Summary: It's the Fall Fair at Solestia University, and Partitio is helping Ochette set up her club's table. He runs into Osvald and they end up spending the day together, which leaves Partitio longing for more.

The day after, Osvald takes Elena to a doctor's appointment and has a conversation with Castti that forces him to confront his feelings for Partitio that he has been trying vehemently to deny.

"Thanks for helping me set up, Parti!"

"Sure thing!"

Partitio wiped the sweat from his brow as he gazed upon his handiwork with his hands on his hips. Ochette was the current vice president of Solestia University's Archery Club, and since he had the day off work today, Partitio had offered to help her set up the club's table at the Fall Fair.

While she set up the table and organized fliers, he had set up targets for potential new members to try their hand at archery themselves before deciding if they wanted to join the club or not. Partitio had always loved the Fall Fair, so he was happy that he could still attend as an alumni.

"Hey guys, having fun?"

Partitio turned to see Throné approaching them, and he beamed and offered her a friendly wave. "Heya Throné!"

"Néné!" Ochette clapped excitedly as she stood on her chair and wrapped her arms around Partitio's shoulders from behind. "We're having a blast, and Parti helped me set up!

Throné chuckled and shook her head. "Working on your day off…Why doesn't that surprise me?"

Partitio waved a hand at her and flicked up the brim of his hat. "Shoot, helpin' out a friend hardly counts as work! Besides, I love the Fall Fair!" Throné nodded in agreement, and Ochette beamed and waved vigorously at something behind them.

"Oh, oh! There's H'aanie!" Partitio turned to see the president of the Archery Club, H'aanit, walking in their direction. "You can go now if you want, Parti. Thanks again!"

"No problem, good luck with your recruiting!" Partitio said, and he turned to Throné, "Wanna walk around together?"

"Sure."

They wandered a bit, and Partitio was always impressed with the effort that all of the clubs and organizations put into their setups. Some were giving out free swag, while others had interactive games set up with prizes to win, and others still were serving various food and drink at reasonable prices to fundraise. One group's setup in particular caught Partitio's eye, and his eyes widened when he spotted a familiar face.

"Howdy, Osvald! How'd they get ya up there?"

Partitio laughed as he and Throné approached the Chemistry Learning Center's table. Next to the table, a dunk tank was set up, and Osvald was currently sitting in the hot-seat, and he didn't look too happy about it. His eyes were wide when they locked with Partitio's, and he shrugged before crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm a chemistry tutor, so that's why I'm here. Obviously." Partitio snickered as Osvald pouted, and he tried very hard not to be obvious about ogling his bare chest and arms, as he was wearing nothing but swim trunks.

"Would you like to give it a go?" the woman manning the table asked. A grin slowly spread across Partitio's face as he took the ball that she held out to him, and he tossed it into the air a few times and moved to stand before Osvald.

"Heh, I sure would! I reckon I can get ya in one throw!"

Osvald snorted and raised an eyebrow at him. "Hmm, don't get overconfident now."

Partitio flicked up the brim of his hat and winked as he made a show of stretching his arms. "Well, I was quite the pitcher in high school, and didn't do too bad in college either!"

"That doesn't-" Osvald started, but Partitio didn't give him a chance to finish, as he had pitched the ball and hit the target square in the middle, sending Osvald into the water with a startled yelp. The woman at the table laughed, and Partitio placed his hands on his hips and beamed.

"Ha! Now what were ya sayin' about overconfidence?" Partitio taunted, but his gloating was cut short when Osvald pulled himself from the tank, and Partitio went slack-jawed at the sight.

Wet strands of hair stuck to Osvald's face, and the intensity of his glasses-less gaze caused Partitio's face to heat up significantly. Transfixed by the way the water droplets on his skin seemed to sparkle in the sunlight, Partitio's eyes followed one that fell from Osvald's chest all the way to his navel. Hoo-eey, was Osvald sexy, and Partitio was suddenly imagining how licking those water droplets off of his skin would taste…

"Sheesh! Shut your mouth before you start drooling everywhere, lover boy."

