⚠
None really, just magicians in the city. Just assume appropriately renamed things that might be canon puncturing.
Quentin was glad he could have the days off for his birthday with Eliot. It had been one of the things he’d mentioned when he was hired. He knew he’d want at least the day off, and the next if possible to make it a four-day weekend. He knew there were others who disapproved of this, but they weren’t making the decisions now, were they? It just meant his department head was an understanding sort of person. It had been a while since he’d been able to actually properly celebrate his birthday and he planned to do it right this time.
Once they settled on what they would do it had taken him a while to settle on exactly what sights he wanted to see on their little adventure. Well, past the obvious fountain dedicated to a certain little green guy which he decided should be the very last thing they did. What he’d read about the area told him that he would easily get lost in his own little world once he got there. So he’d opted to start with a few of the more interesting spots in Golden Gate Park that he’d never known were there.
First up was the Pirate statue, which was much shinier than he’d anticipated and he’d been blinded a moment by the reflection of the sun hitting it just right. Selfies were taken, jokes were made about how he managed to do anything with two hooks for hands and they were off to the next spot he’d picked: Sphinx statues because how could one not want to see them in person? He almost suggested they put off the rest of the sights in favor of the museum, but that would defeat the purpose of the day. They had even managed to time it out just right that there was a bus just arriving when they were ready to move on.
A short bus ride later and they were at the bottom of what might be the most beautiful staircase he’d ever seen. The detail in each step was insane and he wanted pictures of every single one of them. “I think I could stay here all day and still not see everything in these steps.” He would definitely have to come back to this one at some point.
Eliot had been looking forward to this day for what felt like forever. It was almost like an adventure and had shades of a quest, though they weren't actually seeking something that was needed like the keys had been. He and Quentin had both stumbled on the site that held famous statues and sculptures around the city and it didn't take long for Q to proclaim that visiting them was what he wanted to do for his birthday. It had nothing to do with a certain green statue. Nothing at all.
Starting in Golden Gate Park felt familiar as it was where they'd had their first date. There was so much to see and do in the one location. He knew they'd be back again and again. The pirate they'd visited first was ridiculously shiny and jokes were made. The Sphinx was more somber, but of course he couldn't help making a few witty quips.
At the mosaic steps Eliot took pictures. They were beautiful and a work of art."If you stay here all day you're on your own," he teased. As they moved up the steps he began recording. "Where's my birthday boy?" He came up beside Quentin, smiling. "How old are you today?" He chuckled. "Okay, okay, how are you liking the day so far?"
Quentin laughed and shook his head. "You wouldn't do that. Not on my birthday!" He had no intention of staying there like that anyway, but he did add it to the list of things he would revisit at some point in the future, with Eliot of course. He shook his head and held his hand up in a half-hearted attempt to hide himself from the camera then dropped it and smiled for any pictures Eliot wanted to take of him.
He tilted his head at the question. It should be easy to answer, but they were now six years into the future from where he'd been in his own timeline. "WELL, I guess that depends on how you look at it. I'm either twenty-eight or thirty-three." He was thinking twenty-eight because that's the amount of life experience he had. Unless the memories of their life at the mosaic changed anything, then they would both be in their eighties in terms of life experience. "Time travel and time loops, man. They confuse everything."
When they were about halfway up he turned to look back and blinked at the way all the steps just blended into each other and gave the impression of an almost smooth surface. It was super cool, and kinda creepy all at the same time. He stepped back over to Eliot and reached to take his hand before continuing up the stairs. “So far the day has been amazing, and we’re only halfway done with it.”
"Maaaaybe I would," he replied in a singsong voice before grinning. He wouldn't, but he liked teasing him. "I'm going with twenty-eight. That's your actual life experience. Unless you want to be older." He winked and smiled at Quentin before they moved further up the steps, hand in hand.
At the top they stopped to take it all in. It was cool, beautiful, something different from the other landmarks on their schedule. He took more photos. It had been a great day so far. He enjoyed seeing different parts of the city. "I think we're ready to move on to our next stop." One that had been a bit of a last-minute addition, but he was all for it.
