WHO: Felipe & Aslan WHEN: Felipe's Birthday WHERE: The Park SUMMARY: Aslan was just doing a romantic gesture when he realized...it was actually Felipe's birthday. Smol panic follows. CW: Grindr alerts.
[1] Are you free today? [2] I have time between classes. [3] So I am having lunch in the park. [4] Will you join me?
[1] I donât work today. [2] So I guess Iâm free. [3] Sure. Iâll be there.
Aslan sat on a bright pink sheet. It was a shade of pink that would be hard to miss, and he wasnât sure where it had come from, but since it was at the back of the linens, he thought no one would mind if it picked up a few grass stains. So it now lay spread out across the lawn, a flamingo spectacle, looking cheerful and out of place against the green. Atop it, he had arranged something like a picnic basket: heâd found a basket, at least, and it had napkins, plates, and drinks in it. But it wasnât really a picnic exactly, because the centerpiece to this gathering was an untouched box of pizza, smelling deliciously like fresh dough and grease as he waited to see if Felipe would join him.
Someone was playing folk music nearby, and that folk music was clashing with the folk music playing from a food truck down by the street. Aslan was trying to decide if that made things more energetic feeling, or if it was just noisy when he spied who he thought might be Felipe and lifted a hand, quietly, in greeting.
Felipe wondered who told Aslan. Was it Luisa? He never told anyone about his birthday because he didnât like celebrating it, partially because he didnât want to be reminded that he was growing older, but also because he could never afford to celebrate it in any way. There were multiple reasons why, and yet⊠Aslan knew. He also planned something for him, and while that annoyed him, Felipeâs lips kept curling into a smile, and that, too, annoyed him.
Once the bus stopped by the park, he got out and checked his phone, but no one else had texted him, sticking it back in his jeans pocket. Felipeâs pace was brisk because he didnât know where Aslan was butâthen he saw the garish pink blanket and his hand, so there was no doubt about it. He let out a soft sigh of resignation before heading over to the other man.
âHey,â he didnât wave to avoid looking too enthusiastic, taking a seat on the blanket before smoothing out a hand over his button-up shirt. It was one of his nicest. âI shouldâve brought your shirt, but I just remembered about itâŠâ His nose twitched at the tasty scene of grease, spotting the box. âPizza?â
Felipe looked dressed up, and Aslan wondered if he should also have dressed up more. Heâd tried to look casual, though most of his casual shirts still featured buttons. This one was a little less festive than the one heâd loaned Felipe (speaking of which, he waved away the remark because it had brought him a curious thrill and no lack of amusement to imagine Felipe wearing an overly large shirtâhis large shirtâŠand while he knew that was unlikely to have just been happening since last they met, he still liked entertaining the idea), but heâd unbuttoned it a bit to make it seem more fashionable.
âYou look nice,â he said, smiling in his dopey way as Felipe took a seat on the blanket. âI hope you werenât busy with anything important. I know this is a little impromptu.â He tended to be impromptu because, well, Aslan just sort of did things as he thought of them, and since most of the time, everything that needed doing got doneâŠplanning ahead seemed like so much overkill.
âI know,â Felipe replied, trying to ignore how much he liked having Aslanâs approval, ignoring the little smile spreading across his lips despite his best efforts. âAnyway, donât worry. I didnât have any special plans for today.â He noticed Aslan undoing a few buttons of his shirt, so he followed suit.
âI wasnât sure what other food you liked, and I wanted to surprise you,â Aslan admitted. Bringing the kind of food someone liked was supposed to be a good romantic gesture, or at least Eli had indicated as much. âChicken and vegetables, right?â
Felipe couldnât hide his shock. âYou remembered?â Coming from Aslan, that had to be very meaningful, right? He was so forgetful and clumsy⊠âThank you,â he said, offering a genuine if shy smile as he looked over at Aslan for a long moment before going for it and kissing his cheek. âYou didnât have to.â
Aslan grinned, ducking his head. He wasnât sure why it had stuck with him. Just that the order had seemed so healthy. He usually just ate what he liked without thinking a lot about health, so chicken and vegetables were not a topping he would have asked on his own. It had stuck out to him, and then by the end of the night, heâd thought it was something worth remembering for later. Just a small detail, maybe, but something that he knew about Pipe, and since he didnât know very much yetâŠit was easier to be a little miserly with what he had learned. But he was proud of himself because he had remembered the order. Heâd been smart enough to write it down on a notepad when he got home even. And he was happy because Pipe had noticed. For a moment, he sat, basking in that sense of satisfaction, and thenâ
Then Pipe kissed his cheek, and his eyes widened. From his beard, a wave of pink washed up his face to his hairline, and he glanced at Pipe from the corner of his eye before looking forward again and then glanced once more, the pink turning into a deeper shade of red.
