davin | happy is he who hath in himself praise and wisdom in life [closed; spencer]

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happy is he who hath in himself praise and wisdom in life [closed; spencer]

The other night Davin couldn't sleep, so he wandered out into the living room and fired up the History Channel, which led to marathoning all of Vikings, which led to him wanting to know everything there was about vikings. He finishes up at work a bit early and bypasses the library to go to Crossroads instead, hoping to run into any combination of the Waters-Bakers clan. He's in luck when he pushes the door open to see Spencer behind the counter, and Davin lifts his hand in greeting.

"Spencer, hey!" Davin takes off his coat and lays it over a chair before approaching the counter. There's that look in Davin's eyes, that familiar new topic look that Spencer's seen before, and Davin lays his palms on the counter and looks at him intently. "Vikings."

He definitely looks a little over-caffeinated, and he lifts one hand in a wave. "I mean hi, hello, how's the husband an' the bun in the oven, all that. But vikings, man."

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Spencer doesn't even get a word in before Davin makes an emphatic point about vikings, and he does nothing but blink for a moment too long before he breaks into an amused smile. "The husband is as wonderful as he always is, and the baby is the size of a cucumber this week. According to the app I've been tracking, anyway, our surrogate seemed to think it was an odd comparison."

For the most part, customers wander into the store without much of an idea of what they really want. They get a lot of people in for a quick browse, only to leave looking rather dazed with a handful of books that they'd ended up with at Spencer's suggestion and prompting. That Davin already knows what he wants is helpful, and Spencer is already gesturing for his friend to follow as he walks toward the shelf of historical texts.

"What is it about vikings that has you so excited?" he asks, scanning the rows of books for one that's appropriate to pick out for Davin. "Nothing to do with the town, I hope." He pauses, one hand extended toward the shelf as he turns his head to glance over his shoulder with an alarmed look in his eyes. "Oh, god, Siren Cove isn't being invaded by vikings, is it?"

"Wait, a cucumber? I'm hopin' that's like, in length only," Davin says with a huff of laughter. "Although you're kind of a string bean. Maybe it's takin' after ya."

Davin has no idea who the biological father is out of the two of them, and asking seems a little invasive. They both have such different coloring that it'll probably start to be obvious after the baby grows, but for now Davin likes to imagine that it's both of them, somehow. That'd be a cool kid.

He follows along eagerly, keeping a good distance between them as Spencer leads him to the familiar historical section. "Well shit, man. Don't jinx it."

A happy laugh escapes him and he lets his gaze skim curiously along book spines as they walk. "Nah, I stayed up all damn night marathonin' that show 'bout 'em. The one on the History Channel? It left me with a slight case of exhaustion an' a thirst for knowledge."

"I take offense to that," Spencer answers, though his tone is good-natured, and he rolls his eyes before looking back at the shelf. "Anyway, I'd like to think the baby will take after Joel, though I know he's hoping the same about me. But can you imagine? A little boy or girl with a head full of those beautiful curls."

He reaches for what he's looking for--Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga, a comprehensive history with input offered from different scholars, which is why Spencer remembers liking it so much--and blindly hands it to Davin before continuing his search for another.

"And god, if the baby has his eyes? My life will be impossible. It's already impossible." No matter who the biological father of the baby is, of course, they're going to love that baby more than anything else in this world. He's been imagining what it would be like to hold their child for the first time since Joel had proposed to him in the hot tub on the cruise, and it's strange to think that'd been just a little over six months ago when really, it feels like an entire lifetime has passed since they'd gotten married.

He straightens back up with a sheepish smile and another book in hand, letting out a slightly embarrassed laugh as his cheeks flush a light shade of pink. "Please feel free to stop me if the baby chatter gets to be too much, it's just what's most on my mind these days."

"Oh, a very handsome string bean," Davin corrects with a friendly wink. "Don't get me wrong."

