Knight in Shining Scrubs

[Existentially Odd]

Harm was amused by Tobi's desire to be the advice-giving uncle. Less pressure that way, he supposed. With his older brother getting married soon, Harm thought he'd become an uncle long before he was a parent but he didn't say that as he watched Tobi's air quotes expand and take on a life of their own. He was humbled by Tobi's admiration for his job, though he thought it largely unwarranted. It was just a job, like any other; one that he groaned about having to go to some days, just like everybody did.

It sure did have some lovely perks, though.

He smiled at the praise, waving a dismissive hand between them. "Aw shucks. You flatter me!" he laughed. "I'm still lacking the husband to make and impress said kids with, at this stage, though. The closest I come is being a role model for my fourteen year old brother - and it doesn't feel like I'm doing much of a good job at that when he's owning my ass in most video games!" Harm laughed.

Mirroring Tobi's shift towards the serious, Harm took a sip of coffee and sobered as he lowered his mug. "You're not proud of what you do?" he enquired sympathetically, raising a hand to rest his chin on and peer intently into those apparently-disgruntled green eyes.

[ChordTerias]

The husband comment raised a red flag in the back of Tobi’s mind, but it was the first of the entire conversation, so it barely registered to him.

Paternal instincts were very attractive, though, and the way he spoke about his younger brother tugged at something in his chest.

When Harm asked about his work, it gave him a moment of pause. There was something earnest about Harm’s look, though, that made Tobi feel comfortable enough to speak honestly, “Nah. Just don’t feel like I’m good at anything.” He shrugs.

“Speaking of video games though... Guess you could use a tutor, huh? I am pretty handy around a console, maybe I could teach you sometime soon?” He figured this would be a pretty good segue to gauge Harm’s interest  in him. Tobi had already decided that he wanted to see Harm again, so time to see if the feeling was mutual.

[Existentially Odd]

Harm frowned when Tobi declared he didn't feel he was good at anything. It was a sad thing for him to say and hinted at a darker mental state, which worried Harm on personal and professional levels. The hand supporting his chin dropped away so that he could reach impulsively across the table and cover Tobi's hand with his own. He gave his warm hand a squeeze of reassurance.

His smile returned when Tobi talked about tutoring him with video games. "Sure," Harm laughed. "Maybe we could set something up on the weekend?  I'm not working. Or... do you work then?" he added cautiously, rethinking himself as he reached down to unzip and dig through the backpack he'd kept at his feet, intending on getting his phone out to get Tobi's number. It was a Monday afternoon. All he knew was that Tobi didn't work then, at this point.

As he blindly located his phone, it occurred to Harm that the last time he'd exchanged numbers with a guy, it had been with Trick. Pangs of wistfulness, hurt and desire struck Harm and he felt bad about doing it again with Tobi. He shook that feeling off, though. It'd been two days. Trick hadn't contacted him and he didn't feel right being the one to push things, since Trick had walked out on him. He didn't feel it was his place to make contact.

[ChordTerias]

The squeeze of his hand hit him in his pride a little, but the soft, warm skin of Harm’s felt nice against his own. So he let himself enjoy it, interlacing their fingers with the chance he was given.

When Harm retrieved his phone, Tobi held out a hand for Harm’s phone, prepared to save himself as “Coffee Shop Stripper” and punch his number in.

“The weekend sounds great. My boss is a wonderful old woman who basically lets me adjust my schedule as I want, and I think she’d be happy to know that I’m not adjusting it because I’m massively hung over,” he said with a laugh. As he drained the last of his tea, he stood and stretched. “Let me know what time works best for you, and I’ll make it work.”

Tobi thought for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders, going with his impulse to leave a soft kiss on Harm’s cheek, before retreating towards the coffee shop entrance with a mischievous grin plastered on his face — disappearing into the city streets with a wink.