Chapter Text
(moodboard and title graphics by ArtemisAdore)
There were only six weeks until the deadline for Edwin's dissertation and end of year showcase, and he felt as though he were running around like a headless chicken trying to get everything finished in time. He was a perfectionist when it came to his work, and so he had started writing it early over the Summer holidays the previous year and had spent all of his free periods polishing it and making sure that the word count was met. He also had a very neatly organised collection of Harvard References and an appendix of additional material that he had created to accompany the body of his work.
He had just had it printed on high-quality paper at the local print shop (the course required the submission of a memory stick containing the digital file of his work as well as a physical submission of a printed and spiral-bound copy of the dissertation), and had been on his way to the university library to have it spiral-bound when the unthinkable had happened.
He had run into someone.
By all means, he should have been looking where he was going, but he had been flicking through the pages to make sure that everything was in order as he was walking and oh, how he regretted it. He should have just put it into his bag and had done with it.
But no. He just had to give it one last look and now the pages were scattered all over the floor. Outside. In the wind. Along with the person he had bumped into, who was now scrambling to pick up his dropped phone before trying to help grab the scattered paper.
“Oh my god, I'm so sorry!” the stranger said in a distinctly American accent as he grabbed several of the pages.
Edwin kicked into action. “No, no, I am sorry! I should have been looking where I was going.” he apologised, as he too attempted to hurry after the paper, before it could be blown away by the wind.
Unfortunately, as they rushed about, some of the pages were inevitably lost as they blew down the street and into the road, caught under car tires and flipped away out of sight. Bloody hell. That print job had been expensive.
“Shit, was that your dissertation?” the man asked as he looked down at one of the pages he had grabbed – the front page – with a wince.
“Unfortunately...” Edwin replied, deflated. “It's my own fault. I really am sorry for knocking you over like that.”
“Don't sweat it. Why don't we go back to the print shop? Maybe you can get them to re-print the specific pages that are missing?” the man suggested with a sympathetic smile.
Now that Edwin was able to look at him properly, it hit him how gorgeous he was. He was dressed in a black turtleneck, a fluffy coat and a monochromatic kilt. His hair was strawberry blond and pushed back (though one piece was deliberately left out to flick artfully over his forehead), he had one dangling earring in his left ear that ended in a tear drop-shaped black gem. He had eyes like warm, polished amber and a little scar above his lip that was frightfully distracting.
“Oh,” Edwin shook himself out of his stupor. “Yes, I suppose that I had better get it re-printed...” he dreaded the cost, but he supposed that he could… live on pot noodles for a couple of weeks, if push came to shove.
“Come on!” the man said, cheerily. “I'll help you figure out which pages are missing!”
He nudged Edwin's shoulder and started walking towards the print shop. It took Edwin a moment to catch on to what was happening, and he had to jog for a few steps to catch up with him.
“I'm Thomas, by the way.” he said, as Edwin started walking by his side. “Thomas King.”
“Edwin Payne.” he replied. “You don't have to help me, you know. It was my fault that this happened.”
“Well, I was checking my phone, too, so it wasn't all on you.” Thomas grinned. “Besides, it means I get more time with you.” he winked.
Edwin had to do a double-take at that. He blushed furiously as he followed Thomas into the print shop. “Well I never...” he muttered under his breath.
He was taken aback when Thomas actually sat with him in the store and helped him to sort through all of the pages and reorganise them into the correct order (thank goodness for numbered pages, or they would have been there for far, far longer).
Edwin handed the printers back the memory stick and managed to get them to re-print the specific pages that had been lost (as well as some that had gotten dirty or bent from the fall). What had taken him aback all over again was that Thomas had reached across him with his card and paid for the new pages.
“What on earth do you think you are doing?” Edwin asked, baffled at the gesture.
“Call it an apology gift for you dropping them in the first place.” Thomas said.
“But that was my fault, not yours!” Edwin protested.
“Fine. Then call it a thank you gift for letting me spend time with you for the last half hour.” Thomas changed his answer with ease.
“Oh honestly !” Edwin exclaimed. “If anyone should be offering up apologies or thanks, it should very much be me and not you. I bumped into you after all, and then you helped me for over thirty minutes with my dissertation, which, by all means, was quite the arduous task.” he could not make heads nor tails of it.