About twenty-five minutes later they arrive at the Lotta’s Fountain, San Francisco's oldest surviving monument. There was something to be said about it surviving earthquakes and fires. That it was adorned with lion's heads and griffins made it seem fierce and proud, he liked it. "I'm not sure why, but it makes me think of home." They took some pictures and Eliot kissed Quentin beside the fountain. "I know I've already said it, but happy birthday. I love you." He looked into his eyes, then leaned in for another kiss.
Quentin shook his head. “No way, man. Twenty-eight sounds just right.” He stood at the top of the staircase and looked over the city. It all looked so peaceful from this spot. After the pictures had been taken he glanced at the time on his phone. “Perfect timing. The next trolley’s coming by in a few minutes.” He checked the map he’d plotted out for their adventure then led the way to the stop. He laced their fingers together and leaned against Eliot as they rode to the fountain he’d found when he was plotting out their path for the day.
It had been a lucky find to him. The history of it was a big part of the draw for him. He wondered if it was still used as a meeting point for people in the area in times of disruption. It seemed like the perfect spot for it, all things considered. He made sure they took at least one selfie with the fountain in the background to go with the other ones taken during their day so far.
“I don’t know why either, but I can see it too.” Maybe it was the simple fact of the history of it that gave it that feeling of home. Whatever it was, Quentin had the same feeling. And now it would always be a special spot to him. His first birthday in this new time and place with Eliot. He smiled up at the man and rewarded with a kiss. “I love you too.” More than he knew how to express, but he would certainly try for as long as Eliot let him. He leaned up for that next kiss, one hand moving up to curl his fingers into his hair gently. He could have easily stood there kissing him, but there were people around and he pulled away with a sheepish grin. “Almost forgot where we were for a minute there.” Instead of pulling away, he shifted to wrap his arms around Eliot’s waist and pulled him close again. “Just one more. It’s my birthday after all.” He leaned up for one more deep kiss, one hand sliding down to give his ass a very quick (and hopefully unnoticed by anyone around them) grope.
He pulled back from the kiss and smiled as he stepped back and laced their fingers together. “I think you needed that.” He knew he needed more than that, but that would have to wait until they got home again. He checked the time and then led the way to meet up with the next trolley that would take them to their next stop which would be the pier. Once there, he walked directly to the main reason they’d picked this spot: The giant crab. He couldn’t figure out why anyone would put that there, but he also couldn’t figure out why anyone would not want to see it now that it was there. He posed for the obligatory pictures then stepped back and took some pictures of just Eliot. Instead of taking a regular selfie with the man, Quentin enlisted the help of a nearby person and posed with Eliot for a couple of pictures of them together. One of them posed like he was rescuing him from the pinchers of the giant crustacean.
He thanked the person then checked the map app for the other things in the area. “There’s supposed to be one of those heart statues here…” He stepped away and looked around unti lhe found it. “There it is! C’mon.” He grinned at Eliot and then walked over to it. He knew he needed a selfie of them kissing at this spot. It would probably become his phone background too.
He would be back to see the fountain again, they would be back. The kisses warmed him through. Quentin's fingers in his hair always sent a warm tingle through him. He wrapped his arms around the other when he pulled him close for a more passionate kiss that made his heart flutter. He smiled into the kiss when groped, then for good measure gave Quentin's ass a squeeze before they parted. "I always need your kisses, beautiful."
Their next stop was the giant crab and it was fabulous! Eliot loved it immediately. "I shall call him Fredrick," he declared when they walked up to it then took some pictures. "Don't call him Freddie without permission though. I'm not sure he likes it." He laughed and stole a quick kiss before they took the ultimate ridiculously silly picture of his hand stuck in one of the crabs pinchers and Quentin rescuing him. It was amazing and fun.
Eliot followed along to the heart and paused for a moment. "We're going to have to get on our knees behind the heart for a selfie. It could be scandalous." He gave him a saucy look while waggling his eyebrows. He pulled Quentin behind the sculpture and they got down on their knees. Several selfies were taken including a few kissing.
