Chapter 1: Straight Out of a Rom-Com
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.
Chapter 2: Skating Date
Summary:
Just what it says on the tin! Thomas and Edwin go on a spontaneous date to their local ice skating rink. Niko is very much rooting for them!
Notes:
Thank you so much ArtemisAdore for the graphic of their text conversation! It's so awesome! <3
and Thank you Alix for beta reading this fic for me! You've been an absolute trooper with how you powered through so much of my google doc!
Chapter Text
(graphic by Artemis Adore)
The following day, Edwin was practically buzzing to get over to Charles, Crystal and Niko's place. There was no way that he would be able to keep his first date to himself for any real length of time. He usually didn't like sharing too much about his private life, but he couldn't deny that he was excited to share everything with Niko when he got there.
He had texted Thomas the moment he had gotten back to his flat the night before and they had texted back and forth for several hours before Edwin could no longer keep his eyes open and had fallen asleep. He could very safely say that he had never felt this way before. Perhaps he should have been scared by that, but he wasn't, he was excited by it. A marvel. He had even texted him good morning when he had woken up, and had gotten an almost instant reply.
When he arrived at his friends' shared flat, they quickly buzzed him up and it only took a few minutes to get to their place. The door was, of course, immediately opened before he even had the opportunity to knock.
“Well hello to you as well.” He stifled a chuckle when he was greeted with Niko's overexcited expression.
“Edwin, you have to tell us everything!” she said, practically vibrating where she stood. “Charles and Crystal are getting the snacks, but we can talk on the sofa!”
“Tell us everything about what?” Crystal asked, poking her head around the corner from the kitchen.
“His first date yesterday, silly!” Niko exclaimed, turning to Crystal.
Edwin stepped inside and closed the door behind him, endeared as always by his friend's bright personality. He quickly removed his shoes and made his way into the living room with the girls.
“Oh shit, that's right.” Crystal smirked at him as they all sat. “So~ How did it go?” he had been expecting the teasing, but he didn't mind it as much as he expected. “Did he sweep you off your feet? Was it magical ?”
“It was very nice,” Edwin replied, smiling as he recalled it. “We went to several book stores and each picked a book for the other to read, and then we went for ice cream.”
“Oh my goodness! That's so cute!” Niko all but squealed. “Did you kiss?”
Edwin felt himself blushing and already knew that neither Niko nor Crystal would be letting him live it down.
“Holy shit, you actually did it! Come on, spill the details! Was it good?” Crystal teased him, lowering her voice into a suggestive tone at the end.
“It… was perfect.” Edwin felt shy all of a sudden. “I walked him back to his flat and he kissed me goodbye.”
“Kissed you on the first date, did he?” Charles entered the room with a platter of snacks and placed it down on the coffee table before perching on the arm of the sofa, next to Crystal. “The bloke can't keep his hands to himself.”
“I'll have you know, it was perfectly chaste. He asked me beforehand and I said yes. I wouldn't change a single thing about the day; it was lovely.” Edwin could feel himself blushing again and quickly realised that he may have to get used to it as things continued with Thomas.
“Charles, you kissed me on the first date.” Crystal pointed out, giving Charles an odd look.
“Yeah, well, that's different, innit?” Charles didn't seem to see a single flaw in his line of thinking. “I'm not… like that. ” he certainly seemed to think that he was elaborating.
“Like what?” Edwin asked, and the three of them waited.
“You know, like that .” He repeated, looking between them all a little helplessly as they gave him blank expressions. “Like, he's got a bad reputation, doesn't he? He's always sleeping around with anything that moves, hooking up at parties, making out with random people… he's just not the kind of guy you date .”
“Clearly he is or I wouldn't be dating him.” Edwin arched an eyebrow. “Besides, I really think that as long as I am the only person that he is dating currently, there is no need for me to hold his past against him.”
“He was single all those times though!” Niko pitched in, wanting to help Edwin to defend his new romantic interest. “from what I've seen.”
“That's true.” Crystal nodded. “Who cares if he had sex with a hundred people or whatever, as long as he's serious about Edwin.” she shrugged.
Charles held his hands up in surrender. “I was just looking out for you, that's all, mate.” he directed at Edwin.
“Really Charles, I do appreciate it, but there is no need in this instance.” Edwin replied with a sigh. He loved his best friend, but he could be a little overprotective sometimes. “We have only been on one date, and it went exceedingly well. I like him and I enjoy his company, therefore, I shall be opting to continue seeing him.”
“I know you can handle yourself, mate, but… just promise you'll tell us if something happens, yeah?” Charles asked, looking imploringly at Edwin. If he couldn't convince Edwin to do what he considered to be the right thing and dump Thomas, then he could at least be the first one to offer up his bat when things inevitably went down the toilet.
“ If something happens, which I am certain it will not, then I will not keep it from any of you.” Edwin confirmed, though he didn't bother to hide his exasperation.
“Alright! Now that's covered, we should get our movies sorted out for the marathon!” Niko clapped her hands together and then bounced over to the TV to sift through their options.
Edwin was thankful for the diversion.
-----
It did not take long for Thomas to get in touch with Edwin about organising their second date. In fact, it only took him two days. It was a rather spontaneous turn of events, Thomas having simply texted him to ask if he was currently busy before springing the idea on him.
You busy?
- Thomas
Not particularly… why?
-Edwin
Wanna go skating?
-Thomas
Skating? On the ice? I'll be honest, I hadn't even realised that there was a rink in the area.
-Edwin
I just found one on google and now I really wanna go with you.
- Thomas
…
Well, I suppose that it could be fun.
-Edwin
I'll pick you up in ten and text you when I'm outside. Wear something cute ;)
-Thomas
Please know that I am rolling my eyes.
See you soon
- Edwin
Edwin plugged his phone in to charge and went over to his wardrobe. He was certainly tempted to just wear what he had on already, but Thomas' request had him throwing on a dark blue knit faux-neck jumper, dark jeans and his usual pair of lace-up boots (there was no point in wearing nice shoes when he would spend the majority of the time in rented skates).
Those ten minutes passed by quicker than expected and soon enough Thomas was texting him that he was outside. Edwin grabbed his wallet, keys and phone, and if he happened to check himself out one last time before he left, then that was between him and the mirror on the back of his wardrobe door.
When he got outside, he was greeted with Thomas waiting right outside of the entrance. He was wearing a pair of light-wash jeans and a pale grey hoodie, and a well-looked-after pair of trainers. It was significantly dressed down in comparison to what he usually wore around their campus, but it suited him (as Edwin imagined that pretty much anything would suit him). He was leaning against the door of a dark teal Fiat 500 with a white interior. It was a typical first car for a lot of people their age, but something about Thomas King, specifically being the one to drive one, was kind of novel.
“Don't you dare laugh, this is my first car and I bought it with my own money.” Thomas said, presumably having read Edwin's expression.
“I am not laughing. It may be a more typical choice than I had expected of you, but it is perfectly acceptable.” Edwin defended himself, primly.