"Eh?"

Partitio's jaw snapped shut as he jerked his head towards a smirking Throné, who had her arms crossed over her chest and an eyebrow raised. Partitio swallowed thickly and tried to ignore the fact that his face was burning with embarrassment.

"...It seems that I underestimated you, Partitio." Partitio gave his head a quick shake to clear the impure thoughts from his mind as Osvald walked up to the table, and the woman handed him a towel. "Thanks, Clarissa."

"Ha, you sure did!" Partitio chuckled as Osvald rubbed the towel over his torso before moving it to his hair.

"That'll teach me to let my guard down around you," Osvald said, chuckling as he took his glasses from Clarissa and put them on. Partitio watched as Clarissa looked back and forth between the two of them a few times, before an almost too sweet smile crossed her face.

"Hmm, I think we can handle the rest of the day without you, Osvald," Clarissa said, and Osvald shot her a dubious look.

"Why? I've only been dunked once."

"I think that Coffee may be getting a little restless. Regulus, come here please!"

"Coffee?" Partitio wondered allowed, and he followed Clarissa's gaze to a nearby tree, where a man stood holding the leash of an adorable Saint Bernard puppy, and he walked up to the table at Clarissa's summons.

"Ah, yes, that's the puppy that I adopted," Osvald said, and a smile slowly crept over Partitio's face, "Elena was the one who named her."

"That's a great name!" Partitio knelt down as the puppy ran up to him and he pet her back and scratched at her ears. "Hello, lil doggie!"

Osvald chuckled and turned to Clarissa. "Are you sure you don't need me anymore?"

Clarissa rolled her eyes and waved a hand at him. "Yes, yes. We've got everything under control. Besides, you could use some down time. Go enjoy the rest of the fair."

"...Alright."

Throne suddenly broke her silence and she turned to Partitio. "Ah, I just remembered that I…left something in the oven. Bye."

Partitio raised an eyebrow, confused. "But, Throné, you don't cook-"

"Goodbye, Partitio." She jerked her head and shifted her eyes in Osvald's direction in an incredibly unsubtle manner, and it finally clicked that she was trying to get him and Osvald alone.

"O-Oh yeah! You should be more careful about that, see ya!" His voice dropped to a whisper as he leaned close to her. "And thankee kindly."

Throné gave him a small smile and a nod before leaving Partitio with Osvald. He watched as Clarissa addressed the man that had been watching Coffee.

"You're up, Regulus."

"What?" Regulus frowned and shook his head as he handed Osvald Coffee's leash. "But Osvald's only been dunked once-" Clarissa shot him a heated glare that caused Regulus' mouth to snap shut, and he cleared his throat and averted his gaze.

"Yes, well…Cyrus hasn't had a turn yet."

Clarissa sighed and pointed over her shoulder with her thumb. "Well, if you want to try and extract our resident heartthrob from that hoard of women, be my guest."

"...Oh dear."

Partitio looked to where Clarissa was pointing to indeed find a rather large crowd of women, and also some men, surrounding a lone man, who seemed to be lecturing enthusiastically about something. Osvald let out a deep sigh and shook his head as Regulus resigned himself to his fate and entered the dunk tank.

Partitio's gaze was transfixed on the crowd. "Oh boy, does that happen a lot?"

"Yes." Osvald chuckled as he threw on his clothes. "It's a running joke that Cyrus has the largest dropout rate out of everyone in the life sciences department. Apparently a lot of students take his classes because he's attractive, but they can't handle the difficult subject matter that he teaches, leading to many of them dropping out."

Shrugging and shaking his head, Osvald continued: "The most amusing part is that he is absolutely clueless as to why this is, and he is always so upset every time it happens. No one has the heart to tell him that it's his own fault."

"He sounds like a hoot!" Partitio said, covering his mouth to stifle a snicker.

"That's one way to put it."

