~~~This has been beta'd by nopenopeartichoke ~~
Chapter 2
There were very few times Gabriel would have considered himself truly nervous. Sure, sometimes he could feel that flutter of butterflies in the pit of his stomach, but nothing like this. Glancing at himself once again in the mirror, Gabriel wondered how he was going to do this. By some miracle Chuck had agreed they should meet again before Gabriel would pretend to be his boyfriend, a role he was hopefully going to convince the man he could fulfil as a full-time job.
Deciding against slicking back his hair, not wanting to use too much and need yet another shower, Gabriel took a deep breath before leaving his bathroom and patting down his jacket to make sure he had everything. With the amount of time he had spent on his hair and clothing it would be just his luck to do something like forget his wallet. Thankfully, as Gabriel locked his door he could feel the press of his wallet against his hand.
Checking his phone again to make certain he was on time, Gabriel continued to even his breaths though all he wanted to do was panic. This would be fine, he would be fine. Chuck had already chosen him to take to the convention and while he could probably find someone else it would be cutting it extremely tight. If he messed up something on the date he could make it up to Chuck over the weekend… hopefully. The drive to the theatre was spent with Gabriel walking himself though how he wanted things to go, if he was lucky he would be able to plant the seed of this being a real date to Chuck.
Parking, Gabriel checked his appearance one more time before exiting the car and locking it behind him. It didn't take him long to see the man he had been stressing over. Chuck looked the same as he had at the diner, his blue eyes darting around the crowd, probably searching for Gabriel while his hands were stuffed into his pockets. Chuck hunched slightly, something Gabriel noticed right away while he made his way to the other man, as if Chuck was trying to hide from everyone.
Not liking the thought of the man wanting to hide, Gabriel plastered a smile on his face and buried his own nerves deep down. Even if he was a wreck he wanted to at least pretend to have some confidence, perhaps if he did, Chuck would find his own. Walking up to his date, Gabriel could see the second Chuck noticed him, the way the other man's shoulders seemed to pull back slightly and a small smile crossed his face.
"Hey, fancy meeting you here, have you been waiting long?" asked Gabriel while making his way close to Chuck's personal space. For a second Gabriel worried he was making Chuck even more uncomfortable instead of relaxed before Chuck shook his head and spoke. "Nah I've only been here for a few minutes, I like to be early for pretty much everything." Chuck smiled at Gabriel then causing a smile in return. It was so adorable the way Chuck would look at him, his eyes wide and earnest in a way Gabriel had hardly seen on anyone else.
"Movie should be starting soon if you wanna head in, I know I need to get snacks… you a popcorn or candy kind of guy?" asked Gabriel, easily wrapping an arm around Chuck which caused the man to flush brightly. Oh so long as he was going to play this part Gabriel wanted to see how often he could make the other man become flustered. "I like popcorn, with lost of butter if it's all the same to you… though I don't mind candy I guess." Chuckling, Gabriel nodded his head and stood in line with Chuck still pressed against him, they were a bit too old to pull off the look casually like the teenagers in front of them, but Gabriel couldn't help but want to touch Chuck, to hold him tightly as much as he could.
"It's been forever since I've been to a show, I think it might have been back in high school." Turning to look at Chuck who had spoken, Gabriel smiled as the man looked around. If it had been since high school the place had probably changed a lot, theatres in general did. "Well I'm certain the popcorn is still better than anything you could make at home and four times the price. Anything to drink?" asked Gabriel with a soft smile on his face.
Chuck nodded, glancing at the menu before asking for a Pepsi. When it was their turn, Gabriel laid down the order quickly for the popcorn and drinks along with a pretzel and frozen yogurt. Passing over his card before Chuck could get out his wallet, Gabriel paid for their tickets and food with a grin before taking his share of the food and making their way to the butter station and watching Chuck load it up. Once they were in their seats, Gabriel wrapped an arm around Chuck again, enjoying the contact the other man had yet to refuse.
"You didn't have to pay you know, I was the one who needed a date." Commented Chuck softly before the show started. Gabriel shook his head, reaching over and taking a handful of the slippery popcorn. "Maybe, but this was my idea, besides I really don't mind. Far as I see it this is a great chance to see what kind of person you are. Do you talk during the show? Do you laugh at the funny parts? What do you even consider funny? What makes you pay attention and when do you lose interest?"
While had was speaking the lights started to dim, and taking a chance, Gabriel leaned over so he could speak into Chuck's ear watching as the man squirmed a bit while he did. "It also gives me a chance to find out how much you'll let me get away with while in public. I told you I like showing my affection and if you want to make this believable you're going to have to get used to me touching you."