“That is the most British way you could have possibly said that.” Thomas could scarcely hold back his smile as he circled around to the driver's seat and opened the door. “Come on, let's go!”
Edwin huffed with a smile of his own and got in. Thomas started up the engine and with belts buckled, they headed for the ice rink.
-----
Upon their arrival, that car park was mostly empty, save for a few cars dotted around and a stray bicycle or two. It was mid-afternoon and the middle of the week, likely meaning that the majority of families that may have otherwise been there were at work and their kids were in school. The perfect time for an ice skating date.
When they headed inside, Thomas managed to pay for the rental skates before Edwin had the chance and simply grinned as he took them from the till assistant who handed them over the counter.
“What?” he asked. “Don't look at me like that. I was the one who asked you out, so I'm the one who's paying.” he reasoned.
“While I do respect that method, I personally prefer to pay my own way where I can.” Edwin replied, taking his own pair of skates from Thomas.
“Fine, fine, then you better ask me out for the next one and then you can pay if you want.” Thomas had not stopped smiling the whole time and Edwin was almost tempted to warn him of that, should the wind change direction, his face would be stuck like that forever.
Instead, they just headed over to the entrance to the rink where there were benches lining the outside and exchanged their boots for the skates. Thomas found himself staring as Edwin did up the laces of the skates tightly, methodically, as though he had definitely done so before. Thomas looked down at his own skates, half done-up and did his best to copy the way that Edwin had done it.
“You'll find it harder if they're not tight enough.” Edwin said.
“What?” Thomas looked up from his task only to find that Edwin was done and was watching him.
“Here,” Edwin shuffled towards Thomas on the bench. “Let me.”
Without another word, he took over the job, loosening the laces at the bottom and tightening them up where they needed to be. Thomas watched silently as Edwin tied his laces for him and then looked at him as though he hadn't just been doing something straight out of a rom-com.
“Thanks.” Thomas said in a small voice, feeling the tell-tale heat in his cheeks that meant that he was blushing.
“You are most welcome.” Edwin stood and offered Thomas his hand.
Thomas took it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, wobbling a bit as he attempted to walk across the textured floor to the entrance of the rink. One step at a time. He wondered to himself why he was starting to feel so nervous when he had been the one to invite Edwin out on this spontaneous date.
Edwin smiled at him reassuringly as they stepped out onto the ice and he even let out a little chuckle when Thomas immediately flailed and clung onto the side barrier. His unfairly charming date glared at him with betrayal as he skated around a bit – without leaving their bubble of personal space – and then settled back in front of Thomas with a smug expression.
“You know how to skate!” Thomas exclaimed in an accusatory tone.
“I never claimed anything to the contrary.” Edwin shrugged with a playful little smirk. So he was showing off a little, so what? It was nice to be able to just be good at something unexpected and not have the other person get weird about it.
“This sucks!” Thomas lamented.
“Why does it suck?” Edwin was trying not to find his dramatics too amusing, but was failing rather spectacularly.
“Because!” Thomas started, letting go of the barrier in order to gesticulate before sorely regretting it as he flailed again and was forced to grab a hold of the barrier once more. “You're gliding around like a swan and I'm gracelessly wobbling about like a baby deer.” he complained, just as soon as he had righted himself.
“Why on earth did you suggest skating if you didn't know how?” Edwin was fully smiling at that point and even snickering under his breath.
“I don't know! I just thought it would be fun!” Thomas replied, though he was starting to laugh through his protestations.
“Take my hands.” Edwin said, keeping himself steady as he held both of his arms out in front of him.
Thomas seemed dubious about it for a moment, as though maybe he expected Edwin to drop him on purpose the moment that he let go of the barrier, but then he looked at him a second longer and his expression changed to resolution. He took a breath and let go, propelling himself forwards slightly and fumbling before grabbing a hold of Edwin's arms. The impact of them colliding sent Edwin backwards, though he didn't fall, even as they spun a couple of times on the ice.
Thomas had his eyes screwed shut the entire time and Edwin couldn't help but find it entirely charming. He watched as they slowly stopped spinning and moving back and Thomas slowly opened his eyes, still clutching on to Edwin for dear life. And then he started laughing, well more like giggling.
“You didn't let go!” He said, through mounting giggles.
“Of course I didn't!” Edwin responded indignantly. “Why would I ever let go?”
“I thought for sure I'd end up on my ass.” Thomas looked up at Edwin, drawing himself closer as he did so and in that exact moment, Edwin was struck.
Thomas really was beautiful when he was laughing. It was that genuine look of joy, of mirth, the way the laughter made his eyes shine. Even if everything else in the day had been horrible up that point, this moment would have made it all worth it. Edwin wasn't usually someone who was spontaneous with his plans. He liked to be prepared and to know what to expect, even if it was also true that he was good at thinking of things on the fly, but he was so incredibly glad that he had gone outside of his comfort zone and said yes to Thomas' invitation.
Without over-thinking it, he leaned down and pressed a soft, fleeting kiss to Thomas' lips. Thomas blinked up at him in surprise, and the only regret that Edwin felt in that moment was that it had caused him to stop laughing.
“What was that for?” Thomas asked quietly.
Edwin decided to be honest. “You are extremely beautiful when you laugh.”
In response, Thomas considered him for any sign that he might have been untruthful, but when he found only sincerity, he moved one hand up to bring Edwin back in so that he could kiss him again. Edwin used his free arm to wrap around Thomas' waist, so that neither of them would lose their balance.
When they eventually pulled back, Edwin took a steadying breath, fully taking in the way that he felt, letting it wash through him and settle into his heart. Then, he took Thomas' hands properly in his own, linking their fingers together and started skating backwards again, guiding Thomas along with him.
There was a brief moment where Thomas looked like he thought he would fall, but with Edwin's steady hands leading him, he quickly found his footing. Before long, he was skating rather comfortably around the rink, with Edwin at his side rather than skating backwards ahead of him (though at no point did either of them choose to let go of the other's hand).
“I'm really glad that I asked you out today.” Thomas said, several hours later as they were leaving the rink.
Edwin, who had just held the door open for him on their way out, smiled and said; “I am really glad that I said yes.”
The drive back to Edwin's flat was spent listening to one of Thomas' many curated playlists as he sang along to them slightly out of key. It was so endearing that it might have been the only time that Edwin could say with his whole chest that he had enjoyed pop music. He had simply watched Thomas as he drove and committed the journey to memory. As far as second dates went, this one was pretty perfect.
Once again, he felt reluctant to let the date end, felt the need to try and prolong it for as long as he could. But, alas, the drive back to the flat was fairly short and it would likely be impractical for him to invite Thomas upstairs given that they both had university to worry about the following morning. It wasn't all that late, granted, but he knew that if he spent any more time alone with Thomas then he would be able to focus on nothing else for the rest of the evening.
He would be lucky if his mind wasn't already completely preoccupied when he got inside.