A silence fell between them, and Partitio chewed on the inside of his cheek. He wanted to ask Osvald to hang out at the fair with him, but he hesitated, unsure if Osvald really would be okay with that…

"Partitio…would you like to join me?"

…Well, that problem just solved itself, and Partitio's eyes went wide at Osvald's invitation. He recovered quickly from his shock and nodded, maybe a bit too vigorously.

"I sure would!"

A small smile crossed Osvald's face and he gave the leash he held a gentle tug. "Come, Coffee." The puppy let out a bark and trotted along as the two men wandered between the booths and tables.

"Oooh, looks like the pep band's sellin' chili," Partitio said as he stopped walking and licked his lips, "Wanna get some, Osvald? I reckon a nice hot bowl would be good for ya after your dip in the dunk tank."

Osvald hummed as he rubbed at his chin, and he took a deep breath through his nose. "It does smell good. Yes."

Partitio beamed as they got in line, and when they reached the table, Partitio tipped his hat at the man behind it.

"Howdy, Gil!"

"Hey, Partitio!" Gil, the pep band conductor, grinned and shook Partitio's hand. "Good to see ya! We really miss your hot sax skills this year. You should pop in to rehearsal sometime, for old time's sake."

Partitio blushed as he rubbed at the back of his head. "Shucks, I wasn't that good…"

Gil chuckled as he handed Osvald and Partitio their bowls of chili and took the money that Osvald gave him. Partitio opened his mouth to protest, but the look that Osvald cast at him over his glasses chased the words back down his throat and made his cheeks burn hotter.

"Doesn't matter if you played like a pro or not," Gil said, "'cause your music contained all of your heart and soul, and that's what made you better than most."

"Daw, you're makin' me blush here."

"Heh, I don't think that's my fault at all." A sly grin crossed Gil's face as he glanced at Osvald out of the corner of his eye, and Partitio blanched; was his crush on Osvald really that obvious?

"R-Right, uh, I'll let ya know when I can stop by rehearsal. See ya later, Gil!" Partitio said as he retreated from the table before Gil could tease him more. He found an empty bench and sat down with Osvald so that they could enjoy their chili.

"Yum! This is great!" Partitio gushed after he took a bite. He turned to Osvald to find him holding his bowl with one hand, while the other was occupied with holding the leash that Coffee was tugging on.

Without thinking, Partitio reached over and grabbed Osvald's spoon, scooped some chili onto it, and held it up to Osvald's mouth. "Here, lemme help ya!"

"Er…" Osvald stared wide-eyed at the spoon for a few moments before slowly opening his mouth and closing it when Partitio moved the spoon inside.

"It's…good." Osvald's voice was quiet, and his gaze fixed upon Coffee, who was being pet and fawned over by a few passing students. Partitio nodded as he pulled the spoon back, looked at it, and the realization of what he had just done hit him like a ton of bricks.

What the fuck was he doing?!

He had just fed Osvald. In public. If it was possible to die from embarrassment, Partitio would have keeled over on the spot. Even if they were more than friends it would have been embarrassing. Shit, Partitio didn't even know if Osvald was attracted to men, and that made this situation especially awkward.

"S-Sorry Osvald, I, er, l-let me just…take that from ya." Partitio stuck Osvald's spoon back into his chili and reached over to take Coffee's leash from him; why the hell didn't he just do that in the first place?

Osvald finally turned his gaze back to Partitio, and Partitio was relieved when a small smile crossed his face and he chuckled. Partitio watched as Osvald took a bite of his chili and hummed contently, before raising an eyebrow at him.

"You…are a rather impulsive person, aren't you?"

Partitio blinked slowly at him, before letting out a sheepish laugh as he rubbed at his neck. "Ah, yeah, my pops has definitely told me that before…" They ate in silence for a bit, and when Osvald had finished his chili, he turned to Partitio with a curious look in his eyes.

"So, you were in the pep band?"

Partitio nodded and leaned back, folding his hands behind his head. "Sure was! Did some time with the jazz band and concert band too. Mostly stuck to alto sax, but I dabbled in soprano and tenor too. I even played bari when they were short handed."