He listens in amusement as Spencer speaks and takes the book with a grateful nod. He's perusing the back cover interestedly and the corner of his mouth quirks up as Spencer continues to gush. "They'll be a heartbreaker no matter which one of ya they take after, believe me. An' I don't mind the chatter at all. I'm so happy for the both of ya, really."

Spencer flushes a little, just like Joel does sometimes, and it gives Davin the intense urge to tease and see if he can make it darker. He manages to refrain this time, partially because he's so entranced by the back of the book. "D'ya think Norse gods were real? It's frustratin' sometimes, y'know? Not knowin' what's real an' what's fiction."

It's a true testament to how comfortable Spencer is becoming around Davin that he doesn't feel even a twitch of discomfort when Davin calls him handsome. It's said as a joke, which helps, but much like the way Coop simply makes him roll his eyes with a lewd comment here or there at this point, Davin's good-natured teasing has become quite welcome. A year ago, Spencer might have shied away instantly, or at least turned into a stammering mess, not even because he would have registered it as anything like flirting but because he wouldn't have been at all used to anyone saying such things about him.

He hears it every day now, which doesn't necessarily make him complacent to hearing it from other people but at least it's easier to swallow. Some mornings, he'll wake to find his husband gazing at him before Joel just offers an affectionate smile and gentle kiss on the forehead. Spencer loves those moments, the fact that they happen often hasn't dampened the effect of feeling like he so happily belongs to someone because they're only for him and Joel. Nobody else gets to see that look on his husband's face, and Spencer privately takes great pride in knowing that.

He's drifted again, he realizes, lost in thought of his husband, which isn't unusual but is rather inconsiderate since Davin has just asked him a question. "I haven't the slightest idea what the answer to that is," he says, though his brow knits as he thinks harder on it. "Not too long ago, I wouldn't even have said witches were real but that all turned around very quickly, seeing as I'm now married to one. Anyway, I don't see why they couldn't be, all things considered. If Hydras are real then surely the existence of Norse gods isn't out of the realm of possibility."

Spencer gets that Joel look in his eye so Davin just rides it out with an amused smirk, opening the front of the book and going over the table of contents. He's on the first page when Spencer replies and he looks up with a smile, nodding along as he speaks with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Well hey, I didn't know witches were real when I was a kid either," Davin says with a wry smile. "An' look at me now."

He reaches out with his magic to tug lightly at Spencer's watch, just enough so he'll feel the pull of it. The book looks like exactly what he had in mind so he closes it and tucks it under one arm. "Speakin' o' weird shit. How'd you guys fair at that clusterfuck of a museum openin'?"

It catches him off-guard, the tug at his watch, until he realizes that it's Davin doing it, and he huffs out something between an amused laugh and a relieved sigh. There isn't much about a majority of the magic practiced in this town that's necessarily frightening and in fact, Spencer has had reason to fear people who can have an entirely different power over him--people like Mark Fuller and Eli Jasper--far more than anybody who can move things around a room with a flick of a wrist or change the weather at will. He already knows that Davin is a witch, Joel had told him, but even if he hadn't, it wouldn't change anything. Davin is still exactly who he is, simply with the added bonus of being able to do whatever it is he'd just done. That's more than enough for Spencer; he knows all too well what it's like to be viewed as capable of something he would never do, to be looked at like he's a monster without the evidence to back it up, and he'd long ago made a promise to himself not to make snap judgments about people he barely knows. Even if he doesn't speak much with most of those people anyway

"Careful, this was a gift," he teases, turning his back to the shelf and leaning against the rows of book spines behind him. At the mention of the museum opening, his smile fades into a grimace, and he shakes his head with a heavy sigh. "It didn't exactly go as planned, though I suppose everyone there can say that. Did you have a run-in with the mummy? It touched Joel, and he-- He got very sick."