So, he simply leaned over the centre console of the car and kissed Thomas on the cheek. “You're such a tease~” Thomas had murmured to him, just as he had pulled back and climbed out to walk back up to the front entrance.
Edwin watched as Thomas blew him a kiss and winked in a most exaggerated manner before finally pulling away.
Edwin sighed happily and went back up to his flat.
-----
The next week saw them both frustratingly busy with university work. It was getting closer and closer to the time when they would have to think about submitting their dissertations and wrapping up their final major projects. Summer was right on the horizon.
However, that didn't mean that they hadn't made the time to meet up. They had taken to sharing their lunch breaks whenever they could, 'cute little lunch dates', Niko had called them when Edwin had told her about them.
That day, a Thursday, was one of the times when Niko was able to take her lunch break at the same time as well, and she had all but begged for Edwin to finally introduce her to his new boyfriend. Edwin had blushed a brilliant shade of red when she had referred to them as such. He hadn't thought about it, but he supposed that that was exactly what they were. It was nice, having someone that he could call a boyfriend, and he was glad that that person was Thomas.
Niko had met him outside of his class with a gleeful look on her face. She was wearing all pink – one of her many meticulously planned outfits – and that surely meant that she was in the mood for a little romance (read: happily accompanying Edwin as he met up with his boyfriend). He was actually very much looking forward to the two of them meeting officially for the first time.
Sure, they had seen each other in passing at house parties and while clubbing, but this would be their first introduction with the context of their respective relationships to Edwin. It was sort of exciting. His dear friend and the person that he was now seeing romantically. If he had a certain pep in his step on the way down to the cafeteria, then Niko definitely noticed, though she opted not to say anything, just smiled at him knowingly.
When they walked in, Thomas had already grabbed them a table by the window. They all tended to bring their own lunch, though Edwin had stopped – as he did nearly every lunch break – to order himself an Earl Grey tea from the counter before walking over. Thomas had waved enthusiastically as they approached and the moment that Edwin had placed his takeaway cup safely on the table, Thomas had leant up and kissed him on the cheek before sinking back down in his seat with a cheeky grin.
Niko did a little squeal and sat down next to Edwin at the end of the table. “You guys are so cute!” she exclaimed.
“Thomas, this is one of my closest friends, Niko. Niko, this is Thomas… my boyfriend.” it was as the words left his mouth that he abruptly realised that they had never talked about labels. They had never actually made it official during any of the times that they had met up, but Edwin had just assumed.
His eyes darted to Thomas in a mild panic and saw that his whole face was blushing from the tips of his ears, all the way down his neck. But most importantly, he was smiling, biting his lower lip in a way that was unfairly tantalising.
“Nice to meet you, Niko.” Thomas said, unable to keep the grin off of his face.
“So~ what's it like being Edwin's boyfriend?” she asked, leaning her elbows on the table and her chin against the top of her folded hands.
“Being Edwin's boyfriend , is pretty fucking great, thanks.” Thomas was still grinning, his tone dripping with how pleased he was at this little development.
Edwin took a sip of his tea to hide the blush that he was sure that he was also sporting at this point. He could not believe that he had just done that, but he was hugely relieved that it had gone over well. Thomas was his boyfriend, officially. He took another sip of his tea, this time to hide his smile.
“Edwin told me all about how you guys met!” Niko said excitedly, “It was so romantic, like something straight out of a rom-com!”
“No kidding!” Thomas agreed, causing Edwin's cheeks to warm even more than they already had. “I really feel like I've been living in a rom-com. Always knew I was a main character.” he added the last part in jest.
Niko giggled, “You guys should give it a year and then totally pitch your relationship to Netflix or something.”
“No way,” Thomas laughed. “If we did that, it'd never get a second season and I'd like it to last a little longer than that.”
“More than a little, I'd hope.” Edwin said, placing his cup back down on the table.
Thomas just looked at him fondly for a prolonged moment.
“So cute!” Niko half-whispered before ducking to the side and pulling out a meticulously prepared bento from her backpack. It was in a three-tiered box, the top filled with egg rolls, and three small onigiri, the second containing mixed vegetables and some little sausages in a separate compartment that had been cut to look like little octopi, and the third contained a small selection of mochi. She pulled them apart neatly and brandished her Hello Kitty chopsticks with a click, click .
“Alright, leave us to our peasant lunches.” Thomas chuckled, impressed, as he presented a regular chicken salad sub, a packet of tropical skittles and a capri-sun.
“Speak for yourself.” Edwin said, taking out another well-prepared lunch, this time of two kinds of miniature sandwiches that were cut neatly into perfect triangles, a selection of chopped veggies and a little pot of strawberries and apple slices.
Thomas looked between them, forlorn. “You guys are gonna live so much longer than me...Edwin, give me a strawberry?” he asked the question in a fake cutesy voice that made Edwin proud of himself for not cringing.
“No.” he replied.
“Pretty please? I'll let you have a sip of my capri-sun~” Thomas tried again, batting his lashes.
“...give me all your pineapple skittles.” Edwin countered.
“ All of them?” Thomas looked at him aghast, but as silence stretched between them, he eventually relented. “Alright, I'll give them to you, but you have to feed me the strawberry.”
Edwin sighed and rolled his eyes, but he took out a strawberry from the pot and held it out across the table, the back of it caught between his thumb and forefinger. Thomas looked like the cat that got the cream as he leaned over and took it in his mouth, making a show of quickly licking Edwin's fingers as he did so.
At Edwin's shocked gasp, Thomas sat back in his seat and gleefully savoured his strawberry while his boyfriend wiped his hand with a napkin and rummaged around in his bag for hand sanitizer.
“Well I never...” Edwin muttered, causing Thomas' grin to widen.
When Edwin was done, he was met with Thomas' outstretched palm, containing six pineapple skittles. Edwin took them with a grumble, the terms of their barter having been fulfilled.
They chatted and joked around together as they ate their lunch and Edwin felt an immense happiness at the sight of his boyfriend and one of his best friends getting along so swimmingly. It was almost like they had been friends for years, the way they instantly got along and it filled him with hope that it would go even half as well with Crystal and Charles later down the line.
He was excited by the prospect of them getting to know Thomas and the prospect of Thomas becoming a permanent part of their group. Things were still relatively new, of course, but Edwin didn't do things half-heartedly, least of all relationships and especially not this one.
“Oh, Thomas, you must make yourself free this coming Saturday.” Edwin said, just as they were finishing up. They only had a few more minutes left of their respective lunch breaks.
“I must make myself free? Oh~ What for? Is it sexy ?” Thomas drawled in a way that was blatantly exaggerated, but caused Edwin's stomach to flip nonetheless.
“That depends,” he replied, “How sexy do you find the Natural History Museum?”
“Are you kidding? That's like the third sexiest place I've ever been.” Thomas joked, very much enjoying the way that Edwin affectionately rolled his eyes.
