DRESS CASUAL.
Wylan stared at the simple two words on his phone with slight disbelief before 180° straight back around and heading for his closet. Deftly avoiding the spider that was currently gracing his presence, he opened the shelves and began rummaging through the clothing he had acquired over the years, trying to find something nice but...not.
"What does dress casual even mean?" Wylan asked the spider. "Is this Jesper's way of taking me out to a date he never told me the actual date of?" The spider crawled away and Wylan made a face at it.
His phone beeped again, and Wylan had it out in an instant.
I'm picking you up at 7
Wylan looked at the current time at the top of his phone and cursed again. "Fuck," he muttered. "It's like, six thirty right now. Six thirty is not enough time to go out on an unplanned date. What happened to cordiality?"
What happened to cordiality? he quickly punched out the text and sent it to Jesper. A few moments later, he got his response.
It got replaced with romantic mystery
He cracked a grin at that. That sounds more like a book genre, he sent back in response.
Well it'd be a damn good book. Now get ready - I'm picking you up exactly at 7
Wylan looked at the time again and realized a minute had passed. Fuck.
Quickly wrestling on a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt, he stared at it for a while before diving back into his closet, tugging out drawers and choosing a different outfit. Staring at his mirror, he made a face and switched it out again. What did 'casual' even mean? he thought desperately. Nice-casual? Bad-casual? Did bad-casual even exist during a date?
Finally he settled for a simple pair of jeans and forest green flannel he had always been told had brought out his eyes, before looking hesitantly at a scarf. He wrapped it around his neck before making a face and quickly taking it off, musing that Jesper would look far better in it than he would. Checking the time again - 6:52 - he went to his shoe collection and pulled out a pair of worn down sneakers that were immediately rejected. A pair of UGGS quickly joined that list, followed by sandals and crocs he hadn't even known he had. After that, black and white converse were his only remaining option.
He checked his phone again. 6:59.
Not too bad, he thought to himself contently. He looked at the mirror before immediately running a panicked hand down his hair. Crap, he thought to himself. I resemble a used mop.
As his phone finally turned the last digit, the doorbell rang immediately after that and Wylan hurried to open the door, realizing that he had never actually told Jesper where he lived.
He swung the ridiculously creaky door open with his question in his mind. Jesper was on the other side of the door and Wylan's heart stopped as he stared at the much taller (much more handsome) boy, his head partly eclipsed by the doorframe. Jesper shot Wylan a cheeky grin, as if conscious of Wylan's gaping.
"Hello merchling," he said calmly. Wylan floundered for a response for a while, cursing mentally as he probably resembled a tomato once again. The phrases how do you know where I live and I have a spider in my house and finally you're so tall floated around his head before he finally blurted something out.
"I have a tall spider where I live," he finally managed. Jesper sent a smirk to Wylan as he tried to fix his sentence. He flushed, running an absent-minded hand through his hair. "I have a spider in my house," he finally chose. "And you're really tall. Also how do you know where I live?"
Jesper blinked, probably not expected the barrage of statements. Wylan sent him a half-hearted grin, trying to save the conversation. "Well it's probably a good thing I don't have arachnophobia for all my future visits to your house," he replied with a grace that should not be legal. "Also, if you think I'm tall, you should meet my mother. And I asked Kaz, who knows a scary amount of information on anybody and everything, though I half suspect it comes from Inej first." He sent Wylan a bold grin, and Wylan finally got himself together.
"Yeah," he said with a small smile. "And that's pretty creepy."
"The mother thing or the Kaz thing?"
"Kaz thing."
Jesper sent Wylan a half-smirk that did strange things to his heart. "Why don't I tell you that interesting story during the drive," he answered pointing to the car parked on the street. Wylan finally turned his head to see a mildly beaten up car gracing his apartment and he smiled at Jesper.
"Let's go," he said, aware of the faintest blush spreading onto his cheeks. Jesper smiled back at him, an element changing to his mouth once he recognized the familiar tinge.
"So where are we going?" Wylan asked conversationally as soon as they were in the car. The seats were a worn down leather, and he found that he preferred it largely to his father's almost clinically oriented car. Jesper turned his head and flashed a smile at Wylan rather than answering.
"Well how old are you?" he asked instead. Wylan blinked, not expected the strange question.
"Um, twenty-one," he said in response, the statement ending in more of a question.