Pulling out his phone Eliot announced they had one more stop to make. He'd kept this one as a surprise to Quentin. They caught the trolley and as they made their way toward their final destination he couldn't help smiling non-stop. He knew Q would love it and he couldn't wait to see his reaction.
"And we're here." The Yoda fountain could clearly be seen, but Eliot simply stood, took Quentin's hand and they exited the trolley. "Surprise!" He made a grand gesture before moving closer to it.
Quentin loved how happy Eliot looked and snapped a couple of pictures of him. "Why not though? I mean he'd share a name with Freddie Mercury. That has to be pretty cool." He leaned into the kiss and laughed. It was such a good day. He was looking forward to eating soon and looked around for a spot at the pier to eat while they walked over to the heart statue. "But how scandalous?" He grinned and walked around to kneel with Eliot for pictures. And more kisses. And then a couple more kisses.
Once they were back to their feet he started to point out one of the restaurants that caught his eye when he announced one more stop. He almost pouted, but there was something in the look Eliot gave him. It had to be good whatever it was. He laced their fingers together and tried to get at least a clue or a hint about what they were about to see. Being told to keep watching out the window was not quite as satisfying as a clue would be but then he saw it and his eyes went big like a little kid at Christmas. "OH. MY. GOD!"
HE followed him out and then raced ahead of him trying to get there faster. "When did you find this??" He was positively vibrating with excitement. How had he NOT known this was here? What kind of fan was he? He walked around it to get pictures from every angle then ran up and practically climbed Eliot when he wrapped his arms around him and leaned up for another kiss. He was quite sure he might explode from pure happiness at that moment. And it was all because of the man in his arms.
"Well, you see, Fredrick is a very sophisticated crab. He has sophisticated tastes and wants his name to reflect that." It was so silly, but it made him chuckle and smile. "The kind of scandalous that could land us in jail," he said between kisses, "and no one wants that. Especially on your birthday."
Eliot laughed , practically splitting his face at Quentin's reaction to the fountain and the way he ran ahead of him taking pictures. He took a few pictures then just watched him. It made his heart bubble over with happiness and love to see Q so happy. "I found a few days after we found that site with all the monuments. I knew I had to add it as a surprise for you." He knew his super nerd would love it." He laughed when Quentin practically charged him and he found himself with his arms full of him, leaning into a deep passionate kiss. "I take it you like the fountain," he grinned. And there was still the store which he thought Quentin might lose his mind in.
Quentin could not contain his excitement even if he tried, and why would he try? This was possibly the best gift ever. He settled back on his feet properly and grinned up at the man. "You, sir, are the very best boyfriend ever to exist in the history of boyfriends." Maybe they hadn't exactly broadcast that to the world yet, but they would, probably soon he thought. He leaned up for another kiss and then tugged Eliot over toward the fountain. "Now we need a selfie with Master Yoda." He got them positioned just so then held out his phone for a proper selfie, and one with him leaned up and kissing Eliot's cheek because he had to.
After a couple more pictures of the area he stood and stared up at the fountain for a bit. "I think the only way you could possibly top this is if you got me a tour of the Millennium Falcon set or something like that." He glanced up half expectantly, then laughed. "Seriously though, El. This is just..." He stammered a bit, trying to find the words but just shook his head. "Best birthday ever!" And he knew it wasn't finished yet. There was still a late lunch/early dinner, whatever meal they were going to call it.
"You're right, I am." He grinned, fluttering his eyelashes for a moment before laughing. He walked over to the fountain for selfies practically feeling Quentin vibrate, noting how his smile never slipped. Good. He deserved such a special happy day. He chuckled and shook his head. "Sadly, I don't have those kind of connections or you'd be touring it right now."
