When Arin arrives at his house, he can tell that Suzy just got in herself. And when he gets inside he sees that she's just starting to put together a salad for them to eat for dinner. Arin comes up behind her and kisses her cheek before he heads to the fridge to get a flavored water, ignoring the alcohol bottle that sits on the shelf beside it.

It's quiet for a while, with Suzy quietly humming something to herself while Arin takes long and slow sips until he can't help himself any longer, finally opening his mouth to speak.

"Suze, can I ask what you were talking to Dan about?"

Suzy simply smiles, but doesn't turn away from the cutting board, dicing up a tomato and adding it into the mixture of lettuce, carrots, onions and cucumbers. "You can, but whether or not I tell you is another story." Arin groans, taking a seat at the island, and then Suzy finally looks over at him. "Trust me, baby, it wasn't anything bad. Nothing for you to worry about, okay?"

"But I wanna know," he groans again, leaning over the countertop and closing his eyes with a sigh. "Were you talking to him about me?"

"In a way, yes," she answers with a cute giggle, resuming what she was doing before. "Look, if you really want to know, I'm planning on going to visit my sister, Jean, and I asked Danny if he would stay here and keep you company until I come back. I figured that you two could spend some time together, and maybe it'll be long enough for you to try and figure out how he feels."

Arin lifts his head and turns to look at her, perking up. "Really?"

She nods, turning her head to show her smile. "Yeah. So make the most of it, okay?"

"I will," he tells her, unable to keep the corners of his lips from quirking up into a small smile of his own. He lets his head rest against his arms again until Suzy's finished with the food, placing an empty plate in front of him so that he can get some from the bowl. As he gets up, he looks at her when she sits down. "So when are you leaving?"

"I told Dan either tomorrow or the day after," she utters around a mouthful of salad, "But I've decided that it'll definitely be tomorrow. I bought the ticket already, and I have to be at the airport by 10:15 in the morning. After I finish eating, I'm gonna text Dan and let him know."

Arin sits down across from her, nodding. "Okay. Do you want me to wake up early and drive you there?"

She shrugs as he digs into his salad. "If you want to, but I know that you like to get your sleep so I mean... I can always take an Uber or a taxi or whatever. Either way, I'm fine."

"I can take you," Arin insists, reaching across the island for her hand. He goes quiet for a moment, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "And thank you, Suze. I'm gonna miss you like hell while you're gone. But you know, if you're just doing this for me, then... you don't have to go. I don't wanna fuckin' make you feel any type of way, you know?"

"I know," she says simply. "I'm gonna miss you too, baby, but I promise I won't be gone for longer than a week, tops. And anyway, this was my idea, and not because of anything you said or did. I just want you to have some extended time alone with Danny and this way, I can give it to you. Besides, I miss Jean anyway. I already told her that I'll be coming to visit, and she's excited. I'm excited. So don't feel bad or anything, okay?"

She lets go of his hand to finish her food when he nods, and he quietly goes back to his own food as well.

And later, when she goes to bed, he goes with her, holding her tightly until they both fall asleep. When he wakes up to the sound of the alarm a few hours later, she's already gone from the bed and he can hear the shower running. The clock says it's 9:17 in the morning, so he forces himself to get out of bed and get dressed before he heads downstairs to make breakfast.

Suzy comes down about ten minutes later, all ready to go even though they don't have to leave yet. They quickly eat the eggs that Arin made and then he helps her get her suitcase into the backseat so that they can leave.

The ride isn't too quiet or anything, but comfortable. He listens as she spews ideas and suggestions on what he should do while she's away, and what he could do with Dan for the next week. She reminds him to make sure he buys groceries and feeds the cats, and reminds him that if he needs her for anything, he can call. Always.

"And god forbid if things go wrong with Danny or something," she starts, looking over at him as they pull into the parking lot and try to find somewhere to park that isn't too far away, "Just call me and I'll come home right away if you need me to. But hopefully, it won't come to that. I hope things go well, and you have to tell me ASAP if anything happens."

