He didn’t know -why- he’d expected college to be easier than high school but for some reason that had been in his head. College was suppose to be this great fun time in someone’s life where they got to explore and enjoy themselves and do things they’d be able to tell stories about later. It wasn’t suppose to be a mess and a headache but that, so far, had been his experience. Probably because he kept getting lost on campus and half of his luggage had been ‘lost’ on the plane so he was still waiting for it to arrive.

The only silver lining so far had been that the school cafe was open twenty four seven so since he couldn’t sleep he decided to head down there to get something to snack on. On the way there he pulled out his phone to see if he had any messages. He wasn’t sure the one person he wanted a message from would still be awake but they were at least in the same timezone now.

[]I can have a smoothie at 1130 right? []

[]That depends entirely on the contents of the smoothie. No added b-vitamins and nothing caffeinated or you’ll never actually sleep tonight. []

It was easy enough to shoot the text back before setting his phone down again, adjusting the volume level on his headphones so that he could finish working on the project he had due in the morning. One of his art classes had gotten a little more intense, distracting him from things like reports and, well… Everything else that he should have been working on. Maybe if he could at least get this sculpture out of the way he could go back to everything else.

[]What would I do without you to look out for me? You're up working on something aren't you? Pics?[]

He wasn't sure he'd even get a response if Afton was working but he didn't have anything better to do himself. He headed into the cafeteria and after waiting in the line, surprised there was one, got a white chocolate, strawberry, and banana smoothie with some extra protein added in. Once he had it in hand he headed slowly back to his dorm.

It was another hour before he responded to the message he’d gotten from Hartley. It was entirely possible that the other young man had already gone to sleep, but if he hadn’t he would get a picture of the art project he was working on. So far what he had was the armature for what was going to be a sculpture when he made more progress on it. The base was due in the morning at the start of class so that they could begin sculpting.

He’d crawled into bed after finishing his smoothie and was just drifting off when he felt his phone vibrate hear his head. Patting around on the bed he picked it up, smiling at the text. []What’s it going to be? []

[]You’re going to have to wait and see, just like everyone else. Time for bed, though, and you should already be asleep. You have an early morning class, don’t you?[]

He set his phone aside after sending the text off so that he could start cleaning up his space, tossing a cover over his project once he was finished. He locked up after himself once he’d gathered the rest of his things, heading across the green back to his dorm.

[]Im in bed at least? And I haven’t finished my smoothie so I can’t go to bed yet. []He was going to ignore the comment about his class even though he did have an early one and should have been asleep. He tended to sleep in short bits anyway and he had time to take a decent nap at lunch time.

[]Save the rest for breakfast, Hart. You’ve got until I get back to my dorm to go to sleep.[] He was already about halfway there, giving the other man about fifteen minutes, at most.

[]How are you going to know if I’m asleep or not?[] He shifted on his bed, setting his phone down so he could slide out of bed and tuck the rest of his smoothie into the mini fridge. Once that was done he slid back into bed, curling up under the blankets.
[]
If you’re asleep you won’t respond to my text because you’ll be asleep.[] He tucked his phone into his pocket as he pulled out his key card, swiping it to let himself in so that he could check in at the desk.

[]I could just not respond so you don’t know I’m still awake[]. He made sure his alarm was set before setting his phone down on the nightstand. He wasn’t actually tired even if Afton was right an he should have been asleep already.

[]If you don’t respond I’m going to assume you’re sleeping. Just made it back to my dorm-- Good night, Hart. []

[]Good night Aft.[] He shook his head as he checked his alarm again and flipped his phone over so if it did light up during the night he wouldn’t see it. He didn’t fall asleep right away though, mind still to busy but at some point he must have drifted off.

When his alarm went off the next morning he crawled out of bed and after getting a shower pulled out the last of his smoothie while he pulled on clothes. It was a good thing he had a recorder for his lectures cause there was no way he was staying asleep through the early one that day.

Once his alarm went off he rolled out of bed with a groan, rubbing his face before pulling a shirt down over his head and smoothing it over his chest. He checked his phone before tugging on a pair of pants, pondering what to do for breakfast.

[]I hate this lecture. This guy has the most boring voice ever.[] He loved his major and usually everything that went with it. Somehow though his ‘history of theatre’ lecture series got the most boring professor with the worst voice ever.

