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Rory knocked gently on the doors and waited for an answer as he held a potted plant in his arms. There was a buzz, and the door opened, allowing him entrance inside, causing Rory to smile. He stepped into the room and immediately noticed the large desk centered near the back of the room and in front of the windows that overlooked the forest behind the building. There sat Rory's boyfriend, Sam. Sam had just recently been elected as mayor, fought a toxic beast man with oranges, and saved the town. Once again. Sam sat with his back straight and hands gingerly holding onto the edge of his desk. He smiled and waved at Rory, who held up the plant in response.
"I brought you an office gift!" Rory exclaimed with a bright smile as he placed the plant on the windowsill behind Sam.
Sam smiled and turned in his chair to look at the plant.
"Thank you," Sam replied, admiring the leaves and tiny flower buds about to bloom.
Rory smiled and jumped up to sit on the edge of the desk next to Sam.
"You're welcome! How's it going on your first day as mayor?" He asked, eager to hear the excitement Sam must have been experiencing.
Rory was practically giddy about what Sam had to say. Sam nodded his head and turned in his chair to look out over his office. He continued to nod his head and softly drummed his fingers against the desk's surface with both hands as he thought. He thought deeply before he finished nodding and took a deep breath, exhaling with measured mindfulness.
"Nothing," Sam replied.
Rory was stunned by the response and blinked a few times before he finally managed to get a response out.
"What do you mean, 'nothing'?" Rory frowned.
Sam shrugged and proceeded to tell Rory how the one thing he was able to do was change the town's appearance. He liked his town the way it looked and thought that, if there were a disaster, he would rebuild accordingly. Until then, he didn't want to change it. So Sam found himself sitting in his new office most of the day.
Just sitting and staring at everything.
Silently.
Only the sounds of the town muffled outside and a fax occasionally ringing through the office.
He was more than allowed to leave whenever he wanted, but Sam stayed to get used to the job and its responsibilities. Rory nodded and took in everything Sam said before looking around. It was quiet, and no one seemed to be rushing in any time soon, as Sam had sent the other city workers home for the day. Rory looked back down at Sam and smiled.
'Well, that sounds easy though! I was so worried you'd be overwhelmed and stressed. You've been through so much recently, especially just trying to get this position." Rory said as Sam nodded.
Sam leaned back in his chair and looked around his neat office. Rory did the same before looking back at Sam and smiling sweetly. Rory leaned forward, took Sam's hand gently, and placed it on his lap before resting his hand over Sam's, causing Sam to look up at him. Rory continued to smile sweetly as he rubbed Sam's hand softly.
"Why don't we look at your new mayor outfit? I haven't gotten to see you in it up close yet," Rory said, jumping down from the desk and stepping away for Sam to stand.
Sam smiled and nodded as he stood. He also stepped away from Rory and stood with his arms splayed out. He displayed himself so triumphantly, doing a little spin, that Rory couldn't help but grin brightly.
"You look great, Sam! That top hat looks fantastic on you!" Rory complimented.
Rory was going to ignore the fact that the outfit was blatantly and noticeably small on Sam. Almost all the outfits Sam wore were always too small on him, except for one that fit him like a glove. Somehow, though, there was some charm in the way Sam pulled all his outfits off. Perhaps it was his innocent confidence or just the way clothes seemed to work for him in their way. Whatever ended up being the case, Sam looked good in them regardless.
"Thank you," Sam replied, looking down at himself and plucking a few stray hairs off his lapel.
Rory nodded and smiled warmly, stepping closer and draping his arms over Sam's shoulders. He tilted his head, gazing up at Sam with enough adoration to wrap around the Earth infinitely.
"How do you do it?" Rory asked tenderly, shaking his head softly in admirable disbelief. "How do you manage everything without ever getting stressed?"
Sam thought about it. Lifting his face from glancing down at Rory, he stared blankly ahead. What Rory said was endearing, but Sam did get stressed.
He remembered taking his driver's test for his S-rank license. He must have repressed that memory because he had forgotten about it until he saw the card at the bottom of his backpack. Then he remembered that ice track. The one where he had to balance on the side of a snow wall. He refused to talk about that to this day. Those were some of the most stressful days of his life. As well as almost losing the camp and having to fight sewer monster Pemberton. Those were also pretty stressful.
