a little chaos.

    “Excuse me! Didn’t there used to be a little bakery here?” 

Granted, Ravi hadn’t been in Port City for two years, but that was a short period of time for a bakery to shut down, wasn’t it? And by no means did it have bad food. Only a couple of bad waiters. And sure, maybe some pastry combinations were unique (star anise and lemon is a bit much, even for him) but not bad enough for bankruptcy.

        As things go, things were not looking great for Ravi.

The one time that he’d convinced Sanun that a healthy walk would be good for their cat- he’d immediately lost her. It was not a big park to be lost in, and the exit gate had a latch too high for any reasonable cat to get out. No, he was certain that she wanted to make her disappearance a nation-level news story. She liked that kind of attention.

Well, rip Neela he just crushes on nice/rich people okay !?

“Ah, well I don’t depend on them or anything, its more like a mutual benefiting relationship, or something like that?” A lie. “But yeah ! Its good ! We’re all really close, and stuff.”

Ugh, Alabama wasn’t a cool place to be from. When people thought Alabama, they just thought, like, crabs and hicks and stuff. Even though that isn’t what it is at all, not in Montgomery at least, but Neela loathed himself for outing that. He quit his brooding when another question was asked.

“Oh, its for my family ! My dad is, uh….” Was it safe to out this ? Well, this guy did just offer to financially support him if he needed it, right ? So it should be ok for now ! “My dad is military, so we move a lot. My mom is Korean, so I was born in Korea. And that’s cool ! I don’t mind the cold, actually prefer it to the mugginess of Alabama.”

Honestly? Same.

“Well, that’s just a friendship. Nice! Always worried that this generation, the kids don’t know how to make fulfilling friendships, but that’s all nonsense, right? Friends are just a part of life!” Damn, what’d gotten into him this morning- the preaching was always reserved for the evenings! 

Ravi could have guessed that the man before him was- rather clearly American, in some shape or form, but had some silent gratitude for the fact that he wasn’t- entirely American. Heavens knew that girl in the Guild was already making a name for herself. 

He grumbles, running a hand down his face.

“Right. Sorry about that. My parents were artists, ya know? Fans of long names.” Granted, he could have just put his last names, but the sheet said “full name.”

“I’ve met a few. Puked on a guy’s shoes – I’m sure that made a good first impression.”

Artist, indeed. It would take a special kind of tortured soul to get that on a birth certificate. Ravi doesn’t make much of a reaction or impression of it, but isn’t he thinking some very presumptuous things.

He was rich too !? Thanks, God, for setting him in such a cruel world ! 

“Oh, uh, thanks for the thought. I’m fine right now, since I got roommates and stuff. They help pay for things. But if I need help, I’ll keep you in mind…”

At that Neela had to shift his weight and keep his eyes on the ground. Talk to him ? Did that mean they would exchange phone numbers too ? Could Neela maybe text him ? Neela tsked and silently reminded himself to snap out of it. He was married ! To your boss/crush ! Calm down spaceboy !

“Yeah, the weather is pretty cold. It was cold back in New York and Korea too, but I was in Alabama before this. It wasn’t ever this cold over there.”

   Ravi is God, so this is all the hidden revenge for crushing on Sanun.

“That’s good! At least you have someone to depend upon.” He never understood this desperate drive for independence and sustainability- most because it never ended well. It was always better to have friends.

Ravi nods his acknowledgement. “Alabama,” he echoes. “Say, you sure have moved around a lot, eh? For school, or-” Judging by his age, it couldn’t have been for work, in fact, Ravi would be amazed if Agency wasn’t his first job. 

     “Mhm, six to seven months.” 

 It did seem pretty far now that he thinks about it. Time spent with Ravi always went by slowly, at least now. (Sure they may have rushed in the beginning, but it was fine.) But he’d rather take long days with Ravi than anything now.

  “Yeah,” a yawn as he stopped leaning on Ravi, “Going back to bed sounds like a good idea. I think Tara is sleeping on top of the covers!” A clingy cat, but Sanun always appreciated having the fluffy cat nearby. 

  Sanun reached over for the other’s hand, slightly pulling it towards the bed. “Come on.” 

