Aiden took Damien around the small college town, showing off his usual go-to spots. He was an abysmal tour guide, especially since he rarely went anywhere beyond the same five or six places, but they were places that had beneficial things. The necessary bits people often went if they wanted to keep living so he hoped it would be enough to satisfy the stranger. His favorite grocery store was stop number one, an organic place that probably charged too much but had the best pre-made items like salads, smoothies, and soups. They also had a macaron bar and decent sushi that wouldn’t kill you like the ones you find in the convenience store. They made a plan to circle back as their last stop before heading home so they wouldn’t have to lug their groceries around all day since Aiden had been so caught off guard he’d forgotten his collapsable cart.

The boba and ice cream shop under Margo’s apartment building had been the next stop. It was his favorite place for treats and after-class snacks. He and his friends would often grab something before heading to the internet café to work on projects. That led the duo to the internet café in question after they’d swapped their empty coffees cups for milk teas. The bookstore, his favorite thrift shop that had vintage clothing items, and the record store rounded out the usual spots he ventured to—though he did take a second to mention they’d swing by the nearest clinic in case of emergencies so he knew where to head once they finished up the fun locations.

Damien seemed to really like the record shop, so they spent some time there flipping through stacks of vinyls both old and new. Aiden introduced him to Billy, the owner’s daughter and girlfriend of one of his few friends, a pottery major named Tommy. The artist discovered quite quickly that Damien was a massive music buff, he played guitar and had been dreaming of writing an album. The always-smiling stranger mentioned how he hoped he’d have the time to do so now that he was in a better spot. Aiden wondered what Damien’s story was, but it felt intrusive to ask something so personal of a guy he’d only just met about twelve hours ago.

His new neighbor found a record that caught his attention and purchased it: a Sleep Token album with mythological sounding track names. Not Aiden’s normal taste but he was familiar enough to have a conversation about it nonetheless. Damien seemed thrilled as he clutched the record to his chest with a happy grin once they’d left the store.

“Do you have a lot of records?” Aiden asked.

“No, this is my first one,” Damien replied with a shy voice.

“Do you even have a way to play it?”

“No, but that’s not the point. It’s mine, it’s the thing that cements this as my fresh start. I’ve wanted one forever, and it’s helping me realize that this is it. I did the thing.”

Aiden smiled, heat rushed over his cheeks at the sight of Damien seeming so elated over something so simple. For looking like such a cool, suave, edgy guy, Damien was… gooey. Like a chocolate chip cookie fresh out of the oven. Lighthearted and sweet with severe golden retriever energy. His dark eyeliner-framed eyes seemed to sparkle when something excited him, and Aiden hoped that this new beginning would be just what his neighbor needed to keep smiling like that.

“I have a record player. You can sample it sometime if you want,” Aiden mentioned.

Damien’s cheeks flushed such a deep shade of red it looked otherworldly. As if his entire skin tone had changed with the embarrassment that came alongside the offer. Those brown eyes of his twinkled again, and Aiden hated that he took notice. He did not have time for a crush right now.

They continued their tour of the town, with Aiden trying his best to show off the most important things. The nearest medical facility he’d mentioned earlier, the library, the best restaurants, and his favorite coffee shop. Things seemed fine until Aiden started getting antsy about being away from his schedule and projects and asked if they could cut things short and head to the grocery store. He apologized for it, but explained that he was behind on deadline. Damien seemed a little sad but understood. He also apologized for causing issues, but Aiden promised him he hadn’t. This was a him problem, and he’d had fun but was worried about falling behind. Though a promise that they’d do it again soon seemed to help assuage Damien’s worries.

The unlikely duo headed to the grocery store to pick up some odds and ends. Aiden grabbed a few pre-made salads and sandwiches so he could cut back on the ramen, along with a few prebiotic sodas and a bag of chips. Damien seemed unsure of what he wanted or needed, he grabbed a few small things, but eventually he admitted he was overwhelmed by the options and wanted to leave. They quickly checked out with Aiden’s new neighbor having only bought a box of protein bars and a bundle of bananas.

“Are you sure that’s all you need?” Aiden asked.

“Yeah, this is fine for now. I think I’m a tad more tired than I realized from the trip yesterday. I’m ready for a nap,” Damien said with a nervous chuckle.

“A move is a big deal, you’re allowed to want a nap.”

“It’s a good day for it.”

“Yeah.”

They quietly headed back toward their apartment complex, with Aiden swiping his card to let them into the building as they went. His legs were tired from all of the walking, he wasn’t used to going to so many places in one day and he definitely needed to do more stretching. He was diligent about his hand care, but the rest of his body needed some TLC. Doing some yoga with the patio doors open sounded like a nice way to start his evening before spiraling into panic about his webcomic panels. They rode the elevator back up and headed to the far end of the hall.

“Thanks for today, this was fun. Sorry for distracting you,” Damien said.

“You’re so fine, I promise. I just told everyone I’d have a new episode out by Friday and I’m behind so it’s more an issue with my time management skills. I had fun,” Aiden replied.

Damien held his record close and smiled, eyes closing and head tilting with joy. “Same.”

“I’ll see you around, Damien.”

“See you.”