[IC Scene]
Valentine’s Day. It wasn’t that Desmond didn’t like an easy opportunity to gift Luca a present, but this particular holiday was problematic because he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to give Luca a present. This holiday was all about pink hearts and cupids, right? Of course he had feelings for Luca, but it felt awkward to try to conform to everything that was typical about the holiday. The fact that he was even having to struggle with his thoughts about this holiday was a bit surreal; he still hadn’t gotten used to this situation - not because it was bad, only unexpected. Oh, no way was this situation a bad one; just remembering Luca saying those words - I like you, Desmond - was just a little intoxicating. The feeling prompted him to want to give Valentine’s Day a chance, even if pink hearts really weren’t his style.
Flowers were too girly for a gift for Luca, and given their current state of unlife, chocolate wasn’t an altogether appealing idea either - even though Desmond was sure that Luca would be crazy enough to eat it anyway. No, normal Valentine’s Day gifts clearly weren’t up to Desmond’s standards, so he opted to assemble a box of small items for Luca to dig through instead. It was a method of present-giving that he preferred - he’d already given a Luca a box of peppermint-tasting items months prior, though food wasn’t the focus for this new assortment of gifts.
A tiny terrarium was placed inside the box first, rocks and moss enclosed inside a small glass jar only a few inches tall, with a handwritten note taped onto the top which read, You can carry this around until you get the rest of your plants back. Some other things that didn’t require explanation were included afterward: a few photographs of Sully that Desmond had taken with Luca’s camera, just to assure Luca that the cat was still doing well; a few movie passes so they could go out sometime, even to cartoon movies if that’s what Luca wanted; and finally, a small jewelry box that contained one half of the broken stone that represented Luca from Desmond’s bracelet.
As much as he wanted to keep both pieces of that stone, to never show them to anyone else in the world, he knew he had to try to prove to Luca that he wasn’t so unbendingly possessive - even if he really felt that way sometimes. Just placing that half of the stone into the box made him feel nervous and uncomfortable, and it wasn’t until then that he realized just how strong of an emotional value he’d already placed on the stone. But it wasn’t healthy to want Luca all to himself; Luca was a social creature and Desmond didn’t want to hurt him by stifling him.
Another note was taped onto the outside of the jewelry box, this one reading: Don’t you show this to anyone. It’s still mine, I’m just letting you hold it.
It was the best he could do for now; it was so deeply ingrained into him to be protective and possessive, to keep his important people close. He knew Luca didn’t want that, and it would be a slow road to break those habits, but Desmond was putting out the effort, at least. He hoped Luca would understand that he was trying to change himself; even if it wasn’t a completely smooth process, Luca was more than worth the effort.
The small box of items wasn’t exactly a traditional Valentine’s Day present, no, but some parts of its contents had great significance. Desmond addressed the box to Luca but mailed it to the salon, because that was the only reliable location that Luca could be found. He would have delivered it in person, but… well, then he wouldn’t have wanted to leave and that wouldn’t have been fair to Luca’s clients. Of course he missed Luca, but he’d have to wait until Luca had a night off before he bothered him in person.
Flowers were too girly for a gift for Luca, and given their current state of unlife, chocolate wasn’t an altogether appealing idea either - even though Desmond was sure that Luca would be crazy enough to eat it anyway. No, normal Valentine’s Day gifts clearly weren’t up to Desmond’s standards, so he opted to assemble a box of small items for Luca to dig through instead. It was a method of present-giving that he preferred - he’d already given a Luca a box of peppermint-tasting items months prior, though food wasn’t the focus for this new assortment of gifts.
A tiny terrarium was placed inside the box first, rocks and moss enclosed inside a small glass jar only a few inches tall, with a handwritten note taped onto the top which read, You can carry this around until you get the rest of your plants back. Some other things that didn’t require explanation were included afterward: a few photographs of Sully that Desmond had taken with Luca’s camera, just to assure Luca that the cat was still doing well; a few movie passes so they could go out sometime, even to cartoon movies if that’s what Luca wanted; and finally, a small jewelry box that contained one half of the broken stone that represented Luca from Desmond’s bracelet.
As much as he wanted to keep both pieces of that stone, to never show them to anyone else in the world, he knew he had to try to prove to Luca that he wasn’t so unbendingly possessive - even if he really felt that way sometimes. Just placing that half of the stone into the box made him feel nervous and uncomfortable, and it wasn’t until then that he realized just how strong of an emotional value he’d already placed on the stone. But it wasn’t healthy to want Luca all to himself; Luca was a social creature and Desmond didn’t want to hurt him by stifling him.
Another note was taped onto the outside of the jewelry box, this one reading: Don’t you show this to anyone. It’s still mine, I’m just letting you hold it.
It was the best he could do for now; it was so deeply ingrained into him to be protective and possessive, to keep his important people close. He knew Luca didn’t want that, and it would be a slow road to break those habits, but Desmond was putting out the effort, at least. He hoped Luca would understand that he was trying to change himself; even if it wasn’t a completely smooth process, Luca was more than worth the effort.
The small box of items wasn’t exactly a traditional Valentine’s Day present, no, but some parts of its contents had great significance. Desmond addressed the box to Luca but mailed it to the salon, because that was the only reliable location that Luca could be found. He would have delivered it in person, but… well, then he wouldn’t have wanted to leave and that wouldn’t have been fair to Luca’s clients. Of course he missed Luca, but he’d have to wait until Luca had a night off before he bothered him in person.