 ~ Mrs. Steve Harrington ~ It be like that sometimes.
Was that stew? Hartley did have some knowledge of many sorts of foods from across the globe, Korean included, so he was pretty sure his guess was correct. It took every ounce of his self preservation not to pounce on the table and began filling his mouth with a bit of everything. Instead, he drew his attention to Evan. “Thanks!” he said, his voice an octave above what was usual since he was so thrilled to have Daf over. And Jude too, of course. But mostly Daf. “Nah, you look great. I mean, if you’re not sweaty and all, then you don’t need to.” Evan probably didn’t care but Hart always thought that Evan had a knack for keeping himself looking proper.
And they were here! Hart hovered at Evan’s shoulder, grinning at the newcomers. “Hi, guys!” He got out of the way to allow them to pass, the brief moment that he had to glimpse Daf etched rather firmly in his mind. He thought his boyfriend looked rather dashing.
Waiting patiently by the door, Jude had not been expected to be poked in the side. Naturally, he was startled for about a second but how could he remain that way when he saw who was doing the poking? “Daf!” Yes, these two saw each other frequently but that didn’t stop Jude from reaching out to give his friend a hearty squish, in the process giving him an accidental shove due to his level of enthusiasm. “You smell like a load crup,’’ he added jokingly.
By then, Evan and Hartley had made their presence known. Jude took one look at Evan’s apron and began cracking up. “Ev,’’ the WADA choked out between laughs. “I hope you haven’t been eating Hartley’s homework.” That apron had dragged up memories, both funny and scary. He allowed Daf to go ahead of him so he could throw his arms around Evan. They were besties for life, after all! “You doing alright?” Listen, no matter how much they saw each other, Jude made sure to ask thereof; Evan’s wellbeing had always been a priority to him.
When Jude did make it into the flat, he shot Hartley a grin. “Heya, Hart! Come across any more interesting artefacts lately?” In his opinion, Hartley Stonewall was a suitable match for Daf. Jude had long ago given his stamp of approval. |