“Alright, then we should go to the café next door and you can buy me a large vanilla frappuccino with extra cream.” Thomas shrugged. “to apologise and thank me.”
Baffling. Utterly baffling.
He certainly wasn't going to turn it down, though.
As soon as the printing was done and safely inside the folder that was tucked into Edwin's bag, they went next door to the café.
Once Thomas had the frappuccino in hand and they had started walking back in the direction of the university, he popped the lid off and stuck his tongue directly into the cream, licking off the top half of it. It was clear that he was doing this in an attempt to be sexy, though he had inadvertently managed to give himself a cream moustache and Edwin could barely suppress a smile.
Without thinking, he pulled out the handkerchief from the breast pocket of his waistcoat and used it to wipe away the cream.
When he pulled back and refocused, Thomas was looking at him in wonderment, lips slightly parted in surprise as he blushed furiously from the action. He broke from it with an embarrassed chuckle, looking off to the side and biting his bottom lip, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth for a moment before looking back at Edwin.
“How are you even real?” he asked with a half-smile. “You're fascinating .”
“That is terribly rich coming from you, Thomas King.” Edwin responded, unsure what to make of this whole situation.
“So, what are you studying? Something academic, or are you just a hipster?” Thomas asked him teasingly as they walked inside the building.
“I assure you, I am not a hipster. I dress this way because I like it.” Edwin huffed with a roll of his eyes. “and to answer your question; I am studying English Literature.”
Hipsters were not the only ones who could enjoy waistcoats and other such vintage fashion, thank you very much. Niko had described his choice of attire to him once as ' Dark Academia ', but he had yet to be won over on the label.
“Oh, that makes so much sense actually.” Thomas nodded.
“What does that mean?” Edwin tilted his head at the statement, ready to take it as an insult if it was meant as one.
“Well, you're very well-spoken and eloquent.” he answered, and Edwin immediately relaxed. “That and your dissertation is thick enough to be a novel.”
“Yes, well… What about you? What are you studying? I can't say that I've seen you around.” Edwin commented, already theorising that it was probably fashion or textiles, or something along those lines. If that were the case, then surely Niko or Crystal should have been familiar with him, but neither of them have mentioned him before, to Edwin's knowledge.
“I'm doing my Fashion Masters at the moment. The fashion show is this summer, so I've been working non-stop. I was actually on my daily coffee run when you knocked me flat on my ass.” Thomas chuckled. “I think looking up and seeing you might have made it the only time I've been shoved on the ground and been happy about it after, though.”
Edwin felt rather triumphant that his deduction had been correct, though it was hampered a bit by the sheepishness that he felt at having made such a blunder. He might have had time enough to feel guilty about it had Thomas' continued blatant flirting not flustered him again.
He was also debating what to say to Niko later. Had she known that this utterly gorgeous and charming man existed and failed to tell him about it, he would be having words.
“Well…” he could do this; he could flirt back! “I'd say a few pages of my dissertation were a small price to pay for the privilege.”
“The privilege of knocking me on my ass?” Thomas was grinning at him in amusement and Edwin felt himself flushing again.
“The privilege of bumping into you.” he corrected, despite being hyper-aware of the way that his face was most definitely red. “and having you accompany me afterwards.”
As they reached the entrance to the library, Thomas turned to him and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Hope this isn't too forward, but… can I get your number?” he asked, looking all too confident that Edwin would agree.
He was right to be confident.
“My number?” Edwin fumbled for his own phone and held it out. “I suppose that would be agreeable.” he smiled to himself as they traded phones.
When they traded back, Edwin found himself oddly endeared by the fact that Thomas had saved his name with a little crown emoji and a heart at the end. Before he could put it away, it dinged and a message popped up from Thomas that said: “Hi <3”
Edwin smiled and looked back up at Thomas, who was already watching him.
“Should I expect a lot of emoticons in your messages?” he asked.
“As many as I deem necessary.” Thomas winked.
Edwin looked between Thomas and the door to the library. He would have to be back at his class soon, having used the vast majority of his lunch break on his dissertation and talking to Thomas. He was suddenly very aware of just how little time he had left.
