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It was late for coffee when he showed up, but he had it anyway: no longer hot but not yet cold, pumpkin spice with a generous [melted] dollop of whipped cream in it. As Ever knocked on Cee's door he held it out and up, pointedly, in demonstration, so that it would be the first thing she saw when she came out to answer.

Then she'd see his bright expression, and the new coat with intermediate trim belted in tight around his waist.

And then the slim, brown-paper-wrapped bundle under his other arm.

"I don't know how you can drink that s**t, though." It was cheerful, as he settled in against her doorframe, watching her about dance with her pumpkin spice latte. Let her work it out: exuberantly happy, to a degree most people couldn't get over coffee. Even Starbucks.

Once she was calmer, he'd hold out the other present, long and skinny, still bundled up in brown paper. "I did some naughty shopping, too, I thought you could use this."

That got a yelp -- and then unthinking retaliation, catching her around the waist to take her up off her feet, and hopefully that pumpkin latte was stable or it was going to end up all over the place. He spun her, tiny thing that she was, and set her back down in the other direction, still smarting a bit where she'd caught him.

"...it's not meant for me. It's meant for whoever it is you're leading around by the nose, these days." Exasperated but amused, as he so often was. And completely oblivious, perhaps, to the fact that she did lead him around by the nose.

"I outrank you now, show some respect." But he didn't sound hurt, or serious, just cheerful. Maybe too cheerful.

"Oh boo.." She wanted to see the packaging for the king kong d***o deluxe or something but he probably only bought lube. "Well you plannin on needin stuff I guess?" Her brow quirked. Was he getting a** and not filling her in?

"Oh yeah.." Cee flicked through her phone to show him various selfies, as well as her wallpaper. It had previously been his goofy face in a half blurry expression she had thought was funny. Now it was her and Paige with duck faces. Paige was freckled and full lipped, with ear gauges and a short punky blonde hairstyle. She had a lip ring.

"n****e rings too." Cee winked.

She was about to shoot a quick text back before gripping up Ever, "Oh wait.. c'mon I need you a sec."

She yanked up his shirt so his pale stomach was visible and pulled up the band of his underwear a bit. And took a pic of just the stomach and waistband. "Good."

Ever let her take the picture, but -- his expression, out of frame, was just a bit long-suffering. He shook his head as he looked down at his own stomach, the boxers covered in fat little bunnies, smoothed fingers over pale skin.

"Are you for real?" At least it was amused, instead of annoyed, tugging his shirt back into place and nabbing the phone out of her hands, for a moment. He wanted to text something embarrassing, but her setup was different from his -- and so he'd just stand there, blinking at it, trying to remember how to get the keyboard open.

"I got the crop for you, and then something for America because I heard she had a rough time but it's passed now, and then yeah, some supplies for me, because it's really annoying when you're in bed with a guy and hit a wall because you're missing the essentials." He meant for it to come out casual, easy, but he flushed just a hair saying it -- and offered her phone back. Really hot guy, then.

"I don't know why you're assuming any one person in particular." It was hard to tell if Ever was messing with her, or just moderately uncomfortable with the small talk. He nabbed her latte to take a sip, but got a whiff of it and thought better, pressing it into her hands. A distraction, maybe.

"I could have multiple suitors. Studly ones." And then a beat, because really, Ever wasn't making his case better.

"I've met guys who do that too." He grinned at her, offered a twitch of a shrug -- and part of it, at least, was discomfort.

"I don't know, Cee, I'm not a girl, I never really..." It wasn't that Ever didn't kiss and tell. He did that plenty. He just didn't gush, especially not when it was one night. And so he shook his head just a little, waving her off.

"Just messed around some, it was fun. I'll keep you updated if it develops, how's that?" And a beat. "Maybe I'll figure out how to send you a picture."