It hadn't lasted long, but it had been terrifying to see his husband in that state. There are some days that he's faced with what his own reality has become, one that strongarms him into worrying about anyone he cares for because too many times now, he's lost the people he's loved the most. He remembers the chill that had rooted itself in his chest when they'd fought the demon, the unbridled fear at the thought that there might not be another day of waking up next to Joel or kissing Joel or running his fingers through Joel's hair, and Spencer has never felt as vulnerable as when he's been forced to consider the loss of his husband. It would be a blow he wouldn't recover from, he's absolutely certain of that. He wouldn't move on, he wouldn't even try because there's nothing in this world that could ever compare to the life and love he and Joel have built together over the past ten months.

Nobody is asking him to do that, of course, but it keeps him awake some nights. That night at the museum, he'd tried to bargain with whoever or whatever might exist beyond this universe for Joel's health and safety; he'd have taken the pain himself if it was a possibility but then, as suddenly as it had come on, the sickness had disappeared.

"This is exactly why I avoid social gatherings," Spencer says, his tone lighter again. "Potential for death is never in the fine print of the invitations, I should have learned by now. I'm assuming you didn't have the most enjoyable of times yourself?"

"I would have focused on the button on your pants, but ya might have blushed too much," Davin says with a laugh. After Joel found out he was a witch, Davin just assumed Spencer would know as well. And that doesn't bother him. It's not like Spencer has any problem with witches, not with how much he loves Joel.

Well, Davin's boyfriend doesn't like witches, but that's different. They aren't in love.

He's distracted from his thoughts by Spencer telling him what happened at the museum and he frowns, shaking his head a bit. "Yeah, it touched me too. I got pretty sick an' James got me back home. I had a potion that kinda took the edge off just a little, but I had t'wait it out."

James had gotten Davin's supplies when asked, and he sat by Davin while he said a spell and activated his potion, but letting something happen and being comfortable with it are two different things. Still, he should be glad James stayed with him. That's something.

"Yeah, I guess we should just start assumin' we're in danger at every town gatherin'," Davin says with a soft laugh, trying to wipe the conflicted look off of his face. "I'm really glad Joel is okay. Give him my best, aye?"

Spencer widens his eyes at that, thinking that he'd perhaps having thought a little too soon that he's entirely comfortable with anything in the way of innuendo, but he reminds himself that this isn't flirting. At least, he doesn't think it is, but the only flirting he's done in the past ten years has been with Joel and even then, he's not sure he'd gone about it the right way. Still, he'd ended up with a ring on his finger, so he supposes he hadn't been terrible at it and besides that, he is very well aware that he has nothing to worry about when it comes to Davin.

Never mind the fact that neither he nor Joel would ever do anything to hurt each other, Spencer knows that Davin is fairly cautious around him. He sees the way Davin holds back from any kind of touch when they're together and sometimes, Spencer does feel guilty about practically forcing someone as open and full of life as Davin to be anything but himself. One day, maybe it'll get easier. One day, Spencer might not feel like he wants to flinch every time an unexpected hand falls down on his shoulder, but old habits are often hard to break. The incident at the lighthouse with Mark Fuller certainly hadn't helped matters either.

"Well, I'm sure he'll be glad to hear you turned out just fine, too," Spencer tells him with a fond smile. "As am I. But I will tell him you said so, it'll probably get a nice blush out of him for no reason, and I do so very much love that blush." He pushes off the shelf to head toward the Keurig behind the counter, in very sudden need of a caffeine dose because he's starting to realize that he hasn't had one since he'd woken up this morning. It's a wonder that he's even functioning after just one cup.

He reaches for two mugs that have been set beside the machine, glancing curiously over his shoulder at Davin. "James. Your boyfriend, right? Does he know about what you can do? I don't mean to pry, we can go back to talking about vikings if you'd like, it's just that Joel mentioned what you told him about your parents and-- Well, I suppose I'd just really like to hear that you've met someone who cares about you for exactly who you are, that's all."

