Chapter 40: Agree to Disagree
Clark ran through his mental checklist, making sure he had everything he needed for work. Wallet? Check. Keys? Check. Appropriate but cute business attire?
He looked at his reflection in the floor-length mirror on the far side of his room, turning to check how his butt looked in his slacks.
Check.
Clark maybe cared too much about his appearance at times. The matching grey pants and vest over a white dress shirt were a bit much but incredibly cute. As his boyfriend, Santiago got the benefit of seeing the outfit Clark put together when they meet up later today.
Leaving his room, Clark found Ethan on his laptop at the dining table, typing away. He was hunched over the small device, eyes skirting across the screen with rapt attention.
"Watchya doin'?" Clark asked, coming around to stand behind his roommate. "Looks important."
Ethan glanced at Clark for a moment, cracked a smile, then got back to business.
"Trying to create a recommendation for a butcher's shop."
"Ooh."
"Yeah, fancy," Ethan joked with a chuckle. "I usually wouldn't be doing this at home but I've been working on the magazine for ages. It leaves me so little time for my other projects."
"Oh yeah, it's your day off," Clark said more to himself than anything. "Are you just going to chill at home?"
Ethan sighed. Clark's talking was making it harder for him to focus on his work but he reclaimed his patience and answered.
"No, I have plans."
"With the group?"
"With Chris."
"A date?" Clark gasped. His mouth twisted up into a smile and he poked Ethan excitedly. "Oh my god, why didn't you tell me you had a date?"
"Not a date," The older man groaned, pausing his work to turn to his younger friend, "we're just friends watching the new Marvel movie and eating some Korean food afterward. Not a big deal."
"I don't know. Dinner and a movie sound pretty date-like."
Clark watched as Ethan crossed his arms over his chest, a glare on his face. If Clark had made this joke about any other guy Ethan would have played along, or at least not be so hell-bent on proving their friendship. He was being shown once again how Ethan saw Chris differently from everyone else. After months of brunches and dinner parties, Clark had begun to assume that Chris was like any other friend Ethan had.
He was wrong.
Sighing, Clark placed a hand on Ethan's shoulder.
"I was just kidding," He whispered. At the sight of the soft smile on Clark's face, Ethan began to crack a smile. "You know I'm a romantic at heart."
"And spirit," Ethan tagged on with a laugh, "And mind and soul."
Ethan continued to laugh even as Clark began smacking him. Even as he was pulled away from his work, he still played around with Clark. The faux wrestling was strange with Ethan sitting in his seat yet it continued for a minute or so. After a while, Clark was forced to start heading out. Meaghan was a nice boss, especially since they're friends, but abusing that pull would look bad at the office.
Waving him off, Ethan watched Clark leave for work. He turned to his laptop, ready to get back to work, but paused. An image of his hand wrapping around Chris's from across the dinner table came to mind. The scene pans up to show an adult Chris smiling adoringly at Ethan. With a start, Ethan comes out of the daydream and tried to get back to work.
I guess Clark's words are getting to me, Ethan thought with a wry smile.
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Ethan and Chris had been hanging out within their friend group for months so a simple trip to the movies should have been standard. Meeting each other was anything but. They fumbled around each other, struggling to get back to the casual banter they'd grown accustomed to. This carried on as they got their tickets and Chris bought them popcorn and drinks. It carried on as they found their seats and spent fifteen seconds figuring out who would use the shared armrest. In the end, neither did.
The awkwardness was forgotten during the duration of the movie. Ethan couldn't think of anything but what was happening on screen. And in typical Ethan fashion, he conveniently forgot how weird things had just been with Chris. Any comment on his mind was whispered to Chris without much thought. It was that thoughtless whispering which allowed the tension to just slip away.
When the second after-clip was finished and the theater lights came up, Ethan shook his head with a chuckle.
"Amazing," He said, hand lifting to cover his mouth. "That was so good."
"It was incredible," Chris agreed with a nod. "I never thought they would make the villain so . . . relatable."
"They took 'morally ambiguous villain' to a whole new level," Ethan tagged on.
Smiling, Ethan turned to make eye contact with Chris. Their eyes met. He looked away. Chris coughed into his fist and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"So, food?"
The restaurant was small, nestled between a rapid clinic and shaved ice shop but Ethan swore that it was the best. "The sketchiest shops make the tastiest food" was his favorite explanation. Despite his skepticism, Chris warmed to the bright smile of the talk Korean woman he came up to serve them.