“I ought to get on with having my dissertation bound.” Edwin said, a tad distractedly (and more than a tad disappointed that he would have to cut their conversation short).
“Right… then I guess I'll see you around.” Thomas smiled, though he seemed just as disappointed as Edwin.
Before either of them could make a move to leave, Edwin did something that he never thought himself capable of doing…
“Would you like to accompany me on a date this Saturday?” he asked, heart leaping up his throat as he did so. He had never asked someone out before, never had the courage to take the initiative in such a way.
Thomas' grin was back full-force. “A date?”
“Yes. If you would be amenable.”
“I'd love that.” the way that Thomas looked at Edwin as he voiced his agreement made Edwin a little hot under the collar. No one had looked at him like that before.
“Excellent. Well, then… I shall text you to organise the details?” Edwin knew that he sounded unsure of himself, but he was still reeling at how he had successfully asked out the most attractive man he'd ever seen.
“Please do~ I'll see you later, Edwin~” Thomas gave him a coy finger-wave before walking back in the other direction.
Edwin watched him go until he was out of sight and then heaved a sigh. What a bizarre and wonderful day he was having.
He headed into the library to get the spiral binding done.
-----
When Edwin had officially submitted the physical and digital copies of the dissertation, he had the rest of the afternoon to focus on preparations for the end of year show and his final major project. Some people were writing poetry, plays, children's books, and other things along those lines. Edwin himself had been working on a detective novella, which was going incredibly well.
He only had another five thousand or so words to go to wrap it up before he would be able to take it to the print shop. The university's own print shop would do most things, but there were some projects which they did not have the adequate facilities to handle, such as professionally printing a novella to a standard suitable for publication. Which was why Edwin was opting for the independent print shop off-campus (a print shop that he currently felt like he should be baking muffins for as thanks for providing him the avenue through which met Thomas).
He wanted nothing more than to get out of class so that he could message Thomas. Which was a crazy thought to him, because he had never been so eager to message someone. He didn't even like technology that much. What was happening to him?
It certainly did not help that once he had reminded himself that he didn't like technology and texting, he was then led on the train of thought that it would be very nice to exchange physical, hand-written letters with Thomas.
Nobody did that anymore though, and it was way too sappy of a thought to be having when he had only just met the man. They hadn't even been on a first date yet.
When he got out of his class, Niko was already waiting for him. She immediately picked up on the fact that something was different with Edwin, like she could tell that he wanted to talk to her. She looked at him excitedly.
“What happened? You have a ‘ something happened’ face!” she said with anticipation as the two of them made their way out.
They were going to the small two-bed flat that Niko shared with Crystal and Charles for a movie night. It had been odd for him at first, living in a different flat to his friends, but he found that while he missed having Charles around all the time, he liked having the space to himself as well.
The three of them had moved together in their second year. Niko and Crystal had already been housemates and Charles had moved in at the start of the final year, when their relationship had gotten more serious.
It had taken Edwin a while to get used to it, but he had come to love Crystal like a sister, and Niko had become one of his dearest friends as well as a trusted confidant.
“I met someone.” Edwin blurted, unable to control the way that he said it.
“Edwin!” Niko squealed. “You met someone ? Who? When? How? I have to know all of the details!”
“I bumped into him and dropped my dissertation. He helped me sort it out to see which pages were missing and then paid for the reprinting, even though it was my fault. I bought him a coffee and he walked with me back to the library and we exchanged numbers.” Edwin rapid-fired the information at her. He usually wouldn't have babbled in such a way, but then, he usually wouldn't have been in this sort of situation.
“Edwin!” She exclaimed and clapped her hands together. “What's his name? What does he look like? Is he hot?”
“He is definitely attractive.” Edwin replied, recalling those warm eyes and that little scar just above those perfect lips. “He's got blond hair, amber eyes… he is very handsome and a little bit shorter than I am. He was so sweet and so charming, Niko.” Edwin was gushing. He couldn't help it. “His name is Thomas King.”
“Wait. Not the Thomas King? The fashion guy who's low-key Instagram famous? The one who throws all those parties?” Niko questioned, seemingly gob-smacked. “and you liked him?”