"Impressive."

"Haha, thanks!" Partitio beamed as he flicked up the brim of his hat, and he raised an eyebrow at Osvald. "What about you, partner? Got any hidden musical talent of your own?"

Osvald nodded as he pushed his glasses up. "Yes, actually. I've played the cello and piano for most of my life. I've been thinking of joining the community band in the spring."

"Oh nice!" Partitio tried not to sound too excited, but he wasn't sure that he succeeded. "I'm plannin' on signin' up too! We're like two peas in a pod, Osvald." He slapped a friendly hand to Osvald's shoulder, and Partitio was internally jumping for joy; he was thrilled at this chance to spend more time with Osvald outside of the café.

Osvald chuckled as he stood up. "I suppose you're right. Shall we move on?" Partitio nodded as he tossed their garbage in the closest can and they continued to enjoy the fair.

They came upon a very colorful table belonging to the LGBTQ student org, and Partitio smiled and waved as they approached. "Hey Ori, how's it goin'?"

"Partitio, hi!" The woman sitting at the table offered him a wave back as she propped her elbows on the table and rest her chin in her hands. "And hi, Professor Vanstein!" Osvald offered her a slight nod, and Partitio loudly cleared his throat when Ori grinned and wagged her eyebrows at him in an incredibly unsubtle manner.

"Thanks for stopping by! You guys want some cool swag?" Ori asked as she waved a hand in front of her. Buttons and stickers and flags decorated with all the different pride flags were organized neatly on the table.

"Hmm, I really should get a big ol' rainbow flag to hang outside the shop…" Partitio mumbled to himself as he rubbed at his chin, "But for now, can I have one of those buttons, Ori?"

"Sure thing, and I already know which one you want!" Ori plucked a button decorated with the bisexual flag from the bucket and handed it to him.

"Thankee kindly!" Partitio took the button and pinned it to his flannel. Thinking that they were done here, Partitio turned to Osvald. "Well, Osvald, why don't we head over to-"

"I'll take one too, please."

The rest of Partitio's words caught in his throat, and he gawked when Ori beamed and handed one to Osvald. "Sure thing!" She turned to look at Partitio with a shit-eating grin on her face and shot him a wink, and he brought a finger to his lips, hoping that his face wasn't as red as it felt.

"Thank you," Osvald said, and Ori gave them both a vigorous nod as they turned away from the booth.

As they walked down the sidewalk with Coffee leading the way, Partitio couldn't help but blurt out: "You're bi, Osvald?"

"Yes." Osvald glanced at him over his glasses with an eyebrow raised. "Is that odd?"

"Haha, not at all! I am too, after all," Partitio said, his heart racing as he slapped a hand to Osvald's back. Partitio was internally freaking out about this revelation. He felt silly for assuming that Osvald was straight in the first place, just because he had been married to a woman and had a child. Partitio made a mental note to not judge a book by its cover.

"Did you assume otherwise?"

Partitio blushed when Osvald pushed the issue, and he let out a sheepish laugh as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Kinda, yeah. But I guess it's true what they say about assumptions: they make an ass out of you and me!"

Osvald stared at him for a moment, before barking out a laugh. "Where did you hear that?"

"Oh, my old high school computer teacher had it written on his whiteboard on the first day of class," Partitio said, "I thought it was pretty funny back then, but I guess it really was good advice."

Osvald chuckled as he nodded. "Indeed. That teacher was smart."

"Well sure, but not nearly as smart as you!" Partitio blurted out, and his hands snapped over his mouth, embarrassed by his thoughtless gushing.

"I am…flattered that you think so," Osvald said as he cleared his throat and averted his gaze. Partitio swore that his cheeks had gone slightly pink, and he couldn't help but think that he looked so…endearing.

"Ah, I should pin this to myself before I lose it." Osvald stopped walking and tried to pin the bi flag button onto his sweater with one hand; his other was preoccupied with holding tight to Coffee's leash as she tugged on it, but he seemed to be having trouble.