[]Leave your recorder with someone else and come have breakfast with me? []He slid his shoes on, checking the time on his watch to figure out just how late he was going to be for his first class if Hart took him up on the deal.

Smiling he nudged the friend he sat next to and promised to make her a copy of the lecture if she kept his recorder going for him and made sure he got it back so he could sneak out. Thankfully no one noticed, or cared, when he slipped out of his seat and out into the hall. []Where am I meeting you?[]

[]Salad place you like that has the breakfast wraps I like? Unless you’re in the mood for something heavier-- Then we’re going to the diner.[] That would mean a longer walk or hopping on to one of the transit busses. It would also mean he was skipping his first class entirely.

[]You'll miss your class if we go to the diner, so salads it is. I’ll be there in 10.[] He smiled as he tucked his phone into his pocket and headed across the campus. It took him a little less time than he thought and he slid inside to look for Afton.

He’d found a table for the two of them after weaving his way through the usual morning crowd, comfortably settling in to browse over a menu like he was going to order anything different than what he already had in mind.

He smiled when he saw Afton and slipped through the crowd over to the table. “Hey … not late am I? Busier in here than I’m used to.”

“That’s because you generally show up here when it’s not one of the meal times.” He smirked.

“That’s because i eat at weird times.” He slid into the other seat, smiling brightly. “Did you order already?”

“You eat all the time.” He teased. “And no, I didn’t. I wasn’t sure if you were going to want your usual so I thought I’d browse through specials while I waited.”

“Not -all- the time … just .. most of the time.” He grinned slightly, running a hand through his hair. “I like my usual, what’s on special today?”

“I’m glad you think I’ve actually paid any mind to them, even while looking over the menu.”

“Distracted?” He laughed softly. “If you’re looking at the menu you’re suppose to actually be reading it. Thought you were going to go for that wrap you usually get.”

“Probably will-- Actually, I’ve been thinking about going for half of a wrap and trying one of their smoothies, just to see if they’re any good.”

“I've had a couple. They're not as good as the smoothie place on the other side of campus but good.” He snagged a menu so he could look it over.

“Any recommendations?” His brow quirked as he glanced up from the menu to the other man.

“I like the green monster and the tropical twist the most. The blueberry one is good too but it's pretty tart.” Not usually his favorite for breakfast.

“Green monster looks like it might go better with the breakfast wraps. I think I know what I’m getting, then.”

“How are your classes going? Besides the sculpture one since you won't tell me what you're doing.” When the waiter came by he ordered a smoothie and his usual salad.

“You’ll get to see it when it’s finished, just like everyone else. And classes are going alright enough for a Spring semester. How about yours?”

“I thought I was special so why don’t I get to see it first?” He grinned, voice teasing. “Except for the one early lecture it’s good. Stupid thing is a requirement and only available early in the morning.”

“That’s how they get you. They’re just trying to make you seem a bit more well rounded.” He smirked, placing his own order with the waiter, finally, when he realized the guy was still waiting.

“It’s a nice class but it would be better if it wasn’t so damn early in the morning. The lecturer is boring and that just makes it worse.”

“But it is, which means you really should be getting to bed earlier.” He nudged the other man’s shin with his foot beneath the table.

“I try, doesn’t always work though. I”ll just be glad when the lecture’s over and I don't have to deal with it anymore.” He had never been able to go to sleep early, more used to frequent naps than getting proper sleep.

“Hopefully it won’t be too bad making it until then.” He smirked softly.

“Just have to make it to the end of the semester and until then I’ve got a recorder and the ability to sit as far back in the class as possible so he can’t tell if I doze off.”

“Unless you start snoring at some point.” His smirk broadened as he took a sip of the water the waiter had brought over when he’d come to take their orders.

“I don’t snore.” He huffed softly. “And the only one who’d hear me anyway is Shelly and she’d just ignore it.”

“She wouldn’t even wake you up? What kind of a friend is that?” His brow quirked as he tried his best not to laugh.

“The kind who knows I need my beauty sleep and … honestly who’d probably be just as asleep as me.” He laughed. “It’s just a lecture so it’s not like it isn’t the same listening to the recording.”

“You could go to bed at a decent hour, you know.” He gave the other man another gentle nudge beneath the table.

