Page 168 of Untouchable

15

Harp is practically buzzingwhen he calls Parker late Friday afternoon. The idea had come to him midday, and Harp had put everything in place. All he had to do was get Parker's permission and he could move forward.

He'd wanted to wait until closer to seven, when Parker would normally be hitting the gym after work—but he realizes that the longer he puts off the call, the less he's getting done.

Finally, Harp pulls out his phone and brings up Parker's number.

Parker grabs it after two rings. "Hey," he says warmly.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

“Bored out of my mind,” Parker says with a laugh. “I’m trying to get plenty of rest like the doctor said but I feel like I’m going to crawl out of my skin. Luckily tonight Mindy is gonna stay in with me so I don’t totally lose it.”

"Would you be up for an adventure with me tomorrow?" Harp asks. "Well, a low-key adventure. A surprise. Overnight."

* * *

“Really?”Parker says, smiling broadly. “Where? What? Why? And, I mean, yes, duh, but—”

"That's the surprise part," Harp interrupts. "Listen, I thought about what you said yesterday—and I do want to spoil you and surprise you and take care of you so... would you let me channel that into something a little more healthy? This weekend?"

Parker bites his lip, considering this. He’d meant what he’d told Harp yesterday, that he liked Harp’s grand romantic gestures. And, he reminds himself, none of this is transactional. Harp isn’t doing this because he expects something back. He is doing it because, god knows why, he enjoys it.

So Parker gives himself permission to at least try to enjoy being with someone who treats him well.

“Yeah,” Parker says. “I—I’d really like that.”

“Good,” Harp says. He starts to speak but Parker interrupts.

“But you can’t, like, give me a tiny hint?” Parker says.

Harp pauses, considering it. "I'm picking you up at three, we're not going to my house, and you should dress warm," Harp offers.

“Look cute because we’re going ice skating warm?” Parker asks. “Or dress so you don’t get frostbite when we go up to the peak of Storm Mountain and camp kind of warm?”

"Hm," Harp says. "I guess you'll have to find out tomorrow."

“Goddamnit,” Parker whines. “Pleaaaa-”

“Whine all you want,” Harp says. “I’m completely inoculated against begging. If I weren’t, Bo would be so fat his legs wouldn’t touch the ground.”

Parker laughs at the mental image.

“Fine,” he says. “I’ll see you at three.”

* * *

Parker is waitingoutside his apartment on the curb when Harp drives up. Maybe he's underestimated how excited Parker is for a surprise.

But it only makes sense that however much Harp would dread surprises, Parker would gain an inverse and equal amount of joy from them.

Harp pulls right up and Parker hops in with a bag over his shoulder, sliding down the bench seat to give Harp a kiss on the cheek before shutting his door.

"So, where to?" Parker asks brightly.

"Not yet." Harp grabs a bandana he'd brought just for this purpose and holds it out to Parker with a wicked grin. "Here. Put this over your eyes."

“You can’t be serious,” Parker says, but Harp just stares at him until he relents. Laughing, he folds it and ties it around his eyes. “Okay, I definitely can’t see a thing. Is this, like, a sex thing? We should probably set out some safewords, I think. I mean don’t get me wrong, I’m up for anything, but—”

---