Work Text:
Last year had been a rough year for Gavin. He had ended a relationship, been hospitalized three times because of his job, and some asshole hit his parked motorcycle. Gavin had been unable to replace it so he had been stuck taking public transit for over an hour to get to work. He quite literally had to take two busses and a tram just to get to work and it had fucked with his attendance record.
So, at the beginning of this year, Gavin had angrily declared that now it was supposed to be his year. He was going to get a new bike, apply for a promotion to lieutenant, and find a decent boyfriend. This year was supposed to be the best damn year for Gavin.
It was not.
Gavin’s year started out with getting beat to hell because the asshole who was supposed to be watching his back failed him when a suspect turned violent. Then the opening for lieutenant was canceled due to budget and the fact that Anderson actually pulled himself together and was doing a good job with no intention of retiring any time soon. Gavin was actually glad the man was back, but equally pissed that he was the one who got fucked over.
When Gavin was getting ready to buy a new bike, his apartment complex had caught on fire. While Gavin’s own apartment did not go up fully in flames there was smoke and water damage that condemned the whole building, putting him out of a home. Some old friends from his academy days offered to let him live with them. Less than a month later Gavin chose to just live in a cheap motel until he could find a new place. There was a reason those assholes were still single and their inability to keep a clean house and respect privacy was just one part of that.
Every time Gavin had been about to sign a contract for a new apartment, shit happened. This year did everything it could to beat him down, but Gavin persevered. It took until fucking November, but now life was finally going his way. It fucking sucked, but he would take what he could at this point.
Another lieutenant promotion was possible, but it was not going to open up until spring next year. He had absolutely no dates in the last three months, but at least no dates was better than the awful dates he had before that. His motorcycle would have to wait until next year, but Gavin finally got a decent apartment.
It was a nice place. Not high end, but certainly not a shit hole. Currently, all Gavin had in his apartment was an inflatable mattress and all his boxes of everything he had been slowly collecting in preparation of restocking his own place. His old furniture had been damaged so he had to buy everything new. It was why Gavin would have to wait on buying a bike. As much as he loved having a motorcycle, Gavin liked a fucking bed and a place he could bring a date.
Right now, though, Gavin was growling as he dug through boxes trying to find his coffee maker. He was positive he had bought one, but had no idea where it was. Despite losing so much of his stuff, he still ended up with a ridiculous amount of boxes that had all been packed with no rhyme or reason and poorly labeled. Eventually he had to give up and resign himself to getting breakroom coffee. Quickly Gavin shoved a leftover slice of pizza in his mouth and pulled on his jacket, storming out into the freezing Detroit November morning.
His new commute was so much better. Two blocks to the subway station, twenty minutes on the subway, and then a block and a half to Central Station. This was his first time making the commute, but Gavin was observant. He was one of the best detectives in Detroit. There was no way he would miss his stop and be late to work.
Jogging down into the subway station, Gavin sighed and again regretted that he forgot to find his hat and gloves. Detroit could get fucking cold in November. Most commuters were far more bundled up, many in business appropriate earmuffs and dark gloves. So, the brown knit hat with floppy dog ears on it stood out to Gavin. That hat looked dumb as all else. It looked like it might have been hand made. One ear was bigger than the other and the eyes were uneven. It looked ridiculous. Then Gavin got a good look of the guy wearing the hat.
The fucking hell.
It was not fair. No one had the right to look that fucking hot in a hat like that. But the guy just stood there looking hot as hell. Tall, slender yet fit, brown eyes, and a ridiculously handsome face. This guy won the fucking genetic lottery to be able to look that damn good even with that disaster of a hat. The man just oozed confidence as if nothing in the world could bother him. Then those brown eyes began to turn toward Gavin.
He was saved from being caught staring like a creep by the arrival of the subway. As luck would have it, though, they ended up in the same train car. It was decently crowded and Gavin had to stand. He kept glancing over his shoulder. Gavin was quick to look away anytime there was a hint of the other guy looking his way. Still, every chance he got Gavin would narrow his eyes at the man in the fucking dog hat.
It was hard to decide if he was angry or horny. The guy was still hot, even with that hat. This was the kind of guy who clearly had his life together. He looked successful, absolutely content with life to such a degree that even a poorly made beanie could not ruin anything. Fuck, it was not fair at all. A guy like that was probably straight as an arrow and would never even give someone like Gavin the time of day.
