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]

"New experiences all around," Sparkle echoed. And then leaned across the counter and added to the guy who had taken the order, "wanna throw maybe some hamburger or something to chew on onto half of that, please? Thanks, man, I appreciate it."

You could not have a proper pizza with just freaking broccoli on it. That was just wrong.

"Sorry," he said, slipping back to join Alec at the table. "Carnivore."

[nottrivial]

Hamburger pizza? Now that was weird.

"Omnivore," Alec pointed out, then realized that that correction probably wasn't necessary. Good try, though, Alec. "Um. Never mind. So... how's your week going?"

Always a good standby conversation topic.

[myownface]

Hey, now. Hamburger was a standard pizza topping in America, too. Weirdo.

"Well, I started it with holes in my socks," Sparkle replied, raising an eyebrow, but grinning all the same. "Finishing it with new socks, pizza, and a guy with the cutest fucking dimples in the world sitting across from me. Can't complain."

[nottrivial]

"Wh-- oh," Alec said, ducking his head and smiling. "Um, happy to help, I guess. My week was pretty good too. I got these gloves--" he held up the bag from the archery store-- "and am having a first... official date with, you know, you. I mean, I had a condom flicked at my head this morning, but you balance it out, I think."

[myownface]

"You think so?" Sparkle looked practically like he was about to start purring as he leaned forward across the table to smile at Alec. "You realize, now I have to hear the condom story."

[nottrivial]

On instinct, Alec leaned forward a little too, just enough for it to be noticable.

"I'm not sure what her name is," he admitted, "but there's a girl in my Sex Ed class who apparently feels very strongly that I needed to collaboratively practice condom application... with her." The dryness in his tone should give Sparkle a good idea about how Alec felt about that. "I declined, so she... flicked it at me."

Oh, Kenzi.

[myownface]

"She flicked the condom at you," Sparkle replied, clearly amused, now. "Did it at least get good distance when she did it?"

[nottrivial]

"I didn't really measure it," Alec admitted, amused and surprised by the question, "but I think she did okay."

[myownface]

"On the upside, at least it wasn't used?"

Sparkle was being helpful! Helpful!!

[nottrivial]

"...True," Alec admitted. "That was... fortunate. Not that there was really a chance of us having to work with used ones in Sex Ed class; that probably would have defeated the point."

[myownface]

"Yeah, probably," Sparkle replied, still smirking. "So, you didn't want to do the sex ed condom exercise, huh?"

He couldn't resist the urge to tease. Just a little.

"What'd happen if you ever needed to use one?"

[nottrivial]

"I didn't really want to work together," Alec clarified, blushing faintly. "I mean. I know how. It isn't that hard... right?"

[myownface]

"If you have to ask," Sparkle noted, leaning a little further across the table, "you really don't know, do you?"

That was both adorable, and kind of disconcerting.

[nottrivial]

"The teachers did a demonstration in class," Alec insisted, a little flustered. "I watched. I didn't go ahead and do it for myself after, but I got the idea. And there's -- you know, tutorials on the internet, and..."

[myownface]

"So, in the heat of the moment, you're gonna just call a full-stop and look at this guy, sitting in front of you with his clothes on the floor, and say, 'Excuse me, I need to go Google this?'"

Sparkle wasn't trying to get him flustered, really, but now he was genuinely curious.

[nottrivial]

"...No, like I said, I got it from the demonstration," Alec repeated slowly. "And why doesn't this guy know about how to do it himself, anyway?"

[myownface]

"Sometimes," Sparkle purred, "putting the thing on for him is part of the fun, too."

Oh, Alec. You were such a little virgin.

[nottrivial]

Alec opened his mouth to answer, but was fortunately cut off by the arrival of their pizza, which was placed on a tray in front of them and gave him a moment to think of a reply that didn't suck. "I think I'll be okay," he promised, transferring one slice from the tray onto his plate. "I don't know that that's going to be, um, relevant for me anytime soon, so... subject change?"

[myownface]

"Subject change," Sparkle allowed. "You know, this time. Because I'm feeling nice."

He was the nicest, Alec. See?

"Any suggestions, then?"

[nottrivial]

"Um... I don't know." Good question, Sparkle. "I guess..." He leaned forward, smiling sheepishly. "Do you think this is going well?"

Well. That was... a topic.

[myownface]

It was definitely a topic! The sort of topic that meant that Sparkle had to reach for a slice of pizza. Weird-assed broccoli pizza.

"Well... are you enjoying yourself?"

That was generally the first indication!

[nottrivial]

"When we're not talking about condoms," Alec said, smiling, "yeah. Are you?"

[myownface]

"Even when we are talking about condoms," Sparkle shot back, laughing. It was some of the most fun he'd had all evening! "So, if we're both having fun, I'd say this date's going pretty well, wouldn't you?"

[nottrivial]

Well, that was because Sparkle was evil.

"I guess so," Alec replied. "Um, congratulations, us."

[myownface]

"Seriously. We're capable of going out together, like on a normal date thing, without even burning something down. And still having a good time."

Quite the accomplishment, truly.