Chapter Text
It was practically Christmas and it was over 16 degrees outside (celcius). The warm weather was usually something that Sean could enjoy during short trips to L.A for work, but right now it just felt oppressive. He was stuck in L.A on a trip that was supposed to have taken three days and had already kept him there over a week, and it was draining him of all the giddy energy that the holidays usually had him brimming with. There wasn't a lot that he usually did around Christmas with his family, but it was hard to be away from familiarity and home and to not be able to get a tree or decorate, which was the kind of thinking that had him pulling into a little Christmas tree lot in a slower, commercial bit of the city when he'd only gone out for groceries.
He wasn't sure if anyone would even be there since it was almost nine (Jack had been working all day and had just gotten back to the little apartment his work was paying for while he was there when he realized that he was out of food), but it wasn't like he had room for any kind of tree anyways. Still, he parked next to the squared off tree lot and got out of the rental car, scuffing his heels against the pavement and looking around at all the Christmas lights around the lot that were turned off and the little shack that was probably locked for the night. He was about to turn around and get back in the car when the door to the shack opened and a guy in a black tshirt and jeans came out to meet him.
Sean suddenly felt a bit trapped and was trying not to feel anxious when he got distracted by a pretty golden lab running out with the guy. The dog came straight to him and started snuffling at his pant leg and he reached down automatically to pet it, grinning at the way her tongue lolled out of her mouth as he stroked her head and said hello.
He almost forgot about the guy who was probably the dog's owner until he was standing right in front of him and Sean looked up at wide shoulders, dark, messy hair, a sharp, stubbled jaw, and deep, friendly brown eyes. He suddenly felt a little too warm in the gray sweatshirt he'd put on after getting back to the apartment and got the urge to adjust the beanie covering most of his hair. Instead he kept subtly petting the dog and tried not to choke when he heard the guy's voice.
“Hey there. Did you want to buy a tree?”
Again, he felt incredibly awkward about wasting this guy's time when he couldn't really even get a tree, but he just swallowed and looked down at his hand, playing with the dog's soft ears before trying a glance back at the guy's face.
“Um, could ya' tell me how much t'ey are?”
“Sure.” He started walking back over to the trees and pointed out a few different sections as he talked, with Sean trailing shyly behind.
“These ones in the middle range from twenty to thirty depending on size, these little table-toppers here are 15, and the rest are 45.”
Jack was just kicking himself for even asking –he should have just said no thanks but he couldn't back out now; he was in too deep, and the guy was being really helpful and nice, and he'd probably been just about to close when Jack pulled up, he could at least get one of the really little ones..
He'd stopped petting the dog for a minute while he was thinking and it nudged at his arm until he got the hint and put his hand back on its head, making the guy watching laugh a bit and scold the dog playfully.
“Don't mind Chica, she just loves meeting new people, don't you, Princess?” He cooed at her until she ran over to him and he dropped down to her level to give her full-body pets, accepting a few wet doggy kisses and baby talking some more. The whole thing was making Jack's heart beat a little harder, and he couldn't help thinking that this was the most attractive man he'd met in a while –maybe ever. But even if he thought that a guy as handsome and charming would be at all interested in him, he wouldn't know how to find out without sounding like a complete idiot. He could hardly keep from sounding like an idiot while just buying a stinking tree.
“I think I'll jus' take one o' the little ones.”
“Sure thing.”
Mr. Perfect grabbed a good looking table-topper and got a plastic bag to put it in for easy transport, leaving Jack to stand for a minute and pet Chica somewhat morosely, knowing he'd have to leave and he wouldn't be able to say anything that he might or might not want to.
He was being given his tree and was about to grab out his wallet when the guy stopped him, smiling a bit cheekily.
“You know what, don't worry about it. I'll just have to throw out most of the rest of these anyways; there's not much business left this late in the season.”
Jack was a bit nonplussed and surprised out of some of his timidity
“You sure?”
The smiles he was receiving were enough to melt the north pole, he was sure.
“Yeah, of course. But I think Chica here will be heartbroken if you leave here without so much as a name..”
Was he being flirted with? Was that what was happening?
“It's Sean. I mean, sometimes I go by Jack, but-”
“Sean.”
Man, that sounded good coming from him.
“My name's Mark, thanks so much for asking.”
He was being snarked at and it was the hottest thing he'd ever seen.
“Hey, I'm just here for Chica, remember?”
That got him a little laugh and the guy'- Mark's eyes when he laughed practically sparkled, it was awesome.
Jack went home with a tree he had nowhere to put and a number in his phone he was itching to use.
He had to go back again for groceries.