The subway reached a stop, and the man got off. Gavin’s eyes followed him, secretly appreciating the figure of the guy, even underneath that winter wear. The doors to the train closed, and as it began to move Gavin realized that had also been his stop.
Fuck.
He got off on the next stop and ran to work, barely making it on time. Work, for the most part, was work. Gavin chased leads, investigated scenes, and sent forensics a list of evidence to analyze according to case priority. He may be an intense asshole who sucked at sugar coating things, but Gavin always tried to be polite to forensics in his emails. The last thing he needed was to piss off the people who handled his evidence.
Forensics had been short staffed for years, which was a problem. So many cases went cold because the evidence could not be analyzed before a suspect fled. Last year, though, the head honchos of the DPD sent out a proud email about how they had upgraded the forensics building, bought new equipment and hired more staff.
It was a whole media stunt championed by the mayor and all that shit to make people in office look good. The fact that it actually helped the DPD was just a lucky coincidence that no one dared challenge. It had been an expensive upgrade that, of course, meant that no lowly cops or detectives were getting bonuses. Still, the fact that Gavin was getting results within one month instead of three was worth it.
When his day ended, Gavin trudged over to the subway station and sighed wearily. He yawned as he got on the train and leaned against the closest pole. Out of habit, his eyes roamed the carriage. Then they froze as he noticed a certain person. Mr. Dog Hat McHotty was also in the same subway car as Gavin.
What followed was a repeat of the morning. Gavin kept stealing glances of that hot as all hell man. When the man got off the subway, Gavin’s eyes followed until the doors closed. Once again, Gavin realized he had failed to get off on his own stop.
Again. Fuck.
The rest of the week plus into the next one was Gavin doing his best not to be a creeper. Somehow, without fail, it felt like Gavin and that very attractive man ended up always taking the same subway at the same time and ended up in the same carriage. Not always because of Gavin. Sure, there were a few times he tried to make sure he could steal glances of that good looking face, but the chaos of trying to load into a subway meant that sometimes you lost track of a person only to end up just a few feet away from them.
Damn, the guy was even better looking up close. Not that Gavin was creepily staring or anything. He was just a damn good detective and could notice little details like the fact that Mr. Handsome had brown hair and one lock of hair always seemed to hang over his forehead. It was kind of cute. He also had a variety of beanies. Not all were as disastrous as that dog one. No some were even more insane. One was an ugly clash of colors, another was a fox, there was a fish one, and at this point Gavin had to wonder if the guy even owned a normal hat.
Currently, the guy was wearing a hat that looked like a brain. It was kind of cool. Granted it could also be cool just because the guy was hot. Not to mention he wore everything with such a suave confidence. Damn, Gavin was jealous. If he could look good wearing anything he would do it to.
There was a bit of dichotomy going on, though. Despite the insanity of the man’s hats, the rest of his attire was very professional. He wore button ups and pea coats with dress slacks and shoes. Why the blend of competent and crazy was doing something for Gavin was beyond his horny brain.
Still, Gavin had fallen into his new routine fairly quickly. He got up (now he had a couch to sleep on), made himself a cup of coffee and some toast (because he finally unpacked half of the random kitchen stuff just to find the damn coffee maker), and then hurried to the subway station. Then he discretely ogled the handsome man and managed to not miss his stop.
However, Gavin always made sure to do one of two things. Wait for three minutes before he left the station, or rush ahead of the hottest man in the subway station. That gave the good looking guy a chance to leave the station and head to wherever he worked without concern, and prevented Gavin from becoming a creepy stalker rather than just a creepy subway looker. Going home was just the reverse. Gavin always waiting or rushing so he did not unintentionally follow Mr. Good Looking like a lost puppy.
Everything was perfectly fine. Gavin was even getting use to sharing the subway with a man who seemed to check every box Gavin had visually. He was getting use to it, and was quite frankly ready to get over his need to intensely ogle the unfairly handsome guy. Then Black Friday happened and Gavin had to work that fucking nightmare shift.
Why everyone wanted to be out and about early in the morning when you could just do everything online was beyond Gavin. Yet, there he was, with a thousand of his closest strangers trying to cram as many people inside the subway as possible. Which was how Gavin ended up being pushed into the personal space of Tall and Handsome.