Chuck turned his head slightly, eyes wide while he ignored the preview showing on the screen. Gabriel smiled softly before placing a light kiss to the side of his head, keeping his voice low as not to disturb the people around them. "Don't worry I'll keep it PG 13, I'm not here to take advantage." The author relaxed at that, and biting his bottom lip, he leaned against Gabriel who lifted his arm a tag higher so Chuck could rest his head against Gabriel's shoulder.
While he was certain it was a good movie Gabriel only caught about half the wise-cracks and hardly noticed any parts that weren't blasting through the speakers. His full attention was focused on Chuck who was enjoying himself. Watching as Chuck would laugh at something or when he got excited as his favourite came on screen was something Gabriel would never grow tired of. Even in the low lighting, Gabriel could see Chuck's blue eyes express everything he was feeling.
Once the movie was over, Gabriel was surprised to note they had managed to finish off the snacks and drinks. What surprised and delighted Gabriel was when Chuck wanted to stay to watch the credits, not just for the sneak preview into whatever movie Marvel was cooking up next but well into the costume designers and makeup specialists. Gabriel sat back and watched them with Chuck, the room nearly empty besides a few others who remained to watch the credits.
"Sorry if this is boring you, we can leave if you want." Turning his head so he could look at Chuck who was glancing between him and the screen, Gabriel chuckled. "Actually, I was just thinking how great it is that you wait around. I mean, most don't but everyone there was probably working just as hard if not harder than the lead actors… besides it gives me awesome facts for trivia."
Following Chuck's tongue with his eyes while Chuck licked his lips, Gabriel was able to just barely stop himself from leaning forward and closing the distance between them. "Yeah, I mean like I get that people want to go home and all… but well, I've been on set a couple times since they decided to make the show and every single one of those people work so hard, they deserve for me to wait -for what five minutes?"
Nodding his head, Gabriel tucked a bit of hair behind Chuck's ear which caused the man to flush slightly. "I think we're going to be able to pull this off with you being all perfect like that." The flush on Chuck's cheeks deepened just as Gabriel had hoped it would. Glancing at the screen which was done rolling name and was now pulling up logos, Gabriel stood up and gathered their trash. Chuck was soon to join him as they made their way out of the room and dumped their garbage. Once his hands were free, Gabriel wrapped an arm around Chuck who smiled, leaning into the touch this time.
"You know, I think I could get used to it, this thing you have about touching me." Commented Chuck, a shy smile on his face while he looked at Gabriel. "You shouldn't leave your comments open like that, I've been taking it easy on you, but my mind is constantly in the gutter and it's a wonder I haven't been commenting so far." Gabriel was only half-joking when he spoke, though it did cause Chuck to laugh.
"I think I could handle you, so ah, this is me." Gabriel barely noticed the car they were standing in front of, having let Chuck lead while they walked. Chuck dug into his jacket pocket for his keys, unlocking the car but not opening his door. Instead, Chuck turned so he was facing Gabriel who moved with him his hand resting on Chuck's hip. Stepping into Chuck's personal space, Gabriel leaned forward a bit. "You have my number, text me when you get home so I know you made it safely?"
Chuck rolled his eyes at the comment. "It's not even eleven yet, I can make it to my house, Gabe." Reaching up with the hand that wasn't on Chuck's hip, Gabriel flicked his finger on Chuck's nose. "Don't care, I worry. Now there's one more thing we should do tonight before the date is over and you drive away." Chuck opened his mouth to ask what Gabriel was talking about when Gabriel closed the distance between them. Carefully Gabriel placed his hand on Chuck's cheek holding him still while he pressed his lips against Chuck's.
It was exactly like he had pictured it. Those slightly chapped lips felt wonderful against his own, and pressing forward the slightest bit more caused Chuck to reach out and hold into Gabriel's shirt, clutching it in his fist. Closing his eyes, Gabriel titled his head ever so slightly, enjoying the feeling of Chuck's beard against his chin. As Chuck began to kiss back, Gabriel had to stop himself from asking for more than Chuck was comfortable giving.
As they broke apart, Gabriel lowered his voice so it was just barely above a whisper. "Now that is a perfect first kiss. I want you to drive safely, and when you get home text me." Pulling away, Gabriel noticed as Chuck let go of his shirt slowly, like he wasn't certain he wanted to let go at all. "I look forward to seeing you again soon, goodnight." Leaving the man, who stood by his car for another moment before getting inside, Gabriel didn't bother fighting back his grin. While it wasn't how he expected he might just have a shot at something after all.
P.S. If you want to keep up to date on my writing add me to Facebook, Tumbler or Twitter as CrowNoYami ;-) Also, if you want to see what I'm reading (I always review so you know what you're getting into) I'm on Goodreads as well, same name as always. ***I have downloaded the Instagram app, which I have no idea how to use so once I figure that out I'll be there as well.