“So you do know him and you never told me? I feel that perhaps I should be offended that you were apparently keeping him from me.” Edwin teased. He didn't know about the apparent social media fame or the parties, but it made sense for someone like Thomas (good-looking and charismatic), so he couldn't exactly say that he was surprised.
“I don't really know him, I know of him.” Niko explained. “He's kind of infamous. Super good at what he does and also kind of a slut. Not that I'm judging him, though!” she hastened to add at the end.
“I asked him on a date.”
“You asked him out ?” Niko gasped excitedly, practically bouncing as she walked beside Edwin. “Edwin, I'm so proud of you! What did he say?”
“He agreed to accompany me this Saturday.” Edwin smiled – mostly to himself – as he replied, something that did not go unnoticed by Niko, who was giving him a knowing look.
“That's huge! Do you know where you're gonna go?”
“I have an idea or two. I know that there are plenty of decent options, but I think that I shall endeavour to try something a little more interesting.” he replied, already formulating a plan in his head.
“Well, hopefully you'll both have a good time, whatever it is!” Niko smiled. “You've gotta tell me all about it when you get back!”
“Well, that goes without question.” Edwin smiled back.
-----
As soon as they arrived at the flat and Niko had unlocked the door to step inside, they were greeted with Charles and Crystal mid-way through setting up the snack selection on their coffee table.
“Took you guys long enough! Did you get sidetracked again?” Crystal said, jokingly. However, when she looked up at them properly, she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Edwin, you have your ‘ something happened’ face on, what's the gossip?”
“There really isn't any gossip.” he replied, knowing that it was entirely unconvincing.
Crystal crossed her arms and raised a brow at him. “Really? Nothing at all you want to share with the class?”
“Oi, leave it be, yeah? Might really be nothing, and besides, we still have snacks to get ready.” Charles said, gently, trying to help Edwin by trying to redirect the conversation.
“Oh no, absolutely not. I gotta know what's got him looking so pleased with himself!” Crystal insisted, turning back to Edwin expectantly.
Charles offered him a sympathetic look and a shrug.
“Alright, alright, fine .” Edwin could feel the pleased little smirk making its way onto his lips, even as he attempted to keep it at bay. “I have a date this Saturday.”
“A date?” Charles questioned at the same time Crystal exclaimed, “With who ?”
“With Thomas King!” Niko answered for him in excitement.
“You can't be serious… how the bloody hell did that happen?” Charles looked utterly bewildered and perhaps slightly concerned.
“We bumped into each other by chance and he kindly paid for me to re-print the pages of my dissertation that were dropped. I then bought him a coffee and we walked back to the library together. When he asked for my number, I agreed, and then I asked him if he would be amenable to going on a date with me. He said yes.” Edwin explained it very matter-of-factly, though he was smiling the entire time.
“Edwin! You scored a date with Thomas King ?” Crystal was still reeling. “That's one hell of a meet-cute, like it came straight from a rom-com or something.”
“Does everyone already know of him? Truly, am I the only one who had never heard of him before today?” Edwin huffed. “At this rate, I shall start thinking that you were keeping him from me on purpose.”
“It's just… he throws a lot of parties, we've been to a lot of parties, you, famously, don't like parties .” Crystal reasoned. “Besides, he's not really your usual type.”
“An attractive man?” Edwin asked, sarcastically.
“An obnoxiously flirty man who parties and has a lot of flings.” Crystal quipped back.
“He also fancies himself as some kind of social media influencer and thinks he's the best thing since sliced bread.” Charles frowned. “It's not too late to cancel, mate.”
“Edwin doesn't want to cancel! It sounds like they get along really well.” Niko protested on his behalf.
“I'm just saying.” Charles raised his hands up in surrender. “He could do better than some bloke who's shagged half the uni.”
“Charles, please. His sexual history has no bearing on my own experience with him.” Edwin was starting to get flustered. He hadn't been expecting such a harsh reaction.
He also wasn't entirely sure of how to adequately defend someone that he had only just met. They were painting him as someone that felt entirely different than the man he had met. Sure, he was flirty, but he had been nice and hadn't come across as overly promiscuous. He certainly wasn't what Edwin would describe as obnoxious.
