer than before.        “ Hurt me. Hurt ... family. ”

                ELLIOT WASN’T EXPECTING   the sharp words that fell from Stuart’s lips. He stares at him with wide eyes, completely taken aback. He’s not sure what he could really say ; especially when he knows nothing he would say would be helpful in this situation. Instead of pushing it further, Elliot stays silent -- especially when Stuart comments about not being able to work while he talked. He turns back to the sewing machine with furrowed eyebrows and hurt feelings. When Stuart approves of his idea and body piece, Elliot nods subtly, still a little hurt from what the omega said earlier. He turns back around in his seat, placing the body piece onto the table. He starts cutting out more fur to sew onto the shoulders of the piece to further his idea. He spends the next few hours in silence, not really bothering to make any kind of conversation. And guessing from how in tune with his work Stuart was, he didn’t want to pull him out of that again. So he just continued to work, gauging what ideas to proceed with and which ones wouldn’t look good. After a while, he felt his eyes grow heavy. He’s not used to putting so much effort into a project like this ; especially one that he cared about so much. His fingers are starting to hurt from switching from machine sewing to hand sewing, and the fur on the table almost feels welcoming. He blinks slowly, staring down at the project with half-lidded eyes. Everything was starting to blur out. When’s the last time he’s stayed up this late ... ?   He can’t remember. Figuring it’s just fatigue, he lays his head down, opting to take a short break and rest his eyes. Pretty soon -- within minutes -- he’s asleep, resting at Stuart’s table quietly.

             “ Eh ... it happens. I’ve lived with worse people, so it’s pretty mild in comparison. ”       He says, with a slight chuckle, although Stuart might be able to smell that he’s definitely not feeling the laugh. Especially when it’s in reference so something so much more grim than he’d like to admit.       “ Sometimes he invites his friends over, though, which aren’t much better than him. ”       He shrugs a shoulder. Like he’d said earlier, he’s experienced worse. When Stuart explains that no one could stand him, Elliot finds that strange. Sure, the other werewolf was a little bit of an asshole to begin with -- but it didn’t seem that hard to connect with him. Maybe he’s special or something, but he likes to think that Stuart kind of enjoys his presence or something like that. Or maybe he’s making assumptions. But so far, he can’t smell hatred or anything of that sort, so ... he thinks he’s on the right track.       “ They don’t know what they’re missing. You obviously respect other people’s privacy and belongings. I’d prefer you as a roommate then Justin. Maybe the people you were paired with never had a roommate who stole their things. ”       He chuckles, again. Of course he means what he’d said -- he likes Stuart. Everything about the other werewolf was attractive to him. For anyone to not like him was beyond him -- but maybe many people weren’t willing to look past that initial first impression. Elliot takes a seat at the table when he’s suggested to. He wants to protest and offer Stuart the table -- but the guy’s got a point. Sewing and cutting fabric requires a table. So he complies.       “ Oh -- thanks. I think I’m good for now, but ... I appreciate the offer. ”       He smiles sweetly at the other male before looking back to their supplies. Alright, he’s got everything he needs to get started. He lays out the fabric and fur and begins going at it with a pattern, almost all of his attention sticking to their project. After a good two hours or so of cutting, sewing, and shaping, Elliot turns towards his companion with a curious expression.       “ Okay, so ... I’ve got the basic shape down. What do you think of this as the body piece ?       I was thinking that maybe we could make some kind of faux paw out of the fur, and you could make some claws ... and make it look like an actual hyde. ”

              When Stuart reassures   him that it’s okay, the werewolf nods his head in response, indicating that he understood what was being said. But it still didn’t make anything any easier. He wishes he could just tell them what happened in full detail -- about what his mother did, about how he ended up in the state he’s in now. But it seems impossible at the moment. The most he could do was mutter a few choice words here and there, and even then a lot of them are copied from Stuart. If only there were some way to show them without putting any of them in danger ... He lets Stuart dry him, not saying or doing much of anything. He dresses with ease, even though the feeling of wearing clothes was strange to him. It wasn’t necessarily bad, it was just ... odd. He remembers wearing clothes, but it’d been so long that it was almost annoying to have fabric covering his body. It felt like he couldn’t move as easily with them, but he wasn’t going to strip down after Stuart had offered them to him. He looks down at the t-shirt he’s wearing with furrowed eyebrows. It was a faded blue with a weird yellow logo on it. He didn’t know what it meant, but ... it smelt like Stuart. So that alone was enough to comfort him. He walks alongside Stuart until they make it to the living room again, spotting Noah   &   Stiles. Again, his anxiety begins to creep in again -- only because it felt like he was in trouble. He purses his lips and fights the urge to hightail it out of there. Instead, he squeezes Stuart’s hand and sits down beside of him. When the discussion of what happened begins, Elliot shifts uncomfortably in his seat. He looks down at the ground, avoiding Noah’s eye contact until Stuart mentions his mother. He looks up   &   over to his friend, before looking back over to Stiles and Noah. Noah was seated across from them -- and Stiles was standing, with his arms crossed. He looks just as perplexed as everyone else.               “ Right. Okay, well ... let me try asking him. Maybe he can answer it somehow. ”       Noah says. He clears his throat and looks at Elliot with a serious look.       “ Elliot. We know that you’re scared of your mother, but ... why ? ”       He asks. The brunet stares at Noah with wide eyes, his anxiety spiking. He wants to answer, but he just ... can’t.       “ Dad, he doesn’t remember much English. ”       Stiles defends, but Noah raises a hand to quiet his youngest son. He grumbles quietly and looks over to Stuart with an ‘i tried’ look.             “ Your mother. What happened ?   Why are you afraid of her ? ”       Noah asks, again, hoping to get something out of the guy.       “ ... wolf. ”       Elliot replies, looking between the twins for some sort of reassurance.       “ ... mother ... wolf. ”       He curls his fingers and raises them to his lips, imitating sharp fangs.       “ Bad. Hurt ... me. ”