"Here, let me help ya." Partitio reached up to take the button from Osvald's hand, and he tried to ignore the heat that rushed to his cheeks when their fingers brushed.

As he pinned the button to Osvald's shirt, Partitio stole a glance at his face - which was very close to his own - and was surprised to see that his cheeks had gone from pink to red; Partitio hoped that he wasn't getting sick from his dunk tank experience.

"Are ya cold, Osvald? You look a bit red in the face."

"Er, it's-I'm fine," he said quickly as he averted his gaze and adjusted his glasses, "Thank you for your help. Ah, it seems that Coffee wants to go this way…"

Partitio cocked his head and raised an eyebrow as he watched Osvald follow Coffee's lead down the sidewalk. That was…kinda weird of him, but Partitio was still riding the high of finding out that Osvald liked men, so he pushed that to the back of his mind and smiled as he rushed to catch up to him.

They continued perusing the remaining tables together, engaging in conversation and having a great time, in Partitio's opinion. When he had first met Osvald outside of his café, he had found him kinda intimidating and quiet, but now that Partitio had gotten to know him outside of work, he found that Osvald was charming, witty, and stupidly smart. The fact that he was handsome as hell was the cherry on top, and Partitio found himself wishing that this day would never end.

By the time they had seen everything that the Fall Fair had to offer, it was late afternoon, and Osvald cursed under his breath when he checked his phone.

"Damn it, I was supposed to pick up Elena from my parent's place an hour ago." Osvald cringed as he reached down to pick up Coffee, who had decided that she was done with walking and stubbornly plopped down onto the ground.

"Whoops! Sorry for keepin' ya so long, Osvald." Partitio frowned as a wave of guilt passed through him.

Osvald shook his head, and the soft smile that crossed his face made Partitio's heart race. "Don't apologize. I…had a good time today. With you."

"Y-You did?" Partitio swallowed thickly and tugged at his collar. "I, um, had a good time too." Osvald tucked Coffee under his arm and turned to leave, but he paused and glanced over his shoulder.

"I'll see you tomorrow, at the café?" Partitio could only nod in response, and Osvald continued: "I have to take Elena to the doctor for a check up, so I'll be in after that."

"R-Right, I hope it all goes well!" Partitio said when he found his voice again, "Have a good night, Osvald!"

"Thanks. You as well, Partitio."

Partitio waved as Osvald walked off, and he let out a long sigh, a goofy smile plastered on his face as he pressed his hands to his face and giggled.

"Gosh…I really hope this isn't a dream…" Partitio mumbled as he pulled out his phone, which had been vibrating all day but he didn't look at it, not wanting to divide his attention between it and Osvald. He let out a groan when he saw that most of the messages were from the group chat with his roommates, asking about his 'date' with Osvald.

"It wasn't a goddamn date, y'all…" he mumbled to himself as he typed it out in a reply. He hit send and let out a dejected sigh as he stared in the direction that Osvald had walked off in. It wasn't a date, but that didn't stop Partitio from wishing it had been, from the bottom of his heart…

"Elena's making great progress, Osvald. You should be proud."

"...Thank you, Castti."

Castti smiled as she set her clipboard down onto the table next to her. Elena's road to recovery had been a bumpy one, but she was slowly regaining her memory and sorting through her trauma, and most of that was because of Castti's expertise, incredible patience, and a never-ending supply of kindness.

A silence fell over them as they waited for Elena to return; she had gone with the nurse who was showing her where the bathroom was, leaving Osvald alone with Castti.

Castti was the one to break the silence. "So, how are you fairing, Osvald? I know that moving to a new city can be quite an adjustment, and not just for Elena."

Osvald raised an eyebrow at her and shrugged. "I'm fine. Classes are going well. My students are all bright and attentive, and my colleagues are easy to work with and our collaborations are quite intellectually stimulating."

"I see," Castti said with a chuckle, "But I do hope you're doing things outside of work too. Destressing is important for your health."

