Ficlet: "The Quest"
Title: The Quest
Timeframe: Episode 510
A/N: for tamalinn, who requested Episode 510, unrequited Ted/Justin. Blame her, not me. ;)
The Quest
By Severina
* * *
Ted waited until Brian had left the office before flipping back to his online hubby search. Richard, James, Lewis… he scanned past the smiling faces that moments before had pleased him, and now made him feel vaguely unsettled. It’s not that he didn’t like cuddling. Cuddling was fine. Cuddling was very pleasant.
He just couldn’t imagine cuddling with any of these particular men.
Ted settled back in his chair, fingers steepled. As much as he extolled intellect over emotion, compatibility over animal magnetism, he had to admit that… he had a type. And that type was not brown-haired insipidly smiling Lewis, blandly staring up at him from the monitor. That type was young and lean and blond and had a great ass.
That type was…
Ted started up in his chair and glanced quickly out the door. He wouldn’t put it past Brian to have mind-reading capabilities. And the mere idea of what he was thinking was enough to make him break out into a cold sweat. He ran a finger nervously under his collar.
Still. Brian and Justin had broken up. Again. And this certainly seemed to be the break-up to end all break-ups. And -- Ted smoothed his tie -- he wasn’t exactly an ogre. He was good-looking, successful. A prize.
Ted nodded. He glanced one last time at Lewis’s mug shot, then shut down his browser. You only live once, he thought. And maybe this was his shot.
* * *
That one shot required the utmost preparation.
Ted got a manicure and a pedicure. Visited his stylist for a trim. Used his charm (and a big tip) to convince the dental hygienist to squeeze him in for a cleaning. Had Em give him an eyebrow wax, and managed to keep the reason a secret during an entire hour of interrogation. And on a whim, he stopped into Hugo Boss and spent an exorbitant amount of money on a new coat -- dark grey, and flared to above his knees. He did a semi-twirl -- which the clerk assured him was very masculine -- and felt like a jetsetter. Very cosmopolitan for little ol’ Pittsburgh.
Then he went in search of Justin.
He found him hunched over a coffee at the diner, warming his chafed hands on the cup, a pile of “Now at Babylon” stickers piled beside him.
Ted thought Justin had very adorable hands.
“Justin,” he said, proud of himself that his voice didn’t crack.
“Hey.“ Justin glanced up… then did a double take. His face squinched up in a way that Ted thought was absolutely precious. “Ted… are you wearing a painting smock?”
Ted glanced down at his new coat, and felt himself blush. Okay, so maybe the jet setting man-of-the-world coat wasn’t the best idea. But he wasn’t going to let anything stop him.
“Justin,” he began again. “I heard that you and Brian--”
“I don’t really want to talk about it.”
“Good. Neither do I. I want to talk about… about you and I.”
Justin pushed his coffee away and raised his eyebrows in confusion. Ted thought he had utterly enchanting eyebrows.
“Huh?”
Ted took a deep breath. “I was wondering if you wanted to go out. For dinner. I made reservations at La Scala. Now, before you say anything, I’ve always thought we were very compatible. For instance, we both enjoy the arts. Granted, you’re a hands-on artist while I merely enjoy listening to opera, which might not seem similar at first glance, but there is a level of creativity involved in both endeavours if you are willing to look below the surface. I, of course, have an MBA from Wharton, so intellectually we are equally matched. Then of course there’s--”
“Ted.”
Ted gulped. “Yes?”
“Have we ever actually had a conversation?”
Ted looked at his feet.
“I appreciate the offer, really,” Justin continued. “And… you’re a very nice guy. But--”
“Yeah, okay.” Ted forced himself to meet Justin’s eyes. To smile bravely. To pretend he didn’t just make the biggest ass out of himself.
“It’s really sweet--”
“Okay then.” Ted began backing away slowly, hoping to god he didn’t trip and hating the way his new coat swished around his knees. He made it to the cash register before whipping his head around. “And… if you could just not--”
“I won’t say a word to anyone, I promise,” Justin says with a soft smile.
In the moment before he flees the scene, Ted thinks that Justin has the most beautiful teeth.
* * *
Thirty minutes later, with his new coat in the trash and a glass of sparkling water at his side, Ted boots up his computer and browses to husband-material.com.
He cracks his knuckles… and sends off an email to Lewis.
He likes cuddling, after all. Cuddling is perfectly acceptable.
