Another Gale Study!

Du'met but I drew him in the AFK Arena art style

ao3 writers staring at their inboxes 0.2 seconds after posting a new fic

Cat Cafe!AU Chapter 4

This time, it's Charlie's POV ;)

After Hector leaves, Charlie bangs his head to the wooden counter, groaning softly when he feels throbbing pain on his forehead. How could he blurt something like that? He could just word it better, he knows his flirty game is not that high but he doesn't know he could be that low. Yes, deep inside him he wishes he could spend more time with Hector, but with the way Hector fell silent, frowned and glared at him… He probably got offended, making Charlie pedaled back, wishing he could pull those words back to his mouth and the ground below swallow him whole.  

It's not even a good joke either. It's a bloody cringe!

Charlie bangs his head again, but softly this time and stays in that position for a while. Juicebox, the brown munchkin, comes up to him and plays with his hair, pulling it gently. Charlie takes the cat and buries his face into its belly fur instead. He just has a regular customer, who almost everyday comes to his cafe and now he ruins it, just like everything else. There would be a small chance he will come to the cafe tomorrow, hell, maybe he won't come at all. Charlie's shoulders sag as he starts tidying up the cafe, the bells jingle as he flips the open/closed sign board on the door and makes sure the cats have gotten into their respected cages, except Mr. Holmes, as he will spend his night with Charlie. 

After making sure everything is in its place, Charlie goes to his little apartment upstairs, finding the black cat waiting for him on his bed. By the look of him, he looks offended, as if Charlie was taking too long spending his time downstairs. His bed creaks when he lays down and makes sure he pets the cat from behind so as to not stratle him. "It's been a long day, isn't it, Mr. Holmes? The bad guy is gone and you are safe now," Charlie rubs his nape, soothing him. After a while, the cat decides to sit on his lap in a loaf form, closes his eyes and purrs loudly, indicating he is feeling safe and comfortable. 

Charlie stairs at the ceiling, his mind is coming back to his favorite visitor. The first time he came, he was wearing a hat and black mask, covering half of his face and all Charlie could see was his brown eyes and thick eyelashes. He doesn't say anything, no matter how much Charlie tries to start a conversation with him. Of course for a second the barista suspected he is mute but he doesn't feel it's his place to ask him about it. At some point he is afraid he annoys him with his stories but those brown eyes, which look like a pool of honey when afternoon sunlight touches them, stares at him with undivided attention. The small nods and the thin smiles he gave him once for a while could energize him all day. 

He notices Hector used to sit at the corner, far away from anyone, almost blending with his surroundings, looking all serious with brow furrowed and eyes glued to his laptop but even then, Charlie can feel his gaze on him from the corner of his eyes. After the rainy day happened, where Hector was dripping wet from the rain, he sits closer to Charlie and it's even easier for Charlie to catch the visitor staring at him and while Charlie smiles at him merrily, he only smiles awkwardly. But it's still better than averting eyes or staring back at his laptop. Along with his closer proximity, Charlie thinks it’s a big progress. 

"He is just like you, you know," Charlie pets the black cat on his chest, "Staring at me from afar and getting closer as time goes. I wonder why you guys do that, isn't it easier to just come up to me and do something about it?” the barista hums and absentmindedly strokes the cat's cheek. Well, Hector just confessed to him he is mute, so it must be more challenging to him and he looks cautious. Could it be he is observing Charlie to make sure the best way to approach him? Whatever it is, Charlie feels the need to express his gratitude to him, properly. Hector has listened to all of his chatter and even protected him, getting his knuckles torn in the process. Maybe he does want to interact with him but with his disability it's difficult to do so? Maybe there's still one thing Charlie can do and not fuck up this time. Time to take his laptop and start researching. 

Charlie groans softly as he feels his glasses pressed between his face and the mattress. He ends up staying up late at night to learn Basic American Sign Language; downloading tons of PDF, practicing with youtube, subscribing for sign language class online. In the end, he realizes he can’t cram all of the lessons into his head and decides to learn some words he wants to sign to Hector. As he brushes his teeth, he looks at his phone and realizes he is late to open the cafe’s door for Jamie, the cook who works in the kitchen, hence why she rarely appears on the other side of the cafe. 

