Wrote this before I learned Finn is into this type of thing. Sometimes, you can just feel it about a person.


Finn was never late to appointments but today he seemed to be running late to everything. He practically ran to just make his 10 am barber appointment. He was about to owe him big. Finn walked in looking frazzled. He wasn't used to his temporary location and how it was longer to get literally everywhere. He slid so casually into the barber chair. He felt a pink apron wrap around his body. His barber was somewhere between disappointed and worried.

"You're late."

"I know. I tried calling but I never charged my fucking phone."

"Stop going out so late."

"I wasn't. I was on the phone with someone."

"Nice. Is he handsome?"

Finn nodded. It wasn't nice. He was handsome. Still, it was a mess. His whole life was a fucking mess. He was staying up until 2 or 3 in the morning talking to someone he works with. Someone he sees regularly. Here he was losing sleep on the phone. The feelings were not on the same level, one side was platonic, and the other side was ready to settle down and get married. He needed to calm down before he had a fucking panic attack in the middle of the barber shop. He looked up at the mirror and noticed some yellow rocks in a pattern.

"Kev?"

"Yeah?" The barber bent to make eye contact in the mirror.

"What are the rocks for?"

"Oh! Girl! They are crystals!" He laughed. "They are all charged. Yellow Apatit manifests an aura of sunny. Yellow Jasper brings you happiness, clarity, and self-confidence. Citrine brings abundant happiness."

"Does it work?"

"I dunno. Maybe? Maybe it's bullshit and it's all a placebo effect, but I feel happier seeing them?"

"If say, someone wanted crystals to like, make someone love them, where would they go?"

After his haircut, Finn walked to the address scrawled out for him on a piece of paper. He wasn't sure what a botanica was, but he was about to find out. He walked around with his list of crystals. He needed them to be small, so he could put them in his pocket and take them on the road. He looked at the offerings. Rose Quarts to invite love into his life. Malachite to clear his past heartaches. Rhodochrosite to learn to love himself. Rhodonite to cleanse himself of hurt, anger, regret, and bitterness. He took a deep breath. Green Aventurine for luck. Apache Tear to absorb the sadness in his heart. Citrine to raise his self-esteem, joy, and confidence. He handed them to cashier and she smiled.

He made the walk back to his apartment. He wasn't sure how much he believed these were going to help him, but he was willing to try anything at this point. He carefully arranged his crystals on his dresser while he waited for Chinese food and Seth. He heard a knock and walked out to the door. Seth holding the Chinese with a smile. He hated how much he wanted to see that smile all the time.

"I tipped the guy."

"Oh."

"Least I could to, you're letting me stay here AND you bought dinner."

"It's not a big deal."

The two men sat at the breakfast bar across from each other. They made small talk over the food. It felt nice to eat with someone who shared similar interests as Finn. He looked across the table. Seth had his hair back in a bun and his glasses. For some reason that look oozed sex appeal. Finn looked down at the food in front of him and then at Seth's. He tried to avoid Seth's face for the whole meal.

After the meal, he started cleaning up. He was still successfully ignoring Seth's face. He caught Seth flexing his chest and bit the inside of his cheek to snap out of it. He walked their leftovers to the refrigerator and took a deep breath. This was going to be fine, they were friends, they worked together. He just needed to stop staring.

"Hey, can I put my bag in your room?"

"Oh, yeah."

Finn watched Seth disappear into the bedroom. A few minutes later he heard a cackle. He couldn't think of anything that would cause Seth to laugh. He heard him wheezing and calling for him. He hoped he didn't look at his phone's wallpaper. He had forgotten if he changed it or not. He walked into the room and saw Seth looking at the crystals.

"What the fuck are these? In the shape of a pentagram. Conjuring spirits?"

"No." Finn pushed passed him to take them off his dresser.

"Gonna put them on your chakras to heel your toxins? Or trying to get someone to fall madly in love with you?" Seth was sarcastic. He could see it was pissing Finn off.

"Why are you laughing so much?"

"It's funny that you'd fall for that crystals bullshit."

"There's sandalwood burning through the apartment too."

"AND OIL?!" Seth rolled his eyes. "Why?"

Finn looked down at the dresser. He looked gutted. He wasn't sure of the answer to Seth's question. He just knew he was a man of desperation at this point. He was desperate for the feelings he had to be reciprocated. So desperate he was willing to put crystals out, make the house smell like whatever he needed it too, and wear his tightest shirt. He felt Seth's hand grab his to pull him into a hug.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh at all this."

"No, it's really fucking silly, all of it."

Seth's arms relaxed around Finn's waist and he looked in his eyes. Finn tried to avoid eye contact but felt a strong hand move his face. He was forced to look up into a pair of chocolate brown eyes. There was a weird silence just the two of them staring at each other.

"I didn't mean to offend you. If all this is helping you mentally, then use it. Mars is in Gatorade and I know that like fucks up something with Leos."

"Retrograde and it has made me a little obsessed with someone. I just need to refocus a bit."

"I was close." Seth licked over his bottom lip.

"You tried. At least you half pay attention when I'm rambling about this."

Seth nodded and looked at Finn's lips. He could take the risk and hope that the person Finn is obsessed with is him. He could back away and continue repressing his feelings. He remembered a conversation that they had. Mars affected him socially, made him cautious about getting a partner. He slid the draw that Finn threw all his crystals in. He pulled the pink quartz out and placed it in Finn's hand.

"What?"

"I think this one works." He closed his hand around Finn's and the pink stone.