               ELLIOT KNOWS STUART TOO WELL   to completely believe what he says. He knows his ankle’s hurting ; after all, it’s not like he’d trained for this kind of thing when the world was normal. He’s never been a confrontational person, even though that’s mostly changed in the zombie apocalypse -- but he decides not to push it. Now’s not the time to argue, and he believes Stuart would agree with him on that. He sticks close to Stuart, making sure to help him with leverage and balance as much as he needs it. When they’re settled behind cars, that’s when Elliot silently pulls the roll of ace bandage from his bag and looks at Stuart seriously.         “ I’m going to wrap your ankle. ”        He whispers. The brunet doesn’t give his companion much of a choice -- because before Stuart can even respond, he’s wrapping the stretchy and form-fitting bandage around his ankle. He makes sure it’s tight, but not tight enough to cut off his circulation. Stuart just needs the pressure on his ankle to help relieve the pain. Even if it doesn’t hurt too bad right now, compressing it will save them a lot of pain in the long run. Stuart can be mad at him later.         “ I know, ”       He says after finishing wrapping his ankle, looking up at Stuart.       “ You don’t have to say anything. Let’s just get out of here, and you can yell at me all you want. ”       Faint teasing ?   Maybe. But it’s the only way to stay sane in a world like this.       “ Come on. There’s a clearing in Z’s over there, so we can sneak to the next car. ”        He fixes his backpack back over his shoulders and helps Stuart along to the next car. And the next. And the next. And before too long, they’re out of the parking lot, and heading down the cleared streets towards the apartment complex Stuart had mentioned before. Oddly enough, the apartments seemed abandoned completely. There weren’t any zombies around, which led Elliot to believe that they all flocked to the hospital. Hospitals were over-flowing with patients because of their symptoms -- because of bites ... and their personality change. He was one of the first people to know the apocalypse was upon them before everyone else. They find an apartment that seems secluded from the rest with boarded up windows. Elliot tries the door and finds it unlocked -- weird, but not weird in a world that was overrun by panic. Chances are the resident here bolted, either to the hospital or far away from here. He pulls open the door, carefully peering inside. The living room seemed in tact ; it wasn’t trashed, things weren’t lying around ... hm. Elliot signals for Stuart to follow him, but that doesn’t stop Elliot from pulling his knife, prepared to stab to kill. They survey the area -- every room in the place -- but no one’s there. Behind the shower curtain ?   Nope. Closets ?   Nope. Under the bed ?   Nope. There’s no one here. And that’s a relief. After discerning this place would be decent enough for now, Elliot pushes one of the recliners in front of the door. It was heavy, and would be impossible to move with mindless zombies banging on the door. Elliot sighs out and settles down onto the couch of the living room, dropping his bag onto the coffee table in front of him. He looks over to Stuart with tired eyes.        “ How’s the ankle ... ? ”

                When the orderly   hit him the in the back with the baton, he tries his best to ignore it – to ignore the burning anger in his chest. The worst thing he could do right now is attack the other guards. So – he lets it be, but apparently Stuart has another idea. He turns quickly when Stuart stops   &   grabs the baton before it connects with his back again. Wide, chestnut eyes glance between Stuart and the orderlies. No. No, no no. Elliot puts a hand on Stuart’s shoulder and tries to pull him away from the situation, but it doesn’t work. The beta’s too agitated, too fed up. His words are sharp and Elliot can feel the seething anger rolling off of the orderlies in waves. The air’s tense, and if they don’t defuse the situation soon … Then an orderly hits Stuart, and sentences him to a week in the pit.          “ No ! ”         Elliot exclaims, ignoring Stuart’s order to stay out of it. A hand flashes out and he grabs one of the orderly’s batons, grasping it with nonhuman strength.                 “ Let go, Bennett. ”         The guard warns, but Elliot’s determined not to let Stuart go down that corridor. Even when they try to push past him and grab Stuart, Elliot pulls their hands off of the beta.         “ He’s not going anywhere. You can’t throw him in there !   He didn’t even do anything ! ”                 “ He’s not the one you should be worried about. ”         One of the guards bites, angrily, and Elliot furrows his eyebrows.         “ You can’t throw him in there. He’s – he’s the sheriff’s son. He’ll kill you both if he finds out what you did to him. ” One of the orderlies seems annoyed by Elliot’s bargaining, and sticks a taser straight into his side. This wasn’t an average taser – this one was made specifically for supernatural creatures. One that knocks Elliot to the floor and renders him completely motionless.                 “ Like I said, Bennett, you should start worrying about yourself. ”         The orderlies drag Stuart off and down the hall while Elliot can only watch – his eyes filled with pained tears. His body is electrified in the worst way ; every hair is standing on end, and he smells faint burning. He’d get up and run after Stuart if he could – to stop this, to prevent him from going to the pit … but he can’t. No matter how hard he tries, his muscles are tensed & he can’t unlock them.