Eliot just smiled and reached for Quentin's hand. "One more stop before we eat." He led them over to and inside the shop that was a geek nerds wet dream. "You get to pick any two things you want." He pressed a kiss to his temple. "Go on." Eliot stood back and just watched. The excitement, the way Quentin was like a kid who'd been given free reign in a toy store was so cute.
"A nerdy boy can dream." Though he did not doubt that Eliot would someday try to make that particular dream a reality for him. That was just the kind of guy he knew Eliot could be, even if the man himself didn't know it. Quentin got a confused look when he mentioned one more stop, but he followed along. HE had not been disappointed yet on this trip, and he doubted he would be.
They stepped inside the shop and he stared; open mouthed, wide eyed like a kid in the proverbial candy store. "Did you say TWO things???" He looked up, and if real life was an anime, he would have had literal heart eyes at that moment. "I love you." And with that he was off to look at every single thing in the store, making happy little nerd squees every so often when he found something particularly cool. He tried to do it as quickly as he could, but well, there was a lot of stuff and he had to make an informed decision after all. He took a picture of himself with a stuffed porg that was almost as tall as he was, and was tempted to make that one of the items but didn't for two obvious reasons: the cost, which was actually second to the sheer size of it. It would need its own room in his apartment!
Finally, after much deliberation, Quentin settled on his two items: A pullover hoodie that had the Millennium Falcon on the front of it and a messenger bag with a strap that looked like Chewie's bandolier. "These two. For sure." He set them down on the counter then walked back over to a display and bought an appropriately sized onesie for HQ with Yoda on it and he picked up an X-Wing model for Q1. "I'm gonna buy these myself though." He walked back over and smiled. "I think they'll like them."
Eliot took out his phone and filmed a little of Quentin in the store. It would be nice to look back on and remember this day. He’d post it as well. Of course he would. He was grinning when Q brought his items up to the counter. “Perfect. I think they…” His words trailed off when the other walked away and over to a display and chose two other items then brought them to the counter saying he was going to pay for them. “Yeah,” he nodded, then looked to the clerk. “I’ll take these two," he said, handing over his credit card.
“Shall we?” Eliot led the way back outside. “Is there somewhere in particular you wanted to eat?”
He was still bouncing on his toes a bit while he waited for his turn to buy his gifts. He didn't think it would be fair to ask Eliot to buy a gift for someone else, so he'd done it himself. He thought the kit might be a nice gesture to Q1. He was still not what their relationship exactly was, but he knew that they had to move toward friendship, or as close to it as they could get if that proved to be a stretch too far. "We shall, my heart." He hooked his arm through Eliot's as they walked back out of the building and past the fountain. He couldn't resist one more look at it and then leaned up to kiss Eliot's cheek. "You really are the best boyfriend ever." Now he just had to figure out how to come close to something as special for Eliot's birthday. He still had some time to plan that though. And he had Margo around to help him with those plans.
As they walked, he thought about where he might want to eat. "Well, originally I had thought we'd eat at one of the places on the pier. So maybe we can find a seafood place somewhere between here and the apartments?" He looked up to see what the other man thought of the idea. Once they were stopped he pulled out his phone and looked up fish places. He found a couple that sounded promising and shared them with Eliot to help him decide. Yes, he knew it was his day, but he was sharing it and wanted to make sure they both enjoyed the meal as much as they had both enjoyed the day so far. Once they settled on a place he opted to open a portal to get them to it.
From the outside looking in the place seemed to be oddly slow for the time of day and he worried they might be closed but once inside it was clear that they had arrived just after the lunch rush as the staff was busy making the dining room presentable again. It was not a very long wait before they were seated. Quentin took a picture of a rare Eliot Waugh smile while they were waiting for their food. The food was amazing, and no he did not have room for dessert thank you very much. He knew he had something special waiting for him at home that had been made by Eliot's own two hands. After paying they stepped out and began to make their way home again. "We will definitely have to come here again when we can save room for dessert. That cookie thing looked amazing."
