Standard Disclaimer Here

Notes: I feel that my chapters are too short. Would people prefer a longer chapter, or a shorter chapter? I feel like longer chapters, with my writing style, might make the story drag too much, but a shorter style makes it feel like a series of one-shots, which they're not. Conflicted, conflicted, conflicted~.


Erik glided through the aisles, searching for the right books. Summer had just begun and it was important that he have a strong set of books to keep him company through the long days ahead. He leafed through random books in random aisles, every-so-often placing one in the basket by his feet. Finally when Erik felt he had a large enough collection for the day, he picked up the basket and went towards the cash register stopping just as he was about to pay when a book on sharks caught his attention. The front cover featured a sprawling picture of a huge jaw, and on the flipside, a woman petting a shark who seemed quite docile. The headline read, "Vicious Beasts or Gentle Giants?". Deciding that since, after all, it was Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, Erik would give the book a try and quickly placed it at the top of his pile on the register.

After purchasing his books, Erik readjusted the load in his hands and pushed the glass door open to come face-to-face with a sun at full-blaze. After his eyes readjusted to the bright light of the outdoors, Erik noticed a familiar cardigan across the street, one that was hugging a certain nerd quite familiarly. Erik grinded his teeth together and quickened his pace down the street, but before he could get very far, he heard his name called by said cardigan-wearing man (though it was beyond Erik's comprehension how one could wear so many layers in this blasted heat).

"Erik? Erik!" Charles was calling Erik's name and sprinting towards him at full throttle, and just as Erik turned around to face Charles, Charles collided into Erik's chest with a soft "oomph".

"Oh Erik, my friend, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to run into you, just towards you. Just so excited to see you like this! What a coincidence, in the middle of the day in the middle of this street! What are the odds?" Erik almost rolled his eyes at the exuberant Charles, but instead said, "Indeed." Unable to hide his bitterness, Erik even added, "I didn't mean to disturb your date." He evenly spat out the last word.

Confused, at both the animosity in his voice and the implied date, Charles looked Erik in the eyes and cocked his head to the side with a quite adorable look in his eyes. "Date? I wasn't on a date… OH. You mean Hank! I was merely helping him choose a gift for my sister's birthday you see. They're dating but I do hope he pops the question soon, it would be nice to have some kids running around the house." Charles ended his little rant as quickly as he had started it, shaking his head and wiping the wistful look from his eyes before he thought Erik could notice.

Clearly they hadn't known each other very long because Erik most definitely caught the wistful look in Charles' eyes as the weight that had been pounding away at his chest for days, perhaps weeks, floated away. Elated, Erik was quite suddenly much more amiable company towards Charles.

Delighted at the company, Charles wiped the sweat from his brow and invited Erik to visit the ice cream parlor down the street in order to get away from the summer heat and with grace, Erik accepted.