“I do, sometimes.” HE nudged Afton’s foot right back. “And then I’m awake a few hours later and can’t get back to sleep. That’s why I usually take later classes.”

“Have you tried white noise? Any other relaxation techniques? Melatonin?” His brow quirked.

“Yea i’ve always been like this. I tend to nap a lot throughout the day rather than sleeping properly. Sucked a** when I was a kid.” He nodded slightly. “I do have a white noise generator though and that helps a bit.”

“I’m sure it did, especially trying to make your way through school-- Unless your family opted to homeschool you.”

“They did until middle school. That’s when I started public school and god I got in trouble all the time for trying to sleep.” He laughed, shaking his head. “I think there was a note once about me either always wanting to sleep or eat.”

“Sounds a lot like you.” He smirked. “Just means they weren’t properly bribing you.”

“That’s cause i’m pretty sure they're told not to bribe children.” He laughed again. “It might have worked better thought.”

“Sometimes you have to do what works, as long as it’s not harmful to the student.”

“I bet someone would have said that bribing students was harmful.” HE shook his head. “I made it through and I got out of highschool with a 4.0 so not too bad.”

“And now here you are, continuing your learning in college.” He flashed the other man a grin, glancing up as their food was brought over.

“And still complaining about it too. Even if I enjoy more of it than I did before.” He thanked the waiter before going through the salad for any bits of lettuce he didn't want to eat.

“I would hope that if you weren’t enjoying it you wouldn’t be paying for it, Hart.” He smirked, tucking his straw into his smoothie.

“Probably not but there are plenty of people who hate it and still pay for it.” He at least enjoyed his major and everything that went along with it. “Tell me what you think of the smoothie.”

He picked up the smoothie so that he could take a sip of it, processing the taste for a moment. “Not bad-- Definitely more of a drink here than a meal replacement,though.”

“Yea, if I want one of those I go to the actual smoothie place.” He nodded, glad Afton liked it at least.

“It definitely won’t go badly with the wrap, though.” The eggs were always fluffy here and they used good spinach and a sausage he enjoyed.

“So my food opinions aren't always weird.” He grinned before digging into his salad.

“Not always, though, but that one vegan place we tried last week was absolutely awful.” He smirked, shaking his head slowly.

“I’ve had worse … but yea I don’t think that place is going to last long.” He’d hoped it would be good but sadly not.

“I don’t think it’s going to either. Might be better for the city if it doesn’t.” His smirk broadened.

“Probably. Last thing vegetarians need is another place giving the food a bad name.” He shook his head.

“I try to give most of it the benefit of the doubt, but… There are some things that really are better with meat in them.”

“THere are plenty in town that are good. That one, i think their pretentious got to the food. And you know I have a hard time eating meat.”

“I know, and that’s why I’m willing to head to some of the restaurants that you like and I generally try to be on my best behaviour about it.”

“And some of them are really good. Sometimes I really wish I could eat a steak without getting sick though. They smell -so good-.”

“Fish is still alright, though, right? I’m still trying to remember what you can and can’t eat.”

“Yea, fish is fine and I can usually eat chicken in small enough doses.” He nodded. “Red meat is out of the question though.”

“It’s not usually the best for you anyways, so it’s probably better in the long run… Even if it’s also horrible.”

“Probably but I’d love to be able to have a steak or an actual burger without wanting to die after.” He laughed.

“Maybe one day they’ll come up with a medication you can take before eating one of those?”

“Maybe, I mean they’ve got it for people who are laktosintolerant.” It would be nice if they’d come up with something, even more so since he wasn’t vegetarian completely by choice.

“Just a matter of time.” He grinned, cutting his wrap in half so he could start eating it.

“Hopefully my lifetime too. Doubt it’s something that’s really high up on anyone’s list. Since for most people eating like this is a choice.”

“Just means we’ll have to get creative about meal options, wron’t we?” His brow quirked. “How’s your salad?”

“Delicious as always. I’m usually creative and so far we haven’t gone anywhere that I haven’t been able to find something to eat.” Afton was good about not asking to meet places where he couldn’t eat.

“Most places have adapted vegan options, or there are ways of ordering other things… And those portobello burgers at the one place weren’t bad either.”

“Those were delicious. Some of the best ones i’ve had in a long time.” Those were sometimes hard to make and really hard to make good.