Gavin braved looking into those warm brown eyes and tried to offer an apologetic smile that was more of an embarrassed grimace. What he got in return was a real apologetic smile and Gavin might have just gone weak in the knees if there were not so many people in the fucking subway pushed into him.
It got even worse a few days later when Gavin heard that voice for the first time. That just checked another box in Gavin’s wet dream fantasy. He was really starting to spend an embarrassing amount of time daydreaming about walking up and actually talking to the guy. But people did not make small talk on the subway, and Gavin was not going to start. Instead, Dreamboat had walked up alongside Gavin that early December morning quietly talking on the phone.
“I told you I do not need your help trying to find a boyfriend, brother dear.”
That voice was soft, yet dripping with a sarcastic bite that Gavin knew was going to start filling his dreams against his will. Especially because now he knew this straight laced guy was actually gay. Which meant Gavin had a chance. A chance to continue being the absolute gay disaster that he was, but a chance all the same.
“Yes, I’m still following through,” the man sighed as he continued to talk to whoever was on the phone. “I made a promise and a bet. I’m not backing down. You can, however if you wish to concede defeat.”
The man suddenly burst into laughter and it was the most gorgeous sound Gavin had ever heard. Especially when combined with that genuinely bright smile. Gavin was a goner. He was a fucking goner for some overly handsome asshole with stupid hats and a heart stopping smile. Gavin Reed did not fall in love at first sight, but at this point there was no denying it. Especially as Gavin continued to listen to that voice.
Mr. Gorgeous paced slightly back and forth as he continued to talk quietly on the phone. Gavin refused to move. He could not risk it. That voice seemed to have him under a spell. If Gavin failed to keep himself still then he would walk right up to this Sultry Siren and make an utter fool of himself. So Gavin stood in place on the platform, completely mesmerized as that gorgeous man got on the subway while he continued his conversation. Then the closing doors of the subway cut off that lovely voice.
Gavin was still on the platform as the subway pulled away. He just missed his train. Shit. He was done with this fucking love crap.
He got to work eventually, which had been a nightmare. So much stuff to go through and paperwork up to his eyeballs. Not to mention the amount of calls that were coming into the precinct. Gavin ended up having to work a little late. He had some evidence that he really needed forensics to analyze so Gavin could submit a warrant.
Near the end of his shift one of the forensics analysts, one of Gavin’s favorites named C. Arkay, responded saying that he would have Gavin’s results within two hours. So, Gavin waited. He was secretly disappointed that he would not see his Subway Stunner. Honestly, being in close proximity to someone that gorgeous was really becoming the highlight of Gavin’s life. Fuck, he was pathetic. Also, Gavin was absolutely going to yell at this Arkay fucker if he made Gavin stay late and never delivered on the promised results. Not that Gavin had ever gone over to the forensics building and even knew what any of them looked like.
An hour and a half of catching up on paperwork, and Gavin got the results. Damn, he could kiss forensics expert C. Arkay. Lately his work was always impeccable and it had everything Gavin needed. He could file the whole thing now and it should all be approved by the time he came back in the morning. Wrapping up everything he had, Gavin cracked his back as he finally clocked out.
He ended up sprinting to the station to make sure he did not miss the train. To Gavin’s surprise, standing on the platform was Mr. Gorgeous himself. The guy was standing there looking through his phone. His outfit flattered his body, and the winter hat he was wearing had a bright blue Mohawk sewn onto it. Had he been wearing that hat this morning? Gavin was unsure seeing that he had been daydreaming about that voice all day.
Gavin really wanted to hear that soft voice from the most handsome man on the subway platform. The problem was, just walking up and introducing yourself as the creep that has been ogling someone would probably go over poorly. No one held conversations with fellow commuters on the subway, and Gavin was certainly not going to start. Even if he did want to go up there and find out the guy’s name. Gavin was just going to be a coward and stay away. If he tried approaching and fucked it up, then he would have to deal with an awkward train ride forever after.
The subway pulled up to the station and Gavin hurried to get on. There had been a distance between him and the object of his affection, so much so that they should end up in different carriages. With a tired sigh, Gavin flopped onto a seat in the near empty subway car. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, listening to the sound of a few other riders getting on and then the doors closed.