  Well, he did suppose it could be worse. There were people who had to spend Christmas all by themselves. Not married to the most amazing man in the world. 

   Ravi accepts the tug, and Tara relocated with only slight protest. Once under the cover, he let out what could only be called a purr. His hand found Sanun’s again, and for a moment, their world was just them. And the cat. 

   “Hm, I heard that someone in Agency was already putting up Christmas decorations? My goodness.” Of course, there were likely one or two people in Guild with the capability, but they wouldn’t. They didn’t want everyone else to feel so festive.

     “We should do something, no?”

Antonio grimaces a little, absent-mindedly rubbing his jaw in thought. He sincerely hoped no one had to go through the torture of reading out his monstrously long full name. Not even Antonio was as much of a dick to put people through that.

“It wouldn’t have happened to have been my full name, would it?”

Oh, yes. Indeed it was a full name. At least, Ravi hoped it had been a full name, and there was nothing else. Half of it had to be continued in a footnote because the name information bar was too short. “It was,” he said curtly. “But it’s alright, I didn’t read it all.”

Oh boy, this guy’s voice is really grating on Antonio’s killer migraine. He goes ahead and takes another shot from his bottle of vodka – it probably wasn’t his  best idea, but Toni’s entire schtick is his inability to make good decisions.

“You would? Thanks amigo! I appreciate it. I’m Antonio – just call me Toni. I prefer it.”

  Ravi’s eye twitches at the sight of the bottle. People were allowed to drink of course,- but it seemed a rather personal affair to him. An affair of the evenings.

Life. Is. So unfair.

Not only was Neela basically being given another reality check over how unlikely his crush was for Sanun, but the fact that even his husband was good looking !? What !?

Unfair !?

“Oh is that so ? I’ll keep that in mind, thanks !” Neela put on a cheery expression and tone, but really he was crying internally.

       Ravi wasn’t perfectly sure of whether Sanun told his subordinates about Ravi’s allegiance. Not that it mattered too much- he’d look after the Agency as if they were his own colleagues. 

   “No brag at all, but if you’re ever in a tight financial position, you can talk to me!” After all, what use was money if it wasn’t being used for charity ! 

      He huffs, his body still not used to the cold. 

      “In about six to seven months?”

It’s not like Sanun was used to the cold weather as well, Thailand usually warm for the most part. He just wasn’t one to really complain, only stealing some of Ravi’s sweaters and making sure to wear as many layers as possible. (wearing these sweaters did make him feel… fashionable? if that’s what it was!)

     “We also need to start adding more blankets soon, the mornings get way too cold when waking up alone…” 

  I mean it was still morning, but Sanun didn’t have to go into work until later so he was just leaning on Ravi, half asleep.

      “Six to seven months,” he repeats. 

No. He would die. Ravi’s fingers slip into Sanun’s, as he stands looking pensive- but certainly not feeling it. The back of his neck prickled with his husband’s hair, and he supposed the whole thing could be forgotten about. 

    “Yes. Good thing we don’t wake up alone.” Once one was in love, it was rather odd to remember that the rest of the world wasn’t. Those that mentioned rose-coloured glasses didn’t lie. Ravi sighs, and arranges his sweaters in a passable pile.

  It’s not every cotdamn day that you see a man in a gilded suit with three huge bags of cashews right next to him. But Port City was just that kind of world. Anything could happen. Ravi took his sweet time on a park bench, sighing dramatically in five-second intervals. O world, thou art a cruel mistress. 

  His conscience took a solid hit once he noticed that- he was now a member of a group. THere were some moral obligations. He had to give gifts for Christmas, otherwise, he’d enjoy his dinner on 25th December with a smidge of guilt for taste.

   Blue with blue, red with red- November was always the time for Port City to drop to -11 degrees. And that meant misery for tropic-oriented folks like Ravi. He didn’t know how many sweaters he owned, but he bought six because he just knew that it was not enough. Sanun had to endure many operatic whines. 

    “ Oof-ho ! When will summer come again ? ”

Not a lul situation now ??

                “You done goofed, Ravi.”

     ‘ T’was my intention, actually! ‘