echoes of shadows

The artists leaves his sketchbook behind before stepping closer to his lover with a tender smile." You always have my attention. Always." He leans down pressing a kiss against his forehead in hopes of washing Dáir's worries.

alfie hated this part of dates. it wasn't comfortable yet, but it wasn't necessarily uncomfortable. it sat them in some kind of date purgatory, where they were strangers who might be together forever. now, he'll keep these thoughts to himself, but they burn at the back of his mind.

ash finds that his full, undivided attention is on alfie while they talk. the restaurant is nice, sure, but ash is far more interested in the boy sitting across from him than he is in anything else around. he can already see why norah suggested they go out together, aflie seems sweet and intelligent, traits that ash likes in men.

Alfie was so nervous. It'd been a long time since he'd let anyone, even Norah, set him up on a date, but he figured he wasn't getting any younger, and he couldn't keep holing up at the family bookstore. So he let her. He'd barely gotten a description of the stranger, but he was certain that Norah would have shown him pictures. "Ash," he says to himself, just to make sure he remembers his name.

Connor dodged a sprinting five-year-old, lifting his coffee just enough to keep it from spilling. A quiet, “Sorry, Mr. Blüm!” echoed through the halls. He smiled and gave them a quick wave before they disappeared toward recess. “All good, buddy!” He finished the last sip of his coffee, tossed the cup in the bin, and sank into his desk chair. The door clicked shut behind him, and he let his head fall into his hands with a quiet sigh. Parent-teacher conferences always wore him down. Most families were kind and willing to work with him, but the difficult few could drain a whole week’s worth of energy–and he taught kindergarten. He was supposed to be doing finger painting and counting games, not negotiating with grown adults. He picked at his snack for a moment before deciding he didn’t want it after all. Snapping the lunchbox closed, he stood and headed toward the classroom door that opened to the playground. That’s when he heard it. His eyes darted around for the source until he spotted him. “Rhett?” A grin spread across Connor’s face as he rushed over and pulled the other man into a tight hug. He finally leaned back, hands still on Rhett’s shoulders, unable to hide how happy he was. “What are you doing here?” he asked at the same time Rhett spoke, and Connor laughed. “They’re great! Seriously, we have so much to catch up on.” He let go long enough to gesture at Rhett from head to toe. “And this? We gotta talk about it.”

the grin on his face only widens as he listens to his old friend talk, it's clear that connor is happy to see him. rhett had left town for a few years, trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life, but somehow, all roads led back here. it was almost like there was some kind of magnetic pull drawing him back to this town, like he was meant to be here. and after years of being away, he got tired of trying to deny it.

he'd tried a couple different careers while he was away, but rhett found that he got the most fulfillment out of teaching little kids. there was something about helping children learning to navigate the world and seeing them light up when they finally understood something. when he'd gotten back to his hometown, he had no idea that connor was also teaching at the local elementary school, and just happened to be offered a job there.

"that's great to hear, i mean it. you're gonna have to fill me in on all the happenings at some point, i want to hear everything." he laughs, feeling overjoyed at seeing his friend. "what, you mean me bein' back in town? come on now, don't you act like i could stay away forever."

Monte never minded having company. Most of his time was spent surrounded in one way or another. His plants were nice, but they didn't make for as good a conversation as his friends. Milo wasn't the first client to make the switch. Over time, they'd develop a relationship with the boy who grew their goods with his own two hands. He spent hours with the plants that he sold and wanted to continue providing the best product for his customers. That included making sure he kept growing a better and better strain than before. Sure, he was no scientist, but he knew more than people gave him credit for.

Today it was Milo's turn to bring treats, and Monte brought his usual, a special travel case that he made sure to refill before leaving. The freshly rolled joint was held out in exchange for the munchies that already made his stomach roll in anticipation. "Hey, better to go out doing what you loved," he said, placing a hand over his heart. That wouldn't be a horrible way to go, all things considered. "Worth the risk, I've definitely kept down worse." Besides, after a few more hits, it wouldn't matter anyway; he'd have a vision and nothing could stop him from translating that through icing. "And if you do, I will share your legacy," he assured his friend, placing a hand on his shoulder with a toothy smile, holding back light laughter.

"to be honest, i think i have a lot more to worry about than some sugar that's a little out of date." he replies, pulling a lighter out of his pocket and flicking the ignition. it takes a few strikes before he's actually able to get a flame, holding it to the joint and taking a deep inhale. he finally speaks again when he exhales, smoke expelling from his nose, and holds the joint back out to monte. "anyway, how've you been lately? feels like it's been a minute since we've actually been able to smoke together. life keeping you busy?"

"Don't worry, I haven't stabbed anyone in a long time. Like, a whole month." A slow, razor-edged smile spread across Setteth's face, not quite reaching the crimson-tinted chill of his eyes. He swirled the dark liquid in his crystal glass, the gesture lazy, predatory. "Aren't ya proud I'm trying to live such a boring life?"

