Do you believe in the monsters under your bed?

[Shimizu Susumu]

"Yes," he said with a laugh. He cleared the entire schedule, just for Alva. At least, the whole day's schedule. It wasn't as if he had a lot of important things to do that day--anything on his plate could be pushed back a day or two. He knew it was foolish to feel so giddy around Alva but it had been a long, long time since he felt this way about anybody. Probably so far as to say the last time he'd had a real crush on anybody was back in school.

What was more, Alva's warmth seemed to be returning. His color, his demeanor, his personality--it was all bubbling up to the surface to reveal a happier, livelier young man than the one he'd unfortunately cursed before. He's looking so much better already. Susumu was hesitant to pat himself on the back just yet but there was so much hope running through his system that it was hard not to simply bask in the triumph of the moment. Not only had he helped Alva but he had also managed to get him to ask him out.

It's not a date, he was quick to remind himself but it was not Susumu that chose Anchors Away. It was Alva--and they both had to know that it was a popular dating spot. Alva, he was sure, felt much the same way that Susumu did and he wanted to explore those feelings. Even if it was nothing more than a "mock" date or a practice run... Susumu felt determined to show Alva a good time.

"Actually, I love anything seasonal," Susumu confessed. "Pumpkin and cinnamon are perfect for the fall weather. But peppermint reminds me of winter and watermelons of summer."

[Alva Ren]

It was a silly thing to find delight in, that they shared common tastes for seasonal treats, but lately it seemed that the trend was more towards hating on pumpkin and peppermint and watermelon and strawberry as the seasons rolled around just to look cool. Alva, for one, liked the hokey festivals and the pumpkin muffins and lattes and everything spiced and cinnamon and warm. And he liked that Susumu liked them too!

"I like all of those things too," he admitted, smiling warmly up at Susumu. "I missed out on the watermelon festival this year because somebody was too cool to go with me." And... well, going alone or with friends or with Ry just wasn't the same as going with a significant other! Alva had to be honest; he envied Ryland the fact that Aldon was willing to drag him around to all those festivals. That strawberry festival was their Thing, even. Meanwhile, Alva had to be careful--still--about who saw him with Rae, especially Josh, whose cutting remarks seemed to really get to Rae.

But he didn't want to think about Rae right now. Or Josh (ever).

"Have you been to any of the festivals? There's that harvest celebration downtown tonight, are you going?" Alva hadn't planned on going given how crappy he'd been feeling lately, but with his energy and vigor renewed, he found that his interest in going out and having fun was returning. It was just too bad that Rae decided to be a jerk today; otherwise he might have tried to convince Rae to go with him.

[Shimizu Susumu]

Every season came with its own set of seasonal hallmarks. There were scents, colors, weather, fashion, flavors... Susumu liked the various seasons for different reasons and yes, he was quite the sucker for the limited holiday treats that popped up during each season. It seemed that struck a chord with Alva, whose smile could have warmed the coldest, hardest heart. Of course, Susumu responded with a smile of his own and he felt another giddy little skip of his heartbeat. It was just like his high school years, when he watched his crush and just seeing him in the halls of the school made the adrenaline pump through his veins.

"I've checked out a few of them with some friends," he said. He went mostly because they were large gatherings and whenever people gathered, there were sure to be hunters but... he didn't elaborate on that point. Or the point that his "friends" were really more like colleagues or co-workers than actual friends.

"And yes, I was planning to go tonight." He studied Alva for a moment before asking, "Are you going?"

[Alva Ren]

"Ah, I--" Alva perked up. Susumu was going to the gathering that Alva also wanted to go to, so it seemed like almost a given that they should go together. The words--the invitation--was at the tip of his tongue and nearly on his lips. He opened them to ask Susumu to go with him, but paused as he drew in the breath to begin speaking.

Because he remembered Rae.

And he remembered how, even though Rae grumbled and rolled his eyes and acted like he was too cool to go to those hokey dances and festivals, he still dragged himself to them. Rae did it for Alva, if for no one and nothing else. Sometimes Alva even caught him enjoying himself, like when he got over-competitive with kids at the game where they got water guns to shoot at targets that inflated balloons. Or when he tried new foods and found that he liked them, though he tried to downplay the experience only to be caught sneaking back for more.

They didn't have 'their festival' like Ryland did with Aldon and the Strawberry Social, but Alva couldn't in good conscience go with someone else without even asking Rae first. Even if Rae was a jerk earlier--a big fat jerk--it would have been an even bigger jerk move to go with Susumu instead of him. The invitation slid back down his throat, choking him a little along the way with disappointment. Alva had to admit--going to the gathering with someone who wanted to go and who liked seasonal activities would have been very nice indeed.

"I'm probably not going tonight," he finished his sentence with an apologetic little smile. "I'm probably going to stay in tonight, actually." Alva glanced at the thick fog and unconsciously shivered. He didn't know what it was about the fog that set him on edge. Were he in his fox form, all his fur would've probably stood on end. It was just a strange feeling, like a nagging tickle in the back of his consciousness, of something being not quite right. He didn't dwell on it because it was silly to be afraid of fog, but he didn't feel exactly safe out here, either, so he wheeled himself a bit closer to Susumu as they headed for Susumu's car, which Alva remembered from the last time that he rode in it.

"I um... had a big fight with my boyfriend today, you see. I don't think I could go and enjoy myself without talking to him first." He didn't need to explain himself, really, but he felt obligated to. Even though Susumu didn't exactly ask him to go to the gathering, it felt like maybe he was a little expectant, because he asked Alva if he was going to go too.

[Shimizu Susumu]

"I see." His tone was neutral, since he was about to invite Alva along with him but...

"That's terrible. I'm sure you two will make up."

Actually, he had no idea and while he said that it was terrible--and it was--he didn't fully mean it, either. He felt for Alva but he didn't have any sympathy for the boyfriend. Whatever they fought about, the boyfriend obviously didn't appreciate Alva enough. How long did he say they were dating? A long time, he thought. People grew bored or they wanted more. Maybe Alva's boyfriend had forgotten what made him appreciate Alva in the first place. If so, his loss was completely to Susumu's gain.

He glanced at the fog as well, not entirely welcoming it. While he normally liked rainy weather, this was something else. It wasn't even raining--it was just as if the clouds were heavy with rainfall it refused to shed. Or... something else. Definitely not something... nice. After he helped Alva into the car and he started it up, he cast another look at the sky.

"It doesn't seem like many people are going to be able to celebrate tonight, unless they take it inside."

[Alva Ren]

"Maybe that's not a bad thing..." Alva peered worriedly into the thick fog. It was so bad that cars were slowing to a crawl in the streets and Alva felt a shiver of discomfort crawl up his spine. Rae was a terrible driver. Hopefully he wasn't driving like a maniac through these streets, wherever he was. Alva couldn't help but worry and his fingers twisted in his lap briefly.

He couldn't devote all of his thoughts to Rae, however, not with Susumu beside him. It would have been rude to ignore him, so Alva pushed his thoughts about Rae aside and turned to Susumu with a smile, to strike up a conversation about less gloomy things. He might as well enjoy himself now, since they were going to the cafe together. He could worry about Rae later--and maybe call him, because odds were that Rae wouldn't be the one to call first.

Alva didn't mind extending the olive branch first, though. He thought that he was probably more in the wrong than Rae was... not that he'd fully admit to it!