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He's there again, as he is every Friday morning, standing primly underneath the bus stop, bouquet of flowers in hand. He's wearing a heavy, red overcoat to protect him from the frigid January weather, a paler red scarf neatly tucked into it.
Valentino thinks he looks rather handsome, as he always does, and smiles broadly as he brings the bus to a stop. "Good morning, Alastor!" He greets cheerfully as the doors open, already punching in his ticket before coins hit the tray, "How's my favourite passenger been this week?"
"Just wonderful, my dear!" Alastor responds warmly, taking his usual spot standing at the front of the bus, though he could have his pick of any seat. "The hotel's as grand as ever, though I'm still having to clean up after Charlie's father, he's..." He trails off, struggling to find the right words.
"A bit of a clutz?" Valentino offers.
"To put it nicely." Alastor affirms, "But I can't be too harsh on him, he does mean well." He adds, sounding as if he was still trying to convince himself of that fact, then he brightens as he changes the topic, "And Husker's AA meetings have been going amazingly! He's six months sober tomorrow. We're all very proud of him."
"Hey, that's incredible! You tell him felicidades from me, yeah?"
"Of course! But enough about my life, how are you? How's things with your partner?"
Valentino tenses, keeps his eyes focused on the road ahead as he says, "Ex now. Officially."
It earns him a sympathetic look, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."
"You know it's been a long time coming, we're better off as friends... hopefully." Valentino gives a halfhearted shrug, fingers tapping the wheel, "Tell me what flowers we're bringing to your mother this week."
Alastor raises an eyebrow, amusement sparkling in his eyes, "Since when was it we?"
Valentino pretends to think, "Around the one year mark, and we're far past that now. Stop avoiding the question."
"Well, with Valentines day approaching, we're taking advantage of the abundance of red roses." Alastor explains, giving in to Valentino's antics with a shake of his head, "And then we've added lilies and carnations for some variety. Rosie says she'll be getting tulips in soon, so we'll be working those into future bouquets."
Valentino nods along, "Ah, we're very clever, she'll love it."
Alastor shakes his head again, but the smile never falls and the conversation continues easily, only pausing when Valentino has to interact with a passenger, Alastor politely stepping aside for them. When they reach his stop, he departs with a simple wave and a goodbye, and Valentino thinks about him for the rest of his shift.
It isn't often that Valentino sees him twice in one day, entirely dependent on how long Alastor visits his mother, but he waits and he hopes. The days he does leave him feeling invincible, a giddy sort of high that follows him throughout the rest of the week.
-
Valentino remembers the day they met so clearly. Alastor drenched from the pouring rain, despite being sheltered by the bus stop, glancing between the watch on his wrist and the direction he expected the bus to come from. The way he fumbled with his change as he handed it over, the bus ticket then clenched in a tight fist, mirroring the grip on rain beaten flowers. There had been a wobbly smile on his face, trying so hard to stay put, it was the weakest Valentino had ever seen it then, but it had never once fallen.
Alastor had stayed right beside him, instead of choosing a seat, rambling on and on about the terrible weather, and Valentino had commented, "You're not supposed to distract the bus driver."
He'd received a stuttered apology and Alastor had turned to leave, but upon being told that Valentino was only teasing, Alastor remained. Valentino allowed him to carry on about whatever he liked, whatever he needed to, until they reached his destination.
Over the next several months, Valentino watched him gain confidence and open up, and that first full, genuine smile aimed his way is what had sparked his crush. It had only snowballed from there until now, several years later, he has long since come to terms with the fact that he is utterly, completely, devastatingly in love with the man.
-
"Good morning, my dear!"
"Good morning, my ever so perfect passenger!"
"What's wrong?"
Valentino jumped, gave him a sheepish grin, "Am I really that obvious?"
"I know you well enough by now to easily tell when something is wrong." Alastor said softly, "You have me captive for the next fifteen minutes, there's nothing for me to do but listen."
"I- uh, yeah. Yeah. Okay." Valentino swallowed thickly, heart jack rabbitting in his chest, "So, um, it's actually not that anything's wrong, I've... I just really like you. I have for a long while now, maybe you noticed- or maybe you haven't. You're funny, and so kind, and I want to get to know you more outside of just being your bus driver. So, would you do me the honour of being my- shit, hold on-" Valentino scrambles for the rose he'd hidden and presents it to Alastor while they're stopped at a red light, "Be my valentine?"
Alastor accepts the flower and brings it to his nose, hiding the way his smile broadens, "I thought you'd never ask."
"I- what?"
"You're not exactly subtle, I'm surprised you've never crashed."
Valentino sputters, "I'm a professional!"
"You're very good at your job." Alastor agrees. "I just hope I wasn't the cause of your break up-"
"No!" Valentino interrupts, too fast, "No, of course not, Al, that was uh, kinda shit long before you came along, it's just that neither of us wanted to admit it. So, um- you don't need to feel guity. Please." He reassures, and then hurries to move the conversation along, "I bought a rose for your mother too."
Alastor's grin is blindingly bright even as he responds, "She wouldn't be impressed by something like that."
"But give it to her anyway?" Valentino asks, hopeful, as he slows the bus to a stop outside of the cemetary and hands the rose over.
Alator takes it and knocks on the door that divides them, "Open this for a moment?"
Valentino does so and Alastor leans in, brushing their lips together. It's chaste, barely there, but it's the best kiss Valentino has ever had.
"Mm, I have always said red is your colour." Alastor comments when he pulls away.
Valentino doesn't need to ask what he means, his face burning so hot he thinks he might be about to discover it can melt.
"Do you have a pen?" Alastor carries on, as if he doesn't notice Valentino's struggle not to combust.
A pen is found and Alastor scribbles a number onto the back of his bus ticket, "You should call me when you're done with work, I'm free tomorrow if you'd like to do something."
"Yeah! That'd be great!" Valentino beams, tucking the slip of paper into his pocket, "See you later?"
"Maybe, you best hurry or you'll be behind schedule."
Valentino's eyes widen, a curse tumbling from his lips as he hurries to open the doors for Alastor, calling out a goodbye after him. He allows the man to cross the road in front of him, grinning dopily the whole time.
Alastor isn't any better, but he has the flowers to hide the blush that colours his cheeks as he makes his way into the cemetary.
The smile doesn't fall from his face for the rest of the day, and carries right through to the next, muscles aching from the strain, but he just can't stop when he sees Alastor, dressed in delicate pinks, Valentino himself in reds.
Alastor presents a single pink rose with a flourish, and Valentino sweeps him up into his arms, kisses anywhere he can reach, excited for what awaits for them.