Gavin opened his eyes and felt his heart stop. Sitting across from him was the person of his infatuation. The man pulled his hat off for a moment to scratch the top of his head as he stifled a yawn and Gavin felt he was becoming more obsessed. The man’s brown hair seemed like the perfect style for him, even if it was a little tousled from the hat. That really just added to the charm that was this vision of beauty. The gorgeous man pulled his hat back on and then caught Gavin’s eyes looking over at him.
He should look away. Those warm brown eyes had caught Gavin staring. Fuck. His face was heating up and he just could not look away. Neither was the other man. Gavin knew he was blushing under the intensity of that stare. Then the guy smiled nicely and nodded at Gavin before he looked down at his phone. As soon as those eyes released him, Gavin could finally look away. His cheeks were burning with embarrassment.
Fuck.
The guy looked at him and now Gavin was blushing like he was in high school again. What was it about this guy that just drew Gavin in like a moth to the flame? He was going to get burned because guys like that did not go for guys like Gavin. But, damn, he wanted to get burned.
They reached their stop and Gavin got off. Then he waited a minute or two, pretending to look at his phone. It was the only way he could keep himself from chasing after that gorgeous man and begging for his number. They barely made eye contact for the first time. Gavin would absolutely come across as some sort of desperate and creepy stalker. It was best to let the guy go home without Gavin seeing where he was going.
Gavin’s eyes were darting everywhere when he walked back to his apartment. There was no sign of the handsome man. He was both relieved and disappointed as he walked into his not so barren apartment. Gavin was out of savings now, but he had a couch, a bed and one barstool a random neighbor was getting rid of so he could sit in the kitchen and eat. Not much, but at least it was livable. There was no way he could invite anyone to come back to his place.
That thought caused Gavin to stupidly create a new goal. He needed an entertainment center and at least a second chair. If he got those things, then he would approach Mr. Gorgeous and ask him out to coffee. If the guy would even look his way again.
It turned out that the entire week of mid-December would prove that Mr. Handsome would indeed look Gavin’s way. It was as if that moment of searing eye contact had brought them to another level of commuter relationship. Now they would acknowledge each other’s presence with eye contact, a smile, and a nod. It was a damn fucking miracle that Gavin only made a fool of himself once that entire week.
He blamed Hottie McHottness. The man changed up the routine that Gavin was adjusting to by actually saying “good morning” to Gavin. He had been so stunned about that lovely voice being directed at him that Gavin walked straight into one of the poles in the subway car. The crowd of people that separated them shielded Gavin’s embarrassment as he avoided looking at the man and then rushed out of the subway car and ran to work.
His day was surprisingly light for a Friday, which Gavin regretted the moment his friend Tina ambushed him. She was part of the group planning the DPD Christmas party happening in one week and sent several email reminders. Apparently she decided to go the extra mile with actual invite cards that she was hand delivering to make it more special.
“Please, Gav?” Tina begged as she held out a stack of envelopes. “I need to get everything I can delivered today and I don’t have the time. Can you please take this over to forensics and deliver it for me?”
“Tina, I can’t,” Gavin sighed. “The only reason forensics gets my shit done is because they interact with me through email and don’t actually know me.”
“Oh, yes,” Tina laughed. “Your writing is the most elegant piece of poetry and then people meet your awkward asshole self and can’t handle the dichotomy.”
“Fuck you, Tina,” Gavin sighed. But she was not wrong. Gavin had worked hard to have a friendly email-only relationship with forensics because he was not good at socializing in person. Give him a suspect or a victim and Gavin was great. Give him someone he had to get along with and it was hit or miss. “Look, I would love to help you, T, but I just can’t do this.”
“Please?” Tina gave the biggest pouty frown she could pull off. “I promise to not blackmail you into wearing an ugly sweater.”
“Really?” Gavin laughed. “Put it in writing then.”
It seemed like a good deal. Every year, Tina talked Gavin into wearing whatever ugly Christmas sweater she brought for him. The first time was not bad, but it was like Tina was going out of her way to get Gavin in the worst possible thing. Last year’s sweater had been covered in glitter. Gavin had been finding that shit in everything for months afterwards. Not that Gavin actually minded as much as he complained. Tina was his friend after all. He just had to give her a hard time even though he liked to make her happy.
Barely thirty minutes later, Gavin found himself huddled in his jacket as he trudged over to the DPD building next door to the station. Technically the building also held offices for several departments of DPD, but it was the forensics department that occupied the basement and first two floors. Gavin was grateful he was only delivering invites to just forensics. Tina had apparently roped Chris into delivering invites to the other offices.