Jesper nodded satisfied. "I remember you saying that," he removed a hand from the wheel to run it through his messy hair and Wylan's heart stuttered, "and, well, how high is your alcohol tolerance?"
"I'm not sure where this is going and I have half a mind to revert back to the kidnapper theory I used when we first met," Wylan said instead. "And it's pretty high - the only way I got through my dad's grand parties and stuff were by having a lot of the champagne."
Jesper grinned crookedly, turning his face into one Wylan really wanted to draw just then. "Then I'm sure you'll love this, merchling."
#
"Holy shit," Wylan breathed out as Jesper led him to the front of a building. "Jesper, oh my God did you-"
Jesper flashed him a wide smile, one that looked surprisingly pure for Jesper's normal look. He decided he liked it. "Yeah," he said sheepishly, running a hand through his hair again. "I remember you mentioning that you really liked painting and drawing but college left you with no time for any of that, so," he gestured vaguely to the building they were in front of, proudly holding a sign that read 'Flute & Ink', one of the most popular locations for artists like Wylan who had always wanted to go, but rarely had time and even then it was difficult to get a position.
"How did you even get a spot?" he asked Jesper incredulously. "I know this is like, ridiculously tough to get, and even then it's booked for months."
Jesper smirked as if remembering something. "I know the owner," he responded vaguely. "Let's just say that without Nina and me, they wouldn't be selling wine, but really low-priced coffee instead." Wylan drew back to give him a suspicious look but Jesper laughed it off, reaching for the front door.
Flute & Ink was one of the best places to go when you wanted simply to drink wine and paint, Wylan thought excitedly. He had literally wanted to go since forever. As the door opened and they walked in to see a couple other people - three, specifically - all standing in a casual circle and talking, Wylan tentatively reached out with his hand and hooked it around Jesper's. His breath caught and for a moment he wondered if Jesper was going to pull away.
Jesper didn't pull away.
The tiniest smile began growing on his lips as they joined the circle of chairs, the lead artist at the front of the room and checking in with them. The artist began giving the basic directions, instructing them to get more alcohol whenever they felt, and that it was a 'judgement free zone', a phrase they said jokingly, that they had learned to start using when their sister failed at things.
Finally they were set off on their own, Wylan taking an easel right next to Jesper. The other boy immediately went for the glass of alcohol, sipping at it and wincing a little at the (probable) bitterness.
"So you like art?" Wylan asked curiously, beginning to thumb through his materials while trying to get a feel for them.
Jesper flashed Wylan a heart-stopping grin. "I figured this would be a win-win situation," he said easily. "You can paint, while I can drink endlessly." He extended his hands teasingly, almost as if he was about to shake them into jazz hands while Wylan stifled a snort of laughter.
"Remember, be creative," they both suddenly heard and they turned their head to the instructor who was still speaking. "If you have a flash of inspiration, go for it. And, madame, no smoking please."
Wylan turned to see Jesper's other side and saw the woman scowl disappointedly before placing her lighter next to her paintbrushes and other supplies. The cigarette was slipped back into her pocket, and a flute of champagne immediately replaced it.
"So what do you think I should paint, merchling?" Jesper whispered quietly. "I was thinking about the most stunning red haired boy I've ever met, has the nicest blush too." Wylan's cheeks burnt at that and he sent Jesper a glare.
Jesper winked and the glare immediately faded away, replaced with something he didn't want to admit was amusement.
Wylan turned back to his own canvas and immediately chose to go with warmer happier colors. The general demeanour of the room was nice, and the cool breeze attacking them outside was gone in favor of a nice warmth pervading his bones. He wanted his painting to match that, he thought contentedly.
A couple strokes lined his paper, and soon enough a vague image began to appear. He frowned and added some more lines, contemplating whether a modern or historical look would look better. Time flew over his head as he painted, not paying attention to his surroundings.
After a while he absent-mindedly reached for a glass of alcohol, bringing it to his lips and swallowing it. It didn't taste bad, he thought to himself. Not as good as the wine his father had at his company, but he appreciated the glass in front of him marginally more than the company events.
"So what the fuck should I draw?" Wylan heard quietly and he turned to see Jesper's few lines in a brilliant red, marking the canvas in several spots. Jesper's hand reached out for another glass of wine, and - Wylan squinted to make sure he was actually seeing this - he swore he saw Jesper's eyes dilate the faintest bit.