The restaurant was a little bit charming. Eliot wasn’t as hungry as he had been and ordered a smaller dish. The food had been quite good. Fresh and flavorful, but he didn’t expect any less given where they were. “I wouldn’t mind coming again. It’s nice to find some place good to eat.” He stopped as they walked and decided to simply make a portal for them back to The Station.
He pushed open the door to his apartment and went in, setting the bags with Quentin’s gifts on the table. “You can watch a movie or rest, scroll social media while I make the cake. He went to the kitchen, put on an apron then pushed his sleeves up before going to wash his hands. He set about getting everything out he would need to make the cherry chocolate lava cake Quentin had wanted. “This won’t take too long. It’s the baking part that will take the longest, but you’ll have a nice hot, fresh lava cake.”
He noticed how little Eliot ate, but decided not to mention it. The day had been good, and he did not want to do anything to change that. Once they were home again he followed up to the apartment and stepped over into the kitchen. "I can help if you want?" Not that he expected that he would be allowed to help, but at the very least he did want to watch so he sat at the table instead of in the living room so that he could be close enough to watch without interrupting the master baker at work.
Quentin pulled out his phone and snuck a couple more pictures of Eliot for his personal collection, never to be shared with anyone. He took a minute to scroll through his social media and posted up some pictures from the day that he thought were worth sharing with everyone then set his phone down and propped his chin on his hand and just enjoyed the view.
“Absolutely not. It’s your birthday. You just get to relax and enjoy the day.” Eliot hummed a bit as he prepared the cake. It seemed like cake making was becoming his thing here. He missed cooking. With his job there were days he was too tired or simply not in the mood for it. Also, living alone added to that. He enjoyed cooking for others. Opening the cherries he added them, stealing one for himself. “You better make sure you see Luna or she’ll be mad,” he teased. “She must be sleeping in my room.
He finished the cake off then slid it into the oven and set the timer. He cleaned up, washed his hands again then put the apron in the laundry hamper. When he came back to the living room he was carrying Luna. “She was sleeping and let me know she wasn’t the least bit happy to be disturbed,” he grinned. “Look, Quentin is here. It’s been a while since you’ve seen him.” He handed the kitten over for the other to hold.
As soon as Eliot mentioned Luna he felt like a bad cat uncle...step-dad...whatever. "I'm a horrible person!" He didn't get the chance to go hunt her down before Eliot was bringing out a sleepy pile of fluffy kitten goodness. He walked over to meet him then took Luna and let her settle on his arm, tucked neatly against his chest with her little nose pressed against the inside of his elbow. "Looks like someone is still trying to nap." He used his other hand to smooth her hair down as he stepped over and sat on the sofa. His movements, careful though he was, disturbed the sleeping princess and she voiced her displeasure then shifted around until she was comfortable again. She gave the offending human one last look then tucked into herself again and tried to nap.
Quentin managed not to laugh at her display for fear of upsetting her enough so that she would leave. Once she was settled and purring again he looked over at Eliot with a smile. "I have missed snuggling with her like this." He looked down at her for a bit, just enjoying the sweet moment. "She is just the cutest kitten in all the land. And I think she knows it too." He turned his head toward the smell that was beginning to come from the kitchen. "It's already smelling amazing, love." He really was getting very spoiled for this birthday.
"She has a very hard life being a princess and all." Eliot chuckled. "It's not easy playing with toys, eating and napping all day. Tuckers her out everyday. And if she gets the zoomies, no is to disturb the princess for at least two hours. Never mind if she wakes me up at two in the morning," he grinned then reached out to pet her. "Such cattitude, baby girl. Be nice or Quentin won't bring you anymore toys and you'll go on Santa's naughty list." He was being silly, but loved Luna with all his heart. She was his cuddle buddy and always seemed to know when he was having a bad day or hard time and would jump up in his lap or curl up beside him.
"She's missed you too. Look at her all snuggled up. Speaking of kittens, have you heard anything more about the one you're going to adopt?" It seemed they'd been talking about it for a while. Eliot didn't know how long it would take to rehabilitate an animal that had come from a bad home. He only wanted him to have a safe, loving and happy forever home and he knew he'd have that with Quentin. "Is he doing alright? Any idea when you'll get to take him home?" He smiled. "Thank you. It does smell good."