“Excellent.” He replied. “I will meet you outside of your flat at eleven AM if that is amenable to you?”
“Can't wait.” Thomas smiled sweetly, “You can tell me all about your favourite bits and then we can spend way too much time in the dinosaur section looking at bones.”
“That is the best part, after all.” Edwin smiled back.
“You guys are seriously so cute!” Niko commented, causing both of them to remember her presence. She had been watching them make their plans with a sappy, highly entertained expression.
“Maybe next time we can all go together.” Edwin suggested.
“I'd say I don't wanna be a third wheel, but that would be a lie! You guys are like, living a total rom-com plot right now and I would so love to be a fly on the wall.” she said with a giggle.
“It'd be fun. First one's a date, second one's a group outing.” Thomas agreed, “Besides, you need more than a day to see the entire Natural History Museum.”
“Right you are, Thomas.” Edwin nodded “Perhaps with a group, we will be more inclined to look beyond the Mesozoic era.”
“No guarantees.” Niko grinned. “I gotta get myself one of those little stone diplodocuses from the gift shop.”
Before they could talk much longer, it was time for them to go their separate ways. The lunch period always seemed to go so much faster when Edwin spent it with Thomas, and faster still when Niko was there too. He supposed the old adage was true; time really did fly when you were having fun.
Chapter 3: Meeting the In-Laws
Summary:
Edwin and Thomas embark on their museum date and then convene with Edwin's friends for movie night.
Notes:
Thank you, Artemis, for the lovely moodboard and graphics!! And thank you to Alix, my lovely beta <3
Chapter Text
When Saturday rolled around, the weather was none too ideal. It was significantly rainier than had been indicated by the forecast the previous afternoon. If there was one thing that could be expected of British weather, it was that it was unpredictable, sunny one moment and raining the next. Thankfully it wasn't all that bad, just a light drizzle (though that didn't mean that it wouldn't get any worse as the day progressed).
Edwin dressed accordingly in a button-down and a dark green sweater vest, dark trousers and his usual pair of boots. He was just thinking about how he wanted to look good, but not like he was trying too hard, when it struck him; since when had he held any concern for such things? He shook his head to rid himself of such useless thoughts and grabbed his coat and umbrella before heading out.
Thankfully it wasn't windy outside, or the umbrella would be useless. He preferred them over raincoats, if only for the sound of the pitter-patter of raindrops against the clear plastic.
When he finally arrived outside of Thomas' block of flats, he didn't even have to text him that he was there. Thomas was already standing outside, safely tucked under the canopy of the entrance that stuck out over the doorway. The moment that he saw Edwin, he perked up and waved.
He was wearing a purple raincoat over a black sweater and cuffed light-wash denim jeans with that same pair of black combat boots that he seemed to favour. He had on a simple gold chain necklace and a single dangling earring that matched. It was so effortless, and yet, Edwin could tell that he had thought about it the way that he always did.
Edwin smiled up at him and watched as he bounded down the front steps only to jump the last one and land directly in front of him with a cheeky grin.
Good heavens, he was beautiful.
“Hey~” he said, clearly unbothered by the less than ideal weather conditions.
“Good morning, Thomas.” Edwin greeted in return, his own spirits lifted by the other's presence. “Ready to peruse the skeletons?”
“You bet your fantastic ass, I am.” Thomas winked and Edwin flushed, unable to respond to such a statement with anything ineligible.
Thomas just smiled even more broadly and looped his arm through Edwin's, leaning against his shoulder so that he fit under the umbrella as well.
It didn't take them long to get to the station and then it was a short train ride into central London to get to the museum. Luckily, they had managed to snag a couple of seats and Thomas had shared his ear buds with Edwin to pass the time. He was pleasantly surprised to find that he had a liking for Bowie.
Once they were inside, they were instantly hit with the magnitude of the place, the large escalator going up the middle of the lobby through a giant meteor. They really didn't pull any stops when it came to organising their displays. Thomas immediately looked to Edwin with an excited look on his face, and he knew that they would be lost to prehistoric reptiles for the vast majority of their date. Not that it was something that bothered him, though, on the contrary; he loved the enthusiasm.
Edwin allowed himself to be practically dragged over to the escalator and enjoyed the experience of going up through the space scene, past bits of meteor and fire until they got up through the centre of the main structure.
There was so much to explore and so many different routes to take through the exhibits that they would never be able to cover it in a single day, but that didn't mean that they weren't going to do their absolute level best.
They did, in fact, spend an inordinate amount of time looking at the dinosaurs and making a point to read every single one of the little plaques that were dotted around the area by each different thing. It was unbelievably fun to go through the place with someone who seemed just as eager to take in everything that it had to offer. They even ended up playing along with the interactive parts like the shutter games and the colourful little wooden doors in one of the walls that each hid a different dinosaur fact behind it.
Edwin wasn't usually one to have his phone out during social outings, but he couldn't suppress the urge to chronicle some of their date with candid photographs of Thomas looking up at the hanging dinosaur skeletons in wonderment or excitedly looking at the crystal and gemstone displays in the geology section.
Once Thomas noticed that this was happening, however, he grabbed the phone from Edwin's hand and switched it to the front camera before pressing himself close to Edwin's side and snapping a few selfies. He did this again with his own phone, smacking a kiss against Edwin's cheek for one of them, an action which left Edwin thoroughly flustered for a good long while.
As they continued on through the different exhibits, it was easy to lose track of time, whiling away the hours between space photography and skeletons and the coolest rocks either of them had ever seen.
“Okay, okay, one stop at the dinosaur gift shop and then we can move on, I promise.” Thomas said, gesturing to the small shop with the glaringly obvious ' Jurassic Park ' signage.
“Alright, I won't deny that it intrigues me as well.” Edwin agreed, following Thomas through the archway.
Inside was a vast array of merchandise for the museum, and wall-to-wall displays of dinosaur-themed gifts that ranged from figures, to books, to key chains, to plushies, to little statues made of stone.
“Look at this!” Thomas turned to Edwin, brandishing a green metal ruler that was topped with the head of a triceratops.
Edwin hid his chuckle behind his hand and picked up one of the little stone statues, just big enough to use as a paperweight. “I think this might be what Niko was referencing.” he said.
“You should get her one.” Thomas suggested, “that way she won't feel too left out.”
Edwin smiled warmly at that. It meant a great deal to him that Thomas got along well with Niko, and that the two of them seemed to enjoy each other's company so far. It was thoughtful of him to suggest bringing her a souvenir. “I think I shall.” Edwin replied.
They looked around for a while, pointing out interesting trinkets to each other as they went. In the end, they left with matching metal key chains that had dinosaurs etched into them with the museum logo (a keepsake for both of them to remember the day by, as Thomas had put it), one of the museum t-shirts for Thomas and a little stone diplodocus to take back for Niko.
It was as they were leaving the gift shop that Edwin realised what time it was, getting well into the late afternoon.