Gavin decided to keep it simple he would walk into the forensics lab and tell the first tech he saw that he was delivering invites to the DPD Christmas party. If he got lucky, that person could help him make sure each invite reached the right person instead of Gavin having to ask every single person their name. As much as he just wanted to pass all the invitations off to the first person he saw, Gavin had promised Tina he would personally deliver all the invites he could. She knew he was a man of his word. It was how she got him into so many ridiculous situations in the past.
The first forensics lab Gavin entered was a large open space full of tables and equipment. Along two of the walls were some cubicles with nameplates identifying which techs worked in this lab. The closest cubicle had the nameplate for C. Arkay, Gavin’s favorite tech through email, and since the invites were in alphabetical order by last names it was an easy decision as to who to approach. Looking at the invite he at least now knew that the C was for Connor. Gavin shuffled through the envelopes and then knocked on the side of the cubicle as he spoke, only looking up as he held out the invite.
“Hey, Arkay. I have an invite to the DPD Christmas party...for...you.”
Words caught in Gavin’s throat as he found himself facing him. The man of his dreams since mid-November was sitting at a computer typing away. The sleeves of his dress shirt neat and crisp and Gavin stared at those slender fingers. He could see a freckle or two on Connor’s neck as well, and Gavin’s imagination ran away from him wondering where else those freckles might be. Connor had on a waistcoat that flattered his figure both with fit and color. This was the same guy who was wearing ridiculous winter hats and he was still hot as hell just sitting at work.
“Detective Reed,” Connor said with a smile on his face, as he turned to pull his headphones off. He knew Gavin’s name. How did he know Gavin’s name? Did people warn him about Gavin? Oh, fuck. “What can I do for you?”
“The Christmas party,” Gavin stammered out. “I’m inviting you.”
“Really?” Connor’s face brightened to an impossible degree and Gavin loved it. “I’d love to go with you.”
“Great,” Gavin smiled his entire thought process focused on trying to not acting like a creep. “That’s really great.”
“It’s next week, right?” Connor asked and Gavin nodded dumbly. “I, well, I guess we’ll just meet at the station?”
It suddenly hit Gavin as to what just happened. He had meant to just be handing out invites. Instead, Connor had interpreted it as Gavin asking to be his date for the night. More than that, Connor agreed. The FUCK? How did this happen?
First off, Gavin was a fucking detective, so why did it take him so long to even realize what he said? Second, Connor readily accepted. He did not ask for clarification or look confused. The man of Gavin’s daydreams smiled and said he would love to go with Gavin. There was no misinterpreting that. Finally, Gavin was still standing there staring like a gob-smacked idiot.
“Uh, yeah, if you want,” Gavin said, feeling confident his face just exploded in blush. He knew he was not a Casanova, but this was just sad. “I need to finish handing these out, but maybe we could talk more later?”
“Handing...oh, you were just handing out invites to everyone,” Connor said softly, looking slightly mortified with himself.
“No! I mean yes, but not for you. But also yes, and fucking hell I am bad at this,” Gavin sighed in frustration. He set the stack of invites down and took a deep breath. This was his chance and he was going to salvage it. “Yes, I was asked to hand out invites to the Christmas party, but I absolutely want to go with you. If you’re still interested after all... this.”
“Yes, I am. Sorry, I guess I’m not good at this either,” Connor laughed and Gavin about died from swooning.
Gavin wanted to stay and talk for the rest of the day, but neither of them were that irresponsible. A pair of idiots, sure, but not negligent with their work. Connor helped Gavin deliver all the envelopes and then they agreed to meet outside and walk to the subway station together. They could talk then.
The rest of the day was spent with his head in the clouds. Gavin found himself bouncing between excitement and sheer terror. He had somehow accidentally asked out the hottest guy on the subway by mistake. More than that, they worked together, sort of, which meant Gavin would have lots of excuses to walk him to work and be all gentlemanly and shit.
He felt like a teen panicking over prom night. Only Gavin was a fucking grown adult and this was the DPD Christmas party. If Gavin fucked this up he would never be able to take the subway ever again. That of course led to another spiral of worries that somehow vanished when Gavin stepped out of the station and there was Connor waiting for him. Either this was an elaborate prank, or the guy was sincerely interested in Gavin.
They talked.