Charlie opens the door and finds the cook folds her arms on her chest, left foot taps impatiently, “Hello, sleeping beauty, your clock ran out of battery this morning?”

“Shut up, I just had a rough night,”

“Really?” Jamie smirks as she gets in, eyeing his bed hair, “Amazing, Charlie Lonnit, finally get laid.” 

Charlie snorts and decides to ignore her remark, “A drunk man came in and got bitten by Mr. Holmes, he almost thrashed this place if one of our customers didn’t stop him.”

Jamie frowns, the incident must be late enough after her shift is over. They go to the staff room and watch the CCTV record of last night. “Why didn't you tell me right away? And let me guess, that customer who helps you is the one who always bring his laptop and looks like he has gone to war or something,” 

“You mean Hector? Yeah, he beat the drunkard…,” Charlie shifts uncomfortably as they watch he tended his wound on the monitor. He quickly taps the pause button, feeling Jamie looking at him with a big grin. 

"Did he really? Damn, I think he is your biggest fan. I mean, come on, he comes here every weekday and I bet it’s not just because of coffee nor cats. "

"Shut up," Charlie takes on the rags and cleans the counter with Jamie following him.  She won't miss any chance to annoy him, "There's no way he comes here because of me. Maybe he lives in an apartment where they're prohibited to have pets or something."

"Do you need to replace your glasses or are you blind? He comes here everyday and stares at you like you stole his soul."

"He is just staring, people do that sometimes." Charlie snorts and shakes his head as he prepares the coffee machine. He has thought about this all night but why now he denies it? Is it even harder to accept the fact that Hector might have interest in him when other people notice it too? 

"Just staring? Are you kidding me? In case you forgot, he beat up someone to protect you,"

"You're jumping to conclusions. He is just a customer." Jamie just folds her arms on her chest and raises one of her brow. "Okay, alright, it's a little odd," Charlie retaliates. 

"Odd? Come on, you see what you want to see, Charlie, but if you two become a thing, you owe me 5 bucks." 

“Just go back to the kitchen,” Charlie groans and looks away, hiding his blush from Jamie. He has been thinking about his interaction with Hector all night and he doesn’t need his coworker spewing other facts at him. Jamie might be right, well, or not, she spends her time mostly in the kitchen and just occasionally sees Hector, of course she doesn’t have enough data to make any sound deduction. But what if Jamie is right? If that is even possible, then Charlie’s effort to learn sign language might be a good act to get closer to Hector. He hopes.

Charlie brushes his hair and wears his fake cat ears, making sure it snug neatly on his head before he turns the open sign board on the door. Totoro, a gray maine coon with white belly, lays on the way back and almost makes the Barista trip. Of course Charlie is the one who apologizes to him, cats never make mistakes, aren’t they? Charlie picks up the giant cat and puts him on the cat tower with a groan, Totoro is gaining weight again, he thinks. Last time he checked, he was almost ten kilograms, gotta put him on a diet and play with him more. He pets his head and gets back to sit behind the counter. It's almost eleven, Hector may come any time now and practicing his sign language as he waits might be a good idea. 

The familiar jingling of the bell stops him practicing and when he looks up, Hector is there, standing rather awkwardly in front of the counter. He looks more rugged than usual, as if he doesn't have enough sleep. Charlie gulps, he feels excited and nervous at the same time. He puts the side of his hand on his forehead,  moves it outwards and away from his head, signing it as a simple hello. Then, he spells Hector's name, his fingers tremble and he looks at them all the time, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, making sure he won't mess it up. He looks more confident as he succeeds, and starts to look at Hector again, signing with his eyebrows up, indicating it's a question, "What do you want to order?" 

