About an hour before the end of my workday, I received a text. Are you coming by this evening? I considered. Yes, I had time. I certainly wanted to see him. I sent a brief reply.
As I was leaving, Anthea stopped me. Her expression was the one I categorize as Superior Knowledge, and so it put me immediately on my guard. She asked questions and gave reports, all relevant to work. Then, by way of leave-taking, she gave me a reassuring pat and said, "You'll be fine, sir."
I didn't care for the cryptic statement, but she walked away, attention on her phone. Disconcerted, I nonetheless headed for my lover's flat. I found him waiting for me, which really rather failed to surprise me.
"Hi."
I studied him. He sat in his usual chair, wearing his usual after-work denims. Nothing about his appearance was in any way extraordinary, but something seemed different. I took a quick glance around the flat. The only thing out of place was a plain white box on the table. He followed my gaze. I moved to investigate.
The box contained two cupcakes, moist, tempting red velvet cake topped with a flawless swirl of creamy icing and a candied rose petal. I froze.
"Just something... Yeah." He didn't look directly at me.
Did he expect something from me? He had purchased my favorite type of cupcake, and there seemed to be some sort of a reason for it.
My phone chimed. A new text message. Reaching into my pocket, I discovered a foreign object beside my phone. I withdrew both, and read the text.
Don't panic, sir.
So Anthea had placed an iTunes gift card in my pocket. I glanced toward my lover, who eyed me with an expression of trepidation. He clearly waited for me to react.
The date on my phone caught my eye. February fourteenth. Oh.
"Right. You've got it, then." He stood and walked to my side. "Look, you're going to have to breathe eventually."
Don't panic. Right. I forced myself to exhale. "Is this...? I mean..."
His finger pressed to my lips, silencing me. "Don't do yourself an injury, Mycroft. It's just a silly thing we ordinary people do."
I pushed the iTunes card into his hand. Words, I discovered, really weren't working for me right now.
He grinned. "Should I be thanking you or Anthea?"
I pressed my lips together. Very few people truly knew me. This man understood well enough to make me rather uncomfortable at times. While I make a habit of avoiding discomfort, I had no desire to do so now.
"Mycroft." He stepped forward and slipped his hands into my trouser pockets. My hands followed, my fingers automatically seeking his. "Stop over-thinking." His lips touched mine, but lightly. "I just like the way your eyes light up for those cupcakes."
My brain ground to a painful, crashing halt and refused to make the necessary three-point turn to resume progress on a path that made sense. "You mean you didn't expect...?"
His laugh interrupted me. "Just an excuse to see that look on your face."
My mental process sputtered sluggishly to life. "Panic or pastry lust?"
He answered me with a kiss.
Author's note: I initially hadn't meant to post this story, but I showed it to a friend, and she insisted.