“Right...” Charles did not hide his scepticism.
“I will not be cancelling. He was pleasant and thoughtful towards me when we met, and I was very much the one who asked him on this date. I do also believe that I am perfectly capable of forming my own opinion of him, thank you very much.”
That marked the end of that particular conversation. Niko looked awkwardly between them all, and Edwin could very much relate to disliking the tense atmosphere after a fresh disagreement. Meanwhile, Crystal was glaring daggers (likely for the slut-shaming) at Charles, who now had the decency to look a tad sheepish.
Thankfully, Niko was able to break the tension by bringing up the movie choices for the night, successfully directing everyone's attention back to the real purpose of their get-together.
Once the movies were over and his friends had fallen asleep on the sofa, Edwin stood from the arm chair and quietly made his way back across the room.
“Goodnight, Edwin.” Niko whispered from the end of the sofa. “Good luck on your date.”
“Thank you, Niko.” Edwin smiled softly at her sleepy form, too tired to see him out. “Sleep well.”
-----
When Saturday finally came around, Edwin was surprised that he didn't feel any nerves creeping up on him. The last two times that he had tried dating had gone… poorly. However, he had a good feeling about Thomas King, and it was steam-rolling over any trepidation he might have felt otherwise. If anything, he was pleasantly looking forward to it.
He had chosen an outfit for himself that he hoped would be suitable. It consisted of a cotton shirt ticked neatly into a pair of fitted corduroy trousers, with the first three buttons undone. Over it, he wore a soft woollen jumper in a rich shade of dark green.
Before leaving, he sent a quick message to Thomas, to let him know that he was on his way.
I am just about to leave my flat. I should be arriving at the front of the university in approximately ten minutes.
- Edwin
Already on my way there <3 Can't wait!
-Thomas<3
Edwin wanted to blush at the enthusiasm that Thomas seemed to have for their first date. He was aware that he could often come across to others as abrasive, so having someone so obviously and openly looking forward to spending time with him was unfamiliar. At least outside of his already established circle of friends.
He hoped that Thomas would enjoy the date that he had planned and wouldn't find it boring (wouldn't find Edwin boring). It might not have been the sort of thing that he would be expecting, but Edwin hoped that it would be enjoyable nonetheless.
He hated to say it, but although his opinion of Thomas wasn't in any way tarnished by his friends' descriptions of his promiscuity, the closer he got to their meeting place, the more nervous he became that he wouldn't be able to live up to Thomas' expectations. Edwin had dated a couple of times before, but he was nowhere near as experienced as Thomas when it came to this sort of thing.
All thoughts vanished from his mind, however, when he saw Thomas waiting for him in front of the steps of the university entrance. He had his strawberry blond hair pushed back out of his face, and wore a single dangling earring and a simple chain necklace. His outfit was a cream turtleneck with an expensive-looking tiger-print jacket and a pair of wrap-trousers and combat boots.
“Edwin!” Thomas waved when he caught sight of him, and his eyes lit up as he broke into a smile.
“Good afternoon, Thomas.” Edwin greeted. “I hope that you enjoy books.” he smiled, a little nervous underneath it.
“I dabble.” Thomas smirked playfully. “It depends on the genre, obviously.”
“Oh? What sort of books do you like?” Edwin asked, relaxing as he started leading the way to the first book shop on his mental check list.
“I am quite partial to a good queer romance.” Thomas replied, “but that doesn't just go for books.”
The look that he gave Edwin told him that he may be insinuating that they could have a ' good queer romance' , and wouldn't that be just excellent? Edwin hoped that this first date would go well enough to lead to a second one, and dare he admit it to himself, he also hoped that these first few dates would lead to a relationship.
It wasn't exactly common for Edwin to meet someone that he naturally got along with, someone with whom he had instant chemistry of this sort. He had only been in two brief relationships prior to this one and neither of those had been good for him. The first had been borderline abusive in that his boyfriend had been ashamed of him and had made him feel like something dirty while they were together (he had also thrown Edwin under the bus when his parents had discovered them and had told them that Edwin seduced him. An utter load of tosh that had ended their entanglement). The second had been a sweet enough guy, but Edwin had realised too late that he didn't really have feelings for him beyond friendship.
