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

[davin]

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."

Comments

[doublethepain]

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]

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?"

[doublethepain]

"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."

[davin]

"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."