Schuyler

Jonas was wearing blue, and the young man looked... Sky couldn't think of a compliment that didn't sound like something Carmen or his coworker Aerik would say. He could just hear Aerik's gay ass whispering in his ear, "you weren't lying about him being a snack". Sky was just about to get off work and had texted a pic of himself clocking out to Jonas before the man shot back a picture of himself leaving his place.

"You gonna text him back or keep staring at his picture?" Aerik mumbled into his ear. Sky didn't jump, he'd quickly become desensitized to Aerik's nosy tendencies.

"Yes, I will, now can you stop breathing down my neck," Sky grumbled, pushing his friend away. Ever since Aerik broke up with his last boyfriend he's been all up in everyone else's business. Single Aerik was always curious about the love lives of his friends, it was his way of living through them. Single Aerik always had the best advice though.

"Then what the hell are you waiting for? You're gonna keep him waiting?" Aerik said, one corner of his mouth curving up as Sky rolled his eyes.

Walking away he ignored him trying to think of a good compliment to send him back. Aerik followed close behind, fixing his infinity scarf as he jogged to catch up. Sky could hear him chattering his teeth and felt sorry until he remembered that Aerik was the idiot who thought it was a good idea to wear a sweater crop in this weather but at least he had a coat on.

"I'm not gonna keep him waiting, Aeri, I'm just thinking," Sky said, coming to a stop at the street corner.

"Well while you're thinking can you call us a cab?" Aerik put his hands up to his mouth to blow hot air on them. "You need to hurry up and get a car too."

"How about you get a car," Sky grumbled, hurriedly typing in a quick: wow, that's definitely your color.

"No, see honey look, I date older men who always have decent cars and are too whipped to say no to driving me somewhere."

"Is that the standard I'm supposed to live up to. You date trust fund babies that couldn't tell you what a gallon of two percent milk cost. Besides he sees me every morning catching the bus."

"Uhn. So he doesn't have a car either? Damn."

Ignoring him Sky decided a cab might be a nice way to pick him up instead of the two of them meeting one another at the place. Jonas had already texted him the location and was probably headed there and would probably be pleasantly surprised by the slight change of plan.

"Neither do you remember? See ya," Sky said, putting his fingers in his mouth before letting out a whistler so loud Aerik stopped to cover his ears.

"See ya? What, I don't get a ride?"

"Ask your folks to get you a car and stop being such a brat."

"I'm not asking Angie and Thomas to buy me a car Schuyler. They already don't trust me living alone. They live literally two floors above me. I wanna do this on my own. For the first time in my life I can sleep naked without worrying about either of them walking in unannounced and I can fuck someone on the kitchen counter like in the movies."

Sky tried his best not to laugh at his crudeness.

"If I ask them for any money it's the same as admitting defeat. They've been babying me since my dad died and I don't need that. But it's cool though, Imma get me a man soon."

Snorting Sky shook his head. "Oh really?"

"Yes really. They can't handle all this blasian persuasion."

"Whatever," Sky said, happy to see a cab coming to a stop in front of him. "You still owe me five dollars for stealing what would have been my tip."

"Aw please, it's not my fault. That dude was totally flirting with me, he would have given me the tip even if I hadn't taken over for you to answer your little friend." Aerik teased, back pedaling away.

Rolling his eyes Sky reached over to open the cab just in time to see Aerik bump into someone out the corner of his eye. That's what he got for playing around so much. Laughing to himself Schuyler got into the back of the cab and told the cabbie to wait a second before calling Jonas.

"Hello?" the man said, voice sounding so soothing to Sky's cold ears.

"Uh, hey, it's me. I'm calling to ask where you live. I'm in a cab and I figured why not pick you up on the way there," Sky said, lips curling into a smile. He was going on a date. For the first time in months, since Tyler.

But that wasn't what had Sky suddenly feeling nervous. Back in school his friends always called a flirt but to be honest he never meant to be, it would always just slip and next thing he knew some girl would be asking if he were free sometime. Though it wasn't that either. Jonas had seen him at his worst. What if the young man decided that he didn't like his worst.