“I take it that means we’ll have to make it a point to go back there sometime?” His brow quirked.

“Mmhm.” He nodded, not wanting to talk with his mouth full. Once he’d finished the bite he grinned. “THey have other stuff you might like too.”

“I know they do. I’ve checked into a few places since trying to figure out what might be best for when we’re heading out.”

“You know you don’t have to do that right? I mean I’m used to eating something everywhere.” He smiled. He did appreciate that Afton did things like that for him even if he told him all the time he didn’t have to.

“Well, yeah, I know that I don’t -have- to, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy exploring new options sometimes too.” He grinned, taking another sip of his smoothie.

“Except for when they're bad.” He grinned, pointing his fork at his friend. “Cause that happens, and I know you regret offering then.”

“I’ve been checking out a few here and there without you, just so I can weed out some of the bad ones-- A lot of them get reviews pretty quickly.”

“That’s cause when something new like that pops up everyone who likes that sort of food shows up.” He laughed softly, shaking his head. “Means they don’t last long if they aren’t good.”

“Because word gets around pretty quickly if the food isn’t any good-- Same goes for any restaurants now, really.”

“Seems to get around faster for places that cater to a specific group though.” AT least from what he’d noticed.

“That’s because people are specifically looking for it. It means you have to perfect your niche before you go into business.”

“Too bad they don’t all do that.” It meant a lot of the places came and went really fast but at least it meant that good places were really good.

“Some pretty terrible places stick around for a while too.” He laughed, shaking his head slowly.

“That’s cause depending on their business model it takes longer to actually go out of business. There is that one place though that’s still around and everyone I know says it’s awful so I have no idea how it’s still there.” He only went once and the food and service were so bad he didn’t want to give it another go no matter what anyone else said.

“It means that someone enjoys it. Maybe their take out is better than their sit down?” His brow quirked.

“It's all terrible. I think they just have some pretentious regulars who refuse to think it's bad.” That was his best guess at least.

“Because if they admit it’s bad it means admitting their taste is terrible?” He smirked.

“Yep.” He grinned. “And God forbid hipsters do that. They might die from the shame alone.”

“Good thing you’re not one of them?” He teased, stuffing the last of one half of his wrap into his mouth.

“Only because I have taste.” Of anyone looked at his parents house they'd have assumed he was.

“That’s usually an important part of things.” He laughed, shaking his head slowly.

“Lots of them don’t though, cause they refuse to have taste for the aesthetic.” He rolled his eyes before finishing his salad.

“If you’re going to be stuck eating the stuff, either by choice or not by choice, it should at least taste good.”

“That’s what you would think wouldn’t you?” He laughed. “SOme of them are just idiots though.”

“Couldn’t do it. Food has to taste good.” He shook his head slowly. “No sense being stupid about it.”

“They don’t have brains though. Just aesthetics.” He laughed. “One of the many reasons you make a much better friend than they do.”

“Wait. We’re friends because I’ve got brains? And here I thought it was just because you thought I was cute.” He smirked.

“Can’t it be both?” He smiled, nudging Afton’s foot with his own. “Not every day you find cute and brains.”

He snorted softly at that, shaking his head as he picked up his smoothie to take another sip.

“What? Disagree?” He grinned, leaning back with his smoothie. He at least expected another comeback from Afton.

“That I’m ‘cute’? Definitely. I’d like to think I’m a little bit better looking than just ‘cute’.” He managed a smirk.

“Okay, technically I’m the one that usually gets called cute. You’re the one everyone swoons over and sighs dramatically about how handsome you are.”

“That’s because they only see me from a distance and don’t actually know how much of a nerd I am.” His smirk broadened into a grin.

“True. They haven’t seen your power ranger boxers.” He grinned, setting down his cup since he’d finished off the smoothie. He’d only seen them over skype but he at least knew they existed.

“[]Hey[]. You were supposed to keep those to yourself, thank you very much.” He snorted softly, shaking his head slowly.

“It’s not like i’ve told anyone else.” He grinned, laughing softly. “I just get a laugh out of them when I need it.”

“You can’t possibly tell me that you don’t have anything similar in your wardrobe.” He huffed, setting his cup down once it was empty.

“Um … I think I have pj pants with care bears on them. Which is probably worse. But I don't wear them where anyone else can see.”