Yes, Setteth was truly trying to make a change. Kind of. Not really.

"i'm sorry, what exactly are you doing this for? like are you actually trying to be a better person or just doing it for the hell of it? with you, i can never really tell."

he leans in again, stopping just short of closing the distance completely, close enough that he can feel felix's breath ghosting his lips. his hand comes up to rest on the back of their neck, tenderly inviting them closer. he gives them a soft smile before he kisses them again.

it's gentle at first, unhurried, almost like he's asking for permission. he deepens it after a few seconds, letting himself melt into it. it feels for a moment like the outside world doesn't exist, like it's just the two of them, in this moment, together.

Felix tore through the apartment with the frantic energy of someone who knew the thing they were looking for didn’t actually matter–but still absolutely needed it. Eyeliner wasn’t life or death, sure, but it made them feel like themselves, and today that counted for something.  They muttered a quiet thanks to both Theo and Jinhwan for helping them practice their magic earlier, and the realization that Levi was only minutes away forced them to cheat a little. One focused breath later, the location of the eyeliner flickered into their mind… along with a wave of nausea they tried very hard to ignore. The honk outside made them jump so hard they nearly jabbed themselves in the eye. They caught their balance, blinked at their reflection, and let a small, proud smile slip through. It wasn’t perfect, but it was them. They grabbed their bag, tossed a soft goodbye toward the cats lounging on the sofa, and hurried out the door before they could second-guess everything. “I’m sorry!” they blurted as they slid into the passenger seat, cheeks pink from the rush. They pointed to their eyes with a tentative, almost shy excitement. “But look–see? I tried something different. Does it… does it look nice? Be honest.” Their knee bounced as they waited. Then, completely unwarranted, they continued, “I definitely am not trying something new to impress someone.”

they put the car into reverse and begin pulling out of the parking space, still listening to felix as he speaks. a smirk pulls at the edges of their lips as he says he's not trying to impress anyone, levi rolling their eyes. "sure, mr. "not trying to impress anyone", this is about ash, isn't it?" they return, snark in their voice as they speak. "could you be any less obvious about your crush on him? i'm surprised he hasn't figured it out himself yet."

"that's enough of that for now. we're going christmas shopping, not helping you with your love life." as they turn onto the road, their eyebrow twitches as they notice a familiar first beat on the radio. "oh, you've got to be kidding me." they recognize the song as chop chop slide, one of their favorites. "you mind if i turn the radio up? i love this song."

Stevie spent her morning using up the starter she'd been eagerly awaiting. It was the perfect time, and she wouldn't have any going to waste. Enough was saved for the next batch, while the rest went to various baked breads. A special loaf of banana bread was saved for her best friend, along with a refill on the honey lovingly taken from her bees' hive. The girl hummed to herself on her walk over, missing the company of Ned whenever she visited, but wished not to startle Felix's cats. They would comfort her once she arrived anyway. Time away from her familiar often made Stevie feel incomplete, seeing as though they'd been inseparable for as long as she could remember.

Her knuckles rapped on the door before she swayed outside to the beat still looping in her head. It was their roommate who answered, but Stevie had a smile for them nonetheless. "I come with gifts!" She announced with the treats held up for unnecessary proof. "Only thing I'm missing is someone to share them with." As if the answer wasn't standing in front of her already, her eyebrows waggled in suggestion. "It's still waaarm," Stevie sang to further entice Levi into trying some.

when the door swings open, levi flinches at the energy coming from stevie, arms raising defensively for a second before they relax. "jesus, you're just as bad as your friend, you know that? practically have to brace myself for impact when you arrive." they quip, half joking but half serious. their eyes land on the mentioned banana bread, smile spreading across their face despite themself. "damn it, you know banana bread is one of my favorites. are there chocolate chips in it?"

It didn't matter where they went; she'd been happy to receive an offer at all. Wherever he planned to go, Fallon would gladly follow. Now that her stomach got word of a meal, it'd started to rumble in anticipation. The more he spoke of the meal in question, the harder it got for her to ignore the hunger that'd been lurking for who knows how many hours. His rambling hadn't bothered her. In reality, Fallon hadn't even noticed, being known to yap, and had listened to every word. "Ain't ramblin' to me. It's nice havin' someone to talk to, been a quiet day," the blonde confessed. She wasn't used to that amount of silence, only her music breaking through the static. "Sounds like just what the doctor ordered."

Fallon had to clean up the rest of her spread, but paused to give him a nod of assurance. "I'll see you out there," she confirmed before returning to the job at hand. A few would be returned to the shelves, while two in particular would take the journey to meet the librarian for dinner. She took her time making sure no extra work, cleaning up her mess, would be left in the hands of the staff. Besides, he had plans.