All the way to the subway station, all the way on the train, and up until they had to part ways because their homes were in opposite directions. The conversations came naturally and easy, yet they kept it to very basic topics. Learning about how long each other had worked at the DPD, how Gavin had moved recently, and how Connor had only transferred to this job a year ago. Gavin asked about what Connor’s favorite coffee was and memorized it.
He wanted to take Connor on a coffee date right that moment, but Gavin did not want to push his luck. He was going to be the best fucking gentleman in Detroit. They would move slowly and talk deeply. It was going to drive Gavin insane, but Connor seemed like the kind of guy who would be worth it. For fuck’s sake, he was not only hot with a dreamy voice but Connor also seemed nice. Gavin was not going to blow this if he could help it.
When Gavin finally returned to his own apartment, he realized that he had stupidly forgotten to get Connor’s personal number. Which meant that Gavin spent the weekend cleaning his barely furnished apartment, obsessively daydreaming about Connor, and hitting his head against the wall for not getting the man’s number. Maybe it was a good thing. Gavin would have probably scared Connor away with excessive texting the entire weekend.
Monday morning, and Gavin was waiting anxiously on the street corner, two cups of coffee from some fancy place nearby in his hand. He was terrified that he would be left standing, that maybe Connor had changed his schedule to avoid Gavin completely. However Connor arrived, and Gavin could not help the nervous smile on his face as he handed Connor one of the cups. It was not a big deal, despite Gavin’s obsessive planning of this moment over the weekend. Instead, it felt natural, casual, right, as if this was how things were meant to be.
“Okay, I’ve got to ask,” Gavin said as they walked into the subway station together. “What’s with that hat?”
Today, Connor looked as handsome as always. He was dressed with a professional air. The dark grey slacks fit his long legs perfectly, and underneath the warm coat was a crisp shirt and tie. Gavin would absolutely love to undo it all at some point. The big contrast to the whole outfit was the winter hat. It looked like some kind of shark had its mouth around Connor’s head. The tail and fins flopped around and yet Connor still looked hot as hell.
“I have an ongoing bet with my twin brother,” Connor sighed. Fuck, Gavin loved that sound. Connor could probably read the DPD procedures and Gavin would be swooning. “These hats are his style and he has way too many of them. I’m not going to go into the details, just that I have to wear every single one throughout winter.”
“And what does he have to do?” Gavin wondered as they crowded into the subway, bodies as close as they could be without actually touching.
“Oh, so he has to wear socks garters and shirt stays,” Connor answered with a grin.
“What’s that?”
The trip to work involved Connor explaining straps being used to hold up socks and keep shirts perfectly tucked in. Gavin’s imagination was now firmly in the realm of inappropriate. But who could really blame him? The idea of Connor in his nice shirt, pants off, straps on his legs...it was really doing something for Gavin. He knew what his mind was going to imagine for the rest of his life, though he secretly hoped he could see it someday.
The rest of the week, was bliss. Gavin’s morning commute was Connor. His evening commute was Connor. They finally exchanged numbers and Gavin was over thinking every little impulse he had to compulsively text Connor declarations of love. Because, at this point, Gavin’s infatuation at first sight had become love through conversations on the subway.
They had only been talking for a week and yet it felt like they had always been together. Not that they were together. Gavin certainly hoped it would end up that way, but he was always hesitating. Connor was amazing. Everything Gavin could ever dream of, so he was doing everything he could to hold back and be respectful.
It was already driving him crazy to keep his hands to himself when they sat next to each other on the subway. Not that he intended to cause a scene, but Gavin really just want to hold hands or kiss or anything. He could not be the one to make the first move when they had barely been talking with each other for a week. Gavin was not going to risk moving too fast like he always did. This was special. He could not fuck it up.
The night of the DPD Christmas party they left work early and both ran their separate ways home so they could change and then meet up again to go together. As first, sort of, dates went, attending a work party was pretty lame. Gavin had done everything he could to make himself presentable. He had showered, shaved, put on his best clothes, and spent as long as he could in front of the mirror trying to look like he deserved to be next to Connor.
He honestly felt like someone had dressed up a raccoon. Especially when he walked to the corner and Connor stood there looking amazing as always. Even with the Santa hat on his head.