So, all around, not a great selection of experiences.
This was so wholly different from what he had been through in the past though. Here, there was open interest, common ground, an inherent fascination… a spark .
As they walked into the first book shop, they were immediately met with the warm scent of new books; paper and binding glue and whatever else it was that gave them all that unique scent that couldn't be captured anywhere else. The walls were lined with vast shelves, lined completely with all manner of books across any genre that one could hope to peruse. There were tables at the front as well, topped with various selections, some being new releases, some award-winners, some that were simply staff picks.
It was one of the many things that Edwin adored about book shops; the element of personality that differed with each one. It was sort of like getting to know a person, the way that one could learn the organisation and the preferences of those who set about organising it. On some of the shelves, there would be little note cards with recommendations from the people that worked there, with little explanations of why they enjoyed it.
“I've never been in this one.” Thomas said, turning to Edwin after looking around. “I usually go to the one that's around the corner from the ice cream shop, but this is nice.”
“That wouldn't happen to be more for the ice cream than the books, would it?” Edwin found himself teasing and Thomas simply grinned at him.
“You already know me so well, huh?”
“So it would seem.”
“Could even say you read me like an open book.” The look that Thomas offered became more mischievous again, and Edwin could not deny the way that it sent a flurry of butterflies through him.
Edwin found himself easily smiling back again. He would have to evaluate later on, just how effortlessly Thomas seemed able to bring out such a sunny disposition from within him. He wasn't generally one to go about feeling and appearing so giddy, even when he was genuinely enjoying himself, but something about Thomas, the way he smiled, himself and the way that he teased, made Edwin want to give as good as he was getting.
“I suppose I could.” Edwin replied, unable to quell the smile now that it had overcome him.
“Which section are we headed to first? I like the romance, but what do you like?” Thomas asked, genuinely curious to know more about Edwin's preferences.
“I am quite partial to a good mystery. I like puzzling things out, trying to read between the lines and catch onto hints from the author.” Edwin answered. “Charles – my closest friend – has told me that he has no idea how I manage to enjoy them when I always figure it out before the end.” he chuckled softly to himself at the memory.
“Who doesn't like being right?” Thomas argued with a shrug.
“Precisely my point.” Maybe Edwin wasn't the only one reading the other like an open book.
They made their way between tables and standing shelves to the back of the book shop, where they kept the shelves of fiction. Mystery was often commingling with other genres, such as thrillers, supernatural series, fantasy and science-fiction. It was something that he was thankful for, as it always gave him the ability to switch things up and stray from his comfort zone.
Thomas happily crouched down by the Adult fiction shelves, in the fantasy and sci-fi section, seemingly looking for something specific. Edwin couldn't deny his curiosity. He hadn't been entirely sure when he had planned for this outing, whether or not Thomas would even be a reader as such. To know that he was interested enough to have something to look for was stirring to say the least. It only further proved their compatibility in Edwin's mind.
“Here you go.” Thomas said, confidently as he placed a paperback book into Edwin's hand. “I think you'll enjoy this one. I just finished it and it's very good.”
“Oh?” Edwin turned the book over in his hand, giving a glance at the synopsis on the back. 'A Marvellous Light' , it was called. It certainly sounded intriguing. “I haven't read it, but it certainly meets the mystery requirement.”
“It met the queer romance requirement for me, and the mystery was a bonus. Why don't you pick one out that you think that I would like, too? We can talk about them as we go.” Thomas suggested, incredibly enthusiastic about his sudden stroke of genius.
“I do admit that I can see the appeal.” he pretended to think about it. “Alright then, I confess that I have not dabbled much in the romance section, but I think I have just the thing.” he, to Thomas' surprise, headed to the same shelf that he himself had just been looking at.
When Edwin came back to him and handed him ' Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries' , it was clear that he wasn't sure what to make of it. Edwin almost asked him if he had already read it before, but Thomas beat him to the punch.
“I wouldn't have expected you to have read something like this. It's been on my TBR for a while.” Thomas said, sounding pleasantly surprised.