“I didn’t know the camera had connected before I had a chance to sit down.” He snorted once more as he leaned back in his seat.

“Saying you wouldn’t have told me you had them if I hadn’t accidently seen them?”

“I'm saying we would have had to have a conversation about our sleep or lounge wear before that.” he smirked.

“Well we can always have one now. Though mine’s boring so I dont know how much fun that would be.” He looked at his watch before looking up at Afton. “Aren’t you already missing half your first class?”

“Probably. It’s not like I didn’t think that was going to happen anyways.” He smirked. “I think I’ll survive it.”

“You’re usually better about not missing class. Makes me feel special.” He grinned.

“Sometimes breakfast is worth it… And you did blow off a class for me. It could be worse.” His smirk eased into a grin.

“I blew off a lecture, slightly different. And a really boring one.” Completely worth blowing off to go have breakfast.

“I didn’t have any projects or papers due and the teacher loves me. I’ll probably get a sternly worded email out of it, but it would be worse if I showed up in the middle of class as opposed to just not going at all.”

“”That’s cause everyone loves you. Bet you could get away with murder just by smiling at the right person.” His voice was teasing but there was enough truth behind it.

“I don’t know about that. I definitely think that someone, somewhere, would say something about murder.” He smirked.

“Might depend on who you did in. Someone everyone hates?” He raised a brow slightly with a grin.

“Let’s just… Not get into who I would or wouldn’t murder and whether or not I’d get away with it, hm?”

He laughed softly again before nodding. “Wouldn’t want any witnesses to hear. What time’s your next class?”

“Mm, if I’ve got my schedule right I think the next class I’ve got is at one, so I can at least walk you to your next one.”


“Sure you want to do that? It’s my theatre class and you know those three girls who are in love with you are going to be hanging around.”

“Even more reason for me to be seen walking you there, don’t you think?” His brow quirked, smirk on his lips.

“You really think that’s going to stop those three? All they do is try and corner me and ask about you. Or ask how a doormat like me got someone like you.” He rolled his eyes.

“It’s not too hard to make friends when you’re not odd and obsessive.” He snorted softly, shaking his head slowly.

“They think i’m boring though and for some reason think you’re way too good for me.” he shrugged slightly. He didn’t care for their opinions but they commented every time they saw him with Afton.

“They obviously don’t know me all that well.” He snorted softly, shaking his head slowly. “Ready to take our bills up to the counter?”

“That’s because they don’t want to get to know you. They just want in your pants.” He smirked, snagging his bill before sliding out of the booth. “Yea lets go.”

That drew another snort from him followed by the shake of his head and an eye roll as he rose to his feet. He really wasn’t interested in any of Hartley’s classmates in the slightest.

He headed over to the counter and paid for his breakfast before stepping back so Afton could pay for his. Once they both had everything paid for they headed outside. “So, walking me to class then heading to yours?”

“That’s the idea. I’d probably be in for some sort of trouble if I skipped two classes today.”

“Yea lets not do that.” He laughed as he headed across the camps toward the theatre. “Have any plans after classes are over?”

“Mm… I should put some work into my project this evening, but other than that?” He shook his head. “Nothing important. You?”

“Nothing planned yet. Was going to see if you wanted to come over but if you’ve got stuff to work on that’s more important.”

“Depends on what time you wanted me to come over and what you had in mind for that.” He smirked, glancing to his friend.

“Dinner time, maybe? I could make something.” It had been a while since he’d cooked but he could at least do that as an offer, reason, for Afton to come over

“I could do dinner.” He nodded as they began the trek back towards the campus. “Anything you’d like me to bring along?”

“Your handsome smile and maybe dessert?” He was terrible at picking that out so he figured it was best to leave to Afton.

“I think I can swing dessert… Not sure which smile you think is the handsome one, though, out of mine so I’ll see what I can do about that.”

“Pretty much all of them.” He laughed, shifting his grip on his bag so it settled better on his shoulder.

“Your next class is in the English building, right? Even though it’s not technically an English class?”

“Yea.” He nodded. “You can use it as an english elective so I think that’s why it’s in that building.”

“Good. That means I haven’t forgotten and we’re heading in the right direction.” He grinned.

“You somehow don’t usually forget where my classes are.” He nudged AFton gently as they headed toward the building.

