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It'd no doubt been a nice, intimate dinner at Aaron's apartment. Lux had enjoyed gorging on the variety of food donated to the cause, and the afternoon had been filled with cheerful chatter and (at least on Lux's part) lots of playful flirting.
Until the dessert disaster happened and Aaron's kitchen had ended filled with smoke. How??? Who the heck knows. But once the mess was cleaned up the two set out for ice cream, heading down the street to a local place with a variety of unique flavors.
Lux hadn't dressed quite as nicely as the first date, but still had made an attempt--nice jeans and sneakers, with a bright neon pink button up underneath a light jacket. They held onto Aaron's hand as they walk, and once they reach the little ice cream shop they step forward to push open the door and hold it with an 'after you' gesture, grinning cheerfully.
There was a feast, indeed, of various lovingly prepared reheatable dishes fit for a date in. Aaron will blame Lux's flirting from distracting him from the fact that carmelizing sugar very rapidly becomes fuel for a kitchen fire if left unattended for too long. No jury in the world would convict him.
Still, a walk up broad street in South Philly isn't the worst possible way to spend an evening. After ducking into the shop after Lux, Aaron unwinds his scarf from around his neck and unbuttons his jacket. For t'is chilly in Philly these days. "Now's when we judge one another's ice cream tastes. I'm a peanut butter and vanilla man, myself."
I mean. Legit. Lux can be very distracting...
"I like punching myself in the face when it comes to sweets," Lux replies with a grin. "Overload of sweet, especially when comboed with something sour. Or spicy. So--usually a lot of candy added in, or weird things." They elbow him lightly in the side. "Peanut butter and vanilla is nice, though not terribly exciting."
"What can I tell you, I like what I like. Maybe peanut butter, vanilla, and red hots." In theory this doesn't sound terrible. In practice? We'll see. "Leave it to you to call me out for my bland tastes in ice cream." He heads to the counter to begin looking over the flavor options, probably self-conscious about his ice cream preferences at this point. He keeps hold of Lux's hand, just the same. "Why don't you order first, actually. I want to see how a true master operates, here."
"Oh, that actually sounds pretty good..." Lux murmurs thoughtfully, then nods. They head up to the counter, looking over the various options thoughtfully. Then they perk and point to a tub. "I'll take the cinnamon-cayenne, with... hm, white chocolate drizzle and red hots candy on top."
Cinnamon-cayenne? Get on their level, Cohen. Sheesh. Still, he's sticking with the red hots being his bold foray into nonconformity. "Vanilla, peanut butter, and red hots please." Cinnamon-cayenne? Ice cream? He's reeling from the possibilities, clearly. "I am really behind the curve on boutique ice cream, aren't I. You know, this reminds me. I should take you up into Montgomery or Bucks. They have the best creameries up there, and we can get farm fresh homemade ice cream up there that's to die for. Just the best. And you might enjoy a visit to Peddler's Village, too. It's super bougie, but really cute."
Lux squeezes his hand, then pulls theirs away so they can dig out a rainbow sequin wallet, taking out enough cash to pay for the ice creams. "That sounds really nice. I don't mind bouqie in short bursts, especially if it's to get delicious ice cream." They take their bowl of ice cream to carry over to a table, settling down. "I have a huge sweet tooth. I'll go to great lengths to appease cravings."
"Well, between the two of us? The one that needs to watch their caloric intake is most decidedly not you." Aaron pats his dad gut as he follows after Lux and take a seat at the table with his own questionable choices in the bowl before himself. He tries a bite of just the vanilla and redhots first, since that sounds like it will be a tasty introduction to this bold new adventure. "I just have to be careful how much of this stuff I consume. Even biking and walking everywhere, I'm a bear."
Lux glances down at his dad gut and grins, shoulders lifting. "I think you're hot, Aaron. Definitely a bear--but a very hot bear that I am really looking forward to hopefully snuggling up against some day." They watch him take the first bite, then dig into their own, popping a spoonful into their mouth. Clearly the combination of cold and heat is appreciated, as they let out an eager mmmm. "Fuck, this is good. You sure you don't want to try a bite?"
"You can snuggle up to me tonight, I figure," Aaron assures Lux in a manner that is, to him, probably quite scandalous. But is, you know. How dating works. "I think I'd like that. It's quite chilly out there, and it's going to get colder before it gets warmer. It would be a shame to let all of this body hair and core heat go to waste." He leans forward across the table to open his mouth, inviting Lux to offer a bite. Further scandal!