Charlie held his breath, waiting for Hector's response. His heart thumping loudly but his surroundings is so silent he can hear the clock ticking. Wait, did he forget to play the background music? And then, finally, a smile blossomed on Hector's lips and Charlie can’t help but smile back. At least he doesn’t mess up this time, a world record, really. Hector still looks at him and realizes he hasn’t answered his question. He clenches both of his hands into fists and puts his right hand on top of his left hand, the right hand rubbing the other hand in circular motion.

Charlie frowns, he hasn’t learned that sign but the gesture reminds him of grinding coffee beans with an old hand grinder, “Uhmm, coffee?”

Hector nods, still with a soft smile on face, eyes never leaving Charlie. Eversince he comes here, Charlie never really sees him smile, only a slight tug on his lips. Charlie's heart swelled as he realized the impact of his efforts to learn sign language—it was as if he had unlocked a door to a side of Hector that he hadn't seen before. And being the curious cat he is, he is ready to explore more. Charlie prepares his coffee and places it on Hector’s table, which is now closer to his counter. Hector signs “Thank you,” with practiced ease.  Charlie's smile lit up as he caught the sign, feeling proud of himself he remembers the sign and he responded with a delighted sign of “You’re welcome,” and he knows he does it right because before he delivers the coffee, he looked it up on Youtube to just to make sure. Charlie might get into trouble a lot but he actually is a perfectionist to a fault. 

Hector's gaze turned curious. He signed a question, his fingers forming the signs with complicated movements Charlie isn't familiar with but with his brows up and tilted head, Charlie knows Hector is asking a question.

“I’m sorry, I haven’t learned those signs yet.” Charlie looks at him sheepishly with his cheeks red in embarrassment. Hector nods in understanding and takes his phone to type his question.

“When did you learn sign language?”  

“Oh, I learned it last night. I mean, you are coming here a lot and you just confessed you were mute so I think I should learn it so we can communicate easier. You don’t have to always type on your phone,you know?  I learned it from watching tutorials online, practicing signs, my fingers hurt a bit, but I was so excited! I mean, I just thought, why not? It's a new way to communicate, and I really want to be able to talk with you, you know? Besides, I’ve learnt that cats behavior is kinda sign language with their tails so maybe it’s about time I learn the human sign as well.” Charlie kicks himself mentally, the last sentence is unnecessary, isn’t it? Why is he being self-conscious with what he says to Hector? Come on, Charlie, be normal.

“I don’t mean I compare you to cats or learning cat behavior is more important than sign language, but they are some sort of my coworkers here and they can be really troublesome.”  Charlie, stop talking! He is just asking when did you learn sign language! The rational voice is blaring at him at the back of his mind and Charlie finally can bring himself to shut his mouth. 

Hector's smile was both amused and understanding, his eyes reflecting a warmth that put Charlie at ease. Charlie's tendency to chatter when nervous was endearing, and Hector appreciated the effort he was putting into learning sign language.

With a silent chuckle, Hector gives him a thumb up, "Great job." 

Charlie's cheeks flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and pride. He grins, a touch of bashfulness in his expression, "Well, I'm trying."

Hector nods and then teaches him a sign for “I learned last night.” along with other basic signs. Charlie’s movement is still stiff and slow, until suddenly he feels a warm hand engulfing his, correcting his hands to be more relaxed. The touch is gentle but instead of calming him, his heartbeat races and Charlie’s face becomes red again. Hector tilts his head in confusion and notices his tense shoulder, he lets out a long sigh and pats Charlie’s shoulders, urging him to the same. The barista nods, forcing himself to take a deep breath and release some of the tension that had built up. The touch lingers, warming his skin and sending shivers down his spine.

Charlie learns new signs and the correct fingers position, even he gets some tips from Hector. They only stop when there are other customers coming into the cafe. Charlie serves them with his usual enthusiasm and as he waits at the counter, instead of reading his veterinarian course book, he practices the new sign he has learned. While Charlie might mix up words or struggle with certain gestures, his dedication never wavered. He was determined to learn this new language—a language that would allow him to connect with Hector in a deeper, more meaningful way.  As he learns, he can feel the gaze from Hector and he looks back at him with a smile, signing him excitedly, “I’m learning!”

