The Orange Peel

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๑۩ﺴ Some shadows have more depth. ﺴ۩๑

"A mystery?" Ethan blinked and tilted his head. He watched Lock drink and felt his throat dry up. He hadn't realized how thirsty he was! Or was it just his addiction crying out for citrus? It had been nearly half an hour since his last orange. Taking the wine glass closest to him, Ethan swished the wine skeptically for a second then brought it to his lips, tasting the liquid. Oh wow! It was amazing! It tasted like a perfect blend of wine and orange juice! It was so... amazing!!

Mayah Playah

 

[Mayah Playah]

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"Indeed!" he exclaimed, too excited to stand it. "Why does it follow you, but punish all you come in context with? I need to find out."

Awesome nerd

 

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Ethan just stared at him, fixated on how excited he was over something that terrorized him every day and night of his life. Never would he think of the shadow as interesting. But seeing Lock so worked up over it, it was... cute, to say the least.

Mayah Playah

 

[Mayah Playah]

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Lock reached over and took Ethan's hand, squeezing it gently. "Ethan, I know this is kind of sudden, but will you be my Watson?"

Awesome nerd

 

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He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Because of how much he feared the shadow, he became a shut-in as soon as he got here, and he wasn't the most social person back before. TV was something he rarely saw, sleep and Internet surfing with occasional manga reading - all with oranges involved - were his passions. "A what?"

Mayah Playah

 

[Mayah Playah]

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"It's basically my partner in solving mysteries," he explained, reaching into his coat and pulling out a well-thumbed copy of the Hounds of Bakersville, handing it to him. "Here. Read this. It's basically us, but without the sexual tension."

Awesome nerd

 

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Blushing at the end of the comment, Ethan took the book, skimming parts of it. It was an interesting read over a detective named Sherlock Holmes and the very Watson mentioned earlier. Reading page by page, Ethan could picture Lock as the Holmes, and now he could see why his roommate was always so smart.
"I... I don't know." Ethan finally said while closing his book. "I'm not as smart as you or any of these characters, I don't think I'd be able to find a stick let alone a criminal."

Mayah Playah

 

[Mayah Playah]

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He leaned forward and cupped Ethan"/ cheek with one hand, smiling softly. "You're smarter than you think, Ethan. Never put yourself down like that again."

Awesome nerd

 

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๑۩ﺴ Some shadows have more depth. ﺴ۩๑

Ethan felt himself blush again. So close. Unsure of whether it was the adrenaline coursing through his veins or these feelings he wasn't used to, he noticed all sorts of details around him. A straw wrapper near a nearby chair that no doubt came from an earlier customer, the pepper tinted with orange dots on their table, orange roses with a sweeter than normal scent. Then there was Lock and his shining eyes, his flawless complexion, and that wild blonde hair. His expression was cunning and calculating while at the same time passionate and maybe even loving. It melted Ethan's heart.
"I... guess you can call me Watson." he said sheepishly.

Mayah Playah

 

[Mayah Playah]

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Lock chuckled, stroking Ethan's cheek with his thumb. "I think I like "my Ethan" better. But you can call me whatever you like. I'm as much yours as I like to believe you're mine."

Awesome nerd

 

[Its Smiley]

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๑۩ﺴ Some shadows have more depth. ﺴ۩๑

Ethan's blush deepened with each stroke of the thumb. Damn, he was usually okay and even a little cool when he was social. Being a shut-in made him slow with comebacks, but Lock just made him a shy fan girl! "Umm...." he started, lowering his head nervously. "So how did you find out about this place?"

Mayah Playah

 

[Mayah Playah]

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"My friend that we met in Korea told me about it when we met on the street. I told him about your obsession, and he thought it'd be a nice present to you," he answered, leaning forward and kissing Ethan's forehead. "Nothing is ever too much for you, Ethan. You deserve everything you want."

Awesome nerd

 

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๑۩ﺴ Some shadows have more depth. ﺴ۩๑

Ethan attempted a smile. "Keep saying things like that and I'll turn into a narcissus." he tried to joke. Oh, he was so hot. It was the blush, he knew, from all the attention Lock was giving him. N-Not like he wasn't complaining, of course! It's just so hot!
Awkwardly tugging at his shirt collar, Ethan reached for his wine glass and took another swig of it. Swig? He meant he chugged the entire thing down.
In a way he was right, he cooled down, but he should've drunken it slowly, because now everything was getting hazy. Wobbling just slightly, Ethan leaned back into his seat and tried to make sense of things. Was he... drunk? Was that possible with one glass of wine? Well he'd never had wine before, he wasn't sure what made him drunk...

Mayah Playah

 

[Mayah Playah]

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Raising an eyebrow, Lock took the bottle of wine by the neck and pulled it out of the ice bucket, beckoning to a waiter. "Pour this out and fill it with orange juice that has a touch of non-alcoholic wine in it, then bring it back, will you?" he asked in Polish, smiling as the waiter nodded and took the wine.
Lock turned back to his date, resting his chin on his fist. "Well now, are you alright, Ethan?"

Awesome nerd

 

[Its Smiley]

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๑۩ﺴ Some shadows have more depth. ﺴ۩๑

Ethan rested a wavering hand on his woozy head, gazing at Lock, all two of him. "Eheh... That wine is... stronger than I thought." he said with a slight slur. He paused to listen to himself, and when he realized how silly he sounded he made it known through a hiccuped sputter of laughter. "Am I drunk?" he wheezed to Lock with a grin piercing his frozen blush.

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