"Just water for me too," Chris said, scanning the menu in his hands. The waitress left and Chris made a mental note of his choice then folded up the menu again. "So, favorite scene from the movie?"
"The final conversation right before the last battle," Ethan answered nearly instantaneously.
"As per usual."
"Yes," Ethan chuckled, his head tilting in surprise. He was a little impressed. Chris remembered his action movie favorite and that validated something within him. He grew more relaxed. "There is one thing I wondered about. If a magical attack couldn't destroy the book in the last movie, how did ripping it apart finish the job?"
"I guess the super strength is more effective."
"Or it was a fake, switched out right before the fight."
"Oh come on," Chris laughed, leaning forward as he spoke, "who would have the motive to keep that thing around?"
Ethan didn't verbally respond. He stared Chris down, challenging him to think of the answer himself. Then, Chris gasped.
"No."
"Oh yes."
This was far from their only debate that night. Ethan had numerous ideas, opinions, and theories about what had transpired on the big screen. Chris listened to each one, always ready to confirm or contradict anything he said. Their poor waitress had a hard time getting the men's orders because of how wrapped up they were in the debate.
It was a fantastic meal, even if Ethan accidentally ordered too spicy food and had to intermittently wipe his nose during their discussion. Chris didn't judge and the bibimbap was still delicious.
Chris and Ethan continued to speak about the movie or whatever came to mind as they left the restaurant and headed for the station. This carried on when they paid the fare and navigated through the crowd. It carried on during the ride, with the two sitting side by side, thighs pressed together.
Chris was explaining where this film beat most others in representation when Ethan's stop was announced. Ethan's eyes flitted up to a sign, reading the familiar station name with pursed lips.
"This is me," he declared, shoulders slouched in thinly veiled disappointment. Ethan stood slowly and stood facing Chris. His hand held the overhead pole tightly, trying to stabilize his body in the constantly shaking train. Chris finished his explanation faster than Ethan would have liked and for a second, they stared silently at one another, no words exchanged.
"Ethan?"
Ethan's gaze was pulled away from the floor and he found Chris looking up at him with a smile.
"Thank you for this."
Ethan returned the smile as widely as his cheeks could stand.
"You're welcome."
Ethan stepped off the train, briskly walking for the stairs while his brain reeled. That look on Chris's face was the exact one he saw earlier today. Warm, like Chris wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
———
Clark was nowhere to be found when Ethan got home and a quick text confirmed that he'd decided to stay the night with Santiago. The place was extremely quiet and Ethan found himself humming to try to fill the space. He pulled off his socks and shirt, nearly dancing at this point to the tune of his creation. Ethan admired his healthily rounded form in appreciation for a moment before a thought came to mind. His fists opened and closed repeatedly as he struggled to think of who to tell. There was only one person who'd watched the premiere with him, but they'd never messaged each other about this stuff before.
At least, not since they broke up.
Ethan realized that he had two options: tell Chris or tell no one. He snatched up his phone with new haste.
Hey Chris! I had a great time today.
Just had a quick thought.
The aliens were pulled back so quickly because they had a leader right? But why would the leader give up so easily if the book was that important?
I think their leader is the chosen one who has the missing page.
Ethan stared at the chat for a moment after his message was sent, waiting for a response. Then, he tossed his phone on his bed with a huff. Chris was probably sleeping or busy. He wouldn't respond immediately.
His phone dinged. Ethan dove, his body bouncing on the bed as he re-opened the chat.
Their leader could have backed down to preserve numbers. There's little proof supporting the missing page theory.
At the sight of Chris's rebuttal, Ethan's mouth pulled into a grin. A big part of him was happy that Chris did not agree. Disagreeing was more fun than agreeing because it created a debate and Ethan loved going toe-to-toe with the other man.
He turned over onto his back and typed out his response. The two went back and forth on this idea before the conversation switched to other things. Ten minutes in, Ethan thought to get up and finish changing for bed. Still, even as the time ticked by and Ethan's eyes grew strained, they continued to text deep into the night.
He fell asleep on his back, lying over his blanket with his phone face down on his chest. His face was relaxed but the tiniest of smiles stayed stuck to his lips.
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I love these boys. I feel like I say that every time but I really do love them.
Did you enjoy this chapter?
You can say no, I won't shoot you. I don't even own a gun.
I personally just made myself hungry because I had to go and mention bibimbap.
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One of my top faves is Korean pancakes, they just smack.
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