Hector smiles at him and signs him a good luck before he continues to work. The cats have surrounded him and found comfort in his presence, almost like he is one of the parts from the cafe. When he walks into the counter, he types to his phone to ask for the bill but Charlie has already prepared them and proudly signs him the exact number of the bill. He looks at him expectantly and his face turns brighter when Hector approves and gives him a thumbs up. As usual, Hector puts the coin for the tips and Charlie signs him “thank you.”  with touching his fingers to his lips then moving his hand toward him. He doesn’t need to purse his lips and blow but he does, probably because of muscle memory. The movement looks like Charlie is blowing a kiss to him instead. Hector thinks he should correct it but for some reason, he doesn’t want to. 

Charlie watches Hector leave his cafe with a satisfied smile on his face. He picks up Charlizard, the orange cat who usually sits on Hector’s lap and looks at his face with a grin. “Today is a success!” He always likes to explore something new and dive deep to learn them until he can apply them into practice. Especially when that skill can help him to understand and communicate with Hector more efficiently. Charlie appreciates the effort Hector was putting into teaching him, the patience and the genuine desire to help him learn. But beyond the determination Charlie has and Hector’s patient teaching, there is a shared understanding—a silent agreement that they are both investing in something special.

A few additional and random sketches of Gale. I couldn't do more this week due to that whole art theft situation (I can't thank you enough for your help with this nightmare ❤️).

(sorry for the bad quality, most of them were pencil sketches I quickly lined and colored on csp)

Here’s a Du’Met for spooky season 🍁

being a fan of something with like 30 total fans on tumblr is funny bc you get like 12 notes on a post and you're like wow the gang's all here

Du’Met looking at Charlie is so ❤️❤️ The head tilt and intense eyes, like he’s never been so interested in someone before, and doesn’t quite understand it. There’s such a spicy tension between them~ 🔥

4 emotions of granthem du’met.

1. the classic. a typical bitch resting face. no fucks given. i mean, he doesn’t emote to the point, where it can be considered an emotion of it’s own. anti-emotion. 

2. alert/surprise. 

3. the unhinged state/dazed. 

4. whatever the hell it is, when he stares at charlie. i literally call this emotion just…charlie. 

in conclusion: until meeting charlie, du’met had 3 emotions. now, he has 4. this is one true character development. 

Um so I believe this post entirely failed to post the first time. If this posts twice then uhh lmk. But anyway

Realizing I never showed y'all the time I escaped the whole map as Charlie. Shit was too fun.

My adventure lasted a good hour and a half too

Hey guys so I have like, a handful of chapters started and nothing wants to cooperate with me right now and let me actually get in a groove with it. So, I am outsourcing to all of you to kick me into gear.

For a LIKE, you can make me write three sentences on something that is in progress.

For a REBLOG (to spread this around), you can make me write six sentences on something that is in progress.

If you leave a REPLY and tell me which of the below you want your sentences to happen on, I will add one sentence to each action. (Making a Like = 4, Reblog = 7, Both = 11.)

If you don't leave a reply, it is dealer's choice and I will put your sentences towards whatever I like.

Available choices are:

A Bark Worse than His Bite - Chapter 6

Worth Counting - Piece #6

Worth Counting - Piece #7

Shooting (More or Less) Straight - Chapter 3

Familiar Shades - Chapter 3

Gotham's Finest - Chapter 3

Feel it in My Bones - Chapter 2

Non-Compliant - Chapter 4

Made to Order - Chapter 4

(If you need a refresher on what any of those are, my Ao3 is here.)

I will keep a running total of people and sentences and update you guys as I make progress. This lasts until I feel like I'm done, at which point I will disable reblogs/replies.

I'm ready.

Cat Cafe AU Part 3

I can't stop shipping this two. Anyway, please enjoy!