Jesper was drunk, Wylan realized suddenly as he saw the (normally) graceful arm awkwardly rise and create a bright green dot in the middle of the canvas. Another followed it, and just as a third was about to come into existence as well, Jesper suddenly drew back and tried to paint his own arm.
"Jesper," Wylan whispered trying not to laugh. "Jes, you're so drunk and I'm pretty sure we're like," he checked the time and saw that thirty minutes had passed since they started, "only like, a fifth of the way in."
"I'm not drunk," Jesper protested weakly, turning around and wrapping two long arms around Wylan. "I'm not drunk Wy." His arms were long and soothing, and Wylan unwillingly relaxed against them.
Wylan tried to reassuringly pat Jesper's back. "Of course you're not," he said calmly, trying to draw back the slightest bit. Jesper's arms refused to move, and Wylan resigned himself to simply staying close to Jesper for a while, feeling boneless as his head started to lay on the other boy's shoulder. He noticed after a beat that Jesper was slouching down for him, trying to account for his height. His heart warmed at that, and he tried uselessly to fight back the blush.
Suddenly Jesper drew back and Wylan let out a half-conscious whine of protest.
"I have an idea!" Jesper said excitedly out of the blue. Wylan's eyebrow raised as a black was dabbed quickly and added to the sheet, but seeing Jesper's body was out of harm's way, he warily turned his gaze back to his own easel.
"I need something," Jesper murmured slightly, and Wylan turned back to Jesper's paper once again. "I... Instructor what did you tell us to be?" he waved his hand clumsily and Wylan bit his lip as the slightly taken instructor replied.
"Er," they bit their lip as they tried to recall what they were speaking about. "Be creative?"
Jesper shot them a grin, eyes sparkling. "Can I use anything in this room?"
The instructor shrugged. "Go for it."
Jesper's eyes returned to his canvas and he painted yet another black dot, followed with a darker red. Wylan didn't even try to look at his own canvas at that point - he kept his eyes firmly on Jesper in case he got into any trouble.
At one point Jesper paused and made Wylan tense up, but only to pick up another glass of wine. Hastily Wylan grabbed the glass and tried to tug it away.
"Wylan," Jesper slurred, "you should know by now that you don't have to compete with the wine for my attention." Wylan's cheeks burned red and he tried with a newer ferocity to take the glass away from him.
"You can't drink anymore," Wylan hissed, aware of everybody else in the room. "It's going to be bad for you."
Jesper nodded sagely. "I understand," he said calmly and Wylan relaxed his grip on the glass, turning away. "But I had my fingers crossed."
The glass was drank like a shot and Wylan watched horrified as the contents of it disappeared. "Jesper," he whispered, trying not to laugh at his current situation. Others would probably be horrified, he thought, but honestly, the only thing he could do was laugh.
"What do I paint?" Jesper asked drunkenly to Wylan. Wylan bit his lip and tried not to smile at a helpless Jesper.
"Whatever you want."
The other boy slumped at that before perking straight back up, staring at his paper with wide eyes. "I know!" he said enthusiastically. "A fire!"
Wylan nodded and turned back to his canvas, but not before keeping a firm hand on Jesper's shoulder in case anything happened. Jesper didn't do anything though, and for a while Wylan thought they were in the clear.
"Fire!" he suddenly heard, and he turned his head to see Jesper's canvas covered in bright flames. Jesper was enthusiastically dripping wine onto it - he wrestled away the glass before Jesper could pour some more into it - and didn't seem concerned. Everybody else in the room had their eyes on the extremely hot paper, and the edges of it were licking the canvas of the woman next to Jesper.
"I thought you said you were going to paint a fire!" Wylan gasped as he stood up from his seat to stand away from it. He dragged Jesper with him there as well, trying not to overbalance from the additional weight. "Not start one!"
"I thought it'd be a good idea," Jesper pouted, looking ridiculously adorable. Wylan tried not to smile at him. "And it's not like anybody else did it. I was creative."
"You started a fire!" the instructor shrieked. "What is the code for this?! Someone tell me where the fire-extinguisher is!"
The other three goggled at the instructor who was still panicking. "Don't you know where the basic fire safety things are?" somebody asked. The woman next to Jesper was now pacing near the wall, giving him a deathly glare.
"He stole my lighter," she snapped. "He just took it, and used it on his own canvas. Now look!"
Wylan's eyebrows rose horrified as he saw the fire had spread from Jesper's canvas to the woman's (admittedly beautiful) image of an arm bearing tattoos. Soon to follow was another man's canvas with little flames licking at the edges. He stifled a snicker at the woman's - hereby referred to as lighter-lady - face, which was a shade as red as his own hair. Possibly Nina's.
