putting it out there [sync]

[Onzy]

Where Simon was the friendly outgoing one, Conner was the one that withdrew himself from the world. How he had ever met SJ was a miracle. It was for this same reason that he had drawn in the help of SJ and not his twin brother. If Simon had ever wanted a career in the criminal arts he might have succeeded if it wasn't for his extreme clumsiness that he had inherited from somewhere. Hayden, his boyfriend, was currently at work, and they were ditching class to set up some sort of surprise for Hayden. Ouch, Simon muttered as he tripped up the stairs heading towards the apartment. SJ laughed from behind, and he glared at her. At least she was carrying the items and not him, otherwise there would be a nice mess to clean up along the way. Breaking and entering was soon to become part of his repetoire as extracted the spare key from behind the potted plant that stood by the door. There also wasn't a thing as an alarm in the apartment for which Simon was very thankful.

The frantic scuffling from behind the door made Simon grin, knowing the dogs would soon be on top of him. How the hell does Hayden survive with all these animals? SJ asked as a bunch of heads appeared in the small gap as Simon opened the door. To be honest, I have no idea, he answered, shooing back the animals with a smile. At that moment in time he wasn't sure which class he was supposed to be at, and the excuse of check up wasn't going to work. It had been the best of six months since the accident and the only sign that it had ever happened was the minute scar above his left eyebrow. I'll start rearranging the furniture if you'll start finding cutlery, he said, moving towards the coffee table and moving it away.

After about an hour of labour, there was a clear area, lined with pillows and a blanket on the floor. Dinner was a bunch of finger snacks and the larger items were things that could be eaten cold. Desert was in the fridge and consisted of brownies and ice cream. Thanks for your help SJ, he said fondly to the girl who he saw as a sister, but he received a tired wave goodbye in return. He kinda forced her into doing the catering. Now all he had to do was wait for Hayden to finish his shift and come home.

[Sync]

Hayden beamed at his last customer of the day, handing over the keys to the friendly woman. She thanked him as he pointed her in the direction of the office to pay, before turning to head to the back of the shop to corner Libby. "Libby.." he started in a sing song voice, causing his blonde colleague and friend to sigh dramatically. "Yes, I can give you a lift on Bessie. But no squealing this time. That was just embarrassing." she told him, wiping her hands on a cloth. Hayden grinned, jumping up and down excitably. "Yay! Thank you!" he grinned, slipping his arm through hers as they walked to the locker room for her to change. Hayden had been bitten by the motorbike bug ever since Libby had given him a lift home a few weeks ago. Now he tried to get her to take him home most days, which she was currently going along with but knew it wouldn't last for much longer.

Libby reappeared from the locker room in no time, tossing Hayden her spare helmet before zipping up her jacket. They both called out their goodbyes to Joe, who grunted in return, and headed out to the car park outside the garage. Hayden watched as the female slung herself onto the bike with ease, and Hayden then climbed on behind her, pulling on the helmet before clinging to her waist excitedly. He was like a child at Christmas. He could hear Libby's throaty chuckle, before she started the bike and turned her out of the car park and onto the surprisingly quiet road. Hayden put it down to the fact that they were a little later leaving than usual. They were soon roaring down the empty road that led to Birch Row, where both mechanics lived. Hayden's building was first stop, and they soon found themselves outside it. Slipping from the bike somewhat gracefully, he pulled off the helmet and gave it to Libby. "Thanks for the lift!" he called over the roar of the engine, and waved briefly as she took off again. Turning quickly, Hayden tripped a little over a stray strip of fabric that had frayed from the bottom of his overalls, and made his way to the front door of the block of flats.

Holding the door open for a mother and daughter leaving the block the same time he entered, he grinned and waved at the youngster whom always greeted him when going to school in the mornings as he went to work. Letting the door swing shut after him, he quickly ascended the stairs two at a time, taking him to the second floor. His dogs had seemed to hear the familiar footsteps of their owner, barking and whining instantly ensued from the other side of the door. Shaking his head in amusement, he slipped his hand into his pocket to get his keys and went to unlock the door. He frowned deeply when he realized that it was already unlocked, trying to think if he'd locked it this morning when he'd left. He was pretty sure he had. Apprehension took over his lithe form as he opened the door slowly, greeted by the anxious faces of three canines and the dismissive look of another. Doc tilted his head a little in greeting, causing Hayden to smile briefly. His Irish Wolfhound was always the gentleman.

Patting Yuki, Elm and Flora affectionately, he peered into the flat and saw that his furniture had been re-arranged. Suddenly suspicious once again, his stance became defensive as he walked further into the room. "Hel- Oh! Simon!" His words came out in surprise as he addressed the sight before him. Simon was stood in his kitchen, always a pleasant sight to come home to, causing Hayden to automatically grin. Allowing himself to look around the room again, he this time registered the blanket and pillows. His grin increased, and he turned back to face Simon and walked toward him. Wrapping his arms around Simon's waist, he reached up and placed a chaste kiss on his boyfriends lips. "You didn't have to Simon." he chuckled, nodding toward the set up. There was no denying that Hayden was thrilled though, he always had been a romantic, and these sort of gestures just got to him.

[Onzy]

Simon anxiously waited in the kitchen for Hayden to come home. Honestly, he didn't quite know why he was being so attached lately, but there had been too many what if's over the last few months. It had started when Vic had thrown him and put him in a coma for two weeks. According to those close to him, two weeks of pure hell, as nobody knew how long he was going to be out. Recovery had been slow, and wasn't aided much by the constant feuding between Jay and Connor. Hayden had lost condition over that time, slowly deteriorating before he had taken a hand in the business, moving in for weekends, and Jay was there during the week. His stepfather also appeared back on the scene, and had nearly managed to beat the hell out of him again. Thank heavens for lucky chances as Simon had managed to escape quite well. There were indeed a few good reasons he was attached.

The door opened cautiously, and mentally Simon reprimanded himself for forgetting to lock it again. The dogs greeted Hayden at the door, and a large grin made it's place on Simon's face known. He shivered slightly at Hayden's touch, and returned the kiss. Yes I did. We hardly have time to do these type of things, and it was about time I changed that, he replied in his rich Irish lilt. Planting another kiss on Hayden's slightly chapped lips, Simon led his boyfriend to the living room and pulled him down into the arrangement. I miss you, he whispered, knowing that Hayden would get the meaning behind those words. For once Simon wished he wasn't in College and just able to do his own thing.

Then it hit him quite directly. Hayden had never been to Ireland or met his father. Connor, SJ and himself would be flying over for a weekend in two weeks. How would you feel about flying to Ireland for a weekend? he asked quite casually, but his eyes held a gleam of excitement that was typical Simon. Maybe it was a good thing if Hayden saw that Connor wasn't the monster he pretended to be.
Short and sweet =)