We might just miss each other

[Greggory Lennox]

See? He knew that his no would be misconstrued. That was the trouble with not being chatty and generally not all that willing to explain himself. But he did--and that was what counted. He explained himself to the best of his ability, anyway.

He looked down at the hand on his arm and then at the pleading face. Definitely wasn't normal. Most normal people would have heard the part where he didn't normally date and ran the other way. Commitment-phobic didn't make for a good trait in a potential romantic partner.

He'd heard from some of the others that Aldon had similar issues though, which was another reason he was puzzled about the direction this was going. Were they going to actually date or did Aldon just want somebody to fuck?

Gregg was probably silent for far too long, gaze on Aldon the whole time, before he leaned closer, slightly curious expression on his face. Making up his mind, his lips met Aldon's to test the waters. It was not as hesitant as his expression, that kiss. In fact, he drove Aldon further against the elevator wall in doing so. There was tongue. It was not a first kiss sort of first kiss.

[Aldon Huang]

It could work! THEY could work! Aldon had no idea about Gregg's approach to relationships but he desperately needed someone to distract him and damnit, Gregg fit the description better than most of the people that Aldon had considered asking out on this date.

See, the problem with sleeping with people who wanted no strings attached-type deals was that when he needed there to be strings, they... They weren't suitable. They couldn't do anything for him. Gregg could.

Maybe. If he would just stop staring at Aldon like Aldon had seaweed stuck in his teeth, or a strand of hair sticking out, or a slash of sharpie across his chin. Aldon even started to feel self-conscious, began to paw at his face and swept his tongue over his teeth to make sure nothing was there.

"Gregg?"

Gregg. Gregg stepping up to him, then pushing him into the elevator wall. Gregg's lips on his lips. Gregg's kiss, wild in a strangely exciting--yet oddly familiar--way. Aldon was no shrinking violet, though; his arms lifted and closed around Gregg's shoulders, pulling him down further as the kiss deepened. This was definitely not a first kiss kinda kiss but it seemed like they'd both been around the block a couple of times.

"Ahh..." Aldon was first to turn away, catching a breath. His heart beat wildly in his chest and he could feel his lips forming a pleased grin. "I'm taking that as a yes," he said almost defiantly. "You don't kiss like that unless it's a yes!"

Just in case Gregg felt like being contrary, though, Aldon pulled him back in for another kiss, ignoring the elevator doors that had just closed on them.

[Greggory Lennox]

Idiot. Yes, it was a yes. It was sort of a test, too but it wasn't as if he thought Aldon wouldn't pass. He was good looking and confident enough that he seemed like something like this would hardly surprise him. Aldon definitely was no shrinking violet; he kissed Gregg back with fervor and even pulled him in for another round.

The elevator doors closed yet again on them but Gregg didn't bother stopping them this time. Some part of him was dimly aware that it had been called and that it was moving. It only added to the moment, spinning his head around, dropping the ground out from under him.

When the doors opened again, a family stood outside and the mother immediately covered her son's eyes as she gasped.

Gregg finally looked up. He met her eyes even as he hit the button to close the doors on her. Then his gaze was locked on Aldon.

"This isn't going to be a date if we don't leave the elevator."

[Aldon Huang]

This was a good distraction, yes sir. Aldon managed to think about Ryland only once as they kissed--he remembered how Ryland would always be reluctant to let him do anything in elevators, except hold hands. The last time they were in an elevator together, he embarrassed Ryland and got glared at and chastised.

But Gregg. Not Gregg. He was the one initiating the kiss and even when the elevator doors slid open to expose the pair of them kissing heatedly, Gregg appeared perfectly nonplussed. Aldon blinked, caught in the act and immediately adopting the expression of a good dog that had done a Very Bad Thing out of sheer habit. To be perfectly honest, he didn't feel bad about getting caught. But it helped to pretend to be repentant.

The doors closed again soon enough, sending them back down. "OR you press that emergency stop button and we have a really good date in the elevator." His smile was naughty and suggestive; the way he shifted against Gregg, more so (even if he was only half-teasing).

[Greggory Lennox]

Oh, if the others could see him now. There would be so much jesting. He didn't care. Most teasing didn't faze him and he certainly didn't care what that poor family thought of two men kissing in an elevator. There was no reason to hide it; he had nothing to hide in that regard. He was not devoted to anybody, he wasn't dating anybody, except maybe now Aldon.

