#rachel: curt is always getting sick bc he keeps ordering chinese from the same place that makes him sick bc the delivery boy is cute

[bcolfanfic]

Can I please request Decorating for Halloween + leaning against the other one in close spaces for the corner store au boys? Something involving the void kitty, if you feel inspired 🥹❤️

sweet lil babies. this takes place a couple weeks after the first blurb/gale first showing up.

Gale pushed open the door to the corner store, the soft jingle of the bell overhead cutting through his thoughts. This place was becoming a bit of a habit for him, mostly because it was a reason to be out of the apartment and away from Haussmann bugging him. And a little bit because of John, always smiling- and nice without being overbearing.

He'd briefly met his co-worker the other day, Curt, who was louder than John both literally and in how he carried himself as a whole. But he could tell they were close.

"Yeah, once upon time this one here was shy too if you can believe that," He'd said with his arm slung around John's shoulder, giving his cheek a little pinch. Curt's New York accent a whole lot thicker than his was.

Gale didn't see John in his usual place behind the counter when he walked in, scanning the shop for him or Curt until he found him crouched near a box of Halloween directions that looked a bit like it had exploded. John looked up when he realized he wasn't alone, grin spreading across his face when he saw who it was.

“Hey Gale,” he said, hands pressed into his knees as he stood up off the ground. “Curt’s out sick, and I’ve got all this stuff to put up. Could use a hand- if you’re not too busy,”

Gale blinked. He sucked in his bottom lip, looking at the pile of decorations on the ground. "You want me to help?"

John chuckled softly. “Yeah, unless you see another Gale around here."

Gale hesitated, the urge to say no, get what he came in for and leave making his wrists itch. But it was a reason to be a little longer getting back home.

And a reason to spend more time with the closest thing he had to a friend right now.

“‘m not busy,” he mumbled, forcing himself to look at John as he scratched at his palm.

“Sweet.” John replied, bending back down to pull a pile of what Gale was pretty sure were fake cobwebs out of the torn open box. “You can drape these over the shelves over there, but make sure they aren't covering the prices too much,"

Just as he was about to hand them over something brushed against Gale’s leg and he couldn't help but startle a little. Looking down, he felt a little silly when he realized it was just the cat weaving between his ankles.

John chuckled, watching the animal push her head against the side of Gale's socks with a fond smile. “Hey Luna, found a new buddy huh?”

Gale crouched down to give her a gentle scratch behind her ears, chest feeling warm when she leaned into the touch, purring softly. “I didn’t realize she had a name,” he mumbled in a near whisper, Luna purring louder in response.

He stood back up reluctantly after a minute, taking the handful of cobwebs John had been meaning to give him before they were interrupted.

They worked quietly for a while- and it felt a little weird to not be making small talk. But the silence somehow wasn't as awkward as it could've been. Every now and then Gale caught John stealing glances at him, something about the tenderness in his eyes making his stomach flip over on itself.

Coming from anyone else it would've felt pitiful.

Coming from John, it didn’t.

John eventually drifted closer to him, holding a string of orange pumpkin lights. “Need help?” he asked as he stepped into Gale’s space, his arm brushing against him as he reached up to adjust the cobwebs. “If you double 'em over they won’t slide off as much."

Gale's breath caught when their shoulders touched, the proximity feeling intentional from John's end. He swallowed hard, feeling his heartrate kick up.

“That's smart, thanks," he said quickly, eyes darting to John's face before flicking away again. He felt flustered, flustered enough to be embarrassed about it.

But the moment lingered, and Gale found his gaze wandering back to John as he weaved the string of lights he was holding between the gaps in the side of shelving unit. The way he smiled as he worked, the casual confidence in the way he moved, a few curls of hair falling into his eyes and his shoulder continuing to bump against his- it all felt heightened suddenly.

The realization that followed made Gale's ears ring.

John was… cute.

His cheeks burned, and he quickly looked away again- berating himself in his head. John was just being nice.

And he was being ridiculous.

Whether John could read his mind or not, he didn't move away. Gale could feel the warmth of his body radiating through the space between them, could feel the fabric of his flannel shirt grazing the back of his neck when he reached around him to grab something.

“Look at that,” John said, voice lower and almost teasing, when he'd finished with the lights. He took a step back to admire their progress, arms crossed. “I think we make a pretty good team huh Gale?”

Gale swallowed, heat creeping up the back of his neck. “Yeah,” he said soft, giving John a half smile. “I guess we do.”