They sat on the subway as they headed to the party and the air seemed to vibrate with an unspoken desire. At least, Gavin hoped it was mutual desire. He wanted to take Connor home, or go to Connor’s. Not just part ways at the end of the night. But once again, Gavin was worried about moving too fast. He knew by now that he had fallen hard and fast. Whether Connor felt the same way was still to be decided.
“Gavin!” Tina called out as she caught the two men checking their coats in. Gavin had carefully not told anyone that he was desperately trying to flirt with Connor, so he hoped Tina thought it was coincidence that they arrived at the same time. Last thing he needed was Connor getting scared off. “So, I found this Christmas sweater...”
“You promised,” Gavin sighed.
“I promised I wouldn’t blackmail you into wearing one,” Tina agreed. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t ask.”
She held up the sweater and Gavin felt his brain short circuit. It was definitely not the ugliest one Tina had pulled on him, but it was certainly borderline inappropriate. Where in the world was Tina finding this shit? Probably wherever Connor’s brother found his hats. The reindeer themed sweater was actually sleeveless with a keyhole window in the front. Sure, Gavin worked out, but he doubted anyone would want to see him dressed like that.
“So, will you wear it?” Tina asked.
“Yes.” There was a beat of silence and Gavin and Tina turned to face the person who had answered. Connor looked as little sheepish at realizing he had spoken out loud, but still smiled over at Gavin. “Come on, Gav. Get in the holiday spirit. I’ll keep my brother’s hat on.”
Gavin snatched the sweater and changed right there. Maybe he should be embarrassed by the realization that Connor could ask him to do anything, but that was a concern for another day. He did not even protest when Tina suggested wearing a headband with reindeer antlers on them. Especially when Connor helped put them on. Surely Gavin was reading things right with how Connor’s eyes lingered on his body in that tight sweater.
The party was a work party. People drank and socialized. Despite arriving together, at some point Gavin and Connor got separated while greeting different coworkers. Everyone commented on Gavin’s sweater. A few of the more drunken coworkers even made some passes at Gavin which made him regret ever putting on the sweater. Tired of the night, Gavin moved over to a corner of the room that looked like it had been set up for photos, but everyone seemed to be avoiding.
Leaning back against the wall, Gavin took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. He was ready to leave. Hopefully with Connor, but he had no idea if Connor was done. Maybe Gavin had made a mistake. Was he supposed to find Connor or wait for him? Had Connor used this situation as an excuse to get away from Gavin? Was Gavin overreacting?
“Sorry,” came that voice that Gavin loved to hear. “I hope no one tried to take my gift while you were waiting for me.”
“Huh?” Gavin asked as he opened his eyes, still completely blown away by the fact that gorgeous Connor was standing in front of him.
Connor pointed up and Gavin looked. He had somehow managed to stand under some mistletoe. Gavin stared, his brain screeching to a halt as he continued to stare. He needed to be suave about this. Instead he was blushing. A quick glance at Connor showed that the man looked equally red. Still, Connor had been far smoother about this situation than Gavin was.
Swallowing, Gavin managed to nod as he looked at Connor’s lips. His hands were itching to drag Connor against him and it was difficult to even think straight. Gavin was trying so hard to be a fucking gentleman and he was barely hanging on.
Connor leaned forward, hesitantly, like he was waiting for Gavin to pull away. Then their lips brushed with the barest of breaths and Gavin lost it. His hands that had been struggling to be so polite reached out for Connor and Gavin pressed for a deeper kiss. For a moment he expected to get slapped, but then Connor was cupping his face.
The kiss was reciprocated and the sounds of the party disappeared. All Gavin cared about was making out with Connor. He felt like he was starving and Connor was a tall glass of water. Gavin’s hands roamed over, wrapped around, and pulled Connor as close as he could. Connor had one hand slipping under Gavin’s sweater before either of them realized they needed to breathe.
“Fuck,” Gavin gasped. “I’ve been dreaming about this since the first second I saw you.”
“Me too,” Connor sighed into Gavin’s ear.
“Want to bail and go back to my place?” Gavin asked. Fuck being a proper gentleman anymore. Gavin wanted Connor. “I don’t think I can hold back anymore.”
“Yes, please,” Connor smiled as he pulled Gavin with him toward the door. “Don’t hold back.”
They barely remembered to get their coats, and the two hardly separated as they stumbled to the subway station, made out on the train, and almost missed their stop. As they laughed and kissed all the way to Gavin’s apartment, he decided that this was his year.