Plush Love Volume 1, Episode 13: Dinner Plans
#13 of Plush Love Vol 1
Luke and Nathan separately consider the upcoming evening
Luke was having problems concentrating on the documentation he was writing. Personal events kept distracting him. He needed to get it written today, though. He probably wouldn't have time later.
With his heavy course load, he'd discovered he couldn't spend as much time working at the lab as he wanted. The work-study program would have paid for more hours, but all the homework and class projects took too long. This too-brief fall break was the first time in almost a month that he'd been at the lab for more than a few hours a week. The extra pocket money was going to be very welcome, too.
Being at the lab for only short periods was disappointing for other reasons. He'd really enjoyed the long discussions he'd had with Nathan when he'd first been hired. Nathan had even taken him on a personal tour of the facility, so he got to see parts of the accelerator that most people didn't, even people who'd been at the lab for years.
He seemed very interested in Luke's opinions about most things, too, and was always willing to answer even the silliest questions. Occasionally he responded with equally silly answers, always with a dead-pan expression. Luke chuckled to himself about the frozen coffee aromatics.
For some reason, Luke had always felt comfortable spending time with Nathan. He didn't get the feeling of withdrawal that other stans had given him. What made them so diffident? Was it because he looked so different? He was sure it usually wasn't because he stank. He used plenty of deodorant. Except when he forgot. And, of course, that had to be on a day when it really mattered. Yesterday was a bit embarrassing, although Nathan hadn't said anything.
He hadn't seen Nathan yet today, though. Maybe he should look him up at lunchtime and maybe let him know how much he was looking forward to the evening. Or maybe just remind him. Maybe.
At least he'd managed to gather the courage to ask. If nothing else, he really wanted to find out where the tiger had come from. Nathan would surely help. Or could he have been the one who sent it? But why anonymously? Maybe dinner would help them both relax enough for more personal questions to get aired without fear of interruptions.
Dinner. Right. He'd better order the pizza before he forgot. It was a good thing the pizza place in collegetown had an online order form. It even let him specify no cheese! _________________________________________________________________
Of course, Nathan was struggling with his own issues. Network intrusion inspections were suffering as a result.
Dinner. He still had ambivalent feelings about it, although he'd gotten used to the idea. He wanted very much for them both to have a pleasant evening, but worried about all the ways it could go catastrophically wrong. Not least was what some people might think, just seeing them together. Bigots came in many varieties, and some could seriously damage both of their futures.
That aside, he really didn't know just how much to admit to Luke, or how much Luke might already have realized. Would he even welcome the idea? For a long time Nathan had been afraid to admit even to himself how much he liked the guy, how much affection he felt. It was far more than he'd been brought up to consider appropriate.
Their ages were another concern in and of themselves. Luke certainly was no kid, not even legally, but a sixteen year difference was a lot to bridge. And Luke hadn't had anything like an average upbringing, making it that much harder.
Even so, more than the fur had involved his emotions, although that was what he'd noticed first; as did everyone, of course, but perhaps not with the same reaction. Golden plush, short on face and hands, presumably longer and thicker elsewhere. Luke always wore long sleeved shirts, buttoned up, so it was hard to tell. At any rate, it made a striking contrast to his straight, dark hair and bright green eyes.
Enough daydreaming. Why was this turkey in Ohio so persistent?