Sure the holiday was almost 2 weeks away but he didn't care. With a burst of hope and need, and taco in hand he turned and headed to the card section. Thankfully it seemed there was a trend for food and Valentine’s day items. He found what he needed, only stopping to grab a black marker, and hurried to the check out. Aelius purchased the stuffed taco along with the few meager groceries that he and Waru needed for the next week. All the while an idea circulated in his mind.
While the taco stuffie was adorable, Aelius knew there needed to be more to this little gift. If there was one thing Faustite liked was food. Whether it was to enjoy it or just utilize it for his caloric needs, food was always important in one way or another. Thankfully, there was a restaurant not far from the store. Entering the building, bags dangling from his hand he ordered a family sized meal. The drink that came along with it was a bit precarious to carry with all of the bags, especially with a paper bag now too, but Aelius managed until he could get himself into a quiet, dark location.
It took a few blocks of looking and meandering down a smaller side street, but Aelius found a nice quiet alleyway. It was mostly taken up by a large dumpster and several smaller garbage cans but it would do the trick. He placed his items down, balancing the bag of food on top of his own groceries to keep it off of the ground and powered up. Subspace was utilized to hold the bags for him and Waru. The Taco stuffie and still warm food were cradled in his arms as he teleported.
The team house was quiet. Thank goodness. Seemed people were out and about or holed up in one of the many rooms on the upper floors. Helio really did not want to run into anyone. His courage for all of this was beginning to wane as he approached his goal, but he steadied himself, clutching that taco stuffie closed to his chest.
The stairs spat him out on the second floor. There he quickly found the door to Faustite’s room. A part of him said he should just go in. Deliver it himself and be done, but his heart wasn’t ready to deal with a rejection outright. And he was pretty damn sure a rejection was all that awaited him on the other side of that door. Injured or not, Faustite had his ways of making himself clear.
So, outside it was. There, Helio sat the stuffed taco against the door. Leaning against it he placed the card he had purchased with something written on the front of it in black ink. The inside portion of the card he had ripped off, not caring much for the sentiment inside. The last thing to join the small offering was the brown paper taco-bell bag full with 12 tacos and the soda.
Helio stepped back and shifted his gaze from the gift to the door. It might as well have been a completely solid wall for the courage that Helio had to open it. How he wanted so badly to walk into the room like nothing had ever changed between them. He yearned for those more carefree days. They were gone. Helio was pretty sure nothing would go back to the same way they had been and maybe that was a good thing? Perhaps they could build something better for the hardship they were going through now, but it hurt terribly to be like this and not knowing what to do to try and repair the fissure.
Helio was trying to hold his hand out, but Faustite wasn’t willing to do the same. So, Helio would just have to keep trying. It was nothing new. How many years had he tried with no reciprocation? This was only made worse because now he knew the love and warmth on the other side of the bridge that now smoldered.
He raised a hand as if to knock, but after a moment of hesitation, dropped it to his side. He turned away and walked back down the stairs and out of the house. Teleporting himself back to Destiny City, a safe distance from the apartment. The walk home was melancholy and cold.
