Gary swaggered into the bustling bakery and leant smugly on the polished bench. The bakery had just opened up and the other bakers were nowhere to be seen. David was busy loading some freshly baked rolls into the display but was far too cheery not to turn and acknowledge his friend.

"Hey David," Gary announced. "Want to hear the greatest joke ever?"
David nodded eagerly. "I'd love to! What an honour!"
"Okay, okay, here goes." Gary cleared his throat and straightened his spine. "What did the Arab say to the Jew?"
"Aah..." David mumbled, "I must admit, I am baffled."
"He said... "Hebrew!" Get it?" Gary almost bounced as he offered the punchline, however David stood completely still and looked very confused.
"I'm afraid I do not 'get it', Gary..."
Gary sighed. "Hebrew, like, you know, Hey bro."
David shook his head. "Still nothing."
Shrugging, Gary turned and walked towards his usual table. "I'll have a bagel," he called over his shoulder. Oh well, you can't please everyone, he thought.
A few minutes later, while Gary sat munching away on his bagel and David polished the bench for the fifth time, a strange middle-aged man wearing a scarf, beanie and large novelty glasses with a plastic nose & moustache entered the bakery. Gary thought he seemed rather familiar but his spy senses weren't tingling so he carried on eating.

Mr Giggles may have been sweating slightly in his disguise but he was very proud that he had slipped past his son's notice. He cleared his throat to announce his presence. Now was the time to win David over, with none other than his best joke.
David looked up with a bright grin on his face. "Oh good day, sir! I gather it's rather cold outside? Such a shame! How can I help you this morning?"
Mr Giggles put on his best sexy-male-heartthrob accent and hoped his voice would come out deep enough to continue his disguise. "I was wondering if you might like to hear a joke."
David swallowed nervously. "Oh dear, I'm honestly not very good at these. However, feel free!"
"Well then, what did the Arab say to the Jew?" he smoldered.
David waved his hand nonchalantly. "Oh, the Arabic man says 'Hebrew' although I'm not sure why, but I confess I heard the joke this morning from my dear friend Gary," and he smiled over in Gary's direction. "I really must get back to polishing this bench."
Mr Giggles nearly exploded right then and there. Once again, thwarted by his devilishly handsome son! This was terribly unfair. He growled, whimpered and shuffled out of the bakery, humiliated.
"Hmph, loser" mumbled Gary, giggling with his mouth full of bagel.

Gary felt a sense of loss and utter disappoint suddenly and he didn't know why. He looked down at his table. Where'd my bagel go? he thought. Oh yeah, I ate it.
"One more bagel for Master Giggles," said David coming from out of nowhere, placing down another sesame seed coated bagel in front of him.

Gary beamed up at David. "How do you do that?"
"Do what?" David asked, confused.
"Always know exactly what I'm thinking about... it's uncanny."
The two gazed into each other's eyes for a few too many moments than would be normal. Gary coughed, blushing, and started tucking in to his bagel. He knew there had been something odd between them in that moment and it unsettled him.

David had begun pacing around behind the benches, anxious for another customer to come in to break the tension. These feelings weren't completely new to him. It worried him that he had experienced similar emotions for certain females in his company in the past. Why did he get a rush of pleasure when he made Gary happy? He shook his head. Of course, they were only friends. Good friends. Best friends who sometimes got those, odd happy feelings for each other. Like David and his best friend Steerforth! David had these feelings for Steerforth as well. He shook his head. This didn't make him feel much less confused. He was also nervous that he hadn't encountered Mr Giggles since he ran away from him at Grandma Giggles's house. There had to be something going on. A man who professes his love for another man - how strange this new world was! - would never let him run away easily.

Meanwhile, people out on the street were awkwardly avoiding a homeless-looking man lying on the street crying and swearing. Mr Giggles had just had his heart broken, as he had just witnessed the tender moment between his son and his would-be-should-be-lover. Hundreds of emotions tore through his body until once came floating to the surface. Hatred. Pure, passionate hatred. He hated his son for stealing away David, he hated David for running away and falling in love with Gary, and he hated that stupid bakery. Oh, how he despised, *loathed*, that bakery. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for that goddamn bakery, or so he thought. Now, what did Mr Giggles usually do to eliminate things that he hated? Ah yes, that's it. The way that any sane, rational and mature person would get rid of a bad situation.

Blow the whole thing up.

To be continued!

By aurorstorm and zeillusionofthenight