âUmâŠIâŠI wantedâŠâ he mumbled. âJust wanted toâŠâ
âSorry, was that too much? I just wanted to do more than say thank you.â Felipe thought Aslan looked adorable, which made him want to tease and kiss him more. However, he promised to be mindful of his boundaries and personal space, and birthday or not, he needed to be more careful about it. He offered an apologetic smile before reaching for the closed box.
âWe should probably hit it while itâs hot,â he said, taking a slice between his fingers and parting his lips to take a big bite.
Aslanâs eyes were still saucers, and he couldnât quite meet Felipeâs gaze, but he felt surprisingly happy. He wasnât sure how to express that in a way that didnât require tripping over his own words, or just saying it like a little kid, so he shook his head ânoâ and smiled a little. He looked up as Felipe took a piece of pizza from the box and then remembered heâd also brought other things, like napkins and drinks, hurriedly taking those out of the basket and opening both cans of soda. His memory had a gap there. He thought that theyâd drunk sodas, but he couldnât recall the type at all, so heâd just picked up a couple of Cokes, thinking that was the most standard option⊠Canât go wrong with the classicâŠright?
He nestled one between his legs and put the other near Pipe, making sure it wouldnât tip over, and earning a nod of thanks from Felipe. He craned his head back for a moment, before taking a slice of his own. In the past, sometimes, girlfriends had asked to cook for him, but usually it had felt very stressful. Like a birthday party or something, where he had to seem a certain level of enthusiasm, or someoneâs feelings would be hurt. This, though, felt very relaxed comparatively. He might have been reading it wrong, and maybe Pipe did feel like he had to act happyâbut Pipe wasnât really the kind of person who would play pretend like that if he didnât want to do something. At least, Aslan thought he was more likely to just say, âIâll sit with you, but Iâm not hungry,â than force himself.
âIâm surprised you arenât working today,â he said after a moment, thinking he should make conversation. The chicken and vegetables were pretty good, though he thought he would like sausage more. Still, it was kind of a lighter flavor of pizza. Good for lunch. He thought maybe heâd try it again some time. âItâs somehow a relief to know even you take time off now and then.â
âLuisa always makes me take today off,â Felipe confessed before biting into the chewy yet crispy edges of the pizza. He was seemingly delighted and at ease, reaching for a napkin to clean up his hand a little. âShe wonât be home for a bit, so I rested a bit more and cleaned up the house.â He opened his can with a satisfying sound, but he had worked as a bartender, so he knew how to avoid making a mess with tricky cans.
âBut I had no plans otherwise, so Iâm glad you called.â He took a sip of his drink. âMaybe you can stop by my house laterâIf you have time and want to, but I guess itâs in Taboga, so maybe not.â Felipe softly groaned, annoyed with how flustered he was getting over something so stupid. âForget about it.â
For half a second, Aslanâs brow creased. Luisa always made him take the day offâŠ? Did Felipe meanâŠthat he didnât normally take a day off each week? Not even one? Or was today an important day somehow? For a moment, he was afraid that maybe it was some kind of unpleasant anniversary, like something to do with his parents, but Felipe looked very relaxed, so he immediately scrapped that idea. Maybe he did mean that she had to make him take one day off every week.
Or maybe it was Luisaâs birthday? If she was out if it was a special day, and Felipe had dressed up nice and cleaned the house. He was a very considerate older brother.
He looked up from his pizza, chewing quietly, as Felipe wrestled with asking him over. Was it really okay if he crashed Luisaâs party? He did want to meet her. But maybe it would be weird to meet her for the first time at her birthday party. He decided it would be better to ask, because he wasnât against it, butâŠhe didnât want to make a nuisance of himself. It would require some careful reading to establish whether Felipe was just being friendly or not, but he thought, since heâd been dreaming a lot of Aditi lately, that maybe he would be able to pick up the signs.