Lux blinks in surprise, then grins in clear delight. "You sure you're ready for snuggling, Aaron? That's a big step," they tease. A small spoonful of ice cream is scooped up and held out to feed to him. Lux watches his reaction to the spicy ice cream with amused curiousity.
Cinnamon seems an appropriate ice cream flavor. But the cayenne? He's clearly not sure what to make of that. The red hots have his expression going on a face journey when mingled with the chocolate sauce. What even is this flavor? Why is my tongue burning? But cold? Do I like it? Do I hate it? Do I hate liking it or like hating it? Eventually he swallows and leans back into his seat again with a pensive expression. "I didn't hate it," he concludes, still confused. "That reminded me a bit of the first time I ate morroccan food."
Their eyes practically shine with amusement as they watch Aaron go on the face journey, finishing with a soft snort. "I love morroccan food, so that fits." They pull their bowl closer to enjoy themself, enjoying the intense flavors.
Underneath the table, their leg rests lightly against his. Nothing scandalous! Just casual contact. "Did I tell you that I found an office space for the street artists collective I'm putting together?"
"You did not! The last good news I heard from you was about finishing your gallery pieces. Tell me all about it." Aaron scoops up a bite of his own ice cream, mixing in the peanut butter for the first time. This, too, he does not hate. Actually, it's pretty darn good. So he has another bite quick. "If you need help with the insurance, I know several agents at shul. They can set you all up with a very competitive rate, and that's often what keeps collectives like this from flourishing. The insurance."
"Oh--that'd be awesome." Lux bobs their head. "That's one of the loose ends I'm still wrapping up. I got most of the other paperwork already wrapped up. I'm the official owner of a non-profit!" They smile proudly. "It's called Love Letter Arts Collective. The gallery owner I have the new mural up in? They've helped me fund it. It's gonna be a great opportunity to get street artists' work out there--legally out there. I've already got a bunch of artists wanting to join, and people calling me interested in commissioning artists for murals. It's been really overwhelming, but I really think it's going to work out. And the office space we got is beautiful! There's room for a workshop there too, where artists can come in and work--which is really great for people who don't have their own studios, to do professional work. And for artists to collaborate." Lux is rambling at this point, but they can't help themself. They're full of excitement and nervous energy.
Aaron adopts a clearly smitten grin as Lux goes off on a gushing tear about their work and their project. It becomes a genuine smile about half way through and ends with a joyous if subdued bit of laughter. "I don't think I've ever seen you this happy about anything, Lux. I'm very happy for you. I truly am. I'll reach out to some of the members and see if I can't get you some quotes. And." Aaron scoots forward again and lowers his voice as though it were a secret, "I might be able to get you in front of the Mural Arts Philadelphia people. Help you with grant writing and such, if you need that sort of assistance."
Lux pauses a beat, blinking a few times before their head dips sheepishly. Their cheeks maybe even darken a little. "I... am happy. Well. Most of the time. I keep yo-yoing back and forth between overwhelming excitement and crippling anxiety." They grimace faintly. "It's a lot of work and I'm not used to working. Not used to having... responsibilites and people relying on me and--shit, it's just a lot, you know? But I think... it'll be worth it." Their eyes lift as he scoots forward, leaning in as well. Their eyes widen. "No shit? Really? That'd be amazing, Aaron."
"I knew you could do it, Lux," Aaron assures them with that smitten smile still in place. "You can do anything you set your mind to, and I hope you see that now. There's work, there's always work. The best things only come after the hardest labor, but the rewards far outstrip the exertion. Go to bed tired and sleep the sleep of the just." Spoken like someone who does just that on a regular basis. He then scrunches up his nose a bit, rests his hands on the table, and leans forward juuuuust a hair more to place a single purposeful and gentle kiss on Lux's lips. A well deserved one at that.
Oh no. Lux looks even more flustered by Aaron's emotional pep talk. Apparently they can deal with sexual innuendo just fine, but someone like Aaron believing in them? That makes their brain short circuit briefly. Not long enough they don't lean in to return the soft kiss, though.
They smile warmly after, rubbing the back of their neck. "Heh... thanks, Aaron. That... really means a lot. Especially coming from someone so... breath-takingly kind and brave and devoted and--amazing, like you."
