" Okay, tell me about work." Archer said out of the blue. 

Clyde shook his head. " Wait, what?" He thought he misheard. His roommate sure does love to throw around curveballs every now and then.

Archer rocked his chair back and forth. " Work, Clyde, work. We need to keep the ball rolling. Backstories should only be revealed on the 5th date and not on the 1st date. First dates are for mundane questions."

" This isn't a date, and you're the one who started to reveal your backstory." He corrected.

"Date,schmate. Tell me what I need to know when I introduce you to them."

"I'm First Lieutenant, there's that." He shrugged. 

"If you're the First Lieutenant, shouldn't your pay be a little big? Why are you living in a crappy apartment with me?" He genuinely asked. 

"I'm just used to living with someone. I've never lived alone before." 

"Are you scared there'll be a ghost or something?" He laughed, trying to lighten up the mood. He did not want a repeat of what happened earlier. In reality, he has no idea how to comfort someone. He never had to. If Clyde had exploded earlier, he would've just stared at him. Motionless and useless.

"Ha-ha very funny. Are you a comedian?"

"I know that you know that I'm a teacher."

Clyde shooked his head. " I keep forgetting that someone like you is teaching kids."

" Hey, I am a very reputable teacher." He spoke with his head held high while he pretended to fix his imaginary tie.

"Sure, sure. You're the same man who sprayed perfume on the fan because you wanted both you and the room to smell nice. It ended with you having red eyes and coughing all over the place." He laughed his guts out when he saw his roommate's failed attempt.

"It would have worked if I had goggles." He mimed putting one on.

"Okay, sure." He sarcastically spoke.

"I don't need to prove anything to you when I have a fan club." He replied with his arms crossed. A mocking grin plastered on his face as he took a quick glance at Clyde.

"How?" He squinted his eyes.

"They love their Teacher Archer. Do you have a fan club?" He pretentiously asked.

" No. I'm too unapproachable to have one."

Archer let out a laugh. "Maybe you should start smiling more."

" Those assholes won't take me seriously if I smile. They need fear and my rage to work efficiently. "

"And the safety of the city lies within your hands? Wow. You guys are a waste of taxpayer's money."

"Shut up. You should be happy that you're living with a tough policeman. No one would dare try to break into our apartment" He scowled.

"I am happy." He smiled. Clyde felt warmth. It was enough to end his need for scotch. He couldn't stop staring at his smiling face. He was dumbfounded.

"Is there something in my face? " Archer's question brought him back to reality.

He immediately looked away as he blushed in embarrassment. He hid his face with his hand. " I was just trying to ingrain how stupid you look."

Archer scowled in response.

"Anyway, seems like we're both done eating. I think we should end this date of ours?" He asked, still trying to suppress his embarrassment.

"Wait, did you just say date?" He asked with excitement, a full-on grin shaping his face.

Clyde shook his head furiously. "No, I definitely did not!"

"Oh, before we go, do you mind taking a photo of us together?" Archer took his phone out of his pocket. He needed proof that he is indeed in a relationship if ever anyone doubted him. He can just show them his phone and be all, That's right, there's my partner, the ugly one. Yeah, I know.

"Yes, I do mind." He replied. He never liked having his photo taken. He doesn't like people having photos of him. Those are private, no one on earth should see them.

"Do I need to tell you that we're in a relationship? What kind of partner does not have a photo of him and his partner?"

"It will cost you another jelly." That's his answer to everything from now on. He's just tired. What is the point in arguing about this? When it comes to Archer, he seems to always give in. 

He looked at him unbelievably. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Archer already had spent too much on Coffee Jelly that he doesn't have enough money to buy next week's comic.

" Archer, am I the type of person to make a joke?"

" Fine, you sack of blob. You better smile and pose or you won't get it." He threatened. They met in the middle of the table. Both arms were used to hold their weight. In a moment of bravery, Archer intertwined his fingers around Clyde's, who's eyes widened and was about to pull his hand away.

"Say cheese, you asshole," Archer spoke as he clicked on the capture button.

"Cheese, you asshole," Clyde forced a smile. 

The picture turned out to be okay. Both of them were smiling from ear to ear. You can't tell Clyde wanted to murder Archer for touching his hand. It's not that he's averse to hand-holding. It's the fact that it sent a jolt to his spine when Archer did it. It was probably static, like from the table cloth or something, but it's definitely static. 

Archer was content with the photo. He couldn't stop looking at it when they returned home. He was a creep in his room, zooming in and out. Mapping the details of Clyde's face. How come he never noticed that Clyde has this birthmark close to his jaw or how his eyes close when he fully smiles. "Okay, fuck. That's cute." He wondered if Clyde ever notices that. It's not weird to notice things like that, right? It's bound to happen, seeing they live together. He should've seen it sooner, really. He just has been willfully ignorant. 

Speaking of ignorant, Clyde shouldn't be ignorant of Archer's handsomeness. He hasn't sent the photo yet. 

Clyde heard his phone vibrate from his desk. He checked the message and their picture popped open. He saw how genuine Archer's smile was; his dead-fish eyes actually had life in them. He saved the photo to his gallery. Before he can exit, he noticed what Archer did to his name.

Archer Silas ❤

He scratched his head and decided to remove the heart. 

That idiot, why would he put in a heart?

 Before he can erase it, He looked at the name once more. Seeing the heart right next to it felt natural. Like it was meant to be there. 

Should I erase it? 

His thumb pressed the backspace button, removing the heart. He glanced at the name and thought again.

Now his name looks weird... like when you spell or read a word over and over, suddenly the spelling looks wrong. 

Archer Silas, Archer Silas, Archer Silas, Archer Silas, Archer Silas, Archer Silas, Archer Silas..........fuck, why is his name like this? Does his actual birth certificate have an actual heart on it or something? There needs to be something in the end.

Erasing it, there'd be something missing from his name.

It was unexplainable. It was irritating. It was late. He was tired. He needed sleep. He remembered his smile. He bit his lip and typed the heart back.