âWould that really be okay?â he asked, swallowing. âI donât want to impose or anything.â
âSure, itâs just our neighbor, Luisa, and me, more or less?â Felipe shrugged his shoulders, reaching out for a second slice. âThereâs more than enough cake for all of us,â he figured he might as well mention it because Aslan knew already. He bit into the slice, chewing happily.
He had been pretty hungry before thisâŠ
A birthday, then. Was it Luisaâs or Felipeâs? It might make more sense if it was Luisa. She was out now, probably with her friendsâfor a bigger celebration. Then sheâd come home for the smaller family gathering. But he wondered even more if it was okay for him to crash the party, if it was going to be that small and intimate. He scratched his beard and thought, finishing his slice and taking a drink of his soda.
âIâŠdonât have a present to bring, though,â he said after a moment, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. âShowing up empty-handedâŠâ
Felipe blinked a few times, swallowing before speaking. âYou donât need to bring anything else. Unless you wanted to bring drinks or food?â It was a teasing joke. This picnic was more than enough, but he had said that already, and there was no need to repeat that.
âYou can come if you want to. Thatâs it. Stop complicating it!â He frowned, shooting a glare at Aslan as he finished his second portion.
âOkay. Iâll come then. Maybe we can stop by the market, though. I will buy more sodas or something.â He thought probably Felipe was either joking, or brushing it off, but still Aslan didnât want to show up without anything to offer. It just felt rude. âWhy do you think I wouldâŠâ He paused, thinking about how to better phrase it. âThat I wouldnât want to go to Taboga Town? I would rather go there than to walk around Downtown.â Even though Mar Luna was covered in greenery, Aslan still always got a feeling about the Downtown areaâlike it was too glitzy or clean. Fake somehow. Even the beautiful trees and the green buildings just felt⊠He shook his head and shrugged.
âI bet you think I live in one of those highrises, donât you?â he teased, which was dangerous with Felipe, but he thought maybe they were getting along well enough lately that he could be more humorous.
âLook, I know your brother worked hard, but you still look like a yeyesito.â Felipe bristled up, but only slightly, finishing his can of soda as he narrowed his eyes at Aslan. âBesides, you have this princely air around you despite,â he gestured vaguely over Aslan, âeverything else.â
He clicked his tongue. âAnyway, just get to the other island, and Iâll go pick you up, since I doubt you can or want to spend the entire day with me.â
Aslan considered the compliment, wondering if it was really true. It was certainly a new thingâŠif it was true. He scratched his cheek again. âI thinkâŠthatâs just Aditi,â he muttered. âBut thanks. Iâve never been called princely before. Dense. Lazy. DetachedâŠâ But never anything like royal. He chuckled to himself and began to eat more pizza. âIâd say you have more of aâŠum, gravitas than I do. You always seem likeâŠsomeone who conquers a room just by walking inside it.â He took a bite, enjoying the earthy zing of a pepper, though it made his eyes water a little.
âExcuse me?â Felipe squinted in confusion, but then he pressed his lips into a thin line. âHonestly, youâre tall, handsome, have great hairâyou just donât use any of that, but the whole sleepy look is cute, too.â He put the can down now that it was empty. âThanks for the compliments, but I think Iâm a pretty average guy?â
âI would say I could skip class, butâŠveterinary school is hard.â And his brother worked too hard for him to fail in his classes. âBut I will come over later, after that.â Heâd be sure to bring something nice, maybe besides drinks. He couldnât think of what, since he hadnât been to a teenage girlâs birthday party since he was a teenager, and the memory of it was very vague now, even though he was only in his early 20s.
Maybe just flowers would do. Who could really say no to flowers? Even Aslan liked getting plants as gifts, even thoughâunless they were already cut and doomedâonce they entered his possession, they would surely perish not long afterâŠ
Felipe nodded in agreement and understanding. âJust let me know, and Iâll walk you through town,â
âSomeone I know told me pizza would be goodâŠas a gesture. Well, he said I should cook, but I donât know how to cook, so pizza is a much better option. Plus, maybe it is intense to be around all my brothers at once. For some reason, people seem to get nervous when weâre all together, even though we mostly mind our own business.â
âIâm picky about home cooked food, so donât worryâjust thinking about me, uh, it means something.â His voice grew quiet at his confession, feeling flustered. âAnyway, uh⊠are all your brothersâŠâ He frowned. âTall,â he decided that handsome was too much.
