The pleasant atmosphere of the skating rink buzzes around him at the same time as his phone's buzz, informing him unnecessarily of a new text. The words pop up on the screen before his eyes, a miracle of technology. Gone are the handwritten letters of yesteryear, with perfumed pages.
The text might not feature Bandou's hand, but it's him all over. Warren's affectionate gazing at the old texts breaks out into a laugh at the new. What size? Ah, the box of prophylactics says --
Heh. Bandou cuts him off. Of course he would anticipate an awful joke and raise his shield!
Now, Warren raises his head. To look for loverboy, presumably at the community building where customers pay to rent the specialty footwear in lieu of bringing their own. The scene is not too crowded, yet popular enough that Warren must scan body and after body before he finds the most familiar one. He stands up, giving the friendly dog who had been waiting alongside him one last pet. Fur on his new gloves, ah, Bandou probably isn't allergic.
Look at him smile... Warren's eyesight is enhanced compared to a human's; even if Bandou is far away he can tell the young man is smiling from ear to ear with pride. His heart beats a song of excitement. It takes a moment for Warren to remember he ought to give Bandou's question an answer instead of looking at him like a lovesick puppy...
A half-size larger than yours?
No corny joke! He managed to hold back.
You look more handsome than anyone else here tonight. The ocean glow of this evening's lights suits you.
The skate-scuffed ice reflects white and blue lights all around, especially concentrated on arches above the rink. He can hear half-conversations and the shout of a fall, but all the while there is no one he wants to look at except the ruffian over there, beaming at the employee like he'd won a trophy.
❤️
The pleasant atmosphere of the skating rink buzzes around him at the same time as his phone's buzz, informing him unnecessarily of a new text. The words pop up on the screen before his eyes, a miracle of technology. Gone are the handwritten letters of yesteryear, with perfumed pages.
The text might not feature Bandou's hand, but it's him all over. Warren's affectionate gazing at the old texts breaks out into a laugh at the new. What size? Ah, the box of prophylactics says --
Heh. Bandou cuts him off. Of course he would anticipate an awful joke and raise his shield!
Now, Warren raises his head. To look for loverboy, presumably at the community building where customers pay to rent the specialty footwear in lieu of bringing their own. The scene is not too crowded, yet popular enough that Warren must scan body and after body before he finds the most familiar one. He stands up, giving the friendly dog who had been waiting alongside him one last pet. Fur on his new gloves, ah, Bandou probably isn't allergic.
Look at him smile... Warren's eyesight is enhanced compared to a human's; even if Bandou is far away he can tell the young man is smiling from ear to ear with pride. His heart beats a song of excitement. It takes a moment for Warren to remember he ought to give Bandou's question an answer instead of looking at him like a lovesick puppy...
A half-size larger than yours?
No corny joke! He managed to hold back.
You look more handsome than anyone else here tonight. The ocean glow of this evening's lights suits you.
The skate-scuffed ice reflects white and blue lights all around, especially concentrated on arches above the rink. He can hear half-conversations and the shout of a fall, but all the while there is no one he wants to look at except the ruffian over there, beaming at the employee like he'd won a trophy.