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I don’t think Sean even wants to go to the whole thing lol
Thomas: OK, I’ll see you guys at the restaurant afterwards then. If you finish early let me know.
“Hm,” he murmured, his frown deepening. He thought there was something off about Danny’s responses, but it wasn’t his place to point it out. Thomas knew Danny better than Seong did. It wasn’t his place to comment on things that didn’t involve him. “Alright, so same time that day then?”
“Yes,” Thomas agreed, nodding. “Just might have to cut it shorter, if that’s okay?”
No, a jealous possessive monster growled, clawing to escape him; to tell Thomas that these meetings were Seong’s time with him because it was the only way he could have Thomas to himself; the only way he could be close enough to feel his warmth, to watch his smile, to see the light in his eyes continue to grow brighter and brighter. Danny got Thomas every day; this was Seong’s time! Instead, he smiled. “Of course it is.”
Cafe and Signings
The monster needn’t have worried about Thomas cutting their afternoon short. The third Wednesday came without a hitch and they decided at the last minute to meet at a nearby cafe instead of the library.
Seong had joined the line of people when a familiar red jacket caught his attention.
“Songbird,” Ray called out, crossing the cafe and kissing Seong’s cheek.
“Ray-Ray,” Seong said, glancing past the other man to the bigger one in a tie-dye crop top sweater strolling behind him. He hadn’t realized just how powerful Nate appeared in person, even with his bleach blond hair colored in splotches to match his sweater. He wasn’t any bigger than Brutus, but there was something behind those dark eyes, something dangerous. “What are you doing on this side of town?”
“Could ask you the same question,” Ray smirked. “A little outside of your… neighborhood, isn’t it?”
Seong gave Ray a sour look, glancing nervously towards the door. “I’m meeting someone.”
“Oh, got a date,” Ray said, his smile widening. “That’s great!”
“Wh- NO, no, no,” Seong said quickly, his face heating up. “Not a date!” He sighed when Ray and Nate exchanged an amused smirk, neither of them believing it for a moment. “I’m meeting the kid. From the first night we met?”
“Is that so,” Ray asked mildly. “And it’s not a date?”
“Not a date,” Seong repeated firmly. “I just meet up with him twice a month to help him with learning programming. He’s dating another boy from his high school any— what?”
Ray was giving him the same smirk that he had seen from Bat so many times. “You don’t like the boyfriend?”
“I like his boyfriend,” he protested. “I mean, I’ve never actually spoken to him but they’re the same age, he’s an athlete, seems pretty smart though he can be an airhead, spends all of his free time with Thomas— and now you are both laughing.” He folded his arms to grimace at the men hiding smiles behind their hands.
“Sorry, Songbird.” Ray did not look sorry at all. “But it’s just- well- How to put it?”
“Sounds like you’d rather be the boyfriend instead,” Nate interjected bluntly, something that made him respected amongst his underground clients.
“They are high school students,” Seong said, forcing himself to make every syllable drip in the disgust like he should when talking about this sort of thing.
“But they are eighteen,” Ray pointed out, “and graduation is right around the corner.”
“Look, no one is saying that you should try to date… Thomas, right?” Nate said, continuing without waiting. “You’d be an asshole for trying with him having a boyfriend right now. We’re just pointing out that you are lying if you claim you wouldn’t want to be the boyfriend instead. You aren’t that much older and from what Ray has told me not all that much more experienced in actual dating.”
Seong glared at Ray who didn’t seem all that abashed for sharing details of Seong’s life with his friend. “Fine, let’s say that’s true.” He looked back at Nate. “What can I do about it?”
“Not a damn thing more than you are doing right now,” Nate said, shrugging. “Look,” he continued when Seong pursed his lips, “usually I’m all for having the hard conversations and getting everything out in the open, but with you? You’ll gain nothing. Right now the two of you have a friendship going. You are in his life. You seem pretty content with it overall, otherwise you would have snapped long ago. So long as you can keep this friendship or mentorship separate from your desire to date him, there’s not a problem. He’s going to be starting college soon anyway and if Mr. Athlete isn’t going to the same school as him then it’s likely they aren’t going to make it through that first year.”
“You don’t know anything about college love lives,” Ray snorted.
“There’s bound to be some grains of truth in all of those rom-coms we watch,” Nate said, waving a hand at Ray. “Point is, Songbird,” he continued, “if all you want from him right now is to be in his life, then be content with what bit of his life he can offer. If you get to the point where you can’t act like a decent person around him then it’s time to consider having the conversation. But if you start acting like a dick, cut yourself out because he doesn’t deserve that.”
“I see your point,” Seong said, feeling lighter than he had before. There was something reassuring about hearing someone who had no connection to Seong or Thomas echo what he had been telling himself.
“Now that that is cleared up.” Ray tilted his head at Seong. “Can I ask why you got nervous when you saw me? Usually, people only get squirrely when they aren’t ready to tell a partner they’ve had… fun times with me.”
Seong hesitated for a moment. “I haven’t spoken to him about what all happened at the club that night,” he explained. “I got his story but… I didn’t tell him what all happened after his memory blacked out. As far as I know he doesn’t remember the bathroom at all since he didn’t remember me but-”
