above all (m×m) ✔

5) rom coms

Tacos probably weren't the best choice for a date, as they fell apart and made a mess. And yet, Steven, who knew to look at the funny side of all things, could only laugh when he managed to spill half of the fillings on his hands, shirt and face. The best part was when Brandon leaned closer and wiped his chin with a napkin, smiling so affectionately that Steven didn't even mind the scolding that followed.

By the end of the dinner, Fitzgerald hopped on the table and sent Brandon's utensils clattering on the floor in the process. Brandon flinched at the noise, but the fright melted from his eyes as soon as he realized what, or who, had just disturbed their peace.

"You have a cat?" Brandon cooed, his mouth opening to a surprised o. He reached out his hand, offering it to the cat. Fitzgerald, the striped little devil, bumped his tiny head on Brandon's hand, purring loudly.

"Yeah, that's Fitzgerald." Steven studied the trio curiously, never having seen Fitzgerald behaving that way with guests. "Don't let him fool you though, he's a devil in disguise."

"Oh, is that so?" Brandon asked, his voice soft and sweet, as he continued petting Fitzgerald. The cat made his way to Brandon's lap, nestling there while never ceasing to pur. 

"I swear, you're some kind of a cat whisperer." Steven chuckled, his heart melting for the sight of Brandon and Fitzgerald. He got up to get them cake, which was his job, because a) he was the host and b) an unwritten rule said that whoever had the cat, was to be served. It went without saying that one was never to disturb the cat.

Steven didn't hold back his praises as he finally got to taste the cake. It was so delicious that he actually needed to hold back a moan when he ate it. Steven's loud reaction was both an amusing and horrifying experience to Brandon, whose face shone bright during the entire ordeal. Steven knew it was because Brandon didn't know how to take a compliment, but that only made him want to compliment Brandon ten times more.

Thanks to Brandon's ungodly working hours, it was still early after they had scraped their plates clean and had their stomachs comfortably full. Steven wasn't ready to let Brandon go yet, and fortunately Brandon wasn't in a hurry to end the date, so they decided on watching a movie.

"Don't ever tell this to Eli.. or Ash.. or Miles.. but", Steven began, fixing a serious look to Brandon. Brandon held his breath, clearly stressed over what kind of horrible secret he was about to hear, but of course he should have remembered not to take things too seriously with Steven. "I can't watch horror or I won't sleep for a year."

"Oh, okay, that's fine, drama queen." Brandon chuckled, nudging Steven's shoulder. He watched as Steven browsed through the movies on Netflix. "What are we watching then?"

"This is also strictly between us, but I'm a sucker for rom com." Steven admitted, grinning sheepishly. He leaned back on the couch, spread an arm over the backrest and made himself comfortable.

"Oh no, you can't be!" Brandon feigned shock, making a surprised smile spread on Steven's lips. It wasn't that Brandon had said anything out of the ordinary, but he wasn't one to monkey around or to get involved in Steven's jest. Usually he just stayed back, at most grinning and laughing at his idiots of friends. 

"Is that a deal breaker or can we possibly get through it?" Steven went on, a playful glint in his eyes.

"I mean.. we can try." Brandon promised, failing to hold back the grin.

They ended up watching a movie called Yesterday first and opted on watching another called Meet Cute next. Brandon, who told Steven he mostly only watched thrillers and dystopian movies, smiled during most of the rom coms and even laughed out loud a few times. The most telltale thing about him enjoying the films was the way he leaned closer to the screen and stared at it with wide eyes.