Hector wakes up with his heart beating fast in his chest. It’s wrong, he shouldn’t think about him like that. It’s creepy. No, bad Idea. Charlie is sure a virus, making him can’t think properly, like a glitch in his computer. Or he is more likely an addiction, just like how he is addicted to caffeine and he can't function properly without him, can't stop craving for more. If Charlie could just stay with him, that would be ideal. How could someone as ordinary as Charlie, a mere barista from a small cat café invade his mind like this? What makes him so special to Hector? Is it because of his looks? Sure, he looks cute, with his sweet smile, bright eyes, thin lips and blushed cheeks but Hector has met other attractive people and they don't entice him like Charlie does. Is it because of how he takes care of the cats? How he always treats them gently, very attentively and talks to them even though he knows they won't talk back to him, just like Hector does? 

Is Hector so lonely he fell in love with a person who doesn't find his silence rude and keep talking to him? Is he so deprived from social contact he lets other people get into his heart? Hector spends his morning analyzing his feelings, letting his breakfast get cold for being neglected as he thinks. His own mother didn't even like him, despised him even. Is it possible that other people could love him? He gets on with his morning routine with the thought of Charlie popping in his mind out of nowhere. He truly is a computer virus and it only makes his obsession of him grow. Hector looks at the time and prepares to go to the cat cafe. Ah, the blue towel, he needs to iron it for a bit. When he is done, he takes the towel and sniffs it, a little bit disappointed it doesn't smell like Charlie anymore. Hector sighs and puts it inside a paper bag, an idea of spraying his perfume on it crosses his mind but he shrugs it off. Charlie wouldn't care if it smells like him or not anyway. 

As he opens the cafe's door, Charlie greets him with high enthusiasm, as if he looks happy to see him. He is a barista, of course he is happy to see his customer, Hector pouts in his mind. He wants to be special, not just like a customer to him, but who is he to hope for something like that?

"Good morning, Hector!" How could someone shine brighter than the sun? How could his presence and his interaction make Hector's life become so colorful and when he leaves this cafe, it becomes dull again? "Double espresso as usual, yes?" 

Hector nods, his usual seat on the corner doesn't look much appealing to him after he finds how comfortable it is to be closer to Charlie yesterday. Hector sits at the table near the bar, slowly so as to not wake up the cat that sleeps beside him, remembering how he made the chair damp when he sat there yesterday because of the rain. Thinking about the rain, Hector fishes the towel and gives it to Charlie after the barista comes up to him and places the coffee on the table. 

"Oh, thank you! I hope you don't get sick yesterday because of the rain."

Even if I get sick, I will still come here. Hector smiles thinly and shakes his head.

"Thank god, looks like the lemon-honey candy works, eh? If only I could give it to my cats.” Charlie chuckles, “sometimes they can get the flu even though I have kept this cafe at a stable temperature. They are all vaccinated of course, but the kittens are still at risk and it can progress to cause serious damage to the eye. Just like Snowy there, my boss found him near her apartment with his eyes partially closed, meowing his heart out, looking for his mom. Fortunately, we took him to the Vet in time and here he is, looking as healthy as ever."

One thing that Hector notices when Charlie monologues is he also speaks with his hands, as if the sounds from his mouth are not enough to express what he wants to say.  His expression is easy to read, like an open book. But it is not an open book that Hector could just pick anytime he likes, it was like a book in a museum, where it was put inside of transparent glass. Hector could read it, see it in every angle but he couldn't touch it, couldn't own it. 

"I'm rambling again, sorry about that." Charlie smiles apologetically to him but Hector just shakes his head and gives an OK sign, he doesn't mind. He never does, he could listen to his stories all day long. Hector goes to the cafe so much to the point he needs to buy a portable monitor to code comfortably in the cafe. Charlie, upon seeing the new device, intuitively gives him a terminal contact for its power supply, even without Hector’s asking. After he gets it on, Charlie comments, “Are you a hacker? You know, with those jumbles of words and numbers?”