Aaron's blushing clear to the ears after the smooch. An in public over ice cream smooch, at that. Needless to say the blush doesn't diminish any now that Lux is turning the spotlight back on him. Breathtakingly kind and brave and devoted? Pssh. Oh, you. "You say the nicest things. I think we both have a hard time hearing that, though. It's easy to listen to the negative stuff, and so hard to believe the positive. That's where I struggle." Aaron scoops up another bite of his ice cream, snacking on it thoughtfully. "I just love watching you thrive, though. It makes me happy to see you this happy.*
Lux falls quiet for a few seconds to just stare at Aaron as he blushes, smiling with their own smitten grin. "Yeah... I guess we do. But--if you struggle with that, all the more reason to smother you with sappy compliments." They look down into their bowl, poking at the half melted remains of ice cream with their spoon. "Pretty easy to be happy around you, you know. You just fuckin'... radiate light and warmth to everyone around you."
"Well, that's what I try to do. Radiate light and warmth to everyone. I'm glad it's working." Aaron watches Lux watching him watching Lux. His blush is decidedly not subsiding much. A little, but not much. "Let me know when you'd like to walk back to the apartment for snuggles. I've got numerous streaming services we can choose from by way of entertainment, too. And I imagine Chewda will enjoy getting more time with you, too."
They bite their lip for a second, trying not to look too eager. But mostly failing. "I'm ready to head back if you are. The smell of burnt sugar has probably faded, by now... Sorry again for that."
"Never apologize for driving me to distraction," Aaron replies with a grin, taking up he and Lux's bowls and depositing them in the waste recepticle. He buttons his jacket back up, reloops his scarf, and offers a hand over to Lux for the walk back to his apartment.
Which is not as swank as all that, actually. An aging apartment tower in an aging apartment complex in an aging part of south philly. It was probably the cutting edge of habitation in 1972. Now it just looks tired. But his personal suite is quite homey. Two bedrooms, one dedicated to a bedroom the other to an office. A living room with an attached kitchen, open plan. He's got some nice comfy furniture and a big flat screen television. He's in the community because he wants to be, not because he has to be, clearly.
It still smells vaguely of burned sugar, alas.
Lux hops up to their feet, happily snagging Aaron's hand to lace fingers through his once he's done tossing away trash.
Lux has never shown any judgement towards Aaron's apartment, and only been happy to be here--it's nicer than Lux's old apartment by a long shot, after all. They slide their shoes off by the door, nose wrinkling a little at the smell. But they're no doubt distracted by an ADORABLE DOG, crouching down to give Chewie some pets. "See? Told you we'd be right back, cutie."
Chewie is his usual wiry haired ball of wiggles and yips and hops up on his hind legs to paw at Lux's legs well before they're even crouching down to pay attention to him. His tiny bubblegum pink tongue licks at Lux's hands, too. Latent ice cream flavor, no doubt. Aaron hangs up his hat and scarf, fires up the smart TV, and tosses the remote onto the couch for Lux to use. He himself heads off to the bedroom to fetch the quilt off the bed, dragging it back into the living room for the cuddles. "Anything you're in the mood to watch?"
Lux takes off their own jacket to hang up, then grins down at the ball of wiry fluff, picking the dog up to hold against their chest to pet and scritch. "There you go, all the lovin's you want." They wait for Aaron to finish dragging the quilt over, then plops down onto the couch, setting Chewie on their lap. Assuming the dog is allowed on the couch, anyway. If not--sorry Chewie, down to the floor you go. "Um... Something light, probably? Romantic comedy or something. Unless you're the sort that likes cuddling up during horror movies. What's your favorite things to watch, usually?"
"I'm going to sound so boring. I love documentaries, particular science documentaries. About space and physics and such. Or ones like the Innocence Files. I'm not much of a horror buff, honestly. I've seen enough of the real stuff in my life that it holds no joy for me." Aaron settles the quilt over their laps, tucks Chewie in with them both, and relaxes back with his arm around Lux. Prepare to be cuddled. "There's a couple documentaries about the Jewish people I quite enjoyed, too. As for Rom Coms? Don't tell anyone at my shul, but I love Love Actually."
Lux is PREPARED. They scoot in closer so they can lean comfortably against Aaron's side. "Documentaries aren't always boring. Some can be pretty fascinating. I binged this one series a while back about art forgeries and art theives that was really fascinating. Space is cool! Especially when there's lots of pretty visuals. Physics I would... probably zone out during, though, unless it's presented in a really interesting way. I'm not good with math. And... agreed, on the horror. And all the tense build up tends to make me kind of anxious."
"Love Actually? Never heard of it. What's it about?"