"Oh, you don't have to do that I'm already in my own cab headed there." Jonas said, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Okay, well since we're already talking how was your day?" Sky asked, trying to push back the doubt. Why did he feel like something was wrong with him? He should be happy. He was going on a date with a cute guy who seemed so caring. Sky was a stranger to him. A stranger who's interactions were limited to clumsy encounters where they always ended up bumping into one another. Encounters full of annoyed excuse me's and sorry's. Yet he was there when he needed someone to talk to.

"Good I guess, yours?"

"My friend swooped in and stole what would have been my tip so I'm a little ticked off," he said, sinking low in his seat. "He's such a damn flirt. He saw somewhere that waitress's who wear red lipstick get bigger tips so he decided why not put on a little extra makeup in the morning."

"You're serious?"

"Yeah. He usually just touches his eyes up with that eye shit cause he never really has time to put on a full face in the mornings these days."

"Did his theory about the red lipstick work?"

"I don't know but I do know that he stole my tip."

"You must be pretty dang broke if you're upset over that. Are you sure you can afford to pay for dinner?" Jonas quipped.

"I'm not broke, just notoriously cheap." Sky looked out the window at the sound of water hitting it. He frowned at the droplets of rain at the thought of having to walk through that. It was too cold to be raining. "You wouldn't happen to have an umbrella on you, huh?"

"Nope."

"Hey! You know we could do that thing they do in the movies where they use their jackets as shields before they kiss."

Jonas snorted, "You're serious."

"Very."

When he reached his destination Sky made sure to give the cabbie a small tip along with his payment before stepping out into the rain. It was oddly refreshing but the feeling was made better by the sight of a smiling Jonas holding his jacket up over his head and rushing towards his side. Ducking down Sky tried not to laugh as Jonas tried to hold the jacket up higher over both their heads.

"This would be so romantic if you weren't so short," Sky said finally as they ducked under an awning.

"Shut up," Jonas said with a goofy smile, reaching over to lightly tap his shoulder.

Laughing it off Sky said, "Hey, I'm just speaking truth."

They were standing so close despite having found shelter from the rain. Jonas cologne smelled nice and Sky was hoping the man would take a hint and notice him leaning in. Blinking Jonas frowned before his face flushed. Sky couldn't help but give an apologetic smile as he shifted on his feet, their noses nearly touching as he leaned closer.

He wanted Jonas to like him. Honestly the small revelation startled Schuyler a bit but then he found himself studying the man before him and remembering that night. A car honked and not even meaning to Sky flinched. Snorting Jonas took a step back only to step into the rain and get his hair wet.

"Ah shit!" Jonas hissed, just in time for Sky to take his jacket from around himself and hold it over Jonas' head.

"Here," Sky chuckled as Jonas moved closer. "Now this is better."

"Okay leave me and my height alone, okay. I tried!" Jonas pouted before laughing quietly at himself.

Smiling down at Jonas the two walked hip to hip towards the restaurant’s entrance. Grabbing the handle Jonas let Sky in first.

"Oh, ever the gentleman," Sky quipped.

Don't get comfortable. Sky wrapped his jacket up into a ball as he stepped inside, a migraine starting to come on. The man's cute and all but eventually he'll get bored or maybe Sky won't find it in him to be able to open up to him so freely. The whole point in him having moved out so early was too prove to- to himself that he didn't need anyone to feel happy and getting comfortable with people always led to the opposite.

"I try," Jonas said, following alongside Sky to a table. "Need me to pull your chair out for you too to prove how gentlemanly I can be?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact." Schuyler laughed stepping to the side to let the man pull his chair out.

"Here you are." Jonas gestured towards the chair.

"Why thank you," Sky burst out laughing.

Maybe... just maybe it would be worth it. Sky didn't know if it was the warm look of his smile or the way he always seemed to make him laugh but Sky was feeling good about this.