“Someone had to show you around campus when you got here.” His grin eased into a teasing smirk as they paused outside of Hart’s building.

“Lucky me you were around to find me while I was lost and confused.” He grinned. “I’ll see you at … six?”

“Six it is.” He nodded, giving the other man a light nudge with his elbow before stepping back. “And I’ll bring dessert too.”

“See you later then.” He flashed Ashton another smile before he headed into the building. He at least liked the classes the rest of his day more so hopefully everything would go fast.

After his class he made his way to the studio to work on his art project for a little bit, setting an alarm to give himself time to head back to his dorm and clean up before he was due to meet up with Hart.

With classes done for the day he headed to the store and picked up the stuff to make a vegetarian pasta dish Affton liked. He got cleaned up and started cooking so everything would be done by the time Afton arrived.

Once he was cleaned up he checked the time before making a quick run to the bakery he’d spotted boxes at Hart’s loft from a couple of times. He had enough time to ponder his purchase before paying at the register and heading to his friend’s.

He’d turned on some music while he cooked, singing along as he waited for the pasta to finish baking and brushing garlic butter on some bread. Hopefully Afton would like everything and wouldn’t think it was too much. He was tempted to reach for his phone and text the other man to see where he was but Aft hadn’t ever been late before and he didn’t need to give into his nerves.

Just before he was due to arrive at Hart’s loft he stepped up onto the stoop, leaning on the buzzer as he shifted the pastry box in his hand.

He smiled when he heard his doorbell chime and went over so he could unlock the downstairs door. “Come on up, door up here is unlocked.”

When the door popped he lead himself in, heading up the stairs to Hart’s flat before letting himself inside.

He was still singing along to the music softly as he pulled some garlic bread out of the oven, only looking up when he heard the door pop shut. “Hey, dinner’s just about done.”

“Anything I can help you with?” His brow lofted as he toed off his shoes before heading to the kitchen, setting the box he’d brought down on the counter.

“I didn’t get anything out to drink yet. Plenty of stuff in the fridge though if you wanna grab us something?” He already had two plates started so he could at least finish those.

“Did you have anything in mind to go along with whatever it is you’re making? Smells incredible, by the way.”

“No .. i don’t have any wine or anything and i don’t know what would really go with this.” He scrunched his nose slightly as he put a serving on each plate along with a couple pieces of bread. “Thanks though, it’s that dish you liked from Tony’s.”

“You managed to con someone out of the recipe? Or just figured out what was in it?” His brow quirked as he opened the fridge to peer inside, trying to figure out what to get them to drink.

“I conned a waiter out of it.” He grinned. “Since you liked it so much I figured you'd appreciate it without the slightly pretentious atmosphere.””

“You managed to trick the waiter out of the recipe?” his brow quirked.

“Yea, he went back and had one of the chef’s write it down then I did some internet hunting for ‘dupes’ to make sure it seemed right. So I’m pretty sure it is.”

“Didn’t have to make any promises to get your hands on it, did you?” He smirked, peering up out of the fridge before ducking back down to get two bottles of a local organic soda out.

“Nope. Got off all clear.” He grinned when he finished with the plates and took them over to the table.

“How on earth did you manage that one?” He laughed, shaking his head as he paused to pop the caps off of the bottles before heading over to the table along with Hart.

“My secret.” He set the plates down with a smile and nudged out a chair for Afton before sitting himself. “You’ll just have to enjoy the benefits without knowing.”

“Not very nice, Hart.” He tsked softly, shaking his head slowly once more.

“I can't give away all my secrets.” He grinned as he looked up at his friend, holding out a hand for a bottle.

He passed the soda over to his friend as he settled down. “Well, you could, but I guess we’ll just let you have this one.” He smirked softly.

“If you knew them all you might not want to hang out anymore. Might get boring.” He popped open the soda before taking a sip.

“You’d just have to come up with new ones, or we’d come up with them together.” He smirked, popping the cap off of his own soda before picking up his fork.

“I’m not sure I'm creative enough to come up with new ones.” He laughed, shaking his head. “That would have to be up to you.”

“I’m sure you’re plenty creative enough to have interesting quirks and develop more little things over time.”

“You might be giving me a little too much credit but I appreciate it.” He picked up his fork so he could take a bite of the pasta. “Tell me how you like it.”