“Good heavens, there's only a couple of hours to spare before I am to be meeting my friends for a movie night.” he said, suddenly worried about getting back on time.
“Time flies, right?” Thomas smiled, though he seemed a little disappointed that this was going to mean the end of their date.
Edwin could definitely empathise with that feeling.
“Why don't you come with me?” Edwin said, suddenly. “There will be takeaway, Niko will be there and you could meet Charles and Crystal as well.”
Thomas blinked at him a couple of times, taken aback by the offer. “Are you sure I won't be intruding?” he asked.
“Of course not!” Edwin answered, offended by the mere notion that Thomas wouldn't be welcome in this part of his life. “I will text them about it now.”
I would like to bring Thomas along with me to the movie night.
-Edwin
OMG YAY! Yes! Bring him!
- Niko
Seriously? Haven't you only been on two dates?
- Charles
Be nice! Thomas is really cool!
- Niko
Three dates, actually. We are just leaving the Natural History Museum.
- Edwin
Oooh~ Third date, you know what that means!
- Crystal's
????
- Edwin
Crystal, leave him alone, he doesn't know what that means!!
- Charles
What does that mean?
- Edwin
DO NOT tell him!!
- Charles
I'm gonna tell him!
- Crystal
DO NOT!!!
- Charles
DMing him as we speak
- Crystal
What are you on about? This is ridiculous.
- Edwin
Guys stop! This is about Thomas coming to movie night, which I 100% approve of!
- Niko
Thank you, Niko.
- Edwin
I don't want him there.
- Charles
Why not? You better have a real reason this time.
- Crystal
I just don't! He's shifty!
- Charles
He is not shifty, Charles. He is perfectly nice and he is my boyfriend. You will have to learn to let go of your preconceived notions and accept him eventually because he is a part of my life.
- Edwin
Thomas is really nice and he really likes Edwin! Just give him a chance!
- Niko
“What are they saying? They don't want me there, huh?” Thomas said, watching as Edwin's face became more and more irritated.
Edwin sighed and looked up from his phone. “It is just Charles. He has been my best friend for a very long time and he is a bit… overprotective.” he explained with a wince. “The girls seem to approve though.”
“That's good?” Thomas replied like it was a question.
“There was also some implication about third dates that has gone completely over my head and no one is explaining it.” Edwin frowned.
“Oh!” Thomas giggled. “It's nothing crazy. There's this old idea that people put out – or have sex – on the third date. It's pretty antiquated, honestly. I don't know anyone who actually uses that as a rule.” he shrugged.
“Oh...” Edwin could feel his face turning red as his mind was rapidly filled with a very specific set of imagined things.
“They're just teasing you. In reality, there's no real timeline for that. It's different for everyone.” Thomas tried to reassure him, not knowing the kind of thoughts that were currently swimming around Edwin's head.
Thomas told me what three dates means. Do grow up.
- Edwin
hahahahahaha
- Crystal
He better not be expecting anything!
- Charles
He is not expecting anything. I am bringing him with me to movie night and you are going to be civil about it.
- Edwin
Yay!
- Niko
Yes! Bring him!
- Crystal
Fine.
- Charles
Edwin put his phone back into his pocket and turned to Thomas. “Ready to brave the rain?” he asked.
“As long as I can get under your umbrella again.” Thomas gently knocked into Edwin's side as they walked towards the exit.
It was something that Edwin might have considered irritating or an invasion of space from someone else, but he found that he really didn't mind when it came to Thomas. If anything, he actually enjoyed that he wasn't shy about initiating physical affection or contact. It had always been something that Edwin struggled with, initiating things, but something about Thomas had him wanting to accept what was being offered, and wanting to draw closer to Thomas on his own as well.
As they stepped out of the door, Edwin put up his umbrella and leaned it so that it was covering more of Thomas than himself as his boyfriend once again tucked against his side. The brisk walk to the train station was spent with Edwin fighting the dumb smile from his face and enjoying the warmth that seeped through his coat and into his skin where Thomas leaned into him.
-----
When they arrived at Crystal, Charles, and Niko's shared flat, it was ten minutes later than when Edwin would usually arrive for movie nights. Usually, getting held up would bother Edwin (he liked to be punctual), but Thomas hadn't wanted to show up empty-handed, and so they had stopped at a Tesco on the way and bought several large sharing bags of gummy sweets and chocolate.
Edwin barely had the chance to knock before Niko was enthusiastically swinging the door open and greeting them with an excited grin.
“Hi! You're here! Thomas is here, too! Come in!” she exclaimed as she waved them both inside.
“Hello, Niko.” Edwin greeted her back warmly as he stepped inside. “I trust that preparations for the evening's activities are well under way?”
“Of course!” she replied, “Charles is setting up the DVD player and Crystal is microwaving popcorn. I've been organising the snacks into bowls.”
“Well, we got some extras.” Thomas smiled as he followed Edwin inside and passed the bag over to Niko. “Hope they're ones you guys will like.”
“Ooooh! There's Starbursts and Twirl Bites in here!” Niko exclaimed. “Twirls are Charles' favourites.” she said the last part in a stage whisper and then giggled brightly, bouncing into the kitchen with the bag in hand.
From the hallway, Edwin and Thomas could hear Crystal very clearly digging through the bag and triumphantly retrieving the jumbo pack of Rowntree's Randoms with a resounding “Oh, hell yeah!”. They shared a humorous look and Edwin really hoped that it would ease some of Thomas' nervousness about meeting the rest of his friends.
“Well, that went over well.” Edwin smiled.
“Glad I had you giving me advice on what to choose.” Thomas replied with a smile of his own.
“Let's wait in the lounge, shall we?” Edwin suggested, leading Thomas down the hall and over to the living room door, which had been left wide open. It was directly opposite to the entrance to the kitchen.
“Hi Thomas!” Crystal called from behind the counter. Upon looking over, they could see that she had already dug into the bag of Randoms and was pulling out all of the ones that were shaped like crocodiles.
“Hey! Crystal, right? I think I've seen you around.” Thomas said, stepping out from behind Edwin.
“Yeah, I've been to a couple of your parties with Niko and Charles before.” She leaned against the counter as she spoke. “Didn't get to say more than a cursory hi to you, though, you're a man in-demand.” she joked.
“Well, it's nice to meet you all more officially, then,” Thomas responded easily. “To think, I could have met this gorgeous man sooner if I'd only spoken to you for longer one of those nights.” he nudged Edwin with a grin, playing up the act of woe over his missed opportunity.
It paid off the moment that Edwin brought his hand up to cover his mouth as he chuckled quietly. “Really, Thomas. I think that the way that we met was just fine.”
“Yeah, never been so glad to get knocked on my ass and send someone's dissertation flying across the street.” Thomas laughed and Edwin's heart swooped pleasantly at the sound.
“Gross! You two are so gooey!” Crystal complained.
She was distracted from saying more though, when the microwave went off behind her and the smell of fresh popcorn wafted through the apartment as she opened the door. Not one of them could prevent themselves from salivating at the scent.
