The Orange Peel

[Mayah Playah]

Oh, how cute! It's all orange-y and stuff!

 

[Its Smiley]

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Σthan ωilhelm


๑۩ﺴ Some shadows have more depth. ﺴ۩๑

Ethan noticed another room beyond the door he opened, and relief washed over his face. It wasn't necessarily what he was thinking - it being his dorm room - so that answered one of his questions. But then there was a new one: Where did it lead?
Taking a step inside, Ethan lifted his gaze from the ground and froze in mid-step when he saw the place. The scent of citrus was overwhelmingly welcoming. Orange chandeliers, orange pianos, orange furniture. Everything was... orange-themed.
Ethan felt a crushing pain at his chest and realized that he was holding his breath. He let out an exhaled and felt his mind go light-headed for a split second, forcing him to lean towards Lock and grip his arm. "L-Lock." he stammered as he gazed around with wide eyes, just like a starving child taken into a restaurant giving away free food. "Is this... real?"

Mayah Playah

 

[Mayah Playah]

✻ ✺ ✹ ✴ʆ ock ҥan✸ ✷ ✶ ✵


Lock chuckled as they stepped through the door. "Yep. And it's all been reserved just for you. More oranges than you could ever eat in a lifetime!"
The maitre'd walked closer, gesturing to a table covered in oranges. Lock, grinning, took Ethan by the waist and lead him to the table, pulling out his chair. "Ethan?"

Awesome nerd

 

[Its Smiley]

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๑۩ﺴ Some shadows have more depth. ﺴ۩๑

He only stared around in awe, trying to comprehend the fact that this actually existed. How did he not know! If anything, he'd have been a regular customer! He turned to face Lock and blinked when he saw the chair pulled out for him. Blushing humbly, he sat down and stared at the orange tablecloth. "H-How did you...?"

Mayah Playah

 

[Mayah Playah]

✻ ✺ ✹ ✴ʆ ock ҥan✸ ✷ ✶ ✵


"I know a couple people," he answered simply, kissing Ethan's cheek. Lock moved to sit in his chair, looking up at his date and grinning. "I take it you like it?"

Awesome nerd

 

[Its Smiley]

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๑۩ﺴ Some shadows have more depth. ﺴ۩๑

"It's like a dream come true..." Ethan mumbled with a dreamy look in his clear blue, and watery, eyes. Maybe this was a dream. It was all too good to be real, at least. He tilted his head down at his hands resting on the table, not noticing that he had been feeling everything out, and pinched his exposed forearm. A yelp escaped him as a tiny prickle of pain surged through his arm. He opened his eye and inhaled quickly when the scene stayed the same. It wasn't a dream. It wasn't a dream! "It's real." he breathed with relief and looked at Lock like he was about to cry. "It's so perfect!"

Mayah Playah

 

[Mayah Playah]

✻ ✺ ✹ ✴ʆ ock ҥan✸ ✷ ✶ ✵


"It's yours," he added, sipping at the orange-flavored wine. "Well, technically, it's mine, but I'm granting you every power in decorating and whatever you like. I bought it just last night, just for you~"

Awesome nerd

 

[Its Smiley]

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๑۩ﺴ Some shadows have more depth. ﺴ۩๑

Ethan gasped when he heard Lock. "You bought an entire restaurant for me?" he breathed while bringing a hand to his mouth to cover his gaping mouth. "Why... Why would you do that?" Although he certainly wasn't complaining, he still couldn't fathom why Lock would do all this for him.

Mayah Playah

 

[Mayah Playah]

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He shrugged, pouring another glass of wine and placing it in front of Ethan. "Why else? I'm apparently starting to fall in love with you." Lock set the wine down, resting his chin on his fist and looking at Ethan. "I called up a couple friends and asked for help figuring out how I feel about you. After much deliberation, we determined I'm falling in love. I never have before, so I wanted to get you a present, something big, something that would make you see me. So I bought the Orange Peel. It won't get you to love me, but I'm hoping it'll nudge you a bit." With a small smile, he say back and picked up his glass, sipping again. "That's the story~"

Awesome nerd

 

[Its Smiley]

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๑۩ﺴ Some shadows have more depth. ﺴ۩๑

For a long time Ethan stayed silent and still, though the astonishment on his face never faltered. Lock.... loved him? As in actual movie-time love? He was speechless. Never had anyone proclaimed their love for him, he didn't know whether to stay shocked or be flattered. He went with confused.
"B-But we've only known each other for a couple days." he said, though he shouldn't be talking. Only a couple days and they spent a good chunk of it in the restroom...

Mayah Playah

 

[Mayah Playah]

✻ ✺ ✹ ✴ʆ ock ҥan✸ ✷ ✶ ✵


"The heart wants what the heart wants, and my heart wanted to defrost the second I met you," he said, shrugging once more. "Believe me, Ethan, I don't get it either. Never, in a million years, would I ever expect to fall in love, much less with a shy, innocent guy like you, just like you probably never expected to like a guy, much less a guy like me. But it's happened, and I don't think I mind the early stages of falling in love. It's kind of fun." Lock chuckled, picking up an orange from the basket. "If it bothers you, we can just pretend today never happened."

Awesome nerd

 

[Its Smiley]

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๑۩ﺴ Some shadows have more depth. ﺴ۩๑

"No!" Ethan spluttered and quickly dropped his gaze to the orange-colored, scented, and maybe even tasting wine before him. "I've just.... This is all new to me - my orientation, what we did yesterday-" He had trouble getting that part out. "-this restaurant." He risked a glance up at Lock. "But... I kinda like it, too." he said with a small smile, though it quickly dropped. "But aren't you afraid of the shadow? As soon as I leave for even a minute it'll.... y'know..."

Mayah Playah

 

[Mayah Playah]

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He laughed a little, twirling his wine glass by the stem so the wine swished against the sides. "I'm not afraid of anything, much less a silly shadow. If anything, I'm intrigued. It doesn't bother you when I'm around, so I guess I'll have to remain by your side for a little while."

Awesome nerd

 

[Its Smiley]

๑۩۞۩๑


๑۩ﺴ Some shadows have more depth. ﺴ۩๑

Never in Ethan's life did he expect anyone to think of the shadow as intriguing. That in itself was intriguing. "Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like it's a burden."

Mayah Playah

 

[Mayah Playah]

✻ ✺ ✹ ✴ʆ ock ҥan✸ ✷ ✶ ✵


"Burden? More like a mystery to be solved!" he laughed, grinning. "The game's afoot~"

Awesome nerd