When they park, she unbuckles her seatbelt. "Oh, and I told Dan that he can head to the house by eleven or twelve or so if he wants to, but he might still be asleep right now."

Arin gives a nod as they step out of the car, and he reaches into the backseat to grab her suitcase for her. "Yeah, more than likely he won't show up until late," he says with a chuckle.

Suzy giggles. "True. But if that's the case, you can take a nap or something in the meantime."

Arin smiles as Suzy shuts the car door.

"Oh yeah, anyway, so I'll call you either as soon as I land or as soon as I get to my sister's house to check in and see how things are going," she adds as they walk to the main building. "And you can call me at any time."

"Alright, just be safe," he replies, pushing and holding the door open for her so she can head inside, following her after.

And once she's ready to get on the plane, he hugs and kisses her goodbye, and wishes her a well trip and a well week. She does the same for him, giving him a bright smile. She turns with a wave and leaves him alone to go and board the plane, and he misses her as soon as she's out of sight.

He leaves the airport then, getting into the car and making the drive back home, putting on music as a distraction. He doesn't know why, but he doesn't feel that confident about how things are gonna go without her around to help him, without being able to talk to her without bothering her at her sister's, and it's all ruining his mood.

It's only Dan though- Arin doesn't understand why he's so anxious. Maybe he's just feeling afraid of being alone with Dan for that long, and the possibility of accidentally acting on his feelings, terrified that if he does, everything will be fucked, because it most certainly would be.

He doesn't want that. Arin just wants to spend time with Dan, maybe test the waters a little and see how he feels, but he doesn't want to try anything too major and stupid and risky. At least not while Suzy is gone, just in case things go bad and Dan leaves. But Arin doesn't want her to feel like she has to come home the minute things go wrong, if it happens, so avoiding things that could make it happen would be the best idea, he supposes.

Arin feels a little calmer when he gets to the house, but the anxiety he's feeling is still eating away at him. It's 10:42 by the time he gets in the door and settles down on the couch, kicking his shoes off as he turns on the TV to watch while he waits for Dan to come over. It takes his mind off of things for a while.

He almost doesn't hear the door open nearly an hour later. His heart starts pounding as he tries to stay calm but fails, feeling an odd mixture of nervousness and excitement bubbling up inside of him. Dan's here, and he's going to be here all week. With Arin. Alone.

Arin looks over when he hears the footsteps getting closer to find Dan, coming to a stop in the walkway with a grin plastered on his face. His duffle bag is slung lazily over his shoulder, and he sets it on top of one of the barstools at the island.

"Hey Ar," he greets with a wave as he bends down and takes off his shoes, tucking them out of the way.

"Hey Danny," Arin replies as Dan moves and plops down next to him on the middle seat on the couch. "I know Suzy said she told you to come by around now, but for some reason I thought you wouldn't be here until way fuckin' later or something."

"Nah, I wanted to be here when she asked me to be." Dan yawns and relaxes into the couch a little more, leaving Arin with next to no room to move, but he actually doesn't mind much. Even before this crush, or whatever it is, he never minded Dan being too close. "So what are you watching? Anything interesting?"

Arin shrugs, stretching his legs out over Dan's lap. "I honestly don't fuckin' know, dude, just whatever is on, really. I think I kinda zoned out after I turned on the TV."

Dan hums as Mimi jumps up onto the couch, climbing onto Arin's legs and kneading them. Dan chuckles, running his fingers through the cat's fur until Mimi starts purring.

"Ah, Mimi- claws," Arin huffs, spreading his legs a little so that the cat falls off of and between them, landing on Dan's lap. Like this, Arin's leg is actually pinning Dan's upper body to the couch just a little, but if it bothers him, Dan doesn't mention anything about it.

Eventually, Mimi curls up there and goes to sleep. Dan smiles even though he's trapped between Arin, the cat and the couch, and for a little bit, things are just quiet- the only sound being the TV. Dan looks over at the younger man after a while.