“Alright, I do believe that is our cue to make our way into the lounge.” Edwin gestured to the right and Thomas stepped inside the room in front of him.
The room was small and cozy, to be expected from a student flat. There was a wide four-seater sofa against the wall to the left of the room, facing the TV with a little wooden coffee table in between. The table was resting on top of a cute oval-shaped rug that was covered in little stripy cats. One of Niko's additions to the place, no doubt.
“Good evening, Charles.” Edwin greeted his best friend with a warm smile. “Having fun?”
Charles was not, in fact, having fun. He was hunched over their old DVD play trying to figure out why it wasn't connecting to the television. He let out a heavy sigh and put it down on the floor.
“Mate, I am having the opposite of fun. DVD player won't connect to the TV properly, will it? I've been at it for at least fifteen minutes and it's driving me up the bloody wall.” Charles dropped his arms to his sides in defeat and huffed.
“Is it on the right extension?” Thomas asked, peering around Edwin, curiously.
“What are you on about?” Charles asked.
“Is the channel switched to the extension that matched the HDMI port on the back of the TV?” he elaborated, moving closer to get a better look. “Maybe it's on the wrong one.”
“No one asked for your opinion.” Charles mumbled.
“There's a lot of cables back here, I'd almost forgotten what it was like before the invention of streaming services.” Thomas joked, pointedly ignoring Charles' remark.
“You can pry the physical media from my cold dead hands.” Edwin walked over to the sofa and grabbed the remote. He pointed it at the telly and brought up the menu. “Which one is it plugged into?”
Thomas walked around Charles and leaned over to get a view of the back of the TV, where all of the cables were plugged in. “Extension four, I think.”
Edwin tried it. “That does not seem to be the correct channel.” Edwin frowned, flicking through the different extension channels before landing back on four again.
“Well, I could have told you that, couldn't I?” Charles picked up the DVD player and put it back on the lowest shelf under the TV stand, attempting to switch it off and on again.
Meanwhile, Thomas pushed a cable into place and suddenly, extension four lit up with a DVD menu screen. He was so, so tempted to be smug, but instead just smiled politely as he walked back to Edwin's side and plopped himself down on the arm of the chair.
“It seems that the issue has been solved.” Edwin said, “Do we have a selection picked out for tonight?”
Charles glared at Thomas from where he was still seated on the floor and Edwin really, really hoped that he would at least try to remain civil. He wanted his friends to like Thomas. He wanted Charles to like Thomas because his opinion was important to Edwin. He just didn't understand where the animosity was coming from.
Never mind. He would simply get Charles used to Thomas' presence via exposure therapy. Edwin would bring his boyfriend along to as many group activities as possible until Charles got used to him. Thomas was good for Edwin; he was nice and fun, and bright, and Edwin knew that Charles would appreciate him if only he would let himself see beyond Thomas' past.
“Yeah, Niko wanted to watch The Cat Returns again and it's her turn to choose the movies, so,” Charles offered a half-shrug and got to his feet just as Crystal came into the room, carrying a large mixing bowl full of popcorn.
“Snacks are ready!” Niko announced as she followed Crystal into the room and they placed their selection on the coffee table.
Niko hurried over to the DVD player and put the disk into the tray before shuffling back to the sofa to snag her usual seat, closest to the door. She liked it because it meant that she got one of the sofa's arm rests all to herself, something that she could hardly be faulted for. Thomas had managed to snag the other side, which meant that Edwin, Crystal and Charles would be relegated to squishing in between them.
Edwin, of course, sat closest to Thomas and Charles sank down on his other side, with Crystal between him and Niko. It was a bit of a tight fit, and it looked like there might be a complaint, but before anyone could say anything, Thomas twisted himself slightly and draped his legs across Edwin's lap, allowing Edwin a little more space. Upon realising what he was trying to do, Edwin shuffled closer and put one arm behind Thomas so that the position would be a little more comfortable.
Thomas offered him a little grin and Edwin could see the subtle blush that had arisen on his boyfriend's cheeks. “This okay?” Thomas asked quietly.
“Of course,” Edwin replied, “it was good thinking.”
“Ugh! You guys are gonna be so insufferable, aren't you?” Crystal teased them with a grin.
“Probably!” Thomas replied cheerfully.
Charles rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, sulkily. Niko just giggled from her end seat and pressed play on the remote. Edwin really wanted to scold him, but he didn't want to cause a disruption. No matter, he could always give Charles a talking to at a later date should he choose to continue with his poor attitude. It was almost humorous to see him so sulky.
Rather than make a fuss, Edwin leaned back into the sofa and relaxed, giving his best effort to concentrate on the whimsical animated movie on the screen and not the warm – almost comforting - pressure of Thomas practically snuggling up against his side. It was nice.
Edwin brought his free hand up to rest on one of Thomas' knees and relaxed further into it, letting himself simply enjoy the presence of his boyfriend and his friends around him, as the Baron and his two trusty companions do their utmost to rescue their new human friend from turning into a cat.
Once the movie has ended, they go about ordering some pizza for dinner and chat while they wait for it to arrive. When it does, it's Charles that gets up to collect it from the delivery guy. Crystal is the one to lean forward and shift the snacks over to the side to make space.
Edwin offers to fetch glasses from the cupboard for their drinks and then returns to his previous position directly after placing the five cups on the table. He was far too comfortable to give up his spot and Thomas certainly didn't seem to mind.
Niko put on her next movie choice (Whisper of the Heart), and they settled in with the pizza and drinks. Edwin was pleasantly surprised by the reappearance of the Baron in this movie as well, though this time he was a statue with sparkling eyes and the subject of the main character's fantasy story.
By the end of the film, all of them were full up and starting to get tired. Thomas was visibly getting sleepy and Edwin found himself with the sudden urge to wrap him up in blankets. The thought struck him with another that followed instantaneously: ' What would it be like to fall asleep next to Thomas?' and then, 'What would it be like to wake up with him, in his arms?'. Edwin quickly shook the thoughts from his mind, sure that he could examine them further at a more opportune time.
“Would you like for me to walk you home?” Edwin asked Thomas, in a whisper. “I wouldn't feel right about having you go alone when you're this tired.”
“I certainly wouldn't mind it.” Thomas answered with a sleepy smile. “My knight in shining armour, how chivalrous~”
“Edwin's just a good person, that's all.” Charles commented, refusing to look at them directly while they were all cuddled up together.
Nevertheless, Thomas' expression softened as he replied; “Yeah, he really is.”
“Oh my fuck! Enough of the sappiness! Just go home already!” Crystal jeered with another wide grin on her face. It was clear that she was going to have all the fun in the world teasing them over their relationship.
“Please, Crystal, like you and Charles were any better when the two of you first got together.” Edwin retorted.
“Oi! We were not that bad!” Charles protested.
