[TJ finds himself holding his breath even as Steve holds his hand out toward him. He pushes away from the counter and slips his hand into the other man's, linking their fingers together, an almost shy smile on his face now.]
So I take it that means you are not a fan of Starbucks?
[His voice is teasing as they head for the front door, TJ grabbing his keys off the little table and sliding them into his pocket.]
Definitely not. We can go, but I'll just want a black coffee, no cream, no sugar.
[ Not one of those coffees that's really just dessert. He hates those.
He'd much rather just drink something that's burnt or sludgy tasting. But he also likes sweet things that are dessert that are classically cakey or pie-like. Just not as a drink. ]
What's your coffee order? I feel like I should get to know it.
No. As long as you don't put any of that in mine. It'll be good; we'll know whose cup is whose.
[ Both of them will take a sip of the other and hand it to the other one. No ambiguities there.
Steve finds that the city's nice to walk around in, and while they're up here where it's normal to see either of them, they don't get accosted too much on the street. ]
It is going to be a pretty long walk.
[ He forgets that not everyone likes to run for miles at a time. ]
Deal. I won't make your coffee taste better. Promise. [He teases, mostly because he knows Steve has a sense of humor that a lot of people don't seem to know about.
And he doesn't protest the walking, because it's a nice day, and he's with Steve, and while he doesn't actively work out much these days, he's in good shape. It's fine.]
[ The sun is shining, and it doesn't smell like trash because they're not walking along the avenue. ]
So what made you ask me out anyway?
[ He's just curious. They've known each other for a little bit, and he hadn't thought this was where it was headed at all. He's not mad about it. He could do a lot worse. He's just hoping there are sparks. ]
[And they're still holding hands, and doing that with anyone at this point is so foreign to TJ when he's out in public that he's trying not to think about it, because he likes it.]
Well.
[He exhales, considering his words carefully before answering.]
I like spending time with you, for one. [He's not constantly reminded of who he is. He can just be TJ for awhile and not Former President Bud Hammond's son, or Secretary of State Elaine Barrish's son, or Dougie's fucked up twin brother.] I like your smile, and your laugh. And I think maybe we kinda have similar feelings about some stuff. And, okay, not to be blunt, but you are like...incredibly attractive, Steve.
[ Well, those are all good things. And he doesn't even remember the last time he laughed, but he must have. That must've been good. He used to laugh a lot more, before he went into the ice. ]
I do think we'll have a lot in common.
[ And TJ's not too hard on the eyes. Obviously. But that's going to be difficult to explain. ]
I am glad you asked; you're. Well, you're not like I thought you'd be, when we first met.
[TJ's pretty sure they do, if it's only because neither one of them love being in the press, or having to put on a facade for the country for the benefit of the country. Or, in TJ's case, for the benefit of his family.]
What'd you think I'd be like?
[He has a good idea, even if the picture isn't a pretty one. A drugged out playboy, always looking for his next fix. The Hammond family fuckup. Some pathetic American punchline. And none of it would be wrong, really. That's who he's been most of his life, but he's trying so damned hard not to be any of those things anymore. It's just. Hard.]
Thought you were going to be one of those guys who partied too much and took people for granted.
[ So he's happy to find out that that was just some overblown story exacerbated by TJ maybe trying to put on the image of living up to the hype to avoid people getting close to him.
[That's undoubtedly true. If TJ wanted to continue being that kind of guy, he would have stayed in DC to keep close contact with the dealers that he knew and trusted, with the acquaintances that he'd partied with. He wouldn't have met Steve in New York at all. And if on some random chance they had met, TJ definitely wouldn't have struck up a conversation with him, or hung out with him, and he definitely wouldn't have ended up with feelings for the guy. He wouldn't have allowed it again.]
Yeah.
[He squeezes Steve's hand in return, considering.]
Honestly, if I'm not coming up to retrieve you, I usually don't come all the way up here.
[ This is not a neighborhood he spends a lot of time in, but he does also mostly stay in Brooklyn when he's up in New York. Far away from what it used to be, it's still the closest thing to home. ]
[Admittedly, TJ hasn't lived here long enough to really discover what's around just yet. At some point he'll just take a few days to slowly explore the entire area and see what's available.]
You're a Brooklyn boy, right? [He's pretty sure Steve mentioned that at some point. Or maybe he'd overheard Tony or Nat mention it.] Anything there I should venture out to see?
[ He's uh, underestimating that number. But everything he remembered being there is long gone. ]
But I think it's still worth venturing out to go see, though most of the neighborhood institutions are gone. Coney Island's still there. Cyclone's the same as it's always been.
Yeah it's sorta -- one of those high risk activities we never engaged in. You know. On the off chance someone was looking to take hostages or something.
[But it definitely sounds like something he'd like to try someday.]
[He laughs quietly. He sincerely doubts anyone will try much of anything if they have any clue who Steve is. And most people seem to, the same way so many people seem to know TJ. Or think they do.]
What about you, though? Anything you really wanna do that we could do on a date?
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[ He holds out a hand so that TJ can take his, because apparently that's where he's at right now. ]
It's not fancy, there's no new-age coffee that's too acidic, it's just good coffee, regulars, and decent pastries.
[ Of course Steve would pick a really practical cafe like this one to be his favorite, one with bench seating that doesn't have cushy chairs. ]
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So I take it that means you are not a fan of Starbucks?
[His voice is teasing as they head for the front door, TJ grabbing his keys off the little table and sliding them into his pocket.]
