The car had stopped to a halt as the gear shifted to park. Sparkling turned off the engine and unbuckled himself. He looked over to Herb, who seemed to be examining the outside of his house.
Herb slowly reached his hand around to unbuckle himself. He didn't want to look at Sparkling. He opened the car door with a small thrust, and Sparkling followed suit, thought with a bit of hesitance.
When Herb got out, he shut the door, then started examining again. His head whipped around in every direction as he made sure nobody was around. He was quite scared of being spotted by one of Fruitcake's friends. Or worse: Fruitcake, himself.
A slam sound made Herb practically jump. He turned his head towards the sound, and sighed when he understood it was just Sparkling car door. He fixed his gaze on the concrete beneath him.
Sparkling began slowly walking to his front door as he dug into his pocket for keys. Herb followed behind him and watched as he unlocked the door to his house. Upon walking in, Sparkling kicked off his shoes at the door. Herb decided to copy.
Sparkling let out a small sigh as he threw the keys onto the nearby kitchen countertop, "Sorry. I know it's a bit messy. I wasn't exactly expecting to bring home a co-worker" he chuckled a bit. Herb seemed to somewhat calm down.
Herb gently shut the front door after taking his shoes off and tucking them close to the wall. He walked to the kitchen along with Sparkling. He sat down at a chair, and patted the seat next to him, inviting Herb to join him at the table.
He looked hesitant and nervous, but he sat down anyway. He played with his hands as he obstructed their view on one-another. There was a few moments of silence before Sparkling decided to talk again.
"So, I have a guest bedroom. You could crash there, or the couch. It's, uh, honestly whatever." He was stammering quite a bit. He didn't know what to say, so whatever he thought, just shot out of his mouth.
Herb seemed to nod a bit. It was the first time his talking had really been acknowledged in a while. "I know you're dealing with something, so if you need a day or two off I understand" he smiled softly. Herb seemed a bit shocked, but his facial expression loosened, "..Thank you."
Sparkling was glad Herb finally said something. He scanned around his house for a brief moment before looking back to Herb, "Do you know how long you're going to stay here?" Herb shrugged as he took his phone out of his pocket, placing it on the table.
"I'm not very sure.. sorry." Sparkling waved his hand a bit, "Oh no, it's fine. Don't worry. I'm happy to help any time you need." Herb smiled a bit over what he responded with. He thanked him briefly, "Thanks."
Again, those few terrible moments of silence set in. Sparkling decided to get up and get some drinks. He walked to the fridge and opened it, "Are you okay with wine? Or would you want something else?"
Herb looked up to Sparkling, then rubbed the back of his neck, ".. Oh, I don't like to drink." Herb paused, "Do you have tea or coffee?" He asked softly. Sparkling nodded, "Yeah. I have iced tea, but the coffee would take a few minutes to make."
"Tea then, please."
"Coming right up."
•••
Sparkling came back with the drinks and sat down. Herb happily took his tea, while Sparkling sipped on his wine. Herb sighed deeply, deciding to finally talk on his own for once, "This might be the first time I've actually had a relaxing night after work."
Sparkling cocked his head to the side, like a confused puppy, "Why is that?" Herb shrugged a bit, "It's just... drama and fighting when I come home."
Sparkling nodded diligently. "Well, my nights are spent mostly alone, so your nights might be a step up from mine." He chuckled a bit. Herb mostly faked a laugh. If only he knew what happened at his home.
"So, do you live with your boyfriend or family?" Herb paused, almost as if he froze, "oh uhm... my boyfriend." Even though he took time to answer, he didn't think it through. He hated his response the moment it came out. Then the dreaded question:
"So why aren't you with him tonight?"
Herb stammered, "Oh uhm.. fuck. uh,, just a fight."
Sparkling raised a brow, " 'Aight then.." he sighed softly, "Do you need anything to eat?" Herb shook his head, "No thanks.. I'm good." Sparkling swirled his glass around, "Me neither. Today was a weird day." He smiled, "Your ghostly disappearance freaked me out a bit." He was mostly teasing. Herb got a bit embarrassed, but also upset. He tried to hide it though, "Ah-hah. Yeah.. whoops..."
A buzz from the table alerted both of them. Naturally, it was Herb's phone. He picked it up hesitantly. He read the message and who it was from. He suddenly had a shocked expression and harshly dropped his phone onto the table.
"Uhh... You good Herb? Do you need to take a call or something?" Herb quickly spat a response, "No-No... it's fine, yeah, it's fine." Sparkling did not buy it. It was quite obvious. He tried to start another conversation, but notifications started pouring in.
Herb basically just pretended not to hear them, but they were clear as day, and he looked dumb as hell. Herb gave a nervous chuckle, before grabbing his phone and silencing it, "Sorry about that. Where were we?" Sparkling shook his head, "Just respond to the messages! They seem urgent anyway."
Herb looked to the floor, "I don't want to respond to him."
"To whom?
Herb paused. He didn't know if he really should tell Sparkling or not. I mean, he already knew something was up. He could tell him a bit more at least.. right? But either way, it wasn't his concern. He probably needed help but... was Sparkling really the person for that? They only recently met. But he knows him!
He was in a mental crisis. He didn't know what to do. Leave or stay with Fruitcake, Tell or don't tell Sparkling, Get help or do it yourself. It was scary.
The only thing snapping Herb out of his thoughts, was the hand placed on his shoulder. His head snapped up and he looked worrisome. Tears welded up in his eyes. Just as quickly as they appeared, they were rubbed away.
Sparkling sighed softly, giving a caring expression to Herb, "Look, I know you may not trust me fully, but if you ever need to tell me anything, I'm always here," Herb lightly smiled. He let out a sniffle as he wiped most of the moisture from his face off, "..God, I'm so sorry. You hate to deal with this, don't you?"
Sparkling shrugged, "Honestly, I get this daily. But I actually care enough to help you. All the drunks I just let fall into a pit of despair." He smiled briefly, which allowed Herb to calm down, and smile as well.
Herb fumbled with his hands for a second or two. He looked back up to Sparkling, addressing him with a slightly sorrow face, "Do you think I can be excused to the guest bedroom?" Even in moments of pure depression, he still manages to be polite.
Sparkling stood up, "Oh yeah. Of course. Just follow me" Herb got up, following the other male that led him to a back room. Once in the room, Herb practically fell onto the bed.
Sparkling laughed at him, "Get cozy. Oh uh, Do you need any spare clothes?" Herb nodded with a yawn, Yeah... I'll probably go in to work tomorrow anyway"
Sparkling chuckled then left, "Be right back!" He called from down the hall. Herb made himself more comfortable. He nuzzled into the bed, not even bothering to get under the covers, or change.
When Sparkling came back, he found Herb fast asleep. He smiled to himself as he propped and arm on the doorway. He watched how Herb seemed to forget all worry, and sleep so soundly. He found himself staring at the male's breathing for a bit.
Sparkling immediately stopped once he realized what he was doing was a bit weird. He sighed and threw the clothes down onto the floor next to the bed. He smiled to himself before turning off the lights to the bedroom.
"Sleep well, Herb..."
DATE PUBLISHED: 3|12|22 (US FORM)