âSome are even taller than I am,â Aslan replied, chuckling while Felipe stared in horror. âI have overheard people say that my oldest brother reminds them of a wolfâŠthough I am not sure if they are complimenting him or being disparaging. Wolves are very good animals. Their packs are really just family systems. There arenât even âalphaâ wolves in the wild. Thatâs only something they do in captivity, with wolves they arenât familiar with. In a real familyâŠâ He stopped. Cheese was dripping from his slice, and he thought he should probably stop talking about wolves and instead make sure that cheese didnât end up in his lap. He nibbled it, until it was no longer a danger, looking at Felipe out of the corner of his eyes.
After a moment, he swallowed and lightly cleared his throat. âI think itâs probably a compliment, if they mean he really is like an actual wolf.â
âThanks for the, uh, wolf trivia,â Felipe said, making a face as he thought about alpha wolves and things he shouldnât have read on the internet years before. âBut do you mean heâs the scaâsuper tall doctor at UML? Iâve heard of him,â he said, keeping what he heard about him to himself as well as his thoughts. Those eyes, thoughâŠ
âAnyway, yeah, probably.â He offered a smile as he held out a napkin to Aslan.
Aslan gratefully accepted the napkin, dabbing to make sure everything was right. He nodded, glancing away for a second as several dogs passed by, but only for a secondâand then his attention was back on Felipe again. âThatâs him. He teaches a lot of the medical classes, and he is the tallest of all⊠Unless Selim outgrows him. He might.â Selim was just a kid, and he was already pretty tall. He might beat 6â5.â âItâs too bad they donât want to be basketball players.â
âBig shame, but, uh, I hope Selim isnât much taller than your older brother, at least.â Otherwise people might see him from one end of the island to the other. Either way, he was glad not to take classes with the hot hardass, partially because itâd be weird to talk to Aslan now if he lusted too much after his brother-dad.
Hasan was probably pretty well-known, not just around UML, but around IZML. He was a pretty stand-out figure in a crowd, and he was very young to be such an expert. He hoped that people were saying only good things about his brother.
âHeâs the one I was talking about that night. The one who took care of all of us. He keeps a lot of things in his head, but I thinkâŠhe had to. If he turned to us with his worries when we were younger, we wouldnât have known what to do. We probably would have panicked and just ended up in his way.â He paused for a beat before adding, âSelim is a lot like him.â
âI see⊠so I reminded you of him because of Luisa.â Felipe did feel a bit of kinship and admiration for that man now. âAnd I assume he was a big influence to who you are now, too.â He nodded his head. âI hope Luisa will feel the same way as you do some day.â
âIâm sure she already does, thoughâŠteenagers.â He chuckled, as though he could really remember being 13 or 14 that well now. Maybe it had been easier this time last year, before he was also remembering Aditiâs 20-something years, too. Now, though, it felt like at least a lifetime ago. For a moment, that made him a little sad. He probably would never be able to talk to Felipe about that part of his world. He wasnât entirely sure if they were in danger right now or not, but if they were, there was Luisa to consider. He didnât want to draw Felipe into anything that might leave her without her brother. So he would just have to be careful to keep Felipe out of that nonsenseâŠ
âI donât think I was much of a handful. I never really bothered doing homework, but besides that, I basically did what I was told.â He shrugged. âMy other younger brother, though, can be very rebellious when the mood hits him. I thinkâŠbeing a younger middle brother is probably different from being a middle middle brother. I only have two older brothers ahead of me.â
âAnd Selim whoâs comparatively a babyâŠâ Felipe nodded his head. It made sense why Hakan felt and acted the way he did, all things considered, even if it sucked for Hasan. âYou do look like someone who skips his homework,â he said, leaning back until heâs stretched out in the pink sheet, staring at the sky. âIt must be so nice to have that many siblings.â
Aslan couldnât disagree with that, though he thought it would have been nice to have at least one sister to balanceâŠsomething out. He wasnât sure what. Maybe it just would have been hard on a sister, dealing with four brothers who werenât really rowdy, but who were still stubborn in their individual ways.