"So," he begins, curls bouncing as he moves his head, "What do you wanna like... I don't know, what do you wanna have for lunch or for dinner later? What do you wanna do? I'm here all week, so we have lots of time to do some shit."

Arin exhales softly, trying to think of something as he lets his head fall back. "I wanna get high," he says eventually with a quiet laugh, but he's only half-joking. He does feel like getting high because it'd probably calm him down just a little, but at the same time, he feels like he should stay clear-headed. Besides, the smoke always bothers him and eating it fucks him up too much.

Dan whistles. "I haven't smoked in years," he states, but Arin already knows this. He lifts his head to look at Dan's face.

"If you smoked now, would you like... get addicted again?" Arin wonders, but Dan only shrugs, going back to petting the cat. "Because I actually have some weed that was given to me recently, but sometimes it's too harsh on my throat, so... it might go to waste if I have to smoke it all alone and shit, you know what I mean?"

"Oh yeah I gotcha, and I mean... I probably wouldn't get addicted again, but you never know." He smiles a little, focusing on Arin now instead of Mimi. "Why? Do you want me to smoke with you?"

"If you want to," Arin murmurs, a devilish smile of his own playing about on his lips. "I don't want you to feel like I'm forcing you to, because you can obviously say no."

After a moment, Dan nods. "Alright, I'll do it, but just this once," he sighs with a smile and taps Arin's knee, so the younger moves his legs off of Dan and gets up off of the couch to go get the weed from upstairs.

There's only a little bit, which Arin passes to Dan in a bag so that he can roll it up for them- Dan obviously knows what he's doing with weed, unlike Arin who barely knows a thing. Mimi is forced to move when Dan needs his lap back so he moves her, and Arin easily slides back onto the couch with the lighter in hand, changing the channel while he waits on Dan to finish.

Arin passes the lighter and Dan lights up the blunt and takes the first hit, coughing his head off immediately after. Arin unconsciously touches his shoulder until the coughing fit passes. After the second hit, he hands the blunt over to Arin, who lets his legs stretch out over Dan's once again.

"You okay?" Arin questions, hand still resting on the older's shoulder.

"Just not used to it anymore," Dan tells him, which he understands. He takes the next hit then, and just like Dan he's coughing hard into the crook of his arm until his face is bright red. "Oh my god, you look like a tomato."

Arin laughs in between the coughs and passes the blunt back until he can catch his breath. It's a bit easier for Dan now, and it's such a familiar feeling. He feels like he did back when he was in college all those years ago. It's all so nostalgic in a way.

Arin just watches as the older man exhales the smoke into the air. Dan looks gorgeous like this, as he always does, but for some reason Arin just can't make himself stop staring right now, as if he's in some sort of trance. Dan's always so mesmerizing, but holy shit does Arin think he looks extra sexy like this.

"Do you wanna fuckin' try something?" Dan suddenly asks him, and Arin blinks, hoping he wasn't caught watching him. "It's... a little weird I guess, might be considered a little gay probably, but it's nothing too bad or anything and we've probably done gayer shit. Besides, man, I feel comfortable enough with you to do it."

"Uh, sure," Arin replies hesitantly after a moment, swallowing as his face heats up. He feels weirdly excited. "What is it, dude?"

Dan flushes a little too as he speaks again. "It's called 'shotgunning', or it could also be called a 'shotgun kiss'. You've probably heard of it."

Arin smirks just a little, biting his lip. "Aw, Danny, you wanna kiss me?" he jokes, knowing better than to think that Dan ever would, but unable to stop his heart from beating so damn hard and fast at the thought. Arin moves his hand so it's on his chest, resting over his unsteady heart as if to say that he's flattered. "How sweet. I'd love to kiss you."

"Oh my god, Arin," Dan giggles, lightly shoving Arin's shoulder. "Like... I mean, the lips don't always touch. Sometimes they do, but for like couples and shit. For us they wouldn't."

"But we're a couple!" Arin argues with a laugh. He can't say he's surprised that Dan doesn't want to kiss him. Disappointed? Yes, a little, but definitely not surprised. Dan looks at Arin oddly until he continues with, "A couple of fuckin' morons, that is."

