Danti One Shots

·A Present For My Darling·

New York, New York, 1924. Christmas Eve
Characters: Dark Doom, Anti Williams

The young man scanned the food aisle. He picked out a few apples, a loaf of bread, and a small box of pasta. He scampered down to the meat counter and ordered 12 slices of smoked ham. All that together added up to about $3.95, leaving Anti with just about $2.00 left to buy his darling a present.

He went to the check out and placed his items on the counter for the woman behind it to take what little money he had. Anti had counted his nickels and dimes for the past seven months, and put off what little he could for Christmas. Even though it was a busy month, there was still no Holiday bonus from his cheap-ass of a boss.

Times were tough for Anti and his boyfriend. They got paid in low wages. And no one was that open to people who were attracted to the same gender these days. On top of that, they lived in a big city, making rent and bills more costly. Dark, Anti's boyfriend, would always talk of moving out to the country and building up a farm. Maybe adopt a dog, and finally live in peace. It'd be nice to walk and hold hands without having homophobic comments thrown at them.

The woman behind the counter cleared her throat and startled Anti, making him drop his wallet. He grumbled and picked up his belongings that had fallen out... But the photo he kept in it landed near the woman's feet. Anti gulped and felt the color drain from his face. It was a small photo of Dark kissing him on the cheek. They had enough to spare one day to try out a photo booth.

Anti tried to grab it quickly, but the store employee snatched it before he could. He slowly stood up, afraid to face the check out lady. She stared at the photo with a small smirk. Anti gulped once again afraid of what she would say. She instead gave the photo back to Anti and reached into her pocket, showing Anti a photo of her and another girl kissing.

He looked from the lady back and back to the photo, letting out a small 'aww' of admiration.
The lady chuckled and handed Anti his groceries. The lady gave him a smile and he returned it, walking out of the store.

The wind was bitter and nipped at Anti's sore fingers. He regretted not wearing his wool gloves. He could imagine Dark now, scolding him for it, with worry lacing his voice. Anti smiled fondly at the thought. He was happy that Dark loved him so much. He wouldn't know what to do without that man.

He opened the apartment door with a huff and shut it behind him with the heel of his shoe. Setting the groceries on the small dining table he stripped of his winter clothing. Dark was still at work, and would be until 5:00 pm, and it was 3:00 now. He had a while to find a present, but Anti needed a moment to rest right now. He had ran practically all over the city just trying to get small tasks done. Paying bills, rent, work, and much more.

The young man dragged his feet to the bedroom and stood in front of the small vanity. The mirror was just large enough that he could see his head and torso if he crouched enough. Anti held the change in his hand, counting it over and over again. He had saved up so much, only to have $2.00, a petty $2.00 to buy his boyfriend a present. He couldn't stand the thought of not getting his love a present. It broke his heart, thinking that he was giving so little to the man that gave him so much.

Anti wiped away the tears that streamed down his pale cheeks. But they just kept flowing, leading Anti to give up and lie down on the bed, letting tears escape and broken sobs leave his lips. He cried. He cried as he has been for a few months. What was so wrong with the world? He had one sliver of happiness in his life, but yet society tried to take it away.

Anti sat up and looked out through the frost covered window. He wiped his now red and puffy eyes. The winter frost covered the glass like a cold claw, making and waiting for it to break. Outside the wind billowed and people scurried through the streets like scared mice. Car horns honked but the usual food vendor yelling wasn't part of the New York hustle today. It was far too cold.