"Just teasin'," Davin says at the look on Spencer's face, unable to help but to chuckle just a bit. Maybe he's a terrible person, but making Spencer and Joel blush is one of his favorite things. "I like it too, but for entirely different reasons, I'm sure."

Davin follows Spencer and looks immensely grateful when he grabs two mugs. grinning widely when he smells the coffee start to brew. The smile fades a bit when Spencer asks about James and his parents, and his brow furrows as he leans against the counter. He's surprised that Joel told Spencer that story only because it means that he's a subject worth discussing in the Waters-Baker household.

"Uh, well. He knows I'm a witch 'cause of the way I helped when that siren took Mira an' the rest," Davin starts, biting his lip a little. "But he's a Thornton, y'know? They're not very fond of magic. He's okay with me being a witch, but not really happy about it, I don't think. I try not t'use magic around him."

The last thing Spencer says, that really hits him. Because aside from Mira and his other friends who know what he is, no. No one really has.

The Thornton-Coombs rivalry isn't exactly a well-kept secret, nor does Spencer suspect that either side of the family would ever want it to be in the first place; but as far as direct experience with any of them goes, Spencer has only ever really been close to Amelie Coombs, and they'd had something resembling a falling out long ago. Her father had never kept particularly quiet that he'd thought Spencer was guilty of killing his mother and brother, and Spencer had tried so hard not to let that affect him because giving in to the rumors and harassment and verbal abuse would only mean allowing his accusers to win. At a certain point, though, it'd all become too much and that's why he'd sent Amelie running from a friendship that had brought him so much comfort.

He still regrets it when he sees her, and they're much more civil with each other now but as far as she's concerned, the entire argument had merely been an overreaction on his part to a few late library books. Spencer's fine with that, he doesn't want to have to admit that he'd let his emotions regarding her father get the best of him, but it is something he wishes he could take back. Amelie had never done anything but treat him with kindness at a time when kindness had been so lost on him, and he'd gotten too scared to see it through. Maybe if he'd done things differently, they'd still be as close as they had then, but he supposes there's no sense in dwelling on possibilities that don't even matter anymore.

The thing is, though, that in spite of what had been said about him, the friends he has now have never once looked down at him with pity. With sympathy, yes, and he's seen them cringe before they can stop themselves once they've learned about his past, but they've stood by his side. He doesn't know whether any of them have ever stopped to wonder whether he really is innocent or not but if they have, he'd rather not know about it. There's something quite nice about believing that nobody he cares about could ever imagine he'd do such an awful thing. He remembers Joel telling him that he'd decided even before they'd met that Spencer was innocent, and it's to his husband's credit that he'd spent so many of the days leading up to Spencer's birthday making sure that the mailbox was free and clear of the typical hateful mail that gets sent to him that time each year.

They accept each other for who they are, regardless of what their histories might say about them, and so it doesn't quite sit right with Spencer to hear that Davin's boyfriend would be uncomfortable with the magic. "You shouldn't have to change for anyone," he says, surprised by how firm his own voice sounds and how tightly he's gripping the freshly brewed mugs of coffee. He takes a breath, urging himself to let the tension drain from his shoulders, then holds one of the mugs out to Davin with an apologetic smile. "I mean, I don't know much about your relationship and maybe I'm overstepping my bounds, but the magic is part of who you are. It's something that ought to be respected."

"I'm not changin'," Davin replies, but there isn't much conviction in his voice. He is changing, isn't he? He doesn't use casual magic around James, but all that does is make him slightly less lazy. He bites his lip and takes the coffee, curling his skinny fingers around the mug and looking up at Spencer with big, liquid eyes. "I thought ya woulda realized by now that I don't really have boundaries."

He gives Spencer a small smile and then lets his expression go thoughtful, brows furrowed slightly as he blows carefully on the coffee. "He doesn't say anythin' bad about it. I can jus' tell it makes him uncomfortable."