Dan rolls his eyes, but he's laughing a little too. "Well, that's for sure, dude," he replies, taking another hit from the blunt. Arin is quiet for a moment.

"Anyway, alright then," he says eventually as he straightens up, not letting his smile fall despite the aching in his chest. "So we'll just save the kissing for another time. Now, explain it to me, man. What do I do? What's gonna happen, Daniel? Daniel Avidaniel-"

"All I'm gonna do is take another hit," Dan starts simply with a chuckle, "But when I blow out the smoke, you'll inhale it. Sound okay? Might be easier for you to take in too maybe, but I dunno for sure."

"Okay," Arin agrees without hesitating, shifting a little closer to Dan. "So I just breathe in the smoke when you breathe out? That's it?"

"Yeah, dude, it's that simple."

"Oh, okay then. Cool, let's do it, bro. Hit it."

Dan nods and takes the hit finally, holding it in for a moment before he's leaning in a bit too close for Arin, who's feeling both anxious and excited. Dan taps his bottom lip gently until the younger of the two lets his mouth open just a little, and then Dan's breathing out, exhaling the smoke and letting Arin breathe it in.

They're so, so close that Arin almost kisses him- wants to so bad. And at that thought, he nearly chokes on the smoke and can't meet Dan's eyes until he pulls back a little, and then Arin's exhaling that smoke into the air with a soft sigh. Things are quiet for a moment as he stares at Dan, and Dan's looking back at him with an expression that Arin can't quite place. It makes him feel warm deep inside.

"Whoa," he murmurs eventually as he blinks, surprised, so much so that he doesn't think about what he says next. "That was... actually intimate as fuck. You know what I mean?"

Dan winces just a little, flushing as he looks away. "Yeah," he mutters back, "Um, shit, now that I think about it, it was kinda weird for me to ask you to do that, right? Sorry, man, I didn't... I didn't mean for it to be like that."

Arin frowns just a little. "Nah, dude, don't be sorry," he tells him, lightly touching his shoulder. "I didn't like... mean it in a bad way or anything. I'm fine with it honestly, it was just sort of fuckin' unexpected in a way, you know? Like... whoa. It's not that weird though. I've done a lot of weirder things, trust me."

Dan nods again, lip between his teeth as he passes the blunt, but Arin thinks that the older man doesn't feel reassured. It makes Arin feel anxious, even as Dan speaks again. "Alright," he says, and his bright smile is returning in an instant as if nothing happened, "Well, at least you got to try it. It's kinda cool, right?"

Arin nods in response, a smile on his face as well despite the anxiety creeping up inside of him.

They end up putting out the blunt before it's completely finished, and they both aren't all that high or anything, but Arin does feel a lot more mellow than earlier. He lets his head fall back against the couch before his eyes once again fall upon Dan, who's watching the TV, looking slightly out of it but content at the same time. Relaxed, mostly, and happy.

And fuck, he looks so goddamn beautiful. Arin wants to touch him, be close to him, wants to hold him in his arms and kiss him breathless. Maybe if Arin was drunk right now he would have the courage to, but he's glad that he isn't. Besides, he doesn't want to be drunk the time he may get to kiss Dan. He doesn't want to be high for that either. If it ever happens, he wants it to happen sober, with his head clear so that there'd be no misunderstandings and it would be obvious that he meant it.

He lets his head fall against Dan's shoulder then. "I'm fuckin' hungry, dude," he groans as he changes the channel on the TV with the remote. Dan chuckles a little, trying to look over but unable to see Arin's face.

"What do you wanna eat?" the older of the two asks, his hands warm where they rest on top of Arin's legs in his lap. Arin shrugs, so Dan hums. "Well what do you have, silly goose?"

"I don't know, I gotta go grocery shopping in a minute," Arin tells him, but he doesn't actually want to move right now. "You're gonna come with me, right?"

"Yeah, sure," Dan replies cheerfully, and Arin groans again as he forces himself to move off of Dan so that they can get up and head out.

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