“A friend of mine got me to buddy read it with her and I quite enjoyed the academic way in which it was written. It is much like a field notebook or journal, with footnotes, though I admit that I enjoyed the fantastical elements just as much.” Edwin explained, relieved and glad that he had managed to choose something that Thomas seemed interested in.
“How about I buy you yours and you buy me mine, kind of like a little first date gift exchange?” Thomas suggested.
“That sounds like an excellent idea to me.” Edwin agreed.
They looked around for a little while longer, both Edwin and Thomas taking a prolonged moment to look around the gift section that was filled with puzzles, cards, note books, pen and pencil sets and the like. Outside of dedicated stationery stores, places like book shops always seemed to have the best things on display. He dared anyone to find him something better than a Flametree or Paperblanks notebook that wasn't handmade by an obscure small business online.
While Thomas' back was turned, he grabbed a small bookmark covered in rather beautiful illustrations of fairies and ended in a nice quality piece of ribbon. The perfect thing for him to use while reading his new book, Edwin thought.
Once they had left the store and Edwin had handed it over with the book, Thomas' eyes lit up in a way that Edwin hadn't expected. It was yet another thing that made his heart speed up. Goodness.
“Thanks.” Thomas smiled again, and was that a blush that Edwin could see?
“I thought it fitting for the choice of book.” he said, mentally patting himself on the back for the decision to get something extra, even though it was small.
“You thought right,” Thomas began before turning to teasing again. “and we both know how much you like being right.”
That brought a chuckle out of Edwin.
“Who doesn't?” he replied.
They continued their afternoon of hopping from store to store, admiring the different displays and occasionally making fun of cheesy book descriptions or covers. It was fun, so fun in fact that Edwin was being taken aback time and time again by how easy it was to let himself go around Thomas. He didn't feel like he had to hide or act a certain way, didn't feel like he had to put on a front to impress him or make a good impression.
Thomas just seemed to like him, and he just seemed to like Thomas.
By the time that they left the fifth book shop, they were both tired and pretty hungry, so Thomas gleefully suggested that Edwin allow him to take them to the ice cream shop around the corner that he frequented.
It was a hole in the wall sort of place, with a blue and white striped canopy and bunting across the store front. The inside only had two tables and one booth, with cream coloured tables and blue seats.
“They certainly have distinct branding.” Edwin commented as they passed the threshold.
“Gotta stand out with all those other places monopolising pink and yellow, right? Mix it up a bit, keep things interesting.” Thomas joked.
“You certainly seem the type to enjoy keeping things interesting.” Edwin teased.
“Of course, I've gotta keep your attention, right?” Thomas joked back, although oddly, there seemed to be a little less humour in those words than there had been before.
“Well, you certainly have nothing to worry about on that front.” Edwin reassured, though he kept an overall jovial tone. “You have most definitely captured my attention, and quite completely I might add.”
“Good to know.” Thomas smiled and turned his gaze towards the colourful array of ice cream flavours behind the spotless glass cabinet. “Oh shit, they have Jammy dodger.” he half-whispered in excitement.
“Jammy dodger?” Edwin asked, stepping closer with curiosity.
“Yeah, the ice cream itself tastes like the cookie part and it had the jam mixed in like it is with raspberry ripple.” Thomas was practically pressing his nose against the glass as he explained. “Oh my gosh and Cornish clotted cream...”
“May we get a double-scoop with one jammy dodger and one Cornish clotted cream, and another with two scoops of honeycomb?” Edwin directed at the girl behind the counter.
She smiled brightly, and twirled her scooper, “Waffle cone or pot?” she asked.
“Cones please.” Edwin replied.
“Good choice!” she exclaimed. “I always get the cone, too, that way you can eat the whole thing.”
She wasted no time in fetching them their order and ringing them up. Edwin paid of course, citing that it was him who asked Thomas out and therefore it was him who should pay for any food and drinks.
“I'll just have to ask you out for the next one, then.” Thomas winked and then took a careful lick of the Cornish clotted cream from the top of his cone.
The vision was practically sinful, and the pleased little noise that he made was even more so.
They sat in the booth by the front window as they finished up, discussing the different shops and what they had seen while they were there. And, to Edwin's delight, discussed the sorts of things that they both might be interested in doing on future dates.