Hector snorts but he doesn’t shake his head, only shrugs. Just let him figure out that hacker is not the only job that works with code. Charlie chats some more and only gets back to the bar when he realizes he babbles again, fearing he is interrupting his work.While Hector doesn’t mind, he still needs to get his job done.  Hector tries to concentrate on his work, something that he easily does before he has this feeling in his chest that urges him to glance at the barista. But even then, he still gets his work done just before the cafe is closed. He can just go home right now, but a little more time he spends here won't hurt. Besides, how can he go when a chonky cat is purring on his lap? It would be an unforgivable sin. 

Suddenly the bells on the door jingles, indicating another customer has come in. He orders some drinks and food and sits on one of the couches. Hector doesn't mind him and continues to pet the cat on his lap, although he finds it weird that people come up to a cat cafe at this hour. 

Suddenly, the customer harshly grips the scruff of Mr. Holmes' neck who steps on his expensive bag and the cat, surprised by the sudden movement reacts by biting him until drawing blood. 

"Son of a bitch!" The man exclaims and hits the cat's face until he lets go of his hand. The black cat hides under the table and hisses. "Who the fuck let an aggressive cat here? He got rabies, didn’t he?!"

Charlie hurriedly comes up to him, looking at him worriedly. "No, sir, we always vaccinate our cats and I can assure you, they are all healthy. Please, let me take a look at your hand."

The man only slaps Charlie's hand and Hector glares at him. 

"Fucking bullshit!" He kicks one of the chairs until it falls, making the cats all hide in the corner and even get into their hiding place. "I'll fucking sue you! That cat ruined my bag and now bite me.you think you can get away from this?"

"Sir, I'm sorry it happens to you, we will take full responsibility for your wounds but please don't damage our facilities."

"You think you can persuade me, huh? Not only I'll sue you, I'll write bad reviews of this place so no one won't come over here ever again."

"Sir, you are disrupting our customers and cats, and I wish we can discuss this in a calm manner or… or I need you to leave, sir."

The man glares at him and pulls Charlie's collar, and Charlie can smell he is drunk, "Or what, you son of a bitch? You'll drag me out, huh?"

That's it. Hector can't let him touch him any further. He grabs the alcoholic's shoulder and drags him outside to the alley, punching his face until he is unconscious. He can feel the skin on his knuckles torn and bleed but it doesn't bother him. Right now, his only objective is to make Charlie and his cats safe. The body sags as he presses it to the wall, a primal instinct inside him wish he is dead but he stops himself and  chooses to hail a cab. He throws the man on the backside seat, gives a couple of bucks to the driver and instructs him to take the drunkard to hospital, saying he found the man on the outside of the bar, probably lost in the bar fight. 

After he watches the cab go into the night, he gets inside and sees Charlie looks so shocked. The black cat rubbed its body to his leg back and forth, looking just as anxious. The cat hisses when Hector approaches them but he ignores him to sits beside the barista and types some words on his phone, then he shows it to Charlie. 

"He won't come back, you are safe now."

The cat hops on his lap and Charlie unconsciously pets it, feeling comfort both from the black cat and the black-haired man in front of him who hesitantly touches his shoulder and rubs it gently. After a while, Hector takes a mineral bottle from the bar and gives it to Charlie after he opens the bottle caps first. At least he looks relaxed now as he mutters a soft thank you to him. He looks like a scared kitten and all Hector wants to do is to wrap him with a thick blanket, pet his head  and take him home. Of course he can’t do that, but he wants to do something for him, help him a little bit. He looks around and chooses to tidy up the chair on the floor instead. At least the café won’t look like a mess and the action bring some satisfying feeling in his chest. Everything in its place, so the only mess he had is just in his head. It is not until he feels a touch on his arm and flinches by the sudden touch. 

“Oh, Hector, you are a customer. You don’t have to do this! I’m just shocked, really… It’s nothing.” The barista bites his lips, “You know how Chicago is, yeah?”

Hector’s snort, Well, It doesn’t look like nothing. 