.
Timeframe: Episode 510
A/N: for tamalinn, who requested Episode 510, unrequited Ted/Justin. Blame her, not me. ;)
The Quest
By Severina
* * *
Ted waited until Brian had left the office before flipping back to his online hubby search. Richard, James, Lewis… he scanned past the smiling faces that moments before had pleased him, and now made him feel vaguely unsettled. It’s not that he didn’t like cuddling. Cuddling was fine. Cuddling was very pleasant.
He just couldn’t imagine cuddling with any of these particular men.
Ted settled back in his chair, fingers steepled. As much as he extolled intellect over emotion, compatibility over animal magnetism, he had to admit that… he had a type. And that type was not brown-haired insipidly smiling Lewis, blandly staring up at him from the monitor. That type was young and lean and blond and had a great ass.
That type was…
Ted started up in his chair and glanced quickly out the door. He wouldn’t put it past Brian to have mind-reading capabilities. And the mere idea of what he was thinking was enough to make him break out into a cold sweat. He ran a finger nervously under his collar.
Still. Brian and Justin had broken up. Again. And this certainly seemed to be the break-up to end all break-ups. And -- Ted smoothed his tie -- he wasn’t exactly an ogre. He was good-looking, successful. A prize.
Ted nodded. He glanced one last time at Lewis’s mug shot, then shut down his browser. You only live once, he thought. And maybe this was his shot.
* * *
That one shot required the utmost preparation.
Ted got a manicure and a pedicure. Visited his stylist for a trim. Used his charm (and a big tip) to convince the dental hygienist to squeeze him in for a cleaning. Had Em give him an eyebrow wax, and managed to keep the reason a secret during an entire hour of interrogation. And on a whim, he stopped into Hugo Boss and spent an exorbitant amount of money on a new coat -- dark grey, and flared to above his knees. He did a semi-twirl -- which the clerk assured him was very masculine -- and felt like a jetsetter. Very cosmopolitan for little ol’ Pittsburgh.
Then he went in search of Justin.
He found him hunched over a coffee at the diner, warming his chafed hands on the cup, a pile of “Now at Babylon” stickers piled beside him.
Ted thought Justin had very adorable hands.
“Justin,” he said, proud of himself that his voice didn’t crack.
“Hey.“ Justin glanced up… then did a double take. His face squinched up in a way that Ted thought was absolutely precious. “Ted… are you wearing a painting smock?”
Ted glanced down at his new coat, and felt himself blush. Okay, so maybe the jet setting man-of-the-world coat wasn’t the best idea. But he wasn’t going to let anything stop him.
“Justin,” he began again. “I heard that you and Brian--”
“I don’t really want to talk about it.”
“Good. Neither do I. I want to talk about… about you and I.”
Justin pushed his coffee away and raised his eyebrows in confusion. Ted thought he had utterly enchanting eyebrows.
“Huh?”
Ted took a deep breath. “I was wondering if you wanted to go out. For dinner. I made reservations at La Scala. Now, before you say anything, I’ve always thought we were very compatible. For instance, we both enjoy the arts. Granted, you’re a hands-on artist while I merely enjoy listening to opera, which might not seem similar at first glance, but there is a level of creativity involved in both endeavours if you are willing to look below the surface. I, of course, have an MBA from Wharton, so intellectually we are equally matched. Then of course there’s--”
“Ted.”
Ted gulped. “Yes?”
“Have we ever actually had a conversation?”
Ted looked at his feet.
“I appreciate the offer, really,” Justin continued. “And… you’re a very nice guy. But--”
“Yeah, okay.” Ted forced himself to meet Justin’s eyes. To smile bravely. To pretend he didn’t just make the biggest ass out of himself.
“It’s really sweet--”
“Okay then.” Ted began backing away slowly, hoping to god he didn’t trip and hating the way his new coat swished around his knees. He made it to the cash register before whipping his head around. “And… if you could just not--”
“I won’t say a word to anyone, I promise,” Justin says with a soft smile.
In the moment before he flees the scene, Ted thinks that Justin has the most beautiful teeth.
* * *
Thirty minutes later, with his new coat in the trash and a glass of sparkling water at his side, Ted boots up his computer and browses to husband-material.com.
He cracks his knuckles… and sends off an email to Lewis.
He likes cuddling, after all. Cuddling is perfectly acceptable.
.