If they ever left the elevator.

"That wouldn't be a date." If they fucked in the elevator, it would be a fuck. Which... if he was honest with himself, Gregg was far more comfortable with. He'd rather fuck Aldon in an elevator than do something like go to a strawberry festival with him.

He had never been on a proper date in his life but he imagined it would look like something from a chick flick and the thought was as uncomfortable as it was foreign.

His lips curved upward just the slightest.

[Aldon Huang]

"Now you want to go on a date?!" Aldon cried out in amusement, bringing his hands around to cup Gregg's face. He tried to widen the smile that he spied on Gregg's lips by tugging on the corners of his mouth with his thumbs. It just made Gregg look like he was grimacing and Aldon stopped very quickly.

"Okay, okay! Let's go! We can do the elevator thing any old time."

That was true--there would always be elevators in buildings. The strawberry festival was only once a year. Besides, the doors had opened again and they couldn't keep riding the contraption up and down all day. Letting go of Gregg's handsome face--which knew how to smile after all--he eased himself out from between Gregg and the wall. But he did grab one of Gregg's hands and laced their fingers together, so as to make tugging him out the door easier.

"Bus? Or taxi?"

[Greggory Lennox]

He never said he didn't want to go, for the record. He remembered, however, that Aldon probably still thought his no from earlier had something to do with the date idea. Unamused, he stared at Aldon while he tried to widen his smile. Give some people an inch...

"Taxi."

Buses were... all well and good. They were also cheaper. Taxis were more personal, though and he didn't feel like sitting amongst a group of strangers while he sorted out what was going on right now between himself and Aldon.

[Aldon Huang]

"Sounds good to me! I'll call one up, hold on."

Reluctantly he let go of Gregg's hand so that he could poke and prod at his phone with both hands. Once he'd entered the number of the local cab company, he ordered one to their present location.

Aldon didn't really expect there to be any messages from Ryland... but he still checked. Just briefly, and half-anxiously, with all the breath seeming to disappear from his lungs because--what if?

There was nothing, though.

Stop checking.

Ryland wouldn't text him. He was too proud for that--too hurt. Aldon swallowed and pocketed his phone, then slid his hand back into Gregg's. Seeking comfort, he stepped closer and leaned gently against him, resting his head against Gregg's shoulder and looking out across the street.

"If I brought you an earring, would you wear it?"

[Greggory Lennox]

An odd line of questioning. Gregg rose a brow but he contemplated it seriously. It was no secret that he had piercings--he was wearing them now. Ink, metal, it was all a way of expressing himself because he wasn't very good at it otherwise. He needed time and thought for expression, which wasn't typically easy when dealing with people in social situations.

Would he take a gift? Was that the real question? Or was it the idea of Gregg wearing it that Aldon really wanted to ask about? What if this so-called gift didn't suit him? Gregg looked down at Aldon's down-turned face. He didn't look like he was teasing him. It was likely not a joke question, indicating there would be thought put into it. He wouldn't be handed a pink unicorn and expected to wear it.

"Sure," he finally said. A strange question for a first date. It seemed like it was something Aldon had thought about before, or as if it weighed on his mind. For all his bravado, maybe Aldon wasn't quite as shallow as he liked to make people think.

"Would you ever get a tattoo?"

[Aldon Huang]

He asked because he had the fox earring in his pocket, jangling around with his keys and phone. Aldon touched it, closed his fist around it inside of his pocket. He didn't know why he carried it with him. To remind him about his failure to impress Ryland? As a means of torturing himself?

It was because he was sentimental and stupid. The gift had meaning when he gave it to Ryland and just because Ryland didn't seem impressed by it--he didn't even say that he liked it!--didn't mean that Aldon also lost interest in the symbolism. Knowing that Gregg would wear it cheered him up slightly, though.

Then he smiled, in a slightly subdued manner. "A tattoo? Depends on what it is. I'm not getting your name, but maybe like... a strawberry or something, to remind me of you."

[Greggory Lennox]

"That's commitment."

Getting a tattoo to remind himself of somebody, that was a kind of commitment that went beyond a piece of jewelry. It would be there for the rest of his life--unless he wanted to get expensive and painful tattoo removal later on in life.

If things went sour, that strawberry wouldn't be so sweet. It would only serve as a painful reminder of what once was. The earring at least could be taken off and tucked away.

