Of Heroes and Villains

My Bloody Valentine

A few days went by, all of them filled with meaningless office work while they let Sean inform Unbound of everything that had transpired in Russia. The lack of things to do left Don with enough time to be nervous about everything that might be related to his upcoming date. Did Sean know he'd meant it in a romantic way? If so, did he only agree so their professional relationship didn't suffer in the process? What would Sean even like to do? Did he even eat human food? Would he have to bring blood for him!?

Finally, it was Friday night, and Don nervously waited at the office. Yes, he was still living there. He no longer minded, however, realizing this just made it so he no longer had to walk to work.

Although he'd been the one to ask Sean out, the latter was the one who had decided where they'd go. This left Don unprepared in terms of clothing, as he didn't know whether the place would be casual or fancy. As a result, he panicked, and put on the ugliest pink sweater he had.

The door of the building opened, and Sean stepped in. Thankfully, he wore casual clothes. They were baggy, just like the last time, and Don was once again surprised by the choice.

"Hi," he said.

Sean didn't look as stiff as he'd expected him to. "Hey. You ready?"

Nodding, Don walked toward the door, and the two got outside, then got in the car.

"So, where are we going?"

"You asked for dinner, right? I cooked."

That was a surprise. He fully expected Sean to know how to, as he was just that type, but that seemed to confirm he ate human food. Why, then, had Don not found any human food back when they were about to fight Dimitri and John?

"Couldn't we have just gone after work?" asked Don.

Sean smiled. "This seemed more romantic."

Don's mind performed all sorts of acrobatic moves and twists. Sean did think of it as a romantic thing, after all!

They drove in silence, which did nothing to ease the awkwardness.

Finally, they reached their destination. The atmosphere inside the house was nothing like romance movies liked to show. There was no dim light or candles. The table wasn't decorated at all. It was the Sean of houses.

"Have a seat. I'll bring the food," Sean instructed, and Don hopped to it as though it were a work order. Sitting there, he thought about the topics they might talk about. What was Sean like? Strict and clean. How would he talk about those!?

Sean returned with a plate of spaghetti and meatballs. Don, in a weak moment of immaturity, wondered whether those would be the only balls he'd encounter that night.

"You've mentioned liking this before, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Don replied, sitting up straight. "Just one plate?"

Sean looked like he was trying not to frown. "I don't eat."

"We both know that's not true," he heard Erin add, but ignored her. This became harder when she appeared behind Don, leaning on his chair. "Some nice researched, with a side of scientist. Am I right?"

"I also prepared a movie we can watch after," he said, ignoring the illusion completely. He'd hoped she might disappear after a few days, but no such luck. Erin was there to stay, it seemed. At least until he could find a way to get rid of her.

"You okay?" asked Don as he swirled some spaghetti around his fork. "You look worried. It's my sweater, isn't it?"

Sean let a chuckle escape. "No, Don. It's not your sweater."