[X]

Kevin gasps, nodding before Abel has finished the sentence. "Yes, yes, yes, a million times, yes!" He throws his arms around Abel and squeezes him tight. He hugs him back, tightly, like he'll never let go.

Abel drives Kevin back home, narrowly escaping a thorough interrogation from Kevin's parents. He departs with a kiss on the cheek.

Kevin's father isn't letting the overnight stay go. "Did you have sex? Did you cuddle? Was there an awkward morning after thing? Are you official?"

Kevin blushes. "No, yes, not really, and yes again." His father takes a moment to process the information, then squeals.

"Good! This means that he has to meet your mother and I formally. Invite him to dinner at some point, okay?"

Kevin winces. "Yeah, okay," he says, though he has no intention of doing so anytime soon. He wanders up the stairs in a strawberry scented cloud of bliss, collapsing onto his bed. He leaves the door open, not thinking to close it.

He buries his face in his pillow and squeals. The word boyfriend has a new meaning, some part of his brain whispering the word over and over.

After a handful of Abel-filled off days, Kevin has to go to work, and he floats through his morning in a happy haze. He arrives at Wiggle's blushing and pink, donning his hat. He makes eye contact with Seymour. "Hey."

Seymour seems to be in a similar state, flushed red. "H-hi. I like your nails."

Kevin smiles down at them. "Abel likes them too." He then shakes his head, cursing himself. "Sorry. I meant, thank you."

Seymour brushes it away, smirking. "So, I heard you and Abel were together all night, eh?" He nudges Kevin playfully, wiping down the counter. "Did you get any action, or what?"

"Not as much as you got," Kevin teases, nudging him back. Seymour looks away, embarrassed. "We are dating now though, which is good." Better than good, his brain screams, It's amazing!

Seymour grins. "That's fantastic." He then wipes at the cash register a few times, glancing at Kevin out of the corner of his eye. "Cal and I are sorta... Together now, too."

He sounds so reserved, almost afraid to admit it, that Kevin can't hold back a giggle. "That's adorable." He leans closer. "So, one date, eh? He wasn't kidding when he said that that would be all he needed, was he?"

Seymour covers his face with a groan. "Oh, no. I shouldn't have told you," he wails.

The shop's bell rings, and Kevin looks up. He immediately looks back down, and Seymour steps up to the register, sparing Kevin from customer interaction.

"Can I help you, sir?"

Damon peers around Seymour to look at Kevin, who is purposely avoiding eye contact. "Yeah. Lemme get a four scoop cone. Bubblegum, raspberry sorbet, strawberry, and that new rose kind."

Kevin grunts, snagging a sugar cone and piling on the ice cream. He hasn't really spoken to Damon since their awkward phone conversation. The longer they were apart, the less Kevin was sure that Damon was a good friend. Now, he doesn't even want to look at him.

He hands Damon the cone without looking at him, but Damon grabs his wrist before he can turn away. "Hey, Kev, we haven't hung out in a long time. What do you say I pick you up after work? We can play video games until we pass out, just like old times."

Kevin shrugs with a half smile. "Sorry, but I'll have to pass. My boyfriend is picking me up after work. Maybe I could swing by later today, though," he says noncommittally.

Damon pouts. "C'mon, Kev. We haven't hung out in ages." And who's fault is that? Kevin thinks. Oblivious, Damon continues. "Can't you just blow the boy toy off for today?"

Kevin smiles. "Nope. I love him. Can't get enough of him, really. Why would I choose not to be with him?" He's surprised by how true the words feel, how right it feels to put Abel first. Seymour smiles proudly at him from behind the counter.

Damon, on the other hand, doesn't look so pleased. "It's Abel, isn't it?" Kevin nods, determined not to let Damon get to him. "I don't like him, Kevin."

"Yes, you've made that apparent, Day."

"No, it's not just because he's gay, it's-" Damon stops himself mid sentence. "I can't tell you here. But, next time we hang out, I will. Okay?" He looks sincere enough, so Kevin only responds with a nod.

Seymour looks at Kevin out of the corner of his eye as Damon walks away. "Are you guys still friends, or... What?"

Kevin sighs, not really wanting to talk about it but obliging all the same. "We're still friends, I guess. I mean, we aren't close like we used to be, but yeah."

After a slow, uneventful few hours, the shop rings out another greeting, and Cal rushes into Wiggle's. He leans across the counter and pecks Seymour on the lips, grinning. "Hey, babe," he says.

Seymour blushes, avoiding Cal's gaze like the plague. "Oh, h-hey, love." The last word is quiet, barely audible, but Cal nods triumphantly anyways. He nods to Kevin briefly, then focuses his full attention on Seymour.

Kevin smiles at the two of them fondly, enjoying their playful banter and teasing. However, when Abel enters the shop, Kevin forgets what he was thinking about.

Abel stands hesitantly in the doorway, shuffling his converse clad feet on the floor. He's looking pointedly away from a flower clenched a bit too tightly in his hands.

It's a white daisy, slightly drooping. It isn't particularly splendid. It's a normal, unremarkable flower. Not a pink rose, not a bouquet, and Kevin finds it perfect.

He edges from behind the counter, hurries to Abel, and tugs him into a warm hug, careful not to crush the flower between them. He presses a kiss to Abel's cheek, and whispers, "Hello."

Abel smiles, and licks Kevin's neck, earning a squeal and a shudder. Abel giggles, nuzzling his boyfriend's shoulder. "Hello, Blue." He then pulls back slightly, looking down. "I brought you a flower. I know it's not much, but I saw it on the way, and it made me think of you. It was smiling, almost, if flowers could smile, and waving with its leaves. I thought you'd like it." Kevin's smile grows over the course of the description until it's a full on grin.

"It's absolutely perfect, love. Thank you." Kevin takes the flower, sticks it in his shirt pocket, and smiles.

Abel removes it, threading it into Kevin's red curls instead. "I like this better," he murmurs, standing very close. Then he suddenly pulls back, unsure. "Unless you don't want it there, I mean, that's fine."

Kevin laughs, pecking his cheek again. "No, it's good there."

A customer who had entered the store unnoticed clears his throat impatiently. Kevin and Seymour jump, embarrassed, back to their work stations. Kevin mutters to himself that this new arrangement shouldn't be affecting his work performance so severely, that he should stay on his game. He apologizes to the customer for the wait and the pda, and the customer waves it off, much more good natured with some ice cream in him.

Kevin removes the flower from his hair with an apologetic look at Abel. "Work policy... I forgot. I'll put it back once we get outside, though." Abel nods, a faint blush still coating his face.

After a short period of awkward silence, two new people arrive to take over the shift at Wiggle's. Once they get outside, the couples take up their playful flirting once again. On the way to Abel's car, Kevin's phone buzzes with a text.

From: Damon

I really need to talk to you about Abel. Whenever you get a chance, come round mine?

Kevin sighs. He doesn't particularly care why Damon hates Abel so much, but he does want Damon to get off his back about it.

To: Damon

Fine.