After taking a very careful sip, he shrugs and hesitates for a moment. This isn't his business to tell, not really, but he trusts Spencer. "A witch killed his mom, an' I guess with the whole rivalry thing he's jus' kinda set in his ways. I guess I'm jus' tryin' t'give him some time t'get used to it."

Spencer had been aware, of course, of the death of Mrs. Thornton, but he hadn't realized that the person who'd done it had been a witch. His eyebrows lift a bit at the revelation, and he bites down on his lip before gesturing for the couch. This isn't a light conversation about vikings anymore, and it's not as if Davin has asked for advice on his relationship--which Spencer doesn't think he ought to be giving anyway, considering his expertise is strictly limited to what he has with Joel--but when it comes to being a human in this supernatural world, he thinks he can offer quite a bit of insight.

"It's hard to break out of a value system that has been so deeply ingrained in you for so long," he says, patting the cushion next to him as he sits. He leans back against the armrest, sighing to himself before taking a cautious sip of his coffee. "It's good of you, you know, to be so understanding. Maybe it seems like it should be common courtesy but it isn't. Not always." He lowers his gaze, looking into the ripples within his cup, and frowns. "When my mom and brother died, it was-- Well, it was difficult. Made worse by the fact that people thought I did it. There wasn't any time to grieve, at least not right away, and even after I was released from custody, it didn't stop. I got letters. Phone calls. Threats. All of that, and I still have no idea who did it or why."

It's the most he's really talked about this since he'd told Joel, and he doesn't know why it seems so important to say to Davin now, but he can't seem to stop.

"We all heal at our own pace but as far as I know, whoever killed my family was decidedly human. There are good and bad people in this world, that's the way it is, just like there are good and bad witches. People who don't deserve it get hurt every day and others who have never done anything generous in their lives get to thrive. We have to weed through them, find the good ones and keep them so we have more of a defense against the bad. I remember thinking that when I realized I was in love with Joel, that I'd found the one person in this world who will always make me feel safe and welcome, who will make me feel like I'm not being judged. He makes me feel like I'm home, no matter where we are. It doesn't matter that he's a witch and that I'm not, we are who we are and it's enough. When you care about someone, that should always be enough."

He smiles sheepishly, shrugging a shoulder, suddenly awkward because of how much he's been saying. "Anyway, no two relationships are alike, and I'm not trying to persuade you in one direction or another about yours. I just think that there's only so much time you can offer someone before it becomes a question of what's more important."

Davin leaves the book on the counter and follows Spencer over to the sofa, pulling his feet underneath him and sitting with the mug cradled carefully in his lap. He flushes a little when Spencer calls him understanding, and then he listens with rapt attention as Spencer speaks so openly about his past. Davin has the vaguest idea, of course, just like everyone else who has lived in this town when it happened does. He's only really getting to know Spencer, but Davin never thought Spencer was guilty. He doesn't know how anyone could have.

He talks about getting threatened and Davin instinctively reaches out to touch his arm, but pauses halfway there and moves to rest his arm on the back of the sofa instead.

"That's what I told him," Davin says quietly. "There are bad an' good witches, just like humans. He seemed t'take that in well enough."

Spencer keeps talking and Davin is so happy for him and Joel, but he can't help but to feel this overwhelming sorrow, just for a moment, because that's not what he has. He doesn't think he'll ever have that, and he's incredibly embarrassed when his eyes start to burn.

Because what it, for James, that isn't enough?

Davin blinks rapidly a few times and laughs a little at how ridiculous he's being. His cheeks are burning and he ducks his head, brow furrowed like he's in pain. "Yeah. I dunno, I guess I have a lot t'think about."

For a moment, Spencer considers reaching out to squeeze Davin's arm first, to show his friend that he's not lacking in comfort or a certain level of trust here, but it passes the second Davin lays his arm on the back of the couch. He's never going to be the sort of person who's interested in a hug at every hello or goodbye, he's never been a fan of claps on the shoulder or a comforting hand on his back, and he appreciates that the friends he has can respect that; but there's always some small part of him that wishes he could be more open, more inviting of people and their warmth, much like Davin often seems to be. One look around the club at his birthday party had shown just how many people care for him, and Spencer doesn't think he'd ever have a turnout quite like that even if he'd been looking for it.