By the time that they were done, and they had nothing more planned for the rest of the day, Edwin found that he really didn't want it to end. He wished that they had more time, that he had planned to carry their excursion right on through to dinner time. He didn't want to say goodbye.
“I kind of don't want this to end. Does that sound cheesy?” Thomas asked, turning to Edwin as they walked back towards the university campus together.
“I wouldn't worry too much about that; I don't want it to end either.” Edwin replied, offering him an empathetic sort of look. “How far is it to your flat?”
“Inviting yourself over already?” Thomas made a show of sounding shocked and gasping with a hand over his mouth. “Mr Payne, a lady should never be expected to put out on the first date.”
“Come now, you know that is not what I meant.” Edwin protested, cheeks aflame the moment he realised what Thomas was insinuating. “I merely wondered whether it would be feasible for me to walk you to your door.”
“Oh...” it was Thomas' turn to blush, and what a wonderful sight to witness. “I'd like that… It's just two blocks from the university, just around the corner from that sandwich shop.” he said, looking away as though it might cover for the fact that he was still rather flushed.
“Not too far then.” Edwin smiled, graciously pretending not to notice. “That is actually on the way to my own flat, so it's hardly out of the way.”
“We better make the most of it then.” Thomas brightened and looped his arm through Edwin's as they walked, pressing against his side.
The short walk was largely consumed by pleasant conversation that barely managed to distract Edwin from hyper-focusing on all the points where he could feel Thomas' warmth. He was experiencing so many things with this man that he was otherwise unaccustomed to. It was likely something that he would be harping on in his inner thoughts for quite some time (at least whatever amount of time it took for him to get used to it, which he did not expect to be small). This casual touch was something he would have expected himself to be uncomfortable with, but when it was Thomas, he found that instead of discomfort, he only felt assured by his presence.
Perhaps it was odd to feel assured by someone who he had met not that long ago and had only interacted with in person on two different occasions, but it wasn't as though he could control the way he felt. Perhaps it simply spoke to the chemistry that they shared, that Edwin could feel so at ease so early on.
Once they made it to the block of flats where Thomas resided, Edwin felt a small sinking sensation. He was undoubtedly disappointed that they had reached the location of their parting. Thomas hesitated to un-loop their arms and pull away from Edwin. It was a comfort to know that he was just as reluctant as Edwin.
“Well, this is me...” he said, moving back towards the steps to the entrance, though he was still facing Edwin and hadn't moved too far.
“It would seem that it is time for our first date to draw to a close.” Edwin fidgeted a little bit as he stood there, not wanting to be the first one to say goodbye or to walk away.
“You know, I may not put out on the first date… but a kiss would be nice.” Thomas broke the little bubble of silence that had started to form between them, looking up at Edwin rather coyly from under his lashes, biting his lower lip in a way that he must have known was enticing.
“That would be nice.” Edwin agreed.
“Then... Can I kiss you, Edwin?” Thomas asked, leaning subtly closer.
“Yes,” Edwin breathed, unable to prevent his eyes from darting down to Thomas' lips as he closed the distance.
When their lips finally met, it was soft and warm and gentle in the way that every good first kiss should be. They moved together slowly, savouring the sensation of each other without the need to delve deeper, despite the knowledge that greater depths were available for them both to explore should they so desire. It was everything that it needed to be, everything that either of them wanted it to be.
When the finally pulled back, both of them eventually feeling the need for air, they gazed at each other with a renewed fascination and an underlying hunger that waited patiently for when they would choose to indulge it.
“That was...” Edwin trailed off, not entirely certain how to finish his sentence. How could he sum up what that had felt like? How could anyone hope to sum up what it felt like to kiss and be kissed by Thomas King?
“Yeah… the feeling's mutual...” Thomas replied, just as happily dazed as Edwin.
A moment passed between them before Thomas leaned up again to place a quick peck to Edwin's lips before moving backwards up the four steps to his building. “Text me when you get back?” he grinned when he reached the top step.
“Of course.”
Thomas grinned as he went up to his door and buzzed himself in, blowing Edwin a kiss before going inside. Edwin didn't realise just how widely he had been smiling until he was almost half way back down the street and hadn't stopped.