Once gathering her research into her arms and pulling her jacket back over her shoulders, she headed for the exit. The blonde felt like it hadn't even been a minute before her company was joining her on the sidewalk outside the establishment. "Lead the way." She motioned forward, giving him the reins to their next location. "I guess I should formally introduce myself, huh? I'm Fallon, nice to meet ya."

by the time he locates the girl he was talking to earlier, he's a bit breathless, cheeks slightly flushed from rushing through his duties. he smiles when he sees her, feeling like doing all of that had paid off now. "thanks for waiting for me. i hope you weren't waiting out here for too long."

"oh, i'm ash, nice to meet you too." he fiddles with the strap of his bag, a nervous habit so familiar he's barely aware of it, and glances down the street. "um...the place i mentioned is just a few blocks from here. i figured we could walk and talk, if that sounds good to you."

“Pineapple on half sounds great,” they agreed, grinning. It was nice, being here with him. Not like the other dates he’d been on lately–or, well, ever. Most of them had been blind dates, or it’d only taken ten minutes to realize they were probably better off as friends–and Felix loved to collect friends. But with Ash… years of laughing, joking, and gentle touches had turned into something warmer, something that made his chest feel light and full at the same time. When Ash brushed against his shoulder, Felix leaned into it, smiling. “What if we find out I love something else you don’t like?” they teased, eyes crinkling with amusement. Something else he missed about New Mexico was the green chile, but honestly, just the pepperoni was fine. He’d wait until Ash was really attached before admitting he liked pepperoni, pineapple, and green chile on a pizza. The pizza came and went. The movie played quietly in the background, mostly forgotten, because Felix had pulled Ash into a side hug. His heart was hammering–he was two seconds from kissing him–but he wanted it to feel natural, like everything between them did. Still, Ash was just so cute, and his eyes were just too pretty.

before long, the pizza has arrived, and the two of them have settled into a more laidback position on the couch. ash sits contently with felix's arm around him, even if they aren't talking he feels happy just to be in their presence. felix has always been that sort of person for him, now it feels even moreso, with the feelings between them.

it doesn't take long before ash starts to get distracted from the movie, he's thinking too much about how much he likes felix. he'd be lying if he said he hadn't noticed that he finds them attractive, that feels amplified now.

he shifts in his seat, turning to face felix so he can look at them. ash feels a flutter in his chest when he sees that they're looking at him too, he feels a light flush on his cheeks. he leans in so their faces are mere inches apart. "has anyone told you that you're handsome recently? because you're really handsome, and i think you should hear it."

“i mean it,” he adds quietly, almost shy. “i’ve thought that for a while.”

there’s a pause, brief but meaningful. ash’s heart is hammering, but felix is still there, still close, still looking at him like that. he exhales, nerves buzzing under his skin, and lets himself lean in—slowly, giving felix every chance to pull back if they want to.

ash closes the distance and presses a gentle kiss to felix’s lips, soft and tentative, like he’s asking a question he already hopes he knows the answer to. tt lingers just a second longer than he expects, warmth blooming in his chest as the world seems to narrow down to this—this closeness, this choice, this moment he’s finally allowing himself to have.

when he pulls back, it’s only by a fraction, his forehead nearly brushing felix’s. his smile is small but unmistakably real.

Felix waved away Ash’s doubts with a casual flick of their hand, their expression softening immediately. “Oh, Ash, no–it’s okay.” They reached over, thumb brushing lightly against the back of his hand. “I can paint later.” They had so many minis anyway. Even if this one never got finished, it wasn’t the end of the world. There would always be time to come back to it. The laugh that bubbled out of their chest started small, a quiet huff, before it spilled over into something bigger and harder to contain. Felix scrubbed at their eyes with their palms, shoulders shaking as they giggled. “Oh, Ash, oh no!” They folded forward, laughter overtaking them completely. They weren’t even sure why it hit so hard–maybe nerves, maybe the sheer giddiness of finally being on a date with someone they cared about this much. Maybe both. "I actually love pineapple on pizza,” they managed between laughs, breathless and bright. “But we can do something else, really.” They lifted their head, grin wide. “What’s safe–pepperoni?”

he was having a good time, this felt different from when they hung out as friends. ash was enjoying the banter between them and how light everything felt.

even though it was their first date, he didn't feel a need to try and impress felix or anything. he was comfortable just being himself, and it was nice that there wasn't any pressure.

"i think pepperoni is a good compromise. maybe next time we can do pineapple on half or something." he concedes, smiling as he looks at his date.

ash leans forward to grab his phone and when he does, his shoulders brush felix's. but, instead of moving away from the contact, he stays there, content to be in a close proximity. "i'll place the order now, do you want to pick a movie?"