His own birthday had been spent at home, as it almost always has been, but for the first time in a couple years, he hadn't spent it alone. Joel had been there for every moment, doing his very best in trying to make it a day that would make Spencer smile again, and he'd succeeded more than Spencer would ever have thought possible; but then again, his husband always seems to be doing the impossible and with every passing day, Spencer loves him more than the last.

Davin deserves that. Most people do, really, and Spencer knows that not everyone finds what they're looking for in this life. There are some who will search forever and come up empty-handed while he hadn't been expecting anything at all in the way of relationships. "It's strange how things work out," he says, eyes flickering down to the ring on his finger as he tilts his head thoughtfully. "I was ready to spend the rest of my life alone. Not in a self-pitying way, it's not as if I'd been trying to punish myself or anything like that, I just never thought of myself as someone who could find... this." He gestures around them, at the walls of books, at the store he can now partially call his own, and some days, he still can't believe how far he and Joel have come.

When he looks back at Davin and sees the reddening cheeks, the unspilled tears, Spencer bites down on his lip and leans forward a bit before finally reaching out the way he'd almost done before. His fingers wrap gently over Davin's shoulder with a reassuring squeeze, a small, reassuring smile playing at the corner of his lips. "For some of us, we have to go through what seems like a lifetime of difficulties to come out on the other side. You're a good man, Davin. Not just a good witch, a good man. If your boyfriend is uncomfortable with magic but still wants to be with you, that's already a sign of it. Just don't lose sight of yourself. Of who you are or who you want to be. You're enough just as you are, don't ever forget that."

"I don't think - " Davin cuts himself off, because he'd been about to say I don't think I'll ever find it, and Spencer doesn't need to hear something so self-pitying, even if it's what Davin truly believes. It's so incredibly rare, what Spencer and Joel have. It's fairytale, sparks literally flying love and not many people get to experience something like that, Davin is sure. He's glad it got to be Spencer and Joel. If it should be anyone, it should be them.

He blinks when Spencer grips his shoulder, wetness clumping his eyelashes together, and he can't help but to smile a little. He knows what it means for Spencer to offer him comfort like this, and Davin genuinely appreciates the gesture.

Spencer says all these nice things like he truly believes them, and it leaves Davin slightly baffled. He doesn't think he's particularly good, or special, and it's always a bit confusing to hear that someone else does. At Spencer's advice, a single tear slips out and rolls down Davin's cheek, and he quickly wipes it away with an embarrassed laugh. It's been a few months since he cried, and that was out of fear and pain more than anything else.

"Thanks, Spencer. An' I wont, I promise. My parents spent my whole life tryin' t'change me, but it never did 'em any good. I know who I am." Davin smiles and lets out a shaky, cleansing breath. "It's still really new, y'know? James an' I. Least I can do is try an' give him some time t'come around, but I won't forget who I am. I fought too hard t'get here."

Spencer nods his understanding, knowing very well that he isn't the be all, end all of wisdom when it comes to relationships because after all, his relationship with Joel had been his very first. He'd gotten luckier than most, though, in meeting a man so genuinely kind and good, and he does see quite a bit of that in Davin, even if Davin doesn't necessarily see it in himself. Spencer understands that, too.

"I will hold you to that promise," he says, his smile betraying the attempt at a warning tone. "Sometimes, when it's really late at night and it's been a long day and all I can do is stare up at the ceiling in the dark, I still wonder what on earth someone like Joel could possibly see in me. Before we started dating, I thought it would never really happen, that he'd realized being with me would be dealing with too much baggage, and I tried and failed for weeks to forget about how he really made me feel. The thing is, for Joel, it didn't matter how much baggage I had because he wanted to help me carry the load. And the same goes for me when it comes to him."