                “ That sounds great, ”        Elliot replies, smiling at the other. He felt a rush of excitement in his chest. This was going to be something similar to a date, wasn’t it ?   It felt like it. Either way -- whether it was just a friendly meet up outside of a therapy group or something more than that, Elliot was desperate for a connection. A platonic connection, a romantic one -- just ... something. He never wants to admit it to anyone, but he has a void in his life   &   heart that got even worse after the snap.         “ I’ll see you then ! ” After leaving the meeting, Elliot went back to his apartment. He showered, put on his nicer outfit for waiting,   &   then headed out to the restaurant for his shift. He couldn’t even feel dispirited by having to work -- why would he, when Stuart was planning on stopping by ?   He’s definitely putting too much hope into this acquaintance. Stuart seemed to understand him on a deeper level, he was very obviously intelligent ... he seemed sweet enough, what’s not to like ?   Even if it was only a platonic relationship, he wouldn’t care. He just needs something genuine. He’s already been at the restaurant for an hour before Stuart comes in. And when he does -- Elliot’s away from the floor, gathering another table’s food on his tray to take to the customers. He finishes placing the plates, asking if they need anything -- before he turns and sees Stuart, seated in one of his two-seat tables. A smile breaks out on his lip and he approaches the other male, tucking the food tray under his arm. Clearing his throat silently before he approached the brunet, he looks him over with kind   &   warm eyes.         “ Well hey there, stranger, ”         Elliot flirts, subtly.         “ Long time no see. What do you want to drink ? ”         He offers the other a small smile.         “ I could get you a coffee ?   Or a soda. Maybe something from the bar, if you want ? ”

               “ No, I don’t think that’s something to roll your eyes at. Actually ... I think it’s really nice. Not everyone cares about things like that, so ... it’s nice. ”        He offers a sweet smile to the assassin. ‘Mitch’ was absolutely an enigma, and maybe that’s why he was drawn to him so quickly and suddenly. When the other male talks about his preference, Elliot couldn’t help but blush. He knows that he didn’t even attempt to fake an orgasm, much less suppress one. Stuart knows it, too, and that’s what got him so flustered. The blush only deepens further whenever Stuart talks about how he sounds, lowering his eyes to the bar’s table. Swallowing thickly, with a rush of bravery, he raises his gaze to meet Stuart’s. Just in time, the bartender places their glasses down, and Elliot reaches out to take a sip from his carefully.        “ Oh -- uh ... the hotel was fine. It was really nice, actually ... ”        He says, trying to clear his throat. Dammit, his face is totally flushed. He could tell by the way his face felt hot.       “ Did ... did you like the hotel ... ? ”       He asks.

                TO THINK THAT THEIR CONVERSATION WOULD END UP HERE   is something Elliot didn’t foresee. Now, he’s definitely glad he decided to say something to Stuart after the meeting. This could be the start of a nice friendship -- he did need friends, after all. Maybe Stuart felt the same ... ? Either way, Elliot couldn’t help the smile that broke out on his lips, although he tried to keep himself just a little reserved.        “ You should! I have a waiting shift tonight. If you come in and ask for me, I can get you put in my section. ”        Was he excited ?   Definitely. How long has it been since Elliot’s had anything close to resembling a friend ?   It’s been years, now. Sure, he has regulars at his job who like him & prefer him over the rest of the staff ... but none of them are actual friends.        “ I will. I’ll grab my resume so you can look it over, if you want. I really do appreciate you doing this for me. ”        Working for one of the largest companies in the world had to pay good. And from what Stuart’s describing, it was a wonderful workplace. Working in a bar got too sloppy sometimes, and there are scars on him from where broken beer bottles were thrown or where he had to step in & stop a fight. Part of what makes Elliot so excited to apply was Stuart himself. From the sound of it, Stuart was a regular at the cafe. Which meant they’d see each other pretty often. He wouldn’t mind that at all ; actually, it’d be good for him. It’d be good for both of them.        “ So ... I’ll see you tonight then ? ”       He asks, trying to smother the smile   &   excitement in his voice. He scratches the back of his head sheepishly while looking at his companion.