An absent family.
Life in an apartment was neither too easy or too stressful. Most would think you'd have to be pretty lowly or poor to live in one, but for Leo and Elliot, the 'really gay people' (few would go as far as offending them with fag) as others called them here, it was just what they preferred. In a house, it was stiff and boring, hotels were crowded and noisy, complexes weren't quiet or loud, in the middle of it all. Enough room for the cats, to write their stories, etc. Elliot had the idea when they were sitting in their car, after an attempt for a hotel, and they gave a shot- the first time they set foot and looked around, it was already decided this was their home for life, forever and ever.
Now, adopting a child- that would take some effort, but it was in the storage for ideas to make their lives even more perfect than before. Currently they were both pleased, typing down stories about awesome adventure or high school drama, sometimes even both with a tiny bit of romance, at the moment Elliot petting one of the cats, this one being a tabby brown, who leaped up on his comfortable lap only a few minutes ago, most likely making a new chapter of his drama series, and his black-haired partner reaching down to scratch the other feline, typing up the same genre.
"Oh, now I remember what I was going to ask!" The beige said out loud, swirling his chair to the very right to meet Leo, who sat in the same desk during writing. "We're low on food. Alice said there was going to be a price cut today at her shop, you know. Could you go over there?" His partner met his gaze- rather, his glasses did, and his warm smile was now tilted to a slight frown. "Elliot, remember what today is? I have got to finish this book soon, editing it and all."
"Oh... Uh, yeah, sorry." No way was he going to admit he actually forgot, that may or may not start an argument between the two if Leo was in one of those moods, but his mind was certainly scolding him for forgetting. "Yeah I'll go ahead and get the groceries. I should be back in about thirty minutes." Leo's glasses rose rather high up as if he was widening his eyes underneath. "Not taking the car?" He asked, full attention now on him and not his story. Choking down a snicker at how both of them forgot something, he casually replied with "It's still in the shop.", and headed to the door. "Love you, Leo!" "Love you too, Elliot."
One of the little things he hated about this place was the people. Especially the ones on the bus, who seemingly didn't have any sense to not insult people there, and a bonus to that is when it's Elliot Nightray. While taking a seat, a woman's shrill voice was loud enough for him to hear, pretty much making that on purpose, mocking Elliot with "Oh, that's the gay guy.", and if he wasn't in a busy vehicle at the moment, Elliot would have punched her the moment she finished that sentence. Biting his tongue to make sure he didn't yell at anyone, he begun to have trouble with not focusing with the glances thrown at him, unpleasing his stomach and making the toast from earlier feel burnt, and almost snapped when a child asked "What's wrong with him?", thankfully its mother informed the kid there's nothing wrong with being different. As soon as the bus stopped at Alice's shop, he bolted up, tired and sick of all the looks he was being given and stomped right out. When it was driving past, Elliot let go on his sore tongue, muttering "Damn people...", finally turning to a too brightly-colored shop and do what he needed to do, the reason why he left the safe apartment.
"Hello Mister Nightray!" Chirped a brown-haired lady, who was behind a too white white counter which had been patterned with light daisies and other types of flowers, blue statice on both sides of it, lavender, etc. "Hey Lacie. What are you doing here?" questioned Elliot, in his filled palm there were already two plump, shiny red apples, reaching in for a third as she went on.
"Oh, Alice said she needed some help today. Not that big of a deal, Glen said he could water the flowers today." "Fang and Doug busy?" "Like always!" Spotting a hurrying ebony-haired girl, Alice, down the hall, grabbing some falling fruits and trying to wave a bit to them, Elliot let out a soft chuckle at the sight, it was good to know the Baskerville family was doing just fine, after the rabbit accident and Lotti's confession some doubted they would be able to repair, and well now...
"So, what do you need?" Lacie was stocking fresh, sweet-smelling, and as well tasting, oranges and some rather deformed pears in their place, her daughter, Alice, had joined her now in placing them where they belonged. Elliot's mind begun to count the things they had completely run out of, and some others that they only had one or two of. He already had the apples, leaving about four more things they needed.
"Have any grapes, lemons, strawberries and pineapples?" "I think we've run of out of lemons ourselves." said Alice, and as usual her breath smelling of rotten meat, but skin of flowers, namely lilies. "Even while restocking?" Lacie's smile increased, not once in all the times he had seen her did it really turn upside down, which almost made him want to smile like that, too.
But Leo's the only one I can show it to,... god I love him, even if I'll never, ever say it out loud!
"Yep, country's busy." Her voice broke through Elliot's thoughts, her one of her lanky fingers pointed downwards to a corner. "There should be at least one though. Gilbert-" "Seaweed head!" Alice corrected her mother, who was currently jumbling up some plums and mangoes at the end of the basket, gripping the mangoes tightly, almost pounding them into their 'sockets'. "I mean Seaweed head, got most of them. He left about a minute before you arrived." Oh. Well that explained it pretty clearly, at least to him.
"Alright." Elliot's hand hooked over a leaning basket, dropping the apples into there, walking up to them to grab the oranges, then going back and getting the strawberries and grapes, not bothering to get a pineapple this time, then going down to where Lacie had pointed earlier. In fact there was only one puny lemon there, having no others by it at all. Jeez, Gilbert, can't you just take it? But he did get the fruit, not wanting to have bothered the girls if he just ignored it.
Elliot had picked up all the food they needed now, for he had gotten some more strawberries and apples, and was leaving the cash for Alice to pick up. "Also, did you guys find any clues to-" Alice lifted one single finger to her mouth, being surprisingly gentle for a girl like her and shushing him. "No, we haven't. You know if we found anything about the Vessaliuses we would tell you as soon as possible. For now, they're still a missing family." Her mother slowly nodded, quiet now and her smile for once fading, moving normally now.
"Nine years. In two days, it will be nine years since their leaving. Elliot, as far as I'm concerned, we're going to look through the customer shipping list extra harder this year." "..Okay. Thank you, and have a good rest of the day." Even Elliot was lowering his voice, although they were the only people in Alice's shop. He walked out just slowly, and when the door closed, he begun to lean on the painted wall. "Stupid Vessaliuses.. Why did they have to leave us?" and with that, Elliot silently waited for the next bus to the apartment, or nearest to it.