âI really hate homework,â he admitted. âThough I understand its purpose, doing it never engages me, and Iâm not sure it really helps when it comes time for exams.â He finished the remainder of his crust and wiped his fingers with his napkin before reaching for his soda. It was probably good they werenât going straight over to Felipeâs after. He wanted to make sure to brush his teeth first. After all, he wasnât sure when, well, it might be a good moment to follow up on their discussion⊠Now, after all, could be a good time. But it seemed maybe too obvious? Like Felipe would expect it, and that didnât seem very fun or memorable. He would have to do something more clever than that to impress Pipe.
âYou seem like someone who probably does other peopleâs homework for them,â Aslan replied, his mouth crooking just a little. âLike maybe youâd find it fun even.â
âS-Shut up,â Felipe protested with a groan and a scowl because Aslan was absolutely right, and he hated being read so easily. âThereâs nothing wrong with enjoying learning on your own and with a deadline. It teaches you character.â He crossed his legs, forming a 4 with them.
âI probably shouldnât take much more of your time. Iâm sure you have more spotted animals to look at.â
Aslan tilted his head, wondering at the remark. Felipe had been saying things like that before, too, and he thought that probably Felipe didnât actually want him to run off just yet. It was maybe some kind of strange defense mechanism. Words as a carapace to keep him from being too visible, too vulnerable, before someone that he actually might want to spend more time with⊠He was such a curious guy, Felipe. He really was like a cat, and like he had before, Aslan kind of wanted to tousle his hair. He didnât. Instead he just shrugged.
âWe can hang out a little longer if you want. I have class in thirty minutes.â But heâŠoften walked in the door late, and this professor, at least, wasnât quite as persnickety about it as some of his previous professors, earlier in his veterinarian schooling, had been. âI want to bring a flower. What kind would be good?â
âI donât mind, I mean, of youâre sure you can afford it.â Felipe didnât want Aslan to feel obliged, nor did he want him to be late for his sake, if for some reason he enjoyed spending that much time with him. Not that he thought he was bad company, but surely Aslan had other (maybe better) things to do.
â...Flower?â He repeated uselessly, heat creeping up his cheeks. âW-why would youââ Groaning, Felipe rubbed his face a few times. âUh, I⊠like camellias, but youâre really not going to bring me flowers.â A pause. âAre youâŠ?â Luisa and Martina wouldnât ever let go of that.
Aslan was not wooing him. Aslan was not wooing him.
Stop beating so fast, stupid heart.
âDonât worry. Iâm pretty tall, so I have long legs. âGets me places faster,â Aslan chuckled. Felipe wasnât really short. Just that he wasnât Ulusoy height. Aslan was âaverageâ thereâŠand Hakan was short by the family standards. But he stopped chuckling as he waited for Felipe to tell him what kind of flowers he should bring for the birthday party.
He blinked. And then he blinked again. He was used to stumbling over social situations. Usually, he stumbled right into awkward moments, but for once, it seemed like his stumbling had instead averted a complete disaster of awkwardness. Youâre really not going to bring me flowers. Me. Not Luisa. Thatâs whose birthday it was. And then he felt suddenly very worried. It wasnât very apparent, because he was who he was. But his palms suddenly felt kind of cold and clammy as he realized it was Felipeâs birthday and not LuisaâsâŠand he hadnât done anything for it. Well, he was going to have to skip class, he guessed. And go hurriedly birthday shopping. It was okay. Felipe hadnât realized yet. So he could still figure something out before it was actually time for the party. For once, his bumbling had worked in his favor.
âA little while longer, but then I better go andâŠget to class, though,â he said, trying to keep his voice measured. What kind of thing would Felipe like? (He was a little surprised by the flower choice. Though he agreed with it. Or maybe Aditi did? He wasnât sure. Just that it felt like a nice choice.) But what kind of present would Felipe like, and what kind of thing were you supposed to get someone that you werenât really dating yet, but liked? He had already spent his pizza idea, and just pizza was not a great present anyway. Suddenly, the pressure was on.
âBut I guess if you donât really want flowersâŠâ he swallowed and smiled a little awkwardly. âWhat kinds of things do you like?â
Felipe wanted flowers, but like hell he was going to say that.