“Someone has to give you a little bit more credit than you give yourself.” He smirked softly, getting a bit of pasta on his fork before popping it into his mouth. “Mmm.”

“Usually that’s my mother and then she gives me too much.” Even if he did love her she was a little over the top sometimes.

“Food’s delicious, Hart. Good job.” He nodded, raising his fork in a sort of salute before taking another bite.

He smiled at the compliment, hoping he wasn’t blushing too much. “I’ll have to make sure I keep the recipe around then.” It was good to know Afton liked it since that made one more dish he could whip up when the other man came over.

“Like you haven’t already saved it to that roll-o-dex of recipes I know you have stashed somewhere.” He smirked softly, peering up to the other man as he took a sip of his soda.

“It’s not a roll-o-dex. That’s way too nineteen fifties housewife.” He laughed, shaking his head. “I have everything digital so it’s harder to lose.” Things were easier to update and change that way too.

“Bet you could get an ap that made everything look like a roll-o-dex.” His smirk broadened into a grin. “If not, might have to see about making one.”

“There’s a bunch of recipe ones out there so you can catalog things. Instead of having the old card box system most of our parents had. They’re just not always set up how I want them or as easy to use.” He just kept all his stuff in a giant document he could search.

“I don’t think either of my parents ever cooked enough to use a card box.” He laughed softly, shaking his head slowly.

“My mom has three at least. Some of the cards you can't even read anymore.” He didn't know why she kept them around other than sentimental value.

“Good to know you’ve gotten that from your parents, at least. Have you thought about scanning everything in for her?”

“I offered that. She doesn't want to deal with it. She likes her cards and their classic feel.” He rolled his eyes a he spoke. “I saved the ones I liked at least so I didn't lose them.”

“What about scanning them and printing them? If you can get them and some cardstock I could use the art printers to help you out.”

“That might work.” He tipped his head as he thought about that. “She'd probably keep both but at least you could read them.””

“I'm sure we could enhance the text on some of the ones that are getting harder to read too.”

“I could just retype them too and tell her to deal.” He laughed. “She can keep both and I'll still catch her using the new ones.”

“Whatever you'd like to do.” he laughed, returning his attention to their meal.

“I'll think about it and let you know.” He smiled, popping another bite in his mouth. It would at least be a fun project.

“So, Hart, what are your plans for the rest of the evening?” his brow lifted as he finished his dinner.

“I hadn't really made any I didnt know if you'd want to watch a movie or something or just head home since you've got that project you're working on.” He hadn't wanted to presume anything.

“I cleared my schedule for the rest of the night. Next phase of the project isn't due for a week.”

“So movie? Or something, we could play games too.” He was pretty sure there were some levels in his dungeon game he wasn't getting a high score in without Aftons help.

“Hmm. How about I help you clean up the kitchen and then you can pick.” He grabbed his soda bottle, taking a sip as he stood up.

“You don't have to help with that. There's not much of a mess.” He snagged his and Aftons plate before his friend could take them.

“You cooked. The least I can do is help with clean up.” He huffed softly as he followed the other man out to the kitchen.

“I cooked because i wanted to do something nice for you.” He rinsed of the plates before tucking them into the dishwasher.

“You did, but still.” He leaned against the counter, watching the other man as he took another sip of his soda.

“But you're too nice.” He grinned, looking over at Afton. “There's just the two pans to wash. The pan with leftovers can go in the fridge unless you want to take some?”

“If I take them with me I won’t have an excuse to get you to bring some to me at another time.” He flashed his friend a smirk before grabbing the leftovers to cover them.

“True.” He laughed, turning on the sink to start washing the pans. “You know I'm happy to make you something whenever you want, right?”

“If you made me something whenever I wanted it wouldn’t be as special.” Once the food was wrapped he tucked it into the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water out.

“No but it would taste better than take out.” He scrubbed the pans clean and left the baking dish to soak before leaning back against the sink. “So, games?”

“Games.” He nodded, cracking open the bottle of water. “As long as you’ve made up our mind as to what we’re playing.”

“We could play Overwatch or we’ve got that Gauntlet save we were working on. I think we’re only halfway through.” It wasn’t a long, or complicated game, but he wanted to 100% a save file and it was much more fun to play with Afton than alone.