That's part of what being in a relationship is, he thinks, being willing to help each other and understand each other and see each other through the most difficult times. Joel had gone to such great lengths to help Spencer see the library differently after what had happened with Mark and most recently, the backyard of their home. The bad memories don't just go away, that much is true, but the scars they leave behind will fade. Every day, they fade a little more because he has so many new memories to keep at front of mind now. Things are different, changing more and more with each passing moment, and yet, neither of them would ever ask the other to become a different sort of man. It's everything Spencer never would have thought he could deserve.

"You're worth a bit of discomfort," he says, tone lightening. "When all is said and done, surely you're more important than an outdated belief system and ridiculous rivalry." Spencer opens his mouth to say more but the bell above the door rings then, and he stands to greet the customer who walks through the door with a wave. "Roman, you made it, I've got the books you requested behind the counter." He glances at Davin with an apologetic smile. "Wait here, will you? I won't be more than a few minutes."

"We can hope, right?" Davin smiles, but he isn't really so sure. Still, his talk with Spencer has been cathartic. Things between he and James still have time to work themselves out, and Davin just has to believe that they will. Even if they don't, Davin has an incredible support system in place, and he'll be just fine, no matter what.

He smiles at Spencer as he stands and looks over at the man walking into the shop. It takes a moment, but he stands once recognition hits. "Roman, hey. How's the Benz workin' out?"

Roman is fairly new in town and brought his car in for some standard maintenance awhile back. He seemed nice enough, and Davin is glad that he seems to be settling in well. "Found the best bookstore in town, huh?"

In all honesty, Spencer is a bit relieved for the distraction, if only because he never knows if he's saying the right thing to anyone but Joel and besides that, he's hardly one to be offering advice when it comes other people's love lives. He's been incredibly fortunate with his own but his romantic relationship with his husband is both his first and last. It's not quite as simple for most, he thinks, and he's known people to marry their high school sweethearts only to get divorced a few years later; he's known serial daters who still haven't found someone they're interested in settling down with; and he's known people who've never fallen in love at all, and he doesn't think there's a right or wrong way to go about any of this because anyone who claims to have a rule book for dating is an exceptional idiot but that only makes everything he's said to Davin all the less legitimate.

And of course, now he's fretting because he fears he's crossed a line, and Spencer doesn't notice that Roman's looking at him oddly until he finally looks up from the stack of books Joel had ordered upon their customer's request. He's saved from excessive awkwardness thanks to Davin, and he looks back down at the books as he rings them up with relief that the burden of conversation has shifted.

"Davin, my man! The Benz is running so smooth now, it's like you made it brand new again. The thing purrs, its a true work of art."

Spencer glances up to catch Roman grinning broadly, and he has to admit the smile is infectious. He doesn't know the man very well, only through encounters at the store, but he's always been polite and nice and while he seems satisfied enough to carry on a one-sided conversation, Spencer does have to appreciate that the man doesn't really seem to mind if he only gets a few non-committal answers back.

"You know what, this place is fantastic," Roman continues, and the comment brings a pleased flush to Spencer's cheeks. "If they don't have something I want, they get it. Isn't that right, Spencer? Where's the hubby today?"

Spencer blinks when he's addressed, eyes widening before he relaxes again and lets out a short laugh. "Yes, well, we do try. And Joel is at home working on our nursery and renovations."

The books Roman had ordered from Joel the last time he'd been here are a bit curious, Spencer realizes as he focuses his attention back on them. They're all about witchcraft but not the sort of texts that interest the tourists; they're more specific, some of them spellbooks and others looking rather serious, likely made for those who actually practice witchcraft. He doesn't want to outright ask Roman if he's a witch or has just taken a strong interest and somehow found these titles on the web, but Spencer arbitrarily flips one open to scan the pages. There are spells he's never heard of, at least none that Joel's ever talked about before, but then Roman is turning back toward the register and Spencer flips the books back shut with a smile.