âYou already did all of this for me; you donât have to get me anything.â Perhaps it was shocking coming from someone who worked so hard, but the actions and not the presents won his heart with ease.
âBut since I know youâre stubborn⊠just get whatever reminds you of me, I guess.â That was too ambiguous, but it was the unadulterated truth. He pushed himself back up again to sit. âIt doesnât have to be expensive, so donât worry about that. Maybe some socks. I donât know.â
He felt guilty asking for anythingâŠ
Ah, the dread words. Whatever reminds me of you. But of course, for Aslan, things that reminded him of other people tended to be animals that he had some sentimental feeling about. Some people thought that was cute. Some girlfriends had thought, at least the first few times, that it was cute. But it seemed to be a quirk whose charm wore off quickly. He scratched his cheek and nodded. Well, he did know various things that Pipe liked, at least. Camellias, gardening, knitting, cookingâŠ
Maybe he could find some camellia seeds and a pretty pot? That would probably be even nicer than cut flowers for a gardener. He hoped his phone had enough battery to open the map app. He was going to need a gardening store⊠But that was a good start.
At least it wasnât a cat accessory, which then heâd have to explain that Felipe reminded him of an agitated cat, andâŠwell. He might not take that very well.
âI think youâre supposed to be dating at least before you buy boring things like socks,â he said. âEven I know that.â He laughed a little and sipped his soda. âThough socks are never a bad gift. Very practical.â He finished the bottle and put it into a plastic bag that heâd brought for garbage.
âWhat are you going to do after this? Are you meeting any friends today before the party, besides me?â
âWell, weâre not dating, so,â Felipe didnât finish his sentence, shrugging his shoulders, instead. He helped to put away the trash before turning to look at Aslan properly. âI do like practical gifts, anyway.â
As if to answer his question, his phone began to make noises of messages from different apps, and a very particular one.
âUh, no plans. My friends are working today, so we might do something the next weekend. I might⊠stop by a friend with benefits. Maybe.â He blurted that out when he knew he should keep it to himself.
They werenât dating. Aslan still wasnât sure if that was his goal or not yet. So it was better to keep that in mind. Still, the reminder had a biting edge to it, and he felt a little raw at the remarkâthough he met Felipeâs gaze placidly. Just in time for his phone to go off and for him to start talking about friends with benefits. That too ruffled him, butâŠto the earlier point, it wasnât like he had any say about that, and it would be sad to think that Pipe was just going to spend most of the day alone, doing things like cleaning for his own private party, so probably better to spend it with a friend. With benefits. He shook his head, trying to dispel that clinging touch of jealousy.
âThat sounds good,â he replied, his tone even, his expression vague. He blinked when he said it, and a moment later, scratched his cheek once more. âIs thatâŠwhoâs texting you?â
âPossibly. I donât knowâ or care, Iâm spending time with you.â Okay, Felipe, that was corny as hell. He made a face and looked away, rubbing his cheek. âHonestly, I might just ditch them.â If he could have whatever he wanted, heâd be having sex with Aslan and not one of his friends, anyway.
âI think Iâll take a nap and make some prep work for the dinner.â
âYouâre cooking your own birthday dinner?â Aslan asked in surprise, and Felipe simply nodded. âI guess you did say cooking was one of your hobbiesâŠâ But still, it seemed like on his one day offâhis birthdayâFelipe should relax a little. He couldnât really offer to help out himself. For one thing, that was kind of a leap in their dynamic; for another, he really didnât know how to cook, as heâd told Eli. He did help, sometimes, with things like putting rice in the cooker, or really simple tasks, but he had never really been in charge of a meal, becauseâlike with gardeningâhis attention span also did not lend itself much to watching things on a hot stove.
âYou shouldâŠrelax more. MaybeâŠâ But he didnât want to say that Felipe should hang out with this other âfriend,â and he wasnât the kind of person who would be that magnanimous, so he just let the words drop away and looked down. âI guess if you like cooking, though, you should do things that you enjoy on your birthday.â
âI think youâre right. Iâll take a cat nap,â Felipe said with a straight face, staring at Aslan for a moment too long just to read him. âAnyway, uh, any allergies I should be mindful about? Or anything you hate.â Maybe he was now setting himself to try to impress the other man, and maybe that was a bad idea, but that was who he was.