“Let’s go with Gauntlet tonight. We’ll be playing enough Overwatch this weekend, assuming you’re still up for game night at my place Saturday night.” He glanced at his friend before making his way over to the sofa to flop down.

“As long as that one jerk who kept trying to get me to eat pepperoni isn't invited.” He nodded, snagging a bottle of water before going over to join Afton. He turned on the tv before grabbing two controllers and dropping onto the sofa.

“He’s not going to be at my place, but he might be connected to the game.” He reached over to snag one of the controllers from the other man. “If I’ve got my way he won’t be part of any of our groups, though.”

“Good. I get disagreeing with me but he didn't have to be an a** about it.” He loaded up the game and found their save easily enough. “Think we can make it the rest of they way through?”

“I dunno if we can make it the rest of the way through tonight, but we’re definitely getting close.” He nodded, flashing his friend a grin. “It’s your turn to pick where we’re going first.”

“You know I always just pick the closest thing on the map.” He laughed, scrolling over to the next area. “I think this is one we have to do twice to get the runestone.”

“Then let’s head there and clear out the area.” He grinned as they selected the map too start the level.

He smiled as he sat back against the couch, tucking his feet up under him while they played. It was always easy, fun, to play games with Afton. He didn’t tease him when he was bad or get mad when he did something Afton couldn't. They didn’t quite make it to the end of the game before he started yawning but they’d made a dent in what they had left.

“Alright, that was the third yawn in the past five minutes. I think we’re done for the night.” He laughed, shaking his head slowly as he made sure their file was saved.

He scrunched his nose slightly but couldn't stop himself from yawning again. “... okay. I []might[] be getting tired. Are you going to crash here or head home?” He ran a hand through his hair as he stretched with a soft groan.

“I should probably head home.” He ran his fingers back through his hair, glancing over to the other man. “Wouldn’t want to keep you up if I can’t sleep tonight.”

“Last time we both fell asleep on the couch you slept fine, at least you didn’t wake me up.” He wasn’t exactly sure Afton hadn’t woken up but at least he hadn’t done it violently enough to also wake him up. “I mean, not that i’m saying we should do that again. Or sleep in my bed with me or … i should shut up now.”

He watched his friend for a moment, eventually reaching over to brush a strand of hair away from Hartley’s face. “We’re not both sleeping on the couch… And if you hog couch blankets you definitely hog them in bed. Besides, you’re crashing at my place Saturday after Overwatch, right?”

“Yea, you said I could since game nights usually run really late.” He nodded, smiling slightly and trying not to lean toward the touch. “I also don’t hog blankets.”

“You definitely hog blankets.” He laughed, shaking his head as his hand dropped back down. “I’ll text you when I get back to my place?”

“I just get cold, it’s survival.” He grinned as he pushed himself up off the couch. “Promise you’ll text me?”

“Promise. Wouldn’t want you to worry about me if I didn’t.” He flashed the other man a smile. “Shouldn’t take more than fifteen. You’ll probably be asleep by then anyways.”

“Might not be. Might take me that long to get ready for bed.” He took his bottle of water back to the kitchen to put away. “Don’t forget to text me and text me to remind me about game night too, even if I see you before then.”

“I won’t forget.” He laughed, snagging a bottle of water for the road before checking to make sure he had both his keys and phone as he slid out the door.

When the door shut he huffed out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He’d been so sure Afton would say something about his babbling but he was glad the other man hadn’t. He didn’t want to ruin their friendship over a silly crush, on his incredibly hot and really too nice best friend. “Oh my god self.” He shook his head as he made sure the kitchen was clean before going to brush his teeth.

He’d underestimated the walk time by a little bit, sending a text to Hartley when he was nearing his building. []Almost home. Told you I’d remember to text.[]

[]told you i wouldn’t be asleep yet. Just getting tucked in. sleep tight <3[] He smiled as he sent the text off, plugging his phone in and dropping it onto the sheets beside him.

[]Rest well, Hart. I’ll see you on Saturday-- 4pm so we can get some food in before the gaming starts.[] He tucked his phone into his pocket as he slid into his building, heading up the stairs to his flat.

He checked the text just in case before putting hsi phone on vibrate so he could sleep. As he settled down he hoped Afton did sleep alright and didn’t have too many problems. Despite hsi slight worry it didn’t take much for him to drift off.