Davin knows that Spencer can be a little awkward. Idle conversation with strangers just isn't really his forte, but it's what Davin is good at. It's no hardship to jump in and shift Roman's attention over to him, and he winks at Spencer when Roman isn't looking.

"That's great, man! Ya ever need anythin' else, ya know where t'find me." He comes up to the counter and walks behind it to get a refill on the coffee, assuming that Spencer won't mind. Hopefully. He notices the books that Spencer is flipping through and stops, scanning them over curiously. He reaches out to run his fingers over the spine of one and feels something like a shock, static electricity, and turns when Spencer places them on the counter.

"A bit o' light readin'?" Davin asks with a laugh. Davin's magic comes up to the surface, tingling just beneath his skin, but he doesn't sense anything coming off of Roman. Those books, though. They're powerful in an almost unsettling way, but Davin doesn't think too much of it. When he first touched one of his grandmother's ancient spellbooks, it nearly knocked him off of his feet. She had just laughed and said that it was good, it just meant the book was excited to be near a real witch with great power. Davin had thought she was teasing at the time.

"Yeah, you know. There's a lot of rumors about this town," Roman says with a charming smile, pulling the books close and then taking out his wallet, tearing his gaze away from Davin to look at Spencer. "What do I owe you?"

"Not as light as the kind of reading this guy does, right, Spence?" Roman goads with a broad smile, and it takes a great deal of restraint for Spencer not to flinch at the use of the nickname. There are only three people who've ever really called him that: his brother, Cosette, and Coop. Even Joel doesn't use it, no matter how close they are, and Spencer has never necessarily thought it suited him but he certainly hadn't minded it coming from Dane--though even if he had, it's likely that his brother still wouldn't have seen a reason to stop--and even from Cosette or Coop, it somehow doesn't come as a bother. From a stranger, though, at least someone who's more of an acquaintance than anything else, Spencer gets an unpleasant feeling in his gut from it.

None of this is Roman's fault, of course, the man couldn't possibly know but even still, there's something decidedly uneasy about the way Roman had said it. Spencer tries to brush it away, though, putting on his best shopkeeper smile as he finishes ringing up the books. "What, you don't think War and Peace can be considered light? It's fairly quick to get through, although I suppose there aren't very many people who would agree."

He lightly taps the book on top of the stack for Roman before glancing back at the register. "And that'll be one hundred sixty-three and forty cents. Spare no expense for witchcraft lore, do you?"

"Lore," Roman repeats, following it with a short laugh before handing Spencer two hundred dollar bills. "Right. Well, I was looking for something a little more reliable than a book of spells on how to get Prince Charming"

"As you should," Spencer tells him, sliding the books into a canvas bag and holding it out for Roman to take. He leans forward to rest his elbows on the counter, glancing at Davin and then the shelves beyond him as he does. "Actually, now that you mention it, I think we just might be sold out of that one. The tourists just love it."

"Oh, that one doesn't work at all, otherwise me an' Chris Pine would be livin' happily ever after right now," Davin jokes, winking at Spencer and watching as he hands the books over to Roman. A shiver runs down his spine at the look on Roman's face, and he isn't sure why. There's just something about that smile that sets Davin slightly on edge, but he shakes it off quickly enough.

"Be careful with that stuff." Davin says it as a joke, even going so far to wiggle his fingers in the air like he's telling a scary story, but he's actually quite serious. There's a lot of power in those books, and Davin doesn't necessarily like the fact of just anyone accessing them. Still, it will do little good to have the books if the person holding them isn't a witch, so that's a comfort.

He sips his coffee and leans against the counter next to Spencer, elbows resting on it just next to him as he watches Roman prepare to leave. "Have a good one, man."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

happy is he who hath in himself praise and wisdom in life [closed; spencer]

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