"Hm, well…" A small smile crossed Osvald's face as he tugged at his beard. "There is this café that I've been going to almost every day."

"Oh? Which one? My fiancé is very picky about his coffee so I've been trying to find a good place for us to try."

Osvald's smile grew wider and he nodded. "Well, this place serves the best black coffee that I've ever had. The owner is exceptionally knowledgeable and good at his craft."

Castti stared at him with wide eyes for a moment, and Osvald's brow furrowed with confusion. Her lips curled up into a sweet smile and she folded her hands in front of her.

"Tell me about the owner, would you?"

"Partitio? Well," Osvald said as he tapped his chin, "He only graduated from Solestia U. last year, and he's already running a successful business. His smile is infectious, and he is kind and cheerfully greets everyone who enters his café."

Osvald's let out a chuckle and shook his head. "Even when I showed up in a foul mood, he did everything that he could to cheer me up, despite not knowing me for that long. I've truly never met anyone quite like him." Osvald was interrupted when Castti burst out laughing, and his eyes narrowed and lips morphed into a frown.

"What's so funny?"

She brought a hand to her face as her giggling subsided, and she placed a hand on his arm and gave it a squeeze. "Oh, Osvald, your little crush on Partitio is so cute."

"My what?" Osvald gawked at her, and she rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips.

"Osvald, I don't think I've ever heard you talk this much, and we've known each other for quite a bit now," Castti said, "And that smile on your face, and the way your eyes lit up tell me that this Partitio is more than a friend to you."

"N-Nonsense." Osvald blurted out, his face heating up considerably as his gaze fixed upon the floor. He clenched his hands into fists, his nails digging into his sweaty palms. A crush on Partitio? What a foolish notion. There was absolutely no evidence that pointed to that…is what Osvald wanted to believe.

There were perfectly logical explanations for certain odd bodily reactions when he was with Partitio. His cheeks flushed only due to how hot it was in the café…even though Partitio kept it at a comfortable 68 degrees.

The way his heart raced when he entered the café was because of his anticipation to taste the delicious coffee…and certainly had nothing to do with the charming smile and enthusiastic greeting of the man who would serve it to him.

When Osvald's lips curled into a smile as he watched Partitio laugh at a joke, or the heat that lingered on Osvald's skin when their fingers brushed during an exchange of money or a coffee mug, or the fact that Partitio always seemed to be at the back of Osvald's mind were nothing more than…solid proof of his inexplicable attraction to the man. No matter how desperately he tried to deny it, Osvald knew deep down that Castti was right: he had a massive crush on Partitio.

"I-It's…nothing like that…" Osvald mumbled, but the way that he rubbed at his arms and avoided eye contact didn't seem to convince Castti of that.

"Hmm, well, whatever you feel for him, I do hope it works out for you." Castti chuckled and gave his arm a few pats when Osvald huffed and rolled his eyes.

"...That's unnecessary."

"Oh, I'm sure it is."

"Ugh…"

Osvald was saved from more teasing when the nurse returned with Elena, and he thanked Castti again and bid her farewell. Elena seemed to be in a good mood, so Osvald reluctantly dropped her off at soccer practice, where he got a text message that immediately brought a smile to his face, much to his chagrin:

Hey Osvald! I hope your daughter's appointment went well, and I've got a nice hot pot of coffee brewin' up just for you!

Osvald's smile grew even wider at that, and the fact that the text ended with both a coffee and a heart emoji made butterflies take flight within his gut. Partitio was making it very hard to deny his feelings for him, and Osvald was determined to keep those pesky feelings at bay as he made his way to the café.

When he stepped inside, Partitio's eyes met his, and that beautiful, beaming smile crossed his face, causing Osvald's heart to race and a warmth to blossom within his chest that spread through his entire body. He thought back to his conversation with Castti, and he swallowed thickly as sweat started to bead on the back of his neck as his deep-seated denial crumbled to bits.

Oh shit.