Maybe Aldon was taking this thing more seriously than Gregg was. No, he definitely was. It scared him a little, although he didn't say as much. They hadn't even gone out on a date yet and Aldon was talking about hypothetical jewelry and tattoos.

A taxi drove up the curb and Gregg put up a hand to let them know it was for them.

"I'll get it," he said as he opened the door and slid in. He sort of owed Aldon a lot at this point anyway.

[Aldon Huang]

"...so was the earring," Aldon sighed sadly, dropping his chin to his chest. It was commitment to him. So was a tattoo, this was true. Maybe he should have gotten the fox tattooed onto his chest, to show his feelings.

Why was he still thinking about that anyway? He was talking about an ex with the man he had just asked out! What a scumbag maneuver!

Shaking himself of more depressing thoughts, he pulled his hand out of his pocket just as the taxi arrived, and he got in after Gregg. "You're so generous~" he grinned, nudging Gregg's shoulder with his own. As they pulled away, Aldon told the driver where to go and then settled back comfortably against his date.

His date.

Who wasn't Ryland, and it didn't matter because Aldon liked Gregg. (He really did, too.)

[Greggory Lennox]

So was the earring? What did that even mean? There was definitely something strange going on with Aldon. When they met, he was like arrogant sunshine but as the days progressed and time went on, it was clear that something was weighing on his mind. Gregg didn't know him well enough to know what but he'd heard a few things between the others.

A relationship gone sour, was what he'd put together from the pieces he caught here and there. This was why relationships were a bad idea, he told himself. So what was he doing? This was probably just the rebound thing. Best not to get too attached.

Still, he responded to Aldon's smile with a small one of his own.

Soon, the festival was just up ahead--he could tell by all the cars parked nearby and the people walking in the same direction. There were balloons creating arches into the festival area itself and vendors all up and down the street.

It was then that he heard Aldon's phone notification go off. He looked over at him with a brow slightly raised. One of his friends?

[Aldon Huang]

Phone.

PHONE.

Aldon hesitated, meeting Gregg's quizzical glance. "...ignore it," he said, exerting all of his willpower to keep his hand from diving into his pocket so hard that he'd puncture a hole through it. No. It didn't matter who the other party was, he was on a date with Gregg. HE WAS ON A DATE WITH GREGG, DAMNIT!

"C'mon, let's go! Still got your ticket?" Aldon had his, which he flashed at the gate and was allowed in after the attendant slipped a plastic bracelet over his wrist. He fiddled with it while waiting for Gregg to get inside too, while thinking about his phone.

It's not him. Stop it.

But what if it was?

He doesn't want you. He wants that other guy.

But what if he--

Stop it.

"What should we do first?" He smiled brightly at Gregg, latched onto his hand again, and started tugging him along. That nervous expectant energy had to go somewhere and he put it into pouncing on the first strawberry-related food item he saw, which were funnel cakes topped with strawberry sauce. "...pretty sure this'll kill you, Gregg," he said as he stuffed his face, all so that he could keep his hands busy and not reach for the phone. "Try the plain one! It's good!"

Damnit. He didn't even realize when or how but his hand was in his pocket. And then the phone was out and his mouth fell slightly open. Miracles did happen--Ryland texted him first.

[Greggory Lennox]

Things seemed off to Gregg but he went along with Aldon anyway. After being admitted into the festival, he was treated to a wave of strawberry related scents coming from so many different vendors that it actually half twisted his stomach.

Still, he tried to plain funnel cake while the vendor gave him a funny look. Aldon scarfed his down like he hadn't eaten in days. Gregg wasn't quite so quick so he observed the other people around them as he ate his cake.

The mood altered as Aldon slid his phone out. This time when Gregg raised his brow it was not out of curiosity. It was more out of... he didn't know exactly. Not irritation but he wasn't thrilled that his company was less entertaining than whatever was happening on the phone.

"Important business text?" he asked, maybe a little dryly. Anybody knew if there was important business, it would be conducted via phone call. As it was, there was no call, only a series of texts that Gregg was too polite to lean over and attempt to read.

When he was finished with his funnel cake, he slid a hand cautiously over Aldon's back and leaned in. He was about to speak when he noticed a man with bright red hair heading straight for them. Blinking, he watched as the red haired man stopped just short of them. Before he stopped, it looked like he was about to do something, like maybe punch Aldon on the arm. Now it looked like he was restraining himself.

"Aldon."