Carlos hummed as he nibbled on a noodle, trying not to make the gross noises he usually did while Hancock explained something so personal. He understood he supposed… he hadn’t bothered with his own birthday since… he was alone. Well, not alone, alone – not anymore – but the only other people who knew about it were safely tucked away in a vault never for him to see again. But still…
“Would you… mind too terribly if I were to get you something?” he asked softly. “Nothing big or extensively-planned, just… I dunno… a box of Snack Cakes and a ‘Happy Birthday’ kiss or something?” He tried to make the idea seem light, but he really did want to know what Hancock would feel about it.
“I uh…..” He paused, chewing on his lip as he considered that. One of the reasons he’d stopped acknowledging the day was because his parents had been killed not long after, it only served as a reminder of what he’d lost these days.
“I guess that’d be alright, as long as it’s not a whole….. thing, maybe. I dunno, we could try it anyway, if ya want.”
Carlos nodded, setting down his chopsticks again. “Sure. Absolutely, Hancock,” he said. He turned to lean in and press a gentle kiss to Hancock’s cheek. “You’ll… let me know if it gets to be too much… right?” He didn’t even know when the guy’s birthday was yet, but he wanted to be absolutely sure he was getting a green light to do something small. Very small.
The Perfect Scientist 