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Martyn ran his hand along the cover of the book. He remembered Ren mentioning it a week or two ago - after the man had finally learned to read a while back, he'd been eager to get his hands on any book he could. He wasn't sure if he should get it, though. It was entirely possible Sausage had already bought it, and the idea of getting Sausage alone long enough to ask without giving away that he was buying gifts was awkward and daunting. He knew that Sausage would try to figure out what he was getting for it if he even implied he was buying gifts.
He set the book back on the shelf with a sigh, shaking his head barely. He should probably get a different gift. One that was more personal, that Ren hadn't mentioned before but would still enjoy… And he still needed to find a gift for Sausage as well. Why had he waited until December for this?
Turning around, he glanced around the store. He'd sort of wandered into a Target looking for anything he could buy, although it was clear now that that'd been a terrible idea. For a moment, he considered buying gifts online, but it was unlikely they'd get here in time for Christmas considering it was already the twelfth.
"Hey, can I help you?" Martyn nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned around. Why did that voice sound so familiar? Looking at the person in front of him, he vaguely recognized the dark red-brown eyes and fluffy hair, but he couldn't exactly place where he recognized this person from. Their nametag read Drift, he/they. The name rang a bell just slightly, although he was pretty sure the only other person he'd known named that had been a woman.
"Uh, yeah," he said when he realized he'd just been staring for several seconds. "I'm trying to find gifts for two of my friends." Drift nodded a bit.
"Can you tell me about what they like? Maybe I can help."
Martyn went quiet. There were a lot of things Ren and Sausage liked, although it was difficult to actually list everything off. He'd kind of been just going off of vibes. Tapping his foot against the ground, he began, "Well, Ren likes dogs and wolves, and he really likes woodworking and making stuff… Plus he like nature, he's always asking to go camping or go spend a day in the woods or something. M loves writing, he's basically always writing, I've also been considering getting him more blankets or pillows or something since he spends most of the day in bed on his computer."
Drift hummed once he'd finished speaking, before they smiled brightly at him. "I have the perfect gifts for both of them, follow me."
Martyn hesitated for a moment, but Drift was already turning and starting to walk away, so he hurried after them. They led him into an aisle with a bunch of general office supplies and picked out a specific brand of pens.
"My partner writes all the time and they love these," he said, handing the package to Martyn. "Even if your friend doesn't write on paper a lot, he'll probably still appreciate having these for when he does. They're erasable, too."
"Erasable?" He squinted at the package, blinking. "I didn't think ink could be erased."
"It's a special kind of pen," Drift said with a small laugh. "Your friend would probably appreciate a notebook as well. We have plenty, you can probably just pick out one that's his favorite color, I've always preferred spiral notebooks but I don't know what he prefers."
Martyn stepped over to the notebooks, pausing for a few seconds. Sausage liked… what were his favorite colors? He wore brown and black, mostly. Martyn decided on two regular black notebooks just to be safe. When he looked up, Drift gestured for him to follow them again.
"You know, you might want to get a cart," Drift pointed out. Martyn quickly shook his head.
"I've got it." They raised an eyebrow at him before looking away again.
"Alright, if you say so." He stepped into an aisle filled with stuffed animals. "I know you might think this sounds a bit childish but hear me out here, everyone loves stuffed animals. I promise you that your friends would love it if you got them stuffed animals."
Martyn paused for a moment, glancing around. Now that he thought about it, Drift did have a point; if someone got him a stuffed animal, he'd be ecstatic, so what they were saying had at least a bit of truth to it. It was also very easy for him to figure out what animals his friends liked. He spotted a wolf pretty easily, picking it up and carefully stuffing it under his arm with the other gifts, then took a few moments to glance around for a bat. He doubted there would be one, but Sausage was still obsessed with vampires after all these years of being one, so it'd be great if he could find one.
"Oh, and another gift for your other boyfriend, check what tools and stuff he has and then go to Home Depot or something," Drift added. "Ask an employee there what you should get that he doesn't have already, or something to replace old tools he already has. And if you're all capable of taking care of plants, get some. I suggest succulents or small cacti."
Martyn was so focused on the actual information that he almost didn't notice them refer to Ren as his boyfriend. Other boyfriend, no less, like Sausage was his boyfriend too. The second he caught that bit his face was already burning.
"They're, uh, they're just my friends," he mumbled, clearing his throat. He finally spotted a bat and picked it up, sighing in relief. "Not my boyfriends, just… just friends." There were butterflies in his stomach at the thought of that, though, the idea of being their boyfriend incredibly appealing all of a sudden. Well, not really suddenly, the thought of dating them had always sounded appealing. He just never acknowledged it.
Drift just smiled at him and said, "Oh, sorry, I just misspoke. Anyways, do you need more gift ideas or is that enough?" Something about his smile was much too knowing. Martyn swallowed as he hoped they were telling the truth. He couldn't be that obvious, could he? He was pretty sure he'd die if Ren or Sausage ever found out about his feelings for them.
"I think this is good," he said after a moment, glancing down at the items in his hands. "Thank you, Drift. I really appreciate the help."
Drift waved him goodbye as he hurried up to the counter. It was starting to get late, well past sunset, and he'd rather not be out for too long. He didn't want Ren and Sausage asking any questions. Getting everything home and safely hidden away in his room was already going to be a hellish task.
When he stepped outside, though, he paused. Faintly, snow was starting to fall. It was freezing cold outside, the sky pitch black and only barely cloudy, but it was unmistakably snowing. He took just a few seconds to stare at the thin layer of white before rushing to his car so he wouldn't get frostbite.