“Yeah, we were.” Crystal smirked and tried not to laugh at the way Edwin's eyebrows had shot up in disbelief at Charles' denial. Their honeymoon period had lasted over seven months and they were barely any better now.
“You so were! You couldn't keep your hands off of each other! It was so romantic!” Niko gushed, her smile as bright as ever.
“Alright, fine. I concede.” Charles held up his hands as he turned a bright red and Crystal leaned across to smack a kiss against his cheek. The expression on his face was so lovestruck and silly that it only proved Edwin's point.
Edwin was the first to get up from the sofa – reluctant as he was to get out from underneath Thomas' legs – and offered his boyfriend a hand. Thomas took it, of course and instead of letting Edwin's hand go when he was up, simply turned and laced their fingers together.
Just like that, Edwin was feeling sappy. Sure, he had had boyfriends before in the past, but none of them had filled him with such excitement or quite so many mushy feelings. He had never thought himself a particularly affectionate person outwardly, but Thomas was causing all sorts of unfamiliar urges to fly up towards the surface of his mind.
They bid their goodbyes and Niko pulled them both into a hug before waving to them as they left.
Blessedly, it had stopped raining outside and they were free to take a more leisurely pace down the darkened street, lit only by the intermittent street lamps that were dotted along the edge of the pavements. The only sound that accompanied them was the distant music of a house party a couple of streets over and the quiet thudding of their own footsteps.
“Did you have a good time?” Edwin asked just as Thomas had begun to subtly swing their joined hands back and forth between them. “I do hope that you didn't find Charles too off-putting. He can be quite stubborn when he wants to be.”
“I'm sure I'll win him over eventually.” Thomas winked. “I'm irresistible.”
“You certainly have your abundant charms.” Edwin smiled, taking note of how pretty his boyfriend looked under the warm light of the street lamps.
“I certainly do!” Thomas agreed, chuckling slightly before moving closer to Edwin so that their shoulders brushed together. “Do you know why he doesn't like me?” his tone took a more insecure tinge, not knowing what he could have done wrong to cause someone he had never really met properly to dislike him.
“I think that he thinks you are promiscuous due to what he has heard about your history.” Edwin replied honestly. He didn't think that it would do either of them any good if he were to sugar-coat his response or beat around the bush.
“Ah.” Thomas said, suddenly understanding. “He doesn't think I'm serious about you.”
“Rest assured that I, and the girls, have already told him that his line of thinking is antiquated and ridiculous. Just because you have had short relationships and one-night-stands in the past does not mean that our relationship should be any less sincere.” Edwin rushed to reassure him, giving his hand a light squeeze.
“Damn right!” Just like that, Thomas' smile was right back on his face where it belonged. “It's true I had a lot of hook-ups before I met you and my past relationships haven't exactly ended well, but that doesn't mean I'm not serious about you. We haven't been together for very long, but this might be the most fun I've had in a relationship. I like being with you, Edwin, and I want to keep being with you for as long as you want me, too.”
It was a lot for Edwin to digest, but it was undeniable that he felt the exact same way. He liked being with Thomas, he felt free and uninhibited in a way that he hadn't experienced in his previous relationships, and he most definitely wanted to spend as long of a time with Thomas as the other man would want him for.
“I like being with you, too.” Edwin said, just above a whisper. “I'll have you for as long as you'll have me.”
“Better get used to me then.” Thomas replied in a low tone, expression that of a man completely taken. “I might just decide to never let you go.”
“You shan't catch me complaining.” Edwin quickly kissed Thomas' cheek.
The two of them happily walked the rest of the way with matching giddy smiles.
Chapter 4: Pleasant Revelations
Summary:
Thomas figures out his next date with Edwin and Edwin has an exciting realisation.
Notes:
Thank you so much Artemis Adore for the graphics and moodboard!! And thank you Alix for the beta! <3 <3 <3 <3 ILY!
Chapter Text
Alright, I've figured out where our next date will be!
- Thomas
Oh? Do tell.
- Edwin
There's a Fashion History exhibit on at this hole-in-the-wall gallery in central London.
- Thomas
That certainly sounds agreeable to me.
-Edwin
Fuck, I love the way you talk! Have I said that before?
- Thomas
I fail to see how there is anything of particular interest in the way that I speak.
- Edwin
It's so proper, I feel like I'm talking to a real English Gentleman.
- Thomas
You are talking to a real English Gentleman.
- Edwin
Oh~ I am swooning~ Catch me!
- Thomas
Thomas, we are text messaging!
- Edwin
You're so cute!
- Thomas
When exactly is this exhibit?
- Edwin
Two hours from now?
- Thomas
Thomas!! What if I had been busy?
- Edwin
Are you?
- Thomas
…
No.
- Edwin
I'll pick you up in 30 mins?
- Thomas
Alright, I suppose I will go and make myself presentable.
- Edwin
<3 <3 <3
- Thomas
Edwin immediately busied himself with figuring out what to wear. What was appropriate attire for a fashion exhibit? He hadn't been to one before and therefore had no idea what would be expected of him. Was there even a dress code at all?
He opened up his wardrobe and rummaged through his hangers, hoping for something that would stand out to him.
It took longer than he would have wanted, but eventually he settled on a simple black turtleneck – one that consisted of a light fabric, given the fact that the weather was steadily growing warmer – and a pair of trousers that he had been told 'fit him like a glove'.
“It will do.” He said to himself as he examined the outfit in his mirror.
Just as he went about making sure that he had his wallet, keys and phone on him, Thomas texted to let him know that he was already waiting outside. Edwin smiled to himself and that familiar excitement filled him the same way that it did every time he was going to spend time with Thomas.
This would be their fourth official date, though they had spent plenty of time together at coffee shops and book stores in between their more planned outings. Being with Thomas was as easy as breathing. He was always enthusiastic and ever so charming, even when he was going along with something that Edwin had suggested which others might have considered boring. He met Edwin on his own level and Edwin found himself naturally doing the same.
If someone were to look at them individually, then they would likely never assume that the two of them would be so well-suited to each other. They did not have similar personalities and their sense of style and mannerisms could not have been much more different. However, the two of them shared many similarities that were not visible to the naked eye. They were both voracious readers, liked to explore museums and galleries, had an enjoyment for the arts, and most importantly, they found each others' differences to be utterly enchanting.
Thomas had also attended three more movie nights since the first one that Edwin had brought him to and, although Charles was still frosty, the girls had readily accepted him into their group. It meant a lot to him that they were actively trying to include him and make him feel welcome, especially with Charles doing the exact opposite. It meant more still that Thomas was being so persistent in proving that he was there to stay. He had not been deterred by Charles in the slightest and to say that Edwin was immensely relieved by that fact would be a drastic understatement.
When he got outside, Thomas was once again leaning against the side of his car. This time, he was wearing a fine mesh top that was printed with a classical painting of Venus. He paired it with high-waisted denim jeans that cinched with its elasticated waist and ankles, his usual black boots and a cropped denim jacket.