"You have no idea how hard it is being the princess. I mean, you skipped the prince step and went straight to the top." He gave the man a wink then looked down and shook his head. "Don't listen to him, princess. I'll always bring you toys and presents. And I will put in a good word with you to Santa." As annoying as her 2am zoomies were when they were all sleeping in the same apartment, he still thought they were cute. Then again, he really did think pretty much everything Luna did was adorable.
Quentin wondered how much longer he was going to have to keep this whole charade going. He knew they were nowhere near ready to move in together. At least he didn't think Eliot was ready for that step yet. He knew they would get there, he just hoped they would get there sooner rather than later. He looked over and smiled at the question. "Well, he's still felling a little skittish about being moved into a new home. It's taking him longer than we expected to really get over his last..." He paused, searching for the right word that wouldn't give it away completely. "He's still not quite over some of the trauma he's been through." That sounded good. Didn't it? HE shifted over as carefully as he could to snuggle into Eliot's side and reached out to lace their fingers together. "But, I do visit him as often as I can and I'm pretty sure he likes the idea of a new forever home with me, it's just the actual moving that he's not quite ready for." He leaned his head against the man's shoulder and spoke softly. "Thank you for today, my love. It's been perfect so far."
Eliot laughed. "She's already spoiled." All one had to do was look around to know that. "It's clear that Q won't be the one to tell you when you've been bad and waggle a finger at you. Parents are always the bad guy," he sighed dramatically then grinned. He listened to Quentin talk about the kitten he would be adopting. It hurt his heart every time to hear about the rough life he'd had. People who hurt animals deserved to be in jail.
"Do you have a picture of him or can you get one next time you visit him?" Eliot was curious what the little guy looked like. He gave Quentin's hand a squeeze and pressed a kiss to his hair. "You're welcome. It has been a great day. I'm really glad you've enjoyed it." He was about to say more when the timer on the oven went off. "The cake is done, time to eat." He stood and went to the kitchen where he took the cake out. "Perfect," he smiled. He quickly took down some plates, forks and knife then put them on the dining room table. Next, he took the cake and settled it in the center. "Do you want the honor of cutting the cake?" He asked Quentin.
Quentin had no problem being the cool uncle who let Luna get away with anything all because she was too cute for words. "Just so you know, this will be the precedent if we ever have kids of our own. I'm gonna be the calm cool one, you're gonna be the mean one." Yes, he did just casually drop the idea of them having kids into the conversation. He hadn't meant to really, it just came out. As soon as the words were out of his mouth he did have a moment of panic but he pushed it all down. There was no need to panic over it. They weren't at that place yet, but he knew they wanted to get there eventually.
Every time they talked about the kitten Quentin wanted to tell Eliot what he meant, but he wasn't sure how the man would take it. Should he just tell him? Especially now that he's asking for pictures of the kitten. While he was debating if he should confess the whole kitten thing, he was saved by the proverbial bell. He squeezed Eliot's hand before letting go and shifting to let the man up. Luna on the other hand was not pleased with the new sounds and she gave a little mew of protest before hopping off his arm and moving over to her other favourite spot on the couch. "Well fine then. I didn't want Luna fur on my cake anyway." Which was objectively true, but he would have gladly dealt with it if she didn't want to move from her spot on him.
"Is there gonna be a candle and wishes?" He laughed and walked over to wash his hands before he moved up behind Eliot and wrapped his arms around him. Quentin kissed his shoulder then shifted around to stand beside him with one arm still looped around his waist. "It looks almost too good to cut into. And it smells like it's going to taste amazing." But only almost, so he moved away to grab his phone and then took a picture of the cake. He set his phone down and admired the cake for another few moments. "OK, where's the knife?" He took it and cut into the cake then laughed like a kid when the liquid center oozed out. "I Love it!"
