In Every Universe

6

Win squints.

He's pretty sure the man standing on the sidewalk holding three bags of groceries and other whatnot is Bright.

Granted, the man was facing away from him but Win was confident there were very few 6-foot-tall men wearing the exact same thing Bright was wearing this morning who live or work near their store.

Not the mention that said outfit comprised of jeans and an old sports jersey with the name Bright very clearly printed on the back.

It was quite confusing then that despite Win calling out his name and gently honking his car horn, that said man refused to turn around.

Okay, it wasn't really confusing.

Bright has been very blatantly avoiding Win these past few weeks.

It would be offensive if it wasn't so silly.

Take right now for example. Win was driving his pick up truck. Bright was very clearly struggling with everything he was carrying. But the stubborn man still pretended he was not Bright or that he could not hear nor see Win  - like a prize idiot.

Win wondered if Bright was determined to dock behind counters, hide behind curtains, and take off running for the rest of his life.

Win decided that Bright can do all that nonsense but today, he wanted no part in it.

So he puts the vehicle on park, hops out of the car and unceremoniously gets Bright's bags and places them in the vehicle.

"Hey!", Bright protests a little too late. "Give those back."

"Now you're talking to me?"

Bright searches for words but ends up merely huffing.

"Get in," Win says as he hops back in the driver's seat.

"No," Bright says stubbornly.

"Suit it yourself." Win makes a show of stepping on the gas, making the engine rev loudly.

"Give me back my bags."

"No."

"That's theft."

"Report me then. There's a police station near here. I can give you a lift," Win grins. He couldn't help it. Teasing Bright had become his favorite pastime.

Bright made it so easy with his shenanigans.

It was such welcome distraction for Win that he could be snarky, playful and downright annoying towards Bright. It took him awhile to figure it out - that both pleasantries and sass would earn him the same comical silence and avoidance from the other. But once he realized he could pretty much say anything and Bright would react the exact same way, Win took it as a fun challenge. Finding a variety of ways to push Bright's buttons and making a game out of extracting any other emotion from the stubborn man.

"What do you want from me?," Bright says, voice whiny.

Win's grin stretches wider. Who knew Bright could whine? "What I want is for you to admit that you need my help. Look at your grocery bags, the handles are about to snap off from the weight."

"I would have managed."

"Manage no longer as I literally have a truck. Hop in."

"No."

"Suit yourself. I am giving away your bags to the first person I see."

Bright makes a big show of sighing very very loudly. And Win responds by revving the truck engine yet again.