Page 26 of To Cuddle A Gremlin

“Oh.”

“Being with you is so important to me.” Isadore shoved his hands in his pockets and spun around. He itched to say goodbye, but the last word had to have weight. Sebastian had to understand what an impact he had on Isadore’s life.

The small interactions with Sebastian gave Isadore peace as he walked Sebastian to his apartment building. Each time, something changed. Either Sebastian became more open or at ease. He lit up the second he saw Isadore outside the library. The smiles weren’t fake or tight any more. Isadore cheered at every nuance of Sebastian’s expressions.

When Isadore found himself standing behind Sebastian in the café, his thoughts shifted. He was in a special sort of hell as Sebastian had taken his toque off in the warmth of the café, leaving his hair sticking up in odd ways. His shoulders were relaxed as he stood tall, opposed to when Isadore first met him where Sebastian did his best to hide within his body. Isadore was proud to see Sebastian wasn’t as closed off as he had been. He wasn’t defending himself against the world.

Devilishness had its way with Isadore, and he stepped into Sebastian’s space, grasping his slim hips beneath the fall jacket. Sebastian jumped at the sudden touch, and an almost fearful noise erupted from his throat. Sebastian tipped his head to the left as though peeking to see who had done what.

"Hi, Bas.” Isadore had decided using a shortened version of Sebastian’s name gave him a bit of ownership. Something only Isadore could claim, especially when Sebastian released a happy sigh.

“Oh, hi, good morning? I didn’t expect to see you so early.” Sebastian relaxed into Isadore’s hold. “Would you like me to buy you a coffee?”

Isadore squeezed Sebastian’s hips lightly before releasing him. The warmth of his skin and the subtle melting was more than Isadore could handle. Too bad he had to meet a client within the next half hour. Gods, the things he longed to do.

“It’s a surprise to me too.” Isadore shuffled up beside Sebastian and subtly stepped into Sebastian’s personal space. Any other day, Sebastian would shift away, but today he leanedin, which Isadore claimed as a win. “Adam wants to talk to me before he forgets why he asked me to see him. So I have to hurry up, and now you’re here and, well, oops?”

“This place does have the ability to pause everyone.” Sebastian had this way of looking at Isadore as though he held the secrets and knowledge of everything. The pressure to be that person wasn’t as heavy as Isadore thought.

“I’m trying not to give in and sit, but you know how it is. Life… really hot guys, and the smell of fresh baked food.”

Sebastian snorted and shook his head. But he didn’t deny any of Isadore’s claims as he might have before. This was progress, and Isadore wasn’t going to push Sebastian any further. “It’s my turn to buy coffee for the staff.”

“Aww, what a wonderful tradition. I’ll leave you to it, then. See you later.” Isadore squeezed Sebastian’s arm and stepped back, allowing him to place his order with the counter staff.

“Bye, Isadore.” Sebastian speaking his name was bliss. He was going to savour the moment forever or until Sebastian said it while Isadore was giving him a reason to shout. However, Isadore wasn’t going to jump the gun.

Isadore smiled at Trish as he stepped up to the counter. He asked for his coffee and Adam’s and blatantly stared at Sebastian as he exited the restaurant. His long legs ate up the ground as he slid through the line without jostling the tray of coffee.

“I see Sebastian is starting to relax in your presence now. He’s less twitchy whenever he’s in here,” Trish said. “You’re not gonna hurt him, are you?”

“Of course not! Why would you try to jinx me? He’s my lodestar. I might not have realized before, but he has to be why I was drawn here. I had no reason to leave my burrow, but the minute I saw him, I knew.” Isadore swung his arm around, encompassing the café, and Trish blinked her cat-like eyes. This was the problem with hanging around cryptids. They had nocompunction of diving right into the problem at hand. “I am not going to hurt him.”

“You make sure you don't. He’s one of the few humans who didn’t give a rats’ ass when we first descended on the town. He and his pallies at the library opened the door for us in a big way. So…” Trish flashed her sharp incisors before smiling at Isadore.

“Fine. I promise.” Isadore took his tray full of coffee and flounced out. Sebastian had people backing him up, but man, why was Isadore considered the bad guy?

Isadore kept his texts to Sebastian lighthearted and sweet. He didn’t push any boundaries. But as the days passed and the big outing to Waite’s Falls drew closer, Sebastian grew increasingly more succinct and less engaged. When Isadore walked him home, Sebastian was a bundle of nerves and prone to injury. If Isadore had known how much of a stressor this was, he would've never suggested or allowed Sebastian to plan their date. He had hoped the day would be fun and chill, allowing Sebastian to blossom.

The night before their hike, Isadore slid into Tony’s office and spun around on the office chair. As much as Isadore hated asking Tony for advice about Sebastian, this was important enough for him to try. Again.

“So what do I do? Even his texts are starting to be unresponsive.” Isadore dropped his head back and stared at the tile ceiling. Tony lounged on his chair, relaxing for once.

“You see him every day. Have you asked him? Specifically? Instead of texting? Normal people are fond of using their voices.”

“I don’t want to interrogate him! He says the right things, and he agrees so politely. I try to draw shit out, but he’s like a wall. I’ve told him it’s not necessary to go all out, but he looks at me with these doe eyes, and I can’t. I just can’t.”

“And you like this guy?” Tony’s skepticism rankled. It wasn’t as though Sebastian was a deer all the time. Some evenings, Sebastian could chatter the whole way home… as long as Isadore didn’t bring up certain topics.

“It’s more than that. He’s better and sweeter. Just so very skittish. I realize a date can be a big deal. I’m so…” Isadore shook his head.

“Grow up then. You sound as though you understand the problem. So do something. Help Sebastian through his barriers. Don’t complain about it. You’re only causing bigger issues. Which is the exact opposite of what you want. I’ve seen you together, and as much as it disgusts me to say, he looks like he’s really into you as well. You need to get over your own perceptions.”

“I hate you.” Isadore scowled. Sometimes Tony was right, and Isadore wasn’t. Stupid, frustrating brothers who were insightful.

“Yeah, well. I’m your brother.” Tony made shooing motions with his hands. “Now go somewhere else. I don’t need your sad frowns ruining my night.”

“Fine. Tomorrow is gonna be a good day. It has to be.”

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