“Thank you for helping me back there, though. I couldn’t imagine if he hurt my cats and I couldn’t do anything about it.”

Hector tightens his jaw. Should’ve killed him when I had the chance. But he just heavily sighs and types his phone: 

“Shocked, just like what I said and kinda relieved that he is not here anymore.” Charlie picks up the black cat and hugs him to his chest, stroking his head lightly... Hector can read “Mr. Holmes” on his nametag. “I’m worried about Mr. Holmes, he got an abusive owner before I got him and he has been really anxious. I need to separate him from other cats before he starts to attack them.” 

“How do you feel?” 

Hector tilts his head, the story sounds familiar or maybe he is just imagining things. Projecting himself as the cat who is being comforted. He sighs again then points to himself, points to the floor, then points to Charlie with the cat and the room upstairs. 

“Okay, okay. I’ll be back,” then he looks down at Hector’s hand, dirtied by blood. He swallows, “I need to take care of your hand too,”

As Charlie goes upstairs, he assesses the damage the drunkard has caused. Nothing serious and nothing breaks at least, although the fallen chairs scratched the wooden floor. The cats had left their hiding place and roamed freely inside the café. Some groom themselves as if they already forget what happened. A couple of moments later, Charlie brings a medical kit and a bowl filled with water. As they sit, Charlie opens his palm up, now covered in latex gloves and waits for Hector to give his hand. Hector looks at him and hesitantly puts his hand on Charlie's. He wipes the blood from his hand with the wet towel, rubbing it softly against his skin. Hector freezes, as if he is afraid he is going to make the wrong movement. Ever since he was a child, he always tended to his wounds and bruises alone, usually with cold water since it was the only thing his mother had. And now, a man touches him so softly, cleaning his wounds and putting so much attention to him. It's strange, it feels alien and yet, not unwelcome. He wants to feel his skin, pity, his hands are covered with latex. As Charlie treats him, he doesn’t feel hurt on his hand, he doesn’t even realize it was bleeding, a result of having so much worse than that. It won’t be a big issue if he doesn’t take care of it but Charlie treats him as if he broke his hand. Charlie is so close… If he leans further, his nose may touch his hair. 

“Okay, It’s done!” Charlie straightens up again and Hector praises the Lord he doesn’t let his intrusive thoughts win or their heads would collide. “You need your hand for work, right? The cut is not deep so I think It won’t be an issue. Might sting a bit if you flex your hand, though.” 

Hector sighs quietly at the loss of contact as Charlie withdraws his hand from his and nods. He takes a look at the clock and realizes it’s past closing time. After he decides it’s already safe now to leave Charlie, he walks to the bar, fishing his card to pay. 

“Oh no-no-no! You don’t have to pay, you protected and helped me a lot today. Take it as my gratitude. My treat, really.”

“Take it or I won’t leave.”

Hector shakes his head and frowns. Any logical man would do it so it’s nothing special. He pushes his card to him and when the barista refuses again, Hector huffs and hastily types on his phone.

“Well, you can just stay with me upstairs with Mr. Holmes,” Charlie blurts. 

Hector frowns get deeper and he stares down at him. What does it mean? Does Charlie really want him to spend the night with him? Is he serious?

Charlie looks at him in fright, "I'm sorry! That's really inappropriate, I'm just kidding, it's-it's... I'm sorry."

Of course he is not serious. What do you expect, Munday? 

Hector only nods and gives an OK sign with his fingers. Charlie takes his card and lets him pay, with a guilty puppy look on his face. Hector only sees the glimpse of it and forces himself to look away. He leaves with a gloomy face and walks briskly to his apartment, feeling stupid. He shouldn't feel this disappointed, it's not like he dares to hope he can be with him after the cafe is closed. Of course it's just a joke, someone like Charlie can be too friendly, doesn't really mean what he says. Besides, Charlie deserves someone better than him, someone who can communicate with him like a normal person. Hector clenches his fist in frustration and sleep doesn’t come easily to him that night.