"You've never-- Really? Okay. So. It's goysiche as heck, but it's a really solid Christmas movie. It has Emily Thompson and Alan Rickman. The guy who played Rick Grimes in Walking Dead. A bunch of other people, too. It's sort of a who's who of 90s British movie stars and celebs. Oh! And. 'I have a certain set of skills, give me my kid and nobody gets hurt' guy. Liam Niesen? I think? Anyway. It's very cute. There are some terribly awkward parts that didn't age well, but I enjoy it. It leaves me feeling warm on the inside." Aaron then notes, "Honestly, it's worth it for the Rowan Atkinson cameo alone."
Lux listens with a soft grin. "Okay. It sounds cute. Is it streaming anywhere? Or do you own it? We should watch it."
"Tell. No one." Aaron queues up his watch list, and it's about the fourth title in. He clicks it and queues up the movie. The remote is set aside out of reach so they don't jostle it as they cuddle, and both arms are then looped around Lux to tuck them in close. He rests his head on Lux's as the intro begins to roll.
Lux rests their head against Aaron's shoulder, one hand resting on Chewie's back to pet. The other... sort of hovers uncertainly for a second or two before they decide it's probably safe to let it rest on Aaron's knee. They watch the intro with a soft smile, then tilt their head to nuzzle into him a bit. "Mm, I can already see why you'd like this movie."
The story is a bit convoluted. There's a ginger with a huge penis who has a plan to go to the US and bang hot american women who will dote on him for his adorable accent. A middle aged couple (Rickman and Thompson) who are struggling to keep the flame alive in their marriage with their kids and such. Rickman has a hot bombshell of a secretary that wants to bang him. There's an author whose girlfriend leaves him for his brother who then goes to Portugal to finish his book and falls in love with the Portuguese woman who tends the flat he's staying at. There's Liam Niesen and his young son who has fallen in love with a girl in his class who must learn to drum so he can be in the christmas play with her. They lost their wife/mother recently to cancer. There's a very young Kiera Knightly looking pretty and perfect. Getting married. The best man is Rick Grimes and has the hots for Kiera. An aging lothario burned out musical talent and his fat manager who are trying to win #1 song of the Christmas Season by beating out a generic boy bad. Largely by rehashing a tired hit of his and offering to perform it naked on Christmas day if he wins.
It is charming and off kilter and sweet in places. Cringey and awful in others. But ignore things like Rick Grimes creeping on his best bud's wife, and it maintains a very sentimental sort of quality to it. If you dig down deep enough, one realizes that it pretty effectively details the various sorts of love the Greeks identified long ago, and holds them all up to the lens for examination.
Throughout, Aaron keeps his arms wrapped around Lux, occasionally soothing their arm with one of his big mitts of a hand. Sometimes pressing a kiss against their forehead. He doesn't seem at all hesitant about being a giant space heater of a cuddlemonster.
It's not that Lux isn't interested in the movie. And in fact, as it goes on they do become more actively engaged, smirking and snorting softly at the funny parts--they never really seem to fully laugh though, even when obviously amused. And cringing at the cringey parts. But lets be honest here--Lux is here for the cuddles.
They're quite happy to leech his body heat. Especially since they seem to run cold--their fingers always have a bit of a chill to them, though it's not always an unpleasant feeling. It's a nice balance to the warmth of him and the quilt, creating the perfect cuddling temperature. They're not shy about casual touch, caressing along his arm or holding his hand, or resting their hand against his chest. But they're clearly trying to respect boundaries, not getting too handsy.
Lux lets out a breath as the movie wraps up, then turns a grin up towards him. "That was... a wild ride of feels. Ugh, so much sweetness. But I liked it!" And, while still basking in the post-rom-com good feels, Lux leans in to kiss him softly on the lips.
Aaron, for all that he's new to this whole "dating" thing (or newly returned to it, in any case) doesn't seem at all reticent about the cuddling. He's got a body purpose belt for it, and he's fully well aware of that fact. So when the movie ends and Lux turns to offer him a kiss, Aaron evidences a pleased smile and returns it just as softly. And then not so softly. He uses his thumb to brush Lux's cheek before kissing it, too, with additional tenderness. "I'm supposed to be good," he notes. Though who he's reminding is anyone's guess.
The not so softly kiss makes Lux's fingers curl against his chest. There's clearly no complaints, the not-so-softness mirrored back. Lux's cheek is a bit warm to the touch, and their head tips into his hand--then lips. "Are you?" Their lips twitch upwards. "Why?"
Aaron's eyes roll upwards for a moment, as though in thought. He goes searching for a good answer, but none appears forthcoming. Eventually he locks eyes with Lux again and answers in his particular version of bedroom baritone, "Beats me." And with that, Aaron guides Lux over onto the couch.
Poor Chewie is going to be stuck in the same room the whole time, too.
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