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[ Not one of those coffees that's really just dessert. He hates those.
He'd much rather just drink something that's burnt or sludgy tasting. But he also likes sweet things that are dessert that are classically cakey or pie-like. Just not as a drink. ]
What's your coffee order? I feel like I should get to know it.
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[He glances at Steve sideways as they step out into the hallway and he locks up the apartment door.]
I like a lot of cream and sugar in mine.
[The sweeter the better, really, especially when he's not actively using drugs.]
Is that a deal breaker?
[He's mostly kidding, but there's an underlying question there, because some people are super serious about coffee.]
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[ Both of them will take a sip of the other and hand it to the other one. No ambiguities there.
Steve finds that the city's nice to walk around in, and while they're up here where it's normal to see either of them, they don't get accosted too much on the street. ]
It is going to be a pretty long walk.
[ He forgets that not everyone likes to run for miles at a time. ]
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Deal. I won't make your coffee taste better. Promise. [He teases, mostly because he knows Steve has a sense of humor that a lot of people don't seem to know about.
And he doesn't protest the walking, because it's a nice day, and he's with Steve, and while he doesn't actively work out much these days, he's in good shape. It's fine.]
It's all right. Good day for it.
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[ The sun is shining, and it doesn't smell like trash because they're not walking along the avenue. ]
So what made you ask me out anyway?
[ He's just curious. They've known each other for a little bit, and he hadn't thought this was where it was headed at all. He's not mad about it. He could do a lot worse. He's just hoping there are sparks. ]
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[And they're still holding hands, and doing that with anyone at this point is so foreign to TJ when he's out in public that he's trying not to think about it, because he likes it.]
Well.
[He exhales, considering his words carefully before answering.]
I like spending time with you, for one. [He's not constantly reminded of who he is. He can just be TJ for awhile and not Former President Bud Hammond's son, or Secretary of State Elaine Barrish's son, or Dougie's fucked up twin brother.] I like your smile, and your laugh. And I think maybe we kinda have similar feelings about some stuff. And, okay, not to be blunt, but you are like...incredibly attractive, Steve.
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[ Well, those are all good things. And he doesn't even remember the last time he laughed, but he must have. That must've been good. He used to laugh a lot more, before he went into the ice. ]
I do think we'll have a lot in common.
[ And TJ's not too hard on the eyes. Obviously. But that's going to be difficult to explain. ]
I am glad you asked; you're. Well, you're not like I thought you'd be, when we first met.
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What'd you think I'd be like?
[He has a good idea, even if the picture isn't a pretty one. A drugged out playboy, always looking for his next fix. The Hammond family fuckup. Some pathetic American punchline. And none of it would be wrong, really. That's who he's been most of his life, but he's trying so damned hard not to be any of those things anymore. It's just. Hard.]
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[ So he's happy to find out that that was just some overblown story exacerbated by TJ maybe trying to put on the image of living up to the hype to avoid people getting close to him.
Clearly. At least, that's what Steve believes. ]
But I nearly fell for it.
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That was me, once. [His voice is hushed.]
I was a mess, even up til a few months ago. But that's not the person that I want to be. It's...mostly why I got out of DC and moved to New York.
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[ Well, he has an apologetic smile for TJ. ]
You're not that guy anymore.
[ He reaches out and squeezes his hand. ]
Trust me, I wouldn't be getting coffee with that guy.
[ He's trying to make TJ feel better. Is it working? ]
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Yeah.
[He squeezes Steve's hand in return, considering.]
Life got a bit less complicated when I left DC.
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[ Steve doesn't know the whole story, but he's happier for TJ now that he's out of all that scene. ]
Hey, is there anything you want to do on the way downtown?
[ It's going to be a long walk, so he thought he'd ask. And he's okay with just popping into someplace that looks promising on their way down. ]
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[He's fine to just see where the day takes them, really, a thing he hasn't appreciated enough over the years.]
Any suggestions, though? Of places that we should see or do on the way?
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Honestly, if I'm not coming up to retrieve you, I usually don't come all the way up here.
[ This is not a neighborhood he spends a lot of time in, but he does also mostly stay in Brooklyn when he's up in New York. Far away from what it used to be, it's still the closest thing to home. ]
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[Admittedly, TJ hasn't lived here long enough to really discover what's around just yet. At some point he'll just take a few days to slowly explore the entire area and see what's available.]
You're a Brooklyn boy, right? [He's pretty sure Steve mentioned that at some point. Or maybe he'd overheard Tony or Nat mention it.] Anything there I should venture out to see?
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Hasn't been my neighborhood for a few years.
[ He's uh, underestimating that number. But everything he remembered being there is long gone. ]
But I think it's still worth venturing out to go see, though most of the neighborhood institutions are gone. Coney Island's still there. Cyclone's the same as it's always been.
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[He smiles a little and glances at Steve, shrugging. He assumes the Cyclone is some kind of ride.]
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Maybe not today.
It's definitely more of a summer activity.
[ And they already have today's plans all set out for them. ]
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[But it definitely sounds like something he'd like to try someday.]
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And if someone tries to kidnap one of us, well, they'll have to really want to.
[ Steve is not easily kidnapped after all. ]
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[He laughs quietly. He sincerely doubts anyone will try much of anything if they have any clue who Steve is. And most people seem to, the same way so many people seem to know TJ. Or think they do.]
What about you, though? Anything you really wanna do that we could do on a date?
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But I think, maybe...
We could take a walk along the pier? That's always nice.
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