It was just food, anyway. It didnât mean he liked Aslan or anything. It was just about doing an impressive job.
âNo allergies. I can basically eat anything. I mean, I donât eat anything, but Iâm not allergic. To anything. As far as I know.â Aslan snorted. âHopefully we won't find out today if I am.â He moved to clean up the rest of their mess. âI might not have the strongest sense of taste, though, so I might not be qualified to say what really is good or bad. Just keep that in mind?â
Because probably Felipe was a good cook. Probably he worked really hard at being good at it. Just looking at him, the energy he normally gave off (and Aslan was an energies person; he knew that was not so scientific, but even before the Elysium stuff, heâd felt that people had auras)...leaned into that world of perfectionism that Aslan did not adhere to himself. He only knew of it from afar.
So probably Felipe was a really good cook. He would keep that in mind, even if he probably wouldnât really know the differenceâŠ
âI should be freeâŠin just a couple of hours.â Was that really enough time to find a good present? He recalculated. âMaybe three. Iâll text you then?â
Felipe narrowed his eyes. âYou better learn to give real food critique or Iâll never forgive you.â Was he serious or joking? It was a mystery, but he continued to stare at Aslan through narrowed eyes. âAlso dying to my food is not allowed.â Aslan huffed softly, smiling to himself at the posturing. Felipe was cute when he got all sparky. Definitely very cuteâŠ
With a soft sigh, he helped Aslan with the last bits of cleaning they had to do.
âYou can text me whenever you want,â he replied all too quickly, his cheeks taking a red tinge as he shook his head. âI mean, Iâm free today, not that I want you to text me all the time or anything like that!â
âThatâs probably good. Iâm not veryâŠwell, you probably already noticed.â He barely managed to keep his phone battery alive. Often failed to do that. So keeping up with texts wasnât really a strong point for Aslan. âBut maybe I would pay more attention if it was you,â he added, rather matter-of-factly.
The off-handed comment made Felipe visibly flustered, so he looked away, fiddling with his watch.
âIs there someone you do want to text you all the time?â Aslan asked, thinking probably that was something he should have asked well before now.
Felipe groaned, looking at Aslan from the corner of his eye, but looking completely away if their eyes met. âItâs none of your business. Anyway, you should probably head for your class or you might be late.â
Knowing that he was probably going to end up getting distractedâŠand lose time, even though he no longer had any intention of going to class anymore, Aslan nodded. He would need time not just to get a present, but to wrap it, or find a crafty-er brother to wrap it, so it looked decent.
âIâll text you when I get out,â he said, pulling out his phone. He didnât pull up his maps just yet. He didnât want Felipe to realize his plan. Instead, he tucked the sheet into the basket and clutched them under one arm. He hadnât gotten an answer to his question, which made him a little nervousâlike maybe he was, if slowly, giving this a chanceâŠbut with the worst possible timing. Maybe, after all, Felipe was able to be so casual about things because his heart was elsewhere. He wasnât sure he had a great chance at rerouting its attention, but then again, he didnât know that either of them were very interested in a relationship right now either.
There was no real reason to get hung up about worrying about the future. Better to just focus on the now. And for now, he did want to get a good present, not just to impress Felipe, but becauseâŠhe deserved thoughtfulness. He was too nice of a guy (even with his teeth bared) to be spending the day mostly alone.
âSee you tonight.â
Felipe, once again, closed the distance to kiss Aslan on his cheek, cupping the other side of his face briefly before pulling back. âTake care, okay?â He took a few steps back, waving his hand a few times before skipping back. He didnât want to show Aslan how much he liked him, and yet here he was acting like a teen with a crush.
âI hope you like Tres Leches.â And then, he turned around, forcing himself to walk to the bus stop without looking back.
Aslan watched as Felipe walked towards the bus. In part because he wanted to make sure that he wasnât caught looking up gardening store directions, but also because he had noticed that Felipe had a way of always looking forward when he was walking. He never even glanced over his shoulder at Aslan (though he waved anyway). It was, he thought, somehowâŠvery cool. Like he justâŠdidnât need to look back, didnât need to question himself⊠It reminded him of someone. He tried to think of who, but he couldnât quite put a finger on the feeling to apply it to a face. After a moment, waving one last time, he pulled up the map and started looking for gardening shops.