He looked… Well, he looked exactly like himself, if in a little bit of a lighter palette.
As Edwin approached, he caught sight of the silver chain around Thomas' neck and the chunky silver earring that twinkled in the sun. He had also dusted his eyelids with some sparkly white powder and lined his eyes with a subtle, dark kohl.
“How is it that you become more attractive each time that I see you?” Edwin asked, not even trying to hide the fondness that he felt towards the other man.
“I could ask you the same question, sweetheart~” Thomas replied with a cheeky wink.
The drive to the gallery didn't take more than fifteen minutes, even with London traffic. Thomas only briefly lamented the congestion charges, which was a feat in and of itself. It usually wasn't worth driving anywhere in London unless you absolutely had to, what with the heavy traffic and cost of it all, but every now and then, it was nice to have a car available.
For one, they could happily blast the air conditioning and block out the pollution with their rolled up windows. For two, Edwin got to sit next to Thomas and happily watch him as he sang along to Lady GaGa or Britney Spears on the radio, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the steering wheel.
When they had found somewhere to park and walked their way around to the gallery's front entrance, the place became more obvious. There was a small line of people being filtered inside by a clerk and the sign outside read 'Glass Moon Gallery of Modern Art' in big, bold lettering, and was backed by a rainbow-coloured mural that swirled around the glass double-doors and across the wall.
“Do we need tickets to enter?” Edwin asked as he watched the people in front of them scanning something at the door.
“Yeah, but don't worry, I already got that covered.” Thomas smiled, holding up his phone, which displayed a QR code for entrance to the exhibit.
“How long have you had that? Was this truly a spontaneous outing?” Edwin narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“It was! This thing is kind of small, so there were still tickets available.” Thomas shrugged. “I have been wanting to come to it for a couple of weeks now, but kept talking myself out of it until today.”
“Why would you talk yourself out of it?” Edwin tilted his head as he looked at Thomas. Surely he would have had no trouble attending an event like this on his own if it had come down to it.
“I wanted you to come with me, but I didn't think it'd really be your thing.” Thomas admitted, trying to sound nonchalant.
“Thomas.” Edwin said seriously, the tone of voice forcing Thomas to look him back in the eyes. “I must impress upon you that I would always agree to something like this, because it is something that you want me to accompany you for, and because it is something that interests you. I want to know you as much as I can, and that means participating in the things that you enjoy. You would do the same for me.”
There is a pause where Thomas is absolutely speechless at the honest way in which Edwin professed his feelings on the matter. Then, he smiled wide and warmly, taking Edwin's hand in his own. “Thank you.” He said, “and you're right. I would do the same for you.”
As they walked through the entrance, they were greeted with sleek modern design, warm lighting and an array of intricate pieces that changed through the eras as the displays snaked around from room to room. All the while, Thomas was practically bouncing from garment to garment, rambling on about the era and the influences that carried on through the following decades.
Edwin watched him with rapt attention as he talked about the clothing at great length and with such passion. It was clear that this was something that meant a lot to him and the way that his face lit up with fascination, admiration and excitement with each new exhibited piece was breath-taking.
He was explaining an embroidery technique to Edwin with full enthusiasm when it struck.
'Oh', Edwin thought. 'Oh.'
“Isn't that neat?” Thomas asked, turning to Edwin with a grin that could light up an entire building. “...Edwin?”
“Yes...” Edwin replied, breathlessly. “Yes, it is, it's… it's wonderful.”
Thomas looked at him a bit oddly, but shrugged it off. “Yeah, I mean, when you think the whole thing was embroidered by hand, it's kind of incredible.”
'I'm falling in love with him…'
What a miraculous thing it was.
Edwin had not particularly been blessed with good luck in the romance department in the past. His first couple of boyfriends had been disasters and the last one had put him off of dating for at least two years. Thomas was a breath of fresh air, so far from the people he had dated previously in the best way imaginable.
Knowing that he was falling in love with Thomas King did not fill him with any sort of trepidation, despite the relative newness of their relationship. No. Rather, he felt comforted by it. His heart settled into it as though it were arriving home after a long time overseas.
Edwin followed Thomas around the rest of the exhibition with new eyes. There was a weightlessness to his each and every step, and he could hardly contain his happiness for the rest of the afternoon.
-----
When he finally made it back to his flat – after being treated to an Earl Grey tea and a slice of Bakewell tart at a lovely little café by Thomas – the first thing that he did was call Niko, to tell her all about it. It was an instinctual thing to do. She was always there for him when it came to matters of the heart (or matters of any emotional nature, if he was honest) and always had insightful and supportive things to say.
The moment she picked up the phone Edwin started talking, unable to keep the words within himself a moment longer. “I love him.”
“Edwin! You love Thomas?” Niko answered with immediate excitement.
“I love him, Niko, I truly do.” Edwin reiterated, smiling from ear to ear.
“What made you realise it?” she asked.
“He was talking about embroidery and he had such an enthusiastic and passionate expression and he was so beautiful in that moment, so in his element, I just… I don't know, he looked at me and all of a sudden it just occurred to me.” if it had still been the era of house phones, he would have been twirling the chord around his finger as he spoke.
“Edwin! That's so romantic, it's really like a movie or a novel!” Niko exclaimed, “You two are getting pretty serious then?”
“We are.” Edwin nodded to himself as he confirmed it. “I have not shared my revelation with him as of yet, I fear it would be too soon.” he sighed. “I want for this to be long-term, Niko, I want for him to become a permanent fixture in my life, in our little group… I just worry.”
“About what?” Niko asked, though she had a feeling that she already knew.
“I worry that Charles will continue with his disapproval of our relationship. His opinion means a lot to me and his ardent distaste for the man I am actively falling in love with is deeply troubling to me.” The anxiety was clear in his tone and he wished that this could be easier. “What if he never approves? What if he continues to cling to his low opinion of Thomas?”
“Would you ever break up with Thomas if Charles asked you to? If he really did keep insisting?” Niko asked, carefully.
“No. No, I would not. It would pain me, but I would not forfeit what I have been building with Thomas. I care for him, and I would put in the work to continue the relationship regardless of Charles' opinion. I do not want for that, though.” Edwin sighed again. “I just want them to get along. I want Charles to see at least a fraction of what I do, of what you and Crystal can see as well.”
“Charles loves you, Edwin. Thomas makes you happy and he's good for you, you two are good together. Even if he's stubborn for a while, he has to be able to see that eventually, right?” Niko reassured him, gently. “Besides,” she added, “You have me and Crystal in your corner, it's three against one! Four if you count Thomas, too.”
“Thank you, Niko.” Edwin smiled, relieved to have her to talk to about such matters and even more relieved to know that he had her and Crystal's support with this. “I needed to hear that.”
“You're always welcome, Edwin. You know how invested I am in your love story~” she teased in response.
“Naturally.” he huffed with fond amusement.
thewritingotter on Chapter 1 Mon 18 Aug 2025 01:09PM UTC
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