A GAP in Baltimore, Friday Evening

[myownface]

It was a date, if you could possibly call an outing to the mainland to buy yellow socks and archery gloves a date. At least Alec and Sparkle were following up their shopping trip with dinner, or at least that was the plan. Sparkle had scoped out the cheap restaurant situation before they'd left, and he'd managed to narrow what he could afford down to, like, a McDonald's on the way back to the causeway.

He'd worry about that once they were done picking up his socks.

And they'd pick up socks just as soon as Sparkle was done browsing.

"Oh, man. Look at these ones. They have stars on them."

Sorry, Alec.

[NFB for distance, and for that guy!]

Comments

[myownface]

"That kind of thing only happens on Canadian children's television, or on Fandom Island," Sparkle replied, shaking his head a little, "but hey, if you're all shopped out, that's fine. We can pay, get the hell out of here before I get strip-searched or something, and find our way to some kind of reputable dining establishment."

So... probably not McDonald's.

[nottrivial]

"I'd think that would alarm the average child watching television," Alec pointed out. "But. Yes. No need for... strip-searching."

Oh hey, Sparkle, did you have a need for any magenta socks before the end of this shopping trip? They'd match Alec's face right now, so...

[myownface]

"Yeah, well, Canadian kids aren't average," Sparkle bragged, smirking. "You put the magic hat on the mannequin's head and say the magic words, and he comes to life at night again anyhow. Everyone knows that."

You know, if they grew up on a diet of terrifying live-action 1980s Canadian kids show reruns.

"There's some stuff about singing mice in there, too, but, you know... That's the important part."

Kinda?

"You sure you don't want to see a strip-search in action? I can go hang around the cheap plastic jewelry or something, really get them wondering."

[nottrivial]

Alec laughed. "Let's not and say we didn't," he suggested. "I looked up the restaurants around here and there's a Chinese place not too far. Or pizza across the street, if you like that, or..."

[myownface]

Well, that was already a step up from Sparkle's plans, wasn't it?

"Pizza's good," he decided, stepping into the line and waiting for his turn at the till. "What kind do you like? Me, I'm good with anything, so long as there aren't mushrooms on it. Fungus, no. Noooo thanks."

[nottrivial]

"Whatever you want," Alec offered. He was so generous today, wasn't he? "Pay for those first," he said, gesturing to the socks, because really now, Sparks, "and we'll go. Apparently Baltimore pizza is supposed to be... an experience. Compared to New York."

Not a good experience, mind, but he was going to deal with it.

[myownface]

"You're saying this to a guy who has also never had pizza in New York," Sparkle pointed out, putting his three pairs of socks on the counter, and making a face at the cashier before pulling out a twenty and paying.

Those were some expensive fucking socks.

"But hey," he said, collecting his change and blowing a kiss at the looming security guard before making his way to the door. "Pizza's pizza, right?"

[nottrivial]

"Well, you know, it differs by city," Alec said, following him, "and there are the occasional gimmick restaurants that try to put chocolate on it, or my sister who tries to make it in a normal oven with butter, but... yeah."

[myownface]

"Chocolate pizza. Butter pizza? Seriously?" Sparkle glanced over his shoulder at Alec, eyebrows raised. "The hell? That's even worse than mushrooms. Okay, since it's your sister, I won't ask if you've eaten hers, but please tell me you didn't put a pizza in your face with chocolate on it? That shit is just wrong."

[nottrivial]

"The chocolate pizza comes from this gourmet place in New York where all the tourists go called Max Brenner," Alec shared. "I've never been. But I have had some... unusual pizza toppings at a diner my siblings and I go to called Taki's. They put cucumber slices on it sometimes that aren't bad."

Sounded kind of edible, right?

"Okay," he continued, trying that getting-to-know-you thing that first dates were supposed to feature, "what's the strangest thing you've eaten?"

Please don't make it weird, Sparks. Please?

[myownface]

Sparkle actually hesitated on that one, giving Alec a kind of weird sideways look while he contemplated just how badly he wanted this date to work out.

His honest answer would totally make this weird. So, at least this time around, he was going to go reaching for the less honest one.

"I totally ate a bug when I was like five," he offered. "Little beetle in the garden at the park. Just to know what it was like."

He'd never done any such thing.

"It crunched."

But it was way less awkward than what he could have answered with. He'd keep it.

[nottrivial]

"You know that's much stranger than pizza with any kind of topping, right?" Alec checked, giving Sparkle's shoulder a friendly bump before promptly becoming surprised at himself for doing it.

[myownface]

Even Sparkle was a bit surprised by the bump to his shoulder, blinking at Alec, and then breaking into a broad grin.

"Yeah, well, kids at like five years old aren't exactly known for having the most discerning tastes, you know. I mean, for a kid, I was totally refined. But still."

[nottrivial]

"Well, you are from Canada," Alec teased, grinning right back. "I guess I can give you the benefit of the doubt. Cultural influences, and all..."

He really hoped that teasing would go over well. It was okay to tease Canada for being Canada, right? People did that on bad sitcoms all the time!

He came to a stop at a pizzaria and pushed the door open for Sparkle. Such a gentleman, Alec. "Here, this is the place."

[myownface]

You know, there was a reason they were bad sticoms, Alec. Sheesh.

Sparkle actually looked maybe a touch amused at the chivalry, but he shot Alec a smile as he stepped through the held door all the same. That was probably the first time anyone had held a door open for him.

Weird.

"Doesn't seem too bad at a glance," he decided, sauntering in and looking around. "They probably even clean their floors now and then. That's a good sign, isn't it?"

[nottrivial]

"Definitely," Alec affirmed, following him in, but he was careful not to turn that into chiding about how cleanliness was imperative to restaurant-selecting. He was sometimes capable of being aware of his company like that. "I tend to be a stickler for that as a rule," he said instead. "If I'm going out for food instead of risking my sister's cooking, I like to be sure it won't poison me."

[myownface]

"Generally a good rule," Sparkle mused. "You do much cooking yourself? Or do you just hit up pizza joints all the time?"

Sparkle made a mean instant ramen, himself.

[nottrivial]

"Not really," Alec laughed. "But I can make sandwiches?"

Dream big, Alec.

"How about you?"

[myownface]

"Sandwiches," Sparkle agreed, smirking a bit. "Peanut butter, sometimes even get as fancy as adding Jam. And I make one hell of a Kraft Dinner."

A beat.

"It's a Canadian thing. Pretty sure that's a requirement for citizenship."

[nottrivial]

"Okay, I'm getting the feeling that if we do this again we should keep up going out for food," Alec concluded. "Not that sandwiches and homemade macaroni and cheese don't sound delicious, of course."

[myownface]

"Uh... yeah... Totally homemade."

It came from a box, Alec. From a box.

"So! Pizza?"

[nottrivial]

But it was made in people's houses! That... wasn't what 'homemade' meant, was it?

"Pizza," Alec agreed. He gestured toward the counter. "Um, after you."

[myownface]

That really, really wasn't what homemade meant. And if Alec believed that, Sparkle was also a master at homemade microwavable Hot Pockets.

"Right." He looked up at the menu board thoughtfully. "We ordering personal pizzas here, or something to split between us?"

[nottrivial]

"I'm okay with sharing if you are," Alec offered. "Something not mushrooms. Um... broccoli?"

[myownface]

"Uh..." Okay, Alec. Now Sparkle was giving you a really weird look. "Do pizza joints even, like, carry broccoli?"

Because that was a pretty unconventional pizza topping, actually.