Sam could have gone on and on. There were other days equally as stressful, yes, but they were minuscule compared to everything else.
"Sam?"
Rory's voice cleared a haze Sam didn't even know he had lost himself in. He shook his head a bit to clear his thoughts and looked back down at Rory. His brows furrowed in a way that said he wasn't sure if he said the wrong thing or not.
"Yes?" Sam asked, blinking at Rory with his sort of confusion.
Rory took a moment to study Sam's face with mild concern before his features softened. Rory tilted his head once more, having straightened it when Sam seemed to stutter on dial-up, and smiled warmly.
"Nothing," he said, shaking his head and leaning up.
Rory stretched on the tip of his toes as much as he could, and Sam knew what came next. It was one of his favorite things. Sam smiled, beaming at the seams, and leaned forward himself. The kiss gave Sam that soda-pop fizz feeling again. He liked that. And he hoped it wouldn't ever stop. The two deepened the kiss, a moment so sweet and tender, and stepped closer to each other. Just as they had decided to settle into their current embrace, a sudden knock rapped on the door, startling them both and pulling them apart. Rory slipped his arms away from Sam and quickly smoothed out the front of his shirt, trying to let the tension of being disturbed melt from his shoulders, running a hand through his hair before fidgeting with his earring.
Sam observed Rory and echoed his movements. He smoothed the front of his coat before tugging the opening to straighten it out. Then he removed his top hat and ran his hand over his head. He did not have the same rising tide of embarrassment Rory had welling in him. There was another knock. This time it was more persistent. Rory glanced at the door and then looked up at Sam. With a raise of his brows and nod of his head, Rory gestured for Sam to answer it silently. It took Sam a few seconds before he started, jolting and going back to his seat. Sitting, he reached for the button, the buzz triggering the door unlocked, and Rory stood a tad stiff beside him, his hands clasping in front of him with his fingers interlocked.
The door opened, and in walked Dan and Brenda, Sam's caretakers and parental figures since he could remember. Brenda's smile widened as she saw Sam seated in the most prominent seat in town.
"Look at my little Sammy! You look wonderful!" she declared, throwing one of her arms open at her side as she carried a plant in her other arm.
She made her way around the desk and leaned down to hug Sam like a mother. Tight and proud. Dan followed behind her, hands in his cargo shorts pockets, and looked approvingly around before nodding to Rory in greeting. Rory smiled politely, a slight blush dusting his cheeks, and Brenda pulled away from her hug.
"You look so dapper and sophisticated!" Brenda praised, looking Sam over in his seat.
Sam felt his cheeks warm like sunrays on dew drops, and he smiled widely. He felt the same warmth cover his shoulders from behind and draped over them, making him feel big. Something he found recently was hard to do despite being the tallest one in the room.
Brenda's smile softened into a warmer one, her eyes appreciating everything it took for Sam to get there, before drawing her attention to the potted plant in her arm. She held it up as if it were a prized trophy, smiling proudly.
"Dan and I got you this, sweetie. We wanted to get you something to brighten your office," she explained, her eyes suddenly doing a double-take at the same potted plant on the windowsill behind Sam.
Rory caught her realization and smiled sheepishly. "It seems we had the same idea."
Both Brenda and Rory laughed as they discussed buying the same plant at the same store, only hours apart. Sam could see this interaction soothed Rory, and that eased him. Dan cleared his throat and leaned his hip against the edge of the desk.
"Make any big mayoral decisions yet?" Dan asked.
Sam took a deep breath, his shoulders rising and falling slowly as he looked up at Rory. Rory shrugged and half-smiled in response as they both looked at Dan. Almost perfectly synchronized.
"No," Sam said, the wording falling like a heavy paperweight.
Brenda's face turned into an expression of befuddlement as Dan blinked.
"What do you mean by 'no'?" Dan asked.
Sam raised his eyebrows and shifted his weight to one side in his chair. He looked at Rory before looking at Brenda and Dan, preparing to explain to them about how his duty as mayor was one of his easiest jobs.