Strangely the fire on Jesper's canvas hadn't touched his own yet, but the warmth and rapidly filling smoke of the room was probably making him miss things.
"Alright," Wylan said slowly, trying to keep calm. "Jes - Jesper!"
The other boy was gone from his side and had started walking to Wylan's easel, keeping two firm hands on either sides of it and ignoring the flames and heat. Wylan watched horrified as he casually lifted it and walked away, as if nearing massive flames was a usual thing for him.
"I got it," Jesper grinned at Wylan, his movements still off-kilter. "I have your painting."
Wylan's cheeks burned red at that (how did he still manage to be like this when drunk???) and he resisted the urge to kiss Jesper. "You - you," he stuttered. "Thanks." His cheeks felt like they were on fire, and he knew he was grinning like an idiot as he turned back to the growing flames and the panicking instructor.
"Alright, everybody clear out," a woman from the group finally said. "Get out, everybody, it's too small to burn the entire place down but we want to be cautious. The smoke might hurt some people. Start filing out guys, it's going to be fine."
Halfheartedly a man left, but the majority of them kept staring at the paintings that were still burning at a rapid pace. His own canvas was still being guarded in Jesper's long arms - his cheeks were still tinged red and he looked away hastily - and he tried not to laugh at the hilarity nobody else found in this situation.
"Do you find this funny?" Lighter-lady demanded. "How dare you?"
Wylan's lips rose falteringly and he tried to straighten them uselessly. "I mean," he managed, "it is hilarious. This is comedic gold. I want to write a story about this."
Lighter-lady didn't look amused and instead strengthened her death glare. Jesper on the other hand began laughing as well.
"I like that," he said pointing to the flames. He pouted before adding, "I want to paint that."
Wylan just about lost it, falling to his knees with a fit of laughter. "I know," he said trying to stand back up. Jesper shot him a lopsided grin and offered a hand, his canvas still balanced in the other. "I know Jes, this is amazing. Best first date ever, regardless if we get kicked out or not."
Lighter-lady didn't seem to agree but he really didn't give a damn.
"How dare you," she hissed, "filthy people with absolutely no self respect to come here swaggering with absolute dirt and-"
She was cut off by a loud noise and the four other canvas' all brilliantly on fire were covered with a strange white foam. The woman holding the fire extinguisher shifted her feet minutely seconds later a large portion of white foam covered Lighter-lady from head to toe, her body barely visible underneath it all.
"Well she was a bitch," said the woman handling the fire extinguisher. She sent a toothy grin to both Jesper and Wylan. "I hate people like that. Hope you two have a lovely... well, continuing date."
Jesper shot her a radiant smile, completely unabashed while Wylan blushed and stuttered out a thanks, all three ignoring the lighter-lady's hysterical screaming,
"So where exactly did the instructor go?" Wylan finally asked as he took note of everything in the room. The middle of it was an absolute mess of white foam, but thankfully nothing else had gotten damaged. Jesper woozily rested an arm around Wylan's shoulder and he blushed but did nothing to get it off. Lighter-lady was standing in front of them, fuming as large globs of white foam fell off of her and she began directing her death-stare at the woman holding the fire-extinguisher. She in turn did nothing but wink.
"I found it!" they suddenly heard, and before Wylan knew it the instructor had run out and pulled out another fire extinguisher.
Promptly spraying Lighter-lady all over once again.
***
a/n: and the date has finally happened! i had a vague idea of what i wanted the date to be when i was first writing it, but it underwent a couple of drafts before it came out as it did. i like it as it is though. i feel like, in a lot of novels (especially wattpad's large supply of chick-flicks) the dude the mc's crushing on is basically 'perfect' with only a couple of flaws and even then, those flaws are totally meant for plot purposes. i wanted jesper to accidentally screw up in this one, because hey, a) it's hilarious, and b) wylan isn't a perfect person. neither is jesper, which is why it's important to highlight that their both human (lmao, even if jesper is technically grisha) with flaws, because to be human is to be flawed. i feel like this is highly underrated theme in many different novels, but its important to remember that even the mc's crush has inherent flaws.
two songs that are really good at highlighting this theme is issues by julia michaels (which is below if you're interested) and human by gabrielle aplin (that one is down below).
thanks for reading,
mercy