"The mean one?" Eliot arched a brow. "Oh, I see how it is." He put his nose in the air as if offended then grinned. He hadn't given much thought to children in this new place, but who knew what the future held.
"There's always wishes on your birthday, but no candles because the cake is too hot." He leaned against Quentin momentarily when he wrapped his arms around him, sighing quietly. "Cakes are made to be eaten, even the pretty ones." He almost made a sexual comment, but held back. He handed the knife to Quentin and watched as he cut into the cake. It turned out just as it should. "Perfect, all the lava oozy goodness is there. "Before you cut pieces for us I have another gift for you." It was the one he'd been most looking forward to giving the man. "I'll be right back."
He went into his room and took a pretty wrapped box with a big blue bow on it out and went back to the living room. Inside the box were first editions of The Fillory books. He knew how much it had meant to Quentin to give HQ his first edition for her first birthday, but he also knew how important the books were to him. Thus he'd sought out Crowley to see if he could get them and he had. No strings attached. For now anyway. "Happy Birthday, Beautiful. This is a very special gift."
He noted that Eliot didn't react badly to the idea of future children and called that a good sign. This birthday was getting better and better. Quentin waited for the innuendo that was sure to come after talk of eating pretty ones, and was honestly disappointed when it didn't happen. But the night wasn't over yet, he'd get there. He stopped the knife above the oozey cake and looked up to watch Eliot disappear into his bedroom. "MORE presents?" He really was getting spoiled, and he was loving every second of it.
While Eliot was gone, Quentin took the opportunity to sneak a fingerful of the oozy bit of the cake and was in the process of sucking it off his finger when Eliot walked back into the room. He grinned around his finger then released it and gave him a sheepish smile. "I got impatient." After making sure his finger was properly clean he reached for the present and carefully unwrapped it. Yes carefully, it was wrapped so prettily he couldn't just rip into it. Once he got the wrapping off he opened the box and looked inside. He blinked and stared at its contents. "You..." He looked up, completely dumbfounded then looked back into the box and carefully, almost reverently, pulled the first book out then examined it. "How?" He opened it and brought it up to his nose to see if it had new or old book smell, then repeated the process with each book before replacing them all into the box for safe keeping.
Quentin put the box to the side then looked up at Eliot in complete awe of the man. "HOW did you find these? They don't even exist here?" He had no idea what else to say. Thank you was obvious, but felt completely inadequate for how he felt at that moment. “You…you…” HE just stared. He couldn’t even find the words.
"Uh huh. I'm not the only impatient one," he grinned. Eliot couldn't wait to see Quentin's reaction to the books and eagerly waited, watching the astonishment that came over his face when he saw them. His smile was wide as he watched him smell books. "They're first editions." That's what he'd wanted for Q and he didn't know how, but Crowley had come through.
"No, they don't exist here, but they do exist back home. A friend helped get them." That's all he would say for now. He wanted Quentin to have that piece of home, his childhood, his life even if his views on things had changed somewhat after going to the actual Fillory. The books were still a part of him and always would be. "I'm just happy that you're happy. You have them forever now." Or at least as long as he was here.
Quentin wondered what kind of friend could find something in an entirely different universe, then again he knew someone who could do that so it wasn’t completely beyond the realm of possiblities. That still left the question of who could do that and what else could that person get for people? But he was far to focused on what was right in front of him to really care to ask about that. It didn’t matter just then. He was just smiling so hard he was sure his face might split in two. “I Love them!” He looked at the box of books one more time then stood up and launched himself at Eliot. He wrapped himself around the man and kissed him like his life depended on it, and for all he knew it just might.
Eliot was once more pulled into a deep kiss with Quentin wrapped around him like a second layer of skin. He slid his fingers into the other's hair, tangling in the soft locks. He pulled away to take in a few gulps of air before claiming his lips again. He moaned in the clash of lips and tongue not meaning to have taken things so steamy, but he wasn't complaining. Quentin's kisses were addicting and hot like the man himself.
“Mmm, happy birthday, beautiful,” he murmured, leaning his head against the others.